New with some questions - El Natural

ShaneR21 · 05-05-2012, 09:26 PM

Hi all,
I am new to the forum and new to the planted tank. I have a 26gal bowfront that I have been cycling for about three weeks now. I am thinking about changing it over from a "fake" tank to a planted tank. I have some store bought top soil that I have already gone through and got most of the pieces of bark and stuff out. I soaked it and it has been drying for a couple of weeks because I have been trying to decide if I wanted to go for this or not. Here are my questions.

1) I have regular aquarium gravel in there now. Once I put the top soil in, will the gravel be ok to put back in there on top of it?

2) If I decided to go ahead and do this, how long am I going to have to wait to put fish in it? I am planning on leaving the filter in it that has been in it since it was set up.

3) I am also going to have to buy a new light for it. I am looking at this light, Coralife Dual Fixture High Output T5 Aquarium Light Fixture. Is this a good light and is it going to be enough light for this aquarium?

Thanks for the help in advance. If y'all have any suggestions or anything that will help me decide if this is what I want to do or help me get it done, please feel free to share.

Thanks,
Shane

Michael · 05-06-2012, 06:35 AM

Hi Shane, and welcome to APC!

1) Yes, the aquarium gravel will work fine as a cap for your soil. Don't put in too much soil--a 1" layer is plenty.

2) It depends on your soil and how much preparation you have done to it. Rich soils that have not been mineralized can release enough ammonia for a month after being submerged to be unsafe for fish. Soaking and airing the soil as you have done helps. I suggest that you at least soak and drain it several more times before you use it.

3) I am not a fan of Coralife products, but opinions will differ. In any case, two T5 HO tubes over a 26 gallon will probably give you high light. This may cause problems with algae, especially at first. I suggest that you aim for medium light, which would be one T5 HO or 2 T5 NO. If you buy a 2-tube HO fixture, try to get one that will run with just one tube installed. Or get one that has two switches, one for each tube.

El Natural (a.k.a. the Walstad method) is a great way to start the planted aquarium hobby. After 3 to 6 months, these tanks become very stable and easy to take care of. I think the most common beginner mistakes are soil that is too deep and too rich, and having more light than you need.

Good luck!

ShaneR21 · 05-06-2012, 10:21 AM

Thanks for the information. I was looking at buying Eco Complete substrate instead of using the top soil. Would one 20lbs bag of Eco Complete be enough for my tank or could I put maybe a 1/2 inch of top soil then the Eco Complete on top of it? I have a T8 50/50 bulb in it now. Would that be enough light to grow plants? The dimension on the tank is 24"L x 15"W x 21"H.

Michael · 05-06-2012, 03:32 PM

The combination of Eco Complete and top soil is a good one.

One T8 tube is going to give you low light, and will greatly limit the species of plants that you can grow.

ShaneR21 · 05-06-2012, 05:33 PM

Ok sounds good. Still have to figure out if this is what I really want to do. I like the idea of the tank being healthier and everything.

RandallW201 · 05-06-2012, 05:56 PM

Hey Michael, Shane is my cousin. I told him you'd give him good advise

Shane, Michael is the guy I was telling you to PM. He's also the one that was leading the substrate talk at the plant meeting I was trying to get you to go to. Listen to his advise, its good stuff,especially with natural setups. He's helped me alot.
Thanks Again Michael!

Michael · 05-07-2012, 05:27 AM

I blush! Happy to help.

corsair75 · 05-08-2012, 10:20 AM

As far as the light, I can add some weight to the low opinion of Coralife products. I have used their stuff many times in the past. I work in the pet industry, and if I put one of their lights on a tank it's because I got it at wholesale, and had the rep's phone number for when it burned out a year later. With the recent dismantling of their parts network, I doubt I would take one for more than free.

Aquatic Life makes wonderful products and they have fixtures available already packed with f/w bulbs. I have their 2xT5HO fixture on my 55 and I think it's pretty astounding quality for the money.

Re: soil vs ecocomplete, I've never used the latter, but I've used Florite and think very highly of it. The commercial substrates are unquestionably easier to work with when setting up the tank, but be wary of which one you get if you choose that route. I tried Red Sea's once, and had phenomenal results for a single year, then it turned into useless mush. Call it a philosophical difference, but I don't like the idea of a substrate that needs to be replaced periodically.

The Trigger · 05-08-2012, 01:12 PM

i agree with corsair. i have a t5ho aquaticlife fixture and im extremely happy with it. wasnt overly expensive, has good reflectors and the housing is sleek. as for the substrate im not a fan of soil based substrates, but thats just me. i have seen many beautiful tanks that use them. i now use 100% eco complete and my glosso spreads like wildfire