New Tank Setup Guide - Parts 1 and 2 - Page 3 - New to Planted Aquariums

auqaman59 · 01-13-2007, 01:00 AM

I think I need to add more plants to all my tanks ! Looking at yours mine are lightly planted to say the least . thank you for posting pics they say more than words !! now if I can find a store that actuly sells more than tall grass and hornswort lol

ericpop27 · 05-28-2008, 08:39 PM

Great info!

Deni · 06-26-2008, 09:36 AM

This is an excellent description of what to do. Very clear. I did have one question, though, regarding

Quote:

In about 3-4 weeks you will probably want to start replacing some of the fast growers with more desirable plants.

Is it better to go for the gusto at this point and do all of the aquascaping and replacing of the fast-growers with other plants? Or is it better to only replace a few at a time over a period of weeks until the desired aquascape is achieved?

Bert H · 06-26-2008, 10:12 AM

Quote:

s it better to go for the gusto at this point and do all of the aquascaping and replacing of the fast-growers with other plants? Or is it better to only replace a few at a time over a period of weeks until the desired aquascape is achieved?

IMO, gradual changes are always better, especially on a new set-up where the achieved balance may be tenuous at the beginning.

Deni · 06-26-2008, 11:45 AM

Thank you. That's what I was thinking, but just wanted to be sure.

jerrybforl · 12-26-2008, 10:28 AM

on the contrary CO2 injection gets cheaper over time as you only have to buy the equipment once and take care of it. depending on how big your tank is decides how big you want you cylinder to be. i use a 5lb on my 55gal (recently moved to 75) but it lasted me 6 months and only costs 10-11 dollars to refill at any welding supply shop. excel gets expensive especially if your dosing in larger tanks. as it goes very fast. but also light is very important. if you keep it in the proper light range you should be able to maintain healthy plant growth without CO2. the plants just wont grow as fast but with CO2 they will explode in growth.

jerrybforl · 12-26-2008, 10:30 AM

im sorry hooha i miss read what you said about the excel and CO2 injection. so after reading what i said we are both in agreement.

BassMan · 01-12-2009, 11:18 AM

Beautiful Tanks!
I'm looking to put down enough substrate to start a 72 gallon bow front aquarium. I would like to do dense vegetation like some of these images but find that the Eco-Complete is an expensive substrate to use over the entirety of my tank. Any reccommendations on an affordable resource to use?

Also, My tank will hous3e some Oscars and some bass. Any type of plants I should avoid with these species'?

Finally, where can I go about purchasing my light and CO2 systems for a reasonable price? I'm in NY but am very savvy with internet ordering.

Thanks everyone!

gasteriaphile · 01-12-2009, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BassMan

Beautiful Tanks!
I'm looking to put down enough substrate to start a 72 gallon bow front aquarium. I would like to do dense vegetation like some of these images but find that the Eco-Complete is an expensive substrate to use over the entirety of my tank. Any reccommendations on an affordable resource to use?

Dear Bass, I just set up my first aquarium (as opposed to a "betta bowl" where I used some natural coarse sand) using Flourite. This tank was/is only 4 gallons, which I think is good to note. But with regard to a less expensive substrate for you, I was surprised by the look and nature of Flourite. I had never seen it before, much less worked with it. IMO a significant portion of the constituents of Flourite is a fired, calcined-clay (sometimes called, generically, "turface"). Hence I believe you could use "turface" as your substrate or mix it in with another material if you believed you need something else in addition to the turface (this other material being more expensive but having some minerals you deed necessary). The turface "stretches" your expensive substrate. If you do not much care for the look of turface, you could then cover it with a thin layer of some other material for appearance only. Hope this helps, BB

BassMan · 02-09-2009, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gasteriaphile

Dear Bass, I just set up my first aquarium (as opposed to a "betta bowl" where I used some natural coarse sand) using Flourite. This tank was/is only 4 gallons, which I think is good to note. But with regard to a less expensive substrate for you, I was surprised by the look and nature of Flourite. I had never seen it before, much less worked with it. IMO a significant portion of the constituents of Flourite is a fired, calcined-clay (sometimes called, generically, "turface"). Hence I believe you could use "turface" as your substrate or mix it in with another material if you believed you need something else in addition to the turface (this other material being more expensive but having some minerals you deed necessary). The turface "stretches" your expensive substrate. If you do not much care for the look of turface, you could then cover it with a thin layer of some other material for appearance only. Hope this helps, BB

I wound up going with 7 bags (105 lbs.) of flourite with a thin layere of pebble sized gravel on top for protection of the flourite. Thanks for the advice!