Joined
·
443 Posts
I'm planning an 80 setup I hope to get going in the near future. I want it to be very low-maintenance. The best method seems to be Diana Walstad's "natural" method, using an inch of soil for the underlayer, capped with an inch or so of gravel on top. I've spent a few days reading old threads in her forum over at All Wet Thumb, but there are a few questions I still have regarding the specific needs and habits of crypts and substrates that I thought I would direct to you guys.
I'm finally ready to start keeping chocolate gouramies (S. osphromenoides) again, and this tank will be setup for just them. I'm thinking of a pretty monospecific planting of C. cordata v. blassii, with very few other aquatic plants. The water level will be lowered so the tank is 1-2 to 2/3 full (total tank height is 23.25") and I would really like to have a lot of emmersed growth going on. Lighting will be anywhere from 1-2 WPG.
1. Now, Walstad recommends using gravel over the soil as it allows oxygen to reach the bacteria down in the soil. However, I can't really stand the uniform look of gravel--I much prefer sand that I collect myself. Does anyone know how much this will actually minimize oxygen transferring down to the soil? What if I did 2/3 of the tank with sand and 1/3 with gravel--would that provide enough oxygen?
2. The soil I'm looking at using is a very basic potting soil I found at Wal-Mart, consisting of peat, forest material, and something else I don't remember (maybe vermiculite or perlite?). Would mixing in some peat with the soil be of any benefit? Would peat help soften the water or promote a more acidic water column? As for nutrients, it seems that after a few years crypts in this type of setup tend to slow down in their growth as much of the food get used up. Would it be beneficial to add Jobe's plant spikes into the substrate down the road?
3. The water I'll be using for this tank comes from a well, and here are the stats right out of the tap:
pH 7.5-8.0 (can't tell exactly with the test kit)
GH: 9
KH: 7
I would really like to attempt breeding chocolates again, but the best chances for that occur with a pH 5-6.5, GH 0-4, KH 0-5. I have thought about combining some RO/DI water, but according to Walstad it seems that the plants actually need the calcium, et al that comes from the tap water and using such a pure source of water wouldn't be beneficial. However, if plants are growing emmersed well enough, would that matter? What would you suggest?
I'm finally ready to start keeping chocolate gouramies (S. osphromenoides) again, and this tank will be setup for just them. I'm thinking of a pretty monospecific planting of C. cordata v. blassii, with very few other aquatic plants. The water level will be lowered so the tank is 1-2 to 2/3 full (total tank height is 23.25") and I would really like to have a lot of emmersed growth going on. Lighting will be anywhere from 1-2 WPG.
1. Now, Walstad recommends using gravel over the soil as it allows oxygen to reach the bacteria down in the soil. However, I can't really stand the uniform look of gravel--I much prefer sand that I collect myself. Does anyone know how much this will actually minimize oxygen transferring down to the soil? What if I did 2/3 of the tank with sand and 1/3 with gravel--would that provide enough oxygen?
2. The soil I'm looking at using is a very basic potting soil I found at Wal-Mart, consisting of peat, forest material, and something else I don't remember (maybe vermiculite or perlite?). Would mixing in some peat with the soil be of any benefit? Would peat help soften the water or promote a more acidic water column? As for nutrients, it seems that after a few years crypts in this type of setup tend to slow down in their growth as much of the food get used up. Would it be beneficial to add Jobe's plant spikes into the substrate down the road?
3. The water I'll be using for this tank comes from a well, and here are the stats right out of the tap:
pH 7.5-8.0 (can't tell exactly with the test kit)
GH: 9
KH: 7
I would really like to attempt breeding chocolates again, but the best chances for that occur with a pH 5-6.5, GH 0-4, KH 0-5. I have thought about combining some RO/DI water, but according to Walstad it seems that the plants actually need the calcium, et al that comes from the tap water and using such a pure source of water wouldn't be beneficial. However, if plants are growing emmersed well enough, would that matter? What would you suggest?