Newbie with a question.

1139 Views 7 Replies 4 Participants Last post by iziris, Dec 8, 2008

iziris

Discussion Starter · Dec 5, 2008

I am new to this forum and new to planted tanks and I have a few questions which may turn in to more. I am currently attempting to set up a "low tech" planted aquarium. I have a 39g high, 3 - 20 watt fluorescent, hob filtration, under gravel filter, turface mixed with normal gravel for substrate and I will not be using co2. I think picking my plants will be pretty easy due to some research. The only plant I am not sure about is something I can use for a carpet/ground cover plant. I thought I was set on Riccia Fluitans but now I am unsure. I am looking for something that is kinda low maintenance and requires minimum trimming. Pictures would be great and any suggestions on my setup would be appreciated as well. The only thing different I have in mind that I may do is add another 20 watt fluorescent so I can have 2wpg. Also, I have only came across this once but would like some opinions. Is it not good or recommended to have an under gravel filter in a planted tank? Any suggestions on places to order plants online would be great too considering that I can not find any lfs that carries many plants locally.
Thanks and please let me know if there is anymore information you all may need.

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Metalmaid

· #2 · Dec 5, 2008

First off all were do you come from? I know I suck when it comes to aquatics terms in english/american. g high? hob?

If you want a carpetplant thats low, HC is not recommended and not Pogostemon helferi they wont work with lowlight. Been there done that...

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iziris

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 5, 2008

Metalmaid said:
First off all were do you come from? I know I suck when it comes to aquatics terms in english/american. g high? hob?

If you want a carpetplant thats low, HC is not recommended and not Pogostemon helferi they wont work with lowlight. Been there done that...

I am located in Louisiana in the US. 39 gallon high,so the g is for gallon and I say high because of it's configuration, the height is alot greater than the depth or width. hob = Hang on back

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cs_gardener

· #4 · Dec 5, 2008

Most people do not use an undergravel filter with a planted tank. There are a few who do with success but it's not commonly done.

A good foreground plant for lower light is one of the Marsilea sp (Marsilea quadrifolia can be a bit tall, M minuta will do well in lower light and stay shorter and there is also M hirsuta). I also like using Anubias nana petite as a foreground accent. Scroll down in this post to see a tank with both Anubias nana petite and Marsilea minuta. You could also use Subwassertang or moss attached to mesh or rocks. The only problem I've had with Subwassertang so far is that the pond snails in one tank are eating it. It's growing very well in another tank and has a very interesting appearance. Flame moss is also a neat foreground as it grows upward. To trim it I take the mesh out of the tank and put it in a bucket of aquarium water so I don't get the moss bits all over the tank.

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iziris

Discussion Starter · #5 · Dec 6, 2008

thanks for the help I think I will be able to make a decision with the information given to me. I know this may be a stupid question but bare with since I am so new at this. Is co2 only required once you have so much light or would it be a plus on even a low tech 1.5wpg tank? Also, what is all involved with the co2? I may be making it more than what it is and make why I am not wanting to do it. thanks again

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trenac

· #6 · Dec 6, 2008

C02 is always helpful, even in low light setups. I personally would not run a tank without C02, now that I've done both. In theory C02 is really not needed if you keep the watts per gallon under 2. You can instead use Seachem Excel for a carban source. Personally I don't care for it, but others have had good succes with it. Another option is DIY C02 (scroll down to "microbrew"), which is cheap & simple. I used this setup for my first planted tank(s) & had good success. Or you could go with a pre-made systm like the Hagen system. These are really only good for tanks 20G or under. It does a ok job. There is other pre-made system's out there that might be better suited for your setup, just take a look around. Top of the line would be pressurized C02. Which is more expensive to get started with, but cheaper in the long run. Well worth the effort & cost.

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Metalmaid

· #7 · Dec 6, 2008

I dont´t use co2 at all since my aquariums seems to run very well without.

My opinion is that if you changes a funtional lowtechsetup...as in adding co2 you ought to change the lightsource as well and increase the nutrionlevels, seems as many converters got issues with algae or nutritionlacks.

co2 is not a mystery it´s just a matter of changes and learning to manage the changes.

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iziris

Discussion Starter · #8 · Dec 8, 2008

Thanks, I think I will just start up with no co2 and see how things go. Now I'm just waiting to get my substrate in and I'll start planting.

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