Aquarium Plants - Barr Report - View Single Post

Richard Heath · 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markbethel

Should I have undergravel heating?

I'd say no. It isn't necessary and roots can tangle in it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by markbethel

What should I use for substrate?

It depends on what you want to try. The two I have experience with are Seachem Flourite and ADA Aquasoil. Of the two, I prefer Aquasoil. Comes in different colors and doesn't scratch glass. There are other brands like Eco-Complete, even regular soil aquariums.

Quote:

Originally Posted by markbethel

Lighting in layman's terms.

The information on lighting is as enormous as the scope of your request. Basically, you have low light tanks, medium light tanks and high light tanks. It depends on what you want to grow, how much pruning work you are willing to do, if you inject Co2 and how good you are at keeping up with fert dosing and dealing with the occassional algae or greenwater problem that may pop up. There are different lighting technologies that you can choose from depending on $$ and what your needs are. This isn't an exact answer but you didn't ask an exact question, which was probably the correct choice in this case. Look at photos of aquariums and pick one you like, then you set up your lighting to match the light needs of those plants and the grow needs of that layout.

Quote:

Originally Posted by markbethel

CO2-how do you do it?

Depends. There's organic carbon which you can dose in a liquid form. There's Co2 gas produced by fermentation of yeasts and sugars. There's pressurized Co2. Those are the sources. Then, there are various methods of diffusion. You have external reactors, internal reactors, glass diffusers, airstones, bells, ladders, letting the filter break it up, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by markbethel

I am going to be using a canister filter system with a UV sanitizer. Is that okay?

That's wonderful.

I see you joined the forum today. Never done a planted tank before? Read the forums, do searches, look at other people's planted aquariums. Get an idea of what you want the inside of the tank to look like, then you'll be able to use the requirements to guide your purchasing decisions. When you ask a very ambiguous question about planted tanks you open yourself up to the likelihood of receiving an information overload and becoming very confused. Better to read as much as you can and then ask the remainder of your questions on a case-by-case basis. I'd be happy to help in the ways that I can.

One piece of advice I can give you now if this is your first tank...

When we start reading about planted tanks I think a lot of the "stuff" seems foreign to us. Scientific names, growth patterns, the whole concept around aquascaping and what is a "dutch" layout and what is a "nature aquarium" layout. We don't know a lot about ideal water conditions, nutrients and minerals, animal compatibilities, etc. So, we focus on the choice words, phrases and concepts that do make sense to us, things that we are already familiar with: which brand is better? lights, watts, filters, dirt...a lot of mechanical devices and mathematical values and numbers. Then we tend to focus on those things because the rest is "Greek" and in the end we can end up thinking a high light, high fert, pressurized Co2, fast growing tank that pushes the boundaries of sanity is exactly what we want our first tank to be, even if we like the look of java fern and moss. Different plants have different requirements and some plants work better in certain visual situations than others.

I'd suggest looking at pictures of the insides of planted aquariums, not specifications or values or equipment, and deciding which "look" you want. Then, tell us or better yet show us pictures and ask how to achieve that look. Then you can get specific advice because you are asking specific questions that are goal-oriented.