55g planted aquarium
i've done 10g and 2.5g planted setups. i wanted to turn the 55g into one. of course diy, poor mans, low-tech route. oh yeah i dont do aquascaping. as long as it grows i'll be happy. and i'll just trim when they grow in.
setup:
55g, two dual shoplights 40w/tubes = 160w = ~2.9w/g, plant/aquarium sunlight tubes, open top, supersoil and (play)sand subtrates, two small powerheads, 100w heater, no filter, airstone (night use only), eggcrates.
plants:
anachris/elodea, ludwigia (ovalis or repens?), watersprite, various cryptocorynes, dwarf anubias, brazilian pennywort, unknown (stem) pennywort, microswords, corkscrew vals, unknown amazonsword, and possible glossostigma (hitchhiker), which would be the best xmas gift for 2006. *update: it is a glossostigma elatinoides. i dont think any xmas gift will top this lil'plant.
fish:
2m/4fm orange guppies, 4 otocinclus, 2 amano shrimps, 8 lampeyes. possibly will add a few small angels to eat a few guppy fry.
plant food:
flourish iron and supplement, no co2 setup, just the once/day fish morning feeding. and night time oxygenation.
those interested in this route.
http://www.malloftheworld.com/aquarium/part1.htm
http://www.aquaworldaquarium.com/Low_Tech_Planted_Aquarium.htm
http://www.aquaworldaquarium.com/supersoil_planted_aquarium.htm
More links
http://www.freewebs.com/simplyorange537/plantedaquariumlinks.htm
Police Auctions.
iLLapino83 part2 Fluorite red/dark/ blacksand cheapest i can get is 19.99. one bag is good for a 10g. i got 2 bags for my 29g but used only 1.5 of it. i would start with the supersoil brand as it is cheap and you can dump in the yard. its a good starter substrate since you want to learn how the planted tank is taken cared of. i used it in my 1st 10g and my water sprites, aponogeton(sp?) took over the entire tank in a month. when pruning/trimming is a pain thats when you’re doing things right.
iLLaPino83 the only con that i could remember after thinking about using that was where the kitty litter was taken from the earth. i remember, maybe its in one of those websites, was that some kitty litter would cause the ph to change. that is all i could remember. since i did not want to take the risk but mainly didnt want to do the research in finding out where a bag of kitty litter came from, i just went with supersoil. a lot cheaper but does leech out tannin, that tea color.
yes and no. floating plants, moss, java ferns, anubia, really dont need substrate. other plants that need their roots to be buried will need a nutrient substrate. roots take in more nutrients than via leaves so adding soluble nutrients in the water column can lead to algae if there are no floating plants with exposed roots to take up the excess. just having sand/gravel for plants is like eating rice cakes. the plants do not benefit. they’ll rely on co2, o2, and trace minerals from the tap water.
scotjr79 lol sorry about the song. when i reply to the comments here via the video link i have to pause it so i dont hear the song. lol. yes the substrate is where most nutrients are retrieved by plants. then leaves but not to the extent of the roots. from soil you’ll finally go with the commercial substrates like Fluorite or EcoComplete among many others.
Hi.. i’m starting a 10g planted aquarium.. i need some pointers on what substrate i should use. In one of the website you posted said its good to use kitty litter and cover it with sand. Its much cheaper than fluorite.. but is there cons on using it?
for a planted aquarium do you need soil underneath the sand/ gravel for the plants to grow?
That song was stuck in my head for days… nice tank I like your ideas. The substrate makes all the difference. I screwed around with gravel for too long before I switched to a soil. Instant positive results. Thanks
depends on the type of plant. normally stem plants are cut and replanted. you can replace the bottom part with the new plants at the top. plants like crypts, amazons, etc. are trimmed by cutting one or two large leaves so a new leaf will form. dont cut too much large leaves at once. doing so will likely upset the tank’s balance and soon algae will form. i’ve heard vals, microswords, etc can be given “haircuts”.
kentran042392 either way. if you dont mind seeing the airstone place it on top. if you want it to look kind of cool hide it in the gravel or under a rock/decor. i’ve hidden it in the gravel before and it’s pretty interesting to look at. if it’s a planted tank i’d restrict it to night time use since the air bubbles will decrease the co2 levels during the day which plants need. all though i’ve had an air driven sponge filter on my planted tanks.
hey how do you properly trim the plants cuz this plant that i have is starting to reach the surface and i dont really kno how to properly trim and i dont want to mess it up plz reply thnx
i have a question about the airstone? where is it supposed to be? under the gravel or lying on top of the gravel?
golomasterg you could. light is light, but bulbs for aquarium plants have the light spectrum tuned for them. i’ve used the cheap aquarium/plant lights from lowes/homedepot. either the GE or Philips brand. i wouldn’t get the ones from the petstore they’re too expensive.
mahendrathegreat just get everything ready before buying the plants. you dont want to have the plants but no light or substrate. goodluck and remember its trial and error. also i’d suggest starting with a 10g-20g tank.
arizonamtkingsnake the only thing i think glass covers are good for is keeping the evaporation rate very very low. but you’ll soon find out that calcium/mineral will build up under the glass. since the water condensates under the glass at night. when the light goes on it’ll dry up the water and leave the mineral deposits. i never tried those mineral remover products if that clears up the glass again. if you cut the eggcrate just right you’ll have more direct lighting but think of safety.
krulliko it is by Manu Chao titled “Bongo Bong.” he’s a multilingual artist check his website. i bought the tank at Walmart as a package around $150. If you’re near a PetCo ask when the $1 per gallon sale is. you can buy 20g to 55g glass tanks for $1/gallon. of course the 55g’s are the first to go. if you can afford it i’d go with acrylic for all of its good points. to keep it scratch free cover the front with another thin sheet of acrylic. may be tacky but if you have kids…
99lacy99 i’ve tried angels and i can never keep them for more than a month. even with buying a bunch from the same batch. i’ve never grown to liking the looks of mollys, i prefer guppies, lol. and as far as plecos…never again will i have one. they are just not for me. the large ones poop a lot x100 and will likely eat plants.
uberfilms thank you.
poetry91 i just lift it up and remove the eggcrates. it is very tiresome especially when i had to make fine adjustments.
stewy098 thank you. i had fun setting it up.
awol09 i can’t recall but i think the shoplights were around $15(sale) at lowes. i know it wasn’t $19.99 since i was a cheap bastard at that time.
awol 160w. two dual shoplights with t12 40w tubes. these shoplights can also use t10 32w tubes.
can u just use a regular bulb if putting plants in?, cuz i am thinking of putting em in
awesome…..i m going to try this !!!!!
I would have thought that glass cover if kept clean would be better than egg crate which blocks some light?
what is this song…
beautiful tank btw, how much did that 55 gallon cost you and do you prefer the glass or acrylic, I know that acrylic is very difficult to keep un-scratched.