setting up a planted aquarium HELP!!!

[Francisco Caamaño]

This is my second time setting up a planted aquarium I have a 33 Gallons
with 2 tube of 30W, last time I had too much algae and my plants die very
quickly, I also had an undergravel filter, this time I bought new gravel (10
Kg / 22 lbs) and a bag of Seachem Flourite Red (7 Kg. / 15.4 lbs) and I
remove the undergravel filter, I first put the Flourite and after the gravel
I put the water very carefull and I'm running the filter to clearfy the
water, what else should I do to have a nice planted aquarium, what cain of
plants should I plant, do I need more ligth??? please let me know all I
could do to make it grow ....

[LeighMo]

>This is my second time setting up a planted aquarium I have a 33 Gallons
>with 2 tube of 30W, last time I had too much algae and my plants die very
>quickly, I also had an undergravel filter, this time I bought new gravel (10
>Kg / 22 lbs) and a bag of Seachem Flourite Red (7 Kg. / 15.4 lbs) and I
>remove the undergravel filter, I first put the Flourite and after the gravel
>I put the water very carefull and I'm running the filter to clearfy the
>water, what else should I do to have a nice planted aquarium, what cain of
>plants should I plant, do I need more ligth??? please let me know all I
>could do to make it grow ....

Sounds like you're off to a good start, with adequate lighting and an enriched
substrate. (But how deep is your substrate? One bag of Flourite and 10 kg of
regular gravel doesn't sound like much. I used three bags of Flourite for my
29 gallon tank. The substrate should be at least 2" deep, and 3"-4" is
better.)

Anyway, you should be okay, as long as you are careful in what plants you
choose. You have less than 2 watts per gallon, but a 33 gallon tank is shallow
-- only 12" deep -- so that should be enough light to grow many plants.

What plants do you want to grow? The main thing is to avoid plants are are not
true aquatics, and to stick with fast-growing, undemanding plants (at least at
first). Starting out with lots of fast-growing plants will prevent algae
problems.



Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

[Cesium]

> What plants do you want to grow? The main thing is to avoid plants are
are not
> true aquatics, and to stick with fast-growing, undemanding plants (at
least at
> first). Starting out with lots of fast-growing plants will prevent algae
> problems.

Could you recommend some fast-growing plants that will do well in a
relatively low-light environment but that will still take advantage of a
rich substrate? I've got a flourite-substrate tank with about 30 watts of
light on a 20 gallon long tank (which isnt that little considering the
plants are less than 10" from the light). I need some short plants that
will be fairly hardy in most water conditions but that will be able to grow
fast enough to help me with algae. I was hoping someone might be able to
recommend some easily obtainable plants that would do well in these
conditions.
-Cesium


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[LeighMo]

>Could you recommend some fast-growing plants that will do well in a
>relatively low-light environment but that will still take advantage of a
>rich substrate? I've got a flourite-substrate tank with about 30 watts of
>light on a 20 gallon long tank (which isnt that little considering the
>plants are less than 10" from the light). I need some short plants that
>will be fairly hardy in most water conditions but that will be able to grow
>fast enough to help me with algae. I was hoping someone might be able to
>recommend some easily obtainable plants that would do well in these
>conditions.

Hygrophila grows very fast, and needs only moderate light. It may even creep
along the substrate rather than grow vertically, if there's a lot of light.
Even if it does grow vertically, it's easy to prune. You can just cut the tops
off -- no need to replant. It will grow back twice as thick. Hygrophila
difformis is especially pretty.

Vallisneria would probably do well in a tank like yours. It takes awhile to
get established, but once its established a root system, it grows like crazy.
Corkscrew Val usually stays under 12", so might be a good choice for your tank.


Swordplants would do fine with that substrate and that lighting level. They
get rather large for a 20 gallon tank, but it takes awhile. And there are also
smaller swordplants. Pygmy chain sword, rosette sword, etc.

Sagittaria subulata is one of my favorites for a moderate-light tank. Like
Val, it takes awhile to get established, but once it does, it grows very fast.


Also consider java fern. It doesn't need much light or a special substrate,
but will grow very fast if conditions are right -- fast enough to help in the
algae wars.

Marsilea might make a good foreground plant for you. It's not commonly found
in pet stores, unfortunately. I got mine from FloridaDriftwood.com. It's a
pretty plant, that makes a good ground cover when grown submersed, and doesn't
need as much light as most "lawn" plants. Mine is growing pretty well in
fairly deep shade. Looks like little clovers.

Speaking of FloridaDriftwood, they apparently are carrying "algae balls" now --
Cladophora. These do well in low-light tanks with no CO2 or anything. They
don't grow fast, but they are pretty cool-looking. I might buy some, for my
low-tech tank.


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

[Francisco Caamaño]

My aquarium is 17" deep, 36" long and 12" and it looks like 2" of gravel and
flourite, I'm planning to buy more gravel, should I buy mor flourite ???

well I will love to have nice looking plants, Amazon Swords, Cryptocoryne
wendtii ''brown'', Riccia fluitans Echinodorus x barthii , well I like this
plants from www.tropica.com but I like to have a nice planted aquarium I
have no idea wish one are good, and fast grow,

[LeighMo]

>My aquarium is 17" deep, 36" long and 12" and it looks like 2" of gravel and
>flourite, I'm planning to buy more gravel, should I buy mor flourite ???

That sounds like a 30 gallon tank, not a 33. On the good side, that means you
have a full 2 watt per gallon. :-)

If you do get more gravel, yes, get more Flourite. If you mix Flourite with
regular gravel, they recommend that you have at least 50% Flourite, and you're
a little under that now.

>well I will love to have nice looking plants, Amazon Swords, Cryptocoryne
>wendtii ''brown'', Riccia fluitans Echinodorus x barthii , well I like this
>plants from www.tropica.com but I like to have a nice planted aquarium I
>have no idea wish one are good, and fast grow,

The Amazon swords and crypts will grow very well in your tank, but crypts are
slow-growing. Sword plants grow fast, but they take awhile to established
themselves. Riccia is a difficult plant -- not recommended unless you have
high light and CO2 injection. (Unless you plan to let it float at the
surface.)

To start out, you need plants like Limnophila, water sprite, Hygrophila, maybe
hornwort and Egeria, if your water isn't too warm. Stem plants. They grow
fast, without having to establish a root system first.

Once the tank is established and the plants growing well, you can trade some of
the stem plants for slower growing plants.

A lot of people recommend waiting until the tank is established before planting
Crypts, since they have a tendency to melt if water conditions change a lot (as
is common in new tanks).

You can plant the Amazon swords from the beginning, but don't depend on them to
grow fast until they get established. You'll need stem plants, too!


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

[Peter]

How about anacharis? That's a fast grower as well.
pete

LeighMo wrote:

> >My aquarium is 17" deep, 36" long and 12" and it looks like 2" of gravel and
> >flourite, I'm planning to buy more gravel, should I buy mor flourite ???
>
> That sounds like a 30 gallon tank, not a 33. On the good side, that means you
> have a full 2 watt per gallon. :-)
>
> If you do get more gravel, yes, get more Flourite. If you mix Flourite with
> regular gravel, they recommend that you have at least 50% Flourite, and you're
> a little under that now.
>
> >well I will love to have nice looking plants, Amazon Swords, Cryptocoryne
> >wendtii ''brown'', Riccia fluitans Echinodorus x barthii , well I like this
> >plants from www.tropica.com but I like to have a nice planted aquarium I
> >have no idea wish one are good, and fast grow,
>
> The Amazon swords and crypts will grow very well in your tank, but crypts are
> slow-growing. Sword plants grow fast, but they take awhile to established
> themselves. Riccia is a difficult plant -- not recommended unless you have
> high light and CO2 injection. (Unless you plan to let it float at the
> surface.)
>
> To start out, you need plants like Limnophila, water sprite, Hygrophila, maybe
> hornwort and Egeria, if your water isn't too warm. Stem plants. They grow
> fast, without having to establish a root system first.
>
> Once the tank is established and the plants growing well, you can trade some of
> the stem plants for slower growing plants.
>
> A lot of people recommend waiting until the tank is established before planting
> Crypts, since they have a tendency to melt if water conditions change a lot (as
> is common in new tanks).
>
> You can plant the Amazon swords from the beginning, but don't depend on them to
> grow fast until they get established. You'll need stem plants, too!
>
> Leigh
>
> http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

[LeighMo]

>How about anacharis? That's a fast grower as well.

I mentioned it. Only I called it by its new name, Egeria.

IME, Anacharis/Egeria/Elodea is a fast grower, but only in relatively cool
tanks (in the 70s). Planted tanks are often warmer (because of the lights).


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

[Peter]

Hmm. My (planted) 55gal stays around 75 degrees F all the time, whether lites
are on or not. Where did the new name come from?

Pete

"It is unwise to insult a doughnut by refusing to eat it."

LeighMo wrote:

> >How about anacharis? That's a fast grower as well.
>
> I mentioned it. Only I called it by its new name, Egeria.
>
> IME, Anacharis/Egeria/Elodea is a fast grower, but only in relatively cool
> tanks (in the 70s). Planted tanks are often warmer (because of the lights).
>
> Leigh
>
> http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

[E. Mito]

In article >, Peter
> writes:

>Hmm. My (planted) 55gal stays around 75 degrees F all the time, whether
>lites
>are on or not. Where did the new name come from?
>

My 55 is usually around 76 pretty consistently, except in the summer when I
sometimes have trouble keeping the temps in my tank below 85 F.


Erica
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/mitoem/mitoem/index.htm