"Empty" wrote in message
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On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 20:51:44 -0500, Bill Stock wrote:

If it is bright enough, glossostigma elatanoides will make a good cover.
It requires bright light, good CO2, and a nutrient rich substrate.

My substrate is questionable, just regular aquarium gravel. But
definately
full of fish poop by now. I may sow some Fluorite with it.

I did this with my 55 and ended up displeased with the ugliness of the
substrate. If I were tearing everything out and starting fresh I would use
all Fluorite or Onyx(well, OK, I would use gravel over a layer of soil but
if you are new at this you'd be better off with a nonlayered "complete"
substrate like the flourite).

My existing plants are in pots (soup bowls) buried in the gravel. They are
layered with Fluorite, Aquatic Soil and a thin layer of aquarium gravel. The
tank was converted from GF, so it still has an RUGF filter in place. I got
into the plants more heavily than anticipated or I would have ripped out the
gravel and filter when I moved the GF. The bowls are a temporary solution,
until I tear it down "one day".

I 'm a little concerned about the aesthetics of Fluourite and black gravel
as well. I also wondered if the Fluorite would be hard on the Loaches.


I really like the Microswords.

Yeah, they are cool- I'll be adding some myself as soon as I either find
them locally or get an online order worked up.

In a heavily planted tank you should not need to do much. Sucking up
big globs of the stuff is fine, but actually churning the gravel past
the first 1/4" or so should be unnecessary.

This is more or less what I do now to clean up the Cabomba shedding.

Yep, the goal is to get the big stuff off the surface and let the lower
levels of substrate get handled by roots and bacteria.

Thanks again.

Not a problem

~Empty