I'm just about to start a new planted tank, my first large planted tank
(280L, or approx 70 US gallon). I'm debating the advantages of Flourite or
Onyx sand vs gravel and Duplarit G. The reason is cost; I'm still getting a
quote from a LFS, but the Seachem products from an Australian internet
dealer works out at about $10/kg (all prices in Aussie dollars) for the
Flourite, and $6/kg for Onyx, and I'd need around 28kg of it, whereas normal
coarse sand/gravel works out at $1.50/kg with the Duplarit G costing about
A$48 for this setup. I intend to plant quite heavily, with lesser fish load.

Lighting will be around the 2W/gallon (perhaps more, as it's a very brightly
lit room), and am intially thinking of starting things off with some
corkscrew vals (to hide the services), ambulias sessiliflora, rotala
rotundafolia, microsorum (because I have excess from my existing tanks) and
perhaps a red Nymphea Zenkeri, later adding echinodorus Rubin Red, anubias,
and some crypts when conditions stabilise. I'm looking at the Dupla Delta S
CO2 starter kit for CO2 (not easy getting pressurised CO2 setups here in
Sydney); any ideas on how long their 0.5kg cylinder lasts for (all that I
could find)?

Intention is to get the plants started first for 2 weeks or so, starting CO2
in the second week, then add 5 SAEs and 6 ottos, starting filtration at the
same time. Leave another week, then add other fish in batches of (up to) 10
each week (currently looking at cardinal tetras, rummy nose tetras and
sissortails).

I would appreciate suggestions on this setup. TIA.

--
Cheers,
Poe

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Some generic feedback:

1. More plants sooner always beats the alternatives.

2. There is no reason to delay CO2. The sooner you start it (day 1 is best) the
sooner plants get a start on strong, fast growth.

3. Read up on nutrients. With light and CO2, plants will soon exhaust what is in
your water.

"Dave Millman" wrote in message
...
Some generic feedback:

1. More plants sooner always beats the alternatives.

I was going to put in the fast growers first, then take out the excess and
put in the slow gorwers such as the anubias and crypts when I can get things
stable. In my hands, the corkscrew vals grow like weeds...

2. There is no reason to delay CO2. The sooner you start it (day 1 is
best) the
sooner plants get a start on strong, fast growth.

Couldn't get the CO2 in until the second week, hence the delay. Am thinking
of connecting a powerhead to the CO2 reactor (it's a Dupla Delta S kit) so
that the CO2 gets dissolve more with lights on, and just leak out with light
off; has anyone done this, and if so, how was your pH?

3. Read up on nutrients. With light and CO2, plants will soon exhaust what
is in
your water.

I thought the idea was to exhaust nutrients so that algae gets outcompeted?
Can't remember the article now, but the idea was to starve the tank; whereas
higher planst can store nutrients, algae can't, so die off first.

My main concern is substrate fertilisers; I know the Duplarit G, and perhaps
Flourite, is a source initially of nutrients, but unless I invest in
substrate heating (if you believe Dupla), that goes after a while, which
means back to tabs/sticks etc, which kinds of defeat the point of having
Duplarit or Flourite.


--
Cheers,
Poe

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