Ive been doing my homework as Ive been out of planted tanks for a few years. Did a high tech set up and don't want the headaches and high wire act again while pruning every few days. Been doing lots of reading and Tom Barr's comments have really inspired me to try this again but with a slightly different approach.
This tank is still in storage so this is all still in the planning stages. 55 gallon tank (48" x 12" footprint) with the typical "shop light" (I think they are T12 or T8s each bulb is 40 watts for a grand total of 80 watts) mounted to the lid of the canopy which is about 3" from the surface of the water. This was a cichlid tank thats why I used this light and worked out great for me.
Flora would be a variety of Anubias species, a variety of Crypts, Hygro Kompact, and something like an Ozelet Sword or a red tiger lotus as the main focal point.
Fauna would be Praecox rainbows, Congos, a pair of Apistos or Kribs, possibly a school of tetras not sure yet, (might just have a few extra rainbows and congos in place of a school of tetras) and the typical clean up crew of corys and otos.
Filtration would be a Fluval 405 and do have a powerhead I could put at the other end of the tank for circulation.
Looking for this tank to look really nice with good color in the fish and plants without being a slave to the flora or fauna. I'm not after fast growth rates and I can always add more plants to help fill in gaps till things grow in.
Now for the questions:
What kind of substrate will work out best long term for these kind of heavy root feeders? I'm open to ideas and I want to do it right. I'm not opposed to mineralized substrates or any of the commercial substrates out currently either. I anticipate having to supplement the substrate because I have so many root feeding plants so does it really matter then what I use? Or is just aesthetics at that point?
Because I'm planting with mostly root feeders should I dose the water column? Or just supplement the substrate with ferts there?
If I do dose the water column should I keep some kind of stem plant like Water Sprite or a Hygro species to help with excess nutrients? Or will my lower light set up be enough to keep algae at bay?
CO2? Id rather not but would I still need to dose with Excel? I know pressurized would be cheaper in the long run and if I still need something then I'll go that route but would rather not run anything if I don't have to. Again slow growth rates are anticipated and preferred so long as they are healthy.
Thoughts? Just trying to get handle on what I want and set it up for long term success. I really want to spend with my tank enjoying it not laboring over it. Thats why I tore down my high tech set up some years back and got out of SW too. I was too busy working on them or worrying over them to really sit and enjoy them.
Thank you and I look forward to your input on this.
This tank is still in storage so this is all still in the planning stages. 55 gallon tank (48" x 12" footprint) with the typical "shop light" (I think they are T12 or T8s each bulb is 40 watts for a grand total of 80 watts) mounted to the lid of the canopy which is about 3" from the surface of the water. This was a cichlid tank thats why I used this light and worked out great for me.
Flora would be a variety of Anubias species, a variety of Crypts, Hygro Kompact, and something like an Ozelet Sword or a red tiger lotus as the main focal point.
Fauna would be Praecox rainbows, Congos, a pair of Apistos or Kribs, possibly a school of tetras not sure yet, (might just have a few extra rainbows and congos in place of a school of tetras) and the typical clean up crew of corys and otos.
Filtration would be a Fluval 405 and do have a powerhead I could put at the other end of the tank for circulation.
Looking for this tank to look really nice with good color in the fish and plants without being a slave to the flora or fauna. I'm not after fast growth rates and I can always add more plants to help fill in gaps till things grow in.
Now for the questions:
What kind of substrate will work out best long term for these kind of heavy root feeders? I'm open to ideas and I want to do it right. I'm not opposed to mineralized substrates or any of the commercial substrates out currently either. I anticipate having to supplement the substrate because I have so many root feeding plants so does it really matter then what I use? Or is just aesthetics at that point?
Because I'm planting with mostly root feeders should I dose the water column? Or just supplement the substrate with ferts there?
If I do dose the water column should I keep some kind of stem plant like Water Sprite or a Hygro species to help with excess nutrients? Or will my lower light set up be enough to keep algae at bay?
CO2? Id rather not but would I still need to dose with Excel? I know pressurized would be cheaper in the long run and if I still need something then I'll go that route but would rather not run anything if I don't have to. Again slow growth rates are anticipated and preferred so long as they are healthy.
Thoughts? Just trying to get handle on what I want and set it up for long term success. I really want to spend with my tank enjoying it not laboring over it. Thats why I tore down my high tech set up some years back and got out of SW too. I was too busy working on them or worrying over them to really sit and enjoy them.
Thank you and I look forward to your input on this.