Planted tank supplies

[Big Bill]

Heres what i got so far for my 75 gallon planted tank project

45lbs of flora max
45lbs of flourite

Heres whats in the mail
http://www.ebay.com/itm/280816561794...84.m1439.l2649
http://www.ebay.com/itm/250883850174...84.m1439.l2649
http://www.ebay.com/itm/280153678484...84.m1439.l2649
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300457490361...84.m1439.l2649
http://www.ebay.com/itm/270906613425...84.m1439.l2649
http://www.ebay.com/itm/110823507092...84.m1439.l2649


My question is What bulbs to you suggest since the ones that come with this fixture will probable suck.
And would you suggest a better check valve.Also do you think i have everything i need .

[Pyro]

You definitely have a good start there Bill. Here's a couple suggestions....
1) Sometimes those plastic check valves can crack or go bad after awhile with pressurized CO2. Don't get me wrong, they work, but at some point you may consider an upgrade to brass or stainless steel.
2) I've never used a keg regulator before, but I think you'll need some sort of adapter/reducer or something for it to fit on the standard CO2/airline tubing. I'm not sure either about how touchy the controls are on those units. You may need some sort of needle valve if you find that a small touch and you go from 0 bps to 10,000 bps (exaggeration, but there's a fine line between just enough CO2 and too much). I don't have much experience here so I can't really give you much help.
3) The bulbs that come with that fixture do suck...at least one of them. Never use actinic bulbs in freshwater. At best, it'll do nothing. At worst, you'll get an algae headache. You'll want a bulb somewhere between 6500K-10,000K ideally. I've heard good things about GE Starcoat and a combination of Giesmann Midday and Aquaflora T5's, but I think any bulb that fits between those two ranges will day. 6500K bulbs have a warm, yellowish tint and the 10,000K have a bit more of a cooler blue tint. Both grow plants perfectly well.

[Big Bill]

Thanks pyro . I had purchased the plastic check valves when i was thinking the diy yeast idea. But now after buying the co2 tank i basically knew i would need a brass one . Im just waitng to get everything now to see what size the fittings and hoses are . To be honest i didnt even realize that that hose fitting on the regulator was that big. Im sure ill be heading to lowes for something on that .I will keep the needle valve in mind, i did look at a couple already just didnt think i would need one .Ill probably just get the needle valve and hopefully i can take off the hose fitting on the regulator and put the neelde valve there .

[lou8337]

Even if what Pyro says is true about the bulb, it still seems like a good price on that fixture. My buddy just gave me what I guess is the 10 lb tank (its tall and skinny) with regulator, almost half full if reg. is right. Its the medical kind. He also had a 5 lb tank no regulator though. I bet you he would of been happy with $20 for it. Maybe less. Probably too late for you though. I should of grabbed it too. I hook him up with a bunch of stuff he can use at his shop so he probably didn't care. You got a better start on your planted then I do.
I wonder if the medical regulator would be better (or however you want to call it). I'm guessing it might since it had airline tubing on it already.

[Al G. Eaton]

That's a great start, I do have a question or two. Have you given any thought on how you are going to fertilize your plants, and have you given any thought on what plants you want to start out with? You will likely have some battles with algae especially if you don't fertilize. Neither of those substrates will actually feed your plants directly. Both have a great CEC, cation exchange capacity. That means the substrate can hold the micro-nutrients for rooted plants to use.

A lot of people place time released root tabs in the gravel. Others make a mineralized topsoil by repeatedly baking and drying a soil mix until it has reduced to a fine powder, and that is then capped with sand or gravel. Others use Miracle Grow Organic Choice soil (Home Depot, Lowes). Others use Aqua Soil (Amano) while others yet use Akadama (volcanic soil for bonsai). All are strategies people use successfully. Regardless of what strategy you use, the nutrients in the substrate will eventually be depleted and you will need to add ferts to the gravel.

Klaus

[Big Bill]

What do you suggest i fertilize with . I dont want to do soil . I want to do this right but i have zero experience in the planted tank area. Also i dont have a clue as to what plants i want . This tank is going to house discus and some corys . Plant suggestions ......


So if i got this i would put this down 1st on the glass and then the substrate on top. How long does this stuff last .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Akadama-Japa...item35b8470a01

[lou8337]

Hey Al. How long does it take for those soils that you mentioned to be depleted in water. I've actually heard a bunch of people say they like Miracle Grow over aquarium specific soils. I've been really interested in the planted tank too, but kinda scared I would make a mess of it.

[reed.w]

on the lights I am going by Dave's suggestion at All About Pets, and I am running a 6500 and a 10k, the light penetration looks great, I wish I had a submersible light spectrum anaylizer to figure out how much red and blue I am getting at the bottom of my 55g. I just got my new ballast in for my 54wx2 t5ho fixture so I am not sure on how my dwarf baby tears are going to do yet (right now they are reaching for the light, running a 40w t12 and an overdriven 55w cf(not sure on spectrum bulb is old and not the right one for the fixture, thats why its overdriven) all of my other plants in the tank are doing well. not sure if you are going to need to fertilize for a while using flora max, I'm using eco-complete and plan on experimenting in the future if needed, right now my biggest problem looks to be insufficient lighting, which I just put on the ballast on my t5 today right after getting it out of the mail

[Al G. Eaton]

If you went with Akadama, you wouldn't need to cap it, it is a fairly stable soil that doesnt break down quickly or cloud your water. I would add fert tablets like the ones root medic sells. You can google him and see what he has. There is a lot of information that would help you on plantedtank.net and aquariumplantcentral.

Most people say even the mineralized soils in aquaria are depleted of at least some nutrients after two years. Your mileage may vary depending on lights, plant load, co2 added etc.

[Al G. Eaton]

here is a strategy to try. Go buy one of the ten gallon tanks from your local fish store. Jacks has them on sale with a power filter for about $14 at the moment. Go to lowe's or Home Repot, and buy a bag of Miracle Gro Organic Choice soil (MGOC), put an inch or two of the soil in the ten, than cap with an inch or two of play sand, Tahitian Moon, Black Diamond Blasting Slag, whatever fine grain gravel you have will do. Take an incandescent fixture and put two CF 6500 K bulbs in it to light your aquarium. Some people use the metallic dome lights instead the tank lights. Add stem and foreground plants. Add just enough water to make the substrate wet and keep the plants moist. Make sure the tank is covered and mist the plants at least once a day. Give the tank a couple of weeks to cycle and for the plants to root. By having the humidity very high (yep that means keep the tank as fully covered as you can) the plants should transition to submersed culture well, and your nitrogen cycle should be in full swing. Slowly increase the water level over a couple of days to transition the plants. Make sure you check your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels before you add fish.

If you are really adventurous, you can forgo filling up the tank with bunches of water, but grow the plants in the emersed state. You could still add Rivulus if you wanted. They just need to be able to stay wet!

Klaus