planted tank questions.

T

thebigshh

Jerk
Mar 22, 2008
45
0
0
Portland, Or
I have a 29g planted tank that has been setup for about three years. When I set it up Eco-complete was recomended for a substrate so thats what i used. i have a nice coralife hood with twin highfrequency bulbs (i change them about every 8 months) and at first the plants ( red ludwuiga, java moss, java ferns) went crazy i had to prune them back almost weekly. Now I cant remember the last time i had to trim them back. I do bi-weekly 30-40% water changes and have a fairly large fish population ( Green neons, Rummynose, Marble hatchets, dwarf loaches, narrow wedge rasboras, ottos, and a honey dwarf gourami ).
Anyhow, i now realise there is more to having a nice lush planted tank than just planting it in a good substrate and putting a good light on it and doing routine water changes.

I just want this tank to thrive with the least amount of effort on my part.

Now im learning about fertalizers, and Co2, and holy moly all the different information is just mind boggling. So i guess i'm asking for help in finding a good easy to follow regimen. Should i add more substrate to give it a boost? I've seen plant spike type fertalizers, are they any good? is laterite a better longterm substrate? Sand? Do I need Co2? i feel like i have enough light to grow anything but everything in there refuses to grow.
Any help would be much appreciated.
 
The reason it went crazy at first and is now dying off is that eco-complete has fertilizers in the substrate itself. It takes a while for them to get used up, but when that happens you'll see growth slow down. I highly recommend Rex Grigg as well, I use the EI dosing method with his ferts and I get amazingly fast growth. You will want to use co2 or excel as well. As long as you're doing both ferts and carbon, I've found that substrate doesn't really matter.
 
I've done a bit of research and think my filtration system is all wrong. I'm running a Biowheel 170, and a corner filter with gravel as its filter media and a small power head for suction. Just typing that last line made me cringe a little.

I'm willing to spend some cash, and I'm thinking of getting a cannister filter because that seems to be the consensus. It looks like i could use a variety of filter media. I'd also be able to get the unsightly corner filter out of my tank ( I thought the plants would eventually hide it ) and rid myself of the biowheel situation.

I'm also thinking a Co2 system is definitely in order. I think the only thing a little scary is having to test my ph so much. I'll be honest, i haven't tested my tank for anything in two years or more and when i did, i found it to be a major pain in my #@%. I'd like to be able to set up a fairly automated system. I would be willing to spend some cash on a ph monitor that would talk to a solenoid valve on a regulator. Does anyone know of such a set-up? I've seen the solenoids on regulators but no ph monitors.

Does anyone have an opinion on types of canister filters? Perhaps i could solve all my Co2 set up worries with one kit, does anyone make one that's worth a damn?
 
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