dirt planted tanks? and lighting

[jonah h2o]

is a dirt planted tank the way to go? I've been trying to figure out if a dirt planted tank (aqua soil) is the right way to go for me, my LFS (aquatic warehouse) is ordering me a tank L36" W18" H18". I would like to do a dirt planted tank but not totally sure what it entails and if there is some brand that works best or better? if anyone has experience with it let me know

tank will be rimless

also wondering about lighting, I want to grow carpet plants I've been thinking I would try the new Finnex 24/7 planted +, but I've hear a few people say that they had problems with the remote. I haven't really found any other brands that I like accept ones that are pretty expensive like the Kessil ones. so if anyone has had good or bad experiences with the 24/7 planted. if anyone has any other light suggestions please let me know!

 

[Fat Homer]

There is no short answer to your question, since it will depend a lot of what types of plants you want to grow, which is the same with the lighting...

But seen as you are aiming to go for a carpeting plant, then chances are you will need to go with a dirted tank, with medium to high light + Co2 and Ferts... I personally run a 50G with the exact same dimensions as you but have 4X T5-HO lighting on it which had in the past grown a HC carpet with little to no effort... but i was also running Co2, and dosing a range of ferts as well...

So my only advise would be to have a think of what you hope to aim for aquascape wise, and then ask for advise on how best to achieve something similar... since planted tanks are similar to reef tanks in the sense there is a lot of monitoring at the beginning, and balancing everything to make it work for your current setup...

 

[jonah h2o]

ok, yeah I just don't have the money to buy the kessils if I did I would. are you talking about the Seachem fertilizers or others, Ive seen ones that you put in before the gravel? just trying to have it all figured out before I get the tank. thanks

oh also I have decided for now that until I can afford it I will not be doing co2 thats why the lighting is important!

 

[Fat Homer]

^ actually, Co2 and Lighting kind of go hand in hand a lot of the times... especially when you are running a high light + high ferts tank, otherwise, you may find all that you can get growing is algae... although with that being said, there are liquid Co2 substitutes such as Seachem Excel that can help, but will not be as good as proper injected Co2...

For lighting, you don't always need to buy the most expensive housing available, i personally use a reasonably cheap aquarium lighting ballast, but the bulbs i use inside are Fluval 39W T5-HO 6700K, so i would honestly say getting the right bulbs is more important, as long as the housing itself has decent reflectors and can support the bulbs you are after...

As for fertilizers, again, depends on the type of plants you go with, since liquid ferts help with those plants that gain nutrients from the water column, where as root tabs / sticks will help with plants that are heavy root feeders...

I mean honestly speaking, high tech planted tanks are never going to be cheap to start up, since the initial cost as you have noticed depends largely on how many gadgets you want to go with, Co2 / Ferts / lights / Dirt / Aquascaping materials / Drop Checker / Chiller (if you live in a hot climate) / etc all add up to the bill pretty quick...

Other options would be to look into a lower light setups that focus on plants such as Bucephalandra / cryptocoryne / Anubias etc which will allow you to pass on using as many ferts, less powerful lights and No Co2...

 

[jonah h2o]

thanks, best aqua soil?

 

[xxUnRaTeDxxRkOxx]

Best aquasoil is an easy no brainer!!! ADA Aquasoil Amazonia is the best on the market today, it's a nutrient rich planted substrate...

 

[freak78]

I have a planted Tank but don't run the Co2. I use the Seachem excel which does OK but the real deal would be better. But my Tank is just a low to medium light deal with easy plants.

 

[Fat Homer]

Pretty much as unrated said, ADA is commonly said to be one of the best on the market, although even then, some ferts will evetually need to be added...

 

[jonah h2o]

thanks

 

[fisheatfish]

My second go at a planted tank is going well in comparison to me killing off everything the first time. I'm learning as I go and perhaps you can learn from my mistakes.

I too did not want to spend much on my lighting so from research, I built a fixture using 2 floodlights. I thought it was plenty bright but I learned it was not for the plants I had. I broke down and ordered a Finnex Ray 2...which i should have done initially.

I used real dirt along with the minerals my research asked for and capped with sand...again, the cheap route. After everything melted, I took everything out. All that effort in the build plus sifting & soaking the dirt nearly made me quit. I eventually went with Fluval Stratum substrate...too light for my liking but I went with it for my shrimps.

Also, I'm learning that the circulation in your aquarium is rather important. Helps in distributing co2 & ferts.