hang on, canister or sump?
- Thread starter sainath
- Start date
I wish I was an expert because I am interested also on this.... My question to go along with your is... Do you have to have Co2 for plants to survive in an aquascaping Aquarium. And do the plants have to be planted in some kind of dirt or will they live in the gravel
sainath;4989568; said:
Sainath I found this on another web site I also am interested in this subject...
Filtration
There are many different types of filtration available for your tank however by far the best are external filters. Do not, ever, use an Underground Gravel FIlter in a planted tank. The best choice for small tanks are power filters, the best choice for medium to large are cannisters or Hang on the back filters and for very large cannister filters are the best. Your filter should filter 5-6 times the amount of water of your tank per hour. So for a 20 gallon tank your filter should do atleast 100 gph, for a 50 gallon it should do 250-300 gph. Try to avoid wet/dry filters, sumps and trickle filters as the added air contact aids in CO2 loss.
More interesting stuff......
Necessary Planted Tank Equipment
Below is a list of all the necessary equipment needed to keep a planted tank. For information on how to set this up check out the setting up the tank article.
Size of Tank
Tank dimensions really aren't that important but you should make sure that the tank isn't too tall. If you have a really tall tank the bottom of the tank won't receive much light at all. Try not to get a tank taller than 18 in. Also pay attention to the length. If you have an ackward length it will hard to find a hood to fit it. Try and find a tank with lengths just a tiny bit larger than common bulb sizes. Below are common bulb sizes.
Length (in.) 18 24 36 48
Watts 15 20 30 40
A good beginner's tank size is between 20 and 55 gallons. They are a suitable size without spending too much money.
Substrate
One of the most important parts (well atleast for the plants). It not only holds the plants in but provides the necessary nutrients for plant growth. That is why plain gravel in a planted tank normally is not enough. That is why we must add a source of nutrients. The cheapest and best way is too add flourite to the substrate along with thw gravel. How much? In general you should have 1.5 - 2 lbs. of substrate per gallon of water. Between 1/4 and 1/2 of this should be flourite. So for example in my 55 gallon tank I have 25 lbs of flourite underneath 75 lbs of plain gravel. By following the 1.5-2/gallon rule you should have around 4 in. of gravel, a fine base for the plants.
Heating
Most of the plants and fish commonly kept in aquariums are kept between temperatures of 72 - 83 F. Most people maintain a temp. of around 77-80. To keep this we must have heaters unless wherever the tank is kept is always a steady temperature. You should have between 4-6 watts of heating per gallon. It is normally best to evenly spread this out. In my 55 tank I have two 150 watt heaters. One at each end of the tank.
Necessary Planted Tank Equipment
Below is a list of all the necessary equipment needed to keep a planted tank. For information on how to set this up check out the setting up the tank article.
Size of Tank
Tank dimensions really aren't that important but you should make sure that the tank isn't too tall. If you have a really tall tank the bottom of the tank won't receive much light at all. Try not to get a tank taller than 18 in. Also pay attention to the length. If you have an ackward length it will hard to find a hood to fit it. Try and find a tank with lengths just a tiny bit larger than common bulb sizes. Below are common bulb sizes.
Length (in.) 18 24 36 48
Watts 15 20 30 40
A good beginner's tank size is between 20 and 55 gallons. They are a suitable size without spending too much money.
Substrate
One of the most important parts (well atleast for the plants). It not only holds the plants in but provides the necessary nutrients for plant growth. That is why plain gravel in a planted tank normally is not enough. That is why we must add a source of nutrients. The cheapest and best way is too add flourite to the substrate along with thw gravel. How much? In general you should have 1.5 - 2 lbs. of substrate per gallon of water. Between 1/4 and 1/2 of this should be flourite. So for example in my 55 gallon tank I have 25 lbs of flourite underneath 75 lbs of plain gravel. By following the 1.5-2/gallon rule you should have around 4 in. of gravel, a fine base for the plants.
Heating
Most of the plants and fish commonly kept in aquariums are kept between temperatures of 72 - 83 F. Most people maintain a temp. of around 77-80. To keep this we must have heaters unless wherever the tank is kept is always a steady temperature. You should have between 4-6 watts of heating per gallon. It is normally best to evenly spread this out. In my 55 tank I have two 150 watt heaters. One at each end of the tank.
I also found this Post on This MonsterFishKeeper
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93833
Good Stuff...
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93833
Good Stuff...
sainath;4989568; said:
Now this is it Sainath this is a link to the Planted Tank Forum...
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/ I gotta do some reading on here....
Canister. Fluval 305 or 405 is a solid one. They are pretty quiet and do a great job. CO2 can be a problem with wet/dry but I know people that have had success. CO2 systems are not absolutely required for good plant growth either. I have a nano with no added CO2 that has great plants. If you go the wet/dry route try using something like Flourish Excel to add carbon for your plants. It adds carbon, not CO2 and thus doesn't have as much of a problem with losing it to the atmosphere.
A few thoughts.
How comfortable are you with plumbing?
If the answer is not at all, skip the sump.
If you can put a couple of hose assemblies together and having a really quiet filter are a go, a canister or two, will work for you.
If you are a bit clumsy, or don`t want to have to put anything together, get HOB filters.
All three can keep a healthy and clean tank.
How comfortable are you with plumbing?
If the answer is not at all, skip the sump.
If you can put a couple of hose assemblies together and having a really quiet filter are a go, a canister or two, will work for you.
If you are a bit clumsy, or don`t want to have to put anything together, get HOB filters.
All three can keep a healthy and clean tank.
KaiserSousay;5011726; said:
Well put Kaiser but from what I have read the less Oxygen circulation for plants is a canister.... But I have never experimented with planted tanks
... so I am interested in everyone's thoughts.....