Low-tech Tank: Plant suggestions//Substrate replacement

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
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albirdy

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 5, 2008
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Bay area, California
Hi, I'm relatively new still, and have a couple of questions

Set up: I have a 20 gallon tank, with fluorite substrate, aqua clear 50, typical household 23 watt mini compact fluorescent bulb (some sunlight received), no co2.

As you can see, I am aiming for a pretty low-tech tank. Right now, I have java moss attached to my driftwood, and am wondering (Question 1) what else will survive?

Here's a list of desired plants:
foreground: hair grass, crypt pavra, hydrocotyle leucocephala.
mid: cyperns helferi, cardamine lyrata, bacropa monnieri (moneywort)
back: hygrophila (tiger)
On the driftwood/rock: java moss, riccia (crystal wort), taxiphyllum altermans (taiwan moss)

Question 2: I currently have beach sand as my substrate (my tank is cycling, btw). And am wondering what I should do if I want to replace it with my black fluorite? Do I take out all the water, remove the sand, and then add the new substrate, and NEW water? OR, do I take out all the water, put it into a few buckets, replace the substrate, then put the original water back in?
 
Java Fern - Microsorum pteropus
Windelov Java Fern, Windelov Fern - Microsorum pteropus 'Windelov'
Narrow Leaf Java Fern - Microsorum pteropus v. 'narrow leaf'
Java Moss - Vesicularia dubyana
Green Hygro - Hygrophila polysperma
*Sunset Hygro - Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig'
Ceylon Hygro - Hygrophila polysperma 'Ceylon'
Rotala Rotundifolia - Rotala rotundifolia
Rotala Rotundifolia sp. Green - Rotala rotundifolia sp. 'Green'
Rotala Indica - Rotala indica
Hornwort - Ceratophylum demersum
Parrots Feather - Myriophyllum aquaticum
Moneywort, Water Hyssop - Bocapa monnieri
Brazilian Pennywort, Pennywort - Hydrocotyle leucocephala
Crypt Wendtii - Cryptocoryne wendtii
Crypt Balansae - Cryptocoryne Balansae
Pygmy Crypt - Cryptocoryne pygmaea
Guppy Grass - Najas guadalupensis
Anubias barteri - Anubias barteri v. barteri
Anubias barteri 'marble' - Anubias barteri 'marble'
Anubias barteri v. 'glabra' - Anubias barteri v. 'glabra'
Anubias nana - Anubias barteri v. 'nana'
Coffee leaf anubias - Anubias barteri v. 'coffeefolia'
Crypt retrospiralis - Cryptocoryne retrospiralis
Crypt spiralis - Cryptocoryne spiralis
Golden nana - Anubias barteri v. 'nana golden'
Narrow leaf nana - Anubias barteri v. 'nana narrow leaf'
Petite nana - Anubias barteri v. nana 'petite'
Philippine Java Fern - Microsorum pteropus 'Philippine'
Red Java fern - Microsorum pteropus "red"
Crypt Becketii - Cryptcoryne becketii
Pelia - Monosolenium tenerum
Waterwheel Plant - Aldrovanda vesiculosa
Bacopa - Bacopa caroliniana
African Water Fern - Bolbitis heudelotii
Hornwort - Ceratophyllum submersum
Crypt Aponogetifolia - Cryptocoryne aponogetifolia
Micro Crypt - Cryptocoryne petchii
Tropica Sword - Echinodorus parviflorus 'Tropica'
Downoi - Pogostemon helferi

all those should work fine in 2 watts a gallon CFL, your gonna need 40 watts to be at the good end of a low tech tank light. All of the plants you listed should work and i find it easier to have the tank water below half when you planting a new tank. Dont worring about replacing the water it doesnt make alot of difference but flourite tends to cloud the water if you dont add water carefully but thats not gonna hurt anything.
 
seattle_530;1772832; said:
all those should work fine in 2 watts a gallon CFL, your gonna need 40 watts to be at the good end of a low tech tank light. All of the plants you listed should work and i find it easier to have the tank water below half when you planting a new tank. Dont worring about replacing the water it doesnt make alot of difference but flourite tends to cloud the water if you dont add water carefully but thats not gonna hurt anything.
Click to expand...

Your plant knowledge is impressive :)
Thanks for the great recommendations to BOTH questions.
Did you get a chance to look at the link to the light i put up? http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18361/si1382997/cl0/coralifeminicompact5050lamp20watt
I was thinking about getting two of those: one will be hanging from the ceiling above the tank, the other will be attached to a base lamp.

What are your thoughts on that?

Or should I just stick with my household, 23 watt, 1 wpg set up?
 
you want at the very least 1.5 watts a gallon at the most 2 for low tech stuff. Ya thats a good light, im running 4 65watt 50/50 lights over my 55 gallon. If you start really getting into planted tanks you will have to start looking at kelvin rating a such but i think you will do fine. Trust me though even in a low tech its all trial and error but i think it will work out.
 
I have a planted 55gal tank with barely adequate light (2x40w, I think). I've tried lots of plants, the two that have thrived have been Anubias nana, and Echinodorus rubin. I made a very inexpensive DIY CO2 injector system, following the exellent guidelines that can be found here, written by John LeVasseur. CO2 makes a huge difference, particularly for the Echinodorus, which turn so red that they are almost black.
 
seattle_530;1772832; said:
Java Fern - Microsorum pteropus
Windelov Java Fern, Windelov Fern - Microsorum pteropus 'Windelov'
Narrow Leaf Java Fern - Microsorum pteropus v. 'narrow leaf'
Java Moss - Vesicularia dubyana
Green Hygro - Hygrophila polysperma
*Sunset Hygro - Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig'
Ceylon Hygro - Hygrophila polysperma 'Ceylon'
Rotala Rotundifolia - Rotala rotundifolia
Rotala Rotundifolia sp. Green - Rotala rotundifolia sp. 'Green'
Rotala Indica - Rotala indica
Hornwort - Ceratophylum demersum
Parrots Feather - Myriophyllum aquaticum
Moneywort, Water Hyssop - Bocapa monnieri
Brazilian Pennywort, Pennywort - Hydrocotyle leucocephala
Crypt Wendtii - Cryptocoryne wendtii
Crypt Balansae - Cryptocoryne Balansae
Pygmy Crypt - Cryptocoryne pygmaea
Guppy Grass - Najas guadalupensis
Anubias barteri - Anubias barteri v. barteri
Anubias barteri 'marble' - Anubias barteri 'marble'
Anubias barteri v. 'glabra' - Anubias barteri v. 'glabra'
Anubias nana - Anubias barteri v. 'nana'
Coffee leaf anubias - Anubias barteri v. 'coffeefolia'
Crypt retrospiralis - Cryptocoryne retrospiralis
Crypt spiralis - Cryptocoryne spiralis
Golden nana - Anubias barteri v. 'nana golden'
Narrow leaf nana - Anubias barteri v. 'nana narrow leaf'
Petite nana - Anubias barteri v. nana 'petite'
Philippine Java Fern - Microsorum pteropus 'Philippine'
Red Java fern - Microsorum pteropus "red"
Crypt Becketii - Cryptcoryne becketii
Pelia - Monosolenium tenerum
Waterwheel Plant - Aldrovanda vesiculosa
Bacopa - Bacopa caroliniana
African Water Fern - Bolbitis heudelotii
Hornwort - Ceratophyllum submersum
Crypt Aponogetifolia - Cryptocoryne aponogetifolia
Micro Crypt - Cryptocoryne petchii
Tropica Sword - Echinodorus parviflorus 'Tropica'
Downoi - Pogostemon helferi
Click to expand...

Take this list with a grain of salt, there are several on here that will techincally live under lowlight, but will not do well (the bacopas and moneywort come to mind). Other than that, it's a decent list, I think there's one like it on the first few hits of google.

That lightbulb you posted won't work too well. 50/50 means half daylight and half actinic light (~400 nm lightwave length) and is heavy in blue hues. I can't remember what K rating actinics are, but it is too cool and heavy in the blue light spectrum to help many plants. At home depot they have compact fluorescents that are "daylight" . Something like this.

You can also get them in 13 watt varieties, which might be better so you can get 2 and space them out over you tank.
 
I found the two bulbs you were talking about at my local Walmart (Yeah, I know, Evil.)

They work well!
Looks a lot whiter than my other light. Definitely an upgrade. Thanks for the advice.

So, now I have two of these 23watt CFLs. That should be enough to make a good 2wpg tank, right?

Low-tech tank, here I come! Now, all I need is my fluorite to come in the mail, along with my powerfilter.
 
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