question?

[fish_fella]

what substrate do you guys have in planted aquariums?
and how thick is the substrate bed?
what ferts do you use?
how long are the lights on?
thanks for any answers i would really appreciate them thanks

 

[JasonG75]

what substrate do you guys have in planted aquariums? I use everyday playsand.

and how thick is the substrate bed? I try to keep mine at maybe 1 1/2 in


what ferts do you use? I use liquid. Seachem Flourish and root tabs

how long are the lights on? 8 to 9 hrs

 

[Morphineh]

Hey,

Like JasonG says Playsand is a cheap and easy substrate to use. I personally use it in all my planted tanks and haven't had any problems with any plants. This is based on a good fert schedule and a well balanced aquarium. If you decide to use playsand I would suggest using root tabs but if you fert the wc (water column) Your plants will get enough through the water.

Substrate depth is dependant on what you use I would suggest anywhere between 2-4 inches - 4 being pretty deep good for plants with massive roots ei. Swords mainly. If you do decide to use a deeper sand bed, make sure you aerate the sand so you don't have huge air pockets forming - though they are mainly harmless to your fish if you leave them long enough it won't turn out great for you. I suggest using MTS - Malaysian Trumpet snails, they will siphon through your sand and aerate it they will also leave your plants alone.

Photoperiod or Lighting is also dependent on your watts per gallon, your ferts and how heavily planted your aquarium is. The goal is to balance everything so that you have enough lighting that your plants thrive but not enough to produce algae. I would say start off with 8 hours, If you see your plants not getting enough which I don't see happening you can increase to 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 when ever you feel comfortable with.

Anyways Goodluck, if you ahve any questions or concerns point them into my PM.

 

[jcardona1]

what substrate do you guys have in planted aquariums?
and how thick is the substrate bed?
what ferts do you use?
how long are the lights on?
thanks for any answers i would really appreciate them thanks

1. Eco-Complete
2. 2-3"
3. Everything: CO2, Excel, nitrogen, phosphates, potassium, iron, GH Booster, CSM+B trace minerals. Will soon also be adding Root Medic root tabs
4. 7 hours
5. the tank...

 

[chonhzilla]

1. Eco-Complete
2. 2-4"
3. CO2, Excel, nitrogen, phosphates, potassium, iron, GH Booster, CSM+B trace minerals.
4. 7 hours

 

[fish_fella]

do i need to add all those flourish liquids seperately or just use the complete one. i dont get it all, like its about 400 to get all of them seperately and i wouldnt know when to put either one in, btw thanks guys. i am still learning everything. i learnt most of the basics last year when i got a job at 15yrs old at the local petshop, except our planted tank got torn down for a saltwater tank which was stupid because the tank was 8' x 2' x 2'

 

[jcardona1]

do i need to add all those flourish liquids seperately or just use the complete one. i dont get it all, like its about 400 to get all of them seperately and i wouldnt know when to put either one in, btw thanks guys. i am still learning everything. i learnt most of the basics last year when i got a job at 15yrs old at the local petshop, except our planted tank got torn down for a saltwater tank which was stupid because the tank was 8' x 2' x 2'

I don't use the Seachem stuff, and I know Chonh doesn't either. I don't like paying for water and a cute bottle. We use bulk dry ferts and use EI dosing. $25 in bulk ferts will last you well over a year, compared to Seachem's expensive stuff.

Ferts:
http://greenleafaquariums.com/aquarium-fertilizer.html

EI dosing guidelines:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fertilizers-water-parameters/21944-_dosing-regimes_.html

 

[jcardona1]

do i need to add all those flourish liquids seperately or just use the complete one. i dont get it all, like its about 400 to get all of them seperately and i wouldnt know when to put either one in, btw thanks guys. i am still learning everything. i learnt most of the basics last year when i got a job at 15yrs old at the local petshop, except our planted tank got torn down for a saltwater tank which was stupid because the tank was 8' x 2' x 2'

And yes, you would need each one seperately since each does a different thing. The generic 'Flourish' is a mixture of trace mineral and other stuff. It's not enough for the basic N-P-K plant needs (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium)

 

[fish_fella]

thanks bud, im gonna go look at those bulk dry ferts now. i dont know if it was your rimless tank but i saw someone had 6 or 8 containers of dry ferts labelled.

 

[jcardona1]

thanks bud, im gonna go look at those bulk dry ferts now. i dont know if it was your rimless tank but i saw someone had 6 or 8 containers of dry ferts labelled.

Yeah that would be mine