Thinking about starting a planted tank...

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Wulfonce

Gambusia
MFK Member
Mar 11, 2009
881
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18
Ontario
I have been contemplating selling off all my monster fish and using that money to start a planted tank. I went to my local Big Al's today and got some interesting information about planted tanks that may or may not be true, I'll leave that up to you guys to decide.

The lad I spoke with told me he has been keeping planted tanks for 19 of the 30 years of his fish keeping carer. I asked him about substrate, lighting and co2 systems and whether or not they're necessary. He said lighting is at the top of the priority list as you wont be able to grow anything without the appropriate lighting. Ok, understandable I guess. He recommended I use T5's and to have 1W per gallon minimum.

Next I asked about substrate. He said you dont necessarily need to use plant substrate or fertilizers because there should be enough nutrients in the water from fish waste providing you have enough fish. The substrate should be smaller grain gravel or even better sand to help roots anchor better.

He said Co2 systems arn't really necessary and people use them in heavily planted tanks mostly to make plants grow healthier and at a more rapid rate.

So assuming what he told me is true all I really need is a good lighting system. The tank is a 125g (6' wide). He said I could probably get away with using a 4' light strip but two 3's would provide better light coverage. I'm on a tight budget with this tank and I dont think I can spend more then around $300 on the lighting system. This being said I'm pretty sure I'm limiting myself to low light plants only.

Can you guys recommend me a 4' light or two 3'ers that would fit my budget and provide an adequate amount of light? Also is any of what he said true?:confused:

I would prefer buying from Big Al's http://www.bigalsonline.ca/BigAlsCA/ctl3664/cp57012/cl0/t5fixtures?viewType=Category
 
Are you looking for something that fits onto the tank? Or something you can suspend from the ceiling. The latter would be much cheaper and would definitely fall within your budget. It's the bulbs that really matter!
 
Pomatomus;4317747; said:
Are you looking for something that fits onto the tank? Or something you can suspend from the ceiling. The latter would be much cheaper and would definitely fall within your budget. It's the bulbs that really matter!
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A ceiling suspension might be a little tricky but do-able, a light that sits on the tank is also an option. Basically I'm looking for the most lighting possible within my budget.
 
I don't have an opinion on a specific lighting system - - there are people here who know more about different systems than I - - but as far as the info you got from Big Al's, they did not steer you wrong, everything he said is true . . . some might argue that there are better answers, but he did not BS you in any way

where I might take one exception, it would be substrate . . . I prefer small gravel or plant-specific substrate, and have never liked using sand . . .
 
Wulfonce;4317723; said:
I have been contemplating selling off all my monster fish and using that money to start a planted tank. I went to my local Big Al's today and got some interesting information about planted tanks that may or may not be true, I'll leave that up to you guys to decide.

The lad I spoke with told me he has been keeping planted tanks for 19 of the 30 years of his fish keeping carer. I asked him about substrate, lighting and co2 systems and whether or not they're necessary. He said lighting is at the top of the priority list as you wont be able to grow anything without the appropriate lighting. Ok, understandable I guess. He recommended I use T5's and to have 1W per gallon minimum.
Click to expand...

Lighting is dependent on what you intend to keep. Assuming he is talking HO T5 1W/G is low for a 125 if you want mid-high lighting.


Next I asked about substrate. He said you dont necessarily need to use plant substrate or fertilizers because there should be enough nutrients in the water from fish waste providing you have enough fish. The substrate should be smaller grain gravel or even better sand to help roots anchor better.
Click to expand...
Yes smaller grains work better for anchoring plants, however, smoother particles do not. Sand is hard to plant in as it is generally very smooth. Plant specific sands have rough edges that the plants can grab on to. Here he did give you some bad information. Plant substrates and fertilizers are important, if you want to be successful. You don't necessarily need to have them in a low light setup, but if you want to be able to keep all the algae types at bay, you have to be able to control your nutrient levels to keep them in balance. Otherwise, your tank will be algae ridden. Too many people (especially in the pet industry) do not realize that there are more nutrients than just NPK... there are many more that take an effect on your plants. Plant substrates do not generally have nitrogen, but they do usually support phosphorus and potassium, as well as a sizable crew of micro-nutrients. Especially in a low light setup, either root tabs or a good substrate can be the difference between a great tank, and wilted leaves. Most low light plants are heavy root feeders, and will not absorb nutrients from the water column. Because of this, if your substrate is not rich in nutrients, these plants can either take a long time to grow, or will wilt and yellow.

He said Co2 systems arn't really necessary and people use them in heavily planted tanks mostly to make plants grow healthier and at a more rapid rate.
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CO2 systems aren't necessary in low to moderate lighting tanks, but it can be very important in high light systems. CO2 is necessary for all plants to photosynthesize. Supplying this can be done with either a co2 system, or with animals that respire.
 
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