Thanks for answering my questions. I have been in the Pet trade for more
than 25 yrs, not always with fish, but I have always had an
aquarium with fish since I started.
As I stated I have a 180g tank that afforded me great
height, though not the best depth I would later want. I
knew that I wanted a planted tank and that the occupence
wasn't a main concern. So when I found this tank I bought
not gravel but 350lbs of Florite. Florite is Excellent for
plant growth as a subtrate it contains many of the trace
elements & Iron needed for healthy plants. 350lbs gave me
a bed of roughly 4~5 inches deep across the entire bottom.
I'm going to tell you what I have done with my 180g
and not what I have read or someone else told me too try.
Everyone has an opion, a way that they believe works better
or best. I speak from my own experence and I have been
in the trade off & on for over 25yrs. I still have some wholesale
connections. I spent $175 in total on my first planting @ a
wholesaler in Florida, $175 wholesale in plants is
roughly $700 retail @ any desent LPS,... trust me on this! So I
had quite a bit of plants stocked in my tank. Not just 1 or 2 pieces
each but in some cases like with Corkscrews I had 24 - 8" tall pieces
to work with. Upon my second planting I purchased more exotic plants
like Madagasgar Lace plants, bought them as just bulbs and saved, also purchased 6-30" Amazon Swords with bunches of buds from shoots. Collected from the lakes out and around my home in Florida Brazilian Swords,
Moneywort, cabomba and hydrillia, not too for get water lettuce, and anything else I could pull up without becoming gator bait.
I changed the basic full flo hood over to a VHO 72" 1~Violet
and 1~pure white tube, using 2 tubes for a
total 160watts per tube for 320watts and placed them on
a timer. I also added another timer for my aeration system.
When the lights & C02 system went off, my aeration system
came on an hour later. I do not use pressurized C02 tanks,
but you may prefer too, I use CARBO-PLUS System, it is the
overall least expensive and troublesome system for me to use. I
don't have too worry about pressured tanks and any leaks,
that may cause "my case headaches", I just
change the cartrige and replace the holder and I'm good to go.
And I use an U.G.F. that I contructed myself, running
through pre-drilled holes in the floor of the tank, water
dropped through too an OceanClear canister containing
Chemi-Pure and Bio-balls as media and pumped back to the
tank @ a rate of 1017GPH or 5 times the valume of the tank
per hour. This is the only filteration I used, basically
I get 2 for 1 filteration. (All nutrients in all forms,
poop and added fertilizers go straight through the subtrate
where the plant roots are). I have seen in some plants
grow at a rate on 6 inches per day. (Moneywort, cabomba and
hydrillia)
Note that Java Fern and Java Moss are all
very hearty plants but are also very slow growers unless
you use C02 and have a good amount of nutrients in the water,
also Moss Balls will grow slower than dirt unless you use
C02 and a ton of light. You can grow most plants using C02
and 10-12 hour photo periods, Seachem makes very good
fertilizers and trace elements for plants.
Remember the more plants you have the more minirals and nutrients
you need for them. - NOTE the statement about plants not using photo-periods longer than 12 hours, is nonsense, just ask those people that grow "Pot".
Now on to your Algae problem, this is why I asked about your
Nitrate levels, but I should have also asked you about the
phosphate levels, either your Nitrate and or phosphate levels are
high this is why you are having troubles with algae. Regardless
of what others tell you, sheesh don't take my word for it look
it up, invest in a good book on Aquascaping & plants. Look it up,
without Nitrates and Phosphates algae doesn't exist (well it exists, just like Ich pronouned Ick, but almost at doorment levels. Algae
is a plant, but more of a plant parasite, others will have you
believe that it grows because theres too large of a photo period a.k.a
too much light, if this was true why then does Algae grow where
there is little to NO light? Lower your phosphate and nitrate
levels and your algae DIES end of story (becomes doorment again) Main cause of Algae, over feeding, which leads too many nutrients
for the other plants and the system to handle. So algae is then able to feed
and grow. (Ever clean the out the tank to a toilet?, cleaned my just a
few days ago after changing out some parts, thick growth of
blackish blue ALGAE growing in there across the bottom,
the water changes constantly in there but theres NO light at all, since the last time I had to do this was 18 plus months ago, but yet theres Algae,
things that make you go hmmmmmmm). Algae and light, the only reason algae requires light is too grow faster and green! (poor way too put it,but you get what I mean)
This post is just going on and on. Just remember Aquascaping is an Art, and as such there are delicate balances that must be maintained. When to clip the plants, what does yellowing mean, what does brown spots mean, when is the tank growth too thick, how and when too use red, reddish, reddish-purple, vivid green, dark green, brown green, yellowish etc coloration in
plants and how to get them all to work together. Some plants
you gotta force to grow where you want them too grow otherwise
they don't look as nice as if you force them by way of tying
them down, anchoring so they go where you want them to go and
do what you want.
I wish you the best of luck with your aquascaping and your tank, also remember some pleco's when faced with no algae too eat will feed on your $10~$20 plants, then what should you do? Good Aquascaping isn't easy, and ain't cheap either it's a true Art form, like a rock garden.
If you feel I didn't answer a question well enough just re-ask it, or if you have any more questions please feel free to ask me I will tell you what I know and have tried and that works for me.
