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Are there any plants that will grow more bushy than tall that will work in a low-light 40L tank? (64W, 2 t8's) No co2. I've read that I can't use a co2 system because I have a water conditioner installed in my house, resulting in very soft water. Thank you

Last edited by Caviar at 03-Jul-2005 08:04

Caviar,

CO2 won't help too much in a low light setup anyways, it helps when you have over 2wpg.

I'd try crypt wendtii for a low light bushy type plant. It stays pretty short and tends to grow outwards.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Any type of java fern would be great. I have a 12 inch java fern(windelove) on my driftwood. It must have close to 100 leaves. I am going to have to cut it down pretty soon though. I also think that hornwort would give you that bushy look. Hornwort grows really fast in my tanks. It doesnt even need any ferts. I am sure there are a few others thoguh.

Last edited by clownloachfan at 03-Jul-2005 11:46

Thanks for the replies. I have 6 Java ferns and 2 crypt wendtii, a green and a red, among other plants. Not much is happening yet as the tank has only been planted a few weeks. The ferns are growing little jiggers (plants?) on their tops.

Yep - those will be new plants that you can eventually pluck off and attach to a rock or driftwood. You should let them mature a bit, with 3-4 leaves of their own so they can make it by themselves.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

There was QUITE a noticable difference in adding CO2 to my 1wpg tank. I have regular gravel too.. Without Co2 I don't think I could pull off 14 types of plants packed into a 29..

My 29 gal- pic from Saturday
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/DaFishMan/29gal.jpg

Last edited by DaFishMan at 03-Jul-2005 20:45

The Amazon Nut...

I read that I can't use a co2 system because my water is so soft. I have well water and installed a conditioner. This is my first planted tank so there will be many questions for you all.

as said b4..u dont have to worry abt installing any co2..ur water is soft (kh? gh?) and u have low light.
another plant that will do well is anubias...my fave is anubias nana...it stays small.

ps...whats ur pH ... pH + KH = will compute for ur CO2 level in the tank.

Hi,
Tankie misrepresented the pH/KH/CO2 relationship with
his pH+KH and the implied = CO2.
Actually you need to take the pH, and KH readings and
then look on this chart:
[link=http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm]http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm" style="COLOR: #FF00FF[/link]

Any value within the "green" areas are benificial for
plants.

It is not a "1+1=2" formula.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Okay. My PH is between 7.6 and 7.8. The KH is 50- 100 ppm. (4 drops Aquarium Pharm. kit) According to the chart my co2 is 3.0? I just added another light so my wattage is 96 now.

Last edited by Caviar at 05-Jul-2005 12:06

I think co2 would be good for you, it's hard enough but the ph is what you need to watch..
A bit more baking soda for a ph buffer may help neutralize a big ph drop ? Ask Frank he will know for sure.

The Amazon Nut...

I bought the Jungle CO2 Fizz Factory a while back, but the info says not to use it if you have soft water. I wish they would have put that in the description. I would have saved a few dollars. Others have said with goldfish and low-light plants, I don't need CO2, and they'll adjust to almost any PH. I'm really confused! So far , I'm only using Flourish twice a week, no fertilizer. My other perams are Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5-10ppm, Phosphate 1.0, GH 50-100ppm (4 drops). The plants look okay and most are showing new shoots. The anubias tend to collect diatoms, but I have it under control. I have more Anubias, Crypts, moss balls, Anacharis, Christmas Moss coming this week. Can someone tell me what I have to increase or decrease and whether or not I need to use Flourish, or Flourish Excel? It's a 40L tank with 2 small goldfish and 6 corys. Plants have been in about 3 weeks. I do water changes every 4-5 days.

Since you have N and P available adding CO2 won't hurt, but definitely not necessary. CO2 at 3ppm is atm levels -- you can get creative here, as encouraging surface agitation to promote gas exchange allows your tank to get CO2 from the atmosphere should it drop below 3ppm. I understand the Jungle kit to be garbage, thought I've not used it (I use yeast-based CO2). You have enough buffering to add CO2 if you wanted to. If you don't, its cool, as already mentioned low light does not require it. Gives you a leg up, though, and you plants will be more likely to get the healthy, bushy growth you like.

Consider hygro corymbosa compact, a plant that gets long leaves and turns bushy in lower light (and grows low with rust colored leaf tips in higher light). I have it doing well in ambient sunlight and desklamp lit 10g, though profiles suggest higher light is needed. I think java fern terraces in low light tanks always looks cool.

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http://justanothertank.com

I'm using a Penquin 330 and a Penguin 170 on the tank and I keep the water level to the bottom rim of the tank so it doesn't splash. Is that sufficient? The goldies have a hard time utilizing the entire tank if the level is lower. I have to do some more reading to understand all the chemistry involved and how it all relates. I'm so dense with this!

I'll try to explain as I understand; I'm no expert.

Surface agitation - making a decent ripple, but you don't need to make it splash - encourages gas exchange between your tank and the atmosphere. If you cover a pot, it boils faster, because you prevent it from exchanging gas with the atmosphere, right? In your aquarium, you want to encourage gas exchange, say with bubble wands or filtration, to avoid oxygen depletion: O2 from the air is encouraged to enter the aquarium. The same is true of CO2: if your plant uptake means your tank has lower CO2 than the atmosphere, you want gas exchange. Aquarists who inject CO2 do not want surface agitation, because the tank has higher CO2 than the atmosphere (~3ppm). Just think of it as a system.

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http://justanothertank.com

Btw, there's a really smart guy, jsoong, who's got lots of good data and explanations in AA archives. 'Case you want to learn more. If you'd like me to explain better, just ask.

Last edited by czcz at 06-Jul-2005 20:58

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http://justanothertank.com