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Bernard
Again another fantastic article it certainly would have helped me in my early years of trying to get plants to grow.

Keith

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Great Article again!

Bump!

I like that it answers a lot of repeat questions I'm always seeing in here, and I also like that the information is presented in a way that makes it easily accessible for someone that might be new to the site and plant-keeping.

I also have to say, I'm happy to see the old internal filters being promoted again by planted tank people. I have always been a fan of the internal.

Tim,

Glosso is very nice plant and yes used to create that carpet effect. It needs very bright light and Co2. It's not the easiest plant to deal with. Not that it's neccessaily difficult to grow, but can be difficult to grow the way you want it to. If the light is not suitable it will grow upwards like any other plant and looks raggedy. If the conditions are favorable it grows horizontally along the substrate creating the carpet effect. You root it the gravel in patches and let it spread out and fill in itself. If grown properly and well maintained it's very beautiful. With 3.7 wpg and Co2 it should be achieveable once you keep up on maintaining it.

Reflectors are useful but the supposed 50% increase in light is a bit of advertising hyperbole. What they are good at is keeping the light directed down into the water increasing the amount of light that reaches the bottom. Without them the light spreads out all over the place reflectors aim the light where you want it - in the tank.

Internal filters shouldn't cause any Co2 loss. Current won't drive away Co2, surface agitation will. As long as the current from the internal is not disturbing the surface of the water should be no problem, actually the current should be helpful as it will help spread the Co2 enriched water and nutrients throughout the tank.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

also installed on of those alominium reflctors under 1 of my lights apprently they can give 50% more light is that true have you tried them or heard about them and can i still run a internal filter when i have co2 going, the current on the interanl filter would that make the co2 dissapear, someone said it would

Last edited by eureka red at 17-Feb-2005 20:25

hey bensaf,
looks like im gonna have wait a couple of months bumma, are well time will come soon enough that just gives me more time to plan where my plants are going to go, once again thanxs for ya help ooops 1 last question have you heard of giossjstigma plant it looks like it could be a good carpet plant for me but i wont to no whether or not you have to tie it down if so how do you tie it down
cheers tim

Eureka,

Wait until you have the money for both. Putting 3.4 wpg over the tank without Co2 is a waste of light. Without the Co2 fuel to drive them on the plants will not be able to use the light you have so kindly provided. Algae will love you for it. With this amount of light and no Co2 you will almost certainly have Green and BBA algae issues.

If you are determined to get one,then I'd go for the Co2. With 1.7 wpg the plants won't be able to fully maximise the Co2 but at least it wouldn't be detrimental.

When lights and Co2 are ready if you intend to use new plants try to have them ready to go in the tank at the same time.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

hey bensaf, i have currently got 1.7w per gallon of light for my 70g and what do you reckon i should buy first,
1. new light which is going to give me 3.4w per gallon
or c02 unit, i am eventually going to get both once i have saved some money but i have enough right now for 1 system which would you buy
cheers tim

wonderful articles Bernard. It certainly is a huge help to someone like myself, just starting out in the aquarium world. You're not the first one I've heard to advise the "match the plants to your requirements" approach. It's perfectly logical and makes perfect sense. Beatiful pic, great article, and I eagerly await the next chapter

thanks

Bernard,

Great series of articles. I particularly like the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) approach. Seems that many of us like to make this hobby as difficult as possible...

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

So plant selection will not only determine whether or not they survive and grow in your tank but a clever selection will also transform it from a tank with healthy plants to an attractive tank that's a pleasure to look at.

Firstly the low light tank. As I mentioned earlier I would recommend that any beginner go this route first. Usually this suggestion meets resistance. "Naw, I want one of those gorgeous tanks I see on the internet, can't do that with easy low light plants' or 'A tank with just ferns and Anubias will be boring". Untrue for both statements. It';s perfectly possible to have stunning low light tank and there is a larger range of low light plants then people think. The usual response to a "what are good low light plants?" question is Java Fern, Anubias, Java Moss and Crypts. What is usually forgotten is that these species come in a range of shapes, sizes and colors. Fern is available in the beautiful Wendelov form or attractive narrow leaf and lace forms. Each form has it's own coloration. You can even get red Java Fern ! Anubias come in a range of sizes and leaf forms. Crypts have a staggering array of sizes and color variations. Ferns and Anubias can be tied to rocks and wood which makes them easy top stagger and create illusions of height and depth. This also make them staggeringly easy to move and re-arrange. Using these plants alone the only obstacle between you and a stunning aquascape is your imagination. A low light tank with these plants is not only an almost certain guaranteed success it requires practically no maintenance, is much less expensive and is in many ways more adaptable and fun then a high tech set up. The only dis-advantage is that some of the more interesting of these plants can be harder to find and more then likely not available in your local LFS. But they can be found readily on line. This may sound expensive, but in the long term think of the money you'll save on ferts, lights and so forth , plus these plants are almost in destructible so it should only be a one time payout - no need to replace these guys. Give this set up a go and I defy you to fail !

With high light the options are of course much wider but as Spidey would say "with great power comes great responsilibity". Careful selection needs to be made here also. A decent amount of fast growers. Select plants that will contrast and highlight one another. A mixture of different leaf shapes sizes and colors for interest. Resist the urge to have a few stem of this and a few of that . Beware of the pretty red plants, use sparingly, a dash of color here and there, the bright colors can be easily overdone. Avoid stem plants at the front of the tank, leaf loss at the bottom is almost unavoidable and looks ugly at the front of a tank. Place stem plants behind something, a rock , wood or another smaller non stem plant. Avoid plants that are going to get too big for your tank. A Tiger Lotus or Amazon Sword in good conditions will quickly outgrow that 20 gal and may lead to you having to tear the tank down just to up root it. Avoid the really tricky ones like Rotala Macandra until you really know what you're doing.

Hope all of this helped somebody. A healthy planted tank is about the nicest thing you can put in your home, for you and your fish. It's easy, honest, as I said if I can........ Give it a go you won't regret it.


Last edited by bensaf at 16-Feb-2005 04:11

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Untitled,

Good point. A great starting point is http://www.plantgeeks.com]http://www.plantgeeks.com[/link] I like this one as it has a searchable database of plants. You can get a list of plants based on light requirements or tank placement or size etc. One thing is though the information given is sometimes pretty minimal, but as I say it's a good starting point. You can get a list of plants that will suit your particular needs then use the names to do further research. [link=http://www.tropica.com]http://www.tropica.com[/link]is excellent. I also like [link=http://www.aquahobby.com as they have good pics and info with comments from prople who have actually tried the plant which is always an excellent source of info.

Azn Devil,
Actually finding the plants is a big problem for most people.I live in the S.E Asian tropics at the moment(Indonesia) so plants and fish are cheap and plentiful. There are a few huge aquatic markets here and I can usually find what I'm looking for. Most don't have that luxury and stick to what is in their LFS. This in itself can cause problems as the only plants the LFS has may not work in their conditions. There are a number of other issues too - the quality of the plants are not very high (having to start with an unhealthy plant immediately put's you in a difficult position), they may not even be true aquatic plants, a lot of LFS give the plants vague made up names (same as they do with the fish)this makes researching the plant you just bought almost impossible. Also most of the plants will have been grown out of water and when placed in your tank will have to go thru an adjustment period, a lot of beginners often mistake this for the plant dying and either give up on the plant or try to nurse by adding unneeded ferts.
If you can try to buy your plants from either a local grower(or at clubs and societies) or from a rebutable on-line retailer.Theis will be more expensive intially but having in the right plants and good quality plants will save you a lot more money in the long run. Starting with a good quality, healthy plant gives you an enormous head start.

Eureka Red,
Unless you have a tank the size of a room I'd give back 14 of those Amazons A single healthy Amazon Sword in good conditions will outgrow most tanks ! Putting 15 in will probably shatter your tank or they'll choke one another outThey work best as a solitary plant that you can work around or in a very large tank 2 or 3 spread out in different sections of the tank and built around. A case in point is my own, pic below, which started out as a small 5" plantlet and is now over 2 feet tall and coming out the top of the tank I have tried to uproot this monster but it won't move, the only way to take it out now is tear down the entire tank as the root stucture is so deeply embedded and spread out.I now use Anubias around the base as it is impossible to plant anything around it, the roots are so thick I cannot even poke the gravel with my finger.With the right conditions they are very fast growers.

bensaf attached this image:


Last edited by bensaf at 16-Feb-2005 20:38[/font]

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

i like to jump right into things. research, and then start high >.<

Great information. I'm just setting up to try and get into planted tanks seriously, but want to ease myself without getting in over my head. Will follow your guidance so wish me luck.

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

Hey bensaf,
Great article, quick question for ya i have about 15 amzon swords, would you keep them grouped together or would you spread them out over the tank with other plants combined together cheers aussie boy

great articles, this helps me alot.

but unfortunatly, ive already sprung for high tech >.<
my tank is too horrible for even low light plants, and i didnt feel like wasting money on a new low-med light strip that would be replaced later on. i have grown low light plants in my old 1.8WPG 10G before though.

i dont blame people for not knowing what their plants are, in the city, the main place people get fish stuff is from either petland or petco because theyre everywhere, but their plants are all stuffed in two tanks, potted plants, and loose plants.

this should become a sticky.

What an effort! Excellent article, informative and funny too. Maybe an addition to part III with good informative sites where one can find good information about plants would be good, in my opinion. I'd vote for Tropica. I never buy a plant without checking what they have to say about it first.

Thank for the great article! I think it should be pinned to the top of the forum.

Last edited by untitled at 16-Feb-2005 10:11

Nice writeup Bernard I could not agree more, common sense will get you very far when starting up a planted tank.

edit: stupid smiley didn't work

Last edited by Dr. Bonke at 16-Feb-2005 04:32