Advice for total Novice to live plants

Hi All

I was thinking of adding a few live plants as I think they would look really well in addition to the other benefits to the fish.

I don’t have a clue so I have a few questions to get me started


-I have a Trigon 190 - will the existing light unit suffice for the plants ?

-Do the plants need to be planted into the sand or can they be kept in the little pots I see they are kept in the shop?

-If they need to be planted into the sand – is it a matter of just sticking the roots into the sand ?

I have a UV-C light – does this have any bearing on plants ?

Is a spraybar better to use with plants rather than use a standard outlet pipe?


Sorry I know theres lots of questions

couple of points to consider.
1. no spray bar..this will make the co2 you will need largely redundant.same goes for airstone if you are running one.
2.the plants need to come of the pots and have their roots seperated and trimmed a little.
3. sand is a bit like a desert,so root tabs and a liquid fertiliser will be a must unless you change the sand for another complete fetilised substrate(oliver knotts,ada are best.)
4.you haven't said if it's the old t8's (the thicker tubes) or t5 tubes (the thin ones) if it's the t5's a lot of plants will be possible for you to grow..if t8's less so.
5.UVC wont make any difference to growing plants but will help with algae control.

having said all this there are lots of plants that dont require any of the above an do quite well.Stemmed plants like Vallis and hygrophilla in the substrate,,anubias,ferns and some mosses all grow quite well in low light with no co2(better if you do!).Go to a shop that KNOWS plants.get good quality stock that is free of snails/pests and algae and you will be flying!

Thanks Gavin

Is there a way to make sure the plants would not have snails , pest etc before putting them in the tank ?

there are two ways,dealers tanks usually wind up with snails at some point unless they are buying from tropica,denerele or they are very carefull about dipping their plants before they go in a planted setup.You can either dip them yourself or make sure you buy from a shop that sells either brand.The best way so far is IMHO is the 1,2 grow system from tropica.they are propogated in pots in a plant lab that is free from all of the above.not that expensive and trouble free.they are also the hardiest specimens you can get in my experience.hope this helps.
G.

Good advice Gav, btw.. the Puffer sounds like a munchin' machine

Take a look at the planted tank website, it's fab where Plants are concerned.

Kev.

on a lighter note I think Kev must be on holidays! again!

ah there you are!

Kev.

Gavin wrote:

there are two ways,dealers tanks usually wind up with snails at some point unless they are buying from tropica,denerele or they are very carefull about dipping their plants before they go in a planted setup.You can either dip them yourself or make sure you buy from a shop that sells either brand.The best way so far is IMHO is the 1,2 grow system from tropica.they are propogated in pots in a plant lab that is free from all of the above.not that expensive and trouble free.they are also the hardiest specimens you can get in my experience.hope this helps.
G.

If I were dipping them myself - what do I use to dip them ?

Hi Kev - whats the planted tank website your referring to

www.plantedtank.net/


Kev.

barr wrote:

Gavin wrote:

there are two ways,dealers tanks usually wind up with snails at some point unless they are buying from tropica,denerele or they are very carefull about dipping their plants before they go in a planted setup.You can either dip them yourself or make sure you buy from a shop that sells either brand.The best way so far is IMHO is the 1,2 grow system from tropica.they are propogated in pots in a plant lab that is free from all of the above.not that expensive and trouble free.they are also the hardiest specimens you can get in my experience.hope this helps.
G.

If I were dipping them myself - what do I use to dip them ?

Hi Kev - whats the planted tank website your referring to

an old method is to do a weak (10mg/l) potasium permangenate solution.leave the plants in the solution for 15 mins then rinse totaly.Be carefull and wear latex gloves though as this stuff is very caustic(I found out the hard way years ago!)probably best to avoid the hassle/danger by just getting good plants in the first place.

Cheers Gavin, I had a look at the lighting on my Trigon and they do not say weather they are T8 or T5. They don’t look very slimline so I'm guessing they are the T5.

Is there much of a difference between the two for growing plants? Would the bulbs be interchangeable if I wanted to change to the T8 ?

Think you may be a tad askew there Barr, T5 are the thin ones you would want to keep, T8 are the thicker , less effective ones.

Kev.

Your right Kev I meant to ask the other way round ?

T8 will grow low level light Plants well like Amazons and also Dark leaved ones like Anubias or Java Fern while T5 are a must with the sexier plants.

Kev.

Would I be able to swap my T8 bulbs for the T5 or are they a different fit ?

Not using what's already there , ie. the fittings that come with your Tank, the T5 are much smaller in Diameter so they wouldn't fit the connectors and the Ballast that includes a starter will not start a T5, you can buy a T5 set that can run alongside what is already there giving more Light but you have to buy a Ballast and connector set.

Kev.

barr aquarium solutions are doing the t5 Ballast and connector set. are great for settin up extra lightin and will do great for the plants if you have the t8s and the t5s also refectlers are great and would be well wort gettin for a planted setup

sean

I just read up on the reflectors, they seem to be a good solution They are €12 in the shop so are a much cheaper alternative to a new light unit.


This mite be a silly question - but can you buy small pots to put the plants into ? (like the clay pots you have in the garden but smaller)

The reason I would have a couple of pots rather than plant them into the substrate is I think it could get very messy trying to plant a tank with existing fish in it.

The Clay Pots you refer to are ok but the Plastic are better as they are easier to remove Plants from without damaging them, clay is porus and the finer roots grow into them making removal of plants, for whatever reason , more damaging to them. Plastic doesnt attract as much Algae and are cheaper by far. Remember this, and believe me, I know, lift up the pots occasionally from the substrate as roots will seek out the lowest spot, ie. the holes in the bottom, from there, they will span the entire bottom of the Tank, instead of this, just occasionally trim the roots back to the holes, this will cause the proper feeder roots to form within the pots, it's also a great way to unintentionally propagate things like vallis and crypts, you can just split the pot's contents, keeping some back to replant and or sell/trade the surplus.. another point.. Plastic won't happen to scratch the Glass as clay will , should you happen to slide it against the sides.

Kev.

Plastic seems to way to go so

Can you buy plastic pots specific for fish tanks or would anything plastic do ?

There is a neat alternative, you could try those containers sold in IKEA they are food grade and so they are ready to go, They are transluscent white and Square/Oblong, they fit better into corners etc, they could be lined up against the back and would have very little gaps between themselves and the back, they might be the better way to go, to answer your question, those plastic plant pots are available from places like Homebase, Chadwicks and Woodies in all sizes.

Kev.

Some great advise guys. So just to Summarise.

-I’m going to look for Amazons, Anubias and Java Fern

-Buy plastic pots like these and fill them with fertilised substrate

cgi.ebay.ie/Mesh-Aquarium-Plant-Pots-x-1...&hash=item4aa78bef89

-Cover my T8’s with reflectors

-Get rid of my spray bar


Do I need to do something to introduce more co2 to the tank or is this necessary ?

Is this basically it or is there something I’m forgetting ?

all good.C02 is a good idea with plants..if you don't want to go to the expense of a gas system i can highly reccomend a product called easy carbo.genius stuff.1ml per 50l per day.When used in conjunction with their fertiliser (profito) you can achive some surprising results..I've even managed to grow cuba with it.

barr wrote:

-Buy plastic pots like these and fill them with fertilised substrate

cgi.ebay.ie/Mesh-Aquarium-Plant-Pots-x-1...&hash=item4aa78bef89

Hi barr, I was just wondering what fertilised substrate that you are thinking of using? Thinking of doing the pot thing in my tank too but just not sure what type of substrate to go for!

I wouldn't bother with these Pots, they are solely for growing cuttings etc. They are ONLY for using with Rock Wool . If you try to use with a growing substrate ie, Soil based or Aquasil etc, it will simply disappear through the slits and into the Water, something that contradicts your primary intention. Another problem you would have is a mass of fibrous roots growing every which way and you end up having to cut the Pot to release the Plant.

Finally, they lack any type of stability, when the plant grows or gets a blast of water from a filter or Water change, it will topple over and roll about.

Kev.

Gavin wrote:

I've even managed to grow cuba with it.

So it's no longer a Country eh?

Kev.

PompeyBill wrote:

barr wrote:

-Buy plastic pots like these and fill them with fertilised substrate

cgi.ebay.ie/Mesh-Aquarium-Plant-Pots-x-1...&hash=item4aa78bef89

Hi barr, I was just wondering what fertilised substrate that you are thinking of using? Thinking of doing the pot thing in my tank too but just not sure what type of substrate to go for!

Hi Bill looks like I won’t be going with the ebay pots after all. Didn't think it would be this difficult to find pots that are specifically for a aquariums. As for substrate I'm not reached this advance stage yet Hope the other guys’ mite have a suggestion

stretnik wrote:

I wouldn't bother with these Pots, they are solely for growing cuttings etc. They are ONLY for using with Rock Wool . If you try to use with a growing substrate ie, Soil based or Aquasil etc, it will simply disappear through the slits and into the Water, something that contradicts your primary intention. Another problem you would have is a mass of fibrous roots growing every which way and you end up having to cut the Pot to release the Plant.

Finally, they lack any type of stability, when the plant grows or gets a blast of water from a filter or Water change, it will topple over and roll about.

Kev.

Ok I can forget about those pots on ebay ,thanks kev- lucky as I was just about to order them before I rechecked this thread

Kev you mention containers sold in IKEA as any idea - Unfortunately I'm miles from there so thats out.

I am near a Woodies and B&Q. So just to clarify, if I went into either of these and looked for plastic plant pots these would be suitable for a fish tank ?

Does it mater if they are not specifically for aqauriums as I'm afraid they would just degrade over time?