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Hi,
John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.
I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.
With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.
I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.
If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.
I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.
I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.
Thank you
Darragh Sherwin
Advice on plants
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Didihno (Didihno)
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Topic Author
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Visitor
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27 Dec 2006 10:01 #1
by Didihno (Didihno)
Hi,
I'm setting up my 240L tank and have bought some Vallis and a fern of some sort (names later).
The substrate is fine sand.
Tank is currently cycling (week 1) with 5 Danios.
There is a total of 78Watts of light.
I'd love to keep real plants in this tank and I'm going to give it a real bash this time, but fancy C02 systems are out of the budget.
Maybe the Hagen Nutrafin one might be an option.
I'm also using a liquid fertilizer at the moment.
So, advice needed.
Do I unpot the plants I have and stick them into the sand?
What ferts to get? etc.
Thanks in advance!
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apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
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27 Dec 2006 15:44 #2
by apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
My two cents,
make your own CO2 system. Much cheaper and does the same trick. All you need is a 1 litre plasic bottle. Not milk bottles though. The lid on them can't handle the pressure. drill a hole into the lid and stick an airpipe through it. Seal with silicone fit for aquariums. the airpipe should only go about 3/4 of an inch into the bottle. Even easier get a hold of one of those water bottles used in labs. it already comes with a pipe in it, cut to size and stick an airpipe into it. Stick an airstone on the end that goes into the aquarium. Linden tree are best.
To make your sugar mixture use 500g of sugar, dissolve a packet of the stuff used to cover cake that looks like gelantine in 300 ml of water and pour into bottle. Let it cool down, through a pack of yeast on that and then fill the bottle 2/3 up the way to the top with handwarm water.
You will probably need two for the size of your tank depending on your carbonate hardness.
Sand isn't the best of substrates for plants. Vallis will grow but any crypts or swords will need a chick pea sized ball of clay stuck in between their roots. It's also best to use under gravel heating. It gets the water moving around the roots and thus make nutrients available to the plants.
I will have to know your water parametres to give you any futher advise on what plants would be suitable.
Holger
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Didihno (Didihno)
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27 Dec 2006 17:32 #3
by Didihno (Didihno)
Thanks Holger.
A cheap C02 system on ebay is about €20.
I read the DIY article on C02 systems already.
This tank is new and only cycling so the parameters are anyones guess for a while.
Only thing I can tell you for sure is the hardness of my water.
Fooking hard.
Our cups go round in gangs the waters so hard.
I think it will be the hardiest of plants for my tank.
I know vallis should survive but I'm not even hopefull of that, the two in the tank now are already shedding leaves.
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apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
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28 Dec 2006 02:56 #4
by apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
Sagittaria, Hygrophylia polysperma 'rosanervig', vallis, Echinodorus bleheri all should be OK. The water where I am from in Germany has 35 degrees total hardness, kettles last about a fortnight, and they all do well. Later on you might want to try java fern and anubias.
CO 2 is not a must but the plants will benefit from it.
I wouldn't worry too much about your vallis shedding leaves. It's quite normal. And two vallis unless they are giant ones are not enough. The key is to put in as many plants as you can lay your hands on.
I wouldn't use any fertilizer until the tank has settled down or you will get algae problems
Holger
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Didihno (Didihno)
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28 Dec 2006 08:32 #5
by Didihno (Didihno)
Thanks Holger.
Many plants eh?
I think I'll do an order from javauk.
Try them out.
Do I take plants out of those plastic pots or leave them in?
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apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
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28 Dec 2006 09:25 #6
by apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
I don't have any experience with java uk but had a look on their webpage and they also non-aquatic plants as aquatic plants. If you are in doubt you can send me a pm. I generally order from ebay.de. The plants are cheaper and shipping doesn't cost the world either. I have two shop that charge shipping cost between 6-9€ insured, no matter how many plants you order.
You will have to remove the plastic pots. The plants will start rotting in them. The roots can't expand in them either and are too densly planted to start off with.
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02 Jan 2007 20:17 #7
by zig (zig)
A fine gravel (1-3mm) mixed with Laterite is a good easy setup substrate for plants, Ive had good success with laterite and gravel, I would agree with apistodiscus and tend to avoid sand if at all possible, it makes a poor substrate for plants IMO. Wackers do laterite as far as i know, just make sure you wash it well before adding it to the tank, but dont try and wash it to run clear because that will take a very long time and is probably not be a good idea anyway.
Good luck with the tank!
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Didihno (Didihno)
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03 Jan 2007 03:50 #8
by Didihno (Didihno)
I won't be changing substrate anytime soon, way too much hassle.
Vallis seems to be holding up, not too much shedding and even a couple of small runners. A fern type plant is doing well too. I took a 'node' off the fern and planted it (Gavin from Wackers showed me) straight in the sand.
It has doubled in size in a week. Another plant that I thought was a goner when I planted it has sprouted new leaves and seems to be relishing all the light. I'm using a liquid fert once a week.
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apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
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03 Jan 2007 06:10 #9
by apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
if your plants are growing and you are happy with it, stick with it. Planted fert. is of limited use, substrate fert. is easier for the plants to take up.
Before you waste money on plant fertilizer try and see how your plants are doing without it. If the instructions say 'use once a week' then the producers are out to make money. They don't know what's already in your water and thus can't know what you have to put in to achieve a decent plant growth.
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