Aquarium Dude Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 What do you do to get plants to grow really well, like in a dutch aquarium? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwan Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 You need to have a nice balance of lighting, fertilisers and CO2 in your tank. With all these at optimum levels and a nice substrate, you will get great growth. The trick is finding the balance, and what works for some people, will not necessarily work for others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquarium Dude Posted December 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 What is a "nice" substrate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilknieval69 Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 Very Well put ant.... I used aquatic mix first, then a layer of sand on top and that IMO is the best substrate for plants... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IOU1 Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 Where do you get this aquatic mix from and where is the cheapest place/ brand of it available? :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilknieval69 Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 Daltons aquatic mix is often used i think, bought from garden stores... But i got mine from a pet shop (probably the more expensive way) mine had no brand realy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugsby Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 What lights do you guys recommend? Are we able to get them from a lighting store? or are the ones sold at the LFS the best? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joze Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 oh yuck thats stinky stuff that aquatic stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwan Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 Your lighting depends what type of tank you have; size, what type of plants, etc. Perhaps if you are able to give us some info we can help you out a little better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 lol stinky stuff, is the aquatic mix much different from standard potting mix, Im geussing its probably similiar but without the added stuff for weed control and whatever else they chuck in it??? Has any1 used standard potting mix at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquarium Dude Posted December 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 on the topic of lighting, is 16 watts enough for 12'' deep 50 l tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 The aquatic mix is basically clay. Not at all like potting mix. Cheers Jude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IOU1 Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 Sorry I can't answer your lighting question aquarium dude :oops: Is this aquatic mix at all poisonous/harmful to coldwater or tropical fish? Does it stop breeding etc :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 No, it won't hurt your fish at all and I doubt it would affect breeding. If you want to use it I'd suggest you mix it with fine gravel, put a layer in the bottom of the tank and then cover it with gravel or sand. Aquatic plants love it but if you use too much it does make a mess when you pull plants out - clouds the water and settles on the leaves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugsby Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 My tank is 60cmx30cmx30cm. From what I read so far, I'm looking for a full spectrum florescent light that gives me 2wpg. I'm just starting out. No plants in the tank yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IOU1 Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 Sorry Jude that probably was a dumb question for me to ask :oops: :lol: But its better to be safe than sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiuh Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 No, it won't hurt your fish at all and I doubt it would affect breeding. If you want to use it I'd suggest you mix it with fine gravel, put a layer in the bottom of the tank and then cover it with gravel or sand. Aquatic plants love it but if you use too much it does make a mess when you pull plants out - clouds the water and settles on the leaves. i take it you dont wash your aquatic mix and straight cover it with sand? this means water cant penetrate into sand and make the mess? unless pull the deep root of the plants out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilknieval69 Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 washing it will get rid of the 'goodness' in it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 It would be too fine to wash - it would just all wash away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 The aquatic mix and additives from the pet shop are basically clay which provides the micronutrients for your plants. Potting mix will add a lot of soluble macronutrients like nitrate and phosphate that will cause an algae bloom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiuh Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 got all confused. to wash or not to wash? sand are way to fine to wash anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantman Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 My tank is 60cmx30cmx30cm. From what I read so far, I'm looking for a full spectrum florescent light that gives me 2wpg. I'm just starting out. No plants in the tank yet. 2 wpg is a good starter. if your tank is densely planted, you may need to go up to 4 wpg as recommended by amano. that is a good 50 watts light for future expension. unfortunately 60 X 30 cm does not leave you much room to do a future expension. you will needs lots of the fat T8 or go for the skinny one, T4. i saw one in bunning the other which was quite interesting. T4, 20 watts and 6,500 K (i could be wrong about the 6500). you can build your own lighting as i have done before. i used PL light which is basically T4 in U-shape. one piece of PL light give me 36 watt at 6,500 k. one is good for a starter and i can add another one later to made it 72 watts when it is heavily planted. i prefer PL light to MH simply becasue PL light is a day light saving (save on power bill) and cheaper to replace than MH. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.