Aaron-Betta Posted August 3, 2008 Report Share Posted August 3, 2008 Hey all, After seeing pics on here of peoples planted tanks and seeing a few of them in real life, I decided to try my hand at a planted tank. I am using an AR380 tank to start off with and due to the lighting restriction I am hoping to grow plants that have low light requirements. So far I have laid the Aquatic mix about 2-3cm deep, (couldn't get Daltons ) and positioned my piece of wood. (Hoping to attach a plant to it) I am going to be using Designstone Brightwater gravel, but I was worried about layering it too thick. How thick should it be to keep the soil down and yet let the plants grow through? p.s. thanks heaps to those who have helped me out already with my "learner" questions etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zabman Posted August 3, 2008 Report Share Posted August 3, 2008 Nice Aaron - my next project after my 4ft planted is a nano with a single fighter in there so will be following this thread with interest! Daltons Aquatic mix is very cheap and available from mitre 10 Mega on Lincoln road - thats where I got mine, the picked up some Daltons propagating sand to go on top of it from Palmers on Grt North road - cant tell ya how the plants like it yet as its early days! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron-Betta Posted August 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2008 I tried Bunnings, Mitre10 and Palmers and they didn't have it in stock at the time. Got a bag of aquatic mix which the salesperson assured me was the right stuff. (got it from the aquatic garden area in mitre10, in a white bag labelled aquatic mix) Also should I use sand instead of the small gravel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zabman Posted August 3, 2008 Report Share Posted August 3, 2008 Thats bizzare Aaron - I was in Mitre 10 today and they had the exact same pallet of Daltons they had there when I bought mine about 2 months ago! I have used Sand because I have heard such good things about it - apparently easier for smaller grassing plats to take root and alto more "nutritious" for the plants Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron-Betta Posted August 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2008 Where was the pellet as I asked the person working there and he took me to the Daltons Orchid Mix, I then told him I wouldn't put that in my aquarium and so he took me to the aquatic plant section and said that it was all they had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zabman Posted August 3, 2008 Report Share Posted August 3, 2008 its down the back, like if you walk out the self opening doors and straight ahead to the other side its there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron-Betta Posted August 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2008 Damnit! too late now I guess. Will have to wait and see if this other stuff works. Seems to have a lot of clay in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zabman Posted August 3, 2008 Report Share Posted August 3, 2008 the aquatic mix looks like clay as well, so its prob the same thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-town... Posted August 3, 2008 Report Share Posted August 3, 2008 lol borat quote "very nice" cant wait to see end resulsts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozski Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 Gooooo nano planteds! C'mon, you know you wanna whack in some more lightbulbs and grow glosso Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron-Betta Posted August 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 Righty then, have laid my stones etc and attached some pieces of 'windelov' some wood, and found a thinner 'branchier' piece of wood at the lfs with some java already attached. Also planted some not so dwarf sag in the background. Had to shorten the intake for the filter as when it was standard it would have been sucking up the aquatic mix. Filled the tank up with water using airline as not to disturb the substrate. Once filled I plugged it all in and tried it out as I hadn't tested it since I brought it of TM, hey presto, it works, no leaks, what a bonus. :bounce: I know its very minimal at the moment, but I will be looking to plant more soon. Was wondering what you guys think, should I stick up a background, or leave it bare to let in more light? also is there stronger lights avaliable for these tanks? Any suggestions, comments, critisism or ideas from anyone are more than welcome. Running with lights: Hoping to cycle it over for a few weeks to see where the water parameters settle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enzoom1 Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 looks cool don't you need to replace the daltons aquatic mix after about a year as it stops giving out the nutrients or something? is that true? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron-Betta Posted August 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 I didn't use Daltons, just used an aquatic mix. As far as I understand, you can add nutrients in the form of ferts etc designed for aquatic plants. Plants will also feed on fish poo etc. Here is an interesting link on lo-tech tanks http://naturalaquariums.com/plantedtank/0512.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enzoom1 Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 Oh ok. It was just that the guy at HFF didn't recommend it. Do you know what brand the aquatic mix is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron-Betta Posted August 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 nah, it was just in a white bag at the aquatic plant section at Mitre 10 labelled Aquatic Mix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 Oh ok. It was just that the guy at HFF didn't recommend it. Do you know what brand the aquatic mix is? the guy at HFF prob just wanted you to buy some expensive laterite or something , not a cheap product that he cant supply,lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enzoom1 Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 haha lol your probably right :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enzoom1 Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 the stuff they had at HFF was some sort of sand/nutrient mix that's effects never wear off. I forget it's name, but the good thing about it was that it could be used as a substrate as well and didn't need to be covered over with normal subsrate. I'm probably gonna get that stuff for my new aquarium (less hassles ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 the guy at HFF prob just wanted you to buy some expensive laterite or something , not a cheap product that he cant supply,lol If it's the stuff just simply called 'Aquatic Mix' the the guy at HFF is 100% correct - it's no good. It contains a large amount of organic matter that rots at the bottom of the substrate. Within months you will get gas bubbles with a strong sulphur smell coming from under the substrate. I'd recommend changing it before you get too far down the track before your tank gets poisoned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron-Betta Posted August 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 no way! :evil: :evil: :evil: damnit, I can't type the profound language that just fell out of my mouth. I thought I noticed the water was a bit too cloudy this morning anyways.What a hassle, damnit. Why would the idiot at Palmers Garden centre recommend it even after I explained what it was going to be used for? Looks like I'm going to have to pull it all apart, wash it all out and start again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 I assume the stuff you are talking about is JBL AquaBasis which is a source of micronutrients. I use it and put washed sand on top to hold it down (otherwise I think it would go very cloudy, and you only need a bit, and it would not be enough for a complete substrate.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 I assume the stuff you are talking about is JBL AquaBasis which is a source of micronutrients. I use it and put washed sand on top to hold it down (otherwise I think it would go very cloudy, and you only need a bit, and it would not be enough for a complete substrate.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 If it is JBL AquaBasis then that is what I use, but I put washed sand over the top. It is a source of micronutrients but needs something over it or it will get very cloudy. Warren is correct. Using media with high organics is more trouble than you need and I would get rid of it before the tank gets established and becomes a disaster area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron-Betta Posted August 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 I'm going to have to tear this tank down today. Going to go and get some Daltons aquatic mix. Also going to have a talk to the guy at Mitre 10 so that he doesn't recommend it to anyone else, then going to Palmers garden centre to do the same. I would have rathered them tell me they didn't know, than recommending and selling me the wrong product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 Alan, I think the stuff he's referring to is not the JBL stuff. Palmers have a bag of stuff labelled 'Aquatix Mix' (and it's really cheap). It's mostly clay with a bit of pumice and quite a lot of organic matter. It's intended for use in ponds in plant containers which are typically open on all sides so the mix can get some water flow and stay fresh. When used at the bottom of an aquarium it gets little to no flow so it rots and releases hydrogen sulphide gas. This is poisonous to the fish and plant roots don't like it. It turns black when it starts to rot. I made the mistake of using this once with terrible results. Initially it was great - lasted about 3 months before things quickly started to go downhill. I ended up managing to remove the top larger of gravel and saving it but threw the rest out. I haven't used the JBL product you mentioned but I expect it would be ok - JBL products are usually pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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