Jennifer Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 I have am looking to plant a AR380 tank and I want to do something different, but I am not sure what will work with the limited lighting. I really like the mid sized grasses at the back of the tank at 2.52 minutes on the following video: but I am not very familiar with plants so I don't know what they are, if they are available in NZ or if they would tolerate the low lighting of the AR380. I presume that the low plants are something like glosso and that they would require heaps of lighting? I just wanted to get away from the crypts, anubias and java fern as they are all over my other tank. Would anyone have any other ideas of what would go well in this kind of tank or where I could source some nice plants? Cheers! Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Are you meaning the Iwagumi Tank? Similar to the pic here from the net The forground plant is usually Glosso or hairgrass in these style tanks. The plants at the back could be anything you like. Possibly Crypt Balansae, Val, Sag etc. Reguires high light to keep growth tight and low like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Don't underestimate the lights on the AR-380. I'm literally getting about 2 inches a week on my Java Fern. The Sagittaria hasn't grown too well, but it has survived. The Crypts are growing really well as well as the Ambulia, too well in fact so Joliet ripped it all out. See the pictures from my AR-380 Planted tank project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 I just wanted to get away from the crypts, anubias and java fern as they are all over my other tank. Would anyone have any other ideas of what would go well in this kind of tank or where I could source some nice plants? Cheers! Jen Nice Java fern there Romeo. I bet that puts off lots of plantlets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted September 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 droooool...yes Supasi, I really like the rock and the minimal species of plants, especially the low-lying ones. Not surprised to hear about the lighting requirements...I figured that I would be dreaming to try and imitate it!! :roll: I do have some Crypt Balansae and hairgrass that are growing well in my other tank but the crypt is very large, too large for the little tank I think. Maybe I will look at the val or sag, although I have no experience with them. Are they slow growing? WOW Romeo, thanks for that! Very inspiring! :bounce: I have buckets of Java fern but they are very compact and have small leaves. I really love the large leaves....but for this tank I was thinking of making a mini scape with plants that were small and to scale but I am concerned the minimal light might make the plants leggy. It is good to see how well that light is working for you though. I am feeling much more encouraged now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkles Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 i used dwarf sag in the front of my tank with terrible lighting, wasn't sure if it would grow but thought i'd have a go and see. The tanks about 70 high - 220 litres and only has a 20w light, but the sag is going well. I planted 20 about a month ago and now i can count 38 It probably wont be as thick as it could be, but its looking good so far and covering well. If it can grow in there it should be good in yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 If you're not looking at entering the off-the-shelf competition then there's no reason you can't up your lighting. But then you'd have to balance it out with CO2 and ferts. It's very interesting to see what kind of work goes into those small, yet beautiful tanks. Often they have canister filters, pressurized CO2, high quality substrate and very good lighting. They also have very nice rocks which seem to eb a big theme with these nano tank layouts. But as Romeo has shown, low light plants such as Crypts and Java Fern can be grown in this tank. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted September 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 Hey thanks. I was planning on entering the competition so no light mods for me. I am going hunting for some nice rocks in the quarry today! I think dwarf sag is a great idea, I will have a fine grit substrate so hopefully it will take off. Going to try and hunt some down this weekend. Still wondering if I should use glosso for the foreground but I am a little worried that it won't do well with the limited light. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 I have dwarf Sag in my AR-380 and it hasn't grown that much. I got a whole lot of it off a FNZAS'er for a few bucks. Most of it died, but some survived. I'd hardly say it's flourished though. I'd say you'd need a good fertilizer substrate (JBL AquaBase or Daltons Aquatic Mix) as well as either Flourish Excel or DIY-CO2 to get it growing well. It'll grow healthily as long as it's got the right amount of carbon and ferts, it'll just grow slower with the low light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted September 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 I have dwarf Sag in my AR-380 and it hasn't grown that much. I got a whole lot of it off a FNZAS'er for a few bucks. Most of it died, but some survived. I'd hardly say it's flourished though. I'd say you'd need a good fertilizer substrate (JBL AquaBase or Daltons Aquatic Mix) as well as either Flourish Excel or DIY-CO2 to get it growing well. It'll grow healthily as long as it's got the right amount of carbon and ferts, it'll just grow slower with the low light. I use JBL fert balls and DIY CO2, never tried Flourish. Am worried that all the extra nutrients without enough light might cause a nightmare algae problem! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 You are better to start off with less and increase as you go. Less chance of algae problems. Dwarf sag can take a while to get growing but once it starts youll be pulling it out every couple of weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoon Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 flourish excel isnt a nutrient supplemnt its to add carbon to your tank in a form that plants can use quickly -amazing stuff especially in a small tank as it goes quite far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 Yeah a bottle of flurish will last ages. I think you only need 5mls for 250ltrs (so less than 1ml for a 40ltr tank) plus you only need to add it 1-2 times a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted September 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 So you would use Flourish excel instead of injected CO2? Don't the ferts, CO2 and light have to be 'balanced' with the amount of light for good growth and minimal algae problems? If so, using the standard lights in the AR380, how much flourish and ferts should I add (the AR380 has an 11w light making it about 1.2w/gal)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 In my AR-380 I add 0.5ml of Flourish Excel every second day. Works a treat, nothing in my tank was really growing until a few weeks after I started dosing it, after that the growth exploded. If you use a good fertilizing substrate that's at least 1cm under another top layer of inert gravel (the finer the gravel the better), the ferts won't seep into the circulating water quite so quickly - hence less algae (hopefully). PS: Speaking of fine gravel/substrate, go to http://www.dyersroadlandscape.co.nz/ - they're on Dyers road, Christchurch (duh!). They have a GREAT range of fine gravels and large sands that are PERFECT for the fish tank. Only problem is all the really good stuff comes in little 1kg bags, so you'll need 3 or 4 bags for an AR-380. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 The above tank pictured would cost a bomb. I was browsing the PT forums and there were people with 3gal tanks willing to spend $48USD for a drop checker! It's insane, but I guess if it's your only tank then it might be worth it, they do make them look stunning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted September 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2009 Hey thanks Romeo, once the tank gets established I will look into slowly adding some Flourish excel. I already had some fine grit I was planning on using...but it is great to know about that place on Dyers Rd. I found some fantastic rocks at Halswell Quarry but I am having no success in finding any dwarf sag so I might have to change my plans. I am trying not to get discouraged - all I wanted to do was to emulate the tank I like but it is not looking good at the mo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos & Siran Posted October 5, 2009 Report Share Posted October 5, 2009 Hi, can you use flourish when you have carbon in your filter or will it just filter it out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nymox Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 This is my AR380 at nearly a week old. Just added the driftwood today, wish it was just a lil longer to completely block the heater and filter. Only mod is the heater. Might try some flourish, see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzyJeff Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Hi, can you use flourish when you have carbon in your filter or will it just filter it out? I would be interested in the answer to this question also - anyone know?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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