Fishkeepa Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Hello Everybody Well I have decided to do a proper planted tank now and have a 100L (90cmL x 30w x 40h) tank that i brought off TM. I have a few questions 1) I have heard of putting a planting mix under the substrate is this available from the LFS? 2) Is sand or Gravel better and if sand is is it hard to clean (ie get sucked up gravel siphon) 3) Undergravel filter - yay or nay? Cheers for all the help Kiran :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilknieval69 Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 I have heard of putting a planting mix under the substrate is this available from the LFS? Yep, most lfs will have it Is sand or Gravel better and if sand is is it hard to clean (ie get sucked up gravel siphon) Sand IMO is better for plants roots and it is just as easy to keep clean IMO, just hover the syphon over it and it will suck up everything, possibly a little sand but that wont matter Undergravel filter - yay or nay? Nay, plants dont like alot of water movement around their roots, Although i do have an UGF in my community and the plants grow pretty hard....... HTH Rogan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishboi Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 evil pretty much covered it. JBL do a good planting mix. i rather use small dark color gravel than sand IMO its much easier to keep clean as sand shows every little bit of dirt and algae Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Daltons aquatic mix is cheap - get it from your garden centre. Mix it with some gravel and then cover it with more gravel. You do need to be sure you have aquascaped it the way you want it though, cause it makes a mess if it gets stirred up. I have both gravel and sand in my big tank and I've noticed the plants grow faster in the sand. I suspect it doesn't pack down as hard as its very coarse sand. Cheers Jude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meesheelly Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 ive recently done a planted a tank and i used the daltons aquatic mix coz it was cheaper and easier for me to get and i have small dark gravel on top. Works well, hasnt been long enough to know if the plants are growing tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 got sand in my planted tank but with sand comes a new set of probs with substrates. you need to make sure you either have enough plants to keep the sand from going anerobic or airate it yourself. im going to get malaysian trumpet snaisl for my tank soon cause they do burrow down and keep it nice for you apparently also the roots can apparently get cold as theres not much water flow down there, i havent had a prob with that but yeah. with gravel you probably have less chance of the aquatic mix getting out as long as its a thick layer unless your careful with gravel vaccing, also if you have fish that like to dig (BN in my experience lol) it will make it harder for them to get to it. sand compacts and forms a tighter layer to keep the mix in but is easier to get moved by strong filters, fish etc. easier to clean though IMO as food particles dont get down into the bed and you just need to hover over it to get the bits and pieces. so theres good and bad points for both substrates, its really up to you which you prefer. cant use UGF with aquatic mix or sand, youd have to put the aquatic mix on top of the UGF and you dont want it getting loose in your tank (massive brown cloud if it does lol) like it would as water would have to flow thru it. sand is just going to go thru a UGF. good luck with setting up your new tank and the choices that goes with planting- its a whole new side to fish keeping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantman Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 i use two bags of Daltons aquatic mix which cost a fraction of what other wise would have cost me $200 in LFS. check out my layout. http://www.guppy.co.nz/index.php?name=F ... opic&t=137 hope to share more ideas for aquascaping. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 I use sand and micronutrient from the shop with normal heater/thermostats and have had no trouble growing plant with a depth between 50mm and 250mm. There are no undergravel heaters in the Amazon jungle. Having said that I do intend to set up a tank with a heat pad under the tank and will report if it makes any difference. I mainly want to do it to heat a six compartment tank for killies but will put another planted tank underneath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 thatd be real good to hear bout if you can alan! lots of planters like ug heating but then again many tanks seem to thrive without it so it would be cool to see what difference it really makes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantman Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 the underground heater is not meant to replace the glass heater. they are primarily there to allow circulation within the substract. this will allow the substract to breath. this is to prevent the substract fertiliser from gatting stain and turn toxic if it is not being used up by the plants. i am using the aquatic mix across the whole surface so i am sure at 40% of the mix is still yet to be use. thus the gravel heater will try to preserve the fertiliser for future growth use. there is no need for gravel heater for the first few months for the plants to thrive. but in the long run, it is better with under gravel heater. i have three in my big tank. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 the underground heater is not meant to replace the glass heater lol i know that :lol: so basically a ug heater is going to stop your worries with anerobic bacteria full stop? or is it possible it can still happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishkeepa Posted July 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 thanks everyone :bounce: - i dont think i'll get UG heating at the moment :lol: I've been thinking when planting does the fertiliser get stirred up alot? Also bit off topic but will the LFS have polystryrene sheets to go under the tank? Thanks everyone :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 It is a bit of a pain but worth the trouble. I put my river sand through a kitchen seive and wash the larger bits and put them on the top to hold the rest down. If you just vacuum lightly on the top it works OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishkeepa Posted July 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 I'll probably go fine gravel collected from the beach. Another question is not having fertiliser and using flourish just as easy or does this work out more expensive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantman Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 I'll probably go fine gravel collected from the beach. Another question is not having fertiliser and using flourish just as easy or does this work out more expensive? your leaves will grow fine but your roots will not be well establish. your will fine your KuHlI lOaCh and CoRyDoRaS will be digging out the roots. your plant will most likely be floating on the surface. thus flaoting plant. another option is to buy JBL fertiliser ball. it has work well for me and it is not tooo expensive. once you think that the root is well establish, there is no need for substract fertiliser but you got to keep using liquid excel florish (or whatever brand). Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 The lfs does not usually have polystyrene sheets. Try a whiteware seller they might have a good size from packing around freezers and stuff. I have a polystyrene factory next door to me 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishkeepa Posted July 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 KuHlI lOaCh and CoRyDoRaS lol i think i'll try the mix from the garden center with gravel on top. Plants i'm looking at growing are... Swords Cabomba Hygrophylia Rotala hairgrass dwarf chain sword Ambulia ...the list goes on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantman Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 try "place maker" for polystyrene sheets. it will be 4' X 8'. you will have a fun time cutting it to size and it not too costly. if you are looking for plants, i have heaps to sell. PM me if you are interested. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishkeepa Posted July 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2006 four foor by eight foot My tanks is only 1/2 a foot by 3 feet i picked up the tank today it needs a reseal in some area walks of to DIY section Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishkeepa Posted August 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Well after 4 busy weekends i've started to put it together - got the stand ready and it is level a few things left - get some polystrene - collect the gravel from the beach - buy some filter media for my new fluval - get a new coverglass made. I'm pretty sure i know hwere im getting the styrene from and the gravel so i'll update later when the change is made Contents look like theyll be 6 Harlequin Rasboras 6 Zebra or Pearl Danios 5 Panda corys 3 Kuhli loaches 1 BN possibly a betta but that might be pushing it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cesarz Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Heya, I've got dwarf chain swords when you're ready. Cheers, cesarz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 Fishkeepa...any pics??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishkeepa Posted August 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2006 Made the switch last weekend. I need new plants, I went to animates today but to no avail - all sold or the plants were quite damaged. Im looking into trademe but i'm not very comfortable about gettin them shiped Cesarz - If you read this ive got enough chain sword at the moment but thanks for the offer. Have gone with the laterite balls option Will post pics once i get the some more plants Cheers everyone for the great advice :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted August 20, 2006 Report Share Posted August 20, 2006 shipping is really safe with plants. you just chuck em in a fish bag, blow it up with air, tie the top as you would with fish and off it goes. for some reason it doesnt dry the plants out at all (ive had plants in bags for four days and they were still fine!), perhaps because the oxygen etc isnt flowing freely. also old chinese containers etc work well if you dont wana risk a bag popping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiverJohn Posted August 20, 2006 Report Share Posted August 20, 2006 Yeah.. dont worry about shipping plants... they are very hardy. I have shipped as far afield as Christchurch and as far as i know they arrived sweet !! And a recent batch to wellington arrived ok too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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