Advice on plants

[dumpystig]

I have a few plants at the moment which seem to be doing ok and others not so well. Details of my tank are as follows:-

160 litre Community
Substrate - sand
1x twin outlet air pump and 2x air stones
Fluval 305, full flow output, returning 20mm below surface (thiscreates a strong surface ripple and current)
Temp - 24c/ 76f
ph - 7
GH - 6dGH
KH - 3dKH

I think that maybe the pump/ airstones need to go, but other than that I am pretty clueless.
Any help appreciated (get busy MrAlgae!) and if you have any plant suggestions can you please try to give me the latin name and common name so I can try to get more info myself.
Cheers folks

[jackpike]

Everything u have is fine except for air pump and the return from your filter being so close to the surface of the water. Remove air pump and lower filter outlet for a calm water surface. I would try to get some easy plants to start with. Java moss, java fern, straight or twisted valis comes to mind. Ask mr algae he knows his plants. if u are adding liquid fertilizer remove carbon from filter, or use fertilizer tabs which go under the gravel near the roots of your plants. Lights are also important, Stronger the better. What is the wattage of your lights?

[dumpystig]

Hi JP, I have a Arcadia 36" 30W Original Tropical at the back, and a 36" 30W Aqua-Glo at the front. The tank is a Hagen Duo
Deep 100cm. This is only until I get a bigger tank later in the year (hopefully a Rena 150), then my 2 Terrapins will be going into this tank and the fish into the Rena. The plan is then to uprate the existing lighting or get an over-tank luminaire (Arcadia?)

I will try to find the plants you mention, and I will let you know which plants I already have, if I can find them. I know one is Cabomba Carolinaius and another I think is Mushroom plant.

I thought that the filter outlet is intended to cause surface agitation in order to oxygenate the water. I have already learned that a air pump/ airstone is not beneficial in a planted tank, it removes Co2 I think?

[mralgae]

Hiya dumpystig
I have to agree with jp on the flow pipe(but be careful if you have fish as there has to be some movment to allow for oxygen for the fish) and defiantly on the removal of the air-stones at least for the moment.
Can you tell us what plants you have and how many, and which of them or doing fine and the ones that are not?
Also what lighting you have any fish you have or are going to put into the tank.
Do you have c02 or are you going to use it or not.
If you give as much info as possible as to what you have and what you would like to do with the tank it we would be better able to advise. If you havnt already have a look at tropica to see if you like any of the plants and let us know.

www.tropica.com/plant_print.asp


talk soon.

Happy days.

[dumpystig]

HelloMrA, the fish I have are:

2x Silver (Bala) Shark
1 pair Black Molly (breeding)
2x Clown Loach
2x Zebra Loach
2x Pakistani (Yoyo) Loach
2x Golden Barb
6x Zebra Danio
1x Gibbiceps Plec
2x Hi-fin Platty

Will look at plant link you gave and get back when I've identified what plants I have.

Not sure whether I will need to add CO2, I think thats something to be decided as I go along

[jackpike]

You have quite a lot of fish so u will have to keep your outflow pipe at the surface to keep some movement to allow for extra oxygen for the fish. So because of this, i think it won't be worth injecting co2 in your situation. But that not a problem plants will still grow but only more slowly due to the reduced co2. So u will have to pick plants that do not require extra injected co2.

[dumpystig]

Thanks JP I don't yet know what plants will be good in my tank but I will have a look at the above site as well as some others and find out what will be suitable for my water conditions. When I first got my tank (second-hand off e-bay) it came with some plastic 'plants' but to be honest they just looked, well, plastic! Definitely not for me, I fancy the challenge of 'building' a good looking planted community tank. So, as with my water probs thread, I will take all the advice I'm given. Cheers mate

[jackpike]

Your welcome, m8

[mralgae]

100cm deep? 3ft. i was going to say to watch your lighting but even at 160L = 42.27gal it works out at 2.66 wpg. but the depth of the tank you will have difficulty growing low level plants.
depending on when you are going to change the tank i would hold back on going mad on equipment for the time being and use what you have as a testing tank till you become more accustomed.

[dumpystig]

Hello again MrA. LOL no, the tank is 100cm WIDE, the 'Deep' refers to the tank from front to back, Hagens description not mine!
Been very busy last few days but I will be back soon and we can get down to some serious plant matters.

[mralgae]

i was thinking you had a tank like this

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/show_article.php?article_id=586


we can all wish

happy days