hello ovas
I've had a reef for a few years and i wanted to get a planted tank for a while
I had a 24x12 stand collecting dust for years and like everyone, a few aquaclears
I also have a double t5 ho Glo fixture
So I picked up a 24x12x16 20 gallon tank, put some florite in it and well, that is where I am now
I like the amazon type of environment and I was planning to get a dozen or so cardinal tetras, maybe some rams or apistos
So I was wondering what kind of beginner plants I should put in there, considering I don't have any co2 unit (at least for now)
thanks in advance
I would like to recommend " Java Fern " , personally I have found that particular plant fairly easy to keep and robust(Depends if you have certain herbivore type fish). CO2 and light strength only matters, pending the plant bio mass. For most smaller tank designs, just a few small healthy plants can consume minerals and tank space quickly. Simply calculate your plant bio foot print and adjust your needs accordingly. Start small and work your way up.
Hope this might help a little.
Some plants to consider when you don't have CO2 are; anubias, mosses, crypts, swords, vals, hairgrasses, hygrophila, java ferns, ludwigia repens and a few others too.
Hi
I don't have any fish yet. Mostly, for now, I plan on having cardinal (or cherry barbs), rams and ottocinclus
Nothing that should eat the plant
I did get some anubia nanas and java fern, which are the only two plants I knew were hardy. I'll look into the rest
Considering I have no co2 system, will my single T5 HO (6500k) be enough?
Quote from: ma_clement on October 07, 2013, 01:18:14 PM
Considering I have no co2 system, will my single T5 HO (6500k) be enough?
Yes, most definitely if it is 24w of T5HO. At a hight of 16" you should be fine. I would recommend you begin with the hardier fish though, the cherrry barbs over the others you've named because they're more hardy.
Quote from: ma_clement on October 06, 2013, 08:33:20 PM
Quote from: ma_clement on October 07, 2013, 01:18:14 PM
, will my single T5 HO (6500k) be enough?
I also have a double t5 ho Glo fixture
Just checking, in your opening post you stated you have a double t5 HO, in another post you asked if your single T5 HO will be enough.
Can you confirm if it is a single fixture with 2 bulbs?
Welcome to the green side ;)
Regards
I have a double fixture but there is only one bulb in there
I'll add another one when I get some co2
So cherry barbs it shall be
I was planning to add those fish one week after I started the tank
For now, I have plants only and I have a sponge that was taken from an established tank
is that a good plan?
thanks everyone for you answers
Quote from: exv152 on October 07, 2013, 12:16:50 PM
Some plants to consider when you don't have CO2 are; anubias, mosses, crypts, swords, vals, hairgrasses, hygrophila, java ferns, ludwigia repens and a few others too.
The above mentioned plants are a great choice & will do well with your one bulb & no CO2, you mat want to stay away from most swords as they would out grow that 20 gallon tank.
Regards
right
swords are big.
Anyways, I was not planning to get them. They are not only tall, but produce larges leaves. I'd like to get plants that have small leaves so that my small 20 gallon tank may look bigger
I'm already reading a lot about co2.
I figured out a good way to make a diy system.
I understand what a diffuser and a generator are, but I don't get what the "atomizer" does
Is that just a fancy word for something else?
Quote from: ma_clement on October 08, 2013, 07:25:27 PM
right
swords are big.
Anyways, I was not planning to get them. They are not only tall, but produce larges leaves. I'd like to get plants that have small leaves so that my small 20 gallon tank may look bigger
I'm already reading a lot about co2.
I figured out a good way to make a diy system.
I understand what a diffuser and a generator are, but I don't get what the "atomizer" does
Is that just a fancy word for something else?
An atomizer is a form of diffuser that has a stone with fine pores which releases micro bubbles of co2. But it only works with a pressurized system, it wouldn't work with DIY. If you're planning DIY, there is a new method that uses two bottles, one containing citric acid and the other a base, and apparently it lasts a lot longer, up to 8 weeks as opposed to 2~4 weeks with yeast.
great
i'll check that out
so i guess i'll just use a plain diffuser, or an air stone
Not sure if the Glo dual fixture actually allows you to run one bulb at a time - i had one and it wasn't possible so might want to check that out. If you end up using both bulbs, then co2 is definitely necessary in a tank that size. You may also need to raise your light a little. Anything to prevent unwanted blooms :)
Just sharing my experiences: I run the same tank, 20H, with the same light, Hagen double Glo, and the same filter, AC30, as plant nursery at the moment. Not pretty, but keeps the plants alive, and actually doing quite well. Though the pant in there aren't particularly demanding, just some crypts, crinum and mosses. I don't use CO2 and run the lights for 5 hours only; that does the trick to keep algae out. I don't fertilize either, but I started off using fresh substrate 3 months ago. I choose black onyx sand for it's high buffer capability, and it seems to do well so far. I had similar good results with black flourite.
Happy gardening!
The GLO double is indeed not made to be running a single bulb at a time.
It,s kinda weird what happened actually. When those lights where on my reef, i had bought a Fiji purple bulb. It worked for like a week or two and it died. But the other one was still lighting up (a 6500k I got for 6 $ at lee valley)
Since I had bought the Fiji in Montréal, I didn't want to go back there just to exchange a stupid bulb so I kept it, thinking it might become handy eventually for a planted tank w/o co2
Which is now!
Anyways, I'm already looking into co2 setups... but first things first.
I only have a few plants in there, of which I don't even know the name because I grabbed them in another tank, except for the anubia nana and something which I believe is called baby tears
ha!
3 days and already some visible growth
I love it!
I'm more used to corals taking forever to grow
There are also dead leaves, but i suppose that is to be expected with new plants needing to grow roots
and of course, snails
I saw my first one
squashed it
Got any pictures?
If you are looking for a picture of a squashed snail, I'm sorry, I am not the one who will satiate you need for cruel violence against defenseless animals
;)
problem is that I have no idea how to insert a picture. When I click on the Insert image Icon, all it does is write img /img...
(sorry, i'm new to forums
(//)
(//)
it's not much, for now. but it will grow :)
is there a good place to get plants cheap?
The place I went is nice, but the prices were ridiculous
I guess they have to make a living...
Our monthly meetings are a great way to obtain plants as well posting a
LF plants ad in the classifieds although you'd have to buy a membership.
Or just keep an eye on the classifieds for people trimming their plants.
Tanks looking good so far, I'd suggest putting a backing on it though,
it'll keep your eye focused on the tank inhabitants and not the hardware
behind the tank.
Good start. I would suggest adding a general fertilizer like once a week, and maybe hairgrass as a ground cover. It does well in low tech setups, and will spread over time creating a nice carpet.
I was thinking about getting a black backing
When are the meetings? Where?
Quote from: ma_clement on October 10, 2013, 05:50:02 PM
I was thinking about getting a black backing
When are the meetings? Where?
Here you go,
Club meetings are held the fourth Monday of the month at Tom Brown Arena in Ottawa starting at 7pm.
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Tom+Brown+Arena,+Ottawa,+ON,+Canada&hl=en&ll=45.408107,-75.724983&spn=0.006862,0.011544&sll=45.343476,-75.770025&sspn=0.013739,0.023088&oq=tom+brown+arena&t=h&hq=Tom+Brown+Arena,&hnear=Ottawa,+Ottawa+Division,+Ontario,+Canada&z=17
Hope that was of some help :).
Quote from: exv152 on October 10, 2013, 11:40:50 AM
Good start. I would suggest adding a general fertilizer like once a week, and maybe hairgrass as a ground cover. It does well in low tech setups, and will spread over time creating a nice carpet.
I have some baby tears right now in the tank and a bunch more in a bowl waiting to be planted
What do you mean by "general fertilizer"?
Quote from: ma_clement on October 10, 2013, 06:22:21 PM
I have some baby tears right now in the tank and a bunch more in a bowl waiting to be planted
What do you mean by "general fertilizer"?
Here's an example, this is called seachem comprehensive...
(https://www.ovas.ca/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.plantedaquariumscentral.com%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fseachem20flourish.jpg&hash=fd66f9e00ff4180b9ae682cf131dba5a5b415a9e)
great
thank you
LaNiche usually has a nice selection of plants. They are even labeled so you know what you are buying.
Not to come across contrary, but I would not add any fertilizer at this point since there aren't many plants at the moment. Especially if the the substrate is new, there won't be no need to fertilize until you see some slowing down in growth.
As for plants, look out in the classifieds, they tend to be a good source especially for plants you won't commonly find in LFS. Another great place are club auctions. The OVAS giant auction isn't until early spring next year, but SAM in Montreal has an auction coming up on the Gray Cup weekend.
Quote from: ma_clement on October 09, 2013, 07:58:12 PM
(//)
it's not much, for now. but it will grow :)
is there a good place to get plants cheap?
The place I went is nice, but the prices were ridiculous
I guess they have to make a living...
Would probably serve you better if you can get some fast growing stem plants & plant it dense until the tank settles down & you have a better idea what you want to grow & scape the tank, as it is right now the tank is too sparsely planted in my opinion .
Quote from: fischkopp on October 16, 2013, 10:23:42 AM
Not to come across contrary, but I would not add any fertilizer at this point since there aren't many plants at the moment. Especially if the the substrate is new, there won't be no need to fertilize until you see some slowing down in growth.
As for plants, look out in the classifieds, they tend to be a good source especially for plants you won't commonly find in LFS. Another great place are club auctions. The OVAS giant auction isn't until early spring next year, but SAM in Montreal has an auction coming up on the Gray Cup weekend.
Good suggestion
Regards
Maybe a good group to check out ;)
http://ovas.ca/forum/index.php?topic=53868.msg320645;topicseen#new
Hi. Thanks for the tips
I added fert once, but then I stopped, cause I figured I would only be feeding the algae
I did add a few plants, a few cryptos actually and I have a type of plant (i don't know what it is) that is growing like mad and I'm just replanting the offshoots