steps to take to get your planted tank right

[pitchblack]

hey all just wondering what steps people take in order to have a successful planted tank with a co2 system. Lighting, filtration, chemical balance etc. Thanks :roll:

[endless]

hey pitchblack did u end up using sand substrate?

[pitchblack]

no ive decided to leave the gravel but have been investing in a co2 system instead... nearly there just a few more pieces and its all systems go...

[duck]

Plant's put lot's in.
CO2 get it up around 30-40+ keep on eye on the fish you don't want to kill them.
Nitrate-Phosphate 10-1 ratio round about's.
And aim for min 2WPG.
That's about it.
Then you might want to get some trace like flourish and some FE,Just use flourish for the moment alot easier than making your own up,That's down the track.
And 50%WC every week.

[AussieStar]

well u dont have to 50% each week i only did about 15% a week and got same results as when i was doing 50%

[duck]

well u dont have to 50% each week i only did about 15% a week and got same results as when i was doing 50%

You can but if you are using Tom Barr's IE then you need to reset the tank or you could have alsort's of problem's so a 50% WC is needed.

[pitchblack]

so duck what your saying is that my nitrate has to be at 10ppm and the phosphates at 1ppm. Is this right. Whats the difference between the nitrate and nitrite. Im a bit confused. Its the nitrate that you want me to rise yes!!!

[vishy]

Nitrite equals bad! Nitrate equals not so bad you use KNO3/potasium nitrate to keep your nitrates at 10ppm if you let them bottom out you wil most probably get BBA. BTW i accidenatlly ran my tank without a filter for a week and it was fine nitrates were like 5-10ppm and everything else 0!!! ineteresting isnt it,
Matt

[pitchblack]

so if I let the nitrate bottom out to zero ill get bba???? Im experiencing a battle against the alge giants at the moment. Got my hands on some kno3 so the nitrate will be at 10ppm very soon. he he he

[vishy]

More than likely yes it's all really a balancing act. First of and the main thing is keep your co2 at 30ppm or your pretty much stuffed. I was having major algae issues before i got into the co2 and really kept it in check. An example my mate had a pH controller and bottle on a little nano plant growout tank he took it off and because the tank was so small co levels were all over and algae everywhere, Im not saying you should buy a pH controller. Here's somelinks as to how to dose http://home.iprimus.com.au/clintbrearley/barr.htm
follow that and you should be right. The force must not be disturbed :D
Matt

[AussieStar]

got a good site http://rexgrigg.com/

[duck]

KNO3 around the 10-20ppm
PO4 1-2ppm
It dosent have to be spot on but close enough.
You get BBA basicly by having your PO4 higher than your NO3 ie PO4 8ppm,NO3 0ppm
If you keep your PO4 around the 1-2ppm and your nitrate bottom's out you most likely end up with BGA not BBA.
Keep your CO2 30++ppmeven up to 50ppm but keep an eye on the fish,if they start heading for the surface you need to lower your CO2.

[pitchblack]

thnaks for that duck getting my nitrates up to 10ppm this week my phosphates are at 0.5ppm. But yeah im getting bga in my tank, so cant wait to get the tank balanced so I can add the co2.

[duck]

If you got CO2, Use it NOW don't wait.

[pitchblack]

fair enough the parts are being shipped as we speak. Then off to boc to get the bottle. Shoudnt I get my tank balanced first before I add the co2 first. Because I do have alge growing and I know its bga. slipperly stuff black stuff on my amazon sword leaves????

[duck]

Shoudnt I get my tank balanced first before I add the co2 first. Because I do have alge growing and I know its bga. slipperly stuff black stuff on my amazon sword leaves????
You sure you BGA nd BBA?
If you have BGA you need to do a black out for three day's complete block out,Do a 50-75%WC before add KNO3 then cover up,When the time is up do another 50-70% add KNO3 turn the CO2 up that should see you through,Try to take out as much as you can before the black out.
If you have BBA you need to take as much of it as you can out,Then increase the CO2 up min of 30ppm keep the PO4 around the 1-2 ppm and the nitrate's around the 10-20ppm.

[duck]

And don't forget to turn the light's off aswell for the 3 day's

[pitchblack]

here is what the trouble is duck give me your feedback on what to do and what type of alge this is???

[DR.V]

It looks like black hair algae ... I think no cat fish will touch this. But I could be wrong.

It happened to me once to my anubias, I just take them out and wash with my hand , scrub them with your finger under running tap. Then put them back.

[pitchblack]

its not hair like though. Its slimy. Its easily removed under the tap with my fingers but next week its back again.

[DR.V]

its not hair like though. Its slimy. Its easily removed under the tap with my fingers but next week its back again.

In my case, after I washed it, it never comes back.

Well I think theres something in your water that makes them grow.
ie : Phosphate, Nitrate ?? Not sure

Good luck anyway

[duck]

Is it only on anubias?
It looks like BBA.
If that's the only plant affected i would give it the bleach treatment 10:1 water-bleach, Give it about 20 odd seconds then rinse,Then place it under some shade from another plant.

[pitchblack]

no its on my amazon swords, the driftwood, getting on the glass its green in colour.

[duck]

How much light have you now?
Can you cut back until you get your CO2.
Then take it from there.
Once you get everything setup then you got to clean everything by hand.

[pitchblack]

i only have a total of 110w of light at the moment. Ive just brought a new double 4ft light to put in. Im thinking of this??? Do a big water change, wipe the plants down and put them in a 1:10 bleach solution like you said. My package should come today so that I can raise my nitrates and balance the tank. The phosphate level is at 0.5 - 1.0ppm. Keep the lights off for two days and do a blackout. Should this fix the problem????

[duck]

Sound's good.
Is your tank 4x2x2?
Your lighting might need to be bumped a little more around the 200+watt's.
I don't see a problem with what you got at the moment(light's),It might limit you to you able to grow ie Glosso.

[pitchblack]

yeah my tank is 4x2x2. So can you tell me duck where did you get your giant hydro plants from. I want to order them for my tank....