thinking of going planted

[downandout]

hi Guys , i have a 6x2x2 tank which i am thinking of planting up . I was told by the local guy i need the co2 kit( which i knew) but then some new lighting some fancy high sitting light . he also talked about T2 and T3 lights which confused me even more . Then spoke about uv filter too with surface skimmer .
basically i would like your advice on what i need to plant up my 6 foot tank without wasting a heap on money on stuff that is not really needed to start with ..

Thanks in advance.:)

[revkev]

Starting from bottom of tank
1-Cable heaters (optional)
2-Substrate Seachem Flourite ( can be mixed 50/50 with gravel)or other brands that will do the same job.
3-C02 injection Compressed CO2 bottle type( can make your own diffuser or use Seachem flourish excel liquid instead of CO2 injection)
4-Compact fluoro lights 6 ft with 6 lights 6500/5000K
5-Fertilizer tabs Seachem ,azoo ect ( push them under gravel next to plants)
6-Plants that will take 30c heat ( Amozon Swords,Anubias,Aponogetons,
Echinodorus , Hair Grass, ect)
7- Liquid fertilizers Seachem ect ( Dose as instructions on containers)
8- Plant tongs ( use to reach hard to get places)
9- UV filter 36 watt (optional) kills the algae when exposed to the UV light plus keeps the water free from micro bugs.
10- Have fun :wink:
There are different setups other than the above some expensive some cheaper.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/revkev77/th_diffuser.jpg (http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/revkev77/diffuser.jpg)
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/revkev77/th_BOCCO2.jpg (http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/revkev77/BOCCO2.jpg)
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/revkev77/th_009.jpg (http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/revkev77/009.jpg)
pic 1 CO2 diffuser DIY
pic 2 BOC CO2 regulator & DIY bubble counter
pic 3 Planted tank with all the above

[duck]

Really depends on how much money you want to spend,What you want out of the tank or look like.
If you just wnat to grow basic plants it's cheap to fit out your tank,If you want to grow Thing's like riccia, glosso as a carpet or rotala macaranda just a couple of plants named that require some extra care and need's then you need to spend some money for a setup.

Not to waste money try to think of what you like to have your tank look like,As this is the part that will save or cost you money in the long run.

i could put something together for you aswell but for a 6 ft it could cost you $1000.00+ not including the tank,Before you get scared these thing are one off cost's.

[Phlipper]

All comes down to budget and what you expect from a tank as duck said.

but on a low budget my 6 footer..............

Ordinary gravel substrate
Standard heater units
3 Fluros...1 triphosphor, 1power glow, 1 marine blue
Cheap Wardleys liquid fertiliser
Various substrate fertilisers
DIY yeast Co2 unit and reactor

Growning almost anything very well with the exception of red foliage plants......

Rotalo walachii
Ambulia
Amazon Swords
Marbled swords
Ozelot swords
Alternanthera
Vallis, giant and standard
Anubias
Java fern, broad leaf and narrow
Wisteria
Blue stricta
Elodea
etc etc etc

and results after a few weeks.............{old picture}

[rytis]

hi Guys , i have a 6x2x2 tank which i am thinking of planting up . I was told by the local guy i need the co2 kit( which i knew) but then some new lighting some fancy high sitting light . he also talked about T2 and T3 lights which confused me even more . Then spoke about uv filter too with surface skimmer .
basically i would like your advice on what i need to plant up my 6 foot tank without wasting a heap on money on stuff that is not really needed to start with ..

Thanks in advance.:)
uv and surface skimmer i dont think are important for freshwater... but planted tank i think is best gift for your fish: automated co2, bright day lights very important for plants. for fish, they will need escape from bright lights such as having shelf under which they can hide and plants which like to be closer to surface grow on...

fish go last, starting with some cheap fish to see how they do, or a cheaper discus...

not overcrowding is another thing you can do if you love your fish, i look at it as housing many prisoners in a cell/ghetto....not a good idea...

[lesley]

A 6x2x2 looks stunning planted. I had one running for about five years. Thought I was doing a reasonable job of cleaning, although there were a couple of dense pockets of plants. You will need to accept that after about 3 years, it is probably a good idea to completely redo, or at least ensure that every inch of substrate is cleaned thoroughly!! That would mean pulling out plants and replanting after cleaning.

I didn't and my fish paid the price!! My attention strayed a little during a busy work period, had carbonate crash, that started a chain reaction, I think I had pockets of hydrogen sulphide and then the fish got a bacterial infection that I reacted too slowly too.... I think that I will never really know exactly what happened.

I think that planted is great for watching and for the fish, but keep my experience in mind and keep that substrate cleaned very thoroughly every so often. I didn't use co2 much, but plants do love it and you will undoubtedly get better growth with it. Lower pH too.
HTH

[lesley]

A 6x2x2 looks stunning planted. I had one running for about five years. Thought I was doing a reasonable job of cleaning, although there were a couple of dense pockets of plants. You will need to accept that after about 3 years, it is probably a good idea to completely redo, or at least ensure that every inch of substrate is cleaned thoroughly!! That would mean pulling out plants and replanting after cleaning.

I didn't and my fish paid the price!! My attention strayed a little during a busy work period, had carbonate crash, that started a chain reaction, I think I had pockets of hydrogen sulphide and then the fish got a bacterial infection that I reacted too slowly too.... I think that I will never really know exactly what happened.

I think that planted is great for watching and for the fish, but keep my experience in mind and keep that substrate cleaned very thoroughly every so often. I didn't use co2 much, but plants do love it and you will undoubtedly get better growth with it. Lower pH too.
HTH

[downandout]

Thanks for all the advice .. i went out and got myself a 6 foot quad mozzo low intense light ( 21 watts) , been on the tank for about a week now and i have notice some plants have lots of new growth yet others are dying off now ( look like they are sunburnt) i have turned the light down now so only 4 tubes out of the 8 are on , How many hours a day should have the lights on for ? i have been told 4 and also 9 hours .. One thing i have noticed is a huge growth boom in alge time for a uv filter next before i get a co2 system .
I have been priced $350 for the regulater etc just no bottle or co2 does that sound fair ?

[Phlipper]

The time period for lights top be on depends on lighting intensity and type of plants you are attempting to grow. For the most part about 10 hours daily is about right, but that may havbe to be regulated depending on individual plants and algae blooms.

Algae blooms are usually a result of .................

too much nutrient matter such as excess fertiliser or fish food

too much lighting

too much waste in your tank from fish poop or uneaten food

not enough plants to counteract it, plants need to be thickly planted or the algae will overtake them

bad choice of plants, fast growing varieties will help ease the algae bloom

I rarely have a algae problem as my tanks are thickly planted and care is taken with nutrient and nitrate concentration. I do not use UV at all, and my lights are on 11 hours each day, 3 fluros per tank.