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Old 23-02-2010, 02:44 PM   #1
ahloy
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Default Ahloy nooby 2feet tank..











hand itchy and got a spare tank laying around so decide to set up a tank.. any suggestion how to improve it? this is my first planted tank..
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Old 23-02-2010, 04:41 PM   #2
ben loh
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bro, did u put any base fert in, if not then the plant wun last long.. maybe u can put some roots monster stick near the plant....
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Old 23-02-2010, 09:48 PM   #3
thomas-seah
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hi bro, from the pics, both corners look dim to me. guess u need 1 more MH light liao.
btw, may i know where did u get the gravel from, is that called lapis sand ?
tks !

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Old 24-02-2010, 12:36 AM   #4
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bro,

those plant in the centre, i believe they are not true aquatic plants remove them if you woud. but need more nfo on the tank like Co2, lights, ferts......
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Old 24-02-2010, 10:24 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ben loh View Post
bro, did u put any base fert in, if not then the plant wun last long.. maybe u can put some roots monster stick near the plant....
yup.. just have to confirm wad plant is it.. look like it non aquatic plant.. got to remove it i guess..

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Originally Posted by thomas-seah View Post
hi bro, from the pics, both corners look dim to me. guess u need 1 more MH light liao.
btw, may i know where did u get the gravel from, is that called lapis sand ?
tks !

thomas
yup bro.. those are lapis sand.. the corners i left them dark as it is just java fern at the side and they required low light..

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bro,

those plant in the centre, i believe they are not true aquatic plants remove them if you woud. but need more nfo on the tank like Co2, lights, ferts......
actually the tank is in the cycling process.. with java fern and the unknown plant..

filtration is just a air bar and a sponge filter.. looking at a low tech tank.. so no CO2 injection.
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Old 02-03-2010, 12:25 PM   #6
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If you want to cycle your tank, i would say go for broke and plant like hell.

for planted tank, its not recommended to inject oxygen from external source, like your "air bar". This will cause whatever nutrient you have in your water to oxidise.

Actually, low tech also need some nutient, just less.

I got a feeling this could be a difficult project to sustain.
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Old 02-03-2010, 12:30 PM   #7
ahloy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Newtank View Post
If you want to cycle your tank, i would say go for broke and plant like hell.
go for broke? what does that mean?

Quote:
This will cause whatever nutrient you have in your water to oxidise.
what will happen when nutrient get oxidize?

Quote:
I got a feeling this could be a difficult project to sustain.
care to share why?
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Old 02-03-2010, 01:40 PM   #8
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hi bro,

i have some experience with low tech/maintence planted tanks.

there are some plants that do well without CO2 injection and added fertilizers.
e.g hydrilla(cheapo stem plants u find my singapore longkang), amazon swords, and other grass like runners...

some plants need hi CO2 and may not be suitable.

for fishes, put in some hardy fishes e.g guppies, platies, swordtails, etc to cycle tank before putting neon or cardinal tetras.

it is unadvisable to put a air line in...as this cause the CO2 to escape...

to have good plant growth, u need sufficient livestock to provide the CO2...but not too many as at night the plants also consume O2 and give out CO2...hence at middle of the night may have lack of O2...

i got a simple set up at my balcony relying on only afternoon to evening sun, no CO2 injection, no fertilizers, no filters....u can see O2 bubbling too..nowsadays i only top up water....lazy to change water....

drop by for a chat....u got the 2 ft tank from me

i have an article and links in the Plant tank Articles.
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Old 02-03-2010, 02:06 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ahloy View Post
go for broke? what does that mean?



what will happen when nutrient get oxidize?



care to share why?
1) Go for broke meaning, let all hell break loose and plant your tank densely, as in 80% of you tank base should be planted. Once you cycled it this way, then you remove your plants and replace with your slow growers like ferns. And most plants should be fast growers like ludwigia, rotala roundifolia, etc.

2) When nutrients gets oxidised, they will not be absorbed by the plants

3) think it is difficult to sustain because, I assume you do not have any base fert. when you do low tech plants, it does not mean No-Tech. Plants still need food and this could be sustained with a reasonably rich base fert in your sand. Without Co2, the plants will "breathe" a little slower but that does not mean they don't need to eat.

When i first started, i also planted very sparesly, but this was the worst mistake I make, thinking, "since I do not know what I am doing, might as well go slow first". Once you plant densely, the plants will take care of you rtank for you.
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Old 02-03-2010, 02:10 PM   #10
ahloy
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bro any suggestion on the type of "other grass like runners"

i place the air bar thinking cos it is pumping air not oxygen, is should be able to maintain a 20% CO2 in the water mixture.. and not changing everything to oxygen(correct me if i'm wrong)
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