Comments on: 55g planted aquarium

By: SimplyOrange537

SimplyOrange537 — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 05:34:11 +0000

iLLapino83> part2> Fluorite red/dark/ blacksand cheapest i can get is 19.99. one bag is good for a 10g. i got 2 bags for my 29g but used only 1.5 of it. i would start with the supersoil brand as it is cheap and you can dump in the yard. its a good starter substrate since you want to learn how the planted tank is taken cared of. i used it in my 1st 10g and my water sprites, aponogeton(sp?) took over the entire tank in a month. when pruning/trimming is a pain thats when you’re doing things right.

By: SimplyOrange537

SimplyOrange537 — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 05:28:26 +0000

iLLaPino83> the only con that i could remember after thinking about using that was where the kitty litter was taken from the earth. i remember, maybe its in one of those websites, was that some kitty litter would cause the ph to change. that is all i could remember. since i did not want to take the risk but mainly didnt want to do the research in finding out where a bag of kitty litter came from, i just went with supersoil. a lot cheaper but does leech out tannin, that tea color.

By: SimplyOrange537

SimplyOrange537 — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 05:19:19 +0000

yes and no. floating plants, moss, java ferns, anubia, really dont need substrate. other plants that need their roots to be buried will need a nutrient substrate. roots take in more nutrients than via leaves so adding soluble nutrients in the water column can lead to algae if there are no floating plants with exposed roots to take up the excess. just having sand/gravel for plants is like eating rice cakes. the plants do not benefit. they’ll rely on co2, o2, and trace minerals from the tap water.

By: SimplyOrange537

SimplyOrange537 — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 05:09:12 +0000

scotjr79> lol sorry about the song. when i reply to the comments here via the video link i have to pause it so i dont hear the song. lol. yes the substrate is where most nutrients are retrieved by plants. then leaves but not to the extent of the roots. from soil you’ll finally go with the commercial substrates like Fluorite or EcoComplete among many others.

By: iLLaPiNo83

iLLaPiNo83 — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:10:15 +0000

Hi.. i’m starting a 10g planted aquarium.. i need some pointers on what substrate i should use. In one of the website you posted said its good to use kitty litter and cover it with sand. Its much cheaper than fluorite.. but is there cons on using it?

By: N1ckg07

N1ckg07 — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:56:46 +0000

for a planted aquarium do you need soil underneath the sand/ gravel for the plants to grow?

By: scotjr79

scotjr79 — Fri, 30 May 2008 01:04:11 +0000

That song was stuck in my head for days… nice tank I like your ideas. The substrate makes all the difference. I screwed around with gravel for too long before I switched to a soil. Instant positive results. Thanks

By: SimplyOrange537

SimplyOrange537 — Sun, 25 May 2008 06:24:39 +0000

depends on the type of plant. normally stem plants are cut and replanted. you can replace the bottom part with the new plants at the top. plants like crypts, amazons, etc. are trimmed by cutting one or two large leaves so a new leaf will form. dont cut too much large leaves at once. doing so will likely upset the tank’s balance and soon algae will form. i’ve heard vals, microswords, etc can be given “haircuts”.

By: SimplyOrange537

SimplyOrange537 — Sun, 25 May 2008 06:13:49 +0000

kentran042392> either way. if you dont mind seeing the airstone place it on top. if you want it to look kind of cool hide it in the gravel or under a rock/decor. i’ve hidden it in the gravel before and it’s pretty interesting to look at. if it’s a planted tank i’d restrict it to night time use since the air bubbles will decrease the co2 levels during the day which plants need. all though i’ve had an air driven sponge filter on my planted tanks.

By: stewy098

stewy098 — Wed, 21 May 2008 05:57:01 +0000

hey how do you properly trim the plants cuz this plant that i have is starting to reach the surface and i dont really kno how to properly trim and i dont want to mess it up plz reply thnx