firetyger

I've been doing a lot of reading lately on planted tanks but I haven't really come across a straight answer for this question.

I like the idea of low tech tanks, with plants doing most of the filtration and fish doing most of the fertilization. (And not having to use CO2 for the plants) But let's say you have 60 tetras in a 150 gallon planted tank. Are you going to have to go high tech because of the large number of fish? Past a certain number of fish, will the tank balance be so thrown off that keeping the tank low tech won't be an option?

Just curious. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated

aquarist48

http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummaga...lantedtank.htm
Hello Firetyger. Check out the above link and see if it's any help to you. I only have a little experience with aquarium plants as of recently.
I'm sure you'll get some more responses soon.
Best of luck!
Ken

Nate McFin

I assume by high tech and low tech you are refering to light and Co2. I have never seen or read anwhere that fish were part of that decision. I do think a planted tank would be harder to maintain in very heavily stocked tank but the fish would be fine.

firetyger

Thanks for the link. The article does talk about how having a large number of plants usually means you need CO2... I'd just wondered if the bio load from a large number of fish would disrupt the equilibrium in the tank. I'd come across a post...somewhere...and someone had said something about it being an issue as "one gallon per inch of fish" isn't the only thing that you have to consider in large tanks. But I haven't been able to find that thread again

Yes, that and having an other equipment like two filters, etc.

Was wondering if the bio load from the fish was a factor in all of that or not.

sirdarksol

The "one inch per gallon" guideline is never the only thing to consider. You've got to think of swimming space, schooling, body mass, diet and its effect on waste production, amount of filtration, etc...
In the case of low-tech tanks, you're going to have to under-stock by quite a bit. If going with small fish, I've had success with using the inch per gallon guideline and then halving it (so you end up with 1/2 inch per gallon).
The addition of CO2 will definitely help plant growth, and will likely cut down on the amount of nitrates in the tank.

eiginh

For low light plants which are under 2.0 wpgs You may not need co2 but you can always add flourish excel to help just in case. Have 60 tetras in your tank is a lot but then again you have them in a 150g.

What kind of plants are you thinking about?

sirdarksol

Some plants don't do well with Flourish Excel. Crypts, in particular, tend to suffer. Most plants, however, do just fine. Just be sure to do your homework if that's the route you're taking.

Butterfly

Vals don't do well with Flourish excel either.
The number of fish in the tank don't decide how much light you need. The type of plants you want will decide whether you need more light or CO2 or extra fertilizer.
The number and size of your fish will determine whether substrate feeding plants(anything planted in the substrate) will need extra substrate fertilizer(plant tabs)
Plants that are heavy water column feeders(plants attached to rocks and wood etc) may need liquid fertilizers. Flourish excel or Flourish comprehensive are both good water column fertilizers.
Here are some plant suggestions by light level
http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_cat.php?category=1
carol

firetyger

Okay, that makes sense. Number of fish will determine whether you need extra ferts for the plants...has nothing to do with CO2 and light.

As for plantgeek, I've been perusing their site for the past week...I love it! They make plant information very comprehensible and easy to research

I was just throwing out some numbers. I don't have a tank or any fish yet. From the ideas my hubby and I have been talking about, we'd eventually like to have a tank anywhere in the range of 120-180 gallons. As for the number of fish, our estimates were around 40-60, the vast majority being tetras and the rest being some other compatible fish.

As for specific plants, not quite sure yet. I like most of the plants in the medium light requirement range.

Nate McFin

My Crypts seems to do fine with Excel. Maybe just lucky. I did have a problem with Vals and Excel.
I really dont think that number of fish would affect anything. Maintenance is more difficult in terms of cleaning up the bottom of the tank but if your up to that challenge...
Nitrates and possibl phosphates would be the only nutrients you would need to decrease. As Sir Darkso and Butterflyl said with Co2 your nitrates may drop pretty low. Possibly so low you will actually have to dose nitrates.
Regarding the tank choice itself....I would opt for a shallow tank for a planted tank if possible. This does a few things for you. It makes cleaning,trimming and planting easier but more importantly it is easier for the light to penetrate down to the substrate more easily.

firetyger

I was interested in having some Vals...so Flourish probably wouldn't be a good idea then

I've noticed the larger the tank, the harder it is to buy one that isn't quite so deep. Is two feet pretty standard or really tall? I might be able to get a custom tank but that's the shortest 180 gallon I've seen so far.