Do you have planted tanks?

I recently bought two betta boys online. They were really stressed when they arrived but found the real plants fascinating! I loved watching them explore, nibble, lie on, lie under, and just generally figure out real plants.

Betta really love planted tanks, I've seen them in them before and I must say they where in heaven!

 

All my tanks are planted to some degree. I even have a separate plant tank, this is for plants I find that I don't know where I want them yet but I want them anyway (confusing ? )
My favorites are different types of Anubias and different types of Java Fern. I have little Nana petite up to Anubias gigantae and a couple of other kinds that will grow out the top of the tank (which is what I want it to do ).
I keep four types of Java Fern- Wendelov (lace java fern), Red Java Fern(not really red, tips are clear when young), narrow leaf, and regular Java Fern.
Since I love lots of rocks and wood in my tanks these offer options in decorating, and I don't have to worry about high lighting or CO2.
These are by all means not all the plants in my tanks just my favorites.
Carol

 

I'm attempting to get the lush plant look in my 55 with no CO2 setup or special gravel, just some exel.

 

I just got my second planted tank (this one's a Discus tank) running smoothly. I'll get around to posting pics one of these days.

 

I'm attempting to get the lush plant look in my 55 with no CO2 setup or special gravel, just some exel.

It won't work, your plants will die and foul your tank.

 

Listen to Jim... He's good with planted tanks... Very impressive IMO.

 

I'm attempting to get the lush plant look in my 55 with no CO2 setup or special gravel, just some exel.

If you want to set up a planted tank without CO2 then your best bet would be to set it up using the Walstad method. Instead of adding just gravel to put the plants into, you would add a 1-1.5" layer of soil down first then another 1-1.5" layer of gravel that's 2-3mm in size. Fertilizers are not normally needed for this type of set up unless some of your plants are showing signs of a nutrient deficiency.

If you do go this route, I strongly recommend reading her book, "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist". There are many things you need to know about this set up first before diving into it.

 

If you want to set up a planted tank without CO2 then your best bet would be to set it up using the Walstad method. Instead of adding just gravel to put the plants into, you would add a 1-1.5" layer of soil down first then another 1-1.5" layer of gravel that's 2-3mm in size. Fertilizers are not normally needed for this type of set up unless some of your plants are showing signs of a nutrient deficiency.

If you do go this route, I strongly recommend reading her book, "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist". There are many things you need to know about this set up first before diving into it.

VERY good advise. I would also add reading Peter Hiscock's "Aquarium Designs inspired by Nature". It's a facinating book not only on planted aquariums, but setting up specific environments, or Bio-topes, to match your fish's true home environment. You want to raise Angelfish in their true environment? This is the book to tell you how to make a "Flooded Amazon Rain-Forest Floor" tank. Or an Asian Swamp or Chinese riverbed. Heck, there's even a secton on recreating a darkened cave for blind tetra's and other albino fish.

Even if you decide not to go planted, it's still a facinating read on fish evnironments in general.

 

VERY good advise. I would also add reading Peter Hiscock's "Aquarium Designs inspired by Nature". It's a facinating book not only on planted aquariums, but setting up specific environments, or Bio-topes, to match your fish's true home environment. You want to raise Angelfish in their true environment? This is the book to tell you how to make a "Flooded Amazon Rain-Forest Floor" tank. Or an Asian Swamp or Chinese riverbed. Heck, there's even a secton on recreating a darkened cave for blind tetra's and other albino fish.

Even if you decide not to go planted, it's still a facinating read on fish evnironments in general.

That book sounds very interesting, Jim. I think I'll try looking for it at the library. I was able to find Diana Walstad's there so hopefully, I'll be able to borrow that one too. Do you know if there is a set up for bettas in that book?

I know that a lot of people who set up natural planted tanks like to create a particular bio-tope for their fish so that would be a great book for angelfish220 to read before setting up her tank.

 

In my tank, I have 2-3 inches of soil, then 1 inch of sand ontop. I'm trying to get the Walstad method working. I have water sprite growing now and it is taking off. I'm getting a amazon sword as well for the other side. and there is Java moss. Basically easy plants, only 2 wpg, but want lush. Hopefully this will work.

I've also read that exel has CO2 in it somehow. Is that true?

 

In my tank, I have 2-3 inches of soil, then 1 inch of sand ontop. I'm trying to get the Walstad method working. I have water sprite growing now and it is taking off. I'm getting a amazon sword as well for the other side. and there is Java moss. Basically easy plants, only 2 wpg, but want lush. Hopefully this will work.

I've also read that exel has CO2 in it somehow. Is that true?

Flourish Excel is an organic Carbon for planted tanks. I've had pretty good results using it before I went to a full CO2 rig. But 1 must be careful wiht it, some plants have really weird reactions to it and literally "Dissolve". plant geek has flagged any plants they know of that is sensative to Excel.

The Amazon sword will do good... but then again I think an Amazon sword could grow in cat litter with only a candle for light.

 

Well I just hope it grows in my tank

and Jim, have you ever tried the dirt in tank thing? The problem is the dirt isn't settling. Its been in there for 3 days, and it is still pitch black. My fish are in the 30 gal so I can just let it settle, but its taking forever.

 

I know you were asking JI'm about your tank but both of mine have soil underlayers in them and I've never had a problem with the soil settling. In fact, the water in both of the tanks were crystal clear when I first filled them up. Do you have gravel on top of the soil and did you use a plate when pouring the water into the tank for the first time?

 

I kinda converted it when it was already filled, I've done a 50% water change since, but its still really dark.

 

Jim, have you ever tried the dirt in tank thing? The problem is the dirt isn't settling. Its been in there for 3 days, and it is still pitch black. My fish are in the 30 gal so I can just let it settle, but its taking forever.

I've never tried the dirt thing, no. For the very reason you stated, I was unsure about the soil settling properely.
If I might offer a suggestion for clearing out your water, perhaps try a micron filter (water polisher) of some sort. My thinking is that all but the finest particles have probably settled in your tank, and maybe a filter like this can get the fine stuff being held in suspension.
I'm not sure what kind of filter you're using, but I have a Marineland Magnum 350 canister that you can buy a "water polisher" insert for. Also they make these sort of flat micron inserts for other marineland canisters. And while I don't have the canister it goes to, I was able to take and cut one to fit a penguin 300 (HOB) filter insert and use it that way.

 

I kinda converted it when it was already filled, I've done a 50% water change since, but its still really dark.

Ah! I think that's where your problem is. You should've removed all of the fish(I think you already did that but I can't remember) and completely tore down the tank. Once everything including the water, was out of the tank, then you should have added the soil then gravel.

A filter may clear up the water but if I were you, I'd just start all over from scratch. It would probably be easier and quicker in the long run.

 

I just did. The fish are in the 30 and everything, so I syphoned everything out of the aqarium, and set up the gravel and soil right, and refilled it. It is still really cloudy, but not as cloudy as the first time I'm hoping it settles overnight.

 

When you say cloudy, do you mean everything looks a bit white? If so then if you have a filter handy, you can just add some filter sponge to it and put it in the tank and let it run overnight. That should help clear up the cloudy water. Some people also use filter floss instead of filter sponge when they have cloudy water and they've found it helps more then the sponge because it picks up more debris.

 

When you say cloudy, do you mean everything looks a bit white? If so then if you have a filter handy, you can just add some filter sponge to it and put it in the tank and let it run overnight. That should help clear up the cloudy water. Some people also use filter floss instead of filter sponge when they have cloudy water and they've found it helps more then the sponge because it picks up more debris.

Actually, this is a really good question. I've been assuming the cloudyness is the dirt, but I never really asked what it looked like. Is it "dirty" or "milky" cloudy?

 

Actually, this is a really good question. I've been assuming the cloudyness is the dirt, but I never really asked what it looked like. Is it "dirty" or "milky" cloudy?

Thanks Jim. The reason why I ask what color the cloudy water looks like is because when I was first doing research on these tank set ups(before I read the book), I had come across a step-by-step on how someone had set one of these tanks up and when they had filled the tank with water, there was a whitish haze throughout the tank and they used a filter to clear it up.

If it is soil that angelfish220 has throughout the water in the tank, I would strongly suggest trying a different type of soil and doing a "bottle test" on the new soil first before adding it to the tank. Bottle tests are recommended in Ms. Walstad's book because it gives you an idea on how the soil will be when completely submerged in water. Some soils settle very quickly when they are disturbed yet others don't. These types of tests can be done in a large jar even and all that needs to be done is to put some soil in first then some gravel on top and it's best to use something like a piece of aluminum foil on top of the gravel when pouring the water in so it doesn't blow the gravel all over the place.

That's why many recommend reading Ms. Walstad's book first before setting up a tank like this. It may sound easy enough to add soil, gravel, plants, water then fish but there is a lot to learn when it comes to these types of tanks and it pays to read the book.

 

You can go to my blog and then the 55gal thread to see how its going, and what it looks like. I have changed stuff around since I last read this thread, or I would have answered it here.

 

My tank is planted with just a few easy low light numbers, but I would like to deck it out a bit more when I get a bit more know how.