And then there was an empty 33G long tank!

[pbmax]

How much and what kind of light do you plan to put over it? If you're skipping CO2 you definitely want to keep the light below the extreme level.

There's a recent thread on low-light plants which can really be considered beginner plants. Personally, I think a different variety every 4 square inches is a bit nutty...

What you should do is go over the plant selections, do some research on how big they get and what kind they are - root feeders, stem plants, etc., and come up with a layout.

And then you should think about how you're going to feed these plants - root tabs, water column ferts, etc.

 

[Anonymous]

OK...looking for input and ideas folks.  With the demise of my 72G bowfront tank (alas) I have decided to use it's stand for my 33G long tank and start a new project.  I have had this 33G long tank in the wings and have been planning to set up a planted tank with it.  If I get this done this would be my first "truly" planted tank (with lots of plants not just sporadic stuff and all low maintenance) preferably without CO2.

I have read the threads on the soil substrate tanks as well as spent some time looking at other forums (like PlantedTank) for ideas and information.  I'm still not sure which way to go on the substrate.  

Questions:
From a maintenance standpoint, how easy is it to work with the soil su  bstrate?  

I was thinking if I did this I would want to cover the soil with something else like sand.  Does that create more problems when planting...i.e. disturbing the layers, etc.?  

It's now getting down to the low 40's at night here....is that too cold for the two week soil prep outside or does it make a difference?  I read some things about outside temps so I'm a little confused.

Has anyone used Eco-complete?  Is this a good alternative to the soil method?

I have that big piece of manzanita wood that came out of the 155G tank along with some seiryu stones for landscaping basics.  I will need ALL plants as I really don't have any for the tank.  I was thinking of rooting a plant like the miniature peace lily onto the wood, say right above water level and letting the roots hang down into the water.

I would like to stock some fish in the tank eventually when it is stable and ready.  I like CPD's (Danio margaritatus), blue tetras (Boehlkea fredcochui), Ryan's beautiful strawberry bettas (Betta albimarginata), and rainbow fish (Melanotaenia) so far...:   I'm looking for something that is not a cichlid.  I would prefer a CARES fish as that is what I like to keep but I also like these others.  There are a couple of Melantoaenia  that are CARES species.  I just don't know anything about livebearers really and because the tank is not that big, I don't know about stocking them.

So..here's the tank...please feel free to share ideas and thoughts with me.  I would welcome them.

I think if you have an interest in the Walstad method a good place to try is a smaller tank like this 33L. My experience with dirt tanks is a "set it & forget it" system. Meaning you will want a clear idea of how you want to set it up (what plants are going where) because disruption of the substrate should be kept minimal.

The sand cap is to help keep the dirt down & provide you leeway from making a debris cloud when you plant. Also the barrier helps keep fish from disturbing the dirt as well.  

I like Eco complete and Fluorite substrates. I can go from unplanted, to planted using the same substrate. I am able to change my plants and decor around easily. Don't know about you but I have a tendency to redesign every few months.   I get good growth without using root tabs, I get awesome growth using root tabs.

Dirt tanks takes work to set up but is a fun project.

 

[cichlid-gal]

How much and what kind of light do you plan to put over it?  If you're skipping CO2 you definitely want to keep the light below the extreme level.  

There's a recent thread on low-light plants which can really be considered beginner plants.  Personally, I think a different variety every 4 square inches is a bit nutty...

What you should do is go over the plant selections, do some research on how big they get and what kind they are - root feeders, stem plants, etc., and come up with a layout.

And then you should think about how you're going to feed these plants - root tabs, water column ferts, etc.

My lighting plan was to use the Finnex Ray2 that I have on the 155G tank on the 33G but after seeing it in action I was thinking it might be too bright of a light for the 33G tank. So I'm looking for options or whether the Finnex is the best option. Again, not sure.

 

[Anonymous]

How much and what kind of light do you plan to put over it?  If you're skipping CO2 you definitely want to keep the light below the extreme level.  

There's a recent thread on low-light plants which can really be considered beginner plants.  Personally, I think a different variety every 4 square inches is a bit nutty...

What you should do is go over the plant selections, do some research on how big they get and what kind they are - root feeders, stem plants, etc., and come up with a layout.

And then you should think about how you're going to feed these plants - root tabs, water column ferts, etc.

My lighting plan was to use the Finnex Ray2 that I have on the 155G tank on the 33G but after seeing it in action I was thinking it might be too bright of a light for the 33G tank.  So I'm looking for options or whether the Finnex is the best option.  Again, not sure.

That's probably what I would use too. I would prepare to be able to raise the light up or get a lot of floating plants. Lighting is a balance like the rest of an aquatic ecosystem. You want to start off with a bit less until the plants mature. Then increase lighting over time. This also can be controlled with a timer.

Your Ray2 will probably be enough light on that 33L to grow just about any plant you wish...

 

[cichlid-gal]

I also have a 48" Current Satellite LED plus

 

[Cory]

I actually think the ray 2, will be too much light on that 33 long.

 

[Anonymous]

I actually think the ray 2, will be too much light on that 33 long.

You have a point. I have the 36" on a 30g. I've had to raise the light 6 inches and use Salvinia (floating fern) to block out some of the light. Today I lowered the light back onto its legs to see what happens. Hoping there is enough plants to suck up all the Ray's......rays

 

[Cory]

Yeah, it's all about how balanced the aquarium is with the plants. I've seen ray2s used on shallow tanks. With insane nice red plants etc. But I think in the long run it's easier to use less light if it's not going to be a really heavily aquascaped tank.

 

[cichlid-gal]

Yeah, it's all about how balanced the aquarium is with the plants. I've seen ray2s used on shallow tanks. With insane nice red plants etc. But I think in the long run it's easier to use less light if it's not going to be a really heavily aquascaped tank.

OK...then I think I will use the Current Satellite and leave the Finnex on the 155G tank. The Current lighting can be adjusted to some degree so hopefully that will work better.

What about filtration? I would think the Eheim 2217 would be enough on the tank with plants and a few fish. So setup so far is:

Eco-complete substrate
Eheim 2217 canister (still looking at lilypipes)
In line 200W heater
Current led Plus 48" light

Plants I like:
red root floaters and water lettuce
bronze cryptocoryne and green cryptocoryne
amazon swords
dwarf sagittaria
anubias

Some plants I've found on plant sites that I like:
Hydrocotyle tripartita
Hygrophila pinnatifida
Limnophila hippuridoides
ludwigia sp.
Eleocharis sp.

Any input on these? or experiences I should know about? Thanks

 

[DMD123]

The Eheim 2217 is more than enough filter for your planted tank. Good choice to do the in line heater with that set up.

 

[pbmax]

Plants I like:
red root floaters and water lettuce
bronze cryptocoryne and green cryptocoryne
amazon swords
dwarf sagittaria
anubias

Some plants I've found on plant sites that I like:
Hydrocotyle tripartita
Hygrophila pinnatifida
Limnophila hippuridoides
ludwigia sp.
Eleocharis sp.

Any input on these? or experiences I should know about?  Thanks

I would pass on the red root floater for now. While it's pretty, it doesn't grow nearly as quickly as water lettuce and will likely be outcompeted by it. Floating plants thrive in still water, but RRF exemplifies this more than most.

I use water lettuce in all of my tanks as a natural filtration mechanism. Every time you toss it out you're tossing out unused nitrates and other stuff - everyone wins! :cheers: It does grow fairly quickly, especially when it reaches critical mass, but it's a snap to toss.

Amazon swords get BIG - be prepared to have it totally take over a chunk of your tank, shading everything around it. They will grow taller than your tank is high and wider than it is deep. I kept them in 10g tanks for a while :affraid: not any more

Crypts are always a good pick - slow and steady growers and they will slowly fill out via underground runners. But it'll take a while for them to reach full size, so plant a lot to begin with.

S. subulata (dwarf sags) will take off in all directions - they're a great starter plant and will be pretty easy to maintain with eco-complete (just yank them out when you have too many). They get tall in my walstad (12"), but stay pretty short in other tanks (less than 6").

I've kept ludwigia repens narrow-leaf for many years now - it's a beautiful stem plant and extremely resilient. Be prepared for constant maintenance though - especially if you're fertilizing the water column. You'll be clipping and replanting it on a fairly regular basis.

 

[cichlid-gal]

Thank you PBmax...you are a wealth of helpful information. I really really appreciate all this help and input.

Do you recommend waiting a period before adding fish just for growing out plants and getting a planted tank under your belt without the fish in there or does it matter?

 

[pbmax]

You don't have to wait for the sake of the plants, unless you intend to add some lawn-mowers to the tank, in which case your plants should be well-established before adding them.  

The worst problem you can run into with a planted tank is algae really, and fish don't care much about that.

 

[cichlid-gal]

Update 10/9/13.  

Added some seiryu stones also.

Tank substrate added...I used Eco-complete.

Plants are in...I was able to find some plants on my list but a lot of the plants are not on my list.  Some of them came from other tanks that I have so I'm not sure if they will transplant ok.  I expect to see some losses in this setup but its a learning experience so I'm ok with that (I think).  Finding the "easy" plants seem to be harder than finding the "medium to high need" plants.  Maybe that's a selling point for stores. I have an orchid and a mini peace lily that I plan to add to the wood piece sticking out of the tank (so those plants will be air and water). I need to get some type of moss to cover the roots of the orchid and work on the positioning of the peace lily so the roots get in the water but dont' obscure other stuff in the tank.

Into the tank shot

 

[cichlid-gal]

Plants that I added

Plant key
1. Ceratopteris thalictroides (water sprite)
2. Crinum natans
3. Ludwigia palustris (Ludwigia narrow leaf)
4. Hemianthus callitrichoides (Baby tears)
5. Cryptocoryne wendtii (red)
6. cryptocoryne wendtii (green)
7. Hydrocotyle verticillata (pennywort)
8. Ludwigia repens (red ludwigia)
9. Cabomba carolina (green cabomba)
10. Aponogeton ulvaceu

If some of these grow they will outgrow the tank but they will help keep it full until I find the plants I'm looking for.  I had the Cyptocorynes in another tank...they were in pots so I'm not sure if they will make the move without melting or not.  Figured I'd try.

And a sneak peak of my future inhabitants...they are waiting for me to finish setting up this tank and holding in a 20G right now.  And again, these fish are new to me also and their preferred water parameters are different from mine but I'm going to give it a try.  If they don't do well, I'll try to rehome them with someone that has better water parameters for them.

Long-finned German Blue Rams

 

[pbmax]

Looks fantastic! :spoton: It's definitely a great start; you've put some real planning into it for sure.  I like the numbered plant guide.

I hope they all thrive for you.

 

[Lamental Jester]

Looks great Donna! Welcome to the wonderful (and sometimes frustrating) world of plant keeping! Can't wait to see how it looks after everything fills out :spoton: 

 

[cichlid-gal]

Thanks pbmax and Lamental.    Cycled media was put into the 2217 so I'll check parameters later today and see if we are good to go.  

I did my first fertilizer dosing today.  Going to try once a week dosing and see how that goes.  Will be adding the fish later today.  

I have the lights on a timer...4 hours on then off for 2 1/2 hours then on for 5 hours.  Does that sound good or like too much light?

 

[pbmax]

9 hours is good starting point. I've run as few as 8 hours, but I'm at 10h on most of my tanks.

 

[cichlid-gal]

9 hours is good starting point.  I've run as few as 8 hours, but I'm at 10h on most of my tanks.

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