• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

New set up

dreynolds

dreynolds

Seedling
Joined
27 Sep 2016
Messages
21
Location
Yorkshire
Hi all. I'm setting up my first tropical fish tank for many years and this time I'm more interested in the planting aspect. I'm intending to develop a fairly well stocked aquascape before introducing fish. I've been buying my plants from aquaessentials, all South American for my bio type, although I've realised I can use different plants during the development process. Some floating plants for example?

I have some neutro T and liquid co2 arriving today. The substrate is ADA Amazonian and it's in a juwel Rio 180. I've used dechlorinator and bought fish food to help along the process. Is there anything else I should be using/doing?

Thanks
Darren
 
Hi Darren.

Just a few pointers. I never used Neutro T, so I may be wrong, but I believe it only provides trace elements(Micro nutrients). You will also need a source of Macro nutrients like Nitrate, Phosphate, and Magnesium.
I made the same mistake when I started and someone pointed me to @Aquarium Plant Food UK dry salts starter kit. You just mix these with water in a container and dose as needed/recommended. They are also usually cheaper the pre-mixed fertilizers.

The other thing you may reconsider is about Liquid CO2. Other more experienced members can probably explain this better, but it doesn't quite work the same way as CO2 gas does. There are a few posts here in the forum about this.

Welcome to UKAPS!
 
Thanks for the reply. I'll check out aquarium plant food kit. Are the neutro products of no use?

As for CO2, I've had a tentative look online and, probably like many, my initial reaction was to wonder if the expense is justifiable for me. If I did use it I'd rather pay up front for something I'm not going to have to replace or change regularly. How much would I be looking at for something like that? Then I'd have to work out how serious I am. I'd rather not do it on the cheap.

On another point - lighting. Are the lights included with the Rio suitable? Hilite t5 2x28 watt tubes.
 
To almost every question you asked the answer is: It depends on what you're planning to grow?

If you're going low light plants , which would be my advice for a first planted tank the kit you've got should be sufficient. My low tech tank takes almost no maintenance and is 27Litres run off a single 8w T5 tube, growth is slow but six months in the tank is my favourite one. I don't even use liquid co2 in it, just a squirt of Tropica specialised ferts once a day (when i used the premium one i had a fairly major outbreak of cyano).

So my question is, what plants do you wish to grow? In a Rio you could grow a lovely jungle scape using Microsorums, Anubias, Buces, Vallis. A carpet of sagittaria subulata or Echindorus Tenellus is easily achievable if you're willing to be patient.

Regards,
James
 
It's like @MrHidley said... it all depends on what you want to do.

dreynolds said:
Are the neutro products of no use?
Click to expand...
The starter kit comes with salts to mix and form 2 different fertilizer solutions (Macro and Micro), if you already have Neutro T you can still use it as a Micro solution until it runs out.

Go to "Aquarium Fert Dosing" here in the forum and read about the Estimative Index to get some more information about this.

dreynolds said:
As for CO2, I've had a tentative look online and, probably like many, my initial reaction was to wonder if the expense is justifiable for me. If I did use it I'd rather pay up front for something I'm not going to have to replace or change regularly. How much would I be looking at for something like that? Then I'd have to work out how serious I am. I'd rather not do it on the cheap.
Click to expand...
If you want to add CO2, the cheapest way is to use a Fire Extinguisher (if you find a place to refill the cannister), if it's too big for you you can use welding, paintball, or sodastream cannisters.

Then you need:
  • CO2 regulator
  • (optional) Solenoid Valve
  • (optional) Adapter (only if you're going for paintball or sodastream cannisters)
  • (optional) Bubble counter
  • CO2 Diffuser
  • CO2 resistant tubbing (don't use airline)
  • (optional) Drop checker & drop checker solution

Both CO2Supermarket and CO2Art have complete CO2 systems (appart from the gas) from £85.99
 
Thanks for the replies. As I said above, I'm planting South American, a lot of Echindorus among others. I should probably think about other fast growing plants not SA to use in the maturing though as:

I've ended up purchasing the complete co2 system from co2art.

Thanks again!
Darren
 
dreynolds said:
substrate is ADA Amazonian
Click to expand...
haven chosen this, also make sure you're familiar with ADA recommendations for tank start up with this nutrient rich substrate - definitely don't need to add loads of water column fertilizers initially

eg, ADA doses very lightly for the first month or so (Stepped fertilizer program) with daily water changes

dreynolds said:
I've ended up purchasing the complete co2 system from co2art.
Click to expand...
:)
much easier for new plants to transition with CO2 (gas) available, you might also add some small daily dose of the liquid CO2 as is has some algaecide properties - as with any additives, I dilute the liquid CO2 into at least 10X volume of water before pouring into the tank
 
Welcome to UKAPS Neutro are very good fertilisers and the one for high tech +will not let you down ,I use both
 
How is it looking stock wise? Do I need more plants?
IMG_3086.JPG
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3086.JPG
    IMG_3086.JPG
    1.7 MB · Views: 72
You are asking the wrong people whether 'you have enough plants'. TBH I think it's a great start. If you are a beginner, add some floating plants (frogbit) at the start...... It helps mitigate algae issues.
 
So I've installed my co2 system but have no drop checker running. Is this okay? I have posted about the reason in the co2art forum. I've been sent a u shaped checker for some reason, quite clearly different from the one pictured on the website which has a suction attachment, and it doesn't fit on my Juwel tank!
 
The Drop Checker is only to confirm the amount of CO2 present in the water.

You can also check CO2 levels by correlating KH with PH drop after CO2 injection starts. Check this thread http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/drop-checker-color-relation-to-kh-question.42795/

They probably sent you this by mistake http://www.co2art.co.uk/collections...cts/hanging-u-shape-aquarium-co2-drop-checker and what you need is this http://www.co2art.co.uk/collections/n-drop-checkers/products/aquarium-co2-drop-checker.

Just drop them an email and they'll fix it.
 
Yes, although it wasn't a mistake as such. They don't have the correct dropper in stock so they're sending one when they do. They just gambled I had a suitable tank and wouldn't notice. The whole thing was confusing enough with no instructions included and having to search their website for the appropriate manuals and videos. It is pretty much a starter kit so bought by complete newbs like me after all.
 
Test your KH and make sure your test measures in "dKH". If it measures a different unit, you'll need to convert it to dKH.

More CO2 means lower PH and PH changes are related to KH which acts like a buffer. High KH means PH will be harder to change, meaning more CO2 won't drop PH so much.

So, start the CO2 injection, wait for a few hours and test PH to see if your dKH and PH fall into a greyed area of the following chart, if PH hasn't dropped enough, then increase CO2 slightly and repeat the process:
co2_ph_kH_chart.png


I.e.: My PH is usually 8 and dKH is usually 12/13, which means that my PH should drop to 6.9-7.2 when CO2 is running. More than that won't do a difference to plants, but may kill fish if they run out of oxigen, less than that plants may not have enough CO2 if the light level is too high.
 
Last edited:
Well I've had bubbles all over my leaves since starting with co2 today! Is pearling that immediate? Also, I turned it off with the lights this evening. Then I'll switch it back on two hours before lights tomorrow. Is this correct?
 
Do you have a plant list?

I don't see much in fast growers or "auxiliary plants" - I prefer these over floaters

Swords take some time to establish as do crypts, so while some of these might become "fast" growers, they may not do much in the first couple of weeks
I'd split the "hair" grass clumps into smaller portions & spread them out a bit (less likely for "melt" to spread between sections, also seems to stimulate new growth)

With new set ups, I run CO2 24/7, depending on bubble (flow) rate, I may lower this outside the photoperiod, or leave it slow & steady
I also tend to increase surface agitation at night, to break up any surface scum (unless you have a skimmer?)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top