can any one point me in the right direction

[wegotitugetit]

hi guys im new on here been runing tanks on and off for a few years this year i got hold of a used tank with fish of a very good friend who looked after them well but he is out of the country most of the time and never had plants

every time i use to get plants they died which is so annoying

now i have decided to get things going in the right direction with plants

i want it be part plants part fish ie not going mad on either side

i belive it is around 200 litres stone/gravel

i have recently added the rocks and want to add a few more at some point the green on the rocks is some Hemianthus callitrichoides Cuba carpeting plants , was after a growing them at the bottom but they just kept floating up lol

so idealy im after some advice how do i stick the plants to the floor i know most come with lead well the carpet ones dont as there too small

do i need co2 to help if so which kit is best and how does it work

do i need plant food

and im looking for plants for background and middle too , ship will be gettting removed once more rock is bought as not keen on it really like the natural feel to a tank

thanks in advance

 

[Henry]

These links will provide you with good information on what you will need to purchase if wanting to use CO2:

The Estimative Index (EI) Dosing with Dry Salts | UK Aquatic Plant Society
Fire extinguisher CO2 | UK Aquatic Plant Society

Low tech is another method which can produce good results without much expense or effort, albeit slower than high tech (CO2, regular dosing, etc). It's worth having a read through other people's experiences to see what would suit you best. This part of the forum is worth a read:

El Natural & Low Tech | UK Aquatic Plant Society

Flow is also a very important factor in plant health. What kind of filtration/circulation do you have?

H. callitricoides is best planted in single plantlets or small clumps. The easiest method is using tweezers, and pushing the whole plant below the substrate, and pulling it back up slightly so that the leaves show.

 

[Guest]

It's possible to create something very worthwhile, whatever the amount of time, energy, and effort you're prepared to put in. Plants like HC cuba maybe a little ambitious to start with though. This and the other tutorials may also be of some help The Soil Substrate Planted Tank - A How to Guide | UK Aquatic Plant Society

 

[Julian]

If you're not prepared to do weekly 50% water changes, you won't get great results. You may also have to upgrade the lighting on that tank if the bulbs are quite old/don't output the correct light spectrum (6500k). As for CO2, definitely go down the fire extinguisher route.

I used to have a tank that size and I'd probably spend at least 2 hours a week doing water changes/cleaning. You'll also have to drop in fertilizer every day. It's a lot of commitment!

You may be better of with a Nano if it's your first planted, high tech tank. Check out the Aquanano 30/40.

 

[Henry]

If you're not prepared to do weekly 50% water changes, you won't get great results.

Not necessarily true. I've kept low tech tanks with soil substrate and only done top-ups, and it was fine.

You may also have to upgrade the lighting on that tank if the bulbs are quite old/don't output the correct light spectrum (6500k).

The lights will be more than adequate for a low tech setup. Also, it has been established that plants don't care what spectrum the light is, nor how old the bulbs are.

You'll also have to drop in fertilizer every day. It's a lot of commitment!

Not true with soil substrate tanks.

You'd be much better off doing a low tech tank on that size, unless you're prepared to spend a few quid and invest some time and effort.

 

[Julian]

Not necessarily true. I've kept low tech tanks with soil substrate and only done top-ups, and it was fine.

The lights will be more than adequate for a low tech setup. Also, it has been established that plants don't care what spectrum the light is, nor how old the bulbs are.

Not true with soil substrate tanks.

You'd be much better off doing a low tech tank on that size, unless you're prepared to spend a few quid and invest some time and effort.

Sorry if I sounded a little off-putting, I didn't mean to be discouraging in any way. You're right when you say you can get good results without the type of commitment I stated, but I guess you have to ask yourself what kind of plants you want to grow as some can be more difficult than others.

Like many others, I saw scapes from the likes of Barr and Amano and wanted to achieve similar, but I think I was very naive and underestimated the effort/money you need to put in to achieve those types of results.

The good thing about UKAPS is that there's lots of info on how to get great results with minimal effort and money!

Start out small, gain as much knowledge as you can then move on to something more difficult, knowledge comes from experience after all!