In search of substrate for 200x60x70 cm aquarium

[foxfish]

DSM is popular with some folk, the plants get a good start and root very well but, they then have to go from 400ppm of atmospheric C02 down to 30ppm when the tank is flooded & that is only if you can get 30ppm in a big tank. The resulting die off of foliage could be an issue!
I really enjoy setting up a new tank with the dry start method, the plants just go mad if you get it right but lots of people fail with this method due to lack of humidity.

 

[sciencefiction]

DSM is good for attaching moss to wood permanently without it detaching itself in time. Other than that, I'd use the time and patience to grow the plants under water, where they can adapt to permanent conditions. If you are going to have soil in the bottom layer of the substrate, provided you do it right, the plants will explode in a month or two. I'd would do no ferts of any kind for at least 6 months, then dose lightly. A bit of co2, and flow around the tank would keep the system happy for years to come. There will be problems eventually, but if done right you shouldn't have any issues in a good while. Immediate issues means the tank is not set up right in the first place, e.g. anaerobic substrate, lack of oxygen, not enough light/too much light, etc...I was able to sustain a completely algae free soil tank for about 3 years until I overstocked it. I never even needed to clean the glass in that period. So it's achievable. More is not better and patience is a virtue.

And I am sure you know what you are doing but learn your plants requirements along the way.
Be ready to move plants species around and see where they like it best in your tank. Plant same species of plants in totally different spots around, darker and brighter, more flow, less flow, etc... That's how you get the best outcome and you also learn what the plants you specifically planted in your tank want. Its the same as learning fish requirements.

 

[Costa]

As for flood lights, I recently got one for the first time, same reason as yours...I didn't want to spend crazy money although between the gooseneck and the light itself, it was not cheap either. The plants responded pretty fast although right now I've got the typical low tech plants only. I am guessing long term it will work out as well as any other light based on my short experience. I'll be getting another one same flood light to bump the intensity a notch once I get more plants. The one I got is also pretty good looking and not obstructive. It's a slim line version. The only problem is they have wide angle so there will be some spillage but mine is over a round Rubbermaid pond and its pretty much utilized apart from some shimmering on the wall. Anyway, don't be put off by flood lights. Just research their specs first as they differ in quality.

Thanks for the replies

Sciencefiction, a question for you please.

This is my cube light set up. The led flood light sits on some polystyrene tube on top of the aquarium, but there's a glass cover in between the light and the water.

I am guessing (correct me if I'm wrong) that the glass severely reduces the strength of the light, hence the slow growth of my plants. That said, the tank itself is quite bright, the flood light is 6000K strong.

I was thinking about switching the glass cover with egg crate. How have you installed your flood light?

Thanks again
Costa

 

[sciencefiction]

Can you get a different angle picture? The light looks quite poor on this picture. What is the wattage?

Mine is attached to a Kessil gooseneck, only I don't want to buy the kessil lights The tank is open top. What I noticed is that when I had it over a way smaller tank, it just spilled all the light out, barely anything got inside but then again I had mine hanging over and yours is right on top. But you are talking about a 200cm long tank which changes things because there is plenty more room for the light to illuminate. The angle of flood lights is about 120' so they will spill light outside if the tank if it is small.

Mine is mainly aimed at my emersed plants, and I still don't have enough plants or light but I'll get a bit more of either. Here are a couple of pics I took recently so you can see the brightness of a 30W flood light over a 125cm diameter round pond. Please ignore the bad aesthetics because I am more about healthy rather than good looking...Once I make it healthy I'll think about how it looks.

 

[Costa]

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate your taking the time to help me out.

Sorry for the bad shot, I can't provide a better picture from where I am.

What you are seeing in the picture is the LED floodlight (30W) sitting on two strips of polystyrene on top of the tank cover, which comprises of a 2mm piece of glass. I am guessing that this is not very efficient for plant growth as the glass cover blocks out a considerable amount of the light lumens?

 

[sciencefiction]

Yes, the glass cover is possibly blocking some of it. Try to position the led from a distance and see if it illuminates the tank better.

 

[Wacca]

Great answers and help here. I'm getting a 460l tank so I'm following this post with interest. Any update on which route you took and how has your tank performed.