Why do we advise Newbies like me low tech

[Paul Kettless]

Hi all,

Like many I'm having a go at keeping my first planned planted tank, I did kinda have one a few years back but it was more communal fish with a few plants added as an after thought for good luck.

Advise generally is to go low tech at first, and I kind of get that, but I'm beginning to question why. Hopefully most newbies will have done enough research to have the basic understanding of the nitrogen cycle, light photosynthesis and the marco/micro nutrients a plant needs to flourish. And off course the importance of co2. Therefore, everything leads to a high tech set up to give our aquascapes the best possible rate of success.

I have been glued to George Farmers you tube channel of late and I have been watching quite a few videos where he has set up tanks for clients with zero knowledge of planted tanks, even one customer that had never had a fish tank before, yet he is doing so high tech, with high end gear. . Obvs he is providing the client with a step by step routine of maintenance etc. It has got me thinking here that should I be learning the correct way right from the start?

I appreciate the importance of the correct plant choice for a newbie, and maybe start with the easy ones and progress to more demanding species as knowledge and experience develops.

I am not suggesting for a second that reading a few articles, joining a forum and watching a few videos has made me an expert, but I have always been the kind of person that learns better with practical hands on than through theory.

I would appreciate your opinions on this, and maybe subjective points of view that I am not aware off. I can see that there are many experienced planted tank hobbiests on this site, and obviously choose to go low tech. I guess this is what I am asking as most probably they choose this route through trial and error. By the way, I am not a snowflake and easily offended so please don't hold back if you feel you have some blunt to say.

Thanks in advance for your input.

Kind regards
Paul

 

[dcurzon]

it creates an imaginary wall of power... noob = low tech, upper echelon = super high tech

 

[Paul Kettless]

it creates an imaginary wall of power... noob = low tech, upper echelon = super high tech

😂😂 Good response, I guess there is an element of that.

I was also reading that the minute you start adding ferts to your tank then it is high tech. I assumed the difference was co2 and high powered lighting. Common sense as a keen gardener tells me that I must feed my plants, and if I don't they will suffer. I will def be adding nutrients.

 

[Kalum]

when (not if) something goes wrong, it's much easier to regain balance with less things to worry about and in turn you learn the basics through first hand experience

it's easy to read up on and have a basic understanding about something, but a very different thing to put it into practice and know what to do when push comes to shove

if everyone dived straight into a high tech tank i think we would have a lot less people in the hobby

plus bear in mind that high tech isn't the 'correct' way to do things, low tech is just as 'correct' and difficult in it's own right to pull off

 

[Paul Kettless]

Thanks Kalum, some Interesting points made there.

 

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

I was also reading that the minute you start adding ferts to your tank then it is high tech.

That’s not how I define or understand “high tech”. To my mind, high tech is when you start turbo-charging your plant growth with CO₂ or liquid carbon, high doses of fertiliser, and higher light.

I think it’s wise to start low-tech because the balance is less critical and things go wrong more slowly, and less dramatically. You can gradually convert a tank to high-tech by introducing CO₂ then upping your fertilisation and lighting - but it would be harder to go back the other way.

 

[Paul Kettless]

I think it’s wise to start low-tech because the balance is less critical and things go wrong more slowly, and less dramatically

Now that makes very good sense.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

if everyone dived straight into a high tech tank i think we would have a lot less people in the hobby

I think it’s wise to start low-tech because the balance is less critical and things go wrong more slowly, and less dramatically.

That really, it is mainly the <"things happening more slowly aspect"> that helps.

Therefore, everything leads to a high tech set up to give our aquascapes the best possible rate of success.

I appreciate the importance of the correct plant choice for a newbie

I like <"floating plants">, they aren't CO2 limited so can make use of <"the available nutrients">. Some people will just have them in for the start up period, but I keep them all the time. I don't have many "stem" plants, they need much too much in the way of pruning, I just have <"mosses, aroids and ferns as my permanent planting">.

I was also reading that the minute you start adding ferts to your tank then it is high tech.

I agree with @Dr Mike Oxgreen, I think the definition of "high tech" has more to do with adding CO2. All of us, however low tech., will add some fertilisers to our tanks.

cheers Darrel

 

[mort]

I think it's also seen as a right of passage by some. The general progression for aquatics is keep goldfish, then tropical, and finally the "pinnacle" of marines or aquascaping. Within each category there are similar stages you should follow according to some.

I don't think with the advent of the Internet and free information that this old structure is important anymore. I helped lots of people to keep marines who had no aquatic experience at all and it very much depends on the person, how successful they were. I believe it's exactly the same with people on the freshwater side, some will research the subject to death and get everything they know to begin a higher tech tank, whilst others will struggle and would be better off keeping it simple and building experience/confidence.
After that I think we just tend to advise what we like ourselves. I had a lot of success with high tech and had really nice plant growth (albeit with lower expectations than true aquascapers), so much so that I got fed up of the maintanence and sort to simplify my tanks. Now I'm at a situation where the tanks are low energy and pretty much look after themselves which suits me fine, so I'd happily advocate this method to newbies as I think it's simple but for others this is the opposite as they are comfortable with high tech and this is their interest.

At the end of the day going low tech first is similar to the general advice of its easier to start with the largest tank you can afford for stability, it's just one of those rules that suits most if not all.

 

[Tim Harrison]

I don't think I've ever advised anyone to start their planted tank journey the low-energy way. In some respects I think it's harder. There isn't really a problem with folk diving straight in with an injected tank. You don't have to inject 30ppm straight away and you don't necessarily have to bombard plants with mega watts of illumination.

Adding some CO2 is always going to be beneficial to plant growth and health, maybe just enough to turn the drop checker green, instead of lime green. Low to moderate lighting is all that's needed for many plants, it's just a question of choosing the right ones.

The processes in the tank can still be controlled and can still be relatively slow with wriggle room to react to change. I think the real problem is folk like the idea of a planted tank, but aren't prepared to do their homework, or the maintenance needed to keep a tank in balance, regardless of energy level.

 

[Jayefc1]

I think this really does depend on the person starting the tank you get out what you put in low tech you probably don't have to be so committed to the maintenance and water changes after the initial let's say a month less things to get a balance right with and slower growth rates
Hi tech I think takes a little more commitment and time as we are force growing the plants to a certain degree with high light Higher ferts and co2 making it a lot more of a commitment and harder to get a balance right too many ferts cause a issue to few cause a issue inconsistent co2 cause a issue not enough co2 I think we get the idea
If you become a little demotivated from lack of time diatoms or just a general bad husbandry things can plumit and spiral out of control quickly interest is lost tank crashes and you lose love for the hobby
But i do prefer to learn hands on and if you are that way I think high tech is the right way to learn

@Paul Kettless it is a really good question 🤔

 

[Nick potts]

I think it is much like the reef keeping world, most newcomers are advised to start with either fish only or with soft corals, this is kind of the equivalent of low tech in the planted world, rather than stony corals which require much more stable conditions and high supplementation.

Low tech tanks are generally more forgiving to the new keeper, less light usually means less of the inevitable algae etc. Slow growing and easy to care for plants.

 

[Siege]

For my input I think it comes from a natural progression of a planted tank keeper, start without co2, want to get better so add co2. I know that was what I did.

I generally advise someone that if they know they are going to go co2 at some point do it from the start. Plant health and general fun from the tank is so much more. I’m with @Tim Harrison with this I also think it makes life much easier, much less issues.

when you visit AG we can go through the co2 kit and our processes, you’ll be able to see the difference co2 makes to a tank. It’s dead easy to set up! You can make your own mind up then. 👍😃

 

[The grumpy one]

I am going down the path of starting low tech, but choosing the right equipment. Allowing me to move up to high tech without replacing everything and getting told off by the powers, due to the vast quantity's of money that my hobby flushes away. So I have researched everything I would like/need for hi tech and decided what I could get to allow both.

 

[Zeus.]

Starting low tech and smaller tanks costs less, so if it goes wrong the 'hit' is easier to handle/dismiss and recover. So why spend thousands of pounds on lights, tank CO2 systems, aqua soil, hardwood and stone with no experience of a high tech plant growth only someone stupid would do that or someone who has done their homework first

I did a 500l tank with a carpet 50cm below water in my first ever planted tank, spent thousands on my setup, lots of reading over many months, did manage to melt most of plants at one stage, but recovered, the carpet is still going strong three years later.

Their is a lot to learn, but 'what one person can do so can another' and 'do or do not, there is no try'

Its never been easier to do something hard with the the internet, never purchased a book on aquascaping or read one myself.

 

[Paul Kettless]

I am going down the path of starting low tech, but choosing the right equipment. Allowing me to move up to high tech without replacing everything and getting told off by the powers, due to the vast quantity's of money that my hobby flushes away. So I have researched everything I would like/need for hi tech and decided what I could get to allow both.

Now that seems like a sensible approach. I just have a Nicrew cheapy LED light that will be fine for a low tech but already wishing I had off invested more heavily in the light in the first instance.

For my input I think it comes from a natural progression of a planted tank keeper, start without co2, want to get better so add co2. I know that was what I did.

I generally advise someone that if they know they are going to go co2 at some point do it from the start. Plant health and general fun from the tank is so much more. I’m with @Tim Harrison with this I also think it makes life much easier, much less issues.

when you visit AG we can go through the co2 kit and our processes, you’ll be able to see the difference co2 makes to a tank. It’s dead easy to set up! You can make your own mind up then. 👍😃

That sounds like a plan, and thanks for the invite I will definitely be holding you too that. Gives us the opportunity to build a plant list aswell 😉

Adding some CO2 is always going to be beneficial to plant growth and health, maybe just enough to turn the drop checker green, instead of lime green. Low to moderate lighting is all that's needed for many plants, it's just a question of choosing the right ones.

This was exactly my thoughts....

 

[sparkyweasel]

Therefore, everything leads to a high tech set up to give our aquascapes the best possible rate of success.

Not neccessarily; what you get with high-tech is faster growth (which leads to more maintenance) and a wider range of plants that will thrive. There are some that won't do well without CO2 injection, - but plenty that will.
I think you should go for what suits your mindset and your available time. If you know that you won't always be spot-on with maintenance, low-tech is more forgiving.
Also nano tanks are fashionable, but if you can (cost and space-wise) go for a bigger tank, that is more forgiving too, - if things go downhill you have more time to spot and fix the problem before it becomes a disaster. Of course, if you go for a huge tank you can have a whole extra set of challenges.

 

[Kezzab]

I actually think a really small nano tank is a great way to start high tech. Provided you don't include fish...

Super quick water changes. Cheap to plant. C02 lasts ages. Ferts last ages. Relatively cheap lights achieve results that in a large tank would cost a lot. Can redo the whole thing in a couple of hours if all goes totally wrong.

Happy days.

 

[Paul Kettless]

I think you should go for what suits your mindset and your available time. If you know that you won't always be spot-on with maintenance, low-tech is more forgiving.

Very valid point, once I do something I am commited to the cause. However I work in the motor industry and work long hours and at certain times of the year (March and September I can be out of the house 8-8 6 days a week. When I was running a reef tank it was fully automated for that very reason. I still have the doser for ferts etc.

 

[Paul Kettless]

but if you can (cost and space-wise) go for a bigger tank, that is more forgiving too, - if things go downhill you have more time to spot and fix the problem before it becomes a disaster.

The tank I have on order is an Aquascaper 900 which I believe is just over 200litres.