# First Planted (Low-tech) Tank



## thedojo (Apr 1, 2013)

Hey guys, I am planning on starting a Low-tech planted tank. A little background on myself, I have been keeping fish for roughly 8 years and have kept everything from peaceful communities, aggressive cichlid communities, FOWLR, and eventually a full blown nano-reef. After realizing how expensive the saltwater stuff was, I got out after about two years. Seeing some of the tanks on ADA got me interested in planted tanks, and the thought of having such a nice looking tank with such little maintenance seems really appealing to me.

Here's what I plan on working with:
*Tank:* 15 gallon (24"x12x12)
*Light:* Coralife 67k 24 watt C4 bulb _(is this enough?)_
*Substrate:* _I am looking for a dirt substrate that will not require a lot of sifting or waiting like MGOCPM does. I really do not want to spend a lot of time sifting through dirt and what not. _
_For my substrate cap, I am looking for something black or dark brown. Again, open to suggestions._
*Plant stocking:* Still not sure. I am going to go to my LFS tomorrow or wednesday to see what they have, and then decide from there.
*Fish:* Small school of tetras or rasboras and a school of corys. Maybe I will eventually add a centerpiece fish, but I am in no rush.

So, here are my questions:
1. Will my lighting (single 24w 67k Coralife T5 be enough. 24" bulb)
2. What type of dirt is easiest to work with? I dont really want to spend a lot of time prepping the dirt.
3. What is a good substrate cap that is black or dark brown? Eco-Complete?
4. Any other tips for someone new to planted tanks? I have been lurking for a while, but any advice helps.

Thanks, and Im excited to getting this tank set up!


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## bpb (Mar 8, 2011)

MGOCPM doesnt require THAT much sifting. I would think for your tank that could be done in under an hour at most. Dirt is gonna need sifting though. No way around it. Not alot of retailers bag up dirt that is the fine grained variety we use. Sticks and filler are what sell lol. 

If an hour is still too much, just go with all eco complete or fluorite and use root tabs until the substrate gets loaded with ferts over time (or spend the $$ and get ADA) substrate).

Others are way smarter than me about lighting, but I think that your light should be adequate.


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## thedojo (Apr 1, 2013)

Alright cool. Any tips on sifting the soil? Do you do it by hand, or do you use some sort of strainer?


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## bpb (Mar 8, 2011)

Well. My experience is in mineralized topsoil. Very fine grains. For miracle grow, a popular method seems to be this...

Empty the bag in a bucket. Fill it with water. Stir it up real well. Let it soak for a day. Stir it up. Net the stuff that still floats. Empty. Refill. Net the floaters until you don't have any more. Use the remainder as your dirt. It's messy. Will take some effort but can be done in one sitting on a tank that small


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## 10gallonplanted (Oct 31, 2010)

Or you can use a noodle strainer.


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## tiggity (Feb 21, 2012)

I think you sift top soil (not MGOPM) if you are making MTS.

If you are using MGOPM, just dump in and cap.


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## amberoze (May 22, 2012)

10gallonplanted said:


> Or you can use a noodle strainer.


+1 the strainer is what I use. Works wonderfully for removing sticks and stones. For large jobs, you could even build a shaker screen out of window screen.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## mnemenoi (May 28, 2012)

I would recommend just using Eco-Complete for the entire tank. Far easier and I personally dislike ever capping soil as it eventually becomes a mess for everyone I have seen. I personally use a simple watts per gallon rule (PAR method is better, but lacking a meter is useless) 15 gallons/24 watts = 1.6 watts per gallon. Decent for lower light plants and possibly some tougher stems. Just use some root tabs and you'll be fine. I think you'll be far happier and the tank will be far easier to maintain in the long term.


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## thedojo (Apr 1, 2013)

mnemenoi said:


> I would recommend just using Eco-Complete for the entire tank. Far easier and I personally dislike ever capping soil as it eventually becomes a mess for everyone I have seen. I personally use a simple watts per gallon rule (PAR method is better, but lacking a meter is useless) 15 gallons/24 watts = 1.6 watts per gallon. Decent for lower light plants and possibly some tougher stems. Just use some root tabs and you'll be fine. I think you'll be far happier and the tank will be far easier to maintain in the long term.


If I decide to use Eco-Complete, do I have to add anything to the substrate? Would it be as low maintenance as a dirt tank?


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## bpb (Mar 8, 2011)

You'll definitely need to use root tabs if you're using Eco complete alone. It's actually not a bad way to go. I had awesome success using API root tabs and plain gravel. They really helped super charge growth. You'll need to continually add them every 6 months or so because they will dissolve and deplete over time but its an easy way to go. I would put one tab in a paper towel and hit it with a hammer to break it into smaller pieces and I'd just jam one down into the dirt every couple inches in a grid pattern. Hope that helps


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## thedojo (Apr 1, 2013)

Alright, just got back from Home Depot, here's what I picked up:

1. Miracle-Gro Organic Potting Mix
2. Aggregate Paving Sand
3. An extra bucket

My total was around $14. So, that takes care of the substrate.

Next steps:
1. Filter out the large particulates from the dirt.
2. Wash the sand.
3. Put in soil and cap with sand.
4. Add hardscape. I am still torn between rocks or driftwood.

Then it's time to buy my plants. I am looking for moderately low light (1.5 WPG) fast growing plants. _Any suggestions or direction on where I should look would be appreciated.
_
Questions:
1. If I am planning on sloping the substrate, should I slope the dirt as well, or should I only slope the sand?
2. What are some low light fast growing plants?
3. Are floating plants necessary? If so, what is a way I can incorporate them into my tank without tak.ing away from the aquascape.


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## thedojo (Apr 1, 2013)

Hey guys, heres an update. I got the tank all planted with some watersprite, some swords, and some other plants. I got a little bit of everything to see what would grow best under my tanks conditions. However, there's a problem. I had a single t5 bulb running in a 4 bulb hood, and it burned out. It is only producing about half the light it should be, and the bulb looks wavy like its about to die. The bulb was brand new and was on a switch on the fixture that controlled two bulbs. The switch would turn on the single bulb and also supply power to an empty ballast where another bulb could have been. Could this have been why the bulb burned out?

What are some other lighting suggestions for a 15 gallon tank that I can get maybe at walmart or something?


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## MamaFish (Mar 6, 2013)

Yeah, running only one bulb in a two bulb fixture seems like a bad idea. 

My light recently broke. It is still under warranty, so its being replaced by the company, but I have to wait for it to arrive. In the meantime, I bought a pack of Ecosmart daylight CFL bulbs (they're 14 watt, 5000k, but 6700k would be better) for less than $10 and set up some desk lamps over my tank to hold my plants over in the meantime. If I were going to do it long term, I would have picked up some clamp lights (less than $10 apiece at Home Depot) and used those over my tank. I would think that for a 15, you could just use 2. 

Cheap and effective.


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## thedojo (Apr 1, 2013)

Alright, just got back from home depot and bought two 5.5" clamp lights and two 26 watt 65k bulbs. I installed them on my tank, and they are very bright. Should I go back and buy the 13 watt bulbs, or are the 26 watt bulbs ok?

I also bought 4 tiger barbs for the tank. Ill upload pictures shortly.


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## thedojo (Apr 1, 2013)

Also, If I decide to stick with the 26w CFL's, how long should my photoperiod be?


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## MamaFish (Mar 6, 2013)

26 watts sounds high...maybe just use one? Or return them. I wouldn't run two 26 watt bulbs.


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## foster (Sep 23, 2012)

With that high of light, and no co2 you will probably encounter an algae problem. I would think one of the lights mounted in the middle of the tank would work ok!


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## thedojo (Apr 1, 2013)

Alright guys, I switched out the two 26 watt CFL's for two 13 watt CFL's. The Tiger Barbs seem to be happy and my plants seem to all be doing well. I have two questions:
1. My substrate seems to be covered in a thin layer of brown sand, how can I get rid of this?
2. There is a white sticky "fuzz" in some sections of my tank. I have been siphoning it out when I see it, but it keeps coming back.


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## thedojo (Apr 1, 2013)

One more question, from doing water changes every other day, I have been kicking up some dirt, which is to be expected. However, the dirt seems to be landing on the leaves of my swords and staying there. Is this a problem? Should I turkey baste it off, or just leave it.

EDIT: I just read that I should be incorporating emergent plants or floating plants to help combat algae. Floating plants are easy to find, but what are some good emergent plants I can use?


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## MamaFish (Mar 6, 2013)

1. Brown stuff is probably diatoms and is super common in new set ups. Otos eat it, and it will (supposedly, I'm still waiting) go away on its own. You can also wipe it off the glass and plants pretty easily and vacuum it out.
2. Sounds like fungus? Not sure
3. Why so many water changes? Water quality issues?
4. I would think floaters would be fine. Stem plants are also very fast growers who take in a lot of nutrients. Wisteria, anacharis, ludwigia, etc.


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## ClandestineConfidential (Apr 20, 2013)

thedojo said:


> Alright, just got back from home depot and bought two 5.5" clamp lights and two 26 watt 65k bulbs. I installed them on my tank, and they are very bright. Should I go back and buy the 13 watt bulbs, or are the 26 watt bulbs ok?
> 
> I also bought 4 tiger barbs for the tank. Ill upload pictures shortly.


I was recently using a similar lighting setup for a 10 gallon, just check the max watts for the light (some bulbs can be dangerous)...mine was 13w so i replaced the 26w that I was using. Now I use 2 13w spiral 6500K CFL screw-ins in place of the incandescent lights the starter tank came with.


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## thedojo (Apr 1, 2013)

Alright, another question. I am currently using an AC70 or AC40 or 50, not completely sure. It's from my reef tank. Anyways, I cut the impellor down so the GPH is a lot slower than it should be. Currently all I have in it is a bag of carbon for water clarity. However, I am wondering if I should use some sort of filtration? 

If so, should it be mainly mechanical filtration, or mainly biological filtration? Any help would be great.


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## Aztecace (Apr 23, 2013)

MamaFish said:


> If I were going to do it long term, I would have picked up some clamp lights (less than $10 apiece at Home Depot) and used those over my tank. I would think that for a 15, you could just use 2.
> 
> Cheap and effective.


You can get clamp lights cheaper at Walmart. About $6-7 dollars.


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## James M (Jun 21, 2012)

Good job on not going with Eco Complete or other expensive substrate - dirted tanks work well for people for years and years despite what some may tell you.


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## JohnnySJHS (Apr 25, 2013)

For the wpg rule the two 26's seems to much but theirs a lot of discussion on here on that topic. As for using one bulb in your light most of the florescent ballasts are set up as a series meaning when two light are in they are running power through both of them in a loop. A little electrician tech there lol.


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## Absntmind (Jul 16, 2012)

For lighting never use wpg anymore as it has become obsolete. Shoot for about 20-30 par at the substrate and you should be ok. Hoppy was nice enough to put together some useful information that should help you out.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=184368


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## thedojo (Apr 1, 2013)

Alright, I have many many questions. I recently brought my fish tank home since college is over for the semester. I am now going to move my fish and plants over to a bigger 29 gallon for the summer, and then a 40 Breeder next fall. Since I am going to be using the 29 as a growout, what type of fish can I keep in it, I NEED STOCKING SUGGESTIONS!

Also,
1. I just brought back some driftwood and rocks from Wisconsin. The driftwood I plan on boiling a few times to kill off all the nasty stuff, but how should I treat the rocks? Bleach? Boil them (wont they possibly explode?) These rocks came from directly on the shoreline, so there is definitely some nasty stuff still living on them.
2. I am moving over my cycled dirt and sand from my established 15 gallon to the 29 gallon. How should I go about doing this? Should I put down a small layer of topsoil, then the established dirt/sand mixture, and then cap it off?
I plan on capping it off with some sort of black gravel. Im not sure which type since I have not been to the landscaping yard yet, but is there anything I should look out for? 

If anyone has suggestions for moving dirt from one tank to another without making a huge mess, that would be greatly appreciated.

And, as stated earlier, I need stocking suggestions. This is a 29 gallon tank that will be used as a grow out tank and the inhabitants will eventually be moved into a 40 gallon breeder at the end of summer.


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## AirstoND (Jun 17, 2011)

Did someone say nerites yet?


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## Saxtonhill (Dec 28, 2012)

Absntmind said:


> For lighting never use wpg anymore as it has become obsolete. Shoot for about 20-30 par at the substrate and you should be ok. Hoppy was nice enough to put together some useful information that should help you out.
> 
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=184368




Hoppy's thread on PAR lighting is very informative. Definitely check that out


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