# Tips for a new planted aquarium



## PlantsForHire (Sep 28, 2017)

Suppose the post is too long, Just looking for tips. 

Both tanks are cycled. Bioload in the 9 gallon is extremely low, as it homes a lone betta but looking to stock it with ember tetras and pygmy cories.


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

Don't forget nitrogen and phosphate for ferts?

Why are you capping an inert substrates with another inert material like PFS?


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## xmas_one (Feb 5, 2010)

Be patient, nothing good happens fast.


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## PlantsForHire (Sep 28, 2017)

Maryland Guppy said:


> Don't forget nitrogen and phosphate for ferts?
> 
> Why are you capping an inert substrates with another inert material like PFS?


I prefer the look of sand. I would be supplementing the flourite and eco complete with root tabs. I know they don't contain nutrients on their own.


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

Save money just use sand.
Unless you cap soil with sand.


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## AbbeysDad (Apr 13, 2016)

I'm having excellent results with 2-4" of silica (pool filter) sand and I know of others with great success with big box (e.g. Sacrete) play sand. I personally wouldn't bother with a commercial substrate nor would I cap one with sand.
In the fight for lower tank nitrates, I switched from gravel to sand many years ago, when it was a fish only tank. Getting better lighting and adding plants was almost easy. I think the Malaysian Trumpet Snails burrowing in the sand converting waste into plant usable nutrients is a big plus. I don't 'fear the mulm', but never have any in my tank - waste just gets assimilated like there's Borg down under! <hehe> Actually, I'm sure there's a host of various bacteria processing it all making for a healthy environment.


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## Frank158 (Oct 1, 2013)

Hi

If you like the look of sand then just use sand and don't cap the eco-complete. Sand is finer grained and will only work it's way down to the bottom and you'll end up with a mix of eco and sand I think. Also be sure to use pool filter sand. If you dose your water column that's all you'll need.


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## PlantsForHire (Sep 28, 2017)

Thank you everyone. I did more research and I won't be capping the substrates, it hinders its CEC properties. I'll get creative with the sand/substrate, thinking of just having a sandy patch in the tanks. Part of the reason I wanted sand as well was for my cory cats. The Eco complete was already in the tank, and I'm not taking it out at this point. 

Lighting on the fluval flex seems a bit weak. I was thinking of supplementing the lights with waterproof LED strips and silicone sealing it to the hood. The back and sides of the tank are barely lit.


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## Betta Midler (Jan 20, 2017)

I have 3 low light 10 gallon tanks and a 5 gallon tank - (Lowe's Builder's) sand (or Black Diamond Blasting sand) over dirt and lots of plants (rooted, rhizomes, and floating). Each tank has a single male betta and lots of malaysian trumpet snails, one of the tanks has a good sized nerite.

I get Phillips CFL "Daylight Delux" 6500K lights. I started with 23 watt lights (Equivalent to 100w incandescent) and found it was too much light (got algae). I now use the 13 watt CFLs (equivalent to 60 watt incandescent and it seems to work well. I have used 5500K bulbs and they seem to work just as well. I have a timer set to 5 hrs on, 4 hrs off, 5 hrs on and then off for the night.

The lamp I use is Ikea's "Tertial" TERTIAL Work lamp - IKEA and I like that I can move the light around as needed. My oldest tank has been going for nearly 2 years like this. I used some liquid ferts a couple of times, but it didn't seem to make an impact. I regularly have to remove plants and have used them to start the other tanks. If I see more algae than the snails can keep up with, I use CO2 Booster daily for a week or so and make sure I'm not over-feeding my fish.


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## PlantsForHire (Sep 28, 2017)

I do have another question, does anyone know if java fern and anubias rot when initially placed in a tank? I know you can't bury the roots (rhizome) into the substrate. I have the fern tied to a rock and the Anubias tied to driftwood. I just brought them recently from petco, from the tubes packed with gel. I believe I read that happens if the leaves are were not already submersed.

Is this true? I've already lost quite a few leaves on the anubias, it only has 3 now =(. The fern has some leaves turning black.


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## Betta Midler (Jan 20, 2017)

The plants you buy like that are grown emmersed. Some of them will lose most of their leaves when they suddenly find themselves surrounded by water. So far as I know, give them time, they will usually adapt. If there's a lot of dead plant matter, it's good to remove it instead of letting it rot.

I grow lots of java fern all immersed and never have problems with it as I transfer it from the planted tank to growing tanks and into new tanks. I have an annubias with one of my bettas that gives me enough to cut a chunk off for a new plant every so often - i just wire it to some wood or a rock an no problems. So I think it's just the transition from air to water for your guys.


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