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Maybe crazy.....

1K views 22 replies 11 participants last post by  baeya 
#1 ·
Hi! I am new to putting real plants in an aquaium. I currently have a 90 gallon with all Angelfish. I have gravel as a substrate which I have put some plants in. I bought the tank used and it came with two (oldies but goodies) SuperKing filters.
Anyways, I just bought twin 65 gallon tanks and would like to do some beautiful planted tanks.
First, a picture of my current tank...


And....here is what I would like to try to do....am I crazy? or is this possible for a beginner??


I also like this one...


Thank you for looking...
 
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#4 ·
something like that you're looking at a high tech high maintenance tank. CO2 is needed and high light, which then drives the need for fertilization and weekly water changes.

Look up the difference between high/Med/low tech approaches. My tank is low tech and if you click the image in my signature, you may see the whole process I went through from dry until over a year later. It gets water changes every 3 months or so and is not fertilized and uses no CO2

Once you decide what approach you wish to go through with, we can better assist you


Sent from my HTC Desire HD running Ice Cream Sandwich using Tapatalk
 
#9 ·
"SuperKing filters" - There's a flashback :hihi:

I hate to admit I remember when they were high tech.
LOL! My LFS guy swears by them and still has 40 or so running some of his tanks!!


I also plan on purchasing a CO2 unit....as soon as I figure out what they are!! :eek: Actually I am learning quite a bit about them and have sent inquiries to two sites for quotes on building what I need.

Thanks everyone for your encouragement!
 
#11 ·
I don't want to rain on your parade, but I feel compelled to warn you. Getting lights with enough power to grow plants like that, in a tank as deep as a 90 requires lot's of knowledge and effort. Your going to be spending some cash, and a lot of time learning.

You can do it...but it's harder than it looks. I wanted that same thing, but after learning a bit I came to realize that I simply don't have the time, patience, and money required to do it. Maybe in a smaller, shallower tank...but not a 90. :smile:
 
#12 ·
I don't want to rain on your parade, but I feel compelled to warn you. Getting lights with enough power to grow plants like that, in a tank as deep as a 90 requires lot's of knowledge and effort. Your going to be spending some cash, and a lot of time learning.

You can do it...but it's harder than it looks. I wanted that same thing, but after learning a bit I came to realize that I simply don't have the time, patience, and money required to do it. Maybe in a smaller, shallower tank...but not a 90. :smile:
I believe you're right about the 90 gallon. The plants I do have in there seem to be trying to reach for the light and aren't doing very well. Those are my very first plant purchases. Unfortunatly I just purchased twin 65's and I guess they are 24" tall as well.....what's a girl to do????
 
#15 ·
Plant selection is key. You'll likely have a hard time with foreground plants unless you have very high light or a more shallow tank. Stems will do better since they're able to stretch.

That being said....I've tried a few plants that shouldn't work in my setup but do great....and a few that should be easy, but keep failing....
I move plants between tanks or to an emersed setup if they're not doing well where they are and can usually get them to recover

Its a lot of trial and error to see what works in your specific setup and water conditions.
 
#16 ·
I hope I didn't come across too negative, as that was not my intention. You can make a 90 gallon beutiful, mine is. Just that the tanks you pictured are likely shallower tanks and its tough to make a deeper tank grow like that. Just as in nature, there are plants that grow in 12 inches of water, and there are plants that grow in 24 inches of water. To further complicate things, the same plant will grow differently in each. Again, anything can be done, just look at some of Tom Barr's big tanks...I'm just saying it takes effort lol. :)
 
#17 · (Edited)
I hope I didn't come across too negative, as that was not my intention. You can make a 90 gallon beutiful, mine is. Just that the tanks you pictured are likely shallower tanks and its tough to make a deeper tank grow like that. Just as in nature, there are plants that grow in 12 inches of water, and there are plants that grow in 24 inches of water. To further complicate things, the same plant will grow differently in each. Again, anything can be done, just look at some of Tom Barr's big tanks...I'm just saying it takes effort lol. :)

You didn't come across too negative.....I can already see with my first plants that I have a lot of learning to do. I appreciate the insight. :)
I do have the time and the means to put into something like this (as long as hubby doesn't find out about the means!) so I'm excited to jump right in! I've noticed that a lot of tanks have lower substrate in the front and higher in the back. I'm going to use Organic Miracle Gro and top with Eco Complete. How thick can I go with this stuff. Is there a problem when you put it too thick. Is an inch of each in the front and up to 3" of each in the back okay?? Oh, and can you recommend what lights I should use....just tell me what brand and what bulbs to buy! I can't stand going through all the lighting information! :) My LFS is selling me T8 fixtures (2-2 bulb for each tank)....should I get something else or do they make T8 bulbs that will work on my tank?
 
#20 ·
Just the potting mix is what I refer to as soil.
You can add a layer of the Eco Comp capping material or inert sand first to increase depth then place to soil mix and cap on top to gain additional depth but the layer containing organics I have always stopped at 2" thick.

2" layer of organic potting mix or soil, 1.5 to 2" of capping material.
 
#21 ·
I agree with above, I've always read 2" or less of soil, something about it becoming too compact and anaerobic or something bad for the tank.... But definitively going 3 inch deep on the cap (not sure about deeper just never seen anyone do it in my readings) shouldn't be that much of an issue since it is a bit coarser then sand it shouldn't compact and become a problem. I have 3 inches of sand on top of a layer of clay kitty liter in my 75 and no issues at all and since i have trumpet snails the sand never really compacts and gets too gassy.

if you want to build even higher what I have seen some of the pro's use is egg crate stuff like the dropped ceiling lights use (little square grate) and put that under in layers if necessary which prevents compacting so much and then do as usual from there. There is ALLOT of reading that you can do on this board about every aspect of what you are doing!! And there are people here that have been growing awesome planted tanks longer then I have been alive and are soooo helpful! I've been reading for like 3 months straight it seems and I stumble on new stuff all the time and most knowledge is gained about 15 minutes after you need it. :biggrin:

Good luck it sounds awesome and you have what allot of people don't: a vision which helps so much! (would of helped me so much!!! :)

Rafal
 
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