Low Tech 29 Gallon Tank

[clownfish1124]

Hi everyone. I am new to this site, but not to aquariums. I have kept freshwater fish only tanks and saltwater reefs for many years, and I have decided to take the plunge, so to say, into planted tanks. I don't want anything to time consuming, so I figured a low-tech tank would be a great way to start.
I would like to use as much of my old equipment as possible, especially the light fixture. I am a BIG fan of t5 lighting because of its eco-friendliness and many color combinations available (which i especially liked for my reef tanks). I would like to use my old sundial fixture because of the built in timer and LED moonlights (if moonlights are used on planted tanks?). I know that I will have to cut back on the number of bulbs used, which is fine with me. I was wondering if I could do this setup:
Tank: 29 gallons
Filter: 2 Whisper 40s with carbon and sponge
Heather: Theo 100
Lights: 48 watts of t5 (color temp 6500k and 12000k)
Substrate: standard gravel
Fish:
1 Pearl Gourami
12-15 neons
2 SAEs
6 net cories
Plants:
Java Fern
Anacharis
Water Sprite
Cryptocoryne wendtii
Anubias nana
moneywort
four-leaf clovers
Maintenance would be top off with dechlorinated water as needed and 20% water change every 1-2 weeks

Thanks everyone!

Current FTS

[Tooterfish]

I don't think moonlights are generally used for planted tanks. I don't think it matters one way or another, really, but it's totally possible that I'm completely wrong. :P

You might want to nix the gravel and use a substrate with nutrients in it, like Fluorite or Eco-Complete. Something like that. If you use one of those rather than normal gravel, you're supplying your plants with more food, which means you'll get better growth and not have to dose as many ferts into the water column.

Anacharis is an easy plant, but all the anacharis I've ever kept has shed really bad. They were too messy for me, so I stopped using them. Crypts are awesome once established, but they really hate being moved, so they have a tendency to "melt" when first added to a new tank. Just remove the dead parts, leave them be, and they usually grow back in a couple weeks. Also, if you ever decide to increase your light output, you'll have to shade the crypts, because they generally don't like high light.

Just my 2 cents.

[lauraleellbp]

Welcome to TPT!

Is your fixture T5HO or T5NO?

If it's HO, you won't want to run more than one bulb. If it's NO, you can probably run 2 bulbs.

Are you planning on running CO2 at all?

You can run moonlights at night if you want on a planted tank, makes no difference other than personal aesthetic.

I'd increase your water change regimen- changing only 10% every few weeks your tank will increase in hardness over time (due to evaporation) and shift away from your tap water parameters (unless you're setting it up with RO water?). I change 30-50% at a time on all my low tech tanks for this reason.

[clownfish1124]

thanks!
could I mix the fluorite and the normal gravel? or layer it? Or could I use fertilizer tabs, like Fluorish tabs? I really like how this gravel looks
The fixture is t5 HO, and I am not planning on using CO2
what would you recommend for bi-weekly water changes?

[Tooterfish]

Layering works! I haven't ever personally used the fert tabs, so I can't really say whether they would be good or not.

I do weekly 25%-ish water changes. I'll probably knock them down to 10% weekly changes, but I've had a little bit of a BGA problem, so I've been doing larger changes to help remedy that. The amount of water you change every week is really dependent upon your individual tank: most people are good with a 10% change, but if you have a high fish load, low filter turnover, low plant load, etc, you might want to change more water just to keep the water quality higher.

[lauraleellbp]

I'm not fond of layering just b/c the layers will get mixed over time, so I usually mix things right up front if I'm going that direction. It's just an aesthetic choice, though- so do whatever you want there. And yes, using some Flourite will add some nutrient content to your regular gravel. But you'll want to rinse it REALLY well before use, and I've found that taking the additional step of drying after rinsing works even better to reduce dust.

Root tabs can also be of great benefit to plants, especially some of the larger rosette plants like Crypts and Swords.

You can use your nitrate levels as a general indicator of organic buildup in your tanks. I do about 30% every month or every other month on my own low tech 29gal, and my nitrates are always under 10ppm. You may need more or less depending on your bioload, but I would definitely do more than 10%.

[clownfish1124]

Ok thanks both. I figured I'd start with 1 5 gallon bucket and work up to 2 over time. It's a pain to carry the jugs up a flight of stairs (from the basement to the family room where this tank will be)
Thanks again
Also just out of curiosity, could I use the root tabs to seed my gravel, per say, and replace them as said by the manufacturer without using fluorite at all?

[lauraleellbp]

Yep, you could do that too.

Nutrient-containing substrates are helpful as a "buffer" for when you run low or don't dose ferts for a while, and there are some plants (like carpeting plants) that IME do better when grown in substrates with nutrients, but you can definitely make do with just plain gravel or sand and still have a really nice planted tank.

I personally prefer to use nutrient-containing substrates b/c that means less maintenance (fert dosing) on my end over time.

[clownfish1124]

Thanks! So I looked at your 29 gallon tank and fell in love with your driftwood and vals. How did you get a driftwood piece like that one? I would love to get one.

[lauraleellbp]

Originally Posted by clownfish1124

Thanks! So I looked at your 29 gallon tank and fell in love with your driftwood and vals. How did you get a driftwood piece like that one? I would love to get one.

Thanks!

It's Manzanita wood I got here in the forum Swap n Shop.

[clownfish1124]

Thanks for the info!

Also I have a plant question. Will I be able to keep lloydiella under my lights with fert tabs? Thanks

[lauraleellbp]

Originally Posted by clownfish1124

Thanks for the info!

Also I have a plant question. Will I be able to keep lloydiella under my lights with fert tabs? Thanks

Probably. If it doesn't do well it would probably lack of CO2 rather than light that's at issue.

(You're talking about Creeping Jenny/Lysimachia nummularia, right? http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&r...og&sa=N&tab=wi)

[clownfish1124]

Yeah that's it. I guess the only way for me to know is to try

[clownfish1124]

Actually, I think I'm gonna get moneywort (bacopa monnieri) instead. The lloydiella tends to dissolve after a few months

[clownfish1124]

ok, so i ordered my plants last week and am still waiting for them to be shipped. I bought flourish tabs on sunday.
I do have a question: what should i run in my filters? Carbon and filter floss?
Thanks