Journey to CRS and Orange Neos! (CLOSED)

[phoenixkiller]

THIS THREAD IS NOW CLOSED, DUE TO THE DIFFERENCES IN SPECS AND SLOWNESS OF PROGRESS. YOU CAN FIND THE NEW THREAD HERE:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=199815

[andrewss]

sounds like a good plan

[phoenixkiller]

I hope it is.

[somewhatshocked]

Eco-Complete doesn't contain anything for plants. It's inert but does have a high CEC. If you're looking for a finer substrate, you could get Aquasoil Powder Type.

[phoenixkiller]

Originally Posted by somewhatshocked

Eco-Complete doesn't contain anything for plants. It's inert but does have a high CEC. If you're looking for a finer substrate, you could get Aquasoil Powder Type.

I would think that what it says on the bag and what others have said is that is does have iron and other minerals for plants, it's supposed to be a plant specific substrate.

And as for Aquasoil, how much do I need??? It's $50 for 9 liters!! My father would KILL me if I got that, but I guess we will see...

[rrastro]

Pejerrey and others use CO2 in their planted tanks with shrimp. It can be done.
As for substrate if price is a concern you could buy a smaller amount of the fancy stuff and use it as a bottom layer with a cap of whatever sandy inert substrate you like over it. Or you could just use root tabs and EI dosing unless you need fancy substrate more for the pH buffering than for the nutrients.

[phoenixkiller]

In my other thread where I'm asking questions specific to CRS, several have said that CRS and other shrimp dont fare well with ferts.

[somewhatshocked]

It's a plant-specific substrate. But do some research here on the forum. I've published emails from CaribSea's North American sales manager explaining to me that it contains nothing. There may be a few additives in the liquid it ships with but there's nothing in the substrate unless you add it - it's high CEC is great. Nutrients? Negligible to non-existent. Having used it for years, I can attest to that, as can most here on TPT.

You can use various substrate calculators found online to determine exactly how much you'll need.

You won't have to use ferts with the plants you've selected. You can use root tabs. Or if you go with Aquasoil, you won't have to add anything.

[rrastro]

OK, I'm just going off what your first post said with full EI dosing.
There's plenty of margin to use light EI dosing periodically if you're set on keeping certain plants that may need a touch up. Also, there are members of this forum who use ferts and successfully keep CRS. Perhaps their breeding is not as rapid or prolific but the shrimp seem to do well otherwise. It all depends on your goals for your tank.

[Curt_914]

I have also used Eco complete for the beter part of 5 years beleveing the bag at the begining, but it didnt do anything other then buffer my water up for the first year or so, an it took 5years for my crypts to finnaly take off. You can get a 9l bag of AS from aqua forest and that will be more then enough for a 10 gallon tank and then some, I would get the powder type. Also for CRS Everyone here says 6.5 or lower is whereyou want your ph. When I used eco complete I regularly had my ph in tank around 7.4-7.6, water out of tap was like 6.8 at the time. Just something to think about.

Curt

[maxwellag]

Originally Posted by rrastro

Pejerrey and others use CO2 in their planted tanks with shrimp. It can be done.
As for substrate if price is a concern you could buy a smaller amount of the fancy stuff and use it as a bottom layer with a cap of whatever sandy inert substrate you like over it. Or you could just use root tabs and EI dosing unless you need fancy substrate more for the pH buffering than for the nutrients.

I agree. Neocaridinas are more sensitive to co2. Most of the caridinas are fine with it.

[phoenixkiller]

When school's done for the day, I'm gonna modify the first post. If you (Yes, you, the one who is reading this) has seen one of my recent threads, then you know that I am gonna make this tank pretty much a moss tank!

I'll ask about dosing ferts, but the guys I have been talking to said I don't need them with the mosses I want.

[somewhatshocked]

You won't need ferts at all for moss.

Can't wait to see how this turns out! It'll be great.

[phoenixkiller]

Originally Posted by somewhatshocked

You won't need ferts at all for moss.

Can't wait to see how this turns out! It'll be great.

Sounds good.

I can't either! Let's see how it turns out... when I can convince my dad to let me spend another $40 on this tank... then there's the shrimp themselves... this ought to be interesting lol.

[phoenixkiller]

Just ordered about 9 liters of ADA Aquasoil/Amazonia substrate. Should be here around the weekend time.