[andrewcoxon]

hi guys,

my plants arrived today so i put them in and took a couple of piccies...

if anyone can offer me any advice plz shout up...!!:help:

iv put in:

4 x HC (Cuba) in the front... hopefully this will carpet the front?

2 x Pogostemon Helferi

1 x Rotala Rotundifolia

1 x Vallisneria Nana

im planning on adding a little wood and some mosses.

thanks

 

[James From Cali]

It looks like a good start. Want to see it grow in with the moss and everything.

 

[guitardude9187]

if you plant the HC separately they will spread better for you. Nice rocks, what kind are they

 

[andrewcoxon]

i actually split one bit of it into 2 pieces but the roots we're tearing and i wasnt sure if i would kill the plant so i just left the other ones whole... will it make alot of difference? will it still cover my floor?

the rock was called strata rock and i bought it from a pets at home near my girlfriends house believe it or not LOL :hihi:

 

[Solstice]

It will eventually cover the floor (considering your growing conditions are right) but it will take A LOT longer (like several months minimum). You're much better off grabbing the stems individually and gently pulling them out of the root-ball and planting them one-by-one. It's a major PITA and will probably take you an hour or two but you'll be much happier with it in the long run.

That's going to be a great looking tank though. My only suggestion would be to play around with the position of the rocks to get them looking a little less symmetrical.

 

[andrewcoxon]

thanks i will!

also im getting some more hc from a friend, should i leave what iv done so far in and plant the new stuff the way you have shown me... will that work?

also im considering upping my light wattage,

at the moment there is a 11 watt light there that came with the tank but im not sure if thats going to be enough?

so i was thinking about buying 2 11 watt arcpods and doubling the wattage...

would this work better?

cheers,

andrew

 

[RESGuy]

The tank is looking nice so far though I would follow the advice of separating the HC, even if you are getting more from a friend. And Solstice is right the rocks look unnatural in that position. Try to set them up so that it resembles the way you would find them in nature and the scape will look much better I am looking forward to seeing your tank in the future.:icon_wink

 

[guitardude9187]

from what i see, you have plenty of HC already if you decide you want to separate them individually but hell more HC will always be fun especially when you have MTS

i bet some dwarf hairgrass will look awesome in there too ( i love dhg )

 

[andrewcoxon]

hi,

my lights only 11 watts which i dont think is enough? im planning on buying a desk lamp, can someone adivse me as to what bulb i should use??

 

[Solstice]

You'll want a 23-27w compact flourescent in the 5200k-6700k range.

 

[andrewcoxon]

any ideas where i can find one of these in the uk? when i searched for cf bulbs all i could find were tubes...?:help:

 

[Solstice]

I suppose you could order them online. You're looking for something like this: http://www.1000bulbs.com/product.php?product=30933.

Another option is to try to find a desk lamp that uses the compact flourescent tube bulbs. Try searching for "full specturm" or "daylight spectrum" desk lamps like this: http://www.naturallighting.com/web/shop.php?crn=586&rn=2366&action=show_detail

 

[andrewcoxon]

thanks dude! :thumbsup:

 

[Solstice]

no problem chap! :thumbsup: :hihi:

 

[andrewcoxon]

hey guys, got a few more questions if i may....

i see alot of people talking about fertilisers and they seem to use loads of different types...

at the moment i just use tetra plant fert and add a little every water change (twice weekly) but from reading the forums im beggining to think that its too simple to work!!! can anyone shed some light on the types of fertalisers i should be using and how much?? or will my naive way of thinking actually work? you should know i plan to keep CRS in there so whatever i use has to be safe for them.

thanks in advance...

sorry for all the questions! im a beginner...

andrew

 

[Solstice]

See the nano dosing link in my sig

 

[andrewcoxon]

i cant find the type of ferts you use in the uk.

could anyone tell me if i bought flourish and flourish excell and used their reccomended dosing would that be enough to keep my plants thrieving or would i need to buy others too??? anyone?

 

[Solstice]

All you're supplementing there are micros and CO2. You still need macro ferts in the form of potassium, phosphates and nitrates. You can supplement those with other Seachem products but it's quite a bit more expensive. You might be better off ordering from Greg (I see his site has moved to http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/store/aquaticplantfood.php), paying the shippping once, and getting enough to last you a few years.

 

[andrewcoxon]

just been to B & Q to get a bulb and i cant find any compact flurecents that are in the 5200k-6700k range, every one i found was 2700k.....??:help:

my other hc arrived today so il post a pic soon... there was more of it than i had planned for and it covers the whole front of the tank now before its grown in... ordering my ferts tomorrow too!!!

PIC TO FOLLOW

 

[andrewcoxon]

Pics:

as allways, any adivce would be great! also i added some moss and stuff today, the rock with moss on it isnt staying there, i just had nowhere to put it for now.... im waiting for my wood to tie it too!

p.s will the hc root the way i have it planted?? my tools havent arrived yet so its hard to plant....