I'm a planted newbie and I've had my low light tank for a few months. My crypts and java fern are doing great. I use the Eco Complete Black Substrate.
Plant suggestions & substrate for newbie?
I have a Aqueon Evolve 8 gallon planted tank with stock LEDs with a Beta and I'm going to add 3-6 celestial pearl danios (or something similar) and maybe a couple small shrimp. I have a cool piece of Malaysian driftwood and a cool rock. I have about 3/8 inch of a small pebble substrate.
Can you please help me with plant and substrate recommendations. I'm looking for plants that are easy to care for and relatively low maintainance and not too expensive?
Also, any recommendations for a substrate and/or fertilzers? Do I add this to my pebble substrate OR get rid of that OR make the pebble substrate deeper?
Thanks
Can you please help me with plant and substrate recommendations. I'm looking for plants that are easy to care for and relatively low maintainance and not too expensive?
Also, any recommendations for a substrate and/or fertilzers? Do I add this to my pebble substrate OR get rid of that OR make the pebble substrate deeper?
Thanks
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Pic of your current substrate? If it is small in grain size it could work if you made it deeper, otherwise you would want to try using something else
crypts and java fern are great low light start plants, as are anubias and dwarf sag and red tiger lotus
crypts and java fern are great low light start plants, as are anubias and dwarf sag and red tiger lotus
Thanks for the info. Here's a photo.Pic of your current substrate? If it is small in grain size it could work if you made it deeper, otherwise you would want to try using something else
crypts and java fern are great low light start plants, as are anubias and dwarf sag and red tiger lotus
Don't I need to add some of the substrate that is more like dirt with fertilizer to my substrate or is that not necessary for easy plants like these. I'm fine getting rid of this substrate if I need to. How much deeper do I want it if I keep it?
If I just use this substrate or add more, do I need to add fertilizer? What do you recommend?
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yah, you should use a different substrate lol
I'm not sure what level of lighting the light you have over your tank is considered, so I'm not sure how nutritious of a substrate you should bother with.
I feel like, for a tank that already has fish in it, it would be easier to just replace the substrate with Eco-Complete or Flourite. I know that a single bag of Eco Complete was more than enough for my 10 gallon. You could also look into putting some root tabs into the gravel for extra nutrition for any root feeding plants you do acquire.
You might also just find it better to add liquid ferts or by the raw dry salts that compose these liquid ferts and dose that for your tank, it would be more beneficial for plants that take nutrients from the water column.
Find out what level of lighting that light is considered for your tank and then we can more easily discuss what plant choices make sense in your tank.
I'm not sure what level of lighting the light you have over your tank is considered, so I'm not sure how nutritious of a substrate you should bother with.
I feel like, for a tank that already has fish in it, it would be easier to just replace the substrate with Eco-Complete or Flourite. I know that a single bag of Eco Complete was more than enough for my 10 gallon. You could also look into putting some root tabs into the gravel for extra nutrition for any root feeding plants you do acquire.
You might also just find it better to add liquid ferts or by the raw dry salts that compose these liquid ferts and dose that for your tank, it would be more beneficial for plants that take nutrients from the water column.
Find out what level of lighting that light is considered for your tank and then we can more easily discuss what plant choices make sense in your tank.
The lights are PAR 25.25 with a lux of 2445. Way more detail about the lights can be found on this link:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=171680
Can you clarify if this is low, med, or intense lighting?
Thanks for your help.
/showthread.php?t=171680
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=171680
Can you clarify if this is low, med, or intense lighting?
Thanks for your help.
/showthread.php?t=171680
yah, you should use a different substrate lol
I'm not sure what level of lighting the light you have over your tank is considered, so I'm not sure how nutritious of a substrate you should bother with.
I feel like, for a tank that already has fish in it, it would be easier to just replace the substrate with Eco-Complete or Flourite. I know that a single bag of Eco Complete was more than enough for my 10 gallon. You could also look into putting some root tabs into the gravel for extra nutrition for any root feeding plants you do acquire.
You might also just find it better to add liquid ferts or by the raw dry salts that compose these liquid ferts and dose that for your tank, it would be more beneficial for plants that take nutrients from the water column.
Find out what level of lighting that light is considered for your tank and then we can more easily discuss what plant choices make sense in your tank.
I would say that according to that thread it seems that the general conscientious is that it is well into medium lighting. What I would do if I were you is look at the plant data base here and anywhere else you find and look at any plants that are listed as anything other than high lighting.
Some simple plants to think of and recommend would be Crypts, Dwarf Sag, any sort of Hygrophilia, Java Fern, Anubias, Cambodia, Hornwort, and many other things.
Some simple plants to think of and recommend would be Crypts, Dwarf Sag, any sort of Hygrophilia, Java Fern, Anubias, Cambodia, Hornwort, and many other things.
Can someone please convert these numbers for this 8 gallon tank LED to watts per gallon?
This tank lights are PAR 25.25 with a lux of 2445. Way more detail about the lights can be found on this link:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=171680
This tank lights are PAR 25.25 with a lux of 2445. Way more detail about the lights can be found on this link:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=171680
watts per gallon is a terrible rule and doesn't work with LED lights
watts per gallon assumes you are using old school lighting which is no longer around, I believe simple screw in bulbs.
t8 lighting, t5ho lighting, and led lighting all works differently. lets say that you were to run X number of watts through all of these lights, each different type of fixture would put out different amounts of usable light. PAR is really the only accurate measure of what a lights real effect is. I will say that your light falls under the medium category of lighting and that what I said in my last post still holds. But never use wpg, that rule has been outdated decades ago.
watts per gallon assumes you are using old school lighting which is no longer around, I believe simple screw in bulbs.
t8 lighting, t5ho lighting, and led lighting all works differently. lets say that you were to run X number of watts through all of these lights, each different type of fixture would put out different amounts of usable light. PAR is really the only accurate measure of what a lights real effect is. I will say that your light falls under the medium category of lighting and that what I said in my last post still holds. But never use wpg, that rule has been outdated decades ago.
Thanks for clarifying that and your helpful response.
Thanks everyone for their ideas.....this forum is awesome.
Thanks everyone for their ideas.....this forum is awesome.
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