55g planted aquarium

i've done 10g and 2.5g planted setups. i wanted to turn the 55g into one. of course diy, poor mans, low-tech route. oh yeah i dont do aquascaping. as long as it grows i'll be happy. and i'll just trim when they grow in.

setup:
55g, two dual shoplights 40w/tubes = 160w = ~2.9w/g, plant/aquarium & sunlight tubes, open top, supersoil and (play)sand subtrates, two small powerheads, 100w heater, no filter, airstone (night use only), eggcrates.

plants:
anachris/elodea, ludwigia (ovalis or repens?), watersprite, various cryptocorynes, dwarf anubias, brazilian pennywort, unknown (stem) pennywort, microswords, corkscrew vals, unknown amazonsword, and possible glossostigma (hitchhiker), which would be the best xmas gift for 2006. *update: it is a glossostigma elatinoides. i dont think any xmas gift will top this lil'plant.

fish:
2m/4fm orange guppies, 4 otocinclus, 2 amano shrimps, 8 lampeyes. possibly will add a few small angels to eat a few guppy fry.

plant food:
flourish iron and supplement, no co2 setup, just the once/day fish morning feeding. and night time oxygenation.

those interested in this route.
http://www.malloftheworld.com/aquarium/part1.htm
http://www.aquaworldaquarium.com/Low_Tech_Planted_Aquarium.htm
http://www.aquaworldaquarium.com/supersoil_planted_aquarium.htm
More links
http://www.freewebs.com/simplyorange537/plantedaquariumlinks.htm

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• planted
• aquarium
• fish
• tank
• 55g
• low-tech
• lo-tech
• lesiam

[OgrillaG]

Im kind of a cheap guy when it comes to my aquarium as well. I have been looking into using shop lights... could you maybe reply or message me about where I can get cheap shop lights for my 4' wide 55g and possibly full spectrum fluorescent for a reasonable price?

[SimplyOrange537]

@OgrillaG

i either bought mine at lowes or walmart. you can find them for less than $20 each for a dual with shade.

as for the bulbs check home depot, lowes, walmart, and OSH. they are either GE or philips plant & aquarium bulbs about $15 or less.

before you go out and buy them check out craigslist for aquarium equipment. or find a good deal on a hagen dual glo light system about $80-$120.

[iLLaPiNo83]

Hi.. i'm starting a 10g planted aquarium.. i need some pointers on what substrate i should use. In one of the website you posted said its good to use kitty litter and cover it with sand. Its much cheaper than fluorite.. but is there cons on using it?

[SimplyOrange537]

iLLaPino83> the only con that i could remember after thinking about using that was where the kitty litter was taken from the earth. i remember, maybe its in one of those websites, was that some kitty litter would cause the ph to change. that is all i could remember. since i did not want to take the risk but mainly didnt want to do the research in finding out where a bag of kitty litter came from, i just went with supersoil. a lot cheaper but does leech out tannin, that tea color.

[SimplyOrange537]

iLLapino83> part2> Fluorite red/dark/ blacksand cheapest i can get is 19.99. one bag is good for a 10g. i got 2 bags for my 29g but used only 1.5 of it. i would start with the supersoil brand as it is cheap and you can dump in the yard. its a good starter substrate since you want to learn how the planted tank is taken cared of. i used it in my 1st 10g and my water sprites, aponogeton(sp?) took over the entire tank in a month. when pruning/trimming is a pain thats when you're doing things right.

[N1ckg07]

for a planted aquarium do you need soil underneath the sand/ gravel for the plants to grow?

[SimplyOrange537]

yes and no. floating plants, moss, java ferns, anubia, really dont need substrate. other plants that need their roots to be buried will need a nutrient substrate. roots take in more nutrients than via leaves so adding soluble nutrients in the water column can lead to algae if there are no floating plants with exposed roots to take up the excess. just having sand/gravel for plants is like eating rice cakes. the plants do not benefit. they'll rely on co2, o2, and trace minerals from the tap water.

[scotjr79]

That song was stuck in my head for days... nice tank I like your ideas. The substrate makes all the difference. I screwed around with gravel for too long before I switched to a soil. Instant positive results. Thanks

[stinkfart]

Nice tank but what's with the big gay sticker ruining the front of it?

[SimplyOrange537]

scotjr79> lol sorry about the song. when i reply to the comments here via the video link i have to pause it so i dont hear the song. lol. yes the substrate is where most nutrients are retrieved by plants. then leaves but not to the extent of the roots. from soil you'll finally go with the commercial substrates like Fluorite or EcoComplete among many others.

[SimplyOrange537]

depends on the type of plant. normally stem plants are cut and replanted. you can replace the bottom part with the new plants at the top. plants like crypts, amazons, etc. are trimmed by cutting one or two large leaves so a new leaf will form. dont cut too much large leaves at once. doing so will likely upset the tank's balance and soon algae will form. i've heard vals, microswords, etc can be given "haircuts".