advice on my low tech 200 litre set up

[seb.seb]

Hello all,

So I recently acquired a Roma 200 via ebay, that I have been very happy with. After keeping a a small 35 litre tank in my bedroom I had decided that a bigger tank would be good move, mainly to keep some different livestock. However disaster struck over christmas after a heater failure and I lost 95% of my livestock. gutted! The tank is now home to a trio of rams and a shoal of red phantoms which are settling in happily.

Flora wise I have a few crypts bought in a 'crypt pack' from plants alive, some very tired and algae ridden swords and some java moss and ferns.

Lighting wise I have two 36w 6500k bulbs (t8s) and there are root tabs in the substrate. I also have a bottle of tpn+ in the post, as I have not been currently giving any form of fertilising.I would like to try and build up some more low light plants (possibly crypts, anubias, java fern and mosses).

I am on a fairly strict budget as I am a masters student weathering the recession

1) Am I on the right track for growing crypts? Is there enough light/is the sand hindering me? growth so far has been slow!

2) where is a good source for obtaining some decent crypts on a budget?

Seb.

 

[nry]

Crypts are slow growers at the best of times

Try the For Sale section on here, often worth asking if anyone has any crypts for sale

 

[seb.seb]

I really want to try and get some dense growth going with the crypts, is this possible in such a low light set up?

Also is there anywhere online where I can see a list of plants suitable for a simple set up like mine?

Thanks I will see if there is anything going!