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a couple of questions i havent touched on yet

plantnoob

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Joined
27 Apr 2010
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502
how long do you need to use the initial shorter photoperiod for ?
are daily water changers really needed to start with ?
do you start dosing right away or let plants settle 1st ?

im sure il think of more questions on these little finer points as i do more research too :)
 
You have not stated what kind of tank you are planning to set up this will allow accurate answers to be given.

High Tech, Low tech? CO2 etc



Andy
 
sorry . high tech , pressurised co2 ei dosing . substrate undecided yet but probably something like flora base or similar
 
Lights - Most people Opt for the shorter light periods for the first 4 weeks. Say 5 Hrs building to 7hrs

Daily water changes really help, especially if you use ADA Amazonia or equiv that leaches Ammonia at the beginning. In the world of planted tanks Water changes (WC) are your friend. I complete typically two 50% water changes per week without fail, even though my tank is 6 months old and is massively over filtered. WC are very important with EI as its your only way of "resetting the levels of nutrients in your tank".

Personally i don't dose that heavily at the beginning, i then gradually build it up over the first few months. if your using a good substrate it will be loaded with goodies that should provide the plant with all it needs for the first few weeks.

Hope that helps?

Andyh
 
i wont be using ada , its way too expensive . easilly 90 quid for my tank . florabase or eco-complete are the most likely choices at the moment . . i guess the dosing/ water change questions are kind of linked really . do you waterchange then dose or just leave dosing for a while and concentrate on w/c
 
Lights - Most people Opt for the shorter light periods for the first 4 weeks. Say 5 Hrs building to 7hrs
WC are very important with EI as its your only way of "resetting the levels of nutrients in your tank".

Forgive me for this, but i thought it was more to do with removing the increased organic waste produced by improved plant growth,rather than resetting levels.
Agree with the lighting though.
Personally i've always found that daily WC's for the first couple of weeks, has lead to very few algae in the long term.However i do tend to keep my lighting levels lower & i'm not as yet running pressurised.
 
thanks .maybe a dumb question , but is the daily w/c reccomended for tanks that have had a fishless cycle ?
 
nope , wont be planted for a while yet . i always fishless cycle tanks , plus ive still got alot of the equipment to buy as well
 
Forgive me for this, but i thought it was more to do with removing the increased organic waste produced by improved plant growth,rather than resetting levels.
Hi i deliberately wasn't specific, resetting levels covers a whole host of sins, so you not wrong when you say removing organic waste :thumbup:
 
The so-called fishless cycle procedure is a waste of time. You should plant your tank immediately. Plants will accelerate the cycling of your tank. There is no point in waiting to put plants in. Stop adding ammonia to your tank.

Cheers,
 
so i can just go out and start buying the stuff i need to set up my planted tank , plant it , forget about cycling it and once my plants are established i can just go ahead and stock it ?

edit: it would seem so :) just had a litle search . it never even occured to me as ive only ever done non planted cichlid tanks . this will speed things up greatly ! i reckon it will still take ne 2 or 3 weeks to afford all the stuff i want/need , but this will get plants in my tank much ,uch quicker . thank you ceg ! :)
 
no . i had a forced break from the hobby for around 18 months . this is my re-entry into things . ive just been reading through this on tropicas website . seems a good method . i have downloaded the app for iphone too :)
Tropica Aquarium Plants
 
so i can just go out and start buying the stuff i need to set up my planted tank , plant it , forget about cycling it and once my plants are established i can just go ahead and stock it ?

edit: it would seem so :) just had a litle search . it never even occured to me as ive only ever done non planted cichlid tanks . this will speed things up greatly ! i reckon it will still take ne 2 or 3 weeks to afford all the stuff i want/need , but this will get plants in my tank much ,uch quicker . thank you ceg ! :)

You misunderstand. Cycling your tank is still essential for fauna, but is not required for plants. Plants will accelerate the cycling, so it makes sense to put them in as soon as possible.

Plants = day 1
Fauna = week 4-8 depending on the tank
 
perhaps i should have been more specififc . fish will not be added in the 1st few weeks . by once the plants are established , i meant when the point is reached that water changes are weekly , photo period is extended to 8 hours , 1st few trims have been done , ferts are at full dose and everything is balanced
 
You misunderstand. Cycling your tank is still essential for fauna, but is not required for plants. Plants will accelerate the cycling, so it makes sense to put them in as soon as possible.

Plants = day 1
Fauna = week 4-8 depending on the tank

There's no need to do a fishless cycle if you've got a good biomass of healthy, growing plants. They'll be as good at removing ammonia and nitrates as a cycled filter. Having said that its always good policy to stock gradually.
 
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