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Newbie Here!

Dominic

Dominic

Member
Joined
11 Nov 2013
Messages
319
Location
High Wycombe
Hi guys, i'm Dominic and i'm 17 :)

I joined this site because i was needing some tips on starting a planted tank.
I have a 55 gallon tank, and am wanting to plant it.

I have purchased seachem excel and seachem flourish comprehensive to use once i set this tank up, and do not want a co2 system due to the cost.

I have recently bought a double lighting unit fit for two 38w t8 tubes, but can add in another 38w tube if needed. The current tube i have is around 2 months old, and is a tropical daylight tube from pets at home- I looked carefully and it said it was about 16000k, which i thought was really high for a plant bulb.
What K bulbs would you recommend i use with this tank?

Also, does anyone have any idea how i can create levels in this tank without having to spend an insane amount on gravel/stones etc and without it collapsing?
My plan was to use ordinary potting soil from a garden centre or homebase etc, and using that to create the majority of the levels, and then capping it with tetra plant complete substrate, and then capping that again with sand/gravel, and then inserting acrylic slides into the slopes to help it hold its structure.

That is all i can think of for now, but im sure i'll be back soon with more questions :)

Look forwards to hearing from you guys :)
 
Welcome:)
6500k is considered daylight ish and you should be able to pick up orsam 865s etc for a few quid each. Why not go full low tech and just use soil topped with sand/gravel no easy carbo and only occasional dosing needed.
 
Hi Dominic,

Welcome to UKAPS I'm sure you will be able to find a lot of help from the experienced aquascapers! Two 38W t8s are quite enough for a bit over for a low tech tank so there is no need to add another, instead think about having a low photo period as the light could prove to be too much. 16000k should not matter to plants as they don't care for Kelvin too much, as long as there is a source of light they're fine. The Kelvin rating is really more for the viewers, although from personal preference thats VERY bright in colour for my tastes.

Have you ever considered using Cat Litter as substrate? It has a high CEC which is great for holding in nutrients for the plants to use. It is cheap, I use the Tesco brand Tesco Low Dust Lightweight Cat Litter 10 Litres - Groceries - Tesco Groceries this allows me to cap two 30L with some left over.

If your deciding to use Excel you need to treat it as if your using CO2. Excel as a half life of around 12 hours in the aquarium which means within a day the product inside the aquarium would have been used, so the next day you must dose the same amount again. Once plants get Carbon from gas or liquid they will get addicted and would need gradual reduction to after using to wean them off it. So I would suggest you to only use it if you want to treat algae as the soil substrate itself would provide adequate amounts of CO2 if your lighting/photo period is not intense enough to drive the plants to need quick supplies of CO2.

Troi's soil substrate guide should be excellent for you to base you foundation's upon: The Soil Substrate Planted Tank - A How to Guide | UK Aquatic Plant Society

Once again welcome!

P.S Ollie your having the same tendency to post my thoughts faster than me like tim :p

Michael.
 
Michael W said:
P.S Ollie your having the same tendency to post my thoughts faster than me like tim :p

Michael.
Click to expand...
But you're so much more eloquent, I tend to be allergic to the written word.

Some spot on advice and Troi's tutorial is a good starting point. As an alternative to the cat litter Kaizen bonsai sell moler clay in differing sizes and then you dont need to deal with the perfume. Also most soils have a reasonable cec too. John innes no 3 recipe is the most commonly reccomended and I'm currently using this myself.
 
Michael W said:
Yes the perfume is a pain in the backside and the lightness but its cheap. I think I'll pay a little more for the bonsai soil next time just to save time in rinsing.
Click to expand...
The moler clay was £12ish for 30l so not much more.
 
this is great feedback! the moler clay/cat litter sounds awesome! I didnt even know you could do that! :) Does the cat litter/moler clay need to be capped, or can it be used as a substrate in itself? is it also a nutrient-rich substrate in itself? Should i use a nutrient rich substrate underneath?

As for sturdiness, which do you think would be better for the substrate to hold it's shape, considering i am using acrylic sheets as slides to hold the structure a little better?

And the reason i purchased excel is because i am wanting to grow things such as Hemianthus Callitrichoides, and i know people that have had success with it in a low light using excel. Should i use this? I'm no expert on the whole fertiliser/co2 but im learning as i go, i've been researching for a planted tank for months, but have now decided to actually do one on my 55 :)

Also, sorry if i seem a bit silly, but whats a cec? :p

Thanks very much for your feedback guys!
 
Also, does cat litter vary in colour slightly? Or are they all more or less the same colour?
 
Welcome to UKAPS!:thumbup: I would strongly advise staying away from multi-purpose composts. I did a test in a very small tank (without any livestock) with multi-purpose compost capped with gravel and it sent Nitrates sky high! If I was to use it in an actual tank, the result would have been catastrophic!
 
Haha thank you nanojames! This is interesting stuff :p do you mind linking to me a relatively cheap soil that i could use for tanks? so i have an idea what i am looking for?

Sorry for all the questions, but i just read up on that soil substrate planted tank guide, (brilliant read by the way) and does the cat litter have the same nutritional values as soil or should it be used in conjunction with soil?
 
Dominic said:
Haha thank you nanojames! This is interesting stuff :p do you mind linking to me a relatively cheap soil that i could use for tanks? so i have an idea what i am looking for?

Sorry for all the questions, but i just read up on that soil substrate planted tank guide, (brilliant read by the way) and does the cat litter have the same nutritional values as soil or should it be used in conjunction with soil?
Click to expand...
For soil use John Innes no3 most places like b and q , garden centres etc sell it. Cec = cation exchange capacity it is the ability to store and release nutrients. Cat litter has no nutritional value in itself but has the ability to absorb and release nutrients.
 
Dominic said:
Haha thank you nanojames! This is interesting stuff do you mind linking to me a relatively cheap soil that i could use for tanks? so i have an idea what i am looking for?
Click to expand...
As Ollie said above I think quite a few people use the John Innes soil. I wouldn't stray to far away from that stuff because, as my test showed, not all soils are useful for fish tanks! In a tank as big as yours, some of the widely used substrates such as ADA Aqua Soil: ADA Aqua Soil Amazonia 9 Litre Substrate - Buy Aqua Design Amano Nature Aquarium Goods | The Green Machine would cost an absolute fortune to use!
Cheers:)
 
Alright thanks so this stuff would be perfect to use? Would this be just as good as tetra plant complete?

Verve John Innes No3- Mature Plants 20L, 0000004090397

And i know nanojames! Thats why i was looking at using garden centre soil because that is an insane amount for 9 litres haha :p whereas the potting soil is a fiver for 20 litres :p

Also i read on troi's substrate guide that if the soil is more than 4cm deep, it would become too anaerobic. Should i use cat litter to create the levels to how i want them, and then cap the cat litter with 4cm of soil, then cap that even further with more cat litter?

Also, it would be appreciated if someone answered my question on post #8 about the excel and hemianthus etc?

Thanks very much you guys :)
 
Regarding the post 8 question,

I believe you can have success with HC in a low tech tank without the use of Excel. The reason why most people struggle with HC is due to the high lights/lack of carbon. To counter this you can lower the lighting which means it will not drive the need for as much CO2 as those in a high light tank, this in turn will slow the growth down a lot but the product is a healthy plant. Another method is to add CO2, this can be in the form of Excel to gas injection, but once you used it as I have said before you got to use it every day. Now Excel could prove to be troublesome in the long run as you will have to spend a fair amount in the long run, as there are increased amount of plants due to growth the need for CO2 increases as the plants compete between themselves, this goes for nutrients too. Having a good flow is also essential as it can distribute carbon and nutrients to to plants, I think its fair to say that most of the time plants grow leggy is due to the need of carbon, by growing tall they could reach the surface for CO2 from and atmosphere, rarely reaching up for light.

With a low tech soil substrate, the soil itself will provide a source of Carbon coupled with the lowered light should provide the means for HC to grow without problem a part from slow growth.
 
I looked at using that stuff but came to the conculsion it would be to light. Under the straight bonsai soils on the same website there are 3 grades of moler clay Im using the fine stuff. Im also using argos playsand. In the previous scape I used the soil capped with unipac samoa coarse sand.
 
Okay thanks ollie, i also have argos playsoil but i dont think i am going to use it for my scape since sand is rubbish for holding shape (slopes), therefore i think i am going to use either moler clay or cat litter :)

I do have a slight issue niggling me, how much difference in grain size is the fine moler clay and the tesco cat litter?

Also, with the soil, do you have to rinse it before use or would that completely wash away the nutrients? Should i expect my tank to go cloudy with dirt?

Thanks :)
 
120x45x45 Octopuss on the Rocks | UK Aquatic Plant Society
This is my current set up. I have ended up with soil capped with a mix of sand and the moler clay. The soil is good for banking and I havent really given much though to how deep the layer is and just piled it in till it looked right. I've found its easier if you keep the garden soil from getting wet while your putting it otherwise it makes a right mess so no washing it. Ive never seen tesco cat litter so cant compare size wise.
 
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