Spider Pig
Member
- Joined
- 18 Mar 2008
- Messages
- 138
Planning to convert my community set up to a planted one and would be grateful for any comments/ advice before shelling out pennies. Current set up is standard juwel vision 180L with 50w t8 lighting, 600lph juwel internal filter, plain fine gravel substrate, stocking: 3 zebra danios, 4 Sterbas corydoras, 4 Siamese flying foxes, 10 platys, 2 Pearl Gouramis, 2 dwarf gouramis, 2 Clown loach, 12 cardinal tetra, 3 guppys, 4 dwarf neon rainbow fish, 3 Boseman's rainbow fish.
Plan:
1. Upgrade lighting- additional hagen glo t5 2x39w with reflectors front and back, lights: osram 865 (front) and sylvania grolux (back)
2. Hopefully upgrade filtration- additional tetratec ex1200- budget permitting
3. Convert to pressurised co2
4. Planting plan as in attached diagram. This is where I could do with a bit of advice. The idea is to have a slope upwards from left to right, and from front to back. The foreground to the left will be mainly hairgrass, and so more open. Behind the open gravel, I want to bank the gravel using flat pieces of slate. Hopefully once the hairgrass roots in between, this will make the bank more secure.
I've tried to keep it simple with low to medium light easy plants. I'm hoping that the amazon swords will make a nice bushy background with the crypts forming the midground blending into the hairgrass. On the right hand side the foreground will be covered by low bogwood covered with java fern. The bunches of fast growers will hopefully add some colour and texture and keep algae under control.
The large piece of volcanic rock has holes through it and I'm planning on covering this with moss and anubias nana. I also want a couple of moss balls rolling around the gravel.
The filter will hopefully be covered with bark with moss etc. and I also want to grow a willow moss wall to cover the exposed part of the back.
5. Planning to get rid of the platies and maybe the guppies because of the lower pH. Maybe get some ottos to help with clean up. Shrimps are a no-go because of the clowns.
6. Planned fertilisation dry KNO3, KPO4, seachem flourish (haven't worked out dosing yet)
Any help and advice much appreciated
Plan:
1. Upgrade lighting- additional hagen glo t5 2x39w with reflectors front and back, lights: osram 865 (front) and sylvania grolux (back)
2. Hopefully upgrade filtration- additional tetratec ex1200- budget permitting
3. Convert to pressurised co2
4. Planting plan as in attached diagram. This is where I could do with a bit of advice. The idea is to have a slope upwards from left to right, and from front to back. The foreground to the left will be mainly hairgrass, and so more open. Behind the open gravel, I want to bank the gravel using flat pieces of slate. Hopefully once the hairgrass roots in between, this will make the bank more secure.
I've tried to keep it simple with low to medium light easy plants. I'm hoping that the amazon swords will make a nice bushy background with the crypts forming the midground blending into the hairgrass. On the right hand side the foreground will be covered by low bogwood covered with java fern. The bunches of fast growers will hopefully add some colour and texture and keep algae under control.
The large piece of volcanic rock has holes through it and I'm planning on covering this with moss and anubias nana. I also want a couple of moss balls rolling around the gravel.
The filter will hopefully be covered with bark with moss etc. and I also want to grow a willow moss wall to cover the exposed part of the back.
5. Planning to get rid of the platies and maybe the guppies because of the lower pH. Maybe get some ottos to help with clean up. Shrimps are a no-go because of the clowns.
6. Planned fertilisation dry KNO3, KPO4, seachem flourish (haven't worked out dosing yet)
Any help and advice much appreciated