3rdTimeLucky
Member
Hi - newbie here. I have tried twice, unsuccessfully, to create a planted aquarium. Both times algae and maintenance schedules go the better of me, and i became disappointed with it all. I gave up, and turned it into a Malawi cichlid tank - no plants! And the more algae the better!
Well, i do like the cichlids - they have a lot of character - but i still want to be able to create a planted tank that i enjoy. I have no realised that i never really stuck to a plan. I was constantly chopping and changing - adding CO2, then stopping, adding ferts, then stopping, turning up the light, then turning it down, and mixing plants together that required completely different conditions. It's no surprise it didn't work.
So this is (hopefully) third time lucky. I've decided low-tech is best for me. If things start to go wrong, i have more time to address it. That's the plan, and hopefully i'll stick to it this time. The tank is called Spider, because my wife says it looks like a spider crawling out of a rock. When you see the photos of the hardscape you might agree with her.
The tank is a 60x60x60 cube with sump. Having this much height has been tricky to deal with. Instead os spending loads on soil to get the height, i've had to accept that (with my budget), height will have to come at a later stage when the stem plants grow.
Lighting is a single Kessil Sun LED. The soil is ADA Amazonia.
After a week of the filter running (with some excellent advice on another thread) i decided to add plants. The plants are not necessarily the ones i wanted, but the ones available at short notice. They are mostly anubias and crypts. I'll add a full list shortly.
Here are the first photos after planting. Sorry about the reflection on the glass.
Anyway, i'll add a few bits and pieces when more changes. I am sure more mistakes will be made...but hopefully third time lucky.
Well, i do like the cichlids - they have a lot of character - but i still want to be able to create a planted tank that i enjoy. I have no realised that i never really stuck to a plan. I was constantly chopping and changing - adding CO2, then stopping, adding ferts, then stopping, turning up the light, then turning it down, and mixing plants together that required completely different conditions. It's no surprise it didn't work.
So this is (hopefully) third time lucky. I've decided low-tech is best for me. If things start to go wrong, i have more time to address it. That's the plan, and hopefully i'll stick to it this time. The tank is called Spider, because my wife says it looks like a spider crawling out of a rock. When you see the photos of the hardscape you might agree with her.
The tank is a 60x60x60 cube with sump. Having this much height has been tricky to deal with. Instead os spending loads on soil to get the height, i've had to accept that (with my budget), height will have to come at a later stage when the stem plants grow.
Lighting is a single Kessil Sun LED. The soil is ADA Amazonia.
After a week of the filter running (with some excellent advice on another thread) i decided to add plants. The plants are not necessarily the ones i wanted, but the ones available at short notice. They are mostly anubias and crypts. I'll add a full list shortly.
Here are the first photos after planting. Sorry about the reflection on the glass.
Anyway, i'll add a few bits and pieces when more changes. I am sure more mistakes will be made...but hopefully third time lucky.