# Wngt368's Planted Tank Journal



## wngt368 (Oct 4, 2008)

Nov 15, 2008

My first attempt at a planted tank, hopefully it all works out.

as of right now I have
10 g tank with 1.5 wpg
Substrate 
10kg eco complete black

Plants - from Eric
1. Cryptocoryne wendtii
2. Dwarf ambuilia (Limnophila sessiflora)
3. Hygrophila polysperma 'rosanervig' 
4. Hygrophila corymbosa 'augustifloia'
5. 2" x 2" pad of riccia
6. Java fern
7. Weeping moss
8. Dwarf subulata

Drift wood - from Ross

8 Fish
2 sunburst wag platies
2 sunburst platies
2 guppies of some sort
2 black sailfin mollies i think and the reason they are in fw is because they were beating my gsp down...... in the brackish tank how sad is that lol. and i have no where else to put them.

heater - the one that stays at 79 degrees all the time....
ac mini because i do not want my plants be blown away from the ac 200



I am new to the whole planted tank thing, any advice on how to position plants would be greatly appreciated


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## wngt368 (Oct 4, 2008)

I will be setting up a diy yeasr co2 thing in the next few weeks when i get some more money and also getting excel.

I have a question though, what should i know about algae and how will i be affected by it with a planted tank? what are some realy small algae eaters that i should get?


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## KnaveTO (May 13, 2007)

wngt368 said:


> I will be setting up a diy yeasr co2 thing in the next few weeks when i get some more money and also getting excel.
> 
> I have a question though, what should i know about algae and how will i be affected by it with a planted tank? what are some realy small algae eaters that i should get?


I have a pair of DIY yeast generators. You can have one of them when you grab the slate if you want.

Tank looks good there Theo.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

all those livebearers.... you're gonna be up to your optics soon, if there's a female in there. I am... boy am I up to my optics... 
it is looking very nice I do hope you get great success. Planted tanks are so very satisfying.


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## wngt368 (Oct 4, 2008)

KnaveTO said:


> I have a pair of DIY yeast generators. You can have one of them when you grab the slate if you want.
> 
> Tank looks good there Theo.


Thanks Ross, I will probably be coming to pick them up next week or the week after. Hopefully my gsp is still alive by that time.


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## wngt368 (Oct 4, 2008)

Sunstar said:


> all those livebearers.... you're gonna be up to your optics soon, if there's a female in there. I am... boy am I up to my optics...
> it is looking very nice I do hope you get great success. Planted tanks are so very satisfying.


Thanks! I started the whole plantedtank thing because of your planted tank, i saw it in the journal and it was amazing. I hope mine can look something like that in the end.

Also, I hope there is a female in there it would make it all the better. But do i have to scoop her out when she is pregnant or can the fry hide in the moss and holes in the wood and survive if i block off the filter with a sponge?


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

Thank you, glad my tank inspired you.  

they might get eaten, but once it fills out, you'll wish more got eaten. Females have a triangular anal fin. Males look more like a pokey proddy stick that moves around on its own accord at times. Kinda eerie.


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## wngt368 (Oct 4, 2008)

Sunstar said:


> Thank you, glad my tank inspired you.
> 
> they might get eaten, but once it fills out, you'll wish more got eaten. Females have a triangular anal fin. Males look more like a pokey proddy stick that moves around on its own accord at times. Kinda eerie.


how long will it tak ebefore i see a little bit of growth from the plants? like a week?


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

they'll grow, but it takes time. It took a couple months for me then it took off. But if you are looking at it daily, you'll get a bit put off.
take pics compare the pics and you'll realise How much growht is happening.


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## wngt368 (Oct 4, 2008)

whoa, that is a long time i was thinking that it would be like a week or two max lol.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

depends on what you are using. I am using an inert substrate I had to add ferts to. If you are using something better, then your growth may explode.


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## wngt368 (Oct 4, 2008)

so iwoke up today and half the plants in the back floated up. Mostly the hygro. is there a specific method to weigh down stem plants?


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## KnaveTO (May 13, 2007)

When I was dealing with stem plant I never weighted anything down. Basically you just have to keep replanting them each time they float up. Over time they will root and anchor themselves to the substrate.


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## Mr Fishies (Sep 21, 2007)

Another thing that can help when you are topping/replanting is to leave some petiole, 1cm or so, from the lowest/last set of leaves and when you push the stem in they'll act as little barbs to help hold the plant down until it roots.


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## wngt368 (Oct 4, 2008)

I removed all the limnophila sessiliflora because it was too hard to keep down and put it in another tank and i piled up substrate and stabbed the cryptocoryne wendtii into it.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

For both the hygro and limno (Or any other stem), you ca let it float for 2 weeks or so, at which time it'll have sprouted a lot of roots, and then it will be very easy to anchor it down.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I use milk or bread bag closures around the bottom of the stems and use that as an anchour. you might need to tie some thread to hold it on, but it works.


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## wngt368 (Oct 4, 2008)

i used the bag/milk thing and it works real good and the one that still comes up i just let it float.. hopefully it grows,


is 79 degrees to cold for plants?


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Planted tanks can usually be at any temp (well, not ANY temp).

I had one tank that was rn with many of the species in my 20g now in a heaterless tank. probably sat around 73 - 77 F


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

79 is peachy. mine is about that.


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