# Questions about planted tanks



## 3020 (Jun 14, 2010)

I have recently become interested in planted tanks and have been recently reading up all the guides and car information regarding them however I have many questions that remain unanswered. In all of the guides I have read, none of them ever go into detail about anything for people who have never had a planted tank before and so am usually I am left with many questions.

And so here are my questions:

I often read that people use eco-complete or some other nutrient rich product for their planted tanks but they also mix it with fluorite or gravel. Now my question is, do they mix them all up together or do they just add a layer on top?

What are sumps/refugium? and how are they set up? I know that they are a separate tanks that build beneficial bacteria but is that all? And if they are used to hide equipment such as heaters will the heater still maintain the temperature of the aquarium even though it isn't in the main tank?

Lastly my biggest question that never seems to be explained is: 
How do you plant the plants into your aquarium? I know all about the nutrients , lighting, CO2 and ect... But thats all guides ever explain How would i go about actually putting it into the substrate? Do I just take it out of the pot and just bury it? Also I have read that people split up plants or use trimmings from them to grow new plants, how does that work? Can you just split up a plant into pieces and it will grow, do roots matter when planting, how are carpet plants such as dwarf hairgrass split up when put in a tank?

(edit: Also I forgot to ask how does dosing fertz and exel work? I have heard that shrimp need dry fertz is that true?

If anyone has any insight or links to where I would be able to obtain the answer to these questions it would be much appreciated. (yes I have used google)

And instead of starting a new thread does anyone know where the best places to buy plants, driftwood/rocks and tanks is in markham? I currently know of menagerie which i have read is a great place for plants and other stuff but i was hoping for something closer (I live by mccowan and major mac). The places i know of and have been to are lucky aquarium, franks, big als scarborough/vauhan, the one by silver strar blvd, and a few petsmart, if that helps.

Sorry for the long post and mass of questions but I'm relatively new and could use some help.


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

http://www.plantedtank.net/ This is a great site which should answer most of your questions .Hope it helps .


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

3020 said:


> I often read that people use eco-complete or some other nutrient rich product for their planted tanks but they also mix it with fluorite or gravel. Now my question is, do they mix them all up together or do they just add a layer on top?


Either can be done. If you are adding a layer on top, given time, it will mix with the underlying substrate anyway.



3020 said:


> What are sumps/refugium? and how are they set up? I know that they are a separate tanks that build beneficial bacteria but is that all? And if they are used to hide equipment such as heaters will the heater still maintain the temperature of the aquarium even though it isn't in the main tank?


A sump is another tank that allows you to have more water volume, but also allows you to hide equipment, such as heaters, filters, etc, as you have already mentioned. Heating the water in the sump will be fine, as the water is pumped from the sump into the tank, while an overflow constantly provides "new" water to the sump.

As long as a filter/heater that is suitable for the volume of the aquarium and the sump is considered, everything will be fine.



3020 said:


> Lastly my biggest question that never seems to be explained is:
> How do you plant the plants into your aquarium? I know all about the nutrients , lighting, CO2 and ect... But thats all guides ever explain How would i go about actually putting it into the substrate? Do I just take it out of the pot and just bury it?


It depends on the plant. Some plants do not like to be buried in the substrate, and preferred to be tied to a piece of rock/driftwood (Anubias sp., Java Fern, etc).

Others can be placed simply into the substrate, such as stem plants.

For rosette type plants (i.e. Cryptocoryne spp., Echinodorus spp., etc), the roots are placed into the substrate, ensure that the crown on the plant (the area where the leaves emerge) is not completely submerged under the substrate.



3020 said:


> Also I have read that people split up plants or use trimmings from them to grow new plants, how does that work? Can you just split up a plant into pieces and it will grow,


Using trimmings to propagate plants is quite simple. Simply put, you prune a bit of a plant, and then replant it, and it will continue to grow. This works most easily with stem plants. You can prune the top off, replant it, and it will grow as normal.

Other plants must be separated from the parent plant before they can be replanted.



3020 said:


> do roots matter when planting,


Ideally, you want the roots in the substrate for most plants. For some plants such as Anubias spp., and Java Fern, their roots will be exposed in the water column due to the nature of how they are anchored.



3020 said:


> how are carpet plants such as dwarf hairgrass split up when put in a tank?


Dwarf Hairgrass sends out runners to propagate. By separating each plant at the nodes of the runners, you can split and propagate Dwarf Hairgrass.



3020 said:


> (edit: Also I forgot to ask how does dosing fertz and exel work?


Fertilization depends on your lighting situation. if you have a low light tank, then fertilization may not even be necessary. However, on the other hand, in a highly lit tank, you will need to dose both micronutrients and macronutrients. For more information regarding fertilization, please take a look at the article that I wrote; it is stickied at the top of this subsection of the forums.

Excel works as an alternative carbon source; CO2 is required by plants in order for them to produce glucose. Excel serves as a somewhat efficient alternative, but can become quite expensive.



3020 said:


> I have heard that shrimp need dry fertz is that true?


No.



3020 said:


> And instead of starting a new thread does anyone know where the best places to buy plants, driftwood/rocks and tanks is in markham?


Those are pretty much all the stores around the area. Other than commercial sources, I would recommend that you look around in the Buy/Sell subsection of these forums. Many users from these forums often have great selection of plants/other goods for sale.


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## waj8 (Jun 30, 2010)

3020 said:


> And so here are my questions:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## 3020 (Jun 14, 2010)

Thanks for all the great replies it really helped it seems I was making things look a lot more complex than it really is. As for that DIY substrate, if your talking about the mineralized topsoil then I have already read the sticky and it seems to be a bit too messy for my taste but if its something else please drop me a pm about it or post it here cause I would love to hear about it.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

There are a number of ways to have a good looking planted tank. The important thing is that all the factors are in balance. All plants need light, minerals and CO2 to live and grow. In a low to medium light setup, CO2 from the air and waste products from the fish may be adequate. Extra ferts may encourage algae in that case. Similarly, strong light may make plants grow faster than the fish can 'feed' them, so they will show nutrient deficiencies. So whichever route you intend to go, remember that all factors have to be in balance. You can't pick and choose from different systems and expect it to all work together.

Some years back, some reef keepers got interested in fresh water planted tanks, and brought their love of tinkering into this area. Reef tanks take a lot of tinkering and technology, but planted tanks needn't. Reef tanks often have sumps to hide the large amount of equipment reef tanks require, and some reefers now grow some large marine algae in their sumps where they are safe from their fish and inverts. These algae help improve water quality just as plants do in fresh water tanks. So reefers view fresh water planted tanks from a different angle from the rest of us, and their methods make it look very complicated.

If you look at the planted tank photos section, you'll see a lot of beautiful tanks, using various levels of technology. Personally, I recommend that you start out with simple, low tech methods, where few things can go wrong, and then decide whether you want or need to go higher tech. All my tanks have plants, and I've done without fertilizers or CO2 for decades. Well, that's not quite fair... maybe once or twice a year I add a little iron to a tank if the plants are showing signs of deficiency.

I've grown rooted plants in both sand and gravel, and in a much cheaper and not quite as pretty material similar to flourite. They all work. Gravel should be small, ideally most of it should be 1-3mm in diameter.

Start out with easy plants that will do well under your lighting conditions, and once you've figured those out, try more difficult ones if you like. Plants that people sell here cheaply are generally easy to grow, and that's why they have so much to give away or sell!

Plants are excellent for water quality since they take up ammonia and other toxic wastes, when they are growing. You need less filtration when you grow plants, and the water stays cleaner. I use minimal filtration in my tanks, just enough to keep water circulating. The plants actually compete with the filter bacteria for the nutrients. A well planted tank doesn't need to be cycled.

I guess I'm rambling, but the point is that growing plants isn't difficult -- everybody did it back in the old days, before power filtration. You can do it too!


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## waj8 (Jun 30, 2010)

3020 said:


> but if its something else please drop me a pm about it or post it here cause I would love to hear about it.


I use what is often referred to SMS. I also mix it with white pool filter sand and/or black sand blasting sand. I wrote a bit about the substrate I use at http://planted.mnsi.net/DIY Substrate.htm


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

waj8 said:


> I use what is often referred to SMS. I also mix it with white pool filter sand and/or black sand blasting sand. I wrote a bit about the substrate I use at http://planted.mnsi.net/DIY Substrate.htm


You've got a lot of good info on your web page. Have a look at it, guys.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Great info Wayne.


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## 3020 (Jun 14, 2010)

@bae 
after reading that I feel a thousand times more comfortable with what I'm doing now and have just been making things a bit too technical, I'll start off slow and as i get more practice will probable expand my options. 

@wayne 
Thanks for that info, read a few things off your site and it was all really helpful your information is greatly appreciated.


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## waj8 (Jun 30, 2010)

You guys are bringing tears to my eyes.

Thanks


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

waj8 said:


> You guys are bringing tears to my eyes.


Tears of joy, I hope.


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## waj8 (Jun 30, 2010)

Darkblade48 said:


> Tears of joy, I hope.


Definitely tears of joy.


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