# Questions - suitable plants, ferts, etc.



## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I'm pretty new to planted tanks, have wanted one for a very long time though. I just finished cycling my 30 x 12 30g tank, as I plan to have shrimp, maybe clams, in it later on, but few fish. Just two danios for now, and a mystery snail. 

Lighting now, is a single tube hood, 6500K. But my tank is located within inches of a south window too. Balcony overhead interferes with some of the light, but I have successfully grown hibiscus in this window,had them flower a few times in winter.

I've plans to build a hood with CP bulbs, at least four 6700 K, 23 watts, possibly six of them. Won't know until I get it together how many bulbs I'll room for. 

Right now I have frogbit, mini water lettuce, guppy grass, Brazilian Pennywort, very robust Ludwigia, but not sure which one. Leaves fairly narrow, reddish underneath, looks like it is in flower, small round greenish balls at every stem joint. And I think also Cardamine lyrata, which currently has tiny blue flowers, on little filaments from the leaf joints. And one bolbitis, which is still in it's pot.

Substrate is eco complete, plus some finer sand and one small bag of natural small stone in lighter colours, for a bit of contrast.

I have several assorted sizes of mopani wood I hope to get mosses and ferns growing on, assorted rocks, some slate pieces, but I haven't done an aquascape yet. Running a small corner filter, but I stuffed the intake grate with foam, to see if it would still run that way. I did, so when I get shrimp they won't get stuck in it. Also have a simple sponge filter. Might go with just the sponge filter later on, once I see how things are running.

No C02 yet.. but I've obtained some Excel and Flourish. Seems there are conflicting opinions on whether the Excel is dangerous for shrimps ? What about snails ? Don't want to poison anything. But I do want, eventually, very lush growth in the tank. I figure at some point I will have to invest in C02 injection using a pressure tank system, but until I can afford that, might try the home yeast version ?

Do I need Excel if I start doing yeast based CO2 ?

Someone was kind enough to warn me that adding high light without the other parts of the higher tech system would not likely work well, so I don't want to make that error.. I'll stay low tech for now. 

Aside from anubias and java fern, what other lowgrowing plants should I look for, to place in the foreground. Is there anything grasslike that can tolerate the lighting I have now ? The ludwigia looks as though it will soon hit the top of the water and have to be trimmed, but I'd like to get some other medium tall plants too, if there are any that can tolerate the low light. 

Sorry it's a lot of questions, I get carried away sometimes. So much has changed since I kept fish tanks 40 years ago, and I have been seduced by the glorious pictures I keep seeing of lushly planted tanks. I know I can't have that right away, and I can be patient, but it's what I hope for one day.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

Fishfur said:


> No C02 yet.. but I've obtained some Excel and Flourish. Seems there are conflicting opinions on whether the Excel is dangerous for shrimps ? What about snails ? Don't want to poison anything.


It will be fine, provided you dose Excel and Flourish as per the instructions.



Fishfur said:


> But I do want, eventually, very lush growth in the tank. I figure at some point I will have to invest in C02 injection using a pressure tank system, but until I can afford that, might try the home yeast version ?
> 
> Do I need Excel if I start doing yeast based CO2 ?


If you decide to use DIY CO2, then you will not need to dose Excel.



Fishfur said:


> Aside from anubias and java fern, what other lowgrowing plants should I look for, to place in the foreground. Is there anything grasslike that can tolerate the lighting I have now ? The ludwigia looks as though it will soon hit the top of the water and have to be trimmed, but I'd like to get some other medium tall plants too, if there are any that can tolerate the low light.


Mosses will do well. Any variety of _Cryptocoryne_ will also do well.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

*good to know, thanks*



Darkblade48 said:


> It will be fine, provided you dose Excel and Flourish as per the instructions.
> I grew up with a Dad whose mantra was 'read the instructions', and then rule two was 'read them again'... instructions I can follow, np.
> 
> If you decide to use DIY CO2, then you will not need to dose Excel.
> ...


I'll have to start looking for mosses and crypts then... definitely want to get started growing stuff on the wood, mosses would seem the best bet for that. Scotmando showed me some he had starting, all tied on with thread.. so I have a good idea how to get it started. Would the guppy grass be a candidate for growing on wood ?


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Hmm, I messed up my text with the quoted stuff, sorry 'bout that.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

You can try tying the Guppy Grass (_Najas guadalupensis_) is not usually tied to wood. This doesn't stop you from trying, however.

More adept to tying to wood (as it anchors itself eventually) would be any kind of Moss, Java Fern and any _Anubias_ species.


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## Kan (Nov 12, 2011)

Too much light without enough CO2 and Fertilization will probably just cause an algae broom as someone else mentioned. Did you look up Marsilea and Dwarf Sagittaria for foreground plants? Though I don't own either of them, I heard they do OK under low lighting. You can also try riccia attached to mesh/stone for green carpet, I kept it under low light before and it grew just fine.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Kan said:


> Too much light without enough CO2 and Fertilization will probably just cause an algae broom as someone else mentioned. Did you look up Marsilea and Dwarf Sagittaria for foreground plants? Though I don't own either of them, I heard they do OK under low lighting. You can also try riccia attached to mesh/stone for green carpet, I kept it under low light before and it grew just fine.


Thanks for the tips. Just confirms what others have told me, and I know there is no point to upgrading the lighting until I can do C02 also. Might try the yeast technique, see how it goes, how much of a pain it is to maintain. But later in the year. First, got to get Mom's house cleaned out to be sold, since she had to enter a nursing home. Low tech/low light is the way to go for now. But I think I have some workable ideas for the hood I want to build one day.

I will be getting some more plants on the weekend, thanks to another kind offer from a member, can't recall which ones offhand, but perhaps one of the ones you mention will be available. Now have a bunch of java ferns, two types, some moss of some kind, one tiny crypt of some sort. Got to get to mounting them on wood, I have several pieces to work with, and rocks too.

Everyone I've interacted with on this forum has been truly wonderful, helpful and generous, it is a really nice place to be !


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I meant mounting the ferns, mostly and tying the moss to some rocks.


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## Kan (Nov 12, 2011)

Glad to help  DIY Co2 is not a lot of trouble to keep, the only maintenance is to change it every 2-3 weeks. But make sure you build everything right so you don't make a big mess in you tank . Share your tank on the forum once is done, looking forward to see it!


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