# Suggestions on Planting a 75G.



## NomiGold (Jan 22, 2011)

Hey all! I've been pulling together supplies for a planted 75 community over the last few weeks, and now I can start planting! Once I get plants, of course. Speaking of which, I would like some suggestions as to what plants would work well within my set up, and where to get them around the Oakville area.

Just for informations sake, the tank is a standard 75G, the lighting is an Aquatic Life dual lamp T5HO (1 6000k lamp and one 650nm roseate lamp). I'm running two aquaclear 50's, heating at around 26-28C, and a plant gro CO2 natural system (yeast based reaction).

Heres the hardscape I have down so far. It's still all dry, so I can make good use of any suggestions about placement and arrangement of the rock/wood you have.










What I know I would like for plants so far are HC 'cuba' for the main foreground plant, as well as some dwarf hairgrass and pogostemon helferi in the mid-foreground, and moss on the branchwork. I am at a bit of a loss as to what to put in the mid and background though.

Thank you all in advance for any suggestions or tips!


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## Rmwbrown (Jan 22, 2009)

Looks like your off to a good start. I really like to roots, but i would try to make them work with the rocks a bit more by making them a little more cohesive. Maybe try putting the roots on top of the rock clumps and then using some smaller stones to add detail and depth. 

HC may be a bit out of the current capabilities of the tank given the C02 setup, which could also be a problem given your using T5HO. A good amount of light and low C02 is going to make for some serious algae. I'm not sure though, i have not used T5HO on a tank this size. 

When picking plants i would keep thinking about scale. I always select stuff that is way to big... big rocks, big roots, big plants, and it normally dosn't work out too well. I think for this set up you can probably stick to plants rated to foreground and mid-ground and keep everything proportional. In the end, however, it will all depend on the size of the hardscape. 

You also need to decide if you want a fast growing tank or a slow growing tank. Given the C02 situation, i would think you would be limited to very easy stem plants, or rhizomes.


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## NomiGold (Jan 22, 2011)

Wow, great reply, thanks! Certainly a lot to think about.

I'll probably go pick up a couple smaller rocks when I'm next out to the fish store. The wood piece on the right is pretty much wedged in the only way it can fit right now, so I may have to 'trim' off a bit of some of the longer branches so I can move it around better.

Now I have heard a bit about the amount of CO2 you need goes up the more T5HO lighting you have. However, I've been using this formula: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73446 (It's much more comprehensive than watts per gallon). I'm not sure how to treat the roseate lamp in this equation, but my best guess just brings me out to moderate - high lighting (closer to moderate).

I also would not mind a little bit of algea (Gasp!) as I plan to have a school of otos, and I feel they do better when they have algae to graze on as well as tablets. However, I know the amount of CO2 I will have will be relatively puny. I might just add other plant gro, if I need to. It's just I know that a DIY system (I've had one before on a 10G) will be almost impossible to maintain on a 75G, and most other systems are a bit beyond the reach of an art student like myself. I am open to any and all suggestions though!

As for plants, I know what you mean about keeping everything porportional. I know for this tank I do not want anything with very large leaves, since I want to keep everything to a similar scale of the smaller plants like HC cuba. The largest I would go for are Java ferns (which I find become very lush with a little care).

Are there any reliable sources for finding out if a plant is rated for foreground/middle/background? I know this probably changes due to tank size, scale, personal opinion, but I would like a starting point.

A quick question before I submit, about how much CO2 would one need for a 75G lit by one 6000K T5HO and one 650nm roseate?


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## NomiGold (Jan 22, 2011)

Anyone have success using flourish excel in conjunction with the plant gro CO2 system?


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## Rmwbrown (Jan 22, 2009)

You could certainly use flourish, but with a tank that size, i would suggest buying stock in Seachem. Honestly, at 15 bucks for 1L or what ever it is, over the the course of a year you could have bought yourself a pressurized Co2 setup.

I'm not suggesting you use the wpg rule, its useless when using anything but T8's, however, without knowing the depth of the tank, and having no experience with a roseate light, i'm really not sure how much light your going to have. If you have looked at the charts and figure your working with high-moderate light, you are going to have serious issues with algae unless you can get the tank into the 25-30 ppm of Co2. And in this case, it will probably be something like BBA, or some form of hair algae that your oto cats will refuse to eat.

For plant sizes and growth conditions i would suggest starting at www.tropica.com, they have pretty good stats and a user friendly database.


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## Rmwbrown (Jan 22, 2009)

Here is also a link to another member that has a 75gallon with t5HO. He is using 6x54 watt and i think he is still finding his light a little on the low side. SO in then end, you may have to scrap the dream of HC. You could probably do a really nice moss/fern tank, and have no need for high amounts of C02.

http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19554


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## jimmyjam (Nov 6, 2007)

Looking good so far. That link he sent was for my tank, and yes my 6x t5 is still on the mede side for my tank, but I do have to admit that my lights are not very good. My 4xphillips t5 from supreme lighting has way more output than my 6x, and grows better plants than the 6x.. significantly.

As rmwbrown has suggested, work the roots into the rocks a big better, otherwise it looks really nice.

With the co2... get a tank, I promise you, it will make a world of a difference, and just the time you spend on doing the yeast... you can grab a regulator for 69 at aquainspiration, and another solonoid if u want it to go on/off. The tank is about a 100 depending on size. It lasts forever..

If you need plants in scarbs area, check me out, or check grego in sauga or beijing if he has some stuff towntown.

http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21869


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## NomiGold (Jan 22, 2011)

Thank you both! I was offered a ride to Mississauga today, so I took the opportunity to pick up some plants the the square one sale today. I'll be using excel with the little co2 system I have, but I absolutely be saving up for a tank. Maybe I can drop a hint about it for my birthday. Hmmmm.... 

I was having fun looking through the tropica website. Lots of good info there, thank you.


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## Antoine Doinel (Dec 20, 2010)

+1 on going pressurized. Take a look into the DIY Paintball setup.

Oh, and make sure you dose Excel once a day, as it dissipates within 24 hours.


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## NomiGold (Jan 22, 2011)

I'll look it up, but keep in mind I am about as proficient at building and constructing things as I am at ninja skills. Which is to say, not at all. XD 

Would you recommend a full dose every 24 hours, or less?


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## Rmwbrown (Jan 22, 2009)

There are instructions on it. A double does after a water change, and then a full dose everyday.

I don't think paintball would be worth your time. You would burn through it pretty fast. Get a ten pound tank and it should last for 6 months.


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## NomiGold (Jan 22, 2011)

Good to know. 

About how much would a 10 pound tank cost, give or take?


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## Rmwbrown (Jan 22, 2009)

100-150 on average. Sometimes you can find other members selling a used lower end regulator and tank set for around the same price though.


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## NomiGold (Jan 22, 2011)

Hmmm... I might just be able to afford that. I"ll be keeping an eye out on the classifieds here for one for sure!


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## Antoine Doinel (Dec 20, 2010)

The paintball rig is actually very simple to put together, unlike a lot of other DIY gear. Rmwbrown is right though, it will go fairly quickly in a 75 gallon. I do however think it's still feasible though, especially since you're only in the medium lighting range. The only drawback is you'll probably have to refill at least every couple of months. It's really not that big of a deal though, especially if you have a spare tank. Refills are only like $5.

If you can't find a used set, it is by far the cheapest way to get started. You could get everything you need for under $100. 
Here's the thread
http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18722


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## Beijing08 (Jul 19, 2010)

without diy or just Excel you can do Echinorus Tenellus in the front it spreads super fast and in no time you'd get a decent carpet. But like what RwBrown mentioned, just do a good moss and fern tank, haven't seen anyone going all out on mosses yet.

Check this out
http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?p=172198#post172198


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## NomiGold (Jan 22, 2011)

Thank you for the link, that tank is stunning! I will be doing some moss on the wood for sure. 

I've already a mix of HC, glosso and dwarf hairgrass in the foreground. I've kept HC in the past, but not glosso or DHG. But I came across them at a price I could not refuse! 

Now I'm just going to sit here and wait for the CO2 tank fairy! XD


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