Planning for my First Planted Tank

[Second Hand Pat]

So considering my first planted tank and could use some help. I am planning to use a 50 gallon which is 36x15 and about 20 or so inches tall. Stocking wise I considering small SA cichlids, pencil fish, perhaps small tetra's (cards, lemon tetras etc). Overall wanting a SA biotope with leaf litter and plants which would mimic a biotope look with temp about 82 or so. Substrate wise thinking a two to three inch sand bed using root tabs. Looking to apply KISS as much as possible

So looking for recommendations on a lighting fixture and plant recommendations and any other things I should consider? All help appreciated. :D
Pat

[Sturiosoma]

So considering my first planted tank and could use some help. I am planning to use a 50 gallon which is 36x15 and about 20 or so inches tall. Stocking wise I considering small SA cichlids, pencil fish, perhaps small tetra's (cards, lemon tetras etc). Overall wanting a SA biotope with leaf litter and plants which would mimic a biotope look with temp about 82 or so. Substrate wise thinking a two to three inch sand bed using root tabs. Looking to apply KISS as much as possible

So looking for recommendations on a lighting fixture and plant recommendations and any other things I should consider? All help appreciated. :D
Pat

Hey Pat I have some ideas for your tank, all my plants are potted in dirt I use a recipe from williamtrickers they are the oldest aquatic plant grower in the United States, I will look for their recipe or they may even have it at their website, plant choices you could go with swords which are easy to grow and maybe some crypts, don't know if you have a local that grows plants but there is a place on aquabid an I believe they are in Florida they have very nice plants at reasonable prices, they go by the seller 90125, fertilizer you can target feed with api root tabs or flourish tabs,liquid feed you can use seachem flourish advance, fish on that size tank I would go with dwarf cichlids, rams,apistos,any thing that gets bigger than that is going to eat your tetras for lunch,lighting is generally recommend at 2 watts per gallon and a lot of people are using the new led lights, fluval is a good one I also put manzanita wood in my tanks and you may even consider peat filtering, and don't forget a good filter, if I think of anything else I will post. Jeanne

[Second Hand Pat]

I need to quit watching Youtube videos lol


http://youtu.be/yPfIqhsLFag

[slicksta]

That might have one too many tea bags in it for me... But I like the concept.
Go for it Pat!
If anyone has a chance at making it successful, it's you ;-)

[lpsouth1978]

Pat, I Love the idea. If I was doing a planted tank, I would consider either a T-5 fixture or 3x AI Prime Freshwater lights.

[Second Hand Pat]

That might have one too many tea bags in it for me... But I like the concept.
Go for it Pat!
If anyone has a chance at making it successful, it's you ;-)

Thank John :D
Pat

[Second Hand Pat]

Pat, I Love the idea. If I was doing a planted tank, I would consider either a T-5 fixture or 3x AI Prime Freshwater lights.


These look to be something like a "flood light" Lyle and guessing you would need at least three of them?
Pat

[lpsouth1978]

These look to be something like a "flood light" Lyle and guessing you would need at least three of them?
Pat

AI Prime's are used widely in the reefing community, the freshwater version is a pretty new addition. I LOVED them over my 40 gallon reef! Each light is rated to cover 18"x18", though for reefs most people recommend 1 per 12" of length. You could probably use 2 if you keep them 12"+ above the tank, 3 would give you more even coverage though.

[discuspaul]

Considering using any type of driftwood, Pat ?
If so, go for Anubias Nana attached to the wood - always looks aquatically natural and very pleasing. Slow-growing but takes little care & handles 82 F just fine.
So do any type of Echinodorous - you can get several varieties of 'mini-growth' types rather than the large 'amazon sword' which could 'take over' a 50 gal tank.

Vals or Sags should look good if you like them, & I think you'd like Crypts - any types. I love Red Tiger Lotus (Nymphaea) for added color & different shape - just keep it regularly trimmed to prevent stems from trying to reach for the surface, and so to encourage maintenance of low, but wider growth.

Blyxa Japonica should do well, and I really like Hygrophilas - they take little care, grow quickly & remain colorful continuously thoughout. Ludwigias are usually good at the higher temp too.

You won't need to give the tank the heavy-duty cleansing attention that you normally would for discus, but when planting, focus particularly on plants being placed in small clusters or 'batches', to get the most benefit from nearby placed root tab ferts,
while at the same time - arranging your plantings far enough away from both sides and the back of the tank, to enable you to best access around the plants for vacuuming to keep debris & wastes to a minimum, and produce a cleaner, better-looking sand substrate & plantings.
Concentrate your plantings mainly on the rear area of the tank, leaving a good amount of free-swimming space for the fish - this will also tend to encourage them to hang out more in front of the plants where you can openly see them most of the time.
Small stuff which you've probably already thought of, but thought I'd remind. Hope it helps a bit.
My .02

[discuspaul]

P.S.
If you're not already a member, and feel you can spend some time 'lurking' a bit there, suggest you consider joining the forum, plantedtank.net
I'm sure you would get some real good info on plants & their care, lighting, low or high tech planted set-ups, etc., and you may even find some great material on S.A. biotoping, and the fish species that fit therein.

[Second Hand Pat]

P.S.
If you're not already a member, and feel you can spend some time 'lurking' a bit there, suggest you consider joining the forum, plantedtank.net
I'm sure you would get some real good info on plants & their care, lighting, low or high tech planted set-ups, etc., and you may even find some great material on S.A. biotoping, and the fish species that fit therein.

Hi Paul, thanks for your plant advice and the plantedtank.net idea. I will hop right over there and register.
Pat

[Doogy262]

TPT The planted tank is a really great free forum also, been a member for 6 years,they cover every aspect from lighting to ferts...

[LizStreithorst]

I learned everything that I know from Adam.

[gators111]

Some simple plants that I've got are Wisteria, Water Sprite, and Banana Plants that I let the lily pads form on top of the water.

[dagray]

Pat,
I have an anubias growing on my driftwood stump in the 75 gallon tank. It handles 83 degrees just fine. Anubias get their nutrients from the water column (as do some other plants... especially your floating plants) so using Flourish Excell as fertilizer for them works well. Swords and Java Fern get their nutrients from the soil, and they benefit from Root Tabs.

You can easily make your own root tabs by buying empty gel caps at the pharmacy and filling with Osmocote granules (available at most nurseries, Home Depot, and other fine places).

For lighting I like the Fluval LED lights for plants.

[pastry]

No need for root tabs, Pat. Can't hurt though. T5 great for plants but I use LED now (white with some red mixture) since I use low light plants. Especially anubias, java fern, crypts, and lillies & swords still do fine as well. I used sand from local beach, DW from local lakes (you smart enough to know what DW not to use... but still treat wood!). Plant and let it go. Most will rebound if they look like they're going to Crap early on. Just let it be And they'll surprise you.

[Second Hand Pat]

AI Prime's are used widely in the reefing community, the freshwater version is a pretty new addition. I LOVED them over my 40 gallon reef! Each light is rated to cover 18"x18", though for reefs most people recommend 1 per 12" of length. You could probably use 2 if you keep them 12"+ above the tank, 3 would give you more even coverage though.

Hi Lyle, the only issue I have with these are at $200 (or so) a pop I would need three of them plus the mounts so around $650. Plus they seem like an overkill for a low tech planted tank. Also since this is an experiment for me I would like to keep my lighting budget around $200 for now. I will keep these in mind since you never know where a hobby might take you. :D
Pat

[Second Hand Pat]

Considering using any type of driftwood, Pat ?
If so, go for Anubias Nana attached to the wood - always looks aquatically natural and very pleasing. Slow-growing but takes little care & handles 82 F just fine.
So do any type of Echinodorous - you can get several varieties of 'mini-growth' types rather than the large 'amazon sword' which could 'take over' a 50 gal tank.

Vals or Sags should look good if you like them, & I think you'd like Crypts - any types. I love Red Tiger Lotus (Nymphaea) for added color & different shape - just keep it regularly trimmed to prevent stems from trying to reach for the surface, and so to encourage maintenance of low, but wider growth.

Blyxa Japonica should do well, and I really like Hygrophilas - they take little care, grow quickly & remain colorful continuously thoughout. Ludwigias are usually good at the higher temp too.

You won't need to give the tank the heavy-duty cleansing attention that you normally would for discus, but when planting, focus particularly on plants being placed in small clusters or 'batches', to get the most benefit from nearby placed root tab ferts,
while at the same time - arranging your plantings far enough away from both sides and the back of the tank, to enable you to best access around the plants for vacuuming to keep debris & wastes to a minimum, and produce a cleaner, better-looking sand substrate & plantings.
Concentrate your plantings mainly on the rear area of the tank, leaving a good amount of free-swimming space for the fish - this will also tend to encourage them to hang out more in front of the plants where you can openly see them most of the time.
Small stuff which you've probably already thought of, but thought I'd remind. Hope it helps a bit.
My .02


P.S.
If you're not already a member, and feel you can spend some time 'lurking' a bit there, suggest you consider joining the forum, plantedtank.net
I'm sure you would get some real good info on plants & their care, lighting, low or high tech planted set-ups, etc., and you may even find some great material on S.A. biotoping, and the fish species that fit therein.

Thanks for the bangup intro on the plantedtank forum Paul. You rock on that one. I will definitely be using DW but considering one of the mosses for that (more on that later). Also thank you for all the other hints. I will be reviewing this thread as I get closer to setting this up. I currently have altum angels in the 50 as a QT so have time for researching and planning.
Pat

[Second Hand Pat]

TPT The planted tank is a really great free forum also, been a member for 6 years,they cover every aspect from lighting to ferts...

Thank Doogy, I am already signed over there. :D
Pat

[Second Hand Pat]

I learned everything that I know from Adam.

Hi Liz, not surprised. Adam is a great resource :D
Pat

[LizStreithorst]

Finnex makes some excellent lights for plants. Chicago Discus sells them. I have 4. Mine are more for bringing out the color of the fish, but if the plant ones do as good a job as my fish ones, you will love them.

[Second Hand Pat]

Some simple plants that I've got are Wisteria, Water Sprite, and Banana Plants that I let the lily pads form on top of the water.

Thank you Gators for the recommendations. :D
Pat

[Second Hand Pat]

Pat,
I have an anubias growing on my driftwood stump in the 75 gallon tank. It handles 83 degrees just fine. Anubias get their nutrients from the water column (as do some other plants... especially your floating plants) so using Flourish Excell as fertilizer for them works well. Swords and Java Fern get their nutrients from the soil, and they benefit from Root Tabs.

You can easily make your own root tabs by buying empty gel caps at the pharmacy and filling with Osmocote granules (available at most nurseries, Home Depot, and other fine places).

For lighting I like the Fluval LED lights for plants.

Thank you Dave, great advice on the DIY root tabs. :D
Pat

[Second Hand Pat]

No need for root tabs, Pat. Can't hurt though. T5 great for plants but I use LED now (white with some red mixture) since I use low light plants. Especially anubias, java fern, crypts, and lillies & swords still do fine as well. I used sand from local beach, DW from local lakes (you smart enough to know what DW not to use... but still treat wood!). Plant and let it go. Most will rebound if they look like they're going to Crap early on. Just let it be And they'll surprise you.

Hi Elliot, I am definitely going the LED route on the lighting, most likely PFS for subsrate and I have plenty of wood on my front porch. Thanks for the plant recommendation. I will focus on that once I firm up the lighting and substrate.
Pat

[Second Hand Pat]

Finnex makes some excellent lights for plants. Chicago Discus sells them. I have 4. Mine are more for bringing out the color of the fish, but if the plant ones do as good a job as my fish ones, you will love them.

Hi Liz, Finnex is definitely a consideration and had no idea Chicago Discus sells them. Good to know :D
Pat