Need Planted Tank Engineers and Designers..apply here

[brewmaster15]

I'll cut to the chase, I have an idea for this section and need a group of planted tank people to help me make it happen. What I envisions is a set of templates... that lay out different planted tank options geared towards Discus.. based on standard 75 gal or 125 gal tank.

Diagrams for profiles, plant placements, Plant species suitable, lighting options, tank mates, lighting options...


Basically a Planted Discus Tank for Dummies.

Real examples would be great.... but even diagrams like this...


86160


We need a basic guide to what works and what doesn't, something so specific a novice can follow it and get started right away..rather than muddle there way through bad selections.

I know we have a bunch of members that can contribute to this. If I can get participation on this, I would be able to set up a secondary board here with these guides in it.


Any takers?


al

ps... diagram done in GIMP... http://www.gimp.org/ free software

[Arizona Discus]

I'll cut to the chase, I have an idea for this section and need a group of planted tank people to help me make it happen. What I envisions is a set of templates... that lay out different planted tank options geared towards Discus.. based on standard 75 gal or 125 gal tank.

Diagrams for profiles, plant placements, Plant species suitable, lighting options, tank mates, lighting options...


Basically a Planted Discus Tank for Dummies.

Real examples would be great.... but even diagrams like this...


86160


We need a basic guide to what works and what doesn't, something so specific a novice can follow it and get started right away..rather than muddle there way through bad selections.

I know we have a bunch of members that can contribute to this. If I can get participation on this, I would be able to set up a secondary board here with these guides in it.


Any takers?


al

ps... diagram done in GIMP... http://www.gimp.org/ free software

That is a fantastic idea!

[pastry]

hell, Al, just post pics of my tank and tell them, "don't do that!" all kidding aside, I like the idea. ...oh, and I definitely would not be the person... I just throw plants in and let happen whatever happens. I've never even used CO2 or anything.

[rickztahone]

Lets keep this at the top :)

[DiscusRob]

I'd love it as this is my end goal for my 75

[brewmaster15]

Hmmm..seems I need to go at this from a different level or else it means everyone here keeping discus is doing bare bottom now..lol.

Lets try this... I'll walk you all through it .

I HAVE A 75 GALLON FISH TANK ...Thats the model. Tank is 48" long.
1) Please recommend me options for lighting on the tank.
Give me suggestions and why you would use it.

[zergling]

I HAVE A 75 GALLON FISH TANK ...Thats the model. Tank is 48" long.
1) Please recommend me options for lighting on the tank.
Give me suggestions and why you would use it.

You went straight to the most important and hardest variable of planted tanks - lighting.

Lighting dictates if you will have a beautiful tank with thriving plants, or if you will have an ugly algae-infested mess.

Here is my quick and dirty answer for a standard 75 gallon tank (48"x18"x21"): A T5HO fixture with 2x54W bulbs with individual reflectors, suspended around 15" from the top of the tank. Starting bulb suggestion would be a GE 6500K Daylight and a Giesemann AquaFlora.

There are some factors to consider when it comes to lighting a planted tank, and I can elaborate later to a certain extent.

[Solid]

My idea of a cookie cutter low/medium light 75 gallon discus set-up.

I will start with the hard equipment needed. These are just my reccomendations. Everyone will have there own opinion, these are just mine.

Tank:
75 gallon standard 48"x19"x22" Any Brand.

Lights:
Lights are a good place to start on a planted tank because in many ways they will dictate what kind of plants you can grow and how much fertilizers and CO2 you will need. In this set-up I am going for low light, so you won't need much or any CO2 or fertilizer supplements. Many of the LED light fixtures are adjustable intensity, but you can also adjust light levels by hanging your light from the ceiling and adjusting its height from the tank.

Option 1 - Current USA Planted plus PRO LED 48"-60"light fixture. This light fixture is overkill for this set-up and could put out much more light than you will need, but it's my first choice because its light output is completely adjustable both in color spectrum and level. It also has a bunch of cool features like sunset and sunrise modes.
http://www.amazon.com/Current-USA-Satellite-Freshwater-Controller/dp/B00QVIEP88
Alternatively you could also probably get away with the Planted Plus (not pro) And it has all the cool features.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00C7OTF9E/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr2_1?qid=1428368301&sr=8-1-fkmr2&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70_FMwebp&keywords=satellite+planted+plus

Option 2 - 2 x 54 watt t5 HO flourecent light fixture. I can reccomend Catalina Aquarium brand but any brand should work. I would just make sure it has two switches, one for each bulb, that way if you start to have algae problem you can somewhat control the light level. As far as bulbs go Geissmann brand are top of the line, but any bulbs in the 6500k to 10000k range will work. Stay away from actinic bulbs. You will also need a timer for these lights. I use these simple ones: http://m.homedepot.com/p/Defiant-15-Amp-24-Hour-Plug-In-Heavy-Duty-Mechanical-Timer-with-2-Outlet-49807/203677447/

Filters:
I ussually reccomend having two filters if possible for two reasons. One if one of the filters gets clogged or breaks, then you will still have one circulating water until you can fix the situation. Two you can throughly clean one filter without worrying about losing too much beneficial bacteria and causing a mini cycle. Anywho I reccomend any two of the following:
Option 1 - Fluval 306 or 406 Canister filter. These are simple canister filters. Canister filters are good because they have lots of room for mechanical filter material like foam and for bio filter media, they also add a few extra gallons of water to your system volume. The downside is they can be a pain to clean. I recommend using foam in the bottom basket and ceramic media rings in the other baskets (two in the 306, three in the 406). You can also add filter floss or bags of purigen if you want extra clear water.
Alternative canister filter: Rena XP3 or Eheim pro 3. Any similar sized canister filter will work. I prefer Fluval but all these brands are good. If you are on a tight budget you can go with a Sun-sun they work too. I would use the same media configuration in these as in the Fluval.

Option 2 - Aquaclear 110 hang on the back filter. Hang on the back filters are relatively inexpensive and super easy to clean, but they don't hold as much media or water as a canister. I reccomend the Aquaclear brand. If you are looking at other brands, dont, get an aquaclear. You can adjust the media in these as well and again I reccomend just foam and ceramic media rings.

Heater:
Heaters are a simple piece of equipment that most people don't put much thought into. They are simple, but they can cause problems if they malfunction. You will want an thermostat to make sure it's doing its job. Like this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002AQITK/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1428372477&sr=8-2&keywords=aquarium+thermometer&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=41IBRKnwMUL&ref=plSrch
You might also think about getting a temperature controller but we are trying to keep it simple here.

Option 1 - Eheim Jager TruTemp 250 watt heater. This is a simple submersible glass heater that is pretty reliable.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003I5UC0W/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1428372101&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&keywords=eheim+jager+aquarium+heater&dpPl=1&dpID=31TSr%2Bk5pCL&ref=plSrch

Option 2 - Hydro 300watt in line heater. I really prefer these in line heaters so you don't see them in the tank. But you will need a canister filter as they cannot be used with HOB filters. Also please note, if you go with my fluval canister filter reccomendation you will need to change out the output line with 5/8" tubing as these heaters won't work with the Fluval ribbed tubing.
http://www.amazon.com/Hydor-In-Line-External-Heater-300w/dp/B0002Z7VQE

There are a plethora of more equipment you could buy but this is all the basic equipment you need. I will try and do a brief hardscape material reccomendation list soon.

[rickztahone]

Ok, I'll play. I will start by telling you what I had and what I gathered to be the most important.

This was a 55g tank with mid-lighting with full co2.


Lighting


I had a 48" Hagen GLO double T5HO 54w w/ Giesemann bulbs, 1 midday, 1 flora. This put out roughly 2wpg (watts per gallon). When I was in to planted tanks, LED's were far inferior to any T5 or even cheaper fixtures. Now, I am not sure you can go based off of wpg's as you could with the old fixtures. LED's are a new territory for me, so you would have to put in leg work to check out the equivalence.

2wpg will put a planted tank in the mid range as far as lighting goes, but I will tell you this, even at mid level lighting, controlling algae was a pain in the butt. Also, keep in mind that I had my lights suspended over my tank roughly a foot off the tank water line. One of the things that made maintaining my tank difficult was having a 3D background. If you go fully planted, I'd caution you about going with a background because they are magnets to algae, especially close to the water line.

Photo-period is a huge topic and one people rarely want to do research on. When I had my tank fully running, I had the lights on for 7 hours but with a 2hr black out during the afternoon. When I would leave lights on for more than 6hrs, I was almost guaranteed to cause have problems shortly there after. Consider having a black out period during your photo period.


Fertz


Fertz are fairly straight forward. You can save a lot of money by buying the dry fertz yourself. You will need KNO3, KH2PO4, CSM+B, Iron among a list of other things. Most planted tank guys will direct you to Aquariumfertilizer.com (http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/index.asp?Option1=products). I have used it personally and their prices are some of the cheapest and they aren't skimpy with the amount they sell.

When it comes to fertilizing, no two tanks are the same. What works for one person's tank may not work for another person with the exact same tank in a different state. You must research your fertz and figure which fertz you need to dose according to your stocking levels, water out of tap and co2 levels.

Again, buying dry fertz and mixing them yourself makes it soooo much more cheaper. Don't forget root tabs for substrate eaters. I personally used Iron Bottom root tabs and they were some of the best I have ever tried.


Substrate


Substrate plays a huge roll in a planted tank. You want a soil that is nutrient rich. You have to keep in mind that when I was in the market for substrates there was many brands that may not be around any more, or there may be better ones now than there were back then. I know ADA still has their aquasoil, and that is what I used for this tank. I used 27L total of aquasoil in this tank to give me roughly a 3.5" substrate depth. Because the substrate was so rich in nutrients, my plants thrived. You don't necessarily have to go super high end with substrate to get good growth. ADA is just what I happened to buy back then. Sand isn't the greatest substrate to grow plants, and if you would like to do sand, I would advise you to do a sand front, have some form of retaining wall, and then have a nutrient rich substrate in the rear with planted tanks back there. It would be cheaper and it would still look really nice.


CO2



Last but not least, co2. This to me is the single most important item in planted tanks. You must understand how co2 works, and you must dial and fiddle with your gear to get to that sweet spot. Many planters will tell you that it takes a long while to get your balance of the whole tank down. You have to balance, lighting, fertilizing, AND co2.

My setup for co2 was a 2 stage Concoa regulator and a 3way manifold. Only one line went to my 55g however. One of the most important aspects of co2 is how it is delivered in to the aquarium. I will tell you now that the easiest and cheapest way is one of the best ways to do this and that is why a DIY reactor. A reactor receives co2 bubbles and breaks them down inside of the reactor which is hooked up inline with your filter. You always want to put the reactor on the return line, and not the inline to the filter because you can really mess things up there. When it comes to ANY part of a co2 build, do not go cheap. Get a good solenoid (possibly 2 in case one fails if you know how to do this lay out) and a good needle valve. I had 3 NV-55's and they did an awesome job. I believe there are better bubble counters on the market now, but I stuck with cheap JBJ bubble counters and they did the job well. Lastly, the co2 tank itself. I would advise getting a #5 or #10 if it fits under your tank. Get an aluminum one if you can find a place to refill, if not, then get the cheapest steel one you can and swap out when you run out. Make sure you get one that isn't expired though, or else your cost goes up.

I will share a page with you all for post bodies because this member (from scape) sells at a very cheap price, but for quality gear as a hobbyist. Here's the site: CGA320 (http://www.cga320.com/)

Filtration


I will only include this section to say that in a planted tank, you want good flow through your tank. So, if you only have 1 filter, I would say to get some kind of powerhead or something so that you do not have dead spots in the tank.

In closing, always watch your tank closely when fully planted. If you let algae get a hold of your tank for just one day, it will be a pain to get rid of. When you have algae, there is always a reason as to why it is there. Either you missed your fertz schedule, or you left your light on too long (you should always have your light on a timer), or your co2 is clogged up somehow, maybe left the filter off after a wc? All of these things happen and can cause havoc on a planted tank. There is no slacking off with these type of tanks. In all honesty, I loved the beauty of a fully planted tank, but it required a WHOLE lot of effort to keep it the way it was. My tank grew out so fast that at one point I was giving out RAOK's almost every 2-3 weeks. In the end, I started waivering on my maintenance and my tank suffered badly, and quickly.

I hope this can help some of you out there.

Again, keep in mind, I did this a few years ago and there are a lot of new toys/bells and whistles on the market now that may have made the planted tank a little cheaper, but when I had my tank fully running, I had invested no less than 4k in to that 55g tank. Now you can imagine a HO 5wpg fully planted tank!

[brewmaster15]

Thanks Guys! Great info! Anyone one else want to add their suggestions?

AL

[plecocicho]

I would also add, that you cant mix macro (K,N,P) elements with microelements like iron,molibden. Dose and keep each group seperatelly.