New planted aquarium advice

[smiley]

I am looking to have a planted one this time around (Gulp)

The size of the tank is,

SIZE: 1290(L)x485(W)x820(H)mm
Volume: 330L
Lamp 3x39W(T5)
Overhead Filter - 1100G , 18W

Note the height.. :o.. i know its a bit way too tall but i wanted my discus move a bit more vertically as well..:o

Anyways...I am looking for an advice for starters/noobs on having a planted aquarium..I have got some Peat plates (Prodac)..

Planning to set up the aquarium only for the plants currently and then move on later and add the fishes

it would be great if someone could answer the following queries

1. What additional equipments i would require (CO2 generator is it compulsory?)
2. Peat plates & fertilizer on the entire bottom of the tank?
3. Which fishes to introduce first to see if the discus are safe to enter?
4. Are 4 hours of lighting sufficient with all the 3 lights switched on?
5. Which fertilizer is preferrable - soil immersed ones or dilute water ones?
6. What temperature should i maintain for proper plant growth (until i put in my discus)

More questions to follow..just wanted these infos to get going

[pcsb23]

I am looking to have a planted one this time around (Gulp) ;)



The size of the tank is,

SIZE: 1290(L)x485(W)x820(H)mm
Volume: 330L
Lamp 3x39W(T5)
Overhead Filter - 1100G , 18W

Note the height.. :o.. i know its a bit way too tall but i wanted my discus move a bit more vertically as well..:o
very tall tanks are a double edged sword!


Anyways...I am looking for an advice for starters/noobs on having a planted aquarium..I have got some Peat plates (Prodac)..no idea what peat plates are but guessing they contain peat ...:o



Planning to set up the aquarium only for the plants currently and then move on later and add the fishes

it would be great if someone could answer the following queries

1. What additional equipments i would require (CO2 generator is it compulsory?)not mandatory, nor necessary with your lighting.



2. Peat plates & fertilizer on the entire bottom of the tank?a bed of fertiliser rich substrate pays dividends, usually it goes under another substrate (like sand).


3. Which fishes to introduce first to see if the discus are safe to enter?Do a search for clean up crews....

4. Are 4 hours of lighting sufficient with all the 3 lights switched on? no where near enough, 8 hours is a good start point, you really do not have a lot of lighting.


5. Which fertilizer is preferrable - soil immersed ones or dilute water ones? both when used right.


6. What temperature should i maintain for proper plant growth (until i put in my discus)

More questions to follow..just wanted these infos to get going
28C.

[exv152]

Lamp 3x39W(T5)


Lights are on the weak side and the tank is too deep for even regular strengthed lights. You'll need 2-3 Watts per gallon for faster growing stem plants and 1-2 per gal for the lesser demanding plants. But you want to make sure three elements are balanced in your tank: 1) lighting 2) CO2 and 3) fertilizers. Any more or less of one element will cause algae problems for sure.



1. What additional equipments i would require (CO2 generator is it compulsory?)

Depending on the plants you choose to go with. Some mosses and hardier plants like java fern and anubias do not need CO2.



2. Peat plates & fertilizer on the entire bottom of the tank?

That much peat will probably cause pH problems. Not necessary at all. If you need to soften the water I would add peat to the canister filter intead.



4. Are 4 hours of lighting sufficient with all the 3 lights switched on?

Four hours of lighting is completely inadequate. 8-10 hours is the norm, with a timer!



5. Which fertilizer is preferrable - soil immersed ones or dilute water ones?

Both are good, but some plants like swords draw more nutirents from the roots and tablets are better, whereas stem plants benefit more from water column ferts.



6. What temperature should i maintain for proper plant growth (until i put in my discus)


I would say 82F – 84F max, as most plants do not do well in higher temperatures.

[nesser]

1. What additional equipments i would require (CO2 generator is it compulsory?)A Ph monitor is a must for me but Co2 is not required in a planted tank.90 gallons is costly to dose with fertiliser so most use powder chemicals vs liquid to save money.
2. Peat plates & fertilizer on the entire bottom of the tank?Useing nutrient sub-layers such peat, laterite ..ect work well but are also not a requirement,use silica sand with fertiliser tabs on stem plants,every 3 months or so.
3. Which fishes to introduce first to see if the discus are safe to enter?
Invest in a master test if you dont know when a tank is ready for Discus then you need to learn how to cycle a tank.
4. Are 4 hours of lighting sufficient with all the 3 lights switched on?
No at least 10-12hrs on a timer unless you're planning on floating plants you're tank is much too high for the light intenseity of regular t5's.
5. Which fertilizer is preferrable - soil immersed ones or dilute water ones?
Tips on every thing plants need and more http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=24469

[nesser]

6. What temperature should i maintain for proper plant growth (until i put in my discus)

Room temperature for most ,20-25 C.

All this is in my opinion!!,do not bother adding any fish for like 6 months untill you got this tank 100% perfect.Raising Discus is an art,so is maintaning a planted tank so take it slow and get it right ,doing to research is going to put you on the right track.