Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:22 pm GMT   Reply      

I posted an intro over in the General Section. I have a new 55 gal tank, and I have limited experience with planted tanks. There are no fish in the tank yet, and there will be no CO2. I have some java ferns that I transplanted from my 12 gal to help the cycle.

My question, should I add flourite around the base of the plants and mix it in with the gravel? Or is there a better option the be sure the plants get enough nutrients?

I have read about what bulbs for the lighting, but I am not clear on exactly what to get. It is a standard hood. Any suggestions.

I look forward to participating here and learning as much as I can. Thanks.

Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:57 pm GMT   Reply      

Neither lighting or substrate are my expertise, but my heaviest experience is with flourite. I have never used eco-complete, though some (not saying any names :) ) will swear by it. Only reason I don't use it is because it's not available at ANY of my local fish stores.
However I've had good results with flourite. I started my 16 gallon with playsand and shortly thereafter realized I wanted some real plants, so after a bit of research I went out and got some flourite.
Here's an example of my successes with such. My tank is a small bowfront and not very practical for lighting upgrades at 19" wide. I have a 15w 6700k daylight bulb in it which equates to less than 1 watt per gallon of lighting. Most plants want in the 2.5-4wpg range, some higher, some less. Java Ferns and Java Moss can often live and grow with barely any light at all. I placed a patch of flourite in a corner of my tank and added an amazon sword which is supposedly a medium light requirement plant. Within a month it's grown roughly 7" in height, sprouted many new leaves, and sent up a shoot with 2 baby plants. My conclusion: flourite isn't very aesthetically pleasing, but it boasts good results even in very poor lighting conditions, and I believe the nutrient(s) supplied (IRON, a very necessary nutrient) are much longer lasting than eco-complete supplication, therefore should be used as the foremost BASE layer in substrate layerings. Anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, please.
Looking forward to seeing your future results. =D
Edit::: just realized..if you weren't aware..Java Fern and anubias have something called a rhizome which resembles a tiny ''bulb''. It's best to keep this exposed to the water column and not bury it in the substrate, which is most easily accomplished by letting it attach to something such as a rock or log. There are various ways to do this. Much like floating plant varieties these plants take most of their nutrients in directly from the water column. I found this out the hard way after planting my Java Fern in the flourite only to have the main part of the plant rot away, luckily sprouting tens of new baby plants along its leaves.

Mon Apr 14, 2008 3:02 pm GMT   Reply      

Since I've already laid the gravel, could I just mix the flourite in with the gravel around the base of the plants? Is that a reasonable alternative to pulling all the gravel out?

Mon Apr 14, 2008 3:05 pm GMT   Reply      

Yes, that's exactly what I did, as a matter of fact when I added it to my playsand tank. It might not look great but its effective. Just be forewarned, it WILL cause a mess if you don't rinse it first, but since you don't have any fish yet I wouldn't worry too much. It may take 24 hours or more for your tank water to clear though depending on how much you add.