Sophie Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Hi guys, Being a newbie to the world of aquascaping, I'm not too sure if i should be adding suppliments/fertilizers to my plants. I currently have a 4ft tank, approximatly 200L. It has no fish yet, as it's still cycling(about 1.5 or 2 weeks left). I used ammonia to cycle it, as I'm not big on the 'disposable fish' method. I only put the plants in about a week ago, as the ammonia levels would have been too high for them before. Currently in the tank i have anubias nana, anubias barteri, hybrid hygrophilia and i have 5 pots of hairgrass arriving next Thursday. The plants all seem in good health, but they arn't growing as much as they were in my 80L 'older' tank. I'm wondering if it's because the tank is still new, or maybe they are lacking nutrients? Maybe I'm just being impatient, but I'd rather sort it out now before the plants start dying or something! Any advice would be appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neffy Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 hmm maybe in the older tank they where getting nutients from the fish waste and things while now there is no fish contributing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophie Posted January 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Yeah, That's what i was thinking to, But I'm not very experienced with plant care. If it is that, then it's no real drama because there will be fish in there in just under 2 weeks anyway. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yanagi Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 I always add plants to newly set up tanks. My tanks cycle faster and it gives me something to look at. You didn't mention your lighting. What was your 80lt compared to 4ft? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophie Posted January 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 (edited) Yeah, I was gonna leave the plants in the little tank untill the big one was done, but I heard it speeds up the cyling process and I'm pretty impatient! The little one is 2 x 40 w and the big one is also 2 x 40 w but obviously a bigger unit, and it's T8. One tube is called 'sunlight' which is gold and one 'tropical' which is pink. It covers the whole tank in length. I'm thinking I might need to replace the tubes with ones with a higher output but I'm not sure if I can put them in the same unit. It's an AquaOne. Edited January 25, 2011 by Sophie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yanagi Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 You've got less light in there, that would be why. If you mean upgrading to T5s, then you'll need to buy a new light unit as well. T5s are much smaller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophie Posted January 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Do you think I'd need to? I am happy for the plants to grow slower, I have noticed they are growing in the big tank, just at a MUCH slower rate. I don't want them to die or anything... Do you think they'll be ok with the light as it is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yanagi Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Yeah, you have fairly easy plants there. Hairgrass will most likely die off though. I've never had much luck with it even under T5s, flora base substrate and weekly dosing of fertilizers. RE upgrading, it all depends. What plants do you want to keep? There are low light plants that will grow perfectly well under what you have such as java fern, java moss, most Crypts, Anubias, hygros, wisteria, valisneria, etc. Look up plants, decide what you like, look up their requirements and decide if it's worth purchasing T5s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volvodriver Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 I would also grab some liquid fertiliser, especially when it comes to Anubias, they don't get their nutrients from soil or substrate, the reason they're generally tied to driftwood or something is they get their nutrients from the water collumn. What kind of substrate are you using? There are some nutrients in fish waste that will keep some plants going for a while, but for healthier results ferts are usually needed. You'll also need to investigate some fertiliser tabs when you plant the hair grass, they need something for the roots to feed on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophie Posted January 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Thanks for you're info guys! Very helpful. Re. Lighting, I think i will stick with the T8 for now, as i wasn't planning on getting any more plants. I will deffinatly be upgrading to T5 as soon as i can afford to though, I've heard alot of people have great results from them. Re. Ferts, The hairgrass should be arriving between Wednesday and Friday this week, so I'll make sure I've got some liquid fertilzer and some tablets ready, and fingers crossed it'll survive. I am using medium size gravel as a substrate. I also have a 3.5ft bubble wall and one Co2 diffuser so they should all be getting enough Co2 and the water circulation is good. I hope i can pull it off, I'm looking forward to getting the tank all nice and pretty! Thanks again for your input guys, This site is so useful for people like me, I don't know a great deal about this stuff but I love learning about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophie Posted January 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Hmm.. I've officially decided to upgrade to T5 lighting. I can hear my bank account crying from here! Will have a look for the best price this week, Looking for just the 4ft 2 x 54w unit. I'm sure my plants will appreciate it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volvodriver Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 What's your CO2 reading at? alot of people have trouble getting it high enough while using air curtains because it aggitates the water too much. Are you finding this? I've been looking at lights alot lately and found guppysaquariumproducts to be pretty competitive in pricing, and they have flat rate of $12 for shipping so unlike most it's not some crazy shipping cost to go with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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