newbie questions

Hi

i am getting my new three mtr tank tommorrow , and after much though have decided i want to go planted .

i have decided to go the PFP and chemicult route on this tank , due to the cost of ADA and other substrates .

my question is, can i lay down the pfp first and plant later or do i have to plant the same day.

reason i ask is because there is lots to do and i want to lay out the substrate and the rocks and driftwood first and there after buy the plants ,based on my chosen layout. will it be okay if i just keep the pfp moist without filling the tank .



i also want to have the carpet effect in this tank, what would be the best plant to use for this . i am going to start with easy plants like swords, vallis and anubias first (at least i hope these are easy )

Tank is fitted with 4 t5 lights , will this do ?

i will evenutually move to co2 ,but not immediatly, plan to ccycle the tank for a month before i add any fish , would like to keep angels and maybe one or two discus at a later stage , and lots of schooling fish .


sorry if i seem to be all over the place with my questions ,but tryiong to cover all the basis .

thanks

 

Hi @Enver. Is your tank 3 foot or 3 meters? If it's 3m then wow! That's a big tank with a lot of substrate etc...Good luck

 

hi it is 3mtr .

i know i am still doubting if planted is the way to go. going to need lots of help from the guys on the forum.

 

Hi @Enver, You can add the pfp and pfs and some water. Then plant when you are ready. Nothing bad will happen this way. 3m tank. Wow! How high is the tank? Cudo's for you taking on a tank that size. I'm a bit jealous of that size. He He.

 

hi the dimentions are 3mx 700x600 high.

i am actually starting to think that i should put my monsters in here, and make my 1.8mtr tank a planted tank . since i am a newbie to planted .

i can always change the monster tank to planted at a a later stage if i get bored with my monsters .

so think that would be the best , what do you think

 

that tank will almost not fit into my townhouse haha.

 

If 3m is too much, find a way to aquascape so that only part is planted and the other just has normal gravel etc .

 

hi

well i have two 6ft tanks and now the 3mtr tank , The one six ft has my malawies and is 600 high , my monsters are in the 1.8 x 700 high , in the long term my monsters are going to need the space as one of my oscars is already about 20cm ,and i have a giant geromi in ther as well . so going to move the monsters into the 3m, move the malawies into the 1.8 x 700 and make the 1.8 x600 a planted with discus or angels .

long term that would be the best i think.

 

well if the monsters go into the 3m sometime then planted and PFP method is a no no hehe. imagine them digging up all those pfp in the tank

 

get the 600 going as a planted tank & enter the contest http://ibac.eu/
sorry nevermind you only have 1 day to enter

 

lol, i have oscars ,so planted is a no no , will load up with drift wood , and rocks , doubt plastic plants will survive with oscars as well unless i can secure them somehow .

@BigFish , i have been doing a lot of research on scapes , and there is some amazing stufff out there , but hey would be a challenge to enter a competition like that.

 

I miss my oscars . Tried plants (real & plastic) but an oscar is like a puppy & will dig up the stuff just to see you put it back

 

I am so jealous! Oneday I will have a tank that size as well! Please let the pics follow !

 

Don't be afraid to do planted just go for it. I planted my tank about 2 months ago and my fish are really happy and plants doing well with a little licquid fertilizer every two weeks. I have used a normal soil (potting soil, pure organic) substrate with a find sand ontop. I hardly have to clean the tank. except in the beginning to get the tank clear. Now its at a point where the fish droppings feed the plants and my nitrate levels are 0 and my PH levels are 0. Initial problems were not getting my layout right the first time and chopping and changing causing my subrstrate to become uneven and soil moving about. Hence I had to clean the tank every time. Currently I only have a 62L tank as my current house just does not have the space.

 

@Kimmy -- I foresee BIG problems for you! a pH of 0 will not be good on plants or fish Guess it is a typo?
I agree plants are amazing to keep a tank balanced

 

thanks for the encouragement kimmy, i will go planted on one of my six fts, but i have thought about this carefully, my oscars and other south american cichlids are around 20cms or more ,and they will need the space they currenty in a 6ft ,hence they going in the three metre .

also waiting for the new tropica substrate