What is the goal? Easy planted aquarium method!

Absolutely. And you have already noticed how much thought goes into such a "nature style" aquarium. Almost always quite a few ferns (P users), very few stems, but their growth habbits are taken into account and they are carefully placed because of this, glass wiped all the time, etc. You have the book; you will read all of this. Did you notice the extremely low measured P and N values in the water? Very unlike Barr who claims he sometimes add 35ppm of N to some of his aquariums. Yes they do add liquid ferts, but in a very, very controlled manner, meticulously planned. The amounts and what is added are also increased over time.

 

Then a good substrate is almost essential in the beginning as you will not dose the first few days and not that much. Still the plants need something to get started. Rudi is that why you add laterite?

 

Not true, as a key aspect is CEC. While a nutritious substrate means you won't need a lot of water dosing initially, you will eventually have to step this up. The fish load also plays a role here. CEC means the substrate will "replenish" itself with nutrients from the water, which are then available to the plant roots. This is a key point mentioned by all those in favour of Flourite, and why clay based substrates are so popular. While initially not much more than an Fe rich substrate, the high CEC eventually results in it becoming fairly nutrient rich.

Also true for ADA Aquasoil, maybe even some others. Large rescape exercises result in cloudiness, green water, NH4 spikes, most of the substrate turning into muddy mush, etc. Rather plan, and if you have to rescape things, do it slowly and a small section at a time, followed by a large WC.

The high price tag is something we are not used to, but once we become used to it we will start to factor that into the cost of a planted tank and then just move on from there...

 

Actually, the idea is no dosing for about 2 MONTHS, not just the first few days. The exception is potassium which should be dosed from the start, and then slowly start introducing trace element dosing, and finally N and P, based on whether you see a need for those. You would have to know your plants to determine when it seems they need additional N and P above what the fish already provide.

 

From their web site:

So you are back to square one - don't rescape if you don't feel like messing up the tank, because WHAT soil based substrate is safe to use underneath? PFP...

Furthermore, it says

, but does not list them. Perhaps @Henk Hugo can help out here?

I think it is pretty similar to Flourite...mostly Fe, some other traces, and high CEC, but needs to be supplemented with a bottom layer with N, P and K. Just seems like an expensive PFP cap to me!

 

i'll agree to something discussed here.

I use 2x1000k t5s and 2 grolux tubes in my main tank and besides for when i initially setup my tank, (3weeks) have almost never had algae issues. I do get gsa once in a while, but i'll clean it up and add bit more p and all is solved.. My mag cleaners dont actually see much action(maybe once every few months). Ive also had 10000k lamp tanks in the past with great growth and minimal algae issues as well..

In my opinion,I think that having a npk substrate is good but not for everyone.. Ive seen many cases of new guys just getting into the plant scene, overdoing their substrates only to get algae for months then packing up and quitting. I still believe that for the novice, they should use inert substrate, and liquid ferts.. Only when they comfortable should they venture onto fertilized substrate..theres just too much that can go wrong if u dont know what u doing..

 

Some promised pictures of the initial hardscape setup and first planting. These were taken in May.

 

Some more pictures, including my DIY sump (thanks @jedigenie) and cannister.

Initially I used some floating plants and at this stage of the setup I was still waiting for a few more plants to add to the scape.

Key elements of this method:
1. N, P, K and Traces in the substrate
2. Frequent water changes and wiping the glass
3. Oversized biological filtration
4. 0.3W per L of T5 lights, as this is a non-CO2 aquarium
5. Choice of plants which work well together
6. No water column dosing, other than K and occasional Traces


Issues I have and things I would do different next time:
1. I think my substrate capping is too deep in places. The Marsilea roots are battling to reach down to the PFP.
2. I don't like the white look of the silica sand, but I had nothing else available. When you redo a tank with PFP, you have to throw out the entire substrate, because once the PFP starts mixing with the silica, you will never be able to seperate the two. For this reason I could not justify capping with Flourite. One day I hope to be able to afford Aquasoil or Controsoil.
3. I like Vallisneria, but it is high maintenance plant. I have to constantly uproot and cut off runners, as it tends to grow in places where I don't want it. This is more of a problem when you have PFP, but I remove the plant slowly and carefully and then vacuum up the bits of PFP that float to the top of the substrate. In hind sight, a plant like Cyperus Helferi would have been a better option, but I have never seen it available locally.

I will upload the pictures of the current status as soon as I transferred them to my computer.

 

I like the idee of a rich NPK substrate. This will give the plants as much is it needs and wants. With regular water changes it should eliminate the leached NPK so algae don't have to much food. Never liked the PFP method though.

 

Agree 100% on this. I believe no tank will ever have NO algae.

I use to be one of those individuals. I actually now have 2 x 10,000k in my tank!

 

I have a inert substrate in al my tanks at the moment and the laterite was the only additive I could find,that works,at the time.Of course I'm a bit wiser now and my next tank revamp will be different.For a new tank setup,I don't dose ferts for 4 weeks and the lighting period is very short,4 hours to start with.

I got the same impression.

Are you guys at last ready for a alternative nutritious substrate?And I don't mean PFP.

 

Yeah bring it on. Never used PFP.

@Laure where is the latest pics?

 

@Rudi I believe a lot of people are ready for it! If it is cost effective and will last longer than other commercially available stuff, then bring it on!

 

Where is @slagter with his surprise substrate ?

 

Similar to ADA proposals and pretty much a key part of my method also, except I started with 6 hours, 3 at a time with a 2 hour "siesta". Still not convinced it makes much of a difference, but since the lights are on a timer and the "siesta" occurs during the day when I am not home to enjoy the tank, it doesn't really bother me. What I did notice was the snails are more active when the lights are off. When the lights first come on you can see them all over the tank and they were obviously busy cleaning up. Then within about 30 minutes they go into hiding. Then 3 hours later the lights go off. They come out again, because 2 hours later when the lights go on again, I can see them all over the tank, busy cleaning. So perhaps the "siesta" is useful to allow more frequent snail cleaning activities? I used to hate snails, but have realised how useful they are. Shrimp are better, but I can't keep them with angel fish...

Only Aquasoil, Controsoil and PFP have N and P, as far as I know. Not Eco-complete, Naturesoil, Flourite, Tetra, Dupla, Dennerle, Tropica, Sera, Microbelift...so do you have a surprise for us?

I must admit I am very happy with PFP. I don't have any issues. Like I said, I have Vallis, and while I like the plant very much, it have to uproot frequently, which is a PITA. But if done carefully, it does not create issues. For the cost of a 5ft aquarium I forked out no more than R15 for a nutritious substrate. I feel that for certain tanks a darker capping would be useful. Perhaps one can then look at Flourite, but you will have to throw it out of you rescape the entire tank and remove the substrate...

 

I think too much is being made of "long lasting substrates". Yes, the effectiveness does taper off after maybe 18 months or so, but by then one can increase water column dosing. The aquarium should be a settled system by then and if you carefully monitor the changes and introduce more water column dosing very carefully, it should not cause any issues.

Another thing worth mentioning...how many people keep a single aquascape for longer than 18 months? I think part of the pleasure of this hobby is the building phase. Once the plants are all grown out and you achieved the look the wanted, you take some pictures and then tear it down. Likely you have already come across some new plants you want to try, have new hardscape ideas, etc.

Yes I admit that if you buy AS at $35 a bag, and then you have to throw it away after 2 years when you rescape, it does seem like a waste of money...

 

I will be able to reveal all next week... It's going to be pretty cool. Trust me, as soon as I can reveal it, you will know about it.

Nope, as far as I know, you don't chuck it, you just add more to it. So if you origionally used 1 big 9l bag, you would add a 3l bag on top of the old substrate when you rescape.

 

I've recently been doing a lot of thinking and reading into the subject of planted aquariums. Firstly, they are fairly simple things. Plants require a few things to thrive, much like fish do. Firstly, they require an adequate substrate to root into. Whether this is PFP and Chemicult topped with Silica Sand, or Aquasoil, Controsoil or whatever. I personally feel that it is the most fundamental part of the planted tank, besides Co2. For a plant to really thrive, they need some form of root uptake. Obviously, floating plants are an exception.

Secondly, Co2 is vital. Whether it is DIY, or Pressurized. Stable supply is better. Obviously. You want to minimize fluctuations in your tank, and remove any inconsistencies. These lead to problems, so the more stable all parameters are, the better. Co2 is the building block of nutrient uptake in the plants. So it is important.

Thirdly, Lighting. No, you don't need 4000watts of light over your tank. But having enough light for your plants is pretty important. And having depth penetration of lighting is important as well, for carpeting plants. It's pointless spending cash on ground covers, and not having the penetration to make them grow.

Then Liquid Dosing... Amazingly important. If your plants have nutrient deficiencies, they're going to die. Or at the least, look crap. EI, is in my opinion the way to go. For Micro's, I have used Tropica Plant Nutrition. It's the best liquid fert on the market, but it's not available here. I contacted Tropica, and they are not willing to ship here unfortunately. Which sucks. But there are plenty of alternatives.

So how do you make it easy? Every person will have a different way of doing things. So just try to make it easy for yourself, by trying not to overcomplicate things from the start. Do the research, and see what works for you... Interestingly, silica sand (Pool Filter Sand) releases silicates into the water column, which will cause an algae bloom. Diatom algae is the most common effect of this. It will go away. The easiest way to remove it, is to start up your tank with activated Carbon. It should remove the silicates from the water.

 

Easy Planted


Hi all, just a quick observation from me.

Just for the means of this discussion I will use a term visual appeal and give it a rating of 100%.

So easy will mean different things for different people obviously.

There are a few groups in my opinion.

1. The guys who are great at growing amazing looking aquatic plants. These will most likely turn into mush within a few days in one of my tanks.
People like Rudi,Shihr,WBS,Algae Wizard and a few others come to mind.
I might be wrong here but if you look at these guys tanks you will see they rely heavily on the color,position and growth of plants in there tanks. its after all a planted tank.
Most use pressurized CO2 and a dosing regime with fair light. Maybe a good substrate.
They will add a rock or maybe a piece of driftwood to add to the composition.

So you can say 85% of the visuall appeal of there tanks rely on the plants they use and grow.
10% hardscape and 5% for that something special.

Then you have guys who can grow plants very well and also have good hard scaping skills. Not that the other don't.
Algae Wizard and Laure falls into this category.
They also normally use presurized CO2 and some dosing. Substrate can be something easy.

Visual appeal = 55% plants, 40% hardscape, 5% for that something different.

Ok so where does this leave me the average joe with a small town LPS no money for pressurised CO2 and like growing algae with dosing

Well we use real easy to grow plants like anubias, swords, bicopa etc and of course my favourite...... moss
Now just sticking this in a tank and hoping for the best will still look worse then a tank full of random plastic plants.

Now we must heavily rely on good ideas and some artistic hardscaping.
We then add a few easy plants to add color and round things off.

To all of this there is still a learning curve. Go and check how many tanks and scapes I have started of which nothing came. This is becasue I had to learn that even moss grow in a certain way and look good in another.
I would start a tank with an idea only to later learn spiky moss do not grow that way or does not look good at all.

Lesson learned so I move on and don't make the same mistake or get a plant better fitting my needs.

So the last group.

Vissual appeal = 75% hardscape, 20% easy pants, 5% creativity.

To all of these there is a learning curve and looking at a lot of planted tanks in either category will help you a lot and give you some great ideas.
Try new things and ask around as someone night have tried it before.

Quick summary:

Group 1: Here is some cool equipment,ferts, tank and some great plants make it look good.
Group 2: Here is a bit of equipment, some nice looking rocks and wood with a few good looking plants.
Group 3: What can you get hold of to make this stick and rock look nice

There are many spinoff's to these groups.

Regards
Gerhard

 

Hugely informative and helpful!