FW to BW supplies and design

[PyrettaFae]

So now that my 40 gallon is cycled, I'd like to start switching over to BW. Right now there is a mix of black and green gravel, 3 tall fake plants, 1 short fake plant, a fake rock formation (small) and a castle (med-large). I'd like to go with plants and a sandy substrate. I hope that a lighter substrate will coax my GSPs into keeping lighter colors. I already have a hydrometer. So here's a list of what I think I need to find:

1) aragonite
2) marine salt
3) bigger container for salt mixing - probably a 30g rubbermaid
4) plants - I'm thinking vallisneria and anarchis.. java fern and java moss. I'm going for easy plants since I'm new to planted aquariums. Will these grow in the aragonite?
5) driftwood of some type. I don't mind a discoloration of the water, since I think it looks more natural, but I don't want to hurt the fish. Any recommendations on wood??
6) down the road I need a powerhead if I want to get a good current going. I was reading an article on BW setups and I like the river setup.

That's it for now. I'm definitely open to ideas. I just want to move away from the FW and towards BW for sure and also make a more natural setting for the fish as opposed to this canned, generic FW setup I've got going on.

[Pufferpunk]

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=19348

Go for the fake mangrove roots from Petsmart. Not only does driftwood lower the pH, but it breaks down quickly in BW.

[PyrettaFae]

Okay, I'll stick with the fake wood

Another question, or more of a clarification.. When I go to change out the gravel for the aragonite, I should do this in portions, right? I worry that removing all of the gravel at once might mean removing a portion of the beneficial bacteria and I really don't want to mess with my bacteria right now. Is half at a time okay or should I go in thirds? I would figure waiting a week between each portion would be sufficient?

[jmiller]

What SG are you going to end up at? That will influence some of the answers.

[Pufferpunk]

I've never had any problems changing it all out, if it's in an established tank. Just don't clean the filter for a couple of weeks.

[PyrettaFae]

I have to raise it slowly by .002 a week. The fish are about 1.5 inches so the SG I'm going for is 1.005-1.010 per the GSPs in focus article in the pufferpedia.

[PyrettaFae]

I have to raise it slowly by .002 a week. The fish are about 1.5 inches so the SG I'm going for is 1.005-1.010 per the GSPs in focus article in the pufferpedia.

[jmiller]

I have to raise it slowly by .002 a week. The fish are about 1.5 inches so the SG I'm going for is 1.005-1.010 per the GSPs in focus article in the pufferpedia.

That's what I was looking for.
Do you have plans to eventually take it full marine? If so that will make a difference in choosing things also. If you plan for your final outcome you can save a bunch of money on buying things that will eventually have to be replaced. Ask me how I know. There are several us us doing this right now, me, melbell86 & bigfatfish are ones I can think of right now.

Answers in italics.

1) aragonite..........be careful buying "sugar sized" can cause cloudiness with high flow tanks.
2) marine salt..........Any large brand name will be fine. I use Instant Ocean with no complaints.
3) bigger container for salt mixing - probably a 30g rubbermaid..........I use a 32 gallon Rubbermaid Brute on wheels (very important) that is food safe.
4) plants - I'm thinking vallisneria and anarchis.. java fern and java moss. I'm going for easy plants since I'm new to planted aquariums. Will these grow in the aragonite?..........once you get above 1.005 your plant choices are very limited. plan based on final SG.
5) driftwood of some type. I don't mind a discoloration of the water, since I think it looks more natural, but I don't want to hurt the fish. Any recommendations on wood??..........see PP comments
6) down the road I need a powerhead if I want to get a good current going. I was reading an article on BW setups and I like the river setup..........I have a Hydro Korilia Nano 425 GPH in a 37 gallon and it's perfect.

If you look I have a thread going about changing mine over (currently at 1.015) that should answer most of your questions.