suggestions/advice please setting up 35g hex planted DP tank

[GSPdragon]

I'll be picking up my new 35 gallon hex tank tomorrow (shown here http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/vie ... php?t=3496).

I plan to use it as a planted dwarf puffer tank but I have NO experience with planted tanks.

I'd like to create some sort of tall rock structure in the middle with lots of holes for the DP's to swim through... any ideas on that?

As for the substrate, what should I use for a planted tank.

What plants are good for beginners (and DPs) and would look good in a 35 hex?

What do I need to do for the plants, lighting? fertilizer?

Thanks so much!!!

[Tihsho]

For substrate look into Eco Complete its the easiest to use due to no pre rinsing.

Plants that are easy are as follows:
~Java fern
~Java moss
~Christmas moss
~Anubias sp.
~Amazon sp.
~Crypt sp.

You will need some pretty good lights. Personally I would look into some coralife units.

Fertilizers will help as will CO2 injection. Fertilizers like the products on the Flourish line work well as do home made CO2 units out of a 2 liter bottle. Best thing for plants is an acutal CO2 tank with a bublecounter and regulator but not everyone is willing to spend a price like that.

[Boxermom]

You don't have to spend a fortune to get a good CO2 system. Lots of people, including myself, use this one and its very inexpensive.
http://www.petsolutions.com/Plant+Gro+C ... 13-C-.aspx

Personally I hate mosses. We have java moss in my husband and son's tanks and they are doing well but in my tanks, they just seem to collect all the crap floating around in the tank and look a mess.

Other great, hardy plants are Anacharis (I prefer egeria najas), dwarf sag., ludwigia, lloydiella, rotala. All very good for beginners.

[Tihsho]

Boxermom, the system I was describing is the compressed gas system, they are more effective but are more costy. The kits like those are only good for manufacturing CO2 on a daily basis. The compressed tanks run off of timed regulators that distribute the CO2 without having to put a mixed packet in each day.

Personally I find those CO2 producing kits a waste of money where as you can do the same cheaper.

For easy CO2 here is what you need:

~2 liter bottle
~4 cups water
~1 cup sugar
~small packet of bakers yeast.

This setup will last you about 3 weeks if it stays a temperature of about 75-76. This is more efficient then the kits due to them needing you to add packets of their product in a canister to create CO2.

[Boxermom]

Sure you can do it yourself cheaper, but for goobs like me who can't glue two sticks together, its a pretty cheap alternative.

[londonloco]

I use both eco complete and flourite. I like the color differences....In my 72 gallon I use a co2 injection system. In my 30 gallon and 12 gallon, I use excel...

[Myaj]

I would also use Excel instead of messing around with CO2 DIY stuff and the small "kits".

I prefer EcoComplete over Flourite, just because you don't have to wash it, but it also looks great, especially if you use a black background.

For the structure.. that would be tough. Rocks do not like to attach to any sort of glue I've found. You'd probably be better off trying to make something out of foam blocks or that 'great stuff" foam, but its a pretty major project. Or stack up driftwood, that would work. Find some smaller pieces and maybe drill a hole through them and thread them on a dowel, if that makes any sense. You could then tuck some java fern or anubias into the wood.

Your lighting is what is going to be important, you can't grow much without decent lighting. What do you have?

Once you have your substrate in, etc, I'll ship you some good beginner plants (crypts, anubias, lace java fern).

[Tihsho]

Big tip about strong lighting is that you will need some sort of CO2 supplement. If you have say a double flouresent and are looking to go with narrow leaved plants you are going to need CO2. Strong lights are what allow plants to absorb CO2 in order for them in a sense to eat and grow. Without CO2 and having strong lights you are basically draining the tank of food for the plant and the CO2 to O2 reactions will not be as long lasting and higher level light plants will start to show some browning of foliage. Though you can supplement fertilizers such as florish excel, florish, florish iron etc the best way to go is with a good substrate, good lights and a decent CO2 injection. Personally for my planted tank and for the other planted tanks I had the 2 liter CO2 method worked like a charm and I had no problems of my PH dropping due to over kill of the substance. My plants grew very well and sometimes too well that I had cuttings every week of many plants (ex: telecanthera, cabomba, mexican oak leaf, rotala indica, super red rotala indica, hygro (not easy to kill nor does it stop growing. but you don't need much for that), myro, and red fox tail to name a few.) But since then I've just gone back to a low level light tank with anubias, crypts, java fern, and a few sags.

[GSPdragon]

great responses

To be honest after reading more and thinking if over I think I'll stick with silk for now, as much as I love the look & idea of live plants I'm not ready to spend the extra $ for this tank... plan to just use the stock hood light, which is probably 20watts max and that isn't going to cut it for planted especially since its a hex and tall.

If I get the 55 I'll look into doing a planted with that, it has much better options for lighting

[Tihsho]

With stock lighting its easy to do anubias and javafern or java moss due to their low lighting requirements. They don't need the CO2 due to the low light and supplements/planting gravel are optional.

[londonloco]

Ya know, I have a friend who has a stock 55g and a stock 45 stretch hex. She has stock lighting, eco and flourish substrate, and adds flourish several times a week. That's all. Her plants are doing fine. They don't have that deep green color you get from co2 injection, but they are definitely holding their own, for months now.