The Puffer Forum

just looking for some info on a few things ive been wondering.

1. what SG does your tank need to be sitting at to support live rock??? i really want some for my GSP tank and am sitting at about 1.008. i know thats not high enough, but am trying to ballpark when i will be able to house it, so i can budget it in

2. Plants. i was wondering what plants are easy and beautiful for my planted tank. so far i have hi-grow, and tomorrow am getting a small patch of hair grass. that brings me to the next part of my question. How long does it take hair grass to grow??? im very aware that it depends on so many factors, such as lighting, substrate, fertilizer, Co2, and so on. but i was just wondering if it will cover a nice chunk of the floor of my tank in the next few months, or years. i have never grown aquatic grass.

thanks in advance

Edit:
Both of my GSPs have been fed crushed snails for the first time this week. this is the first time either of them have actually EATEN snail shell. they have developed a little red mark on the rim of their mouth each. one has it top lip in the middle and one bottom lip on the side. im just wondering if this is normal. it looks as though they got a tiny little cut on their lips. i have fed them soft food since as an attempt at letting the heal. i have pictures of it waiting to be uploaded. ill do that in a little bit. thanks

1. SG needs to be at least 1.021 iirc

2.very few plants will live in BW very long at all

hey thanks!! good to know for the first part. as for the second i am wondering about the plants for a freshwater tank, not the brackish tank. sorry, maybe i didn't make that clear....

oh ok, then I have no idea LOL

I have very good luck with cyrpts & anubias in my 90g, with 4 strip lights above it & no CO2:

I've not grown dwarf hair grass, but people have said it's a fast, easy to grow plant. Not sure what your lighting have, but 2 wpg or so, moderate light is fine.
Is hi-grow a fertilizer? I'm sorry, I've not heard of that before.
Dwarf hair doesn't appear to require Co2.

Sorry your little dudes have owies, hopefully that will clear up soon.

hey thanks for the suggestions PP. im really wanting some easy to grow plants to fill out my tank, although i will prob use Co2 because i want a full grass bottom one day. and sorry for the poor spelling SYN, i was just told what it is. its hygro, i looked it up. pictures attached of the strand i have. i think its a really beautiful plant. does anyone know if i can just literally cut them in half and plant the top half and it will continue to grow???

Yes it will.

If you keep your lighting lower to moderately low <2 watts per gallon, that decreases your plants need for oodles of nutrition to sustain growth. All plants need micro & macro nutrients, but low-tech aquariums don’t need them in very high volumes. If the lights are high, and you don't keep up with supplemental fertilizers and Co2, algae metropolis!
But are lots of beautiful plants that grow perfectly fine under lower light levels and that do not require Co2.
PP had once posted this link to a fertilizer company that had a lot of information on the website: http://www.yamatogreen.com/plantnutrients101.htm

I love Yamato Green! Not sure if you can get it in CAN though but great info at his site.

thanks so much. PP and SYN seem to be the info team!

hey it would cost me $26.50usd to have a 16 oz bottle of this shipped to my door. as i am planning on getting something like this anyway as i have just carpeted my tank in dwarf hair grass, do you think this is worth getting this kind??? or is there probably the same thing at big als??? they really explain to you why its good and thats a beautiful up sell!! any others people are familiar with and trust???

I just shopped around yesterday, I think it's a good deal. I saw the big al's brand, but I don't trust that. I currently use Seachem's stuff, it's actually more expensive to get because of the seperate bottles you need to cover everything.

Oh, and if your stocking levels are light, and your nitrate levels are constantly below 10, or below 5 even, get the Yamato with nitrogen.

I get 4 bottles at a time or more. Same shipping.