# Changed substrate from sand to flourite, need opinions.



## sharkbait1213 (Jul 17, 2005)

ok I have a 10g tank, tried to used sand with plants didnt work they died. and the sand got a slime layer of algae so i dumped it and started over. Now i have a 2" bed of flourite as the substrate, a piece of drift wood as a center piece. i have a coralife light that has 2 14 watt T5 bulbs. i could remove one if needed. Im also about to start CO2. what types of plants could thrive or do well in this substrate? We also plan on keeping two Golden Rams in this tank. The tank is cycled and there is two zebra danios in there right now to keep it going until I get it set up the way i want it then i am going to take out the danios and put in the golden rams. Thanks for any / all help!!


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

Flourite substrate, 30W light, and CO2. Sounds like a good beginning for a high-tech plant tank. But you'll need to use fertilizers along with this. I don't know much about ferts as I don't use them, but Simpte will be along soon to recommend something to you, I'm sure.

If you didn't use ferts with your sand substrate, that's probably part of the reason they died. Sand has no nutrients in it for the plants, so they need to get everything they need from the water column.

And with 3WPG, CO2, Flourite, and ferts, you should be able to grow a huge variety of stuff. Just buy a bunch or two of whatever looks nice; most things will do well in a well balanced high tech tank.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Tropica's Master Grow should work with most plants available locally. There are very few plants you couldn't grow in this tank but depending on the species, you may or may not have to put more time into it.


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## sharkbait1213 (Jul 17, 2005)

im looking for plants that need as little attention as possible. 

Also does anyone know where to get 14watt T5 bulbs?? i cant seem to find them anywhere....


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

The bulbs are easy to find.............online
http://www.bigalsonline.com/search/...e=2;log_id=4896863;category_id=;manufacturer=

Most known online places will carry them, though you may have to search.
Bulbs.com should have them also. Innovetive lighting solutions may have them also. Its a big world out there. 

My question to you would be why T5? With a 10 gallon tank It would be simplier to buy a pc fixture for it which would run about the same price and give more lighting.
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=24049;category_id=1875;pcid1=1843;pcid2=

28 watts will grow java fern, anubias, and the others listed as eay to grow in the sticky very well with little effort. You will need rocks and or driftwood to attach some of them to.


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

My 10 gal tank has a 24W pc fixture which works well. I'm growing swords, vallis, crypts, java fern, mini aquatic clover, anubias (although this grows so slowly that I can hardy say that it's really growing!), and a few things that I got from a friend and don't know the name of. One, which I just added on the weekend, is pinkish and will be be first experiment with colored plants! It's got some new growth which is, disappointingly, bright green....

Edit: I think the pinkish plant is Rotala rotundifolia.


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## sharkbait1213 (Jul 17, 2005)

this is the lighing fixture i have...... http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=32844;category_id=1853;pcid1=1843;pcid2=


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Its a good fixture. Nice selection. Red plants get their redness from lower levels of nitrate. More nitrate, more green.


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

Simpte said:


> Red plants get their redness from lower levels of nitrate. More nitrate, more green.


Oh, that's interesting! Where did you read that? It's funny, because I just read an article about red plants
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/show_article.php?article_id=41
and it doesn't mention nitrates.

If that's the case, then it's going to be all green. My tanks have high levels of nitrates, and there's not much I can do about it: our tapwater has 40ppm nitrates!

You might say that I should set up an RO system, but I'm far too much of an environmentalist to do that. I will, eventually, start using rainwater, as per the suggestions here:
http://mike-edwardes.members.beeb.net/rain.html
We are moving to a new house this weekend, and I will (eventually) set up a water butt plus rainwater diverter as described above. We have a water butt in our current house, but we've always collected all water (not diverting the first flush), and we've never cleaned it or strained the input. I thought about making the effort to clean up and fit a diverter to the existing water butt, but hubby convinced me it wasn't worth the effort since we'd be moving soon, that it would be easier just to start from fresh with a new water butt etc in the new house.

The Rotala came from a friend who does water changes with 90% rainwater, 10% tapwater, and it was nicely pink in his tank.


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## DavidDoyle (Jan 18, 2005)

High light levels, co2 pumped in = a planted tank that will not take care of itself. In fact it is just the opposite- it will require the maximum amount of work.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Adding PO4 will allow your plants to utilize more nitrates, Myra. They go hand in hand. I'll look to see if I can find the more common plant uptake levels at set lighting. As for the redness of plants and No3 (nitrate) levels pay close attention to richer's post in the link.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-1809.html

many people state it here also............
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/showthread.php?t=6587&highlight=red+plants+nitrate


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