37 high planted breeding tank

Ok so I set the tank on stand, hung the filter, installed the glass top...and put in some of that pre fertilized gravel.
I'll post some pics as we go here, I need camera batteries.
also looking for lighting and plant recommendations (or donations)
I am going to place a few large rocks in the back, then fill in with the gravel , to create a higher level for planting at the back of tank.

I useually have plants I can part with every month or so. The ones I have currently are pretty much spoken for but I have a trim comming up in a week or two and I will have more. As for info, one of the best resources is aquatic plant central. There you will find very detailed info on lighting, ferts, and inhabitants. Also if you have any specific questions just post them myself and a few others seem to have an aquatic green thumb and we can answer questions.

Oh and taller tanks useually require more light. But there are loads of options out there for lower light low tech tanks. Look into the diffrent anubias, and java ferns. Those are really nice and need only very little light to do well. Also java moss. Hope this was helpfull. And ask if you have any questions.

As a General rule I usually go no less than three watts (Not required) per Gallon However,
Plants with low light requirements, such as Java Fern, Anubias, Cryptocoryne and various water ferns like Bolbitus Heudelotii, will do really well in 1 watt per gallon or even less. These plants naturally photosynthesize slowly. (They do however adapt very well to high light levels) There are also many aquarium plants requiring moderate light levels that survive just fine in low light conditions. They just grow slower and less vigorously..

To keep your aquarium plants healthy, the light and CO2 has to be balanced.

* If the light is very intense and there isn't a corresponding larger amount of CO2, the light can harm your aquarium plants.
* Too much CO2 without the right amount of light will affect your aquarium plants ability to photosynthesize, and can in turn harm your fish.
* A balanced tank will definetly have more plants than fish

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so if my lighting is wimpy I may not want to add c02 until a lighting upgrade can be done? How do you know the light to c02 ratio??


here is the start
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Yea exactly you will be ok just adding a supplement plant food but dont over crowd with Low lighting as plants will strangle eachother so to speak for the light...

Looks great, Aaron!! Keep us posted

brand new tank leaked all over a pergo floor,,, pretty much ruined a big part of the floor,I can't believe my luck today......minor set back,,, I'll post pics of the reset,, after i set it up again

There are many ways to run a really nice planted tank. I would read a good 20 to 30 articals on diffrent methods before jumping into it. Search keyword el natural this is a way to set up a stunning tank and requires vary little maintnence. There are several methods to run low light low maintnance tanks that work great. Most articals will show several tanks that have been running for years with no co2 and pretty low lights. Really a planted tank can be as simple or as complicated as you want it. Read as many different methods as possible and see what works for you.

[quote="aaronfeeney"]so if my lighting is wimpy I may not want to add c02 until a lighting upgrade can be done? How do you know the light to c02 ratio??


here is the start
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Seachems makes a few good liquid fert that contain a lot of the nutrients plants need. I have a simple 10 gallon tank that has a 27 watt compact flourecent light on it that runs for 3 hours a day and the tank gets sunlight for 5 hours a day. For ferts all I add is seachems excell and flourish, I have done 2 water changes only, and it has been up and running for about a year and has worked out nicely for me.


On the flip side I have a 29 gallon tank with 110 watts of lighting, diy co2 w/1 bubble per second and a 10 hour photo period and a fairly strict dry ferts system that requires a water change evry 6 days or my fish show sighns of stress. This tank has to be trimmed almost every week, but I enjoy the trimming its kinda relaxing for me. So it's all about how much you want to put into it. Good luck on whatever you decide but my advice is read, read, read as much as you can.

aaronfeeney wrote:brand new tank leaked all over a pergo floor,,, pretty much ruined a big part of the floor,I can't believe my luck today......minor set back,,, I'll post pics of the reset,, after i set it up again

"Weak Sauce" I had a fluval 405 unload 50 gallons of a 75 gallon tank on too my carpet and just stink the room up for a week while drying out after a good steam cleaning and all the fans running it went away but what a feeling to walk in and see your tank missing over 2/3's of it water and floor just flooded..
Oh boy did Hagen hear from me on that one...

lol god i hope that doesnt happen to me, i better get my electronics off the floor i didnt even think about it!

Nice setup. I keep java fern myself and they're pretty easy, if I do say so myself. I'll be getting some java moss soon too to cover my fish caves. Just make sure not to bury the rhizome with java ferns or they won't survive!

i dont see very many plants in that tank. lol

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please refer to blue ram breeding blog