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Freshwater Aquarium Plants Fishtank Forum dedicated specifically for the discussion of Freshwater Plants. Topics may include what nutrients are needed, substrates and fertilizers, plant placements, lighting choices and procedures, and any other questions that are directly related to the keeping of Freshwater Plants. Questions on Driftwood may also be directed to this forum.


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Old 11-01-2006, 04:36 PM   #1
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Question best subtrate and light for planted tank


what is the best subtrate for a planted tank ?
What is also the best light?

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Old 11-01-2006, 06:22 PM   #2
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I can tell you which substarte to stay away from and that is Flourite, any of them. I rinsed that stuff for over 2hrs, put it into the tank and every time I touched it the tank got extremely clouded, Had to take the loach out because all the digging the tank was always clouded. I have good things about eco-complete. As long as you have around 2.5-3.0 watts per gallon any lights will be fine.
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Old 11-02-2006, 09:29 AM   #3
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Fluorite is an excellent substrate for plants, it has a very high CEC, is a natural fracted clay rich in iron and other minerals, and IMO has a great natural color.

I use it in all of my tanks with no problems.

It does require, as gm333 has indicated, a good rinse. There are tricks to do that so you do not run into the problem he did with cloudy water. The latest talk out in the community is that it is still one of the top substrate choices.

You might want to go to the planted tank sub forum and read some of the threads on light. That will give you a starting point for more questions or research.

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As long as you have around 2.5-3.0 watts per gallon any lights will be fine.
That advice is a little too open ended for me, if you are interested in a planted tank. For instance, light at 3 watts per gallon or over is approaching a high light planted tank, while light at 2.5 watts or under is approaching a low light tank each of these conditions requires a different husbandry, plant choices etc. We can talk further when you decide which way you want to go.

This is a high light planted aquarium ->

Sorry for the color fade, I used this pic of my tank to show off how bog wood can be used. A lot of folks are interested in an aquarium with plants, not a planted aquarium. When you decide let us know.

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Old 11-04-2006, 07:37 PM   #4
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Hey Jay how long did you soak the bog wood to rid it of tannin. very nice tank by the way everything is well hidden from view.
Do you run a sump for your tank ? or is this not necessary with all the plants you have
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Old 11-06-2006, 07:28 AM   #5
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I run a rena 3 canister + about 200 gph power head for circulation and CO2 injection. The Canister out flow is at the top back short corner, the intake is in the front short corner.

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