Starting new planted tank

[TR]

Hi,
I am planning to start a second aquarium (20 or 30G long), designed to
be planted from the start (my current one has plants but substrate is
bad).
I've been reading up on planted tank techniques and recommendations, but
I have a few questions in regards to maintenance.

I'm leaning towards a fluorite base with a topping of Onyx sand or Black
Tahitian Moon sand. When you have a sand topping like that, how do you
clean the substrate? Can you vacuum like you do with gravel? Or do you
just have to be sure you never over feed :-0. Does waste breakdown
better/faster in a planted tank?
Is there any future maintenance that will be needed, like replacing the
topping or reworking the substrate in general?
I've seen some recommendations to slope the substrate so it is lower in
the front, is there a particular reason for this?

Thanks,
Tom

[Marvin Hlavac]

> I'm leaning towards a fluorite base with a topping of Onyx sand or Black
> Tahitian Moon sand. When you have a sand topping like that, how do you
> clean the substrate? Can you vacuum like you do with gravel? Or do you
> just have to be sure you never over feed :-0. Does waste breakdown
> better/faster in a planted tank?

Hi Tom,

I use 100% Fluorite so I cannot comment on maintenance of 2 layered
substrate. However a lot of people go without vacuuming planted tanks.
Plants use the waste as nutrients. My tank is very lightly stocked with fish
and I have about 30 Amano Shrimps that clean the bottom. It was established
2 years ago and now in more then a year it hasn't been vacuumed.

--
Regards,
Marvin Hlavac
Toronto, Canada

[Aquatic-Store.com]

I suggest eco complete as it is balck and will be much easier to clean
than sand.
Flourite alo is a pain as it makes the water cloudy and whenever you
move plants around you will disturb it
On another note sand will be compacted over time and this is not
conducive to plant grow

Kasselmann aquarium plants book 59.99
Eco-Complete 13.99 a bag

Marcus

http://www.aquatic-store.com/

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Power compact bulbs and MH the lowest on the net
Co2 regulator and bubble counter with needle valve $75

JBJ lighitn, Hamilton lighting and milwaukee 5% price match find it
cheaper and buy it with us for 5% less than thier price

On Thu, 08 Apr 2004 11:05:58 -0400, TR
> wrote:

>Hi,
>I am planning to start a second aquarium (20 or 30G long), designed to
>be planted from the start (my current one has plants but substrate is
>bad).
>I've been reading up on planted tank techniques and recommendations, but
>I have a few questions in regards to maintenance.
>
>I'm leaning towards a fluorite base with a topping of Onyx sand or Black
>Tahitian Moon sand. When you have a sand topping like that, how do you
>clean the substrate? Can you vacuum like you do with gravel? Or do you
>just have to be sure you never over feed :-0. Does waste breakdown
>better/faster in a planted tank?
>Is there any future maintenance that will be needed, like replacing the
>topping or reworking the substrate in general?
>I've seen some recommendations to slope the substrate so it is lower in
>the front, is there a particular reason for this?
>
>Thanks,
>Tom

[NetMax]

"TR" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
> I am planning to start a second aquarium (20 or 30G long), designed to
> be planted from the start (my current one has plants but substrate is
> bad).
> I've been reading up on planted tank techniques and recommendations,
but
> I have a few questions in regards to maintenance.
>
> I'm leaning towards a fluorite base with a topping of Onyx sand or
Black
> Tahitian Moon sand. When you have a sand topping like that, how do you
> clean the substrate?

With a cleaning crew for uneaten food, and low ground cover plants for
detritus.

> Can you vacuum like you do with gravel?

You can, but it's all plant food, and it's almost impossible to vacuum a
mixed aggregate without mixing them together. I don't recommend mixing
gravel & sand to beginners, unless they expect it to get mixed (and sand
settles under gravel). If your upper substrate was thick enough, you
could maintain them seperate longer.

Or do you
> just have to be sure you never over feed :-0.

You never over-feed anyways, but you will need to ensure that your ground
crew (shrimps, corys etc) is eating well enough (ie: occasional sinking
catfish pellet).

Does waste breakdown
> better/faster in a planted tank?

Don't know. Bacteria are still breaking it down. The root systems are
carrying it away, instead of your gravel vacuum. To achieve balance, you
cannot have a lot of large fish though. We are talking small fish and/or
modest fish-loads.

> Is there any future maintenance that will be needed, like replacing the
> topping or reworking the substrate in general?

If the substrate is exposed, then it needs to be cleaned (deep vacuum for
gravel, surface skim for sand as needed), and you need to deal with algae
as it occurs. If the substrate is covered by low plants, then there
isn't much that you can do to it (or would want to).

> I've seen some recommendations to slope the substrate so it is lower in
> the front, is there a particular reason for this?

Crap rolls downhill, (to the front where it can easily be gravel
vacuumed).

NetMax

> Thanks,
> Tom
>

[TR]

Thanks all for the information.
Have decided to delay this next tank for a month or so, and spend some more
time in preparation. I want to get it set up properly, then transfer the
fish from my other tank, and restart the old tank.
I'll probably go with eco-complete as a substrate, and not do a mixed bed.
KISS is the plan.
Thanks,
Tom


"TR" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
> I am planning to start a second aquarium (20 or 30G long), designed to
> be planted from the start (my current one has plants but substrate is
> bad).
> I've been reading up on planted tank techniques and recommendations, but
> I have a few questions in regards to maintenance.
>
> I'm leaning towards a fluorite base with a topping of Onyx sand or Black
> Tahitian Moon sand. When you have a sand topping like that, how do you
> clean the substrate? Can you vacuum like you do with gravel? Or do you
> just have to be sure you never over feed :-0. Does waste breakdown
> better/faster in a planted tank?
> Is there any future maintenance that will be needed, like replacing the
> topping or reworking the substrate in general?
> I've seen some recommendations to slope the substrate so it is lower in
> the front, is there a particular reason for this?
>
> Thanks,
> Tom
>