Here I go again.......

[Richgrenfell]

Off on another aquatic obsession! :roll:
My wife has informed me that she is just going to buy me a 5,000 gallon tank with some scuba gear for christmas, that way I can just live with the fish. i told her that was fine by me....and now I hafta do the dishes after dinner :?
Anyway, i have decided to try and cultivate some of my favorite plants. I am beginning with a 20 gallon tank, and have placed a modest order of some very nice african plants. I am beginning with a DIY C02 system, and 55 watts of light. I have had alot of my questions answered by Ted (thanks Ted!) and i am sure i'll be posting many more. I was wondering what you folks use for fertilizer here. I have a friend that cultivates plants, and he uses jobes plant spikes for ferns. But i have discovered that they are no longer distributing them, and they are hard to come by. Any ideas?

Rich

 

[aspen]

well the first thing that comes to mind is, 'boy am i ever glad i bought the last 4 pkgs of jobe's fern and palm i saw at the plant store!'

i use these, very spare in under the roots, and tropica master gro in the water column, and have had no nutrient problems with my planted tanks. if i needed to change due to lack of supply of jobes, i would look into the seachem plant tabs, but i still have lots.

rick

 

[farm41]

Jobes and TMG for me too, I also dose k2o, kh2po4 and flourish iron. Pressurized co2 injection and lots of light of course.

Your 20g with 55w should do well with 1 bottle of diy co2. Have you used diy co2 before? If so, what recipe? What do you plan to use for a diffuser?

 

[Richgrenfell]

nope,
well actually, i did use it once, and i ended up with sugar and yeast in my tank (a really long time ago). Ted has been answering all of my questions on DIY C02, and i'm pretty confident i'll do alright. I'll be using a small power filter to diffuse. I was going to make one of the ones out of the python tube and powerhead, but i think that will be a little too powerful for a 20. I have some friends in the welding business, and i hope to assemble an injection system eventually. The tank I really want to plant is my 90 gallon. i really like ambulia, and foxtail, and cobomba, but i hear they are hard to cultivate?

Rich

 

[farm41]

I don't know about the ambulia and foxtail, but my cabomba has to be trimmed about 8" weekly.

I got my 5lb tank and regulator at my welding store and it works great, just make sure when you do take that step to get a needle valve too.
m3 for the needle valve

The yeast getting in the tank was probably from too much yeast in the mix. Keep it at 2 cups sugar, 1/8th tsp yeast and a pinch of baking soda. I used to have 10 of these bottles going at a time(4 tanks) and this recipe would last 30 days. Make sure you use a check valve too.

HTH

 

[Orchid]

I have heard that Jobes Plant Spikes are very good to use. I have never used them myself, but I have used different ferts. that have been discontinued so I know what a bummer it is to lose a good fert.

Seachem's Flourish products are very good, I especially like their Flourite substrate. My Amazon Swords thrive in this stuff. My Anubias do very well in it, too. Kent puts out a good line of plant products, but I prefer Seachem.

An interesting side note...Some Aquarium Products Plantabbs, 11-15-20, came with an African plant package I ordered. I have been following the fert's directions and all but two of the fifteen Anubias in this newly set up 20 long have put off two leaves in less than twenty days! The substrate is about 20 lbs of Flourite, no fish, no CO2, I use only RO water, peat in the AC mini power filter, the light I use, and am very pleased with it in my other tanks, is a 20 watt soft white power compact flourescent that the power companies are urging us to switch to in place of the soft white incandescent lights.

Hats off to you for cultivating your own plants, I often have thought about farming Anubias sp, they are so charming and durable. Good luck.