FishForums.com - View Single Post

**Damon** · 02-21-2006, 08:35 AM

Flourite works well (a little dusty if you are not careful filling the tank). That should be all you need. Gowing plants is not hard as long as you are prepared in the beginning. I comapre it to starting a salt tank. Proper setup will save you many, many headaches in the near future. You'll probably go through a diatom phase which is normal. PLANT HEAVY OR DO NOT PLANT AT ALL!!! There is no way around it. Plant plants you do not want to keep if need be. Buy cheap ones if you don't have enough. You can remove them as you get ones you do want. Have you thought of your stocking ideas? If planted heavy, you could start off with 10-12 schooling fish with no ill advers effects (like rummynose or bloodfins or even neons or cardinals). If you have not added the flourite to the tank yet, I would add a dusting of peat to the bottom, followed by filter squeezings. Just take some polyfiber or sponge from an established tank (I know you have those) and squeeze it directly over the dusting of peat. Be sure to get some good mulm (the gunk we vacuum out of the gravel). Thats where the good bacteria is. Just as good as bio-spira. Then add your flourite. Fill to submerge the gravel but no more. Plant and fill all the way up slowly. I like to change 20% of the water right then to remove some of the dust floating and top off from there. If you use the peat use sphagnum (spelling). It runs about $5.00 for a bag that will setup more than 5000 gallons of tank

This is the one I use. Used it on 2 55 gallon and 1 75 gallon tanks and havent dented it yet.

You don't need a lot. You don't even want to cover the bottom. Just a dusting.

02-21-2006, 08:35 AM	#6
Damon Aquatic Naturalist Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Dayton, Ohio Age: 32 Posts: 14,982	Flourite works well (a little dusty if you are not careful filling the tank). That should be all you need. Gowing plants is not hard as long as you are prepared in the beginning. I comapre it to starting a salt tank. Proper setup will save you many, many headaches in the near future. You'll probably go through a diatom phase which is normal. PLANT HEAVY OR DO NOT PLANT AT ALL!!! There is no way around it. Plant plants you do not want to keep if need be. Buy cheap ones if you don't have enough. You can remove them as you get ones you do want. Have you thought of your stocking ideas? If planted heavy, you could start off with 10-12 schooling fish with no ill advers effects (like rummynose or bloodfins or even neons or cardinals). If you have not added the flourite to the tank yet, I would add a dusting of peat to the bottom, followed by filter squeezings. Just take some polyfiber or sponge from an established tank (I know you have those) and squeeze it directly over the dusting of peat. Be sure to get some good mulm (the gunk we vacuum out of the gravel). Thats where the good bacteria is. Just as good as bio-spira. Then add your flourite. Fill to submerge the gravel but no more. Plant and fill all the way up slowly. I like to change 20% of the water right then to remove some of the dust floating and top off from there. If you use the peat use sphagnum (spelling). It runs about $5.00 for a bag that will setup more than 5000 gallons of tank This is the one I use. Used it on 2 55 gallon and 1 75 gallon tanks and havent dented it yet. You don't need a lot. You don't even want to cover the bottom. Just a dusting. __________________ For in much wisdom [is] much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Member of the AGA (Aquatic Gardner's Association) Member of the IBC (International Betta Congress)