should i fertilize?

[cubsfan]

I am finally in the process of setting up my planted 29 gallon aquarium. I introduced the plants a few days ago and have some questions in regards to keeping them healthy. I am relatively new to this stuff, so keep that in mind.

The tank has fluorite as substrate, and I am using a DIY CO2 injection system. The plants I currently have in the tank include: amazon sword, valisneria, wisteria, and lilaeopsis. In order for these plants to thrive, I am wondering whether I need to supplement the tank with additional nutrients. Any advice on this subject would be greatly appreciated!

 

[aspen]

sooner or later the tank will run out of nutrients, and you will need to add more. a good fert such as tropica master grow will give you all that you need. how much fert you need will depend on how much the plants grow and this will depend on how much light and your co2 levels, and also your fish load, which add nitrogen and phosphorous. a good fert will be adding potassium, iron and other micro-nutrients. use the fert spare, too much is a great way to become overgrown with algae quickly.

there are lots of good sites to do some basic reading, i like the krib www.thekrib.com because it has many different approaches, and lots of solutions and general info.

i like the plants you've picked, except maybe the vals, depending on the species. imo most species, except for the corkscrew variety get too large for a tank the size you have. but they are all very good starter plants. watch the liliopsis, it can be a little tough as a starter plant, but when it grows in nice it is a really nice foreground plant. the size of tank for your first real planted tank is good too, if algae becomes a problem it can be torn out and re-planted in an evening.

your diy co2 will go at a faster rate by putting it in a water bath with a heater. it will run out faster, but lots of co2 makes a real nice tank. 2 bottles will help. you will know when your levels are high enough, when the plants are pearling away. (little bubbles forming on the leaves.)

what type of lighting and how many watts are you using?

rick

 

[LyreTail]

cut the Val's with a pair of scissors when they get too tall. I like to trim them to a point and vary heights.

Val's also seem to suck nutrients from the water column quicker than other plants, so I tend to uproot baby Val's to keep population in check

The swords may need substrate feedings

 

[cubsfan]

Thanks for the advice guys...

I'm actually not sure what wattage the lights over my tank are... I ordered the hood recently, and it came with two 24" Eclipse daylight bulbs. They do not have the wattage listed on them. The lighting seems quite bright in the tank though, and I believe that the daylight spectrum should provide the proper wavelengths for photosynthesis?

Thanks again for the advice!

Ed