what is needed to do good aquascaping? not so easy 10 pts!!!!!?
lighting? what do they mean by using a t5 and a bulb rated at 6700k??? what does this mean??? please tell in detail!!! im a noob!!!
how much does a c02 system cost?? and what types of c02 systems are there?
i am going to use flourite as a subsrate??? must it be a bottom layer? or can it be all the substrate? and what is laterite?
and how do you clean the bottom if it is a thick carpet of dwarf hairgrass???
what else is needed??? and any other tips would be welcomed!!!!!!!
The first thing to do is get back to basics, if this is your first aquarium then I would refrain from trying a high-tec planted aquarium. There is lots to learn about plants, water chemistry, plant husbandry etc.
Below I’ll explain each part in a little more detail.
Lighting- Standard fluorescent tubes (the same as the ones you can obtain from a DIY store) are measured in eighths of an inch. For example a T8 tube has a diameter of eight eighths of an inch or one inch. A T5 tube however is only five eighths of an inch in diameter. Both tubes require different fittings and the light output from a T5 tube is considerably higher than that of a T8 tube, however they do use more electricity and are more expensive to buy.
Fluorescent tubes are sold with details on the size and wattage of the tube. Good brands also state the Kelvin rating, this is measured in Kelvin degrees. A tube with a Kelvin rating of around 3000K will produce a fairly orange-yellow light, however a tube with a Kelvin rating of 20000K will produce a blue light. Natural daylight is around 5000-7000K, this means that a 6700K tube will replicate natural sunlight.
CO2- As you are probably aware, plants need CO2 for photosynthesis. There are many different types of CO2 injection however the best one will depend on the size of the tank. In a small tank you could actually use a liquid carbon additive such as Easylife Easycarbo or Seachem Florish.
In a large tank however this would be quite expensive and therefore not very practical, the best method of CO2 injection in this case would be pressurised CO2. You can either purchase complete kits or you can build your own system using a CO2 fire extinguisher. Pressurised CO2 is however more expensive to buy, the cylinders will need to be replaced once they run out and care also needs to be taken to prevent the cylinder from leaking, which can be very dangerous.
Substrates- Seachem Fluorite is generally used by itself at a depth of around 2-3 inches. Laterite is a substrate formed by decaying rocks, it is very high in iron and other nutrients, it is also very useful for deep-rooting plant species such as Cryptocorynes.
Finally make sure you do plenty of research, join a good aquatic plant website such as http://www.ukaps.org, the members are very friendly and will give you plenty of advice on equipment, plants and aquascape design. Other good links are http://www.tropica.com, http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk and http://www.thebarrreport.com
Shop lighting upgrade: T5 vs T8 fluorescent vs LED
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