# Low tech planted tank



## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

So a few months ago I set out to get one of my tanks a planted tank with geophagus species. Some patience and determination I got it to work. No co2, no ferts for weeks, just light. Substrate is 50lb pool filter sand - 15lbs of floramax - 10 lb of flourite - 10 lb of eco-complete - 15 lbs of play sand. 
Several anubias species, several java fern species, water sprite, dwarf lettuce, duck weed, vals , 13" melon sword in the middle, some dwarf sag, frog bits, salvinia minima, Hygrophyla difformis, a 10"x13" subwassertang mesh wall still in its barely growing out stage, 10"x13" Xmas wall still in its beginning stage, 5"x8" java moss wall starting to grow out.



















Hmmm, images not showing?


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)




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## metricliman (Sep 3, 2012)

How big is it? I'd suggest moving some of the plants away from the center.


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## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

Cryptic...you have lots of great plants and a couple of nice pieces of wood and some beautiful fish. Your methods are working great...I'm envious. As Metricliman suggests I would move some of your plants off center and "group" them leaving some open space for lower growing plants / covers. With a little tweeking your planted tank will be filling in nicely and becoming a stunning showpiece.


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

75g. Yeah I'll prob do some plant shuffling, and concentrate species more together. The plants are so big was concerned about some not having enough light grabbing, and expansion room when I rescaped it the other night. I have a 55g with plants too at the moment but in shower caddies lol. I was thinking of adding some purple, and red plants in too, maybe after some trimming to add some color. Also all plants were locally bought or traded for which was nice.

Another concern I had from observing the GEOS is open space almost welcomes more digging-uprooting, but being like how it is they seem to not want to. Haven't figured out if that's good if bad yet lol. OK I'll rescape it, and come back for feedback


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If you want to keep low tech, avoid the purple and red plants.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

I know nothing about plants. What species are the floating ones?


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

Uh dwarf lettuce, frog bits, duck weed, salvinia minima. There's another species floating in there I forget the name. I'll have to dig into my cell msgs to find, but the leaves are red on one side, silver on the other with these corn cob looking growths up, and down the stem. Reminds me of fishing lure.
The ones with the long roots at the moment is dwarf lettuce.



DJRansome said:


> If you want to keep low tech, avoid the purple and red plants.


Yeah, except maybe that melon sword, but I read the red ones need a source if iron for their color which will be hard to do w/o ferts.


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

To add to the first paragraph above. Main reason I got them is I think my light is too bright, and wanted to naturally dim it w/o using other methods. But there will have to be a lot of trimming to keep it all at a decent level as a lot of it grows really fast. But I can use that to an advantage for trading. Which I hope to do with the moss, Javas, and anubias species as well, and since most of them propagate via runners it'll allow me to plant my other tanks in due time. That's the plan at least.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Low tech usually means low light and the red/purple plants generally need high light to bring out these colors.

If you have enough light for red/purple you may have too much for java and anubias.


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

Yeah that's why I added floater plants to dim it instead of using another light or doing the window screen method. This t5 light is a bit bright. I may pull one of the bulbs out. Yeah the red purple plants really isn't a option, more wishful thinking. Thinking about just setting up another tank for high tech plants, no fish, just shrimp.


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

Iggy Newcastle said:


> I know nothing about plants. What species are the floating ones?


Grabbed a quick pic of the dwarf lettuce, and salvinia


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Nice. I like it.


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)




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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Filling in nicely. What is the narrow-leaved plant right above the fish?


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

Hmm, i tried to label everything. I know i'm forgetting at least 5 other rotala, and ludwiga species, but this is what i could do from the office with that last pic lol. I've had to trim, and trade out, and give away a lot the last few weeks. I'm surprised how well the red plants are doing, they are growing babie plants so thats a good sign 

I tried to label everything correctly to my knowledge, there is just so many species, and so much i'm learning still...


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

20G H i made for the kitchen. 30lbs of eco-complete, and a 13w 7k bulb for light


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