Substrate

[ishar]

well to start, 36W over 90G is not even going to come close to being enough. Generally you want about 2-3WPG (Watts of light per gallon of water).

As for your plants, the ones I know are the following:
vallisneria americana- also known as Jungle Val or Giant Val. I wrote an article on these here in the MFT profile section (See "Profiles" at the top blue bar?). I myself haven't had the greatest of luck with them, but this was due to my lack of experience. Make sure they have enough light, a nutritional substrate, and good lighting.
Anubias nana & anubias bartin var. nana - I think you are referring to Anubias barteri var. nana, and Anubias barteri var. nana "petite"? Anyways they are both of the same demands, those being next to none. They can survive in very low light and without fertilizer. But for some reason they seem to die off in my tank all the time :/
Java fern - easy and non demanding like anubias.
java moss - uber easy and undemanding. Once you put it in your tank, if it attaches to your gravel or wood or rocks (And it will) it will never leave your tank. You will always have it.

All of those plants should do fine under 2WPG without fertilization and CO2. However the jungle vals will want root tabs for sure if you are not fertilizing the water column.

[midmichman80]

Shoot, bang!! Not enough light. I only have a single ballast fixture for the tank right now. Is there a bulb available to get the light desired, or do I need to go out and buy a new fixture with HO lights. I've seen fixtures with two ballasts at LFS, a bit more expensive, but I am guessing two is better than one. Any bulb suggestions, links are appreciated, and not really a DIY'er. Ishar, you will be my best bud by the end of this,

[ishar]

hahaha I am just glad I can help .

For a 90G tank, you are likely going to need two light fixtures. If I were you I would grab some Power Compact (PC) lights as they give about 3x the intensity for about the same price as if you got a dual T5 fixture (in my experience). I am not sure how long your tank is, but find out, and then divide it by two. Say it is 4feet long, then you need two 2feet lighting fixtures. Find out what the wattage would be for two 2feet long PC would be and see if that brings you up to par. That is what I would do anyways

[Lotus]

A 4x65 watt power compact fixture would probably work well for that tank. Either that, or possibly a 4x54 watt high output T5 fixture.

[joy613]

Originally Posted by midmichman80

Here are a list of plants I would like to put in my tank: Tape grass, vallisneria americana, Anubias nana, anubias bartin var. nana, Java fern, java moss, and american water weed, Elodea canadensis. Anyone have these in their tanks? Good experiences, water quality, nutrients, co2, ferts, the whole gambit on these guys. Thanks all!!

Have have anubias, java moss, and java ferns I have a couple that I don't have any light at all over and they seem to do fine. I don't use co2 in my tanks if I have to much light and algae starts on my anubias then I use some excel from seachem. I use liquid flourish from sea chem and I have something for iron and also some root tabs. I know using excel with vals and Elodea will melt if you use excel. I have really good results with the list you gave and I am pretty sure you will also.

[Avalon]

Originally Posted by midmichman80

Great info all, tanks!!! I have done a lot of reading about substrate and realize it is super important. I have a lot of time to get this right, no rush here. I was thinking of having 2" of substrate, an inch of peat and kitty litter, then an inch of sand on top.

Oh lord no! You do NOT want an inch of peat!!! This will ruin your tank! You only want a small sprinkling along the bottom, just enough to cover it with a very thin layer. The peat only serves as organic material for the bacteria to feed on until the tank establishes. Any more, and you'll have major algae issues from far too many organic compounds.

[midmichman80]

Alright, looking at lights, found a single satelite compact flourescent 48", 2 x 65w and two lunar lights. The bulbs are smartpaq 50/50, 10,000k/460nm actinics. $113, good deal, right setup, enough wattage? Avalon, thanks for the heads-up on that one, I planned on having an inch of peat and kitty litter combined under the inch of sand. I heard the kitty litter is good to pick up nutrients and easy for roots tunnel through. So a light dusting of peat, then an inch or so of kitty litter on top, with sand to go on top of that. I am glad to hear that those plants have worked good in your tank, Joy. It is nice to know others have had good experiences with the plants you want for your own tank. Should the tank be cycled before I plant anything? Thanks for all the help, I am full of questions.

[ishar]

I would say plant the plants before/during the cycle. The plants will not affect the cycle much, and they would be glad to get themselves set up and rooted before any fish came along (again, not that that matters much either ).

As for your lights, actinic lighting is not what you want I don't think, and the wattage is still pretty low. You want at least 2 watts per gallon- so you take your watts (130) and divide by your tank size (90) and you get your WPG (=1.4). It is close but it includes actinic lighting and that is no good for freshwater as far as I know

[joy613]

The best time I find to plant the plants is when it is filling. The are easier to plant and if they float up you can replant them without getting wet all the way up to your shoulder. Plants use up a lot of the ammonia that is being produced at the start of your cycle. If you have heavy root feeders and plan on using root tabs put them in as well. I hold off with the flourish and iron until the plants slow down their growth.

[midmichman80]

Ok, no actinic lighs, and if I chose not to put vals americana in the tank, apporox 1.5-2 wpg should be good for the other plants? Ferts in the substrate and possibly a CO2 system. Found one for pretty cheap at LFS, not sure how much water it will condition though. Within a week or two I am going to get the substrate and plants in and enjoy all of your help and comments. This site is the best.