Marimo/Moss ball
- Thread starter stoddern
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OK ill take a look at the tetra fert. once my Kent fert runs out that is.
I know, but experience is always better than just reading about stuff lol.
the color spectrum of my light is 5000k...looks like even though i looked thoroughly, i still missed the target haha! ill stick to this one for now. its a lot brighter than my old 22 watt one. and has a bluish tint to it. (you cant really tell hough if you took a look at the pic of my tank in th RMT threads) No its not specifically for marine, its mostly for freshwater. Something about the light concentrating on blue and red light emmision for better chlorophill a photosynthesis. makes sense cuz that what plants love to grow in, blue, but mostly red spectrum light.
now about that substate...from what i saw in the store its made up of clay granules.
do these sink to the bottom? do they act just like regular gravel and have the same weight? does this substrate have to be well rinsed or boiled before adding? will it change the color of the water? is it advisable to add this to an aquarium that already has gravel/fish/ and plants in it? I really dont want to drain all my water, put the substrate in, mix it with gravel and then refill the ENTIRE tank. this could wreck my biological filter, maybe cause some increase in ammonia and nitrite? If i choose to use it, can i layer all the substrate at the very bottom, and then put a layer of the existing gravel on top to completely cover it?
sorry, i need to know a lot before i consider buying this lol.
I know, but experience is always better than just reading about stuff lol.
the color spectrum of my light is 5000k...looks like even though i looked thoroughly, i still missed the target haha! ill stick to this one for now. its a lot brighter than my old 22 watt one. and has a bluish tint to it. (you cant really tell hough if you took a look at the pic of my tank in th RMT threads) No its not specifically for marine, its mostly for freshwater. Something about the light concentrating on blue and red light emmision for better chlorophill a photosynthesis. makes sense cuz that what plants love to grow in, blue, but mostly red spectrum light.
now about that substate...from what i saw in the store its made up of clay granules.
do these sink to the bottom? do they act just like regular gravel and have the same weight? does this substrate have to be well rinsed or boiled before adding? will it change the color of the water? is it advisable to add this to an aquarium that already has gravel/fish/ and plants in it? I really dont want to drain all my water, put the substrate in, mix it with gravel and then refill the ENTIRE tank. this could wreck my biological filter, maybe cause some increase in ammonia and nitrite? If i choose to use it, can i layer all the substrate at the very bottom, and then put a layer of the existing gravel on top to completely cover it?
sorry, i need to know a lot before i consider buying this lol.
the plant substrate that i bought was from a local LFS and it was a muddy substance. easiest way to add is first empty about half of tank of water and then find a dust pan or something equivalent to lower it slowly into the water layering it at the bottom causing not much upkick of the dirt/mud. then definitely layer some rock on top of that once you have it in so it doesnt make your water all dirty/muddy looking because it may take a little while to filter back to clear and the muddy substance will collect fast in your filters. it does not act as regular gravel as it is all loose so being careful when putting it in is a must if you dont want your water all cloudy and messy. i think you should be fine to put in even without fish in there. may be something to ask someone else but i wouldnt see it as a problem even when your cycling your tank. definitely add before plants as it will be a lot harder to uproot your plants, put substrate in, then replant or try and work around them and a lot less stressful on your plants. also another tip with plants ALWAYS rinse them off so you dont bring in snails or their eggs and then have a snail infestion and hard to ever get rid of. hope this helps more ask more questions if you have them and if i cant answer them someone on here can or a mod can answer them for you because they are extremely knowledgable. good luck keep on the right track of learning first. like the old rule measue twice cut once
also plant substrate contains your iron and i cant think of the other beneficial nutrients but is also good for a tank.
just remember this if you want your plants to be green and full of color and flourish you need plant substrate, liquid fertilizer, plant light which can be used as regular light because fish will like it too acting as a natural environment, good filtration, and moderate to heavy planted im finding you definitely need a pressurized CO2 system which is expensive but makes the plants that much better. there are some chemicals and different lighting that you need for different plants just like there are different needs on different fish so many questions should be asked about the plants you want and much research also needing to be done
just remember this if you want your plants to be green and full of color and flourish you need plant substrate, liquid fertilizer, plant light which can be used as regular light because fish will like it too acting as a natural environment, good filtration, and moderate to heavy planted im finding you definitely need a pressurized CO2 system which is expensive but makes the plants that much better. there are some chemicals and different lighting that you need for different plants just like there are different needs on different fish so many questions should be asked about the plants you want and much research also needing to be done
I can buy this one:
Substrate for Freshwater Planted Aquariums: Seachem Flourite Planted Aquarium Substrate
at a local petgoods. Ill rinse it our with...treated tap water i guess. ALOT. then culd i just remove all the white gravel in my tank and replace it with this, OR shoul i mix the two gently, OR should i move the white gravel, put a bottom layer of Flourite, and cover that layer with a layer of my gravel?
I already have planted pretty much whats in my sig. uprooting that wouldnt be a problem for now, cuz none of those have really grown into th gravel yet.
im guessing that substrate is a bit different than the muddy one you use right? Also i bet you used something like Laterite (which does dissolve and doesnt act like gravel) so im also guessing you wouldnt know how i should treat it and introduce it into my tank... I read a FAQ on it...didnt answer too many of my questions lol.
Substrate for Freshwater Planted Aquariums: Seachem Flourite Planted Aquarium Substrate
at a local petgoods. Ill rinse it our with...treated tap water i guess. ALOT. then culd i just remove all the white gravel in my tank and replace it with this, OR shoul i mix the two gently, OR should i move the white gravel, put a bottom layer of Flourite, and cover that layer with a layer of my gravel?
I already have planted pretty much whats in my sig. uprooting that wouldnt be a problem for now, cuz none of those have really grown into th gravel yet.
im guessing that substrate is a bit different than the muddy one you use right? Also i bet you used something like Laterite (which does dissolve and doesnt act like gravel) so im also guessing you wouldnt know how i should treat it and introduce it into my tank... I read a FAQ on it...didnt answer too many of my questions lol.
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yeah if you scroll down and look at the different color applications mine is the black one. but no matter the texture deffinitely use care when putting in tank to save a mess. also i think it comes ready in the bag no rinsing needed and you wont want to rinse it youll lose a lot that way if that clay substance is what i think it is. just read the directions on it. and you said you had what a 20g? if thats so you will only need 1 bag. deffinitely remove as much rock as possible then layer the flourite in there then layer back over it gravel to keep it from upkicking and getting your tank cloudy and muddy looking. no my bad of stuff had flourite in the nutrients. and like i said it looked exactly like that black flourite if you scroll down. hope this helps some more
Is my Sig not observable by posters? cuz it blaitanly says i have a 40gal. dont mean to be rude or anything by saying that 
I have a thick layer of gravel, so i think one bag (its 15.4 lbs) will be enough to create a fertilizing layer below, right?
Well i have already started to rinse the Flourite. youre right about the mud, the water running off was deep brown. i think i lost some of the tiniest grains cuz they slipped through my mesh (its finer than window screen) I am going to finish rinsing it tonight, put it all in a cooler and soak it some more for a week or two, vaccuuming it from time to time to get dust out. I read the dust is unavoidable no matter how much i rinse, but ill try and get it as clean as i can. I constantly use carbon in my filter, so that should help with any unwanted water cloudiness.
Sort of back to the topic, i wont be buying Marimo moss for a while, at least not until i introduce my driftwood into the tank.
I have a thick layer of gravel, so i think one bag (its 15.4 lbs) will be enough to create a fertilizing layer below, right?Well i have already started to rinse the Flourite. youre right about the mud, the water running off was deep brown. i think i lost some of the tiniest grains cuz they slipped through my mesh (its finer than window screen) I am going to finish rinsing it tonight, put it all in a cooler and soak it some more for a week or two, vaccuuming it from time to time to get dust out. I read the dust is unavoidable no matter how much i rinse, but ill try and get it as clean as i can. I constantly use carbon in my filter, so that should help with any unwanted water cloudiness.
Sort of back to the topic, i wont be buying Marimo moss for a while, at least not until i introduce my driftwood into the tank.
Is my Sig not observable by posters? cuz it blaitanly says i have a 40gal. dont mean to be rude or anything by saying that I have a thick layer of gravel, so i think one bag (its 15.4 lbs) will be enough to create a fertilizing layer below, right?
Well i have already started to rinse the Flourite. youre right about the mud, the water running off was deep brown. i think i lost some of the tiniest grains cuz they slipped through my mesh (its finer than window screen) I am going to finish rinsing it tonight, put it all in a cooler and soak it some more for a week or two, vaccuuming it from time to time to get dust out. I read the dust is unavoidable no matter how much i rinse, but ill try and get it as clean as i can. I constantly use carbon in my filter, so that should help with any unwanted water cloudiness.
Sort of back to the topic, i wont be buying Marimo moss for a while, at least not until i introduce my driftwood into the tank.
I have a thick layer of gravel, so i think one bag (its 15.4 lbs) will be enough to create a fertilizing layer below, right?Well i have already started to rinse the Flourite. youre right about the mud, the water running off was deep brown. i think i lost some of the tiniest grains cuz they slipped through my mesh (its finer than window screen) I am going to finish rinsing it tonight, put it all in a cooler and soak it some more for a week or two, vaccuuming it from time to time to get dust out. I read the dust is unavoidable no matter how much i rinse, but ill try and get it as clean as i can. I constantly use carbon in my filter, so that should help with any unwanted water cloudiness.
Sort of back to the topic, i wont be buying Marimo moss for a while, at least not until i introduce my driftwood into the tank.
lol sorry about the 20g. yeah i didnt even read your sig sorry. i would almost say 2 bags up to around 25-30lbs of substrate
Hmm, well i could buy another bag, and take some away and store it, so that i wind up with around 30 lbs for the tank. thats gonna be a lotta rinsing =(
also i have the original color, thats kinda brown reddish. and i have white gravel in my tank...lol so idk how that would look xD i guess i would just have to find out.
also i have the original color, thats kinda brown reddish. and i have white gravel in my tank...lol so idk how that would look xD i guess i would just have to find out.
bought a second 15 lb bag, and i think im going to use most of it, or all of it depending on how much it covers the bottom of my tank.
To test how its going to look with white gravel, ill take one of my small plastic "critter aquariums" that i still have from way back when i had an anole lizard, and im going to lay out the two layers exactly how i would do it in the main tank. if i dont like it it might be time for a brown gravel...=/ (the money spending never stops)
To test how its going to look with white gravel, ill take one of my small plastic "critter aquariums" that i still have from way back when i had an anole lizard, and im going to lay out the two layers exactly how i would do it in the main tank. if i dont like it it might be time for a brown gravel...=/ (the money spending never stops)
Well im gonna tell you one thing right now, there is NO WAY im buying a full CO2 system for this tank. I will eventually get around putting a self made system together (using yeast) right before i add my hairgrass. all this of course is just future plans that might change slightly, and i will not be getting hairgrass any time soon lol.
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so apparently CO2 injection will lower my pH...not good for livebearers. only solution i can think of is to use it one week then not use it the next, or find the right interval of days to use it so that the pH doesnt lower too much...what do you guys think?
And i think its important to mention once again that i will be using a home made CO2 system, not a commercial system. so please dont suggest a pH controller that i can plug into my "CO2 system"
And i think its important to mention once again that i will be using a home made CO2 system, not a commercial system. so please dont suggest a pH controller that i can plug into my "CO2 system"
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