converting my 20g into planted

[mark razmandi]

so i took all my fish out of my 20H today and now im painting the back black...i want to turn it into a planted tank....i know nothing about this and have never attempted it before so what all do i need to do? and i have a whole eclipse hood, will that be enough lightning? its super bright 2 bulb

what substrate?
whats all this about co2
anything else would be great

[mark razmandi]

dont everyone respond at once...

[Somefishguy]

Really depends on what you want to grow.

How many watts are the bulbs?
What is the rating on the bulbs (need to be between 6500 and 10k)
What do you want to grow? <--- Really going to depend on the wpg you have
WPG will also determine if you need CO2 or not
Substrate, again will depend on what you are growing and how much money you are trying to invest


Answer the first two questions i asked and we can go from there.

[Roujin]

A good resource for planted tank journals is Plantedtank.net. Kinda gives you an idea based on the resources you have and how much tech you want to apply to the tank.

From what you have right now all you can do is a low-tech, low light planted tank. Increase the light (wpg), apply CO2 even if its DIY, and choose some ease to grow plants and the world will open up.

For substrate, I use aquasoil.

[Mzungu]

Exactly as Somefishguy said, it really all depends on what you want to do - what plants you like, which ones you'd like to grow, what kind of maintenance you are willing to do, etc.

I second his questions about the lights - what wattage are they? What brand/type/spectrum? Are they just normal fluorescents? I'm not familiar with what Eclipse is putting out right now.

What substrate do you have in the tank right now?

And, like Roujin said, plantedtank.net is a good site to look at for some info, as well as aquaticplantcentral.com. It's a good idea to get info from us at HFB, but it's also good to do some research on your own. Buy some books if you can, depending on how in depth you want to get into the world of planted tanks. :)

Most of all, enjoy! Think about what you want, and what you're willing to put into it, and it's a great aspect of the hobby that's just as addicting as some of the others we talk about here.

[TaTeR ToT]

Exactly as Somefishguy said, it really all depends on what you want to do - what plants you like, which ones you'd like to grow, what kind of maintenance you are willing to do, etc.

I second his questions about the lights - what wattage are they? What brand/type/spectrum? Are they just normal fluorescents? I'm not familiar with what Eclipse is putting out right now.

What substrate do you have in the tank right now?

And, like Roujin said, plantedtank.net is a good site to look at for some info, as well as aquaticplantcentral.com. It's a good idea to get info from us at HFB, but it's also good to do some research on your own. Buy some books if you can, depending on how in depth you want to get into the world of planted tanks. :)

Most of all, enjoy! Think about what you want, and what you're willing to put into it, and it's a great aspect of the hobby that's just as addicting as some of the others we talk about here.

+1

i love planted tanks!
i will post a pick of my old 10g high tech planted tank when i get the chance.

[mark razmandi]

i have 2 eclipse natural daylight f15t8 bulbs in the hood of my 20g....im looking to go pretty high tech and money is not TOO much of an issue...maybe lookin to spend a couple hundred...i just bought a pro 150 wet/dry so the bank is lookin thin..not really lookin to go DIY anything unless it looks as good as the real thing (ex. Co2)...so sugestions please and do i need to buy different bulbs

[Mzungu]

If you're looking to go pretty high tech then yes, I would get different bulbs - in a different fixture. For high tech, 30W of normal output fluorescent may not be enough.

[Somefishguy]

Ok

With the lights you currently have you are looking at 1.5 wpg, which is considered low light.

You CAN grow some plants in there like mosses, java ferns(windolv, needle, regular), anubias, and perhaps some types of crypts. But that is about it. The growth rate will not be fast.

So you will need to get better lights for high tech. Something in the ballpark of 3wpg for the start of high tech.

Also with the current setup the reality is regular gravel could be used.

Dont get me wrong, 1.5 wpg tank can be very nice tank if aquascaped well. A nice piece of driftwood, and a bunch of low light plants and you can get somethign very nice looking, and will be very easy to maintain.

Its up to what you want to do

[mark razmandi]

i want to go high tech but this hood kinda takes away my chances at a different light fixture...can i just change the bulbs? and if so, what bulbs should i get? there are 2 18" bulbs

[melonz]

Just take off the hood and add a new fixture. I'd say go with some t5ho since you have a tall tank. What are the dimensions? Im working on a planted tank right now and all I can say is don't rush into it. Do some reading and ask a lot of questions before doing anything. If you need some help just pm me.

[mark razmandi]

Just take off the hood and add a new fixture. I'd say go with some t5ho since you have a tall tank. What are the dimensions? Im working on a planted tank right now and all I can say is don't rush into it. Do some reading and ask a lot of questions before doing anything. If you need some help just pm me.

no because the hood is the filter and im not going to spend a S*** load of money to turn this into a planted tank...i just need to know if i can use more powerful bulbs safely or not

[mgarrido]

Yes, you need more powerful bulbs and your eclipse is not an option without modification. you have 2 options: 1) modi your tank; or 2) low ligth planted tank.

[mark razmandi]

how would i go about modding it...new ballast?

[Roujin]

Go to http://www.bigalsonline.com/ and look at some fixtures before you think about modding your existing one.

You should spend your money on the light fixture because CO2 and Filtration can easily be added with low cost. Your advantage is your tank's small size.