Planted tank forums
- Thread starter hersheyb
- Start date
ManEatingGuppy
New member
try scapeclub. They are based here in s. ca. and will have people give you plants for free to get you started.
o2manyfish
o2manyfish
There is a So Cal Planted Tank site - Scapeclub.org -- Been a member for the past year. Very Friendly and helpful people.
I haven't been to one of their meetings yet, I think they are near OC.
Dave B
I haven't been to one of their meetings yet, I think they are near OC.
Dave B
dodgerblew
Team RC
I belong to SCAPE and The Planted Tank. Both very good. I would make the comparison that TPT is more like RC and scapeclub is like SCR
rickztahone
New member
I've been part of Scape for quite a few years, and they constantly have stuff for sale locally which is a huge plus for that forum. Great individuals that are very knowledgable. OP, what kind of tank are you thinking about setting up? How much do you know about planted tanks? I've had a few over the years, but my main project one was a 55g HI output tank w/ co2 and the works.
hersheyb
Active member
I don't know anything about planted tanks, I'm just reading about them now... I got inspired by the bonsai tree aquascaping.. so that's what I want.. it's a lot to learn... so many different choices of substrate... haven't even started reading about CO2, lights and equipment.. sigh.. =/
I'm on plantedtank.net. Lots of great information.
Planted tanks LOVE waste water from RODI. When I make RO water for my reef, I just leave the waste line in my planted tank and it does a trickle water change and my plants just love it.
One piece of info: Pay attention to the 'low tech' vs 'high tech'. Mixing the two will lead to endless algae problems.
Planted tanks LOVE waste water from RODI. When I make RO water for my reef, I just leave the waste line in my planted tank and it does a trickle water change and my plants just love it.
One piece of info: Pay attention to the 'low tech' vs 'high tech'. Mixing the two will lead to endless algae problems.
dodgerblew
Team RC
Think about it, we want the cleanest water in reefs to keep vegetation from growing but in a planted tank all you want is vegetation to grow
forextrader
New member
I use the RODI waste water for all my discus/planted tank water changes. Works great because discus like lots of water changes and RODI sure does make a lot of waste water!
rickztahone
New member
Don't waste your money
I will also give you a great tip that we give to a lot of members wanting to set up co2 rigs, and that is, never go cheap. It bites you in the butt in the end. With co2 injected tanks, one of the main problems you exprience is EOTD (End of tank dump). This means that when the co2 level is low in the cylinder, the rig dumps out the remaining portion due to pressure difference. This will more than likely kill any fauna. The flora will love it however, lol. If you invest a good amount of money on a good rig, preferably a 2 stage regulator, you minimize these things happening.
A friend over on Scape started selling full rigs for great prices, not an arm and a leg here:
http://www.diyco2regulator.com/
It is always cheaper to make your own rig, but you have to have some kind of know-how. I remember the first time I did my co2 rig, I installed my needle valve in reverse, and i had huge problems.
You want the following:
-co2 cylinder tank
-CGA-320 Nut & Nipple
-Regulator
-solenoid (I prefer running 2 solenoids for redundancy)
-Needle Valve
-bubble counter
-mineral oil
-air line tubing (specifically for co2, not cheap air line tubing)
-brass check valves
All of this should run you in the ball park of $150 used to around $250-300 new. Lower if you are a DIY'er.
If you need any help, please don't hesitate to reach out. Rik also knows his stuff and I'm sure he can answer some questions as well
rickztahone
New member
P.S. - if you are doing co2, you will need fertilizers. Dry is always cheaper. Here is one of the best places to get your dry powders:
http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/index.asp?Option1=products
http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/index.asp?Option1=products
