Advanced Plants

Windsor Aquarium Society

Advanced Plants Basics

• Main Factors:– Lighting– Co2– Substrate– Fertilizers– Time!

Lighting

• High light is needed for optimal growth of advanced plants, but a balance is needed

• T5 HO are generally accepted as the best lighting method currently

• Watts Per Gallon is not a good measure for all lights!– Best method is to either take PAR (photosynthetically usable radiation) readings or refer to a PAR chart– Height of the light fixture in relation to substrate is also a factor

PAR Charts

Co2

• A pressurized Co2 system is essential for advanced plants• The correct balance of Co2 will aid significantly in plant

growth and keep algae in check • Too much Co2 will kill your fish, too little will stunt plant

growth and allow algae to flourish • Ways to measure Co2: a drop checker, or PH test

Co2

• One of the most difficult aspects of advanced plants is getting Co2 levels stable and correct

• Too Little Co2 or too much light:

Substrates

• A nutrient rich substrate is a must!• Recommended Options for High Light/Advanced

Plants: dirt, MTS, ADA Aqua Soil, Fluval Plant Stratum• Provides nutrients for plants to grow via roots, may

need to be topped up with nutrients after some time

Substrates• ADA AquaSoil: Pro- the very best plants substrate on the market, loaded with

nutrients and high CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity), easy to work with– Con: Very expensive and hard to find, leaches ammonia in first cycling weeks

• Fluval Plant Stratum: Pro- nutrient rich, no cycling time, high CEC– Con: hard to work with (very light/ doesn’t anchor well), expensive

• Dirt: Pro- Cheap, easy to find, nutrient rich – Con: can contain unwanted elements, messy, must be capped (creates 2 layers), can be unstable

• Mineralized Top Soil: Pro- Nutrient rich (if done correctly), cheap – Con: messy, takes a long time to finish the mineralizing process, can be unstable, must be capped

• Eco Complete: Pro- Cheap, high CEC, easy to work with, instantly cycles– Con: more of an inert substrate (not as loaded with nutrients/organic)

Fertilizers• In addition to feeding via their roots, plants must also feed through the

water column• EI: The Estimative Index (EI) coined by Tom Barr. The idea behind EI is simply

introducing an excess amount of nutrients within an aquarium. This excess of nutrients floods the water column and feeds the plants. EI provides a surplus of nutrients that helps to prevents plant deficiencies, and allows plant growth to out compete algae growth. At the end of the week, one performs a 50% water change to ‘reset’ the nutrient load The primary fertilizers are the macro nutrients - Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), Potassium (K), and the micro nutrients – trace elements (Plantex CSM+B, Flourish). Iron (Fe) can also be supplemented if necessary.

• Example: 40-60 Gallon Aquariums+/- 1/2 tsp KN03 3x a week+/- 1/8 tsp KH2P04 3x a week+/- 1/8 (10ml) Trace Elements 3x a week50% weekly water change

Time

• Growing an Advance Planted tank takes a large amount of time. It is usually not possible to have a large amount of tanks if you are doing advanced plants, but instead to focus mainly on 1 or a few tanks

• All the elements mentioned work together, the trick is getting and keeping everything in balance. For example, lights and Co2 must be in balance to prevent massive algae growth

• Correct trimming and pruning is essential and time consuming

Example of Advanced Plants

• Hemianthus Callitrichoides• Utricularia graminifolia• Pogostemon stellata• Rotala wallichii• Pogostemon Erectus• Alternanthera reineckii

Fish for Advance Plants

• Fish must be selected very carefully for an Advanced planted tank– Must be peaceful and will not rearrange your tank– Bottom dwellers must not be to large– Ex: Discus, Angel Fish, Rams, Cory Cats, Tetras,

Otos, Rainbow Fish, etc...

Thank You

Any Questions?

Additional Resources:plantedtank.netthebarreport.comGoogle