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low-tech planted + air pump?

11K views 12 replies 6 participants last post by  kitten_penang 
#1 ·
I have a 40gallon breeder with several plants and was wondering if air pumps are beneficial to the plants or not.. i have read different answers everywhere..
I use 3caps of flourish excel 2x/wk.
Light: (2)T5 HO 78W 2x 6700K.
Filter: Eheim 2213 canister..
I do not have co2 diffuser or anything but was wondering if adding air bubbles would help?
Partial water changes weekly..

(1) fire eel
(2) balloon molly
(6) dwarf rasbora?
(6) harl. rasbora
(6) dwarf frogs
 
#2 ·
The purpose of the air pump is to promote the exchange of gases between the atmosphere and the water. We are particularly interested in oxygen and carbon dioxide. An air pump would help guarantee that the dissolved gases in the water will always be in equilibrium with the air. Sometimes we don’t want gases to be exchanged with the air like when we are paying allot of money to keep the level of CO2 way above equilibrium via CO2 injection, in that case an air pump would be counterproductive. Sooooo....to answer your question, an air pump certainly wouldn’t hurt, but you might not see any gain either.
 
#3 ·
pump for fish good
pump for plants not good
 
#4 ·
I agree with kitten penang, while a non-planted aquarium, a air stone/pump would be helpful, it is not needed in the planted aquarium. The air stone gives off oxygen, in a planted aquarium the plants will be sufficient in giving off oxygen for your fish..
 
#5 ·
Agree, no air stone in planted aquaria. For a fuller explanation why, have a read of the "filtration" info in Part 3 of the sticky series "A Basic Approach to the Natural Planted Aquarium" at the top of this section. Here's the link:
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...approach-natural-planted-aquarium-part-34858/

On the issue of Excel, I am not one who recommends adding this. I can comment further if asked.

Byron.
 
#6 ·
thanks to everyone for their help! why isnt flourish excel recommended? is it possible to have a heavily planted tank w/o co2 injection?.. what is the best way to keep the plants healthy (w/o changing the substrate that i have..sand with thin layer of black gravel ontop)..
 
#8 ·
is it possible to have a heavily planted tank w/o co2 injection?.. what is the best way to keep the plants healthy (w/o changing the substrate that i have..sand with thin layer of black gravel ontop)..
Take a look a byron's tanks, those are all heavily planted with no CO2, the only thing I can see you are missing is a quality liquid fertilizer, flourish comprehensive (not the excel) is highly recommended here. Also if you get an heavy root feeders you will need root tabs for those plants (like swords) no need to change substrate.

freshAqua said:
also..i was told to continue using carbon filter pad (eheim 2213) in my tank... should this be removed or continue to use it as instructed...
Yes as soon as you start adding fertilizers you need to stop using the activated carbon, as this will remove some of the stuff you are trying to put in with the fertilizers.
 
#9 ·
is it possible to have a heavily planted tank w/o co2 injection?..
Yes, most of the members on here do not use any CO2 systems, have a low-tech lighting and have achieved beautiful tanks, there is no need for CO2 is trying to use the low-tech style.

what is the best way to keep the plants healthy (w/o changing the substrate that i have..sand with thin layer of black gravel ontop)..
Since you do not have nutrient rich substrate, your plants will need two kinds of fertilizer. You'll need the Comprehensive discussed above for your stem plants. If you plan on keeping any rooted plants, you'll need root tabs, I also recommend SeaChem for these as well. Fertilizers paired with a solid lighting schedule (10-12 hours/day)

also..i was told to continue using carbon filter pad (eheim 2213) in my tank... should this be removed or continue to use it as instructed...
Yes, remove the carbon inserts in your filter. Carbon has it's places in aquaria, but a planted aquarium is not one of them, carbon removes nutrients which come naturally from your tap water.
 
#10 ·
wow byron... your tanks do look amazing. i would love for mine to eventually look that way! :)


ok.. i removed the carbon filter pad, cleared out the spray bar/intake tube, added the flourish comprehensive (its been in fridge for some reason), and i have plant food tabs(made by jungle) which i previously bought from petco but am not sure if its a decent product.. before i put them in
 
#11 ·
added the flourish comprehensive (its been in fridge for some reason), and i have plant food tabs(made by jungle) which i previously bought from petco but am not sure if its a decent product.. before i put them in
Flourish Comprehensive is recommended to stay refrigerated for some reason, don't as me why but I just do as the bottle says :) . Unsure if the jungle tabs are a good product or not, but they are probably better then nothing, will let someone else who knows what nutrients and in what amounts that plants require to comment on that.
 
#12 ·
You've asked about Excel so I'll answer. It continues what has already been mentioned by zof and Johnny, but I'll expand a bit.

If you had a look at that article, or read the rest of the series, the section on nutrients explained how plants need 17 nutrients in proportion, plus light. These together have to be in balance. Too much of any one, or too little, and the plant growth can be negatively affected.

The first premise in a low-tech or natural setup is minimal light, as little as possible, just sufficient for the plants' to photosynthesize. Then you balance that with adequate nutrients. Carbon is one nutrient, nitrogen is another; both these come from the fish and biological processes, and in most aquaria there is sufficient to balance the lower light. The mineral nutrients we add via a comprehensive fertilizer, Seachem's Flourish Comprehensive Supplement for the Planted Aquarium is probably the best out there at present. Once a week may be sufficient for your setup, or twice; it takes a few weeks to find that "balance" in each aquarium, which depends upon the number and type of fish, the plants, water volume, and source water.

To get back to the Excel, this is a carbon supplement. So it is adding additional carbon to the system. Once you start increasing any single nutrient, you offset the balance. Which means you have to increase the light and other nutrients to create a new balance. Taking this to the farthest extreme, there are the high-tech planted setups which use diffused CO2 to up the carbon. To balance, these must have 3-4 times as much light, plus an injection of liquid fertilizers daily in most cases, and substrate nutrients are almost mandatory. This is fine, except the more stuff you add, the more you are "pushing" things. My approach over 20 years has been to keep it simple; as minimal as possible to achieve reasonable plant growth. I let nature do most of the work--well, all of it actually; I only provide some light and nutrients to balance. Plant growth may be slower (depending upon how you view this), but it will be steady, the plants will be healthy--and perhaps most importantly, the fish are not being bombarded with stuff every day.

Byron.
 
#13 ·
you cant go wrong with all these info but if you feel the need to use co2 you can still make a DIY co2 for your tank.mines doing great without the co2 but for beginers even after you've done your home work you need to see for yourself whats the conditions of your plants from day to day. too much light might get you algae but red plants need more light and some plants like java ferm prefer less ligts and will grow dark or translucent with too much light. check for different changes in the plants and rehome them if needed and you're plants will be fine.
 
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