This guide is for those who, marveling at the beautiful planted tanks can be seen, particularly on the Internet, (AGA contest, AQUATIC SCAPERS, Acuavida) are keen to engage in the creation of their own water garden but feel the insurmountable task and / or do not know where to begin …
Do not panic, it’s not that complicated. This guide and attending specialized forums (see “aquascaping” of AquAgora, speaking forums Aquascaping WORLD and AQUATICPLANTCENTRAL) should be enough for you to develop your “vegetable work” …
We will assume for granted by the reader, the basics of general aquarium (we do not we will extend, for example, the nitrogen cycle or maintenance of the aquarium) and we confine ourselves here to develop the specificities of planted tanks. This small “Manual Tray planted for Dummies” presents the basics of creating and managing a planted tank but does not claim to make you new Amano (at least not right away). For further reading, nothing can replace your experience and personal research.
First, are we called for by a “tray planting”?
A planted tank is as its name suggests: a tank with plants! But of course, this is not limited to this reductive vision. We can define a planted tank as a closed aquatic area in which the goal will be to create a “plant grouping” the most aesthetic possible. A number of plants there will be substantially greater than in a conventional container and the conditions there are specially adapted for the maintenance of plants. Apart from this, there are as many ways to achieve this goal as aquarists, the only limitation being the imagination.
A priori, a densely planted tank will be a very welcoming place to live for many animal species, by the imperatives imposed by the maintenance of a densely planted tank:
– Physico-chemical parameters are often very good (regular and significant water changes, nitrates kept very low by the plants …).
– Plant density can provide many hiding places and territories, securing the tank inhabitants.
– Oxygenation rate of the high tray by the high photosynthetic activity of the vegetation ( the important factor for the balance of the tray).
One last thing before you go ahead headlong into starting up your masterpiece, you should be aware that the creation and maintenance of a planted tank require an investment in time and money to this slightly higher that request a “standard” aquarium. Indeed, besides the usual tasks of any aquarium owner, size and cuttings of plants and significant water changes will increase the time you have to go “hands in the water.” From a financial point of view, it is undeniable that the most beautiful tubs planted (except for bins “Low-tech” that we will see later) are the slightly above-average investment of a tray of classic freshwater. Lighting, CO2 injection, fertilization, soil nutrient, the “hardscape” require extra effort … But thanks to a few tricks, however, this additional cost will be greatly limited.
- EQUIPMENT
To provide optimal living conditions for plants, you will need as much as possible, adapt the characteristics of your bin to their needs.
A powerful lighting, CO2 injection, and a good brewing system if they are not completely necessary, however, will be of great help.
We emphasize the importance of lighting, which is the first element on which to lean (especially since virtually all trade standard containers are under-equipped in this area), not forgetting of course, a powerful lighting requires fertilization accordingly (CO2, rich, liquid fertilizer).
1 -TANK
The only special tanks used for planted tanks is their format. While it is, of course, possible to make a planted tank in any vessel, water garden enthusiasts prefer if possible bins:
– Wide enough, increasing the planting area and easily helps give a sense of depth
– Relatively high so that the light can be sufficiently powerful to ground level (because the water stops partly light rays)
So rather than a conventional tray 150x50x60 cm, prefer such a tank 150x60x50 cm. For these reasons too, the cube trays are particularly appreciated by “aquascapers”.
Planting will advantageously be enhanced by a plain background (avoid mirrors and plants posters), the most frequently used colors are black, blue, white / gray clear or very light blue. Finally a recent trend, and giving spectacular results, is to use a light colored background, placed a few centimeters behind the tray and lit from below or above depending on the desired effect.
2 – LIGHTING
Light is one of three key elements to having a beautiful planted tank (remember, other items are CO2 and fertilization). We are interested in its various features.
2.1 – Power
To simplify the calculation, often referred as the number of watts per liter:
– 1W / l = strong light
– 1W / 2l = average lighting
– 1W / 3l = low light
This notion is, however, rather vague and a calculation based on the light output – measured in lumens (lm) – will be more suitable. For the same power, the luminous flux can indeed vary depending on the type of lighting and manufacturer. Then we come to the following:
– 60-80 lm / l = strong light
– 30-60 lm / l = average lighting
– Less than 20 lm / l = low light
Note that this measuring unit can be replaced by the lux (lux corresponds to a luminous flux of 1 lumen covering a 1 square meter of the surface).
2.2 – The color temperature
The color temperature is measured in Kelvin (K).
That of the daylight (“Daylight”) is 6500 ° K at noon.
The higher the color temperature is low, the more light will appear yellow (or orange) to the human eye. Conversely, a high color temperature appears blue or pink.
2.3 – The color rendering
IRC is the Color Rendering Index: This value ranges from 0-100.
IRC More of a tube, the more the colors are perceived as natural lighting are.
To find one, there are a nomenclature references tubes: 965 for example means “CRI greater than 90” (9), and “color temperature = 6500 ° K” (65).
2.4 – The light spectrum
Plants use all the spectrum including the red.
Algae use the blue to grow but do not assimilate the red.
A low color temperature value corresponds to a high light wavelength, so predominantly red. Conversely, a high value in Kelvin corresponds to a short-wave light, so predominantly blue.
2.5 – Reflectors
They are used to redirect the flow of light starting up (and therefore, would never have reached the reflectorless aquarium) to the opposite side (the floor of the tank) to avoid loss.
2.6 – What type of lighting used for my aquarium?
– Below 30 liters:
The “compact fluorescent” lamps (energy saving lamps), which are still difficult to obtain with a power greater than 26 W.
Two types are distinguished:
– An integrated electronic control (E27) is easily commercially ready for use.
– A separate power supply (socket G23, 2G27 and 2G10 base socket) to power with an electronic ballast.
Advantages: Cheap.
Disadvantage: Difficult to find with a color temperature of 6500 ° K; often unknown light spectrum.
2.5 – Reflectors
They are used to redirect the flow of light starting up (and therefore, would never have reached the reflectorless aquarium) to the opposite side (the floor of the tank) to avoid loss.
– Closed tray, greater than 30 liters, with a clear height of less than 40 cm:
T5 or T8 fluorescent tube (16mm diam.) (26 mm diam.): It is the most commonly used lighting.
The tube length is a function of its power. A 25-watt T8 tube has a length of 75 cm while a T5 tube of 39 watts is 85 cm.
Advantage: high luminous efficiency, especially for T5.
– Bac open, greater than 80 liters, with a clear height greater than 40 cm:
T8 or T5 tubes (see above)
High-pressure mercury vapor lamp (HQL) must be powered by magnetic ballast identical power to the lamp.
Advantage: cheap.
Disadvantage: poor color rendering.
Metal halide lamp (HQI) must be supplied by a ballast, a starter and a power capacitor identical to the lamp.
Advantage: high luminous efficiency, excellent color rendering.
Disadvantage: expensive to buy.
Note that it is possible to mix the types of lighting, including using HQL or HQI projectors coupled with fluorescent tubes.
3 – FILTER / BREWING
Having a clear water that facilitates the penetration of light and showcases your tray, a good balance of the pan by its biological action, plants that correctly receive the nutrients and can eliminate waste, are conventional filtration roles planted tank.
3.1 – The different type of filter
– Internal Decanting:
They are often offered as an integrated basic equipment to the aquarium. They have the advantage of their simplicity (no pipes, possibility of integrating some equipment there). However, they are hard to conceal, and, therefore, binding at this level for your future “layout”. By design, with suction located near the discharge, especially if they are hidden by vegetation, brewing container is a disadvantage with this type of filter.
– External filter:
This is the best solution for a planted tank. It’s easy to hide, at least in part, canes suction and discharge can change their location to optimize brewing, to integrate into the outer pipe a CO2 distribution system. There really is no standard model for a planted aquarium, the simplest models suitable. Only semi-wet filters are to be avoided in order not to degas the CO2.
3.2 – The design of the filter, flow, volume
For a planted tank, it is considered that the filtration hourly space velocity should be about 3 or 4 times the volume of the tank or of 300 to 400 l / h to a theoretical tray 100 liters rough to ensure a brewing enough. The volume available for filtration masses will be a minimum of about 3 liters in a 100-liter tank.
The rates advertised by different manufacturers are vacuum flow without filter media and without pressure losses in piping. It is inevitable to lose about 30% of theoretical flow once the filter is installed and filled its filtration masses.
The best place of an external filter in the aquarium with tap couplers on the filter and pipes to facilitate you maximum maintenance.
The use of two filters instead of a larger equivalent has some advantages:
– Greater flexibility of the aspirations and discharges location to optimize brewing.
– Greater consistency of the effectiveness of filter media through a filter cleaning alternated on two.
3.3 – The filter media
As in any aquarium, filter media have several roles: mechanical, chemical and bacterial support (adsorption). In planted tank, as elsewhere, there are almost as many ways to choose its filter media, and install them in the filter, as aquarists. It can be deduced that there is no true specificity of the tray planted at this level. It is the same for the cleaning frequency: once a month or every two months is a good base to start with.
Note Amano and some of his followers in a systematic and permanent use in their activated carbon filters, renewing or partially or completely each cleaning. This practice is certainly justified by the use of rich soils and strong fertilization.
Coal is gradually becoming an excellent bacterial support, whose effectiveness is increasing with time. If you use a permanent or ad hoc activated carbon to solve a water problem disorder, for example, choose good quality, ie free phosphates that could favor the appearance of algae.
When algae growth, the use of anti-anti-phosphates or nitrates resins may be a medium bearing a passenger imbalance of the tray. However it is useless or even harmful, to use these resins permanently.
3.4 – The brewing, position and types of releases
– Brewing “surface”
The rejection of the filter is above the water level by a conventional cane breakthrough.
This is a practice uncommon in planted aquarium because it has the disadvantage of a priori promote degassing of CO2 by contacting a forced water tray with the ambient air, in which contains very little. It has still the advantage of promoting the penetration of light into the tray, preventing the formation of a bacterial sail surface, and especially to “break” the mirror effect of the water surface.
– Brewing “in depth”:
Allowing good circulation of water in the tank, the suspended particles are more easily drawn towards the filter rather than settle to the ground, the cleanliness of the ferry is better assured. Nutrient distribution, CO2, and the temperature is more homogeneous. Above all, a slight flow of water at the same level of the plant promotes direct input of CO2 and nutrients to the leaf surface and allows removal of these wastes for their metabolism.
A densely planted tank is by nature an obstacle to brewing. The plants are massive barriers to the flow of water, and often, aesthetics precedence over technical, concealment aspirations and filter discharges behind the vegetation does not facilitate brewing.
In this regard, we must not forget that most pictures of beautiful planted tanks are made after removal of technical facilities for the occasion.
Each tray is a special case, it is impossible to give rules and numbers according to the dimensions of the tank for example. However, it is the symptoms which may be indicative of inadequate mixing:
– Localized accumulations of waste ground (“mulm”)
– The inhomogeneous growth of a plant species.
Despite apparently identical parameters (soil, light), a plant that grows best in one place than another can be a local brewing failure.
4 – CO2 INJECTION
As you can read in the chapter on environmental factors, the contribution of CO2 is favorable to plant growth. It is useless and dangerous to want revenge exceed a rate of 35 mg / l. The CO2 dissolves dissociate partly as carbonic acid H2CO3, which lowers the pH. This facilitates the assimilation of some trace elements. The CO2 overdose danger is real, refer to the table pH, KH, CO2 to estimate the CO2 in your tank.
4.1 – Different sources of CO2
– Organic CO2 (also called “artisanal”):
This technique exploits the property of certain bacteria (yeasts) to convert the sugar to ethanol and CO2, in a closed environment (anaerobic). This process has already been the subject of numerous articles in the press and on various sites. The initial investment can be very low. It is provided in general in trays to a maximum volume of a hundred liter.
This system has some disadvantages:
– Production is not regular. It depends on the time (peak production after a few days) and temperature
– There is a risk of pollution tank for temporary overproduction. Part of the contents of the bottle may be accidentally injected in the tray, with catastrophic consequences. This can be avoided by a wash bottle, installed after the bottle
– Production is permanent, the injection of CO2 will also night. Through the use of a suitable container, it is possible to couple a solenoid valve to control the spread.
– Industrial CO2 (pressure):
Aquarium equipment brands offer complete kits with pressure bottle. You can also buy directly from suppliers to a brewery, or use a CO2 extinguisher. Technically, even a bottle of 500g to the capacity to supply enough CO2 for a large volume tank, the problem arises rather in terms of the space available, autonomy, budget and ease of supply.
To give you a rough basis for this choice, it takes for a 100-liter tank, powered at 20 bubbles per minute, a consumption of 3.6 g per day, if the tray is powered continuously.
This will give a range of:
– 138 days to 500 g
– 555 days for a bottle of 2 kg
To know about this material:
– There is no standard for threaded tip disposable bottles. (the Dennerle Sera and brands are not compatible with other brands, so their pressure gauges are not either).
– The threaded ends of all refillable cylinders, including fire extinguishers, are standardized (DIN 477 standard). This allows assembling all mano-pressure reducer respecting that standard, on all these bottles.
– The gauge indicating the pressure of CO2 in the bottle, about 55 bar, is not a level indicator. When the pressure starts to drop, it means there is no more liquid CO2, and he’ll have to reload. The only way to know the amount of remaining gas in a bottle displaying a pressure of 55 bar is weighed, the tare is usually indicated.
– To avoid any risk of accidental explosion, the bottle must be re-tested every 10 years.
– To recharge, some pet stores accept only brands which they are entrusted, some not. If charging is not made on site, you can expect more than a week before you get your bottle. Recharging can also be done elsewhere than the pet store, do some hardware stores, also see the side shops or clubs “paintball”.
For all your CO2 installations, preferably use the “special CO2” pipe because this gas migrates easily through transparent pipes for air pumps and more in the silicone tubes. According to data provided by Dennerle the CO2 losses on a 2 m hose length, a pressure of 0.03 bars, measured in grams per year:
– Special CO2 hose: a few grams
– PVC hose (transparent, current model): 100 grams
– Silicone hose: 1000 grams.
4.2 – The distribution of CO2
CO2 diffusion systems, presented below are approximate in an increasing order of dissolution capacity.
4.2.1 – Broadcast systems in the tray
The first two are particularly suited to organic production, with low pressure. The efficiency of delivery of the CO2 throughout the brewing tray dependent, they should be preferably installed in a zone close to the rejection of a filter. We can blame them to be visible in the tray.
The bell:
One puts a specified portion of the surface of the container in direct contact with the CO2 contained in a bottomless box. The advantage of this system is that it leaves the CO2 escape directly to the outside of the tank in case of overproduction (organic).
MAQUASCAPING 