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Re: Bill's tank


> I want to assure you that I do not have a secret urge to add CO2 - I don't
> know where you got that idea.

Your previous post. You seek improvement and figured that adding more fish =
more CO2 = more/better plant growth= healthier place for fish? Seemed pretty
logical. If not adding CO2 was your approach then addressing this issue
would have been mute.

> My plants grow, usually, and while I don't
> have the diversity that more intensive gardening would enable, I have enough
> to keep it interesting.
> 
> And I don't have to worry about whether it's art or not.

Oh! My goodness!, Some one should hang you!:-)
I think you sound like the non CO2 person. Not many folks around that want
this.
Here's how I would go about setting up a tank. First off, how big is the
tank? What is your Tap water like(KH, PO4, NO3)?
I'd add 4 inches of flourite. I'd add a large amount of dirty mulm from an
established tank to bottom layer of this gravel along with a handful of
ground peat to the very bottom.
I would add a mix of fast growers like water sprite and have about 25%
floating cover(at least for awhile then perhaps reduces this down).
Some plants like Hornwort or Egeria najas, Crypts are particularly good,
some ground cover, moneywort, pennywort, java fern, A. reinekii is a good
red plant. I have had good success with hairgrass and Glossostigma in these
tanks but they grow slow and the tank was mature.

 2 watts a gallon or so, KH/GH of 5 or so (tap), Moderate fish load( 2 per10
gallon of tank of SAE's), shrimps( 4-6 per 10 gallon, otto cats(2-3 per 10
gal), etc and then your main fish(say 4-5 rummy noses per 10 gallon). These
get fed once a day or so. I'd add only the algae eaters the first month or
so. Snails are very good(the smaller plant friendly ones).
No fertilizers are to be added except fish food. Water is topped off from
the evaporation. No water changes for a few months on end.

Filter's can be a canister or a HOB type. You will need to occasionally need
to pick off some algae here and there but it's pretty much a hands off
approach. You cannot go in and rearrange your tank every two weeks etc.
Don't dump a bunch of TMG etc in there.
Plant heavy right from the start.
That will give you most likely what your asking for.
Regards, 
Tom Barr 









> 
> Best wishes,
> 
> Bill