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First Planted Tank Stories



My first planted tank is a 27gal w/ 40watts of  florescent growtubes and an aquaclear mini.  It was thrown together in a haphazard fashon with the UGF and tubes still intact as well as a ½" of rock chips on the bottom from the previous setup. I got some nice smelly silt form a local river and oozed it onto the bottom handfull by handfull. (Forgetting that there was alll sorts of critters in it, including the common pond snail) After letting the water clear for 3 days I placed some hygro and a few decreped E. Bleheri from another 27gal in it and waited.. ..   within a few weeks the Swords were sprouting new leaves at about one a week and the hygro had to be beaten back with a stick almost. (Of course the tank was pond snail farm as well as home to some critters that found hygro really tastey). Then I added some Ottos and a few Pristella Tetras (which happily consumed the critters; the snail population died back also) 
2 months ago I added Crypt. Wendtii along with Aponogeton Undulatus, Potamogeton 'Asiaticus'?, Bacopa, Ludwigia 'repens', Barclaya Longifolia and a few other unidentifiables. Good luck so far.. no fatalities and the Crypts are putting out about a leaf a week, and the Swords are ready to take over. I use about 1mL of trace element and iron chelate a week which seems sufficent at the moment. 

	With the all the help from all the FAQs and this list I set up another 27gal a week ago with Vermiculite and *dried* silt with a 1" fine gravel cap. It is too soon to see results but I will post an update when something happens. As this will be my first 'Serious' tank I hope it does well.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them - good or bad.

Bryan 
ots at oanet_com