# Anyone here have a planted Piranha tank



## kozmo (Sep 4, 2003)

Anyone here have a planted Piranha tank? What is your PH, are you using c02, and RO water?

I am using tap water right now but I have since added plants and am about to hook-up my c02 unit. Since my tap water has a high PH (around 7.8) I am about to go the RO route for fear of having to add way too much c02 to get that pH to drop to 6.8-7.0.

-Kozmo


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## SwitchBlade (Jul 31, 2003)

ive got a couple plants and my ph is pretty high i just put the plants in no problems
not using any special chemicals since i put the swords in


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## kozmo (Sep 4, 2003)

I have stocked this tank pretty good with a lot of plants that require low-mod light (1-2 watts). These plants (2 many to name) are mainly broad leaf pants with thick stems as well as some jungle vals and hornwort.

I am going to set my controller on 7 and throw 1 bubble every 5 seconds to start with... After talking to friend I decided to strictly go with RO from here on out. Since I am dealing with low light plants I will only add nutrients to the water that I am replacing hoping to keep phosphates low.

I don't know but I just like a tank with lots of plants. It provides natural hiding places as well as the benefits provided to water chemistry. Being a new kid on the block with P's I am sure I will see plant destruction but I have had that before with many fish and it just adds a more natural element to the tank. They are around 2 inches now so I will have plenty of time on deciding a move to a less planted tank.

-Kozmo


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## i shroom i (Aug 23, 2003)

i have a bout 10 or 15 plants in my 55g i have a low ph and no spieks of any kind i use like 1 gallon of r/o per 10 gallons of tap it works great







try and use amizon sword and ferns there pretty tough


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## Datman (Jul 7, 2003)

i have a totally planted brandti tank currently. Im using a pressurized CO2 system to get my pH down to about 6.9. The water around my area is also very high right around 8.0 just like yours and the brandti is doing fine. The plants I have in the tank grow like weeds pretty nuts if you ask me. Anyhow if you want to check out a pic just go to my members gallery or if youd like to buy my planted tank setup check out my post in the buy and sell forum. Im selling my stuff for pretty cheap considering the high cost of lighting and pressurized CO2. :smile:


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## DiXoN (Jan 31, 2003)

i have 10 amazon swords in my 85g and have noe problems my ph is around 7.2 and i use tap water with dechlorinator and nothing else.
the buld for the light i have is supposed to help plant growth though.
dixon


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## NatenSarah (Sep 14, 2003)

30g
2 Amazon Swords / 1 Anachris
Nasty Tap Water w/StressCoat, StressZyme, AmmoLock, & DocWellfih's Salt
No artificial lighting (only indirect sunlight)
No problems (pH right around 6.9-7.0)

--n8


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## Pondscum (Sep 25, 2003)

I have a 40 breeder with plants everywhere and a rhom in it now. I only thing I use for CO2, is the easy and cheap way, 2-liter bottle, yeast and sugar. And a ph of 6.7 to 7.0


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## Datman (Jul 7, 2003)

Pondscum said:


> I have a 40 breeder with plants everywhere and a rhom in it. I only thing I use for CO2, is the easy and cheap way, 2-liter bottle, yeast and sugar. And a ph of 6.7 to 7.0


 agreed diy co2 is the easiest way to introduce co2 to an aquarium but its not the most accurate nor the simplest way. im using a 2.5lbs co2 tank that i filled about 3 months ago and it looks like i wont have to change anything for another 6 months or even more. all i do is sit back relax and enjoy the plants growing. another nice thing about pressurized co2 is that you can adjust the amount of co2 you want in the tank. different kH and gH affect how much co2 you need in the aquarium and how the co2 will affect the changing of the pH of the water. if you want a good link to show you how this works check out THIS link. if you scroll all the way down it shows how the kH of your particular water affects how co2 changes pH. with a pressurized system you can accurately change this according to your fish and your plants needs. with a DIY kit its very hard to accurately change this but it works.


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## Husky_Jim (May 26, 2003)

I use plants in all my tanks (piranhas or not).I use DIY CO2 system in all my tanks and i have no problem with PH.I have a stable 6.8 to 7 max.
I have more thn 20 different spiecies of plants and the only thing i am using is the CO2 and "Flora Glow" lamps.Sometimes i use fertilizer tablets but not very often.

*Datman i agree that a "factory" CO2 system is far more good and reliable but the price of it (at least in my country) is very high.

Jim


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## tinyteeth (Mar 12, 2003)

30 gallon with 30 watts - no supplements - one 4" gold spilo









60 gallon - 80 watts - some iron tablets from LFS - 6 natts ( 1 tern) and a bunch of others


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## Datman (Jul 7, 2003)

husky_jim said:


> *Datman i agree that a "factory" CO2 system is far more good and reliable but the price of it (at least in my country) is very high.


 Hey Jim
actually I dont use a "factory" pressurized co2 system. I pieced most of it myself. The co2 tank I bought from a local gas supplier, the co2 regulator I bought from a aquatic plants vendor, and the diffuser I scrapped from an old DIY co2 kit. All in all I spent a total of around $160 for the entire setup. It's still expensive but its almost half the price of most "factory" pressurized co2 systems out there on the market. It works just as good as the other systems and is much easier than a DIY system. Im actually trying to sell my planted tank equipment in the buy and sell forum.

Hey Tinyteeth 
thats a nice setup you got there. Just out of curiosity though is that bluegreen algae on the rocks in the first picture?


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## tinyteeth (Mar 12, 2003)

yes it is datman, i dunno where it came from, but it looks cool. grew from nothing, now its waving around cause it has no more rock to hang on to. that pic is months old.


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## Datman (Jul 7, 2003)

Sweet! the look of different types of algae is a nice touch. it suits your tank nicely.


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## tinyteeth (Mar 12, 2003)

thanks, so im saying you can achieve good growth without the expensive lights and vitamins.


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## Datman (Jul 7, 2003)

tinyteeth said:


> thanks, so im saying you can achieve good growth without the expensive lights and vitamins.


 i never denied that you couldnt get good growth without strong lights and a good co2 setup. however, the plants grow much better and look fuller with good lights and a good co2 setup. beauty is in the eye of the beholder.


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## Pondscum (Sep 25, 2003)

QUOTE]Sweet! the look of different types of algae is a nice touch. it suits your tank nicely[/QUOTE]
I do not think this was a compliment, tinyteeth, algae in a plant tank is a nuisance. It's as much fun as having hundreds of little snails that never go away.


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## tinyteeth (Mar 12, 2003)

algea is a nuisance for most people. i prefer them, i like the natural look. if it grows on the front side of the tank, i wipe them down.


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## garybusey (Mar 19, 2003)

Oh yeah i got Lots of plants in My 135. Algae grows off the dritwood and it looks awesome! Much better than that fake crap.


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## Raptor (Jan 3, 2003)

Datman said:


> tinyteeth said:
> 
> 
> > thanks, so im saying you can achieve good growth without the expensive lights and vitamins.
> ...










:smile: Nothing beats a full grown amazon sword flowering, and busting all over with leaves. You won't get much more than alge with under lit aquariums.


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## tinyteeth (Mar 12, 2003)




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## tinyteeth (Mar 12, 2003)




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## tinyteeth (Mar 12, 2003)

some of my faverite pics


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## Datman (Jul 7, 2003)

Pondscum said:


> > Sweet! the look of different types of algae is a nice touch. it suits your tank nicely
> 
> 
> I do not think this was a compliment, tinyteeth, algae in a plant tank is a nuisance. It's as much fun as having hundreds of little snails that never go away.


 Dude, what are you talking about. I was never dissing Tinyteeth in any way. If Tinyteeth likes his tank with the natural look then thats fine its what he likes and Im all for that. I in no way ever meant to frown upon that at all. Like I said Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Tinyteeth those tank shots are Awesome (*note* No sarcasm for others who read this!)


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## tinyteeth (Mar 12, 2003)

thanks, my tinfoils ate most of the plants though. gotta get some more.


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## pantast1c (Sep 7, 2003)

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o I see how it is, when kozmo ask for pictures of plants, he gets a hella lot of responses, but when I ask for pictures... no one wants to reply.









hahahaha jk, well it took a while for pplz to respond.

Also refer to this thread:

Plants or NO plants?

n8 recommended me:
http://www.thatpetplace.com/intro/liveplants.asp (but does not ship to CA)
http://www.petsolutions.com/cgi-bin/cgiitm...9320.000000&l=1 (little expensive)

Can anyone recommend me a site or place for SoCal?


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## NatenSarah (Sep 14, 2003)

I don't think this place is in SoCal, but after a little more searching, it's the least expensive place we've found yet. Actually Sarah found it...

http://www.freshwateraquariumplants.com/

Great selection, great prices, all plants/shipping options Guarantee arrival of good healthy plants or they will replace them, and THEY pay for shipping to replace damaged/dead plants!

And I didn't see any limitations on Cali...

--n8


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## pantast1c (Sep 7, 2003)

What can I say?

n8 and Sarah are the best bestest persons in the whole wide world.

Thank you so much for both of your help.


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## pantast1c (Sep 7, 2003)

:







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