Top tips / Fave shortcuts / Mistakes we made so you *don't* have to!

[Koan]

We have so many new members and visitors this last week, thanks to our recent good word from @Dennis Wong

I want to give our new colleagues some insight into what we talk about!

We've had a great conversations here, about nutrient stability and monitoring as a planted tank superpower, new innovations in hardware and testing that can resolve decades-old struggles in the hobby, and our favorite shortcuts and time saver tips

And there are basic rules that have come to be standard knowledge for creating success with planted tanks :

• plant heavily right away
• use CO2 / don't use too much light
• circulation of oxygen and CO2 as well as timing of CO2 injection are all critical for CO2 stability
• creating stable fertilization is more complex than we think

But still by far the hardest thing about growing aquarium plants is the deceptively part of "deceptively simple".

I mean, they're plants for crying out loud

Disappointment, frustration, and burnout can absolutely plague anyone's first experiences trying to grow these beautiful plants. And YouTube does not always help


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So, for the benefit of our new readers, I want to start a new discussion about the top things we wish we knew / will never do again / mistakes that nearly drove us from the hobby

Let's hear them!

Feel free to post more than once, as stories occur to you!

 

[Koan]

I'll start :

1) Buy an extra tank for CO2 and keep it filled at all times.

Just do it

Two extras are better if you have more than one tank!

Between work schedules, family obligations and the hours that the CO2 gas provider nearby is actually open...you can lose enormous amounts of work with just one gas failure.. It's not worth it!

You can get an extra 5lb tank on sale for $50, two for $100, and the heartbreak you'll save is priceless



2) Using a surface skimmer for oxygen exchange is an excellent way to optimize CO2 and O2 in your tank.

It is not enough, if you have a nearly complete seal over the top of your tank.

I.e., if the lid rests directly on the edges of the tank CO2 will collect above your tank, and you will not be exchanging adequate oxygen.

This is a problem for livestock that breathes oxygen

If you have livestock, make sure your lid has a nice air gap all the way around, or mesh in the middle, to allow free exchange of oxygen with the room.

 

[Koan]

A few more :

3) Tissue Culture plants look very sexy, and sound like a great idea. Snail and algae free... They are a great marketing triumph for the planted tank hobby.

They melt.

If you're just getting started, do yourself a favor and plant mostly large plants that already have solid mass and surface area, first. Go on to TC plants when you have some success with stability in your tank.

More functioning leaf surface area is your friend in a new scape!


4) Trimming matters, trimming matters, trimming matters

Allowing melting plants / dying leaves / bits of plant detritus to go to mush in the bottom of your tank, is the fastest way to set yourself up for a long life of algae heartbreak.

It is not fertilizer. Except for algae.

All of that chunks of plant mass is organic content. Content that will drop deep into your substrate, become a perpetual source of dissolved organic content / DOC, and be very difficult to remove even with water changes.

Algae loves this.

Start right away with an obsessive habit of removing dead and ailing plant mass as soon as you see it, and your life will be so much better.

Ask me how I know

 

[JayP]

Not a tip, but just wanted to say; our Admin @Art and moderators @Koan and @GreggZ are wonderful.

 

[MrJG]

When planning a layout make sure you can work around to clean all of your glass with a scraper or magnetic tool. Once it’s committed and you have a small spot that you can’t reach it will drive you batty.

Same goes for lots of branching wood. If it’s hard to get in there and work pre-planting it’s going to be magnitudes worse grown in to clean out near substrate or trim/replant.

 

[JayP]

When planning a layout make sure you can work around to clean all of your glass with a scraper or magnetic tool. Once it’s committed and you have a small spot that you can’t reach it will drive you batty.

Same goes for lots of branching wood. If it’s hard to get in there and work pre-planting it’s going to be magnitudes worse grown in to clean out near substrate or trim/replant.

Well, that ship has sailed.

 

[gnatster]

Wear gloves when using superglue; otherwise, have acetone on hand to get those fingers unstuck.

 

[Beza]

If you like to take your time with the scaping and don't want to give up on your still three-quarters filled bottle of superglue which glued itself shut,
have acetone on hand anyways (the cheapest nail polish remover will do).

 

[Unexpected]

Hands down, the best purchase I've ever made; may not fit everyone's needs, but having multiple large tanks makes this item invaluable. No stupid floating cut off valve, has a garden hose attachment in the box and pushes aquarium refills to the max. Add a Kasa plug, and enjoy a beer while you fill.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9QCCBVW?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&th=1

2nd best purchase, Kasa outlets.