aquapetz.com

Hi,

Newbie here..
I am a huge fan of aquascaping, trying to set up a well planted 90 liters aquascape.

Couple of questions...

Has anybody ever used Vetiver: Cympopogon grass root (Ramacham in malayalam) or Loofa (Natural bath sponge) as an aquarium background? I personally think that Loofa can make an excellent natural planter, which can dissolve biologically , and also can be stuffed with clay / fertilizer for plant roots to absorb. They might also allow plant roots to spread, as they have gaps. Comments?

I am from kerala. There are many of laterite stones /pebbles (called vettukallu in malayalam). They look similar to Moram stones posted here "viewtopic.php?f=12&t=2339". How do they rate as an aquarium substrate?

I saw a bottle of Homoepathic medicine bottle lying around, in our house. Saw some chemical names which might be useful as fertilizers. Any thoughts on these ???

Lastly, I have loads and loads (Yes, a truckload !!!) of purple / Red Cabomba in the river nearby. I have put these in my aquarium and seems they are not dying out, or growing either. I am having 9+7 W LED bulbs for my aquarium with 6500 K at around 800 lumens each. How do you successfully grow these? Planning to buy normal 18 W LED bulb * 3 numbers for my tank..

Will surely update with photos, once fully set up..

Thanks for this wonderful forum..

Tank dimensions: 60L*48W*52H..

Homeopathic medicines as plant fertilizers ? This must be the first time that anyone has raised such a query.I doubt anyone on planet earth has an answer to this.

apuda2010 wrote:Homeopathic medicines as plant fertilizers ? This must be the first time that anyone has raised such a query.I doubt anyone on planet earth has an answer to this.

it is certainly a very 'striking' idea.

JAigu, that is a LOT of questions crammed into the FIRST post for sure. Please take the time to give an introduction of yourself in the self-introduction thread first.

I think there are a million and one things once can use for background based what is available locally. Roots of terrestrial plants are theoretically acceptable unless they are biologically too 'raw' and release nutrients too rapidly into the water and even noxious gases as they decompose. Try a small bit first and see how it goes.... For the stones, try the 'vinegar test'. if they dissolve in vinegar or foam/foam with it, they should not be used. if this test is too basic, u could use a water test kit to see if the water is affected. Ideally the water should not be affected that much. There are too many stone types in India for us to be able to just hear a name and give an assessment.

I used a homeopathy medicine as plant booster. Results are satisfactory. At present I am out of station with family. After coming back, I will share my experiance. I know one more aquarist who used homeopathy medicine with aquatic plants.
Nice topic. Keep it up.

Thanks..
Sorry for me "cutting the cackle" without proper self introduction..
I'm Jai from kerala, living in Pune, Maharashtra. Very passionate about aquascaping.

Really happy to have great aquascapists here.
Will update on my tank soon and many innovative ideas..

@Scorpio
Great news. Just as I thought. Hope to hear from you more, soon.
Thanks.

I would suggest you to go as following

1. Lighting , simple pll 4-6 numbers. LEDs will not work until they are of good quality brand.

2. Plant selection, go for easy to grow at least 6 variety 10 to30 each, plant them in groups. You may take inspiration from Scorpios earlier tanks.

3. Ferts, any good brand will do the job. I Would not suggest for experiment in this big tank.

Rest are quite common.
Co 2?

Thanks partha!

SCORPIO wrote:I used a homeopathy medicine as plant booster. Results are satisfactory. At present I am out of station with family. After coming back, I will share my experiance. I know one more aquarist who used homeopathy medicine with aquatic plants.
Nice topic. Keep it up.

hello sir, which homeopathy medicine u use as plant booster

I used Silicea 6X with plants. Still under test, so I would advice, please do not use in fish tank.