Planted Aquarium V14 
Aug 24 2013, 03:25 PM, updated 2y ago
Planted Aquarium V2 - http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1008287
Planted Aquarium V3 - http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1241871
Planted Aquarium V4 - http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1376905
Planted Aquarium V5 - http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1488629 - by freestyler87
Planted Aquarium V6 - http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1688071 - by michanz
Planted Aquarium V7 - http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2007035 - by ciohbu
Planted Aquarium V8 - http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2255889 - by ciohbu
Planted Aquarium V9 - http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2255889 - by weijie
Planted Aquarium V10 - Planted tank V10 - by weijie
Planted Aquarium V11 - http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2658495 - by qz4eva
Planted Aquarium V12 - https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2767979 - by weijie
Creating a Nature Aquarium (do note that there are many substrate brands in the market, you do not need to follow EXACTLY the steps given below)
1. Bottom layer
-> lava rocks / ADA 5elements (Bacter100, clear super, tourmaline BC, Penac W, Penac P)
2. Substrate layer: Soil (eg: ADA aquasoil normal type, ADA aquasoil powder type, JBL base fert, etc)
3. Layout: Rocks, Driftwoods
4. Plants
5. Livestock: Fishes/shrimps/snails (add after major water change 50-70% 1week after initial setup)
"Dry Start Method" or "Emersed Growth Method"
Different people may have different opinions on this, but in my opinion this is the easiest way to create a scape especially "Iwagumi" style aquascapes where the plants we use are just foreground plants. One of the biggest challenges when we create aquascapes with just one variety of foreground plants is the plant mass is less when the initial planting is done. Now when we use substrate like ADA Amazonia II which is rich in nutrients the plant volume is not enough to absorb all the excess nutrients that algae takes over and it becomes extremely difficult to maintain such tanks until the plants have established and grown fully. Now for people who don't want to go through this trouble of the initial phase but yet end up with a Iwagumi scape like the one below, this method is the perfect solution.
During this phase you really don't need to do much maintenance on the tank. You don't need to have very high lights on the tank as well as there is no water column to penetrate. No CO2 injection required. All you need to do is keep your lights on for 8-10 Hrs a day, open the wrap once a week for 5 min so that fresh air gets in and seal it back up. The results after two and half months is below.
Once the plants have filled in like shown above, it's time to fill the tank with water. Once the water is filled, CO2 injection is required and needs to be kept very high for 2 weeks close to 5 bubbles per second (bps). Afterward, bring it down to 3bps. Setup lights as per the plants requirements. (Cuba is not a very light demanding plant). Setup filter that you have decided on using. If you are using nutrient rich substrate like ADA Amazonia II, follow the below light and water change routine.
Week 1: 3 Hrs of Light , 50 % Water change once in 3 Days
Week 2: 5 Hrs of Light , 30 % Water change once in 3 Days
Week 3: 7 Hrs of Light , 30% Water change once a week
Week 4: 9 Hrs of Light , 30% Water change once a week
Your tank is completely cycled after this stage and if you follow the above routine you will have minimal algae issues except for some diatom algae during the first 2 weeks on the glass which is easily wiped off during your water changes.
NOTE: A correct combination of amount of Light , CO2 and nutrients is required to keep a planted tank free of algae bloom. In most cases it is excessive light that causes the problem. Keep your lighting moderate and you will have minimal algae issues.
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