Here at SomefinFishy we have a few wet set ups in store, one being our planted 182L Aqua One Horizon. We’ll be looking at what we’ve used in terms of equipment and supplements to allow our livestock and plants to grow and thrive.

Getting off to the best start

For our project we have chosen the Aquaone Horizon 182. This tank is ideal for our build as we wanted more length than depth & height measuring up at 1220 x 350 x 450mm we chose a tank of these measurements as plant growth can be obtained much easier in shallow waters. The aquariums size also makes it much easier to plant, we have used Ista Planting Clips to really make sure the roots have been buried in without damaging them and Ista Pro Scissors to prune any new plants being added. As we wanted an popen topped aquarium we removed the glass lids. We have upgraded our filtration to an Oase FiltoSmart 200 so are now running external rather than internal, and have upgraded the lights to Aqua One Strip Glo for a better spectrum to optimise plant growth, we have also as an addition added Aqua one air pump for not only effects but a back up for oxygen levels.

Why so many changes?

Aquatic Plants use Photosynthesis to not only produce sugars, but remove carbon dioxide from the environment and replenish oxygen. This makes lighting a very important aspect in ensuring the plants and other inhabitants within survive and co exist. On our build we have chosen to replace the lighting that comes with the aquarium for the Aqua One StripGlo as it has adjustable settings, a much stronger multi colour spectrum of light & mounting brackets which makes this unit ideal for both plant growth and to fit smoothly onto our build now that we are using it open topped.
We have then switched out the Internal filter provided for an external filter, we want gentle flow with a good balance of mechanical & biological filtration, something we would have struggled with if we had have kept to the Internal filter provided. In store we have chosen the Oase FiltoSmart 200 canister and upgraded the Biological side of it with Siporax.

Which substrate should I use?

With a planted setup there are a ridiculous amount of options with dedicated planted substrates such as Nutrasoil & Flourite, these make brilliant options as they are already filled with nutrients and plant foods to ensure your new green friends get off the to best start possible. Here at SomefinFishy we have opted for a substrate that isn’t associated with planted setups at all, and have found with its heavy nutrient content makes for a brilliant planted substrate. This substrate is Limpopo sand, it’s dark colour together with a dark background really ensures colourful fish, plants & inverts really stand out, and with lots of nutrients and heavy metals it helps keep your water buffered. It’s not as compact as most sand substrates which really allows for the roots to bed in and work there way around the aquarium. For the Horizon we have used 20kg.

Food for thought

It’s hard to imagine that when you buy live plants that they will require food, as most of the time it is assumption that food alone from photosynthesis is enough, but the composition of elements similar to our Nano 40 marine setup need to be balanced and stable.
Plants use a number of elements which if not replaced frequently once the plant has used it up can lead to big problems, this is where plant foods & Co2 come in. Most plant foods such as Easy Life Profito & Seachem Flourish contain a number of what is needed such as Iron, Potassium and Magnesium to keep your plants nice and healthy, so a regular dosing of either product is a must.
Dosing can be very tricky as everyone’s aquarium has a different ratio and variety of plants, so no one tank will require the same dosages. This is where Co2 can help, as over feeding with your fertilizer can lead to unwanted algae using up any excess foods which the plants have yet to devour. Co2 in a simple way to describe makes your plants much more greedy for foods nutrients, Co2 can be purchased in liquid form with either Seachem Flourish Exel or Easy Life Easy Carbo. The plants will look to consume more and in turn will out compete the algae for food which has been dosed, leaving no nutrients left behind, and in turn helping to reduce Nitrates & phosphates. This helps reduce the need for water changes and more room for dosing.

With the mass amount of options of Aquariums, Lights, Filters, Woods, Rocks, Plants and Livestock it can be hard to decide where to begin, but once you get going it can get very addictive and joyful watching your under water garden spread and Blossom, creating a jungle for your new underwater friends to live in.