Need SW advice for FW!

[Dvt81]

SWAG (scientific wild a** guess) about 1/3-1/4. 90g or 100g should be more than enough. "Gut feel" is that 1/3 to 1/4 of the display in planted tank is plants.

A back wall of a moss that may be enough. FWIW I had a 55g marine where I just crammed in 1/4" sq egg crate 3" in front of the back glass. and added 2 2tube shoplights behind pointing forward. Chaeto and caulerpa took off there, nitrates dropped to 0 in three weeks and my two tangs (yellow and a "dory") were constantly grazing on the macros that poked through and wound up being 4-5" for 5 years. Tank ran for 6-7 years with no water changes.

Yes you can have a skimmer and refugium. I recommend against it because the plants will consume ammonia first then nitrates, plus phosphates, and carbon dioxide while returning oxygen. And FWIW my planted tanks have always had a pH of 8.2+ with the api high range ph kit. Yet soft water fish like neon tetras thrive for years.

my .02

Thanks very much for the insight and help. If i have to pick your brain some more... How much maintenance would the planted aquarium require? Ive never had plants since i have african cichlids.

 

[beaslbob]

Thanks very much for the insight and help. If i have to pick your brain some more... How much maintenance would the planted aquarium require? Ive never had plants since i have african cichlids.

I do no water changes, no filter, no circulation. You do get crud on the substrate which I just let build up and try to remove every year or two. Sometimes I do get algae on the glass I scrape off once a week but that is on a tank that gets direct sunlight. Every few months I may use a vortex diatom filter to polish the water

 

[Sonor]

I have an african mbuna tank, I have tried to incorporate some of the reef methods to my FW tank. I added a sump only about 15 percent the size of my display. I use a sock at the sump inlet and to my surprise I can go about 4-6 weeks between cleaning it. Of course I shut off the pump for feeding to keep most of the food for the fish not the sump. I use marine bio blocks placed in the bottom of the sump, the fall from the DT into the sump and the slight fall in the sump into the return chamber gives me enough aeration that I don't have to use any bubble wands. My nitrates stay around 10 ppm. I do 20 % water changes every 2 weeks. The use of a planted refugium isn't needed in my opinion, it would just create more maintenance, unless you want it just for the plants, I just haven't seen the need in my situation, I find that the added bacteria in the marine blocks are all i need to maintain low phos and nitrate levels. It has been a very low maintenance tank, just water changes and glass cleaning in the display. Just what i want.