I guess no one has any suggestions for what plants I should put into my salt water tank to get the system up and running and in peak condition?

I noticed that other posts were being responded to.

I really don't want to have to beg for help.

What kind of light system should I buy for the aquarium? I was using a low-lighting system before for the octopus.

hey i am very new to i am geting me octo on thursday but i will try to help you from what i no from all the info i found i heard that they dont really like light so try to get a low light

I have a bunch of plants I could send you.

3 watts per a gallon

I think part of the problem Apryl, is that not many of us have planted aquariums!

We have Bladder (Giant) kelp Macrocystis pyrifera, Neptunes Necklace Hormosira banksii, Branching velvet weed Codium fragile assorted coralines (not always by choice!) and a few others. BUT we don't generally grow them. We collect parts of plants because we have a few herbivores who can chew plants down to the rocks very quickly indeed!

J

I guess no one has any suggestions for what plants I should put into my salt water tank to get the system up and running and in peak condition?

I noticed that other posts were being responded to.

I really don't want to have to beg for help.

What kind of light system should I buy for the aquarium? I was using a low-lighting system before for the octopus.

I have a bunch of plants I could send you.
hey you think that you can send me so plants too........new tank

Dan, have you actually kept any of these plants in your tanks for some time? If so, which ones do well?

Nancy

I understand that a lot of you don't house plants in the aquarium--let alone lighting. I'm sorry for being so impatient. I'm just excited about setting up my tank.

...suggestions for what plants I should put into my salt water tank to get the system up and running and in peak condition? ...

I would say that plants don't seem to get a saltwater ceph tank in peak condition. They are pretty to look at and add to a otherwise sparce tank, but normally degrade the water quality more often than improve it.

Thisis not true in reef tanks with little fish flitting around and bright lighting. Octos will most likely pull it up or play with the rubber band that is trying to help them root. The lighting that is prime to get a octo to come out and play is less than plants need. You can have bright lighting for plants and never see your octo during the day.

I use Cheato in the sump to absorb nitrates and try to help coraline algae, but that is pretty much it for plants.

Where can I find a 48" light fixture for fish and coral that won't burn my budget? I can spend up to 250$.

Where can I find a 48" light fixture for fish and coral that won't burn my budget? I can spend up to 250$.

On Ebay there is a pretty cool 48" power compact for $125 including shipping. Just search for aquarium lighting on there.

Someone sent me to a website and I can get a 48" temp light for $50. It has everything I want for a temp move to my new place. I really appreciate the feedback. In the future, I plan on getting an Orbit lighting for my saltwater fish. I want to breed clown fish.

What is the normal PH for saltwater? Mine is at 8.2 and I read somewhere that that is considered normal.

Our tester fish died, but we think it was because he had a smaller fin on one side. The "nemo" syndrom.

I've added a buffer and the water is crystal clear. The PH is still 8.2. I have PH down and PH up, so whatever anyone recommends, I can try either one on the tank.

Has anyone had any luck with Corallife lights? I want to put in LED lights for breeding. It would be easy to get a Corallife light, because my LFS carries the ballasts that I would need to eventually replace in the future :)

Thanks you guys!

Hugs,
Apryl

A pH of 8.2 is the average of global seawater, but anywhere between 8.0 and 8.4 is OK.

DH..thanks for the feedback! Everyplace I looked at seemed to tell me something different.

5353

5354

Dan, what are we looking at here? - very interesting tanks, is all that we see from the Florida coast?

Nancy

Nancy,
The first pic is of a piece of our deco live rock. In the seconed pic you see one of my octopus tanks. I had a small vulgaris in there. He would move the plants around where he liked them. He planted several types right in frount of his den (the shell in the pic). I did get everything you see in the pics off our florida coast. I collected it all myself. The plants you see include; feathered caulerpa, caulerpa mexicana, caulerpa prolifera, green grape caulerpa, codium, and a couple others that i dont know the name of. I also have a red wall sponge, sea whips, grogonians, and a red rock anemone. The snails you see are olive snails. The octopus ate around $500 worth off thoes snails. So i had to set up a new tank for my snails.

The plants do help the water quality.