# Fluval edge, questions about substrate, plants, please hep (pics)



## chrisandtif (Sep 1, 2013)

Hello,

I've had my 6g fluval edge set up with gravel, and have tried my hand at live plants, finding myself simply changing them out when they aren't doing well. I'd like to take the next step towards it being a "true" planted tank, and I think a big change will need to happen. I've got a couple questions!

1.) Substrate! My local petco has a product by seachem, fluorite substrate. Has anyone used this? I'm hesitant to use soil. 

2.) Lighting! has anyone upgraded the lighting for the edge? So far, I don't think lights have been the culprit in the death of my plants, the don't even necc. die, I just end up butchering roots when I vacuum substrate or re-arrange the tank, and they likely aren't getting the nutrients they need.

3.) CO2, Is this a must? API sells a liquid CO2 product, but my instinct tells me this isn't quite the same. Any good suggestions on resources to read would be appreciated. 

I think what is currently in his tank are "cryptocoryne undulate" and a couple "cardinal plants" (lobelia cardinalis) Cannot remember the larger one. I also picked up anubias and a Malaysian red java fern today, and water primrose. (not in the tank yet)

Any feedback, help, tips, would be amazing. Thank you.


Here is my beta's current digs, his name is "Plop" <3


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## kman (Dec 10, 2013)

Soil isn't needed but you'll want to use liquid fertilizers like Flourish a And Flourish Excel. A small 6 gal tank (although I see you have not filled yours up so perhaps 5 gal) doesn't need much. (In fact, try to get a measured eyedropper or 1ml syringe else it's hard to measure the tiny dose). With good ferts, you don't need co2, as long as you're careful with plant selection. 

The lighting in the Edge is pretty terrible, however. Some very low light plants like Anubias are ok with it, but most others need some more light than the stock LED light offers. Many at least buy the LED light used on the 12 gal Edge, which is identical to the 6 gal light in form but twice as many LEDs. I upgraded to another light entirely, but switched to a canister filter at the same time to fit everything under the hood.


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## chrisandtif (Sep 1, 2013)

Thank you very much for taking a look! Yes, I don't quite fill it all the way up, my little guy makes bubble nests when he has a little space for it.

I think you're right about the light needing an upgrade, I've been replacing plants before they get a chance to die, so I feel I'll notice problems when I start adding plants more seriously.

May I ask what light you went with? I may just get what you've suggested, and look up what comes with the 12 gal, kind of a tricky space to fit lights. Lighting has always been the bit I'm most overwhelmed by!


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## kman (Dec 10, 2013)

The 12 gallon Edge is exactly the same as the 6 gallon Edge, just twice as tall. It uses the exact same filter and exact same light arm. You just disconnect the existing arm (two screws, IIRC) and hook up the new one in it's place, everything else is the same. It's the easiest change by far. You can get the 12 gal Edge lights as replacement parts directly from Hagen/Fluval. Amazon has them occasionally, too.

I jumped way ahead and use a Fluval Nano Aqua Life and Plant Performance LED Lamp. (on sale for $45, at the time) Over twice the output of the 12gal Edge light. It fits under the hood, but not with the stock filter, so I upgraded to a canister filter as well. Works well, but it's a very different tank now. 

Even with this light, though, care needs to be taken with plant selection. The hood still really focuses light in the center of the tank and the front and corners don't get a lot of light, so they need plants that do better in lower light, like Anubias and Java Fern.


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## neiloconnor (Jan 6, 2015)

kman said:


> I jumped way ahead and use a Fluval Nano Aqua Life and Plant Performance LED Lamp. (on sale for $45, at the time) Over twice the output of the 12gal Edge light. It fits under the hood, but not with the stock filter, so I upgraded to a canister filter as well. Works well, but it's a very different tank now.


kman, are you still using this lighting setup on your Fluval Edge? I want to upgrade the LEDs on my 12 gallon and this seems like a nice and tidy (although pricey) option. 

Can you post some photos of your tank setup? I'm particular interested in how well it fits under the hood. 

Thanks!


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## myexplodingcat (Apr 9, 2014)

Fertilizers: You should buy a bottle of Flourish liquid fertilizer. A small bottle is $5, and it goes a long way. Even plants that don't require it will grow faster if you dose fertilizer. Dose once or twice a week at the recommended amount on the label. You'll probably want a dropper for dosing--it's concentrated stuff.

Root tabs: Certain of these plants require fertilizer at their roots, so they need "root tabs." It's a little chunk of slow-release fertilizer that you push into the gravel beside the plant. You buy them in boxes of like ten.

Really hard to kill, will grow in basically any tank:
Java fern
Java moss
Anubias (of any species)
Marimo moss balls

Requires root tabs:
Smaller cryptocoryne species
Amazon Sword "compacta" (don't buy other kinds of swords, which get huge)

Definitely needs Flourish, may grow slowly under your low light:
Green cabomba
Bacopa
Water wisteria

Some questions of yours that weren't already answered:

Q: Is CO2 a must?
A: No. The liquid additive may help things grow faster, but it's not necessary. You certainly don't need a fancy CO2 system for a low-light 6g tank. You're going for what's called a "low-tech" setup, meaning you don't have to go in for anything more than basic ferts.

Q: What should I use for substrate?
A: You're not going to be able to grow any plants that are picky enough to require special substrate in your light. Use your gravel. You don't need fluorite.

Q: What are my plants?
A: I see three plants that look like anubias. Probably they're all anubias nana, just different sizes. I can't tell from the picture. I also spot what looks like a cyperus helferi plant behind the ornament, but that could be plastic.

Cardimine lyrata looks like this.
https://www.google.com/search?q=lob...a=X&ei=LDSvVKHCEtL_yQSPpoKICw&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ

And I don't see any cryptocorynes of any sort in your tank. They need root tabs and wouldn't thrive without them, anyway--you'd notice.


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## myexplodingcat (Apr 9, 2014)

Also! There's a trick if you don't want to buy root tabs.

You will need:
Some new 2" clay seed pots (however many you want)
A few handfuls of topsoil or ORGANIC potting mix (e.g., MiracleGro organic potting mix)
A few handfuls of sand or fine gravel
The plants that would need root tabs otherwise (e.g., crypts, swords)
A Glad dish big enough to hold your soil

Pot prep:
1. You want to make sure there's nothing nasty in the pots. A quick vinegar rinse is often enough, but if you're worried, sticking them in the oven for a while will kill off any bacteria that might be in them and it won't hurt the pots.
2. Give them a soak in old tank water so they don't float in the tank. These suckers often have a lot of air trapped in the clay, and a soak for a while will solve that problem.

Soil prep:
1. Sift through the soil. Pick out any big chunks or wood chips.
2. Put the soil in the Glad dish and wet it down enough to make it damp. Don't turn it into mud or saturate it, just wet it like you're watering a houseplant.
3. Rinse the sand or gravel well, until the rinsing water comes out clear. Even pet store sand marketed for aquariums has tons of dust and junk in it.

Assemble:
1. Fill each pot 2/3 of the way with soil. Try not to pack it down, but give it a gentle tap or two on the counter to dismiss any air pockets.
2. Plant your plant in the pot. Plant a little bit shallower than you normally would.
3. Cap the soil with the sand or gravel.
4. Gently lower into your tank. You can bury these in your gravel if you like.

Now you have some of your heavy root feeding plants in soil, without redoing your whole tank!


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## kman (Dec 10, 2013)

neiloconnor said:


> kman, are you still using this lighting setup on your Fluval Edge? I want to upgrade the LEDs on my 12 gallon and this seems like a nice and tidy (although pricey) option.
> 
> Can you post some photos of your tank setup? I'm particular interested in how well it fits under the hood.
> 
> Thanks!


I'm not using that setup anymore, unfortunately. The Edge was just too much hassle. The light was great, but frankly TOO strong. I was getting algae growth right under the light, and yet still had serious fall-off in the corners because of the hood. It did not perfectly fit under the hood, unfortunately. It was REALLY close, and I likely could have modified it to fit, but I was just tired of dealing with the various hassles and upgraded to a bigger tank.





























(ignore the chopstick... the string was being used as a proof of concept before I fixed the light in place by building into the hood, but I quit before finishing)

I had to pull out the AC20 HOB filter and replace it with a canister, which helped because the HOB filter got in the way. With the canister I could _almost_ close the top cover (see photo for how close) Except, with the canister, there wasn't enough oxygen exchange due to the tiny opening and no water splashing from an HOB, so I had gasping fish, and I had add an airstone on a timer to compensate. Then I had daily bubbles (LOTS) to remove from the top glass. That's when I threw in the towel.

I'm MUCH happier with my 60P.  Although I may return the Edge to stock configuration and set it up as a shrimp-only tank one of these days.


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