I'm diving in...

[Fishnut]

I've been doing a lot of thinking and I think I'm going to bite the bullet and get an Amano inspired tank going.

What I have been wondering is how gravel cleaning is done in one of those tanks?  If the gravel doesn't get airated, doesn't anerobic bacteria build up and harm plant roots? 

Here's what I have (it's not going to be heated):

48 x 13 x 13 tank (40 gallons)
2 x T6 bulb fixture...the bulbs I have need replacing so I'm open to suggestions as to what to add.
Red Sea Flora Base (about enough to cover 1/2 the tank with 2"
Copious amounts of #10 silica sand which is already in use and full of good stuff
Driftwood

Fish that WILL be in this tank:
20 Mosquito Rasboras
18 CPD's
10 Super Red cherry shrimp

Plants that I want to use:
Red Tiger Lotus
Madagascar Laceleaf Plant (yes I know it can get huge)
Fizidens moss
Peacock Moss
Willow Moss
Weeping Moss
HC
Glosso
Pellia
Assorted Cryptocrenes

I have a feeling I'm not going to accomplish this without a CO2 thing in place...sigh.  I obviously need more substrate.  I was thinking about dividing the substrate so that the silica was at the back and held all the larger plants, then the Flora BAse could be in the front and grow the smaller plants like the HC or the Glosso.

I need to now what kinds of rocks won't affect the PH so I can tie some Pellia to them.

Input please!

[charlie]

A few quick things that pop into my thoughts without going to the trusted Goggle or other.
(1) the tank you have is shallow, the lights you have should suffice for the plants you describe & then some.
( 2) CO2 would be & is always beneficial for any planted tank despite light level or plant type ,i suspect your lights & tank depth = good intensity @ substrat6 level & will probably be better to have CO2
(3)Since you are using a fair amount of moss & a few plants that do not need rooting it might be good to use the silica with these type of non rooted plants & use the others with the flora base, one concern is how old is the Flora base? does it still have it`s properties? BTW Crypts might be the exception here as i have seen them do pretty good in sand when fed via root tabs as does all strong rooted plants.
(4) any T6 bulbs around the 5000-8000 should do just fine
(5) most planted tanksis no gravel vac, the odd poking around just before water change or MTS will keep things in good shape.
as usual these are my opinions & maybe not the best advice but have worked pretty well for me, the other experienced guys ( the ones that have actually done it as opposed to regurgitating what they read  ) will probably add more.

http://aquaria.net/articles/plants/species/aponogeton/laceplant/
Regards

[HappyGuppy]

I've been doing a lot of thinking and I think I'm going to bite the bullet and get an Amano inspired tank going.

What I have been wondering is how gravel cleaning is done in one of those tanks?  If the gravel doesn't get airated, doesn't anerobic bacteria build up and harm plant roots? 

Input please!

Hey Fishnut, sounds like you're gonna have a cool tank setup soon!

Here is my two cents.  And yes, I am serious.  Get some MTS snails.  I seriously don't understand why people are so annoyed by them since they are IMHO the second best snail to have in a tank, and the best for the job of what you described above.  They're like earth worms; digging through the substrate, aerating it, and will help to eliminate the problem you are concerned about.  Them along with rooted plants in your tank... and you'll be happy.  Oh, and they don't eat plants, just yuky stuff.  Seriously, for the folks that hate them because the over populate... that is true of any snail if you OVERFEED THEM!!!  Considering their immense benefits their pros far outweigh the cons.  I add them to EVERY tank... yes, including saltwater!!!  Google acclimating MTS snails to saltwater - they're a champ at aerating my aragonite too.  I love them.  They solve the problem you asked about.

[TLe041]

Wouldn't the HC get all uprooted by the MTS?

[HappyGuppy]

Wouldn't the HC get all uprooted by the MTS?

Ah yes, HC cuba... haven't thought of that.  Maybe, but I had a tank years ago with it and MTS and I didn't experience any problems... but it's been a few years and I just don't remember much about that tank.  Personally, IMHO, for a planted tank MTS are extremely valuable.  What *I* would do is to include them, and if there was a problem then I'd just replace the HC with something else... though of course what *you* would do can be different.  It all depends upon what you want in your tank.

[Fishnut]

I have TONES of MTS...and some well fed assassin snails in another tank

Thanks for the input!

[jetstream]

If you use CO2, all assassin snails will be gone within a week!

[HappyGuppy]

I have TONES of MTS...and some well fed assassin snails in another tank

Thanks for the input!

Well it sounds like you've got a source of *healthy* MTS (getting them for free from Petsmart you should QT for 6-8 weeks, or better yet keep them in a brackish (5-8 sg) QT for a few weeks to eliminate ick and other yuckies).  If you later change your mind, well, you've already got assassins.  Sounds to me that you should have a happy tank.  Note that Charlie also suggested the MTS above, so you've got +2 for MTS.

[Fishnut]

(3)Since you are using a fair amount of moss & a few plants that do not need rooting it might be good to use the silica with these type of non rooted plants & use the others with the flora base, one concern is how old is the Flora base? does it still have it`s properties? BTW Crypts might be the exception here as i have seen them do pretty good in sand when fed via root tabs as does all strong rooted plants.
(4) any T6 bulbs around the 5000-8000 should do just fine

Interesting quote from that website on the laceleaf: "The best one I had utterly filled a 40 gallon long tank with leaves up to two feet long and 6 inches wide."  That's what I'm hoping for!!  I want it to be my centerpiece!

I'm not 100 % sure on my flora Base.  It was in various tanks for about 7 or 8 months until I figured out that I didn't need it for some of the fish species I was keeping...oops.  It has been sitting dry in containers for over a year...maybe 2 years.  It's still in tiny ball shapes, so I think it's still good.

I have assassin snails in a separate tank from the MTS.  When the MTS get out of hand I bait them to a piece of food, siphon them out and the assassins get a feast.