View Full Version : planted tanks?
hello i am knew to the idea of a planted tank, and i was wondering if i could get some help thanks
i need to know wha t substrate to use, what plants to use, and if my fish will create enough co2
WyldFya
09-29-2007, 11:29 PM
Read the stickies, then ask more specific questions.
cmj15
09-30-2007, 12:16 PM
ok i have a 20 long the inhabitants are 3 small bullheads less than 3" and sunrfish ranging from 1-3", i was wanting to know waht kind of plants will hold up to the abuse and what kind of fertilization, lighting, and co2 requirements they might have
i found what plants i want to put in it and they are harigrass and corkscrew val, and java fern which will be attached to a peice of drift wood, would this work or are they to fragile for my fish
Yakuza-Irezumi
09-30-2007, 3:09 PM
PM'd
WyldFya
10-01-2007, 12:33 AM
Neither hairgrass nor vals will grow under your light. Stick to anubias, java ferns, and java moss.
i have a light that says it supports plant growth in freshwater and coral growth in saltwater
evercl92
10-01-2007, 9:22 AM
i have a light that says it supports plant growth in freshwater and coral growth in saltwater
Supports, sure. Sustains, no way.
Right, but like he said:
Neither hairgrass nor vals will grow under your light.
That light isn't going to grow either of them. Assuming you have the standard fluorescent lighting, it's practically irrelevant what it says on the box. It doesn't have enough intensity to grow those plants. You'll have to move to something stronger, compact fluorescents or T5's if you want foreground plants to grow.
You're best bet is lower-light plants, as mentioned: to anubias, java ferns, and java moss. You should also be ok with cryptocoryne species as well.
how much would it cost for a good light to grow the hairgrass, or what is another type of plant that makes a good carpet effect
evercl92
10-01-2007, 7:27 PM
Pretty much all 'carpet' plants require pretty good lighting. Cryptocorynes are foreground plants that don't need intense light, but they don't really carpet.
With good lighting, comes the need for CO2 and fertilizers.
So, you pretty much have to decide if you want to light with the setup, or go full out.
do dwarf swords need high light levels, and i read they carpet
WyldFya
10-02-2007, 8:53 PM
All carpeting plants will need high lighting to make an effective carpet in a reasonable amount of time.
how many lumens or wpgs do they need
evercl92
10-03-2007, 3:52 PM
how many lumens or wpgs do they need
There's no real answer here. Different plants require different amounts of light.
You'll need to have at least a 55 or 65wt CF tube over the 20L to get it to grow carpet plants.
i came up with a plant list of Java ferns, java moss, amazon sword, some cryptocorne, and some anubias; does that sound good?
WyldFya
10-13-2007, 9:06 PM
Those are all low light plants.
so it will work, just making sure i don't want to buy a plant that would just die