Beginner in planted aquarium

[Steven Williams]

I'm new at planted aquariums and I kinda just want some plants to help liven up my tank. I've tried before but my lights were just sucky hood lights so that really didn't work. My current aquarium has decent lighting so I thought I'd give it a shot. Its a 150 gal with a 125 fluval canister filter and a 55 gal marineland canister filter with 2 LED white and blue light marineland strip lights (possibly for reefs) that are 24" each.
My setup is:
x1 Silver Arowana ~20"
x1 Jack Dempsey cichlid 8"
x5 Angelfish 3-5"
x1 Parrot cichlid 7"
Botht the cichlids don't dig so I doubt they will disturb the plants. The Angelfish are well fed but I heard they can eat live plants too. I currently don't have a bottom feeder but it would help if someone could recommend one that doesn't eat plants. I also am getting an undergravel filter (will that deprive the live plants of nutrients from the fish waste?) The arowana produces LOTS of waste. I was just wondering if live plants would work and if so can anyone recommend the hardier species?

 

[convict360]

I'd recommend rhizome plants like ferns and anubias, but these may not do so well if your lighting is especially intense.

 

[Steven Williams]

I'd recommend rhizome plants like ferns and anubias, but these may not do so well if your lighting is especially intense.

Well the lights aren't on all the time probably like 4 hours during the day most
What about the under gravel would that affect growth?

 

[skjl47]

Hello; this picture in of a planted tank with UGF's running for over a year.

The Angelfish are well fed but I heard they
can eat live plants too.

hello; This is news to me. Had them in the past in planted tanks and do not recall them eating plants. I have a young pair in a planted tank currently that show no interest in the plants.

I also am getting an undergravel filter (will that deprive the live plants of nutrients from the fish waste?)

What about the under gravel would that affect growth?

hello; having run UGF's (undergravel filters) for decades, I feel comfortable saying this will not be an issue. many of my planted tanks had and currently have UGF.

From your pictures he substrate seem thin. If you go for rooted plants may I suggest adding more. I like four of more inches of substrate with rooted plants.

May I also suggest adding a timer for the lights. This has been a successful practice for my setups. Play with the photo period and likely will need more than four hours on each day.

 

[redchaser]

With that stocking, instead of buying plants buy a bigger tank....much bigger.

 

[Steven Williams]

With that stocking, instead of buying plants buy a bigger tank....much bigger.

Well that's the overall plan but it's gonna be a pond not a tank and this tank will have plants

 

[Steven Williams]

View attachment 1210234
Hello; this picture in of a planted tank with UGF's running for over a year.


hello; This is news to me. Had them in the past in planted tanks and do not recall them eating plants. I have a young pair in a planted tank currently that show no interest in the plants.





hello; having run UGF's (undergravel filters) for decades, I feel comfortable saying this will not be an issue. many of my planted tanks had and currently have UGF.

From your pictures he substrate seem thin. If you go for rooted plants may I suggest adding more. I like four of more inches of substrate with rooted plants.

May I also suggest adding a timer for the lights. This has been a successful practice for my setups. Play with the photo period and likely will need more than four hours on each day.

Thanks for the advice it helps a lot how would I add a timer to the lights with an outlet timer?

 

[skjl47]

Thanks for the advice it helps a lot how would I add a timer to the lights with an outlet timer?[/QUOTE]
Hello; Yes this is what I use. One additional bit, get the mechanical type timer and not the digital. My experience has been that the digital types go off with even a brief power outage and stay off. The mechanical sort will come back on when the power comes back. This is handy for planted tanks if you are gone for a weekend. May get off schedule by the amount the power is off but the set number of hours for the photoperiod will stay the same.

 

[Steven Williams]

Ok thanks

 

[redchaser]

Well that's the overall plan but it's gonna be a pond not a tank and this tank will have plants

Re reading your post it's a lot better than I thought. I wasn't wearing my cheaters when I first read it and when I saw you list the Marineland 55 gal canister, I thought I read that it was a 55 gallon tank. Really glad it's not, and I apologize for assuming the worst