i am starting a 58 gallon tank with key hole cichlids and want to have some real plants in the tank i would like amazon swords, and java fern. but what i was wondering is what kind of substrate should i use will they root in sand and what kind of lighting should i have. other decor will be drift wood and rocks. thanks for the noob plant help i appreciate it.
a lil noob plant help please
- Thread starter joedodge
- Start date
Shoot for about 1.5 to 2 watts per gallon and if you are going to use sand, place a root tab under the sword plant. Tie the java fern to the driftwood or a rock.
joedodge;3435765; said:
eco-complete, ADA aqua soil, flourite... the list continues!
just remember to add root tabs if u use inert sand or gravel...
minimum lighting for u should be 90 watts and something between 6700k - 10,000k... u might want to look into some Co2..it helps a lot!! but its not 100% necessary...
add whatever decor u think looks best and what the fish like..
just a few swords on the substrate and some fern on the drift wood not alot just enought to make the tank look natural and take a stab at plants thats all so would a flouresent bule like a aqua glow or somthing work and how easy is flourite to clean and how do fish like it
you dont have to go with flourite or any of the plant substrates. i would save the money go with sand and spend the money on lights. you can prob get away with shop lights a 2x32w fixture maybe even 4x32w t8.
A dual t5 10,000k can be enough for what your doing, i find schultz aquatic soil to be reasonably cheap and works very well with plants. The only down side is that it is light in weight before it becomes saturated with water so its always not a bad idea to mix with other heavier gravel to help root the plants better.