First planted tank

[forsaken]

Iam thinking about adding plants to my tank. Is there anything i should know about "live" plants? Ik absolutely nothing about having live plants.
AND should I use sand OR rocks?

 

[jcardona1]

yup, theres a lot you should know. and its all written in the stickies let us know if you have specific questions

 

[forsaken]

o ok idk y i didnt check them lol.

 

[forsaken]

what do I NEED for plants? like any chemicals? cirtain substrate?

 

[I'mHooked]

what do I NEED for plants? like any chemicals? cirtain substrate?

As was mentioned above, most of this is addressed in the stickies -

But as far as what you need for plants
(1) a nutrient balanced and plant specific substrate - such as ecocomplete or flourite
(2) proper lighting - you need light in the spectrum b/n 5500k and 10,000k for optimum results. Depending on your tank size and the type of light bulb you purchase, you will require 1-3 watts-per-gallon worth of light. Lighting is deeply addressed within the stickies. It would take me too long to explain at length here.

Optional items:
(3) DIY c02 injection - adding c02 into the water can really speed up the growth of plants in the tank. But it is not necessary.
(4) fertilizers/root tabs - adding additional nutrients may be required by some plants and also helps in plant growth.

If you have more questions, please feel free to reply! And keep us posted with pictures! We always like to see the progression of tanks as they develop!

 

[forsaken]

I NEED a florite substrate? i thought i could just use liquid fertilizers and root tabs

 

[KYeasting]

You can grow your plants without flourite or liquid fertilizers. I grew some plants without either. The liquid fertilizer was the first thing I tried. It worked well, until the algae made an appearance. It covered nearly everything in my tank, and it was the tough red algae. Talk about a headache. My new tank has flourite in the substrate. It is certainly more conducive to a planted tank than plain gravel. I really like the flourite, and it lasts nearly forever. Your plant growth will be severely limited if you don't use something for the plants. Just be careful when using liquid fertilizers!

 

[forsaken]

i used liquid what else would u recomend for fast growth and lusous plants. and how much is florite? and can i lix it with gravel?

 

[Deaths Sting]

i used liquid what else would u recomend for fast growth and lusous plants. and how much is florite? and can i lix it with gravel?

i would do no less then 50% flourite...

I'mHooked mentioned things that are highly recommend for fast growth.....

Optional items:
(3) DIY c02 injection - adding c02 into the water can really speed up the growth of plants in the tank. But it is not necessary.
(4) fertilizers/root tabs - adding additional nutrients may be required by some plants and also helps in plant growth.

 

[forsaken]

I can't seem to find root tabs anywhere?
And will these things that fizz or something put c02 into the tank work to? or are those useless?