# Help with getting started in planted tanks



## Chance (Aug 10, 2005)

I was woundering if some of you guys could help point me in the right direction. What size should i start with, because i dont wanna go very big. What kinda lighting should i use and so on. I just love the look of the bottom of the tank coverd with moss and nice plants everywhere. O yea and what kinda substrait and things would i need. Well thanks for any help.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

There are a cpl of good sizes I reccommend and other I dont for tanks.
10, 20L, 30B, 40, 75E and 90 are great tanks for plants. They are long but not too tall preventing lighting from penetrating the water. They are also realtive inexpensive to equip with lights. As for where to start I would read these articles.

http://www.aquatic-plants.org/articles/basics/pages/index.html
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/plants/randall_Setting up.html
http://www.plantgeek.net/article_viewer.php?id=17


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## Chance (Aug 10, 2005)

Thanks for the help if anyone has more to add i would be very greatful. Thanks again


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Chance said:


> Thanks for the help if anyone has more to add i would be very greatful. Thanks again


You ask a lot of questions, which is good, but you haven't told us anything about what you want and how much you want to spend. A planted tank can be cheap and easy or as expensive as setting up a saltwater tank.


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## Chance (Aug 10, 2005)

haha this is true. I have a satwater reef now and yes it is expensive. I was thinkin on like a 20 gallon long and i want to keep it low tec. I would like to have a carpeted bottom can i do this without c02. I would like to keep it on the lower sid efor cost. Also i have a little like 2.5 gallon tank it there a cheap plant i can try my green thumb with, Thanks


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Here's one suggestion for a 20 gallon long.
Lighting 55/65 (either) PC lighting (Big als has good prices)
Filtration Fluval 204 or equivilent. (More waterflow the better. Filtration is highly overrated on planted tanks. You want lots of waterflow)
Foreground plants (HC, dwarf hairgrass, riccia, dwarf sag, glosso)
The rest is up to you.
You could also go DIY CO2. Cheap and easy.


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

If you want to keep it low cost and low tech, here's my suggestion.

A 20L sounds fine to me too. 

Lighting: aim for 2 to 2.5WPG, so 40 to 50W. Find some combination of lights that gets you that. Probably the cheapest is a 55W power compact, which will be close enough.

Filtration: I use a Fluval 2 Plus in my 20 and it works fine. It's a very good filter.

Substrate: 1" soil, 1" cheap small gravel. For which soil to use, see the thread "aquatic planting soil?" in this forum.
http://www.fishforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5154

Expect your water to be a bit yellowish and to have a fair bit of algae for the first couple of months, but then it should settle down and you'll get good plant growth and very little algae.

Include floating plants in your selection (I use duckweek, salvinia, and water lettuce).

I haven't got any real carpet plants to grow really successfully, but I do have one very small plant that seems to have taken off, sending runners in all directions. I don't know what it is. I got it from a friend, and he doens't know what it is either -- it just appeared in his tank and started growing like mad... 

What works best for me (of the things I've tried so far):
cryptocornes (all kinds)
medium sized swords
vallis
sagittaria
java fern
anubias look nice but grow very slowly


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