# Plants for Tetras



## amelia

I want to start keeping neon tetras in a planted tank.. What plants would be best? Should I use a "ground cover?" How does the whole CO2 thing work? What kind of lights are best for plants? Is there anything else I need to know? Do plants deplete the water of oxygen? Do I need a few air pumps running with bubble curtains and stones to keep the oxygen level right?


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## Damon

Google is your friend. 
http://www.aquatic-plants.org/articles/basics/pages/index.html


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## MyraVan

These articles that Simpte recommended seem like good articles. The only complaint I have with them is that they suggest that you really need to add CO2 to a tank to grow plants. Plenty of people (myself included) have successful planted tanks without CO2 addition. For example, see garfieldnfish's post at the end of the Sand and plants thread, where he describes the plants he's had good luck with. 

It's funny that they put so much empasis on CO2 in this article, when they mention Diana Walstad's "El Natural" approach as a vaible alternative in the Substrates article. Diana and her followers (of which I am one) get nice planted tanks with a minimum of cost and effort by trying to get our tanks to take advantage of natural processes. In particular we don't use CO2 injection.

I suggest that you do some research to figure out what kind of plants you want to grow and what is required to grow them in terms of lighting, ferts, CO2, etc. Also look here for a quick comparison of high-tech vs low-tech methods
http://mike-edwardes.members.beeb.net/plant/tanks.html
After this you can decide which approach you want to take.


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## sisofafishlover

My sister uses Anubias in with her neon tetras, and they don't eat them. They luv them, them sleep in them at night!


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