# Plants For My New Tank



## pauldredge (Aug 31, 2005)

ok ive currently got a tank but ive just purchased a new tank in which im going to have live plants in it. its 30" and 100litres. here are the list of plants i am thinking of getting. should this be ok?

FOREGROUND
5 Red Ivy
5 Bacopa Monnieri
5 Red Water Rose
5 Ech Tenellus
5 Pygmy Chain Sword
BACKGROUND
5 Hygro Polysperma
5 Vallis Torta
5 Elodea Densa
5 Cobomba
MIDGROUND
5 Hair Grass
5 Red Ludwigia
5 Red Ambulia
5 Vallis Corkscrew (sml)
5 Rotala Macrandra


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

They could be ok but they maybe not. We need tank info.
Tank size (I believe you said ~30 gallons)
Substrate
Fertilization
Lighting (watts and type)
Are you adding CO2 to the tank?
Filtration


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## pauldredge (Aug 31, 2005)

i havent brought a light yet and i will have co2 added to the water by air pumps.

im new to plants so not sure of what you have to do to keep them. i know you need to feed them but thats it lol. much help would be appriciated.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

pauldredge said:


> i havent brought a light yet and i will have co2 added to the water by air pumps.


This will not work. There are a few methods of adding CO2 into your water for the plants. Here are a cpl of links that will help you understand how a planted tank works and whether you want to go high tech or low tech.

http://www.aquatic-plants.org/articles/basics/pages/02_water.html
http://www.plantgeek.net/article_viewer.php?id=17
http://www.aquatic-gardeners.org/plant_tank_how_to.html

High tech is not cheap and can be around the same startup cost as a saltwater tank (minus the live rock). Once you get an idea into what makes a tank flourish and what type of plants you want, you will have an idea as to the cost and time it takes to maintain different types of planted tanks.


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## pauldredge (Aug 31, 2005)

so what would you recormend me to? what would i need to grow plants? how do you plant them so they stay at the bottem ect, an idiots guide if you get me lol.


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

Read this thread, which contains some links good for beginners:
http://www.fishforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3712

Simpte: now that you are a moderator, can you sticky that thread?


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## pauldredge (Aug 31, 2005)

this might sound like a stupid question but how do you add CO2?


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

There are two main ways of adding CO2 to your tank. 

DIY: this involves a 2-liter soda bottle, yeast, and water. Maybe some other stuff, I've never done it.

Pressurised system: this involves a CO2 bottle and some very expensive machinery to make sure that just the right amount is going into the tank. This (plus the high cost of commerical substratees, plus the high cost of very bright lights) is what Simpte was referring to when he said that it can cost as much as saltwater.

You can have a nice planted tank for very little cost, where the main expense is some decent lighting. This is the low-tech method that Simpte was referring to.


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## pauldredge (Aug 31, 2005)

i know alot of people who have had plants in fish tanks and havent had a bottle or anything like that pushing out co2, is this essiential?


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Myra, thread stickied.

Co2 isn't necessary on every tank. Depends on the plants. Some are easy requiring minimal lighting, no addition of fertilizers or Co2. Some require lots of all three.


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## Ownager2004 (Apr 4, 2005)

You dont need CO2 with all plants but i dont think having that many plants in your aquarium is going to be a succesful venture without adding CO2 in some form.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Its not the amount of plants but the type of plants. Some are nutrient hogs and just won't do well without lots of light and Co2. Some like anubias do well in just about all water conditions. Some don't like high light. Some need higher lighting. You need to decide what plants you want and set the tank up accordingly, or set the tank up and only purchase plants suitable for it.


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## DavidDoyle (Jan 18, 2005)

A few notes-

The carbo-plus system is a 3rd method for adding co2- it uses a carbon block and electricity to get the co2 into the water. Can be expensive to use and is not for tanks over about 40-50 gals.

Your plant list contained a number of plants that wont work or wont thrive w/o co2 being added and which require high light levels and regular nutrient dosing.

My best advice to those just getting into to live plants is to start with the hardier easier to care for ones that do well in lower light level. Then over time, having gained knowledge and experience, you can begin to get more difficult plants which need more light, possibly co2 and a more complex fertilizing routine.


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