# starting a planted tank?



## Amelia26 (Aug 6, 2011)

i maybe getting a 10 gal for christmas and originaly i was going to divide it and put bettas in there but have since changed my mind. i currently have all fake plants in my 20gal and 5 gal... if i dont get the 10gal then i plan on puting real plant in the 20gal. 
so here is where all the hours upon hours of researching come in. 
i would greatly appreaciate any help and advise that yall give.. wish me luck... i hope i dont just end up killing these plants!!!!! lol


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

Hello Amelia,

If you have not already bought plants, a few suggestions:

Anubias, Aponogetons & Cryptocoryne, as all are good starter plants with low to mid light needs.

WFF


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## Amelia26 (Aug 6, 2011)

no i havnt bought anything yet.. still in the researching phase of this adventure!!! lol!! do i have to add fertalizer or not? i havent really sat down and looked up the step by step instrucions on doing this... will tonight when i get off work...thanks again for all yalls help!!!!


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## Fishpunk (Apr 18, 2011)

You can actually get Java Fern and Anubias in tubes at PetSmart & PetCo. They are among the very few true aquatic plants they sell in tubes. (Most are pond plants and will just slowly die in your tank.) Another you can get in a tube is wisteria. Wisteria grows like a weed in very low-tech situations. The advantage of the tubes is the plants are guaranteed to be snail-free. Just wash off the gel and plant. Note that Java Fern and anubias need to be tied to something, but wisteria is planted directly into the substrate.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

When you go to Petsmart and look at the plants in the tubes, there will be some marked "For Aquariums" and some marked "For Aquariums and Terrariums". Only the ones marked "For Aquariums" are OK. The ones marked "For Aquariums and Terrariums" are not aquatic plants.

I have done Java Moss, Amazon Swords, Anubias, Duckweed and Aponogeton in low light conditions.


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## grogan (Jan 23, 2011)

Duck weed will take over the surface of your tank, and block light to other plants. Its a pain to get rid of. I would avoid it at all cost.


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## Amelia26 (Aug 6, 2011)

wow.. thank yall for all the wonderful suggestions!!!!! here is another question!!!

i have plain black gravel in my 20 and would really like to keep it like that...also if i get the 10 i would be gettng black gravel for it too.. so do i take it all out, put fertalizer down, and then put the gravel on top of it. or is there another way that maybe easier than that? 
thanks again for all the help!!!!


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## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

I just use the Jobes Root sticks.

Cut the stick into 1/4 inch pieces, making them lil disc tabs and plant at the base of my root feeding plants.

I normally add a new disc with the first water change of the month.
( helpe me to rememeber )


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## Amelia26 (Aug 6, 2011)

that sounds easy enough!!!! thanks!!!! i was thinking aboout using wisteria as a floating plant is that ok or do i need to do something else?


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

OH NO !!!!!!!! not you again....
hi amelia ; glad to see you going to live plants....WFF is my official plant lady..she keeps it simple and they do beautifully for her...
wisteria should be ok for your set up...just stay away from the duckweed...lol...


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## Fishpunk (Apr 18, 2011)

bmlbytes said:


> When you go to Petsmart and look at the plants in the tubes, there will be some marked "For Aquariums" and some marked "For Aquariums and Terrariums".


I take that one step further. PetSmart is currently stocking an aquatic plant book that has some red pages shouting out plants to avoid. Most of the tubed plants are listed on those pages. It's only a short walk to carry that book to the plant shelf.


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## Amelia26 (Aug 6, 2011)

ok... so here is a list of some plants i really like... please tell me if these r good to start out with and any other advise u can think of!!! step by step instrucions if u wanted to tell me. lol 

*Wisteria
*Water sprite
*Anacharis
*Aponogeton Undulata
*Aponogeton Crispus
*Anubias Barteri
*Anubias Nana
*Pennywort
*Christmas Moss
*Dwarf Onion

thanks again for all yall help... oh and what is a good nutraint to help them grow?


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## Amelia26 (Aug 6, 2011)

thanks again for all the help!!!! i really appreciate it!!!


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## grogan (Jan 23, 2011)

Amelia watch out for wisteria...it grows tall and requires constant trimming.


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## Amelia26 (Aug 6, 2011)

thanks for the warning grogan!!! ill stay away from them.


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