# starting first planted tank



## Christopher W. (Jul 7, 2009)

*i need help starting first planted tank*

hi i need some basic steps on how to begin the process of starting a planted aquarium. can you give me some tips and facts on how to start the tank. thankyou. please reply as soon as possible. also if i have a tank running and i already have fish in it how can i transfer them.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

this is a much vaguer question than you may realize. There are different types of planted aquariums, and each one has a totally different set of instructions.

Low tech? Get some dirt, some moderately bright lights, and some plants.
High tech? Get some plant media, chemicals, a CO2 injector and very powerful lights.

It really all depends on what your goal is for this tank.


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## Christopher W. (Jul 7, 2009)

i want it high tech. also, how lond does it take to cycle because im throwing away my old tank that has all my fish and buying a new one that is going to be planted. can i just put them in the tank 2 days after setting up the tank?


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

This is an easy one. Just get some stuff from Seachem called "Stability." It will cycle your tank in only a week. 
If you add enough plants from day one, though, you won't have to worry so much about cycling anyway, but you'll need a LOT of plants. I'd say use the Stability to make sure and never have to worry about it.


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## Sea-Agg2009 (Aug 2, 2008)

Here are some articles I found real quick. They should be more than enough to get you started. All these were found in the planted tank section of FishChannel.com

Links:
First Planted Tank
Lighting Basics
Another good read
Easy Plant List
Balancing Nutrients
Aproaches to Planted Tanks

Remember that you can add to a tank, and don't have to start with everything, be it plants or hardware. I am planning on upgrading the lighting on my 75 gallon after I move, which may require me to use a real CO2 system. Sometimes getting things started is the best thing to do, and steadily move into more advanced techniques.


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## Christopher W. (Jul 7, 2009)

awsome! thanks for your help.


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