Checklist for Planted tank

[Ben K]

I was wondering if anyone had a checklist for a beginer that would guide him through the steps of setting up and maintaining his first planted tank with fish? This would be very useful to me and most likely countless other newbs like myself.

[Fishguy2727]

Books are the best start. I liked Barron's MiniEncyclopedia of Aquarium Plants (that may not be the exact title). But there may be better books to start you off. I would go with TFH Publishing over Barron's. What size tank are you planning? What fish are you wanting to keep in there?

[Glasstapper]

Well, I think you'll most likely want to start with a book like the one reptileguy mentioned.

I'm looking to start setting up a planted tank in the future, and from what I have found, it seems that it is best for beginners to start with the low-tech, low light kind. You won't really need CO2 injectors or super fancy lighting. Just google search "low light aquarium plants" and you'll see that your options are far from limited.

Two good reasons to start with a low tech, low light planted aquarium:
1. You can always add stronger lighting, CO2, and more delicate plants later.
2. It will be easier on your wallet.

Here's some good free online reading until you can get your book:
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[minabird]

Ben K-

I just started using live plants in my aquariums about 3 months ago. I agree with Glasstapper that low tech is the best way to go when starting out. In my 5g quarantine, I had dwarf sag and ludwigia repens (primrose) growing fairly well using a 10watt compact fluorescent I picked up at walmart. The ludwigia was growing so well after 1 month I was able to get 4 cuttings for my 28g, which has the stock fluorescent bulb that came with it (over 2 watts/gal). To that tank I also have 1 java fern + several daughters, 5 cryptocorynes wendtii, 2 anubias gracilis (African Spearhead), and have 2 remaining nymphoides aquatica (Banana plant). 1 of the banana plants died, another hasn't sprouted yet and the last one is growing pretty well, sending a stalk nearly 1.5ft in length to the surface. I did have 2 jungle vals but they both melted away....I buried the crown too deeply and didn't uncover them until it was too late. And my crypts are sprouting daughter plants like mad; I have 3 more growing in about 2 months after I first got them. I don't have any CO2, just mixed laterite into my med coarse gravel (2-5mm) and add Leafzone every other water change. I was adding Leafzone in my 5g with every weekly water change, but then got a bad case of algae which covered all of my plants. Stopped using Leafzone in this tank, got 2 oto cats, cleaned up what’s left of the dwarf sag and ludwigia and replanted. 2-3 surviving Ludwigia are coming back but the dwarf sag is slowly melting away. The runners it had put out before I cleaned it tho are starting to sprout daughter plants. I added another potted dwarf sag to help compete against the algae until the other plants get reestablished. I plan on using cuttings from all of these plants for my 10g I’m starting up this weekend. I’ve got a couple of beginner’s books on aquariums and a fish encyclopedia with info on some plants, but I get most of my info for fish and plants from the Intenet. One of the sites I like is plantgeek.net. It has this guide that allows you to view plants by various categories, such as lighting requirements, tank placement, care difficulty, etc. ([Only Registered Users Can See Links.]). I used it to find what type of plants I could get for my 2 watt/gal setup instead of doing a hunt and peck search through a site’s database.

Good luck with your underwater garden!

[Ben K]

Where is the best place to by plants? Cause I am getting the feeling that my local fish stores don't have the variety that minabird just spoke of.

[turbomkt]

OK...this is something I put together on another board quite a while back. Some of the info I'd change, but here it is in raw form

OK, no I didn't. But I was asked to "build" one theoretically.

The first thing to do is get a substrate. Head down to Home Depot or Walmart and get a bag of Schultz Aquatic Plant Soil (SAPS). Should be about $10. Put enough in the tank for 2" at the front and 4"-5" at the back (a nice gentle slope). It's not a bad idea to rinse it first to get rid of some of the dust.

Alternative substrates are:
1. Flourite - interesting red color. Should run about $14 for 7 kilos of substrate. VERY DUSTY. Some say it is "sharp" for fish like cory cats that have sensitive barbels.
2. Eco-Complete (EC)- a nice black color. Runs about $20 for 20lbs. They had a contaminated batch (had limestone which raised PO4 levels off the chart) that they replaced free of charge to anyone who was affected. They didn't even ask me for proof of purchase before sending me my bags.
3. Seachem Onyx sand - black like EC, can be used with EC to add some finer grain stuff.
4. Play sand - duh...you guess the color ;) Needs to be agitated occasionally to release gas pockets (H2SO4 is not good for fish).
5. Diamond Black - another one to mix with EC or use alone.
6. Profile Turface - Similar to SAPS but there are a few different colors.
7. Typical aquarium gravel - not ideal but it will keep plants rooted.
8. ADA soil and powersand - Amano's own brand. $$$$$$$$$$$ available recently through [Only Registered Users Can See Links.].

Find some local rocks that are attractive and test with vinegar or a weak acid to check for fizzing. If it fizzes, get a new rock ;) You can also use small pieces of "driftwood". With rocks, place some nice, slow growing plants in and around the rocks. If you use anubias, a. nana is a good choice...just make sure not to bury the rhizome. If driftwood instead, attach java fern and java moss using thread, rubber bands, fishing line, etc.

Toward the back of the tank get some fast growing stem plants, maybe some crypt. wendtii's for some dark color. Avoid swords (echinodorous [sp?]) because they tend to get TOO BIG for a 30g. Find a nice foreground plant like glossostigma or marsilea. Another really nice grass looking plant is blyxa japonica that can really take off without growing too tall (only new plants grow up and these can be moved and planted for a denser grass look). It's best to add substrate, then enough water to cover it. Plant it with no more than 6 inches of water and it goes a lot easier. Once everything is planted, put a plate below the water source to deflect the water and keep things in their place. I highly recommend Seachem's Prime for dechlorinating. Use 1ml per 10 gallons (3 ml in this case).

Go to [Only Registered Users Can See Links.] and get a pound of KNO3, KH2PO4 and GH Booster (Seachem Equilibrium would work, but this is cheaper). Go to [Only Registered Users Can See Links.] and get either a 2x36w or 1x55w or maximum of 1x96w. With option 1 or 3, move on to CO2...[Only Registered Users Can See Links.] has inexpensive CO2 tanks and regulators (May be nicer to go with an aquarium specific set up with a solenoid). You can also get refurb'd tanks from some local fire extinguisher stores. Some liquor stores will "rent" CO2 tanks for the cost of refills to those who keep kegs ;) DIY is OK, but is an ongoing effort. Pressurized is an upfront cost, but low maintenance (I haven't had to worry about mine in a year or so).

For a heater, it's a toss up. Right now I'm favorable toward metal based instead of glass based heaters. But if you use a cannister filter, either an Eheim Pro II or III thermofilter is nice, or a Hydor inline heater. Keeps some of the "stuff" out of the tank. Regardless, I recommend Eheim filters for durability and silence. Rena Filstar XPs seem to get good reviews, too. If you're going to go with a hang-on-back (HOB), Aquaclears are nice. An HOT Magnum has good reviews as well, but will probably take up more space behind the tank. I like cannisters ;)

Turn on the lights (I like to use a timer) and add fish! A dozen harlequin rasboras would look good, but 20-25 Espei Rasboras would look great! These numbers are reasonable from the start provided the tank is truly well planted. The plants will suck up NH4 faster than you can believe.

For CO2, use a nice steady bubble count to get things at about 20ppm of CO2. Work it up slowly if you're using a pressurized system - try 1/2 bubble per second (1 bubble per 2 seconds). If things are OK, go to 1bps...and so on. If the fish start to gasp, back it off. If you're really worried about the gasping fish, use an air pump to agitate the water while backing off the CO2. Once things are OK, just try to dial it in to the right spot for 20ppm. CO2 ppm can be calculated from pH and KH.

At about the 2 or three day mark, go to the link in my sig for the Barr Report. Read the article on the "Estimative Index" and dose accordingly. Make sure to perform the 50% water changes regularly. The nice part is, it's not locked in to once a week. When you really learn to "read" the plants, you can go much longer. My 50g hasn't had a water change in a month and everything is good...



NOTE: Everything above can be done in ONE DAY. But you need to have everything on hand first...including your research.

[Glasstapper]

Wow, turbo. That is some aswesome stuff there! As a plant newbie, I thought it was very easy to understand.

I just saved that entire post for when I get my 29 gallon. Kudos to you!

[turbomkt]

Thanks. It was self preservation ;)

A lot of people were asking about planted tanks, etc, on that forum and I figured it was easier to lay it out like that and point them there, rather than answer the same questions every time!

[Lady Hobbs]

Mike, awesome and information post. Thanks for taking the time to look it up for us and bring it to this site.

[Lady Hobbs]

Hey Turbo......another question. It sounds as play sand is the only only to accumulated gas bubbles. Is this correct? I don't see how one is supposed to stir the sand with the potting soil under it.

[turbomkt]

Oh hey...who said anything about potting soil?

Anyway...anything fine like play sand may accumulate gas pockets (H2SO4).