New Aquarium

[JayB1127]

So I am starting a new aquarium and Ive decide that I want to try my luck with a mixture of live and fake plants. I plan on doing a Cycling with plants and Im currently researching that, Im also using sand as a substrate.
So heres my questions, (Some, most are dumb and noobish but I am at square one when it comes to plants)
Do u just place the plants in the sand like normal flowers and they take root, or is it potted and you set it in?
When you guys are talking about the lighting, is this an external light or an upgraded hood and light fixture or just the bulb?
If I go with the beginier plants in the sticky, will I need to upgrade my lighting source?
And finally, Does the lights need to be on X number of hours in a day, and if so, need their be a timer on this(I work weird hours)?


And again I apoligize with the noob questions :scry:

Jay B

[Dave66]

Jay,
Sand has no nutrients in it; it's totally inert. Though most plants will probably grow in sand, they'd grow far better in a dedicated planted tank substrate that contains the chelated iron, potassium and trace elements to feed the roots.
Rooted plants, like rosette plants like sword plants and Cryptocorynes, should be planted like terrestrial plants are. That is, the bottom of the plant is just above the ground and the roots are underground.
It's best to buy the appropriate planted tank fixture right off, so you don't have to upgrade later. The bulb particulars are the wattage, color temperature and lumens. The appropriate color temperature, expressed in kelvins, is 6700K, which is a bright, slightly yellowish color, like the mid-day sun. The total wattage of the bulbs is expressed in watts per gallon. If you have four watts per gallon of 6700K light, you can grow most anything you care to. You really don't need to worry about lumens.
You can certainly have your lights on a timer. My lights are on 12 hours a day on average, and all my lights are on timers.
If you really get into aquatic plants (believe me, they are addictive), you'll be looking into Co2 injection, which is a whole 'nother can of worms.
I can suggest a book or two which will clear many things up if you wish. Make it a lot easier for you to do a planted aquarium.
Best thing about a well-planted tank is its stability. And there's an old adage "Healthy plants equals healthy fish." Which is perfectly true.
No dumb questions, Jay, only those unasked are.

Dave

[JayB1127]

Thank you very much for the info...that really helped me out, For just simple plants, to get rid of the fake look, is alot of that necessary, I understand the plants need nutrients to grow so useing the substrate makes sense. Now Im looking at a tank kit, will this have the needed light to grow simple plants as stated above or will I have to upgrade the bulb, and another question will the fixture have the wattage to power the bulb. You meantioned 4wpg, but Ive read where 2.5wpg is what alot of people are using. Now, I will be putting fish in this Aquarium as well....is that going to cause problems with them eating the plants, and destroying them, and if so, What are some good semi agressive fish that get along with Rooted plants?

Edited: Also I just searched these lights, I see numbers from 6k to 10k...Is the higher the number the better, or lower?

Jay B