whatis a good setup to keep basic plants alive and healthy?

[pinchyboy]

I am going to get a 20g long and i would like to have live plants in the tank and have them grow nicely and be very healthy. What would be a good light? would i need a Co2 device? what other things may i need to consider?

[rich311k]

Depends on what kind of plants anything from 20 watts to 40 watts would allow you to grow a nice vaiety of plants with little need for CO2 or ferts.

[pinchyboy]

alright awesome so with a 30 wat i wouldnt need co2 or fert..thats great then lol

[Anomaly]

We're running a 20 long. We're getting great growth and very little in the way of algae. We have a 50/50 mixture of Flourite and gravel, 36 watts of light, DIY CO2, and most importantly a daily dosing regime with the Seachem line of ferts. Before we added CO2 and started doing daily dosing, we were having major thread algae problems.

[MonkeyPox]

What you need greatly depends on which plants you want and what type of growth you are trying to achieve.

[1fastneonrt]

What you need greatly depends on which plants you want and what type of growth you are trying to achieve.

Agreed!
Anacharis is about the easiest plant to grow, same as Anubias. Rotala indica has done real well for me in a low lighted tank. There is so many different types of plants that all require different needs. Some do well in high light, some do better in low light, some require fertilization, some don't. Also it will depend on what type of equipment you are using - eg. canister vs. H.O.B. filter.
For a beginner I would suggest some Anubias, Anacharis, Crytocoryne, Aponogeton which are all easy to grow. For a 20 gallon 35-40watts would be enough light and I would do away with CO2 for now. I would also invest in a timer to control how long your lights are on for. You will need to experiment on how long you will need to leave you lights on. Oh, and please don't worry because algae is inevitable for your first planted tank.:lol: