are plants hard to keep?

[jlines]

i asked the lady at my lfs which plants live the longest and she said they all die in a few months unless you have a special light and fertalizers

is that true?

are my plants all doomed?

[Bk828]

not true
How many gallons is your tank?
Whats the lighting?

not all plants need ferts, many ppl here have a heavily planted tank and are doing great without co2 or ferts, all you need is good light.

[jlines]

its a 27g and about 16" deep. i have an 18" 15watt full spectrum bulb

[RobertW]

thats pretty low light... i think you could probably do something with that... i just dont know what... but you certainly could add another light if possible... i only have 2 18 bulbs on my 20long and i have plants growing and doing well

[Mgamer20o0]

not true at all. with the right lighting its fine. i would add more lighting. check out those screw in power compact bulbs.

[jimired]

perhaps plastic? they need to be cleaned once in a while. but tonnes of variety, relatively no hassle.

[Mgamer20o0]

lol i wouldnt even think of plastic lol

[Digital]

Some would say yes, some would say no, I'd say TRY IT! It's fun. But yes, sometimes frustrating.

[jimired]

I only suggest plastic because of the ease of keeping, and cost of lights. My light kit cost plenty, more than alll the rest of the gear. then I found out it still was mid to low level!! My bad iguess.

Good luck j lines

[Mgamer20o0]

there are plenty of cheap ways to do it. like the cfl bulbs. i think the pros out weigh the start up costs

[khombre]

lol i wouldnt even think of plastic lol

Ya they dont grow lol :)

(off topic sorry :) )

[DeeSeven]

I only suggest plastic because of the ease of keeping, and cost of lights. My light kit cost plenty, more than alll the rest of the gear. then I found out it still was mid to low level!! My bad iguess.

Good luck j lines

plastic plants aren't exactly cheap...they could spend the money and get some power compacts THEN buy plants from Mgamer20o0 or any one of the 10 other people on the board selling plants.

[Lily'sDad]

I use shop lights and commercial bulbs. If you pick the right tubes, you don't need expensive plant/aquarium tubes.

[romaric]

Jlines...although it may not be for everyone, as an example, I'm running 65 watts of lighting, 10 hours a day. That's after researching and knowing exactly what I want my tank to grow and look like. It's a 20 gallon long. Some plants vary on lighting. Some need strong, other do ok with low lighting. Found out what plants you like and how much light they need. But, as someone who just started, I'd definitely suggest live plants. The outcome is really beautiful, and it's work, but nurturing for living plants is quite rewarding :)

[Fishfiles1]

would this be enuff lighting for my tanks
20Gal. long- one 17W bulb
35Gal. deep hex,(2 foot deep)- one 14W bulb

[rich311k]

20 - maybe. It is pretty low but some hardy, low light plants might work. No way on the hex.

[Notophthalmus]

Plants are easy as long as you establish dominance from the beginning. Discipline is crucial! :p

[Fishfiles1]

what can i do to beable to get plants to grow in my tank with out speending alot of money

[Notophthalmus]

What sort of canopy does your tank have? If it's clear glass or plastic throughout, you can just use a 2 flourescent lamp shoplight with reflectors from the home-improvement store; get one about the same length as your tank. Set it on top of your tank (you may need to prop it up on wood blocks) or suspend it from above. Put two daylight (6700 k) lamps in it. This will give you all the light you need for about 25-30 bucks.

[Slappy*McFish]

Think low-light plants. (Java fern, Java moss, Crypts, Anubias)

[Fishfiles1]

ok i have the typical fishtank lide only room for one light here is a picture

[rich311k]

For the 20. Get a glass lid. Should not cost much and a double strip light and you will be able to grow many low light plants quite nicely.

[bellazeus]

I try and try and I cant grow the simplest of plants. I have 2wpg. Ive tried java , vals etc and i havnt been able to grow any of them. I use liquid ferts and excel.

[Danyal]

i haven't had luck with java fern either, i've tried dwarf vals and they did well but died after being uprooted and replanted. try cryptocornes, java moss and anubias, very easy ime.

[stasia8756]

I've got a 28g heavily planted tank with no CO2 and a 65w light. Every now and then I'll toss in a capful of flourish but beyond that fish poop and light are what make these plants thrive. I have another tank that I couldn't grow plants in because I could never get the nitrate level high enough(one tiny dwarf puffer in a 20g isn't much of a bioload). All the plants turned brown and rotted away. Your plants should do fine with the right light and enough fish to raise the nitrate levels.

[kj5kb]

Think low-light plants. (Java fern, Java moss, Crypts, Anubias)


ditto.

if you just want 'something cheap, green, and alive', try some hornwort or anacharis. both should grow OK in there, especially floating...and may surprise you. Typically cheaper at a place that sells pond plants (larger 'bunch' for ~same $$)

I would avoid cabomba...even tho it looks kinda similar to hornwort it's a lot more fussy.

I haven't found it possible to kill Java Fern with insufficient light yet, tho it is an extremely slow grower. I think it would almost grow with a night light bulb.

Java moss makes a great hiding place for guppy fry.