Looking for reference material for planted tanks.

[Rescue51]

I am looking to start a planted aquarium. Can anyone point me towards a good book or other reference material for a beginner?

I want to be able to do this right and learn as much as I can before I start to plan my tank. In my youth I used to jump in and learn as I went, which ended up costing me a bundle and the loss of livestock which always broke my heart.

I have been keeping aquariums for the past 30+ years and I am looking for a new challenge. I have seen some awesome planted tanks and was struck by the beauty of it. I have a nano reef and it is like a small garden and would love to have something in the freshwater realm to compliment it.

Thanks in advance.

Tom

[jmontee]

Any of Takeshi Amano's books are incredible material, Nature Aquarium 1,2 and 3 I beleive. Also Diana Walstad has some great books on the "El Natural" style of aquatic plant tanks. Tom Barr also has an very informative website. There are many places on te internet to choose from. My advice would be to do a lot of research on what type of planted tank you want, be it High Tech, low light etc and then stick to it. It all depends on how much time and effort you want to put ino it.

Think about the type of plants you might want and their requirements. The type of inhabitants you want and their requirements. Remeber that plants are usually more adaptable than fauna but depending the plants that you want it could go the other way around.

By far and away the most important thing is to thoroughly enjoy the process. You will get algae, you will lose some plants, but it's all part of the learning process. Most of the enjoyment for me is figuring out what works for me and what doesn't. I have tried many plants and then got rid of them because I didn't like how they worked in my tank.

Good luck and happy studying!!:thm:

[Mgamer20o0]

just like any thing really your better off starting reading online vs buying books. many are out dated or just pics of nice tanks.....

i would try here
http://www.rexgrigg.com/index.htm

read it come back and ask any questions...... there is always someone here ready to help......

a little suggestion from me start low light and work your way up. many people start with high light co2 ferts and dont grasp the basic concepts get mad and quit. lots of light doesnt mean its going to look great just gives you more options but more work. there are many wonderful low light tanks out there.