Questions about plants in the tank(newbie)

Buy a bag of SeaChem's Flourite for your substrate, and a 15watt fluorescent light fixture.
Do you have a small filter? A heater?
You mention other tanks, so you probably know about water hardness, pH etc., correct?

Len

I think a 5 gallon tank will be much more of a challenge to you than a larger tank. It's so hard to get the balance of parameters just right in a large tank and the smaller volume will most likely multiply it. I kind of started out the opposite with planting the large tank first then all my trimmings kept filling up the smaller tanks... I finally broke down and set up another specially designed tanks for plants in my ten gallon quarantine that doesn't get much use. It's really became my favorite tank but it sure takes a *fine* light hand with the additives.

Larger tanks are less likely to jump around as far as water parameters are concerned. Therefore they are more forgiving of changes made to them.....even small changes.

Before starting to set up your tank(if you use the 5), do a search for threads that have suggestions as to how to best go about setting them up for the best results and avoiding any cycling process. This is an easy process to do and season's up a tank quickly.

Len

I have to disagree. Many people jump into plants and lose interest. It's a waste of money to set up a large tank for plants if you're not positive that you will be up for the challenge of making it work. Plants aren't easy, and you have to be committed and you have to sacrifice a lot of time initially. Think of how much Flourite costs for a large tank. One bag for a 5 gal is plenty of money spent already. Not to mention the cost of upgrading the lights for a large tank. Also, small tanks are easier to inject DIY CO2 into. Large tanks usually need pressurized.

I don't think small tanks would be harder - a newbie would be more likely to stock it more full of plants, as opposed to a large tank, where they most likely wouldn't add enough plants to start. Also, water changes are quicker and easier on a small tank - more likely to be done often. And, the lower cost of fertilizing, and the option of using Flourish Excel aren't really viable in large tanks.

I would definitely suggest starting with the small tank, learning all about plants, CO2 and fertilization, then setting up a larger tank with all that knowledge to help you.

To answer the original question: A bag of Flourite, or Onyx sand (cheaper alternatives exist, do a search on the forum) would be really good. You'll need lots of light, 15 Watt fluorescent as djlen said. Nothing incandescent. Or a comparable amount in power compact fluorescent. You should also look into DIY CO2 (the yeast and sugar method) and fertilizers (Seachem's line would work well and not be expensive for such a small tank)
Good luck

Hey El Paso,

I'm setting up a 55gallon planted tank now. It's my first, but in my research I've seen plenty of people that use a product called Profile (substrate similar to Flourish). You can get it in the Garden section of Home Depot. I just got 3 ten pound bags for under $20. I also just priced lighting for the 55 as well. 160w (4 x 40w 6500k) flourescent can be built for around $30. Home Depot also, two fixtures and four bulbs, but they are 48". I've always had reef tanks, so I'm really enjoying the less expensive side of freshwater tanks.


-Mike