to plant or not to plant

[gman52]

considering all the money, and all the extra work you need to keep plants is it worth it. im getting my 20 gallon today, and im having my last minute mind games on whether or not to get them.

[Darkblade48]

I think if you can manage to invest a small amount of money into it (proper substrate, the plants themselves, etc) you can really turn a planted tank into a real beauty.

I think it's worth the extra time and effort, since if you really put effort into it, it'll turn out to be really a breathtaking underwater scene :)

Also, if you are really adept and have a green thumb, you could probably recover some, or even all (with time) of the initial cost by selling off excess plants that you'll eventually have

[djlen]

The amount of money and effort required for a planted tank is determined by the hobbyist. Light and the use of CO2 are two of the main variables involved in determining how much work and money will be required down the road. In other words, if you opt not to inject CO2 and keep the lighting under 2.5wpg, IMO a planted tank should not require more of either.
The benefits of live plants in your tank are well worth any extra effort that they may entail over the long haul.
Actually learning how to balance your tank....light/fish/plants is a large determining factor in how a tank develops the ability to do what I call 'manage itself'. I have a 40 gal. tank with 3.5wpg over it and CO2 injection, which I have spent minimal time on, because it's been so well balanced, for over 2 years now. Since it has CO2 injection I have to prune it lightly every couple of weeks and that's about it, other than it's weekly water change. The reason for the minimal pruning is that I chose slower growing, 'rosette' type plants rather than stem plants, to keep in it.
So the choices are up to you when setting up the tank.

Len