20 L switching to planted

L

LtHorn

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Aug 9, 2006
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Hi, im totaly new to not only the fish world, but also the plant world as well. i have a 20 long and i was hoping for some ideas for where to start. The fish that i have in the tank are; a crown tail betta, 6 guppies, 2 Pimelodus Pictus (but im probably going to get another 2), 2 neon swordtails, and a pleco.

most of my fish like hiding spots so i will probably want it heavily planted. also i have a penguin mini 100b filter, and a bubbler.

i just dont know where to start, or what plants to get, or even which is the best place to get them, be it online or at my LFS.

LT
 
This is a 5 gallon tank right?

You'll want to make sure your filter doesn't create too much surface agitation, so that C02 stays in the tank.

If you want to start with an easy planted tank, "low-light" is the way to go, as algae is less of a risk and fertilizers/C02 injection is not usually necessary. For this you would need from 5-10 watts of fluorescent lighting (which will be hard to find), while a 15 watt fluorescent tube over your 5 gallon tank would put you into the medium light category, which would alow you to grow many types of plants.

Good low-light plant choices that would grow easily in plain gravel are:
-java fern (several species)
-anubias
-cryptocoryne
-java moss
-hygrophila
-anacharis is also a good (but fast-growing) plant that can quickly take over your tank if it's not pruned regularly
 
Last edited:
its actually a 20 gallon US long tank
 
my first step would be to take out the air pump. what kind of pleco do you have? there are many plecos that get really big. common plecos can get upto 20 inch or more. your light is prob not to high so like Ms.Bubbles said its best to start off with low light plants. there are many people who give away free plants here.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63091&page=2

thats how i got started. someone sent me free plants. i have extra you can pm me and ask about them. there are also other people so look around.
 
starting right

Here's the deal. If You have a glass lid you can add lights easily to the top of the tank. If not, then remove the lid all together. Substrate should be flourite. (personal experience) Your pump and airstone are fine. A tank without CO2 will look like these

[img]
A tank with CO2 will look like this
[img]
[img]
You can buy lights cheap at [url]www.aquatraders.com[/url]

[ATTACH]6840[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]6841[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]6842[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]6843[/ATTACH]
 

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There are close to 200 fish in those views. However, I killed about 60 tetras this weekend moving everything to make room for this rack and my 2 180gallon tanks. I also chopped those plants preety heavy, pulled (2) 24" oriental red swords and added 20 rotala indica, and anubias lancelata, and a marble sword. Can you tell I am dangerous with scissors?

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