Aquaria Plants Question

Oct 10, 2006
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Homestead, Fl
I have a question about plants and aquariums, it might seem dumb to others but i rather be criticised and learn than ignorant. My question is this... If i put plants in my tanks wouldnt it be hard to vacuum the gravel or next to impossible to do so? I have always kept fish and have been rather successful at it but i have never had plants, yes i provide driftwood, caves, rocks and i love my fish enough to make my girlfriend jealous with the care that i provide them with, but i always feel like there is something missing and although i know what it is i am hessitant to plant my aquariums if it means that i cant provide a clean and safe enviroment for my fish. What can i do to provide more beauty and a better ecosystem for my extended family? can anyone help me with my questions? I ask because i am getting my wall mounted tank ready for fish and i need advise, i dont worry about money because this is something dear to me since my father started me and like i said before i had to leave him behind in my country but we still communicate and talk about our tanks every week, so i dont care what i have to spend to make my set up work well, thanks in advance to all in this site.
 
Start out with some low level easy to work with plants. You can get some java ferns that will attach to driftwood, and java moss which will attach to anything/everything. Fish *love* both, and they're both easy to clean around and don't require much in the way of ferts/additional lighting etc.
 
the plants you get are determined , in part, by lighting.

what do you currently have as a set up??
 
what i need to know really is if planting my tanks is going to mean that i cant vacuum my substrate? I like to keep my tanks clean, i have a 56"x30"x24" (174gallons) custom made ( by me :cool: ) freshwater tank with 2 fluvial canisters, with some innert rock and a 3" substrate deph and no fish or light yet, it is cycled but i havent gotten the lights for it because i am trying to decide Plant or No Plants, hope this helps
 
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If you have a lightly planted tank with open un-planted areas, gravel vac those locations. For heavily planted tanks, gravel vac when you have to do some upgrooting and replanting. You don't need to gravel vac nearly as much in a planted tank as in an unplanted one.
 
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