New Plants

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Sethman94

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Sep 11, 2013
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Seth
I just started using plant in my tank to make it look more natural in my tank. Is there a limit to plants I should put in it and what type of lighting would be best to keep them healthy?


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huapala

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Jul 25, 2013
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very general question but i would say tank size would dictate the amount of plants one can have, the type of plants and tank size will also determine your lighting. Other things to consider would be: tank stock ( some fish need open areas for swimming so stem plants across the entire substrate might restrict their rec time), plant selection (know the species and know what they need to thrive, type of substrate (some plants require more nutes in the roots).

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Sean W.

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Aug 8, 2013
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This is like asking what kind of tires to put on your vehicle? very broad question with no information for us to give you an edcuated reply...

to answer your questions:

kinda and bright ones.

if you want a more detailed answer than that, you need to give us more details
before we can help you, answer these questions...


What size tank do you have?
What fish do you have?
what substrate do you have?
What is your PH?
What is your Ammonia?
What is your nitrite?
What is your Nitrate?
What is your Water hardness?
What temperature do you run your tank at?
What filtration do you have?
What plants do you want to keep?
Are you going to be using any fertilizers?
Do you want to run a CO2 system?
If so, off the shelf or DIY?
What kind of lights do you have now?


lets start with that...
 
Last edited:

jpappy789

Plants need meat too
Feb 18, 2007
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Most often the lighting you uses limits the plant selection, although that is not always the case nor is it always the best way to go about planting a tank...usually leads to people purchasing more powerful fixtures than they really can handle.

Anyways, what type of setup do you want...low tech/maintenance or high tech/fast growth (more light, CO2, fert dosing)? If this is your first planted tank then I would highly suggest going with the former.

Depending on what your setup is right now you could easily be fine adding some slower growing, more undemanding plants right away. Things like java moss, java fern, Cryptocoryne spp., etc. (there are more options) don't need all that much to grow at a slower pace. I find that can be a good place to start because it is cheaper and less of a chore. On the flip side, it can be a bit confusing since there's very little in terms of standard methods for low tech tanks.

It really comes down to what you want to accomplish and what your budget/time commitment is...it would be helpful knowing what your current setup is like and what you've planted with so far so we can help you from there.
 

Slappy*McFish

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Feb 18, 2002
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Agree with jpappy. What is your goal with this tank? With that info, you can then form a plan to achieve that goal.
 
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