Planted Aquarium Basics

I disagree with the whole "you need so man watts per gallon" BS.

You need light sure, but you'll be good with a basic setup.

Its all about the co2 and nutrients.
Most important thing IMO is to get your photoperiod right.

Good Luck!
 
Jay973- "A beautiful color fish for planted tanks are German Rams. Be careful with barbs and some tetras they can destroy plants. So if you have your heart set on a particular fish make sure you find compatible plants."

Are their any kind of schooling fish that would be good with plants, that are not neon's?
Neon's sort of get dull after awhile
Like guppies?
:perv:
 
Rasboara's look a little like Tiger barbs :)
I like that their schooling fish, but I still want something with more... flare to it
 
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i think the best things to start with are a good substrate(which will make your life so much easier since dosing with fertilizers can be a pain to keep up with) like eco-complete or fluorite or something along those lines, and lighting. you have to make up your mind (doing some research) as to how complex you want your tank to be. if you want low maintenance, you want a low light tank; something around 1-2 watts per gallon. something like that doesnt require co2, the plants tend to be pretty hardy, but you can still get some really nice growth and a lush effect without having to go out and get a ton of equipment. however, there are some really great plants that have higher light requirements and therefore need co2 and lots of ferts. *shrugs* there are a lot of pretty decent resources on the net so you should be able to look at various planted tank photos and pictures of plants to get an idea of what you are looking for
 
sleepyskater said:
Are their any kind of schooling fish that would be good with plants, that are not neon's?
Neon's sort of get dull after awhile
Like guppies? :perv:
Click to expand...

Many fish at LFS give you the illusion they school because they are kept in large numbers in smaller tanks. Most smaller fish will school if a larger fish is kept in the tank for security you'll find other threads asking this same question.

Personally I find Rams jousting as enjoyable. I have group of Cardinal Tetra's that prefer to hide in the brush. I also have a group of Rummy Noses that developed a taste for plants like Blyxa and completely distroyed HC. I've had the Rummy Noses quarintined in a 55gal for a few months while my plants got established I'll give them a try again without HC of coarse but I still have hope for keep the Blyxa. My Sterbi corys cross paths from time to time but rarely school. These all have 5 ft of tank to spread themselves around so they have plenty of space to avoid one another.

Good Luck.
 
Born4spd said:
I disagree with the whole "you need so man watts per gallon" BS.

You need light sure, but you'll be good with a basic setup.

Its all about the co2 and nutrients.
Most important thing IMO is to get your photoperiod right.

Good Luck!
Click to expand...

Depends what the "basic setup" is. Many four foot, c. 45 gallon tanks, come with a single 35 watt tube. You won't get much to grow in that, and CO2, ferts, and any photoperiod you care to suggest won't help.
 
Thanks for the help!
Now I got to months to do research since my birthday isnt till March 31st!
Then the cycling which could tank another month maybe so by
May I'll post pics? lol
 
KarlTh said:
Depends what the "basic setup" is. Many four foot, c. 45 gallon tanks, come with a single 35 watt tube. You won't get much to grow in that, and CO2, ferts, and any photoperiod you care to suggest won't help.
Click to expand...

OK so.. watts = V times Current.

How many watts does the sun put out?

And if watts are good then why switch to expensive T5s when you could just buy a double tube T8 and have more Watts.


Arent we looking for lumens or candela?
 
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