I want new plants.

Flamfish

Flamfish

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Jun 27, 2009
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Hey,
I'm thinking of buying a standard 55 gal tank. I'm gonna try a sand substrate. I want to add plants to the tank but I want something that doesn't grow as fast as the anacharis I have in the ten gal. I would love something that would carpet the bottom of the tank and not grow to the top weekly, LOL. is there a plant like this? will it grow in a sand substrate? Thanks
 
in retrospect low light plants makes perfect sense, thanks! can you recommend a good low light setup?
 
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Shoot for 1.5-2 wpg. This should grow crypts, vals, anubias, java ferns/moss, some swords. Lots of choices in that range that suit your goals. You might want to consider root tabs for any heavy root feeding plants like crypts or swords.

I think most plants that will form a "carpet" require higher light.
 
Don't use or purchase the stock light that comes with a 55g. You'll get two 15 or 20 watt bullbs to "light" your new tank. Instead, go to Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, etc. pick up a four foot shop light, a can of brown spray paint (gloss or flat - whatever you like) and two 6500k 4 foot (40 watt)bulbs. Go home, spray the outside of you're glaringly white shop light with the spray paint. Let it dry, install the two tubes you bought, put it on top of the tank and now you have a fairly decent looking fixture with 80 watts of quality light for probably less that 35 bucks. You can now grow many low to medium light level plants with this set-up.

ROY
 
jbradt said:
Shoot for 1.5-2 wpg. This should grow crypts, vals, anubias, java ferns/moss, some swords. Lots of choices in that range that suit your goals. You might want to consider root tabs for any heavy root feeding plants like crypts or swords.

I think most plants that will form a "carpet" require higher light.
Click to expand...

I'd probably try to stay between the 1 and 1.5 wpg mark for the kind of setup the OP is looking for.

Most of the carpet type plants (like HC, dwarf hair grass, glosso) really require high light (2 wpg or higher) and require co2 as well as regular fertilizer dosing.

Some good low growing foreground plants for lower lighting (around the 1.5 wpg mark) are C. parva, Marsilea minuta, Dwarf Sag, Riccia tied down, and even E. tenellus can grow under 1.5 wpg. Crypts and Anubias area GREAT low light plants and one can really makes a great looking setup using just those.
 
the shop light idea sounds great Roy. I think I"ll try that. thanks for the list JM. I was looking at moss images for the moss poll thread and some of them look great. I didn't see much info on lighting in my search but most (if not all) mosses I might want to mix with these plants should be low light right? thanks again for all the advise everyone!
 
If you want a more finished look, you could go with a manufactured twin-tube strip made by All-Glass or Perfecto, etc., but the cost is appx three times what the shop lite and bulbs will cost you at Lowes, Home Depot, etc.

Just another option.

I've grown many plants in my day with 80wts of NO Flouresent over a 55 gal.

ROY
 
I think I'll start with the shop light.how do you know when you need co2? I have no co2 with my anacharis (first plant) and its fine.
 
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