Adding Plants As I Go?

[SJ2K]

So ive got my community tank set up, started with plastic plants as just keeping the fish is enough effort for me at first. Id like to know though, in the future, could I simply add 1/2 plants as I go, or would I need to completly change my set up to accomodate them?

Any advice for amatuers is greatly recieved!

 

[SJ2K]

Guess not...

 

[K.J.]

Depends on the plants. You may or may not need special lighting, co2, laterite etc. What kind of plants did you have in mind?

 

[madgap]

You could always go the easy road like me to star with and get the hardier plants. No need to disrupt anything, just change the plants. As you ge more confident with your skills, then perhaps move on to a proper planted aquarium.

Mine is fully planted with very easy to keep plants.... Just a thought for you

 

[SJ2K]

Errrmmm, bit of a fish out of water (no pun intended)...I think ill need to research them first, at first glance I though I could get away with just getting ones that look nice in my LFS and plopping them in, guess not!It may already be written but could I have a list of these really hardly plants for future referance? Just replacing the plastic with real sounds like the right move for me!

 

[MHunt]

What's your tank setup at the moment?

Plants grow best in a fine soil like substrate, but gravel will be fine for most hardy species. You need to make sure you have a decent amount of light so the plants don't turn to mush within a couple of weeks. Apart from that you don't need anything else. Plant ferts do help as doesCO2 in some form or another but they are by no means essential. In my opinion the benefit's of having real plants in the tank outweigh the problems you may face.

I have a 20 gal planted tank that has pea gravel substrate and an 18W flourescent tube (don't know if it's T8, T5 or otherwise) and my plants do really well with minimal algae. I do use a nitrate reducing resin bag in my filter, but it's been in there so long it probably isn't doing much now. I did have a bad case of hair algae a while back, but that has disappeared over time. The tank really appears to have balanced itself.

 

[madgap]

Java fern and anubis nana are two of my favourites. Dead easy. most java in store will be on a piece of wood. it's leaves will grow a brown-like algae on them. This is actually roots for small (baby ferns). Take these and fasten them to rocks or wood or both and WOW. The posibilities are endless.Quite right though, research them. Don't mind me, I just like my fern!

What's your tank setup at the moment?Plants grow best in a fine soil like substrate, but gravel will be fine for most hardy species. You need to make sure you have a decent amount of light so the plants don't turn to mush within a couple of weeks. Apart from that you don't need anything else. Plant ferts do help as doesCO2 in some form or another but they are by no means essential. In my opinion the benefit's of having real plants in the tank outweigh the problems you may face.I have a 20 gal planted tank that has pea gravel substrate and an 18W flourescent tube (don't know if it's T8, T5 or otherwise) and my plants do really well with minimal algae. I do use a nitrate reducing resin bag in my filter, but it's been in there so long it probably isn't doing much now. I did have a bad case of hair algae a while back, but that has disappeared over time. The tank really appears to have balanced itself.

How did you deal with the algae? What did you do to defeat its army?

 

[SJ2K]

My tanks just a little 80l community thanks for the tips guys, ill start my research and who knows where it'll end

 

[MHunt]

Java fern and anubis nana are two of my favourites. Dead easy. most java in store will be on a piece of wood. it's leaves will grow a brown-like algae on them. This is actually roots for small (baby ferns). Take these and fasten them to rocks or wood or both and WOW. The posibilities are endless.Quite right though, research them. Don't mind me, I just like my fern!

What's your tank setup at the moment?Plants grow best in a fine soil like substrate, but gravel will be fine for most hardy species. You need to make sure you have a decent amount of light so the plants don't turn to mush within a couple of weeks. Apart from that you don't need anything else. Plant ferts do help as doesCO2 in some form or another but they are by no means essential. In my opinion the benefit's of having real plants in the tank outweigh the problems you may face.I have a 20 gal planted tank that has pea gravel substrate and an 18W flourescent tube (don't know if it's T8, T5 or otherwise) and my plants do really well with minimal algae. I do use a nitrate reducing resin bag in my filter, but it's been in there so long it probably isn't doing much now. I did have a bad case of hair algae a while back, but that has disappeared over time. The tank really appears to have balanced itself.

How did you deal with the algae? What did you do to defeat its army?

To be honest i'm not sure, I think adding a green away resin bag to my filter has helped, but I can't remember these happening at the same time. I think the tank just got to a stocking level, and plant level that suited a healthy tank with minimal algae. I have a 10 gal planted tank which is really struggling with algae at the moment just green hair algae i keep having to remove it in clumps every now and then. I'm hoping in time this tank will also reach a point as it matures where it doesn't produce algae.

Here is the tropica online catalogue, http/www.tropica.com/plant_print.asp.

It lists most of the common plant species that they sell, and also gives guidance on light requirements, CO2 needed and generally how difficult how difficult each plant is to keep.