How Do I Go About Starting Real Plants

[big_dish]

So I have been keeping fish for quite a while, and never really thought seriously about having a planted aquarium, as plastic is easier... Well, I would like to know what some of you think would be the right way to start a planted aquarium, but in an existing setup. Do I need a different substrate (have gravel now)? I know I will probably have to get rid of the fish that I currently have which are known to eat plants, but other than that, it cant be as easy as putting the plant in the gravel and just letting it grow. Is it?

 

[Neal]

If you just go for simple, easy to look after plants such as java moss, java fern, anubias nana and the like, which I recommend you do for a begginer. All you need to do is put them in the tank, and you should aim your lighting to be 1WPG (Wattage per Gallon), although mine is just under and my plants do fine. If you want to start out with high-tech plants or maybe want to upgrade at a later date, it is recommended that you get a substrate such as eco-complete or a cheap alternative which has just been popping up around the plant forum, cactus compost. If you have a higher WPG than 2, then it is recommended you get a Co2 system, otherwise you will probably get alot of algae. Read the pinned threads in the planted sub-forum, they are very helpful!

Neal

 

[dylema]

Hi, to back up what Neal was saying, I have a planted tank with wisteria (Hygrophilia alifformis), java ferns (Microsorum pteropus), one amazon sword (?), banana lilies (Nynphoides aquatica), dwarf hairgrass (Eleocharis acicalaris), blue stricta (?), A Rotala wallichii, and a babies tears (Micranthum umbrosium)

All I do is have one good fluro light (30w life glow from hagen I think) on my 20g tank. Occasionally (once a month or so) I put a liquid fertaliser in but I don't keep that up as recomended (once a week). I have no CO2 or special substrate and the plants are doing quite well (the last two in the list are new so I will see how they go).

I would say start with some cheap plants just in case and give it a go.

 

[Griz]

Go for it !

I agree with what has been said. I hesitated to try live plants but if you stick to the basics you should have a good chance of success:
Easy, low-light types (java fern, crypts and surprisingly Amazon Sword has worked for me)
Get a good light (I am managing on way less than 1 wpg),
Fertilize (I use liquid and root tabs)

 

[big_dish]

cool! thanks everyone, i will probably start setting some plants in over the next few days, I have 120 watts and a 125 gallon tank, so I am pretty close. Maybe if I keep my moonlights on.... just kidding.....all of my lights are pretty new and they are all different spectrums, so I should have an ok amount and type of light for them. My tank is about as far as possible from any windows or natural light, so hopefully I wont have to worry about abundant algae anyway.