New community Plants?

[Sunny.C]

Hey guys gonna start a 35gallon community tank, what plants should i use & how many??? don't know much about community tanks or plants... ANy advice?

 

[Nospherith]

You can start out with what they have at the LFS. Plants like amazon swords, vallis, cryptocorynes, hygropheila, bacopa, wisteria, anubias, and others do well. I would suggest covering at least a quarter of the substrate with plants.

 

[Sunny.C]

How long do plants last??? Do the fish feast on the plants or are they just for cover??? Also does plants create a algae problem?

 

[Nospherith]

How long do plants last??? Do the fish feast on the plants or are they just for cover??? Also does plants create a algae problem?

As far as I know aquarium plants last years if kept correctly, except for a select few like aponogetons that need rest periods before rejuvinating again: their leaves either die off or grow small and slow. Otherwise it shouldn't be a problem.

Most community fish are fine with plants. I would wager that fish would be less stressed if they had natural hiding places/territories instead of plastic. That said, many cichlids are notorious for either snacking on plants or uprooting them from the substrate. So if you have two convicts, an 8" oscar and gravel that mysteriously sorts itself onto opposite sides of the aquarium overnight, chances are that there isn't going to be much luck with live plants.

Live plants are an all-around good thing to have in an aquarium. Plants will help to absorb nutrients that would otherwise be used by algae. But as far as algae is concerned, once you get into high-light aquascaping it's a different story.

 

[Sunny.C]

I will be have a community tank 35 gallons, neons,betta's etc..

 

[ecto1]

Amazon swords are going to grow too large for a 35 gallon. Sticking with things like java fern, anubias, and some of the others Nospherith recommended is a good start, though.

 

[Sunny.C]

I tank is really tall not really wide. This is only guessing measurements, it's about 50cm wide and about 65cm tall.That's a off the top of my head

 

[Sunny.C]

Btw how do you look after the plants?? just put them into the gravel and that's it??? or you need some medication for them Also how many hours a day do they require lighting?

 

[Sunny.C]

Btw how do you look after the plants?? just put them into the gravel and that's it??? or you need some medication for them Also how many hours a day do they require lighting? ?

 

[StarOrbs]

Most low tech plants aren't that picky such as those suggested above. It's good to have some type of nutrients either in the liquid form or tab form that you place under the gravel. (The tab type are good for Swords and crypts.) Personally I would suggest around 2 Watts per gallon, make sure the bulbs are in the color temp range of 5000 - 7100K. Try to get full sprectrum bulbs they help too. If you go above 2 WPG you should think about CO2. You could also get gravel such as Seachem Flourite or Laterite, which is place underneath your chosen gravel. Whatever you choose you want it to be a small size gravel I believe a 1-2 mm is the rule but I can't remember.

Don't overdue fertilizers though or you'll have algae problems.

Lighting should be from around 8-10 hours a day depending on wattage. You should also take a break in the middle of the day with the lights and not keep them on all day. For example:
Lights On : 10AM - 2PM
Lights Off : 2PM - 5PM
Lights On : 5PM - 10 - 11PM
Lights Off : 10-11PM - 10AM

Also java ferns should be tied to some type of wood or rock.