New To Live Plants

[DeepSeaFishin]

Im new to live plants, because I have always kept silk and plastic ones, however, I was wondering where I should get started for planting my 30 gallon (US). I'm currently out of town so I cant tell you my watts per gallon. I did have success with several plant seeds I purchased from my LFS. I removed them 1-2 months later because they were dying, and I honestly have no Idea what steps are needed to care for them.

I was wondering if any of you could recommend plants that are easy to keep and require no Co2 injection. I have a gravel substrate thats dark brown, and Id like to get some tall ones because my 30 gal is high, however, I want a mix of low medium and high plants to put all around the aquarium. Like I said I have no real experience maintaining plants and I think its time I started using them because it really makes the tank look great.

Ive read the pinned topics above but I figured what would be the best plants in your opinion I should start with. I'm assuming the amazon sword.

Also, think it would be a good idea to try this in my 10 gallon first?

Thanks Ahead,

Tom

 

[Viettxboii]

Well iwould try Java Moss and Java Fern those require low lighting and i don't believe they neeed co2 injection, i plan to take apart my 2 gall betta tank and
add those plants, so anywho try those 2 plants outi hear there easy to grow and look great

 

[DeepSeaFishin]

Thanks, so far I heard Java Fern and Amazon Swords arent hard to raise.

 

[nicklfire]

The crappy part of this hobby is that your going to have to invest some money into this project there aint gettin by it.You have the swords which just to let you know are high light plants, they will die without sufficient light and then to keep them going your going to need co2 and of course proper fertilization. Without those i'm going to think that your sword will eventually die. Java moss is a fairly hardly plant that requires little care ... can do without high lighting and co2 and will do moderatly well. Many people want a nice awesome planted tank but dont want to care for them and put the money into proper upgrades which will give them the tank that they imagine. Sure you can get some low light plants that dont require co2 or high lighting but you'll never get your tank you want.. you'll have a adaquete plant that... is just kinda there.

But at your request here are some..

Java fern
Java moss
Crypts - the thing with crypts are yes you can keep them in low light tanks.. they wont grow aswell as high level.. but you gotta keep them in a stable environment , so you gotta keep them in low light if that's what your doing, they dont like ph swings, dont like change in lighting, dont like change in co2, dont like change in temperature. If these thing affect the plant they will get crypt rot, if they do just clean up the dead leaves wait a few week and it should adapt.
Duckweed
christmas moss

Those are some you should have ok success with.
Remember if you want a tank like you see with some members here your going to have to put the effort in and the money.. sucks but reality..

This is a hobby where patience is the key, upgrade stuff bit by bit and one day you'll have it all and enough to do exactly what you want. But i definatley encourage trial and error.. if this does not work for you figure out what didnt work and fix the problem :0 Learning is key, read read read.

 

[lljdma06]

With a little research and effort, you can most certainly create a lovely planted tank that will be more than just "adaquate". What I do need to know is the wattage in your tube? Or at least your tank dimensions? The challenge for you is the height? I wouldn't focus so much on plants that root to the substrate, especially if you have no plans to upgrade your lighting. Light penetration becomes a big issue if the tank is over 24" deep. Let's assume you'll be working with at least .6WPG or so. If you could get up to 1-1.5WPG then I could show you something that features more types of plants, but we'll work with what we've got.

If you can purchase good, sinkable bog wood, preferably branchy pieces that are gnarly, you can use that to build height. Secure the wood vertically to the substrate using slate or whatever rocks your boat. Dave Spencer's journal has a fantastic bogwood arrangement that is very close to what I'm describing. Check it out. If you then attach types of mosses (java, Christmas, weeping), java fern (again, several different leaf types), and anubias (there a many different leaf shapes and sizes to chose from and they can flower) to wood, you can create a very interesting effect that utilizes all the levels of the aquarium. It'll also be a little easier to maintain as you won't have to access the bottom level too much and you can possibly remove the wood for plant maintenance if it is a type of wood that sinks well. I have several wood piecees in my aquarium that I can simply pluck out of the tank and trim sitting down and then put back. I also have wood that attaches via suction cup and I mounted those on my aquarium wall. Again, easy to remove and something to consider. I'm not super tall, 5'6", so tall tanks are a pain. The above is what I'd actually do with a super tall tank with low lighting. Consider upgrading to a sand substrate, and you have the potential for a very interesting system that would be very attractive and could be adaptable to a range of water conditions (many of the plants I've mentioned are tolerant of weak Brackish conditions and also thrive in Amazonian blackwater, so they're very adaptable). An all-purpose liquid fertiliser or even a good fish load would be sufficient to give the plants the nutrients they need. Growth would be extremely slow, but that would cut down on your maintenance.

I don't know, call me an optomist, but I think it's entirely doable if you do the proper research. I could tell you more if I knew your dimensions and your wattage.

All this being said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with deciding to upgrade your lighting and get CO2. You will have tons more plant choices if you go above 2 WPG as Nicklfire says. On the flip side, there is more money to invest and a lot more maintenance involved, and a lot more things can go wrong if you are not up to speed on your maintenance.

You could also do this very easily with the stock lighting in your 10g assuming it's a fluorescent light. 1.5WPG over 10g is low-light, so you could wet your fingers with that setup first. I really do think, however, that the 30g with that type of setup could really look striking.

llj

 

[nicklfire]

jdma has brought up some very interesting and good points. I'm bias towards low lite tanks.. not sure why, i shouldnt be lol. I guess it's in my personality haha. I love technology and the best of the best and will pay for it (not rich tho by far, i save up), but i shouldn't push that on other people. There are definitely alternative to hi tech tanks which jdma has let you know about. Good read

 

[DeepSeaFishin]

Thanks for the great information, like I said, I'm out of town or I would give you the dimensions. I did upgrade my stock lighting on the 30 gallon, and since Im out of town I couldnt give you the wattage. As for cost, I am on a low income because I'm paying off my truck, insurance, going to school, and working part-time, so I dont have a large income, otherwise I would purchase all the Co2 equipment without a doubt. I will just start to save small bits at a time until I can afford such things.

I will be back at home monday, so Ill post my dimensions promptly when I get home, as well as my lighting.



**Edit** - Do any of you guys use DIY Co2 Injections? Ive read on google that you can create one via a 2 litre soda bottle, with yeast in it, and then you punch a hole in the cap, and stick the end of some airline tubing in it, seal it with silicon, and then put a valve on it just after the cap, and then run the rest into your tank, to an airstone. Is this relatively correct? I also read in the pinned that you need a "ladder" or reactor in your tank to allow the bubble to stay in the water long enough for it to diffuse properly.