Noob Guide For Planted Aquarium!

[bloodyeagle4]

Hey everyone...so first off sorry if this is already a forum somewhere else and if it is could I maybe get a link of some sort.
If not then here we go...So I have a 25 gallon aquarium with some fake plants (6 of them) and a bubbly volcano. I love how real planted aquariums look and want to know how to do mine.
 
Some of my questions are...
Do I need a type of quarantine tank for my fish while I plant the aquarium?
How long does it take to plant so I can put the fish back in?
Is there any special materials needed to plant it and keep it thriving?
Lastly...if its not too hard to do maybe a noob guide on how you did yours or how you would suggest doing it! If you guys want a pic of my tank now let me know and I can put it up for you.
 
Thanks for the help!
 

 

[Sophie]

Depends how planted you want it and what plants you want.
People with better knowledge on plants will be able to elaborate but I can explain a little on mine.
 

 
I "replanted" this about 4 weeks ago and it's now all twice as tall and bushy.
 
I have 2-3cm of JBL AquaBase soil underneath the gravel.
http/mizuworld.com/product/detail/1009
Some information above about the product.

Then I have about 4-5cm of Dorset Pea Gravel 2-3mm so it's very fine and very smooth - perfect for rooting plants and keeping them rooted!
 
I have T5 lighting in the hood of my tank so it penetrates the deep body of water providing lighting top to bottom.
 
I have my lights on 8 - 10 hours a day.
 
The plants are very basic and very easy to care for:
Vallisneria
Rotala Indica
Anubias
Java Fern
Red Tiger Lotus (still a small sprouting bulb as of yet)
 
http/www.tropica.com/en/home.aspx

Tropica's website is a haven for tons of plant information - downloadable .pdf files and A-Z on plant care and layouts etc.
 
Try having a look at our Planted section too - http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/forum/206-planted-chit-chat/
I imagine you have done by posting your thread there but it's very good also for a wide range of questions that have already been answered.
 
Pratical Fishkeeping also has an amazing article on simple yet effective planted tanks - http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=3855
 
Good luck! If you give this a crack, make sure you make a journal for us to read.
 
Might be worth having a look into CO2 injection and liquid fertilizers etc if you're going to go with some more delicate, needy plants.
The key is to make sure you know what the plant you want, requires - the same as fish. Do your research on the plant beforehand before jumping in and wasting money!

 

[bloodyeagle4]

hey Fishaholic (again)! You seem to be killing it on the question answering haha which is much appreciated. By the way your aquarium looks amazing compared to mine! How long have you been into aquariums. Also your post was very helpful and am definitely gonna do some more research and then try planting my tank. I think a planted tank just looks way better than the fake ones.
 
Thanks for the help!

 

[Sophie]

The names Sophie btw not Fishaholic
Been into fish about a year now.. Not much at all? Just got into the hobby and got obsessive!

 

[fluttermoth]

If you want to do a really simple planted tank, here's how I do mine (sorry if I make the real plant people wince

).
 
Get some plants; all these are easy and do well in my tanks;
Amazon swords
Java fern
Java moss
christmas moss
cryptocorynes (come in a lot of different sizes and leaf shapes too)
Indian fern (will grow planted or floating)
anubias (again, come in a lot of different shapes and sizes); do remember though that, like Java ferns, they have to be attached to rock or wood, not planted or they'll rot) vallis
sagittaria (comes in a big version, like a giant vallis, and a dwarf one that makes a good carpeting plant for low tech set ups)
cabomba (although I can't grow this one, it does all right for some people, depending on your light; it's worth trying)
hygrophila
 
Put the plants in your sand or gravel; you can leave the fish in while you plant. Some might need holding down with some small rocks or pebbles until they've rooted in, and make sure you don't plant them too deep; you want the 'crown' (that's the bit where the leaves join the roots) of the plant, if it has one, to be just above the top of the substrate.
 
I don't feed my plants 

 but you can buy liquid fertilisers or root tabs to push in; Amazon swords appreciate the extra food.
 
Um...that's it