Plants -how Many And What?

[oscar52]

Hi

I have kept fish for several years, starting with a humble goldfish in a bowl, to a small tank.

I now have a 3 foot , 180l / 40 gallon (UK) tank, and want to keep tropical fish.

The filter, lighting and everything else is easy enough, but would anyone like to recommend a selection of plants that would be best, and how many in total would be needed.

Fish I would be looking to keep would be general community fish , such as platies, swords, guppys, mollies, neons .... you get the idea ! - If anyone would like to recommend any fish also.


Thanks for any advice recieved.

 

[SamUK]

jus go down and see what you like.


aslong as you have good lighting then you should be fine.


ive never used co2 or xtra lighting on my tanks and my plants have done fine.


as for how many? depends on how you want it to look!

can always go bak for more tho.

 

[oscar52]

jus go down and see what you like.


aslong as you have good lighting then you should be fine.


ive never used co2 or xtra lighting on my tanks and my plants have done fine.


as for how many? depends on how you want it to look!

can always go bak for more tho.

Fair enough ..... whta would be the bare minimum number of plants i should look at ?

 

[SamUK]

theres no requirement or set amount.


plants dont really provide anything except they look good and some fish like to nibble on them.


the amount you have in the tank is totally up to you and how you want it to look.

 

[Bignose]

plants dont really provide anything except they look good and some fish like to nibble on them.

For someone with nearly 2000 posts, I would hope that they would know that there is more to plants than just 'looking good'.

For example, plants' preferred nitrogen uptake method is ammonia. Yes, the same ammonia that the bio-filter is processing into nitrite and then nitrate. Aquatic plants can take up nitrate and nitrite, but almost all of them expend energy to convert it back into ammonia for use. (This is the opposite of terrestrial plants, many of which prefer nitrate.) What this means is that the plants are effectively being the filter in your tank. And before some user tells you that you can only have understocked tanks using only a plant-based filter, I recommend Diana Walstad's book Ecology of the Planted Aquarium. She sets up tanks with only plant filters, and downright overstocks, and overfeeds so that the plants get their food in addition to the fish. At the very least, having healthy plants would be a backup in case your filter malfunctions.

Next, having live plants is an effective treatment/preventative for algae. Basically, the plants outcompete the algae for their resources, and the algae stave to death. There is even some strong evidence that certain plants release alleochemicals that even prevent algae from growing. That is, these released chemicals intentionally disrupt the algae's (and actually possibly some other plants') growth mechanisms.

Just one more example, plants release dissolved organic carbon (DOC) molecules, one group of DOCS you may have heard of is tannins. Not many DOCs while alive, but many when they are decomposing. DOCs have a very beneficial feature in that these large molecules usually bind and lock up heavy metals, heavy metals that could potentially poison your fish. Even more interesting, these bound up metals are the much, much easier way for plants to take up trace minerals, like iron or magnesium. I think it is a neat cycle, that as one plant (or one leaf) dies and decomposes, it releases chemicals that benefit the other living plants.

There are many, many more good things live plants do. Maybe the biggest one I haven't mentioned yet is that live plants more closely replicate your little slice of nature in your house. There is a lot more info in Walstad's book I cited above, and I am sure several other books.

 

[Jen]

Come on down to the plant section! We love helping out people looking to jump into plants!

 

[SamUK]

For someone with nearly 2000 posts, I would hope that they would know that there is more to plants than just 'looking good'.

For example, plants' preferred nitrogen uptake method is ammonia. Yes, the same ammonia that the bio-filter is processing into nitrite and then nitrate. Aquatic plants can take up nitrate and nitrite, but almost all of them expend energy to convert it back into ammonia for use. (This is the opposite of terrestrial plants, many of which prefer nitrate.) What this means is that the plants are effectively being the filter in your tank. And before some user tells you that you can only have understocked tanks using only a plant-based filter, I recommend Diana Walstad's book Ecology of the Planted Aquarium. She sets up tanks with only plant filters, and downright overstocks, and overfeeds so that the plants get their food in addition to the fish. At the very least, having healthy plants would be a backup in case your filter malfunctions.

Next, having live plants is an effective treatment/preventative for algae. Basically, the plants outcompete the algae for their resources, and the algae stave to death. There is even some strong evidence that certain plants release alleochemicals that even prevent algae from growing. That is, these released chemicals intentionally disrupt the algae's (and actually possibly some other plants') growth mechanisms.

Just one more example, plants release dissolved organic carbon (DOC) molecules, one group of DOCS you may have heard of is tannins. Not many DOCs while alive, but many when they are decomposing. DOCs have a very beneficial feature in that these large molecules usually bind and lock up heavy metals, heavy metals that could potentially poison your fish. Even more interesting, these bound up metals are the much, much easier way for plants to take up trace minerals, like iron or magnesium. I think it is a neat cycle, that as one plant (or one leaf) dies and decomposes, it releases chemicals that benefit the other living plants.

There are many, many more good things live plants do. Maybe the biggest one I haven't mentioned yet is that live plants more closely replicate your little slice of nature in your house. There is a lot more info in Walstad's book I cited above, and I am sure several other books.

jus cos i have a high post count doesnt mean anything!

well, it jus means i have more spare time than others lol.

neway. i kno about the plants using the ammonia but its hardly worth mentioning.

specially to someone new to the hobby who has probably jus got there head round the whole cycling and filtering process.

and no, i didnt kno the other reasons you stated but i was asked how many plants should be in the aquarium and there is no set amount, not many people, infact barely any will buy plants with the reasons you stated in mind.

they buy them cos they look good.

 

[Bignose]

and no, i didnt kno the other reasons you stated but i was asked how many plants should be in the aquarium and there is no set amount, not many people, infact barely any will buy plants with the reasons you stated in mind.

Well, Sam, that's why I posted all that, so that I could tell others some of the additional beneficial reasons to try out live plants other than 'they look good.'

 

[SamUK]

well.... thanx.... i guess lol.