PR,
Very important questions you ask.
Just bear with me I am BEAT and really fuzzy headed. Yes VERY long day.
Filtration:
IMO / IME even if the tank is strictly planted you still need some sort of filtration. Just like fish plants depend on good water quality and oxygen to thrive and in most cases bloom. I keep both mechanical and biological filtration in most all my tanks even the planted tanks.
Aquarium plants don't only need oxygen but also most rerquire some sort of water movement. Aquarium plants loose leaves, if the leaves are left they will in most cases sit at thge base of the plants and eventually this can kill / rot the plants stem.
Proper filtration is required IMO / IME.
For a 55g you got a wide selection of filters. I would sugegst an external ( mechanical ) filtrer. Whisper, Penguin, these are 2 good filters and not really costly. $ 20 - $35.00. Personaly I like the whisper brand better. It's really all I use and a few penguins on the larger tanks. A whisper 3 would be good for a 55g . But, if you are going to use a secondary means of filtration like a sponge filter you can even get away with a smaller onbe like a Whisper 2.
The rato of GPH will be less but will work. I use Whisper 2 in masny tanks and they are well established and rarely have a problem. Mechanical Filters, These help remove alot of the loose debris in the tank and also helps agitate the water. Keeping rotton /. dieing leaves away from plants and easier to clean. Just like fish there are formulas which can help improve the health and growth of aquarium plants.
Personaly I try NOT to get too out of hand due to the amount of tanks I keep and how many are loaded with live plants. All I do is basic maint and good filtration. The substarate can and will make a big difference in the plants also.
I use a mixture when setting up a plant tank. I mix manure with peat moss. About 1 /12 - 2 ". On top of that I add about 2" of sand. Fine playbox sand which you MUST rinse VERY, VERY good to avoid the cloudyness which can take forever to clear. There is pros and cons to useing this.
Peat will lower the PH and maintain it lower than most cichlids for example require. Peat tends to float so if the tank is improperly set up you will have a mess of floating peat. Which can be removed once tank is filled using a regular fish net and patience.
As you add the peat / manure mix keep an even layer. I sugegst using a piece of screen on top of the peat prior to adding the sand. This will keep the peat from wanting to float and also keep any species of fish that like to dig from digging up the peat.
Peat can be very messy if stired up or disturbed.The sand must be SAFE for fish. Meaning DO NOT use very fine sand or sand containg silica. (spelling).
Regular childrens play box sand is great and not really fine. If you use really fine sand it will and can get sought in filters ( external ) and eventually mess up[ the magnet that drives the filter.
I use a 5 g bucket to rinse the sand. Using the bucket poor about 4-5" in the bucket and rinse with a water hose. This MUST be done over and over till the water in the bucket looks clear. The better the sand is rinsed the less time the tank takes to clear up. And it helps remove all the really small / loose pieces of sand.
Rough cost for , Peat , Sand, manure; sand is about $2.89 a bag peat MOSS is about $5.00 a bag. You will need about 2-3 bags of sand and you will have MORE than plenty peat with one bag.
Filters:
External I use Whgisper and Penguin brands
Internal I use sponge filters. Which you can get different sizes rated for different size tanks and gallons they must support.
Lighgts,
This is a tricky one, Here it really depends on the plants and the amount of cash you want to spend on bulbs / lighting. You can get tech. and spend hundreds on lighting. Or, you can use most basic aquarium bulbs that ARE for plants.
Penn Plex, makes several good plant bulbs. One being the Agro, and Aqua Lux. Both I use and they are rgeta bulbs. Coralife also makes several bulbs and is found in most LPS. These may be alittle more pricey but are better quality bulbs. There bulbs say right on the package PLANT bulb. Rough cost for bulbs, $ 9.99 - $ 25.00 each depending on quality and brand.
For a 55 you will need either 2 24 inch bulbs or 1 48 inch bulb.
Now you can also get a dual fixture and add a set of extra bulbs. With a 55g you have got to keep in mind the deoth of the tank and how far the light rays must go to reach the plants.
There are many, many way too many pplants you can chose from. Many are low light, some are high light, some moderate light. Most plants tend to shed there leaves from shock when first transplanted or added new to a tank. This is normal and as long as tehre IS circulation, (filtration) proper water quality they will come right back.
, before I forget, with the peat you have got to keep in mind that when removing plants for replant or new tanks you MUST be carefull and patient to remove.
The roots will be through out the peat so if you just pull on them you WILL have a mess.
Nest way to remove plants in a peat substrate is to gently wiggle them as you pull them up. Pushing down gently with your fingers on the sand around the base to help keep the sand and peat in it's place.
Using the screen will help prevent this problem. Now, the sand can be mixed with small gravel,
Substrate can also be gravel but most plants do better in the sandy substrate. When chosing the plants stay away from certain ones that are terrerium plants ( gold dust for example ). Some require planting others like to free float. It's bnest to do alittle reasearch or ask which plants are good fore ground plants , mid tank, and front .
Many stay short while others grow literaly out of the tank. I can look threw a few plant books and get a few suggestions for you on plants. But, if you are sure you are going to but some because I really hate to go through all the research to have someone not evn bother. This can and will take awhile cause I will have to look a bunchup and takes notes on each.
If you are ready to purchse the plants and have and ide let us know and I am SURE between ALL the plant freaks on the board we could come up with a few that will work for you.
UNDER PROPER conditions. Filtration is a must IMO / IME. I know I already said that. Just a reminder though.
Roughly speaking between everything. Filter, substrate and lights .... lets see....
ROUGHLY:
$20.00 - $35.00 for filter
$6.00 sand
$5.00 - $7.00 peat
OR
gravel instead. cost will vary on type and style/color.
$9.99 - $ 25.00 each on lights. Depending which type.
Think I about got all questions covered now. Hopefully here soon someone will jump right in no names...... CM, Maggie... ooops I said no names. Wait, I hear Rose is the plant expert where is she
ROSE..........
Alright enough for now I guess. Please feel free to ask if there are anymore questions or concerns.
Danny
