20 Gallon Tank- Contemplating Beginner Live Plants

[OraLacerta]

Ok, well, I am not sure if I will end up getting it, but I am trying to get a 55 gallon tank from someone locally. If that ends up happening I will have an empty 20 gal lying around. I was going to try my hand at planting a beginner's tank (using advice from this site http://www.vickisaquaticplace.com/PlantsChapter1.html). Keep in mind this is just an aspiration for the future, I may not end up doing it if my plan below is flawed.

I have my 15 gallon F8 tank in front of a window in one of my bedrooms that doesn't get direct sunlight, but there's a lot of natural light. I was thinking I might move the 20 back in front of that window and have that natural light supplement the fluorescent-which the article says is adequate for growing beginner plants. I would get low-light plants as described in the article (java fern, crypts, anubias and java moss).

I would to mix 1/2 fluorite and 1/2 small gravel for substrate and try to find some Yamato Green and Flourish tabs for fertilizing.

Any problems so far?

And after the tank's plants are bit more established I was playing with the idea of maybe try to find some (2) irrubescos to see if they may spawn in my tank? Would an Aquaclear 30 be sufficient filtration (I bought it for my 15 originally and now it's just laying around)?

I have no idea if I would be able to get any "red eye" puffers other than the lortetis which I've read enough horror stories about.. Has anyone had success spawning irrubescos?

Thanks for reading my little planting aspiration Let me know what you think!

-Michelle

[RTR]

Planted tanks do not have to be hard. All of mine are fairly easy setups, most of them are very easy.

Is your tank 20-long or 20-high? IMHO & IME, 20-longs are very easy, 20H a bit less but still not hard. (significan diffence in ligh delivery and tank footprint).

HOBs are not the best for planted, but for low to moderate light can be done without issues.

I like your substarte, I do a fair bit of the same.

I would suggest using a single source for any fertikizers and supplements. Sticking with brand is far more easily done IME. Mixing brands can give excess and/or lacks.

The plants you list are ideal. ditto the specific species listed in the article.

[perek]

20L are really easy to do.

Easiest plant I have ever grown is moneywort My moneywort grow to 5ft in a matter of weeks

[Boxermom]

Be very careful of putting the tank in front of a window. I did that with one of my planted tanks and ended up with a bad algae problem. I ended up having to put a background around the back and sides (didn't have a background so I used some Christmas wrapping paper.

A great place to go for plant information is http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php They have plants categorized by location (background, middle, foreground), light requirements, difficulty levels, etc.

Oh, and be careful with any crypts. They don't like to be moved, they have a tendency to "melt" when moved. They'll recover but look not so nice until they do and the melting adds to the bioload. Best to try and figure out where you want it to begin with, plant it and leave it alone.

[perek]

Btw that was Hornwort NOT moneywort

[OraLacerta]

Wow, thanks for all of the advice everyone!

RTR: My tank is a 20 L, so I guess that's a good thing! Which brand of fertilizer would you recommend?
Also, if a HOB isn't good for planted tanks what kind would you suggest? I have a small canister filter that came with my 33 gallon tank and I'm not sure if it works, but would that be better?

Perek: Once again, I'm glad I have a 20 long then I'll keep Honeywort in mind if I do this, a fast growing plant would be nice.

Boxermom: Thanks for telling me about your algae problems. I guess a window would do more harm than good. Thanks for the awesome link, it's really helpful. Oh, and I'll be careful about choosing crypts, I didn't know that about them.

[Tihsho]

Best fertilizers I have used so far have to be anything by seachem. Their flourish products work wonders.

Here are some other easy plants to take care of:
~Cabomba
~Hygro sp.
~Vals
~Sagitaria
~Sword sp.
~Wisteria/water sprite

All of them do very well and are pretty basic. Some (depending on how well they were kept before purchase) may or may not need a DIY CO2 kit added to your tank. Addind CO2 and possibly bumping up your lighting to a dual flourescent can give you a lot more options for plants.

[RTR]

Crypt melt is a bit unpredictable, but not a big thing. It happens with me only when I bring home a crypt from radically different water. I can thin and move within a tank or between tanks with rarely any pause in growth and foliage. If crypts should melt, just leave them alone. They will resprout fresh foliage and be fine.

I use the Seachem line myself (my LFS stocks everything in the line, most items in a variety of sizes), and not the other line. I know folks who use that and and like it as well. Personal option from availability and ease of use.

i am a canister nut, so if I had one available, I would certainly use it. But if it is dead, the hob will do, just not the best choice for me.

[Tihsho]

HOB in a planted tank oxygenate the water and diffuse CO2 which the plants need to survive. Canisters you can submerse the out take so no air is introduced on the output.

[RTR]

But the plants involved here don't care in low light.

[Boxermom]

Anubias are very nice, too, and extremely hardy. I love the Anubias nana, and would love to get some petite nana but its hard to find and costs a fortune.

Just remember that for plants with a rhizome, make sure that you pull the rhizome above the surface of the substrate. If you bury it, the plant will die.

I don't care much for java moss. In my tanks, its just a schmutz catcher, always catching whatever crap is in the tank (food, detritus, etc.). Hubby has a clump of it in his tank and his looks wonderful for some reason. We both have SAEs and stuff that theoretically should help keep it clean but mine must be lazy buggers. I even have a whole lot more shrimp than he does and it doesn't stay clean, so I pulled it all out.

[Tihsho]

SAE's once they realize the stuff that you put in the tank is something they can eat they forget the algea and eat staple fish food.

[GekkoGeck0]

Here are some other easy plants to take care of:
~Cabomba

From what I have heard from people keeping Cabomba of any sort, it pretty much universally requires ridiculously high light and CO2.

A good alternative, if you like the appearance of Cabomba is Limnophila sessiliflora. Very similar, and grows very well under lower light conditions, without CO2 supplimentation.

Pretty much anything called Hygrophila (I'm thinking polysperma and difformis here, there are others) grows like crazy and is easier to use in aquascaping as opposed to hornwort. I have a lower light tank and one of my stems of H. polysperma grew 3-4 inches in 5 days.

[Tihsho]

Cabombas don't require much. Have some growing in a tank that gets no CO2 supplemented other then whats emited by the fish. The lighting is a dual strip flourescent though.

[GekkoGeck0]

Cabombas don't require much. Have some growing in a tank that gets no CO2 supplemented other then whats emited by the fish. The lighting is a dual strip flourescent though.

I never bothered with it personally, because of what I've read on various planted tank forums and websites. Plantgeek lists most species as being at least "high" light.

http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_sea ... ype=Search

What species of Cabomba are you growing?