i%26#039;m not sure what type of fish, plants, fertilizers to get. (yeah and i know about co2 i have a homemade setup) i also have a 55g (2 cats and 5 swordtails) had more but they got sick and a few died off. I also have a 10g fry tank wish about 14 green swordtail fry,java moss and hornwort, but i%26#039;m giving most of them away as a gift.
I%26#039;m going to start a 20 gallon long tank and i want it planted...does anyone have tips or ideas?
You may not have realized how big of a question that really is.... LOL Here%26#039;s some basics.
The best way to go about a planted tank is to decide on the inhabitants first, both fish and plants. Changing gears halfway through setup is a pain.
Lighting is really the biggest consideration, because it will determine what plants you can use. With a 20-Long you have a good amount of room for lights.
The most common %26#039;rule of thumb%26#039; for lighting is actually pretty bad because it isn%26#039;t really a measure of brightness, rather it measures power consumption. It used to work when we all use normal output fluorescent lights because we had a common reference. Unfortunately, it%26#039;s still in use.
So, fallibility of the rule aside, if the plants you want are high light, you should go for 4 watts per gallon or better. Around 3 wpg will have you in the medium realm, and anything 2 wpg and under should be counted as low light. These values would be different for a larger tank - part of why the %26quot;rule%26quot; is bad.
Since you will be using DIY for your CO2, you shouldn%26#039;t have to worry about over-gassing the tank. The more efficiently you can diffuse it the better off you will be - no point in wasting it. By the way - no airstones. They will off gas your CO2 as fast as you can put it in.....
There are 2 different areas to address on Ferts.
Macros, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. (N:P:K) In a heavily planted injected high light tank, you will most likely need to dose N and K. Odds are that fish food and waste, along with tap water will give you all the P you need, and your fish will contribute to the N.
Micros are the other nutrients - products like Flourish or Leaf Zone will take care of that.
I dose everything as dry ferts. It is way cheaper. A pound of the ones you need will last forever in a 20g tank. I get mine from Greg Watson. http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/Store....
For Macros I use Potassium Nitrate (KNO3) and Potassium Chloride (KCl). I have also got Mono Potassium Phosphate (KH2PO4) on hand, but I have not been using it lately since the city is being kind enough to supply me with Phosphates in my tap water. :(
I use Greg Watson%26#039;s Plantex CSM+B for micros. It%26#039;s the most expensive of the ones I use, but you only use a tiny bit, so a pound will last a few years.
Dosing is really easy, just use a measuring spoon, add the stuff to a bit of water and stir. You can also pour it in the tank dry and let it dissolve.
As for the plants - there is a site called PlantGeek - they have a lot of information, and I have always found it to be extremely accurate. maybe because they are not trying to sell you anything? http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php Plants are sorted by various criteria, from the linked page - very handy.
As far as fish goes... I would just avoid anything known to dig a lot, and of course no %26#039;lawnmowers%26#039;. Stick with Omnivores and Carnivores and you will be fine.
It%26#039;s always a wise idea to keep an eye on your CO2 levels - fortunately you can get an idea where you are with this by a pH and a KH (Alkalinity) test.
There is a cool planted tank chart and calculator that you can get free from http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant...
It has CO2 charts, and also some excellent links too.
[EDIT]
As if this needed to be longer... LOL!
Flourite and Eco-Complete are basically nutrient rich substrates. You could accomplish much the same thing over time with gravel as mulm builds in it, or you could use sand and put fertilizer spikes in that.
I have tanks with both brands in - and I have been very satisfied with them. They%26#039;re pricey, but they do make a difference in rooted plant growth.
I only use it in small tanks tho - a bit too pricey for a big tank - the benefits aren%26#039;t all that great. :)
Reply:yes plant it in the garden plenty off water but i carnt promise that it will grow
Reply:Here%26#039;s a thread about (what I think is) an inspirational 20 gallon long tank: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/photo-...
As for plants, you%26#039;ll want ones that can tolerate the level of light that you have and can survive on DIY CO2. Use this plant guide to find plants based on different categories: http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php
For fertilizers, the best way to go are dry ferts. They are in powder form and are the %26quot;pure%26quot; form of the nutrient. You%26#039;ll need macro nutrients (carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur) and micro nutrients (Sodium, Copper, Boron, Nickel, Chlorine, Zinc, Manganese, Iron, and Molybdenum). Good dry ferts to staert out with are: KH2PO4, Plantex CSM+B, K2SO4, KNO3 (only if you have low nitrates), and Mg2SO4 (optinonal; will raise water hardness).
If you don%26#039;t want to get dry ferts, then you can alway go the liquid route. Flourish is a good macro/micro nutrient provide and is usually found in Petsmart for around $8.99/bottle. Read the company info here: http://www.seachem.com/products/product_...
As for fish, any freshwater community fish would work. I personally like Neon Tetras, Celestial Pearl Danios, Clown Killifish, and German Blue/Bolivian Ram (sensitive to water quality, don%26#039;t try if you%26#039;re a beginner).
E-mail me for any questions!
EDIT: I have Flourite in my tank and I love it. It%26#039;s a nice natural color, and the plants love it.
However, one substrate that seems to be loved by advanced plant keepers is ADA AquaSoil Amazonia: http://www.adgshop.com/Aqua_Soil_Amazoni...
White Teeth
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