# First Planted Tank. Plant Suggestions Please



## zeone03 (Oct 25, 2006)

Hello everyone. I getting ready to start my first planted tank. It will be a 20g tall. Can anyone give me some good suggestions on plants for beginners. I know I'll probably get some Java Ferm and Water Sprite. Would Micro Sword be good for a good foreground carpet plant. Here's what my setup will be like.

I'll have a total of 56w of lighting. I got 2 of the Coralife Freshwater Aqualight T-5 Series. Energy Savers Unlimited | Coralife | ESU Reptile | Birdlife | Pondlife | Deep Ocean | A Worldwide Manufacturer of quality pet products
I plan on having 3" of Eco-complete susbstrate. For ferts I plan on getting them from Greg Watson and using the EI system.

Thank you
Jason


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## dwhite645 (Jan 9, 2005)

Pretty much any stem bunch plant is fairly easy to grow well with ferts and co2, and the lighting you have works well too. Hygrophila (spelling) was one of my first with great success, although it's getting hard to find anymore. Another good one is java moss - just attach to logs and such.
Another thing about bunch plants is they grow fairly fast too, so it's good filler to start off with.


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## bristles (Mar 7, 2006)

Sagittaria subdulata & Hydrocotyle leucocephala (Brazilian pennywort) are good hardy starters with enough light which it looks like you will have.


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## zeone03 (Oct 25, 2006)

Thank for the suggestions. I though about java moss but I thought I read somewhere that it can take over a tank pretty quick. I am going to put some rocks in my tank also. If I put the java moss on it will it stay on the rock or still grow off the rock.

Also I live next to a river. Can I use driftwood that I find. If so what is the proper way to clean it. I figured I'd save a few bucks plus it would be fun for me and my son to go out trying to find some one afternoon.

Thanks


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## bristles (Mar 7, 2006)

If conditions are right for it, Java moss can have good growth but as for "taking over a tank quickly"I have not found that to be the case. I will occasionally find a wisp of it in my ground cover or behind some stem plants but have never considered it a nuisance(just my opinion) 
Drift wood found by local bodies of water can have parasites or unknown chemicals on them. That said, I know people who have found wood and throughly rinsed or boiled it & used it in there systems with no ill affects. But I have also heard horror stories ,so I usually get mine from the LFS or on line sources.


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## zeone03 (Oct 25, 2006)

I thought parasites could be a problem with driftwood I found. Since this will be my first planted tank I probably just buy it. My lfs doesn't have any good pieces I like so I'll probably have to order it online. Can anyone recommend any good sites. I found these sites.

AquariumDriftwood.com,
AquariumGuys.com,
AmazonMoosey's Ambit


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## AndyT. (Jun 28, 2006)

I have had good experience with Aquarium Driftwood.com, but that was some years ago. Still have the pieces and they look good! 

Will you be using CO2? If so, I second the suggestion that you use stem plants.


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## AndyT. (Jun 28, 2006)

I have had good experience with Aquarium Driftwood.com, but that was some years ago. Still have the pieces and they look good! 

Will you be using CO2? If so, I second the suggestion that you use stem plants.


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## scott53326 (Sep 17, 2006)

Hi,

I really recommend Ted--> index

I bought a piece from him last month. It did not even need to be weighted down. It sunk to the bottom right away and it has not leached any tannins.

-Scott


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## zeone03 (Oct 25, 2006)

I'm not to sure yet about the CO2. Right now I don't think I'll be able to afford a full out pressurized CO2 system. I'm not really a DIY type of person. I thought about getting one of these small CO2 setups.

CO2 Natural Plant System,
Freshwater Planted Aquariums: Red Sea Turbo CO2 Bio-System

Would something like one of those work for now for a 20g. If I add Seachem Excel would I also need to add CO2.

Scott - Thanks for the link to Ted. He's got some peices that I like.


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## banderbe (Nov 17, 2005)

Next time around, consider a 20 gallon long instead of tall. Typically, a "perfect" size for planted aquaria is any tank where the height and depth are the same, like the 20 long, or 75 gallon.

I would not suggest microsword as a first foreground plant. Many people, myself included, found that it attracted algae in a new tank. I grow it now in a mature tank without problems but I would start with glossostigma or hairgrass for a first foreground. On second thought, glosso is going to get pretty long and leggy with the amount of lighting you have so maybe scratch that off your list for now.

Also I recommend more light- after you get your tank established (not before!). I started at 2.25 WPG and wasn't very happy with the results. After I moved up to 4.5 WPG, I was very pleased with my tank and the robust plant growth. Don't let anyone scare you off from this, high light tanks are not more prone to algae. They only grow algae faster if something is wrong in your tank but a dedicated aquarist can keep on top of a high light tank with no trouble. I spent a whopping 5 minutes a day on my tank, and maybe an hour or two a week additionally with water changes and trimming.

I think for ferts you are on the right track, though you may find that you aren't happy with the CSM+B. If that's the case, consider Flourish or Tropica Aquacare Plant Nutrition (formerly Tropica Master Grow).

I also like to dose Flourish Iron in my tank. Plants seem more robust and healthy, and plants that display unique coloration like reds, golds, oranges, etc., seem to do so more readily with additional iron.

Edit: I assumed you were using CO2. If not, then disregard everything I said about lighting. In fact with no CO2 you may have too much light. If you decide not to use CO2 you might consider asking questions in the El Natural forum. The folks there have created some nice tanks with low light and no CO2. With no CO2 you probably can get by without dosing ferts at all. Again the El Natural people can advise you on this but many of them feed the plants with the waste from the fish.


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## zeone03 (Oct 25, 2006)

Thanks banderbe for the info. I would like to use CO2 because I thought it was really good for plant growth. For now would the Red Sea or Hagen CO2 systems I refferenced be ok. Should I use Seachem Excel with one of them.

As far as ferts. I've gone back and forth trying to decide if I want to use the dry fers from Greg Watson or the liquid ferts from Seachem. I read good things about both of them.

I really like hairgrass so I may use that for a foreground plant. Or some Dwarf Sag, I like that also. I got the tank, lights, filter, heater now. I'm going to start ordering everything else next week. I'll post pics of it once I get everything setup. This will definately be a learning experience. I'm trying to learn as much as possible before I buy everything so I don't spend a bunch on plants just to kill them.

I really appreciate everyone's responses.


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