# plant count in a soil base tank



## deup (Sep 9, 2013)

k so with a new setup tank with soil base can i get away with putting a few plants in rather then a bnch unforchantly where i live in the boondocks the newest store is roughly 2 hours away and prices there are WOW. 15++ for a baby sword plants even the most simplest plant i not payign under 12 bucks for . i think its based on available stores that sell and there aint many  sigh . . so would i be able to plants few and try to grow some? or would this cause a problem ?


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

That sounds fine. It's a pity there aren't more stores near you. The high plant prices you mentioned are probably related to there only being one store in the area. $15 for a plant is pretty steep, but sometimes you'll see those kind of prices even in areas with many fish shops especially on the sword plants. Usually plants sell for about $3-4 for bunched plants, and potted plants sell for a dollar or two more at most places.

Where do you live?

When you get a few more posts you can post a WTB (want to buy) add in the sale forum, I'm sure someone can set you up with a large number of species for a reasonable price.

You can start a soil based tank and use less plants to start with. The plants will grow and fill the tank in over time. More is better to start with so they suck up the released nutrients, but if you start the tank off with less it probably won't cause too many problems.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Sorry, but if you start off with only a few plants you are likely to have problems--algae and ammonia spikes.

What you really need at first is fast-growing floating and stem plants. These are usually inexpensive, so try some on-line stores and watch the Sale forum here. Also, you can set up several planted bowls and use them to propagate plants until you have enough for your larger tank. The "bowls" can be any container at least a gallon or more in size. Plastic storage tubs work fine. Set them up with soil substrate and cap as you would for a regular tank.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Ha! As Tolkien says in _Lord of the Rings_, "Go not to the elves for advice, for they will say both yes and no."


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## deup (Sep 9, 2013)

mm i never thought about that  . yeah i not to worried about the ammonia spiking i plan on makign this a fishless tank til i can fully understand this part of the hobby


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Haha. I'm really more in line with your suggestion Michael. More plants is what you want to start with to avoid algae issues, but if he really can't find plants for a reasonable amount then he can start with less plants. He'll just most likely get algae all over the place as you said. It will eventually clear up though as the plants fill in and the soil leaches out its nutrients. Technically possible though not very fun!

Have a look at aquabid.com as well they usually sell tons of plants there. Just make sure the seller is located in the USA not in Singapore or wherever. You don't want to wait weeks for your plants to arrive dead, not to mention its illegal to ship plants across countries without phytocertificates.


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## deup (Sep 9, 2013)

oh well then i need to make shur there Canadian then lol  i didn't relize you need a cert to get plants to cross boarder


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## Luminescent (Aug 14, 2013)

Michael said:


> Ha! As Tolkien says in _Lord of the Rings_, "Go not to the elves for advice, for they will say both yes and no."


Can I borrow that line for my sig?


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Sure--it's not mine, LOL!


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## deup (Sep 9, 2013)

k so i bought the soil i hope lol. http://www.homedepot.ca/product/vigoro-black-earth/981460#BVRRWidgetID and a few plants 2 to be exact unforchantly that ran me almost 30 bucks sigh and thee only swords. anyways i also bought some clay pots if i just add the swords to the clay pots and put them into a bucket with enough water to cover them plus some . then add soil and cap to the pots? would that work?


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

You can put them in clay pots and cover them with a cap, that works well.


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## deup (Sep 9, 2013)

k so i got them into a 2gal pail in soil/cap sand/ small filter running to move the water and under my plant lighting. just need to find a co2 diy water bottle mixture then i should be set right ?
lease till i get more grown and tank ready for planting and such oh and co2 tank arival?


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## deup (Sep 9, 2013)

weird though i took the plant out of the bag and and mixed up in the one plant were 2 bulb baby plants lol. no idea what they are though


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Post pics we can identify them for you.


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