# New to Planted Tanks and have some questions



## Jeffkol (Feb 18, 2013)

OK so i am totally new to the whole planted tank and i have a new found appreciation for the people who can make these beautiful tanks and make it seem like nothing. Because it is! First off i would like to start by asking about the substrate. I currently just have black sand in my fish tanks because i have peppered cory cats in them. And i was wondering if i could put plants just in this and have them grow good? If not or if so i was also wondering if i should start using CaribSea® FloraMax™ Planted Aquarium Substrate. They have it at petsmart on sale right now and if i should start using it i will order it tonight. But if i use it can i just mix it in with my black sand so i don't have to take all of the sand and fish out of the tank and then put them all back in after i get the stuff in? Whereas i could just put some of that in the tank and mix it around with the sand and plant the plants? Onto my second question. Can i have a nice looking complete tank with no fertilizers? Or Co2? Because i would rather not do those because i am low on money for a while. But i do have enough to get some plants. And onto my third question is a 20w light that produces 750lumens good for plants in a 29g tank? and onto fourth question. Can someone list a bunch of beginner plants that are nice looking (and i want them to propagate easily) that i can get my hands a hold of in cold weather?(nebraska/southdakota) I want some carpeting plants and so tall plants that i can kind of layer together to create an awesome aquascape. Thanks! And if you have any recommendations for me i am totally open to almost anything!


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Welcome to APC!

1. Your black sand is inert, and doesn't give anything to the plants except a place to put their roots. But, if your tanks are well established (over a year old) and you have allowed decomposed organics (mulm) to build up in the sand, there is hope! Mulm will provide some nutrients to the plants, and will absorb nutrients from the water and hold them until plant roots can use them.

2. I don't know anything about FloraMax, so someone else will need to answer those questions.

3. The easiest way to have a successful planted tank without fertilizers or CO2 is the Walstad method. Also called El Natural and natural planted tank (NPT), this method uses soil substrate and low to medium lighting. You can read up on it in the El Natural forum. The Walstad method is also pretty inexpensive because it uses common materials and does not require pricey equipment.

4. We need to know more about your light before we can answer that quesion. What type of fixture, what type of bulb, what type of reflector? Your light sounds pretty dim, but the different types of light technology make a huge difference.

5. Go to the Plant Finder. Under "Hardiness" select "very easy" or "easy" from the pull down menu. You will get a list of plants with thumbnail photos that are suitable for beginners. Click on the photos and read the descriptions. Make a list of your favorites, then post again to ask questions about any of those.

Good luck!


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## Adam C (Feb 7, 2013)

Welcome to the hobby. Hope you have plenty of room for tanks 



Jeffkol said:


> I currently just have black sand in my fish tanks because i have peppered cory cats in them. And i was wondering if i could put plants just in this and have them grow good?


You can grow plants in many different substrates, including sand. Some people choose substrate based on physical and/or chemical properties. In your case, since its really your first planted aquarium, don't overthink how easy (many) plants are to grow. Nonetheless, some plants will do better with certain substrates. Stick with what you have in your tank if you find it aesthetically pleasing.



Jeffkol said:


> If not or if so i was also wondering if i should start using CaribSea® FloraMax™ Planted Aquarium Substrate. They have it at petsmart on sale right now and if i should start using it i will order it tonight. But if i use it can i just mix it in with my black sand so i don't have to take all of the sand and fish out of the tank and then put them all back in after i get the stuff in? Whereas i could just put some of that in the tank and mix it around with the sand and plant the plants?


As mentioned, there are many options for substrate available. See what you can do with what you have and go from there. Hey, you may even want a new tank instead of changing up your old one. Many people do simply add in additional substrate, nonethless. Make sure to rinse the new stuff thoroughly.



Jeffkol said:


> Onto my second question. Can i have a nice looking complete tank with no fertilizers? Or Co2? Because i would rather not do those because i am low on money for a while. But i do have enough to get some plants.


The simplest answer to this question is "no, you cannot have a planted aquarium without fertilizers." Plants need nutrients to survive, just as we do. And to anyone who says, "Well I don't dose my tank," or "I don't use co2," all this means is that nutrients are coming from another source, like fish waste, surface exchange, etc. There is still nutrients for the plants. Many of us have observed algae arriving from too limited of nutrient/s than from too much.

This does not mean you need to go to any extreme. Seachem has a line of fertilizers that covers almost all of what you need for nutrients. Read into aquarium fertilizer in the forum and get an idea of what people dose and how often.



Jeffkol said:


> And onto my third question is a 20w light that produces 750lumens good for plants in a 29g tank?


Yes this light will suffice for growing SOME species quite well. Other people like more light. As you increase light though, you will also drive a plant's need for more nutrients, including co2. Fertilizers and light are easy and co2 is not. Try it with the 20w. Again, if you feel a need to change it later on, feel free too, or buy a new tank 



Jeffkol said:


> and onto fourth question. Can someone list a bunch of beginner plants that are nice looking (and i want them to propagate easily) that i can get my hands a hold of in cold weather?(nebraska/southdakota) I want some carpeting plants and so tall plants that i can kind of layer together to create an awesome aquascape. Thanks! And if you have any recommendations for me i am totally open to almost anything!


I recommend going here: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/ and searching under "easy" hardiness. Try a whole bunch of species. Some will work for you, others will not. There are many many many species and varieties.

Again, welcome to the hobby and I hope you have enough room for more tanks


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## Jeffkol (Feb 18, 2013)

Thanks! and it is a standard light fixture that comes with the 29g tank setup. the bulb is florescence because i heard incandescent is bad for aquariums. also it is not that long of a setup.. It has been around 4-5 months i think. But in my 10g i have some plants that are just in sand and they are doing good (i think). I really like the ELEOCHARIS ACICULARIS it has a neat look to it. But unfortunately it does not have any information below it. I also like the HEMIANTHUS GLOMERATUS it also is neat looking and looks like a good foreground plant. This one also appeals to my liking MONOSOLENIUM TENERUM. RICCIA FLUITANS also looks pretty cool. RICCIA SP. 'DWARF' is very cool as well. VESICULARIA MONTAGNEI TAXIPHYLLUM ALTERNANS VESICULARIA FERRIEI these all look really good aswell! So i'm thinking im kind of a moss person. So are these good ideas for my tank? And can you suggest any other plants that may grow taller and bush out more?


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