# first time help needed



## ismheg (Oct 2, 2009)

i am looking for advice for starting a real planted fish tank. i will try it on my 40 gallon tank. i just need to know everything from scratch lol so anything would be really appreciated as long as its not too much reading cuz ill get bored. also i need to know how to preform the required maintenance etc etc. so pretty much everything


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## RedneckR0nin (Nov 5, 2008)

Plants are a little more work but well worth it if you want the look of a amazing tank and helps with that natural look as well.

1. Make sure you have enough lighting for your tank as well as the proper lighting as well. There are many kind of bulbs but certain ones will grow it out quicker. 
2. Your substrate should be plant friendly and avoid rocks or gravel as this makes it harder for plants to absorb nutrients and root out.
3. Choose your plants carefully as some require a lot of variibles and conditions to survive. I suggest kobamba or Vals to start as thats what I used and they survived well.
4. Take your time mapping out and planting your tank and suggest taking out your fish or plant it before hand. It takes some a little work to get them in so they don't uproot as well as are not bunched up. 
5. Get some water fertilizer or additive after doing some research on what will help your plants grow and thrive in your tank.

Thats the best I can do simple and short as you can go on and on about plants. Too bad you didn't post this earlier as Dippy was on and he is the plant MASTA. Hope that helps.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

RedneckR0nin said:


> 1. Make sure you have enough lighting for your tank as well as the proper lighting as well. There are many kind of bulbs but certain ones will grow it out quicker. *That said, too much can lead to algae and you needing presurized c02*
> 2. Your substrate should be plant friendly and avoid rocks or gravel as this makes it harder for plants to absorb nutrients and root out.*eco complete, aquasoil, flourite would be best, but a finer GRAVEL (not sand) is probably the next best and cheaper option. Sand can work fine, but its not as good as other plants, but its fine for hardy plants*
> 
> Thats the best I can do simple and short as you can go on and on about plants. Too bad you didn't post this earlier as Dippy was on and he is the plant MASTA. Hope that helps.*where is dippy btw?*


i would start with the basiss like crypts, vals, java fern, java moss... any lower light plants.

tank:40g
light: i would look for mayby 80w or a bit less of mayby t8 or t5 (refers to tube diameter) bulbs
fertilizers/co2: unless your reaching acouple wats per gal you dont need co2 and probably dont need ferts, but something general like excell would work fine just to help growth.

substrate: eco comple, fine gravel, flourite, aquasoil would be best. For hardy plants though any substrate would work though. Economically a fine gravel would probably be best and wouldnt really make much of a differnece for hardy plants in medium to low light. Maitnence is pretty much trim when nessiary, remove any dead or decaying matter... If your doing p's too pick hardy plants that can endure being pushed through and often bit apart.


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## roccov12345 (Sep 26, 2008)

I'd hate to come off as an a55, but if you're going to get bored just reading someone's response, maybe a planted tank isn't for you. Depending on what you're going for, some of these setups you see on the web take a lot of time and dedication. Low light, root tabs and "java" will be the answer if your looking for the lazy man's tank.


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