# plants



## ~Silly~Spy (Mar 12, 2005)

sup guys. iv'e been seeing alot of sweet member tanks and i love the natrual look. i too want a natrual look, thats why iv'e decided to go with real plants. i was wondering if there are any rules of keeping real plants ( like a light factor or something) and do plants create algea problems? whats the easiest plant to care for, and the tallest? i really like the tall looking plants.
thx for reading i hope you can help
~Silly~Spy


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

I advice you to read the pinned threads in the Aquatic Plant Forum, as well as browse through that forum to find threads that might answer your questions - you'll find tons of useful info there. If you have any questions remaining, feel free to ask them









*_Moved to Aquatic Plants Forum_*


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## Scarlet (Apr 15, 2004)

You want about 2 watts per gallon of lighting as a minimum for a proper planted tank, and injecting CO2 will help a lot too, but isn't vital. If your lighting is less than this, you want to stick with very easy to grow species like Java Fern, Anubias, Java Moss and Crypts. All of these have a low light requirement and are very hardy.

For tall, easy to grow background plants, you can't go far wrong with Straight Vallis (there is also a smaller twisted variety).

Use aquatic fertiliser (remove ant carbon from your filter first), and you're pretty much set.

Plants do not create algae - they help prevent it by absorbing nitrates and phosphates from the water. In fact people with heavily planted tanks actually ADD nitrate and phosphate because the plants use up so much of it.


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## ~Silly~Spy (Mar 12, 2005)

Scarlet said:


> You want about 2 watts per gallon of lighting as a minimum for a proper planted tank, and injecting CO2 will help a lot too, but isn't vital. If your lighting is less than this, you want to stick with very easy to grow species like Java Fern, Anubias, Java Moss and Crypts. All of these have a low light requirement and are very hardy.
> 
> For tall, easy to grow background plants, you can't go far wrong with Straight Vallis (there is also a smaller twisted variety).
> 
> ...


thx for tyhe info i thought there was a watt per gallon rule.. um do i need a special substrate? i have a 1/2 sand 1/2 gravel looking going on right now, will the plants be able to be planted in sand?


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## Scarlet (Apr 15, 2004)

No probs.







You don't "need" a special substrate as such. If you're setting up a heavily planted tank from scratch, then laterite or Eco Complete are good. There's a difference between a heavily planted tank and a tank with some plants in it, though. Plants will grow fine in gravel or sand (so long as it's aquatic sand, as the other stuff can compact and the roots rot).


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## ~Silly~Spy (Mar 12, 2005)

Scarlet said:


> No probs.
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oh good thing i asked because i have play sand in my tank and its pretty heavy and think


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## Scarlet (Apr 15, 2004)

It doesn't mean they won't grow at all, but you need to take care it doesn't compact (this can be bad for the fish as well). Just run your fingers (or a stick, if it's a P tank!







) through the sand to gently rake it every few weeks.


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## ~Silly~Spy (Mar 12, 2005)

Scarlet said:


> It doesn't mean they won't grow at all, but you need to take care it doesn't compact (this can be bad for the fish as well). Just run your fingers (or a stick, if it's a P tank!
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yea i stir it up once a week when i do my cleanings. so you think the plants will be ok in the sand? and how do i inject co2?


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## Scarlet (Apr 15, 2004)

They should be fine, since you already aerate the sand. Lighting is a bigger issue than substrate, usually.

You can buy CO2 systems from any good LFS. It's basically a cylinder of CO2, a valve and a guage. Some people make thieir own. Don't use CO2 if the KH of your water is 3 or less (at least without buffering it), as you'll likely crash your pH. And never use the Co2 at night when the lights are off.


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