# Newbie Wanting Plants



## davery08 (Mar 4, 2011)

So right now I have a 55 gallon tank with 4 RBPs in it. Right now I have a piece of drift wood, a ship, and a skull in the tank. The ship and skull were given to me with the tank. But I am wanting to take them out and add plants with my drift wood so what do I need to do? Like I said it's a 55 gallon. I have two different types of bulbs so I need to know what type of bulb do I need? What wattage? What type of plant should I put in there?


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## Sylar_92 (Dec 15, 2010)

you can always get some nice low light plants, that way you wont have to buy any new bulbs. My tank is dimmed out for my rhom, so its currently planted with floating duckweed along the surface, a medium peice of driftwood in the middle as a focal point surounded by small dwarf grass along both ends of the wood and then the entire back of the tank is lined with large brazillian swords. I have Black Flourite sand which is a excellent planted tank substrate and the complete background is blackedout. Hope I helped.


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## davery08 (Mar 4, 2011)

well that helped a little.. this is what I want.. i want like my driftwood in the middle like you said yours is.. and i'd like to have one side filled with plants that are almost to the top of the tank so i guess tall plants.. but just on one side so the other side will be empy.. would I be able to do that with rocks? or do I need sand? and I would like to get new bulbs anyways because one sucks and I want matching bulbs so I wanted to know if there were a certain kind that works best for tall plants?


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## Guest (May 1, 2011)

What type of bulbs do you have now? T8's? T5's? 
How many watts?

Sand generally isn't recommended for planted tanks due to it's inability to absorb nutrients and that it after time packs down tight restricting root growth. Though I use sand in a heavily planted high tech tank, but it is stuffed with root tabs and I dose fertilizer so it doesn't effect it too much.
Gravel is fine for a planted tank, but if your looking to switch out your substrate, I recommend looking into seachem flourite or eco-complete.

If you want plants that are easy to grow in relatively low light, I recommend hornwort. It's a fast grower and it's easy to propagate.

Check this link, I'm sure you'll find some plants that catch your eye.
Low light plant list


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## davery08 (Mar 4, 2011)

i have no idea what type of bulbs I have or the wattage.. they both came with the tank when i bought it from a guy.. so that's why i asked what type of new bulbs should i get and what wattage would be best for having live plants?


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

davery08 said:


> i have no idea what type of bulbs I have or the wattage.. they both came with the tank when i bought it from a guy.. so that's why i asked what type of new bulbs should i get and what wattage would be best for having live plants?


We cant really recommend bulbs without knowing the fixture it will go in unless you are willing to buy a whole new fixture.

If you want to keep the existing fixture look at the current bulbs to see if it says a wattage. Also measure the bulbs length and diameter and we can figure it out based on standard sizes. A picture of the fixtures underside will help alot to. The main thing is giving us info so we can know the bulb type (ie: t12, incadecent, t8, pc...), wattage (usually has a standard length for each wattage), and another important thing the number of bulbs. I know some 55g will use 2x 24" lights with something like a 22"pc or t8 and the fixture probably isn't that good but it should be able to support basic plants though we need to know what plants it would and would not be suitable for.


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## Guest (May 1, 2011)

+1
All the info about the lights is usually printed on the lamp itself, take one out and have a look, if not then just take a pic and members here will be able to ID what lighting you have.


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## davery08 (Mar 4, 2011)

i have 1 eclipse natural daylight F15T8 18" and 1 Aqua Rays fresh and salwater F15T8-AR-FS (15W)


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## Sylar_92 (Dec 15, 2010)

davery08 said:


> i have 1 eclipse natural daylight F15T8 18" and 1 Aqua Rays fresh and salwater F15T8-AR-FS (15W)


You could use both bulbs I guess if you want, I removed my SW light on my 46 gallon bowfront and left the regular natural daylight bulb. Iam currently growing very tall grasses in there that touch the surface and grow across it. Although my Coral life 50/50 for saltwater works well for growing my asian swords which bloom with a white flower once in a while.


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## dcp5082 (Feb 14, 2011)

i use a 48" odyssea t5ho dual bulb fixture from ebay, payed like 60 dollars for it shipped to my front door... its pretty nice actually, my plant growth is nuts


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## Piranha-Freak101 (Dec 8, 2010)




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## duster1971 (Jan 23, 2010)

Some plants that will grow all the way to the top are.

1.watersprite
2. Guppygrass(its fragil as all get out but when it breaks off replant the brokin peice it will gro)
3. Water lilys like the bulbs you can get from walmart. 
4.apongenton agin can pick up the bulbs from walmart these are realy easy.

As for your lights may I recomend zoomed tropic sun bulbs 5500k daylight. 
I run these with great sucess evin with some plants that require med to high light.

Floating plants.

1. Duck weed
2.waterletus

If you want to run rock all the plants I mentiond I have grown in rock. 
If you want some fast growth use ferts seachem has an awsome line of ferts but for a biginer may I recomend aqueon aquerium plant food it is a liquid plant fertalizer and is fish safe from guppys to piranhas I use it with angels aswell as fry.

Links for you to look at. 
http://www.azgardens.com/default.aspx
http://www.AquariumPlants.com/Low_Light_Plants_s/25.htm
Last one is more for equiptment. 
http://www.greenleafaquariums.com/


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## Redruckus (Mar 13, 2011)

ill sell you a bunch of small java ferns (2-4" tall, 2 leaves per plant) for 2$ plus shipping i have 15 or so i dont have a grow out tank or i would grow them and sell them for more but they are amazing plants tie them to anything and they will root and grow just fine they do better in gravle instead of sand low or high light no fertz needed


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