# Help Me Plant My Tank!



## r1dermon

i've never had luck with plants in tanks...i had some amazon swords in a 55g with piranhas, and they turned brown and eventually died off, and that's with gravel substrate and 12 hours of light...i also had some decent algea growth, and was always in the 30-40ppm nitrAte range.

that experience kind of discouraged me from plants, the oscars i had regularly ripped up the plastic ones, so i never really put any in with them, and all my other fish, solo serras...etc...went either plantless or with minimal plastic decor.

i did some reading yesterday about trimacs, and some people say trimacs are a bit sensitive to plastic plants...and honestly, i want some decent real plants to cut down on water changes, and also give the tank a more natural look.

with that in mind...im fine with sticking to 3 specific types of plants.

amazon sword
java fern
java moss

now, i realize java moss can get out of hand, but im willing to give it a whirl to get a nice carpet on the driftwood in my tank. the questions are as follows

i have a sand substrate...what can i do to ensure enough nutrients reach the plants to provide optimal growth?

i have a single 48" fixture that came with the tank. it's got a home depot T12 bulb in it...i plan on keeping the light on about 12 hours a day realistically, although i might be talked into getting a timer for it so i can enjoy the tank when im actually home.

what specific lighting requirements (bulbs...etc...) do these particular plants require? and how can i go about ensuring their roots are provided a nutritious foundation within the sand?

thanks again...as i say, im a complete noob ass. and for further info on my last setup with plants, i had dual fixtures (the ones that go on a 55g), and they both had el cheapo home depot lights...so im pretty sure that may have had something to do with it.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

In your situation, I'd ditch the amazon sword idea and stick with crypts, ferns, anubias and other plants that will do really well in low light. Amazon swords can do great in certain setups and die in others, it could even be your water that they don't like. Some root tabs under the crypts would help and you can just attach the anubias and ferns to the driftwood. Java moss is a quick grower and does well in just about any tank, but I prefer the look of some of the other mosses -- I have some peacock moss that I can send you if you're interested.


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## r1dermon

so school me on root tabs...how does one attach the roots of plants to these? what i'd prefer doing is (as you've seen my setup), keeping the plants local to the driftwood, and allowing the edges of the aquarium to stay open for swimming purposes, as trimacs get large. ideally i'd like the surface of the driftwood covered, although i'd like some driftwood to be visible, especially in front. and i'd like to anchor the other plants near the ends of the driftwood so that the trimac wont be able to just rip them out of the sand so easily.

so with that said, what do you think would look good? im open to two types of leafy plants, and some type of moss...i may consider your offer. thanks for that.

also, about lighting, should i grab a special light from petco or somewhere? im not open to investing in co2 systems and all kinds of crazy plant equipment, i just want some flourishing flora to make the tank look a little more authentic.

thanks, i appreciate the response!

oh, one more thing, those swords i bought were from petco, and i know they grow them out of water (wtf?), not sure if that had something to do with it...on that note however, where do you usually shop for plants? i do have one place with a great selection locally, but i wasn't sure if one of the big places generally carried good quality?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

If you want a low light/low tech/low maintenance setup, I'd stick with maybe some needle leaf or regular java fern and anubias on the driftwood and some taller crypts behind the driftwood (balansae, spiralis, retrospiralis, big wendtii) and some dwarf sag, small crypt wendtii, or e. tenellus in front of the driftwood.

I wouldn't spend any extra money on a special aquarium light, if you wanted to upgrade your lighting a bit, a dual bulb T8 strip light from Home Depot would be plenty.

You can get most stuff that I listed locally I'm sure, but if not, you could always put an order in with sweetaquatics.com or aquariumplants.com.

I get most of my plants from other hobbyists -- plant forum classifieds can be great if you know what you're looking for -- and pick up the occasional plant at the LFS if I see something worthwhile.

Root tabs can just be placed directly underneath the plant, just push them right into the sand or you can wrap the roots around it before you plant. You could get Seachem tabs at most LFS or Petsmart I'm sure or you could order some from RootMedic.net.


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## r1dermon

sweet info...gonna take some notes and plant this bitch over the weekend...stay tuned!

(ps...i may upgrade my lights, i like the advantages that a dual strip has over a single) thanks a bunch for the help, hoping it turns out sick!


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

No problem, let me know if you want any moss, I think I can ship it for just a few bucks and it's supposed to be warm next week


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## maknwar

I personally would go with a dual bulb shoplight from lowes or home depot. T8 bulbs are so cheap and the 6500k ones look really good on a planted tank. Also, every planted tank runs into problems now and then so dont be discouraged when you fail. Keep trying and you will end up with a beautiful tank.


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## r1dermon

what a damn chore...i went to one place, but they didn't have many plants, but the place was friggin awesome, so i spent a shitload of time there...they had a few sanchezi's and 2 rhoms. and a flowerhorn, as well as the absolute sickest salt water section i've ever seen, a lionfish...ohhh man, lets just say, i want salt water now. hahaha...but that's for next years tax return...

i stopped at petco, luckily i had my 3g phone, because they tried to tell me this plant was java fern, when in-fact, it is some non-aquatic bog plant that just has the name java in it. anyway, their plant section sucked ass, so i went up to petsmart...

a lot better selection, but still a bit lacking...anyway, i picked up 2 java ferns, an anubius, a wendtii, and one other one who's name escapes me right now, but it was listed as "moderate" light and care, so i was sold on it...

i think i will take that peacock moss when you get a chance. that's one thing i couldn't find anywhere, moss...

anyway, i asked if they had root tabs. of course not! that would make too much sense! so i went BACK to petco and they had one box of these http://www.petco.com/product/13341/Jungle-Plant-Care-Solutions-Plant-Food-Tabs-Plus-Iron.aspx so i grabbed it...not sure if it's going to be right or what.

one thing im definitely sweating right now is putting all these plants in, and having the trimac rip them all to shreds. haha.


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## r1dermon

what do you guys think about something like this? http://www.bigalsonline.com/Fish_Lighting_Light-Fixtures_T5-HO-T5_Freshwater-Aqualight-T5-Series-Double-Linear-Strip-Lights.html?tc=default


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## greenmonkey51

Its junk don't bother. Any T5 you get should have individual reflectors.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

r1dermon said:


> what do you guys think about something like this? http://www.bigalsonline.com/Fish_Lighting_Light-Fixtures_T5-HO-T5_Freshwater-Aqualight-T5-Series-Double-Linear-Strip-Lights.html?tc=default


Should work great for your application -- it'll provide low light levels and the fixture is really slim


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## maknwar

r1dermon said:


> what do you guys think about something like this? http://www.bigalsonline.com/Fish_Lighting_Light-Fixtures_T5-HO-T5_Freshwater-Aqualight-T5-Series-Double-Linear-Strip-Lights.html?tc=default


Just bought one for my 40 breeder.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

maknwar said:


> what do you guys think about something like this? http://www.bigalsonline.com/Fish_Lighting_Light-Fixtures_T5-HO-T5_Freshwater-Aqualight-T5-Series-Double-Linear-Strip-Lights.html?tc=default


Just bought one for my 40 breeder.
[/quote]

Just bought one for my 75


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## maknwar

greenmonkey51 said:


> Its junk don't bother. Any T5 you get should have individual reflectors.


This is true for T5HO fixtures.


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## r1dermon

greenmonkey51 said:


> Its junk don't bother. Any T5 you get should have individual reflectors.


im generally sticking with lower demand plants...i currently have a single T12 in a single strip, but i want a dual strip so i can combine different bulbs to achieve a desired effect. i dont plan on having an entire tank full of plants, if that helps. i'd looooooove one of those power compacts (i considered it for a few minutes), but i just dont think i need to spend the money on something like that, given my needs.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

Power compacts are kinda fading away -- they aren't very efficient and replacing the bulbs costs as much as a new fixture. Stick with T5s


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## greenmonkey51

With individual reflectors T5's are better that compact fluorescents. For your situation consider a shop light with a pair of T8's. It will be cheaper and have more output. The strength of T5's are high quality bulbs, individual reflectors, and stacking more bulbs in less space.


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## r1dermon

actually the only shop light i've found with a shroud (so the bulbs aren't sitting on the canopy) is the same price as the t5 fixture. then again, i've only looked at home depot. plus the thing is a beast compared with the t5 fixture.


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## CLUSTER ONE

Agreed stick with crypts, annubias, fern, moss and mayby vals.

If you check out my tank (125g) in old topics its current light is a single tube t12. (in the older topic the lights may of been 4 bulb t5 but now it is a single tube t12 with a ton of crypts and a bit of java moss and fern. I also would not go pc for any larger setups, The bulbs don't last that long (6-12 months) and they are farily expensive to replace. A dual t8 would be good if you can find one but a single t 12 will work for some low light plants. My setup has play sand and no dosing and the plants grow fine. I can get some recent pics if you want.


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## r1dermon

that'd be great man...

couple more things about my tank, and reasons i want more light than a single t12...currently (im going to replace them next week), the "hoods" (glass) are the originals with the tank, and like the tank, they're full of hard water deposits, etchings...etc...i've cleaned them with limeaway, but they're pretty bad, and i know they're hindering the light from getting to the tank...on top of that, the tank is full of tannins from the wood i put in it (didn't boil it out or anything), but that's what i want, i want a nice tea looking "natural" aquascape, which is also part of my reason for grabbing live plants. but as you can imagine, those tannins also hinder light from entering the tank. so that's where im at.

and yes, i'd love to see some pictures of the 125. once i get a bigger place, im hoping to get a 150 or larger for the trimac...but i just dont have the space currently. then i'll go buck wild planting, assuming the fish doesn't rip it all to shreds. thanks again for all the help.

oh, one more quick thing...i put the java fern on the driftwood (it's not really driftwood, it's some kind of dense african wood), it's just wedged in one of the cracks of the wood, is it going to latch itself on there, or do i need to do something to fertilize it further or anything like that?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS

The java fern should attach itself, but if the fish gets in there and knocks it loose, you can always tie it on with fishing line until the roots dig in.


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## CLUSTER ONE

Tie the moss and fern to the wood with some brown thread. Eventualyl it will attach itself and the thread can be removed or you can just leave it and it will eventually just rot away.


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## CLUSTER ONE

Pics taken a second ago during a waterchange. The fixture was originally a double bulb but I took the second bulb and ballast out as I got it used from a sw tank cheap and salt creep had sterted to decay the endcaps on one bulb so I didn't think using that one would be safe. Notice the reflector does suck but it still works. Ideally you want highly reflective individual parabolic reflectors but for a simple setup anything shiny will be good enough.

The last picture is the closest to what the light looks like in person.


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## r1dermon

i love that...i'd love a nice lush tank with a fish in it...hopefully the trimac plays nice. nice planted setup!


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## CLUSTER ONE

r1dermon said:


> i love that...i'd love a nice lush tank with a fish in it...hopefully the trimac plays nice. nice planted setup!


 Thanks. It could be scaped mroe but there is very little maitnence as I just let it get overgrown. The only thing i do is scrape some alge every couple weeks to a month and remove any broken or ugly leaves. If you want a simple low maitnence setup t12 or t8 will be perfectly sufficent though you are limited to what plants you can use (though could still keep, crypts, annubias, java fern, mosses, mayby some vals, and mayby a few other easy plants.


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