Live Plants...

[mcdanielnc89]

Is it hard to take care of them

When i get a bigger tank I really want to do live plants instead of artificial.

 

[Castellop123]

...

 

[Underwurlde]

I would honestly say that keeping plants is FAR more complicated than keeping fish.

Do your groundwork first & research as much as possible.

There is a steep learning curve, but it is very rewarding. Going planted is not something you can 'half' do really, those that do end up with algae & dead plants.

Andy

 

[Themuleous]

Keeping plants successfully really only depends on choosing the right plants. Ive got a tank at work that I do almost nothing to but in which the plants look good (even if I do say so myself ) because I chose the right plants, nothing demanding or fussy.

You can spend a lot on a planted tank but its by no means necessary. You could have plants in almost any tank.

Sam

 

[nry]

The lowest maintenance method is to go low-tech. Soil-based substrate (you can even use garden soil providing you soak it etc first), ~1wpg and the occasional addition of liquid fertiliser.

Beyond that you start getting into high wattage lighting, CO2, 50% water changes and daily fertilisation setups.

Or you can mix both. Providing you do things right for the conditions you can provide plants will grow fine

 

[doresy]

I have 6 different plants, all purchased from so called LFS and classified as aquatic plants. I now find out (curtesy of this forum) that at least two are NOT aquatic and one is poisoness to cats, dogs and possibly humans so it's a pritty good chance that they are not too good for fish either. Morale of the story......RESEARCH

 

[lljdma06]

IMO, it is easy to setup a relatively low-maintenance, beautiful planted tank, with good fish levels. Research, research, research. Know what you want to buy. Sometimes I don't know what all the fuss is about? If you take care of the fish, chances are the plants are receiving good care as well and vis versa.

Some people say understock, in my systems, I overstock. But unlike them, I always use an inert substrate and do weekly water changes. My tanks are just planted tanks for people who like fish. But that's just me.

Read the journal section above. There are many ways to skin a cat. You'll see high-tech systems that require a lot of extra maintenance and are high in cost, but boy, can you grow some lovely plants. You'll also be pruning every week! Then you'll find others who opt for a more economical approach, but they are careful to make selections that fit their method and their tanks rival any high-tech.

One thing is for certain, high-light, low-light, moderate light, it doesn't matter, the fixture and the bulb must be of good quality. You can find very good economical solutions, but don't compromise on your lighting. You really can cheap out on everything else, not on the lighting.

 

[Underwurlde]

suggest some good lights llj

 

[Colonel Mustard]

you can keep it simple and easy or take it more seriously and more into it it depends on what you want

most plants can grow in gravel with basic lighting if they are labeled as easy to keep plants

 

[Underwurlde]

^ Do I agree? ... i'm in 2 minds there.

Gravel is next to useless for plants. They need sustenance. If using gravel must also dose the water column with ferts or use root tabs. Gravel alone = dead plants.

 

[Themuleous]

That's not strictly true. You dont have to have a fancy substrate at all, easy care plants will grow quite happily in gravel alone.

Sam

 

[Underwurlde]

OK OK, fish poop aside.....

 

[George Farmer]

Is it hard to take care of them

Yes, very hard. Only genius-like people can keep them alive. God-like people can grow them well. Those that can aquascape are beyond human understanding....

No, not hard at all. A bit of reading, common-sense, investment and patience is all you need. Heck, if I can do it.....

 

[lljdma06]

suggest some good lights llj

For the states, I can. I use Coralife which is also known as Energy saver. It is moderately priced and gets the job done. The bulbs are around 2 years old and still growing plants, though it is high time I changed them. I'm not so knowledgable of the UK brands. IMO, I prefer Power compacts and T5 fixtures over regular T8s. I tend to stay withing the range of 6700k-7100k, and then I still mix it with a color enhancer. I don't like lighting that looks too yellow or too blue. I've been happy with Coralife and will most likely continue using it but other manufacturers include.

All Glass
Current USA

But, I've not used these two, so I don't have an opinion on them either way.

^ Do I agree? ... i'm in 2 minds there.

Gravel is next to useless for plants. They need sustenance. If using gravel must also dose the water column with ferts or use root tabs. Gravel alone = dead plants.

I don't agree, as Sam said, you can grow plants with gravel and small-grain gravel, 1-3mm, is actually a very good rooting medium. Of course you need some sort of fert, but the accumilation of mulm over time renders gravel a very good substrate, and far more economical. Of course, all of this requires patience.

Is it hard to take care of them

Yes, very hard. Only genius-like people can keep them alive. God-like people can grow them well. Those that can aquascape are beyond human understanding....

It must be hard moderating a forum of Deities, George.

llj

 

[Themuleous]

Im super-human, cant you tell?

Sam