Planted tanks for dummies

[Pixburgh29]

New (of course) to planted tanks but after it was suggested to me here at TFF, I think I want to give it a shot - gradually.

CO2 - Need? Are there plants that don't require supplemented CO2? I am mostly interested in keeping things as natural as possible and fish friendly.

Fertilizer - Need? I'm reading that some are better with tabs and some are better with liquid, is it usually one or the other or is there a sweet spot of both for most plants?

Lighting - No idea what to set my light to. https://aquariumstoredepot.com/products/ocean-revive-t247

Beginner plants - Suggestions please. Tank info below.

Size - 90 Gallon
Substrate - Sand
Inhabitants - None
Status - Cycling (started cycling before I decided to hop on the plant train) 1.5 months

Other/Misc - Koralia wavemaker & powerhead on one side set on 5 second loop while cycling to increase surface agitation.

 

[otterblue]

You don't need supplemental CO2 for many plants. If you go on an aquarium plant store website many of them will indicate CO2 & lighting requirements. I always choose plants that have low lighting requirements & don't need extra CO2. Aquarium Plants Factory has always sent me great plants. Click on "Description" at the bottom of their page for plant requirements.

 

[10 Tanks]

Hello Pix. Lighting is fairly simple. I use a four bulb shop light from the local hardware store. Very inexpensive. I use 6500K, T5 bulbs. Also very cheap. The bulbs will last a year or more. Other than feeding the fish and changing half the tank water weekly, most aquarium plants will grow nicely. You don't need anything else.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

 

[Byron]

I'll offer a brief summation since you indicate this will be your first planted tank.

Methods range from the natural or low-tech up to high-tech. The more high-tech you get, the more things there are that can go wrong because you are impacting the natural biological and chemistry processes. The natural low-tech method is an aquarium suited to the fish in it but which has plants that are not over-fussy. All you really need to consider is light and nutrients. The fish can provide most, sometimes all, of the nutrients, along with water changes. Nutrients have to balance the light or problem algae will be an issue. Light involves intensity and spectrum; the duration you can tweak, but if the intensity is not sufficient for the plants algae will take control. Plants have different requirements for light intensity and nutrients; slow growing plants need less, fast growing plants need more. Floating plants can help with the brightness and provide shade, because most fish do not appreciate strong overhead light.

The light fixture in the link does not give the spectrum, and this is important. As it is for "reef" tanks, it be be high in the blue and low in the red, which might not be sufficient red. White light is composed of colours, and they can vary thus producing different types of white light. The colour can be indicated by the Kelvin scale and the CRI (colour rendering index). A K around 5000K-6500K is in the ideal range--I had 6500K over all my single tube tanks for years. Do you have this fixture, or are you just asking about it?

Assuming you decide on the natural low-tech approach, you do not need any form of CO2. There will be sufficient naturally occurring from the breakdown of organics in the substrate. Plants need 17 nutrients, carbon (CO2) being one, and provided all are in sufficient quantity in balance with the light, plants will use them and thwart algae. CO2 is usually the first to "run out," but this may take 7 hours or 8 hours or sometimes even longer, depending upon the fish load and the plant load and whether they are slow or fast growing.

 

[GaryE]

Plants for dummies? There are no dummies here!

I use no CO2, no ferts and choose slow growing lower light plants. If you want one of those green and red wonder tanks, then you have to up your technology, but if you are a fish first barbarian like me, you can make something very beautiful by researching plants and shopping carefully.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Have a read on this site https://tropica.com/en/
Read as much as you can there.

Mr. Holger Windeløv, founder of Tropica Aquarium Plants, started as a fish tank hobbyist who became increasingly interested in growing aquatic plants for his own use and for fellow hobbyists.
He then started to develop greenhouse facilities and sell the plants he produced, creating the company named Tropica Aquarium Plants in 1970.
Every year since then, Holger Windeløv has been travelling to explore for new plants - sometimes to exotic locations such as chalky, crystal-clear springs in South America, or murky, muddy ponds in Southeast Asia, and sometimes to extensive collections of aquatic plants, nurseries, and meetings with aquarists throughout the world.
In 2004, the company was sold to JPS Clemens, due to a generational change and the new owners established a new nursery garden in 2007 as the base of a long-term strategy.
Tropica Aquarium Plants aims to increase the joy and experience of having an aquarium as a hobby. The company develops, produces and sells aquarium plants, fertiliser and aquarium equipment.

I have used Tropica ferts fo almost 22 years now.

 

[Back in the fold]

I think that with aquarium plants you should take the same beginner approach as with fish. Start with easy low light species and watch what happens and see what works for you and go from there. You can spend an awful lot of money on plants and all the super fancy lights and whatever else so ask yourself what’s more important to you , a simple aquarium with healthy fish and modest planting or a full blown aquatic garden that needs constant attention.

 

[Pixburgh29]

I'll offer a brief summation since you indicate this will be your first planted tank.

Methods range from the natural or low-tech up to high-tech. The more high-tech you get, the more things there are that can go wrong because you are impacting the natural biological and chemistry processes. The natural low-tech method is an aquarium suited to the fish in it but which has plants that are not over-fussy. All you really need to consider is light and nutrients. The fish can provide most, sometimes all, of the nutrients, along with water changes. Nutrients have to balance the light or problem algae will be an issue. Light involves intensity and spectrum; the duration you can tweak, but if the intensity is not sufficient for the plants algae will take control. Plants have different requirements for light intensity and nutrients; slow growing plants need less, fast growing plants need more. Floating plants can help with the brightness and provide shade, because most fish do not appreciate strong overhead light.

The light fixture in the link does not give the spectrum, and this is important. As it is for "reef" tanks, it be be high in the blue and low in the red, which might not be sufficient red. White light is composed of colours, and they can vary thus producing different types of white light. The colour can be indicated by the Kelvin scale and the CRI (colour rendering index). A K around 5000K-6500K is in the ideal range--I had 6500K over all my single tube tanks for years. Do you have this fixture, or are you just asking about it?

Assuming you decide on the natural low-tech approach, you do not need any form of CO2. There will be sufficient naturally occurring from the breakdown of organics in the substrate. Plants need 17 nutrients, carbon (CO2) being one, and provided all are in sufficient quantity in balance with the light, plants will use them and thwart algae. CO2 is usually the first to "run out," but this may take 7 hours or 8 hours or sometimes even longer, depending upon the fish load and the plant load and whether they are slow or fast growing.

Thank you for all of the information. I do have this fixture.