Real,artificial Or No Plants At All

[craigieboy01]

WOW!!! They all look fantastic, I hope mine looks half as good as that when i finish it after my Cycle.

 

[Honeythorn]

Poor quality I'm afraid as it was taken on a phone, but there's my tank. One single stock light/tube, no added ferts of any description, no co2, nothing.

I will say that I have some basic cheap pond soil under the sand in that tank, but that's it. I have also grown basic plants in other tanks without the soil, just gravel and fish waste.

The aponogentons in my tank flower regularly, and the big Echinodorus in the middle ( an aquartica I believe) has recently produced two plantlets/babies. It's hard to see against my black background and bad light but the back is lined with other Echinodrus species also.

Stem plants like Cabomba and elodia grow very well, as did my java moss. I had to tear off a massive bunch which I fortunately gave to a friend who needed some for her newt tank. Otherwise I'd have been stuck with a pile of the stuff.

You certainly do NOT require any high tech equiipment or bottles of ferts ect to have a planted tank. Basic stem plants and Java moss and moss balls all thrive very well under stock lighting an are easy for a beginner to deal with and take care of without having to worry about dosing ferts each week or checking co2 ect ect.

 

[craigieboy01]

Poor quality I'm afraid as it was taken on a phone, but there's my tank. One single stock light/tube, no added ferts of any description, no co2, nothing.

I will say that I have some basic cheap pond soil under the sand in that tank, but that's it. I have also grown basic plants in other tanks without the soil, just gravel and fish waste.

The aponogentons in my tank flower regularly, and the big Echinodorus in the middle ( an aquartica I believe) has recently produced two plantlets/babies. It's hard to see against my black background and bad light but the back is lined with other Echinodrus species also.

Stem plants like Cabomba and elodia grow very well, as did my java moss. I had to tear off a massive bunch which I fortunately gave to a friend who needed some for her newt tank. Otherwise I'd have been stuck with a pile of the stuff.

You certainly do NOT require any high tech equiipment or bottles of ferts ect to have a planted tank. Basic stem plants and Java moss and moss balls all thrive very well under stock lighting an are easy for a beginner to deal with and take care of without having to worry about dosing ferts each week or checking co2 ect ect.

Thanks for the good tips Honeythorn.