Starting A Planted Tank

[daiandgems]

Hiya im about to shut my tank down and clean and disenfect it as ive had loads of problems recently and all but 4 of my fish have died tried all the meds but to no avail so gonna move 4 that are left to a new smaller tank. Im then thinking i want to go down the planted route always wanted to do it but didnt want all the upheaveal of changing everything but now seems the perfect oppurtunity jus want some advice on what i need to get so i can make a start cheers Dai.

 

[jonnyf84]

Hiya im about to shut my tank down and clean and disenfect it as ive had loads of problems recently and all but 4 of my fish have died tried all the meds but to no avail so gonna move 4 that are left to a new smaller tank. Im then thinking i want to go down the planted route always wanted to do it but didnt want all the upheaveal of changing everything but now seems the perfect oppurtunity jus want some advice on what i need to get so i can make a start cheers Dai.

Basics for hi-tech planted tank:
- This kind of set up will give you the healthiest growth and will enable you to keep a larger variety of plants.

Lighting, aim for 2 watts per gallon, this should be ok for the majority of plants, if you have a deep tank then go for T5's which penetrate deeper water.
Fertiliser substrate - ADA aqua soil and Caribsea EcoComplete are popular choices.
CO2 - pressurised if you can afford it. If you go for co2 you'l need a diffuser, drop checker, solenoid etc.
Fertiliser - i find tpn+ is best if you don't want to make your own.
Filtration - aim for 10 x your tank volume per hour if going for heavily dosed and heavily planted, couple this with weekly 50% water changes to limit algae.

If your going down the low-tech route without specific lighting or fertilising then just stick with the hardiest and least demanding plants.

 

[daiandgems]

to be honest was thinking of going down the easier route with less demanding plants as im a novice but then im thinking will i want to upgrade in a couple of months and would it be better to start off with the co2 and everything first. my tank is a fluval roma 90 so with this in mind what lights and co2 diffuser would i need and any other bits you might think ill need cheers Dai.Forgot to say was thinking of getting an fluval 205 external filter would that be sufficiant.

 

[Biulu]

I have a 180 litre bowfront and am doing low-tech. Especially for a novice this is so much easier. No hassle with CO2 but also lower growth. It gives you however lots of plant options and allows for experience. You can always upgrade later without any problems.

 

[daiandgems]

Ok so i think ill start with the low-tech route as im a novice to start with and build up from there does anyone know of any good starting plants and where i can get them from cheers