What To Consider When A Plant N00bie?

[locust267]

Hi, I've bought a 260l tank and want to get quite a few plants in it (although not too heavily planted).

So far I've been looking into substrates and was wondering if it's really essential - seems like it is.

What else should I consider when planning my layout?

I have 2 lights one is blue and is 40W and one is a normal white one 38W so I'm guessing this is what you class as medium lighting? I have reflectors running the whole length of both tubes.

My pH is quite high at 8 and my water is likely to be set at around 26 degrees C.

The fish I am likely to have are 5x Zebra danio's, 1 RTBS, 3 x Mollies, 1 x pearl gourami, 2 x angel, 3 x dwarf gourami, 6 males platies OR 3 swordtail, 1 bristlenose pleco.

I would be grateful if you could help with the following:

1) what are some nice coloured but easy to look after plants both high and short?
2) What kind of lighting do I need to provide and how often should the bulbs be replaced?
3) Having more plants and therefore higher wattage lights does this considerably effect your electricity bills?
4) Other than the substrate what should I be feeding?
5) How will adding plants effect a fishless cycle and when should they be added to the tank?
6) Any other bits that will help?

Thanks in advance, really looking forward to getting this tank spot on but only just getting my head around fish and plants are even more confusing?

 

[aaronnorth]

1) [URL="http/www.fishforums.net/content-page/226...ination/page/0/"]http/www.fishforums.net/content-page/226...ination/page/0/[/URL]
2) blue lights help with algae growth so try and change that.

To work out lighting levels you use this formula:

watts/ gallons + watts per gallon (WPG)

78w/ 65g = 1.2WPG, with your tank being large, the wpg is more leanient so you will have close to 1.5WPG.

bulbs should peak in the red, green & a bit of blue in the spectrum and have a kelvin between 5500k - 11 000k (k is not as important as the spectrum)

Replace bulbs every year

3) I wouldnt say considerably, but only by a small amount.
4) liquid fert at the most once a week, daily is better. dont get nutrafin plant gro, it is rubbish
5) add plants straight away, it will help give them a chance to get going and get a good root system, and change from emerged to submerged form. Plants use ammonia but dont worry, it wont make a massive difference in your cycle.
6) plant heavily (at least 50% of the substrate) so you have the better chance over algae, trim plants as much as you want, they love being trimmed, cutting of the top will make them bush out, uprooting them and cutting off the bottom makes them grow up - this only applies to stem plants.

take a look at this tank (courtesy of George Farmer):

This can be achieved with the lighting you have, providing you have the nutrient substrate, and dose lquid ferts (tropica plant nutrition and seachem fluorish are the best) - No CO2! CO2 will speed up plant growth.

 

[locust267]

Thanks for that info although the link just appears to take me back to the forum?

Loving that tank - Are there any other coloured plants that I could maybe put in there other than green ones with my conditions?

 

[Esfa]

Loving that tank - Are there any other coloured plants that I could maybe put in there other than green ones with my conditions?

red tiger lotus is nice plant

if you prune off the surface leaves, then the plant will learn to grow low and bushy.

 

[locust267]

Loving that tank - Are there any other coloured plants that I could maybe put in there other than green ones with my conditions?

red tiger lotus is nice plant

if you prune off the surface leaves, then the plant will learn to grow low and bushy.

I'd seen those in someones tank before and thought they looked amazing, they are definately going on my list!

 

[aaronnorth]

http/www.fishforums.net/content-page/226...ination/page/0/

that should work.