6/22/2023 0 Comments Planted fish tank hdI had a female green severum who was pretty much the most evil and murderous creature I’ve ever run across. If you just have a bunch of little nano fish and shrimp, you can have pretty much any kind of plants you want.īut, if you’ve got a tank full of large cichlids, you’ll only be able to keep super tough plants you can anchor to driftwood and rocks, like Java fern and anubias, and even those might get eaten up by a particularly difficult fish. The kind of fish that you keep in your tank can really have an impact on what kinds of plants you can keep. It’s no fun to spend money on plants just to have them all die. Make sure you’ve got the right setup for a particular species before you bring it home. Most reputable plant sellers will provide a basic information sheet for each plant species and cultivar that lets you know what light levels they’ll need, whether they’ll need CO2 and how hardy or delicate they are. Tough, hardy plants need little to no additional equipment and fairly basic lighting in order to thrive.īut, super finicky plants might need powerful lights, a constant source of supplemental CO2 and a powerhead to keep water flowing over them 24/7. The type of plants you keep in your tank will dictate what kind of equipment you’ll need in order to keep everything alive and growing. You can have gorgeous plantings in tanks these sizes without having to break the bank.Īnd you’ll have plenty of room for some smaller fish. If you’re on a budget, consider going with a 20 or 30 gallon. For example, how much does it cost for gas refills for a CO2 system or how much electricity will your lights draw?Īgain, be realistic about how these costs will fit into your lifestyle. And don’t just consider the cost to buy things, but also the cost to use them long term. Research prices so you have an idea what you’re getting into. Let’s face it, not all budgets are created equal.įancy, high maintenance, delicate or rare plants simply cost more than the hardy, run-of-the-mill plants that you can grow anywhere.Īnd the equipment-like high power lights and pressurized CO2- is much, much more expensive for high tech setups than for low tech ones. Going low tech limits the plant species you have to choose from, but you can still have a gorgeous tank without a whole lot of extra effort. Not everyone is prepared to spend that kind of time and effort on their tank, and that’s totally fine! The whole point of this is basically to make you happy, so go with that. Just be honest with yourself and decide what level of maintenance is going to work for you and your lifestyle. If that sounds reasonable and enjoyable to you, go for it! On the flipside, a high tech setup could require you to dose it with fertilizers four times a week, constantly monitor the CO2 system and trim plants several times a month, all on top of weekly water changes. It’s important to consider how much time and effort you’re willing to put into this tank in order to keep it up.Ī low tech setup will mostly just require weekly water changes and a small amount of fertilizers. More intense lighting can penetrate deeper to reach plants at the bottom of the tank. That way, a much lower powered light can penetrate all the way to the substrate.ĭeeper tanks are better for large, high light demand plants, like parrots feather or scarlet temple. I recommend longer, more shallow tanks for low tech setups. The more water volume you have, the more stable the parameters in the tank will be because it will take a much higher volume of wastes to affect the water parameters. If you’re planning to keep fish in the tank, the bigger the tank the better. ![]() You’ll need to know the dimensions of your tank so you can plan what kinds of plants and livestock you can keep, as well as how much room you’ll have for hardscape and substrate. ![]() Tank Size and Shapeįirst off, how big of a tank do you want? What do you have the room and budget for? Here are some things you should consider ahead of time while planning your tank. ![]() How to Make a Planted Tank Plan Aheadĭoing some planning, and a TON of research, these will be extremely helpful when making a planted tank. So, I’ll go over the basic things you need to consider when you are creating a planted tank from scratch. Once you add plants, you’ve created a new little underwater garden that you get to tend to.Īnd there’s such a huge variety of tank styles, plants, substrates, lights and livestock, that no two planted tanks are ever the same.īut that huge array of choices can seem very overwhelming, especially when you’re a beginner. Plus, if you’ve got any sort of a green thumb, it can add a whole new dimension to your aquarium keeping experience. Plants help to eat up excess nutrients from fish waste, provide cover and hiding spots for fish and make the tank even more beautiful. Adding live plants to your aquarium is highly beneficial and rewarding.
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