Is starting a planted tank very rewarding?

[sealife]

Or is it a pain in the backside with lots of headaches?

I have a spare 47cm cube tank. I was going to do a couple of small African cichlids... but was also thinking of a planted tank.

Never done a planted tank before.

Whats it like? Cons and pros?

Thanks.

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[fish wrangler]

One headache that I can think of is when you can't get a plant to live/grow it's comparable to a fish dying/not growing.

Pros: you can see your work pay of, easy on the fish, looks natural (most of the time), fish seem to enjoy them more

Cons: trimming can be a pain, remembering fertilizer gets some getting used to, and some other little things are the only cons I can think of.

 

[Fishobsessed7]

Another pro is plants take some waste out of the water


Fishobsessed7

Money Can't Buy Happiness, But It Can Buy Fish Which Is Pretty Much The Same Thing

 

[DaddyD]

It's so much fun and so maddening at the same time. It's a challenge, especially if you come into it not having a green thumb, but there's so much to learn. Once you get started you won't want to stop until you figure it out (pro or con I dunno yet).

Con: money spent on plants, lights, and ferts.
when you realize a fish you thought wouldn't eat the plants, eats the plants. (My Albino Bristlenose started all of a sudden eating my Amazon Swords.)
Sucks money away from other hobbies.

Pros: Can make a tank look so nice! Love watching my fish school and chase eachother thru the plants.
Dog may be man's best friend, but I find myself spending a ton more time adoring my fish!

 

[brennae]

The tanks that I've had where I actually put substrate in and selected plants and planted them I've enjoyed. Keeping up on ferts not so much. I've never tried hi tech with CO2 pr anything like that. I think all the compilations of Hi tech would take the enjoyment right put of it for me.

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[ImACoolguy]

Planted tanks are very rewarding. IMO the most beautiful of all freshwater tanks. They also consume nitrates, fish feel more comfortable, and you get to look at a tank full of plants that you grew!

When it goes to high tech tanks is where you want to rip your hair out, otherwise it's really not that hard if you choose your plants right.

I've had a few planted tanks:
http://i.imgur.com/SQaE0w2.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4iZ9SKd.jpg



Caleb

 

[sealife]

Hi caleb,
Very pretty tanks!

If I go low light plants can I stick with my cheap led light?

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[ImACoolguy]

Hi caleb,
Very pretty tanks!

If I go low light plants can I stick with my cheap led light?

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This greatly depends on the LED. Some can grow plants great and others not at all.


Caleb

 

[sealife]

What do I look for in the LED?

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[mikem691]

What do I look for in the LED?

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I would say the 2 things to look at are the PAR at for the height of your tank and the color spectrum.
I tried planted high tech and it drove me insane.

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[Fishperson]

I tried to go medium tech and it was not a good idea. I bought a cheap co2 regulator and it was mind-blowingly finicky. My plants didn't grow because co2 wasn't consistent and if I ramped it up the fish suffered.

In general, high tech tanks aren't a good idea IMO unless you've already had low light tanks. So if you want a planted tank do a nice low light tank with crypts, some Java fern, mosses, some hardy stem plants and carpet of Pygmy Chain sword. Or something like that.

The pros are huge though. The tank looks amazing and you will be so proud of you like it I'm sure. The fish will really enjoy it. I couldn't imagine using fake plants after seeing planted tanks on here.

 

[Fishperson]

As far as your LED, the answer is probably no. If it's just a stock LED that came with the tank then I'd guess it's not good enough. But if it's an LED by a company that makes them for planted tanks then it should be fine.

Since this tank is about 18 inches tall and wide then a strong CFL light might work. Or two weak LEDs.

I'm not exactly sure what kind of wattage you'd need out of a CFL but on 1000bulbs.com they've got things from 26 watts to 55 watts, somewhere in between will give you low-medium light. But you'll have to ask someone more experienced than me what exactly you should get.

 

[fishliker]

I love my planted tanks, it's rewarding to try different plants and fiddle with them and they do well. It takes more time during the water changes to trim them. And I definitely think my fish feel more comfortable with them. Especially the Cardinal tetras and the gourami.



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[Gillie]

I tried planted high tech and it drove me insane.

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Yeah man!

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[Lung Fish]

I tried a planted tank one and it started looking like a jungle..

 

[Spirit Hawk]

If you get easy plants like anubis, it's not too hard.

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[machotaco]

I did a dirted tank and it need very little ferts, low-medium light, and boom you have a great tank.




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[Mebbid]

It all depends on what kind of aquarist, and even what kind of a person you are.

If you want a heavily planted tank then you need to put in the work to make it that way. All the equipment in the world wont do you an ounce of good in growing a densely planted tank if you dont put an equivalent amount of effort into it.

If you want an easy to care for planted tank then its a lot less work to go low light. In that case you can basically ignore the plants aside from the occasional root tab.

Both ways have their charms but its up to you to decide whats a right fit for you.