Need advice for 20g planted tank

[Nortzy21]

Hello everybody,
I am currently working on a 20g high planted tank. I already have enough equipment to get it going from barely used equipment. I just set it up today and can't wait to stock it up. It's been awhile since I've kept plants so remind me of what I need to be doing!

Filter: Marineland penguin 200 HOB

Light: small clamp lamp with CFL

Tank:


I still need to get some nice substrate (preferably sand). I also want to stock it up with some nice fish. Obviously I'm not trying to keep some hardcore plants so give me some good ideas of some nice, hardy low light plants. I have another clamp fixture I'm going to put on and I'll get some stronger bulbs for them. Also should I dose some plant growth chemicals or anything like that? I don't wanna deal with a CO2 system.

Please just give me some advice on what I should do, buy, and add! I highly appreciate any input!

Thanks,
Sam



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[ericwithac]

Hello everybody,
I am currently working on a 20g high planted tank. I already have enough equipment to get it going from barely used equipment. I just set it up today and can't wait to stock it up. It's been awhile since I've kept plants so remind me of what I need to be doing!

Filter: Marineland penguin 200 HOB

Light: small clamp lamp with CFL

Tank:
View attachment 262590

I still need to get some nice substrate (preferably sand). I also want to stock it up with some nice fish. Obviously I'm not trying to keep some hardcore plants so give me some good ideas of some nice, hardy low light plants. I have another clamp fixture I'm going to put on and I'll get some stronger bulbs for them. Also should I dose some plant growth chemicals or anything like that? I don't wanna deal with a CO2 system.

Please just give me some advice on what I should do, buy, and add! I highly appreciate any input!

Thanks,
Sam



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Well, if you are doing a planted tank, i recommend eco-complete for substrate. It allows plants to really sink their roots in. Its finer than gravel, but not as fine as sand, so if you are putting bottom feeders in, they wont have an issue like they might with gravel.

You can check this link here for some plant ideas. Id recommend java moss and java fern to start. These are fairly simple low light plants.

As for growth/co2 you will want to use fertilizer and i would recommend c02. There are many DIY CO2 setups on this forum. They also make co2 tabs that can be placed into your tank to supplement co2. I would recommend doing it right with a full co2 tank setup.

Regarding fish, you will want to start with hardy schooling fish. Check out liveaquaria.com. You can checkout different freshwater fish types there, and see how much water, ph, light, temp etc. they need!

Hope this helps!

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

For that lighting choice and the height of a tall 20g, you'll be okay with low light plants and not having a co2 system.

You'll also be fine with sand. However, if you think you'll want to upgrade lighting and try more challenging plants down the road, I agree with the eco complete. It's such a pain to swap substrate later on.

Anyways, you can do low light plants like Swords, Crypts, Anubias, Java Fern, Mosses, Dwarf Sag, etc. You would just need root tabs under the swords and crypts as they are heavy root feeders. You can dose a good liquid fert like seachem flourish and excel for the water column feeders.

For the CFL bulbs in those clamp lights, try to get something close to 6500K color temp and "full spectrum" on the box.

Edit:
Although, with that eggcrate diffuser on top of that tank, the CFL lighting might not do much. It looks very dim in your photo. Experiment with multiple CFL's and see if you see improvements in growth after everything is set up. Might even need 3.

 

[Nortzy21]

Well, if you are doing a planted tank, i recommend eco-complete for substrate. It allows plants to really sink their roots in. Its finer than gravel, but not as fine as sand, so if you are putting bottom feeders in, they wont have an issue like they might with gravel.



You can check this link here for some plant ideas. Id recommend java moss and java fern to start. These are fairly simple low light plants.



As for growth/co2 you will want to use fertilizer and i would recommend c02. There are many DIY CO2 setups on this forum. They also make co2 tabs that can be placed into your tank to supplement co2. I would recommend doing it right with a full co2 tank setup.



Regarding fish, you will want to start with hardy schooling fish. Check out liveaquaria.com. You can checkout different freshwater fish types there, and see how much water, ph, light, temp etc. they need!



Hope this helps!

Thanks very much for the help. The co2 tablets sound pretty cool but I imagine their expensive. As for fish, I'd like to get some guppies as they'd do well in the 20g and they're good breeding fish. I'd like to try and breed them. I love live aquaria but it's just too expensive for shipping, handling, etc. I'll check out the Eco complete


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[ericwithac]

Thanks very much for the help. The co2 tablets sound pretty cool but I imagine their expensive. As for fish, I'd like to get some guppies as they'd do well in the 20g and they're good breeding fish. I'd like to try and breed them. I love live aquaria but it's just too expensive for shipping, handling, etc. I'll check out the Eco complete


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Sounds good. For guppies just go to your LFS, save on shipping

 

[Nortzy21]

For that lighting choice and the height of a tall 20g, you'll be okay with low light plants and not having a co2 system.

You'll also be fine with sand. However, if you think you'll want to upgrade lighting and try more challenging plants down the road, I agree with the eco complete. It's such a pain to swap substrate later on.

Anyways, you can do low light plants like Swords, Crypts, Anubias, Java Fern, Mosses, Dwarf Sag, etc. You would just need root tabs under the swords and crypts as they are heavy root feeders. You can dose a good liquid fert like seachem flourish and excel for the water column feeders.

For the CFL bulbs in those clamp lights, try to get something close to 6500K color temp and "full spectrum" on the box.

Edit:
Although, with that eggcrate diffuser on top of that tank, the CFL lighting might not do much. It looks very dim in your photo. Experiment with multiple CFL's and see if you see improvements in growth after everything is set up. Might even need 3.

Ok thanks I think I'll just get some nice CFLs from Walmart or something. I'll get some searched, flourish too as that sounds good. There's even API co2 liquid. Idk about that though. Anyway, that egg crate is just on there temporarily as I'll eventually take it off. Also, are there any "aquatic plant bulbs" that I can get for my clamp fixtures? Thanks


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[Brian_Nano12g]

Usually if the bulbs say "daylight" and "full spectrum" on the box, you'll be good. API co2 Booster is pretty much the same as Excel.

 

[ppo8820]

Id get eco-complete and start with some water wisteria, amazon swords, java fern, anacharis, and some crypts. Id also toss in some root tabs and dose weekly with Seachems flourish (good stuff). You should be off to an amazing start with just those things. That is how I started and my tank is doing great.

 

[Nortzy21]

Id get eco-complete and start with some water wisteria, amazon swords, java fern, anacharis, and some crypts. Id also toss in some root tabs and dose weekly with Seachems flourish (good stuff). You should be off to an amazing start with just those things. That is how I started and my tank is doing great.

Sounds good. What are you using lighting wise?


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[ericwithac]

Id get eco-complete and start with some water wisteria, amazon swords, java fern, anacharis, and some crypts. Id also toss in some root tabs and dose weekly with Seachems flourish (good stuff). You should be off to an amazing start with just those things. That is how I started and my tank is doing great.

Im doing a CO2 setup on my 55g. Do you think I should still do root tabs? Im using eco-complete substrate.

 

[Nortzy21]

Well, if you are doing a planted tank, i recommend eco-complete for substrate. It allows plants to really sink their roots in. Its finer than gravel, but not as fine as sand, so if you are putting bottom feeders in, they wont have an issue like they might with gravel.



You can check this link here for some plant ideas. Id recommend java moss and java fern to start. These are fairly simple low light plants.



As for growth/co2 you will want to use fertilizer and i would recommend c02. There are many DIY CO2 setups on this forum. They also make co2 tabs that can be placed into your tank to supplement co2. I would recommend doing it right with a full co2 tank setup.



Regarding fish, you will want to start with hardy schooling fish. Check out liveaquaria.com. You can checkout different freshwater fish types there, and see how much water, ph, light, temp etc. they need!



Hope this helps!

If Eco complete comes in 20 lb bags then how many bags do you think I need? I'm trying to make do with just 1 bag but I may need 2 for a deeper bed. Keep in mind that the tank is a 20g high so I won't need as much as a 20g long.


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[Nortzy21]

For that lighting choice and the height of a tall 20g, you'll be okay with low light plants and not having a co2 system.

You'll also be fine with sand. However, if you think you'll want to upgrade lighting and try more challenging plants down the road, I agree with the eco complete. It's such a pain to swap substrate later on.

Anyways, you can do low light plants like Swords, Crypts, Anubias, Java Fern, Mosses, Dwarf Sag, etc. You would just need root tabs under the swords and crypts as they are heavy root feeders. You can dose a good liquid fert like seachem flourish and excel for the water column feeders.

For the CFL bulbs in those clamp lights, try to get something close to 6500K color temp and "full spectrum" on the box.

Edit:
Although, with that eggcrate diffuser on top of that tank, the CFL lighting might not do much. It looks very dim in your photo. Experiment with multiple CFL's and see if you see improvements in growth after everything is set up. Might even need 3.

How many bags of Eco complete do you think I'll need? The tank is s 20g high to remind you


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[fish wrangler]

20 pound bags?

I used 3 20 pound bags of floramax(similar to eco) in my 29 gallon. Footprint is 30×12. I would try 2 because you can always get more

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[ericwithac]

20 pound bags?

I used 3 20 pound bags of floramax(similar to eco) in my 29 gallon. Footprint is 30×12. I would try 2 because you can always get more

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Yes, I was gonna say start with 1 or 2 and move up if you require more.

 

[fish wrangler]

2 bags to start and possibly a third. I wish I had bought a fourth for my tank because I have some low spots and it annoys me to no end...its my ocd i guess

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[Nortzy21]

I've decided to get 2 bags because I used an online substrate calculator that actually had Eco complete as a substrate option and it said to get 34 lbs to achieve a 2 inch bed in a 20g with my footprint dimensions. I'm gonna order them online from petco as I have a petco gift card. Another question, will live plants encourage guppies to breed?


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[ericwithac]

I've decided to get 2 bags because I used an online substrate calculator that actually had Eco complete as a substrate option and it said to get 34 lbs to achieve a 2 inch bed in a 20g with my footprint dimensions. I'm gonna order them online from petco as I have a petco gift card. Another question, will live plants encourage guppies to breed?


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Do you have a link to said substrate calculator?

 

[Nortzy21]

Do you have a link to said substrate calculator?

Can't get the link pasted for some reason. Just type in "aquarium substrate calculator" in Google


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[ericwithac]

Here it is thanks!

Substrate Calculator

 

[ericwithac]

Can't get the link pasted for some reason. Just type in "aquarium substrate calculator" in Google


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Looks like ill need 69 lbs of eco-complete lol, just for 2 inch depth