Never had live plants.

[BBouchard]

I posted a picture of my tank a few hours ago and some members said I should put some live plants in.. I am not sure how I would be able to incorporate the plants. Do they need to be in a tank alone or can I just put them in with an already established tank?

 

[sam24]

What type of lighting do you have? What is the wattage? what do you have for a substrate? You can add plants at any point in a freshwater tanks "life". You can either plant them in the substrate, tie some species to driftwood, and some u can keep in a pot that has some substrate in it. The plants would help maintain water quality and provide more oxygen for the tank which all benefit the fish! Post that picture here again please.

 

[Rivercats]

Lighting will determine what type of plants could be used so as asked above we need to know the type light fixture and bulbs. A picture of the tank would also be very helpful.

 

[BBouchard]

This is my tank

 

[BBouchard]

Basically I went to petco this morning and bought the 48" single light bar. Im not sure of the wattage. and the substrate... I am not to sure what you mean. like I said, I am completely new to plant life.

 

[sam24]

Okay well if you are looking to get into plants, u should stay away from Petco/Petsmart. try and find a local store that specializes in fish. U might have to drive a little but it'll beat Petco. That light u got there won't do you much good. You could try to get some Java fern or Anubius tied to a decoration going but it might not turn out well.
Substrate is what the stuff you have at the bottom of your tank. right now you have gravel. Gravel has no nutrients in it and is not capable of sustaining plant life by itself.
you could however buy a better light, and keep some nice plants in pots. Are you willing to spend some cash on a better light? Aquatic life makes a great t-5 duel light for 137 bucks.
if you purchase that light, you could do some other plants that will do well.

 

[BBouchard]

Sadly where I am mom and pop shops arent around and if they are they go under fast. So petco/ petsmart and petsupermarket are my only choices. Right now, hubby wont let me go crazy with spending for the tank. I have heard of the t5 light and looked at it. What about LEDs? Are they the same ones you could get at autozone or an autopart store?? and any info on the eel??

 

[BBouchard]

Also, I was looking at petco's website. they offer aqua medic lights that are T5's and claims for plant growth. Any insights??

 

[EricV]

Get a couple of low light plants and see how they do with your current lighting before you spend the money on upgrades. Just get a bulb that's rated for plants and you'll be ok for some basic plants. Also while its true that plain gravel doesn't contain nutrients by itself I've yet to see the tank that doesn't have some accumulated mulm in the gravel. I've kept some impressive planted tanks with nothing more than a single t8 strip light and regular gravel. Start small. There's no reason to go drop hundreds of dollars on new lights and substrate if you just want to add a few live plants.