what do i need to set up a planted fish tank

[JOMA]

i want to set up a 2.5 gallon tank and plant it. i will most likely put white cloud minnows in the tank. my question is what will i need? i want to keep it cheap (close to $20-$30) not including the tank.

thanks joma

 

[swankyspoon]

Can you put White Clouds in a 2.5 g? Shrimp might be a better fit.

 

[JOMA]

welll then shrimp, just what would i need?

 

[BigJim]

First, you need a decent light. WPG rules don't work well on very small tanks, so get a good fluorescent desk lamp or clip-on lamp.

Second, if you want rooted plants, you'll need substrate of some kind. You'll need a couple inches at least. You could always do some driftwood with moss or ferns on it instead.

Third, get some shrimp. I wouldn't put any fish in a 2.5g, but it's big enough to hold a good colony of RCS.

 

[JOMA]

will i need injected co2?

 

[BigJim]

No. CO2 is only needed on high-tech setups. CO2 provides carbon to the plants, which allows them to use more of other nutrients including light. This allows the plants to outcompete algae. You need to be fertilizing the tank for CO2 to really be necessary.

 

[JOMA]

oh okay, that makes it easier

 

[jeremyblevins]

i would suggest to fertilize the aquarium under any light condition for plants to really thrive, but it's certainly not needed if you go for low light plants

 

[jeremyblevins]

No. CO2 is only needed on high-tech setups. CO2 provides carbon to the plants, which allows them to use more of other nutrients including light. This allows the plants to outcompete algae. You need to be fertilizing the tank for CO2 to really be necessary.

i always thought the high-tech was talking about co2 and low-tech no co2. so you can't have high-tech without co2 haha