Newb planning a 55g

[TheJT]

Ok. Like the title says, I am a newb at this! I have never planted a tank and I have no idea what I am doing. I have an empty 55 gallon tank. That's where what I have done ends. Where do I begin? I do know that I want my tank to look neat, clean, and serene. I don't want it looking like a forrest floor grown out of control. I want a "grass" floor and I want it to be zen-ish. Please point me in the right direction from substrate and equipment to the plants and I will take all the knowledge and formulate a design. thanks in advance.

JT

 

[Marconis]

For that look, you'll most likely need CO2, good lighting and some good substrate. That's about all the advice I can offer...I'm a low-tech guy.

 

[mudraker]

If you are going for some type of carpeting plant, Marconis is right.

IMO, starting out low-light, low-tech and expanding to higher light if you like it.

 

[Marconis]

You may also want to look into Dwarf sag...it stays relatively low growing even under low light. You can do medium lighting and still have it stay low and kind of look like a carpet. I have 2x54W T5-HO, no CO2, and my DS looks like this:

That's about two months of growth, too.

 

[TheJT]

I may be getting to advanced for my experience level. What all is involved in a low tech setup? My stand is gonna be open so I don't gave anywhere to hide things. Right now I have a fully cycled 10 gal that has an Anubis nana? And an amazon sword. I'm gonna get better bulbs for them tomorrow. But those are mainly for my pregnant platy. Where should I start with a low tech 55 gal? Substrate, lights, plants?

 

[TheJT]

Can you use plants as a bio filter and have the tank be low tech?