questions/plants for my 20g long betta tank *plant noob*

[maxima423]

this is the list i gathered up while i was at my LFS, this is for my 20g long four betta compartments, each compartment will be its own theme and i was wondering if these are good for a 48watt t5 lighting, can i get your reviews on these plants?

1) im planning to switch from gravel to eco complete, can i just mix it with the gravel? or do i need to take everything out and than put eco complete?
2) as for CO2, is it mandatory to get it? i dont have a hood, would i need one if i was to get a CO2 injector? any dangers to it?
3) do i need a air pump for plants?
4) with these plants, i read i need stuff like "Trace Elements" and "Iron-Rich Fertilizer", what does it all mean O____O
5) which are perfect for bettas, i want to at least have one plant just hovering around the surface for cover and one or two main plants to cover the dividers so they dont see each other quite often

if i knew a lot about plants i wouldnt ask all these questions lol, but i am a plant noob and would love to learn about them ^_^

Hygrophila - they have a couple which i like, like these

Aquatic Plants for Freshwater Aquariums: Temple - Narrow Leaf Aquarium Plant
Aquatic Plants for Freshwater Aquariums: Hygrophila Angustifolia
Aquatic Plants for Freshwater Aquariums: Wisteria Aquarium Plant

Uruguayensis swords - i really like these

Sword, Uruguayensis (Echinodorus uruguayensis)

mint charlie

Arizona Aquatic Gardens - Bunched - Creeping Mint Charlie (Micromeria/Clinopodium brownei) aquarium plant

broad leaf sagittaria

Aquatic Plants for Freshwater Aquariums: Chilensis

dwarf rotala

Dwarf Rotala - Rotala rotundifolia (indica)

variegated acorus

Acorus gramineus 'Variegatus' / Variegated Acorus

aluminum plant - i tried looking online for these plants but all i read are house plants, are these really aquatic plants?

and these are the ones that i most likely will be getting

micro swords
anacharis
ozelot swords
anubis nana and barteri
amazon sword
pennyworth

 

[tyspot1000]

Personally, I wouldnt add the Eco-Complete with the gravel, but you can. If your just worried about moving the gravel out, dont be, its really quite easy.

C02 is really necessary only for tanks with higher lighting (Since you have 48 watts/ 2.4 WPG, you are likely going to need it). This is because you will start to experience some bad algae problems (C02 helps solve this problem though). There is an alternative way to give your aquarium Carbon Dioxide though (By dosing SeaChem Flourish Excel once a day).

Plants dont really need a source of oxygen. They make it more than the need it. Also, its not a good idea to use bubblers with C02.

Take a look at these pages, they will tell why you need them:
Seachem. Flourish Iron
Seachem. Flourish Trace
Seachem. Flourish Potassium
Seachem. Flourish Nitrogen

All the plants look great except for the Variegated Acorus (More of a pond plant; not true aquatic) and the Amazon sword (Will take over your aquarium, literally).

 

[Coleallensmom]

this is the list i gathered up while i was at my LFS, this is for my 20g long four betta compartments, each compartment will be its own theme and i was wondering if these are good for a 48watt t5 lighting, can i get your reviews on these plants?

1) im planning to switch from gravel to eco complete, can i just mix it with the gravel? or do i need to take everything out and than put eco complete?
You can mix the two, although gravel will work for most stem plants.
2) as for CO2, is it mandatory to get it? i dont have a hood, would i need one if i was to get a CO2 injector? any dangers to it?
CO2 at that lighting level is not necessary. If you're not ready to try CO2, Seachem's Excel is worth giving a try. I use low doses of it in my own 20gal.
3) do i need a air pump for plants? No.
4) with these plants, i read i need stuff like "Trace Elements" and "Iron-Rich Fertilizer", what does it all mean O____O
Once you get really deep into planted tanks, many prefer using dry ferts or dosing individual nutrients. However, a good basic fert like Seachem's Flourish is enough to get you started IMO.
5) which are perfect for bettas, i want to at least have one plant just hovering around the surface for cover and one or two main plants to cover the dividers so they dont see each other quite often

I have a 20 gallon with the same wattage as your tank has. You can look under my profile for the complete plant list if you'd like suggestions. I do have Willow Leaf Hygro and also Rotala in that tank; they both do really well. Mint charlie and sagittaria should do just fine.

micro swords
anacharis
ozelot swords
anubis nana and barteri
amazon sword
pennywort

These will all work as well. Is the variegated acorus a bog plant or aquatic?

See also my comments in red above.

 

[BigJim]

My comments below in blue.

this is the list i gathered up while i was at my LFS, this is for my 20g long four betta compartments, each compartment will be its own theme and i was wondering if these are good for a 48watt t5 lighting, can i get your reviews on these plants?

1) im planning to switch from gravel to eco complete, can i just mix it with the gravel? or do i need to take everything out and than put eco complete?

- It's really up to you. If the gravel is bigger than about 5-8mm, your plants may struggle to take root. Layering the substrates rarely works. They just end up mixing.

2) as for CO2, is it mandatory to get it? i dont have a hood, would i need one if i was to get a CO2 injector? any dangers to it?

- You're right on the border of needing CO2. If you've got T5HO lights, get it. Even if you've got T5NO with good reflectors, you probably need it. I've got 36W of CFL light over my 20L with terrible reflectors and I have some BBA problems.

3) do i need a air pump for plants?

- You really don't need an air pump at all. If you get the CO2 system, the agitation caused by the bubbles will just off-gas the CO2.

4) with these plants, i read i need stuff like "Trace Elements" and "Iron-Rich Fertilizer", what does it all mean O____O

- Plants need different nutrients to grow and stay healthy. The macronutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. There are a ton of micronutrients. If you're serious about plants, look into the EI or PPS Pro fert regimens. It's cheaper to mix your own ferts.

5) which are perfect for bettas, i want to at least have one plant just hovering around the surface for cover and one or two main plants to cover the dividers so they dont see each other quite often

if i knew a lot about plants i wouldnt ask all these questions lol, but i am a plant noob and would love to learn about them ^_^

- Bettas love plants with big broad leaves. They like to rest and sleep on the leaves.

Hygrophila - they have a couple which i like, like these

Uruguayensis swords - i really like these

mint charlie

broad leaf sagittaria

dwarf rotala

variegated acorus, aluminum plant - These are semi-aquatics. They'll die if you submerge them.

and these are the ones that i most likely will be getting

micro swords
anacharis
ozelot swords
anubis nana and barteri
amazon sword
pennyworth

 

[maxima423]

There is an alternative way to give your aquarium Carbon Dioxide though (By dosing SeaChem Flourish Excel once a day)

is that sufficient enough for the plants? i plan to get a CO2 injector anyway

You can mix the two, although gravel will work for most stem plants.

thats awesome!! ill do that than lol

Once you get really deep into planted tanks, many prefer using dry ferts or dosing individual nutrients. However, a good basic fert like Seachem's Flourish is enough to get you started IMO

thanks ill look more into that, i plan to make this 20g medium planted, so maybe ill read up more on dry ferts

- Plants need different nutrients to grow and stay healthy. The macronutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. There are a ton of micronutrients. If you're serious about plants, look into the EI or PPS Pro fert regimens. It's cheaper to mix your own ferts.

ill look up more into it =]



okay thanks for all the responses, i got the idea of what ill be looking for, i got another question

1) when they start propagating, what do you folks usually do?
2) which plant is a good hovering plant?

thanks again