Starting up a planted aquarium

[Talvari]

Alright, so I've been sitting on this idea for awhile. I love the look of planted aquariums and have been wanting to set one up for awhile. I have heard they can be kind of difficult to get running properly, so I have stuck with what I know for the time being (regular freshwater fish!) and been doing research on the planted tanks.

I fell in love with this one 46 gallon bow front tank we have at work. I want to do a planted tank with some pieces of drift wood to give it depth and "personality", so to speak, since no two pieces of wood are quite alike.

As for as animals go, I was thinking I'd either do a small shoal of guppies with some ghost shrimp to help balance it, or just a single pair of Angel Fish.

I wont be setting it up for awhile since we are still living in a relatively small apartment, but I'd like to learn as much as I can before I start making a list of things I want and need. Like what kind of filter, the best plants for a beginner, etc.

Any advice is much appreciated!

 

[bruinsbro1997]

It depends on what plants you want. Some are low light, some high light, some need nutrient suppliments a lot and ferts, some not as much, some need CO2, some don't, some need root tabs, some don't. It depends on what you'd like to do with the tank.

To get you started, I would recommend a T5HO or CFL fixture, a good CO2 system or something that will provide CO2, some good ferts, whether liquid or dry, maybe a plant-specific substrate like Eco-Complete or Flourite too, and if you wanted root feeders like amazon swords, some root tabs. The rest is up to you/

 

[abrahamavelar]

also u could use potting dirt organic tho (miracle grow organic choice its a good one and cheap) i also learned to right down a to do list i.e. maintenance schedule and steps on how to doit like when to trim and when to dose ferts etc

 

[aqua_chem]

My friend and I are great examples of different planted tank flavors. He has low light, low tech, minimal maintainance with very little upfront cost, and likes it. He calls himself a "lazy" aquarist. I, on the other hand, have a high tech, high light, high Co2 tank that keeps me busy. I think of myself as a "fiddler".

We need to know more about what you want out of a tank before we can make any decent recommendations.

 

[aqua_chem]

To get you started, I would recommend a T5HO or CFL fixture, a good CO2 system or something that will provide CO2, some good ferts, whether liquid or dry, maybe a plant-specific substrate like Eco-Complete or Flourite too, and if you wanted root feeders like amazon swords, some root tabs. The rest is up to you/

And you dont need any of that for a planted tank.