My next longterm goal is a thriving planted aqaurium! Need Help!

[munoza]

My long term goal is to be able to have a planted aquarium. Where do I start.

I need a list of materials needed to construct.
I need average prices.
I will be doing this in a 20 gallon tank.
I know that I want dwarf hairgrass for sure.

If anyone is very experienced please guid me through the process.

 

[Scottyhorse]

Is it a 20 gallon long, or 20 gallon high? Here is a quick overview I wrote a while back:

Alright, I'm by no means a planted tank expert but I will help you out best I can.

To have a successful planted tank you should have three things:
Good light
Fertilizers
co2 or a carbon source

For light, I would get a T5HO (high output) light fixture. If you do a two bulb fixture, with good quality bulbs that will put you at medium-high light. With a four bulb fixture, that will put you at high light and you will be able to grow pretty much anything your heart may desire. If you have never kept planted tanks before, I would start with a dual fixture. If you want to down the road, you could add another.

Fertilizers come in liquid, dry, and tablet form. Liquid ferts are easy to use, but not very cost effective after a while. They also aren't very customizable. A lot of people, like me, use dry ferts. You pretty much buy some, they are kinda like powder, and mix a certain amount in water and either dose once a week (EI dosing) or everyday (PPS-PRO dosing). EI gives you more ferts than you need, so you have to do 50% water changes every week. PPS-PRO is more customizable, and cheaper in the long run as you dose everyday, exactly what the plants need. Ferts also come in tab form that you push under the substrate. These are used for heavy root feeders like swords, crypts and ferns.

Co2. There is a minimal amount of co2 in the water column, so in order to boost plant growth (and some plants won't even grow without it) you should add co2, or at least a liquid carbon source like glute (metricide 14). Pressurized co2 works better, but getting started can be expensive. Liquid carbon is cheaper, you need to dose it everyday, and can be more expensive over the long run, but a lot of people chose it over pressurized co2.

Lastly, you should have a good substrate like Eco complete, aqua soil, or even organic potting mix capped with sand. You can use plain gravel, but the plants will grow better in a plant specific substrate.

Hopefully this helps, ask if you have questions

ETA- For dwarf hairgrass, since it is a bit high maintenance, you will want high light, co2, and ferts.

 

[flitabout]

Substrate-There are a tun of choices! Anything from regular gravel, floramax, eco-complete, full out dirted and lots more I went cheap and have a dirted with gravel and one with play sand.
Lighting-Low to high light, T5 HOs, LEDs, CFLs, and Metal halides.
Costs- well that depends on how far you want to take it and the plants you choose. DIY, dosing glut or infected co2. pressurized co2 can get a bit pricey and usually starts at around $150, if you go that route.

 

[Old Scales]

Munoza,
You can take what these two gals say to the bank! They are knowledgeable aquarists that know what they're talking about.
Nuff said. OS.

 

[munoza]

Appreciate the help, just don't want to learn the hardway and not be familiar with basics. I will follow up when I get materials. Also what would be the pros and cons of a 20 gallon high tank or a 20 gallon wide? Thanks to both of you for getting into detail, thats how I learn, besides making mistakes.

 

[Scottyhorse]

I like 20 gallon longs a lot better.

 

[flitabout]

Personally I would do the 20 high. Everybody is different in what they want to see in their personal tanks. The best way to choose is decide what fish you want to keep. The plants and fish I like the best (amazon swords and angelfish) are tall. But that means I need more light so enough still gets to the substrate for my dhg, and my other smaller plants. But that means that I need more co2. I don't have the money for pressurized co2 (I am saving for it) So I am going with DIY yeast bombs, diffused with powerheads and high dosing glut (excel). That means the plants needs for nutrients go up, So I dose with pps-pro 30 minutes before the lights come on.
On a longer tank you can still grow all of the same plants but they will come up and out of the tank a lot faster. Lighting needs are much less. But is really easy to go overboard on the lighting.
Achieving balance is the key. A lot has to do with trial and error. It has taken me months to get mine under control. Between getting the right ferts, misinformation, going not from enough light to, too much light, and too long. I will warn you that no matter how well you plan, stuff will come up. A lot of thought is that high phosphates will cause algae to grow. Well in all actuality lack of enough will cause it to grow too! Again it's all balance. I also suggest dry ferts they are cheap and last forever. I am also a dirt lover. plants just go nuts in dirt!

 

[munoza]

Ok, what are the pros and cons of acryllic and glass aquariums? Also is there a more reliable brand of aqarium? Thanks for all the help so far.

 

[Old Scales]

Acrylic+=a little clearer than glass, lighter weight, no caulked seams at corners. Less chance of leaking.
Acrylic-= much softer and easier to scratch than glass, weird top brace on all but the smallest that makes working inside harder. More expensive.

 

[hippy guy]

Cfls for lighting, its cheaper and you can upgrade later, and spend more on initial setup.

I'd look at pressurized co2 systems, dwarf harigrass needs lots of that, light, and goodies.

Possibly do a dirt tank, and cap it, would look great and wouldn't be THAT much more work.



For fish, maybe more smaller tetras, a big sexy school.

You will want a filter shrimp or two, my fav. Are vampire shrimp, they are hardy, fat, and bold, but they don't eat your other tank buddies (maybe small snails if they are bored, haha)

That being said, peaceful tank. Easier finding cleanup crew..

Maybe also get a few cpo's, and plant it heavy, you could smush some other shrimps, small tetras wouldn't mess with the babies as much..



I like snails with my plants, but too many suck, get some loaches..



Try a d.babytears carpet, maybe mix it up and add some smaller broadleved plants as well.



You will want a cannister filter.



Goodluck


10gal hitech/5gal lowtech