55 gallon plant only

[blert]

In a few days I will be acquiring a used 55 gallon setup that I would like to use for plants only. It will be set up in the garage. I live in central Florida so it doesn't get too cold, maybe a couple to a few light freezes in the winter. I would like to know what I need to make this work. I know I need good lighting, I'll visit a hardware store to deal with that on the cheap. How much filtration, if any, do I need or would a couple of power heads for circulation work? I'm not sure what kind of filtration it has currently, probably a HOB. Would it be healthier to have some shrimp living in there?

Make me a shopping list please...

 

[richpowell1989]

In a few days I will be acquiring a used 55 gallon setup that I would like to use for plants only. It will be set up in the garage. I live in central Florida so it doesn't get too cold, maybe a couple to a few light freezes in the winter. I would like to know what I need to make this work. I know I need good lighting, I'll visit a hardware store to deal with that on the cheap. How much filtration, if any, do I need or would a couple of power heads for circulation work? I'm not sure what kind of filtration it has currently, probably a HOB. Would it be healthier to have some shrimp living in there?

Make me a shopping list please...

It all depends what plants your tryin to grow for example a lot of stem plants need more liquid ferts but a heavy root feeder like a amazon sword would need a good substrate with lots of nutrients you could just add root tabs but I beleive its easier if you just buy the substrate in the beginning, I made this mistake in the start of my tank and had to change over

 

[blert]

Not too sure what I'm going to grow yet. That could be a problem later down the road but for now I'm just going to roll with a mix of different plants until I get more tanks and I can set up more specifically.

I've been researching a bit and so far I plan on getting:
Eco-Complete for substrate since it's locally available to me. Maybe mix in 20-30% sand for some texture.
DIY CO2 for now.
Two power heads. One for a DIY diffuser on the output and one for circulation. I'll put foams on the inlets for filtration.
Dry ferts as its cheaper in the long run.
A couple of cheap t5ho dual bulbs on timers. Probably buy some retro kits and DIY the hanging fixtures.

Point is... I just got fired from the job I have been at for 13 years. YAY! (really, no joke) I'm bored and nobody in my area sells aquatic plants. I figure, if I can make it work, I can make a few bucks and have fun at same time all while being a stay at home dad while mom goes off to work. She's been off for a year tending to my children (my 6yo has leukemia), now its my turn.

 

[richpowell1989]

Not too sure what I'm going to grow yet. That could be a problem later down the road but for now I'm just going to roll with a mix of different plants until I get more tanks and I can set up more specifically.

I've been researching a bit and so far I plan on getting:
Eco-Complete for substrate since it's locally available to me. Maybe mix in 20-30% sand for some texture.
DIY CO2 for now.
Two power heads. One for a DIY diffuser on the output and one for circulation. I'll put foams on the inlets for filtration.
Dry ferts as its cheaper in the long run.
A couple of cheap t5ho dual bulbs on timers. Probably buy some retro kits and DIY the hanging fixtures.

Point is... I just got fired from the job I have been at for 13 years. YAY! (really, no joke) I'm bored and nobody in my area sells aquatic plants. I figure, if I can make it work, I can make a few bucks and have fun at same time all while being a stay at home dad while mom goes off to work. She's been off for a year tending to my children (my 6yo has leukemia), now its my turn.

Sorry to hear that mate and Eco complete is good, with the make sure you get the right spectrum or they won't work