Correct me if I am wrong

[Zagz]

If I am not mistaken from all that I have read here, plants help keep nitrates in check right? Now obviously since I don't have a planted tank yet, I don't test for c02. Is this something I should test for when I plant a tank? Also with a 29 gal tank, how many plants should I think of getting? I was thinking of getting a couple of slow growing, easy to care for plants for starters. What do you think?

 

[Bearfan]

Only if you're going to go high light do you even need CO2 injection, and you really only need to test if your going to be injecting it from pressurized tanks via a regulator. If you use the Hagen system, you don't need to test for CO2.

As for how many, depends on what type. You can get small plants, or large show plants. It's personal preference.

 

[greenmaji]

If you were just wondering the way to test for CO2 is to test your PH and KH and do a calculation...

Check out Steve's site

I would go for more plants if I were you.. to try to algae!

 

[gheitman]

If your 29 gallon tank has the standard 20W light fixture then you want to get plants that don't require a lot of light. Some that come to mind include various Anubias, African fern, many Cryptocorynes, Java Fern, etc. You should get as many plants as you want. The more you have the quicker the nitrate level will go down. You also won't need CO2 injection, not even the Hagen system, and you won't need a lot of fertilizers either. I usually dose this kind of tank with Seachem's Flourish a couple of times a week and that is it. You can find a more complete list of low light plants by following the link below.

http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_list.php?category=1&filter_by=2

 

[Apocalypse_Gold]

Java ferns are easier to care for than plastic plants.

 

[greenmaji]

Its a good idea to try to get at least 1-1.5 wpg of NO light for low light plants (java fern included).. If you are going with a low light setup it might be wise to get a double bulb NO fixture.. that would give you ~1.4 wpg.. the standard single NO fixture would give you ~.7 wpg
bigalsonine links
Twin tube fixture in black (All-glass brand)
Twin tube fixture in oak (All-glass brand)