New to planted tanks, need help and advice

[Diver423]

I got a nice deal on a 5g tank and I wanted to use it as a experiment tank for a planted tank as I have never tried one before. I want to use sand as a substrate but I was wondering if I had to put soil or something under the sand for the plants. What should I use for lighting?

 

[Diver423]

I also plan on getting a betta for the tank too

 

[nereksnad]

greetings.

there are many different kinds of substrate designed for plants, generally they are based on clay. enriched or not, the clay absorbs nutrients from the water (From fertilizers) and this allows the plants to gather it via. their roots. this is usually placed at the buttom with gravel or sand on top of it.

 

[Diver423]

What kind of plants should I get?

 

[ownedbycats]

Really depends on what your tank is like. How much lighting does it have?
How much work do you want to do?
You can go with low light beginner plants that don't need high light levels (though will grow slightly faster with more light), only need liquid fertilizer once a week, and no added CO2. Plants like java fern, anubias, crypts, and mosses. Plants like these grow slowly and rarely need trimming, only the occasional dead leaf removed. Also, most of these (anubias, java fern, moss) get their nutrient needs directly from the water. You tie them to rocks and wood, don't plant directly.
High light plants need more light, added CO2, Fertilizer added more frequently, and need trimmed frequently to keep them inside your tank. Many of the stem plants fall into this category, though not all of them.

If you go with the low light plants you can get away with just sand as your substrate by sticking fertilizer tabs under the sand near any plants that need there roots buried. These need replaced every 4-6 months.