pro's and con's of planted tanks

[JWALK2828]

i would like to know if i should introduce plants to my 30g. is there any preffered type or origin i should start with. and what is brackish or what does it mean?

 

[jsoong]

Brackish = salty - but not quite as salty as sea water. <This would be for fish living in the intertidal area along the coast.>

Brackish & plants don't mix .... most aquarium plants cannot stand salt.

Best place to get ideas about a planted tank would be to read the stickies at the beginning of this forum. The most important thing for plants would be the light. So, let us know what light you have (& are you willing to upgrade?) and we'll start from there.

 

[Purrbox]

Brackish refers to an aquarium that is somewhere between a fresh water and a salt water aquarium. Only certain fish and plants live in those conditions.

The plants that you should start out with, depends on you current setup and whether or not you are planning any upgrades for the plants. We'll need to know about the lighting you currently have, etc.

 

[JWALK2828]

ok great, thanks for the information. my light is "marineland natural daylight". the transformer has a 20w output. its just the regular one that came with my kit. i know there are lots of different variations i can get. do my fish get effected by a different light? i am interested in java moss to camo a peice of deco, what lighting is preffered for the moss?

 

[Jchillin]

There is no "down side" to planted aquaria. It's the FW equivalent to a SW reef in that it's as close to "natural" as you can get.

 

[JWALK2828]

i understand the Look that it gives, i like that. its the downside of my fish eating the plants and getting huge or sick. plus i thought the plants give off biological chemicals into the water. dealing with the amounts and knowing how to monitor it properly, is where i may fumble. i would really like to know where to start...

 

[JustOneMore20]

If you have lighting that came with the tank, then you could start with some low light plants like Java fern, Anubias species, and Cryptocoryne species. Those are considered low light plants. Alot of people use watts per gallon to determine the type of plants (low light, medium, or high light) they can grow. Its not a sure thing, but its a good starting point, especially for beginners. You have 20 watts over a 30g, which equals about 0.6 watts per gallon, meaning you have very low light. (1 to 1.5 watts per gallon is about low light...anything under 1 is pretty low). I would stick to the species I listed above and while they may not thrive, they should atleast grow. The first 2 should be attached to wood or rocks and not buried in the gravel. The 3rd type should be buried. Those are all pretty common plants so you should be able to find them locally.

If you decide you'd like to have more plant choices, you'll have to get more watts of light over your tank. Usually people just buy a new fixture. There are many fixtures available and before buying, its a good idea to figure out how much light you want. More light is usually more work, but it also means more plant options.

Planted tanks are great for fish and to me they are the natural way to go. They are beneficial to the tank and fish as well.

 

[JWALK2828]

hey, thanks for your advice on the plants to put in my tank. If i wanted to upgrade from 20w to something higher do i just change the bulb or change the entire unit, i ask this only because it seems that the output of the light assembly is 20w which what you said is "low light". this brings problems to mind such as finding the right one to fit my tank hood and all that jazz.

 

[joy13]

The only downside to planted tanks is finding a place to put another one.

Make sure you get true aquatic plants and not bog plants.

Once you find some plants that work with your set up it will be much easier to care for than a tank with plastic plants. Very few fish actually eat plants, goldfish is one that loves to eat them, some nibble at the young tender ones but not that much.

 

[Purrbox]

The Java Moss that you expressed interest in will also grow with that amount of light. It'll be darker and less dense, but it will grow.

To upgrade your light you would need to replace the entire fixture.