Should I... or shouldn't I?

[phoenixkiller]

Thinking about planting my 55 gallon community. I have low light - 1 wpg, I hope it can grow some low light stuff. I was wondering what are the pros and cons for doing this. I do have the necessary dry ferts, and I just wanna spice up my tank.

Post you questions, comments, pros, cons, and overall opinions on this subject.

Thank you!!

 

[Rico]

Plants are amazing. It just looks great and benefits your tank in multiple ways. Important thing is to really research the plants u will buy before u do. I spent more money on going through plants rather than fish. Plants, like fish, will behave differently in different environments.

 

[akagochi]

Plants require work. What type of substrate are you thinking of?

 

[Smcoyle87]

You should def convert to a planted tank! Benefits a plus. They act like a natural filter so you'll have an even healthier environment for your fish. 1 wpg you could get away with things like Java Fern and various Anubias species. For both of these types of plants the rhizome should not by planted under the substrate as it needs the light to survive. You could also keep some types of moss as well.
IMO Jave Fern is a must have, for the beginner as well as the pros. Great plant all around!
I'll be following!

 

[phoenixkiller]

It's just a natural-colored gravel substrate. As I said before, I am starting with planted tanks, so low light/low maintenance stuff is what I shall stick with.

Should I dose dry ferts in such a big tank?

 

[Smcoyle87]

Yes but don't over do it. That's almost certainly a recipe for an algal bloom.

 

[phoenixkiller]

Is half the EI dosage too much? It will be pretty lightly planted, not too many plants. Do I need to dose less??

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Is half the EI dosage too much? It will be pretty lightly planted, not too many plants. Do I need to dose less??

I would recommend the PPS-Pro dosing method over the EI dosing method for your system. Unless you have Co2 and way brighter lights EI will add much more ferts than you'll need. PPS-Pro is easier to control and not overdo it. You'll also only need to do about half the water changes. Only thing is you'll need is a tiny digital gram scale (about $10 on amazon) and a 1 or 3ml bulb pipette (about $1 for 6). it uses the same dry ferts as EI so if you decide to switch you can do it anytime!