what plants should i get for my tank?

[medusaorange]

i'm going to start my first planted tank.. well, fully planted. lol. there are a few of amazon sword plants in my 20 gallon long with snails and guppies. so, i'm getting a eco complete gravel (probably with some of coral or tahitian moon sand .. whatever the guys recommend me on my another post).

i'd love to get a moss wall to cover the ugly background - gray with a lot of scratches (i painted it and i accidently scratched when it was half dried!) and some other stuff i might add in the future. so, what kind of moss is really great for me to start with? i really like the christmas ricci (sp?) but i'm not sure what does it really require. i might go with another kind of moss because i don't think it would look good with my amazon plants. help me with that?! heh.

i'm willing to add whatever it really need. i don't mind to add a co2 for any plants but i want something simple - maybe hagen's small co2 kit that is available at most LFS because it will be my first time. is this a good idea?

i'm thinking about adding a cave on a side of the tank for the guppies to hide if they ever go in there. could a thin plastic mesh sheet with some of ricci work? i could shape it in a slope alike and cut a hole in the middle of the sheet for a entry. i just need to find out how can i keep it in that shape or to attach to the glass.

oh and i'm using a penguin bio-wheel 350 filter if it matters.

 

[sudz]

I have hornwort, watersprite, java fern and java moss.

Javamoss only if your having difficulty growing anything else.

What kinda lighting do you have? WPG?

if your watts of lighting is less than 1, you may have difficulty growing alot of plants. 1.5 is good for someone new, as you don't require CO2. Anything above 2.0, its best to have CO2.

I think i'm pre-maturely jumping to higher light tank. I've just been told that my 96 watt PC strip will be here by friday at the latest! (for a 44 gallon 24 inch)

HTH. As for the backround... if its glass, a careful hand with a razorblade may help. You also might want to try paint thinner/varsol or even Methol ethel keytone as a last resort(but be careful, its designed to strip aircraft paint), But i don't know how it'd react to the silicone on the joints.

 

[Brucki]

very easy to keep, and good growing ( in most tanks) are:
bacopa caroliniana,cryptocoryne wendtii,saggittaria subalata,Lobelia cardinalis,Vallisneria americana var. gigantea, Crinum thaianum,...

Brucki

 

[BlazerFRS]

Be sure to replace the bio wheel with other bio media if you inject CO2; the action of the wheel will outgass much of your CO2 if you don't.

 

[lyquidphyre]

If you can, look up any aquatic plant clubs in your area. They will give you whatever they have too much of and normally for free