i want to grow plants in my tank but i have no idea where to start. any words of wisdom or instructions?

Question

its a freshwater tank

Answer 1

My first question to you is how serious are you about having a planted tank? There are degrees of dedication. If you just want some basic plants in your tank, you can do that with no special lighting, fertilizers, or CO2 injection. On the other hand, if you want really intensive, bright, varied and "difficult" plants in your tank, then you may have to look into upgrading your lighting and getting some CO2.

For starters, just make sure you have a fluorescent light. It doesn't need to be one of those special bulbs, just a regular fluorescent light is fine. Then calculate your watts per gallon. (for example if you have a 10 gallon tank with a 15 watt bulb, that's 1.5 watts per gallon). 0.5-1.25 watts per gallon would be considered low to mid light. 1.25-2 wpgs would be mid light, and above 2.5 would be high light.

When you go pick out your plants, try not to get too carried away, because some plants need high light and CO2 to grow. Try to start with some "easier" plants like:
Anubias
Vallisneria
Guppy / naja grass
Java moss
Java fern
Hygrophilia
Amazon sword

Avoid red plants (they need high light) and rigid stems plant (these are usually not even aquatic!)

Fertilizers are tricky. You may not even need to add them, because your fish will produce plenty of waste for the plants. However, for rooted plants, you can get Seachem plant tabs - they go into the substrate and are a big boost for rooted plants. You can also get Seachem Flourish, which is a liquid fertilizer, but start with 1/4 what it advises on the back of the bottle, or you'll get algae problems.

The next step is CO2. If your tank is less than 50 gallons, you can set up a DIY CO2 reactor. You'll need:
A rinsed 2 litre coke bottle
Some airline
Some sugar and some baker's yeast
So, drill a hole into the cap of the bottle that is slightly smaller than the width of the airline. Cut the airline at an angle so it has a "point". Stick the tip through the hole and use pliars to pull it through.
Put 2 cups of sugar into the bottle, then fill it with warm water until about where the bottle starts to curve in towards the top. Let it disolve, then add 1 tsp of baker's yeast. Close the bottle.
The sugar and yeast will produce CO2 for about a month (then you'll need to replace the water, sugar and yeast). The end of the airline goes into the tank, but you don't want the CO2 bubbles to burst at the surface, or you're losing all the CO2. You can buy on e-bay or a specialized fishstore, a CO2 diffuser.

That should hold you for most of your plant needs :) If you really want to, you can get a compact fluorescent fixture which will give you higher wattage, but they are very expensive. Regardless, take it once step a time, and it can't hurt to join an aquatic plant forum like plantgeek.net :)

Good luck!

Answer 2

I have had NO luck in freshwater planted aquariums in all of my 10 years of aquarium keepings, except for the past 3 months, which is the longest I've EVER had successful plants.

I have an amazon sword plant that has actually branched off and produced 2 little babies for me to plant in the tank. And the banana plant, which you find in your LPS floating above the gravel to show off the banana shaped roots, but the Banana plant needs to be planted in the substrate.

And for the past three months all I have been using is Seachem Flourish (which from here on in I swear on) for nutrients the plants, and Seachem Flourish Excel for an organic carbon to help promote photosynthesis. These are both liquid formulas that are easy to use and really do their job well.
I didn't want to spend all of my money on a Carbon Kit at first and found that the Seachem products were the easiest to use. And by using them I also felt that I was contributing to the plants growth and success directly.

The bottles last for about 3-4 months and are very easy to dose.

I've attached links for information on the products listed above please read all details, you will learn alot about what plants need.
I've also attached a link to help you research with plant specifications and photos.

Answer 3

well i woudl go to petco and buy some amazon swords
they root well and grow ok in bad light

then, get a book on plants and see what you like, then you can add lights, and possibly a Co2 reactor to start doing more with plants

after that you can think about a CO2 tank, under tank heaters and exotic plants that cost more than the fish do

Answer 4

Oh my god. i like this. i like all of those. yet form 11. That one is my popular. BQ: turn, turn, turn- The Byrds do no longer worry the Reaper- Blue Oyster Cult (extra approximately no longer fearing dying, yet notwithstanding. this is have been given costs that slot on your record) worry- provide up Making acquaintances (Ditto. fantastically the final line. this is my popular) existence is appealing- Sixx:AM Swim- Jack's type

Answer 5

well first things first, you must decide what type of plant is best for the fish you have. some fish will nibble on your plants and some are poisionous to certian fish.