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I have a 29 gal aquarium with a standard florecent aquarium light. I have artificial plants and a black gravel bottom. I know nothing about planting and taking care of aquarium plants. I heard a java fern is good to start with. Could someone give me complete instructions on how to get started and what I need.

Yes, i would have to say that java fern is one of the best plants to first start out with. The first thing you need to do is make sure your bulb is of full spectrum. If it is not, go buy another one to replace the old one. Make sure you have your lights on for 8-10 hours a day. This can best be accomplished with an automatic timer. You should also have some liquid iron and comprehensive plant supplement on hand. ( i use the seachem brand)Add 1ml of iron daily and 1 ml comprehensive stuff on mondays and fridays. This works excellent for me. Some other good plants to start off with once you get the hang of it are hornwart, ancharis and aponogeton plant bulbs. GOOD LUCK

[span class="edited"][Edited by clownloachfan 2004-07-30 13:54][/span]

Hi,

You can also start with the light you already have and try some plants like hornwort and the different species of java fern (windelov is a personal fav.), they are undemanding and they look great, Also don't fertilize right away, just plant your plants and watch them grow if they present symptoms of lack of nutrition, they will start to look yellowish, then you can go with ferts.

To get a full spectrum bulb will allow you to keep more plant species, the thumb rule for a good lighting for your tank is 3 watts per gallon of water. so you can consider that and keep it in mind for the future.

Another good plants for starters are anubias, aponogetons, and lily bulbs.

Good luck

With 15 watts of light up top, you can forget anubias, crypts, anacharis will even grow weak with a half watt per gallon..

Buy a 24" double strip light, this will add 30 watts to your existing light of 15 watts.

The Amazon Nut...