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down to business. i have a few small tanks, one of darios, one betta tank and one with a few tetra. i have recently purchased a larger tank and am looking for ideas. its 50 gallon and i am purchasing the fluval 305 filter next week to start it cycling. i want a south american themed tank with lots of plants such swords and hornwart- however this would be my first time to attempt such a tank. before i fill the tank and start it cycling i would appreciate any substrate advice, when to start adding the plants, as well as which plants to choose and where to place them- i want to have an established plant base before i start to add any fish but have no experience in starting a tank like this.

basically i want as much advice as possible from plants to fish selection! im excited to have the tank and have a rough idea of what im working toward and cant wait to get it started.

Hi,
Welcome to Planted Aquaria.

Here is a link to one of the on line sites that sells
plants.

http://www.azgardens.com/habitats_south.php

Look at the list, notice that that light
requirement is for 1.5 Watts/gallon (wpg), and use any
#2 or #3 aquarium gravel or one of the "plant friendly"
gravels such as Sachems' Fluorite, or Echo Complete.

Write down the names of the plants, and look at their
individual pictures so you know what they look like.
Note the quantities and ratio of plants in each package
and the quantity of plants for each size tank.

Then go to your LFS or some site available to you and
begin obtaining the plants. Basically, you can buy and
set the tank where you want it, clean the substrate and
dump it in, pour in the water, and add the plants. You
do not need to wait, one afternoon will do it all.

Read the FAQ about cycling a tank before adding the fish.
Have a rough idea of the layout for the tank and plant
according to that plan. Fill the tank about a third to
a half full, and then plant the plants.
Don't stick the plants in the gravel look at them and
pull them up and replant them.
Do it once and then leave them.


Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

thats perfect franks, thanks. just what i was after- i have a book i have been reading, tho it doesnt have ratios of plants to start with, so that link was exactly what i was after.

do you think i would require some sort of CO2 system or would it be better to plant everything and see how it goes first?

thanks again frank

Hi,
I'm glad I could help. As far as CO2 is concerned,
it is not a necessity in most beginning tanks.
I read a phrase once that has stuck with me...
Light is the engine that drives plant growth, and Carbon
is the fuel. If you stick with what we call low light
plants such as crypts and Anubis, etc.,CO2 is unnecessary.
Those plants have evolved to grow slowly and take advantage
of many sources of carbon by breaking down organic
compounds found in tank water. Not heavily planting, and
a normal fish load will supply nearly all the carbon that
these plants would need. If you heavily plant the tank with
these plants, then you will need to add aquarium plant
fertilizer to the water as different plants use different
nutrients at different rates. For instance, some need iron
at only the barest trace, while others heavily rely on iron.

The higher light demand plants and stem plants grow at a
faster rate and use more nutrients for that growth.
By limiting the carbon you are limiting their growth.
These plants would show immediate benefit from the use
of injected carbon as they grew at a faster rate, and more
lush growth. They too can, and do, break down the bonds
in organic compounds to obtain their carbon, but if you
give them "free carbon" in the form of injected CO2,
it's like they are at a banquet and gorge themselves.
They extract that carbon from the disolved gas and burst
into growth.

Generally speaking, if you stick with 2 watts per gallon
of light, and plants that are considered low and some
medium light demand, you would be fine without injected
CO2. If you hit 3+watts per gallon, you should also figure
in to your start up costs, the price of a CO2 system.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

ok, so i agree, i think its easier to stick with 2 watts per gallon of light and choose plants accordingly, then to immerse my self in systems i dont have any experience with (co2) at the same time as adjusting to the extra resposibilty of my new tank. thanks frank, i think what i will do is lay the plants from a selection from those available in the link and see how they go.

so now i know roughly which lights i need as well as having a good idea of the plants to purchase. thanks very much- its much better to approach a project with some sense of direction.

hopefully all will go well and i will be back in touch when its time to start choosing the fish./:'

Hi Dan,
Very good. I'm glad we could help.


Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--