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Frank, this one's probably for you.

I'm looking at possibly purchasing one, maybe two of these packages to plant my tank. My first question is, (and yes I'm going to look up the plants I'm not familiar with! ) which of these will do well in my setup without me needing to invest in CO2 injection? My second question involves substrate.

I have, currently, 30 watts of light on a 55 gallon tank. That's going to change, after the end of the month it will increase to 80 watts (1.45wpg). I'm probably going to go with AquaGlo bulbs. I am looking at a CO2 kit, but one of the more inexpensive ones that's not attached to a CO2 tank, something like the Turbo CO2 Bio-System (but either one rated for my tank, or two smaller units), but that's probably another month down the road, and I don't want to rely on something I don't have yet.

My substrate right now is a mix of "common" aquarium gravel (like you buy at walmart) and river rock. I have no real emotional ties to the gravel, except that I like the way it looks. But I don't know if plants will do well in it. At the same time, I know I don't need to disturb whatever bacteria cultures have set up in the substrate (tank's been set up for 3 months now).

Anyway, plants!

Option 1 (right now my preferred option, as far as mix and colors):
Java fern - 5 bunches
Java fern lace - 2 plants
Rotala rotundifolia - 2 bunches
Ludwigia repens - 2 bunches
Pearlgrass - 2 bunches
Micranthemum umbrosum - 2 bunches
Rotala rotundifolia - 2 bunches
Alternanthera reineckii - 2 bunches
Ludwigia arcuata - 2 bunches
Ludwigia repens - 2 bunches
Vallisneria spiralis - 2 bunches

Option 2:
Java fern - 5 portions
Cryptocoryne balansae- 5 plants
Cryptocoryne Assorted - 5 plants
Echinodorus tenellus - 20 plants
Amazon sword - 5 plants
Java fern Lace - 2 plants

Option 3:
Nymphae Rubra - 2 plants
Ammania graclis - 2 bunches
Ludwigia glandulosa - 2 bunches
Hygro corymbosa - 4 bunches
Pogostemon Stellatus - 1 bunch
Crypt Balansae - 2 bunches
Lobelia - 2 plants

Option 4 (I like the color options here, but it seems to be all low-height):
Anubias nana - 10 leaves
Pearlgrass - 2 bunches
Rotala rotundifolia - 2 bunches
Limnophila aromatica - 2 bunches
Ludwigia glandulosa - 2 bunches
Ludwigia repens - 2 bunches


Listen! Do you smell that?

I would go with option 2 because the other ones have plants that need high light (over 2.5 watts per gallon.

-Vincent

Hi,
First, the lighting. Unless you get your wpg over 2+, the
plants that you will be able to have thrive will be all
considered low light plants. Plants such as any of the
crypts, Anubis and some java fern.
That leads me into the second,
Unless you are using higher light (wpg) there is no sense
in purchasing or injecting CO2. The low light plants grow
so slowly and have evolved to use the available nutrients,
that CO2 is very nearly a complete waste of time.
When you exceed 2 wpg and especially 3+ wpg, then CO2
becomes practically a necessity. As the Medium and high
light plants grow so rapidly with the higher light driving
them that they consume the available nutrients far more
rapidly. Light is the engine, and Carbon is the fuel for
plant growth.

Frank


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

Ok. What I had planned on doing was actually going the (cheap) shoplight route, since really so many people had advocated it for my setup, rather than going with one of the fixtures I'd mentioned in my other thread. However, the Odyssea 48" 65x2-130 watt (2.36wpg) fixture is not off the list!

Listen! Do you smell that?