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L# Freshwater Aquaria
 L# Planted Aquaria
  L# beginner at planted tank...
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featherrrrr
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Fingerling
Posts: 19
Kudos: 13
Votes: 0
Registered: 22-Jul-2004
female usa
im planning to turn my plain old 20g tank
into a planted tank but i need major help.
im considering to put in java ferns,
mini moss, and hornwort. are these okay to
put in one tank? do they need different care?
do i need to change my gravel into sands or
can i keep my gravels? in my tank, i have
air stone, Penguin BIO-Wheel Power Filter,
and a heater. do i need any thing else?
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:43Profile PM Edit Report 
johnsmith
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Enthusiast
Posts: 166
Kudos: 144
Votes: 0
Registered: 13-May-2004
male canada
Well, I'm no expert with plants but I can get things started for you.

You definitely don't need to worry about changing your gravel b/c hornwort does best when it's floating and Java Fern & mini moss have to be attached to something such as a piece of driftwood or a pourous rock, e.g. lava rock. You can just tie them on with thread or fishing line.

I had my hornwort tied to things so it wouldn't float, but pieces near the bottom were constantly dieing so now I let it float and it's doing better. It actually looks good as it provide a nice canopy.

I'm not sure about mini moss but Java Fern & hornwort don't need any special care, they're pretty hardy plants.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:43Profile PM Edit Report 
joe fishy
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Fish Addict
Posts: 605
Kudos: 1355
Votes: 65
Registered: 21-Apr-2003
male usa
What kind of light will you have? This will be the major factor in growing plants. You can get by with those plants on 1 watt per gallon (I do!), but if you can afford it, 2 or even 3 watts per gallon will really open up more possibilities for you. In a freshwater tank, go for bulbs with a color temp of about 6700K, aka 'daylight' or 'full spectrum' bulbs. Good growing to you!
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:43Profile PM Edit Report 
Rosko_22
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Hobbyist
Posts: 86
Kudos: 78
Votes: 0
Registered: 01-Jun-2004
male canada
Even if you decide to add other plants later on you may not need to change the gravel. If the tank's been set up for awhile, with fish, you should have a pretty good amount of mulm build-up.
I planted my tank a few months ago after using plastic plants for two years. Just plain old aquarium gravel, plants are doing great.
Trust me, once you get hooked in to the planted tank thing it's hard to limit yourself to only three plants.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:43Profile PM Edit Report 
featherrrrr
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Fingerling
Posts: 19
Kudos: 13
Votes: 0
Registered: 22-Jul-2004
female usa
i have a plain old 15 watt Fluorescent lights.
for my tank, do i need any CO2 devices?
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:43Profile PM Edit Report 
DaMossMan
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Fish Guru
Piranha Bait
Posts: 2511
Kudos: 2117
Votes: 359
Registered: 16-Nov-2003
male canada ca-ontario
Not for the plants you're keeping, although CO2 would benefit any plant. Keep it simple for now.

The Amazon Nut...
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:43Profile Homepage PM Edit Report 
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