# A few newbie questions before I look into this.



## sousvide (May 5, 2014)

Hi all,

I'm evaluating the idea of going to planted tanks. I have no aquarium experience nor do I have a strong desire to have a fish only tank (replete with your typical or run-of-the-mill aquarium décor). I love the idea of landscape in a tank with a species or two of schooling fish. I've got a few newbie questions that I hope scare me off or lure me in.

How much time, on a weekly basis does a planted tank take?
How friendly are planted tanks for children? I have two, very well behaved children, 6 & 3 that are keen to the idea of fish. One of the primary reasons for the planted tank is to get my oldest into ecosystem cycles as she has a fairly analytical and deductive mind.
I'm debating between a 60cm or a 90cm tank - I've been told by a good friend who has both that a larger tank is easier to maintain the water stability. I have space for one or the other but I'm getting dizzy looking at the prices for parts and set up. Is a 90cm that much more in cost (filtration, lights, etc.) over a 60cm?
While I do have space for either tank, placement might be a factor. I've decided in our living room but on carpet OR in the dining area much closer to the kitchen but also beside a bay window (which I can draw a shade to filter the light). Is a tank in a living room, on carpet a bad idea? This is my inner 'wife' asking.
Are there any, "did you think about" questions that I should consider?

Thanks in advance!


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## pistachoo (Sep 6, 2010)

Hm, no one's responded yet? I'll give it a go, even though I consider myself a "long time noob"... if others reply after and disagree with anything I say, take their word over mine!

1. Time spent depends on species of plants chosen. Hardy plants in a low tech tank = less work. (high tech tank = more light + CO2, faster growing plants and other finicky stuff I know little to nothing about)

2. Plants are generally passive and don't bite  I don't know why there would be a difference in terms of "child friendly" with a planted v. non planted tank. I love your reasons for setting one up for your children's learning!

3. I've never measured tanks in cm; usually you go by volume (gallons or litres). Regardless, your friend is correct: the larger the tank, the easier it is to maintain water stability. On the flip side, a 50% water change = many more trips back and forth with the bucket! Regarding prices, go used. The classified section of the forums here are full of equipment (tanks, equipment, parts, and full set ups) for sale (and plants and livestock too), and everyone seems to be eager to help. I need to stop browsing it because I have no more room or money, haha! If you buy fish from a pet store, take anything they tell you with a grain of salt because they might just be trying to sell you stuff. (ie, I went in looking for a khuli loach for a community tank and was told that a tire track eel was equivalent in terms of temperament and adult size. ROFL)

4. I have hardwood floors throughout so I can't comment on the carpet question; I would suggest you consider how water changes will go when placing your tank: It's so much easier with a clear path to and from the sink when dealing with buckets brimming with water 

5. Off the top of my head, these are some of the things I found useful to remember:
* get proper testing kits for various water parameters
* learn about tank cycling & water testing before adding fish you intend to keep alive
* over-stocking with fish = more work (water changes)
* expensive plants and fish are easier to kill (Murphy's law)
* there is no such thing as too much filtration
* activated carbon filter media removes nutrients plants need (more on filter media)
* dealing with algae everywhere isn't quite as simple as getting algae eaters; it's also related to light, nutrients & plant growth
* having said that, I wouldn't consider my tank complete without at least one pleco - bristlenose don't grow as large as others - and some driftwood

I too have always prefered planted tanks with fish in them, and I stubbornly want to keep _everything_ alive and well: I don't want to pick plants over fish, or vice versa! It's trickier than I thought paying attention to everything at once, but it's fun staring at the thing while puzzling it all out. For instance, I've dumped my snails into a smaller tank I've set up to learn the voodoo that is a high tech tank, but with the substrate, driftwood and CO2 the pH keeps going too low (I think?) and the snails can't seem to maintain their shells. But I also know that causing drastic changes in water parameters might cause problems for the few fish I have in there. Meanwhile, some of the plants are growing while others seem to be melting. 

Most important rule of all: enjoy!


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## greenfin (Nov 4, 2013)

Somehow I missed this post when it was first posted...

As I love my planted tank, I hope you decide to go for it! Here is a rambling ramble on my starting into planted tanks. I hadn't had aquariums since age 11. Fast forward 20+ years and, boy, a lot had changed! I got back into the hobby with a 55 gallon and a forest of plastic plants...

As far as size, yes, a larger tank is easier. Something to consider is that most hobbyists after a few months of really enjoying this new hobby, wish they had a bigger tank....I have a 90 gallon. Got that 4 months after I decided my 55gal was just too small to plant! That's just me but many forum members here could tell you their "upgrade" stories, I'm sure!

I love gardening anyway and so I enjoy the dynamic, nurturing aspect of planted tanks. Compared to plastic plants. 

Do your research (ask on here!) some good plants for newbie's to try. There are many.

When I got into planted tanks I did research lighting. Hummed and hawed about the cost but got a fixture that I wouldn't need to upgrade if I decided to go high-tech with my lighting. I suppose that meant I started out high-tech!  This way I could put any plant I'd care to try. I still stuck with beginner plants, though! I have set up some planted tanks in my basement and found that getting regular grow lights from a hydroponics store grows the plants great. Not as aesthetically pleasing, I suppose. A shorter light fixture (36" vs 48") is definitely less money though. I'm glad I did this as I would have had to upgrade as my interest in the hobby grew. (ha! literally!) There are probably many forum members that could give advice on what lighting options are good for you. Ask!

There are specific planted tank substrates available for purchase. They are expensive but many planted tank hobbyists swear by them. A smaller tank would require less substrate (of any kind) and so keep your costs down. I'm not too familiar with growing in substrates other than the planted tank specific ones as from the get-go I chose to use the ADA stuff. I figured that as a noob, I needed all the help I could get. Again, other members may chime in with their substrate experiences. There are lots of previous threads on this forum about substrate choice!

Plants need CO2. Some plants need only a little of it and some plants are greedy for it. This is where plant research can help you see success. Most people start a planted tank without added CO2. There are plants that are quite happy with this. Some people start to add products like Excel (a liquid CO2 source for your plants) to make their plants happier. As people get more interested in it, they may give the pop bottle + yeast + sugar thingy a try. The yeast makes lovely CO2 for you which you put into your tank via airline tubing. I do this on my basement tanks. Works great. Not too much control over how much/little CO2 the yeast creates though...The high-tech hobbyists will set up a pressurized CO2 system (ka-ching) and enter the world of balancing CO2 addition with water parameters. When I first started into planted tanks I wasn't going to use a pressurized system. A month later, I had one. I'm a nerd at heart I suppose. It wasn't too hard to get the hang of it and I was a total noob to planted tanks. More set-up cost, but almost nil on the maintenance. So far...

I suppose "ferts" need a mention. When I started out I didn't know anything about fertilizing via adding to the tank water. Surely the substrate I paid big bucks for had it all? Wrong! Just like your hungry summer annuals, the plants needed the N-P-K for nutrients. That's nitrate, potassium and phosphorus. Once I learned that, and starting adding these ferts to my tank the plants did much, much better. There's a bit more to ferts than this but that's the most basic.

Golly, that was long. Hopefully you don't mind lots of reading...sorry. Oh, one more thing...

Tank maintenance is a big issue for me. I have a one year old now and the aquarium still needs to be maintained but not to the neglect of housework, job, cooking, shopping...blah..blah...blah. It's impossible to work on the tank while she's awake so I have to work fast while she's napping! I recently rebuilt my tank and chose plants that had tidy growth habits and were a little slower growing. This has cut my maintenance time considerably and I find it quite manageble to do weekly tank maintenance in about an hour, maybe hour and a half when I clean my filter or something. Having moaned about it, my daughter LOVES the fish tank and I hope when she's a bit older she'll be into helping out with it. I hope! It's been a big plus for our family and I glow with pride when visitors comment on how beautiful it is. Very rewarding!


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## TomC (Apr 21, 2010)

sousvide said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I'm evaluating the idea of going to planted tanks. I have no aquarium experience nor do I have a strong desire to have a fish only tank (replete with your typical or run-of-the-mill aquarium décor). I love the idea of landscape in a tank with a species or two of schooling fish. I've got a few newbie questions that I hope scare me off or lure me in.
> How much time, on a weekly basis does a planted tank take?
> ...


1. You can spend 30 minutes a week for maintainance and water change for a 90 cm tank. (Plus daily feeding.)

2. Well behaved kids are no problem with any tank.

3. A 90 cm is more expensive, but buy used. There are great deals in the BCAquaria want ads.

4. Direct sunlight can be a problem. Do you want the shade pulled on a beautiful summer day? Water will get on the carpet sometimes. But is that a major issue for you?

5. You might consider Flourish Excel to help the plants grow, but keep it away froo the children.


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## UnderseaGal (Mar 4, 2014)

Hi sousvide,

I can't answer your more technical questions as I'm a newbie myself, but I can share my newbie experience with you. I got started with a planted tank, no CO2, no fancy lights or anything, just the kit that came with the tank. I was advised very well on this forum re: which plants to choose - check out this fantastic post by Reckon:

http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/planted-tank-specific-13/list-plants-suitable-low-tech-tanks-70306/

I ended up with a bacopa plant, a bunch of anubias, some java fern and some wisterias. All are growing well and easily, and it's fun to trim them into whatever shape you want them in. I'm not using any special fertilizers or anything, and so far the plants all look great.

In terms of maintenance, the plants really don't add much - you have to plant them at the beginning, but once the tank is going, it's only a few minutes extra to trim them once in a while.

Good luck!


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

Lots of good info on here 

Live plants are fun and can be a challenge at the same time. I will give some of my own advice on what I think is important to succeed with plants and a new tank

First off and the most important IMO. Cycling a fish tank and aquarium nitrogen cycle. These are 2 very important things to know for a new fish keeper. Google them. Read a few articles on it. Read it again and again until you fully understand it 

Once you understand the above than its time to conceder plants. Lighting is going to a determining factor if your plants do well or not. Old flourecent bulbs that come with many starter tanks are a thing of the past. A double bulb T5 fixture with 6,4000k bulbs will grow plants in most tanks fairly well. There are Leds on the market now. They are more expensive but cheaper to run and no bulbs need replacing. Not all LED are meant for plant growth so finding a fixture that does is key. Too much light the plants will grow very fast and require more attention. Too little light the plants will melt away. 

A good substrate is another key to success. The best 1 out there is ADA but its a little pricey. Eco complete and a few others work well also. Normal aquarium gravel does nothing for plants so if you want a successful planted tank find a proper plant substrate 

GH/KH/PH are important in the longevity of the tank. I will talk about GH which is General Hardness. BC tap water has no GH in the water. Plants and fish require GH in there water as it a source of many elements that are needed. Equilibrium by Seachem is a simple product to use. It raises GH. I wont get into PH and KH but read up on Buffering Capacity. It will explain all about PH/KH

Dosing the tank with some sort of fertilizer is also a good idea. Seachem makes an all in one fert that has worked well for me. 

As for maintenance as mentioned by others its minimal. Finding the right plants is key. Some plants work well in one persons tank but not in someone else's. You need to find plants that work for your tank so this can take some trial and error. The good thing is they are relatively cheap $5.99 each at most LFS or buy them on here from members


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