A Newbie Guide To A Planted Tank: Some Considerations

[Viciente]

There have been some posts recently about starting into a planted tank. As such, I wanted to repost this article I wrote so people would have an easier time finding it. It merely is just to get people thinking along the right lines of what can be involved if they wish to delve into a planted tank:

Unfortunately, there is no cut and dried answer for how to grow beautiful aquatic plants. I have recently started purchasing equipment required for an advanced, heavily planted tank.

There are a few general considerations you should think about when you're going to plant a tank:

The Watts Per Gallon (WPG) rule. This is a basic rule of thumb to let you know how much light you need for your tank. The rule is that you need around 3 watts per gallon to grow any kind of plant you like (Please keep in mind, this is using AMERICAN gallons, not British gallons 'cause they're larger). If you have less than 2 WPG there isn't a lot of plants which will do well in the tank. If you have more than 5 WPG you risk 'burning' some of the low-medium light requirement plants. Try looking at CoraLife or CurrentUSA. They have nice lights at reasonable price points for adequate planted tank lighting solutions. Also, please keep in mind that this general 'rule of thumb' breaks down at either end of the tank spectrum. If you have very small (under 20 gallon) or very large (over 150 gallon) the WPG rule doesn't work and you will have to research a more 'scientific' method for determining your light requirements.

Once you add more light, you're probably going to have to start injecting CO2 into your tank to get the maximum benefit from the increased light, so your plants will grow faster/better. The 'optimum' amount of CO2 in a tank varies on who you ask, but the 'general consensus' for CO2 levels is between 10 and 25 parts per million (ppm). There are various ways of testing how much CO2 you have in your water so do a little googling on the net or talk to some people at your LFS and they will instruct you on what you need to do. There are two major types of CO2 systems available to aquarists, natural CO2 systems and pressurized CO2 systems. The natural method of CO2 systems involves yeast and sugar water. As yeasts consume sugar, they give off CO2 as a byproduct, this is then injected into your tank using various methods. Generally, a natural CO2 injection method is what most of the people on here with small to mid-size tanks use. The drawback to a natural system is that it can be messy and labor intensive to keep the yeasts producing acceptable amounts of CO2. Therefore, for large or heavily planted tanks, pressurized systems are generally the best way to go. In this method, you purchase tanks of CO2 along with a regulator and possibly a CO2 reactor. This method, once set up is reliable and it is quite easy to keep CO2 levels in a tank right where you want them. However the major drawback is that the initial startup costs to a pressurized system can be quite high. Ultimately, as long as the method you chose can produce enough CO2 to keep your tank within the above specified ranges, then you're fine.

Nutrient requirements of plants. Now this is a biggy. Some plants get the bulk of their nutrients from the water. There are some that get the bulk of their nutrients from the substrate; there are some that do a little bit of both. You need to research the plants you have and the plants you're planning on getting to determine what they need to grow. Also what kind of substrate do you have in your tank? Is it inert? (sterile gravel, sand etc). Or does it have nutrients contained within it (Eco-Complete, Flourite etc). If it's normal gravel you will have to determine how you're going to get the nutrients into the substrate so your plants will grow. You will also have to add fertilizers to the water on a regular basis. Now there are different types of fertilizers (micronutrient, macronutrient etc) that you will have to look into. The SeaChem website has a good fertilizer dosing chart to help you determine what you need to do. The key is research, research, research, and when you think you've researched enough, do a little more research just to make sure. This will educate you and allow you to make the best and most educated opinions about your plants. MFT is a great place to find out tons of info. Just gotta do a little digging. Another good resource is the "Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants" by Peter Hiscock. It’s a good beginner guide to planted tanks. Or if you're a scientist and you need some really good bedtime reading, you can read "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" by Diana Walstad. This book reads like a cross between a science textbook and stereo instructions, so be forewarned. But there is a metric ton of great info in both books, so you may want to check them out.

What kind of filtration does your current tank employ? Is it a 3 stage filtration (physical, chemical, biological)?. If so you might have some concerns because chemical filtration will often remove a lot of nutrients from the water. Often times, having lots of plants and a well established physical/biological filtration method will work just as good, if not better than having 3 stage filtration. How does the filtered water enter back into your tank? Do you have a BioWheel filter? Is it a standard HOB (Hang on back). If there is a lot of surface agitation (which HOB and BioWheel filters produce), then you will have difficulty keeping higher levels of CO2 in your tank because the tank is constantly being aerated . Best way to reduce that is have the filter return submerged (from a canister or in tank filter)so there is minimal surface agitation. But then you need to make sure your fish are getting enough oxygen and are not suffocating. This is especially true during overnight hours when photosynthesis stops (ie oxygen production by plants stop) and normal plant respiration occurs (ie, BOTH your plants and fish consume oxygen and produce CO2). You don’t want to wake up and see your fishies gasping for air at the top of the tank. So you will have to figure out a balance and what works best for you…

Now, I know that I haven’t given you necessarily the answer you were looking for as in “yes, it’s all great. Go ahead”. But I do hope that I set you off in the right direction, and hopefully didn’t discourage you from endeavoring into having a planted tank. Yes, it is more work. But it is also incredibly rewarding. You will have a beautiful tank which doubles as a work of art. Your plants will thank you because they are getting all of what they need, and as a result, your fish will be happier because the plants will ensure your tank is as healthy as it can be.

If you have anymore questions, you’ve found the right place.

Regards,
Vic.

[janlo]

gracias!

i would make it a sticky since theres not much info about the basics of planted tank in MFT

[saphirehaze]

Thanks,

You gave me a starting place to find answers to a lot of my own questions

[Plantasia]

Awesome! This answers some of my questions in the beginner's forum. I wish I knew about these boards when I first got started a few years ago.

[cybersymes]

just what i need...nice sticky...

[wonghee76]

hai...everyone..

i m very new here and very far away as i m from asia

this is cold...i just set up my water plant tank and i m confuse with the pH and KH requirement for water plant...and how to increase or decrease the pH and KH?


can any body help me?

thanks
Hee

[Lotus]

The plants in general don't care about the pH and KH in your tank. The lighting requirements are generally a more important indicator of whether the plant is suitable for your tank.