Few Questions for Fresh Water

[Swozzy87]

Ok... So I've had a 20 gallon tank for quite some time and its all good and everything... I tried using real plants but they always died, and I never really researched why. Well, I am moving and will be unable to take my current tank, so I am going to start up a new freshwater tank. I have just a few questions regarding some of the things i never really did with my old tank

1.) Ok... Real plants. It would be awesome if I could use them and not have them die. How do you take care of live plants? Can they be planted in either gravel or sand? (I plan on just using gravel) Any info on live plants is appreciated.

2.) Is a power filter recommended? I've been looking into an undergravel filter but have been hearing mixed reviews about them. Plus, I havnt had any expierience with them and wouldnt know how to set one up. So basically should I just stick with the power filter??

Any other tips you can give me would be great (like what brand of stuff you ahve found to work the best... stuff like that) Thanks for your time!!

 

[geoff]

UGFs and plants don't mix well. The roots will get into the water space under the rocks and cause problems. What size tank are you getting? If you can swing the cash, go for a canister filter.

Plants will work with gravel or sand. They also make special substrates specifically for plants.

I'd bet that the plants died in the old tank because of a lack of light. What type of light were you running? Also, what type of plants did you try? Some plants need more lights then others.

If you tell us what size tank you plan on getting, it will make it much easier for us to answer your questions.

 

[FroggyFox]

Excellent response geoff!

 

[Swozzy87]

Im getting a 20 gallon tank. I used a flourescent (spelling?) light and i cannot remember the types of plants i tried. I havnt heard much about the cannister filter... could i just use a power filter? Or you could fill me in on the cannister filter cuz that would be mighty helpful ^.^ and is there like fertilizer-type stuff i can buy for the plants to keep them healthy? or do i just bury them and make sure they get plenty of light? Thanks again!

Also: How long do you reccomend i keep the light on if i plan on using live plants? (i know differant plants need differant light, but in general)

 

[Lotus]

A power filter will be fine for that tank, you don't need a canister filter.

Most standard tank lighting won't really require you to use extra fertilizers. You can add an all-purpose fertilizer (like Flourish or Leaf Zone) if you want. Light is their main requirement, though. Try to choose plants that need low light if you have a standard tank hood. There's a list of low light plants here: http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_list.php?category=1&filter_by=2

The light should be on for 8 to 12 hours a day. More than that won't help anything, and might cause algae problems.