sorry stupid question.

[balafreak]

i was thinking about getting live plants for my 10 gallon tank.but my favorite and most reliable fish store around hobbyland told me that if you get live plants you need to buy special chemicals to help them grow and maintain color.the liguid comes in little tubes for $5.i dont want to keep buying this each week.so do i need to buy the chemicals.sorry about this,i wasnt sure if this would be a bigginers question or a question to post in the live plants forum.again im sorry about this i only want others opinions

 

[jefftaylor]

Please READ the sticky for the second third fourth time. Why are you always looking for the quick answer. The only way to learn is to read it for yourself. Read the section on plants.

 

[homebunnyj]

Actually, it is good to ask before leaping in and having something else to deal with.
Learning to keep plants alive is a whole other thing with much more to learn. It is smart to get the fishkeeping part down pat first. Live plants while you are learning to keep fish alive would just complicate things. You think it's hard to keep the water good for fishes, just try figuring out if your plants are dying because they need more ferts or less, more nitrate, or co2, or stronger light, or potassium, or just what. I've been studying up on plants since December, and am just now starting to get a few little plants. Plus, you will need to keep buying fertilizers, but not every week.
Learn to keep your fish alive first. Then, in a few months, when your tank is very stable and you are looking for a new challenge (read: something else to research thoroughly), then you might want to think about a planted tank.
(You at least asked some questions at the lfs before posting up. That's a start. You're always welcome to gather other opinions from experienced aquarists, just 'do your homework' first so we don't have to waste time explaining what you could find out quicker on your own. I really thought you were yanking our chain when you asked what kind of fish it was when the name of the pic told you. Anybody here is glad to answer an honest question from someone who has truly made an effort to find out something about it him/herself.)

 

[balafreak]

cool thanx im actually going to my lfs to have them check my water becuase they said there is a possibility the kit i bought to test water was defective and so when they test my water if the results are dif theyll give me 50 bucks back and a 25 dollar gift card to there store.soim really trying hard to get the water conditions right for fish.and thank you homebunnyj for that image of how hard it will be to raise plants.

 

[Seleya]

You can try anacharis, java fern or java moss without using any special chemicals etc.

 

[balafreak]

but i heard that javamoss grows out of control really quick.oh and i actually was researching javamoss last night.no one said how to keep it under control
or if i can trim it down so my entire tanks not covered with the stuff.

 

[Orion]

It normaly takes java moss a good while before it becomes established and starts growing rapidly. And if you don't provide great conditions for it then it's not going to grow fast at all.

 

[Salty Fishes]

I've never heard of java moss growing that quickly. I have a tank with great lighting and co2 injection, and it grows much more slowly than my other plants. Anyway, each strand of java moss is a separate plant, so if it did become out of control, you could just pull out whatever you wanted to and the rest would be fine.

 

[balafreak]

thanks,someone from another forum on a dif site said it gets big really quick.

 

[Seleya]

I have had java moss absolutely thrive in one tank and just sit there in another -- same water and care. It can live with minimal care as can the other plants I suggested. Huge lighting and CO2 are niceties but not as important than some people may lead you to think. If you're doing something simple with "easy" plants, you can do fine with stock lighting and decent care you'd normally do for your fish. If you want something very special like a Dutch aquarium or high light/maintenance plants, then you'll need to concern yourself with the things which help make them successful.

 

[balafreak]

thanks so being what your all telling me would javamoss be a good beginners plant for someone as my self.and i have another very very stupid question.in another post someone said that they took rocks and boiled them to make a cave in thier tank.are these rocks puchased at a store or rocks found from outside.sorry about my stupidity i thought you guys would know best.

 

[Orion]

Yeah I think that's where this is going.

Check out the plant section and read though some of the old threads. If your looking for more specific information you can use the search function which will let you read about all sorts of experiences and opinions from other members. If you still hunger for more information try this.

 

[ninamarie]

Please READ the sticky for the second third fourth time. Why are you always looking for the quick answer. The only way to learn is to read it for yourself. Read the section on plants.

This poster so jumped on you. You can ask as many questions you like and do what you want. Jeff here is a little off the handle sorry but I think he needs to appoligize to you

 

[SeaMonkeyMiner]

Yea java moss is a good plant to start off with. It can grow fast but its not fast enough that day you leave for school and when you come back it has completely taken over the tank. If it gets to big you can just pull some out. and give it to a friend or throw it in the trash. but never put in a local stream or pond

 

[lostnconfused]

out of curiousity, why not put it in a stream or pond??

 

[seastaar88]

invasive species can quickly take over a native body of water and outcompete indiginous species.

 

[Seleya]

You don't want to put it in a stream or pond for the reason seastar gave but also because it's VERY illegal and, if the java moss were to thrive in a local area and affect the ecosystem, eventually java moss would be illegal to buy, as would any other kinds of non-native aquatic plants if some lawmakers had their way.

bala> asking questions is fine, but asking questions while telling us how little research you're doing on your own is rude. We cannot make your decisions for you -- everyone has their own tastes. Quite frankly, I'm not keen on reading/participating in certain threads after a pattern develops with a poster. Please, try the search function right up top on the forum's tool bar (there are LOADS of threads dealing with preparing rocks found in one's yard for tank use and you'll never have to apologise for a "stupid question" again), please do some research on your own, even if it's simply walking the aisles of a lfs just to see what appeals to you, then look up the scientific names to be sure they might be appropriate before bringing them here to us to see what our experience is. This is how many of us learned! I know I've gained an immeasurable amount of knowledge just reading these forums -- you're always going to learn something new if you try!

 

[balafreak]

thanks seleya and everyone else.

 

[Shaunna]

Also, just because we are telling you to do your own research and we get upset with you for not doing it or for asking questions you could easily find the answer to, does not mean your questions are stupid! There is no such thing as a stupid question!!!!! That is the only way to learn. It is just that the basics are pretty well covered in the stickies. If you have detailed questions about those basics, then by all means... ask away! Again, just try to doa few things on your own and then come back here for the details from us, but, like previously stated, you can find SOOOOOO much valuable information by using the search engine in this forum and reading through past posts! IT can be a bit tricky but I believe there isa sticky explaining how to use it as well! Please, quit starting with "this is a stupid question"..... NO, it isn't, just not a very researched question. You are getting there, slowly but surely! *thumbsups