FishForums.com - View Single Post

**Damon** · 06-03-2005, 06:45 AM

Ahh yes! another plant enthusiast! You won't be sorry.

Lets look at a standard 30 gallon tank (good choice) its 36 inches long
Now depending on what type of plants you will want (lets keep it basic but not simple) You will want about 2.5-3wpg (watts per gallon).

Power compact lighting will be just fine in this situation (standard flourescent will be lacking and more expensive on anything less than 4 feet long)

JBJ (my personal favorite) makes a cpl of fixtures for you as does Coralife (not bad either) and Current USA (unknown to me).
These links are from Big Al's and Aquatic Store's site. Expect to pay a bit more if purchasing locally as the difference is usually associated with shipping.

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/...d1=1843;pcid2=

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/...2=;breadcrumb=

http://www.aquatic-store.com/en-us/dept_435.html

(I am biased toward aquatic store. Marcus is very helpful and may price match JBJ vs coralife. Great guy)

Now on to substrate..................
A good substrate will save you many, many headaches. SOme are more pricey than others but here's a list.

Eco-Complete (my fave but expensive
Flourite (Another good one I use)
Laterite (used beneath sand and works well)
ADA Aquasoil, Powersand (Probably the best products but are shipped from Japan which takes time right now. ~3 months and is the most expensive for this reason).
Plain pool sand or play sand (cheapest but lacking nutrients like iron)
Aquarium gravel (not recommended at all)
Soil (good but very hard to work with)

You will want a depth of approx 3 inches of whatever you use. Cost is up to you.

Rockwork, driftwood (every good aquascape has some of this)

With this setup you can grow just about anything you will want.
CO2 is something to be got tinto after the tank is setup. Post back when you are ready. There are many options here.

06-03-2005, 06:45 AM	#2
Damon Aquatic Naturalist Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Dayton, Ohio Age: 32 Posts: 14,982	Ahh yes! another plant enthusiast! You won't be sorry. Lets look at a standard 30 gallon tank (good choice) its 36 inches long Now depending on what type of plants you will want (lets keep it basic but not simple) You will want about 2.5-3wpg (watts per gallon). Power compact lighting will be just fine in this situation (standard flourescent will be lacking and more expensive on anything less than 4 feet long) JBJ (my personal favorite) makes a cpl of fixtures for you as does Coralife (not bad either) and Current USA (unknown to me). These links are from Big Al's and Aquatic Store's site. Expect to pay a bit more if purchasing locally as the difference is usually associated with shipping. http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/...d1=1843;pcid2= http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/...2=;breadcrumb= http://www.aquatic-store.com/en-us/dept_435.html (I am biased toward aquatic store. Marcus is very helpful and may price match JBJ vs coralife. Great guy) Now on to substrate.................. A good substrate will save you many, many headaches. SOme are more pricey than others but here's a list. Eco-Complete (my fave but expensive Flourite (Another good one I use) Laterite (used beneath sand and works well) ADA Aquasoil, Powersand (Probably the best products but are shipped from Japan which takes time right now. ~3 months and is the most expensive for this reason). Plain pool sand or play sand (cheapest but lacking nutrients like iron) Aquarium gravel (not recommended at all) Soil (good but very hard to work with) You will want a depth of approx 3 inches of whatever you use. Cost is up to you. Rockwork, driftwood (every good aquascape has some of this) With this setup you can grow just about anything you will want. CO2 is something to be got tinto after the tank is setup. Post back when you are ready. There are many options here. __________________ For in much wisdom [is] much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Member of the AGA (Aquatic Gardner's Association) Member of the IBC (International Betta Congress)