planted 15 gallon checklist

[trashion]

okay, i'm planning out a planted 15 gallon. here's what i've got:

-20 lbs of eco-complete substrate. I may mix some plain black gravel in with it, as 20 pounds is not enough for proper substrate depth in a 15 gallon. sound good?

-i will be ordering flourish and flourish excel as i have heard very good things about them. can anyone give me info on flourish trace for trace minerals?

-the lighting on the top, i have no idea what it is. it's a fluorescent, 24" all-glass aquariums brand bulb. it came with the hood. does anyone have any experience with these: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...87&pcatid=3787
zoo med's tropic sun bulbs? would these be good for plants?

-i have some plants that are already thriving. 2 anubias barteri, 2 amazon swords [one is a baby, but the other is way outgrowing the tank, so i'll be getting rid of it] and some bunched cabomba and ludwigia which are just floating for the time being. do these sound compatible with what i've got planned?

thanks in advance! i appreciate it.

[JustOneMore20]

Originally Posted by trashion

okay, i'm planning out a planted 15 gallon. here's what i've got:

-20 lbs of eco-complete substrate. I may mix some plain black gravel in with it, as 20 pounds is not enough for proper substrate depth in a 15 gallon. sound good?

Sounds great. You may find that 20lbs gives you sufficient depth though. If you want more than about 2.5 inches though, the gravel will be fine mixed it.

-i will be ordering flourish and flourish excel as i have heard very good things about them. can anyone give me info on flourish trace for trace minerals?

Flourish (regular) has the trace/micro nutrients that you need. There is no need to dose that and Flourish trace IMO.

-the lighting on the top, i have no idea what it is. it's a fluorescent, 24" all-glass aquariums brand bulb. it came with the hood. does anyone have any experience with these: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...87&pcatid=3787
zoo med's tropic sun bulbs? would these be good for plants?

That particular bulb has a K rating of 5500K. It will work for plants, but the bulb is going to look very red, which you may or may not like. Personally, I'd try to find something around 6700K, as that is more pleasing to the eye IMO.

Do you know the Kelvin rating of your current bulb?

-i have some plants that are already thriving. 2 anubias barteri, 2 amazon swords [one is a baby, but the other is way outgrowing the tank, so i'll be getting rid of it] and some bunched cabomba and ludwigia which are just floating for the time being. do these sound compatible with what i've got planned?

You are not going to have enough light for the Cabomba and Ludwigia. To get more wattage, you are going to need another fixture if you want them to thrive. I can forsee them dying in the tank with the lighting you have.

A 40w fixture (with compact fluorescent bulbs) would work nicely for the plants you want to grow.