help with tank

[tieman]

Current Tank:

55G
Power Filter
Decent size gravel
Standard aquarium light
Few large rocks, and a small fake plant

What i want is a tank that will support plants.
So i need a new light, and substrate.
how many watts for the light? What kinda of substrate works best? I think i should probably start off with low light plants, they are probably a bit easier, then work my way up to other plants.
i like guppies, so im going to get a few of those, and i also like tetras, so how many can/should i get?

what other fish can i put in there with tetras and guppies? or maybe the better question is, what shouldnt i put in there? i dont want a overcrowded tank, a year ago, my friend dug up his pond, and gave me his goldfish, they basicly destroyed everything in my tank, and ate all my fish, i have given the goldfish a new home, and now i want to do this right from the beginning. right now the tank only has 2 female guppies, but its still really messed up from the goldfish, there is a brown algae all over.

thanks

[TheOldSalt]

Well, you don't have to worry about the brown algae, because you'll have to tear down the tank and start it all over again if you want plants.

There is a substrate you can buy called "Eco-Complete Planted Tank Substrate." It is black, and contains everything you need to grow plants. It's also 'live' so your tank gets cycled very very quickly after setup.

The standard lightstrip that probably came with the tank is not sufficient for growing most plants. If you really want a good luxurious growth of healthy plants, you're going to need some serious lighting, preferably with plant-grow type bulbs. Power compacts or VHO are what I would suggest right off the top of my head for such a tall tank.

Guppies and tetras in the same tank? It's doable, but there won't be any way to keep them both happy at the same time. Their preferred water chemistries are very different. Also, the flowing tails of guppies are a tempting snack for some tetras. I am a big tetra fan myself, and a 55 full of them is a sight to behold. A tankful of guppies is also very eyecatching, though, so I'd have a hard time making a choice.

There are some plants which may do very well under your current conditions. Get some Aponogeton bulbs from WalMart, in the pet supplies section. These grow very well, and very quickly, under most standard aquarium conditions. I plopped a bunch of them in my Emperor Tetra spawning tank only a few days ago, and they're already starting to grow. A few packs of bulbs can probably turn your tank into a jungle in a month without your having to change anything.

[osteoporoosi]

I suggest other livebearers with guooies. Swords would grow big in that decent size tank you got.
Bristlenoses could go with them.

[turtlehead]

low light plants can live between 1-2 watts per gallon, you should buy a bottle of Flourish by seachem and dose it once in a while, Flourite substrate is better that eco complete, I have had 2 experimental tanks compare then and you can get Flourite easier than eco in chain stores because eco is still fairly new. Don't put plecos in there, instaed use otocinlus for a algae crew.