Newbie to Plants

Ok, I have an established 45 gallon fish tank (10+ years). I have
artificial plants and would like to replace them with real ones.

So here are my 'dumb' questions:

What plants should I start with?

How many plants should I put in the tank?

Will my plecos eat certain plants?

Any other help would be appreciated

Thanks
Brent

In article , Brent wrote:
Ok, I have an established 45 gallon fish tank (10+ years). I have
artificial plants and would like to replace them with real ones.

So here are my 'dumb' questions:

Surf on over to www.thekrib.com and check out their planted tank section.
All your dumb questions and more will be answered Seriously, what kind
of light is over that tank? Probably not nearly enough for plants
to grow, otherwise you'll have noticed massive algae growth. You'll
likely have to upgrade, check out www.ahsupply.com for the best deal
around on light retrofit kits. What filter cleans your tank? If you have
an undergravel filter then consider taking it out (!), or if you're brave,
planting heavily and turning it off. Again, a few evenings browsing
through the Krib will explain this.

What plants should I start with?

Cheap ones! If you have a fish club or enthusiast nearby, cuttings
(weedings), can be had for free. Otherwise the krib has advice relevant
to specific tank parameters, like light, water hardness, temperature, etc.

How many plants should I put in the tank?

As many as will fit. That's where cheap plants fit into the scheme. Once
you turn on a bright light, you'll want a lot of plants to out-compete the
algae.

Will my plecos eat certain plants?

Yup.

Any other help would be appreciated

As a strategy, may I suggest a lot of reading and then re-post here with
your specific plan. My biggest mistake going from fish -only to planted
was not having modern, ie. post-internet, information.

Good luck,
Mike

Books have been written on the question you ask. I'd recommend checking out
online info such as the following page
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/ It has info for many different levels of
aquarists and will get you started off on the right foot.

It's a great hobby, but I warn you, there's a lot of info to assimilate at
first. Don't let it stop you though!

Allison


"Brent" wrote in message
...
Ok, I have an established 45 gallon fish tank (10+ years). I have
artificial plants and would like to replace them with real ones.

So here are my 'dumb' questions:

What plants should I start with?

How many plants should I put in the tank?

Will my plecos eat certain plants?

Any other help would be appreciated

Thanks
Brent

I agree. Read the Krib-top to bottom.
Get the most wattage(light) you can afford for your tank.you dont have to
only go with PC's you can retrofit T8's and still get good light. Also not
all plecos will eat plants. What kind do you have?

ANy plant is a good plant. be careful with Crypts they can rot if your water
changes. Also I would seriously consider going with some sort of CO2
setup.It will help immensly especially if you ugrade the tank lighting as
well.Consider a laterite or flourite substrate as well.
Remember to ask a lot of questions before you make a mistake. everyone here
has done it already so you wont have to.
good luck,
Matt

"Brent" wrote in message
...
Ok, I have an established 45 gallon fish tank (10+ years). I have
artificial plants and would like to replace them with real ones.

So here are my 'dumb' questions:

What plants should I start with?

How many plants should I put in the tank?

Will my plecos eat certain plants?

Any other help would be appreciated

Thanks
Brent

Really depends on how much lighting you have and water parameters on
what plants to start off with
Generally plants like anubias are best with plecos though as they eat
most other plants


Marc
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On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 14:34:14 -0800, "Brent" wrote:

Ok, I have an established 45 gallon fish tank (10+ years). I have
artificial plants and would like to replace them with real ones.

So here are my 'dumb' questions:

What plants should I start with?

How many plants should I put in the tank?

Will my plecos eat certain plants?

Any other help would be appreciated

Thanks
Brent