# First planted setup.....



## Angus1 (30 Sep 2008)

Hi, im new to this forum and not rally sure were to post this but here goes anyway 

Ive just decided that my 20g (that i set up as a planted tank a wile ago, and failed) is going to be a planted tank, again. Its dementions are 60cm x 36cm x 41cm (l x w x h) and at the moment its got one 55w t5 pc light on it. Is this enough for a fairly light demanding plants like Glossostigma Elatinoides?
Here is the plan that i have made.....






Would these plants be ok? I was thinking of using diy yeast Co2 injection as i cant afford presuised. Iv got a diffuser from a tetra Co2 opitimat sytem for it though. Iv got the rest of tetra one to but theres no way im going to remember to press the button every day! Im also going to use some sort of speciall plant substrate. Would Aquatic compost work with some fine black gravel on top or would it cloud the water? 

For fish i am thinking of about 20 Pseudomugil gertrudae and some cherry shrimp....

Sorry for the long post


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## vauxhallmark (30 Sep 2008)

Great idea to do some planning before you set up your tank, and get some input from the forum. 

You'll get loads of advice from everyone here. I'll start the ball rolling, and say that you're hoping to get too many plants in the tank (12), including some that could easily take over your tank - one each of the two big echinodorus would fill it nicely! You've shown them on your plan as taking up 10cm, but on Tropica's site they're listed as growing to 40cm wide!

You'll really have a job trying to get more than 3 or four different plants from front to back in your tank, and even then you'll have to stick to very small groups of each species.

Try doing a life size plan, on paper (you could cut or fold newspaper to get a piece 60 x 36) and really try to visualise the plants in situ, and you'll see that you're taking on too much with this plan. Try drawing them out life size - one well grown Cryptocoryne wendtii will have a diameter of about 10-12 cm (you can look up sizes at tropica.com). I know what you've done, cos we've all done it - gone through a book, or website, and gone 'ooh, I like that one, have to have that, and one of these, and one of those, and one of those...'. Try and find some pictures of 60 cm tanks, and see how many different plants people are keeping in them, and what kinds, and how big they look in the tank.

If you do produce a new plan, post it on here again. Sorry to hear that your last tank didn't work, keep researching, and keep up with the planning, and you can make it work. 

All the best, 

Mark


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## Angus1 (30 Sep 2008)

Thanks for your reply, 



> gone through a book, or website, and gone 'ooh, I like that one, have to have that, and one of these, and one of those, and one of those...'



Thats exacly what i did   

Ill have to have a look through the photo gallery on here for some inspiration


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## nickyc (30 Sep 2008)

Angus1 said:
			
		

> Ill have to have a look through the photo gallery on here for some inspiration



Lol!  That's almost as dangerous as the book... or the tropica site for that matter.  I end up with a bigger and bigger list.  And then another tank... and another...       Mark's advice is very good though - set yourself a max number to avoid that 'kid in a sweetshop' syndrome.  I'll manage it one day!


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## Angus1 (30 Sep 2008)

At the moment im thinking of going more towards the nature style of aquascaping. Would hairgrass reach 40cm high?


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## Angus1 (30 Sep 2008)

nickyc said:
			
		

> Angus1 said:
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Got 4 tanks already and havn't finished any of them


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## Angus1 (5 Oct 2008)

Ok, simplifyed it a bit    , ill but some java moss on the bogwood aswell


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