Beginner Looking for Advice on Starting up Planted Aquarium

[AquaJay96]

Hello to anybody who might read this!

 

JUST LOOKING FOR SOME ADVICE 

 

My name is Jamie and I have recently fell in love with fish keeping, I have ADHD and Mild Autism and feel like I have found my lifetime hobby. I currently have a 25L (5-6 Gallon) aquarium with 4 Female Guppies and 2 Female Bettas. I am hoping to double up in size in terms of tank size(maybe to a 60-70L), fish species and really want to start a planted aquarium but struggling to find anyone to help me with any questions I have. I think my autism tends to hold me back with speaking to people face to face. 

If anybody would be willing to help with a couple of questions I have it would be really helpful and appreciated. 
 

Thank you to whoever may have read this post

Edited November 21, 2022 by AquaJay96

[Minanora]

Welcome to the community! You'll find lots of advice and we're all happy to answer questions.

I will say, upgrading tank sizes is always exciting! What are your current water parameters like? Are you using tap water? How long have you had your current tank set up?

What other fish are you interested in keeping?

When do we get to see pictures of your fish? haha 🤪

[lefty o]

tons of people will answer questions for you. the basics for a planted tank are exactly like a non planted tank, just add plants. you do get into how much light, fertilizers etc. make sure to hit up the plant section of the forum or even general, and ask away. the other forum areas tend to get more action than this section does. 

[AquaJay96]

I just wanted to know some probably simple stuff to others but seems abit complicated the more I try and look into it. Things like what’s the difference between aquasoil and substrate or is it the same thing, what products are a must like I know I need things like de-chlorinator but what about when I start my planted tank? I have an idea of what and how I want it but absolutely no idea on substrate/aquasoil, what fertilisers, what products I need to add to the tank to make it successful? Would I be better explaining what my ideas are and then asking where to go from there? 

Thank you very much for the welcoming messages I hope I make sense to you I have a tendency not to make sense in messages haha

[lefty o]

ill take a shot, aquasoil is a type of substrate. some folks use that or other soil type substrates, and some of us use gravel, they can both work well with plants. i would go ahead and use a dechlorinator with your plants. plants can definately handle chlorine, and ammonia better than fish but no point in  stressing the plants out. many of us, myself included have adopted aquarium co-op's easy green fertilizers. they seem to work well, and as the name implies are easy to use.

[nabokovfan87]

On 11/20/2022 at 7:47 PM, AquaJay96 said:

Hello to anybody who might read this!

 

JUST LOOKING FOR SOME ADVICE 

 

My name is Jamie and I have recently fell in love with fish keeping, I have ADHD and Mild Autism and feel like I have found my lifetime hobby. I currently have a 25L (5-6 Gallon) aquarium with 4 Female Guppies and 2 Female Bettas. I am hoping to double up in size in terms of tank size(maybe to a 60-70L), fish species and really want to start a planted aquarium but struggling to find anyone to help me with any questions I have. I think my autism tends to hold me back with speaking to people face to face. 

If anybody would be willing to help with a couple of questions I have it would be really helpful and appreciated. 
 

Thank you to whoever may have read this post

Hello @AquaJay96 and welcome to the forum.  My stepsiblings are both autistic and both kept aquariums in their room for a little while.  Eventually I tried to teach them proper care (they both had bettas with bloat) and about the nitrogen cycle and all of the fun things about the hobby.  I can confirm that having a planted tank is an amazing, wonderful thing.  I genuinely hope that you have an awesome tank in the future that you can find some serenity and peace when viewing it, working on it, and caring for all of the things inside.  Because of my hopes of finding them some enjoyment with the hobby, that's ultimately why I got back into it.

I think the best thing you could do is just get some anubias.  Any and all varieties will generally do well for you.  You don't need a fancy light, you don't even need a light in some cases if the tank is in a bright room.  It's a plant species where you can get a lot of variety.  Even yesterday, being a fan of that plant, I discovered there's two new ones I had no idea about!  One of the awesome things you can do with anubias as well, it does not need special substrate, doesn't need anything in particular except for a healthy tank.  It might be a great place to start!

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/how-to-plant-anubias-or-java-fern-on-rocks

This video is a really great guide for how-to planted tank.  Obviously there is a ton of videos, some by Aquarium Co-Op and there are blog articles and other resources as well.  I don't know if you're best learning visually or prefer text so I'll try to find a few for you to check out.  The first part of this video goes through all kinds of substrate and you can see the different types.  

 

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/beginner-planted-aquarium
 

On 11/20/2022 at 9:11 PM, AquaJay96 said:

Things like what’s the difference between aquasoil and substrate or is it the same thing, what products are a must like I know I need things like de-chlorinator but what about when I start my planted tank? I have an idea of what and how I want it but absolutely no idea on substrate/aquasoil, what fertilisers, what products I need to add to the tank to make it successful? Would I be better explaining what my ideas are and then asking where to go from there? 

Aqua soil is a type of substrate.  There is a few "types" of substrates:  Sand/Gravel, Soil, or "other".  People have made tanks out of potting soil, black diamond blasting sand, patio rocks, and all other varieties of things in between.  The main thing I would always advise is to look into what the fish or plants need and then decide what makes sense.  Visually, sand might be the "look" you're wanting, or gravel, and all of that is perfectly fine!  You can choose plants that do well in sand (stem plants, rhizome plants, floating plants, etc.).  You can also care for other plants if you do have a bit more nutrient rich substrate (aqua soils, which is little balls of dirt, essentially).

Anything you "need" for a normal aquarium is all you really need for a planted tank.  You would also want to add on other items based on the plants you want to keep.  For example, if you want to keep anubias, you would need plant glue and easy green.  Having any sort of a light would also help, but it's not a necessity if cost is an issue.  Depending if it's easier for you to use your fingers or something like pinsettes (fancy planting tongs) or other aquascaping tools might make it fun for you when working on the plants. 

I think the best thing to do in terms of help, is literally to just write out whatever you want to ask.  Someone will be here to help and that's the awesome thing about these forums.  If you want to talk about ideas for a tank, awesome, but you can also just look at the plants on the store page and let us know which you like, your favorite colors, etc and we can go from there to help suggest things that would work or what you would need to accomplish that goal.
 

Edited November 21, 2022 by nabokovfan87

[AquaJay96]

Thank you for taking time to answer some of my questions really is appreciated. I have a 70L (15Gal) tank coming tomorrow and already have a list of plants I’d like to have as I’ve done abit of research like I’m hoping to get; (Hottonia Palustris)(Hygrophila Difformis)(Limnophila Sessiliflora)(Egeria Densa)

I’ve chosen these as they are in the ‘beginner categories’. I’m looking to keep some corydoras, guppies and some tetras of some sort. Do you think these are good starting plants or do you have any recommendations yourself? 

I know it seems like I’m asking a lot but could you give any suggestions on a list of any MUST HAVE products from substrate to water additives and fish care? 

[AquaJay96]

I’d like to have these plants Hottonia Palustris Hygrophila Difformis Limnophila Sessiliflora Egeria Densa

kept with these fish Corydoras, Guppies and Tetras 

Basically I’m asking for a guide on everything else I need to buy to make my tank a success. I can be really creative when it comes to designs which is why I think I’m so fascinated by the hobby just want to get things right and learn all the basics 

[nabokovfan87]

@AquaJay96
It looks like all of those are stem plants, which means you can very likely pick just about any substrate and it'll work for these plants.  I can't speak to which light will work for this tank, but you will want some sort of light meant for a planted tank.  It might be a great thing to wait for the Aquarium co-op light due out in the middle of December.   It is pretty easy to use and there will be a lot of people here able to give you advice on settings too!

Needs:
-Planting Tweezers (recommended)
-Easy Green
-Root tabs
-Planted Tank Light
-Multi-Test strips

Setup Suggestions:
-You can use something like amazonia or other planted tank substrates and then cap it with sand.  This will be great for the plants and corydoras you wish to keep!
-You can use JUST the planted tank substrate, but the food can fall in the cracks making it difficult for the corydoras.  Not a major issue, but might just be something to keep an eye on and make sure they feed properly.
-You can use Sand as a substrate.  This is perfectly fine for stem plants and they should generally be ok if you go with a larger particle size sand.  Something like carib sea crystal river.
-Gravel also works, pick whatever color you want, natural or anything else, they all should work perfectly fine.

The first thing that would help is testing your water so we know if you need anything like crushed coral or other items you might need.
What we would need to know is...
1.  Test the water out of your faucet for everything you can.  Specifically we need KH, PH, GH
2.  Take that same sample of water and aerate it with an airstone for 24 hours. Then re-test.

Those two results will help us figure out if you need anything special.

[JJenna]

On 11/21/2022 at 12:11 AM, AquaJay96 said:

I just wanted to know some probably simple stuff to others but seems a bit complicated the more I try and look into it.

I can relate to this AquaJay, it was a bit overwhelming for me at first...I found that things got easier when I chose only 1 or 2 websites that I liked and stopped following any groups on Facebook (with the exception of Aquarium Co-op haha). I finished planting my tank recently and it's thriving in part due to the great advice from Aquarium Co-op. Use their search bar and it will show you lots about specific topics. You can also start a journal here, people have given me good advice as well as I post my pages

[Schuyler]

Welcome!

This first little bit can be super overwhelming at times but don't worry, it gets easier.

Don't worry about asking too many questions. I'm pretty sure I said Sorry... Last question I swear" every time I went to my local fish store for the first few months. 

Substrates is an area where everyone has an opinion and probably most of them will work out in the end of your try. One thing I will say is make sure you know your two water parameters and what impact you aquasoil well have on that if you decide to go that route. Many make the water more acidic and leach out a bunch of ammonia initially.

[nabokovfan87]

 

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

 @AquaJay96 Welcome to the forum. I have found that my best route is to get a few plants I enjoy plant them and see how they work with my tanks and processes. For me its fun to learn and try new things with my tank.  

I am a pretty big fan of the easy green for fertilizer.  Those plants you are considering sound and look pretty amazing.  I have not kept any of them. They seem to all benefit full light and would likely need something like easy green liquid fertilizer regularly to stay healthy.

Needs on my list : 

1. A tank size I want,

2. plants and a substrate that I enjoy looking at

3. fish species that interest me.

4. This forum, the aquarium coop youtube channel, and the plant descriptions on the coop website. Those are my starting points for new projects.   

5. A timer on the light for the aquarium so i have a set cycle of light and dark for the plants and fish to work within.

Beyond that I think it's open to interpretation. I use my plant tweezers and plant scissors all the time those are well worth having for a tank in my opinion.