Tell Me What to Do

[Val]

I'm going to try a planted tank.  Heretofore I have been wildly unsuccessful with plants, to the point that I exited the hobby for 10 years.  Once I made the decision to forgo live plants and be happy with plastic/silk in my goldfish tanks, I got much happier.

I recently saw a strain of guppy called the red endler, and I think it's the most gorgeous fish I've seen.  My wife, coincidentally, saw a fluval flex -- https://www.amazon.com/Fluval-Flex-57-Gallon-Aquarium/dp/B01N53XPQ8/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=Cj0KCQiAz9ieBhCIARIsACB0oGIMxvrB7Fu3gf8HWaG37rU0ob3mRlaxEzOHBKrsZG89YmaXB6qdWL0aAqA-EALw_wcB&hvadid=509978715088&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9007964&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=16733733335308098177&hvtargid=kwd-1210347734329&hydadcr=209_1012864716&keywords=fluval+flex+15+aquarium+kit&qid=1675022258&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840 -- and thought it looked cool.  She suggested I try another tank.

 

Given the light on that tank, and Im not interested in swapping out a light because that is the whole point of this kit, and what the nice folks here at Aqua Coop stock, what should I plant?    I just want the plants to survive.  I'm not going to do CO2, and one of my previous fails I had substrate heater coils, which I am not going to use either.  What substrate should I use?  What fertlizer regime would you do?

 

My hardscape will be mopani wood.  Not a fan of rock.  I've always preferred gravel to sand.  My goldfish tanks are usually pH 7.0 - 7.2.  KH is between 60 and 80.  GH is 30.  So, I would presume that will be what the endler tank will look like.

Thanks for the help!

[lefty o]

i would consider trying a few java ferns. they tend to require little care, and dont need a very fancy light.

[Mark303]

I have had really good luck with Anubias in my goldfish tank. hardy plants and my fish don't seem to mess with them much at all. 

[Scapexghost]

Any plant listed as low light or mediun light on th coop website should do good. You dont have to buy them from the coop of course, but the catelog itself is a pretty good resource. For substrate, you can just do straight gravel. The guppies would benefit from some crushed coral mixed in for sure. Add some root tabs for the plants. I'd put a 1/2 inch of worm castings under the gravel to save you  6 months to a year or two before needing to use root tabs.

[PineSong]

I liked these videos that show a variety of plants being grown in the Flex. 

[CrashBandit05]

I have a Flex 9gal with Amazon swords and Anubias on some driftwood that grow well with the included light. There's also water spangles floating that populate very fast. 

IMO the Flex's are great kits although bit pricey. They include everything but a heater and there's a dude on etsy that custom makes tons of interchangeable parts for the Flex.