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How would you change this 36 gal tank into a planted tank?


Aldrich Aquarium
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I would start by flipping it back over.... :classic_wink:

Jokes aside, it depends on a few things. Whats your parameters? Plants tend to enjoy softer water. But some do just fine in hard waters. Are you looking to just add plants to your setup now or pull out all and start again?

If your pulling it all, grab a seat, fire up youtube and watch some aquagreen videos and get some ideas flowing. 

If your looking to just add some in. Pull out the fake and find plants like hornwort or pogostemon that feed from the water column, and put them in place of the fake.

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I would load up on some rotalla and different types of anubias and Java fern to start. I've found all those to be quite easy. If you do choose to go with stem stem plants you will want to look at getting some root tabs. If you are into a total tear down and redo, ive found the eco complete to be a very solid and easy to work with planted tank substrate. 

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The easiest plants are going to be rhizome and stem plants because they can pull all their nutrients from the water. I'd get a few varieties of stem plant for the background then a couple anubias and/or Java Fern to attach to hardscape. When you want to expand I'd try a crypt with some root tabs in one of the front corners and just propagate it. Whatever you chose to get easy green is the easiest fertilizer to start with. 

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With that hardscape set up, adding natural plants would look awesome!  I would recommend at first that you try several types of plants to see what works well in your aquarium before committing to anything specific.

 I assume that since you currently have artificial plants that you have a fairly low end or “kit” light?  I only say that because if I didn’t have plants I wouldn’t give my lighting a second thought.  Research your low demand/low light plants and look into your lighting.  Something like a finnex stingray that co-op sells may work for you and they are rather affordable. (Stingray 2 may be wise as it’s more powerful and your 36 gallon is a bit tall). Even if it’s in the budget, it may not be wise to go all out with a high end light at first as that will bring you into the world of co2 injection and a more high tech system.   With a powerful light, an unbalanced system will cause you some algae headaches for sure.  For that reason, for beginners like you and I it’s wise to dumb it down and keep it simple.   
For me, water sprite has been an easy plant to grow and propagate, my Amazon sword has been trouble free, and Java ferns have grown well for me.  The water sprite grows tall and fast, the fish hang out in it, shrinp graze on it, and my endlers rest in it at night.  Awesome background plant. I’ve also had success with Crinum callimistratum (sp?) and they have a very unique leaf structure. Almost tentacle like 

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If you are a beginner in planted tanks, I would start with a couple of easy low light plants, and go on from there.

Java moss are nice and easy. You can tie it to the top of your cave and to your wood.

Get a quick growing stem plant, like Water sprite. When they grow tall, you can cut and replant the cutting to give you more free plants.

You can then research other plants and layouts in your own time. Check out aquascaping YouTubers like George Farmer and Green Aqua (sorry, I'm in Europe so I don't know of any decent US aquascape YouTube channels). They have lots of information on plants, design and layout.

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As for what I’d do on that setup... the rocks in the center would be pushed to the back. Willow hygro in the back right corner. Anubias nana petite/golden and/or mini bolbitis on top of the cave on the right. Anacharis in the back left corner behind that mangrove. A small bucephalandra on top of those two left stems of the mangrove and weeping moss going down the mangrove. Then kind of where that fake sword/crypto plant is, do a Homalomena insignis, cryptocoryne blassii or cryptocoryne hudoroi. And could do Riccia fluitans for carpeting.

Anyway, hope that gives you some ideas. And there’s some great idea on YouTube or even just from searching aqua scapes.

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