# 20 long planted - what plants?



## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

I just bought an Aquaticlife 30" T5 HO lighting fixture (48W) for my 20 long the other day (it's coming in the mail), and was wondering what kind of plants I could grow in the tank WITHOUT using CO2. The tank currently just has some Anubias Barteri since I have a standard light on the tank. Suggestions, examples of tanks, all are much appreciated


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## Valous (Jan 30, 2011)

could go with a few good plants. rotilla grows nice for me every time i use it. Amazon sword, dwarf lily, java fern, whistera, and probably more I can not think of.


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

I'm having a he!! of a time trying to figure out a proper light for my 20g LONG. I was told that 2 t5HO's would be to much by one person and another said it's fine, what do u think about it?

Sorry to hack the thread, also can you update me on how the light's working for ya?

IME that light should give you medium lighting, so you could grow and type of sword plant, ie. Amazon Sword, Red Melon Sword, Rubin Sword, etc. You could do Moneywort, water wisteria, Anubia's, Java Fern, Java Moss, Red Limnophila hippuroides, Jungle Val, Red Val, Red Myrio, and Blyxa Aubertii are a few I can think of.


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## football mom (Feb 19, 2006)

The Cryptocorynes grow great, I like wendtii, and de witt, espescially. They grow well under the
standard bulbs that come with tank fixtures also.


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## Z90a (Sep 25, 2011)

Onion plants are pretty cool. Most lfs sell bulb packs with onion, apogenton, and dwarf Lilly for about 3 dollars. But sometimes these don't grow ime they have over a 65% grow rate so most have started growing. All three of those plants would be great for low lighting. Also java fern and java moss.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Light and CO2 are something to balance rather than all of one or the other. I should think you're going heavy on light if no CO2. Many plants will grow but not to the full potential.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

I just am wary of CO2 because of the effect I've heard it has on the fish, and the HRP I have in the tank I'm very attached to, so I've always been a little wary


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

Aulonocara_Freak said:


> I'm having a he!! of a time trying to figure out a proper light for my 20g LONG. I was told that 2 t5HO's would be to much by one person and another said it's fine, what do u think about it?


No... 
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... highlight=

you were told way too much light by one person, and a bit too much by me.

My opinion is that one can limit the lighting produced by such a unit as this to avoid running out of the CO2 in the aquarium, but insufficient light simply won't grow plants or worse, causes the aquarist to spend huge amounts of money replacing expensive "plant" bulbs every single year even before it burns out.

Chubbs the Jellybean, consider getting a timer and moonlights if you don't want to inject additional CO2. Using the timer, you can split your photoperiod in two parts (or more) and with that much light, you will be able to grow just about every plant found in your local fish shops.

Anubias will likely just get green spot algae on the leaves at such high light with no CO2... consider stem plants and other fast growers and use the anubias underneath other plants. :thumb:


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Number6 said:


> Aulonocara_Freak said:
> 
> 
> > I'm having a he!! of a time trying to figure out a proper light for my 20g LONG. I was told that 2 t5HO's would be to much by one person and another said it's fine, what do u think about it?
> ...


Wow, thank you Number6. I do have a sponge filter that is running on the tank too which I forgot to mention, I wasn't sure if that counts as any CO2 or not, and I already run a timer on my lights so I'll just set 2 parts to my photoperiod. How long should my break between these periods be?

Also, would I be able to grow...

Amazon swords, java moss / fern, dwarf hairgrass? And do you have any personal recommendations for plants to put in as well?


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Number6 said:
 

> Aulonocara_Freak said:
> 
> 
> > I'm having a he!! of a time trying to figure out a proper light for my 20g LONG. I was told that 2 t5HO's would be to much by one person and another said it's fine, what do u think about it?
> ...


Sorry to hack, 

If I got a light like this or even this exact one, what wattage of the bulb's would I need and how would I split my photoperiod? Shoud I do 3x2 hour photoperiod's?


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

Amazon swords, java moss / fern, dwarf hairgrass will all grow great if you can avoid sunburning them.  All plants take time to adapt to light and this may be where folks have run into problems with putting so much light over such a short tank. I might be tempted to look into higher light plants. Dwarf hair grass can be really nice looking...

Swords will, IMHO, out grow such a tiny tank super quickly. I would swap that out for some dwarf swords.

I'd use the legs on the light fixture, that cuts light way down. My usual method for a planted tank is to split the photoperiod into 2 blocks of four hours long with about four hours of darkness in between. You MUST use a timer. I have played with no timer and I have no idea why, but the plants will suffer... The fixture you are buying probably uses 2 24W HOT5 bulbs...if so, these are good bulbs and produce light for 24" of the tank... the 3 to 4 inches on either end of the tank should be thought of as low light and the middle as high light. You can cut that down to medium or low light simply by blocking part of the light. E.g. put something in between light and water like glass lids, egg crate, etc.

*Aulonocara_Freak*, if you bought the same (or similar) light fixture, I would try the same as the OP.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

How about micro swords?


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

I would recommend about 6, if done right you will have it all covered in a month.

Have you though about DIY Co2? If you added that the plant's would be so much healthier and in the long run the plant's would be creating more oxygen so in the end everything's happier, beside's the algae of course, lol.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

So while at my LFS today I splurged and bought a couple plants seeing that I get my new light tomorrow... I bought a melon sword and a cyperus helferi (which is too tall for the 20 long already haha)

Good choices?


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Here is the tank before










Here is the tank with the new light


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Very nice! I like it!


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Okay so I've made a decision on what plants, buying some on Aquabid as part of an "assortment"...

Here is what is included (2 of each)

-Sag Chilensis
-Sag Subulata
-Cryptocorynes
-Jungle Vals
-Java Fern

Plus I still want to get the narrow leaf micro sword, but am not sure if I'll have room now :lol: Guess I'm going "heavily planted"


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Nice, how's the algae growth so far? 
How r u liking the light?


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Not much yet, I've had a brown algae problem for a while in that tank, so I'm scrubbing the last of it off and then seeing how the plant growth goes for a while


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

How long should it be until I get noticeable plant growth? A month or so? Buying liquid fertilizers today to give them a shot since I am using a smaller tank


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Depend's on the plant really and what it has. Toss some root tab's in where the sword's and micro sword's are to get them up there. Any other type's of algae kicking in now? This light seem's more and more tempting.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Put in "Nutrafin Plant Gro" - I'm assuming based on what ppl are saying online about testing the iron (I don't have the iron test kit) that I should dose about once every 2 weeks or so.

My plants do have a little "gunk" hanging on them, seems like debris or something. I'll take a pic. Fish seem happier (tetras dispersing over the whole tank as opposed to staying together for protection).

And Number6 - is 8 hours of light (4 hrs light, 4 hrs darkness, 4 hrs light) enough light? I only ask because I've heard that you should have about 10-12 hrs of light for a planted tank.

Thanks!


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

mini bump


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Updated 










And filled back up


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

Chubbs the Jellybean said:


> And Number6 - is 8 hours of light (4 hrs light, 4 hrs darkness, 4 hrs light) enough light? I only ask because I've heard that you should have about 10-12 hrs of light for a planted tank.
> 
> Thanks!


 there is no solid rule on light duration. 12 hours is considered by most aquarists to be the max, 6 hours the minimum. Many people start at 10 hours and go up or down from there.

Careful with the fertilizers... If plants arent growing, all that fuel will just grow the algae.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Good to know on the ferts - i'll get an iron test kit to track whether or not the nutrients are being used, and keep an eye on the plants to see if they grow.


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## football mom (Feb 19, 2006)

Dwarf chain sword is a great "ground cover". It spreads by sending out little "threads" that sprout a new plantlet. When it spreads out it looks like a lawn. If it gets too tall, you can "mow" it.
It does not require any CO2.


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## aussie pride (Oct 5, 2011)

Just a tip, tie the java fern onto that nice piece of DW you have in there because it won't do well 'planted'


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

football mom said:


> It does not require any CO2.


argh.... yes it does!

Only a couple of people in my neighborhood have oxygen tanks pumping O2 into their lungs. If I ran around saying most humans don't require O2 to live then I would be corrected... frequently.


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## Z90a (Sep 25, 2011)

Number6 said:


> football mom said:
> 
> 
> > It does not require any CO2.
> ...


He's saying it dosent need a co2 system lol.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

Z90a said:


> He's saying it dosent need a co2 system lol.


I know... Thats why i chose the analogy i did... Co2 system, O2 system... Readers who know the details of aquatic plants can "autofill" slang with proper words, but total plant neophytes cannot. It leads to many mistakes IME.


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## football mom (Feb 19, 2006)

My bad...what I did mean was...it does not require a "CO2 system".


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

I figured that's what you meant, but nice to hear the clarification


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

So, by now, you should be able to see some new growth on the fastest growi g plants you own. Any sign? If not, it isnt a good omen.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Will look tomorrow when the lights come on - didn't get to see them at all today


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Okay - Day 1










Today










I think there's some growth there


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

NICE, ya I defiantly see growth.

What kelvin rating is each bulb? 
How many watt's are each bulb?
Any sign of algae yet, what type of algae?

This light seem's to get better and better.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Aulonocara_Freak said:


> NICE, ya I defiantly see growth.
> 
> What kelvin rating is each bulb?
> How many watt's are each bulb?
> ...


http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaticLife_ ... 4U-vi.html

That's the exact one (in the 30" size). Yeah I'm noticing the left side growing a lot already. The fish seem happy, they love exploring the plants and are swimming very slowly through it nice and calm.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

So what do people think about an amazon sword in the middle behind the driftwood? good idea or no?


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

I don't think it will be a good idea, but try it!  If it doesn't look good there put it somewhere else.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Thanks - I'm seeing the beginnings of green algae in the tank today, I trimmed the branches of my melon sword that had a little algae growth on them (were slowly dying), hopefully that will help stop the growth, and scraped what little there was off the glass


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

green algae as in Green Hair Algae (GHA) or Green Spot Algae (GSA)??? My main problem is I have all type of it growing on my glass, besides BBA, Black Beard Algae.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Green hair, did a little research and realized I wasn't balancing the amount of light/iron with CO2, so I bought Seachem Excel to help balance, plus I reduced my amount of light from 10 hours a day back to 8, I'll add the excel once it ships


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

My lights are on for 6 hour's in all my planted tank and they're doing perfect, beside's the 20g Long of course. I do 6 hour's straight no photobreak and all is well.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Okay - lowered my light time to 8 hours again with a 4 hour break between, and just started using Seachem Flourish Excel. Hopefully that will work (I'm starting to get green hair algae)


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Just a tip, Get as many otocinclus catfish as you can in there and you should have little algae. 6 Oto's should be max IMO.


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## football mom (Feb 19, 2006)

I have some zebra nerite snails in a few of my tanks, those tanks seem to have less algae growth than the others. The zebra nerites do not reproduce in fresh water.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Just bought some brazilian micro swords too at my LFS - planted them down front


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## CichMomma (Mar 3, 2010)

Chubbs the Jellybean said:


> Updated
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Its a little difficult to get a good view from the photos but it looks like you have your Anubias planted in the substrate. Remember that for the plants with rhizomes you need to keep the rhizome on top of the substrate, tied to a piece of wood or rock. If the rhizome is buried the plant will eventually die. Just wanted to throw that out there......your tank looks really nice. I want to get one of those lights!


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Yeah I did initially, but they uprooted themselves I think because the very next day they were out of the sand. Lately I've been having debris problems so im upping my water changes. Also added some Brazilian micro swords, a banana plant, and an amazon sword. Trying to make the vegitation denser.


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

How's the algae now? Is it growing at a super fast rate? and what type of algae?


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

It seems to have stopped progressing or growing, it was green hair algae, but I'm guessing the plants are sucking out all the nutrients now, so it's going well  just dealing with the debris


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Ok it seem's like I might NEED to buy this light!!!


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

It is a pretty awesome light, would you guys have any other suggestions for plants I should add? I feel as though in terms of fish I'm happy with this mix (had these same fish together for about 8 months no issues, just lost a pristella because while the HRP was protecting fry he mangled it).

Thanks


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Some anubias 'nana petite' would look so cool under that drift wood.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

I would love to do that - Just going to wait another week or so before I add anything to let the new plants settle in


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Kind of a strange question - I want a denser look still, what else can I add on the left side to fill it up? Here it is now after a slight pruning on the melon sword on the left side


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Kind of a strange question - I want a denser look still, what else can I add on the left side to fill it up? Here it is now after a slight pruning on the melon sword on the left side


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

A nice bunch of Water Wisteria might be good!


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

I just bought a bunch tonight on aquabid - hopefully it'll fit in nicely!


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Any updated pic's???


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Will update on Sunday, bought root tabs (API) and they clouded up my tank pretty bad, so in the cleansing process. Did a 40% change today.


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## Pizzle (May 24, 2011)

Really? I currently use the API root tabs but I did not get any cloudiness. I just cut the circular tab in half and stick the halves into the Flourite gravel near the base of the plant that I am targeting, because the Flourite seems to have run out of nutrients. I am trying to encourage the growth of cryptocoryne wendtii. When I first set up my planted tank this stuff grew like mad but now it just seems to be hanging on. I have only been using the tabs for a month now and only on two occasions but I have NOT noticed any improvement.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

Chubbs the Jellybean said:


> Will update on Sunday, bought root tabs (API) and they clouded up my tank pretty bad, so in the cleansing process. Did a 40% change today.


You might have triggered an algae bloom with excess nutrients. If you look throigh the tank from the side, does it look like there is a green tinge?


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

*Pizzle*
Crypts can suffer from root rot and the owner never knows that it is the problem. How deep was the substrate and what other plants are in the tank? Any sword plants?


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

I've had an algae bloom in a different tank in the past, this looks like one with a little brown tinge to it. Just going to do a few water changes to hopefully quell it.


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Chubbs the Jellybean said:


> I've had an algae bloom in a different tank in the past, this looks like one with a little brown tinge to it. Just going to do a few water changes to hopefully quell it.


That is caused by not getting the root tab's deep enough. They need to be as deep in the sand as you can get them.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Really? **** lol


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Chubbs the Jellybean said:


> Really? darn lol


Haha, yes really.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Update - The wisteria is in and looks GREAT, and the Hornwort is basically dying. Not sure why, maybe because it is in the lowlight area of the tank... either way, here she is, still cloudy from doing a water change and arranging the plants.


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Nice! Really look's good now. What's the complete plant list now?


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Lol, lets hope I remember them all...

Amazon Sword
Melon Sword
Anubias Barteri (2x)
Anubias "nana"
Brazilian Micro Sword
Wisteria (2x)
Hornwort (dying?)
Cabomba Caroliniana
Sag Subulata 
Sag Chilensis
Java Fern
Jungle Vals
Cyperus Helferi (Any reason why you think this on is getting a few brown leaves?)
And the ones on the very far left that look like tall trees, can't remember their name off the top of my head.

Whew, I think that's it.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Ps the tank has cleared up a lot since that picture was taken


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

How do people feel about water sprite? My LFS just got some in (healthy too) and I would love to try it, but at the same time I feel as though my tank has no room for more plants haha... What do you all think?


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

You can try it but there's no "need" for it. If you want another plant try something that turn's red or gold.


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## Chubbs the Jellybean (Jun 16, 2009)

Yeah I decided against it, seeing that I really don't have room haha


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Any update's??? Pic's???

How's the algae growth now?


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