Non Betta related 55 gallon questions

[Jayy]

For Christmas I'm getting a 55gal and I have a few questions.


What are some easy low light plants good for a newcomer to plants?

What brand of heaters are good and affordable?

What is a good brand of filters?

I'm thinking of getting a marineland filter because their reviews a very good,but the Tetra filters costs less.

Do I have to use co2 to keep my plant heathy and green?

What is a good brand of plant ferdilzer?

And how many fish can be kept in a 55gal?

The smallest fish I plan to keep is neon tetra and the largest a pearl gourami.

[Malvolti]

First, congrats on the 55 gallon, I'd love a tank that big.

I'll answer what I can but I don't have many good ones.

The best low light, low care plants are Java Fern, Java Moss, Anubias and I like Marimo (Moss balls).

Don't know much about heaters.

I like Tetra for being cheap but they can be hit or miss for effectiveness. My favourite filter ever was made by AquaClear. I've never tried Marineland though, but I like their stuff.

Only some plants require CO2, Javas, Anubias and Marimo don't. They will also pull nutrients from the water so they don't need much, if any fertalizer.

Depends on the fish and the number of each. Googling a care sheet for the species you're interested in should give you an idea.

A pearl gourami for example needs 10 gallons for a single fish. Additional fish generally need less than the first (roughly half) but then you risk over stocking if your math is off. Understocking is a better idea IMO.

[celine18]

i'm far from an expert, and i only have a 10 gal and 1 gal, but i've been doing a bunch of research lately, so i'll try to help you on what i know :)

i suggest going to theplantedtank.net and looking around. join, and you can go on the sales thread and get really cheap, or free plants! :D

What are some easy low light plants good for a newcomer to plants? i really recomend amazon sword, they grow nice and big and will be perfect for filling lotsa space (i have one that's waaay too big for my 10 gal that i might be able to send you ) (OFL would be able to help you out more with types)

What is a good brand of filters? i've seen a bunch of good reviews about aqueon and aquaclear, but i'd wait for someone else's opinion

Do I have to use co2 to keep my plant heathy and green? deffinetly not!

What is a good brand of plant fertilzer? a good substrate like eco-complete or seachem flourish will be a good starting point, but they tend to run $15-20 per bag, so for a big tank you'll really have to shell it out (eco-complete on sale for $15, free shipping on $50 order at petco!!!)

And how many fish can be kept in a 55gal? depends on the fish and size of your filter (http://aqadvisor.com/)

good luck! post pics once you get it up!!!

[Jayy]

Thanks for you time and help guys!

[Jayy]

I want to use natural colored gravel in my tank and I can't really afford $15 a bag anyway. The website was really helpful and I can keep 17 and still get more. Aslong as the number( mine is 135%) is over 100% your good. I also only have to change 19%( my filter goes up to 70gal) of my water a week!! Would that be less with live plants?

[Jayy]

I want help and people REposting OLD threads isn't. I'm not trying to be mean, but its's getting frustaring and I also know that theres other people that need help. Please help.

[Malvolti]

Regardless what the website says I would do more than 19% per week, especially if you go planted. But that's just me and I like really clean tanks.

Plants will reduce the amount of ammonia in the tank and produce oxygen for your fish, they will also use uneaten food and poop as fertilizer so in that way they reduce the number of changes needed. However the plants need other nutrients that aren't in the food/poop that are in tap water so you'll still need some water change.

[Jayy]

First of all thanks for answering! How much water do you think I should remove. Are you saying that do need to add fertilzer aswell. If so you do know any good brands.

[small fry]

I am trying the same thing. I have been working on this setup the last month or so, but this thread started this week. If you are going to use the method I am useing, keep in mind, it will take an overwhelming amount of time and money, but it should pay off nicely!

This is my thread, it is starting to wrap up, but it still needs work.
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/c...e4/#post529276

You might want to post this thread on Tropical Fish Keeping. Experts like Byron are always checking out the plant forum on TFK. Your username and password will work with TFK because Bettafish.com is a branch of TFK.

Regaurdless of what type of method you use, if you start a thead here;
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/aquarium-plants/
you are likely to get several helpful responses!

Hope this helps!

[Jayy]

Thanks! I already know about the sistersite. I just thought that Vaygirl and OldFishLady would see the thread and helpout. I just redid the thread overthere.