peacemaker92

After many days of thinking, I have decided to turn my empty 8 gal tank into a freshwater planted tank. I have calculated the estimated prices of the stuff that I know I need and I have set my budget. I just need comments to confirm the equipment needed. I should start to buy the neccesary items next week.

List of Items:

substrate: normal white sand
lighting: 7 watts
Co2: Nutrafin Co2 diffuser
fish: 7 Cardinal Tetras (will add after plants are added)
plants: haven't decided yet.

Questions:
Is the white sand okay?
Do I need higher lighting?
Do I need a heater? Average temperature here in my place is 29-30 degrees celcius
Anything else?

Plants I was thinking dwaft hairgrass, some christmas/java moss. Need suggestions for low light plants.

Thank you.

Nate McFin

The lighting is considered low so it will limit the plants a little that you will be able to grow. With the amount of light Co2 may not be needed but it shouldnt hurt either.
The sand will be fine but you may need to use root tabs if you get heavy root feeding plants such as crypts or swords. (swords would be too large for the tank anyway!)
You may also want to get a few Malaysian trumpet snails to aerate the sand depending on how deep you plan on the substrate being. They will keep the substrate from forming gas pockets. Considering you are from Malaysia these should be cheap! lol
The dwarf hair grass isnt going to do well with the low light levels. Dwarf Sag might be a better option for the grass look. Crypts, java fern, anubias, might be a few good options!
Good luck with the tank, I look forward to seeing pics!

Nutter

I second what Nate has written.
I personally would probably add another light to the existing one to give myself that little bit more freedom with plant choice & to take more advantage of co2 you may add. You should get away with the plants Nate listed with no real problems though using your existing light. The dwarf hairgrass will be a problem with low light as he mentioned as well.
I would highly recommend using a nutrient substrate such as Eco-complete with a sand substrate. Nutrient substrates are particularly effective with sand as the nutrients will travel right through the substrate unlike it does with gravel. Use the nutrient tabs wether you use a nutrient substrate or not. White sand is fine but black will give you better contrast of your plants & allow your fish to show thier colors better. That really just comes down to personal choice though. Other than astetics there will be no real discernable difference. Even with snails it would probably pay to stir the sand gently from time to time. Especially if it more than about 1 1/2" deep.
Yes have a heater. It may not be on all the time given the warm climate but it will help keep things stable during cooler spells. Fish & plants don't like cold snaps.