How to create the best environment for a Planted Tank?

So I’m very new to the hobby & have been keeping a couple of unplanted guppy tanks for the last few months, a 10 gallon & a 20 gallon tall. I’m looking into adding some low level/low maintenance plants.

I was thinking something simple at first like java ferns, java moss, & marimo moss balls spread out to cover some existing decorations. Maybe some other low to no maintenance plants as well.

What do I need in order to create the best environment for them? Where do I start?

 

A nutrient-rich substrate would help the plant's growth a lot. Maybe some root tabs if you wanted too?
Make sure you don't bury the rhizome on the java fern in the substrate. Attach it to a decoration with fishing line or small rubber elastic bands. Once the java fern's roots go into the substrate, you can take the fishing line/rubber bands off and get rid of them and the the plant should be fine by itself.
Here's some more plant ideas:
-Duckweed
-Anubias
-Amazon sword
-Vallisneria

 

Will a “nutrient rich substrate” change my water parameters? Also any recommendations on lights? There seem to be a lot of options out there.

 

Will a “nutrient rich substrate” change my water parameters? Also any recommendations on lights? There seem to be a lot of options out there.

It won't.

A clip on light would be a nice option if you don't have a top.
Amazon seems to have some pretty good ones. I was thinking of getting the NICREW fish tank clip on light, with blue and white LEDs. It comes in a 7W and a 10.5W. I would recommend the 10.5W for a 20 gallon and the 7W for a 10 gallon.

 

I have the NICREW saved on my list too. I was planning on building a glass top for both of my aquariums. I have a 5 year old that likes to put her hands in the tank so a lid is critical. Can I use the clip on light with a glass lid?

This may be a silly question but can I add the additional substrate over my gravel so I don’t lose the BB? Or is that not a concern? They are still newly cycled tanks.

 

Will a “nutrient rich substrate” change my water parameters? Also any recommendations on lights? There seem to be a lot of options out there.

It actually will... Aquasoils and dirt are the only two nutrient rich substrates, and almost all commercial aqua soils will remove KH to lower pH. Dirt might not, but it also might release ammonia. Depends on what kind of dirt.

This may be a silly question but can I add the additional substrate over my gravel so I don’t lose the BB? Or is that not a concern? They are still newly cycled tanks.

You could, but I generally avoid mixing substrates because it's more of a pain to disassemble. Gravel tends to be harder for plants, especially smaller plants to root in.

Anubias, wisteria, guppy grass, most hygrophilas, crypts, anacharis, all easy to grow.

While I think a finer substrate than gravel may be beneficial, a complete liquid fertilizer is more important imo. Nilocg Thrive (cheapest), Easy Green, UNS Plant food are good all-in-ones

 

It actually will... Aquasoils and dirt are the only two nutrient rich substrates, and almost all commercial aqua soils will remove KH to lower pH. Dirt might not, but it also might release ammonia. Depends on what kind of dirt.


You could, but I generally avoid mixing substrates because it's more of a pain to disassemble. Gravel tends to be harder for plants, especially smaller plants to root in.

Anubias, wisteria, guppy grass, most hygrophilas, crypts, anacharis, all easy to grow.

While I think a finer substrate than gravel may be beneficial, a complete liquid fertilizer is more important imo. Nilocg Thrive (cheapest), Easy Green, UNS Plant food are good all-in-ones

See that’s where my concern comes into play. My tap KH is already low & PH is high. I’m about to experiment with Malawi Buffer to see if I can increase KH without raising PH too much. Tap Water is 7.8-8 PH, 1-3 KH, & GH of 10.

So you’re saying if I’m planting things that easily root like guppy grass then I can stick with the gravel?

 

I have the NICREW saved on my list too. I was planning on building a glass top for both of my aquariums. I have a 5 year old that likes to put her hands in the tank so a lid is critical. Can I use the clip on light with a glass lid?

Not sure. I think it would be okay, but take a look at this thread to make sure. Don't know how to insert a link, but you can search it.
"Using LED Lights With Glass Cover?"

 

See that’s where my concern comes into play. My tap KH is already low & PH is high. I’m about to experiment with Malawi Buffer to see if I can increase KH without raising PH too much. Tap Water is 7.8-8 PH, 1-3 KH, & GH of 10.

So you’re saying if I’m planting things that easily root like guppy grass then I can stick with the gravel?

The thing about aquasoils removing KH though, is that it's totally fine. Quality ones buffer the water on their own, so despite the lack of KH the pH is stable in the 6's. However most people use RO with their substrate, so if tap parameters are too different it might be putting some stress on inhabitants at water change. I love my active substrates but they do come with some extra work. One non-active aquasoil is UP aqua sand. Says it's active on the bag but I noticed none of that when using. Overall fertilizer is a better investment at this point.

I'm not sure how easily guppy grass roots, I think a lot of the time it's left floating, but generally yes plants can still root in gravel. Some like anubias and java fern need to be tied to hardscape or at least rhizomes left unburied.

 

So it sounds like fertilizer may not be the best option for me since I’m already struggling with low KH & don’t want to invest in an RO system just yet. (Though KH may not be much of an issue anymore if Malawi Buffer works for me.)

Floating plants & mosses sound like the best route so far.

Do I need CO2? Or will I need to monitor CO2? Any lighting or other things I should know about/have before moving forward?

 

So it sounds like fertilizer may not be the best option for me since I’m already struggling with low KH & don’t want to invest in an RO system just yet. (Though KH may not be much of an issue anymore if Malawi Buffer works for me.)

Floating plants & mosses sound like the best route so far.

Do I need CO2? Or will I need to monitor CO2? Any lighting or other things I should know about/have before moving forward?

No need for CO2 if you stick to easy plants. Simply invest in one of the fertilizers I listed above, that'll be more important for low tech

Before you buy a light try to look up its PAR data. Several hobbyists measure the PAR output and post findings online

 

Will do. Thank you for all the great advice!

Found this really great article here today too! Posting because I thought it might be helpful to someone else looking into lighting for the first time too

 

Found this really great article here today too! Posting because I thought it might be helpful to someone else looking into lighting for the first time too.

That website has great info on a variety of topics.

Btw you're not restricted to Anubias, Java Fern and floating plants. Most low light stem plants will grow fine in normal sized (3mm or so) gravel. Sand or soil is better for smaller carpeting type plants but most of those do better with higher light and CO2.

 

I would take out the gravel and use eco complete for the soil. I would also recommend a Vivagrow 24/7 led light. They work great for low to medium plants and they are under 50.00. I would also pick up a bottle of Nilocg Thrive C on Amazon, its a great all in 1 fertilizer.