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Setting up a planted aquarium

    First off you will need some equipment here is a list I have put together for you. once you have read on how to start your planted tank you can the check out our plant profiles which are at the bottom of the page.

     Tank

     Decorations (optional)

     Background (optional)

      Substrate

      Air pump and related items (optional)

       Filter (optional in planted tank)

       Heater and thermometer

       Hood with light

       Test kit

      Siphon hose

      Knowledgeable book

      Co2 (optional)

Tank

 Now days you can get many different shapes when you buy an aquarium, I recommend a      rectangle aquarium as it is much easier to look after but you can also get round, hexagonal and    many other shaped aquariums. Aquariums can come in 2 different materials you can get glass    and acrylic although glass is much heavier it doesn’t scratch as much as acrylic. Acrylic can be   moulded in to many different shapes the advantages of acrylic are that it is virtually crack   resistant. When choosing you aquarium go for the biggest size you can accommodate and   afford. As this will give you more choice in fish and will be easier to look after as there is a bigger   amount of water so problems won’t spread so quickly.

Decorations

When choosing your decorations make sure they are aquarium safe. You can get many different pre-made decorations from your local pet store such as, bridges caves small figurines and many other things. But rocks, slate and plants are also counted as a decoration. You can get artificial plants from your local fish store these are a good option as they are cheap and you don’t have to worry about them dying. Slate can be bought at your local hardware store. And rocks can be found in your backyard but before you go putting the rocks that you found in your backyard into your tank you must check if they are safe.

Background

Now days you can get many different backgrounds that show an underwater scene or even a land scene. but you can also get plain backgrounds these work better in showing off your fishes colours and the plant and decoration colours. Backgrounds usually go for around $5 Australian

Substrate

When choosing your substrate try and go for a smooth substrate such as sand or fine gravel. But if you get gravel that is to fine it will compress and form algae on it. Substrates are relativity cheap also if you have cordorias try and go for sand as they prefer it and it doesn’t cut there under body

Air pump and related items 

Filter

Most people that have planted tank do not use a filter but I reckon it is easier to use one just make sure you buy one that doesn’t have a very strong current as this will push you plants out of the substrate.

Heater & thermometer 

When using a heater in a planted tank make sure that none of the plants come into contact with the heater as this could block the heater and cause it to over heat. A heater is a very important piece of as most tropical fish and invertebrates like to live at a temperature of 25-29 degrees Celsius (77-85 faren height). You can buy heaters in many different wattages ranging from as low as 25 watt to  as high as 300 watt.

Hood & light

When buying your light make sure you get tubes that are designed for growing plants. Lights can come in        many different sizes, colours and brands lights are essential if you plan on keeping plants. Lights will also show off you fishes colours better than not having any lights at all.

Test kit

A test kit is essential when setting up any type of aquarium you are better off buying a test kit that will let you test for ph, nitrite, nitrate and ammonia as these are the main problems that cause your fish to become sick and even die.

Siphon hose

This is used fro sucking all the gunk out of your gravel they are relatively cheap and a very handy piece of equipment. You can get them in a couple of different sizes which is quite handy

Knowledgeable book

A book is a must when setting up your aquarium you can get many different books on how to set up your tank, a book full of different fish and even books that are written just for aquatic plants. Books can be quite expensive so make sure you find a decent one.

Co2

Co2 is used to boost the growth of plants in the aquarium there are 2 ways you can do this one is buying a Co2 diffuser which are quite cheap but very unreliable or you can buy Co2 in bottles which are much more reliable.

here is some pictures of what a good planted tank can look like when you do it right and put a tiny bit of time and effort in to it.

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