# Can I Convert to Planted Tanks?



## Dustin86 (Sep 22, 2012)

I've been nearly overwhelmed with information reading through these forums and I'm still processing it all.. but one thing I've discovered is that I absolutely LOVE how most of the planted tanks look. My 29G goldfish tank has a bit of a psychedelic/schizophrenic look to it and while my 14G tank looks a bit more natural, it doesn't look anywhere near as beautiful as a planted tank. It also seems that planting these tanks would be beneficial to my fish, as I have discovered that I am overstocked on the goldfish tank and would like to add a dwarf gourami to the tropical tank. I can't afford to buy new tanks right now, nor do I have the space for them. The fish are mine to care for, though, and I'd like to do anything I can to help them out until I can upgrade their living spaces.

I'm not entirely sure of the wattage of the light in my goldfish tank. It was a tank that we got from my wife's grandfather. There's one fluorescent bar light in the hood. The 14G tank has two 10W CFL bulbs. Would I need to change the lighting to grow plants or are there plants that will grow in my current lighting setup? I run the lights about 12 hours a day.

I have the usual gravel in both tanks that you can get at Petco. I imagine I should look into plants that can grow on rocks/driftwood, but if there are any that could survive in gravel I would be interested.

Last and somewhat unrelated to plants, I would very much like to introduce more natural ornaments into the tanks - such as rocks and driftwood. I went to a few LFS today and I didn't see much in the way of driftwood but I did see some rocks (granite, petrified wood, etc.). Is there any danger in adding these to either tank? Where else can I find driftwood/rocks that I can use?

I know I have a lot of questions.. I try really hard to do right by my fish and while my current setup is the result of some misleading information, I plan on doing things right from here on out! Thanks for your help.


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## Knucklesam (Mar 8, 2012)

You could probably grow some low light plants like water wisteria, cabomba caroliniana, or anacharis just to name a few. The cabomba and water wisteria can be stuck in the gravel, but anacharis will probably always end up floating one way or another. As far as driftwood goes, I just go to the local creek/river/stream and find my driftwood. Scrubbing and rinsing have always been sufficient for me, but you'll hear many different things regarding sanitation of the wood.


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## FrshwtrAR (Aug 28, 2012)

Dustin, I'm very new to this myself...and have many questions too! I have a newly setup 25 gallon planted tank. After input from the many experts we have access to here, I decided on anubias, anacharis and some amazon swords. All of those seem to be low light, low-tech (i.e. no requirement for CO2 or fertilizers) plants. While fertilizers and CO2 may help them grow more quickly, from what I've read, they can survive and thrive without those things. Each of the plants are commonly available and don't cost much. I spent $12 for 2 bunches of anacharis, 1 bunch of amazon swords and 1 bunch of anubia. I attached the anubia to a piece of driftwood (I boiled the driftwood for two hours to remove some of the chemicals they contain). The anacharis and swords are planted in Petco gravel. Knucklesam is right about the anacharis...it seems to have a way of removing itself from the gravel and floating around. My fish seem to like this though. Good luck to you! I'll keep you posted on my experiences.


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## Brian757 (Sep 24, 2012)

FrshwtrAR said:


> Dustin, I'm very new to this myself...and have many questions too! I have a newly setup 25 gallon planted tank. After input from the many experts we have access to here, I decided on anubias, anacharis and some amazon swords. All of those seem to be low light, low-tech (i.e. no requirement for CO2 or fertilizers) plants. While fertilizers and CO2 may help them grow more quickly, from what I've read, they can survive and thrive without those things. Each of the plants are commonly available and don't cost much. I spent $12 for 2 bunches of anacharis, 1 bunch of amazon swords and 1 bunch of anubia. I attached the anubia to a piece of driftwood (I boiled the driftwood for two hours to remove some of the chemicals they contain). The anacharis and swords are planted in Petco gravel. Knucklesam is right about the anacharis...it seems to have a way of removing itself from the gravel and floating around. My fish seem to like this though. Good luck to you! I'll keep you posted on my experiences.


Amazon Swords are by far my favorite plant. They fill in so well and are beautiful! Driftwood has tannins in which leave your tank a burgundy color. If any of you guys have questions. I will be glad to help! And its never too late to start a planted tank. Just know that some decorations might have to come out to compensate for lost space.

Here is a PIC of my 90GAL coming together. Still need to purchase some micro swords and then fill in the whole back wall with Cambomba, Wisteria and Java Ferns.


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## Dustin86 (Sep 22, 2012)

I really like the way the anacharis and the cabomba look.. I have a few plastic plants that I think are supposed to be versions of these. They are my favorites. I will have to look into getting them. It looks like the anacharis might do okay in my goldfish tank, whereas both might do well in the tropical tank? This is based on information from liveaquaria.com.

I have no clue what the wattage of my goldfish tank's light is. It's a single fluorescent bar light. It's also very old, wasn't mine originally, and I can't find any markings on the bulb. I tried to move it to look and then I couldn't get the light to come back on for a bit. I don't want to risk breaking it as I really don't want to buy a new lighting fixture right now.

As for rocks and wood, I think I will take my wife for a walk in the local parks before it gets too chilly! I bet I can find some good stuff. Is there any particular kind of wood I should look for, or is anything okay as long as I treat it?

Thanks everybody! I'm enjoying the discussion.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Gold fishes are omnivorous and will tear through many plants. I have heard java fern is one they will not. Its a nice low light plant and very easy to care for if you remember to keep the rhizome uncovered. My favorite plant is the aquatic ones lol  

Easy lowlight plants are some cryptocorne species, anubias, java fern, java moss, wisteria appreciates a little more light than the ones i listed but should thrive with the light you have. Also look for some of the easier ludwigias. Pics when its done, I love to see what others look like!


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## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

majerah1 said:


> Gold fishes are omnivorous and will tear through many plants.
> 
> Easy lowlight plants are some cryptocorne species, anubias, java fern


Very true. There are only a few plants that will actually survive the wrath of a goldfish in such small confides.


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## FishFlow (Sep 13, 2011)

Wood is not drift wood. If you're picking up wood from parks, you'll want to do some research. Some sap isn't good for tanks/fish. Unfortunately, that's about all I know.


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## clep.berry (Mar 4, 2012)

I've had a planted tank for less than a year - I've made a couple of mistakes but overall, it's been a great experience.
First off, don't buy a plant unless YOU know it's aquatic. I've been done twice on this count.
Consider LED lighting. I have TMC grobeam 500s - they are excellent.
If you have plants, you will more than likely need to fertilize.
There IS such a thing as too much plant:

Light, nutrients and plants need you do do the balancing for them in a tank. In the wild, there's always another species ready to jump into a gap.
Most important: Have fun! if you're scared you'll kill a plant, more light in less time usually does the trick.
Here's the same tank 2 months before after just having upgraded lighting and filtration:

cb


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## TroyVSC (Aug 29, 2012)

clep.berry said:


> I've had a planted tank for less than a year - I've made a couple of mistakes but overall, it's been a great experience.
> First off, don't buy a plant unless YOU know it's aquatic. I've been done twice on this count.
> Consider LED lighting. I have TMC grobeam 500s - they are excellent.
> If you have plants, you will more than likely need to fertilize.
> ...


Your tank looks really nice.


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## Dustin86 (Sep 22, 2012)

Thought you guys might appreciate some picture updates. I bought some plants from chipmunk and they came in on Monday. I have java fern, anacharis, willow hygro, wisteria, and ludwiga. I moved out some of the artificial plants to make room and moved the rest of them over to one side of the tank - I didn't want to completely eliminate the hiding spots that my corys and tetras seem to like, so once things fill in a bit I will probably completely remove the artificial plants.

I planted everything on Monday, mostly concerned about getting everything into the tank and not worrying too much about placement. I have no actual rocks or driftwood in the tank at this moment (soaking a piece as we speak) so I crammed the java fern into a recess on the "rock" ornament in the tank. You can kinda see it on the left.










I was still running a bubble bar from under my gravel at this point. Within two days, I realized it was knocking plants out of place, so I've shut it off. This allowed me to slightly rearrange some of the plants.

Yesterday, I replaced the 2500K CFL bulbs with 6500K CFL bulbs. Today, my plants look a LOT happier - look at the willow hygro especially!










I looked a little closer, and it appears that I actually have some new growth on some of the plants! A few tiny little sprouts or something on the willow hygro, and quite a few new leaves on some of the ludwiga. The anarachis seems to be sprouting a new stem at an angle near the top, though I don't honestly remember if it was like this when it came in.


























Sorry my tetras are such attention hogs! Thanks all for the advice.


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## fishboy (Jul 15, 2012)

its ok. I like your tank.


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## bgabler (Oct 10, 2012)

Tank looks really good!! Keep us informed


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