So I have a 20g aquarium with 6 serpae tetras and 3 false bandit corys in it. I am in the process of converting from fake to real plants. I just got a T5HO light fixture with 2 24 watt bulbs in it. I also made a DIY co2 generator from a 1 liter bottle. I havent actually started making co2, because i dont have any plants. I also have substrate that is designed for plants, i dont remember what it is called. Before i ordered a bunch of plants offline, I was hoping for some advice to make sure i have everything i need, and what kind of fertilizer should i use. Also if someone could line me a simple recipie for co2 that i could easily do in my college dorm room. Any other advice for someone new to growing plants would be appreciated.

I forgot to mention was planning to put an air pump on a timer to start when my light goes off, is this a good idea? I really would not like to kill my fish.

The air pump at night is not a requirement with CO2 but it will help both plants and fish.The plants use oxygen at night,so they will love it.

For ferts,I use some powdered ferts from Planted Aquarium Fertilizer - Home

The ones I have is the CSM+B,KNO3 and KH2PO4.These three have the basic nutrients plants will enjoy.I Highly suggest that you look into am pressurized system though.The light is a HO light and you may find yourself fighting algae a good bit.Maybe you can get the DIY to produce enough but in the long run,Pressurized is cheaper.I have a paintball setup on mine,at 1BPS,the tank has already lasted me over a month.

On the DIY CO2 this is the recipe I used:Aquatic Eden: DIY CO2 Recipe: Duration vs. Intensity - Aquascaping Aquarium Blog

I found this lasted me quite some time,about a month to six weeks.

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Thanks for all the info! The light does have an option to only use one bulb. Do you think that's a good idea? I was planning to get some otos, because i head they like plants and i love sucker-mouth fish. Im not sure what i could feed them that i could store easily in my dorm room. What i have read makes it seem like feeding them may be difficult.

Some say that liquid ferts are useless, but I use liquid ferts once a week and I'll use root tabs if I find the plants are looking a bit 'tired'.

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You can start with two lights and then cut back if you have any real issues.Photoperiod should be around eight hours a day.I found consistency is best so a timer is your friend.

As Holly mentioned liquid ferts work fine,I dose mine dry though.

Ottos,I couldnt tell ya,never kept them.

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When i did my planted 29 Gallon i needed two Bottles of CO2 for it to seem to matter But thats personal opinion! when mixing Co2 i use as close to room temp water as i can. mix in 2 cups Sugar shake well untill mixed i then add 1 tea spoon of Yeast and again shake well. i dont add anything else just those two items i get like Almost 2 weeks out of each bottle... i think its normally 1 day shy of 2 weeks.. I also use Floramax for my Substrate its vitamin enriched substrate seems to work.. Also I use Flourish twice a week Liquid as well as API Co2 Booster... My Lights where 96 watts on my 29 with no algea but i was told that was odd LOL.. and i had to clear my tank cause its being over run once a month area..
i dont know if this helps you or not but i was jus giving my personal Experience have fun! planted tanks are beautiful and once finished you will always get compliments ! cant wait to see pics!

Any kind of fert is better then none. Personally, I think liquid ferts are not the most economical way to perform fertilization. 90% of what is in the bottle is water and the stuff they mix with water is available to you to mix yourself at maybe 1/1000th the cost. The powder mix is $12, same price as the liquid, but will last 2-3yrs....and, instead of just micros, it also has macros and covers everything your plants need, not just part of it. Useless - no. Expensive and a waste of your money - yes.

So I got my light in, and i have mixed up my DIY CO2. I am planning to order the standard 30 gal plant pack from here Aquatic Plants for Freshwater Aquariums: Aquarium Plant Pack - Standard. Does that sound like a good idea to you guys?

My DIY CO2 is producing like 1 bubble every 6-7 seconds. Is that enough?

P.S. if you see this dont forget to read my above question.

I would go with the deluxe, if it were me. CO2 bubbles sound a little low. Where did you get the recipe from?

I'm ordering the deluxe pack tomorrow! I have remixed my CO2 like bev told me to, and i am getting around one bubble per second now. I bought some seachem flourish today. Can anyone give me some advice on dosing?

Dosing should be followed on the bottle.Ive never really used it myself,so someone should be able to tell you more.

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I have been meaning to post pics forever, but i just now got around to it.

Did you forget to post it, lol? Tank is looking very nice!

I couldn't figure out how to post pics from my gallery. You should see it with all the otos i got yesterday swimming around and laying on the chain sword lieaves. I should post a pic of what it used to look like.

Wow looks great!

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Thanks guys

tank does look great..keep in mind that if you decide to get any forground plants...HC...glosso..stuff like that..your ottos will want to go to them and might up root them as they dont have a stong root system to start with but will have as they grow in..your plants you have in there right now should be good..again great looking tank.

Rick

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