[sixxfingers]

I am in the process of creating a 30g planted tank and i am looking for suggestions to add some color any recomendations yall may have would be greatly appreciated as i am fairly new to aqaurium plants been keepng fish bout 10 years now my tank has very good light i have about 4.5 wpg thank you in advance for your input

 

[djrichie]

what sub are you using
are you going to use injected CO2


How deep is the tank....

What do you know about ferts.....

As far as plants these are import questions

 

[sixxfingers]

the tank is 18 inches deep im very familiar with fertilizers and yes i have a co2 system ive done a fair bit of research on the subject just looking for some of the more colorful plants if someone could make a suggestion or 2 being that there are so many choices out there it would take me forever and a day to look them all up thats why i chose to ask here again thank you in advance

 

[djrichie]

Will the best place to start, would be at a good online plant store that has a very large selection with photos, and profiles on the plants. This way you can pick out what you like and than see if you are meeting the requirerments for the plants you. Most chain store and LFS are not just catching on to the market of planted tanks so there selection are very small, however it good to take a peek every once and a while because they sometimes you can gfind a jewel. Make sure you know your GH and KH of your water as some of the more exoctic plants have requirerments just like fish. Shipping is a factor you need to look at not just cost but what the weather is like during shipping and delivery. Also, you should except plants that have been in a box for 3 days or longer they will just melt away as soon as you put them in your tank.

Tiger Lotus look nice.

 

[sixxfingers]

thank you i have been doing some research online also ive had some sucsess with some red dwarf lily bulbs i aquired they r growing nicely as i get the tank going ill post some pics also some might b interested to see the stand and hood that i built for this tank as they turned out awsome i think

 

[susankat]

There is also Ludwigia palustrus which will give you some nice reds mixed with darker greens. With that kind of lighting and co2 there is several plants you will be able to grow.

 

[Dmaaaaax]

One other thing to think about when planting/purchasing is how strong your filter and current is. Some plants have a fairly rigid stem and others are very flimsy. Keep this in mind when deciding what to plant where. I like the Ludwigia for that extra red/purple color. Below was my 20g setup and the Ludwigia loved it. I also got a red tiger lily started towards the end (foreground).

http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/20g-planted-tank-1080.html

The other plant I liked for foreground was the dwarf baby tears, but it just could not grow well and spread out in that substrate. I have moved them to a bigger tank and have an area specially made for them using Fluorish black sand, so hopefully this will make them happy. Keep this in mind when picking out smaller foreground plants.

 

[sixxfingers]

well thus far ive add 1 large Hygrophila difformis that i have pruned back and planted 1 large buch of cerotophyllum demersum several banana plants cause i thought they looked cool and a dwarf red lily that i started from a bulb oh yea and a moss ball that my son saw at the lfs and wanted i will see how this goes to start with before i decide what else i want to put in im considering dwarf baby tears andsome ludwigia palustrus i keep yall posted on the outcome