[dish418]

I have a 56 gal which will have tetras, danios, SAE or plecos and mollies. What would be the best bet on plants for my tank? Thanks

 

[WhiteGloveAquatics]

The SAE over the pleco unless its an RNP or BNP.

any plants are fine with those species.

plant keeping isnt cheap, it all depends on how much lighting you have,substrate you are using and what kind of plants you want to have.

three kinds of plants
low,medium and high lighting.

let us know what you want/have we will help you out more.
The more info you give us the more info we can give you.

 

[dish418]

Well I guess thats my hang up. The tank I bought did not come with a light, so Im trying to figure which light to purchase. Also my tank is a 56 column so there is not many to chose from. Ive found the Hagen Glo T5 HO Freshwater Lighting System or the AquaticLife 30" T5 HO 4 Lamp which is quite a bit more expensive. The GLO is a two bulb which I think would be good for a low lighting plants. The Four bulb would be mod to high or give me more options for low light correct? I plan on using Eco-complete and Flourite gravel. Any feedback would be great

 

[beaslbob]

as far as the actual plants go I use a mix of fast growing and slower growing plants. From local sources, I use anacharis and vals for the fast growers and small potted plants plus a few amazon swords for the slower growers.

For 4' wide tank I use 2 tube utility shop light fixtures from home depot/Lowes. For 1 3' tank I cut a foot off one of those fixtures but that was a lot of work. For smaller tanks I use compact flourescent (incandescent replacement bulbs) in either an incandescent aquarium hood (10g) or round spot clip on reflectors (20g) which I set on egg crate. Look for 6500k bulbs.

for a substrate I use 1" of peat moss with 1" of play sand and 1" of pc select (or aquarium gravel). esch layer is added and filled with water then the tank cleaned up and the layer leveled. Then the next layer added.

my .02

 

[aspects]

the hagen GLO system is a great light for the price. i have used them on two tanks, and i like them.

 

[Sweet Tee]

Nice piece of driftwood you got there aspects. It has a mountainous look to it

 

[dish418]

I am going to buy the GLO with dual bulbs. Im still confused on the different bulb types, Im going for plants with a low light need. If it doesnt come with bulbs which would work best? (I found one on ebay that the bulbs arent included) Thanks

 

[aspects]

Get the day glo, flora glo, or life glo II. You want lights in the 5500k to 6500k range.