You can find a lot of this by searching the forums, but I’ll try to answer some of it. A 20 gallon tank is a nice size for Anubias, Crypts, Vallisneria (if you don’t mind clipping the runners), smaller swords, Java ferns, etc. If you want slow-growers, stay away from rotala and other stem plants, although Bacopa is nice with medium growth. Also stay away from moss if you want to avoid trimming.

You don’t need aquasoil to grow these plants. Pool filter sand looks nice, is cheap, and will grow these plants just fine. It’s also a lot easier to plant in. You can use gravel Anubias and Java ferns are epiphytes, so just push them between rocks or into cracks in driftwood, or you can use Gorilla glue. That turns white in water, so sprinkle some sand on it before it’s fully dry.

I don’t think under gravel filters are ideal for planted tanks. I’ve come to prefer canister filters, but HOB’s are fine too. The Tidal filter you mentioned is quite good.

Here is a link to the fishless cycle. It’s the most humane and reliable way to cycle a tank. https://www.plantedtank.net/posts/9204809/

There are fish that do well in harder water. The guppies you mentioned would do well. It’s also not hard to buy an RO system and remineralize according to what you want.

Be sure to get liquid tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, gH and kH. The first 3 are in the API Master Test kit, and the last 2 can be bought as a set. Test strips are too inconsistent to be relied on when it counts.

Good luck, and create a tank journal with pictures so we can follow along. 😃

 

My biggest now is a 20 and it's my preferred size. I have hard well water and my fish do fine. Inverts another story. Most of my mid level plants did fine.

Be careful with rodi water at fish stores. It's not always as clean as you think. You might be better off using simple purified after at home. I had a ppm tds tester and was literally offended at my fish stores rodi vs my own fridges filter lol. Most of the time they don't change the filters enough nor backwash them.

For substrate I always use black diamond and nothing else. It grows plants well, seems to avoid algae well, hides dirt and since it's a coal slag I do feel it actually polishes the water if kept clean enough. Do it, you won't regret it.

 

Lots of people use black diamond with no problems . I’ve used it myself. From what I’ve read on this forum though, some people have had livestock deaths from it because it’s inconsistent from bag to bag and sometimes contains harmful impurities, metals etc. Just fyi.

 

I was just reading up on black diamond medium blasting sand coal slag at aquirium co-op forum sold at tractor supply .com is this what you are both referring to? Some people have said since it is a recycled material it can very with amounts of small metal pcs in it and to use a magnet to remove them while preparing it.

What about something like Seachem Flourite Black Sand?

 

Yes, that’s it. It probably depends on the hardiness of the livestock how well they do with it. I’m not sure a magnet can get all of the impurities out. I really like the Fluorite black sand, although it’s much more expensive than either pool sand or BDBS, and you’ll probably want to strain it with a paint strainer (don’t stir it, just rinse gently). BDBS needs rinsing too. Some pool sand doesn’t need rinsing (which is great). I also hear a lot of people recommending the black sand at PetCo.

 

I purchased an open shelving type aquarium stand verse a closed cabinet style

Do you mean versus? Just want to make sure I understand what you're saying.

I think I would skip the under gravel and just go HOB like the Seachem Tidal filter.

If you want something that's going to be the easiest to maintain, cheapest to replace parts and proven, you'll want to consider something like the Aquaclear line. An AC 30 or 50 would be fine on a 20gal. I'd probably go AC50 because you can turn down flow and fit a lot more media in it.

Substrate....the million dollar question....I have watched way too many videos on this subject.

Betting pretty much everything you watched was confusing because very few YouTubers have much experience, unfortunately.

I read dirted setups are better for larger tanks.

Definitely not.

I am leaning towards some sort of active aqua soil at the moment aiming for about 3" depth.

Do you mean ADA Aqua Soil? Or just active/buffering substrate of some other brand? Regardless, that's not necessary unless it's something you know you need. And even then, it's going to be problematic in some circumstances because it will pull kH from the water and make things more acidic.

As others have suggested, plain sand or fine gravel is pretty great. Everything from pool filter sand to regular black sand from Petco/Petsmart/Walmart.

water here has high TDS

Get a liquid test kit and determine your kH and gH. No test strips. That will help us guide you in the right direction in terms of livestock. There will be plenty for you to keep regardless.

What about something like Seachem Flourite Black Sand?

It's fine if you can get it for cheap. But it's nothing special. No better than regular black sand.

When it comes to Black Diamond and other blasting grit, it's coal slag. It's only popular because it's cheap. For me, the downsides outweigh the $10 it saves. I'd rather spend $10 on a bag of Saf T Sorb (it's similar to Flourite and you can get it at Tractor Supply or Grainger) or bag of pool filter sand and have a lot less risk involved.

 

Do you mean versus? Just want to make sure I understand what you're saying.



If you want something that's going to be the easiest to maintain, cheapest to replace parts and proven, you'll want to consider something like the Aquaclear line. An AC 30 or 50 would be fine on a 20gal. I'd probably go AC50 because you can turn down flow and fit a lot more media in it.



Betting pretty much everything you watched was confusing because very few YouTubers have much experience, unfortunately.



Definitely not.



Do you mean ADA Aqua Soil? Or just active/buffering substrate of some other brand? Regardless, that's not necessary unless it's something you know you need. And even then, it's going to be problematic in some circumstances because it will pull kH from the water and make things more acidic.

As others have suggested, plain sand or fine gravel is pretty great. Everything from pool filter sand to regular black sand from Petco/Petsmart/Walmart.



Get a liquid test kit and determine your kH and gH. No test strips. That will help us guide you in the right direction in terms of livestock. There will be plenty for you to keep regardless.



It's fine if you can get it for cheap. But it's nothing special. No better than regular black sand.

When it comes to Black Diamond and other blasting grit, it's coal slag. It's only popular because it's cheap. For me, the downsides outweigh the $10 it saves. I'd rather spend $10 on a bag of Saf T Sorb (it's similar to Flourite and you can get it at Tractor Supply or Grainger) or bag of pool filter sand and have a lot less risk involved.

versus....

Thanks for all the replies so far.

FYI, I was just at Petco looking at those 20 gallon longs. A lady asked me if a Betta would be ok in one of those little plastic tanks marked temporary on it. They wanted to get a Betta as a gift for a child. She said they didn't know anything about keeping fish. I talked her out of it. I recommended she do some research on requirements for keeping fish first since it is a commitment. Probably saved one Betta at least for today.

 

I've never had one issue with using black diamond. Maybe people just contributing fish death from bad cycles to the substrate?

 

Unfortunately not the case. It's prone to containing heavy metals, oils and other coal by-products that are harmful to invertebrates. It's also not a product with any sort of quality control beyond size sorting.

Comes up with some frequency here and on other forums.

 

My first planted tank was a 20L and I still love that footprint!! I’m running a 75gal now but I still have the 20 in storage in case I need/want a 2nd. As far as a light goes, I have a Fluval that is run through the app. It works perfect, and I get total control over which color and the intensity of each. I thought I would go full blast but I’m not. Running just over 50%. It also has it own timer that’s WAY better than any timer you could buy.

 

Checked out some fish stores today and I think I like the natural look of Carib Sea SuperNaturals Aquascapes Peace River substrate. Typical Size: 1.0 – 2.0 mm, would that be ok for low tech planted tank? It reminds me of the old natural aquarium gravel only a little finer. They do have a smaller Jungle River Sand Typical Size: .5 to 1.5 mm that has that natural look to. Maybe a mixture of the two sizes would be beneficial to the plants?
I noticed the lighter smaller sand types seemed to show light algae build up on it.
Freshwater Substrates - CaribSea

I have seen some good reviews on the updated aquaclears HOBs. Fixed a few minor annoyances with the update.

 

Mix them or not, they should be fine for plants. It’ll just come down to what you think looks best.