[glocknug]

I decided to start my tank with fake plants, and focus on fish. It has been recently cycled, and I already want to get rid of the plastic!

It is a 46 gallon aquarium, 36" long, about 24" high. I set it up with black diamond blasting sand as a substrate. It is way over filtered, so water movement is fairly strong in places.

I am looking at getting the finnex 24/7 light. I want the 24/7 because i often work strange hours, and would like to keep things consistent. I was also looking at a knockoff version by VivaGrow as my light.

I am looking for info regarding what plants are good to look at with this tank/light combo. I hope to use the 24/7 mode. Also, what plants should i look at for background, mid, and forground? I am not looking to create a forest, and I do not want to use co2 if i can avoid it. Fertalizer or root tabs are okay.

I will attach a pic of my tank with fake plants. What real plants will work as replacements, with the sand, and with the 24/7 light?

Lastly, will the 24/7 light cause excessive algae if used during the transition?

Thanks!

 

[huhu89151734]

The light that you picked will work fine until you get deep into the hobby. Plant wise, you can just go to SNS subforum and buy all of those cheap plants and fill your tank, and scape with whatever survive after a couple of months, until you get co2 and better substrate.

 

[glocknug]

So, my choice for fake plants was weak. Now i decide on low-mid light plants... Then im gonna change my mind and want to upgrade again?!?! Steer me i the right direction!

 

[Natasha]

Not gonna lie, you're always going to want to upgrade to increase your choice, until you've done it and are sick of the hassle. I'm in the middle of going from low to high tech. We'll see how it goes.

As far as plants for the light, there are some awesome swords, anubias, crypts, mosses that should all grow well. I find stem a little tougher for low-medium light, but I've had luck with bacopa caroliniana and cabomba. Wisteria, vallisneria, and some ludwigias would be other background plants to look into.

 

[loach guy]

Penny wort is a good beginner plant for larger tanks. Good luck!

 

[lksdrinker]

Quick comment about your reason for wanting the 24/7 light. Any light will do even if you work odd hours/schedules. Just use a basic timer!

 

[someoldguy]

Think about vallisineria , hygrophila , and maybe some of the larger cryptocorynes for the background . Smaller crypts , java fern , anubias , bolbitis heudolotti for planting toward the front . Small anubias and java ferns could be tied/superglues to your wood . If you have heavy flow in your tank , maybe think about cutting it back when you plant for a few weeks until everything gets settled in . Don't plant the rhizomes of the anubias , java fern , and bolbitis in the substrate , just stick the roots in . Take your time and think it out . If you work odd hours , CO2 is probably a good thing to avoid , at least for a year or 2 until you get used to having real live plants.

 

[dpod]

It's good you have a tall tank, because I found my 24/7 to be too much on a 10gal low tech tank. I was getting staghorn, hair, and black beard algae all over the top inch of the tank. With a 24" tall tank, you shouldn't have that problem.

However, with those dimensions you have lots of room to work with tall plants, so valisnerias and swords will be your friends. They like root tabs and grow fast and tall. If you want stems for some textural variation, Bacopa carolina, hygrophila difformis (water wisteria) and Ludwigia arcuata are three of the easiest ones I've found. L. arcuata is my favorite of the bunch, as it'll get a bit red and grows like a weed.

For the midground, go for java ferns or Bolbitus heudelotii. Both grow best when anchored to rocks or driftwood but are otherwise super hardy.

The foreground is going to be tough because it's a long way from the light, but crypts like c. wendtii, c. undulata, or c. lutea should work. Dwarf sag, Sagiattaria subulata, is also good.

If you have more specific questions, head on over to the low-tech forums. Good luck and welcome to the party!