Hello, The Planted Tank!

Hello All! I'm new to these forums, however Ive been over at Nano-Reef.com for a few months now. I recently purchased a 29 gallon euro bowfront tank with a mirrored back and I have decided to attempt a planted freshwater tank! I currently have a 40g FOWLR (Fish Only :fish:With Live Rock) and a 12g Nano Reef tank.

I already partially filled the tank and added the substrate...this was my first mistake...I used plain aquarium gravel :icon_redf ... Any Ideas on how to fix this?

Lighting-wise, the tank came with an "Eclipse Natural Daylight" F15T8 18" bulb in the fixture. There is no wattage listed on the bulb...so...I'm unsure there... What is the recommended lighting set-up for a planted FW tank?

As for filtration I will be using an old Hagen AquaClear 50 that I had laying around the house.

Last but not least is there an area of the site specifically made to answer noob questions like the ones I'm asking? If so...I would be glad to read it! I know how old it probably gets answering the same 5 or so questions over and over!

Thanks in advance for everyone's time and help! I'm glad to be a member of the Planted Tank community! :biggrin: