A good substrate, good ferts, c02 injection or Liquid Carbon, lighting, i use all that i have said, plants have exploded
Some plants are hard to keep some plants are easy, plenty of blogs out there for info.
http://forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=151
Yup, starting point is a good substrate (hence going on about that lava gravel in previous posts). Co2 and lighting are the next areas you want to look at getting sorted. I’ve got to get myself in gear this year with Co2.
Out of interest Spook, what Co2 unit have you gone with? I've always been keen on doing a custom build but been a little put off by horror stories of pressured tank malfunctions.
There are some great plant suppliers on ebay that have some really interesting ones available (forums often have recommendations for resellers). Pet shops/aquatics centres tend to only keep specific types of plants that are hardy, look nice and grow fast, these can be nice but there are some stunning plants out there which you can get for less than shops supply.
** Always give the plants a good rinse under a cold tap or in a bucket of cold water before putting in your tank in case there are any ‘klingons’ such as snails as this can be a REAL issue **
What's the general consensus about doing a fishless cycle with the plants in the tank?
I would do a fishless cycle without plants, certainly for a few days just to let things settle. I would definitely have plants in the tank before you introduce fish, although it’s a luxury you’ll only have once (hopefully) from starting a tank from scratch.
Planted tanks can be a real pleasure to work on but they can be a pain in the a$$ as well! I’ve spent £££ on plants over the years in the hope that they will flourish, most of them have ended up nibbled to pieces. This is partly to do with inadequate lighting, water type/quality and of course lack of Co2, but Spook makes a great point about doing research on your plant choices, this will be greatly affected by the type of fish you choose as some will go for plants more than others.
Also, not sure if you're sorted what you're doing with filters but I would really recommend getting rid of the Jewel filter (I've never liked the idea of the dirt sitting in the filter being sat in the water, I like the degree of separation an external filter brings.
On that subject, from personal experience, I wouldn't go for Jewel external filters - I must have gone through about 6 over the years. Rena is a great external filter manufacturer and you can buy spares galore - I've had two filters, the +2 and +4 (had two as I sold the first one with a tank). Flow cycle rates are fantastic and the spray bar with adjustable flow is a great feature.
One tip, if you're going to buy 2nd hand, just make sure you can buy replacement seals for it as if they dry out they won't make a proper seal and will leak EVERYWHERE! As I said above, Rena do plenty of spares including cannister and impeller seals.
Anyone use one and know if they are remotely realistic price wise?
