New to plants trying to get some in a 12g nano

chogs89

Planning on getting 3-4 dwarf puffers in a 12g nano cube and was wondering what plants would work in this. I am new to plants but not to aquariums. I would like to have plants that I will not have to trim. Also what kind of lights will I need and what substrate would work well? and co2 wise what would i need or would i need anything???

kritas

No matter what plants you get, you will always end up wanting to trim them, otherwise they'll just shoot out of the tank...
My suggestion would be dwarf hairgrass for the forground, maybe 1 anubias nana or something equivalent, then maybe 2 small-medium sized swords for the back.
Sorry I haven't actually researched far in to swords to be able to tell you any names, but there are just so many different swords...
In a system that small, i wouldn't bother with pressurized Co2 systems, unless ur going to make a DIY Co2 system, which should cost you anything over $10-$15...
As for lighting, I would get a compact fluorescent, works wonders.
Eco-complete is a great substrate to use, which will supply your plants with trace elements.
Umm, just to clarrify, are dwarf puffers brackish water dwellers, or not?

onefish2fish

i personally would go to liveaquaria.com and browse the freshwater plant section, look for foreground and midground plants. you may be alright with 1 or 2 types of background plants but those usually tend to grow tall fast searching for a light source.
generally alot of plants will do fine with lights 2-3 watts per gallon with FULL spectrum light bulbs
dwarf puffers are fully fresh water. 3 will prob. be your max you can keep in a well planted 12 gallon. i would add them all at the same time (after your tank cycles) keep in mind they do show aggression and will nip eachother and def. nip at other fish so i highly recommend they are housed alone.
you dont need eco-complete but it would def. not hurt, gravel will work just fine and you can supplement with root tabs .. or a sand substrate for them because ive heard of puffers eating gravel (im guessing they mistake them for snails? because they do love to hunt snails and eat live blackworms and bloodworms)
id also skip on the c02, it will more then likely bring more headaches and your plants will grow just dandy without it, goodluck!

klosxe

Personally, I would use the gravel on Aquariumplants.com although LiveAquaria.com from Dr. Foster and Smith is a great site also. I use both frequently and overall they are fairly reliable sites. Agree that CO2 would just be an unecessary hassle.....

Hope it works out! Please post some Pics, I love to look at other peoples tanks and give freedback. It really helps a lot, know this from personal experience, look at this thread, and c the difference.....

http://www.fishforum.com/aquarium-pl...estions-16012/