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Would like advice on how to successfully start and keep a 5 gallon planted tank

6K views 22 replies 6 participants last post by  redchigh 
#1 ·
Hi. I'm fairly new to fish and really new to big aquariums. I have a male Crowntail Betta named Taco who was originally my younger sisters but, after a year, she got tired of caring for him and he would have died if I didn't take over. Right now he's in a 1 gallon tank and I just got him a 5 gallon tank which I would love to make a natural planted aquarium (he's still in his 1 gallon tank). I want him to have as natural of an environment as I can give him. I read Byrons "A Basic Approach to the Natural Planted Aquarium" and have some questions.

I plan to put the new aquarium on my desk that's near a window. The aquarium comes with a light but would natural light from the window be enough? It's not direct sunlight.

I was going to start the cycling process as soon as I got some substrate and decor for the new aquarium but if I do a planted tank should I do the cycle? From what I understood, if the aquarium is planted then it's better for the plants if the tank is not cycled. It's easier for plants to use ammonia. After setting up the tank, should I wait a few days/weeks before putting Taco in? Do I need to check parameters often with a planted tank?

Should I not use chemical/charcoal filtration? Will it remove plant food/fertilizer? The aquarium came with an Aqua-Tech 5-15 filter.

Any suggestions on which plants I should use and what substrate I should use? I saw in another post that Bettas would like water sprite.

How often should a planted tank be cleaned and how much/what % water change?

I hope I'm not jumping in too quickly. I just think natural looking planted tanks look so beautiful and peaceful and would really love to have a successful one for Taco.

Thank You so much!

1. Tank size:
5 gallon Hawkeye AquaBrite 5, 15 1/2" L x 9 3/4" W x 16" H (for Crowntail Betta)

2 Watts and type of lighting:
Fluorescent light. On the bulb it said: 2U 9Watt Daylight 120V/60HZ 116mA. I tried using the "Chart for Lighting" link under "Freshwater Plant Informations" but it doesn't seem to be working at the moment, at least not on my computer. The box the aquarium came in did say "Environmentally friendly longer lasting lamp. 5,000K Illumination simulates bright light on a sunny day."

3. Number and types of plants:
None. Not sure which ones I should use. I was thinking of water sprite, java fern, wisteria, some sort of sword and/or anubias. Very open to suggestions.

4. Substrate type:
None. I was thinking of getting Eco-complete planted with some black rock gravel on top of that. Very open to suggestions.

5. Age of tank:
New, just got it last week.

6. CO2 injection:
None. I wouldn't want to use it if possible.

7. Water Parameters:
No water in aquarium at the moment.

8. Detailed description of plan problems:
Would like advice on how to successfully start and keep a 5 gallon planted tank and what type of plants are best to use for my tank.

 
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#2 ·
Looks like we're having a go at basically the exact same thing. :p I think I'll hang about and see if I can learn anything.

Good luck!
 
#4 ·
Hi, and a big welcome to the wonderful world of natural planted aquaria. If they could, your fish will thank you.:)

I plan to put the new aquarium on my desk that's near a window. The aquarium comes with a light but would natural light from the window be enough? It's not direct sunlight.
This should work fine, depending upon how close to the window and the extent of brightness of the daylight. If you like, have a look at the photo of my 10g sand tank (under "Aquariums" below my name on the left), this is in front of a west-facing window (shades to prevent direct sunlight), no light, no filter, just a heater, and after 3 months the plants are thriving. The only issue with window light is controlling algae; it takes a bit of experimenting to find the right duration. Artificial light is easier to manage as you can use a timer. But it is possible. One disadvantage is observing the tank; this is much nicer with an overhead light. When I look at my 10g, the fish are always in front of the light and difficult to see, they appear colourless.

I was going to start the cycling process as soon as I got some substrate and decor for the new aquarium but if I do a planted tank should I do the cycle? From what I understood, if the aquarium is planted then it's better for the plants if the tank is not cycled. It's easier for plants to use ammonia. After setting up the tank, should I wait a few days/weeks before putting Taco in? Do I need to check parameters often with a planted tank?
As noted in the article, the plants will cycle immediately. Plant the tank at the start, and put the fish in. That's it. The only parameters I check are pH and nitrates, and after a few weeks only pH now and then. Once a tank is stable these values should not change, and mine never do.

Should I not use chemical/charcoal filtration? Will it remove plant food/fertilizer? The aquarium came with an Aqua-Tech 5-15 filter.
Leave any carbon out. It will remove nutrients, plus the plants do the work of the carbon anyway so let nature do it, it will be better.

Any suggestions on which plants I should use and what substrate I should use? I saw in another post that Bettas would like Water Sprite.
Yes, this is a great floating plant for anabantids; they love to browse through the leaves and roots. One plant will do you; once established, new daughter plants will appear regularly on the leaves, as noted in the profile. Your other plant ideas are fine. You could also include crypts [Cryptocoryne species], check our profiles, we have a few species there now, I'm adding more when I can.

For substrate, anything will do. Small-grain gravel is my preference because plants easily root in it and bacteria easily colonize it (the anaerobic bacteria used to break down waste into organics for the plants live in the substrate), water flows through it easier, less chance of compaction. Play sand also works, though it is more likely to compact so needs a bit of careful handling but it is workable. A plant substrate is fine, for a small tank a small bag would do and not be too expensive (sand and gravel will be cheaper, a concern more in large tanks).

How often should a planted tank be cleaned and how much/what % water change?
This depends upon the fish and plants. But as we are talking a single Betta in a planted 5g, I would change about 1/3 of the water every week. Gently run the vacuum over the substrate, sort of just above it so as not to really disturb it, as the plants can use the decomposing organics in the substrate.

You could even leave the filter out of this setup; the betta would be better, and the plants don't need it. Let nature do the work for you. Less fuss, more reliable.

Hope this helps. Keeping those questions coming if you have them.

Byron.
 
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#5 ·
Thank you so much! I have actually looked at your aquariums and they're all so amazingly beautiful. I'm hoping to go to the store this weekend and get started then. I'm so excited to put it all together. I know Petco and Petsmart sell some plants but is there a good place online to order plants? Thank you so much again! :-D
 
#6 ·
If you're in the US, many here have had good success ordering plants from Sweet Aquatics. But I believe they only ship within the continental US. Their website is:
http://www.sweetaquatics.com/

If you can use them, they sell individual plants and they also have plant packages (a selection of certain plants for various aquascapes).

Thank you for the compliment on my tanks. I hope they show that beautiful planted aquaria do not need to be difficult or expensive. The low-tech natural planted aquarium methods I write about are what I follow myself, and have for 20 years.
 
#8 ·
You could use a soil substrate since they are designed to go in a window...

Basically everything is the same, but you put about an inch of soil under the gravel.
They way you won't need any flourish or ferts.

Miracle grow Organic Choice potting soil is what I use, and it works wonders.

Nice selection of plants.
 
#9 · (Edited)
I once had a quite interesting five gallon tank. It was a 5 gallon bowfront tank with inert gravel and lit by a single 10 watt CFL bulb from Walmart. I had moss, pellia, HC, Blyxa japonica, Diplis diandra, and Cabomba furcata in that tank, and they all were healthy. They grew slowly, yes, but they were quite healthy. When the tank started out, I dosed some Excel and Flourish Iron, but for most of its existence the tank had no fertilizers at all. When I did does, the Blyxa even had some red on it. It was an extremely low maintenance tank, and the only thing I did was occasionally feed it. There was no algae except for the occasional green algae, but even that was in tiny amounts. Also no CO2 at all.

Window lighting can be pretty tricky. If the algae starts taking over, just light the tank with a CFL bulb.

For plants, I think sword plants would be a bad idea. Most of them get huge. However, you could try the pygmy chain sword, which stays pretty small and grows low. If you go for Anubias, you should try getting Anubias nana 'petite', which is small variant of Anubias with leafs no larger than one's pinky nail. Water sprite would be a very good plant for your type of setup.

I would advise against getting plants from Petco or Petsmart. They usually sell some nonaquatic plants, and the aquatic plants are usually in dismal shape. If you must get plants from one of the stores, get them from Petsmart. Do you have any independently owned fish stores in your area? Do some research online, and you may find that there are quite a few in your area. Some of these stores may have good plants, and some may have not so good plant. Another and much better option is online shopping. One type of place you can shop for plants online are the online stores, like Aquabotanic. These stores usually have a nice selection of plants, but they have their cons. Usually, the shipping costs can be a bit high, since the stores are interested in getting your plants to you as quickly and safe as possible by taking some unnecessary precautions. Also, some of the plants they sell may be grown emersed in a nursery. This means that in the nursery, they have been grown by being put in a tank where the water level is just enough to cover their roots. While emersed plants are perfectly healthy, they usually take some time to adjust and grow new leaves when put into an aquarium.

The other option, and the one that I prefer, is to buy plants from members on forums just like this one. Many fish forums will have a sales forum, and people often sell their extra trimmings there.These trimmings are usually quite healthy and accustomed to life in aquariums. Also, they are often quite cheap, especially when compared to local fish stores. Shipping usually is around $6 or $7 for USPS Priority Mail, but some sellers include the price of shipping in the price of the plants if the plants are being sold as a package.

If you're going to use plant gravel, it's a good idea to cover it with a thin layer of inert gravel, or it can attract fuzz algae growth.

Best of luck with your foray into the world of planted tanks. :)
 
#10 ·
Thank you! I've been thinking about starting slow at first with a few plants first then adding more. Plants I'm thinking about are water sprite, anubias nana and tropica sword to begin with. For substrates I'm debating on Eco-Complete Planted or Super Natural Tahitian Moon. What would these plants need for fertilizers? Thanks again.
 
#11 ·
I still think the tropica sword is a bit large for a five gallon, but it's your call. These plants wouldn't need much in the way of fertilizers if your light levels aren't too high. If you have algae problems, you could try Flourish Excel, since it acts as an algaecide of sorts. I've never heard of Super Natural Tahitian Moon before, but I've heard good things about Eco-Complete, so I would suggest that one. However, after doing a bit of Googling, I've found that they're both from the same company, so I doubt it would matter much if you got one or the other. After several months, you might want to add a fertilizer root tab or two by the tropica sword if you get it.
 
#12 ·
Going back through the thread on this question of tropica sword, I'm thinking noenyu is probably thinking of Echinodorus parviflorus "Tropica" which is in our profiles under Dwarf Sword. If I'm correctly assuming this, it would be ideal in a 5g as a "centrepiece" with its very dark green hammered stiff leaves. I agree a large sword species would not work.

The pygmy chain sword, Echinodorus tenellus, would be a lovely contrast with its light green strap-like leaves.

On the substrate, in a 5g I would go with the Eco-complete. The higher cost of this product is an issue in large tanks but in a 5g this would be a nice substrate.
 
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#15 ·
Where in California are you? Not that I can advise on stores, but several members here are in California and some may be relatively near and able to suggest stores. The other option is ordering by mail, I know several have had good results with Sweet Aquatics.
 
#16 ·
indeed, I second the sweet aquatics. Even with shipping it's cheaper than petsmart.

I still say soil works really nice in small tanks. Much cheaper than eco-complete, the same nutrients (more or less) and you get the bonus of added CO2 (produced by bacteria in the soil)
 
#17 ·
Bay Area California. I did find some that are located in San Francisco but it'll be a while until I can go up there. I've checked out Sweet Aquatics and it looks good just shipping seem so high. Its understandable though seeing that these are live things and getting them quicker is key to keeping them alive. What would be the minimum number of plants needed to keep a 5 gallon tank filtered by plants alone? Thanks again for the help. Sometimes I think my tank is bigger then it actually is lol. At least it looks like it sometimes.
 
#18 ·
Bay Area California. I did find some that are located in San Francisco but it'll be a while until I can go up there. I've checked out Sweet Aquatics and it looks good just shipping seem so high. Its understandable though seeing that these are live things and getting them quicker is key to keeping them alive. What would be the minimum number of plants needed to keep a 5 gallon tank filtered by plants alone? Thanks again for the help. Sometimes I think my tank is bigger then it actually is lol. At least it looks like it sometimes.
Depends what they are. Stem plants grow fast which means use nutrients fast so they are good at the beginning. Swords (pygmy chain sword or the dwarf sword for a 5g), one of each as the chain true to its name sends out runners once established and you'll be pulling it out eventually. Floating plants usually reproduce fast too.
 
#20 ·
Plants will grow in any substrate, although the rate of growth can differ depending. It's up to you what you use. I always suggest plain aquarium gravel to those starting out with planted tanks because it is easier, there is less chance of trouble, and it does work. I'll mention the alternatives momentarily.

Regular aquarium gravel is inert (doesn't contain calcareous substances like limestone, dolomite, coral, marble that will raise hardness and pH). Get the smallest grain size you can, 1-2 mm is best. And in a dark colour. Black, dark brown, natural (the beige/black/brown mix) all work. This is important for two reasons; first, it calms the fish because it is "natural" and most fish we keep in planted tanks are used to something very dark below them. Second, the dark colour shows off the colours of the fish and plants. Fish will intensify their colouration over a dark substrate, Weitzman proved this. A 2-3 inch layer of gravel is fine; less at the front, more (deeper) at the back where the larger-rooted plants will be.

Now, you mentioned soil. A layer of pure clean soil such as you buy (not from the garden) with absolutely no additives like fertilizers which will cause problems. Over this a layer of gravel, same as what I suggested above. The problems with soil are 1) mess--if you are not careful you will have soil particles throughout the tank. Moving plants is tricky because this disturbs the soil and up it comes. If you have fish that dig they will be in the soil. 2) It takes a few months for the tank to establish itself with soil due to the release of CO2 and nutrients. During that time you can have issues with water parameters, conditions and algae. All this is in Diana Walstad's book, and her more recent article in TFH last year, so it is not my dreaming. She warns that soil has these drawbacks. But it works if you are prepared to deal with them.

For someone starting their first planted tank, I would rather you had good success than problems, so you don't get discouraged. Planted tanks are easy; I always say it is easier to handle plants than fish, and I believe it is. Keeping it simple means more chance of success. Once you have the easy approach mastered, you can move on to experiment with other substrates. Sort of like the very wise adage, you have to learn how to walk before you can run.

Byron.
 
#21 ·
I'm all for simple, so I'd definitely stick with gravel. Why would people deal with soil? You listed the cons; what are the benefits?

Once I get the plants, what do I do with them? How do I place them in the tank?

Once the plants are in the tank, you say that the fish can go in immediately? The same day? Would I have to test the water or anything?

What would be the upkeep once the plants and fish are in the aquarium? Partial water changes & removing any dead leaves. Would I have to test the water? (I don't have a test kit, so I'd probably just run to Petsmart since it's close by.)

Thank you so much for your help (and sorry for hijaking this thread - but it's exactly what I'm about to embark on.)
 
#22 ·
I'm all for simple, so I'd definitely stick with gravel. Why would people deal with soil? You listed the cons; what are the benefits?

Once I get the plants, what do I do with them? How do I place them in the tank?

Once the plants are in the tank, you say that the fish can go in immediately? The same day? Would I have to test the water or anything?

What would be the upkeep once the plants and fish are in the aquarium? Partial water changes & removing any dead leaves. Would I have to test the water? (I don't have a test kit, so I'd probably just run to Petsmart since it's close by.)

Thank you so much for your help (and sorry for hijaking this thread - but it's exactly what I'm about to embark on.)
To answer the soil question, it is a matter of degree. As I explained, plants will "grow" in any substrate (provided everything else--light, nutrients--balances). I have maintained heavily-planted aquaria for 20 years, using just regular aquarium gravel. I have experimented: once with laterite (an iron clay that is placed under the gravel to provide iron); once with sand; once with substrate fertilizers. I have not (yet) used soil. My plant growth was basically consistent in all these, except the substrate fertilizers that did cause the swords to suddenly have a growth spurt. But as I said, it is a question of degree; if you want plants growing healthily, gravel will do; adding substrate fertilizers will result in faster growth, if that is what you want. Soil also does this to some extent; its main advantage is the release of CO2 (carbon dioxide). That is a big topic in itself, and one I am not going to get into here.

To your other questions. If you have sufficient plants, fish can go in the same day. Lots of plants, and few fish. As for water tests, you want to know the pH and hardness before you start, i.e., the tap water if that is to be your source water for the aquarium. Regular tests for pH should be done, so a pH test kit is a good investment. Changes in pH will occur, but they should be slow. Monitoring this for several weeks is a good way to identify problems before fish are affected beyond cure, and it will let you know when the tank is stable and established. Nitrate is another regular test, at least for a few months. This also can warn you of potential problems in time to fix them. I recommend every aquarist get a test kit for pH and nitrate; API make a good one, liquid (not test strips).

Water changes depend upon the type and number of fish, the number of plants, and the size of tank. The more fish the more water changes are needed. I change 50% of my tanks once every week, starting with week 1.

You need sufficient gravel for the substrate, and a good light. You might want to have a read of the 4-part series "A Basic Approach to the Natural Planted Aquarium" at the head of the Aquarium Plants section of the forum. That should explain things, and questions can follow.

Byron.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Depending on how much you order, Sweet Aquatics is only about 5-10 dollars shipping. I got dwarf baby tears and a banana plant, and the shipping was only $5.

Most stores I go to, the plants are 4-5 dollars... Maybe buy what you can locally and the rest through sweet aquatics to get shipping prices down.

Also, I suppose that's true. Especially with a 5g AND it being your first aquarium, an ammonia swing is not something to look forward to.

I guess I misread, I thought this was your first 5 gallon planted tank.
Not your first tank which happens to be a 5 gallon. I can be way too literal sometimes.
 
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