# Killies Import > Planted Tanks >  help! just starting out..

## dts_spawn

I have a "31.5cm x 18.5cm x 24.4cm" tank with 20 neon tetra. which submerged plants are suitable for my tank with only the basic stuff like lamp and filter? (no CO2) And what are cherry shrimps? i've only seen yamato shrimp. Any recomemdation for places selling the plants, the shrimps and snails? (i read some where in the forum that snails can get rid of the alge)

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## izzat

hi...

you might want to try www.tropica.com for you to search your choice of plants...
cherry shrimps are another type of breed of shrimps...
such breeds are cherry,tamato,blue,green,bee,mosquito and many more...
can get the at clementi 328 or yishun 618...

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## FC

dts_spawn,

Welcome. What is your name please? This forum follows certain netiquette, please read the sticky to find out more.

A good example of small tank setup - neat solution.


Your tank is much smaller, so you need to use smaller plants like hair grass. Perhaps hair glass and some decorative rocks?

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## dts_spawn

thank you both of you. And sorry Freddy Chng, but i can't see the picture. And btw.. another question. which plants are the easiest to grow and yet very attractive?

willy wee

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## FC

Willy,

Try this easy plant call Elatine Triandra.

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## budak

If you are not using CO2 and your light is moderate (11W or 15W should be enough for your tank), plants that can be considered include java ferns, most mosses, Anubias species, Cryptocoryne species, Echinodorus tenellus, Sagitarria subulata, Marsilea sp., Sumatran fern, Hygrophilas, Vals.... 

www.tropica.com and www.dennerle.de have fairly comprehensive plant databases. www.vectrapoint.com is also quite useful.

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## dts_spawn

I've just set up my tank. I used tetraAqua's easyBalance to balance the the pH and KH and to fertilise the tank. Is it good? And please comment on my setup http://home.ripway.com/2003-12/45603/DSCN0722.JPG and http://home.ripway.com/2003-12/45603/DSCN0723.JPG.

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## budak

How does this tetra product "balance" the pH/KH while fertilising the tank? 

You seem to have Glossostigma elatinoides and the emmersed form of some stem plant (Hemianthus or Rotala) tied to wood. Normally, high CO2 and light are advised for growing these species. Unless your tank gets some additional sunlight daily, I am not sure they will survive for very long. 

Have you actually tried reading the links posted above? 

For a personal experience with a low light, non Co2 tank, read this[ article. The same website has lots of other useful articles, plant/fish database etc that will help you if you read them.

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## PohSan

Hi dts_spawn,
Your picture size is so large that I can see the price tag clearly. The property of the picture shows that the size is around 600K. Consider to cut down the resolution of the picture so that other with dial up can view the picture faster. Thank

Regards,
Ong Poh San

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## dts_spawn

sorry. I can't remember all the names of the plants but all the websites you guys recommeded use all the scientific names which i don't even reconise..  :Confused:  And thats what the bottle says... Is it possible to just add the liquid fertiliser and not add the base fertiliser? And I heard that some shops sell this canister that provides CO2 through natural fermentation. Is it true? 

willy wee

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## ruyle

Freddy, that's a great looking cube you got there! Could I ask what kind of
light that is, a small metal halide?

Regards,

Bill 
farang9

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## budak

hi willy, 

The reason scientific names are used are to help everybody id the plants with precision. There are so many aquatic plants which are grass like, so using English names like "grassy plant" or "aquatic grass" isn't helpful. Don't be put off by all the latin names - after a while you will get used to them and rattle them off easily. 

One approach to planted tanks involves using CO2 (pressurised or DIY), together with very high lighting (2.5-3 watts per gallon or more), rich base fertilisers beneath the gravel, and a rigorous liquid fertilisation regime. It's a rewarding effort, but you MUST read up and understand what the plants and fish need before you even buy a single piece of equipment, or you will be wasting your time. 

The other approach is to do without CO2 and all the gadgetry, and select plant species and layout concepts that fit within this scheme (I shamelessly refer again to the article I linked above). Please do read up more so that you will understand what works (or doesn't) with your setup. 

I don't know much about the CO2 canister you saw, but think it might be better to play safe with pressurised systems or DIY yeast kits. 

If you find reading a chore, you could try going to reputable shops and asking for advice (if the proprietor isn't too busy). Some names that come to mind (not that other LFS are not recommendable) are NA Nature Aquarium, Plantas Aquaticas, System Engineering & Control, and Eco-Culture. You can check their addresses at www.aquaticquotient.com.

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## kc

Freddy,

How to you maintain Elatine Triandra. I find that the bottom layer will rot. Last weekend, I just gave them a hair cut ... yuk! I'm no scissorhand.

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## FC

farang9,

That's not my tank though I like to setup one like that. The light is the common halogen lamp in cupped mirror.


KC,



> How to you maintain Elatine Triandra. I find that the bottom layer will rot.


For my case, the bottom will only start to rot when the thickness reach more than 4 inches. The key things Elatine Triandra need is rich substrate, CO2 and good light (>0.35 watts per litre of water).

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## dts_spawn

thank you, budak, that was very infomative. And another question: i've just bought a few malayan shrimps and a yamato shrimp yesterday but by today, all died!! why? And i can't seem to be able to find all the moss. all the plants i saw were in black "pots" or tied on wood. and if i tell the shopkeeper that i want Sagittaria subulata, will they know what is it? and can Sagittaria subulata be found easily?
and i was talking about the DIY yeast kit. Do anyone know anything about it? how mush it cost etc..

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