# 25 Gallon tank acquired!



## KamHo (May 23, 2008)

Well, remember last time with the 2.5 gallon? I put the tank in my room, and my mom got pretty mad, all I kept in it was a betta.

She made my dad empty out the main tank in our living room, and told me to use that if I ever wanted to do any more "Experiments". 

So, now I have a 25 gallon tank to use.

If I want it to be a planted tank, what do I do first?
If anyone here has a planted tank, could you guys please provide steps to a total planted-tank noob as to what I should be doing?

Thanks in advance aquaria people!


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## KamHo (May 23, 2008)

basically I'm looking for some mentoring, I know some terms already, but I have never seen them in practice.


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## stack (Dec 10, 2008)

hello
planted tank 101
first off buget is a big one,depending what you would like to spend makes a big difference in what you put in your tank

so substright(gravel) pick a good you will see the difference later i recomed ither eco complete or fluorite.

lighting: heres where it can get pricey so what your looking for is WPG(watts per gallon) how many watts your lights add up to the gallons of water in your tank
theres a few catogrys low-med-high light tanks 
low 1wpg or less
med 2-3 wpg
high 4 or higher
so depending on how wany wpg you have is what plants you will beable to grow.

then there is c02 (carbon dioxide)this can be done a few ways pressurized,DIY,or fizzy tabs
going pressurized is going to cost a bit,for your first tank i say DIY,its fun also.

so depending on what you want for the end result of your tank is where to start looking.

If any one can add some "first" things please do

also i found my self reading alot on plantedtank.net searching forums for hours 
this seems like a nice one http://vickisaquaticplace.com/PlantsChapter1.html


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Hi Kam! Great to hear about the 25 gallon! 

I usually look through some of the planted tank journals and try to mimic some of the things used in the tanks that i find appealing 

I look forward to seeing what you end up doing with the tank ^^


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

yeast reactor DIY co2 is a great launching pad. That way you can save up some $$ to get a pressurised system which is PRIMO!


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## KamHo (May 23, 2008)

thank you for the advice guys, that website link is very useful...
Now a basic question, I haven't acquired anything yet really, is it ok for me to get fish before putting in the plants? or does that complicate things?

The tank used to contain several goldfish, and already has some gravel in it, with a filter.

I have nothing else, and according to the site, what I should do now is get a light and plant. Any suggestable species? and what kind of light should I be getting for a 25 gallon?


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## desjardo (Aug 30, 2008)

I believe you want 2 -4 watts per galllon. Depending on plants. I have a 40 watt unit which I got at HD for $30 plus about $10 for bulbs. Takes a little to make it look nice(shop light) but the plants are doing great! I also use the DIY C02 and PMDD(Well home made dry fert) as well.
Good luck!~


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

Have a look through the guide that I wrote up a while back.

http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3771

Let me know if you have any questions.


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