Need advice for new setup

[Rayston]

I am new to planted tanks I currently have one goldie in a 20 gallon tank. I will be upgrading hopefully soon to a 55 gallon tank with a total of

2 goldies (one fantail, one black moor)
1 Rubbernose Pleco
1 Brigs Snail

I have also been thinking of adding Malaysian Trumpet Snails as they supposedly aerate the roots because they burrow thru the substrate? Anyone know if these are a good idea? I have heard they breed fast and this worries me some.

Anyways, my real question is about this

http://www.azgardens.com/habitats_goldfish.php

Is that a good deal for that price? seems like an awful lot of plants to me. I could always get the 20-40 gallon kit for my 55 gallon. But Goldfish are renowned for there plant eating abilities so maybe overstocking the plants isnt a bad idea.

Also, C02 Injection, I definitely dont want to do the compressed C02 route, but the DIY route doesnt seem to bad, the kits with the yeast and sugar. Are they worth the hassle? or would liquid carbon supplements be suffictient?

And finally, Lights, I have figured out via research that I need to upgrade my lighting system beyond the standard light hood that comes with a tank. The best deal I have found is this

http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp...WPROD&ProdID=9

anyone know of any better deals?

Thanx in advance

Rayston

[3es]

Hi Rayston,

The plant package seems like a reasonable price for all those plants. For CO2 injection, the DIY method should suffice, but it may be a good idea to hook up at least two 2-liter bottles for a 55 gallon. As for lighting, you should have about 2.3wpg with that fixture which should be good for most of the plants that are in the package. Some plants like the Sagittaria subulata may require higher lighting however.

I only recently got into planted tanks so take my comments lightly, just trying to help out.

Toshi

[Rayston]

Thanx alot for the comments so far.

I am afraid I am having a hard time percieving exactly how many plants that is and how much room they will take up. Will that end up being a hugely overcrowded tank?

As for the C02 Injectors, I figure I will also get some of the liquid carbon additive and keep it on hand should it come in necessary.

Thanx

Rayston

[|squee|]

Welcome Rayston!

Overcrowding with plants isn't necessarily bad, but overcrowding with fish is

I agree with the DIY CO2 3es mentioned. The lights look good.

One suggestion: Might want to plant plants all at the back and leave a bare sandy foreground/bare tank ground in front.

[3es]

Thanx alot for the comments so far.

I am afraid I am having a hard time percieving exactly how many plants that is and how much room they will take up. Will that end up being a hugely overcrowded tank?

As for the C02 Injectors, I figure I will also get some of the liquid carbon additive and keep it on hand should it come in necessary.

Thanx

Rayston

Rayston,
You should do a quick Google Image search for the plants and get a basic idea of the size of the different plants. In my opinion, with the amount of plants on that website, you should fill up your tank fairly quickly depending on how you plant them. It's always a better idea to plant as much as you can when you first start instead of buying a few plants and waiting for them to grow so it should be a great start. If the plants aren't enough, you could always add some rocks or driftwood to take up space as well.

Toshi