low maintainence 3 foot planted tank?

[tetrafreak]

somebody has given me a 3ft tank.

i would like to start a low maintainence planted tank. this means no co2 injection or fancy filters...only lights and maybe 4 sponge filters. i got a couple of driftwood and a large piece of brain coral for decor.

what kind of substrate or plants would be recommended for this sort of setup? can i grow mosses, riccia etc ?

i would be thankful for any advice :0

[freddiewee]

hi tetrafreak,

Do share with us what wattage is your lighting

Wht kind of tank do you want to set up? maybe you could read up on some of the stickys' on how to set up a tank? Moreover take into consideration the kind of fuana and flora you would want to keep, this will determine the kind of equipment you would need.

Most basic tank you could have is a filter and lights. Try not to hold back on the lights and filter, they are the only things that keep your tank running! If you can "over filter" your tank then do so get the bigger filter. Best to get a external filter or overhang filter. Sponge filters are not sufficent for your 3 ft. A corner filter that fits in your tank has the advantage of not spilling because its well... already inside your tank but takes up valuable space.

Brain coral will increase the PH of your tank and some flora and fuana may not stand the PH increase.

Remember to boil your driftwood and soak it to waterlog it, otherwise your water will turn brown.

You could try Riccia, Mosses, hairgrass, nanas and crypts!

Do checkout the NON-CO2 set up in the stickys

Cheers.

[Mizu World]

Some easy to maintain plants include Anubias species, Cryptocoryne species, Microsorum pteropus species and various mosses.

More importantly, remember to plant heavily from the beginning.

There are a lot of articles on this forum you can search for with regards to low tech setups.