1)I'm looking to establish a planted tank. I read on the net that flourite, floramax, and/or eco complete are the best substrates out there for such a thing. Is this true? I have no experience with eco-complete but use Florite, I think flormax is very similar to florite, but the size is not ideal. Florite is a "micro" gravel (2mm) and is good for plants that feed from the roots. It has alot of iron and the size is ideal, not too tight like sand and not too large to get crud trapped in it."2)If I establish a planted tank, is siphoning the substrate necessary? Obviously I will still do water changes, but was wondering if the substrate needed to be siphoned like gravel does. And if so, how do you do this without disturbing your plants and their roots?" Usually just hovering over the surface to collect loose debris is good enough. Some people never vacuum the gravel the "traditional" way by plunging the tube in and lifting for obvious reasons you stated. I just uproot and give it a good gravel vac. every 6-8 months. Usually at this time period it is good to rearrange anyway, most plants will have overtaken the tank by now."
3)Lighting- I've read several articles on how much and what kinds of light are needed for a planted tank. I know the bulb watt and intensity will depend on what type of plants I wish to grow. But is a double fixture required? Or can I achieve optimal lighting with only one bulb? What are your recommendations for a 36 gallon tank? " Lighting is always debateable as far as what "color temperature" is best. The reds and blues of the spectrum are most beneficial to plants The greens and yellows pretty useless, for growing, thats why plants are green to yellow because they reflect that part of the light. To make this short. Almost any fluorescent light will grow plants. The thing is you need a light that will be most efficient for growth and make the plants look good. When you select lighting look for the lable that lists watts, lumens, etc. there should be a color temperature. The color temp. will look like this: 4100K (that is a cool white bulb) you want one that has 5500K to 6700K, this is known as "full spectrum" To save money they are available at Home Depot. 6500K tubes by GE or Phillips called Daylight or Daylight Deluxe. This color bulb is ideal for plants, it gives ideal spectural light as well as enhances the plants appearance. As far as how much light, it depends on what plants you intend to keep. 2 watts fluorescent per gallon is reccomended minimally for low light plants. There are some that "require" less but you are limited. Any plants that have red or purple leaves will require 2.5w-4w per gallon, also some green ones. If you exceed 2.5w per gal you will need to supplement CO2. If you dont the powerful light will soon give you pea soup. go to www.ahsupply.com for reasonable lighting prices and further explanation of requirements. GE's web site also has good info on the science of light. I would go with 80w fluorescent lighting to start for your tank with low to moderate light requiring plants. You can always upgrade. Drsfostersmith.com has Florite on sale until the 14th for $15 a bag, great price, no extra shipping for weight there.

Hi
Very good advice .Here's my two cents. Substrate. I've used sand .gravel ,top soil ,cat litter,flourite,fracted glass even without substrate at all lol. All will grow plants .
Lighting Fluors, incads,halogen,metal halide , sodium
and no lights at all. Again, something will grow in it.
make your choices from what type of plants you want to grow. You can make it as simple or as complex as you like
Cheap or expensive as you like.
if you choose the multi specie landscaped type. be sure to have an algae plan. i think the best is to super light it and cram as many stem plants as you can get into it.
As it settles down and becomes stable and algae is held at bay begin to landscape it. A section at a time.
Also be sure to learn how to fertilize and when.
You can use the stem plant period for this .
Plan on high light and Co2 and tests to determine proper balances of elements.
gary

Thank you for the great responses.

I have another question abou the lighting: I can find 24" bulbs for the hood that are in the 5000-10,000K range; however the wattage is extremely low (20W or less). The only way to increase the wattage is to get a VHO bulb. Will a VHO bulb fit into a standard T8/10/12 connection?

Can't wait to get this tank going! Thanks again.

Tracy

Will a VHO bulb fit into a standard T8/10/12 connection? No, a VHO or HO has a different type end then a T8/10/12. Besides that the ballast inside your 20W fixture would never light more then 1 20W fluorescent bulb. I would try AH supply, they are in Rochester, NY by the way. They have excellent retro-it kits that will screw into a canopy for your tank. Replacement bulbs are about $16. I have thought about using mercury vapor lighting. They sell 175W bulb and fixture for about $30 at Home Depot. I think the bulbs are 5500K, if not they can be bought for about $10. This is an outdoor type fixture and will need to be modified or aquarium use, somewhat. The problem with HID lighting (MH, HPS and MV) is the heat it creates. luorescents at high wattage throw alot of heat, but not as bad as the HID's. Another alternative is 1- 2 strip 24" 20W fixture and 1-single strip to go with the one you allready have from Home Depot. This will give you 80W. The bulbs are about $6ea though. In the end a kit from AH supply will cost the same and will be better quality. You can go real cheap, yet it will work. The MSN site I gave you has a DIY board. I put together a cheap 100W 6500K set up for about $20. I gave a breif step by step. You will need some basic electric skills for this one. I've been through this all before and am always looking for less expensive alternatives. Maybe I'll post a pic in the gallery here of it when I get home.

Glad to see another person into planted aquaria. I'm sure you probably have come across Takashi Amano and his amazing set ups. If not check him out.

Ianna

Yes I have. A good site is AGA's competition. The aquariums there are breath taking. I can get most plants to grow good, eventually but arrangment is always a challenge for me. I wonder if there is aquatic plant arangement courses?

Well the way I approach learning his style is to understand a bit of japanese gardening designs from bonsai to ikebana. There's harmony and balance in his approach.

However, barring that, you should do a google search on his name based on image along. With it you can come across many websites with lessons on how they developed such tanks, including how other members created their own tanks. Here's one http://www.oscarfish.com/takashi-amano-at-workmust-see-pics-vt46172.html

Ianna