On 14 Apr 2005 13:07:37 -0700, "
wrote:

Hi,

I am failry new at this hobby and I am getting a bigger interest for
plants... for some reason they last longer than the fish I put in.

Anyway, I have a 33gal tank, I believe it is cycled now, the tests show
the tanks is stabilized.

I've been putting live plants in the tank.
I have Cabombas, Anubia, ludwigia, Echinodorus red special, Hygrophila
and some others I can't remember the name.

So far I have seven live plants... I do want to fill the tank with
plants, I am just wondering at what point they're too many?

I don't have alot of fish, couple neons, two dwarf gouramis a pleco and
a guppy.

I also have a lamp, I believe it's a aquaglo lamp, not sure right now.

The lfs around here have different plants I just wish there would be
more color to them, they're pretty much all green with some being
reddish.

One thing to consider, plants grow up and multiply out. Rather than
make choices based on how the plants fit into your tank now, get some
information about how they will look a year or 2 from now.

Some Anubias become giants. I have had to split one as it reached to
the top of a 10 gallon tank looking like a tree. I have crypts that
ane low to the gravel in a 75 gallon tank, but are now 75% to the top
of a 29 gallon tank. Others grow outward sending shoots.

As a newbie, I wanted my tank to look nice and filled it with lots of
plants only to discover this growth problem and had to do a lot of
prunning. Some plants don't do well in a tank, so they take care of
their own survival.

I enjoy my plants almost as much as the fish, but as you add fish some
of your plants may suffer. I have 8 Siamese Algae Eaters in the 75
gallon tank and one of the plant species has lace for leaves. The
same species in a 10 gallon with no SAEs the leaves are beautiful and
whole.

dick