Help with plant setup

[JRunyon21]

I needed to change substrates in my 75g and I've always wanted a planted tank so I decided to change my substrate to Turface MVP.

The Turface has been sitting/aging in two 5g buckets. I changed the water everyday in the buckets(8 days) so the Turface should be all ready to go. I will have ~2.5 WPG, root tabs and the plants are on their way.

There is a piece of driftwood in the tank that takes up about 25% of the floor and is placed on the right hand side of the tank but there is space to put some plants around it.

Here is a list of plants that I am getting and I was wondering how they should be setup.

6 - Wendtii, Green (Cryptocoryne wendtii)
2 - Balansae (Cryptocoryne crispatula)
3 - Crypt, Walkerii

20 - Sag, Subulata (Sagittaria subulata)

10 - Vals, Italian (Vallisneria spiralis)

3 - Sword, Ruffle (Echinodorus martii)
3 - Sword, Rosette (Parviflorus V. Tropica)
3 - Sword, Red Melon (Echinodorus Barthii v. "red melon")

Thanks in advance

[yikesjason]

There are some very detailed methodologies for scaping a tank. There are planted forums and websites with specifics. I have never really read them though. I plant tall plants in back and shorter ones in front. Over time my scapes change and adapt.

You have some good plants coming, but that is a lot of swords. They get pretty big and it wouldn't take too long with the plants you have to really start cutting into the discus' swimming space. You should also leave some open substrate front and center were the discus can eat and hang out.

[Fraise]

i would say the first step to having a planted tank is to have a vision or some kind of inspiration for the tank before selecting plants and trying to place them. do you plan on using co2?

[nlintgen]

I started my first planted tank almost a year ago and have basically found that research will help you get started, but the only way you're going to truly get your tank 'scaped is to adjust everything over time. I think I've recently finally gotten a general idea of where I really want to go with mine. The good news is that any time spent before figuring out what you're really trying to do just means you get to know how more about how the plants you have grow! This definitely helps when figuring out where to put them and how you're going to maintain them, too.

[underwaterforest]

One of the best rules to use when setting up plant to look good is the same one Leonardo Davinci used in his painting, the golden ratio. For some reason this ratio has a magical beauty enhancing properties, especially to planted aquariums. Here is a link to someone who show how to see the golden ratio in your tank design.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/library/12051-golden-ratio.html

Watch out for the swords as they can grow quite out of control in a fast growing aquarium. I had a 36 gallon where the mellon sword took over the whole tank. The crypts I'm sure you know will happly live in the shadows of the other plants, but just don't move them they like to melt.

Another design idea you could try is the triangle rock setup that Amano used in his beginners manual. There you use three rocks in a triangle pattern in the tank. Just try not to overcrowd the tank with plants, IMHO it looks kinda tacky and requires more maintenance to look good. The longer I get into planted aquaria the more simple I have been trying to make my setup. Maybe an aquarium with just blyxa and rocks should be an experiment of mine. Have Fun.

[Greenheinie]

Make sure to keep things spaced out a bit. Things will fill out in NO TIME. I bunched my swords up, now that they're growing out of control, I have to dive in the tank every weekend to rearrange/thin out/etc.

As for rules, do what you like not what some ratios or other people tell you.

[underwaterforest]

Ya don't listen to me, follow what Greenheinie says;). Truth be told I really don't follow any rules when doing my planted tanks, but I have based them on other tanks/ideas I liked. The golden ratio idea seems to be rather prevalent though some of the more high end amano like tanks. I still haven't figured it out for myself but I don't mind living vicariously though others. When I start a tank it usually looks so sparse, but then I wait a week and everything usally starts to fill in and look nice.

BTW You can keep the swords in control with a little leaf trimming, I just got tired of trimming leaves every few days on mine, but I do have a much smaller tank than yours. Have fun and upload some pics for us.

[zamboniMan]

Ya don't listen to me, follow what Greenheinie says;). Truth be told I really don't follow any rules when doing my planted tanks, but I have based them on other tanks/ideas I liked. The golden ratio idea seems to be rather prevalent though some of the more high end amano like tanks. I still haven't figured it out for myself but I don't mind living vicariously though others. When I start a tank it usually looks so sparse, but then I wait a week and everything usally starts to fill in and look nice.

BTW You can keep the swords in control with a little leaf trimming, I just got tired of trimming leaves every few days on mine, but I do have a much smaller tank than yours. Have fun and upload some pics for us.

The rules are only rules if you decide they are. I don't follow the "rules" either and have had great success. I know of many other people who also don't follow the "rules" and do well. If you can find the right balance between the fish and the plants the need to dose/add co2 becomes non existent.

Your plant list looks good. You can usually move crypts around okay as long as you slowly change the lighting (don't suddenly put them in really high light or suddenly really low light) this will help prevent crypt melt.

Josh