# Switch Over from Fake to Live Plant Aquarium set up



## Clifford85 (Jul 17, 2016)

Hello,
I currently have a 55 gallon tank that I have had going for 7 years now. It has always had fake plants with other log and driftwood decorations. I now want to change it over to a live planted tank. I was thinking about removing the substrate I have in there now which is a mixture of 1/2" - 3/4" of what looks like river rock with different tans and browns in color. I was thinking of removing the substrate because I feel it is to large to allow live plants to stay rooted securely. Any suggestions on how to make the change over?


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## DaveK (Jul 10, 2010)

A lot of this depends upon the substrata you plan to use. If your using something like ecocomplete, you can remove the fish and decorations, save the existing water, remove the old substrata and replace it with the new, and refill the tank in the reverse order. You can do this in one operation.

If your doing to go with something like ADA Aqua soil, or a dirt base, you may get some ammonia released, so you should put the fish into another tank until the new tank cycles. This could take a week or two.

You could also just try the plants you want in your existing substrata. If they do well, you don't need to do anything. Just get a few plants for this.

Lastly, you can use this as a reason as to why you maad to upgrade to that 180 gal tank you always wanted (grin).


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

There are as many ways recommended as there are people so much of it will depend on what you want to do and what you want to end up with. Some will promote the idea that you have to go full bore and plant the whole thing to avoid algae. I find algae is always going to be a problem and go with changing things slowly. I do not rock the boat real hard when fish are involved. Algae, I can live with or ignore but dead fish hurt! 
When I moved from fake to planted, I just started adding a few to see if it worked for me. It did and so I continue. 
What substrate? Depends what you like but I like the more "natural" look of a mix. That left me open to just keep the thin brown/tan gravel layer and add to it. Sand seemed a natural for me so I added a "natural" color sand that matched the gravel for a few first tanks. Sand and gravel are cheap and easy but don't give much in the way of nutrients so fert tabs were the choice for me at that time. Over time, with adding this and that and changing the plants and tanks, I wound up with what I feel is a very natural mish-mash of several different things. Nature does it all the time! 
It might be noted that I like to do things the easy way and it is certainly easier to gradually ease a few extra bottle of new stuff down to mix with the old than to do the trauma of removing all the old. 
When I want to add something, I cut the bottom off a two liter bottle fill it and stick it down near the bottom. When I take my finger off the top, it flows out without making a big enough cloud to bother the fish. It may take me three weeks to get all I want added but I find that better than doing the full blow out!
How about starting with a few live plants in pots to see how it works for you?


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## Clifford85 (Jul 17, 2016)

What should I do to the water as far as CO2 add? I have an air stone that is 12" long and I've read that makes the CO2 levels drop. So what is a good way to add in the CO2? Maybe use the air stone to help add the CO2? Also what is a good all around plant food to feed the plants?


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## grizzly_a (Sep 9, 2014)

If you're just getting started, remove the air stone and see how the plants and fish are doing. Some folks find that the plants do better with an air stone, and others had to remove theirs. You can wait on the CO2, which would be my recommendation. 

Adding CO2 is beneficial to the plant growth, but if you're just starting out the temptation will be to use low cost DIY CO2 instead of dropping $200-$600 on a pressurized setup. Start slow...you can always add CO2 later.


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## Clifford85 (Jul 17, 2016)

What is a good dry fert to put down before I add the eco-complete?


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