I just got a 10 gallon tank I will be using as my first planted tank. It is a used tank, and it came with a light and a heater.

I am going to use CaribSea Eco-Complete  substrate. It is supposed to be very good for plants.
I already have some Osmocote Plus fertilizer at home that I use in the garden that I will  sprinkle underneath the substrate.














I plan to get this  plant variety pack from Planted Aquariums Central

Now the only thing I haven't decided on is what kind of fish to put in the planted tank once it is cycled.

Things You Need for a Low Tech Planted Tank

If you want to make a planted tank, you are going to need a few things. First you need a tank. It can be any size. There are many sizes of tanks, including a type of tank called a nano tank. These are some pictures of nano tanks.

This is much smaller than a regular nano tank.

This is a regular sized nano tank.


Planted tanks can also be really large. Here are some pictures of really big planted tanks.


A regular tank would be in between these two sizes. 

Besides the tank, other things you need are:

Some type of substrate

Plants

Lighting (LED is best)

Heater

You may or may not need a filter, depending on how many plants you put. You may not need the filter if you have a lot of plants. If you don't have many plants, you need a filter.

Planted Tanks and Why I Want One

Every since I learned about planted tanks about a year ago, I have really wanted to try creating one of my own. Currently I have a 29 gallon indoor tropical tank with community fish and a few invertebrates, a small outdoor tractor tire pond, and three outdoor tanks on my front porch with natural fish and plants found in my area. I have enjoyed my natural outdoor tanks so much that I would like to try to recreate something similar indoors! 

If you don't know what a planted tank is, it is a freshwater tank that has a greater number of live plants than a typical aquarium. This gives it a very natural look. There is also often wood and rocks. 

Here are some examples:

Photos taken at Whitie's Pets in Fresno, Ca.