# New NPT: too many plants possible?



## Koda (Jul 31, 2012)

So I just started my NPT and have most of my plants in it now. The only thing left to add is a dozen dwarf sagettaria which should be arriving in the next couple of days. Now that I'm looking at it, it already looks more green than other new NPTs I've seen on this forum so I was wondering if it was possible to start out with too many plants? And if I might have reached that point?

Also, sorry for the poor quality photo, my DSLR is charging so all that I had was my phone.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

I believe you can never have too many plants! Really the only thing you have to watch out for is when plants rot away but so far this looks really good and I'm diggin that driftwood!


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Is this a soil based tank? Or just a standard planted tank?

If you have a nutrient rich substrate such as dirt or aquasoil you generally want as many plants as possible at start-up to absorb the excess nutrients that will leech out in the initial weeks of running. 

However, if you just have sand or an inert substrate this is not as much of a worry as there is nothing really there leeching out. 

Your tank is not that heavily planted to me so I wouldn't worry.


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

Looks good. It will fill in nicely, more plants won't hurt either


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## WolfHhowling (Apr 10, 2013)

Rule of thumb, if you can still see the other stuff you put in there. If you can see your other decor and fish, then you don't have to many plants lol


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## Koda (Jul 31, 2012)

@lilnaugrim
Oh good 
And thanks. I was kind of wanting drift wood that was a little more twiggy with branches, but I saw this one at my lfs and thought it could make a cool root tunnel look.

@LittleBettaFish
It is a soil based tank. The soil just can't be seen from the front of the tank, I didn't want to see the layers.

@gorillakev
Thanks, my incoming dwarf sag is going to be about 12 sprouts, so the front should fill out pretty well I think. The seller claims she throws in an extra plant of some sort with each order...so I guess I'm getting a mystery plant as well. (I hope it's not more wisteria, I'd like to mix it up a bit more)

@WolfHhowing 
Good then  I still don't have the fish in there. I know it's supposed to be safe to have him in there right away, but I'm still scared >.< I'll let the mts be the guinea pigs for a week or so.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I was just clarifying as some people on here call just plain planted tanks 'NPT' and I have always associated that term with soil based tanks. 

If it is soil based, you could stuff it full of plants then. The more the merrier. 

Looks like you have floaters and wisteria so I would expect that to take care of any excess nutrients pretty quickly. 

It looks like you are off to a good start. 

I would probably not introduce livestock straight away. I would give the tank a week or so to settle and the plants to establish themselves and then start thinking of adding fish.


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## Koda (Jul 31, 2012)

I've got a lot of frogbit in there, they probably take up all of the front 1/3 to 1/2 of the tank. And there's a little more wisteria than I'd care for right now. I'd like a few more non-lacey looking tall plants in there, but hopefully my crypt hiding to the left will fill in fast and then I might be satisfied with it's overall look.
I would make another run to my lfs but they don't label their plants and the employee that helped me last time knew less than me so I was left to guess at which plants I thought I was looking for.
(I found it rather concerning that a specialist store had to ask ME what the names of the plants I was picking were. At least their plants looked a LOT healthier than Petsmart/co's)

But thanks, I can't wait to watch the tank mature. I'm starting to think of switching my other 2 tanks to NPTs too.


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## VJM (Feb 7, 2013)

I agree on giving the tank a week or two to settle. All my plants look great, then melt (ammonia spike) due to different heat/light/parameters, then rebound. 

Lovely tank, and I am a plant junkie so I will always say more plants. As long as everything is getting light, it's all good.


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## Koda (Jul 31, 2012)

Thanks. Poor Chimmer will just have to dream of his bigger tank from across the room for a little while.
I visit Petsmart almost bi-weekly thanks to my hungry-hungry bearded dragon, so it's still quite possible more plants will mysteriously appear in the tank >.>
They really shouldn't keep the crickets in the fish section, it's dangerous for my wallet.


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## homegrown terror (Aug 6, 2012)

the only time i've had a rpoblem with "too many plants" is when they grow in a tangle that makes certain parts of the tank inaccessible to the fish. other than that, if you have a lot of plants you may need to fertilise (fish poop can only go so far) but that's the only complication i can think of.

oh wait, make sure the tall/surface plants don't block light to the shorter ones!


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## carbonxxkidd (Oct 30, 2012)

I think you will be just fine! My NPT started off with a ton of different plants but they were small...now it's just a jungle and my fish loves it. I really wish I would have made all my tanks into NPTs...maybe eventually I'll switch them over.

Here is my 5.5g NPT as of yesterday:








This tank has been set up since 1/15.


By the way, your tank looks amazing so far!!!


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## homegrown terror (Aug 6, 2012)

carbonxxkidd said:


> I think you will be just fine! My NPT started off with a ton of different plants but they were small...now it's just a jungle and my fish loves it. I really wish I would have made all my tanks into NPTs...maybe eventually I'll switch them over.
> 
> Here is my 5.5g NPT as of yesterday:
> 
> ...


out of 20 tanks, we've successfully converted 16 to live plants. the trick is to start with the biggest one, plant it with a lot of stem plants like wisteria, primrose, anacharis and hornwort, and let them grow like mad. then you trim them down and use the cuttings to start planting your other tanks, and work in the "accent" plants as you go.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

Impossible


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## Koda (Jul 31, 2012)

Your tank is soooo green, I love it!


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## carbonxxkidd (Oct 30, 2012)

homegrown terror said:


> out of 20 tanks, we've successfully converted 16 to live plants. the trick is to start with the biggest one, plant it with a lot of stem plants like wisteria, primrose, anacharis and hornwort, and let them grow like mad. then you trim them down and use the cuttings to start planting your other tanks, and work in the "accent" plants as you go.


Well, I have two planted tanks but one isn't a NPT...I have eco-complete substrate in there. I have a lot of fish in there and I really think it'd be more of a PITA to try and make it a soil-based tank unless they all die or something, haha. My other 5g doesn't have the light capabilites for a planted tank. 



Koda said:


> Your tank is soooo green, I love it!


Thanks! Yours will look like that in no time


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