First Planted Tank Checklist: Substrate, CO2, and Starter Plants

A successful first planted tank looks deceptively simple — green, balanced, glass-clear — but the gap between that and a brown-algae-choked mess comes down to equipment decisions made in the first fortnight. This first planted tank checklist from Gensou Aquascaping at 5 Everton Park, Singapore, walks a beginner through substrate choices, CO2 injection, starter plant selection, and a week-by-week setup plan with realistic SGD costs. The guide targets 60-90 cm tanks (60-150 L), which is the practical size for HDB living rooms.

Tank and Equipment Budget

A proper planted tank is cheaper than a marine setup but more demanding than a basic community tank. Here is a workable 90 L rimless planted budget:

• Rimless 60 x 35 x 40 cm ultra-clear tank — $120-250 SGD
• Cabinet or purpose-built stand — $150-280 SGD
• Planted LED (Chihiros WRGB II, Week, or Netlea) — $250-450 SGD
• External canister filter (Eheim 2213 or Sunsun 603B equivalent) — $130-320 SGD
• CO2 kit (cylinder, regulator, solenoid, diffuser) — $180-350 SGD
• Glass drop-checker with 4 dKH reference solution — $15-25 SGD
• Substrate (ADA Amazonia II or equivalent, 9 L) — $80-120 SGD
• Hardscape (seiryu stone or driftwood) — $40-120 SGD
• Starter plants — $60-150 SGD
• Timer, pH pen, tweezers, scissors — $50-90 SGD

Total: $1,075-2,155 SGD depending on brand choices. You can cut about 30 per cent by using Chinese alternative brands of LED and CO2 equipment without sacrificing reliability.

Substrate Choice Matters Most

Aquasoil is the single biggest determinant of first-year success. ADA Amazonia II, Tropica Aquarium Soil, or Gex Green Soil release ammonia during the first 2-3 weeks (a feature, not a bug, for plant establishment) and carry CEC for nutrient exchange. Budget plain gravel tanks require root tabs and substrate additives that never quite match aquasoil performance.

Use 3-5 cm depth, sloped from 5 cm at the back to 2 cm at the front for visual depth. Do not mix aquasoil with inert gravel — the aquasoil compacts and loses its benefits.

CO2: Pressurised Is Non-Negotiable for Carpet Plants

Without CO2 injection, your plant options shrink to low-tech species (anubias, java fern, bucephalandra, crypts, some stems). With pressurised CO2 targeting 30 ppm (drop checker lime green, 1 bubble per second for 90 L), carpet plants, red stems, and the full planted aquarium palette open up.

Buy a 2 kg or 5 kg refillable cylinder from a local gas supplier — Singapore CO2 refills run $10-18 SGD per 2 kg bottle. DIY yeast setups are not worth the effort for anything above 30 L.

Week-by-Week Setup Plan

Week 1: Hardscape and Substrate

Dry-layout your stone or wood on a printed tank footprint before committing. Pour aquasoil, slope to taste, and plant heavily from day one — 60-80 per cent plant coverage avoids the typical new-tank algae bloom. Flood slowly with dechlorinated tap water to avoid disturbing the scape.

Week 2: Ammonia Spike Management

Aquasoil releases ammonia for 10-14 days. Run the filter 24/7, CO2 on during photoperiod (6-7 hours initially), and do 50 per cent water changes every 2 days. This “ADA start-up method” prevents the ammonia from stalling plant growth while bacteria colonise.

Week 3-4: Stabilisation

Water changes drop to 30 per cent twice weekly. Test ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate — all should settle to zero, zero, and 5-10 ppm by end of week 3. Dose liquid fertiliser (All-in-one or separate macro/micro) lightly, starting at half the manufacturer’s recommended dose.

Week 5: First Livestock

Add a cleanup crew of Amano shrimp (5-10 for a 90 L) and nerite snails (2-3). Wait another week before fish. These invertebrates eat emerging algae while the tank matures.

Week 6-8: Fish

Stock slowly: a small school of tetras or rasboras first, then a centrepiece or bottom dwellers. Target 1 cm of fish per 2 L of water for planted tanks.

Starter Plant Selection

Bulletproof first plants: anubias nana petite tied to wood, microsorum (java fern) on rock, cryptocoryne wendtii in the midground, bucephalandra on small stones, Staurogyne repens as a carpet alternative to HC, and hygrophila polysperma as a fast-growing stem to suck up initial nutrients. Skip HC, dwarf baby tears, and red stems for your first three months.

Fast-growing stems serve as “nutrient sponges” in early weeks. Prune heavily and replace with slower species once the tank matures.

Lighting Schedule

Start with 6 hours of light daily for weeks 1-3, increase to 7 hours for weeks 4-6, settle at 8 hours thereafter. Intensity matters more than duration — 60-70 per cent power on a modern WRGB LED is plenty for mid-tech tanks. Split the photoperiod (4 hours on, 3 off, 4 on) if you see persistent algae.

Singapore Shop Recommendations

Nature Aquarium (Mega Rin) at Tampines carries ADA products and premium hardscape. Green Chapter at Dempsey stocks Tropica tissue-cultured plants. C328 Clementi has the widest beginner plant selection at lower prices. For CO2 cylinders, Kianseng Welding and the specialist shops around Serangoon North refill quickly.

Shopee and Carousell are the best sources for LED fixtures, timers, and test kits at 20-40 per cent off retail.

Common Beginner Errors

Planting too sparsely (under 40 per cent coverage) invites algae. Skipping water changes in weeks 1-3 causes ammonia damage. Running CO2 without a drop checker risks gassing fish. Dosing full ferts before the tank stabilises fuels algae rather than plants.

Related Reading

• Aquasoil Guide for Singapore Planted Tanks
• CO2 Injection Setup Guide
• Amano Shrimp Care Guide
• Low-Tech Planted Tank Guide
• Planted Tank Fertiliser Guide

Conclusion

A disciplined first planted tank checklist saves money, time, and the frustration of a green-water tank at month two. Spend on substrate and CO2, plant heavily from day one, change water religiously for the first three weeks, and hold off on fish until the plants are established. Gensou Aquascaping at 5 Everton Park runs planted tanks on display and can talk Singapore beginners through equipment choices before purchase.