Help w/ First Planted Tank with Shrimp

[Opicana]

Hey folks,
Thanks to the suggestion of someone @ this forum, I am turning my 3 gallon tank into a nano planted tank with shrimp. However, I am still pretty new to all this, and I have never had a planted tank OR shrimp!
I am desperate need of some help...anything from general tips to a step-by-step guide; or a link to a site, would be appreciated!

How many shrimp should I get? What kind is good for a beginner?

What types of plants? How many?

What type of substrate should I use?

Where do I find out what the ideal conditions (pH, temp, etc...) are for each species?

Thanks in advance!
~Opicana~

[t_chelle16]

I've never actually kept shrimp, but I think ghost shrimp are pretty readily available and not too difficult to keep. In a heavily planted 3 gallon, if you want to aim for a really low maintenance tank, I'd probably go with 3 or 4.

For plants, I'd try to find some smaller low-light plants. What are the dimensions of the tank? Is it tall?

I've had really good luck with wendtii (red, green, & bronze). I just added some anacharis to my 20 gallon and it's doing pretty good. Java ferns & java mosses tend to be pretty easy plants and I've heard that anubias species are pretty easy.

Personally, the only thing I do special for my plants is have extra light on the tank (3 watts/gallon). I don't use any CO2, fertilizer, or special substrate. But I'm not going to guarantee that will work for anyone else.

This site looks like it should have a ton of useful info.
http://www.plantedtank.net/articles.php

And this site has info on a lot of the more common aquarium plants.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/categ.cfm?pCatId=768

-Chelle

[Opicana]

[t_chelle16]

11" tall is pretty good; it will allow you to get some of the taller plants.

I'd consider . . .

Something like this very, very, heavily planted:


Something like this is heavily planted:


This would be moderately planted:


And lightly planted:


-Chelle