12 Gallon Tank

[PRW1988]

I need some ideas for stocking in a 12galllon tank, I'm planning on having it planted if I can find a CO2 kit cheaper than $30, if not it'll be fake plants.

I'm planning on having a sand bottom and I've picked up a nice sized bag (20kg) of childs play sand for only $6! In regards to the play sand, I know I have to rinse it out, but should I use a sifter of some sort to remove any larger rocks? or will they be fine??

Now, for stocking in the tank... So far I'm planning on getting atleast 6 neon tetras, and 3-5 green or peppered cory cats, other than that I really don't know what to stock the tank with. Any suggestions would be very helpfuly, but keep in mind in the suggestions that the Cory cats and Neons are in regardless, so I'd need things that'd get along with them

 

[Matty P]

Why will you not have any live plants without a CO2 kit?

 

[PRW1988]

Because with a CO2 kit live plants thrive and grow faster, and I've had bad experiences without them, ie. All my plants die within the first month of having them in the tank.

 

[DarkEntity]

Because with a CO2 kit live plants thrive and grow faster, and I've had bad experiences without them, ie. All my plants die within the first month of having them in the tank.

You dont need CO2, ferts will help plants no end.

 

[Matty P]

Live plants are still very easy to grow with the use of fertilizers, even if you don't have any CO2.

 

[afishdude]

lighting could be the problim to loosing live plants.

 

[Matty P]

What is your lighting?? You could have some moss balls...

 

[PRW1988]

umm I'm not looking for types of plants to keep, I'm looking for species of SMALL fish... It's an eclispe system 12, so I can't change the light to any other type... I've picked up some plant gravel called first layer, I'm supposed to mix it into the substrate which will be sand.

I'd love to have a couple Moss balls if I can find some.

 

[Matty P]

Just be careful your plant and sand substrates don't mix together, it looks really messy.

 

[Straydum]

fishes which nibble at plants are a straight no. small species of tetras may by an option.

 

[DevUK]

Rasboras are always an option too

Plants to consider might be Java Fern, java moss (and other mosses), the Anubias barteri varieties are great for low light/no CO2. Marsilea hirsuta is a nice plant that will grow along the substrate.

Some crypts might look nice, provided you use some root tabs to feed them with (little tablets you shove into the substrate near the plant which dissolves over a few months). Cryptocoryne crispulata var. balansae is one I particularly like. Just watch for "Crypt melt" (search the planted forum)

Some of the Crinium plants are quite nice too, but might be a bit too large for your tank. They're bulbs that you 2/3 submerge in the substrate. I really like Crinium Natans.

Do a google image search on some of these names to get an idea of what they look like and if you like them

 

[Matty P]

How about some scarlet badis??

 

[PRW1988]

All sound very nice, I was considering some Scarlet temples, some Money wort, some Red ludigas and mabye a couple bushles of Cabomba, possibly even a moss ball or 2.

For my fish, as said, I'm planning on a minimum of 6 neon tetras, 3 green cory cats, possibly 3 peppered cory cats, and mabye another shoal of small fish such as hatchet fish (if I can find some). That'd probably be all, unfortunatly I discovered last night that the filter that comes with the tank is a dud. As I recieved the tank for free I can't return the filter So I need to cut the backing of the lighthood so that I can fit a small filter in it (a Whisper filter that ranges from 5-15gallons), hopfully this will be adiquate filtration.

 

[PRW1988]

I've decided to buy a nice Bio-wheel filter for the tank, one that's rated to filter up to 20gallons, I hope this won't be too much filtration for the tank (only a 12gallon tank, so it shouldn't be).