75 Gal

[Juice]

I am getting a 75 gal soon, and I want this one to be planted with a couple (3 or 4) of 3 inch or so parrots and a large plec.

What substrate should I get, 75 lbs of gravel will cost me a ton. Do plants sit well in playsand? It would be way cheaper for me to buy a couple 30 lb bags of playsand.

What plants can I get and how many will I need?

Where is a good online place to buy plants for cheap? My lfs sells them about 5 bucks a plant, considering i'd probably need about 40 plants for a tank this size I dont really want to spend 200$ on plants.

Thanks!

 

[lljdma06]

I foresee a few problems with this setup. Large Plecos can damage plants. Is this an upgrade to house current fish, or would this be new stocking? Though both plecos and parrot cichlids appreciate tanks with hiding places and plants, the plants need to be hardy (sturdy leaves preferably) and well-established (roots settled in substrate, rhizomes anchored to wood, etc) in before the fish are added. From what I've read, both parrots and plecos can disturb delicate leaves with their movements and uproot plants. Might be something to think about when considering a home for them. I also don't want you spending $200 on plants only to have them die from the stress of being constantly uprooted and disturbed. That being said, I have seen many of the smaller pleco species kept in planted tanks with great success. Many here, myself included, also keep cichlids in planted tanks, but usually they are the smaller, more delicately built species like kribensis, rams, discus, or angelfish. I have never kept parrots (don't like the look much). As it is a hybrid fish, the exact habits may be a mixture of two separate species.

People have had success with playsand and planted tanks, but most of them will also use a nutrient-rich substrate mixed in as well (Tetra complete, laterite, Fluorite, Aquasoil, etc). I love the look of sand, but compaction can be a problem with some heavy root feeders (cryptocorynes, Amazons, etc), as they can be denied oxygen to their roots, which can lead to problems with plant health. So compaction of the sand needs to be prevented. Some use Malaysian trumpet snails to achieve this, or other burrowing livestock. I have not used sand personally.

Hope this helps a bit.

llj