Dreaming of a New Tank!

[ThatGirlMarie]

We will be moving in the end of February and we are going to upgrade our tank. We want a planted tank that's large enough to plant and scape and have a bit more than we do now.

So we checked out tank sizes today at Petsmart and we really liked the 40G because it was deeper in the back than it was vertically so would be easier to get into and such. And maybe having my grandfather build us a nice sturdy stand with good storage. Or just buy one lol

So now we get to dream!

We currently have 2 balloon mollys, one platy, and 3 tetras in our 13 gallon and it's stable and works well, but we want more!

In a 40G we could do a lot. I introduced my husband to rasbora's and cherry barbs and we'd probably get a large school of them and maybe another female Molly because our male is pretty into the one so I want to remove the stress for her.

Other than a good filter, heater, and CO2/lighting for the plants, is there anything else I could be missing?

But also, any other ideas on stocking? We would like something that can coexist with the mollys and the schools we are thinking of? He loves the look of Gourami's but I've heard males can get aggressive? And I haven't seen females locally but wouldn't be opposed to ordering one online.

 

[FroFro]

We will be moving in the end of February and we are going to upgrade our tank. We want a planted tank that's large enough to plant and scape and have a bit more than we do now.

So we checked out tank sizes today at Petsmart and we really liked the 40G because it was deeper in the back than it was vertically so would be easier to get into and such. And maybe having my grandfather build us a nice sturdy stand with good storage. Or just buy one lol

So now we get to dream!

We currently have 2 balloon mollys, one platy, and 3 tetras in our 13 gallon and it's stable and works well, but we want more!

In a 40G we could do a lot. I introduced my husband to rasbora's and cherry barbs and we'd probably get a large school of them and maybe another female Molly because our male is pretty into the one so I want to remove the stress for her.

Other than a good filter, heater, and CO2/lighting for the plants, is there anything else I could be missing?

But also, any other ideas on stocking? We would like something that can coexist with the mollys and the schools we are thinking of? He loves the look of Gourami's but I've heard males can get aggressive? And I haven't seen females locally but wouldn't be opposed to ordering one online.

I'm partial to bottom feeders. There is nothing like a school of corydora catfish swimming around a tank foraging for food. You could also consider an algae eater like a pleco of some sort. They don't bother other fish and are fun to see sucking around on all the surfaces of the tank. Not all pleco's get 12 inches long either. I'm partial to albino bristlenose and clown pleco's myself. They only get about four to six inches long and make lovely additions to a tank.

 

[ThatGirlMarie]

Updating this: we'll probably end up with the 29g even though I want the 40. My husband just thinks it'll be a better option for us.

How I want to outfit it:
AquaClear 50 (for 20-50g tanks) (there is one for 10-30g tanks...but is the bigger one better as I assume?)
Adjustable heater (open to brands, etc based on price)
Black Diamond Blasting Sand or white Pool Filter Sand - depending on what kind of scape we want and what we can find locally, we want to move away from gravel
A piece of driftwood

Am I forgetting anything? We haven't decided on plants yet but we are both partial to hair grass and I'd like something for the driftwood so maybe Java moss?

 

[TekFish]

If you decide to get plants, it would do a world of good to get a plant substrate. These usually range from a reddy-brown to a very dark brown. They provide the plants with all the nutrients they need.

Gouramis are usually only aggresive to other gouramis. But if you get a male/female pair or a male and two females, it would be fine. Pearl gourami are the least aggressive imo.

 

[StevenF]

CO2/lighting for the plants

CO2 is not essential if you want plant nor is plant substate. Most of the problems growing plants I have seen on the forum are related to nutrient deficiencies and not CO2. Other than CO2 and water plants need 15 other elements (such as iron, calcium magnesium and phosphorous). These other 15 are just as important as CO2. If you are short on just one your plants may not grow or die. Nutrient deficiencies can make it easier for unsightly Algae to grow in the tank.

Plant substrates can be expensive and they may loose there nutrients in about a year. In most cases a plant substrate works best in a fertilized tank. The substrate in that case works as a nutrient sponge. Absorbing and holding nutrients until the plants need them.

Most tanks on this forum are not using CO2, and Many just have gravel for a substrate.Some use fertilizer some done don't. Sachem Flourish comprehensive is a very popular and good fertilizer.

If you don't have one make sure to purchase a water test kit. Keeping Ammonia, nitrate, and nitrate levels low is critical for healthy fish. It would also be a good idea to find out if you have hard or soft your water is. This can influence the selection of fish you can safely stock in the aquarium.

 

[StandbySetting]

OP - what plants are you hoping to grow?

There are two main stream methods when it comes to planted aquariums, there are other methods but these two are the most popular amongst the planted community:

Low light, low tech setup:
Inert substrate
Minimal fertilisation - generally just trace elements

This method limits you in terms of what you can grow.

High light, high tech setup:
CO2 injection
Inert or specialist planted substrate
Fertilisation including macro nutrients (NPK)

You can grow any plant you wish in a high tech setup, some plants require very intense light, they tend to be red or have very small leaves - Hemianthus calitrichoides is an example.

Light is the determining factor in plant growth, so depending on what you wish to grow this will determine which approach you may wish to take. It's worth remembering however that on setups with high intensity lighting, CO2 is often limited as the only sources of CO2 are from the breakdown of organics, respiration from fish and plants and gaseous exchange with air. For reference CO2 levels in most aquariums hover around the 5-10ppm mark, which will soon be depleted in a high energy setup, and if you don't use an additional source of carbon, your plants will be deficient in one of the most essential nutrients they require, which will ultimately lead to dying plants and algae.

I'm an advocate of CO2 injection, it's cheap, easy and safe with a little common sense. I prefer high energy setups personally, plant growth is much faster and algae is non-existent provided your other nutrients are balanced and well distributed. Good water circulation is essential with CO2 injection.

 

[StevenF]

For reference CO2 levels in most aquariums hover around the 5-10ppm mark, which will soon be depleted in a high energy setup, and if you don't use an additional source of carbon, your plants will be deficient in one of the most essential nutrients they require, which will ultimately lead to dying plants and algae.

Mysmall tank is set up with disable LED Light that can go to high light conditions or low light conditions. NO CO2. At high light conditions I can see PH increase when the lights are on indicating CO2 depletion. I ran a month this way and had no plant loss. In fact the pants would still grow. In my experience plants do not die in low CO2 environments. In most cases they just go dormant.