Hey there...new to this board. I humbly request some advice, knowledge.
I am a relatively smart guy, or so they say, but I really just can't accept the 'don't have plants' advice that comes with having certain species of fish, as I don't want to get rid of these guys (no room for a 2nd tank). I have a 55 gallon tank (2 silver dollars, 1 bala, 2 clown loaches, 2 german rams, 13 black neons, a few otos, a gold nugget pleco, a red finned shark, a few assorted mystery snails, and use EXTRA filtration/regular water changes) which I had been planting sporadically with plants that were getting eaten up on a regular basis, even plants that are not supposed to be eaten. Some of the plants, which the LFS sold me yet could not identify, have not been eaten at all (they are very large, beautiful broad, green-leafed plants...different than anything I have seen available on websties), except when new leaves are developing that is. So, basically, I said 'what the hell' and ordered about 120 dollars worth of herbivorous fish plants from aquariumplants.com. Last night, I spent two hours, after vacuuming the gravel and 50 percent of my water, planting various anubias, red and green melon swords, and four types of onion plants, along with a java fern mat and a java lace plant. Well, the whole tank is now planted, and it is a sight to behold (I couldn't even sleep last night...lol). I can't stop looking at it. But, being that I am relatively new to the plant scene, I have some some questions.
First and foremost, I have been using dissolving CO2 tablets here and there, but I don't have a system. I am thinking about getting one of those small, inexpensive, natural systems that stick to the side of the tank. Nothing too advanced, as my lighting is basic as well. I'd like to hear some better opinions on such BASIC systems if possible.
Secondly, I just put the whole java fern mat in the gravel, just brushing the gravel over the sides of the mat and sinking it in slightly, so as to not cover roots. The ferns look bad, but I hear that will improve within 2 weeks. Did I make a mistake in planting this mat as one piece, rather than breaking the plants up? I wanted it to develop as the tank's centerpiece. Also, will the mat material soften the water a bit (I have no idea what the material is)? Will the Java fern grow outward (i.e. beyond the mat and into my gravel) or just become more dense, high, and rich in color?
Next, LOL....how the hell am I going to vacuum the tank well now? Do I really need to still get into the gravel, as all the gravel is planted!?!?
I was also looking into getting a few moss balls to drop into some bare areas. Does the moss break off and clog hang-on filters? This happened to me with java moss, and it just wasn't worth working with that stuff to me. I may choose to create a moss screen on one of the tank walls, eventually, however. At any rate, do these Japanese moss balls soften water, and how often do they need to be rotated?
Is there a way to shield or protect sprouting leaves on plants that otherwise would be eaten?
At any rate, thanks for any feedback. I appreciate anything that an experienced person has to say. My water parameters are 80-160 ppm Nitrate, 0 Nitrite, 150 - 300 hardness, 40 to 80 Akalinity, and 6.8 to 7.2 PH. I am having a hard with hard water, but I don't want to do anything drastic to lower such. My PH reading seemed to go up today, where it was clearly slightly acidic (6.8 to below) when I first added the plants.
P.S. My condo is all rug, and I am going to get tile layed down throughout it. How difficult will it be for them to work around, and move, my tank, especially now that when they tank is drained, due to the heavily plant life, there will be less room for my fish!!!!
?
P.P.S. Have a great day! I am going to post pictures as soon as the ferns start to look better...
I am a relatively smart guy, or so they say, but I really just can't accept the 'don't have plants' advice that comes with having certain species of fish, as I don't want to get rid of these guys (no room for a 2nd tank). I have a 55 gallon tank (2 silver dollars, 1 bala, 2 clown loaches, 2 german rams, 13 black neons, a few otos, a gold nugget pleco, a red finned shark, a few assorted mystery snails, and use EXTRA filtration/regular water changes) which I had been planting sporadically with plants that were getting eaten up on a regular basis, even plants that are not supposed to be eaten. Some of the plants, which the LFS sold me yet could not identify, have not been eaten at all (they are very large, beautiful broad, green-leafed plants...different than anything I have seen available on websties), except when new leaves are developing that is. So, basically, I said 'what the hell' and ordered about 120 dollars worth of herbivorous fish plants from aquariumplants.com. Last night, I spent two hours, after vacuuming the gravel and 50 percent of my water, planting various anubias, red and green melon swords, and four types of onion plants, along with a java fern mat and a java lace plant. Well, the whole tank is now planted, and it is a sight to behold (I couldn't even sleep last night...lol). I can't stop looking at it. But, being that I am relatively new to the plant scene, I have some some questions.
First and foremost, I have been using dissolving CO2 tablets here and there, but I don't have a system. I am thinking about getting one of those small, inexpensive, natural systems that stick to the side of the tank. Nothing too advanced, as my lighting is basic as well. I'd like to hear some better opinions on such BASIC systems if possible.
Secondly, I just put the whole java fern mat in the gravel, just brushing the gravel over the sides of the mat and sinking it in slightly, so as to not cover roots. The ferns look bad, but I hear that will improve within 2 weeks. Did I make a mistake in planting this mat as one piece, rather than breaking the plants up? I wanted it to develop as the tank's centerpiece. Also, will the mat material soften the water a bit (I have no idea what the material is)? Will the Java fern grow outward (i.e. beyond the mat and into my gravel) or just become more dense, high, and rich in color?
Next, LOL....how the hell am I going to vacuum the tank well now? Do I really need to still get into the gravel, as all the gravel is planted!?!?
I was also looking into getting a few moss balls to drop into some bare areas. Does the moss break off and clog hang-on filters? This happened to me with java moss, and it just wasn't worth working with that stuff to me. I may choose to create a moss screen on one of the tank walls, eventually, however. At any rate, do these Japanese moss balls soften water, and how often do they need to be rotated?
Is there a way to shield or protect sprouting leaves on plants that otherwise would be eaten?
At any rate, thanks for any feedback. I appreciate anything that an experienced person has to say. My water parameters are 80-160 ppm Nitrate, 0 Nitrite, 150 - 300 hardness, 40 to 80 Akalinity, and 6.8 to 7.2 PH. I am having a hard with hard water, but I don't want to do anything drastic to lower such. My PH reading seemed to go up today, where it was clearly slightly acidic (6.8 to below) when I first added the plants.
P.S. My condo is all rug, and I am going to get tile layed down throughout it. How difficult will it be for them to work around, and move, my tank, especially now that when they tank is drained, due to the heavily plant life, there will be less room for my fish!!!!
?P.P.S. Have a great day! I am going to post pictures as soon as the ferns start to look better...
