Questions More Than I Can Handle!

[nuzik]

Hi people forgive me as I am new here.
I've had a fishtank for some years now and I've never managed to actually get anywhere. Everything I try ends in tears!

I'm after some help ideas suggestions grooming anything and everything offered!

My tank is a bullett shape tank
It's 100cm in length by 50cm high by 50 wide
I've got sand and wood in the tank. I have an external filter and the water is lovely and clear and the right ph and the right temp for as much as I can do as I have a very warm flat!!
I have two plecs in the tank both mature one around 8" and the other 6", two tin foil barbs about 6" and a sevrum it was a pair but the other died . One clown fish and one guarami!
Now it's a little bare fish wise, which we will talk about in a minute.
My dilemmas are plants just don't grow! Other than my fish eating everything and anything I just don't seem to get anything to grow, I've got an old light systems an wonder if there is anything new I could change to to help that. Or any decent fake plants or rocks to buy?

I'd like to possibly go out get lots of new fish too, some Malawi cichlids as they look awesome however I don't want to kill my big fish.

I can take pics and upload if need be or supply you with any more information. I love my fish tank it's just not working for me right now

 

[Aquascaper]

That's about 65 gallons (US) if anyone needs to know

With regards to your lighting, a tank that deep would require T5 lighting with a spectrum of 6500k (daylight) to enable good plant growth and you would possibly want to look at a co2 system as well, either that or silk fake plants.

Were you thinking of adding Cichlids to the tank with its current setup/inhabitants as I don't think that would work. Most Cichlids require specific water conditions that would not suit some/all of your current fish. They can also be quite aggressive and do better in species only tanks.

 

[nuzik]

Hi thanks for the reply with regards to the lighting. Is there any easy way of converting what I already have? T5 over LED?

Yes I saw that cichlids need to be by themselves because they are aggressive I just wondered if they would be ok because my fish are quite big now. Would there be something else nice to get?

As for the co2 system I've had one before but plants didt survive. But that could be the lights...
Silk plants could be good but it's finding good ones I ony ever seen really expensive rubbish ones...

 

[Aquascaper]

What is the current light unit?

I think with the Cichlids it would be asking for trouble adding them, however there may be something that would work, best asking on the Cichlid area. I'm no expert on Cichlids but was in the process of setting up a species only tank until I changed my mind and went marine again so know a little about temperament, etc.

 

[nuzik]

The current light unit is the old style big round ones I forget the name!

Marine tank sounds good, I don't think I could handle that though

 

[nuzik]

i've added a link to my pics of my tank in my sig. Suggestions questions welcome