Tired Of Rocks And Wood, Starting To Add Plants.

[ShaunnyRotten]

As the title says, I'm at a point where I really like to start adding plants to my tank.  
 

• I have a 75 gallon aquarium that I have filled to 50 gallons as my heater and filter are good to 55. 
• Lighting is a 4' Aquasun LED High Output light bar.
• Fish are mostly barbs and gouramis along with a 10" pleco (type unknown), 4" bushynose plceco and 4" pictus cat.
• 20lb of 2" stones, 15-20lb of wood.
• 30lb of pea gravel substrate (upgraded from a 29g recently, bio load has not changed).

 
I know I need to add another 20lb of substrate and that is part of the questions I have.  What type would be recommended?  
 
To take up the extra empty space at the top of the aquarium I would like to have plants that will climb out of the water column and if possible, flower, but still have an appealing look under the water.  
 
I don't have anything in the way of a CO2 system or fertilizers but I'll pick them up if needed.  
 
Any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated.
 
Shaun
 
 

 

[squidneh]

Personally I would focus on getting a filter and heater adequate for the tank.  It seems like such a waste to have a 75g and only use 3/4 of it.  And I'm sure your fish would appreciate the extra room, 20 gallons is more than you would think.  If you are willing to get a CO2 system, I would use that money to get a filter.  There are a lot of canister filters on ebay that I have heard good things about that are relatively cheap (about $60 for your size tank) and browsing craigslist never hurts.
 
Once you get the tank filled and running properly I would then turn my focus to the plants.  If you are set on having plants climb out of the water I have seen people set up lattice fence on the wall behind with plants growing up it, but I don't know what types of plants these were.
 
Of course, you can do whatever you like with your tank, I'm just suggesting what I would personally do.
 
As for the substrate, I and many others use pool filter sand.  It is cheap and plants do just fine in it.  If you choose this just make sure you rinse it well before putting it in your tank.  It only takes a few minutes and then your tank won't get cloudy.

 

[Byron]

I agree with what squidneh posted.  However, there are a couple options you might consider.
 
If you want to have emergent plants, one option is to stay with a lower water level.  Others having direct experience with this sort of concept can advise better than I can with respect to plant species and such, but if you are considering aquatic plants that will grow above the water and possibly flower, it may be advantageous to have the glass-enclosed space for warmth and moisture.  Such plants in their habitat would have warm and very moist air.  Alternatively, if you consider some form of "house plant" that may root in water, that is quite different.  Just be careful because some of these (like philodendron for example) are poisonous to aquatic life.
 
Another issue to be aware of with open-top tanks is the amount of moisture escaping into the room.  This can be damaging to the house structure, just so you know.  And it is easy for dust and other substances to get into the water.  Also, many fish will jump, sometimes species that you would never expect to.  An open-top aquarium will not suit such fish.
 
One problem with the lower water level is the number of fish.  A 10-inch pleco really needs a larger tank, especially if there are a number of other fish in this water.  This fish might cause havoc to plants too.  Large pleco are best in tanks with sand or gravel and lots of chunks of wood.
 
On adding substrate, I'm not sure you necessarily need more.  What is the depth of the present pea gravel?  Also, it is not good to mix different types (gravel, sand, etc).  The finer will be at the bottom and the larger on the top, as they will mix.  I found plants did not do quite as well in pea gravel, though I personally like the look of it.  Depending upon how you proceed with this project, replacing the existing pea gravel and rocks with sand (and I second the play sand, I now have this in six of seven tanks) might be advisable.  The pleco might make a real mess of this though, if you keep it.
 
Byron.

 

[ShaunnyRotten]

I've actually planned on having a setup like this for a while as I do like the look of flowering aquatic plants.
 
The tank has an enclosed top, with the only permanent openings being the cutouts around the tubing and wiring for the heater and plumbing.  As such, I lose very little water from week to week.
 
The substrate I have now barely covers the glass on the bottom and it was actually quite difficult to get it to cover without bare patches.
 
As I go back now and read the original post I realize that I left it way too open to actually get a response.
 
What I an looking for suggestion on are:  Will substrates such as 2-3mm gravel, sand, or more pea gravel be fine or do I need to use enriched substrate?  Also, are there any plants that you could suggest that will do well in said substrate, and also emerge and produce flowers?
 
Shaun

 

[Tongue_Flicker]

Hey shaun, bacopas are very hardy regardless of substrate since they sometimes root halfway thru their stem much like what a creeping vine does. It also produces flowers at the water surface or may produce them a few inches above the water surface. Water hyacinths are floating plants but they do produce exquisite flowers

 

[Byron]

What I an looking for suggestion on are:  Will substrates such as 2-3mm gravel, sand, or more pea gravel be fine or do I need to use enriched substrate?  Also, are there any plants that you could suggest that will do well in said substrate, and also emerge and produce flowers?
 

 
Plants will root and grow in basically any substrate.  Some do better in finer substrates (sand, fine gravel) as opposed to larger (pea gravel) and an overall depth of 3-4 inches when level throughout the tank is sufficient.  You can scape this to have it deeper at the back and shallower near the front, though all substrates will shift over time unless terraced in a permanent manner.  The back depth sort of depends upon the plant species as emergent plants tend to have more substantial root systems.
 
I would not waste your money on so-called enriched substrates.  Some do nothing, and it is easy enough to ensure proper nutrients via fertilizers (liquid and substrate tabs).  Plants can only uptake nutrients with water, some via roots and some via the leaves.
 
As for species, I will leave that for those who have more experience.
 
Byron.