# New to plants, need advice



## dsiple3 (Mar 4, 2014)

After determining that no one knows who built my 95G (59"x17" inside dimension floor space) tank and settling on specific fish to add, I need help with aquascaping through plants.

The purpose of the tank originally was to act as a "semi-show" planted refugium for my Malawi 125G. However, not wanting to let a good opportunity go to waste, it started to morph into a nice tank to go under my 125G. Final decision is to make the inhabitants Rainbow Cichlids (Archocentrus Multispinosus), Neon Tetras, and dwarf neon rainbowfish (Melanotaenia praecox). It appears none or diggers.

I want the planted aquascaping to look like the bank of a river or pond, coliseum in shape. The left side is where the water will enter the tank via an overflow from the top tank. This will be hidden eventually by the taller plants and some tiered background work. The right is where the water will be removed via pump with sponge on the intake to return to main tank hidden again by background and plants. The BG will have caves built in to provide hard cover.

I am pretty certain I want Java Fern and Anubias in there to provide height and additional hiding spots. As I looked through many planted tank pics for ideas for what I wanted to do, I found quite a few with low growing plants to provide spotty to full ground cover. I don't want full coverage of the ground, but would love some ideas on plants for patches of ground cover.

Any ideas for other easy to find plants would be great.
Also, any idea on low wattage lighting would help. Once put into operation, the lights are on from 7:30am to approximately 10pm (14.5 hours). It is in a living room with low ambient light, not enough to see the fish well enough.

In summary, I need advice/ideas on:
1) low growing plants for spotty ground cover (prefer low maintenance)
2) other easy to find plants that would provide height and different texture, 13" max (prefer low maintenance)
3) low wattage lighting that is beneficial for plant growth

Thank you in advance.


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## OllieNZ (Apr 18, 2014)

Vallis and sword plants are probably a better choice than anubis and java fern as they are fast growing and will make excellent nutrient strippers. For foreground I'd stick with echindorus tennellus and hydrocoytle sp Japan. 
A single t5ho with a good reflector should see your lighting needs sorted but I'd decrease your photo period to 8hrs to start and depending on how your plants settle in you may be able to up it to 10hrs maximum, any more and you'll just grow algae. Unhealthy plants will not benefit your system. So to ensure success of this you need to keep the plants good.


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## dsiple3 (Mar 4, 2014)

OllieNZ, I read up on some of the plants you suggested. Like the Vallis. I will see if I can get a plant and put it in my daughter's tank this weekend. I don't expect to have the 95G in operation until march, but then I won't have to buy any, I'll just steal from her tank.

The articles I read on the 2 carpeting plants you mentioned suggest CO2 injection. I am trying to stay away from that. This tank will house 10 Rainbow Cichlids, 5-10 Dwarf rainbowfish, 20-30 Neon Tetras, and a Raphael Catfish. The tank above it houses ~15 Demasoni, 9 Yellow Labs, 2 synodontis, 2 BN Plecos and too many Acei to count (they will be replaced soon). I am assuming this is a large enough CO2 source for plants in the 95G. I don't really want to put a $3 plant in a tank that requires an additional $50+ worth of equipment.

Am I wrong or am I reading too much into suggestions for these plants?


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## OllieNZ (Apr 18, 2014)

All the plants I've recommend will be fine without additional co2 the h. Japan grows like a weed I was pulling it out by the handful in the tank I had it in, no co2 required. The tennellus will be fine also it's just not quite as much of a weed without co2. If your overflow system has a trickle filter or splashy overflow this will help keep all the gasses in the water (including co2) in equilibrium with the atmosphere. This will help ensure the plants are getting enough co2, your fish load certainly won't hinder.


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## dsiple3 (Mar 4, 2014)

I currently run sand substrate. I want to add as little to it to get things working. The wife has stated that getting this tank into operation will need to be low, low cost.

Will sand be acceptable?


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## OllieNZ (Apr 18, 2014)

Sand will be fine, if you can I'd get a bag of john innes no3 recipe soil put a layer an inch thick down and put the sand back in on top


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## dsiple3 (Mar 4, 2014)

I got a solo Vallis plant for my daughters 39G. In 2 weeks it has already sprouted 2 more sets of blades off of runners. The tank has 7 Bloodfin Tetras, a BN and 1 Striped Raphael. We also decided to grab a carpeting plant (I don't remember the name, but I think it started with st and looks like a 2-3" tall bush) for the foreground on her tank which has also started spreading, although at a slightly slower rate. She is excited to watch the plants start to spread out in the tank, and so am I since the vallis will end up in my tank as well in a few months.

If anyone wants to try to ID the plant, I can probably put up a pic.


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## dsiple3 (Mar 4, 2014)

OllieNZ said:


> Sand will be fine, if you can I'd get a bag of john innes no3 recipe soil put a layer an inch thick down and put the sand back in on top


Since the water coming into and going out of this tank is from the 125G established Cichlid tank, would this soil have an affect on the water chemistry? I read in another thread that using soils gives unpredictable ammonia spikes until things settle down with the soil.


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## OllieNZ (Apr 18, 2014)

It can do but if you plant densely the plants will mop it up. There are ways of mineralising the soil before you use it to prevent this but I've never bothered. I've done rescapes with fresh soil and just replanted and put fish back in without any hassles (always with a mature canister filter).


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## Kalost (Feb 27, 2013)

you dont need the soil


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