My First Attempt at a Planted Aquarium

So, as I mentioned in my introductory post, after 15 years away I have rekindled my enjoyment of fishkeeping. I have purchased a Juwel Rio 240, as I am not allowed to get a dog or 4 kittens, and have decided that I'll set up a low maintenance planted tank. So here are a few pictures showing how I've set it up. The plan is to add my fully matured Fluval 307 to run alongside the internal filter, I currently have 6 assorted Corys and 10 Pentazona Barbs in the mature tank and they will be moving over once it is safe for them to do so.

I bought a jungle style tank plant collection https://www.aquariumgardens.co.uk/plant-collection-for-48x22-jungle-style-tank-101-p.asp, along with some moss on coconut shells, some dragon stone and a large piece of Redmoor wood.

I'll try and keep you updated as the tank progresses.

It looks nice!
A lot better than my soon to be betta tank (see below)

wow it looks great!!!

Ok, so here we are two weeks later, so I moved the pentazonas, corys and embers over to the new tank a few days after it was set up. The Fluval 307 was also moved before the fish, so I'm running the Juwel internal plus the Fluval. I've subsequently added 5 more embers and 4 otos and finally a male betta. I'll come back to him shortly. The plants have been growing quite vigorously and I've just ordered some more hairgrass for the front area.

I know that there is a lot of debate as to whether a male betta belongs in a community tank but all of the fish I have bought have been done so with the introduction of the betta in mind. He has plenty of hiding places, as do the other fish and so far he's been no trouble. Actually getting him into the tank was a tale in itself. He was ordered online from a UK betta specialist. When the postman knocked on the door he told me that the package was leaking and had been for the previous half an hour and asked if I wanted to take the parcel. Given that not taking him would have meant his certain death I told the postman that I'd take him, in the hope that there may be some water retained in the polystyrene. When I opened the box and polystyrene he was still alive and wriggling about, I had to get my son to fill another fish bag with water from the tank to acclimate him and hope that this wouldn't kill him.

Anyway, he survived acclimating and he was placed in the tank about an hour later. He's supposed to be a navy blue colour but the stress of the journey has meant that he is currently whitish pink on his body with red fins and tail. I understand that his colour should return in due course, even if it doesn't then that won't be a problem. I don't normally name my fish but because of his escapades he's been named Leaky!

Here's some pictures of the tank as it is this evening.

I've also got a video that I took at feeding time this evening but it's taking forever to upload to Imgur, if it ever arrives then I'll add the link to that as well.

wow it’s beautiful! Leakys very lucky!

Please float a couple of pieces of the stemmed plant on the surface for the Betta to hide in.

itiwhetu said:

Please float a couple of pieces of the stemmed plant on the surface for the Betta to hide in.

Click to expand...

Thanks, quick question. Do bettas prefer to hide at the top of the tank or elsewhere? So far I have seen him hiding in the gap between the rocks on the right hand side of the tank, underneath both coconut shells and in amongst the plants.

They like to be up on the surface of the tank. Bettas mouths face upwards so they are surface feeders. They are looking for insects that sit on the water surface. . Bettas main predators come from the air so they are trying to protect themselves from an attack from above. If you do not provide them with protection from above they will find it else where

yeah, bettas like being at the top. you could put some of the plants at the top or you could get some floaters. also, i just realized those plants grew A LOT! wow!

You need a picture on the back to make the fish feel more secure, and some floating plants like Water Sprite for the Betta, but apart from that it looks good.

It's another couple of weeks since I last updated you all. Since then I've added some more dwarf hair grass, some water sprite and a piece of rock with java moss attached. You can see that I'm suffering from a bit of brown algae and I've added 8 oto's to help clear that. I am now well stocked and only want to add one more fish, a pleco of some description. I'll be doing a lot of research first before deciding what to get.

Looks great! Why not enter it in our TOTM contest which is now accepting entries for tanks sized at 31 gallons and larger. Entry period ends on Thursday at 4PM so enter soon!

Did a bit of pruning this morning and I also have a new pleco. It's a Snowball Pleco, L102, obviously only a juvenile but it seems to be finding it's way around the tank ok. Lots of hiding places in the lava rock and a nice big bit of wood should it need it.

Be prepared for the mess your pleco will make.
Mine seem to both eat and poo 24/7.
But I still love them.

I had to do a bit more trimming back yesterday. The hygrophilia (I think that's what it is!) on the left hand side of the tank as you look at it was getting out of hand and I also trimmed the smaller one on the right hand side of the tank. A couple of pics, the first before, and the second after. Leaky, the Betta, has been moved to his own tank in my son's room and I'll be looking to add some more small community fish in the coming weeks.
Before

After