First attempt at a planted aquarium

[Back in the fold]

That's a great looking tank. Now you just sit back and wait for it to grow in. Some of your plants will live long and prosper, others will fizzle out quickly but you will learn what works good for you and you will learn what you like and don't like.

 

[sarabarton76]

Cheers. I am enjoying myself far more than I ever imagined! I've already identified the plant I am superskilled at killing (Micranthenum), it will be interesting to see how everything does.

 

[Tank Sinatra]

Alternanthera cardinalis Variegata - Aqua Essentials

Alternanthera cardinalis Variegata is a fine-looking bushy, stem plant with sturdy red/purple stems - Aqua Essentials

www.aquaessentials.co.uk

Alternanthera cardinalis variegata. Dunno if theres a common name. Got from this site and plants in greta quality, I got a mixed box and then this and a rotala rotundiflora - but that's mostly green so probably not light enough to go red.

Thanks Sara, that's really helpful. This is also where I bought all my plants from as well.

 

[Mrs_Moose]

Hiya

I'm only really doing anything with testing because I added some cycled filter media and didn't want it to die if there was nothing in the tank so added a low amount of ammonia to make sure it was fed. The ammonia got nicely munched so I know when I am ready to add fish in a good few days it will be ready.

The substrate is 3 and a half inches at the front and just short of 5 at the back so hopefully should be deep enough

sounds perfect im sure you will have a lovely balanced tank!

 

[sarabarton76]

Hope so, though basically building a plane in the air in terms of my experience.

I'm in awe at how fast the plants are growing! May be able to add my 4 mollies this weekend, and then bring the next few additions to the old tank for quarantine. Not remotely excited, no not at all tee hee!

 

[sarabarton76]

Just over 2 weeks in and here is my progress. I added a lot of established filter media last week, fed a little ammonia which was munched rapidly with no measurable ammonia or nitrite in 24 hours. So I waited a few more days, did a 50% water change then transferred my mollies yesterday.

parameters great today : nothing of anything showing at all so hopefully this means I have plenty of filter capacity.

We have 6 guppies in the 17g for quarantine, so the next steps will be in 2 weeks where I'm going to swap the female mollies and the male guppies. This tank will become a non breeding community tank, and the girls can slowly work through their stored sperms while I handle the fry. I'm not planning on being a breeder but I'm glad my little girl gets to experience it a little.

Then will have to decide what fish to finish off with, but that will be ages away. Hopefully all will go well and I won't have a lot to report, testing daily for now.

 

[Tank Sinatra]

That's looking fantastic! Great choice of plants!

Looks like you have a couple of fry by the filter.

 

[sarabarton76]

That's looking fantastic! Great choice of plants!

Looks like you have a couple of fry by the filter.

yup - survival of the fittest - I think 6 lefts from 23. Thats why eventually the girls need to move out. But did want the small one to experience this for a finite amount of time. Even when they move out in 2 weeks we probably have a lot of fry to come...

 

[sarabarton76]

well time for an update I think...

I did loads more reading and decided to add an external filter too so I have tonnes more than I need, just in case there's a period of way too much fry...

That killed my frogbit off - forgot it doesn't like higher flow! It did take a bit of time to do so I was a bit slow to cotton on. It wasn't all dead, but some melted plants was not good news for water quality so I got rid of it all. Had a little nitrite spike so earned myself daily water changes for a week till I was happy again.

The guppies did absolutely fine in the 17g so moved them over this weekend - they were not happy when they got in the faster flow - predictable I guess but I had forgotten. So they went back to the LFS - my small one realising that pretty tails is no substitute for a happy pet. Useful to get that one out of the way early I think as now she is on board with not buying loads of fancy fish and making sure the ones we have are happy. I guess I could have kept them in the smaller tank but then I cant split the boys and girls of the mollie kingdom and soon we will be completely overrun.

Spent today trimming the hygrophila which are spreading exhuberantly - I just replant the tops and off they go. I've put plenty of plant tops in the smaller tank which I am re-cycling with ammonia (new external filter & hard to transfer media). Maybe I should do a journal for that one ha ha!!

And yes, we now have 4 week old and 4 day old fry!! The deluge is coming.....

 

[Tank Sinatra]

well time for an update I think...

I did loads more reading and decided to add an external filter too so I have tonnes more than I need, just in case there's a period of way too much fry...

That killed my frogbit off - forgot it doesn't like higher flow! It did take a bit of time to do so I was a bit slow to cotton on. It wasn't all dead, but some melted plants was not good news for water quality so I got rid of it all. Had a little nitrite spike so earned myself daily water changes for a week till I was happy again.

The guppies did absolutely fine in the 17g so moved them over this weekend - they were not happy when they got in the faster flow - predictable I guess but I had forgotten. So they went back to the LFS - my small one realising that pretty tails is no substitute for a happy pet. Useful to get that one out of the way early I think as now she is on board with not buying loads of fancy fish and making sure the ones we have are happy. I guess I could have kept them in the smaller tank but then I cant split the boys and girls of the mollie kingdom and soon we will be completely overrun.

Spent today trimming the hygrophila which are spreading exhuberantly - I just replant the tops and off they go. I've put plenty of plant tops in the smaller tank which I am re-cycling with ammonia (new external filter & hard to transfer media). Maybe I should do a journal for that one ha ha!!

And yes, we now have 4 week old and 4 day old fry!! The deluge is coming.....

View attachment 134206

It’s looking better and better by the week!

Glad to hear the fry are doing well. Are you keeping all the fry?

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Your tank looks lovely! Love the plants you chose and it's going to look even better when they fill out a bit more

 

[sarabarton76]

It’s looking better and better by the week!

Glad to hear the fry are doing well. Are you keeping all the fry?

So far, more that I haven't figured out the alternatives. I need to see if the LFS wants any freebies!

 

[sarabarton76]

this weeks picture. Trying a different floating plant, don't think its any happier so if browning off will scoop and dump, but would be nice to have some on top. The girls much happier without the boys - now on the look out for early signs of the sex of the fry

 

[Tank Sinatra]

What floating plants have you tried? I’ve got water lettuce in both of mine and they seem to be doing really well

 

[sarabarton76]

I had water lettuce til I put the external filter in - it cant stand the flow out from the filter and all died. I have bobbed a bit of salvinia in from my other tank - its not happy. I also have some elodea/anacharis - most of it is staying down/ rooted but a couple of fronts are floating and I shall watch with interest- it certainly gets pushed around less due to size and may be able to cope