Hard water and other tank stats - what fish and plants are best?

[Hokieokieamy]

Hey all,

I have had a 35 gallon freshwater tank for about a year now. It has sand substrate. I have had success with livebearer fish and Cory catfish. I haven’t had success with many plants. See my tank stats below. Based off this, any guidance for plants and fish would be great.

Ph: 8.2

Ammonia: 0.25 ppm

Nitrite: 0 ppm

Nitrate: 0

Hardness: 21 or 200-400 ppm

 

[Fishies4Ever]

The reason you might not be doing well with plants is that they need nutrients. You need to have a layer of dirt or a kind of substrate that has nutrients in order for the plants to survive. Another option would be to get a nutrients tablet that you stick in the substrate next to the plants every once in awhile. The stats for your tank look pretty good except for the ammonia if the ammonia is anything over 0 it isn’t good and can kill your fish. You need to do a water change immediately until the ammonia level goes back to 0. How long have you been cycling your tank or have had it?

 

[Hokieokieamy]

The reason you might not be doing well with plants is that they need nutrients. You need to have a layer of dirt or a kind of substrate that has nutrients in order for the plants to survive. Another option would be to get a nutrients tablet that you stick in the substrate next to the plants every once in awhile. The stats for your tank look pretty good except for the ammonia if the ammonia is anything over 0 it isn’t good and can kill your fish. You need to do a water change immediately until the ammonia level goes back to 0. How long have you been cycling your tank or have had it?

I have had a tank for awhile now but upgraded size about two years ago. I do water changes every 2 weeks but may start every week now to help with ammonia.

I used to the do nitrate tablets but stopped — I’ll need to reinstate those. I am thinking about switching substrate to something more suitable for plant life.

 

[10 Tanks]

Hello. All plants need nutrients. I'd suggest getting a bag of EcoComplete and spreading it over the sand. Then, you can use some easy to grow plants like Anubias and Java Fern. These don't require planting and disturbing the sand. I use small to medium sized rocks and carefully place them on top of the plant. In a few weeks, the roots will grow into the bottom material. Then, if you don't want the rocks, they're easily removed.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

 

[Wills]

What test kit are you using as a regular reading of ammonia is worrying - have your plants be dying recently? I wonder if that is the cause.

In terms of what fish to keep in that kind of hardness I’d be looking at Rift Lake Cichlids that live in similar conditions in the wild. They are not compatible with your community fish but are very colourful and rewarding to keep. I’d start with looking at Lake Tanganyikan species as you have some good options for a 31g like Cypichromis, Altolamprologus, Shell Dweller and Neolamprologus Caudopunctulatis in that mix you’ll have a variety of shapes and behaviours and lots of colour; orange, blue, yellow, gold and white. Some of the smallest Malawi species may work too like a colony of Saulosi but you’d need it to be a long 31g ideally 40 inches.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

It concerns me also that you're reading ammonia and 0 Nitrates... especially if you're only doing fortnightly water changes and don't have plants I'm inclined to think your tank isn't cycled....and yet you say your corydoras are alive and I'd say they were quite sensitive.

Are you sure your test is right? I've had times when I just can't tell between the colours.. but that's my eyeballs not working

 

[seangee]

Stick with sand - its what I have in all my tanks and your cories won't appreciate anything else.
I use Seachem root tabs for heavy root feeders (such as amazon swords) and Seachem comprehensive plant supplement for the water column.
Start with easy, fast growing plants (e.g. hygrophila, ambulia, vallis) - I just keep what thrives in my tanks and abandon what doesn't. I use soft water now but my tap water is incredibly hard and I had no issues before switching.

 

[Colin_T]

What is the actual GH?
200-400ppm is pretty broad and covers medium hardness right thru to Lake Tanganyika water.

The ammonia level of 0.25ppm can be from the test kit. A number of test kits read 0 as 0.25.

What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?

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What sort of plants do you try to grow?
A lot of plants sold in pet shops are marsh/ garden plants and die shortly after being kept underwater. If you are unsure, post pictures of them and we will try to ID them for you. A good way to check for a true aquatic plant is to lift it out of water. If the leaves/ branches collapse and fall down, it's a true aquatic. If the stems and leaves remain standing upright when the plant it taken out of water, then it's a marsh (or possible garden) plant.

Nitrate is not a good plant fertiliser for aquariums. Aquatic plants prefer to get their nitrogen from ammonia, which is produced continuously by the fish and uneaten fish food in the tank.

What sort of light is on the tank and how long is it on for each day?
If plants don't get enough light, they die. You can add all the nutrients (nitrate) you want, but without sufficient light, they won't grow.

 

[Hokieokieamy]

What is the actual GH?
200-400ppm is pretty broad and covers medium hardness right thru to Lake Tanganyika water.

The ammonia level of 0.25ppm can be from the test kit. A number of test kits read 0 as 0.25.

What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?

---------------------

What sort of plants do you try to grow?
A lot of plants sold in pet shops are marsh/ garden plants and die shortly after being kept underwater. If you are unsure, post pictures of them and we will try to ID them for you. A good way to check for a true aquatic plant is to lift it out of water. If the leaves/ branches collapse and fall down, it's a true aquatic. If the stems and leaves remain standing upright when the plant it taken out of water, then it's a marsh (or possible garden) plant.

Nitrate is not a good plant fertiliser for aquariums. Aquatic plants prefer to get their nitrogen from ammonia, which is produced continuously by the fish and uneaten fish food in the tank.

What sort of light is on the tank and how long is it on for each day?
If plants don't get enough light, they die. You can add all the nutrients (nitrate) you want, but without sufficient light, they won't grow.

Right now, I have a Java moss and Java fern. So for fertilization, I should not use the fertilizer tablets and allow them to be naturally fertilized through ammonia? Also, I was thinking of replacing my sand with Caribsea - eco complete so volcanic rock I think it is? It says it’s good for planted tanks.

The light is on for ~12 hrs daily and it’s a light that came with the tank.

 

[Hokieokieamy]

Stick with sand - its what I have in all my tanks and your cories won't appreciate anything else.
I use Seachem root tabs for heavy root feeders (such as amazon swords) and Seachem comprehensive plant supplement for the water column.
Start with easy, fast growing plants (e.g. hygrophila, ambulia, vallis) - I just keep what thrives in my tanks and abandon what doesn't. I use soft water now but my tap water is incredibly hard and I had no issues before switching.

Any recommendations on sand? It doesn’t appear to grow plants well and also looks dirty quickly.

 

[Colin_T]

Right now, I have a Java moss and Java fern. So for fertilization, I should not use the fertilizer tablets and allow them to be naturally fertilized through ammonia? Also, I was thinking of replacing my sand with Caribsea - eco complete so volcanic rock I think it is? It says it’s good for planted tanks.

Java Fern and Java Moss take virtually all their nutrients from the water not from the substrate, so the root tabs are not going to be helping them. They are also reasonably slow growing plants so don't need much fertiliser. An iron based liquid aquarium plant fertiliser would probably help them more than root tabs, which are great for Cryptocorynes and Echinodorus (sword plants) but most other aquatic plants do better with a liquid fertiliser in the water. I used Sera Florena but there are other brands too.

12 hours of light each day should be plenty for those plants.

Different substrates are not going to make a lot of difference to the plants. I had brown gravel in all my tanks and grew plants fine in that. I just added the Sera Florena and plants went nuts.

 

[Hokieokieamy]

Java Fern and Java Moss take virtually all their nutrients from the water not from the substrate, so the root tabs are not going to be helping them. They are also reasonably slow growing plants so don't need much fertiliser. An iron based liquid aquarium plant fertiliser would probably help them more than root tabs, which are great for Cryptocorynes and Echinodorus (sword plants) but most other aquatic plants do better with a liquid fertiliser in the water. I used Sera Florena but there are other brands too.

12 hours of light each day should be plenty for those plants.

Different substrates are not going to make a lot of difference to the plants. I had brown gravel in all my tanks and grew plants fine in that. I just added the Sera Florena and plants went nuts.

Okay, thank you!!

I am still planning on replacing my substrate because the sand I have looks dirty. Any suggestions on which substrate to switch to and tips/tricks on switching substrate to not disturb the tank too much?

 

[Byron]

Some of what has been posted is OK, but there is some disturbingly bad advice in some posts. Rather than sort through that, I'll start anew.

The substrate must be suited to the fish. Some fish must have soft sand, while others are fine with fine gravel and some even with pea gravel. Plants do not really care. It is the needs of the fish that are critical to their health. Cories are mentioned, so you need soft sand, and absolutely no plant enriched substrates like Eco-Complete. These are too sharp as I learned several years ago from sad experience, they have significant bacterial problems for substrate fish, and they provide few if any value to plants. Substrate tabs and/or liquid comprehensive fertilizers are more than adequate for plant growth.

If you chang the substrate, do it properly. Remove all fish to a temporary tank, remove all the substrate, and add the new after rinsing. Again cories require soft sand. What you have may be as good as it gets for these fish, can't tell without knowing what it is.

 

[sharkweek178]

Hello. All plants need nutrients. I'd suggest getting a bag of EcoComplete and spreading it over the sand. Then, you can use some easy to grow plants like Anubias and Java Fern. These don't require planting and disturbing the sand. I use small to medium sized rocks and carefully place them on top of the plant. In a few weeks, the roots will grow into the bottom material. Then, if you don't want the rocks, they're easily removed.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

If you're using column feeders like Anubias and Java Fern, then why would you need nutrients in the substrate?

 

[Hokieokieamy]

Some of what has been posted is OK, but there is some disturbingly bad advice in some posts. Rather than sort through that, I'll start anew.

The substrate must be suited to the fish. Some fish must have soft sand, while others are fine with fine gravel and some even with pea gravel. Plants do not really care. It is the needs of the fish that are critical to their health. Cories are mentioned, so you need soft sand, and absolutely no plant enriched substrates like Eco-Complete. These are too sharp as I learned several years ago from sad experience, they have significant bacterial problems for substrate fish, and they provide few if any value to plants. Substrate tabs and/or liquid comprehensive fertilizers are more than adequate for plant growth.

If you chang the substrate, do it properly. Remove all fish to a temporary tank, remove all the substrate, and add the new after rinsing. Again cories require soft sand. What you have may be as good as it gets for these fish, can't tell without knowing what it is.

Hello, thank you!

Any opinion on seachem fluorite for cory catfish and pleco? Or a good sand you would recommend?