Help With Tank Appearance

[Faythee]

I was bored with my 30 gal. so I decided to try live plants. Here is what it looks like so far:

I do not use CO2 or anything special. I add a vial of plant food weekly. I put a new light on it which has 2 bulbs. One says Coralife 6700k and the other is pink but doesn't say wattage. I have no clue when it comes to lights but it is meant for a planted tank.

All plants so far are doing well except for the one in left corner:

It has new growth but is constantly losing leaves and seems droopy.

I am not happy with the looks at all. Not happy with the fish either

I am thinking of adding more of the fast growing plant in the right corner which I think is Green Lloydelia. I feel I need some broad leaf plants of some sort and some foreground plants. Which would look nice and are easy to care for ?

Too....I am partial on the skull. I have an African theme in my house so it seems to match....but not sure if I like it.
What fish are typically kept in planted tanks ? The only ones I would like to keep are the Cory Cats. Rehoming the Danios, Phantom Tetras, and the unhealthy Gouramis I purchased 2 weeks ago.

Should I add a background ? I am thinking typically planted tanks do not have one.

Sorry for all the questions. I just need a little direction. Thanks

 

[s007]

Looks very nice mate, i'd defiantly add a background, for your type... the black colour would really bring all those plants and the scull to highlight. What would look nice to me is to add some neon or cardinat tetrass..i know thay are hard to look after and quite demanding little buggers but with black background they will look brilliant also maybe get some more plants for a background and u can also try planting some Hemianthus Callitrichoides Cuba (can find them on ebay posted next day usually from UK too) and have like a green carpet with those ones...

But at the end its really just suggestions after all the tank must be of ur taste

Cheers, Sergey

 

[Colin_T]

I would add a backing to the tank, either a black or planted backing.

Try adding some Ambulia & Narrow Vallis to the tank, they will grow right to the surface and cover the back a bit more. The vallis can go in the back left corner and the plant that is there now (Ludwigia) can be moved to the front but along the side.

Broad leaf plants are swordplants or Java Fern, both get a bit big to be foreground plants. Anubias is not a true aquatic but will survive for yrs under water. It has broad leaves and doesn't get too big.

I would move your smaller filter to the far left of the tank and the big filter to the far right. This will allow their intake pipes to sit in the corner where they will be less noticeable.
I would also push your heater lower down in the tank to make it less visible.

If your lights are only on for 10-12 hours per day I would try increasing the lighting period a couple more hours. You can have the lights on for up to 16 hours per day. The extra light should help the ludwigia in the back left corner.

Try increasing the number of the black phantom tetras. In a bigger group they will show off better and behave more naturally.
Maybe add a group (6-8) of Neon Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia praecox). They are blue with red fins.
Possibly a group of ruby barbs.

 

[Themuleous]

BTW that plant with white edged leaves is non-aquatic. It'll die and rot in a few weeks. best remove it now before that happens.

I wouldn't suggest you get any HC it requires very good light and a decent plant substrate to do well. Best spend the money on a different plants

Sam

 

[Faythee]

Thank you everyone. Those were great suggestions !

 

[Ark]

hi nice start
but to make it look more natural i suggest gettin rid of the skull and the small pebbles by it
also if your open to suggestions you could change the substrate to a more plant friendly one...

the reaosn your plants look unhealthy is because there not getting any nutrients you could try dosing fertilizer if changin the substrate is not an option

 

[Faythee]

Yeah...I added the skull and pebbles due to the filter washing away the sand in the front middle.

What fertilizer do you recommend ? I do not want to take the sand out.

Thanks !

 

[Colin_T]

Try Sera Florena for the plant fertiliser

 

[Egmel]

What fertilizer do you recommend ? I do not want to take the sand out.

Tropica Plant Nutrition Plus (TPN+) is what I was recommended as a good all rounder. If you don't want to add extra Nitrates, Phosphates and Potassium (NPK) then TPN is just the 'trace elements' (ie it's the same as TPN+ but without the NPK).

I haven't been using it for long enough to comment on it's effectiveness but it's the one that most people recommended when I asked

 

[ICEEGRL]

If you get plant tabs you just shove them into the sand. They work fairly well.
Plants I would suggest are amazon sword or similar for large leaf... Vallisneria offer sizes from large to very small. There is even a petite form that works for the front. It is very pretty. That is what I have in mine. You would have to keep the tabs in the sand to feed them though.
Take a look around at other tanks on here. When you see something you like... ask what it is and how hard it is to grow. That is what I do. We love to talk about our tanks and plants, so we will be glad to tell you all bout them.
I also go to different online plant stores and look at the pics to see what they have that I like. Then I come here to see how they grow and look in a real tank. The pics they show on those sites can be very deceptive...

As for present set up... I would add a black background, and get rid of the rocks. If you like the skull... keep it. If you are not so fond of it... I would get a branchy piece of wood... It just depends on what you like. Look around at all the pics... Once you know what you really like it will be a lot easier to try to pull it together into a tank you will love.

Good luck.

 

[Faythee]

I was thinking of the tabs you put into the substrate. I was concerned about the Cory cats eating them. Is it safe ?

I am switching this to a female Betta tank so I will need LOTS of coverage. Think I will go this weekend and buy a bunch of plants and cram them all in there and see what happens.........LOL

I will try to find the ones you all suggested, but choices in my LFS aren't that great.

Thanks !

 

[Colin_T]

the plant fertiliser tablets that go in the gravel are safe if the fish pick at them. Usually the fish don't bother about them because they are pushed into the gravel and covered over.