My first aquarium ever - guppys

[Essjay]

The feathery looking plants on the left looks like a reasonably fast growing plant, though i don't know what it actually is
I can recognise the anubias and java fern - they look as though they are planted in the substrate? If they are, I need to warn you that the rhizome (the thick thing that the leaves grow out of) should not be buried or it will rot. These two plants are usually grown attached to decor for this reason. The thin roots, which grow out of the opposite side of the rhizome from the leaves, can go into the substrate, just not the rhizome.

If you can't find frogbit yet, try some stems of anacharis (elodea) and let them float. They won't look pretty but they help keep the neons safe and when you get some frogbit you can take a bit of anacharis out as the frogbit grows till it's all frogbit. And neons will like having plants over their heads as they, like most of the fish we buy, come from rivers with overhanging vegetation to screen them from bright overhead light.


If you do get the neons, test the water every day for ammonia and nitrite till you are sure they are staying at zero.

 

[Fish4dawin]

The feathery looking plants on the left looks like a reasonably fast growing plant, though i don't know what it actually is
I can recognise the anubias and java fern - they look as though they are planted in the substrate? If they are, I need to warn you that the rhizome (the thick thing that the leaves grow out of) should not be buried or it will rot. These two plants are usually grown attached to decor for this reason. The thin roots, which grow out of the opposite side of the rhizome from the leaves, can go into the substrate, just not the rhizome.

If you can't find frogbit yet, try some stems of anacharis (elodea) and let them float. They won't look pretty but they help keep the neons safe and when you get some frogbit you can take a bit of anacharis out as the frogbit grows till it's all frogbit. And neons will like having plants over their heads as they, like most of the fish we buy, come from rivers with overhanging vegetation to screen them from bright overhead light.


If you do get the neons, test the water every day for ammonia and nitrite till you are sure they are staying at zero.

I have anacharis in my tank and from the sand it has literally gone from the bottom of the substrate to a practical floating plant. It's probably nearly 3 feet long if I was to measure it. It's also a very hardy plant and shouldn't get eaten. Also I dose the tank weekly with Leaf Zone and I think that this has contributed to it's growth.

 

[erinbarbour]

Thank you for the link - they are offering a much better price! I just ordered some now.

 

[erinbarbour]

My water is very soft at 25ppm, and I have 4 guppies, and would like to add 8 neon tetras and a mystery snail.
Would it be a good idea to add ''wonder shells" which are said to add minerals and hardness to water. Would they be harmful or beneficial to soft water fish like neon tetras?

 

[Essjay]

You could increase the hardness up around 120 ppm. This would be OK for neons, though it's still a bit on the soft side for guppies. But even if it's not the best for the guppies, 120 ppm is better for them than 25 ppm.
You would need a GH tester to know just how hard the water becomes - too high and it's not good for neons.

 

[erinbarbour]

My son would like to get a snail and later, some neon tetras. I have read that neon tetras like soft water under 140ppm, but snails need harder water. Is there a way to keep them together and also provide for the snails needs? I have heard that adding a cuttle bone could help the snail for calcium needs.