Planted Ideas

[SaFyQ448]

Hi, so I have a 37 gallon tank with black sand on the bottom. I'm currently removing the 2 electric blue acaras that inhabit the tank. The tank will include 4corys 3 bristlenose. And I'm thinking I'll add cherry barbs. What are the nicest plants to add to the tank?

 

[BettaFishGirl]

Java fern, Amazon sword, anubias, stem plants like rotala are all good additions. I like dwarf hairgrass for the foreground. If your looking for fast growing plants, guppy grass and pearlweed are great options. Make sure you have liquid fertilizer and /or root tabs. I use the Aqueon liquid plant fertilizer and Seachem florish root tabs. I love buying my plants from buceplant.com, there plants and prices are amazing and they always give me extra.

 

[SaFyQ448]

Java fern, Amazon sword, anubias, stem plants like rotala are all good additions. I like dwarf hairgrass for the foreground. If your looking for fast growing plants, guppy grass and pearlweed are great options. Make sure you have liquid fertilizer and /or root tabs. I use the Aqueon liquid plant fertilizer and Seachem florish root tabs. I love buying my plants from buceplant.com, there plants and prices are amazing and they always give me extra.

Idk if this is a dumb question but how do I clean the sand? I'm very new to this. I know to like stick the siphon in and get the stuff up but if there's a plant do I disturb the roots?

 

[BettaFishGirl]

No, just stick the siphon in the sand and then pinch the siphon so the sand doesn't come up but the debris does. Then pull the siphon up, still pinching it so the sand falls. Then once the sand is out un-pinch it so the debris goes into the tube and start it again. I don't usually siphon the back are or heavily planted areas, just where the sand is very visible.

 

[sharkweek178]

Idk if this is a dumb question but how do I clean the sand? I'm very new to this. I know to like stick the siphon in and get the stuff up but if there's a plant do I disturb the roots?

Don't worry too much about cleaning under your plants. Mulm is just food for the plants. It's natural and doesn't hurt the fish. It's just a little unsightly. You can just focus on the open areas.

 

[Byron]

Welcome to TFF.

First data we need are the water parameters, being the GH and pH here. these may be available on the website of your water authority if you are on municipal water.

While waiting for that information, the cories and barbs are shoaling fish, as are all characins, cyprinids, rainbowfishes. This means they must have a decent sized group of their own species, around 10 is minimum. Some need more, all will benefit with more. For the cories, given the tank size, a group of 15 would be my minimum. You can mix species here, the number is the critical thing for their health and well-being.

Agree with other members here on sand. In some of my tanks I never touch the sand, the fish (cories) do the job, not by eating waste but by their constant digging into the sand. The substrate bacteria (good ones) decompose excrement rapidly. It is as mentioned food for the plants. Be careful not to overfeed, what goes in must come out, and many aquarists feed way too much which is not good for the fish anyway.

 

[Essjay]

With sand, you don't dig the siphon tube in, you hover it half an inch above the sand and make small swirling movements. This lifts the debris into the water where it can be sucked up.