Taking A Shot At Live Plants Am I On The Right Track ?

[stacey3272]

So I have gravel I was told I can just add plants to gravel and they will take root. But sounds way to easy . Nothing is that easy.
 
I bout a new t5 dual light was told should be big enough. I have a 55 gallon tank.. No fish yet I wanted to get plants in first..
 
I have Tropica fern
 
Roette sword
 
Borneo sword 
 
had a Umbrella plant that was with all the others and said it is a aquatic plant BUT was told it will not live under water.  why why why would they put them with all the other tank plants if it will not live under water.
 
 
So my Q are how much time do they need for lights being on. are they really going to live. Do I need fertilize them I have a air stone that goes all the time plus the filter has water braking surface. Am I on the right track I am going to get some stones or some thing more in middle maybe put moss or a fern on it at some point
 
Thanks for popping in.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Yes - it can be that simple. 
 
No - it is not that simple. 
 
 
First, I believe the tropica fern is in the family of the java ferns and the rhizome needs to be in the water column.  Generally these are tied (or glued) onto a piece of driftwood, rock, etc.
 
Second, the swords are heavy root feeders, these will not be happy without some nutrients that are available to their roots...  This can be easily rectified with some root tabs.
 
Generally speaking, that's a good start.  Then there's things like amount of lighting (intensity and duration), carbon dioxide, other nutrients, etc.

 

[CuriousOne]

Agree with Eaglesaquarium - make it as complicated as you'd like!  I have a fairly heavely planted pea puffer tank and nothing special, just 'simple' plants.  I recently added some Flourish products in minimal amounts to 'help'. 
 
The tank looks great by the way - what fish are you planning?

 

[stacey3272]

SO I should attach that fern to something.
 
I was going to put the plants in little pots with dirt and put in tank until I guess i figured this out instead right in the gravel. I just put them in the tank last night so they have not been in long.
 
not sure what roots tabs are I will have to look them up. If I went to a sand bottom would that be better OR put dirt down then sand over top. really trying not to have to rip it that much  apart but if I have to .
 
hoping to stick with plants that I did not have to mess with this co2 thing 
 
I am not sure what to put back into tank. was thinking angle fish. I read a sand bottom can help the ph levels  for those kind of fish..I had mollys plates neons but would like a change of fish .

 

[eaglesaquarium]

You 'could' pull up the substrate, put dirt down, with a sand cap, but its not necessary for a few plants.
 
 
As for choosing plants - stick to low light need plants, because generally as light needs increase, so do CO2 demands.
 
There are some nice 'low-tech', low demand plants.
 
Also, I'd add that root tabs are these:

 

[stacey3272]

Well thank I really only want just a little splash of green in my tank .I do not need to master in it. I just know really plants are better for fish...I will get tabs to add next my swords get something to attach that fern to.. thanks again

 

[eaglesaquarium]

 

[stacey3272]

Hey question of topic is that one of your tanks in your signature. Are those slate rocks or what that is piled up on sides. I want a few of those or something natural like that to put  in mine. BUT I do not know where or what to call or look for them.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Those are not slate, but yes, it is my tank, and yes they are rocks.  These were 'borrowed' from a local stream.
 
When testing a rock for suitability for use in a tank, there's two tests.  First, is to pour vinegar (white distilled) over the rock, if it 'fizzes' then its not good.  If not, then move to test two.  Second, test your tap water in a bucket after 24 hours of sitting out.  Test it for pH, and also gH and kH if possible.  Place the rock in the bucket for a week, and retest the water.  If the pH, kH and gH remain the same, the rocks are inert and fine to be used.  If the pH, kH, or gH change, then you can be fairly sure that they will do that in your tank too.  That's not to say that you can't use them, but they will affect the water chemistry, and that's nothing that I would suggest for a beginner.

As for 'disinfecting' the rocks to use. DO NOT BOIL THE ROCK!
 
Instead, pour boiling water OVER the rock into a bucket.  You can also use hydrogen peroxide, and between the two methods you can once again be fairly certain that all potential nasties will be dead.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Eagles has pretty much said it all there, just one extra piece of information.
 
He mentions DO NOT BOIL ROCKS, this being due to the fact the boiling rocks can EXPLODE !

 

[stacey3272]

Those are not slate, but yes, it is my tank, and yes they are rocks.  These were 'borrowed' from a local stream.

 
When testing a rock for suitability for use in a tank, there's two tests.  First, is to pour vinegar (white distilled) over the rock, if it 'fizzes' then its not good.  If not, then move to test two.  Second, test your tap water in a bucket after 24 hours of sitting out.  Test it for pH, and also gH and kH if possible.  Place the rock in the bucket for a week, and retest the water.  If the pH, kH and gH remain the same, the rocks are inert and fine to be used.  If the pH, kH, or gH change, then you can be fairly sure that they will do that in your tank too.  That's not to say that you can't use them, but they will affect the water chemistry, and that's nothing that I would suggest for a beginner.

As for 'disinfecting' the rocks to use. DO NOT BOIL THE ROCK!
 
Instead, pour boiling water OVER the rock into a bucket.  You can also use hydrogen peroxide, and between the two methods you can once again be fairly certain that all potential nasties will be dead.

THANKS I am really thinking of maybe putting sand down this weekend. I read (heard) it can help with ph balance. I tested my ph today its like 7.6  that  I know of. its at the very bottom of the card. I want to maybe do angle fish and like to get ph up a bit. Pus makes me eel better knowing the plants that I am trying to art with have something to root out in beside rocks. I am a softy Is plain silica sand ok I found some on Amazon that I could gt to me by the weekend. Should I put some black dirt under sand first?  How much in a 55 gallon ?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Roughly 1 lb per gallon is a reasonable estimate to start with... but it really comes down to the specific dimensions of the tank, and how deep you want to make the substrate.
 
Dirt under the sand is an option, but an option I've never done, and keep in mind that the dirt can add ammonia to the water for a while after adding it, so keep a close eye on that.
 
Your plants wouldn't require that, but its not a bad idea, certainly.
 
You don't want to raise your pH for angels.  They prefer softer, acidic water not hard, basic water.  If anything you'd want to lower the pH not raise it.  But, generally speaking the exact value of the pH is far less important than having it be consistent.  Fish can adapt to consistent levels, but struggle with fluctuations.

 

[stacey3272]

Roughly 1 lb per gallon is a reasonable estimate to start with... but it really comes down to the specific dimensions of the tank, and how deep you want to make the substrate.
 
Dirt under the sand is an option, but an option I've never done, and keep in mind that the dirt can add ammonia to the water for a while after adding it, so keep a close eye on that.
 
Your plants wouldn't require that, but its not a bad idea, certainly.
 
You don't want to raise your pH for angels.  They prefer softer, acidic water not hard, basic water.  If anything you'd want to lower the pH not raise it.  But, generally speaking the exact value of the pH is far less important than having it be consistent.  Fish can adapt to consistent levels, but struggle with fluctuations.

ok when I ment up for ph I ment lower LOl I was thinking up to a better color on the chart and kinda wrote it backwards. I think the place i would most likely get fish from there ph is around 7  7.5 so its not really to far off from what my water is.  I think it runs at that most the time.. If I change to sand it may change something a bit. I really do tank you for all your replays I tihnk I am getting a idea on what I need or what way I want to go. s the only way to lower ph by chemicals or those tablets.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Not exactly.  There are more 'natural' means to lower pH, but doing that still involves 'chemicals', just in the more natural form.
 
 
Lowering pH can be done by using RO water mixed with tap water... this will have an effect on your kH making it easier to later the pH.
Then, adding things like almond leaves, driftwood, or even peat moss will lower pH, as they will naturally release tannins (tannic acid) into the water.  The problem is that they will eventually stop releasing the tannins... so you'd need to replace them eventually to keep the levels consistent.
 
Generally, messing with water chemistry is not something that is advised for beginners.  There are enough challenges early on, no need to complicate things.