jbenne23

Hello

I am going to start an aggressive tank and I was wondering if anybody had any ideas or comments on what I could do with the tank. What have you all used? What works? What doesn't? I was also thinking of putting sand that I buy at the best store for aquariums in the tank. I know that you can purchase saltwater sand, but I mean just dry sand. Would I need more plants, rocks, hiding places? The tank is going to be 30g.

THanks!

sirdarksol

I would definitely provide cover that fish could retreat to should they find themselves on the losing end of an argument.

jbenne23

Alright. What kind of coverage? Would building a cave-like thing with rocks be a good idea, or would providing plants be better?

sirdarksol

Me, I like Malaysian driftwood. I only buy it in person, so I can see that it has enough caves for the fish to play in. Rock caves would work, too. I also like live plants. In this case, bundles of anacharis would be good for cover, as would some anubias or java fern attached to driftwood.

jbenne23

Would having live plants be a better idea than plastic? And would live plants do ok with sand instead of gravel? Also do I need to provide food for the plants?

Right now I have a 30g with plastic plants and gravel. I just want something completely different.

sirdarksol

I like live plants because they are extra filtration for the tank, and are continually growing and changing, keeping the tank new.
I have plants growing in sand. My Water Wysteria, in particular, is doing well. I am having some problems with some of the smaller plants, like micro and chain swords, but I believe those are light issues, not substrate issues. I would get a couple of Malaysian Trumpet snails to keep the sand stirred up (whether or not you have live plants).

jbenne23

Right now I have three snails...I got them from the pet store but they weren't categorized...so i can't tell exactly what they are. Would any old freshwater aquarium snail work? ANd what do I need to do to keep my plants green. Any kind of food for the plants?

Butterfly

You will need lots of caves and hiding places( anything to break line of sight) in an aggressive tank. Live plants will help filter the water but depending on what you put in there they may dig them up. Be careful and don't over stock, aggressive fish need lots of room. What kind of fish are you thinking about?
carol

jbenne23

I was thinking more along the lines of cichlids. I think they are very pretty. BUt I also like oscars. I know that it would be a bad choice to put them together....so I think cichlids would be better..

Butterfly

Oscars are cichlids too But your 30G isn't big enough for an Oscar.
Many cichlids get large so please research their adult size and stock accordingly.
Carol

sirdarksol

You need to do very little to keep your plants green. You may want to invest in a plant-specific substrate, such as Eco-Complete or Fluorite. These are not a necessity, however. All they really do is supply your plants with iron and other minerals. You can buy tabs or liquids that add the same minerals to your current substrate.
Your fish will provide fertilizer. You will want to make sure you've got a decent amount of light for the tank. I've found that, if you've got a decent amount of ambient light in a room, you need to do very little to keep your plants happy.

armadillo

I would provide one densely planted area of the tank where a stressed out fish can stretch out in peace. I'd also buy these plants relatively high, so that an aggressive fish will only see fish on his side of the tank. I'd not only provide plant cover, but I'd double this with lots of small hiding places at substrate level. I'd actually half bury pipes so that fish can hide in that.

Callum The Cat