Gargoyle

So I have had fish and reptiles and Oscars and Plecos and all that other fun stuff but now I want something different...

I have a 29 gallon tank... I would like to do plants and a sand substrate... Maybe schooling fish after the plants and such are happy...

Any tips or advice to get me started ?

Thanks!!

inuyasha_lover_21

Buy a co2 diffuser to keep your plants happy and make sure the lights are strong enough for them to grow.

Butterfly

CO2 can really be complicated and you can have great plants without it. After your more experienced and want CO2 here is a great place to get the how-to's. www.plantgeek.net .
In my sand tanks I have lots of wood and rocks with lots of plants attached to them . Java fern (several varieties), Java Moss, Anubias(several varieties) and Bolbitis ae good for attaching to things.
If you use pool filter sand you don't have to rinse it. This is my recommendation. although you can use new play sand it is horrible to get all the dust out of.
Carol

Jim

I have angels and groummi's and neons in the same tank. The neons school really well and are a riot to watch moving in a group, plus are beautiful, I'd recommend something like that if you want a schooling fish!

Gargoyle

Butterfly

Plants attach to wood really easily within a month. Attach with cotton thread (it will rot and fall off) or use a rubber band (will have to snip it and pull it off).
The only lfs sand I have used was Sahara sand by Carib Sea made especially for Cichlids. It was very dusty and had to be rinsed ALOT of times. Still is very pretty but was expensive.
Pool filter sand comes in 50 lb bags for 6-8 dollars and doesn't have to be rinsed. Play sand is cheaper but a whole lot more work to rinse.
If you go with sand, remember you have to put snails in to keep the sand stirred to prevent anerobic gas pockets. You can also stick a pencil or straw down in it every few inches about every other day to keep it aereated. If gas forms in your sand and it escapes it not only smalls bad but it can kill your fish. I have Malaysian trumpet snails in mine and very rarely see them because they basically stay buried and come out at night. Hope that helps
Carol

Gargoyle

Thanks that does help a lot...

Gunnie

If you decide to go with sand, don't worry about finding the snails. Some hobbyists consider them pests and will just about give them away. They can overrun a tank and breed rapidly if you are overfeeding, but they are a good indicator of your feeding routine if you get too many of them. Malaysian trumpet snails are adorable and do a good job keeping the bottom clean. l

Gargoyle

Well a little update...

Got a new 29 gallon tank so I can take my time fixing the other one... Not sure what to do with it though. But anyway... My current 29 set up...

Aqua Clear 70 - 300gph max output.
Coarse gravel substrate - Like river rock and the like..

No water yet as I am trying to figure things out... I want to know what kind of plants I can get for a "low light" application such as 15 to 20 watts of light in 29 gallons of water... I would like to use real plants and I wanted to know if I was cycling the tank with real plants if it would hurt the plants or not ??

I was planning on getting the heater and water then stabilizing the temp around 74 to 76 or so then throwing in a chunk of raw fish and shortly after adding plants to the tank. Then wait about a month or so then add some nice "cold water" style fish. minnows, danios, rosey reds, maybe a crawfish or two and let it roll from there..

Gunnie

Sounds good. The crawfish will eat your fish if they can catch them. It will probably happen at night. Just so you know........

Gargoyle

I thought of that... I was hoping to avoid that by getting other cold water fish that tend to hover closer to the top and middle of the tank. I am not sure about the crawfish yet but I am going to need to get some sort of hardy creature to clean the gravels nooks and crannies..

Any suggestions ??

Gunnie

They will also probably shred your plants to bits. Cory cats come to mind to keep the gravel clean, but they are tropical fish. You might could get by with a little cooler temp. with the corys in the tank, but not as cool as the non-tropical fish like. It would be a compromise for all of the fish in the tank.

Jim

crayfish are mean, we used to catch them when I was a kid.* They'll nip you good, and i heard they'll kill a fish in a second... what about a couple Goldfish or Koi?* They'll eat anything from what I hear.

Gargoyle

Hmmm.... Maybe tropical then... I am torn as to what to do... I have thought about convicts, Danio's, Rosey reds, Guppies, General community tank, Breeding in the tank, and so on.... Hmmmm....

Thanks for the advice though... I am considering all of it right now.