frogster221

hey this thread is gunna be about my 55 gallon tank from start to finish but along the way i need help. my stocking scheme is this:
heres the final list of fish for my 55 gallon tank
4 zebra danio 8"
5 neon tetras 8" maybe more
1 whiptail catfish 4"
4 guppy 8"
2 cockatoo cichlids 7"
2 gbr 4"-6"
1 flying fox 5"
lots of ghost shrimp no bio load change
lots of plants
i was thinking about getting some java moss and a few other low light plants but i would like some ideas. i was thinking about using a sand substrate. im going to have a large piece of driftwood hopefully the length of the tank and some rocks scattered around the tank where there isnt anything. i wont be using any fertilizers and im only gunna do 5 gallon water changes every week. im doing this because i plan to fill the tank with plants and they will need the nutrient from the wastes from the fish. im also not going to use any carbon dioxide. any ideas or comments or changes on what im going to do are welcome. thank you.

COBettaCouple

Have you checked the compatibility of those fish?

frogster221

all of my research says that they can live together. for the plants i was thinking flame moss, java fern, and banana plant to start with

COBettaCouple

Cool, I wasn't sure if the cockatoos and flying fox would go together.

What lighting are you looking at? Are you considering floating plants maybe?

frogster221

i have about 1 wpg a little less i wasnt going to do floating plants because i wouldnt get to see it i have a hood on the 55

COBettaCouple

Ah, yea, with that much wpg you won't need floating plants to 'shade' the low light plants.

frogster221

ya

frogster221

so will the sand substrate work with plants well or should i get more gravel. ill get pics up soon hopefully

Shaina

Sand's good in terms of surface area and the ability to hold down the plants so they aren't floating up a lot, but it's really inert and doesn't let waste filter down to the roots, so they plants get virtually not nutrients from their roots.

COBettaCouple

I think you would need some sand-stirrers?

frogster221

ya i need malaysian trumpet snails. but will the plants be able to get nutrients through the leaves and stem itself or what

COBettaCouple

I don't know for sure on the plants. I'd check the profiles for the plants at plantgeek and see what the recommended substrate are.

angelfish220

I have sand and some simple low lights and they are working fine. I have little food tablets I put by their base.

frogster221

would be ok to just use the flourish liquid?