Aren't Planted Tanks Great?

I simply just love my planted tank, even though it's little.
Planted tanks are just so much healthier for the fish, and they look a whole lot greater.
Can everyone post a picture of their planted tanks of ten gallons or smaller?

Here's my planted 2.5

 

Does this count?


This is my 5 gallon shrimp and snail tank. It has 3 Amano shrimp and 8 red cherries (though some are berried so I'm hoping for more!). It has one plant that completely died but has come back to life. I have tried many different plants but none seem to work in this tank apart from this little guy. My big tank has lots of live plants. I will be trying again with some moss because I think the shrimp will appreciate it.

 

Does this count?View attachment 460790 View attachment 460791
This is my 5 gallon shrimp and snail tank. It has 3 Amano shrimp and 8 red cherries (though some are berried so I'm hoping for more!). It has one plant that completely died but has come back to life. I have tried many different plants but none seem to work in this tank apart from this little guy. My big tank has lots of live plants. I will be trying again with some moss because I think the shrimp will appreciate it.

Yes, that counts!

 

2 gallon rimless planted tank running pressurized CO², current occupancy is a single Amano and a horned nerite snail. Will eventually house Taiwan bee shrimp.

You couldn't pay me to not do live plants or natural wood and rock.

 

2 gallon rimless planted tank running pressurized CO², current occupancy is a single Amano and a horned nerite snail. Will eventually house Taiwan bee shrimp.

You couldn't pay me to not do live plants or natural wood and rock.View attachment 460795

Are you sure a little pink plastic plant couldn't find it's way in there?

 

Are you sure a little pink plastic plant couldn't find it's way in there?

Maybe if it was reeeeally small

 

Planted tanks are the best.
I try to be diligent about water changes, but I let it go a few extra days this week because I was swamped.
When I checked the nitrates after those extra days, they were barely at 5 ppm, if that. Thank you plants!

 

I do love planted tanks and I don't have any fake plants in my 63 gallon. I just can't seem to grow them in my 5 gallon.

 

Planted tanks are the best.
I try to be diligent about water changes, but I let it go a few extra days this week because I was swamped.
When I checked the nitrates after those extra days, they were barely at 5 ppm, if that. Thank you plants!

I love live plants for this!

I do love planted tanks and I don't have any fake plants in my 63 gallon. I just can't seem to grow them in my 5 gallon.

I wonder why, that's really odd.

 

Do not have the best of luck with plants. Have some crypts that are just brown all over and don't like how they look. Using Flourish now and see some small off shoots so hoping they get nicer, but my biggest issues is with pest snails and plants. Never again. If I ever eradicate my 40-G from its invasion using the Assassin snails I am waiting for to arrive, will never do plants again. It looks nice but not worth the risk of these pest gross snails all over. I love anubias, they are so pretty and not brown, and although they do not grow too big, look nice.

 

Do not have the best of luck with plants. Have some crypts that are just brown all over and don't like how they look. Using Flourish now and see some small off shoots so hoping they get nicer, but my biggest issues is with pest snails and plants. Never again. If I ever eradicate my 40-G from its invasion using the Assassin snails I am waiting for to arrive, will never do plants again. It looks nice but not worth the risk of these pest gross snails all over. I love anubias, they are so pretty and not brown, and although they do not grow too big, look nice.

You do know Assassin Snails breed just as readily as pest snails?

Also pest snail populations are self-limiting. I have had a massive die-off of ramshorn and bladder snails in my tanks because of limited food and resources. Feed less and do larger water changes to eliminate their food source.

That said, I love my pest snails dearly. They're fun to watch and keep my tanks so clean and free of algae.

PS - I like my bronze crypts, thank you very much Adds more variety and texture to the tank!

 

You do know Assassin Snails breed just as readily as pest snails?

Also pest snail populations are self-limiting. I have had a massive die-off of ramshorn and bladder snails in my tanks because of limited food and resources. Feed less and do larger water changes to eliminate their food source.

That said, I love my pest snails dearly. They're fun to watch and keep my tanks so clean and free of algae.

PS - I like my bronze crypts, thank you very much Adds more variety and texture to the tank!

I adored the 1st few pest snails and am harvesting a lot for my puffers, but they disgust me now, specifically the bladder snails. They are everywhere. I do not over feed. I feed once a day. I do weekly water changes, sometimes as much as 50, 75 percent because I have mystery snails.

Unless I read wrong, Assassin snails lay 1 egg at a time, and it takes 2 months to hatch, and the are not nearly as prolific breeders as pest snails are. My plan though is when they get the population under control, to take them out and put them by themselves somewhere or sell them, etc., rehome them. I will be keeping a very close watch on their numbers.

Regarding the crypts, do not know if mine are the way they are supposed to be. I will have to take a picture and see what people here think. They just have brown spots everywhere. They are not dead though.

 

my 10 gallon: low (maybe medium if we're pushing it) lights, liquid ferts, no co2, not yet a month old.




I love checking all the growth every morning!!! just noticed my anubias frazerI in the back has a new leaf

 

my 10 gallon: low (maybe medium if we're pushing it) lights, liquid ferts, no co2, not yet a month old.

View attachment 460842

I love checking all the growth every morning!!! just noticed my anubias frazerI in the back has a new leaf

Love the ammonite fossil in the leaf litter!

 

Love the ammonite fossil in the leaf litter!

thank you!! I got it from a relative a lonnng time ago. I figured that it's (hopefully) safe, since people use petrified wood in their tanks. I wanted something that would remind me of the dinosaur theme I had going on in my last tank since I couldn't reuse any of the decorations, lol.

I can't wait for my crypts to grow out into their submersed state. everything in the tank is basically still in their emersed state.

 

If I ever eradicate my 40-G from its invasion using the Assassin snails I am waiting for to arrive, will never do plants again. It looks nice but not worth the risk of these pest gross snails all over.

I fear pest snails, so as I rebuild my five-gallon tank for a new betta, I'm using silk plants. I know the tank won't be as wonderful for the fish, but I can keep him happy in other ways, I hope.

 

View attachment 460842

I love checking all the growth every morning!!! just noticed my anubias frazerI in the back has a new leaf

Midna, your 10-gallon is quite lovely. It's even making me rethink my decision not to use live plants. I was sure the thought of pest snails would be enough to make me use silk, but then there's the upkeep. I didn't realize how much work would be required - and it's hard to maneuver in my little five-gallon.

But your tank is beautiful. Oh, man, I'm so indecisive.

 

here's my old 10 gallon....please don't mind my stocking issues.I've learned some stocking lessons since then and now have a 20 gallon /

 

Midna, your 10-gallon is quite lovely. It's even making me rethink my decision not to use live plants. I was sure the thought of pest snails would be enough to make me use silk, but then there's the upkeep. I didn't realize how much work would be required - and it's hard to maneuver in my little five-gallon.

But your tank is beautiful. Oh, man, I'm so indecisive.

thank you!! it has A LOT of growing left to do. I plan on putting some more plants in in the future, mainly to hide my gigantic sponge filter.

there are some plants that are low-maitenance that don't need a whole lot of light or any ferts to grow and survive. some plants are very easy and slow-growing like anubias, java ferns, and mosses. then there are tissue-cultured plants like the ones they sell in tubes, packages or cups at a lot of pet stores that are snail-free. most of mine are from there, with the exception of a few. I was very lucky to spot all the pest snails and eggs on my lfs plants and put them in a container before they could multiply in my tank. they were only on my hornwort.

that being said, I have no problem with silk plants. in my experience, they'll fade and get algae on them, staining them at worst, but you don't have to worry about them dying or melting, having nutrient or light deficiencies, or having to prune them like live plants. it's the plastic ones i'm iffy about. you can always do a small amount of live plants if you'd like and fill the rest of the space with silk.

 

I may have gotten into the fish hobby because I wanted plants and couldn't keep potted plants alive, haha! I love the greenery it brings to the room, and I love figuring out how to take care of them and watching them grow. The fish are a bonus, lol.

 

I may have gotten into the fish hobby because I wanted plants and couldn't keep potted plants alive, haha! I love the greenery it brings to the room, and I love figuring out how to take care of them and watching them grow. The fish are a bonus, lol.

I absolutely love planted aquariums but in my biggest tank I can't keep them planted lol

 

Here are my "planted" tanks

3 gallon - betta and snails
5 gallon - betta and otocinclus cats
45 gal bowfront - German blue rams, electric blue rams, peacock gudgeons, dojo loach