Do you have planted tanks?

Hi!

I've noticed recently how many people on this forum lack planted tanks... Do you lack one, or do you own one?!

 

I started out with no plants in my tanks- just plastic ones. Now I am in the process of converting 4 of my 29 gallon tanks to be planted tanks. I have the first one finished and I am waiting for my other plants to come in the mail for my other tanks.

 

Hi!

Yeah, going fully planted (IE plants everywhere like many ADA's) is difficult when you started with an ordinary tank...

 

I put a few in my new tank and when we switch out the decorations we'll probably get some more.

 

Hi!

Cool FireCracker. What species of plants are you thinking of?

 

I have plants... The real ones... I had a death in my tank that was a direct result of the plastic kind of plants... I will never have fake plants ever again.

Plus the real ones are such a huge benefit to the tank. Sure at times they are out of control looking and not always the neatest things to have but they do clean the water, provide shelter, and are extremely beneficial...

 

All my tanks are now planted. I love the look they give a tank

 

I added plants and I keep rearanging them and now I just have to figure out how to keep the plants alive...aquarium plants are like regular plants to me..I have nooooo luck and yet I keep trying

 

Hi!

Cool FireCracker. What species of plants are you thinking of?

I have the easy ones now, cryptos and java fern and anubias and onion plants. I'll probably do some more of the same because I don't want to go all out on the lighting.

We're going to replace our Parthenon decoration with a big chunk of driftwood next week probably, and then get some more plants to put around it.

 

I have a betta tank loaded with an ever-growing wysteria plant, a goldfish/koi tank with some myrmio (also known as goldfish snack), a molly tank with Anubias, Java fern, and Java moss, and a community tank with dwarf onion and bronze crypt (coming soon: star moss and Christmas moss)

 

I'd like to have a planted one day, but probably will try Saltwater first.

 

I added plants and I keep rearanging them and now I just have to figure out how to keep the plants alive...aquarium plants are like regular plants to me..I have nooooo luck and yet I keep trying

What kind of lighting does your tank have? Are you adding in any fertilizers or plant suppliments? What types of plants? If you let me know I might be able to suggest some things to help you

 

I'd like to have a planted one day, but probably will try Saltwater first.

It's kind of amusing that someone who has as many betta tanks as you doesn't have any of them planted. I don't know why I find it funny, but I do.

 

LOL.. I just never have good luck with plants for some reason. Probably the way I keep the tanks clean.

 

Ever tried anything as simple as a bit of Java moss or fern tied to a bit of driftwood or rock? They're pretty much impossible to kill.

 

Yea.. I have a tank full of java moss for the wild bettas - they love to live in it. I've not had much luck with java ferns.. mixed.. some tanks, it does good, others.. it gets funky fungus.. even water sprite has been like that.

 

Okay, so you do have some planted tanks. That seems a bit less weird. My first tank just had a few sprigs of various plants. Since then, I've started setting tanks up specifically to be planted.
My current project involves getting the 80g beautiful by the time the 'rents come over for Mother's Day brunch.

 

Well, I have a few plants.. but nothing like the beautiful planted tanks I see.

 

As a newbie, I was told from the fish guy aka pet store, that having plants is like having another species in the tank....id love to have some but not sure where to begin to know what kind for the fish I have..not to mention lighting ....ill read more and learn !! cause they are beautiful

 

As a newbie, I was told from the fish guy aka pet store, that having plants is like having another species in the tank....id love to have some but not sure where to begin to know what kind for the fish I have..not to mention lighting ....ill read more and learn !! cause they are beautiful

Plant geek is a great resource for information on plants. You can look up plants by lighting requirements, aquarium placement, or ease of growth/maintenance.

 

Thank You Bunches!!!!

 

Hi!

Wow! I'd like to see a little more disscussion on plants then... A 'planted tanks' forum would be cool.

I have the easy ones now, cryptos and java fern and anubias and onion plants. I'll probably do some more of the same because I don't want to go all out on the lighting.

We're going to replace our Parthenon decoration with a big chunk of driftwood next week probably, and then get some more plants to put around it.

Hi!

Java moss and java fern need to be grown on wood.

 

There is a section on plants, and there has been plenty of discussion over the past year, at least (about how long I've been here)

Java Fern and Moss can also be floated. Driftwood or rock are more common, as they are more attractive, but the plants will do well just floating.

 

Hi!

Sir, I forgot to say - congrats on becoming a mod!

I thought they had to grow on wood... I guess it makes sense - as Java fern 'babies' float around...

 

Thanks.

The wood actually doesn't do anything other than anchor the plants. Of course, if they're not anchored, the chances of your filter growing a Java moss beard jump to "guaranteed".

 

I'm in the process of ordering plants for my 29 gal, which will be fully planted.

 

I'm in the process of ordering plants for my 29 gal, which will be fully planted.

Hi!

Cool. What plants and lighting are you going to use?

 

my tank is pretty heavily planted, with some driftwood... but i'm kinda dissatisfied with it atm... I need to rearrange everything I think... but I hate to do that before they get going a little. plus I hate freaking the fish out, it makes me feel guilty. oh and i'm short so it's really hard for me, I should get some of those super long tong thingies... and some long scissors, but they're expensive. oh, and I think I want to add more substrate too... but eco-complete (which I have now) has such small particles, that I wouldn't want the fish 'breathing' it or anything... I would make my husband do it, but he would get mad at me for trying to dictate too specifically how I wanted everything... even tho as of yet I have no idea.

 

Hi!

I can't wait until I get black sand for my tank... So, what plants did you order? I really like the effect an echindorus with lots of crypts and maybe some anubias around the base creates - a really cool centrepiece. Echindorus 'red diamond' and C. wendtiI 'green' combined together are especially pleasing to my eye. I'm placing something like that (Following the golden rule) in the big, bare space in my 47gal.

 

I had plants in my 1st tank before fish!! i'd recommend it. controls your nitrates and algae, looks nice and no sharp edges for your fish to hurt themselves on. i've nothing fancy, just a cheap mixed assortment from ebay! however, it does take a little time with the upkeep....trimming it back, re-planting what your fish have uprooted etc

 

yea, HI tan.b!!!

All of my tanks have some plants....not what I would say are really "planted tanks". Mostly low light plants that don't take much work. They do give spots for fish to hide though, and cover for shrimp...also interest other than the driftwood, and soften the landscape a bit.

 

yea, HI tan.b!!!

All of my tanks have some plants....not what I would say are really "planted tanks". Mostly low light plants that don't take much work. They do give spots for fish to hide though, and cover for shrimp...also interest other than the driftwood, and soften the landscape a bit.

Hi!

All the tanks I can make planted are! So far for my shrimp breeder I'm getting: Moss balls, Java moss, Crypts and perhaps some Java fern. Possibly Lace Java fern!

 

susitna.....I said i'd be back!

 

Hi!

Cool. What plants and lighting are you going to use?

Whoops, sorry Hatchet -- just saw this reply. I guess you saw the listing in my thread though

 

The other very cool thing I find with plants is that they are ever changing growing and alter your scape day after day. In turn giving my fish some change to there habitat, and since its a closed system and they can't just swim to a new area of a stream like in the wild, it gives them alittle bit of change where normally there would be none. And its just plain peaceful to watch a shoal of happy fish glide in and out and around the plants in a tank, as live plants just have a flow to them in the current that fake ones will never have.

And they just plain are good and healthy additions to a tanks well being if they are healthy and growing well, which is key a dead or dying plant will be a negative load on a tank, but a very heavily strong growing habitat will soak up nutrients at a unbelievable pace. I am 10 months into a test on my 50 gallon tank, that is well very overstocked (the cardinals alone break the 1 inch to a gallon rule) and my fish are very bright and healthy and I have yet to have a sign of toxins at all. I am only doing a 5 gallon water change on normal weeks and a 10 gallon change on pruning weeks, and I have not had a trace of ammonia or nitrite and my nitrates (always under 10 ppm) and phosphates are barely high enough to keep up with the plants growth.

Granted this is the only tank I highly overstock and I am not promoting overstocking, was more of a fert test and I still have a way understocked tank to rehome in if I decide to do so. But watching 38 cardinals shoal amongst the plants sure is fun to watch. And since the overstocking is based of a fish that thrives in numbers (and a good clean up crew of shrimp and ottos) and not 10 of this 10 of that 10 of this 10 of that etc there is no pestering or spooking what so ever going on.

 

I have quite a few plants, thanks to dino and coryd.

 

Both of my tanks are planted tanks. I have never cycled a tank with just a filter and to be quite honest, only relying on a filter makes me a bit nervous which is why I like planted tanks so much.

 

I'd love to have plants, but every time I've tried the fish I have just tear them up. Its like I go to work and come home and they look at me and say
"look we did the lawn work today". I know now its the fish I have are not the right choice for a planted situation. I, like a earlier poster am going to salt, now that I am much more experienced feel ready for that challenge. I will still keep my cichlids and my wife's goldfish and of course my koi pond, but salty here I come.

Rick

 

I love having plants in my tanks, but I consider them expendable. If they die or begin to drop bits I just toss them and get more. My interest is in the fish.

I have ordinary compact fluorescents for lighting, and grow cabomba and frill plant (the fish eat them), anacharis (floats), hornwort (does whatever it wants), amazon sword, wendtiI bronze, anubis, and java ferns. I haven't seen any moss locally but i'd love some.
The java ferns are my favorites, because of the babies. Two ferns I planted together have put out so many babies I've transplanted them into two other tanks and have given a bunch away!
Occasionally I'll use Tetra Flora Pride (I think) but have to watch the algae.

I recently bought two betta boys online. They were really stressed when they arrived but found the real plants fascinating! I loved watching them explore, nibble, lie on, lie under, and just generally figure out real plants.

 

The other very cool thing I find with plants is that they are ever changing growing and alter your scape day after day. In turn giving my fish some change to there habitat, and since its a closed system and they can't just swim to a new area of a stream like in the wild, it gives them alittle bit of change where normally there would be none. And its just plain peaceful to watch a shoal of happy fish glide in and out and around the plants in a tank, as live plants just have a flow to them in the current that fake ones will never have.

And they just plain are good and healthy additions to a tanks well being if they are healthy and growing well, which is key a dead or dying plant will be a negative load on a tank, but a very heavily strong growing habitat will soak up nutrients at a unbelievable pace. I am 10 months into a test on my 50 gallon tank, that is well very overstocked (the cardinals alone break the 1 inch to a gallon rule) and my fish are very bright and healthy and I have yet to have a sign of toxins at all. I am only doing a 5 gallon water change on normal weeks and a 10 gallon change on pruning weeks, and I have not had a trace of ammonia or nitrite and my nitrates (always under 10 ppm) and phosphates are barely high enough to keep up with the plants growth.

Granted this is the only tank I highly overstock and I am not promoting overstocking, was more of a fert test and I still have a way understocked tank to rehome in if I decide to do so. But watching 38 cardinals shoal amongst the plants sure is fun to watch. And since the overstocking is based of a fish that thrives in numbers (and a good clean up crew of shrimp and ottos) and not 10 of this 10 of that 10 of this 10 of that etc there is no pestering or spooking what so ever going on.

That's one of the reasons I love planted tanks. The thing I don't love is the fact plant newbies like me tend to get a bit of algae!