Heater position and placement

I got the Eheim on Amazon for $30 and I have prime. If you are in the US and have Prime Amazon is often cheaper than the box stores. Actually, even the box stores' online prices are cheaper occasionally. I always look online before buying something in the store and then show them at the register.

Thanks for the compliment on the decorations! It looks way better this week. We've had it up for a month and oh my it was ugly before. But we're learning.

I don't have Prime. I hardly buy anything online! Hehe. The only thing I do is PayPal cuz Dogvacay makes me get paid that way. But I will check out prices and compare them! My Petco knows me very well and if it's offered for a lower price online they will probably let me get it for that price instead.

Oh boy! I hope my tank is as nice! I'm planning doing a mix of live and silk plants, mostly what I have read says my schoolers like to have plants to hide in and swim through. .

 

If you are going to do live plants, I wouldn't even bother with the silk ones. The live plants will grow in and fill the spaces, just get easy care low light plants to start with.

 

If you are going to do live plants, I wouldn't even bother with the silk ones. The live plants will grow in and fill the spaces, just get easy care low light plants to start with.

Do you think my fish would be ok with that? Live plants really grow in that quickly? Right now am thinking Anubias (definitely) Java Fern, Anachris, dwarf Saggitaria, Val, banana plant (looks quirky). I know Anubias is easy but I have to find out about the other ones.

 

Java Fern, Water Wisteria, and Amazon Sword are easy low light plants.

 

Your fish would definitely be okay with that; I would imagine fish prefer live plants to silk ones.

 

max h. Sweet! My fish can keep the plants fed at least mostly hehe. My betta keeps his Anubias nana happy. Will look into water wisteria

TexasDomer. Oh yes I'm sure fish would like live plants better than silk! I didn't know about the lack of hiding places would be comfy for them.

 

Add more plants then! You can add just as many live plants as you would fake ones.

 

Add more plants then! You can add just as many live plants as you would fake ones.

I dunno how big the plants will be when I get them! I will admit my bettas Anubias has grown nicely since I got it. I am thinking plant the back and sides mostly with some plants attached to driftwood and a few scattered around front and interior of the tank. Hopefully some of these plants grow tallish! The 55 is 21" tall.

 

I use jungle val in my 55 gal - it can grow very tall!

 

I went from having no live plants to being fully planted in a manner of a couple of months in my 55 gallon tank.

Right now most of the plants are in a 110 gallon long tank. I have one Java Fern and an Amazon Sword that are close to 18". The Water Wisteria is to the top of the water and spreads out along the surface, I cut almost 12" off 2 of them last week. I also have Temple Compacta that have grown to the point the tops of the plants where growing out of the water. Then there's the Rotala that was given to me as 3 little short sprigs that have propagated into 6 plants that will also grow to the surface.

 

TexasDomer. Is Jungle Val an easy plant? Unfortunately it's Frazier my betta who has green fins, not me with the green thumb.

max h. Oh wow cool! So my plants might grow a bit while I'm cycling. Yay the plants will grow! . Aww, what a good little Rotala giving you baby sprigs

 

jenmur the only plant that hasn't propagated yet is the Amazon Sword. The rest of them have to the point I'm running out of room for them.

 

jenmur the only plant that hasn't propagated yet is the Amazon Sword. The rest of them have to the point I'm running out of room for them.

Uh oh. What do you do with plants you don't have room for? Would shops take them? I figure first I'd give Frazier a plant or two live but he only has a 10 gallon so that wouldn't be a whole lot of plants. He's a betta.

 

You can sell or throw away excess plants. Shops may take them, you'd have to ask.

Jungle val is very easy.

 

Some cuttings have ended up in the trash, with one of the plants the cuttings replace the older stem section of the plant as it loses leaves. I also try to give away some to people locally

 

TexasDomer. Hmm my LFS is willing to take fry so I can always ask them about plants. Oh good!

max h. Oh that's a good idea, to replace plants with new ones! And maybe when my friend starts up her tank again (120g I think). She might want some. She's the only person I know with a tank besides me....and people at my LFS

 

I have a 55 gallon with a Marineland 220 canister filter. I got a 200 W Eheim heater and that side of the tank was consistently 75 degrees but the opposite side of the tank was 72 degrees. I moved the canister intake hose to the cold side of the tank, hoping to stir the water more but it didn't seem to help. I had a spare 50w heater laying around so I installed that on the cold side and now both sides are consistently 75.

I didn't want to buy two 150w heaters and based on some advice here thought the 200w would be sufficient. It wasn't. However, the Eheim heaters, that are highly recommended, are HUGE and I don't think a 300w would have fit upright in my tank.

Here's my current setup that seems to be working.

Nice looking tank, it looks like four inches of that black stuff all around! I am cycling mine now, looking forward to getting plants in there.!

 

I went from having no live plants to being fully planted in a manner of a couple of months in my 55 gallon tank.

This is good to hear! Although I only have a 56 w T5 on this tank so I'm not sure how fast they'll grow...

Nice looking tank, it looks like four inches of that black stuff all around! I am cycling mine now, looking forward to getting plants in there.!

Thanks! I really struggle with aesthetics. I let my husband arrange most of the plants. I just told him if they were mid or background plants and then tied the rhizome type plants to the fake drift wood.

It's actually only 2" of Black Diamond blasting sand (yes, I used a ruler...any deeper and I read you can get anaerobic pockets of air that can release toxic gases...) And best yet, two 50 pound bags only cost me a total of $16 at tractor supply! I needed maybe only one to 1.25 bags for this tank but we had a mishap and then I also used some in my 10 gallon. According to a lot of folks on here it's as good as EcoComplete and Flourite substrate and smooth enough for cories.

TexasDomer. Hmm my LFS is willing to take fry so I can always ask them about plants. Oh good!

max h. Oh that's a good idea, to replace plants with new ones! And maybe when my friend starts up her tank again (120g I think). She might want some. She's the only person I know with a tank besides me....and people at my LFS

I really don't know what I'm doing with the plants but I dislike the neon fake plastic plants so I figured I'd throw in some (supposedly) low light plants. (And then on this last trip I went hog wild and just purchased a few that I had no idea what they were and just liked the look of...we'll see if they melt or survive...) The micromeria browneii, which I have found readily in bunches at Petco, started growing aerial roots within a week of dumping them in the tank. Actually, the roots grew so fast that after a week I realized they had inch long wispy roots coming out from each node. I'd like to think that dumping all the plants in have helped keep the nitrates lower. A friend gave me a 20 gallon with 6 large goldfish with nitrates of 160. I changed the water and stuck in some pothos cuttings I had rooted in a plant vase. Thereafter the nitrates stayed lower until I was able to rehome those huge guys.

Two weeks ago I got an oponegeton (sp???) planted on a fiber ball (from Petco again). I plopped it in my 10 gallon that came with a full spectrum fluorescent bulb and has 1.5 w per gallon. I pulled it out of there today since it is so tall and realized it had already started growing roots down into my sand. I'm not sure if it grew in height but root growth was promising! Now it's in my 55 gallon so it's true height can be appreciated.

I hope you don't mind all my comments. I've just spent this past month doing exactly what it sounds like you're going to be doing soon. So I thought I'd share my mistakes and when things actually worked out.

Good luck!

 

I really don't know what I'm doing with the plants but I dislike the neon fake plastic plants so I figured I'd throw in some (supposedly) low light plants. (And then on this last trip I went hog wild and just purchased a few that I had no idea what they were and just liked the look of...we'll see if they melt or survive...) The micromeria browneii, which I have found readily in bunches at Petco, started growing aerial roots within a week of dumping them in the tank. Actually, the roots grew so fast that after a week I realized they had inch long wispy roots coming out from each node. I'd like to think that dumping all the plants in have helped keep the nitrates lower. A friend gave me a 20 gallon with 6 large goldfish with nitrates of 160. I changed the water and stuck in some pothos cuttings I had rooted in a plant vase. Thereafter the nitrates stayed lower until I was able to rehome those huge guys.

Two weeks ago I got an oponegeton (sp???) planted on a fiber ball (from Petco again). I plopped it in my 10 gallon that came with a full spectrum fluorescent bulb and has 1.5 w per gallon. I pulled it out of there today since it is so tall and realized it had already started growing roots down into my sand. I'm not sure if it grew in height but root growth was promising! Now it's in my 55 gallon so it's true height can be appreciated.

I hope you don't mind all my comments. I've just spent this past month doing exactly what it sounds like you're going to be doing soon. So I thought I'd share my mistakes and when things actually worked out.

Good luck!

I'd like to get more live plants for my betta but the only space I have is under the filter flow. He doesn't mind it cuz he likes swimming in the current but plants might mind it. Anachris I have tried and no can do . I'm thinking Anachris would work in the 55 though.

I've seen live plants at my Petco with flowing water and some goldfish in there. Other plants I dunno the name of hehe.

Oh no! I like all the comments!! . This is helping me learn and figure stuff out

 

The Aponegeton will grow all the way to the top of a 55, it will send out little plants on long stalks. They will also flower with small whitish flowers.

 

The Aponegeton will grow all the way to the top of a 55, it will send out little plants on long stalks. They will also flower with small whitish flowers.

That sounds pretty! . Huh so it makes its own little baby plants kinda like a spider plant

 

Don't let them flower though, or they'll die back and go back into the bulb form for a while.

And blasting sand isn't as good as Flourite or Ecocomplete in that it's nutrient lacking, but it is just fine for plants with root tabs added!

 

Don't let them flower though, or they'll die back and go back into the bulb form for a while.

And blasting sand isn't as good as Flourite or Ecocomplete in that it's nutrient lacking, but it is just fine for plants with root tabs added!

Will they grow back if they go back to the bulb? Would you just pinch the flower things off?

I will look into Flourite and Ecocomplete. I would imagine my LFS has it. Would I use root tabs with those two products as well? How much sand would I put in for plants? I know I have to stir it occasionally to make sure no gas bubbles happen. I just want something good for my
Pleco and cory cats

 

I just pinch it off. And they should grow back eventually, but it's not immediate process. From what I've read, it'll take a few months.

There's not need for Flourite or Ecocomplete though. They're expensive, and you can usually achieve the same thing with root tabs and sand for low tech setups. Sand is perfect for cories too.

Around 2" of sand in your tank is fine, and the general rule is 1 lb per gal.

 

I just pinch it off. And they should grow back eventually, but it's not immediate process. From what I've read, it'll take a few months.

There's not need for Flourite or Ecocomplete though. They're expensive, and you can usually achieve the same thing with root tabs and sand for low tech setups. Sand is perfect for cories too.

Around 2" of sand in your tank is fine, and the general rule is 1 lb per gal.

Oh well that's ok. I can deal with that

Ohh ok. I'll just have to find root tabs. Oh yeah expensive not good right now. If the sand is ok I'll do that.

Ok. So a 50lb bag is ok. It's only 5lbs off from 55 so that shouldn't be so bad.

 

I use Osmocote Plus in gel capsules. You can also get some and put them in ice cubes and use those instead of the name-brand root tabs. Much cheaper!

 

I use Osmocote Plus in gel capsules. You can also get some and put them in ice cubes and use those instead of the name-brand root tabs. Much cheaper!

Where would I get those? I honestly know nothing about plants. My Anubias nana lives because of my betta honestly! I would just stick the ice cubes straight into the tank underneath the sand? I'm planning on attaching an Anubias and Java fern to the driftwood, is fish poo enough to help them? Can't stick anything by their roots

 

Osmocote Plus ferts are sold at Lowe's or online. Or you can order pre-made gel caps with Osmocote from Ebay. Yes, root tabs go into the sand. Java fern and Anubias won't need root tabs, and they're usually fine with just fish waste.

 

Osmocote Plus ferts are sold at Lowe's or online. Or you can order pre-made gel caps with Osmocote from Ebay. Yes, root tabs go into the sand. Java fern and Anubias won't need root tabs, and they're usually fine with just fish waste.

I'll check out Lowes and eBay . Oh good! Was pretty sure about Anubias but wasn't sure about Java fern.

Could you check out my thinking on stocking this tank? I tagged you on it.

 

I didn't get the notification. Could you tag me in it again or link it here?

 

I didn't get the notification. Could you tag me in it again or link it here?

I tagged you again. I don't know how to link a thread

 

The Aponegeton will grow all the way to the top of a 55, it will send out little plants on long stalks. They will also flower with small whitish flowers.

Yay!

 

Thank goodness I have a notebook dedicated to this tank!! Hehehe.

 

Don't let them flower though, or they'll die back and go back into the bulb form for a while.

And blasting sand isn't as good as Flourite or Ecocomplete in that it's nutrient lacking, but it is just fine for plants with root tabs added!

Good info. Thank you!

And thanks for the reminder of root tabs. I was hoping the fish waste would be enough. I was being cheap since EcoComplete, et al would have to be replenished with nutrients eventually anyway.

I use Osmocote Plus in gel capsules. You can also get some and put them in ice cubes and use those instead of the name-brand root tabs. Much cheaper!

Genius idea! (Sorry, I'm again totally hijaking this thread and learning from it!)

 

Genius idea! (Sorry, I'm again totally hijaking this thread and learning from it!)

Oh no! Feel free to hijack my thread! . I'm learning from all this too!!!

 

Thank goodness I have a notebook dedicated to this tank!! Hehehe.

I found a spreadsheet for at least my water parameters log! Haha, we think alike.

 

I found a spreadsheet for at least my water parameters log! Haha, we think alike.

I was told by the lady who used to work at Petco that keeping track of my water would help me while I was finishing up my 10 gallon cycle fishless. So now I keep track of what times and what I feed Frazier, my water changes and what I observe with his behavior and water parameters

This tanks notebook has started with me listed what I might need for the tank and basic info about fish I thought about having. . Plus once I know more of a timeline I plan on starting a thread on this site to keep track

 

Don't let them flower though, or they'll die back and go back into the bulb form for a while

Do I just need to worry when I see an actual bud forming or by that point is it too late? There is one leaf that is super tall and lays flat on the water already. Should I cut that stalk back?




Incidentally, terrestrial basil is the same way. If you keep pinching off the flower buds it will continue to grow leaves.

 

Do I just need to worry when I see an actual bud forming or by that point is it too late? There is one leaf that is super tall and lays flat on the water already. Should I cut that stalk back?




Incidentally, terrestrial basil is the same way. If you keep pinching off the flower buds it will continue to grow leaves.

That stalk is an over achiever!

 

If it's a leaf, it's fine, but the bud will form on a long, thin, strand. I would go ahead and remove it now if you have one.