Help me recreate my tank.

Pretty simple question, I'm remodelling a 100L tank and dont know what plants to get apart from frog bit. I'm using an inert substrate (argos play sand) but am getting root tabs and liquid fertiliser. ive heard plants grow well in sand and just take nutrients from the water column, is this true? ive got a superfish 100. in the tank right now i have 2 kribensis, 9 rummy nose tetras and 1 endler guppy. im going to increase this to 2 kribensis, 15 rummynose tetras and 7 endler guppies (plus 3 amano shrimp and 1 bamboo shrimp). im going to aquascape it with manzanita wood and smooth pebbled rocks. im not sure if i should get a new filter (i want to but dont know which filter to get). I want the filter to not disturb the frog bit because ive heard they're fragile and want to keep them alive. i am going to DIY a ring out of air tube to keep the frogbit seperate from the entire water surface because i dont want my fish to suffocate.anything else i should get/do? ive got a quarentine tank that i will put all the fish in if i do this (i will). any replies would be helpful

is there a better floater plant i should get? (NOT DUCKWEED)

In the photo just remove all the plants and substrate and that is the tank.

 

Frogbit is good, and fast growing stems like Anacharis, Limnophila sessiliflora are good too. Then theres epiphytes like Java fern, anubias and bucephelandra. Cryptocorynes and Amazon swords are hardy too. They will like root tabs IMO.

 

Hey,

sand is fine for plants. You can use root tabs if necessary.

For the plants, what look would you like?

I always recommend Hygrophila polysperma. Very hardy, fast growing plant that helps the ecosystem a lot. Various Cryptocorynes and Echinodorus are always nice.
Moreover, Bacopa monnieri or Bacopa australis, Ludwigia palustris, maybe Ludwigia arcuata are always a nice choice.
Sagittaria subulata is a very nice small plant that likes to spread and works in about any tank.

You could also think about adding some moss if you're not shy of the work.

For filters, I'm not sure what's available in your country.
Here I would recommend a Juwel Bioflow, imo the best internal filters that exists together with the JBL m Greenline (the JBL might be too small for your tank though).
Or an external filter.

 

Hey,

sand is fine for plants. You can use root tabs if necessary.

For the plants, what look would you like?

I always recommend Hygrophila polysperma. Very hardy, fast growing plant that helps the ecosystem a lot. Various Cryptocorynes and Echinodorus are always nice.
Moreover, Bacopa monnieri or Bacopa australis, Ludwigia palustris, maybe Ludwigia arcuata are always a nice choice.
Sagittaria subulata is a very nice small plant that likes to spread and works in about any tank.

You could also think about adding some moss if you're not shy of the work.

For filters, I'm not sure what's available in your country.
Here I would recommend a Juwel Bioflow, imo the best internal filters that exists together with the JBL m Greenline (the JBL might be too small for your tank though).
Or an external filter.

I was wondering about getting an external filter (allpondsolutions EF-150) it does about 150L an hour and has a spray bar so can be hidden and look sleek

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What do you think?

 

Salvinia is a good floating plant .

I have the sand you’re planning on using. Wash it .. wash it again .. then again. And for fun one more time ! Then maybe another time .. trust me on this one. It’s dirty. It’s also a very fine sand that if you fill the tank up too fast on a water change it will float around for a bit . It’s cheap but it isn’t all that nice of a sand imo.

 

Salvinia is a good floating plant .

I have the sand you’re planning on using. Wash it .. wash it again .. then again. And for fun one more time ! Then maybe another time .. trust me on this one. It’s dirty. It’s also a very fine sand that if you fill the tank up too fast on a water change it will float around for a bit . It’s cheap but it isn’t all that nice of a sand imo.

Should I get a different sand?

Salvinia is a good floating plant .

I have the sand you’re planning on using. Wash it .. wash it again .. then again. And for fun one more time ! Then maybe another time .. trust me on this one. It’s dirty. It’s also a very fine sand that if you fill the tank up too fast on a water change it will float around for a bit . It’s cheap but it isn’t all that nice of a sand imo.

It’s for my corydoras

 

Salvinia is a good floating plant .

I have the sand you’re planning on using. Wash it .. wash it again .. then again. And for fun one more time ! Then maybe another time .. trust me on this one. It’s dirty. It’s also a very fine sand that if you fill the tank up too fast on a water change it will float around for a bit . It’s cheap but it isn’t all that nice of a sand imo.

I checked it online and it seems to do 400 l/h, so the real output should be around 200 l/h.
I honestly find that a bit weak, for external filters I like to look at the lower to mid recommended value.

If a filter says "suitable for up to 150 litres" it usually means "suitable for up to 150 litres if you have very little fish and very little bioload".

If you want an external filter I would honestly suggest to spend the 80-90 bucks for a really good one. Like a JBL e702/e902, something along that line. I'd always get one with adjustable water flow.

If you want to save money, I'd stick with internal filters. A 40£ internal filter will almost always be better than a £40 external filter.

 

Should I get a different sand?

It’s for my corydoras

I have sand in all my tanks . But this play sand is a menace In my eyes ! I regret it and wish I went with something else. If you have the spare cash then I’d say yes get a coarser sand from a fish store or wherever. The colour is nice but it’s awful to work with. Even my snails don’t like it. It does grow plants ok but it’s so fine I can see it compacting easily… the Malaysian trumpet snails don’t even burrow into it !

 

I have sand in all my tanks . But this play sand is a menace In my eyes ! I regret it and wish I went with something else. If you have the spare cash then I’d say yes get a coarser sand from a fish store or wherever. The colour is nice but it’s awful to work with. Even my snails don’t like it. It does grow plants ok but it’s so fine I can see it compacting easily… the Malaysian trumpet snails don’t even burrow into it !

Could you recommend a sand that won’t erode the corydoras barbles

I checked it online and it seems to do 400 l/h, so the real output should be around 200 l/h.
I honestly find that a bit weak, for external filters I like to look at the lower to mid recommended value.

If a filter says "suitable for up to 150 litres" it usually means "suitable for up to 150 litres if you have very little fish and very little bioload".

If you want an external filter I would honestly suggest to spend the 80-90 bucks for a really good one. Like a JBL e702/e902, something along that line. I'd always get one with adjustable water flow.

If you want to save money, I'd stick with internal filters. A 40£ internal filter will almost always be better than a £40 external filter.

I was thinking external filter just because I want the “real estate” from where an internal filter would be. My budget for plants, rock, fish, substrate, root tabs, liquid fertiliser and filter is about £120 max. I shouldn’t spend too much seeing as I have the majority of fish and the filter isn’t necessary (I already have one) but I would like one. I have taken suggestions for plants and have landed on some nice ones. I’m I going to buy wood and rock but from prior experience I know it won’t be too much money.

 

I have both of these. The black is slightly finer and my corys are more than happy on it.

 

I have both of these. The black is slightly finer and my corys are more than happy on it. View attachment 869729View attachment 869730

Thanks! I completely forgot to mention I have a lot of sand left over that the corys are on now the only problem is that it has the ammonia ridden soil mixed in. So I actually won’t be able to use it I expect

 

My budget for plants, rock, fish, substrate, root tabs, liquid fertiliser and filter is about £120 max.

My honest opinion? Stick with your current filter then and save up for something proper. A well maintained good quality filter will last you decades and is absolutely worth the investment. Rather invest your budget in a lot of plants, as that would make things a LOT easier and will certainly help your tank more than another filter.

 

My honest opinion? Stick with your current filter then and save up for something proper. A well maintained good quality filter will last you decades and is absolutely worth the investment. Rather invest your budget in a lot of plants, as that would make things a LOT easier and will certainly help your tank more than another filter.

I was look at filters just now though similar thoughts. I think I’m going to drop my budget slightly because sna only cost £5.50, plants are a max of £30 and plants, rock and fish are a max of £50 so I think I’ll lower it to £90. I’m flexible but I’m going to try staying under that.

 

Hey, did you remove those plants? Especially the nerve plant (fittonia sp.) as it's not aquatic.

 

Hey, did you remove those plants? Especially the nerve plant (fittonia sp.) as it's not aquatic.

? What?


So to confirm
I should get Argos play sand.
Keep the filter I have and save for a really good one.
Keep it a sand only to keep my corydoras catfish healthy.
Get lots of plants because fish like cover.
Get floating plants because it helps with water quality.

My honest opinion? Stick with your current filter then and save up for something proper. A well maintained good quality filter will last you decades and is absolutely worth the investment. Rather invest your budget in a lot of plants, as that would make things a LOT easier and will certainly help your tank more than another filter.

What filter should I save for?
Also how much TNC lite should I get?
250ml
500ml
1000ml

 

The sand is your choice, I was just sharing my experience with it. You can also use smooth inert river type pebbles with any sand , corys will be okay with those too. Lots of plants will always be something I recommend. The rest I didn’t comment on so take the others advice on those .

 

The sand is your choice, I was just sharing my experience with it. You can also use smooth inert river type pebbles with any sand , corys will be okay with those too. Lots of plants will always be something I recommend. The rest I didn’t comment on so take the others advice on those .

I know but for the price I think I’ll use it. I’m also going to buy smooth river rocks that can be dotted around the tank. I’m getting smooth round rocks so they can’t hurt the corys at all.

 

What filter should I save for?

Do you have a link to a fish tank website in your country so I can see what the sortiment is?

Also how much TNC lite should I get?

Do you have the light that came with the tank or did you upgrade? In other words, what light do you use? I'm asking because with a lot of the standard lights that come with the kit, no fertilizer at all is usually needed.
If it's not a strong light, I'd try without fertilizer at first.

 

Do you have a link to a fish tank website in your country so I can see what the sortiment is

I have the light that came with the tank

Do you have the light that came with the tank or did you upgrade? In other words, what light do you use? I'm asking because with a lot of the standard lights that come with the kit, no fertilizer at all is usually needed.
If it's not a strong light, I'd try without fertilizer at first.

This is the light

 

I don’t understand?

Not sure what country you're from and every country usually has 1 or 2 big fish tank & accessoires dealers. For Example "Kölle-Zoo" in Germany.
Problem is, the sortiments in countries is completely different. For example I found an Eheim filter that is around 80€ in Germany being sold for 140£ in the UK, while an 80€ JBL was 90£ in the UK. I just don't want to recommend something that is extremely overpriced in your country.

This is the light

I checked it out an it seems to be on the low side. Pretty sure the plants will do fine without fertilizer.

 

Not sure what country you're from and every country usually has 1 or 2 big fish tank & accessoires dealers. For Example "Kölle-Zoo" in Germany.
Problem is, the sortiments in countries is completely different. For example I found an Eheim filter that is around 80€ in Germany being sold for 140£ in the UK, while an 80€ JBL was 90£ in the UK. I just don't want to recommend something that is extremely overpriced in your country.



I checked it out an it seems to be on the low side. Pretty sure the plants will do fine without fertilizer.

So no liquid fertiliser although I will still get root tabs, I understand now, so the big ones here are Fluval, Jewel and in my case superfish

 

If those 3 are the big ones, I'd probably get a Fluval 207 or even a 307 if the price difference isn't too big.

If you can get your hands on JBL, the e902 is a solid choice. (If it's under 100)

 

? What?

I'm saying, are you keeping the plants in the pic in the tank? If so, the nerve plant isn't aquatic and will melt/die.

 

If those 3 are the big ones, I'd probably get a Fluval 207 or even a 307 if the price difference isn't too big.

If you can get your hands on JBL, the e902 is a solid choice. (If it's under 100)

Great

I'm saying, are you keeping the plants in the pic in the tank? If so, the nerve plant isn't aquatic and will melt/die.

That was a photo from 2 years ago. Sadly all those plants have passed

If those 3 are the big ones, I'd probably get a Fluval 207 or even a 307 if the price difference isn't too big.

If you can get your hands on JBL, the e902 is a solid choice. (If it's under 100)

The Fluval 207 is around £105-£115 vs the 307 being around £150. The JBL e902 was around £110

 

In all honesty, then I'd go for the e902 when it goes on sale for under 100.

It's one of the standard filters here and I've owned 5 of those already. Ultra reliable, big filter volume if needed, quite and standard 12/16 hose.

 

I have both of these. The black is slightly finer and my corys are more than happy on it.

i am probably going to get the black sand because i think it will look better in the tank, im going to get lots of plants and quite a few fish.

my final fish stocking should be (unless there are objections)

6 Bronze Corydoras
4 Otocinclus Catfish
2 Kribensis
4 Endler Guppies (4 males)
13 Rummny Nose Tetras
1 Zebra Nerite Snail
3 Amano Shrimp
1 Bamboo Shrimp

my final plant stock should be (plus more i find along the way)
Frog bit
Bucephalandra kedagang
Cryptocoryne wendtii
Dwarf hydrophilic polysperma
sagittaria subulata


my final accesorys (plus more if they are suggested)
CaribSea Super Naturals Crystal River Freshwater Sand
smooth aquarium pebbles
manzanita wood
seachem's flourish root tabs
custom made feeding ring (although im not sure if i should keep the frog bit in it or keep it as a feeding ring? any suggestions)

any other suggestions? thanks for all your help

 

Hey guys! I was looking for sand and found seachems flourite black sand (15.4 lbs). It sounds great but from reviews it says that it’s very dusty/dirty so you have to clean it loads! I was wondering if anyone has used it and did they think it was good? Also will my corys like it?

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