Questions with a new tank set up

So I'm kinda new with the aquarium world I've had a few tanks before with random goldfish and some random walmart fish that usually ended up dying recently though I set up a I believe 36 gallon tank a friend had and went to my lfs to get a couple fish for my son I ended up with a couple peacock cichlids and without really knowing much I added a few more cichlids a redtail black shark and a pleco after googling I know now I need a bigger tank and I'm looking at a 55 gallon I would like to have it planted but due to cichlids destructive nature I don't wanna waste money buying plants so my question is if I go to a local stream and get plants is there something I can use before putting the fish in to kill off any unwanted pests that may be living on the plants ive read bleaching works but if possible I'd rather set it up how I want then treat it all at once thanks in advanced and sorry for the long post without punctuation

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Can you please tell us the exact measurements of your tank and what it's currently stocked with? Also what kind of filter you've got. Does it produce a lot of current? What kind of substrate do you have? What kind of lighting? Do you have a heater and what temperature do you keep the tank?

On, and are you good at identifying plants? You may need to be careful about what species you put into your tank for your fish's sake.

 

The tank measures 30x18x12. Most my fish came out of a mixed cichlid tank so I'm not 100% but from my reach I believe I've got 2 peacocks, 1 cobalt blue, 1 electric yellow, 2 electric whites, and 1 orange (not sure on the actual name) those are all cichlids, also have a redtail black shark and a pleco. The filter is one that sits on the edge of the top of the tank and sucks the water up through a tube then dumps it back in. Between that and the bubbler the water does cycle pretty well. I'm using sand. Not sure in the type of light it came with the tank but it has no problem growing algae on the clear lens below it. Yes I have a heater and the guage says 76. And no I don't really know much about my creek plants. I figured if I made sure they were clean they'd be ok.

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Occasionally they chase each other but otherwise they're doing good they've been set up together for a few months now

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The thing with plants is you want to be sure they're not poisonous to your fish. Plus if you're in a temperate area they may not survive in the tropical temperatures of your tank.

The light may be growing algae but not be any good for plants. What kind of light is it? If fluorescent what type of bulb and how old?

 

I'm in iowa so the temps can get pretty high although with it being fall the plants may not do well with the temps I'll be sure to look them up before I put them in I kinda just wanted a couple moss covered rocks as for the light though its gotta be pretty old I've known of this tank for 4 years and its been in there the whole time and idk how long before that the words on it are all gone the best I can do is try to post a picture of it

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See if this works

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Yeah it's just a t8 bulb. The cheapest option will be to just replace the bulb. As fluorescents are used, over time the phosphor powder coating the inside of the glass and that is what determines the colour of the vivible light, breaks down and the spectrum changes. Algae seems to thrive under a different range of spectra than the more desirable. Look for a full spectrum/daylight bulb.

Alternatively there may be a way to retrofit your light fixture to take t5 bulbs, which produce more light for the power used. Or if you want to spend even more money, either convert it to LEDs or just buy a whole new LED fixture.

 

I'll probly just get a new bulb then but once I do and I identify the plants do I have to bleach them individually or is there something I can add to the tank to kill everything but the plants before I put in the fish

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Where are your fish now?

It will be a lot easier to treat the plants outside of the tank. Plus you'll probably have to acclimate them to life indoors and you my see a lot of dieback as they adjust.

 

They're in the tank I described above Tuesday I'm going to look at the 55 gallon it's at my lfs they're closed Sunday and Monday but alright if I go that route I'll just dip them first if that's the best way

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It is. For one thing you'll need less of any given treatment because you're treating a smaller volume. For another, if you bring in some sort of pest or disease you can keep it contained in a small area rather than trying to fight it after you find it in your big tank.

 

Alright those are both good points thank you

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