Yay! Redecorating Time!

Alright. I know FOR SURE that my tank has been FULLY cycled. Everything is stable. Everything is good. I just went to my LFS and bought some rocks and a chunk of driftwood. Good news, the driftwood already sinks! I just have to soak it for a over a week and get those tannins out. I'm taking out all of my fake decors and putting them in. I'm planning to make a bunch of little caves for when I get Corys. They are either two or more rocks stacked to make a little cave like so |\. One stands up, and the other leans on it. I am going to do that on both sides of my tank and have the driftwood as the centerpiece.

I also want to make some rock terraces but I need ideas? Anyone have pics of good terraces that I could maybe copy? I can make minI ones of those behind the driftwood.

I also plan to get live plants, but I need to get a better bulb. Any comments on which bulb to get for a freshwater tank? I'm so excited to do this so I just had to tell y'all =).

 

hey good news!!! I have no experience with natural rock or driftwood BUT have a tank waiting to be set up so GOOD LUCK with yours and post results so I can learn!!!

 

I know you want a rock terrace,so this might not answer your question, I just thought i'd share what I did. I think I saw a thread on here about it so I went to lowes and bought some lava rocks for a grill and some aquarium silicone. I was able to make nice looking rocks for under ten dollars ( just be careful with the silicone, it turns white after a while so don't let any show). Oddly enough and much to my surprise, lowes didn't sell any slate.

The one thread " The angel garden" I think its called had a very nice terrace made with rock.

 

Wolfgang8810 made a nice rock terrace -

Hope this helps and be sure to take some pics to show us your handiwork

 

Thanks alot, HarleyMan! That was really helpful.
I already soaked my piece of driftwood for about a day in hot water. It has barely change the color of the water. It was the color of a very light light clear brown. Almost not noticeable. Does this mean it does not have a lot of tannins or does it take really a week or more to get all the brown out? 'Cause so far, it looks fine to put in, but I'm going to wait for y'alls opinion. And back to my first question, which bulbs would be good for plants? I saw a bulb for a Tropical Reef I believe, and it looked nice.

 

If the driftwood will fit in a pot, boiling it two or three times for 30 minutes of a roiling boil each will remove the tannins quite well, and quickly. Should kill most of the hidden ickies in it as well. Just don't let the spouse/parental unit/those in charge of the pots see. Non-Fish people just don't get it...

 

LOL, my parents won't care. But seriously, the color of the water in the driftwood has barely changed, and it's been in around 120 or so degree water...maybe hotter. I don't know.

 

The same thing happened to me with my driftwood. I left it in for about 3 days anyways and then added it to my tank. Everything is fine. IMO you should be okay to add yours in.

 

I'll let it wait a few more days then add it to be safe =)

 

Sounds like a good idea. I did mine for about 3 days and the water was almost perfectly clear so I added it to the tank. It still had some tannins in it though so the water was slightly brownish. It went away after a few water changes though, so no biggie.

 

Alright, cool! Any ideas on the plants to get? I want some good background plants. I've been hearing some Watersprite and some other stuff I believe from Kevin awhile back. But I am in need of upgrading my bulb. What bulb should I get and what plants would thrive with it? I plan to have some rock caves on the sides of my tank with the driftwood as the center piece. I might prop it up on a rock or kinda burrow under it so the Corys or Pleco can hang out. Maybe put a little sand under the driftwood or the rock caves so they Corys can play in as y'all have suggested. I also plan to put the plants around the driftwood and around the tank with a bubblewand behind the driftwood for a finishing effect.

 

I like the amazon sword plants that I have in the back of my tank with my driftwood. They are really pretty when they get big and cover a lot of the empty space. Just an idea...

 

Alright, I got most of the tannins out and put it in my tank. Kinda crowded right now, in a sense as it is not appealing, but I will fix it when I get more stuff.
Does anyone know anything about bulbs and which brands are be good?

 

I got a pack of aponogeton bulbs at WallMart, and all but one took root and developed quite nicely. Others here have had less success with them. But for $2, it's worth a shot I guess.

I've also seen bulb packs at PetSmart/Co that were similar.

 

Thanks alot, HarleyMan! That was really helpful.
I already soaked my piece of driftwood for about a day in hot water. It has barely change the color of the water. It was the color of a very light light clear brown. Almost not noticeable. Does this mean it does not have a lot of tannins or does it take really a week or more to get all the brown out? 'Cause so far, it looks fine to put in, but I'm going to wait for y'alls opinion. And back to my first question, which bulbs would be good for plants? I saw a bulb for a Tropical Reef I believe, and it looked nice.

Glad to have helped but Wolfgang deserves the credit. As for your bulb question, and I'm sorry I didn't address it previously, I am going to assume you are after a light bulb recommendation as oppossed to a plant bulb one and I'm also going to assume you are replacing a fluorescent bulb. If that is the case then I recommend you choose from the following:

My personal choice would be the 2nd one Again, I hope this helps.

 

That's what I was looking at =)
Can you tell me about some good plants?

 

That's what I was looking at =)
Can you tell me about some good plants?

That's a tough one. I'm keeping in mind your current stock and what you want to add so here are what I like, never had problems with, have used before, along with where I placed them:

• Cabomba Carolina (rear middle of tank)
• Amazon Swords (rear sides of tank)
• Rotala - the red kind (sides and middle of tank)
• Microsword (front and front sides of tank)

You can also try:

• Vallisneria
• Java Fern
• Anacharis
• Anubias nana
• Anubias barterI round leaf
• Indian Red Sword

If you can use 2 x fluorescent lights, that would also help with plant growth but 1 x Zoo Med Flora Sun won't hurt; when I used live plants I never had more than 1 light and those in my list did fine, especially the Cabomba - and Cabomba is my 2nd favourite plant; the 1st being Cabomba furcata ;D

 

Alright! Here's your thanks now =)
I'll research into those!

 

A good place to do research on plants and their light requirements is

 

Thanks, but I already got that bookmarked; that's where I was going to go

 

Okay, I've chosen a mix of Amazon/Watersprite/ and maybe Carolina Fanwort if I can find it.
I can attach some Java Fern along the driftwood and on the roof of the rock caves maybe?
I am also putting some Microswords, if I can find it, scattered around the tank. Sound good?

 

Okay, I've chosen a mix of Amazon/Watersprite/ and maybe Carolina Fanwort if I can find it.
I can attach some Java Fern along the driftwood and on the roof of the rock caves maybe?
I am also putting some Microswords, if I can find it, scattered around the tank. Sound good?

1. Sounds like a nice mix. Never did Watersprite as I didn't like it but that's me
   
   
2. Yep re the Java Fern - clear fishing line works best I've heard.
   
   
3. Microswords are nice; just remember they need adequate lighting. aquarium plants has them but you may find some elsewhere and possibly cheaper.

Now remember, you gotta take pictures and show it all off when you get it done

 

Haha! I will...it MIGHT be a month or it MIGHT be sooner; who knows, my birthday is coming up and maybe I can get a gift certificate to my LFS =)
I got about 28$ to the LFS in a certificate and about 65$ on me. I will def. post pics! Or I may not just to torment you =P

 

LOL! Only person that is able to torment me is SWMBO >

 

Well darn. I have to get a new fixture that will actually hold bulbs that have 65w otherwise I can't get plants.

 

You could always build a DIY canopy. There are plenty of designs/walkthrough's on the net for you to look over and it can be fun.

 

Mebbe, but I need a brighter light anyways to have plants

 

I don't know if you've read Isabella's plant guide yet, but if not you might want to (in the plants section). If you have read it, then don't forget not to go above 2.0wpg for your lighting, else you'll need to look into CO2 injection also - and that's another ball game in itself.

 

Eh? I thought I was planning to get a 65w which would give me a 2.2w/gal...but I'll read about CO2 Injection because that's because the plants don't get enough C02 so I have to put it in? And I thought plants NEED 2w/gal to thrive?

 

Could I just use Flourish by Seachem daily? That way I don't have to worry about pH drops?

 

Would (this is including what I have and adding more) be overstocking?
1 Pearl Gourami
1 Dwarf Gourami
1 BN Pleco
6 Glowlight Tetras
6 Corys?

 

Anything above 2.0wpg without CO2 injection isn't recommended because higher light speeds up the plants' metabolism and it therefore increases their need for CO2.

You have a 29 gallon tank and I'm going to asume 2 things:

1. The length of your tank is about 24¼ inches across
2. Your going to get the Zoo Med Flora Sun Fluorescent Bulbs

If so, the longest bulb you can get is the 17watt bulb measuring 24". 1 bulb on your tank will yield 0.6wpg (17÷29 rounded up) ... hmm not good ... 2 bulbs will yield 1.2wpg ... 3 bulbs will yield 1.8wpg

So you'll need 3 bulbs for enough light without having to resort to CO2. Also as the bulbs are rated at 8500°K, you can try a couple of those that require moderate lighting.

I think I got that all correct > I should worked it out before suggesting 2 bulbs would be enough in my previous post - sorry about that :-[

Something else that might be more helpful instead of my recommendations for plants can be found at PlantGeek's Plant Guide (just found it myself; ). I would say look at the Low, Medium Low and Medium plants, choosing those with the Easy and Moderate difficulty ratings.

Hope that helped

 

Would (this is including what I have and adding more) be overstocking?
1 Pearl Gourami
1 Dwarf Gourami
1 BN Pleco
6 Glowlight Tetras
6 Corys?

Yeah, your tank would be overstocked by a good bit - 37½ total inches is what I came to:

1 Pearl Gourami - 4"
1 Dwarf Gourami - 2"
1 BN Pleco - 4½"
6 Glowlight Tetras - 12"
6 Corys - 15"

Totalling 37½". You have 29" to 'play' with

 

I got about 1.5 for the Tetras
2 for the Dwarf
4 for the Pearl
4.5 for the BN Pleco as well
and 1.5 for the Corys too
SO

2+4+4.5+9+9=28.5ish

 

How about
Dwarf Gourami
Pearl Gourami
BN Pleco
5 Glowlight Tetras
5 Corys

 

Depending on the Corydoras you're looking at 2 - 2½ inches. The JuliI get to 2" and others 2½". My Albino one is already 2¼" and my Swartz is not far behind Wish I had got Julii's myself at the time but PetSmart didn't have any and the missus wanted some then. Of course when they did have some in and I showed them to her she complains that I should have got them instead Told you she torments me!

Tetra's are about the same, although with Neons you rarely see bigger than 1½". Glowlights could be the same. My Bloodfin's are over 1½" (the fat so & so's )

If you are wondering what I use for a guide to fish sizes, it's liveaquaria

 

Ya, I have Bronze Corys. So I don't know what MAX size they will reach in my tank...maybe just get 2 more Tetras and another Cory.

 

Bronze Corydoras can reach up to 2½".

2 more Tetras and 1 more Cory would work. Keep your open for a used 55 gallon too.

 

Haha will do.
I already have had my Driftwood and Rock Cave/Maze set up...looks good. Now I need to get plants and a better hood.