When is it too much plant?

Angel079

Thanks to my newest addition I took the Dwarf Baby tears out of the 55g today while doing a w/c....

I honestly have ONE spot left that is about 3x5" where I can gravel vac and the rest is covered with plants mostly so thick by now that I can't even get the vac in between really.....

So realistically - When are plants too much? How much 'gravel space' should remain open in the tank?

I know the fish love it playing hiding in the plants but I wanna hear your guys' opinion???

Pretty much trying to decide if I'll let a natural jungle area develop in the 55g or keep it neat & trimmed and more "man made"

HollyinWA

You posted a question that I was going to post earlier but got sidetracked. I was wondering the same thing. Especially, with the ground crawlers....I guess what I see in Byron's tank is....Baby Tears? I love the look of that kind of ground cover but wondered if it spread too much how the heck would I clean the gravel. It is all the questions that I have that keep me from going gung ho on plants right away. I look forward to the answers as well.

Byron

No Baby Tears in my tank; probably not sufficient light from what I've read. The substrate plant in the 90g flooded Amazon is Pygmy chain sword, Echinodorus tenellus; in the 115g is another similar Chain Sword, E. quadricostatus on the right, and E. parviflorus (dark green) on the left. In the 70g SE Asian there are crypts, developing Aponogeton (about a dozen from my parent plant), and Wisteria (Hygrophila difformis).

I try to design the aquarium geographically around an idea. The 115g is an Amazonian riverscape, so I have bogwood lying on its side more, and more open substrate and this tank has the majority of Corydoras that feed from the substrate, so I can thoroughly vacuum the open gravel to keep it clean for them. The 90g is a different concept, a part of the flooded Amazon forest, so the ground is thick with plants as the forest would be, with a small open area where again I feed the Corydoras and Farlowella. The SE Asian isn't really done yet, just a mish-mash of plants.

The idea in all this is that the aquarium should be designed around the fish that will live in it, to provide what they need, and all fish are different. An obvious example is a pleco, or my whiptails and farlowella that need wood; or gourami and betta that need floating plants. One doesn't have to be strictly biotope, but generally geographic is one way; or a combination of different geographic areas but with fish that still have basically similar requirements, like forest tetras and forest rasbora together in a well-planted tank because both come from such environments, or Corydoras and loaches that all come from streams with sand or fine gravel, wood and/or rocks.

B.

Angel079

@Holly If you look at my "New 55g" the very last picture of the piece DW going across underneath the red plants, that is dwarf bat tears (kinda look like Stars IMO).

Well see on the 45g Tetra tank I have no problem how to design it/ arrange plants. I guess it all boils down to me not knowing really where to I wanna go with the 55g and its plants....Any suggestions for me when you look at my pictures Byron? (The stock of 2 Kissing Gourami 9 Albion Tiger Barbs and 6 Bronze Cory will remain not change).

HollyinWA

Thanks. I remember seeing those in your tank and like them. Not sure if they will do well in a deep tank if they need a lot of light. I sure have a lot to learn.

P.S. Looking at all these great planted tanks really does inspire me!

HollyinWA

Byron,

I looked at the picture you referred me to in your profile but for some reason cannot see what it is I am supposed to be seeing. The picture in your profile as your advatar....the little short crawly plant over the gravel...is that it? I love that.

Angel079

Not sure what you mean by 'deep' mine is a standard 5g with ~20" height to it and they're thriving (well were till last night when the new fish took them all up).

Byron

No, the photos are under the "Aquariums" tab just under my name on the left here. The avatar is a Spotted Woodcat, Tatia perugiae, a SA catfish of which I have three; the avatar pic isn't one of mine, but there is a photo of two of mine peeking out from the standing wood under the 115g photo set. B.

HollyinWA

I see, I thought that Avatar was your pic. I did look under the Aquariums. I will look again and look for something other than what is in your Avatar. I do remember seeing something that looks like what you were talking about, but I was looking for what i saw in the avatar. LOL

Do you know what that kind of plant is in the avatar? Thanks.

HollyinWA

My 56 gallon is not as wide, and I believe it is 24 inches tall/deep and the depth from front to back is 18 inches. Once I get my lighting I can give them a try. Byron had mentioned that he did not think he had enough light, so I thought maybe I would not either since my tank is taller than the longer standard 55 gallons and even the 70 gallons, etc.