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New Freshwater Planted Aquarium

6K views 48 replies 12 participants last post by  StacyK 
#1 ·
Hello Everyone,

So I'm new to this wonderful site I just stumbled upon. I have a 3 gallon 360 degree view aquarium with an under gravel filtration system. I will be setting it up this evening with live plants (new to me). I have purchased the substrate, fertilizer tabs, and the plants. I have had the aquarium running but all the fish died after the last water change (not sure what happened there). Will the gravel be ok to use on top of the plant substrate if it's been in the aquarium already? I haven't been able to find an answer to that question. From what I've read the aquarium will need 2-3 weeks to acclimate before I add fish. When that point comes I'm looking to add Neon Tetra given the fact that the aquarium is small. Do any of you have any additional suggestions for me?

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Welcome to the forum. This forum has been a valuable resource for me as well and I am certain that you will gain all kinds of "aquarium knowledge" here as well. The tank I currently have up is also my first attempt at planted and it doing wonderful. I used Eco-complete substrate and didn't need to add anything else over it, but you can add a little gravel if you want. There are people that plant in regular aquarium gravel as well. If your gravel has been sitting, I would be cautious adding it though as it might have bacteria in it that could be an issue. Make sure you clean it very well and rinse it very very well. My understanding is, it should be thoroughly dry before adding too.

I think Neons sound perfect for a 3 gallon tank but I am sure there will be others that will chime in soon. I hope you will post pictures when you are done, we all love to look at pictures. My favorite tanks are planted fresh water tanks. Good luck and have fun. :)
 
#3 ·
if the gravel was intended for aquarium use then it would be fine to put on top or even mix with the plant substrate..i use flourite in a couple of my tanks and simply covered it with gravel...also remember to do small water changes more often than a large change at once...sudden large water chemistry changes are easy to over look in such a small enviroment..sounds like the final product in mind will be awesome..this site should help you on your way...as far as plants small specimens like dwarf saggitaria ,java mos ,water sprite,cryptocorene wendtii, among others...steer clear of the large sword plants..some drift wood to give of a little tanic acid...well any how hope you get something from this....ADIOS.......
 
#4 ·
Welcome!

Honestly, I would caution against a planted tank with an undergravel filter. They way the filter works and takes up space doesn't work well with substrate planted plants. If you were to do a small bit of driftwood with java fern or anubius attached that might work out better.

The neons sound wonderful. There are other options as well. Check out the profiles section up top and click through. Some rasbora species would be great.

You haven't mentioned your water parameters. Temp, pH, hardness, etc. That would help us direct you toward a suitable fish species.

Good luck!
 
#5 ·
I was wondering about the under water filtration system. I'm actually looking to see if i can find an in tank filter that will attach to around tank.

I not sure of the water hardness or ph at the moment. i try to keep the ph at 7 and from years ago i seem to remember that the hardness was pretty normal....though i should probably test that again.
 
#7 ·
honestly in a 3 gallon tank, I would put a few plants in and skip the filter all together. If I added any filter at all it would be a very small sponge filter. The plants will act as filter anyway so, depending on the type of fish, you might just skip it all together.
 
#8 ·
That's true. I hadn't thought of how (relatively) easy it would be to go filter free on a 3gal. Just make sure it's planted heavily (again, for a 3 gallon) and stocked modestly.

Heavy planting and 6 cardinals would probably work fine.
 
#9 ·
Welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping forum.

This is only 3 gallons. I think the fish being mentioned are far too large for a 3 gal tank. Neons and cardinals can attain 1.5 inches, and must be in a group of 6. I do not recommend that in a 3g.

There are several dwarf fish species that would sparkle in a planted 3g aquarium. Have a look at the Ember Tetra under characins, or under cyprinids the mosquito rasbora Boraras brigittae (there are several other species in this genus not in our profiles but care is identical), Dario dario (Scarlet Badis) or Celestial Pearl Danio (Galaxy Rasbora to some) Danio margaritatus. A group of 6-7 of any one of these would be lovely.

We have fish profiles here; second tab from the left in the blue bar at the top, or click on any shaded name to see that fish's profile. Info on requirements, numbers, tank size, etc.

Byron.
 
#10 ·
Ok so I ended up purchasing a new tank, A 5 g aquarium that has an external filter. I have not yet bought a heater. I have also uploaded an image of what the tank looks like this AM. I thought that the dust that i thought was rinsed out of the substrate (thought I rinsed it really well) would have settled over night. Is this something that is common to newly planted tanks? The dust kicked up as i was adding the plants. Did I do something wrong?

I'll take a look at the fish you suggested Byron. I've got some time to think about those.
 
#11 ·
Ok so I ended up purchasing a new tank, A 5 g aquarium that has an external filter. I have not yet bought a heater. I have also uploaded an image of what the tank looks like this AM. I thought that the dust that i thought was rinsed out of the substrate (thought I rinsed it really well) would have settled over night. Is this something that is common to newly planted tanks? The dust kicked up as i was adding the plants. Did I do something wrong?

I'll take a look at the fish you suggested Byron. I've got some time to think about those.
Depending upon the composition of the substrate, it can take a couple days to several days for a new tank to clear. Run the filter, try to avoid disturbing the substrate (planting plants obviously riles it up, even in established tanks). Keep an eye on the filter, as the sediment/particles get caught the filter pads/floss may clog, so rinsing them regularly will help until the water clears.

Byron.
 
#12 ·
I need to add some additional sand tonight (over top of the substrate), I didn't add enough yesterday. the plants are not buried securely. So i'll be removing most of the water to do this, figure it'll make things easier for me that way.

Here's a list of the plants I have going in:

In a removable planter: Water lilly, green onion, and something else i don't remember the name of. These are all bulbs, i put them in the planter in case they don't grow for easy removal.

In the rest of the tank: Peacock Fern?, Anubias, Umbrella plant, Kyoto Grass, Aqua fern, Something i can't remember the name of, Tropical Fern, White ribbon, and amazon sword. I figure with trimming and arrangement that should be a good amount, assuming they all take and don't die on me.
 
#13 ·
don't forget to remove the lead sinkers.
 
#14 ·
Just so you know when it happens down the road, a few of those plants--namely the "ferns," the ribbon plant and the Kyoto grass--and not true aquatics. They should (may) last for a time, depending, underwater, but they will eventually start to disintegrate; remove them as soon as they do. The Kyoto may not, it tends to adapt to submerged growth fairly well, though you never know.
 
#16 ·
I wish I could find some ground cover plants here. Has anyone ordered any? Where do you like to order from? I think I want some Glossostigma Glatinoides.
 
#18 ·
I've posted some photos of how my tank looks now! I added some additional sand to help hold the plants in place, which seems to be working pretty good. Now I just hope that the plants survive so I can start thinking of the fish to add. :O) I'm really really happy with the out come of the look!
 
#19 ·
Nicely aquascaped; you've a talent for this. Well done. The water will clear, give it time.

Byron.
 
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#20 ·
Thanks Byron, That's a huge compliment given that this is my first aquascape!!!! :O)
 
#21 ·
How long should it take the water to loose the iron color it has? I don't think i want to stick a fish in there if it's that color.
 
#22 ·
Looking at your photos, I don't understand the "iron" colour (iron to me means reddish, the photos show some whitish cloudiness that should dissipate). Am I missing something? Perhaps you could add a new photo to this thread of just the whole tank?
 
#23 ·
Here's a picture of how it's been looking the past couple days. The water seemed to be clear the first day and now it looks like this. Yesterday I even did a 1/3 water change hoping that would help. I'm not sure what's going on with this.
 
#24 · (Edited)
There are two possible causes, the substrate and wood. I checked your log again, the substrate is "sand" and appears black in those photos so I will assume it is not an enriched substrate like Flourite or something. Regular sand (play sand?) would be the whitish/greyish cloudiness earlier until it settles, not red. So I suspect the wood is leeching tannins. I see a chunk standing in one corner. Was it soaked or boiled previously? If not, it is probably leeching tannins. They are completely harmless to fish and plants, and will dissipate in time depending upon the age of the wood and any prior soaking.

From your photos and details int his thread, this is my take on the reddish tint. I've had it from wood many times.

I do like your aquascape, as I've mentioned. Very nice, it makes the tank look larger.

Byron.
 
#27 ·
I do have another substrate under the black sand, I used First Layer Pure Laterite for planted aquariums. and i didn't have enough so i put the black sand over, more estically pleasing as well. the drift wood is on the small size, about the size of my hand, i have small hands.

as for the fish, i think i'll be putting a betta in the tank...just not till i figure out this water thing.
 
#25 ·
A five gallon tank is OK 5 neon tetras and a few other low bioload inhabitants( shrimp, snails). 6 neons is for the best but 5 are acceptable.

also look into
- dwarf african frog
- bettas
- ghost shrimp
- white clouds
- 3 MALE guppys may also work
 
#26 ·
I would not recommend neons for a 3g tank; in post #9 I went into why and made some suggestions that would be OK.
 
#32 ·
Ok, I'll put some carbon in there today and see what happens. Thanks for the help Byron.
 
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