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Plant newbie

1K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  Byron 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi I am getting to reset my tank and along with fake plants i was thinking about adding a live plant or two. after talking with a co worker who keeps cichlids (i keep tiger barbs and a bala shark) about a few problems with my tank (lighting, filter, etc. ) he recommended live plants but he uses sand and i use gravel and we are not sure if live plants can survive with gravel, so thats question #1 can live plants survive planted in rocky gravel in an aquarium? #2 what plants are recommended for a 5 gal tank? and how many should i introduce along with possibly 3 or 4 fakes? thank you all for any help you can give
 
#2 · (Edited)
Yes they can but Bala sharks get like 12" long and need a large tank. You should reconsider the fish you are keeping in the tank. Gravel will work fine but you will need to add ferts to the tank about once a week. One bottle last a long time (Seachem Flourish Comprehnsive) A nice planted low light 5 gallon with sutiable fish would be nice. You will also need to change you light bulbs over to a 6500K bulbs which you can get at LOwes or Walmart. I also think you should put your lights on a timer for around 8 hours of daylight a day. Throw out the fake plants or give them away, pick up some Anubias or Swords, Pennywort, Java Fern, Possibly some Crypts which I like a lot. There are many others and it will work just fine. A 5 gallon is small so I think a Anubias tank with some small driftwood would be nice, maybe add a Compacta Sword which is small. You could use many floating easy to grow floaters like Pennywort for the top. Id recommend some 8 to 12 Cardinal tets with some cool Cherry Shrimp.
 
#3 ·
Welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping forum.

I second the info Brad has given you. You are going to have some major fish problems with the mentioned fish in a 5g tank.

As you are new to the site, I'll point you to the fish and plant profiles, second tab from the left in the blue bar across the top of the page. If the common or scientific name used in the profile is typed the same in a post, it will shade, example Bala Shark and Tiger Barb, and you can click that link to the profile. Each species in the profiles contains the minimum tank size, minimum number for shoaling fish, water parameters, and other data.

Byron.
 
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