1st Planted Tank!

Mikiel1984

Hey TFK Forum,

I am just getting into larger planted tanks and wanted to post some photos of my tank so I could get some feedback, thoughts, advice or just general comments.

I personally feel like I need some more background plants and some more bunch plants but other than that I am just letting stuff grow out a bit.

Thanks in advance for any comments or advice.

Mikiel1984

Here is a little more info on my tank with more photos~

Equipment:
75 Gallon Tank
Coralife T5 HO Dual Light w/ 10k Bulb and a 6700 Bulb
Eheim 2217 Classic
Whisper Air Pump hooked up to bubble bar
DIY Co2 setup.
Sand Substrate

Plants:
1x Madagascar Lace
Several Java Ferms
A little baby Dwarf Tears (still grown and just recently introduced)
2x Some type of asian Anubias. Not sure exactly but I know that is what I was told when I bought it. (it grows very tall and has very large green leaves with red spots)
1 x Large Manzanita Driftwood (36"x14"x18")
1 x small piece of driftwood

I will include a few more photos to show what I have now that I am home.


You can see one of my little Discus behind. (I think this is some kind of sword?)


Not sure what this is but it grows like crazy and is beautiful!


I just bought this as I thought it would make a great background addition to my tank.


Java Fern?


Not sure? A little algae build up :(


A dying/dirty lace plant.

If anyone can help identify these it would be great! I hope that helps out! Again thanks for the comments and help.

thekoimaiden

I love that piece of driftwood! Makes a great focal point. Another pointer that will help your tank look better is to add a black background of some type. It will make the fish appear brighter and "fill in the visual gaps" until your plants grown in. I spray painted one of my tanks (but you have to take down the whole darn thing to do it). I also used black construction paper for another background. Both are much more cost-effective than the background you buy at pet stores and look just as good.

You might also want to try some floating plants like Water Sprite. It will help keep down algae and make the tetra, Discus, and gourami feel more at home.

beetlebz

first pic, looks to me like emersed growth of a bleherae sword, or similar
second Tiger Lotus is my guess
third and forth im not sure on, ill do some research
fif' picture, is hygrophilia difformis.. which is Wisteria.
last, Aponogeton madagascariensis, is the closest I can find.

gorgeous tank btw :) that driftwood is a GEM.

Termato

I agree, nice piece of drift wood. You could also get a nice piece of black matte board which will last longer and is padded (cheap too).

It looks like the left side of your tank is going to fill in well when it grows. If you want to put some more plants in I would go in the right side where it looks like almost nothing but that piece of wood is there. It will create a balanced composition :)

Mikiel1984

Thanks so much for all the kind remarks and suggestions. It's great to hear that I am on the right path and that my driftwood purchase wasn't a bad decision! I fell in love the minute I saw that piece.

I actually plan on adding a lot more plants, this is just the first step of many to what I hope will be an amazing first planted tank. I am still taking time to decide what to buy. I have learned very quickly that not all plants do well in warmer waters (i.e. Discus Tanks). So, with that said if you have any suggestions on plants I would love to hear them. My biggest WANT is a few Anubias nana for the driftwood and some ground cover. I tried baby dwarf tears to begin my ground cover journey and that didn't work so well. Maybe some dwarf hair grass? Or maybe something else?

Also the one plant does seem to look like a Tiger Lotus but mine isn't that red.....I wish it was! Any thoughts?

Again thanks so much for the comments and I would love to hear thoughts on any other Discus friendly plants ideas!

beetlebz

Tiger Lotus isnt red. red Tiger Lotus is red, and while it IS gorgeous, everyone has red. be a rebel!

I think some climbing stem plants would be pretty sweet in that tank, imho, and as they reach the surface and curl over, it will provide a little shade that your fish, and your Anubias, will enjoy very much. With that much light and co2 I would try limnophilia indica or sessiflora, and of COURSE Ludwigia and red Ludwigia. They look gorgeous under high light when they creep to the surface, one of my favorites.

and +1 for floating plants. ALL of my tanks currently have Ceratopteris cornuta (Water Sprite) floating, except my fry tank. Necessary for making your fish feel at home, and its easy to keep in check with scissors.

Mikiel1984

I checked out both the Ludwigia and the Water Sprite and agree that I think both would make great additions to the tank. After a little research though I realized there are a lot of different types of Ludwigia!!!

As for the Red Tiger Lotus if I get one I wont be getting rid of my green. I like it alot, even though I feel like the leaves constantly get ripped up. :(

beetlebz

Well, if you keep on top of it, and trim the leaves off when they grow too tall, you can train the lotus to stay short and bushy under good lights. Maybe train the red to stay short and bushy infront of the green, which has those gorgeous long legs. That would look pimp.

the big one though will be the Water Sprite. Its wild to see how quickly fish's behaviors change when they have a roof

Mikiel1984

I am going to look into the Water Sprite this weekend. There are a few good stores around town so I am sure on will have it.

Here is another question unrelated to tank layout. I am trying to remove my bubble wand from the tank because I feel that it doesn't add to the realistic look of my tank. I would prefer to have no "extras" in my tank as far as cables and equipment goes. I removed the wand the other day and had to put it back in last night because all my little guys seemed to be suffocating. So, here is my question. How can I get rid of an unsightly bubble wand without killing my fish?