More questions

Grimmjow

For my 75g:

I want live plants, maybe a couple big rocks, and unsure about how much drift wood. For fish id like a school of neon tetras, a few kuhli loaches or dojos and a betta, other than those i cant really think of any that really caught my eye.

Questions:
Just how bad is sunlight? the place im thinkinh about setting up the tank is near a smaller high up window and im pretty sure the light it will get is mostly reflected since theres a bush blocking like 90% of a direct path from the sun. But that light will maybe hit like half of the right half of the tank.

Hang on filter, undergravel, or submerged filter? Since you said that too much surface movement wouldnt be good for the co2 plants and i know how much bettas hate currents. I do like the idea of 2 submerged filter on each side of the tank, i feel like it would filter it better, like having 2 heaters on each side.

What is best for substrate, gravel or sand? Ive always had gravel but i do like how in those show tanks they had made the sand to look like a river, i just feel like sand would get kicked up during water changes.

Driftwood. Im guessing it would be best to buy them but would it be a bad to go find my own and "skin" it and boil and soak it and all that on my own. Some of the plastic or whatever wood looking things are nice from pet stores but i like the idea of having a unique one.

Since it may get hit by a little sunlight should i get a pleco or a couple? And are there kinds that stay smaller because the black ones get kinda big and honestly, i have a fear of big fish.

Would it be good or bad to have most or all the ground covered by moss or some kind of tiny plants? I saw some that looked like mini clovers.

Any answers and advice is greatly appreciated.

Angel079

For the sun: My 55g get's some sun in late afternoon for few hrs - No issues there. If it get's sunlight (intense & long hrs) every day it MAY support the algae growth, it may not... I'd simply go see just how long/ how intense sun light its getting and if need be add a blind to this window and close it during that very time of the day.

Sand and water exchanges or vacuum is just fine, I have few tanks set up with play sand, no issues. If you want to maybe house Cory's that's in their favor then. If not, fine gravel will also do well for plants. Its really a matter of looks (what YOU like to see) and who's living in it. Check out my one 10g under my aquariums tab on the left, its set up with black sand and I like that too (houses ghost shrimp so you see them far better).

I'd strongly recommend buying/ ordering DW. Finding your own, not knowing (I assume) exactly which trees its from, what it may or may not have been contaminated with and or not knowing which bacteria it got on it that you may bring in to your tank...A lot of unknowns that can really screw up your tank... Safe the headache and buy some.

I'd NOT get a pleco just because, really only then if you have plenty algae for it to feed off and like the actual fish as a fish, otherwise it'll just add to your tanks bio load for no reason.

As for planting, there's thousand of options and its really all up to what you like seeing in the tank...Mine are mostly set up totally different ways. The latest one (not online yet sorry) is set up with a bunch of Hairgrass in the front for example.

Grimmjow

here is the pics of the ground plants i like http://www.tfhmagazine.com/assets/013/26812.jpg for the clover lookin ones and http://www.tfhmagazine.com/assets/013/26824.jpg for the grass. Would you trust driftwood off of aquabid or stick to a pet store?

Angel079

I have never bought off aquabid, so I really can not recommend you any seller there. Just check your pet stores, see what they have.

Have recently planted clover for the 1st time, can't tell you yet how quick or not it builds runners and spreads.
Now the 2nd link, that's the hairgrass up front I was talking about, with it I have made great experiences and recently planted a new 10g that way...here's a picture of my latest 10g set up with it, since I hadn't uploaded this to my aquariums yet (sorry for the cloudiness, pic was taken right after i filled it).

Attached Images

10g new3-20dec09.jpg (73.5 KB, 27 views)

Grimmjow

Ya i do like that grass, i want to make it look like im looking out into my front yard

Angel079

Another option for large area's to fill quick with a "carpet" effect would be to take regular window screen cut to size X you want to have covered in your tank and attach Java Moss spread out across it, while it grows out it attaches itself to the screen...I use that to make "walls" in my shrimp tanks.

Here's 2 pages to get plants online (if not available to you locally) and also will give you nice ideas about other plants too, just brows through, see what YOU like

Sweet Aquatics
AquariumPlants.com Largest online sales / service site for the live aquarium plants & aquarium products community.

Fishin Pole

Most of your sellers on Aquabid have the same suppliers as the pet stores for items such as driftwood, lace rock or other tank accessories....It all comes down to how much is the benefits from purchasing from an Aqaubid seller or buying from your LFS.........With an item like driftwood, you wont need to worry about a manufacturers defect or a broken product....There are alot of good deals on Aquabid, and you might be able to combine your plant order with your driftwood order.....Check it out!........

Grimmjow

woah woah woah
CLOVER, FOUR LEAF (Marsilea quadrifolia)

waahhatt

Angel079

If you look at the very left front part of my 10g pictured here...that's that clover

Grimmjow

Do they really all grow 4 leaves?