On my way to getting my dream aquarium...

Canadian Fish

Added some Crypts today. Stupid plants, just another thing to blow money on. :)

Well worth it if they don't die, and if the barbs don't eat them all up.

Jakiebabie

Something that you should watch for... I'm old and forgetful... lol... I probably already told you this.... now that I have a fully planted tank and I have removed every single plastic and silk one from there, I can't get over how different the fish act around them. With plastic they straight out avoid them!! Swimming in the front half of the tank cause most of the plants are at the back (sort of) unless there are fry hiding in them. For real plants, the fish swim in and out of them, under leaves, exploring. They certainly don't avoid them and I find my Congo Tetras sleeping wedged into them at night. They seem to swim by and thru allowing the leaves to touch them. Something I did not expect to see and now that I see the difference I will likely never go back to plastic.
Looking fabulous!!

Canadian Fish

Thanks! I like the way it looks too. I hope I can keep the plants alive, I really like them. And hopefully the barbs don't eat them all. I'm almost wondering if I should stock something different with them.

twocents

To jakiebabie, interesting observation on the fishies & plastic plants. Don't have any (anymore) in the aquarium.
I just buy more of the plants that survive. Some seem to do real well right away, even growing, and then fail.
I just hope this bloody frankenstorm goes elsewhere.

Jakiebabie

Agreed, Stay dry!!
3 things with your plants if they are failing.
What bulbs are you using and are they old? (over a year) Change them!
Get your lights on a timer if they are not already on one. "Daytime" for you fish tank does not mean you must turn out the lights when it gets dark outside. Set the timer so that the lights are ON when you are home so you can enjoy it. Just make sure it is running consistently and that there is a set DAY and FULL DARK.
Fertilize! Good routine to follow, and you WILL see a difference... Day 1 is Water change, Day 2 and Day 5 are Ferts. SO 1,3,3. Don't de-chlor the same day as Ferts as it wipes out the Ferts and you will be wasting your money.

CanFish.... What about some Giant Vallisneria? Vals! Mine are about 4 feet long and travel across the top of the tank. They root and travel and send up shoots beside the mother plant. Great for back corners. Check Kijiji in your area for a local grower, it's likely cheaper.

Canadian Fish

Will barbs and balas eat these?

Also, do you know of any plants a Silver Dollar won't eat (I actually started a separate thread about the Silver Dollars.)

I just checked kijiji and there is no one locally.

Jakiebabie

Sadly I know nothing about Silver Dollars, never owned them. When I had my Bala's I never tried live plants. But those Bala's need that big tank regardless so give it a try. The big tank was intended for these Bala's right? You still have 5? (I had 2 in a 90G,... it was too small for them.) You are almost cycled right? And with all these new plants your Bala's are likely ready to go in very soon. They are Omnivorous and are more of a scavenger looking for food left on the bottom of the tank. Their habitat is a planted river also. From what I can find on the internet I don't see a problem with Bala's and plants.

Canadian Fish

Oh, the balas are definitely going in the 220, lol. I can't wait. I think they'll be ok with the plants I have so far. If not, tough luck for the plants. I was wondering what other plants might stand a chance.

The barbs, however, are not written in stone. I don't know how bad they are for plants. And which plants have the best chance of surviving with them (besides Java Fern and Anubias). Inexplicably my Big Als rarely has Java Fern. Might have to go to Pet Smart. Yuck. The one and only time I got ick was from PetSmart fish and I have never gone back.

I know some Bala Shark profiles actually say to keep them in a planted tank.

Think those Vals will get eaten?

When they grow that big, do they not block light from getting to the other plants?

Bluydgrl

Your tank looks great....I have a planted tank and the plants i have are Water Sprite,Anubias Nana,Anacharis,El Nino,Amazon Sword,Cryptocoryne,Compacta,Ophiopogon Japonica(Mondo Grass),and Cabomba.Mine are doing great.I run Coralife 6,700 and Colormax T5 HO Bulbs.
Can i give you my opinion on what i would do with your tank??I would get more Driftwood and spread out your decor in different areas in your tank.Make it look not so straight lined.And i'd get rid of the plastic Plants:)The real ones look so much better.It will take awhile for them to grow but you will be surprised at how much more natural they will look.
I'd do a back wall of plants.I have gotten most of mine at Petsmart in there fish tanks.I even bought a nice piece of Driftwood with a Anubias Nana on it.And another piece yesterday for my other tank i have.
Even though i work at the LFS we don't sell many plants that i really like:(
Look at the Roseline Sharks also.They are my favorite along with Black Ghost Knife and Elephant Nose.My tank it way to small to house those.Your's would be perfect:)

Canadian Fish

Thanks for the advice! I'm going to get rid of the fake plants once the real ones start growing. My tank DOES look quite linear right now, I'm definitely going to have to work on that. My problem is imagination, or rather, my lack thereof.

There are five pieces of driftwood in that tank, which are hard to see in the photos, as they are dark. I plan on attaching plants to all of them.

What sort of fish do you keep with all those plants?