REMODEL. 55gal, wanna watch? Stocking and Planting. Opinions loved =]

angella

So I'm redoing my 55gal. Stocking lots of fish and adding lots of plants!

Currently..
15 neon tetras
2 groups of Java Fern
1 big Anubias
some arrowhead stuff
and some other plants I don't know

Pictures...
Full View from Angle


Left Side


Right Side



And yesterday my little sister and I got a crowntail betta at walmart. Mom said she could get one and I helped her pick it out... We ended up getting a really cute little guy (luckily the fish were semi-healthy, our walmart isn't supposed to get fish and sometimes they randomly do. When they do no one takes care of them. At all ... Most die)
Anyways he's in my 55gal for now, possibly to stay. The alternative is a 1.5 gallon bowl... No heater, even though he would get regular water changes. So hopefully he does ok in here.
Here's pics of him, though they don't do him justice at ALL. He shimmers between a black color and a fluorescent blue or something when he swims, pretty awesome looking really.




My filter is a Penguin 280 Biowheel.
Water parameters are 77F, 7.0-7.2pH, and on the soft side. I have officially ordered some Malaysian Driftwood and Flourish Comprehensive supplement from Dr. Foster and Smith and will be getting some plants and Rosy Barbs from my lfs tomorrow I'm also getting some Amazon Frogbit off Ebay.
Many thanks to Byron and all the others who have helped me with planning what I'm going to do and generally just figuring a lot of stuff out.


I'm thinking that Imma get some red eye tetras and various corydoras cats after the rosy barbs are settled in, getting the other tetras next week and the corydoras a few weeks after that if all goes well.
I'm also getting various plants, we'll see how they do.

Jayy

I think the betta should be fine in the tank, for now, but a 2.5 gallon kritter keeper with a heater would be good, if space/money is a problem. As for the Rosy Barb, they do best in cooler temps around 72. For the fish you have now this will be too cold. Cherry Barb, would be nice.

angella

And yeah so far I think he's doing ok =) I will keep him in the 55 for at least a month as long as all goes well. Possibly permanently.
My bad! -facepalm- I meant Cherry Barb actually Thank you!

Jayy

Ok, no problem

Quantum

the 'arrowhead stuff' looks like Anubias hastifolia, it will do better if the rhizome is not planted in the substrate

angella

I googled Anubias hastifolia and am pretty positive that's what it is. I also have a large anubius that I kept burrying but it raised it's rhizome or something because it kept coming up and it's grown a TON since I got it off ebay all those years ago But on the arrowhead Anubias, it's rather large so if I just pull the rhizome part out of the substrate, or fan the substrate off of most of it, will that be ok? Like just leave the roots but uncover that. Because it had a pretty good root system last week when I checked?
Thank you for mentioning that

Only One Haze

Looking good angella. I must say, I have never really been too into Bettas but, I love the coloration on that one!

Quantum

no need to uproot the entire root mass, just pull it up so that the rhizome is just above the substrate

angella

Thanks Haze! I wish the pictures did his color justice, even though he looks great in real life he looks like a flowing "metal" in a way, it's like he shimmers.




Also, you may have noticed I have two bunches of Java Fern. I'm getting driftwood soon but right now they're both planted like the arrowhead Anubius, and I read they shouldn't be like that either. But one of them has already had two plants come off it's leaves, and another on the way.... So are they ok under gravel? Or should I move them all to my driftwood when I put it in?

And ok I will do that in two hours when I pick up my new Cherry Barbs and the live plants I ordered at my lfs today =) Glad you identified it!

Quantum

My advice for the Anubias was based on first hand experience with the buried/exposed rhizome situation.

My Java Fern has always been attached to wood, so I honestly don't know how it will do buried, but most resources (including Byron in the profiles here) say to attach it to either a rock or wood, so I would do that.