Setting up a new ten gallon tank

gorangers0525

I only have one tiny Java Fern and one tiny Anubias. They're doing fine but my tank isn't heavily planted at all. I'm going to pick up atleast a couple more larger plants today. And I just tested my tap water for nitirite and ammonia and picked up none. The ammonia is definitely coming from the fish food. Do you think I should just stop with the fish food and plant heavier? I have a good feeling I goofed on the nitrite reading hte other day.

Byron

If you get more plants, and especially some fast-growers like floating and/or stem plants, or some swords including the Pygmy chain sword, then yes, stop the fish food and let the plants settle.

Slow-growing plants like JF and Anubias will use ammonia but minimally; the slower a plant grows the less light and less nutrients it requires, obviously.

gorangers0525

Thanks Byron! I'm still on a search for a decent floating plant.


Went to a pet shop today that had a tank full of live plants for sale. Unfortunately the names for these plants weren't available. But there was one that looked very healthy and I decided to pick it up. Can you guys help me identify it? If it isn't suitable for my tank he said I'd be able to return it within a week. I assume it's a plant that can be put in substrate since it was like that at the pet shop.

fishlover1138

Alright dude. a ten gallon is great. i have one, the only thing is that a ten gallon cant house manny fish. in mine i have 4 zebra danios. great fish. i love them. i also have one albino Bristlenose Pleco. hes great. so. i love danios. you could house some zebras and some leapords. or some longfins. there are diffrent varietys of danios. its fun to combine diffrent species. hope that helped. oh and the honey gourmi ssounds good. if its the only fish in there.

Byron

I'm not sure, but the stem plant looks like Didiplis diandra, Water Hedge.

gorangers0525

There's a good chance thats it. I think I'd be able to meet the lighting requirements easily.

gorangers0525

Well my nitrites are back with a vengeance.


Need more plants!





Sorry for the huge, sideways picture.

eug

You should probably unbunch that stem plant and plant the stems individually so that they don't get smothered.

gorangers0525

Thanks Eug. I unbunched them yesterday.


Ammonia levels have decreased drastically and nitrites are high. Going to continue my search for a nice floating plant tomorrow.

Anubias is doing real well. I had to snip off a couple leaves because they were broken and they have been recovering nicely. The stem plant seems to be doing well too. The Java Fern on the other hand seems healthy but not thriving. I haven't seen much root growth from it, it hasn't attached to the rock I tied it onto yet.

eug

Yeah what I found with my Java Fern is that the pre-existing leaves you get from the store tend to gradually die off, particularly the older leaves. Watch for plantlets forming on the tips bigger older leaves, because these will all grow into beautiful little individual plants eventually. I've had my Java Fern since May, and it was sold as a "mother plant" because it was producing lots of plantlets. Sure enough most of the original leaves are gone or dying, and basically all of the Java Fern you see in my aquarium pictures on the left tab developed from little plantlets.

Your tank needs more fast growers though. I'm not sure what species that stem plant is, but you might want to add something like Brazilian Pennywort, which works well planted in the substrate or left to float, and Water Sprite which is a favourite plant of many on these forums.