hi, im looking for advice on my plant stock. i have some plants that i like, and an idea of where to put them. i was wondering if these were good choices and if my tank setup sounds like it would be alright for plant growth.
i have some questions and any answers or suggestions would be great.
sorry this post is going to be long, just dont wanna start this out all wrong(ahhh that rhymed)
okay, the tank that i have right now is a 10 gallon, but i am upgrading it to a 20 gallon. i have some (what i believe to be, LFS ddnt name) java moss. it is currently being weighted down by some small pebbles. the tank has a sand substrate with a little bit of gravel, some large-ish rocks, and fake plants that i dont think look to bad for fake plants lol. standard lighting for a 10.. i forget how many watts the bulbs have.
tank occupants:6 harlequin rasboras, 1 male betta, 3 small mystery snails.
the 20 gallon isnt long, its the regular 20 i think. maybe 21 or 22" long, 12"ish wide, and 18" deep? i will move the fish from the 10 to the 20 and add a couple/few more Harlequin Rasboras
-sand substrate
-some gravel to make the higher area of the tank, which will be the corner so i dont have a huge anaerobic pocket.
-no hood yet, but i have a piece of glass im going to cut that will lay across the top that leaves room for the filter
-penguin 200 HOB biowheel filter(up to 50 gallons).. either that or ill use my topfin 20HOB and my crappy filter that came with the 10
-100 watt "theo hydor" heater(14-26 gallons)
-DIY co2(the 20 oz bottle concoction type thing)
plants that im thinking about using:
-Riccia Fluitans(either going to use as a floater or attach to rocks on the ground for a carpet. ive heard that maintenance is a B, but ill manage)
-Dwarf Sagittaria(sagittaria subulata)(this is a grass plant, but ive heard that it grows really quickly so im going to use it as a tall shelterish plant for my betta. it will be on the mound of gravel in the right back corner of the tank. will cover a decent amount of ground, so ill prob have to get more than 1 plant. i plan on having it grow to the top of the water)
-Water Hyssop Bacopa(bacopa monnieri)(id like to mix this in with the dwarf sag on the higher ground in the corner of my tank.)
im also thinking about using Ceylon Hygrophyla in place of either the dwarf sag or the bacopa. not sure if i want to stick with all greens in my tank yet or not though.
also wondering if brazilian pennywort is a floater? how does it look as a floater?
basically, i want a grassy carpet plant to cover most of the ground, tall plants to make a kind of forest for my betta, some floating plants, and a couple of small plants for here and there in the tank.
i know youre probably wondering when im going to start with the lighting... here i go. i dont have the lighting yet, so i guess this just means i have a lot of options. im thinking about going with a fluorescent fixture.. the kind @ home depot. i know that they have a lot of okay compact/reg fluoro bulbs for the fixtures there too. does lumens count when you grow plants in water, or is it just watts? i havnt really heard anything about lumens here, but when i grew some non-water plants it was lumens galore.
i want atleast 3 WPG, even though most of these plants seem decently easy to grow.
QUESTIONS:
-is sand okay for growing plants?
-is just gravel okay for growing plants?
-floaters- will they take away a lot of light from my grounded plants?
-DIY co2- any good mix ratio recipes that have worked best for you? how much will co2 take away oxygen from the tank at night?
-lighting- looking for brand and type suggestions and prices maybe?
-does my plants list seem okay?
-ferts- necessary with these plants? i know nothing about ferts
-will the glass top block out any important lumens, rays, or watts from reaching my tank? it is not tempered.
if you read all this, thanks. and thanks for anything in advance.
i have some questions and any answers or suggestions would be great.
sorry this post is going to be long, just dont wanna start this out all wrong(ahhh that rhymed)
okay, the tank that i have right now is a 10 gallon, but i am upgrading it to a 20 gallon. i have some (what i believe to be, LFS ddnt name) java moss. it is currently being weighted down by some small pebbles. the tank has a sand substrate with a little bit of gravel, some large-ish rocks, and fake plants that i dont think look to bad for fake plants lol. standard lighting for a 10.. i forget how many watts the bulbs have.
tank occupants:6 harlequin rasboras, 1 male betta, 3 small mystery snails.
the 20 gallon isnt long, its the regular 20 i think. maybe 21 or 22" long, 12"ish wide, and 18" deep? i will move the fish from the 10 to the 20 and add a couple/few more Harlequin Rasboras
-sand substrate
-some gravel to make the higher area of the tank, which will be the corner so i dont have a huge anaerobic pocket.
-no hood yet, but i have a piece of glass im going to cut that will lay across the top that leaves room for the filter
-penguin 200 HOB biowheel filter(up to 50 gallons).. either that or ill use my topfin 20HOB and my crappy filter that came with the 10
-100 watt "theo hydor" heater(14-26 gallons)
-DIY co2(the 20 oz bottle concoction type thing)
plants that im thinking about using:
-Riccia Fluitans(either going to use as a floater or attach to rocks on the ground for a carpet. ive heard that maintenance is a B, but ill manage)
-Dwarf Sagittaria(sagittaria subulata)(this is a grass plant, but ive heard that it grows really quickly so im going to use it as a tall shelterish plant for my betta. it will be on the mound of gravel in the right back corner of the tank. will cover a decent amount of ground, so ill prob have to get more than 1 plant. i plan on having it grow to the top of the water)
-Water Hyssop Bacopa(bacopa monnieri)(id like to mix this in with the dwarf sag on the higher ground in the corner of my tank.)
im also thinking about using Ceylon Hygrophyla in place of either the dwarf sag or the bacopa. not sure if i want to stick with all greens in my tank yet or not though.
also wondering if brazilian pennywort is a floater? how does it look as a floater?
basically, i want a grassy carpet plant to cover most of the ground, tall plants to make a kind of forest for my betta, some floating plants, and a couple of small plants for here and there in the tank.
i know youre probably wondering when im going to start with the lighting... here i go. i dont have the lighting yet, so i guess this just means i have a lot of options. im thinking about going with a fluorescent fixture.. the kind @ home depot. i know that they have a lot of okay compact/reg fluoro bulbs for the fixtures there too. does lumens count when you grow plants in water, or is it just watts? i havnt really heard anything about lumens here, but when i grew some non-water plants it was lumens galore.
i want atleast 3 WPG, even though most of these plants seem decently easy to grow.
QUESTIONS:
-is sand okay for growing plants?
-is just gravel okay for growing plants?
-floaters- will they take away a lot of light from my grounded plants?
-DIY co2- any good mix ratio recipes that have worked best for you? how much will co2 take away oxygen from the tank at night?
-lighting- looking for brand and type suggestions and prices maybe?
-does my plants list seem okay?
-ferts- necessary with these plants? i know nothing about ferts
-will the glass top block out any important lumens, rays, or watts from reaching my tank? it is not tempered.
if you read all this, thanks. and thanks for anything in advance.