tons of questions about fish and plants for 35G

A

Asgaroth

AC Members
Mar 21, 2009
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0
Danbury, CT
Hello everyone I'm really exited to setup a fish tank with my 2.5y old kid. I used to own 12G when I was 16. Anyhow

I got a this 12.59'' 35.82'' 19.68''
so far I bought :

1) plants also I got some - plants please help me to identify them.
2) Aquarium multi-test strip kit to test for Chlorine, pH, and etc...
3) Stress Coat + to eliminate Chlorine.
4) Small gravel

I was thinking about:

1) 5-7 Odessa Barbs
2) 3-4 Zebra Danio or some other Danio
3) pair of Catfish
4) not sure if I need any snails I've read they can help to maintain eco balance.
5) open to any recommendation.

also I need more plants so some questions:

1) In local pet smart sort of chain shops plants look very bad. Does anyone know cheaper and better solution online?
2) any suggestion what kind of plants would fit my aquarium - I want it to be green and nice.

Thanks for your answers
 
The first plant is a sword, I believe. Unfortunatley the second one is Dracaena (sp?), non-aquatic. It will rot after a few weeks in the tank but can be planted in a pot and be a nice house plant.
What kind of lighting do you have? If it's a stock hood, you are probably limited to low light plants.
 
gmh said:
Unfortunatley the second one is Dracaena (sp?), non-aquatic.
Click to expand...

WOOW :mad2: Petco sold that plant = it's a huge pet chain shop. That pot should have like 2-3 different plants in it. :eek3:


The lighting is stock but I wouldn't mind to change it to something better. Though my budget is very low but I would consider something from ebay.
 
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to me they look like anubia and some sword... not sure though.... I prolly wouldn't mix barbs and danios... if you do, definately not longfin danios... not sure about that particular barb, but I understand most barbs are fin-nippers. Danios are energetic, but don't school well... you'll prolly also want some larger "centerpiece" fish... like some gourami. be careful with both catfish and gourami to make sure you are getting the right kind that won't get too large. Don't listen to the petstore, do your own research. Personally a fan of otocinclus affinis, but they can be difficult to care for, and ONLY eat algae. Corydoras can be fun, but they don't eat algae. Plecos eat everything, so you have to make sure it's not going to get big enough to eat your other fish. Bristlenose or bushynose (effectively the same thing) plecos are good, and stay around 4-5 inches. There are alot of different plecs that stay between 4 and 8 inches, so look around...
 
Since you are starting out, you may want to go with low light plants for now. You can always upgrade the lighting later when you learn more about aquatic plants.
There is a classified section on this site where you can find AC members selling plants.
Are you familiar with how to cycle a tank so that is ready for fish? There is a 'freshwater cycling' sticky above this freshwater newbie section.
Your proposed stocking sounds pretty good, depending on which catfish you select.
 
yeah, i learned the hard way about not buying plants from the big box petstores, too, asgaroth. i bought two things of kyoto grass from them, and while they're still alive two weeks later, they don't look very happy... i'm definitely sticking to buying plants here from now on.
 
few more questions:

1) should I use gravel or sand?
2) where can I get decorative roots?
3) can anyone recommend me a good freshwater plant seller from the forum?

thanks
 
Gravel verses sand is really a personal choice. I prefer gravel, as it's easier to work with and less messy. If you do get sand you want a coarser grained type like Pool filter sand.
By decorative root do you mean those fake logs? I thought Petco sold them, not sure. www.drsfosterandsmith sell fake driftwood and such. They also sell real driftwood, but I prefer to see the actual piece or collect it myself rather that order sight unseen.
Lots of AC members sell plants. I hate to single out just one or two...
 
The Pet Smarts around here sell a fern that is non-aquatic as a fully aquatic plant. They also sell "red crinkle" (not sure the actual name) as a fully aquatic plant @ the local petshops around here. It will rot fast too.
 
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