Hi All.
I am new to this forum and was hoping to get some advise. I have just started my first fully planted tank and so far I love this tank. The tank is new and still cycling so I only have a few fish in it which makes it look bare but the plants are going crazy with new growth!
I do however have a question about tank ornaments. I wanted a more natural looking tank but didn't want actual drift wood so we purchased a large root ornament from a big name pet store which we put in the tank and looks great. This root however is rather tall (15") and the legs and top of it are hollow. I didn't think too much of it until I noticed fish were missing and found they were hiding in the hollow top area. The legs are hollow but only have an opening at the bottom which is blocked by sitting on the substrate. I know that hollow ornaments are normal but this one doesn't have large openings to get in and out of so I filled it with filter fiber so they wouldn't be able to get into it. Now I am wondering if I should even be using this ornament at all since the water that gets trapped in it isn't circulating like the rest of the tank water. Will this cause unwanted bacteria or stagnate water issues in the tank? Also if I continue to use this ornament should I remove the filter fiber and use something else or just nothing at all? I have invested too much money in this tank for it to be ruined by a single ornament. The tank specs are listed below.
Tank - 56 Gal
Substrate - Eco-Complete
Filter - Penguin BioWheel
Lighting - Nova Extreme
Plants - Dwarf Baby Tears Dwarf Hair Grass FoxTail Sagitaria Subulata Anubias Nana Java Fern Amazon Sword Ludwigia Narrow Neaf
Fish - Tiger Barbs Green Tiger Barbs and Serpae Tetras
Thanks for the help...
I am new to this forum and was hoping to get some advise. I have just started my first fully planted tank and so far I love this tank. The tank is new and still cycling so I only have a few fish in it which makes it look bare but the plants are going crazy with new growth!
I do however have a question about tank ornaments. I wanted a more natural looking tank but didn't want actual drift wood so we purchased a large root ornament from a big name pet store which we put in the tank and looks great. This root however is rather tall (15") and the legs and top of it are hollow. I didn't think too much of it until I noticed fish were missing and found they were hiding in the hollow top area. The legs are hollow but only have an opening at the bottom which is blocked by sitting on the substrate. I know that hollow ornaments are normal but this one doesn't have large openings to get in and out of so I filled it with filter fiber so they wouldn't be able to get into it. Now I am wondering if I should even be using this ornament at all since the water that gets trapped in it isn't circulating like the rest of the tank water. Will this cause unwanted bacteria or stagnate water issues in the tank? Also if I continue to use this ornament should I remove the filter fiber and use something else or just nothing at all? I have invested too much money in this tank for it to be ruined by a single ornament. The tank specs are listed below.
Tank - 56 Gal
Substrate - Eco-Complete
Filter - Penguin BioWheel
Lighting - Nova Extreme
Plants - Dwarf Baby Tears Dwarf Hair Grass FoxTail Sagitaria Subulata Anubias Nana Java Fern Amazon Sword Ludwigia Narrow Neaf
Fish - Tiger Barbs Green Tiger Barbs and Serpae Tetras
Thanks for the help...
