New Ideas Needed

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Hilary

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Jan 9, 2003
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Ottawa, Canada
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I need some new ideas to help my tanks. First is 10 gallon tank currently occupied by two small unidentified plants. (no fish since last summer) I have previously obtained all my water from "city" sources as my well water is very hard and high pH. I would like to start to use the well water instead. WHat type of fish would be appropriate?
Secondly I have a 55 gal with a green severum 6", 4 tiger barbs(1.5"), one red tailed shark(4"), two clown loaches (4")and a yellow algae eater. Currently there are no plants since they were all eaten. The water has turned very green. I am using 'city' water in this tank but is is a pain to carry it home all the time.I think I need to keep doing this for the current fish. I need a long term plan for this tank. Are there any plants that the fish would not eat? I would rally like to have a well planted tank. I have 2 40 watt fluorescent tubes. Thanks in advance for any input!
Hilary
 
For your 10 gallon maybe some small schooling fish or some apistogrammas. For your 50 gallon some java ferns and floating plants shouldnt get eaten.
 
What type of "city" water are you hauling? (I hear you, I used to do that and I hated it.) Do you know the pH on it? If it's purchased bottled water (especially distilled water), the pH may be very low. Perhaps mixing it half-and-half with your tap water would give you a nice pH in the 7-ish range? That would be good for all your fish in the 55-gal, I think.

Amazon sword plants are said to be bad-tasting for fish, and they're supposed to do well with plant-chomping fishies.

For using straight tapwater in the other tank, some dwarf African cichlids like a pH of around 8.2 or so, and they're very colorful fish. (I'm thinking about setting up a 10-gal like that myself.) In a small tank, though, you couldn't put more than one pair (male & female) in there with comfort, and you'd have to select a species that stays small (around 2" or less adult size). You could add a few tetras and a cory cat or two as well, if they can handle that pH. (You'd have to look that up, I'm not sure of the answer.)

-- Pat
 
The 'city ' water is tap water, pH about 7.2 and very soft. My well water is very hard. The pH of the well water does not decrease with addition of the tap water.
I did have an Amazon sword in the 55, it was given to me as a huge plant and was almost completely gone in a week! I will probably try for some Java Fern as Andy suggests and I hope the green water will clear up.
I like the cichlid idea for the 10, one recommendation I had was for yellow labs, but I also read that they could be too big.
Thanks!
Have a good weekend!
Hilary
 
Hey Hilary,

There was another recent thread on good plants for a hardwater tank.

This is a great site for plant profiles. It has a rundown on preferred water conditions and care. The list works by scientific name, but the writeups will give you the common name. Its a danish site so they use a comma instead of a decimal point: pH 5,5-8 means 5.5 to 8. This company's plants are available in Canada but not in the US. Scroll through the list for potential candidates. Crypts (all the cryptocoynes) and java fern (microsorum pteropus) are low light plants that can withstand a wide range of water and are both supposed to be distasteful to plant eating fish.

Shellies, or shell-dwellers, are small african cichlids. A couple would be good in a small hardwater tank. They like to have some decent sized snail shells around to hide in, sea shells would work as well.

I'm not real clear about hauling tapwater, but 7.2 pH will give you a lot more flexibility. Its more or less neutral, and can be tolerated by most hard or soft water fish.

(Apistos are soft and acidic and not good candidates: they have a reputation for being somewhat delicate).
 
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for high pH in your 10gal.
i would suggest you go brackish and get some bumble bee gobies.

small and cute :)
 
Update

Thanks to info obtained here, I purchased some Java Fern for the very green tank, The water has almost cleared! I can just see the back of the tank! There are a few chunks eaten out of the plants but not too many!. I just have to figure out how to tie them to objects so they won't float away. (am using nylon thread but it comes undone)

I got two yellow labs for the hardwater tank, they seem very happy also.
Thanks
Hilary
 
Hi Hilary- You can lower ph using peat. It does stain the water brown- an effect some like. If you dont, carbon clears the color but leaves the ph lowered.

You can attach ferns, anubias etc. to rocks and wood in several ways. Waxed dental floss, nylon wire ties, fishing line, thread or rubber bands. The last two may disolve or fall apart before the plants attaches. I founf it hard to make knots in the fishing line so I now use waxed dental floss or black wire ties.

After a few months, I cut and remove the ties or floss.
 
Thanks! The dental floss worked much better than the nylon thread. It was unwaxed and unflavoured!
The tank is really clear now and even the algae on the back glass has mostly gone!
Hilary
 
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