beautylovetruth Posted February 16, 2013 Report Share Posted February 16, 2013 Hey everyone, I've been pondering the idea of putting some real plants in my tank and I'm looking for some advice. I have a 29 gallon and the stock list is in my signature. I already know the snails won't eat green/living plants as I've put in zucchini and lettuce and they won't touch it until it's getting fuzzy. I have standard bulbs right now, meaning I would need low light plants. Due to a potential snail outbreak, I'll likely need a few dwarf loaches. I've had my tank set up for just about six months and parameters have been 0-0-0 for a while, with 25% water changes weekly. I'm running an Aquaclear 30 for filtration and have stabilized temp at 28oC. Any thoughts on what plants/loaches I may consider for this endeavour? Anything else I may have missed? Thanks! -Trina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurensdad Posted February 17, 2013 Report Share Posted February 17, 2013 Start with some low.light high.growth plants your tank will do.fine maybe put lights on trimmer for 9 hours to 12 hours a day and happy.growing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckmullin Posted February 17, 2013 Report Share Posted February 17, 2013 0-0-0 is fine if you have no plants however since you want plants the last 0 isn't going to work. You need all the poop, waste, ditrus in the substrate for plants to have food. If you clean your substrate regularly to remove all that valuable gold, you MUST dose ferts and on a regular schedule for continued growth. There are a few posts about basic plants for a new planted tank however websites such as this are of great help too. http://www.tropica.com/en/plants/difficulty/easy.aspx You'll quickly see plant trends for easy/med/hard. Because snails in your tank didn't like a couple veggies does not mean that they will not want to munch on soft leaf - delicate plants. I'd say that temp would be a little warm drop it down to 23-25. For loaches, no idea...not too much a fish person more a planted tank guy. For snails, grab MTS and throw them in your tank if you don't have, those are the snails you need in a planted tank. Snails that stick on plants and glass are the snails you don't need unless they are eyecandy for you. If you have those snails to control algae, the system might be a bit scewed as there should be minimal to nothing for algae in a stable planted tank. hope some of these points should help. if you had any specific questions my pm box is always open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbarr Posted February 18, 2013 Report Share Posted February 18, 2013 hey, glad to hear that you are thinking about jumping into the wonderful world of planted tanks. It can be very rewarding. If you are thinking that there may be a snail outbreak in your tank, I would recommend that you check out the container plants at PJs. They are guaranteed snail and algea free. I believe that they are grown in hydroponics set ups, tho I could be wrong about that. They tend to be a little more money but from what I hear they have a lot of plant in the containers. So they could be a good bang for your buck, tho I have no experience to draw from. I only have hear say. The other thing that you may consider is that if you fertilize, you can really monitor the amount of snail population in your tank with the amount you feed your fish. Snails can be quite beneficial for algae control if kept in check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishclubgirl Posted February 18, 2013 Report Share Posted February 18, 2013 (edited) You should go plant shopping at the ACE auction next Sunday. There should be a great selection of plants, all grown in alberta water.. and also some local plant experts.But beware, any of the rare plants are mine, all mine........ Edited February 18, 2013 by fishclubgirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinos187 Posted February 19, 2013 Report Share Posted February 19, 2013 Duck weed!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beautylovetruth Posted February 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2013 Thank you all for your great replies. FCG-I'll certainly be at the auction on Sunday but have to leave for an appointment around noon. Hopefully I'm able to get what I'd like before then. JamesBarr - I'll look into the MTS, I assume my mystery snails won't have a feast on them as they're burrowers. Am I right in that assumption? ckmullin-I'll start leaving that precious gold in the gravel From the site http://www.tropica.com/en/plants/difficulty/easy.aspx I've picked out the following that I like. Vallisneria sp. "Asiatica" - http://www.tropica.com/en/plants/plantdescription.aspx?pid=056A Ludwigia sp. - http://www.tropica.com/en/plants/plantdescription.aspx?pid=035B Staurogyne repens - http://www.tropica.com/en/plants/plantdescription.aspx?pid=049G Thoughts on those? I'd love to have the ludwigia "framed" by the vallisneria in the background of the aquarium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckmullin Posted February 20, 2013 Report Share Posted February 20, 2013 It was to JamesBarr but I had just seen it so thought I'd say too. MTS typically stay in the substrate and mystery snails won't eat them.. I've had both in the same tank and they were fine. I did have a pea puffer @ one point in time that pecked a mystery snail to death but that's another story! For the Ludwigia, might need to dose iron to keep the lush red as typical with deep red plants. The Repens are hard to come by (i have but in Calgary). Valls are always a good choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rompergoddess Posted February 20, 2013 Report Share Posted February 20, 2013 Underwater gardening is great for us Canadians! I highly recommend it! Yes, start with easy plants with low to medium light requirements. It makes it easier on you, when you do. The internet is a font of information, as is this community. Good luck to you in your new underwater gardening project! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbarr Posted February 21, 2013 Report Share Posted February 21, 2013 Thank you all for your great replies. FCG-I'll certainly be at the auction on Sunday but have to leave for an appointment around noon. Hopefully I'm able to get what I'd like before then. JamesBarr - I'll look into the MTS, I assume my mystery snails won't have a feast on them as they're burrowers. Am I right in that assumption? Just so that you know in regards to getting things in the early part of the auction, i believe that you can request that certain items be 'bumped' in order to have them bid on earlier so that you get a chance at them before you need to leave. Youd have to double check on the protocol, but I think it can be done. In regards to your mystery snails, Im reading that they are prominently herbivores, tho they seem to be naturally kind of a scavenger. Im seeing that they prefer to eat algae, dead plants, and the occasional bit of decaying fish food. It seems that they will attack your plants when starved much sooner than your mts. I have had them in my tank, but my observations are limited because I have so many mts in my tank. Thats another thing to bring up. Mts will reproduce prolifically in a tank that has adequate amounts of food for that to happen, which seems (ime) to be a very easy thing to have in a tank. As a matter of fact, I know when I am over feeding my fish within a few days because the mts will become quite prominent in my tank. I got mts snails from a lfs, who sold me 5 for $2. I have never needed more. They populated my tank quite well. That being said, I think that youd have to have a massively carnivorous apple before youd have any problems. Hope that helps a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beautylovetruth Posted February 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2013 That certainly does help! I tend to feed my fish once a day and only what they can eat. Occasionally I'll skip a day and then feed them. They are pretty spoiled with bloodworms, brine shrimp, pellets and very little flake. I'm doubtful my apples will become carnivorous, as one has been "attacking" the other every day for a while now and nothing is coming of it. I don't think apples clean the inside of each other's shells and I haven't seen any eggs that would point to mating so I don't know. The snails have been wonderful for cleaning up the fish food and any "aged" zucchini I have in the fridge. I have heard of bumping at the auction, so I'll see what I can do depending on what's there (although I have a feeling there will be some great finds). Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beautylovetruth Posted February 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 Thanks for all the advice guys! I got 9 stems of Val. Nanta at the auction today for $5. Tank is now planted (it was soooooo bare overnight) and I'm looking forward to having a planted tank! :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckmullin Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 Too bad we're such a distance...I'd hook you up for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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