mattpu Posted July 28, 2015 Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 Hi everyone! My name is Matt, I wanted to introduce myself on this forum. I was previously a part of the Local saltwater forum when I had a small nano tank for a few years. This time I've decided to set up a small freshwater planted tank mostly for shrimp and maybe a couple small fishes. Right now the tank is just settling before I start adding life to it, but was wanting to ask the advice of the forum members what's a good course of action. In cycling the tank, is it ok to start with just shrimps and plants, or should I also introduce fish in the beginning as well? My goal is to keep a very simple tank with as much planted life as possible, low bio load, but with some interesting creatures in there. The tank is a square 5 gallon tank and I have a 15 watt cfl bulb, small filter, and I've used flourite black for the substrate. I would like to have some longer plants in the back, moving towards more moss and ground cover in the front and grass along one side. I don't know any names quite yet, but I'll learn. I was hoping to get suggestions from the crowd what plants and animals would be suitable for this kind of setup? Thanks so much for the help! Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckmullin Posted July 28, 2015 Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 Hello and welcome to AA. I don't do much with fish or shrimp however if you had any sort of planted questions just give me a buzz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted July 28, 2015 Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 If you plant it fully, first, you won't have a cycle - the plants will use up all nitrogen given off by shrimp/fish. If you plant first, and let them get a week's head-start, you can probably fully stock the tank right from the get-go... especially, if you're just doing shrimp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattpu Posted July 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 Hello! Thanks for the replies...and thanks for the suggestions regarding setting up with plants and livestock at once. What do you think would be good plants that might suit that set up? Also, in terms of fish - should I cycle first with tetras or bring in danios (which is what I would like to keep eventually). Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattpu Posted July 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 Here's my tank so far. Pretty bare bones, but a good start, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted July 28, 2015 Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 It's been a while since I've kept plants, but in a small tank like that, I'd go for some corkscrew Val (how tall is the tank?) in the back or sides. You might do well with some bushy stem plants for a back drop. I'd tie some mosses to the "tree" - maybe flame and/or fissidens. Finally, there are a lot of carpet plants that would work. I've always been a fan of Glosso, but really, there are dozens that people on this site use. Keep an eye in the Buy/Sell forum for plants for sale. Update your Profile so people know where you're from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattpu Posted July 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2015 Thanks for the advice Jvision, that's all really helpful. The goal is definitely to have a plant heavy tank, so it's good to have some names for the plants. It's a small tank 10 x 10 x 12 - about 5 gallons I think. My other goals are to keep some easy shrimp - possibly red cherry shrimp and maybe a few celestial pearl danios. Where would be the best place to pick these up? Are there breeders in the city (Edmonton)? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted July 30, 2015 Report Share Posted July 30, 2015 Lots of people are breeding Cherry Shrimp - you can usually find a member selling them for $2ea or less. I know of at least a few people around who are/have breeding Celestial Danios as well, tho not nearly as common. Keep an eye on the Buy/Sell threads, or even post what you're looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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