Little help please

[stephens0813]

I'm trying to start a tank with both fish and live plants. I am going to have guppies and kuhli loach and I'm unsure of the type of pant that would work best. I love the look of the dwarf hairgrass and would like to have a grassy bottom look but I'm unsure if its good for the loach. It is all going to be in a ten gallon for now until I perfect this then move bigger.

 

[TraceyB4602]

IMO, I think the loaches would love the grass, more places to hide throughout the tank.

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[The_Desacrator]

I particularly like anubias and amazon swords.

 

[cinnamaldehyde]

+1 for the Anubias and Amazon swords

Anubias spp. seem to be very hardy, and very easy to grow with low light levels. Amazon swords are really pretty, IMO, but need more light. I don't know much about hairgrass, but someone else might chime in.

It is all going to be in a ten gallon for now until I perfect this then move bigger.

Do you already have the 10gal? Because it's actually easier to have a bit bigger tank when you first start. The more water = more forgiving, provided you keep an eye on water parameters and do PWCs.

I think guppies and kuhlis would be really nice together! Good luck!

 

[daileene]

Having to cycle with fish myself, I would highly recommend for you to do fishless cycle. Much faster and you don't have to do PWC everytime your ammonia and nitrite will go more than 0.25ppm, because higher level than that will be detrimental for your fishes. In fishless cycle, you can still have some live plants. It does help the cycle.

+1 with the amazon swords needing medium lighting. When you want to grow plants, you need to have the proper lighting. Actinic and/or incandescent lighting will not do anything for your plants. You will need daylight compact flourescent with the color temperature from 6500-10000k for plants to thrive.

 

[stephens0813]

@Tracey that was what I was thinking I just was unsure if they will push the plant around or even uproot it.

I do like both the amazon sword and anubias by they would be too tall my tank is only a foot tall. Yes I do have a ten gallon already. I would love to have a bigger tank though

So I can cycle with plants in? I prefer to do fishless as well. That's what I did with my first tank but I am moving in two days and had to give away my fish. (3 Golddust molly and 3 black fin sharks).

Also what kind of substrate would I need to use?

 

[daileene]

Yes you can cycle with plants. I am cycling my 2nd 10G, my 5G and my 4.4G fishless with plants. Any substrate will do. Gravel, sand, flourite, eco-complete, floramax, even dirt (organic potting soil) will do. Although with the gravel and sand, you need to put root tabs since they don't have too much nutrients on its own compared to the other substrate.

 

[CoyoteWildfire]

+1 Grass, +1 Amazon Sword

I too recommend the grass, though if you decide not to go with that, the loach will probably burrow under the gravel if it's fine enough. The amazon sword is a good, hardy plant in my experience. I have a pleco that eats away at its leaves quite a bit in between feedings and it's still going strong.

Edit: Also, don't get duped into getting yourself a white arrowhead like I was. I assume you probably wouldn't anyway, since loaches tend to stay toward bottom, but they're not a true aquatic and eventually rot away, apparently.