Plans for a 25 Gallon

[AmoretteCadenza]

Alrighty. I haven't been into aquariums for very long but right now I have a 25 gallon aquarium with 2 mollies, 3 guppies, glofish ( not goldfish... that will be moved to a different tank once the heater for their tank comes in, they will be my boyfriend's fish), and 3 cories (emerald, peppered, julii). It's got gravel right now and all plastic plants and decorations. In the future I would LOVE to plant it and get driftwood and sand. The fish I was planning for it are 2 german blue rams, a school of 5 bleeding heart tetra, cories, and perhaps a golden dojo loach (I just recently got interested in them ) I used aqadvisor.com and it said the fish would be fine with each other but I couldn't find a dojo loach on their list...

I consider myself a beginner and I've got lots of questions for experienced aquarists... I want to do everything right

• About Plants, Substrate, ect. :
1. What type of sand should I use and how much?
2. What plants should I consider to fill my 25 gallon? (I know GBRs need plenty of places to hide)
3. What kind of fertilizer should I use if I need it?
4. What kind of lighting should I consider? (The hood I have now doesn't cover the aquarium I've been looking at one on petco.com, it's the only place I could find a 29.25 by 11.5 hood)
* Any other information or input would be greatly appreciated.

•About the fish I've chosen :
1. Will the dojo loach be a problem?
2. Do GBRs need to be in pairs? How can I keep them? What kind of decor is best for them to hide in?
* Any other information or input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bettaowner]

I would add cryptocoryne and anubias plants to your tank since they are fairly hardy. The dojo may burrow and could end up digging up your plants.

 

[AmoretteCadenza]

Thanks for the reply! I will read up on those plants and start a list with them at the top

 

[AmoretteCadenza]

I've been looking around and I've found some easy plants I really like on aquariumplantsand supplies.com

Definitely = Anubias Barteri eyes:

Definitely = Cryptocoryne Balansae:


I think some redish plants would be super cool.
Maybe = Cryptocoryne Wendtii Tropica:

Maybe = Barclaya Red, Nymphaea Rubra, or Tiger Lotus:


And I love weeping/willow moss and flame moss:


I also found these four leaf clovers on aquariumplants.com! I think they're my favorite (if I could just find somewhere that has them in stock lol).
Marsilea quadrifolia (European Water Clover):

(I'm on the app so the pictures aren't under their names, but they are in order except the clover and flame moss got switched...)

 

[bettaowner]

I would hold off on the red plants unless you have a fairly strong light

 

[AmoretteCadenza]

I would like to get a new hood before I start trying plants. The one I have now doesn't cover the whole thing I'm just making plans, it's going to be a while before I get everything What kind of light would I need for the red plants? How many watts?

 

[bettaowner]

Many people advise red plants need 3-5 watts per gallon.

 

[AmoretteCadenza]

Alrighty. Thanks!

 

[bud29]

Many people advise red plants need 3-5 watts per gallon.

Watts per gallon is generally a pretty bad rule, unless working with T8s. It also depends on the quality of the fixture, bulbs, etc.Especially with LEDs, this rule does not apply. Your absolute best bet to measure lighting would be a PAR meter, however those can be a bit pricey.

That aside, just like green plants, not all red plants are created equal. Crypt wendtii red, for example, is just as low-light as a crypt wendtii green. However, trithuria sp. Blood vomit needs super high light. many red plants do need high light, to at least exhibit their best coloration. But Show me a red plant that needs high light and I can show you a green plant that needs it just as much Your best bet is to research the individual plants you are wanting, look into their needs, and see if you can meet those needs.

 

[AmoretteCadenza]

Alrighty, thanks! When I get a new hood I'll have plenty of questions about lighting and what kind of light fixtures I can put in it

 

[AmoretteCadenza]

This is the hood I'm looking at and planning to buy soon. It's the 29.25 by 11.5 hood. Would this hood be fine for aquarium plants? It would probably just depend on the fluorescent tubes it comes with, right?

http://m.petco.com/product/112178/A...arvoice-_-QA_PSVP-_-112178-_-description_link

 

[bud29]

This is the hood I'm looking at and planning to buy soon. It's the 29.25 by 11.5 hood. Would this hood be fine for aquarium plants? It would probably just depend on the fluorescent tubes it comes with, right?

http://m.petco.com/product/112178/Aqueon-Deluxe-Full-Fluorescent-Black-Aquarium-Hoods.aspx?cm_mmc=bazaarvoice-_-QA_PSVP-_-112178-_-description_link

That would get you very low light. You could do crypts but things like lotuses would be out. Plus, you really couldnt increase wattage since the power of T8s is determined by bulb dimensions.

If you want more plant options, I would look into getting a cheap dual T5HO fixture. I think you can find a 24" fixture on aquatraders for $40. (The brackets will extend to fit a 29g). That would definitely increase what you would keep. However, with that lighting you would most likely have to start some kind of a fertilizing regimen, so it is up to you, whether you want to start that. For me, the extra work of fertilizing has been worth it, because of all the cooler plants I am able to keep other than super low-light stuff. However, I know some people who really just do not want to mess with that.

 

[AmoretteCadenza]

Okay, a light like this then?

http://www.aquatraders.com/24-inch-2x24W-T5-Aquarium-Light-Fixture-p/52121p.htm

 

[bud29]

Okay, a light like this then?

http://www.aquatraders.com/24-inch-2x24W-T5-Aquarium-Light-Fixture-p/52121p.htm

Yup, that's what I was talking about

 

[AmoretteCadenza]

Yup, that's what I was talking about

Cool thanks! Next on my list is sand (maybe some play sand or silica sand, heard you can get it cheaper and in a greater quantity than aquarium sand), then the light, and then plants! I also broke and bought a tiny baby golden dojo loach at petsmart today (they were on sale) when I got some ghost shrimp... He's awesome And I got a pregnant ghost shrimp! D: I put her in a spare one gallon because I didn't know what to do or when the eggs will hatch!

I also moved my boyfriend's glofish to a separate tank the other night

 

[AmoretteCadenza]

Finally put sand in my tank I love it! Looks sooo much better than that gravel!
I also found a baby fish while I was vacuuming all the water out! It could be a guppy or a molly!

 

[shark21]

Honestly if your a beginner with all this I would concentrate on the fish more than the plants! I have artificial but you wouldn't even know it. You can get real looking plants essily and not have half the head ache! I just feel like a planted tanks can be more trouble than its worth! Eventualy it would be nice I guess; but for me I plan on putting that effort into a salt water tank (which I can't wait to do!)

 

[Rodeo one]

Gotta disagree Shark. Personally, I think live plants are very rewarding. Everyone to their own tho. I m a relative newbie but have 3 tanks, all planted, it s fun to watch them grow. If you get low to medium light plants & ask a lot of questions here on the forum & at your LFS, I think it s pretty easy to be successful. I support your choice of all plastic but want to encourage the OP in their interest in plants.

 

[AmoretteCadenza]

Well I ordered a piece of cholla wood with java moss and Micranthemum micranthemoides growing on it and I thought I would try that out first in my betta's 5 gallon tank. Just for starters... I've read java moss grows in low to high light and is a fast growing, easy beginner plant. Micranthemum micranthemoides is an undemanding plant and is adaptable to a variety of environments. It grows tall in low light and short in very high light. I thought these plants would be best to begin with. Plus cholla wood is good for shrimp (I keep ghost shrimp with him) so i think it would be good for my betta's tank.

I'd really like to have a planted tank one day but these are just plans and ideas, it'll probably be a while before I'm confident enough to start ordering plants for my 25 gallon. I want to try and do everything right so that means lots of questions and research to find the right plants (if I decide to get any at all after I see if I can take care of the java moss and the Micranthemum micranthemoides).

Here's a picture of the cholla wood and plants I ordered it from eBay

 

[AmoretteCadenza]

I've been thinking about what kind of fish I would eventually like to stock my tank with. I went on aqadvisor.com and came up with:

2 German Blue Rams
7 White Cloud Mountain Minnows
5 Pygmy Cories
1 Golden Dojo loach (if I can consistently keep my tank at 78 degrees F)