Tank Questions -- Yay I'm upgrading! :D

[JessieVB]

Ok, so I'm super excited because my little sister and I are going to be setting up a tank hopefully by May. I'm not completely new to having an aquarium, but I am new to a lot of what her and I want to do with this tank.

Here's the Plan so far though:
30-50 gallon tank
Gravel substrate
Plants (Anubis nana, Aponogeton, java ferns, suggestions?)
Filter (suggestions needed)
Terra cotta pots

Fish:
2-4 African Dwarf frogs
5-10 Female bettas
5 Corys
5 or more Zebra danios
Some MTS


I want to keep all small-ish fish, so nothing larger than 3" in length when its an adult. So I'm open to any suggestions; the sis and I would really like to have the tank be more betta and ADF centered though. And plants need to be low-light, low-maintance cause I'll only be there to look after the tank in the summer, on holidays, and about 1 or 2 a month on the weekends.

Also, I want to do a predominately gravel substrate, but I'm open to doing a gravel mix. I've never had a planted tank, so I'll have to take a look at Purrbox's article which I've heard is extremely helpful. I have the aponegton now, but its in a 1 gal. tank with my male betta. . . so, hopefully it'll do ok for about 3 or so months until I can move it over and give the betta a plant more appropriate for the size of his tank.

Also, another question... I have a family friend that has a large property with petrified wood that has only ever been exposed to the elements. Can petrified wood be used in an aquarium?

 

[QTOFFER]

First, get the biggest tank you can afford and have space for. I don't know anyone who ever said, Gee, I wish I'd bought a smaller tank" a year after setting up! The most common sizes in the range you mentioned are 29, 40, and 55 gal.

I'd recommend a cannister filter for this sized tank especially if you won't be around all the time to do maintenance. The Rena and Fluval brands are pretty reasonable if purchased online. Also, get a Python to help with water changes - it's a great investment that will save time and cleaning up.

The plants that you mention are low maintenance and will do fine in low light tanks with a gravel substrate. Most Aponogeton species are very easy to grow except for the Madegascar lace variety. Java fern and anubias even can be attached to rocks and driftwood with cotton thread, making a very attractive display.

Hygrophila is a hardy fast grower that can be planted or allowed to float. Also look into Amazon swords - I've had great success growing them in gravel in my low light tanks. I fertilize my planted tanks weekly with Flourish Comprehensive and Flourish Potassium; otherwise, my Amazon swords start yellowing.

Finally, most petrified wood is aquarium safe. I have lots of it and love it. You should check that your friend's deposits don't contain limestone, which may raise your pH. You can do this by placing some muriatic acid (from the hardware store) on the stone. If it fizzes, it contains limestoone. Collected stones should be boiled to sterilize them.

Good luck!

 

[JessieVB]

Thank you very much for the advice and suggestions and for the post on the BGA.

I'm working on a budget, but I'm planning on getting a used tank rather than brand new so hopefully that'll mean bigger.

I will definitely be sure to test the petrified wood and see if its safe before using it. I hope it is because it's very pretty!

 

[FishEggs]

Hi Jessie, I don't know where you're from but i always see large aquariums on my local craigslist.org and they usually come as packages with filters and lights too for well under retail price. Could save ya some money to put into other area's of the tank i.e. plants, fish, substrate.
As for the substrate i have a slightly planted tank also but wanted the natural gravel look too so i used a substrate for plants (Eco Complete i think)and then put a layer of gravel on top.
I also agree with QTOFFER andget the biggest tank you can afford in the space you have for it.
One last thing, would you be willing to ship a piece of that petrified wood in trade for a home made python or some gravel maybe? I also have plenty of MTS's too.

 

[JessieVB]

If I still have some petrified wood then I would definitely be interested. It's currently in storage if we still have it. . . I'm crossing my fingers we do, because I'd like to use and finally have a reason to pull it out of its box. My mom is going up to the friends property though and I was planning on asking her if she could possibly get a few more pieces. I'll keep you posted.