Budgeted Tank Finish

[NinjaTetra]

Hey all. I have a 37 gallon tank. I attempted to plant it at the start, and now all I have left is some nice looking crypts and scraggly pennywort. My jungle vals all melted, and my java fern did fantastic on its rock until a month ago, when it just started falling apart. I have decent LED lighting, no CO2.... I use in gravel ferts next to my two crypts. Anyone have any ideas that could make a nice looking aquarium out of the mess I now have. I have fish in there currently (one is a clown pleco; if that makes a difference). The gravel is supposed to be for plants, its really really small grained, but not quite sand. Any plants that are low tech and will survive well?


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[icydeath]

Uhh... Anubias comes to mind. Also anacharis and hornwort.

If you can liquid CO2 may help.

 

[NinjaTetra]

Okay thanks. Doesn't hornwort float though? Thats what I have pennywort for. If there is a way to keep them anchored, it would be nice to know. Also, i read java moss might make a good carpet. Has anyone had experience with this?


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[Brian_Nano12g]

Anubias is easy, as mentioned. Also many of the varieties of mosses will be easy. Amazon swords, narrow leaf microsword (Lilaeopsis mauritana), marsilea minuta... other species of crypts, like crypt parva. Red Tiger Lotus should be easy.

And for the heck of it, I'd give java fern another shot. I'd actually go for narrow leaf java fern as I find it a bit more unusual and easy to grow.

 

[NinjaTetra]

Okay cool. Hey brian- i think i recall you live inthe Phoenix valley. Any good places? I like the PetShop in mesa, is there any other place to check out


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[litebrite8765]

I've had Java fern live in my 37 gal before I added stronger lighting. It started growing very fast after I added the stronger lighting, but even with the standard leds it lived but grew slowly


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[NinjaTetra]

This is a narrow leaf java fern i have on a piece of petrified wood. It grew super super fast, doubled in size in a month. Then it started on a weird melt thing and has holes all through it, even the new leaves start rotting while their still small. Anyone know why? Also, i still appreciate any tips and the like. Anything that would get tall to cover my sponge filter? It looks a bit ugly, a big black cylinder in the corner. But it sure keeps the nitrites down!


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[Brian_Nano12g]

Were you dosing any liquid ferts?

 

[NinjaTetra]

Well i have half a bottle of liquid co2, but i didnt ever dose it in my 37 gallon because i read it was bad for vals.


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[BBradbury]

Your Planted Tank

Hello Nin...

I'd go back to the basics. Get some easy to grow plants that don't require planting. Anubias nana and nangi, Java fern and Banana. Just attached them to lava rock or driftwood with cotton sewing thread.

I'd add some inexpensive florescent lamps to the lighting. Shop light fixtures and GE aquarium plant bulbs are dirt cheap and work very well. I only replace them when they burn out.

Add a liquid fertilizer like Seachem's Comprehensive and you're done.

B

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Okay cool. Hey brian- i think i recall you live inthe Phoenix valley. Any good places? I like the PetShop in mesa, is there any other place to check out

Yeah petshop is cool. Aquatouch is amazing for planted tanks.

Well i have half a bottle of liquid co2, but i didnt ever dose it in my 37 gallon because i read it was bad for vals.

I agree with BBradbury, you need to dose Seachem Flourish (aka: comprehensive). Java fern is a water column feeder, so it may have perished due to a deficiency.

 

[NinjaTetra]

Thanks both of you guys. Did you say banana plant? I think I've seen those in substrate before, would that be okay??? I'll try swords, maybe another kind of crypt since my crypts are doing so well, java moss.... I'm also getting driftwood, so I can put a couple anubias on that and replace my java fern. The one thing left is a wall of plants around my sponge filter. Any somewhat easy tall plant aside from vals? Thanks!


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[icydeath]

Some anubias get pretty tall. Java fern as well. Oh Crinum! That has an interesting look and get pretty tall from what I've heard.