10 gal/ 40 litre tank - 8.5 ph. What can I grow?

[Sushisnake]

Hi all. I'd like some planting advice for this very new, currently fishless cycling 10 gal tank. I'm cycling with a dead prawn.
It has a PFS substrate with peat added - which I rinsed and rinsed for hours and hours in and out of the tank - and some kuhli hides made out of polished tiger's eye stones.
It has an Aqua One ClearView 280 HOB filter.
It has a 2 ft Dalbarb brand fluoro light/hood with a Sylvania Aquastar F18w/174 t-8 1000k tube.
It has a scary high ph of 8.5 - straight from the tap! (The joys of living with torrential rain in the Wet Tropics.) I haven't tested the other parameters yet. I only set it up yesterday. I can already smell the prawn though.
I have a few plants in there already. I like the banana lilly, the hairgrass and the anubias on the driftwood.
I'd really like to do some carpeting and have a moss ball affect around the kuhli rocks.
I'd also really appreciate some guidance from other Aussies on good mail order aquatic plant people - my lfs sucks bigtime for plants.
I'm going driftwood hunting tomorrow - IF the bloody rain stops!
I'd welcome advice and ideas.
This one in advance

 

[jmpgop]

Hi! Your tank looks great. I don't know a lot about plants but I know that lighting is KEY! And with that high of a ph, it'll be a bit harder. From what I understand.

I have high tap water ph (from the treatment plant). I too was thinking of using peat moss - but to bring the ph down?

Good luck to you - what kind of fish are you going to have?

 

[Sushisnake]

Hi jmpgop
Thanks for replying! I'm going to have two platys and five kuhli loaches. I will be re-housing them at a later date in a bigger tank, though.
I found a forum site for planted tanks called The Planted Tank which has a lighting chart sticky: the chart reckoned my lighting was a little too much sitting on the tank, so I raised it 2.5" by propping it on snack size baked bean tins (lol).
I've found an online aquarium plant store that just happens to be in my local area, so I've emailed them and am waiting on a reply for suggestions.
If you have a chance, look at the tanks on the forum: OMG! I have so much to learn and so little imagination!
Thanks for liking my tank.

 

[Alkane]

Nice tank Kuhli loaches are awesome.

Just an idea... if you have tons of rain and bad tap water... you may could collect rain water for your tank.

 

[jmpgop]

Oh Oh - thank you for the Planted Tank website - how cool!

Those loaches you have are rather cool. I see you have sand. Would they do Okay with a fine gravel?

I talked to these people the other day. He's very knowledgable. I don't know if he ships overseas though!

Aquarium plants, and aquascape plant packages

But he was very helpful.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Hi! Have you seen livefish.com and aquagreen?IME Livefish is hit or miss but aquagreen is awesome! They have native fish, inverts and plants and non native plants. They also have a great range of ferts. They ship to most of Aus. What state are you in?

Don't try and ship plants in from overseas. They will be confiscated by customs.

 

[Sushisnake]

Nice tank Kuhli loaches are awesome.

Just an idea... if you have tons of rain and bad tap water... you may could collect rain water for your tank.

Hi Alkane.
I hadn't thought of using rain water. We have so much of it I only notice its nuisance value! I'm not in a position to collect it - I live in a flat - but I have a mate with a rain water tank. Might be time for me and the master test kit to pay him a visit. Thanks for the head's up- bloody brilliant idea!

 

[Sushisnake]

Oh Oh - thank you for the Planted Tank website - how cool!

Those loaches you have are rather cool. I see you have sand. Would they do Okay with a fine gravel?

I talked to these people the other day. He's very knowledgable. I don't know if he ships overseas though!

Aquarium plants, and aquascape plant packages

But he was very helpful.

Hello again, jmpgop!
I'm an absolute beginner at all things fishy- including the kuhlis, but my research tells me they'll be fine in pea sized gravel providing it's smooth. Kuhlis like to burrow and tunnel so it needs to be small and light, and they're scaleless so it can't have sharp edges or they'll cut themselves.
Having said that, mine are currently living in a shallow substrate of small, polished semi-precious stones and they don't seem unhappy. I just want them to be ecstatic!
They need hiding spots. The more hiding spots they have- the more confident they are- the less they hide. Then they'll zoom around the tank and drape themselves on the plants like tinsel on a Christmas tree. Good fun!
Beware, though. Loaches ARE addictive and you just might find yourself under the care of the excellent Dr M. F. Shockemandshootemupwithpsychoactivedrugs (MD; PHD-Ichthyomania ) - shunned by society, a burden on your loved ones etc, etc. Seriously.
Oh! And never keep less than five. They don't school but they do shoal.
Let me know how much you love em when you get em!

 

[Sushisnake]

Hi! Have you seen livefish.com and aquagreen?IME Livefish is hit or miss but aquagreen is awesome! They have native fish, inverts and plants and non native plants. They also have a great range of ferts. They ship to most of Aus. What state are you in?

Don't try and ship plants in from overseas. They will be confiscated by customs.

Hi Mumma
I had checked out live fish and noted the reviews - good for fish, not so good for plants.
I'm a country mile up the road from you in Innisfail. It maybe renamed Cyclonevale if we get another one this year.
I'm going to check out aquagreen as soon as I finish answering you.
Have you any experience of Liverpool Creek aquariums? I thought I'd give them a go because they're local: partly because of acclimation ( which is silly because they could be using bore water in a butcher's cold room for all I know) but mainly because my nearest air freight depot is a three hour round trip away.

 

[Sushisnake]

Well Mumma, i've just finished looking at Aquagreen.
First the plants. Pretty overwhelming but I'm starting to recognize the odd genus so I'll get there.
Then the inverts. The NT algae eating shrimp; the Waterhouse snail; the soft shelled snail whose name I didn't remember because it eats plants.
And finally, the fish. OMG! I'm awed. I had no idea. Thank you for opening my eyes.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Well Mumma, i've just finished looking at Aquagreen.
First the plants. Pretty overwhelming but I'm starting to recognize the odd genus so I'll get there.
Then the inverts. The NT algae eating shrimp; the Waterhouse snail; the soft shelled snail whose name I didn't remember because it eats plants.
And finally, the fish. OMG! I'm awed. I had no idea. Thank you for opening my eyes.

Aussie natives are pretty awesome! If I could start my two community tanks over I'd get all natives from there. Maybe next time. check out there fertilizers too. Dino dung spit and pee! Lol! Good stuff.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Hi Mumma
I had checked out live fish and noted the reviews - good for fish, not so good for plants.
I'm a country mile up the road from you in Innisfail. It maybe renamed Cyclonevale if we get another one this year.
I'm going to check out aquagreen as soon as I finish answering you.
Have you any experience of Liverpool Creek aquariums? I thought I'd give them a go because they're local: partly because of acclimation ( which is silly because they could be using bore water in a butcher's cold room for all I know) but mainly because my nearest air freight depot is a three hour round trip away.

Another Queenslander in the ranks!
I've never heard of Liverpool creek aquariums. I'll have to look them up.

 

[Sushisnake]

Aussie natives are pretty awesome! If I could start my two community tanks over I'd get all natives from there. Maybe next time. check out there fertilizers too. Dino dung spit and pee! Lol! Good stuff.

Yeah! The names cracked me right up. My son would have been SO excited by them when he was a little boy lol. I'm going to learn more about them for sure.