29 Gal Planted Tank! Need much advice!

[aquamami8326]

Hey guys! So I'm back after quite a few months away and am very lucky to be starting fresh! I have 2 empty tanks cycling right now, and I'm looking at turning the 30 gallon into a heavily planted community tank! I bought the tank second hand, was told it was 30, measured and did the calculations and it turned out to be 29. So here is what I am working with

29 Gallon Tank
Actinic Blue Lights (24" 20watt)
150watt Heater
Tetra Whisper 10-30 Internal Filter (I hope to do a diy canister or sump)
1 1/2" bed of play sand
A piece of malaysian driftwood, around 6 inches long.
I will be adding 2 Bolivian Rams, 12 Cardinal Tetras, and an Albino Bristlenose Pleco once all the plants are settled in and the tank is cycled.

I want to turn this into a plant paradise, with a lot of ground cover. I was thinking of something like Dwarf Sagittaria. The only other things I am set on, are an underwater bonzai (on a previous thread I figured out that these were just pieces of driftwood covered with moss), and an entire back wall made of plants. I've attatched a picture to show what I mean by an underwater bonzai, and somethingg close to what I want it to look like.

So I guess what I'm asking is:
1) What kind of filtration would you suggest for a heavily stocked tank with so many plants?
2) What kind of bulb should I use? (I know this will depend on the plants)
3) Should I change the substrate or add anything too it?
4) What kind of plants should I get to achieve the look I want?
5) Anything else I need to know about keeping a heavily planted community tank!

Thanks in advance for your replies!

 

[Aqualady40]

where is the pic

 

[Obsessedfishlover]

Hey guys! So I'm back after quite a few months away and am very lucky to be starting fresh! I have 2 empty tanks cycling right now, and I'm looking at turning the 30 gallon into a heavily planted community tank! I bought the tank second hand, was told it was 30, measured and did the calculations and it turned out to be 29. So here is what I am working with

29 Gallon Tank
Actinic Blue Lights (24" 20watt)
150watt Heater
Tetra Whisper 10-30 Internal Filter (I hope to do a diy canister or sump)
1 1/2" bed of play sand
A piece of malaysian driftwood, around 6 inches long.
I will be adding 2 Bolivian Rams, 12 Cardinal Tetras, and an Albino Bristlenose Pleco once all the plants are settled in and the tank is cycled.

I want to turn this into a plant paradise, with a lot of ground cover. I was thinking of something like Dwarf Sagittaria. The only other things I am set on, are an underwater bonzai (on a previous thread I figured out that these were just pieces of driftwood covered with moss), and an entire back wall made of plants. I've attatched a picture to show what I mean by an underwater bonzai, and somethingg close to what I want it to look like.

So I guess what I'm asking is:
1) What kind of filtration would you suggest for a heavily stocked tank with so many plants?
2) What kind of bulb should I use? (I know this will depend on the plants)
3) Should I change the substrate or add anything too it?
4) What kind of plants should I get to achieve the look I want?
5) Anything else I need to know about keeping a heavily planted community tank!

Thanks in advance for your replies!

Well something you need to know about keeping a heavily planted tank is that plants are like fish they take up more capacity in the tank I currently have a 29 gal and are you looking for big plants or smaller ones? A filtration system would probably just be normal one... Some plants need a stronger light source but some don't... So you need to decide what plants you want to get.... One that doesn't need much light is a java fern... These plants just look normal but are great little addition to a tank for the fishes Sake. Java moss is great also for the fish in which is also a great addition.. If there is any questions don't hesitate to ask I deal with a lot of live plants in my tank...

 

[aquamami8326]

Sorry, posting from my blackberry. Sometimes the picture doesn't go through, ill fix it right away.

 

[obscurereef]

Congrats on starting. I'm pretty sure actinic doesn't do anything for the growth of the plants. Light in the spectrum of 5000-7000K does. Someone recommended purigen by seachem to me for removal of tannins and not to use carbon.

 

[aquamami8326]

Fishlover- I am looking for smaller plants, ones that make the tank look kind of like a mini forest. The one thing I am set on is dwarf sagittaria to cover about 2/3 of the tank floor. I like dwarf baby tears too, maybe as part of the cover for the back wall? I didn't know java ferns or moss were good for the fish? Could you explain that a little more?
I usually filter my tanks at 10x the amount of water in my tank. So 30 gallons should get 300 gph in my opinion (I have a 7 month old, so if I'm a day or two late on water changes it isn't such a big deal). Would having plants affect that at all? Should I be looking at 400 gph+?
And would this amount of plants affect the amount of fish? Would my stocking list be too big?
I want to do this properly so I am prepared pay for what I need to do this, and to wait quite a while before adding fish.

 

[Obsessedfishlover]

Fishlover- I am looking for smaller plants, ones that make the tank look kind of like a mini forest. The one thing I am set on is dwarf sagittaria to cover about 2/3 of the tank floor. I like dwarf baby tears too, maybe as part of the cover for the back wall? I didn't know java ferns or moss were good for the fish? Could you explain that a little more?
I usually filter my tanks at 10x the amount of water in my tank. So 30 gallons should get 300 gph in my opinion (I have a 7 month old, so if I'm a day or two late on water changes it isn't such a big deal). Would having plants affect that at all? Should I be looking at 400 gph+?
And would this amount of plants affect the amount of fish? Would my stocking list be too big?
I want to do this properly so I am prepared pay for what I need to do this, and to wait quite a while before adding fish.

Well you definitely don't want to overstock on plants and in my opinion I don't think you are as long as you don't plan on putting too many decorations in either.. Plants wouldn't affect the water changes at all I've had my plants a long time and they don't die off because of my water changes... The amount of plants would be fine... And I fact would be a great and perfect amount the fish would love these...into explaining about how the java ferns are good for fish... Some fish use java ferns for eating and they stay alive for a very long time... Also they are spread out quite a bit and the fish use it as a little cave type thing to swim through... Java moss is also a food source for many fish and can be a great resting spot for many fish also... I heard that java fern if you get rasboras they do a little dance under them.... Also another thing a great starter fish is harlequin rasboras in which I have and are very hardy and my most favorite fish of all!

 

[aquamami8326]

The only decorations will be the live plants and some black river rocks if I can find them! And I'm thinking java moss could make for a good "underwater bonzai". Could anyone tell me how to plant/wrap the moss on the driftwood? Also, how do I cover the back wall? Are there any aquatic vines or something that I could use besides the dwarf baby tears?
So there is nothing I need to do to the sand substrate before I add plants?
Oh, and does the tank need to be cycled before I start adding the plants?

 

[Obsessedfishlover]

The only decorations will be the live plants and some black river rocks if I can find them! And I'm thinking java moss could make for a good "underwater bonzai". Could anyone tell me how to plant/wrap the moss on the driftwood? Also, how do I cover the back wall? Are there any aquatic vines or something that I could use besides the dwarf baby tears?
So there is nothing I need to do to the sand substrate before I add plants?
Oh, and does the tank need to be cycled before I start adding the plants?

Well sorry to ell you but java moss comes in a ball in which you can't unwrap but if you put a couple in the middle of your dwarf baby tears it would make a great centerpiece!to cover the back wall I have a great backdrop that I use that is rainforest based and is beautiful I can take a pic if you want! Also have another great plant idk what the name of it is but I can also post a pic of it and you can do some research or something... It looks kinda like it has some flowers and Is also a great plant hat doesn't need a special light...

 

[Obsessedfishlover]

Are you there still???

 

[aquamami8326]

Sorry, just putting baby to bed!! So I could use dwarf baby tears and java moss to do a wall cover? I really don't like the backgrounds you add on the outside of the tank, I would much rather have live plants against a black wall, but that's just me. But I've never seen a good looking tank that has one, all I have seen are dirty crusty old ones that people have had for 10 years in their dirty gross aglae filled tank lol.. So please send me pictures of yours! Maybe it doesn't have to be that way lol!
I plan on ordering from aquariumplants.com so maybe ill find something on there!

 

[Obsessedfishlover]

Here is a sample of my backdrop




Here is my tank if you notice my backdrop

 

[Aqualady40]

Java moss you can spread/wrap it on practically anything...marimo moss balls you may have trouble unwrapping....

 

[aquamami8326]

Wow that does look really good! Totally three dimensional, and much better than any I have seen. Ill try to post another picture of what I was kinda thinking for a backdrop.

Geronica- Are there any tricks to wrapping moss on driftwood? I really want it to look the the bonzai in the first picture I posted. Any plant suggestions are welcome!

 

[Obsessedfishlover]

Wow that does look really good! Totally three dimensional, and much better than any I have seen. Ill try to post another picture of what I was kinda thinking for a backdrop.

Geronica- Are there any tricks to wrapping moss on driftwood? I really want it to look the the bonzai in the first picture I posted. Any plant suggestions are welcome!

Sorry aquamani I guess it is java moss that you can wrap I'm sorry I never had it before....

 

[aquamami8326]

That's okay we all make mistakes! That's why were here right?

 

[aquamami8326]

So I'm thinking of a mix between those two photos! The bonzai and ground cover from the second picture, the fullness and wall covering of the first. (Maybe not quite that full though)

 

[Obsessedfishlover]

So I'm thinking of a mix between those two photos! The bonzai and ground cover from the second picture, the fullness and wall covering of the first. (Maybe not quite that full though)

Go in about thinking about getting a school of harlequin rasboras too! Actually they are the fish shown in the first pic you took!!!

 

[aquamami8326]

The very first on the thread? Or the first picture of one of my last replies? Ill have to look into them!

 

[aquamami8326]

Ah, obviously from the very first picture! How many harlequin rasboras could I put in with 2 bolivian rams and 8 cardinal tetras?