Planted tank ideas... with angels and rams

[mfdrookie516]

Alright, so for the longest time, I've sworn that I'd never be unfaithful to my africans... well, that's about to change. I've seen so many beautiful tanks (thanks JOM and DragonFish) that were planted and had fish like angels, rams, tetras, etc.

So here's what I'm thinking. I plan to purchase a 55g tank from craigslist. Since I'm only planning, it may turn in to a 75g. I will most likely go with PFS substrate, but I really like the look of some of the substrates aimed at planted tanks. We'll see about that. I will order a T5HO fixture. Most likely it will be a cheap-o from fishneedit.com, but if I do get a 75g, I'll probably get a Nova Extreme or something of that nature. That's about all I've figured out. I definitely don't want a high tech, co2 injected tank. I want it simple, and self sufficient in that I don't really have a lot of extra time to spend dosing ferts, adjusting co2, etc.

What I need from you guys:
Fish suggestions. I know I want a pair of angels, a pair of rams, and either cardinals or neons. I also want a pair of bristlenose plecos. Perhaps a school of cories?

Plant suggestions. I'm a noob at plants. I have java fern, anubias, baby tears, and something else, but thats all the experience I have with plants. I want those big extravagant plants that grow nice and big, and some that stay small for the front. I want some mosses too, probably java or christmas.


I'd say I'll probably go with HOB filters for now. I have an AC50 on one of my 10g tanks that I'll be taking down. I'll probably throw that on there and get an AC70 or AC110 to compliment it.


Any other ideas? I hope to make this a reality within the next couple weeks.

 

[mudraker]

Nice, just don't get too carried away with the lighting if you truly want to keep it simple with the plants.

Java moss will definately grow like crazy in low light.

The crypt family of plants are serious lowlight winners. They come in low, mid and somewhat high varieties and will grow with very little fuss. Fish poop will keep them alive just fine.

I've had a great deal of luck growing bacopa in lowlight. It gets really tall without looking leggy. Vals are supposed to be a good choice also, but I have no personal experience with them.

Red dwarf lillies and banana plants will also do well in lowlight, but are very slow growing.

Aponogeton bulbs will also grow really high in lowlight.

A lot of people have been recommending amazon swords for lowlight lately. I tried it and it was a disaster, but I was a lot less experienced with plants then.

 

[mfdrookie516]

I've had amazon sword as well.... in a 10g tank. I kept root tabs in there and it eventually took over the tank. That might be ok in a 55g tank though. Hmmm... I have a feeling I'm going to be hitting up some people for free cuttings on here soon.

 

[mudraker]

If you can pull it off with the sword, they are in the monster plant category.

Funny, I've been droolling over Angels lately too. I've been thinking about getting a pair for my cube, which is currently understocked.

If it wasn't so **** cold, I'd hook you up with some lowlights today, especially the java moss. I have tons of the stuff.

 

[Coleallensmom]

The Nova extreme is a great fixture- I have one on both my tanks. Java fern, swords, hornwort, anubias, Vals, crypts, java moss...these will all do well under low light. If you are going to do Angels, you might try the cardinals over the neons. They are just a tad bigger and are less likely to get eaten when the Angels are fully grown. If you're not set on either of those, you might want to skip them all together and try another tetra that is a little larger. I don't have any cories myself but I just added some ottos to my 37 gallon and I am really enjoying those.

 

[BigJim]

If you want to go planted, go with the 75g. The extra 6" of width on the tank really opens up aquascaping opportunities.

Water sprite grows like a weed and sucks up nitrates. It's a nice bushy plant for a back corner and it's a brighter green than most. Guppy grass is a good plant for filling in gaps, but hard to control. The stems are fragile and it doesn't like to be planted. I let mine sink to the bottom and root itself, then I remove the stems that grow where I don't want them.

 

[mfdrookie516]

IF I can find a 75g, I will go that route. I really don't want to dump a ton in a tank though. I can get a 125 for $175, but I really don't want to get rid of a couch or bed to have the room for it.

thanks for the plant suggestions. Right now, its just a planning game.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Ok... so I found a decent deal tonight... a 75g with metal stand, and a 29g with metal stand for $100... I'm going to go look at them tomorrow after work unless the seller backs out. I also found out today that there's a new fish store in town... actually the ONLY true fish store in town... He had some nice looking peacocks, but I just want to do this tank. He's got several nice looking angels, and said he hopes to have some german and blue rams in sometime next week. I told him that seeing his fish made me want to just make a peacock tank, but he told me to get what I originally wanted, rather than buying on an impulse. This surprised me, as his F1 peacocks were anywhere from $30-45, and his angels were from $2-10. That was reassuring to say the least. Once I get this all set up, I'll be buying some trimmings from some of you guys, so be prepared for pictures. I just hope this deal goes through.

 

[HN1]

It's about time Jonathan.... lol

Welcome to the bright side of the light side. Shoot me a PM when it is set up. We've been holding a few fish for this day.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Sounds good buddy... I just hope this deal goes through tomorrow. I don't care much for the metal stands, but at the price they're asking, its not too bad of a deal IMO, if the tanks look decent. This tax return is really tempting me to go all out and order a Nova Extreme, Co2 setup, and go crazy.... but I'm thinking I still want to be conservative with everything and ease myself in to it. I hope to be sending you a PM tomorrow evening lol.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Another thought... how bad of an idea would it be to put the 29g under the 75g and run it as a sump? I'm thinking it would cost about the same as a canister, which is kind of the way I was headed, and would probably provide much better filtration... thoughts on that?

 

[Crepe]

It would be fine but if you ever go CO2 in the future you may have problems.

I've got a few hunks of anubias barteri nana(maybe a fist size portion) that need rehoming. If you pay for shipping I'll gladly send them over.