My first real plant (d. hairgrass) and my oranda is eating it.

[germanyt]

I bought a small batch of hairgrass from Pet Smart. The one that comes in the plastic bag with gel. It put it in the sand and love the way it looks but I don't think it's going to make it with my fish eating it.

The culprit.

I was thinking about pulling out my 10 gallon and getting it growing in direct sunlight so the fish can't get to it. Then maybe transplanting it or just starting a new planted tank. Am I outta luck with real plants and goldfish?

 

[Zimmanski]

Most goldfish love to eat live plants, or at least uproot them so the 10g might be your best bet, but there are some planted goldfish tanks out there. DHG didn't do so hot in my tank, hope you get yours to do better!

 

[azmodan]

+1 to Zim's response

Luckily there are definitely plants that you can try that most goldfish won't eat. Just google "best plants for goldfish tank" and you'll get a ton of suggestions.

 

[germanyt]

So I decided to bust out the old 10 gallon. I took sand and water from my 55 gallon to fill the 10 gallon. I had to use a little bit of new sand so my water is a little cloudy. I took the TF20 off my 55 gallon to put on the 10 til it clears. I also decided to throw together a DIY yeast CO2 setup. It was super easy. I used 2 cups of raw brown sugar, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/3 tsp of bakers yeast. It's not bubbling yet but I imagine by morning it'll be.

 

[germanyt]

Tank is just about cleared up and I replaced a light bulb. I also had to reseal my co2 line. I used Elmer's glue to seal it in the bottle cap but it didn't dry before the pressure built up and I wound up with a leak. I just siliconed it and am waiting for it to dry.

 

[germanyt]

So I didn't want to stare at a fishless tank. I tested a sample of my water and it's pristine. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 5 nitrate, and 7.2 ph. So I got a blue gourami, dalmation molly, and 3 dwarf frogs.

 

[azmodan]

Not trying to sound too critical but that's quite a lot to add at once for a ten gal. Will the gourami eventually be going into your larger tank?

 

[germanyt]

Not trying to sound too critical but that's quite a lot to add at once for a ten gal. Will the gourami eventually be going into your larger tank?

No. It's only 2 fish.

 

[Zimmanski]

No. It's only 2 fish.

2 fish and 3 frogs right?

 

[germanyt]

2 fish and 3 frogs right?

Yea. The frogs only require like .5 gallons each which is negligible since I change water quite often. It's like they aren't even there.

 

[azmodan]

It's typically recommended for ADFs to have around 2-3 gallons per frog. Usually 3-4 ADFs will cap a ten gal in terms of stock, especially since they have to be target fed. The molly will be an aggressive and active food-grabber and also quite the poop machine while blue gouramis can get 5-6 inches long. Again, not trying to be critical but just wanted to mention that there are other alternatives you could get (such as a dwarf or honey gourami instead of the blue) that would be quite a bit better for that size tank.

 

[Sillyfishies]

What lighting/ferts are you using? DHG isn't an easy plant.

 

[germanyt]

What lighting/ferts are you using? DHG isn't an easy plant.

It's a standard light assembly with 2 2700K halogen bulbs. They are planted in Petco aquarium sand with no fertilizer and a pretty steady co2 stream. It's only been a few days but the grass is thicker already. Some of the smaller strands I tore off the bunch have lost their green color but the larger bunches are doing good.

 

[Sillyfishies]

It's a standard light assembly with 2 2700K halogen bulbs. They are planted in Petco aquarium sand with no fertilizer and a pretty steady co2 stream. It's only been a few days but the grass is thicker already. Some of the smaller strands I tore off the bunch have lost their green color but the larger bunches are doing good.

CFLs, t5, or t8? I'd suggest getting some 6500K bulbs.

 

[germanyt]

CFLs, t5, or t8? I'd suggest getting some 6500K bulbs.

T10, 60W, 2700K, 745 lumens. I thought the lower the number the better. Isn't lower numbers more similar to natural light?

 

[Sillyfishies]

T10, 60W, 2700K, 745 lumens. I thought the lower the number the better. Isn't lower numbers more similar to natural light?

6700K I believe is natural day light... Ur lights most likely won't support DHG. But best of luck. It may work out fine. I have super low light on 1 tank and grow plants fine.

 

[germanyt]

6700K I believe is natural day light... Ur lights most likely won't support DHG. But best of luck. It may work out fine. I have super low light on 1 tank and grow plants fine.

I assume T10 is the style of bulb. Do they make them in screw socket type at 6700K?

This is similar to what I'm using currently.
GE 40W T10 Tubular Showcase Light Bulb: Decor : Walmart.com

 

[Sharpchick]

It's typically recommended for ADFs to have around 2-3 gallons per frog. Usually 3-4 ADFs will cap a ten gal in terms of stock, especially since they have to be target fed. The molly will be an aggressive and active food-grabber and also quite the poop machine while blue gouramis can get 5-6 inches long. Again, not trying to be critical but just wanted to mention that there are other alternatives you could get (such as a dwarf or honey gourami instead of the blue) that would be quite a bit better for that size tank.

I have 3 ADFs and a male betta in a 10 gallon. I haven't target fed my frogs since after the first week I had them. I think it's hard to be absolute about stuff like that.

 

[germanyt]

I have 3 ADFs and a male betta in a 10 gallon. I haven't target fed my frogs since after the first week I had them. I think it's hard to be absolute about stuff like that.

I just pulled my frogs out about 30 minutes ago to feed them bloodworms. I also think my dal. molly is bullying my gourami. The gourami stays inside the deco I have in the tank. I'm gonna pull it out and see how the molly treats it for a few.

 

[azmodan]

I have 3 ADFs and a male betta in a 10 gallon. I haven't target fed my frogs since after the first week I had them. I think it's hard to be absolute about stuff like that.

Yup, definitely agree. Sorry for being unclear, meant it to be in a "many/most cases" sort of way, hence the "typically" and "usually" in the earlier part of my post. I should have wrote "they often have to be target fed in community tanks". I only really mentioned the target feeding mainly because of the molly. Back when I used to have mollies I remember they were by far the most voracious eaters in the tank and would often devour everything before some of the slower or more timid fish had a chance.