matthew0331
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Tank Details:
I have a ten gallon tank with a few PETCO decorations, gravel, Reef Sun 50/50 lighting, and the following fish (seriously though, I don't want to hear anything about the fish, this thread is just for scaping):
-1 Female Swordtail (the rest died off
)
-3 Bloodfin Tetra (eventually 5)
Future fish plans: Nothing more really (shrimp possibly? that's a whole different thread). I realize that it will be a bit overstocked with the six fish, but, not to worry, I will do frequent water changes.
This is my first aquarium and of course I was a noob about it and didn't cycle it correctly (hence the dead swords), but now it has been about a month and everything seems to be going well. I was fortunate enough to find an amazing employee at PETCO who definitely knew her stuff (and also gave me a great discount because of my troubles). She suggested that after a few weeks I should add some live plants to my tank. I was sketchy on the subject but I'm feeling up to the challenge. Here are some questions that I would like answered, but feel free to throw in extra information!
-Should I change the type of substrate I have, or add anything to it?
-What are some easy plants to begin with? I was thinking about something tall and stringy for one side, some smaller grass like, and some more leafy short kind of plants. Tips on those would be appreciated. (I'd prefer something that can be bought in store, rather than online)
-Will I need chemicals? Trying to avoid fertilizer
-Will addition of plants negatively affect my enviroment/fish behaviors?
-I was debating putting in some brick for some color. What should I do first?
-CO2? I don't have any idea what I need for the plants. Are CO2 generators necessary, where can I find them cheap?
Thank you in advance
PS: I keep my water temp. mid to high 70's.
I have a ten gallon tank with a few PETCO decorations, gravel, Reef Sun 50/50 lighting, and the following fish (seriously though, I don't want to hear anything about the fish, this thread is just for scaping):
-1 Female Swordtail (the rest died off
)-3 Bloodfin Tetra (eventually 5)
Future fish plans: Nothing more really (shrimp possibly? that's a whole different thread). I realize that it will be a bit overstocked with the six fish, but, not to worry, I will do frequent water changes.
This is my first aquarium and of course I was a noob about it and didn't cycle it correctly (hence the dead swords), but now it has been about a month and everything seems to be going well. I was fortunate enough to find an amazing employee at PETCO who definitely knew her stuff (and also gave me a great discount because of my troubles). She suggested that after a few weeks I should add some live plants to my tank. I was sketchy on the subject but I'm feeling up to the challenge. Here are some questions that I would like answered, but feel free to throw in extra information!
-Should I change the type of substrate I have, or add anything to it?
-What are some easy plants to begin with? I was thinking about something tall and stringy for one side, some smaller grass like, and some more leafy short kind of plants. Tips on those would be appreciated. (I'd prefer something that can be bought in store, rather than online)
-Will I need chemicals? Trying to avoid fertilizer
-Will addition of plants negatively affect my enviroment/fish behaviors?
-I was debating putting in some brick for some color. What should I do first?
-CO2? I don't have any idea what I need for the plants. Are CO2 generators necessary, where can I find them cheap?
Thank you in advance
PS: I keep my water temp. mid to high 70's.
