lonely marimo ball

[salvy]

The only living plant or i guess algae that i have in my aquarium is a marimo ball. I am thinking about adding more live plants but id like to keep them small. Perhaps some type of carpet that grows on substratre or rock.
I might get a anubia plant... i think thats what its called ... looks clean and not to messy. I dont like the bushy look lol

-any suggestions? help? or tips ? thx

 

[Coleallensmom]

How big is your tank and what lighting do you have? Lighting is a very important factor when choosing plants.

Anubias are low light plants and there are many diffferent types to pick from. Java/willow moss can grow on substrate and is also a low light plant.

 

[salvy]

sorry i assume everyone looks at my profile lol

I have a 10 gallon tank. About 20 inches long. Black sand about 2.5 in. deep.
I have a cheap Walmart hood lol. 2 25w 120v blue and white incandecent bulbs. I switch back and forth every so often.
A mid size rock in the middle witch i was thinking about adding the Anubia too. But i have no idea how to that so any help with that would be appreciated.

-Also i want to add live bugs to my sand to keep it aerated. My peacock eel almost never goes in the sand . Would california blackworms survive in the sand without being eaten by fish? What other critters can i add to live under the sand? Tubifex?

-Has anyone used bryozoa? Its some kind of moss animal that looks like a small coral

-Thx in advance for any help

 

[Faile]

The best thing you can add to keep your sand stirred is MTS (Malaysian Trumpet Snails).

If you want to get serious about keeping plants you'll want to switch out your bulbs for some screw in compact fluorescent bulbs. Incandescent bulbs put out mostly heat with just a little bit of light, while compact fluorescent bulbs put out mainly light with just a little bit of heat. This will give you much better options for plants.

To attach the Anubia to the rock, get some cotton thread and tie the rhizome (thick part that the leaves and roots grow out of) to the rock. You'll want to tie it tight enough that the plant is held in place, but not so tight that the plant is damaged. By the time the cotton thread deteriorates the plant should have attached to the rock.

 

[salvy]

Its decided then... MTS... thank you.
A while back ago I took a tiny coned shaped bright yellow snail out ... Could this had been a MTS?
Oh yea and i currently have 2 mystery snails... blue and yellow.
I will also install CFB. Does color matter?
and lets see if i can get the Anubia to stick.. thx for the tips

 

[Faile]

The MTS I have seen are usually brown, tan, or brownish red. Some times a mix of two or all the colors. Here's a picture of one.

Generally for planted aquariums you want to look for daylight bulbs which will have somewhere between 5000K - 10000K for the color. With the lower numbers it will look more yellow and the higher number will look more blue.

 

[salvy]

I bought 2 Ecobulb Partbulbs color blue.
Uses 13 watts but puts out 60 watts.
Was this a good or bad purchase?
Does the color matter?

 

[salvy]

I couldnt find the specs on the package or online

 

[BigJim]

Aquarium Lighting; Kelvin, Nanometers, PAR, Bulb, Watt, MH, LED, Light Basics.

This is a pretty good link detailing the spectral needs of plants. If those bulbs are CLFs near the 6500K range, it was a good purchase.