Planted tank help

[Hotshotdevil]

Yesterday I added some live plants along with a pair of amano shrimp to a 12 gallon eclipse tank I am setting up for my GF.



I know the picture isn't great quality but I hope you can get a decent idea of what the tank looks like. the water is still milky from the substrate and unfortunately the shot only shows like 3/4 of the tank. a few stray roots are sticking up out of the gravel. should I trim them? how long do plants take to set up a decent root structure? I know the plants in the foreground are dwarf Sagittarius but can anyone Id the plants in the back. the one on the right is some kind of Anubias. I know the tank looks a little sparse but hopefully adding some driftwood will help. Also the lighting on the tank is a 13 watts 5000k compact fluorescent bulb. Is this sufficient? I know it is a little low and I want to upgrade but it is a very strange lighting socket. It square and has 4 pins. The light is actually two fluorescent tubes that run parallel to each other and curve to form a U shape.

 

[Hotshotdevil]

Any suggestions for the aquascaping? I will try and get some more pics up tomorrow

 

[daileene]

The anubias should be attached in a driftwood or in a rock, not planted in the substrate. Their roots should be free from any substrate. The plant in the left side (tall one) looks like rotala indica, but I am not sure.

Is this tank finished cycling? If not, please read this link since you said you already added some shrimps in your tank: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now-116287.html

Your aquascaping looks good. The plants will fill in once they acclimate good enough. You don't have to cut any roots. They will be fine.

 

[daileene]

And welcome to AA!!!

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Any suggestions for the aquascaping? I will try and get some more pics up tomorrow

Aquascaping is all about personal preference. Given that, maybe consider adding some wood or a grouping of stones (an odd number) to make a focal point that you can work around. Most people also slope their gravel to be higher in the back or to one back corner to give the illusion of depth or visual interest. Adding a background, either black, blue or white to the back if the tank is something else to consider. Try to avoid symmetry to some degree. Just remember, this is a topic that most of us struggle with, so if it doesn't turn out exactly like you are hoping you're not alone! lol Try looking up aquascaping competition on YouTube. You'll be amazed at all of the options out there to emulate.

 

[smileyface9]

I'm planning on aqua scaping soon.. And thinking of substrate options.. What kind of substrate did you use? It looks like black diamond sand, but I'm not sure.

 

[Hotshotdevil]

The substrate is the black color of floramax. I am going to get 2 or 3 small pieces of driftwood to add some depth. Maybe a nice tall rock would also be a place I could plant the anubias. I'm not certain this is the proper ID but I will get pics up today.

 

[smileyface9]

The substrate is the black color of floramax. I am going to get 2 or 3 small pieces of driftwood to add some depth. Maybe a nice tall rock would also be a place I could plant the anubias. I'm not certain this is the proper ID but I will get pics up today.

Thanks

 

[daileene]

The substrate is the black color of floramax. I am going to get 2 or 3 small pieces of driftwood to add some depth. Maybe a nice tall rock would also be a place I could plant the anubias. I'm not certain this is the proper ID but I will get pics up today.

yes, that is the name. although anubias has a lot of variety. there is anubias nana petite, anubias barteri, anubias nana, etc. and yes, good idea to attach them to either the DW or the rock.