Fenrisulfer
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
My tank isn't new, but I am renewing it in the hopes of having a better tank and better experience, so please no one get mad at me for posting in the getting started area! It is going to be new and I would like helpful suggestions.
Let me explain what's going on...I had not intended to do this until I could afford a 20 gallon long tank but not only are these very hard to get for some reason in my area, I can't entirely afford it the way I want it (if you can't do it right do not do it when living things are involved). So unless I can miraculously find one in the next couple of days I will be renewing my ten gallon freshwater tank. I had wanted to do this anyway, but didn't want to disrupt my fish community, which has been spawning like mad. Unfortunately I was away for a couple of days and got a frantic text from my fish sitter that the fish were not looking good and many had died. I obviously rushed home and found that my heater had malfunctioned and elevated the temperature to well over one hundred degrees. I lost everything in the tank but most of the plants and about eight juvenile guppies. This was a fairly devastating loss that I feel very upset about as nothing should die a terrible death and I'm sure they did. In the aftermath I have decided I'd like to redo my tank in a more natural way.
But...I don't know what to do!
I'm wanting to create a more natural and consistent mini ecosystem basically. I gave a woman some guppies not long ago who had a beautifully planted tank with drift wood and a substrate mix that I didn't recognize. Everything in the tank did something for it, there were fish that were not greatly aggressive but would naturally cull the fry populations and I was told that the substrate and plants helped greatly in the water quality. I certainly do not expect a tank where I do not have to do anything, that is unrealistic and not what I'm looking for! I would just like a more functional environment for the plants and fish.
I am very interested in new substrate material but I do not know where to start or what I'm looking at. I have only ever had assorted sizes of gravel. I presently have many different plant species in the tank and I appologize for not knowing what they are but will get a picture so that perhaps they can be identified if this helps in suggestions. I know for sure that one is an amazon sword and that there is java moss. I'd like to keep the plants that I presently have if they will continue to work well in the new design, they have been wonderful for fish establishing territories and for hiding places for both adults and fry and I am now pretty familiar with when I need to prune them and such. I have plant fertilizer but have rarely used it as they go crazy without it and I previously had shirmp in the tank which I as told may be harmed by it.
Ideally I would like to put some drift wood and rocks in the tank, change substrate if applicable, and better arrange the plants I have. I do not have a special light for plants, but can get one as I found them pretty affordable for the other tank I have with the same size lighting structure. My filter is a pretty standard type I like to call the "newbie filter" style, and it is actually sized for a twenty gallon tank...I'm very happy with it but would consider other options as suggested. I have also heard that certain kinds of rocks are beneficial to the aquarium, but do not know if this is true. I would like to keep my guppies but have posted elsewhere that I'd like something to naturally predate the fry and perhaps a cory cat or small loach as I love these.
So, if anyone could advise me as to the following:
-substrate materials/benefits
-rocks that may or may not be beneficial or just look cool
-same as above with wood
-any set up suggestions/pitfalls to avoid
I'd appreciate it! I very much look forward to any and all replies and thank you for having the patience to read this long post-sorry!
-Shayla
Let me explain what's going on...I had not intended to do this until I could afford a 20 gallon long tank but not only are these very hard to get for some reason in my area, I can't entirely afford it the way I want it (if you can't do it right do not do it when living things are involved). So unless I can miraculously find one in the next couple of days I will be renewing my ten gallon freshwater tank. I had wanted to do this anyway, but didn't want to disrupt my fish community, which has been spawning like mad. Unfortunately I was away for a couple of days and got a frantic text from my fish sitter that the fish were not looking good and many had died. I obviously rushed home and found that my heater had malfunctioned and elevated the temperature to well over one hundred degrees. I lost everything in the tank but most of the plants and about eight juvenile guppies. This was a fairly devastating loss that I feel very upset about as nothing should die a terrible death and I'm sure they did. In the aftermath I have decided I'd like to redo my tank in a more natural way.
But...I don't know what to do!
I'm wanting to create a more natural and consistent mini ecosystem basically. I gave a woman some guppies not long ago who had a beautifully planted tank with drift wood and a substrate mix that I didn't recognize. Everything in the tank did something for it, there were fish that were not greatly aggressive but would naturally cull the fry populations and I was told that the substrate and plants helped greatly in the water quality. I certainly do not expect a tank where I do not have to do anything, that is unrealistic and not what I'm looking for! I would just like a more functional environment for the plants and fish.
I am very interested in new substrate material but I do not know where to start or what I'm looking at. I have only ever had assorted sizes of gravel. I presently have many different plant species in the tank and I appologize for not knowing what they are but will get a picture so that perhaps they can be identified if this helps in suggestions. I know for sure that one is an amazon sword and that there is java moss. I'd like to keep the plants that I presently have if they will continue to work well in the new design, they have been wonderful for fish establishing territories and for hiding places for both adults and fry and I am now pretty familiar with when I need to prune them and such. I have plant fertilizer but have rarely used it as they go crazy without it and I previously had shirmp in the tank which I as told may be harmed by it.
Ideally I would like to put some drift wood and rocks in the tank, change substrate if applicable, and better arrange the plants I have. I do not have a special light for plants, but can get one as I found them pretty affordable for the other tank I have with the same size lighting structure. My filter is a pretty standard type I like to call the "newbie filter" style, and it is actually sized for a twenty gallon tank...I'm very happy with it but would consider other options as suggested. I have also heard that certain kinds of rocks are beneficial to the aquarium, but do not know if this is true. I would like to keep my guppies but have posted elsewhere that I'd like something to naturally predate the fry and perhaps a cory cat or small loach as I love these.
So, if anyone could advise me as to the following:
-substrate materials/benefits
-rocks that may or may not be beneficial or just look cool
-same as above with wood
-any set up suggestions/pitfalls to avoid
I'd appreciate it! I very much look forward to any and all replies and thank you for having the patience to read this long post-sorry!
-Shayla
