36 gallon bow front

K

kalasas2008

Small Fish
#1
Oct 11, 2010
12
0
0
#1
Hello everyone, i am getting a 36 gallon tank for Christmas. I was just wondering what kind of ideas everyone had for plants and fish in it.


I know for sure it will be a heated tropical with
One yellow Mollie
3 Silver mollies (one male)
1 fancy guppy


I really like java moss and hairgrass for plants.
I saw a cool thing about how to make a java moss wall for the back of a tank, and i'd love to do that... but..
My ideal planting would not involve CO2 and maybe just adding fertilizer- so any idea how much java i can ave w/o co2?


I don't have a filter or lightbulbs picked out, but i have seen the Bio wheel hob filters, and i like them. (or i was thinking of getting the glass lilly pipes, and haveing a hidden filter.. but im unfamiliar with them and need lots of guidance here.

I am also indecisive as to the substrate to use, i have never done plants so i dont know what i need for them... the tank's papers said ill need 45 pounds of gravel for my tank- so if i go sand do i need 45 pounds? or should i just do sand in the foreground?


these are just my ideas, any input's welcome, but i gotta keep my mollies and guppy.
 

K

kalasas2008

Small Fish
#2
Oct 11, 2010
12
0
0
#2
aakaakaak

aakaakaak

Superstar Fish
#3
Sep 9, 2010
1,324
0
0
Chesapeake, Virginia
#3
Your guppy (I'm assuming it's a male) might try to breed with the mollies. If you add a breeding group of guppies it would probably fix that potential problem.

If you're just looking to do java moss the substrate really doesn't matter. It's a floating plant mostly, but you can anchor it on to mesh pads and stuff.
 

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#4
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#4
Congrats on the sweet Christmas present! You would probably be best to decide on either sand or gravel, and not mix the two. Eventually they'll get pretty much blended together. Java moss is super easy, doesn't need special lighting or CO2, and as Aak mentioned, doesn't live in the substrate. You can put as much java moss in your tank as you want. Hairgrass is supposed to be easy to grow, even without high lighting and ferts, but I never had a lot of success with it myself.
I have a biowheel filter, and it has served me well.
In terms of fish, you could look at some more livebearers, gouramis, a school of tetras, cories, loaches . . . . What do you like?
 

Dylandrewsdad

Dylandrewsdad

Large Fish
#5
Aug 13, 2010
870
0
0
Sicklerville, NJ
#5
I have both of the filters you are looking at and they are both very good. I like the 350 because it makes the water very, very clean. The AC does as well, but I think the 350 does a better job. I like the AC because you can customize what you can put in like add extra bio media or carbon or what ever fits! Again both are very good, and it is personal preference.
 

bassbonediva

bassbonediva

Superstar Fish
#7
Oct 15, 2009
2,010
0
0
Northern Arizona
#7
+1 on unwritten law. LOVE my AquaClear filters. The Penguins are just glorified AquaTech (Walmart cheap brand made by the same company) filters, IMHO.

As for lighting, Does the tank you're getting come with the light fixture? Most in the store come with a stock fixture and hood (or glass tops). For the plants you want, the stock fixture should be fine. I, like Laura, have not really had good luck with dwarf hairgrass.
 

K

kalasas2008

Small Fish
#9
Oct 11, 2010
12
0
0
#9
well, i took the bio wheel outa the box in peco today and the dude showed me that theres room for 2 filters, and he said you can place other bio media in the spot for the second if you choose to, but i wouldn't need to with the wheel... still torn on that part...

I went with a large smooth river rock looking gravel for the substrate since it doesn't matter. Got a couple silk colorful plants also.

are there any other really easy to grow plants other than java moss? Like small to medium height. (without c02)

My tank came with a very bright florescent bulb. it looks great. I cant wait to cycle it!!

i was thinking of getting tetras, and glow fish.. but i have heard that they are not very hearty for new aquariums ( that true?)


Thanks for all the advise guys!
Btw the guppy is a male i believe, but i have never seen him trying to mate the mollies... will that work? lol that'd be a weird fish
 

achase

achase

Large Fish
#10
Feb 1, 2010
765
0
0
British Columbia, Canada
#10
Java Ferns are pretty easy to grow (I don't use C02 and they grow in my tanks) and I have also had success with anubias.

If you cycle your tank properly and don't introduce to many fish a once then I don't foresee a problem with tetra's and glow fish (which are colorful danios). I haven't had any problems with adding tetra's to a newly (completed) cycled tank
 

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#12
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#12
As achase mentioned, java ferns and anubias are pretty good for low-tech tanks; sword plants are okay too, particularly if you give them root tabs. Vallisneria also grows very easily and is an excellent background plant or for hiding equipment.
 

Dylandrewsdad

Dylandrewsdad

Large Fish
#14
Aug 13, 2010
870
0
0
Sicklerville, NJ
#14
If you use two filters they will hold a ton of beneficial media as well. After about a week of using the "ready made" filters, I gut the blue filter material off, removed the carbon and added the batting with rubber bands. I use them until they fall apart (has not happened yet in 9 months)
 

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