Root tabs or driftwood??

[Kiara1125]

I have only $12 and I'm at a cross road. I want to put driftwood in my tank ($10) but I was thinking about getting root tabs for my plants ($9). My plants are doing great, but the root tabs would be like a back up/extra push to keep my plants healthy. I would also really like to get driftwood, clean it, and decorate my tank with it. Try to tap into my scaping side. I want to experiment since one of my tanks only has gravel and terra cotta pots. Which item should I go with?? Here are the links.

Driftwood:
Top Fin® Driftwood - Decorations - Fish - PetSmart

Root tabs:
Seachem™ Flourish Tabs™ - Plant Care - Fish - PetSmart

Sorry in advance if it doesn't work since these are the mobile versions of the websites.

 

[Thyra]

I am pretty sure that is not real driftwood - I think its poly resin - which is ok if that is what you are expecting. I have several fake logs of various types. One thing to remember is they are hollow and if they tip forward and a curious fish gets inside they could get trapped - as one of my bettas did.

 

[Kiara1125]

Ok. I will watch out for that. I just wanted to go with fake driftwood cuz I heard that real driftwood lowers your pH and gives a brown tint to the water. Well, maybe not lower the pH, but at least soften the water.

 

[FlameTetra333]

Kiara, the drop in pH is not that significant, and it doesn't last forever. Also, IME mopani wood (found at petco) give the water a slightly brownish tint, but it's hard to notice unless you have your face basically smushed up against the glass. Also the tannins in the wood improve coloration and I think encourages breeding in Amazon fish.

 

[lauraf]

Stores around here often carry manzanita wood, which doesn't significantly discolour the water either. Don't worry about using real driftwood, Kiara. It looks awesome.

 

[Thyra]

There was the most beautiful manzanita tree across the road from me that disappeared when the land got cleared. I didn't have an aquarium at the time but there are a couple more along the road and I have my eye on them. I was wondering if they really would discolor the water as much as other driftwood did.

 

[OrangeCones]

I loved making my own driftwood from 'found' wood. I still have my 'stump stew' pot from when I moved.

 

[Kiara1125]

Thanks guys. Is the other driftwood more expensive if you buy it though?? Like the manzanita or the mopani?? I'm looking through petco's website right now. If anything, I'll do an extreme (for me at least) and clear out my 10g (except for the otos) and put in just neon tetras and maybe a few hatchet fish. Would the otos like the driftwood??

 

[MdngtRain]

Kiara, I personally like real wood that has been sterilized. I've found that it also helps with algea growth for my otos and plecos. The fish also really like it. Tho they would poetically like the fake stuff too. Go with your personal preference.
What will you be doing with your current fish? Do you not like them any more? Have they become boring? If they have become boring, you run the risk of your new fish becoming boring... Just a thought...
Good luck. And show off whatever you choose.

 

[Kiara1125]

No, it's just I want to try something new. Plus, my friend is going into fishkeeping, so I'm giving him a few of my Guppies. I'm keeping my 3 female Platies, but I have 2M:8F Guppies. I'm gonna give them to him over time. I'm NEVER buying Guppies again because of how sick they can get. I'm going with mopani wood from Petco and it's still $10. I never get bored of animals. I easily get bored over games and such, but I've had my Bearded Dragon for 8 years and he continues to entertain me everyday. My fish aren't boring, I just want to experience something new. I could never imagine getting bored of my fish. They entertain me too much.

Also, will an ADF do well in a river tank with my Neons and Otos?? I heard that they are compatible, but idk if the driftwood will affect them.

 

[FlameTetra333]

Hmm, so you're doing a river tank. Personally I think river tanks would be best when it's scaped in a natural way. I would either use black or white sand (Petco actually does have a good type of sand) the driftwood (the pieces of medium sized wood take up about 8/10 - 9/10 the length of the tank and is great if used as a background decoration), some amazonian plants (I think anubias is one, but I'm not sure; could i have some info on that please?), and some stones/caves (black stones look good with white sand, and vice versa). I would get some anubias even if it's not amazonian because it just looks awesome when tied to DW. For lighting, 2x 10w 6500kCFLs are sufficient. All of this (except the plants) can be found at Petco, lol. I think anubias, stem plants, and mosses would be the best aesthetic choices for this setup.

 

[lauraf]

Also, will an ADF do well in a river tank with my Neons and Otos?? I heard that they are compatible, but idk if the driftwood will affect them.

When I got rid of my 5g tank, I put my two ADFs in my 39g and they are doing really well with cories, a pleco, tetras, plus other critters. I just make sure to 'target-feed' them. Now all I have to do is put some bloodworms in a pile in the corner for them. They are conditioned now to a tap on the bottom of the glass to go to that corner at feeding time.

 

[Kiara1125]

That's cool laura!! Thanks!!

I'm planning on a large piece of driftwood, river stones, and I'll try to find/make some caves. For the plants I'll add: amazon sword, java fern, java moss, micro swords, and maybe some anubis. What about rotala rotundifolia?? For stocking: 3 otos, 1-2 ADFs, and 5 neons, only I might add more neons. So far, my budget is $25. With that I can get the driftwood, the gravel, the ADF(s) and maybe a plant (anubis).

 

[Kiara1125]

Update:

Budget-
$25

Prices-
African Dwarf Frog- $2.99 (getting one)
Neon Tetras- $1 [SALE] (getting 5 more)
Mopani Driftwood- $9.99 (12 inches approx.)
River Stones- $7.99 (10 pound bag)

Total (including taxes)-
$27.69

A little over my budget, but I'm glad that I can handle it. New experiences, yayz!! xD

 

[KcMopar]

Are you just sculpting it to look like a river or are you going to have it flow like a river too? If you want the river flow effect you need some plumbing and power heads which is really going to blow the budget. Sounds like you are headed to a sculpted river look, right???

 

[Kiara1125]

Yes!! My Neons are used to the low current, so I'm just gonna sculpt it like a river. Maybe in the future I'll add some powerheads, but I'm not doing that currently. I'm FINALLY going to have a background for one of my tanks. xD Should I go with a super planted background or a rock like background. I'm gonna make my dad buy that since it's a couple bucks and I'm buying the rest of the crap. xD