Tank progress

[PerenGee]

I'm thinking these updates should go somewhere else, but it's too late now and this is probably my last one for some time...

Anyway, I added several more fish. 1 Flame Gourami and 3 glass fish. Here they are in all their glory. I'm also starting to get the hang of my gf's camera so the pics are a little better now.

The blue on his fins is much brighter now, and he's even a deeper yellow/orange. I think the car ride back might have been pretty stressful, but it seems like he's happier now.

so fun to look at!

Also, here's the tank so far (right). The pic on the left is from when I first put in the plants last weekend.

I'm not plant expert but I think they're growing...a lot. Note the length of the baby tears in the center. Oh also, those anubias on the left are for my gf's tank, I just haven't transffered them yet. Anyway, I think I need to start doing some research on pruning...any suggests would help of course.

 

[misterking]

Looking good! I can NEVER find glassfish that haven't been dyed which is a bit of a let-down, but that's a nice mix of fish! The glassfish MAY need a bit of salt in the water just to keep them healthy but this isn't completely necessary, they're quite adaptable I think.

 

[ishar]

I was talking to a fellow at the LFS and he said that a properly planted tank will keep Nitrates way down. The only water changes needed are very occasional because of the build-up of hardness, or something like that.

Well he is right on that in a properly planted tank water changes could be done far less frequently, but a build-up of water hardness is not the only reason to do them. If you fertilize the tank you should do frequent water changes to make sure that if you are overdosing the aquarium that it doesn't build up to a toxic amount.

I am actually reading a book right now called "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" by Diana Walstad, and it is a textbook basically on how to make a heavily planted tank without dosing any fertilizers though, and just finding the balance between plants and fish. This book states that once the balance is found, biYEARLY water changes are needed- one in SIX MONTHS. This is huge... but it shows that plants can reduce the water changes immensely.

I'm not plant expert but I think they're growing...a lot. Note the length of the baby tears in the center. Oh also, those anubias on the left are for my gf's tank, I just haven't transffered them yet. Anyway, I think I need to start doing some research on pruning...any suggests would help of course.

Pruning is easy. Don't. lol. I wouldn't trim your plants for at least 2-3 weeks after putting them into your tank. Let it grow out and become accustomed to the conditions in your tank before you go cutting.

However, once you get to this point, there are a few simple ways to trim different types of plants. Stem plants like your hornwort can either be "topped" or have the bottoms removed. To top the stem plant, you just cut about a 4" length of the stem off of the top of the plant, remove the leaves from the bottom 1" of the new piece you cut off, and then replant. This is a very fast and effective way to increase the volume of your stem plants, and if the plant is healthy and growing it will send up one or two more stems from where you cut, creating a very dense and bushy growth. Once the stems get old, and after you cut the tops off of them a bunch of times, the bottoms become "leggy", sending out a lot of roots (called aerial roots when they are above the substrate level and not underneath) and the leaves start looking old and ugly, you can pull the stem out and cut the bottom ugly part off and replant the stem in again.

For your Sword, I think you just cut whole leaves off at the base of the plant, but I have never had on so I do not know for sure. Baby tears *I think* you just go snip snip like you were cutting hair, same as the E. Tenellus (Micro Sword). You shouldn't need to trim the micro sword I don't think, but the baby tears might need reshaping every once ins a while.

Anyways, I just thought I would help you out in your research. Keep looking around though and see what other info you find. Planted tanks, as I found out a year ago, are not simply plant and watch. There is a lot to learn and research if you care to learn about it, and many many topics to discuss regarding them .

 

[PerenGee]

misterking - thanks! I actually haven't seen any painted glass fish except for online, and honestly they look sort of gross and sad. Too bad you can't find any normal ones. I got these at the LFS that I trust the most, but I know the PetSmart in my area carries these. They generally hold them with the ghost catfish.
I add some aquarium salt to help with the general comfort of the fish but nothing to bring a brackish feel to the tank. The guy at the store said that this particular batch of fish came from some purely freshwater source in Vietnam and that they'd be fine. They seem to be alright to me, but we'll wait and see.

ishar - dude. You are awesome! I feel like every time I have a question you come up and *poof* there's the answer. Thank you very much for all your help. Thanks to everyone! I've been hassled and flamed at other forums for asking questions (not fish tank forums) so I sort of feel bad asking about stuff that a few days of research could answer. I'm still looking around but you are definitely a big help to me! I'll have to check out that book too, sounds interesting...

 

[ishar]

I add some aquarium salt to help with the general comfort of the fish but nothing to bring a brackish feel to the tank.

ishar - dude. You are awesome! I feel like every time I have a question you come up and *poof* there's the answer. Thank you very much for all your help. Thanks to everyone! I've been hassled and flamed at other forums for asking questions (not fish tank forums) so I sort of feel bad asking about stuff that a few days of research could answer. I'm still looking around but you are definitely a big help to me! I'll have to check out that book too, sounds interesting...

There are very few fish species that *require* salt in their tanks to feel comfortable, and I am not so sure that tetras and gouramis fall into that category. There is a lot of dispute between people, back and forth whether or not salt aids in the health and comfort of the fish. Myself, I don't think it does at all. But as far as I know there is no real harm in doing it either. Just wanted to point that out.

hahahah and thanks . You just happen to ask good questions that I enjoy answering. It was little over a year ago when I started keeping a planted tank, and i used to be just like you but "worse", asking so many questions all the time lol. I am glad to be able to give the same service back to people . My answers should never be taken as gospel however, as I am not perfect, I am still new to all of this, and I make mistakes. Research is still key.

And as for the book? It is pretty advanced stuff, I must say, but not so advanced that it wouldn't help anyone out. It is not so advanced in the plant or fish concepts, but the chemistry and science behind all of the functions and processes within the aquarium. It teaches people of the balance between plants and fish, creating a fully functional ecosystem within that little glass box of yours . Pretty interesting so far .