Noob trying to make good looking tank

[le0p]

See I don't have a grand just to through into trial and error. I would rather just get plastic and not worry about it. But I am also starting to think.
If I get a good light that is made for a planted tank and if I just make sure to put some ferts can plants not thrive like that? I was also hoping for some java moss or christmas moss or some baby tears to carpet would that work?

At this point I wouldn't even consider fertilizer, get a good light and some easy low light plants. Fish poop will take care of fertilizing for awhile. Any plants you'll buy will have information on the requirements to care for it. Choose stuff that's easy and that works with your light. See how that goes and make adjustments.

Carpet plants are generally pretty challenging. Moss doesn't really grow like that on substrate, you'd have to put down a mat or something. It wouldn't be a simple process for sure.. dwarf baby tears are going to require a lot of care and very very likely pressurized Co2. Not trying to say there's no chance it'll work, but you'll likely have better luck getting an idea about how your tank grows plants before you try something with high difficulty.

 

[Fat Homer]

I agree with L le0p , i kind of went against the grain when properly starting out and grew a HC carpet (dwarf baby tears) amongn other plants...

Did it work for me? Yes, but i started out with 4x T5-HO bulbs / Co2 / ADA soil / ferts... i can also tell you it didnt take more than maybe 6months to a year for everything to start going wrong... the balancing act of getting everything right for high requirement plants can drive you nuts especially when it fails and different algae grows everywhere and plants start growing into areas you didnt expect them to etc...

So while its not that anyone here is trying to put you off, you really need to carefully consider what you will keep with what plants, coz i can tell you more or less as a fact with your current stock you wont get a HC carpet growing properly, as they up root super easily and take a fair bit og effort in the beginning to get it to carpet the way you want...

That is also why my high tech planted tank only contains shrimp and nothing else...

 

[Fat Homer]

Also wanted to add you dont need a ton of money to get a beautiful planted tank, but planning and researching all the right equipment for your needs will make all the difference...

Coz a lot of knock off china brands make things just as good as the original for those who need to work on a budget... thats how my first high tech came about...

 

[Davidiator]

Alright,
So the tank is up and running.
There is about 1-2" of clay substrate and then 1-2" of sand.
The lights are to fluorescent tubes. (1 blue and 1 white).
The filter is one Canister filter (second one turns off power in the house every time we try to plug it in)
Anyways... the guy that we bought it from said that he had a this tank running and he was not doing anything at all and his plants were growing so fast that he ended up trimming and throwing away complete plants every week. He has this going until his dog bit through the wire of the ligh... anyways so I am going to give it a go. He said he was not adding any ferts or anything at all. He also gave me a CO2 injector system that runs on citric acid and baking soda but he said not to use it unless plants are dying. He said he never used it in this tank he only used it in a different tank that did not want plants to grow in it. (The plants grew till he got bored with it and decide to go saltwater)

He said he had all sorts of plants. He doesn't remember all of them but he remembered 3: vallisneria amazon sword and dwarf hair grass. I am hoping this all works in this tank.

Especially hope all fish make it.

(This is just a small update)
I will post a thread with pics and everything once tank is totally set up.

Thanks

 

[Fat Homer]

The first two you mentioned are deep rooted plants and may need root tabs to really thrive but see how you go first...

The hair grass is where you may or may not run into problems, they normally are a medium - high light plant that likes a nutrient rich substrate... if you give it what it needs it will take off like wildfire, but dont give it enough and i'll just remain as a small clump and eventually die...

Also as mentioned with monsters and carpets its going to be a little bit challenging, so if possible maybe get the carpet going before adding the fish...

 

[Davidiator]

The first two you mentioned are deep rooted plants and may need root tabs to really thrive but see how you go first...

The hair grass is where you may or may not run into problems, they normally are a medium - high light plant that likes a nutrient rich substrate... if you give it what it needs it will take off like wildfire, but dont give it enough and i'll just remain as a small clump and eventually die...

Also as mentioned with monsters and carpets its going to be a little bit challenging, so if possible maybe get the carpet going before adding the fish...

The fish are in the tank already. The BGK is only 7-9" and the biggest clown Loach is only 3-4" so they are not monsters yet.
The BGK survived and is back to his normal self. The water is at 70* F (yes I know this is low but I have a heater going and am going to get a second heater soon)(I only rushed the putting fish in process because the place I was going to keep them in for a couple days turned out to be poisonous to fish so I had to rush the tank. But all the fish seem unaffected right now.
I think I am going to get small amounts of different plants and just see if they grow or if they want ferts.
Also is there a way to make my log sink?
I've had it for over a month... I boiled it, tried to hold it underwater and all sorts of things but it won't sink. (Although is is slowly getting heavier and heavier as if it is filling itself with water)

 

[Fat Homer]

There really isnt a way to instantly waterlog a piece of wood... if you are desperate to get it to stay down you can tie some slate or other rocks to the wood to keep it weighed down, then depending on the size of the wood and how dry it was before going in the tank it may take up to 6 months or more to stay fully submerged on its own... although thats in extreme cases...

 

[Deadliestviper7]

Some logs will float for years,but this allows you to strap or attach it into place with fishing line to make a wooden island,you can use liquid nails to attach air plants above the water line,just spray a bit of water on the air plants every day or so.