Alternanthera? Very niceThis is my 13g. I do have a co2 injection, but everything in this tank can be grown without one (low tech) with MINIMAL maintenance.
Edit: I spy a gourami and some tetras.
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Alternanthera? Very niceThis is my 13g. I do have a co2 injection, but everything in this tank can be grown without one (low tech) with MINIMAL maintenance.
I do not remember the name sadly but I suspect that your are right. They had grew out of the water line and got everywhere (unintended effect of CO2 I guess). That said, I plucked some out and put them in my dimly lit co2-less system and they are still deep red and growing. Bullet proof in my book.Alternanthera? Very nice
Edit: I spy a gourami and some tetras.
Can you reccomend some easy to care for plants, that won't take over the tank? Do fish nibble at the plants?In my experience, (non-high tech) plants are easier to take care of than the fish. I tossed some plants in my dimly lit shrimp cull tank that I do not do maintenance on and they are doing quite all right 6 months in.
Remember, plants love dirty water. They use it as nutrients. Meaning she can get away with less frequent water change and potentially saving your fish in case of ammonia poisoning post-cycling.
Maybe I need to put some plants in MY freshwater tank! Can they be put in the sand? She has black sand, I have pool sand in mine. What about SW? Are plants a good option there too? I don't have corals, just live rock in the SW...I wouldn't mind easier maintenance, never really looked into plants...maybe in the sump? not sure I have room in there though.I also suggest live plants, but would avoid Hornwort like it was the plague, because it is. Lots of dropped leaves and maintenance. I would recommend Amazon Sword. Teach them about ecosystems, the plants help to clean the water.
What are the red plants?This is my 13g. I do have a co2 injection, but everything in this tank can be grown without one (low tech) with MINIMAL maintenance.
I asked this and then realized there were a lot more comments about live plants!! lolCan you reccomend some easy to care for plants, that won't take over the tank? Do fish nibble at the plants?
The red plants are alternanthera reineckii roseafolia.What are the red plants?
Like what saltienewb suggest, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them.Can you reccomend some easy to care for plants, that won't take over the tank? Do fish nibble at the plants?
I second this. There are a lot of very neat looking macroalgae with some looking even nicer than coral imo.Very few true plants tolerate saltwater, and they're all fairly tricky to keep, unless you get lucky with mangroves. A seagrass tank, for example, requires a specific setup and a decent bit of dedication. However, macroalgaes (seaweeds) are not true plants, and there are plenty of easy varieties. Halimeda is nice-looking and hardy, and gracilarias tend to be easy to grow. Chaeto is probably the easiest, though maybe not the prettiest. Ulva is neat, but can rarely be invasive, and is chewed by all sorts of things. By and large, stay away from caulerpas, as they're great at being invasive.
You can certainly keep macroalgae in your DT as long as you do not have hungry herbivores lurking around (ie tangs and some inverts)Maybe I need to put some plants in MY freshwater tank! Can they be put in the sand? She has black sand, I have pool sand in mine. What about SW? Are plants a good option there too? I don't have corals, just live rock in the SW...I wouldn't mind easier maintenance, never really looked into plants...maybe in the sump? not sure I have room in there though.
Strictly talking fresh water here, I used to use small zip ties to anchor the plant root system to a rock and then bury the base in the sand/gravel just to anchor it. Lots of freshwater plants do not depend on the substrate for nourishment. They pick up nutrients from the water and photosynthesize from the lighting. You will need a set of aqua scaping utensils, scissors, tweezers etc. to groom your plants. Trim off dead parts, downsize, scape.Maybe I need to put some plants in MY freshwater tank! Can they be put in the sand? She has black sand, I have pool sand in mine. What about SW? Are plants a good option there too? I don't have corals, just live rock in the SW...I wouldn't mind easier maintenance, never really looked into plants...maybe in the sump? not sure I have room in there though.
She loves the black sand, so that's staying. She doesn't want cichlids, she has some smaller fish in mind, all I know is she wants a cory cat...there's a list somewhere that she decided on with her dad. I keep seeing more comments I missed too! lol Lots of good info here!I really dislike black sand, so I would personally replace that, but that might just be me. I really like the “cichlid sand”, I think Carib sea makes it.
as far as decorations go, if you aren’t wanting driftwood, there are some pretty nice “Cichlid stones“ available at LFS and online. Those mixed with some river rocks from Home Depot could make a pretty cool scape/set up for cichlids.
I would recommend considering driftwood, as it can very easily transform a tank. Most of my local fish stores sell aquarium safe driftwood for reasonable prices. You could probably find a single piece big enough to span most of the tank. Mix in some rock work and you’re good to go.
Here was my version of a cheap and easy aquascape, think I used Home Depot rocks, petsmart sand, and a piece of Manzanita from manzanitadriftwood.com
Also, I apologize if I’m telling you things you already know, or things already said in this thread, I didn’t make it through reading all the posts Haha
See, this is where i think it would become more than she would keep up with, the utensils...although it would give her something to be responsible for, maybe it would help her. But she tends to get stuck and unable to do things even if she wants to...it's hard to explain, anxiety/ ocd related I think...She has a chronic health condition too, some days are harder for her to do things. She keeps asking to get her fishtank cleaned up and running again..it's been sitting for a little while, just a tank full of water! A project for me mostly...once the fish are in there, the rest is up to her...I have too many tanks of my own to keep up with. lolStrictly talking fresh water here, I used to use small zip ties to anchor the plant root system to a rock and then bury the base in the sand/gravel just to anchor it. Lots of freshwater plants do not depend on the substrate for nourishment. They pick up nutrients from the water and photosynthesize from the lighting. You will need a set of aqua scaping utensils, scissors, tweezers etc. to groom your plants. Trim off dead parts, downsize, scape.
Just like our saltwater hobby, there are different level for hobbyists and how “fancy” they want their tank to look.See, this is where i think it would become more than she would keep up with, the utensils...although it would give her something to be responsible for, maybe it would help her. But she tends to get stuck and unable to do things even if she wants to...it's hard to explain, anxiety/ ocd related I think...She has a chronic health condition too, some days are harder for her to do things. She keeps asking to get her fishtank cleaned up and running again..it's been sitting for a little while, just a tank full of water! A project for me mostly...once the fish are in there, the rest is up to her...I have too many tanks of my own to keep up with. lol
They do sell black planted tank substrate: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/eco-complete-planted-black-aquarium-substrateShe loves the black sand, so that's staying. She doesn't want cichlids, she has some smaller fish in mind, all I know is she wants a cory cat...there's a list somewhere that she decided on with her dad. I keep seeing more comments I missed too! lol Lots of good info here!
See, this is where i think it would become more than she would keep up with, the utensils...although it would give her something to be responsible for, maybe it would help her. But she tends to get stuck and unable to do things even if she wants to...it's hard to explain, anxiety/ ocd related I think...