setin up an planted tank

[naggur]

Hey there!!

I'm an newbe with plants and cichlids and an wonderin what kind of plants I can have in 96l tank ( arpox 30gal) I'm not really cean on large plants or fast growing, the rams I got are m. ramirezi (a pair) asian form and m. alispinosa. well in other words, what is the best tank set up for them?

 

[scott]

naggur,
anubias spp. would probably fit the bill although they can get rather large they are slow growing and fairly hardy and also don't need alot of light. for a 30 gal tank i would use a 55-65 watt compact florescent light. you might also consider a diy c02 system. other plants that i use because of there ease in caring for are java fern, java moss, waterspite, ananchris(spelling?), and alot of different crypts also i find amazon swords do well for me with relatively low light(i'm sure others will disagee but mine are doing great with aprox. 2watt/gal.) also i use ecocomplete substrate but there are alot of other "plant friendly" substrates ie. florite, laterite, etc. another thing that i find helps in a planted tank is a canister filter rather than hang-on type or sponge. you can put the outflow below the surface to decrease aggitation and also i think canisters provide a small amount of c02 themselves. the main thing is to plan out your system thoroughly before you begin so you don't forget anything. it is much easier (and cheaper) to set it up right from the start than it is to go back and try to change/add something, such as substrate, once it's up and running. good luck and happy aquascaping!

scott

 

[naggur]

thanks scott I'll try to get it rigth from the start, even tho I've read about those fishes and in all the books it's always the same they dont care much about there surondings, that is ornament and plants

 

[farm41]

What do you have for lights, substrate?

 

[naggur]

orginal 25w ligth fix. I'm not gona add any other fix on to the tank

 

[farm41]

I have sustained java moss for some time with less than one watt per gallon. No growth though. Not really enough light to get anything to grow.

 

[aspen]

try anubias on driftwood or mopani wood. they should grow under that light, but as matt said, growth won't be that much. more light would expand your plant choices.

you can have a nice tank with only anubias.

rick

 

[naggur]

I saw in an bok what type of plants I can use for them so I'm gona try out with them.

one of them is an amazon sword plant, foxtail ( green) and some thing else