I have a new 10gal setup and I was thinking about adding live plants?

Question

I have a new 10 gallon setup that I have been running for two weeks. I have two platies and 2 ghost shrimp and they are doing great. I have 3 artificial plants throughout the tank, as well as a small artificial tree stump with hiding places. I wanted to add in live plants, but is that something that has to be done with no fish in the tank, or can it be done with fish in the tank? Also, are there some types of plants that can be grown just in gravel?

Thanks for all of your responses guys! They are all great and it is going to be hard for me to decide which is the best since they all help in their own individual way. I got a great deal and for 10 dollars I am going to get Java fern, Banana plant, Wisteria, Golden Lloydellia. Wish me luck!

Answer 1

There are several species of plants that can be grown in just gravel. I use just gravel and have a low light aquarium system on my 30 gallon that supplies about .66 of a watt per gallon, when the ideal is at least 2 watts or more per gallon, and my plants are doing pretty well (Not taking over the tank or anything, but they're green, growing and propogating. =]). I have several different types, including Water Wisteria, Anacharis, and Mondo Grass. For a foreground plant I have Micro Sword which is actually doing pretty well despite the low light. I also have Java Fern, which you tie to ornaments and then it fastens itself to things by way of it's rhizome. Anacharis and Wisteria you pretty much just stick in the gravel and let them grow. They grow from the top, so when they start getting too tall, you can cut the tops off and plant them somewhere else in the tank. The Mondo Grass was a gift to me, and it now has a root system through a lot of my gravel. =)

Of course, there are other similar plants as well. I plan on getting some Anubias and Java Moss as well, which are also low maintenence, low light plants that are good for pretty much any aquarium. =) There's a good index of plants on aquahobby.com under the 'Garden' section that will give you lots of information and different species of plants to pick and choose from, as well as decide what's best for your aquarium.

Hope this helps,
C.G.

Answer 2

Most rooted plants are fine with just gravel. Your lighting should be the biggest concern, since some plants need more light than others. Find out what the wattage of your lighting is and divide this by the tank volume (10 gallons) to find out what your watts per gallon ratio is. Ideally it will be 3-5 watts per gallon. If it's closer to 3, you'll want to use plants that can survive in low light condition, if it's around 5, you can go with high-light plants. Java Fern, Java moss, and abubias (banana plant) are some of the easiest for a beginner. If you get real driftwood, you can tie the Java moss to the wood with sewing thread and it will take hold and grow by the time the thread rots.

If your substrate has been in the tank a while, you might stir up some "dirt" when you plant, but this shouldn't harm your fish. I'd suggest getting the plants and keeping them in a separate container where they will get bright indirect light for a week, just to be sure you aren't going to be getting snails on them, then add them to the tank when you do a water change - you can add the plants after you take some of the water out (so you don't have the water overflow from putting extra volume in the tank), then you can refill the tank once the plants are in place.

Answer 3

Live plants are great for tanks with fish! Yes, many types of plants can be stuck right in the gravel. Check out your local pet store for plants. It is also important though to have a fluorescent light as incandescent lights usually don't keep plants alive for long.

Answer 4

Take out the platies and empty out about half the tank (keep the water though). If you want to take out the ghost shrimp, then fine. Take the plants out of their container and place them into the gravel. Then add the water and the fish.

~ZTM

Answer 5

You can add the plants with the fish, but the ghost shrimp will munch on it, as they are scavengers. I find it hard to keep the plants alive with fish, but I say give it a go. Good luck with ur new tank.

Answer 6

You should wait until after the new filter is cycled. While the new filter is cycling keep the old one in the tank so that some of the bacteria from the old one will grow into the new one. Once your new filter is cycled you can add just 1 more guppy, maximum, even though I don't recommend it because you'd be pushing that bioload to the maximum. I've been hearing a lot of great things about the biowheel filters, so that could help with the bioload because they supposedly house the aerobic bacteria better.

Answer 7

A good site for aquarium supplies and alot of live plants that are different is Discount Aquarium Supplies, ... - www.drsfostersmith.com
My fish do dig up the plants but hey, they seem to be having fun

Answer 8

i put live plants in my tank and there were already fish in there, and they seem to be growing fine in the gravel. the only problem is the fish like to pull them out and they are always floating at the top and need to be replanted.