Tank help please!?

Question

I have had my tank for about a year and a half, and had the same fish in there for about a year. I have a bunch of barbs (Tiger, Albino, Green, and Rosy), 2 Gouramis, 1 bottom feeder, and 1 large Alge eater (got him as a medium).
I have a couple of those logs with fake plants on them in there and about 7 or 8 fake plants. The plants are getting some black stuff on them and that really bothers me. Whenever I clean the tank I take them out and get some of the stuff of but I can't get it all anymore. I am considering putting some real plants in. Should I do it? Can I leave the logs in, if I take the fake plants off of them? How much do I have to care for real plants? Do I have to get anything else to make sure the plants grow? Are barbs known to eat the real plants?
I would also like to add some sand to my gravel to make it look a little better, as I have seen in my brother-in-laws tank. Is that a good idea?
Should I take all the fish out whenever I add the sand and possibly real plants?

Another problem could be my filter. I have to admit that I have one of those wal mart filters that you just hang on the back of the tank. I regularly change the cartridges though. What kind of filter should I get, and what is a good website to get it for a reasonable price?

I know that's a lot of questions, but any help would be greatly appreciated.
Any others suggestions on how to "pimp" my tank are also very welcomed.
Thanks!!!

Answer 1

You should definitly get real plants. Thow the plastik stuff out, natural plants are a lot prettier and you dont have to wash them off. They "eat" the waste in your water too. You should have a good light though. Maybe change the light bulbs, or buy brighter lights. You can buy liquid plant food at the petstore and dilute it in the water. Thats all there is, plants are easy to keep.
If your worried your fish are going to nibble on plants buy some with big, strong leaves. I had barbs and they didnt touch my plants,..but maybe yours are going to be curious the first days and think you gave them something to eat. :-)
I heard something about too much sand in the aquarium is bad...but I never tried it.
good luck!

Answer 2

The black stuff you are seeing is either black beard algae (like it grows up from the log in a fuzzy looking way) or cynobacteria ( if it looks slimy) BB algae is quite tough to control and can spread around the tank. Here's a ink to an excellent sight that includes info on controlling this problem:

http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_algae.htm

If you have cynobacteria, that is easier to control because you can treat it with antiboitics. A short treatment with Maracyn 2 will usually take care of the problem.

I would suggest waiting until you have either of these problems under control before adding live plants to the tank. As for what you need for a planted tank, there have been many books written on that subject and I would recommend you pick one up. Until you can, here's a site that covers many of the basics:

http://www.aquariaplants.com/

The barbs are known for eating plants and are considered to be good planted tank residents.

Sand it optional. It can make the tank harder to maintain, but many people consider it worth the extra effort.

No need to remove the fish when making minor changes such as adding some sand or plants.

Hope this helps and best of luck with your renovations!

MM

Answer 3

all those fish can get pretty big, so i hope you have a large tank with lots and lots of hiding places for them. the "black stuff" is a type of algae. if you put real plants in, the algae would cover them eventually. you could get some otos or siamese algae eaters (considering you have a large enough tank). they love that stuff.

if you want to add sand, get pool filter sand. its the best stuff ive ever had. i've never had sand mixed in with gravel, i've done either one or the other.

wal-mart filters that hang on the back of the tank are perfectly fine. i have one in a 10 gallon myself. however, DO NOT change the filter pad. the filter pad contains the most beneficial bacteria in your tank, and completely removing it causes a cycle, which in turn stresses and could kill your fish. if the filter pad gets REALLY dirty this is what you do: during your regular weekly water change, leave the old tank water in the bucket, shut off the filter, take out the filter pad and swich it around in the bucket of old tank water to clean it off. and of course, put the filter pad back in the filter and turn it on.

Answer 4

I have to add that if you do get real plants, rinse them first.

All of mine I got from the local fish store had invisible snail eggs on them, and now I have a huge colony of snails. It wouldn't be such a problem but sometimes they die and I can't tell, then they pollute the tank.

Answer 5

Get the fake plants out of their, that's fungus and it can kill your fish. Go to a pet store and get the special plants for fish tanks.Their only like $2.00 and their worth it.

Answer 6

definately get real plants, they are much healthier since they provide oxygen

Here is a site that explains a bit about fresh waterplants
http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=56

Hope that helped
Good luck