Aquarium Plants and decor questions?

Question

i have a 30g tank and i plan on putting mainly tetras in it. I have a filter heater and gravel, and a light. I cant get any more light than i already have so i have a few questions...

*Is getting a CO2 maker thing really helpful(Jungle CO2 Fizz Factory)?

*What are some prices on driftwood? Is natural driftwood really worthwhile?

*Any tips for decorating my 30g bowfront tall aquarium?


much appreciated

Answer 1

In a tall tank, you want tall plants (seems like common sense, but you'd be surprised). Water Sprite, Tiger Lotus, Onion Plant, Bacopa, Aponogeton, and certain Cryptocorynes (like beckettii) will be nice background plants, while Microsword, Dwarf Sag(gitaria), Cryptocoryne wendtii, Chain Sword, and Dwarf Baby Tears (Hemmianthus callitrichoides, often called HC) are great for the front of the tank.

Real driftwood is great because many plants like Java Moss, Java Fern, Anubias, HC, and many Crypts will attach to it and form a natural "river wood", plus, fish (especially Tetras) look amazing in front of a dark piece of wood with Moss covering it. Petco sells large pieces that would be perfect for a 30 bowfront for about $35, but you can probably find better prices at a local fish store, and a better selection.

CO2 in any form is VERY worthwhile. While Fizz Factory may be "easy", it isn't very easy to control the amount of CO2 going into the tank. If you're looking into fairly easy-to-grow plants, there is no need to buy expensive setups, in which case, Jungle's CO2 system is great. If you want to really step it up and pump that tank full of lighting for difficult plants, you should look into pressurized canisters. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Soop Nazi

Answer 2

I would not recommend the Jungle CO2 Fizz Factory. It seems like a good idea because the product is so much cheaper than a CO2 tank set up. However, with a tank your size you'd end up having to use 2-3 tablets a day. That will cost you at least $30 a month, depending on the price you can find. You'd end up saving money with a professional set up. If you don't want to shell out the big bucks you can make one yourself with a soda bottle (you can find directions online). Again, I don't personally recommend that because it is very unsightly. Picking out low light plants that will thrive without CO2 would be your best bet. Swords, java ferns and hornwort would be good - maybe even a banana plant or two.

Driftwood prices will vary greatly depending on where you live and the selection. You should be able to get a good sized piece mounted on a base for $30-$40. You can also keep an eye out for African rootwood. I seems like I can always find a good price on that but not the driftwood. I once got two good sized pieces of rootwood for $10.

As for decorating, I always think it looks nice to have plants and moss growing on driftwood. I know you were considering neon tetras. If you feel like returning the gravel you've already bought - I think black sand would look very nice with their coloring. It would make the blues and reds really pop. There is a product called Black Tahitian Moon Sand that would not raise the pH but it is somewhat expensive and hard to find. The sand would also give you a good substrate for the plants.

Answer 3

Wish you would have included some info on your lighting and water parameters. Whether on not you'll benefit from added CO2 could depend on these.

What the limiting factor is for whether plants will be successful or not in a tank is the lighting (and the light needs of a plant). If you don't have the needed light, adding CO2 won't make much difference in their growth. Fish (and other organisms, including the plants, themselves through respitation at night) will provide some CO2, as will any carbonates present in the tank/water. Some CO2 is generated when carbonates (CO3) react with fish wastes and mild acids (as you would have from driftwood). You should only be concerned about adding CO2 if you have bright lighting (in excess of 3 watts per gallon, possibly 4, since your tank will be deeper since it's a bowfront.

Since you have a bowfronts tend to be taller tanks, so you'll need lighting that can penetrate to the depth where the plants are growing (if the plants are low) or something that can grow to where it can take advantage of the lights. CO2 comes in second to light (although both are needed for photosynthesis and growth). If your lighting isn't that bright, you may want to reconsider adding CO2 - if your plants aren't able to make use of it, you don't want an excessive amount (more than 20ppm) to be present.

I like driftwood in tanks because it gives a more natural appearance. It also give the fish some cover, and plants something to grow on. It can also help (to a degree) to moderate hardness and pH. It's also used by some fish (my pleco, especially) to scrape for some additional food. The price is based on size - I've seen pieces from $2-3 to over $200 for an exceptionallly large stump. Medium sized pieces for a 30 gallon could go from $20-40.

One of the users on the forum posted this photo a while back asking for opinions on what fish to stock in a tank such as this: http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x6/Starlit_rain/fishtank001.jpg The tree is driftwood and moss, with rocks and moss as the substrate. I thought that was one of the more unique planted tanks I've seen. You can also find ideas in the planted tank section on this link: http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/ If you're near a pet store in the near future, one of the fish magazines has a planted tank article this month.

Answer 4

If you are using live plants the CO2 Fizz is great, otherwise not needed. Be very carefull on the driftwood, it can ruin the pH levels in the tank. Find a specialty fish store and ask the owner or worker and they should tell you what is what. There is a website that I like to get my fish tank supplies from. www.drsfosterandsmith.com
they have a whole sections on fishtanks and supplies and you can get a free catalog sent to you, they also have the right driftwood. I bought some driftwood from them and used it in one of my tanks and used live plants, it took awhile for the plants to take off and grow good, but it was worth it. I made it look like a mini mountain range in the tank with the fish swimming around. But I will warn you that it takes a lot of up keep and attention for something like that. And another warning about live plants is that you can get snails and they are a mess to deal with. I have about 4 clown loachs in the tank and they take care of the snails for me. but make sure you get a least three and small/baby sizes at first if you have small fish, because they can become aggressive. But if they grow up, per say, with smaller fish they will leave them alone when they get bigger. The biggest one I have is about 3 inces long, and they are cool looking. Any more questions e-mail me...
Cyndi

Answer 5

No, you shouldn't put anything in an aquarium that isn't aquarium safe. Plants that aren't made for aquariums can have toxins in them that will kill the fish like lead. Especially if they have paints and glue on it. Both of those are made up of tons of chemicals. Even if you boil them you won't take the chemicals away. It is possible that they are safe but most likely not. I wouldn't risk it. EDIT: If you get the right fake plants fake plants look great in a tank. Just make sure they are aquarium safe.