Photo Essay: Setting up a New Planted Tank

[Shane]

I finally got around to setting up my display tank for the living room. This tank was not necessarily set up as a biotope but more as a tank for guests to see when they visit. It also had to be pretty enough for my wife to like it being outside the fishroom! There are many methods for setting up a planted tank and I offer this as one method that I have had repeated success with. The aquarium is a standard U.S. 55 gallon (48 inches long X 12 inches deep X 20 inches high)

Step 1) Lay down 2.5 inches of larger sized gravel. This allows water to flow a bit and prevents anaerobic pockets. I am adding laterite in the photo. If I had a choice, I would use one of the new laterite substrates, but they are not available in Mexico.



Step 2) After the base substrate is down, add the first batch of sand.



Step 3) Start adding your rocks and/or driftwood. Be careful at this stage and take the time to try several arrangements. Have fun looking at different ways to place objects. You might want to arrange the wood and/or stones and leave it that way for a few days to see how you like it. Keep doing this until you are happy with the results.



Step 4) Once you are happy with the arrangement of the structure, add more sand. This is a very important step as structure that is just set on top of the substrate never looks natural. If the base of the stones or wood is partially buried it looks much more natural and the tank looks larger.



Step 5) Start attaching plants to the driftwood. Try to use the natural lines of the wood when placing the plants as this looks more natural. The Anubias below was gift from Jools and is a centerpiece for the tank.



Using the wood's natural nooks and crannys. The plants are held down with thin clear fishing line.



All the plants attached to wood are now positioned.



Step 6) Add plants to the substrate. One thing I have learned is that you get a better result using lots of 2-3 plant species than 2-3 plants of a dozen species.

End of tank set up. Note that the left hand side of the tank is all grasses to set off the darker Anubias with rounded leaves. The right side is mainly sword plants.



The tank has been up a week and is starting to look pretty good as the plants fill in. Wait as long as possible (yeah, I know it is not easy) to add fish. The plants need as much time as possible to take good root before any fish start messing with them. After two weeks I will add 2-3 Farlowella to start cycling the tank and getting any algae under control.

-Shane

[Lied]

Looks very nice

[sidguppy]

Shane, I've experienced with things like that; a "gravel-like" substrate on the bottom, and sand on top of that.

unfortunately, that only works until you introduce your first catfish

even something minute, like a group of 7 Corydoras habrosus or so, will stir the sand. eventually the sand will sink in between the bigger particles. That takes about a few months or so.

after that the heavier sand (because sand is massive quartz with a fairly high density), and slight movements will cause all the bigger particles to lay on top of the sand!

It always ends up like that. only question is, how long before that happens.....

Now I just use substrate wich is a mixture of riversand and a wee bit of darker, very fine gravel for the "natural" look, and let the fish do their thing.

I've never had any problems with gases evolving or substrate "crusting" on top, if I add catfishes to avoid that.

All my tanks are planted, and the plants do well; even more in tanks where the substrate is just plain sand -no additions!- in a layer between 1-2" (best is 3-4cm).

[bronzefry]

Great photos. Has anybody thought of putting together a Planet Catfish book? Getting family involved can be a tricky thing sometimes. Making it a design process, rather than "just another tank" helps that. All the substrates get mixed up in my tanks. I'm horrible with coordination and vaccuuming the tanks makes it worse. I've gotten to the point where I just mix them before I put them in the tank.

[Shane]

unfortunately, that only works until you introduce your first catfish

Very true, but this is a display tank and will not house anything that digs. I have not had the problem with sand and gravel mixing in the past, but I avoid diggers. Maybe it is because the sand is so thick? As with all my plant tanks, it will never be vacuumed. Total population in this tank will be 20 Cardinal tetras and 6 Farlowella. I may add some other interesting loricariinae (like Sturisoma) if I come across them.
-Shane

[WhitePine]

Tanks looks Awesome... I can't wait to see how it shapes up in the coming months. Hopefully I can see it in person

[Durlänger]

Nice tank

What are sword plants in latin

[sidguppy]

Echinodorus spp

[Jools]

How is the Scottish Anubias doing? I'm throwing the stuff out here it's growing so well.

Tank looks good, do you find the plants grow slower with such a small bioload? I've always found the three plants I mostly have (java fern, java moss and Anubias) all grow faster in messier tanks.

Jools

[bronzefry]

I've never had any luck with Anubias. I've finally found a few plant species I've been having some luck with, though: Hydrocotyle leucephala(Brazilian pennywort),Hygrophila stricta(Thai stricta), Ludwigia repens, Java fern and Vallisneria americana(dwarf Vallisneria). I had an Echinodorus Radicans last a while and give a few daughters, but they've all croaked.

Are there any secrets to Anubias(in general)?

[JoseAngelBarro]

Nice tanks Shane very very nice

HI

[djw66]

How is the Scottish Anubias doing? I'm throwing the stuff out here it's growing so well.

Tank looks good, do you find the plants grow slower with such a small bioload? I've always found the three plants I mostly have (java fern, java moss and Anubias) all grow faster in messier tanks.

Jools

Jools,
How are you planting your Anubias? They do much better NOT planted in gravel, but attached to bogwood, or even stones. Don't bury the rhizome - it kills them. Also, they do better (read not cosumed by algae) in dimmer light. More details, please.

Neat tank I just love setting up a new aquarium, don't you?

[Jools]

How are you planting your Anubias? They do much better NOT planted in gravel, but attached to bogwood, or even stones. Don't bury the rhizome - it kills them. Also, they do better (read not cosumed by algae) in dimmer light. More details, please.

I attach them to bogwood using black thread which will eventually (a couple of years) rot and leave you with plant attached to wood. I find this provides a lot of shade for catfish underneath, but doen't take up the same water volue as a load of wood. Ancistrus keep the leaves clear of algae and although the tank is well lit and they grow to within inches of the light.

Jools

[sidguppy]

Shane, how's the tank doing?

any pics for an update?
anymore fish since Lucky introduced in there?
greetz
SG

[Mika]

Total population in this tank will be 20 Cardinal tetras and 6 Farlowella. I may add some other interesting loricariinae (like Sturisoma) if I come across them.

...and then you find from LFS the catfish you must have and another and...

[Shane]

Update,
Just to show nobody is perfect... I had five Farlowella in quarentine for a week before adding them. I was also given a pretty Colombian Panaque by a local fish importer and inside the bag was a small ride along. A little Glytopterichthys fry less than an inch long. I was worried about him so I put him directly in the new tank above alone (can you say Stupid!). After a week I moved in the Farlowella.
The little bugger was an ick carrier and within a week all the Farlowella were covered in ick and kicking off. Took out the last two bodies last night. I also can not find the little guy so I do not know if he is still in there alive.
I plan to keep my eye out for the little guy and not do anything but water changes on the tank for the next few weeks so the ick die off. Then I start over again...
-Shane

[bronzefry]

I've done that, too Shane. Excitement got the best of me in that case.

[Shane]

Three weeks after set up. Looking better and I'll add fish in another week.
-Shane

[sidguppy]

tank looks great!

I screwed up only this weekend; so it happens to me as well.
bought a male for my lone female Crenicichla sp "orinoco" (a close relative to C nothophthalmus). it took her less than 24 hours to kill a fish that probably wasn't that healthy to begin with.

since all my other tanks (including the quarantaine tank!) are hardwatertanks, I had to place him in the riverine set-up.

that was male #3, so this baby is OUT (3 strikes ), and will suffer the fate that noxious misbehaviours often get: Axolotl food!

[troi]

I There are many methods for setting up a planted tank and I offer this as one method that I have had repeated success with. The aquarium is a standard U.S. 55 gallon (48 inches long X 12 inches deep X 20 inches high)

-Shane

Thanks for this, Shane. It is nice to see another approach to a tank that size. How's the sand-on-top substrate holding up?

Sorry about the ich "oops." I just hate it when I get in a hurry!

Maybe seeing your set up in a moderate sized tank will nudge me into getting my priorities staight and planning my aquatic recovery. Or moving to a more fish friendly area.

troi