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I just got 3 more live plants for my 10 gallon. A couple of the leaves came off when I was putting the plants in the tank. I left the leaves laying on the sand because I liked the way it looked, it made the tank look even more natural. Is it safe to let just let the leaves stay there and decompose?

My other question is about cories. The tank is pretty heavily planted (6 plants), and I planned on getting about 2 or 3 more plants. Do cories need caves/hiding spots in a heavily planted tank?

My goal is to have 2 rams (Microgeophagus ramirezi), 2 or 3 cories (not sure what kind yet but I want dwarfs), and about 9 plants/grass. Does this sound good to you guys.

Thanks in advance.

The leaves will be fine and will not hurt anything provided the atnk is in good shape and well maintained. The dwarf cory Corydoras habrosus is naturally found with rams in the Venezuelan llanos. The corys do not need caves.
Sounds like you will have a nice llanos in the wet season tank. Read some of my Venezuelan Diaries entries in Shane's World for more info and descriptions of the llanos.
-Shane

Thanks for the quick reply. I will definitely do some research on these corys.

Thanks

Shane

In "Venezuelan Diary : Part 13 : Rio Santo Domingo / Rio Tinaco Part 1" you said, " Filtration should be very gentle such as that provided by a sponge filter." I have a hang on back, mini penguin filter. Is this filtration to stronge? Also, I have no drifwood in my tank. You talked about how in the llanos, the water had a tea like color to it. I've gotten this affect by using malaysian driftwood. Should I add 1 or 2 small pieces of malaysian driftwood to give it a more natural look?

The tank is pretty heavily planted (6 plants)

The whole six??


this is MY Cory-tank (& C robinae and various other critters)


don't stop at six!

The driftwood is not at all necessary and the fact is that unless you are very near a large river there is no driftwood in the llanos anyway. You can get the same effect using slight amounts of blackwater tonic with every water change. I would use about half the recommended amount of tonic. Your filter is fine, but the problem is that the carbon in the Penguin filter cartridges will just absorb the blackwater tonic. You can either skip the tonic or toss the filter cartridge and replace it with a sponge. The tonic is not super necessary in this set up, so it is your choice. The mini biowheel will work well. One key to this set up will be frequent large water changes. I would shoot for about 60 percent every week.

Here is what you are trying to reproduce..



Looking down into the water. Notice the aquatic plants, and there are even a few leaves.



SG, I really like that tank.
-Shane

SG_Eurystomus

Those pics of your tank are great. I wanted to know what type of lights you use on the tank and if it is co2 ingected or what. I have been trying to get plants to grow like that but have had problems.

Right now I have a thirty galon with one full spectrum light and gravle, I am going to put sand in very soon so that will hopfuly help the plants.

also I wonder if you could tell me some of the plants that are in there around me right now there is a shortage of plants

any advice would be great. :D

BIGBlue - I have to agree with Shane about the filter, particularly the charcoal - don't be afraid to mess around with the media, you can get some really good results - try some BioMax or some such, ask at the LFS. I use the TetraMin Blackwater extract in my Amazon-style tank in under the recommended dosage (also) - I find it lasts a good while and really helps to lend an 'authentic' look to the tank. It seems to me that it's better than actually having to play around with peat to achieve 'organic' results

Also re the 'heavily planted' thing (sorry), my planted 10 has a back wall of hygrophilia polysperma, left side of rotala rotundifolia, bacopa and cabomba, right wall of water sprite, 3 java ferns, dwarf valisneria, some hygro siamensis up front, maybe 30 plants altogether and 2 little pieces of mopani wood - it is lacking maybe some glosso for the bottom and some nice anubias. There is plenty of space for my platy fry to hide, still not sure if that's a good thing My 33 has maybe the same amount of green same plants mostly, different proportions and seems to me largely bare, definitely NOT heavily planted

E-fphish - might I hazard a guess that your plant problems start with the (lack of) lighting? For a planted tank to achieve good results you should be considering about 3 watts of fluorescent light per gallon - over my 33 I have a homemade canopy consisting of three 'bathroom' fixtures two bulbs each, 4x15 and 2x23 total 106 watts, and with the blackwater extract (mentioned above) it is still dim. It is planted only one end and I run DIY CO2. Send me a PM if you like and I can point you to all kinds of plant info . . .

Hope this helps!