Help with planted set-up

Hi guys and dolls,this is my first thread ,so please forgive it is too much.

I have two tanks atm,the first one is a community tank with lots of different species :
4×electric blue a caravan
2×red spotted deacons
3×silver dollars
4×red rainbows
1×large angel and 2 small dantums
3×siamese algae eaters
2×Pakistani loaches
4×Green terrors
2×red eye tetra
2×gourami
And 5 small fish that came with my first tank (no clue what they are)

So because my fish love devouring plants ,I want to grow plants that I can feed them periodically in a second tank ,would also like to move fish in there that would breed,and not destroy the plants.

Any ideas would greatly be appreciated.

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That is the main tank.



That is project C about to happen

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@Greenbean32, your tank looks very, very nice

As far as your fish list goes, your tank looks about 1.2m in the picture?

If it is that size, you will soon have to move some fish out of there..

Your Silver dollars grow big and quickly, so do the deacons and angels....

I also dont think your green terrors will last long in that set up in peace.... As far as I know they can get quite agressive so you might have to move them.. Maybe someone else with more experience on the green terrors can comment.

Blue acaras dont get as big, about 15 to 20cm and they get very cheeky if they spawn but otherwise they ot trouble makers at all

As for plants.... well.... I have not been very sucessfull with these gorgeous planted tanks so Im probably not the right person to give you advice but... reason for my constant battle and what I consider failure is the fish I keep
Silver dollars and deacons eat your plants..... so do loaches.... they worse than my Oscars!!
I give mine a piece of cucumber or baby marrow every night and it doesnt last an hour in the tank and they have eaten it to the skin!!!
It does help with my plants but the only thing that survives is java and anubias....

Good luck with your next project....

 

Thanks you Maria,the tank is a 1.5m 450lt.

The fish I am definitely moving soon would be the tinfoil barbs.Got an agreement with my local pet store.

I kinda know about the green terrors though, possible reason for another tank.

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If its 1.5 and you take the tin foils out, you should be ok for a while although your deacons will surprise you on how big they get but it takes a while.
My big boy is about 17cm. but as I said, it takes a while to get to that size

Hahah yes... the terrors will be the excue for another tank!!! I could be wrong but you wont be able to keep them with the fish you have... they stunning though
We have a Red Terror, beautiful... also about 17/18cm and he is full of himself.... there is only one and he is in with fish that are much bigger and stand up to him but boy he can be a little terror!!

 

Not really the type of fish you want with plants...but if you have your heart set on some plants (maybe to help with the clarity of your water of removing nitrates...who knows) you can look at:

* Java Ferns - The leaves contain a compound that puts fish off. They don't like the taste of it so they leave it alone. Low light, cheap (around R50 for a nice piece) and you can tie it to almost anything
* Anubias - There's a reason it's called the "plastic plant". Very hardy, almost indestructible. Low light, around R55-R300 depending on what you buy. Can also be tied to almost anything. Grows super slow tho...keep that in mind.
* Crinum - Apparently the rough, rubbery edges of the leaves aren't on many fish's menu. Grows tall though...and has to be planted, so will need to position rocks or something similar around it to keep fish from digging it up. GORGEOUS plant, but I paid over R250 for my Crinum Calamistratum so not really a plant you want to "risk" with big fish
* Java Moss - Strangely enough, bigger fish tend to ignore it more than smaller fish do (menu wise)...dont know why. Relatively cheap at around R50 a portion and also ideal for your fry tank (as fry will eat the micro colonies that establish themselves in the foliage)
* Duckweed - Can take over your tank, but bigger fish love eating it. So wont see it getting to be a problem in your tank

Just my 2 cents

 

Thanks for the input Smurfman,I might have worded my request wrong .
I do not want to put any of that fish in the planted aquarium. Instead I want to grow plants in the second tank and periodically move the excess over to my main tank ,so they can eat it.

But I would like to put some fish in that tank that won't harm the plants .It would also be a bonus if they can breed.
I was thinking either angels ,guppies or shrimps.

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I haven't been very successful at a planted aquarium but I think it's just do to lack of knowledge, lights with plants.... so I ordered a new light and a verity pack of plants. Then I'll see what grows best and go from there. I haven't had any trouble with my fish eating my plants. I have guppies, angels, platies, and neon tetras. Also zebra and Tiger nerite snails.... so I can't give much advice on plants but once you plants them, leave them til they get strong. I have damaged more plants by moving them around than the fish lol. I can't seem to keep my hands out of the tank.

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@pinkkiwi1230 - where did you find nerites? Been looking for ages...

 

Thanks Pinkkiwi,just an update I have started with the planting and got some snails and shrimp.
I am going to move my big angel in there and see how he does .
He is really old and slow and someone is bullying him.Only happens at night ,so can't really say who ,but I suspect it xould be acara as they look like they are pairing up.

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Hi,so just an update on the latest project ,the planted set-up has been up and running for a couple of weeks and showing some promise.
Plants look like it is growing nicely.
Even my anubia ,which my other fish has massacred has sprout a new leaf.
And I am hoping that is more on my cutting.

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Hi,if anybody can please advise ,I would greatly appreciate it.

So recently I got my hands on some aquasoil,and would like to know if it would be advisable to put ontop of the two bags of flourite I got in the tank or to just hold out till I get another tank and setup another . Am considering getting another small tank I can move my shrimp to.

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Would it also be a mission to seperate the two different substrates if I change my mind.

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