Tank cycling... am I doing something wrong?

[Crowntails]

I've heard of people having great success with Pennywort. They highly recommend it!

Are you planning on running CO2 in the tank, and doing with nutrients (Flourish Excel, API Plant Food)? Do you have a fertilizer in the tank like Eco-Complete?

[stellar981]

Originally Posted by Crowntails

I've heard of people having great success with Pennywort. They highly recommend it!

Are you planning on running CO2 in the tank, and doing with nutrients (Flourish Excel, API Plant Food)? Do you have a fertilizer in the tank like Eco-Complete?

I have nothing in there as of now. I was trying to find the lowest maintenance plants I could to TRY and avoid the need for ferts or CO2. Will these plants require these additives?

[Hallyx]

I understand your wanting to get comfortable just keeping fish and learning about plants later. I'm not into plants much myself. In fact, except for one potted sword and a potted fern, all my plants are some variety of Anubias.

Anacharis and Pennywort are excellent choices for beginner plants. They are also good ammonia-eaters. You can float them, but they work better planted. Wisteria is a good stem plant (or floater) and easy care.

But the best thing to float, in my opinion, is Anubias. It's great as a hide, a hammock and shade. They like topcover/shade. There's nothing easier to care for. Minimum light or fertilizer requirements.

Anubias, Java fern, mossballs are fine beginner plants, but they don't do much for water quality---more than silk plants, however.

Try a Nerite snail or two for company. They'll help clean your glass. They can't reproduce in freshwater, so you won't get overrun. Try a few ghost shrimp. If they get eaten, you're not out much.

[stellar981]

Originally Posted by Hallyx

I understand your wanting to get comfortable just keeping fish and learning about plants later. I'm not into plants much myself. In fact, except for one potted sword and a potted fern, all my plants are some variety of Anubias.

Anacharis and Pennywort are excellent choices for beginner plants. They are also good ammonia-eaters. You can float them, but they work better planted. Wisteria is a good stem plant (or floater) and easy care.

But the best thing to float, in my opinion, is Anubias. It's great as a hide, a hammock and shade. They like topcover/shade. There's nothing easier to care for. Minimum light or fertilizer requirements.

Anubias, Java fern, mossballs are fine beginner plants, but they don't do much for water quality---more than silk plants, however.

Try a Nerite snail or two for company. They'll help clean your glass. They can't reproduce in freshwater, so you won't get overrun. Try a few ghost shrimp. If they get eaten, you're not out much.

You said you prefer Anubias to float, do you currently have any floating in your tanks? I'd be curious to see how its set up if you have a pic.

If I was to get the Java fern, Ancharis & Pennywort, would I need to provide fert or CO2 for them?

Thank you for all the helpful information. Hopefully I can find that type of snail around. I know there are places I can find ghost shrimp. I just hope he doesn't eat them :( I'd feel horrible! hehe, I know, some shrimp are often used as food for fish. I personally just don't like seeing something live get eaten.. hopefully it doesn't come to that!

What about my five gal, could I add a snail or a couple ghost shrimp to that? Or is that too small?

[Hallyx]

A few shrimp and a snail ot two won't overload your system, especially if it's a couple of months established cycle.

You don't need CO2 for any of the plants mentioned. Fertilizer is optional. Just a 6500K (Kelvin~color temperature) florescent light, 15W is plenty.

Sorry I don't have pics of my tanks. They're fish-pretty not people-pretty. I use small Anubias nana (tied to beads), long-leafed Anubnias longifolia (tied to beads) and large Anubias for floaters. Got most of them at Petsmart in tubes. They have Java fern also, and some swords if you want to plant something.

I might add I don't use substrate, so floating and tied or potted is all I get to do.

[stellar981]

Thanks to everyone who answered this post! I have one more question. I just bought some new driftwood. And some stones. I read here before that I should boil the driftwood. Is this true? And for how long?

Also... the stones.. I have similar stones in my tanks already. What I did with those was just let them sit in dechlorinated water for almost a day, before putting them in. Just to get anything loose off. Is there anything else I should be doing?

What do you normally do with new plants also, rinse em? That's all I did with my anubias plant before tying it to the piece of driftwood I purchased when I set up the tank. Just want to be sure I am doing this correctly. Thanks!

[Hallyx]

All your procedures are correct. Don't get carried away boiling the driftwood, if you bought it from a store. Just weight it down until it becomes waterlogged.

If you buy plants other than in those tubes, which are usually guaranteed snail-free, it's a good idea to quarentine them for a coule of weeks. Check the plant section for more info.