Fenriswolf Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 Well, I'm back for the 3rd time in a couple of years, and still fishless :roll: I've decided to go simple with my 2': I want to set up a (coldwater) planted tank first, get it cycling, then add some WCMM (will their populations self-regulate if they decide to breed?) A couple of questions: what substrate should I use? Would peat with pebbles on top be good? I've also got some bigger stones from my aborted axolotl attempt, which I think look nice: is that OK for plants? What bulbs SPECIFICALLY would people recommend? There's lots of vague advice and I'm confused What kind of (cheap!) filter would people recommend? I've got a nice Eheim external filter that I'm going to use for my 200l, but an external for a 50l seems prohibitorily expensive. Is hang on back bad for plants? And are there any cold water catfish/loaches you can get? I like having bottom-strata fish to clean up and add a bit of depth to the tank. I found weather loaches online, which seem pretty cool, but I don't know if we have them in NZ? Thank you all! No, I haven't actually planned specifically what plants I want. I've found my problem to be over-planning so I might just peruse TradeMe when the time comes to actually buy some, with my vague memory of what looks nice and would suit my needs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 i dont know much about the gravel and filter you want but i have written a sort of artical on wcmm http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/white- ... 19280.html there are a few errors in there but some people have helped me fix it up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted March 9, 2007 Report Share Posted March 9, 2007 For substrate you can use Daltons Aquatic Mix, about $12.00 for a 15litre bag, and put stones over this, but they will have to be fairly small, otherwise the Aquatic mix will cloud your water if it is disturbed, you can probably put some of your larger ones on top. Be careful with the peat, as WCMMs like a ph around 7, and it may become too low if you use this. In saying that, they can be slowly acclimatised to a wide range of Ph levels, also, the peat may discolour your water. The Aquatic mix will give you a fairly good base for the plants, I use about 20mm deep with 20 - 30mm of 5mm stones on top. Depending on how many WCMMs you are going to put in the tank, you could probably get away with one of those double sponge filter thingies - forget the name, there are a couple of different brands out there, they sell for about $14.00 if I remember correctly. I have a HOB on my planted community tank, doesn't seem to upset them too much! Good for water clarity, especially if you have messy fish that disturb the bottom. As far as lights go, flourescent lamps rated at 6500 or 7000 degrees kelvin are great for plants, give enough spectrum for them to grow properly and doesn't make your tank look like a white-out like if you use the 10,000 or 15,000k lamps that you can get at the LFS. If you are going for the cheapie power saving lamps - which is all I have over my WCMM tank in a desk lamp - Mitre 10 Mega have a range of Osram lamps which are rated 'Daylight', 23w allegedly giving out 120w of light for under $6.00. I also see they have a new range of desk lamps from Phillips, which take an 18w energy saving fluro (couldn't see what the colour temperature was, but you can always buy the correct one), which has a wee hood on it, I was tempted to buy one, as they were cheaper than the 9w clip on Jebo ones you can get at the LFS. Coldwater plants - Java Fern, Microsorium pteropus -down to 18 degrees Bacopa - down to 15 deg Hairgrass - Elocharis acicularis - down to 5 degrees Hydrocotyle verticillata - down to 10 degrees Some Hygrophilas down to 15 degrees There are probably more, but I can't remember them at the moment... Beware of the plant refered to as 'Beetroot' I think it is Hemigraphis, looks nice with metalic purple under the leaves, but will perish after a short time as it is not a true aquatic plant, same with the mondo grass. HTH... or have I confused you more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted March 9, 2007 Report Share Posted March 9, 2007 The Borneo Sucker aka. Chinese Hillstream Loach is a good coldwater sucker fish, also Common Plecos can easily be acclimatised to cold water - even to ponds. The only thing with them is the size they'll eventually get to, but if you get a wee one it should be fine for a year or two in a tank that size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted March 9, 2007 Report Share Posted March 9, 2007 Common Plecos can easily be acclimatised to cold water - even to ponds. The only thing with them is the size they'll eventually get to, but if you get a wee one it should be fine for a year or two in a tank that size. Just be careful it doesn't uproot or eat all your plants in the meantime.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 I've never had a problem with common plecos eating plants at all. Uprooting, yes, but that's just because they're so huge they can't help it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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