I have a 110l tank. it is non planted but i really like the look for planted tanks. I dont want to convert it to one because it would throw out the whole balence of the tank and probaly kill all the fish and plants. What i want is to know of any good plants that will spread out along the ground of the tank, giving it that mossy look, like Takeshi Amanos work. I also want to replace the gravel, but we have just added bogwood and it has killed off two of the fish (including my favorite plec) so would a gravel change be better to carry out when the tank is back on its feet?
Please help!
Joe

Only change out 1/2 the gravel. If you can find a large mesh bag, or something of that nature, put all the new gravel in that then in the tank for a couple weeks to get some bacteria growing in that new gravel

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Plants will not throw off the balance on your tank as much as they will help you attain the balance. Plants that grow low usually require a higher lighting, but that is a general statement and will depend on the plant you choose. Amano uses a lot of different plants like dwarf baby tears.

You can change the gravel fairly easily. Bogwood should have not have killed any fish, unless it may have not been cured correctly. If it came from a local store, you should be okay and I would look at some other factors that may have killed any fish.

How long has the tank been setup?

It was started in January.
After we added the bogwood we noticed the nitrates or nitrites where high.

Where did the wood come from? As long as you have a mature filter, changing out substrate won't hurt anything. What kind of pleco was it and how big was it? A 110 ltr should only have a bristlenose pleco as most others will be to big. How often do you do water changes? Sounds like the fish died from stress? What are the readings for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, need the numbers?

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220 Tank build
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Oaky. Wood was from a pet shop, we soaked it in de-clorinated water for 3 days before putting it in the take. This water was changed every 5 hours or so.
The plec was a dwarf bulldog. It was the first fish i have and i was VERY sad to see it go.
Water changes are every 2 weeks.
Here we go:
General hardness: 180
Chemical hardness: 180
pH: 6.8
No2:0
No3:80

Thats all I have.
Joe

You need to do water changes once a week of at least 33% to bring the nitrates down below 40. Which will also help with your other parameters. I don't think its the wood that caused the problem. Looks as though you are experiencing a mini cycle. Do you clean your filters in tap water? Its best to just swish them around in old tank water so as not to kill the beneficial bacteria on them. Use a good water conditioner like prime for your tank and water change water.

I would wait a couple of weeks to do a substrate change so that the tank has time to settle and to get the beneficial bacteria up to par.


Remember to do weekly water changes, since you don't have that many live fast growing plants. While you are doing your substrate change plant the ground cover you want. Make sure you have enough lighting for a lot of plants as that can limit your choices.

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SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY YEARS, NOT MONTHS!!!
220 Tank build
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/sta...late-3253.html

Okay, ill keep it in mind. I clean my filter in old tap water.
What was that last bit?

I meant aquarium water

The more plants you have the less water changes you can do. But that is filling the tank with plants.

Make sure the plants you choose will be okay with your lighting. If your lighting is standard lights that came with the tank, you will need to keep to very low light plants. etc.

__________________
SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY YEARS, NOT MONTHS!!!
220 Tank build
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/sta...late-3253.html

Do yourself a favor and get rid of the strips. You need to be testing for ammonia also and the strips are very well known for being inaccurate.

Java ferns, marimo balls, anubias, Java moss and some of the other mosses are all easy plants that only require basic low lighting and no special substrate. You could start with them and have a nice looking tank without changing your substrate or lights.