# Planted Tank Suggestions



## toryani (Oct 18, 2020)

Hi idk if this is the right forum for this, it seems like it. But im starting a planted tank for my betta in a 10 gal and i want coontail/hornwort. Im looking for other taller plants to put in there and something grass-like (suggestions pls)?? Also some shorter ones for the foreground area. ill have sand with fertilized gravel underneath so i wanted to see other peoples input on what i should do.  also looking for plants with a bit of color. Also does anyone know any good websites to get driftwood/ hides or rocks + plants? thanks


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## MaGiC74 (Aug 17, 2020)

toryani said:


> Hi idk if this is the right forum for this, it seems like it. But im starting a planted tank for my betta in a 10 gal and i want coontail/hornwort. Im looking for other taller plants to put in there and something grass-like (suggestions pls)?? Also some shorter ones for the foreground area. ill have sand with fertilized gravel underneath so i wanted to see other peoples input on what i should do.  also looking for plants with a bit of color. Also does anyone know any good websites to get driftwood/ hides or rocks + plants? thanks


Anubias are beautiful short, succulent-like plants. For long plants, I like Java Fern or Amazon Swords. I use Dwarf Sagittaria for grass-like plants. For color, I like using lotuses, there are plenty of red varieties. One of the few things I love is a big empty tank, for me to scape to my heart's content. I also like using wood and rocks. I'd love to see the tank when you're done


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

www.aquariumplantsfactory.com is having a Black Friday sale. www.yourfishstuff.com and www.greenleafaquariums.com are my favorites in that order. www.buceplant.com is also a good source but you need to be careful if you are buying more than one potted plant of the same species as their packing for such sucks.

You know that the sand will eventually sift down into the gravel, right? And if it is one of those nutrient substrates, eventually the nutrients are depleted and you will need to add substrate fertilizers.

I like Anubias, Cryptocoryne and smaller Swords like Echinororus Parva and Red Flame. 

Make sure you parameters are compatible with the plants you want. Even if you don't purchase from Buce Plants, they have great descriptions and requirements for each species.


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## toryani (Oct 18, 2020)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> www.aquariumplantsfactory.com is having a Black Friday sale. www.yourfishstuff.com and www.greenleafaquariums.com are my favorites in that order. www.buceplant.com is also a good source but you need to be careful if you are buying more than one potted plant of the same species as their packing for such sucks.
> 
> You know that the sand will eventually sift down into the gravel, right? And if it is one of those nutrient substrates, eventually the nutrients are depleted and you will need to add substrate fertilizers.
> 
> ...


I didnt really think about the sand sinking into the gravel honestly thats such big common sense loool, but yea i figured the gravel lost the fertilizer after awhile i have a huge bag of it. I saw water additives for plant fertilizer but will water conditioner/ beneficial bacteria mess with it? im not sure if its any good to put so many additives in one tank. Let me know! Also thanks for the website links ill definitely check them out  right now i just have a small baby anubias i found at petsmart. It came in a cute little pot so yeah thats what convinced me.


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## toryani (Oct 18, 2020)

MaGiC74 said:


> Anubias are beautiful short, succulent-like plants. For long plants, I like Java Fern or Amazon Swords. I use Dwarf Sagittaria for grass-like plants. For color, I like using lotuses, there are plenty of red varieties. One of the few things I love is a big empty tank, for me to scape to my heart's content. I also like using wood and rocks. I'd love to see the tank when you're done


i was looking at pigmy amazon swords for a kind of grass, i saw some places that they stay really short but i wasnt sure. I also was on youtube and saw some stuff on the lotuses and im definitely going to be adding some of those. Also doesnt driftwood rot overtime? or is it sealed?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

@MaGiC74 Ah, the joys of an empty tank!

Once a tank is cycled all I use is Prime and NilocG fertilizers (liquid and substrate).

I have a code for free shipping from Buce Plants. If you decide to buy from them send me a PM. We also have a coupon from Aquarium Plants Factory but their current sale is a better option.


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## MaGiC74 (Aug 17, 2020)

toryani said:


> I didnt really think about the sand sinking into the gravel honestly thats such big common sense loool, but yea i figured the gravel lost the fertilizer after awhile i have a huge bag of it. I saw water additives for plant fertilizer but will water conditioner/ beneficial bacteria mess with it? im not sure if its any good to put so many additives in one tank. Let me know! Also thanks for the website links ill definitely check them out  right now i just have a small baby anubias i found at petsmart. It came in a cute little pot so yeah thats what convinced me.


I don't use driftwood, but there are a lot of beautiful varieties out there


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## toryani (Oct 18, 2020)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> @MaGiC74 Ah, the joys of an empty tank!
> 
> Once a tank is cycled all I use is Prime and NilocG fertilizers (liquid and substrate).
> 
> I have a code for free shipping from Buce Plants. If you decide to buy from them send me a PM. We also have a coupon from Aquarium Plants Factory but their current sale is a better option.


Do you think those clay balls would be good to put in the sand? I want something i can separate easily from the sand, and ive seen a lot of youtubers use it for planted aquariums. If so, do you think it would also be a good idea to add a fertilizer additive on top of that? I dont want to add too much to the tank. I saw it can effect the water "quality" and sicken your fish with too much.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I use clay tabs. These are also linked in the other thread: Iron Enriched Clay Balls/Tabs

Han Aquatics is one of my go-to stores for supplies. If you have a question, ask him on FaceBook. Faster answer.


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## toryani (Oct 18, 2020)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> I use clay tabs. These are also linked in the other thread: Iron Enriched Clay Balls/Tabs
> 
> Han Aquatics is one of my go-to stores for supplies. If you have a question, ask him on FaceBook. Faster answer.


I was looking at that site, but i realized pretty much all the good places that sell plants are all sold out of everything, i cant seem to find what i want anywhere. I also opted for root tabs. Only place ive seen selling anything are websites im not very sure about and walmart but I don't know how good their plants are and im doubting they'll be any good.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

NilocG has made a huge difference. His substrate ferts are tabs and not capsules. Swords and red plants need added Iron.

I like Aquarium Plants Factory, Your Fish Stuff and Green Leaf Aquariums. Buce Plant has plants the others don't but their packing sucks. You have to give them specific directions or plants can arrive squished as they don't use padding like the other three mentioned.


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## toryani (Oct 18, 2020)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> NilocG has made a huge difference. His substrate ferts are tabs and not capsules. Swords and red plants need added Iron.
> 
> I like Aquarium Plants Factory, Your Fish Stuff and Green Leaf Aquariums. Buce Plant has plants the others don't but their packing sucks. You have to give them specific directions or plants can arrive squished as they don't use padding like the other three mentioned.


I was looking at those websites, but theyr'e all sold out of hornwort for some reason. That's the main plant I really want. Do you think dwarf hairgrass, hornwort, duckweed, hygrophilian,and some ludwigia repens would be a good combination? Or is it too much?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I'd get Dwarf Water Lettuce, Red Root Floaters, Giant Duckweed or Frogbit. I hate small Duckweed. It will get into everything and it impossible to eradicate if it gets a toehold.

I buy all my floating plants here Items for sale by creationcultivated | eBay

Almost forgot, YFS sells the best food going Grain Free Bug (Black Soldier Fly) Formula. No fillers!


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## toryani (Oct 18, 2020)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> I'd get Dwarf Water Lettuce, Red Root Floaters, Giant Duckweed or Frogbit. I hate small Duckweed. It will get into everything and it impossible to eradicate if it gets a toehold.
> 
> I buy all my floating plants here Items for sale by creationcultivated | eBay
> 
> Almost forgot, YFS sells the best food going Grain Free Bug (Black Soldier Fly) Formula. No fillers!


i heard the smaller duckweed was messy, so thank you for suggesting those other plants. ill take a look at that link for the floaters. And I will definitely get my little guy some of that food, I feel his current one isn't doing much for him so its time to switch anyways. Also, sorry for all of the questions, but im going to start up a new separate tank and let everything grow and cycle. How long should I wait before adding snails/shrimp?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

You can never ask too many questions. For everyone who asks a question there are dozens of those who wonder the same thing but for whatever reason don't post.

I only do fish-in cycling. Are you planning on having a Betta in the tank? If so, I'd go by CYCLING: the two-sentence tutorial Easy peasy. 

For shrimp, the tank should be at least a month to six weeks past being stably cycled. Even the slightest amount of Ammonia or Nitrites can spell disaster for them. Also, that amount of time allows for the growth of the biofilm on which they feed. The only shrimp I've ever fed were my Vampire Shrimp. But if you have a Betta, shrimp pellets work better than wafers. Easier to hide from the other fish.


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## toryani (Oct 18, 2020)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> You can never ask too many questions. For everyone who asks a question there are dozens of those who wonder the same thing but for whatever reason don't post.
> 
> I only do fish-in cycling. Are you planning on having a Betta in the tank? If so, I'd go by CYCLING: the two-sentence tutorial Easy peasy.
> 
> For shrimp, the tank should be at least a month to six weeks past being stably cycled. Even the slightest amount of Ammonia or Nitrites can spell disaster for them. Also, that amount of time allows for the growth of the biofilm on which they feed. The only shrimp I've ever fed were my Vampire Shrimp. But if you have a Betta, shrimp pellets work better than wafers. Easier to hide from the other fish.


Ill probably skip the shrimp anyways, I had 4 little ghost shrimp and my betta ate them all. I want to add in a snail or something to keep the bottom clean but I dont want anything he could hurt. I dont know if hes aggresive but he definitely saw those little shrimp as snacks. I did see plecos or dwarf plecos but ive heard mixed opinions on what size tank they should live in (I own a 10 gallon). I know they have spikes, but Ive heard bettas can still kill them. Im hoping if i have a well planted tank anything I add will be able to hide if theres any issues and will also help to make him feel safe.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

In a proper habitat, Betta cannot prey on healthy critters. Most Betta "kills" are opportunity feeds. And this is particularly applicable to shrimp. They are easily stressed which compromises their immune systems which, in turn, weakens them. The Betta then feeds on the dead or dying shrimp. If inverts don't have a safe place to molt they can be killed because they are, again, compromised. Which is to say you might be surprised at your boy's ability to live in a community tank.....if it is around 75% planted. These are my tanks from a few years ago. Both had breeding colonies of shrimp.














With a 10 you could look into Habrosus Cory. They are also called Salt and Pepper Cory. Unlike most other Cory, they are only around an inch when full grown. You could easily have a shoal of at least six in a 10.

I did forget to mention that Anubias and Crypts are excellent in Betta tanks. Most of my tanks are Dwarf Echinodorus, Anubias, Crypts and Hornwort. I had issues finding it, too.


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## toryani (Oct 18, 2020)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> In a proper habitat, Betta cannot prey on healthy critters. Most Betta "kills" are opportunity feeds. And this is particularly applicable to shrimp. They are easily stressed which compromises their immune systems which, in turn, weakens them. The Betta then feeds on the dead or dying shrimp. If inverts don't have a safe place to molt they can be killed because they are, again, compromised. Which is to say you might be surprised at your boy's ability to live in a community tank.....if it is around 75% planted. These are my tanks from a few years ago. Both had breeding colonies of shrimp.
> View attachment 1024442
> View attachment 1024443
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> ...


Its nice to hear that, I wanted to get more fish but nothing that would be too much for the amount of space in there. Seems like ill be getting a cory. I bought another 10 gallon, so Im gonna be starting that tank up with plants rocks and drift wood and just let it grow for a few months until its ready. Ive also heard of people adding tetras or guppies. Im kind of iffy about guppies since they look similar to bettas though. Also, how many root tabs are safe for a tank? If you can even overdose. And can I add something like the seachem fluorish on top if I need to?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

There are two types of ferts: Substrate (for rooted plants) and column (for plants tied to decor, floating or stemmed). I use both types.

The issue with Betta-based community tanks is providing all of the residents the proper habitat without short-changing the others.

All shoaling fish (Tetra, Rasbora, Cory, etc.,) need a minimum of six in the shoal. If one dies it needs to be replaced. This is because shoaling fish and can become stressed and their immune systems compromised which leaves them open to disease. So either six or none; definitely not just one. This is especially important when we force them to live with a predator like a Betta.

The Betta/Guppy thing is yet another Internet-spawned myth. If a Betta can't live peacefully with Guppies it can't live comfortably with anything except, maybe, bottom-dwelling fish. 

If you decide to add a second shoal make sure it is a mid-tank species and not upper or lower as those two slots are filled.


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## YogisMom (Jul 7, 2020)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> In a proper habitat, Betta cannot prey on healthy critters. Most Betta "kills" are opportunity feeds. And this is particularly applicable to shrimp. They are easily stressed which compromises their immune systems which, in turn, weakens them. The Betta then feeds on the dead or dying shrimp. If inverts don't have a safe place to molt they can be killed because they are, again, compromised. Which is to say you might be surprised at your boy's ability to live in a community tank.....if it is around 75% planted. These are my tanks from a few years ago. Both had breeding colonies of shrimp.
> View attachment 1024442
> View attachment 1024443
> 
> ...


Wow, your tanks are beautiful!


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