keeping a spare planted breeding tank for all types of fish

[seastar0328]

My boyfriend and I keep two totally different fish populations needing two totally different ph levels. We have an empty oceanic 30gal, and will have an empty 10 and 29 gallon as soon as i finish the construction of my new beardie tank and move some lizards around. My question is would be a good idea/economical idea to keep say the 10 or 29 gal tank since we have stands for either as an empty planted tank to raise plants in for other tanks AND to keep on hand as a breeding tank? In other words could I grow hardy plants tolerant of any pH in there and keep no fish in there other than a pregnant mom and eventually fry so the tank can serve double duty? His cobalt blue cichlids are displaying mating behavior and our tapwater pH is 8.0-8.2 naturally so this wouldn't be a problem for his fish. However, if any of my fish requiring a lower pH decide to breed at another time and I would wish to raise the fry in the same tank if it is available, could I start slowly raising the pH with buffers or better yet exchanging my existing tankwater from a tank with a lower pH at the first instance of breeding behavior? Would all/most fish prefer sandy bottoms like fluorite/sand mix or seachem black onyx sand?

Or am I totally dreaming here and should just keep an empty tank with no substrate and a sponge filter for breeding and another tank just for plants? I wanted to eliminate any extra tanks if at all possible since we have so many already.

[Hilde]

I am not a professional but I read that Tex Gal, whom is a member here and at aquatic plant central, simple puts her plump female fish in her plant grow out tank.

Also, from my own experiences with fish deaths, have found that it is best to keep the paramaters stable. Marjority of fish adapt, for they haven't been in the wild for years. Even fish like Angelfish have bred in water which is different from the parameters stated.

If you make changes make them gradually. Many have stated that the chemicals to change ph cause problems.

I add baking soda and Flourish excell to make changes. Flourish excell gives plant carbon, kills a lot of algae, and lowers my ph. The baking soda raises my Gh from 0 to 2. When I make water changes, I put the flourish excell and amonia alliminator in the bucket of water to keep the co2 stable.

Keep me updated what you do with the 29 Gallon tank. For I am working on getting my 29 gallon tank stocked. I keep getting the wrong plants. Now have some plants that are outgrowing my tank.

[lauraleellbp]

I think it would be difficult to keep the plants alive and healthy going back and forth between 8.0 and acidic conditions. I think it would probably be easier in the long run if you kept the spare planted tank at the lower pH (which you could use for your fish when needed) and set up a different tank with higher pH for your boyfriend's Africans.

[SearunSimpson]

If you have two tanks available, have one as your plant grow out tank, and one for your breeding tank. I keep one up and going with a sponge filter and a whack of java moss and clippings in it that just float around for my breeding tank (bare-bottom) and then I have another 20gl and a 10gl for plant growing (the 10gl is a plant AND shrimp grower).

[Tex Gal]

I have a tank set up for plants that I want to keep but not use in the current scape of my other tanks. In this tank I keep blueberry shrimp and briggs snails. I have CO2 running, med/high light, flitration and I fertilize. I have ADA AquaSoil as a substrate. When I want to have a batch of danio fry, I just put the males and a female in the tank. In the am I remove them. This tank is kept at similar parameters of my other tanks. I do regular maintenance and w/c on it. I have tried to raise fry in empty tanks before, without nearly the same success. This is BY FAR has been the most successful and easiest way to save and raise the fry. Because it's an established tank and has all the bacteria and tiny micros that the fry eat they grow and mature rapidly.