[JAAG]

What's up everyone?
So, this is my first planted tank I have ever tried. I have been a saltwater guy but I want to try out this side. I really like it and I got hooked up on a great deal on a high tech tank.

What plants do you guys think would look good in this tank with the scape? Also, really open to aquascaping suggestions/tips/whatever.

Some better back ground on the tank:
Tank: ADA 60P
Light: Twinstar 600SC (currently using some cheap light off Amazon for light while I work on the tank)
CO2: GLA PRO 1 regulator (I think), 5lb tank
Filtration: Fluval 206
Heater: Hydor Inline heater
Soil: Controsoil and sand
Rock: IDK what it is I just found it where I live, it was free and I like the color.
Wood: Spider wood and some random pieces I had from a blackwater tank.

Thanks for the time.

 

[Crazygar]

Front, top rock layer, Staurogyne repens. Smaller leaved Buce for the wood. You have some great possibilities since the focal point of the tank is the piece of wood.

I would consider leaving the sandy area open which would be quite dramatic. Oh the things I could do with that setup!

Gary

 

[JAAG]

Thanks for the suggestion on the plant. I’m leaving the sand open for sure.

 

[PurdueGK]

Great start!
I love your hardscape! Nice selection on the GLA reg. I love mine!
Are you using tap or RO?
Hardness of water?

I have harder water and here are my list of plants. The only plants I wouldn’t recomend at first while your tank is cycling is Buce. I have only had algae issues with this plant.
Anubias nana petite
Purple Blue Bucephalandra
Trident fern mini
Dwarf hair grass
Monte Carlo
Helanthium tenellum
Ludwigia Nathan’s Red
Ludwigia Peruensis/Gladulosa Diamond Var Rotala Indica
Rotala Rotundifolia Orange Juice

 

[Remmy]

In Australia they call that Blue metal rock

 

[JAAG]

IDK how hard my water is tbh. I will be using tap water and just treating it with Prime most likely. Thanks for the list of plants I really like some of those.

Thanks for the info on the rock. Any idea what it is called in the US?

 

[PurdueGK]

IDK how hard my water is tbh. I will be using tap water and just treating it with Prime most likely. Thanks for the list of plants I really like some of those.

Thanks for the info on the rock. Any idea what it is called in the US?

I use tap water with prime. No issues, but there are some plants that thrive in harder water. I would say that my Monte Carlo is doing okay but now growing like my hair grass or tenellum

 

[JAAG]

Good info. Thank you. Where do you get your plants?

 

[DaveKS]

You need a leveling mat under aquarium.

 

[PurdueGK]

Good info. Thank you. Where do you get your plants?

Buceplant.com and I bought the tenellum from liveaquaria. Liveaquatia is one of the few retailers in the us that sells Tropica.

I highly recommend both

 

[JAAG]

You need a leveling mat under aquarium.

True dat.

Bump:

You need a leveling mat under aquarium.

Where do you suggest I get one?

 

[DaveKS]

Amazon, .25" yoga mat for $13

https://www.amazon.com/BalanceFrom-...d_r=5W9AJNHN9Q4NCVA7D7RP&psc=1&qid=1583803466

 

[JAAG]

What happens if you don't use a mat under it? I have done that with reef tanks before.

 

[PurdueGK]

What happens if you don't use a mat under it? I have done that with reef tanks before.

All it does is take away pressure points. If your stand is perfectly level technically you don’t need it. But why risk it? You have put a lot of time and money into this setup.

 

[DaveKS]

^^^^^ THIS

Take a piece of paper and go around perimeter of tank and try to slide it under bottom glass (you should have done this before adding weight of hardscape) and you might find gaps where paper will slide under, sometimes even 2-3 thicknesses of paper may slide under at certain points if stand is bad enough or you didn’t bother to shim stand into level. With a rimless tank you don’t want tank flexing (yes glass can flex) out of square, it puts extra stress on silicone/seams and if bad enough seams splits. It’s less important with rimmed tanks. The foam makes sure that entire weight of tank is more evenly distributed across entire bottom glass plate.

 

[JAAG]

So you guys think the yoga mat is the best?

 

[newportjon]

Awesome suggestion on that mat, I just ordered one for my rimless tank that is going to be sitting on an off level surface.

Really like the hardscape you're going with!

 

[PurdueGK]

So you guys think the yoga mat is the best?

That or you can spend a fortune on the ADA tank leveling mats.

Pretty much the same thing. I used a yoga Matt on mine. The one that came installed from waterbox was not installed properly and had impression marks on it from shipping so I went ahead and used a yoga Matt and cut it to size and glued it to the bottom of my tank.

 

[JAAG]

Okay I’ll do that. Thanks guys. Where do you guys get your plants usually?

 

[tropicalmackdaddy]

my order for buying plants is:

retail< domestic hobbyists < local hobbyists .

buying locally can save shipping, plant health, and you can meet people in your area.

shipping from other states is the next best, wait until someone has a nice package deal in the for sale section or on reddit aquarium swap.

if you have the budget or there are specific plants you want, bulk orders from buceplant or related sights will get you a decent deal for a lot of plants, but I have found I always have tonsss of extras from tissue culture. I don't need 30 baby crypts that will all be huge in 2 months...