Sand aquarium or dirted tank for betta?
Unless it is going to be heavily planted you will end up with a huge algae bloom from all the excess nutrients in the water column. Miracle-Gro is generally used as the soil for aquariums, but it has to be the one without anything added to it. Over the course of months, excess nutrients will leech from the soil and algae will feed of it. It will then be very hard to get rid of the algae if you don't plant it more or change the substrate out. Using root tabs would make the algae even worse. Fluorite or Carib-Sea Eco Complete are good brands you should check out. I recommend getting Eco-Complete, though, because Fluorite takes FOREVER to wash. I got a bag of it once for my old 20 gallon, and after hours and hours of rinsing and draining I got tired of it and put it into the tank. BAD IDEA. The water was an opaque greyish color, and it didn't clear after 2 days. Luckily my fish were in a quarantine tank while it happened, or else I am sure they would have choked up on the particles. Not Fluorite's fault, just bad decision making on my part after getting tired of rinsing it. Eco-Complete comes pre-rinsed and tank ready, and the granules are a nice black color that really brings out the colors of your fish and plants. Aquarium sand provides no nutrients and it is very hard for plant roots to root-in, so I recommend eco-complete and nothing else. Cheers!
I have few aquarium plants in a pot of water. What should be done to accelerate growth?
What are the details of the pot? Is there a light? Is there a substrate that the plants are rooted in? Is there any water movement?At a minimum you'd need a strong light source and an appropriate substrate for aquatic plants. Both can be picked up at most higher end fish stores that deal specifically with planted fresh water tanks.Beyond that you'll want the water to be a temperature appropriate for the kinds of plants you have. If it's room temperature (and room temperature where you are is around 20 degrees C like it is where I live), and you're trying to grow plants from the Amazon, you're going to want a heater with a small pump to create a bit of flow and an even temperature throughout.After that you can start thinking about ways to fertilize, but in a small volume of water, that's hard to get right without causing a massive algae bloom, so I'd think about that last.
How do you quarantine aquarium plants?
First of all congrats on thinking about quarantining! So many people throw new stuff in their tanks all willy-nilly and then wonder why their fish get sick.There are two main reasons to quarantine plants:1) They're currently sitting in water from the pet store and could have microorganisms on them that you don't want in your tank (algae, pathogens, planaria, hydra, etc).2) I guess this one is kind of related to the first, but snails are a huge problem in pet store tanks, and a lot of people don't want them in their tank.So here's what I would do:1) Get a bucket that you don't use for fish stuff2) Dose with hydrogen peroxide (I'm blanking on the exact dose; I'll look it up and get back to you but it's also easily googleable)3) Soak the plants in the H2O2-water for 24 hours (they'll be fine without light)4) Give them a good solid rinsing 5) Keep them in a clean empty tank (with light) for at least a week (by "empty" I mean no fish and decor; of course you need water!)The H2O2 will help with any algae or microorganisms and once quarantined, you can keep an eye out for any snails (since you'll see them disperse from the plants; easier if the tank is empty!). This is also a good way to make sure it's actually an aquatic plant if you're not familiar with it. I got some red nesea which I unfortunately found out later is speculated to be only semi-aquatic since it's pretty much impossible to keep (mine all died out for sure).I'll be honest, I'm usually way too lazy to do all of that. Usually a good rinse is the best I'll do. I'm fortunate to not have had any problems, but you may not want to take the chance!
Are pothos plants poisonous to aquarium fish?
Not at all. In fact, if used correctly they can be a great way of eliminating nitrates in your aquarium.To start off, you have to keep in mind that pothos are not aquatic plants, and if you try to keep them in the actual aquarium they will drown and die, which will result in an eruption of nitrogenous waste products which could potentially kill your fish. But that’s not the fault of the pothos.Instead, you need to figure out how to keep the plant at the top of the aquarium, with its roots growing into the tank. There’s an entire style of (underrated) aquarium setup called a riparium that does this and can create stunning results.The hardest part about creating a setup that will work for this is figuring out a method of holding the plants at the top of the water. There are few if any sources of riparium supplies, so you will probably need to get creative and crafty to make it work. You might be able to find something designed for aquaponic or hydroponic use and alter it to fit your needs. It’s also possible to find some sort of hanging container as well.Most of the time, when planting the plant into the container, you will want to use a substrate that is inert. You want to avoid something like soil even a potted aquarium substrate that holds and releases any sort of nutrients. The reason why is that you want the pothos to absorb as much of the nitrates out of the water as possible, not release more into it. Many people will use plain aquarium gravel or some other rock-like material to secure the plants.Depending on the number of plants you have and how much waste is being created by your fish you may find out that you need to give some supplemental fertilization, but this should be determined based on how well the plants are growing, and you want to avoid introducing too much nitrogen to the water.Pothos is a vine, so you will want to figure out where you will let it grow and spread to. I’ve seen people set up ways for it to climb using some sort of thread for it to attach to. I’ve also seen people use something like plastic grating cut to fit on top of the aquarium that lets them train the pothos to spread to certain areas and partially cover the aquarium.
In my aquarium should I change the substrate to planted soil or just add more sand?
It depends on your preference, and the preference of your preference. Unless your suggesting potting soil, then no, just don't ever do that. Most aquariums have either gravel or sand or fluorite. Sand is harder to grow plants because it's so easy to move, even a small current or tiny ghost shrimp can uproot most things, you can grow floating plants and moss balls (also algae) pretty easy on sand because they don't require a surface. Gravel is decent for most plants because it's harder to move around (unless you have larger fish or a strong current) fluorite is easier to move then gravel but comes with nutrients to maintain plants and looks similar to gravel (but more of it for roots to connect to) and looks more like dirt then rocks do.Again if you're considering adding dirt to your aquarium, don't. Ever. You basically just get mud. It would settle after a while and be dirty water, but if you add fish probably just more mud. I put sand in with a delhezi bichir (was hoping the rescued rope fish to survive aswell so sand) and with top filtration it took days to clear the water, everything was fine, put fish in stirred up the sand, beautiful fish! everytime I go near the aquarium fish stir up the sand and become invisible, dirt is way worse then sand.If you want plants, go with plants that don't need any substrate or anything but sand or dirt
What are some good plant anchors that are aquarium safe?
No lead. Those would leech into your water. Get some rocks and tie them to that. Lava rock is good it sinks and they attack easily to it. You can use cotton thread to tie them. This will slowly disentigrate in the water and the plants roots will attack to the rock. You can also do this with driftwood and other rocks (smooth doesn't work as well).
Why is aquarium water good for plants?
Nitrogen is, as has been widely agreed upon, the primary reason. But there is more than just nitrogen to consider; there are other reasons why aquarium water is exceptionally good for plants (freshwater aquarium water that is; not saltwater which should never be used to water plants).Another nutrient that plants need in abundance (though not usually as much as nitrogen) is phosphorous, and aquarium water typically has a fairly high concentration of this as well as these materials are common bi-products of a fish’s metabolism and are brought into the aquarium in the food you give your fish.Potassium is another nutrient required by plants, and while aquarium water is not typically very high in potassium, it is usually at least as abundant as in regular tap water.Other micronutrients may also be present and beneficial to plants, such as iron and magnesium.But another reason which is often overlooked is the presence of beneficial bacteria in aquarium water. These bacteria are always present in a healthy aquarium, and when used to water plants, the bacteria can help make nutrients which are already present in the soil more useful to the plants by breaking them down into a form which is more bioavailable, or more easily absorbed by the plant’s roots and utilized by the plant for growth.
Can I use a plastic container as an aquarium?
well i don't have the money to buy a 10 gallon aquarium, but i was wondering if i can use a rubber maid plastic container as an aquarium instead, i will install a powerful filter, heat, and air pump. but would the plastic container be a good idea? plz give me some info even cons and pros. thx :)
Petco selling regular plants as aquarium plants?
Everyone does it, including the private stores. I see it EVERYWHERE. Best thing you can do? Know what you're buying BEFORE you buy it. If you like a plant, research it first. You may not have the proper substrate, water conditions, or lighting for it anyway, so it really is a good idea no matter what. For the record, Petco does actually get in some very nice true aquatic plants. (I know, as I do the fish in a couple of them). A few of the local ones have been getting in some very nice tiny species of Cryptocoryne lately, and some nice chain swords. We've got some Marimo balls hanging around, too. If you ask, some Petco stores can also special order specific plants like dwarf hairgrass, riccia, java moss, etc. However, when you see what they have in the tanks, Petco actually does not choose...they come at random from the growers. The farms that raise the plants choose what they send, be they aquatic or not.