New to plants. Planning 200L

[Reloc8]

Hello.

I've kept tropical fish before with some success but have never done a planted tank.

I'm getting back in the hobby after a number of years and have the soace for a 90cm long 200 litre tank.

I have in mind a lush planted tank with some schooling fish, some bottom dwellers.

I am looking for help planning the plants. I can.go hi tech, budget is not an issue but would prefer as simple as possible. I want to get every aspect of the set up/built absolutely right, hopefully to avoid trouble later on. Planning to get an Oase Highline 200L with cabinet and filter it with an external cannister. I was thinking an eheim fx6 but then this could be too much - i just know of them.from when I had Africans and was looking to hugely over filter.

Are there some good resources you know of that I can read up on?

Also looking for suggestions for the fish. What would make nice "centre piece" fish. I would like a peaceful tank. My last tank was all male mbuna and it was like the hunger games in there. I am thinking a big group of classic schooling fish, a good group of bottom dwellers (I like Cory's and a couple of smaller interesting plecos maybe). What else would be good? I don't want to try discus and am wary of Angelfish aggression issues. I'm not interested in gourami.

I like the idea of some apistogramma maybe.

Thanks for your help.

 

[kno4te]

Advise maybe not an article online but may be a video from George farmer and green aqua. They have a lot of info for beginners and even beyond novices. They explain a lot and can also see the plants as well. For fish I’d suggest discus but tank size may limit a group. Smaller cardinal tetras, harlequin rasboras or ember tetras will work. It’ll congrats well with green. With cory cats and ancistrus plecos. Blue phantom pleco will work too.

 

[burntrubber]

My choice of centerpiece fish would be rainbowfish, pearl gourami or dwarf cichlids. Small loach like dwarf chain loach or zipper loach are more gentle on plants than corydoras plus they are great snail hunters. Be careful of how you attach Epiphytes, I've had catfish run into trouble with fishing lines and my whiptail cat keeps pushing java fern and anubias out of crevices.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; This is a picture of my 55 gallon tank taken a couple of years ago. I have since taken out many of the plants as it was overgrown. Is this the sort of tank you are looking to try for? The fish is a common angel. Freshwater. I do not use CO2 or much in the way of extra chemicals.

In fact if you happen to be in my area I have a bucket of plants removed from my planted tanks that need a home. I normally take them to an area fish shop but have been hiding from the virus. Do not know if the shops have survived he lockdowns.

On a map of the USA I am where Kentucky ,Virginia and Tennessee meet. The Cumberland Gap National Park is here

 

[Reloc8]

Thank you for your repliesand help folks.

skj47 - amazing growth in your tank - lovely picture. Your Angel looks fantastic. Thank you so much for your offer - I am actually in Ireland so I can't take you up on it.

By way of update, we were doing some further thinking at home here about our plans, and I believe we will use a different location for the tank, which will accomodate one that is a full five feet in length, around 400 Litres or 100 - 110 US Gallons.

The principal will still be the same though - just on a bigger scale.

I am thinking two large groups of small schooling fish (rasboras, tetras or minnows), a good size group of corys, some interesting plecos. I am coming around to the idea of getting Discus when the tank is really established. Maybe some apistogramma or Thomasi could go with them.

 

[duanes]

Post pics as it evolves, it will be interesting to watch progress.
With me plants are always hit or miss, some do great in my water, and light intensity, but some just melt.
I've found if I initially get a lot of plants right away, planting them well ahead of adding fish, they work out better than if I start with only a few, with a few it is less successful.
But new plants occasionally melt soon after planting anyway, yet it doesn't mean they are dead, but roots are just adjusting to new conditions.
Vallisneria has always done well for me, I believe it does well in my hard water, but it has sometimes done so well, it crowded out others.I have a an Amazon Sword type that started OK, but the Vals quickly overtook it, only now after digging a hole in some drift wood, and jamming it in there, and removing it from a Vall infested area, with no competition for light or resources, it has it started to make a comeback.
You can see the old leaves were ratty compared to the now healthier growth.


The left side has Hydrilla collected in Lake Gatun

I don't think the canister will betook much, this is the flow I use only tank, at about 1,000 GPH

 

[Sanderguy777]

I started out much like you. Cichlids and what not in fake plastic tanks. Then I started to get into the planted scapes and it is much more interesting (at least for me personally).

I would look up Aquarium Co-op on YouTube. Cory does a great job of explaining all kinds of topics, but especially helping beginning aquarists or those new to planted tanks.

As for my recommendations, I have pogostemin stollatus octopus, Java moss, Java fern, and anubius coffeei (something like that). They are all doing well with the Easy green ferts Aquarium coop sells, but most probably work fine.

My tank has guppies, platies, 5 types of corys, 3 otos, and 4 Siamese algae eaters. These photos are of my 60g guppy tank. Not the best aquascape, but I tried lol.

The canister you're talking about would work, but I would personally look into a sump or moving bed filter (assuming corner mattenfilters are not an option). But that is your department. I just like the idea of being able to choose filter material and then easy maintenance afterwards.

 

[cockroach]

I came across this thread searching for something else.
I know this is a Lazarus resurrection but I have a question.

@Sanderguy777, is that a double barrel matten filter and a large sponge filter?

 

[RyanScanner]

What is more important than what you plant is your substrate layering,

-Potting mix and crushed root tabs on the bottom.
-Aqua soil in the middle with some laterite dusted over
-Then capped with a small grain inert substrate 1-2” of your choice to suit your desired look.

Plant as much as you can all at once after it has cycled for 4-6 weeks (lights off), so you avoid massive algae blooms that ruin your fragile plants in the beginning and balance any ammonia spikes from the fertilizer before you plant anything.

Co2 always gives better results despite what YouTube says.

I like any kinds or Cryptocorynes, swords and Anubias as indestructible, rotala and pretty much all stem plants are great for beginners and at the beginning because they grow fast and you can propagate extremely easily so they balance out the tank quickly.

I set this up in December planted in January

Shrimp definitely help a lot. If you can get a colony going you will have no troubles as they are constantly working polishing your plants of algae and debris.

Here’s a little basic idea of nutrient deficiencies to look out for.