First time, Need some details help!

[Bonsai]

Hey All,

New to this thread and need help! Previously started this hobby with small tanks and not so serious fish rearing. But goldfish is starting to get big and my tetras are also starting to get bigger! Of course they are in two separate tanks. With not much aquascaping etc. Starting a freshwater 48 gallon tank but have trouble deciding a few issues.

1) Dont know the sequence! Should I pour in substrate. Then plant my carpet grass. then gravel. then rocks to make a mountain/cave? Or substrate rock grass then gravel? Help!

2) I know goldfish are nosy and poky and destructive. But can I still include them here? They are beautiful fishes and I hate to waste them in a small tank. Are big and heavy gravels enough to protect them from destroying my grass?

3) How long would it take for hairgrass to carpet the entire tank?

Thanks in Advance!

[Urban Aquaria]

For most aquascaping procedures, you would add the soil substrate, position the rock/wood hardscape, wet the soil slightly with a mist bottle (to make the soil easier to plant in), plant the plants, then slowly fill the tank with water.

Its not necessary to add another layer of gravel on top of the soil and plants... especially if you have small carpet plants, as the gravel may cover and block light from the small plants.

Goldfishes are not really suitable candidates for aquascapes, they tend to munch on fine leaved plants and root around the substrate disturbing everything. They will still pick at and eat small carpet plants, even if there is a gravel layer. Thats one of the reasons why goldfishes are usually kept in barebottom tanks or tanks with just hardscape or plastic plants... rather than aquascapes with live plants.

That being said, i have kept goldfishes in tanks with larger tough leaved plants like anubias and java ferns, and they mostly left those plants alone, so it is possible to design an aquascape that keeps them with those types of tough plants.

As for how long it takes to grow out a hairgrass carpet, it will depend on the initial amount of hairgrass you plant (more = faster, less = much slower) and whether you have Co2 injection along with matching ample light and nutrient supply. It can take anywhere from just a few weeks in high tech tanks, to many months in low tech tanks.

[emerson_chew]

Thanks for sharing this information to us newbie..i have 5 goldfish in my aquatic plants tank too.

[Bonsai]

For most aquascaping procedures, you would add the soil substrate, position the rock/wood hardscape, wet the soil slightly with a mist bottle (to make the soil easier to plant in), plant the plants, then slowly fill the tank with water.

Its not necessary to add another layer of gravel on top of the soil and plants... especially if you have small carpet plants, as the gravel may cover and block light from the small plants.

Goldfishes are not really suitable candidates for aquascapes, they tend to munch on fine leaved plants and root around the substrate disturbing everything. They will still pick at and eat small carpet plants, even if there is a gravel layer. Thats one of the reasons why goldfishes are usually kept in barebottom tanks or tanks with just hardscape or plastic plants... rather than aquascapes with live plants.

That being said, i have kept goldfishes in tanks with larger tough leaved plants like anubias and java ferns, and they mostly left those plants alone, so it is possible to design an aquascape that keeps them with those types of tough plants.

As for how long it takes to grow out a hairgrass carpet, it will depend on the initial amount of hairgrass you plant (more = faster, less = much slower) and whether you have Co2 injection along with matching ample light and nutrient supply. It can take anywhere from just a few weeks in high tech tanks, to many months in low tech tanks.

Thanks for the info! however I thought that gravel prevents the soil from dispersing and making the water cloudy? Last time I bought the substrate the shopkeeper told me not to wash it. In the end my water became so cloudy even after 1 week! Could not stand it and water changed for at least 4 times before it starts to become clearer!

Also I would be growing hairgrass which I believe is considerably long. In that case, is gravel an option? If that is the case would the grass grow out of the gravel and thus more anchored for the goldfish to harm them? Or would the goldfishes chew them out still? Never thought they would chew but only prod and suck with their type of mouth :O

[Urban Aquaria]

Thanks for the info! however I thought that gravel prevents the soil from dispersing and making the water cloudy? Last time I bought the substrate the shopkeeper told me not to wash it. In the end my water became so cloudy even after 1 week! Could not stand it and water changed for at least 4 times before it starts to become clearer!

The soil shouldn't make the water cloudy if you carefully fill the tank slowly. It only becomes cloudy if you pour water straight in without sufficient buffer and the flow kicks up all the soil dust.

You can look at how i fill my soil based tanks: http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...607#post743607

I use airline tubing and a flow control valve to gradually trickle water into the tank until 1/4 of it is filled, then slowly pour in more water with a measuring cup to fill up the rest of it, that ensures that the soil is not disturbed and the tank water is clear from the very start.

Also I would be growing hairgrass which I believe is considerably long. In that case, is gravel an option? If that is the case would the grass grow out of the gravel and thus more anchored for the goldfish to harm them? Or would the goldfishes chew them out still? Never thought they would chew but only prod and suck with their type of mouth :O

Well, there are actually different versions of hairgrass... if you want the variety that stays short, then get japanese hairgrass or Eleocharis sp. "Mini" (Tropica brand), those varieties don't grow tall. You can see the sp. "mini" version used in my above mentioned aquascape link, i didn't need to trim it for the 17+ months the tank was running.

Gravel may help prevent goldfishes from messing up the soil underneith (though they could still eventually dig into the gravel and mess up everything too), but for small plants which manage to grow though the gravel, the goldfishes will still be able to munch on them and pull them out, i have seen that happen in my tanks (the goldfishes literally pick up the gravel and drop them everywhere, then pull out the plants), it becomes a big mess.

[WingCher]

Goldfishes eat alot and poo alot... Their waste will get stuck in the carpet plants and soon you will see bba on your plants...

[tetrakid]

Goldfishes eat alot and poo alot... Their waste will get stuck in the carpet plants and soon you will see bba on your plants...

I like keeping goldfish, especially big ones.

Although they can eat continuously, we should not feed them all the time.
The trick is is to train them to be fed at fixed times each day, feeding only sufficiently to maintain them in good condition.
With such a routine established, the goldfish should survive happily.