# Help with plants for a Rainbowfish tank!



## AlaskanCorydoras (Jan 1, 2009)

Greetings from Alaska! 

I'm a planted-tank newbie, who will soon be setting up a 90 gallon rainbowfish/Corydoras tank. I am going to attempt a fully planted tank, and I need suggestions. So far I have had good luck with Java Fern in my 55ga tank, and with Wisteria in my 15 gallon. 

I will be using a good plant substrate, but I have no idea what plants to use. I'd ideally like a "ground cover" plant, some spongy "spawning moss", some mid height plants for the shyer fish to hide in (Mostly the corys), and some taller plants that rainbows might like to nibble on. I'm planning on using American Flagfish for algae control rather than a Pleco (If I can get away with it) so the big hungry suckercat won't be a worry.

So. . . plant recomendations?


----------



## fishbguy1 (Feb 29, 2008)

In order to reccomend plants, we'll need to know what the lighting is going to be, whether or not your going to fertalize, CO2, etc. 

However, some plants that I would defaintly reccomend that you use, regardless of whether your going the high or low light way, I would use alot of vals. IME, rainbows love vals. That and it makes the tank look more like a river becauase of the vals.

We're you going for just all plants from australia and new guinea? If so, if your light is high enough, glosso would be a cool ground cover for you. 

A bunch of crypts, espacially taller ones, would be nice, and do well in a low tech tank.

We'll need more information to be of further help.

BTW...flagfish really only eat algae if there is nothing else in the tank to eat. If you feed flakes, pellets, frozen, etc. evert day, they are't going to eat the algae. You'll have to starve them before they eat it.

As a better choice, I would use ottos, flying foxes (true ones), and amano shrimp for algae. They all do a really good job with it. If you have some nice pieces of driftwood, I would also get a single bristle nose pleco. Albino long fins are my favorite, although any of them would work.


----------



## AlaskanCorydoras (Jan 1, 2009)

Second person to recommend a bristlenose for the tank. So far I'm not too fond of otos, as they're doing a rather crap job in my current small corydoras tank.


----------



## AlaskanCorydoras (Jan 1, 2009)

I'll be using a pair of 24"x18" twin bulb hoods, with 2x 24" 6700 or 6800K bulbs in each. I may or may not suppliment that with an LED grow system. (LEDs tuned to the absorbtion spectrum of Chlorophyll a) Not sure of the wattage yet, but I'm planning on something fairly strong.

I plan on fertilizing sparingly. I'm already going to be using a dedicated plant substrate I've already had good luck with, so it will be off to a strong start at the very least.


> We're you going for just all plants from australia and new guinea? If so, if your light is high enough, glosso would be a cool ground cover for you.


I have no interest in keeping it to Australia/New Guinea. I just want it to look nice. I might go with a single biome tank later but right now I'm just stretching my wings, as it were. Also could you provide the full names? I'm quite new to plants, and don't know the shortnames yet.


----------



## Bugman (Jan 7, 2008)

Algae control is best handled with a balance of lights, nutrients and Co2. You mentioned high light (but not specific) and minimal ferts. Without more specifics this sounds like a plan to fail. A dedicated plant substrate will not take care of the nutrient needs of the plants.

X the flagfish, they won't do much algae eating when they get big. Otos are great but they aren't going to control a algae problem. I also reccomend the bristlenose plecos. Their max size is about 4 inches, they are pleasant to look at and they eat all the time. Still not an answer to algae control, but they do assist.

I have a 55 with Rainbows. Didn't really plant it with them in mind. You can see the plants listed in the first 55 profile below. The one plant they seem to like to nibble on is the Hygro. Fortunately is grows really fast, but the tops always look ugle because of the half eaten leafs.


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

You can have a nicely planted 90gal tank without CO2 or ferts... as long as you go with low lighting, not high.

I'm running 108 watts of T5HO lighting over my own 90gal, and don't use either CO2 or ferts, and I'm quite happy with it, personally. 

If you don't want to use a BN pleco, then Amano shrimp, Nerite snails, and Otocinclus catfish are some other algae-eater options that should work just fine in a planted tank with Rainbows and Cories. :thumbsup:

Another issue with Flagfish is that sometimes they _can_ get very aggressive; this is a fish where "personality" can differ from fish to fish. The males _are_ quite beautiful, though...


----------



## AlaskanCorydoras (Jan 1, 2009)

I'll keep that in mind. I just found a baby Oto in my catfish tank this evening, so it seems the two I got for that tank are a breeding pair. . .


----------

