where can I buy aquatic plants for fish tank?

zeytinlidere


Joined: 18/07/2008
Posts: 112

Message Posted:
21/05/2010 12:26

does anyone know where I can buy aquatic plants for my fish tank? I have plastic ones but have been told that live plants would be more beneficial to the quality of the water.

Thanks

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
21/05/2010 19:14

It depends what species of fish (tropical?) you have in your tank - it also depends on the turnover of the tank water through the filtre and also how long and how intense the natural, or artificial, light is on. get it wrong and any aquarium plants can get coated with algae and literally choke to death.



Don't use TRNC tap water in a tropical fish tank!

zeytinlidere


Joined: 18/07/2008
Posts: 112

Message Posted:
21/05/2010 23:16

Hi Tenakoutou,

I was really hoping you would see my posting as you have answsered 'fishy' questions before. We have a freshwater tank with guppies and fancy goldfish. We have a filter and oxygen stone and the artificial light is on approximately 12 hours per day but we have brown algae. I was hoping to get some natural plants to help with the oxygen and algae.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
22/05/2010 07:29

Hi zeytinlidere,



Presumably your tank is heated in the colder months - it should be for Guppies, Moors and Veiltails - ideally not less than 22 Celsius.



Usually, it's best to avoid water snails - never from a fresh water source in Cyprus.



You need to buy 1 or 2 'Plecostomus' catfish - they are your best bet for brown, or green, algae removal - they're real vacuum cleaners.



Although the plecostomus is a known common algae sucker, it requires more than just pellets and tank algae to eat. You can also, and should, feed them: algae wafers, zucchini, cucumber, peas, melon and also any semi-soft fruit or vegetable will do as well. They also can eat shrimp, shrimp pellets and flake fish food.



People usually buy Plecos, then ignore them, thinking there'll be enough algae for them to thrive - not so - do

that and they'll die of starvation - also, at night they might start sucking the mucuous off the skin of your goldfish.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
22/05/2010 07:38

Cont'd:



Plecos like a rock to shelter under - they don't like to be exposed or they can get quite frantic.



We used to keep them in a eated aquarium in the winter and [in Paphos] put them in the Koi Carp ponds in the summer - taking them out when the water temp dropped to 22 Celsius. They grew to 2 feet long - but only because of their pond algae intake!



Look up the Wiki version re 'Plecostomus' catfish on Google - it's an excellent article.



If you go into Vusay Estates, just down from Astro - ask for Vuslet - she keeps aquariums (magnificent!) with

Cichlids and has Plecos!