1st REAL attempt at a planted tank

[Kimunaffected]

I have always had a live plant or two in our household aquarium setup at the time. But that was about it. This time around I have a change up of substrate ( sand and gravel mix ) and just started using tabs and better lighting.
My newest tank ( Fluval flex 9 ) came with light to moderate ability so I am back in with enthusiasm! ( possibly too much since I took on the remnants of a planted tank being abandoned & I had to mad dash to rehome the fish I couldn’t keep!)

I would love any suggestions and tips moving forward with this new part of the hobby.
I know I currently have a sword ,foxtail , anubas a moss ball a couple banana plants and some ground cover that looks like clover.

the fish are 4 male guppies 3 Pygmy Cory and one peacock gudgeon.

 

[NoodleCats]

Nice! Thats a nice set up! Good stock choices too.

But i suggest upping those pygmy cories up to 7-10. Mostly because theyre very social with one another and shoal as a group. And compared to other cories, they tend to be very skittish. A larger group makes them happier and more comfortable to come out

 

[fishorama]

Your "clover" looks like a hydrocotyle, maybe tripartita. It's more of a delicate stem plant but you can trim it to keep it low. It looks like the rounded leaved stem plant is a bacopa, not happy but may turn out ok. The "foxtail" has some good new tips on naked stems, good luck.

Is that an anubias in the skull mouth? Make sure the "rhizome" (the green sideways "stem" that both leaves & roots grow from) is above the substrate just a tiny bit. They are often grown attached to wood or rock (or skull, lol).

I'm not sure what the unhappy mass is in your first pic, back lower left. Your "moss ball" looks like java moss.

The sword may outgrow your tank eventually but there are some smaller types, so far so good. Give it a root tab fertilizer every 3 months or so.

 

[Kimunaffected]

Nice! Thats a nice set up! Good stock choices too.

But i suggest upping those pygmy cories up to 7-10. Mostly because theyre very social with one another and shoal as a group. And compared to other cories, they tend to be very skittish. A larger group makes them happier and more comfortable to come out

Thank you so much ! I wanted ( want ) more I really really do, But another aquarium forum scared me out of it with this tank. I really would love to add more though!

 

[the loach]

Looks nice, but the sword will be bigger as the tank eventually.... and it doesn't do well in corners.

 

[Kimunaffected]

Oh my where have you been all my life... please
Don’t leave me! Hahah Just kidding

ok let me try and address all your knowledge and make sure I absorbed it. I only purchased two ( The Foxtail that has tips that look healthy but it’s stem has gone down hill fast &The clover I purchased and it had a tag tripartita sounds absolutely correct) the rest came from someone so I am very unfamiliar I will do some reading on the bacopa THANKS I was completely unaware of what it was oh the anuba is the only resident plant from a prior tank and the skull is just resting over it. I will double check the roots. The java moss I believe is attached to a piece of cave like wood. And some sort of floating ball of the same stuff I think. Along with a small amount of water lettuce. It’s all quite new so your info is extremely helpful.

Your "clover" looks like a hydrocotyle, maybe tripartita. It's more of a delicate stem plant but you can trim it to keep it low. It looks like the rounded leaved stem plant is a bacopa, not happy but may turn out ok. The "foxtail" has some good new tips on naked stems, good luck.

Is that an anubias in the skull mouth? Make sure the "rhizome" (the green sideways "stem" that both leaves & roots grow from) is above the substrate just a tiny bit. They are often grown attached to wood or rock (or skull, lol).

I'm not sure what the unhappy mass is in your first pic, back lower left. Your "moss ball" looks like java moss.

The sword may outgrow your tank eventually but there are some smaller types, so far so good. Give it a root tab fertilizer every 3 months or so.

Myriophyllum Pinnatum

 

[NoodleCats]

Nah youd be just fine adding more pygmy cories. Very small bioload. I have a 10g with 10 pygmies in it. Plus other nanos, but besides the point here.

They are pygmaeus corydoras? Just to confirm.

In a 9g i dont see any issues with you keeping a group of 8 plus what you already have. Kept in only a tiny trio, they will be stressed very easily and this wont lead to success with these tiny guys. More is way healthier for them.


As for your sword....
I just had to move my sword plant from my 20 gal to my 46gal. The crease on my arm is my elbow, if you need to get a size idea.

 

[Kimunaffected]

I was able to move the sword over a bit and move the other to a more appropriate spot.
Noted about the sword. And omg YAY about the Pygmy Cory’s yes these are the tiny guys. I was told I was pushing it with three in the 9 gal I want these guys in the biggest shoal possible without over stocking. I have thinned out all the other fish by rehoming to family to make room for them and then got discouraged when I was told no way on the forum I previously learned from.
( prior to my adventure into plants )

 

[the loach]

Oh my where have you been all my life... please
Don’t leave me! Hahah Just kidding

Well Fishorama has been on this forum since 2006 so
Ps don't bury more as 1/3rd of the "bananas". They don't have to be buried at all, you could leave them floating as well.

 

[NoodleCats]

Yep definitely pygmaeus. They dont grow much larger than an inch. If you wanted larger species of cories, thats no way in anything less than 20. But the pygmies and the other dwarf cory species can be housed in a 5+. In a 5g though theyd need to be species only, but a 9-10 you can add a community. All the fish you have are suitable for your tank.

You can do extra work to maintain heavier stock, but you yourself cannot substitute the companionship they need.