A couple beginner questions

[Soriewla]

Hi,

I am new here and need some advice. I am slowly setting up a 10 gallon vivarium for fire belly newts. Right now it just has small stones/river rocks in it. I washed them and boiled them, then arranged them in the tank. But the water is still a bit murky so I guess there is still some dirt on them. (I got the river rock from the river, not store bought.)

Once I get it to clear up, I am going to add drift wood and then start adding plants.

So my questions...

1)Do I need to re-wash my stones and rocks? (I just set it up perfectly..)

2)Can I add plants even if the water isn't completely clear yet? (I will not add newts until it is clear)

3)This will be my first tank with live plants (I have a 20g fish tank). I have no clue where to start. I need some floating ones, and simple ones. Suggestions? Tips? I am lost when it comes to CO2 and fertilizers and all that.

4)My siphon doesn't seem to want to work in my 10g. It works really well with my 20g though. Do I need a smaller one? Is there another way I can clean the tank without having to scoop the water out?

I hope you can help answer some of my questions.

Thanks!

[Superfly]

What kind of substrate are you putting the plants in? I have a clay/gravel type mixture that works well, but it really clouds up the water if it gets stirred at all. Make sure you have a filter running or at least something that moves the water. If you dont have a filter your going to need to do water changes often.

As far as plants go, make sure you have a good light source. My plants grew the best when I opened the nearby window and let the sunlight in, but this also helped the algae rather quickly. Get the temp. setup right, plants like it colder (~70 F), but I dont know what the newts prefer. Buy a good water fertilizer. I have had good luck with the Tetra Plant Flora Pride. I add it at every water change. You dont really need a CO2 unless your going to have a LOT of plants. You should be fine with a good filter that keeps the water stirred well.

Im assuming your siphon doesnt work because your water is too shallow. Your best bet is to just take the tube off of your siphon and just use that. Maybe your tank isnt high enough?

[Soriewla]

I have a filter coming today hopefully.

I don't know what to use as substrate, some people told me that some plants don't need it. That you can just tie the roots to a rock with fishing line. :/

And newts like cold water, (below 72) so I can't have light hitting the tank.

Thanks for the reply!

[Superfly]

Well i'm not sure but I think most plants need their roots to be out of light, so you would have to research that before picking up any. Plus, a nice looking substrate really adds a good touch to the aquarium. My clay gravel looks really natural and it was pretty cheap.

[Tindomul1of9]

I keep my newt in an aquarium with Flourite. I don't want to use any other types of chemicals to avoid killing my newt. The Flourite should hopefully provide enough nutrients for the plants. I also grow them with submersed roots and emersed leaves. Maybe that helps???
I don't think you need to wash the rocks anymore. The sooner you add the plants, the better. This will help stabilize the water chemistry as well, and help avoid algae. If the plants take all the food, the algea can't survive.
Doesn't always work ofcourse, unless your plants actually do use up all the nutrients in the tank.
Add your newt once the tank is 1 or more months old.
Good luck!!

[Tindomul1of9]

Oh, and if you have enough lighting, you might want to try water lettuce as a floating plant.