A freshwater aquarium for beginners

[Falzone]

Just wanted to show off my new freshwater aquarium, it's only been a month since I set it up. I've got Hornwort, multiple stems, and an Anubis plant, just one of those. Also, I think I've got two onion bulbs, they were just bulbs when I got them, and now they've already reached the top of the tank and are flowering non-stop.

The Hornwort is growing like crazy, I have to cut it back every week. The Anubis is doing alright, slowly but surely. I've got all of these planted in Fluval Stratum.

I'm looking for some advice, I want to add some more plants to the tank. The lighting is LED, I don't know the wattage or anything, it came with the aquarium kit we bought. I'm thinking of getting a carpeting plant or something I can attach to the driftwood.

[oldraider]

Your setup looks great, especially that driftwood centerpiece, and I love all the live plants you've got going on.

[Falzone]

Nice piece of driftwood, isn't it? Got really lucky with that find - all the others were way too small.

Hornwort's been going crazy, had 5 stems to start and now I've got around 20 from cuttings, tank's looking good.

[hillsman]

Just found out the bulbs are actually aponogetons, not onion bulbs like I thought.

[Taverna]

That's a lovely setup you have there. Real or artificial driftwood - I'm curious. A black background would really make the plants pop. I've seen some members use black construction paper, but I opted for a different approach. I cut an artist's canvas board to fit, then painted it with tube acrylics. The possibilities are endless - you could paint anything to match your style.

[hillsman]

Consider adding more Anubias to your tank, it's a great option for attaching to the driftwood. Your experience with the Anubis so far has likely shown you it's a slower grower compared to the other plants in your tank, like the hornwort.

[Falzone]

That's a lovely setup you have there. Real or artificial driftwood - I'm curious. A black background would really make the plants pop. I've seen some members use black construction paper, but I opted for a different approach. I cut an artist's canvas board to fit, then painted it with tube acrylics. The possibilities are endless - you could paint anything to match your style.

Yeah, it's real driftwood, not plastic or anything. I like the idea of a black background, actually I was thinking of doing the same thing. I checked the local pet store and all they had were those picture backgrounds, which I didn't really want. Guess I'll have to check online, maybe Amazon or something.

[juicebox]

I'm considering adding some floating plants to the mix. Would love to hear some suggestions - what works well with the plants I already have?

[Falzone]

Just found out the bulbs are actually aponogetons, not onion bulbs like I thought.

Yeah, I've definitely noticed the anubias is taking its time. Been on the hunt for more, but every place I check is out of stock.

[oldraider]

I've got hornwort in my tank too, it's a beast to keep under control. I've been cutting it back every week, started with 5 stems and now I've got around 20 from cuttings.