Should I plant my tank now or just add fish for now then plant later when I have more money and motivation?

Fist of all I would like to thank all of you for your helpful answers to my last question.



It is good to hear that I can probably have a planted tank without upgrading my light or filter. After a quick interweb search I found many beautifully planted low tech tanks. I decided that I do want to stick with my original plan of having mostly live bearing fish and a planted tank. The blue gravel and blue light that I have right now seem ascetically incompatible with live plants.



I think that for the most part all I would need to do is swap the gravel for a substrate and swap out the bulb for a different one.



For the substrate I would like to use a mix of inert gravel and eco-complete. Suggestions for good inert black gravel and how to layer it with the substrate would be awesome. Its much cheaper to find the inert gravel at a hardware or garden store right?



My filter is making noise right now that is kinda irritating. It seems to be a problem with the propeller not centering correctly. (it is magnetic) The filter medium is charcoal and that blue fiber.



The noise and the heat from the ballast doesn't seem to be a problem, because I put it on top of a tshirt. How do I know when I need to change the ballast?



Best method for removing scratches? Sandpaper? Cheap products?



All of this is seeming overwhelming right now and what I want are some fish right now so that I can have some gratification now and not after more time and $$$. My plan is to get ten guppies now so I can have something to look at, and then a few weeks or a paycheck or two down the road put in some work to change it from the simple blue tank to a more natural looking tank.



Would this work? I would siphon the water into some ten gallon buckets, add the cheap and effective substrate, swap the light, pull the stand outside and spray paint it black, plant everything and put it all back together.



Sorry I was kinda longwinded and all over the place on this question.



If I put the guppies in now, do I have to trip about getting a thermometer? Do I need a heater this time of year? (I live in LA) The strip on the side is indicating about 72 degrees I think.



If possible, quote prices on any products you are talking about.

Thanks for all the help YAll.Should I plant my tank now or just add fish for now then plant later when I have more money and motivation?
Plant the tank when it's best for you - meaning you have some money to spend on a bunch of plants so you can decorate nicely, and the more plants you add from the start, the more you have to combat algae. The fish will still appreciate a planted setup though, so if you don't already have fake plants, you may as well buy real from the start.



Don't worry about layering your substrate - it just gets messed together anyway all you need to do is mix up your neutral substrate with your enriched substrate. Inert black gravel is available at any fish shop.



If you're doing any spray painting, take the tank elswhere, somewhere well ventilated



A ballast only needs to be changed if it doesn't function any more. You'll want to replace the bulbs every year or so though to keep them fresh because they're just not doing the job as well at half capacity.



From what the strip on the tank says, your water is likely between 70 and 74 (they are not that accurate), which is fine for guppies. The reason you might still want to use a heater is because it prevents temperature fluctuations.



Price quoting is pointless, you need to go cost it out yourself to get any real information. You can save some money if you keep an open mind - I got my ballast and plant bulbs from home depot for much cheaper than the fish store, though it's nothing fancy it does the job just as well.



I don't know what kind of filter you are using, but try to avoid the hanging style - canister filters and sponge filters are much better, especially for planted setups.. You really don't need charcoal in a filter - you can put more sponge in that spot.



CheersShould I plant my tank now or just add fish for now then plant later when I have more money and motivation?
thanksShould I plant my tank now or just add fish for now then plant later when I have more money and motivation?
Just get the fish for now. Once the tank is well established the the plants have a better chance of doing well. Plant them to early they die and make a mess.Should I plant my tank now or just add fish for now then plant later when I have more money and motivation?
to be honest, the guppies and all fish need plants for hiding away. They need it to feel secure.

so set up the tank with plants first and then get your fish.

fish without plants get stressed and die quickly.



Live bearers MUST have plants to hide in when giving birth and the fry will hide in the plants

to keep safe from prey.



You can do half live and half fake plants or all fake plants, it all just depends on what you like

and your budget.

You need filter and pump

you will also need a heater to keep the tank at a stable temperature, since fish cannot

deal with temperatures going up and down.

The mark you see on the outside of the tank is the room temperature not the water temperature.



Don't forget to cycle the tank before you buy any fish.

Cycling takes 6-8 weeks to complete.Should I plant my tank now or just add fish for now then plant later when I have more money and motivation?
I don`t know much about aquarium plants,but I do know that there are several plants that do not have to be planted in the substrate such as hornwort,try these fishchannel.com and or fosterandsmithaquatics.com.see there plant substrates.

As for the scratches sandpaper well just make more scratches.

Saving the water in buckets is a good idea. 72-75 is just about prefect for guppies.

The blue gravel well be fine as a top layer,but the blue light well not work.