Help please

[u/Redditor-idk]

First time help

For starters this is my first nano tank/ tank in general. It’s 2.5 gals and only houses what the LFS calls “feeder snails”. Now since I definitely didn’t do things properly. How do I make sure my plants grow they already look a little lifeless to me compared to at the store. The plants are Java fern and sparkle sword I also have duckweed. I also am curious on how to get all the debris out of my substrate a result of not rinsing the plants before adding. Then finally am I able to add any shrimp maybe or other plant suggestions. If it helps I’m only 16 so please cut me some slack.

[u/Dynamitella]

The left plant was probably grown above the water. Thus, it's normal for them to completely melt and grow back with a different shape after being bought and put in an aquarium.
The right plants are sturdier, but would like to be pulled up almost completely above the sand. It's even better to tie them to a rock or piece of wood.

When buying your next plants, opt for fast growing ones. You can google these names and make yourself familiar with their shapes to recognize them.

Egeria densa
Hornwort
Vallisneria
Cabomba
Limnophila
Hygrophila
Any floating plant
Javamoss

[u/Lisas_Greenhouse]

I agree with what they say. Looks good for first planted tank. I would definitely add some shrimp and maybe a piece of driftwood or rock to go in the middle. nice work.

[u/gaysharky]

1. When you plant new plants, you can expect some melting(dying of leaves) as the plant gets used to it's new environment.
2. You should carefully rinse and clean the roots of the new plants before planting them, but sticking them straight into the substrate with their current growing media should be ok as well.
3. Before thinking of adding any other life into the tank, please familiarize yourself with the nitrogen cycle. Get a testing kit, learn to read and understand what the different values mean (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate etc). With such a small tank you should only be putting shrimp in, and they are very sensitive to changes in water chemistry, so make sure your tank is cycled and mature before buying any (should take around 2 months on the safe side).

[u/Fair_Peach_9436]

I would say use fertilizers, that will give them a good boost and they will get all the nutrients if they're lacking any. Newly planted plants often show these signs because they're learning to adapt the new environment. Cut any dead leaf or stems to avoid rotting. But it should improve within a couple of days.

[u/flying_dogs_bc]

hey! i started keeping aquariums when I was 16 too :) I'm 45 now. THere are a few things I wish I'd known / done first:

learn about the nitrogen cycle and water quality testing well enough to start a tank right and know when it's stable. It's complex but once you get it it's easy and you'll know it for life, so it's worth really putting the effort in now. You can never test your water too much. There are probably apps that will help now.

half of growing plants is killing them. You get the plants that should do well, but a lot of them will just die no matter what you do. Don't rebuy them, and keep trying until you have a variety of plants you know you can care for. Most of the time they fail for reasons beyond your control, so don't sweat it.

Expect pests, fungus, ick, other diseases. Just expect it. It's part of the hobby. Have a bit of money set aside so you can afford to address issues early. Don't ignore it if you see white spots, new creepy crawlies, etc.

have fun!