12 litre Nano

[2e0raf]

Hi,

i have been given as a present a 12 litre tank. i have a clip on led light 2watts and a internal filter.
i will be getting a 25watt heater,

the question is do i set up a nano freshwater or a nano reef
what are the pros and cons which is the best way to go and what stock can i put in, also should i go for plants.

i did used to have a 30 gal tank a couple of years ago and my plants alwayd died so i want to to do things right from the start. any help would be appreiciated

andy
*BOUNCINGS

 

[Thyra]

I don't know anything about nano tanks but there is a forum on here if you look down the list that is just about nano tanks which should be of some help.

 

[2e0raf]

OK,

having scoured the internet and browsing the fourum i have decided to keep shrimp as these have a small bio load, i want to keep plants, what type of substrate do i need? also will my clip on light be bright enough 2watts.

i have been told i can keep about 10 shrimp in this size of tank is this correct, also i have been toying with the idea of going salt water would this be more or less difficult to keep?


thanks in advance.

 

[2e0raf]

so here is the tank as it is at the moment, still need to get

substrate
heater
gravel
shrimp about 6-7ish

so what are your thoughts

andy

 

[2e0raf]

i know the tank looks tiny but the orniment beside it is about a foot tall

 

[KcMopar]

Small salt tanks are very hard to keep. There is less room for error. A beginner salt tank tank should be at least 40 Gallons. Cutting your saltwater teeth on a Nano is probably not the best situation. If you do decide to go SW the tank would need to be a coral tank as there is really no fish you could put in it.

 

[FlameTetra333]

i know the tank looks tiny but the orniment beside it is about a foot tall

You could keep 10 shrimp in that tank. I would suggest Red Cherry Shrimp or RCS, because they are very hardy and can survive in cool or warm conditions (meaning you do not need to buy a heater). The plants I would keep in this setup are anubias nana, java moss, and java fern. They are low light plants. Anubias is a rhizome plant so do not shove it into the tank or else it will rot and die. Just attach it to a decoration via a rubber band. Also you may want to pick up Seachem Flourish comprehensive aquarium supplement; it is a very good plant fertilizer. Be careful when dosing though; the fert has copper which shrimp are sensitive to. Good luck with the tank!

 

[Kiara1125]

i know the tank looks tiny but the orniment beside it is about a foot tall

Lol, I was gonna say, "hat's the smallest tank I've ever seen!! You can put it in your hand and it has a filter and heater to fit!!" xD

Also, that's the same type of gravel that I have. *high five*

That tank would be perfect to put some java moss in and breed some Red Cherry Shrimp. You can make quite a profit off of those little guys. They are sold some places cheaply and $5 where I'm at. Sell them for about 1/3-1/2 of what you bought them for and you can get a nive profit going. RCS breed like crazy and are easy to maintain due to their low bio-load. Good luck!!

 

[2e0raf]

Hi went to the local lfs,

have bought some black gravle a ceramic heater and 2 moss balls ont thet flotes and one that sinks,

i was talking to the guy that surved me and he advised i could only keep 3-4 shrimp in the tank yet i have been told i can keep 10 by ppl on hear

now i am confuddled is he right??

will upload pics once the camera has charged.

 

[KcMopar]

Starting out with three or four is safest! Its better to gradually build up your stock over a few weeks once the first inhabitants have cycled the tank. Be sure you read how to cycle your tank in the beginner section if you do not know this info!!! I see you have over a hundred posts so you probably are aware of the cycle procedure. Having about 10 is fine if water changes are done weekly but, adding them all at once is a bad idea, so both are right really but, the info was delivered wrong. People here probably seen you had over a hundred posts and figured you knew to add them slowly once your tank was cycled. The guy at the fish store gave you REALLY good beginner advice!!!!!

 

[OrangeCones]

Anubias is a rhizome plant so do not shove it into the tank or else it will rot and die.

So is the Java Fern you recommended.

2e0raf - I would not recommend that you use any fertilizer on this tank unless you are seeing nutrient defiencies in your plants. Even a small overdose (and so easy to do with such a small tank) will cause an explosion in algae.

 

[2e0raf]

Update so far

so here are the pictures i promised, sorry about the qualit they were taken on my phone

 

[Kiara1125]

Bare essentials!! And your phone is very squiggly.... I think I see red nail polish too. xD I'm observing the wrong things. xP the tank looks nice for now. Just buy some shrimp and make sure that they don't get sucked up the filter.

 

[2e0raf]

red nail polish?????? Any how i need to cycle the tank b4 i add any shrimp, i know it looks bare but i am on a limited budget the heater,gravel + moss balls came to 30.00. will be getting the ammonia 2day and a test kit, need some ideas on plants + decorations

andy

 

[2e0raf]

maybe i should have taken the pics without the house lights on

 

[Kiara1125]

I'm sorry!! I'm seeing things!! I swear. Please don't judge me for my randomness.

But....i got the squiggly phone part correct, right??

 

[Kiara1125]

As for decorations, you can clean new terra cotta pots and put them in. It's great since they come in all sorts of sizes. Then you could attach some java moss to the pots with rubberbands. Java moss grows quickly, so it will easily fill it your tank and look nice. It would be perfect for shrimp.