5g planted nano tank?
- Thread starter lauraf
- Start date
@laura decor looks good! and my goodness your kitchen counters are FABULOUS!
In regards to the froggies and pellets, I'm not super positive how that all works. I hear bettas CAN adapt to eating flakes but it isn't preferred, so if it is the only source of food I imagine the frog will adapt. Maybe not live as long or stay as healthy? I just hear frozen/live foods are the best for them and they really seem to like it, I used pellets and flakes before and they didn't care. Now they just race out of hiding for the bloodworms, I've tried brine shrimp as well but nobody likes those.
In regards to the froggies and pellets, I'm not super positive how that all works. I hear bettas CAN adapt to eating flakes but it isn't preferred, so if it is the only source of food I imagine the frog will adapt. Maybe not live as long or stay as healthy? I just hear frozen/live foods are the best for them and they really seem to like it, I used pellets and flakes before and they didn't care. Now they just race out of hiding for the bloodworms, I've tried brine shrimp as well but nobody likes those.
Both the hairgrass and chain sword will do fine in that light. To help them to SPREAD to cover the area you want, leave the water level low before you add your fish, etc. The less water the light goes through, the brighter it will be. Just do 50% water changes by adding water from your other tank (lots of good ferts in the water column). If you have Excel, use that as a carbon source, or use freshly dechlorinated water (has more CO2 dissolved in it than the 'old' tank water).
Thanks OC! Yes, I'm planning on getting the plants established before adding any critters - also want to ensure the tank is cycled, even though I can use water and gunk from my 39g to get things started. I don't have Excel, but was thinking of buying it to use in the 5g on an ongoing basis. Is it worthwhile for such a small tank? Or would Prime-treated water plus my usual Sera-brand fertilizer be enough long-term? I'm not doing a CO2 system for this tank.
I fed my froggies freeze dried blood warms and special sinking blood worms. Now I always have frozen bloodworms on hand for my Discus (it's all they will eat!) so that is what I feed them and they LOVE *SUPERSMIL them!
I don't know if it has been said, but ADF's are very sensitive to water conditions, so make sure the tanks is completely cycled first! I learned the hard way on my first attempt
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I don't know if it has been said, but ADF's are very sensitive to water conditions, so make sure the tanks is completely cycled first! I learned the hard way on my first attempt
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Zack, you're so darling! I'm going to take you up on this someday.
Okay, yay! Got the tank kit. I'm also feeling a bit lazy and didn't want to drive around in the crazy Labour Day weekend traffic trying to find appropriate sand, so bought a couple of small bags of CaribSea "Instant Aquarium Tropical Substrate". It also comes with packaged 'water conditioners' - I'm leery. The sand itself is pale and very fine, just what I wanted. Anyone have any experience with this product?
Okay, yay! Got the tank kit. I'm also feeling a bit lazy and didn't want to drive around in the crazy Labour Day weekend traffic trying to find appropriate sand, so bought a couple of small bags of CaribSea "Instant Aquarium Tropical Substrate". It also comes with packaged 'water conditioners' - I'm leery. The sand itself is pale and very fine, just what I wanted. Anyone have any experience with this product?
K, well, here's some pics of the initial setup. Water is still a little cloudy from fussing with the sand. OMG, sand gets everywhere! All over the plant leaves, rocks, etc. I've never used sand before. Taking the second bag of the Instant Aquarium back to the store - I don't think I need it.
It's not an exact mini-me replica of my 39g, which is good - I wanted something that loked a bit different - but there are enough elements (anubias, red tiger lotus, smooth rocks, long skinny driftwood, terra cotta pots) that it's still kinda like a mini-me tank.
Plantwise, I've got a square mesh of hemianthus covering the front lefthand corner, lilaeopsis (separated into a few different clumps in the background), whirled pennywort in the righthand back corner, anubias nana separated into three in the foreground, and a red tiger lotus on the righthand front of the tank.
My lfs, when unpacking the kit so as to measure the full dimensions for me, took out some of the stuff included, like the filter, and put almost everything back in, except the filter. Grrr. I'll go back tomorrow. I really wanted to put the filter sponge in my 39g to start the transfer of good gook . . . .
Speaking of bacteria, as I mentioned previously, the packaged sand comes with these small envelopes of a 'de-chlor' and a 'water clarifier'. I'm not using 'em. Prime and gook from my 39g are good enough for me.
And Koko is in the box. He's all like, you go fill the new tank. I'm busy fillin' the box.
It's not an exact mini-me replica of my 39g, which is good - I wanted something that loked a bit different - but there are enough elements (anubias, red tiger lotus, smooth rocks, long skinny driftwood, terra cotta pots) that it's still kinda like a mini-me tank.
Plantwise, I've got a square mesh of hemianthus covering the front lefthand corner, lilaeopsis (separated into a few different clumps in the background), whirled pennywort in the righthand back corner, anubias nana separated into three in the foreground, and a red tiger lotus on the righthand front of the tank.
My lfs, when unpacking the kit so as to measure the full dimensions for me, took out some of the stuff included, like the filter, and put almost everything back in, except the filter. Grrr. I'll go back tomorrow. I really wanted to put the filter sponge in my 39g to start the transfer of good gook . . . .
Speaking of bacteria, as I mentioned previously, the packaged sand comes with these small envelopes of a 'de-chlor' and a 'water clarifier'. I'm not using 'em. Prime and gook from my 39g are good enough for me.
And Koko is in the box. He's all like, you go fill the new tank. I'm busy fillin' the box.
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K, got the filter today. Just a wee HOB style from NutraClear. My goodness, but a couple of hours with the filter cleared the water up nicely! I have another sponge sitting in the intake compartment of my 39g gathering nice gunk, and have the 5g filled with water from the big tank.
I also dosed with a wee bit of Excel today, and have the water level low to help get the plants well established. Pics of the tank follow. Couple of questions:
A) should I keep the light on 24/7 for the plants, or should I keep them on the same lighting schedule I would if there were critters in the tank?
B) given that I will have a nice gunky filter in a couple of days and water from my established 39g, how long should I wait before adding any critters?
C) ideas on aesthetics/setup - I'm thinking of a solid colour background? Do I need more hidey-holes for ADFs? What other tall plants would work well? Other suggestions?
Thanks all for your input.
I also dosed with a wee bit of Excel today, and have the water level low to help get the plants well established. Pics of the tank follow. Couple of questions:
A) should I keep the light on 24/7 for the plants, or should I keep them on the same lighting schedule I would if there were critters in the tank?
B) given that I will have a nice gunky filter in a couple of days and water from my established 39g, how long should I wait before adding any critters?
C) ideas on aesthetics/setup - I'm thinking of a solid colour background? Do I need more hidey-holes for ADFs? What other tall plants would work well? Other suggestions?
Thanks all for your input.
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A) Keep the lighting schedule the same as you will when you have critters in the tank. That way the plants don't have to adjust going from light all the time to light only at certain hours. Also, there is such a thing as plants getting TOO much light.
B)I'd just wait a couple of days and then test your water parameters.
C) I'd go with a black background. Maybe add a terra cotta pot on the left side? Hygros make great background plants.
B)I'd just wait a couple of days and then test your water parameters.
C) I'd go with a black background. Maybe add a terra cotta pot on the left side? Hygros make great background plants.
I concur, same light schedule as normal.
It will take a few (2-3) weeks for the bacteria to grow on the extra filter in the established tank, there is very little if any in the water itself. More would be on the some "decorations" but not much. I would wait 2 weeks, I know better said then done, before adding the new fish and the new filter media. If you have any "extra" from the established tank you could potentially take that media out and add it to the new tank, but just make sure you don't take too much!
It looks great so far!
It will take a few (2-3) weeks for the bacteria to grow on the extra filter in the established tank, there is very little if any in the water itself. More would be on the some "decorations" but not much. I would wait 2 weeks, I know better said then done, before adding the new fish and the new filter media. If you have any "extra" from the established tank you could potentially take that media out and add it to the new tank, but just make sure you don't take too much!
It looks great so far!
No, my 39g is a Biowheel that takes big cartridges - I can't really break a piece off. That's fine, my lfs doesn't have ADFs right now, I can wait. Speaking of which, because I understand the mix of a betta and ADFs should be okay, depending on the personality of the betta, should I add the ADFs first, then introduce the betta? My thinking is if the betta is alone in the 5g for a while, he might be extra territorial towards newcomers . . . .
Thanks all - this is fun!
And I have three cats that think water changes are the most fascinating process in the world
Thanks all - this is fun!
And I have three cats that think water changes are the most fascinating process in the world
Logic sounds right....I don't think I ever paid that must attention to who went in first...
As far as the bio wheel if you are not going to add fishies or ribbits to the new tank for a few weeks, just get a bag of Bio media and put in the one of the filter slots, or even in the tank behind some rocks or something. That will start it getting the good stuff on it.
As far as the bio wheel if you are not going to add fishies or ribbits to the new tank for a few weeks, just get a bag of Bio media and put in the one of the filter slots, or even in the tank behind some rocks or something. That will start it getting the good stuff on it.