My First Planted Tank (8 Gallons)

Hi All,

this is my first planted thank and it's just a small one..it's a 1.5 foot wide 8 gallon tank....

Well... if you look at the right side of the tank, you will notice that some of the plants are like stretching for the sky... especially the stem ones and that makes the stem long and the segmentd far from each other... when I first got them they were kind of close together..

and the plants near the front also on the right kind of looks like a hopeless case... what did I do wrong there

I'm just using 2 x 11w PL lights that came with the Light Holder... is this causing the problem

Also the petshop I got these plants from are hopeless and cannot tell me what plants I have bought... please help identify them

Thanks so much...

It looks like you're not using any form of special substrate or fertilisation. This is needed for more difficult-to-grow plants to thrive.
The plant in the back corner is cabomba, and at the front right you have small helsine. I'm also having difficulty with this plant, and I think that CO2 is essential as it is so delicate. However, I like your tank.

Looks like wisteria in the back left corner, looks good though.

Sibelius said:

It looks like you're not using any form of special substrate or fertilisation. This is needed for more difficult-to-grow plants to thrive.
The plant in the back corner is cabomba, and at the front right you have small helsine. I'm also having difficulty with this plant, and I think that CO2 is essential as it is so delicate. However, I like your tank.

Click to expand...

Thanks..... well actually there is a 1.5" thick of the JBL AquaBasis Plus as the substrate below the layer of sand that you see... (it's in the dark area)

For a first tank, I'm honestly amazed at how vibrant and lush it looks, if only I could get one of my tanks to look this nice! The plant in the front right could be glosso, if it is, its a demanding plant. Either way its not doing very well unfortunately, so probably best to remove it and try something else All tanks are different and what may grow for one person might not grow for someone else, just one of those things.

BTW what are 'PL lights'?

The two red plants look like Rotala macrandra on the left and Ludwigia species on the right, possible glandulosa (''perennis'').

Sam

Themuleous said:

For a first tank, I'm honestly amazed at how vibrant and lush it looks, if only I could get one of my tanks to look this nice! The plant in the front right could be glosso, if it is, its a demanding plant. Either way its not doing very well unfortunately, so probably best to remove it and try something else All tanks are different and what may grow for one person might not grow for someone else, just one of those things.

BTW what are 'PL lights'?

The two red plants look like Rotala macrandra on the left and Ludwigia species on the right, possible glandulosa (''perennis'').

Sam

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22W over 8g is not a lot of light. It seems like it is, but it really isn't. Smaller tanks work very differently regarding lighting than tanks over say 15g. I have 24W over my 8g and it is a low-light tank. Many of your species will not do well in lower light and that is why they seem to be reaching for the sky. They are looking for light, and they are growing using their nutrient reserves. Eventually, the reserves will be used up and the plants may begin to deteriorate. CO2 will help plants grow in low-light conditions, but without more light, expect some of your plants to begin decomposition. I already see browning in your glossostigma. Your rotala macrandra, cambomba, myriophylum (light green with fine, feathery leaves), ludwigia, and glosso all need more light than you have. The cabomba, unless it is cabomba caroliana will also require soft water, as will the R. macrandra and the myriophylum. The only plant there that might do well is the Hygrophila difformis, the light green with larger, branching leaves, but even growing that was troublesome in my 8g and it is so prone to thread algae.

I'm sorry if I'm the bringer of bad news, but you can try to save your plants if you conider upgrading your lighting, adding CO2 injection, and trying a fert regimen. You basically have high-tech, light demanding plants in a tank that may not be able to support them. Your tank is small enough that you can have a very stable CO2 with a DIY mix. If you know your tank dimensions, you can plug it in to this website to determine what level of light you need to aim for. I'll tell you one thing, R. macrandra is a plant that does well in very bright light, if that is any indication, as are most of the other plants in your tank.

Here is the website below. Just scroll down and input the aquarium's length and width.

http/woo.gotdns.com/Aquarium/Lighting.htm

Let us know what you decide.

llj

thanks for the info llj ..... I'm running a DIY with George Farmers recipe for the Nutrafin CO2 unit...

I've seen the info on the website.. very interesting... the only problem is that I don't know how PLL lights compare to the T8, T12 ...

anyway I've gone out and bought a couple of Nirox 24w PLL lights.... I'm going to fix them tonight..... hope that 48w would be enough...

nightlite said:

anyway I've gone out and bought a couple of Nirox 24w PLL lights.... I'm going to fix them tonight..... hope that 48w would be enough...

Click to expand...

That's good light for 8G, you should have no worries growing most plants. Keep an eye on CO2 output and ensure it remains stable, changing the mixture with a weekly water change is a good idea IME.

You'll also need to dose liquid ferts regularly with your new lighting, and new found growth. With a low fish load you may need to consider adding nitrates and phosphates, so consider EI. Otherwise a decent trace may be all you require i.e. Seachem Flourish or Tropica AquaCare Nutrition.

Your layout is impressive for a first attempt BTW. Well done.

Sam - PLL lights are the generic term for CF or PC (compact fluorescent or power compact).

George Farmer said:

That's good light for 8G, you should have no worries growing most plants. Keep an eye on CO2 output and ensure it remains stable, changing the mixture with a weekly water change is a good idea IME.

You'll also need to dose liquid ferts regularly with your new lighting, and new found growth. With a low fish load you may need to consider adding nitrates and phosphates, so consider EI. Otherwise a decent trace may be all you require i.e. Seachem Flourish or Tropica AquaCare Nutrition.

Your layout is impressive for a first attempt BTW. Well done.

Sam - PLL lights are the generic term for CF or PC (compact fluorescent or power compact).

Click to expand...

Thank you very much. my layout efforts are poor in comparison.

When do I actually start dosing the liquid ferts?? my tank is only about 3 weeks old... and my local petshop told me not to dose the liquid ferts for another few months until the plants are stable or something like that..... scaring me that if i do it too soon.. algae would be the result....

I got a Ferropol and a Ferropol 24 liquid ferts that came with the JBL starter kit...is that the same as the Seachem Flourish or Tropica AquaCare Nutrition that you mentioned?

George Farmer said:

nightlite said:

anyway I've gone out and bought a couple of Nirox 24w PLL lights.... I'm going to fix them tonight..... hope that 48w would be enough...

Click to expand...

That's good light for 8G, you should have no worries growing most plants. Keep an eye on CO2 output and ensure it remains stable, changing the mixture with a weekly water change is a good idea IME.

You'll also need to dose liquid ferts regularly with your new lighting, and new found growth. With a low fish load you may need to consider adding nitrates and phosphates, so consider EI. Otherwise a decent trace may be all you require i.e. Seachem Flourish or Tropica AquaCare Nutrition.

Your layout is impressive for a first attempt BTW. Well done.

Sam - PLL lights are the generic term for CF or PC (compact fluorescent or power compact).

Click to expand...

To add to George's comments, to create an even more stable CO2 value, I'd use two canisters hooked to one bubble ladder. Instead of 1/2 a tsp for one canister, I'd use a rounded 1/4 tsp for each of the two canisters. That has given me a pretty stable level for smaller tanks in the past. I'd the change each canister once a week, but on different days. That lighting option is much, much better.

You also may want to consider changing the tank more than once a week. My nanos are changed 2x a week. It depends on your system, however.

Good luck with your new lighting. Once it becomes established, you'll really have a stunning tank. Another piece of plant advice, if I may. R. macrandra has very fragile stems, avoid fiddling with it too much. It doesn't like being moved much. Also, don't freak if the leaf shape changes or if the color fades. A lot of aquatic plants are grown in different environments that what is present in our aquariums and plants usually have an adjustment period where they can look a bit awkward.

llj

lljdma06 said:

To add to George's comments, to create an even more stable CO2 value, I'd use two canisters hooked to one bubble ladder. Instead of 1/2 a tsp for one canister, I'd use a rounded 1/4 tsp for each of the two canisters. That has given me a pretty stable level for smaller tanks in the past. I'd the change each canister once a week, but on different days. That lighting option is much, much better.

You also may want to consider changing the tank more than once a week. My nanos are changed 2x a week. It depends on your system, however.

Good luck with your new lighting. Once it becomes established, you'll really have a stunning tank. Another piece of plant advice, if I may. R. macrandra has very fragile stems, avoid fiddling with it too much. It doesn't like being moved much. Also, don't freak if the leaf shape changes or if the color fades. A lot of aquatic plants are grown in different environments that what is present in our aquariums and plants usually have an adjustment period where they can look a bit awkward.

llj

Click to expand...

thanks for all the advise... i'm going to need all the help i can get.....

sorry I don't quite understand... "You also may want to consider changing the tank more than once a week. My nanos are changed 2x a week. It depends on your system, however.".... do you mean changing water? tank?

any help on the liquid ferts question??? anyone.. thanks

nightlite said:

sorry I don't quite understand... "You also may want to consider changing the tank more than once a week. My nanos are changed 2x a week. It depends on your system, however.".... do you mean changing water? tank?

any help on the liquid ferts question??? anyone.. thanks

Click to expand...

Sorry, I meant change the tank water, about 30-50%, 2x a week. It's a smaller system, and I have found that it helps quite a bit. It gives you a lot more room for error if you know you can simply change the water and reset any fertiliser mistakes you've made in a few days.

I've never heard of the fertiliser brands that came with your tank. I have used the Seachem line of fertilsers and have been satisfied with them. I do, however, have many full bottles lying about since I've pretty much stopped dosing ferts since October. My tanks don't really need them. I have pretty high fish loads and my setups are low-light. I have personally found it tricky to dose ferts on a smaller tank, but there are others here who are great at it. I just don't have the time like I did a year ago.

When plants are grown in nurseries, they are given a lot of CO2 and nutrients to absorb. When they arrive at LFS, they already have a nutrient reserve that tends to be consumed first when you plant them in a home aquarium. Once the reserve is depleted, the plants will begin to show signs of deficiencies. That is probably what the shop keeping meant when he said that the plants have to stabilize before adding fertiliser, though I'm not completely sure as I have never heard that before.

What kind of bioload do you plan? As George mentioned in a previous post, if you're bioload is low, they you should consider EI, otherwise, you may only need a good all-purpose fertiliser that has trace elements. A densly planted 8g holds more fish than many think. I don't consider my 8g overstocked and that has 5 dwarf platies with their fry. I plan on adding more fish eventually. I actually think you can add some fish now, if you wish.

llj

Bioload.... i've got 9 cardinal tetras and 3 otos in there at the moment... is that enough?