First Journal

[AnimalHouse36]

Hi guys! This will be my first journal, and my first primarily planted aquarium. I'm sure I'll have lots of questions.
The tank is a 4 gallon aqueon evolve.
Substrate it seachum fluorite, and I've been dosing with 1 mL of seachum flourish once a week.

Plants:
Dwarf Hairgrass
Crypt Wendtii
Java Fern

Don't know what I'll be doing for stock, not a betta though. Been looking at the chili rasbora, but I don't know how it would do. Or a CPD, but once again, unsure how it would do.

It's only been set up with plants for about a week and a half, and I keep messing with it. I really want something similar to this
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch34tvxQQr4&feature=related
With just the one back corner with big plants, though I'm sure it won't look anything like that.

I'll try to get pics up later, but they won't be high quality!

 

[Verminator89]

Cracking initial ideas, and at first i was like 'wow - first attempt too!', then i realised its not your tank in the video.

Sounds like a plan, and i like the idea, so can't wait to see pictures. Only thing i will say is Betta's don't usually do well in planted aquaria anyway. Generally because they like little to no flow in a tank as they originate from still waters, and plants prefere higher flow so they can get all the nutrients and CO2 out of the water column to provide energy to grow. So its just as well you said not a Betta. I speak from experience, my male plakat jumped to his death because he was in a planted tank with x14 turnover for its 60L volume.

 

[Teephphah]

I'd love to hear an update on your Evolve 4. I just picked one up a couple of months ago and I'm still fiddling with it. Nothin too crazy, just some java fern, anubias and a nice little crypt so far. Tried some cherry shrimp in there, but . . . um. The filter sort of ate them. I might try to get my hands on an amano shrimp to replace them since they're much bigger, or maybe an otto or two (but I've had bad luck with them too).

Really curious about what you ended up stocking with. Like you, I don't want to go with a betta, but I'm just not sure what else will tolerate such close conditions. I want SOMETHING besides the plants in there, but I don't want to be cruel.

Maybe a dwarf frog?

I just don't know. So, again, I'd love to hear what you settled on, if anything.