Hi Tech 15L Planted Nano (Started 06Th June 2011)

[nurglespuss]

Hi all, first off to give a big thumbs up to everyone thats either given me good advice, told me me where to source items, how to plant, how the CO2 stuff works! Etc. Etc.

I'm trying my best NOT to get impatient with this tank, and to gradually get everything growing green, with minimal algae etc. etc. without breaking the bank. The tank has been set up now for almost a month.

(06th July) OK first setup (checking basic equipment)
mini external filter, spray bar, 3D black back ground, mini solid heater, digital thermometer (I do prefer these), Pets at Home 15L cube, with lighting that came with the tank.

CO2 setup, solenoid etc. set to come on an hour before lights come on, and an hour before they go off, will be replacing the glass diffuser with inline diffuser to get better dissolved rate and remove clutter from the viewing area.

Initial setup, plants from the green machine exceptional value range:
Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba'
Eleocharis acicularis
Marsilea quadrifolia

bog wood from Maidenhead, planting substrate is florabase complete, currently dosing with macro nutrients once a week with 30% water change.

Rescape of the tank, will be adding java moss on next water change to let the first inhabitants settle:

1 red ramshorn snail (to help with algae) from my temporate tank
2 'algae' shrimps from pets at home (Palaemonetes sp.) - from pets at home so will see how they get on

Once I've got the algae sorted, more plant growth, CO2 diffusion I'm happy with, java moss growing, I'll eventually introduce some cherry shrimp.

Will also 'possibly' be replacing lighting with one of the new arcadia models, because the light the tank game with runs a little too hot for me.

and thats it for now!

(all feedback, ideas etc. etc. are appreciated!)

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Nice little tank there, that CO2 will last you about 10 years in a tank that size, hows the algae coming along now? Any signs of it letting up? How come you didnt dose something like easycarbo or excel?

 

[ian]

It looks OK. The HC could do with a bit of a trim as well. With it growing upwards like it is doing, i would suspect that theres not enough flow around the substrate. The GDA indicates low C02 and other nutrients.

copied from James Planted tank

Easily removed with a magnetic glass scraper or similar. Often reappears very quickly. Allow the algae to run its full cycle by leaving it well alone for 3 weeks. It may become unsightly but just bear with it. Then scrape it all off and do a large water change. Sometimes requires a second treatment to fully clear and leaving it for 4 weeks. Recommended to slightly reduce dosing during treatment.

I have seen people leave GDA and it really does clear itself.

I ran a nano like this last year and the best position i found for my diffuser was directly under the spraybar. Because the diffuser is quite big the bubbles got caught by the spraybar.

 

[nurglespuss]

Thanks for the great advice!!

Well, last night the shrimps uprooted almost all the plants! LOL, I've replanted, but a #29### to get it back settled.

Thanks, I'll move the diffuser

Yes the spray bar being lower is helping with circulation! (But surface agitation is now almost non existant ;P

I will be dosing mith micro nutrients (TPN+) unfortunately the large bottle I ordered never arrived, and the seller is very uncommunicative...

HO Hum! Think I better buy a third Nano to distract me from this one until the algai is sorted ;P