My Fluval Spec (Lots of pics)
 

Hi all. I'm fairly new to this forum and to planted tanks in general. I picked up a Fluval Spec and decided to run it as a freshwater planted tank. I set it up last night and now it's cycling. Any advice and comments are welcome!

Specs:
Tank: Fluval Spec 2 U.S. Gal.
Light: Stock for now
Heater: Marina C10
Substrate: Seachem Flourite
C02: None
Flora: Dwarf Hairgrass, Needle Leaf Ludwigia
Fauna: None

http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/...c/DSC_0472.jpg
Unboxing

http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/...c/DSC_0013.jpg
Rinsing the Flourite.

http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/...c/DSC_0023.jpg
Flourite meet tank

http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/...c/DSC_0025.jpg
Planted and filling

http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/...DSC_0028-1.jpg
Filled and cycling.

Should I be adding anything to the tank as it cycles to help the plants out? Should I add Excel or API Leaf Zone while it cycles?

Update. So I'm pretty sure I did not plant nearly enough plants. It's cycling but I lost two parts of my Needle Leaf. :/ So now the question is what do I add to the middle of the cycle? I tossed in a Anubias Petite so we will see how it does. Ammonia is 0 but I'm off the charts with Nitrites and Nitrates. So do I go more stems or a bunch of floaters like Frogbit or Anarchis?

Pics:
http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/...c/DSC_0160.jpg

http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/...c/DSC_0150.jpg

http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/...c/DSC_0149.jpg
If you look closely at the right needle leaf you can see some die off at the base of the plant. Top of the plant is still green and growing?

http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/...c/DSC_0147.jpg

You can separate the DHG out if you want it to eventually spread all over.

Throw in some floaters, great at absorbing nitrites and nitrates. Also, if you have any pre-established tanks squeeze some of the filter mulm into this tank. Will speed up the cycling process a ton.

I use Frogbit and hornwort to help start my tanks.

sox

Thanks for the help. Yeah, I got some Frogbit and duckweed so it's gettin tossed in there. Should start multiplying like crazy, since I've got crazy nitrates and nitrites.

great tank i am currently cycling mine should i add excel or anything to help out plants

It does help some. Mainly it's the lighting hat really drives how fast the plants will grow. More light, more uptake of nutrients. I'm going to be upgrading to the Fluval 13 watt powercompact light.

This is very true. If you're running low medium light plants you can suppliment once a week with excel. However, higher light plants with more lighting will need CO2 injection or excel to supply plants with organic carbon. If you're talking about your shrimp tank Deano37 I would get excel in case of algae bloom, but not really use it unless you must.

I have a larger high tech tank with Flourite red and it's a lot of work getting plants to grow properly and I have no luck with plants that are very demanding. I also have a 2.5 gallon nano with Fluval Stratum, no C02, no ferts, and the plants grow slow but nicely and it's all the plants no matter how demanding. I would consider trying a small bag of Stratum or ADA AS before you add any fish or shrimp, it makes a huge difference.

Oh, it bufferes the water nicely too, my pH, kH, & gH are lower than my tap water so it's great for shrimp, there is only one drawback I forgot to mention the Stratum is super light and moves easily, the AS only drawback is the initial ammonia spike but it is heavy like soil and your plants will grow like crazy.

Well my tank is progressing. Here is the newest resident.

http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/...3/a77c2cb9.jpg

So far only added him, new Fluval light (thanks somewhatshocked), and Frogbit as the floating plant. The flow is not overpowering the betta but he will gain some fin strength from swimming in the current.

You are off to a great start! I have a Spec and grow DHG, blyxa and staurogyne repens in there with the stock lighting on for 12 hours a day. I do dose excel daily as well. I have a friend that has hers with DIY CO2 and the stock lighting and it is doing well too.

That's one nice looking betta!

Thanks dino. He's pretty sweet lookin. I know when I saw him I was like "Wow, he looks like a koi but blue.

neat set up! how're the plants? have your water parameters stabilized? any updates?