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let me see some FLUVAL SPEC V'S

441K views 420 replies 209 participants last post by  chkby2 
#1 · (Edited)
i know theres a spec thread, but so many people are buying the spec v. not alot of info out there on lighting upgrades, filter upgrades either so id like to start one. if you care to play please post a picture of your spec v and info on your tank.

fluval spec v all stock shrimp tank

fluval plant stratum

pennywort, java moss, annubias, dwarf sag, dhg, bacopa, hydrocotyle japan, ludwigia repens, marimo ball.

home to 13 baby crs, and an uncountable number of baby rcs. and 1 zebra snail.



updated 11/23/12


 
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#31 ·
Has anyone added a heater and if so, what did you add and where? In where the pump is? I just went to PetSmart on black Friday for dog food - really - but couldn't pass this up for the price.

I'm a little overstocked with hasbrosus in another tank, so will be looking to move a few to this one and add something else like micro rasboras or maybe a couple of sparkling gouramis if I can find them.
 
#33 ·
the pump goes where the filter media is. on one side of the filter compartment is your sponge etc, on the other side you install your pump all the way at the bottom and connect the hose and nozzle to the top. i put a jebo 25w heater in the same compartment as the pump, it fitted well, kept everything hidden. let us know if you need more help.
 
#34 ·
Here's my new fluval Spec V for some cherry shrimp. I'd like for the LED light to be a bit brighter, it's the dimmest tank in the area, but i did try to pick lower light level plants. It was set up on 11/25/2012

Flora:
Anubias lanceolata
Taxiphyllum barbieri
Microsorum pteropus 'Windelov'
Cryptocoryne wendtii

Fauna:
Neocrdinia heteropoda
Neritinia natalensis 'Zebra'
Anentome helena
Otocinclus affinis

 
#46 ·
this is my spec v i picked it up on black friday.
crappy phone pics, might edit later with better pics
Stock everything

Substrate is something sold as a planted tank substrate with bacteria for instant fish adding? Not as good as a properly cycled filter but hey better than nothing in my book.

Fauna is around 25 maculata rasboras(hard to count them)

Flora is DHG in the front. Java fern windelov, java fern narrow leaf, anubias afzelii, and anubias nana
all the java and anubias are tied to red lava rock so i place seriyu stone in front to hide that

will my DHG survive no ferts, excel, co2? i know it will not carpet in the tank without co2 etc.. but will it survive? dont want it melting
 

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#48 ·
I think i'll be upgrading the light to a Finnex 16" Fugeray which will output about 30 PAR at the 12" height (from substrate). I think that, with some root tabs and infrequent ferting will maintain dense growth of the low-to-medium light plants.

I was going to go with the Ray II which is a nice LED assembly but at 50 PAR for the 16-inch and 72 PAR for the 18-inch at 12" height, it will put me squarely in the high-medium to high light range warranting CO2 and the whole deal. (I'm still hoping to get some confirmation from our TPT light experts with this).

I'm thinking crypt parva, wendtii, java ferns and some reds to make the tank pop. Ideally, I want growth to be compact and low (not a fan of tall plants that reach teh surface in short, rectangular tanks).

All of this without having to upgrade to CO2 or a regular ferting regime. I'll let you know how it works out.
 
#50 ·
I'm really interested to hear the result, I'm currently running a Finnex Fugeray 16" + CO2 on my Spec V but due to the layout design there's a shaded area near the back of my tank, so i feel like i could use a little more light for my tank.

I'm thinking of upgrading to Ray II but after reading the PAR data, I'm not sure if I'm ready for a high light setup.

My plan B is to get a 20" Fugeray for better light coverage.
 
#51 ·
I have found out that if you don't cover the hole midway down on the filter wall, you barely get any surface water into the overflow.

I had a film on the surface and watched it - it would go into the filter then then right back out. Once I covered the other hole, the surface skimming was much better.

I realize the hole is there for the avg consumer that buys this tank and is used to a hob filter where the water level is not as important. The hole prevents the pump from running dry but it completely messes up the filter design.
 
#52 ·
How did you plug it? In the normal 2g spec it is the same way. I put mesh in there to stop my shrimplets AND adult shrimp from getting stuck in there.


MABJ's iDevice used for this message :p
 
#54 · (Edited)
I just got a Spec V, and am just starting to set it up. It's not really a planted tank at this point, more of an UN-planted tank, since my fish store has basically no low light plants available right now.
You said the pump goes straight to the bottom? with the suction cups pointed at the floor of the tank. so does the cord go in the outside corner of the tank, or next to the compartment with the sponge? The pictures aren't very helpful with cord placement.

EDIT: Never mind, I got it in. Still seems weird to have the tube going on a slant across the space.
 
#55 ·
I've also noticed the surface skimming isn't very adequate, good idea to plug up the bottom hole or atleast put a piece of sponge in it to reduce flow.

I got impatient with my shrimp hiding in the tank so they went back into their 2 gallon evolve tank and I picked up 1.2 Fundulopanchax garderni at a semi local fish store. Pygmy Corydoras in the future.
 
#57 ·
Someone gave me a bunch of plants to try. Some are really losing lots of leaves and some leaves are turning black from the tip to the stem. They have been in the Spec V for 3-4 weeks.

Can anyone recommend a better lighting system? I dont really want to try CO2 with this Spec V. I would rather wait until I get a 40 long going.

Also, I bought Flourish, and Flourish trace, but do not know how much of each to give how often.

Thanks!
 
#58 ·
Well its tough to say whats going on when you say "bunch of plants" lol. Plants vary and have different requirements.

The right way about this is to select the type of plants you want and buy appropriate lighting. Alternatively, if you can hang lights and have a small enough tank, you can oversize the lights for future hight tech ventures and just raise it so the PAR levels at the substrate put you in low light range.

Having said that, I ordered the 16-inch Fugeray. After much back and forth and many responses from TPT members, I think the 30 PAR at 12" depth it gives is the way to go (as opposed to something like the Ray II which for the 16-inch was 49 PAR at 12") for no CO2 and simple fert regime.

As for the ferts, the bottle tells you how much to place in the tank. For now I'd begin with that. But you should consider reading up on ferts and such. They add nitrates to your tank and generally require waters changes, the size and frequency of which depend on how often and how much your fert.

Its really work reading up on all of this before diving in head first. (Many of us learned the hard way lol)
 
#60 ·
Sorry, I am new to this. I am trying my best to learn.

I have a syringe like thing that came from my vet (never used) that is for up to 1 ml, so easy to get .5 Was not sure if I should use the full amount that the labels say to. Although I am new to planted aquariums, I have been a perennial (outdoor) gardener for 30 years. I know that outside, it's better to under fertilize, as it can build up in the soil. I'm thinking the same idea might apply to aquarium planted tanks?

I have been doing a 50% water change once a week.

I've been trying to read up on this, but there is so much conflicting info, it's hard to know what to do. Do you have a website or article that you would recommend that I go by?

The plants were from a member of a local fish club. He had me bring water to test, and knew the spectrum and strength of my lighting on the Spec V, and tried to give me plants that would work.

It should be noted that my well water is really hard, and PH is 7.6 or 7.8 depending which test I go by. Tank is cycled, and has one betta in it so far.

I will list what I have ID for...
These seem to be doing well - developing roots and growing from the tip...
Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig', Brazilian pennywort, Water Wisteria (Hygrophila difformis), Hornwort, Cryptocoryne wendtii sp 'Green Gecko'., Hygrophila sp 'Bold' (doing really well - no leaf loss and growing roots out of the stem, and still dark bronzy burgundy color), Java Fern, Egeria najas/Narrow Leaf Elodea

These are the ones loosing lots of leaves and don't look to good...
Bacopa australis, Water Sprite, Italian Leopard vals, Hygrophila sp 'Tiger', Nesaea triflora

They person who gave them to me thought the ones that are not doing well could be because of lighting, water parameters, or damage when I am planting them.

There is a photo of the tank earlier in the thread.

Sorry, didn't mean to take the thread on a side track.
 
#61 ·
No reason to apologize! But all of this extra info helps us help you.

The basics of planted tanks is rather simple. You have plants, light (and think about intensity on the substrate level - not just high output bulbs), CO2 and ferts.

Ideally, you want your plant growth to match up with the amount of CO2 and ferts. The closest things to an anchor to all of this are:

1. Plant selection
2. Light selection

Plant selection should drive the amount of light you need and that should help determine how much ferting and CO2 you need.

Planted tanks typically overdose on ferts (in the water column) bc unlike terrestrial plants, changing the water out effectively removes all excess ferts.

So plants melting:

This can happen bc the plants were rehomed from another tank (LFS, or friend's) and water conditions are typically different from tank to tank. This is usually temporary so as long as light, CO2 and fert parameters are relatively equal.

The other reason is bc the plants are starving. This can happen if there is too little light or too much light. Clearly, thats easy to tell at the fringes - when you have way too little light vs. way too much. For those cases in between, you should look at the plants closely. Are the leaves or parts of the leaves closer to the light showing damage first? If so then its likely too much light. If your plants tend to reach for the top of tank (and by that i mean they're stringy and grow more vertically than horizontally) then its likely too little light.

Too much light means that either your plants aren't designed for that light, or that the plants need more food to grow with the light they're "ingesting". Plants need an appropriate amount of light, CO2 and ferts. If light especially is out of whack with the CO2 and ferts, then you can endager your plants health (partly why its the closest thing to an anchor). Too much CO2 wont hurt the plants - but possibly your fish and too many ferts wont hurt the plants but possibly your fish and the chances of getting algae.


The plants you have, as far as I can see, are not that demanding on light. Looking at what you're doing, its likely that the light is the deficiency here and you need to upgrade to something slightly better. It could also be that some of your plants are not either designed for the environment and its also likely that some just won't grow regardless of everything "looking good on paper".

I would start by making sure no plants are being overshadowed. I would also leave the light on longer (but not more than 9 hours a day). See what growth you get and keep your ferts up. If you get algae, then its a sign that you are adding too many ferts + too much light for your plants to consume and you should decrease both.

Play it like that and come back with results and we'll help you fine tune this.

Oh, and although I hope we havent irrevocably damaged this thread, start another thread so we don't completely kill this one (sorry to the rest of you)!
 
#62 ·
hey daylily we are here to help you. i also come from an outdoor garden as well as hydroponics background. im also an experienced aquarium keeper but first time planted tank keeper. ive learned alot from this site. with gardens it is better to under fert then over fert, its true. and ph around 6.5 helps nutrients not get locked out by salt build ups. but in a planted tank, its ok to over dose as long as you do your weekly water change. i find in my spec v with stock light that dosing is not necessary but with certain plants may need certain requirements. try posting some pics others will come in to help.
 
#63 ·
Thanks! There is a lot to learn! I am so thankful to the person who gave me the plants.

I really like having the Spec V.

I love seeing all the photos here, and getting ideas on what others are doing. Right now, mine is not a planned scape. Just trying to see what grows in my water. I will go from there.
 
#69 ·
I made a weak attempt with a Spec 2 about a year ago which suffered from poor placement in my home (not very visible = not enough attention) and a move. The surviving plants and a single RCS and white cloud minnow have been relocated into a Spec V in a much more visible location. I like the size of the V much more than the 2.

The tank is stock except for a 25W heater in with the pump. I found a piece of malysian driftwood that I like that barely fits in the tank.

Currently stocked with some anubias nana, a bit of unknown moss, a little anacharis and hornwort, some java fern rhizome bits that I'm trying to coax back to life, and a couple small moss balls.

5 new RCS have joined the survivor.

Organism Green Aquarium decor Pet supply Aquatic plant


Green Organism Invertebrate Leaf Insect
 
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