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New to the forum and (relatively) new to the hobby. Introduction and a few questions.

751 views 4 replies 2 participants last post by  fishydaze 
#1 ·
Hi all. This is a really great forum you have here and I've been absorbing loads of information of the past few weeks.
I started my first planted tank (with cherry shrimp) last year and now I'm hooked.
Okay, so now I'm ready to dive into the world of nano tanks. I just purchased two Mr. Aqua bowfront tanks. One is 3.5 gallons and the other 7.5 gallons.

Approximately how much light would be necessary for each tank to grow Cryptocoryne parva, Hc, and perhaps dwarf hairgrass or micro sword?

For filtration I have two HOBs. A Red Sea nano filter for the 3.5 and Eheim Liberty 100 for the 7.5. If I do regular water changes (say 2x a week) will this be sufficient?

I plan on dosing with Flourish Excel. Will that be enough to maintain the plants mentioned previously, or will c02 be necessary?

For substrate, I plan on using Eco Complete since I cannot find AquaSoil locally.

Thanks everyone. I appreciate any help/tips.
 
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#3 ·
Hey Ghost
You are pretty open-ended with your question, if you get more specific as you are settin up your tanks, people will probably respond more readily. You have had a planted tank for a year, so we can't tell what you don't know already...All the thoughts I threw in below you can research on this site and elsewhere to get much more expert opinions then mine.

Just to make sure that you have seen them: read the three or so articles (top right of menu bar) regarding tank start-up, lighting decisions, etc.

One thing to think about: hardscape...driftwood? Rocks?

I suggest you check out the low-tech forum particularly, since you are considering liquid fert only. I don't think I have ever seen anyone suggest that hc does well with lowerlight, and most who grow hc well seem to have CO2 setups. The hc addicts...er...fans will probably chime in about that or you can search for info on it...

a tip: if you decide to do liquid ferts, I like US Plastics for small bottles for dosing a few drops daily. I dose with excel, comprehensive, trace, phosphorous, K, N, and a little iron every now and then; also have peat moss in two spots under my gravel. If you don't do all the testing testing testing, regular water changes (daily or larger weekly) are particularly important to ensure that you avoid potentially toxic levels of buildup.

From those who get hyper about light 'theory', there is the understanding that nano tanks' plants can do okay with lesser light... you can find discussion of this on this site and others.

Good luck..don't forget to load up photos.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the input, fishydaze. I'm looking into additional liquid ferts.

I think I've decided from my further research that CO2 injection may be a better option for me. Now for some more specific questions:
Does anyone have recommendations for a brand of Co2 regulator that fits paintball tanks?

My local Home Depot has Hampton Bay 27 watt desk lamp that I see mentioned so often here. Is that too much light for the 3.5 g? It's safe for me to assume that more light means a higher Co2 demand...
 
#5 ·
Marimoball just mentioned in this thread http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/planted-nano-tanks/108064-marimos-ada-mini-s-led.html that with 20 oz CO2 canisters he uses a regulator he bought online, and modified a needle valve...you might read that and see if he has a recommendation.

I also recommend searching the forum for info re lighting for nanos, regulators,etc.

More light means plants can make use of more CO2...but they will be fine with less then max CO2, they will just not grow at their max capacity...however, more light w/o CO2 can lead to (duh, duh, doom) algae.
 
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