Thanks for the feedback. Actually, not as bad as it may look. The tanks have been up and running for about 8 weeks, and it is a shame that I did not take pictures when I first planted the tanks. You really would have had to seen the before and after pictures and the pathetic state of the plants to really appreciate the difference. The many banana plants in the 10 gallon were purchased from Pet Cetra and Wal-Mart and were on the verge of dieing given that they were improperly cared for. Believe it or not, many of the plants that were placed in the 10 gallon were in much worse shape when they were put in there. And to make matters worse, a few snails managed to hitch a ride on a few of the plants and if anything I thought the snails would multiply and make a all you can eat salad buffet out of the plants, especially since many of the plants were unhealthy to begin with. I didn't think that any of the plants would make it. I bought these in an attempt to revive them and given the formation of a thick and long roots and new leaves shooting all over the place daily, I believe that I succeeded in reviving them. My goal with the 10 gallon was to use it as a plant only harvesting tank given the high cost of plants my area. That is why the aquascaping looks so Homer Simpson like:frown:
10 Gallon
2 18 inch fluorecent(undercabinet) fixtures using Phillips Plant and Aquarium fluorescent tubes(they were about $6 each from Home Depot). I removed the canopy and replaced it with a glass cover. I placed the fixtures on the glass canopy to ensure more uniform lighting. Photo period is 12 hours using an electronic timer.
The substrate is fluorite in the 10 Gallon
I am using c02 injection in the 10 Gallon using Nutafin CO2 canister system
The filter is a Aquaclear 20 box filter and the media consists of a thin layer of polyfibre, overlaid with a custom cut sponge. This inturn is overlaid with a bag of ceramic rings. The flow is set to minimum and I have placed another powerhead(set to minimum) for added circulation.
Chemicals used include: Fluorish excel at about a 1/4 cap daily. 1/2 cap with water change and Excel comprehensive at about 1/4 cap twice weekly
50% water change weekly.
On the 2.5 gallon
Lighting: 15 watt GE 6500 K daylight in Canopy supplemented with a 15 watt full spectrum, via a clip on lamp. Photoperiod is 12 hours using an electronic timer.
Substrate is Schultz Aquatic Soil
Filter is Elite Mini(1-3 gallon submersible filter). Media consists of a few Seachem Matrix stones, overlaid with a custom cut sponge.
There is no Co2 injection.
Chemicals used include: Fluorish Excel. I used to use .25 ml. But after 6 weeks the tank began developing thread algae, so I have reduced lighting period to 8 hours and have increase Fluorish Excel to 1 Ml every two days to try and get rid of the algae. I also use Fluorish comprehensive(about .20 ml once a week).
50% water change weekly.
Okay, I am in the process of setting up two tanks. One is a 10 gallon and the other is a 5gallon "Buddha" Hex and pictures will follow once everything is finalized and ready.
Best Regards.
