[partobe]

Hi Everyone!
I've had fish tanks all my life. I've had small freshwater tanks and even a 150 gallon reef tank. Last year I went from the reef tank to a 40 gallon planted tank. That was my first planted tank. I made a few mistakes in the begining but now I have the hang of it. I do have co2 running on it and led lights. Now I'm wanting to try a nano. I want to do it with out co2 tho. I've had all kinds of ideas a out what I want to put in it too many to mention lol. I'm not sure of the size yet I'm thinking somewhere between 20 and 25 gallon depending on price. I plan to take water from the 40 gallon as well as a few lava rocks and sponges from my filter. I'm thinking this way the nano won't have to go through a cycle . I'm hoping you might have some ideas on how to stock it and some common mistakes to avoid. I do know I like a white sand bottom. I'm not a big fan of live baring fish or those dano type fish. I have thought about a few of the pygmy puffers but not sure how they mix with plants or if they wout fight. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Patrick

 

[rnaodm]

Hi Co2 isn't a necessity for alot of plants for so that's a plus.

You could pretty much skip the cycle using existing filtration/Lava rock though you might see a slight rise in ammonia, if you don't overdo the fauna it wont cause any harm.

I'm not really that knowledgeable on puffer fish, For a while I thought they wernt a good idea for planted tanks for multiple reasons, but now it seems most of the info they posted 10ish years ago is completely different from what they're saying now.