# Clare's 4 Gal Nano Tank (Lots of Pics)



## Diegosaenz (Aug 4, 2010)

It looks nice, god I still cant decide between the Finnex 4 gallon and the Cube Garden Mini... argh


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

I love this Finnex 4 gallon. I'm so used to not being able to see the fish as I look around to the side of the fish tank, but this one has bowed corners so I can see the inside all the time. Its really refreshing. You can kind of see the effect in my picture.


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

You should point the spraybar straight up or towards the surface, so the betta doesn't get stressed out by the flow.


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

now i want to set mine up!!!


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

So what do you all recommend? Putting in the DIY CO2 now or after I get my substrate and other plants in the mail? I have 1 red plant (which may be ludwiga, see the pic). I'm trying to keep the fish to plant ratio about equal for now before I get any other plants, so maybe I can wait on the CO2. 
When I put the plant in for the first time yesterday I dosed Excel and Trace ferts. How often should I do Excel? And the trace? It could be a week before I get my substrate and the HC.

Edit: By the way I added two clay pots for now to ease up the flow of the filter on the betta. It sure does have a fast flow! Too bad I can't turn it down. Thanks Vincent!


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

Put in the CO2 after you get your other substrate and plants, that way, you can get the most use out of the CO2, that plant should be fine. If you're doing DIY CO2 you probably don't need to do Excel on such a small tank. What I did was dose trace every other day, but I know some people like following a schedule.


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Ok. I'll keep the Excel for every once in a while and wait until I get the other plants to start the DIY CO2. I'll try for the trace every other day and see what happens. Thanks!


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## dacrax07 (Jan 10, 2009)

Great looking betta! Can't wait to see how this turns out. Try getting some large leafed plants since bettas enjoy resting on them once in a while.


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

I will get some large leafed plants, good idea. 
Also, I tried pointing the spraybars up slightly, and then up all the way. The current is way too strong for the betta either way, even with them pointing up straight into the air. And then I'll get water on the light. 
What do you suggest I do? Maybe I will try adding another piece onto the spraybar. It came with 2 pieces. One short and another short. I only have one on there now, if I use the other one it will decrease the flow slightly from the one, but still not the overall flow. I'm suprised there's not a way to turn down the flow on the canister. If anyone knows a way please let me know!

Edit: I have added the extension of the spraybar. It helps to reduce the flow. I think once I get enough plants in there the fish will be very happy.


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

I just went in the kitchen to get something and saw my fish lounging on the only plant I have looking very funny. I can tell she/he really wants more plants. I have some in the mail coming. Maybe I can get some more at the LFS too...










Before you know it I'll have a tank full of plants and no substrate! :icon_mrgr

Haven't caught her resting in the pots though. I think there's still plenty of current in there.


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Does anyone know how to turn down the flow rate on this canister filter? It came with the Finnex setup. It says it filters 96gph! That's wayy too much! 
What do I do?
Thanks,
Clare


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

What I did with my Zoo Med was point it straight up at the surface, the water wouldn't come out, but the Zoo Med has a slower flow, try pointing it straight up, and if it doesn't splash out, then just keep it, or you can try pointing it backwards at the side.


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## FooDog (Jun 28, 2010)

I pointed my bar towards the glass instead of shooting outwards. Works perfectly. I think its high flow because they were meant for coral tanks.


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## |GTO| (Oct 9, 2006)

Drilling a hole in the end cap of the spraybar and either drilling more holes in the spray bar or enlarging them will also help reduce turbulence without throttling the filters' pump which can create a lot of stress.

I would start with redirecting it and then taking the steps I have described before you try to reduce the output of the filter itself.


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Thanks, I will try all of those. And I just got some HC and roseafolia in the mail today! They are a nice addition to the tank... But with no substrate it still looks kind of silly. I can't wait until my substrate gets here!

Still debating as to what kind of fish I should put in here long term. Dwarf microrasboras seem so tiny. Do they have personality?
Green neon tetras seem like they might be too fragile, since this is a new tank and I'm new to nano tanks and its only my second planted tank at all. 
I will post pictures tomorrow.


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Oh, I'm using Seachem Flourish instead of trace. Is that okay? And also if I want to get RCS someday in the near future is that okay for them too? 
Thanks


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

2 pics from today. 
















I can't wait until my substrate gets here! Should arrive by Wednesday. I also bought a goldfish bowl for the betta to go in while the substrate is acclimating to the tank. Did a 50% water change last night because ammonia was at .25. No Nitrites yet.


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

Is it Flourish Comprehensive? Because that is the same as trace.


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

It is! I wasn't sure, I just wanted to see if it was.


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

So anyway, I've begun to like this betta :icon_eek: and I am thinking of trying more plants first to alter the rate of flow in the tank. I added 2 small vals (yes I know they get long), baby tears, and I have red root floaters and UG coming in the mail. And I know some of these won't alter the flow much, but I'm going to go with it and see what happens little by little. 
I'm still waiting on my substrate and it should be here by tomorrow!!!

Here is a pic of the tank today: 









I just checked the pH and its about 8! :eek5: So I just put in the DIY CO2. However it says it takes 2-10 hours to start working on the instructions. It's there in the back and you can hardly see it. I may look into a nano co2 setup though instead of DIY. 
The plants seem to be doing pretty well. I'm dosing excel every other day and flourish trace every other day. The HC isn't doing so great anymore though so that's partly why I'm setting up the CO2.


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## Diegosaenz (Aug 4, 2010)

update!


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Thanks. 
So I took a pic yesterday morning: 








And everything seemed to be doing ok. 
I had just gotten a bucket from Home Depot and before that I didn't do any water changes because I didn't want to put water straight from the tap in with chlorine. So anyway, the ammonia was extremely high. I got it down to 1.5 by today. And I've had the light on 8-12 hours per day (I need a timer!), I'm growing algae (which doesn't bother me), 
and some of my plants are dying. I let the HC sit in the water for too long with no substrate so I'll have to buy more probably, and the UG is dead on one side, partly probably because I picked that part up to see if I could move it (stupid idea... that's why you plant plants, and not uproot them every day, I learned the hard way). 

The CO2 is working pretty well, but nothing's pearling. I'm thinking of the GLA nano CO2 kit. Also the vals aren't looking too good, but I was using excel and I just stopped. No more excel so the vals grow nicely. I really hope the ammonia goes down soon! 3x water changes every day!

Edit: And the betta is in a goldfish bowl.


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

That's a nice little tank! Aqua soil will leach ammonia for a few weeks in my experience.
Don't worry if the UG looks like it's dying, it's most likely transitioning into the immersed form. 
Lt it run it's course, the roots are plentiful so they should bounce back soon.


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Ah that makes me feel a whole lot better. I was just going to let it do it's thing anyway, because everything I'm doing is new and no matter what I'm learning. By the time it's ready for shrimp there will be an algae feast in there!


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

lookin good.


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## Diegosaenz (Aug 4, 2010)

Looking good! I wouldn't go with those small co2 systems, they are way more expensive in the long run, I got my Co2 system with an Azoo Regulator and a 5lb tank filled for 155 bucks, maybe is not so cheap right now, but im sure I wont have to re-fill it it another 5 months so its worth it, just keep looking at craigslist, I found a guy that was selling a 10lb and a dual stage plus accessories for 230. For the cylinders talk to your local welding stores and fire equipment, that's where I got mine. Good luck!


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Well I decided against a small CO2 system. I am planning on now buying the parts separately for a bigger one, after reading DarkBlade's tutorial. 

It has been a week since I added the aquasoil and the UG, and things are starting to look better. I just started with fertilizers a few days ago so things are only starting to look better. It's a huge difference with the fertilizers. I am now using seachem flourish nitrogen, iron, potassium, trace, and (temporarily) fleet (*) phosphorus. And I got my camera working! Although for the FTS my webcam did a better job. 









This is the UG. It was yellowing, yellowing, yellowing. When I added the fertilizers it really started growing taller, but it was still yellow, and then I got the phosphorus and now it's actually very light green. But still not looking so good. It is growing taller by the hour (just got the phosphorus last night  ) and not greener. But I guess we'll see what happens. I really like it. Even if it's half decomposed. 
Still using the DIY CO2, plants that I trim pearl where I cut them but that's all. There is a tinnnny bit of HC on the bottom left. I hope it starts growing. Some of it looks dead, but a few pieces look healthy. 









Let me know what you think.


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

You should try planting the UG more individually so the roots get established. It looks like you just laid the mat on top of the substrate


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## -kenny- (Mar 25, 2009)

I've read that you should lower your photo-period for new UG to establish roots.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

UG is really sensitive as well. If you are planting it in brand new aquasoil that is still leaching some ammonia that can affect the plant. I have also read some where that cleaning the filter to maintain adequate flow rate is essential for UG to get all the necessary nutrients from water column. Since your's is a new setup, I doubt that is the problem but FYI.


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## Diegosaenz (Aug 4, 2010)

its coming up pretty good Clare!


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Mott - ahem, yes I did. I was so afraid I'd kill the whole thing if I picked it apart. I figured it would grow if I just put it on top. Had no idea. Maybe it's too late now? What should I do? There was aquasoil stuck to the roots when I got it and I use aquasoil also. I don't know anything about UG so if it needs to be picked apart... maybe I should try. But it looks like it could start growing. It's getting slightly greener, and longer.


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

malaybiswas said:


> UG is really sensitive as well. If you are planting it in brand new aquasoil that is still leaching some ammonia that can affect the plant. I have also read some where that cleaning the filter to maintain adequate flow rate is essential for UG to get all the necessary nutrients from water column. Since your's is a new setup, I doubt that is the problem but FYI.


And yes, I was wondering about that! There was pretty high ammonia in there for a while, but I did not read anywhere that ammonia can hurt plants. Its down to practically 0 now. I'll adjust the flow so it's going around the tank to the most possible extent now.


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

Go ahead rip It apart and
Replant as individual as you can handle.
Don't worry if it dies, it probably won't but if it does I'll send you more free of charge


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Ok!
So I took your advice and replanted the entire thing. 








And I think it looks great. I love this plant. It really needs some tlc but I have the diy co2 and high light and high current, and the aquasoil is settling down. I think I just have to wait now. All the dead pieces floated around the tank and got caught on all the not dead pieces. So it looks a little bit like a whost aquarium, but there were still plenty of live roots to put in. What do you guys think? 
Plus I got rid of the HM and thinned out the other stems. I like it better now, at least I will if it fills in. 
















And yes I will clean the glass again and the filter sponge at the next water change.


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## beedee (Jul 1, 2010)

that looks so much better!!! nice job! i bet the UG will fill in nicely too. you'll start to notice freshie little sproutlings in a week or two i bet. i did the same thing with some hairgrass.

btw, i put in a couple nodes of blyxa into my nano, and the one i put in last week melted. im using amazonia 'powder', so im wondering if the ammonia issue that someone previously mentioned is/was the culprit.


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Thanks.  Does anybody use Excel with UG? Does it work well?


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

The UG is still alive today. Looks maybe even a little greener. But my question is about my diy CO2. It is that plastic nutrafin ladder system where the bubble spends a lot of time in the water winding up a plastic maze before getting to the top of the tank. Well now my bubbles are coming out from the hose on the bottom rather large, and are getting pretty small by the time they reach the top of the aquarium. What is going on with that? Is that a good thing? Is more CO2 getting into the water that way? Also there is some white stuff growing on the bottom where the CO2 is coming out of the hose. Know any way to get rid of it?


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

I don't know enough about DIY Co2, never tried it but I believe Excel should be fine with UG.


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## Diegosaenz (Aug 4, 2010)

Do you have the outtake of the filter facing the glass in the back? If I have the outtake facing towards the front all the plants start flying around and its total caos... its a nice filter but maybe too big for this size tank, what do you think? I really want to get lily pipes for my tank but the 17mm size is for way bigger tanks and it probably wont fit the 4 gallon finnex


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## TeamTeal (Mar 31, 2010)

Diegosaenz said:


> Do you have the outtake of the filter facing the glass in the back? If I have the outtake facing towards the front all the plants start flying around and its total caos... its a nice filter but maybe too big for this size tank, what do you think? I really want to get lily pipes for my tank but the 17mm size is for way bigger tanks and it probably wont fit the 4 gallon finnex


you can get nano pipes. that should fit in a finnex 4g


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## -kenny- (Mar 25, 2009)

You can put an airstone or broken chopstick at the end of your co2 hose.


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Heh, Diego, I like your sig. And yes, my flow seems almost too strong. But the plants don't seem to mind. I hope the fish will be ok. The box says 96 gallons per hour! wow. I used both spraybar pieces. That made the flow less strong throughout the bar. But still too strong for a betta. We'll see what happens. Right now I'm hoping the UG will green up. I have my spraybars pointed up slightly and outward.


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## Diegosaenz (Aug 4, 2010)

Thanks Clare 
But will they fit the tubbing? it says 12mmx16mm and the nano pipes say 13mm, will it fit the finnex canister?


TeamTeal said:


> you can get nano pipes. that should fit in a finnex 4g


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

A very good question. I was wondering how a relatively round tube would be classified as 12mmx16mm and cover a perfectly round opening.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

12 mm is the inside diameter and 16 mm is the outside diameter I'm assuming. If they are normal nylon hoses then I'm sure you could run hot water over them before putting them on the pipes. That way the hoses would stretch a bit.


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Oh! That makes sense!


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Ok, so I got some fish and shrimp already. The ammonia has been at 0 since the first week, so I figured I would try a few small ones to get rid of the decaying plants. I got 3 ottos, 2 RCS, and 2 microrasboras. The tank is a lot cleaner of algae and it looks healthier for the plants. 1 RCS has molted and everyone looks happy. The issue now is the UG. 


















As you can see the UG is growing tall. the blades are growing shoots out of them towards the back of the tank away from the current flow. See pic below. Does this mean my current is too high? Will I ever successfully be able to grow UG with this high of a flow? Its slightly greener than last week, and the shrimp have cleaned up all the dead parts off of them. I had to refill the DIY co2 yesterday because the bubbles almost stopped coming out. So its very inconsistent co2 .


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## Diegosaenz (Aug 4, 2010)

wow that was fast! How long did it take you to cycle? I've been doing 70-80% water changes and im not getting any close to 0 Ammonia lol


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

You can always point the spraybar against the back of the tank. UG needs consistent Co2 and high light, it's a demanding plant but it looks like it's throwing out new runners and roots, ie it's growing or at least it looks like it's growing pretty well. Are you still dosing excel? I'm sure it's helping.


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## TLE041 (Jan 16, 2010)

Did your tank really cycle that quickly? The zero ammonia reading you've had in the first week was probably because there were no ammonia sources at all in the new setup to produce it. For now, I'd monitor the ammonia level every day.

In another two weeks or so you should consider increasing the number of microrasboras. They like to be in a sizable school or else they'd hide all day. In my Fluval Edge, I have a school of 15 Boraras merah and they occupy the upper 1/3rd of the tank where they're centerpiece. Because they're TINY and contribute hardly any bioload, you can get away with as many as 10 in that tank.

Also, it looks like you have two female RCS in the tank. If you want to increase their population, you should consider adding a male as well. Too bad you're not local to me or I'd give you RCS by the handful.


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Thanks. Mott - The UG is growing, but the new shoots are coming out of already existing blades of the grass. The current is pushing the blades backwards and I think that's why the new shoots are growing up towards the light on an angle from the current pushed diagonal blades. So I'm wondering, is the current too high for the UG? I hope moving the spraybar helps, but if it doesn't, maybe it won't work for me :/. I'm not using much excel because I'm hoping to get some more shrimp and shrimp babies. I have 6 wpg and I just got a timer, lights on 8.5 hours. 

Diego - It took only about a week and a half to cycle. I had a betta fish in there for at least a week prior to putting the aquasoil in, so that may have started the cycle then. 

And I do have two female RCS. The lfs said one was male, but both are saddled.


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

I just turned the spraybar back towards the back of the tank. It worked way more than I thought. Now almost no flow is happening on the bottom of the tank.  I will check tomorrow to see how it's going, and maybe move it diagonally downward slightly to get a little flow going down there. It needs_ some_ flow!


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

Update?


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Ok: I had to resize all my pics because they were too big. So that's why some look a little funny. 

I bought some camboba because I want to have a nice background plant behind the UG. I pointed the spraybar back and the flow on the tank pretty much stopped. So after I got the camboba I tilted the filter down so now there is minimal flow throughout the whole tank. I cut back most of the camboba that was shadowing the UG. 

The UG doesn't look much different today, but there is a tiny bit growing from just a root next to the front glass which has gotten slightly taller every day over the past few days, so I can tell it is growing new shoots from the roots under the soil. Its color has not kept improving, but the diy CO2 is going nicely today. 

*Oh and I almost forgot! My tank is about 85Degrees F! It is in my kitchen, and I have no air *conditioning in my apartment. I put some small ice cubes in it but it didn't change the temp of the tank more than 2 degrees. The fish are starting to look stressed. I can only find one microrasbora now. Please can anyone suggest a way to keep the tank from getting too hot!?? :/ It has been consistently over 80 since I bought the thermometer when I bought the fish and shrimp. Unless my new thermometer is broken, but I kind of doubt it

This is the red camboba. 









And this is another pic of the red camboba. A LFS worker practically dared me to keep it red, saying it was so hard to do. I'm going to try!!









This is a full tank shot. I have since put one of the green camboba on the red side and one of the red on the green side, and trimmed them both. 









The green camboba was flowering at the LFS! The LFS guy gave it to me and I saw it when I got home. Today the flowers are sticking out of the water. Cute!










A pic of the UG today. Not looking very happy, but it could possibly be getting better. Only very s l o w l y.











The LFS had some nice CRS so I decided to buy one to see how they fared in my tank. The guy I asked aparently thought he could choose the worst one with no white and put it in when I wasn't looking. 









I bought another RCS hoping to get 1 male but on bringing it home it appears to be a girl. Can someone verify?









Another picture of the new RCS. That looks like a saddle to me. Maybe.









Any advice please!


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

Yup she looks saddled to me! Try not to shade that UG! If it starts to shade to much pull all the UG from the back and put it up front in the light...or not hehe.
Keep up with that Excel dosing too, the stuff does wonders for me...


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

I've been worried about adding too much excel, because I had vals and shrimp. I threw away the vals and decided just not to overdose on the shrimp, and added more excel yesterday. Kept the lights on all night long instead of the day because it's hot. Today's the first day that the UG looked entirely green in the morning!!! Green! Not at all yellow!!!!
Thanks Mott.


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

How are things going Clare?


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Well I have been checking out the UG every day. The temperatures are back to normal, and at 80 or below. From farther away the tank looks good, and the UG looks green. The ug also seems to be growing somewhat. It is no longer yellow, but in parts barely green. I have been using Excel and I changed the tank a tiny bit so it gets less CO2. The spraybar was pointed at the CO2 diffuser thingie and was causing the bubbles to stay in longer, which made my 1 fish gasp. 

So, the UG in some spots is starting to look old like its almost decomposing. What could this be from? The heat? Did I just kill it? It's not yellowing of age, its green and starting to look a little like decomposing plant leaves that are green. I have been using all the fertilizers, potassium, nitrate, and phosphorous one day and then iron and micros the next. What should I do? I will update with pics later. Some parts of the UG look like they're trying to grow healthy. <- Confused.


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

Clare12345 said:


> Well I have been checking out the UG every day. The temperatures are back to normal, and at 80 or below. From farther away the tank looks good, and the UG looks green. The ug also seems to be growing somewhat. It is no longer yellow, but in parts barely green. I have been using Excel and I changed the tank a tiny bit so it gets less CO2. The spraybar was pointed at the CO2 diffuser thingie and was causing the bubbles to stay in longer, which made my 1 fish gasp.
> 
> So, the UG in some spots is starting to look old like its almost decomposing. What could this be from? The heat? Did I just kill it? It's not yellowing of age, its green and starting to look a little like decomposing plant leaves that are green. I have been using all the fertilizers, potassium, nitrate, and phosphorous one day and then iron and micros the next. What should I do? I will update with pics later. Some parts of the UG look like they're trying to grow healthy. <- Confused.


It still may be transforming, as long as roots are growing you should be in good shape.
The thing is I aint sure! lol I have yet to grow it from emersed to in tank 
I mean it's been in for a while now, it's a slow grower to begin with! 
Just keep up with everything, you are doing a good job!


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Update:
From this:








To this:








It has been about a week since I've done this transformation. It is slightly more grown in now and looks good. What do you all think? I now have the UG growing on the sides of the tank filling in very nicely, and I got some more HC for the front. The stem plants are growing in the back. I somehow have a nice bit of Riccia growing on the filter. I'll see how much it fills in. Plants are doing well with the DIY CO2 and pearl a little bit almost daily. The algae has subsided a lot. 

I got a free snail from the LFS with a plant: What kind is it?








And some not-so-red cherries, because I was going for males... think I have 1 male now to 10 females....








And my LFS had these really cool rocks. What kind are they? Are they tank safe?

Will update with pics very soon if possible. Been very busy with school.


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

Looking good! The UG is holding up well I like what you have done with the tank.

Ps looks like a plain old pond snail


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## monkeyfish (Jul 5, 2010)

Tank looks great, subscribed! I have to ask (since I'm right next door in Jefferson) what LFS do you go to? Micro rasboras, nice plants, and cool stone at one place, I need to go.


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Thanks monkeyfish. I actually go to 2. I've been going to Absolutely Fish in Clifton. They were the ones with the microrasboras, but I bought the last two and they haven't had any since. They said they should get some eventually though. They do have nice plants. Very nice plants. Good quality everything and high prices. The place I got the rocks at is Fishtown USA on rt 17 in Ramsey. They are a little more up north, but they have much better prices and good quality stock. They are really getting a better selection of plants, and beautiful rocks and other things. I advise visiting both places. I've never seen any rocks at Absolutely Fish.
Right now I'm planning on buying some microrasboras online if I can't find any in store. And neither place has red root floaters either, as far as I can tell (which I also am planning).


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

How's this lil tank doin?


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