# Planted 7 gallon nano tank. Advice welcome.



## jiawei357 (May 5, 2016)

This is my first planted tank. Did bunch of research online and figured maybe give it a shot.

I've been thinking where to put my drop checker and diffuser, hard to hide it yet able to check the parameter. Thanks in advance for any advice on arrangement.

Light:
Wave-point 8 watt. (medium light maybe?)

CO2:
Macro Aqua CO2 system

Filter:
Marina slim10 (this doesn't really have big space for biomedia, going to DIY a filter soon)

Tank:
7 gallon rimless low iron

Hard Scape:
Seiryu Stone, Driftwood.

Live Stock:
8 RCS
3 Small Serpae Tetra

After all I wanted to point out things here in US like Tank, Seiryu Stone, filter (stuff that has almost no technology included) is crazy expensive. I can pay almost 1/5 the price to get the same thing in China(even better quality! e.g. High clarity tank). 

Things like High clarity tank is considered main stream now in China. Quality is very high(both in small nano tank manufacturing and in big 200+ cm huge tank manufacturing). I don't have an ADA tank so I couldn't say which is better. But from what I have (an aqua maxx 7 gallon cube low iron), there's no difference in quality. Price? one fifth!


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

Welcomen to the hobby! Those are fine placements for the drop checker and diffuser. The serpaes may not be a good fit for this tank they grow too big for a tank this small and require largish groups. I would recommend the micro rasboras or something like celestial pearl danios instead.


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## jiawei357 (May 5, 2016)

Opare said:


> Welcomen to the hobby! Those are fine placements for the drop checker and diffuser. The serpaes may not be a good fit for this tank they grow too big for a tank this small and require largish groups. I would recommend the micro rasboras or something like celestial pearl danios instead.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




Yeah, That's what I thought too. Planning on moving them to the 40 long after they get bigger.
My thought was bring in white cloud minnow or rasbora, or just make it a shrimp tank. White cloud is really beauty IMO. I would definitely look into danios too. Saw them couple of times at LFS, they seems to be schooling a lot.


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## jiawei357 (May 5, 2016)

Update of the tank!
Right now the tank has been setup for about two weeks. I changed the marina slim s10 filter with DIY filter made by a 2 gallon box filled with lots of lava rock and filter pad(considering the actual water the tank is holding is only 5 gallon so 2 gallon for a filter is quite big). The lava rock is from my old tank so good good good.
Pic 1 is my tank from another angle.
Pic 2. Now that my tank is been on for a while. Parameter's good, and has already built up some algae, so I decided to introduce 3 otocinclus. I am surprised that they clean my tank very well. Also two amano shrimp was moved from one of my sump into the tank.
So now the livestock:
9 RCS
3 oto
2 amano shrimp
3 serpae tetra(will be moved out soon)

Pic 3. DHG and S. repens are rooting well.
Pic 4&5. I am still a newbie at classify algae. But I saw RCS grazing on this algae from time to time so I think it will not grow out of control too soon(and there's 2 amano). 

Advice are welcomed!

Bump: A question about otocinclus.
After I acclimate them into the tank. At first they appeared to be very docile(barely moved or whatnot). After a couple of hours they appeared to be actively swimming, eating algae off the glass(the most difference is they swim more). I mean in a good way(I've seen stressed fish moving, these oto's not I guess). 
Does it mean they like the tank?


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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

Looking good!



jiawei357 said:


> After all I wanted to point out things here in US like Tank, Seiryu Stone, filter (stuff that has almost no technology included) is crazy expensive. I can pay almost 1/5 the price to get the same thing in China(even better quality! e.g. High clarity tank).
> 
> Things like High clarity tank is considered main stream now in China. Quality is very high(both in small nano tank manufacturing and in big 200+ cm huge tank manufacturing). I don't have an ADA tank so I couldn't say which is better. But from what I have (an aqua maxx 7 gallon cube low iron), there's no difference in quality. Price? one fifth!


Yeah, US is behind on stuff like this. I think this hobby is not as popular than in Asia. Slowly catching up though! What other plants do you have in here?


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

The otos will love that brown algae which are diatoms. Otos are notoriously fragile cus of how they are caught for the hobby I would just watch them cus one may die and it may not be your fault at all, they could of just been on the way already. But seems pretty normal behaviour from them.


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## jiawei357 (May 5, 2016)

bereninga said:


> Looking good!
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, US is behind on stuff like this. I think this hobby is not as popular than in Asia. Slowly catching up though! What other plants do you have in here?


For the foreground I used DHG, in middle ground a little bit hydrocotyle triparitita "JAPAN" and S. repens.
Background on the left is Hygrophila Pinnatifida. On the right is HYGROPHILA CORYMBOSA ANGUSTIFOLIA.

Bump:


Opare said:


> The otos will love that brown algae which are diatoms. Otos are notoriously fragile cus of how they are caught for the hobby I would just watch them cus one may die and it may not be your fault at all, they could of just been on the way already. But seems pretty normal behaviour from them.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks for the info! Yeah that's one concern. I asked people at the store when did the shipment of otos came in. They said about one week ago. So I thought I could give it a try.
I am really amazed. They clean the glass so well. Later I will probably put some zucchini in there from time to time to prevent starvation


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## jiawei357 (May 5, 2016)

So I was away for the last 15 days on vacation. I let the CO2 run 24/7 and set a timer on the light.
Didn't set any feeder and by the time I come back, the tank was crazy.
"japan" grow everywhere. DHG starting to send out runners, bunch of stem plant grows like crazy. 
I also find some pond snail (too bad). Plus the BGA is gone. 
The picture says it all.

Bump:


jiawei357 said:


> So I was away for the last 15 days on vacation. I let the CO2 run 24/7 and set a timer on the light.
> Didn't set any feeder and by the time I come back, the tank was crazy.
> "japan" grow everywhere. DHG starting to send out runners, bunch of stem plant grows like crazy.
> I also find some pond snail (too bad). Plus the BGA is gone.
> The picture says it all.


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

Nice! The bacteria in the tank have probably matured now somewhat. I would reduce CO2 back to only when the light is on, no reason to have it on all the time. Tanks needs a trim now!


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## Cmeister (Jul 5, 2009)

Whats that substrate?


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## jiawei357 (May 5, 2016)

Cmeister said:


> Whats that substrate?


ST international aquasoil

Bump:


Opare said:


> Nice! The bacteria in the tank have probably matured now somewhat. I would reduce CO2 back to only when the light is on, no reason to have it on all the time. Tanks needs a trim now!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Yeah, Since I'm away I had to leave my CO2 that way cause I don't have a solenoid valve now. Now that I'm back I can let the CO2 run for normal schedule. 
As for the foreground grass, my girlfriend prefers hydrocotyle triparitita "JAPAN" and suggested let it expand (meaning the hairgrass will be taken over). But I prefer DHG. So that's the dilemma. It's such a fast growing plant now I'm worrying it will not only take over DHG but also the S.repens.


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

Just trim trim away! Not sure how to convince the girlfriend though.


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## Cmeister (Jul 5, 2009)

More photos?

Pros and cons with a faster grower, I guess does regular trimming with the hydrocotyle become a chore? If so than maybe that is your answer right there. 

I've tried having duel foreground plants before - but they end up competing with eachother...


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