# Need Advice on 2.5 Gallon Nano Planted Tank



## Canadianbettas (Dec 31, 2010)

Hi All so I started this tank 5 months ago.... 

All is going well I just want things to grow faster lol.

I have taiwan moss, and dwarf hairgrass.. the grass is spreading runners but very slowly.... yet not dying 

11w CFL spiral bulb 6500k

Regular black sand...

Daily dose of 0.25 Excel 

Would adding dry fertss help?

How would one dose such a small tank in dry ferts..... ?

Also how many hours should I be having on the lighting? 

Currently iv been doing 8-13.... Is that too much? been changing alot to see what works..

I also have 5 cherries in there if that matters....


Thx 



*****************EDIT*********************

New photos and old photos.









VIDEO : 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhXoVuArpqs


















VIDEO : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iz46VW7mRk&feature=fvwkrel

Newest..so far..










Another new update !!

Update :

Some Growth...
Algae Ugh!
Needs a trim..










Update again!!


----------



## IntrepidAquarist (Jan 26, 2011)

What kind of substrate are you using? And you could just use liquid fertz. 

Do you have any pics of your setup?

I'm doing a 10 hour photoperiod on my setup and it seems to be working wonders.


----------



## Canadianbettas (Dec 31, 2010)

IntrepidAquarist said:


> What kind of substrate are you using? And you could just use liquid fertz.
> 
> Do you have any pics of your setup?
> 
> I'm doing a 10 hour photoperiod on my setup and it seems to be working wonders.



Just a cheap based Tahitian moon sand mix with 25% play sand...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhXoVuArpqs

No pics.. but a vid of it.. week ago... 

I addded more dwarf hair grass casue it was taking so long to grow...


I usually cut it so runners can form...


This was when I first made it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iz46VW7mRk&feature=fvwkrel


Tank is still changing.. I need to get rid of that big thermonitor...

Maybe remove moss wall as its not going so wel... maybe remove driftwood... if i can find another type


----------



## Zareth (Dec 13, 2010)

You might try to find a CFL in the teens or low twentys, depending on the fixture its in and how far from the tank it is, your plants may not be getting enough light.
Light and Co2 are the greatest limiting factors to photosynthesis, which is the number one process a plant needs an abundance of to grow quickly. 
Water is a huge part in photosynthesis, but its safe to say our plants aren't limited by water.
Of course a more powerful light will cause more algae growth without other precautions as well. 
Hairgrass grows slow without co2, and even slower in plain sand substrate. 
You should probably dose dry ferts.
There are some calculators that can tell you how many teaspoons of dry powder to dose depending on the size. 
If you don't have small enough teaspoons to dose appropriately you can always make a solution and dose a portion of the solution. 
Such as - You need to dose .10 teaspoons of kno3 but the smallest measuring spoon you have is 1/4 or .25 teaspoons. Add 1 teaspoon of Kno3 to 100 ml of water - and now 10 ML is the correct dosage for your tank. That is just an example, i am sure those numbers aren't correct for your tank, but you could do something similiar depending on what numbers you need. 
I prefer to make my solutions 1:10 for the sake of math and ease of dosing. Such as if I need .14 teaspoons, add it to 140 ml of water so I can still dose 10 ml of liquid.


----------



## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

Why not co2?


----------



## IntrepidAquarist (Jan 26, 2011)

Using Excel is fine for such a small tank as a source of carbon for the plants. I've seen people grow baby tears without problems and to its full glory merely using Excel in that size of tank.


----------



## Canadianbettas (Dec 31, 2010)

Thanks all for tips and comments..

I will mix my own DRY FERTS and dose along side of EXCEL... 

I will get a higher wattage bulb soon...

I just changed the substrate as u see in new pic

Changed Drift wood.

Moved shrimp out.

1 guppy fry inside for now...

Trying Dwarf baby tears.. EEKS  wish me luck


----------



## Canadianbettas (Dec 31, 2010)

New update!!!


----------



## Canadianbettas (Dec 31, 2010)

Just another update will post a image on the first post in a second...

The hairgrass is growing like weeed I already removed half of it... I'm getting all sorts of algae outbreaks now too after I upgraded to a 23W light and removed my timer D: bad idea i know lol

its not the newest pics.. 
because the new pics .. are horrendous but after I fix it up I will repost NEWER pics

I dose a itsy bit of excel everyday.. i dont really measure.. 
and a weekly drops of flourish!


----------

