# my first post....my first planted....my first nano!!



## Inkling (Feb 11, 2011)

Have you checked your ammonia levels recently?


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## singhvikas93 (Jun 26, 2011)

ammonia levels ????...ummmmm im low tech....
and by the way...i hardly add about 10 small granules of urea......
i dont htink that would up the nitrate levels much
of course i would decrease the urea once the fishes are added


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## Inkling (Feb 11, 2011)

Yes. This is the low tech forum. Ammonia will build up during the cycling process in low tech tanks too. It took six weeks for my low tech nana to cycle completely.


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## singhvikas93 (Jun 26, 2011)

thank you.....6 weeks!!!!!! 
never thought a small tank would take that nuch time!!!!
well i added the urea only once
i am doing a fishless cycle
i jsut did an 80% water change again adding someh
urea
any idea for which fish how many and how to clean the tank??
i am very much convinced for two neon tetras.....
but i am thinking how to feed them.....as they occupy mid to lower region of the tank...why iam asking this is because i once had a gold ramerezzi and i had a real tough time feedin it....i had to crush the granules so that it would sink ...i would also hold a frozen worm and put my hand in tbe tank near the fish so it finally come near and eat it!!


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## PaulG (Oct 10, 2010)

Tetras need to be in a group of at least 6. I'd go for shrimp only.


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## bigboij (Jul 24, 2009)

do you have another tank for the swords at a later time?, just staying cause swords get HUGE. even my 20H was way to small for a sword.


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## AoxomoxoA (Apr 22, 2010)

Agreed! 
+ shrimp(s)
-sword(s) (depends on the sword really though...)


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## singhvikas93 (Jun 26, 2011)

PaulG said:


> Tetras need to be in a group of at least 6. I'd go for shrimp only.


yeah i know that but since its a small tank....and my first successful attempt at a planted nano...
im not much enthusiastic for shrimps....also my local lfs doesn't have any
i thought of neon tetras as they don't grow too big and would rather fit in the tank....
i first thought of betta but i don't think the plants would give him much space to wander around



bigboij said:


> do you have another tank for the swords at a later time?, just staying cause swords get HUGE. even my 20H was way to small for a sword.


yep i have a 20G but not planted because there reside 4 huge tinfoil barbs.....which eat vritually every edible thing including my swords and anachris(i had attempted planted there but the barbs ate every plant or atleast reduced them to half)



dirtyhermit said:


> Agreed!
> + shrimp(s)
> -sword(s) (depends on the sword really though...)


-shrimp(s):not my choice and not available in my locality's local fish stores
+sword(s):yeah they can grow big but as i said....its an attempt








why not 2 neon tetras????i think they would do fine...yeah i know the minimum number is 6 but again the tank is just 2.5G
what if i go for only 2 neon tetras?


any other suggestions for small fish?
i am also considering just 1 albino paradise(available readily at the lfs :biggrin
would just 1 albino paradise do fine???
as 2 would fight a lot(i had a pair at my 20g....1 died)
plus 2 albinos wont fit in my 2.5G


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## Quentin (Mar 16, 2011)

Yea I would take some of those Swords out, they will get too big. If you really want fish, just get maybe 2 fish that don't grow much over 1". I had a 2.5g hexagon tank and kept 2 to 3 fish in there for years. 

Oh and please get a more compact/incognito/subtle filter. That thing takes up so much room, lol


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## singhvikas93 (Jun 26, 2011)

Quentin said:


> Yea I would take some of those Swords out, they will get too big. If you really want fish, just get maybe 2 fish that don't grow much over 1". I had a 2.5g hexagon tank and kept 2 to 3 fish in there for years.
> 
> Oh and please get a more compact/incognito/subtle filter. That thing takes up so much room, lol


that is why i am thinking of two neons....i am almost in for two neons....some are saying, as i have read, that for neons 6 or more.....
but i think they'l do just fine if there are only two of them...yes ill miss their shoaling effect 
i want to know if only 1 albino gourami paradise would do fine.....
i would go for neons only if single albino is not favorable for my tank.....
why albino? if no then neon?
simply because i have some experience caring for an albino paradise


and about the filter...that is definitely my future option....because the lfss in my locality all have submersible filters and no HOBs :-(
if considering the size occupied by the filter,no point in removing the big sponge filter and adding the equally big submersible filter


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## Plant keeper (Jan 27, 2011)

singhvikas93 said:


> that is why i am thinking of two neons....i am almost in for two neons....some are saying, as i have read, that for neons 6 or more.....
> but i think they'l do just fine if there are only two of them...yes ill miss their shoaling effect
> i want to know if only 1 albino gourami paradise would do fine.....
> i would go for neons only if single albino is not favorable for my tank.....
> ...


no 2 neon will not work u could do 2 _Badis badis or a _Sparkling Gourami....


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## singhvikas93 (Jun 26, 2011)

Plant keeper said:


> no 2 neon will not work u could do 2 _Badis badis or a _Sparkling Gourami....


why not????
dumb to ask but....
what about 3?


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## Plant keeper (Jan 27, 2011)

singhvikas93 said:


> why not????
> dumb to ask but....
> what about 3?


No neon's they won't be happy in a group of 3.. they need to be in a group of 6...


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## singhvikas93 (Jun 26, 2011)

Plant keeper said:


> No neon's they won't be happy in a group of 3.. they need to be in a group of 6...


badis: also need to be kept in a group of 6 or more....

yes they won't be happy because they wont shoal if there are only 2...
...what i am asking is....won't they survive??
ok they might not thrive and won't show their glory and such.......
won't they live???


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## Plant keeper (Jan 27, 2011)

singhvikas93 said:


> badis: also need to be kept in a group of 6 or more....
> 
> yes they won't be happy because they wont shoal if there are only 2...
> ...what i am asking is....won't they survive??
> ...


yes but they might not get as bright as they would in a shoal of 6....


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## bryony (Jul 3, 2007)

They'll live, but they'll be stressed in fewer numbers. Which also means they'll spend more time hiding, have less bright colors, and get sick much more easily. Guessing by your handle you're probably a student. It's the equivalent of living in exam week. One mild bug goes around and everybody gets sick.

I've bred dario (badis) as a pair in a 2.5 gallon before. Personally, I'd go for the betta. Just keep up with water changes, the betta would produce some a decent amount of nitrate. With slower moving fish like that, they're really more concerned with having places to hide than tons of open swimming water. 

In my low tech, I don't even use a filter, just an air stone for circulation.


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## singhvikas93 (Jun 26, 2011)

bryony said:


> They'll live, but they'll be stressed in fewer numbers. Which also means they'll spend more time hiding, have less bright colors, and get sick much more easily. Guessing by your handle you're probably a student. It's the equivalent of living in exam week. One mild bug goes around and everybody gets sick.
> 
> I've bred dario (badis) as a pair in a 2.5 gallon before. Personally, I'd go for the betta. Just keep up with water changes, the betta would produce some a decent amount of nitrate. With slower moving fish like that, they're really more concerned with having places to hide than tons of open swimming water.
> 
> In my low tech, I don't even use a filter, just an air stone for circulation.


so betta it is now for me,...... i'll buy a betta in a couple of hours
one thing that concerns me....won't my betta jump?


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## al28894 (Apr 15, 2011)

I have a 7 gal open cube tank, and my betta never jumped, although that may have to do with the big light fixture affixed to the tank rim. I heard that veil-tail bettas don't (or rarely) jump, so you could go with that.


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## Alaizabelle (Apr 7, 2011)

A betta will love the sword plant leaves, mine would always lay on them 

But, yes, you'll have to keep on those sword plants because they will get big! I've kept one in a 5.5 gallon tank for a few months, but I trim the leaves and roots to keep it small (like a bonsai tree)


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## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

Neons will not be happy and may not even survive. 
You could do an opposite-sex pair of African Dwarf Frogs.


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## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

*The Frog Farm*


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## alex009 (May 21, 2011)

You can get a female/ plakat betta. They dont have the extravagant finnage and they wouldn't look so cramped in a heavily planted tank. Maybe a pair of guppies. But I dont think 2 neons would work out. They like being part of a larger school, and also having alot of space to swim in.


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## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

A pair of guppies would also be nice.


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## singhvikas93 (Jun 26, 2011)

thank you all.........i have decided for a a betta and i got a blue veil tail betta(has some nice shades of red!!)
but now another problem....
i noticed a whitish filming on some of the sword leaves and stems...i tcomes of easily....as far as i read...i assume it is that cyano bacteria bloom or something like that...am i right? so i did a 50%water change after scrubbing the leaves with 
my fingers as far as i could...
will my betta be harmed by it?


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## spyderuk (Feb 22, 2011)

Could be diatoms. 

Endlers, CPD's WCCM's or some of the dwarf rasboras would be a good choice.


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## Aphyosemion (Oct 15, 2004)

I have a couple of suggestions for you. 
First of all, look around the site to get ideas of what other people are doing with their tanks. Even small tanks can look really amazing if you have the creativity to make it happen. If not, then you can always just find one you like and copy it.
Second, that substrate isn't very good for a planted tank. Sure, you could try to load it up with root tabs and such, but it makes more sense to just start off with a planted tank substrate such as Eco-Complete or Flourite.
Third, as some others have said, those plants that you have in there now are WAY too large for such a small tank. You will want to pick up some fine leaf plants that are more appropriate.
Third, I see no reason why you couldn't put in 6 neons in that tank. I have a 2.5 gallon tank and I could get 4-6 in there easily, HOWEVER, I would not add them until your plants are going quite well AND I would be religious about changing a portion of your water every couple of days to keep the waste down. I personally typically only keep shrimp in my nanos to keep the waste from building up, since shrimp produce a lot less waste than fish. I have, however, kept 2 amano shrimp and 3 neons in a 1 gallon tank and it worked out great. I changed some of the water every day though to be safe. Since you are new to this, it may be safer to go with some of the other small fish that have been suggested.
I hope this helps. Poke around the swap and shop and see if you can find some plants like baby's tears, HC, dwarf hairgrass, or other nano-appropriate plants. Sometimes people will give them away if you are lucky.


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## singhvikas93 (Jun 26, 2011)

Aphyosemion said:


> I have a couple of suggestions for you.
> First of all, look around the site to get ideas of what other people are doing with their tanks. Even small tanks can look really amazing if you have the creativity to make it happen. If not, then you can always just find one you like and copy it.
> Second, that substrate isn't very good for a planted tank. Sure, you could try to load it up with root tabs and such, but it makes more sense to just start off with a planted tank substrate such as Eco-Complete or Flourite.
> Third, as some others have said, those plants that you have in there now are WAY too large for such a small tank. You will want to pick up some fine leaf plants that are more appropriate.
> ...


1.no other substrate option for now(already setup...and for now none other available at the lfs)
2.already got a betta and put it in(i went for betta because i was suggested by many........i asked only for 2 neons but many said only 1 betta so....)
3.cycling done for about 3 weeks
4.plants:no other was available at that time
so finally...what about the white film on plants......i did a 50% water change.......the whitish film is very less now....will it harm my betta?

also........i noticed......the betta swims around nicely....searching for food.....but after sometimes...rests on the gravel...its been ,more than an hour now...and still resting....(no heavy breathing)
also how do i feed him????
he doesn't eat the frozen blood worms....does not eat the taiyo food pellets for tropical fish.....
if i crush them though.....he does take a gulp from the crushed pellets...an after chewing for about a second....spits it out(i guess he cant chew it as it may be too hard for his little mouth???.....the gulping and spitting was done in the same way by my previous albino paradise....but later it started eating......also he was twice the size of my current betta...so had more muscle power to chew it)


what to do?


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## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

He probably just needs time to settle before he eats, one of mine took over a week before he touched his frozen bloodworms. Not to mention they're usually used to the crappy food they eat at the pet store. They chew stuff up and spit it out, doesn't mean they aren't eating it, they're just doing so bit by bit. The pellets are a poor choice in food and can cause problems though, so I would stick to the frozen.


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## singhvikas93 (Jun 26, 2011)

Splendid Splendens said:


> He probably just needs time to settle before he eats, one of mine took over a week before he touched his frozen bloodworms. Not to mention they're usually used to the crappy food they eat at the pet store. They chew stuff up and spit it out, doesn't mean they aren't eating it, they're just doing so bit by bit. The pellets are a poor choice in food and can cause problems though, so I would stick to the frozen.


a week???then what did your betta eat for one week?????


and what about the white filming on the leaves...are they harmful to mybetta??
and iam very sure thosearent diatoms....because i know how they are and how they start..i say this because i.had a severe diatom problem in my 20g
.....any ideas???


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## Katie92 (Jun 29, 2011)

A picture of the "white film" would be nice.

I'm glad you went with a single betta rather than two measly neons. Yes, they will survive - but it's the welfare of the animals most fish enthusiasts are concerned with, and putting two neons in a 2.5 gallon tank is kind of cruel. They would probably survive, but they wouldn't really /live/.

Tanks have all kinds of gunk in them; if your betta isn't showing any huge signs of stress then I wouldn't worry about it. I've got silk plants in with my betta, and they developed a few whitish, filmy, stringy things after being planted. You probably just stirred some stuff up and it hasn't settled.


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## singhvikas93 (Jun 26, 2011)

Katie92 said:


> A picture of the "white film" would be nice.
> 
> I'm glad you went with a single betta rather than two measly neons. Yes, they will survive - but it's the welfare of the animals most fish enthusiasts are concerned with, and putting two neons in a 2.5 gallon tank is kind of cruel. They would probably survive, but they wouldn't really /live/.
> 
> Tanks have all kinds of gunk in them; if your betta isn't showing any huge signs of stress then I wouldn't worry about it. I've got silk plants in with my betta, and they developed a few whitish, filmy, stringy things after being planted. You probably just stirred some stuff up and it hasn't settled.


a picture not possible now.....because i scrubbed the majority of it.....
imagine it like diatoms only white in color



also, my betta stays alot near the gravel........he however does just lie there....he swims very slowly but always near the grave...uslually behind plants....more like hiding behind them........it helps a bit if i switch off the lights.......
there is no heavy breathing...
however he does come up readily when i try to feed him....he comes up....looks at the crushed pellets....frozen worms...and then just steers away without eating anything

what is wrong with him?


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## Aphyosemion (Oct 15, 2004)

Most likely nothing is wrong with your beta. They are just like that. I have kept them before and they tend to be lazy and not swim around that much unless there is something for them to do. I wouldn't worry about it unless he starts showing signs of stress.


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

You really should check your water levels though. Just because its been 3 weeks, you have no idea of the levels and the water could be rather toxic to the betta right now.


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## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

I wouldn't put neons in such a small tank even if they were okay in a small group never see my neons staying in one side of my larger tank, I keep up to 25 neons together and wouldn't recommend any less than 12, 6 pair or 3 males and 9 females, people may not agree but I had kept small groups for a bit and since adding more they are way more active and no longer fear the larger fish in the tank, they also eat a lot more now which is nice, well anyway I would recommend a betta or shrimp, a weird possibility is african dwarf frogs or another aquatic frog, but your best bet for that tank is a group of shrimp or just plants alone, and I wouldn't worry about the sword getting too big if you do a diy planter and restrict the growth of the roots, i'd say 2 swords for the background or middle depending on what you plan on doing I look forward to seeing what you do, also I add fish the first week but I seeded my filters/substrate/and a friend's cycled water and now my own cycled water. nanos are fun


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## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

I see you decided with a betta, awesome I am a betta lover, I have seen that only once and it was a relatively easy fix with one of my bettas, but I had a somewhat expert opinion and he said it was fungal infection, and he was flashing in the sand, pimafix cleared it up right away, is there any pink around the fins or gils? any fraying in the fins? I couldnt be positive without seeing the little guy but as far as i know it can't hurt to dose the right amount just make sure you don't over do it. I hope he is okay, try to feed sparingly, I feed a worm at a time to my bettas pain in the butt if i am in a hurry but it is well worth it, not to mention they grow to know you for the most part


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## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

I have an idea about the film by the way, it all depends on your water conditioner, I have over dosed stress coat in one tank and got the same thing, nothing to worry about I just added a few otos and shrimp and it was gone the next night, i'm not 100% sure it is that but it very well could be and if it is you have nothing to worry about. just kind of ugly


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## singhvikas93 (Jun 26, 2011)

shrimpNewbie said:


> I have an idea about the film by the way, it all depends on your water conditioner, I have over dosed stress coat in one tank and got the same thing, nothing to worry about I just added a few otos and shrimp and it was gone the next night, i'm not 100% sure it is that but it very well could be and if it is you have nothing to worry about. just kind of ugly


the white film is fading now....diatoms are growing now

how do i feed my betta he eats nothing....frozen worms are just too big for his mouth......and he doesn't seem to gulp in crushed pellets...
by the way ......he swims okay and everything.....just figured it out that they rest a lot


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## alex009 (May 21, 2011)

Don't worry about the betta. They can be picky eaters and they can be stubborn to accept new foods. I once had a betta who ate nothing for 2 weeks before he started to finally eat his pellets. They will eat when they get hungry.


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## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

singhvikas93 said:


> a week???then what did your betta eat for one week?????


Nothing. 
Bettas can go pretty long without eating, it's not good for them, but they can.


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