# New ADA Nano



## George (Sep 11, 2004)

Welcome to The PTF! :icon_smil 

I've just entered the surprisingly challenging world of the planted nano aquarium and I hope you find the following useful.

With such a small tank it is better, IMO, to use smaller leafed plants. Hemianthus callitrichoides (HC) is one of, if not the smallest out there and carpets very nicely given sufficient light (that you have), CO2 etc.

ADA Aqua Soil is a very good substrate although it does mess with water chemistry (pH, KH, NH3/4) for the initial weeks so stocking animals should be put off for a while (3 weeks or so). 

For filtration I would recommend a HOB as this keeps ugly stuff out of the tank.

CO2 is essential with your lighting. A pressurized system with a glass/ceramic diffuser providing a CO2 mist would be ideal. The diffuser is placed in the filter flow so the CO2 mist gets blasted all around the tank and supplies the plants effectively. The clear glass of the diffuser is in keeping with the minimalist look that you intend as it is discreet.

You may find my journal of interest here - 3 gal. Basic Iwagumi - Page 6 - Aquatic Plant Central- aquascaping...a living art


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## jeffboyarrdee (Aug 25, 2004)

i agree! u can also go with small mini canister filters Rapids Mini Canister Filter  by Tominaga (Oscar Enterprises) -  PETdiscounters.com

i am also starting my ADA cube garden L, approx 8 gallons. if u are going to get the tank with the lights, then i agree with HC, pressurized co2, and maybe an inline heater! im using a hydor inline heater.


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## cam barr (Nov 18, 2006)

Thanks for the reply guys.

Yea I like the ADA Substrate as for a filter i will most likely go with a hang on something small and clean looking i like the Eheim liberty filters or maybe Aquaclear. Do you think i will need a heater with the filter running and the lighting??? if i do use one i would like to keep it in the filter???

was thinking about using the ADA co2 system as well, it is going in my office so to have it needs to look nice. any recommendation on Co2 something that looks small and decent?


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## Solstice (Jan 9, 2006)

I don't know of any heaters that will fit in HOB filters. There's generally no room in them. That said, most plants will do alright in room temperature water, so unless you plan to have fish with higher temp water requirements, you may be fine without a heater.

You may want to search for "paintball" under the equipment section to find other alternatives for CO2 so you can just get a tank refilled locally ($2-$3) instead of buying more ADG cartridges ($11 + shipping).


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## cam barr (Nov 18, 2006)

I believe there is a supplier local i can get the ADA at He is bringing in the soils and other items as well.


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## Yzmxer99 (Aug 7, 2006)

Hello hello, welcome to the world of nanos. I am thinking of upgrading to that tank for christmas. I love that and the light fixture. Just a nice overall look. As for substrate, go with ADA aquasoil. I have had no complaints so far. I don't have a heater in my nano, and my cherries are doing just fine. Come on were in california, when does the weather change? Its november and 80 degrees lol. Even better then my breeding tank (that's haunting me in my dreams!). 

Ps. I got my aqua soil from Aquarium Design Group | flash detection, came with a free cataloge that was awsome!


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## cam barr (Nov 18, 2006)

what should the turn over ratio be for a planted tank 5 times per hour??

my sps tank is at 25 lol


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## Matthew Mahling (Sep 4, 2005)

What kind of stone do you have in mind for your hardscape?


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## cam barr (Nov 18, 2006)

i was thinking something dark not sure yet, the tank will be a high light tank w/ supp co2 so the plants will be bright green i have some great pieces of petrified wood that i think will contrast nicely??? any recommendations?


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## George (Sep 11, 2004)

Turnonver rates aren't that important. 5x is good for bigger tanks but its unrealitic in a nano. Better to go too high, than too low IME. Just keep surface agitation down to minimise CO2 loss. FYI my nano has about 16x per hour.

Petrified wood sounds awesome. We can't get that in the UK. 

Got any pics?


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## Matthew Mahling (Sep 4, 2005)

My personal prefernces are ohko and seriyu stones. I have great pieces that work well for Iwagumi type of setups in Nanos.
I think pertified wood is georgeous but, so much I see is very flat and or blocky. I personally like much more jagged rocks.


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## cam barr (Nov 18, 2006)

in order to minimize the co2 loss i will have to keep the tank topped off . how are you guys combating this in such a small tank??? in my reef systems i use auto top offs but i want this be be as simple as possible. also can you give me a basic maintenance guide sorry im a reef head not a plant guy. Yet !!!

can i perform water changes every 3 weeks or do you guys do it on a weekly basis?

cb


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## Anthony (Jan 11, 2005)

Hey, I believe Tetra makes a HOB filter that has a heater built into it. You should be able to find them at a Petco or Petsmart.


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## cam barr (Nov 18, 2006)

yes you are correct tetra tech is the line of filtration but the smallest size is too big for my tank any other ideas ???


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## George (Sep 11, 2004)

I don't understand what you mean by the tank "topped off". Due to the small volumes CO2 loss isn't really an issue as we can simply add more CO2 and not "waste" that much, relatively speaking of course.

We generally need much higher water changes in a nano, especially with higher lighting, CO2 and nutrient dosing. Personally I do 3x 50% weekly, although I am currently doing 75% _daily_ do combat algae (it is working very well too).

I'm no reef expert but I do know that FW planted and reef are very different. In reefs we are aiming for zero NO3 and PO4 and closing the nitrogen cycle, using LR, skimmers, adsorbing media etc. 

In a planted NO3 and PO4 are required for healthy plant growth. Many add these nutrients on an almost daily basis. I don't need to because my tap is loaded and my regular water changes keep levels _up_.

I'm not aware of the US market for nano filters. Here in the UK we have Aqua Vital and Azoo HOBs that are ideal.


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## Matthew Mahling (Sep 4, 2005)

The smaller a tank the more frequent a water change is need. Weekly at a miminum for sure.
To top off the tank and prevent co2 loss add water to minimize the filter's to water surface agitation and keep thing filed to the top. Water noticebly evaporates from small open top tanks quickly.


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## cam barr (Nov 18, 2006)

top off meaning adding water to the tank to compensate for evaporation.

Wow more work then a reef who would have thought lol

Would you recommend using Ro water v.s. Tap.

so i would need to perform a 50 percent W/C weekly???


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## cam barr (Nov 18, 2006)

what about changing filter pads and media can this be done monthly, sorry i have been out of the fw realm for a while?


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## George (Sep 11, 2004)

Ah, I get it now. Yes, topping off will be necessary but I never have an issue due to my 3x weekly water changes.

50% weekly minimum I would say, I suggest more with your lighting and CO2. More plant growth gives us less room for "error". Water changes compensate for this potential error.

Tap is fine for most situations. Unless it is very hard and you wish to grow very sensitive plants then don't worry. I've grown glosso, HC etc. in KH 7, GH 13+.


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## Yzmxer99 (Aug 7, 2006)

Considering how much water needs to be changed, its really not that much work. I use regular old tap water for mine, that way the some micro ferts are already present in the water. Just add declorinator and macros. To give you an idea of evaporation, my nano (.75g) takes about 1 cup every 2 days from evaportion. 

Gotta say that I've been thinking of putting the ADA mini s on my list for christmas presents to upgrade my nano to. I saw on one of the forum postings that the ADA mini pipes fit the eheim ecco 2232.

As for filtration, once the tank gets up an running, the plants tend to take care of everything. Only minor mechanical and biomechanical filtration is needed. Very few planted tanks run charcoal, so you don't have to worry about changing that. If you want less work, just put some biorings in the filter.

I do 50% bi-weekly water changes because of my extremely small size. This is probly over kill. My 10g shrimp gets 1/3 weekly water change.

P.s. I like to keep mine topped off at the max level, because it looks nicer and hardwater deposits don't appear.


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## cam barr (Nov 18, 2006)

i like the mini pipes and the eheim looks pretty small too. I want to keep this as clean and as streamline as possible. i will have to look into the ecco and mini pipes.


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## Yzmxer99 (Aug 7, 2006)

So I needed to up my filter on the 10g, just can't get it to stabilize with the wussy filter it has on it. Got an eheim ecco 2232 on the way. Big al's free shipping over $50 at $69. I'll let yah know what I think and any measurements you may need.


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