# Noob with 7 Gallon Bow Tank Log.



## MyMonkey (Jul 17, 2007)

I have been out of freshwater for years. I last ran a 25 gallon with just about every community fish available at one time or another. That tank lasted me for about 8 years then I donated it to a cousin. I recall using Hornwort and a few other floating plants for nutrient export/reduction of algae at the time. That is the extent of my planted tank experience.

About 8 months ago entered recovery from a serious Reef Tank addiction. Had to quite cold Turkey. (That is until I start my 240 Gallon in wall in a few years) :icon_smil For now, time with the family is a focus. 

I have always loved the look of a planted tank. I am trying my hand at this hobby. My tank will be setup tomorrow at my office. If that goes well, I will add a 29 gallon to my home. I debated the Walstad method seen here: http://thegab.org/Articles/WalstadTank.html I love the idea of a low maintenance tank. However, I do like to tinker a bit and would love to make my home tank a bit more current/Amano like so I will go for it with the 7 gallon as well. 

Here are the anticipated specs thus far: 

Tank: 7 Gallon Bowfront by AGA 
Substrate: Eco Complete
Lighting: 14 Watts NO Florescent (will look for a 6500K bulb)
Hardscape: Driftwood and rocks. Rocks to be added as I find them. 
Plants: Anubias, Java Fern, Crypts, some type of grass hopefully.
CO2: None hopefully. 
Ferts: None hopefully. Flourish if necessary. 
Fish: Options: Male beta with a few Neon Tetras or a guppy family of 5-6. (always like live bearers) or a trio of _Apistogramma gibbiceps_, if I want to go Cichlids. 
Inverts: Shrimp and snails if no cichlids.

I will post pics as the tank progresses. :biggrin: I hope for a quick cycle. I do have a few questions. 

1: What is the best way to cycle the tank. I Plan on adding a bit of shrimp to the tank tomorrow and letting the process run its' course. Plants will help that I assume. Will measure amonia and when that hits 0 with nitrates present, ding fries are done! (let me know if that is not the way to cycle a planted tank)

2: Any other suggestions on any of the information presented herein? I am open to suggestions as well as a critique of any information above. Please chime in if you see me heading down the wrong path.


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

sounds good. that's a good way to cycle the tank, i'm sure that's how you did reefs too. for fish: guppies are cool and all, but very prolific breeders, you'll be overrun in a month. but if you're fine with that, okay.

i wouldn't go with the cichlids, simply because i feel apistos deserve a tank larger than this.so you are going for a low maintenance tank i assume, because it has low light, no co2, no ferts. that's fine, but much like reefing, the bright side will beckon!!!!


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## MyMonkey (Jul 17, 2007)

No Apisto's then. Thanks for the insight. A local breader has them available apparently. Will stick with the Betta then. 

The bright side has beckoned already. :icon_evil I can't help but to want more POWER/LIGHT/whatever!!! In fact, I have already determined a way to double my lighting capacity in the same hood. :thumbsup: WOOHOO! Will include two 15 watt CF Lights of America bulbs if I go down that road. (Love those bulbs for a fuge on a SW tank) I will wait and see though. 

Regarding filtration. The tank came with a Whisper HOB filter. Not the greatest. Is it worth scrapping this for an AC20 or 30? 

Going to add water later today, substrate first. Kinda nervous. :icon_roll


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## SearunSimpson (Jun 5, 2007)

I have a Whispter HOB and it works fine. I have it on a 10 and its been working peachy for the last five months. The only thing with it is that you will need to make sure you change the cartridge ever couple weeks (gets pricey). My solution for this was to put in an AC sponge that fits the size of Whisper. My Whisper 10 has an AC50 sponge in it instead. This is much more economical and makes cleaning way easier, and personaly, i find it to be just as effective. You could add filter floss if you wanted, but I find it clogs too quickly. A 7g is alos perfect to turn into a shrimp-only tank. Get some good RCS and breed them. Dark substrate, a rock and some wood with moss looks hot, and its a good desktop idea. I have a 5.5 this way next to my computer and its always amusing and distracting to see these little buggers flittering around.


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## MyMonkey (Jul 17, 2007)

Thanks for the advice on the AC sponge. The whisper filters are pricey considering how small they are. 

Update: I started the tank today: 7-19-07.

Added the Substrate-Eco Complete. Then filled partially and planted what I think is a Lace Java Fern Microsorum Pteropus. (I realize I planted it wrong and pulled it out of the substrate after the photo. :eek5

Here is what the tank looks like: Rather pitiful.









Sorry for the glare. Can't turn off the lights in my office without shutting down about 5 other offices. 

I started a small cycle with Goldfish flakes. I also have some driftwood to add that is still emiting tannins. Ugh...










I will add a few more plants tomorrow. Anubias and possibly a crypt or something. Along with the wood and stone or two. Thanks for looking. Any suggestions welcome.


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## MyMonkey (Jul 17, 2007)

Well, I added more plants today as well as a bit of shrimp. Although, I made my first mistake. :icon_cry: I must admit I bought a package of assorted plants from Petco. Most of which seem too big for my tank. In fact, I can't even find some of them in the plan profiles pages. Especially the light one with white on the right and in the center background. Dadgum... 

I think the front left one is an Amazon Sword. Too big. I think that the one in the middle is an Anacharis. Good plant I think. :eek5: Full tank shot:









Not sure what a few of these are. I cant seem to figure out the one on the right rear, middle rear and the Fern in the foreground. This one too is different: 









Here they are before I split them up. Feel free to ID some if you recognize them. 









Hopefully some of these can stay put for a bit. Headed to find some ANubias somewhere. Thanks.


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

Yes, indeed, you've made a mistake.
the white one is a ribbon plant, not at all aquatic.
The one in the right corner is the same.

the sword looks like brazillian sword i think it is, not aquatic.

fern in the fore looks like what petco sells as peacock ferns, nto aquatic, but a beutifull terrarium inhabitant.
OR, it's bolbitous sp. in which case, is fine.

the anacharis is an okay plant, but becomes ugly and unruly.


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

hello you might find this link helpful with chosing plants for your tank 
http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php
hope it helps, and good luck
gareth


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## MyMonkey (Jul 17, 2007)

Thanks for the replies. Not aquatic. That's what I thought about several there. 

Plantgeek.net Excellent resource. Now I just need to find the plants they recommend in the low light section. Darnet. 

I will remove the non aquatic plants right away.


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## MyMonkey (Jul 17, 2007)

Update: 7-23-07
Parameters: Amonia: 0, PH: 7.2, Nitrite: 0, Nitrates: 10.:eek5: 

What the? Can these readings be accurate? I just started the cycle last Thursday. Beefed it up on friday the 20th. That's only 4 days? 

I will stil wait a bit before adding fish. Very surprised to see Nitrates present so quickly. Also, are nitrates bad? In SW you want very limited Nitrates. Same here?


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

not quite, you actuallky dose nitrates in high light tanks. they are one of the main fertilizers for plants, along with phosphate.


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## MyMonkey (Jul 17, 2007)

Picked up some Hornwart, Anubias Barteri, Coffee Leaf Anubias, and a small Banana Plant. Will try and shoot some pics tomorrow.


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## Zer (May 23, 2007)

Good plants!

For the anubias plants, you must not bury the rhizome. If you don't know what I mean, its the stubby part that the leaves grow out of. Anubias is usually attached to the lower portion of driftwood rather than the substrate for maximum effect. I am rather new myself so I don't know if this is just an aquascaping convention or there is a biological reason, but it seems pretty universal to do so.


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## MyMonkey (Jul 17, 2007)

No pics yet. Sorry. Forgot to bring the camera to work. :iamwithst 
Update on Parameters:
Amonia: .25
PH: 7.8
Temp: 78.8
Nitrite: .25 :icon_surp Never seen Nitrite so quickly. 
Nitrate: .5

Looks as though the progression is very fast as expected because of the plants. I am also testing a new light today. 20 watts of 6500k in two small PC bulbs rather than the original 14 watts NO florescent. Tank is a bit brighter and there is less blue in the color. I will take pics of it.


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

burying the rhizome of anubias or java fern will quickly rot it away.
hornwart you will be throwing out, it grows fast and unruly, and never grows roots, it's a floater in nature, it loves my pond too.

banana palnts are very difficult to use in an aquascape, and will grow fairly large eventually.


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## MyMonkey (Jul 17, 2007)

Zer said:


> Good plants!
> 
> For the anubias plants, you must not bury the rhizome. If you don't know what I mean, its the stubby part that the leaves grow out of. Anubias is usually attached to the lower portion of driftwood rather than the substrate for maximum effect. I am rather new myself so I don't know if this is just an aquascaping convention or there is a biological reason, but it seems pretty universal to do so.


 
Thanks Zer. One of the Anubias was already attached to some driftwood so that was perfect. The other Anubias will attach to my larger piece of driftwood if it ever releases all of the Tannins in there. 

I do have a question though. As far as trimming or clipping the plants. I think the stem plants like Hornwart and Anacharis are just clip to the height you want. Right? For the anubias I am not sure though? Would like to keep them trimmed small though. :help:


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## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

Anubias doesn't grow fast enough to worry about it like that - you won't find yourself needing to trim it terribly soon.

When you do, you tend to cut it in pieces at the rhizome, not trim leaves. Without high light, you are talking about a plant that adds like a leaf a month kind of thing.


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## MyMonkey (Jul 17, 2007)

Thanks for the info on trimming the Anubias. I am glad they are slow growers. One is rather large already for my tank. 

I picked up a Betta today. Going to add him to the tank this evening or tomorrow during the day. Nice looking guy with blue and red tail. Will post pics when available.


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## MyMonkey (Jul 17, 2007)

Added the Betta and 6 Ghost shrimp to help eat a bit of the algae that was on the anubias. I found a very small snail. Conicle in shape, tiny little guy. MTS? Not certain yet. 

I may have to add some Otto's to my list. Just two I think. Maybe three. Algae is already growing in there.

I hope the Betta does well. Never had one before. He seemed lost in such a big tank coming from that little bowl. I hate that they sit in those little bowls for so long. Fed him a bit and I think he went after some food. Good sign I think. He seemed to play in the current from the filter.
Reminds me of my false percs in my SW tanks. They would play in the stream of my PH's often. Miss those guys. Most of my fish could be hand fed in my 58 gallon reef. 

Will get pics on Monday.


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

bettas can be handfed, takes a little time.

they can also leave apretty hurtfull bite sometimes, but nothing like a panther grouper


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## MyMonkey (Jul 17, 2007)

Panther grouper bit yah? Dang... :bounce: Betta's will hand feed? Very cool. Had no idea.


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

most fish will, but bettas semm to be very fast learners

yea, small panther, only like 6 inches, at the lfs


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## MyMonkey (Jul 17, 2007)

Update 7-30.

Parameters are good and holding: Amonia 0, Nitrite, 0, Nitrate 5. Will measure Phosphate tomorrow as well as KH and Calcium. 

Pics! Full tank shot: 









Shrimp with a belly full of Betta pellet. You can also see the nasty algae I am picking up. 









I need to add a few Otto's to help with the algae bloom. The algae came from the Anubias, it was on them from the store. Rubbed part of it off prior to adding but could not get it all. 

Will be on the look out for some Otto's. Thanks.


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## MyMonkey (Jul 17, 2007)

Well, I am not certain but I think my Betta is acting sickly. He was laying on the bottom when I came in this morning. Breathing rather heavy and fast. He did not move around much today. Fed him but did not see him eat anything either. Water params are good.

Amonia: 0
Nitrate: less than 5 (shows 0)
Nitrite: 0
ph 7.8
temp is 76.8. rather steady. (Should this be raised a bit?)

Worried about the little guy. My first betta.


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## MyMonkey (Jul 17, 2007)

Update time. I lost the Betta about two weeks after adding him to the tank. Found him on the 13th of Aug.

Very upsetting. I have never had a Betta before so I am not sure if he was acting odd from the start. Never saw any ammonia etc. The shrimps did a number on him after the fact apparently. Poor guy. I think there was a fairly large temp swing over one weekend where the temps may have dropped to 76 then rose to 79/80. Fixed that by adding a fan. The tank sits in a window sill and the temps were over one hundred last week and the temp did ok. Holding at around 78. 

My Pond snails are growing very fast as are the ghost shrimp. One is especially large. The plants seem to be doing well. The anacharis is growing like mad. Here is a full tank shot:









Here is a good shot of the coffee leaf Anubias. Love this plant. 









I added 3 Otocinclus this morning. These little guys went right to work on the algae growth I have. 









I just bought new bulbs. Again the 6500K LOA CF bulbs. I also ordered a 3.5 inch fan to attach to the top in order to prevent further temp swings and promote evaporative cooling. This summer is very hot.


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## MyMonkey (Jul 17, 2007)

Update 11-25-07: Well, I had to move the tank from my office so I ended up placing it in my son's room. (He's 4) I will eventually set up a 29 gallon in my new office. :icon_mrgr I let him pick out some fish. He simply wanted blue fish. So, we have added 4 neon tetras and one blue guppy. All seem to be doing well. 

Only problems to report are algae. I have a hair like fuzzy algae on the coffee anubias and still have some green algae on the other anubias in the tank. As seen here: 


















Any idea what I can do to help get rid of this algae? I do not dose anything and feed only lightly. Although, I think someone overfed the tank while tank sitting for me about a month ago. Ugh...

Also, I upgraded my filter to the AquaClear 30. This thing is loud. Not so pleased just yet. Hope it quiets down or it will come out of there. 

Here are a few shots. 









Not sure what to do about the aquascaping. But it certainly needs something. 








Guppy. 

Thanks. Please feel free to chime in with any suggestions.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

The brown algae is Diatoms, this you can wait out and it will disappear or the Oto's will eat it all, also your tank is low tech so every other month for a water change schedule will also help. The green algae you can try to shorten your photo period, I would start with it 2 hour shorter in the morning and see what happens over the next month, as always you can rub the leaves gently and let the filter clear the water.

You need to watch ammonia so if you have any a water change is ok but try to do the least possible and clean your filter media on the opposite months so you always have a good amount of bacteria in the tank, good luck and it looks nice so far.

One more thing, feed just a tiny little bit and skip one day a week the fish will find something. also if you take something blunt like a spoon you can push those roots in slow and easy.


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## BS87 (Apr 9, 2012)

Dude, this thread is from 2007...


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