# H20's First Planted Nano - 15G



## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

*Aquarium Specs*
~ 15 Gallon Glass 2&#146;' x 1'&#146; x 1.5'&#146; (L x W x H)


Hardscape // Substrate
~ 2x Small Malaysian Driftwood
~ Bottom level &#150; Eco-Complete Dark (20lbs)
~ Top level &#150; Flourite Dark (10lbs)


Flora
~ 2x Anubis Nana (driftwood)
~ 3x Java Fern Narrowleaf (driftwood)


Fauna
~ 1x Betta * Male * Halfmoon (unknown age)
~ 2x Snails * Nerite & Mystery


Equipment
~ 1x Aquaclear 30 HOB Filter (foam insert, activated carbon insert, Bio-max insert) (DIY Filter Baffle)
~ 1x Fluval M150 Submersible Heater
~ 1x Marina LCD Thermometer


Lighting // CO2 // Ferts
~ 1x Zoo Med Tropic Sun 5500K F15T8 (15W) Fluorescent Light
~ 1x Zoo Med Flora Sun 5000K F17T8 (17W) Fluorescent Light
~ Seachem Flourish Excel (2 mL)

(Working on pressurized CO2 setup)

(UPDATED) *09/30/11*


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

(The flash was on in all three of those pictures, if it would be better to do so without the flash, please let me know)

Has so far been cycling for almost 2 weeks. Nitrites and nitrates are still relatively high...awaiting the end of this week (Week 2) to gather results again from LFS...


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## DrewWoodside (Apr 1, 2008)

H20 said:


> (The flash was on in all three of those pictures, if it would be better to do so without the flash, please let me know)
> 
> Has so far been cycling for almost 2 weeks. Nitrites and nitrates are still relatively high...awaiting the end of this week (Week 2) to gather results again from LFS...


Looks like you're on your way!


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

DrewWoodside said:


> Looks like you're on your way!


Thanks!  I'm really hoping that the next round (week 2) of water tests show lower levels of nitrite and nitrate (more so nitrite than anything). I'm almost on the brink of donating my Halfmoon Betta (Male) to my LFS until this tank has cycled, I can't stand watching him swim around in his little 1G holding tank. (He's already been in there for 2 weeks) :icon_cry::icon_cry::icon_cry:

Also, the water is a bit murky since I just recently (lastnight) re-scaped the driftwood in order to accommodate the plants better, thus stirring up the Flourite Dark just a tad bit.

Comments welcome and encouraged!


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

*Survey Says..........*

LFS Test Results for Week 2 of cycling:
-Ammonia: 0 ppm
-Nitrite: 0 ppm
-Nitrate: 5-10 ppm

Looks like it took this tank about 2-2 1/2 weeks to fully cycle. :hihi::hihi::hihi:

When I got home, for some odd reason, I could not remember what the LFS told me the pH reading was (I know, I'm dumb). So I went and bought some distilled water (~7 pH) and took out a fresh sample of this tank's water.

Went over to the neighbors and borrowed some test strips (I know they aren't as accurate, but I couldn't keep watching my Siamese fighting fish swim around in a 1G holding tank). In addition to testing these 2 water samples, I also took a water sample of the holding tank as my betta had been swimming around seemingly happily (and I emphasis seemingly) for around 2 weeks while this 15G cycled.

Here are the results:
Distilled Water: ~7.2
1G Holding Tank: ~7.4
15G Cycled Tank: ~7.3

With slight hesitation, but much excitement, I acclimated the betta....

At the time of this post, he will have been inside the 15G cycled tank for around 40 minutes. So far, so good, but time will tell...

And if by tomorrow afternoon time, Derp the Halfmoon Betta is alive and well, I'll post pictures to showcase. Stay tuned!!! :icon_smil


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

If memory serves me correctly: siamese fighters are native to small puddles of water even less than a gallon and that's where they feel most comfortable.


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## piffy (Oct 2, 2010)

No, actually. They can survive in small puddles of water due to seasonal change, it's true...but that doesn't justify smashing them into a half a gallon bowl. Their native habitat features temperatures around 80 degrees, you can't possibly fit a heater in a tiny bowl. Also, filtration is a key issue. 

I'm very against putting bettas in tiny bowls. They get bored in there with nothing to do. My betta loves exploring up and around plants, looking at different things, chasing little organisms.


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

*Current Setup: Post #14*


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

*CO2 is a go!!!*

As of this post, my DIY C02 mixture is producing an average of 1 bps. Each little bubble travels through the intake, and an audible noise can be heard as the bubble hits the impeller and almost 'fizzes'.

I decided to order a drop checker kit lasnight. Hopefully that handy piece of equipment will show up on my doorstep in the next 2 weeks.

Derp seems to be doing just fine, so that's good as well.

Hopefully there will be something worth reporting in the upcoming days! :hihi:


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## dreamt_01 (Apr 5, 2011)

i would transfer that mix to a gallon.. too much pressure in that 1L or 1.5L could potentially cause a disaster.. 

i would suggest checking out the swap and shop and the powersellers thread.. it will help you a lot.. most of the stuff there is cheap or at reasonable price..


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

dreamt_01 said:


> i would transfer that mix to a gallon.. too much pressure in that 1L or 1.5L could potentially cause a disaster..
> 
> i would suggest checking out the swap and shop and the powersellers thread.. it will help you a lot.. most of the stuff there is cheap or at reasonable price..


Thanks for the heads up. :thumbsup:

I got to thinking about it, but it seems as if the mixture has lost a tad bit of it's initial start-up pressure, and now produces at a rate closer to .5 bps (or 1 bubble every ~2 seconds). Suffice to say, I think I'll take the risk this time around, and see how it goes, only due to the decrease in operating pressure.

However, if I notice a sudden increase over the current rate, then I will definitely switch over to a larger container to keep from any potential mishaps.


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

Updated info! Pics and more info coming soon!


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

So today I wandered into one of my LFS with the intention of checking out their livestock, see what cool things they have, just a normal trip (they had an absolutely *BEAUTIFUL*, I mean, I stopped to watch it for 15-20 minutes, Zebra Mantis Shrimp. A very unique color pattern compared to a normal Peacock Mantis Shrimp. Wish I had taken photos...)

Ended up leaving with some neat goodies! :hihi::hihi::hihi:

First off, since I wasn't feeling too good about the current DIY CO2 setup I had been trying, I decided to up the ante just a tad bit and not only make the mixture more intense (I know this means more frequent changes), but also try and employ a small size ceramic/glass diffuser with this setup.

I decided to go with the Mr. Aqua Small diffuser. Unfortunately my dumb ass stepped on the glass J-hook that came with it, so now I just run a fat line of airline tubing up and over the rim of the aquarium. :icon_redf

In order to hopefully pump ample pressure through the ceramic disc, I revamped my DIY system as well as the mix.
I am now running the current setup:
~ 2x 2L Club-soda Bottles (w/ DIY bubble counter)
~ 1x Airwhist Check-valve (bubble counter-->valve-->diffuser)
~ 1x Mr. Aqua Small Glass Diffuser

I am running the current mix:
~ 1/2 tsp Red Star Yeast
~ 1/2 tsp Arm-n'-Hammer Pure Baking Soda
~ 2 cups Sugar I Found In Pantry :tongue:

I will post results as soon as they show.

In addition to this, I decided to up the lighting as well. I was previously running a single 18" F15T8 Zoo Med Tropic Sun, and decided to try and up my watts per gallon from 1wpg to ~2wpg.

What I ended up doing is buying another separate fixture mounted parallel with the existing one, running a 24" F17T8 Zoo Med Flora Sun. The result, if my amateur calculations are correct, is ~2.1wpg, which is around the neighborhood of being a Medium Light setup (what I was aiming for).

Pics in next post! :fish:


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

*Updated pictures 09/19/11*

My assorted ferns...


























Glass diffuser...









My silly little Betta HM...

































Revamped CO2 system...









*(FTS @ Post #1)*


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## dreamt_01 (Apr 5, 2011)

why not invest in a paintball co2 setup? it will help you in the long run and it's cost effective. you'll only spend around $40 and it will last you months. 

and check out swap and shop thread, there are awesome deals..


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

dreamt_01 said:


> why not invest in a paintball co2 setup? it will help you in the long run and it's cost effective. you'll only spend around $40 and it will last you months.
> 
> and check out swap and shop thread, there are awesome deals..


That's my ultimate goal, it's just a matter of money (I basically spent this round of funds on the new lighting/fauna). In fact, I know there is a member that sells complete setups for around $55 I think...? so I'll be going there as soon as money permits.

So that's the route I'll go eventually as far as CO2 injection. Hoping within the next month or so. (Fingers crossed!)


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

*CO2 Leak...*

Damn, I should've seen this coming...

Unlike the previous CO2 setup, the current double 2L CO2 has sprung a leak, and production rate has remained at a steady .5bps...

Now, my first (and rather silly) thought was that this production would inevitably build pressure and force it through the diffuser. Then, I decided to bang my head against a wall when I remembered the simple movement of high/low pressure substances...

What this means, is that the pressure produced from the second inline bottle is split (x and y being variable): x% pressure goes out through the leak, y% pressure goes into the bubble counter, therefore creating the aforementioned illusion of pressure constantly being built up into the bubble counter (x% pressure is, in actuality, escaping through the leak).

In conclusion, it's time to nut up and go for pressurized CO2.

Be on the lookout for another update soon with a paintball CO2 setup!!! :hihi::hihi::hihi:


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

Alright, well, trying to work out some issues I'm having with the pressurized CO2 route...

(dreamt_01, PM responded)

But besides that, I must say...

The flora in the tank have been doing extraordinarily well as of late! (Maybe 10-12 days?)

Nice, lush green colors, broad leaves, and growth towards light instead of drooping...definitely time for an updated FTS soon!


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

Gave the tank glass and Aquaclear 30 a nice clean and another vacuum/30% WC today. Ran my Tetra Whisper 40 w/ polyfiber again for several hours. Water is almost spotless now. I'll repeat this cleaning again in a few days, then post up a new FTS.

Almost worked all out the kinks in my CO2 system. Only leak now is at the gauge/ASA valve threads.

Using a different needle valve too. 

- Downisde, it doesn't turn down to 0psi, runs at what I assume to be ~5psi when ASA valve is fully on (~900psi). 

- Upside, adjusts WAY better than the other one I was using. Much more fine tuning available. No brand on it though, wish I knew what type it was.

I'm absolutely convinced that if I was running a DSR, this needle valve would work just fantastically.

I know it's dangerous running ~1000psi through any needle valve, I just don't have the funds for a regulator right this moment. Hoping to be able to pick one up next week or so.

Till then, fingers crossed...


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

Ran the CO2 overnight. Woke up to pearling plants, and a yellow drop checker.

Here's the catch: I haven't been using any reference solution in the drop checker, just tank water and pH reagent! D'oh!!!

Shut-down the CO2 and disregarding the current solution in my checker until I get my hands on some 4dKH.

Will not be officially adding this system to the spec-sheet until all the kinks are worked out and I know the system is functioning properly...


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Nice lookin tank so far man. Any ideas about future flora or fauna?


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

cableguy69846 said:


> Nice lookin tank so far man. Any ideas about future flora or fauna?


Well, right now I'm a bit frustrated:

I had been observing some excellent growth on my anubias for about a week. Then I noticed that a few leaves started to brown not only on the edges, but formed some strange black spots. What I did was remove the driftwood and do some selective trimming. I cut back all of the funky leaves only leaving the fully green ones. Upon further inspection of the trimmed off leaves, I found that with great effort, I could scrub the black spots off the leaves. Is something infecting my anubias? Not sure....that's problem number one.

Next are my java ferns. The one on the piece of wood that has the anubias was looking good except for a few dying looking leaves. I removed those altogether. The other piece of wood had ferns as well, but these ones were slowly dying as well, I could tell from what I've seen over the past few weeks (browning and yellowing). Luckily these dying leaves had many sprouts, so basically removed all the dying java fern leaves and tied then down lightly to the wood piece. They developed some darker green tips though, which I've read is a nutrient deficiency...

Here's the real kicker: I've had these plants in the tank since Day 1 (see date on Post #1), but haven't started dozing ferts until just yesterday, and even then, I've only got Seachem Flourish, which seems to be micros only.

My question is: have I basically starved my plants? Is there hope?

CO2 is being injected at a rather high rate, but the fauna tolerate as if nothing has changed (even though pH dropped a bit). It's also a paintball setup, so it's not exactly steady, but I'm working on a regulated setup.

Any help is greatly appreciated!


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

H20 said:


> Well, right now I'm a bit frustrated:
> 
> I had been observing some excellent growth on my anubias for about a week. Then I noticed that a few leaves started to brown not only on the edges, but formed some strange black spots. What I did was remove the driftwood and do some selective trimming. I cut back all of the funky leaves only leaving the fully green ones. Upon further inspection of the trimmed off leaves, I found that with great effort, I could scrub the black spots off the leaves. Is something infecting my anubias? Not sure....that's problem number one.
> 
> ...


Basically, you need some nutrients in the water column. I am not the best one to give advice on this, hopefully someone with some more experience will chime in. I am thinking it is either the plants are adjusting to your tank or they need nutrients maybe a little bit of both. I would look into some sort of fert method that will dose the water column as both those plants get most of their nutrients from that and only take from the substrate when their roots are in it. The black is probably just algae due to an inbalance of nutrients, light and CO2. If one of them is out of whack, it will mess with the plants. Maybe just adding a few more fish would help. I know I have the same problem with my Java Fern and it lessened when it got adjusted. I would say give it a little more time, and while you are doing that, look into ferts for the water column. I know of three methods to do this, the EI method, The PPS method, and the PPS-Pro method. Beyond that I am useless though. I really hope this helps a little bit, sorry I could not help more. Good luck. And if you fix it, let me know too.


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

Thanks for the input, always, always, always appreciated.

Still reading up on ferts as we speak. To be honest, purchasing dry ferts (GLA's Green Fert Package looks promising) and mixing up solutions seems like the easiest route as far as reasonable pricing.

Any thoughts? Comments?


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

H20 said:


> Thanks for the input, always, always, always appreciated.
> 
> Still reading up on ferts as we speak. To be honest, purchasing dry ferts (GLA's Green Fert Package looks promising) and mixing up solutions seems like the easiest route as far as reasonable pricing.
> 
> Any thoughts? Comments?


That was my thought too.:thumbsup:


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

*Sad day, sad day...*

Well guys and girls, to put it simply, I fudged up, pretty bad.

I'll save the details and just say, my tank is just now cycling. Basically, I thought I had successfully done a fishless cycling, when in reality, the cycling did not begin until I introduced my HM betta into the mix.

Since then (I recently learned this information not more than a few days ago), I have traded the HM betta for a pair of silver mollies to help cycle the tank.

Even then, I feel like this tank has been rushed. Not really feeling a positive vibe from it...

More than likely I'll end up doing a tear down and try my hand at a planted tank for a second time on a smaller scale (thinking <10G)...

By no means am I giving up on planted tanks altogether, I just feel like the mistakes I made with this tank has helped me see that for me, I would most likely be better off on a smaller scale first...


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## dreamt_01 (Apr 5, 2011)

don't tear it down.. you can just let it cycle and just be patient.. gather more data from this forum.. you did a good start already. if you can get a some fast growing plants, then maybe it will encourage you more.. i started with a 10g and when i got a good deal on a biocube 14, i rescaped right away (would've ran 2, but i didn't have space).. 

ask me about my dwarf sags 4-6 weeks from now, maybe by then i'll have a lot.. and i'll send a couple of nodes your way.. 

keep it up..


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

H20 said:


> Well guys and girls, to put it simply, I fudged up, pretty bad.
> 
> I'll save the details and just say, my tank is just now cycling. Basically, I thought I had successfully done a fishless cycling, when in reality, the cycling did not begin until I introduced my HM betta into the mix.
> 
> ...


Don't give up on this tank. You can still cycle it with the fish in there. Just be patient and keep an eye on your Nitrate, Nitrite, and Ammonia. It will be fine. We all make mistakes. Just keep this one in the info vault for the next tank you setup. You can still make this work.



dreamt_01 said:


> don't tear it down.. you can just let it cycle and just be patient.. gather more data from this forum.. you did a good start already. if you can get a some fast growing plants, then maybe it will encourage you more.. i started with a 10g and when i got a good deal on a biocube 14, i rescaped right away (would've ran 2, but i didn't have space)..
> 
> ask me about my dwarf sags 4-6 weeks from now, maybe by then i'll have a lot.. and i'll send a couple of nodes your way..
> 
> keep it up..


+1. dremt, I love the sig. The bird is THE word.:icon_cool


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## dreamt_01 (Apr 5, 2011)

cableguy69846 said:


> +1. dremt, I love the sig. The bird is THE word.:icon_cool


my girl friend sings that to me when i'm in a bad mood.. 

------------
H20, did you get yourself a paintball regulator?


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

dreamt_01 said:


> my girl friend sings that to me when i'm in a bad mood..
> 
> ------------
> H20, did you get yourself a paintball regulator?



Lol. Made me think of Peter Griffin.:hihi:


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

*Final Decision...*

Alright, after thinking on it, I've decided to *not* tear this tank down and to *not* give up on it. I need to *learn* all I can from this.

Thank you all for the kind words, it really does help. :smile::smile:



dreamt_01 said:


> H20, did you get yourself a paintball regulator?


Well, I'm still running the same setup that I got from Jase (JaggedFury), just with my own needle valve. I've found that I can further adjust my needle valve with a handy pair of pliers and some torque. I know that this probably isn't good for the internal threads, but since it seems like a rather cheap needle valve and I got it for free, I'm thinking that it will serve me well until I can afford an actual CO2 setup.
*So, to answer your question:* Regulator? No. :frown: Found further adjust-ability in my needle valve? Yes.

So I'm still basically using the needle valve in conjunction with the ASA valve as a sort of regulator...even though it's not technically regulating anything... :icon_redf


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## dreamt_01 (Apr 5, 2011)

ah.. the same thing i sold few weeks ago.. you have just tried putting some teflon tape.. but if there's no more leaks, then don't touch it anymore.. just in case it will, just check your paintball tank o-ring.. 

but seriously, that thing works.. i use 2 of those right now..


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## H20 (Sep 8, 2011)

This will most likely be my last post in this thread. Basically, just a quick (and rather vague) explanation as to the disappearance and tear down of my first planted tank.

The tank was healthy and finally cycling, so it was not that I had given up or lost hope with this tank. Rather heavy (legal issues, health issues, etc.) circumstances completely unrelated to the tank had been biting up large amounts of my time (hence the utter lack of updates and posts for the last month and some change) and, unfortunately, I was not able to keep up the regime and demands that I had set on the tank (intermediate plants that required high lighting, C02, ferts regime, etc.).

As a result, both the flora and fauna were, not necessarily struggling, but not faring as well as they could. I did not want the this tank to suffer due to the circumstances at hand hindering me from sticking to a sufficient maintenance plan. As such, I did a tear down, and sold off all of the flora and fauna.

Fear not! As things are starting to settle down, I have plans to start another tank, just on a slightly smaller, easier maintenance scale.

Keep an eye out for another H20 tank thread!


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