# Zaxol's 2.5g Nano



## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

I was thinking about starting a 2.5 gallon nano and wanted to make sure I was getting the right things. I plan on getting a 2.5 aga soon and then some gravel for it. I will use a 20 watt desk lamp for the time being. I plan on getting a filter after I get a couple plants in it just to keep it clean. I wlil work on finding rocks and sorting them to make a nice aquascape while I save up for some plants/a couple neon tetras. Does this sound like a good plan?


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## Kayen (Oct 14, 2007)

Sounds like what i did....
Good luck =)
What the desk lamp a screw in type bulb or the long type?


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

well I have one thats a bulb and one thats aabout an inch long kinda thing. The second ones real tiny.


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## Kayen (Oct 14, 2007)

hm
any order are you going to purchase them?


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Well first I am going to get the tank and gravel. Put the gravel in the tank and add water. Then while I save up for a filter, new lamo, excel and plants(in that order) I plan on looking aound for soe rocks and getting them placed in there just right.


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## Kayen (Oct 14, 2007)

Sounds great im using a desklamp type(well not quite i ripped it out of the cieling)
i plan to use a socket splitter and use two of those bulbs insted and be cheap on my part lol.
Filter reccomendatioon wise i would go red sea nano or elite mini, both are great... elite mini is an internal filter though.
You could also try topfin/whisper/aquatech 10.
Quite cheap filters.
Any tetras in particular you like?


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## pet-teez (Aug 17, 2007)

I have two of the red sea nano filters and I really like them!
In a tank as small as this you might prefer to not have an internal filter wasting space.
You might have to watch with the tetras, they kinda school and because of the tank size you would be limited in the school size.


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## pet-teez (Aug 17, 2007)

The rock is cool, I think your gravel is a bit big though. I'm sure it'll work (depending on plant choice) but it is a bit big.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Yea I was thinking about possibly switching it out later. Was the smallest I could find at petsmart. Would it work ok with HC? I really want to add some HC in the future.


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

Zaxol said:


> Yea I was thinking about possibly switching it out later. Was the smallest I could find at petsmart. Would it work ok with HC? I really want to add some HC in the future.


No, those gravels are too big. You should start with something like Flourite or Aquasoil as they are the best substrate for plants. HC does best in Aquasoil.


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

For light, I personally use Coralife Freshwater Mini-Aqualight, which is 2 x 9w on my 2.5G. It grows HC very well. 

If you are on a budget, you can use GE screw-in compact flourescent bulb 6500K. There are many choices for the power (15W, 27W, etc..) Keep in mind that they are not as efficient as a light fixture such as the Mini-Aqualight because it is in a spiral shape and a lot of the light energy is reflected.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Okay well would this be enough for a 2.5? 

http://www.adgshop.com/product_p/104-033.htm

So a normal bulb desk lamp would not work then?


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## pet-teez (Aug 17, 2007)

Heya Zax, there is a guy selling portions of aquasoil on here...
you could also use a small amount of SMS (soilmaster select), someone could probably sell you enough for your tank (they come in 50pound bags so it'd be best to just get a lil from someone else), I have their charcoal color but the normal color is a reddish.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Okay I don't really want to buy new gravel so this is what I am going to do. I am going to measure each peice and if it'slarger then 4mm I will get rid of it. This will probably take some time and will really suck if when I finish I don't have enough but I have time on my hands.


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

Zaxol said:


> Okay well would this be enough for a 2.5?
> 
> http://www.adgshop.com/product_p/104-033.htm
> 
> So a normal bulb desk lamp would not work then?


Yes, the 3L bag of Aquasoil is enough for two 2.5G aquariums.

I recommend the Amazonia II. This one has the most nutrient.

I haven't tried those SMS yet, but I can tell you that you that Aquasoil and Flourite are better.


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

Normal desk lamp with compact flourescent will work as I mentioned earlier, but it might not give you the best result. Desk lamp is a great alternative when you are on a low budget.


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## j_m_lizard (Oct 14, 2007)

Zaxol said:


> Okay I don't really want to buy new gravel so this is what I am going to do. I am going to measure each peice and if it'slarger then 4mm I will get rid of it. This will probably take some time and will really suck if when I finish I don't have enough but I have time on my hands.


God I hope you're joking.

Just go to a hardware store and get some sand.

good luck, and keep us posted.

-Jared


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

I was told that sand was a bad choice. Is there any other plant similar to HC that will work with a bit larger gravel?


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## j_m_lizard (Oct 14, 2007)

Anything will work better than that gravel, and many hobbyists have great success with sand over a layer of soil or even sand by itself.


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## pet-teez (Aug 17, 2007)

The main thing with sand is try not to make it too deep, if it's too deep you could end up with anerobic bacteria (I think I said that right) under there, if you do a search for that word in the forum you should be able to see what I mean.
Some plants might not do well in sand, it all depends on the plants.
I have "natural gravel" over some 100% clay kitty litter in my office tank and the plants I have grow ok in that but I think your grains are larger plus I'm not growing any foreground plants like HC and I don't think they do well in large grained substrates but I could be wrong. Someone should be able to help ya out though.

One cool thing about using a smaller substrate though, by the way, is that it will give the effect of a larger tank. Right now when we look at your tank we can tell it's a 2.5, at least I can. While checking out other people's threads you may have seen comments like "that tank looks so much bigger than a ___" which is usually pretty cool 

How much did you spend on that gravel? Was that a fish store purchase or did you go to a rock center?

I still like the two hardscape rocks you chose


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Well I went to petsmart and paid like $5 for the gravel. Last night I went through it and got rid of a lot of the larger pieces. This probably doesn't help much but it will do for now I hope. I will post pictuers later today. Also if anyone knows if Marsilea Minuta would work in that gravel let me know.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Okay I found a 14watt CF bulb that I am going to use with my tank for a while. I can't really seem to find any Excel at my LFS would a different type of fertilizer work? I will edit this post to include pictures later on.


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## redraider (Oct 11, 2007)

Your going to measuer each piece of gravel?

Just go to home depot and get a bag of schultz aquasoil. Its 6.83 for a 10lb bag. I am in the same situation as you and thats what i did.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

To late. And I am thinking of replacing the Excel with Homemade CO2 would that work? Would this work? The bottle is filled with water right now. Also it has a cap with a small hole drilled in it on top of it for the tube to go through. I will add a cup of yeast, 1/4 teaspoon of yeast, a pinch of baking soda and top it off with water. Would this work good and replace the excel?











Also I have been thinking about adding a half an inch of sand or so under the gravel to add a little more depth. Or is almost an inch enough for most plants?


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## redraider (Oct 11, 2007)

Trust everyone here, your gonna be alot better off doing what they say. Just get yourself some real substrate. Go to your lfs and see if they'll sell you a few pounds out of one of their tanks.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

I'm fine with my substrate in my opinion. I took out a lot that was to big yesterday and it's uch better now. Maybe not as small as it should be but I'll just see what grows and what doesn't.


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

When I first started my 31G, I didn't know anything about plant substrate, so I got gravel. After 6 months, I decided to go for Flourite, since the gravel raises to GH to a level my test kit cannot measure, pH is always 7.6, I just don't like those parameters because they are not the ideal for South American tropical fish like angels and tetras that I have. Plants don't do well in those conditions too. I only use RO water and nothing can lower the GH and pH. Changing the substrate is not an easy job once your tank is loaded. I had to take out all the fish, water, plants, etc. It takes so much time and I was affraid that the fish might die. Luckily, I did not lose anything. I was so much happier once I got Flourite, I had better plant growth, and able to grow almost everything. I was on low light at that time. I just upgraded my light 1.5 month ago and the results I am getting the results. Also, unlike gravel, plant substrate such as Flourite that I am using does not affect GH and pH. For the past 4 weeks, I have a pair of angels and rams that are spawning every 2 weeks or less. 

When you start off with good equipments that your budget allow, there will be less things to worry about in the future. That's what I learned, when I started my 2.5G 3 weeks ago, I made sure that I have good equipments so I don't have to do any upgrades and problems in the future.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Alright I'll take that into consideration. Could someone tell me if I did my CO2 thing right and if it will work?


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Okay I decided to listen to you guys and went and got some Shultz Aquatic Soil. Will that work okay? I also got a 27watt bulb(5500k). Is that alright? And I'm still looking for an answer for the whole CO2 setup. Also when the CO2 thing stops making CO2 after a week or two do I need remake the stuff or can I just use more yeast? 

An updated picture (still no water)


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

Ok this substrate should give you better plant growth. The light should be sufficient. About the CO2, you have to dump the whole bottle once it stops making CO2, and you have to create new mixture again. 

Is that a CO2 bell?


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Acctually it's just a milk cap with two holes drilled through it. One for the tubing to go through and the other I have a straw going through to hold it in place.


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

So that is a CO2 bell, it looks ok, but I am not sure how much CO2 will be dissolved. It should do the job. If you are looking for upgrade, ceramic diffuser is one of the best, however, some people use wood airstone to dissolve CO2 and it works great.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Alright thanks, I think I'm going to change the straw thing to suction cups if I can though. Would it be safe to add water, get a plant or two, and get the CO2 running?


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

Yes, you can add water and plant and start the CO2 anytime, but not fish or shrimps.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Okay and I changed the bell to a medicine cup attached to the side of the tank with a suction cup. Then the tube comes through the middle of the top of it. Would it be safe to use some non toxic glue for model planes to make it more air tight?


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

What glue is it? Is it plastic cement?


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

It's testor model airplane glue. Not sure if it's plastic or not.


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

I have tried Shoe-Goo before and it did not kill any fish. I guess you can try using the model airplane glue, make sure you have to wash it thoroughly after it is dried.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Okay thanks you have been a great help. Hopefully I can get some HC or similar plant in there soon. I am also looking to get some dwarf hair grass. I'll let you guys know when I can finnally get some.


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

For your interest, here is a thread of my 2.5G.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/photo-album/52352-trfs-2-5-gallon-nano-updated.html


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Okay I got some Marsilia crenata to the left and some dwarf hair grass to the right. Also the guy at the store accidentally gave me a male guppy with the plant. I think I'm just going to add him in for now, if he makes it he makes if not oh well. Hope fully the m. crenata will get shorter as it spreads. The pet store I got it in had pretty bad light which I hope is why it is pretty tall. I also got some excel and added five drops to the water and plan to do about a 25% water change daily and dose excel for the first week or so then go down to weekly water changes. Here are some pictures.

The tank










M. Crenata










Dwarf Hair Grass


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

Ditch the CO2 bell. That cap or medicine bottle or whatever you're using isn't going to do you any good. I've tried using a bell diffuser and it's futile. Get a limewood airstone from the local pet store, and use that. They aren't pretty (neither is a bell!!) but will do the job. 

Personally, I'd dose excel. You aren't growing any demanding plants, and excel will do the trick. A glass (ceramic) diffuser will not work with DIY CO2. Don't even try. The person who recommended that should have held back unless they've had success running one with what looks like a 1 liter bottle. I tried using one with 2 2 liter bottles, and was frustrated. Bubbles came through, but they were big, bigger than my limewood airstone.

I guess your substrate is chosen now, but I still recommend sand. It's what I use, and I think it looks great, second only to Aquasoil. I have white and black sand (not together) and from experience the black is less of a headache because the white sand looks dirty all the time.

Also, you need to spend some more time planting the Marselia. Break the runners into three or four leaf sections and plant them spaced out evenly along the area you want it to cover. It will grow better and faster this way, as well as look better.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

I tried to plant the marsilea better but the stuff it came in was impossible to break apart without ripping the roots to shreads. I will stick with the bell for now until I get a chance to go and get a airstone type thing. I know I don't really need the Co2 thing but I kinda like it.


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

hey, there's nothing at all wrong with CO2, and it's important stuff to learn, and necessary for a high light tank on a larger scale. 

Don't worry about the marselia's roots. They'll grow back. They're mostly for keeping the plant in the ground anyway. I promise you you'll be very happy with the way it looks if you break it apart. Otherwise you'll get some funky growth that won't be short at all (the runner will grow up towards the light). Here's a link to my journal, shows some pics of my marselia minuta and how I planted it, and you can see how it spreads in the later pics.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

So if there is no roots thats ok? Becuase it's really quite a mess. Also any other suggestions on what plants I should dd?


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

Try to keep the roots as intact as possible. But the plant will absorb nutrients from the water ( since there's nothing in your aquasoil) .

As for plants, I'd throw in some easy stem plants in the back of the aquarium. Look for ones that have small leaves on them, that'll give the illusion that your tank is bigger. I really like the look of HM, but your light may be insufficient, and I don't have any personal experience with that plant. I do have experience with rotala rotundifolia, and it's a great plant, very easy to grow, and grows very quickly.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

I replaced my original gravel with some Shultz Aquatic soil so there is some nutrients in it.


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

Ok, well I'm not familiar with the product, but those nutrients will leach into the water column, and be absorbed by the leaves. Plants are very adaptable by nature, so they will likely utilize whatever is in your soil. You will need to start looking into fertilizers, I'd recommend a read on rex grigg's site if you haven't already.


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## mpodolan (Mar 27, 2007)

Actually, Schultz aquatic soil doesn't contain any nutrients, but it has a high Cation Exchange Capacity (ability to absorb and hold nutrients for the plants to use). So dosing the water column will allow the substrate to absorb the nutrients, plus the plants can pull the nutrients straight out of the water. I have Schultz in my 50 gallon, and it seems to work just fine


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

OKay I will get a fertilizer as soon as I can then. Also how does it look now?


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

That will give you some better results. The more you spread out the plants, the faster they will fill in.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Okay and do you think that the Marsilea Crenata will grow in shorter then that? I wouldn't really want a carpet that tall. Like I said the lighting at the pet store wasn't that great so I suspect thats why they were so tall.


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## mpodolan (Mar 27, 2007)

with good light and proper nutrients, it should grow short and fill out nicely


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

Crenata won't be as short as minuta. My minuta stands about 1" or less tall.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

eyebeatbadgers said:


> Crenata won't be as short as minuta. My minuta stands about 1" or less tall.


+1 with adequite lighting most marselia varieties will grow close to the sub.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

OKay I spread them out a lot more. Had to throw away some since I couldn't plant them to close together or the one next to it would come out. Is it normal for them to come out of the substrate with a small nudge at first? How long will they be like that.


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

eyebeatbadgers said:


> Personally, I'd dose excel. You aren't growing any demanding plants, and excel will do the trick. A glass (ceramic) diffuser will not work with DIY CO2. Don't even try. The person who recommended that should have held back unless they've had success running one with what looks like a 1 liter bottle. I tried using one with 2 2 liter bottles, and was frustrated. Bubbles came through, but they were big, bigger than my limewood airstone.


I use 4 2L bottle of DIY CO2 hooked to a ceramic diffuser and it works great! You are wrong that DIY CO2 will not work with ceramic diffuser. For my 2.5G, I use the Hagen bottle with a ceramic diffuser, the bubbles are so fine, and it works effectively.

The reasons you get big bubbles with ceramic diffuser:
1) You diffuser is not good quality.
2) The diffuser might not be clean, I soak it in bleach solution every 3 weeks and the bubbles are very fine again!


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

Zaxol said:


> OKay I will get a fertilizer as soon as I can then. Also how does it look now?


Your tank looks great now :thumbsup: 

Do a water change everyday to clear up the water.

Once you start dosing, the plants will grow at a faster rate.


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

trfjason said:


> I use 4 2L bottle of DIY CO2 hooked to a ceramic diffuser and it works great! You are wrong that DIY CO2 will not work with ceramic diffuser. For my 2.5G, I use the Hagen bottle with a ceramic diffuser, the bubbles are so fine, and it works effectively.
> 
> The reasons you get big bubbles with ceramic diffuser:
> 1) You diffuser is not good quality.
> 2) The diffuser might not be clean, I soak it in bleach solution every 3 weeks and the bubbles are very fine again!


You don't seem to understand what I was saying. Having 4 bottles instead of 2 will produce the pressure necessary to emit fine bubbles from the diffuser. The poster here is using one 1 liter bottle. It just won't work. My diffuser was clean, but since I was only using 2 2liter bottles, the diffuser only spit out a few large bubbles. 

Limewood is a lot cheaper and more efficient for a small DIY system.


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

Well did you see that I only use the Hagen bottle for my 2.5G that is hooked to a ceramic diffuser? That bottle is about *500mL* and it produces ultra fine bubbles. 1L will work for sure. The reason I use 4 2L bottles for my 31G because it is a large aquarium with 130W PC lighting.


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

Very interesting. Is the hagen bottle the stainless steel one? What kind of diffuser did you use?


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

The Hagen bottle is a very thick plastic, it will not deform under pressure. The diffuser I use is a standard ceramic glass diffuser. It produces enough CO2 I need for a 2.5G.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/photo-album/52352-trfs-2-5-gallon-nano-updated-2.html


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

Do you think the thickness of the bottle is what allows for the extra pressure? 

I'd imagine it would make a small difference over soda bottles.

I'm quite confused over why mine didn't work now, but enough of my hijacking this thread.


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

If the plastic is thin, such as 2L soda bottle, it might expand a bit. However this is minimal. Can you tell me your recipe for your CO2?


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

I use 2 cups sugar, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp. yeast. ,filled with water to the "shoulder" of the bottle.


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

You don't have enough yeast. Try at least 1/2 tsp of yeast.


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

Yeast multiplies itself pretty fast. I'd say the 1/4 tsp difference is made up in a couple days. It will only stop multiplying once it runs out of food, or is killed by the alcohol. 

Or that's how I understood yeast works.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Okay I got some Hagen Nutrafin Plant Gro Iron Enriched Aquatic Plant Fertilizer.
http://www.petco.com/product/13587/...o-Iron-Enriched-Aquatic-Plant-Fertilizer.aspx

Should that do the job?



Also would it be possible to attach flame moss to the small rock on the left? I have only heard of people attaching it to driftwood. If you can do you think it would look good there?


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

That fertilizer is good, however there are better ones from Seachem. However, people think it is expensive so they do EI dosing. I don't have experience with EI and I only use Seachem Flourish line.


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

I use EI dosing, but with a tank so small, I'd probably do Seachem ferts.


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

Actually, the reason people use EI and dry ferts is that that stuff and flourish and most of the commercially available bottled ferts are not macros.

they're all trace nutrient, hardly any Nitrate,Pottassium, or Phosphorus.

Those 3 are the most important, with, IMO, a bit more emphasis on N and P.


Your Aquasoil will work fine for now, and probally as long as you'd like, but if you research the aquascapes on this forum and such, you'll want to change it again, i'm sure.
But you can at least grow some stuff now. You've made a mistake IMO using DIY co2 instead of excel here.

The excel is much better for a small tank. It helps grow plants and keep algae at bay.
You should mix up some in a bottle diluted with water so that you can dose like 1 ml per day, and get some cheap precise droppers. There's a guy on Aquabid.com who sells them for cheap.

This makes co2 a breeze, and a bottle of excel will last for a year or more.
Plus there's no ugly diffuser in your tank.

I'd reccomend You don't buy plants from that store anymore, that marsilea looks horrible.
Just use the Swap 'n' Shop here and aquabid.com, even ebay.
Set up a paypal ASAP if you don't have on already.

Hc will work, as long as you've got enough light.
My 2.5 grows Hc very well with a 27w desklamp and daily excel, But i have ADA aquasoil, which is a major boost.

The hairgrass is gonna want as much direct light as possible, so get some light in the back of the tank and put it back there.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

I am currently doing the DIY co2 as well as excel. Yes I only bought the plants from that store in hopes that I could plant it and it would grow out better looking. I'm going to try and get some free small samples in the Swap and Shop section for now.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

dufus said:


> Your Aquasoil will work fine for now, and probally as long as you'd like, but if you research the aquascapes on this forum and such, you'll want to change it again, I'm sure.


What do you maen by that? If I look up aquascapes I will want to change the way my rocks are placed ect. or the substrate I have chosen.

I was thinking about adding a moss of some sort to hte two rocks and then a small plant i the back between the two rocks. Then anbother one to the left of the rock on the left. Also maybe some tall grass behind the larger rock. How would that look.


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

Meaning if you get into the amano style,You'll probally want to change your rock scape and maybe your gravel, as black is a softer color to work on.
You're fine for now, and you may find a scape that works jsut as well with brown.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Well the daily water changes have really helped clear up the water. If anyone has a small portion of java moss they don't need let me know I was thinking about adding it to the rocks and keeping it trimmed.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

What are some good snails for my nano? I'm have a lot of gunk at the bottom.


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

nerites.
Ryzilla was selling them on sns.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Would those little 1cm ramshorn snails work okay?


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Well the Marsilea is starting to spread as well as the DHG. I got a Mystery Snail, 3 amano shrimp and a cory catfish. Will post pictures later.


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## pet-teez (Aug 17, 2007)

Aww, poor Cory... *sniffle*
You should have at least three, preferably of the same type


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

I plan to get more but I didn't want to spend a whole lot right then.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Okay heres a picture update. I am having a sort of algae problem on the plants. It's kind of a grey fuzzy mold looking algae so if anyone knows what to do to this let me know. I have been trying to add Java Moss to a rock but it keeps on dieing. Also I am trying to go for a natural look so and plant/ livestock suggestions would be great.

Tank










Algea










Java Moss


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## psybock (Jan 12, 2007)

*Green Monster*

I get that same problem sometimes, it's from too much light, or at least that's the problem in my tanks. Try not placing the light so close to the tank, or change more water. Although I don't recall if you are using ferts or not, but too much in such a small volume wrecks havoc. By the way, is it anywhere near sunlight? That also causes weird algae to grow in tanks...


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Okay I will try that. Also any suggestions for plants/livestock for a natural look.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

OKay this is what I want it to look like in a few months. As the frill plants grow I will trim them and put them in the left corner. I also plan to put some grass in the left side in front of where the frills are going to go. I know the frill plants don't look great rigth now but for some reason all the leaves died off that it came with and now new ones are growing in. It should look okay soon. Also I got 3 neon tetras. Well one died when I put it in(wasn't looking to good to start with)and I plan to replace it soon. How many do you think I could keep in there? I have 3 ammano shrimp plus the current 2 neons. I am doing frequent water changes.


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## Ryzilla (Oct 29, 2005)

cherries will eat that brown fuzzy crap right up.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Okay I will loook into that for sure since I have a ton of it.


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## Reeferton (Aug 16, 2007)

The pota. gayi has a very "wild" look to it. They are trying to take over my 2.5, I have to cut them every month or so. They started to grow across the surface and they dropped roots down as they went. Not what I was expecting but very cool, the fish swimming through the little hanging roots and all.


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

What are you talking about when you say pota. gayi?


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## mpodolan (Mar 27, 2007)

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...ils.php?id=89&category=genus&spec=Potamogeton


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## Zaxol (Oct 14, 2007)

Alright thanks. Also will that algae die and go away or do I have to remove it myself? I have decided not to go with the cherry shrimp idea right now.


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## shoteh (Nov 13, 2007)

Those are diatoms I believe, and it should go away on its own. Updated pix?


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