Want to start a Nano

Equipment I have:

1ft tank - 15 L
Heater
light - 6W Dailight 6200K
filter - Cascade 170 powerhead or corner filter ( Air pump )
Substrate - white gravel and pool filter sand

Can I use these equipment?

The big problem is Im in Bethlehem.
The LPS is not very helpfull with plants and all there needs. I buy all my fish and equipment in Bloemfontein, cause the inlaw's stay in Bloem. But the LPS there only give Bulls... as advice.

Where can I get plants and what ferts do I need. Is CO2 really a must.

Thanks

 

Hi Rickus

CO2 is not a must. In small tanks like these Flourish Exell is actually recommended for carbon.
Plants for nanos can be a little tricky but there should be plenty around, not sure if you will get them from
your LPS though. Things like mosses, glosso, HM,HC, hairgrasss, rotala etc.

Light you might want to take a little higher for some of the smaller plants. Funny enough small plants mostly need
lots of light.

Gerhard

 

Thanx. But the LPS doesnt have any plants.

Can I use activated carbon with Flourish Exell or Tetra Plant Plant Planta min ? is a/c working against it?

Wil the pool filtersand be a good substrate?

 

Pool filter sand will be good.
Why do you want to put A/C in your filter?
As Vis said in his post, you more than likely will not get those plants from an LPS, but would have to source them here on TASA.

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Oh, and in Nano's, I would not suggest putting anything under the gravel for nutrients. Rather just use a very good water column fertilizer.

 

I have an Elite Stingray internal filter in my Live bearer tank, the filter has baskets with A/C and those ammoniac rocks in it. Should I just use the filter without the baskets? In this tank I have 2 plants that I but a while ago to see if I can grow plants and bought Planta Min. The plants doesnt grow, but I only took the plants out from those black basket and "cotton" last night.

Water Column fert are Flourish Exell and Planta Min, is this correct?

 

Any further advice? or comments...

 

Hi Rickus

Sorry for the short answer last time.

1st thing : What do you want the tank to look like? Nice scape, bushy, etc?

 

How much do you want to spend would be another nice question to ask . .

Lighting will have to be changed though. .

 

Sorry TM,but lighting is fine - my 14 liter paludarium(and its plants,both terrestrial and aquatic..) does very well under a 8Watt T4 with a 4200kelvin rating - running a month now and plants are growing like a boeing...

 

What is your water level though?
I also use CFL's for my small tanks, nothing fancy.

 

Really? Well that depends on the plants now. . .

I always thought that it was 1W per Liter

 

Water level is only 20cm and light is suspended another 30cm over that... given,all the aquatic species are relatively low light plants - cryptocorynes(shed all its old leaves that it had - even lower light in shop where i got it from - new growth more compact and much greener),java Fern and Moss...

All of the Tillandsia(air plants) in the land part have high light needs and so far is doing Brilliant!

 

Vis - I just want to have a nice scape with some grass and a "tree" or rocks.
I think the only way Im gonna solve my problem is to drive to JHB and PTA and visit LFS and maybe get a few plants from members.

TankMaster - Budget is a bit tight, getting married in Ocktober. But there is always a plan a guy makes for his hobbies.

I like the Idee of the cfl lights. they are cheap and easier to install and take less space.

I have a new project on the way: 2X Tanks 200L each. on the mantle piece (dont worry, wont make a fire in the stove. gonna freeze my butt of ) with a wooden canopy and Im considering CFL's.

Will the a/c have an effect on the ferts, that I put in the water. Watercolumn? Plantamin.

 

Just a reminder, cfl's are more effective pointing downward onto your substrate (as you would hang it) than horizontal. This does take up more space though, but the light intensity is greater.

 

+1 Boebie!

Don't let @Vis here you say that. He'll have a heart attack! But yes, the theory and tests do lean towards the CFL's being vertically mounded!

---------- Post added at 13:01 ---------- Previous post was at 13:01 ----------

+1 Boebie!

Don't let @Vis here you say that. He'll have a heart attack! But yes, the theory and tests do lean towards the CFL's being vertically mounded!

 

Thanx boebie, if been doing alot of reading. and according to "them" the bulb should be mounted pointing down. +1 @ boebie.

yes that would be a problem, the canopy is going to look like a sky skraper ontop of my tank....

luckily my brother from a nother mother is a carpenter, he will think of something.

 

Yeah Yeah, until someone comes with a PAR meter and proof me wrong I wont believe it I even have the tanks to proof it

 

Why don't you just mount it horizontally and use more bulbs? In addition
to this you can also.paint the inside of the canopy with white pond sealer. I think you get more spread with the vertical mounting but I think the 'big head' look is kak...no offense to those of you who have tanks with big heads ...lol

With the bulb mounted horizontally you get half the spread but 2 times the reflection ... So all in all ... There is but a slight difference between the 2 mounting types. Each has its own pros and cons ...

Everyone who has their bulbs mounted horizontally have no complaints...@Zoom sand @Vis included lol .. Don't worry too much about it yet ..

I can't wait to see the finished product

 

I had mine vertically mounted... it worked so well I landed up with algae.

Now mine if horizontal...

 

Pros and cons ...