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IMO you don't need co2 cus 3wpg is nothing in a 8 gallon I have a 5.5gallon with 27 watts over it and I have to dose co2. But with 3 wpg over a nano like yours won't be enough to grow dwarf baby tears. 3wpg in a nano tank is like low light so I just recommend growing ferns anubias and other low light plants. good luck :)
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Wha? 3+ watts/gallon is low light? Maybe it's not extremely high light but... surely it's not low light? Everything I've read and everyone I've talked to so far say 3-4 watts/gallon is at least moderate to high.Originally posted by fishman1 View Post
What then would you suggest as a carpet plant? Will glosso work?
All bleeding stops eventually...Comment
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Every one has different opinions. If you try something and it works then great if it doesn't then well poop.Originally posted by aquabee View PostWha? 3+ watts/gallon is low light? Maybe it's not extremely high light but... surely it's not low light? Everything I've read and everyone I've talked to so far say 3-4 watts/gallon is at least moderate to high.
What then would you suggest as a carpet plant? Will glosso work?Comment
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Between 20-75 gals, 3WPG is pretty accurate. Below about 10 gals you need more light, above 100 gals you can get away with a little less. Factors such as tank depth, reflectors and water clarity should also be taken into consideration. These are general guidelines. As to How do you know when you have enough light, you're plants will tell ya.
Another thing we should take into consideration is which plants you want to grow. If you are talking Swords, Cryptocorynes, Java ferns, and another about 80% of commonly available plants, you can get away with considerably less wattage (provided you have good reflectors).
If you're going to grow glosso then it'll just grow straight up because you don't have enough light and it won't have the carpet affect. and go online and read more about planted nanos and you will see why 3wpg is nothing.Comment
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Thanks. I've read quite a bit about nanos but never came across info like this. I'll search specifically for it and read more. Appreciate the advice.All bleeding stops eventually...Comment
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About your ferts:
Your macro ferts as I'm sure you've read about are N; nitrate, P; phosphate and K; potassium. The ratio of those three is typically targeted at 10 : 1 : 10, N : P : K. You can dose these three separately or buy mixes that are made to this ratio. The one I had the most success with was Greg Watson's original mix called PMDD with csm + b. This is now made and sold by AquariumFertilizers.com and costs about 10 bucks a pound. In your little tank a pound will last a long time.
There is a school of thought on aquarium fertilizing called E.I. It stands for Estimative Index. Basically it breaks a week's worth of fertilizer into three doses which will achieve the needed fertilizer for a well-planted tank. It also relies on a 50% partial weekly water change to reset the tank to keep your ferts from building too high. You can do some reading on the suggested sites; Aquatic Plant Central, The Planted Tank and The Barr Report.
If you buy the premixed dry ferts you can make a solution with them by adding water and dosing drops or just dose dry directly into the tank. They'll dissolve there. I suggest buying a set of baker's measuring spoons. The tiny anmounts are what you're lookin' for; 1/4 tsp, 1/8 tsp, 1/16 tsp.
To gauge how much fert you're dosing, you can check the nitrate with a liquid-reagent nitrate test kit. Be sure to read all the test directions. A mistake often made by first-timers is not doing the test correctly. For instance, in the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Master test kit, the nitrate test involves shaking the reagent bottles and test tube. If the directions aren't followed to the letter the result will be incorrect.
I always tried to keep the nitrate and potassium at around 20 ppm. If the mix is balanced, you can assume that potassium is at 20ppm when nitrate is.
If you go the other route; dosing individual macros, you can buy them separately at the same site or buy them at the pharmacy and grocery store. You can buy potassium nitrate, KNO3, at the pharmacy in 1-pound jars. I did that for years. If they don't stock it, many can order it for you. It usually runs fro $12 to $20 a pound. You can buy another potassium supplement, potassium chloride, KCl, at the grocery store sold under the brand name "No-Salt". Phosphte can be purchased in liquid form under the brand name "Fleet Enema". Dosing these three separately and getting them balanced with light and co2 can be maddeningly frustrating. That's why I finally started buying the mix.
The PMDD with csm + b also contains trace elements, or micro ferts. Our water is high in traces and if you use the PMDD you likely won't need any additional additives like the Seachem Iron, etc.
On lighting and co2 control:
Hopefully your co2 system has a solenoid encorporated into it. A solenoid is simply an electric coil which operates a valve. When power is applied to the solenoid, the valve opens, releasing your co2 to be injected. When power is removed the valve closes and co2 is shut off. I suggest using time clocks to operate your lights and co2, one time clock for each. You can buy them at Lowes or HD for around $10 each. I'd start off with a photoperiod of 8 hrs. If you want the light to be on when you're home so you can enjoy the tank, set the clock to come on later in the day and go off at bedtime. Set the time clock for the co2 to come on 30 minutes before the light and off about an hour before the light turns off. This will allow co2 level to rise before the light comes on and co2 to start dropping slightly before lights off. Operating your co2 in this manner will cause the ph to swing up and down daily. The change will be gradual and shouldn't stress the fish/shrimp/snails.
Kuhli loaches do not eat algae.
Once you get your tank balanced you shouldn't worry about needing to throw algae eaters at the tank. With that said, I always kept amano shrimp in my planted tanks. They are great algae eaters and very cool inhabitants too.
Please post as many pics of your tank as possible as it goes along.
Remember to keep a written log and try to remember to log in your test results as you go along. Later, it will become a reference book for you. If things start to go awry you can look back over your logs and see what might have changed to cause the problems. Eventually, soon perhaps, you'll begin to understand the whole system to the point where you can troubleshoot your own problems.
MarkWhat are the facts? Again and again and again--what are the facts? Shun wishful thinking, ignore devine revelation, forget what "the stars foretell", avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors think, never mind the unguessable "verdict of history"--what are the facts, and to how many decimal places? You pilot always into an unknown future; facts are your only clue.
Robert Anson HeinleinComment
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Wow Mark. Thanks for all that information. Looks like I have a lot of reading to do still, and I'll look at the sites you recommended. I need to figure out how to use my liquid ferts for now since I already bought them. I have Seachem's nitrogen, potassium, phos, iron, Flourish, and Excel. I realized that for my (currently) lightly planted tank, I wouldn't need to dose more iron if I were dosing Flourish since it contains a fair amount of iron. Right now I'm dosing Flourish and Excel once weekly. The nitrogen is dosed once weekly after a water change, depending on what the nitrates read on my test kit after the tank settles. (And yes I do shake the reagent bottle as well. :) ) I'll also start dosing the potassium with the nitrogen based on the ratio. Still need to go get more plants, and then I'll start fertilizing in a better way.
I've been manually working the light with the CO2 as you described, but once my actual CO2 system comes in, it'll be nice to use timers... esp once work gets more hectic.
I know kuhlis don't eat algae but they're cool little guys to have. And they're great for taking care of snails. My oto does fairly well with the algae on the plant leaves and glass, and he's a pretty interesting little fish as well. In fact, I've almost always had otos and kuhlis in my tanks. Was considering amano shrimp but might have to go with CRS since I've heard some horror stories of the amanos attacking small fish (like my microrasboras!).
Thanks again Mark. It helps to know all of this so I can know the reason behind everything I'm doing.All bleeding stops eventually...Comment
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I just might get one more today. Was gonna make the drive to Aquarium World to pick up some crypts and maybe another oto. I supplement with zucchini twice a month anyway to make sure he doesn't go hungry or malnourished. :) Enjoy pics of my crazy lil dude. Btw-- sorry about the extra thumbnail attached. Don't know how to delete it.Originally posted by sunkenmetal View Post
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oto2.jpgAll bleeding stops eventually...Comment
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I would have four oto cats...
I have four in my 56 gallon shrimp tank. Thinking about getting four more.Last edited by sunkenmetal; 08-21-2011, 01:21 PM.Comment
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4 in an 8 gallon??Originally posted by sunkenmetal View PostAll bleeding stops eventually...Comment
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Just messin with ya! Came home with one more oto, 2 red cherry shrimp, and 3 small crypts.Originally posted by sunkenmetal View Post
Made my day.
All bleeding stops eventually...Comment
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Didn't want them to breed, esp since I've never kept shrimp before. Got 2 females and checked them for eggs too before I bought them.Originally posted by sunkenmetal View PostAll bleeding stops eventually...Comment
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