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Hi all!

The moment is here, to make my nano, which i have been dreaming of since i started reading other member's logs. I would like to make this tank look professional and good, and i am going to have very high light in here, so i am going to have lots of groundcover and high light plants. This tank i am going to try my best not to mess up.

I am always accepting any comments and suggestions from those who know better, and those with good ideas. The one thing I ask for is that everybody enjoys themselves with the tank, and states the truth about anything and the truth only! What good is it as a learning process if everybody just complimented and nobody corrected. Criticism is what keeps the good tanks from getting bad, and makes the bad tanks to get good.

I will try to post pix as often as i can, but if that isnt possible, then i will update you every week, if possible. Try to be looking for updates on the weekends, most likely on saturdays. I will try to use the log books on the site, but i have no idea how to...

Also, i am not a premium member yet, and it is still unknown when i am going to be, but i will try my best using the link system! Im sorry for the inconvience! Hopefully i could become a premium member, but for now, ill have to wait.

Anyways, here is the start of the tank:

The whole tank shot.

Close up of Inside

Close up of Gravel and stone barricade

Here is a Fert Schedule, also a list of ferts im currently using:

• Leaf Zone-2 times a week

• Flourish-Every other day

• Kens Pro Plant (Nitrogen) 2 or 3 times a week

• Jungle Labs water conditioner w/ Trace Minerals and Co2 Tabs

Heres a typical week of dosing:


Monday

<1ml of Flourish

1/2 tab of Co2/Trace Minerals


Tuesday

.5ml of Leaf Zone

1/2 tab of Co2 Trace Minerals

1ml of Pro Plant


Wednsday

<1ml of Flourish

1/2 Tab of Co2 Trace Minerals


Thursday

.5ml of Leaf Zone

1/2 Tab of Co2 Trace Minerals

1ml of Pro plant


Friday

<1ml of Flourish

1/2 Tab of Co2 Trace Minerals


Saturday

.5ml of Leaf Zone

1/2 Tab of Co2 Trace Minerals

1ml of Pro plant


Sunday

<1ml of Flourish

1/2 Tab of Co2 Trace Minerals



Well, its my first time, and by the same time tomorrow, it will be started. THanks!

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Would help If we had pix of plants, lightening, decor, gravel, etc. of what is going in it.. Also what other Fishlets? PIX PIX PIX PIX!!!!

Wow that plant is so healthy it is climbing clean out of the tank.

Well, i dont have any plants in there yet, and i am just giving you some before full pix. I filled it with black, pea sized gravel, yes just pea sized gravel. The sand was going to cause too many problems as i have been told, and i am just going to start with the gravel for now. I dont have any real lighting yet so....

I did however start today with getting a few plants, including red ludwiga, baby's tears, and this neat little fern called a.......Lol, i forgot what it was called, but it is a fern like thing with small leaves......Arrgh, i cant remember!!!

I plan to get some amano shrimp, but i dont know how many i should get. ANy info?

ANyways, i am going to put them in once i get a clip on light with 20watts of Daylight 6700 K.

Thanks all! I will have more pix up soon hopefully at my next update!


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if you plan for the shrimp to breed you will need some fine leaved plants or some mosses! post some pics of it filled with gravel!!!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

Glad you finally got started Goby.....I know you were anxious for it! Not much to comment on yet though. Besides, I know nothing about nano tanks. But anxious to see how it all turns out.

Well, i cant breed amanos, as they need brackish and salt water, right? I am not really willing to go out an get another tank, fill it with stuff, and raise the shrimps in it. Besides, the larvae will be eaten from the betta. I will have many fine leaved plants, and babys tears is one of them. I dunno where i can find moss, maybe at petco, but the moss like thing i saw was not like java moss at all. It might not even be moss!!!

I will update with pictures tomorrow.

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i was given a tub of java moss so far ive only used a pinch, was planing attach alot of it onto a piece of driftwood tomorrow. you can have some for free if you come and pick it up............from australia

hi
woot woot woot woot woot woot

oh, its easy to get plants from mail order and online stores that specialise in this. theyed probably have these in the usa woldnt they? they have a few out here and lots in the uk so id say that theyed have them in the usa.java moss is cheap im suprised you have had trouble getting it

hi
woot woot woot woot woot woot

We do have mail order plant services, particularly one of the best is Arizona Gardens. I however probably wont use them until i must because the shipping is sooo expensive, and we are not used to buying online.....So.....

Anyway....Amanos are the only shrimp i could find over here, besides the fan shrimp, but that will go in my larger tank.

I will try to use my resources i have right now to make this tank a sucess, at least IMO.



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UPDATE: Week 2 of Nano

I have put in Tahitian Moon Sand, and i am going to give it a try. So far it looks pretty nice. The grain size is extremely convienient for me, as it looks perfect IMO.

FTS

Tetra Whisper 10

Clip On Light

Rocks

Watcher My Betta

[link=Malaysian Trumpet Snails]http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t150/GobyFan2007/Nano%205g/DSC_0108-1.jpg[link]

Babys Tears

Temporary Prefilter*

• I will remove the prefilter tomorrow, as i still need it to catch all the fine particles with my flocculant i am using.

Any comments? I know some or many members who have had wayy more experience in fishkeeping than me, have not supported my descision with the Tahitian Moon Sand. I am going to try it first, and if it goes badly, there is not too much to lose. THe filter is only $15 if it ever needs replacement, which I dont think it will. I could always remove the Tahitian Moon Sand if it isnt in my favor. I will add more baby's tears and maybe some other small ground cover like hairgrass. I will be able to find some probably tomorrow or even today. Any comments?

Goby


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looks good...

i think you should have chosen some ind of grey rocks instead of browns to blend better with the modern look...

more plants will look very good and will add more attraction to your tank...

maybe try some higher growing specimens that will create a back drop for you...

over all looks good but lacks life... needs shrimp!!!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

i think you should have chosen some ind of grey rocks instead of browns to blend better with the modern look...

Yes, these are just for a temporary time, and i will replace the brown rocks with a rougher grey granite rock.

more plants will look very good and will add more attraction to your tank...

maybe try some higher growing specimens that will create a back drop for you...

I want to get some more specimens, but i havent been able to go to the LFS to buy plants. I got the sand the last time i was there. I plan to put some cabomba in the back along with some of the red ludwiga i have. If i find anything more exotic, i will get it on first buy! I think they sell some money wort too, so thats a plus....

over all looks good but lacks life... needs shrimp!!!

I think im going to wait until i am sure the tank has somewhat cycled before i get my amanos. I might get some ghost shrimp though before the tank is cycled. They would look good, no?

Thanks Brandeeno for the tips and suggestions! Hopefully by the 27th this tank will be somewhat better looking! Ill add some ludwiga right now....

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The one thing I ask for is that everybody enjoys themselves with the tank, and states the truth about anything and the truth only!

GobyFan,

In this spirit, let me give you my input.

I don't think you have done enough research about planted tanks in general, their needs, scapes, and everything that goes with it. Such a lack of knowledge goes a super long way when trying to work on a more complex setup, and a Nano is complex.

What makes a Nano look good? The right hardscape (rocks and/or wood) and the right plants, in association with the right critters (fish and/or invertebrates). The goal of a Nano is to make it look bigger than live. How are you planning to achieve this? What are you going for, an Iwagumi? From your light question thread I gather that you know rather little about lighting as well, as your current light source for this nano will not allow you to grow "lots of groundcover and high light plants" that are suitable for a small tank that would make "this tank look professional and good".

The biggest challenge when setting up a nano is VISION. You have to know what you are trying to achieve, then you have to find out everything that would be required to get there, and then you will actually do it.

But don't worry, if this setup fails then you can create another one in no time, that is the beauty with a nano, major changes can be done quickly.

Sorry that I am not one of these "looks good" sayers even when it actually looks like nothing much at all yet.

Don't takes this personally though, I don't mean to offend you but someone has to say how it is.

Regards,

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I think it looks cool so far Goby! I like the look of the moon sand & the contrast it has with the rocks & green plants. I know you just started on it & you'll have trials & errors as you go along. You sound like me.......willing to try something, & if it doesn't work out.....you'll try another way. lol

psssst (see if MossMan has anymore weeping moss left to sell)

I wish you luck with what you're doing!

I don't think you have done enough research about planted tanks in general, their needs, scapes, and everything that goes with it.

Youre Probably right, and i really havent done serious extensive research on types of planted tanks in general. My previous tanks were like a "Pot Roast" Style of contribution to the tank. A sort of buy what is OK and looks good with the tank. This is also the first time i have a "High Light" tank. So im kind of a beginner in planting.

Anyways, i decided to do some research, and found that the Iwagumi and Sanzon Iwagumi styles are primarily Rock formations accented with groundcover plants. And yes, this is what i will try to do. I Do have a vision, but the reason with no real vision that can be seen, is that i couldnt find any rocks that are a natural look, that would conform to the Iwagumi Style. I think I DO have one rock, and i am going to put it in, but i dont have any accenting rocks as in the Sanzon Iwagumi. Also the Iwagumi style implicates to use only a few species of plants. I am going with Baby's tears, or as ive seen some people call it (Like its relative) HM, and dwarf hairgrass. I dunno how to keep it like a standing up type of plant, but i like it like a carpeted type of look, and with some rocks, it will look really nice! ATM, i have some red ludwiga in there to keep under high light until after christmas, when i will have a high light 10g.

From your light question thread I gather that you know rather little about lighting as well, as your current light source for this nano will not allow you to grow "lots of groundcover and high light plants"

What you mean by this, i am quite unsure. I am currently using a clip on light with a Screw-In Compact Flourescent that has 26 watts of 6500K Light. I am sure that this is sufficent, even above sufficent! I got the extra wattage to compensate fro the little distance between the actual light and the tank. Is this enough or too much wattage? I have gotten some mixed replys from some people, saying that it is ok to have a whole lot of light, while others say that you should have very minimum light. I am very confused!

Ill try my best to get some pix of the rock i plan to put in. Actually, i do have a pic of it in another tank. THis Is the rock

THanks for the comment and the tips and i hope more posts like this will come in.

~Goby

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that rock looks like coal. got plenty of that in my yard, when we were doing our retaining wall, we dug up alot of it. we live near a coal mine (well there used to be a coal mine near us, over 100 years ago a terrible accident happened, it caved in, traping miners down there, then it closed down). must of missed a few bits. should be alright in the aquarium, people used petrified wood, pretty much the same thing, except its black, and used in more than 80percent of power plants in australia. hmm we just got a new prime minister who signed the kyoto protocol. got a bit to sort out havnt we.

hi
woot woot woot woot woot woot

Hi,
Actually, Coal should not be used in an aquarium. It is
not impervious to water and can leak kerogens into the
water (depending upon what type of coal it is.)

In petrified wood, the cellulose has been replaced
atom for atom by silica (SiO2) and other minerals
until there is nothing remaining that is organic.
Petrified wood is solid stone.

With coal the organic material (wood, leaves, sticks,
swamp muck, etc.) was buried, and baked for millions
of years. It's still organic, that's why it burns.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

that rock looks like coal. got plenty of that in my yard, when we were doing our retaining wall, we dug up alot of it. we live near a coal mine (well there used to be a coal mine near us, over 100 years ago a terrible accident happened, it caved in, traping miners down there, then it closed down). must of missed a few bits. should be alright in the aquarium, people used petrified wood, pretty much the same thing, except its black, and used in more than 80percent of power plants in australia. hmm we just got a new prime minister who signed the kyoto protocol. got a bit to sort out havnt we.

Hi there!

Just so you know, that rock isnt coal, (Others may think it is, trust me). Its polished rocks. Coal would also suck up meds and then leech them out, no? Is that charcoal instead? Also, i think ive been a good fishie, and santa didnt give me coal....I think....:%)

Also, that may be hard with the Kyoto movement, if 80% of the factories are coal based. You might have to invest in Clean Coal. That emits no carbon dioxide, so....

Thanks for the reply!



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OK!!!

Big update

I got a new digital camera for christmas and i immediately took a whole bunch of pix from my nano. Its finally starting to look better!!!

Well, i now have a large amount of groundcover, including the Glossostigma, which i always craved for and was accidentally given to by the LFS instead of Baby's tears. I have added the rock posted above, and made it look natural. I also placed a whole bunch of Babys Tears behind the rock, and took the individual stems of the Glosso and planted them upright. Now ive been reading that it is better to plant horizontally, and i am going to change the ~30 stems from upright to horizontal....

I still have some red ludwigia in the corners, but they are gonna go out soon. I also got some Narrow Leafed Chain Sword, but it looks really big. I am hoping it will shorten due to the high light..... Also, i heard it looks like flowy grass, and that might look nice in an Iwagumi setup.

So far, i will only have 3 species of plants permanently growing in the tank. I hope to either: A) Make cuttings of the Babys Tears; B) Buy some more Babys Tears; or C) buy more Glosso. What do you think would look good in the left side of the tank? I was going to get some more NL Chains, but ill have to see if theres any left.

Finnally, i got some Ghost shrimp for some cleanup and for some life. They are cute little buggers....I really missed shrimps! I will maybe try to breed them, and if at all possible, breed cherries if i can get my hands on some. I still dunno what else could go in this tank. Maybe some small schooling fish? Which ones do you suggest? I was thinking Glolights, but they might grow too big or get too rambunctous. What do you think?

So, without further ado, heres some not so great pix of the tank....

• FTS

• Close up of Glosso

• Ghost Shrimp

• More Ghosts

• HM cutting

Any more Comments? I will be getting the rocks i want tomorrow or sometime this week! Luckily, i know of a great place to get some. I also need info on how to propogate these groundcover plants, as in how to make cuttings. Ive made small cuttings that are about 3-4 cms long. There were few roots though, so i didnt want to kill them. Glosso is going to be planted horizontally for the carpeting effect. Any advice would be great!

Thanks, and Happy Holidays + Happy New Year,

~Goby

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