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I have recently planted a little 3g for my Crowntail betta. Its my first nano type tank, so its a new "adventure" for me. I am starting this log so I can hopefully keep up with the progress of the tank and allow other people to see it as well.

Specs:

*tank=JBJ 3g Picotope tank
*lighting=27w desk lamp with 6500K bulb
*substrate=ADA Aquasoil Amazonia powder type
*Nano filter
*25w Visi-therm Stealth heater
*DIY CO2
*plants as of now=Blyxa japonica, Downoi
*fish=Crowntail Betta named Baloo

Aquasoil

AS in and filled the tank up...I realized at this point that I should have just bought the regular AS and not the powder...its really light weight

Tank cleared up a little and Baloo goes in

plants go in


The AS looks a bit like his betta pellets...


The tank was setup before without plants, so the filter is seasoned...I didn't just throw the Betta in an uncycled tank.
I do plan to add more plants. I will have some HC for the foreground, Ludwigia sp. "Cuba" and Tonina sp. "Belem" for the background. The stems may grow a little too fast and if that happens I'll just get more Blyxa for the back.
I am thinking about moving the rocks up a bit. I think I have them back too far.

I'll update once I get more plants in. Any comments, suggestions? (Be nice )

*Kristin*

I love it! But then I love most tanks with plants & rock & driftwood. Oh.......... well there you go........ you don't have any driftwood? You might try a small piece of that? But I'll still like it even if you don't.

I like it a lot, looking forward to seeing the progress! It's amazing how large a 3g can look in pics. I like the last shot of the betta. Where did you find the picotope tank?

edit: ok I just bought one since you already have it, do you think it's best for a betta or how else would you recommend stocking it?

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Thanks fish patty and Theresa!

Theresa, if not a betta, then I'd probably go with some shrimp. Its kind of shallow once you get substrate in it, but still ok for the betta. Some Micro rasboras might be ok if you don't like the betta or shrimp idea. Here is a list of small nano fish. I think the Boraras brigittae and Boraras maculatus are cute little fish.

It does look bigger in pictures. I should have taken the heater out for the picture, but didn't. I'll have to show a picture of the tank and the light fixture together sometime...my pictures didn't turn out so well from the other day. One thing I don't like about the tank is that it has a bowfront, so its kind of hard to take good pictures...but I try.

edit: The filter that comes with it isn't too powerful, so its perfect for a betta. But if you wanted something else that is small, it would be ok for that too. My little guy built a bubble nest today, so I guess he's happy with the tank.

*Kristin*

That's a great start Kristin, and a nice selection of plants, though I'd tend to just stick with 2-3 varieties, as too many plants in a small tank can look cluttered. Add the HC to what you have now and I think it would be perfect.

p.s. the stealth heater is a little more stealthy when you face the letters the other way

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Thanks for the link to the fish list

I already have a 2.5g similar setup (here). It's my husband's favorite tank so I'm buying the Picotope for him as a gift. It'll end up in our bedroom or on his desk at work.

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

GirlieGirl- I loved that list you put on here. There were some beautiful fish there! Thanks.

Speaking of nano fish, I'm kind of surprised that I haven't heard more about Endlers Livebearers on here. I was looking them up the other day & they are beautiful little fish! Unfortunately, they're feared extinct in the wild, so you have to order them online or from a breeder or they may accidently show up in a group of feeder guppies. One good thing about them is they should be cheap as they reproduce as fast as guppies!

Someday when I give in to MTS I'm going to explore these little guys further.

Oh No! I finally said "when" instead of "if"!

I actually used to breed Endler's. They will cross-breed, so it's often difficult to find pure Endler's. Often only males are available to purchase. If you're interested in more Endler info PM me.

And Girlie, sorry about hijacking you're thread

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

And Girlie, sorry about hijacking you're thread

In that case, I am too. I do it all the time.

But it's so easy for one subject to lead into another!

To not do that, I would have to not ask certain questions or make certain comments. But I learn so much that way! Since I don't really know the ropes yet, how do I get out of taking over a thread, but still be able to make comments & ask questions?

Girlie,

I like this tank very much. Some HC in the foreground would look great. I'm looking forward to seeing this one mature.

Threads like this are motivating me to pull my 2.5 Gallon out and make a nano with it.

-Rick

Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

I looked up these tanks as I'm looking for a little home for a betta. I noticed they don't come withh a hood/top. What are you doing for this, aren't bettas a little "jumpy"?

Neither of the two bettas I kept in this type of tank jumped. I do have to watch the water level though because of faster evaporation.

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Thanks for looking everyone!

the stealth heater is a little more stealthy when you face the letters the other way

Yes, I realized this after I took the pictures, but I decided to turn the heater after I took them, instead of taking more pictures. The heater is a little big, but I like to keep my betta toasty...too bad the darn thing takes up so much room.

Matty, I'm really thinking that when the HC goes in, I'll just add more Blyxa to the back and call it done. I'm actually rethinking the stem plants now that I have them ordered....but I'll have another tank to put them in soon, so may just have to stick with 3 types of plants. I actually do like it the way it is now, but will like it more with a foreground.

imrandy: I am leaving it without a hood. I had the betta in a 10g QT tank to begin with and it didn't have a hood, so I don't worry about him jumping. I also have a betta in my 29g that is open top and he hasn't jumped yet. The only problem is evaporation and I'm finding that its much worse (or seems worse) in this small tank, than it is in my 29g open top (guess since there is less water volume). But I dont have a problem adding some water every day.

And Girlie, sorry about hijacking you're thread

Its alright. I don't mind at all.

*Kristin*

It looks great, although, I would be against adding more blyxa. Once it settles in, it will overtake the aquascape in such a small tank (I've tried it). Also, I can't believe you splurged on ADA soil .

Again, very nice.

New pictures! (Please excuse the reflection of the camera on the back...I've found its hard to take decent pictures of this tank)

I got some new plants in: Tonina sp. Belem and HC (Hemianthus callitrichoides)...the Ludwigia hasn't come yet.



(I need to top the tank off...)

I love the Tonina!

It almost didn't fit in the tank....so probably won't stay long if it grows fast. I'll have to move some to my 38g, hopefully it will grow in there.

The HC was pearling this evening...you can see a small bubble near the left:

And it wasn't from a water change

Baloo made this for me last week:


The HC still has to spread, so it doesn't look great right now, but thats how its progressing. I'll update more as it fills in.

If anyone is interested to know, I figured out the dosing for some of my ferts. I used [url=http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_dosage_calc.htm]Chuck Gadd's calculator[/url] to figure out how much i need to mix. Then I mixed 2 tablespoons of KNO3 in 250ml of water and dosing 1 ml will give me about 7ppm of nitrate. I mixed 2 tablespoons of KSO4 in 250ml of water and dosing 4ml gives me about 20ppm of potassium. I actually could just dose 3ml since I get K from the KNO3 too, but I am pretty sure you can't overdo the potassium. And I'll be dosing 0.3ml of Excel. Hopefully my plants will love the ferts. I just need to figure out how much Flourish to dose...but will do that tomorrow.

Also, I can't believe you splurged on ADA soil

Well the main reason for that was because I wanted the Tonina...since the ADA lowers the pH. I know there are other ways to lower it, but Aquasoil for this small of a tank wasn't that much. I would never be able to afford it on a bigger tank.
I'll take your advice on the Blyxa. The Tonina may not stay in this tank long...we'll see. Its a tad big for it.

Thanks for looking!

*Kristin*

Looks like your tank is coming along great!!! I think it looks really cool. I have a male betta who inhabits a 2 gallon tank on my desk. It is not plants like yours though. I really like the way it is coming out so I will keep looking into this thread! Great thread!

I hadn't seen your latest pics until today, looks very nice

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean