Co2 And Lighting Advice Please

[juhill]

Hi

I should (finally!) receive my pfk nano tank this week. I want to make it a planted tank. I've had moderate success with my 10 gallon but haven't gone to town with it.

I've been reading and reading and reading on here but...

I just can't get my head around the lighting and CO2. I want to get the Nutrifin thingy and make my own mix up. There's no way I want to go with a pressurised system due to cost and refills. Then I read that if you leave the CO2 running overnight it can mess your ph up which the fish won't like. So what do I do? I can't turn the CO2 thing off during the night can I? I want nice plants but I don't want to risk upsetting fish. They are the reason I got a tank in the first place.

And then, the lighting thing! Will the light that comes with the tank be enough? I really don't want to be messing around modifying it if I can help it. I just want to get some nice plants growing and have the tank instead of a bedside lamp. Which brings me to another point. Is the Nutrifin CO2 thing noisy? I have a tetratec pump on my other tank as that is also in my bedroom and I sleep through that okay but I plan to have the nano next to my head.

For stocking, I was planning on having a betta in there on it's own but I would really like to have corys as I can't put them in my other tank because of the substrate and it's fully stocked already. But then I read that you should put salt in with bettas but I don't think corys like salt.

Actually, the more I read the worse it is. I was fine till I found this forum. I used to be happy with 1 tank...

You guys did help me to fishless cycle it though

 

[Dave Spencer]

Leaving the CO2 on 24/7 will give you a stable pH. It is when it is switched off during lights out that the degassing of CO2 from the water will cause a rise in pH, but even this shouldn`t be a problem, as any rise will be gradual.

I don`t know what lights come with the tank, seeing as I didn`t qualify for one, but they are not likely to make it a high light tank. You will be able to grow most green stem plants, Java Moss and Java Fern (see pinned topics for easy plants).

There is no reason why you can`t produce a nice set up using the the tank equipment and adding Nutrafin CO2.

What type of filter and heater does it come with?

Dave.

 

[juhill]

Leaving the CO2 on 24/7 will give you a stable pH. It is when it is switched off during lights out that the degassing of CO2 from the water will cause a rise in pH, but even this shouldn`t be a problem, as any rise will be gradual.

I don`t know what lights come with the tank, seeing as I didn`t qualify for one, but they are not likely to make it a high light tank. You will be able to grow most green stem plants, Java Moss and Java Fern (see pinned topics for easy plants).

There is no reason why you can`t produce a nice set up using the the tank equipment and adding Nutrafin CO2.

What type of filter and heater does it come with?

Dave.

Thanks Dave

I don't know what filter it comes with or if it comes with a heater, so long ago I can't remember. I've got a 25w aquaone heater (I think) which should be fine. Even if I add CO2 am I still not going to be able to grow anything more than java fern and moss? Gutted.

Julie

 

[Dave Spencer]

Looks like I gave the wrong impression about plants. Try this list from Llj:

Foreground

java moss
Christmas moss
Willow moss
Marsilea quadrifolia
Hemianthus micranthemoides (can grow towards the light or behave and stay a lovely little bush). Mine behave.
Hemianthus callitrichoides (same as HM)
Small cryptocorynes (parva, lutea, lucens, etc)
Anubia petite nana

Midground

Mid-sized crypts (wendtii, others, excellent plant)
Barclaya longifolia (can get big, can also behave)
Nymphaea species (must be taught to behave, otherwise a background plant)
Anubias (barterii, coffeefolia, barterii var nana, others)
Anubia gracilis (does better emersed rather than submerged)
Java fern
Bolbitis heudelotii (when small a midground)

Background plants

Most hygrophile species
rotala rotundifolia
Egeria densa
Egeria najas
Limnophila sessilifolia and indica and aquatica
Hydrocotyle leucocephala (Brazilian pennywort)
Nymphaea species
Amazon swords
Bacopa species
Bolbitis heudlotii (when full grown, a very slow grower)
Alternantera reineckii (striking plant, can do low-light with CO2)
Vallisneria (americana, asiatica, spiralis)
Some Sagittaria species

Dave.

 

[juhill]

Brilliant! I'd better start doing some more reading.

Thanks Dave

Looks like I gave the wrong impression about plants. Try this list from Llj:

Foreground

java moss
Christmas moss
Willow moss
Marsilea quadrifolia
Hemianthus micranthemoides (can grow towards the light or behave and stay a lovely little bush). Mine behave.
Hemianthus callitrichoides (same as HM)
Small cryptocorynes (parva, lutea, lucens, etc)
Anubia petite nana

Midground

Mid-sized crypts (wendtii, others, excellent plant)
Barclaya longifolia (can get big, can also behave)
Nymphaea species (must be taught to behave, otherwise a background plant)
Anubias (barterii, coffeefolia, barterii var nana, others)
Anubia gracilis (does better emersed rather than submerged)
Java fern
Bolbitis heudelotii (when small a midground)

Background plants

Most hygrophile species
rotala rotundifolia
Egeria densa
Egeria najas
Limnophila sessilifolia and indica and aquatica
Hydrocotyle leucocephala (Brazilian pennywort)
Nymphaea species
Amazon swords
Bacopa species
Bolbitis heudlotii (when full grown, a very slow grower)
Alternantera reineckii (striking plant, can do low-light with CO2)
Vallisneria (americana, asiatica, spiralis)
Some Sagittaria species

Dave.