This will be the journal for my 6 gal NPT low tech Betta tank. This tank is mainly going to be used as a learning experience for my 9 yr old son and, well, because he really wants a betta. We have a 110 gal brackish tank that he loves but it's so big that it's hard to get him too involved with the maintanence of it. This will also be my first attempt at a planted tank, so wish me luck.
The original plan was to just do a low tech tank with a few easy plants like java fern, java moss and anubias nano. After reading more into the naturally planted tank concept of a soil base and sand cap with lots of stem plants and the lessened requirements for ferts and other additives, we were intrigued, so down that road we went.
Details:
6 gal Eheim Aquastyle Aquarium, includes a corner filter and LED light (6500k, 7W)
50 W Tetra submersible heater
Soil - Miracle Grow Organic
Sand - Black Aquarium Sand from Petco
Planned Stocking:
(1) Betta
(3-5) MTS
(5) Red Cherry Shrimp
(2) Assassin Snails (after the tank is established to control the MTS)
So we ordered the tank from Amazon last week and weren't expecting it until late this week, but low and behold, it showed up Saturday. Off we went to the LFS to get the remainder of the equipment and the wood. We thought about picking up the plants and snails as well, but weren't sure how much of a mess the soil and sand base would make and decided we'd go back today if everything went well. I'm glad we decided to wait though, because we've already encountered our first setback. As you can see in the picture above, the tank is clear and the wood looks great after boiling it, but there is one thing wrong, the pump doesn't work. When we started the filter up, the pump was making a rattling noise and no water was coming out. I've contacted Eheim, but there is definitely something wrong with the pump. The impeller just kind of bounces around in the housing and never actually spins. Pretty disappointing from a company that has the reputation for well engineered equipment like Eheim, but hey things happen.
So, once we get the pump issue situated, we'll continue with the journal. The plan is to have a variety of stem plants like rotala indica, ludwigia, cabomba and wisteria covering about 70% of the tank with a little java moss and anubias tied to the wood.
The original plan was to just do a low tech tank with a few easy plants like java fern, java moss and anubias nano. After reading more into the naturally planted tank concept of a soil base and sand cap with lots of stem plants and the lessened requirements for ferts and other additives, we were intrigued, so down that road we went.
Details:
6 gal Eheim Aquastyle Aquarium, includes a corner filter and LED light (6500k, 7W)
50 W Tetra submersible heater
Soil - Miracle Grow Organic
Sand - Black Aquarium Sand from Petco
Planned Stocking:
(1) Betta
(3-5) MTS
(5) Red Cherry Shrimp
(2) Assassin Snails (after the tank is established to control the MTS)
So we ordered the tank from Amazon last week and weren't expecting it until late this week, but low and behold, it showed up Saturday. Off we went to the LFS to get the remainder of the equipment and the wood. We thought about picking up the plants and snails as well, but weren't sure how much of a mess the soil and sand base would make and decided we'd go back today if everything went well. I'm glad we decided to wait though, because we've already encountered our first setback. As you can see in the picture above, the tank is clear and the wood looks great after boiling it, but there is one thing wrong, the pump doesn't work. When we started the filter up, the pump was making a rattling noise and no water was coming out. I've contacted Eheim, but there is definitely something wrong with the pump. The impeller just kind of bounces around in the housing and never actually spins. Pretty disappointing from a company that has the reputation for well engineered equipment like Eheim, but hey things happen.
So, once we get the pump issue situated, we'll continue with the journal. The plan is to have a variety of stem plants like rotala indica, ludwigia, cabomba and wisteria covering about 70% of the tank with a little java moss and anubias tied to the wood.
