Wanting To Go All Out On My 5 Gallon

[Gurglar]

Alright i'm a noob when it comes to plants i've only got some easy plants in my 44 gallon tank and don't have Co2 or soil or anything but am wanting to learn more about plants so thought i'd go all out on my little 5 gallon (20 litre) tank to get the hang of it all and will be a little bit cheaper than starting out on a big tank.

Now with the lights for a 5 gallon tank if I get atleast a 10watt light that should be a fair amount of wattage to grow almost anything in the tank at 2WPG? What sort of globe should I get cause I noticed you can get all sorts like daytime ones etc.??

Now with the nutrients if I dose the tank with Seachem Flourish and Seachem Excel will I still need a good soil like Eco or can I use a normal gravel and add some Seachem Flourish tabs into the gravel instead of using a proper soil or am I best off skipping the tabs and getting the soil??

If i'm dosing the tank with Seachem Excel will I need to run Co2 still? If I do run Co2 where can I get a system for my size tank and should I still add the Seachem Excel?

Also filtration should I go the normal 4-6 turnover rate or go for a bigger filter for a planted tank?

I want it setup so it will be able to handle some fairly hard plants even if I don't begin with them at the start just so I know my setup will be able to handle. So if someone could help me out on everything it would be greatly appreciated

 

[shrimply]

I suggest you take the time to read through the pinned topics they tell you everything you need to know ( and more) and then ask specific questions.

 

[Gurglar]

First post is now editted to more specific questions

 

[aaronnorth]

due to minimum light threshold wpg doesnt work on tanks under 10g.

http/www.rexgrigg.com/mlt.html

most use an 18w light (2 arc pods)

daytime is a white light, others have differet kelvin temperatures so choose which colour you want. like a 4000k which will bring otu the reds more. although i think arc pods are standard at 6700k


adding the soil from the start will make it much easier, tabs get expensive. you only need to spend anything from £3-£15 on the substrate for a tank that size.
at the lower end is cat litter & akadama. At the higher end you can use JBL aquabasis+ or tetraplant.

You can use liquid carbon as an alternative, it isnt as good but it will do if you stick to 18w. runing both people usually do that to ensure enough carbon is in the tank and as a mild algaecide.

10x turnover. most use a HOB filter on this size tank, but some go for "proper" external filters and glassware.

this is similar to your tank which George Farmer set up

http/www.ukaps.org/featured-scape002.htm

 

[Gurglar]

Thanks for the reply i've been on another forum and have got a few ideas from them and i'm in Australia so a couple of things are abit different to what I can get here.

The soil i'm gonna use is ADA soil which is supposed to be one of the best.

I'm gonna go with a litte disposable Co2 system where I just have to buy the cartridges was told this is probably the best way cause the tank is small so they should last a while before they need to be replaced.

The filter I have on the tank now should do the trick I think its atleast a 200lph hang on.

Now with the lights I can't find a site that sells the arc pods in Australia and the best thing I can find is a 12" light that can hold 2 tubes but I can only find 8WATT tubes so will 16WATTS be sufficient enough??

 

[aaronnorth]

16w should be fine,

the trouble with those cannisters is that they sometimes need filling twice a day and there is no way to regulate how much you inject, because it slowly dissolves over the course of the day through a bell system which arent great.
a DIY system would be better.

 

[Gurglar]

Found a different light for even cheaper that has 2x24W lights in it so am going with that.

I think i'll try the disposable system and see how it goes cause i'm not real good with DIY so will give it a go if it don't work out i'll think about a DIY system.

 

[aaronnorth]

make sure you can run individual tubes, as most run 2 tubes of 1 switch.

here are some DIY guides:

http/www.fishforever.co.uk/carbondioxide.html

http/www.aquatic-eden.com/2006/10/build-...-generator.html

or you can buy a nutrafin kit which is the same but costs 10x as much

 

[Gurglar]

Yeah the light runs off 2 switches.

With the DIY Co2 only thing i'm really worried about is there is no way to really control how much is going into the tank is there? Also noticed there is 2 bottles in one of those links and only 1 bottle in the other one so do I just use one or two?

Is the mixture always 1 teaspoon of yeast and 2 cups of sugar then fill the bottle almost full? Is it really necessary to use silicon around the tubing in the cap or is it safe to do what was done and just make sure the hole is small and a really tight fit for the tube?

Also liked the overflow bottle idea but doubt i'd be able to do that without silicon properly.

 

[aaronnorth]

there isnt a way to control how mcuh is going in the tank with disposable either. You have to fill the bell jar, getting that exactly right each day to 30ppm is tough. it may not even dissolve quick enough - or in some cases it needs filling twice a day.

The nmber of bottles depends on the size of the tank, larger tanks need more CO2 (bottles). 1 should be enough on your tank size. the mixture is always the same - that is for a 2litre bottle - you fill 3/4 with luke warm water - about 26-30C

I have never used silicone. i hammered a nail through the cap until it was 5mm. i then cut the end of the airline at a 45 degree angle, poke it through and pulled the rest through with pliers, this ensures a tight enough fir.

 

[Gurglar]

Well I might give the DIY a shot and see how it goes.

How do you know if there is enough Co2 going in or not enough like how do I measure it to keep an eye on it?

Are you saying you have to refill the DIY Co2 bottle every single day with a new mixture??

 

[aaronnorth]

see the "drop checker" guide in my signature.

I meant you have to refill the bell jar diffuser twice a day (for the disposable set ups). DIY can be done once a week.

 

[Gurglar]

Thanks for everything mate i've ordered my soil, in the process of ordering the light and hoping I can get both of them before the weekend.

I've got the yeast, sugar, bottle and tubing all ready to make up for the Co2 and am ordering a drop checker off ebay that comes with the solution already to mix up.

So we will see how it all turns out thanks again.