What To Do Now?

[catxx]

this is my little planted tank (one of four mini-planted tanks) this one has been going to the longest
and the vallis has gone a bit mad, i've taken two cuttings of runners off it to put in other tanks which are now also going mad!

the tank is 7.5 gallons, nothing special about it, made by Mirabello, no c02, got the light in it it came with, i do feed the plants though (liquid and JML tablets, but not at the same time generally), water changes once a week.

anyway, what shall i do next with it? it's current occupiers are these guys. they've been there about 6 months now and i've never attempted to catch them (so that'll be fun).

there was a betta but he passed away this week, so i've decided to take this opportunity to improve on this. the otos LOVE all the plants so i still want it to be a jungle. any suggestions???!!!!

also, why have these leaves gone like this:

 

[Themuleous]

It never fails to amaze me how much variation you can have in nano tanks, despite their size. This scape is really nice, simple yet effective.

As to whats next, what do you want from this tank? Packed full of plants? or just something to keep the fish happy?

There are lots of nano journals on here, having a read of them would also give you some ideas (there is a link to mine in my sig )

Sam

 

[catxx]

your nano looks awesome!
a shame i can't do the same kind of lighting rig on this tank, fixed hinged lid, and i'm going to get another betta in there (jumpy hehe). am going to attempt a diy reflective something around the light inside the tank at some point.

what would you recommend substrate wise? on a budget of nothing at all? i'm getting bored of pea gravel! and how deep?

 

[Themuleous]

Substrate wise, you've got two options really. A complete plant substrate like eco-complete or ADA aqua soil, both of which are relatively expensive compared to other options, but are the best for the plants. Or you could have a base layer/mixed substrate. A base layer would be something like the new tropica one or JBL aquabasis, over which you have gravel or sand. Or you could mix something like laterite into the gravel. This is cheaper but not as effective as the plant roofs have to 'find' the nutrients. If you're on a budget, I would get the tropica base layer and put fine (3mm) gravel over the top, that will help the plants but not break the bank. It also means you have the choice of what colour gravel you put over the top, 100% black looks nice against the green of the plants.

Sam

 

[catxx]

oohh that sounds nice, all black.

shall i stick with the plants i've got? i'm going to give the vallis and the big-leafed one (that i keep forgetting the name of) a trim, theres some super long leaves and some dead ones, i just need to get off my backside and do it!

do you think i'll need c02 in the future even though these have grown without?

and what IS the big leafed thing in the foreground with weird spotty leaves?

SO MANY QUESTIONS!!

 

[Dude]

oohh that sounds nice, all black.

shall i stick with the plants i've got? i'm going to give the vallis and the big-leafed one (that i keep forgetting the name of) a trim, theres some super long leaves and some dead ones, i just need to get off my backside and do it!

do you think i'll need c02 in the future even though these have grown without?

and what IS the big leafed thing in the foreground with weird spotty leaves?

SO MANY QUESTIONS!!

i have black gravel and it looks awesome agains the green plants
it makes everything stand out

as far as co2 it depends on what plants your gona get
if your sticking to the plants you have now then you dont have to get it... but it would help (but i wouldnt)

and i have no clue what is up with the spotty leaves

probably some sort of algea

 

[lljdma06]

What type of lighting is in your tanks fixture? Your otos and I are in agreement, I enjoy the jungle look to the tank. As some of us have been discussing in other threads, your lighting is an important factor in determining what kind of plants you can have and how you should go about rescaping. As Sam pointed out, there are quite a few of us here that have nano tanks and most of us have journals.

llj

 

[catxx]

yeah, i have pretty basic lighting, i posted a thread on here before ages ago to see if i could improve on it, turns out i couldn't.

*finds thread*

there you go.
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=136622

 

[Themuleous]

Co2 aint essential, especially if you stick with what you've got. If this is your first planted tank, perhaps its a good idea to stick with the plants you have and some other easy to grow one. Once you've got the hang of it, think about moving onto more demanding plants.

Sam