Change of Plans

[Guest anthony]

ok guys, thankyou to all that posted their input on my other post about this 10 gallon nano project.

 

 

***********Ok, i have realized that since i am not too familiar with saltwater, i think it would be best if i started this nano as a freshwater and later maybe in a few months go to a saltwater. so thats it i am now aiming to do a freshwater nano with an amazon theme, any pointers or do's and don'ts would be appreciated. Thank you

[chefthomasr]

With amazonian fish, you need to use blackwater extract. It recreates the soft water needed for most amazonian fish. Also, I would plant some live plants and use a planted aquarium substrate. And I would definately use t5 or pc lighting. For reference, you might look up Takashi Amano. He has done some amazing things with small tanks. Good luck.

 

Thomas

[F&Fmgr]

Go check out GWAPA's website...greater washington aquatic plant association.

[Guest anthony]

With amazonian fish, you need to use blackwater extract. It recreates the soft water needed for most amazonian fish. Also, I would plant some live plants and use a planted aquarium substrate. And I would definately use t5 or pc lighting. For reference, you might look up Takashi Amano. He has done some amazing things with small tanks. Good luck.

 

Thomas

 

ok cool, thanks, can you explain a little bit about blackwater extract, im not too sure that i have heard of that before. also if i had live plants what is the cheapest price for a decent light i could get that would be good for plants?

Edited October 30, 2006 by anthony

[Guest Larry-T]

With amazonian fish, you need to use blackwater extract.

 

Actually, 90% or more of "Amazonian fish" are tank raised in less than Amazonian water conditions. I routinely spawn such fish in my pH 7.6, 180ppm tap water.

 

Due to environmental conditions, most freshwater fish are far more adaptable to changing water conditions than are marine organisms.

 

Best wishes;

[Guest anthony]

Actually, 90% or more of "Amazonian fish" are tank raised in less than Amazonian water conditions. I routinely spawn such fish in my pH 7.6, 180ppm tap water.

 

Due to environmental conditions, most freshwater fish are far more adaptable to changing water conditions than are marine organisms.

 

Best wishes;

 

 

ok cool thats good to know, now about a light do you think im gonna need a t5 or PC light or what, can someone please suggest a good light that i can use to keep plants without spending a ton of money on it?

[keeperofthefish]

If you have any DIY know-how, I'd go to www.ahsupply.com for PC lights. Otherwise, the Coralife all-in-one units aren't bad. I'd also suggest that you go with at least a 20 gallon long tank. Parameters on tanks smaller than that are too hard to keep stable--with fresh or saltwater--and should really be left to experts. It is kind of counter-intuitive, but the bigger the easier in some respects (not always true with saltwater!). A great book that I recommend is David Boruchowitz's "The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums." This is the best book on the subject for a beginner and you will know a TON when you're done reading.

[Guest anthony]

so what would you guess be as to how much i will have to spend to get a decent light that will be benificial to plants and fish?

[tygger]

When it comes to FW, a lot of people use the watts per gallon rule of thumb. I believe if you can achieve 5w/gallon, you can keep most plants. At that point, you may need to supplement CO2...

 

Regarding the black water extract, I think a couple pieces of driftwood wood do the trick.

 

It's been a while since I kept a planted fw tank so someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Not to change your mind again... but when I started out with a 10g nano, it was my first sw tank. I got it from a friend who moved out of the area so I had no knowledge of sw.

 

Once you get it setup, I really don't think it's much more difficult to maintain than a fw tank. If you keep a fish only with live rock tank, you really don't need any special lighting either. I didn't even have a skimmer on my 10g... just did basic water changes with distilled water (and salt mix of course) every 2 weeks and kept a couple gallons of distilled water on hand for top offs. Did 1 (sometimes 2) gallon water changes... simple stuff. Just stock up on bottle water.

 

And best of all, you'll have support from this group.

Edited October 30, 2006 by tygger

[Guest anthony]

When it comes to FW, a lot of people use the watts per gallon rule of thumb. I believe if you can achieve 5w/gallon, you can keep most plants. At that point, you may need to supplement CO2...

 

Regarding the black water extract, I think a couple pieces of driftwood wood do the trick.

 

It's been a while since I kept a planted fw tank so someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Not to change your mind again... but when I started out with a 10g nano, it was my first sw tank. I got it from a friend who moved out of the area so I had no knowledge of sw.

 

Once you get it setup, I really don't think it's much more difficult to maintain than a fw tank. If you keep a fish only with live rock tank, you really don't need any special lighting either. I didn't even have a skimmer on my 10g... just did basic water changes with distilled water (and salt mix of course) every 2 weeks and kept a couple gallons of distilled water on hand for top offs. Did 1 (sometimes 2) gallon water changes... simple stuff. Just stock up on bottle water.

 

And best of all, you'll have support from this group.

 

wow! thanks a lot for the info tygger it really helps . so i take it that i am not gonna need to go and spend 85dollars on a fancy light then correct?

[tygger]

No prob.

 

Nope, you won't need to spend $85 on lights if you only plan on keeping fish. Actually, I was able to keep zoos, xenia and mushrooms using just two normal output flourescent fixtures. I'm talking about the regular 15w bulbs that come with normal 10g setups. I stuck two on top of the tank and kept the corals high up in the tank and they flourished.

 

Here's what I had... you can use it as an outline. Aquaclear 50 hob filter, 2 maxijet 400 powerheads, 50w heater, 15-20lbs liverock, 5-10lbs sand, normal output light.

 

fyi - If you become a member, you'll have access to the "for sale" section and can find great deals on liverock, coral, equipment, etc.

[Guest anthony]

No prob.

 

Nope, you won't need to spend $85 on lights if you only plan on keeping fish. Actually, I was able to keep zoos, xenia and mushrooms using just two normal output flourescent fixtures. I'm talking about the regular 15w bulbs that come with normal 10g setups. I stuck two on top of the tank and kept the corals high up in the tank and they flourished.

 

Here's what I had... you can use it as an outline. Aquaclear 50 hob filter, 2 maxijet 400 powerheads, 50w heater, 15-20lbs liverock, 5-10lbs sand, normal output light.

 

fyi - If you become a member, you'll have access to the "for sale" section and can find great deals on liverock, coral, equipment, etc.

 

 

ok cool, i was actually looking at the "maineland eclipse 1" its pretty loaded and sounds good, have you heard anything on it?

[Guest Larry-T]

ok cool, i was actually looking at the "maineland eclipse 1" its pretty loaded and sounds good, have you heard anything on it?

 

Anthony,

 

I see you live in Rockville. I'm just North of you in Montgomery Village and I have a large number of "tanks" (some are just jars with fry) including a lot of small, planted tanks with fish that flourish in them. It you'd like to come up and see my fishroom this weekend, I can probably give you some ideas.

[Guest anthony]

Anthony,

 

I see you live in Rockville. I'm just North of you in Montgomery Village and I have a large number of "tanks" (some are just jars with fry) including a lot of small, planted tanks with fish that flourish in them. It you'd like to come up and see my fishroom this weekend, I can probably give you some ideas.

 

 

sure let me see what days i can come over but montgomery village are those apartments right? i think by that middle school? because if they are then i know exactly where your at

Edited October 31, 2006 by anthony

[Guest Larry-T]

sure let me see what days i can come over but montgomery village are those apartments right? i think by that middle school? because if they are then i know exactly where your at

 

No, Montgomery Village is a large community with delusions of being a separate city. There are a number of apartment/condo development, lots of townhouse developments, and even some clusters of single-family homes.

 

I'll give you exact directions when we determine via PM when you want to drop over.

 

Here's a tip: Don't drink coffee when trying to strip fry from a mouthbrooding betta.

[jason the filter freak]

Montgomery Village, good ol feildcrest rd, cop freakin central durning G-burgs prom night

[Guest Dr. Fu Manchu]

If you havent already check out www.theplantedtank.com

excellent info on that site regarding freshwater planted tanks.

I used to have a 90 gal. highly planted tank and bred Apistogramma Cocatuoides Dwarf cichlids and got alot of valuable info from this site. Also you might want to do a google search for Takashi Amano if you need some aquascape inspiration. Best of luck to you in your endeavors.

Edited November 30, 2006 by Dr. Fu Manchu