Newbie - need advice

[bobkyaw]

Hi All,

Started my first 5l planted tank 1 month ago and failed miserably.

This is my second attempt setting up planted tank. Pls advice and guide me to right direction.
This will be low tech planted tank.

tank size: 25cm x 25cm x 30cm

top layer : 1-3mm gravel (2 - 4cm thick)
middle : thin layer of peat (less than .5cm thick)
base : ADA aquasoil Amazonia ( 3 - 4cm thick)

light : LED light (photo attached)

estimate water volume : ~ 15 liters

temp : 79' ~ 84'

tap water parameters:
PH : ~ 7.4
Ammonia : .5 ppm
Nitrite : .5 ppm
Nitrate : 5 ppm
KH : 3
GH : 8

plants :
- baby dwarf tears
- short hair grass
- anubias
- some background plants

Setup is only 2 days old. No live stock yet, plan to add after one month given plants are doing ok.

I dosed ferts as below using this EI method calculator (EI low light/weekly):
Flourish : 1 ml
Flourish Nitrogen : 2 ml
Flourish Potassium : 3 ml
Flourish Phosphorus : 4 ml

Flourish Excel : 0.4 ml (daily but don't do initial dosage)

light duration : 6 hours daily

w/c : 50% weekly

* is above regime ok? EI method and seachem instructed dosage are quite different; which one should I follow?

* And should I apply same regime with live stocks?

Really appreciate your advices and correct me if I am doing wrong.

thanks.
Bob

 

[Bonzo]

Nice Dutch style planted tank. They are a lot less popular today than it used to be. I like the lay out and the tank should look really nice once the plants fill in. I think you have glosso instead of dwarf baby tears(HC). You might want to find a way to supply co2 to your glosso other than excel because glosso in my experience is quite demanding. They will grow tall instead of carpeting with out adequate light and co2. The tank is really lovely and I look forward to any updates. Hope everything works out for you. What are you gonna stock the tank with?

 

[bobkyaw]

Hey Bonzo,

Thanks, its difficult to differentiate. I already have some resident in my failed 5l tank.
I plan to transfer them a month later.

- 4 x guppy (spawning)
- 4 x neon tetra
- 2 x minnow
- 2 x unknown
- 1 x otto
- 6 x red shrmp (spawning)

Well, this will be low tech tank, so didn't plan on co2. Should I swap out the glosso?
Am I adding too much ferts?

 

[bobkyaw]

Update!

Tank is now a week old. Nothing change much.

Light is on for 7 hours a day and tank receive subtle natural light.

dose .4 ml Excel and .3 ml Flourish Iron every day

Tank water parameter before water change:
PH: ~ 7.4 <-- no change
Ammonia: ~ 3 ppm <-- is this from soil leeching?
Nitrite: ~ 1 ppm <-- leeching?
Nitrate: ~ 30 ppm

KH: 3' <-- no change
GH: ~ <-- having problem testing it. Test till 70 drops and color didn't change from orange to green. Used new test tube too. Might be regent is not working? previous test is last year; 8' GH at that time.

Done 50% water change.

HOB filter has only polishing pad. Should I put biological medium?

Vallisneria looks like melting. Is this adjusting to tank or caused by Excel? no initial dose.

Glossostigma, some leaves are yellowing but see growth on some.

Hairgrass are yellowing.

I see some BBA (I think) on Anubias and Glosso leaves.

Other plants are doing fine; still green.

planned fert dosage now:
Flourish: 2 x .3 ml a week
Nitrogen: 1 x .2ml a week <-- should I?
Potassium: 2 x .6 ml a week
Phosphorus: 1 x .4 ml a week

Need any changes? what's next?

 

[Fat Homer]

I agree i don't think you have Dwarf Baby Tears in your tank... the leaves look a little too large to be HC...

Now although i can't give you much info on your tank, i can tell you that the Hair Grass and Dwarf Baby Tears (If you had it) wouldn't work without actual Co2 injection unit... i tried to go that route with both plants in the past, and failed miserably with both till i started using actual Co2...

With that being said, if you are aiming for a carpet effect, there are other plants that could achieve this without Co2, such as some of the mosses, although the carpet may come out looking a little different to say a HC carpet...