7 gal planted tank - new setup

[mikhail]

Hi,

I'm a newbie in the planted tank hobby. I started with an all fish tank - no plants... later used plastic plants... then only recently (1 month ago) start planting real ones. Here' s my first attempt on planted tank - see attached photo. Kindly feedback for improvements.

Flora
1. Rotal rotundofolia (growing well)
2. Ludwigia arcuata (slow growing)
3. Micranthemum micranthemoides (growing well)
4. Anubias nana (on drift wood)
5. Red tiger lotus (growing well, leaves getting bigger)
6. Xmas moss (attached on drift wood - growing well)
7. Hair grass (newly planted 1 wk ago)

Fauna
1. 8 male guppies
2. 5 cardinals
3. 1 Otocinclus
4. 1 SAE
5. 10+ shrimps (Yamato and Cherries)

Is my setup ok?

Regards

[Simon]

think you will have problems with those that stemmed plants. if it was me, I will choose one.. but thats just me

[mikhail]

Appreciate your feedback. The reason that I post this is I want somebody to help check if what I'm doing is okay. B'coz I'm still new, I expect a lot of mistakes. At least, I still have time to correct them. right?

May I know what kind of problems will I face in the future with this setup? If you are to choose one stemmed plant, what would you recommend (for a small tank like this @ 22 watts of ligthing)? Are there any issues on the other plants? how about the fishes?

[adrodema]

hmm, some foreground plants in the future would be nice as well..

alternatively, some moss on Stainless steel sheets ala Nevada's setup could work.

[|squee|]

From the looks of it, your plants are allright now. I suppose you have the usual liquid fert and C02 injection? If not, you could setup a seperate thread to ask about this

Good job on the scaping for a first time effort! One note, the lotus will grow out of proportion to your tank. Removing it will be a good idea

[lorba]

Looks fine to me, but I think the lily can be removed for bigger tanks. Keep the MM (stem plants right most) trimmed to half the height, into a rounder mould, gradually slope downwards to the right.

You can have a stronger foreground, use more hairgrass or put in HC if you have strong lights.

The left mid corner ground can be made better by pushing the stem plants at the back futher up.

Lastly, if fish is not a big issue, i suggest chaging to some smaller, same type of fish. Maybe rainbow fish, cardinal, baboras, or other tetras. This will keep the tank lively and yet, do not disperse the focus on the plant colors.

[mikhail]

Thank you so much for all your feedback. Yup, I'm using liquid fertilizer and DIY CO2 system. I am also using a small DIY DC fan to maintain the ideal temperature (around 26). All of these, I learned from this forum (I've been reading your forums since early this yr).

Looks like I'm going to remove the lily... I also find it too big for this setup. As for the stem plants, I'll have it trimmed regularly and follow the suggestion of lorba which is to gradually sloping downwards to the right. Actually, I would like to achieve something like a mound shape layout placed off centered or triangular setup sloping to the right. As for the foreground, I'll see first if I will be successful in flourishing the hair grasses that I've planted. If not, I may resort to mosses tied to the wire mess (I've seen this kind of setup and it looks really nice) since I'm able to keep the moss in my tank in a good state. Lastly, for the fishes - I'm already planning to convert into an all cardinal tetra setup. I found that the cardinal tetra really blends well with the aquascape. I'll consider all your advise =)

Thanks and regards!

[Fei Miao]

Hi Mikhail--
Everybody got to start somewhere and it's look like you off to a good start. Try getting more harigrass for the foreground, I believe this tank will turn out fine in due time, now you got to work on the fert. regime, temp, the bros here would be happy to help.

What are the parameters of the tank?

[mikhail]

Hi Mikhail--
Everybody got to start somewhere and it's look like you off to a good start. Try getting more harigrass for the foreground, I believe this tank will turn out fine in due time, now you got to work on the fert. regime, temp, the bros here would be happy to help.

What are the parameters of the tank?

Dimensions: 16x10x10 inches (approx 7 gal)
Lights: 2 x 11W PL (10 hrs/day)
Filtration: Ocean Free Overhang filter
CO2 injection: DIY CO2 system
Parameters: pH 7.0, KH 3.0
Fertilisation: HPC LushGro Aqua (1 drop every week after each water change), tablet fertiliser by Jungle inserted into the substrate (a tablet good for 1 month)
Water change: 40% weekly
Water temp: 26C - 27C
Plants: Rotala rotundifolia, Micranthemum micranthemoides, Ludwigia arcuata, Anubias nana (petite), Eleocharis acicularis, Vesicularia sp. Christmas, Nymphaea lotus
Bioload: 8 male guppies, 5 cardinal tetras, 1 otocinclus, 1 SAE, 10+ shrimps (yamatos & cherries)

Days 40+ (w/ plants)

[Nevada]

Bioload: 8 male guppies, 5 cardinal tetras, 1 otocinclus, 1 SAE, 10+ shrimps (yamatos & cherries)

Days 40+ (w/ plants)

don't you think the fish are a bit too much? not trying to offence but normally i preffer less fish to prevents high level of amonia in the tank water.