My 5 Gallon Journal :)

[Karackle]

Well, I've posted about my 5 gallon before, but those were questions when I was getting started, I figured I'd consolidate the pictures and things into one place and document my journey of my first planted tank! (Well, first tank that i started from scratch with the specific purpose of making it a planted tank, there are live plants in my 20 gallon also)

Well, this is 5 gallon AGA tank with a glass canopy and 16" 14w AGA fluorescent strip light. The substrate is natural colored small rounded gravel. Not ideal, I know, but the smallest bag of "planted tank specialty substrate" they had would have been too much for my 5 and my 20 combined, and the owner (who is very knowledgeable) said this would work, and what can i say, I was impatient to get started!

Flora:
purple cabomba
water wisteria
2 large red Crypts
1 large green crypt
1 small red crypt
1 anubias (nana i think?)

Fauna:
1 Male Betta
3 Otos (added today 3/13/08 )

Hardscape:
1 small piece of driftwood

This is a low tech tank, so I dose with Flourish 1-2 times a week, Excel every day to every other day, and Fertilizer tabs under the substrate near the roots every 2 weeks or (if the nitrate levels are low).

Ok, i think that about covers the "ingredients"

This is the tank 2/19/08 When i first added plants:


But I decided it was too sparse and needed something else so I hunted down a small piece of driftwood and added it.

So here's the tank 2/20 on day 2 w/o a flash:


and with a flash:

[Karackle]

It still didn't look quite right to me so I asked for advice and decided to shift things around a bit, angled the driftwood toward the back to give it depth, added a few more plants to fill it in a little and I moved the Anubias higher on the driftwood (for looks and to get the rhizome higher out of the water).

Here's the tank on 2/21 w/o a flash:


and with a flash:


And that is how i let the tank sit for a couple of weeks, dosing with ferts and letting the plants get some roots down and settle in. I was aiming for a silent cycle when I added my Betta. When I started seeing new leaf and root growth i let the tank settle a little longer and then I added my Betta

Here's the tank on 3/6/08, it's starting to get a little grown over (couldn't believe how fast that happened!) and with the Betta (w/o flash):


and with flash (makes the betta glow ):


And the Betta hiding in the Purple Cabomba (he likes to rest in the leaves):

[mr86mister]

Wow, that looks really great. Way to take a smaller aquarium and make it look massive.

[JessieVB]

I agree--that looks so much bigger than a 5 gallon! Pretty beta too! Mine likes to hide behind his UGF tube... just kind of ignores the plant thats in there (shrugs).

[Karackle]

Thanks for the compliments! I really appreciate that, it's my first attempt at a truly planted tank, so it's great to get positive feedback!!!

I'm still always open to suggestions though!

And thanks, yeah i think he's pretty too He's so silly, he used to chill out on/between the leaves of his silk plant in his 1gallon too. He's a funny little guy

[JessieVB]

How are the otos enjoying the tank?

[kribbman]

great looking tank .....................

[Karackle]

JessieVB - So far so good with the little Otos....they've survived for a little over 24 hours last time i looked, and they seem happy anyway And i saw one picking at the algae wafer, and there's some algae on the leaves of the Crypts, so hopefully they'll do ok. And i have a few "algae logs" growing just in case

kribbman - Thanks!

[mr86mister]

Otos picking at the wafers is a very good thing. The fact they are so sensitive to transport and new water parameters it gets tricky trying to keep them alive sometimes. Usually they will pass away within 24hrs so its great knowing that they are already active!

[Karackle]

Yeah, I was worried about them but so far so good, they're still swimming around and healthy so far it seems, and my Crypt leaves are nice and clean now! (i didn't even realize they needed a cleaning!!! ) So i'll keep trying to supplement their food in case there's not enough algae and things and hopefully they'll stay happy! I think the drip acclimation probably helped, they were getting dripped on for about 4 hours