1.5 gallon Hex - what now?

[Hornpipe2]

I picked up a 1.5 gallon hex w/ airlift filter - no heater, incandescent hood. Right now there's cheap blue pebbly substrate and a male betta swimming around. I did swap the incandescent for a 13W screw-in CFL, and I stuck in a couple of those "betta bulb" type things that had sprouted in another tank.

I want to put some plants in this thing but as far as planted tanks go I'm pretty much a complete newbie. My couple bulbs aren't dead (yet), but I seem to be having much better success growing algae than plants at this point. It's on my desk at work so it gets plenty of attention, so I can tackle some of the maintenance stuff (trimming and etc).

So what needs to be done to get this tank set for "real" plant growth? My goals are... few to no ferts (though I could get with a small DIY CO2 setup), keep the betta in there, maybe add a snail. I think I need to swap the substrate for something better and build the CO2 reactor already, plus maybe add a couple more starter plants to help compete with the algae. Thoughts?

 

[Hornpipe2]

Okay, I'm dismantling my FW 10g at home since it sits dormant all the time. All the weakling plants that were in it are being moved in here where I'll have the time to actually care for them. So now there's a dwarf lily or two, and a bunch of scraggly little aponogetons.

It occurred to me that I have a pump running an airstone here which provides water movement. However I could easily swap that out for a DIY CO2 system in its place - it would be a lot slower than the constant bubbling, but the betta might actually like that more (and it'd be quieter!). My only concern is that the CO2 would be bad for the poor fish... or moreover, any snail I wanted to put in here. Thoughts?

 

[JustOneMore20]

I wouldn't worry about co2 on a small tank like that. Just put in easy plants and you'll be fine. The ones you have mentioned do not require co2 injection. It seems a little small for a Betta, but people put them in small tanks sometimes, so I guess it could work.

The gravel should be fine unless you just don't like it. You don't need special substrate for the plants you mentioned, plus you'd have to buy a huge bag and then only use a little bit of it.

Other plants to try would be some Cryptocorynes, Anubias nana petite, and Dwarf Sagittaria.

 

[kellyinvancouver]

Pop in some Java moss but be careful with snails... They generate more waste than they're worth in a small tank. I'd consider a few ghost shrimp instead- they eat algae and they're dirt cheap, but be warned: you're betta may take to snacking on them.

 

[timwag2001]

i would throw some anubias in there. i would use some that are bigger than the petite though just to fill out the tank a bit more. i also wouldnt go with snails and i think some amano shrimp would be better

 

[Sicklid]

i would throw some anubias in there. I would use some that are bigger than the petite though just to fill out the tank a bit more. I also wouldnt go with snails and i think some amano shrimp would be better

+1

 

[Rikesh]

Maybe you should try a Walstad setup for this tank is it is only for one betta(low fish load). The Walstad setup is basically a low tech low maintenance tank. Try to google it.

 

[kellyinvancouver]

Something else to think about: Vertical DW looks AWESOME in hexes. I will point you to a GORGEOUS tank when PlantedTank.com is up and running again.

 

[Mystery]

Personally I think both ghost and amanos would be a bit big. Snowballs or rcs would be better.

 

[kellyinvancouver]

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myTanks/435-bpimm.html

SHAZAMM

 

[Mystery]

Wow, that's a nice 2g.

 

[Hornpipe2]

Wow, thanks for the great response you guys! That planted tank looks brilliant, I'd love to have something like that on my desk. Also I think the Walstad setup is very appealing. My tank has a plastic grille on bottom - like a UGF where water is sucked through by the airstone in the tube - so would I take that part out if I ended up using soil instead? Because I don't really need much filtration, but water movement would still be provided by an airstone and a moving fish?

Anyway onto news: I went away for a few days and left the lights off, and my plants melted down. I did bring in a timer today so things are regulated now, but it's too late for the dwarf lily : ( Poor plants never really got a chance to dig in. So now I'm still growing those (worse-looking) aponogetons, and lots of green film on the walls and gravel. I think I'll let things sit for a little while and see what happens, but probably will
* change substrate to soil
* look for some new low light plants (I've never tried java moss before)
* try to find something interesting to decorate with (like driftwood)

If algae does end up a problem shrimp sounds like a nice solution, though I'm worried that the Betta would think I'm just providing some tasty snacks : )

 

[kellyinvancouver]

Yupp, that UG has GOT to go if you're getting soil, but a hardcore eco-gravel like eco-complete, etc. might be easier to maintain than soil (it mixes with the gravel unless you're good... REAL good...) either way, a UG is great, but will prevent decent rooting. Go for an Azoo Palm Filter or other mini filter (there are LOTS.)

And make sure the shrimp have lots of cover, I had one in a dorm room betta bowl that lived his life in hiding for months under a rock pile until I discovered him squeezed between my betta's jaws one day like a mini chew-toy. They are fast little buggers, but a determined betta in a small/bare enough tank will definitely catch up with them eventually. Highly dependent on the betta's personality. Give it a go with some cheap shrimp.

 

[severum mama]

Maybe you should try a Walstad setup for this tank is it is only for one betta(low fish load). The Walstad setup is basically a low tech low maintenance tank. Try to google it.

I would not consider a betta in a 1.5 gallon tank to be a low bioload situation. I'd personally go with some shrimp and leave it at that.

 

[Hornpipe2]

Well... I took out the gravel and replaced it with a (washed) butter tub of play sand from my daughter's sandbox. For a day or so it looked all modern and fancy instead of blue and tacky, but then the BGA made a comeback. I just stir up the sand every day which should hopefully cut off the light supply and kill it. Nobody's winning at this point.

I was sure all my plants were dead what with the thin gooey BGA-covered leaves, but they've all started new sprouts again and so I think once a little more time has passed they'll be back in business. Very surprising - though nicely inspiring.

Also tossed in a couple of little java ferns from my 55g since I knew they had a very good chance to survive the experience. I'm still hoping the plants will all grow up to out-compete the BGA but I may need to take more drastic measures in the next couple weeks if conditions don't improve.

The betta remains healthy though stressed thanks to all the constant cleanings and having the floor ripped up. Plus I took away his plastic plant, and he's finding the scraggly little ones to be rather poor hiding places.

This should probably be moved to a tank journals section.

 

[Rikesh]

I would not consider a betta in a 1.5 gallon tank to be a low bioload situation. I'd personally go with some shrimp and leave it at that.

While I know that bettas should be kept in a minimum of 5 gal, I still considered the betta as it was originally supposed to be in the setup..
IMHO, light feedings + lots of plants would be not stress the betta..
I might be wrong though...

 

[Nippy Fish]

Yes, your betta will likely think that dwarf shrimp are tasty treats. I raise dwarf shrimp for my lfs and I have tried them several times with bettas, including the smaller female betta. Lunch, every time.

 

[Hornpipe2]

Clearly my plan to let the plants fight the algae is not working at all. Every day I stir up the sand and bury a crop of BGA underneath, and the next day it's totally grown back overnight. Possibly the ambient lighting in the office is getting into the tank and feeding it, though I do know lights are shut off at least some time in the evening, so I've got no idea. Worse, BSA has decided to join the tank walls as well.

Meanwhile the plant bulbs easily manage tiny green sprouts, which is encouraging, but make extremely slow progress afterwards... a far cry from the quick growth like I had seen when I CO2 dosed the old 10g.

Ideas? I'm about to trade out the little airpump for a DIY CO2 in a 1-liter bottle, but that may well be the wrong idea. It's all I know about plants. Stop me before I do something stupid : )