Help me plant this Edge!

[Tacit Blues]

So I have a 6 gallon Fluval Edge tank that I'm going to be setting up soon for my shrimp ("soon" as in tomorrow or the next day, when the plants I ordered come in). I was planning on Crypt undulata, Anubias, maybe try the Star repens though I think I might not have enough light for it, if not it then I'm thinking moving the dwarf sag from my other tank and trying it, and maybe Lemon Bacopa or Ludwigia repens--also on hand is Italian Val, Anacharis, a little bit of Java Moss, and some tiny water wisteria plants that don't seem to want to grow in the "Big Tank". So any combination of those.

I was planning on just using Black Diamond blasting sand with osmocote+ root tabs, mainly because I had it on hand, but now I'm second guessing myself and wondering if I ought to just spring for a bag of ecocomplete, since once the water goes in I don't think I'm going to want to mess with it anymore, given that it's a Fluval Edge tiny opening. If I do use the sand, which I have never used as a primary substrate really, is there anything in particular I should be aware of in using it in a planted tank? Should it be deeper or shallower than the 2"-4" of ecocomplete I have in the aforementioned big tank?

And just for kicks and giggles is the tank as it sits now with the sand and a couple random rocks:

 

[tiger terror]

Good start,kinda wish fluval went with acrylic instead of glass with the edge tanks...

Getcha feet wet fish tank people!

 

[Autumnsky]

I have Petco black sand, but I am getting ready to do a overhaul on the tank and substrate and put in something new in, maybe Eco, maybe some crazy shrimp substrate, but I don't know yet

Glass all the way.

That tank has a crazy small opening and you will need towels because maybe even more than once you will shove your hand in there and water will over flow out the top!!! You will wonder what the heck you were thinking and that you already knew NOT to do that!!!

Most of those plants will end up too long for the tank and the Staurogyne repens will probably be alright in the center area where there is the most light. Try some Crypts, Mosses...lots of trimming.

 

[Tacit Blues]

Heh, yeah most of those plants were just for the 45 gallon which is 2' tall! Lots of trimming in my future...

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Yelling into the tin can from the far end of the string

 

[FWFishTanks]

Crypt wendtii red?

 

[Tacit Blues]

Would putting Crypt wendtii red along with the Crypt undulata be too much red color in there, do you think?

 

[Tacit Blues]

I have Petco black sand, but I am getting ready to do a overhaul on the tank and substrate and put in something new in, maybe Eco, maybe some crazy shrimp substrate, but I don't know yet

And out of curiosity how deep is your sand? I'd like to decide whether or not to go with the sand before I leave work today so if I need to get the ecocomplete I can do it on my way home.

 

[Autumnsky]

Looks like 2.25" but I think it was closer to 3" in the back and 2.25" in the front 2 years ago, I don't vac much now but have had to do some serious substrate clean-outs and think I probably had sucked a bunch out lol! I would think 2.5" would be enough, a bag of Eco should cover you and give you extra for a little side project later or fill in.

 

[Tacit Blues]

Ok, here's where it's at right now. Threw in a few stems of the Ludwigia repens along with some Bacopa from the other tank just for kicks and giggles. I know I can get Crypts from Petschmo whenever I want and not have to worry about winter shipping so they might be replaced eventually. The two (and I only ordered one!) Anubias nana petite look so great! But then I have a serious love of Anubias in general. The nana that's in my current shrimp bowl will probably get put in here once the shrimp get transferred.

Bearing in mind I basically just threw all the plants in the tank in half an hour because I had to run out the door to meet some people for supper, I don't think it looks half bad.

Advice and suggestions always welcome!

 

[Tacit Blues]

Oh yeah, and yes I did decide to go big or go home, buy once cry once, and other such sayings, and went with ecocomplete. About 3/4's of a bag, I'd guess.

 

[brennae]

I have eco complete in Edge 12g. It's a good 3 inches deep because of plants. Was really not too fun to scape, especially when I tried to get the driftwood in. Yours looks good. What fish are you planning?

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[Autumnsky]

Nice! But needs a DW...maybe a Spiderwood DW

 

[Tacit Blues]

I have eco complete in Edge 12g. It's a good 3 inches deep because of plants. Was really not too fun to scape, especially when I tried to get the driftwood in. Yours looks good. What fish are you planning?

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For now I was just going to put my shrimp in. But maybe in a few months I'd like to try some sort of nano fish. Taking recommendations, by the way. My water is generally hard and alkaline, so it's not super ideal for a lot of the tiny guys, though.



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Yelling into the tin can from the far end of the string

 

[Tacit Blues]

Nice! But needs a DW...maybe a Spiderwood DW

I LOVE spiderwood in the pictures but there's no source locally and I haven't had super great luck ordering DW online... It's never quite what I wanted, and with the weird dimensions of the tank I'm a little more leery than usual.

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Yelling into the tin can from the far end of the string

 

[Tacit Blues]

Hey, question about lighting this sucker: On my big tank with a Finnex Planted+ light I have it on a timer so it gets somewhere around 8 hours of light a day, spread over two periods. Should I get a timer on this light too so it's not on all day, or are things different with "low light"? Another thing is that the tank is right next to my hobby desk so there's a desk lamp with an Ott Light bulb in it that I could swing over the top of the tank--would it be worth doing that some?

 

[brennae]

With my lowlight tanks I leave the lights on 10 to 12 hours a day. That's what I have been doing with my edge. I may add a light to it though. The Ott light sounds like a good idea to me.

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[brennae]

For now I was just going to put my shrimp in. But maybe in a few months I'd like to try some sort of nano fish. Taking recommendations, by the way. My water is generally hard and alkaline, so it's not super ideal for a lot of the tiny guys, though.



_________
Yelling into the tin can from the far end of the string

I keep dwarf emerald rasboras and scarlet badis and pygmy corys and habrosus corys in my hard water. I'm trying killifish now. I was told by a member of the Chicago Killifish Association that a pair does fine in a 5 Gallon. Lake Michigan water is hard and there are a lot of people keeping killifish in it.

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[Tacit Blues]

I saw those dwarf emerald rasboras, and it did look like they'd be ideal. And they're pretty, which is nice. What kind of kilifish? And do you know how they'd do with the shrimp?

 

[brennae]

Killifish are aggressive. Some will kill all tank mates except their mate. I'd be careful with shrimp. I have 2 kinds. Aphyosemion lobaye and Fundulopanchax gardenari. They are both in with corys and I have not had a problem. I believe it's the annual killifish that are so territorial. Mine are non annuals.

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[Brookster123]

Cpds are always nice in a nano! Great with shrimp and dwarf corys.

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