Well I feel like and idiot after I broke the 2.5G tank. I was banging... I mean tapping the glass to get the sand off it and I broke a pane. I went back to the fish store AGAIN and bought a 5.5G tank. I'll rename the thread again.:mrgreen:

LOL!


too funny :)

I look forward to seeing this progress, I've been eyeballing the FW shrimp at the store a lot lately, they are really neat. What kind of filter do you need? Do they need a heater too?

I'm going to take the chance and not run a filter or heater. My apartment is very warm because they crank the heat in the winter to prevent water lines from freezing. I have some powerheads that have been sitting around for a long time. I'll finally get to use one again.

I'm still slowly filling the tank. 24GPD RO units are slowwwww, it's a painful wait.

Watching this one closely... I might do a small planted cube with native plants from the lakes around here, with LED lighting to keep the heat down, my interest in planted tanks has grown again :lol: I just don't want to have to get my plants from the city, too much of a pain.

Finally got it filled with water.
Here are a couple pictures

http://i379.photobucket.com/albums/o...nted1small.jpg
I'm returning this light for obvious reasons. They have a 27w(I think) fixture that is taller.

http://i379.photobucket.com/albums/o...nted2small.jpg
I already don't like the green plant behind the green plant? I don't have a clue what these plants names are. There's little bits of the plant are flying around the tank. I forgot about these plants, I had these in my 55G and I hated them.

right side plants are i believe : in front java fern. which is good low maintanece and reasonably fast grower. in back think it looks like cabomba. i tried it and had a hard time with it. i could never get it to anchor. if not cabomba it may also be hornwart, but i dont think it is as it looks bushier, there for i think cabomba

I'm fairly new to planted tanks too, but in my experience (which is 7 months now lol) I have screwed around with fertilizers, CO2, algae outbreaks, you name it. So far, I have found that you either need a super technical tank with all the bells and whistles, or you need a KISS tank...it seems there's no happy medium. I don't dose ANYTHING to my tank anymore (no CO2 anymore either), and it is doing quite well:

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...2/Jan52009.jpg

When I tried adding Fluorish Iron or Excel or ferts or CO2, I just got algae. It seems like it's a fine line of a balance between ferts/light/CO2/plant growth. If you want a list of the plants and stuff in my tank, or want to read the journey my tank has taken and what I have learned so far, click on the "10g" in my signature. :) Oh and as far as lights go...I have (2) 23w clip on lamps on my tank, and it is too much light. I can only run one light for about 6 hours a day or I get algae. I'm going to change the bulbs to (2) 13w, and see if that will be ok. One more thing...cram as many plants in there as fast as you can so it will out-compete the algae. Algae is your worst enemy. I fought it tooth and nail.

Off to a good start! You should throw some low-maintenance moss in there like java moss, it will look nice.

Myca i get best results wit half doses of iron only. i cant believe your red rotunda is still kicking with no fertz. i tried it and had no luck at all. i thik its the flourish excell. i have heard it can "melt " plants.

I'm not sure which plant you're referring to as "rotunda"? I Googled it, and didn't come up with anything. I'm thinking you mean the Tiger Lotus? It hasn't been in there very long yet, so the jury is still out on that one. I was told that lots of light is the key to keeping them, not so much the CO2. Excel does tend to melt some plants, and some plants really dislike it.

Anyway...sorry it's off topic. I just wanted to post a photo of my tank to show that you can do it with pretty much nothing. :)