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Old 29-06-2003, 01:20 AM
Paige Gallegos
 
Posts: n/a
Default Setting up a planted mini aquarium

Do you have to vacuum clean the tank or does it pretty much takecare of
itself?


"Mary Alice Kropp" wrote in message
et...
I have the 7 gallon minibow set up as a planted aquarium here on my desk.

I
have Flourite as the substrate and nice piece fo driftwood that I

siliconed
to the tank bottom to keep it from floating. I built a cork back and
attached it about 1.5" from the back wall. I use a Penguin mini filter

and
the smallest heater Ebo Jager makes. They are both behind the backing, so
the tubes and wires are hidden. I also have a small Rio submergible pump
just in front of the backing to provide more water movement- I added this
after the tank was set up for a while because I didn't think there was
enough).

I stapled Java moss to the cork and it has grown in very nicely- covers

the
wall quite well. I had a few stray bits of glossostigma that hitchhiked

in
and are now producing a multitude of floating plants on the surface! The
main plants in this tank are crypts- several different varities, some Java
fern (Windelov) attached to the driftwood and R. indica in the back right
corner. I don't add CO2 to this tank, so the plants grow fairly slowly.
They do get fertilizer added 2x weekly (I use the Seachem line) and
Seachem's Excel for a carbon source, which I find works very well for this
small a tank.

The fish in it right now are 2 zebra danios and a female black swordtail.
The swordtail is going to move into my bigger tank and I want to add a few
more danios.

It's a fun little tank that doesn't take a lot of work or maintenance.

-Mak
http://www.thirtytwopaws.com/mak
Updates 6/22/03

Better to be occasionally cheated than perpetually suspicious.

It's more fun to color outside the lines.