Freshwater Pico Help

[NYfishies]

Hi all,

 

I know that this is a salt water forum, but I am hoping to tap into some of your knowledge of freshwater. We have 2 nano reefs tanks currently and my girlfriend is looking to have a tank of her own. She really wants a tiny pico tank and is strongly leaning towards it being a planted freshwater tank with some fish and a few inverts.

 

I went into this thinking "sure that is a great idea - sounds easy" - I was wrong. I grew up with a freshwater tank in my bedroom, but let's be honest my mom took care of it. We had live plants and all, but I do not ever remember adding CO2 and fertilizer to the tank!

 

We are looking at a custom acrylic AIO build. Something like 12" long, 8" tall and 8" wide. The AIO chamber would be on the side rather than the back. The tank would be placed so the AIO chamber is against the wall and the tank is then visible from 3 sides - 2 of which being the 12" sides. All equipment to be stored in the AIO chamber.

 

Equipment ideas:

• Nanobox 6" BEAM
• Tunze Nano ATO
• 25 Watt Neo-Therm Heater
• aFan Cooling Fan
• inTank Filter Floss
• Carbon in Nylon Bag
• CO2 system??
• Micro Return Pump?? Maybe a Hydor?

What has me running circles now is the importance of dosing fertilizer and injecting CO2. I thought this build would be cheap. ADA makes what appears to be a great CO2 system, but the darn thing is $300. Others seem to be cheaply made such as the RedSea and Fluval options.

 

Any of you running a planted pico? Do you dose? Do you inject CO2?

 

I really appreciate any help you can provide!

 

Thanks.

[Speaker73]

I was running a planted pico at one time. Didn't do the CO2 route or dose unless you use certain plants. Just used low light plants like anubias and crypts. Use a good substrate and be sure to cycle your tank. I like the ADA aqua soil but it can be expensive and has an initially high ammonia spike. Don't use carbon. It's a waste of money. Be sure that you don't use too much light or else you will have an algae farm. Flow isn't as important in a planted tank so don't over do that as well.

 

There are a bunch of forums you can check out to research planted tanks. I think its much easier than reefing and cheaper but not as fun.

[VW_TDI_02]

I don't have a planted pico but I have a planted 10 gallon and a planted 40 gallon with CO2. It really comes down to finding a balance between CO2, nutrients, and light. You do not need to dose ferts or inject CO2 in order to have a planted tank. Yes, it definitely helps but that doesn't mean it's necessary. There are some plants that do need higher light and maybe even CO2 so plant choice plays a huge role as well. For example, dwarf hairgrass benefits a lot from CO2 but it isn't completely necessary as long as you have enough light (needs a lot of light relative to other freshwater plants).

 

For equipment, you don't really need an ATO since you don't have to worry about dropping salinity. Is there a reason you need a cooling fan? You're running LEDs so your fixture isn't going to put out much heat at all. For the return pump, would one of the smaller Cobalt Aquatics MJ pumps work? I see those used pretty often for smaller AIO tanks. Carbon works but personally I prefer purigen for my freshwater tanks. It gets all those tannins out of the water that come from my driftwood and dirt. The other issue I see is that you have no biological media since I'm assuming you're going to be replacing the filter floss regularly (not something you can really rinse and reuse). With reef tanks you have biological media in the form of the live rock but not in the freshwater world. A bag of ceramic rings in the media rack would be your best bet.

 

When it comes to ferts there are two main ways to go. You can go with either a premixed batch like Seachem Flourish or you can go with dry ferts. I think dry ferts are the way to go simply because you know exactly what you're putting in your tank and how much of it. If you go with a premade fert then you could be adding a lot of one nutrient that isn't getting used much by the plants.

 

The other thing is CO2. If you're new to planted tanks then I would not bother going into a full CO2 injection system. You can get a brand new system for around $150 to $200 from Amazon (Aquatek premium regulator, simple diffuser, 5 lb tank, CO2 line, and bubble counter). An alternative would be a liquid carbon supplement. Seachem Excel is probably the most common one used and would help.

 

I mentioned it earlier but balance is the most important thing. With lighting, you can either dim or simply not run the lights as long. One common technique is to split your light period up into two sections. So if your lights are on for 8 hours, you do 4 hours in the morning, few hour break, and then another 4 hour period in the evening. This helps because CO2 is only consumed when the lights are on. If you don't have added CO2 and a high plant load, you can deplete the tank of dissolved CO2. That dark period helps the levels stay a bit more even throughout the day.

 

One of the things that I didn't see you list is the substrate you will be using. Almost all plants feed at the roots so a nutritious substrate is incredibly important. There are a few options here. You can go with a simple sand/gravel substrate and then add some root tabs. Personally I wouldn't bother with that since you will have to add more of them over time. Another option is to use dirt. I run Miracle Grow Organic with a cap layer of sand. The sand simply keeps the dirt out of the water column. Plant roots go straight through the dirt and feed off of the great dirt below. There are manufactured nutritious substrates as well. I would look at the aqua soils but they can be rather pricey but having a pico should keep those costs down. These are great and are usually very easy to plant in.

[brandon429]

I keep a long term high tech half gallon

 

Here is the tank

 

 

And the co2 is def making things easier its made by injecting the gas via paintball setup and timer into a pan flute array of inverted API test tubes

 

The stand houses a drone monitor lol

 

 

You can do cheap co2 injection with an 80$ solenoid reg off amazon and a digital timer and paintball setup, its your cheapest pressure option.

[kimberbee]

I was actually thinking about trying to run an easy freshwater pico. Dirt, sand, gravel... Couple of plants, and a beta.

 

I knew someone who had a 55 gallon, sand and driftwood, with a few plants and 3-4 cichlids. Never dosed, never topped off, only did water changes every 1-2 months. How hard can it be?!?

[NYfishies]

Thank you everybody for the prompt replies!

 

VW, I very much appreciate the time you took to reply. Wealth of info and gave me a lot to think about.

 

To answer some of the points made:

 

Cooling fan was recommended by our friend, Kat. The reason being is we live in Manhattan and cooling the apt during summer is very expensive. This tank could go in our bedroom. When we leave for work each day we close off the door from the bedroom to the living room where the reef tanks are. Then, we turn the A/C on in the living room to maintain 78 degrees during the day. If we can keep the pico cool by using the fan in the closed off bedroom that will be ideal. Alternatively, we leave the door open and the A/C covers the entire apt = $$$.

 

Whatever the best substrate is we will go with. That will be for Sarah to decide as far as what the top/visible layer is.

 

The ATO was for simplicity. You bring up a good point with salinity. Scratch the ATO idea!

 

The BEAM will be hooked up to a Bluefish mini so we can dim and alter lighting schedules as needed. Algae is the last thing we want.

 

I am confused about the biological filtration. In what form is that in a freshwater tank? Live rock of course for salt.

[VW_TDI_02]

I was actually thinking about trying to run an easy freshwater pico. Dirt, sand, gravel... Couple of plants, and a beta.

 

I knew someone who had a 55 gallon, sand and driftwood, with a few plants and 3-4 cichlids. Never dosed, never topped off, only did water changes every 1-2 months. How hard can it be?!?

You can make planted tanks as simple or complicated as you want. Toss in plain inert gravel with some anubias, java fern, and easy plants and you're done. Of course there are a lot of different plants out there and most are not as easy as those, haha.

 

Thank you everybody for the prompt replies!

 

VW, I very much appreciate the time you took to reply. Wealth of info and gave me a lot to think about.

 

To answer some of the points made:

 

Cooling fan was recommended by our friend, Kat. The reason being is we live in Manhattan and cooling the apt during summer is very expensive. This tank could go in our bedroom. When we leave for work each day we close off the door from the bedroom to the living room where the reef tanks are. Then, we turn the A/C on in the living room to maintain 78 degrees during the day. If we can keep the pico cool by using the fan in the closed off bedroom that will be ideal. Alternatively, we leave the door open and the A/C covers the entire apt = $$$.

 

Whatever the best substrate is we will go with. That will be for Sarah to decide as far as what the top/visible layer is.

 

The ATO was for simplicity. You bring up a good point with salinity. Scratch the ATO idea!

 

The BEAM will be hooked up to a Bluefish mini so we can dim and alter lighting schedules as needed. Algae is the last thing we want.

 

I am confused about the biological filtration. In what form is that in a freshwater tank? Live rock of course for salt.

I keep my freshwater tanks at 80 degrees and have never had issues with getting too hot. It is good to have a fan just in case though.

 

For the substrate, black is usually the best simply because it helps bring out colors more. Especially if you have something like red cherry shrimp. Their color pops way more with a black background because of the contrast it gives. I have some red cherry shrimp in a bare bottom fry tank (snuck in some how) and they've turned completely clear.

 

It would be nice to have an ATO but it really isn't necessary. I feel like it could be a bad idea with a pico tank simply because if it messes up, you don't really have much room before it starts overflowing.

 

In regards to the biological filtration, it's just where your beneficial bacteria live. In reef tanks, that bacteria lives on the live rock which is incredibly porous and provides an excellent place for bacteria to grow. With a freshwater tank, you don't have liverock so you need a good place for the bacteria. For my 40 gallon tank, I use a canister filter and in there I have a bag of ceramic rings, purigen, and a giant sponge. The rings and the sponge provide a great place for bacteria to grow and obviously process the ammonia to nitrite to nitrate.

[NYfishies]

You can make planted tanks as simple or complicated as you want. Toss in plain inert gravel with some anubias, java fern, and easy plants and you're done. Of course there are a lot of different plants out there and most are not as easy as those, haha.

 

I keep my freshwater tanks at 80 degrees and have never had issues with getting too hot. It is good to have a fan just in case though.

 

For the substrate, black is usually the best simply because it helps bring out colors more. Especially if you have something like red cherry shrimp. Their color pops way more with a black background because of the contrast it gives. I have some red cherry shrimp in a bare bottom fry tank (snuck in some how) and they've turned completely clear.

 

It would be nice to have an ATO but it really isn't necessary. I feel like it could be a bad idea with a pico tank simply because if it messes up, you don't really have much room before it starts overflowing.

 

In regards to the biological filtration, it's just where your beneficial bacteria live. In reef tanks, that bacteria lives on the live rock which is incredibly porous and provides an excellent place for bacteria to grow. With a freshwater tank, you don't have liverock so you need a good place for the bacteria. For my 40 gallon tank, I use a canister filter and in there I have a bag of ceramic rings, purigen, and a giant sponge. The rings and the sponge provide a great place for bacteria to grow and obviously process the ammonia to nitrite to nitrate.

 

I have started doing some more research on the substrate. What are your thoughts on Eco-Complete and Flourite? You mentioned that you use Miracle Grow dirt with a layer of black sand. Just wondering about those other 2 options? She is going to want to use the black top layer for sure.

 

You make an excellent point regarding the ATO and a pico. A bit too risky for the benefit. Given that we always have RO/DI on hand for the reefs and we water our house plants a few times a week with tap topping off the pico will not be an issue to do manually.

 

As for biological filtration what about using some porous rocks and some driftwood? I have leftover pukani, fiji and reef saver dry rock from my zoa garden. Could I use some of that? Given the nature of the pico AIO the chamber is going to be small. I can have it built to any size since this is likely going to be a custom build rather than going with a Fluval Spec or something like that. If ceramic rings in a nylon bag are the best option then I will want to be sure there is a proper space in the chamber for that in addition to Purigen and Filter Floss. The Floss will be replaced as needed. I keep a hefty supply for my Fusion40 AIO mixed reef.

 

For livestock we are going to likely want some of the Cherry Shrimps and some Neon Tetras. I am guessing the water volume is going to be around 3 gallons maybe a little more. How many of these little buggers can we have in this system? What are some other options for tiny little peaceful fishies?

 

Thanks again for all your help!

[jolee0722]

You can do a DIY CO2 system using yeast.

[lkoechle]

I have a planted 4 gallon. I use a cheap chinese LED light and have lowlight plants and seachem flourish and flourish excel for fertilizer and carbon. Dont over think it. Its pretty easy unless you want a complicated set up. Then complicate away.

 

Oh but read up on topping off with RO. I read on a freshwater forum thats bad for planted because the water is totally stripped of minerals that the salt mix for our saltwater puts back in. So its better to use tap water and then a dechlorinator. I keep a 1 gallon jug of tap water mixed with seachem prime on hand for top offs. I am not a freshwater expert, but I have been running my pico this way for almost 2 years, no ill effects yet.

[NYfishies]

You can do a DIY CO2 system using yeast.

 

Great idea! I just googled it and read http://www.plantedtank.net/articles/DIY-Yeast-CO2/7/.

 

Incredibly cheap and easy. I then found this http://www.amazon.com/DIY-CO2-Aquarium-Plant-System/dp/B008CUZJF6/ref=pd_sim_199_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0CJNW6TA9C9DS9220DK1&dpID=511Ek4woPxL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_.

 

I am a bit confused of how it works. Do we need another pump for this? How does the CO2 travel from the bottles to the diffuser?

I have a planted 4 gallon. I use a cheap chinese LED light and have lowlight plants and seachem flourish and flourish excel for fertilizer and carbon. Dont over think it. Its pretty easy unless you want a complicated set up. Then complicate away.

 

Oh but read up on topping off with RO. I read on a freshwater forum thats bad for planted because the water is totally stripped of minerals that the salt mix for our saltwater puts back in. So its better to use tap water and then a dechlorinator. I keep a 1 gallon jug of tap water mixed with seachem prime on hand for top offs. I am not a freshwater expert, but I have been running my pico this way for almost 2 years, no ill effects yet.

 

Good point on the RO/DI. I was told not to drink it for the same reason.

[VW_TDI_02]

I wouldn't put a single neon tetra in such a small tank. First, they're schooling fish and like to be in groups of 6+. They're also incredibly active fish so having a longer tank for them to swim in would be very beneficial. I wouldn't put tetras in anything smaller than a 10 gallon (the inch per gallon "rule" is complete BS, lol). You can do DIY CO2 but frankly, I can't stand it. I tried doing it and I could never get it to be consistent at all. Just ended up being a sticky and smelly mess. Some people can get it to work but I just got tired because the mixture would be done after maybe a week and you had to mix up a new batch. ECO Complete and Fluorite are other options. Personally I prefer to use sand as opposed to gravel because it looks better to me. Also in such a small tank, it will probably look better with sand since the gravel from ECO Complete might look like boulders, haha. For top off water, regular tap water with dechlor works best. I've used two types of dechlor: Seachem Prime and the Aqueon one. The thing I like about the Aqueon one is that it isn't as concentrated as Prime. If you're doing 20+ gallon water changes then it's easy but one cap-ful of prime is enough for 50 gallons of water. You'll need a syringe to measure out the right amount for a gallon, haha. I do 20 gallon water changes and use a little medicine dropper that sucks up a max of like 3-4 ml.

[NYfishies]

I wouldn't put a single neon tetra in such a small tank. First, they're schooling fish and like to be in groups of 6+. They're also incredibly active fish so having a longer tank for them to swim in would be very beneficial. I wouldn't put tetras in anything smaller than a 10 gallon (the inch per gallon "rule" is complete BS, lol). You can do DIY CO2 but frankly, I can't stand it. I tried doing it and I could never get it to be consistent at all. Just ended up being a sticky and smelly mess. Some people can get it to work but I just got tired because the mixture would be done after maybe a week and you had to mix up a new batch. ECO Complete and Fluorite are other options. Personally I prefer to use sand as opposed to gravel because it looks better to me. Also in such a small tank, it will probably look better with sand since the gravel from ECO Complete might look like boulders, haha. For top off water, regular tap water with dechlor works best. I've used two types of dechlor: Seachem Prime and the Aqueon one. The thing I like about the Aqueon one is that it isn't as concentrated as Prime. If you're doing 20+ gallon water changes then it's easy but one cap-ful of prime is enough for 50 gallons of water. You'll need a syringe to measure out the right amount for a gallon, haha. I do 20 gallon water changes and use a little medicine dropper that sucks up a max of like 3-4 ml.

 

Can we put any fish at all?

[VW_TDI_02]

That would be a fantastic tank for a betta. I haven't bought freshwater fish in a while but there may be some other nano fish that might fit. There just really isn't much room for them to swim.

[gkarris]

I'm into low tech/no tech so I have I made a Nano Paludarium from a Currents Solo 5 I got on sale for $80. Love the lighting and added supplement lighting with the cheap $9 LED desklamp from IKEA (people with Walstad Jars and planted tanks love these as they are cheap and are full spectrum).

 

Here's the forum:

 

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=100

 

I didn't use dirt as I tried it in a jar once and I couldn't get it to pack down properly and just floated above the gravel. I decided to just use dosing with Seachem Plant Pack Fundamentals. The plants I got when the local Aquatic superstore had a made sale (40% off all livestock).

 

Pictured I took out the power filter included for more swimming room and add more fast moving fish to "stir the pot" - plants are growing like mad. No heater as it is in a place that keeps 72+ plus I use fish that can tolerate cooler temps.

 

Hope this helps...

 

[NYfishies]

I'm into low tech/no tech so I have I made a Nano Paludarium from a Currents Solo 5 I got on sale for $80. Love the lighting and added supplement lighting with the cheap $9 LED desklamp from IKEA (people with Walstad Jars and planted tanks love these as they are cheap and are full spectrum).

 

Here's the forum:

 

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=100

 

I didn't use dirt as I tried it in a jar once and I couldn't get it to pack down properly and just floated above the gravel. I decided to just use dosing with Seachem Plant Pack Fundamentals. The plants I got when the local Aquatic superstore had a made sale (40% off all livestock).

 

Pictured I took out the power filter included for more swimming room and add more fast moving fish to "stir the pot" - plants are growing like mad. No heater as it is in a place that keeps 72+ plus I use fish that can tolerate cooler temps.

 

Hope this helps...

 

paludarium.jpg

 

Looks awesome! Love the plant growing out of the water.

 

What kind of fish do you have?

 

Right now we are leaning towards a 18" x 8" x 8" custom build (~3.64 gallons). There will be a 3" AIO chamber on the side making the display 15" x 8" x 8" (~3.32 gallons). I would like to add some small fish in there, but it is not a must. Is that too small of a tank? There should be adequate space for swimming since it will be a long tank the the scape will be somewhat minimalist.

[gkarris]

 

Looks awesome! Love the plant growing out of the water.

 

What kind of fish do you have?

 

Right now we are leaning towards a 18" x 8" x 8" custom build (~3.64 gallons). There will be a 3" AIO chamber on the side making the display 15" x 8" x 8" (~3.32 gallons). I would like to add some small fish in there, but it is not a must. Is that too small of a tank? There should be adequate space for swimming since it will be a long tank the the scape will be somewhat minimalist.

 

Thanks.

 

Started with Platys but they didn't work out. I am just using Minnows/Danios since they are active swimmers and don't really require a heater.

 

This place, The Green Machine, has some pretty award-winning planted tanks. You can get to their YouTube vids as well. Note that their stuff is also High-Tech.

 

http://www.thegreenmachineonline.com

 

No tank is too small...

[Cameron6796]

you can have a very simple nice tank

tank

gravel which id recommend eco complete or fluval stratum(what i currently have)

heater

some form of light you seem to want the nanobox for control ability

you can use tap water with dechlorinator

for co2 you can just buy flourish excel its liquid co2 fertilizer if you dont want to mess with co2 dosing

rocks and driftwood are common hard scaping materials

 

id recommend some endler live bearers they are very colorful with their orange tails and contrast well with plants,

i wouldnt recommend any fancy shrimp id say ghost or amano shrimp becasue fish stress them or even try eating them i know my endlers and guppies attacked them so will bettas.

 

the only fish sure to not harm a shrimp is an otocinclus cat fish which are great fish but kinda finicky at first with hgigh first month mortality rates.

 

this can be very easily simplified and you dont need extreme equipment to grow the plants you just need a stable environment.

 

Some fast growing species include:

Common cryptacoryne

Hygrophyla Polysperma

telanthera cardianlis

 

my favourite is the hygro i have a very low tech tank and trim and inch off every week.

 

Id say search up planted tank forums and planted tanks in generalyou will learn really quick you dont need to spend 900$ on equiptment

i have a fluval edge with stock lighting and a desk lamp with just a 7500k bulb in it some rocks from my cottage and a peice of driftwood, and the above mentioned plants as well as some others and going quite nicely

[Cameron6796]

[lkoechle]

It would make a good betta tank. I have a betta and amano shrimp in my 4 gallon. The key with the amano is make sure its bigger than the betta. Some bettas are quite beautiful and look tye dyed. Mine is a a bland blue. Lol

[kylhcky]

i've gotten the itch to start a nano paludarium lately

[shawnd08]

With it being a small tank if you stay away from plants that require high light, which would in turn required co2 dosing you could get away with just dosing excel and flourish as stated previously. When you start adding plants that need a decent amount of light and do not balance out the nutrients and c02 correctly you may start to grow some beautiful algae.

 

I am not sure what spectrum the nano beam is bit whites and reds are the best for plants IME. If you do buy a c02 system I would recommend a 20 Oz paintball canister and a regulator with solenoid. Add in a diffuser and you are at $110-$120 for the setup. Get the tank filled and that should last you a good while. I have the aquatek c02 regulator mini for my 40B planted and it works great. I have it on a timer so an hour after the first light comes on the second light and c02 come on then when the shut off the first light remains on for another hour. I usually get 2 months out of the 20 Oz tank so on a smaller tank you are looking at 6-8 months or more. I do EI dosing method (estimate index) using dry fertilizers.

 

With it being summer I have not kept up with the plants and have just been letting them grow. Here is a shot of my 40B

 

 

As I said it's not a pico but the same rules apply regardless of size the only difference is the amount of each supplement you need. I also have a 10g with shrimp, and a couple of plants that slowly grows with nothing dosed and almost no light.

[forrestp38829]

Hey man. I think I planted tank is perfect for near your bed. They aren't nearly a loud as reef tanks. My tank is a little less than 4gallons. I have ada powder soil(which I love and use in all my planted tanks), a 27w PC light and the smalles aquaclear HOB filter. I dose excel to keep the carbon up. That's about all. The occasional liquid fert. I have a little male scarlet badis in there. They are a really cool nano fish. They really act like saltwater fish. He has his own personality and I have trained him to come to me when I tap certain areas of the tank with a pipette. He knows that I will show him where the brine shrimp are. Oh, I have the Badis, a teeny tiny pygmy cory and an oto cat in there, along with countless cherry and rilli shrimp. Few assassin snails and nerites.

Sorry for the cloudy water. I pruned and pulled up a bunch of plants last night.

[forrestp38829]

Oh here's a pic of the fish. He really is cool. And so tiny! That's my finger in the second pic

[NYfishies]

you can have a very simple nice tank

tank

gravel which id recommend eco complete or fluval stratum(what i currently have)

heater

some form of light you seem to want the nanobox for control ability

you can use tap water with dechlorinator

for co2 you can just buy flourish excel its liquid co2 fertilizer if you dont want to mess with co2 dosing

rocks and driftwood are common hard scaping materials

 

id recommend some endler live bearers they are very colorful with their orange tails and contrast well with plants,

i wouldnt recommend any fancy shrimp id say ghost or amano shrimp becasue fish stress them or even try eating them i know my endlers and guppies attacked them so will bettas.

 

the only fish sure to not harm a shrimp is an otocinclus cat fish which are great fish but kinda finicky at first with hgigh first month mortality rates.

 

this can be very easily simplified and you dont need extreme equipment to grow the plants you just need a stable environment.

 

Some fast growing species include:

Common cryptacoryne

Hygrophyla Polysperma

telanthera cardianlis

 

my favourite is the hygro i have a very low tech tank and trim and inch off every week.

 

Id say search up planted tank forums and planted tanks in generalyou will learn really quick you dont need to spend 900$ on equiptment

i have a fluval edge with stock lighting and a desk lamp with just a 7500k bulb in it some rocks from my cottage and a peice of driftwood, and the above mentioned plants as well as some others and going quite nicely

 

I like your tank - what size is that? 10g? Appreciate the advice on the fish and plants! We definitely are not looking to spend big bucks on this tank. Our reefs have cost more than I would ever imagined.

 

i've gotten the itch to start a nano paludarium lately

 

Gosh... I have dreamed of having one of these since I was a little kid. Turtles, frogs, fish, plants, waterfall... I would have to quit my job. One day when we get that 300 gallon reef tank in the wall maybe we will be able to have one of those as well.

 

With it being a small tank if you stay away from plants that require high light, which would in turn required co2 dosing you could get away with just dosing excel and flourish as stated previously. When you start adding plants that need a decent amount of light and do not balance out the nutrients and c02 correctly you may start to grow some beautiful algae.

 

I am not sure what spectrum the nano beam is bit whites and reds are the best for plants IME. If you do buy a c02 system I would recommend a 20 Oz paintball canister and a regulator with solenoid. Add in a diffuser and you are at $110-$120 for the setup. Get the tank filled and that should last you a good while. I have the aquatek c02 regulator mini for my 40B planted and it works great. I have it on a timer so an hour after the first light comes on the second light and c02 come on then when the shut off the first light remains on for another hour. I usually get 2 months out of the 20 Oz tank so on a smaller tank you are looking at 6-8 months or more. I do EI dosing method (estimate index) using dry fertilizers.

 

With it being summer I have not kept up with the plants and have just been letting them grow. Here is a shot of my 40B

 

 

As I said it's not a pico but the same rules apply regardless of size the only difference is the amount of each supplement you need. I also have a 10g with shrimp, and a couple of plants that slowly grows with nothing dosed and almost no light.

 

Thank you for the great advice and beautiful tank!

 

Can you post a picture of your CO2 setup? While I am leaning against this and instead liquid dosing for that price and the time it would last you have me rethinking it. I am trying to imagine what it would look like and the space needed for it.

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/364496-nano-box-reef-beam-series/

 

This is the light I am looking at. I think Dave could add some red LEDs in there. I grow my Chaeto in my refugiums using red led's. What do you consider high light? I want Sarah to be able to choose any plants she desires so I want the tank to be fully capable. I know that plants can be just as hard as corals - we are up for the challenge.

 

Hey man. I think I planted tank is perfect for near your bed. They aren't nearly a loud as reef tanks. My tank is a little less than 4gallons. I have ada powder soil(which I love and use in all my planted tanks), a 27w PC light and the smalles aquaclear HOB filter. I dose excel to keep the carbon up. That's about all. The occasional liquid fert. I have a little male scarlet badis in there. They are a really cool nano fish. They really act like saltwater fish. He has his own personality and I have trained him to come to me when I tap certain areas of the tank with a pipette. He knows that I will show him where the brine shrimp are. Oh, I have the Badis, a teeny tiny pygmy cory and an oto cat in there, along with countless cherry and rilli shrimp. Few assassin snails and nerites.

Sorry for the cloudy water. I pruned and pulled up a bunch of plants last night.

 

First off - love your tank. That is what she is going for!

 

How often do you dose? Daily?

 

So you have 3 fish in total? How often do you feed? Can you leave for a vacation and they are ok or no? I want fish, but Sarah is always so nervous when we leave for vacation about feeding them. Our reefs run full Apex systems and we also have a good friend who comes by to feed so that is always an option. I remember as a kid though my fish could go weeks without feeding lol.

 

Thank you all for the advice!!!