# My 5 gallon planted tank



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

I have finally earned enough cash to setup my tank! 

I ordered a 5 gallon minibow from Amazon and it was horribly scratched up. It's not that big of a deal though, so I'm just going to accept it like it is. 

After rinsing the gravel extensively and applying driftwood, I set up mesh along the bottom, which I will tie java moss to and make a carpet. My tank will start out with Pennywort, Anubias Coffeefolia, and java moss. There will be CO2 (DIY all the way!) And 10-15 watts of CFL lighting, something between 6000K and 7500K. I might add on more plants later, but first I'm going to cycle it. 

My testing kit arrives tomorrow, and the plants could arrive anytime from tomorrow to Friday. I don't actually HAVE a Betta yet, but I'm probably going to have to order one because there are no healthy Bettas at the pet stores around here. At all :-(. But I can afford it, so It's okay . 

So, to conclude, I am in the planning/waiting process! 

P.S. Try to bear with me regarding the horrible photo quality :thumbsup:


----------



## Kaffrin (Apr 1, 2014)

Hopefully everything arrives healthy and well! I'm a total sucker for diaries that show progression of planted tanks x3

I really like the way you've designed the java moss to grow, it caresses the driftwood- pretty~ Plus, that's a sweet piece of driftwood.


----------



## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

Can't wait to see how this turns out! Keep us updated with lots of photos!:blueyay:


----------



## brian c (Jun 25, 2014)

wow its gonna look awesome and where did you get that rockin peice of driftwood and remember keep your head up


----------



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

Thanks everyone for checking this out, I'll update often! 

Brian: My LFS had driftwood, so I snatched up a piece.

I have a quick question-My gravel is very small, as you can see, and some of the smaller pieces may be able to fit in a Betta's mouth. I was watching Youtube videos and saw a lot of Bettas nipping at the gravel. Is there any risk that one might swallow a piece of gravel?


----------



## brian c (Jun 25, 2014)

where is your lfs and what is its name please respond back


----------



## brian c (Jun 25, 2014)

and no the chances are pretty low


----------



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

It's in Virginia, Petworld.

My testing kit arrived today, and I learned that there is ammonia in my tap water. I'm going to have to use R/O water, this means :-| I've read that it's not ideal, but it works. 

I'm just going to use my tap water to cycle the tank, then switch out to R/O. Hopefully that'll work out...


----------



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

The plants arrived yesterday! There were a few dead leaves and brown spots, but the plants are mostly healthy. A few pieces of duckweed hitched a ride and I'm heavily encouraging it's growth.

So, as you check the photo, you will notice some VERY murky water. Why is this? Because I didn't boil the driftwood (Genuis). I'm fine with a small amount of tannins, but because the PH had dropped .4 overnight it had to be stopped. So, this morning, I boiled it. Hopefully it wont be releasing too many tannins after that.

I'm not going to put in a filter for a few days, which means stagnant water. I'm just going to get a sponge filter for the tank, since I've read about this filter being really strong and breaking easily. 

In other news, I have built my CO2 canister! I'm going to make a bubble counter today and try to figure out how to make a DIY diffuser. I'll probably start using CO2 tomorrow (as I need to buy some yeast first) Unless I need water flow for that, in which case I'll wait for my filter. 

Ammonia: 2-3 PPM, it's hard to tell
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0
PH: 7


----------



## DaytonBetta (Feb 4, 2014)

You asked about bettas eating gravel in a previous post. I don't think you need to worry about that. Many people use gravel and it doesn't seem to be a problem.

Your set up looks great, I look forward to seeing your progress!


----------



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

Thanks 

My CO2 system was being a complete failure for nearly 2 days. I had to switch out containers that didn't have completely airtight lids, mess with the formula, etc. And now I've finally gotten it to work!

Yes, I decided to run the filter. The flows actually very weak and it's quiet-plus the carbon in it helped to clear up my water. I just _might_ keep it.

In other news, I decided to steal some rocks from my sister's tank and seed this one. Two days later, and it's yielded some results!

PH: 7.2
Ammonia: Looks like 4 PPM today, it's impossible to tell
Nitrites: .25 PPM
Nitrates: 0 PPM

I love my self cycling tap water. 

Going to start tracking the progress of the moss, now. There's been a tiny bit of growth, and some little pieces are sticking out of the mesh. I'm hoping that there'll be some coverage by the end of the month, and within two months it'll look good.

Without further ado, the pictures:


----------



## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

Yay more photos! Keep up the good work. Can't wait for your carpet to come in too! :blueyay:


----------



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

I'm way too tired to post photos, but I will update!

There's a steady stream of tiny bubbles coming off of my anubias... I'm pretty sure that it's producing oxygen :shock: I had no clue that this would visibly happen.

Also: There are nitrates in the tank! I tested it today and got:

Ammonia: 0.25 PPM (Amazing)
Nitrites: 1900000 (basically, off the scale)
PH: 6.4
Nitrates: 10 PPM

I actually had to do my first water change today in order to make my water quality worse and boost my ammonia levels.

Tiny bit of progress with the carpet, but not really a visible amount if you're not obsessing over it like I am. I'll post pictures tomorrow!


----------



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

Sorry about the lack of updates, I became obsessed with doing my summer assignments and lost motivation to do this 

Anyways, I noticed that my plants had suddenly had a huge growth spurt. So I tested the water...

Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0

Uh, it seems that my plants have consumed all the nitrates. I did a 20% water change which boosted the ammonia levels to .5 PPM 10 minutes ago. I'm going to check in an hour, and if everything's 0, then I'll buy a fish soon!

On another note, the plants are looking fantastic. They all came a little brown, rotten, and pathetic looking, but they've gotten very bright and nice already :-D

I included a photo of my largest bunch of Pennywort because this plant is doing awesome right now. So, anyways, here are the photos!


----------



## Patong (Jul 9, 2013)

Very nice setup! I will be subscribing to this thread


----------



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

Thanks :-D

There is still ammonia, the tank is not ready. Soon, though, it will be.


----------



## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

It is looking great! Are you just going to be adding a betta to it or will it have some company?


----------



## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

Subscribing as I love watching the progress of planted tanks (even if my plants are slow growing ^^


----------



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

It's *probably* going to just have a betta, but I might try adding some red cherry shrimp (from the tank I'm setting up for my sister) or a zebra nerite snail. It depends on how I feel later 

I want to talk about these plants, because I'm obsessing over them. I'm just so amazed by the little bubbles of oxygen that forms under their leaves and float off to the surface (an irrelevant thing, but it's cool looking in my opinion). And the growth rate is awesome. I had an anubias plant once, years ago, for several months, and it barely grew at all.

I've had this one for just over two weeks, and it's grown noticeably larger. And one of the pennywort stems has grown up and forward and is now nearly touching the front glass of the aquarium. I'm just gonna let everything go wild for a while and see what happens in there. 

Thank you everyone for reading and subscribing, I will update some more soon!


----------



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

I did it. I bought a Betta.

This time, it's a metallic blue delta tail. His cup was in this box of Betta cups that had just been abandoned on the floor, and I'm certain that he was a fresh shipment. 

He looks super healthy, though the levels of ammonia in that water was atrocious. I acclimated him and added him to my tank.

So far, he's been recovering from the shock of being in the fish tank and slowly creeping around the bottom to nip at rocks and plant debris. He's getting better, more active.

I'll post some pictures when he's less stressed. For now, I think I'm gonna call him Hisui.


----------



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

Hisui seems to enjoy trying to eat everything that moves and many things that don't. He went after the duckweed, plant debris, java moss, bubbles, and yes, the pebbles.

He kind of freezes up whenever I come up to the tank, but I hope that I can get him to become more interactive.

Photographing Bettas is something that's easier said than done, especially with a cell phone. Here are my pathetic attempts.


----------



## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

I bet that is fun watching your plants create oxygen. I've never seen that before. Your boy, Hisui, looks great! I'm sure he will settle in soon.


----------



## BettaLover1313 (Apr 15, 2013)

Hisui looks quite healthy and seems to be enjoying all the space he has.


----------



## Jennalyn (Jun 23, 2014)

He's a very handsome little fish! You have to wonder what sort of environment he was in even before the cup. Your tank must seem like some sort of bizarre paradise.


----------



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

Thanks everyone! He definitely loves the tank, and he's gotten a lot more friendly. He's still a bit skittish when I feed him, but hopefully that'll go away.

I borrowed my dad's phone for photos, which turned out 10x nicer, so here's a clear look at Hisui.


----------



## ZentheBetta71614 (Jul 17, 2014)

LOVE you tank! I am still setting mine up too but I do have a betta already. Your boy is gorgeous! Love his coloring. I can not wait to see more updates.


----------



## Jennalyn (Jun 23, 2014)

The soft colors that show up on his fins in those first few shots are really breathtaking. Great pics! That tank will be really something once your moss takes hold.


----------



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

ZentheBetta: Good luck with your tank!

Jennalyn: Thanks, I'm eagerly awaiting this moss growth! Luckily, it seems to be growing slightly faster right now.

Well, It looks like there's yet another problem with my water. My dad set up our RO filter, and when I checked, the ammonia was 0.5. Right now, everything's still at 0 in the tank. What I'm thinking is that I might not need to ever do water changes, meaning the bad water wont be a problem. We'll see; if I need to do a water change, I guess I'm gonna have to buy water :|

I was playing with the pennywort a bit, and I've decided on a course of action. I want the tank to look all wild and overgrown, so I'm going to bend the stems and make them form arches all over the tank. I tried it on the biggest stem (which seems to be gaining several leaves a day!) and I thnik it turned out alright. I mean, the leaves haven't rotated to face the light yet so I'm not sure, but for now it looks kind of cool.


----------



## ZentheBetta71614 (Jul 17, 2014)

The tank looks sweet. I like you idea with the plants. I really like your driftwood. There were no good pieces last night at the store. I was bummed.


----------



## Jennalyn (Jun 23, 2014)

Neat idea with the pennywort. I look forward to seeing how that turns out as it continues to grow.

I thought that water changes were necessary periodically despite good ammonia levels in order to replenish electrolytes and other nutrients that were naturally depleted by plants and fish?


----------



## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

That is correct, Jennalyn, also to remove dissolved waste and (in a cycled but less planted tank) to reduce nitrate.

Oichii, you don't have to be so quick to rely on RO water. You have a lot of ammonia in your tapwater. But, when your tank is cycled, and especially when your pennywort grows in, you'll have enough bacteria and plants to handle that much ammonia. If you're concerned with your tapwater ammonia and any ammonia released during a water change, you can dose Prime water conditioner @ 2-drops/gal of tank size with water changes. Or, with a cycled and/or planted tank, 2-drops/gal of refill water. 

It's good that you can maintain plants efficiently. Can't have too many plants. They're actually faster and more efficient than bacteria at detoxifying ammonia.


----------



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

I didn't know that water changes were necessary for the other reasons :shock: 

Alright, I'll do water changes. But I'm hesitant to spike the ammonia, so I'm going to stick with very small ones, meaning 10-20% at most. Like I said before, a 20% water change brought the ammonia to 0.5 PPM when added from the tap. I just want to ensure that it gets no higher than that. I don't own prime at the moment, so I'll have to check it out later.

Thanks for the advice!


----------



## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Small water changes are not efficient because they allow a buildup of ammonia and other things over time. (It takes too long to explain and involves math.) Fifty percent changes are customary because they are more effective -- see above.

How much ammonia is in your tapwater?

What brand of conditioner are you using now? With ammonia in your tapwater, you need a conditioner that binds or otherwise detoxifies ammonia.


----------



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

I'll try prime, but for now I only have aquasafe. The ammonia in my tap is at 2 PPM /: I mean, I'm testing the levels in the tank every day and so far everything is at 0 every time I check. That's why I was thinking of just doing small water changes, at least until I try out prime and see how it works. Like I said, a 20% water changes spikes the ammonia to 0.5 PPM. A 50% water change would spike it to over 1 PPM.

In other news, a crises has been averted. I found water underneath the tank and almost panicked. After calling in my dad, we discovered that the bubble counter had sprung a tiny leak, and that water had simply gone under the tank. So, I've made a new one out of a glass jar.

Weekly update: You can see that the moss is finally starting to really grow in. And I'm focusing on the anubias because it's sprouting a new new leaf 

Ammonia: 0 PPM
Nitrites: 0 PPM
Nitrates: 0 PPM
PH: 6.4

And I've included a photo of the elusive Hisui as he evades the camera lense yet again.


----------



## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

Everything is looking good. Keep it up!


----------



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

Just though I'd update. So... I can't get my CO2 to work. Whenever I make a bubble counter, it magically springs a leak at the lid and the pressure can't build because the air escapes. It's definitely the bubble counter and not a problem with the rest of the set up, as I check for leaks and they all have them (but they only get them after I try to hook them up :roll. I've tried 3 different containers, and none have worked. So I admit defeat, I'm buying one. It's only seven dollars, so it should be okay. Miraculously, there's still CO2 being produced from the reactor at the same rate as when I set it up weeks ago.

Here's another new thing to report. I checked on him this morning, and guess what I found? Bubbles all over! He's building a, uh, bubble nest. It's very sloppy, but at least he's trying.

I find it interesting that he always stares at me head on, rarely turning sideways. Ah well, guess that's just how he is, I'm not gonna question it. Anyways, here are a whole bunch of pictures of him and the bubble nest!


----------



## Ashthemutt (Jan 13, 2014)

I can't wait till the moss grows more, it's going to look great


----------



## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Yeah, Oichii. Little insectivores with their binocular vision. If they're interested in something, they're looking right at it.


----------



## ZentheBetta71614 (Jul 17, 2014)

Lookin good! My little Zen is doing the same thing. Bubbles all over but not concentrated in one area. I've just told myself he is making the whole surface of his tank a bubble nest lol!


----------



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

Yeah, I guess he's just really fond of just staring at me rather than flaring or thrashing around. It's good to know that he's not the only one to do this with his bubble nesting, lol. And speaking of the moss...

If you saw one of my other threads, you'll know that Hisui got stuck between the mesh and the wall of the tank. He's fine, and it was only for half a minute or so, but I'm paranoid, so I Betta proofed it.

He's definitely not shy any more. He kept following my hand around and gawking at it, even getting within half an inch of my skin without a care :roll:

Ammonia: 0 PPM
Nitrite: 0 PPM
Nitrate: 0 PPM
PH: 6.8 (on the rise without CO2 running)

I just want to say that though the gravel looks eighty inches high on the right in the photos, it doesn't look like that in real life. It still needs some adjusting to be a little shorter, but it's nowhere near as bad as it looks!


----------



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

There were some swim bladder issues with Hisui. I think he just gets it real easily or something. Right now he's good though, and I'm gonna be altering his feeding schedule to ensure that it doesn't happen any more. Because 3 pellets is too much for him to handle.

For those of you wondering why I'm not having any trouble at all with algae... well, I'm a bit baffled myself. I assume that because the plants suck up all of the nitrates instantly, there's nothing left over for the algae.

But look at my filter (which looks 10x more gross in real life). I don't know if that's a huge buildup of disgusting looking beneficial bacteria or just a bunch of algae. If it is algae, this doesn't really make sense because it's only a tiny bit closer to the light than the rest of the tank. I don't know, all that matters is that it's not forming in the tank. At least, not yet.

I'm trying to figure out how to clean that without harming the bacteria. I'm sure the internet will lend me some suggestions. 

And, in other news, the CO2 is running and it's producing a lot more than the first batch. I actually managed to capture the bubbles on camera, though they're still quite blurry. Here are the photos:


----------



## Oishii03 (Jun 12, 2014)

Agh. Snails, little tiny baby pond snails.

I noticed a couple of tiny, I swear nearly microscopic white dots on the front of my tank. It's really hard to tell, but they're shaped vaguely like pond snails. I found a couple in the tank before, but now I know they're REPRODUCING. 

At the same time, I think there IS a bit of algae forming in the areas that they're covering. So I feel happy to see them there... I think I'm gonna set up some snail traps when they get bigger to get rid of MOST of them, and let those that don't fall for it roam free and eat algae. There's not much else I can do, anyways.

I also finally got a heater. The brand's Eheim Jager, which I purchased because I'm paranoid and everyone recommends it as the highest quality heater. I'm not gonna let Hisui boil.

I hope he responds well to it!


----------



## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

Hope you get your snail problem fixed! Also I cannot wait to hear how the heater works out for you (I'm in the market for new heaters for my tanks).


----------



## myexplodingcat (Apr 9, 2014)

People say to just swish the filter media in old tank water, but I find that doesn't work too well with Aqueon filters and algae. They definitely want you to buy new cartridges whenever they can wrench cash out of you.

Here's the thing. If your filter is so clogged that there's no water coming out the bottom part, just the side part (which looks like that's happening), let it run anyway for a week to make sure you have a ton of BB on your driftwood and substrate.

Then, you can take out the filter.

Seriously. Your BB will attach to other things in the tank. In fact, with how well your plants take care of the water, you may have no BB (because the plants take all the food--not a bad thing), or very little BB (and your tank won't miss it).

Aqueon filters tend to shade part of the tank anyway, letting less light through to your plants. Just keep in mind, bettas technically don't need a filter.

If you're worried about it affecting your water quality, experiment: remove the filter stick the filter cartridge in a Tupperware container full of conditioned tap water (since that has ammonia) and see how your tank does without it. That way, if you notice ill effects in your tank, whatever BB you have in the filter cartridge is preserved because you've fed it, and you can just stick it back in.

I've done this and it works fine for me. Just depends what you want to do.


----------

