# Aquafarm Tank Progress



## BettaPeace23 (Dec 24, 2013)

Hello everyone. I am new to this forum and recently I got this tank called the Aquafarm by the Back to the Roots company. I decided to search topics on the forum for the Aquafarm. There were more questions then answers. So I thought I would share my progress with it. I will try to answer any questions I saw on the other topic and any new ones. 

So I have had this tank for 3 days now. I followed all of the instructions very carefully. I used the bath it came with for my male betta. I had no issues with it. I went on the Home Grown Ponics website and read about the preventive bath, it claims to do this:
*Contains natural soothing oils that clean the fish - helps prevent disease transfer
*Halts contamination by "cleaning” new incoming fish of disease organisms
*Reduces external fungus or protozoan infestations
*Helps prevent fin rot, tail rot and common bacterial infections
*Protects delicate slime coats and repairs damaged areas
*Safe when used as directed for both fresh and saltwater fish

The betta in this tank is supposedly a Halfmoon betta I rescued from someone I work with. She gave him to me in his original cup from the store that says halfmoon, but his fins are so bad I thought he was a crowntail at first and sort of looks like he can be a veiltail, I don't know about a halfmoon though so we shall see. She only had him for a week and decided to get a "prettier" one for her kids.

So as for the tank itself, I have a heater in there that keeps it at about 78 degrees. I have one smallish live plant and a hide. I also added a Golden snail.

I tested the water today and here are the results:

Nitrate- between 0-20 
Nitrite- 0
Hardness- 75
Chlorine- 0
Alkalinity- 80
pH- between 6.2-6.8
Ammonia- 0

pH was low so I added pH increase and will test again soon other than that everything seems fine. Most important, the betta is swimming around and has more color to him than when I first got him.

Even though the company claims that you "never" have to clean the water, I do plan on weekly water changes as I do with all my bettas. As with what others have said, my main priority is my fish not the plants. The plants and the beauty of it all will be a nice bonus to a healthy fish.

Let me know if you have any questions.


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## NikiD (Dec 28, 2013)

Hi! I also have an Aquafarm, mine has been set up for 4 days now. I've been testing daily and did a 50% water change yesterday. I am adding a heater since it's a bit cool in my house. (70). He has a little house and I ordered a small plant online that I will add tomorrow.

Is your tank cloudy? Mine isn't super cloudy, but it's not clear either. I've read that this will clear up after a few days. My wheat grass has sprouted on top and roots are extending down into the filter tray so I'm hoping that will help with the clarity. 

Looking forward to comparing Aquafarm experiments with you!


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## Flufficorn (Oct 26, 2013)

I got the AquaFarm for Yule! So happy!

I got my betta, Jack, back in October because I was depressed because I had been fired for the first time in my life. That was when I joined this forum. I knew before joining that I should get my fish a bigger tank so I started doing some research and found this tank. I immediately asked for it because I am an urban farmer (not weed, sorrynotsorry to disappoint). 

The idea of having a little farmer fish makes me so happy! I thought of all the plants I knew would work for aquaponics. All the plants I tried to grow and failed for one reason or another (chives, mostly. For some reason I cannot grow chives and it really upsets me). 

So I have the AquaFarm so I can benefit from the plants plus it's a better home for my fish. I am not very deep into betta care, though I probably should be. What I know about plants and their growing process is that this should be a perfect set-up for a small fish. I am hoping that I can reduce my tank cleanings to once a month, as I was doing them once a week before. 

I set the tank up on the 25th, but I needed to get a new pump for it because there was no where near enough water flow happening. I also got Jack a better heater. My major concern right now is setting the tray so that the top of the water isn't moving so much so Jack can make his bubble nest. It's a struggle right now with that, but I am sure I will figure it out. 

So far, though, other than the pump failure thing, Jack is swimming more and his color is far brighter. He plays with the bubbles that the water makes as it comes down. Over all, he seems far happier. I am thinking this will all work out, though I still may invest in a small attachable carbon filter for him. I am not sure yet.


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## BettaPeace23 (Dec 24, 2013)

NikiD said:


> Hi! I also have an Aquafarm, mine has been set up for 4 days now. I've been testing daily and did a 50% water change yesterday. I am adding a heater since it's a bit cool in my house. (70). He has a little house and I ordered a small plant online that I will add tomorrow.
> 
> Is your tank cloudy? Mine isn't super cloudy, but it's not clear either. I've read that this will clear up after a few days. My wheat grass has sprouted on top and roots are extending down into the filter tray so I'm hoping that will help with the clarity.
> 
> Looking forward to comparing Aquafarm experiments with you!


Yes my water is cloudy as well. I will be adding the packet it came with to help clear it up today. It's just cycling right now. My wheat grass has sprouted a bit as well. My heater died though so I just ordered a new one online so it will hopefully be here soon. I don't want to do a water change just yet, but I am going to be testing the water often. I am also looking forward to seeing what this little tank can do.



Flufficorn said:


> I got the AquaFarm for Yule! So happy!
> 
> I got my betta, Jack, back in October because I was depressed because I had been fired for the first time in my life. That was when I joined this forum. I knew before joining that I should get my fish a bigger tank so I started doing some research and found this tank. I immediately asked for it because I am an urban farmer (not weed, sorrynotsorry to disappoint).
> 
> ...


I don't know if a water change only once a month is enough. Be sure to test your water often for everything including ammonia. I plan on weekly water changes still. I don't want to rely too much on the plants and kill my fish in the process. I will have to check the surface of my water as I am not sure if there is too much movement for a bubble nest. I am glad you upgraded your betta to the 3 gallon I have my fingers crossed that this tank will work out for all of us. Blessed be.


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## Flufficorn (Oct 26, 2013)

The issue with that is the zym-bac stuff that they give you. I have enough d-klor and Tidy Tank, and can get more. They Zym-Bac is expensive. 

I have been trying to find out how necessary that stuff is to the tank and/or what I can use as a substitute for it. Otherwise I'll be spending faaar too much money on it every time I change the water.


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## BettaPeace23 (Dec 24, 2013)

Flufficorn said:


> The issue with that is the zym-bac stuff that they give you. I have enough d-klor and Tidy Tank, and can get more. They Zym-Bac is expensive.
> 
> I have been trying to find out how necessary that stuff is to the tank and/or what I can use as a substitute for it. Otherwise I'll be spending faaar too much money on it every time I change the water.


Let me know what you find out. I am going to make an order to get refills on everything and my total is almost $30 with shipping.


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## Flufficorn (Oct 26, 2013)

Nothing so far, but I will keep you posted!

Also! OMG guise! I got a new pump: Whisper10, anyone have it? Too much or too little fish wise? Plant wise, working great. My lavender is already sprouting and I put it in there on Fri.


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## NikiD (Dec 28, 2013)

Flufficorn said:


> Nothing so far, but I will keep you posted!
> 
> Also! OMG guise! I got a new pump: Whisper10, anyone have it? Too much or too little fish wise? Plant wise, working great. My lavender is already sprouting and I put it in there on Fri.


I also ordered the Whisper 10  It will be here today so I'm looking forward to seeing the difference it makes. 

My wheat grass is about an inch tall, can't see the basil yet. I have one cup I put a rosemary cutting in to root, but it's not taking well so I will put something else in there, maybe sage or lavender.

Tank is much clearer, water is warm, fish is happy  Fed him a couple brine shrimp last night, he wasn't quite sure what to do with them, he stared at them a little bit before eating them, then he scoured the bottom looking for scraps lol.


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## NikiD (Dec 28, 2013)

Hey Flufficorn - I read that your betta isn't doing so well...any ideas yet on what is causing his malaise? How much stronger is the current with the Whisper 10? Is there a chance that what you're growing would have adverse effects? Just throwing ideas out there  Hope you can figure it out!


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## NikiD (Dec 28, 2013)

Found a list of plants toxic to fish...

http://www.cnykoi.com/articles/plantpoisonous.asp


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## Flufficorn (Oct 26, 2013)

Niki, yes! 

I got him the Whisper 10, and it was the circulation being caused by the pump that was making him sad. I went out and purchased a TopFin Air-1000. This is also a 10 gallon air pump, but it slightly less powerful. After I acclimated him, I put him back in. At first he was all bleh. But after a while he got used to it. He is swimming around like normal now! 

Also, what a great list! I am so book marking this! I am glad none of my herbal tea plants are poisonous to them. I almost planted daffodil because that is a tea herb, but I decided that as a plant daffodil is too crazy. 

How is your garden going? I actually have to take pics and update my Fishblog today!


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## NikiD (Dec 28, 2013)

Oh, I'm glad you figured out what was making him sad! 

I ordered this: http://amzn.to/1hg9u4z to put on the end of the tube that the bubble hose goes in and I will see if that helps reduce the flow from the Whisper 10 pump (which will come in the mail tomorrow). Otherwise I will try something else.

Here are a few pics:


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## Flufficorn (Oct 26, 2013)

Your fishy is very pretty.  

You can get something called a gang valve to control the flow of air through the tube. PetsMart sells them in two way, three, and four way. I didn't get one because I just want a one-way gang valve. Those exist but as far as I know you have to order them off of the internet. 

Is the gravel there the stuff that came with the kit? I used the shale gravel that came with it, and it is not enough to cover the bottom of the tank. So I am using these glass marble-like things. I want to change it and make the substrate mostly rock with accents of the blue. 

What do you have planted there? 

My echinacea sprouted earlier today.  That's 2 out of 5.


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## NikiD (Dec 28, 2013)

I bought some aquarium gravel at PetCo to add to what came with it, they don't provide enough with the kit IMO. I planted the wheat grass and basil that came with the kit, and had a rosemary clipping there until I found the list of poisonous plants and yanked it out. I think I may borrow your idea and plant some lavender in the cup I have available. As you can see, the wheatgrass is growing like crazy, but no sprouts from the basil yet.


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## Flufficorn (Oct 26, 2013)

Here is a pic of my Jack, hanging out in front of his TARDIS. He's super camera shy so it's hard to get pics of him.


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## NikiD (Dec 28, 2013)

He's a pretty boy!


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## fidget (Aug 18, 2013)

Hi guys! Just wanted to say that Flufficon, you should get one of those prefilter sponges too- so your betta doesn't get curious and get sucked up in that intake tube. They should come with them..


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## Flufficorn (Oct 26, 2013)

The air pumps? They don't.  Nor did the AquaFarm kit. If they are cheap I might, but Jack is kind of afraid of...everything, so he has stayed away from it. He watches the tube sometimes, but that's all. 

I am curious, though: how/where do these sponges attach?


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## fidget (Aug 18, 2013)

No, the prefilter sponge- Link!
It fits on outside of the tube that comes down into the middle of the tank- the one that sucks water up to the top tray. It'll keep your long finned friend from getting sucked up into the tube...unless they've changed the design of the tank already- I know BTTR was working on it.
I'd get it even if he's scared of it now- he might not be later. They're very curious fish. There are lots of complaints about people's fish getting stuck to or sucked up in that tube.
Also, I know you guys already have new pumps, but BTTR will send you a new one with new bacteria and stuff if you tell them your pump broke and you need it. The first generation of these tanks came with crappy pumps that died within a couple months. :-D


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## fidget (Aug 18, 2013)

Oh, the prefilter sponges are $3-4 in pet stores.


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## Flufficorn (Oct 26, 2013)

We're going by the pet store today to return the other pump I had that almost killed him. If they are a decent price there, I will pick one up and attach it when I get the shipment of zym-bac and the other stuff I ordered.


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## Soph7244 (Sep 18, 2013)

Hey guys! I have the wisper 10 and its really amazing! i highly recommend it! also tell me on the progress on your tanks! im thinking of getting one so tell me what you think!


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## Flufficorn (Oct 26, 2013)

Hey all! How is everyone's farming going? Mine is great! I have sprouts in everything but my mint! Also, Jack is finally happy enough in his new home to make his bubble nest. It took a while because sometimes the water tray sits crooked. That's all sorted, though! 

I thought I would let you guys know that I have been talking with the Back to the Roots customer service people, and they are working on a re-design of the water tray so that it is more structurally sound. They plan on selling it on their site as an individual purchase for those of us that already have a tank. 

I am also still looking into what can be done to omit buying more zym-bac.


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## 2muttz (Aug 16, 2013)

Susbscribing to this because I'm really interested in these tanks and eager to read more.

Thought it might be a fun way to incorporate a little Betta into the kitchen....

Looking forward to updates!!! thanks!!!


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## NikiD (Dec 28, 2013)

Hi Flufifcorn! My plants are doing well, have had to trim the wheatgrass and basil is sprouting well. I didn't keep the Whisper10 pump on the tank because it was much louder and annoyed my dh lol. I'm going to end up moving Gilly up to my daughter's room because the noise bothers the hubs. That's OK though because I have a 5gal with an in-tank filter on the way to have downstairs lol. I"m going to make that a NPT, totally looking forward to it!

I've been 3x a week water changes, because Mr. Fishy prefers it that way. He's really low-key, can only get him to flare occasionally at his reflection, he is more curious than territorial. He comes out when I walk up to the tank and says hi....he's cute 

I'm going to want to order more seeds to replace the wheatgrass when it's done. What would you suggest? Keep in mind that it's going to be in lower light in my daughter's room. I was thinking to just put more wheatgrass, since it's so easy to grow and so hardy. 

Glad it's going well for you!


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## NattyBetta (Jan 18, 2014)

There was a packaging change between the aqua farms being sold in December and what the store has now. Does anyone here know if it's an updated model?


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## fidget (Aug 18, 2013)

I was told by Jasmine the Happyness guru or whatever :lol: that they were updating the design. The pump was supposed to be replaced with a submersible in tank pump and they were going to start using a harder plastic for the top so it didn't warp. 
I don't know if they went into production or not but I do know they wanted to respond to customer complaints and fix the major problems as quickly as they could.


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## fidget (Aug 18, 2013)

You can always email them at Back To The Roots. I think they're pretty good about answering emails.


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## Flufficorn (Oct 26, 2013)

I do not see anything new here on their FB page or on their site. I was told that when they made a new tray they were going to sell it individually so that people like us don't have to buy a whole new tank. But if that doesn't do it for you answer wise, they are really great at answering emails and posts on their page. 

Also my mint finally sprouted. I have all 5 pots with sprouts in them!


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## NattyBetta (Jan 18, 2014)

She responded very quickly  it's just a packaging change... I doubt anyone else noticed this but we have them at work and I was curious. Why does everyone replace the pump that it comes with? Are they just dying really quickly? Or disturbing the water too much? I just helped my Mom set hers up tonight. Did you guys make a notch in the lid for your heaters to fit? I have mine coming up out of the "feeding door" for now so there isn't too much pressure on the cord.


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## Flufficorn (Oct 26, 2013)

Oh my goodness. I just got done cleaning my tank! I let it run for a month to see how it fared. Jack seems to be doing fine. It also looks like he is getting bigger (but that might be my imagination). 

I did notice some algae growth in the water tray, which came off with a wet paper towel. There is also algae on the grow stones where they sit in the water. I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing, honestly. I'll post it on their FB page and ask! There was also minor growth where the light would shine in through the food door! 

I've been refilling the tank via watering the plants like normal plants and it has been helping with plant growth. 

I have been forgetting to add the Tidy Tank stuff and noticed a lot of sludge on the heater when I cleaned, mostly around the top rubbery black part. 

Also, I was in an email exchange with KORDON earlier this month asking them some questions about their zym-bac. The person I was speaking with told me that in place of buying more zym-bac, I can take about a cup of the gravel from the tank before cleaning it, and transfer it into the new water to aid the bio-systems within the tank. All this time I thought it was the water (and I am sure some of that helps, too), but it turns out it's the rocks/substrate. 

Jack is doing well. He sometimes likes to nibble on his moss ball. I am wondering if that is normal... My plants are growing, but slow. That is okay. It gets cold in here.


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## NanaBeams (Feb 24, 2014)

How are your aquafarm tanks? Did you get a complete cycle with zymbac? I just set up my tank and I dosed it with 2.0 ppm Ammonia. I wonder if the Zymbac is going to help.


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## AmbiantNight (Feb 12, 2014)

Where did you get your TARDIS I love it!


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## vanderdecker (Mar 9, 2014)

Hello, all. I've had my Aquafarm for a bit under three weeks now. First betta from Petco was dead by the next day, second died after two (maybe three) days. Third was from Petland Discounts. When I put him in I did a water change (just in case) and the little bugger's been happily zipping along ever since. I added more Zymbac from a refill kit I'd bought, just in case. Feeding him the included mini pellets, with period treats of frozen bloodworms.

Ammonia levels are a bit higher than I'd like (1ppm), and that's AFTER swapping out about a pint of water. I'm hoping that goes down as the seedlings (the included basil and my own cilantro) get bigger.

I'm wondering if my kit design is different than the one that others have been talking about here. My filter (an external model) seems fine; water bubbles up pretty energetically to the top tray. it came with a little mesh sleeve for the end of the rigid tube so that the betta doesn't get sucked in.

Has anyone added a plant grow light?

I was also debating getting a network webcam... from what I've seen, I shouldn't use one with night vision, as the IR light would reflect off the tank, screwing the image.


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## NanaBeams (Feb 24, 2014)

vanderdecker said:


> Hello, all. I've had my Aquafarm for a bit under three weeks now. First betta from Petco was dead by the next day, second died after two (maybe three) days. Third was from Petland Discounts. When I put him in I did a water change (just in case) and the little bugger's been happily zipping along ever since. I added more Zymbac from a refill kit I'd bought, just in case. Feeding him the included mini pellets, with period treats of frozen bloodworms.
> 
> Ammonia levels are a bit higher than I'd like (1ppm), and that's AFTER swapping out about a pint of water. I'm hoping that goes down as the seedlings (the included basil and my own cilantro) get bigger.
> 
> ...


Did you let the tank cycle before adding the fish? Maybe that's why they are dying. 

I actually added a prefilter sponge on the bottom of my intake tube by cutting up the Fluval prefilter and securing with a plastic elastic band. I also put biomax in the upper tray and lined the round drainage holes with more sponge (cut from fluval prefilter) to give my bacteria more places to live in. I hope this will work in cycling the aquafarm, since it doesn't have a real filter. I had to make my own. The airtube itself is not a "filter". It just oxygenates the water below and pumps water up into the upper tray by displacement via bubbles. 

The bacteria should be living in the growstones, not so much the plant. The plants will convert nitrate to N2, while the bacteria will deal with the ammonia and nitrite. Your tank probably hasn't established enough bacteria to do this yet. I would stick in some sponges or biomax or something that gives more area for the bacteria to grow on besides the growstones.

I feel like Back to the Roots should have included information on cycling. I didn't know anything about cycling until I did some research. I have no fish, so nothing has died though.

The netting is a new addition to the aquafarm. I didn't get it with my kit.  I just use sunlight from my window.


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## vanderdecker (Mar 9, 2014)

NanaBeams said:


> Did you let the tank cycle before adding the fish? Maybe that's why they are dying.
> 
> I actually added a prefilter sponge on the bottom of my intake tube by cutting up the Fluval prefilter and securing with a plastic elastic band. I also put biomax in the upper tray and lined the round drainage holes with more sponge (cut from fluval prefilter) to give my bacteria more places to live in. I hope this will work in cycling the aquafarm, since it doesn't have a real filter. I had to make my own. The airtube itself is not a "filter". It just oxygenates the water below and pumps water up into the upper tray by displacement via bubbles.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the reply. I can't say for certain, but all that I did differently was to buy the fish from Petland rather than Petco (and a basic water change after the second Petco fish died). My Petland betta's been energetic and active. Otherwise I basically just followed the Aquafarm instructions. Bad batch at Petco? No idea.

I did ask email them a question about a few things and in reply they mentioned letting the plants establish for a week or so first, and my thought then was "gosh that'd have been nice to know before I added the fish" but, knock on wood, my betta is going strong now.

Thanks for the suggestion about the sponges/biomax.


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## NanaBeams (Feb 24, 2014)

vanderdecker said:


> Thanks for the reply. I can't say for certain, but all that I did differently was to buy the fish from Petland rather than Petco (and a basic water change after the second Petco fish died). My Petland betta's been energetic and active. Otherwise I basically just followed the Aquafarm instructions. Bad batch at Petco? No idea.
> 
> I did ask email them a question about a few things and in reply they mentioned letting the plants establish for a week or so first, and my thought then was "gosh that'd have been nice to know before I added the fish" but, knock on wood, my betta is going strong now.
> 
> Thanks for the suggestion about the sponges/biomax.


The instructions from the Aquafarm are not adequate and overly simplified. I am pretty sure that a lot of people had their fish died from new tank syndrome and high ammonia/nitrite levels. I also fit a hydor 25w heater by attaching it to the back left corner and having the wire come out from the left side. They don't even tell you that bettas need a heater. ;< There is enough of a gap from the tray to sit on top of the wire (lay it as flat as possible) and run it out from the gap on the side.

I dosed my aquafarm with 2.0 ppm ammonia recently and I am just waiting for it to drop hopefully soon! It's only been like 2 days.


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## vanderdecker (Mar 9, 2014)

I added a heater, too, same setup as yours, but a Tetra H10 (50watt, thermostat-controlled). It was the smallest heater with a thermostat they had at Petco at the time, but I wish I had something a little more energy efficient... for 3 gallons that's a lot of power. Is the Hydor really that big? It has half the wattage rating of the Tetra, but the Amazon specs have it as having notably bigger dimensions (esp. overall length).


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## NanaBeams (Feb 24, 2014)

vanderdecker said:


> I added a heater, too, same setup as yours, but a Tetra H10 (50watt, thermostat-controlled). It was the smallest heater with a thermostat they had at Petco at the time, but I wish I had something a little more energy efficient... for 3 gallons that's a lot of power. Is the Hydor really that big? It has half the wattage rating of the Tetra, but the Amazon specs have it as having notably bigger dimensions (esp. overall length).


I ordered it from Amazon.ca so it was the smallest heater I could find with a thermostat for $20. I do wish it was smaller. The 7 inch length is accurate. Thermostat heaters especially for small tanks are quite hard to find in Canada. I think petsmart Canada has them, but they are well over $30. >_> It's been holding my tank at a steady 28-29*C (81-82*C) so it works quite well.


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## LisArtist (Mar 2, 2014)

Hi! We are also testing out an Aquafarm. We are on Day 11. 

So far, so good. 

Our setup:

Extra gravel
Silk plants
Petco submersible thermometer with a green zone 
Hydor 25W Theo Heater
A leaf hammock made from silk leaf
A hidey hole log
Marimo ball
Aquarium test kit
Fish Journal
Homegrown Ponics Refill Kit
Homegrown Ponics 0.5mm Micro Pellet Food (our fish loves them) 
H2Show submersible LED light
Starter Pump with an added check valve
Herbs already started and added with roots: mint, chives, parsley
Herbs from seed: wheatgrass, basil
Turkey Baster for water changes
Wood chopsticks to move things around
Test strips for water hardness

Other modifications:

We removed the white plastic shroud from the walls. Our fish could see too much reflection.

Things we tried that did not work:

ZooMed 7.5W Bettatherm Bowl Heater 
Plastic temperature strip
Tetra Whisper 10 gallon air pump (too loud, too much displacement)

We wish the manufacturer had put more thought into the aquarium setup, with some room for cords. 3 gallons is small once you start putting probes and decoration into the tank. 

The planted part of the system is doing well. Our starter herbs are growing well and must be soaking up nitrates - we haven't had any since Day 6. Wheatgrass is growing well from the seed and the basil is trying. It needs a lot of light, so we are not expecting it to thrive in our living room.

Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates have been low for days now. We still have to do 25% water changes every few days because the plants consume a lot of water. We provide shade to the aquarium with potted houseplants spaced around the aqua farm, but still expect to have an algae problem. When that happens we will get a snail....


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## vanderdecker (Mar 9, 2014)

For me:
-- extra gravel (deep blue, polished small stones)
-- 3 plants. No idea if they're silk or not. Sold next to the betta supples at Petco, which I've now stopped going to.
-- Tetra H10 50w heater. I also tried a EHEIM Jager 25W Heater, but holy &@& that thing is big! Wouldn't fit in the Aquafarm.
-- leaf hammock. I've never seen my betta use it.
-- suction cup thermometer (liquid in glass)
-- drop-based pH test/adjustment kit
-- digital pH tester ('cause it's DIGITAL)
-- ammonia test kit
-- Home Grown Ponics refill kit
-- basil & cilantro are growing
-- to be delivered today: 3 Part Salad Sprout Seed Mix
-- I also use wooden chopsticks for moving things around (mainly, righting plants when I knock them over moving the top)
-- frozen bloodworms, one pack defrosted and repacked in a small vial, which I take out of the freezer remove bits as-needed 
-- buying today: snail


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## LisArtist (Mar 2, 2014)

vanderdecker said:


> -- buying today: snail


How is your snail? I think we will be buying a nerite snail or two in the next few days. Maybe tonight.

I have purchased a smaller decoration from an Etsy potter for the aquafarm tank. One that won't bump up against the air tube. My betta doesn't seem to care much for caves. I added some more silk plants today and that seems to please him much more than the cave.

Try putting your hammock so it parallels a side of the tank, close to water level and maybe closer to the heater. My fish loves it.


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## vanderdecker (Mar 9, 2014)

Well, it's hard to gauge the mood of a snail. 
He's moving about, so that's a good thing. I'm concerned that maybe may betta ate his antennae; I saw them waving about the day after I put him in, but I haven't seen them out in days. I don't know if that's by chance or not.


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## LisArtist (Mar 2, 2014)

vanderdecker said:


> Well, it's hard to gauge the mood of a snail.
> He's moving about, so that's a good thing. I'm concerned that maybe may betta ate his antennae; I saw them waving about the day after I put him in, but I haven't seen them out in days. I don't know if that's by chance or not.


It is hard to gauge the mood of a snail!  I bought 2 small nerite snails. Not sure if they have antennae either. I will look closely. They have conquered most of the visible algae in the aquafarm. I'm a little worried they won't find enough to eat? I turned the gravel for them yesterday. With more sunny days I expect a constant supply of food for them, but who knows? My betta was very curious initially about the snails, but he is so over them now. 

I harvested my wheatgrass. After reading ideas on the internet, I mashed it up with a mortar and pestle with some mint from the aquafarm and a dash of rum then added the juice to pina coladas. Not sure that made any noticeable difference to the drink, but it was good!


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## vanderdecker (Mar 9, 2014)

LisArtist said:


> It is hard to gauge the mood of a snail!  I bought 2 small nerite snails. Not sure if they have antennae either. I will look closely. They have conquered most of the visible algae in the aquafarm. I'm a little worried they won't find enough to eat? I turned the gravel for them yesterday. With more sunny days I expect a constant supply of food for them, but who knows? My betta was very curious initially about the snails, but he is so over them now.
> 
> I harvested my wheatgrass. After reading ideas on the internet, I mashed it up with a mortar and pestle with some mint from the aquafarm and a dash of rum then added the juice to pina coladas. Not sure that made any noticeable difference to the drink, but it was good!


I am sure my snail has, or had, antennae... I'm setting up an IP webcam; once it arrives, (and possibly putting it online) on the fish, so maybe I'll catch sight of them again, assuming my betta didn't have himself a snack. 

I'm not a fan of wheatgrass, so I skipped that and planted cilantro instead, and in one cup tossed in some sprout seed mix that I regularly harvest to toss into a salad.


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