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Re: Small planted tank.
* From: "Sherri Elaine" <elaine_sherri at hotmail_com>
Hi everyone,
I've been thinking about setting up a small planted tank. A micro-planted
tank, I guess. I was going to buy a 5.5 gallon tank anyway, they were on
sale and really cheap. :) I have 2 planted tanks and one fry tank which has
mysteriously become full of water sprite. Anyway, I have some hygro.
polysperma, java fern, java moss, water sprite, cabomba, and swords. Are any
of these good for the small tank? I know that the water sprite and hygro are
really fast growers, so they will probably quickly take over the tank. And
that my swords are WAY too big for such a small height. Are there any other
good plants for this size of a tank? I'm also having trouble with the
substrate. I can't get any laterite, it's not available in my area or
anywhere nearby. I have got some peat moss blocks which are for aquariums. I
have used them with great success. Is there anything else I could do? I
don't plan on having any fish in there, so is a filter necessary? Any ideas?
Is kitty litter any good for this setup? Do I use the clumping or the normal
kind?
Thanks,
Sherri
I would think that Java fern and Java moss would be small enough or
slow-growing enough. Swords would be definitely too big, unless they were
E. tenellus, E.bolivianus, or E. quadricostatus. Hygrophila polysperma is
a little big, but can be kept in bounds if trimmed every week. The same
applies for Cabomba. Water sprite, being a plant that comes from a crown,
can not easily be trimmed and will rapidly become way too big. Consider
Anubias barteri, var. nana, Glossostigma, Echinodorus tenellus, Hemianthus
micranthemum, Heteranthera zosterifolia, small Cryptocoryne, such as C. x
willisii, and Lilaeopsis.
If you don't have laterite, and you don't want to experiment with local
topsoils or subsoils, then you can have plain gravel with a little peat
underneath and provide your iron by way of the available commercial
products for aquatic plants, If trying kitty litter, definitely get the
stuff that has no additives. If you have no fish, you definitely have to
have some source of CO2.
Paul Krombholz in cool central Mississippi, with some chilly showers and
light rain.