What do you guys think of my Aquarium-plan? Please be as critical as possible, I need advice.
(Pics are just for inspo, I know the tank won't be as lush without CO2)
Goals:
- Desktop Aquarium for my study area
- little work (e.g. as little cutting, feeding, fertilizing and water changing as possible [ideal if zero times], easy to control/avoid algae)
- low tech (and cheap)
- variety of plant species and lots of plants in general (carpet and red plants would also be nice)
- blue dream Neocaridina davidi colony (start with 10)
- colorful fish with lots of personality (Rocket Killifish (Epiplatys annulatus), [3 - 6]?, NO Betta)
Plan:
- Cover sides facing window with black paper and something to reflect heat. Try to have curtains closed as much as possible
- dark start for 1 month, add ammonia as Fluval Stratum does not have much, cover with cloth because of window, Will add 25% distilled water to reduce water hardness. (increases plant growth and might be beneficial to fauna)
- plant densely, but Buce, Pogostemon Erectus and Ludwigia later, as they do not tolerate fluctuations. Set the light intensity to 50%.
- wait 2 - 3 weeks, change the water if necessary, increase the light intensity a little every week
- add Neocaridinia and wait until they multiply
- as soon as a good colony has developed and the plants have grown densely, introduce fish
Pro:
- Lots of plants
- Few animals
- Aqua Soil
Disadvantages:
- Next to the window, therefore lots of algae
- Desired plant mass not possible (or more difficult), as no CO2
- Hard tap water (8 - 9 pH)
- Not available for 1 - 2 months per year
Tech:
Aquarium:
- 30x30x30 (cm) = 27l
- lid
Filter: small internal filter, low flow rate (mind. 135 l/h)
Light: from home (lominie Asta 20, if not bright enough I'll buy a more expensive one?)
Heater: (not sure yet as Killifish enjoy cooler waters)
CO2: No
Extras: Temp. meter
Aquascape:
Convex:
- Lots of shade
- Many planting options
- Ideal for front view
Shape:
- Very flat convexity, minimum shifted to the left (~10 cm from the left wall)
- Steeper closer to the minimum
- Foreground height: 3 - 5 cm, background height: 10 - 15 cm
- After 5 - 10cm the slope begins (very steep)
Substrate:
- Active substrate (either Fluval Stratum or MIBO culture medium, whichever is cheaper and less work + Roottabs)
- Brown/black color
- If Fluval Stratum then without a second layer and if MIBO then with. (As it is a nano and I want to add carpet plants, the foreground substrate should not be too high)
- I'll add a bottom layer of lava rock for extra height and more surface area for Bacteria
Hardscape:
- Rock: Light (contrast to the substrate), jagged, gray or light brown
- Wood: main trunk positioned on the left, branches go downwards from it + downwards from outside the aquarium
o Either: dark, curved wood, like a root (harder to find)
o Or: straight branches, like a branch
- Locally sourced, cuz I ain't paying 50EUR for stones
Plants:
Foreground:
o marsilea crenata (Carpet)
- Growth rate: Medium/Slow
- Lighting: Medium/High
- Success: Pretty confident
o Pogostemon helferi
- Growth rate: Medium
- Lighting: Medium
- Success: Believe it will survive
- Use once cycled and stable
o Crypt. Parva
- Growth rate: Slow
- Lighting: high
- Success: Yes
Middle ground:
o Cryptocoryne albida “Brown”
- Growth rate: Slow
- Lighting: low
- Success: Yes
o Cryptocoryne lutea Hobbit
- Growth rate: Slow
- Lighting: Medium/high
- Success: Yes
o Cryptocoryne x purpurea
- Growth rate: Slow
- Lighting: low
- Success: Yes
Background:
o Pogostemon erectus (Instead, Myriophyllum guyana, Myriophyllum matogrossense, as it is smaller)
- Growth rate: Slow
- Lighting: high
- Success: 50/50
- Use later
o Cryptocoryne usteriana
- Growth rate: Medium
- Lighting: high
- Success: Yes
o Ludwigia Palustris “Super Red”
- Growth rate: Fast
- Lighting: high
- Success: Unlikely
- Use later
o Rotala rotundifolia green
- Growth rate: Fast
- Lighting: Medium/high
- Success: Yes
o Rotala rotundifolia red (Hygrophila polysperma as plan B)
- Growth rate: Fast
- Lighting: high
- Success: 50/50
Epiphytes:
o Anubias nana petite
- Growth rate: Slow
- Lighting: Medium
- Success: Yes
o Bolbitis heudelotii
- Growth rate: Slow
- Lighting: Medium/high
- Success: Yes
o Bucephalandra pygmaea 'Bukit Kelam' (willing to change Buce type)
- Growth rate: Slow
- Lighting: Medium
- Success: Yes, use later
- Insert later
o Bucephalandra sp. Hades Blue (willing to change Buce type)
- Growth rate: Slow
- Lighting: Medium
- Success: Yes, insert later
- Add later
o Hygrophila pinnatifida
- Growth rate: Medium
- Lighting: Medium/high
- Success: unlikely
- Add later
o Vesicularia “Christmas Moss”
- Growth rate: Slow
- Lighting: low
- Success: Yes
Float:
o Phyllanthus fluitans
- Growth rate: Medium
- Lighting: Medium/high
- Success: 50/50, aquarium will have a lid
o Limnobium laevigatum
- Growth rate: Medium
- Lighting: Medium
- Success: Yes
Plus one or two houseplants (pothos and philodendron micans)
Price: <220EUR
- aquarium: 30EUR
- filter: 15 EUR
- substrate: 20EUR
- light: 0 - 30EUR
- plants: < 95EUR
- inhabitants: ~30EUR
Reduction strategy:
- Buy flora and fauna via Invital and from hobbyists
- Get aquarium and filter either via Kaufland, Willhaben or Kleinanzeigen
- Find hardscape in my local area