Erirku

Ok all you nano peeps! I have a couple questions and I need some input!
1) When setting up a nano 8-5 gallons. Do you consistently need to change water, like more every 2 days? Or can you just do a once weekly water change?
2) Do you guys/girls dose like a regular tank, and very minimal?
3) How would you rate the difficulty of doing a high or low lighted nano?
These are always the interesting questions I wanted to ask, because I've heard some people and the Amano books, that they change water alot during the week and some say they hardly change water and dose! I just finish setting up my nano and I need to put the last finishing touches, so please let me know on your setup and how things are going. Thanks alot, Eric.

Tank Girl

I am no expert but I can tell you what I do for my nano tanks, 2-5 gallons. That is 50% water change every 3 days and daily dose of a couple of drops of Excel and TMG since they are on the higher light side. This works for me, but may not be the ticket for someone else. I like to keep DOCs low and like water changes for all my tanks, big and small.

This regime works for me with my tap water that is on the moderately hard/alkaline side.

The "proof is in the pudding" so to speak, so I would adjust this routine if I noticed deformed or chlorotic leaves, lack of growth or poor fish health. Treat the tank/plants/fish, not the test kit, I always say, lol.

random_alias

I've been trying high light over a 2.5g. 2 x 13w PC lighting. I was dosing EI at 50% and doing weekly water changes. Dosing Excel at 2 x recommended dosage every other day. Green algae started growing. I'm going to try pulling one of the lights off to see if that will put things into better balance. I wouldn't do a high light nano unless you are injecting Co2. IMO Excel isn't going to keep up with high light like Co2 gas will. Excel tanks are inbetween no enrichment and Co2 gas tanks for growth rate.

To be fair, my susbtrate is making my ammonia levels high so the algae could be entirely due to that. Once the filter cycles and the NH4 drops I'll be able to bring the second light back online to test if the light or the NH4 was causing the growth.

I'm sticking with weekly water changes though. I have no fish load, only a few shrimp, so really NH4 readings are dictating my water changes.

figgy

Hmmmm,

Call me lazy. Call me "Maintenance Minimalist". I change water, maybe 25% once a month. I dose with the Seachem Plant Pak, using reduced amounts appropriate to my tank volume [using a measured eye dropper] maybe once a month.

Just now re-habbing the 4 gal tank that Cherry had started on this forum. That's how I intend to run it. There are 13 watts over 4 gal and the substrate is eco-complete. Stay tuned, but this has worked for me jfine all this time.

Figs