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1. Tank water volume: 20 Gallon Long
2. Tank lighting (type, watts per gallong, etc.): 2x 20W Fluero Tubes, 2x 10W Compact Fluero Bulb
3. Tank filtration: Whisper Power Filter for 10G and Sponge Filter for 10G
4. Tank substrate: 1 bag of Onyx sand and aquarium gravel.
5. Plants:Jave Fern, Java Moss, Rotala Indica, Giant Hygrophila, Dwarf and Reg. Four-Leaf Clover.
6. Fish: 3x Rasbora, 4x Zebra Danio, 2x Dwarf Gourami, and 3 other misc. fish.
7. Test kits used (brand and type): Ammonia test and PH test(Only tested once)
8. Fertilization regimen (include products used): Plant Grow, Iron Enriched
9. Do you CO2? I plan on using the Fizz Factory
10. Water change routine: Every 1-2 weeks about 25%
11. How long has the tank been set up? 1 week.
12. Describe your question or problem in detail:

I just setup this tank and have not yet added the plants, which should come this week. I was just wondering if everything will work out for me. Will the plants I listed grow well at about 2.5 watts per gallon? Also do I need to use any more fertilizer? Any other advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[N]

I am using Seachem Onyx Sand plant substrate, does this contain the needed nutrients? Here is a link that tells the nutrient content of the sand
http://www.seachem.com/products/product_pages/Onyx Sand.html

I plan on using mostly Java Fern and Java Moss, but I also wanted to grow the clover, Hygrophila, and Rotala Indica. Are you saying that these won't
grow well in my current setup?

I can't seem to find the GH/KH of my local water, but I live in a suburb of Chicago, so maybe somebody knows the info, I think we all get our water from Lake Michigan.

Your help is appreciated.

 

[N]

The link you posted for the D.I.Y. CO2 describes almost exactly what the Fizz Factory is. It is a bottle attached to an airline that is attached to a chamber underwater. You put the tab in the bottle and it releases CO2. So I think the Factor will work much the same as the DIY method. Please inform me if I am missing something here.

As for the fertilizer, are you saying I need to use more than just the trace elements? I though that fish food and waste provided the N-P-K.

The test kits you recommend, could you explain exactly why I need them before I spend the money? Could I do all right with out them or are they an important thing to have?

One of the misc fish is a very small algae eater from south america, I think the name starts with an O. As for the other two I have no idea, they ended up in my bag from walmart because the guy had no idea what he was doing(Last time I buy fish at walmart.) One is a fry and the other is a small fish with orange and black stripes.

I just planted the tank today and everything looks good so far. I'm sure I will have more questions in the future, but thanks for the help so far, it is invaluable.

 

[N]

The algae eater is definitely an Otto. I did some research and one of the misc. fish appears to be a striped barb, which is a little large for my tank but other than that should be ok. I think the misc fish is a Molly or Guppy fry.

As for the CO2, I was reading about a product from Seachem called Flourish Excel, which says it provides an alternate source of carbon for plants and can be used in conjuction with CO2. Does this stuff really work and is it worth the purchase?

I plan on using Big Al's Plant Food Supplement along with Flourish Excel for my fertilizer. I also plan on buying a test kit that measures ammonia, nitrite, ph, carbonate hardness and general hardness tests. Is this adequate?

 

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Here is a picture of what I think is a striped barb.

 

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And here is how the tank looks so far.