Starting 2.5G Planted Tank

[valleyvampiress]

I'm very new to aquarium planting. I wanted to have a 2.5g planted tank with just one or two shrimp in it. I bought a hood for it because it didn't have one. It says it can't have a light more than 15watts. I believe I read you need atleast 2watts per gallon for the really low light plants, so I suspect that 15watts is enough. I don't have a light for it yet because I wanted to choose what kind of plant(s) I would put in there first, and then get the things it needs. I don't really want to plant the plant in the gravel because it would make it hard to do gravel vacuuming. I read that its better to keep some plants that have roots already in the sponge-like thing in the container anyways; well, for newbies anyway.

So if you guys could inform me as to what I need to know to start the tank, I'd appreciate it very much! I don't know anything right now, but I preordered a thorough beginner book, "The Simple Guide To Planted Aquariums". It's not comming until August though. I'm hoping to learn the bare bone basics atleast before then. Lighting, type of substrate, types of newbie plants, chemicals, things that might harm crustaceans etc. are things I'd like to know. Also, since I want the plants to grow to almost fill the entire tank, I don't plan on adding the shrimp until it reaches that point so that I won't have to worry about cycling. Any innaccuracies in what I've said, or knowledge on the above would help me greatly, thanks.

 

[Beeker]

I am new to live plants too and I have had wonderful experiences with all flourite substrate and anubias nana. I already got two flowers from them. I would have to say, go with Florite substrate, a screw in compact flourescent bulb, and check out www.plantgeek.net for the plants. You can check the plant guide. It has a guide according to difficulty. That is what I used. You'll probably want to stick with very small bushy plants like microswords and anubias nana and some tall stems like anachris. I hope this helps a little. With the info here, on Aquaria Central, and on plantgeek, you probably won't need the book unless you decide to go with a larger tank and want to add CO2 and higher maintenance plants. Have fun!

 

[Emg]

I really like the Echo-Complete substrate, because it looks like regular dirt or potting soil. The plants seem to like it too. But some folks have reported difficulty with PH issues using this product because of stray carbonite in it. I haven't had the problem myself.

Also, the less the surface is disturbed the better....as far as CO2 goes...I don't know if you were planning on using a filter in that tank. I have a 5 gallon planted with a divider..it has a male copper betta on one side and a female gold on the other. I have a mini penguin filter in it which doesn't disturb the surface much at all if I keep the water level right up to the outlet...it has the Echo-Complete substrate as well and one 10 watt compact flourescent bulb......and the plants are going wild !

 

[Blinky]

I agree with Beeker, a screw-in spiral compact fluorescent would probably be your best bet, it sounds like it's an incandescent fixture and CF bulbs make a nice alternative to incandescents, which produce less light and won't really work for plants. Look for something in the 5000K - 7000K range ('daylight' rather than 'warm white' or 'cool white' bulbs) if you can, the colour will be more appealing to your eye than the usual 2300K warm white, which is quite red.
The WPG rule completely falls apart for tanks this small, but a 13W or 15W bulb should be enough. I've got an Anubias nana, Echinodorus tenellus and Bacopa australis growing well in a 1g cube under a 13W CF desk lamp (info's in my sig. link if you want to see details ).
With planted tanks, gravel vacs aren't really necessary the way they are in non-planted tanks. If you've got plants in the substrate, the waste will work its way down into the gravel, providing the plants with nutrients. Shrimp will probably appreciate some small plants on the substrate to hide in.
Take a look at this link - there's a great forum on the planted tank site about nano tanks, where you can get more information specific to teeny planted tanks

 

[valleyvampiress]

Thank you guys very much. I shall go with the compact fluorecent light bulb. I'll check into both substrates you guys mentioned; the flourite and the echo-complete. And Blinky, thanks for the info on the particular kind of light. I'm glad you told me that before I just bought any old light at the store. The gravel vacuuming I was a little unsure of, but it makes sense that the plant would use it for nutrients.

Thanks for the links too! I appreciate it.

And also, I have a question about ammonia/nitrites. If there's not going to be hardly any waste from the shrimp, how is there going to me enough ammonia/nitrites for the plant? Do I need to put some in there? Also, would using my old tank water from my other cycled 10g be ok to put in the 2.5 half way when I do water changes? It has nitrates, so I thought that might be benificial. Or is it just better to put fresh water?

 

[Blinky]

It's hard to say whether or not you'll need to add PO4 & NO3 to the tank (I wouldn't want to add N in the form of ammonia or nitrites, only nitrates which are safe for the shrimp), it depends on the plants you choose, how fast they're growing, and how densely planted the tank is. Shrimp like clean water, and the old water from other tanks will have more than just NO3 in it so I'd use clean water and add fertilizer if needed rather than using older water from other tanks.
Try reading the sticky on fertilization, and checking out info on ferts at the planted tank and other planted forums/sites. It's a lot to take in at first, but you'll be surprised all the basics start to make sense. To maintain a planted tank you'll need NO3 & PO4 test kits so you know when the plants are lacking in these (or if there's a buildup and you need to do a water change).
When it comes to carbon, I use Excel in my 1g rather than injecting CO2 - I figured it would be hard to get the levels accurate and steady in so small a tank, and it wasn't really aesthetically pleasing to have an airline running into the tank. Everything seems fine so far, there's a tiny bit of green algae, but nothing unmanageable

 

[valleyvampiress]

Thanks blinky, I'll check out that sticky.

The CO2 injections sound like a better idea for me too. Seeing too many things coming out of a small tank like that can make it an eye soar instead of eye pleasing.