# 3.5 Gallon El Natural Setup



## frroK (May 9, 2011)

Hey guys. I just wanted to share my 3.5 gallon NPT with you guys. I'm
New to planted tanks and have been doing alot of research lately on this site and others. I haven't posted at all because I didn't really have anything to post. Anyway, quick story. Recently I got back into keeping fish from when I was a kid. Made all the noob mistakes and decided to do a bunch of research online and came across the planted tank and apc forums and all the beautiful nature aquarium tanks by takashi amano. So now I have a 3.5 planted and a 10 gallon that I will eventually convert to a dirt substrate. (stay tuned for that) here is some pics of my 3.5 a little over a month in. 
Substrate: 1 inch or so miracle grow organic choice potting mix with a cap of Carib sea peace gravel 1-2mm
Equipment:
13w cfl perch lamp
Red sea nano hob filter with a fluval
Prefilter

Plants:
Cryptocoryne wendtii green and red
Hornwort
Rotala Indica
Java moss
Dwarf Sag
Amazon frogbit

Fish and inverts:
Sakura shrimp
Pond snails
Assassin snails
Twin goldbar platy fry

Overall I super stoked on this tank. The plants are growing really well new runners every week and really no algae at all. The only thing I would say right now is that the rotala is growing very slowly and the original plants are not growing tall. When i got them the were def a little meltesld But there is new growth from side shoots. Also ,some of the leaves on my crypts have holes. I've read that may be a potassium deficiency. But thats odd since I'm using fresh dirt. So I'm not sure what up with that. The hornwort grows new leaves every week.


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## frroK (May 9, 2011)

Hey guys, an advice you can give on my first planted (el natural)setup? Thanks for looking.


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

Hi, Frokk,

I think here we are more geared to helping people with problems. Your aquarium looks pretty good, it is healthy, the plants are growing - what's to say? 

Don't be tempted to add to many fish. Two small ones will be enough, with maybe a male betta.

Now, if you get algae, or your plants start to die, post about it, and you will get a lot of responses. 

Good luck!

Bill


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## frroK (May 9, 2011)

Cool! Thanks for the reply. I guess your right. The plants are doing pretty well. I guess i just needed some acknoledgement that I'm doing things right. Haha. I've been doing so much research that I feel like my brain is going to expolode! I will post more as the tank develops. I've been successful at avoiding any problems so far.


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## frroK (May 9, 2011)

Here is an update. I've recently set up a 10 gallon and moved some of the red crypt and dwarf sag into there. I also added some black bar endler fry and 4 more Sakura shrimp. Tank is really establishing itself well. I do have some green algae but it is not taking over. I actually don't mind it so much as my shrimp like to munch on it. Here are some updated pics. 
Ps. The beer is Sam Adams summer ale. 

Thanks for looking.


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## frroK (May 9, 2011)

Ok so now for the bad news. This tank has been running for the better part of 2 months now and I've had some great growth and still do. Got home yesterday to find that my crypts are melting away. I noticed it the other day. A leaf here and there. I thought that maybe it was a fluke. No. It's not. One by one, the leaves on my three crypts red and green have started to melt away. I really don't understand. They were doing great. My parameters have not changed. Ph is about 7.6(blue in the API chart) ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 5. The rest of the plants are fine. Fish and shrimp are fine. No signs of stress. The only thing I can think of is that maybe it's too cramped in this little tank but ive seen tanks with plants grown in tight spaces. Anyone have an idea what it could be? I know about crypt melt but I already went through that when I first got the plants and they quickly
Bounced back. Here is a pic. It's a little hard to tell but you can see the stem of one plant is just melted. Only
Other thing is that I added 3 stems of that bacopa. Anyway. Your help would be much appreciated.


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## frroK (May 9, 2011)

So the only crypy I have left in this tank is my lovely red crypt. Luckily it did not completely die. The green crypts unfortunately did not make it. All the leaves are gone. Just going to hope that it comes back someday. Anyway, i have a bit of algae in this tank so i added an amano shrimp. Picked it up from petco of all places. $2.39. Not a bad deal. Also removed a trio of endlers. Dont want this tank to become to populated The bacopa has finally reached the surface going to let it grow out. Here is a Lil vid of my shrimp babies. An some updated pics.Thx for looking.


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

Hi,

Usually it takes a significant change in their environment to make crypts melt. Did anything out of the ordinary happen, like a power outage or a temperature drop? As you've noted, they often do bounce back.

In a NPT the animals supply the nutrients. Maybe the tank is a bit "lean"? You might consider adding a few small fish or, simply using fish food as a fertilizer. putting it in and letting it sink to the bottom. (That goes against everything I've learned about aquarium keeping, but Diana Walstad recommends it, so . . . )

Good luck.

Bill


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## frroK (May 9, 2011)

aquabillpers said:


> Hi,
> 
> Usually it takes a significant change in their environment to make crypts melt. Did anything out of the ordinary happen, like a power outage or a temperature drop? As you've noted, they often do bounce back.
> 
> ...


Hi Bill,

thanks for the advice! Now that I think of it, I didn't have a heater in this tank since setup in early summer. I am thinking that too much temp fluctuations could have had a part... Also, I live in ny, and my water is soft. That could be an issue as well. I have since added a heater and raised my water hardness. The dwarf sag in this tank is so far really successful. It has spread runners everywhere. My red crypt has hung in there and new growth has come up through the middle of the plant. I always feed a little extra in this tank for the plants so i am not worried about nutrients and the soil is pretty new. Here is some close up shots of the Rotala growing in this tank, some of the leaves are pink! its weird some stems creep along the bottom...others just hang over and almost face the substrate. It isn't really growing tall and straight up. But its nice nonetheless..


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## Aussie_hippie_2 (Nov 11, 2006)

That's a healthy looking little tank, keep up the good work!


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## frroK (May 9, 2011)

Aussie_hippie_2 said:


> That's a healthy looking little tank, keep up the good work!


Hey thanks. Check out this little vid...




Also included an updated shot from the side. I did trim up the rotala a bit as well. I really want this tank to fill in. Going to eventually just be a shrimp and endler fry tank.


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## jerilovesfrogs (Nov 29, 2010)

looks really nice! i like the plant in the back right corner...what did you say that was again? 

is that money next to the tank to buy things for the tank? cos if so, you're gonna need more of it! hahaha.


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## frroK (May 9, 2011)

jerilovesfrogs said:


> looks really nice! i like the plant in the back right corner...what did you say that was again?
> 
> is that money next to the tank to buy things for the tank? cos if so, you're gonna need more of it! hahaha.


Haha. Cash money! Oh I've spent my fair share so far on this hobby but I consider it a learning experience. But now that I'm unemployed i cant really spend anything on new aquarium stuff I have to make due with what I got and enjoy it for now. Luckily my tanks are all low tech(also have a ten gallon half moon) 
That plant in the corner is Rotala Rotundfolia, it is sometimes called rotala indica but that us a different species with rounder leaves. Thanks for the compliments.


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

frroK said:


> Also included an updated shot from the side. I did trim up the rotala a bit as well. I really want this tank to fill in. Going to eventually just be a shrimp and endler fry tank.


Hi!

Those plants look real healthy!

A side note about the Endler's fry: Endler's are a fine fish, and the males are very colorful. I've raised hundreds if not thousands of them. However, they are very difficult to catch in a planted tank without tearing down the aquarium, and the males can mate as young as three weeks of age. The females start giving birth at six to eight weeks. Without constant vigilance your tank can become wall-to-wall Endler's.

Keeping only males can get around that problem, but one has to be careful that one of the males doesn't turn out to be a female. Don't ask me how I know. 

Good luck!

Bill


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## frroK (May 9, 2011)

aquabillpers said:


> Hi!
> 
> Those plants look real healthy!
> 
> ...


Well, thanks for this advice! Right now I have two male Endler's in this tank. I moved three females and 1 male after they were colored up enough to sex them, into my 10 gallon tank. I got the fry from a felllow hobbyist. One of the females looked pregnant. Well, she was. I saw a baby last week. I thought there was enough cover it in my 10 gallon for the fry to survive. But unfortunately it did not. I have other fish in that tank. So, do you think I should not bother trying to move any future fry into this tank and just let the Javan moss grow out and maybe a few will survive in my 10g? I def don't want to be overstocked. But I do want a few more colorful males. here is a pic of my ten gallon. I have a thread going for it on tpt.

And by the way, I think I may be too vigilant. I'm little tank obsessed right now


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

Hi, 

There is no doubt in my mind that Endler's fry would find a way to survive in that tank. One good (or bad  ) thing about Endler's is that they don't eat their offspring, at least to the extent that guppies do.

Male Endler's fry develop develop gonopodiums before they start to color, so watch out! 

Bill


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## m830 (Oct 24, 2011)

Beautiful tank!

Your post helped me to identify this plant in a pet shop of my town: amazon frogbit (limnobium laevigatum). I am getting it asap :flame:


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## frroK (May 9, 2011)

m830 said:


> Beautiful tank!
> 
> Your post helped me to identify this plant in a pet shop of my town: amazon frogbit (limnobium laevigatum). I am getting it asap :flame:


Nice! Yes this is a great floating plant. Grows fast and helps keep water clean...
And thank you!


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## jerilovesfrogs (Nov 29, 2010)

i also love frogbit. much more forgiving than water lettuce, and seems less fussy about lighting. plus it is less messy than duckweed. and it's pretty!


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## frroK (May 9, 2011)

Quick update on my nano NPT. I've added staurogyne repens. I really like this plant. It's seems very hardy, low and compact. I'm hoping it will grow well in this little tank. Every other plant has done well do I'm fairly optimistic. The bacopa as reached broekn the surface. And it also has a sideshoot growing from the lower stem.The rotala grows weird in this tank, grows sideways and sometime stops and grows again. It has all different lengths, some have reached the surface and bending over and have these lovely pinkish purple hues on the underside of the leaves. At this point it's really tough to re-scape. I would have to re-do everything. Eventually this tank will be upgraded to a mini-m , so I will take the oppurtunity to trim the rotala the correct way the first time. Shrimps and Endler's and doing great. And I threw in another endler fry in here. Not sure if the sex yet. Hopefully a male. I was only able to save one from my ten gallon where they bred. Thx for looking and let me know what you think.


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## frroK (May 9, 2011)

This tank is now broken down and all fauna and flora have been moved into my new tank. ADA MINI-M!!


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## oopsmysocks (Feb 29, 2012)

I hate to resurrect an old thread, but I registered just to ask: what brand of aquarium is that (both the 3.5 and the bigger one)? I really like it. Has it been working well?


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## frroK (May 9, 2011)

oopsmysocks said:


> I hate to resurrect an old thread, but I registered just to ask: what brand of aquarium is that (both the 3.5 and the bigger one)? I really like it. Has it been working well?


Hey. Thanks for your question. Sorry I haven't been on APC in awhile. The 3.5 gallon is the acrylic glofish tank that you would normally see st petco or petsmart. My other tank is a Tetra Half moon all glass tank.

The 3.5 I wouldn't recommend cuz it actually broke when I took it down and cleaned it. The half moon I really like cuz of the footprint but it's a bit tall so it's tough to grow small foreground plants without high light and c02. Luckily my set up is "low tech". Also another pet peace but not a deal breaker is the distortion that you get from looking at the tank straight on. You can really see the plants tucked in the corners. Check out my other thread. I will post an updated shot.


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