nemines

looking good jake! soz, i meant to say good, but i'll let it stand....

how much are you willing to spend should be the first question. Lighting choices are there, take your pick.

switch to africans methinks, lowering pH is a hassle and much harder to do than raising it. choose fish which suit the water you can provide. remember, the easier it is for you to maintain it, the less of a task it will seem.

perhaps you could try bolboltis fern?

When i set up my nano, i didn't use a skimmer at first as i was merely cycling my tank and getting the grounding of wat salwater involved with some tough species that could handle simply receiving water changes (and i'd broken the bank on my lighting). however, once i'd saved up enough money (i had my skimmy-bank) i bought a deltec mce 300 for my aquarium. since adding the skimmer my tank has been noticeably cleaner and i can get away with much less maintenance. i haven't actually added any livestock for over 2 and a half months because i like to take things nice and slow- and so far i'm really pleased with how my tank is developing. As Warren said, either save up for the best possible equip, be paitent, do your research or chances are, you'll fail.

if only we could get amano shrimp to control algae in nanos....

java moss will probably grow a bit too erratically, and need trimming more. for lighting, not entirely sure wat you'd use. wat are the tank's dimensions? if you had several nanos set up next to each other then a t5 unit would work.

the plant was lilaeopsis novae-zelandiae, it's a native. it loves lots of current, a rich substrate, plenty of light and co2. It takes a while to settle into place. should be available from your lfs otherwise they should be able to order it in for you. glad to hear you're setting up a nano

Just try and avoid major pH swings, let you fish adjust slowly (bogwood should allow this). having some carbonate hardness is not a bad thing as it helps to stabilise pH.

just remember that some of the aquarium fittings are especially designed for use around aquaria and thus have waterproof fittings etc. just make sure that whatever lighting you choose it's safe.

test your water. if you feel it's sufficient, chances are it actually is. however, i know that eheim, which usually has a much lower flow rate than some other brands, argues that slower water allows more contact time and thus better filtration.

your could try some of the pond filter pads available as they are intended for coarse filtration. or you could go for something like efhimech which would spread the water evenly over your bio media. or you could try getting some brushes (like on a broom) to make your own. come one you guys who actually have sumps!

thanx nic, please post some pix of ur tank too!

i thought baking soda's formula was Na(HCO3)2...where's the calcium? but seriously, it does raise your pH and i personally would avoid using it on a 34L community tank.

if you add some vinegar it'll help your plants grow too :lol:

you could also try a surface skimmer. i have one and it's brilliant at removing surface film so that there's maximum gas exchange. two good types are the eheim and then the hagen/aquaclear. as already stated, ripples and surface disturbance are good as they increase the surface area for oxygen exchange. you could also try and cultivate your plants so that they do produce oxygen and remove ammonium from the water (at a pH below 7). i'm sure it was just a typo, but a lack of CO2 is NOT good for plant growth.

regarding your plants, it could have been that they were cultivated emersed and when submerged they lost some of their leaves, are the new leaves different in appearance?

i feed the fish in my planted tank (cardinals, flying-fox, ottos, chain loaches, blue rams) twice a day; each feeding is very small. my cichlids i feed sparingly, every second day i give them one feeding. the rest of the time they munch the algae off the rocks and back glass (i've been trying to get as much algae growth for them as possible). generally i only give my fish as much as they can eat in 20-30 seconds, if they haven't eaten it after that, i give them one more minute and, if it's still there, i remove it using a net.

thanx guys. i'm really happy with it, it's very easy to maintain as well (near a window and a hose connexion): it's on my desk so i can casually trim the plants and clean the tank for a study break. :lol:

henward, as yours was second and it may have been one of the old jäger heaters before the company merged with eheim and problems were fixed. the new jäger heaters are fantastic and come with a three year guarantee, extremely shatterproof glass and if the water level falls below the element, the heater also will switch off for extra safety.

UDATE: 14 DAYS LATER, plants are growing well. too well i had to cut them back a bit this morning

agreed, i'd also recommend the MP aquaria if you can get them. they're top notch german quality and style.

i've heard that a good filter is only as good as it is easy to clean. on my 250L tank i run an eheim 2026 and a fluval 304; both work really well (my fluval is filled with biomedia, bioballs for mech and eheim substrat pro for the rest). however i've found that the eheim is definitely a lot easier to clean, the clips come off and on without hassle whereas the fluval's lid clips seem to stretch to near breaking point before fitting into place. fluval is, nevertheless a solid good-all-round filter. i haven't tried an aquaone filter, i guess i've just got a fetish for german technology

you could also try adding the media from your old filter to that of the eheim, just to ensure the continuation of bacterial action. awesome choice of filter for that size tank.

i'm sorry vinson, kelvin is important. however, i was talking about light intensity not colour. 5500-7500k is good but without the right intensity you won't get excellent growth.