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1.5 gallon Planted

3K views 24 replies 8 participants last post by  Namialus 
#1 ·
I've been wanting to start looking into live plants for my tanks. I don't think I'll add some to my 10 gallon, but I do have a spare 1.5 gallon (not in use for anything) and I was wondering if I could set it up for one betta. I'd plant it but it won't have a filter, it would be heated, and it'll have a betta and maybe a nerite snail. Would it work? What maintenance would have to be done? I was thinking since it would be quite planted, I'd change some water every week but never 100%. About the gravel vacs, some people say it must be done and some say never. So what about that? What do you guys think? Would it work? What plants do you recommend? Here's the tank: http://www.epinions.com/review/Tetra_Water_Wonders_1_5_Gallon_Aquarium_Kit/content_407409233540?sb=1

Thank you!
 
#2 ·
I keep lots of Betta successfully in 1-2gal unfiltered soil based planted tanks without issue. Once the system is mature I don't even make water changes in the soil based but maybe 3-4 times a year other than top offs. Without soil and/or lots of active plant growth I would make at least 50% weekly water changes-vacuuming usually isn't needed when you have live plants-the mulm/debris will break down for plant use, however, in the smaller tanks it can start to look unsightly and you may want to remove it for that reason.
 
#3 ·
I keep lots of Betta successfully in 1-2gal unfiltered soil based planted tanks without issue. Once the system is mature I don't even make water changes in the soil based but maybe 3-4 times a year other than top offs. Without soil and/or lots of active plant growth I would make at least 50% weekly water changes-vacuuming usually isn't needed when you have live plants-the mulm/debris will break down for plant use, however, in the smaller tanks it can start to look unsightly and you may want to remove it for that reason.
How long would it take for the system to mature? Let's say I added in the plants on a day, and then the snail and the betta on the next day.

Also, can I use gravel instead of soil?
 
#8 ·
Well, if you have lots of plants, than you can probably just do 50%-75% water changes. Most people do 100% because its easy to just dump the entire water than slowly suck up 50%.

Do you have a ammonia test kit? Just test your water every week and do 50% water changes before you reach 0.25ppm. There is no need to do water changes if you don't have any ammonia.
 
#10 ·
Well, if you have lots of plants, than you can probably just do 50%-75% water changes. Most people do 100% because its easy to just dump the entire water than slowly suck up 50%.

Do you have a ammonia test kit? Just test your water every week and do 50% water changes before you reach 0.25ppm. There is no need to do water changes if you don't have any ammonia.
How many plants would be needed? Would it just be easier to have a non-filtered, non-planted tank?
 
#11 ·
Wait. The only thing I HATE about my non-filtered 3g is the debris that floats around at the surface and during water changes. Mine are heavily planted, not NPT. But I'm getting a filter for it pretty soon to deal with the "mulm" :/
 
#13 ·
I have a planted 1.5, the hardest part for me is finding a suitable light bulb for the plants.

100% changes would only be harmful if you uproot the plants every time you pull a change, roots are sensitive and prone to breakage, also, you take all of the nutrients out of the water and your plants will starve. A 75% (at most) will be fine, a light vacuum for visible poo will be ok too. My guy is much happier with his live plants.

if you used any kind of sand, Malaysian trumpets stir it up and keep it from going anaerobic and turning toxic.
 
#15 ·
I have a planted 1.5, the hardest part for me is finding a suitable light bulb for the plants.

100% changes would only be harmful if you uproot the plants every time you pull a change, roots are sensitive and prone to breakage, also, you take all of the nutrients out of the water and your plants will starve. A 75% (at most) will be fine, a light vacuum for visible poo will be ok too. My guy is much happier with his live plants.

if you used any kind of sand, Malaysian trumpets stir it up and keep it from going anaerobic and turning toxic.
That's what I was thinking. What plants do you recommend?
 
#17 ·
Yeah you would want a small siphon or airline tubing, just to get all the debris and extra poop. It will also make it look better :)
 
#19 ·
IMO/E-You need to look at the soil based system as a complete system sometimes-Often failures with the soil based are related to doing too much-over thinking it-over cleaning...etc.....and this can be with any kind of system IMO/E.

I just tore my 75gal soil based down a few weeks ago due to over growth of crypts and I wanted to do a complete re-scape for my Angelfish.

It took me a week for the tear down and re-setup using soil I dug out in my back pasture I like to call black gold-along with some of my native red clay for added iron-I didn't even stiff it this time like I usually do-I just added it to the tank-about 3 inches and topped the soil with half to 1in of regular play sand-added my native wood I collected from my forest-one piece of wood I had in another tank for a couple of years that I had to use that black electric tape to tape a big rock to it so it would stay under water-I did replace the tape....Anyway.....hard scape went in then I planted-I like to plant covering at least 50-75% of the floor-Usually I use a lot of stem plants but this time I used more rosettes-I want a lawn in the front. I added my MTS, a breeding pair of BN pleco, 20 or so RCS the day I setup. Then 6 large Angelfish the next day. It has been 2 weeks and I have changed the water once the first week and plan to make a water change today. No livestock loss-everyone doing just fine and the plecos just spawned-Water prams 0ppm across the board and it usually will stay that way-rarely do I ever even have nitrate readings due to active plant growth even when I overstock. The pH, KH/GH are high due to my hard well water-

Point I am trying to make-as long as you start out right and you see active plant growth within the first week-you need to relax and allow the system to do its thing-by over thinking, over cleaning...etc.....you disrupt the little ecosystem you just created-it is still a closed system and will need some tending to-but not as much as you might think.

Often more harm is done by doing too much than not enough-the system and livestock will tell you when something is wrong and 9 out of 10 times-all you need to do is a 50% water ONLY change...IMO of course....MMV (millage may vary)
 
#22 ·
I kept my plakat in a heated 2.5 gallon planted before I moved him to his new 10 gallon.
I did 2 25% water changes a week. He blew a bunch of bubble nests and did great.
No complications whatsoever.

The plants were anubias nana and dwarf hairgrass. Sand substrate.

I used a turkey baster to get the gasses out of the sand and to vac up extra food and his poo.
 
#23 ·
I kept my plakat in a heated 2.5 gallon planted before I moved him to his new 10 gallon.
I did 2 25% water changes a week. He blew a bunch of bubble nests and did great.
No complications whatsoever.

The plants were anubias nana and dwarf hairgrass. Sand substrate.

I used a turkey baster to get the gasses out of the sand and to vac up extra food and his poo.
Not filtered? Yah, your set up was exactly what I was thinking.
 
#24 ·
My 2.5 gallon doesn't have a filter either, just a bubbler to keep surface film at bay. I do 25% every 5 days and test for ammonia weekly.

If you want to, I think you can try is a big handful of hornwort and just 3-4 very large river rocks and setup your 1.5 gallon without the fish first. Get a desk lamp with fluorescent light, like 9watts and turn it on for 3-4 hrs a day. hornwort is tough and generally don't care much for light, 9 watt fluorescent is plenty.

I have a bucket of hornwort that hangs outside all day with no filter/anything and I dose 1ppm of ammonia, they use it up within 48hrs. Hornwort is very good at using ammonia compared to other plants IMO. They don't need to be planted either, just float them. They do grow very fast under good conditions, you can have too much very quickly. I have 1 strand that ended up close to a meter in length. I am sure someone out there has some for free. :)
 
#25 ·
My 2.5 gallon doesn't have a filter either, just a bubbler to keep surface film at bay. I do 25% every 5 days and test for ammonia weekly.

If you want to, I think you can try is a big handful of hornwort and just 3-4 very large river rocks and setup your 1.5 gallon without the fish first. Get a desk lamp with fluorescent light, like 9watts and turn it on for 3-4 hrs a day. hornwort is tough and generally don't care much for light, 9 watt fluorescent is plenty.

I have a bucket of hornwort that hangs outside all day with no filter/anything and I dose 1ppm of ammonia, they use it up within 48hrs. Hornwort is very good at using ammonia compared to other plants IMO. They don't need to be planted either, just float them. They do grow very fast under good conditions, you can have too much very quickly. I have 1 strand that ended up close to a meter in length. I am sure someone out there has some for free. :)
I'll have to see what my petstore carries, thanks!
 
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