Thinking of starting a TMC Microhabitat?

[HarryRobinson]

Hi forum,

Im am thinking of starting a tmc nano microhabitat on a tight budget. (I was going to be doing a 90l iwagumi but i am unable due to money problems being 16 and all.) I am going to follow george farmers exact layout because i think it looks well balanced. I will probably stock it wth 10 or so shrimp. I would like to know:
1) Is the LED light fitting supplied powerful enough to grow Wenditii Green, Styrogene and downoi?
2)What photo period should i have?
3)Is the TMC nutra soil supplied good enough, and will it be enough (1kg)?
4)Any ferts needed for my plants or will just encourage algae growth?

These tanks seem good value, seeming that you get a filter with all media (Bio, chem and Mech) and also that the filter has high output (as in the water it shifts). The tank is the right size as well, it would fit exactly on a bedside table i have

Heres Georges guide to starting the nano : http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/c ... p?sid=3239

Heres an ebay link : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TMC-MICRO-NAN ... 6d7126fab4

 

[darren636]

shop around and get something bigger for the same price.

 

[Matt Warner]

Good choice! I think the TMC nanos are a great little tank and like you say you get everything you need. The light should be fine to grow most plants. I would start with about 6 hours of light and gradually increase it to 8 hours once things become settled. Are you going to be using co2 on this setup?
The nutrasoil should be fine for growing plants in. I'm not sure whether 1kg will be enough but you can always add more if you need to.

 

[HarryRobinson]

Aquael 30l Shrimp Cube

Right okay im going to think of upgrading this tank to a Aquael shrimp cube 30x30x35 (30L). This comes with a filter (shrimp friendly) and a light similar to an ar pod (11w). I would probably upgrade this to something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Boyu-Over ... 3a50b697a5 This means i have enough light and i can also turn off one tube if the light is too much. I will upgrdae the tmc nutral soil to one 3l bag of aqua soil from ada. maybe 2-3months after the tank has been setup i will change to an external filter possibly lily pies to make it look clean. Anythoughts on this plan?