after having some macro algae grow in our 12g nano i found this site and this forum and have become very interested in setting up a planted tank. 2 weeks back i set up an old 20 gallon tank with an aqua clear 300 HOB filter (more filtration than necessary for that size tank i guess) but everything was "free" sitting in my basement!
a small clean up crew was added (5 nassirius snails, a turbo snail, 2 small astrea snails, and a blue leg hermit crab) the sand bed is aragonite and is 3/4 inch at one end (where the 12lbs of LR is and rises to 1 1/4 inch at the oposite end. i added the 4 different types of algae from my nano. and then some "sea grass" that i bought at my lfs. i think it is actually an algae and not a grass, it looks very much like the calupera prolifera i saw in another thread.
i probably shouldnt have put the algae in right away but the tank has apparently cycled, this morning nitrite was 0 and nitrates were between 40-80, a water change is scheduled for tomorrow.
my research thus far has led me to the realization that the 15watt fluorescent tube that came with the tank is no good for what i am doing. i am looking at a couple different set ups now in the 60-90 watt range. i have been opening the blinds and letting the sun hit it for a few hours with no noticeable heat increase. the temps are set at 76.
i have noticed some minor growth on all of the algae but also some reddening in the color on a few sections.
i want to tinker with this tank this spring and summer and learn from everyone here before i set up a larger tank. the eventual dream and goal is a planted seahorse enviroment. any and all constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! thanks for looking, john
a small clean up crew was added (5 nassirius snails, a turbo snail, 2 small astrea snails, and a blue leg hermit crab) the sand bed is aragonite and is 3/4 inch at one end (where the 12lbs of LR is and rises to 1 1/4 inch at the oposite end. i added the 4 different types of algae from my nano. and then some "sea grass" that i bought at my lfs. i think it is actually an algae and not a grass, it looks very much like the calupera prolifera i saw in another thread.
i probably shouldnt have put the algae in right away but the tank has apparently cycled, this morning nitrite was 0 and nitrates were between 40-80, a water change is scheduled for tomorrow.
my research thus far has led me to the realization that the 15watt fluorescent tube that came with the tank is no good for what i am doing. i am looking at a couple different set ups now in the 60-90 watt range. i have been opening the blinds and letting the sun hit it for a few hours with no noticeable heat increase. the temps are set at 76.
i have noticed some minor growth on all of the algae but also some reddening in the color on a few sections.
i want to tinker with this tank this spring and summer and learn from everyone here before i set up a larger tank. the eventual dream and goal is a planted seahorse enviroment. any and all constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! thanks for looking, john
Its a great idea to feed your algae grazers if, at the moment, you dont have much in the way of algae. I have to drop in zucchini and lettuce for my snails in the larger seagrass tank because the algae they would usually eat (on the glass and on the rocks) grows very slowly. 
