# Eclipse 3G



## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

I just got a eclipse 3G for free from a friend and was thinking of a small planted.I also need a filter for it so if anyone could tell me where to get one it would be nice.Not sure what all I need to get this going so if anyone could help I would be thankfull.


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## Guest (Mar 2, 2008)

Congrats 

The Azoo Palm Filter (which can be purchased from http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=9821 ) has had some good reviews. I was going to buy one for a 3 gallon I was planting, but scrapped the project.

For a light, do you have the hood with it? If not, I'd just get a desk lamp and replace the bulb with a screw in fluorescent, the kind you find at Wal-Mart.


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## Chrispy (Oct 28, 2007)

get a small whisper filter or something depends on the contents. and get some shrimp for it


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

Yes it has the t5 still on it.I know that there are eclipse hood with built in filters. is there any way I can order just the filter thats in the hood instead of the full hood or?I am going to go look but if anyone know where i can get one please tell me.
Any one have any ideas for what i should put in it plant wise.I was thinking of some sort of small shrimp for it but not sure what would do fine in there.


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## Guest (Mar 2, 2008)

I don't think you can get the filter that comes in the hoods. Getting a small Azoo filter, like Leah linked to would be my suggestion. They are small and won't cause too much water movement. Its also pretty cheap. Then, get a desk lamp to put over the tank with like a 15 or 20w bulb in it. The lighting that comes with those kits is only good for low light anyways, so if you want more plant choices, a desk lamp is the way to go.

As far as livestock, shrimp is about your only option, besides a Betta. Even then, a colony of something like Red Cherry Shrimp will eventually need something larger (for some of them). Start with a handful of shrimp and you'll eventually have more than enough. A Betta should be fine in the tank, but that's probably the only fish that would be ok.


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

I knew i couldnt do much with it.I Will get that filter and light.I need some help with plants I dont want much maybe some grass like plant and somthing for the backround.Sorry I cant find names.I been trying to look but my computer is messing up.Is there any plants like this in the low light category?I cant really get plants around here.Where do you get yours?
Edit:I was looking for some plants and found dwarf hair grass.It says to be a med. light plant which would work for me and still wont have to replace light.Not sure but I belive the lighting is 6w so 2 watts to gallon.Now i just need a background plant.


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

Sagittaria subulata is also one that I like.With these too would the light on there be ok(I like the clean look of the eclipse)?Would I need ferts or aqua soil for this set up.Also is http://www.aquariumplants.com a good place to get plants? nm May have to find somthing local does petsmart ect carry these


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## Guest (Mar 3, 2008)

shade2dope said:


> I knew i couldnt do much with it.I Will get that filter and light.I need some help with plants I dont want much maybe some grass like plant and somthing for the backround.Sorry I cant find names.I been trying to look but my computer is messing up.Is there any plants like this in the low light category?I cant really get plants around here.Where do you get yours?
> Edit:I was looking for some plants and found dwarf hair grass.It says to be a med. light plant which would work for me and still wont have to replace light.Not sure but I belive the lighting is 6w so 2 watts to gallon.Now i just need a background plant.


I get my plants online. Some places I've ordered from are http://www.aquariumplants.com . http://www.aquabotanic.com, and http://www.aquabid.com.

Another challenge for small tanks is finding small plants.  There aren't a ton of small low light plants, really. Anubias nana and nana 'petite' are 2 that would work. You'd have more choices with higher light.

Dwarf Hairgrass is actually a high light plant in my experience. 6w over a 3g is very low light though......you can't use the watt per gallon rule on small tanks. They actually need more light. You should be looking at around 20w or so for dwarf hairgrass and you'll want to use DIY CO2 and ferts to make it happy.



shade2dope said:


> Sagittaria subulata is also one that I like.With these too would the light on there be ok(I like the clean look of the eclipse)?Would I need ferts or aqua soil for this set up.Also is http://www.aquariumplants.com a good place to get plants? nm May have to find somthing local does petsmart ect carry these


Dwarf Sag (Sag. subulata) would work. Some of its leaves can get kind of tall though. A better choice would be E. tenellus. Actually though, I wouldn't try to grow either under 6w. You still need more lighting. You shouldn't need to dose ferts though and you don't have to have Aquasoil.

I've never seen Dwarf Sag at Petsmart. 

Honestly, Eclipse tanks don't make good planted tanks because they just don't come with enough light IMO. So, if you aren't willing to get a desk lamp, then you should get some Anubias nana and maybe some Anacharis.


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

Ok well do you know anything like the dwarf grass that would work for me?I dont mind getting new light but I have heard of the problems with the diy co2.I could set one up I do have one saved in the fav when I first got going and wanted one.I will be looking for a desk light to use.Any more ideas about what will work?


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

shade2dope:

I was able to order the filtration equipment for one of my Eclipse 5 Gallons.

You should be able to order the factory lighting and filtration for your 3G.

IMHO this such an order would be counterproductive due to the cost of a 5G or 10G tank.

Also as JOM indicated the intensity of the lighting will not support most rooted plants.

TR


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

Ok thanks, the first step I will take is to get better lighting I am still not sure what plants to get but am waiting till it get's warmer here as to not "lose anything" anyway.I did find a place around here to get plant there was alot of very nice ones in there and it was hard not to just buy.Next time i go in there I will right down the names and see if any of them can work in my tank.(Hope there is saves me from paying shipping)


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## Guest (Mar 4, 2008)

Yeah, write down the names of the ones you see.

I can suggest plants, but if you can't find them, then it does you no good.


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

Ya figured I could save you some time......Maybe I could swap out the t5 and add a fixture from my old ten gallon light.


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

What would be better for my diy co2 bubble stone or small powerhead?If I went with the small powerhead would I need a dif. filter or will it work?


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

Sorry for so many post in a row.I just went out and got a desk lamp and bulbs.The bulbs are 23 watt compact fluorescent.they are 1600 lumens.Willthese work?I also went and got a small powerhead for the diy co2.Now I just need to go and get plant names.


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

shade2dope said:


> Sorry for so many post in a row.I just went out and got a desk lamp and bulbs.The bulbs are 23 watt compact fluorescent.they are 1600 lumens.Willthese work?I also went and got a small powerhead for the diy co2.Now I just need to go and get plant names.



Sounds okay. Coralife also makes half 1500k/half actinic compact fluorescent screw-ins that work well in 20w.

Either way I would only risk low light plants


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

really why is that gs?


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## Guest (Mar 10, 2008)

shade2dope said:


> What would be better for my diy co2 bubble stone or small powerhead?If I went with the small powerhead would I need a dif. filter or will it work?


I haven't seen any powerheads small enough personally, but that would be the best choice. I see that you have purchased one, so if it doesn't take up alot of room in the tank, thats the best option.



shade2dope said:


> Sorry for so many post in a row.I just went out and got a desk lamp and bulbs.The bulbs are 23 watt compact fluorescent.they are 1600 lumens.Willthese work?I also went and got a small powerhead for the diy co2.Now I just need to go and get plant names.


23w CF is great for a 3g. With your DIY CO2, you should be fine with that light. Do you know the Kelvin (K) rating for the bulbs? Hopefully they are marked daylight. If they are soft white, they won't work.....you want daylight bulbs. 


GS, 1500K/actinic bulbs would be useless to plants........even 15000 would be useless. For plants you want something between 6500K and 10000K.


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

Crap got the wrong ones.I'll go back and get some.Will I be able to get these and walmart?I have this powerhead
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://source-www.petco.com/assets/product_images/1/1556110130B.jpg&imgrefurl=http://reviews.petco.com/3554/13796/reviews.htm&h=200&w=200&sz=19&hl=en&start=6&um=1&tbnid=aP_ftLJfXntabM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=104&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhagen%2Belite%2Bsmall%2Bpowerhead%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG


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## Guest (Mar 10, 2008)

Excellent, that one looks pretty small.  I haven't seen those before.

You should be able to get them at Walmart. I've bought them there in the past, but haven't seen them lately at my Walmart. Look for the brand Lights of America. The bulbs are 2 to a pack and are about $8 (cheap!). They will say daylight on the back and have 6500K written on the package somewhere.


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

I just called up to lfs(not a chain store) and the guy said that right now what he would recomend was Rotala Indica.Would this be fine?He also said that he thought Hemianthus callitrichoides would be better for me then dwarf hairgrass.


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## Guest (Mar 10, 2008)

Rotala rotundifolia (alot of people call it indica, but its almost always rotundifolia) would be fine. Its a stem plant, so you'll be cutting and replanting alot until you don't have room in the tank anymore.  

I would not recommend HC unless you are going to dose ferts in the tank (potassium, nitrates, micro nutrients) because it will not thrive without ferts. Dwarf hairgrass has a better chance of thriving IME than HC without ferts......but it would do better with it. 

That is if you can get atleast a 20w daylight bulb (for the hairgrass).


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## Guest (Mar 11, 2008)

I have some rotala indica(what I bought it as) in my 10 gallon, and it grows like a weed. I wouldn't recomend it for your tank, just because it grows so quickly. but if you have a new tank for it as it grows, go for it.


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

well I already got it.lol. I also went and got the right light.26w daylight 6500k I got a 2 pack for $7.44.


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

Is it normal for the plant to kinda bend to the side.Will they ever grow stright up?Maybe it had something to do with the light at the lfs.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Mine bend slightly when they grow. I think it's just the way they grow...thinking of replacing them with something else.


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## Guest (Mar 11, 2008)

Yeah, some stem plants have a lean to them.


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

I got a bundle of maybe 15.Should I keep it one bunch or into a few smaller?


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## Guest (Mar 11, 2008)

Spread them out......you can plant 3-4 stems at a time and make a group, but I wouldn't plant the whole 15 stems in one bunch. Give them a little space.


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

I figured...That what I got them like 15 in one bunch held by a lead wieght thing.


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## Guest (Mar 12, 2008)

they grow ALOT faster when seperated. FYI.


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

When I got home today I had white stuff on plants and tank.What is it some sort of algue???Any help on how to remove it.


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## Guest (Mar 14, 2008)

You have any DIY CO2 going into the tank? If so, make sure its not yeast/sugar......you'd know if it was though....smells nasty. 

Can you take a picture of it?


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

once the batterys charge I can take pics.I have a check vaule on it its not the mixture.Its fuzzy,if that helps.


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

I cant get a good pic to where you can see it so I look around to see if anyone else has had this problem.


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## Guest (Mar 15, 2008)

That's weird. And you have no fish or shrimp, right? So you haven't been feeding anything.....hmm. Try to pick it out or siphon it out (airline works good for small tanks, but you'll have to start the siphon yourself by sucking on the end.......). Hopefully it won't come back, whatever it is.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

White and fuzzy is usually fungus. Did it have dead leaves? Something else the fungus could eat?


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

No the plants are good I not sure what it Iam going to try to remove all of it and see what happens.


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

Any Ideas????Its all over the glass and plants.I cleaned off but it didnt help,It came back worse.Should I break down the tank?


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

emc if it was fungas how could I get rid of it? sorry for post in a row but I dont what this is and dont want the tank to go to crap.if anyone has anyideas or know someone who would please tell me.


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## Guest (Mar 21, 2008)

If its fungus, then you'll want some type of antifungal medication to get rid of it. This might affect the plants though. When you remove it all, how fast does it return? Jungle brand makes an antifungal medication. You could try that.

Are you adding anything to the tank, like fertilzers or anything? Any fish yet? Are you adding any food?


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

No food,no shrimp(waiting for this to clear before ading 5$ each cherry's)and on fert at this time.I do have some coming though so I can get hc.I have some jungel anti sitting around so I can use that.After i cleaned it off I could see it again the next day and It covered them by the day after that.I have a small plastic nipple at the top of the co2 so the airline cant get to the mixture.Thank you and sorry for the post in row was freaking out.lol


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

Well Its seems to be gone as far as I can tell.I have a friend who has a small planted and bought hc and some other bunch plant.Well he has a reg light over it and no fert after the one thing of hc died and the one bunch plant is allmost done he asked if I wanted them as there to much work for him.what would I need for the hc to be happy as far as ferts and ect.


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## Guest (Mar 27, 2008)

You'll want to dose potassium, nitrates, and a micro nutrient mix like regular Flourish. The Seachem line would be fine for a 3g and would last a while. You may have order them online though if your LFS don't carry them. You have DIY and good light so it has a good chance. Make sure you change out your DIY mix frequently (about every 3 weeks) so you have steady co2 production.


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## shade2dope (Jan 21, 2007)

Has anyone else used this site http://www.petmountain.com For everything Its about 20$


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