The Planted Tank Forum banner

18" Tall Glass Manzanita Vase

12K views 33 replies 11 participants last post by  LucyLoofa 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello. I'm new to forum after being a long time watcher. I keep mostly small nano tanks as of right now. I'm still quite new to aquascaping. Tips are appreciated.

I'm currently setting up a 2.25 gallon tall glass vase for some shrimp after being inspired by this thread:http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/planted-nano-tanks/148229-4-gallon-cylindrical-nano-forest.html

I need some advice on plants and lighting. I need a light to keep some low to medium light plants healthy. Not really looking for growth, but just to keep them alive and happy. I think I may add one more branch for some moss.


Tank:
Glass Vase - 18" deep/tall and 8.5" across.

Filter
Elite Mini

Potential plants I'm debating: I think I want a tall plant that won't take up a lot of room.
Vallisneria...
Echinodorus...
Moss (weeping?) for the wood.

For sure...
Anubias nana
Java fern
Maybe Bacopa.

Light

I'm looking at this light on ebay:
[Ebay Link Removed]

or some sort of desk lamp from Ikea might work, which is what I am using currently.
JANSJÖ Work lamp - IKEA

This is where I'm at right now. It's not much to look at.



Suggestions are appreciated. Cheers!
 
See less See more
1
#6 ·
that looks like a decent start. i suggest moving the powerhead behind that DW, add some leaves on the bottom, switch out for less white rocks (maybe a diff color), add moss along the DW, and add one or more twigs in there (similarly placed as the big DW) that have very thin branches to contrast that one thick DW piece. should look great.

also use rocks of diff sizes, not just large and small, get some medium ones in there, but use a color that is somewhat similar to the substrate and the leaves you will be using.
 
#19 ·
55 degrees indoors is crazy low. That is considered cold enough to put small children or the elderly into hypothermia.
I wouldn't invest in a heater for a vase aquarium, I would invest in a heater for your house!

That being said, aquatic mosses love cooler water, I would incorporate that into your vase. I would also say the manzanita might look more natural if flipped around- the thicker part submersed, the thinner branches climbing up out of the water.
 
#21 ·
Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

Here is an update. I moved in some Valls and anubias nana. I really want to add a few smaller branches, but I'm having a hard time finding the right looking ones. Hopefully the vall won't need too much trimming.



I have some white clouds in there right now for cycling, but I might remove them sooner. They are a bit cramped. I'm going to leave it unheated. Thinking of keeping amanos and maybe cherries in there.

Still trying to decide what to do with the lighting situation.
 
#24 ·
The tank you got your inspiration from is mine and I decided to switch out from the standard cfl bulb and went with a clamp on led light one of the ones off of ebay it is only 3watts I believe which I thought I would test out and if the plants died I would find another option. However I only had to remove one plant which was my didiplis diandra. I now have myrio green, anubias nana petite, fissidens fontanus, rotala rotundafolia, and anubias nana and they are all growing great. Especially the myrio green I went on vacation for a week and when I returned it was nearly growing out the top of my vase. It was so crowded in there I could not believe it.

The bonus of having the light is it looks great so good in fact I was able to move the tank to my family room and use it as a table lamp of sorts. I will post some new pictures later. Apparently aquatop will soon be releasing a 60 led version which sports 6 watts of led lighting. When they do that I will probably pick that up. You should look into them they work great on these vases. They also have the option of running either blue, red, green, white, or any combination of those led's at the same time.
 
#26 ·
Thanks I think your tank is looking great as well. I do think you would benefit from another piece of wood as well. If shipping weren't so expensive I would ship you some of my manzanita scraps. The light I got was the 36 led aquatop one they sell on [Ebay Link Removed] However I do not think the val you have would make it with that low light. I could be wrong though. As I have had a couple of val in a tank in my garage survive with only indirect lighting from another tank for several months. Is that an Ikea light you are running right now?

No ferts I just use root tabs I wonder if I would benefit from using ferts I am just worried with such a small amount of water. I think I will wait until I see a deficiency.

The good news is I have had at least a dozen or more shrimp give birth in my tank so I have an overload of shrimp now probably nearly 250. I am starting to think I might want to move out the bigger shrimp and just leave the small guys.
 
#27 ·
I just can't seem to find any thin branches with the right shape that I am looking for. I'll just have to wait till my LFS gets another shipment.

I have never had vals before so this will be an experiment for sure. That is an ikea light right now.

I am second thinking the amanos. They are just too big, but maybe I'll get some yellow shrimp. Hmm...or a lone Mexican Dwarf cray?
 
#30 ·
Nice catch! I love cichlid stones because they offer shrimp room to hide and also they don't take up valuable water volume in a small space. I was debating getting a larger size, but it will take up too much room.

I don't have any new photos yet, but the Vals are definitely turning brown on the tips. I don't think this light is going to work. I looked up the ebay light you suggested, but they don't seem to ship to canada. I was considering this light: http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/small-planted-tropical-aquarium-led-lighting-32-led-s.html

But it seems a bit too blue in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfNU67uqjPo&feature=player_embedded#!

As far as collecting branches outside. What is the protocol for treating them before putting them in the tank? Boil or bake? Bleach?
 
#31 ·
vals- the tips that have been trimmed will likely turn brown. watch for new leaves sprouting soon if the plant is healthy. also untrimmed leaves can develop a reddish color at the tips or wherever the lighting is highest. not a concern unless the leaf is falling apart completely and the plant isnt growing. increasing leaf length is a great sign.

branches- boiling AND baking are my favorite methods. boiling even helps them sink faster and leaches out the tannins.
 
#32 ·
Newman, thanks for the tip on the vals. It could be turning red, but some parts of the leaves are also turning transparent too. I'm looking into increasing the lighting.

I'll look out for branches now. Are there certain types that I should avoid?
 
#34 ·
^ +1
I plan on getting some vals for my low tech nano setups.
They're supposed to thrive in low light and high light is what I hear. I hope they work ouf for you! I think they would look beautiful in there! They definitely have the height to fill that vase! And seeing fish or shrimp roam through them would be so nice!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top