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Fat Guy's ADA Mini M Driftwood over Seiryu Stone

126K views 380 replies 96 participants last post by  Fat Guy 
#1 · (Edited)
Here are the specs:

ADA Mini M
Solar Mini M Light
27 Watt PC
Power Sand S
Aquasoil Amazonia 3L
Amazonia Powder 3L
Clear Super
Bacter 100
Eheim 2211
Ryuoh stone (from TPT)
5lb CO2 tank
Currently 1 to 1.5 bps
aqmagic nano diffuser
DIY Drop Checker
Cal Aqua 13mm lily pipes (From TPT)

Purchased clear tubing and reducer to switch out the green tubing that came with the eheim.
I wanted to find a cheaper alternative for high quality tubing, and was able to.
Used the site Computer Liquid Cooling & Premium Air Products, Parts, Kits & Accessories | Sidewinder Computers and ordered:
-----3/8 "to 1/2" reducer
-----6 feet of 1/2" durelene pvc tubing
-----1 foot of 3/8" durelene pvc tubing
Really wonderful tubing that isn't too stiff and fits perfectly with the lily pipes and the eheim quick disconnects.

DIY Garden mat:
Made from a rubber drawer liner that I purchased at a Dollar Store
here in NYC. I cut the mat to the size of the tank and placed it between the
tank and the lighting stand of the Solar Mini M.

Plants: Glosso and HC (from Pacific Aquarium on Delancey Street here in NYC)
Fauna: Will be: White Cloud Mountain Minnows (currently in a holding tank) and Cardinal Japonica or Cherry Shrimp (breeding in my other tanks)

Fertilizing:
So far I'm dosing 1ml of Flourish Potassium and .5ml of Flourish Trace after a
50% water change every morning
I will eventually be doing weekly water changes of 1/3 of the tank once my
plants start to establish.

Lighting:
Between 8 to 10 hours during the day

Aquarium Cover:
I have a curious cat so I keep a cover on the tank when I'm not home.
Went to a sign/glass company in Queens and had 1/4" glass cut to 12" X 8" for $10. Fits perfectly, especially with the metal tabs that came with the
tank for an optional top.

Here are some random snaps of my progress



Because my power sand and solar mini m light were on backorder from ADG
and got held up in customs, I decided to run my Eheim 2211 as an
additional filter on my fluval edge tank. Then I purchased some white
cloud mountain minnows for the fluval, however, they started eating my
cherry shrimp babies. So I made a quick tank with a glass orchid container
that I had leftover and put the minnows in there as well as my eheim 2211
and a whisper 30 filter. Once the light and sand came, I switched the eheim
to the ADA Mini M and kept the whisper on the minnow tank. The filter has been on the other tanks for about 4 to 4.5 weeks. I was adding nutrafin cycle on the white cloud tank with the eheim, mainly
because I found the bottle that I never used that came with my fluval edge,
and just wanted to give it a try.

progression shots of setting up the eheim 2211





So the dry scape:

I started with placing a layer of bacter 100 and clear super before I added
the power sand. Then I used a good amount of Power sand to aid in making
the large slope in the back of the tank. I made sure to keep the power sand
a couple centimeters away from the front of the tank. Then I added
a little more bacter 100 and clear super. Then came the Aquasoil Normal
type. I used the entire 3L bag. I sloped it with a baking spatula. Placed my rock setup which I had been contemplating for months (believe it or not), found a scape I enjoyed. Used the golden ration of 1:1.618. Then added a
little bit of power sand.




planted January 7, 2011
The tank is mainly HC. However, I found some really sexy glosso at Pacific
Aquarium and decided to plant the glosso in the back left corner in the photo.
I didn't plant too much glosso, but I mixed in some HC with it as well. I think
it may give the tank a nice contrast in depth and color. Experienced some
water clouding the past couple of days. So I've been Just doing daily
water changes and replanting the HC or Glosso that comes loose and
floats to the top. I planted the HC in clumps of three or four. Planting
was a little more difficult than I had predicted. It took a lot of patience,
especially trying to maintain the slope while planting, misting and slowly filling with water.
But once the water reached the top and the substrate adjusted a hair and resettled
from the vigorous planting, was I happy with the initial outcome. I honestly spent
hours yesterday watching the water circulate and the plants pearl.
My next project is going to be drilling the IKEA cabinet for the filter tubing. Best, el g
 
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#340 · (Edited)
selling the plants


-----------
Hi,

I'm selling all of my dhg belem. Making a move across the continent. This belem was originally purchased from Matt F. over at thebarrreport. It's the real deal. This belem is submersed and is coming directly from my mini m pictured below. There's a possibility of pond snails in each section but I will do my best to remove them from the package. a great and very easy plant to grow with co2.

$20 shipping included for a section of it from the below photo.
roughly 3 x 3 section from the aquarium in the pic. It's grown submerged so it's not going to be a clump like you would get when it is grown out of water. but it'll be good amount nonetheless.



all the best, Walter

here's how I am doing it and what you will get more or less:






-----
 
#343 ·
Alright, I pulled the mini from a box in the garage and started it up as a hospital tank setup (but with every intention to get it planted again).

The light output on these Solar Minis is pretty intense so I cut a piece of window screening and used some magnets from Harbor Freight to fix it below the light to reduce the output. I ordered a backup bulb from eBay and should get it in a month. I’m very fond of the design elements that went in to the light for this tank. Just looks really cool...even after all these years. My kids dig it. Also I have a cheap LED customizable background light I purchased off of Amazon and cut out some privacy film for the background that helps utilize the background light.

I’m running a DIY CO2 setup here and have Pygmy Corys and Cherry Shrimp. I’ve got a little acrylic DIY drop checker that is a constant green. Air stone bubbler comes on at multiple intervals throughout the middle of the night and wee hours of the morning. I dose a few times a week with NPK dry ferts and a little bit of Iron. The water here where I live in LA is very hard and the water report in my area has .35 Copper on average. So I’ve been running my tank water through a Berkey Water Filter and to save the shrimps in the tank after experiencing some shrimp loss. It has made a world of difference.

For this tank I have driftwood over seiryu stone. A foreground of dwarf hairgrass bunches planted between the rocks. I glued the Java Moss to the driftwood and attached some Anubias Gabon and some Red Bucephalandra. For the background I have some Cryptocoryne Wendtiii Green ‘Gecko.’ I”m also floating some red root floaters (Phyllanthus fluitans).

I upgraded the filter on this tank to a Delta 60 from UNS and used my old Eheim 2211 disconnects to help me reduce the flow. I really like this filter. I added some seeded biomedia to the middle chamber and cut a larger sponge to fit the mechanical filtration section. The only issue is a soft impeller rattle I’m hearing on day 2 of the filter. I already contacted the retailer and am looking forward to how they handle the issues. Reminds me a lot of when the impellers would rattle in the Fluval HOB filters. It’s not that big of an issue, but when it’s advertised as a quiet filter I don’t want to hear that impeller rattle. But I really like the UNS company and the LFS store that I purchased the filter from. Shout out to Bob’s Tropical Fish in East LA.

Looking forward to this filling in. Thanks to all that have kept their eyes on this thread.

All the best!

Fat Guy
 

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#346 ·
This is my first post in years from a forum hiatus, you've moved 2,500 miles and yet somehow the tank looks the best its ever. Im really digging the background as well. Makes it feel just that much more mysterious.
Hey thanks so much for such an awesome comment. I took a long forum hiatus as well. I'm really enjoying how this tank is panning out. I just got some baby leaf bolbitis I'm going to add in there which I think will make it look really cool. The colors from this tank are awesome with the shrimp too. Anyway, appreciate your kind words. I'll post another pic in a month or so when things have settled in more. :) Best, el g
 
#347 · (Edited)
Just went pressurized on the mini M. I added an additional co2 manifold to my 20gallon pressurized setup. I drilled a small hole in the floor and crawled under the house and ran 50ft of co2 tubing from my 5lb cylinder under the 20g to another room in the house where the 5.5gallon mini m is. I added another Fabco needle valve with quick release connectors for the tubing in the other room. It’s awesome as now I can run pressurized co2 in two aquariums that are more than 50ft apart using the same co2 cylinder. Saved the hassle of having to buy another co2 tank and regulator. The Fabco needle valve is awesome. I’ve been running pressurized on the mini for the past three weeks and it has made a world of difference.

In other news, my 6 super red cherry shrimp have multiplied to about 70. Got an insane colony in this tank. I’ve put some Indian Almond leaves and Alder Pine Cones in there which the shrimp love. The cryptocoryne green gecko has really started to settle in in the back. The Mariselia is the one plant that is slow going. It’s growing, but not rapidly. This tank is so small but has so much going on. I can spend so much time just looking at it. There are so many different varieties of plants. Over ten in this tank. Compared to my 20gallon tank that has ONLY THREE types of plants.

Really glad I pulled this tank out of the garage. 50% RO water change once a week with Shrimp King GH/KH mineralizer and I’m good to go.

Thanks to all that have followed this thread over the years. A lot has changed in the online world since I first started posting in this forum...going way back to 2003. What I love so much about the hobby is how much information there is out there to learn and the patience planted aquariums demand from its aquarists in order for their tanks to be successful.

Stay Safe!

Fat Guy
 
#348 ·
Snipped off a bunch of needle leaf and trident plantlets and used hobby glue to attach them to some small river pebbles. Gonna drop them in the tank tomorrow in the back right.


Also here are some shots of the CO2 manifold and the 50ft of tubing I ran from the 20g under the house to the mini m.
 

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#352 ·
Also here are some shots of the CO2 manifold and the 50ft of tubing I ran from the 20g under the house to the mini m.
OK, so that's genius.

I've been leafing through your journal, and it's a great looking tank, but when I saw this I just had to say: wow, what a tremendous idea. Do you think you loose much CO2 from it/creep a problem? I'm looking all over my house a bit differently lol.
 
#349 ·
Moved the green gecko to directly behind the wood. Added some leftover s. repens and trimmed then trident fern. 6 cherry shrimp have multiplied to 60.

Thanks for looking. This tank rocks. Can’t wait for the background crypts and ferns to grow in.
 

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#351 ·
Hey Thanks! Really love this tank. It can be a challenge for sure but it’s perfect for shrimp and an Otto or Pygm Corys.

I really like the overall design of the solar mini light however it’s a PITA to work around when planting or doing tank maintenance because it swivels only 90 degrees. I constantly bump it when cleaning the tank with my hand, elbow or maintenance tools. Also it puts out a ton of light. If you look closely you can see that I have two pieces of window screen under it that I secured with magnets to reduce the light output...I may actually add another piece of screen if any unwanted algae start to show. Bulbs can be difficult to find for it. I got an extra one on eBay for whenever this one goes out. The 4 pin setup for the bulb isn’t as easy to find online so that can be a challenge down the road.

But overall I love the tank and the aesthetics of the lighting design. Perfect for 🦐

Thanks again!
 
#356 ·
Overgrown and thriving. Cherry shrimp and pygmy cories (that i feed 2-3 times a week) anymore and the staghorn rears its ugly head. Artwork courtesy of my children. Filter cleaned every month and a half or so. Thanks to all those that follow and even those that don’t. ;)

1029874
 
#360 ·
Thanks!! It’s been a journey for sure! Coast to coast and now a few kids later!! Glad to still be a part of the hobby. My favorite part is when I catch my children staring into these tanks... Im reminded of why I got into planted tanks in the first place watching them. Takes me way back. Thanks again :) w
 
#361 ·
Well! 10 years later and here is the latest look of this tank. It’s in my kid’s room so it takes a beating from all the drawer slamming where it sits on the bureau and falls victim to the occasional plastic crystal or lego that falls in.

I’ve got DHG parvula mixed in the back with some Juncus Repens and cyperus helferi. I‘ve got some cryptocoryne parva mixed in the left side as well. Some ADA Anubias Nana Petit along with some anubias minima dragon claw.

For this I’ve got an oto and a handful of Pygmy Corys as well as a small school of chili rasbora and super red cherry shrimp. It’s a fun little tank and the solar mini m still works. I’ve got three layers of window screening held in place with magnets from Harbor Freight that help to reduce and filter the light on the plants. Thanks for looking!

Plant Wood Currency Tree Font




Plant Plant community Green Branch Wood
 
#364 ·
thanks!! I’m digging it too!

I'm still running an ADA Mini I got 3 years ago. It's a cool nano tank size. When did you refresh your aqua soil Fat Guy?
Hey ScrubbyDick- yeah it’s totally a cool size tank. Kind of limiting to what types of fish you can keep in it but I’ve really enjoyed having it.

I‘ve never refreshed the aqua soil in it. I moved across the country a while back and put the leftover aqua soil in a bag to dry out and then added some fluval stratum to it about a year ago when i added it. But I usually just reuse my aquasoil over the years and adjust/ dose frets depending on what I am keeping.
 
#363 ·
I'm still running an ADA Mini I got 3 years ago. It's a cool nano tank size. When did you refresh your aqua soil Fat Guy?
 
#365 ·
Well, decided to move the tank from my kid’s room and out into the main space. I swapped out the 60U that I had on my custom cabinet and put this thank in it’s place. The cabinet works great for this smaller tank. It also held up well for the 60U but will need some reinforcements. The 60U has moved to another dresser. Here’s the current setup. Cherry Shrimp, Pygmy Corys and chili rasboras. I am running a reactor now on my 60U and swapped out the inline diffuser and added it to the Mini M. I’m also running the steel outflow pipe. I don’t love the white pipes that come with the UNS filters. I don’t mind the little uns delta 60 that I’m running on this. Definitely room for improvement on that one…the priming for that filter is just silly. Anyway…Tank below. Best, el g.

Plant Property Furniture Light Rectangle
 
#366 ·
Well the tank moved again. The dresser for the 60p was starting to bow so swapped them. Added Sagittaria subulata to the midground and background. Pulled the chili rasboras and added three platinum rice fish. (The chilis went to the 60p.) The contrast the rice fish make with the scape is Exquisite. Have both tanks in the living room and am enjoying being able to see them both at the same time. Thanks for looking.

Plant Property Rectangle Wood Interior design
 
#369 ·
Well, unfortunately the rice fish were returned. I had one super dominant male that was not very peaceful and chased the others all day long. Replaced with 6 ember tetras. Really like those fish. Peeled back a layer of window screening to increase the lighting a bit (but not by too much). Trimmed some helferi back. Interested to see what the sagitaria subulata does in the background. I also custom cut a piece of plywood…sanded it and used an oil based poly to protect it. I would build a custom plywood stand with natural tones next if I had the space for it. The canister filter for this is hidden in an old wine crate that I restored. Also upgraded the pipes to the plastic tubes from aquario. I like them for sure. Thanks for
Looking!
Plant Vertebrate Rectangle Wood Output device
 
#372 ·
Pulled all the tripartia, repens and helferia, Added a bunch of crypt lupens for mid ground and hemiantbus glomeratum (to the back) moved the sagitaria to middle background. Anubias are growing strong. No problem alagae. Same light bulb for years too…

Water Rectangle Organism Wood Aquatic plant
 
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