Help with my first nano (56k, I feel your pain)

[random_alias]

I'm working on a 10 gallon also but that's mentioned in it's own thread. This is for my even smaller tank.



This is what I have so far. I plan to dose excel or maybe inject pressurized Co2. I'm thinking about maybe 7-15 watts of true CF light in a mounted pendant hanging over it or an Azoo glaxy light suspended above. Dwarf hairgrass in the back and HC in the front. Prolly a submersed filter hidden somewhere like the back left corner and covered by the hairgrass. Maybe some kind of moss tied to the branches at the top.

I've never done a nano tank before. Any advice on plants or the proper wattage or a supersmall submersed filter?

I want all the equipment to be hidden and to really give it the appearance of being a full sized tank. I think the dwarf hairgrass in the back and the HC carpet in the front could really give the effect, especially if I used a very fine textured moss of some kind on the branches.

ANy advice would be appreciated.

[turtlehead]

Nice wood work some rocks and it will be complete, how big is that tank and where'd you get it?

[random_alias]

Thanks.

12x7x7. I haven't tested/calculated for gallon volume yet.

Someone bought it in California and mailed it to me. I'm guessing maybe AquaForest had them but I'm not sure. I should email them and ask if that's where it came from. I just know it was bought at a LFS in Cali.

I just ordered an Azoo Galaxy PC clipon light, 13w and a spare bulb just in case. With shipping it was only like $28. I'll paint the housing black.

I found a small 2.5lb Aluminum Co2 cylinder on Ebay that I might order. It's only 10 inches tall. I know where I can get a miniature glass Co2 diffuser.

I'm seriously considering making a little ADA style stand for it, maybe a foot tall, to house the Co2 if I use it and just to look darn cool! Would cost next to nothing to make.

Still not sure about the filter.

[random_alias]

And here's another slightly larger tank I'm working on. The two are kinda coming along together so some of what works for one may work for the other.

[random_alias]

Just took some measurements:

2.3 gal empty

roughly 2.0 gal with substrate.

I ordered a Galaxy 13w clipon PC light.

4.3 wpg would be low light
6.4 medium
8.6 high.

Based on this calculator

So my 6.5wpg should be about right for dosing Excel.

[lamthuyduong]

I have a 2.5g tank with 23 watts of compact fluorescen over it. I don't know if 13w is enough to grow hairgrass and hc.

[random_alias]

I guess I'll find out. If it isn't enough I can order another galaxy and then I'll have almost exactly the same amount of light as you.

What plants are you growing in yours and what kind of lights are you using?

[random_alias]

And here is a 1.3 gallon.

I found some wood chips in my moms garden and thought I'd give em a try. I think I'll move the ones on the left half a little closer to the front.

My main concern is giving it a sense of perspective. What do you think? With a field of HC, would it's size fool you?

[juanBeegas]

With a field of HC and small fishes like Boraras... I think It'd fool anyone. Have you thought of swapping out the wood chips for slate chips instead? Or if you have a nice piece of branchy dirftwood that you could use instead...

[Pseud]

This looks like a fun project. Looking forward to the progress.

[random_alias]

Originally Posted by juanBeegas

Have you thought of swapping out the wood chips for slate chips instead?

The urge hit me about 45 minutes before I posted the pic. In that time, I grabbed the tank out of storage, emptied what was left in the bottom of one of my Aquasoil bags into it, threw on a coat and walked out in the yard and found the wood chips.

I imagine they'll give me heck trying to keep them down. I wanted to see if I could get the look in something this small. I'd love to use rocks instead. There's a place or two I know of where I could try to find some. I'd definitely have to smash them up and hope I get some lucky fragments. Still, it would look better and be much easier to work with.

To give you some idea of how available stuff is around here, I'd have to order the cherries, the hairgrass and HC, the Rasboras, had to order the tanks and branchy driftwood, the lights, the filters, the substrates...the hardest part is definitely getting my hands on the stuff and all the shipping costs are making it more expensive than it should have to be. So far, the wood chips will be the only thing that doesn't come through the mail.

Originally Posted by Pseud

This looks like a fun project.

I've been very excited over these three tanks. Something about their size makes them seem less daunting and it's actually easier for me to decide on the layouts. I'm having a lot of fun with them. I'm still not sure what kind of hardscape I want to do in the 10 gallon. It's narrow and long so I definitely need to draw the eye across it rather than into it.

[turtlehead]

Does the person that sent you that small tank want to send another tank out? I live in southern california. And where did youget those branches?

[random_alias]

I'm trying to find out if the LFS still sells them. Waiting for a reply.

[random_alias]

Albany Aquarium has 1 of this style tank left. It is the 10 gallon. I have a picture of mine in the other thread that I linked to earlier. It is $50 and I did not think to ask if they ship or not.

AFAIK, there are no plans to restock these models. God only knows why. I still want to hunt down the manufacturing source.

[lamthuyduong]

I java moss, glosso and riccia. Currently, the plants are not doing very good. without co2, it is growing at a very slow rate and it looks very unhealthy.