if pics are a thousand words....(2.5 pico) *PIC INTENSIVE*

[amphirion]

and my hand for a size reference:


my downoi doesnt look like the regular green fleshy/transparent plants that others seem to have. is it because of nutrient deficiency?

[gBOYsc2]

Great nano dude! How long did it take for your UG to fill in? Care to post some tank specs?

I think the downoi could be suffering from nutrient deficiency. Mine started to pale a little bit when I under fertilized one week.

[thewife]

NICE carpet! I'd also like to know how long it took to fill in like that.

[amphirion]

@gBOYsc2: yeah sure
the UG took almost a year to fill out---it would have been sooner but i neglected it at times and that caused a massive reduction in biomass. it took a while for sections of the tank to get up and running again.

2.5 gallons
12" x 7" x 8"
rapid mini canister filter

lighting: 36 W (10000K/6700K) 8 hrs

flora:
Utricularia graminifolia,
Downoi
Mini Pelia
Anubias nana 'petite'
Rotala macrandra japan red

fauna:
Boraras brigittae (x10)
Celestial danios (x3)
Corydoras pygmaeus (x10)
Blue bee shrimp ---they kinda disappeared, find them from time to time, but secretive
Olive nerites....

Fertilization:
CO2 DIY
Iron: 1.5 mL every other day (give or take)
i should be more diligent with my fert routine....

[jeff721]

Beautiful tank. Really stunning to look at the finished product.

[EntoCraig]

Stunning

[chumblaka]

Impressive, where did you get that small tank, the rocks and the wood, I can't find rocks for my tanks for cheap, lol.

Really nice tank though, it looks way bigger than 2.5 gallons.

[amphirion]

small tank i purchased from a LFS---im beginning to find them in other fish stores around the bay area as well...
the rocks were actually found on a beach hiking trip....did the whole boil and acid test to prep them for the tank.
the wood was found on ebay---yeah it was a pain, but i ended up getting what i wanted...

thanks everyone for the kind comments---i'll start trace fertilizing when i get home!

[EntoCraig]

Edit: ^ that.

[Dollface]

That last shot is gorgeous. How long did you dry start the UG for, and how'd it fare when you first filled the tank, did you get any melt off?

[BradC]

Great looking tank! Great job

[amphirion]

Originally Posted by Dollface

That last shot is gorgeous. How long did you dry start the UG for, and how'd it fare when you first filled the tank, did you get any melt off?

thanks a lot Dollface, im proud to say, it's thanks to you! i dry started the UG for about 6 months---i actually didnt get any massive melt offs....i suspect it is actually because UG doesnt like eutrophication...it did enjoy a healthy/ODing dose of CO2 as a substitute instead (no fauna in the tank---at least the ones that really mattered yet) high lighting seems to be a determining factor as well.

however, i did have multiple times where i was trying to harden it (ie: reduce humidity) and it definitely didnt like that---because of the slope it was hard getting even growth since the higher areas were less humid than the lower areas, or the fact that it tried to insist on growing horizontally instead of vertically, so i had periods of massive die offs.

[lauraleellbp]

Beautiful tank!

What brand is the tank, out of curiousity?

[Dollface]

Originally Posted by amphirion

thanks a lot Dollface, im proud to say, it's thanks to you! i dry started the UG for about 6 months---i actually didnt get any massive melt offs....i suspect it is actually because UG doesnt like eutrophication...it did enjoy a healthy/ODing dose of CO2 as a substitute instead (no fauna in the tank---at least the ones that really mattered yet) high lighting seems to be a determining factor as well.

however, i did have multiple times where i was trying to harden it (ie: reduce humidity) and it definitely didnt like that---because of the slope it was hard getting even growth since the higher areas were less humid than the lower areas, or the fact that it tried to insist on growing horizontally instead of vertically, so i had periods of massive die offs.

Thanks for the input. I'm glad you had such success with the UG

[amphirion]

Originally Posted by lauraleellbp

Beautiful tank!

What brand is the tank, out of curiousity?

some obscure chinese brand out of hong kong---memory's fuzzy but i think it was called aqua nursery or aqua babies....something aqua having to do with babies....sorry i cant be of more help.