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Mr. Aqua 7.5G Cube

22K views 103 replies 26 participants last post by  dj2005 
#1 ·
Fauna: None and there may never be any. I'm tired of having to fix my slopes in other tanks due to the inhabitants.
Ferts: EI + Excel + RootCaps.
Filter: Hagen Mini Elite.
Flora: Mini micro sword; Blyxa japonica lining back wall.
Lighting: 18w of PC lighting + moonlight at night. 6700K/10000K combo bulb.
Substrate: Sand topped with AS Amazonia.

Tank was just set up three hours ago so it is a bit bubbly. Scaping rocks were from my Mini M's previous scape making things a bit limited. As usual, I'm happy with how the scape turned out (I'm not hard to please). :smile:

Thanks goes to onefang for the tank.






 
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#3 ·
#9 ·
Feel free (pun intended ;)) to send me your 11.4G and I'll put it to use.

Haha! You got one too! This will look awesome.
Your cube definitely made me want one after I saw it all those months ago. After playing with this one, I am now a fan of cube tanks.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Dwarf shrimp come in so many flavors. Gotta try them all. :smile:

Yea but what does it mean? The double rainbow.. almost triple rainbow
It means that there may be a pot of gold guarded by evil leprechauns somewhere in my tank. :icon_eek: Or worse, guarded by underpants gnomes!

But to be more serious, the rainbow was likely created by the small beam of sunlight hitting the tank.

9-6-10:
Bubbles are gone.

 
#19 ·
9-10-10:
Added a Hagen CO2 kit using my Mini Elite as the diffuser. So far, it's working great. This is my first time using actual CO2. :smile:

I also added a small amount of Fissidens. Not sure if I'll keep it but I'm going to wait to see how it grows in.

Quite a bit of tannins in the water from the AS. If I do a lot of water changes would that remove it quickly?

 
#23 ·
I've been thinking about this prospect since adding the CO2. I still need to test my KH though, and I do not have a test kit for that. :( I also need to test my pH Sunday and see if it's fitting for CRS.

If I do manage to keep a successful colony of CRS then you can certainly have some for free. Do you know if jojos sells CRS?
 
#32 ·
Yes, Rosewill PSU vary greatly when it comes to quality and there have been reports of the Xtreme 950w causing similar damage to what you described. Even though brands such as Corsair and Seasonic are more money, I think they are worth it since the PSU can take out a whole PC if it so chooses. Plus, a stable PSU can mean a higher CPU overclock! :D
 
#34 ·
Well, Newegg has a lot of recent reviews stating that the unit has either died, or sparked and died, or sparked, died, and took a few components with it. Of course, Newegg reviews, for the most part, are not a good thing to base the quality of anything on. I was hoping to find a review of the PSU on either jonnyguru, hardocp, or anandtech but couldn't.

The Xtreme lineup is generally reliable, but again, Rosewill varies so much. If you can get a RMA from them then I suppose it is worth a try since it may not be the PSU afterall (best to spend $10 to ship than $1xx on a new one), even though it seems highly likely it is. Remember, I'm judging this without knowing what the A2 error code refers to and what troubleshooting you two have already performed. Hopefully all ends well and that you get to keep your 11.4G tank. I was, and still am, looking forward to seeing some Cardinals in it.
 
#39 ·
#40 ·
Re. the tannins, from my experience only water changes will help. You change it, they leach out, you change it they leech out. If you don't change it, they still leech out and make this tea like tank water, then the light doesn't pass through as well, and then there are more problems. The problem will pass in time.

Nice to see you starting up another one. A bit surprised about the CO2 though. You do such an awesome job on your other tanks without it! Guaranteed my next tank (you know, the legendary Mini-M) will not have it. Trying to simplify things a bit..... or a lot.

Please keep the updates coming!

Tom

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#41 ·
Thanks for the information, Tom. I just did a WC a few minutes ago so I decided to snap a picture before the water yellows up.

I've been impressed with what I've seen concerning DIY CO2 and plant growth on these forums so I wanted to give it a try. I've also read that Blyxa japonica is sensitive to Excel, too, though I'm not sure how valid that statement is. It grew great in my Mini M.

I can't wait to see what you come up with in the Mini M. The wait better be worth it. ;)

9-14-10:
Just completed WC, hence the bubblyness.



And cropped picture for easy comparison of growth: http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o22/98LS1TA/IMG_1792s.jpg
 
#43 ·
Yeah I did. I guess you read my post before I added the line describing that my Blyxa did great in my Mini M.

I'm just going by what I've read on this forum a couple times. IME, Blyxa does fine with Excel and I use 2x the dose.
 
#45 · (Edited)
Here are my findings:
Mini Pellia is very sensitive to it.
Fissidens also seems to do better with the recommended dosage, at the most. It does grow with 2x the dosage, however.
I think mosses are a bit sensitive to it.
Java Fern may not like it.

Besides those plants, I've had good luck with Excel at 2x the dosage.

9-15-10:
 
#46 ·
9-18-10:
Added Ember Tetras and Albino Red Ramshorns. I plan on adding some Snowball shrimp too.
Still plenty of tannins as can be seen in the pictures. :(



 
#50 · (Edited)
Thanks Tom. I like snails as they aren't demanding and are usually free/cheap.

looking good. Snowballs would be a good contrast to the other fauna. I am glad the tank is working out for you! :proud:
I am definitely enjoying the tank.

I hope the Snowballs don't provide contrast with the fauna. I'm going with a bit of a light colored theme with the white snail shells, light gray rocks, and Snowballs. The dark coloring of the AS provides the contrast. The tetras are in the tank since they prefer it to my Mini M.

9-28-10:
Right after WC. It's the only time I can take a picture without the water being yellow.




9-29-10:

 
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