xenxes's Aqua Culture 5g - "Driftwood Jungle" + PFRs

[xenxes]

Current Status (4/18/12)

This is my quarantine/hospital/where-creatures-go-to-die tank No maintenance other than water top-offs, everything in here is recycled or left-overs..
Planted left-overs tank.

Tank Progression Pics

Latest FTS:


Equipment:
- Walmart Aqua Culture 5g Kit ($27)
- 15W 6500k CFL Bulb
- SS Mesh for riccia (use Bostich Snips to cut)

Flora:
- Mixed moss on mopani wood
- Riccia mats
- Jungle Val
- Aponogeton
- Frogbits, RRF, Dwarf Water Lettuce, Duckweed
- Hydrocotyle Leucocephala
- Hygrophila Difformis
- Crypt Willisi Blyxa Japonica
- Ludwigia Grandulosa
- Lobelia Cardinalis
- Crypt Wendt Red
- ???

Fauna:
- 4+ PFRs
- ?? MTS, Pond, Ramshorn



Original Post:
--------------------

This is a low quality tank. You can clearly see globs of silicone in all 4 corners which obscures the tank, but $27 @ Walmart for the kit.

The filter is fairly loud (going to take apart and readjust the impeller later) awesome, the light sucks (got a 15W CFL replacement coming).

But I got it as a nano QT so as long as it doesn't leak, I'm fine with it. Which means I probably won't be scraping away any silicone. Still, I couldn't just leave it sitting empty.


Will probably add a crypt, aponogeton, or anubias nana, not sure what else.

What's your QT look like? Suggestions on making this one even uglier?

[epiphany]

I swear every time I log in I see you've got a new tank. It makes me kind of jealous.

[Eldachleich]

Seriously!!
You have never ending supply of nano's it seems...

[xenxes]

I'm stopping at 6, mostly out of shelf / table space But the first 2 aren't even tanks, they're just small containers with water

[epiphany]

You say that now, but let's see in a few weeks haha

[xenxes]

So this has become my dump tank / driftwood wasteland, I weighed down extra moss (about half dead) on the bottom, tied some sick looking riccia to a few pieces of SS mesh, dumped in duckweed I pulled out of a carpet cleaner, threw in the java fern and aponogeton I had no place for (right side is a rotting bulb that just came out), extra MTS, and the aggressive ghost shrimp I can't seem to kill.


The mopani wood is leeching tanin into the water, gives off a nauseous orange/yellow tint


Ghost shrimp just devoured a dead panda platy fry that got stuck behind my 20g filter

The silicone calk is driving me nuts, but it'll probably turn into an ugly overgrown jungle that covers the back silicone at least. Evil lair for an evil shrimp.

[Eldachleich]

I hate bad silicone...
Its still nicer looking that my QT tank..
I have one of the 2.5 gallon curved plastic ones with bright coloured lids and little legs... http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=3806238
This one..
I only have tiny fish so its a perfect size.. Plus It was already there....
I need wood like that... Can't find it anywhere..
I always boiled wood till it doesnt leach tannins anymore........ I hate tannins...
Like it in biotopes.... Just not other kinds of tanks...
So I boil them for days to get it all the way out... Plus it sinks them... I love prefilter sponges so much...

[xenxes]

OMG that kit is so PINK! Do you have pink gravel in yours too?

I got the mopani wood for $8-10 @ Petsmart, lol.

[Eldachleich]

Well mines not the mermaid set... lol
Its orange... With white pool filter sand and whatever stem plant I could get in.
No fair!!! My PetSmart doesn't carry any driftwood...
Unless it has very sad looking anubias or java moss attached to it... And costs around $20

[xenxes]

Check in the reptile section, they all have them! It's not anywhere near the aquariums or aquarium decor.

It may be labeled driftwood for repariums/reptiles, the mopani ones are the heaviest/darkest/sinks right away, but has tannins that will probably take years to boil out. The small are $8, medium $10, large $12 (very long, like 20", found a very nice piece but nowhere to put it). They have river wood also, and a crazy huge jungle gym that was maybe $20+. All are safe for aquarium use imo, boil first though. I didn't boil mine :/

[Eldachleich]

I'll have to check!! I never look in the reptile section... I never had any reason to go in there..

[xenxes]

The tank cycled on old media + some Nutrafin cycle + dead fish, the cheap stock "AquaTech" filter is quite impressive after a little tweaking, it's quieter than my Aquaclear 20 and rather strong (rated 125 gph!). I need to add in more biomax though if it's going to house fish (even temporarily), I had half a small bag left and only filled it halfway.

Put in a 15W 6500k (daylight) bulb, looks a little better. The rotting aponogeton bulb grew out and tripled in size (right side), java fern growing. Riccia came back to life. Picking off extra snails and throwing them in whenever I can. The giant 1.5" MTS is in here. I think the snails are eating the dead Xmas moss.

[xenxes]

Progression Post:

[skindy]

It's a pretty nice looking QT tank! So, do the creatures that go in here to die have to battle it out with the vicious ghost shrimp? :P Winner goes back to the good tanks? Gladiator style!

[xenxes]

TY! Lol that's an interesting idea.

I haven't had to quarantine anything, if I had to medicate a sick fish I'd probably take the shrimp out. It can smell death from many tanks away.

The 15w CFL is doing pretty well and I might add more clippings. I might end up stocking this with shrimp, but then I'd need another QT :/