[dj2005]

Introduction:
I was intrigued by the Cubus after seeing houseofcards's, so I decided to give it a shot, especially since all I needed to purchase was the tank AND it has been a while since I set up a new tank. While the glass is of poor quality, the silicone work isn't bad and the panels match up. I am hoping the bundled light is enough for the Anubias, and the tank does receive some extra lighting from my desk's lamp so that should help a little. Still, if anyone knows of a decent, cheap LED light for a low tech setup, please let me know.

Future Plans:
I'll probably add a bit more Anubias. I am a bit tempted to have a Fissidens fontanus foreground carpet as well, but then I'd have to tie it down to some mesh and that involves effort... and I dislike expending effort.

Equipment:
Marina Cubus Tank & Light

Scape:
Aquasoil II Powder
Petrified Wood

Flora:
From my endless supply of Anubias (best plant ever), I have chosen these lucky participants:
Anubias nana
Anubias nana 'petite'

Fauna:
About seven RCS. Suddenly they are nowhere to be seen.
Some hitchhiking Albino Ramshorn egg clutches which I likely will plop back into my Mini M after they hatch/grow.

1-25-14 - Shortly after initial filling, hence the substrate bubbles:

 

[Ebi]

Nice looking petrified wood!


Will that leaf sticking out the water dry up?

 

[dj2005]

Nice looking petrified wood!


Will that leaf sticking out the water dry up?

Thanks, Mike. I like using petrified wood in combination with Anubias and AS as it provides some nice contrast between the two.

As for your question: I think the leaf on the far right will but the one in the middle may not due to it being closer to the water. As time goes on, I am hoping the Anubias nana produces some emersed growth. Right now, I'm just looking forward to the leaves/stems to straighten themselves out as the plant was living in the depths of my Mini M where little space and light exist.

 

[dj2005]

1-26-14:
Added a little more Anubias nana. Now to let the tank do what it wants. Its light will be kept on 24/7 as I doubt it will cause an algae bloom.

 

[AquaAurora]

Any updates? no algae yet? Hows the leaf sticking out of the water doing? Hopefully not dieing from being dry.

 

[dj2005]

Any updates? no algae yet? Hows the leaf sticking out of the water doing? Hopefully not dieing from being dry.

2-8-14 Update:
No algae. RCS and Albino Ramshorns (a clutch hatched not long ago) are doing fine. I do weekly WCs just to remove the tannins, even though tannins isn't that distracting in such a small tank. The leaf in the middle lost its tip and the one on the right has wilted midway - a shame but I'm still hoping to see some semi-emersed growth down the line.

I have a feeling Fissidens will not grow in this light so I'll scrap the Fissidens carpet idea. I have a Fissidens carpet in two other tanks already so not a big deal.

 

[horsedude]

Looks cool, I love nano tanks!
Good luck...

 

[AquaAurora]

I think if you want anubias to grow emersed you have to mist it 2x daily, using tank water is best^^
I have the same tank/light from my niece after she tried a betta with it, its a java plantlet holding tank atm in a windowsill, want to try to scape it sometime, seeing yours makes me want to hurry up and make mine pretty ^^
glad to hear no algae!

 

[MaStErFiShKeEps]

Hey, I'm from Elk Grove too! Nice tank!

 

[dj2005]

Looks cool, I love nano tanks!
Good luck...

I do, too. And thanks!

I think if you want anubias to grow emersed you have to mist it 2x daily, using tank water is best^^
I have the same tank/light from my niece after she tried a betta with it, its a java plantlet holding tank atm in a windowsill, want to try to scape it sometime, seeing yours makes me want to hurry up and make mine pretty ^^
glad to hear no algae!

Hmm, that sounds like work. I was kind of hoping for something like I did with my 2.5G wood scape, where I had Willow moss growing emersed with no effort.

I look forward to seeing your new Cubus scape - not that the current "Floating Java Fern Leaves" scape is bad. :icon_wink

Hey, I'm from Elk Grove too! Nice tank!

Thanks!

 

[AquaAurora]

Hmm, that sounds like work. I was kind of hoping for something like I did with my 2.5G wood scape, where I had Willow moss growing emersed with no effort.

I put "think" in the sentence since I have no experience with that.. and I'll retract the original comment.. see this thread those monsters grow out of the tank and never get misted.. So maybe yours simply didn't do well emersed since its just adapting to the new tank, and new leaves that grow out will survive without work.. hopefully ^^

 

[dj2005]

4-26-14:
I've been doing monthly water changes since mid-February and that seems to be enough. I probably have about two dozen RCS, including some babies, swimming around.

 

[AGUILAR3]

That really looks good. Light looks bright. Is it 6500k

 

[dj2005]

That really looks good. Light looks bright. Is it 6500k

Thanks. I forget if the company lists the temperature, but I'd say it is 6500K.

 

[Soyerpan]

4-26-14:
I've been doing monthly water changes since mid-February and that seems to be enough. I probably have about two dozen RCS, including some babies, swimming around.

Looking nice! Did you have to trim/set the plant pattern or grew naturally?

I see you have several nano tanks...Which one has been your fave so far? What's the ideal size for trying out a nano tank? Currently I have 36g, 15g, and starting on hopefully a custom 15 long tank.

 

[dj2005]

Looking nice! Did you have to trim/set the plant pattern or grew naturally?

I see you have several nano tanks...Which one has been your fave so far? What's the ideal size for trying out a nano tank? Currently I have 36g, 15g, and starting on hopefully a custom 15 long tank.

They each have their merits:

This .9 gallon cube is cool due to its small size (less than 6" cubed) and how self-contained it is. Being able to just pick the tank up and move it is quite fun.

My 2 gallon cube is a decent size to start a shrimp colony in and I really love the scape that I created with that one, despite not being able to take a good picture of it.

My 2.5 gallon is probably my least favorite at the moment. I enjoy the scape but I am a fan of rimless tanks. The scape is somewhat overgrown now too.

Lastly, my Mini M has been rescaped and it is a tank with nice dimensions. I think this is a good size for someone wanting to try a small tank since it allows a large amount of scape possibilities without being overly costly.

 

[houseofcards]

Nice job!

I still have mine. Love these little tanks easy to try something new and if it doesn't work just take it right down and try something else. I have one right now in my foyer and it's been up about 2 years and it's only lit by a skylight. The other is empty, but going to set it up again soon.