[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:

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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!

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.