Nano playground

5923 Views 26 Replies 6 Participants Last post by nel, Feb 14, 2018

nel

Discussion Starter · Mar 27, 2017

I've posted few photos of my 30x30x30 cm tank in my ropefish journal, but I thought it's time to start its own journal. It won't be about one tank though. There will be two tanks standing side by side one 30x30x30 you already know and second 30x30x20 (20 cm high) that doesn't exist yet.
For now bigger tank is occupied by:
13 CPDs
5 Hara jerdoni
x blue velvet shrimp
Plants:
Bucephalandra of many varieties
Anubias nana gold
Bolbitis heudelotti mini
Eleocharis xingu
Eleocharis parvula
Echinodorus tenellus
Phoenix moss
Fox moss
Mini pelia
Subwassertang
Flame moss
Fissidens miroshaki (my favorite)
Fissidens Thailand
Mini weeping moss
ALGAE
Equipment:
Aquael fzn-3
Aquael deco light 2x9w (6500K+8500K)
HELP Advanced soil plants

In this existing tank I'm fighting insane algae.
Today I went to my LFS to get the ordered tank, but they made it in a wrong size (30x20x20, what the hell, I wouldn't order standard sized tank, if I wanted one, I would just come and buy it), so I have to wait another week, great.
Plan is to move Hara jerdoni and shrimps into the smaller tank and leave CPDs in the bigger tank. Maybe I'll add a pair of badis badis.
Smaller tank will use a matten filter (as an experiment). Both tanks won't use heating, but the existing one is staying at 22 C.
Later today I'll add some algae photos (it's gross).
Edit:
Parameters:
Temp. 22 C
NO3 1 ppm
PO4 0
pH 6.3
dKH 3
dGH 12
Fe 0
K 25 ppm
Ca 40 ppm
Mg 24 ppm
As you can see with this active soil even when dosing half EI most nutritiens are absorbed by the soil. I don't really know home to work with it. Should I just add more and more?

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nel

Discussion Starter · #2 · Apr 2, 2017

2

Did I say algae outbreak?

I'm working on it, really! It's just horrible! Next weekend I'm changing the lights and setting up the second tank. They'll be lit with 50W LED flood light, but it will be high over them, so plants in the HOB will get the light too and it won't be so absurdly strong in the tanks.

HOB:

At least the HOB looks good... Phalaenopsis had to leave - took too much space, they'll get a hydroponic pot behind the second tank.

Let's call those tanks somehow. Nano playground - existing and nanonano playground - soon to be set. So nano and nanonano. Never though I'll set up something so small! 27 litre and 18 litre tanks.

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nel

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 9, 2017

Just after setting everything back and adding second tank. For now the driftwood is in my main tank getting cleaned (algae will leave it in no time without scrubbing and fighting) and when the nano tank is stable the driftwood will go back. Absolutely love the flood light! So much natural white light and it doesn't touch the tank!

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nel

Discussion Starter · #4 · Apr 22, 2017

2

Just a little update - driftwood went back to the nano tank. It's currently inhabited by 12 CPDs 5 Hara Jerdoni. I'm going to add some Amano shrimps, not so much new algae forming and I need somebody to clean the old algae and eat the little amount that's appearing over time. Yeast CO2 working quite good, I was trying soda+citric acid CO2 for some time and I couldn't handle it somehow, so I gave up and went back to yeast. Works fine.

Blue velvets moved to the nanonano tank, added few new ones too. Let's hope they'll build a big colony there

Moved some plants from the hob and matten filter. Can't decide how they'll look best, so for now I'm just messing with them.

The flood light is just ideal for those tanks. Looks great, algae is now in regression, so far so good.

Sorry for the reflections on the photo. That's the only minus of the flood light - light spill, I have it hanged quite high.

Who loves my cats?

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nel

Discussion Starter · #5 · Apr 23, 2017

I have to add something about acclimatization.
Again I didn't drip acclimate my new shrimps. They were delivered on Thursday, but I came home on Friday, so one day in the bag standing on my desk. The temperature was right, so when I came home I just poured them into a bowl, took them out with a net and tossed into the tank. So far not a single shrimp was lost (it's Sunday). The thing with not doing drip is your water parameters need to be more or less close to the params of water they came in (I have to admit I never checked...). Difference like NO3 of 5 in your water and NO3 of 30 in their (or other way around) may kill them, but if it's not something so extreme they won't go into shock. We have to make sure they won't get shocked only. Drip won't make their osmotic balance right in those few hours. They need days or weeks to get the balance right (for example with molting and changing the hardness of their shells), few hours of drip won't help with that. First time getting shrimp I did drip and lost some of them, after that I've got new shrimps 4 times (golden tigers, bloody mary, some culls, blue velvets) and never lost a single one in first weeks. No dripping ;-)

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nel

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jun 3, 2017

4

Getting small tank stable is a pain, I have to admit it. What's funny - the 18l tank is doing fine, the 27l tank is absolutely tragic. For now emersed plants over the tanks look much better than the tanks. Exams are coming (ok, exams are nothing, I have big projects to do that are the real problem) so I'll do some big changes after June. For now - mess.

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nel

Discussion Starter · #7 · Sep 7, 2017

Soon to be reborn...

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nel

Discussion Starter · #8 · Sep 20, 2017

6

Dry start going on. I should have waterlogged the branches for more time - moss on them is drying out. Well, worst case scenario when I'll flood it I'll tie some moss with a cotton thread, but let's wait a little bit longer
For now plants are:
Echinodorus vesuvius
Cryptocoryne wendtii brown
Cryptocoryne green
Eleocharix xingu
Eleocharis parvula
Boblitis micro
Bucephalandra sp. (actually more than one type, I don't know the names any more)

I bought two cute tillandsia (tectorum and ionatha) a week ago. They're going to get mounted on the branches over the water, for now just lying on the wrap:

Ionatha surprised me today nicely:

Ok, back to the tanks:

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sevendust111

· #9 · Sep 21, 2017

I dig this setup. Very cool concept with the continuity between the 2 tanks.

nel

Discussion Starter · #10 · Sep 27, 2017

5

Flooded! I'm impatient, I know. Tanks need to clear a little bit more, but here are photos few minutes after flooding. Tomorrow some more tweaking, I'm not sure if this big HOB is staying. I have Aqua Clear 20 on hand and it's much smaller, but it's old and a little bit noisy.

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nel

Discussion Starter · #11 · Oct 15, 2017

7

I think it's working! I love how the plants outside the tanks look. Mosses are starting to take off, a little bit of algae, but nothing scary for new tanks.

Bonus photos of my desk jarrarium with two little red cherries.

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nel

Discussion Starter · #12 · Oct 26, 2017

2

Soooo... Here is the thing. A betta, cool little blue&mustard betta. The photo in the tank is a bit green, one in the glass has better coloration. For now he is called Teofil.

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nel

Discussion Starter · #13 · Nov 11, 2017

I've made a mistake. You can't have a betta in uncovered tank, lesson learned. No betta for me now. The tanks are doing great though. Link to the album.
Why those CPDs are always hiding for photos!? I can sit before the tank and it's fine, but taking photos? Not a chance.
Full tank shot:

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litzel

· #14 · Nov 12, 2017

I liked your idea of two tanks continuity a lot

Always have been a dig person but loved your cats, especially the persian

Sent from my MI 5 using Tapatalk

nel

Discussion Starter · #15 · Nov 12, 2017

2

litzel said:
I liked your idea of two tanks continuity a lot

Always have been a dig person but loved your cats, especially the persian

Sent from my MI 5 using Tapatalk

More cats it is:

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hivemindhermit

· #16 · Nov 12, 2017

That's a lot of fluff

<3

Love the tanks! Nice continuity between them as well as with the surface plants.

One question - in one of the early posts you mention moving a Phalaenopsis from the HOB to a hydroponic setup. I was surprised to see one mentioned in this context considering they are epiphytic - what's your experience, do they tolerate having submerged roots?

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nel

Discussion Starter · #17 · Nov 12, 2017

hivemindhermit said:
That's a lot of fluff <3

Love the tanks! Nice continuity between them as well as with the surface plants.

One question - in one of the early posts you mention moving a Phalaenopsis from the HOB to a hydroponic setup. I was surprised to see one mentioned in this context considering they are epiphytic - what's your experience, do they tolerate having submerged roots?

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

At first it wasn't doing so great, but after some time it got used to the new situation. It bloomed after being moved to hydroponic, so it seems it likes the setup.

hivemindhermit

· #18 · Nov 12, 2017

nel said:
At first it wasn't doing so great, but after some time it got used to the new situation. It bloomed after being moved to hydroponic, so it seems it likes the setup.

Well... Sometimes they bloom when they are about to die. xD Hopefully not the case here tho. Did it put up a lot of new aerial roots?

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nel

Discussion Starter · #19 · Nov 12, 2017

hivemindhermit said:
Well... Sometimes they bloom when they are about to die. xD Hopefully not the case here tho. Did it put up a lot of new aerial roots?

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Some new roots and two leaves, for now I'm positive, but we will see with more time ;-)

Reactions: 1

hivemindhermit

· #20 · Nov 12, 2017

Now I really wanna try attaching an orchid to some driftwood, just above the water...

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