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50L shallow cube

Tucker90

Member
Joined
28 Feb 2016
Messages
358
Location
Derby
So it begins, after a 4 year break I’ve started collecting bits and bobs to make another scape. I intend on a heavily planted ermergant tank. Undecided whether to go down the co2/LED set up again or to go o’natural, self sustaining type!

Tank: 50x40x25 shallow optiwhite tank made by interfish, not the best silicone work but was a bargain at £30 and it will be sat on a solid oak “tall boy” I’ve restored and painted.

Filtration: Aqua-manta efx 200 with clear hoses and lily pipes.

Lighting, either home made fog light pendant, or some flashy expensive LED thing... (not yet purchased)

Co2: if I go down this route I will use my old co2 art reg with a FE I’m yet to purchase.

Heater: inline

Substrate, unsure, probably tropica & foreground sand.

Hardscape: mini landscape style stone mopani and manzanita wood, also considering using heather if I can get more details on it!

Plants: rough idea... Anubis, microsorum pteropus trident, crypts, hydrocotyle tripartita, staurogyne repens, mosses and some other stuff! Really like the idea of a maidenhair fern growing out of the tree trunk (see pictures) but we’ll see,

Fish, amino shrimp, ottos, and dwarf cory’s, Danio Margaritatus.

Can’t decide between Fundulopanchax sjostedti, or Tateurndina Ocellicauda. For the statement fish!



Very early days yet, it will be a slow burner due to work, kids, wife, finances and winter been motorbike building season!

Here’s the tank and a lump of wood I’m undecided on... imagine microsorum pteropus trident growing out all the “Knuck’s and crannies” with moss everywhere. Possible a maidenhair fern on top

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Let the soaking begin
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I would appreciate any advice or influence!

Thank for reading!

Thom


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I love shallow tanks like this, perfect for emersed hardscape. I don't think you should choose killifish unless you're planning on having a lid, however that defeats the purpose of the shallow dimensions.

Cheers

Yeah, I know they’re jumpers but I’ve kept them before in an open top and never had issues! It was a lot deeper if that makes a difference?! We’ll see! I might just get some scarlet badis instead! Just want a statement fish in the tank!




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Maidenhair fern will work great on the stump, I had one back in 2014....

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Will look forward to progress :thumbup:

Cheerio,
Ady
 
Maidenhair fern will work great on the stump, I had one back in 2014...

Thanks Ady! Any substrate in the stump or did you just wedge it in?

Thanks for the comments, I’m sure I’ll be coming to you with my tail between my legs after this many years out!


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Thanks Ady! Any substrate in the stump or did you just wedge it in?

Thanks for the comments, I’m sure I’ll be coming to you with my tail between my legs after this many years out!


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Ha, I’m just back too after an absence :oops:
Just wedged and tied it on :thumbup:
 
So went to my LFS today to look at things... always dangerous...

They have some nice stone that’s £3 a kg which may save me wading in the local river next time I’m fishing... so bought 6kg worth!

Really struggling with trying to get a scape in my head due to dimensions of the tank and thinking the monapi trunk I’ve got might not be the right idea... can’t see how I can add “roots” growing out of it to scale?! Smaller roots will look daft I think!

Decided I’m gonna have to go down the co2 route this time seeing buttons latest tank with the fissidens

What do you guys think?! Can I make the trunk work?



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Excuse the state of the pictures!

Will dig the SLR out when I start scaping ! I promise!

Thanks
Thom


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Evening!

I’ve read all I can but not found many answers, I’ve seen that big Tom used fired heather in his tank and that’s about it!

I had a friend collect this: (he’s a farmer, it’s his land on the Yorkshire moors and he is allowed to collect it!!! I know it hasn’t been sprayed with anything in the last 10 years other than the possible bit of sheep wee!)

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I love how gnarly and natural it could look!

I dropped a thread in the aquascape part of the forum but had no response (guess not many of you visit that org as often, as you lot are always very helpful)

Since getting it I have kiln dried it, then soaked it! It’s starting to sink now!

I just want to know is there anything I need to know/do before I try use it?

I will hopefully be using some manzinata along with it as they are both very dark!

Any response would be appreciated!!

Thom


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Don’t have any information on preparation but it looks really interesting wood for aquascaping with thicker branches and finer ones also.
Are you using this with the stump also or have you given up on that idea? I’ve never mixed wood types before but I guess if they are similarly coloured and looking it will work.
Cheerio
Ady
 
Are you using this with the stump also or have you given up on that idea? I’ve never mixed wood types before but I guess if they are similarly coloured and looking it will work.
Cheerio
Ady

I’ve given up with the stump!

Gonna keep it for when I inevitably get a larger shallow tank!

I really like the heather! I think I can make the tank look a hell of a lot bigger than it is! And as I said, looks really natural!




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Great bargain,
And loving the heather wood.
I am also using Maidenhair fern in my EA600, and it looks great, really softens the overall feel.

Thanks gill!

I’ll be seeing a lot more of you soon... not in a creepy way... you work at my LFS




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Intriguing journal :)

Both the stump and the heather could make for an awesome scape ... of course I prefer the Heather ;) as I’m rather keen on the twisty root look

Unless you need it, I’d skip the manzanita - mixed woods generally look like mixed woods - unless you obscure them under moss and then they look like fat green fuzzy (alien) creatures re this Green Aqua tank



Or as GA posted recently
This is the best looking planted crab that we have ever seen

Glanced at your history - do you have the ADA 60P going as well - I want to see where the DIY lights are at :wideyed:
 
Yeah, I know they’re jumpers but I’ve kept them before in an open top and never had issues! It was a lot deeper if that makes a difference?
Tank depth definitely makes a difference in jumpability

I’d also not be surprised if Fundulopanchax sjostedti (eventually) snacked upon Danio Margaritatus ...

If you want across the room feature fish, scarlet badis ain’t it :cool:

Depending upon plant scape, you may need to add a bolder fish to get the CPDs out & about
 
Intriguing journal :)

Or as GA posted recently


Glanced at your history - do you have the ADA 60P going as well - I want to see where the DIY lights are at :wideyed:

First of all; GA’s quote


Don’t talk to me about the 60P when I wrote that thread regarding the lighting, I had paid and arranged pick up of the tank and a pretty much full set up apart from the lighting! Then the guy went “radio silence” and I had to get eBay to give me my money back!


But I wouldn’t have found this little shallow tank if that hadn’t happened so silver linings and all that!

As for the light, it’s still being made, waiting for a in-line dimmer switch and we’ll be good to go! It’s a bit unorthodox for this forum but as I’ve said I like the modern vs old style!






Tank depth definitely makes a difference in jumpability

I’d also not be surprised if Fundulopanchax sjostedti (eventually) snacked upon Danio Margaritatus ...

If you want across the room feature fish, scarlet badis ain’t it :cool:

Depending upon plant scape, you may need to add a bolder fish to get the CPDs out & about


Thanks for the advice!

Just wondering what you meant by

“Depending upon plant scape, you may need to add a bolder fish to get the CPDs out & about”

I love bandis so that might be the best option!


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