• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Nursery Island - 10Ltr Nano Journal

GreenNeedle

Member
Joined
19 Jul 2007
Messages
2,750
Location
Lincoln UK
This little project of mine has been brought about by my black Corys producing fry and therefore I need a nursery to put them into and hopefully be able to pass the month old fish (if I can get them to survive) onto my LFS.

The first batch (I only spotted 3 eggs) has rendered 1 survivor who is now 5 days old and getting bigger :)

However I wouldn't be happy with a bare bottom boring tank and therefore am going to do a simple scape.

This will be inspired by Felipe Oliveira's latest scape with the large round boulders in it. As this tank is only 13" x 6" x 8" I will be able to get away with large cobbles rather than boulders. lol Felipe's scape can be found here:
http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/a ... tones.html

One other thing is I am trying to keep cost to virtually zero!!! This means utilising things I already have if at all possible.

The tank isn't built yet. I have cut an old window pane into the 5 pieces needed and will then rough off any sharp edges but it won't be perfect ;)

For filtration I have taken my MP400 powerhead. I have then taken a plastic pot that contained herb and spices and removed the label/glue poked loads of holes in the bottom and a large hole in the top. The hole in the top goes over the intake of the MP400. I then cut a Fluval 3+ foam pad and carbon pad into 3 circles (6 total) and stuffed them into the bottom. Then with the lid already attached to the intake slid on the container. This should hopefully work as a filter and reduce the 400lph of the filter substantially.

For substrate I have a half full pot of JBL substrate which I think I got from AaronNorth (can't remember it was so long ago) and then I will use some small "Roman Gravel Highland Blend" to top it (£3ish from P@H)

For the rocks/cobbles I am going to look around the nature reserve (Swanholme Lakes) near my parents house which is the opposite side of the city but only an 8 mile bike ride :)

For the lights I am going to continue my current LED obsession and make a luminaire with 3 x 3W 5500K LEDs. I have 5 spare from the current project.

For CO2 I still have half a bottle of EasyCarbo that I bought while I was struggling with CO2 on my main tank.

Dosing will be full on EI

Lastly I am on the lookout for a small heater. Any thoughts on the Hydor 7.5W mini heater?:http://www.aquatics-online.co.uk/catalogue/heaters-thermostats-heating-cables.asp

So there we have it. A nano and the only expenditure will be on some bits and bobs to rig up the lighting, the top gravel and the heater.

I am thinking of using Needle Leaf Fern (from my current main tank) behind the cobbles and Glosso in the front section, not worried too much about it spreading through the foregound and the 'island' becoming part of the 'mainland' ;)

Anything I have forgotten?

AC
 
SuperColey1 said:
Lastly I am on the lookout for a small heater. Any thoughts on the Hydor 7.5W mini heater?:http://www.aquatics-online.co.uk/catalogue/heaters-thermostats-heating-cables.asp

AC

I have a few of these that i was putting on pico vases in my bedroom. They work but just raise the temp a few degrees above room with no internal cutoff theromostat. Which can work both ways, tank gets too hot, tank gets too cold. Now my vase's were about 2.5L and 1L so the fluctuation is probably more rapid then you might get in a 10L.

They tend to curl with age too so become harder to hide. At one point i was tempted to run a therostatic switch/timer on the plug to the two i was using. To turn them on when i went below 20 degrees in my room and off when/if it ever went above 24.

For my 10L and 20L tanks i use the newattino plus 10w. it is small and works ok, but the downside is they put white writing all over the black casing. So you have to hide it. It does have a thermostat which turns it off at 25 degrees.

Best Regards,

John
 
I was looking at the Newattino on aquatics-online. Looks perfect really and 25ºC is perfect for my corys. I think I shall get that one.

Not too bothered about hiding the heater. The 'filter' will be very prominent anyway. This will be more of a take things out to photo jobby. lol

Thanks for the advice.

AC
 
I want the light colour Saintly, Thanks for the offer.

when you come and look at the LEDs (wait a month or so) The black cory fry will be old enough to rehome so you can have first pic.

AC
 
A quick update.

I have made the tank and water tested it. The powerhead 'filter' is complete and the Newattino ordered. Shelf above my main tank reinforced (it was bowing in the centre at the front.) And the 3 x 3W LED lighting works.

Now just waiting for the collimaters/lenses/heatsinks to arrive and then I need to find a long thing 'shortbread' type tin to make the luminaire from and that is the light complete.

Then need to get some Glosso and find the rocks and its all set to go. The black cory fry are a week+ old now and will probs go straight into the main tank by the time I get this done. The next batch will go in this tank.

AC
 
And so the journal begins :)

The Specs:

TANK : 33cm x 15cm x 20cm homemade 10 litres

FILTRATION : Maxijet MP400 powerhead with DIY spongefilter attachment

HEATER : Newattino K 10W

LIGHTING : 3 x 3W 5500K Luxeon LED - underpowered to circa 8.4W (3.75WPG)

SUBSTRATE : Leonardite bottom layer, ProFloraStart mid layer, Roman Gravel 'natural highland blend'

DOSING : EI
Macro Mix - 500ml DI water, 40g KNO3, 15g KH2PO4, 10g K2SO4, 10g MgSO4 - 0.7ml daily
Micro Mix - 250ml DI water, 15g AE chelated trace - 0.25ml daily
EasyCarbo - 0.3ml daily
50% water change weekly

PLANTS : Microsorum Pteropus 'Needle', Blyxia Japonica, Glossostigma Elatinoides

INHABITANTS : Corydoras Schultzei Black (Fry)

The leonardite bottom layer - about 1cm depth:
leonardite-1.jpg


The ProFloraStart mid layer - about 2cm depth around the sides and 4cm at the top of the central 'mound':
ProFloraStart.jpg


The Roman Gravel 'natural highland blend' top layer - about 2cm all over:
NatHighGravel.jpg

NatHighGravel2.jpg


Tomorrow I shall be taking a walk around one of the nature reserves the other side of the city to find some suitable rock for hardscape and then tomorrow night I can get that in Situ.

Then I am waiting for some Glosso to arrive from Java Plants and hopefully Monday night will have this planted and up and running :)

The Fry will go in next weekend to give the filter a chance to get wet and remove dust etc.

AC
 
looking real smart andy.the imagery seems of a slightly higher standerd too?.... :D

i'm interested to see what rocks you collect. i'd love to find a good source of stone around here.
 
You know where Maidenhead is at Whisby. Follow that road to Doddington Road and there is a nature reserve there called Swanholme lakes.

The entrance is at the railway line and then along the side of a load of houses built when our idiot council allowed some of the land from the reserve to be sold but behind those houses is about a mile square of lakes with paths between them. Used to be Gravel Pits. Loadsa rock there.

I'm hoping for some rounded pieces but will be on the lookout for any good pieces for when I redo the main tank.

AC
 
I went and fetched a load of cobbles from the local nature reserve today. What a day to pick. This is the only photo I took whilst out and although its not that clear to see the snow is falling here. Minutes later it was a blizzard and I could hardly see anything but the ground below me :lol: At this point the road I came from is the opposite side of this lake so about 400m (This is one of many lakes in this reserve.) However the way back home is a twisty windy 2 miles or so between the lakes. Aargh
swanholme.jpg


Here is the selection of stones I got. I didn't go overboard as I can always go back and fetch some more/different sizes etc.
selection.jpg


The hardscape:
scapedfront.jpg

scapedangle.jpg


And a glimpse of the equipment. I will be DIYing something to raise the powerhead higher than it currently is. The sucker mount nor the hang on clip allow me to get it any higher!!
equipment.jpg


If the Glosso arrives tomorrow I shall be planting tomorrow night :)

AC
 
I must add. This little tank is great. I can just pick it up and put it wherever I want to take photos. lol

AC
 
Center two stones need to be slightly larger and closer together otherwise I'm increasingly impressed with your scaping prowess.
 
Aargh the Rock Police. lol

These were the largest 2 from the bunch :( I will try and get them closer together though.

AC
 
Its bigger and different colours. lol.

I think I linked to it on the first page of this thread :lol:

AC
 
for me, the brown-ish/er rock on the left is a bit distracting in terms of aquascaping (and what garuf has said) but this should be a nice little tank, nice one
 
I think it's the light making that stone look 'browner/ish'. lol

The one on the right is actually the one that is different colour to the rest. It is a grey/ish colour with almost pink lines along fractures in it.

We'll see how it looks with water. lol It is after all 'just' a nursery tank.

AC
 
Back
Top