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45cm Cube

Nubias

Member
Joined
2 Jul 2018
Messages
145
Location
Melbourne, Australia
So second tank to play with, I picked up a second hand Aquaone mini reef 90 to convert to a freshwater setup. I had good intentions of finding a small nano desktop all in one but stumbled on this locally. It’s a good chance to experiment with a sump setup plus I end up with a suitable beginner reef tank if I ever want to go down that path.

Low tech again with low energy/low maintenance plants in mind. Java ferns, crypts, mosses, anubias, pinnatifida all come to mind along with an easy stem or two to grow emergent behind the vine wood, hygrophila, Rotala, ludwigia etc. also planning on some pothos out of the overflow section too.

Looking for some darker coloured rocks to prop the vine wood up on and create a pocket of aqua soil for some planting, maybe a black/dark lava stone. Substrate at the bottom level I’m thinking a dark natural small gravel as seen in pictures for reference.

Just need to hunt around for a smaller gold vine piece to fill in the bottom left, either making it look like one piece or a smaller scale of what’s there to balance. Also the straight branch to the left will most likely get the chop.

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Let me know your thoughts and suggestions, progress maybe slow on this as I’ll be hunting for cheap deals as trying to keep costs down.

Looking for light and return pump suggestions.

Quiet yet affordable return pump AC or DC with adjustable flow. Tank and sump is around 110 liters.

Light - anything that can be suspended and adjustable intensity. Sunrise sunset would be added bonus. Looking at Chihiros A series plus with their controller also.

Livestock thoughts, cherry shrimp, ember tetras and maybe green rasboras.
 
I would be tempted to try choping the two branches that form a 90 degree angle in the photo on the LHS off and rotate the 'stump' of the wood to the back bottom of the tank... turning the piece clockwise when looking from above.. does that make sense? It should give a nice 'fan' shape of branches for you.
 
Hi Nubias
Nice setup U have there to play with.Have a look at Maple leaf rock.Its lightweight and has very interesting texture too.
Regards Konsa
 
So progress has been slow but finally got some hardscape started. Added a couple smaller pieces of gold vine and cable tied to make 1 piece.
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Ok so need plant suggestions, Centre piece will be narrow or trident java ferns and I have moss for the rocks and wood.

Looking for something compact for the foreground which will probably be quite low light. Was originally thinking crypt parva but crypts seem quite hard to come by in Australia and expensive too.

And also an easier stem to fill in the background maybe hygrophila, Ludwigia Or a rotala, with some emerging growth.

Trying to keep things in scale too as it’s only a 45cm cube so don’t want leaves too big if that makes sense.
 
Consider mini or micro java fern, micro sizes buce, anubias petite, crypt parva to soften the edges. You can use hygrophila and float it in the start of the tank and them remove it or just use some floaters at the beginning until it's stable.
 
Thanks for the suggestions what about dwarf hair grass or Lilaeopsis in a low tech for the front areas? Need something to fill in soil areas between rocks/wood. Maybe a Dwarf saggitaria or Helanthium tenellum instead?

Leaning also towards hygrophila pinnatifida for the background which should get emmersed growth too mixed with something a bit brighter green if possible.

Other species;
Java fern
Anubias nana
Bucephalandra (if I can get for a reasonable price)
Various mosses
 
Hi
Lileeopsis is good plant for low light low tech tank.It grew well in full shade especially but needs good fert regime.I will take very long time to adjust and all emersed leaves will die off slowly over time and will need to be removed.
Sagitaria is a bit hit and miss as size is concerned and together with Helanthum tenelum are quite invasive and will need constantly keeping in chech in small tank
Marsilea is slow carpeting plant that may be worth looking into.
Regards Konsa
 
Hi
Another plant to consider for crevices between wood rocks is Hygrophila Araguaia.Its a stem but easily kept low and not rampant growing one.U may not get the red colour in low tech but when green is cool enough too and one of my fav plants
Regards Konsa
 
Planted and flooded tonight.

Minor plumbing leak to fix tomorrow so the surface skimmer is temporary, just wanted a bit of flow and to help clear debris overnight.

Wood is also floating at the front a bit So should settle a bit more once water logged.

Plant list:

Background
Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig'
Rotala rotundifolia
Hydrocotyle leucocephala

Midground/center
Needle leaf java fern
Hygrophila pinnatifida
Misc. Crypts

Foreground
Eleocharis mini
Anubias nana

Mosses
Fissidens fontanus
Fissidens Fox
Spikey Moss
Weeping Moss
Riccardia chamedryfolia



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In hindsight eleocharis is probably too shaded but I wasn’t after a carpet just filling gaps. If it doesn’t do well I’ll replace it with crypts.
 
Pics of the sump setup for those that like that.

Modified the original return line into a herbie drain with original drain as the emergency. Return line now runs externally and modified to still utilize factory positioning.

Divided first sump chamber to give separate mechanical and biological chambers.

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Fantastic DIY sump. Really wish I had those skills. Scape is really nice. Watch shrimp and the Ehime skim, it’s like the black hole of death to them!


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Thanks,

Skimmer is out now sump is up and running. Have tried to shrimp proof as much as possible hence the mesh on the back of the overflow weir you can see in the photos. I’m sure somehow I’ll come to have shrimp in the sump somehow though
 
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Back after Christmas and new year, starting to grow in a little bit some things better than others. Added some Echinodorus tenellus pups from the other tank, to replace/take over the eleocharis. Brown diatoms almost gone, Have also added 10 ember tetra and 10 red cherry shrimp yesterday after the photo.
 
Looking nice, very complex. Will look sweet with a carpet of tennelus. T


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