Low tech cobbled together 33/27l aqua one nano cube

[Chez_]

This is my new project -- I scored a little aqua one cube from Facebook for £5 and I'm experimenting a bit and trying not to spend too much money. Instead of a proprietary substrate I've got aquarium soil in there and I've topped it with some coral sand I already had, in the hope it'll up the KH from the tap water base level of 2. I set it up yesterday and put in sagittaria cuttings, a tiny a bit of Java moss and some java fern babies. I've also got some water wisteria in another tank that I'm planning on moving across.

I was on the verge of going full on Walstad, but I haven't worked up the nerve . Also it's got this lovely filter system at the back that it seems a shame to waste -- I've got rid of the carbon insert cartridge thing, replaced it with a filter sponge and put a lot of ceramic rings in the middle compartment with room for crushed coral if I need to. I'm probably going to stick a Pothos cutting in there too.

 

[simon_the_plant_nerd]

I scored a little aqua one cube from Facebook for £5

Bargain! Nice one.

trying not to spend too much money

That’s half the battle. If you want some floating plants to help with startup, I’ll send you a handful for the cost of postage.

in the hope it'll up the KH from the tap water base level of 2

If your KH is 2 then I wouldn’t worry about raising this. The vast majority of aquatic plants prefer soft water, although you can still keep most of them in harder water.

I've got rid of the carbon insert cartridge thing

👍🏻

filter sponge and put a lot of ceramic rings in the middle compartment with room for crushed coral if I need to. I'm probably going to stick a Pothos cutting in there too.

The ceramic rings are likely less effective at filtration than the sponges, although if they were free then it does no harm.

Once it gets going, that pothos cutting will do a lot of the heavy lifting in the tank as far as filtration goes.

Interesting thread on the need for filtration media in a planted aquarium.

 

[bazz]

I've topped it with some coral sand I already had, in the hope it'll up the KH from the tap water base level of 2.

Not sure what the gH is but appears to be perfect tap water in my book, many people use RO/rainwater to reach this value.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I've got aquarium soil in there and I've topped it with some coral sand I already had, in the hope it'll up the KH from the tap water base level of 2

You need <"some dKH"> (carbonate hardness) for your Cherry Shrimps <"and Snails">, but you can ignore anything you read or are told about <"pH stability"> or <"nitrification and pH"> etc. These are written by people who don't know what they are talking about or <"have a product to sell">.

I was on the verge of going full on Walstad,

I'm a <"great fan of Diana Walstad">, but she has revised some of her <"recommendations over time">. Originally she didn't change any water, which meant that she had to start with high dKH, <"because nitrification"> etc. would, over time, reduce her buffer of carbonate hardness and potentially lead to <"old-tank syndrome">.

Not sure what the gH is but appears to be perfect tap water in my book, many people use RO/rainwater to reach this value.

@bazz is right, have a look at <"Soft water tank"> and <"Choosing Aquarium Plants For Soft And/Or Hard Water">.

I'm from a horticultural family and I find that although I like the fish, I'm more interested in getting the biome balanced and everything growing nicely.

Perfect, that makes things <"a bit more straight forward">. As an analogy, if you have acidic soil in your garden, you don't rush out and apply a huge amount of ground limestone (CaCO3) and then complain that your Camellia, Autumn Gentians, Rhododendron, Pieris and Blueberries have gone chlorotic and won't grow? Well it is exactly the same with the tank.

cheers Darrel

 

[Chez_]

Thanks all, that gives me some more weekends reading!

 

[Chez_]

Bargain! Nice one.

That’s half the battle. If you want some floating plants to help with startup, I’ll send you a handful for the cost of postage.

If your KH is 2 then I wouldn’t worry about raising this. The vast majority of aquatic plants prefer soft water, although you can still keep most of them in harder water.

👍🏻

The ceramic rings are likely less effective at filtration than the sponges, although if they were free then it does no harm.

Once it gets going, that pothos cutting will do a lot of the heavy lifting in the tank as far as filtration goes.

Interesting thread on the need for filtration media in a planted aquarium.

Thanks, that's really useful!

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Thanks all, that gives me some more weekends reading!

Obviously <"I'm UKAPS biased">, and <"not an entirely objective commentator">, but that is one of the great advantages of UKAPS.

We don't have <"anything to sell">, we have a very extensive <"library"> of past threads and a lot of members who've <"seen it, done it and bought the tee shirt">.

Personally I'm not a CO2 user, or an aquascaper, or a grower of rare plants, or a lighting expert, or a plant physiologist, or <"a chemist"> etc. but we have plenty of members with <"practical expertise"> in these areas.

cheers Darrel

 

[Chez_]

Hi all,

Obviously <"I'm UKAPS biased">, and <"not an entirely objective commentator">, but that is one of the great advantages of UKAPS.

We don't have <"anything to sell">, we have a very extensive <"library"> of past threads and a lot of members who've <"seen it, done it and bought the tee shirt">.

Personally I'm not a CO2 user, or an aquascaper, or a grower of rare plants, or a lighting expert, or a plant physiologist, or <"a chemist"> etc. but we have plenty of members with <"practical expertise"> in these areas.

cheers Darrel

It only occurred to me to look for forums a week or two ago -- I've got so used to Facebook and all it's drama I kind of forgot they existed, which is flipping ridiculous given my Internet Age 🤣

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I've got so used to Facebook and all it's drama I kind of forgot they existed

I'm guessing eventually that UKAPS will go the way of most / all <"the other forums">, and just be replaced by <"the drama of FB">. It is a shame, but I'm not sure there is much you can do, other than make the most of UKAPS (and other <"bona fide"> sources) while they still exist.

I think @Colley614 covers the fundamental problem pretty well.

If I'm honest, the owner of a shop not too far from me put the hobby into perspective for me. He told me that the people who fundamentally understand fish keeping are few and far between. Most of his customers are people who walk in, buy a tank, cycle it, put a few red fish in then neglect their tanks for a few months. Feel guilty, do a water change for a few weeks, decide they want a blue fish and return to the shop.

cheers Darrel

 

[Tim Harrison]

I'm guessing eventually that UKAPS will go the way of most / all <"the other forums">, and just be replaced by <"the drama of FB

I think we're still doing okay especially since we have so many knowledgeable and helpful members, and more joining all the time. In fact someone commented on another forum regarding UKAPS, that, 'I've never seen a more technically oriented forum with so many knowledgeable members'

It only occurred to me to look for forums a week or two ago -- I've got so used to Facebook and all it's drama I kind of forgot they existed, which is flipping ridiculous given my Internet Age 🤣

I'm hearing this more often recently. I think folk maybe catching on to Facebook; it's a mine of misinformation as well as drama. So there's hope for us yet

 

[simon_the_plant_nerd]

I'm guessing eventually that UKAPS will go the way of most / all <"the other forums">, and just be replaced by <"the drama of FB">

I hope not. I’m not on any social media (does this forum count?) and haven’t been for years now. I have a ghost account I briefly used to buy some things but otherwise, I’m free from the drama.

'I've never seen a more technically oriented forum with so many knowledgeable members'

I particularly enjoy a discussion which starts like “Which fish is bigger?” and within a couple of pages “The only true determinant of “bigger” requires a comparative calculation of said fishes composition at the molecular level. By analysing the atomic makeup of each fish we can determine the mass of one mole of fish then calculate the total mass by use of avagadros constant. The density of each fish will of course change as it respires so the true answer will be a range but we are just hobbyists so we can approximate. Here are three scientific papers which support these ideas.”

 

[Chez_]

Snort. Long running forums are excellent. On Downsized, people talked about The Great Roast Potato Argument for Years afterwards .

 

[Chez_]

Bargain! Nice one.

That’s half the battle. If you want some floating plants to help with startup, I’ll send you a handful for the cost of postage.

Thank you Simon, I have only just seen this. I would love that if the offer is still open. I had some water lettuce in my first tank and it melted, so I'm only got the ubiquitous duckweed -- I'm developing a theory that after the apocalypse it will just be cockroaches and duckweed, all the way down. My young advisor on the same water as me says that he never has my luck with it in this water, either. It's all a bit hit and miss for me .

 

[simon_the_plant_nerd]

Thank you Simon, I have only just seen this. I would love that if the offer is still open. I had some water lettuce in my first tank and it melted, so I'm only got the ubiquitous duckweed -- I'm developing a theory that after the apocalypse it will just be cockroaches and duckweed, all the way down. My young advisor on the same water as me says that he never has my luck with it in this water, either. It's all a bit hit and miss for me .

No problem. I haven’t had any takers for a wee while so I’ve been composting it. I’ll get some out the end of the week and send it to you.

 

[Chez_]

No problem. I haven’t had any takers for a wee while so I’ve been composting it. I’ll get some out the end of the week and send it to you.

Thank you! Shout when you want some postage!