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Critique my hardscape Not had a tank for a decade - first nano scape

zoon

Member
Joined
25 Jul 2010
Messages
123
How is this hardscape guys? I’m clueless. Last tank I had was a 600l low tech that just turned into a bit of a jungle. It did what it wanted and luckily looked fab. This is also going to be low tech as the lights of the old Fluval Specs aren’t great. Plan to add a pile of pebbles in back left corner to cover in java fern mini and add anubias bonsai to the wood. Maybe some dwarf sagg or hairgrass down on the right.

Think I need to take some of the substrate out on the right to make it a bit lower and throw a little more pea gravel in around base of wood?

Basically no idea, so all advice greatfully received!
 

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Great wood! Some purigen in your filter will help with any tannins or haze. T


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Zoon

Post the tank sizes and I will post the empty capacity for you.

Zoon1_edited-2.jpg


That are a very good pieces of DW you have there that can be displayed a little better.

The small red dots indicate the focal points very close to perfect,

Substrate too flat I would raise it at the back LH corner to a full height of about 150cm and taper to the front corners of a height about 60-70cm.

Rocks remove all those small ones look out of place and, not required.

The two small pieces of DW ??? not sure about those.

Keith:wave::wave:
 
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43.5cm by 27cm high and 16cm wide, not sure about the numbers you’ve written there as tank is tiny!
 
zoon

Just checking L43. H27 W16 Roughly that would be 18lt

Yes its very small
Substrate too flat I would raise it at the back LH corner to a full height of about 150cm and taper to the front corners of a height about 60-70cm.
Completely disregard all these measurements not suitable for your small tank.

Try Back corner 7-8cm front 3-4cm
How does that sound.
When the Aquascape is finished you will have to measure all the water as you add it to the tank as it will be required when adding any ferts or medications plus inhabitants. Seeing its such a small tank what are you thinking of adding? It would make a perfect Shrimp tank.

Keith:wave::wave:
 
Yep, tiny nano tank

I was going for a small shoal of boraras brigittae
 
What’s the substrate?

If you plant “dry” or with just damp substrate, it’s quite easy to plant the S subulata etc (use tissue culture as loads of small plants) into 2-3cm of substrate without too many “floaters” - cover with sturdy paper towel while filling tank

You could also try 1-2-Grow C wendtii green as a carpet - it can remain fairly small, though there are also smaller crypts these tend to be slower growing & less “easy” to establish

In small tanks I prefer to mimic elevation in substrate through plant selection, trimming etc

I suggest having the plants & tank well established before adding the B brigittae, make sure they are active & thriving at the shop before buying & plan on a shoal of at least 12-13 (they’d likely be happier with 20+)

A trio of small body type (fancy) male guppies/endlers would likely encourage/relax the brigittae
 
Is the tank big enough for that quantity of them?
 
I’ve seen a similar size group kept successfully in a Spec 19 (these tanks have fantastic bioload capacity for their size so handle higher stocking levels much better than most small tanks)

I’d begin with 13 or so & see how they fare, it’s not unusual to lose 2-3 during the first months so this should leave you with a reasonable shoal - too few fish & they will remain very shy & retiring (& I suspect somewhat stressed)

(I’ve not kept them as I’m more of a green fish fan ;))
 
I just want a tiny schooling fish that has some colour to it, but actually can’t find anywhere locally that has the brigittae

Any other suggestions?

Or maybe I’ll dump the schooling fish idea and get some Scarlet Badis
 
Endler guppies aren't shoaling, but would be superb in that tank...I know cause I've done it!

Peaceful, colourful, easy to breed, ideal!
 
Or maybe I’ll dump the schooling fish idea and get some Scarlet Badis

Scarlet Badis (Dario dario) are micropredators in their natural habitat and thus would require live feed. Lest, they'll slowly decimate and succumb to malnutrition and, eventually, diseases.

Those aside, they are awesomely cute nano fish whose interesting hunting behaviour will have you chuckling - pretty endearing fellows them!
 
Neither endlers nor guppies display much “school” movement but really neither do B brigittae ... they muddle about as dithery group but seldom move about the tank as a unified school demonstrating higher level behaviour - at least none I’ve observed in small tanks of 60cm & under ;)

Dwarf Dario seem to manage for several months (in a friend’s shop tanks) with various dried foods, of course there are usually some shrimp in these tanks as well so perhaps they are hunting the baby shrimp (as they appear)

I feed mostly frozen food and had a pair for a couple years ... again also some cherry shrimp & Amano shrimp in the tank

They seem to be mostly wild caught & do benefit from treatment for internal parasites (medicated food is most effective)
 
I’m not overly impressed with AqAdvisor which recommends
pH 6.3 - 7.0
GH 5-14 dH
Temp 23 - 27C
and claims that 12 B brigittae would be 114% stocking level :rolleyes: AND will grow to 3.8cm :eek: & thus will outgrow the Spec 19

BUT then recommends Apple snails (which easily attain 6-7cm within several months if fed appropriately) and various Bettas (imbellis 5-6cm, splendens 5+cm depending upon breeding)
Further a single Betta only deserves a 5% water change per week :(

Compare with Seriously Fish B brigittae profile water conditions (note references)


So following AqAdvisor suitable fish combination (I allowed AqAdvisor to suggest suitable species)

Betta splendens male (5cm)
3 Apple snails (6 cm)
5 otocinclus (3.2cm)
100% capacity and only 24% weekly water change

I strongly disagree with this combination of livestock in a Spec 19, and those Apple snails would really push the bio-load of even the rather generous Spec 19
:confused:
 
979DEDFD-02E8-41F5-8462-4BA0651D96A2.jpeg
How’s this now? Java fern just tied to a little bit of DW and dropped in, may rearrange that a bit. The anubias bonsai should grow along the crack in the wood, albeit very slowly. Other plants should arrive tomorrow - salvinia natans, sagittaria dwarf, staurogyn repens and limnophila sessiloflora. All tissue cultures, they didn’t seem to be a thing when I last had a planted tank!

I’m not sure how the salvinia will cope with the flow, but the outlet can be redirected.
 
Zoon

That is looking 110% better with all those white stones gone and a few green plants.

Have you considered putting tall green plants (eg thin Val) across the back this will highlight your DW even more.

Re small DW at the RH end I would think about Anubia nana petite. They could be attached to a small piece/s of old/soft DW and placed directly in front of the DW which would mean you do not have to move the end piece of DW at all.

Keith:wave::wave:
 
Great minds think alike, just put an anubias on that. One would not stay put on the big wood, so has been moved to grow over the little pokey bit

Have some plants arriving today for the rest of the tank
 
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