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Sakura Sencha - Neil W's Nano

NeilW

Member
Joined
25 Jun 2009
Messages
1,113
Location
Basingstoke, Hampshire
Just thought I'd share my new set-up I got sorted today. I'm using the DSM and will transfer the light and filter from my old tank once the hairgrass grows in and the soil has had time to cycle. Sorry about being photo-heavy!

Spec-
Tank size: 12"x10"x8", 14L, AE opti-white nano
Filter: Eden 501 (once flooded), soon to be an Eheim with some nice glassware
Light: 11w Arcpod, currently a 20w desk lamp
Substrate: Tropica Aquacare, ADA Forest Sand Xingu, Oliver Knott NS black fine, TGM graded gravels
Hardscape: LFS landscape rock
Flora: Eleocharis Parvula, Salvinia natans (once flooded), got some Riccia fluitans I want to try out but need to buy some small rocks to tie it to for the foreground maybe.

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Took a lot of tidying silicon!

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Tropica substrate goes in.

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Forest sand.

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Nature Soil and first rock

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Graded gravels

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Planted.

Any comments suggestions welcome! :)
 
Re: Mountain Stream Nano

heya,

looking good. i've never seen the ADA Forest Sand Xingu before it looks exactly what i need for my corner tank BUT i can in no way justify the cost for what it would take to fill my tank with it. Going to start looking around (and asking questions here) to find myself something at budget to match the look and feel.

Best Regards,
John
 
Re: Mountain Stream Nano

Very nice, I personally wouldn't have splashed out anywhere near as much on sands etc but that's just me being thrify.
Also, rather than buying "riccia stones" pumice or just any old garden centre granite chips will do, I've known it to been given out for free when they say "how much do you want?" And you say "Oh about 20 bits".
 
Re: Mountain Stream Nano

Garuf said:
Very nice, I personally wouldn't have splashed out anywhere near as much on sands etc but that's just me being thrify.
Also, rather than buying "riccia stones" pumice or just any old garden centre granite chips will do, I've known it to been given out for free when they say "how much do you want?" And you say "Oh about 20 bits".
I'll take a look next time I go to my LFS as conveniently its in a garden centre :D
thanks for that.
 
Re: Mountain Stream Nano

Dan Crawford said:
That is quality! Really detailed and it truly does look like a mountain stream, respect!

Thank you very much! The inspiration came in a round about way from your little mountain replacement :D
 
Re: Mountain Stream Nano

NeilW said:
The inspiration came in a round about way from your little mountain replacement
Well i'm glad i could help to inspire you, i'm just gutted that yours looks better! Nice one :D
 
Re: Mountain Stream Nano

Thanks everyone! Hopefully I'll get some more pics once its all grown in and I can rob my mates crazy nikon set-up over my dodgy phone ;)

Dan Crawford said:
Well i'm glad i could help to inspire you, i'm just gutted that yours looks better! Nice one

I really liked the delicate use of wood in your tank Dan, what sort of wood was it?

I may take some small cuttings of Pogostemon Helferi from my old tank and add it around the base of a few of the larger stones if the hairgrass isn't effective enough on its own.
 
Re: Mountain Stream Nano

That is a really sweet looking natural scape, are you going to add some fish or shrimp, somthing subtley coloured would be nice to avoid clashing with the fantastic hardscape. Nice one T
 
Re: Mountain Stream Nano

TBRO said:
That is a really sweet looking natural scape, are you going to add some fish or shrimp, somthing subtley coloured would be nice to avoid clashing with the fantastic hardscape. Nice one T

Thank you :). I did have an Iwagumi going before with HC, but without pressurised CO2 it struggled. I was taking a look at Dans Little Mountain replacement, George Farmers UK biotope, (and your nano cube come to think of it!) with the awesome gravel and rocks, and thought it would be nice to try something with more interest. I think Iwagumi can look stunning at first but to live with over time it seemed to get very 2 dimensional.

As for fish/shrimp I've always liked my CRS; fortunately today, for the first time since getting them, one has given birth to lots of tiny babies :D.

Thanks,
Neil
 
Re: Mountain Stream Nano

Nice detailed scape,the rock work is very well done and it all blends in very naturally,
if the planting turns out nice this will be a very good nano,
regards john.
 
Re: Mountain Stream Nano

john starkey said:
Nice detailed scape,the rock work is very well done and it all blends in very naturally,
if the planting turns out nice this will be a very good nano,
regards john.

Thanks John. Strange how hard it actually is to create something that looks 'natural' :? Maybe I need the forces of nature on my side next time :lol:
 
Re: Mountain Stream Nano

Took the plunge and switched to submerged ;) on Monday after 4 weeks of emmersed growing but sadly my internet died. Since setting up this tank I had a nice camera for my birthday so the pictures have vastly improved!

With the switchover I have added Salvinia Natans, (as a side note I have noticed this seems to come in two different 'types'; a softer one with small 'hairs' that repel water and another smoother type, does anyone know if they are both part of just the one species?) and some cuttings of Pogostemon Helferi from my old tank.

From my old tank I also rescued the two Nerites, three adult CRS, and the only surviving baby from the only birth I had (I only had 4 CRS to begin with). Got three more low grade CRS from MA on Sunday, and I hope to get some nicer ones from Aqua Essentials soon. They seem to be behaving much more 'naturally' in their new home which I'm putting down to being confidence in numbers.

The next move is to get glassware, an Eheim and a heater.

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Re: Mountain Stream Nano

AdAndrews said:
Great pictures :)

Are you finding the 11w alone enough?? on that tank i would use an 18w light.

Thanks, the camera I used is just a nice Canon compact. I wanted to get a point and shoot for ease of use but would still take sharp shots and this has had some good results.

So far I've only been running submerged for 4 days so a lack of light hasn't really shown yet, although growth is slow. Its restricted to a 6 hour photoperiod too to prevent an algae bloom but I'll take this up to 8 hours in a couple of weeks. I think if i had a more powerful light I would have to switch to CO2 instead of EasyCarbo. I may change the actual light at some point though as the ArcPod looks a bit plasticy and naff to my eyes and it sits pretty close to the water so obscures the view.
 
Re: Mountain Stream Nano

good plan, hope it goes well submerged long term, i cant believe how like an river bed it actually looks like, well done.
 
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