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teak root mini

leonroy

Member
Joined
23 Aug 2009
Messages
128
Location
London, UK
Some of you might have read my journal 810l (210g) teak root tank but I thought considering that it's 1. my first planted tank and 2. going to take 6 months or so before it's even ready to fill with water (let alone plant) I ought to practice on something smaller first.

So after seeing this:
hutuk.jpg


and this:
dobwO.jpg


and this:
0k49R.jpg


I thought I'd quit constantly calling TGM with just questions and actually give them some of my hard earned cash so I've just pulled the trigger on the following:


  • ADA Cube Garden Mini M, 36 x 22 x 26 cm, 21L
  • ADA Solar Mini M (27w compact fluorescent)
  • Eheim Ecco Pro 130
  • Cal Aqua Labs Nano Efflux F1 13mm
  • Cal Aqua Labs Nano Influx X1 (13mm)
  • Do!aqua CO2 Starter Kit
  • ADA Pollen Glass Mini CO2
  • ADA CO2 Beetle Counter
  • ADA Stone & ADA Hornwood
  • ADA Aqua Soil Powder Amazonia and ADA Power Sand Special S
  • TGM Pinsettes & Scissors
  • Some other stuff I can't remember

I'm thinking some Hemianthus callitrichoides in the foreground, maybe some hairgrass and some Bolbitis heudelotii. Not 100% sure yet, will have to do some research into it.

As a stand I'll probably stick this on one of those teak roots! :lol:

It's rather alarming that a tank so small can cost so effing much! I shudder to even imagine what the big thing will cost, but I guess trying to touch perfection comes at a price. I just hope I can live up to it!
 
Mate have you just dropped a grand on a nano!!!


Sheez this is going to be prett epic, haha.
 
nayr88 said:
Mate have you just dropped a grand on a nano!!!
Sheez this is going to be prett epic, haha.

Yeah, pretty nuts...ADA remind me of Apple in a lot of ways ;)
 
Yeh I hear you
I'm a big fan of Ada, lol

Self confesed! Fanboy!!
 
Tony Swinney said:
That is some shopping list you've put together there !!! 8) I look forward to seeing it all come together :eek: :)

Wow, honored to have you stop by my thread Tony! I loved your Moniz inspired tank and your Power of ADA tank at TGM is truly terrific.

Thanks for keeping the EXIF tags intact on your images, helped me when photographing my tank, although I fear my lighting setup isn't as good as yours! (what kind of setup did you use for the Power of ADA pics? I'm guessing one upward flash behind the tank?)

Here are my pictures, I'm awaiting an RO unit before I fill it, so for the next week or so these will have to do...

Gaz at TGM was kind enough to go through my entire order and suggested I consider Cal Aqua lily pipes and drop checker over ADAs for my nano tank, it's both cheaper and more suited size wise. The ADA Beetle Counter and Pollen Glass Mini are definitely unnecessary since the Do!Aqua CO2 kit comes with a very nice diffuser/bubble counter but I've always had the hots for the Beetle Counter ever since seeing it a few years ago! :twisted:

H8cJO.jpg


And of course where would we be without some beautiful pieces of Dragon Stone and hornwood (both fantastic stuff):

1Sa7G.jpg


The dog sat bored as I ran around with camera, tripod and table cloth taking pictures of the tank. Think she's giving me a hint!

BeskY.jpg
 
Okay, back to work :)

First an empty tank and a 100V transformer for the Solar I lamp (which means I could turn it on!). You'd think it'd come with one for the price!

HSVVK.jpg


Next just over half a bag of 2l Power Sand S. I kept it away from the edge of the glass so I don't have to see any of the 'sand' through the glass.

nWX3z.jpg


Camera on auto timer and pour some Aqua Soil Amazonia (Powder):

yFYGZ.jpg


I ended up having to use nearly the entire bag to create a banked effect (I left the far left corner lower so I can place the inlet pipe here and collect the mulm which accumulates - apparently it's a good idea...?):

rIAaP.jpg


LlWTZ.jpg


4Pq82.jpg


Iwagumi with Dragon stone (1st attempt):

ZUC3c.jpg


2nd attempt:
vDaTn.jpg


Think I'll leave it for now and see if I hate it in the morning before filling with water.

A question:
Do I need to run the filter on a tank with Amazonia for a week or two before planting?
 
Looking like a very nice scape and great set of kit :D Great photos of the setup too and I see the new ADA logo is filtering through to the new tanks now (even if it is just a sticker! :) )

re the question you can run it while the ammonia leaches out but you can also plant it and run it too providing you do plenty of water changes. If youre planting a carpet then I'd watch the two lower stones. before you plant you may want to lift them out of the substrate slightly as they'll get buried in no time.

The other thing, although not important to everyone, is that youve got an even number of stones in the tank. that will probably be less important if the front right one gets buried but with iwagumi (and bonsai forests) you tend to try and go with odd numbers of stones.
 
looks like you have nailed it on the second attemt!

Nice photography as well, re the planting, i'd plant straight away, the plants will get the best start then. If it's a new filter, the Amazonia will help mature the filter. Also if using new filter media, i would use a pouch of Purigen to start with. I have used this on a few new set ups and swear by the stuff.
 
stuworrall said:
Looking like a very nice scape and great set of kit :D Great photos of the setup too and I see the new ADA logo is filtering through to the new tanks now (even if it is just a sticker! :) )

re the question you can run it while the ammonia leaches out but you can also plant it and run it too providing you do plenty of water changes. If youre planting a carpet then I'd watch the two lower stones. before you plant you may want to lift them out of the substrate slightly as they'll get buried in no time.

The other thing, although not important to everyone, is that youve got an even number of stones in the tank. that will probably be less important if the front right one gets buried but with iwagumi (and bonsai forests) you tend to try and go with odd numbers of stones.

Hi Stu, to think I was about to peel the sticker off - ah, status symbols ;) Truth be told it was because of that little sticker sticker that I got into planted aquarium. I saw one on the corner of a tank in a magazine and out of curiosity stuck 'ADA aquarium' in Youtube - I had to pick my jaw up off the floor when a video tour of Amano's gallery came up... :wideyed:

Thanks for the tip on cycling the tank with the soil first. If I'm using a mature filter does it still take 2-3 weeks to cycle?

By luck I popped into the Aquatic Design Centre in London on the way home from work today. They had Dragon stone at £3/kg. I picked up a little piece and I think an odd number of stones has actually resulted in an improvement!

THS4t.jpg
 
Stunning little setup. I would LOVE one of those Solars in black and an ADA CO2 system. I'm interested to see how you get on with that Do!Aqua set as I got my eye on one of those - I wonder how long the little cylinders last.
 
The rock work is spot on, just I can see it getting lost in no time j less you keep the carpet very veeeerrry compact.


get some supports in the substrate to help hold it in place and stop levelling out
Coming along though mate :)
 
NeilW said:
Stunning little setup. I would LOVE one of those Solars in black and an ADA CO2 system. I'm interested to see how you get on with that Do!Aqua set as I got my eye on one of those - I wonder how long the little cylinders last.

I think they last 6-8 weeks. I've bought a CO2 solenoid to turn off the gas at night so hopefully they'll last the full 8 weeks. It's only £25 for 6 bottles. TBH the enviromentalist in me would rather get one big bottle and refill that once a year, but for now I'll see how this kit does and post back here...
 
nayr88 said:
The rock work is spot on, just I can see it getting lost in no time j less you keep the carpet very veeeerrry compact.

get some supports in the substrate to help hold it in place and stop levelling out
Coming along though mate :)

Thanks nayr88, I'm thinking some Hemianthus callitrichoides (Cuba) for the foreground, maybe a few springs of Glossostigma (kept short) and some Elocharis acicularis as the background plant. Tempted to have some riccia in there too...or maybe that's too many plant types for an Iwagumi?

Incidentally how deep does the Aquasoil need to be? With the Power Sand layer nearly 2cm thick I've only got at most 5-10mm of Aquasoil right in the front. Will that be enough for Cuba?
 
hi,

cuba is not a problem. It has tiny roots and it can be grown epiphytically so no real need for a substrate.

cheers,

GM
 
leonroy said:
I think they last 6-8 weeks. I've bought a CO2 solenoid to turn off the gas at night so hopefully they'll last the full 8 weeks. It's only £25 for 6 bottles.
This sounds promising, which solenoid did you go for?
 
NeilW said:
This sounds promising, which solenoid did you go for?

The Aquamedic M-ventil one, but apparently a company called Luna makes solenoids just as good for half the price on ebay.
 
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