desktop 2.5gal

[czcz]

My newest tank. I'll be gone for a while and wanted to post pics before it possibly crashes due to neglect

This tank is lit off a 23w spiral screw-in CF in a desklamp and gets 1mL of Excel every other day along with eyeballed doses of KNO3 and KH2PO4 and CSM+B+Extra Fe. I plan on not measuring anything but Excel dosing in this tank. It was set-up 4/24.

After setup. The wood is the two pieces from this tank repositioned.

Couple days later. It is Xmas moss on the horizontal driftwood, Weeping moss on the vertical piece, and Erect moss on the rocks. Also Anubias nana "petite."

Added R. papulentus and HC on 5/4.

And added L. brevipes a couple days ago. HC likes the tank and is super easy Changed the background from tan to white. I think I prefer the tan.

From the top left corner

Will update in about a month.

 

[sherry]

great start..

where are you going?

 

[Tiffi]

That's going to be beautyful! Congrats!

 

[Zezmo]

Sure looks like a fun tank. I really like the driftwood placement. The stones and the Ranunculus are the only things that let you know how small it really is. The L. brevipes will also look cool as it fills in. In fact, I picture that tank getting all over grown with that, the moss and the HC... and looking awsome. I am really impressed Cz, that is a first class presentation for a tank that size. Once it matures I hope you plan on entering it in the AGA contest.
Is that aquasoil for substrate? What are your plans for animals? Some Cherry shrimp and a Nerite snail would love it in there. Maybe a single Betta, or Guppy would be pretty happy too. Of course, at over 9wpg make sure you get them sunglasses too.

 

[rich311k]

That is going to be a nice little tank. I love moss covered wood. You will have a nice variety of levels and textures. Can wait to see the progress as it grows in.

 

[resiak]

Tank is lookin sweet! Glad you haven't taken that peice of wood out per your girls request =) hehehe. I think it looks good in there and is guna look even better once it all fills in.

 

[Glenc]

Beautiful little tank, only going to get better. You make me want to get a little one going, don't have much room, but that I could squeeze in somewhere!

 

[czcz]

Thanks

I went to Long Island and Kansas City and San Diego. Work + play + Mom's day, but a little too cramped time wise.

It is Aquasoil Amazonia. I am thinking shrimp, but right now there are only ruby-red ramshorns and pond snails in there. I dream it would be worthy of getting comments at AGA but believe I am a ways away from such honor. The light isn't as strong as the rating indicates due to the desklamp's angle and height, and restrike from bulb shape. I'm losing some color from L. brevipes but it has grown enough to train it emersed, for example.

My lady still dislikes the moss and thinks it would be nicer with the bare wood and stones, but whatever.

 

[czcz]

aural focal points and layout test

There's a new desklamp, cherry shrimp, and some carnivorous plants (the "cloud" - Uticulara sp. and Aldrovanda sp.) from my other tanks in there now, which you can read about and see pics of on my site if you'd like. I am happy with the nice full, dense growth. The Xmas is growing pretty fast and I pulled out a golf ball amount last week. The L. brevipes wants to go emergent but just dries out and shrivels up.

I think the image I'm going for is now more of a mountain and a cloud thing than an old forest, and the layout has been by eye. But want to learn so decided to tweak with it anyway.

Tom Barr recommends this as an easy to understand guide for those of us artistically challenged:
http://www.kingvinnie.com/aquaria/articles/auralproportions/

The idea as I understand it is to use the "golden rule" to establish four aural focal points, then force the eye to travel from one to another by getting the travelling across the tank.

I used thread which may not be clear in the pics. Apologies ahead of time: I did not realize my in progress pics were so out of focus. This also may be very boring

Here is the before pic, 8800K light:

and 6500K

After a little tweaking. Notice the Anubias nana "petite" in the bottom left focal point:

Decided to try something more dramatic to incorporate all four focal points, but think it looks dumb:

So instead, I went back to lower driftwood placement and just used another Anubias nana "petite" to bring in the top right focal point. I love how such a subtle thing actually appears to make the tank wider.

But the above looks too symetrical to me, so decided to forget about the top right focal point and just use the "petite" to soften the juntion between the two pieces of wood.

Hoping the "cloud" brings the eye to the top right focal point.

After 50% water change because of uprooting and trimming. With 8800K

Just too purple. I prefer 6500K:

So, subtle changes. My plants are to let it grow back a little more and see if I can appreciate the differences, and if not, put something in the top right focal point to implement the method properly. I may switch out L. brevipes for R. pusilla, which is my new favorite stem plant. Will update again in about another month.

Bonus pic of a female and male cherry shrimp on weeping moss.

 

[Glenc]

I set up 5 rocks in my ten gallon. 5 rocks. It probably took me an hour or more to kinda like the layout. One small move makes a big differance to the big picture. I'm still not sure about it. Might move them again before I plant. My wife thinks I'm nuts! Glad to see someone else is as crazy as I am! Your tank looks great by the way, looking forward to new pics!

 

[czcz]

Man, it is reassuring to read you go through this too! I'm trying to get layouts as attractive and balanced as yours. When I say I suck at hardscape, I mean that I've spent hours messing with layouts by eye and just gave up... I just revert back to trying to grow plants instead of the scape. The aural focal point article is an interesting concept and is easier for me to follow than the golden ratio ideal of single focal points, but I still have no real clue what I'm doing. My significant other understands the obsession I think, though she surely finds it funny.

I would appreciate your advice on anything and everything, but this in particular:

That's Erect moss on the rock, which doesn't attach and is held down with hairnets. When it is grown out I am hoping I can give it haircuts instead of pulling it out of the tank to trim. In the meantime, I want HC to creep over the rocks, so it looks like spikes of moss are growing up out of HC in a rounded/textured foreground.

Any thoughts on how to best do this? Will HC creep up on its own or should I also hold it down with a hairnet? If I use a hairnet, do you think I can haircut it or will I need to remove the rocks and thin/reattach HC to keep it healthy looking?

Should I also spread the HC out more?

Thank you.
Joe

 

[Glenc]

Hmmm.. HC in my experience creeps well but needs sandy soil to get thick and stay put. Even with eco-complete the HC spreads well where the subsrate is mostly sand, and likes to detour away from any of the larger particles. You could probably get it to creep over a rock, but it would be tough to get it to stay on, you would surely have to tie it down. I'm not sure how much HC relies on nutrients in the substrate, you could coat the rock with a fine layer of substrate if it's flat enough. That would encourage HC to grow onto it and insure it's getting enough nutrients to stay healthy. Don't think it would take to bare rock. I have never given HC a haircut, but it will send out many shoots when it is separated or pulled apart and re-planted, it would probably be fine with a haircut in the tank. The more you spread this stuff out, the faster and thicker it grows! When I first got this plant, and saw how fine it was, I was not going to take hours planting it.(my, how times have changed, I just spent 2 hrs. planting HC in my ten gallon!!)) I put it in in clumps, and thats how it stayed for a long time. I took it out and re-planted it thinner and spread it out. The rate and quality of growth was amazing, no comparison, well worth the effort! Good luck!

 

[Glenc]

Any new pics czcz? What's going on in this tank?

 

[czcz]

Here's one from the 18th. I am unhappy with the left side and am thinking of pulling the L. brevipes in favor of Lindernia sp from another tank. The HC floating up is the stuff I was trying to grow over the rocks: when there's too much plant and too little rooted portion if floats up when pearling for me. I might rethink the Erect moss rocks because I envy the look of your 20g's carpet. I think the floating mass of Aldrovanda and Uticularia sp has to go, too. Thats brown algae on the glass.

And got some cool Nerite snails. They were in a tank with an open top, so hope they don't go for a walk. I want emergent growth on the left side and maybe around the driftwood.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Looks awsome......

 

[Purrbox]

I love the nerite snails. Do you happen to know what types they are? I think I counted at least three distinct snail in your pics. How big will they get? Looking forward to seeing what you do with the aquascaping.

 

[plecoperson]

Those are some foxy snails-and of course a remarkable gem of a tank.

 

[czcz]

Thanks This is becoming my favorite tank. It is more of a nano pond than an aquarium to me sometimes. I hardly ever dose it with anything anymore btw. I've had a lot of baby snails since feeding the tank regularly (there are limpets, pond, and brown and ruby red ramshorns in there too).

I used to have Olive Nerites and they only got to quarter sized. I don't know how big these guys will get. I only know one of the Nerite's scientific name but have not looked farther than AppleSnail. http://www.applesnail.net/content/snails_various.php#Neritidae

So, I am pretty sure what I got as Tiger Nerite is Neritina natalensis. There is one in this tank and one in my 8gal.

The redish spotted ones were called Mosaic Nerite, and there's two in this tank.

I forget the common names of the spiky guys. They're both very small, smaller than adult common ramshorns. AppleSnail calls then unidentified. Spike1 above has a ribbed shell, and kind of looks like an armadillo.

This is Spike2. He's spotted and has a very unique shell I, but I have not gotten a good pic of him yet, but here's one:

I might be crazy, but Nerites seem social. They're always grouping up.

 

[Glenc]

Very cool, it is looking great! I agree, the floating mass should go or at least be reduced a bit, gonna block to much light. Don't forget, to get that carpet of HC in my 20 took over 6 months!

 

[azn_fishy55]

Looking good cz,sorry about not sending any of the plants I promised you since I've been busy moving lately.I hope it turns out how you want it to.