# Ian's nano cube



## Ian Holdich (29 Dec 2011)

I have been given the go ahead for a nano in the kitchen. The tank is an 14l P@H cube and the rest of the stuff i have lying around. I got some Dragon stone as well and some Aqua gravel. I wanted to make it an Iwagumi, i have done a few layouts, but could do with some opinions on them. Heres the set up of the tank...BTW i have some plants coming Saturday, and it's going to be shrimp and a micro species tank.

Here's the cube...


Glass cube by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

in go some TPN+ caps


TPN+ Caps by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

and some Manado for a little CEC


Manado for CEC by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

the Aqua gravel


Aqua gravel by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

layout 1


layout 1 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

layout 2


layout 2 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

layout 3


layout 3 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

layout 4


layout 4 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

layout 5


layout 5 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

thanks for looking and this is all subject to change lol.


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## darren636 (29 Dec 2011)

like layout 1, the gravel size is a little on the large side. will you be covering the substrate in plants?


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## mitchelllawson (29 Dec 2011)

Lay-out 2 looks the best.


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## doobiw55 (29 Dec 2011)

Layout 3 does it for me


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## darren636 (29 Dec 2011)

hmmm. liking number 5 now!


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## Westyggx (29 Dec 2011)

layout 1 for me!


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## Morgan Freeman (29 Dec 2011)

Layout 1 but bring the rocks slightly closer to the front, an inch or so maybe. IMO.


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## Mark Evans (29 Dec 2011)

No.5 for me


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## Gill (29 Dec 2011)

looking good - Number 5 is good


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## Ian Holdich (29 Dec 2011)

wow guys, i go out to walk the dog! Thanks for the replies, the more i see number 5 (that's how it's been left), the more i think it should be left. The pic doesn't really do it justice.

@ Darren, yes there will be a carpet of some sort, and the pathway will be left.


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## dazza (29 Dec 2011)

I like 4, seems to have a ice quality of depth to it


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## ghostsword (29 Dec 2011)

Gill said:
			
		

> looking good - Number 5 is good



The best for me also.


___________________________

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year


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## Ian Holdich (29 Dec 2011)

I think it will be five. Can't wait to get it planted.


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## spyder (30 Dec 2011)

1,2,4 or 5 for me, I'm easily pleased. 3 looks a little tight. I agree the gravel looks a bit course for the size of the tank.

Looks like your onto a winner, looking forward to planted pics.


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## Ian Holdich (30 Dec 2011)

thanks Spyder!

right...gravel removed and replaced with sand. It doesn't looks as distracting now.


congo sand by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

and stones back in.


nano iwagumi by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


nano iwagumi by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## mitchelllawson (30 Dec 2011)

Looks good, what type of lighting is it, if you have answered before, i missed it.


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## Ian Holdich (30 Dec 2011)

cheers mate, it's an 11w arcadia arcpod. It comes with a pinkish bulb, so i have just been down to B&Q and got a better bulb.


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## mitchelllawson (30 Dec 2011)

Did you buy the lighting fixture or did it come with the set? i have 2 6.6G i got from pets @ home, came with a filter and spray bar but no light, need to get one.


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## Gary Nelson (30 Dec 2011)

They are all good mate, although I too like number 5... Gonna look good when it's done


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## JonE (30 Dec 2011)

Number 5 for me too.


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## Ian Holdich (30 Dec 2011)

> Did you buy the lighting fixture or did it come with the set?



It's an old one, they don't sell lights with these cube things. Shame really as the LEDS looked cool. But stupid people weren't clipping them on correctly and they were dropping in the water. I got the arcpod a couple of years back.



> They are all good mate, although I too like number 5... Gonna look good when it's done



cheers Gary, much appreciated. 



> Number 5 for me too.



Cheers Jon, it was five i decided to keep.

I have got rid of that pink bulb that comes with the arcpod and been the B&Q and bought a Ge normal bulb. It looks 10 times better. I have some glosso and have began planting, i have some more plants coming tomorrow, so will finish off tomorrow.

the glosso.


close up top by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


top view by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


Glosso by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

sorry for all the pics.


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## mitchelllawson (30 Dec 2011)

Looks good


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## Mark Evans (30 Dec 2011)

That's a crakin rock layout Ian. 

See you tomorrow with a nice little Christmas gift


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## spyder (30 Dec 2011)

Love it with the substrate change, looks a lot more to scale.

I want some of that lovely rock.


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## mitchelllawson (30 Dec 2011)

+1 ^ were did you get the rocks?


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## Ian Holdich (30 Dec 2011)

> That's a crakin rock layout Ian.
> 
> See you tomorrow with a nice little Christmas gift



Thanks mate, it's been nice to take some time over the layout to be honest. lol



> Love it with the substrate change, looks a lot more to scale.



cheers Spyder, it feels better as well.



> were did you get the rocks?



They were from my local LFS 'the Aquarium' in Lincoln, they are priced very reasonable as well.


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## Ian Holdich (31 Dec 2011)

Planting done, it has been planted with Glosso, Hm, E Tennilus and Riccia. Mark Evans popped over this morning, so i got him in on the action...he made my riccia stones. Here's some pics and a vid of the planting process.

The face of concentration from Mr Evans

Mr Mark by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


Hm in the left corner by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


E Tennilus behind large rock by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


Riccia stones by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


waiting for the water by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

and the vid shows the filling of the tank (needs to be viewed in 720p)


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## JohnC (31 Dec 2011)

Looking good. 

It's nice to see these P@H journals appearing. Making me inspired to get mine out of the basement.


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## Ian Holdich (31 Dec 2011)

cheers John, they are great little cubes, the glass is quality, for £19 you can't really go wrong. Even if you just use it as a fry tank.


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## JohnC (31 Dec 2011)

ianho said:
			
		

> cheers John, they are great little cubes, the glass is quality, for £19 you can't really go wrong. Even if you just use it as a fry tank.




I'm currently looking at my 10L dennerle and my 25L arc tank thinking i'll just move the contents to the P@H cubes ive got downstairs after the new year. down with pointlessly curved corners.


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## Ian Holdich (31 Dec 2011)

> down with pointlessly curved corners



lol, i think there is another P@H cube as well, a larger one for £29 (25 ltrs?).


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## JohnC (31 Dec 2011)

ianho said:
			
		

> > down with pointlessly curved corners
> 
> 
> 
> lol, i think there is another P@H cube as well, a larger one for £29 (25 ltrs?).



yup. i've got one of each stored


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## darren636 (31 Dec 2011)

pets at home could be onto a winner with these cubes. They sell by the bucket load at a great price- shame they cannot get their act together with the rest of their stock and and fish.


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## JohnC (31 Dec 2011)

darren636 said:
			
		

> pets at home could be onto a winner with these cubes. They sell by the bucket load at a great price- shame they cannot get their act together with the rest of their stock and and fish.



i got to the point of phoning the parent company up and telling them to offer the cubes cheaper without the extras as we (the gathered plant loving community) love them. The message hopefully got passed on.  8)


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## Mark Evans (1 Jan 2012)

You got my bad side Ian....  

Sorry for the little 'episode'  

 I ended up going home and straight to bed! Was extremely ill for most of the night   

Anyhow, what a great little rock layout this is. I know of Ian's abilities to grow plants, because I've seen it! This will be great, trust me. 

The P@H nano is on my list of things to get to. Such a great little tank for the money. The silicone work is pretty good, which is what swayed me.


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## rebus (1 Jan 2012)

I think i will have to have a trip down to P@H to get one of these for my kitchen, they do look very good for the money. At least that way i can actually get a tank up and running rather than staring at my empty 90P while i slowly get the equipment together for it.
( it' s taking forever  )

Great looking tank Ian by the way.

Stu.


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## Ian Holdich (1 Jan 2012)

> Anyhow, what a great little rock layout this is. I know of Ian's abilities to grow plants, because I've seen it! This will be great, trust me.



Thanks for the complement mate, i means a lot. I just hope the Glosso takes. If not it'll be Riccia all the way.

By the way thanks for cutting me some Riccia stone! Good job you mentioned them to me, all i had in was the ADA stone and they are well to thick to be putting in nano's. They are nice and small as well, i might use some of the bigger ones in the main tank. Thanks again. 



> I think i will have to have a trip down to P@H to get one of these for my kitchen, they do look very good for the money.



you can't go wrong really for the price, remember you will need a light though as the LED's got recalled.


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## JohnC (2 Jan 2012)

ianho said:
			
		

> you can't go wrong really for the price, remember you will need a light though as the LED's got recalled.




LED's? i've not checked my ballasts in the box but i thought it was a 11w/9w compact T5? 

I've not returned mine yet. Do they actually exchange them with something or just refund you?


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## Ian Holdich (2 Jan 2012)

i'm not sure, i didn't get the LED's. I presume they would just refund you. I have managed to source an Aqua ray LED nano plate and it wipes the floor with the arc pod. It gives a lovely shimmer. Heres a quick vid...best viewed in 720p


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## Sentral (5 Jan 2012)

The lights that the tanks came with we're indeed CF's. Where did you get the aquaray from? I'm using an arcpod and need to change!


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## Ian Holdich (5 Jan 2012)

> Where did you get the aquaray from? I'm using an arcpod and need to change!



I bought it from someone who wasn't using the tank, he sold me it for a tenner. Only used a coupe of times as well. 

they are here though

http://www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/ ... -4112.html

It 9000k, so give a really white crisp look. I couldn't be doing with that pink glow from the arcpod anymore.


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## darren636 (5 Jan 2012)

would  you  say  it  gives  better  light  and  spread?


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## Ian Holdich (5 Jan 2012)

The light 'looks' better, and the spill of the light isn't half as bad. It's the first time i have grown anything under LED's, but i'm getting new growth from the Glosso already and the HM is taking. Whe i finish work tonight, i'll try and get a vid of both lights in one vid so you can see the difference.


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## darren636 (5 Jan 2012)

you star!  thinking of getting this  as a stand alone or another  18 w pod for my 4o litre nano. Maybe 36 watts will be too much for 40 litres though!


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## Ian Holdich (5 Jan 2012)

sorry it's a little late...it's been crazy at work.

here's a short vid (view in 720p) of the different lights. The first is the TMC aqua ray 200 (9000K), the second is the arcpod with it's standard pink bulb, and the third is a household bulb in the Arcpod (2700k)



the standard bulb is the worst for me...


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## darren636 (5 Jan 2012)

what is all that pink about?


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## Sentral (6 Jan 2012)

That's the temp of the bulbs which come with most of the Arc pods darren!

ian, do you know the wattage of the LED's used here are?


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## Ian Holdich (6 Jan 2012)

I agree the pink is horrible, the standard household bulb is OK, but lets off quite a yellow old woman smoking 40 cigarettes a day kind of look.

Here's the wattage of the LED's from the TMC website

LEDs: LG 9000K
Approx Light Output: 200-250 Lumens
Wattage: 5w


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## darren636 (6 Jan 2012)

oh yeah  you cant' beat that old nasty diseased yellow flourescent  glow....


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## mitchelllawson (6 Jan 2012)

ianho said:
			
		

> lets off quite a yellow old woman smoking 40 cigarettes a day kind of look.



Ahahahaha!


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## Gary Nelson (7 Jan 2012)

It's looking good Ian, ive been watching this progress....any new photos to share?

PS, what sort of words/lines did you use on getting the approval from the mrs to have a tank in the kitchen?   I'm looking at our kitchen and I really do think I have an area to fit one in... Not sure I'd get the thumps up or the nod of approval though!


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## Ian Holdich (7 Jan 2012)

well you don't need to ask twice for pics lol. As for the missus, i had to agree to go to a wedding which i really really don't want to go to. How's about buy her some flowers and accidentally pick a tank up on the way home from work, and tell her you found it.

Here's the tank one week on.


full tank shot by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

some encouraging growth from the Glosso


new growth by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

the stock


Red cherry by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## mitchelllawson (7 Jan 2012)

Hey ian, are you injecting CO2?


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## Ian Holdich (7 Jan 2012)

no, no C02 injection in this one. That was a stipulation from the wife...no pipes or wires lol. This is staying as a liquid carbon only tank.

fert regime at the moment.

1ml TPN+
1ml Easycarbo
ADA K one pump


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## mitchelllawson (7 Jan 2012)

Ohh, and glosso's growing, think i may have a shot at it in my P@H 25L Cube from Pets @ home


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## sarahtermite (7 Jan 2012)

ianho said:
			
		

> no, no C02 injection in this one. That was a stipulation from the wife...no pipes or wires lol. This is staying as a liquid carbon only tank.
> 
> fert regime at the moment.
> 
> ...



I didn't realise it was possible to grow hc without CO2 injection. I'm going to be setting up my first high tech planted tank (nano) soon, and I wanted to try growing it, so I've invested in a pressurised CO2 system. Anyhow, I wanted to ask, is your fert regime daily?

NB, I also think the sand looks more in proportion than the gravel. This is a lovely set up.


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## Ian Holdich (8 Jan 2012)

hey Sarah, the plant is Glosso, not HC. The fert regime is 1ml TPN+, 1ml Easycarbo,  ADA K one pump.


not forgetting the daily 50% water change at the moment.


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## George Farmer (8 Jan 2012)

Looking sweet mate.

I can vouch for glosso (and HC) growing well with liquid carbon (non CO2 gas), providing all other parameters are ok.


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## Gary Nelson (8 Jan 2012)

Thanks for the new photos Ian, it's looking very nice indeed. I look forward to seeing this progress and then I'm going to show the pics to the mrs   I may get the nod of approval then for me to be able to get one.


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## toaster (8 Jan 2012)

Looking great, I think I need to get some gloss for my tank!


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## sarahtermite (8 Jan 2012)

ianho said:
			
		

> hey Sarah, the plant is Glosso, not HC. The fert regime is 1ml TPN+, 1ml Easycarbo,  ADA K one pump.
> 
> 
> not forgetting the daily 50% water change at the moment.



Ah, sorry, for some reason I was convinced it was HC - spot the newbie!  Though I thought Glosso was even harder than HC - respect!



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> Looking sweet mate.
> 
> I can vouch for glosso (and HC) growing well with liquid carbon (non CO2 gas), providing all other parameters are ok.



Yes, I suspect that "providing all other parameters are ok" is probably going to be the tricky bit for me.    Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained, and I'm learning loads from everyone here at UKAPS.


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## Ian Holdich (9 Jan 2012)

> I can vouch for glosso (and HC) growing well with liquid carbon (non CO2 gas), providing all other parameters are ok.



cheers George, as George states, i can also vouch for no gas and HC. I also failed with Hc lately 'with' gas, so It's best IME to just give it a try. 



> I look forward to seeing this progress and then I'm going to show the pics to the mrs  I may get the nod of approval then for me to be able to get one.



thanks Gary, you've put me under pressure now! lol I Think tank in a nice addition to a kitchen.



> Looking great, I think I need to get some gloss for my tank!



Thank you Toaster!



> Yes, I suspect that "providing all other parameters are ok" is probably going to be the tricky bit for me.  Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained, and I'm learning loads from everyone here at UKAPS.



Just remember that a little to much of anything at the begining never goes a miss. Keep the daily water change up for a couple of weeks, i bet you'll win.


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## Ian Holdich (13 Jan 2012)

2 weeks from set up and things are now begining to settle. The glosso is really taking. I have added a couple of CRS as well.


2 weeks by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


2 weeks by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


2 weeks by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## darren636 (13 Jan 2012)

any effects on ph from the stone?


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## darren636 (13 Jan 2012)

was going to order some from tgm but the last thing i need is more ph buffering


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## mitchelllawson (13 Jan 2012)

Looks good Ian!


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## Ian Holdich (13 Jan 2012)

@ Darren, i don't test my Ph, but i know it comes out of the tap at around 7.5 - 8 and is hard as nails at about GH 26 the shrimp are doing well, we have a preggers cherry. We have great water to keep malawi Cichlids in!

@ Mitchell, thanks for the comment!


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## sarahtermite (14 Jan 2012)

Looks beautiful - and the combination of the design, rocks and shrimps somehow makes it look prehistoric to me. Love it.


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## sarahtermite (14 Jan 2012)

Looks beautiful - and the combination of the design, rocks and shrimps somehow makes it look prehistoric to me. Love it.


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## sarahtermite (14 Jan 2012)

Looks beautiful - and the combination of the design, rocks and shrimps somehow makes it look prehistoric to me. Love it.


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## sarahtermite (14 Jan 2012)

(sorry for triplicate posting - still getting used to Tapatalk!)


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## Ian Holdich (14 Jan 2012)

do you love it that much!! lol

cheers Sarah.


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## Antipofish (14 Jan 2012)

Damn, even the tiles behind it work !!!  Give it a sunrise look.  Ian, can you walk on water too ?


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## sarahtermite (15 Jan 2012)

ianho said:
			
		

> do you love it that much!! lol
> 
> cheers Sarah.


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## Antipofish (15 Jan 2012)

sarahtermite said:
			
		

> ianho said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Sure do


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## Ian Holdich (21 Jan 2012)

3 week update...

Everything is doing well, still a little slow (maybe i'm being a little impatient!), there are shrimplets now. So i'm being careful not to suck em out when doing a water change. The Glosso is staying really small as well. The Riccia is going great guns. I have added another riccia stone to the front of the main stone.


glo4 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


glo3 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


glo1 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


glo2 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Antipofish (21 Jan 2012)

Looking great Ian.  Love the shrimp. Looks like a top quality one ?  Is that samoa sand ?


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## Ian Holdich (30 Jan 2012)

sorry chris missed this post, it's congo sand by unipac

heres a couple of pics 4 weeks into the life of the tank. There are loads of baby shrimp in there. The glosso is spreading slowly. It's all looking healthy.

2 weeks


full tank shot by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

4 weeks


can2 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

and


can1 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Antipofish (30 Jan 2012)

Its got a nice natural look to it   I have Samoa in mine, and am very pleased with it now.  I just finished 5 hours of drying off the florabase I pulled out of my tank !!!


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## Ian Holdich (30 Jan 2012)

cheers Chris.

here's a quick vid of the tank, check all the baby shrimp! (best viewed in 720p or upwards)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE2hfShk ... e=youtu.be


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## jalexst (31 Jan 2012)

Hey great cube Ian, I got permission for my kitchen cube at the weekend, and immediately ran out and bought one before she changed her mind!

At risk of sounding like a numpty, I have followed your thread since the beginning, and haven't seen any mention of heaters??

Does this mean that you dont need it for your shrimp, or you've got one and I did'nt notice!

Cheers,

J.


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## Antipofish (31 Jan 2012)

I don't want to appear like a numpty either (though I usually do, LOL).  But are vivarium heater pads any use for small nano's like this?


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## Ian Holdich (31 Jan 2012)

@ jalexst, thanks for the comment. A for the heater, there isn't one. Most shrimp do great at lower temps. This tank stays around 23 degrees...it's a warm kitchen. They are already reproducing, as you can see from the vid. CRS do well also at this temp, so IME theres no need for a heater.

@ Chris, to be completely honest, i'm not sure. I have no experience with them.


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## jalexst (31 Jan 2012)

yeah the vid is great! What temperature can they go down to? ... there's no way my kitchen is 23 degrees, not all the time anyway,

Cheers...


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## Ian Holdich (31 Jan 2012)

you'd be surprised at what the temp water will stay at. I water change with tepid water (around 23-24 degrees), and it tends to stay at that. The literature says that CRS will do at 20 degrees and cherries will be fine at 16 degrees.


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## jalexst (31 Jan 2012)

Thanks Ian,

When I finally set up guess I will monitor the temp for a while before I add...

It will make such a difference if I can get away without having a heater in such a small tank.


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## jalexst (2 Feb 2012)

One more thing..

How do you find your LED light? I am in process of choosing the lighting for my nano and I came accross an article on TGM website saying that they don't rate LEDs.

Here if you want to read... http://www.thegreenmachineonline.com/ar ... -led-light

I wondered how you were getting on with yours since your scape looks great so far...

Cheers mate.

J.


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## Ian Holdich (2 Feb 2012)

The LED is growing Glosso, HM, Riccia and E Tennilus. Thats all i'm bothered about. I'm not sure what 'stringent' checks TGM do??? i wonder if anyone else knows?? I wonder how scientific they are as well?? We know that any light can grow a plant. We know George Farmer uses TMC LED plates and grows plants fine. I know TMG are a sponsor of this forum, so don't want to say anything against them, but the evidence doesn't appear to be to scientific, it's more anecdotal. The problem with this kind of evidence is, that you can either believe them or me as we are both using anecdotal evidence.

I love the LED lighting, it add a diffent angle to the tank. It's great watching the shimmer as well.


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## hinch (2 Feb 2012)

TGM now stock led's for nano's but only the really really expensive ones


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## Antipofish (2 Feb 2012)

ianho said:
			
		

> The LED is growing Glosso, HM, Riccia and E Tennilus. Thats all i'm bothered about. I'm not sure what 'stringent' checks TGM do??? i wonder if anyone else knows?? I wonder how scientific they are as well?? We know that any light can grow a plant. We know George Farmer uses TMC LED plates and grows plants fine. I know TMG are a sponsor of this forum, so don't want to say anything against them, but the evidence doesn't appear to be to scientific, it's more anecdotal. The problem with this kind of evidence is, that you can either believe them or me as we are both using anecdotal evidence.
> 
> I love the LED lighting, it add a diffent angle to the tank. It's great watching the shimmer as well.



Lol, Ian, your results speak for themselves.  Having said that, I think TGM want to ensure that they remain at a certain level within the industry rather than becoming "just another retailer".  They are certainly achieving that at the moment.  LED's are a bit of a minefield, and there is no doubt a lot of the cheap stuff out of China has no great longevity (my LFS guy bought some to see what they were like and had a 90% failure rate within 6 weeks).  TMC stuff seems to be more than ok though.  And their customer service is excellent in my experience.  It boils down to what works at whatever budget you can afford ultimately.  I would LOVE an ADA Mini M with the proper lights.  But the light costs more than my tank and filter put together.  (Sigh.....)


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## jalexst (2 Feb 2012)

Nice one Ian, I think you're right they're making sure they got the best of the best I suppose... which is great!

Thing is we are all taking advice from eachother as we all gain more experience of our hobby. That is why I spend so much time on this forum, to soak it all up!   unfortunately in trying to learn so much to make sure I spend wisely, there is still an element of trial and error: got to bite the bullet and buy something, based on experience of others, and see what happens for me. But then  I learn that way too  8) 

Anyway I digress, Your tank looks great and certainly has inspired me!

think I'll give the LEDs a bash.

Nice one


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## Ian Holdich (2 Feb 2012)

> unfortunately in trying to learn so much to make sure I spend wisely, there is still an element of trial and error: got to bite the bullet and buy something, based on experience of others, and see what happens for me. But then I learn that way too



I totally agree, the price of the TMC LED, it the same as the Arcpods/superfish lighting systems. I love LED lighting and would love to give it a go over my main tank. The LFS tank i did is also using the TMC led freshwater strips and the plants are going great guns in there. I sure you'll love the LED J, they look really neat as well.

and thanks for the compliment.


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## Antipofish (2 Feb 2012)

ianho said:
			
		

> sorry it's a little late...it's been crazy at work.
> 
> here's a short vid (view in 720p) of the different lights. The first is the TMC aqua ray 200 (9000K), the second is the arcpod with it's standard pink bulb, and the third is a household bulb in the Arcpod (2700k)
> 
> ...




The differences are amazing !!!  I wanna get some of those tiles....  Out of interest Ian, would they be worth adding to a larger tank to increase lighting (like my 175L that currently has 2x24w T5's ?) or would they not punch the light down far enough ?  I love the shimmering effect that LED's give either way and think I will put something on the tank.  But I am contemplating doing a nano.  (Talk about run before you can walk, lol)


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## Ian Holdich (9 Feb 2012)

was clearing out the cupboard this morning and found this...


doaqua1 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

I bought it a year or 2 back, and never used it. I had a thought...

so nipped to my LFS and bought this!


doaqua2 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

we are now proper high tech!


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## Antipofish (9 Feb 2012)

ianho said:
			
		

> was clearing out the cupboard this morning and found this...
> 
> 
> doaqua1 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr
> ...




Ohh check you out !!  MR Lah de dah with all your posh stuff hehe.  Not that you bloomin need that, the tank is awesome regardless.  Do you need a regulator with those baby bottles still ?  Im picking yes.


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## doobiw55 (9 Feb 2012)

Do you need a reg? I have a spare that fits 20g.

Tom


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## Ian Holdich (9 Feb 2012)

@ Chris, yes you do need a reg for it and you get a little reg in the set.

@ Tom, thanks for the offer, but i got one with the little cylinders. It's a neat little set.


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## doobiw55 (9 Feb 2012)

No probs. ye they are and I like your diffuser 

Tom


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## Ian Holdich (13 Feb 2012)

and already the glosso has really taken off with the C02


creeping glosso by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Ian Holdich (25 Feb 2012)

just took a quick snap shot of the tank tonight...it's getting really neglected at the moment. My new job is taking up a lot of time at the moment...don't mention implementation within the NHS.

The water hasn't been changed for 2 weeks, it has been topped off. There is approx 50 shrimp in there at the moment, that most likely why it's stayed clean. The riccia needs trimming, the HM needs trimming.


snap shot by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## jalexst (25 Feb 2012)

Hey Ian,

Your tank doesn't look one bit neglected  

Just a quick one... way back in your posts you said you've planted HM... is that hemianthus Micranthemoides on the left?

Cheers,
j


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## Antipofish (26 Feb 2012)

Hey Ian, neglected or not its still looking great   You are going to have to set up another nano in your office if you keep spending so much time at work.  Or else, find a lacky to delegate to   hehe.  Hope the current project you are working on is only a temporary distraction from the far more important activity of aquascaping


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## greenink (10 Apr 2012)

Am now seriously tempted by an office nano. Think another tank at home is beyond my powers of persuasion...

Really encouraging how well this went with no heater and liquid carbon - figure just one plug and no tubes would make it a lot easier to get away with at work.


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## taggerz28 (13 Apr 2012)

Great little tank, very inspiring, i want one for my work desk now!! Is this tank still available or is it in store only? Can't find it on their website.

Cheers


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## darren636 (13 Apr 2012)

p@h  nano  cubes  are  in  shop  only,  at  various  sizes  and  prices.  nice  little  tanks.


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## taggerz28 (13 Apr 2012)

darren636 said:
			
		

> p@h  nano  cubes  are  in  shop  only,  at  various  sizes  and  prices.  nice  little  tanks.



Ahhh that explains it, cheers. Lets have a look and see where my nearest store is...


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## jalexst (13 Apr 2012)

Price has gone up though... £29 for the 14l and £39 for the bigger one...


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## JohnC (13 Apr 2012)

jalexst said:
			
		

> Price has gone up though... £29 for the 14l and £39 for the bigger one...



boo.


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## darren636 (13 Apr 2012)

think my breakfast cereal bowl is bigger than 14 litres!


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## jalexst (13 Apr 2012)

darren636 said:
			
		

> think my breakfast cereal bowl is bigger than 14 litres!



Woah, that's a lot or wheatos   

Any updates Ian?? or have you taken this one down...

Cheers

Jack


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## Ian Holdich (13 Apr 2012)

hey chaps, heres a pic from the phone as i'm really busy at work of late. I have removed all the glosso and thats gone in my main tank. So, there a bit of wood in there now, some JBL root...and a few odd and ends. The shrimp are still breeding though.

newcube by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

it's just used as a breeding tank at present, til i can get my ass into gear.


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## Antipofish (13 Apr 2012)

Which shrimp are you breeding in it Ian ?


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## fatshark (16 Apr 2012)

jalexst said:
			
		

> Price has gone up though... £29 for the 14l and £39 for the bigger one...



Not last week when I bought one of each size in P@H Coventry ... unless they've been watching the interest in this thread and hiked the prices on Friday   

Would that TMC light be suitable for the larger of the two tanks?  It's difficult to see whether the area illuminated would be wide enough.

Loads of inspiration here for my first nano.  Thanks.


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## Ian Holdich (11 May 2012)

this has turned into a bit of a no water water change (well once in a blue moon), leave it alone type of do you own thing scape.

The shrimp are having babies right left and center...

heres a couple of pics


jung2 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

and a CRS trying to escape.


jung1 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Antipofish (11 May 2012)

Going great guns Ian.  Thats my kind of scape... Leave it alone and just enjoy it.


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## Ady34 (11 May 2012)

Hi Ian,
looking great, and nice rescape. Plants look really natural and as for leaving it alone.... if it aint broke, dont fix it!
I must admit to having a little shrimp envy mind   !!!
What are you dosing ferts and c02 wise on this please?
Cheers,
Ady.


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## Gary Nelson (12 May 2012)

It looks very nice Ian and very natural.... Breeding shrimp says it all really


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## Ian Holdich (12 May 2012)

cheers guys...

@ Ady...it gets a pump of ADA brightly every day or other day. It does get some carbo every day though, i always remember to put this in when dosing my other tank. It gets about a mil of carbo.


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## Ady34 (12 May 2012)

ianho said:
			
		

> @ Ady...it gets a pump of ADA brightly every day or other day. It does get some carbo every day though, i always remember to put this in when dosing my other tank. It gets about a mil of carbo.


Thanks Ian, encouraging to see first hand a tank doing so well with just liquid carbon (and ferts).


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## LancsRick (13 May 2012)

Looks great - only shame is that the piece of rock is hidden from the front! I'm interested that you've managed to get away with no water change on a nano, I'm setting one up at present and was bracing myself for having to do changes every few days....maybe you have shown me another way, sir!


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## Ian Holdich (13 May 2012)

thanks Rick! there was plenty of water changes at the beginning. Its mature now and the leds are pretty low light.

heres a quick vid, the quality isn't the best but...best viewed in 720p


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## Seagull (14 May 2012)

Looks nice, Ianho. Noticed I don't think this was put on TFF though...  

Admittedly I did like the original scape with the rocks - what made you want to change? Still looks great as always though. What are the dimensions of the tank?


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## faizal (16 May 2012)

Wow,..that's looking amazing Ian. Congratulations.


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## Ben22 (4 Oct 2012)

love it, I have something like this in the works!


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## Antipofish (4 Oct 2012)

Ian that looks cracking.  What is the large reddish echinodorus that is the main feature please?


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## Ian Holdich (4 Oct 2012)

cheers mate, it's an E.Rubra...

this tank is still going albeit an overgrown mess. It doesn't get dosed, it gets topped off with old water from the kettle when it gets low. The last water change was about 6 weeks ago. 


nano mess by Ian Holdich, on Flickr


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## Antipofish (4 Oct 2012)

Really? As rubra's go its an exceptionally good looking one.  If you EVER decide to swap it out, please keep me in mind   In fact, I reckon it looks horrid in that tank    You need to swap it out right away  8)


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## Ben22 (6 Oct 2012)

Looks great


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## Ian Holdich (3 Dec 2012)

quick update of the nano cube...


IMG_3079 by Ian Holdich, on Flickr

not that heavily planted at the moment, once the rock on the wood is out of the way, there will be some more stems at the back right corner. It'll be stocked with the Rili shrimp from Freshwater shrimp.


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