# My low tech shrimp nano cube (20 litres)



## aec34 (2 Dec 2020)

My first proper planted tank after experimenting with a biorb. 
20l Dennerle cube kit, inc. their deponit mix substrate, led light and corner filter. Interpet nano heater (mostly to keep the shrimp warm - house gets pretty cold).
Two bits of bogwood leaning against each other (pretty stable), few bits of Dragonstone.

Anubias nana coin
Bucephalandra 
limnobium
Couple of crypts 
Hydrocotlye leucocephala 
Some moss

Plant choice intended to be easy, small and low energy - but partly determined by what was in stock...

Planted about 6 weeks ago, left for the first two, then 50% WC weekly (rainwater remineralised with Salty shrimp + some tap). Minimal trimming apart from the limnobium which has grown like mad.

Shrimp moved over about 2 weeks ago, and now algae is settling down. Shrimps are now a great colour! 










Everything seems to be growing pretty well now - I’m feeding with a bit of Aquascaper every couple of days. Some of the anubias leaves suffered and needed to be removed. I wondered if it is because it’s so near the light, but the new growth looks happy enough.


----------



## aec34 (2 Dec 2020)

* and bacopa - which I know will need really keeping under control but I really like it


----------



## noodlesuk (2 Dec 2020)

aec34 said:


> * and bacopa - which I know will need really keeping under control but I really like it


Great looking tank, nice mix of plants, like the density and mix. I love Bacopa too, looks very clean and crisp when it grows nicely.


----------



## aec34 (2 Dec 2020)

Thanks! I’m really proud of how it’s looking now. There was a fascinating assortment of algae last week - which in its own way is kinda cool


----------



## Davidwebbuk (3 Dec 2020)

Nice tank! I'm looking forward to being as planted !

Sent from my HD1903 using Tapatalk


----------



## aec34 (21 Dec 2020)

Post-trim pic today: removed an enormous clump of moss and more  frogbit, and the remains of the almond leaf which had become a skeleton (very cool). Quite like having a bit more space, but the shrimp may get a new leaf for Christmas. I think the remaining  frogbit may be rehomed in the new year - it still grows very long roots and needs endless trimming.


----------



## Paulthewitt (30 Dec 2020)

Looks good. I like the moss on the wood, looks good there


----------



## aec34 (9 Jan 2021)

Tank is now about 10 weeks old. Algae seems to be settling, helped by thorough filter clean last week.
Weekly 30-50% ish water changes, daily feed with Aquascaper if I remember.
Moss and frogbit are growing like mad, as is hydrocotyle. I’ve put some salvinia in today which I’m hoping will replace the frogbit as a floater if it grows well. Bacopa is getting a bit untidy, but I keep trimming and replanting. Anubias is really struggling, I suspect being cooked by the light, so I’m rehoming him to another tank/one of the many pots which are appearing on the kitchen windowsill.... Everything else is growing slowly, but seems happy - must be, since I’ve taken the rocks out to give more space for plants.

I’m tempted to move the big bit of wood arching over the middle of the tank so I have better access to prune. Need to do more staring.

Hydra don’t seem as many, but they are bigger now so I’m going to treat to get rid. Baby shrimp any day now - woo hoo!!


----------



## aec34 (20 Jan 2021)

Ok, plants and shrimp seem good, appearance is going a bit awry - or maybe I just feel like a change.

The mega moss blob came adrift of its moorings during my tank refill, and is now temporarily wedged between the two bits of wood right at the top.
And I’ve removed the black backing I’ve had on the tank, and now I see how not-heavily-planted the tank is...

I originally deliberately chose mostly smaller or slower plants, since it’s only a little tank. But now I’m wondering about also sticking something big and leafy at the back, and maybe even swapping out the corner filter for a HOB to give me more room. I’ve got patience, but I’ve also got no things which will grow big (apart from Moss Monster).

Would Amazon sword back left be a _terrible_ idea? Should I get a little variety?
Can anyone recommend a good HOB filter for this kind of tank, if swapping filter isn’t a terrible idea?
Photo showing filter placement.


----------



## aec34 (12 Feb 2021)

Just over 3 months since planting. Everything feels quite settled now, albeit growth is slow. Shrimp are breeding, algae less prominent.



I’ve taken the glass lid off, and it’s probably coincidence but the shrimp do seem more perky.


----------



## Matthew Robinson (19 Feb 2021)

Lovely little cube you got there very nice plants aswell, i have the same cube anx have just started to play about with hardscape its a little project and no rush really over thd next few weeks i will get all the equipment i need and post over in my journal, im thinking about the hang on the back filter because even tho the original filter is nice and small more space for plants might be nice

Or maybe a small outside filter but i dont think they do something for the volume of water on the aquarium maybe somebody could shed some light on filters 

Look forward to see more updates

Stay safe matty


----------



## Steve Buce (20 Feb 2021)

Great looking shrimp tank


----------



## aec34 (20 Feb 2021)

Thanks - got quite a few babies it in now too 😀


----------



## Matthew Robinson (21 Feb 2021)

Hey morning, just a quick question how you finding the fitler? You are using the dennerle corner filter? The reason I ask because I saw yesterday that there is an extra that clips on the front that acts as a second compartment for other filter material that you can put in, biological balls, active carbon, just an example


----------



## aec34 (21 Feb 2021)

Hi, yep, using the corner filter as it came out the box, no additions. Seems to do the job, and is essentially silent. The horizontal bubbly pipe thing gets quite a bit of algae, but cleans very easily and quickly. I clean the floss inside the filter about every 4-6 weeks - shrimp aren’t very dirty, and I planted heavily from the outset. Hope that helps.


----------



## aec34 (21 Feb 2021)

PS my only grumble about the filter is the space it takes up inside the tank - but then an inside filter is very tidy 🤷‍♀️


----------



## Matthew Robinson (21 Feb 2021)

Im only planing on putting in shrimp too, yeah thats the problem with inside filters but the plants I have chosen should hide it I wanted to put  mine in the other corner but it doesn't seem to fit with my hard scape and if I move it around then I does look right will give it ago and probably get the extension aswell just for that extra filtering and im the future look for an outside filter seen a nice oase filtosmart 60 but currently out of stock


----------



## aec34 (4 Mar 2021)

Four months old. Moss monster takeover continues, and is home to tons of baby shrimp.



30% ish weekly WC, most of which is rain water, daily low dose of Aquascaper, 8 hours light per day.


----------



## Matthew Robinson (5 Mar 2021)

Looking great


----------



## Aqua360 (7 Mar 2021)

Lovely nano, Dennerle cubes are superb


----------



## aec34 (7 Mar 2021)

Thanks @Aqua360 - I’m really pleased with how well this tank has gone. Choices about substrate, lights and filters were all a bit daunting, so I went with the complete Dennerle kit to be on the safe side (from pro shrimp) when starting out.


----------



## aec34 (14 Mar 2021)

New addition in the shape of a rehomed anubias. The shrimp swarmed round it like I’ve never seen before to munch on the algae - which makes me wonder if I need to start feeding them.


----------



## aec34 (5 Apr 2021)

Moss monster even more messy and stringy, and mostly not attached to anything. Will need a serious tidy and tying on to something very soon.


In other news, nettle tops a real hit with the shrimp, and some more berried ones spotted.


----------



## aec34 (28 Apr 2021)

Moss monster removed. Took the plunge and took the arch-y bit of bogwood out, tied moss to it and replaced, then added another bit of mossed spiderwood. Feels a bit bare somehow, but shrimp don’t seem to mind too much. Photo a bit washed out colour-wise. 

Pleased with the overall effect 

And I’ve started feeding the shrimp pellets/nettle tops since I’m sure they’ve started nibbling at my floating plants 😬 There are a lot now from my original 11 of 6 months ago.


----------



## aec34 (23 May 2021)

6 and a bit months old 🥳


Weekly maintenance is a quick glass clean with the toothbrush, and around 5 litres water change. I’m less annoyed by the internal corner filter given how wonderfully quiet and neat it is compared to the alternatives. 
Plants seem to be growing a bit quicker with the supposedly warmer weather, esp the rotala which went in a couple of months ago. There’s something quite easy-going about this tank now. 
Bacopa Beanstalk in the front corner might have to be felled, but I’m curious to see what it’ll do if it makes the surface.


----------



## dcurzon (24 May 2021)

this is looking fab!


----------



## aec34 (24 May 2021)

dcurzon said:


> this is looking fab!


Thanks! I’m so please with how this has turned out given I didn’t really have a clue about how things would grow.


----------



## Aqua360 (24 May 2021)

It's really nice to see a bedded in nano, with thick growth and a growing shrimp population, good job!


----------



## jamila169 (25 May 2021)

Hopefully mine will get as bedded in as this one eventually, I just got the tank and the filter from Charterhouse because Pro Shrimp didn't have any 30s in stock, which was a shame as they're from the next village and their unit is about 10 minutes drive away  I'm hoping they reopen and have some livestock soon because I want to use local suppliers as much as I can


----------



## Aqua360 (25 May 2021)

jamila169 said:


> Hopefully mine will get as bedded in as this one eventually, I just got the tank and the filter from Charterhouse because Pro Shrimp didn't have any 30s in stock, which was a shame as they're from the next village and their unit is about 10 minutes drive away  I'm hoping they reopen and have some livestock soon because I want to use local suppliers as much as I can



I like proshrimp, I've found the owner Sebastian to be very helpful


----------



## aec34 (18 Jul 2021)

Nearly nine months since first planting. 

I love how jungly this is now looking - though a prune is needed soon since I think the Anubias in the middle at the bottom is starting to show a lack of light. I also upped the ferts given how full it is. A few of the epiphytes may also get rehomed to the 10 litre cube when I redo it.

What this has taught me is that you’re not going to get a lovely tank straight from your tropica cups - it takes time for things to grow in, and find their place. I now don’t even mind that the hydrocotyle on the left just sort of bobs about mostly, only barely in the substrate - but the idea of doing that at planting would have been terrifying.

I can’t quite believe how lucky I’ve been with this tank. I’ve had two other small ones on the go during this time and struggled with a few plants in those (staurogyne repens, ceratopteris thalictroides, marsilea hirsuita, hygrophila), but pretty much everything I originally planted in this cube is still going 🙂


----------



## Aqua360 (18 Jul 2021)

Are you still feeding the shrimp? 

If you use a varied diet, nettle, mulberry, mineral etc, your population will explode. 

I've found my neocaridina absolutely demolish food compared to my caridina, they'll easily finish a full size shrimp pellet everyday, in a 15 litre tank.


----------



## Biotope_Aquariums (18 Jul 2021)

Big fan of the moss on the wood! 👌🏽

Plenty of places for the shrimp to graze amongst in there.


----------



## aec34 (18 Jul 2021)

Aqua360 said:


> Are you still feeding the shrimp?
> 
> If you use a varied diet, nettle, mulberry, mineral etc, your population will explode.
> 
> I've found my neocaridina absolutely demolish food compared to my caridina, they'll easily finish a full size shrimp pellet everyday, in a 15 litre tank.


I am - they’re getting a few crustagrans every day, and a nettle top from time to time. Plus I’m pretty sure they’re still eating my floating plants. There are no end of babies of various sizes. It’s really pleasing!

I’d quite like to have a go at keeping some caridina, though a bit worried about how fussy they can be.


----------



## Aqua360 (18 Jul 2021)

aec34 said:


> I am - they’re getting a few crustagrans every day, and a nettle top from time to time. Plus I’m pretty sure they’re still eating my floating plants. There are no end of babies of various sizes. It’s really pleasing!
> 
> I’d quite like to have a go at keeping some caridina, though a bit worried about how fussy they can be.


I think caridina are really hardy now given the tank breeding, if you have access to RO and a remineraliser you'd be absolutely fine


----------



## aec34 (18 Jul 2021)

Northern_Shrimp_keeper said:


> Big fan of the moss on the wood! 👌🏽
> 
> Plenty of places for the shrimp to graze amongst in there.


Thanks! The first attempt at moss was an absolute shambles, but the latest proper tied-on stuff is growing a treat up near the light.


----------



## aec34 (18 Jul 2021)

Aqua360 said:


> I think caridina are really hardy now given the tank breeding, if you have access to RO and a remineraliser you'd be absolutely fine


Thanks, great - that’s really useful to know. Is it right that Neos and caridina don’t interbreed? I’d not plan to keep them together, but I was wondering about getting as many of my cherries out of this tank as possible and then resetting the water parameters for crystals, rather than closing down the whole tank and starting again. But I doubt I’d ever get them all...


----------



## Aqua360 (18 Jul 2021)

aec34 said:


> Thanks, great - that’s really useful to know. Is it right that Neos and caridina don’t interbreed? I’d not plan to keep them together, but I was wondering about getting as many of my cherries out of this tank as possible and then resetting the water parameters for crystals, rather than closing down the whole tank and starting again. But I doubt I’d ever get them all...


They can't interbreed, yeah you can do that plan, if you're worried about any cherries you can't catch straight away, drip the new water in, so they slowly acclimate to it, as cherries can do fine at caridina specs, until such time as you can catch them again.


----------



## aec34 (4 Aug 2021)

Had a good prune. Another Bacopa Beanstalk and some moss are making a break for freedom under the light which is nice. 
A load of frogbit + rotala and bacopa trimmings have gone to The New Tank, and I removed a lump of sad-looking moss.
The next day - and in the pot I’d put the moss in - I had my first ‘oh **** planaria’ moment. Only saw a few, not convinced they’re not rabdo, and the shrimp inc babies are fine so I’m choosing not to worry for the mo.



Shrimp are very perky, and even the small ones have really good colour. Wondering about moving some spare blues in - think they’d be happier in this tank, and I don’t think I mind about getting wild-type babies. I’m so bad at catching shrimp I don’t think I can ever face doing selective breeding/culling.


----------



## aec34 (4 Aug 2021)

Oh yeah, and the shrimp are definitely nibbling the hydrocotyle from time to time…


----------



## aec34 (13 Oct 2021)

Tank not far off a year old. Briefly battled planaria recently - dose of fenbendazole and cutting down on shrimp food seemed to do the job. But look at that red stalk on the right!



This is a surprise since (a) I really thought there wasn’t enough light for a red plant, and (b) I didn’t think I had anything red in the tank! I have had ludwigia in the house, but thought it had all snuffed it. Turns out I’m not very good at identifying plants.

EDIT: blimey, look at how much the moss has grown!


----------



## aec34 (26 Oct 2021)

Bit the bullet today and thinned the moss. The 20 litre is now a year old. 


Rubbish photo, but shows the problem: the little destined-for-work 10 litre cube next to the 20 now looks a lot better than the main tank, and is really quite lush.

Think it will be time imminently to remove the main piece of bogwood arching across the centre. This has always been a pain to work round, and taking it out will allow a bit more light to the crypts. I’ll probably remove the rotala on the right, and add something with big leaves - tempted to try some bolbitis.


----------



## Aqua360 (30 Oct 2021)

aec34 said:


> Bit the bullet today and thinned the moss. The 20 litre is now a year old. View attachment 176040
> Rubbish photo, but shows the problem: the little destined-for-work 10 litre cube next to the 20 now looks a lot better than the main tank, and is really quite lush.
> 
> Think it will be time imminently to remove the main piece of bogwood arching across the centre. This has always been a pain to work round, and taking it out will allow a bit more light to the crypts. I’ll probably remove the rotala on the right, and add something with big leaves - tempted to try some bolbitis.


Looks great! 

Let's see some photos of the 10l too!


----------



## noodlesuk (30 Oct 2021)

aec34 said:


> Bit the bullet today and thinned the moss. The 20 litre is now a year old. View attachment 176040
> Rubbish photo, but shows the problem: the little destined-for-work 10 litre cube next to the 20 now looks a lot better than the main tank, and is really quite lush.
> 
> Think it will be time imminently to remove the main piece of bogwood arching across the centre. This has always been a pain to work round, and taking it out will allow a bit more light to the crypts. I’ll probably remove the rotala on the right, and add something with big leaves - tempted to try some bolbitis.


Looks great, lush green colours.


----------



## aec34 (31 Oct 2021)

Aqua360 said:


> Let's see some photos of the 10l too!


Here you go! 


This is the second time I’ve had this running and it’s SO much better this time round. I had a cheap HOB on it before but now have a Dennerle eckfilter - and plant growth + shrimp all seem much better (I think that’s the primary variable). There’s a big lump of wood in the bottom with some Süßwassertang. There was a lot of swearing involved at set up since it turns out some wood even when soaked is quite floaty…


----------



## Aqua360 (31 Oct 2021)

aec34 said:


> Here you go! View attachment 176231
> This is the second time I’ve had this running and it’s SO much better this time round. I had a cheap HOB on it before but now have a Dennerle eckfilter - and plant growth + shrimp all seem much better (I think that’s the primary variable). There’s a big lump of wood in the bottom with some Süßwassertang. There was a lot of swearing involved at set up since it turns out some wood even when soaked is quite floaty…


Looks great! I love seeing packed plant growth, your epiphytes look very healthy!


----------



## aec34 (31 Oct 2021)

Aqua360 said:


> Looks great! I love seeing packed plant growth, your epiphytes look very healthy!


Thanks! It’s mostly because I get overexcited when ordering plants but have no room/household tolerance for bigger tanks 😬 I do love an epiphyte since if you stick them on pebbles you can endlessly rearrange them.


----------



## Aqua360 (31 Oct 2021)

aec34 said:


> Thanks! It’s mostly because I get overexcited when ordering plants but have no room/household tolerance for bigger tanks 😬 I do love an epiphyte since if you stick them on pebbles you can endlessly rearrange them.


Agreed, something that always enters my mind is tank leaks, even though I've never experienced it!

30l seems to be my upper limit these days, biggest in the past was 350 but there's always a low level of anxiety involved 😂


----------



## aec34 (1 Nov 2021)

Aqua360 said:


> 30l seems to be my upper limit these days, biggest in the past was 350 but there's always a low level of anxiety involved 😂


Oh my god I can’t even imagine what a tank that big would be like. It’s a pool!


----------



## Aqua360 (1 Nov 2021)

aec34 said:


> Oh my god I can’t even imagine what a tank that big would be like. It’s a pool!


It was a trigon 350, too much; but not as big as some of the tanks on here 😵


----------



## aec34 (7 Nov 2021)

Took a deep breath and removed the bogwood arch. Through the magic of some bent bike wheel spokes I’ve re-suspended the thin mossy twig, now rewrapped with a bit of the moss. Was a shame to lose the moss blob, but I’d nowhere to put it and it was getting a bit out of control.


I’ve physically got a bit more room to manoeuvre now, and I’m hoping the crypts and buces will appreciate a bit more light.
Feels kind of bare top left at the mo. I’ve added some bolbitis and hope this takes off. Longer term I’d like to get rid of a load of the rotala, but one step at a time. Shrimp seem unfazed by the whole business.

Key lesson from this so far: work out your hardscape carefully before you start!


----------



## noodlesuk (7 Nov 2021)

aec34 said:


> Took a deep breath and removed the bogwood arch. Through the magic of some bent bike wheel spokes I’ve re-suspended the thin mossy twig, now rewrapped with a bit of the moss. Was a shame to lose the moss blob, but I’d nowhere to put it and it was getting a bit out of control.View attachment 176935
> I’ve physically got a bit more room to manoeuvre now, and I’m hoping the crypts and buces will appreciate a bit more light.
> Feels kind of bare top left at the mo. I’ve added some bolbitis and hope this takes off. Longer term I’d like to get rid of a load of the rotala, but one step at a time. Shrimp seem unfazed by the whole business.
> 
> Key lesson from this so far: work out your hardscape carefully before you start!


Looking good, love the dark/jungle feel to it. Suspended mossy twig is a very novel idea!


----------



## aec34 (7 Nov 2021)

noodlesuk said:


> Looking good, love the dark/jungle feel to it. Suspended mossy twig is a very novel idea!


Thanks! It’s a pretty crap photo from my phone, but it’s definitely jungly…


----------



## BdubB (10 Nov 2021)

I'm am looking at getting the Dennerle 20l cube for an iwigumi layout. Do you think the scape would bee too tall for this and also, is it possible to put a backing on these cubes with rounded edges or does it just look bad?


----------



## pat1cp (10 Nov 2021)

The back edge is a silicone seal. The rounded edges are only at the front. At least, that's what mine is.


----------



## aec34 (10 Nov 2021)

BdubB said:


> I'm am looking at getting the Dennerle 20l cube for an iwigumi layout. Do you think the scape would bee too tall for this and also, is it possible to put a backing on these cubes with rounded edges or does it just look bad?


Hi, yep @pat1cp is right, the back edges are square - I have a black backing which came with the kit I originally bought.
I can’t speak for iwagumi - but as an easy to maintain shrimp/plant only tank it’s been great.


----------



## BdubB (11 Nov 2021)

aec34 said:


> Hi, yep @pat1cp is right, the back edges are square - I have a black backing which came with the kit I originally bought.
> I can’t speak for iwagumi - but as an easy to maintain shrimp/plant only tank it’s been great.


Percfect thanks for that. I dont think i can get over the rounded endges though. Its just not my thing. Thanks anyway!


----------



## aec34 (21 Nov 2021)

Since the last update I’ve removed a load of the straggly rotala in the front and topped/replanted/added a few stems in its place. 


I’m a bit out of love with it right now. Plants are growing fine (even the bolbitis - ha, tropica medium, I laugh in your face) and shrimp are happy, but it feels really bare at the back.
If I had space in my other tanks for the plants I’d probably break it down - but the other two are really full, and I’m nervous to move the crypts anyway. I have a 60p to fill eventually when the building work is done - and ideally I want to downsize to 2 tanks anyway. Hmmm.


----------



## Aqua360 (21 Nov 2021)

aec34 said:


> Since the last update I’ve removed a load of the straggly rotala in the front and topped/replanted/added a few stems in its place. View attachment 177555
> I’m a bit out of love with it right now. Plants are growing fine (even the bolbitis - ha, tropica medium, I laugh in your face) and shrimp are happy, but it feels really bare at the back.
> If I had space in my other tanks for the plants I’d probably break it down - but the other two are really full, and I’m nervous to move the crypts anyway. I have a 60p to fill eventually when the building work is done - and ideally I want to downsize to 2 tanks anyway. Hmmm.



Looks great, but maybe remove some of the plants blocking the light at the top, you may rediscover enthusiasm for it with better light


----------



## Robbie X (21 Nov 2021)

Love it. 👍🏻


----------



## aec34 (2 Jan 2022)

I removed the last of the wood a few weeks back, including the twig suspended over the top of the tank. The moss had grown a treat, so I’ve shoehorned it into the 10 l.
I ended up building a little shelf at the back of the 20 by piling some dragonstone up at the back, then sitting epiphytes on pebbles on them. I moved the bulk of the shrimp out, and lobbed in some thin branches with moss badly superglued to them and a sucker cup pot thing. (And an amazing weird floating plant from @shangman which I LOVE.)
This all worked pretty well, but with building work on the horizon and no real purpose for this tank now and a need to consolidate things, today I shut it down. Final pic - until I set it up again some day 🙂


----------



## Frenchie (3 Jan 2022)

Nice one, I like the overgrown look your got at the end there.


----------



## aec34 (3 Jan 2022)

Frenchie said:


> Nice one, I like the overgrown look your got at the end there.


There is no other way 🙂


----------



## shangman (3 Jan 2022)

😍😍 Glad you like it, looks like it's got some lovely new leaves! It all looks great, that moss in a few months is gonna be THICK 😍


----------

