# Boulder Dash - Mini S



## The_Iceman (13 Apr 2015)

Ahoi UKAPS!

As my next bigger project still needs some additional time, I thought it would be a good idea to start something "smaller" in the meantime 

I had some spare stones left, including some Soil, so I bought a small Mini S for the Window sill 

It will be nothing fancy, just a plain simple Iwagumi including:

Riccia Fluitans Mini
HCC
perhaps UG in the background
Eleocharis Mini or Helanthium Tenellum

ADA Aqua Soil Amazonia was used for the bigger hill in the back, but I used the "Powder" to cover the rough, big soil in the front and on top of everything.

As a filter I will use a plain, simple Eheim Skim.

But before I'm going to write even more, here are the first pics of the "Boulder Dash":





And the top view:




For sure, the small stones will be covered later on, but well, looks kind of natural this way 

Cheers,
Chris


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## Robert H. Tavera (13 Apr 2015)

Very nice again Chris,  You're evolving nicely as an aquascaper!


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## James D (13 Apr 2015)

Looks great so far mate! Looking forward to seeing it planted.


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## Greenfinger2 (13 Apr 2015)

Hi Ice, Fab rock work  Looking forward to following this little project


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## Vivian Andrew (14 Apr 2015)

Nice scape Chris


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## stefanprisacariu (14 Apr 2015)

The hardscape is impressive ...


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## Alexander Belchenko (24 Apr 2015)

how could I missed that new journal? Great start Chris, keep it updated!


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## The_Iceman (24 Apr 2015)

Thank you guys! Will update everything as soon as possible (when I'm back home from my trip to Florida) 


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## Greenfinger2 (24 Apr 2015)

Enjoy Your Holiday  Florida Nice


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## The_Iceman (10 May 2015)

Ahoi UKAPS,

sorry guys, it took a while to get everything sorted 

Finally had the time to finish the Mini S and do some work on the 60P.
First things first, here is the update:





Plants are HCC and Riccia "Dwarf". Starting "dry" now, to see how the HCC will grow in, as it was not very much left in my spare plant box 

Cheers,
Chris


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## Ryan Thang To (10 May 2015)

It would amazing to mix ironman in with the hardscape


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## DGR (10 May 2015)

That's new for you I think... I mean starting dry. I like it, Chris! It looks peaceful.. A small beauty!

Cheers,
Daniel


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## viktorlantos (10 May 2015)

It's great what you did with the stones. On the top view i thought the stone group are in the back since the tank is small, but bringing them to the front part gave a perfect deepness to the layout. Love what you did with it. And the stones looks superb.


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## The_Iceman (10 May 2015)

Thanks guys


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## luckyjim (10 May 2015)

Very artfully done Iceman, a serene little scape.

What kind of hardware will you be using? Filter and CO2 set up? I see you are using your modified Ikea Led.


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## The_Iceman (11 May 2015)

Hi luckyjim,

as I don't need much filtration this time, I think I will use my Eheim Skim OR (if I'm really going to spend some additional bucks) the ADA Vuppa as filter.

CO2 will be either BioCO2 or the Fluval CO2 Set or the Tropica one... both are looking quite nice and very cheap compared to other systems.

My IKEA light will be changed to a Flexi Mini LED soon 

Cheers,
Chris


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## DGR (11 May 2015)

Does the upgraded IKEA light have more power than the Flexi Mini LED or am I wrong?


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## Dantrasy (11 May 2015)

Really good hardscape man! 

I'd be tempted to round down the front left and right soil, accentuate the curve you have going on. (my 2c)


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## The_Iceman (11 May 2015)

Thanks Dantrasy,

I feel honoured after seeing your fantastic Ohko Ocean!
You mean the soil foreground, right?

Actually I thought about it, but I prefer the Amano-like "flat and even" front 

@Daniel: Well the Flexi Mini has more Lumen than my Ikea light  In terms of filtratrion: I will now build something on my own... stay tuned


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## Robert H. Tavera (13 May 2015)

Hey, that Stark Industries' led ligth looks great !!!!! I guess they work fine as all Tony Stark's inventions do !!


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## The_Iceman (14 May 2015)

Good morning UKAPS,

have a small update today, nothing special.
HCC is growing in nicely, but the Riccia "Dwarf" takes some time, can't see any new growth here.

I replaced the IKEA light and my mini filter is finished 










Cheers,
Chris


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## Sk3lly (14 May 2015)

Really great idea for the mini filter Chris. Very smart! Even looks great too


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## Alexander Belchenko (14 May 2015)

Looks like the flow pump?


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## The_Iceman (14 May 2015)

Yes Alexander, it's actually just a flow pump (circulator 500) 
But it looked sooooo ugly, like the Eheim Skim, that I slightly modified the usage and attached an in- and outlfow


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## Alexander Belchenko (14 May 2015)

ADA Vuppa maybe not so ugly?


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## DGR (14 May 2015)

The_Iceman said:


> HCC is growing in nicely, but the Riccia "Dwarf" takes some time, can't see any new growth here.


Patience you must have my young padawan. 

It's just the fourth day, Chris. If I see right, the Riccia is tied to stones? With other mosses takes relative long time to see any growth at all. How long are you planing to do the dry start? I think for you is important that the HCC grows steady roots and after that you can fill it with water.


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## DGR (14 May 2015)

DGR said:


> How long are you planing to do the dry start?


Question just right away in Flickr answered


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## The_Iceman (14 May 2015)

Call me Mr. Impatient, Daniel 

Couldn't resist the dark side of the force 
Only thing I have to do tomorrow, is to exchange the CO2 Diffusor with a hang on mini model.

Alex: I tried the Vuppa, but it's still too big for this little Mini S in my opinion. I like the clean look so far.

Here we go: Day 1

















The Aquael Circulator 500 seems to do the trick very well!
I reduced to flow to the lowest setting possible.









I definitely like the look 

Cheers,
Chris


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## Alexander Belchenko (14 May 2015)

I must agree - your glassware and custom external canister look great!


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## Sk3lly (14 May 2015)

Chris how is the water being heated??


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## The_Iceman (14 May 2015)

It's not heated Sk3lly...

I have 22° water temperature at the moment, because of the room temperature. 
When it's getting cold, later this year, I'll think about a heater


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## luckyjim (14 May 2015)

It is a master stroke of hardware customisation and miniaturisation. Amano (and the rest of Japan) would be proud.

The only thing I think detracts from it all is the CO2 tubing. Sort that out somehow and it will be as close to perfect as it is possible to get (without drilling holes through the bottom/sides of the tank for filter inlet/outlet).


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## Sk3lly (14 May 2015)

The_Iceman said:


> It's not heated Sk3lly...
> 
> I have 22° water temperature at the moment, because of the room temperature.
> When it's getting cold, later this year, I'll think about a heater


Ah makes sense


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## Alexander Belchenko (14 May 2015)

I wonder how do you fill the pump with water to start it?


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## The_Iceman (14 May 2015)

Alexander Belchenko said:


> I wonder how do you fill the pump with water to start it?



I attached a small flexible tube at the outlflow and sucked water into the pump.


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## The_Iceman (15 May 2015)

luckyjim said:


> It is a master stroke of hardware customisation and miniaturisation. Amano (and the rest of Japan) would be proud.
> 
> The only thing I think detracts from it all is the CO2 tubing. Sort that out somehow and it will be as close to perfect as it is possible to get (without drilling holes through the bottom/sides of the tank for filter inlet/outlet).



Just for you luckyjim:





A minor hardware upgrade! And I must say... this thing is amazing! The best diffuser I had so far with ultra tiny micro bubbles... A lot of them! And that's with bio CO2!





Cheers,
Chris


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## Ryan Thang To (15 May 2015)

nice diffuser


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## Alexander Belchenko (15 May 2015)

Sexy thing, really. Can you say exact model name/number?


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## The_Iceman (15 May 2015)

Sure Alexander,

it's an ADA Pollen Glass Mini (Article Code 102-1012) without suction cups, just a hang on diffuser.

Filter In- and Outflow are coming from Aqua Rebel, awesome quality for a reasonable price!


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## luckyjim (15 May 2015)

Awesome, this is such a great set up.

Personally would prefer it without the branding, but that's nitpicking


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## Greenfinger2 (16 May 2015)

Hi Ice, Fab little scape  The water pump is a cool idea  The whole thing looks so sexy


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## banthaman.jm (16 May 2015)

Loving the scape Ice, great rock work and plant choices.  One to watch 
Jim


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## adamt4050 (17 May 2015)

Awesome aquascape so far! Cant wait to see more of this.
I don't know if I missed this while reading, so apologies if I did, but what rocks/hardscape are you using?


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## The_Iceman (17 May 2015)

Thanks Adam,

I'm using Manten stone for the hardscape.

Cheers,
Chris


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## Andy D (17 May 2015)

It looks great and I just love what you have done with the pump. 

I have been considering setting up a small ADA tank but have very little room to fit it and a filter. This may have just solved that problem!


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## The_Iceman (18 May 2015)

Thanks Andy,

it is working quite well at the moment. No cloudy water and everything is growing very fast!
But you have to consider, that you will move ALL biological filtration to the inside of the tank and of course NO mechanical filtration will be there.
Keep that in mind if you want to add shrimps  

But it looks nice and sleek 




 
Cheers, 
Chris


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## Alexander Belchenko (18 May 2015)

Like your minimalistic table.


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## luckyjim (18 May 2015)

Very steep aquasoil slope at the back there, surprised it isn't slipping down?


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## The_Iceman (18 May 2015)

I have to be very careful during water changes, but apart from that.. .it's working well 
Will be no problem in one week anymore when the HCCs root system has established.

Plus: It helped to use the regular sized Aqua Soil below the "powder version".
Powder was only used at the front (to make those huge sized soil orbs invisible) and on top of everything.


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## Iain Sutherland (18 May 2015)

How are you finding the Flexi Mini?  Smart looking lights but not cheap for size...  Are they dimmable? as was considering for my low tech shrimp tanks but think will be too much without dimming.

Great use of space though, very smart and well put together tank.


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## The_Iceman (18 May 2015)

Hi Iain,

the Flex Mini is awesome! I really like the color rendition and light output! Much better than any Aquasky available, but NOT dimmable.


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## The_Iceman (25 May 2015)

Hi UKAPS,

sorry for the, sort of latish, update!
The cycling of this tank was a nightmare, don't ask me why! But finally things are running smooth, the diatoms are retreating and the first "cleaning crew" has arrived! 

I also tinkered around with my camera settings (white balance) to reflect the colours of the scape better.

Here are some updates of day 11:

















Manten under water is simply beautiful! Can't get enough of these stones:





Riccia dwarf is finally going off like crazy and mixing with the HCC!   You can still see some Diatoms on the stones.





Cheers,
Chris


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## Sk3lly (25 May 2015)

Rubbish!! Wheres the full tank shot!!!! Im sure it looks great Chris, just like your other work


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## The_Iceman (25 May 2015)

Haha Sk3lly  Thanks...

Well, actually, I think I'll wait a little bit until I post the next FTS 
I had a nice, perhaps "too different" idea or approach for the upcoming EAPLC and I want to give it a try first...


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## The_Iceman (28 May 2015)

Not really a FTS... but just for you Sk3lly 



 

Time to trim the Riccia, otherwise it will grow over my HCC 

Cheers,
Chris


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## The_Iceman (19 Jul 2015)

Sorry guys... had not much time recently and I guess I owe you an update!

Riccia Dwarf completely melted away because of the high ammonia spike and the tank looked like a mess. 
But finally everything is fine now, I can even spot some remaining Riccia here and there...
I printed a photo background, but have to change the background light, it's way to blue.



 

Most likely I'll re-print the back a little bit darker and only add a light source to the moon (plain white without a blue hue).

Cheers,
Chris


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## tim (19 Jul 2015)

Looks great Chris


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## Greenfinger2 (20 Jul 2015)

Hi Chris, Sorry to hear about the Riccia melt  I sure what is left will bounce back 

Scape is looking great love the backing great idea


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## johnchoi (20 Jul 2015)

It is great! i like it!


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## Alexander Belchenko (20 Jul 2015)

I guess you need to print exactly 1/4 of the moon circle, and with reflections on the glass and water surface - you'll get the full circle. What do you think?


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## The_Iceman (20 Jul 2015)

Will give it a try, Alexander... sounds like a good idea!
I'm preparing the new Background now with less... purple and more black


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## Ryan Thang To (20 Jul 2015)

looks really nice to me. great job

cheers
ryan

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## The_Iceman (20 Jul 2015)

Sorry guys... I'm somehow in a photo mood today 


Majestic Oyaishi by Christian Witt, auf Flickr

Om nom nom by Christian Witt, auf Flickr

Red Ruby 2 by Christian Witt, auf Flickr

Bubble bath by Christian Witt, auf Flickr

Valley of Rock by Christian Witt, auf Flickr

Red Ruby by Christian Witt, auf Flickr

Between some rocks by Christian Witt, auf Flickr

Fukuishi by Christian Witt, auf Flickr

Hiding in the background by Christian Witt, auf Flickr


Bad iPhone quality but ... yeah hehe...

Cheers
Chris


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## Robert H. Tavera (22 Jul 2015)

really beautiful !! Are you going to add some fish to your tiny tank?


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## The_Iceman (23 Jul 2015)

I don't think I'll add fish here.
I have quite a high flow in there... the fish would feel like being in a mixer, plus 12 Liter is way too small.


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## The_Iceman (2 Aug 2015)

Finished the last trimming before the final shot next week.

The Last Trim before the final shot... by Christian Witt, auf Flickr

I added some small stones, that will be grown in next week.
Most likely, I will not add any additional background light (as seen here), it's too bright for my taste (and blueish).

Cheers,
Chris


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## Dantrasy (2 Aug 2015)

Love the low hc


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## Andy D (5 Aug 2015)

Hi Chris,

Scape looks great! How are you finding the Spin lily pipe?


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## The_Iceman (6 Aug 2015)

Hi Andy,

The Spin Type is really great for small tanks with an more or less overpowered filter. But I would not recommend it for bigger tanks. It really limits the flow quite well.

Good for a Mini S - M size tank with a powerfull filter.


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## Andy D (6 Aug 2015)

Thanks Chris!

I recently bought a Mini-M so I am trying to decide upon the best filter and lily pipe set. 

Any recommendations?


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## The_Iceman (6 Aug 2015)

I'm super happy with the SuperJet ES-300 on my Mini S, but imho still a little bit too powerful 
Would be a perfect match for the M imho.

The good thing (apart from the price) you get the ADA in- and outflow included.

Apart from that, an EHEIM classic 250 + some nice lily pipes will do the trick, too! Especially if the filter is placed in a cabinet.
I used this hang on in- and outflow before, will do the trick too 

https://www.aquasabi.de/aquascaping/filterung/ein-auslauf/aqua-rebell-glass-mini-inflow 
https://www.aquasabi.de/aquascaping/filterung/ein-auslauf/aqua-rebell-glass-jet-pipe


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## Andy D (6 Aug 2015)

Thanks Chris!

I have been eyeing up the Superjet especially as there is 15% off at the moment. With that being said I still don't think I can stretch to it at the moment. Would you opt for the standard outflow for the Mini M?

With the Superjet can you get to the impeller to clean it?

(Sorry for taking up your journal with this. I hope you don't mind!)


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## dfinn (6 Aug 2015)

Yeh the Hc is looking great!


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## The_Iceman (6 Aug 2015)

No worries Andy 

Yes, I would go for the standard one. Daniel (DGR here in the message board) had some troubles with the spin, because of flow issues in the M, after he switched to the regular outflow, everything was fine.

Well, yes, somehow you can open up the pump and clean it. I have seen it here:
http://scapeclub.org/forum/showthre...et-ES300-Pump-(ZL-38-22)-Disassembly-Pictures 

But it's not really easy going I would say.
The Superjet isn't really something for "quick maintenance"  it's more like an old sturdy sports car. Powerfull, beautiful, legendary and not easy to handle


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## Andy D (6 Aug 2015)

Thanks Chris!

I think for know I will start with the Eheim and Aqua Rebel pipes and get the Superjet in a few months and the Eheim/Aqua Rebel combo can be a back up.


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## The_Iceman (4 Sep 2015)

Alright guys,

that's it for the Mini S.
Here is the final shot send to EAPLC:


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## DGR (4 Sep 2015)

Wish you good luck, Chris!


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## The_Iceman (4 Sep 2015)

Same for you, Daniel


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## Greenfinger2 (4 Sep 2015)

Hi Chris, Good luck mate Nice scape


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