# my first nano 'Swan H'



## hellohefalump (7 Jan 2009)

Well... today my new opti white nano tank came in the post from Aqua Essentials.  So the journal begins!

I've never had a nano before.  My current tank is 100gals!  This one is 2.5gals I think.  This is also the first time I've used and opti white tank, Aqua Soil, kept shrimp, used a HOB, or used mini landscape rock.

*Tank:* Opti White 12*8*8
*Filtration:* Azoo Mignon 260 HOB filter
*Lighting:* 2X 11watt lamps.  One from Sam (my undying thanks!)and one from ebay. Cheap alternative to Arc Pods.
*Heating:* tiny Hydor flat thing
*Substrate:* Aquasoil Amazonia powder
*Ferts:* TPN+ 
*CO2:* Easycarbo
*Hardscape:* Mini Landscape rocks
*Flora:* HC, P Helferi, hygro polysperma (this is temporary until I get some Blyxa Japonica.  Hygro is in the tank at the moment for the sole reason that it's a fast growing stem plant)
*Fauna:* Cherry Shrimp (not yet there because I'm waiting for AS ammonia spike to go down).

From the beginning...

This got off to a bad start.  My tank arrived just before Christmas, but unfortunately had broken in the post:




Luckily, Aqua Essentials were really good about it and agreed to send me another one, after Christmas/New Year, as the large volume of parcels going through the post meant that some weren't being treated with very much care over Christmas!

My new tank arrived this morning, in perfect condition   

I forgot to take a pic of the tank empty, but here's a pic of the tank with some Aqua soil powder in it:




I put in the AS the 'normal' way.  Thin at the front, getting thicker at the back.  I then realised that my HOB intake goes down quite far and I couldn't have thick substrate in the back right corner.  So I rearranged it so that the soil on the right side is low and slopes upwards towards the left. 

I then messed around with hardscape arrangement.  First I tried to break up my bigger rock into smaller pieces.  However, I didn't have a chisel so I used two hammers.  I used the claw side as a chisel and banged it with the other hammer.  Needless to say, this didn't work.  So I gave up, and I still have one huge rock, and one smaller one.

Here is the arrangement I came up with.  I think it looks like a swan.  Or at the very least, a duck or goose:




Here is a small quantity of HC that I've been keeping alive in a small tank upstairs.  Unfortunately, I didn't put a filter on it, thinking 'I have no fish in here it doesn't matter'.  I just had a small powerhead for flow.  So the HC is full of gunk and a lot of it is unusable.  It turned out to be enough though.




I meant to take lots of photos, but I managed to get so absorbed in the planting process that I forgot.  Here's some pictures of the tank all done though:

























Conclusions:
I really should invest in some planting tools.  In my 100gal, I use my fingers and a sharp pair of scissors with no problems.  Doing this tank has made me see the need for tweezers, curved tweezers, curved scissors and a rake.

The HOB is quite noisey, I think there is air trapped in it.  I'm going to leave it for now and hopefully overnight it will have got better.

I love the opti white glass, it's so clear!

This took less time than I thought it would and I'm pleased with it.  Can't wait for it to cycle and for the ammonia to go down so I can add shrimp!


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## Superman (7 Jan 2009)

I love the these nano's and whilst I'm going to use it as a breeding tank for a while, I'm itching to set it up as a scape but am taking the time to take in information.
I do agree with you that there is a higher need to have planting tools even more so when in nano's that you'll be dealing with HC.

I think the large rock is a little overpowering and if you can't break it up, it might be an idea to put some sort of moss on it, like Christmas Moss that grows across ways rather than up (that's what I think anyway!).

I must say tho that the positioning of the P. Helferi given the rock positioning is spot on.


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## Mark Evans (7 Jan 2009)

well your off to a flying start. great stuff!

everything seems to be in order, even though the largest stone is quite dominant , it still looks strangely correct. due to the smaller nature of the tank you may get away with out a heater. monitor the temps with and without. ambient room temp might be enough.

i'm looking forward to scaping mine when it arrives 

mark


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## hellohefalump (7 Jan 2009)

Thanks very much for your feedback guys!  I can do with all the help I can get!  

My partner has offered to try and break the big rock for me in a more manly way with correct tools, but I've said to leave it and I'm going to see whether it grows on me, or grates.

I just realised... I forgot to spread mulm under the soil!  Would it work if I got a filter sponge from my other tank and gave it a squeeze into this one?  I know the water would be cloudy, but that's really not an issue, since I have no livestock in there yet.  I'm thinking the filter would filter out the cloudiness, as well as the bacteria?


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## Mark Evans (8 Jan 2009)

hellohefalump said:
			
		

> I forgot to spread mulm under the soil! Would it work if I got a filter sponge from my other tank and gave it a squeeze into this one?



personally I'd leave it. let it do its thing.

if you do get your partner to bash it up, remember that you want to keep the good face of the rock, so think how the stone will break when hit. look for fault lines or cracks before hand.serioyo stone is like a peice of beef....cut with the grain kinda deal.

 ultimately, and I've done it, you can render a rock useless if you hit it wrong.


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## hellohefalump (8 Jan 2009)

Thanks Mark 

Well, I'm glad I took photos last night, because today the water has gone a bit yellow.  I'm guessing that's the aquasoil.  

Does carbon soak up ferts?  Because I'm thinking of putting in carbon to sort the yellowness.

The HOB is still very noisey - anyone have any advise?  I'm sure it's got air in it, but it's not shifting.  I've tried turning it on and off and giving it a shake.


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## Mark Evans (8 Jan 2009)

hellohefalump said:
			
		

> Does carbon soak up ferts?



your fine with carbon. amano runs carbon a lot. strange you should get yellowing from AS though. 

water change often in the first few weeks.


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## hellohefalump (8 Jan 2009)

I'm planning on doing a 50% water change daily.  It's only slight yellowing, not anything major, but I'll see what happens.  I'm inclined to leave it alone for at least a week and see if it clears on it's own.


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## beeky (8 Jan 2009)

Nice work. Has anyone done HC without CO2 injection before? Will be interesting to see how it develops.

Interesting close up pic of the AS powder. Bigger grain size than I was expecting. I was thinking it would be like sand grains.


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## JohnC (8 Jan 2009)

beeky said:
			
		

> Nice work. Has anyone done HC without CO2 injection before? Will be interesting to see how it develops.
> 
> Interesting close up pic of the AS powder. Bigger grain size than I was expecting. I was thinking it would be like sand grains.



in my 10L pico and previous 2L cubes i had it in it only went well when i added at least liquid CO2 (easycarbo). Although i neglected the overall dosing in both cases, the HC was healthy and spreading with the easycarbo.

John


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## Themuleous (8 Jan 2009)

Great start, keep us posted on progress 

Sam


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## hellohefalump (8 Jan 2009)

> Has anyone done HC without CO2 injection before? Will be interesting to see how it develops.


I'm not using no CO2 at all, I'm using easy carbo.  I like the idea of it being an algaecide aswell, plus it keeps extra equipment out of the tank.


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## hellohefalump (11 Jan 2009)

Caught the cat drinking out of the tank today.  It has easy carbo in it and I've heard it's toxic - will the cat suffer from using the tank as a drinking bowl?

Things are progressing fine, the filter is less noisy, the hygro has finally stopped uprooting, and I think the HC may be growing a bit.


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## Superman (11 Jan 2009)

hellohefalump said:
			
		

> Caught the cat drinking out of the tank today.  It has easy carbo in it and I've heard it's toxic - will the cat suffer from using the tank as a drinking bowl?


When/if you get easycarbo on your skin it does irritate a bit - it does me. 
Best to keep an eye on the cat although, I would of those that it's diluted in the water it should be ok.


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## hellohefalump (11 Jan 2009)

Thanks Clark I'll keep an eye on the cat.  It's best she doesn't drink from it though because once the shrimp are in, shemight get excited and knock the whole tank down!  Silly cat... they get fresh drinking water every day but they still prefer to drink out of puddles... and now fish tanks.

I will try and think of ways to thwart the cat!


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## aaronnorth (11 Jan 2009)

The glutaraldehyde is toxic to humans, so keep a very close eye on her, it might not be to bad depending on the dilution in the tank water, and how much she drank.


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## hellohefalump (11 Jan 2009)

we have pearling!

ammonia is at the top end of my test kit - 5mg/l


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## Superman (11 Jan 2009)

Top tip: ignore test kits.

It'll be the leaching from the aquasoil releasing ammonia but the mest thing to just to ignore the test kits as in the long run they cause you more problems than they solve.

Best thing is to look for signs of whats going on with regards to your fish, plants and decor.


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## hellohefalump (11 Jan 2009)

Thanks clark, I don't often use test kits, but I thought it would be a good idea to monitor the ammonia from the aquasoil.  How long does it usually take for the ammonia spike to go down?

Why do you say they cause more problems than they solve?  Is it because they're not all that accurate?  

I think I'm going to calibrate this one by testing the water in my big tank, which I'm sure doesn't have ammonia because the fish are all fine and the filters are very mature.

Good news today - my LFS say that if I can breed cherry shrimp, they'll buy them off me


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## Superman (11 Jan 2009)

Yes, the common understanding is that they're not accurate. 

In addition, I remember from cycling my tank that if you were to add an ammonia remover from the tank it would either
- change the ammonia into something that is undetectable but still harmful to fish.
or
- it would still show ammonia even tho it wasn't harmful to fish.
Either way the reading would be false.

I think they're good if you need to check to see if something's there like ammonia but I wouldn't trust using them in isolation. Say for example, pH then it's low then you go buy a pH+, but then ignored the fact that you inject co2, which will reduce pH. Just some people seem to think that their fish need a pH of x and then spend their money keeping the pH at that level, when it's pointless.


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## Ed Seeley (11 Jan 2009)

I think test kits are invaluable at the start of a tank as they allow you to test for nitrite in particular.  That test is fairly easy to administer and shows pretty clearly whether there is nitrite present or not by any hint of orange or red in the sample.  Just don't believe the level it says necessarily!  Before you add fish nitrite has to be zero IMO.  I never bothered testing for ammonia as it is rapidly turned into nitrite and that is still toxic so a nitrite reading to me says that there's something wrong!

As your tank's still cycling I'd do regular water changes to bring the ammonia down a bit and remove any old bits of plant or debris and that will help prevent any algae getting going too.

I like the tank but the rock at the back doesn't seem to match with the other to me.  Maybe replace it with a bold block of stems instead?


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## hellohefalump (11 Jan 2009)

> I like the tank but the rock at the back doesn't seem to match with the other to me. Maybe replace it with a bold block of stems instead?


I see what you mean, but that's the head of my swan/duck!  

I will definately remove it at some point though.  I like your idea of the block of stems.  Maybe a bright red but small leaved plant?  This tank is going to be my ever changing scape, where I practise.  For the moment I'll stick with it though, seeing as it's the swan's head.

I'm not particularly bothered by my high ammonia and nitrites.  There's nothing alive in there apart from the plants.  I'm going to do this properly, the shrimp will go in when I can manage to maintain 0 ammonia and nitrites.  I don't mind how long that takes, because it'll mean my plants will get established.


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## aaronnorth (11 Jan 2009)

do 50% water changes every day, otherwise you will get algae, you dont have a particularly high plant mass either.


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## Ed Seeley (11 Jan 2009)

hellohefalump said:
			
		

> > I like the tank but the rock at the back doesn't seem to match with the other to me. Maybe replace it with a bold block of stems instead?
> 
> 
> I see what you mean, but that's the head of my swan/duck!
> ...



Sorry about that, I realise that now after you pointed it out!!!  

Good on you for being patient and taking your time - it's one of the keys to s table tank so well done.  I would still do some large water changes though to dilute the ammonia and help prevent algae.  As it's such a small tank 50% every day or so won't be too much work and it does really make the tank sparkle.


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## hellohefalump (11 Jan 2009)

George said NOT to!  viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4249


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## hellohefalump (15 Jan 2009)

Ammonia is slowly coming down - today my test says 1.2mg/l.

I'm doing a water change every other day and dosing just over 0.1mg of easycarbo every day and just over 0.1ml TPN+ every other day.

I trimmed the hygrophila, as it had reached the surface and was starting to grow emersed.  And I've got my first very small amount of algae forming on the front glass, I think it's green dust.


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## Ed Seeley (15 Jan 2009)

Sorry didn't look in here yesterday.  You want ammonia to help mature the filter and cycle the tank but too much will trigger algae.   Bear in mind that the water change does not just remove ammonia but also algae spores and organics in the water.  The aquasoil will supply plenty of ammonia to mature your filter even with water changes.

Sounds like you're getting off to a great start with all the growth.  Don't let the plants get too tall but trim them back.  You cna replant the top sections to get much more plant mass too.


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## hellohefalump (16 Jan 2009)

> Sorry didn't look in here yesterday.


lol I don't expect you to!  

Today I recieved huge amounts of blyxa from Dan (TDI-line)!  Hurrah!  I have planted it and will put pics up later when my partner gets home from work (he has the camera).

Today I spotted some hair algae growing on the HC and P helferi.  I'm at a loss to what has caused this, my circulation is great!  the filter has a 260lph pump and the tank is only 12 litres, less because of the rocks.  All my plants are swaying in the current, HC and P helferi included.  I am going to up my dosing of easy carbo.  Apparently you can overdose up to 3 times and not kill shrimp (info from the green machine).  I'm also going to up my water changes to 50% every day.

I'm thinking of doing my water change after the lights have gone off, then dosing the easy carbo again afterwards.  Would that limit unstable CO2?

Would you guys suggest uping my TPN+ dosing?  At the moment I'm putting in just over 0.1ml, every other day.


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## Themuleous (16 Jan 2009)

Just keep up the ferts and water changes, the algae should go away again given time and once the plants have taken off a bit more  Routine and doing the same things day in day out is often overlooked as an important part of running a highlight tank, IMHO.

In such a small tank I guess doing the water changes after the lights are off would make sense, as you say to stop unstable co2 levels.  It certainly cant do any harm.

Sam


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## Ed Seeley (16 Jan 2009)

You've still got no fish in right?  If so feel free to up the ferts.  The only thing about upping the EasyCarbo is that I thought I remembered reading it wasn't a huge fan of high levels and can melt.  Might want to check with Dan unless someone else has used them together?

Upping the water changes will helpt too and try and remove any algae you can see too.  If you remove all that you can see then there's less in there that can grow and spread.


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## hellohefalump (16 Jan 2009)

Yep, there are no fish and no shrimp.  Eventually this is going to be a cherry shrimp tank.  

I posted this thread: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3765
a while back, and nobody said anything about blyxa not liking easy carbo.  I will ask Dan though...


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## Ed Seeley (16 Jan 2009)

Might just be me getting mixed up - it's been a long week...


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## aaronnorth (16 Jan 2009)

blyxa is fine with easycarbo, it is still unsure whether that it is that what brings on the red tint sometimes seen.


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## hellohefalump (16 Jan 2009)

I thought the red tint was due to high light?  I've never kept it before though so I don't know.


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## aaronnorth (16 Jan 2009)

hellohefalump said:
			
		

> I thought the red tint was due to high light?  I've never kept it before though so I don't know.



There was quite an extensive disussion on it here: viewtopic.php?f=49&t=1733

I dont think it is to do with highlight, as George used it before on his 'Blyxa Hills' and that didnt turn red. Another reason i have seen is due to excess iron dosing.


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## hellohefalump (16 Jan 2009)

Here are pics with blyxa added!

I'm not sure the P Helferi looks right, I'm thinking of replacing it with clumps of java moss - shrimps like moss.

full tank shot:





HC with hair algae shot:


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## Superman (17 Jan 2009)

Wowo, that makes a big difference.
With your P. Helferi, I might suggest that you plant it deeper in the substrate, as its looking a bit too tall. I remember, I removed the lower leaves so I could plant it better.


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## beeky (19 Jan 2009)

Wow, that looks so much better. I really like that.


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## Garuf (19 Jan 2009)

Very nice. The water level is so low though, what's that all about?


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## Superman (19 Jan 2009)

Garuf said:
			
		

> Very nice. The water level is so low though, what's that all about?


maybe the light clamps mean that it's not good to fillnear the top?


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## Garuf (19 Jan 2009)

Oh aye, I wonder how that could be rectified?


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## hellohefalump (19 Jan 2009)

> maybe the light clamps mean that it's not good to fillnear the top?


That's right!

Also, the HOB has a 'tank water level' marker which is rather low too.


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## Garuf (19 Jan 2009)

Chop the bracket of and stick the lamp to a desk lamp.


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## hellohefalump (19 Jan 2009)

but then what about the HOB?


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## Garuf (19 Jan 2009)

You could fill up with more water if you had a better way of mounting those lamps.


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## hellohefalump (21 Jan 2009)

Nick had a good idea of siliconing small pieces of perspex to the sides, and then clamping the lamps to them - raising them up.  Might try it, might not.  TBH the water level doesn't really bother me that much.

Algae's getting worse, it has grown on the big rock and was actually pearling yesterday!  So I scrubbed it off with a toothbrush, and it's back today although not as bad.  There's also fuzzy stuff growing on the AS and a bit on the HC.  

Ammonia is down to 0.1ml/l - so it's nearly gone!  Once it's gone I'm going to see if I can maintain that level for a week (measuring nitrite as well), and if I can then I will be getting some cherry shrimp    maybe that will help the algae.

I'm now doing over 50% water changes a day.  More like 65-70% I think.

I'm thinking of putting a couple of nerite snails in as well as the shrimp - what do people think of that idea?


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## hellohefalump (6 Feb 2009)

I will try to get some pictures up soon.  

The HC is growing in very nicely, and the algae growth has slowed down a lot.  

The blyxa, while not growing extremely fast and really thriving, is doing alright, and staying alive.  There was some initial melting, but that has stopped now.  I think it's still getting itself established.

P.Helferi is thriving, although the new shoots are pale.  Now, that's to do with micro nutrient deficiency isn't it?  But I'm adding TPN+ at 2ml after every water change.  This was every day, but since two days ago, it's been every two days.  I'm wondering if the filter cartridge has carbon in it...  it's the cartridge that came with the Mignon - anybody know?

I added some java moss, which is growing in nicely aswell.  Although it does look a bit like someone's chucked shopping trolleys in a beautiful river, due to the steel mesh I'm using to keep it down.  You'll see what I mean when I put the photos up.

Today I decided to do water changes every two days, instead of every day as things seem to be settling.  As my ammonia is 0.1ml/l and my nitrite is 0.025ml/l.  My ammonia has been at 0.1ml for a while now and I thought maybe my test kit was faulty, so that's why I tested the nitrite.  I am STILL waiting for them both to level out at 0, and I'm getting bored waiting now!

A STRANGE THING HAPPENED!!!!!!!  Today, I did my waterchange, and tonight there are small organisms.  There are some tiny white swimming things, smaller than daphnia - like a head and a tail.  Really really small.  And there are some thin white worms, although not very many.  All I can think is maybe they were living in my watering can that I used to do the water change?  But I keep the can indoors, not outside?  It's a red plastic one from B&Q.  Any thoughts?  Will the shrimp eat them when I put them in (when ammonia and nitrite are gone)?


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## Garuf (6 Feb 2009)

A strange thing happened: I've found that aquasoil is loaded with creppy crawlies that appear in the set ups. I never noticed them in my sand tank or when I've stored plants in jars only ever in tanks with AS.


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## hellohefalump (6 Feb 2009)

How strange - I wonder how that could be though seeing as AS is dry when you first get it?  Or do the creepy crawlie eggs dry out and then 'activate' in the water?


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## hellohefalump (7 Feb 2009)

Here are some pictures.  The algae on the big rock looks worse in these pictures than it actually is.  I haven't cleaned the rock for a week either... when the algae was at it's worst, the rock was looking how it is in these pics, after one DAY!

full tank shot





left side




right side




showing new moss growth


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## Nick16 (7 Feb 2009)

looking good   

i ordered two of those lights ages ago, got one but the other never turned up, so im chasing it up, its a real pain (  ) but they are good lights though imo. 

thanks looks healthy now, good new plant growth.


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## TDI-line (7 Feb 2009)

Great pics H.


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## hellohefalump (7 Feb 2009)

thankyou!  TDI - that's your blyxa in there!  The rest is in my 100gal and it's doing even better than the bit in the nano!  No idea why, because it's in sand!  The only thing I can think of, is I'm using pressurised CO2 in the 100gal, and easycarbo in the nano.

Nick I hope your light turns up.


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## Themuleous (8 Feb 2009)

Looking really good  the plants certainly look healthy, the HC especially.

Sam


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## hellohefalump (23 Feb 2009)

hmmm... 

At the begining of the week I got some Nerite snails, who have settled in nicely.  

I haven't changed the water for just over a week to see if the nitrite would remain stable, and I tested it today and it's between colours.  It's between 0 and 0.025.  

This tank has been running since January now, and I'm starting to think that maybe I simply don't have enough media in the filter?  I'm going to cut up a sponge from my big tank and put it in the space in the Mignon.  It will probably slow down flow, but I have quite a lot of flow anyway for such a small tank.

Ammonia is at 0, according to the test kit.

The HC and moss are growing well.  P Helferi is in desparate need of a trim.  Blyxa isn't doing much, but is alive and seems happy enough.

I will try to post pics later.


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## Themuleous (27 Feb 2009)

Humm I would be surprised if you didn't have enough media.  It could just be a duff testing kit, as the tank should be well cycled by now.

Sam


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## hellohefalump (7 Mar 2009)

I put in a cycled bit of media from my big tank just in case, and added shrimp (from Paulo)!  They seem to be settling in nicely and are starting to colour up.  

All good stuff.  Here are pics, notice how the HC and moss have grown:


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## Nick16 (7 Mar 2009)

thats looking lush, well done.


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## John Starkey (7 Mar 2009)

Hi Helena,lovely little nano,the hc looks really healthy,regards john.


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## hellohefalump (7 Mar 2009)

thanks guys!  I'm pretty pleased with this.  It's my first nano, my other tank holds 100gals!


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## samc (7 Mar 2009)

nice one the blyxa is looking great too


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## LondonDragon (7 Mar 2009)

Great looking Nano Helena  congrats 
What kind of moss is that on the rock?


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## Mark Evans (7 Mar 2009)

go girl!    

pretty impressive plant health indeed.


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## Steve Smith (7 Mar 2009)

That Blyxa has such an impact!  Looking great


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## hellohefalump (7 Mar 2009)

> What kind of moss is that on the rock?


I bought it on ebay as java moss.  However, it seems to grow only upwards (I know it looks like it's not, that's because I've been rotating it - I'm trying to hide the mesh).  Having never kept moss before, I don't know if this is normal java moss behaviour?  So yeah... your guess is as good as mine over what type of moss it is!  I got it with the shrimp in mind - I heard they like moss.

Thankyou for all your wonderful comments, they fill my heart with joy and give me hope!


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## TDI-line (8 Mar 2009)

Tank is looking great Helena.


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## LondonDragon (8 Mar 2009)

hellohefalump said:
			
		

> > What kind of moss is that on the rock?
> 
> 
> I bought it on ebay as java moss.  However, it seems to grow only upwards (I know it looks like it's not, that's because I've been rotating it - I'm trying to hide the mesh).  Having never kept moss before, I don't know if this is normal java moss behaviour?  So yeah... your guess is as good as mine over what type of moss it is!  I got it with the shrimp in mind - I heard they like moss.


I thought initially it was stringy moss, looks a lot like it, java moss doesn't like tropical tanks, it does best in very low temperature tanks, otherwise it goes thin and weak, which could be whats happening at the moment.


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## Nick16 (8 Mar 2009)

LondonDragon said:
			
		

> hellohefalump said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


so what mosses do you recommend as i have had java moss and it did ok but not great. can you recommend some cheap easy grow mosses that like warmer tanks (my tank is around 23-25C)


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## LondonDragon (8 Mar 2009)

Nick16 said:
			
		

> so what mosses do you recommend as i have had java moss and it did ok but not great. can you recommend some cheap easy grow mosses that like warmer tanks (my tank is around 23-25C)


All the other mosses do fine except Java moss, the best looking one I have found is Xmas moss and I also like the look of Spiky moss. Fissidens Fontanus on wood looks amazing too, have a look at my journals below for photos of various mosses I have had in my tank.


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## hellohefalump (8 Mar 2009)

Paulo, how low is a very low temparature?  I have turned the heater off on this tank - it's now 21-22 degrees centigrade.

I'm dubious that the moss is java, because someone emailed me who had also bought from the same ebay seller.  They said that they'd bought 'java moss' and recieved ordinary garden moss.


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## LondonDragon (8 Mar 2009)

hellohefalump said:
			
		

> Paulo, how low is a very low temparature?  I have turned the heater off on this tank - it's now 21-22 degrees centigrade.
> I'm dubious that the moss is java, because someone emailed me who had also bought from the same ebay seller.  They said that they'd bought 'java moss' and recieved ordinary garden moss.


I never had Java moss as personally I don't like it since there are better alternatives out there, this is all from what I have read in various places which state that it does better in "cold water".

At first glance it looked to me like String moss: http://www.aquamoss.net/String-Moss-Jap ... n-Moss.htm

But I could be wrong!!


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## hellohefalump (8 Mar 2009)

wow from that link, I think you may be right!

I went to my LFS today, and couldn't resist buying three amano shrimp.  They look HUGE compared to the cherries!


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## LondonDragon (8 Mar 2009)

hellohefalump said:
			
		

> wow from that link, I think you may be right!
> 
> I went to my LFS today, and couldn't resist buying three amano shrimp.  They look HUGE compared to the cherries!



adult amanos are indeed much larger than most other shrimp, including cherries and crs for example. But the ones i sent still have a lot of growing to do


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## hellohefalump (8 Mar 2009)

Paulo I can't tell you how pleased I am with the cherries!  Little ones, big ones, medium ones... they're fantastic.  The bigger ones have a taken on a vivid red colour now, and even the tiniest ones are starting to show their colours.  The tiny ones are VERY cute.  One of them was hitching a ride on the Amano's back earlier!


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## hellohefalump (10 Mar 2009)

I'm sure the cherries have grown already!

I think one the amanos shed it's shell this morning.  How do I tell the difference between a shed shell, and a dead shrimp?  I can only see two live amanos, but ever since I put them in, one has been hiding.  And now this shell/body? turns up...

All the shrimp seem really healthy, including the two amanos I can see, so I don't think I'm having problems...


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## vauxhallmark (10 Mar 2009)

hellohefalump said:
			
		

> I'm sure the cherries have grown already!
> 
> I think one the amanos shed it's shell this morning.  How do I tell the difference between a shed shell, and a dead shrimp?  I can only see two live amanos, but ever since I put them in, one has been hiding.  And now this shell/body? turns up...



The shell will be nearly transparent, and will collapse when you take it out of the water. A dead shrimp is probably pinky, and will still look like a shrimp when you take it out of the water.

Hope it's a shell!

Mark


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## hellohefalump (10 Mar 2009)

From your description it sounds like a shell - falling apart, transparent and not pink!

I've left it in for them to eat, I heard you're meant to do that.


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## LondonDragon (10 Mar 2009)

hellohefalump said:
			
		

> I've left it in for them to eat, I heard you're meant to do that.


Yeah never remove the shells, the shrimp will eat them again to re-enforce the new shell 
Glad you are happy with the shrimp  They do seem to go much darker red on a dark gravel.
I have mine in two tanks now, one with Aquasoil Amazonia and the other with plain gravel, the ones on the ADA are a deeper red and the ones on the gravel are almost transparent, interesting!!


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## hellohefalump (10 Mar 2009)

I've spotted all three amanos at once, so they're healthy and it's definately just a shell.  It's too big to be a cherry shell, so it must be an amano one.


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## a1Matt (12 Mar 2009)

LondonDragon said:
			
		

> hellohefalump said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I missed this ID request until just now... I'd put my money on stringy moss as well.  I have some and it looks just like this. Very fine, delicate, light green moss that grow upwards.

EDIT - nice one getting this instead of java it is much nicer imo/e, and rarer too!


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## hellohefalump (24 Mar 2009)

I will update soon with more photos.  Things are progressing very well still.  Amazing shrimp growth!  Looking back at the old pics from when I last updated, I can't believe how small they used to be!

I'm actually thinking it's now reaching it's 'peak' in terms of growth.  I'm starting to think about bashing the big rock up, and doing a bit of a rescape.

I need to find a better way to weight down my moss.  I think it is indeed, stringy moss, not java.  And as such, it's not going to cover up the mesh.


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## Superman (4 Apr 2009)

It's been a great read this journal, it's certainly helping me with what to expect from the ammonia leeching into the tank, knowing I have the same sized tank, but with a larger filter.
I've been in discussion with a LFS about ordering a set of CRS from them and knowing that your tank took about a month to cycle, I can let them know when I should be ready for them.


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## hellohefalump (5 Apr 2009)

Clark I'm glad my jounal has helped you   

I gave the HC it's first big trim today.  I noticed that a few leaves at the bottom were turning a bit yellow.  So I've uprooted most of it, and spread out what remained.

I'm going on holiday to Spain tommorow (and the weather forcast predicts rain!!).  When I get back I'm going to 'rescape' and bash up that big rock.  

Here is the tank 'before' trim:















And 'after':










This is what I took out:


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## Themuleous (5 Apr 2009)

Thats the HC Im getting?  Wooohooo!!! Looks lush!

Sam


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## hellohefalump (5 Apr 2009)

that's it Sam!


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## Mark Evans (5 Apr 2009)

cor that grew in good helena   

time for another scape when you come back?....


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## hellohefalump (5 Apr 2009)

I hope so.  I have no ideas yet.  I will have to think about it while I'm sat in rainy Spain.


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## aaronnorth (10 Apr 2009)

very nice, interesting use of the moss too.


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