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Stu's 60L QubiQ Low Tech Desktop Cube

uk_sjo

uk_sjo

Member
Joined
25 Feb 2024
Messages
40
Location
Essex, UK
First tank since I gave up saltwater in maybe 2012 or so.. decided it would be nice to have something on the home office desk to help pass the day by.. so here I am, attempting to do a low-tech, low to zero maintenance planted tank.. I've had freshwater in the past, but plants surviving was more luck than judgement, but even still I don't intend to get too much into the weeds (pun) on this one.. (Famous last words)..

So here it is, a 'Superfish' QubiQ 60 litre. It's a cheap tank, with some pretty questionable silicone work, but hopefully it'll survive the process..

I've spent the last week or so obsessing with learning as much as I can, but popped up to see Pete at @Riverwood Aquatics for a bit of advice, and ended up with substrate, wood and some accessories.. Highly recommend, fantastic selection, great service..

After watching more videos than I care to remember (MD etc), i'm intending to use soil in the rear 'half', with a barrier, and then a medium-fine sand at the front.. I think i've got the gear, but the idea.. who knows :)

Here it is so far...

Forward view
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View from my desk
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View from her desk
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Birds eye
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I was just thinking about these. MD has done a couple recently.
I was wondering how the filter was and apparently theres room for a heater within the compartment?
 
si walker said:
I was just thinking about these. MD has done a couple recently.
I was wondering how the filter was and apparently theres room for a heater within the compartment?
Click to expand...

No experience of the filter yet, I think it's just a coarse foam cartridge but suspect you could modify that if you wanted other media.

Yes there is a slot for a heater. The 60L is recommended to use a 100W heater which sticks out the bottom of the filter housing. I believe if you can get away with a standard size 50W heater then it doesn't stick out.
 
Conort2 said:
I think it looks good, I’d leave it as it is.

Once the plants grow in you’ll be surprised how much of that wood is hidden.
Click to expand...

I've made a slight change to the wood... I'm trying not to look at the original photos above, as I am not sure what I prefer - but in this instance, it's not glued, so that's going to be the way! This is the way!

1709740703063.png




Going to try and create something in this style... I think I have what I need now! I've got a bunch of different grades of sand, gravel, rocks... Will post up actual products as and when.

1709740633857.png
 
uk_sjo said:
@MichaelJ
Click to expand...

Assuming the Minimum and Maximum column above in the "Brewers information" table are the seasonal variations in your area, there are not much to do about it other than start blending in some RO water if you want to reduce your water hardness. Your water is pretty consistent (very hard) throughout the year and that is a good thing... however, things that sticks out is your high Sulphate and Chloride levels, and especially high Sodium level (Na) in 40 ppm range - that is usually something we really want to avoid. Even your seasonal change in Nitrate level could become an issue.

Personally I would blend in at least 50% RO water to reduce your hardness, Sodium, Chloride and Sulphate levels if not switching to 100% RO water altogether and just remineralize from there. With a 60L tank such as this doing say 40-50% weekly water changes it should be manageable - accounting for the amount of hardscape and substrate I see on the pictures, I would guess you would only need to buy or produce 20-25 L per week depending on the WC %. Even a small and affordable RO unit you plug onto a kitchen or bathroom tap when in use can do that in 2-3 hours.

Cheers,
Michael
 
MichaelJ said:
Assuming the Minimum and Maximum column above in the "Brewers information" table are the seasonal variations in your area, there are not much to do about it other than start blending in some RO water if you want to reduce your water hardness. Your water is pretty consistent (very hard) throughout the year and that is a good thing... however, things that sticks out is your high Sulphate and Chloride levels, and especially high Sodium level (Na) in 40 ppm range - that is usually something we really want to avoid. Even your seasonal change in Nitrate level could become an issue.

Personally I would blend in at least 50% RO water to reduce your hardness, Sodium, Chloride and Sulphate levels if not switching to 100% RO water altogether and just remineralize from there. With a 60L tank such as this doing say 40-50% weekly water changes it should be manageable - accounting for the amount of hardscape and substrate I see on the pictures, I would guess you would only need to buy or produce 20-25 L per week depending on the WC %. Even a small and affordable RO unit you plug onto a kitchen or bathroom tap when in use can do that in 2-3 hours.
Click to expand...

Thanks Michael. The intent for this tank is low-zero maintenance. My first question to answer will be 'What can survive happily in these tap water conditions?'. I don't mind being limited on types of plant, or livestock. However, if it's a case of 'nothing will be happy' or 'constant algae issues', then I will have to adapt and change the water regime. I am not going to buy an RO unit, however I can buy it locally for a few cents per litre, so it's not too bad. I was hoping to get away with a 17% WC weekly, simply because I have a spare 10L container which I was going to purpose for WC (using a closed-loop/pump system).

If i'm not mistaken, @dw1305 may live in an area of similar water, and uses a mix of tap/RO - so interested in his input too :)
 
So some progress with the hardscape..

My side

1709748964307.png



Her side

1709749043749.png



The backside :)

1709749070038.png




The rear section (closest to the filter, behind the wood), will have Tropica aquarium soil. The front section will be sand. There will be a selection of slightly coarser sand around the rocks and some stones/pebbles to decorate.

Finishing off the hardscape will probably be all i'll do until after Easter. Then it'll be what plants, where, and water!


Thanks for watching.
 
uk_sjo said:
Thanks Michael. The intent for this tank is low-zero maintenance. My first question to answer will be 'What can survive happily in these tap water conditions?'. I don't mind being limited on types of plant, or livestock. However, if it's a case of 'nothing will be happy' or 'constant algae issues', then I will have to adapt and change the water regime. I am not going to buy an RO unit, however I can buy it locally for a few cents per litre, so it's not too bad. I was hoping to get away with a 17% WC weekly, simply because I have a spare 10L container which I was going to purpose for WC (using a closed-loop/pump system).
Click to expand...
Well, if you only will be doing 17% per week that is definitely doable with tons of plants and a low to very moderate stocking level when the tank is mature, and thats the key - initially you will have to do more until the tank matures. I do 25-30% every two weeks in my very mature tanks, so thats even less than 17% weekly!) ... so 17% that amount to 10 L per week in your 60L tank... if you mix that with say at least 5 L of RO water (preferably 6-7 L to bring down that Sodium level to a more reasonable ~12 ppm) you should be fine and you don't have to worry about adding minerals - you just have to add NPK and traces (Iron).

When you initially add water to the tank make sure you keep that ratio... you don't want to start your tank up with pure tap containing up to 48 ppm of sodium if you can avoid it.

uk_sjo said:
If i'm not mistaken, @dw1305 may live in an area of similar water, and uses a mix of tap/RO - so interested in his input too :)
Click to expand...
Darrel uses rainwater with a splash of tap... :) probably for many of the same reasons I pointed out above as well as conservation.

Cheers,
Michael
 
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Hi all,
uk_sjo said:
'What can survive happily in these tap water conditions?'.
Click to expand...
That is always my starting point, it just makes life a lot less stressful. Have a look at <"Cryptocoryne Parva Carpet">
uk_sjo said:
If i'm not mistaken, @dw1305 may live in an area of similar water, and uses a mix of tap/RO - so interested in his input too :)
Click to expand...
<"I do">, but @MichaelJ is right, I'm really a <"rainwater user">. I have the advantage that our tap water is <"very similar in parameters at all times">.
MichaelJ said:
...... Darrel uses rainwater with a splash of tap... :) probably for many of the same reasons I pointed out above as well as conservation.....
Click to expand...

Cheers Darrel
 
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MichaelJ said:
you don't want to start your tank up with pure tap containing up to 48 ppm of sodium if you can avoid it.
Click to expand...
Darrel / @dw1305 what's your thinking on the Sodium levels (as much as 48 ppm) that @uk_sjo have to deal with? In isolation, I am actually thinking it's more of an issue for the plants rather than livestock at this level (at much higher level it will of course long term become detrimental to the freshwater fish as well). when I was struggling with similar Na issues back in the day (when I was blending RO and tap water softened with NaCl) I believe I read that elevated levels of Na greatly reduced the amount of essential Ca and K in plant tissue among other potential uptake interferences.

Cheers,
Michael
 
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Hi all,
MichaelJ said:
Darrel / @dw1305 what's your thinking on the Sodium levels (as much as 48 ppm) that @uk_sjo have to deal with?
Click to expand...
They aren't ideal, but there isn't much that @uk_sjo can do about them. This is @xZaiox thread (water from the other side of the Thames estuary) <"How much sodium can aquatic plants tolerate?"> Anything that grows in <"Lake Tanganyika"> should be fine, it is a sodium, and carbonate (CO3--), rich lake.

Limestone aquifer water has some sodium present <"Principal aquifers in England and Wales | Aquifer, shale and clay maps | Aquifers and shales | Groundwater | Our research | British Geological Survey (BGS)">, but the source of the "extra" sodium (Na) could be sea water intrusion into the aquifer or surface run-off from road salting. You also have high levels of sulphates (SO4---), which probably relate to the geochemistry of the glacial till that overlies the aquifer.

This is a tiny bit further north than where the OP lives <"Principal aquifers in England and Wales | Aquifer, shale and clay maps | Groundwater | Our research | British Geological Survey (BGS)"> & <"https://www.nwg.co.uk/globalassets/...rmp24---environmental-report---appendix-g.pdf">

In terms of road salting I've not been that far east recently, but we have a lot of coastal saltmarsh plants along our motorways and major roads. The really obvious one at the moment is Danish Scurvy-grass (Cochlearia danica) and now it is flowering it forms a pale mauve ribbon along the major roads in S. Britain <"Observations">. This is Dittander (Lepidium latifolium), another maritime plant, enjoying itself in Watford. <"broadleaved pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium)">.

cheers Darrel
 
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dw1305 said:
<"How much sodium can aquatic plants tolerate?">
Click to expand...

Yes, I remember that thread, now that you bring it up.

Anyway, if @uk_sjo is not going to blend with any RO water and stick to hardier plants in the easy category - especially some of the plants mentioned in the thread - it will probably be ok even at the elevated Na level. And additionally stick to hardier fish that works in very hard water in general due to the high dGH of the tap, but also the overall high levels of other salts (Sulphate, Chloride in particular).

Cheers,
Michael
 
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