# Mr. Aqua 7.5 gal cube moss cavescape



## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

Waiting for my tank to arrive, and working out the hardscape in the meantime. 

I was heavily inspired my Mot's Moss Canyon, and decided to do my first real try at a proper aquascape. I officially have a case of multiple tank syndrome. My other tank will continue to be my fun, petstore impulse buy tank. This will be dedicated to the look. Might put shrimp in there but this is all about the plants (more specifically, MOSS).

The first challenge was finding stones. I thought about Seiryu, but the stuff is pricy, and after the first couple hundred Iwagumi scapes I have seen, I feel kind of ho hum about Seiryu, and I want to do something unique. Unfortunately, Georgia has a pretty sad selection of natural rocks nearby, so I started looking elsewhere. My goal was to find rocks with lots of detail. I think it gives them a sense of scale when used with small leaved plants, and makes it look like it could be a real landscape. 

I found some great looking slate tiles at Lowes, and after finding a few broken ones I was able to pick them up for about $2 each. They break easily with a hammer and the broken edges result in wonderful jagged features, that look really cool.










After a lot of experimenting, I came up with this, and glued them together using Water Weld. Some of the best looking shards of rock were side/corner pieces, so I decided to put my "cliff" in the corner of the tank. I used two 8.5x11 pieces of paper to mark the boundaries of the 1"x1"x1" space I will eventually be working in.










Also got my Finnex Fugeray in the mail. Very impressed with this little light.









I plan to use only Fissidens, Mini fissidens, and Mini Pellia. Possible some Dwarf Hairgrass in the foreground.


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## Zimmanski (Sep 19, 2012)

Pretty cool, I'm following along! Let me know what you think about the light once you get it on the filled tank, I'm considering it for my fluval flora


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## mot (Sep 17, 2011)

Sweet idea with the slate. That light is awesome. I have an ADA 30c CRS tank with variety of mosses with that same light and all grow well.


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

I like your slate cave!


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## stevencaller (Sep 14, 2012)

Your tank sounds like it has a lot of good potential


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

Good day today. I stopped by Mot's house to pick up some of his amazing mosses, and holy hell, his tanks are on another level! Mot, thanks again for the awesome plants, and I cant wait to see your next build thread for your new scape.

When I got home, the UPS guy had left me a present from Mr. Aqua! To my surprise, Marine Depot included a free hang on thermometer for free. Thanks Marine Depot!

Got to work experimenting with my cliff in the tank and seeing how it would look. 

















Mot convinced me to bite the bullet and buy some Aquasoil instead of the Floramax I had planned on using. In the meantime, I decided to play around with drystarting some of the mini Pellia and Mini Fiss on the rocks. I am using lava rocks in the foreground, hoping that they turn into little green mounds. I chopped up some moss and rubbed it into the holes on the lava rocks. 

Bucket o' rocks and some finely chopped moss:









And some moss rubbed on the rocks:











I've seen this done in other threads and it looks awesome when it fills in. Hoping it works for me.


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## PeterN1986 (Jun 15, 2011)

How stable is the slate tower? Did you glue some of them together? It looks sharp and top heavy and all I can envision is some poor shrimp getting impaled 

Aquasoil Africana might look amazing for this scape - kinda desert canyon or oasis-type. The scape looks really awesome and different. It is refreshing.


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## FungusTrooper (Jul 8, 2013)

He said he glued it all in place. Should be safe, he used Water Weld.

This looks awesome! I tried to find slate, too - never thought to check a hardware store, doy!


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

PeterN1986 said:


> How stable is the slate tower? Did you glue some of them together? It looks sharp and top heavy and all I can envision is some poor shrimp getting impaled
> 
> Aquasoil Africana might look amazing for this scape - kinda desert canyon or oasis-type. The scape looks really awesome and different. It is refreshing.


Yep, used marine epoxy called water weld. I had to scrub some of the rocks to get a good bind, but it is very stable. 

Looking at the Africana now and I almost regret ordering the amazonia! I'll see how it looks with the black soil, and if it doesn't work, I'll just have to pony up the cash for another bag of dirt.



> This looks awesome! I tried to find slate, too - never thought to check a hardware store, doy!


Yea, I was getting pretty discouraged, and then I found the tiles in the garden department and noticed that the broken ones looked awesome! Funny thing is, Petco was next door selling small pieces of slate for $5 a piece.

Thanks for the compliments.


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the most ghetto fabulous 2 stage perversion ever made.


































Took a high pressure paintball gun regulator I had lying around, adjusted the output to 120psi, then connected it to an SMC pneumatic regulator I also happened to have lying around. Tied together with super high tech bamboo chopsticks and zip ties so it stays organized. I had the fittings, gauge and valve in my workbench as well (being a mechanical engineer finally pays off).

It works surprisingly well.


In other news, my aquasoil arrived today and I tossed it in the tank. Now we wait for the dry start moss to take hold.


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## Zimmanski (Sep 19, 2012)

Oh my god haha, when I saw the first picture the very first thing that popped into my mind was "please tell me he's using chopsticks!" Haha. We use chopsticks in my home too, every time we go to Panda Express we grab a few huge handfuls of them, they come in handy for sure. If it works, it works, and that's all it has to do! Good job!


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## crimsonbull57 (Jan 7, 2009)

Did you get the black lava rock at lowes also? Looks like things are shaping together! Good work.


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

Zimmanski said:


> Oh my god haha, when I saw the first picture the very first thing that popped into my mind was "please tell me he's using chopsticks!" Haha. We use chopsticks in my home too, every time we go to Panda Express we grab a few huge handfuls of them, they come in handy for sure. If it works, it works, and that's all it has to do! Good job!


Haha, yep. My only regret is that it wasn't duct tape and zipties, then I could call myself a true *******. I was gearing up to drop $150 on a nice one and decided to see what I had around the house. Not bad for $0.00.



> Did you get the black lava rock at lowes also? Looks like things are shaping together! Good work.


Yup, lava from lowes too. About $6 for a huge bag. It is getting there, but slow going until dry start is over. Thanks!


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

Here are another couple of shots with the cliff back in


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

Quick update. It looks like the dry start is beginning to take hold.

The wetter parts of the tank are starting to look kind of mushy, while the parts that dry out the quickest near the tom pf the cliff look the greenest. I think the moss might be benefitting from letting them get a little dry, and then rejuvenating with the twice a day mist, but I really cant say for sure.

Keeping the light on 24 hours to encourage growth.


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## ADA (Dec 31, 2010)

Looks great! What kind of moss are you using there, for the dry start?

I'm thinking of trying a dry start with Mini Pellia and Fissidens.

I'm wondering if the "grinding method" would work with Mini Pellia..


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

Thanks ADA. I am two weeks into my drystart with mini pellia and fissidens using the grinder method. So far the pellia is showing good growth, and the fiss seems to be a little slower. I cant really tell if the fissidens is growing or not since the new growth on the fiss seems to be the same dark green color as the minced mush that I spread on the rock, while new growth on the pellia is a nice bright green. Time will tell. I chopped it up finely with a sharp pair of scissors and rubbed it into the crevices on the rocks. The lava rocks worked great for this as I was able to work it into the pores in the rock, which I hope will make for strong anchor points. I'll try to post some updated pictures over the weekend.


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

Here are some pictures:

This is the fissidens, it looks like it is starting to grow a little bit. I have a feeling it just needs to get going.


















The Pellia on the other hand is doing great!



























The lava rocks are a perfect surface for the moss to attach.









Originally I was going to avoid adding leaved plants, to try to keep a sense of scale, but I am having a hard time not adding some Pogostemon Helferi and Staurogyne Repens.


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## fish_22 (Jun 13, 2013)

looking amazing!


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

Thanks!


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## Chrisinator (Jun 5, 2008)

Lovin that slate tower


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

Weekly update. Things are growing nicely. I got another Fugeray to even out the light. Worried about the possible algae problems with so much light, but I'll deal with that later. I also added some sad looking Pogostemon Helferi that I picked up at Petsmart.










Going to wait until all of this sludge has grown into moss before I fill. Shouldn't be much longer now, maybe a week or two.



















Mini Fissidens is finally perking up and showing some growth



















More goodies on the way.


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## GoRed (Aug 7, 2013)

Very nice! DSM seems to take a lot of patience!


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## Psiorian (Jun 23, 2013)

maximusprime said:


> Weekly update. Things are growing nicely. I got another Fugeray to even out the light. Worried about the possible algae problems with so much light, but I'll deal with that later. I also added some sad looking Pogostemon Helferi that I picked up at Petsmart.
> 
> Going to wait until all of this sludge has grown into moss before I fill. Shouldn't be much longer now, maybe a week or two.
> 
> ...


Awesome looking. I am doing something similar and I just painted the moss on last night while waiting for my substrate like you are. 

I was wondering during the early stages does the moss ever look a little dry? I feel it and its moist and there is humidity everywhere. Maybe its just my rocks that are light brown. 

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk 2


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

GoRed said:


> Very nice! DSM seems to take a lot of patience!


It is excruciating

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

Yes, it usually looks a little dry in the afternoon, but I think it might help it to go through dry and wet cycles. The parts that get dry are actually growing the fastest. I never let it completely dry out, just the surface.

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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

Update time!

I filled the tank this week. I left for a couple of days for a business trip and came back to dried out mini pellia on the top of the cliff, where it always gets dry first. I gave it a couple of days with misting but it started turning brown. I decided to fill figuring it would recover better submerged. No idea if I am right about that or not, but my trigger finger was getting itchy and I wanted water in it dammit.

The tank has been sitting on my office table for the whole time and I realized I would have to find a permanent spot for it. Not wanting to drop any more money on a stand, I found that some plastic milk crates worked surprisingly well, even though they might look a little ghetto. Considering my ramshackle regulator, I figured it would be only fitting to go bohemian on this one. Got an eheim 2213 and some ebay Lilly pipes in the mail too. 

Filling with some air line tubing siphoning from a bucket to keep from disturbing anything.


















Got some work to do to hide all the tubes and cords, but so far, I think it looks ok. It is in my office, so I am really the only one who ever sees it anyway.




































































The cat is not impressed









Also got 8 badis badis in my big tank from a guy on aquabid. I'm thinking a pair in this tank might be nice.










One of the small ones with my gold ram looking fabulous










The other cat at least pretends to be interested


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## mgdmirage (Mar 30, 2009)

Can't wait to see it mature


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## Say Car Ramrod (Oct 9, 2011)

How's the downoi working out for you? 

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 4


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## tattooedfool83 (Mar 15, 2013)

That rock work is awesome!!


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

Say Car Ramrod said:


> How's the downoi working out for you?
> 
> Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 4


Well, it was on sale because it was pretty much dead, but all things considered it is recovering nicely. I have some in the big tank and some in my wabi kusa also.

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

tattooedfool83 said:


> That rock work is awesome!!


Thanks! I am pretty happy with it, can't wait until it is covered with moss

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## Say Car Ramrod (Oct 9, 2011)

maximusprime said:


> Well, it was on sale because it was pretty much dead, but all things considered it is recovering nicely. I have some in the big tank and some in my wabi kusa also.
> 
> Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2


I'm glad to hear that. I just got some yesterday from there and it was the same way. 

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 4


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

Update time.

Things seem to be going well, but I am having a hair algae problem. I know this is to be expected as the tank cycles but it is bothering me. Whats the best way to clear this up? Should I be dosing while the tank is cycling?


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## lamiskool (Jul 1, 2011)

Great start! Dont mind the algae, that kind will go away after a bit, or you could get a few amanos and ottos and theyll eat it!


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## Greenz (Aug 27, 2013)

Did you use anything additional to apply the mini pellia to slate


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

Greenz said:


> Did you use anything additional to apply the mini pellia to slate


Nope, just chopped it up really good and spread it on. I tried to rub it into crevices and rough parts of the rocks to make sure it could grab hold better. It turns into a green sludge before it starts showing new growth.


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## Greenz (Aug 27, 2013)

maximusprime said:


> Nope, just chopped it up really good and spread it on. I tried to rub it into crevices and rough parts of the rocks to make sure it could grab hold better. It turns into a green sludge before it starts showing new growth.


Its nice to see it stuck to the slate, im planning on doing something similar with mini p. Were you using a humidifier during dry start


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

No, I just misted once or twice a day. If I had a humidifier, I would have used it though, because forgetting missing one day caused some of the mini P to dry out and turn brown. Just dont forget to fan it out daily to prevent mold.


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## Psiorian (Jun 23, 2013)

Any update on this tank?

I'm trying to do something similar and just wondering how your hair algae problem turned out.


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

Long overdue update, sorry, I didn't see the request a few weeks ago!

The algae has been defeated! well... mostly. I have staghorn, but not too bad. For a while I had the worst green thread algae, followed, brown diatoms, and then staghorn, but it is all slowly clearing up and looking nice. This is the first tank I have aver been able to get the balance right. I got a bunch of amanos and an otto and I think they help, but I cant tell for sure. All mosses are growing well, but I have a hard time changing water without knocking some off of the rock. That is the downside to natural attachment I think. The hitchhiker riccia has grown out and looks really cool. The downoi is looking nice and so is the S. repens that I tucked in the middle (cant really see it in the pics. Anyway, here are the pictures.


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## sso (Jun 2, 2012)

That tank looks great.

It´s given me some ideas.


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## Duck5003 (Oct 1, 2012)

Awesome update! Thanks for sharing, its looking great


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## Kehy (Feb 5, 2012)

Sweet tank! I was thinking of doing some stacked slate rockwork in my tank, but as a background. Any suggestions on this?


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

Kehy said:


> Sweet tank! I was thinking of doing some stacked slate rockwork in my tank, but as a background. Any suggestions on this?


I am very happy with the way the rock work turned out. Best advice is to take your time, and test several layouts before gluing. i actually made a square equal to the tank dimensions on my work bench to make sure everything fit the way I wanted it and looked good before gluing. 

Next, get an old toothbrush and scrub the heck out of the places where the glue will go. The tiles are very dusty and prevents adhesion, so they need to be cleaned well before you glue them.


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## Jack Gilvey (Jun 16, 2008)

Looking very cool, very green!


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## Kai808 (Jul 19, 2011)

Great little scape! What are your plans for trimming it? I let my trimmings float in the tank and they found other places to attach to.


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

Kai808 said:


> Great little scape! What are your plans for trimming it? I let my trimmings float in the tank and they found other places to attach to.


I honestly have no idea. Probably just trim carefully when the time comes and suck up the clippings with the vacuum.


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## mot (Sep 17, 2011)

Looking awesome max! Careful with that riccia it can spread and take over. I went from a sprig in my moss tank to taking it out by the handful every week. It tangles with the other moss so its nearly impossible to separate.

On trimming I found that my fingers were the best tool to thin out the moss. I basically tore the moss free and removed or relocated. That way I didn't have a gazillion cuttings floating around.


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## maximusprime (Mar 4, 2013)

mot said:


> Looking awesome max! Careful with that riccia it can spread and take over. I went from a sprig in my moss tank to taking it out by the handful every week. It tangles with the other moss so its nearly impossible to separate.
> 
> On trimming I found that my fingers were the best tool to thin out the moss. I basically tore the moss free and removed or relocated. That way I didn't have a gazillion cuttings floating around.



Thanks, Jeff! The riccia is quickly becoming the centerpeice, but I'll keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get out of control. Did you have problems with water changes? It seems like every week and big chuck comes loose from the force of the water.


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