# 0.9G - Money



## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Well I'm walking through Home Depot one day and saw these plants called Money Trees (popular as gifts), aka as Pachira aquatica. The twisted stems caught my eye. Upon a little research they get huge in nature, but also grow in swamps. Since I'm still stuck in Nano Mode (actualy about to setup a 60p and still getting stuff together for a 5 footer) I decided what the hell. 

So I brought the 0.9 Cubus back to life on a dresser in my bedroom. This setup is easy maintenance, although the setup has Riccia as well it grows slowly with the dim LED light and a few hours of afternoon soon.


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## driftwoods (Feb 2, 2011)

That is sweet.


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## 10gallonplanted (Oct 31, 2010)

I have one of these tanks too. That is pretty awesome what you did with it. Are you going to add any RCS to keep the riccia clean?


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Thanks for comments. Probably no shrimp. These little tanks are pretty unstable. I'll probably put a few small snails in there.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

sweet setup.
i agree that there isn't enough water volume for shrimp but snails will do.

the only issue i can see in the future is the tree growing too big, maybe needing support to prevent tipping or the roots growing too tough and dense resulting in broken glass.
but since this grows so slowly, you likely wont have any issues for years.


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

wow thats sweet! how is the pole of the light mounted?


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Newman said:


> sweet setup.
> i agree that there isn't enough water volume for shrimp but snails will do.
> 
> the only issue i can see in the future is the tree growing too big, maybe needing support to prevent tipping or the roots growing too tough and dense resulting in broken glass.
> but since this grows so slowly, you likely wont have any issues for years.


Thanks, I keep clipping it like a bonsai so as you said I should be good for awhile.



h4n said:


> wow thats sweet! how is the pole of the light mounted?


Thanks, the pole is attached to the bottom of the tank via gorilla glue (it's bent underneath (should have actually glued a clamp, but it was a fast and dirty DIY)


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

I never knew these plant roots could be submerged under water like this.
Where did you happen to get that .9g tank from?


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## gnod (Mar 24, 2011)

h4n said:


> I never knew these plant roots could be submerged under water like this.
> Where did you happen to get that .9g tank from?


what he said.. can you clarify how you planted this tank? looks so nice and simple. 

which home depot did you go to? the one in stony brook?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

clipping like a bonsai tree requires access to roots (you have to clip them too to keep the tree shorter). that can be problematic since you have to uproot each time...
have you kept bonsai trees before?


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

h4n said:


> I never knew these plant roots could be submerged under water like this.
> Where did you happen to get that .9g tank from?


I got the tank at my local Petsmart. You can get it many places. It's sold as the Marina Betta Cubus I believe. Comes with a little LED light (worthless) and a cover that just sits on the tank which I removed.




gnod said:


> what he said.. can you clarify how you planted this tank? looks so nice and simple.
> 
> which home depot did you go to? the one in stony brook?


Pretty simple, mound built up with aquasoil and planted the Tree vary high up so it' base wasn't completely submerged. The rocks look pretty good and also hold the AS up. You should be able to find them in any HD or other plant store if there still in season, The tank has been setup for about two months.



Newman said:


> clipping like a bonsai tree requires access to roots (you have to clip them too to keep the tree shorter). that can be problematic since you have to uproot each time...
> have you kept bonsai trees before?


Just an expression, I'm fine-tuning leaves so it looks good and some light can pass thru to the Riccia.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

this is amazing! im totally going to copy you!! maybe with a bowl though, we'll see. 

i agree with others, there might be slight problems with the tree. but not for a while. so i think is worth doing and trying!


what light do you have? it looks really nice!


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## longbeach (Nov 2, 2011)

Grows naturally in swamps (South America) and Pachira aquatica gets nuts that they say are similar in taste to peanuts!!


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

you could actually use a two pot system to make it work better. you can have a pot that's rim is even with the substrate in the tank. and have the pachira aquatica potted in another slightly smaller pot. the outer pot stays in the tank, but the inner pot can be removable from the outer one, so you have root-prune and do other maintenance with the pachira, without messing the rest of the tank up. 

as long as both pots that holes in them, it would be fine!


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

orchidman said:


> this is amazing! im totally going to copy you!! maybe with a bowl though, we'll see.
> 
> i agree with others, there might be slight problems with the tree. but not for a while. so i think is worth doing and trying!
> 
> ...


The light is the LED one sold by alot of companies including AFA. I previously had it in a mini s. so far two months and water stays crystal so well see how it does. I'm sure the roots of tree is helping as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## trutrax (Oct 22, 2011)

awesome idea! I love how it looks...and so unique.


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## trutrax (Oct 22, 2011)

houseofcards said:


> The light is the LED one sold by alot of companies including AFA. I previously had it in a mini s. so far two months and water stays crystal so well see how it does. I'm sure the roots of tree is helping as well.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



PS: Just checked out your blog. You are very talented. I remember seeing your aquascape "The Bluff" while searching through the IAPLC photo's and thinking how great it looked.


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## allaboutfish (Oct 14, 2011)

i would've used bamboo instead of the tree but it still looks awesome


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

trutrax said:


> PS: Just checked out your blog. You are very talented. I remember seeing your aquascape "The Bluff" while searching through the IAPLC photo's and thinking how great it looked.


Thanks for those nice comments. 



allaboutfish said:


> i would've used bamboo instead of the tree but it still looks awesome


Idea really came to me when I saw the plant. I also like the canopy the money plant provides.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

i like this money tree idea more than using bamboo 

you use marina cubus tanks for a few setups right? or has it been just the same cubus for a few different scapes including this one? how is the desktop cubus going? the one with the rock out of the water and the moss+grass?


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Newman said:


> i like this money tree idea more than using bamboo
> 
> you use marina cubus tanks for a few setups right? or has it been just the same cubus for a few different scapes including this one? how is the desktop cubus going? the one with the rock out of the water and the moss+grass?


I half two cubus. My schedule changed and I wasn't in the office much so I took it down. Might set the other one up soon once an idea strikes me.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

o..O I love it. +1 for the Money Tree and now I will have to steal your idea 
I'm assuming no heater, filtration, or water movement?


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

OVT said:


> o..O I love it. +1 for the Money Tree and now I will have to steal your idea
> I'm assuming no heater, filtration, or water movement?


Correct none of those things. I'm hoping between the tree and riccia the water will still clean. So I haven't even been doing regular water changes and no problems.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Another pic showing better scale:


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

I love it! i want one!  lol


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

houseofcards said:


> Another pic showing better scale:



I think its better off without the led light and the pole. I mean it looks like you have enough natural/ light source from the right side.

It would look soooooo clean.


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## plecostomouse (Jun 9, 2011)

omg this is amazing, i am super jealous.
congrats on a mint tank!


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

Nice little pico, that is the same light I have on my nano except your mounts from the end, they are small but bright.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Thanks for the nice comments!



sayurasem said:


> I think its better off without the led light and the pole. I mean it looks like you have enough natural/ light source from the right side.
> 
> It would look soooooo clean.


Actually the light from the right side is an off-camera flash that was used for the pic so it's much dimmer naturally.

I did consider going without a light source since the tree doesn't really need it and the riccia would probably be OK if the shades were left open enough. Reason I did the light is so I can see it at night and I don't have to worry about someone closing the shades when I'm not around. A few leaves have actually grown behind and to the left of the light pole so those can always be clipped.


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## radioman (Oct 29, 2007)

I have a .9g full of moss that I want to turn into a moss tree scape.


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

1 SSS crs would be super duper awesome if your temp is stable.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Probably would look good, but the tank will probably be too unstable.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Tank is around 3 months old now. A few more pics:

Riccia pearls after about an hour from afternoon sun.


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

Wow looks even better now!!!


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

Neat little creative creation you got there! :thumbsup:


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

So what substrate did you use? I see aquasoil / fluval stratum and something else?


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Thanks for the comments.

The substrate is just AS.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

A couple of new pics. I changed it up a bit, by adding more rock. It's probably gone from 0.9 gallons to 0.09 gallons with the displacement, LOL. I also took off the attached light so it's living off the window shades slightly open during the day.


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## AirstoND (Jun 17, 2011)

That is awesome!

Anyone know how to get these 2 bloom? 
(water & air temperature conditions?)

I've read the flowers and nuts are beautiful.


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## Koi Kameon (Apr 25, 2010)

This thing is elegant as hell.


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## astrosag (Sep 3, 2010)

Looks fantastic!

I do think though that you're on limited time (how much is anyone's guess) because those plants get fairly large. It'll eventually break that tank - and cutting it from the top leaves won't do much to abate the growth ...it may just die. 

However, that could be a while in which case this is simply too awesome. Thanks for sharing!


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Thanks for the comments!

Not sure about the blooming. I know in nature these are huge. As far as the plant breaking the tank. Yeah, I'm keeping an eye on the root system. It doesn't really look that big at this point from what I can see anyway. I usually don't keep these tanks up more than a year and I'm actually getting close to 4 months, but should be interesting.


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

We have this plant in the office and the owner tells me they limit the amount of water to keep the plant from being overgrown. This practice looks somewhat successful as the stem and branches has pretty much maintained but the number of leaves sprouted has quadrupled while living in the same pot for a number of years.

I suppose having a water pot would not make this discipline possible but its just a thought.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Couple more pics closer in.










Here you could really see the riccia climbing out.


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## darkrainer (Dec 30, 2011)

are you dosing those? I thought riccia was a heavy eating co2 plant? Am I wrong? lol


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## inka4041 (Jul 27, 2008)

I love this thing. Awesome setup!


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

@inka4041

Thanks, glad you like it. 



darkrainer said:


> are you dosing those? I thought riccia was a heavy eating co2 plant? Am I wrong? lol


Riccia is very versatile. I've grown carpets of it just using excel. It will grow fully with good co2, ferts, but will still grow without, usually flatter and stringer. This tank the plant for the most part is close to the surface and I think there is good gas exchange. The Riccia toward the surface grows thicker then the stuff near the bottom. The tank has aquasoil, but I do not dose and pretty much just top off, since it evaporates so quickly since there is very little water. The Riccia pearls when it's exposed to the sun within an hour. Here is a previous simple setup, showing how the riccia grows very well and pearls without adding co2.










Closer look


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## astrosag (Sep 3, 2010)

Riccia is indeed a heavy CO2 guzzling plant but you only have to inject when its fully submerged. Riccia thats in relatively little water and/or on the surface and exposed to the air would have no problem growing without injected CO2.


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## darkrainer (Dec 30, 2011)

That is some great info on the plant. I've read in several threads that excel is bad for riccia. Very great info indeed.


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## SearunSimpson (Jun 5, 2007)

Ah man, that thing is sick!


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

@darkrainer

Glad you got some good info from it. Just be careful not to overdose if you use the excel.

@searunsimpson

Tanks dude!


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Couple of fresh pics. Setup is about 4.5 months old. 










Good pic showing difference in Riccia between emersed and submersed growth.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Can't believe it's been about 1 1/2 years since I started this thing. Sorta houseplant meets pico, but it's still going strong with pretty much no maintenance other than top offs and cleaning the glass. Light is supplied by window shade partially open.

*March 2012*










*August 2013*


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## JerSaint (Oct 22, 2012)

Sweet!


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## Jeff.:P:. (Sep 8, 2009)

very nice!


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

This is great! I always thought those were ficus. Never even imagined they could be grown in water.


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

very nice!!!!


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Thanks for all the comments!

After a year and a half the thread got moved. I guess after that much time it's considered a "Tank Journal" 

The plant (Pachira aquatica) from what I understand grows in and around swamps so I'm not surprised it's doing well with it's base pretty much submersed. Although the evaporation is quick large so it's constantly changing. 

Anyway, here are a few more pics. The second one shows how high the moss will grow above the tank edge even in an open air dry environment since the lower portion moves liquid thru.


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## octanejunkie (Jul 23, 2013)

Very unique and beautiful, well done


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

octanejunkie said:


> Very unique and beautiful, well done


Thanks much!


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## Basil (Jul 11, 2011)

How's this tree doing?


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## JohnEX (Jan 28, 2004)

first time seeing this thread. very cool! didn't know that plant could be half submersed.
I'm very tempted to try this in a 5 gallon tank (with filtration and shrimp). my idea would be to put the plant in a regular ceramic pot, then bury the pot in the tank. should keep the roots in check? and allow for easier removal if needed.

and yeah, an update would be nice


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## anfield (Dec 1, 2013)

Any critters in there?


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

Wait just one second!
Who stole the picture [email protected]?!!

v3


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