# 5.5 gallon kitchen tank



## SwissCheeseHead (Dec 24, 2014)

My original plans were to set up a tank for my desk at work. After I started getting the equipment in, my wife mentioned that it would be nice if it stayed at home...what wife says, goes lol.

So I set it up on our kitchen counter. It's got eco complete for a substrate, and I took some struggling plants from my main tank to move to this thank, in hopes that the stronger light and "better" substrate will help the plants recover. Namely, the dwarf sag needed rehab the most. It's running an AC20 and Finnex planted plus clip on light.



















I've got anubias nana, a crypt wendtii Mi Oya, and some Stuarogyne repens on the way, but I'm thinking the S. repens might go in the main tank, since the dwarf sag made it's way into the 5.5 gallon.


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## SwissCheeseHead (Dec 24, 2014)

All planted! Picking up some CPDs tomorrow.


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## SwissCheeseHead (Dec 24, 2014)

Added some more plants thanks to a RAOK. Also added some CPDs.


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## thatphotoguy (Feb 17, 2016)

looks good!


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## SwissCheeseHead (Dec 24, 2014)

Did a little rearrangement and took out the dwarf sag in favor of Blyxa japonica. Also added some E. vesuvius in the back. Stocked with 11 CRS from an RAOK. Really awesome!


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## Aslmx (Jan 28, 2016)

Is that a manzanita branch


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## SwissCheeseHead (Dec 24, 2014)

Aslmx said:


> Is that a manzanita branch


Yes it is


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## Mewski (Mar 6, 2016)

I love the branch you've used for this, the whole tank is coming along nicely.


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## touch of sky (Nov 1, 2011)

It looks excellent. You did a great job. Please keep us posted as it progresses!


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## SwissCheeseHead (Dec 24, 2014)

Thank you so much!


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## aquaticaddict (Jan 26, 2016)

Cool looking tank! Where are those CRS hanging out? I wanna get a good peek at those!


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## SwissCheeseHead (Dec 24, 2014)

All of the blyxa japonica completely melted, even though everything else is going well. I've heard that sometimes blyxa japonica just melts away? In any case, I've got some subwassertang coming in the mail in the next few days that I was thinking about putting where the blyxa was to fill up that space. I'll post pics when it happens. I've read it's pretty easy to take care of and that shrimp love it, so figured it would be a safe bet!


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## klibs (May 1, 2014)

Blyxa loves light and will grow extremely fast if it gets what it wants. It will get a cool pink/orange color under high light. If not it will slowly die. Needs at least medium - high light light from what I have experienced. I took some from my high tech tank and put it in my low tech - within a month it was all totally dead.


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## FizzyShellfish (Dec 19, 2015)

I like it a lot.


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## SwissCheeseHead (Dec 24, 2014)

klibs said:


> Blyxa loves light and will grow extremely fast if it gets what it wants. It will get a cool pink/orange color under high light. If not it will slowly die. Needs at least medium - high light light from what I have experienced. I took some from my high tech tank and put it in my low tech - within a month it was all totally dead.


I've read mixed results on low tech low light tanks. Some say the blyxa holds on, and others say it melts away. I thought I'd take the change, but yeah, it just all melted away. I really like the plant too, which is too bad.



FizzyShellfish said:


> I like it a lot.


Thank you!


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## SwissCheeseHead (Dec 24, 2014)

2 months old. Looks like I'll have to start dosing with dry ferts to help the plants a bit. The growth is good but the coloration isn't as intense as it should be. The anubias and crypts are doing great and the few strands of the mystery floating plants are starting to branch off!


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## SwissCheeseHead (Dec 24, 2014)

Took out the swords and wisteria. For some reason, they would just not take hold with EI dosing and Excel. So instead of replacing them with more plants, I got some ohko stone from an LFS that just got some in stock. I think this makes for a more complete scape.


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## Cmeister (Jul 5, 2009)

small and healthy, nice n modest tank.


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## Fishwood (Feb 1, 2008)

What kind of light are you using? I'm looking for a quality clip-on to use on a 5 gallon cube.


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## SwissCheeseHead (Dec 24, 2014)

It's a Finnex planted plus clip on. Gives off pretty low light.


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