# Dean's 1 Foot Cube Tank



## AquaDean (Nov 20, 2009)

I’ve thought about doing a tank journal before but never have. In fact I’ve never kept a journal of any type before so this is my first attempt at it and I’m hoping that it will keep me focused and maybe get me the necessary input to get this tank finished in the direction that I think I envision.

I’ve tried a couple other Nano tanks in the recent past including the 3 gallon Picotope and the 4 gallon Finnex. Both are really nice tanks but just didn’t do it for me. The Picotope had nice depth front to back but lacked the height that I wanted. The Finnex has nice height for its size but lacked the front to back depth. So I started looking around for something different and came across this Mr. Aqua 1 foot cube and figured why not give it a try. It is advertised as a 7.5 gallon tank but actually only holds a little more than 6 gallons of water. But for a Nano tank it has both the height and depth that I felt I wanted. 

I ordered and received the tank and it sat on my table for three weeks at least, empty. What was I going to do with it? Then it hit me, I wanted to try a tank with a moss tree. I’d seen several of the images of beautiful tanks with moss trees online and one of the local shops had a good start on one in a nano tank. So now I had a mission, finding the right piece of driftwood to create a moss tree. Two weeks of scouring the local shops turned up various hunks of wood but none that would make the right tree trunk and have the necessary branches for the moss to attach to. I then ordered a couple pieces from Aqua Forest requesting pieces of wood that had some texture and branches for a moss tree. To no avail I still hadn’t found the right piece of wood for the tree. I had pieces that would make great branches but skinny little trunks with no character or I had pieces that would make nice trunks with no branches. Still on the table sat the tank empty and in need of direction.

Then one afternoon as I was zip tying suction cups to my latest attempt at a DIY lily pipe, it hit me. Just like hitting your thumb with a hammer by accident it hit me, just didn’t hurt as much. I could zip tie tree branches onto a piece of wood that would make a good tree trunk. Thus my DIY Zip Tie Moss Tree and now I had both direction and motivation for the tank. 

Over the next several days I got all of the hardware in order and installed so to speak. Due to the tanks location the filter is about four feet away and routing the tubing was a bit of a challenge; down a small ledge behind a built in cabinet, pulling with at straightened coat hanger and pushing with a yard stick. Finally after making all the connections I moved the tank into place filled it up and did the final leak test on everything, plus made sure that the DIY heater module was working correctly.

Next I drained the tank put in the hardscape, moss tree, and filled it back up and that is kind of where I’m still at today. Here is an image of the tank at that point. I’ll get an undated one done in a day or so. 











I’ve got quite a few DIY projects happening with this tank but won’t go into their details unless I change something significantly. The DIY articles are all linked below in my signature. For this tank I did change the size of the barbed fittings on the heater module to the next larger size to accommodate the filter tubing size used on the Eheim filter. Everything else so far is the same.

Here is the complete equipment list as I’ve got the tank so far:

Tank – 7 gallon 1’ cube (Mr. Aqua), DIY glass top just to keep evaporation down.
Light – Archaea 27 Watt Power Compact Clip on Light Fixture w/10K bulb.
Filter – Eheim 2211
Media – Eheim mechanical and biological media, no carbon or zeolite, will add some Purigen later.
Pipes – DIY Lily Pipes, ½” intake and 3/8” outflow.
Heater – DIY Nano Heater Module using a 50 watt Catalina Titanium heater.
CO2 – Pressurized with Up-Aqua inline Atomizer/Diffuser (D-508-12).
Valve – Fabco NV-55 needle valve adjusted to 1 bubble per second 24/7.
Counter – Generic Glass bubble counter.
Checker – DIY Drop Checker.
Substrate – Salt & Pepper 2-3mm generic sand from LFS, no other enhancements used.
Background – 50% white acrylic 1/8” cut to exact size and held in place with clear tape on the corners. 

Plants – DIY Moss tree, need help with the rest of them.
Fertilizers – Excel??

Inhabitants – This will probably end up being a shrimp tank but not sure yet.

So that be my first ever journal entry. It only took me two days to compose and re-compose so hope you enjoy this start. My next will be quicker and contain the pleading for help and further artistic direction.


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## AquaDean (Nov 20, 2009)

So where I’m at I have a cube tank with the start of a moss tree in it. This tank will probably end up being used for a crystal red shrimp tank as I have shrimplets coming out of my ears right now. Where I drastically need help is in the area of fertilizers, light photo period, and how to finish the aquascape. I’m pretty good at getting DIY type things conceptualized and done but when it comes to artistic things like aquascaping I’m a mess. I have some ideas, more of what I don’t want than what I do, that I’ll bounce around and I’m very open to everyone’s opinions and ideas. 

I don’t want to use HC, HM, or Glosso, I just don’t think it will fit well in this tank. I have three small Erio plants that I’d like to use in the tank. I like the Erio type of plants and wouldn’t mind a few more in the layout. Other mosses with different textures I think would be nice but not sure. I’ve ordered some Fissidens to see if I like how it looks. One thing I’d like to do is have something at least partially block the intake sponge from view. Dwarf hairgrass is a possibility especially the Japan variety but at the same time I want to keep this simple to maintain and not give the moss tree too much light. I wouldn’t mind just using slow growing moss type plant for the whole scape. Also wondering if I need to add any more to the hard scape?

So as you can see I’ve got the tank and the moss tree and I’m lost. . .


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## AquaDean (Nov 20, 2009)

Well it’s been about 2 weeks since I put the moss tree in the tank, the first week there was almost no change at all but in the second week I’ve seen the moss starting to sprout out all over the place. Below are the 2 week pictures of the tank setup and the moss tree. As you can see I’ve been playing with some other mosses in the tank trying to get some sort of direction. I’ve also purchased some erio type plants that should be here this coming week. I’ve been dosing Excel and other fertilizers 2-3 times a week to help the tank along.

Besides not knowing how I’m going to finish this tank off I’ve run into one other glitch with the moss tree. When doing the most recent water change I discovered some small pieces of riccia growing in the tree. I carefully plucked them out with tweezers but not sure if I got it all and really don’t want to start over. Right now I guess I’ll just have to keep a close eye on it. Any other feedback is more that welcome.


Whole tank shot:










Closer in:










Top view of moss tree:


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## jake1337 (Jan 9, 2010)

This really looks good! ill have to try it some time, java moss grows like a weed, and some how bonds it self to what ever it touches. 

I say job well done my fiend.


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## AlexXx (Dec 1, 2009)

its coming along quite well!


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## !shadow! (Jan 25, 2010)

l'm curious as to how much did that tank run you? l really like the dimensions of it and sparked some ideas. Great job so far and can't wait to see how this one will turn out.


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## AquaDean (Nov 20, 2009)

Jake & Alex, Thank you!, it is coming along nice I think.

Shadow, the tank is from Marine Depot and cost me $48.98 shipped. I thought a great deal but right now they have them for $5.00 off that price, $43.98 shipped. Plus I feel the quality is very nice and the dimensions work great.


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## Robotguy (Jan 24, 2010)

That is looking awesome. The tree is filling in really nicely, and the lily pipes look great!


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## !shadow! (Jan 25, 2010)

cool and thanks.That's not a bad price considering l thought it was a ada tank when i first saw it.


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

totally rad


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

i like it!


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## AquaDean (Nov 20, 2009)

Another week gone by and the tree is filling in nicely. I’ve done some minor trimming but decided to let it grow out for another week or so before starting to really shape it. I’m still pulling little bits of riccia out of the tree but less and less each time so hope that I’ll get it all eventually. Here is a full tank shot of how the tank is looking this week.











I’ve added some Fissidens around the base of the tree and the erios that I purchase from a couple of the forum members. Plus made a couple moss logs one on a charcoal bamboo tube and the other around some Azoo soil packed in a netting tube. I also added a bunch of my baby Crystal Red shrimp and they love hanging out in the mosses and tree.



















I’m having a little trouble keeping the KH down as in-between water changes it wants to creep up to over 5 KH. I bought some ADA Amazonia II in the fine or powdered form and I’m thinking of sprinkling the surface of the substrate with it. This could be dangerous as I could get some big ammonia spikes so if anyone else has ideas please let me know. Ph is remaining stable at 6.4 and GH is right around 8.

I still would like to do something in that back left corner that could maybe hide the intake sponge a bit. I been thinking of some dark colored twigs with just a little bit of moss on them. All I’ve been able to find so far that I know is aquarium safe are the light colored Manzanita branches. Anybody know of a source for skinny little twigs that are dark colored?


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## PhishTank (Dec 18, 2007)

Sorry if you posted this info somewhere but I didnt see it.

I have this same tank and was curious about your DIY glass top. Could you take some pics showing how it sits on top and explain a little bit about how it is secured? Thanks.


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## AlexXx (Dec 1, 2009)

man i love the progression of this! I cant wait to make a cube tree garden one day!


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## AquaDean (Nov 20, 2009)

Thanks Alex, its been fun so far and I'm starting to feel a direction.

Phish, 
I haven't done any pictures of the top so if you give me a couple days I'll just post them in this thread. Note that it hasn't been on for any of the tank pictures so far. I use it mainly to keep the cat out and control the evaporation a little.


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Dean really sweet tank! I'm new here and actually just registered to comment on your project you got going on here... I've been considering Mr. Aqua tanks and comparing them to ADA and Do!Aqua. The price of these Mr. Aqua's are quite attractive. Anyway, just wanted to know where you got that Archaea 27 light fixture and how much was it? I'm also considering some Catalina Aquarium Lighthouse fixtures... but haven't settled on one yet.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That's a sweet little setup.


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## AquaDean (Nov 20, 2009)

Just about 4 weeks into this project and I’ve given the moss tree a haircut. It’s really starting to take shape and fill in nicely. It was a royal pain trying to get all the little bits of moss from the trimming out of the tank. The moss trimmings do float up and they tend to stick to all the other mosses in the tank. If anyone has easy ways to accomplish this please share because I was at it for over an hour. Here’s the whole shot tank this week:












I also went ahead with my idea of adding some ADA Amazonia II substrate to the tank to try to get the KH to come down a bit. Just to be on the safe side I only added a ¼ cup at a time over 3 days and watched the tank levels carefully. No ammonia so the filter and mosses must be handling it well. KN came down a little but I still want it down a little more so might add some more Amazonia II in another week or so. The good thing is by using the smaller grade of Amazonia II it blends right in with the fine gravel substrate and you can hardly tell it is there. 

Out in my yard I found some dead twigs that had probably been dried up for a couple years. I took some of the twigs and boiled the crap out of them then cut the few that I wanted and stuck them in the back left corner of the tank. I’m not looking at reducing the size of the intake sponge to make it a little more discreet. Another thought I’ve been having is Eheim makes that prefilter thing that sets down in the substrate. Maybe I could do a DIY Nano sized one, could be a new challenge? This would be a way I could get that intake sponge completely out of sight. (just thinking out loud, but we’ll see). 













I did make it out to one of my favorite LFS and picked up a start of dwarf marsilea for the front left corner. Straight out of one of their show tanks, how about that? I do have to say this was the most frustrating plant to plant that I’ve ever seen. I’d get one piece all in place then up it would come as I did the next piece. The CRS shrimp babies in the tank (there are about 80 of them now) had to just be laughing at me. I’m looking forward to seeing how it does.












The moss behind the tree that is a lighter green in color is really nice. I think I purchased it as “stringy moss” but can’t remember for sure. It is fine individual strands and is growing upright almost like grass. I don’t think I’ll let it get much taller but do want it to fill in some more and want to keep the varying heights of the strands, so cutting it might be a challenge.
The other mosses seem to be doing fine some growing faster than others but all and all pretty good. The final shot for today is a closer in picture of the tree:












Can any of you lighting and fertilizer experts out there give me some direction for a good routine that will help to insure that the tank doesn’t get over come with algae? There is about 6 gallons of water in the tank and I’ve been keeping the light on for 8 hours a day. I’ve been getting just a little bit of bright green algae on the glass so far. Water changes have been about 40% once a week and top offs with RO water.
Hope you enjoy!


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## AlexXx (Dec 1, 2009)

Man im obsessed wit this tank! the tiny baby CRS are so cute haha. Also what is that moss/plant behind the tree?










that stuff ^^^ its awesome!


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## AquaDean (Nov 20, 2009)

AlexXx,
That moss is some that I purchased under the name Stringy moss from eBay. It tends to grow upright and I've just tied it to a couple stones with some netting and it started growing upright. I like it because of the different texture and lighter color.


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## AquaDean (Nov 20, 2009)

Well it’s been a couple weeks and I’ve been really busy with new work load and trying to keep up with everything else. The moss tree is doing great but does need a little pruning as does the rest of the tank. This probably won’t happen for another week as I’ve got to head out of town for a few days. I’ve had a couple of the Erios melt away and don’t know if they will come back. I might end up taking them out of this tank and turn it into a moss only in it. The other mosses in the tank are doing great and the stringy moss behind the tree really looks nice and I’m ready to cut it and start some more clusters of it. I didn’t do any new pictures but have been playing with a video camera so below is a link to a short video that I did. I’ll be pruning everything up before the next update so it will probably look a little different. I should say the shrimp are really doing well in this tank and sometimes I’ll see 20 or more of them up in the moss tree. I still can’t get the KH down where I’d like, it’s running about 5 and I’d like it to be around 2. But the tank is working so I’m not feeling the need to change things up. Also getting some algae on the glass, especially the left side so might cut down the light from 8 hours a day to 7. Here’s the video link.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt8vk04fT5A


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## sharkbite (Apr 16, 2010)

wow~ awesome tank you got there!


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## funkyfish (Mar 16, 2009)

Looks great! How often do you trim? I wanna make a tree with my manzanita but I'm thinking using fissidens for that.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

This is an amazing tank! I can't stop looking at that tree, it's the best "tree" I've seen on here. Any photo updates?


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Good Lookin' on the advice from the other post Dean, I went ahead with the Mr. Aqua Cube as well. Very clean looking scape, and those CRS are looking rich... would love to nab some offspring.


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## bikeny (Apr 29, 2010)

Any update on this tank? I am working on a tree as well and would love some inspiration!

Mark


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## AquaDean (Nov 20, 2009)

*Been quite a while but here's an update*

Well it's been quite a while with this tank and as I've been doing some home remodeling I've neglected the tank. But even so it looks like with some careful trimming the tank will come back to all its neatness. So here is a picture of how the tank looks in it's neglected state. I hope to give it a good pruning and cleaning over the next week. The shrimp BTW simply love all the moss.


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## kifeter (Sep 1, 2010)

Im loving the tank! The shrimp looks awesome. Such a clean look. I just got the same tank dimensions in ADA. Im thinking about putting a stump in there and some mosses as well


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## tylergvolk (Jun 17, 2012)

I love the DIY Zip Tie Moss Tree. Very clever! I'm in the DSM plotting out plants for a moss tree. I love your setup well done!


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