# New to this nano thing ... Mini M



## Tainted Glory (Dec 7, 2006)

I've been enjoying these planted nano tanks vicariously through members' photo journals on this site for quite some time. That all changed the other day, however, when I finally bit the bullet and decided to try my hand at it. I went ahead and ordered a Do!Aqua Mini M, as well as a bag of Aquasoil powder from ADG. It wasn't long before this little gem was at my doorstep.








_obligatory new tank shot_

I also purchased a ZooMed 501 canister, Hamilton Bay desk lamp, and a bunch of seiryu stone to get myself started. I'm going to run pressurized co2, but am planning an iwagumi scape of sorts, so I'm going to let HC and such get a dry start. I'll probably end up going with a Red Sea regulator and Do!Aqua for all the glass. 

My heart has been set on a super neat and tidy iwagumi scape since I can remember. I spent most of tonight playing around with my limited supply of seiryu stones and tried to come up with a scape that appealed to me. Here are a few attempts. I wish I could sit up all night and mess with it, but school and work in the morning say otherwise :icon_roll . 

















I know I want to have a nice HC foreground. Aside from that, I'm open to plan suggestions. I intend to keep CRS and Galaxy Rasboras in the tank as well.


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## Tainted Glory (Dec 7, 2006)

I don't think I've reached a hardscape I'm 100% satisfied with, so I'll spend some time tomorrow morning brainstorming...pictures to follow!


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## TeamTeal (Mar 31, 2010)

that second scape looks good


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## lnstevens (Aug 9, 2010)

TeamTeal said:


> that second scape looks good


I was thinking the same thing. :icon_lol:


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## weluvbettas (Aug 27, 2010)

lnstevens said:


> I was thinking the same thing. :icon_lol:


 
I like that one too!:hihi:


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## bsk (Aug 18, 2010)

I agree the second one looks nice


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## littlefish (Aug 6, 2010)

I say second too, looks like you'll have a nice iwagumi there.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

The second one is definitely the better of the two. I would like to see a larger rock in front of (and to the right of) the standing up one, however.


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## monkeyfish (Jul 5, 2010)

Hey, it was nice meeting you two. The scape look good! Subscribed

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## Tainted Glory (Dec 7, 2006)

monkeyfish said:


> Hey, it was nice meeting you two. The scape look good! Subscribed
> 
> Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk


Thanks Geoff. And thanks again for the stones.

I've got a scape that I think I'm going to work with for now. I'm planning on starting the emersed HC tomorrow morning, so we'll see how it goes. I just want to make sure I'm on the right track...I'm going to add a little water so the substrate is wet, then keep up with liberal misting every 1-2 days as needed. Aside from covering the tank with saran wrap, anything else I need to know? Any other plants I should look into that would benefit from a dry start?


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

I am glad your order got to you quickly and safely, and I am happy that you love your new tank. I look forward to watching it progress.

Some hairgrass around the edges of the main stone would pull the scape together well.

Iwagumi isn't so much about having radically new plants, rather finding the ideal way to place them within the scape itself. Maybe dwarf hair grass around the center area and some vivipara in the background.

Before you fill her up make sure your front substrate line is straight! otherwise your plants will grow in along a crooked line!


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

I like that last one, I think you should use it.


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## Tainted Glory (Dec 7, 2006)

Francis Xavier said:


> I am glad your order got to you quickly and safely, and I am happy that you love your new tank. I look forward to watching it progress.
> 
> Some hairgrass around the edges of the main stone would pull the scape together well.
> 
> ...


Yeah I almost tripped over the box sitting in my hallway. I was impressed with the super fast shipping. I like the hairgrass idea. I'll try to find some locally. I also like the idea of the vivipara for the backgrounds. Could I grow either of these emersed, or should I wait until the tank is filled?


I snapped a quick pic of the scape I'm going to actually work with planting. No worries, I'm going to smooth the AS and get some HC in there tomorrow at the very least.


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Absolutely Fish in Clifton usually has hair grass.


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## Damian (Jun 17, 2009)

Beautiful tank and nice scape. I will be subscribing to this one.


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## Armonious (Aug 16, 2010)

Hardscape looks nice. I prefer the second one as well The main stone seems a bit too prominent for my liking, however.

Based on the images I've seen, that stone is sitting pretty high up in the tank, so maybe you could push it down a bit. Having the main stone come somewhere like 2/3 of the way up the glass seems to look nice. Another alternative could be turning some of the stones in that grouping so that they don't look overpowered by the main stone.


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## Tainted Glory (Dec 7, 2006)

Clare12345 said:


> Absolutely Fish in Clifton usually has hair grass.


Thanks. Its pretty available in our area, so I'm not worried. I am going to hold off on the HG until the tank is filled, as I've read mixed reviews on emersed growth. 



Damian said:


> Beautiful tank and nice scape. I will be subscribing to this one.


Thanks!



Armonious said:


> Hardscape looks nice. I prefer the second one as well The main stone seems a bit too prominent for my liking, however.
> 
> Based on the images I've seen, that stone is sitting pretty high up in the tank, so maybe you could push it down a bit. Having the main stone come somewhere like 2/3 of the way up the glass seems to look nice. Another alternative could be turning some of the stones in that grouping so that they don't look overpowered by the main stone.


I think it will look good once the tank is filled and fully planted. We'll see how it turns out.

Here's a shot from a few minutes ago. I planted the HC last night and have been keeping an eye on humidity and moisture ever since. I'm planning 3-4 weeks of emersed growth before water comes.


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## albirdy (Jul 16, 2008)

I like the scape.
and the photos sans flash


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## Lil' Swimz$ (Jul 24, 2010)

That light is hott.


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## Tainted Glory (Dec 7, 2006)

albirdy said:


> I like the scape.
> and the photos sans flash


Thanks



Lil' Swimz$ said:


> That light is hott.


Tough to justify a $200 ADA fixture when a $20 Home Depot light does the same job. 

No new updates on the tank. I'm waiting for the HC to start spreading, but I'm sure its going to be a slow process. I do, however, have one question. When I DO fill the tank, should I add CRS or Galaxy Rasbora first? Ideally, both would breed readily in the tank, but I'm not sure which should come before the other with that notion in mind.


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## Indignation (Mar 9, 2008)

I'd put the hairgrass in now, it grows great emersed (currently growing some myself). If you want proof, take a look at CL's 48 gallon journal - he grew half a tank's worth in a month. 

Also, my experience with CPDs (galaxy rasboras) is that they are connoisseurs of baby shrimp. They did fine with my adult cherry shrimp, but absolutely decimated the babies. If you are wanting the CRS to breed, maybe skip on the rasboras.


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## Tainted Glory (Dec 7, 2006)

That's what I was afraid of  . Care to recommend any other schooling nano fish?

I also think I'm going to skip the hairgrass in favor in blyxa in between the rocks. I'm planning eleoclaris vivipara for the back of the tank


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## monkeyfish (Jul 5, 2010)

What about boraras brigittae? I have no first hand experience, but doubt they could kill anything. Or wait until the shrimp are bigger?

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## TLE041 (Jan 16, 2010)

Microrasboras are TINY. A few of my Boraras merah are even smaller than my cherry shrimps. Even the baby shrimps are safe with them. I have CPDs as well and they don't bother the baby shrimps either.


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## Tainted Glory (Dec 7, 2006)

I'm thinking that if I give the crs a month or two head start I should have a nice colony going but the time the CPDs arrive. Looking at these fish I feel they would have a tough time eating brine shrimp, let alone baby shrimp. If that's not the case, I think the tank will have plenty of nooks for baby shrimp to hide


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## Tainted Glory (Dec 7, 2006)

I figure since the tank is covered in a light fog, shots from the front are a royal PITA. Instead, I'll be periodically snapping pics from above to keep track of progress. Here's one from tonight, 3 days after initial planting. 









I applaud you guys with the discipline to go 5, 6, even 8 weeks of emersed growing. Its a tedious task and resisting the urge to fill the tank and stock it as planned grows harder by the day :biggrin:


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## TeamTeal (Mar 31, 2010)

the top view is great!


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## Tainted Glory (Dec 7, 2006)

9/10/2010


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## Tainted Glory (Dec 7, 2006)

I'm starting to search around for CO2 options. My present dilemma at the present is simple...GLA vs ADA. GLA is $30 cheaper, so that's where I'm leaning. 

On a side note, this waiting game is a lot more bearable with my mind occupied with setting up my first salt water tank at the same time!


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Granted - I may come across as biased.

Personally, for Nano's like this I prefer the ADA system, in fact it's one of my top favorite ADA products - I've used one on my Mini S since I got it (nearly two years ago), cartridges last about a month to a month and a half, and qualify for free shipping when bought in numbers of 3 or more from ADG. 

The advantage to the ADA system is it's super clean appearance - it's something that you want to display and don't mind having out next to the system. Let me know if you have any specific questions.


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## Tainted Glory (Dec 7, 2006)

Not much new to report. School and work has me swamped so I don't have the free time I've grown accustomed to over the summer. That said, the tank is doing nicely. The HC seems to have finally taken root and is spreading like a weed in the emersed setup. I'm planning on another 7-10 days of emersed growth before finally filling up the tank with water. 

Here are some snaps from 9/19/2010...note the tank's final resting place in the living room beside the sofa.


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## Tainted Glory (Dec 7, 2006)

I think I'm going to go ahead and order the ADA CO2 system and Do!aqua diffuser towards the end of this week. A little pricey, but the aesthetic of the system is too irresistible to 'settle' for anything else. 

The next stepping stone with this tank is figuring out a fertilization schedule once water comes into the picture. Anyone care to point me in the right direction? Simplicity and ease of use are key here.


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## monkeyfish (Jul 5, 2010)

Any updates?

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## Tainted Glory (Dec 7, 2006)

forgot all about this thread. 

















plants are HC and blyxa. i've also got 4x rummynose tetras, 2x amano shrimp, and 3 otos. i had a huge problem with algae early on, but the cleanup crew came in clutch. CRS are coming soon, as are 8 more rummynose. enjoy!


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## HolyAngel (Oct 18, 2010)

Love the scape! Tank looks great! ^^


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## williamluu (Feb 6, 2011)

when you grew it emersed did u left the light on 24 hrs? what is ur daily schedule for growing it emersed. after u filled ur tank up how long til u get algae problems. and how long u had problems for? sorry for asking to much questions, i just want to start doing the emersed method


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