# CL's 2.5 Gallon "Little Mountain"



## CL

light-27 watt home depot
substrate- mud with sand on top
flora-hc and a. nana so far
hardscape- oak twig and lava rock

i boiled the mud to sterilize it and i also boiled the twig
i want this to be mainly diy
i thought about making it rimless but i have cats! (they would drink the water)
hopefully the mud helps the plants grow better!


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## CL

oh, and yes that is a wendys cup


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## Kayen

Nice, where is the "mud" from?


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## CL

my back yard, its really like a soft clay
its from a place where i knew there were no chemicals, so its safe


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## CL

update








and my anubias garden


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## CobraGuppy

that hc sure is spreading fast. It hasn't even been a month yet lol.

In your anubias garden, are the stones laid flat side by side or do they form some sort of wall. I cant tell but it looks like the back part of the tank is raised xD


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## ColeMan

clwatkins10 said:


> its from a place where i knew there were no chemicals, so its safe


how did you come to this conclusion, if you don't mind me asking?
Have you any other plans for enriching your soil, or is this is?

I would be particularly concerned with arsenic (among others), because of its propensity to linger in soil for decades at a time and common use in treating lumber. Even at low levels it can greatly hinder plant/animal growth, and at higher levels is, obviously, toxic.


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## Sticky230

ColeMan said:


> how did you come to this conclusion, if you don't mind me asking?
> Have you any other plans for enriching your soil, or is this is?
> 
> I would be particularly concerned with arsenic (among others), because of its propensity to linger in soil for decades at a time and common use in treating lumber. Even at low levels it can greatly hinder plant/animal growth, and at higher levels is, obviously, toxic.


 
how's the water taste?

i like the tank.:thumbsup:


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## CL

CobraGuppy said:


> that hc sure is spreading fast. It hasn't even been a month yet lol.
> 
> In your anubias garden, are the stones laid flat side by side or do they form some sort of wall. I cant tell but it looks like the back part of the tank is raised xD


it is a wall, i couldnt get a good pic level with the tank because of the light, so i looked down on it, the wall is about 1.5 - 2 inches tall


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## CL

ColeMan said:


> how did you come to this conclusion, if you don't mind me asking?
> Have you any other plans for enriching your soil, or is this is?
> 
> I would be particularly concerned with arsenic (among others), because of its propensity to linger in soil for decades at a time and common use in treating lumber. Even at low levels it can greatly hinder plant/animal growth, and at higher levels is, obviously, toxic.


well, im not sure about arsenic but the mud is from a hole that i had to dig and it was about 3 feet under, in at least 10 years, the yard hasnt been fertilized or sprayed for weeds and is far from the actual house, so there has been no lumber near it in my knowledge, and like i said, this is an experiment, and only a 2.5 gallon, I do not plan on changing the sub anytime soon, although, i might after a while when i get bored with it, change to flourite, but i probably wont anytime soon


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## CL

update:






























and my anubias garden was changed to my 20 gal tank which now has eco complete:


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## CL

wow, i just realized how much the hc has grown, heres some pics for comparison:
first set up:








now:








i took out the twig because it started to get mold.


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## Austinv

that is way to much growth for 1 month! im impressed.


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## innerchi89

did you seperate the HC and plante them far away, then it grows into each other?


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## CL

innerchi89 said:


> did you seperate the HC and plante them far away, then it grows into each other?


i did a little bit, some of the hc was longer strands and you cant see them in the first picture because the sand is covering part of them but it grew out from under the sand


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## CL

any ideas on what to put in the back right corner?


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## PinoyBoy

a branchy wood wrapped in moss


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## CL

PinoyBoy said:


> a branchy wood wrapped in moss


thats a good idea and one i was going to use for the left corner but the wood started to mold. i was thinking a red plant like rotala or something, probably a rooted plant though because my tank isnt very tall


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## CL

so, would the regular baby tears(the ones in the top left corner) grow like a carpet with enough light? (i presume it would, just wouldnt be as low as the hc)


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## CL

well, it hasnt been very long yet, but i felt like posting a small update, i added a "pot" (bottom of a water bottle) with eco and hairgrass in it to see how it grows immersed (just realized how to spell this i think, oh well) i put in in the pot so it wouldnt invade anything and so i could take it out later
pics:


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## CL

hey, does anyone have any suggestions on the hard scape? like take the rocks out, rearrange them or what? suggestions would be great


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## CL

update:


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## CobraGuppy

its only been like a month and a half and its like covered the whole area o.o

Very nice carpet.


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## CL

CobraGuppy said:


> its only been like a month and a half and its like covered the whole area o.o
> 
> Very nice carpet.


ya, and im probably going to be redoing this tank in a few days/week because im not very happy with the layout, so, some of this might end up for sale....


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## innerchi89

I just read in the july issue of "Tropical Fish Hobbyist" that bark on that twig you had is prone to mold, and they recommend using wooded that is stripped of its bark and hard layer. I think that advice came from Takashi Amano himself.


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## innerchi89

that hc carpet is nice, do you dose it with anything? What how many, and what kind of light are you using


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## CL

innerchi89 said:


> I just read in the july issue of "Tropical Fish Hobbyist" that bark on that twig you had is prone to mold, and they recommend using wooded that is stripped of its bark and hard layer. I think that advice came from Takashi Amano himself.


yes i know, i had put it in there for an idea on where to put it, and forgot to strip the bark (though i think that the mold in my case was because there was no air circulation in my tank) , actually, today, i went gathering twigs off of some of my oak trees and stripped the bark off of it and just arranged it in a nice looking way, i think. when i get my moss i will probably redo this tank. (oh, and what do you mean by hard layer? the new xylem under the bark?)

no, i do not dose anything, my light is a 27 watt home depot light that was only 20 bucks


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## Austinv

boil the wood and the bark usually just slides off, depending on type of course.


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## stargate_geek

Nice carpet there! What light are you using on the tank? (sorry if this has already been ask!)


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## CL

i am using a 27 watt desk light


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## @[email protected]

you havent seen that light before? it is THE nano tank light. its some $30 dollars at home depot. i use it for my cactus though.

wow that HC is progressing nicely. when do you plan on filling the tank up, or do you want to keep it an emersed setup?


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## CL

@[email protected] said:


> you havent seen that light before? it is THE nano tank light. its some $30 dollars at home depot. i use it for my cactus though.
> 
> wow that HC is progressing nicely. when do you plan on filling the tank up, or do you want to keep it an emersed setup?


when i get some plants and moss from neon shrimp, i will re-do the tank and fill it up then, oh and the light was only $20:bounce: roud:


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## Vicky Chai Tea

That light looks perfect! I'm looking for something to light my 2.5gals. Wonderful tank. n___n


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## innerchi89

clwatkins, thanks for the advice on the light. I bought mine today. I hope my HC starts to grow like yours. Do you think it will be effected because my tank is immersed.


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## CL

innerchi89 said:


> clwatkins, thanks for the advice on the light. I bought mine today. I hope my HC starts to grow like yours. Do you think it will be effected because my tank is immersed.


i think that your hc should still grow even though your tank is full of water, give it some diy co2 or some excel and it should grow, give small doses of ferts and you could have a carpet goin after a while, in this tank, i dont have any water in it yet, so co2 in the air is readily available and i dont need to dose ferts (i have a layer of mud under the sand) in your case, you could use a type of kitty litter from wallmart that is called special kitty under your sand (make sure to get a kind of kitty litter that is just clay and is not scented, usually the cheaper the better, "special kitty" is cheap and doesnt have any extra chemicals in it) you could also use cheap potting soil (look around on google for the type of potting soil you should use) to fertilize your tank (be sure to put the stuff under the sand) if you have any other ?'s feel free to ask:icon_smil 
good luck


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## CL

well, i changed it a bit today and filled it up, moss on twigs is weeping moss (great moss from neon shrimp) filter is diy canister added nana petite (also from neon shrimp ) i filled it up with water from my anubias garden (water is crystal clear now ) i will add more plants in a day or two when they arrive
pics:


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## CL

wow i just noticed how dirty that wall is in the first pic 
dang flash lol


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## innerchi89

pretty soon those branches will look like a nice tree.


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## CL

innerchi89 said:


> pretty soon those branches will look like a nice tree.


yeah, hopefully like a willow, i love those, i looked for branches that were bent downward but i couldnt find any like that that were branchy enough


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## Kayen

So any other plants goingg in eventually?


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## CL

yeah, i dont know if i mentioned, but i will add more plants when they arrive in the mail


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## CL




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## CL

Viettxboii said:


> So any other plants goingg in eventually?


no, at least I dont think so, I have some rotala in there atm to soak up excess nutrients. The water remained cloudy for a while, despite me doing large wc's Two nights ago I did a 75% wc and the water cleared up immediately and is now crystal clear!:biggrin:


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## starsunmoon

can you tell me howto make a canister fiter diy for this size, or a 5gal?? and how does your diy co2 work? can you explain how you have set it up ?? thanxs!! reallynice nano ~!!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~


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## CL




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## CL

update:
man the hc has gotten thick-
































you can see that there are a few small stem in there, they will be removed soon


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## shaobo

Nice thick HC lawn


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## CL

Im wondering if I should trim the hc....... Its taller in the front, sloping to the back, which creates a backwards slope that takes away from the depth:icon_conf


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## turdb0

Flip the tank around! haha...


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## MO3N

i was just wondering if you are now adding any fertz now that the plants are underwater?


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## @[email protected]

you can trim it. or move the light to give the back more light.


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## CL

turdb0 said:


> Flip the tank around! haha...


I actually thought about that, but the sand is sloped opposite of the way that hc is sloped....


MO3N said:


> i was just wondering if you are now adding any fertz now that the plants are underwater?


No, I still do not add any ferts


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## CL

after vacation the hc is so thick:















the terrarium:








I noticed some hydras in the tank....


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## Church

Very unique. I like it! Love the HC carpet, that's for sure!


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## mizu-chan

The HC carpet is great.


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## CL




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## Complexity

Looks great! The branches and moss remind me of a weeping willow tree. Pretty scape. Any fish in the plans?


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## CL

Complexity said:


> Looks great! The branches and moss remind me of a weeping willow tree. Pretty scape. Any fish in the plans?


thats good, lol, it was supposed to look like a weeping willow, I might get some black bee shrimp and/ or some small fish like 3 boraroras or something like that


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## innerchi89

Nice it really came along nicely.


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## CL

innerchi89 said:


> Nice it really came along nicely.


Thanks. In a few days, I will probably cut out a 1" strip of HC along the front of the tank to sell like how plantbrain did it.


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## innerchi89

Ill pm you about that.


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## seAdams

I love this! Amazing - it looks just like a tree in a lush meadow.


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## Karackle

Wow, it looks really cool! It's so simple, but very elegant. And it really does look like a weeping willow! Well done!


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## CL

lol, it's not done growing yet


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## Joetee

clwatkins10

Nice job on your tanks.
Glade to see another aquarist close by. I'm on the north side of Lexington, up by the new library. Where do you shop for your fish and plants?

Joetee


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## CL

Joetee said:


> clwatkins10
> 
> Nice job on your tanks.
> Glade to see another aquarist close by. I'm on the north side of Lexington, up by the new library. Where do you shop for your fish and plants?
> 
> Joetee


I shop at just fish. I'm sure you do too, seeing as it is the only true fish store in lexington. It's nice to see more and more kentuckians on this forum:thumbsup:


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## Joetee

Yes Just Fish is the best I've seen. I'm in the process of having them order me some fish which I'm trying to make up my mind on. I'm also waiting for a Fluval 405 from them for my 50 which is going to be turning into a 120 in a few months. Then I'm planning on getting another Fluval 405 so I'll have two. They have the best prices on Fluvals that I've seen. I've even checked online.
Joetee


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## CL

I think they had a 50% off sale on almost everything in the store yesterday or today
edit- it sometime next week


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## CL

trimmed the hc again, water is still a little cloudy, and added black background


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## Ishar

wow!!! I love how it looked on 06-30-2008, post #53. So good looking! That is an amazing lawn of HC


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## @[email protected]

well i cant think of i nice way to put this so: those two white tubes (intake and outake?), they make your really nice tank look like crap.
you need to figure out a way to hide them or at least get black ones to blend in a little with the background.


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## CL

@[email protected] said:


> well i cant think of i nice way to put this so: those two white tubes (intake and outake?), they make your really nice tank look like crap.
> you need to figure out a way to hide them or at least get black ones to blend in a little with the background.


lol, those are the filter tubes. Im not sure if I can paint them


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## @[email protected]

home depot sells black rubber tubing. you could probably find some the right size.


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## eyebeatbadgers

I would personally build some PVC intake/outtake tubes, and paint them black with Krylon Fusion. I'm guessing they could be smaller than the current tubes, which look monstrous in your tank currently. 1/2" diameter PVC should be more than big enough to get the job done.


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## Complexity

I second eyebeatbadgers idea. I think straight, black pvc tubing would take less away from the scape. Considering the small size of the tank, you could probably get away with using PVC without those large suction cups, as well. That would offer a much cleaner look overall.


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## seAdams

Is an HOB filter not an option? On that size tank, a little Red Sea nano filter would do the job and be nearly invisible.


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## CL

update:
thinking about removing the moss tree.... and moving the great dw from my terrarium into this tank and growing a carpet of fissidens...


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## @[email protected]

so, whats in the terrarium. seems like it would be good for an insect, or maybe a jungle scorpion if you put some hides (youll have to research, i dont know if its large enough or not, i never kept any bugs).


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## Ugly Genius

Your tanks are awesome! Love them.

But I agree with many other people here; the tubes have got to go! Don't mar such pretty 'scapes with tubes so unquestionably ugly!


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## ikuzo

a carpet of fissidens. this will be amazing!


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## CL

An update:








I am trying rotala rotundifolia emersed:








I tore down the other tank , kinda got tired of it. I may set it back up eventually....


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## fish_fasinated

neat, never knew rotala woud grow emersed. this should be interesting. lol might ahve to try some of my clippings emersed.


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## mizu-chan

This is looking really nice. I have never heard of growing rotala emersed. I can't wait to see the out come.

Shame you tore down your other tank though. I thought it looked really nice.


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## CL

In a few days, I will trim & Thin the hc, it has gotten tall 
The moss on the wood is fissidens fontanus


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## platinumpete

Cool stuff!


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## Ugly Genius

Looks awesome!


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## CL

platinumpete said:


> Cool stuff!





Ugly Genius said:


> Looks awesome!


Thanks Guys


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## Mangala

<--- extremely jealous of your fissidens.


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## SeaSerpant

platinumpete said:


> Cool stuff!





Ugly Genius said:


> Looks awesome!


very nice
(everybody else is using 2 words, so why can't i?)


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## chase127

whats the red substrate you have in the right 2.5? (i think its the one you still have setup)


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## CL

Its brown. Its called coco fiber or coco bedding. It comes in a compressed brick, that you get wet and it expands out. Pretty cool stuff


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## chase127

ahh terrarium stuff. shoulda known  i may be doing something like that just because 2.5s are on sale at my LFS :icon_roll


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## chadly

Very nice tanks! lovin the emersed setup...


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## CL

chadly said:


> Very nice tanks! lovin the emersed setup...


Thanks. I trimmed the hc back a bit. The anubias are starting to grow really well.


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## BichirAddict

Any updates?


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## CL

soryy, nothing new is happenneing


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## chase127

hey, the light you had over the aquatic 2.5, was that just the light part of the hampton bay lamp?


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## CL

chris127 said:


> hey, the light you had over the aquatic 2.5, was that just the light part of the hampton bay lamp?


No, I made it out of a socket and a 27 watt cfl


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## chase127

hmph. did you have any algae problems from that? trying to figure out how to get rid of the base of the desk lamp. thinking of deheading the desk lamp and adding another socket into a wood hood.


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## CL

I saw a guy from hawaii who did exactly that! He did it on his cube, he used two hampton bay desk lamps, and used the ballast, sockets and bulbs to make his hood.


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## chase127

haha i saw that too. lost the thread tho :| i bet using 2 sockets + 2 CFL's would be less nerve racking than decapitating the lamp lol. did you use anything as a reflector? foil, white paint?


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## CL

I used white paint


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## chase127

thanks for the info roud:


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## thief

clwatkins10 said:


> In a few days, I will trim & Thin the hc, it has gotten tall
> The moss on the wood is fissidens fontanus


OMG this tank is going to be AWESOME! *drools* 

Seriously when I saw this tank so many ideas poped up in me mind. 

Also the driftwood is awesome. It looks like the driftwood I can get from petco. ( Curious where did you get it?) But I think I got an idea for a new tank. Thanks for the inspiration clwatkins!!! I read through the whole journal and must say I love how you are testing all new stuff!

This tank makes me think of something deep in the forest. Just an idea. I think you should take the HC out of the middle and make a stream look. Especially since your background will be with rotalia and get some nice gray rocks to border and steam. Me and my crazy ideas.


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## CL

Thanks for the compliments guys, but Im sad to say, I might be breaking this tank down soon. I might consider selling the driftwood if anyone is interested. Pm me if you are. Oh yeah, I dont remember where I got this wood...


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## chase127

do the fissdens come with it?


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## CL

chris127 said:


> do the fissdens come with it?


Ummm, no haha


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## CL

Well, I got bored, and was dreaming of my nice rimless 30c that I ordered and decided to take the rim off of the tank, there went 1:30 lol


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## chase127

such a good use of time


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## Ugly Genius

Awesome piece of driftwood! So may possibilities with it. Can't wait to see this tank grow.


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## CL

Thanks guys. I moved the driftwood all the way to the right. I am debating on whether I should use Aqua Soil or not. If I do, I will probably get the powder type, which would be $26 shipped. Anyone know of any better solutions? I dont really want to do the mineralized top soil and I dont want to use eco. Oh, I might use flourite black or black sand. Any opinions on which one I should pick?


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## Ugly Genius

If you're going to do a really intricate and detailed 'scape, the AS Powder will be great. I think it looks really, really nice in tanks smaller than twenty gallons. My next nano will be using it.
Have you used AS before? If not, I would highly recommend it; if for no other reason than to have a basis of comparison against the other substrates available.


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## CL

Thanks for the info UG. No, I have never use AS before. I got my java fern 'trident' about 15 mins. ago, and If I do set this up any time soon, some of that will for sure be going in here


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## CL

Right now Im thinking that the substrate will be considerably sloped, so of course Im going to go for ug probably. Behing the wood "peak" I will put some trident and maybe have some hairgrass and/ or downoi. What do you guys think?


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## CL

I was bored, added a background, and scooted to dw over to the right


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## eyebeatbadgers

I'd take a razor blade to that silicone and trim it up some.


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## CL

eyebeatbadgers said:


> I'd take a razor blade to that silicone and trim it up some.


I know, Ive been thinking about doing that all day


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## Ugly Genius

At the same time, I think this tank's going to be so fresh when it's filled, we won't even notice the silicone. I'm so jealous of your driftwood, cl.


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## eyebeatbadgers

But, in a few months, that silicone isn't quite as "fresh", and starts to get a little milky, maybe some algae on it, then you'll wish you trimmed it up. Just leave the thick parts, and cut a smooth straight line with a new razor blade to get rid of the thin stuff. Just take your time, it's easy to do a good job of it.


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## CL

Ugly Genius said:


> I'm so jealous of your driftwood, cl.


Thanks lol, I only tried to sell it in the S&S for like 2-3 weeks lol


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## CL

Ordered the Aqua Soil powder type just now, hopefully it will arrive quick! (I'm impatient)


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## CL

Just ordered the Aqua Soil powder type. Hopefully it will get here fast (I'm impatient lol)


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## deleted_user_16

r u going to use AS for the 30c? or wat?


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## CL

fishman9809 said:


> r u going to use AS for the 30c? or wat?


Right now the plan is to use the same plants, scape, and sand, but today I got a little hint of wanting to try a new scape  lol. I might end up using AS for it, but I really, really need to save up for a 2217 now, I've blown $50 now on unexpected spending :icon_roll (the java fern trident and now the AS for this tank) I could have been closing in on half of the way to my new filter LOL:icon_evil


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## CL

The AS was shipped today!


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## CL

Set it back up yesterday:


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## fish_fasinated

nice, that wood works so well. what are you planning on adding?


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## CL

java fern trident if i can find it, ug


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## trigun808

its funny cause my lfs carries ug xD


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## deleted_user_16

hows the ammonia?


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## Complexity

Very nice! I really like the way the wood is buried into the substrate. It gives it a natural look. I also love the steep incline (mountain!). I have tried to do an incline and found it falls down very fast on me. Making it steep like that should work well.

I hope you don't mind if I end up copying you! I've completely torn apart my scape on my 2.5g, and I haven't decided on how to do it. I may use some of your ideas! :smile:


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## CL

trigun808 said:


> its funny cause my lfs carries ug xD


lucky haha


fishman9809 said:


> hows the ammonia?


I don't have an ammonia test kit:icon_redf, but 
GH: 120
KH: 0-40, but closer to 0 :icon_eek:, strange, especially considering that the only rock around here is limestone, we have lots of caves, or is it the GH that is affected by limestone? I just tested one of my other tanks and the KH is like 80, does AS affect it that much? Maybe it's the wood as well...
pH: 6.0-6.5 with no co2
NO2: 0-0.5
NO3: 40
cycling is fast, yesterday the no2 was like 2
though, I am using a filer that was already mature


Complexity said:


> Very nice! I really like the way the wood is buried into the substrate. It gives it a natural look. I also love the steep incline (mountain!). I have tried to do an incline and found it falls down very fast on me. Making it steep like that should work well.
> 
> I hope you don't mind if I end up copying you! I've completely torn apart my scape on my 2.5g, and I haven't decided on how to do it. I may use some of your ideas! :smile:


sure thing, no prob


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## @[email protected]

hardscape is nice, nutella is better.


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## Complexity

@[email protected] said:


> ...nutella...


Please pardon my ignorance. What is nutella?


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## @[email protected]

on the first pic, the big jar to the left of the tank.
good stuff.


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## CL

@[email protected] said:


> hardscape is nice, nutella is better.


lol


Complexity said:


> Please pardon my ignorance. What is nutella?


:icon_eek:
It is chocolate hazelnut spread, like peanut butter, except chocolate. Its good on any bread and any fruit (well, not tomatoes) It's a french thing, like vegemite is to New Zealand/ Australia. You can find it next to the peanut butter in the grocery store, it's delicious:icon_roll


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## @[email protected]

yes and also goes well with pancakes, crepes, nuts (dip em in), waffles, etc. 
it would be great on ice cream, but the damn thing gets rock-hard when its cold.


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## Complexity

OH!! Okay, that makes sense. I was trying to figure out how nuts and tanks went together! :icon_lol:


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## CL

@[email protected] said:


> yes and also goes well with pancakes, crepes, nuts (dip em in), waffles, etc.
> it would be great on ice cream, but the damn thing gets rock-hard when its cold.


Or on a spoon 



Complexity said:


> OH!! Okay, that makes sense. I was trying to figure out how nuts and tanks went together! :icon_lol:


lol


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## deleted_user_16

wow, this is weird, jsut had like 5 spoonfuls of it, love the stuff.


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## CL

Do they normally send a catalog book/ how to set up an iwagumi layout book for free with your order?


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## deleted_user_16

yep, got one with my tank.


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## CL

A bunch of shrimp were in the filter, so there are now around 10 tiny shrimp in here, that somehow survived the ammonia spike and the no3 and no2 from when the tank cycled, though, the cycling only took like 3 days because the filter was already mature


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## CL

Oh, and yes I did make that light/ stand for the light. It has two 10 W cfl bulbs in it


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## mizu-chan

Wow, that light is impressive. Very clean looking.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

RCS are just about as hardy as Danios (well ok maybe not _that_ hardy). My friend (not really, just on another forum) had his RCS survive the complete cycling period.

Looks like a great tank so farroud:


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## CL

Thanks guys (and girls). I just added a bunch of hc that I had growing out in my 20 gallon tank. Almost fills in the whole empty area on the left


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## Complexity

Your tank looks really nice! Very clean and neat. I like your light and stand. Great job!


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## CL

Complexity said:


> Your tank looks really nice! Very clean and neat. I like your light and stand. Great job!


Thanks  That random rotundifolia stem and the pennywort are in the for tank start-up purposes (and to see how the AS affects the growth rate of them)


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## CL




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## Complexity

Whoa, nice carpet starter! Is it planted on something? Looks almost as if there's a thin piece of slate under it.

Which plant is that? HC? I love the tiny leaves!


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## CL

Complexity said:


> Whoa, nice carpet starter! Is it planted on something? Looks almost as if there's a thin piece of slate under it.
> 
> Which plant is that? HC? I love the tiny leaves!


Yes, it is slate. I've been too lazy to to plant it properly:icon_roll


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## fish_fasinated

beautiful tank, this came together so well. im happy now


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## Complexity

Hey, another word for lazy is creative! :biggrin:

How is it attached to the slate? Can you leave it to grow that way? I'd love to find a way to plant my Marselia minuta without having to actually _plant_ it!


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## CL

Complexity said:


> Hey, another word for lazy is creative! :biggrin:
> 
> How is it attached to the slate? Can you leave it to grow that way? I'd love to find a way to plant my Marselia minuta without having to actually _plant_ it!


It is tied to the slate like I would do to a moss


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## luckydud13

Hi, I have been following your post for a whileand have a couple questions.
1. Is kitty liter tope with sand a good substrate to use? 
2. And how do I know if the kitty litter is ok?
3. And can I use any potting soil? What can't be in it?
4. For the later pictures are you still using the 27 watt home depot light?
5. Can you give me a link to that light?
6. I am starting a planted tank 2.5 will that light be enough? 
THANK YOU VERY MUCH


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## CL

luckydud13 said:


> Hi, I have been following your post for a whileand have a couple questions.
> 1. Is kitty liter tope with sand a good substrate to use?
> 2. And how do I know if the kitty litter is ok?
> 3. And can I use any potting soil? What can't be in it?
> 4. For the later pictures are you still using the 27 watt home depot light?
> 5. Can you give me a link to that light?
> 6. I am starting a planted tank 2.5 will that light be enough?
> THANK YOU VERY MUCH


1. I would say so IME
2. Make sure you get kittly litter that is *just *clay, no fresh scent or anything
3. Yes, check out the mineralized substrate thread for info on how to do this
4. No
5. No, I made the myself
6. Yes


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## CL




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## chase127

i like it  the wood really makes this tank


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## deleted_user_16

wanna make me a fixture like that with power compacts for my 30c? thats a really good fixture, you should sell em. i agree, the wood works very well in this tank.


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## CL




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## Karackle

hey that's filling in quite nicely and looks really good! Well done!


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## chase127

HC's growin great! and those are massive tweezers


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## CL

chris127 said:


> HC's growin great! and those are massive tweezers


Did I not mention the tank was three inches long :hihi:


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## RandomKayos

SWEET! Your taste and style find approval in my pleasure centers. I hope to be able to post pics of my tanks that are this pleasing one day. Currently hard scape impared and learning to trim and plan as I go. 

I do have a question. The plant in the back right corner, what is that? I found some in a local pond that looks remarkably simular. Cannot seem to find it in any of the plant profiles I have checked.


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## youareafever

your floating canopy is really nice, so nice infact that i may have to steal the design


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## epicfish

youareafever said:


> your floating canopy is really nice, so nice infact that i may have to steal the design


I looked through the thread but didn't see any how-to or detailed pictures...


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## @[email protected]

great job with the planting. it looks really nice.


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## EdTheEdge

clwatkins10 said:


> Set it back up yesterday:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hmmmmmm Nutella.....


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## connordude27

the tank has changed a lot and i really like the new changes better than the old tank


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## CL

RandomKayos said:


> SWEET! Your taste and style find approval in my pleasure centers. I hope to be able to post pics of my tanks that are this pleasing one day. Currently hard scape impared and learning to trim and plan as I go.
> 
> I do have a question. The plant in the back right corner, what is that? I found some in a local pond that looks remarkably simular. Cannot seem to find it in any of the plant profiles I have checked.


Thanks! That plant is hm


epicfish said:


> I looked through the thread but didn't see any how-to or detailed pictures...


nothin' special. Just a wood box with two sockets in it and a 1x1 screwed to it to hold it up


EdTheEdge said:


> clwatkins10 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Set it back up yesterday:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hmmmmmm Nutella.....
Click to expand...

I know right?



connordude27 said:


> the tank has changed a lot and i really like the new changes better than the old tank


Thanks!


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## CL




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## connordude27

wow looks nice i like the frogbit in there it is my new favorite plant!


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## CL

connordude27 said:


> wow looks nice i like the frogbit in there it is my new favorite plant!


Thanks  That's actually salvinia


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## Karackle

continues to look great!


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## CL

Karackle said:


> continues to look great!


Thanks  It's great for no co2 or ferts


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## Kayen

New inspiration.
Lol love your scapes.
Anyways, looking forward to more pics as this progresses.


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## CL

Viettxboii said:


> New inspiration.
> Dayum i love moss scapes !
> What is your moss on anyways?


There is no moss in here.. The carpeting plant is hc


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## Kayen

Loll wow you're fast. I realiized i comment on the wrong thread and edited it instantaneuosly after i posted. LOL.
Anyways I'm looking to your tanks for ideas on what to do with my own crappy 2.5g.

For that hob you have, wouldn't something like that be blasting alot of water into the tank ?


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## CL

Viettxboii said:


> Loll wow you're fast. I realiized i comment on the wrong thread and edited it instantaneuosly after i posted. LOL.
> Anyways I'm looking to your tanks for ideas on what to do with my own crappy 2.5g.
> 
> For that hob you have, wouldn't something like that be blasting alot of water into the tank ?


Yes, it is a lot of flow, but it's no problem


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## Complexity

The HC is coming right along! I can't wait to see what it will look like once the HC is completely grown in.


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## Kayen

Suppose not, because you don't have any inhabitants in there right now?

Question about your light: What types of bulb are you using ?


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## CL

Complexity said:


> The HC is coming right along! I can't wait to see what it will look like once the HC is completely grown in.


Thanks. Me too 


Viettxboii said:


> Suppose not, because you don't have any inhabitants in there right now?
> 
> Question about your light: What types of bulb are you using ?


I have one fish and a bunch of hitch-hiker cherry shrimp. I am using 2 10watt cfl bulbs from the fish aisle in walmart


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## brion0

Makes me think I ought to get a 2.5 tank. Neat stuff you have been doing.
Thanks for sharing it.


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## CL

Here's an overexposed pic :icon_roll


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## @[email protected]

looks nice.

HC is growing in.
and i really like your idea and imagination to turn a peice of driftwood into a mountain and grow an iwagumi.


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## FrostyNYC

I dig it too. The driftwood looks like artwork with all of its curves and undulation.

I think I would bring some of the HM(?) a little closer to the forefront on the right side, though. Or at least let it grow in in that direction as it gets bushier. I think it'd look nice hugging the driftwood.


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## @[email protected]

FrostyNYC said:


> I think I would bring some of the HM(?) a little closer to the forefront on the right side, though. Or at least let it grow in in that direction as it gets bushier. I think it'd look nice hugging the driftwood.


i second that. it would look good.


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## fish_fasinated

The tank looks great, its filling so nicely. That DW is so cool!


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## brt_p

adding some moss @ your DW would be great..


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## fish_fasinated

lol flame moss could look like little pine trees on your mountain! that flame moss just looks sweet!


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## CL




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## Naja002

W:icon_eek:W! Great job with the DIY projects. Very Cool. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## CL

Oh, I forgot this pic:


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## Ugly Genius

cl, let me get the obvious out of the way. It's friggin' beautiful.

Second, I cannot believe that this is only two point five gallons. I have quite a few nanos so I'm _used_ to small scapes, but even with all my staring at small tanks all day, I'm still blown away by how well you scaled everything. You don't get that ability from practice. That's just natural God-given talent right there.


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## CL

Ugly Genius said:


> cl, let me get the obvious out of the way. It's friggin' beautiful.
> 
> Second, I cannot believe that this is only two point five gallons. I have quite a few nanos so I'm _used_ to small scapes, but even with all my staring at small tanks all day, I'm still blown away by how well you scaled everything. You don't get that ability from practice. That's just natural God-given talent right there.


You give me too much credit.
Thanks


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## connordude27

3 letters W-O-W wow :eek5: that looks amazing :eek5:


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## Karackle

Wow looks incredible! I totally forgot it was only a 2.5, it looks so much larger! I have to agree with UG on this, fantastic eye for scale! Well done!


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## CL

Guess what? The blasted cat knocked my tank off of the stand while I was away. It broke, the water went everywhere, shrimp died, the lone fish in this tank died, the plants were practically dead (floating in my 20 ATM)
And I was just starting to really like the tank too


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## Craigthor

sorry to hear that... is the cat still a member of the house or are there 4 bricks tied to its feet and its in the 20 too?


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## CL

Craigthor said:


> sorry to hear that... is the cat still a member of the house or are there 4 bricks tied to its feet and its in the 20 too?


LOL, yes, but he's been in hiding


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## Karackle

oh man, I'm so sorry to hear that! Any plans to rebuild?


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## thief

Wow I just went though your thread clwatkins and to hear this happen that just sucks. :icon_cry: Your cat must be pretty strong to I would guess to be able to do that. Only thing I can suggest it that you should use a rubber mat for your tank for now on or something to keep this from happening again. I really like the tank though I how you can get some plans going for a rebuild.


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## CL

Karackle said:


> oh man, I'm so sorry to hear that! Any plans to rebuild?


nope.


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## OhNo123

Man, that sucks. It was a nice tank too! I didn't see any co2 equipment, did you dose co2?


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## CL

OhNo123 said:


> Man, that sucks. It was a nice tank too! I didn't see any co2 equipment, did you dose co2?


no, it was a great little low work tank, no ferts or co2, no algae, and only needed to feed the fish every couple of days


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## OhNo123

you should definitely consider setting up the tank again, it looked awesome.


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## CL

OhNo123 said:


> you should definitely consider setting up the tank again, it looked awesome.


I know  But I would have to buy another tank, and I just don't have an extra $12


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## Karackle

Maybe ask for just the tank for the holidays?


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## Complexity

No!! I am so sorry! Your tank looked so great, too. 

Save everything so you can rebuild later. Even if you don't do it now, you may want to get it going again later.


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## paulsk

Dang, that sucks to hear what happened to your tank. Sorry for such a newb question (I'm still learning), but what was the long grassy plant behind the driftwood?


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## CL

paulsk said:


> Dang, that sucks to hear what happened to your tank. Sorry for such a newb question (I'm still learning), but what was the long grassy plant behind the driftwood?


blyxa japonica


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## paulsk

Oh haha thanks. I forgot it was only 2.5 gallons, so the scale was throwing me off.


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## Naja002

clwatkins10 said:


> Guess what? The blasted cat knocked my tank off of the stand while I was away. It broke, the water went everywhere, shrimp died, the lone fish in this tank died, the plants were practically dead (floating in my 20 ATM)
> And I was just starting to really like the tank too


You keep lions, tigers or what?


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## fish_fasinated

WOW this SUCKS! pretty sure my cats would be spending the next month locked in the bathroom for that, and the tank was looking so good!


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## CL

Naja002 said:


> You keep lions, tigers or what?


manecoons (sp?)

nah, jk, just a burly tabby cat:icon_roll
The tank didn't weigh that much


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## _Green_

wow I`m sorry to hear that you cat destroyed this, it was really quite impressive.

I was am still pretty new to plants and was wondering if you could be so kind as to tell me what is behind the driftwood in this photo









_Green_


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## imeridian

Read a few of posts up... #212.


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## CL

imeridian said:


> Read a few of posts up... #212.


thanks


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## rekles75

The cat did what! AW that frickkin sucks. I would give you the $12 bucks to buy another tank, but I'm cheap as hell.


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## CL

rekles75 said:


> The cat did what! AW that frickkin sucks. I would give you the $12 bucks to buy another tank, but I'm cheap as hell.


Haha, no need to worry about it. I've got the money (my birthday was yesterday ) but I am investing in some poison dart frogs instead.


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## Ugly Genius

Happy belated birthday, bro!


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## CL

Ugly Genius said:


> Happy belated birthday, bro!


haha, thanks


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## twychopen

what is a cfl bulb??? (the one u used for your light)


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## CL

twychopen said:


> what is a cfl bulb??? (the one u used for your light)


compact flourescent


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## luckydud13

Do you still have the driftwood that you were using for the willow tree scape? If so and your not using I will make you an offer. Also do you have any extra hc that I could try out with my 2.5?


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## CL

luckydud13 said:


> Do you still have the driftwood that you were using for the willow tree scape? If so and your not using I will make you an offer. Also do you have any extra hc that I could try out with my 2.5?


I don't have that wood anymore, but I could make another, and I don't have any hc anymore either.


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## luckydud13

Make it? Could you explain how you made it?


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## CL

luckydud13 said:


> Make it? Could you explain how you made it?


I peeled the bark off of some oak branches and tie them together with zip-ties


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## luckydud13

Is it that easy? Doesnt the wood rot?


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## CL

luckydud13 said:


> Is it that easy? Doesnt the wood rot?


not oak. It's easy, just takes time.


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