# Jake's Random Planted 1gal Vase



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Aaaaand… I moved it to a guest bathroom:


































Will need to figure out how to better disguise the cord but I'm much happier with its new location.


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## mosspearl (Jan 30, 2013)

Looks like you're off to a good start.  I love planted jars, vases, and bowls. I'll be following along.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

Resistance is futile!

Pretty cute and i love the location, gives me an idea 

via Droid DNA Tapatalk 2


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## FungusTrooper (Jul 8, 2013)

Sweet! Where did you get the light? I see some on Amazon but I'm not sure if they're the same.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

mosspearl: Thanks

OVT: Yep. Got tired of tossing tiny clippings that weren't really suitable for RAOKs.This way I can grow them out, give them away and start the vase over. Now that I've hidden the cord a bit and positioned things better, it looks pretty neat. Since it's in a windowless room, it will serve as a decent night light.

FungusTroper: You can buy them from any number of aquatics retailers. 3w Deep Blue Professional Solar Flare LED. Just pick your preferred retailer.


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## GreenBliss (Mar 7, 2012)

I'll be following along too. I got various bowls and jars that I set up recently. Love them.


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## mosspearl (Jan 30, 2013)

I'm envious of your many empty countertops with handy outlets. All my jars have to sit on a baker's rack near the sliding glass door to get natural light. With a family of 10, you can imagine extra space is at a premium, especially when they're all hooked on computers and video games.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Since I'm thinking about adding shrimp to this vase, I'll want to properly "cycle" it and have some sort of filtration. 

I've got a Hagen Elite Mini internal filter that would be perfect, I think. But I've only ever used them as tiny pumps/powerheads and never filtration. Anyone have thoughts on their use for filtration? (I also use them to supply water to HOB breeder boxes.)

Suppose I could always just use one of my old RedSea Nano filters. Would mean less equipment inside the vase. 

Decisions, decisions.


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## cbachmann (Aug 6, 2013)

Any updates?


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## Knotyoureality (Aug 3, 2012)

somewhatshocked said:


> Since I'm thinking about adding shrimp to this vase, I'll want to properly "cycle" it and have some sort of filtration.
> 
> I've got a Hagen Elite Mini internal filter that would be perfect, I think. But I've only ever used them as tiny pumps/powerheads and never filtration. Anyone have thoughts on their use for filtration? (I also use them to supply water to HOB breeder boxes.)
> 
> ...


If you're set on having filtration, there's certainly options out there, but I've found them to be unnecessary in these smaller planted vases with the minimal stock they have the room for. Nor do I bother doing a full cycle. A couple ghost shrimp, or a few snails, or a half dozen juvie cherries offer so little load that the bacteria that come in with the plants will carry the load--a quick squeeze of used filter media can help that along if you're particularly worried.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

cbachmann: Not much to update, as I just started it a couple weeks ago. Will snap more photos and such as things grow in.

Knotyoureality: I'm aware that filtration isn't always _necessary_. But it's not something I'll likely risk when housing more sensitive types of shrimp. May actually end up keeping some Crystals in it toward the end of summer.


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## concepts88 (Oct 4, 2012)

I have rcs in. A vase with no water movement and filtration and they are happy. I have since added gravel from the main tank and i originally used tank water. 









This was a test as i can go onto larger vases and put the light you suggested on it. I guess Rcs can live without filters and movement anyway. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Yep, Neos are quite hardy. 

While my Pure Red Lines are hardy in terms of Crystals, it'll take me a bit of effort to be able to handle them in a container like this at first. Not completely set on them, though.

Also interested in some water movement for the S. repens.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

S. repens has totally melted. Not sure if it's dead or what. Will snap a few photos tomorrow. If it's died off (kind of hoping that it has), I'm going to plop in some other plants I need to use up. 

Bacopa has slowly grown a few inches and is looking healthy as ever. B. monnieri may be one of my most favorite simple stems.


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## Psiorian (Jun 23, 2013)

Hows this vase going? I'm wondering if you stocked it with any of your shrimp yet.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Still chugging along. No shrimp yet. But I picked up another Hagen Elite Mini to serve for flow and filtration.

Am currently prepping for a big move and will be draining the vase. Will set it back up upon arrival, install the filter, "cycle" everything and then move four or five shrimp into it.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

This little vase is no more. Had to part with it during the move.

But I'm picking up another one soon and will use the same plants and same light. Even have a filter for it now.


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## ohaple (Nov 30, 2018)

somewhatshocked said:


> This little vase is no more. Had to part with it during the move.
> 
> But I'm picking up another one soon and will use the same plants and same light. Even have a filter for it now.



Nice. Interested to see what you do. When I started here I was working on a 1gallon planted tank to house a couple shrimp and a snail. I designed a filter to be as small and hidden as I could.
It sounds like you have a good solution, but here is my design for a small and quiet sponge filter. I believe the dimensions were about 1"x2"x3". It was just a small water pump with a box to contain a sponge attached over the intake and mesh over the output. It worked well for a few months and was easy to maintain since the sponge is easily removed. Are you using an air-pump based filter? I didn't like how loud the air pump was for use in an office environment.


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## Jamo33 (Feb 18, 2014)

@ohaple mate, that was 6 years ago hahaha


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## ohaple (Nov 30, 2018)

Jamo33 said:


> @*ohaple* mate, that was 6 years ago hahaha



 Guess I need to pay more attention... lol. Thanks for the note. I thought I had clicked over from "Recent Discussions" but I may have been browsing some other way. Whoops.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

What you folks ( @Jamo33 & @ohaple ) don't know is that I have a new vase and have been working on hardscape for _months_. :nerd:

Found the perfect one at IKEA. Just can't settle on hardscape.

The tiny filters I have are the Hagen Elite Mini - roughly the same size as the one in the pic above.


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## Jamo33 (Feb 18, 2014)

somewhatshocked said:


> What you folks ( @Jamo33 & @ohaple ) don't know is that I have a new vase and have been working on hardscape for _months_. <a href="http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/images/PlantedTank_net_2015/smilies/tango_face_glasses.png" border="0" alt="" title="Nerd" ></a>
> 
> Found the perfect one at IKEA. Just can't settle on hardscape.
> 
> The tiny filters I have are the Hagen Elite Mini - roughly the same size as the one in the pic above.


Well then I am happy that this thread was refreshed! Interested to see how you set this one up! Thinking of getting myself a little tank for the bedside table actually.


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## ohaple (Nov 30, 2018)

somewhatshocked said:


> What you folks ( @*Jamo33* & @*ohaple* ) don't know is that I have a new vase and have been working on hardscape for _months_. :nerd:
> 
> Found the perfect one at IKEA. Just can't settle on hardscape.
> 
> The tiny filters I have are the Hagen Elite Mini - roughly the same size as the one in the pic above.



See... I wasn't thread bumping. I was just predicting your next move. That looks like a nice filter. pretty much the same as my DIY design, but looks nicer. Look forward to seeing your new setup. I found hardscape very difficult for the container I got. If I did it again I would just use some small stone, because the driftwood was too large.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

I've been collecting random bits of wood and manzanita since the winter and finally have enough decent pieces to put something together. Plan is to take advantage of all the vertical space.

Just a matter of getting my ducks in a row and focusing.



ohaple said:


> If I did it again I would just use some small stone, because the driftwood was too large.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

It's been sitting like this for several months. It's 8in tall, has a diameter of 7in and is roughly 1.33gal.










(No, the vases won't be on that flimsy shelf - only there for the photographs)


I may just go ahead and plant it with this hardscape. I don't hate it and think it could look good with a hardy stem plant in the back, some moss on the wood, crypts.

Thought about using sand but am leaning toward Aqua Soil Amazonia so the root-feeders will require less effort. If I go that route, I'll just use the type of water I'd normally mix up for Neo & Tiger shrimp and not worry about the substrate losing its buffering ability. The vase will likely never house more than a few adult shrimp and snails even with the tiny filter I plan to use. 

Decided to use a shallow 8.75in x 3.75in, 1gal vase (came as part of the set) for extra floating plants:











Almost always have extras when I have tanks at home and have no place to put them other than buckets. This ought to look decent enough. Likely no intentional livestock beyond snails.

Speaking of which, I need to get my hands on some pond snails (not bladder) and ramshorns for my home tanks...


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

These have a moodiness to it: I like the dark brown wood, gray slate, and modern lines of vase. 
But, I used to be ( for 20 years) a floral designer and this reminds me of Ikebana. 
The possibilities.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Decided to plant the vase with some Hedyotis salzmannii in the rear. It's tissue-cultured, so tiiiny at the moment. 

Take a look:










There are probably a thousand stems of it but they're so small I had to bunch them together before placing them in one of my tubs of extra plants.

Moss on some of the wood, various crypts all around.

That's one of tomorrow's projects, though, because... hoo boy, planting is exhausting. But it's nice to have this kind of setup _at home_ again.

Note: Photos may not show up for a bit because my host is updating.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Planted and flooded!



































The Aqua Soil was a bit dusty but I'm pleased. Once that Hedyotis salzmannii in the rear grows up, it ought to look pretty cool. Same goes for the crypts.

Opted not to use the filter after I put it in because I'm confident the vase be able to handle a small number of shrimp culls.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

All plants in the vase are tissue culture, none from established tanks. Even the bit of moss I added was tissue-cultred. They're all really small. So not much in terms of established tank bacteria could have made it into the vase.

But the system is already eating about 1.5PPM of ammonia per day, nitrite is at just under 1PPM and it's pretty nice to be so into the cycle so quickly. Tends to happen when I use Amazonia. A reminder of why I prefer this substrate over others.

Haven't had to do a water change yet and am not sure when/how I will. There's no way I'll be adding shrimp until it's fully grown in, so I'm not too worried about it at the moment.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Most of the photos I've seen of Caribsea Peace River sand/gravel on the forum have looked extremely washed out and less than appealing. So I decided to pick up a couple bags of it when I found it for $2.

Here are a couple photos of it while I was rinsing it in small batches earlier today:


















Plan is to use it in my low & wide vase with a bit of pool filter sand and some larger, natural pebbles. But also in some Neo & Tiger shrimp tanks down the road.

Thought it'd be a good idea to share the images here in case others were wondering about it as a suitable (Neo/Tiger) shrimp substrate. Darker than pool filter sand, just a bit larger, looks pretty good if you ask me.


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## DaveKS (Apr 2, 2019)

Where did you find it for $2 ?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

At a store called Meijer - on clearance. 20lb bags. Also picked up a Fluval shrimp net for $1. Two items that are usually wildly over-priced on deep clearance? Sign me up. 

Victorious bargain shopping.



DaveKS said:


> Where did you find it for $2 ?


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## Shrubbery (Jul 1, 2019)

Subscribed - I love little projects like this. They help keep my idle hands busy while I'm waiting for things to happen in the bigger tanks!

I also really like the light you've chosen. I'm going to keep an eye out for those... I can feel a vase coming on for my desk at work!


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Deep Blue Professional was the OEM reseller when I originally picked it up.

The company in the US and Canada offering them now is called Seapora - in case you're on the hunt for one. 

I think I originally paid $10ish for it in 2013 and wouldn't pay more than that.



Shrubbery said:


> Subscribed - I love little projects like this. They help keep my idle hands busy while I'm waiting for things to happen in the bigger tanks!
> 
> I also really like the light you've chosen. I'm going to keep an eye out for those... I can feel a vase coming on for my desk at work!


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## Shrubbery (Jul 1, 2019)

somewhatshocked said:


> Deep Blue Professional was the OEM reseller when I originally picked it up.
> 
> The company in the US and Canada offering them now is called Seapora - in case you're on the hunt for one.
> 
> I think I originally paid $10ish for it in 2013 and wouldn't pay more than that.


Thanks! My LFS carries Seapora products, so they might just have it. I'll keep an eye out when I'm there next.


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## DaveKS (Apr 2, 2019)

Damn a 20lb bag for $2, I figured it was probably a 5lb bag. Sadly no Meijer stores around here.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

You're right - it'd be a decent deal even for a 5lb bag. I think I paid $8 or $9 locally for 5lbs after you suggested I check it out. Currently $12-something on Amazon.

If I see any at Meijer this weekend (gotta hit the clearance lawn & garden section this time of year), I'll grab a couple bags and offer it on the forum for what I paid. Will shoot you a message if that's the case. 



DaveKS said:


> Damn a 20lb bag for $2, I figured it was probably a 5lb bag. Sadly no Meijer stores around here.


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## DaveKS (Apr 2, 2019)

Not sure what shipping will be on a 20lb bag but pretty sure it would eat up any savings that you got.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Did a 100% water change and added some Rotala 'Bonsai' here and there:











Plan to add more Rotala in a few weeks. Just want to see how everything else is going to grow in.

Hedyotis salzmannii is growing in well:











Moss is beginning to grow out of the water and a tiny little Buce is taking root on the wood:











Replaced the dying Red Root Floater with Frogbit and Salvinia.


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

somewhatshocked said:


> Did a 100% water change and added some Rotala 'Bonsai' here and there:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 I so much love all of these. Where and how do you have them displayed? 

Im still working on a vase of my own- just temporarily side-tracked with eliminating the BBA in my 60 gallon. 

Then, back to that project. But, I probably will explore it for awhile to get something that really calls to me. 

At first I was thinking a tall vase; but, now I am thinking a long, low glass container that I can put on top of my glass coffee table---


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

This vase is in my bathroom on the vanity/counter. Left corner. Light suspended above it via sneakily hidden wire holding it up behind the back/side of my medicine cabinet. 3M Command velcro came in handy.

Haven't put the other vases to use yet but will sometime soon. The wide/low vase will end up on a built-in cabinet and shelving unit when I need it for extra floating plants. I think it'll be nice to have something that's only used when needed but still looks attractive with driftwood, sand and pebbles. Easy to stash out of the way when not in use. 

Once I have a permanent tank rack, I'll keep everything together with the exception of the bathroom vase. 



Discusluv said:


> Where and how do you have them displayed?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Decided the Mini Elite filters I have aren't to my liking for this vase. Gonna stick to using them to fill/control my HOB breeder boxes.

While I don't need a filter for a vase like this, since plants (when larger) will definitely consume the ammonia from a small population of shrimp, I still need some basic water flow.

Right now I'm toying with DIYing a small sponge filter or just using an airstone on a timer to help provide a bit of movement. Maybe even a tiny DIY sponge filter on a timer - that'd provide more flow than an airstone. We'll see. Not in a rush, as the vase is several months away from any possibility of housing shrimp.


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Did you ever run across the Sicce "mini Maus"? My favorite mini powerhead. Might still have a few if they're no longer made and you want a *tiny* pump.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

I've got some tinier hobby pumps usually used in "zen" vases and tiny vivarium waterfalls but even those are a bit too powerful. 

Thinking a sponge the size of a film canister (or smaller) will be about right if I go that route. There's just no room in this scape for anything to look great. If it's tiny, I can try to disguise it behind driftwood.

Airstone is probably the path I need to take despite wanting a filter. 

Who knows, though? Maybe I'll bust out one of my old RedSea Nano filters. They fit perfectly on the vase but ruin the look & vibe. Probably wouldn't be too terrible once stems begin to grow out of the water.



Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Did you ever run across the Sicce "mini Maus"? My favorite mini powerhead. Might still have a few if they're no longer made and you want a *tiny* pump.


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## Jamo33 (Feb 18, 2014)

Something like a tiny tiny external filter/sump starts coming to my mind. Use one of those tiny pumps, place it in a jar with a return line hooked up. Airline hose with sponge covering end constantly pulling water from the jar into the glass. Maybe glass can have various sizes of sponge and media? Important thing would be to get the right head height so that the pump is controlled. It must be doable. 
Way too much to design for such a small tank, but I love the tinkering of it and who knows could work out. It would also remove the need to place anything obvious into the tank.


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

From what I can see the 41 GPH ones are no longer made. Yeah, they're about the size of a zippo lighter but probably still too much flow for a 2-3 gallon vase. I used them on seahorse baby tanks (usually 10 gallons) when I was into those. Which looking back was everything I'm trying to avoid now in the hobby -constant care. You needed water to flow, but not so much that it would make food fly by the mouth of hitched baby horses that needed constant feeding all day every day. This was probably 15 years ago but at that time, they were the smallest GPH powerhead I could find that worked. I still have a couple somewhere and use 4-5 but I know the day those impellers go I'll have to toss them which is a real shame. Wonder if the 42 GPH ones use the same impeller? I'd almost buy them just for that part, but if so surely they would make impellers as a spare part. If someone would design a well-made tiny pump like 20 gph, I think there would be demand for it for Waldstat tanks and nano folk. And they may well exist, I haven't shopped for such in a long time.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

The vase sits in the corner of my bathroom counter, so there's not a ton of room. Couldn't fit much behind it.

If I go the filter route, I'll have to use one of the tiny air pumps that's small enough to clip to the side of the vase in the back. Gonna tinker with some black sponge and small rigid tubing I've got. Super-slight flow is all that's really needed. 

Placed one of my RedSea Nano HOBs on the vase late last night just to see what I thought. Could probably dial flow down enough for it to work but it looks terrible. Sticks up about an inch above the lip of the vase. 

Maybe some day there'll be a commercially available micro canister filter that's suitable for small tanks and bowls.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Rotala is growing so quickly that I think I may be able to hide a small sponge in the vase with ease. 

Gonna stick with a tiny air pump for the time being because all I really need is something to break up the surface of the water a couple times per day to prevent film. But it's nice to know my plants will help me disguise anything I need to add.

Decided to start feeding the snails about once per week. Certainly makes brushing one's teeth a bit more entertaining.


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## JJ09 (Sep 11, 2014)

Nice vase! Do you have more recent pics? what kind of snails do you have in there?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Thanks! It doesn't look much different than it did a week or so ago, so I haven't updated the photos. Probably will this weekend or early next week. It's growing really slowly.

Only have Ramshorn snails at the moment. May add shrimp in a few months but am happy with snails for the time being - which is saying a lot for me.



JJ09 said:


> Nice vase! Do you have more recent pics? what kind of snails do you have in there?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Picked up a new LED fixture - Asta 20 - for my large/wide/low vase (second photo in this post) after someone traded an Amazon gift card for shrimp food:



















I love it. But it's way too heavy to rest on the lip of the vase. Too heavy for my comfort, anyway. So I'll have to rig up something to support it. Surely I have something around here that can be put to use. Open to suggestions. Guess I need to crank up the music tomorrow morning and get to work.

This sucker is _bright_. Gonna be great this winter when I have houseplants everywhere. Haven't played around much with the 90 & 180-degree lenses to see what I prefer but I want more of them already. And having a built-in dimmer? Sign me up.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Vase is slowly coming along, Crypts are growing, stems are creeping up.

Floaters are enjoying the setup, too:











Found another LED fixture in storage and may toy around with using it to see if there's a noticeable change in growth. As floating plants expand, it'll be able to handle stronger lighting.


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## tinkerpuppet (Feb 13, 2010)

Really like this vase!


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Thanks!

I like it but think I'll like it a lot more once all the plants grow in.



tinkerpuppet said:


> Really like this vase!


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

I love this vase.
My vase build is still in the back of my mind. Its just that I keep layering on more projects- so, the vase becomes one that is "in the works." 

I will do the ( most likely 5 gallon) shrimp tank first. 

Also: This Tuesday I have a small group of juvenile wild Red Spotted Green discus coming... super excited for that.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

That's the beauty of vases like this: simplicity. Just set them up and kind of forget about them/let them do their thing. Water changes aren't that important if you don't have anything beyond snails. 

I've had to manually remove a bit of algae the past week and that's the only real maintenance I've done. Decided to reduce the photoperiod rather than try stronger lighting after the algae hit. 

Would only take you a few minutes to set one up. Throw in some substrate - even sand with root tabs, some plants, fill it up. Don't even need hardscape unless you have extras on-hand. No need to worry about the nitrogen cycle (I did) because it'll eventually balance out.



Discusluv said:


> I love this vase.
> My vase build is still in the back of my mind. Its just that I keep layering on more projects- so, the vase becomes one that is "in the works."
> 
> I will do the ( most likely 5 gallon) shrimp tank first.
> ...


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

somewhatshocked said:


> That's the beauty of vases like this: simplicity. Just set them up and kind of forget about them/let them do their thing. Water changes aren't that important if you don't have anything beyond snails.
> 
> I've had to manually remove a bit of algae the past week and that's the only real maintenance I've done. Decided to reduce the photoperiod rather than try stronger lighting after the algae hit.
> 
> Would only take you a few minutes to set one up. Throw in some substrate - even sand with root tabs, some plants, fill it up. Don't even need hardscape unless you have extras on-hand. No need to worry about the nitrogen cycle (I did) because it'll eventually balance out.


 I have this vase still sitting outside from a couple weeks ago when I was considering it...


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Even if you don't use it as an intentionally aquascaped setup, it'd still look great if you use it for extra plants or trimmings. Won't even need hardscape.



Discusluv said:


> I have this vase still sitting outside from a couple weeks ago when I was considering it...


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Coming along nicely. Slow, though. Algae is starting to subside.



















































Really impressed with Crypt growth.

The vase's parameters are doing well. I'm now confident it can handle shrimp if ever needed.


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## Streetwise (May 24, 2019)

That looks very nice!


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Thanks! 

It makes for a great nightlight. Find myself paying more attention to it now that the stems are starting to grow. Looking forward to the interesting green glow it's going to give off toward the end of winter.



Streetwise said:


> That looks very nice!


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## Streetwise (May 24, 2019)

Speaking of nightlights, have you ever tried these:

https://current-usa.com/serene-background-led-lights/

They look interesting.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

I've seen them used in-person a few times and I'm not a fan for the price. 

It's possible to create the same look with RGB LEDs from eBay if that's something you're interested in.



Streetwise said:


> Speaking of nightlights, have you ever tried these:
> 
> https://current-usa.com/serene-background-led-lights/
> 
> They look interesting.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Vase is still going strong. Some of my tissue-cultured stems got eaten by snails because... who even knows? Gonna try again.

But here's a look at the 3 types (I think I have 3 types?) of Salvinia on top:










It's the best bathroom night light I've ever had.


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

That salvina is huge-- Ive never seen it so big before. :O


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Salvinia has really grown on me the past few months. Who knew it could get so red or that the various types of it looked so nice together? 

Frogbit has always been my go-to - it's been my avatar for nearly a decade - but this has been a joy to grow. I'm going to keep it in my outdoor tubs next year instead of just water lettuce and duckweed. 



Discusluv said:


> That salvina is huge-- Ive never seen it so big before. :O


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Finally set up my shallow vase with some extra plants recently. This one:










Put down a shallow bit of gravel and used a disposable plastic cup I cut in half and poked holes in to hold some Amazonia for the plants. Just some extra Rotala 'Bonsai' and Hydrocotyle tripartita 'Japan' - hoping they'll grow up out of the water a bit.

Here are a few photos from the day I put it together:










































Setup is surrounded by a bunch of Tillandsia and other terrestrial plants I had to bring in for the winter. Just made sense to use the lighting I've already got in place.

Not sure what else I'll add but there's room for a couple more cups of substrate. Seems to be a pretty decent solution for extra plants since the cups can be easily removed and replaced.

Won't be adding any livestock but I won't be upset if snails show up.


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Excellent! The tillandsia's and other plants around the vase is a great idea... 
Im going to steal that idea myself 
The tillandsia's on the wood of my vase are all doing really good. But, I noticed that the bromeliad has very fine webs between the bracts. I suppose it is spider mites. If I spray for them I cant put the bromeliad back on the vase because of possible toxicity to livestock, so most likely will just replace it and hope that it doesn't get infested as well.


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