# Yoshi's 8L Frameless Cube



## Solstice (Jan 9, 2006)

Dude, I'm so jealous! Where'd you get the tank and the light? Those are AWESOME!


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## Finch_man (Mar 21, 2006)

Looks great. More picture please!


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Sol- I got the tank from Aquatic Warehouse (when you walk in there's a display of this tank opposite the register). They have had theirs set up for quite some time now. Never seen the tank offered elsewhere here in SoCal. As for the light, I found it at Home Depot for $29.99 I had the chance to pick up the "other" HD desktop light that everyone else is using ($19.99) 27W quad fixture, but I figured this one was way more "sleek" :icon_cool 

Finch- Don't have any more pics at the moment to share, sorry! Once I get my substrate and some rocks I'll be sure to post and update


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## Finch_man (Mar 21, 2006)

Are you going for a iwagumi look? What substrate are you planing to use?


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Finch- Yea... I have an idea of aquascaping in mind that is similar to an iwagumi style tank, but I won't know for certain until I get my substrate and rocks in the tank. I ordered some AquaSoil (Amazonia) and am currently waiting on that. Hopefully it will come in before the weekend arrives


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## yoko (Mar 16, 2007)

SD, right?

Some kid on here has one, I think.

You said, "other" HD light, you mean the blue housing one??

Looks nice all empty


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Yep SD  ... and you're right, I saw another member on the boards w/this tank.

The "other" HD light is the one that Sol is using (27w).

Hope he doesn't mind me linking it:


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

looks cool!
i want one of them


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## Solstice (Jan 9, 2006)

I'm so going to AW after work today. Hope the gf doesn't mind yet another tank. She gave me approval for a new tank at home, but this will mean 2 new tanks. I have a good spot for it though.... :tongue:

Which HD did you go to?


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## joejoe123 (Aug 22, 2006)

I would love to have a tank like that one do you know if they ship them i want one so bad 

joey


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## yoko (Mar 16, 2007)

OMG that light looks like Robocop


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

Sweet tank. how much was it?


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## Haeun (Mar 9, 2007)

SHWEET. I gotta visit AW soon now.  How much was it? Mannnnnnn, I want a nice nano. ;__; *wallet crying in my pocket*


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Felix- Thanks 

Sol- Haha, when u make it "frameless" make sure you buy a pack of razor blades too and get ready to set aside an hour or so to scrape off the silicone!

Joey- I am sure you can always ask to see if they will ship you the tank. They seem to keep a regular stock of them on hand. Just call and ask for the "Alife 2G Tank" ... The contact info for Aquatic Warehouse is:
Aquatic Warehouse:
5466 Complex Street Suite 204
San Diego, CA 92123
United States
858-467-9297

Yoko- Now you see why I chose the "other" light  heh

Dufus & Haeun- The tank itself is fairly expensive, it came as a kit for $69. The kit includes a 50GPH filter, and a clip-on 7W light. The light from HD was another $29, so I spent a total of about $100 on the hardware so far.

Thanks for the comments.


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## yoko (Mar 16, 2007)

*Haeun*, gonna start breeding shrimp? 

*Yoshi*, Post up the ghetto 7w, I wanna see


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

Like I said on APC, nice clean tank  Looks really great. It should for the $100 you've spent so far on a 2g tank


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Yoko- Here's a pic of the 7W fixture that the tank comes with.









RESguy- Thanks  ...I really wanted a CUBE tank, and this was the ONLY glass cube that I could find (besides DIY) that looked like it had potential, so I didn't mind splurging a bit to pay for what I wanted. $100 still beats the $50(tank)+160(light) = $210 for the ADA Mini setup!

Also, if anyone is wondering about the filter it comes bundled with:









Regarding the filter, I think it may be a wee bit too much at 50GPH for only a 2G tank... this means at full power it's going to be pushing about x25 turnover!

I can definitely throttle it back, but I'm thinking of just getting an AZOO Palm Filter b/c the ALIFE is also very bulky. Do you guys think I should switch to the AZOO or just keep this one?

Also, not sure what I'm goin to do about heating. I do have a spare 50W stealth heater, but it is pretty unsightly (big black stick in my tank). With my room temperature averaging between 72-77 (no AC), will I still need a heater? Will RCS/Amano Shrimp and/or HC be OK within this temperature range? ...or do they prefer a more SPECIFIC temp? (sorry for all the Q's). Thanks in advance :redface:


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## cjyhc4 (Dec 18, 2006)

Yoshi said:


> Also, not sure what I'm goin to do about heating. I do have a spare 50W stealth heater, but it is pretty unsightly (big black stick in my tank). With my room temperature averaging between 72-77 (no AC), will I still need a heater? Will RCS/Amano Shrimp and/or HC be OK within this temperature range? ...or do they prefer a more SPECIFIC temp? (sorry for all the Q's). Thanks in advance :redface:


My RCS are perfectly content in their unheated tank. I keep my apt in the same range as you. It got down to 66/68 one night and the next morning I flipped on the light and noticed a bunch of new babies. Probably coincidence, but obviously, it wasn't problematic.


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

Hye, that light is nicer than the azoo and redsea ones.


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## yoko (Mar 16, 2007)

dufus said:


> Hye, that light is nicer than the azoo and redsea ones.


Dude I know!

It's not even _that _ghetto!?!?


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

Comments on:

*Filter*- Since you will be having shrimp in that tank, and I am sure you will want them to breed and have baby shrimp, I would recommend you keep that filter and add a pre-filter to the intake. Not only will this allow shrimplets not to be sucked up by the filter (which they will!) but it will also minimize the power of the filter. :thumbsup: 

*Heating*- If your room temperature is 72-77 then you don't have to worry about buying a heater for you tank  That is the perfect temperature for shrimp and most other things. The shrimp will happily breed and live in that temperature  Furthermore, a 50W heater on a 2g tank is overkill and will boil your shrimp and everything else in the tank. :icon_eek:


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## valleyvampiress (Apr 25, 2005)

Wow, I love frameless tanks! The setup looks like it has great potential.

As for the heater, both my nanos do not have a heater. The light is pretty much the heater since it has to be so bright (and thus, produces more heat). Temps for both tanks range in the 68-76 degree range. It can get up to 80 though on a hot day. If goes above that, I turn the lights off, but that's only happened to me on record-breaking heat weather. As long as your house stays pretty consistent in temp, you will probably not need a heater.


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Thanks for the info guys regarding the heater.

An update on the tank:
I set it up last week w/Aquasoil Amazonia and have it aquascaped. I'm not 100% satisfied w/the way it looks so it may change. For the past few days I've been doing roughly 75% water changes to help decrease the "staining" that the aquasoil is causing and to get past the initial ammonia spike. I changed out the ALIFE filter for an AZOO Palm filter. Reasons for doing so is because the AZOO is so much more compact (space saving), and doesn't create the turbulence that the ALIFE did. I'm liking the palm filter a lot in regards to the size... it does an amazing job for such a small filter. Also, I'm planning on planting my HC in a few days... hoping they won't "melt" :icon_twis 

I just recently did a water change so the tank is a wee bit cloudy. When the water settles I will post a picture of my aquascape in hopes for some constructive criticism. 

Thanks guys, stay tuned!


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Well, I had the chance to take some pics this afternoon after planting.

The HC I received wasn't in the best condition (some were brown/blackish), so I couldn't plant as much as I had wanted... but I did the best with what I had to work and and I hope that it should be enough for me to get the lawn started. 

My inspiration for aquascaping comes from the Huang Shan Mountain Range (Yellow Mountain) in China. I had the opportunity to see these mountains last year in person and it was truly breathtaking. I tried my best to mimic the "numerous" round peaks of these mountains, and I hope I captured the effect of cascading mountains. Here is what the Huang Shan mountains look like:









Here's a FTS









A closer view of the tank.









I don't really want to reposition the rocks b/c it gets really messy w/the aquasoil already wet. At first glace it kind of looks like a random pile of rocks, so I planted some HC in between the rocks so when that fills in I hope to give some contrast to the individual pillars so that depth is more prevalent. But any constructive thoughts/comments/criticisms are appreciated!

Let me know what you guys think


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

Sweeeet.
i was looking at a pic like that of the mountains for inspiration on my newest tank.


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## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Hey I just saw this thread. I have the same exact tank as you! For the first few months I didn't know you could take the black stuff off. So I took the top off but the bottom is still there cuz I don't want to empty everything to take just four black corners no one will see lol.

Well what's funny is that we are both doing iwagumi, are using HC, and you even though about blyxa which I used but abandoned (or maybe not). And we both use 18w of CF light. I use a coralife mini though.

That is a sweet looking tank there. Where did you get that rock?

As for the filter, I'd say keep it. As an owner of the same one, once you put a prefilter on the thing, it suffers greatly. Full blast with my sponge prefilter and it was very nice. But full blast without it definitely too strong but I keep it at full blast without a prefilter becuase I like the extra flow it gives. I've said bye bye to a few baby shrimp but that's fine :-D.

I love your scape. Water looks a little foggy though. But it kind of adds to the feeling of what you tried to achieve in the picture :-D.

Please keep us updated, and if you haven't already check out SCAPe at www.socalaquascapers.com


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Ryu: thanks for your comments. I ended up ditching the filter (might use that for something else), and replacing it with an AZOO palm filter. I like it a lot better b/c the intake pipe is clear, and less of an eye-sore than the grey intake; not to mention the footprint is almost half the size of the orignal filter, saving me space :biggrin: 

Regarding the "cloudy" water... it has actually gotten somewhat more pronounced this past week. My water USED to be crystal clear ... the cloudiness started showing up last week. I thought it was b/c of me planting the HC in the AS, but I guess I was wrong. The water is NOT green, it's just a very PALE misty white, not so much "milky" ... the best way to describe it is a light white haze. 

I've been searching around the forums and have read that the white-ish cloudiness may be a bacterial bloom and that it should go away in a week or two, is this accurate information? 

I have been performing ~50% water changes daily, dechlor with AmQuel and dosing with Excel (1ml) per day. I have a bag of Purigen in the filter, along with some foam and filter floss. There is nothing in the tank except for a few ramshorn snails and HC.

My parameters as of today are as follows:
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm (still waiting on this to go down!)
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 0 ppm
Total Hardness: ~200 ppm
Total Alkalinity: ~80 ppm
pH: ~6.8
Temp: ~74F
Photoperiod: 8 hrs


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## Color Me Blue (Nov 10, 2005)

Daniel: Love the hardscape! That pic of inspiration is absolutely beautiful!  If you want cherries, let me know....I've got plenty! LOL  But have you thought about keeping CRS in there?


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## travis (Nov 17, 2004)

Yoshi,

I love the aquascape. It makes that tank look much larger than it actually is. I'll be following this thread to watch the progress. I really like your idea of planting HC between the rocks to accentuate the divisions.

The white cloudiness you're experiencing is almost certainly a bacterial bloom. It's a natural part of the cycling process and should go away in a few days as the nitrifying bacteria in your filter's bio-media build up.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

actually, doesn't the cloudy water help you achieve the ambience of the mountains?


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## Color Me Blue (Nov 10, 2005)

macclellan said:


> actually, doesn't the cloudy water help you achieve the ambience of the mountains?


LOL That's true! :hihi: Mountainy mist?? :icon_wink


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Christin: I have thought about CRS and will try to get some in the future. If I can't find a good/decent deal on some nice CRS, I'm going to go with a few amano shrimp. I really like how the CRS look, so I'm going to wait it out and see if I can get lucky somewhere and score a nice batch 

Travis: thanks for the info, I really hope it goes away, the cloudiness is certainly is detracting from the overall appearance of the tank.

macclellan: you can say that, but it bugs me! I want to see what it looks like on a clear day 

On a side note: the hitchhiking ramshorn snails sure do poop a lot... bunch of lil miniature curly fries all over my ADA AS


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## Haeun (Mar 9, 2007)

Solstice (Jon) is selling some here in San Diego. I don't remember where exactly in SoCal you live, but if you're vaguely in the OC area, I can deliver for you if you want some A grade CRS w/o shipping. 
I go to school here in San Diego but my home is in Orange County, so I go back and forth often enough.

Or if you want to wait, a couple of us SCAPE people (I think mostly LA people) are ordering SS grade hinomaru CRS. If you're willing the pay the $$ and wait the time, I'm sure we'll get some babies from those eventually. 



> On a side note: the hitchhiking ramshorn snails sure do poop a lot... bunch of lil miniature curly fries all over my ADA AS


LOL Yea, everytime I see the snail poop all over, I tell myself to get a loach or something...


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## chaznsc (May 1, 2006)

Yoshi,
Where did you get the alife tank?

chaz


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Haeun, actually I do what you do (kinda). I live in La Jolla but make the drive back on the weekends to LA area (I live in Walnut). I will probably try and pick some up from the peeps up in LA area and maybe a few from the guys down here in SD to get a good variety. We'll see... as of now my tank isn't ready for shrimp yet so I'm in no rush; I guess I should use this time to save some $ roud: 

chaznsc:


Yoshi said:


> Just call and ask for the "Alife 2G Tank" ... The contact info for Aquatic Warehouse is:
> Aquatic Warehouse:
> 5466 Complex Street Suite 204
> San Diego, CA 92123
> ...


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## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Isn't 1mL a day too much for that little tank?! Initial dosing (after water change) should be 1mL and then daily dosage should be .2mL!! I bet that's causing your problems! The tank is 2 gallons man!


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

I change water daily though ... 1 gallon per day (50%), 1 ml w/every water change.

Perhaps it's still too much? In the mean-time I'll back off on the Excel.


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## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Ooo ok. Why do you water change everyday? Is it because of the cloudiness? I think you should just do water changes weekly or top offs only because you're still cycling the tank. I don't remember the proper way of cycling because I just entirely skip it. How about getting some weed stem plants like hornwort/anacharis?


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Water changes are every day as per the instructions from ADA regarding the AquaSoil. It's only for the first month or so that I'm doing frequent & large water changes. I'll be doing weekly water changes after the 3-4 week start-up phase.


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Well, the cloudy water is gone! 

I've added E. parvulus and tried my best to plant it... it's hard to decide where to place them; I'm thinking I may need more of it to fill in the back. Opinions?

Here's my full tank shot at Day 15.









I'm glad the HC is slowly growing and rooting... I guess it'll be another 1-2 months before I can get an established carpet. :icon_neut


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

I would seperat the DWG to all the areas you want it in, it will fill in the gaps.


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## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

The tank could create more of the illusion of being a bigger tank than it actually. I've done it and its I bet you could by creating more slope in the foreground. It looks kind of bordered or "entrapped" to me.

That rock may be too overwhelming for a tank of this size.


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

Looks nice, but I too recommend following dufus' advice and separate the Dwarf Hair Grass like you would HC


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## MARIMOBALL (Mar 18, 2007)

IMO leave th the hair grass in the back ground behind the rock, not in front of the rock. have the HC surround the rock maybe plant some HC between the rock. BTW where did you get the rock its very nice and is it one piece. Could you post a pic from a distance in order to see the lamp over the tank.


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Thanks all for the comments. I guess the general consensus is that the DHG can use a little re-working. I'm going to see what I can do to change things around a bit w/o disturbing the aquasoil too much. 

As for the rocks being too overwhelming (Ryu)... I kind of wanted that effect. I believe that the rocks are the centerpieces of my tank and would only want the plants to compliment them. I've given it thought when dry scaping and w/the combination of rocks I had to work with, I think this combo was "just right." 

Marimo: the rocks are different pieces, ranging from 1"-4" ... there are about 5 different pieces in the tank. I'll take a picture showing equip and lights from a distance when I get the chance. :icon_mrgr

What do you guys think of just yanking out all the DHG? I kinda want some "height" to add to the rocks... but it makes it seem like my mountains are "dwarfed" ... maybe I should just trim the DHG really short??


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## Color Me Blue (Nov 10, 2005)

I agree with Marimo on the front DHG. Keep it in the back, it does look nice. But the front DHG throws the "look" off. The rock/s arrangement looks great IMO.


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

If you want the rock to be like a mountain I would suggest an HC carpet to form sort of like a green valley around the rock.


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

Like Yzmxer's tank"the black rock"
Or, you could add a mad stack of pellia back there, like a big mountain in the distance.


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## MARIMOBALL (Mar 18, 2007)

Yoshi yur mountain does get "dwarfted" when having DHG behind it. If you are ok with timing the DHG every once in a while then it would look like there is a tree forrest in the distance behind the mountain. IMO that would look great. if there is space plant HC between the mountain crevisess.


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Finally got some inverts...

My tank is home to two Cardina japonica.

Here's one of my Amano Shrimp


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## Gracie (Apr 8, 2007)

I'd like to see an updated picture.


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Picture of the Tank & Equipment









FTS as of 6/7/07 (Day 51)









Updates on the tank: yea, it's been about a month since my last update and things have filled in nicely, not 100% but getting there. I still have the E. parvulus in there, I just been too lazy to unroot it and yank it out, I'm beginning to become quite fond of it, I like the look of it stuffed in the back. Both C. japonica jumped to their deaths... probably b/c my water params were fluctuating. I found one 3 feet away from the tank, the poor little guy must've crawled for a while before dying. There are still no inhabitants in the tank besides the snails. The rocks are pretty dirty, don't really know what to do to clean them up; I've been squirting a little bit of excel on them when I do maintenance, other than that I don't really know what to do to keep them clean; should I add an Otocinclus affinis?


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

thats really nice


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## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Wow its turning out nicely. Everyone's HC grows so much more faster than mine :-(. I think an otto will clean up the rocks quite nicely. I keep an oto in my tank (same exact one as you), and it's been in there for a very long time now without any problems. Sometimes he spazzes out and kicks up the substrate but it's not really a problem.


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Thanks guys, I think I'll pick up and otto this weekend, and see if it helps out w/the algae growing on the rocks. In about 1-2 more weeks, after the HC fills in more I'll post another pic. Hopefully by then the algae on the rocks will have subsided


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## Gill (Mar 20, 2005)

looks stunning.


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## Nbot (Apr 15, 2007)

Hey, I like the looks of it...how is that ADA CO2 system working out for you? Do you just leave it on 24/7, I'm assuming it doesn't have a solenoid right? How often do you replace cartridges? Any other feedback?

Pick up any Oto's? I guess you can't have many fish in there can you, at 2 gallons...the shrimp I don't think have much of a bioload so I think you can fill up the tank w/ em, at least that's what I heard...


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## aquafloyd (Jul 3, 2007)

i love the size of the rock roud: 

is that ada co2 one of the scented ones?


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## Charlie97L (Jul 26, 2007)

Nbot said:


> Hey, I like the looks of it...how is that ADA CO2 system working out for you? Do you just leave it on 24/7, I'm assuming it doesn't have a solenoid right? How often do you replace cartridges? Any other feedback?


i'd like to hear about this too.


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Hey guys... I would highly recommend the ADA CO2 System, I think it is well worth the money. It really depends on aesthetics and practicality; for me, I didn't want the hassle of mixing DIY CO2 every few days/weeks, I needed a "set it and forget it" system that wouldn't look like an eyesore in the middle of my room, and this is exactly what the ADA CO2 System provides. 

I've had it running for over 2 months now and I haven't had to replace the cartridge yet; I've heard different experiences w/these cartridges, some lasting only a month, others lasting over 4-6 months... to answer a previous post, yes... the ADA cartridges are scented, I believe the scent becomes stronger as the canister depletes, I'm not sure why. Lastly, regarding the operation: I chose not to buy a solenoid, so I run it 24/7 at 1 bubble roughly every ~5 seconds.

Updates on the tank:
I recently moved, and had to move the tank as well. I did some re-scaping w/the rocks, nothing too drastic, it still looks more or less the same, but I added some more AquaSoil to give the appearance of "hills" on the corners. I pulled out all the E. parvulus b/c it was getting out of hand; it grew like wildfire w/the CO2 & Excel treatments, within 1 month they rooted all the way to the front of the tank, something I didn't want. So, the tank is re-scaped and re-planted with HC only. When the HC fills in a bit, I'll try to get some photos.


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## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

yay please do get some photos.


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Here is the photo as promised... 

Keep in mind I replanted the tank after moving, so the HC carpet hasn't re-grown yet. Once the HC fills in between the rocks I'll be happy  

Also, I changed the light fixture. I'm no longer using the 18w desklight; I'm using a spare 18w Odyssea fixture that I had laying around, I mounted it over the tank so that it looks a lot more presentable.


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## Haeun (Mar 9, 2007)

WOW, it looks good. Somehow, that rock looks even better.

Wish you could've posted a picture showing the layout more clearly! And hee, I love the hino model next to your tank.


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## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Wow. You have the whole set of ADA CO2 there. I was expecting to see the pollen glass but you got that glass nano! I envy you .


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Thanks Haeun, I'll post a frontal full-tank-shot in a week or so to show the layout.

Ryu, yea... I went all-out, I wanted it to look presentable. I had the pollen glass in there but didn't end up using it because it took up more space than I would've liked. You might not think that it would, but somehow it was an eyesore to me when it was in the tank, so I sprung for the Pollen Glass Mini. I love the new look now, you certainly get what you pay for with ADA!


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## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

what did you do with the pollen glass? Planning to keep it ;-)? Too bad I'm VERY low on money.


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## Blacksunshine (Oct 11, 2006)

I'm sad to say that this is the first time i've had the pleasure of seeing your scape. however the nice part is I didn't have to wait for the updates.  
That tanks looking real good. lovin the way you've got it setup.


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Here's a photo of the tank from the front view. The hill isn't as distinguished as it looks in person, perhaps from the angle that I took the photograph from. When the HC fills out, I hope that the contours of the landscape will be more pronounced. After the HC grows in a few weeks, I'll take a proper picture w/o the equipment. Enjoy for now  

Thanks for all the comments!


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## Charlie97L (Jul 26, 2007)

what is that piece of equipment on the left, with the bulb?


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## vibes_jedi99 (Jun 20, 2007)

nice scape YOSHI. I like that rock a lot.


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

Charlie97L said:


> what is that piece of equipment on the left, with the bulb?


Its a drop checker to physically see how much co2 is in the water column.


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Here's a new photo I snapped yesterday. I'm getting a light film of brown algae so the rocks are turning slightly tan. Hopefully the rocks will turn grey again soon. I'll have to be more diligent when it comes to water changes


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## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Nice I like it, but any way of getting the picture in focus? Maybe its your hand shaking causing a blur?


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## Haeun (Mar 9, 2007)

I actually like that brown color. Makes it look very natural.  I like aged stone look with brown hues.


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Wanted to share this photo... I didn't have my tripod with me so it's not the "clearest," but it's still nice!


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## territhemayor (Aug 12, 2007)

I really like the tank, how do you keep the water level at the perfect level to have it like completely rimless top?


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## screename (Dec 8, 2004)

^^^ fill it up before you take the picture.


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Yea, I just filled it up to the top for the photo. Otherwise, the water level sits about 5mm to 10mm from the top.


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Finally switched out my first bottle of No.1. Amazonian CO2 canister today...!

For reference... my tank didn't "smell better" when the canister was running low, I couldn't smell anything from the tank. The canister has a fragrance to it though. :icon_roll 

I'm running my CO2 setup at 1 bubble every 4-5 seconds, the canister lasted about ~5 months at this rate.

BTW, the tank looks completely different now. I rescaped it during September, and haven't had time to take new pictures of the tank. In a week or two I'll try to snap a few pics when I have the time to clean the tank. Stay tuned!


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## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

Oooh rescape. So excited :-D.


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## OregonFish (Jul 13, 2006)

Wow thats one great looking nano! Great Work!


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## Kayen (Oct 14, 2007)

Nice tank!
This has inspired me for my next and 1st rescape..when i have money!
very neat presentation as well


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## j_m_lizard (Oct 14, 2007)

Beautiful nano. I love the minimalist aquascaping... it's what I'm going for in my new setup too... but it would be hard to match this beaut.

Also, your photography blows my mind. For instance - that 3/4 fts with it full to the brim... pure win. 

Keep doing whatever you're doing, 'cuase you're doing it right.

-Jared


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Thank you all for the kind comments.

So... I'm sad to say, but the old aquascape was torn down on 9/1/07. The new aquascape is more Iwagumi inspired and makes more use of "hills and slopes." This aquascape is still young (only 7 weeks old) so it still requires some more time to mature.

The flora in this aquascape is Hemianthus callitrichoides (HC) and Utricularia graminifolia (UG). The UG I found was hard to plant, and I'm really hoping that it will fill in more compact and uniform in a month or so. It's kind of sparse right now. I've been keeping algae at bay with Excel and keeping my CO2 high (my drop checker is getting cleaned so it's not in the pic). Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the new scape.


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

Looks good!

On a side note the small rock in the middle may look better gone, but it may not, you can always check

Keep the updates coming!

-Andrew


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## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

^You don't seem to like small rocks do you? . joking I am.

I like this scape too. Can't really tell which one is better.

Can't wait to see it develop!


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## j_m_lizard (Oct 14, 2007)

They say change is good... any whoever "they" are, they're right. This kicks ass.

Nevertheless, I agree with Fish Newb, in thinking that the little rock in the center could go. It's your choice - just a suggestion from a total n00b.

Jeep us posted.

-Jared


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Fish Newb said:


> Looks good!
> 
> On a side note the small rock in the middle may look better gone, but it may not, you can always check
> 
> ...


I kind of like it there, but I'll see how it looks w/o it during my next water change. I think a better alternative is to keep it, but "move it over" so that it's not smack in the middle.



sandiegoryu said:


> ^You don't seem to like small rocks do you? . joking I am.
> 
> I like this scape too. Can't really tell which one is better.
> 
> Can't wait to see it develop!


The rocks bring out the character 



j_m_lizard said:


> They say change is good... any whoever "they" are, they're right. This kicks ass.
> 
> Nevertheless, I agree with Fish Newb, in thinking that the little rock in the center could go. It's your choice - just a suggestion from a total n00b.
> 
> ...


Thanks. :thumbsup:


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## AquaNerd (Dec 13, 2004)

Wow if the scape was a little more in focus, this is an incredible picture! :thumbsup: 
I'm very impressed!




Yoshi said:


> Here's a new photo I snapped yesterday. I'm getting a light film of brown algae so the rocks are turning slightly tan. Hopefully the rocks will turn grey again soon. I'll have to be more diligent when it comes to water changes


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Nov. 1 Update









As you guys can see, the UG isn't doing so well in my tank, or ... it "seems" not to be doing so well. It's kind of weird because it's yellowing, but it's also growing... roots are shooting out everywhere and it is getting rather messy. The new leaves that are sprouting up are more vivid green, but the old stuff is slowly turning pale green with a tinge of ugly yellow. 

I just wanted to post this photo to share my experience with UG and how it looks when it gets all ugly. Also, I have to say that this is officially one of the weirdest plants I've dealt with. I hope in about 1-2 weeks time there will be enough new baby stem growth for me to trim the old UG away, and allow for the new leaves to establish themselves in the tank. 

At least my HC is filling in and doing very well!

Look for an update sometime during Thanksgiving! Thanks :thumbsup:


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## mpodolan (Mar 27, 2007)

I really like your layout. Hope you don't mind that I'll be using it as inspiration for my own nano! It will be interesting to see the progress of the UG. Be sure to follow through with the updates!


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

Yoshi, would you be willing to do a small experiement with that UG?

I'm predicting that feeding it naturally would make it grow better.

Could you introduce some tiny foods in small portions(daphnia or BBS if you've got some)? Just to see how it does?


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Thank you mpodolan, hope to see progress on your tank in the near future 

Dufus, the UG has very very very small "feeder cups" ... I seriously doubt they'll be able to catch and digest stuff like BBS. I mean, the cups are seriously 1 mm (at the largest), many of them are just teeny tiny. They're better off catching micro-organisms in the water column. I don't think I can feed them w/o polluting the tank significantly. Sorry :icon_redf 

The UG just "looks bad" but there is a lot of noticeable good growth. It's rooted, and sending out runners with new leaves, so I know it's definitely NOT dying. It just looks somewhat ugly during the "interim period" that plants seem to like to go through when they switch tanks. I expect to have a fuller, lusher patch of UG in the back corner for my next update. (Hopefully in 1 month it'll look nicer!)


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## ovenmit331 (Mar 27, 2007)

i would LOVE to have one of these tanks... how much was yours? and are they available online? do they only come in that one size?


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

ovenmit331, here's some more info:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/planted-nano-tanks/45257-yoshis-8l-frameless-cube.html#post401941

The 2G kit is $69 if I remember correctly. It comes with a light/filter/etc.

This specific tank is 8x8x8" (~2G), ALIFE also makes a larger model which is 12x12x12" (~7.5G). Good luck!


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## ovenmit331 (Mar 27, 2007)

Yoshi said:


> ovenmit331, here's some more info:
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/planted-nano-tanks/45257-yoshis-8l-frameless-cube.html#post401941
> 
> The 2G kit is $69 if I remember correctly. It comes with a light/filter/etc.
> ...


awesome. i may see if i can find the 7.5G one. but that'd be too big for my azoo palm and i want one bigger than 2g... hmmm.

also, i think i remember reading that you're not using that desk lamp anymore. do you still have it? i LOVE it but Home Depot doesn't sell it anymore. I bought the RoboCop light from HD but wish i had the other one. if you do still have it, would you consider selling it?


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

ovenmit331 said:


> awesome. i may see if i can find the 7.5G one. but that'd be too big for my azoo palm and i want one bigger than 2g... hmmm.
> 
> also, i think i remember reading that you're not using that desk lamp anymore. do you still have it? i LOVE it but Home Depot doesn't sell it anymore. I bought the RoboCop light from HD but wish i had the other one. if you do still have it, would you consider selling it?


The desklamp was actually of fairly poor quality. The arm broke off one day when I was adjusting it. The soldering of the metals wasn't done well enough. I'm using a Coralife 12" (2x18w) Power Compact fixture now.


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## ovenmit331 (Mar 27, 2007)

Yoshi said:


> The desklamp was actually of fairly poor quality. The arm broke off one day when I was adjusting it. The soldering of the metals wasn't done well enough. I'm using a Coralife 12" (2x18w) Power Compact fixture now.


grrr. i hate form over function. thanks anyways!


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

i got mine from wally world.










(this is the tank you are welcome to)


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## Mad78 (Oct 23, 2007)

yoshi please pm me the place you got that mini co2 injector at please.

thank you.


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## CmLaracy (Jan 7, 2007)

I love your nano, IMO the best on the forums.

chris


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## ovenmit331 (Mar 27, 2007)

Mad78 said:


> yoshi please pm me the place you got that mini co2 injector at please.
> 
> thank you.



adgshop.com sells them.


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Top down to show growth









Angled FTS









Close-Up of HC surrounding rocks









Starry Night (notice the oxygen bubbles produced by the HC)









Full Tank Shot (11/29/07)









As you can see the Utricularia graminifolia has grown quite nicely. It takes a bit of settling in before it starts to form a nice growth pattern but once it's established it grows very full and lush in between the soil. The HC has formed a very dense carpet now, and it's getting rather thick. I'm guessing I have about 95% coverage of soil, there are a few bare spots not yet covered but you can't really see.

I hope you guys enjoy the pictures... this is my FINAL scape for 2007.


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## mpodolan (Mar 27, 2007)

That looks great! Very nice job. It's definitely something for many of us to aspire to


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## CmLaracy (Jan 7, 2007)

once again, AWESOME pic #2 looks like something out of an ADA aquajournal, and let me tell you, thats a good thing!!!


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## Matthew_Machine (Oct 12, 2003)

awesome! I'd like to hear how difficult it will be to maintain when it starts to overgrow. Is it?


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Matthew_Machine said:


> awesome! I'd like to hear how difficult it will be to maintain when it starts to overgrow. Is it?


I'll be finding out soon :hihi: I think what'll happen is once it gets too thick the HC will just float up since this is what happens to others with thick HC carpets. The UG is mixing with the HC in some areas though; I'm just going to let the scape grow wild without trimming for a few more weeks/months before I tear the tank down and start with a new scape.

Thanks all for the kind comments.


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## Coral Keeper (Sep 14, 2007)

I didn't read the hole thread but i did read some of it. Sweet little tank you got there!! How many LB of substrate do you have? I have a 2 gallon tank also but its not a cube, its a bow front acrylic tank. You made me want to set up my 2 gallon tank! LOL.


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Thanks coral keeper 

For you guys looking to see pics, go to page 7!


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

why a new scape?


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

ikuzo... I don't know why exactly I like doing that, I just do. I figure if I'm going to re-plant the carpet, I might as well re-arrange the rocks for a new aquascape while I'm at it. I think it has something to do with me just getting tired of looking at the same thing. So far, my scapes usually last ~1/2 yr. I think I'm going to leave the current scape "as-is" until the UG has completely invaded the HC. I want to achieve a good blend of both plants for a more natural feeling around the rocks. I'll post an updated picture of the tank when that happens.

I don't like the idea of an aquascape being permanent, it's more challenging to create unique scapes and the only way you get experience is by trying new things and learning from your mistakes. So, I like re-scaping my tank to see what other styles/themes in nature that I can attempt to re-create. I hope that makes sense, I ramble too much.


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## CmLaracy (Jan 7, 2007)

how about those "overgrown" pics?


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Tank's overgrown now, I'll try to find some time to snap a few photos this upcoming week.


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## CmLaracy (Jan 7, 2007)

Yoshi said:


> Tank's overgrown now, I'll try to find some time to snap a few photos this upcoming week.


Nice, I'll be waiting :thumbsup:


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## ovenmit331 (Mar 27, 2007)

CmLaracy said:


> Nice, I'll be waiting :thumbsup:


as will i


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## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Wow this tank is awsome!!!! Seriously your Nano is a realm. 9/10 for you. I say 9 because it is not mine.:icon_wink


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## ununknown (Mar 26, 2008)

Wow, I went through each page 1 by 1 just for the pics. Truly amazing.


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## c_sking (Aug 4, 2008)

Updates ????


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