# 6.6 "Bookshelf" planted nano (1st planted tank)



## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

Hello all ... This is my first post here  & my first forray into planted aquaria. I've been reading about it on the 'net for a year or two & looking at some of the great tanks, but had yet to begin my own untill now.

I've kept cichlids (SA), corals, & even a mantis shrimp (Guido) but this will be my first try at a planted tank. Thanks in advance for the help, via the great info on this site!

Anyway ... 

-- Here's the setup this far ...

6.6 "Bookshelf" (Petco-scratchy-acrylic-jobber)
Eco Complete substrate (Black.....ish)
Petrified wood
Under-gravel heater
DIY Co2 (yeast setup)
Circulation pump
DIY diffuser (seperate pump)
1X 10,000k T5 bulb 24" 14w
1X "colorlife" T5 bulb 24" 14w

(I also have a 6700K 24" 24w HO T5 bulb if I find I don't have enough lighting)

Flourish Excel for dosing

-- Items ordered & not yet here ...

Co2 indicator (Red Sea)

4 bunches Dwarf Baby Tears (Hemianthus Callitrichoides)
1 bunch (8 plants) Star Grass (Heteranthera Zosterifolia)
2 bunches Oriental Swords (Echinodorus sp.)

-- Items to come later

HOB filter (probably the smallest "Aquaclear" I can find)
Different yeast (I think my yeast is bad/old ... gunna look for "Champagne yeast")
Fish (either 1 male beta (all white) or a school of neons (maybe 5?)

-- Tank & scape pic (Scape could change)










-- Notes/Questions

* My lighting I think should be good for the high light plants selected. I come in at 4.25 wpg with high spectrums in the blue & red. Let me know, please, if I should think about this differently.

* With a nano at 6.6 gal ... how much Flourish Excel should I expect to dose?

* Should I look into gravel bed fertilizer pellets? Or would that be overkill to what I have?

* Scape input/ideas?

* Will a HOB filter aqitate the surface too much & thus remove too much Co2?

* Fish suggestions in this small of a tank? ... Should I think about snails/other as well to control algae?

* I orderd plants from "Aquatic Scapes" online & never got an email that the order was confirmed & being shipped. I did get an invoice on their shopping cart checkout. Anyone deal with them before & do I just wait & have faith that I'll get the goods?

* Anything you all can think of that I'm missing? .... I feel so new ... lol

Thanks in advance ...

~ Doug


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## IllusionaryDreams (Mar 11, 2010)

Very nice hardscape there and I like your selection of plants. Looking forward to seeing it planted


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## Nue (Dec 27, 2009)

WELCOME TO PT!

First off ditch the Marlboro's, and pick up some American Spirits. 

It looks nice! I would say you have too much light. Just the 1 t5 10k would work great!

The swords will probably out grow your tank. And if you add swords you may want to loose a couple stones.


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## knm<>< (Mar 18, 2010)

High light - pressurized CO2 = ALGAE, ALGAE, ALGAE....trust me, invest in a good pressurized system, or go low light, or raise that light well above the top of the tank. Raising is what i've found most people do for a preventative measure. I learned this lesson the hard way.


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

Nue said:


> WELCOME TO PT!
> 
> First off ditch the Marlboro's, and pick up some American Spirits.
> 
> ...


Thinking of "Chantex" actually ... I smoke cigars & pipes as well & would LOVE to ditch these cigarettes alltogether. By the way ... I am in envy of you. I just came back from a trip to Park City & Alta (skiing/snowmobiling) & Kansas just ain't the same. :icon_cry:

May try to omit one light & go with the 10K ... thanks for the tip. May help in the quote below as well. :thumbsup: 



knm<>< said:


> High light - pressurized CO2 = ALGAE, ALGAE, ALGAE....trust me, invest in a good pressurized system, or go low light, or raise that light well above the top of the tank. Raising is what i've found most people do for a preventative measure. I learned this lesson the hard way.


So, scrap the DIY Co2 & implement a pressurized system? ... that's more doable than raising the lighting in this apartment. Thanks ... I'll look into this.

I've thought about trying this with the ... "Red Sea", I think ... paintball Co2 regulator full system. Looks like it can be had for $80 or so. Suggestions ??


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## AlexXx (Dec 1, 2009)

WOW im obsessed with that petrified wood, where did u get that? Great looking hardscape!


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

AlexXx said:


> WOW im obsessed with that petrified wood, where *did u get that*? Great looking hardscape!


Thanks .... Picked it up at a spot down the street from my that sells rock for landscaping.

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Re: my lighting

If I drop the "colormax" light & run only one 14w bulb, I'm only pushing 2.1 WPG. Won't my HC suffer from such low wattage conditions .... or is a tank this small ... read=low depth ... as the 6.6 bookshelf unable to use standard calculations of WPG, & I'm actually getting more light than what I think?


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## Nue (Dec 27, 2009)

Lol, don't envy me. I have never been skiing. Although i tried to snowboard once, it was a horrible mess.


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

Nue said:


> Lol, don't envy me. I have never been skiing. Although* i tried to snowboard once*, it was a horrible mess.


I lasted 2 hours ... an hour and fourty minutes of which, was on my backside. :drool: Skiing's a different ballgame ... Snowboarding hurts .... a lot.


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## Portalz (Nov 28, 2007)

I'd say go full on with 28 watts, just make sure to keep up on the DIY co2. Like he said, you may run into some algae from fluctuating co2 levels but it doesn't hurt to try things out. It is a small tank to she WPG rule doesn't reall apply even though it is a shallow tank. Try it out and lets see some pics of this planted!!


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## AlexXx (Dec 1, 2009)

For lighting i think two 10 watt full spectrum bulbs from walmart in the fish section would suffice. I use them on my 10 gallon and have great results so far.


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

Portalz said:


> I'd say *go full on with 28 watts*, just make sure to keep up on the DIY co2. Like he said, you may run into some algae from fluctuating co2 levels but it doesn't hurt to try things out. It is a small tank to she WPG rule doesn't reall apply even though it is a shallow tank. Try it out and *lets see some pics of this planted*!!


Still flying with both 14W bulbs today ... changed out my DIY yeast mix for good chanpagne yeast & am getting a better reaction. Wanted the DIY running better, untill I can get pressurised Co2 running. Went by the local brew-your-own-booze store to price equipment. 2 1/2 gal tank $150 / Regulator $75. Still would need tubing, needle valve, solenoid, .... this got expensive really really quickly. Gunna see what I can do online ... probably with a paintball tank setup.

Planted the plants I had picked up previously at the local ... 

2 oriental swords (will outgrow the tank & need moved at some point ... maybe these will grow in my cichlid 30g cube, otherwise they will become trade fodder.)
1 good bunch of HC cuba
1 almost non-existant bunch of HC cuba (told the LFS I'd try to revive it if they threw it in free...figure it's worth a shot...didn't get much viable plant stock out of this.)

I'll most likely pull the colormax bulb tonight & run with just the 10K 14w & see how it goes.

3 days .... cycle already, will ya ? :icon_lol:

Still waiting to hear any sort of word from the online store I bought the co2 indicator, HC & stargrass from .... will have to call again today & see if I can get ahold of them)

Anyway .... here's some initial planted pics.


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## AlexXx (Dec 1, 2009)

Looking good! Im glad those swords will outgrow your tank cuz im not digging them in there. cant wait for the HC to spread! its gunna look great!


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

nice. looking forward to updates


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

AlexXx said:


> Looking good! *Im glad those swords will outgrow your tank cuz im not digging them in there*. cant wait for the HC to spread! its gunna look great!


Agreed. lol .... I was looking for something that will flow over some of the hardscape & the swords are not gunna cut it. I have hopes that the star grass I ordered will actually come in at some point & then I'll most likely replace the swords with the stargrass & hope for the best once they become full.

Never one plants .... flying by the seat of me arse here. lol


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## Mjc20 (Sep 8, 2009)

erratum said:


> Agreed. lol .... I was looking for something that will flow over some of the hardscape & the swords are not gunna cut it. I have hopes that the star grass I ordered will actually come in at some point & then I'll most likely replace the swords with the stargrass & hope for the best once they become full.
> 
> Never one plants .... flying by the seat of me arse here. lol


You could always get some tropica swords....they dont get much bigger than 6"


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

Mjc20 said:


> You could always get some tropica swords....they dont get much bigger than 6"


k ..... we'll see. I'm not thrilled with the look of the swords at all, now that I have the two orientals in there. Live & learn. 

Update: still have not downed the lighting & running the 24w full on. Getting growth with the HC sending strands out horizontally (as much as it can in just a few days :hihi:...but it is appearant) .. still waiting on the Co2 checker & pricing options for pressurized co2 instead of yeast.

Visiting the paintball stores tonight to look at options they may have.
Picking up a small (probably the Aquaclear mini) HOB filter tonight.
Picking up a KH test kit tonight.
Picking up a thermometer tonight.

Tested PH came out at 6.6
Tested amonia came out at 2

Had kickstarted a cycle with a pinch of dried bryne shrimp before I read about not cycling a planted tank....so want to get the filter set up & start the hurry up & wait game for probably 2-4 weeks ... we'll see.

Still worried about an eventual bloom ... need to cut the lighting in half 'till I get the co2 setup I want.


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## jargonchipmunk (Dec 8, 2008)

did you get your hardscape at House of Rocks? I LOVE that place! It's where I got the rock for my 75. If that's where you got it, did you notice if they had any ginormous pieces of petrified wood hanging around? I'm on the lookout for a massive petrified stump for my 120. (massive being 12" or so diameter and 15"+ height)


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

jargonchipmunk said:


> did you get your hardscape at *House of Rocks? I LOVE that place!* It's where I got the rock for my 75. If that's where you got it, did you notice if they had any ginormous pieces of petrified wood hanging around? I'm on the lookout for a massive petrified stump for my 120. (massive being 12" or so diameter and 15"+ height)


Yup .. Great place.

I bought all the hardscape rock a year & a half ago I it's been sitting, unused, ever since ... so I'm unsure what they have now ... and too old to remember what they had then.

Go by & have a look ... it's always worth it even if they don't have what you need ... I just love looking around that place ... lol


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## jargonchipmunk (Dec 8, 2008)

yeah I called and they still carry the petrified wood, so I'm gonna take a trip out there this weekend and check it out. (although now their weekend hours are 9-1 lol. Don't know if I'm UP by that hour on the weekends)

Tank's lookin good so far!


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## TLE041 (Jan 16, 2010)

If you're getting an Aquaclear, check out this thread: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/104645-mini-co2-reactor-aquaclear-hob-filter.html

I find that champagne yeast will generate enough pressure to power this (with bread yeast YMMV). Just something for you to try before going pressurized.


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

TLE041 said:


> If you're getting an Aquaclear, check out this thread: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/104645-mini-co2-reactor-aquaclear-hob-filter.html
> 
> I find that champagne yeast will generate enough pressure to power this (with bread yeast YMMV). Just something for you to try before going pressurized.


lol .... where were you an hour ago? :icon_surp

Soooooooooooo.......I leave work to grab lunch & stop by the local Petsmart ..... have a aquaclear 20 in one hand & a Marineland 20 in the other. I bought the Marineland, as it has an adjustable inlet. :icon_roll

Will have to take a hard look at that thread you linked.....I really like the aspect of keeping the Co2 diffuser out of eyeshot of the front of the tank & can return the Marineland HOB. hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

Thanks for the tip .... hrmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm


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## Larry Grenier (Apr 19, 2005)

At first I wanted to say "too much rock" but then my brain changed to "the rockwork rocks". Keep us posted.


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

Larry Grenier said:


> At first I wanted to say "too much rock" but then my brain changed to "*the rockwork rocks*". Keep us posted.


Thanks for the brain change ... that says a lot, considering ..... I have no idea what I'm doing. :wink:


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## TLE041 (Jan 16, 2010)

erratum said:


> Will have to take a hard look at that thread you linked.....I really like the aspect of keeping the Co2 diffuser out of eyeshot of the front of the tank & can return the Marineland HOB. hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....


Between the two I'd definitely go with Aquaclear. I find them quieter than penguins, plus you'll never have to buy media again (those penguin cartridges are pricey).


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

TLE041 said:


> Between the two I'd definitely go with Aquaclear. I find them quieter than penguins, plus you'll never have to buy media again (those penguin cartridges are pricey).


Took the penguin back after work & picked up the Aquaclear 20 .... used a pipe filter (new balsa wood) in place of the chopstick & inserted as/per the simple mod. Have not powered it up, as I'm seeding the media in an a long-established tank for a few, but looks like it's gunna do well. Thanks for the tip/link!


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

Checking PH (6.6) & KH (3deg) sits me at a Co2 value of 22(ish) ..... which, as far as I understand, is about what I'm looking for ... still running one 14w 10,000k & one 14w colormax ... & dosing 4-5 drops of excel daily.

Am I looking pretty good, or am I fooling myself & just waiting for algae to explode in this tank?


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

Update 03-29-2010

I maybe should have broken this HC up more when I planted? I still await shipment of more, along with my co2 checker & some stargrass .... or even confirmation of shipment :icon_neut .... we'll see.

Here's some updated pics of the HC growth. Mostly, it seems to be growing outward, leaves of new growth are larger (why?), maybe a little "leggy" ..... I really don't know what to expect form it, so .....

Co2 is sitting at 19(ish) ppm from the DIY yeast & very slight excel dosing
Still running 28 total wats from one 10000k & one "colormax" bulb.

Had put some activated charcoal in the new AC filter before reading that it would take nutrients from the plants & should be skipped ... then removed it after a day & a half or so.

-- Pics of tank & HC --














































See how much larger the leaves of the new growth is, compared to the older (stunted?) HC growth ?

Any suggestions/comments as to how this HC is currently growing is appreciated.


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## RcScRs (Oct 22, 2009)

That new growth is not HC, but HM


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

RcScRs said:


> That new growth is not HC, but HM


Odd. Was billed as hemianthus callitrichoides. Bought at Pet Land.


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

that does look like HM. That stuff is a nutrient sponge.


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

Fat Guy said:


> that does look like HM. That stuff is a nutrient sponge.


Maybe I got a little HM mixed into my HC pot ? ... as that would explain the very non-uniform growth I'm getting.

Or maybe I just don't know what I'm doing with plants ...:drool:... I will assuredly buy that answer. 

Double-hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

Update:

Did my first weekly 50% water change. Still 28W lighting (10000k & colormax) ... still Co2 in the 19ppm range from DIY yeast. (saving pennies for a good regulator, which I hope to order later in the month)

HC (?) is beginning to get brown on the outer leaves. :icon_conf (No pics...was in a rush out the door last eve)

Maybe it's time to start dosing ferts....something I've not done yet. Didn't think I'd need to do this so soon & with so few plants. Especially in the middle of initial tank cycle.

Plans are to be picking up Seachem Potassium, Phosphate & Nitrogen, along with Kent Plant-Pro for now, as I can (maybe...fingers crossed) find these locally. Then ordering online dry ferts to use later.

Still waiting on the HC & stargrass I had ordered. Looks like it won't be shipping untill a week from Friday or so.....I'd order elsewhere, but this is already paid for & really, I'm in no great rush. It'll hopefully give me time to adress my current browning issue, before having to plant new.


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

Update

PH & KH bottoming out. Hrmmmm. Plants look good. HC (& HM?) shooting out runners across the substrate. Got my first little patch of brown algae. Tank cycle is nearing it's end. Copepods are running around the substrate & tank glass. All that is expected, is, .... except for my PH/KH and (assuredly incorrect?) Co2 readings.

Here's what's transpired.

My Co2 levels were showing low (9ppm or so) so I changed out the DIY Co2 for a larger Co2 solution untill I get pressurized. 2 ltr bottle - 2 cups sugar - 1/2 tsp champagne yeast - 1 tsp baking soda. No more leaks. 

Quit dosing excel and began dosing, vary sparingly, Kent Pro-Plant and Flourish Potassium on alternate days. 

3 days went past & I found all the adult pond snails (I seeded with some pond snails from an existing aquarium, as I want a couple of assassin snails in this tank) were dead. Baby snails were & are alive.

I checked my PH & KH levels to find that my PH had dropped to 6 (or below?) and my KH to 2 or 3.

Now, by the chart/calculators, that's a Co2 level of 60-90ppm....from a DIY yeast mix w/ a diy diffuser??? That can't be right, I'm thinking, but I'm still awaiting my drop checker I had ordered to give myself a second opinion.

Any idea if this could be right ... or is the (maybe) ferts messing with my readings....the rocks?....the eco-complete? 

I tested my tap water last night to get a bearing on if it could be something else & it came across at PH 7.6 / KH 4 .... so something's going on.


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## bigboij (Jul 24, 2009)

on your high co2 levels from diy co2 not that uncommon, i have over gassed my 20gal causing deaths from diy Co2 twice. by simply forgetting to to tilt my spray bar to the surface a little bit for the night


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

I really like how your big petrified wood looks with the smaller ones surrounding it. What are your plans for fauna?


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

bigboij said:


> on your high co2 levels from diy co2 not that uncommon, i have over gassed my 20gal causing deaths from diy Co2 twice. by simply forgetting to to tilt my spray bar to the surface a little bit for the night


Another reason I need pressurized with a nightly cuttoff I suppose. I mean, if the levels are right, I'm good with that for now, but will need to get things under control before adding the animals I want in that tank.

I'm pretty well settled to bite the bulet in a week or two & get this -

http://www.greenleafaquariums.com/co2-regulators/paintball-co2-regulator.html


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

VincentK said:


> I really like how your big petrified wood looks with the smaller ones surrounding it. What are your plans for fauna?


 
Innitially, I was thinking an all-white half-moon betta. The more I look at Blue Pearl shrimp & Yellow shrimp, the more I like these as well. I know I'll be adding 2-5 assassin snails (my 30gal cichlid tank is a pond snail breeding factory, so lunch is easily aquired) 

Thoughts ?


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

(groan). PH : 6.6 / KH : 3 / Co2 : 23

It's amazing what a test kit will show when it's not expired.


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

erratum said:


> Innitially, I was thinking an all-white half-moon betta. The more I look at Blue Pearl shrimp & Yellow shrimp, the more I like these as well. I know I'll be adding 2-5 assassin snails (my 30gal cichlid tank is a pond snail breeding factory, so lunch is easily aquired)
> 
> Thoughts ?


I would say go with shrimp, I think you should take advantage of the tank dimensions and not use it on a betta (which could go in a 2.5), and put shrimp in there and enjoy watching them go back and forth.


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

VincentK said:


> I would say go with shrimp


I'm thinking so as well. Will probably go with Blue Pearl shrimp.

Cycle completed last week & tank seems steady.

Picked up the first livestock for the tank yesterday. 3 otos (seems from many a tank log viewed, that these will be a must) No real algea bloom in this tank (yet?), so there's some sprulinia smeared to a couple of rocks. Plan to pick up some sheet seaweed, algae flakes & zuchini as well, to varry foodstuffs. I've heard that these are not the easiest beasts to keep, but seem quite beneficial.

Last night they seemed to be breathing heavily, so I've cut the DIY Co2 for now .... will check 'em when I get home from work & if they look good, re-attach the Co2 untill lights off tonight. The absence of Co2, I'm not thrilled with, but ... we'll see at this point.

Planted some dwarf hairgrass (this stuff goes *everywhere" when it gets loose) and some Najas sp 'Roraima'. Still awaiting the HC, stargrass & drop checker I had initially ordered. At this rate, I'll get these in September some time.

Planted the hairgrass in several clumps ... I'll wait a couple of weeks for it to take root well, before trimming. At least, that's the thought.

Anyhoo .... some pics. It's progress, not perfection, right :hihi: ??










Dwarf Hairgrass









Najas sp 'Roraima' in back









HC (and maybe HM) spreading 









2 of 3 Otos









Smeared soft sprulinia pellets









Just another gratuitous shot









These were taken with my pocket camera (Nikon CoolPix) ... I need to bring my better (Canon G7) camera home with me some time to get some better shots.


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

Think that's HM, IDK if you were hoping for HC, but HM is also very nice.


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

VincentK said:


> Think that's HM, IDK if you were hoping for HC, but HM is also very nice.


Yeah ... that seems to be the case.

It was bought as HC Cuba from PetLand. .... and it seems that *some* of it may be HC Cuba & some of it, HM. Some of it's slow & steady (HC?) ... some of it's growing like wildfire (HM?)

At any rate, I've HC on order but they called to tell me they were out & the earliest shipping would be Friday (04-09) .... have not heard from them that they have shipped .... so I'm thinking it has not.

When I get it in, I'll be pulling what looks to be HM, & replacing it.


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

VincentK said:


> Think that's HM, IDK if you were hoping for HC, but HM is also very nice.


 
Hrmmmm .... Keep looking at pics of HC & HM. Not sure what I have :icon_surp

Gunna take my better camera home & get some shots of this stuff & try to post a seperate thread tomorrow. I may have to end up pulling what I have & replanting if I was some HM under the guise of HC.


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## AlexXx (Dec 1, 2009)

i cant get over those rocks/petrified wood i love it!


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## hamsterman (Jan 17, 2007)

erratum said:


> Hrmmmm .... Keep looking at pics of HC & HM. Not sure what I have :icon_surp
> 
> Gunna take my better camera home & get some shots of this stuff & try to post a seperate thread tomorrow. I may have to end up pulling what I have & replanting if I was some HM under the guise of HC.


It does look like a mix of both HC and HM.


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## alohamonte (Jul 25, 2006)

I've had a 6.6 up and running now for nearly 3 years. At this point I consider the tank mature, and is in that happy place where it doesnt take much on my end to keep it healthy. 

I replaced/upgraded the filter (Aquaclear 20) and light (28w) that came with the kit, neither were strong enough for my stock list and plant choices. I used flourite and the flourish line of plant foods. I use 4 drops of Excel daily. Current stock is group of six dwarf pencilfish (three shown below) and a small clean up crew. The gourami in this pic was moved to his own tank. This pics are when it was just a few weeks old. I'll take some recent shots (it's jungle at the moment) and post a follow up.







I like what you're doing with the 6.6 It's a fun tank size and wish you luck with it.


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

Sweet tank. I really like the dimensions of this bookshelf tank. It's actually my 2nd 6.6 bookshelf, as the first kept a mantis shrimp for 3 years, 'till he never came back out after a molt.

I miss that little guy. He used to knock loudly on the rock when he was hungry & just look at me like, "what are you gunna do about it?" ... lots of personality .... I'd sit & watch him for hours.

Pic updates with my better-grade camera























































I really need to clean the acrylic.... :hihi:


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

Went to do a water change yesterday evening & just couldn't bring myself to do it. *Almost everything was pearling* ... first time I've ever seen this ... pretty cool. Wish I had my camera on me. :icon_sad:

Will try to remember to bring it home tonight, just in case ... maybe tonight will be a repeat of last & I can get a few pics of the pearling before I do a water change.


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

Pearling slowed down by the time I got the camera home to catch a pic, but there was still some last night before I did the water change.

We can safely call this HM :icon_roll but the bubbles are cool :smile:










the GSA has begun ... just a little on the rocks thus far. Snails are having a hayday in this tank .... little do they know the assassins are on their way.










Progress shot of growth. The smudgy looking stuff in the lower right is part of a seaweed sheet that had expended/fell apart. Vaccumed it out with the water change last night. Trimmed back some of the longer upward strands of HM that you see crawling up the stone. Not sure if I'm gunna pull this or just let it mix with the HC I'm still due from an online shop.......if it ever ships, that is. I'm starting to .... no ... I've started to wonder weeks ago.


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## mgdmirage (Mar 30, 2009)

Tank looks good, i've had one of these 6.6s for almost a year now and i'm so dissapointed in how easily it scratches. I love the dimensions of it though!

What do you all clean the glass with? i haven't found anything that doesn't scratch it yet.


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

Very soft sponge inside (not an anti-bacterial kitchen sponge!!!!) & a coffee filter outside........and I still hope & pray it does not scratch, though I imagine it will with time.

I dunno what I'm gunna clean the inside with if I really start to get algae on the tank walls. I ran a salt tank in a different bookshelf, with some live rock, cheeto and a mantis shrimp for 3 years or so. It purpled over time & I just let it.

They make scour pads for acrylic, but this stuff is the scratchiest acrylic ever :redface: & I don't think I'd try to use them.


Edit - and behold, there's already a scratch. Lol. Probably the best thing I can think of to use, would be a microfiber cloth like is used on plastic eyeglass lenses ... Maybe on the inside & out. I may need to find one or two or three of these.




mgdmirage said:


> Tank looks good, i've had one of these 6.6s for almost a year now and i'm so dissapointed in how easily it scratches. I love the dimensions of it though!
> 
> What do you all clean the glass with? i haven't found anything that doesn't scratch it yet.


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## TLE041 (Jan 16, 2010)

Yikes, the scratchability sounds like a big problem. Hopefully algae will be minimal for you.

I wonder why the manufacturer opted for acrylic instead of glass for a tank this size.


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

Update 04-28-2010

Wow ... pulling all that HM without pulling the HC (yes it was sold to me mixed ... ugh) was a lesson in futility. Planted 4 pots of HC & replanted the HC that existed, after pulling it up, moved the HM to the side of the tank (not sure I'm gunna keep it in there or not, but there it is at the moment), added some star grass & some things bought off of forum members here (thanks for that).

Needs to grow in after messing with everything a little. If all this HC takes root & quits floating away, I'll be amazed :hihi:. Will have to give it a month or so & see how things go from there.

Got my drop checker & spent a good 30 min getting a bottle of 4dKH solution made up. Works well though.

Now to think about fish & find a retailer for Blue Pearl shrimp.

Anyhoo .... updated photos here ....























































I'm finding thinks I wish I would have done differently ... but for a first attempt at plants, I'm very much enjoying the process. Once (if?) things grow in, I think I'll be happy ... Digging in this thing with all the rock in here makes one realize just how small 6.6 gallons really is. lol

Thanks for lookin'


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## mgdmirage (Mar 30, 2009)

Yeah awesome little tank with excellent dimensions i would have probably not despised mine had they made it out of actual acrylic or glass. 

Instead they decided to make it out of the type of plastic that CD and cassette cases are made out of and scratches way easier than actual acrylic 

Your tank is looking great


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

mgdmirage said:


> Yeah awesome little tank with excellent dimensions i would have probably not despised mine had they made it out of actual acrylic or glass.
> 
> Instead they *decided to make it out of the type of plastic that CD and cassette cases are made out of* and scratches way easier than actual acrylic
> 
> Your tank is looking great


:iamwithstlol ... that sounds about right.

Thanks for the comments ... again, I think once things take off & fill in, that will help a lot.


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

Looks great, IDK, I like a little algae on the rocks, makes them look more natural IMO.


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## erratum (Mar 24, 2010)

Been a while since I posted a progress update.

Here's some current pics of this tank .... The floating masses are star grass .... every time I plant it in a certain area, it gets upheaved & I find it floating the next day. Other areas are fine, though ... hrmmmm .... so currently, it floats.

Should have snapped a few of my assassin snails .... they're getting quite big .... but I was in a bit of a hurry last night when I took these.

I'm to look at some dario dario at the LFS on Thursday (in 2 days) & see if I can find a breeding pair.....which will be my next (& last) livestock addition.

Anyhoo .... pics.























































here a snail ... there a snail ... everywhere a snail sanil ....


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## mgdmirage (Mar 30, 2009)

Tank is looking great


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## blackwidow (Mar 22, 2010)

damn i hate pond snail so bad. i crush every single one of them every time i see one.


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

Looks good  Those bookshelf tanks look so much bigger than they are. I have to agree that acrylic tanks stink though, my tank is acrylic too and I've scratched the outside by cleaning it with a paper towel  And yes, that is a ton of snails, hah.


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## MARIMOBALL (Mar 18, 2007)

The petrified wood looks great in this tank. Excellent scape, its really well thought out and strong. I rarely see a good scape with petrified wood. ADA Malaya or redsea substrate would have been a better choice to match with the PW.Do you have a blue background? maybe try a black or white instead. Those pencil fish are really nice. Great job so far


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Great looking tank, nice growth..


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