# 9.6 gallon - Iwagumi style nano



## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

This is a 60cmX20cmX30cm Starfire tank with curved corners at the front. 

It's my stab at a high tech "true" Iwagumi/Amano/nature styled tank. 

It will be filtered by an Eheim 2213, lighted by twin 18w T5HO, and the substrate is Netlea Lambo. The co2 will come through a Milwaukee regulator fitted onto a paintball setup (currently looking for a 2.5 lbs cylinder)

I'm still deciding on the hardscape (getting advice on what to choose on another thread). 

I haven't quite decided on the plants. I'd like a carpet of some sort, and I want to keep it to just a few types. 

What is an "easy" carpet to look after, in your experiences?

Here are a few pics of the better trial layouts...































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## freph (Apr 4, 2011)

All carpets require some degree of maintenance. Glosso or DHG Belem would be easy and decent height for that tank IMO. Glosso moreso if you trim it aggressively. Good equipment plan so far, looks promising!


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## seank (Jul 7, 2011)

Id say HC for a carpet, as long as ur trim it regularly itll do fine. Any chance you purchased ur setup from Aqua Inspiration? I have a strange feeling u did lol. I have the same light lol, almost the same tank too only its a 9.5 gal with different dimensions. I like hardscape # 2 btw.


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## aznartist34 (Nov 19, 2010)

Try some of the marsilea sp. Doesn't need a lot of light or co2. Kind of looks like glosso and grows at a slow pace so very manageable.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Last layout looks best to me. Ditto on most carpets needing "maintanence", but that's part of the aquascaping fun. A stress reliever if you ask me. Hope your tank does well.


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

seank said:


> Id say HC for a carpet, as long as ur trim it regularly itll do fine. Any chance you purchased ur setup from Aqua Inspiration? I have a strange feeling u did lol. I have the same light lol, almost the same tank too only its a 9.5 gal with different dimensions. I like hardscape # 2 btw.


Ha! I DID get it at A.I! For some reason, we live in a greater metropolitan area of nearly 6 million, and there's only one store really that carries this kinda stuff... Sheesh.. 

I had a bad experience with HC. I found that unless you trim aggressively, it will lift on you. And when you constantly trim aggressively, you see the bare stems for most of the time. The only time it looked great was the day before I had to trim... I'm still deciding on the carpet. Also, it depends on who's carrying what on the day I wanna setup. 

Now, as far as a plant to complement a carpet, I guess it would be best to choose a plant that is not too tall or large leafed. Especially if I'm only gonna have 2 or 3 species In there. What are some options?

P.S here's an updated pic...











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## tropicalmackdaddy (Mar 7, 2012)

Id get rid of the second farthest on the right, seems to small


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

tropicalmackdaddy said:


> Id get rid of the second farthest on the right, seems to small


I know. It's actually a piece I chipped of a gargantuan chunk I have. The only thing is, in my study of this iwagumi style, there needs to be an odd number of rocks in a layout. 

I'll try to chip off a bigger chunk maybe...



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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

Lily pipes added...

I realized that all this glassware will now clash with my blue atomizing diffusor, but I don't care. I used less co2 when I switched to the bazooka. 

So, I guess the tank won't be COMPLETELY Amano style.. Ha! 

Next will be planting. I think I will go with HC carpet after all. I didn't really want to, but I think it'll suit the scape best. 

In the far corners, I'd like to plant hair grass, and perhaps one other taller plant. 










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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

Okay. Now I need some advice on plant choices and layout. So my ideal number of different plant types is three. I'm think UG or HC for carpet in foreground, then whichever of the previous two not selected for foreground to be used just behind both rock formations on either side, and finally E.Tenellus at the ver back corners of either side...

What ya think?


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## freph (Apr 4, 2011)

I'd swap UG for hairgrass just for ease of maintenance and better textures with plants. HC foreground, hairgrass mid/background and E. tenellus wherever you see fit. Good thing about hairgrass is that as long as you trim it down, it can be whatever height you want it to be. E. parvula tends to be shorter than E. acicularis if you wanted to mix types, but trimming E. acicularis would be perfectly fine too.


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

Well, thought I'd make an update...








Obviously, I had just filled the tank At this point. The tank's now cycling... Looking to add Amanos and snails first, after which will be ottos, then, finally..... well, haven't decided yet... Some sort of shrimp. Since I have Netlea Lambo in there, I guess I can't really put tigers in there (lowered pH), but I'm not too thrilled with CRS.

Any suggestions on "nice", relatively resilient shrimp that can tolerate lower pH?

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## tropicalmackdaddy (Mar 7, 2012)

Nice start. Hopefully you get a nice carpet goin. 
Also, if you ever want to sell that driftwood piece, im here :hihi:


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

tropicalmackdaddy said:


> Nice start. Hopefully you get a nice carpet goin.
> Also, if you ever want to sell that driftwood piece, im here :hihi:


Thanks! 

The driftwood will go into storage for future projects... Sorry.... 


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## Quentin (Mar 16, 2011)

Looking good OP


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

Quentin said:


> Looking good OP


Thanks! 

I guess I should list the plants in there... 

HC
Tonina fluv. Manus
Lilaeopsis Mauritiana 

This tank will be mostly invertebrates. Snails and Amanos for sure; the main species will be a shrimp yet to be determined. 

Still waiting on advise regarding a species of shrimp that can tolerate a slightly lower pH (due to substrate properties) that will suit the tank. 

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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

It cycled!!!!!!!!

Finally... After almost two months, it cycled. The enriched soil (Netlea Lambo) dumped so much ammonia they it complicated the cycling process. But now, it's on to my goal of breeding shrimp...... I just don't know what yet. I'm still kinda new to shrimp, so I wanna do something relatively simple, but obviously a step or two higher the cherry shrimp. 

Below is a pic I just took... I just trimmed the carpet this morning..l seems to be filling in... I went this afternoon and bought some horned nerites and Amanos to help with algae....


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

Some additional update photos.. You can see the difference the Amanos made in a day or so...






















Now, when do you think a tank is "mature" enough to start breeding more delicate species such as OEBT or CRS?....

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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

Well..... Since no one replied.... I went out and got some S & A grade CRS...









I got around 8... Is that a good number to start off a colony? 


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## Chyrol (Jan 18, 2012)

Nice looking tank! 

I wish I could help you with the shrimp question, but I have never kept any before. Hopefully someone with a bit of experience stops by.

Good luck, I hope your shrimp thrive!


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## zherico (Mar 19, 2009)

You'd prob have more luck asking that question on the invert forum.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Nice tank, best of luck with it!


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## deleted_user_17 (Jun 14, 2012)

Beautiful tank, good luck with the shrimp too!


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

Thanks for the compliments! 

Co2 ran out yesterday and an algae bomb went off in my tank. Will take a few days of picking and trimming to get rid of it. The Shrimp and nerites don't seem to like ALL types of algae...


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

Well, noticed some teeny tiny critters scampering around and although I've read they are harmless, their existence bothers me... 

So, short story long, I bough some celestial danios in hopes of the fish whipping them out. Been 2days, and haven't seen results yet. Infact, I see those itty bitty thread worms float right past them, and the danios aren't phased. Maybe they need time to acclimate more?....

Anyhoo, here's a pic...









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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

Update:

Well, I did it... I managed to train my CPD's to eat my "thread worm" problems down to a smaller population. How did I do that?.... Trade secret (starve them).. Now, their bellies are quite full, so it looks like my tank's bio waste is enough to sustain a steady flow of food for them. Of course, I'll keep an eye on them and "top up" their food supply if need be later on... 

I'll post a pick later this week...


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## beedee (Jul 1, 2010)

Nice updates and pix man. Very cool to see this thing is moving right along for you. 

I'd be a little worried about the CPD's sniping baby CRS if they start breeding.


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

beedee said:


> Nice updates and pix man. Very cool to see this thing is moving right along for you.
> 
> I'd be a little worried about the CPD's sniping baby CRS if they start breeding.


Yeah, I was worried about that too, but I really wanted to something about the pests. There is only about 7 CRS in there, so I hope if/when they breed, they'll produce enough to overcome sporadic sackings.... 

On a side note, I bought 3 blue tigers shrimps today. We'll see how that pans out....


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## FORREST3320 (Sep 9, 2011)

beautiful tank


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## bluestems (Feb 7, 2012)

Cento said:


> Some additional update photos.. You can see the difference the Amanos made in a day or so...
> View attachment 53995


Your amanos are nice little workers! Can I ask what source you used? I need these guys :smile:


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

bluestems said:


> Your amanos are nice little workers! Can I ask what source you used? I need these guys :smile:


Just my local Big Al's... They're the best algae eating critters available for the freshwater tank, IMHO...


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## Option (Oct 2, 2010)

Cento said:


> It cycled!!!!!!!!
> 
> Finally... After almost two months, it cycled. The enriched soil (Netlea Lambo) dumped so much ammonia they it complicated the cycling process. But now, it's on to my goal of breeding shrimp...... I just don't know what yet. I'm still kinda new to shrimp, so I wanna do something relatively simple, but obviously a step or two higher the cherry shrimp.
> 
> ...


Looks great. What kind of plant/bush is that in the R-corner?...whatever it is it looks good! And where did you buy your lily pipe set?


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

Option said:


> Looks great. What kind of plant/bush is that in the R-corner?...whatever it is it looks good! And where did you buy your lily pipe set?


Thanks for the compliments... The plant is tonina manaus. It's a great plant. 

The lily pipes are from a shop here in Canada. 


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## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

tank is lookin good! 

I need to get some amano's in my 2gallon before I put in CRS - the algae hit it pretty hard recently


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## LyzzaRyzz (Nov 6, 2012)

Liking this tank a lot! Good luck with breeding!


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

Sorry it took so long, but this is the most recent pic... 









Thanks for all the encouraging words. To be honest, though I am satisfied with how this tank turned out, I'm not entirely happy with the layout. Some have commented earlier that the right side was a little off balance, and after a while, I too noticed it is indeed the weak point of the layout. I can't quite get my finger on it, but something isnt jiving 100%...

Anyhoo, live and learn.. :{


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## LyzzaRyzz (Nov 6, 2012)

Maybe you can sculpt that corner into something...maybe find some skinny tall rocks to put in front of it?


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## CoffeeLove (Oct 31, 2012)

Looks great man love it

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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

LyzzaRyzz said:


> Maybe you can sculpt that corner into something...maybe find some skinny tall rocks to put in front of it?


Yeah, thats an idea. I wanted to make it minimalist, but I guess thats not accomplished if the corner looks unfinished.

Your comment made me think of something like this...
(very crude and fast drawing)









Would that do it...?


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## LyzzaRyzz (Nov 6, 2012)

Yeah, that might do it! I think it'll need some plant on its base though. Maybe if you can get the ground cover to grow over it?


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## Bennyboy (May 27, 2012)

Hey love the tank. I dont know if i missed it in thread somewhere. what light are you using?


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

Bennyboy said:


> Hey love the tank. I dont know if i missed it in thread somewhere. what light are you using?


It's a two 18w T5HO unit by Odyssea.. 


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

Two more update pics via iPhone (sorry, no DSLR's in foreseeable future)...

One of my happy CRS...








And one pic of my 2 surviving otos..








Thats 2 out of 4... 

I think it's the way they catch these critters in the wild, but they die shortly after arriving from the pet shops... There are a few pet shops that I know that quarantine them for two weeks before selling, because so many complain that they die shortly after bringing them home...

Once you have healthy specimens, I haven't found them finicky. The last 3 I had, I kept for 2 years before giving them away. 

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## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

I think the idea with driftwood would be a good idea !


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

andrewss said:


> I think the idea with driftwood would be a good idea !


Sold! 

Ironically, I found a piece of driftwood that strangely resembles my crude drawing I proposed to everyone a page or so back. Though it's perhaps ever so slightly smaller.

Its been boiled and fully water logged now, so I'm gonna moss-it-up tomorrow. Have done Taiwan moss and Christmas moss in the past and ideally would like something different, but will probably end up using whatever's available at the few places I call up tomorrow. 

I'll post some pics when it's done. Hopefully it'll bring some completeness or balance to my aquascape, as I felt it wasn't quite right, as we discussed. 


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## manzpants92 (Dec 6, 2012)

Looks good! do you use any fertilizers or do you just depend on lighting and co2?


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

manzpants92 said:


> Looks good! do you use any fertilizers or do you just depend on lighting and co2?


<ahem> <nervous laughter> ha ha....

Well, funny you should ask, but I've been quite lax in the past month or two, so I haven't been as faithful as I should, but short story long - yes I do you some liquid fertilizers. A mixture of the Aquavitro line and the regular Seachem line. 

Not that it's an excuse, but the reason I haven't fully dived into full on dosing or using the E.I method yet is I'm trying my hand at breeding higher end (or at least higher than cherry) shrimp, and I heard that larger, more frequent water changes (and the subsequent fluctuations) cause problems with CRS and the like. 


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

Finally got around to buying some moss and attaching it to my driftwood. 

Here's a pic or two...















I will need to fill in the back right corner a bit so as not to leave the wood too alone, and also not to through off My focal point for the angular rock. I hope this helps tighten the scape up a bit...


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

Okay, so this weekend I'm gonna tackle that corner behind the driftwood. 

Any recommendations on what to place there? I guess I should have something tall in order to complete the "triangle" aquascaping style... Crypt? Some sort of tall grass? Or maybe some stem plant that'll complement the setup?


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## ramen lover (Jun 22, 2012)

are you using co2? your ground cover looks so lush and green


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

ramen lover said:


> are you using co2? your ground cover looks so lush and green


Yes. Paintball setup. I just ran out actually. Considering 2.5# tank both for longer intervals between refills, and height restriction in my cabinets. 

So, any recommendation on the plants anyone?


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## hisxlency (Jan 26, 2013)

lovely tank pal. ill be watching this one


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## Kyguylal (Jan 21, 2012)

Have you had and berried CRS yet?


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

Kyguylal said:


> Have you had and berried CRS yet?


No.. Haven't been having too much luck with them breeding. Not sure abut sexing. I've heard stories of people buying 6 or 8 and not having any breeding until adding an additional 2 or 3 (indicating they had all the same sex initially).

Not saying that's happening to me, but there's 5 in there now, and I have Netlea Lambo, which is specifically used for CRS for its pH lowering ability. All my parameters are good, any my fire reds are berrying. So I don't know what's going on. 

Some have said it my be my 6 CPD's presence. Beats me... 


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

So, apparently, my CPD's have bred.. These are currently in my prefilter...








Waiting for them grow robust enough or sturdy enough to handle extraction. I still don't know how in gonna go about it. I don't really know how many are in there... We'll see. I'll post pics when it's done.

Still haven't figured out whst to do with the corner behind the driftwood, plant wise....


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

I haven't updated in a while so I taught I'd post some pics.

I've actually been neglecting this tank lately, other than replacing the floss in my prefilter. I haven't been fertilizing in quite some time, I haven't trimmed in a while, and my CO2 ran out over a month ago.

But..... Everything's fine! No over abundance of algae, no abnormal deaths, no yellowing plants... It's like it's self sufficient... 

Here are some pics...









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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

.... And another...








I guess it's reach an equilibrium of sorts... I will refill my CO2 canister soon though..


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## Kinection (Dec 1, 2012)

Nice! Getting CPDs to breed must be cool.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Great looking tank. Looks well stocked and simple. If you get your CPDs to breed, consider trying to breed them out and sell them to members to help out the endangered wild population.


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## Cento (Apr 7, 2010)

Kinection said:


> Nice! Getting CPDs to breed must be cool.


You know what, I wasn't able to successfully remove the CPD fry from the situation I mentioned above with them making the filter media their new home. 

It's happened a couple of times now. I don't really know how to overcome two major problems:

1) how to stop ALL fry from somehow getting into my filter

2) how to extract any that DO get into the filter media without killing these fruit-fly (or smaller) sized fry without crushing them

I guess I could cover my glass intake tube with some sort of mesh, but that would negate my purchase of a nice clean glass fixture. 


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Mesh, pantyhose, sponge. It is function over form. Something that is necessary when attempting to save precious endangered 
Iives.


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

Nice man!


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