# Mini- nano ?



## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

Wabi-kusa-ish thing?


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Geniusdudekiran said:


> Wabi-kusa-ish thing?


Haha... Maybe. Emersed mini iwagumi ?


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

Yes, that works too LOL


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## Calmia22 (Aug 20, 2011)

I like it!


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

call it a pico tank once it gets water. will look great from what i can see!


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## Penny (Sep 16, 2011)

Nice! Looks like it's the size of a drinking glass?


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Penny said:


> Nice! Looks like it's the size of a drinking glass?


I would say more like a soup bowl. A tad bigger. I'll keep you guys posted on its progress.


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

Love it! I keep finding allll sorts of containers that I am tempted to try .... lol

Whats the substrate?


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Alyssa said:


> Love it! I keep finding allll sorts of containers that I am tempted to try .... lol
> 
> Whats the substrate?


Miracle grow organic potting mix, osmocote capsules capped with fine black gravel.


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## NeocaridinaCollector (Mar 12, 2011)

Nice start, should look real nice when it grows in.
What are you using for light?


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Traveller said:


> Nice start, should look real nice when it grows in.
> What are you using for light?


10 watt cfl in a desk lamp.

some bad news... this container cracked!:icon_cry: super bummed. 
water was leaking from it..

but I am going to look for another little glass bowl and move it into there. this sucks because it just started to send out runners...


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## Penny (Sep 16, 2011)

Oh no  sorry to hear that! I hope you are able to move it without trouble.


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

Weird, wonder why it cracked ... think the lamp light made it hot enough to compromise the glass or something?


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Alyssa said:


> Weird, wonder why it cracked ... think the lamp light made it hot enough to compromise the glass or something?


I'm really not sure. It could have had a small crack that I didn't notice. This is actually a vase, went to the craft store and bought another one. But I'm going to try and fix it first with some glass glue. I'll also raise the light just in case it gets too hot like you said. 

I woke up this morning and found several new leaves popping through. Hopefully I won't have to re-do it. I'd rather not disturb the plant.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

I sealed up the crack with some Silicone. I think its ok now. No water leakage, so far. Heres is a couple of photos. you can already see a couple of runner blades shooting up at the edge....


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

here is a video update on this little set-up. Runners are starting to spread nicely. I think there is some algae or fungus growing still. Anyone know how I can get rid of it?thanks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2UJ4Tx5PXs&sns=em


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Getting there...


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## Quentin (Mar 16, 2011)

nice growth


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

some more pics... growing rapidly. I love how you can see the roots through the glass!


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

One more. For some reason couldn't upload from laptop.


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## sugarbyte (Apr 3, 2011)

Looks awesome!


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Thanks. 

If anyone can help. When growing plants emersed, when should you trim? Or do you trim at all? Does that promote new lateral growth? Thanks for the feedback.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

i wouldn't trim this. and never trim too low if you do or you'll take out the meristems and kill your growth rates.
the only things need trimming imo are stem plants or any leaves that start to grow out of the vessel. unless you like the look of it.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Newman said:


> i wouldn't trim this. and never trim too low if you do or you'll take out the meristems and kill your growth rates.
> the only things need trimming imo are stem plants or any leaves that start to grow out of the vessel. unless you like the look of it.


Ok got it. Not planning on any stem plants just yet. I am going to wait until I get a bigger container. Right now I am just going to let the hair grass fill in. Thanks!

Edit. Well actually I do have a little bacopa in there behind the rock. Just wanted to see what happens. Lol


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

lol i did notice that


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Newman said:


> lol i did notice that


:-D 
I'm already planning on a new one. I saw these 8 inch cube vases online and I think they sell them at Micheael's for like $20. Went today but they were out. Probably going to set it up and put this dhg in there with some rotala stems and have it grow out. So fun. They also have smaller ones. It would be cool to just try one with moss only. I'm sure it's been done but whatever.


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## magma (Oct 31, 2011)

Nice, Don't trim it. The plants leaves that you cut will slowly rot away, found this the hard way, lol.


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## TactusMortus (Jun 28, 2011)

frrok said:


> :-D
> I'm already planning on a new one. I saw these 8 inch cube vases online and I think they sell them at Micheael's for like $20. Went today but they were out. Probably going to set it up and put this dhg in there with some rotala stems and have it grow out. So fun. They also have smaller ones. It would be cool to just try one with moss only. I'm sure it's been done but whatever.


Michael's is a rip off when it comes to glass containers if you can find a homegoods near you they have cheap glass containers that are a lot nicer then the Michaels ones too.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

TactusMortus said:


> Michael's is a rip off when it comes to glass containers if you can find a homegoods near you they have cheap glass containers that are a lot nicer then the Michaels ones too.


Oh wow. Really? Hmm ok. I went to a craft store by me but they didn't have the 7 or 8 inch cube that I wanted. They have it in micheals, it's $20 but never in stock. Thanks for the heads up. Maybe I'll find a flower shop or something. Technically, it's a vase.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Haven't found my cube yet but I added some staurogyne repens. Some leaves melted but some stems ate still holding on.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

tell me how the repens does - i am planning on using it in my 2 gal "no maintenance" bowl. it is vital for me to know if it needs any trimming to stay in the tank haha.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Newman said:


> tell me how the repens does - i am planning on using it in my 2 gal "no maintenance" bowl. it is vital for me to know if it needs any trimming to stay in the tank haha.


its taking its time re-adjusting to emersed growth some leaves died off. But it is growing and grew nice roots. I bought the cube and put the staurgyne in there along with some of the parvula. it was too small to put the whole batch in there so I kept the other going. not sure what I am going to do with it. Luckily i have another light. i'll post some pics later.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

i had so much hairgrass that i couldn't fit it all in this new container. i trimmed some of to promote the new plants to spread. but I didn't trim all of them tho, I kept them long by the rocks. let me know what you think.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Here is the latest on my cube.some of the hairgrass is turning yellow but I just account to being moved. I'm sure it will settle in soon. The staurogyne however is def growing it's emersed leaves now. The submersed leaves turned yellow and died off. I also threw in some rotala Rotundofolia clippings behind the main stone which you cannot see in this pic. Want to grow it in its emersed form. That is all for now.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

chugging along with these emersed setups. I;ve also added some needle leaf and ludwigia clippings but they are not pictured. Let me know what you think. Harigrass still not doing that great in the cube since i moved it. I may rip it all out and try something different. I also DIY'd a glass top for the cube. ANd I must say, its the best thing ever. so much more convenient then saran wrap. 


emersed iwagumi vase by frroK, on Flickr

6' Cube by frroK, on Flickr

IMG_0315 by frroK, on Flickr


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## calebkraft (Jan 3, 2012)

those are awesome!


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

calebkraft said:


> those are awesome!


thanks!! so fun cuz you basically have free c02.


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## Beer (Feb 1, 2012)

Where did you get the cube? I really like the shape at the bottom.
I've been looking for something like that, but haven't found anything I like.
All the stuff I've seen so far has bubbles in the glass, is too thin, or has some artsey distorted look to the glass.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Beer said:


> Where did you get the cube? I really like the shape at the bottom.
> I've been looking for something like that, but haven't found anything I like.
> All the stuff I've seen so far has bubbles in the glass, is too thin, or has some artsey distorted look to the glass.


i got this one at Marshall's. you can try craft stores or floral shops as well. i remember seeing them in a floral shop not too long ago. There is also an 8' version of that cube. that one is even tougher to find!


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## inka4041 (Jul 27, 2008)

Check Jamali on 28th between 7th and 8th next time, dude. They have so many vases and containers that are perfect for this stuff. Those vases are looking sick!


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

inka4041 said:


> Check Jamali on 28th between 7th and 8th next time, dude. They have so many vases and containers that are perfect for this stuff. Those vases are looking sick!


Cool! Thanks for the tip. I put some that needle lead in there just to see how it does emersed.


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## inka4041 (Jul 27, 2008)

Keep the plants really wet til they start putting out new growth, and they'll be fine.


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## Beer (Feb 1, 2012)

I ended up picking up a couple of 6" cubes at the Pottery Barn for $20 each.

I ended up finding a round one at The Christmas Tree Shop for $14. I was around 14" in diameter and between 16-20 inches tall. The glass was pretty thick, but didn't feel as strong as the cubes. I almost picked it up, but between two of these and a new tank, I'm already going to have to many projects going on.

How's your cube coming along?


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## Rabidgerbil (Feb 13, 2012)

That cube is sweet! I like the visible glass base alot. How large do the repens leaves get? They look great and I may want to keep an eye out for some to put in my pico


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## Beer (Feb 1, 2012)

I just got a bunch of trimmings from Tom Barr, the biggest ones are about an inch and a half across. The individual leaves are 3/4" long, not quite 1/4" at it's widest. Definitely perfect for a mid-ground/background plant in a tiny tank like this.
Here are a couple shots of well over thirty cuttings in a 6" cube like Frrok's.
















I've got these growing in the cube temporarily until my new tank comes in.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Beer said:


> I just got a bunch of trimmings from Tom Barr, the biggest ones are about an inch and a half across. The individual leaves are 3/4" long, not quite 1/4" at it's widest. Definitely perfect for a mid-ground/background plant in a tiny tank like this.
> Here are a couple shots of well over thirty cuttings in a 6" cube like Frrok's.
> 
> 
> ...


Looking good! My cubes are doing ok...Need to take an updated shot. I added some ludwigia red trimmings to one cube and it's already taking off. My staurogyne is doing great as well. Need to cut it again and make new plants but Im running out of space! my hair grass unfortunately is not doing so well. I'm thinking of pulling it and trying HC.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

@Beer- what did you use as substrate?


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## Beer (Feb 1, 2012)

I've got Black Diamond as the cap. I also have it up against the glass. Initially I filled with the dirt mix, then used plastic to wedge the Black Diamond in. Next time I think I will use the rinsed Black Diamond and press it up against the glass while it is still wet before adding the dirt. That way the walls have solid black and you can't tell that it is a mixed substrate. I do think that it looks cool where there is some mixing up against the glass, but a solid color just looks more clean. I believe I have the smallest grain that they have. I think something slightly larger would look a little bit better. I didn't think to look if there were different grain sizes when I grabbed it.
The base is topsoil. I pushed it thru a mesh paint strainer to sift out the twigs and manure (the soil was damp at the time, so the manure clumped up quite a bit). Then I used two of the strainers off set to give a smaller space and sift out more of the rocks and twigs. Finally I built a frame to fit over a small plastic tub and stapled screen on the bottom to do a final sifting. What went thru was really fine and had a really light feel to it. Much like what people that do the mineralized soil describe. I skipped the steps of wetting it and leaving it in the sun for two reasons. The first being that I don't think any of the bacteria that would break everything down can actually survive the UV rays from the sun. The second is, I really don't think I could spread everything out and not have animals trample thru it or not have it blow away. Several weeks of having shallow layers in the sifter and having it emersed should do just fine.
I also added some dolomite as well as some crushed a Akadema, to add clay, as well as a nutrient mix I got at the bonsai place where I got the Akadema. The nutrient mix has Potash (which I couldn't seem to find locally), as well as many micro nutrients, but one important factor for me is that it was low (almost negligible) in copper. I plan on having shrimp. Some of the other options had 1% or more of copper.
Hopefully this works out well. The sifting was a lot of work. I probably lost half of the volume of the top soil, but the final product felt like a fine sand or silt. From what I've been reading I think the final mixture I have should provide more nutrients during the first year than most of the manufactured substrates. I think by that time I should be more than satisfied by the results. If anything, I'll be ready for everything to start slowing down before the nutrients are used up.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Wow. Very in depth. I def didn't use enough substrate. It should have been thicker. Oh well, live and learn. I can always re-do it. It's not that hard. Lol


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## Beer (Feb 1, 2012)

I was originally going to go with filter sand in my tank, I've done this in the past with good results.
I've seen a bunch of shrimp tanks with the Black Diamond and wasn't really sure how I felt about it. I ended up grabbing some of the Black Diamond from Tractor Supply on a whim just to see how it looks since it's so cheap. Now that I've actually seen it with plants, it's growing on me. I think it will really show certain types of shrimp really well.
Rinsing it is a bit of a pain. I definitely don't recommend doing it in the kitchen sink if you have the option of doing it outside.
It's kind of like gold panning. There is a ton of lighter material that easily suspends and will wash off the top. If you can use a wide shallow container and a hose to continuously mix the sand as you add water, the lighter stuff that will cloud the water can flow out of the tub and leave the heavier sand behind. That will save a lot of headaches that most people seem to have with this stuff. Doing it out side will prevent having a lot of sand in your sink and plumbing to deal with. If you do decide to do it in your sink, I strongly recommend using a large pot to dump large amounts of water down the drain to flush out the pipes.


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## Beer (Feb 1, 2012)

Yeah, that's the benefit of the smaller bowls. I put a Betta tank heater in the bottom of mine and realized it really isn't necessary. Once I transfer most of the plants over to my main tank, I'll redo this one.
This was pretty much a dry run for my 12 gallon long tank when it comes in next week. This is definitely overkill. I'm going to end up giving this to my five year old nephew once it's stable. I'm sure it won't do as well once he gets it, but I'm more interested in the experience he will get from trying to maintain the cube.

EDIT: I was looking at the thread for your half moon. DIY CO2 using a limewood air stone is fairly unobtrusive. 3/4" x 3/4" x 1 1/2". Has worked pretty well for me.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Beer said:


> Yeah, that's the benefit of the smaller bowls. I put a Betta tank heater in the bottom of mine and realized it really isn't necessary. Once I transfer most of the plants over to my main tank, I'll redo this one.
> This was pretty much a dry run for my 12 gallon long tank when it comes in next week. This is definitely overkill. I'm going to end up giving this to my five year old nephew once it's stable. I'm sure it won't do as well once he gets it, but I'm more interested in the experience he will get from trying to maintain the cube.
> 
> EDIT: I was looking at the thread for your half moon. DIY CO2 using a limewood air stone is fairly unobtrusive. 3/4" x 3/4" x 1 1/2". Has worked pretty well for me.


thanks i saw someone use on youtube with good results. I ever go down that route I will def keep it in mind...thank you!


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

here are some updated shots of this... looking really good. Still waiting for stem plants to grow up...but so far no luck. maybe its too cramped back there. the staurogyne looks like it wants to take over...


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Here is something I threw together. Mixed mosses in a pietry dish thing.it's sitting next to my other bowl. Think it will do well?


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Updates....
Hair grass bouncing back, ludwigia 'red' reverted to emersed form. Clipped some staurogyne for my other vase. Thinking of setting up another simply to propagate staurogyne. 
Question: my hair grass parvula growing in the base is really taking off and growing tall. It's up to the top of the Saran wrap. Can't really trim it so. Should I flood at this point or does that invite disaster??


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

I am probalby going to pull the rocks and used this to grow out some more plants. its getting cramped in there...


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)




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