# My 1 g



## Aphyosemion (Oct 15, 2004)

Hmm....judging by the way it looks right now, I would say to add a couple of martians and maybe some ancient machinery for making water. :icon_bigg 

Based on 7 watts of lighting, about all you can keep in there is java fern, small anubias, mosses, and maybe some really small crypts. That DOES still give you a lot of flexibility, surprisingly. Actually, you might be able to get baby's tears (Hemianthus Micranthemoides) in there as well. I have that in my 6 gallon Eclipse and that only has 8 watts of lighting. 
-Aphyosemion


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## sarahbobarah (May 20, 2005)

Is the 7 watts one of those Sea Life clip-on compact flourescent lights? I've got one but haven't plugged it in yet. As far as I know, 7w/g should be ok for growing mose low-medium light plants. 

I do luuurve the rocks, though. LOL at Aphyosemion's martian comment. Petite nana anubius would be excellent in this tank, as would crypt wendtii for a little color. Marsilea could be your background plant.


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## Aphyosemion (Oct 15, 2004)

sarahbobarah said:


> Petite nana anubius would be excellent in this tank, as would crypt wendtii for a little color..


In nano tanks, petite nana is worth it's weight in gold. roud:
-Aphyosemion


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

I'm still stuck on moss only for now. What should I put in this take except shrimps and bettas?


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

dwarf riccia is in, I don't know about the rest.. maybe rotala in the back? I'm not sure.


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## mad about fish (Nov 17, 2003)

I would have no other plants just riccia maybe some hairgrass but nothing else and just stick to shrimp


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## Fosty (Oct 17, 2003)

I'll agree with mad about fish, just having hairgrass and riccia will fill in nicely. Stem plants probably will just be a hasel with this small of a tank, and if you just have either hairgrass and riccia, or just moss, they will complement the nice rock placement beautifully.

Good Luck
Devin


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## magicmagni (Nov 7, 2003)

Nice rock work. I think no stem plants is a good idea. The simpler you keep it the better. Maybe just Ricca and all moss. Perhaps even some hair grass in the left side to give it some height there. 

On a side note one thing that stands out to me is the unlevel gravel. I understand that you are trying to slope the substrate, but perhaps adding more gravel to the right side combined with removing some on the left from will balance it out a bit? Maybe even building up the left rear corner a bit more wouldn't be a bad idea since it may settle a bit.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

ok, here it is as of now, and I took this picture to compare relative size.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)




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## Blinky (Feb 13, 2005)

Very nice! I like your rockwork, it's a great shape. I think we're using the same type of cube vase, it's cool to see something so different than my layout in the same container


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Thanks, here's an update.

Observations:
In a small tank like this with only fauna co2, the leaves of plants are smaller(thinner).
Shrimps in an unregulated temperature environment tend to be less active.
The only algae I have is greenspot.
Dosing excel and flourish every sunday and wednesday.
Top offs every sunday.
Plants are doing great in aquasoil only.
Riccia is growing great even though it is not a rooted plant. Doubled in size.
Rotala sp. vietnam is doing great with some pink even though is is not planted.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Hey blinky, the only differences in our tanks was the scape and the price, I got it for 8 USD.


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## Blinky (Feb 13, 2005)

Laff mine was $34CD at a flower shop, I actually went to purchase another this week (setting up a pico for a friend) and found they'd overcharged me - the retail cost is actually $26CD, their wholesale is ~$16CD. I'm wondering if it's made by a different company, maybe different glass, or you just got reeeeealy lucky - either way, good for you!


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

It didn't have a company name on it, it was just a glass vase when I bought it. Very nice though.


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## Yukilovesfish (Mar 21, 2005)

I love your aquascaping and use of riccia!


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## AaronT (Apr 11, 2004)

You setup looks really nice, but I have a question. Why did you use such expensive substrate only to plant nothing in it?


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

hc is in it and waiting for a grss plant.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Here's a little something, still waiting on that Ranalisma Rostrata to come in, the hc has been growing nicely, and the Riccia has grown 5x it's original size. Pretty happy with this tank.


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## Gill (Mar 20, 2005)

OMG that is A Sweet Looking Tank. 

You've Got Lutino Neons. Were they Expensive, they Look Awesome in there


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Thanks, they were 2$ each.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Here's the lastest, I don't know if you guys can see the Ranalisma rostrata I just planted this week, got a few stems and they are doing great in the ada aquasoil. Now is just pruning and waiting for stuff to fill in. Meanwile I'm practicing my photography skills.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2005)

A very very nice tank. You kept is simple, which is a key point in pico and nano tanks. From the day you planted the ricca, I was wondering how you're going to prune it. Because judging from the length of the ricca, it's only a matter of time before they start untangling themself and start floating to the surface.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

I'll trim it soon.


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## hooha (Mar 14, 2004)

very nice tank, gave me some ideas for one i'm setting up and reminded me that simplicity definitely is the key for a good nano.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Took out all the tetras. Had a sudden outburst of ostracods, but that is not fixed(I hope). all the plants are suddenly growing fast as if I added co2 but the only I add is excel 1-2x a week. Now I have to wait for grow out and trim. 2 out of 3 cherries are pregnate, the ratio is 2 males to 3 females.


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## Mellyn (Jul 20, 2005)

How do you keep the water so clean?


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

nothing special, I dont, even know, it doesnt have a filter and I just do top offs no water changes.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Here it is after a week of me on vacation, no deaths. I don't see any shrimplets though... the plants grew like weeds, hc grows so fast even without co2, very big difference, the Ranalisma rostrata, turns out to be too short for this tank, the riccia just totally covers it, I might try some e. tenellus micro now. Now just a trim and a few more fix up this tank will be ready for a contest photo.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Contest material? Almost...


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## Urkevitz (Jan 12, 2004)

Wow looks way bigger than 1 gallon. I would say add some stems in the back left, but they would probably ruin the scale of the tank and make it look smaller.


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## cookfromscratch (Aug 10, 2005)

That looks awesome!!! I say go for the contest pic! I agree that it looks bigger than 1g. Camera trickery?


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

When I make my tanks, I usually aim to make it look larger than it really is, so I guess I was sucessful? I am going to add some e. tenellus micro soon, eveyone will see it in teh next picture. Thanks.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Second batch of cherries sighted.


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## supaoopa (Oct 25, 2004)

Wow, tank looks awesome. roud: 

I'm going to be setting up three small 1 gals, any tips for keeping cherrys in such a small container? Also, what kind of rocks are those? 

Sweet tank.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

There's nothing to it really.. don't dose too much ferts, use excel but not too much put in a lot of plants. I started off with 5 shrimps. Just don't overdo anything, maybe except the light. Those rocks are called dragon rocks from china.


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## cookfromscratch (Aug 10, 2005)

LOVE IT!!! SWEET LITTLE TANK!!! Are you leaving all the babies in there?


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

The babies are so small I can't net them out.


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## victortong (Sep 9, 2005)

roud: thumbs up for you. 
Don't see this often in Malaysia. My friend did tried once, but failed. Don't mind if i save this pics here and show it to him?


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Go ahead and sve the pictures. Thanks.


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

turtlehead - I think your nano looks great! Makes me want one.

And the rockwork looks great IMO! roud: 

It looks like your HC is really taking off. Have you given any thought to pulling the riccia out, and just going pure HC? I think it would be an awesome look, But if you are even thinking about it, you getter do it soon before that riccia gets it's hooks in the HC.

Great tank!


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## Leeanna (Aug 15, 2005)

turtlehead,

Your nano tank looks great! I have 3 questions.

1.)Before the cherry shrimp started reproducing, how many cherry shrimp did you add originally? 

2.) Did you randomly select the shrimp, or did you try to sex them? 

3.) Do you ever feed the shrimp anything directly, or do they just eat stuff growing in the tank?


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

To answer you questions: I had 6 cherry shrimps originally, 4 females and 2 males. 1 female died. I just let them breed on their own, I don't really care about selective breeding, although, I would love to have a full red bodied cherry. I feed a fraction of a algea pellet once a week, the rest is left on their own.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

More eggs. The HC has been finally cut, I was hesitating whether or not to cut such an expensive plant, in the end it turned out alright, now I have enough for my 2.5g. What does everyone think?


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## Navaros (Aug 19, 2005)

Very nice! The HC and riccia have grown in beautifully. I wish I could find rocks like that around here.


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## szesteve (Sep 28, 2005)

Wow! That is a very nice looking tank. It's definitely comparable to Amano's tanks. roud: 

Btw...a couple of quick questions:

1) How often do you perform water changes?
2) What light are you using? 
3) How long is the photoperiod?
4) Is it okay to actually go without filtration, or any form of water movement for that matter?
5) Do you think you could have mixed the tetras with the cherry shrimps?

I'm actually planning to setup something very similar to yours, but with Xmas moss instead of riccia. How did you anchor your riccia anyway?


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

1) I do not perform water changes, I believe that it might kill the shrimp and the nitrate level is just fine with the dwarf riccia in there.
2) I am using a c\screw in CF by lights of america from home depot 19 watts.
3) 10 hours
4) No water movement compared to water movement, does not make any difference to me, this tank is crystal clear.
5) Tetras and shrimps are fine, provided that the tetras have other tetras as company and the shrimps have a lot of hiding places.

I used a hairnet to anchor the riccia.
Hopefully this helps you. Thanks.


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## szesteve (Sep 28, 2005)

turtlehead said:


> 1) I do not perform water changes, I believe that it might kill the shrimp and the nitrate level is just fine with the dwarf riccia in there.
> 2) I am using a c\screw in CF by lights of america from home depot 19 watts.
> 3) 10 hours
> 4) No water movement compared to water movement, does not make any difference to me, this tank is crystal clear.
> ...


Wow! Now that is low maintenance. So you just do water top-offs for the evaporation eh?

Do you dose any fertilizers or feed the shrimps?


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

It's not really low maintenance, I cut the riccia every week, kinda like bonsai trees, then the hc every week. Yes top offs for the evaporation. I feed the shrimps algea pellets once every week.


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## actioncia (Jun 9, 2005)

Awesome nano tank you've got there. I think we have another Amano here in this forum. BTW, when you said triming the Riccia, do you just cut it from the top and also H.C. I did not think you can trim those? Regards,


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Thanks, for cutting riccia, I cut it so it remains in a sphere shape, not really sure if that's a good way to explain it and for hc i just cut it down like mowing a lawn, still nice as you can see.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Lunch time. That's not even half of what's in there. For some reason one female shrimp died yesterday, age I'm guessing. The ratio of adult shrimp is 2:2 now.


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## Navaros (Aug 19, 2005)

Still looking great. I really like this tank. Hopefully my HC picks up and starts growing a little quicker. I think I might try a tank like that with my extra mini riccia and HC.


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## victortong (Sep 9, 2005)

sorry about this stupid question here, is it true that changing the water will kill the shrimps? why?  

I love your tank alot, let me in to your house for an hour or so...you
won't be suprise if the tank is gone after my departure. LOL :tongue:


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## Jerm (Sep 26, 2005)

I think that a nice small java fern would like nice in the back corner.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

A small java fern?! That will overrun this tank!, you have to see it in person, it's not big. Victor, you are welcome to my house anytime as long as you bring rare plants with you . A massive water change would kill shrimps just because I don't or use any filters on this tank. And plus I don't water changes partly because I am lazy


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## Navaros (Aug 19, 2005)

Why would doing a water change without a filter kill them?


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

It would remove the bacterial need. So technically if I did water changes, I would be recylcing the tank again again, although the plants wount be affected, I would have a sight greenwater problem and the shrimps will die off.


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## victortong (Sep 9, 2005)

okies...gotcha...fully understood now. But what about the nitrate level?


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

I think the nitrate level is around 20ppm, I never test and plus riccia is in there to suck it all up but not enough to my my plants red.


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## digital_ric (Jun 1, 2005)

i have to say.. this tank rocks! now i have ideas for my similar small tank on my desktop


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## victortong (Sep 9, 2005)

Okies...think i will start a 1g too....hehehe..but 1st gotta do some sweet talk to my wife 1st, cos she have been complaining and complaining about the amount of tanks that i have. :tongue: 

Keep us updated.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

I have four tanks and thats already a lot to me, I want get rid of some but they just seem to be too special. All of them are nanos, no room for a 90 cm which I really want.


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## Navaros (Aug 19, 2005)

Just got some extra cash, thinking about starting a similar nano tomorrow. =D


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Wow, I never knew my tank was this motivating! Just to let you guys know I'm planning another one very soon during Thanksgiving, to setup in my dorm. Everything will be the same except hargrass and wood layout. As for fauna, I think they will be shrimps, but different type.


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## Navaros (Aug 19, 2005)

Awesome, can't wait to see it. Mine will probably have cherries or a single small long arm sp. would be pretty cool.


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## victortong (Sep 9, 2005)

Alright guys, i guess the 1g nano fever is here. *sigh* still waiting for permission. LOL


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## Navaros (Aug 19, 2005)

Heh, I am getting addicted to Nanos. I just wish the light fixtures weren't so expensive... Yes I know, I'm cheap. I think it may be time for DIY lamps. roud:


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## figgy (Feb 27, 2005)

I've been gone awhile--what a pleasure to read this whole thread! What an awesome and inspiring tank! I happen to have an empty "Blinky Cube" as I call 'em and just hauled it out of the cupboard. I want to do something with moss.... :icon_idea 

Figs


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## LKH (Oct 12, 2005)

OK, I am seriously dumber than lint and just starting, so walk me thru this:

1) What kinda plants do you recommend? 

2) Substrate?

3) Can someone 'splain the no filter no water change thing and how that works? 

4) Light? 

Pleeeeze give me the basics so I know what to do!

Thanks!

L


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

What plants do you like? If you like slow growing plants, then in the beginning of the planting stage put in some fast growing plants like hornwort, you'll also need to do 1-2 weekly water changes though. But if youy like fast growing plantsw like the riccia I have in this tank then just plant it in the beginning and leave it there.
As for substrate, I have tried many different kinds. Eco complete, florabase, larite and gravel/sand, and ADA. Out of all of these the ADA works the best, this is for fast growing plants though, if you plan to only have anubias, moss and ferns then go with a larite mix.
The no filter and no water change works for me because I have riccia which absorbs the extra nutrients. I also use Excel to as a co2 booster in there. The 40+ shrimps will also produce an amount of co2.
Light, I have a 19 watt spiral light and since spiral lights do not really produce 19 watts of light I amd fine, I think I have around 8 real watts.

Hope this all helps.
John


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## LKH (Oct 12, 2005)

Yes, thanks! I'm probably better suited to low-maintenance slower-growing plants, so looking for smaller leaved simpler plants. How long would you keep the hornwort in? What's it for? (Don't slap me - I toldja I was dumb!)

L


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

This is a very nice tank, the scape and plant choice are perfect... great job ! I dont know how I missed this thread. :icon_roll :icon_bigg


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

LKH the hornwort will be in for as long as you like or until you feel you tank is balanced. Hornwort will absorb the extra nutrients in the water.


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## kamla (Feb 17, 2005)

nice ... Very nice...
UR the master....
Turtlehead what happened to you 10 gal ricca tank...
Love that tank..
and this one as well....


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## donaldbyrd (Jun 8, 2005)

awesome tank


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## figgy (Feb 27, 2005)

*Shrimp Question*

As I meditate on the possibilities of my empty Blinky Cube I need to know: Would a Cherry Shrimp try to escape from an open container like this like my Amano would? I'd like to put one in it....

Thanks,
Fig


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Shrimps and fish will only jump out when they feel that the environment they live in is bad, high nitrates, and cycling causes this. Sometimes even a sudden scare, I have never had shrimps jump out of this open tank filled to the top.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

My 10g riccia tank has been taken apart, it was a shrimp paradise, I have rescaped it almost half a year ago, you can veiw the new scape under "My 10g Redone" in the photo album section of the forum.


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## Aphyosemion (Oct 15, 2004)

Just a couple of points I wanted to mention here. 
First of all, you should change some water in your tank periodically. You are not removing all the bacteria everytime you change a little water. The beneficial bacteria cover everything from gravel to plants to glass. By not changing the water you are risking the inevitable toxicity of anything that builds up, from waste to just normal minerals. I have a 1 gallon desktop tank with about 2 dozen cherry shrimp and I change a cup of water every other day. I wouldn't change a large portion of the water at once though, since then you risk a large water parameter shift.
Second, shrimp do not only jump out of the tank when they think the water is bad. They definately might if the water WAS bad, but they also just jump occasionally because they are goofy. Mine tend to try to crawl just above the water line looking for algae at times and sometimes they get spooked and pop out of the tank. Thankfully that is rare though.
Keep up the good work though! That tank looks great!
Edit: Oh and one other thing I don't know if you mentioned it, but you should top off with RO water or your water will become harder and harder with time.
-Aphyosemion


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

The water evaporation is extreme enough as a substitute for a water change, I top off two times a week, so that equals about 50% new water every week. Even if I did not do any water changes, the plants I have in there will soak it all up. The water will not turn harder because of the ada soil which buffers the ph to around 6. Accoring to my observation shrimps will go to the surface of the tank only if there are plants, algea, or not enough air in the tank.


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## figgy (Feb 27, 2005)

Two cents, here. My amano tribe has one member who seems to revel in launching himself out of the tank onto the floor. I find him all over the house. None of the other shrimps do this so I don't think it's the water parameters. We call him "Henry the Navigator".

Also, is it really possible that the small amount of substrate in a 1 gal container can handle the build up of toxins over time without water changes? It'd be nice to follow this little tank over time to see if the substrate ever reverses itself and begins to release them back into the water...

Fig


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

For some reason, I have had 2 amanos jump from my 10 g, but that was when it was cycling and plus they seem to move around more than my other shrimp. They do seem slightly more aggressive, but in this tank I have cherries. The bodies of shrimp will turn milky instead of transparent if they are sick or the water is bad, but none of that in this tank. The ADA directions on the back of the bag tells the users to change it after 12-18 months, so I guess I'll see what happens. Some of Amanos tanks have not had their soil changed.


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

turtlehead said:


> Shrimps and fish will only jump out when they feel that the environment they live in is bad, high nitrates, and cycling causes this. Sometimes even a sudden scare, I have never had shrimps jump out of this open tank filled to the top.


Caridina japonica JUMP. It's what they do.

Sure, it may be motivated by the things you mention, but Caridina japonica are MUCH MORE motivated than others apparently. Even Amano himself is quoted on the tendency as believing "they are just trying to return to Japan".

If you stock Amano's in a rimless tank, you are going to lose Amano's. The equation is simple.


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## James.......... (Nov 27, 2004)

turtlehead said:


> hc is in it and waiting for a grss plant.


What, pray tell, is HC?


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## James.......... (Nov 27, 2004)

turtlehead said:


> The water evaporation is extreme enough as a substitute for a water change, I top off two times a week, so that equals about 50% new water every week. Even if I did not do any water changes, the plants I have in there will soak it all up. The water will not turn harder because of the ada soil which buffers the ph to around 6. Accoring to my observation shrimps will go to the surface of the tank only if there are plants, algea, or not enough air in the tank.


Replacing water which has evaporated is not the same thing as doing a real water change. When water evaporates, only the H2O molecules leave the liquid, the nitrates and phosphates stay behind and will eventually build up, perhaps to toxic levels.

Plants will absorb excess nutrients and use them for growth but your scheme is making assumptions about how effective this process is. It may come back and bite you when you least expect it to.

In a small nano tank, it is vitally important that you stay on top of water quality. Without proper maintenance, the tank's conditions can go south really quickly.


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## Tino (Jan 9, 2005)

James.......... said:


> What, pray tell, is HC?


 Hemianthus callitrichoides ''Cuba'' - foreground plant.


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## Navaros (Aug 19, 2005)

AKA the ultimate PITA. Great plant though...


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## James.......... (Nov 27, 2004)

Tino said:


> Hemianthus callitrichoides ''Cuba'' - foreground plant.


Ahhhhh... thanks. Cute little "insider names" do nothing to increase general knowledge.


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## Darth Shrimparis (Oct 25, 2005)

*OOOOoohhhh AAAAaaaahhhh!*

This is one of the coolest threads I have read in a while. Awesome tank!
I love Shrimp, I have a male Bamboo, very active and healthy. He will have two girlfriends soon! Also, were can I view Amano's work? I like the HC. I want to see if I can find some up north of the border here. EH!


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

James.......... said:


> Ahhhhh... thanks. Cute little "insider names" do nothing to increase general knowledge.


But they do make it easy to talk about the hobby without having to write out long names all the time.

Jeez, man no one wants to write out the name all the time-- plus we make spelling mistakes and then people still can't find the information. It's not like an online dictionary knows what "hemianthus callitrichoides" is. So, we make up common names like glosso and HC.

sorry for the thread hijack turtlehead!


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## handsomeboy (Mar 1, 2005)

*size?*

hey can i ask what the dimensions are of taht little cube?


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## fhqwhgads (Jan 18, 2005)

how much flourish and excel do you dose everytime? and whats the temp of the bulb?


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

6 drops of excel every Sunday, 6700k temp.


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## fhqwhgads (Jan 18, 2005)

cool thanks im planning to make somehting of my own like that, or try at least


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

The size of this tank is 6.5" all around. steven thanks for clearing things up. I have not taken any recent photo because I am entering this and all my other tanks in a contest so I will have updates in a week.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Well, here it is, tell what you think.


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## magicmagni (Nov 7, 2003)

That tank is amazing,

Really filled in nicely and looks like a much bigger tank than it is.


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## hooha (Mar 14, 2004)

looks good as always

did you ever try a black background? I think it might enhance the perception of depth, expecially with the amount of open space in the tank. Also would enhance the sense of scale (making it look "larger" in photography).


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## hooha (Mar 14, 2004)

oh, also fish-wise, you ever think of small neons? Again, would enhance perception of scale. Definitely want more than one fish in the pic.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

No fish, this was just a saved cardinal that somehow flopped out of my bigger tank, so it's only temporary.


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## Navaros (Aug 19, 2005)

Wow, I wish I had growth like that with HC. Mine is nothing but trouble. :icon_frow It's a hair algae magnet and even my shrimp seem to enjoy uprooting small pieces. These pieces of course attached to larger patches. Needless to say, I replant this stuff a lot. Yours has grown a lot with just excel, awesome.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Excel and patience.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Wow I haven't update for a long time now, well here it is, little changes. I have entered the APC contest.


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

Well done !
It filled in nicely


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Thanks Buck, I had the urge to take out the riccia and grow only hc with a change of scape, but I haven't foudn the right rocks yet. The riccia is about to get out of control and hide my rocks. The hc has been grow amazingly.


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## potato (Dec 31, 2005)

Excuse my ignorance but what does the acronym HC stand for? What are the WPG and co2 requirements for that plant? Its a forground plant correct?



God Bless,
A potato


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Potatoe it stands of Hemianthus Callitrichoides one of the smallest aquatic plants. I love this stuff. I find that it needs direct lighting and doesn't even need co2. I haven't gotten around to see how less lighting it needs.


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## magicmagni (Nov 7, 2003)

That HC growth is really amazing. I want to try that plant one of these days.

Your layout is simple yet effective. I really like that.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Without co2, the HC will just sit there for about 4 months and then start growing like it is being given co2. Very fast growth in a week after the four month dormance period.


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## magicmagni (Nov 7, 2003)

Good info. I'd imagine many including myself would have given up after a month of it sitting there not doing anything wow 4 months is a long time to wait. Must get full of algae during that time?


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## Kyle (Jul 19, 2005)

I'm so jealous of your HC! I've tried 2 times in the past few months, most of the time it all melts away before it even gets a chance to do anything  

I have a few sprigs floating in my tank but there is so little green left I find it hard to believe that it will ever come back..


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

I also find that HC grows very fast when it floats good luck with that.


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## Kyle (Jul 19, 2005)

Thanks, i'm hoping it will rebound. I totally love the plant but I can only buy so many $20 bundles of it before I give up. If I can't grow it with pressurized co2 and 4-8WPG then I am not worthy!

Anyway not to hijack, this is really a beautiful cube!


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## potato (Dec 31, 2005)

I may have missed it somewhere, but how much WPG, on average, did you have in that tank? I plan on too setting up a 1 gallon tank with this light fixture.

http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.a...3&PC=productlist&Nao=24&Nav=217&N=24+115&cp=3


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

That's a good choice to start with. I have 19 watts under this thing and haven't decided to change it, I love it a lot and it grows my plants instead of algae. Now I am not avocating this much light but I think it's ok because it is a screw in, they typically don't give out as much light as a normal PL light.


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

Regarding the algae issue, I never had algae in this tank, probably because I never dosed or maybe it was the riccia. Anyways, after I find the right rocks, I will be rescaping this tank since the riccia seems to have a mind of its own and want to rule this tank.


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## azn_fishy55 (Dec 17, 2005)

I have heard excel gets rid of algae by some chemical in it.Are you still not doing water changes?I think you should,it should be rather easy to change at least one cup of water a week.Or at least every two weeks so you can replenish used up nutrients and taking away nitrates which your plants won't get all of.I like your tank tho,I am trying to grow dwarf riccia on little pebbles that are half dug into the ground and I am going to get some HC too,at Aqua Forest in San Francisco they sell a medium sized pad for 15.00 and you can buy ADA stuff there.happy planting ^_^


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## turtlehead (May 31, 2005)

No water changes yet, almost a year, and no adverse effects on the shrimp too, 4th generation already in there. I don't overdose excel like some to so it acts like an algaecide. And yes, Aqua Forest is great, been there.


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## scrimp (Oct 20, 2004)

I have looked high and low for HC and havent found it in ANY shop does anyone know where I can buy some from? In the OC or LA California area?


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## thirston (Nov 17, 2004)

It is generally hard to find in local fish shops.

Your best bet might be to check out the swap and shop area of this site and ask for some there. I'd bet someone from this thread will PM you and offer some up at a reasonable price.

Take care.


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