# 18" Tall Glass Manzanita Vase



## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

I've been eyeing a similar vase to do the same thing! I too am stuck on the light part!

Love what you've done so far with yours!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I got some pretty nice plants going in this 2-gallon glass vase.


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## londonloco (Aug 25, 2005)

hydrophyte said:


> I got some pretty nice plants going in this 2-gallon glass vase.


Very pretty, can we have a description of the set up, like lighting, plant names and substrate?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I have an old journal thread for that setiup somewhere. I will go look for it.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

that looks like a decent start. i suggest moving the powerhead behind that DW, add some leaves on the bottom, switch out for less white rocks (maybe a diff color), add moss along the DW, and add one or more twigs in there (similarly placed as the big DW) that have very thin branches to contrast that one thick DW piece. should look great.

also use rocks of diff sizes, not just large and small, get some medium ones in there, but use a color that is somewhat similar to the substrate and the leaves you will be using.


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## micr0 (Aug 27, 2011)

hydrophyte said:


> I got some pretty nice plants going in this 2-gallon glass vase.


This is really cool. I like how you have the aquatic plants standing with terrestrials. Nice orchids too.

OP - great start. Would love to see weeping moss incorporated.


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## CrazyCatPeekin (Aug 15, 2011)

hydrophyte said:


> I got some pretty nice plants going in this 2-gallon glass vase.


What are those planted in? They look like little candle holders.


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

you guys are awesome. i'm completely fascinated.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here is the journal thread for that setup in the vase...

*http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/planted-nano-tanks/122209-2-gallon-vase-hobby-lobby-atop.html*







*


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

what do you guys do about heating and keeping proper water chemistry? i just cannot imagine how often i'd need to top it up in the winter. 

BTW, love your orchids, hydrophyte!


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## londonloco (Aug 25, 2005)

gil_ong said:


> what do you guys do about heating and keeping proper water chemistry? i just cannot imagine how often i'd need to top it up in the winter.
> 
> BTW, love your orchids, hydrophyte!


No heat, 80% wc's weekly, mine has been set up for almost 2 years now....


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

yeah. not liekly to work for me then.

indoor temps fall to as low as 55*F at night in the winter.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

gil_ong said:


> yeah. not liekly to work for me then.
> 
> indoor temps fall to as low as 55*F at night in the winter.


You sleep in 55F house temp o_o


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## TactusMortus (Jun 28, 2011)

Hah, that is cold I though my AC running at 70F was cold.


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## londonloco (Aug 25, 2005)

gil_ong said:


> yeah. not liekly to work for me then.
> 
> indoor temps fall to as low as 55*F at night in the winter.


No heat?


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## gil_ong (Jul 10, 2008)

Newman said:


> You sleep in 55F house temp o_o





TactusMortus said:


> Hah, that is cold I though my AC running at 70F was cold.


in the winter, yeah. we have an electric heater we use for the nursery. that's set to 70.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

lots of things can handle 70F. not much lower though unless youre doing crystal red shrimp.


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## scags (Sep 22, 2003)

55 degrees indoors is crazy low. That is considered cold enough to put small children or the elderly into hypothermia. 
I wouldn't invest in a heater for a vase aquarium, I would invest in a heater for your house!

That being said, aquatic mosses love cooler water, I would incorporate that into your vase. I would also say the manzanita might look more natural if flipped around- the thicker part submersed, the thinner branches climbing up out of the water.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

IMO it looks plenty natural right now if much skinnier branches are placed among that thicker branch. in the wild, branches fall into the water every-which way lol. plus right now it looks like the OP wants to mimic some roots or something.


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## atom (Sep 28, 2011)

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

Here is an update. I moved in some Valls and anubias nana. I really want to add a few smaller branches, but I'm having a hard time finding the right looking ones. Hopefully the vall won't need too much trimming.










I have some white clouds in there right now for cycling, but I might remove them sooner. They are a bit cramped. I'm going to leave it unheated. Thinking of keeping amanos and maybe cherries in there.

Still trying to decide what to do with the lighting situation.


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## londonloco (Aug 25, 2005)

I think you've done a great job, vase looks great! Not sure I would add anything else....


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

just put a daylight CFL over it.

also vals will require constant trimming, but never trim too low or youll kill the plant.

i think shrimp are indeed best for this. if you want fish you can try least killifish.


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## TactusMortus (Jun 28, 2011)

The tank you got your inspiration from is mine and I decided to switch out from the standard cfl bulb and went with a clamp on led light one of the ones off of ebay it is only 3watts I believe which I thought I would test out and if the plants died I would find another option. However I only had to remove one plant which was my didiplis diandra. I now have myrio green, anubias nana petite, fissidens fontanus, rotala rotundafolia, and anubias nana and they are all growing great. Especially the myrio green I went on vacation for a week and when I returned it was nearly growing out the top of my vase. It was so crowded in there I could not believe it. 

The bonus of having the light is it looks great so good in fact I was able to move the tank to my family room and use it as a table lamp of sorts. I will post some new pictures later. Apparently aquatop will soon be releasing a 60 led version which sports 6 watts of led lighting. When they do that I will probably pick that up. You should look into them they work great on these vases. They also have the option of running either blue, red, green, white, or any combination of those led's at the same time.


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## atom (Sep 28, 2011)

Thank you TactusMortus. I loved your tanks. I can't wait to see updated pictures. I wonder if the ebay light is the same one I was considering. Do you dose any ferts at all?

Thanks for the tip.



TactusMortus said:


> The tank you got your inspiration from is mine and I decided to switch out from the standard cfl bulb and went with a clamp on led light one of the ones off of ebay it is only 3watts I believe which I thought I would test out and if the plants died I would find another option. However I only had to remove one plant which was my didiplis diandra. I now have myrio green, anubias nana petite, fissidens fontanus, rotala rotundafolia, and anubias nana and they are all growing great. Especially the myrio green I went on vacation for a week and when I returned it was nearly growing out the top of my vase. It was so crowded in there I could not believe it.
> 
> The bonus of having the light is it looks great so good in fact I was able to move the tank to my family room and use it as a table lamp of sorts. I will post some new pictures later. Apparently aquatop will soon be releasing a 60 led version which sports 6 watts of led lighting. When they do that I will probably pick that up. You should look into them they work great on these vases. They also have the option of running either blue, red, green, white, or any combination of those led's at the same time.


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## TactusMortus (Jun 28, 2011)

Thanks I think your tank is looking great as well. I do think you would benefit from another piece of wood as well. If shipping weren't so expensive I would ship you some of my manzanita scraps. The light I got was the 36 led aquatop one they sell on [Ebay Link Removed] However I do not think the val you have would make it with that low light. I could be wrong though. As I have had a couple of val in a tank in my garage survive with only indirect lighting from another tank for several months. Is that an Ikea light you are running right now?

No ferts I just use root tabs I wonder if I would benefit from using ferts I am just worried with such a small amount of water. I think I will wait until I see a deficiency. 

The good news is I have had at least a dozen or more shrimp give birth in my tank so I have an overload of shrimp now probably nearly 250. I am starting to think I might want to move out the bigger shrimp and just leave the small guys.


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## atom (Sep 28, 2011)

I just can't seem to find any thin branches with the right shape that I am looking for. I'll just have to wait till my LFS gets another shipment. 

I have never had vals before so this will be an experiment for sure. That is an ikea light right now. 

I am second thinking the amanos. They are just too big, but maybe I'll get some yellow shrimp. Hmm...or a lone Mexican Dwarf cray?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

try looking for thin branches outside...forests, parks, riversides...


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## TactusMortus (Jun 28, 2011)

I just realized you are using a cichlid stone I love them! Oh and it is time for an update!


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## atom (Sep 28, 2011)

Nice catch! I love cichlid stones because they offer shrimp room to hide and also they don't take up valuable water volume in a small space. I was debating getting a larger size, but it will take up too much room.

I don't have any new photos yet, but the Vals are definitely turning brown on the tips. I don't think this light is going to work. I looked up the ebay light you suggested, but they don't seem to ship to canada. I was considering this light: http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/small-planted-tropical-aquarium-led-lighting-32-led-s.html

But it seems a bit too blue in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfNU67uqjPo&feature=player_embedded#!

As far as collecting branches outside. What is the protocol for treating them before putting them in the tank? Boil or bake? Bleach?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

vals- the tips that have been trimmed will likely turn brown. watch for new leaves sprouting soon if the plant is healthy. also untrimmed leaves can develop a reddish color at the tips or wherever the lighting is highest. not a concern unless the leaf is falling apart completely and the plant isnt growing. increasing leaf length is a great sign.

branches- boiling AND baking are my favorite methods. boiling even helps them sink faster and leaches out the tannins.


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## atom (Sep 28, 2011)

Newman, thanks for the tip on the vals. It could be turning red, but some parts of the leaves are also turning transparent too. I'm looking into increasing the lighting.

I'll look out for branches now. Are there certain types that I should avoid?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

yes, avoid all softwood trees.

vals can grow in lower light too as well as the norm. mine did very well at 2wpg.


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## LucyLoofa (Jan 24, 2011)

^ +1
I plan on getting some vals for my low tech nano setups.
They're supposed to thrive in low light and high light is what I hear. I hope they work ouf for you! I think they would look beautiful in there! They definitely have the height to fill that vase! And seeing fish or shrimp roam through them would be so nice!


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