# 12X12 Cube Tank Journal UPDATED Dec. 4 '11, DIY CO2 Added. Need scaping advice badly!



## Ben. (Mar 29, 2011)

I may be wrong but that does not look like E Tellenus. 

other than that great start!


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

Ben. said:


> I may be wrong but that does not look like E Tellenus.
> 
> other than that great start!


What do you think they are? I was there as he was unpacking one of them, and it had a Florida Aquatic Nursery triangle tag labeling it as E. Tellenus in the rock wool...

The pics make them look bigger than they are. Longest lead is maybe 4.5-5 inches.


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

At a lovely LFS with my fiancee today shopping for a tank for her. Got an awesome 8 gal bow front Mr. Aqua for her. They had a 12X12X12 Mr. Aqua cube and she kept bugging me to get it for my self, so who am I to argue :icon_eek:

They also had awesome plants, so we picked some up... The Anubias on the right in the front in the following is temporary, going in her tank, as is the potted plant in the front.

Filtration is temporary while we decide on small canisters to get. Finnex 360 probably? Suggestions?

More plants coming Friday, including my HC, which will carpet basically the rest of the tank...

Vermicompost going in. Hopefully the worm poop will treat me, and my plants, well...












Stratum added...










Filling it after the plants were added... Almost no clouding! Worm poop is treating me well, aesthetically.....










Everything added.... Like I said, the anubias on the right in the front is temporary...










Close up of the plants and rocks.....










Wish me luck on ammonia with the worm poop!


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## sampster5000 (Oct 30, 2010)

How do you like your mr. aqua cube tank? I was looking into getting some and am hearing mixed reviews. Looks good so far. Interesting rocks!


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

sampster5000 said:


> How do you like your mr. aqua cube tank? I was looking into getting some and am hearing mixed reviews. Looks good so far. Interesting rocks!


Really nice. The glass is lovely, bevelled. Not a rounded corner tank in the front, but that doesn't bother me. Silicon work on the sides is perfect, bottom silicon was a tad messy. The bowfront my fiancee got is simply gorgeous.

For the cube, you might look elsewhere if you want bended glass. If you want a small bow front, those are little gems.

I am very happy with mine though.


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

I've decided that Anubias Nana is amazing stuff. Can't get good pictures, but 12 hours in the tank and both nodules have shot new green roots down into the substrate :icon_eek:


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

Looks like you are off to a great start! :smile:

Keep the pics coming as it grows in.


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## swoof (Jun 30, 2010)

Ben. said:


> I may be wrong but that does not look like E Tellenus.
> 
> other than that great start!


I agree looks more like Cryptocoryne parva*,* i could be wrong though.


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## HolyAngel (Oct 18, 2010)

swoof said:


> I agree looks more like Cryptocoryne parva*,* i could be wrong though.


Agreed, it's not e. tenellus.. Idk about th crypt as I've never owner one.. I mean it looks like a sword plant with the leaves like they are, just not e tenellus.

Tank is looking good though^^


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

Hrm, mystery plant!

Regardless, I like it back there in the corner like that 

Is one 13W compact fluorescent simply not going to be enough light in this tank?


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## gnod (Mar 24, 2011)

^same question - i'm assuming it's a 13W CFL so 60W equivalent yea?


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

UPDATE.

Seeing new growth, and new rooting in the microsword I planted, new root and rhisome growth in the Anubias Nana I planted, the mystery-maybe-tellenus-maybe-parva isn't looking amazing, but it isn't dying. Horticulturalist fiancee thinks it was grown emmersed and is undergoing a transformative stage.

Thus far fluval stratum+wormpoop+relatively low light seems like it is a good combo 

HC, Nana Petite, Dwarf Sag, Mosses all going in Friday, so by the end of the weekend I should have some updates 



gnod said:


> ^same question - i'm assuming it's a 13W CFL so 60W equivalent yea?


I don't think the conversion works exactly like that, but yes it is a 12" 13W compact fluorescent.


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

New filter,
rescapped the whole thing, wanted more fast growing plants for cycling and filtration.

Some new carpet plants also. Took some rocks out. Really happy with it now 






























Hopefully the dwarf sag. doesn't eat everything.

Ammonia levels off the charts, 0 nitrites. Seeded filter yesterday with media from another tank, so hopefully that will jump start the process....


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

So...

7ish ppm ammonia for the last week.

0 nitrites.

Filter seeded about 3 days ago with media from a well established tank.

Plants happy as pigs in you know what...

Just need time or?

Ammonia is coming from vermicompost underneath my Fluval Stratum.


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## Sank999 (Aug 7, 2011)

Very nice setup......


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

Sank999 said:


> Very nice setup......


Thanks 

Wish my scaping was as good as the equipment : /

Set up a very similar tank with my fiancee at her office yesterday. She has degrees in landscape design and horticulture, so her tank is predictably MUCH better looking than mine.


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

Well, we have our first inhabitant... A Mystery snail! I don't know how he is surviving in pure ammonia (7+ppm still), but he seems fine! Booking around, munching on stuff on leaves. Pic is horrible, but the black blob is him  No idea where he came from 











Also, I am inordinantly happy about this. The DHG seems to be sending out runners! I was worried that it wouldn't under such low light. 36 hours later and I have a little patch of runners, with single ones in other spots. Yay! I might get a carpet!


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

So, could use some help here.

All my plants (with one exception) seem to be doing fine.

My narrow leaf chain sword looked like it was hurting for a while. I pruned the dying leaves, and it is all green and shooting off runners like no ones business now.

My Giant Hygro requires regular pruning and seems very happy.

The cardinal is thriving, showing good color and I had to split and replant one of them because it had grown so much.

The DHG was looking pathetic, so I mowed it with a vengeance and it is growing back in vibrant green again and, though growing slowly, seems in better shape.

The micro sword is slow growing, but definelty sending out runners and seems fine.

_______________

My Rotala on the other hand is slowly dying off I think. Two stems show appreciable melting. A couple are hale, but this is the only plant I have which is really not looking good.

Not much yellowing or anything, just slow inevitable melt/rot.

What am I missing? All my other plants are primarily root feeders I think? I have a rich substrate with the vermicompost, but am not dosing the column. Is this the problem maybe?

Also, I added 6 pygmy cory cats, and they are lovely and seem to be thriving, though I never see them actually eat any food I add. i have had to pull a couple left overs (including some blood worms, which I thought they would savage!)


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

Update on this tank --

Sorry about the horrible pictures. Current occupants are 10 pygmy cories that are always hiding. I catch them sometimes out schooling on the substrate. They are fat and happy though. Also 6 Amanos, that are great for clean up.

I started with 4 stems of the cardinal, now it is a forest. I have done two MAJOR trim backs on the temple and cardinal, and they are still big and neat.

Dosing Excel now. It has made my hair grass and rotala SO much happier. Also helped with a diatom problem I was having. My Rotala was a disgusting brown mess. Now, see below 

Has ended up being Dutchish I believe. No real scape, but pretty alright plants!










Excel is amazing. It took my gunky brown Rotala to this...


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

Some update pics. I added a second Finnex 13W some time ago, and I dose with Excel now. Added a bunch of Crypt Wendtii some time ago, and now have 10 pygmy cories that I never see, and a half dozen Amanos and 2 nerites. No algae issues thus far. My hairgrass has *finally* started to carpet, about 3 weeks ago. Took a LONG time to establish proper root structure. Also added a piece of driftwood in the back and a bunch of willow moss on it. Everything is healthy, growing quickly, happy.

Second pic shows the scary root structure of my giant hygro.

The pretty view of the tank.











Scary root structure of my giant hygro.










Happy crypts.










Happy, overgrown Rotala.


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

So, I did a bit of a rescape, took out the giant hygro and regular hygro, added a bunch of C. Parva.

I also added DIY CO2, which as made my narrowleaf chain sword (right side, in front of the drift wood) come back to life, and has made my DHG *explode*.

I need advice: My rotala has gone insane. This pic is taken 9 days after I cut it back by 50%. It is where it was last time. It is growing 1 inch + per day, closer to two inches, and the aerial roots are driving me insane. I need suggestions on what to replace it with (slower growing plant? small piece of manzanita with moss on it?) so it doesn't dominate the tank like it is now. Any help appreciated!


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## narhay (Feb 28, 2007)

There are worse things than having your plants growing too quickly 

Looking nice except that tubing you have going on is really distracting.


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## Doc7 (Apr 7, 2011)

For the stems you'll have to cut off all but a couple inches of the top, and sell/discard the bottoms, every 3-4-5 trims (see the "ADA How to Do Everything" thread in the Journal forum. I guess it could get annoying with this fast growth.

Those look like pygmy chain swords to me that are emersed growth in your original shot. (they're not called E Tenellus anymore though, it's an "H" genus instead of E now)


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

Doc7 said:


> For the stems you'll have to cut off all but a couple inches of the top, and sell/discard the bottoms, every 3-4-5 trims (see the "ADA How to Do Everything" thread in the Journal forum. I guess it could get annoying with this fast growth.
> 
> Those look like pygmy chain swords to me that are emersed growth in your original shot. (they're not called E Tenellus anymore though, it's an "H" genus instead of E now)


Thanks for pointing at that thread! Amazing info in there!


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