# bitFUUL's 12" Cube of Calamity - Hi-Tek 7.5 Gallon REMIXED! (PICTURE HEAVY!)



## AoxomoxoA (Apr 22, 2010)

Niceroud:
Be careful with your bass.
Your clover doesn't look so happy.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

dirtyhermit said:


> Your clover doesn't look so happy.


Yeah, hoping to Fred Savage even just a few buds...


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## MARIMOBALL (Mar 18, 2007)

Im loving the KRK's and the 1200's. The driftwood looks like a bone. The lava doesnt look good either. The rest looks good I like the character of the stones. One type of stone looks more natural than mixing lava rock and the other.


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## Morainy (Feb 8, 2010)

Very cool!


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

I have the same tank, same brand, and same substrate!


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## mgdmirage (Mar 30, 2009)

I think it looks great although i really dislike the wood, the lava rock and the moss ball lol. I love the steep scape though, very much!


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

After sitting on it for 24 hours, I decided the slope in the rear of the tank needed to be more inclined. So I removed the wood and replaced it with something smaller and more enjoyable for the shrimp. Was also able to salvage a few more plants from my other tanks, curious to see how this all fills in. The Java Ball and Banana Plant are temporary as of now, but the shrimp seem to love them both. The Four Leaf Clover Dwarf is 90% dead, but I am hoping some of the green sprouts will live, otherwise I will need to get something else.


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## nemosreef (Oct 19, 2007)

Very nice. I agree with the others I also do not like the driftwood. Other than that real nice.


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

i like the wood, tie some weeping moss to it.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

F22 said:


> i like the wood, tie some weeping moss to it.


I would love to get some.. soon enough... many of the plants that are in here are only temp, until I make my next plant order. For now everything looks pretty stable and the water is nice and clear.

But when it comes to the lighting, I felt the tank wasn't getting enough, so I purchased a second lamp and performed the following to achieve a DIY Nano tank lighting with 2 hampton bay lamps and a black wire dish drying rack. I used black zip ties to keep the lights attached to the rack.







































Work still needs to be done to protect the ballasts, and a lot of the remaining dryer rack wire needs to be trimmed in certain areas and rebent to be flush. But for now it was pretty simple to get this far and my plants are now getting much more light. It will surely clean up well when I finish cutting the wires.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

It's been about 5 weeks now, did some shuffling of rocks and plants. Added some Riccia in the back and my HC is starting to finally takeoff, however, it has this crazy algae. Bad pictures, better ones to follow.


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## Green024 (Sep 19, 2009)

Looks like you have some thread algae. This algae guide is a good one, it gives a brief description, the cause, and the ways to remove whatever algae you may have. 

A quick way to rid of it is to get a plastic syringe, turn your filter off for an hour, and try spot treating the infected places with either H2o2(peoxide) or your Flourish Excel. And repeat. You should start to notice it turn a reddish color, meaning its dieing off. Also, try using a fresh cheap toothbrush and spin it while touching the threads. Try this before the spot treatments(less algae to be spot treated  ).

This is just the quick fix, this does not solve why you got it in the first place. My guess is that you need to start dosing the tank with some kind of Fert regimine. Also it could be from your Diy CO2 being inconsistent, remember when using a HOB filter with CO2 in the tank, the water level should all ways be up to the outflow of the filter. A waterfall effect would not be good with CO2 involved. This will help keep the CO2 in your water longer and allow the plants a chance to take it in. 
And alas it could be from the Ammonia levels being off.

Unbury the roots of your Java Fern, I think that's a no-no for that plant =]. If you want your HC to spread a little quicker, try spreading it really thin in the area you want it to cover. It will help you achieve the carpet you may possibly want faster.


I really like cube tanks, thank you for sharing it with us! I look forward to seeing your battle with this thread algae.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Thanks for the tips Green.. I just got in there and aggressively pulled it out with my fingers, then dosed a higher amount of Excel. This tank seems to be doing pretty well though, unlike my 3g. 

Will post more pics soon.


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## WeedCali (Jun 21, 2010)

Very nice tank.

And i noticed some KRK monitors? do you produce?


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)




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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Long story with this tank. I've taken pictures along the way, but haven't posted any progress till now.

Tank was great, lots of growth, too much! Got lazy, didn't do anything for a while, and certain plants died off while others took over. The filter wasn't "breed friendly" so I didn't get many offspring of my RCS and they all died off. 

Here are some pictures of the past year or so, in order.







































I've done an overhaul, and pics of new tank will come soon. 
Also, ordering more RCS... love those guys! :hihi:


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Ok, so I got some new RCS from member ZeeZ, and some more Java Fern from GLA. This will be my breeder tank for RCS, so I'm using a sponge filter shoved onto the intake of my Eheim Liberty filter (fits snug, hope it doesn't suck up any shrimplets). I realize it's not "pretty", but I'm going for function (and can't afford a pricey workaround for now). The Java Ferns has been tied with thread around those thin bendable metal sticks that come with plants, and placed on the substrate. Some of the Java in here is almost 2 years old and has long attached themselves to the rocks.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Awww where did the moss go? Nice tank


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

xenxes said:


> Awww where did the moss go? Nice tank


It's out of control in my 50 gallon, and spilling over into my brothers 10 gallon. Any tips what to do with it? This stuff started as a "free snipping" 2 years ago when I ordered some shrimp. Now I've got it coming out my ears. Granted though, some has algae on it, and some snails too.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Don't see a "50g" in your sig, tsk tsk. 

I have moss growing on a driftwood in the 5g, moss wall along the back in my 9.2g, and sprinkle moss as ground cover in the 20L. 

It provides a good environment for shrimp to thrive (baby shrimp feeding off moss-microfauna grow faster and bigger). With enough moss and good lighting you don't even need to feed your shrimp. Also great cover from potential predators if you keep larger fish, and good for fish spawning.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

I've got too much moss, but need to spot treat some of it for algae.
Although I'd like to do so much with this tank now, I'm waiting for a few berried shrimp to get it over with already. 
I've learned a lot in the last 2 years, gonna try to approach things differently now.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

*REMIX!*
I bought some new gear (long overdue on this tank), and turned the tank 90 degrees for a fresh look.

New Eheim 2232 (w/ metal sponge filter intake)
New Finnex 26w Clip on light 
New Up Aqua Soil




























Now I'm thinking of planting DHG or something in the front, any ideas?


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Just planted some Dwarf Hair Grass and I'm currently running CO2 from an Atomic Paintball setup. (until my 11.4g is setup)


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Looks very nice


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

2in10 said:


> Looks very nice


Thanks 2in10, I'll post more pics very soon!


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)




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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)




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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Hairgrass is taking root nicely, I did some trimming. Within a few more weeks, I'm hoping for some nice growth. I got some shrimp from a local breeder and mixed them with my RCS, most are very red while a few are more pale. 
More pics to come soon.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Hairgrass is growing great so far.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)




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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

One of the really long Java Fern leaves hangs over, along the top of the water. 
Underneath, it's always a high demand piece of feeding real estate.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

DHG is taking off! I'm mowing the lawn every 5 days.
Some nice growth pics soon.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

Nice tank. I would be sketchy about having it that close to your mixer though. I used to have those KRK's way back. What type of music do you make? I have my "studio tank" in my 20 long sig if you are interested.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

talontsiawd said:


> Nice tank. I would be sketchy about having it that close to your mixer though. I used to have those KRK's way back. What type of music do you make? I have my "studio tank" in my 20 long sig if you are interested.


Hey talon, your 20L is awesome. My mixer isn't close to the tank anymore, but the KRKs are still around. 
I review all sorts of different genres of music, for our releases check http://KitchenDip.org


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Did a major trimming, 40% water change, and pulled a bunch of algae off the rocks.
There are two pictures below, the top picture STUNK worse than anything I've ever pulled out of a tank.



















I'm changing my lighting regiment and dosing excel, hopefully this algae will slow down a bit.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

The fight against the algae is still going (that's bad), but my shrimp are breeding out of control (that's good).


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

3 days with 4 hours of lighting, hoping to cut back on the algae before the dwarf hairgrass starts to spread.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

I've been fighting algae in my hairgrass, so growth has been minimal.
But I counted about 10 berried cherries, these things are like machines!


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

More updates! Got a nice set of Cal Aqua Lily Pipes and a Do!Aqua mini diffuser.
No plastic, this tank is all glass. :wink:


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

1 Assassin Snail added.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Lots of new babies and even more berried mothers!
I'm really loving this tank, it's been good to me.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Still fighting algae, but growth is great.


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## Michiba54 (Nov 24, 2011)

Looks nice.

Do you like the size and shape of this tank more then your 11.4g? I want to get something for my desk and both seem like decent options... lean more towards the cube though.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Go with the cube! Something about the 12" cube, it's just such a great tank.
Even though my 11.4g is newer (and higher tech), I think my 7.5g cube is still my favorite tank.
You'll love it.


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## Michiba54 (Nov 24, 2011)

bitFUUL said:


> Go with the cube! Something about the 12" cube, it's just such a great tank.
> Even though my 11.4g is newer (and higher tech), I think my 7.5g cube is still my favorite tank.
> You'll love it.


Thanks for the input BitFUUL. :thumbsup:

And I agree with you, something about the 12" cube just seems right.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Michiba54 said:


> Thanks for the input BitFUUL. :thumbsup:
> 
> And I agree with you, something about the 12' cube just seems right.


Awesome! And to be honest, I'd love a 12' cube, I think you meant 12".


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

After swapping out my "breed friendly" intake with these _cool_ glass pipes, I noticed a significant absents in my babies.
So I opened up the filter, rescued about 50 babies, tossed them in the tank, and slipped the wire prefilter over my glass pipes.
Done and done.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Reduced the lighting from a 26w bulb to an 18w bulb, hoping it helps to kill the algae.
Plants are otherwise very healthy, you can even see the java ferns oxygenating.
Also been spot treating with excel, can you tell the difference between the red shrimp, and the red dying algae?


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

I went on a 3 week trip and returned to an algae pool. Lost 80% of my shrimp community, and cleanup was a mess. So after a little over 2 years with this setup, I dumped the substrate out, cleaned the glass well, and started over again. 
The scaping right now is very simple, I'm focusing on growing the hairgrass most importantly right now. Then I have room to adjust things in the back if I feel the need, since the java ferns are just "placed" in the back.

Pics!


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

After losing over 80% of my shrimp, I'm finally seeing my first berried mother again!
Hoping the father is one of my PFRs, and not the duller looking guys.
Hooray for Yay!


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

I love DHG, but don't have patience for it. I'm trimming it down to encourage root growth but it seems to always take a very long time to spread. Even in my emersed setup, the DHG doesn't spread as thick as I hoped. Still trying to figure it out. 

But regardless, these 12" cubes are great tanks!


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

The pond behind my house has DHG filling in nicely, still hoping this tank fills in nicely too. 
A couple new rcs babies just hatched, finally getting my shrimp numbers up again. 
Pics to come soon.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Pics of tank and adjacent possible setups _(ADA mini-m & GLA 12 gallon long)_.


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## bostoneric (Sep 7, 2011)

How's the algae fight going?

A good future fight is to do a tank blackout for about a week. And by blackout I mean no light at all for a week straight. No c02 either during that time since you aren't running your lights. Curious about your light cycle when you were getting lots of algae? I notice when I work a lot an my tank without a timer stays on for long periods of light I tend to get more algae growth.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Thanks!

The algae has been under control, it only got bad when I left town a couple months ago. 
My lighting is set to about 9 hours a day, and it seems to be working great. Also, I added a layer of tissue paper on top of my glass topper, to slightly reduce the intensity. It's helping a lot!


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Slow and Steady with this tank. Everything is stable and the shrimp colony is doing great. (Gotten a few batches of offspring in the past few weeks)
The dwarf hairgrass and the java ferns are both slow growers but both are very beautiful plants in a well established tank. Loving this 12" cube!


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## AVN (Oct 3, 2012)

Nice tanks! I would love to have those in my room.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

AVN said:


> Nice tanks! I would love to have those in my room.


Thanks AVN! I don't have the time to setup all these tanks yet, but hopefully soon!


Feeding time! 
A pic of my biggest momma.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Feeding time! 
A pic of my biggest momma.


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