# Cubes Cubed (Formerly 8" Cube)



## nomad1721 (Jan 3, 2011)

I like the look of the rocks on the left, the striations are very interesting. Looking forward to seeing how this progresses.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Thanks nomad! All of the rocks are the same. I picked them up 6-8 years ago when I was working at a LFS and just recently got around to using them! The large one to the right has the same style striations. I'm considering adjusting that rock so the striations show. 

Just today while consolidating some old tank stuff I stumbled upon a diffuser I ordered from Japan years back and my old CO2 tank happened to be about 1/2 full still so I hung the diffuser over the side and ran it low for 15 mins to saturate the CO2 levels a bit.

Since I grew the Elocharis Acicularis donor emersed the growth rate was different. How long should I be waiting to see a few new runners? 

I'm currently using the same ferts I use in my viv just in lower levels. The ferts I'm using are by Brightwell Aquatics (Nitrogen Source, Potassium Source, Multi-nutrient with Iron and Iodine.) I added around 1/8th of an ounce of the multi-nutrient the night I planted this. I'm hoping the plants like it, I know my Anubias Nana petitie love it!

Here are some of them in the viv grow out:









If the Elocharis doesn't work out I'm planning on replacing it with Utricularia graminifolia which I should have spreading soon in my viv.

If anyone has cherries F/S in the Maryland area, let me know as I'll be adding them in a few weeks.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

So after running since Friday night for 3 days there has been a 'oily' film that has appeared at the surface. I did limit the surface movement by aiming the outputs of the filter down and it is running on a low output, so that would make sense of why there is a build up. I'm just not sure what is causing it. I went through and skimmed the surface this morning and removed most of the oil slick. I'm curious to see how it's changed when I get home.

I need to find a bubble counter, but as of 7:00AM I had the CO2 kicked on close to a bubble a second (via a little water in the feed line moving at about that speed.) Also, I need to get a new diffuser as the one I have is a little big for the tank and needs some suction cups to hold it to the side.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

5 Day update pic:










Don't mind the micro bubbles my CO2 regulator somehow jumped while I was at work and was running a bubble or two over a second. Luckily there are only plants in there, so I'll have to figure this out prior to stocking it with fauna. The plant's are not complaining though  And I also need to find a smaller ceramic diffuser that actually comes with suction cups or a glass curved tube to hang it. The only thing I've changed is that I added more cuttings of Pogostemon Helferi up front.

But before I got home I went out to another LFS today in the hunt for some Cryptocoryne Parva to start growing out in the Viv. Since I know the owner I ended up leaving with more... I ended up getting a pot of Parva, some nerites (going into the viv till the tank cycles and CO2 regulation is fixed) and he pulled some MTS for me. Then I stumbled upon something...










It happened to be a kit. I didn't really have an interest in the light and HOB filter, but he gave me a friend/former LFS employee at another old store discount. The HOB I might use for shrimp in one of these rather than adding another canister. After some thoughts and previous hunts for a Current Satellite FW+ I'm thinking of grabbing a third cube and running the 24" system over all 3 side by side, unless someone can convince me to go Finnex. 

Oh, I also grabbed this while I was there...










I'm debating whether or not to go with another Eco-Complete setup or MGOPS with a coarse light/tan pool filter cap. With the wood I'd like to attach some of the Anubias Nana Petite's I have since I have over a dozen in the viv, with some trident or needle java fern in the middle back and a foreground of Utricularia Graminifolia. Thoughts or ideas? I have some of the pool filter sand in a bag somewhere, I'll take some shots of it once I find it.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

So I found the pool filter sand. I just mocked it up dry to get some opinions of this as a cap.


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## austin.b (Feb 9, 2012)

Are both cubes the same size? I have the same cube as a shrimp tank and I love it, especially the black silicone. Looking good so far! 

Subscribed!


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Yep, both are 8" x 8". If I found the 12" x 12" first I probably would have jumped on that instead, but the 8" x 8" should be a fun challenge. If you have a thread of your tank I definitely wouldn't mind checking it out for inspiration! The black silicone is a nice feature, yeah yeah it's no ADA tank, but I think it has it's own little perks. 

Thanks for the compliment and I definitely have a ways to go. Plus as I mentioned before with a 24" Satellite FW+ I can fit one more of these cubes under one unit... Oh and I told myself "no more tanks" 6 years ago...


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## ctaylor3737 (Nov 14, 2013)

I love these cubes I'll convince you for finnex lights. Do great for me!

-Chris


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## ctaylor3737 (Nov 14, 2013)

This is the 8 above, 12 is in the first pic. These are the Finnex-r clip on light. I got 4 of these and they work great. I almost went with the long light but have since moved the tanks around. Light would have stopped me.

-Chris


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Thanks for the pics Chris. 

I'm trying to stay away from clip lights as I don't like the thought of something 'force' mounted to glass. This was one of the reasons I was looking at the Satellite. I'll stay open minded for now and continue on with research.

Still, I need input on the cap w/ MGOPS or Eco-Complete people for the new cube. I was eyeing the Fluval Stratum today, but I know jack about it.


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## ctaylor3737 (Nov 14, 2013)

If you got time for a cycle, ADA soil is awesome. A bag would,do a couple cubes or more. It lowers your Ph and helps plants. They have a few different kinds. I also use eco-complete in my one nano does great. Mine are low tech so not really a big need for it. ADA keeps my PH down as I have crystals and bees in with neos. 

The light bothered me at first until I tried it. It screws on and never seems to move even if you move it. It flips right up making access a breeze no moving light's, but I like them. Whatever works for you and u like is what's best! Just showing you they are there, I never heard of them and one day ran across them. 

-Chris


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

I've got plenty of time to cycle it. Right now I'm trying to keep my purchases local since most (60-70%) of the LFS's closed down. I figure buying local, even with slightly higher prices, would benefit in the long run to keep LFS's open so I can keep getting plants and fish. 

Anyone in the MD area know of any LFS's carrying ADA soil? I wouldn't mind doing the layered process with multiple ADA soils, but I have to make sure I get the proportions right as to not have a 3" substrate in an 8" high tank.

As for the clip lights, another perk for me is that in a strip I can consolidate my outlets. It's bad enough I'll have at least one plug per tank as I currently don't need heaters due to the light emitting heat. Once I go LED I know that will change and I'll need to get a heater. If only they made slim glass/ABS heaters for these little tanks. The probe style heaters are an eye sore and an inline on a small canister just seems ridiculous.


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## ctaylor3737 (Nov 14, 2013)

Only place I found close is in NYC for ADA soil. It's too expensive for LFS to Carry.

-Chris


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## prighello (Aug 19, 2007)

Looks great!


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

ctaylor3737 said:


> Only place I found close is in NYC for ADA soil. It's too expensive for LFS to Carry.
> 
> -Chris


Sadly I'm in Maryland. Not driving all the way to NYC just for some ADA soil. PA maybe...



prighello said:


> Looks great!


Thanks! Still have a lot to do. I've got to move over the canister soon so I can get rid of that hideous internal filter.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

So I remembered I had some river rocks from my old setup. Since I'm limited with space I decided to pick the best one I had to add some contrast to the tank. What do you guys think?










I'm considering filling the tank just to log the wood. So I'll see how it looks wet and hardscaped. I'm still considering using some Eco-Complete since Fluval Stratum isn't looking like a good option. MGOPS seems like a messy idea that I don't want to get into, so that said I'll consider MTS for the third tank.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Figured I'd throw a couple more pics up for the day. Added more substrate to the new cube, mainly to get it out of the bag it was in, and adjusted the wood and the stone. Filled it up and kicked the HOB filter on to give it some circulation while the wood soaks. While the wood darkened as it was absorbing water, and oddly enough not floating, I started to think about how I liked the look. I might change the plans and not run any special substrate, but more so find some root tabs and wait to heavily plant it once I get the Satellite FW+










Had to do the weekly water change on the viv and started to eye up some of the Anubias Nana Petite to possibly put in. To give you an idea on the size, the terracotta grow out pots I have them in (yes they are inverted) are 1.25" diameter pots at the widest lip. The Anubias had actually started to grab onto the pot after living in the grow out for about 2 months.










In the process of re-arranging the grow out I knocked over a pot that had some Eco-Complete and got frustrated. Since it was late I didn't feel like cleaning the bottom of the bare bottom setup out so I just pulled the cuttings and placed them in the new cube as well as the two Anubias I was considering as well as another one who had some larger leaves from growing above the waterline.










Wayy more than I expected to do tonight, but whatever. The cuttings are just more Pogostemon Helferi which I'll need to pull out and re-pot tomorrow. I doubt they would like living under a 3W LED with a non nutrient substrate long term. I'm considering replacing the center Anubias that has the immersed growth with Barclaya Longifolia once I get the new light, figure out how I'm injecting CO2 in here, as well as figure out what plant tabs I'll be using.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Coming up to a week on the first cube. The only thing I've noticed is that the Elocharis Acicularis's blades have spreaded out. Not sure if this is due to water flow or the lighting. 

I'll post up an updated shot along with the original again to see what you guys think.

As for the new cube, nothing really has changed besides me removing the Pogostemon Helferi cuttings as I had planned. I didn't feel like crowding the grow out with more small pots for the cuttings so I setup a ~5 gallon (10 gal foot print just half the height) that I had stored with some eco complete, small HOB (to prevent a stagnant tank mainly) with a hodge-podge lighting setup. Looks like I'll have a reason to get a Finnex Plant+.


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## AGUILAR3 (Jun 22, 2013)

Looking good. Love the Scape. It's so simple.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Thanks AGUILAR3! I'm going to stop by some LFS's today to check on some more plants and hardscape items. I'm torn on the comment of "simple" but at the same time it's kinda of what I'm going for.

Edit:
Woke up this morning and kicked on the CO2 (cause I have a manual regulator with no solenoid running right now) and hopped in the shower. Got out kicked on the lights and got changed. Figured I'd take a quick glance before I left... I guess someone was happy:










Hrm, incase you didn't notice try this one:










This Helferi cutting was kicking out bubbles left and right. Sadly it wasn't streaming pearls, but it looks like it's getting there!

*Compare and contrast photo's tonight from Day 1 and todays Day 8 (Friday to Friday.)*


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## AGUILAR3 (Jun 22, 2013)

Scape is simple and elegant for such a small cube. I like the fact that you didn't just get a piece of driftwood/rock, covered it with moss and called it a day....which is what I would have done lol

If it wasn't for the title, It could easily be mistaken for a much larger tank.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Yeah, ever since my first clump of Java Moss I've banned it in my aquariums. It's impossible to get rid of once it's in a tank and hell to keep up with trimming. I wouldn't mind some flame, christmas, or phoenix moss (Fissidens Fontanus) if I could find it since it's a little more compact, but since I'd only get it from someone local where I could see it growing/get cut it's harder. The only moss I'd love to really have right now is Fissidens Fontanus. Speaking of Java Moss, I placed some in a tub outside where I keep some pond species of lilies and it lived. It grew nice and green under a few inches of ice this winter. Right now it's a little yellow as the tub needs to get topped off. I placed this in there about 4 years ago. If it lives through below 10 degree winters on the east coast, it's not something I want in my tank.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

So as promised *1 week* comparison photos:

Friday 4/18/2014:









Friday 4/25/2014:









A shot of the cute couple:









Eh the lighting didn't do it for me, so lets kick it up a notch and space them a little for a new shot:









Yep, that's a 24" Current Satellite Freshwater + spanning them like I mentioned I was looking into. Right now I'm still playing with the intensities of red, green, and blue. Right now I'm fairly happy with max red and green with full white. I tried max all and it made the greens look nice, but washed out the Eco-Complete. The cube in the middle is a place holder right now. It's acrylic and I don't personally like it. I'm considering putting the top on it and letting stuff grow out till I get a new cube. Figure a grow out with the same lighting might be a decent idea.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

So a few things changed in cube #2. Saturday I became curious of how the Crypt. Parva and some Crypt. Wendtii would look. So I pulled the Parva and Wendtii from my grow out and planted them near the hardscape 'roots' to take up the mid ground.










I didn't like how the Wendtii plantlets were so small so while I was out with the girlfriend I stumbled upon some small immersed growth plants as well as some S. Repens. 










With the new light and the old acrylic cube acting as a space holder, I figured I'd put it to use and try it out as an immersed grow out. I used some water from cube #1's water change to spray down the pots and put the lid on it to hold humidity.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Small update:

Wood in Cube #2 has bloomed a bit of a mold/fungus on it. I've started to knock it off with a pipette and been doing small water changes to siphon it off/out of the tank. Any tips on getting rid of this? Last time I encountered it I had to ditch the wood. 

Also, any input on anything would be great


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## AGUILAR3 (Jun 22, 2013)

I ditched my driftwood for the exact same reason....then I read that it's quite normal and that it will eventually go away on its own.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

I don't see myself ditching this piece. It's going away slowly so I plan to put up with it.

Anyone have any plants they'd recommend I'd add?


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

So I noticed my Parva started to melt and some of the leaves about to melt were yellowing. While up rooting them to try to save them I noticed some of the roots had started to melt too. That being said I think I'm going to ditch the coarse pool filter sand for some Eco-Complete since I have it on hand, or maybe a black sand cap over some MGOPS. I'll have to go out tomorrow after work and hunt down some dark sand. It's interesting how DHG, which I had issues with for years, I can grow like a weed and crypts which I had no problems with are now something of a challenge.


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## Ellie (Feb 20, 2014)

Archerofthemoon said:


> Small update:
> 
> Wood in Cube #2 has bloomed a bit of a mold/fungus on it. I've started to knock it off with a pipette and been doing small water changes to siphon it off/out of the tank. Any tips on getting rid of this? Last time I encountered it I had to ditch the wood.
> 
> Also, any input on anything would be great


I just use a toothbrush to scrub it off, and then do a water change to get rid of all the floating bits of fungus. After a couple of scrubs it seems to stop


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

I was considering that. Since I'm most likely redoing the substrate tonight I think I'll give the wood a bit of a scrub. Sadly it's gone from a nice red to a dark dingy brown.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

After some reading throughout the day and some careful consideration I decided to go MGOPS. I layered the corners of the tank with Flourite Black Sand. In the center I placed a a little over a half inch of MGOPS, sprinkled two grams of Osmocote Plus (a couple of solid pellets and some crushed into powder, and capped it with a half inch of Flourite Black Sand.










Filled up the cube and it's still got some bubbles in it.










I'm not sure what to do for supplements. When should I start adding comprehensives, potassium, iron, nitrogen, and Excel.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

So question time:

*Cube #1* -

I'm enjoying the growth and keeping an eye on how long each runner gets each day. I've started to notice some GSA on the lower part of the glass, is there any ferts that I can add to reduce this? Since I'm fauna free, due to over dosing CO2 for DHC carpet, I have not started stocking the tank. I've been checking the parameters and everything looks good. The sponge in the filter had been running in my grow out for a couple weeks prior to me starting this tank up, it was only there to seed the tank and cycle it. That being said, would it be too early to add a couple Otto's if I kick the CO2 level down?

*Cube #2* -

With the new MGOPS setup the tank has a white haze to it. I can't tell if it's a bacterial bloom or just a haze from the outgassing of the MGOPS. It seems a little fast for it to be a bacterial bloom doesn't it? Not sure if I should do some daily 50% water changes or just let it go through its thing. Input please?

*Cube #3* -

Since I'll be picking this up tomorrow I figured I'd get some requests to get an idea of what I should do with it?


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

I started poking around on Amazon last night and ended up getting a few things. 

1 - U.P. AQUA CO2 Indicator
2 - U.P. AQUA CO2 Nano Diffuser
3 - SubstrateSource Aquascaping Tool Kit


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## Crazy4discus (Jan 30, 2014)

Looking good!


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Thanks 

Still looking from input (see post #33.) Picking up the final cube, hopefully today.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Acquired the last cube, so Cube^3 achieved!

While out to pick up the last cube I ordered, I stumbled upon some more plants for Cube #2. I ended up picking up a bunch of Ludwigia Peruensis for the background, what I'm hoping is Cryptocoryne 'Flamingo' (it's pink/red right now and doesn't look like a Wendtii), and a small Nymphaea lotus 'Zenkeri' which I plan to keep up with to stay small and bushy.

I also gave in on some fauna... Grabbed four Amano's for Cube #1 to poke at some algae starting. I think I'll keep the fauna at that for now and in a month or so grab a couple ottos and some horned nerites and call it quits.


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## jeffpersonn (Feb 9, 2014)

The crypts melting is just its way of adapting to your lightings and stuff

Sent from my HTC Desire 601 using Tapatalk


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Yup, in most cases I'd agree. The fact the roots had some severe melting had me a little worried.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Some updated pics since I didn't get around to getting photo's on Friday. 

*Cube #1* -

The Up Aqua stuff came in on Sat while I was out for a wedding. Since I just got back today I figured I'd get it all installed. While I was gone it seems two of the amano's have gone missing... Not sure where they have gone, but it seems they just packed up and left. The last two on the other hand seem to be doing dandy. The Elocharis Acicularis is getting thick and the Pogostemon Helferi are getting thicker. I'm curious to why the P. Helferi are starting to get a lighter green/pink on new growth. 










*Cube #2* -

Besides the new Ludwigia Peruensis (in the rear), Nymphaea lotus 'Zenkeri' (in the middle in front of wood), and the unidentified Crypt. (on the right) nothing much has changed. I'm still battling with cloudy water though... I'll hop on a 50% change tomorrow once I get off of work. Also, I'm hoping the fuzz on the wood will clear up soon.










NOTE
*Prior to posting this I found one of the Amano's, it jumped out *

NOTE 2
*Found the other Amano chilling in the tank in between the rocks. Surprisingly has a red hue to him now.*


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

My Amanos started to concern me once I got home. I noticed they were hanging out and not moving much so I decided to kick up the flow in case they needed more O2. I was planning to move to the ZM501 at the end of the month, but I decided to throw it on since I have two sitting around. Right now it's running bio media and a sponge. I'm considering throwing in a carbon pad to change weekly, but not exactly sure of that move yet. 

Prior to throwing it on I noticed a molt in the tank and started to look around for the large male. Couldn't find him so I started panicking and looking behind the tank and found him a little dry. In all hopes I popped him back in the tank and he sank. His pleopods were still kicking and I saw his mouth moving, so all I could do was hope for the best. Then I noticed the middle male dragging himself across the bottom but eating... The photo is a little concerning...










After about 10 minutes both the drying and the dragging shrimp are now crawling and swimming like normal. I hope the best for them with the new flow. The params tested right, so all I can think is CO2. Am = 0, Nitrate = 0, Nitrite = 0, pH = 6.5, and KH = 14. I know I need to drop the KH by a bunch. That is the next part of the parameters I need to work on once the new filter cycles. 

Then there is the odd 'red' Amano who seemed non bothered by his brothers ailments.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Did a water change on Cube #2 and added some P. Helferi in the front as a test of capped MGOPS vs. the Eco Complete in Cube #1.










I'm looking for some Ludwigia Senegalensis from the right, Ludwigia Pantanal in the middle and Marsilea Hirsuta carpet in the front.

I'm getting a little tired of all the green in Cube #1 so I'm off to find Rotala Butterfly to put in the center behind the hardscape.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

It's been a busy night. I took down the cube grow out as well as the half ten (20"x10" floor print, but only 6" tall) and setup the half ten as an emersed grow out rather than submersed. Placed the pots in the half ten with 2" of water and a ultrasonic humidifier I had laying around. It happens to circulate water well as well as kick out a lot of 'fog'.

Since the grow out acrylic cube was taken down I placed the new 8" in its new home. Trying to find a nice rock type for the third and final setup.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

*Day 21 update*










Starting to get some serious BSA on the glass and a bit on the rocks. It seems the Amano's are not earning their keep. I've never had luck with Oto's in the past any tips for them?


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

*Cube #2's 13 Day Update*

The tank is slowly progressing. I'm having an issue with some red cloudy water, but at the same time the wood fungus has started to dissipate. That said, here is a progression from day 1 (of the rebuild with MGOPS) to day 13.

*Day 1*









*Day 4*









*Day 7*









*Day 13*


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

So per my two other posts for questions I went out to pick up some solutions. 

*Cube #1*

Due to some unidentified algae growth that I was taking care of with a pipette (using jets of water) to knock little orbs of algae off glass and rocks getting out of control I picked up 4 Otto's. They were listed as "Golden Otto's." Two have small eyes that are slightly gold with a golden body, and the other two look like normal Otto's with grey bodies, dark black stripe, big eyes, and silver tummies. After two hours of drip acclimation and 30 minutes of adjusting to their new home (though I'm strongly considering moving two of them to Cube #2 later) they went right to work and started to chow down. I'm curious to see how the tank looks in the morning.

*Cube #2*

As I'm unsure what the cloudiness is in the water (reddish white) that goes away with water changes for a few hours, I ended up putting a small Water Hyacinth and medium Water Lettuce in to take out excess nutrients in the water column. They are only in there temporarily as their long term home is out in one of my troughs I'm rebuilding.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

When I woke up this morning and went through the routine of kicking on lights and CO2 I noticed the new Otto's had been even more busy through the night. The tank is spotless and their little tummies look like they swallowed marbles. I hope they didn't gorge too much.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Meeting up with someone localish to trade some emersed growth for some stems. I'll post some pics up tonight of the new plants in their new homes as well as give a general weekly photo update to compare growth. *UPDATED WITH PICS*

Notes for the time being:

*Cube #1:*










Plants have me a little concerned. The E. Acicularis is starting to become a little bright green, rather than the dark green it started out as. The emersed growth in my grow out is definitely darker, but I'm not sure if that's just due to the emersed growth traits. Also, the P. Helferi is also MUCH brighter in color with the all of the new growth being a whiteish green. The plants are still growing strong, I'm just not sure of why everything is so bright. Too much light maybe from the Sat+?

The fish on the other hand have had a bite of a rough round. I've never had luck with Oto's, and what seemed to be the common Oto's have ceased... I found one on the intake on Friday night and the other one today wedged in the intake today. The other two are fine and dandy, but are not the common Oto's I've come to find. They were listed as "Golden Otos" at a LFS and have a few different traits compared to the commons. First off they are Gold as the name states. The bodies have a metallic gold sheen to them, have a more brown lateral stripe across the body, and by far have much smaller eyes. These guys seem to be much more hardy and I'll definitely be looking for some more. 

*UPDATE*

Don't mind the Hygro "Sunset", it's just there to grow out since my grow outs are emersed.

*Cube #2:*










The L. Peruensis has taken off! Well two stems at least. The other two had been replanted due to making space for other stems earlier last week, so I figure that hindered them a bit. S. Repens has started to fill in nicely and broader leaves have now appeared. C. Wendtii have now become bronze and the veins have a nice dark reddish green to them. I'm concerned about the C. Wendtii "Florida Sunset" as it's started to melt. I'm hoping for the best and that it was due to the light being blocked by my nutrient sponge of a Water Lettuce. N. Zenkeri has started to kick in and the leaves are becoming more bold and broad. This will be nice once it fills in.

*UPDATE*

So after moving the Water Lettuce out and planting some Ludwigia Glandulosa, Potagemeton Gayi, and Rotala Colorata (curiosity of Method) I began to notice how bad the GSA is getting in this tank. Obviously it's noticeable on the pic on the front pane. Time to start getting the Nitrates and Ammonia down for some of the Golden Oto's in Cube #1.

*Cube #3:*

This will be starting up soon once I return from my trip back home to Oahu for a funeral. I plan on picking up some plants there since there are a few things that I can't seem to find here in the continental US. Might see if I can grab some Manzanita while I'm there as well. Right now it's currently looking as another Pagoda Stone rockscape (unless I find some Manzanita I like) and a UG carpet once my emersed growth kicks in.

*ExoTerra Grow Out:*

Forgot I had a 15 gallon sitting in the basement and I plan on replacing the ExoTerra with it since I can hop all of my Dionaea Muscipula clones to the half 10 to grow out. Luckily I was able to thin some of them out and sell them, but I still have a couple hanging around that I'll still be working with. Once the 15 goes in I think I'll aim for a Crypt and Microsorum Pteropus 'Narrow' Aquascape with MGOPS with a UG carpet and Paludarium additives.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Due to having to fly home to Oahu for a funeral on the 19th and being out of town (i.e. away from the tanks) I didn't find a need to update. Well, now I'm back! So I got home after being away from the tanks for a week to notice some goods and bads... 

Since cube #1 was the only tank using CO2, I had turned the tank valve off for the time since it's a manual regulator not one with an electric solenoid. Oddly enough, this tank looks GREAT! Without the CO2 the issue I had with the 'white' leaves on the P. Helferi is no more. The P. Helferi actually are now not only thicker, but much greener. The only issue with this tank is that the water had siphoned down the CO2 line and algae has grown on the diffuser disk so I'll need to clean it when I get home from work (only stayed long enough to fill the tanks and start yelling cause TSA went through my luggage.) 

Now onto the problem child of the cubes... Cube #2 had a bit of plant die off, and I'm not sure exactly why. The two stems of L. Peruensis that I had to the left of the tank that were bright red before I left were now dark green and slimed. Both stems are shot and I'm not sure what caused it. Everything else looks solid. The S. Repens has taken off and is filling in nicely on both sides and showing plenty of new growth, even after a week of no added supplements. The Crypt. Wendtii has become thick and the new stems I planted on the 18th have settled in. The L. Glandulosa has some nice new thick leaf growth, but now I think about it I didn't notice much of a change with the P. Gayi and Rotalla Colorata. Now that I think of it, I'm not sure if the N. Zenkeri is still there...

None the less some interesting news, I brought back a bunch of plants. No no, not a 'bunch' per say, but a handful of new ones. Be prepared for a bunch of pics being added tonight. [censored][censored][censored][censored] shots of the cubes and shots of the new plants.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

So as I stated before, I had flown back home to honor a cousin who passed away and visit extended family who flew in to do the same. While there I started to clean up the pond (build in 1960's as part of a traditional Japanese home) that said cousin use to take care of for us. The pond has two parts, a front and rear, each pushing 1500 gallons. The pond has a hodge podge of fish in there as my cousin adopted fish from friends as well as added things that generally don't get along in aquaria. But over the years I've noticed with ample floor space, hiding spots, and plants everything was able to hold their own. The current stock includes various guppies, swordtails, platties, tetras, loaches, three fairly large (6-8") EBJD's, dozens of locally caught Ancistrus, and liberty mollies. The rear houses two butterfly koi, various live bearers, loaches, a few 8" chinese algae eaters, African Peacocks, African Zebras, Yellow Labs, and some sort of Compressorceps. 

I didn't have time to take shots of the fish, but here is a general overview of the pond:










This is mainly a shot of the front section, the rear you can see barely at the middle right and middle bottom. It extends four feet under a deck and is 3' deep. The front ranges from 1' to 8" deep depending on the section.

Ok, I know this is the nano section so why am I bringing it up? Welp, plants derr. Growing in the rear are mats of Riccia, 6-7' clumps of Hornwort and massive clumps of Najas Grass. I brought home a bit of each. I plan to put the Hornwort and Najas outside in some troughs.

But yeah, time to get back to the cubes...

Here are what I like to refer to as the '[censored][censored][censored][censored] shots' of the tank once I got home. I took them once I got off work today prior to some replanting and water changes:

*Cube #1*









*Cube #2*









After a quick water change it was time to check out the goodies I picked up while I was there. Thanks goes out to JoJo at Aquascapes in Oahu who was great to talk to prior to getting over there. I had purchased some plants years ago from his store and was happy to see a larger location where I picked out a bunch off stuff which he packed up and sealed for my 14 hour flight home. JoJo was nice enough to throw in some freebies! So lets get to more pics!

Bags of plants:



























So some of them are obvious, some are more obvious as they are labeled, and some might have you scratching your head. Lets go through each one. 

*Bucepalandra 'Brownie Ghost'*









*Hygrophila Pinnatifida- Bunch #1*









*Hygrophila Pinnatifida- Bunch #2*









*Rotalla Butterfly (freebie stem)*









*Ammannia Gracilis Bunch*









*Ludwigia Inclinata 'Tornado' (freebie stem)*









*Microsorum Pteropus 'Tropica Mini' (Rizome #1)*









*Microsorum Pteropus 'Tropica Mini' (Rizome #2)*









*Microsorum Pteropus 'Needle Leaf Mini'*
*See the toothpick as a reference to leaf size!*









*Ranunculus Inundatus (Emersed growth Freebie)*









*Unknown Moss (freebie)*










If that wasn't enough I started collecting a few things I found growing in relatives ponds/yards and something at the beach that will be going to another project later on if they grow.

*Hydrocotyle verticillata*
*Found this growing emersed at one of my aunts in a bucket. She wasn't sure where it came from*









*Najas Guadalupensis*
*A clump from the pond. The leaves are much finer then any Najas I've had in the past*









*Unknown Tropical Lily*
*Found these growing off the roots of a mother plant that a relative gave me to put in the pond*









*Rhizophora Mangle Pods*
*Plan to use these in a Paludarium if they sprout*









As a note, the terracotta pots in the photo are 1.5" diameter and I use them in my emersed grow outs. They are in the photos to assist in scale of the plants.

Now onto the tanks after the new plants were added:

*Cube #1*
*Added:
Hygro. Pinnatifida behind rocks (Rear)
Unknown Lily between rocks (front)
Rotalla Butterfly (temp on the left till it gets longer so I can make a background of it)*









*Cube #2*
*Added:
Hygro. Pinnatifida behind wood (Rear Center)
Ammannia Gracilis (to left to fill void where some L. Peruensis melted)
L. Inclinata 'Tornado' (Right Rear)*


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Forgot to add these guys as well. While cleaning up the pond I found tons of MTS in there. Since I don't really have any I figured I'd bring some back:










I never had seen any with green and blues in them so I'm glad they did well in the transit. In closer inspection of the third cube they are being housed in temporarily I noticed I have about 6 other hitchhikers... Fry of some sort. They must have tagged along in the Riccia, but I'm surprised they went over 24 hours (since I didn't put the Riccia in water till I got home) damp in a plant.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Not sure why, but I sadly lost my last two Oto's last night.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Brief update.

Cube #1 - 

P. Helferi is starting to look a little sad. Nothing really has changed in the dosing regiment, but hopefully going from OTS liquid ferts to EI will help. Looking to start this in a week or so.

Cube #2:

This tank is booming. The addition of some Ranunculus Inundatus I had growing emersed a week ago has started to offset the S. Repens. I just need the cycling to finish (started dosing some ammonia since the cycle had stopped) so I can get some Oto's...

I really hate losing Oto's randomly. Does anyone have a known way to keep them going longterm or have an idea of what to look for in why they might be dropping off? Cube #1 had 4 and is down to zero. They did a great job cleaning the algae and then they randomly started to drop off after I started to supplement their diet with greens.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Figured out the issue with the P. Helferi. I should have taken photo's, but the gung-ho moment kicked in and I needed to figure it out. I ended up pulling out the plants that had the 'issue' to only find out that the main stalks with the larger crowns were being choked out by the daughter crowns on the side. I proceeded to pull out the plants of concern and trim off the daughter crowns and everything in the tank is back to hunky dory. I'm not sure why the Downoi is growing so tight and compact though. The lighting maybe? I wish the stems were branching out more so I could have trimmed them in tank, oh well.


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## Chizpa305 (Feb 13, 2011)

Im glad you are pulling back the P. helferi. It makes a nice foreground plant.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Thanks, it's a great plant. I just need to cater to it more to get more lush crowns submersed like I am emersed.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Some needed photo updates for my logs:

*Cube #1:*










Just thinned out the P. Helferi yesterday, so it looks a little rough. The Rotala Butterfly needs to kick into gear and grow so I can plant it better. The DHG is doing its thing. And the Hygro. Pinnatifida is doing ok, it's lost a few leaves but I had upped the dosing of Potassium so it would stop getting pin holes which seems to have worked. Not exactly pleased with the look and waiting for growth before going ham on it.

*Cube #2:*










Everything is doing well, especially some brown algae (diatoms?) that pops up on most leaves. If the cycle isn't done by the weekend I'm going to get some of that Tetra stuff to try out if I can find it. The Lud. Peruensis has started to get a THICK stem and I'm not sure how I feel about it. The Ammania Gracialis is getting dwarfed by the Lud so after some more growth we will see. S. Repens is stupid happy as well as a little hedge of P. Helferi. Lud. Inclinata var. "Tornado" hasn't really grown and the Lud. Plaustris needs to grow so I can chop the stems to make it a thicker growth in the rear. Oddly enough the Hygro. Polysperma var. "Sunset" hasn't taken off. Lets see if you can find the newly added Ranunculus that started as 3 nodes and has almost doubled itself (5 nodes now.)

*Cube #3:*

So in the process of bringing plants back from my pond back home I got some hitch hikers. Purposefully brought back some 'green' MTS, scuds, and then these things appeared that night after opening some plants that had not been in water for over 24 hours...




























Not sure what they are. There are a handful of species of live bearer, tetra, rasbora, danio, cichlid and the list goes on and on. Not sure if they were eggs on some plants or some fry that can breathe without water...


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## Roshan8768 (Mar 18, 2009)

Super cool hitchhiker... hopefully you can keep it alive and grow it out to a size to where you can tell what it is. I don't think it's a live bearer just from looking at it. Must have been some eggs that stayed moist/wet enough for them to survive


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Not sure if it hatched as an egg as I noticed it swimming minutes after adding plants and it was larger than most fish that hatch from an egg.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Update...

So yesterday I decided to move my difuser from Cube #1 to Cube #2. Once it was in the tank all was doing great! Plants started to pearl after a couple of hours of use. This morning I woke up... The tank was bright white! Oh noes bacterial bloom! Oh well, the tank had been cycling so I think the newly added injection freaked out the process. I did a 50% change and the tank went from hazy/clear to opaque white in a half hour. It's been clearing up throughout the day, so we will see how it does later this week.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

I should have taken photos of the process. Again, the tank was white this morning. After a water change was hazy and returned to being white. Now, the tank is 98% clear... I'm not sure what's going on. I don't think a bacterial bloom would calm down that quick.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Cube #2 Update:

*Day 1:*









*Day 4:*









*Day 7:*









*Day 13:*









*Day 15:*









*Day 26:*









*Day 26 (Added plants):*









*Day 37:*









*Day 44:*


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## Thenoob (Jan 15, 2014)

Awesome looking tanks! Any chance I could get some info on your emmersed grow out setup?


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## dru (Mar 9, 2013)

Any more info on the lily in cube 2?

I have an 8" truaqua cube on the way so soon I will have 2 8" cubes


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