# 2.5g Moss Tank *Updated 4/28/2007* See Pg 2 bottom



## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

hi folks, just wanted to share my second planted tank. a 2.5 nano. It is an experiment... I will make a journal if/once things develope as planned. 

specs:
2.5g All Glass tank.
Custom hood w/20w cf
Azoo nano filter w/sponge prefilter.
background/sidewalls/floor are all java moss in gutter webbing w/suction cups.
substrate: none
hardscape: one limestone rock

plants: 
java fern and windelov.
java moss (wish i had taiwan or something...)
najas grass and water lettuce floating.
"lucky bamboo" emmersed.
that's it!

inhabitants: 'bout 12 RCS juvies.

my goal is for there to be almost zero open water... just a sea of green. and this is no tech/low maintenance. i'll switch out the 20w to a 13w if I need to. i still need to paint the back/sides/front over silicone black when i get the chance...

any feedback appreciated!


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## Pwilson (Jan 24, 2007)

wait what.... you want to paint the front back and sides black


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

front over silicone only. to hide AG's nasty silicone job and the black mesh. think of it like a picture frame or something.


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## Burks (May 21, 2006)

Very nice!

I was looking at doing a 2.5g for my desk. Already have a 1g and 2g....I want another one!


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

hey, i'm from akron! i miss the ohio winters...


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## Dood Lee (Jan 14, 2005)

How did you construct the hood? I plan on setting up my own nano soon, and I'm leaning towards constructing my own hood as well.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

the hood is made out of 1/4" oak board (like plywood) and 1"x2" wood nubs in the corners to provide support and locations for nailing/glueing. Inside painted flat white, outside painted satin black. Total cost of materials was about $5 in wood (already had glue, nails, paint, and tools). Bulb was $5 and I disemboweled a $3 Goodwill cliplamp for the fixture and cord. 

I'll post pics if you ask.


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## Lucky_13 (Apr 18, 2006)

strangely enough, thats the exact same way i'm going to make a lid for my nano. lol.


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## Dood Lee (Jan 14, 2005)

Pics would be great if you have them handy. Is your tank open top, or is there a glass lid under the enclosure?


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## Jackal870 (Nov 8, 2006)

Looks Great I like the idea of it being like a picture frame as well. The bamboo looks awesome.

I just built the stand and hood for my 40 gallon corner, angles angles angles  Gratifying though.
Regards ~ Dane


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

The hood is angled for the bamboo and filter in the back left corner. Yes, I do have a piece of glass over the tank (which is angle-cut also). this is what the legs of the hood rest on. Drilled two ventilation holes. Gets warm to the touch but not hot.

here are the hood pics somebody requested.


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## Cydric (Dec 6, 2006)

I love where you're going with this tank! I think it'll be absolutely beautiful once the moss starts growing through the mesh material. I can't wait for the photos! roud:


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

first update on this one in awhile and made some changes...
1. took out the limestone, it was too big. added two rocks siliconed together to become one rock (fits the scape I have in my head...couldn't find a rock like it). Rock has peacock moss filling in nicely and a anubias nana on the apex for accent. 
2. shrimp s#!t more than I thought, so the moss floor wasn't working out. Added flourite and HM as ground cover. 
3. Replaced moss walls...was guttering material with java moss, now it is needlepoint grid with Xmas moss. The guttering material wasn't tight enough against the walls and the shrimp got behind it. This stuff stays tight. And I've heard Xmas is good for walls. Java moss had grown in somewhat, so I took a few steps back for changing it, but as they said in panama when I lived there _Hay mas tiempo que vida_ (there is more time than life). I put the light in front of the tank 1/2 the day so it penetrates the mesh wall better. oh yeah, you can see some stringly moss poking up from on the back of the rock towards the right of the rock... that is my 'midground' lol. there is HM behind it too...
4. added one more lucky bamboo to fully hide the filter intake.

upkeep: WC 50% every 2-3 weeks... a little CSMB here and there and a micro splash of NPK... .5mL excel every few days.... all miniscule quantities (hooray for baby-medicine droppers!).

current inhabitants: like 20 RCS. will hold a pair of clown killies when the moss is done filling in.
still haven't painted the background/sides...need to do that someday

comments/suggestions apprecatiated, as always:


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## Cydric (Dec 6, 2006)

I love the peacock moss. Looks so lush and full. :thumbsup:


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

The tank looks great  It will look awesome when the moss walls fill in. And like Cydric said, the Taxiphyllum sp. 'Peacock' looks great:thumbsup:


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Update.










Journal of Last Month's Activities:
Pulled the HM...was going to get to big without constant pruning and I needed it for my 20g.
Added marsilia minutae in place of HM.
Got rid of 1/2 of my 'rock' to make room for pellia.
Nana petite is growing great.
Added three dwarf lobelia...not sure if I like them. We'll see.
Moss wall has grown in somewhat. Still areas to fill in. I pissed off the moss (check out the upward Peacock growth on the rock) turning it light green with a 5x excel overdose trying to kill snails. None died. THAT is irony. gotta love it.
Added *ESCARNO, the snail assassin*, a baby dwarf puffer. He ate a snail the first 30seconds in the tank, there are noticibly fewer not even a day later. He is only temporary, he is 'on job' until the snail population drops. I have started a 10g dwarf puffer tank, you'll have to wait and see. It will be outrageous! Coming soon to a forum near you!
Added one amano shrimp to eat hair algae. I dosed too many ferts one time accidentally, triggering the outbreak. It is under control. I've also backed down to 15w.
Got this annoying carnivore plant that I can't get out of the moss. I might just leave it. It grows 10x faster than moss is the problem. Suggestions?
Added a starter colony of Endler's... there are 6. 3m 3f. No tail nipping from puffer yet. If so, he gets the boot before he completes his assassination assignment.
Added one olive nerite snail, a very small one.
Lots of cherries are preggers, and there are lots of runts running around. Gives the puffer 'playmates.' lol

I need to trim the moss wall to allow the bare areas to grow in better. And trim the abnormal peacock growth.

Update again in another month. Till next time... peace.


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## cjyhc4 (Dec 18, 2006)

Lookin good! I have the same stuff in my Christmas moss wall. Thankfully, the moss is winning the battle, tho I do pull some when I think of it during water changes.

The DP is adorable!


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## Storm_Rider (Sep 30, 2006)

i can see the carnivore thing! i got it too  did you get the xmas moss from chuong? anyways my solution is to let it grow somewhat long, and then yank it out. it seems sturdier when longer and less likely to tear. though i'm beginning to worry it's releasing spores/seeds or something because it still revives itself in less than a week.

looking great though, i hope my moss wall fills out that big soon. it's been going for a month and it's only an inch or so. any tips?


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

Nice! The moss wall is filling in nicely and that Dwarf Puffer is so funny


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Storm_Rider said:


> i hope my moss wall fills out that big soon. it's been going for a month and it's only an inch or so. any tips?


my tip is light+excel+patience. that is all i have done.


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## eklikewhoa (Aug 29, 2006)

Excellent idea!!!!!


I have a 2.5g as well for my RCS and there is tons of HM in the tank but it takes up a lot of room and there isn't as much debris on the HM as there could be on a moss wall! I might "borrow" this idea and redo my tank.

with the light...keep what you have cause only half of that 20w is getting into the tank if even that. I have a 18w coralife over mine and zero ferts co2 and it all grows well with minimal algae.


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## Burks (May 21, 2006)

Storm_Rider said:


> i can see the carnivore thing!


I can't see it. Could someone point this out to me?


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## Storm_Rider (Sep 30, 2006)

near the top, directly between the bamboo and the endler (or whatever guppy that is), there is a bright line (greenish white) with some bladders every here and there. it's called ultricularia gibba. or so i was told when i asked a while back. shouldn't really harm baby shrimps i've read, but we'll see.

looks like this


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## MrJG (Feb 21, 2007)

Thats looking great! Don't worry about the snails any more Escarno will take care of them in short order. You might even want to keep them in this tank to breed for him when he moves to his other home. 
I got a DP week before last and he's almost decimated the population from my 10G (I net/feed them in the 2.5g when I see them). Maybe he was just hungry from shipping and being in the pet store. 

Is that the pellia in the back right portion? How do you have it planted/anchored?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

I've already pulled the DP for deployment on Planet Crypto (my 10g). The visible snail population went from approaching infinity to zero. I'm sure there are still some in there, but they are now living in fear. Population will bounce back.

Yes, that is pellia in back right. It is between two layers of gutter cover 'sewn' with fishing wire. I attached some plant weights to the bottom to keep it anchored. I'm still new to this planted thing and I assumed pellia grows slowly...not the case. What you see is only 2 weeks growth.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Storm_Rider said:


> directly between the bamboo and the endler (or whatever guppy that is)


Endler's are *not* guppies, and she is very offended at your racist remark. Can't you recognize that Endler's are their own people! :hihi:


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## Burks (May 21, 2006)

Storm_Rider said:


> there is a bright line (greenish white) with some bladders every here and there. it's called ultricularia gibba. or so i was told when i asked a while back.


Looks like stuff I have in my 40g. Just kind of appeared out of nowhere.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Update. 

Moss filling in. Did a small spot treatment with excel...thinking the cure was worse than the disease. Pellia is growing nicely.

Went 'back to the basics.' Pulled the flourite and foreground. I wanted something simpler and easier to clean.

Added some driftwood, taiwan moss, stringy moss, and flame moss. I may pull that left driftwood. Broke the anubias nana into three pieces. This is my 'patience' tank. The anubias and flame moss should fill in by the time I retire.

If someone wants to send me a thimblefull of Fissidens to put on the left driftwood, I'll give you my first born child. :help: I can't justify spending $25 on a golfball sized amount when I just need a teaspoon full.

Weeping moss is coming soon. It is going on the FRONT glass hidden below the tank rim at the top to 'weep' down creating a nice frame.

Cherries are breeding. Endlers are happy. The 'mama' endler was really fat, and I assumed she was preggers. Now she is skinny...what do endler fry look like?


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## Storm_Rider (Sep 30, 2006)

macclellan said:


> Endler's are *not* guppies, and she is very offended at your racist remark. Can't you recognize that Endler's are their own people! :hihi:


are you serious? if you are i'm sorry, that you feel that way! :fish: 

the update looks fantastic, definately like the new look.. i'm a sand person

i really like your driftwood too, where did you get them?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Storm_Rider said:


> are you serious? if you are i'm sorry, that you feel that way! :fish:
> 
> the update looks fantastic, definately like the new look.. i'm a sand person
> 
> i really like your driftwood too, where did you get them?


No of course I wasn't serious! Didn't you see the 'har har' smiley? Endler's aren't guppies though. seriously.

driftwood is from the crick.


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

This tank looks awesome! Great job using the moss walls, seldomly are they used to make it look better!

Moss looks healthy as usual. I only have a few inches of fissidens but if I had extra I would send them your way!

-Andrew


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

Wow really nice tank I like the moss walls! I hardly ever see any people who post on here that have actually had moss walls work for them, they usually end up tearing them down before they even grow so congratulations!


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## AnneRiceBowl (May 18, 2006)

Great little tank~!


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## TigerLilly (Oct 11, 2004)

The lucky bamboo will die if you keep that much of it submerged over time. Only the roots are suppose to be under water.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks for your concern, but as the pictures show, it wasn't submerged, but emmersed. Not relevant anymore, it is no longer in the tank!


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## AxolotlFarmer (Nov 29, 2006)

I am in love with your moss walls. It is also a plan of mine I had for my 5 gallon. Glad to see it working. Nice job on a hood. Glad to see the wall worked, it is lovely.


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