# Mr. Aqua 1.5g long - Rockfall - formerly "Tiger Striping"



## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

The intro is so funny! My wife also says "aquarium sh*t" all the time. I feel like aquarists' partners are either very supportive or hate it / think it's a waste of money. It's an art dammit!

Looking on eBay, those lights are actually pretty pricey. Looks close to the $40-$50 range vs what I wanted to spend for a nano light. However, they do look good and balanced on this tank.

Btw, I think the silicone on the bottom was intentional! I don't see the harm of scraping it off if you have a mat. But when I placed my tank on my glass dining table, I realized that the extra fine layer of silicone on the bottom was intended to be a cushion.

Thanks for posting the heater photo. It looks like a good size and I may opt for that once I flood.

In terms of scape options, I like scape #5 as the right rock would push the viewer's eyes back to the composition. I also like the last one as well, but I picture those rocks to look more like looking at the edge of a cliff. So the substrate in front of it would be a lot lower and built up to the top of the rocks. Do you have one more stone like that or only the two? If you Google "cliffs", you'd see what I mean. I think some of the decisions would depend on the plants you're thinking of putting in here.

Great start overall though! You're already ahead of me. haha


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## nomad1721 (Jan 3, 2011)

bereninga said:


> The intro is so funny! My wife also says "aquarium sh*t" all the time. I feel like aquarists' partners are either very supportive or hate it / think it's a waste of money. *It's an art dammit!*


^*DAMN STRAIGHT*^... and I'm glad you liked the intro. It was fun to write.


bereninga said:


> Looking on eBay, those lights are actually pretty pricey. Looks close to the $40-$50 range vs what I wanted to spend for a nano light. However, they do look good and balanced on this tank.


I picked mine up for $17 ea and it was $6 shipping for both. $40 didn't seem too bad, since I would have spent the exact same on two DPB Solarflare Micro's. Same thing with the Mr. Aqua clip light. The only other option would have been to go CFL or a Stingray fixture like you did. The Stingray would definitely have been cheapest, but I just don't care for the color spectrum, and I really thought it would be too much light for the tank. Time will tell with the Azoo lights, but they're so darn sexy I just had to try 'em.


bereninga said:


> Btw, I think the silicone on the bottom was intentional! I don't see the harm of scraping it off if you have a mat. But when I placed my tank on my glass dining table, I realized that the extra fine layer of silicone on the bottom was intended to be a cushion.


You know, that didn't even cross my mind. I set my tank on the table and when I went to slide it away from me it wouldn't move. My brain automatically went to "what the hell is this sh-t?! Why is there FREAKING SILICONE ON THE BOTTOM?! ARRRGGGHHH! Next time... more analytical, less caveman.


bereninga said:


> Thanks for posting the heater photo. It looks like a good size and I may opt for that once I flood.


No problem!


bereninga said:


> In terms of scape options, I like scape #5 as the right rock would push the viewer's eyes back to the composition. I also like the last one as well, but I picture those rocks to look more like looking at the edge of a cliff. So the substrate in front of it would be a lot lower and built up to the top of the rocks. Do you have one more stone like that or only the two? If you Google "cliffs", you'd see what I mean. I think some of the decisions would depend on the plants you're thinking of putting in here.
> 
> Great start overall though! You're already ahead of me. haha


Thanks for the input. I'm not very happy with any of the ones I posted. They just sort of halfheartedly moan, meh. Something is missing. I have to go dig through my boxes of miscellaneous scape stuff now. I might even have to ditch the rocks in favor of something else.


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## nomad1721 (Jan 3, 2011)

RESCAPE!

Yesterday I picked up some small Manzanita branches from a TPT'er not too far from me. I thought they were pretty cool looking, but I didn't intend to use them right away, I was just going to bank them for later. Then I got home, and saw my cool little Mr. Aqua tank and it's oh so _meh_ hardscape sitting there looking all sad and humdrum. Gears started turning, and I emptied out the rocks and substrate and started unceremoniously forcing these sticks into my tiny little tank (think awkard teenage boy trying to brute force his way through his _first time_. Needless to say, it was awkward, unsatisfying and ended fairly quickly. The branches were just too big. Not gonna happen. THEN, I realized that I could CUT the branches down and make them fit. (Bear with me here, I'm not an idiot, just trying to make a point). I went and found a saw, and then I was stuck...

*_Do I really want to cut these branches up, they look SO cool just as they are_*

*_Dumbass, cut the branches! You weren't even going to use them for anything 5 minutes ago_*

*_I KNOW THAT, but I just bought them! And they're manzanita! It's like aquarium gold!_*

*_Oh, yeah, I forgot. It's not like you can by it at ANY pet store or anything. CUT THE DAMN BRANCH!_*

*_But what if I mess up and instead of one really cool piece I'm left with two stupid ones? How can I tell if it will even look good in a tank I can't even fit it in? Red wire? Blue wire? Time is running out, only 8 seconds left...now only 5...3...2...snip!_*

*_Oh God, did I make the right choice? Am I still alive? Is my manzanita stupid now?_*

I hope that everyone else goes through this sort of emotional roller coaster. I shudder to think what it means if I'm alone in my neurosis. Maybe my fiancée is right, maybe I do have a...

Well I know what I think. Looks like we have a winner, winner, chicken dinner over here folks. Thoughts?





Not gonna lie, this is how I felt (https://youtu.be/g2iErckaIl8?t=2s) <--don't judge me :hihi:


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## Daisy Mae (Jun 21, 2015)

nomad1721 said:


> *_Do I really want to cut these branches up, they look SO cool just as they are_*
> 
> *_Dumbass, cut the branches! You weren't even going to use them for anything 5 minutes ago_*
> 
> ...


That gave me a good laugh! Thanks for the free entertainment.
I like the re-do. 

Gonna keep the planting simple?


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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

*Mr. Aqua 1.5g long - Rockfall - formerly &quot;Tiger Striping&quot;*

Lol That mental debate happens to me ALL the time. Even when I think about the smallest thing like moving a plant to a different part of the tank. It's so funny because it's never the end of the world if we make a mistake but we always think it is. 

The new scape is a big improvement! Reminds me of an edge of a stream in some mystical forest.


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## Ugly Genius (Sep 27, 2003)

That's some nice wood!

You did really good setting it up. My sense of scale is thrown off with this hardscape. The only thing giving me an indication that it's a gallon and a half is the thickness of the glass. (Either that or you have a big ass pocket knife.) You have an eye for detail and a disciplined precision that's going to serve you well with this tank.

From a journal perspective, your hardscape is going to make a very interesting story. Right now it looks like a cool desert scene from an old western. As it grows in green, it's going to transform completely to look more like a meadow.

What are your plant plans? Right now my mind is filling up with ideas, but I'll keep them to myself as this is your tank. Suffice it to say, I think you can do a lot of cool things with the bones you've laid down here. 

I feel you on breaking up hardscape materials. I get that way even with "scrap" rocks. I have to run the process through my mind eight times before I swing the hammer. I reflect on the pros and cons of smashing rocks more than I did when my wife and I were deciding to have a second child. (For the record, at the time, I said hell no to child number two, but my wife won and in the end, I won because I fell in love that little girl.)

I'm looking forward to seeing this tank mature.

Keep it up!


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## 35ppt (Feb 24, 2014)

Yeah, I've been wanting the 12L, too. And now thanks to you, this 1.5 is whispering my name. 
Thanks for the tons of photos 

Did you put mesh on the filter outflow or some other mod, and why?


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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

*Mr. Aqua 1.5g long - Rockfall - formerly &quot;Tiger Striping&quot;*

What plants do u plan to keep?


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## nomad1721 (Jan 3, 2011)

Sorry for the delay folks. I went to go play in the mountains on Sunday, and yesterday ended up being a long busy day at work. I know it's a busy day when I don't even have time during lunch to check out any updates to TPT or Star Citizen. Today was looking like it was going to be another long day of meetings (government does SOOOO love to waste your time with those), but...

SNOW DAY!!! 

^I can't even begin to express how excited this makes me, as I don't think I have ever had a snow day EVER. I guess I should clarify as to WHY this is a big deal. I live in an area that see's regular snow (Denver), but usually it's not enough to matter. After a few hours the snow plows have pretty much cleared the streets, and normally the brutal (yes, brutal) Colorado sun comes out and melts everything away in a day or two. Woopdee-freakin-do, right? Well, when I was a kid, we lived in a little town in the mountains near Rocky Mountain National Park. We routinely had 6-8 feet of snow every year, heavy snowfall was de rigueur, and you got used to it. How heavy is heavy? Where I lived, the school district WOULD NOT call a snow day for ANYTHING LESS THAN 72" OF SNOW IN A 48hr period. I don't care where you live, SIX feet of snow in two days is A LOT. Needless to say, I never had a snow day growing up. 

Hell even in college, we had some pretty heavy snow (enough to cause trees to fall over, and several students were hospitalized due to falling branches, etc). Nothing.

Today, is a snow day. *So that my friends, is a big freaking deal.*

/rant

Now on to more important things.



Daisy Mae said:


> That gave me a good laugh! Thanks for the free entertainment.
> I like the re-do.
> 
> Gonna keep the planting simple?


Thanks @Daisy Mae , I'm glad you like it (post & scape). I really do want to keep planting fairly simple, and I'm having a hard time deciding what to put in there. I welcome any suggestions. I know that I want some type of fissidens on the wood because, well, I freaking love fissidens. It's probably my favorite plant. I also have some Ammania sp "Bonsai" that I bought specifically for the tank, but otherwise I have no idea.



bereninga said:


> Lol That mental debate happens to me ALL the time. Even when I think about the smallest thing like moving a plant to a different part of the tank. It's so funny because it's never the end of the world if we make a mistake but we always think it is.
> 
> The new scape is a big improvement! Reminds me of an edge of a stream in some mystical forest.


Thanks @bereninga , it's nice to know that I'm not alone in my mental proclivities. Ah yes, moving plants. The truth comes out. I for one almost never move plants. I use the thinly veiled excuse of having Aquasoil. _Rule #1 of Aquasoil, do not disturb the Aquasoil._ In reality, I'm just worried about messing with the scape too much (or I'm just lazy, you be the judge).

Thanks for the encouragement on the scape. I like the sound of a mystical forest. I planned that. From the beginning. Because I'm awesome like that. 




Ugly Genius said:


> That's some nice wood!
> 
> You did really good setting it up. My sense of scale is thrown off with this hardscape. The only thing giving me an indication that it's a gallon and a half is the thickness of the glass. (Either that or you have a big ass pocket knife.) You have an eye for detail and a disciplined precision that's going to serve you well with this tank.
> 
> ...


Thanks Ugly! Coming from someone such as yourself whose tanks I've admired and idolized for years, that means a great deal to me. Please, by all means, feel free to chime in with any ideas you have for planting. I know I will put some fissidens on the wood (cliché, I know, but I LOVE that plant). I also bought some Ammania sp "Bonsai" for it. I do know that I DON'T want to go the dwarf baby tears route. I'd like to keep this tank fairly simple, and HC will require too much work. Glosso is always pretty, but I think the scale would be too big for this tank, and I've always had a really hard time with Glosso for some reason. DHG is another favorite, but I've got that going in a different pico, and I'm not sure if I want it in this tank, too. I'd love to hear your suggestions! (Especially when it comes to plant placement)

Glad to know that I'm not the only crazy one. I still have a 25 lb chunk of beautiful petrified wood that I've been sitting on for years, that I can't bring myself to break up. I just keep telling myself that I'm saving it for when I finally get a big(ger) tank, and then I go out and buy more for the small tanks in the meantime.

Well, I'll do my best to keep it interesting. Oh, and thanks for being secure enough to compliment another man on his wood. roud:



35ppt said:


> Yeah, I've been wanting the 12L, too. And now thanks to you, this 1.5 is whispering my name.
> Thanks for the tons of photos
> 
> Did you put mesh on the filter outflow or some other mod, and why?


12 LOOOONGGG. One day. You know what? I really had a hard time deciding between the 1.5 and the 3 gallon. I kept faltering back and forth. I almost cancelled my order for the 1.5 more than once in favor of the 3. Once it arrived, I knew I had made the right choice though. The real shocker is only having just over 4" of width to work with. You just don't realize how small that is until it's sitting right in front of you. The two large stones that I have in there now looked like scraps at the LFS where I found them. The long slanted one is only 5" long, and the smaller rocks? Most of them are only a 1/4" or so. I for one love the challenge of scaping small tanks, there is quite literally no margin for error. With all that being said, I say "GO FOR IT"! There's always room somewhere for a tank this size!

Good catch on the filter outflow. It's actually just plastic "canvas" mesh used in crafting [link]. You can find it at pretty much any craft store for a dollar or two a sheet. I use it for everything from diffusing light, to DIY media baskets. I'm using it in the little filter here to seperate the media compartment of the little Pico Powerfilter. It makes it easy to change out the filter sponge or floss without disturbing one another. It's also nice if I have to put in a little bag of charcoal or Purigen temporarily. Here's a better pic.




bereninga said:


> What plants do u plan to keep?


 @bereninga, I am open to suggestions. I have some Ammania sp "Bonsai" that I would like to put in there, but other than some fissidens on the wood, I have no idea yet.


Thanks for reading everyone! Now that that is out of the way I think I hear other important snow day activities calling my name, like Fallout 4 and Star Citizen.


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## 35ppt (Feb 24, 2014)

Oh great, now I feel stupid for not realizing the filter setup. I use that canvas for tons of stuff too, so now I am gonna go fix that pesky filter. Thanks!!


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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

How's this going? Have you planted yet? I'd be interested to hear what you've decided for plants.


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## megumz (Jul 15, 2015)

Love how popular this tank is getting! Can't wait to see what you do with it


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

Any update?


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