# Low-tech Mr. Aqua 1.5 desktop "Untitled"



## AquaAurora

I'd advise strongly against a nerite snail in such a small tank-they are major waste producers which will spike ammonia (or nitrate if cycled). Also they do not eat algae wafers and rarely learn to eat blanched veggies. They need a tank large enough to provide a lot of natural algae-your tank size will not sustain a healthy nerite.

If you get a betta you'll need a heater they are tropical fish that do best at 78-82F range. Many betta owners recommend the *hydro theo adjustable heater* (25 watt will work fine for that size tank). I'd personally not recommend a betta in your tank with your choice of landscaper though as bettas have extremely delicate fins that will rip very easily on the rough/sharp rock!

If you're willing to do a fish-less cycle and have the tank set up for a few months to age (after cycle) I'd suggest dwarf shrimp as an ideal fauna. Cycling is a must as shrimp don't tolerate ammonia or nitrite, or high nitrates. Letting the tank age a few months with plants and cycle completely allows natural food to grow n the tank for them to forage for (as they forage constantly) so you aren't raising nitrates having to add a lot of shrimp food.


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## bereninga

AquaAurora said:


> I'd advise strongly against a nerite snail in such a small tank-they are major waste producers which will spike ammonia (or nitrate if cycled). Also they do not eat algae wafers and rarely learn to eat blanched veggies. They need a tank large enough to provide a lot of natural algae-your tank size will not sustain a healthy nerite.
> 
> If you get a betta you'll need a heater they are tropical fish that do best at 78-82F range. Many betta owners recommend the *hydro theo adjustable heater* (25 watt will work fine for that size tank). I'd personally not recommend a betta in your tank with your choice of landscaper though as bettas have extremely delicate fins that will rip very easily on the rough/sharp rock!
> 
> If you're willing to do a fish-less cycle and have the tank set up for a few months to age (after cycle) I'd suggest dwarf shrimp as an ideal fauna. Cycling is a must as shrimp don't tolerate ammonia or nitrite, or high nitrates. Letting the tank age a few months with plants and cycle completely allows natural food to grow n the tank for them to forage for (as they forage constantly) so you aren't raising nitrates having to add a lot of shrimp food.


Thanks so much for the feedback! I guess no nerite or betta then. You're right, this tank is probably smaller than I think it is (it's still on its way). 

I do have a heater, but wasn't sure if I'd use one or not. It depended on the plants, but I guess most plants need warmer waters anyway so I'll use what I have once I flood the tank.


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## AquaAurora

Fissidens does fine in cold water-its in nature with 50-60F water maybe colder.


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## nomad1721

bereninga said:


> MTS is kicking in, and there's no room in the apartment! Therefore, I'd like to setup a low-tech desktop aquarium. Specs so far:
> ===
> 
> I'd like to do a DSM for this. I've never done one before, so I'll have to do some research first. The main reason is that I like the look of moss better when it's a DSM. It looks a lot more natural.
> 
> I'd like fissidens, but I have to research which kind has very small fronds.


I'm excited to see how this goes! I just convinced my fiancée to let me get the exact same tank, and it should arrive next week. This one is going on the desk next to my monitor. I'm not sure how I convinced her since I've got a pretty bad case of MTS already, and our living room in our little apartment (I know your pain) is tiny, but then again, so is this tank. Let me know if you're interested in any of the details of my planned setup -- I didn't want to hijack your thread.

I think you will enjoy going the DSM route, as long as you are patient. My last DSM tank was a 9 gal bowfront, and I kept it DSM for ten months. Before that, both of my Marina Cubus tanks were DSM for about 6 months. I love watching everything grow in just the way you want it. Nothing beats flooding the tank after all that waiting. IMHO, I would definitely recommend adding CO2 during the transition period from emersed to submerged. It might not be as critical if you only have mosses, but it really helps to eliminate any die off caused by the transition, and minimizes new tank algae outbreaks. I've transitioned 5 DSM tanks with CO2, and the plants have thrived. Even just adding a DIY CO2 setup in a 20oz bottle will be enough for a tank this size.

I've done DSM with a few mosses. Flame moss and Java moss don't fare very well. You'll hardly see ANY growth at all until you flood. Fissidens seem to do exceedingly well though. The key with the Fissidens is to keep it VERY moist (ie wet) the first week or so, and then slowly dial back the moisture. It will turn a very dark green / brown and will look like it's dead, but don't worry. Also, you can expect it to _eventually_ fill in gaps and grow out VERY slowly (it _is_ fissidens after all), but do not expect it to get very thick or bushy until you flood. It will take a few days to adjust once you do, but after that, mine has colored back up and just taken off.

Oh, and in all of my tanks that I've done DSM with fissidens, I've had it attached to driftwood. I will usually just lay the fronds on the wood and allow it to naturally attach itself over a few weeks, but some folks have had good luck cutting the fronds into fine pieces and "sticking" the bits to rocks and things. <-- might help it fill in faster.



AquaAurora said:


> I'd advise strongly against a nerite snail in such a small tank-they are major waste producers which will spike ammonia (or nitrate if cycled). Also they do not eat algae wafers and rarely learn to eat blanched veggies. They need a tank large enough to provide a lot of natural algae-your tank size will not sustain a healthy nerite.


*AuquaAurora*, I have to respectfully disagree about the nerites. I've had nerites in all of my pico tanks, including both of my .9g Cubus (Cubi? Cubuses?) that are running right now, and I plan to have one in my Mr. Aqua 1.5g as well. In all of my pico tanks I keep varieties of neo's, and the shrimp (being detritivores) thrive along with nerites and their excess waste. That being said, *bereninga*, you wouldn't want more than one _younger_ nerite in a tank that size, and I would recommend a smaller one at that. If you have horned nerites available, they are a great choice since they tend to not get as large as their olive/zebra/tiger cousins. *AquaAurora*, I DO agree with you that they aren't very fond of algae wafers or blanched veggies, but they do LOVE certain shrimp food. I feed Repashy gels and Jake's OmNomNom Shrimp Food to my neo's, and the nerites go crazy for it.



AquaAurora said:


> If you get a betta you'll need a heater they are tropical fish that do best at 78-82F range. Many betta owners recommend the *hydro theo adjustable heater* (25 watt will work fine for that size tank). I'd personally not recommend a betta in your tank with your choice of landscaper though as bettas have extremely delicate fins that will rip very easily on the rough/sharp rock!
> 
> If you're willing to do a fish-less cycle and have the tank set up for a few months to age (after cycle) I'd suggest dwarf shrimp as an ideal fauna. Cycling is a must as shrimp don't tolerate ammonia or nitrite, or high nitrates. Letting the tank age a few months with plants and cycle completely allows natural food to grow n the tank for them to forage for (as they forage constantly) so you aren't raising nitrates having to add a lot of shrimp food.


I agree with you on the need for a heater, but IMHO, the Hydor Theo is too big and too much heater for a tank this size. My recommendation would be the Marina C10. It's not adjustable, but it does have an internal thermostat, and it's about half the size of the Hydor. 10W is more than enough for 1.5 gallons. I live in a fairly cold climate and I actually have one in a 3 gal picotope, and it keeps it at a stable 78° (which is pretty good considering the tank is only a few feet away from an exterior window).

Shrimp would be my first choice as well, otherwise some of the nano killies might do fine in there. Also, a tank this size should cycle fairly rapidly, especially if it's been DSM for more than a few weeks. I can't imagine you needing to wait more than 2-3 weeks before adding fauna. Just my 2¢!

Good luck, and I can't wait to see how this progresses!


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## AquaAurora

We'll just have to respectfully disagree with eachother. I find a nerite in something that small is instantly grossly over stocked and I'd rather be under than over stocked. I've not heard of them eating shrimp foods, out of curiosity which _exact _Repashy gels and Jake foods are you using?


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## nomad1721

AquaAurora said:


> We'll just have to respectfully disagree with eachother. I find a nerite in something that small is instantly grossly over stocked and I'd rather be under than over stocked. I've not heard of them eating shrimp foods, out of curiosity which _exact _Repashy gels and Jake foods are you using?


Respectfully agree to disagree, I'm ok with that. 

The shrimp foods were a surprise to me, too. They seem to be especially fond of the Repashy Shrimp Souffle, and to a lesser extent, the the Soilent Green. Their ultimate favorite, however, is Jake's Complete Veggie. They will steamroll any shrimp (or ramshorns in my bigger tanks) to get it. Then they simply sit on top of the piece and bogart it until they've had their fill. *shrugs*


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## bereninga

@AquaAurora I may caution towards the lower end of stocking for this tank then. It'll be a long dry start, so this won't be a thought for a while.
@nomad1721 Thanks so much for all of that information! Do you have a journal or will you start a journal for yours so that I can follow as well? I didn't even tell my wife about this one (yet). But I think she'll find out once the Finnex StingRAY comes in today. lol She's already tired of hearing about the Fluval 6g at home.

I plan on doing DSM for a 2-3 months. Does fissidens fontanus stick to rock as well? I won't be using wood in my tank. I read that fontanus is one of the fissidens that can't be grown emersed, but other types can. I'm also considering triangle moss. Any kind of moss that's compact is ideal since this tank is so tiny. If you have any other moss suggestions, I'm open to ideas.

I will do Excel vs DIY CO2 as I'd like to keep the work tank low-maintenance. I don't want to be doing a lot of tank work while at my real work. hahah With DIY CO2, is it possible to use a diffuser? Is there enough pressure?

Thanks for the heater recommendation. I was hoping that there were smaller options and the Marina C10 looks small enough. How about the Marina Betta one? That looks even smaller. The heater probably won't be needed until way later since I'll be doing DSM anyway.


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## Daisy Mae

The marina betta heater at 8 watts heats my two gallon plus tank to 77 degrees, the house is a consistent 69-70 degrees.


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## Ugly Genius

Looking forward to seeing this one.

My advice for the Fissidens is Fissidens splachnobryoides. Unexpectedly tiny and would work well to throw off people's sense of scale as the plant is not used all that much, from what I can see. Not too slow of a grower, either, in my experience. (Not fast, mind you, but not super slow. Just slow. Fissidens slow.)


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## bereninga

Daisy Mae said:


> The marina betta heater at 8 watts heats my two gallon plus tank to 77 degrees, the house is a consistent 69-70 degrees.


I'm guessing that a 1.5g at 70 degrees would be heated up closer to 80 or more degrees then. That could be too hot. There's also the Hydor slim heater:
Amazon.com : Hydor 7.5w Slim Heater for Bettas and Bowls, 2 to 5 gal : Aquarium Heaters : Pet Supplies

Well, a heater can be researched later on as this won't be flooded for a while.

Ugly Genius Can that one be grown emersed? That type looks very interesting as it fits perfectly for what I'd like to do. Coral moss (mini pellia) actually comes to mind as well. Pellia and fissidens are both plants I'm more inexperienced with. Do you have a suggestion as to which one would be less difficult?


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## Ugly Genius

Both are good for what you want. I'm pretty sure that the Fissidens can be grown emersed, but I've never grown it so myself. 
I love Mini Pellia as it's so beautiful.
Neither are all that difficult, they're just very slow growers. I would say that MP is probably a bit more difficult in that you really have to nail down lighting -- not too bright to risk an algae outbreak and not too low so as to have them grow loose and stringy.

I would do both as both the plants compliment each other so well, but if you can only do one, I'd go with Fissidens splachnobryoides as it's rarer at this point and to see a full tank of the stuff would look great. It'd probably take you a year and a half to grow it all out, but after that year and a half, man, what a tank it'll be!


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## nomad1721

bereninga said:


> @nomad1721 Thanks so much for all of that information! Do you have a journal or will you start a journal for yours so that I can follow as well? I didn't even tell my wife about this one (yet). But I think she'll find out once the Finnex StingRAY comes in today. lol She's already tired of hearing about the Fluval 6g at home.
> 
> I plan on doing DSM for a 2-3 months. Does fissidens fontanus stick to rock as well? I won't be using wood in my tank. I read that fontanus is one of the fissidens that can't be grown emersed, but other types can. I'm also considering triangle moss. Any kind of moss that's compact is ideal since this tank is so tiny. If you have any other moss suggestions, I'm open to ideas.
> 
> I will do Excel vs DIY CO2 as I'd like to keep the work tank low-maintenance. I don't want to be doing a lot of tank work while at my real work. hahah With DIY CO2, is it possible to use a diffuser? Is there enough pressure?
> 
> Thanks for the heater recommendation. I was hoping that there were smaller options and the Marina C10 looks small enough. How about the Marina Betta one? That looks even smaller. The heater probably won't be needed until way later since I'll be doing DSM anyway.


No problem, always happy to help. I don't have a tank journal going yet, but I was thinking about it once the tank comes in. I've done a few journals in the past, but I'm terrible about updating them consistently. I'll do my best this time around!

Given enough time, fissidens will stick to the rock, but it doesn't attach as well as it does to wood.

I've never actually tried a diffuser on a DIY CO2 setup, but I've heard that some people have been able to use one. I'm cheap, so for me the leftover bamboo chopstick diffuser works great.

As far as the heater, I've used some of the smaller betta heaters before, and my problem with them is that they are of the "always on" type. The C10 actually has an internal thermostat and will cycle on and off like the larger heaters. The description of the Marina Betta heater makes it sound like it has a thermostat, but in reality, it doesn't. It all comes down to personal preference in the end.




Ugly Genius said:


> Looking forward to seeing this one.
> 
> My advice for the Fissidens is Fissidens splachnobryoides. Unexpectedly tiny and would work well to throw off people's sense of scale as the plant is not used all that much, from what I can see. Not too slow of a grower, either, in my experience. (Not fast, mind you, but not super slow. Just slow. Fissidens slow.)


I agree with @Ugly Genius Fissidens splachnobryoides would look great! I have actually grown in emersed as well, and it's more difficult than fontanus, but still possible. Just remember that Fissidens looks terrible under DSM! In fact, it looks so bad, I wonder if the people who haven't had success with it have been throwing it out too soon? *shrugs*



bereninga said:


> @Ugly Genius Can that one be grown emersed? That type looks very interesting as it fits perfectly for what I'd like to do. Coral moss (mini pellia) actually comes to mind as well. Pellia and fissidens are both plants I'm more inexperienced with. Do you have a suggestion as to which one would be less difficult?


Mini pellia would also look great. I was thinking of using some in my tank, but I've never tried growing it before. @bereninga You said that you've kept it, any tips on mini pellia?


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## Ugly Genius

Assuming you have your DIY setup done properly, the CO2 will work with a glass diffuser. I used about five different glass diffusers on DIY setups and all worked without problem. 

I think the trick is to use smaller bottles so as to have a stronger "working pressure".

If you go the MP route, I'd suggest DIY CO2 as MP and Excel can get a bit wonky. The MP won't melt, but you do have to be careful in how much you dose and where in the tank you dose in relation to the location of the MP as it is a bit sensitive to the stuff.


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## bereninga

Ugly Genius said:


> It'd probably take you a year and a half to grow it all out, but after that year and a half, man, what a tank it'll be!


I lol'd when I read that. A year and a half is a REALLY long time to do a DSM! Wouldn't it be more time efficient to buy more vs growing from a small amount?

Maybe I will do both MP and Fissidens splachnobryoides then. If one fails during the dry start, at least I'll have the other in the tank right? Thanks for the suggestions on the plants!



nomad1721 said:


> No problem, always happy to help. I don't have a tank journal going yet, but I was thinking about it once the tank comes in. I've done a few journals in the past, but I'm terrible about updating them consistently. I'll do my best this time around!


I will keep an eye out then.  



nomad1721 said:


> Mini pellia would also look great. I was thinking of using some in my tank, but I've never tried growing it before. @bereninga You said that you've kept it, any tips on mini pellia?


I actually have never had MP before. I've tried fissidens a long time ago, but that trial failed. I feel like I have a bit more experience and knowledge this time around (hopefully) and am willing to try again. I think the dry start will start. Plus, I have great resources right here on TPT. 



Ugly Genius said:


> Assuming you have your DIY setup done properly, the CO2 will work with a glass diffuser. I used about five different glass diffusers on DIY setups and all worked without problem.
> 
> I think the trick is to use smaller bottles so as to have a stronger "working pressure".
> 
> If you go the MP route, I'd suggest DIY CO2 as MP and Excel can get a bit wonky. The MP won't melt, but you do have to be careful in how much you dose and where in the tank you dose in relation to the location of the MP as it is a bit sensitive to the stuff.


Eek, could MP be grown without CO2? Not sure I'd want to set up a DIY CO2 setup at work. heheh

All this talk is getting me excited and I don't even have the tank yet!


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## Ugly Genius

It will be fine without CO2. You can do Excel, just be sure not to dump it right on top of the stuff too often. Get reasonably good flow and that should take care of that problem.

According to wikipedia, MP's a terrestrial plant, so the dry-start should be relatively easy. 

I should note that the first time I grew MP emersed, it went great. The second time, it failed. And every time I've grown it submersed, it grew very slowly initially, and then it hit a point where it grew very quickly. (Actually, I just checked an old tank of mine to check how long it took me to get a carpet of MP and I saw that I used Fissidens (Fontanus, though) and MP almost exclusively in that tank. You might want to check that one out as it can give you an idea of how growth went for me with the MP. I used a 13W CFL, ZooMed 501, and DIY CO2. Check that tank out here.) 

I should say that the Do!aqua Glass Cube20, while just a tad over two gallons, was always my favorite tank. Meaning, be prepared to fall in love with that little thing you're building there.


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## bereninga

Ugly Genius said:


> It will be fine without CO2. You can do Excel, just be sure not to dump it right on top of the stuff too often. Get reasonably good flow and that should take care of that problem.
> 
> According to wikipedia, MP's a terrestrial plant, so the dry-start should be relatively easy.
> 
> I should note that the first time I grew MP emersed, it went great. The second time, it failed. And every time I've grown it submersed, it grew very slowly initially, and then it hit a point where it grew very quickly. (Actually, I just checked an old tank of mine to check how long it took me to get a carpet of MP and I saw that I used Fissidens (Fontanus, though) and MP almost exclusively in that tank. You might want to check that one out as it can give you an idea of how growth went for me with the MP. I used a 13W CFL, ZooMed 501, and DIY CO2. Check that tank out here.)
> 
> I should say that the Do!aqua Glass Cube20, while just a tad over two gallons, was always my favorite tank. Meaning, be prepared to fall in love with that little thing you're building there.


I will make sure to be extra careful w/ the Excel. Also, thanks so much for linking to that journal. Seeing the photos and reading about its progress made me extra excited to try MP. I've never seen the plant IRL, so I'm hoping that my expectations of this tank are met and that I could keep the plant as well as in that journal.

===

After some research, I've settled on the idea (once this tank is flooded) of using a HOB filter like the Azoo Mignon 60. It's extremely small, and a sponge filter would look unsightly in the tank. Plus, w/ the design I have in mind, a sponge filter wouldn't be able to sit flat. I thought about a mini canister like the Zoomed 501 or KollerCraft TOM Rapids Mini, but even those are too big. I want this tank to be as small as it can get. A filter won't be needed for months, so I'm in no rush to get one.

Some good news: the tank arrives today!  I'm hoping there were no mishaps from shipping.


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## bereninga

*Low-tech Mr. Aqua 1.5 desktop &quot;Untitled&quot;*

Aw yeah!



















The clip light is way bluer than I'd like. But not sure what other options are out there that wouldn't make this tank too bright. I hope that this isn't too bright for my cubicle.

There are good things and bad things about this tank.

I like the tank size. I was on the fence for this or the Deep Blue Professional 1.5. I didn't like the black corners of that one though. 

However, the silicone job is so-so. 



















Granted those are the corners and the back bottom which would be covered by substrate anyway, it wouldn't be that much more trouble to do a neater job.

I had no idea that Mr. Aqua tanks were Taiwanese. Not that it matters. But some really nice scapes of the AGA contests have come from Taiwan, so now I feel more inspired. Lol Yes, irrational and a non-factor, but I'm a nerd.


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## nomad1721

bereninga said:


> After some research, I've settled on the idea (once this tank is flooded) of using a HOB filter like the Azoo Mignon 60. It's extremely small, and a sponge filter would look unsightly in the tank. Plus, w/ the design I have in mind, a sponge filter wouldn't be able to sit flat. I thought about a mini canister like the Zoomed 501 or KollerCraft TOM Rapids Mini, but even those are too big. I want this tank to be as small as it can get. A filter won't be needed for months, so I'm in no rush to get one.


We seem to be on the exact same page. I've got an Azoo Palm filter / Mignon 60 sitting unused and I thought it would be perfect. I had a TOM Rapids Mini on a 1.5g before and I really had to dial down the flow to keep the plants and critters from being overwhelmed.



bereninga said:


> Aw yeah!
> 
> The clip light is way bluer than I'd like. But not sure what other options are out there that wouldn't make this tank too bright. I hope that this isn't too bright for my cubicle.
> 
> There are good things and bad things about this tank.
> 
> I like the tank size. I was on the fence for this or the Deep Blue Professional 1.5. I didn't like the black corners of that one though.
> 
> However, the silicone job is so-so.
> 
> Granted those are the corners and the back bottom which would be covered by substrate anyway, it wouldn't be that much more trouble to do a neater job.
> 
> I had no idea that Mr. Aqua tanks were Taiwanese. Not that it matters. But some really nice scapes of the AGA contests have come from Taiwan, so now I feel more inspired. Lol Yes, irrational and a non-factor, but I'm a nerd.


Very nice! I'm glad it made it! Mine came in Monday, but unfortunately I've had to work late the last few nights, and I haven't made it home before the apartment office closes. Hopefully I'll be able to pick it up tomorrow. *fingers crossed*

I know how you feel with the light. I have one of those on my chrome-rimmed 5 gallon, and if it were on the same table as the rest of my nano's it would like out of place with how blue the light is. You do get used to it though, and IMHO I do think that the shrimp look better under a higher Kelvin light. BTW, it was also pretty easy to remove the splash guard and cover up the blue LED's with some electrical tape.

TBH, the reason I didn't go with a Stingray on my 1.5 is that I was afraid that it would be too much light for that shallow of a tank. With how well all of my plants are doing in the much deeper 5 gallon I think it is a much better light than people give it credit (especially for under $25). Originally I wanted to use the Mr. Aqua clip light on the tank because, well, ... Mr. Aqua. *shrugs* After a lot of research I found out that it had 9 white leds and 3 blue. I couldn't find anything about the spectrum, and I was afraid that it would be too blue as well.

I run a DBP SolarFlare Micro on my two .9g pico's and it is an amazing little light. 1 3W LED @ 6700K and it has been strong enough to grow DHG, HC, glosso, and others. I also like how minimal it is. I was going to use a couple of them on my Mr. Aqua tank, too, but since I was going to paint the back panel, the suction cup mounts (the light's only downfall) wouldn't stick.

This time around I'm going with two Azoo Nano LED's off of fleabay [Item# 200947183704] They're about the same price as the DBP LED, but they attach to the rim of the tank. I received mine today, they're 3W each @ 7200K, and they seem to be solidly built. I haven't come across anyone on TPT using them, so I don't know how they'll be long-term. 

If you don't like the Finnex light, my suggestion would be to look into the Deep Blue Professional SolarFlare Micro. If you can deal with the suction cup mount, it is an amazing little light.

/soapboxrant


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## bereninga

@nomad1721 Once you get the Azoo going, let me know what you think. A filter won't be for a while for me. Are you also doing a dry start?

Good luck on your tank arrival! 

Now that I think of it, I didn't do my homework to see the par levels of the clip light! Do you happen to know where to find a chart? 

I thought about getting the SolarFlare but it sounded like there's not much spread and it's also quite strong... But only in the middle! It's nice to have many options though. I'll prob find out if the clip light is too bright after the flooding. I want this tank to be very low maintenance. I'd be interested to see how those Azoo LEDs work out for you.


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## nomad1721

bereninga said:


> @nomad1721 Once you get the Azoo going, let me know what you think. A filter won't be for a while for me. Are you also doing a dry start?
> 
> Good luck on your tank arrival!
> 
> Now that I think of it, I didn't do my homework to see the par levels of the clip light! Do you happen to know where to find a chart?
> 
> I thought about getting the SolarFlare but it sounded like there's not much spread and it's also quite strong... But only in the middle! It's nice to have many options though. I'll prob find out if the clip light is too bright after the flooding. I want this tank to be very low maintenance. I'd be interested to see how those Azoo LEDs work out for you.


 @bereninga I'm not planning to go the DSM route with this one. I've got to have it ready in a month or two for some Tangerine Tigers I'm getting from a friend. I never was able to find any PAR data for the Stingray clip light. There was a thread somewhere that had PAR data for some of the larger fixtures, I'll have to see if I can find it.

I know what you mean about the Solarflare, I wasn't impressed with the light spread when I first got it, but I was able to go somewhere (ebay? dx.com?, idk) and purchase some LED lenses that were the same size. They spread the light out from about 60°-80° to 120°. If you ever end up going that route eventually, PM me your address and I will mail you a few of the lenses, I've still got 4 or 5 of them sitting around.





I was finally able to grab my package (wow, that sounds bad) from the apartment office today, and I am REALLY excited by the Azoo lights. Great light spread, nice color, and excellent build quality. They look good on the tank, too. I will try and get my journal going tomorrow. Until then... a slight thread-jack/teaser.


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## AquaAurora

I found mr.aqua's slicone work to be not that great for the price when compared to aquatop aquariums. Aquatop does a more more seamless clean silicone job, but they don't have as many unique tank sizes.
Those azoo lights are odd, I'd not seen them before (i know about the mini flare with goose neck and the small clip on flat led light), whats the full name/term used for these particular lights?


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## bereninga

nomad1721 said:


> I was finally able to grab my package (wow, that sounds bad) from the apartment office today, and I am REALLY excited by the Azoo lights. Great light spread, nice color, and excellent build quality. They look good on the tank, too. I will try and get my journal going tomorrow.


Hahah @ the package joke!

Thanks so much for the info and offer for the lenses! I think I might go with the same Azoo lights if the clip light is too much light. I won't be flooding for at least a month, though, so I won't know until then. I think the solar flare would only cover the middle of the tank unless I get two. In that case, I prefer the look of those Azoo lights.  They look legit! Hopefully they won't be too bright. Since I'll mainly have slow growers, I won't need too much light at all. How many LED pods are in each box?

That cube you have is looking good. Is that a CO2 line going in there next to the intake? And what are those little cubes inside the tank?

Also, which size aquarium mat did you get? It looks like the smallest one from Mr. Aqua wouldn't fit to size for the 1.5. I completely forgot about getting one because this is my first rimless tank (the Fluval Edge doesn't count since it already has a bottom mount).


----------



## bereninga

AquaAurora said:


> I found mr.aqua's slicone work to be not that great for the price when compared to aquatop aquariums. Aquatop does a more more seamless clean silicone job, but they don't have as many unique tank sizes.
> Those azoo lights are odd, I'd not seen them before (i know about the mini flare with goose neck and the small clip on flat led light), whats the full name/term used for these particular lights?


The Aquatop tanks look pretty good, esp since they're high clarity and low iron. But that's probably why their a little pricier. The green edges on this one is noticeable, but I personally prefer the landscape form than cube style, despite the fact that a cube provides better depth for scaping. I would highly consider Aquatop for my way-in-the-future larger tank.


----------



## nomad1721

AquaAurora said:


> I found mr.aqua's slicone work to be not that great for the price when compared to aquatop aquariums. Aquatop does a more more seamless clean silicone job, but they don't have as many unique tank sizes.
> Those azoo lights are odd, I'd not seen them before (i know about the mini flare with goose neck and the small clip on flat led light), whats the full name/term used for these particular lights?


I agree. Mr. Aqua can be pretty hit or miss it seems, but man do they have some great tank shapes/sizes! I've posted more info on the lights in my tank journal. [Link]



bereninga said:


> Hahah @ the package joke!
> 
> Thanks so much for the info and offer for the lenses! I think I might go with the same Azoo lights if the clip light is too much light. I won't be flooding for at least a month, though, so I won't know until then. I think the solar flare would only cover the middle of the tank unless I get two. In that case, I prefer the look of those Azoo lights.  They look legit! Hopefully they won't be too bright. Since I'll mainly have slow growers, I won't need too much light at all. How many LED pods are in each box?


Each light has one 3W LED, like the Solarflare Micro's. The fixtures are sold individually.



bereninga said:


> That cube you have is looking good. Is that a CO2 line going in there next to the intake? And what are those little cubes inside the tank?


Thanks! It's actually the air line for the breeder box intake. I have it functioning as a HOB of sorts. It actually collects quite a bit of waste and other junk. Almost doubles the water volume, and allows me a place to grow more plants. 



bereninga said:


> Also, which size aquarium mat did you get? It looks like the smallest one from Mr. Aqua wouldn't fit to size for the 1.5. I completely forgot about getting one because this is my first rimless tank (the Fluval Edge doesn't count since it already has a bottom mount).


LOL, I ordered the 24"x12" one from MarineDepot along with the tank and just cut it down to fit. The rest will either be saved or used for other picos. I'm sure you've seen that yoga mats make pretty good tank mats. I've also used shelf liners, mousepads, and bulk neoprene from a fabric store (my favorite). I'm not too impressed with the Mr. Aqua tank mat TBH. It's basically just a much thicker version of the craft foam sheets you get for kids at craft stores. At $6, though, it's by no means a ripoff, and better than nothing.


----------



## nomad1721

bereninga said:


> Do you have a journal or will you start a journal for yours so that I can follow as well?


Journal started. [Link]

Oh, and from our conversation earlier, in my journal there is a pic of the Marina C10 so you can see the size/scale of it in the tank.


----------



## bereninga

@nomad1721 I replied to your comments on your journal. 

===

So what I'm thinking so far is that since I'll be using low-light plants, I plan to use a light, sand-ish substrate since I've never used it before and I'd like to try something new. I'm on the fence of ADA La Plada or Colorado. I think it just depends on the look I'm going for since I might use the pagoda stones from my old tank, these black rocks I have from Hawaii, or leftover dragon stone if I have any. This tank is kind of depending on what I have left over from my Fluval rescape, which might happen during Xmas break.


----------



## garrettsr71awesome

Hey bro.


Those cube things are sick.


----------



## bereninga

I originally wanted this to be a mountainscape. However I kind of ran out of rocks.

No fear though! I'll be using some old driftwood I bought ages ago. I think it'll look good with white gravel/sand underneath. Not too sure what kind of rocks I could dig up for the base. Maybe I could use plants to hide that part instead. Otherwise I'd need some very tiny rocks!


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## nchmi28

I love the wood! What part are you trying to hide?


----------



## bereninga

nchmi28 said:


> I love the wood! What part are you trying to hide?



Where the two pieces of wood meet. It's a bit hard to see but it's more obvious in person. Also where the wood would meet the substrate. I kind of am thinking aridarum mini.


----------



## nchmi28

Ah, I see it now. I would think a bushy plant, maybe a micro sword, right in front would look good. Also you could lay a moss mat across the gap. FYI when you grow java moss in a high flow area it forms a tight mat within a month or 2.


----------



## bk.

I need to get off this forum. Every time I see a new tank in different dimensions I want to get a new tank up and running.


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## bereninga

Ready for some moss! And some rocks or something in front.


----------



## Daisy Mae

I like it! Looks much bigger than it actually is.


----------



## Tiptop

Gorgeous little tank, looking forward to the scape


----------



## nomad1721

bereninga said:


> I kind of am thinking aridarum mini.


I had never heard of that plant until now. It is gorgeous though! Is it somehow related to buce?



bereninga said:


> Ready for some moss! And some rocks or something in front.


This looks amazing! Even I was having some trouble establishing the scale, and mine is sitting 12" from my face. I actually had to tipple check to make sure you didn't pull a fast one on us and switch to a bigger tank! I love the sand. Is that the ADA La Plata? 

Can't wait to see how this one comes along!


----------



## bereninga

nomad1721 said:


> I had never heard of that plant until now. It is gorgeous though! Is it somehow related to buce?


I actually don't know that much about the plant. To me, it looks like a buce and a crypt had a baby and out came an aridarum. Being that it's not a root feeder, looks like a crypt and is very small, I think it would fit well in this tank since it's sand substrate. It's quite expensive, so that's why I haven't decided fully yet. I agree, it is a gorgeous plant!



nomad1721 said:


> This looks amazing! Even I was having some trouble establishing the scale, and mine is sitting 12" from my face. I actually had to tipple check to make sure you didn't pull a fast one on us and switch to a bigger tank! I love the sand. Is that the ADA La Plada?


Thanks! I was hoping to get that effect. The depth does look a bit more in the photo than in real life. Not sure how that happened. I think the slope of the sand. I ended up cutting that branch all the way on the left (the one bending downwards) and immediately thought of your journal post about the internal mental arguments. lol Yes, I picked up some ADA La Plata sand last night. I was able to use barely half of the 2kg bag. I may end up using the other half in my Edge after the rescape. I plan to pick up some coral moss tomorrow.


----------



## Aquarium_Alex

I was halfway through typing, "nice hardscape, it makes this look pretty big for a 5.5 gallon," when I saw that this is actually a 1.5 gallon.

So yeah, that's a big compliment.

Edit:

Do you still have that piece you cut off? You should silicone it to a rock and bury the rock under the substrate at the base of the left piece. It will give the tank lots of depth IMO.


----------



## bereninga

Aquarium_Alex said:


> I was halfway through typing, "nice hardscape, it makes this look pretty big for a 5.5 gallon," when I saw that this is actually a 1.5 gallon.
> 
> So yeah, that's a big compliment.
> 
> Edit:
> 
> Do you still have that piece you cut off? You should silicone it to a rock and bury the rock under the substrate at the base of the left piece. It will give the tank lots of depth IMO.


Thanks! Wow, all of these comments is starting to put a lot of pressure on the future of this tank. Maybe I should just leave it alone.

I like the root idea! I think I have to go garbage diving to find that twig now. Before throwing out, I was thinking to myself, "Hm, what can I do with this piece?" Thanks for the suggestion!


----------



## bereninga

Dry start begins today.

Mini pellia and rose moss were added. I chopped them up and painted them onto the wood and rocks. I've never done that before, and it was really mentally relaxing. Def made me feel that this hobby is more artsy than just a hobby.

Mini fissidens will make its way somewhere but probably not much will make it in. Probably attached onto rocks and some more in the background. 

I've never had any of these plants before nor did a dry start before, so I'm really hoping I can pull this off.


----------



## nomad1721

bereninga said:


> I've never had any of these plants before nor did a dry start before, so I'm really hoping I can pull this off.


Looks like a great start! I have a feeling that this will look amazing once it grows in (and it should be fairly quick with how much moss you started with).

Can I make a suggestion for the dry start? Get the water level below the level of the substrate. Standing water has a habit of turning into an algae factory during DSM. Good luck!


----------



## LRJ

This is gonna be awesome.


----------



## bereninga

nomad1721 said:


> Looks like a great start! I have a feeling that this will look amazing once it grows in (and it should be fairly quick with how much moss you started with).
> 
> 
> 
> Can I make a suggestion for the dry start? Get the water level below the level of the substrate. Standing water has a habit of turning into an algae factory during DSM. Good luck!



Thanks so much! Suggestions are def welcome as I'm entirely new to the DSM process. I appreciate the tip! That water level did go down as the water evaporated. However it rose again once I sprayed last night. But I'll def make sure to not let it get above the substrate. DSM afterall is about avoiding algae. I'll have to find a way to mist more selectively or drain out excess. 



LRJ said:


> This is gonna be awesome.



I sure hope so! But it won't be for a long time. Haha

===

I just realized that not only do I have mini fissidens coming, but I completely forgot that I ordered some buces. Gah I hope it doesn't get too crowded in here. I have ideas in my mind on where this tank will look in the end. But def can't get any more plants. Does anyone have advice on resisting collectoritis? Pls don't tell me to get another tank!


----------



## Opare

*Low-tech Mr. Aqua 1.5 desktop &quot;Untitled&quot;*

To remedy your collectoritis I wouldn't say another tank per se, but possibly an emersed nursery/farm. That way you can keep plants you want in a more efficient manner and you don't have to buy tanks or worry about scaping.

EDIT: Also keeping a sample of all the plants that you own at different points means you always have a supply of plants if you wanna reuse the same species etc. And it can be as easy as chucking some soil and some plants into a tupperware next to a windowsill!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Aquarium_Alex

I don't think buces will necessarily make it overcrowded. You'll just have to use them well I guess. 

The tank looks awesome so far though!

What kind of buces are you getting? Some of the mini varieties like mini catherine would look sweet in here.


----------



## bereninga

Opare said:


> To remedy your collectoritis I wouldn't say another tank per se, but possibly an emersed nursery/farm. That way you can keep plants you want in a more efficient manner and you don't have to buy tanks or worry about scaping.
> 
> EDIT: Also keeping a sample of all the plants that you own at different points means you always have a supply of plants if you wanna reuse the same species etc. And it can be as easy as chucking some soil and some plants into a tupperware next to a windowsill!
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Ah, this is great advice! I think that's one of my issues. I feel bad paying for plants and then when I want to change things up, I have to buy them again. Perfect solution for collectoritis.



Aquarium_Alex said:


> I don't think buces will necessarily make it overcrowded. You'll just have to use them well I guess.
> 
> The tank looks awesome so far though!
> 
> What kind of buces are you getting? Some of the mini varieties like mini catherine would look sweet in here.


Thanks! I have some B. kedagang on the way. It should arrive tomorrow. I thought about mini catherine, but I bought the kedegang instead. It's from a seller I've never purchased from before so I didn't want to invest too much. If I get good plants and have a good overall purchase experience, I'll look into some mini versions. I don't know how big or small B. kedagang will be.

===

Just got home today and saw a lot of mold covering the driftwood. Ah! So I got some Excel and a paintbrush and painted onto the mold to hopefully kill it. I wasn't able to get to everything, but I've now opened the top to dry things up a bit. I think it was too moist because the water level was about a cm above the substrate before I left yesterday morning. I sprayed just now and once the wood dries up some, I will cover up again later and open slightly to get some circulation. I think the setup was way too wet before. The water level is way lower now, like not above the substrate at all.


----------



## amphirion

looking very good! love the layout, has very nice flow. good use of partial burial of the pieces to make the wood look like one whole structure. i love using that trick. if there were anything i would add (you're free to take or leave my advice), it would be to create a steeper slope, lower in the front, higher in the back, though this is dependent upon how deep the driftwood goes into the substrate. for a more naturalistic-type scape, i would suggest getting gravel similar to color to the sand and scatter portions of it around the base of the driftwood, which gives a sense of gradual erosion, as opposed to abrupt definition between the sand and the driftwood. its a tiny detail, but it makes a huge difference imho.

one last thing that i am learned before executing my current scape--be mindful of the sense of scale. how large do you want your tank to look? is that a tree, or a shrub? the plants that you chose will help create that sense of scale. if you want shrub, the B. kadagang will work well to fit your demands. If an ancient mangrove is what youre aiming for, then the B. mini catherine will work better in that setting. 

regardless of your choices, i will be keeping tabs on this thread. thanks for sharing!


----------



## Opare

No worries! Always happy to help


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## bereninga

amphirion said:


> looking very good! love the layout, has very nice flow. good use of partial burial of the pieces to make the wood look like one whole structure. i love using that trick. if there were anything i would add (you're free to take or leave my advice), it would be to create a steeper slope, lower in the front, higher in the back, though this is dependent upon how deep the driftwood goes into the substrate. for a more naturalistic-type scape, i would suggest getting gravel similar to color to the sand and scatter portions of it around the base of the driftwood, which gives a sense of gradual erosion, as opposed to abrupt definition between the sand and the driftwood. its a tiny detail, but it makes a huge difference imho.
> 
> one last thing that i am learned before executing my current scape--be mindful of the sense of scale. how large do you want your tank to look? is that a tree, or a shrub? the plants that you chose will help create that sense of scale. if you want shrub, the B. kadagang will work well to fit your demands. If an ancient mangrove is what youre aiming for, then the B. mini catherine will work better in that setting.
> 
> regardless of your choices, i will be keeping tabs on this thread. thanks for sharing!


Thanks for the feedback @amphirion! I think a steeper slope will be implemented. I do some some extra sand to use afterall. I can't bury the driftwood much more since I do have some moss and MP near the bottom of it, but I do have some wiggle room in front because the substrate doesn't have to be that deep in that area. I could add more sand underneath.

I also do have some extra pebbles laying around that I could use to help make the transition from the wood to the sand more natural. Once I get the buces in, I'll see how to add those. Great advice though! Thanks!

Since I have kedagang on the way, it looks like would probably look more like a shrub. I did look at mini catherine and I love that look of it. I originally wanted to use mini aridarum, but the price was a bit too rich for my blood. I got the buce at an extremely low price as well, so it was hard to pass up.


----------



## bereninga

Week 2 of the dry start and it's not going too well.

I had mold issues in week 1 and used Excel to get rid of it, but then I think it contacted the mini pellia on some of the driftwood just by liquid running down the wood. So a lot of the mini pellia melted and/or isn't looking too good. Not sure if it really is from the possible runoff or maybe it's transitioning to emersed. But I also was away for a few days and couldn't spray the setup. So that also may have affected the MP. It did look fine before I left so probably being away for a few days did it. 

Anyway, as you can see I added the Buce kedagang and mini fissidens. The rose moss is looking okay. But a lot of the moss and mp I added to the branches are looking bad. Either dry or looking like mush.

Mush MP









Healthy MP









Most of the healthy MP, rose moss and mini fissidens are near the substrate or the bottom part of the driftwood. So maybe it's not humid or wet enough at the upper branches. I have no idea. If it's too humid then I get mold. If it's not humid enough, then stuff dries out. I thought DSM is supposed to be easy!

Buce kedagang from Hans Aquatics









They went a few days without spraying so they're not looking their best.

Overall this process isn't going as well as I had imagined. I had a total different outcome of this process. But DSM is really just as much trouble IMO. I hate feeling like a newbie. 

Any help or advice would be appreciated. Of course NEVER use Excel again is a given.


----------



## RWaters

"... NEVER use Excel again is a given" should be "NEVER *misuse* Excel again is a given". It's not the products fault that using it improperly has unintended consequences.


----------



## bereninga

RWaters said:


> "... NEVER use Excel again is a given" should be "NEVER *misuse* Excel again is a given". It's not the products fault that using it improperly has unintended consequences.



Oh yeah. Out of context that phrase I used sounds a bit extreme. I meant that I shouldn't have misused Excel in this DSM. Maybe I should've used an H202 solution instead. I'm not blaming Excel for my mistake. But if you have any other advice, I'm all ears as this is my first DSM.


----------



## Nordic

Daisy Mae said:


> The marina betta heater at 8 watts heats my two gallon plus tank to 77 degrees, the house is a consistent 69-70 degrees.



Is it not adjustable? I know some heaters you need to pull the top off, pull out the assembly, and adjust the screw where the bimetal strip contacts.


----------



## Daisy Mae

Nordic said:


> Is it not adjustable? I know some heaters you need to pull the top off, pull out the assembly, and adjust the screw where the bimetal strip contacts.


Marina Betta Submersible Heater for Aquarium: Amazon.ca: Pet Supplies

I didn't know you could do that with heaters. This particular one does not look like the top would come off though.


----------



## Nordic

I see, yeah I was talking about the type that comes in a glass tube, they just require a bit of tugging and twisting.


----------



## bereninga

Speaking of heaters, I hear that MP and fissidens like lower temps. Would the buces suffer from lower water temps? Or is there a happy medium temp in which both types of plants can survive?

Also, I've read that MP can turn to mush as it adjusts to new water params (I'll link later as I'm on my phone now). Or in this case a new environment totally. Since the mush isn't brown and dead completely, I'll stick to being patient and see if new growth starts to appear. I wish there was more definitive and proven information out there about this plant.


----------



## Daisy Mae

I have a buce growing in 69-70 degree unheated vase. It's very slow but doing well. 
Started as a stem piece with no leaves and no roots and now lots of new growth along the nodes.


----------



## megumz

I have this same tank and I love it!! So excited to see how yours turns out 

I started with DSM, and everything is still doing well. Just wanted to see what I could grow without pressurized C02, and everything is still alive! I think the dimensions of this tank are great, since it is pretty shallow compare to others. Good luck!


----------



## bereninga

Daisy Mae said:


> I have a buce growing in 69-70 degree unheated vase. It's very slow but doing well.
> 
> Started as a stem piece with no leaves and no roots and now lots of new growth along the nodes.


Thanks for the info! Maybe I won't need a heater afterall. I don't mind the slow growth as long as there's growth period. 





megumz said:


> I have this same tank and I love it!! So excited to see how yours turns out
> 
> 
> 
> I started with DSM, and everything is still doing well. Just wanted to see what I could grow without pressurized C02, and everything is still alive! I think the dimensions of this tank are great, since it is pretty shallow compare to others. Good luck!



I actually didn't know this tank existed until I saw yours! I previously was going to get a Deep Blue Professional but didn't like the black edges. So when I saw yours I was glad to see another option out there. I love this size because it's so tiny!


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## meowschwitz

Very nice hardscape, and especially for a tank this size. Can't wait to see it flooded.


----------



## bereninga

Lately since it's been the holiday season, there were times when I was not available to keep the set-up sprayed for 3-4 days. A DSM (IMO) is high maintenance as you have to be around every day of the process (unless you have an automated fogger of some sort) and air it out also to prevent mold.

Unfortunately, some of my buces and MP have become brown or dried out. Luckily I got the buces at an incredible low price, so I'm not too bummed. As more and more things are dying off, I'm wondering if I should just flood this thing. I'm very discouraged and bummed as my first dry start was very unsuccessful and flooding the tank feels like the only option to save what is left. I had such high hopes for this tank.

Should I be more patient w/ the DSM (it's been about two weeks) or flood it in an attempt to save it?


----------



## bereninga

Day 25 of dry start:

So I've decided to be more patient and not flood this sucker. So here's the status.

Most of the buces have melted away sadly. The ones that survived happened to be the ones under the shade of the branches. So I think the light was just too intense for them. I removed the dead matter and will probably try again once this is flooded and I have some floaters to diffuse the light.

The MP and rose moss on the top branches have, to my observation and belief, mostly dried out or melted. However, some of those parts are suddenly showing a very tiny, tiny bit of new growth and greenness. I feel like it's just a waiting game at this point to see if they bounce back, but the growth is extremely very slow.

The most progress has probably been the lowest part of the scape. The rose moss, mini fissidens, and MP are all still green (so far) and recently have shown new, very green growth.

I'm hoping that the progress continues. Not sure how long I plan to keep this going. It's been a long painful process that I most likely will not try again. I say that now since I've lost a few plants. If I actually get the results I've imagined, my opinion may change. I'll update with photos later tonight.


----------



## anfield

Either reduce light intensity or raise the light. At such close quarters it's too hard to keep the plants from dryingnout. You can lower the light again when you flood. DSM on substrate is a lot easier than on rock/wood.


----------



## bereninga

*Low-tech Mr. Aqua 1.5 desktop &quot;Untitled&quot;*



anfield said:


> Either reduce light intensity or raise the light. At such close quarters it's too hard to keep the plants from dryingnout. You can lower the light again when you flood. DSM on substrate is a lot easier than on rock/wood.



Sigh, I wish I had this advice from the start! Def makes a lot of sense now. I have a clip light so not sure how I can raise it higher than the edge of the tank. I'll try to think of something. Thanks!

===

Photos of some of the issues I've run into. Sorry they're not that detailed. I guess medium size is no good. I'll stick to large from now on.

First, here's a full tank shot:









You'll notice that the tops are all brownish while the bottom is still green (and the lonely Buce alive in the shade). But wait! There's still a glimmer of hope. There's still VERY little green left on the tops. And when I say very little, it's like VERY VERY little.



















Is it salvageable? Not sure at this point. But the good news is that the bottom is getting some new growth and is still very much alive. 



















See the bright green spots in the mini fissidens and rose moss? That's all new growth! Hopefully it'll keep coming.


----------



## anfield

We all learn the hard way. How often are you misting the wood and with what?


----------



## bereninga

anfield said:


> We all learn the hard way. How often are you misting the wood and with what?


I mist once in the morning, when I get home from work, and sometimes before going to bed. So 3 times. I have a spray bottle with water that's been treated with prime. I make sure nearly every plant is wet with every spray. There are some weekend days where I spray just once though.


----------



## bereninga

A lot greener today than my last post! It's the 6th week of the dry start. The rose moss and mini fissidens has really taken off. I'm not sure how much longer I'll continue this. Maybe I'll flood on the 60th day? Or I could just keep going with this and NEVER fill.

The mini fissidens:









Rose moss:









I also added some Java moss:









Mini pellia (and the sad remains of a Buce in the background):









I never knew that watching moss grow could be so exciting.


----------



## Aquarium_Alex

This tank looks mind-bogglingly large!

It can hold its own even against much larger tanks it seems! I can't wait to see it flooded. I think you should include some buces, or at least anubias, once it is flooded. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## bereninga

Some more detail shots. I seriously am thinking of never flooding this thing.


----------



## bereninga

Some updated photos of this dry start! This is week 12 now.


----------



## bereninga

Just wanted to add some real macro (instead of cropped) shots. This is my first time using a macro lens, so excuse any newbie mistakes.

I really like looking at all of the little details of these plants, though. I've never been able to look this close before. I've come to discover that macro photos are really hard to compose. I can't imagine trying to take photos of organisms that actually move. I now have more appreciation for the work of film makers who can get so close to those living things out there.

Anyway, onto the photos!

Mini fissidens:


















Mini fissidens growing from the driftwood:




























Rose moss:









More rose moss (with a few sprigs of java moss):









Rose moss (and java moss photobombing again):










Mini pellia:



























Thanks for looking! Will this tank get flooded some day? Hm, maybe!


----------



## agfish12

Looks awesome!!!! Love this tank 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Fiftymeatballs

Love it! What are your plans for a filter?


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## bereninga

agfish12 said:


> Looks awesome!!!! Love this tank



Thank you!



Fiftymeatballs said:


> Love it! What are your plans for a filter?



Thanks! Not sure yet. Maybe an Azoo Palm or DeepBlue Biomaxx. I haven't decided yet. Something that won't be too strong though. Maybe just a sponge filter could do, but that takes up so much space and there's not much room in here.


----------



## Greenz

You have a gorgeous tank and bravo for staying patient and not giving up - its paying off. I've learned a lot from this journal. The moss will probably really take off at some point once its filled 




bereninga said:


> Some updated photos of this dry start! This is week 12 now.


----------



## bereninga

Greenz said:


> You have a gorgeous tank and bravo for staying patient and not giving up - its paying off. I've learned a lot from this journal. The moss will probably really take off at some point once its filled


Thanks so much for the compliments! I'm glad that my journal has helped you. If I could help at least one other member, then I'm happy. 

The rose moss has already started to take over in places I haven't placed it. My favorite of all of these so far has been either the fissidens or mini pellia. Both grow painfully slow, though! I wish I could fastforward to having bunches of these plants. However, it might take a year or so. Now I know why these plants are so expensive.


----------



## locus

bereninga said:


> Some updated photos of this dry start! This is week 12 now.


I really dig this, hard to believe it's such a small tank!

What sort of macro lens are you using for your recent pics?


----------



## bereninga

locus said:


> I really dig this, hard to believe it's such a small tank!
> 
> 
> 
> What sort of macro lens are you using for your recent pics?



Thanks! I should post a photo with a soda can next to it for scale. 

I rented a lens for the macro shots. I used a Canon 100mm f/2.8L. I really liked it. It was quick to focus and the build quality was real nice. The image stabilization was a bit noisy though. Once you focus you can hear the mechanism start up and then stop after release. 

I don't have a macro lens of my own. Tamron on released a new version of its 90mm macro and it's pretty tempting. It seems pretty heavy though and the Canon L version is nearly the same price refurbished. I'm waiting to see how the reviews go for the Tamron, but I'm sure it'll be good since the previous version got a lot of praise.


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## bereninga

Just added a frosted film on the back. Not sure if it's better. Mainly the same honestly since the walls are white. Also, a bottle of Brooklyn Lager for comparison. Hehe Sorry, iPhone photo instead of the DSLR. Also, I didn't bother to wipe the glass. Happy Saturday!


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## end3r.P

This is a killer dry start. Love the different mosses and the hardscape is great. I wonder if you could leave it dry and find some kind of critter(s) to put in it...


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## Aquarium_Alex

(Still) fantastic!

I'd love to see it flooded


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## vision

awesome. love it 


Brevity and typos courtesy of my iPhone using Tapatalk.


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## pandjpudge

What a neat little tank! A macro lens would come in handy for photographing this tank.


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## Dr. Acula

This tank looks really nice. I've always enjoyed mossy 'scapes, and the wood really works for making that tank look much bigger than it is. And I kinda prefer the tank without the frosted back, if you were looking for opinions. I think being able to see through the back gave it just a little more depth. Though I certainly wouldn't be mad if you kept it on.


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## bereninga

@end3r.P Whenever people come to the place, they ask if there's something inside the tank. I always reply, "Nope, just a plant tank." haha Not sure what I could put in here that won't creep out the wife and won't be able to escape (other than fish, but even they can jump out!).

Thanks, everyone, for the feedback! I too would like to see this flooded. But it's going along so well now and I'm kind of liking its look too much to do it.



Dr. Acula said:


> And I kinda prefer the tank without the frosted back, if you were looking for opinions. I think being able to see through the back gave it just a little more depth. Though I certainly wouldn't be mad if you kept it on.


I also kind of liked it without the frosted back for the same reasons. The frost makes it look flat. I might remove it down the road, but maybe I should give it more time since I put so much effort to put it on. haha Maybe it'll grow on me.


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## end3r.P

Yeah, I too would be concerned about a critter escaping. Creepy crawlies can usually crawl right up the glass, unfortunately.


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## Aquarium_Alex

If you're looking to keep it humid you could have an upside-down 10 gallon on top of it, enclosing it. I think it would be tall enough to fit over. 

That way it would stay humid and would be easy to remove. 


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## houseofcards

That looks really good! 

The upside down aquarium is a good idea. Some mosses, riccia and other aquatic plants will stay alive by absorbing water through a piece that's still submersed. So some of the lower stuff might survive that way. The moss on the branches I"m not sure, although they might be able to be weaned off continuous moisture by spraying them a few times a day. 

The moss in my avatar is emersed moss with no moisture top.


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## Chris Jenkins

Where can I buy this aquarium? I can't find it anywhere


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## bereninga

Aquarium_Alex said:


> If you're looking to keep it humid you could have an upside-down 10 gallon on top of it, enclosing it. I think it would be tall enough to fit over.
> 
> That way it would stay humid and would be easy to remove.


I'd totally do this if this tank was placed somewhere with more space. But it's currently on a desk in a small apartment and the moisture would probably damage the desk. Great idea though! Maybe even a 5-gallon could fit. heheh



Chris Jenkins said:


> Where can I buy this aquarium? I can't find it anywhere


I got this tank from MarineDepot.com for $26 when they had a sale. 
Mr. Aqua Serene Baby 1.5 Gallon Frameless Glass Aquarium
It looks to be discontinued right now though. 

However, there is one on Amazon! Kind of pricey though:
Amazon.com : Mr. Aqua Personal Mini Bookshelf Aquarium Tank Set : Nano Tank : Pet Supplies


Aquamaxx has one of similar size, but it's taller, has more depth, is low-iron, but pricier:
AquaMaxx Long Cuboid Low-Iron Aquarium


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## houseofcards

I got one on ebay about 5 months ago. I finally took it out of the box last week. Now I have two tanks out of the box that I haven't set up yet?


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## bereninga

houseofcards said:


> I got one on ebay about 5 months ago. I finally took it out of the box last week. Now I have two tanks out of the box that I haven't set up yet?


Do itttttt. But first, update your "Dark Journey" journal. It's stale!


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## houseofcards

bereninga said:


> Do itttttt. But first, update your "Dark Journey" journal. It's stale!


Yeah, it's pretty stale alright! I think I'm going to setup the 1.5 first since I can get it up and running quicker. Hopefully it will jump start me into getting the other one up.


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## bereninga

houseofcards said:


> Yeah, it's pretty stale alright! I think I'm going to setup the 1.5 first since I can get it up and running quicker. Hopefully it will jump start me into getting the other one up.


Hahah Don't tell me it's still empty! :surprise:


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## houseofcards

bereninga said:


> Hahah Don't tell me it's still empty! :surprise:


I could tell you I filled it and it evaporated over the last 5 months, but that wouldn't be truthful. :grin2:


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## houseofcards

This looked great without water, but did you ever flood it?


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## bereninga

houseofcards said:


> This looked great without water, but did you ever flood it?


lol Thanks! And nope, it's still not flooded. hahah Growth has somewhat slowed down in the past couple of weeks. I'm wondering if it's because the mosses have nowhere else to grow or if it's because of the change in the seasons (is that a real thing?). Some of the mini pellia started growing in areas that didn't used to have it, so that's looking kind of neat and a good sign that there's more progress.

I'm partially afraid to flood it because I don't want to lose everything to melting during transition back to submerged. I've gone too far down the rabbit hole to lose it all! hahah Is this an irrational fear? I don't have room to put a CO2 system either and don't want to risk Excel because of the mini pellia. The wife kind of likes the look of the dry start as well, and I don't think she'd like me to have an open-top aquarium on our custom desk that we built.

This was originally going to be a tank to have at the office, but it turned out nicer than I thought it would and decided to keep it home. Eh, I will still think about flooding it eventually... maybe.

Anyway, I'm rambling now. Sorry.

So I just got a new macro lens today. That means I will post some updated photos! I also plan try to take a couple of shots of the surviving buce plants that I thought were all gone.

Stay tuned!


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## houseofcards

Yep I hear ya. Is it still covered with anything or just exposed. I had a little Wabi going for a while and covered it with my mini s upside down.it actually looked pretty good and kept the moisture in

Bump: Yep I hear ya. Is it still covered with anything or just exposed. I had a little Wabi going for a while and covered it with my mini s upside down.it actually looked pretty good and kept the moisture in


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## bereninga

houseofcards said:


> Yep I hear ya. Is it still covered with anything or just exposed. I had a little Wabi going for a while and covered it with my mini s upside down.it actually looked pretty good and kept the moisture in


I cover this w/ plastic wrap. I'll post of a photo of how silly it kind of looks. I would like to try to use another tank like how you mentioned, maybe like a 5 gallon, but the moisture would ruin the desk that this is on unless there was some sort of tray under it to catch the water or prevent the moisture from touching the desk. If only someone could invent or sell such a product! There are so many needs out there for aquarists that just don't exist yet.


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## houseofcards

I was just going to recommend using some clear Con-Tact advesive paper but I forgot you have the branches above the rim. You might be able to sit the tank on a type of mat and then put the other tank over it and have it rest on the mat so it doesn't ruin the desk.


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## bereninga

houseofcards said:


> I was just going to recommend using some clear Con-Tact advesive paper but I forgot you have the branches above the rim. You might be able to sit the tank on a type of mat and then put the other tank over it and have it rest on the mat so it doesn't ruin the desk.


A 5-gallon tank would actually fit nicely over it. I will measure once I get home to see if it'll fit and see how much desk space is left over. Apartment space is so limited!


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## houseofcards

bereninga said:


> A 5-gallon tank would actually fit nicely over it. I will measure once I get home to see if it'll fit and see how much desk space is left over. Apartment space is so limited!


I remember those days I grew up in an apt in Forest Hills


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## ChauDiscus

Nice setup, what kind of driftwood?


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## bereninga

houseofcards said:


> I remember those days I grew up in an apt in Forest Hills


Whaaaat a coincidence! You should come back to the area. They're opening a Shake Shack here! When was the last time you were in Forest Hills? A lot has changed lately.



ChauDiscus said:


> Nice setup, what kind of driftwood?



Thanks! I actually don't know what kind of wood it is. I originally thought it was manzanita since that was popular back when I got them 9 years ago. But looking at the email receipts, it doesn't say what kind of wood. I bought it from ebay in 2007 from this company called Rock Art Source based in TX. I wonder what happened to those people.

===

Well, I said I'd post some pix, so here they are!

*Full tank shot w/ the wrap:*










I actually measured and a 5-gallon standard tank would fit over this set up. I wonder if the light would be able to withstand the moisture.

*Mini pellia:*





































*Rose moss (Jungermannia pseudocyclop):*










*Fissidens splachnobryoides:*



















*Some mini fissidens and mini pellia making mini baby plants:*










*Some unidentified moss. If anyone can ID this, it would be greatly appreciated!:*










*Coming back from the dead: some Bucephalandra sp. 'Kedagang'! You have to really see inside the tank to even see this plant.*










*Another buce, back from the dead!*










*Finally, a full tank shot without the lame wrap:*










The mini fissidens actually got pretty long since my last FTS. Also, the mini pellia started to spread pretty nicely on the branches. I think I need to trim the random moss fronds since they're getting pretty long and just look really weird. It's only been 6 months and the first "trim" is about to happen!


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## ChauDiscus

*Low-tech Mr. Aqua 1.5 desktop &quot;Untitled&quot;*

I think it's time to fill!

Do you plan to add any stems in the back or crypts or anything?

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## bereninga

ChauDiscus said:


> I think it's time to fill!
> 
> Do you plan to add any stems in the back or crypts or anything?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


No stems. I originally was going to put anubias nana petite or something in the middle to fill in that gap. But anubias nana petite leaves are so big. I need something that doesn't need substrate since this is all sand. Anubias nana petite is the only thing that comes to mind other than some sort of buce.


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## Tyrone

*Low-tech Mr. Aqua 1.5 desktop &quot;Untitled&quot;*



bereninga said:


> No stems. I originally was going to put anubias nana petite or something in the middle to fill in that gap. But anubias nana petite leaves are so big. I need something that doesn't need substrate since this is all sand. Anubias nana petite is the only thing that comes to mind other than some sort of buce.




How about some Hygrophila Pinnatifida?

Been following since you started, real nice. One of the nicest DSM's I've seen.


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## bereninga

Tyrone said:


> How about some Hygrophila Pinnatifida?
> 
> Been following since you started, real nice. One of the nicest DSM's I've seen.


Thanks for the suggestion! Love that plant, but the leaves are way too huge. I'm thinking of a plant w/ tiny leaves that doesn't need substrate, something pretty dense as well.

Thanks also for the compliment. This dry start may be forever though. haha


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## houseofcards

I guess your testing out the new lens. Those look pretty sweet. Yeah funny, about FH. I haven't been there in probably like 15 years, I"m sure it's changed alot. Love shake Shack. 

I know what you mean about the Nana Petite, they look pretty big in my 1.5 as well. I just had a bunch so I just used them, something smaller leaf would have been better for scale.


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## Tyrone

bereninga said:


> Thanks for the suggestion! Love that plant, but the leaves are way too huge. I'm thinking of a plant w/ tiny leaves that doesn't need substrate, something pretty dense as well.
> 
> Thanks also for the compliment. This dry start may be forever though. haha




Then Anubias nana petite would be perfect, or better yet Anubias "stardust." Not as expensive as those more exotic Anubias sp.


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## bereninga

Tyrone said:


> Then Anubias nana petite would be perfect, or better yet Anubias "stardust." Not as expensive as those more exotic Anubias sp.


Oh, good suggestion! I have yet to purchase a rare plant. But I'd strongly consider this one after flooding. Thanks!



houseofcards said:


> I guess your testing out the new lens. Those look pretty sweet. Yeah funny, about FH. I haven't been there in probably like 15 years, I"m sure it's changed alot. Love shake Shack.
> 
> I know what you mean about the Nana Petite, they look pretty big in my 1.5 as well. I just had a bunch so I just used them, something smaller leaf would have been better for scale.


Yes, just got the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro. I've been on the hunt for a decent macro and I was able to get this one for $420 brand new. It was a steal! I would've liked the Canon L version or the new Tamron macro, but this price couldn't be beat. Wow, 15 years is a very long time! Yeah, the area definitely changed a lot then since.

I think that the petite looks good in the 1.5. If you have extras, there's no reason not to try right? I like the suggestion of anubias stardust though. Once I fill, I'll be on the lookout for it.


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## bereninga

*Finally flooded!*

Didn't think this would happen huh? Well, just to temper expectations: I added some bucephelandra super mini brownie from Han Aquatics (which is an awesome online store if people are looking for excellent plants) and I had one extra rock left from my other tank. So I glued the buce to that and to some of the branches. This lead to a bunch of moving stuff around and, well, it got a little messy.

I also got some mini weeping moss, but it was so hot lately that I think most of it melted in the mail. It smelled pretty bad, but I think I might try to salvage whatever was left but it's not really looking too promising. 

I have some "Ultra Mini" Dark Bucephalandra on the way and shows up tomorrow. I'll again have to find some room for it, but I'm pretty excited for it. I'm hoping that it looks as good as I imagine in my head.

I decided to go with no heater (it's so hot in the apartment) and a Deep Blue Professional Biomaxx Nano Filter. So far, the filter's been pretty good, no complaints. The water flow seems limited by the driftwood though, so I put it on almost full flow.

I don't plan on adding CO2, which might be a bad idea since the plants may try to transition to submerged state. But I don't plan on adding another CO2 system to this. So far, though, the plants have been looking ok. New growth seems to actually be faster.

One thing I'm really happy about is the natural look of the mosses growing on the driftwood, which was the effect I was going for. Right now, the buces just have to grow a little to look more natural.

I have been getting a bit of algae on the sand, though. I plan to add a bunch of shrimp to this tank soon to help with that.

Anyway, without further delay, here's the full tank shot:


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## houseofcards

Looking good after the flood. 

If you decide to use any excel in place of co2 and you put some shrimp in there, be very careful more than a couple of drops could cause problems. I'm not using a heater either I think my temp is around 68F right now.


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## bereninga

houseofcards said:


> Looking good after the flood.
> 
> If you decide to use any excel in place of co2 and you put some shrimp in there, be very careful more than a couple of drops could cause problems. I'm not using a heater either I think my temp is around 68F right now.


Thanks! I'm not really that happy w/ the rock in the middle since it's kind of huge and blocking the wood, but there was nowhere else to put it. There's a lot of nice rose moss growing behind it.

I also prob won't be doing Excel because this tank is so small and because of the mini pellia. I think it should be okay though. I want this to be as low-tech as possible. Heheh


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## houseofcards

I'm just going by the pic, but is it possible to push the rock down more into the substrate or is that petrified wood. If yes, pretty easy to break if you don't have another piece to use.


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## vvDO

houseofcards said:


> I'm just going by the pic, but is it possible to push the rock down more into the substrate or is that petrified wood. If yes, pretty easy to break if you don't have another piece to use.




I agree, burying it about 1/3-1/2 may look good unless it's blocking something nice to look at.


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## ScubaSteve

Any updates on this? Loving this tank.


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## bereninga

Not much new going on here. I got some Ultra Mini Dark Buce, which I've added on the far right side and under the branches on the left. I also added some floaters as I'm starting to get some algae. I'm thinking that even the Finnex Stingray Clip Light is too much light for this tank. Maybe I should add some shrimp to help out. I was thinking of adding a bunch of red cherry shrimp.

The super mini brownie buce (the ones attached to the rock in front) are melting a lot. There could be various reasons:

Too much light
Not enough flow (do buces like high flow since they come from streams and rivers?)
Transitioning to emersed to submerged (I don't know if these were emersed or submerged when I bought them)

Either way, they're losing leaves consistently and are nearly bare rhizomes. I see new growth on the rhizomes, but they're very tiny and very slow.

The ultra dark mini buces though have been doing okay, and they're in the shade and near the flow of the filter. The other melting buces are really making the water dirty. I sometimes use a pipette to just blow some water over the mosses, otherwise a bunch of detritus collects on them.

I kind of want this to go back to emersed. hahah So much less stress.


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## KC1994

Why not use a paintball co2 system? This would help a lot.


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## bereninga

KC1994 said:


> Why not use a paintball co2 system? This would help a lot.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


My goal is to keep this low-tech since I have another tank that already takes up too much time. I could try to use Excel, but I'd like to keep the mini pellia happy. Maybe I could try some H2O2 next water change.


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## KC1994

*Low-tech Mr. Aqua 1.5 desktop &quot;Untitled&quot;*

I am not sure why you would consider addition of co2 high tech? I have a 3G tank using co2 and led and other than a pump of fertilizer each morning and a bi weekly trimming I don't touch it lol. Just wondering, as adding co2 would only get rid of your algae problem and you wouldn't have to be concerned with high light ect. The moss and what not is a slow grower to begin with so other than occasional trim?

Sorry, no hassle, just wondering. Amano shrimp and otocinclus would probably take care of the problem.

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## bereninga

KC1994 said:


> I am not sure why you would consider addition of co2 high tech? I have a 3G tank using co2 and led and other than a pump of fertilizer each morning and a bi weekly trimming I don't touch it lol. Just wondering, as adding co2 would only get rid of your algae problem and you wouldn't have to be concerned with high light ect. The moss and what not is a slow grower to begin with so other than occasional trim?
> 
> Sorry, It just seems going the low-tech route you are only having issues.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I thought it's common knowledge that adding a pressurized CO2 system makes a set-up high tech. It's definitely not low-tech.

I agree that adding CO2 would help w/ my minor algae woes. And I have a CO2 system in the tank next to this one with which I could just split the line. However, I'd be interested if adding more floaters could help with the light intensity instead before resorting to that. I must've underestimated the intensity of the Finnex Stingray clip light. Thanks for the suggestion though!


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## KC1994

Gotcha, maybe so. I just figured plants use co2 regardless so it was more of a standard to provide it for good growth/health. 

In this case I am sure more floaters would probably solve your problem. Tank is looking good btw, the driftwood looks nice. Especially for such a small system.


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## TaylorTurner

bereninga said:


> The super mini brownie buce (the ones attached to the rock in front) are melting a lot. There could be various reasons:
> 
> Too much light
> Not enough flow (do buces like high flow since they come from streams and rivers?)
> Transitioning to emersed to submerged (I don't know if these were emersed or submerged when I bought them)
> 
> Either way, they're losing leaves consistently and are nearly bare rhizomes. I see new growth on the rhizomes, but they're very tiny and very slow.


I wouldn't worry too much about the melting _Bucephalandra_; as long as the rhizome looks healthy, it'll come back. From what I have read and experienced firsthand, they do seem to respond positively to high volume flow.

Also, I agree that your tank looks great already. It will be really nice to see it once it has settled in and grown out some!


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## houseofcards

Looks good still. With water changes are you taking some of the water from your hi-tech setups? I've always done that with non-co2 nanos and it seemed to give good results.


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## jackychun

The tank looks awesome! 


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## ScubaSteve

Looking good!


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## bereninga

KC1994 said:


> Gotcha, maybe so. I just figured plants use co2 regardless so it was more of a standard to provide it for good growth/health.
> 
> In this case I am sure more floaters would probably solve your problem. Tank is looking good btw, the driftwood looks nice. Especially for such a small system.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thank you! CO2 def does help, no question about that.



TaylorTurner said:


> I wouldn't worry too much about the melting _Bucephalandra_; as long as the rhizome looks healthy, it'll come back. From what I have read and experienced firsthand, they do seem to respond positively to high volume flow.
> 
> Also, I agree that your tank looks great already. It will be really nice to see it once it has settled in and grown out some!


I'm hoping the buces will bounce back. It's painful/sad to see the leaves melting. I'll have to take a look tonight to see how the new growth is coming along. It'll look much nicer once it grows out. I have an idea of how I'd like it to progress, it's just getting there is the long part. heheh



houseofcards said:


> Looks good still. With water changes are you taking some of the water from your hi-tech setups? I've always done that with non-co2 nanos and it seemed to give good results.


Damn, another genius idea! I'll have to try this and thanks!



jackychun said:


> The tank looks awesome!





ScubaSteve said:


> Looking good!


Thanks, you guys!


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## Xolotl

houseofcards said:


> Looks good still. With water changes are you taking some of the water from your hi-tech setups? I've always done that with non-co2 nanos and it seemed to give good results.



That's a brilliant idea, thanks!


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## Tomas_Megis

WOW! Really great nano AQ! Best DMS I had ever seen! 👍 

Sorry for my bad English... Greetings from Prague (Czech republic) 😉

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## zeldar

I didn't read the entire thread, but saw at first you didn't like the blue color of the Stingray clipon. I have a couple of them as well and used some red nail polish (black would work even better) to cover the blue LEDs. I tried to remove the splashguard but the smallest screwdriver I had stripped 1 of the screws so I just put the nail polish right on the splashguard. Works great and don't have any of the blue tint to the light anymore.


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## Couesfanatic

Any update?


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## BettaBettas

Any updates? also absolutely stunning moss tank! wonder what it would have looked like if it where still emersed??? o-o the world may never know!


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## bereninga

Okay, I haven't updated in a while. Wow, I have not been keeping up w/ the trimming in this tank. This looked so much better before when everything was growing out. But now the plants are really taking over.

Full tank shot:










Some photos of the riccardia chamedryfolia at the surface. Can anyone let me know what the white things are? I think they might be spores or flowers or something (maybe a capsule?). I'm not familiar w/ the anatomy of liverworts or riccardia, but it just looked cool so I took some very close macro shots. Enjoy y'all! Please let me know what these things are if you know.




























And my favorite (and damn expensive!) plant in this tank: java spring moss. (I need to learn how to trim better, it's looking all cray).


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## zarrow

Looks really nice [emoji106] 


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## freshwater1

Lovely tank! I would always grow messy-looking moss when I used to have it. You do a much better job. 


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## Chel-dorado

I know this post is older but I'm definitely inspired by this! I want to try making a similar setup but man I've never seen a more beautiful stick anywhere like that. It's beyond perfect. Awesome job! Hope it's going well now.


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