# Dymax IQ3 1.2 gallon planted nano



## fishydaze (May 1, 2009)

Looking great for such a new setup....

I also will be interested to hear how the LED works...it is only mentioned briefly in this article: http://www.plantedtank.net/articles/Lighting-a-Planted-Tank/14/ and not at all in the light bulb review which is linked to in the article.

Suggestion (if you decide to disturb anything) would be to try the front to back trick of more inches of gravel in the back, it adds to the sense of depth perception...


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## Morainy (Feb 8, 2010)

Thank you, Fishydaze! That's a great suggestion. And I'll check out your link.


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## jeffvmd (Apr 16, 2010)

tank is looking nice.
As these new set ups pop up I am being more tempted to get one.


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## Morainy (Feb 8, 2010)

That's what happened to me, Jeffvmd. I gave into temptation! Although, when I ordered it I thought that it would be bigger than it turned out to be. I thought the "3" stood for 3 gallons. I'm really enjoying it. However, it is probably small for most fish, which could easily jump out.



jeffvmd said:


> tank is looking nice.
> As these new set ups pop up I am being more tempted to get one.


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## jeffvmd (Apr 16, 2010)

@Morainy - I'm still convincing my wife about this one.
She asks me why i need another tank to set up. currenty I have a 10 gallon community tank, and the planted fluval edge with RCS and CPD's. I was thinking of setting the IQ3 as a planted blue pearl or CRS tank. 
As for the jumping issue, I was thinking about that too with regards to this tank if one would put small fishes in it.
I was thinking maybe a clear mesh cover of some sort can be customized. Kind of those mesh covers used in this site. http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/diy-do-yourself/22953-acrylic-mesh-tank-cover.html


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## Morainy (Feb 8, 2010)

Hi Jeff,

Thank you for the link describing a mesh cover. What a great idea! I think I'll try something like that.

Your wife might like to know that the IQ3 is a very attractive tank. It can really fit anywhere, it's not like having an aquarium at all because the filter is discreetly part of the tank. I think of it more as a vase with very short plants in it... One of my kids calls it an aquarium diurama!


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## jeffvmd (Apr 16, 2010)

She saw the tank and thinks its cute but she gave me "the look" which says don't even think about it.:icon_mad:
Anyway, do a search on ebay as there is a seller of the mesh.
Type in search: 1/4" Wide Clear Polypropylene Mesh For Tank Screen Tops
its $1.45 a square foot and shipping is at 5 bucks.


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## Morainy (Feb 8, 2010)

The look. LOL! 

Thanks for the tip about mesh. I'll get hold of some. My endlers had babies today! (In another tank) Maybe I can move some of them into this one...



jeffvmd said:


> She saw the tank and thinks its cute but she gave me "the look" which says don't even think about it.:icon_mad:
> Anyway, do a search on ebay as there is a seller of the mesh.
> Type in search: 1/4" Wide Clear Polypropylene Mesh For Tank Screen Tops
> its $1.45 a square foot and shipping is at 5 bucks.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

wow nice little setup. Curious to see how that LED fairs.

Are you putting endler fry in it? Wonder if they will get into the filter?


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## wendyjo (Feb 20, 2009)

I thought I read that LED's do not have the proper spectrum to support plant life?


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## Morainy (Feb 8, 2010)

Hi Downshift and Wendyjo. I don't know if the LEDs will support the plants, but the manufacturer says that the light should work. Big Als Rep is trying a planted setup using 3 of the LED lights, but I thought I'd try my experiment with 1. So far, the plants are growing. 

I am thinking of putting endler fry into the tank but not until I understand the filter better. The way that the filter works seems to be that water is sucked into the back part of the tank through a small hole in the acrylic divider, and then it is sucked through dense foam into another area where the pump is, and it flows back into that tank from that area. Unlike an AquaClear or Liberty filter, there is no intake tube. Just that little hole. The dense filter foam presses very firmly up against the hole, so I think that it would be fry safe or as fry safe as putting a foam prefilter on an AquaClear. But as I haven't tried the tank with any fish yet, let alone fry, I will start with one adult endler. I'm going to let the tank be with just plants for awhile, though, to see how the plants do.


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## jeffvmd (Apr 16, 2010)

How are your plants doing? Are they growing healthy?


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## Morainy (Feb 8, 2010)

Hi Jeffvmd,
My plants are doing really well! I'm surprised that they're all growing so well. They're not growing so rapidly that I have to prune, but the red-leafed plant has grown about 3 inches and is redder. The hygrophilia siamensis 53 B is doing very well, and so is the marsilea.I'm not very good with plant names, I'd have to look them all up to recall what's in the tank. 

I am only using one LED, so I expected to have problems, but it's great. 

The problem I had with the tank at first is that the water coming out from the pump was brutally fast. I put a couple of male endlers into it and they were blown against the glass. But then I called BigAlsOnline and the person who set up their tank told me how to adjust the flow of water. Now it's doing well. I've got 2 endler fry in there. I don't think that the tank is really big enough for adult endlers. It would be great for shrimp, though.


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## jeffvmd (Apr 16, 2010)

Looks like this tank is worth looking into.:hihi:

Does the flow have adjustment controls?


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## Morainy (Feb 8, 2010)

jeffvmd said:


> Looks like this tank is worth looking into.:hihi:
> 
> Does the flow have adjustment controls?


Hi Jeffvmd,

The flow is adjustable on the pump, which is a small thing cleverly hidden in the back section of the tank, out of sight. You can heat the tank using a 10watt Marineland heater, as it fits into the compartment.

It's a beautifully designed tank but I don't recommend it unless you want a tank that is just 1 gallon. It's a bit bigger than one gallon, but if you exclude the filter and pump part, it's a gallon or maybe less. I think it's about six inches wide.

I hope that Dymax comes out with a 3 gallon tank. I would only recommend this tank for someone looking for something very tiny. But if you do want something very tiny that is well designed and has a light, this is a good one, I think.


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## jeffvmd (Apr 16, 2010)

I am planning to use it as sort of a vase type tank with a few shrimps and probably a very tiny fish or two.
I have seen some scapes using lucky bamboo in the filter tank area to serve as part of the scape and nitrate filter.
It still is in my drawing table and I still have to get the tank.:icon_smil
Were you able to get hold of the mesh?


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## Morainy (Feb 8, 2010)

Hi, Jeffmvd

I did get some mesh from a hobby store but I haven't been using it. I used it while I had the adult endler in the tank but the adult endler didn't like the flow so I took him out. Then, after I learned how to adjust the flow, I put 2 tiny endler fry in. Right now, there's not much likelihood of the fry jumping out, so I'm not covering the tank. As well, I've got a little bit of water lettuce floating on top and the tank is attractive uncovered, so I've left it.

With adult endlers or killifish, a cover would definitely be needed. It's also possible to use a piece of Saran, just leaving an opening for air at one end.


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## chilled_fire (Jun 4, 2010)

this tank looks nice, i saw this at local peet store and costed for S$60 here, how much is it there ?
Also, I was using that LED light some time it works great with low light plants, but not so good on the ones which need more light also its difficult to look dirctly into the light, so was concerned by betta wld go blind :tongue:


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## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

How is this tank fairing after so long?


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