# Marineland Contour 5G Tall Challenge!



## Teebo

*I originally purchased this tank to start a pico reef but decided to go much bigger. I am basically using this to house my long-time aggressive Betta that lives in my 8.5 gallon riparium (realistically 5-6 gallons). That riparium tank is being upgraded to a 15.8 gallon to become a high-tech community riparium with grasses, carpets and moss. Therefor all the stem plants will be transferred into this 5 gallon Marineland Contour all-in-one.* 

















*
I am going to refrain from letting this become another wild directionless riparium, however this photo has inspired me to add a terrestrial fern to the back of my tank to compliment any emerging driftwood. I have already located the fern and it seems to be doing fine in my riparium so far, it is not a Boston Fern I have one of those as well and I put them side by side so you can see the difference. The Boston is on the right, the one on the left stays narrow. *


















*I began gathering plants for the Contour 5 in the corner of one of my tanks, you can see the terrestrial fern above in the rear. I have a large species of Amazon Sword as a background centerpiece since this tank will be so tall. To its left I have Vals and Elodea which will sway in the return pump nozzle. To its right I have Moneywort and an unidentified Coontail/Parrots Feather from the corner of my local pond it does really well in the aquarium and will survive in extremely low light, it is a very thin version of the Elodea on the opposite side. Moving away from the back wall, next row forward left to right would be Madagascar Lace, Crypt Beckettii, possibly dwarf sword/unsure yet. I will also have some Anubias in there somewhere as well as a Banana plant, with some carpeting plants/grasses around the outer rim where there is no dirt. *


















*I used this "organic" soil I have not seen before, I picked out any chunks of bark/wood/mulch and formed a mound in the center. I do not want any soil near the edges because the gravel will be too thin, so I started with the edges to hold the soil in place then I capped it and raked the gravel upwards toward the center from the edges. All the gravel is from an established tank, I rinsed it with my top off water.*


































*This is what I decided to go with, I removed the bio-sponge from the filter media basket and I am going to instead use a Purigen bag rated for a 100 gallon tank there. This is because I will be using just the mechanical filter basket frame to stuff with filter floss instead of replacing it and paying for cheap floss glued to the basket frame with a sprinkle of cheap carbon inside. As a domino effect I now need to replace the bio-media since I removed bio-sponge, so I added a ceramic media bag rated for a 50 gallon tank in the sump by the surface. This may not be in the media baskets flow path but it has a much greater surface area than the sponge had and it may get more oxygen where it is rather than down in the media basket, I traded the flow-path for more surface area I guess...not like this is a big deal because the substrate will hold lots of bacteria. I added a capful of Jungle bacteria blend to the ceramic bag before adding it to the tank as well.*


























*The light is okay but minimal, but there is room to add more lighting in the hood fixture. I had a spare 10 gallon LED hood around I was able to rob the lights out of, they are perfect I can add one to each side of the factory LED strip. Just holding them in place with my fingers and toggling the switch on and off I can tell it doubles the lighting and makes what I thought would be okay stock lighting look useless!*

















*
I used aquarium sealer to attach the lights, came out great!* 










*The tank is now cycling, it is very cloudy white (lights off) I am afraid of doing a water change too soon but I think this is all minerals from the soil. If I do a water change I will dump more bacteria blend into the ceramic bag to compensate for the cycling loss. I am waiting until the cycling is complete to add my Purigen bag.*


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## Teebo

*I did a 60% water change then added more bio-solution to my ceramic bag. Seems to have stayed clearer so I think it was the initial soil minerals, I am still waiting to add my Purigen. I had a piece of driftwood I made from a blueberry branch that was made to be used horizontally in a 15 gallon tank. I was able to finally put it to use in this tank only I used it vertically, I am quite happy with it and somehow the light barely fits between the branches! I tried to make it look as if it was growing from the bottom left corner, this will get very interesting now! I kind of regret using this color gravel though, black gravel might have looked cleaner...I will just try to cover as much of the gravel with plants so you can not see it.*


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## Chibils

Looks great dude! I love the fern idea, and the driftwood stretching out of the tank makes it look like it's reaching out into the space around it. Love it!

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk


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## Teebo

*Thanks! This was the tank I bought for a pico reef that you were following. I added some plants to start with, Jungle Val, Crypt (unplanted), Amazon Sword, Elodea, Madagascar Lace, and Moneywort. I will avoid Duckweed in this tank but I may add a single Frogbit plant. I can add some Java Moss and Petite Anubias to the driftwood, but I also want some sort of a vine to grow around the driftwood as well...possibly one that grows out of water as well so it follows the branches to the tips! I am unsure if I should hit the tank with Excel to prevent algae or if that will disrupt the bacteria colonization, as well as that Purigen...not sure if that can have any effect on start-up cycling.*


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## Teebo

*I followed through with my plans, I took one of those suction cup organizers and I cut it down so it is shorter since it tapers off at the bottom. It fits perfectly just above my ceramic media bag, as a minor of fact it sits/floats on top of it!*










*I used a hole saw on a drill to make an opening in the rear cover for the fern to grow through:*










*I took the light out of a 1 gallon Betta bowl thing, it is just enough to keep the fern growing straight and healthy. When the tank lights are off it creates an amazing shimmering effect across the bottom: *

















*
I used green thread to attach two varieties of Anubias to my driftwood, the lower one is a typical original Anubias that will grow taller and stretch out, while the upper one by the water surface is a petite version that stays tight with small leaves.* 


















*I also attached Java moss along the top horizontal branch, in hopes that it will grow horizontally along it!*


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## waterfaller1

Looks like a great start!


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## Teebo

Thanks, I am saving the best update for later this week. The bottom is growing in very well! The tank literally cycled silently and I have already stocked it, actually I added shrimp 2 weeks ago and my Betta just a few days ago. Everything is 0-0-0 I am happy with it! 


*This is how I setup the mechanical filtration, these cartridges are very restrictive even when new. If you replace the entire plastic frame with a large piece of filter floss the flow rate goes up. What I did was strip that blue filter pad away so I had a frame to work with:*










*Next I used a Dremel tool to remove all these carbon dividers so that I could maximize the room here for mechanical filtration:*


















*A piece of thick and higher quality floss from In-Tank cut to size fits snug in the frame, you can barely see the white part on the sides that fills the basket:*


























*The packet of Purigen rated for 100 gallons would have been great if it only fit, so I got media bag made to size for the space they had a bio-sponge in:*










*This is the finished and stitched Purigen packet rated for 50 gallons, you can see it is the size of the original bio-sponge on the left:*


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## Teebo

*Here is an update, I am loving this tank so much. I am keeping 'Giant Duckweed' and a single Amazon Frogbit as floaters, I do not want any small Duckweed because the giant version has a red underside to the leaf with white roots. I also added an unidentified non-rooting floater that appears to be a variety of Coontail?* 


















*I ended up planting the Crypt right where I had it sitting, weighted down. I added a second Jungle Val, more Elodea, more Moneywort, a dwarf sword on the right, Parrots Feather in the center, a ball of Java Moss in the front left corner, along with some rocks I pulled from a river then boiled (with java moss tied on), and a Crypt Parva in the front right corner. I am trying to leave a space between the Elodea and Moneywort for a red plant, I am thinking Ludwigia Repens.* 


























*I had to turn the pump all the way down for my Betta, the water is still clear gotta love that Purigen. He is a senior Betta I have had him a while, and he seems to like to use the skimmer as a magnet to park himself at the surface. The suction is so gentle it does not affect his fins/tail...if anything the shrimp do more damage trying to snack on his tail. *










*I have 4 Nerite snails: a Tiger, Horned, UnKnown, and a Zebra that was absent for the family portrait. Luckily they like to eat wood when there is no algae present, they have eaten away a lot of the top layer of my driftwood which I am fine with. My special unknown Nerite that I am now calling a Leopard Nerite was a rare find at my LFS, appears to be a cross bred snail between a Racer and a Tiger...it is by far the fastest moving Nerite I have ever owned up there with the speed of a Mystery/Apple snail and it eats like a tank.* 

















*
Lastly are my shrimp, I added two very large Amano shrimp which are imo a necessity in every planted tank. They are large enough that my Betta should not try eating them, he has been doing great with them partially due to the fact I introduced him to a tank with shrimp in it already instead of adding shrimp to his old home with him in it. I also added an odd Ghost shrimp that literally will not die, I have had this immortal thing for a long time moving it tank to tank. It has white whiskers with red bands, and an amazing personality...it actually follows my 2 Amano shrimp around sometimes and the two species get along wonderfully. Next I am going to add 2 red Cherry Shrimp for contrast and color, hopefully as the tank matures there will be plenty of hiding places to hide from the Betta...and if he eats a shrimp oh well good for him he got a snack. He will not eat frozen treats, nothing but NLS, those tiny white flatworms that live in the substrate, and sometimes live dwarf shrimp.*


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## Benboone

Looks awesome! I have the exact same tank and know how hard it was to scape such a small/tall tank. Good job! Mine has the stock lights on and a bunch of anubias in it and they grow like crazy! I get a new leaf just about every week and one of them just flowered!


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## Teebo

*It has been almost a month, time for an update! Starting at the top my fern has melted away as I await new growth, I may have to try again if it does not come back...they do fine in other tanks. I decided to remove the non-rooting unidentified floater, now I just have 'Giant Duckweed' and Amazon Frogbit. *


















*The Elodea seems to want to float I have been having a hard time keeping it rooted in the substrate so I am down a few. The Parrot's Feather which is usually invasive was mangled by my Amano shrimp I think they started eating it, then one day I found it bent over and within a day it melted away and was eaten. The Amazon Sword has blown up and I had to trim the right side of it to make light for the Elodea, I will continue to prune the right side of it. It is a good thing the Crypt is a super low light plant because the sword is eating all its light above it. The Crypt Parva has been melting, I am waiting for it to establish itself along with the Dwarf Hairgrass I added it is also melting away. I added another species of moss to the Java Moss ball on the left side corner, I had some terrestrial moss growing on the tip of an emerging rock above the water line in another tank. That was moved to a deeper tank after 6 months and the terrestrial moss became submerged...blew up and started growing like crazy which surprised me! It's a bit darker than Java Moss and it grows in straight lines without branching. My Bettas has adjusted very well and has come to peace with his new home I feel he has plenty of space and has recently started hanging out on the bottom of the tank in the plants finally instead of just at the water surface. Another thing I want to point out is the gravel, I sucked away the very top layer and replaced it with micro gravel more suited to the tank size, and feathered it in where needed. The Moneywort is staying put and finally starting to show new growth on the tips!* 










































*I forgot to mention I added 8 Red Cherry Shrimp about 2 weeks ago after seeing my Betta remain tolerant and peaceful. I think the trick was introducing him into a tank with shrimp in it already, I was trying to do it in reverse by introducing shrimp slowly to his old tank he was established in and used to being completely alone. A few days after adding the Red Cherry's though he did eat one of them and got extremely bloated (not the first time he has eaten a shrimp but they were Ghost and Amano) I think he learned his lesson with red shrimp and not to eat them lol because he does not even chase shrimp anymore! Doing a head count this morning I realized one of my RCS is pregnant, you can see all the white eggs in her stomach. I am not sure how long it will take, but I really hope some of them make it without my Betta eating them. One Ghost and one Amano have made it over the backwall and into the rear sump section at least a week ago, and I have left them back there to do some cleaning as punishment for leaving haha. *


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## TommyH

Awsome! I would locve to see my red cherry have some baby shrimpies


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## Teebo

*It has been 7 weeks since the last update, my button fern is making a comeback finally! I made a custom light bracket using a gooseneck and a glass shelf mounting bracket, and have been experimenting with different bulbs. Right now I am using a 15W PAR20 LED bulb. I added a third floating plant species to my Giant Duckweed and Frogbit, it is some sort of a floating fern.* 


























*Elodea has finally rooted and stayed down, and is now thriving. Still pruning the Amazon Sword, and the Crypt below it. The Parva is now established and making a comeback, and the moneywort is doing great. I added some Ludwigia in the back centered, that is redding up with my Iron dosing. I do not think I will have success with the Hairgrass in this tank, so I am thinking about removing it and rescaping the front of the tank...I have a few ideas in mind. I removed all Amano shrimp from the display, they are too aggressive and overpowering for the red shrimps. I have begun selectively breeding my red shrimps since they are breeding so well in here. I only keep higher grade fully red shrimp with red legs, anything that does not pass gets hulled into another tank I have to keep my population genetics in check.*
















*

The moss is becoming a headacke to get rooted to the substrate making it hard to clean the tank and such, so during my foreground rescape I think I will only keep the moss that is attached to the rocks. I will be attaching some Riccia to some rocks and adding that as well, along with de-tannined leaf litter for the front. Overall I am very happy with the background plants it is very thick back there!*


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## AquaAurora

Teebo said:


> *It has been 7 weeks since the last update, my fern is making a comeback finally! I made a custom light bracket using a gooseneck and a glass shelf mounting bracket, and have been experimenting with different bulbs. Right now I am using a 15W PAR20 LED bulb. I added a third floating plant species to my Giant Duckweed and Frogbit, it is some sort of a floating fern.*


the cat tongue like textured floater between teh frogbit and giant duckweed is salvinia minimia, very durable floating plant, does well under bright light and lids (unlike fogbit and water lettuce which can burn, or rot from condensation). I use it in most of my betta tanks.


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## Teebo

Thanks for the identification AquaAurora!
*
I went away on vacation for a week, and I was really worried about this tank on its own but it did fine. My Betta was overly excited to see me when I returned. This tank requires a lot of top off pretty much daily. So I rigged up a Hydor ATO to maintain the water level (with a very low voltage pump power supply). I also used an EHEIM Everyday Fish Feeder to feed my Betta. The circulation pump is on a timer that shuts the flow off 2 min before the feeder dumps food, and remains off for 30min so the food can be consumed without sinking. *


















*You can see the sensor switch on the right side, and the ATO tube in the background zip-tied to a piece of emerging driftwood. *


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## tlriot

Very cool to go through all this! Now that I have mine in person I'm seeing just how crazy the proportions are! Hoping to go to the aquascape store today and get some hardscape and substrate. I really love your filter mods. I was thinking about putting some ceramic in where the bio-sponge is now, but the tips on the pre-made filter pad is really helpful.


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## Varmint

Amazing solution to topping off the tank while you were away. Great idea!

This is the first time I found this journal. I was smiling when you mentioned your Betta stopped eating cherry shrimp after overeating on the first one. My Betta had a similar experience with a Rasbora. Now everyone in the tank are pals.

How old is your Betta? Except for his tail, he looks great.


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## Teebo

I really need to update this thread it has been too long, but I have been SLOWLY making drastic changes to the tank (without killing my fish and inverts). I have made substrate changes, some plants have been removed, some new ones added...anything that has been here since the beginning is fully established and thriving now!




tlriot said:


> Very cool to go through all this! Now that I have mine in person I'm seeing just how crazy the proportions are! Hoping to go to the aquascape store today and get some hardscape and substrate. I really love your filter mods. I was thinking about putting some ceramic in where the bio-sponge is now, but the tips on the pre-made filter pad is really helpful.


Please PM me your thread link, I want to follow your tank! There is plenty of room for bio-media in the sump save the high-flow area the sponge is in for Purigen trust me it makes the water beautiful with polished water. If you like to mess with your tank too much this may be a bad choice, or a good one if you need help letting it be since it sucks to work on. I am considering blocking up some of the lower intake to get more of a surface skimming effect. 




Varmint said:


> Amazing solution to topping off the tank while you were away. Great idea!
> 
> This is the first time I found this journal. I was smiling when you mentioned your Betta stopped eating cherry shrimp after overeating on the first one. My Betta had a similar experience with a Rasbora. Now everyone in the tank are pals.
> 
> How old is your Betta? Except for his tail, he looks great.


My Betta no longer touches snails or cherry shrimp, not even babies! I breed RCS in this tank now with no problem. 

What is wrong with my Betta's tail? He is a few years old. There is no rot in his tail it is now enormous.


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## Varmint

Teebo said:


> I really need to update this thread it has been too long, but I have been SLOWLY making drastic changes to the tank (without killing my fish and inverts). I have made substrate changes, some plants have been removed, some new ones added...anything that has been here since the beginning is fully established and thriving now!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Please PM me your thread link, I want to follow your tank! There is plenty of room for bio-media in the sump save the high-flow area the sponge is in for Purigen trust me it makes the water beautiful with polished water. If you like to mess with your tank too much this may be a bad choice, or a good one if you need help letting it be since it sucks to work on. I am considering blocking up some of the lower intake to get more of a surface skimming effect.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My Betta no longer touches snails or cherry shrimp, not even babies! I breed RCS in this tank now with no problem.
> 
> What is wrong with my Betta's tail? He is a few years old. There is no rot in his tail it is now enormous.


Sorry, in one of the photos, his tail looked a little odd, but maybe it was the angle of the picture. That is awesome he can coexist with the shrimp.


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## Teebo

*Okay so wow, it has been a while again. I will likely only update this thread every 2 months or so. Where to start, well my Lemon Button fern is still making a comeback but it is a very slow growing plant. I am looking into adding some Spanish Moss to the emerged driftwood allowing it to dangle down at the surface. I have removed the Frogbit because the roots get too long for this tank, and I also removed the Salvinia because it grows way too fast...faster than the Frogbit and Duckweed. The only floater I will rock in this tank is the Giant Duckweed (Spirodela Polyrrhiza).*


















*The Ludwigia has taken off I love the contrast next to the Anubias. I had to cut back both Anubias plants they are growing well, and the Java Moss on the rear branch is thriving look how much coverage I have now...I trim the Java Moss every week on maintenance day.* 


















*A lot going on down here, lots of changes. First off you may not notice but I did a substrate change (very carefully and slowly!) without harming my inverts and Betta. Luckily the old and new are the same color or this would have never worked, I started with AquaCulture gravel from Walmart. I then came across National Geographic brand tiny gravel I liked much better, and it holds plants better as well. Pictured is one of the last piles of old gravel I netted off the surface to show size comparison, every time I make changes I end up surfacing some old substrate. I removed the stones I had in here and replaced them with one giant 'dragon sandstone' of some sort. I do not know why I can not grow hair grass I think I do not get enough light at the bottom of my tank for it? I have had to cut the lace plant back it exploded out of nowhere, I know they have a dormant period maybe it was dormant but it never shed its leaves. After fighting the Amazon Sword I finally removed it, but I had to pull it up an inch and cut the main roots to avoid making a mess...hopefully the root system dies!! It never grew the way I wanted it, I planted it too far out for one and I was constantly cutting one side of it to make light for other plants in the center of the tank. So I replaced it with a Java Fern which has narrower leaves I just hope they reach as high as the sword did. The Micro Sword kept bothering me after the hairgrass went, it was just so out of place so I uprooted it just to move it 2 inches tucking it around the rock.* 


















*The Jungle Vals are not growing as fast as I want them to, and they are not propagating. From my experience they have an establishing period then they take off...I must be right around the corner from take off but they are certainly growing I have a few laying across the top surface. All the plants along the back are doing great, they get just enough light to grow with constant trimming of other plants around the tank. I am very happy with this tank I put a lot of TLC into it, and I spend a lot of time thinking before I make any changes it is next to my bed after all! I have the tank perfectly balanced, it consumes more nitrates than it produces yet my ammonia and nitrite remain 0. Technically the tank idles at 0-0-0 and I dose nitrogen on maintenance day after a 15% water change, it gets up to 3ppm for 1 day then drops back to 0ppm. Not sure that I want to add more nitrogen at a time because the algae is almost non-existent in this tank.* 


















*I removed 2 of the 3 large Nerites because I feel they were hungry so now I only have 1 large Nerite (that hybrid dotted one) and my horned Nerite. They compete with the shrimp for algae, and I certainly will never but an Amano shrimp in a tank like this again way too aggressive. I do have lots of red cherry shrimp though, my Betta leaves them alone and I am actually successfully breeding them in here to the point I have began to take it seriously and I am selectively breeding them and hulling undesirables to another tank. Here is one of my mothers, they are high grade Sakura's that I have slowly come across one or two at a time at my LFS. My standards I have set for females are entirely red with minimal or no racing stripe, with red leds and I try to avoid ones with striped red legs. The males need to be entirely red, these are the hardest to find but I gladly welcome entirely red males with clear legs as long as they do not have transparent bodies. My goal is breeding out the racing stripe and clear legs, to have high pigment 'mini lobsters' haha.*


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## tlriot

Looking fabulous! The change in gravel and adding the large stone makes it look like a totally different tank.

I'd be careful about the spanish moss. It will look amazing, but I wouldn't let it actually grow into the water where it will rot. Adding a few other small tillandsia species could be really neat, too.


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## wakka987

Awesome looking tank! 

I'm also putting together a marineland portrait, my first tank in some years, and was wondering a couple things. How did you make the mesh bag to hold the purigen? You mentioned putting it where the biofoam is supposed to go, but what do you think about putting a bag of ceramic media there and the bag of purigen behind the cartridge frame?


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## Teebo

The bag of Purigen was split into two by a seamstress using the original bag material. You could also buy a Kava/Tea straining bag and use that, or one marketed to this hobby as a media bag. I do not think there is enough room for Purigen behind the filter cartridge. I ran a bag of ceramic in the large open sump side where my heater and pump are, but after 6 months I threw it in another tank to cycle it and never put it back in this tank...I do not think I ever will either as there is plenty of bio-media surface in the tank itself plus these are small tanks so your bio-load should be so small it will not even feed your plants. My tank with a Betta and shrimps runs 0A-0N-0N I literally dose nitrates every week just to keep my plants alive.


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## wakka987

Thanks for the info. The tea straining bag sounds like a good idea. 

What heater are you using in the sump? I have an aqueon pro 50w that I was planning on using, but it barely fits in. Do you think it'd be ok? The directions say not to put a heater there, but it looks quite ugly and takes up a lot of room in the tank.


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## Teebo

I honestly never understood why they say not to use a heater back there, and if anyone can chime in and tell me I would appreciate it. I just have a basic self set 25W Tetra heater in this tank, it stays a consistent 78F and it was cheap I think I bought it at Walmart for $12.


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## wakka987

The manual just says the water level back there could run low, IDK.

Another question, did you have any issues with shrimp getting sucked in by the filter intake? Wondering if I should cover them up with some sponges or filter media in the back compartment.


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## Teebo

I never have a problem with them being sucked in, they are completely capable of swimming away from the intakes. I do however find somehow babies end up past the sponge filter and in the large sump section and are virtually impossible to remove so get used to shrimp living in the back of you tank there is no way around it (they keep it quite clean back there actually). Be fast when you change your mechanical filter pad to prevent new shrimp from entering the sump area.


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## Kubla

I've got the same tank. I've been watching yours, Tlriots and others coming along nicely while mines been sitting with water, substrate and driftwood for a while. These weekend I got much needed pond and aquarium maintenance done and had some time and energy left to spend on this tank. I was looking for this thread as I had seen your filter mods, but I couldn't find it. I ended up cutting the filter cartridge up the same way. I put a piece of course media there. I cut the bio pad at the bottom a little shorter and put a fine pad on top of it. I'm concerned about it getting quickly clogged but we will see. It's the same dimensions as the edge of the bio pad. I also added a bag of pumice to the main chamber. Now that I've found this thread again I'll probably make a few adjustments. I think I have way more bio media then I need. I'm also definitely adding purigen.
By the way, your tank is looking great! You've inspired me to try some Madagascar lace plant.


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## Teebo

Glad this is helping someone, PM me your thread link and I will check it out! I have to say though my lace plant is nicer when it is dormant, when it takes off it grows leaves too quickly shadowing everything requiring constant pruning. I have seen them in super tanks reach massive scales with leaves several feet long!


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## Teebo

*I have another mod update on this tank, I was still having issues with fish/inverts getting into the rear sump so I make this bezel/shield. This tank was never meant to be used without the glass top which slides under the rear cover. Moisture also accumulates on the cover edges so I drilled a hole on either side and the moisture is gone. *


























*Did the best I could with SemiGloss paint, it is hardly noticeable but works great! More tank updates to come, I have made a lot of changes as usual.*


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## wakka987

I look forward to using more of your great ideas


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## Qazpalm

What did you use for the rear sump shield? I have the same tank, and for a long while I just thought 5 of my shrimp mysteriously died and that the surviving ones cannibalized their remains. But they were just hanging out in the rear sump...


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## Teebo

Qazpalm said:


> What did you use for the rear sump shield? I have the same tank, and for a long while I just thought 5 of my shrimp mysteriously died and that the surviving ones cannibalized their remains. But they were just hanging out in the rear sump...


Yeah this is so common to see shrimps in the sump, good luck removing them I had to accept the fact they are living back there because I have spent hours trying to net them out with no success. 

I can not even tell you what I used as a shield material, it was something out of my neighbors siding scrap pile. Some sort of a piece of trim, or siding related. I do have to update you all soon about this mod, because I can no longer remove the sump cover with a plant growing in the center...I need to cut the shielding out where the hole is so the cover can be lifted and slid out otherwise you would have to lift the cover up and over the entire plant.


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## Cmeister

Do they ever get sucked in by the filter pump and shredded?


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## Teebo

Cmeister said:


> Do they ever get sucked in by the filter pump and shredded?


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## Cmeister

Haha I don't know what this reference is.


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## Teebo

*4+ months have passed since my last tank update, there are drastic differences! I have been really working hard on this tank, it really is a challenge of space with such a small footprint. I went away for a week again, this time I was using my Hydor ATO on another tank so I went back to my original solution using a bottle. This time I used a larger bottle since last time I tried this it ran out of water, plus it is winter so evaporation is very high. This worked perfectly, it did run out of water maybe a day before I returned but the tank only dropped less than an inch. *










*Okay where do I start...I had to remove the larger Anubias from the driftwood to free up light for background plants. I also removed the Micro Sword from the right of the rock. I had the nitrate bottom out on me at one point and burnt up all my moss so it is regenerating right now. I added a single stem of Pogostemon to the back right as a background plant...I had to trim it back already. I have also had to trim the Moneywort down to the left of that since it touches the surface but it is a slow grower. Dwarf Sword also has to be trimmed in the front to keep it against the back of the tank. Moving left against the backwall that Ludwigia is constantly trimmed of course, every two weeks I have to cut the top off so the red centerpiece is always changing. I maintain just a few selected Madagascar Lace leaves so I am always trimming back new emerging leaves since they can get very large until they find light. Moving left the Elodea is usually mostly in the shade so it grows slow but its getting there, I tucked a top tip behind the horizontal wood so it is starting a new bush just below the return jet. When the Jungle Val blew up it disturbed my Brown Crypt causing over half of it to melt away but it is coming back now...it makes a good contrast with the Java Fern behind it which is now mingling.* 


























*Lets not forget about the best part my new Pygmy Chain Sword carpet! This blew up really quickly I was amazed, I bought a handful for two of my 5 gallon tanks. This tank got 6 plugs and my horizontal 5 gallon got 20 plugs into Amazonia substrate...the horizontal tank has not sent a single runner! This tank has runners everywhere even into the shaded background I did not have to cut and move a single plant. I think it's the lighting difference between the tanks. I do not want to cut and move the plants I want them to stay chained and fill in naturally because I feel when everything stays connected it acts as one large plant sharing energy, so this is how they are surviving in the shade of the background plants they get light energy from the front plants being linked...while possibly gathering nutrients from what piles up in the background substrate. I always feed in the front of my tank in the carpet to make sure it gets fertilized with all the light it receives. Just a reminder I am NOT running any CO2 on this tank. I do not house fish in this tank, after my Betta died in here I just decided it is not suitable for any fish I want to care for. I did heavily consider a dwarf puffer but did not want to deal with live foods. So I continue to breed high grade RCS in here very successfully, I pump out about 30 shrimp a month. I think the small footprint contributes to a good part of my success with breeding RCS. I still have my one large hybrid Nerite, and two smaller horned Nerites.*


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## Anorea

Beautiful!!! Thanks for the update! I'm sorry to hear about your betta. <3 I love the new scape. I think letting the runners share nutrients from the mother plant is a smart thing to do. 

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## tlriot

Nice to see an update on this one! I was just messing with mine and reminding myself to never go vertical again, hah.


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## tarrant

Any updates on this tank? You thread was an inspiration to me and I just picked up the same tank! Just trying to figure out what plants to add.


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## Teebo

It is too soon for an update, I want more contrast first. 

I recommend finding your receipt and bringing the tank back to the store, I will never, ever, EVER, buy a tall tank again. Now I can say I've done it and I hate it.


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## MtAnimals

you should try a vintage 35 hex...11 inch sides and almost 36" tall.You have to remove water to before reaching to the bottom or it will over flow.Small foot print though.


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## Teebo

MtAnimals said:


> you should try a vintage 35 hex...11 inch sides and almost 36" tall.You have to remove water to before reaching to the bottom or it will over flow.Small foot print though.


Thats sounds like a blessing compared to this tank, I would be much happier with that kind of working space in a tall tank! Still would never buy a hex tank though regardless. Try getting your hand in this Contour...impossible with the driftwood you're stuck 100% relying on long tools.


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## Alf2Frankie

What a neat journal, very detailed. I like how well the Purigan cleared up your water - I may have to get some.


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## Teebo

Thank you, I will never run a tank without Purigen again...once you try it you never go back. Very satisfied with the product!


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## tarrant

Teebo said:


> It is too soon for an update, I want more contrast first.
> 
> I recommend finding your receipt and bringing the tank back to the store, I will never, ever, EVER, buy a tall tank again. Now I can say I've done it and I hate it.


Oh no! haha, im kind of stuck with it since it fits perfectly next to my desk. Oh well, i will fight the battle. Luckily the piece of drift wood i went with isnt as 'branchy' as yours.


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## Teebo

*If anyone is going to own this tank, or already does, go and buy this! I wish I bought this a year ago!*


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## awesometim1

Lol. Looks nice when done right though!


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## retrocity

Beautiful tank. Despite the challenges of the taller tank, it looks great. I really like the driftwood you are using.


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## Teebo

Thank you, I think I will post an update soon. Here is my trick with the driftwood...I made it from a blueberry bush. I have an entire thread on here about making your own desired driftwood from things such as a blueberry bush, which naturally grows with a gnarly shape. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/8...ussion/940850-blueberry-branch-driftwood.html


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## retrocity

Teebo said:


> Thank you, I think I will post an update soon. Here is my trick with the driftwood...I made it from a blueberry bush. I have an entire thread on here about making your own desired driftwood from things such as a blueberry bush, which naturally grows with a gnarly shape. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/8...ussion/940850-blueberry-branch-driftwood.html


Very interesting read. Gotta keep that for future reference.


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## Teebo

*On Goes The Journey*

*Okay its time for an update! I have learned a lot with this tank, like to never ever put Riccia in my tanks ever again and I may also consider not using Java moss any longer. They make maintenance much more complicated when it comes time to trim them, they blow all over the tank and establish in places I do not want them to. I have to move my Duckweed to a cup of water just so that I can clear Riccia cuttings off the surface, then put the Duckweed back in the tank. I am starting to loose interest in this build, I truly do hate tall tanks now but I am doing the best I can with it. I am going to try putting this tank up for sale, fully established as is...maybe someone local will be interested. I have the lighting dialed in, combined with very low free nitrates I literally NEVER clean the glass. 

The low light back left corner is finally starting to fill in with Elodea, and that Pogostemon I planted on the right has taken off but I do not really like the fact it forms roots high up on the stem...I cut the visible roots and they just come back. Riccia got accidentally established on the horizontal branch in the back with the moss...I kind of like it but its a mess to trim! I continue to cut back new Lace plant leaves, I think this tank is too small for a Lace plant. The Pygmy Chain Sword has fully established itself all the way around the tank front to back, it has been trimmed down and is now competing for light with the Java Moss which is spreading like wildfire from the left side of the tank to the right. The Java Moss gets caught in the Pygmy Chain Sword which helps hold is down, so my carpet is a combination of chain sword and moss which I have to push and pack down during maintenance to form a carpet or it fluffs up over time. I had the Crypt plant emerge all over the tank after it melted (and came back in original spot), it emerged all over the back of the tank to only melt due to lack of light. It ended up establishing a second cluster just to the right of the rock which is perfect because that is exactly where the Java Fern ended up emerging as it crawled across the horizontal driftwood behind the rock. Now I have the same Crypt/Java Fern mingling contrast on both sides of the rock! I still have my 5 selectively chosen RCS (2 males and 3 females) which have produced dozens and dozens of litters...I have probably pulled a thousand baby RCS from this tank in the last 6 months and raised them in a 16G tank. I sell the high grade sold red-legged offspring and give the ones away to friends that have any transparency. This is also something I am loosing interest in, having a plan for the baby RCS is important. I will soon remove the males from my 5G. 

I am moving away from the nano tank and RCS for a larger schooling tank with Amano shrimp instead. *










































































*These are some tools I find extremely helpful for this or any deep/tall tank, these are on top of my normal tweezers, tongs, scissors, etc. They are literally necessary for this tank with my emerging driftwood, I pull them out vertically over a foam plate to avoid any dripping on the glass or stand. I have a telescoping triangular net for catching RCS, a grab-action multi tool with two attachments (cutters and tweezers), and a wand-style multi tool with many attachments. I only use the V-fingers and rake in this tank for packing down Java Moss, but it also includes a glass scraper, algae pad, and large net. *


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## Teebo

*The end*

*Looks like a bomb went off in this thing, sad sight but I started stripping the tank and giving the plants away. I am transferring the Pygmy Chain Sword & Jungle Val to my Iwagumi, and I have already transferred the other plant that I am not 100% sure of from the back right...Moneywort? I was shocked at how much Java Fern has grown all over the back as I was removing it. All of the Java Moss came up in sheets from the bottom, it was starting to kill off my chain swords. I moved my prize shrimps, and my odd hybrid snail to my one and only current tank (the Iwagumi). 

So what have I learned from this tank over the last year? A lot of things, not only about the tank itself but the hobby...starting with the tank I HATE TALL TANKS haha. The sump on the back is a bad idea and incredibly hard to clean, the tank is pretty much only suitable for invertebrates and shrimp will get in the back if you are breeding in this tank no matter what you do. Custom lighting was difficult to find a solution to. The back left corer of the display has a dead spot and all the waste builds up there, at least for me it does. You really do need special tools to work on this tank, especially if you have the emerging driftwood I do. Aside from that I will never put Java Moss or Riccia in a tank ever again. I honestly bought this tank for a pico reef build and I am glad I decided to use it for freshwater instead* <3


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