# Thief's ADA Mini M Tank. Silence



## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

ADA tank ADA soil...... You going all out huh?

I did see a light that would fit on the top of the tank on eBay, I couldnt find it just now though but if you keep an eye out for it, it may resurface. I believe the smallest was about 18 in. across though. Or go with the desklamp sold at Home Depot a lot of other members have gone with for their nanos. 

Question, what kind of wood is that, has it been soaked and did it let out a lot of tannins? I like the wood, it has good grain lines in it. (I think thats what they are called) I would like to see it wet though. 

Anyways you are off to a great start, I cant wait to see more progress. 

SUBSCRIBED


----------



## Bananamacho (May 11, 2008)

Looking good! 

Ill be following this thread. Btw, how many gallons is the tank?


----------



## Sticky230 (Mar 30, 2008)

heh heh this is one of the best posts i have seen. puts my soon to be 5.5g to shame.


----------



## SearunSimpson (Jun 5, 2007)

Before adding water, and all that jazz and starting planting the carpet and what not, I'd get the moss you're going to use, tie it to the wood, stick the wood back in, and then start your planting and filling (spray moss to keep it moist) all in one day. Trust me, and I'm sure others have gone through this pain- that having perfectly placed wood and then filling with water then trying to attach moss just stirs it up, messes it around all everything else. 
Just a heads up. Attach moss, then re-place the wood in the desired spots.


----------



## Matsu49 (Jan 1, 2008)

Looks really good. I hope you soaked your wood first. You wouldn't want it to float up on you.


----------



## Tony (Oct 26, 2007)

Looking good, im going to follow this one :thumbsup: 
Take a look at my tank in the link below. Its the fixtures im using, dont know if you have them in the us, but they are perfect for smaller tanks, fully adjustable. Just turn them when you need to get yor hands in the tank but still want some light.

http://www.plantswap.se/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3728


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Wow a lot of reply's. Thanks all. 

rekles75: thanks. Lol I wouldn't say going all out ADA but going with what I can. For the light fixtures I am still looking for more. I found 2 possible ones. Such as the Corallife 9" Mini Fixture. it would be great but you can put legs on ti or anything. But I might shed 40 bucks and come up with a design for DIY legs. 

For the wood it is Manazani (sp?) wood. I got it from fishandturtlejunkie at APC. 

Bananamacho: Thanks for the comment also I am only guessing but I would say in between 5-8 gallons. You might be able to find it on the ADG sit though.

Sticky230: sticky do not discourage yourself. Just look at TONS of photos and shoot for the tank you want and gather your materials. For me as I said before I spent the last couple months reading looking and planning. In the end this scape just happened to become what it is.

SearunSimpson: Ahh man thanks so much. Really I forgot all about that. I will have to go to one of the hair spaces and get a mister. The photos you see about was before I boiled them. Later that night I boiled the wood for about 5 hours. I boiled one piece at a time so I didn't lose my original scape. Also thanks for letting me know about planting moss first. Well I will take pictures off what my final hardscape will look like. Yesterday I put a lot of the AS Powder. Now I have to dig a lot of it out as I don't want to use too much substrate. Right now I have about half inch of Powder in front and 3 inches of powder in the back lol.

Matsu49: Thanks. As I said I boiled the wood and surprisingly the color looks really good. I had huge doubts when buying the wood but it looks pretty dark when I boiled them. Also about 3/4 of the would sunk after boiled but the bigger pieces will need more time.

Tony: Thanks for the comment. WOW your tank is hot. The wood is awesome. The moss on the wood is great. Your tank is very sleek and clean looking. Great job. The lights you have look really good but I am afraid that the light will be to small. I am on a plug budget. I didn't mention it here yet but I am planning to set up a ADA Rack system. About 6-9 ADA tanks will be setup here and I am running of one switch. But right now I only have one ADA tank. In the long run I will have 3 ADA minis with one light on top of it so it would save on plugs.

Thanks for your comments and keep the reply's coming.:biggrin:


----------



## CmLaracy (Jan 7, 2007)

Love the scape, love the tank, and very nice documentation of the entire process! Nice pictures! I really enjoy it when someone documents their tanks with a lot of photos, well done. Looks great!


----------



## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

ADA is a great brand do what cha do. 

? Are you going to keep the white cardboard as the back ground. I have heard some talk about using a white background but I havent seen it done. I thnk is could be interesting if the shadows from the wood keep showing after the tank is filled up. 

Also I heard it makes your lighting brighter.


----------



## crimsontsavo (Feb 29, 2004)

Excellent post!
It will look marvelous when finished.


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Sorry for not being around. Schools been a pain in my back. But now that it is the weekend I can progress. Ok tonight I will be taking photos of the final hardscape and then I will move on.

CmL- Thats for your comment. Also your HC that you sent me seems to be growing well.

Rekles75- thanks for the comment. For the background I got it from my basement. My mom always brings usful things from work. But this isn't regular cardboard. It was very hard to cut through. Maybe compressed cardboard. But all what I know is that it took me a good 30 minutes to cut all of it and it has a nice texture to it. Right now I think I will use it as a background. I don't know if I should make side backrounds though as I would like to see everything froma different perspective.

Crimson- Thanks for your comment I really hoep that this tank will inspire other too.


Ok I recieved aqua journal 151. By far the best AJ I've read and the photos and comparing it to a tank really helped. Although I don't know what plant they used on there wood it look awsome and I believe it is java Moss. So I will be going with this as it made a great carpet/clean plant flow on the wood. I think I will use traditional plants like the ada tanks use. 

I will find out tonight on what plants I want to choose from. Also I might show some pictures of plants I do not know they are.

So keep a look out for questions. At first I was planning to use only mosses and Hc but now that I get more into it I find using 4-6 different plant in a tank really adds character to the tank and makes it more interesting and wild looking.

Update in a little bit.


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Hey guys,
Welp this week has been so tiring. Literally didn't get any rest this weekend as I had to work from 6am-7pm. But today I did manage to get some photos of the Final Layout of the HardScape. I got a bunch of inspirational magazines and it helped me with positioning my driftwood.









I got my seiryu stones last Thursday too. I plan to order more as I am not happy with all them. But I will be using these for my next tank.









In case if you were wondering where all these tanks will go. Well here s one of the 3 shelf's. That is a 2.5 Iwagami test tank that's been running for a couple months. I planted HC recently and it is starting to grow a little.









So now onto the Hardscape.

































As you can see I move around some of the pieces to adjust to the left side of the tank. I wanted to position some pieces on the right side to try and create a flow from the left to the right. It may need a little tweak but this is what it is now. 

Today I did a lot of searching for light systems. I saw one light in the #150 Aqua Journal. In it is a contest of ADA Nano contest 2007 Thailand. I saw a picture of a light that fitted perfectly on top of the ADA Mini M. So I googled for aquarium lighting and about a hour of searching I found this site: http://www.boyuaquarium.com/en_ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=398
In this site there are many lights. I contacted the company and hopefully they will tell me which one would fit best on my ADA Mini M. So if this works this might help others who are looking for nice lighting. Of course I do not know how much it is but I would think it is under a $100. I will keep you updated on this.
Also I've been looking a many mosses. I want moss that will look like a nice carpet on the wood pieces. Any suggestions? Taiwan Moss, Willow, Java, Peacock? Some insight on this would be appreciated. I am still looking at pictures for plants to put in the back, Mid ground, and foreground. for for ground do you think a combination of HC and Glosso would work? I really nice how they looking when tangled in each other, such as one of Amano's Iwagami tanks, where from what I can tell he uses Glosso, HC, and Riccia combined to make a wild and very natural looking carpet.

Other wise thanks for reading and Help, comments would really help. Any experienced Scapers here with plant suggestions would be helpful.


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

i personally would think that willow moss would look great on your wood


----------



## DR.V (Oct 29, 2006)

Great hardscape, looking forward to see the tank planted.


----------



## John7429 (Jan 11, 2008)

Looks like a great start! Very nice journal


----------



## deMastro (Mar 18, 2008)

Any progress on this tank?

Give us some pictures please. 

I love the hardscape.


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Hi there,

Well these last couple weeks have been busy but I have been planning everything out. Write now I am negotiating if I should buy the ADA Mini M Solar Light. The other day I moved my tank from my burrow to another one of my shelf's. And I am thinking of putting this ADA tank there were I can watch it from my bed and go to sleep. 
I will draw a pictures of my plant choices today or Friday to show all of you my plant choices I made. I looked at a lot of tanks and I ordered the Volumes 2-3 of the Amano book guides. Also another thing is that I have to carefully take out all the ADA Powder soil on top. Why? Well the wood would float and what I want to do is get most of the powder AS out then weigh it down with some of the seiryu rocks I have and once successfully weighed I can drain the tank and add the finishing layer.:icon_smil 

But with the last 2 weeks of school it will be hard. But this weekend will be rainy so I will get some stuff done. Thanks for your comments guys as I doubt I wouldn't be able to do without.


----------



## ovenmit331 (Mar 27, 2007)

looks very nice. Mini-M's are awesome.


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Ok welp I just finished taking a good portion of the Powdered AS out. Then I rescaped to the pictures before and added some seiryu stones ontop. I am thinking if I should add water now. I think I will wait until I get a lighting system. Anyways I will be thinking of ordering another Mini M, some more seiryu stones, and a Solar Mini. Hopefully I don't go too crazy.:flick: 

Ohh and I will be updating in a little bit with my plant choice and hopefully get some info if they would go good together.


----------



## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

Great choice of materials for that size tank. You have parts of your layout that work very well. I would suggest leaving a little more 'white space' in the layout though. You seem to be working hard at having a branch in every section of the water column and it all jumbles together to the eye. Try opening up a section to the right or left of center so that one side of the scape has more weight to it than the other (which you have done already) but is clearly separated from the rest. Also, remember one of Mr. Amano's rules, thick pieces point forward and thin pieces point back, to increase the 'depth' of the scape. Good job so far, I'm looking forward to seeing it full of life.


----------



## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Your tank is looking good! I can't wait to see it filled up and filled in. 

Excellent photographic journal too!


----------



## deMastro (Mar 18, 2008)

Cmon, give us some pics .


----------



## lekyiscool (May 27, 2008)

beautiful start 
are you going to mount the lift on the top shelf or how will it be?


----------



## mr.sandman (Nov 7, 2006)

Hey I got the same rack as you do for 3 of my tanks lol.


----------



## lekyiscool (May 27, 2008)

Hey by the way where do you guys buy all these beautiful pieces of wood from


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Hey all,

Well yesterday Tuesday on the last day of school. I arrived home around 1 and the UPS Truck came. I ran down to the door and watch the truck sit there as the guy a savaging in the back. Waiting for almost 5 minutes and then he brought a huge package. Of coarse adrenaline running through me and chatting to the UPS guy. 

Anyways took him 3 trips from his UPS truck to bring 4 packages to me. The first box was big but not that heavy. Then the 2nd was about 50 pounds I would say. Pretty heavy. Then The 3rd box was the same size the Mini M was. Just so you know this is after 3 hours of playing tackle football with my friends so I was really worn out. So the pictures are quick and not the best but the best I can do at the time.

I hope you enjoy the photos as I think it will help give you more of an idea of how it is receiving them.



















































































Me and Jeff been talking and he really stresses the beauty of this tank so I decided to give it a try. Yep the ADA Classic 60x30x35 Cube Garden "Mist"










Packaging is the best I've every seen!!!




























Weird stuff I thought it was dirty but it just dry's out and becomes the whitish backround.









Jeff's Finger Prints.:eek5: :icon_eek:  :bounce:  :icon_roll lolol.









Now onto the other boxes.








Some superge for my diffusers that are getting Algae on them.



























Got to clean this mess up.









A little better!

Ok well that was Tuesday and this is today.









The light is amazing!!! Seriously it not only looks good but the light that is given out looks so different then the other lights I have. 

Just so you know I didn't have to pay a penny for it. My dad got it as a gift for doing so hard in school.









Now I am just playing with the flash trying to get good lighting.




























Well that's all the photos for today. 

Ok now for the talkin. 

Tank Specs so far are:

Tank: ADA Mini M 5.5 Gallon
Lighting: ADA Solar Mini
Filter: Red Sea Nano Filter
Substrate: ADA Amozonian ll and Amozonian Powder.
Decor: Manazati (sp?) Wood, With some temporary Sieryu stones weighing the wood down for maybe 2-3 days.


Ok now here are the plans. Ok right now I am letting the substrate air out and the wood sink. Probably everything will be done by Friday. So after this I plan to takeout the rocks re position the wood to it's correct form. Then I will empty most of the water, Add the finishing touches of substrate, add plants, then fill it back up slowly. Then work from there. 

But this is where I REALLY need advice from all of you guys. Plants, Plants, and Plants. I have been doing little research on the plants. I been looking at the ADA 2008 Catalogue and approximently on the 19 page this is the tank I would like to create. The tank with the Bolivian Cichlids I believe they are called. I mostly need help nowing the forground plant and the 2 backround plants with the rotalilia (sp?) 

But these are the plant choices I've choosen so far:

Forground: Mix of HC and Glosso with a touch of Echinodorus Tenellus.

MidGround: Eleocharis Parvula, and maybe some Blyxa Japonica.

In the middle of driftwood: Narrow Leaf Java Fern

Then on the driftwood I thought Willow would be to big and messy looking so I saw a plant that I really like that is Cladophora Sp.

Now this is where I need suggestions and advice. Also I would like to know how to properly plant, trim, and grow these plants.

Thanks for looking guys and I really hope I can get some help and comments on what you think.


----------



## CmLaracy (Jan 7, 2007)

AWESOME!!! Love what you're doing, got the mini and the 60P, nice combo. I'm aiming for a mini like yours by december 

Awesome, keep up the great quality stuff. I love what you've got going, and I really feel like your going to have a lot of fun with these tanks, learn a lot in the process, and overall become a great scapist! Congrats on the purchases, they sure are b-e-a-utiful. Especially that "mist", very fou gras, LOVE IT!


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Hey there CML,

Nice to here from you. I haven't seen your update of your 60-P lately. Hope to see it. As for my 60-P Mist Well I hope to get started. Maybe buy a light this month or something for it. I have a image stuck in my mind for this tank but I don't think the slope I want can be done. But more on that later. Thanks for posting too. I really want to make this journel PACKED with photos to help others and ect.


----------



## CmLaracy (Jan 7, 2007)

thief said:


> Hey there CML,
> 
> Nice to here from you. I haven't seen your update of your 60-P lately. Hope to see it. As for my 60-P Mist Well I hope to get started. Maybe buy a light this month or something for it. I have a image stuck in my mind for this tank but I don't think the slope I want can be done. But more on that later. Thanks for posting too. I really want to make this journel PACKED with photos to help others and ect.


Sounds great! It's a 75P btw lol :thumbsup: 

42g vs 18g, I'd say the 75p is a little bigger than the 60P lol


----------



## Choco (Dec 8, 2007)

Jealousy :drool:

I didn't know the solar mini light comes with a base for the tank
awesome looking tank even before it is planted!


----------



## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Any updates on this one?


----------



## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

The mist does look really nice. I was considering those instead of the regular ones but couldn't find any decent pictures of them before ordering. It'd look great with a little led behind it for some subtle mood lighting along the horizon.

Is that light not centered directly over the mini? That's pretty cheap looking and disappointing considering the price.


----------



## aquaphish (Dec 20, 2002)

prototyp3 said:


> The mist does look really nice. I was considering those instead of the regular ones but couldn't find any decent pictures of them before ordering. It'd look great with a little led behind it for some subtle mood lighting along the horizon.
> 
> Is that light not centered directly over the mini? That's pretty cheap looking and disappointing considering the price.


Actually the light is centered. The fact that it does not go the full extent of the aquarium can be decieveing and make it look not centered.

But the quality of the complete system out weighs that fact. The light fixture is not the normal fixture where you practically need pliers to remove the light from the socket. It is a custom one and the light is remove very easy making changing the light and removing for cleaning of the reflector much easier than the normal socket.

The other positive is that the canopy is on a swivel. You can swing it forward and backward almost 90º making it much easier to clean and do work in the filled tank.

The light system is a very good system for the price. Lights are not a normal 27w Compact Flourescent. It is an 8000K with a little green which makes a nice addition to the view overall.


----------



## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

aquaphish said:


> Actually the light is centered. The fact that it does not go the full extent of the aquarium can be decieveing and make it look not centered.


So it doesn't sit over the aquarium entirely. That's what I'm talking about, looks a little _blah_ considering it's supposed to be matched to that specific tank.


----------



## volatile (Feb 13, 2007)

Prototyp3, 

You are right. The light for the Mini M is *NOT* centered. The Mini M and Mini S tanks both share the same light, but the base is larger for the Mini M light. On the Mini S tank(pictured below), the light hood covers the whole tank. On the Mini M, it is about 1-2 inches short of reaching the right edge of the tank, therefore it doesn't cover the tank entirely.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Woah wait your dad bought this for you for doing so well in school???? How old are you?


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Wow this thread is this alive! Hmm well I just want to say thanks for bringing it back up from the grave.

Also *prototyp3* I can see why you say for that price everything should be perfect. 

It is a good 1.5 inches short of being at the center of the tank. And I can see why it can be dissapointing but it also does offer an abstract look to it. Although I do agree that it would be nicer if it extended all the way too give a better feel of the tank.

*Zoo *Hey man! Yeah my dad did buy it for me. But to tell you the truth I didn't do that great in school. I mean All B and one F. In middle school I always got A so these grades are a big change to me. But then again I tried harder than ever that year and I got only B's. Anyways I am only 15 turning 16 this november.


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Update on the tank:

Well I technically took the tank down. I just didn't have the courage to move onto plants.

Also I replaced my substrate with just regular Amazonian I. Why you ask? Well if you look at the pictures you can see crushed up Amazonian II. And what Jeff says about it is true. The AS II is much weaker and it subject to break apart. So I replaced it as when ever I worked on the tank it got SO cloudy. ( couldn't see 2inches into the tank )

But I am willing to start over if all of you guys help me this time. Especially with my plant choices. And I think I need to be more educated on how to grow them. I really love the wood hardscape myself and I can picture it being in the jungle and having shrimps croud onto the driftwood and it's moss. So if you guys would like to help me it would mean alot.

Also I am a AquaJounal with some pictures of the tank I want to make. And I am hoping that when I get the picture you can help tell me what are the plants inside of it.

I will post tonight or tomorrow as I don't think I have the scanning software in my computor.


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Also Lastly I am considering taking alot of the photos out and changing the way I will be keeping my journal. What do you think? Does it take a long time to load up the journal or anything you think I can improve on?


----------



## volatile (Feb 13, 2007)

Hey Thief,

It doesn't take a long time for me to load up your post, but you probably don't need to show pics of you pouring in the AS this time =). I really liked your hardscape too. What plants are you considering this time?


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

ok Finally I was able to get these scanned.









Not bad for scanned photos ehh?









Ok here is the tank that inspired me. So here where I need you all to help with. 

I would like to know what plants are in this tank. I really want to know the background plants! So far I know that there's glosso and Willow moss in the tank and I believe thats Blyxa in the midground running in the Glosso Yes? 

Also some of these might be to big for my mini M. I think the blyxa will be too big anyone know what other plant I can use that has the same characteristics?

Also for my tank I am not sure is I should leave the Mid Background open like this tank or close it up with what ever the background plant is in that picture? I think if I close it up it will have that more deep into the jungle feeling?

Thanks guy and if I can get my plants choices straight I might finally beable to get my first Mini M up and running.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

thief said:


> ok Finally I was able to get these scanned.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The short midground on the left looks like Blyxa Japonica, but the plants behind the driftwood look like either Vallisneria sp., Blyxa Aubertii, or Cyprus Helferi. The background looks like Rotala sp. Green and Rotala Colorata on the left, and Asian Ambulia on the right:thumbsup:


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

OMG Zoo Thanks SOO Much!!! Ok after googling all those they look like very good guesses. Ok Well I think the Vallisneria sp. will go good in the layout if I decide to have a open white background. Back since I am going for the deep in the forest look I think this plant won't be necessary.

Rotala sp. Green and Rotala Colorata seem like exactly what I want! And the Asian Ambulia on the right seems correct too. Man I wish I new plant as good as you! lol

Ok well if I am going with that deep in the forest look I think with that much wood it will go well. Do you think when I set up I should have the Rotala sp. Green and Rotala Colorata grow very tall and maybe somewhat over. On the wood it wood be all Willow Moss covering the tall and mid sectors but at the bottom I am thinking Narrow leaf or Needle leaf java fern. Only thing is that there seems to be a difference and I think one of them would be too big for this tank. I want to try and get some that will be around 3-4 inchs.

Lastly anyone know of a different plant than blyxa? I want a plant that will look the same but isn't as tall. I believe blyxa grows up to 5-7 inchs. I want to get a plant that will flow with my foreground that is around 3-4 inchs. 

Really means a lot to me Zoo. Though I wish maybe other can take some time and help me figure this out.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

thief said:


> Lastly anyone know of a different plant than blyxa? I want a plant that will look the same but isn't as tall. I believe blyxa grows up to 5-7 inchs. I want to get a plant that will flow with my foreground that is around 3-4 inchs.


I'm baaaack:hihi:

Dwarf Sag, E. Tennelus, Dwarf Hairgrass, and (the plant I always forget how to spell) Lilaeopsis brasiliensis is another plant that comes to mind for grassy plants.


----------



## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

I have no idea on the plant species you're looking for, but it sounds like Zoo is on the money! I love those pictures that you found for inspiration, I think it's a great place to start from! 

As for the "grassy" plant, all of the ones Zoo said should work, but I thought I'd mention that the Dwarf Hairgrass has much narrower leaves (hence the name "hair"grass i imagine) so it may not be the look you are going for, but I think it could still look great, just thought I'd mention that it was a bit of a different look than the blyxa!


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Wow *Zoo* thanks man. I have Dwarf Hair gras as a background in my 2.5 gallon Iwagami. I will update my old thread once the HC grows a bit more a on the right side.

Also *Karackle*, Any input on my journal/thread is welcome. I really want to know who's liking and following my thread and now I know your one of them thanks man.

Anyone else who just wants to say anything is welcome. lol

I just wonder where I can buy these wonderful plants? :hihi: :red_mouth


----------



## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

definitely try the swap and shop here on the forum if you have trouble finding them locally! I've gotten some great deals and great plants from members here! 

And yes I'm definitely interested, I've been waiting for the update on this tank for weeks! That's why I finally asked about an update :hihi: 

Can't wait to see how it turns out!!!


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Ok so heres the plants I am going this:

Foreground: Glosso

Mix Fore/Mid-ground: I am thinking the Dwarf Sag ( Sagittaria subulata )



Mid Ground: Needle Leaf Java Fern attached to base of driftwood. (I remember seeing someone yesterday selling this type of java fern that stays at the size of 4-5 inchs.), Willow Moss attached to all Mid and Top parts of driftwood pieces. And I think I might attach 1-2 stems of Asian Ambulia in between the driftwood.


Background: On the sides I think 3-4 stems on both sides of Rotala Colorata. I think for the Whole Middle Background I will be putting Rotala sp. Green And I will let it grow o it over hangs the driftwood which will help darken up the tank and set a nice Deep in the jungle type feeling.

Let me know what you guys think then I will get working on finding those who can supply these plants.


----------



## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

You _do_ realize that the tank you're trying to recreate is *3 times* the size of a Mini M? The scale of a 'scape in the smaller size tank will be thrown way off if you use the same plants.

I'm not trying to be discouraging, just make sure you think things through first!


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Lol yep I found that the tank I want to make is 3 feet in length. lol:icon_wink 

But thanks for posting roybot I have seen others put some of my plants in a mini M before. Such as the Rotala Colorata, Rotala sp. Green, glosso. But the others I think I will have to give it a try. I have been wanting to plant this baby since the begining of summer. 

And of course I think I will make a mistake with my plant choices. Also I think if I make a mistake it will help me learn even more about plants. Hell today I was able to remember Rotala Sp. Green and Colorata for the first time and know what I am talking about. ( I think? ) :icon_surp 

Anywho do you have any suggestions? as for plants. Also for those who don't know I started this thread: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/planted-nano-tanks/71639-possible-mini-m-layouts.html

This is what the tank right now looks like. I will be posting pictures for this thread today of a updated layout. As soon as I am done with this layout I will be rescaping and placing the wood in there and getting reading to plant this tank! 

Thanks guys for posting!:biggrin:


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

How's the tank?


----------



## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Wow more pics Tom!


----------



## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Yeah how's the tank? I've been waiting a long time to see pictures!


----------



## luckydud13 (Jun 21, 2008)

I have been following this with great intrest, I cannot believe that you tore it down before it was up! And I can't wait to see how it looks.


----------



## luckydud13 (Jun 21, 2008)

Oh and I would be willing to trade you some moss for the substrate


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Wow thanks a lot guys. I didn't really think anyone was interested anymore. I've been way too busy with school!

But where to start may I ask?

I have not taken any photos since my previous post. 

But the tank is just awesome now. I've been going through ups and downs with it. Algae is this at the essence ( staghorn, brush, threaded algae are a problem!) and I just trimmed the tank so it looks pretty fugly right now. :confused1: 

But I have been craving to take some photos. I am starting to learn more from my father as he is a photographer! He recently bought the new 40D Canon. :drool: I have no idea how the photos will come out for my tank though.

But I will tell you this once it grows in I bet you will sure love it. 

I don't want to release to much info right now though, as I think you won't be as surprised when you see it. But I'll tell you this it looks nothing like before. I still think it needs much work in all area's. :icon_roll 

I have been breeding White Cloud Tetra's in it though! Boy I was amazed as I haven't breed ever bred a fish before other than danios and crayfish. :icon_eek:


Tuesday ( Election day ) was my B-Day and I ordered myself a really nice package!
I will be taking a lot of photos tonight not just of the tank but of the all the ADA stuff I received today. :hihi:

More to come.

Do comment if you would like!


----------



## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

sounds good, I can't wait to see pictures! The last pictures didn't even have plants in the tank yet so I'm really looking forward to seeing pictures of it planted!!! :biggrin:


----------



## Ugly Genius (Sep 27, 2003)

So what did you get?

I can't wait to see this thank, thief. Post soon!

And congrats on the spawning. I've only bred shrimp and Bettas. And that was only by accident.


----------



## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Thief - if i hadn't mentioned it, i agree with UglyGenius....pictures soon please!!!! :hihi:

UglyGenius - you bred Bettas by accident?!


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Pics Pics! Pics!!


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

well I'm taking pictures right now but they look like crap!!! :frown: I'm going to keep trying though. I am trying to take pics of the tank with a light stand but I'm going to try regular flash! I always have good outcomes with the flash!


----------



## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

to get good pics without the flash i find it useful to stabilize the camera by putting it on top of a stool and a bucket (i don't have a tripod or i'd use that :hihi and then i focus it and set the camera to timer mode, hit the button and step away so i don't accidentally knock it. I find flash pics of a lighted tank with plants in it don't do the tank justice. 

No matter what I can't wait to finally see your planted tank!!! :biggrin:


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Ok after a couple hours of playing around with the camera:

1st off my order, Mini M! ( that is my Awesome 2.5g Iwagami to the right. I will update that soon )









All the ADA ferts I got for free! ( a friend of mine! )









And scaping materials!!! ( I was amazed when jeff sent me all the black wood! )









I whipped up something!


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

That's some awesome scaping stuff. Did you order all of that wood?


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

I'm not sure exactly. I ordered 3 Small pieces of the ADA Black wood. And I recieved this!
Ohh and the tank itself I forgot.:icon_redf










I told you it wouldn't be pretty...

Not satisfied with the photo at all as it looks so much better in person. Also I would like opinions on the scape of the wood. It seems like it is to scattered all over and has no flow in the scape.


----------



## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

wow the tank looks great! Awesome scaping stuff too and I like the preliminary one you threw together! Your little iwagumi looks awesome too! 

As for this tank, i think mostly the DW looks pretty good, i think that one piece on the left that is sticking up and not covered in moss looks a little out of place with it's almost right angle branch sticking out. I think if you pulled it out the rest would look pretty good!  

I love the roots you can see in the front too! It looks really cool!


----------



## Choco (Dec 8, 2007)

thief said:


> I'm not sure exactly. I ordered 3 Small pieces of the ADA Black wood. And I recieved this!
> Ohh and the tank itself I forgot.:icon_redf
> 
> 
> ...


Looks like something coming out of a magazine! :thumbsup:
More photos?

I actually like the scape you had in page 2 more tho. That one looked more "different" and original


----------



## Ugly Genius (Sep 27, 2003)

Good job, thief! I like it. Right now it looks awesome, but I can also tell that it'll grow to be even better.
It looks very natural and organic.
Keep it up!

P.S. Do you always keep your water at that level or do you ever fill it to the brim? No reason I'm asking. Just curious.


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Wow thanks for the critique guys.
Out of a magazine. Hmm makes me want to take more shots for you guys. I still think I need a lot of work at shooting photos but wait until you guys see my closeups!
UG thanks the water level is kept around 1cm from the rim. Evaporation rate in my room is crazy! Also I sometimes questions the scape though. For a 1st time scaping driftwood, it is pretty awesome! But I really don't feel a flow in the wood. I think I might take out that horizontal pieces of wood and find something else. Also I do agree my first hard scape was awesome but I really don't have the skill yet to maintain, and trim all the wood.

I wanted to ask how do you guys trim your driftwood? Every time I trim I take out the pieces of wood and cut the moss off. I don't see how you guys do it while in the tank? The moss would go all over the place and just become a annoying headache.:confused1:

Thanks for all the input guys. I just think my scape needs retouch to really get that spark going. If anyone has suggestions on this just post what you think.


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

And here are some pics from yesterday:


This one came out just really cool!



























Here are some wide angle shots that give you a awesome feel to the tank!


----------



## fish_fasinated (Mar 30, 2006)

almost feels like you're heading down the the mississippi river or through some bayous or something. looks great!


----------



## Ugly Genius (Sep 27, 2003)

I think you're very close to the look you said you were going for on page three of this journal -- the Amano tank with the driftwood. I believe the key to a scape like this is chaos given order by the driftwood. In the center, the plants create a loud explosion of greens and reds pushed outwards yet scaffolded, secured, and structured by the lightning strikes of the driftwood.

What I would do to tweak the wood is trace the outward growth of the plants and place the wood along the projected trajectory.

What I mean is, find the general direction the plants seem to flow and angle the wood along those lines.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

thief said:


> I wanted to ask how do you guys trim your driftwood? Every time I trim I take out the pieces of wood and cut the moss off. I don't see how you guys do it while in the tank? The moss would go all over the place and just become a annoying headache.:confused1:


You don't trim driftwood, you have to saw it off

The moss you just do it in the tank and quickly take as many pieces as possible out of the tank...

NICE TANK!!!!! It's looking better than your previous one (no offense)


----------



## hyphination (Sep 25, 2008)

cool tank! what fauna are you keeping in there?


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Nice tank  Try not using flash


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Hi guys,

I've been having a lot of people ask about my tank lately and wanting an update. I just came from skiing vacation so here is a little update.

A lot has happened to the plants in the tank especially the glosso. 
Also I want to do a huge trim on everything and I want to fix my background plants to be more bushy. I have no idea how but I am using this thread as a helper.http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/showthread.php?t=57960
Ohh and the purple Bamboo adds soo much character to the outside of the tank! I have one almost a foot tall! I might sell a couple pieces cheap to some one who would like some nice healthy pieces! Ohh and I will be selling other trimming too.:icon_wink Just ask as I haven't trimmed yet.
Anyways here are some pictures.


















































Here is the outside shot.









As you can see my I can't take great photos. I wanted to originally get a good lighted shot that would show the vibrant colors but I am not good enough photographer yet. 

Ohh I got to take some pictures of the ADA order I recieved Christmas Eve for you guys! Some really awesome stuff.

Ohh I plan on making an order from the Niko and milalic at Inverts Factory and I am thinking of getting:

2 Ottos
4-5 Celestial Pearl Danio
1-2 Scarlet Badis ( I've been looking at these guys for a long time )Here a pic:http://www.invertzfactory.com/images/scarlet_badis/scarlet_badis6.JPG

I wanted to apologize about not really being online as much. It feels like the I have a mountain of things to do and just need to ski down one part at a time!:biggrin: I will post later on all the stuff that is going on right now!

Any advice and comments are welcomed!


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Ohh and another thing how the heck do I change the title of this thread?

I think I have a possible title!


----------



## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

o man the danios will look great in that tank!


----------



## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

It's a glosso forest! That's such a cool effect, I actually like it alot more than if it were a trained foreground. Maybe trim it a little shorter in the front, but I'd keep it high on the sides. 

And to change the title you have to edit the first post.


----------



## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Haha lol I lovew the glosso forest too. the best part is when my amano shrimp walk there the bottom partsa of it, it is like trees being moved around by a giant or something. Really cool effect. I do plan to trim most of the glosso down. But down't worry it should just grow back upright again. And this would make it easier trimming my background plants.

Ohh I just found my otto dead in the glosso forest. I think his death is my fualt as with the plants taking so much room maybe he diddn't have enough room for his liking. Sort of sad I have yet not cared for an ottos over 6 months old.

Anyways I hope to get maybe 3 in here that actually survive.


----------



## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

thief said:


> Haha lol I lovew the glosso forest too. the best part is when my amano shrimp walk there the bottom partsa of it, it is like trees being moved around by a giant or something. Really cool effect. I do plan to trim most of the glosso down. But down't worry it should just grow back upright again. And this would make it easier trimming my background plants.
> 
> Ohh I just found my otto dead in the glosso forest. I think his death is my fualt as with the plants taking so much room maybe he diddn't have enough room for his liking. Sort of sad I have yet not cared for an ottos over 6 months old.
> 
> Anyways I hope to get maybe 3 in here that actually survive.


ottos are hot or miss i swear. It's a gamble.. I always buy a bunch in hopes of keeping atleast 2.


----------

