# zeldar's 2.5gallon "cave"



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Well, I was going to tear this 2.5gallon down, but just didn't have the heart to do it. I left the HC and marsilea minuta in there from the last scape because I was just going to use it as a emmersed setup to grow some plants. Then I had an idea to do a cave scape using some seiryu rocks from *boink*. 

I added some clippings of mini pellia to the top of the rocks. I don't know how they will do since it dries out pretty fast but I am trying to keep it misted 2-3 times a day. Hopefully it will attach itself to the rocks in the next couple weeks. There is also MP lining the front of the rocks. I also threw some HM clippings in the back, behind the rocks. Hopefully, this will create a "forest" with the cave leading into it. I may move some Rotala mini Type 2 into here on the right side of the rocks; I'll wait and see. 

On the right side of the scape is a nice HC carpet. I don't know if I am going to keep this as is or try to add a small manzy stump with lots of small branches coming off it. 

I want to try a small canister filter on this tank. Either the Tom Rapids mini or the small Zoo Med. I have never used a canister before so I need some suggestions on which to use. Alright on to the specs and pictures.

Tank: standard 2.5gallon
Light: JEBO clip on 13watt
Fliter: tom rapids or zoo med
substrate: Aquasoil II and used Eco Complete on the bottom
co2: DIY with glass diffuser
Flora: HC, marsilea minuta, mini pellia, rotala mini type2, HM, more to be added
Fauna: no idea



















you can kinda see the cave in the middle of the rocks


----------



## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

Looks good so far!


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Nice rock(s). The HC looks good, too :thumbsup:


----------



## SirKappa (Apr 19, 2010)

That is an awesome rock. I think it would look best placed just off center though instead of in the corner.


"zeldar... from planet beldar... our leader is zeldar... and we shop at walmart" LOL


----------



## AlexXx (Dec 1, 2009)

omg i love that freakin rock! I just started up a 2.5 gal with some ug growing emeresed. You have quite a good start dude! cant wait to see it in a few weeks.

Also i recommend the zoo med, ive had it for almost a month and now its super quiet and works great.


----------



## becks17 (Dec 21, 2009)

I think you should keep the HC carpet as is, the additional stump may take too much away from that awesome cave you've got as the focal point. Unless it's small enough to place close to the cave to accent it. 
It really looks great so far! 
Oh, maybe you could make it into a riparium for crabs! Or not...


----------



## marrow (Feb 4, 2007)

it looks great, the Marsilea may trouble the mini pellia if you are not careful. Personally I wouldnt include it where it is as it will visually block the mini-pellia a bit to much. It is going to be a lovely setup, a nice pair of CPOs would look great in that tank.


----------



## becks17 (Dec 21, 2009)

marrow said:


> it looks great, the Marsilea may trouble the mini pellia if you are not careful. Personally I wouldnt include it where it is as it will visually block the mini-pellia a bit to much. It is going to be a lovely setup, a nice pair of CPOs would look great in that tank.


I know what CPDs are, but what are CPOs? Keep seeing it around... :icon_redf


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

thanks guys!

*sirkappa*, devin dropped a new cd on 4/20 haha It is damn good too.

Yea, I don't know if I am still going to add the stump piece, just depends if I find the perfect piece. 

*marrow*, that minuta has been growing at a snail's pace. It has been growing for at least 7 months and thats as far as its gotten. But I agree, it doesn't really fit in this scape. 

*becks*, CPO's are orange dwarf crawfish. I have a pair in my 10 gallon and they are super awesome. I have counted 3 youngins in there as well and the female is berried again so I will prob add a couple to this 2.5gal. I just don't know if there are enough hiding places in here for them.


----------



## marrow (Feb 4, 2007)

zeldar said:


> thanks guys!
> *marrow*, that minuta has been growing at a snail's pace. It has been growing for at least 7 months and thats as far as its gotten. But I agree, it doesn't really fit in this scape. .


It is interesting that it is still in submerged state and hasnt switched to the clover form yet. Its always been a weed for me. I can just see a little pair of CPO's taking over the cave, having offspring, sending them to nursery school and then cray kindergarten, oh sorry I got ahead of myself there.


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

I made some changes to the tank recently. THe marsilea minuta was taken out of here and replaced with more mini pellia. I've had some mini marsilea minuta for a while but it has never really taken off. I just threw some in the crack of the rock on the right to see what might happen. There were also several stems of rotala mini type 2 added behind the rocks. and some fissidens on the far left. I am ordering some staurogyne 049 and am going to put 3-4 stems on the right side of the rock formation

fts









close up of mini pellia 









rotala mini type2









inside the cave









mini MM









fissidens









blimp view


----------



## AlexXx (Dec 1, 2009)

lookin good! You have so much mini pellia!


----------



## D'cecilia (Jun 12, 2009)

This set up is NICE!!!


----------



## tuonor (Nov 26, 2009)

Awesome rock cave! I'd skip the manzy and just leave the right side open as you have it. I think it looks great as is.


----------



## Gill (Mar 20, 2005)

The rock used is amazing, really suits the scape


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

This is still truckin' along. Just some photos to document a little growth.


































So, as you can tell, no drastic growth which is fine with me. I am in no rush to fill this tank, I want it to be completely ready. Oh, I did take most of the mini pelia off the top of the rock and put it more on the side of the rock, if that makes sense. It was just drying out too fast baking under the light all day.


----------



## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Looks good! I really love that rock!


----------



## AoxomoxoA (Apr 22, 2010)

Cool cave! Nice HC growth too. Mine accidentally dried up yesterday.:icon_redf (much smaller temporary container)

Tagging alongroud:


----------



## Outlawboss (Dec 30, 2008)

When those plants grow out and fill in, that cave is going to be sick! I love this scape. Can't wait to see it filled!


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Thanks guys!!

Not much new here. I did add 3 stems of staurogyne 049. I really like in this tank. Heres a couple pics for ya'll.










staurogyne









deep into the black abyss









MP foreground









some MP growing on the rock


----------



## AlexXx (Dec 1, 2009)

Looking great! 

Does MP grow faster emeressed like your growing it?


----------



## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Zeldar, where did you get your HC from?


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Thanks *Alex*, I think MP grows a lot slower when emmersed. I really haven't noticed any growth at all for it. I really just want it to get attached to the rocks and substrate so its not floating everywhere once I fill it. 

*bitFUUL*, I really don't remember where this particular HC came from. It's well over a year old, I just took some clippings from my 10 gallon and started it in here. If I had to guess where I got it I would say from a member here on SnS. It looks really good when growing emmersed though. Its much greener than when its submerged.


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

I decided to go ahead and fill this thing. I've had an aquaclear 20 running on another tank so I hooked it on the side in here. It fit perfect and I turned the flow down some since this is only a 2.5gallon. I will hook up a DIY co2 tomorrow after work.

Still haven't decided what livestock to put in here. Probably going to add some Taiwan fire red's in here to see if I can get a colony going. As you can tell by the pics, the staurogyne has really taken off and probably needs a trim real soon. The only thing I was worried about when filling the tank was the mini pellia not being attached. However, there is not one piece floating so I guess its done the job. 

















Probably the last time I will get the HC to pearl this much haha


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

That looks very nice, but I would be very hesitant about adding such nice shrimp to a tank with seiryu stone


----------



## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Clean setup, lovin' them HC pearls.


----------



## phangtonpower (May 28, 2010)

Nice setup!!


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

I added 5 Taiwan fire red shrimp the other day. There are 3 females and 2 males, all juvies. One of the females does have a saddle so we will see if she will get berried. 

Not much growth with the plants. The staurogyne really needs a hack. But I kinda like it as a stem plant, I know most people keep it close to the substrate. The HM leaves melted quite a bit but is hanging in there. 

I just can't keep it a shrimp only tank. haha I have the urge to add a small nano fish in here. Any suggestions? I was thinking briggittae but they will look too much like the shrimp.


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Nice shrimp! Hopefully it will be okay with the seiryu stone.


----------



## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

Get some CPDs!


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Thanks *CL*, so far so good with the shrimp. All 5 are doing great, still waiting on that saddle to turn into some eggs. lol

The HC really didn't like the move to submerged. Pretty much all of it melted. It looks like a bunch of bare stems with a couple new small leaves on top. I guess I need to just chop it down so it will regrow. I trimmed the staurogyne and replanted the trimmings so i have about 7 stems in there now. 

*Vincent*, I have some CPDs in another tank and I really do like them. A 2.5gallon is just wayyyy to small for them. They are big fish in nano terms so I think I am limited to a small group of microrasboras. And even then a 2.5 is a little cramped. I might stick to shrimp only, we'll see.


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

pic update


----------



## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

Your rock looks really natural. Love the way the mp is comming out from the crevice. Sucks your hc melted. Hope it fills back in again.


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Thanks *Pinoy*!

Not much has changed. Sold some MP, chopped the staurogyne, and took more HC out. 

There are so many baby taiwan fire red shrimp. I thought they wouldn't breed much in a 2.5gallon but they have bred more than any RCS ive ever seen. There has to be a good 50 already in there. Be on the lookout in the SnS for them!


----------



## dacrax07 (Jan 10, 2009)

love the 2nd pic with all the baby shrimp


----------



## tnemelk (Jun 25, 2010)

oh dear. i heard about the transition problems of HC from emersed to submerged...maybe you can invest in some CO2 tank so that they will adapt better.


----------



## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

I think this tank already has DIY C02.


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Yea i keep a 2L DIY on here which is probably too much. I am getting 2-3 bubbles per second. 

I took a lot of the HC out mainly because it was all uprooting as well as melting.


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

This little tank is just trucking right along. This is probably the first tank I've ever had that didn't go through a bad algae fight when it first started. I really haven't had any except a little brown dust algae on the glass. 

The staurogyne is growing great and starting to thicken up. The MP is also going strong, its real green. MP is definitely my favorite plant ever. I love its leaf structure and its ability to carpet and attach to basically anything. Its also really easy to grow, but is susceptible to BBA although not in this tank. HM and fissidens has really taken off and is filling in nicely. The only plant not doing to well is the mini type 2. Its just not growing much at all. I mean its green and looks healthy but its just so tiny. The leaves are about the size of new born shrimp.

The Taiwan fire reds are still multiplying like crazy. This time I mean it, look for them on SnS. I finally got some breather bags and ready to ship.

sorry i got a new camera and dont know why the pics are so bright on this tank.

























let me know if you would like to buy some of these guys


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Since this is about my only tank that seems to be growing, I guess I'll give a little update. 

The HM is in full bloom and needs hacking every two weeks. The staurogyne is looking perfect, I wish it would look this way in my 10 gallon but its just not taking off in there. I added 1 little node of HV just because it was an extra and there was a patch of open substrate, I doubt it will stay there long. Also added was a couple bunches of e. balem just to see if I like it in this tank. Even though it doesn't grow as tall as dwarf hairgrass, I still think it will be unproportional in this small of a tank. The MP is still doing its thing and really branching out on the cave. I never noticed before but some type of moss is growing on the MP carpet. I'm sure its peacock moss which hitchhiked from another tank.

I sold/traded close to 50 of the shrimp and still have lots still in there. Very prolific breeders to say the least.



















If you didn't know, I love MP haha


----------



## phreeflow (Feb 13, 2010)

This tank looks ridiculous ...let me have it :biggrin:

Actually, this little 2.5 gallon shrimp'n machine looks fantastic. Love the mountain and the especially the mini pellia -- the shrimp ain't bad either. I would know since I'm one of the lucky ones to get my hands on some of these. 

Only had them a few days and they're really starting to put the heat on :icon_redf...they literally outglow my CRS. The Fire Reds are awesome and Greg's..uh, erm...a real stand up guy and great to deal with. Good stuff here folks...get 'em while the gettin's good! roud:


----------



## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

zeldar said:


>


You make MP look like an invasive species. In a good way.


----------



## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

B-U-T-FUL

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


----------



## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

zeldar said:


>


What is this plant?

And tell me more about MP.


----------



## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

Clare12345 said:


> What is this plant?
> 
> And tell me more about MP.


The plant on the left where the shrimps are grazing is fissidens moss. Looks like fissidens nobilis to me. But it's a fissidens of some sort.


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

yea like Pinoy said, its fissidens fontanus.

Nothing special, just some more pics. In need of a trim.


----------



## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

I have my 4 year old nephew with me here. He said that your tank looks better than mine and that your shrimps looks like they've been cooked and still moving. I agree with him :red_mouth I've never thought how the shrimps we keep looks cooked. >_> Kids...


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

ahha tell your nephew thanks for me!! My dad always teases me and says if we ever get hungry, we could always raid my tanks and have a shrimp feast. ahah


----------



## MeanGreenEyes (Sep 24, 2010)

PinoyBoy said:


> I have my 4 year old nephew with me here. He said that your tank looks better than mine and that your shrimps looks like they've been cooked and still moving. I agree with him :red_mouth I've never thought how the shrimps we keep looks cooked. >_> Kids...



That is too funny...all you need is some Old Bay Seasoning and it would be a shrimp feast for real. Jk lol

@ Zeldar...Your tank is beautiful...I might get some of those shrimp for my 2.5 that's still a work in progress...I'm inspired by your tank!


----------



## DANIELSON (Jul 15, 2010)

What is that clip thing with a suction cup you are using to hold ur shrimp food. I have been looking for something weighted that would hold the zuchinni down when i feed mine.


----------



## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

Its prob just a veggie clip


----------



## DANIELSON (Jul 15, 2010)

O ok i was trying to find out what its called thanks.


----------



## zeldar (Jun 24, 2009)

Thanks *MeanGreen*!

*Danielson*, its actually just a suction cup from an ebay diffuser. 

Below are pictures after a chop to the staurogyne and HM. 










I think the shrimp in the middle is cool with the clear band around his body.


----------



## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

zeldar said:


> Thanks *MeanGreen*!I think the shrimp in the middle is cool with the clear band around his body.


Okay, that is a Rili shrimp. Keep him and look for more, and sell em! Ps I think you should take all that staurogyne and spread it out low all over the right side.


----------

