# Picos anyone? Show your tanks....



## LB79 (Nov 18, 2011)

In my experience, no fish truly grows to the size of the tank it's in, especially large cichlids. Oscars can top out at around 16 inches, and while they may grow slightly smaller than that if kept in inadequate space, they'll end up deformed and unhealthy, as well as probably skittish and thus, frequently injured, as they have a habit of dashing around the tank if startled and running into decor. Keeping one in an 8x8 wouldn't work.

Look into Bolivian rams. I have a single male in one of my smaller tanks (12x12) and he's doing great. Bolivians don't have the same temperature and water quality requirements that German blue rams have, making them a little easier to keep. Plus, they're cichlids: you still get that same great personality, just packed into 2 inches of fish.


----------



## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

I guess you missed my bad attempt at making a joke in regards to the Oscar.

As far as any fish...I have no intentions of putting any fish into this tank. First of all...way too small. I wouldn't even put a Betta in it. Second...and most importantly...I'm off 4 days in a row every week so I don't want to have to go to my office on my off days to feed the fish. Shrimp no worries. A few shrimp in a well planted tank will have more than enough to eat for 4 days while I'm gone. Lid on the tank to minimize evaporation. Dirted tank so I don't even need to dose. Light on a timer. Hopefully a pretty simple relatively maintenance free setup.


----------



## LB79 (Nov 18, 2011)

Yeah, I saw the number of posts and was like, really? :flick: I guess my humor is taking a day off...


----------



## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

LB79 said:


> Yeah, I saw the number of posts and was like, really? :flick: I guess my humor is taking a day off...


My delivery of humor took the day off too :confused1:


----------



## Lingwendil (Nov 16, 2012)

Scarlet "Badis" (Dario dario) make excellent nano fish for such a tank, BTW.


----------



## GouramiVillage (Jul 13, 2017)

I have an 8" cube tank that I'm in the process of upgrading to a 10" (4 gallon) cube. The 8" started out with a planned scape (first picture) but without dosing any ferts the thick flame moss wall and cardimine lyrata died off. From there I just let everything grow out into a giant jungle mess as seen in the second picture. The last picture is of the new 10" scape (you'll have to forgive my horrible photography skills). 

Started off the 8" with a single pregnant orange cherry shrimp and ended up with about 30. I then added a wild brown cherry that hitched a ride with an online plant order. She apparently had some interesting genes, as I ended up with higher grade reds and even some red rili. I also have 2 horned nerites in the tank. I only feed 1 single crushed up veggie/spirulina pellet (bought from an eBay seller) once every 1.5-2 weeks.

Some info on the 8" budget build:

Equipment:
Aquaculture (Walmart) 5-15 gallon air pump (comes with a check valve)
$3 eBay sponge filter rated for 5 gallon tank
No heater necessary (light heats the tank sufficiently)

Lighting:
Fluval Mini Compact 13w Lamp

Plants:
Flame Moss (Failed)
Cardimine Lyrata (Failed)
Subwassertang
Anubias Nana
Anubias Nana Petite
Water Sprite
Needle Leaf Java Fern
Dwarf Water Lettuce

Other Information:
Lots of spider and cholla wood to gather biofilm
No fertilizers, no CO2
Weekly 20-30% water changes
Undetectable nitrates; could probably go with as little as monthly 30% water changes


----------



## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

What size defines a pico? I'm thinking under 3 Gallons, but there' no hard and fast rules I guess.


----------



## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

Yeah...That's my thinking...definitely under 5g but IMO 3 or less. As far as this thread...I'd like to see things try to stay at 5 gallon or less.


----------



## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Well that pretty much qualifies all my current tanks, although I am working on a 60P. I always like my Money Tree 0.9G Pico. You've probably seen it before. It probably only held like 0.1G in actual water, but it was sorta - Houseplant meets Planted Aquarium. Had this setup for around 2 years. 



















Peacock Moss grow well above the water line


----------



## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

haha...yeah...that's pretty sweet. Thought about doing something similar with a Peace Lilly. I'd like to be able to have enough room in the tank for some shrimp...maybe. Which shouldn't be too much an issue if I go with the 8" cube (3g) tank I was looking at.


----------



## Kehy (Feb 5, 2012)

Nubster said:


> haha...yeah...that's pretty sweet. Thought about doing something similar with a Peace Lilly. I'd like to be able to have enough room in the tank for some shrimp...maybe. Which shouldn't be too much an issue if I go with the 8" cube (3g) tank I was looking at.


I've raised tons of shrimp in a 1/2 gallon bowl. They'd have no issue with a larger tank like that


----------



## miachoi (Aug 31, 2018)

New to this community! I currently have a 0.4 gallon low tech "betta" cube:

FLORA
_Vesicularia dubyana_ - Java Moss
_Salvania aurucalata_ - Butterfly Fern
_Lemna Minor_ - Common duckweed
one mystery plant

FAUNA
One baby ramshorn snail


----------



## Proteus01 (Mar 12, 2017)

Nice little water box, @miachoi. Where do you keep this? Natural lighting or other? 

I have a couple of ramshorns that I kept for quite a while in the 0.9g marina cube, no troubles. I eventually moved them to a 4g just to change up the 0.9 that is in work - will post it next week perhaps. 
I think I’m liking the ramshorn fauna in a pico, more than shrimp. Lower maint, and makes for a stationary scape. Shrimp are awesome (I have many), but sometimes I want more of a sculpture-type tank, without any real motion. Office desk ready, perhaps.


----------



## miachoi (Aug 31, 2018)

Proteus01 said:


> Nice little water box, @miachoi. Where do you keep this? Natural lighting or other?
> 
> I have a couple of ramshorns that I kept for quite a while in the 0.9g marina cube, no troubles. I eventually moved them to a 4g just to change up the 0.9 that is in work - will post it next week perhaps.
> I think I’m liking the ramshorn fauna in a pico, more than shrimp. Lower maint, and makes for a stationary scape. Shrimp are awesome (I have many), but sometimes I want more of a sculpture-type tank, without any real motion. Office desk ready, perhaps.


Thanks Proteus! I keep it on my desk so its receives some natural lighting in the day. I turn on a desk lamp at night for about 5 hours. The ramshorn is adorable but I do foresee some problems with aeration - he's been coming up to the surface quite a few times (I suspect) to take in oxygen. I'll definitely be moving him into my parent's mature shrimp tank when he's bigger.

Do post your 0.9 when it's ready! I'm actually looking for a slightly bigger tank, perhaps a 1 gal cube from my LFS, we'll see >


----------



## DimitriSF (Oct 28, 2017)

GouramiVillage said:


> The last picture is of the new 10" scape (you'll have to forgive my horrible photography skills).
> 
> Plants:
> Flame Moss (Failed)
> ...


In your 4 gallon (10") cube, What is that carpeting plant that you have, near the S. Repens?


----------



## Monstera (Sep 30, 2018)

miachoi said:


> _Lemna Minor_ - Common duckweed


I think this is greater duckweed (_Spirodela polyrhiza_), it looks far too large and the leaf shape/root system looks different.


----------



## miachoi (Aug 31, 2018)

The hairy root system belongs to the Salvinia, can't actually see the duckweed well in this picture (there's only two floating inside)


----------



## AcidGambit (Aug 30, 2018)

I'm still trying to figure out whether I want to throw some floaters in here:


----------



## Proteus01 (Mar 12, 2017)

@AcidGambit I wouldn’t do floaters if that were mine. Right now, my eye’s focus is on the rocks, small details, and varied textures in the lower third - especially the bit of rock jutting out from the moss/algae left of center. Floaters would pull that focus up and out of balance. 
Looks awesome, well done.


----------



## Neatfish1 (Sep 20, 2018)

$2 Wabi kusa


----------



## AcidGambit (Aug 30, 2018)

Proteus01 said:


> @AcidGambit I wouldn’t do floaters if that were mine. Right now, my eye’s focus is on the rocks, small details, and varied textures in the lower third - especially the bit of rock jutting out from the moss/algae left of center. Floaters would pull that focus up and out of balance.
> Looks awesome, well done.


Thank you! Somehow I hard forgotten about the space between the two main rocks and freaked out when I couldn't find my Betta. I called my wife in to help me figure out what might have happened (fearing I had a jumper), then he came charging out of the space.


----------



## thehandwordandlaw (Oct 5, 2018)

Hi all, somewhat new to the hobby, less than a year. Learned alot from the plantedtank forums so far! But forgive me if theres still alot I dont know ... Not sure if you distinguish between a jarrarium vs a pico tank? Here's my one gallon setup in an old glass kitchen container. Added an led desklamp and bubbler, scaped partly with leftovers and culls as well as bb culture from my 5 gallon. Now houses 2 ramshorns and 2 red rilis. Surprisingly well cycled and stable, though I think ammonia may be slightly above 0 (hard to tell with API sometimes depending on lighting) An experimental project for now I'm keeping a close eye on it. Last pic here is a smaller jar probably less than a litre.


----------



## miachoi (Aug 31, 2018)

AcidGambit said:


> I'm still trying to figure out whether I want to throw some floaters in here:


I love this tank! Are the hairy moss on the rocks from marimos?


----------



## AcidGambit (Aug 30, 2018)

miachoi said:


> I love this tank! Are the hairy moss on the rocks from marimos?


Thank you! Yes, I used marimo moss balls. The middle of the balls are essentially hollow, with a flat surface opposite the "hairy" part. Many of the pieces on the left rock are jammed into crevices in the rock with a touch of super glue. The moss on the top of the right rock is super glued to the flat surface on top of the rock.


----------



## Raith (Jun 27, 2014)

thehandwordandlaw said:


> Hi all, somewhat new to the hobby, less than a year. Learned alot from the plantedtank forums so far! But forgive me if theres still alot I dont know ... Not sure if you distinguish between a jarrarium vs a pico tank? Here's my one gallon setup in an old glass kitchen container. Added an led desklamp and bubbler, scaped partly with leftovers and culls as well as bb culture from my 5 gallon. Now houses 2 ramshorns and 2 red rilis. Surprisingly well cycled and stable, though I think ammonia may be slightly above 0 (hard to tell with API sometimes depending on lighting) An experimental project for now I'm keeping a close eye on it. Last pic here is a smaller jar probably less than a litre.


I love this piece of driftwood, wow!


----------



## SquigglyThing (Oct 15, 2017)

Neatfish1 said:


> $2 Wabi kusa


 Is that Pothos? If so, how long has it been there?

I had an arrangement of .05 - .25 gallon tanks, but I let them all go, and without constant supervision they are now moss only tanks  . Anyway, since I grew out my Geos and put them in my 55, the space and time that went to my 10 will now go to revitalizing my picos! Just curious about how well pothos does underwater like that.


----------



## FettsValkyrie (Oct 23, 2018)

That tank is beautiful!! I had never thought to flatten out a moss ball to create rock cover, that's clever. 
Does the bubbler add too much oxygen though? I'm super new and still learning.


----------



## Rnasty (Jun 30, 2017)

AcidGambit said:


> I'm still trying to figure out whether I want to throw some floaters in here:


What kind of moss is that? It looks like a torn up moss ball


----------



## AcidGambit (Aug 30, 2018)

Yes, it's a marimo moss ball that I ripped apart.


----------



## Rnasty (Jun 30, 2017)

AcidGambit said:


> Yes, it's a marimo moss ball that I ripped apart.


I assume it's glued to the rock? I'm curious to see how that works out


----------



## AcidGambit (Aug 30, 2018)

Rnasty said:


> I assume it's glued to the rock? I'm curious to see how that works out


Yes, I saw some Youtube videos of people doing it and decided to give it a try.

Bump: New jungle pico tank (UNS 20C) that just cycled. My Koi HMPK is settling in now. There's still a decent amount of yellow tint from the wood and adler cones, the mosses need to grow in, and I need to clean up the fallen moss on the bottom. This tank is next to my other pico (posted earlier) in the same bookshelf shelf, so I'll post pics of the setup once the wires are cleaned up.


----------



## Lapolice17 (Oct 25, 2018)

Hi All,

I have been reading through this forum for a little over a month now and decided to join! I have a planted fluval spec 5 gallon that houses a Betta (Guiness), 3 ember tetras, and an Amano shrimp. It's been running for 8 weeks and constantly adding plants. I look forward to seeing other users nano tanks! LA


----------



## Proteus01 (Mar 12, 2017)

Lapolice17 said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I have been reading through this forum for a little over a month now and decided to join! I have a planted fluval spec 5 gallon that houses a Betta (Guiness), 3 ember tetras, and an Amano shrimp. It's been running for 8 weeks and constantly adding plants. I look forward to seeing other users nano tanks! LA


Welcome. I like the layout, and the mix of plants. That’s a lot of different species stuffed neatly in a 5g. Plenty of room for more plants, though all those stems will be trim-and-plant quickly.


----------



## Lapolice17 (Oct 25, 2018)

Proteus01 said:


> Lapolice17 said:
> 
> 
> > Hi All,
> ...


Thanks for the warm welcome. I am using this tank as a learning tank before I go bigger. This hobby is definitely an addicting one 🤣. I will plant some more stems in the back and see how it turns out.


----------



## AcidGambit (Aug 30, 2018)

Here is my final bookshelf setup, with both pico tanks.










The box in the middle is a wire-management box I purchased on Amazon. I attached some old wallpaper to it to spice it up a bit.


----------



## Cinnamonamon (Oct 24, 2018)

AcidGambit said:


> Thank you! Yes, I used marimo moss balls. The middle of the balls are essentially hollow, with a flat surface opposite the "hairy" part. Many of the pieces on the left rock are jammed into crevices in the rock with a touch of super glue. The moss on the top of the right rock is super glued to the flat surface on top of the rock.


This is an amazing idea and I plan to steal it immediately! (well, in the next few weeks, as I set up my new 5 gallon shrimp/snail tank)  Your tank is gorgeous, by the way!


----------



## Lapolice17 (Oct 25, 2018)

Your setup looks awesome. Great idea for the wire management.


----------



## RWaters (Nov 12, 2003)

Here's a couple pics of a vase I had on my desk on the first day of this year. It was upgraded to a 1 gallon tank during the summer but that has now been replaced with a 2.5 gallon.


----------



## Kehy (Feb 5, 2012)

Here's a .75 gallon filtered anubias tank. It's got snails and a tiny crayfish and a whole boatload of little anubias.


----------



## Lapolice17 (Oct 25, 2018)

Very neat idea! Love the look.


RWaters said:


> Here's a couple pics of a vase I had on my desk on the first day of this year. It was upgraded to a 1 gallon tank during the summer but that has now been replaced with a 2.5 gallon.


----------



## sakura83 (Nov 27, 2018)

houseofcards said:


> Well that pretty much qualifies all my current tanks, although I am working on a 60P. I always like my Money Tree 0.9G Pico. You've probably seen it before. It probably only held like 0.1G in actual water, but it was sorta - Houseplant meets Planted Aquarium. Had this setup for around 2 years.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


that is amazing!


----------



## Rubiks_Coop (Oct 1, 2010)

Ahh, appreciate the inspiration! Came across a few little tanks so I'm going to start up a 2.5g walstad, then follow it up with a [maybe a few] 5g! 
@AcidGambit: Amazing setup! And glad to see you're a lover of classic books as well.


----------



## Cinnamonamon (Oct 24, 2018)

Rubiks_Coop said:


> Ahh, appreciate the inspiration! Came across a few little tanks so I'm going to start up a 2.5g walstad, then follow it up with a [maybe a few] 5g!
> 
> @AcidGambit: Amazing setup! And glad to see you're a lover of classic books as well.



I agree @AcidGambit: The set-up is excellent -- I have to say though, I am itching to switch out your books -- maybe with 1,000 Leagues Under The Sea, The Little Mermaid, and maybe Moby Dick?  lol Hey, how is the moss ball glued to the rock doing? I didn't end up trying as I ran out of space in my tank, but it's still on my list for the next one!


----------



## AcidGambit (Aug 30, 2018)

Cinnamonamon said:


> I agree @AcidGambit: The set-up is excellent -- I have to say though, I am itching to switch out your books -- maybe with 1,000 Leagues Under The Sea, The Little Mermaid, and maybe Moby Dick?  lol Hey, how is the moss ball glued to the rock doing? I didn't end up trying as I ran out of space in my tank, but it's still on my list for the next one!


You guys are too much. Those two tanks are in one of ten shelves in the built-in bookshelf in my office. I guarantee that there are lots of other classic books in the other shelves.

The moss is going pretty well. That tank has required no maintenance to date and still looks good. Unfortunately, as I've chronicled in my tank journal, my main "display tank" in the office has been the exact opposite!


----------



## Aqua_Splendor (Jun 17, 2018)

Lovely thread!


----------



## Cinnamonamon (Oct 24, 2018)

AcidGambit said:


> You guys are too much. Those two tanks are in one of ten shelves in the built-in bookshelf in my office. I guarantee that there are lots of other classic books in the other shelves.
> 
> The moss is going pretty well. That tank has required no maintenance to date and still looks good. Unfortunately, as I've chronicled in my tank journal, my main "display tank" in the office has been the exact opposite!


Ha! I was making a fishy-book joke, not a classic books joke...I failed!  I'm putting together a 5 gallon Betta tank this weekend (just a "regular" tank shape, unfortunately...budgets suck, don't they?), and I think I might glue some marimo to some rocks to keep them Betta-friendly. I've seen a few other videos/pictures of people doing it as well. Someone pointed out that since it's so slow growing, it is a great way to keep some plants in your tank with almost no maintenance! 

I forgot to ask -- how is your display tank doing now?


----------



## AcidGambit (Aug 30, 2018)

Thankfully, it's starting to turn around. The carpet is on its way back and some of my buces are throwing off flowers:

https://www.plantedtank.net/forums/12-tank-journals/1281379-acidgambits-planted-uns-40c-2.html#post11164233


----------



## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Tanks are not longer in use but my favorite shots from when they were (2014-2016)

2g anchor cookie jar fissidenens fortunas on driftwood, delta betta, a few cherry shrimp. He was the most peaceful betta I've ever owned (except when the otehr betta broke through a divider..). He never flared in his life, liked kissy faces more than finger wiggles.









3g bubble bowl was mis-sold dwarf chain sword (was really dwarf sag.. idiot seller) and another delta betta.. he had fin damage (wiggled through a divider to the other delta while they wee in qt) that healed in an interesting way, made him look like a 'rose/petal/feather' fin.









both had sponge filters and heaters.


----------



## Pyrojodge (Feb 4, 2011)

*Here's my Office tank*









has been rolling for 2 years and counting...


----------



## braydon727 (Feb 10, 2019)

I have some spider plant,Rockmoss, Anubis nano petite, some regular Anubis and some lucky bamboo 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Kehy (Feb 5, 2012)

braydon727 said:


> ] I have some spider plant,Rockmoss, Anubis nano petite, some regular Anubis and some lucky bamboo
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Make sure that lucky bamboo leaves are sticking out of the water. It rots if it's completely submerged. Looks good otherwise


----------



## braydon727 (Feb 10, 2019)

Kehy said:


> Make sure that lucky bamboo leaves are sticking out of the water. It rots if it's completely submerged. Looks good otherwise




Thank you so much


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## braydon727 (Feb 10, 2019)

Does any one know anything about spider plant?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

braydon727 said:


> Does any one know anything about spider plant?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


YOUR PLANTS:
Spider plant is a house plant NON AQUATIC. I think I'd read from someone that it can grow with just roots in tank water but leaves need to be exposed to air.

Btw the only thing that should be underwater in your tank is the marimo ball (called 'moss ball' but they're not moss) and the anubias. The anubias needs to be pulled up from the substrate. Its rhizome (the horizontal part that roots and leaves grow from) needs to be completely uncovered. If left buried it will rot.
Your lucky bamboo and that other variegated leaf plant -looks like another member of the Dracaena family- need to be above water.

Word of warning: don't trust pet stores plant supply, more than half of what I see at petco/petsmart is non aquatic.


YOUR BETTA:
Is that a petco 'king' betta? Those are half giant bettas and need larger tanks than the standard betta (veiltail, crowntail, plakat, etc etc), a 10g standard would be a good idea for an upgrade.
In case you don't know your betta has the marble gene which means all that white/pink/clean parts will color up with time-likely blue and red, maybe a little black. So just be ready for a dark betta.


----------



## mamona (Feb 5, 2019)

Pyrojodge said:


> View attachment 876995
> 
> 
> has been rolling for 2 years and counting...


How big is it? Any tips?


----------



## Pyrojodge (Feb 4, 2011)

mamona said:


> How big is it? Any tips?




Take it slow and don't get to eager to add pets.

It's a 1.5 gallon Mr. Aqua.

Bump:


mamona said:


> How big is it? Any tips?




Take it slow and don't get to eager to add pets.

It's a 1.5 gallon Mr. Aqua.


----------



## EmmyGPGH (Jul 12, 2018)

Oooh love seeing all theses pretty picos!! My 2.7gal PennPlax replaced a 1-gallon converted beverage jug tank on my desk at work. My endlers are so much happier in it! 

I have a few pieces of pothos growing hydroponically in the HOB, some bamboo is emersed in the back, hiding the filter intake, and it has grown like mad since going in the tank. Some anubias and moss for good measure, along with a little hard scape. 

My tank is home to 5 male endlers — two look like guppy hybrids, an albino cory cat who will soon be moving to a bigger tank at home with some friends, and a handful of shrimp. Some rams horns snuck in and I cull them once a week. 

I keep the tank heavily planted so that it doesn’t require much maintenance as it’s at my work. I do a 30% water change about once a month and top off the water once a week as it evaporates rather quickly.


----------



## braydon727 (Feb 10, 2019)

AquaAurora said:


> YOUR PLANTS:
> Spider plant is a house plant NON AQUATIC. I think I'd read from someone that it can grow with just roots in tank water but leaves need to be exposed to air.
> 
> Btw the only thing that should be underwater in your tank is the marimo ball (called 'moss ball' but they're not moss) and the anubias. The anubias needs to be pulled up from the substrate. Its rhizome (the horizontal part that roots and leaves grow from) needs to be completely uncovered. If left buried it will rot.
> ...




Thank you so much for all this information. I’ve removed all of the bamboo. But the spider plant seems to be taking root and thriving very well. The other plant is Aquatic and is doing fantastic. Thank you for telling me about the marble gene. How can you tell he has that gene? Also planning on upgrading his tank very soon. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

braydon727 said:


> Thank you so much for all this information. I’ve removed all of the bamboo. But the spider plant seems to be taking root and thriving very well. The other plant is Aquatic and is doing fantastic. Thank you for telling me about the marble gene. How can you tell he has that gene? Also planning on upgrading his tank very soon.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Maybe I miss IDed the spider plant? I was thinking of the house plant called spider plant. *shrug*


I've owned bettas for about 5 years and learned from those I've owned (have had quite a few-had a LOT of tanks set up at one point) and ones shown online on betta forms- which have the gene and will change. How fast they change is a different matter that cannot be predicted. 


The white/flesh tone (called 'cellophane') body (and white or clear fins) with some color on it's scales/fins-the color will take over. 



I had a petco 'king' that was all white with the tiny tiniest touch of blue when I bought him. When he passed over 2 years alter he was all blue withe black outline round scales and black head.



If you want a quick-ish break down on some info (no where near all of it):

Red, blue, and black are the most 'dominant' colors-they will over take white, cellophanes, and yellow. If you get for example a truly white and yellow betta -no black/blue/red it should stay the color it is. If there is a hint of blue in a scale or the fins that will spread, like leaked ink. 

The "koi" bettas petco sells-all marbles (have the marble gene)- the light color(s) will be taken over by the dark color(s) with time.


But there are some that are not marble, like the 'mustard' betta-blue body with yellow fins. Typically the yellow fins stay yellow-a little blue may bleed into the fins near the body but not take over. 



Then there are the dragonscale betta- they will have thicker metallic scales that are usually white, if you look closely you can see the non metallic scales are usually a solid other color like blue, black, or red. Typically these guys keep their white but if you see white scales that look.. sort of dirty or tinted that color may bleed through the white. 

There are other metallic scaled bettas with different colors-some can have the marble gene.

Note these betta with metallic scales are more prone to a condition called 'diamond eye' where scales grow over their eyes leaving them partially to fully blind. If you intend to own one teach it a consistent feeding area and some sort of signal to feed (taking off the lid or tapping finger on surface at feeding spot), watch when they eat, remove anything they miss/sinks as they may not find it on the substrate.


Ok Sorry I'll stop rambling now. ^^


----------



## Nychris31 (Feb 18, 2019)

New to the community. Just started my 5 gallon tank last night. Will let it cycle for a bit and probably add some more baby tears and dwarf hairgrass this week as well. Waiting on new lights and Co2


----------



## Cinnamonamon (Oct 24, 2018)

Love the rocks & sand set-up! I'm starting to think I need to skip the gravel substrate, so I can put a hill in my next tank! Is this the little 5 gallon that was on sale at PetSmart last month? The light looks the same as mine and I'm wondering if I'm going to need a better one for my plants!


----------



## Nychris31 (Feb 18, 2019)

Cinnamonamon said:


> Love the rocks & sand set-up! I'm starting to think I need to skip the gravel substrate, so I can put a hill in my next tank! Is this the little 5 gallon that was on sale at PetSmart last month? The light looks the same as mine and I'm wondering if I'm going to need a better one for my plants!


Hi Cinnamonamano. Thank you for the feedback on the tank. I have a mixed bag of substrate in there. White inert aquarium sand, Fluval Stratum, and some brown gravel my wife had lying around from her tank. I kinda rushed it and just poured a mix of all 3 then shaped it upwards toward the back. Honestly I think I probably have too much in. Made a 5.5 gallon tank into 2.5 🙂

To answer your question, yes this is that PetSmart Tank. I ordered new lights, timer and a heater since one wasn't included. I believe I found recommendations for each on these forums. 

Here are the links to all 😀

NICREW ClassicLED Aquarium Light, Fish Tank Light with Extendable Brackets, White and Blue LEDs, 6W https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0191EWII2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_e4XACbHFVWN5Q

Uniclife 25W Submersible Aquarium Heater HT-2025 with Thermometer and Suction Cup, 5 Gallon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076F2771G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_w5XACbV82NTGP

NICREW Single Channel LED Light Timer for Aquarium, LED Digital Dimmer ClassicLED, ClassicLED Plus, BrightLED and Other Lights with Standard 2.5mm/2.1mm Power Connectors https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KYLX2P6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_J6XACbP3Y52G7


----------



## nil13 (Feb 22, 2019)

Here's my 2.5 gallon.


----------



## tredford (Jun 29, 2018)

nil13 said:


> Here's my 2.5 gallon.



Love the shape of the container. The plant growth looks very dense and healthy, thanks for posting.


----------



## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

nil13 said:


> Here's my 2.5 gallon.


I love that shape! Where did you get it (the bowl/vase)?


tredford said:


> Love the shape of the container. The plant growth looks very dense and healthy, thanks for posting.


^what they said


----------



## nil13 (Feb 22, 2019)

Thanks.

It's a hand blown Roost 'terrarium'.


----------



## aliciarene1 (Mar 1, 2019)

I'm very new to all of this! But I love the moss ball idea, especially for the ones that are coming apart any way! I may try this myself!


----------



## Nychris31 (Feb 18, 2019)

Nychris31 said:


> New to the community. Just started my 5 gallon tank last night. Will let it cycle for a bit and probably add some more baby tears and dwarf hairgrass this week as well. Waiting on new lights and Co2


Well I had posted about a month back when I first setup. Figured I'd post an update. Made a few changes. Got pressurized co2 a timer and lights that were recommended elsewhere on the forum. I'm still not sure my dwarf baby tears are growing correctly to carpet, but watching close. Here's where I am a month after setup.


----------



## aydemir (Sep 20, 2012)

Old setup I had, 8" rimless cube. Had DIY co2, and an LED 5000k lightbulb from home depot...livestock was mixed neocaridina shrimps. Substrate was fluval shrimp stratum. Really loved that setup, ended up having some algae problems due to the fluctuating co2 levels.


----------



## nanoaquascaper (Jun 4, 2019)

Just a little experiment on a micro system. It's been a few weeks and everything seems to be doing fine. 

It holds about 300ml of water. Less than a standard bottle of water so I have to be diligent on the top-offs. Pretty much daily 

I have three of my red cherry shrimp fry in here and they are doing alright. I have a few terrestrial plants and they are growing pretty well. You can even notice some mint lol 

The aquatic plants are from the trimmings of my other tanks. The stones are from a recent trip in Iceland, managed to gather a few from the locations I visited. ( I hope that is permitted ... if not arrest me ) 

Light is pushing 5 watts at 6500k. This is enough to keep the HC cuba happy.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

houseofcards said:


> Well that pretty much qualifies all my current tanks, although I am working on a 60P. I always like my Money Tree 0.9G Pico. You've probably seen it before. It probably only held like 0.1G in actual water, but it was sorta - Houseplant meets Planted Aquarium. Had this setup for around 2 years.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Old thread- but, new to me and I absolutely love this example. 



For all of just starting to set up small under 5 gallon vases, vessels, containers of some sort. We could just start adding to this thread. 



This one is amazing!:surprise:


----------



## nautal (Oct 1, 2019)

AcidGambit said:


> Here is my final bookshelf setup, with both pico tanks.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## AcidGambit (Aug 30, 2018)

nautal said:


> AcidGambit said:
> 
> 
> > Here is my final bookshelf setup, with both pico tanks.
> ...


----------



## sudhirr (Apr 12, 2019)

Pico is challenging. Setup this 10L tank, is this under Pico? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Lapolice17 (Oct 25, 2018)

I see this thread has recently been quiet. I have recently set up my first shrimp tank (about 4 days old) currently keeping a Betta as it cycles. I also re-scaped my fluval 5 gallon. Thoughts and/or opinions welcome.


----------



## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Dug up some old photos. Sadly tank is no more-lent to family member who eventual broke it. 
2.5g vase from Michels many years ago (don't know if they still sell it).









Same tank different plants/betta









Both times had heater/filter just hidden by plants.



Lapolice17 said:


> I see this thread has recently been quiet. I have recently set up my first shrimp tank (about 4 days old) currently keeping a Betta as it cycles. I also re-scaped my fluval 5 gallon. Thoughts and/or opinions welcome.


Nice tank, but I notice your veil tail back against the intake slots. Many betta owners with that style tank tie a piece of filter foam over the intake to keep them from having fins sucked in and damaged.


----------



## Lapolice17 (Oct 25, 2018)

AquaAurora said:


> Dug up some old photos. Sadly tank is no more-lent to family member who eventual broke it. <a href="http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/images/smilie/icon_sad.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Sad" ></a>
> 2.5g vase from Michels many years ago (don't know if they still sell it).
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## sudhirr (Apr 12, 2019)

Would a 10L tank classify as pico? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## A.Marie (Mar 15, 2020)

sudhirr said:


> Would a 10L tank classify as pico?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Yes, I think a 10 litre tank would definitely qualify! 10L is approx. 2.6 gallons and this thread discussed pico as being under 5 gallons, but ideally under 3 gallons.




Nubster said:


> Yeah...That's my thinking...definitely under 5g but IMO 3 or less. As far as this thread...I'd like to see things try to stay at 5 gallon or less.


----------



## sudhirr (Apr 12, 2019)

Left: Earlier covered in algae
Right: Most recent image - with almost no algae. 

A combination of reduction on lighting intensity and schedule and reducing the dosing has seemed to help. But for the java fern and some moss all the other plants just died. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------

