Nano tank build. 100 litre, planted.

I mentioned this tank a little earlier today in a thread about the lifelong financial investment in the hobby so I thought I would post a thread about it here as well.

This is my challenge tank where I'm trying to keep the costs as low as possible while also trying out some plants I've either never tried before, or use very rarely.

The tank itself was an ebay purchase that I made purely because it was too cheap to pass up, and honestly I expected it to be on its last legs. Happily it was just in desperate need of some cleaning and modification.

I believe the tank to be an Aqua One Nano 60. It came to me almost complete but it was pretty disgusting and there was little in the way of internals that I felt I could save, so it ended up not being at all complete after I gutted it.

There was an internal filter that is akin to a sump in the rear of the tank which took up quite a bit of floor space, it was one of the dirtiest things I've ever seen on a tank and from the brief conversation I had with the guy selling the tank it was pretty clear he had never cleaned the thing. He had owned the tank for 2 years.

I ended up putting the tank in my garden and taking the hose to it, then spent some time ripping out the cracked and filthy rear filter before deep cleaning every part of the tank. I've honestly never seen a tank that filthy, I'm talking inches of crap backing up in the filter. And of course the power head that came as part of that filter was DOA.

It also came with a heater, but frankly I've not even plucked up the courage to turn that on and instead decided to just replace it.

I have changed my way of thinking over the years I've kept fish, I used to prefer more spartan tanks for the sake of easy maintenance but in recent years I've really started to enjoy the more planted appearance. Of course I still have some pretty bare tanks, but this one is going to be planted.

I went to a few friends and some sellers and came away with the following list of plants, although these are subject to change as the tank evolves but they are the ones currently planted. All but the Gayi are tissue culture.

Back left - Potamogeton Gayi
Back centre - Hygrophila Polysperma
Back right - Cardamine Lyrata

Middle left - Gratiola Viscidula

Front left - Littorella Uniflora
Front/middle right - Lobelia Cardinalis

I will also be adding some moss and maybe plants to the bog wood that I have not yet placed in the tank.

I'm using an Eheim Thermo Control 100 as the heater and an Eheim Bio Power 240 as the filter.

The substrate is just play sand with some JBL Manado soil underneath, as well as a few root tabs.

The Sicce Shark will not be remaining in the tank, I'm just using that to help clear up the water.

It looks like crap currently, but I'm sure that it will improve in time.

There is not much change on this tank right now. I added some bogwood, a coconut hide with attached moss and a hide/tunnel I made with some rough slate. I think the slate will look pretty nice when it gets some algae on it.

The plants are taking pretty well already, even though they've only been planted for less than a week. I'm already seeing over an inch of growth on the polysperma and even more on the gayi. The lyrata is moving slower, but certainly growing.

I started the cycling when the water had cleared and as of the first test it is going as planned.

This is likely to be an apistogramma tank, I've not kept them for a while and my water is perfect for them. I'll likely add some raspbora and kuhli as well.

I'm attaching a picture of the bogwood and slate from before the water fully cleared, and the first test.

I'm at the stage where I'm going hands off with this tank for a while. I've moved things around to where I'm happy enough with the arrangement and I want to let the plants mature.

I've added in a mature java fern that I had in my plant grow out tank, and a little bit of Lilaeopsis Mauritania and it's now time to see what grows on and stays and what will need to go.

There are also a pair of terracotta hides in the back.

Watching with interest. I love larger tanks with decent shoals of nano fish. My most recent tank was initially set up for apistos - I made the mistake of adding shoals of nano fish first and ended up not bothering with apistos
FWIW I suspect that filter will prove too powerful once you add fish.

I'm very much the same way, I love the nano fish. I also made the same mistake with another of my tanks, I put 20 Ember Tetra in and then couldn't put another species in that I was considering.

The filter is quite strong, I agree. I've currently got it running full blast, but I will be turning it down a little and adding a thin sponge over the spray bar to reduce the current. If absolutely necessary I also have a 160 I can switch it out for.

This filter has an adjustable flow rate - from 280 to 750 l/h. The lowest should be OK for 100 litres.

Cydeth said:

I put 20 Ember Tetra in and then couldn't put another species in that I was considering.

Click to expand...

Yes that was the start for me, 20 ember tetra then 20 boraras (assorted but I did order b.brigittae). When it was time to get the apistos I bailed and added pygmy corys and sparkling gourami instead. Its still my favourite tank and the one I spend the most hours watching. I also started with a variety of plants and kept those that thrived. Mine are all easy - this tank is almost zero maintenance, it gets almost no attention besides weekly water changes and the occasional rare trim.


The s.repens in front is new. I'm away on hols at the moment so looking forward to see what its done when I get home. This was my Covid lockdown tank so its about a year old

The cycle is coming along quite well, I've just tested and had the following results.

Ammonia - Between 0.25 and 0.50ppm
Nitrite - Over 2ppm
Nitrate - Between 5ppm and 10ppm

The plants are coming in nicely and I've been able to trim and replant a little of the Gayi to increase the density.

Two days after the second full ammonia dose.

Ammonia - <1ppm
Nitrite - Between 1 and 2ppm
Nitrate - Between 20 and 40ppm

I added a handful of red root floaters from one of my other tanks, along with a Aponogeton Madagascariensis that was looking a little sorry for itself in my plant grow out tank. I suspect it was getting a little strangled for light and nutrients, so I'll give it a chance in this tank.

OK, I've got a small confession to make on the progress of the cycling. I've had a busy few days and took my eyes off it, so I didn't see the ph drop to 6. Of course that slows things down considerably but it is not a big issue really.

I did a 75% change, dosed again with ammonia and things are now back on track.

I just tested and ammonia is barely over 0ppm, the same is true for nitrite. Nitrate is right around the 20ppm range.

Not much has changed inside the tank, plants are moving slower than I'd hoped but certainly still growing well.

I ended up needing the terracotta hides for another tank so I went out and bought a couple of coconuts for 40p each and made some hides that I actually really like the look of.

The one at the front is temporarily placed right now, the plant is Anubias Barteri Nana and I ended up getting that for £1.50 at pets at home because it was reduced for quick sale. It looks fine to me, aside from one leaf going a little yellow at the tip. It's also a very small plant, but that works out fine for this application.

I'm going to test this tank again tomorrow just to be sure, but I think I'm about ready to challenge it to a full dose of ammonia.

Today's results are as follows.

Ammonia - 0ppm Although in bright sunlight it could possibly of been just a hair higher. But I don't believe so.

Nitrite - Clearly 0ppm

Nitrate - Above 0ppm, but a long way under 5ppm

I've now challenged this tank twice to 3ppm of ammonia and it has cleared both times within 24 hours, so I'm confident in saying that the tank is fully cycled.

However, the plants are not at a point where I am willing to add apistos at the moment.

The cardamine lyrata initially grew well but then started to die off, which prompted me to replace most of it with some lobelia cardinalis from my grow out tank.

I've also acquired a small nymphoides aquatica for the front mid that I'm hoping will do well and provide some extra cover.

I am on the look out for a group of dither fish that I like the look of, and I will likely add those in before the apistos.

There seems to be a lack of suitable fish around me lately, I have been able to find raspbora but every shop seems to only have one or two left of any particular species.

I'm in no rush to stock, so I'll hold out a while longer.

Edit: The lace leaf I added to the tank has really take off, so it looks like it will survive and stay in the tank.

I may be stocking this tank over the weekend.

You all know how it goes. I know a guy that knows a guy, and that guy is currently the owner of two groups of apistos. I believe them to be Double Red Cacatuoides and Fire Red Agassizii.

He is willing to give me a pair of either fish in exchange for some plants that I have that he is finding hard to source. Which I think is a pretty good deal as the plants are in dire need of a trim and I'd only likely be throwing them in the compost.

I'm going to be driving over to Yorkshire with the plants this weekend and I'll be returning with either fish or some cash. I have no idea how well he keeps his fish or if they are healthy so I've not yet committed myself to taking them.

On the condition of this tank, it's doing quite well. The Lobelia has stood up after my initial quick and dirty attempt at planting it, the banana lily is in place and looking fine with its new growth. The moss on the drift wood is doing great, the anubias has already replaced the yellow leaf I removed and the lace leaf is looking like a new plant.

The red root floaters died off in the same way that most of the cardamine lyrata did, they both seem very sensitive to high ammonia during the fishless cycle. I replaced that with a decent handful of frog bit that was destined for the compost and it seems to be doing OK right now.

Apologies for the awful picture.

Apistogramma cacatuoides double red, 1 male, 1 female.

Kuhli loach X 6.

I've got a line on some Nannostomus marginatus as well, but that's not for today.

Looking good! Keep an eye on the ammonia levels, especially since you just added fish.