Aqua-Qube 40 Journal (Updated 28/02/2011)

[Ben M]

hi, i have just got a new tank, it's a superfish aqua qube 40l, dimensions are L: 33cm, W: 33cm and H: 40cm.
it came with a 18w superfish clip on light which i know are decent lights so i'm hoping i'll be able to plant it well. i will be dosing EI ferts and either yeast based co2 or liquid carbon.

i would like to know which plants i'll be able to grow. i'm going to use a nutrient rich substrate, not sure which type yet (possibly akadama?) and i'd like to have a go at a really nice scape. i intend to use some carpet plants, but i'm not sure if i'll be able to grow dwarf hairgrass and glosso? also, would riccia fare well in those conditions? i'll be using some mosses and stem plants, but i'm not sure which would be good stems with small leaves, that won't overcrowd the tank?

i'm thinking about what i want the hardscape to be made up of, i would like to add something with a bit of height so that i can make use of the tallness of the tank and give the shrimp more room, but i also like the idea of iwagumi type rock positioning, (could possibly use aspects of iwagumi?) how would you suggest using hardscape to add height to the tank without overcrowding the swimming space, and leaving room for carpet plants and rocks?

i won't be able to set this tank up for a few weeks as the room it will be in is being decorated, but that should give me time to plan it well.

all ideas greatly appreciated

i'm off now to sharpen some pencils to start drawing plans.

 

[Biulu]

Ianho is growing riccia successfully in his tank, and I think his lighting is not more than yours, so that should be ok. You can use your rocks to give height to your tank by attaching ferns or mosses on top of it. This of course is not iwagumi, but if you use small jave fern, it can look like a landscape type rock with vegetation.

 

[SuperColey1]

With the light + yeast or liquid I would go as far as 'you can choose whatever plants you wish'

That does of course depende on getting dosing and circulation sorted to perfection

AC

 

[Ben M]

thanks, that's great. i've always only been able to keep low light plants before.

here is how i intend to scape the tank (from above)

what do you think of the plants and how the rocks and wood are going to be?

 

[Ben M]

hi, i'm now looking for a substrate. it'll need to be a complete substrate that doesn't need capping, and i want a proper nutrient substrate. however, i'm on a low budget, so are there any good ones that don't cost the earth. i've worked out that i'll need about 6l of it. does that sound about right for a tank with a base of 33cm sq?

cheers

 

[stevereade]

With that lighting, co2 and ferts you can use anything really.

 

[Ben M]

hi, tomorrow i'm going to start cutting and de-barking some dead hawthorn, as the prices of redmoor are rather high!!! i'm hoping to use quite a few rooty/branchy bits and glue them together into one great looking piece. what glue would you suggest for sticking the pieces together? and how long would you recommend that i boil/soak the wood for? i'm thinking boiling 5 or so times over a week, and soaking it during that time and then however long it takes to get my tank set up. i'll add some pics of my 'invention' tomorrow hopefully, if anyone's interested?

also, i'm going to have a few dead leaves in the tank for the shrimp and otocinclus to munch on. i know that oak leaves are good to use, but are beech ok? and are there any other leaves that ii can use? also, can i pick the leaves when they are still green, and then leave them to dry out, or must they have died and fallen off first?

cheers

 

[Ben M]

hi, i've got three different layouts with the wood, which do you think is best?

the paper shows the base of the tank, and the hight of the tank is to the top of the string (it will be glued together when i've decided on the layout)

1).

i made it a bit big, so if i go for this one i'll have to shorten the piece on the right.

2).

3).

i will of course remove all bark and soak/boil before placing in the tank. i am also going to file the branches to make them thinner, as i think they are all a bit thick for the tank and are taking up too much room.

if you don't like any of these, or can think of a better way to use the branches (i have a hedge full of spare bits!) please let me know.

i'd really appreciate your opinions on this, as i don't want to be tearing it out after a few weeks!!!

cheers

 

[Biulu]

What kind of biotope are you trying to create with this? Are you planning on using stones as well? Then it would look a bit like a river bed. I like the first one best, as you have the right one at a different angle as the rest.

 

[Ben M]

hi, i'd like it to look like a riverbed. someone on another forum suggested that i use some small pebbles to create that look, and i think it's a great idea!

thanks for your thoughts on the wood. it will look a lot better when stripped of its bark and filed into shape!

cheers

 

[Carlovel1]

I reckon that 'DIY tree root' would look really nice in a riverbed scape. Personally, I'd have a bright white background, some small Crypts around the wood, some large round smooth pebbles and a group of small shoaling fish
Carl

 

[Ben M]

cheers for your input Carl. i've got all of the beech de-barked, and have numerous cuts on my hands from the putty knife i used. i have stuck some pieces into a box, and here is what i've got:

the highest branches will reach the surface, and i will have mosses growing on the wood, but not too much, as i like the look of the wood.

i'm still on the lookout for some decent pebbles, and will have another hunt tomorrow.

what do you think of this wood layout?it will go in the back left corner of the tank, possibly with either crypts or Rotala rotundifolia growing through it.

i think i'm getting sorted with the overall 'scape now.

in the back left corner will be the wood with mosses growing on it. around the base of the wood will be either the crypts or the Rotala rotundifolia. scattered around the wood will be some small pebbles, with a stem plant across the rest of the background (i'm looking for a tall stem plant (30-40cm) to cover the background, please give your ideas ). in the back right corner a dwarf hairgrass carpet will start, sweeping around infront of the Rotala, and stopping at the base of the wood. infront of the wood on the left i will have a carpet of crypts, growing to the front of the tank (stopping 4" before) and meeting the dwarf hairgrass at the wood. there will then be a glosso carpet along the front of the tank (infront of the crypts and the hairgrass). oh, and the crypts and dwarf hairgrass will grow through the pebbles.

what do you think?

cheers

 

[Carlovel1]

This is a rough idea of a riverbed scape
Its very inspiring IMO

Copyright Paulo Pereira

 

[Biulu]

To get a real riverbed effect I would leave some substrate bare, especially where the pebbles are. I would leave the glosso out. IMO you would lose the riverbed effect with any carpet plant.

 

[Ben M]

Thanks for the replies. I've drifted away from the river bed idea, but I'm sure I'll try it in the future.


I am choosing the plants now.

Here is a plan of the tank from above:

Do you think these plants will all grow well in the conditions above?

The circle labelled wood is the base of this piece of wood:

Which will have mosses growing on it, so may shade some of the plants below it (which is why I've chosen Cryptocoryne species for around the base).

I want the scape to start tall at the back left, and then slope down to the front right. Will that work with these plants?

Which species would you recommend for the back left corner? I'd like a red stem plant, would a Ludwigia sp. be suitable? If so which one would you recommend? If not, could you recommend another 25cm ish red stem (other than Rotala rotundifolia)?

I'm not 100% sure on the crypt species. Which is the smallest species that will do well at the front left of the tank?

Also, which would you suggest the the right of the wood where i've put beckettii? Would a brownish/purplish crypt species be a good idea, and if so, which would you suggest?

The part labelled 'path' will have no plants, and will just have the Colombo Flora Base substrate. It will be edged with little pebbles (to keep it scaled down).

Is there anything that you would add/take away from this scape? And, do you think I'm cramming too many plants in?

and how do you think the tank will look when finished?

Finally, if anyone has any of the plants I want for this scape spare I'd be interested in buying.

cheers