Llj's 8g Nano Nightmare!

[excaliborg]

Very impressive! I love the rotala at the front, so bright. I must get some!

 

[lljdma06]

This little scape is superb, you should be very happy with it. Stunning use of colour.

For a low-tech set up it's particularly impressive.

Well done llj.

Shucks, George. That's sweet of you.

Very impressive! I love the rotala at the front, so bright. I must get some!

Thank you too, it's a nice plant. That particular stemplant has been going on since January of 2005. It survived the move to Miami, very well. The A. reineckii is as old too.

I'll update this in another month, when things grow in.

llj

 

[Themuleous]

Haha Doh! just goes to show how little I know

Sam

 

[lljdma06]

Haha Doh! just goes to show how little I know

Sam

He he, you funny.

Did you know that "Doh!" is now a word in the dictionary? Thank you Homer Simpson.

 

[Themuleous]

Haha actually I did, the wonders of the world

 

[SuperColey1]

Maybe a sill Noob question, but what is the actual name for HM? Is it a stem plant? Is it the bright green plant at the front of the tank. Ifo so it looks great. What lighting conditions does it need in a 30G tank?

A lot of questions I know but any info I gain is a bonus. lol

Andy

 

[lljdma06]

Maybe a sill Noob question, but what is the actual name for HM? Is it a stem plant? Is it the bright green plant at the front of the tank. Ifo so it looks great. What lighting conditions does it need in a 30G tank?

A lot of questions I know but any info I gain is a bonus. lol

Andy

The full scientific name is Hemianthus micranthemoides, now you know why we call it HM. It, along with its smaller cousin Hemianthus callitrichoides (HC for short), are some of the smallest stemplants. My HM grows very well in the low-light conditions of my 2.5g and 8g, but grows more leggy in my taller tanks, though it is healthy there too. I don't mind the leggy growth and in fact, I cut the growth in half to make new plants. HM actually responds very well to constant manipulation and pruning. I believe the stems get much stronger. I use it as a foreground in my low-light tanks, which is unusual, and I'm not certain you'll get the same kind of growth. I think it really depends on how deep your tank is, the deeper, the more leggy the growth will be, unless you have quite a bit of light. It is a great plant choice for very small tanks and is a nice alternative to the more demanding glosso. It benefits from a fine grade gravel or plant substrate, as it develops roots quite well.

Hope this helps a bit,

llj

 

[SuperColey1]

I saw it in your tank and I like the 'hillock' style it gives at the front.

Unfortunately I do have a low light tank (although in 1 month will be super high light)
and it is 18 inches deep (125Ltr tank)

I might look into it, because it looks lovely in your nano

 

[lljdma06]

I did a water changed today and realized I had three more platy fry, quite grown too, so I had to take out half the plants out to get at them.

As a result, I tweaked with the tank again, but I don't like it much. It has to grow in quite a bit. I also added H. zosterfolia as an experiment. I want to see if it'll grow in a non-CO2 enviroment. I shortened the A. reineckii by 1/3 and have now planted rotala behind it. I'm seeing if the A. reineckii sandwiched between the HM and the Rotala will lessen the effect of the red. Hopefully this will work in about a month.

llj

 

[Themuleous]

Sounds good

 

[cheesy feet]

Hey,i've enjoyd reading your journal.In all pics your tank looks fantastic!I would like to set up a 5 gal ,nano ,low tech planted tank.I'm new to plants so if anyone could list some attractive plants which need low light conditions and which would be suited to a small tank,i would be grateful .I know java moss and java ferns don't need high light requirements...as i have them,but thats about all i know lol Sorry for hijacking the thread.

 

[lljdma06]

Hey,i've enjoyd reading your journal.In all pics your tank looks fantastic!I would like to set up a 5 gal ,nano ,low tech planted tank.I'm new to plants so if anyone could list some attractive plants which need low light conditions and which would be suited to a small tank,i would be grateful .I know java moss and java ferns don't need high light requirements...as i have them,but thats about all i know lol Sorry for hijacking the thread.

Thank you Cheesy feet for your complements. For a smaller tank, aim for smaller-leafed plants. This will give the illusion of size. Of course, in this tank, I'm kind of ignoring that rule, but this tank is a Dutch setup and leaf contrasts and colors play a more important role than leaf-size. My low-tech 8g has 3WPG and my low-tech 2.5g has about 5WPG. Your 5g may require a number in between that figure. I imagine 18W is going to give you what you need for a low-tech setup. There are desklamps that have CF fixtures that are around 17-18W, I can never remember which number. These offer a cheap alternative to aquarium lighting and the bulb is often a full-spectrum daylight bulb, which is perfect. I find aquarium nano fixtures to be over-priced in general, and I frankly don't notice any difference in plant growth.

A list of plants for you to try in addition to your java moss and java fern.

Anubia petite nana
Hemianthus micranthemoides or Hemianthus callitrichoides (may not carpet for you)
Rotala rotundifolia
Any of the smaller cryptocoryne species, put especially C. parva, and C. lutea
Egeria najas (grows fast, a great algae buster, and has smaller leaves than egeria densa)
Christmas moss
Willow moss

I'm currently experimenting with H. zosterfolia and recently put it in my low-tech 8g. If it is thriving in a month, then I'll include that plant. Obviously other plants work, but I'm staying away from recommending the bigger-leafed plants right now, if you want to go for the illusion of size.

Both of my low-tech nanos are virtual no-brainers. My 8g has laterite mixed with a fine-grain gravel, and my 2.5g has just the gravel. Both have rootabs which are replaced every 3-4 months. I have two HOB filters in my 8g, and only one HOB nano filter in my 2.5g. The only algae I get is the occasional thread algae in my 8g, which I pull out during water changes, and some diatoms in both, which is cured by either removing or investing in an oto. I'm crediting the diatoms to the fact that I have to feed fry in these tanks, so there's extra waste. I change the water for both tanks 2x a week, about 25-30%, though to combat the diatoms, I may increase this to 3x a week.

Both setups were extremely cheap. The equipment for the 2.5g was about $35 and the equipment for the 8g was about $100. Plants, of course cost extra, but in my case, they mostly came from cuttings and divisions from my larger tanks. A benefit of MTS (multiple tank syndrome)

I tend to overstock with fish, so I don't add ferts. I may add trace to my 8g, since I no longer have any hardscape, but the plants don't seem to show any need for it, so why rock the boat?

I hope this helps a little. If you have any other questions, or if anybody else would like to add, by all means!

llj

 

[lljdma06]

I've been taking all of your advice to heart and am trying to achieve a refined look for this nano, so I did some trimming and added a new plant. Since it did so well in my 20g, I moved some Heternantera zosterfolia clipping to my 8g. I was a bit reserved at first, since this is a non-CO2 tank, but so far, the growth has been very, very good. I'm pleased. I hacked the A. reineckii quite a bit, and created a third and fourth layer of depth with the Rotala, which is blushing quite brightly now. It lessens the overwhelming tendency of the A. reineckii, I think. It still needs to grow it a bit more and I need to encourage branchiness, especially on the right side where the zosterfolia is, then you'll be able to plainly see the four-tiered grouping (highest to lowest, zosterfolia, rotala, HM, Christmas moss). I find the basically similar leaf-shapes a funny coincidence. Might have to trim the HM.

Pictures for you.

Under-exposed plant shot

Platies with macro

More platies with macro

Tank from the left

Tank from the right

Full tank shot, ala Gill or Graeme.

Thanks for looking, hopefully, next month, I'll get the added depth I'm looking for. I can already see the pink rotala tips peeking from between the zosterfolia and the HM. The Dutch layout may seem a little unruly now, but with the correct trim, it'll pop into place. I have to be patient and picture the layout before I hack away. Things move so slowly in this tank, it's hard to cultivate.

Any suggestions, criticisms, or opinions are really welcome to help make this tank work. I really need some photography help too, especially if I decide to enter competitions with this layout. I think it has some potential, especially as a non-CO2 entry. Any tricks for camera work? I'm using a Canon Powershot A430 4.00 megapixel with 4x optical zoom and Super macro.

Thanks again,

llj

PS: The tank didn't feel like a full-tank shot, so I'll try to get one up tonight, so you can see the layout a bit better.

 

[Dave Spencer]

You have a great eye for colour, including the fish. I like the look of the Rotala as well. Mine has really taken off since I got my water/CO2 circulation right, and is pearling so much the O2 bubbles lift the leaves vertically upwards.

The only thing I am unsure of is the mossy foreground. It looks a little too messy for this set up, IMO. Lovely tank, though.

Cheers, Dave.

 

[Themuleous]

This really is a lovely tank Llj, joking aside () if I can manage a tank half as nice as this I will have achieved something. Really a thing of beauty.

Sam