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Thanks for the comments. I've since read of other issues what an overdose can do to inverts as well as some plants like riccia.

Robyn, since the store still had some of these shrimp I did purchase two more and am keeping them in a breeder trap in the 72G until I make sure the 0.5G is safe.



My Scapes

Well as you know by know I nuked my Ninjas and my riccia with an excel overdose. With 0.5 gallons to work with it's pretty easy to get carried away. Anyway I removed the toasted riccia and replaced with a valley of the stuff through the rocks. The hairgrass is doing great, I see fresh clean runners and nice white roots:



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My Scapes

*** Warning ***
Wings look away this could get ugly



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My Scapes

Looks like a good recovery from what I can tell. Are you changing from having the riccia on rocks to using it in the substrate?

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

I know this is a girlie thing to say but I think your latest tank is so cute!!!

I want!

but then I 'd want mini fish to go in it too!

so maybe not!

GFGxx

_______________________________________
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone

Looks like a good recovery from what I can tell. Are you changing from having the riccia on rocks to using it in the substrate?

Good catch Matty, I forgot I did that actually. I started playing with the rocks alittle and it kinda reminded me of a valley. So I started thinking riccia valley but I needed the riccia to be really low. I actually have a plastic grid buried in the substrate. I cut it to fit pretty much around the rocks.

I think things are going alright. If you look closely at this pic you could see the riccia pearling. Also I added alittle java moss to the front rocks to add some color.

I know this is a girlie thing to say but I think your latest tank is so cute!!!
Thanks Goldfishgeek

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My Scapes

I started playing with the rocks alittle and it kinda reminded me of a valley.

I thought so too, looks great. I was tempted to say I liked it better that way, but I wasn't sure if you had just tossed it in there that way or not. I think as soon as it starts to grow up onto the rocks just a little bit it will look very natural.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Thanks Matty, I agree

Anyway fun thing about these little tanks you get just move them around to get pics and "whatnot" oops starting to talk like LF

Here's a lower side shot showing hairgrass runners. You could also see how varied the eco grain size really is.



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My Scapes

Somebody has got the shifty-eye-itis. Not pointing any fingers.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

You could also see how varied the eco grain size really is

Not only that but you can see how rough this stuff is and can using it for your bacteria arguments.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

oops starting to talk like LF

At least there is something that I have contributed to this forum

Anyway, sorry about the downer with the overdose, and glad to see that you are already back up and running. I think it will be interesting to see how the Riccia will do on the substrate, as (as usual) I have my doubts that it would work well. Why? Because it will collect gunk (decaying matter, for example) underneath and die off its own anchor (which I guess is not removable that easily, given that it is buried) and start to float.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Somebody has got the shifty-eye-itis. Not pointing any fingers.

Who me?

Not only that but you can see how rough this stuff is and can using it for your bacteria arguments

Good point Wings.

Anyway, sorry about the downer with the overdose, and glad to see that you are already back up and running. I think it will be interesting to see how the Riccia will do on the substrate, as (as usual) I have my doubts that it would work well. Why? Because it will collect gunk (decaying matter, for example) underneath and die off its own anchor (which I guess is not removable that easily, given that it is buried) and start to float.

Uh, welcome back, I think

My Scapes

Hi,
That is a terrific series of pictures. And, it has me
curious...What is that to the right of the tank, in the
full tank shot? It looks like a tank that takes up a
wall, and the plants look like they are in pots inside
the tank.
What are we looking at?

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

What are we looking at?

The tank to the right is my 72g. No pots probably just the lighting from the pic or something.

My Scapes

Since planted aquaria is kinda slow these days without LF's (10+ post per day average) I thought I'd liven up the place. You know the expression "As exciting as watching grass grow" will here ya go. These two pics shows my hairgass over a 3 day span. Note the root especially against the glass has already produced one runner and now is continuing to the back of the tank and producing another. You could also see the first runner is already a full blade of grass. See it is fun to watch grass grow

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My Scapes

[chant]grow.....grow....grow...grow..grow.growGROW!!![/chant]

Go for the gold little runner buddy/:'

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Since planted aquaria is kinda slow these days without LF's (10+ post per day average) I thought I'd liven up the place.

I know, we all have tanks now with no major algae problems and have learned to just dose and not worry about it. No wonder bensaf is never around anymore, he taught us too well.

Nice series of pics, the harigrass is growing pretty well considering the light loss.

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Back in the saddle!

I see I didn't miss too much, watching the grass grow is all you guys did in the mean time.

Anyway, I am back now.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Update:

It's been about 2.5 weeks since I setup this little guy. So far plant wise the hairgrass is doing great. It's growing clean fast, with only 0.5 gallons to work with it I can easily fill the cube with just the grass, but there is a foreground currently of riccia. My initial planting of riccia I'm pretty sure was fryed by an excel OD. I replanted the riccia I guess about a week or so ago and it seems to be spreading, but slowly. I am now dosing 2 drops of excel daily, which I think is about .10 ml. The tank is getting semi-weekly water changes from the 72g.

Here's a current "full tank" pic:



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My Scapes

Here's a corner shot showing more of the hairgrass:



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My Scapes

Closer shot from the side showing one current resident in the tank (actually two if you count a small pond snail.



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My Scapes

I have to tell ya, I'm having a ball making this little tank work. It really is fun. As I said eveything purchased for the tank was local. Funny the light was from Staples and when I pulled out the bulb to see the "k" and it said 6400k I knew I had the light for my nano.

Anyway, extreme closeup of the bubblebee/ninja shrimp. This guy as you could see is more red than the others I had. They are hybrids of CRS so you'll see different shades, etc. Also in this closeup you could easily see the edge of the plastic mesh that is holding down the ricca.


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My Scapes

Very nice tetratech

And interesting as well, in particular the last shot. There, I can see the plastic matting you use to hold down the Riccia. Without a doubt, the hair grass will spread into that area as well and at the latest then it would be very hard for you to remove it in order to trim the Riccia. What is your plan of action there?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And interesting as well, in particular the last shot. There, I can see the plastic matting you use to hold down the Riccia. Without a doubt, the hair grass will spread into that area as well and at the latest then it would be very hard for you to remove it in order to trim the Riccia. What is your plan of action there?

I did make mention of the plastic mesh in the last picture post (I guess your not reading and only looking at the pics
Hairgrass pulls out pretty easily. All the runners are in like a chain fashion so just pull up a few leaves snip and tuck back in. But yes there will be trimming of course, etc. I actually picked up some Glosso at my LFS the other day and I was considering taking out the riccia and replacing it with the glosso, becuase the riccia wasn't looking to good, but know the riccia seems to be spreading so I have this glosso in it's little container and I don't know what to do what it. I might put a few pieces into the nano if I could find the room.

My Scapes

Tetra,

Where did you get the plastic mesh from? Does it come in other colors? I am thinking of using it for my Java moss forground. It should help the triming process quite a bit.

Your tank is looking really nice. Small tanks can be a lot of fun to play with as you can do a lot with it with little time. Maybe I could talk my boss into a small show tank....

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Where did you get the plastic mesh from?

The mesh is off the shelf from Michaels Crafts stores. I'm not sure it comes in different colors, maybe. The mesh is actually called Plastic Canvas from a company called Uniek. It came in a pack of 10 4" squares for like $2.00.

My Scapes

Very cool! Thanks tetra! I might have to make a stop there later this week.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

I guess your not reading and only looking at the pics

Well, I did see that, but having the visual helped me to understand the details, like how thick of a layer of substrate is above it and what not.

I believe you that the Hair Grass is easily pulled out, and I also believe that with the right lifestyle you will have no problems. But, just for that sake of the argument, if you were to let the grass grow for a while you would have runners forming above and below the mesh and then you may have a hard time figuring out how to remove the whole thing for maintenance.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I can start to see how attractive this little tank, or large soup cup(in terms of size only) if you will, is going to be when the grass fills out the back.

*resists urge to set up nano*

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

resists urge to set up nano

"Resistance is futile"

Thanks

My Scapes

Very pretty little thing... You wouldn't want to send a little of your magic over across the Atlantic, would you?

You wouldn't want to send a little of your magic over across the Atlantic, would you?

I think the shipping would be a deal breaker.

Thanks for the comments. I find these little tanks to be stress relievers because their fun to tinker with and if you don't like it you could dump the whole think and start over without a lot of hassile.

My Scapes

...and if you don't like it you could dump the whole think and start over...

You know, that is how I feel about my 20G QT, the smallest of my tanks (I know, way off from Nano). This tank is seeing a makeover whenever there is only the permanent stock in it and if I feel like being in the mood to mess with things.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

A couple of new pics: Your notice from this side shot the hairgrass runners are "running" straight to the front along the side (what LF was alluding to) So it's time to trim already You'll also notice a new plant has been added to the "massive foreground"



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Closeup shot of my shrimp. So far so good he's been in there for three days. Matty this shot was taken with the S2 in supermacro mode.



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You'll also notice a new plant has been added to the "massive foreground"

Glosso, right?

Your shrimp picture reminds me of you suggesting to me getting some Amanos for the 29G. I am seriously thinking about that option ever since. Do you know of any issues with Platies and these shrimp?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I don't think you'll have any problems mixing the platys with the Amanos. In my 72g I have about 10 amanos and you know what's in there.

My Scapes

That is a very nice macro shot there tetratech. It's definitely not that I think the s2/3 is no good. I'd love the camera. The size doesn't really bother me at all, as I could use my nikon as a pocket camera or whatever. The features I think are better than the a630, but the problem is the cost. Right now with classes the hundred dollar difference is like month's worth of penny pinching . I'm in survival mode with ramen noodles and PB and J. Ok, so maybe not that bad...but you get the idea. I only have enough time to work 1 day a week.

It's amazing how fast that stuff is growing in there, very nice, and nice little candycane shrimp(definitely not a ninja in those colors...more like santa).

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

O.K. I'll start small with my updates, this way if there's any nitpicking it will be nano sized. Not sure how much nitpicking you could do with 0.5 gallons

First try at a nano has been rewarding. The hardest part was realizing how easy it is to overdose because of the size. Again I'm dealing with 0.5 gallons and I overdosed excel initially and it toasted the ricca, then I reduced dosing and had to reduce again to finally get to a good place. Right now the tank is about 8 weeks old, I changed some of the rocks from the initial setup and added a few sprigs of rotala. Everything is growing on a slow, but steady pace. I'm currently doing the following:

2 water changes with 72g twice a week.
1 drop excel daily
13watt light

Plants are:
rotala
riccia
dwarf hairgrass
glosso

Animals are:
one adolescent CRS (got put in the bag with other CRS when it was almost invisible in size has grown nicely in the nano.
Pond snails

Issues:
Slight green dusting on the rocks and some of the hairgrass tips are turning black. Ninja shrimps did not survive in the nano or in my 12g.


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Wow, that looks great tetratech. It's really filled in nicely in the last few weeks. Did you say you changed the rocks or just moved them around? Any plans for more shrimp or other inhabitants?

That's all cause you don't want any nitpicking.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

It looks very nice tetratech,

Seems all is growing fine, now that you have figured out how much Excel to dose. Do you use the dropper to evaluate "one drop"?

Nitpicking, we would never do that . Except, maybe this one time .

If I would change anything then it would be to replace the rotala with a plant that has smaller gaps in the nodes and smaller leaves. It looks too big in this setup.

Hope you don't mind this comment

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Did you say you changed the rocks or just moved them around?

Both

Do you use the dropper to evaluate "one drop"?

Yes

If I would change anything then it would be to replace the rotala with a plant that has smaller gaps in the nodes and smaller leaves. It looks too big in this setup

.
Yes, ideally you are right the rotala and the glosso is abit big, but for now I've used things I had, I eventually customize the plants for the nano. I recently trimmed the top of the rotala since it grew to the top, but I should have clipped lower to get it busher.

Nitpick away......

My Scapes

Tetra,

Sweet little tank! The only issue I see with it is the rotala and that has already been delt with. Super job!

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

A little update on my little tank:

This "baby" is about 10 weeks old now and really hasn't given me any real problems. Everythings looking pretty good. I think these nanos are good for experimenting with different things and seeing what happens. Too be honest I'm not in love with the scape and I'll probably break this tank down soon and rescape it. As I said it was my first attempt with a nano, especially one only 0.5 gallons.

Some interest things with the tank that might be interesting to discuss:

1. The hairgrass seems like it has stopped spreading, but it's not dying, why?
2. The tank has no algae and is getting 26 wpg (I know not really, but the light is strong enough to grow riccia, hairgrass and glosso, why?
3. The tank has no flow, but there are no problems associated with this, why?
4. The tank is being dosed with no3/po4 from the 72g is not getting co2 and doesn't have any algae, why?

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My Scapes

Here is the only real resident in the tank. A young CRS. I got this guy when he was almost invisible from the LFS and got put in the bag with adult CRS. He has grown from a tiny speck to this:



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My Scapes

Something about these little tanks just seems to balance out, doesn't it?

I think it comes down to lighting and low waste production.

First of all, the lighting isn't what it seems. WPG makes no sense whatsoever on a tnak this small. So 10 watts is still 10 watts no matter how you look at it, whether it's on a small tank or a 10 gallon, it's still not a lot of light. In your case the light it's getting is close enough and strong enough to let riccia and glosso grow and stay compact, but not so much that it causes algae problems.

The other part comes down to your favorite topic: waste There's just nothing in there decaying, nothing giving off ammonia, nothing to foul the water. Planted tanks are easy when there's no waste!

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Back in the saddle!

I'll play your game

1. might be growing very slowly. Maybe some needs aren't quite met, but can get by without. In other words, no net photosynthesis, just enough to balance respiration.

2. You da mastah. but really there's no real bioload. This goes abck to our last agreement(yes, agreement) more watse = more algae. You have a small tank, yes, but you have no real bioload, and no nutrient input from food. Any algae that is produced gets munched by those snails and your 1 tiny shrimp. Everybody's happy.

3. My opinion is that the water column is too small to have "dead spots". All water is the same in that volume. Dilution is rapid across a small number of inches. Also, if you are pretty good about pulling dead leaves, which are probably very minimal anyways, there's no organics to build up in any spot in the tank and cause a dead spot. If you had a "dead spot" it would be the entire tank.

4. See # 2, you da mastah

Nice little shrimpy pic....you'll get to see nice pics from me like that pretty soon. I got my new camera!

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Planted tanks are easy when there's no waste!
Nowher

You have a small tank, yes, but you have no real bioload, and no nutrient input from food.
Matty

So is organic control the ultimate algae fighter?
Your right this tank has no real bioload and I don't feed anything. There's no flow and high light (still high enough to grow light demanding plants). The No3 and Po4 in the water column is not causing algae. I think we could learn alot from these small simple tanks.

Matty interesting point about the hairgrass. It was growing pretty fast at first, just seems to have slowed. Is it possible too many roots in the small area is telling the plant something.

My Scapes

Well as Bensaf would say (funny how he's said certain things so many time they're committed to memory now... ) , the NO3 and P you add are just powdered chemicals, inorganic stuff. The bad stuff is the stuff that builds up from leaf and food rot and fish waste decomposing.

That's one of the reasons we do big water changes on high tech tanks - out with the bad waste, in with the good chemicals.

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Back in the saddle!

That CRS is really nice. I still have 4-5 in the 2G hex but they are not getting all that red. One has been carring eggs for a long time. I haven't seen the other one that has eggs in a while nor have I seen any babies. The CRS in the 40G are dark blood red though. I really love them! The Amanos are pretty nice too.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

The CRS in the 40G are dark blood red though

Aren't the really deep red ones male?

My Scapes

I thought it was the other way around.

Dark Red/large ~ Female
Light Red/small ~ Male

I could be wrong though.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

1. The hairgrass seems like it has stopped spreading, but it's not dying, why?
2. The tank has no algae and is getting 26 wpg (I know not really, but the light is strong enough to grow riccia, hairgrass and glosso, why?
3. The tank has no flow, but there are no problems associated with this, why?
4. The tank is being dosed with no3/po4 from the 72g is not getting co2 and doesn't have any algae, why?

Tetratech, you begin to sound like me. What's all that questioning about? Has nobody told you that there is more gray than black and white in a tank?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Tetra,

Do you still have this tank around? How is it doing? I just started a .5G tank with hair grass. I am using pool filter sand as a sub. and injecting flourish into it.

Any ways I was just wondering if you still had it and what it looked like.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Tetra,

Do you still have this tank around? How is it doing? I just started a .5G tank with hair grass. I am using pool filter sand as a sub. and injecting flourish into it.

Any ways I was just wondering if you still had it and what it looked like.

Wings, no I don't have the nano setup anymore. I did them just to try it and I didn't want the additional maintenance long-term. I probably will do another one in the near future. Right now my only nano is my 5g.

My Scapes

More tanks.. even small tanks.. = more time invested.

My little tank is actually a 1.6G tank. Its kind of cute. I am using natural lighting as it is sitting in the window. I hope my hair grass takes off for me. I would be super happy if it does! Thanks for the info on your tank.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

I am using natural lighting as it is sitting in the window. I hope my hair grass takes off for me.

I wonder what else will take off for you in this tank, Wings

Yeah - I can see how a few small tanks are not the same as one larger one. And the one you have tetratech is nice enough.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I wonder what else will take off for you in this tank, Wings

Come on now!!! I have had a vase with Java Moss up there for months with very litty algae! So take that!

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric