Nano aquascape - "Autumn's Fall"

Dimensions: 20x15x15cm - 4 liters or 1 gallon
Lighting: Chihiros Wabi kusa LED 13.5W
Filtration: DIY nano canister
CO2: Pressurised 1 bubble every 2 seconds thru nano glass diffuser
Substrate: ADA Aquasoil Amazonia, quartz sand
Hardscape: Seiryu stones, Redmoor wood
Fertilization: PPS pro, Easy carbo
Plants: Hemianthus calitrichoides, Anubias sp. 'Pangolino', Bucephalandra sp. 'Kedagang Mini', Rotala mexicana 'Goias', Microsorum sp. 'Dwarf Narrow leaf', Crepidomanes sp. 'Calicut', Hemianthus glomeratus, Rotala sp. 'Colorata', Rotala sp. 'Wayanad', Rotala sp. 'H-Ra', Rotala sp. 'Araguaia', Rotala wallichii
Fish/shrimps: Currently nothing

Setup

Egg crate was used as a base:

Wood placement:

It is anchored to the egg crate with cable ties:

Small slots for cable ties:

And plastic mesh glued with super glue on the egg crate (this going on the bottom):

Next step - preparing tile adhesive. This was used for gluing the stones which will act as barrier for soil:

Substrate and planting

First layer is coarse gravel - just to fill egg crate holes:

Before this ferns were attached to the wood (it is easier to work outside the tank) and they were covered with wet paper towels to prevent drying out:

Next layer is recycled Aquasoil:

And Powder Aquasoil as a top layer:

Sand in front:

Flooding the tank and planting:

 Day 1

Day 26



Been too lazy about water changes, but not a big deal... Some GSA and GDA developed. Thrown in about 20 Leopard ramshorns, should be enough to clean algae.

I made some changes, first of all there is a new substrate - I am testing ADA Amazonia Light. All Seiryu stones were removed as they had too much impact on the water hardness. Also, some plants are substituted with more appropriat ones suitable for a long term maintenance. I am delighted with Elatine hydropiper, amazing carpet plant, perfect for nano tanks.

Great growth in just 2 weeks:

Playing with light (LED controller) to get red plants more colored. At the moment photo period is 9h with dawn and dusk, and zenith intensity is at 55% of maximum power. Planning to increase it: