DIY - Desktop Nano Tank

This build is for a 5 liter nano tank with canister filter hidden in the stand.

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Growing 'Monte Carlo' (Micranthemum tweediei) on Hardscapes

Micranthemum tweediei also known as 'Monte Carlo' is one of the easiest carpeting plants to grow in aquarium as a carpet in the foreground. Recently, it is very popular to grow this plant on the hardscape (stones and wood) as an epyphite plant with amazing downward creeping manner.

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Amano shrimp vs. Black beard algae (BBA)

If you wonder how efficient Amano shrimps are against BBA, here is my story. This aquarium I have used as an experimental tank; fertilizer testing, CO2, photoperiod, water flow... Like the most of my experiments, it resulted in disaster. First there was a problem with green algae (Hair algae, GSA) which I managed to fix, but then BBA appeared. We all know how stubborn this algae is and it is difficult to eradicate it even when the cause is removed. Well, it can be done with some chemicals like direct spraying with H2O2 or Excel / Easy Carbo, but these chemicals can very easily kill some sensitive plants and especially mosses. I decided for a more natural approach and give Amano shrimps a chance. This is the result;

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Nano aquascape - "By the Sea"

Dimensions: 59x20x15cm - 17 liters or 4.5 gallons
Lighting: Chihiros RGB60
Filtration: Eden 501 (sponge, ceramic rings) 

CO2: Pressurised 1 bubble every 3 seconds
Substrate: Pool filter sand, gravel 1-3mm, peat
Hardscape: Seiryu stones, Lava rocks
Flora: Riccardia chamedryfolia, Bucephalandra sp. 'Kedagang Mini type 3', Utricularia graminifolia, Eleocharis acicularis, Myriophyllum sp. 'Guyana'

Fauna: Sundadanio axelrodi 'Blue', Neocaridina davidi var. 'Blue Jelly', Clithon corona

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Cryptocoryne nurii var. raubensis 'Rosen Maiden'

This beautiful Crypt originates from the Malay Peninsula (Bt. Perah, Raub). In their natural habitat they grow on the stream banks in limestone soil. This is smaller Crypt and has tendency to grow very low, leaves growing horizontally. It is very easy Crypt to grow (both emersed and submerged).

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Nano aquascape - "Fire Garden"

Dimensions: 20x15x15cm - 4 liters or 1 gallon
Lighting: LED 9W
Filtration: Azoo Mignon 60l/h (sponge, Purolite) 
CO2: Pressurised 1 bubble every 2 seconds
Substrate: ADA Aquasoil Amazonia (regular and powder)
Hardscape: Lava rocks
Fertilization: PPS pro, Easy carbo
Plants: Eriocaulon sp. 'Sulawesi', Fissidens sp. 'Khao Sok', Rotala mexicana 'Goias'
Fish/shrimps/snails: Crystal Red shrimps, Leopard ramshorn snails

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Cryptocoryne nurii 'Platinum'

Cryptocoryne nurii 'Platinum' is found on Lingga island in the Riau Archipellago province of Sumatra. It was discovered in 2009 by Mr. Nakamoto.
This beautiful new Cryptocoryne he named Cryptocoryne sp. 'Lingga 19 – Platinum Line' based on its distinct platin-colored leaf nerves. Recently this plant got the status of a cultivar: C. nurii 'Platinum'.

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Cryptocoryne bangkaensis

A new species from the island of Bangka and Belitung near Sumatra. For a long time C. bangkaensis was considered as C. scurillis. C. bangkaensis is characterized by its limb with a more or less bumped surface with only protuberances on the margin of the limb, a narrow throat and a pronounced collar. The limb is mostly recurved and not fully flattened and is finely dotted.

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Cryptocoryne x timahensis

Cryptocoryne x timahensis is an unusual and very rare crypt. Found only in a small pool in Bukit Timah national park in Singapore. C. x timahensis grows near the top of the hill in a very tiny stream in an artificial pond which is formed by damming the stream. There are no other localities known, so this plant is extremely vulnerable for any changes in the hydrological situation. Fortunately, this area is protected by a small forest growing on and around the hill. Plants grow in a shallow stream (about 25 cm deep) and water is slightly acidic.

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Nano aquascape - "Crystal Canyon"

Dimensions: 27x20x20cm or 11x8x8" (10 liters) - Optiwhite
Lighting: Chihiros C-Series C301 14W
Filtration: Eden 501 (sponge, ceramic rings, Purolite)
CO2: Pressurised 1bps thru glass/ceramic diffuser
Substrate: ADA Aquasoil Amazonia, Quartz sand
Hardscape: Glimmer wood rocks
Fertilization: PPS pro, Easy carbo
Water parameters: Temp. 23°C, pH 6.5, KH 3, GH 6, TDS 180
Plants: Fissidens sp. 'Philippines', Fissidens sp. 'Khao sok', Fissidens sp. 'Vietnam', Riccardia graeffei, Anubias sp. 'Pangolino', Crepidomanes sp. 'Calicut', Rotala sp. 'Wayanad', Rotala macrandra 'Mini Butterfly', Rotala sp.'Needle leaf', Hottonia palustris, Hemianthus sp. 'Amano pearl grass'
Fish/shrimps: Crystal Red shrimps, Ramshorn snails

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Nano iwagumi - "Empire of Stone"

Dimensions: 36x22x26cm (ADA Mini M tank)
Lighting: ADA Aquasky Moon 361 (connected on LED controler)
Filtration: Oase FiltroSmart Thermo 100 (Reduced flow to about 250l/h)
CO2: 2kg cylinder, Neo Diffuser, 1 bps
Other gadgets: aFAN Pro cooling fan, Twinstar M3
Substrate: ADA Aquasoil Amazonia Light, quartz sand
Hardscape: Ancient Stones
Fertilization: PPS-Pro method, Easy carbo
Plants: Fissidens sp. 'Dwarf', Bucephalandra sp. 'Mini Catherinae', Eleocharis acicularis, Eleocharis parvula, Riccardia graeffei, Fissidens sp. 'Philippines', Helanthium tenellum 'Green'

Hardscape:

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Nano aquascape - "Call of the Wind"

 Day 105:

Dimensions: 27x20x20cm or 11x8x8" (10 liters) - Optiwhite
Lighting: Chihiros C-Series C301 14W
Filtration: Eden 501 (sponge, ceramic rings, Purigen)
CO2: Pressurised 1bps thru glass/ceramic diffuser
Substrate: Quartz sand
Hardscape: Dragon stones
Fertilization: PPS pro, Easy carbo
Water parameters: Temp. 23°C, pH 6.7, KH 5, GH 8
Plants: Riccardia chamedryfolia, Eleocharis sp. 'Mini', Taxiphyllum sp. "Flame moss",Anubias sp. 'Pangolino', Crepidomanes sp. 'Calicut', Elatine hydropiper, HC 'Cuba', Vesicularia ferriei 'Weeping'
Fish/shrimps: Neocaridina davidi var. Topaz Blue, Leopard ramshorn snails

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IAPLC 2017 - Top 127 [Photos]

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Keeping and breeding Crystal Red Shrimps (CRS)

In this article I will share my experience of keeping these beautiful shrimps. This is my second attempt so far, the first one failed due to lack of knowledge and experience. Hopefully, this will be useful for you if you decide to keep these shrimps and to avoid mistakes that I've made in the past.

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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:

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Growing Cryptocoryne emersed - High-tech setup

Advantage of emersed grown Cryptocoryne is they grow easier and require less maintenance then submerged which require an aquarium conditions suitable for them with substrate, fertilization, CO2... Growing Crypts emersed is a great way to maintain a large collection of species without all the complications and care required to grow them submerged.

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Nano aquascape - "Stoned V2"

Dimensions: 20x15x15cm - 4 liters or 1 gallon
Lighting: LED 6W
Filtration: Azoo Mignon 60l/h 
CO2: Pressurised 1 bubble every 2 seconds thru glass diffuser
Substrate: Quartz sand
Hardscape: Glimmer wood rocks
Fertilization: PPS pro, Easy carbo
Plants: Fissidens fox, Fissidens sp. Malorca', Fissidens sp. 'Khao Sok', Riccardia chamedryfolia, Anubias sp. 'Pangolino'
Fish/shrimps: Currently nothing

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Nano aquascape - "Rock Garden"

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
Hardscape: Seiryu stones
Fertilization: PPS pro, Easy carbo
Plants: Hemianthus sp. 'Amano pearl grass', Riccardia chamedryfolia, Anubias sp. 'Pangolino'
Fish/shrimps: Boraras micros, Neocaridina heteropoda var. 'Red', Leopard Ramshorn snails

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DIY - Nano canister filter

With the impossibility of finding a small canister filter on the market, I decided to make one by myself in DIY version.
All needed parts are from Ebay and cost me about $25 total. Most expencive part was Eheim throttle valve which is needed for flow reduction.

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The spring of Una river

The river of Una springs in Croatia, in the part of Lika located in the Zadar County. The spring of Una river is only 100 km away from Zadar, and its blue and green landscape will reward the visitors with unsurpassed beauty. In a tall and narrow canyon, the water rises from the depth of 205 m. The spring is surrounded by woods and mountains, and many endemic plants and animals have their habitat there.

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Contest Aquascape 2016 - "Hallelujah Mountains"

Dimensions: 45x36x31cm or 18x14x12" - 50 liters
Lighting: Zetlight IOzean R100 - 70W
Filtration: Dennerle Scapers flow - 360l/h 
CO2: 5kg cylinder, glass diffuser, 3 bps
Substrate: ADA Aquasoil Amazonia, quartz sand
Hardscape: Glimmer wood rock
Fertilization: EI method, Easy carbo
Water parameters: Temp. 24'C, pH 6.8, KH 7, GH 9
Plants: Fissidens fox, Fissidens sp. 'Dwarf', Bucephalandra sp., Cryptocoryne parva 'Mini', Hemianthus glomeratus, Rotala sp. 'Mini type II', Rotala sp. 'Wayanad', Rotala boschii
Fish/invertebrates: Boraras maculata, Otocinclus affinis, Neocaridina Heteropoda var. Red, Leopard ramshorn snails

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DIY - Moss attaching tool

Anyone who has ever tried attaching moss to the hardscape with super glue knows how messy that can be. Usually ends up with more moss and glue on the fingers then on desired place. :)
That's why I came up with the idea to make this tool. I have used 15cm long Pennington End Tweezers clamp for piercing, with some modifications.

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Anubias sp. 'Pangolino' - The smallest Anubias

Anubias sp. 'Pangolino' is the smallest Anubias existing in the world. It has narrow, very small leaves and very short thick rhizomes.
It was actually discovered when cultivating the Anubias nana ´Bonsai´, which is produced by means of meristem cultivation in Dennerle greenhouse. Occasionally, some seedlings would grow in their cultured plant beds with considerably smaller leaf size. By selection, they have isolated a couple of the “miniature plants” and observed them thoroughly. An important step was the test phase in an aquarium. In cooperation with Dennerle, Mr. Massimo Ianella from Italy has tested this new plant. After some time it became clear that the plant continues to grow steadily in this dwarf form. Being a creative collector of rarities, Massimo almost immediately came up with a great name: ´Pangolino´! This name is inspired by the scaled body of the Pangolin. The narrow leaflets of this new variety are often overlapping like scales. During production as well as in the aquarium, the plants grow extremely slowly. For plant freaks, the ´Pangolino´ Anubias is a true rarity and a genuine enrichment among the miniature plants.
Like most Anubias species, Anubias sp. ‘Pangolino’ does not require much attention. Regular water changes and the occasional dose of fertilizers will keep this plant healthy. It grows well in a wide range of water conditions, but grows fastest in cool water, high light and carbon dioxide inject setups. In lower light conditions, it is truly a low maintenance plant and will continue to grow slowly (1-2 leaves a month). Attach the rhizome to driftwood or rock using thread or fishing line.

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Nano aquascape - "Dance of the Fireflies"

Dimensions: 38x19x22cm or 15x7.5x9" (15 liters) - Optiwhite
Lighting: Chihiros A-Series 21W
Filtration: Eheim 2211 (sponge, ceramic rings, Purigen) 
CO2: 3kg cylinder, Inline atomizer, 1 bps 
Heating: DIY inline with Jager 25W
Substrate: JBL Manado
Hardscape: Redmoor wood, lava rocks
Fertilization: PPS pro, Easy carbo
Water parameters: Temp. 24'C, pH 6.7, KH 5, GH 8
Plants: Cryptocoryne tokinensis, Cryptocoryne parva 'Mini', Bucephalandra sp. 'Cherry', Bolbitis sp. 'Mini Guinea 2002', Microsorum sp. 'Dwarf narrow leaf', Eleocharis acicularis,, Fissidens fox, Fissidens Grandifrons var. Planiccaulis, Fissidens sp. 'Brasil', Phyllanthus fluitans, Bolbitis heteroclita 'Difformis', Riccardia chamedryfolia, Crepidomanes Sp. Calicut.
Fish/shrimps:  Boraras brigittae, Neocaridina heteropoda var. "Yellow", Leopard ramshorn snails

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Growing Eriocaulon from seeds

 
Growing Eriocaulon from seeds is quite simple, just follow this instructions. Needed stuff: Plastic cups (coffee cups are ok), Transparent container with top cover, substrate, RO water and seeds. First make holes on the bottom of the cups:

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Nano aquascape - "Devil's Canyon"

Dimensions: 20x15x15cm - 4 liters or 1 gallon
Lighting: LED 6W
Filtration: Azoo Mignon 60l/h 
CO2: Pressurised 1 bubble every 3 seconds thru nano atomizer
Substrate: Gravel 1,5-2,5mm, sand
Hardscape: Dragon stones
Fertilization: PPS pro, Easy carbo
Plants: Fissidens fox, Riccardia graeffei
Fish/shrimps: Boraras micros, Black bee shrimps

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Attaching moss to the hardscape - Yogurt method

Needed stuff:

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Nano aquascape - "Gondwana"

Dimensions: 27x20x20cm or 11x8x8" (10 liters) - Optiwhite
Lighting: Azoo Flexi mini 9W
Filtration: Eden 501 (sponge, ceramic rings, Purigen)
CO2: Pressurised 1bps thru glass/ceramic diffuser
Heating: aHeater mini 8W
Substrate: Aquasoil Amazonia, quartz sand
Hardscape: Redmoor wood, lava rocks
Fertilization: PPS pro, Easy carbo
Water parameters: Temp. 23'C, pH 6.5, KH 3, GH 5
Plants: Cryptocoryne tokinensis, Cryptocoryne parva 'Mini', Bucephalandra sp. 'Kedagang Mini', Bolbitis sp. 'Mini Guinea 2002', Microsorum sp. Thai', Anubias nana 'Mini', Eleocharis acicularis, Taxiphyllum sp. "Flame moss", Fissidens fox, Fissidens sp. 'Dwarf'
Fish/shrimps: Boraras micros, Taiwan bee 'Black Pinto' and 'King Kong'

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Difference between Fissidens fox & Fissidens fontanus

As you can see from the picture Fissidens fox is smaller than fontanus. Both are grown in the same tank (high light, CO2 supply, EI ferts dosing) and they are tied to the inox wire mesh at the same time. Fissidens fontanus growing something faster than Fissidens fox. Both are true aquatic and easy to grow, even in the tanks without CO2 supply and dosing ferts.

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