DevUK
UKAPS member
After I moved house last month, I decided to re-do my very neglected opti-white nano. I went for a wood scape, using some redmoor and manzanite wood. Unfortunately, due to lack of certain hardware/CO2 it's already gone pearshaped 
Anyhow, I've decided to rip that down and do it again. I've just recieved a large portion of HC from the from a fellow UKAPS member, so wanted to give this a proper go.
Specs:
TGM Optiwhite Nano on ADA style cabinet (brilliant quality tank and stand!) - 35 x 22.7 x 25 cm
TGM Fossilised wood
ADA Aquasoil Amazonia 1 (powder)
Eheim 2213 Classic external filter
Pressurised CO2 via DO!Aqua music glass
18w Superfish light
Planting is HC. I may consider some Eleocharis Parvula but unsure right now.
I'm thinking this will be a shrimp tank. I'd really like to breed some RCS, and I think this might be the perfect tank for it :icon_lol: I'll probably start with cherries though.
I spent some time the other weekend playing around in a tray of sand figuring out a layout, and this is what I came up with:
I then spent some time getting the hardscape arranged in the tank. The final result being:
I then spent several frustrating evenings trying to cram all of the equipment into the cabinet, and ended up with this:
Filled up and everything (except heater at the moment) running. I used the Oliver Knott filling technique (screwed up newspaper) with great results:
The Do!Aqua music glass diffuser is excellent! Gives quite a good mist from the entire area of the ceramic disc. Mind, it is pretty tiny :icon_lol: CO2 is at 2bps more or less. As there is no fauna in the tank, and wont be for a while, I'm going to blast the CO2 into the scape to give the HC every chance!
I was dosing ADA Brighty K alone for the first week, then moved onto ADA Step 1. Just this week I've moved onto Step 2.
My HC wasn't doing too good, so I had the chance to buy 2 new pots whilst at a UKAPS meetup last weekend. I'm hoping this will be stronger and hopefully grow nicely for me.
I trimmed down the old long stems, and only removed a small proportion of them. I then planted up the two new pots, cutting into small plugs still in the rockwool. After, I did some more maintenance (starting to get some diatoms on one side) and a good waterchange.
I've also added some Hemianthus Micranthemoides at the back right. I had some floating around that a UKAPS member very kindly sent me recently. I had plans for it but they didn't take off. I thought about it for a while and decided to plant it up. I also had a couple of random stems in with the HM. I think they are Rotala "Nanjenshan". There are literally 2 stems, so I'll see how it does and trim/re-plant to thicken it up.
This is it on Day 29 (but after just planting the new HC):
Anyhow, I've decided to rip that down and do it again. I've just recieved a large portion of HC from the from a fellow UKAPS member, so wanted to give this a proper go.Specs:
TGM Optiwhite Nano on ADA style cabinet (brilliant quality tank and stand!) - 35 x 22.7 x 25 cm
TGM Fossilised wood
ADA Aquasoil Amazonia 1 (powder)
Eheim 2213 Classic external filter
Pressurised CO2 via DO!Aqua music glass
18w Superfish light
Planting is HC. I may consider some Eleocharis Parvula but unsure right now.
I'm thinking this will be a shrimp tank. I'd really like to breed some RCS, and I think this might be the perfect tank for it :icon_lol: I'll probably start with cherries though.
I spent some time the other weekend playing around in a tray of sand figuring out a layout, and this is what I came up with:
I then spent some time getting the hardscape arranged in the tank. The final result being:
I then spent several frustrating evenings trying to cram all of the equipment into the cabinet, and ended up with this:
Filled up and everything (except heater at the moment) running. I used the Oliver Knott filling technique (screwed up newspaper) with great results:
The Do!Aqua music glass diffuser is excellent! Gives quite a good mist from the entire area of the ceramic disc. Mind, it is pretty tiny :icon_lol: CO2 is at 2bps more or less. As there is no fauna in the tank, and wont be for a while, I'm going to blast the CO2 into the scape to give the HC every chance!
I was dosing ADA Brighty K alone for the first week, then moved onto ADA Step 1. Just this week I've moved onto Step 2.
My HC wasn't doing too good, so I had the chance to buy 2 new pots whilst at a UKAPS meetup last weekend. I'm hoping this will be stronger and hopefully grow nicely for me.
I trimmed down the old long stems, and only removed a small proportion of them. I then planted up the two new pots, cutting into small plugs still in the rockwool. After, I did some more maintenance (starting to get some diatoms on one side) and a good waterchange.
I've also added some Hemianthus Micranthemoides at the back right. I had some floating around that a UKAPS member very kindly sent me recently. I had plans for it but they didn't take off. I thought about it for a while and decided to plant it up. I also had a couple of random stems in with the HM. I think they are Rotala "Nanjenshan". There are literally 2 stems, so I'll see how it does and trim/re-plant to thicken it up.
This is it on Day 29 (but after just planting the new HC):
, love what you did with the wood! ... Let me know if you have any spare HC to send so I can grow some! 
