# "Little Mountain"



## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

Day 1

Tank: 14x14x14cm (3liters/ .75gal) a napkin holder i got off amazon.com
light: desklamp 13w 6500k 
Soil: aqua soil amazonia
flora: HC

dry start method

ok for the most part i planted as many individual stems as i could. then as an experiment to see if they would root i just laid about 20 stems on top at the front where the water comes above the substrate. i think they should. then im gonna put saran wrap on top. now for the pics


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## PeterE (Feb 9, 2010)

That's going to be pretty cool looking once it fills in. Are you eventually going to put any other plants in there? If I were you, I would put mosses, liverworts like riccia and M. tenerum, and Anubias petite on the rock, but that's just me. I bet it's good no matter what.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

well i did consider mini riccia behind the big rock. but then i thought that would look dumb. so im not sure but i know for sure teh HC is a good to start with all over.

Thanks peterE


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

That reminds me of a little 14.5" cm cube I had set up for a while. Looks good so far.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

well i tried to find your thread house but i think the pics have been moved since. 

i think i might have a thought on which one your talking aboout.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

Here ya go.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquascaping/55283-just-little-tank.html


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

i gotta make a stand like that. thats sweet house


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## Big_Fish (Mar 10, 2010)

OMG the water changes are gonna kill you... I mean, sheesh... that's gonna take 4-5 seconds at least... hope you don't have to lug that whole ~ 500ML too far.  

Seriously, that's just beautiful. I've been toying with an idea like that and I think you and houseofcards just convinced me.

nice. keep posting pics.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

thanks Big fish. i like big fish espically when there on the end of my line and is like the money maker


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

Update. approx 4 weeks later
Enjoy


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## wicca27 (Oct 13, 2008)

any updates this little tank is looking good i would love to try it some time


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

50 days ..... or 7 weeks later
its totally filled in now woo hooo!!
now i think in a couple of days im gonna fill it and put some shrimps in it. 
sorry the pics are kinda blurry but not too bad

enjoy!!


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## wicca27 (Oct 13, 2008)

awsome what kind of shrimp


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## Shrimp (Jun 1, 2010)

Very Nice!


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

Thanks guys


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

Ok so i filled with water today and went picture crazy. its a point and shoot camera 6MP i think.
and i must say i think these are the best pictures i have ever taken.

Oh!! I dont remember who it was but they encouraged me to do a "dry start" so whoever you are THANKS!!!

stats: (now that the cube has water in it)
13w CF spiral and desk lamp from walmart
napkin cube from amazon.com
amazonia I aquasoil 
ferts: none
co2: im still debating whether im gonna put a reactor on it
water changes %90 twice a week
Plants: HC

enjoy.

"In the beginning there was a cube..."
















initial shot
















































The flood!!! 
































i think this one is my favorite picture








the obligatory "on the computer desk shot"


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## ofridagan (May 23, 2006)

Love it! It's so cute


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## wicca27 (Oct 13, 2008)

looks great have you decided weather or not to add a couple of shrimp and what kind they might be


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

probably add a couple of red cherry shrimp from my 60P


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## wicca27 (Oct 13, 2008)

they will look great in there with the little mountians and green


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

thanks Wicca


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

Cute little pico scape, and some nice photos, too  Lol, somehow I never would have thought to grow out the plants in a carpet and _then_ add the water.

Thanks for sharing


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

thanks amanda


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## f1ea (Jul 7, 2009)

doubleott05 said:


> Ok so i filled with water today and went picture crazy. its a point and shoot camera 6MP i think.
> and i must say i think these are the best pictures i have ever taken.
> 
> Oh!! I dont remember who it was but they encouraged me to do a "dry start" so whoever you are THANKS!!!


Ah that was me, so you're welcome hehe. But I think it was (the dry start) for your other tank, the one with Hydrocotyle... Anyway it worked very well for this one.

Nice pics!


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

ya well i couldnt Re-drystart it because of the shrimps. 

so i took your advice and did it for this tank..


THanks
F1ea


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## whitetiger61 (Aug 12, 2006)

could you please explain your dry start method..do you just spray the HC with a spray bottle to keep it a little damp. Thanks for your input.

Rick


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

to dry start

:::
get a tank of some sort
put in your substrate. 
fill with water to about an 1/8in below the substrate level.
add your carpet style plants (HC, glosso, hairgrass, ect...)
get saran wrap and put it over the top of your tank.
poke a couple of holes in the saran wrap (finger size is good for gas exchange)
add a light 

and.... wait for it to grow in. 
can occtionally spray with water (ferts enriched if you want but its not needed)

about a month later add water and co2 

then enjoy


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## whitetiger61 (Aug 12, 2006)

sweet, so i can do hairgrass with this method..how about mosses and java fern..thanks for your input..it is really appericiated. I think your little mountian is one of the best little tanks i have seen.

Rick


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## whitetiger61 (Aug 12, 2006)

sweet, so i can do hairgrass with this method..how about mosses and java fern..thanks for your input..it is really appericiated. I think your little mountian is one of the best little tanks i have seen.

Rick


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

yes you can do it with all of thoes you listed. 

with java fern and mosses just rememvber since its emersed there is a chance it will grow a bit slower. and with the Hairgrass there is a chance it will flower. maybe if you spray it every 2-3 days yyou can keep it from flowering that way wehn you fill it you wont have the flowers dying off and making your tank all nasty

good luck


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## whitetiger61 (Aug 12, 2006)

thanks double

as soon as i start this i will start a journal..i hope it comes out as good as yours.

Rick


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## gwclark (May 10, 2010)

Very nice! I have to start one of these.

Do you just depend on the water changes, or will you be adding filtration?


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

just depend on twice a week water change %100


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

Nice Job! 

Also, interesting how plants grow in Nanos with no constant flow.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

thanks house!!


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## whitetiger61 (Aug 12, 2006)

hey double

i got my tank..its a 12X12X12 cube..i had it drilled for 1/2 bulkheads..im going to try a sump with this little tank and load the sump with anachris plants..im going to dry start this tank whit HC and dwarf hairgrass the journal will be started this weekend..still need to locate 1 bulkhead and then my journal can begin..look for it soon. just hope i can get mine to look half as good as yours

Rick


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

cool rick.

i must ask what is the anachris in the sump for ? to soak up nitrates at first? or something else?

thanks


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## whitetiger61 (Aug 12, 2006)

anachris is to suck up the nitrates and to out compete algae for nutrients..anachris out compete the algae.. thats the plan anyway.. im also hoping it will act as a filtering system..like live rock in a salt tank.

Rick


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## brutalmonk (Jun 28, 2010)

HI there! very nice scape! im trying with a small tank as well, maybe a little smaller... with microsword. (non dry-start) 
my problem is to change water... how do you get the water out? that would be my great question :]

and an update would be nice 


bye, dave


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

well you can use a short piece of air hose or a short piece of filter hose. 

air hose pulls water slowly

filter hose pulls water extremly fast

thats how i do it. 

good luck 
thaknks for the comments

ill update in a couple of weeks my tank suffered a small crash


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## brutalmonk (Jun 28, 2010)

yes, thats what i use too, but i thought theres a better way... :]


good luck for your tank... im sorry for the crash..


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

well if you find one let me know.


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## jayheuk (Dec 23, 2010)

What are the advantages of a dry start method?


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

no algae and no massive melt-offs and no cycle. by the time the plants grow in the cycle is complete and algae cannot compete with fully grown plants.... well it can but it is thin to none to compete. 

disadvantage is that the plants grow just a bit slower. 

thanks


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