# Thief's ADA Mini M Tank.



## thief (Feb 20, 2008)

Hi all,

Well today I received my Wood. Since I got this first I chose to make a nice branchy tank. I have sieryu stone coming soon so that just gives me another reason to get started on another tank.

Ok to start off I got my inspiration from a tank in the ADA Gallery on the AFA Site: http://www.adana-usa.com/images/gallery02/7.jpg

All the way to the right this tank really inspired by it's lush green and how nature it looks with the wood covered in mosses.

I plan to keep this journal picture intensive. Why well so I can trace my own steps again one day. Also might be a nice little guide to give beginner's like me something to go by and learn from.

Last week I receive my ADA Mini M tank and as soon as I heard the truck my heart raced to the door. The tank was more beautiful in person. I've only seen 2 ADA tanks at a fish store and I must say the craftsmanship it worth every penny. So of course after getting the tank I ordered Landscape Materials. I have the wood and now I'm wanting some seiryu stone.

On to the tank.










Here you can see I am trying to get my photos to sort of look like it is inside the tank. I read about this in an article here and I found that is makes a huge difference in photography.










Here is step by step photos to give you an idea of what I did and how.









































































On to powered AS Original Amazonian.




























Pictures of the wood I got. Very nice wood.



















Starting to put wood in tank.























































Ok now I found the look I'm going for. I tie some pieces with a Tie Strap. I think this helps so when I go to plant it will be easier to not screw up all the pieces and having to rearrange them all over again.










I now add a flash because my natural light is gone.
































































10 minutes later I find that the right side with the piece on the ground does not look good so I add another piece to the other side on the ground to balance it out.



















Ok so what do you think of the scape?

I am having troubles with trying to make the picture feel more into the tank. In person the tank look wonderful but in the pictures in seems kind of dull and not as much depth in the wood and such. Please tell me if you like my photography? I am looking to improve. With my dad being a professional Photographer he knows a lot about ISO, Shutter Speed, Lighting, and such. I find it hard to remember a lot of the stuff.

Right now I am confused a little. for Specs on Lighting and filtration. For filtration I am thinking of just getting a Azoo Mini HOB filter.

For lighting I have no clue were to start. I want a open top tank and I can't hang from the sealing. So I need something to fit on top of the tank such as a light with legs. I am looking for something nice but not expensive. Any ideas? The sooner I get the light the sooner I can get planting. Ohh and I don't think I'm rushing. Ive been reading 4-5 months looking and reading so I think I know a good deal now.

I will be running my tanks on DIY CO2. I will buy and 5Lbs container when I have more tanks up and running as I plan to use a manifold.

I will be using no ferts at all and plan to use mostly mosses in this tank. Also plan to make this into a shrimp breeder tank.

Well I think this is enough info and Q's. Please ask any questions and criticism and comments are welcome.


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## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

Nice looking!!!!


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

great start!!! cant wait to see more!


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

looking good, what are the plant plans.
if you said already, sorry, getting late and just looked at the pics, didn't read the details


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## Jervis (Feb 22, 2008)

Very nice layout... I see you have some branches touching the glass for support... will that make cleaning the tank glass more difficult at a later stage?


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## thief (Feb 20, 2008)

Thanks for all your comments. For plants I have no idea. I have been reading so long but still know very little about plants and which plants look good together. I really like the tank to the right in this picture in the AFA Gallery. 

The plants look very well placed with everything else. I am thinking mostly mosses in the tank. I might plant some HC on the sides. But I like the look of the gravel too. But suggestions on plants to go on wood is welcome. 

I am also wondering what plant would go nice in the middle to try and blend the wood together and so there isn't a gaping whole there too.

As for the wood touching the glass. Well right now I have had my 2.5 planted and have had no algae attack at all. I keep Marimo Balls and Ottos so I believe the Marimo Balls help suck up nutrients and the ottos do great cleaning the glass. I never had to clean it once. 

But still you are right I want to make this tank low maintenance and don't want to be cleaning the glass all day.

Yesterday day night I adjusted the layout as I had to take the wood out to boil them. So now I think the would has more of a "flow" to it and look more pleasing. I will get pictures when I get back from Mothers eat out. 


Thanks for your comments and hoping for more to come.


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## erijnal (Apr 5, 2006)

Where'd the wood come from, and what type is it??


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## thief (Feb 20, 2008)

Hi there,

The wood is from Fishandturtlejunkie. It called Manzanita driftwood.

Look in the for sale section. He has some right now for sale. It is usually in the first 2-3 pages.


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## Jareardy (Feb 14, 2008)

I like to wood placement. When you add water it will look almost like an underwater forest or something.


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## thief (Feb 20, 2008)

Thanks Jareardy. I am infact going for that look. I was going to thik about making a small white sandy stream coming through but I like the look of it now.


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## thief (Feb 20, 2008)

Hey guys,

Welp this week has been so tiring. Literally didn't get any rest this weekend as I had to work from 6am-7pm. But today I did manage to get some photos of the Final Layout of the HardScape. I got a bunch of inspirational magazines and it helped me with positioning my driftwood.










I got my seiryu stones last Thursday too. I plan to order more as I am not happy with all them. But I will be using these for my next tank.









In case if you were wondering where all these tanks will go. Well here s one of the 3 shelf's. That is a 2.5 Iwagami test tank that's been running for a couple months. I planted HC recently and it is starting to grow a little.









So now onto the Hardscape.

































As you can see I move around some of the pieces to adjust to the left side of the tank. I wanted to position some pieces on the right side to try and create a flow from the left to the right. It may need a little tweak but this is what it is now.

Today I did a lot of searching for light systems. I saw one light in the #150 Aqua Journal. In it is a contest of ADA Nano contest 2007 Thailand. I saw a picture of a light that fitted perfectly on top of the ADA Mini M. So I googled for aquarium lighting and about a hour of searching I found this site: http://www.boyuaquarium.com/en_ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=398

In this site there are many lights. I contacted the company and hopefully they will tell me which one would fit best on my ADA Mini M. So if this works this might help others who are looking for nice lighting. Of course I do not know how much it is but I would think it is under a $100. I will keep you updated on this.

Also I've been looking a many mosses. I want moss that will look like a nice carpet on the wood pieces. Any suggestions? Taiwan Moss, Willow, Java, Peacock? Some insight on this would be appreciated. I am still looking at pictures for plants to put in the back, Mid ground, and foreground. for for ground do you think a combination of HC and Glosso would work? I really nice how they looking when tangled in each other, such as one of Amano's Iwagami tanks, where from what I can tell he uses Glosso, HC, and Riccia combined to make a wild and very natural looking carpet.

\ Other wise thanks for reading and Help, comments would really help. Any experienced Scapers here with plant suggestions would be helpful.


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## thief (Feb 20, 2008)

Hey all,

Well yesterday Tuesday on the last day of school. I arrived home around 1 and the UPS Truck came. I ran down to the door and watch the truck sit there as the guy a savaging in the back. Waiting for almost 5 minutes and then he brought a huge package. Of coarse adrenaline running through me and chatting to the UPS guy.

Anyways took him 3 trips from his UPS truck to bring 4 packages to me. The first box was big but not that heavy. Then the 2nd was about 50 pounds I would say. Pretty heavy. Then The 3rd box was the same size the Mini M was. Just so you know this is after 3 hours of playing tackle football with my friends so I was really worn out. So the pictures are quick and not the best but the best I can do at the time.

I hope you enjoy the photos as I think it will help give you more of an idea of how it is receiving them.

















































































Me and Jeff been talking and he really stresses the beauty of this tank so I decided to give it a try. Yep the ADA Classic 60x30x35 Cube Garden "Mist"









Packaging is the best I've every seen!!!



























Weird stuff I thought it was dirty but it just dry's out and becomes the whitish backround.









Jeff's Finger Prints. :roll:lolol.

Now onto the other boxes.

















Some superge for my diffusers that are getting Algae on them.


















My Toes Are famous!









Got to clean this mess up.










A little better!

Ok well that was Tuesday and this is today.




































The light is amazing!!! Seriously it not only looks good but the light that is given out looks so different then the other lights I have.

Just so you know I didn't have to pay a penny for it. My dad got it as a gift for doing so hard in school. I think I deserve it!!!









Now I am just playing with the flash trying to get good lighting.




























Well that's all the photos for today.

Ok now for the talkin.

Tank Specs so far are:

Tank: ADA Mini M 5.5 Gallon

Lighting: ADA Solar Mini

Filter: Red Sea Nano Filter

Substrate: ADA Amozonian ll and Amozonian Powder.

Decor: Manazati (sp?) Wood, With some temporary Sieryu stones weighing the wood down for maybe 2-3 days.

Ok now here are the plans. Ok right now I am letting the substrate air out and the wood sink. Probably everything will be done by Friday. So after this I plan to takeout the rocks re position the wood to it's correct form. Then I will empty most of the water, Add the finishing touches of substrate, add plants, then fill it back up slowly. Then work from there.

But this is where I REALLY need advice from all of you guys. Plants, Plants, and Plants. I have been doing little research on the plants. I been looking at the ADA 2008 Catalogue and approximently on the 19 page this is the tank I would like to create. The tank with the Bolivian Cichlids I believe they are called. I mostly need help nowing the forground plant and the 2 backround plants with the rotalilia (sp?)

But these are the plant choices I've choosen so far:

Forground: Mix of HC and Glosso with a touch of Echinodorus Tenellus.

MidGround: Eleocharis Parvula, and maybe some Blyxa Japonica.

In the middle of driftwood: Narrow Leaf Java Fern

Then on the driftwood I thought Willow would be to big and messy looking so I saw a plant that I really like that is Cladophora Sp.

Now this is where I need suggestions and advice. Also I would like to know how to properly plant, trim, and grow these plants.

Thanks for looking guys and I really hope I can get some help and comments on what you think.


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## foofooree (Mar 11, 2007)

looks good, I bet you were excited when you got that, and on top of that, it was your last day of school. I bet it was a good day for you lol


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## thief (Feb 20, 2008)

Lol believe it or not I am still aiking from that day. Wake up at 6am go to school take 2 hour test with 250 questions. 5 minutes later I run into my friend and invites me to play football, then I recieve my package, then right after that My brother graduation then 2 hours with some old friends. So yeah I guess it was fun. More tiring though.


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## MARIMOBALL (Jun 20, 2007)

Congrats on doing well in school and on your ADA tank:whoo:. Thief, for such a small tank don't bother with growing emeged foreground plants. What ever foreground plant you decide on just buy 3-4 pots, should be enough to cover the front. Then just plant your mid and background plants and fill that tank up with water. May I suggest didiplis diandra as one of the back ground plants. For fish I would suggest celestial pearls, micro rasbora maculata, sparkling gourami, or micro rasbora kubatai.


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## bzzi (Apr 8, 2008)

Hey there, congrats on the tank! Sweet setup you have there.
So, talking about plants, I have a 10G that is doing pretty well and I hope I can give you a couple of heads up setting up your tank. BTW, my journal is here:

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquascaping/50464-10-gallon-aquascaping-journal.html

So, one thing I see you already have is a filter. I would suggest using a canister filter, because the one you have will move the water surface a bit much and will remove your CO2 from the water. Unless you are going with Seachem Excel for your Carbon needs, I suggest the Zoo-Med 501 Turtle Canister Filter for Terrariums. It's a small canister that you can hide behind the tank and it does the job really well. Use some Seachem Purigen inside a fine media bag and roll it around the water out tube instead of the sponge that comes inside the filter. Super clean water for cheap ($35 bucks for the filter). If you don't want to spend the cash on super expensive lily pipes from ADA, you can find some nice ones on Ebay for way less. Look for the small 10mm types, they will fit your Mini and not break the bank. Drop checker and ceramic diffuser are also cheap on Ebay 
About the plants, I suggest you going with HC instead of glosso for your lawn. In small aquariums, specially with Aquasoil, Glosso grows *everywhere*, including on top of itself, what causes the lower leaves to yellow out and die, making it not so good looking, and you have to trim it frequently. And believe me, your fingers will hurt from using curved scissors underwater for hours every couple weeks trying to tame the Glosso. HC is the way to go for your tank in my opinion, specially because of its size. And Cladophora is pretty cool too, I will try some on my new setup.
Also, the ADA ferts are perfect for the size and substrate of your aquarium. Nothing like just a squirt or two and seeing your aquarium thrive. Look at mine and see how my plants are growing with the ADA stuff.
As another member said, be careful with super intricate wood hardscapes, cleanup can be a pain, and trimming can get hairy at times. I've had hardscape getting lose when I was trimming or cleaning a couple times and the Aquasoil sends a puff of dust in the water that is pretty nasty and can clog your filter if it's on at the time, so remember to turn off your filters when you trim. And avoid any hardscape too close to the glass, for the same reason.
And don't use magnetic glass scrapers, use a blade type of scraper, safer to the glass and easier to clean on hard to reach areas.
Well, I'm getting way over my head now, will let you go back to your cool ADA tank.
Good luck, looking forward to seeing what you will come up with next.

-Alex


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## thief (Feb 20, 2008)

Hi guys welp time to update. Talk about resurrecting from the dead!

Here is november pictures:

This one came out just really cool!



























Here are some wide angle shots that give you a awesome feel to the tank!


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## thief (Feb 20, 2008)

And here's a current update:

I just came back from a skiing vacation and here an update of everything.
A lot has happened to the plants in the tank especially the glosso. 
Also I want to do a huge trim on everything and I want to fix my background plants to be more bushy. I have no idea how but I am using this thread as a helper.http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/showthread.php?t=57960
Ohh and the purple Bamboo adds soo much character to the outside of the tank! I have one almost a foot tall! I might sell a couple pieces cheap to some one who would like some nice healthy pieces! Ohh and I will be selling other trimming too.:icon_wink Just ask as I haven't trimmed yet.
Anyways here are some pictures.


















































Here is the outside shot.









As you can see my I can't take great photos. I wanted to originally get a good lighted shot that would show the vibrant colors but I am not good enough photographer yet.

Ohh I got to take some pictures of the ADA order I recieved Christmas Eve for you guys! Some really awesome stuff.

Ohh I plan on making an order from the Niko and milalic at Inverts Factory and I am thinking of getting:

2 Ottos
4-5 Celestial Pearl Danio
1-2 Scarlet Badis ( I've been looking at these guys for a long time )Here a pic:http://www.invertzfactory.com/images/scarlet_badis/scarlet_badis6.JPG

I wanted to apologize about not really being online as much. It feels like the I have a mountain of things to do and just need to ski down one part at a time!:biggrin: I will post later on all the stuff that is going on right now!

Any advice and comments are welcomed!


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Apr 23, 2008)

*ahem* How about giving some Purple Bamboo to your bestest buddy who helped you out with the planning

Nah jk









Btw how'd you get the eheim to work at the same level as the tank? I thought they had to be below the tank to work...


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## thief (Feb 20, 2008)

Heyy,

I was wondering if anybody would post. Aww man I would love to give you some but I just shipped some out to someone. In a month I would be happy to give you some.

For the filter I have no clue. That was the only place I could put it! 

An update I starting to think of tearing this tank down. I got really mad after trimming yesterday. The background is a pain in the back. I think I need to rethink EVERYTHING!!! I have no where to put my trimmed plant so the tank is clogged with stems floating around. I think I want to set up a couple tanks just for plants and shrimp. I think it was foolish of me to get a jump start and try to be a ADA mimic. I have no floor to stand on right now is what I am saying. I skipped learning the basics and hands on stuff. 

I think I just need to set up my 2 10g tanks so I can experiment and do what ever I want with them. What do you guys think? I think I might just convert this tank into a simple iwagami tank with 2 species of plants? I would like to learn how to really make plants grow and learn more of the chemistry side of things. As I am growing tired of plants not growing healthy and such. Anyways I think I just need some guidance on what to do right now. 

I am going to be buying a filter and lights for the 10g and once I have those set up I think I will tear down my Mini M and restart everything. I feel like I just don't know what's going on in my tanks and why.

I have so much I want to do but I am just skipping over everything to the finish line. I hope you guys get what I am saying? As I don't know if anyone else has gone down this track. 

I will still be posting here and everything but for the next month or 2 I think I will try to convert my 
55g and two 10g tanks into experimental growing tanks? Not meant for scaping but for growing plants and breeding fish.

Please let me know what you guys think and thanks for looking.


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## vancat (Nov 5, 2004)

Hey thief
nice work. I'm in CT too- Vernon.
penny


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## thief (Feb 20, 2008)

Sweet!

Now I know at least 5 people in CT. We should meet up one day! I have a bunch of scaping material! Someone can bring a tank, filter, and other stuff!


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## vancat (Nov 5, 2004)

I was thinking a swap meet kinda thing would be cool too. Equipment, fish, plants.

We had a group once (NEAPS) who were CT & MA. We had some great meetings and demos but we kinda fell apart. 

Maybe we can do something in the spring-?

Penny


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## thief (Feb 20, 2008)

Well I am only 16 so I don't have a car and all that. But I would definitely bring a lot of stuff to do. 

I remember someone a while back was setting up something in MA, but then it went quite ever since. Wish people were a little more committed to things up here including myself.


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## vancat (Nov 5, 2004)

so I guess we just have to come to your house...haha
well everyone's got a life....sometimes the tanks take a back seat.

Where exactly is Shelton, anyways---over near NY?


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## thief (Feb 20, 2008)

Your pretty far North but I am West of New Haven. I am pretty close to new york not like Greenwich. I would say like about a 1 hour or so drive from your place.


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