# George's Nano - 25 litre



## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

It's been a while since I posted any 'scapes on APC, so here's my latest low-maintenance project.

Non-CO2 injected, so growth is slow and steady which I'm happy with. There's plenty of growth to go yet...

*Tank* - Orca MT30, 25 litre
*Lighting *- 18w PC T5, 6500K, 8hrs
*Ferts *- TPN+ 1.5ml per day, Easy-Life Easycarbo 1.5ml per day
*Substrate *- ADA Aqua Soil Amazonia and Seachem Flourite Black Sand
*Hardscape *- Sumatra wood, Petrified wood
*Maintenance *- 50% water change every 2 weeks
*Fish *- _Trichopsis pumila
Parosphromenus deissneri_
*Plants* -_L. arcuata
C. wendtii 'Green'
C. parva
E. parvula_


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Thanks for posting this non-CO2 tank, George! I'm getting ready (in a month) to start my very first nano (3 gallon - 11.4 liters) with 9 watts PC and was wondering if I needed CO2. Now I know I don't! 

-Dave


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## mattutd20 (Jan 24, 2009)

That looks great, I really like the placement of the driftwood!


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## crystalview (Mar 9, 2008)

I like the look of the wood. Do you plan on planting anything on the rock?, fissiden would look great.


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## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

2 months on...










I've just added a little moss and Bolbitis so we'll see how it looks in another 2 months...


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## crystalview (Mar 9, 2008)

Still looking great! good growth


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Very pretty. I really like it.


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## Veloth (Jun 25, 2008)

It keeps getting better!


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## Gilles (Oct 12, 2007)

Very very nice! Can you post some details on how you photograph (including any post processing you do?)


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## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

Thanks, all!

Gilles - I have a Canon 50D. For full-tank shots I usually use a Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens with an aperture set around f/8 to f/11. 

For macro I use a Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro. For wider angle and other shot types I use a Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 macro.

I rely on tank lighting but will occasionally use flash to light the surrounding area.

ISO is usually set to around 800 or higher if I need to capture fish. My 50D handles high ISO well if the exposure is good. I tend to expose 'to the right' so there's more detail in the shadows, thus minimising noise. 

If I'm not interested in the fish then I may use a smaller aperture and lower ISO to maximise DoF and IQ i.e. f/16 and ISO 100. 

Not much post-processing. 99% I photograph in jpeg these days due to time restrictions. Some Curves and USM in CS3.

Thanks, again.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

Appealing, smart low-maint layout. I think with tanks that have canopies it's even more important to be able to create low-maintenance tanks that one will be able to enjoy for a long-time without hassle. BTW how difficult is it to find good pieces of petrified wood in the UK either at LFS or Internet. I used to be able to find very nice broken pieces that looked very natural now I have found the supply is getting very small and most of the pieces are very 'rectangular' and don't lend themselves well to natural scapes.


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## Chris Noto (Aug 10, 2005)

Sweet stuff, George. I _love_ that second shot. Thanks.


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## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

Thanks, guys.

The canopy is good in that evaporation is not an issue, and less energy wasted on heating.

I also like the way the the entire filtration system and heater is hidden behind the black background, so there's no ugly equipment on view.

It's even less conspicuous than a typical open-tank with glassware, in my view. My only bugbear is the bow-front that hinders decent macro photography.

We have plenty of decent petrified wood available over here. I have about 50Kg in my garage!

It's one of the most popular hardscaping materials available in the UK right now...

http://www.thegreenmachineaquatics.com//mall/infopageviewer.cfm/Aquatics/TGMAquascapes


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## joe faria (Feb 22, 2008)

Hi,
It was a long time since I saw your last tank... not pretty sure if I still was on Cornwall, or already returned to Portugal.

It looks really good... congrats mate.

I used to buy stuff from Trimar (30min drive) and they were pretty good at the time.


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## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

Thanks, Joe!


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## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

8 months....


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## zha (Apr 9, 2008)

Looks beautiful! Can you update the plantlist.


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## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

Thanks.

Plant list - 

Various Crypts, Java moss, Bolbitis, Hemianthus micranthemoides, Ludwigia arcuata, Hydrocotyle verticillata


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## MiKlo (Jun 20, 2008)

looks very nice and healty!!


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## husonfirst (Sep 27, 2009)

Very well done. That oto seems to be floating.


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## Chris Noto (Aug 10, 2005)

gf225 said:


> 8 months....


It just keeps on getting better, George. You've got the technique nailed, both in the tank and in the photography. Also, I love your eye for composition, first in tank layout, and then in shooting. You add art on top of tech. Thanks.


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## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

Thanks, guys!

I'll update it again in another couple of months....


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## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

16 months...


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## f1ea (Jul 7, 2009)

Wow. Great little tank.
Looks very natural, something like a beautiful yet totally plausible wild scene; and maintenance seems to be quite straight-forward... great!

Did the L. Arcuata not make it, or did you just simply remove it?


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