# 7G Cube: A Beginners Journal



## tirtha1979 (Sep 28, 2007)

Hi,
This is my second try to do some aquascaping. Last time when I have tried it for the first time, everything was spoiled down after a month as I had to leave station for 3 weeks and no one was there to take care. This time I have started with a small 7G Cube (1'x1'x1'). Let me give the tank details first.

*Substrate:* Laterite Brick Crush topped with River Sand. (It's our fate that ADA is not available in India  )

*Light:* 23watt CFL with DIY Reflector (Made with SS steel) with photo period of 8Hrs.

*CO2:* 1ml Excel everyday after Light Off

*Filteration:* Dolphin HOB

*Flora:* Anubias Barteri Var. Nana 'Petite',Hemianthus Callitrichoides ''Cuba'',Hemianthus Micranthemoides, Blyxa japonica (All the plants are from Far East Aquatic, Singapur)

*Fauna:* As of now nothing.

Yesterday I have completed the plantation. Will post snaps as soon as I reach home. I Will pen down all the details of progress and the problems and need your generous help to make it a sucess.


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## tirtha1979 (Sep 28, 2007)

*Before adding Plants and Water:*



















*Right After Plantation (03-09-08 )*


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## cah925 (Jun 23, 2007)

That's a good start, it will look nice once everything fills in.


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## Jervis (Feb 22, 2008)

Very clean looking... zen is nice


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## tirtha1979 (Sep 28, 2007)

Thanks for the kind words. I have started dosing from today. Following EI method but instead of 3x macro dosing, I will do 2x macro dosing. And same for Micro.

2 Questions I have right now,

1. Will it be wise to do water change twice per week to avoid algae problem in this newly setup tank?

2. Will it be good to use a small amount of Peat moss into the HOB just to lower the pH. Cause I have pH arround 7 in Tap water.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

Very nice start.
I think if you could get some more rock in there or stand one or two of them upright it might get a better feel.
Otherwise when it fills in, it might cover the rocks so much that you don't know they are there.
It would be nice to have one larger rock as a focal of the group and smaller ones around it in a triangle pattern.
Just a suggestion, it is fun at this stage of you tank because you can play with it alot to try to get the best result.
On the other hand, you can also just let it fill in and see what happens and change it or leave it, whatever best suits you.

Good job on this one, it will be fun to watch as it fills in and you make slight changes and adjustments to tweak it in.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

7 PH should be fine, if you add c02, that will bring it down, but leaving it at 7 should not hurt.

With a tank that size, you might consider doing 50% water changes every other day until the plants take root and start to grow well, then they will out compete the algae and you can back off to twice a week or every 5 to 7 days, but with smaller tanks, since it is so easy to do so, you should really keep up with water changes as often as you can, it never hurts, and can only help.


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## tirtha1979 (Sep 28, 2007)

@Goalcreas: Thanks a lot for your kind input. I will go with your second opinion. Just I will let them grow, and if needed will change some rock arrangements.

And there is no chance that pH will go down due to Carbon, as Excel in the only source of Carbon in this tank. 

As you said, will change 50% water every other day as of now just to control any algae outbreak.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

I really don't think you need your PH to go down.

PH 7 is neutral and actually ideal if you are using pressurized C02, because then you can calculate your co2 levels by PH. 

7 will be fine for the vast majority of plants and fish.

There are some exceptions like Tonnia which will not do well unless in very soft water, like under 50ppm, and in that case is it likely that you will have lower PH, but your 7 should be fine if not perfect.

Is your Tap PH 7, have you tested the water in the tank to see if it went lower because of the Laterite?

Since you have laterite in there, that might tell you that the river sand is buffering the water a little because if I recall correctly, pure laterite should lower your PH, but you may have the right mix if you stay at 7

It won't hurt to add peat if you desire. watch to make sure it doesn't raise, then the sand might be a problem.

It is also possible for your substrate to play with the water for a while and then as it sucks up properties from your tap after a while, it will settle and not play with the water at all.

All things to consider.


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## tirtha1979 (Sep 28, 2007)

Yesterday night I measured the pH and it seems to be higher than 7. So am bit worried. Let me try with some peat in filter. Want to see the results.

Yesterday night fixed the timer to adjust photo period. As of now am giving photo period of 9hrs (7+2). Was not strong enough to give a 9hrs slab for the fear of holy algae.


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

i just got in on this but i wanted to say something i noticed in the pics...the poor anubias in the back kinda, it grows slow and i would say its going to get lost when everything gets growing... but i like it so far


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## tirtha1979 (Sep 28, 2007)

@Braty.... The petites are there on a make shift basis. Will be removing within couple more days.


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## MARIMOBALL (Jun 20, 2007)

tirha to avoid algae start with a 6 hour photo period with a one hour blackout in between instead of nine and increase as plants grow I would not dose yet because you don't have a large plant mass. water changes one 30% per week unless ammonia is high. This will allow bacteria to establish so you can add your algae crew. Excell when lights are ON not OFF. The rocks are small in proportion to the blyxia, maybe wood or taller rocks. avoid a wall of plants and a foreground. In other words work on the mid ground.


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## tirtha1979 (Sep 28, 2007)

@Marimo: Thanks a lot for your inputs. Surely will follow that. Just let me tell you what I am doing currently,

CO2: 1ml Excel Everynight (Reason: I am late to bed and let to rise person and my lights are going to set on at 7am.) But will it be wrong if I add it every night? Cause according to SeaChem, Excel will stay for 24hrs in water column.

Light: 23watt 6500K CFL with 7+2 hrs photo period.

As you said I will reduce it to 6 hrs. But one confusion. How to split the photo period? 4+2/5+1 or 6 hrs at a go? Please suggest.

Dosing: Is following EI method. But every alternate day changing 50% water just to avoid Algae growth. What you suggest?

For the scaping please tell me what kind of changes you are suggesting? Specially for Mid Ground.

As you said, I will change the Rock Structure and will go for a bigger rock.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

I would suggest 3-3 or 4-2

Reason is it takes plants about 2 to 3 hours to get to full production. (IIRC timing might be a little off)
After that, they can keep working for about 2 full hours after the lights go off. (again-IIRC time might be longer?) 
Algae can't keep working with the lights off and stops production almost immediately.
So the one hour break, the plants keep working (growing) but algae stops.
Then you go back in one more hour to turn the lights back on, the plants will pick up where left off and the algae will need to get back to speed.

This is the theory as I have read about it.

Marimo you got a better idea or reasoning?


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## MARIMOBALL (Jun 20, 2007)

I agree with Goal 3-3 and 4-2 sounds good just use a timer. plants take up O2 in the dark so dose excel in the morning before work if possible. I still don't think you need to do a 50% water change every other day because your tank is not established yet. maybe twice a week if your worried about algae but like I said don't dose ferts yet. Also add more plant mass. In my experience that is the major cause of algae in the beginning. Nana petite attached to rock or something like micro sword would break up the foreground and back ground. Usually blyxia is used as a mid ground plant so i would move it a little forward and add a stem plant behind it. I would use the concave shape of arranging plants. But it depends on what type of look you are going for.


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## tirtha1979 (Sep 28, 2007)

Thanks a lot Goalcreas and Marimo. 
I will change the photo period with 4+2.

@Marimo: I know, I have messed up with the scaping badly. I was using all three plants (Blyxa, HM and HC) for the first time. So really didn't have any idea about their pattern and care. While I got them, I just put them in already scaped tank. As you said, yesterday I even tried o change the scaping. But as I am using Laterite and Sand, while rescaping the layers are getting mixed up very easyly. Also the substrate is getting flat. So I gave up this time with rescaping. Just leting the plants grow as they want for this time.


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## tirtha1979 (Sep 28, 2007)

Reprogramed the timer for 4+2.

8AM to 12Noon
2PM to 4PM

*First Week Updates: *

Blyxas are getting solid roots, and tip of the leaves are bit melting.

HC started spreading.

HM are fine but no significant growth.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

Sounds like everything is happy.

the Blyxa is just getting rid of leaves that were damaged durring ship / plant and shedding any that might not like the new conditions, making way for new leaves that are suited for your conditions.
Normal, but everything sounds good, just watch out for algae.
If it still grows too much, you can go down to 3-2 or even 2-2, better to start slow and do it right then have to fight it for months until it finally looks good again.


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## ChrisGray (Feb 23, 2006)

looks great nano tanks are becoming the hottest trend, cant wait to set mine up


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## tirtha1979 (Sep 28, 2007)

Update time. .In Delhi Summer tank temp reached to 30 degree, Blyxa and HC melted before I blink.  But giving a damn to the rising Temp, HM is growing like crazy.  I started to make another bush at the right hand corner. Introduced a drift wood and tied nana and petites on that. As of now fore grownd is empty. Have a plan to plant M Minuta when the summer will go. Planning to put up 2 DC fan to keep the temparature under 28 degree minimum.

Take a look at the pictures below. Sorry, I forgot to clean the water spots from the glass before clicking.




























Comments welcome.


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## rountreesj (Aug 14, 2007)

don't you just hate the way mother nature kills your plants one way or the other! if it's not water quality, she makes it too hot...oh well looks nice any how...besides, the blyxa was too big in the long run...


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

looks good maybe get more of the stems to come more to the front on the left side


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## tirtha1979 (Sep 28, 2007)

Hi Friends, here is the 90th Day update of the Cube. Hope you will like it. 

*Front View:*










*Side View: *










*Arial View: *


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## CobraGuppy (Jun 16, 2008)

Awesome!

I love how your hm cast a bit of a shadow on the anubias.

What is that suction cup for on the left side of the tank?


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

I can't seem to see the pictures


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Looking good!


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