# Can el natural be applied to smaller tanks?



## Fish (Aug 31, 2006)

Greetings all,

I was wondering what is the minimum size for an el natural aquarium? I would really like to set up an 8" cube with no equipment in it. This tiny tank is my inspiration:

http://www22.brinkster.com/aguaverde/articulos/capsules3.htm

(If anyone can translate that page I would really appreciate it)

If I don't use any pumps to move the water in the tank, will it grow stagnant?

Thanks for all your help!

- Chad


----------



## sb483 (May 29, 2006)

There's no minimum size per se, for example I have microsword growing in a POM tea jar just fine. But many plants won't take the temperature fluctuations and other unfavorable conditions in such a small space.

However, that photo has mostly java moss, which can survive in anything, and some anubius, which grows so slowly it's almost like a plastic plant (anubius might die from cold in the winter, though). If you aquascape with rugged plants you can shrink the tank size down as much as you want imho. I would, however, stick to daphnia and other water fleas instead of fish for such a small tank.


----------



## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

I totally agree w/ sb483! There is no restriction on sizes. If it's big enough to grow a plant, it's big enough. I imagine that one could create even a pico or nano NPT but the smallest I've seen people do are small vases and such. I had an NPT vase that held oh, probably about 1 or 2 liters of water. No fish, just plants and it did fine. The only problem with it was that it only got sunlight and for some reason, all my tanks that receive direct sunlight grow hair algae. Perhaps its something in the water? Don't know. But again, it can be done. If you're going that small, def. don't do fish... shrimp might be ok, but even that's pushing it if your going pico or nano....

-ricardo


----------



## Fish (Aug 31, 2006)

That is great news thanks!

- Chad


----------



## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

Fish: Love your picomovie! Shallow Water... classic!


----------



## schaadrak (Aug 18, 2006)

The Pico King has decided to branch off into FW.  
Do you still have your 8", or are you thinking of building another?

And about the pic in that link, does anybody know what kind of plant was used on the subtrate? I'd love to have that same carpet effect. I guess it depends on whether or not it's truly a natural tank.


----------



## Fish (Aug 31, 2006)

Flagg,
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it! The song just seemed to fit...

Shaadrak,
Are you the Shaadrak from NR? Does one of your profiles have a signature line about saliva being "the active ingredient in birds nest soup"?
Unfortunately, I had to sell my 8" cube to help pay for the 12" when I upsized.. it had two bulkheads in the bottom so it wouldn't have worked as well anyway. I have thought about building another cube, or else trying to find one of the 1 gallon square vases that some members here are using... and like the one in the link.

From some of the reading I have been doing here, I suspect that the plant might be something called HC - although I don't know what that stands for yet  . From sb483's post it sounds like it might be 'java moss', good news if it is because it sounds like it is pretty hardy.

- Chad


----------



## sb483 (May 29, 2006)

No, java moss is the moss covering the driftwood. The substrate plant might be hemianthus micranthemoides. This may be a delicate plant; Amano - who features this plant a lot in his books - uses all sorts of expensive equipment (CO2 injection included) in his tanks, so it might not grow well in a minitank without some additional "boosters". But if you find some, why not try it out and see if it works?


----------



## Fish (Aug 31, 2006)

Gotcha, thanks!


----------



## dhavoc (Mar 17, 2006)

the ground cover is HC, be aware that it requires high light and co2 injection or esxcel to grow. also, it is sensitive to water temp and does not like higher temps, the leaves get smaller and smaller and will eventually disapear. i have a 8" cube from a craft store that looks exactly like the one in the pics, where i live it gets warm (mid-high 80's) in the office on weekends (ac turned off) so that eliminates HC as an option. stick with anubias (nana), java moss and maybe some pearlweed if your temps are higher and you dont want to go high tech.


----------



## Fish (Aug 31, 2006)

Thanks dhavoc, that is some useful info. Does the glass in your cube have lines and wrinkles all through it, or is it pretty clear? Everything that I have looked at around here is really poor quality - a couple even had small air bubbles inside the glass...

- Chad


----------



## schaadrak (Aug 18, 2006)

I had the same problem trying to find a small vase for my desk. I did find these but I'm not buying a carton of eight for $115.00.

BTW - Yes I'm schaadrak from NR. I gave up on setting up the coral tank. My expenses have outgrown my funds.


----------



## Fish (Aug 31, 2006)

I know the feeling  
That link looks awesome. Those are the only ones I've seen that come in 8" sizes. It should be pretty easy to get some people to all go in together on them... it's only $15 each.
I am just a little leary about the quality of the glass  

- Chad


----------



## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

HC: Hemianthus callithictroides is a wonderful, tiny plant. It grows well in high or low light and does not require CO2 though it grows faster with it. While it is a rooted plant, it actually takes it nutrients mainly from the water column, so if it is not doing well you may need to add some nitrogen and micronutrient sources. 

Check out the PlantFinder by clicking on the APC menu-bar above. It has info about HC as well as a great many other plants.


----------



## Fish (Aug 31, 2006)

Dennis,
Thanks for the info. That is really great news because I was hoping to use that in my cube. 
Cheers,

_ Chad


----------

