# Gomer's 5g office tank ...journal style ;)



## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

My lazy arse finally got around to setting up my office tank ...which I intended to do for some time.

I'll try to keep some sort of weekly update on this tank but I might slack off from time to time LOL. 

(The hornwort is just in there as a nutrient sump for the time being.)

Dimensions: ~10" cube. 
Filter: Azoo palm
Lights: DIY reflector/ 19watt 6700K spiral compact (see below image)
Substrate: Seachem Onyx
Ferts: Seachem- excel, flourish, iron, potassium, nitrogen, phosphorous, equilibrium (using distilled water since I have an unlimited source in the lab ) ..still figuring out a low light, daily dosing schedule.
Flora: Hemianthus callitrichoides, eliocharlis parvula, weeping moss
Fauna: a dozen baby cherry shrimp, and eventually some micro or dwarf rasboras


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

here is the lighting


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Very nice! I like the layout of your rocks and driftwood.

I want a tank at work.....


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## SCMurphy (Jan 28, 2004)

Gomer, don't you have any dignity, showing everyone your bare little tank like that! :lol: 

Hey, is that HC? I wonder what it will look like when it grows in?!? 

Actually, I know, so take a good look at your rocks now because they will soon be swallowed up in HC. :wink:


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

SCMurphy said:


> Actually, I know, so take a good look at your rocks now because they will soon be swallowed up in HC. :wink:


..that is where a non CO2 injected tank comes in hand...that and keeping up on trimming  I guess I might just have to learn the hard way!


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## bharada (Apr 17, 2004)

Hah! I refuse to add any creature comforts to the workplace. I don't need anything sitting in my cube that'll keep me in the office any longer than I need to be. Besides, I have 8 computers, 7 monitors, two printes a CD duplicator, a mobile mixing studio, and a scanner all in my 8'x15' cube...I wouldn't have room for a nano tank even if I did want one!


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## bharada (Apr 17, 2004)

Oh, and BTW, neat looking setup you have there! :lol:


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## Urkevitz (Oct 26, 2004)

Where did you find the cube? I have a 2.5 gallon I want to replace and the tank dimensions would fit my stand perfectly. Are those rocks from the batch I sent you?


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

I recognize that wood!!!!! Very nice looking tank Tony. I fully expect this one to live up to it's pedigree.


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

Urkevitz, yes that is the rock from you. Actually, that is some of the rock that I further fractured LOL


Phil, hoping it will come out as I planned....will be a departure from anything I have previously done which is always nice. That piece of wood is actually 4 pieces. the previous ultra nano had 2 of them in there


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## Rob G (Oct 19, 2004)

It looks like you're well on your way to a very enjoyable aquascape. Nice design!

Who manufactured that tank? Also, what did you use to make the DIY reflector? I bought some great sprial PC bulbs last year, but I've been using swing arm lamps. I would really like to place them in a canopy, but I wasn't sure what to use as a refelctor. Any insight would be appreciated.


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

That tank was from my LFS...I believe it is sourced from Lee Mar, but am not completely sure.

The reflector is my DIY design using polished aluminum. You can find the design details in this article.
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forum/cms_view_article.php?aid=16


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## Ptahkeem (Feb 16, 2004)

good stuff! keep up the good work tony


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## gpodio (Feb 4, 2004)

Nice little tank Gomer, I have a similar small tank growing HC with Excel, works like a charm! I dose 1ml every day (2.5 gallon tank), 5 drops of Flourish weekly, 5 drops of Flourish Iron weekly and 10 drops of (I don't recall the concentration) of KNO3+Fleet mix weekly. Got some snails in there, only babies survive so they don't spoil the view (I feed a little weekly and water is very soft).

Keep us updated, this tank is going to look great!

Giancarlo


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## fishfry (Apr 15, 2004)

looks like it has a lot of potential, I just bought one of those cube tank this week too


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## bbkid43 (Sep 10, 2004)

That tanks looks really cool. Especially the diy reflector. Did you make that tank or did you buy it?


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

lfs near me has that exact tank. Just saw it and its little brother in there yesterday. They had the little one set up with a "mini-ecosystem". Some really small crypts and other stuff.

Came as part of a package, including a filter nearly identical to the Azoo Palm except intake was on the other side.

Oh yeah...way too expensive for such a small tank IMO.


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

just keeping up wit this little journal. I am keeping ferts light as the silent cycle continues with my shrimp. Soon enough I'll have fish inside 

Growth is slow but healthy..and that is what I want  When everything fills in more, I'll trim off the old growth and remove the hornwort.


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

where do you guys get your cubes?


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## Black oranda (Dec 28, 2004)

Very lovely tank, i like how you setted everything up.


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

Just an update. The moss is growing in nice and healthy. The hair grass is very very slowly sending out new plants. HC is spreading slowly, but not as healthy as I like. Might be partially cause the tank is kept pretty lean. It is still fishless unfortunately, but hopefully when I get some fish in there, the nutrients will be up a bit more. This also happens to be a plant that thrives in CO2...and I am not using any.


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Really nice Tony! I like the moss a lot, it's just right for the wood.


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## Jdinh04 (Oct 7, 2004)

Nice looking tank tony, where did you get that tank from? I wouldn't mind having a small nano planted tank


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Wow, I love it... very cute!

What type of wood is that?


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## paul236313 (Jul 23, 2004)

Hey thats a nice looking tank you got there Gomer i like the driftwood with the moss its a great touch


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

Thanks

The tank actually a standard item at my LFS
That wood is manzanita.


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## louieknucks (Oct 12, 2004)

How are the shrimp doing?


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## pineapple (May 4, 2004)

Do you regret not using a slightly more fertile substrate? Seachem Onyx is pretty inert, I think. The pro being that inert in a small water volume helps discourage algae, perhaps. Was there any peat at the bottom of the Onyx? I would guess (and probably be wrong) that fertile substrate in a tank like this would give good medium rate growth under medium lighting.

The spiral bulbs are very bright and can be quite intensely white too. But I was not very happy with the growth rate under them (Maxlight brand at 26 watts). Have you thought of using one of those small U-shaped fluorescent bulbs instead?

The pro is certainly that it looks squeaky clean. But then again, the con is that Nature Aquariums are not that squeaky clean, so-to-speak...

Andrew Cribb


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

Shrimp are reproducing...so that is good 

I am running with distilled water and equilibrium..so any Ca/Mg/Fe I get which this substrate is good for, is usefull. There is nothing else yet, but I do feed the shrimp well. In time, there will be plenty of mulm to make things more "fertile". The spiral compact is plenty of light for me. THe DIY reflector REALLY makes a huge difference here.


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

show us how you made your reflector please


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

I can't show you how I made it per say. The info is the same on my Reflector Article which I think is still in conversion from the old forum.

You can see the reflector in the first post here. It was made with a metal break (I have a machine shop to use).


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## New 2 Fish (Dec 31, 2004)

Very nice tank, Gomer! You're making me think more and more about putting a small one in my ofice!


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

Seems like we need an update on so here you go. ...still very slowly filling in  ...I like this "do very little" tank...slow to fill in, yet will last much longer than my other steroid tanks LOL


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

nicely done, is that a low maintainence tank?


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Gomer, coming along nicely!


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## John P. (Nov 24, 2004)

Looks great. Looks like a Joshua Tree! Will photograph well with a black background at some point! Maybe a good home for a sparkling gourami?


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

I would use a white or grey background. A shrimp tank is nice.


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## Jdinh04 (Oct 7, 2004)

Looking great gomer, are you not using any C02? How is that moss growing so well?

I would go with a school of neons instead of a sparkling gourami, but not sure the limit of neons in that 5g.


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

Thanks

As low maint. as it gets

No CO2 at all...and neons would be too big. I want some small rasboras in there when I can find them

The problem with a black background is that the wood would dissapear...this scape needs a light background.


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## Jdinh04 (Oct 7, 2004)

Actually it'll look good with a black background, it will look as if the moss is floating


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

you dont need co2 with 19 watts under a 5g?


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## amber2461 (Jun 15, 2004)

Wow ! Nice work Gomer, keep us posted !


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

WPG rule breaks down in small tanks.


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

forgot about that, so what your dosing schedule?


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

Dosing _schedule_..whats that?  My dosing is sometimes so random, it would make the micro managers gasp and choke a horrid death.


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## Magnus (Feb 4, 2004)

> My dosing is sometimes so random, it would make the micro managers gasp and choke a horrid death.


Oh no...better not let Carlos see this thread.
Nice moss, Tony!


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

With all that moss in there it is just screaming for some cherry shrimp. Another fish that would fit in there are ember tetras. They are a bit hard to find too. They only get 1/2" in length and have a translucent orange hue to them.


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

LOL...I seem to have good luck when my dosing starts to turn psuedo random :-D

Aaron, there actually are a bunch of cherries in there. ..actually, they have been breeding in the tank, so they must like the conditions.

I'll look hard for the ember tetras...perhaps easier to find than the rasboras. Thanks for the heads up.


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

so do you dose excel daily though?


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

I don't discriminate with my laziness.


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## pineapple (May 4, 2004)

It's Mr Gomer's way of lulling you into a sense of complacency. Meantime, he has a $600 rimless aquarium lined with ADA substrate, enlightened by T5s or MHs, growing a thrilling selection of plants ready for September's AGA (unless the ADA substrate is fertile enough to deliver the aquascape for the April 30 ADA deadline). This one's just a little teaser...

Andrew Cribb


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## FazTeAoMar (Jan 2, 2005)

Lovelly tank Gomer. Very simple and its enough to take a peak once or ten times/day and distract from the paperwork ( if it is your case). I have something like that in my bedroom table to help me with my insomnias.  Keep up the updates.

Regards,

André


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

Sounds like it is about time for an update. I decided to move to a 2x13AH kit a week ago. The moss was shading out the HC below and so I opted for more coverage. Also threw on a background so that I didn't have to look at the stuff behind the tank LOL

I think I started with about 10 shrimp...now I must have 50 in there!


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## amber2461 (Jun 15, 2004)

One word, gorgeous!


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## enigma (Sep 26, 2004)

That kind of stone looks a little bit unnatural for me when I saw it first time. Moss on the twisted wood looks like Bansai Tree


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## rusticitas (Mar 10, 2004)

There are Pygmy Rasbora*(Boraras maculatus) at AZGardens.com which would probably make a very nice color contrast with the green. They only get up to about 3/4in in length apparently. I've been eyeing these little guys for awhile. Your tank has given me some nice ideas!


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

Thanks 

Rusticitas.....I have issues with AZgardens so won't be ordering from them. The reason you *DON'T* see Boraras maculatus in the tank is because I *DID * ordered them from AZ. I am still looking for a source on them though


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

Amazing tank Gomer!


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

The tank totally captured the essence of Bonsai art. Simple, clean, and to the point. One word: Brevity. Very minimalistic looking; I like it! Please keep on updating us, Gomer! (BTW, your Monosolenium is wild in my tanks)


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## Sarahpea (Apr 3, 2006)

Ahg, I can't see any of the pictures! From the sound of all these comments they're really worth seeing. I'm running Firefox, help. o_o


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

I think Tony may have moved the pics.


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## Sarahpea (Apr 3, 2006)

Aw man. Does anyone know if I could see them some other place?


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

well, I came into a spacequota issue here recently, so I had to delete some images. I'll see if I can host them elsewhere.


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## Sarahpea (Apr 3, 2006)

Thanks Tony, I've used http://www.villagephotos.com/ succesfully as of late, if that helps. If its a lot of trouble then don't worry about it. I can settle for the piddly crap my brian comes up with.


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