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Helping a Friend Set Up a Nano Tank


Fish Folk
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For Christmas, I gave my friend … let’s just call him “Nick” … 🎅 a nano aquarium kit, and tomorrow I’m going to help set it up for him.

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It’s something like this…

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Today, I got substrate. Red … ‘cause … where he’s from, that’s what color dirt should be!

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And, in advance, I picked out my go-to standard fish food flakes…

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We are going to show y’all how to bang-zoom an aquarium all together. Stay tuned…

Edited by Fish Folk
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So early this morning, I’m thinking about how to design a little aquascape. Mind you: I’m NOT a serious aquascaper, so this will be a bit more rough-and-ready.

I begin with the piles of aquarium junk anyone who has been too far into this hobby has somewhere if they’ll admit it.

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Now, from this mess, I pull out a small piece of wood and a little salt-and-pepper rock…

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I kind of set up a fake background to help me envision this…

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Now, in my mind…

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I like a black backing, a green-perimeter, greens near structure, and some open spaces out front.

I go through my tanks next and start noting little plants that might look nice in a small tank scape. You really have to think carefully about what the plants _will eventually look like_ once they grow in, not just what they look like now.

Java Ferns — I’ve got extras, and small. They could go on the wood…

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Rotala Indica - very fine-leaves. Definitely could go around the bases of structure…

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Theres this nice Java moss (Christmas moss?) that has a fern-like shape. Looks great growing off structure anywhere…

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I found some random stuff… Susswasertang….

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Riccia (sp?)…

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And some tiny crypt parva…

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And I think every tank needs a bronze crypt or two…

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I’m trying to stay mindful that the hygro I like really grows out of control fast, and could become a bother…

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So… most all of my tanks are junky “throw it in there!” set ups. I’ll try to be a bit more judicious with this set up today.

More to come…

Edited by Fish Folk
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Alrighty! Just about all staged here. Substrate is in car. I got the plants bagged…

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Drained ca. 4-gal. from Discus tank…

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And here’s about everything…

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Maybe I’ll grab an extra heater… maybe also an extra light timer… bah! another bag of plants too!!! 🪴 🌱 

Ob yes! I’ll pick up Elmers foam board at WalMart on the way…

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Edited by Fish Folk
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Okee dokee… it’s a bit “underwhelming” presently. But the steps looked like:

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The filter flow is pretty high, so nothing was staying put.

The red cloud needs to settle before we can adjust the plants.

But it’s start! And he’s happy.

I’ll continue in days ahead once we adjust plants, test water, and add shrimp and fish.

 

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