Creedmoor Aquatics 60 Gal Office Cube Tank

[Creedmoor Aquatics]

Hey everyone! I have recently started a new tank at the office and wanted to document the process and hopefully receive feedback along the way!



I have set up this tank in my office where I commute to 3 days a week to my (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays).
My goals for the the tank are to look great, be inviting to coworkers and office visitors, and to require maintenance only 1-2 days a week while being self-sustaining the 4 days out of the week I am not in the office. 

I am initially concentrating on growing a colony of Neocaridina with future plans to add friendly fish after the shrimp colony is large/robust enough to continue under light predation. 

Current Livestock
Neocaridina Davidii 'Bloody Mary'
Vitta Zebra 'Zebra Nerite' snails
Tanicthys Albonudes 'Long-Fin White Cloud Mountain Minnows'

Current Plants

Planted
Alternanthera Reineckii
Diplidis Diandra
Cryptocoryne Lucens
Cryptocoryne Tropica
Cryptocoryne Lutea
Pogostemmon Stellatus 'Octopus'
Echinodorus sp. 'Red Flame Sword'
Helanthium Tenellum 'Dwarf Chain Sword'
Bacopa Monierri 'Compact'
Ludwigia Arcuata

Emmersed
Microsorum Pteropus 'Java Fern'
Echinodorus sp. 'Red Rubin'
Echinodorus sp. 'Big Bear'
Selaginella Erythropus 'Ruby Red Club Moss'
Elocharis Vivipara 'Umbrella Hair Grass'
Anubias Barteri 'Striped'

Floating
Pistia Stratiotes 'Dwarf Water Lettuce'
Phyllanthus Fluitans 'Red Root Floaters'

Tank & Current Equipment
Tank: Aqueon 60 Gallon Rimless Cube
Sponge Filter: Aquarium Co-Op Large Filter Sponge
Canister Filter: SunSun HW-3000
Air Pump: Aquarium Co-Op USB Nano Air Pump
CO2: 5 lb CO2 tank with CGA320 Value (Luxfer Brand on Amazon)
CO2 Regulator: Aquarium Co-Op CO2 Regulator
CO2 Diffuser: Aquario Neo CO2 Diffuser
Lights: 2x 24" Aquarium Co-Op Easy Plant LED Lights (100%)
Dosing Pump: Jebao MD-4.4 WiFi 4-channel Pump
Dosing Reservoir: Red Starfish 4.5L Dosing Storage
Auto Feeder: Aquarium Co-Op Auto Feeder
Heater: Aquarium Co-Op 50W Heater

Current Substrate
1 lb Crushed Coral
5 lb AquaNatural Bio-Substrate
40 lb AquaNatural Diamond Black Inert Substrate
100 Aquarium Co-Op Root Tabs, 2" x 2" spacing

Edited March 1 by Creedmoor Aquatics

[Creedmoor Aquatics]

Earlier this year I received permission to add an aquarium to my office, and pretty much immediately began searching for a used tank. I wanted something a little different from a typical 55 gallon, and was thinking more along the lines of a 90 gallon corner tank. However I one day in early June I stopped by the local PetCo to kill some time and found they had all Aqueon tanks for 50% Off, including the rimless cube tanks!

While not exactly cheap, the 60 gallon cube looked great and would fit well into the space I had available so I decided to pull the trigger.

From that point I was in something of a rush to have the tank setup. I would later regret rushing, as I made several mistakes along the way, but I was very driven to have the tank looking 'presentable' as quickly as possible so as not to be a nuisance in the office or risk being told it needed to go. 

I quickly ordered filters, lights, plants, and other items from the Aquarium Co-Op, and some additional stem plants from AquaBid. The plan was to get the plants growing and the water parameters stabilized quickly so I could transition to introducing shrimp. Two big mistakes set me back.

First mistake: I forgot to add dechlorinator! What a boneheaded move! My house runs 100% on rainwater collected in large cisterns so using dechlorinator has never been part of my routine. About half the initial plants died as a result, which greatly contributed to issues with algae, mulm, etc. I would have gravel vac'd a lot harder to counteract those issues if not for...

Second mistake: I used too many root tabs, and the gravel layer was not quite deep enough. I think the recommendation was to plant them 4" x 4", which I meant to do, but ultimately I had around 100 root tabs in an obvious 2" x 2" grid pattern. Also, the gravel layer being a little thin, the tabs started poking out a few days after adding water.

I now had a bunch of dying or dead plants, and any attempt to aggressively pull them out or gravel vac started sending burst root tab gunk all over the top of the substrate. Not ideal!!

I was regularly plagued with greenwater which required very large water changes, which I felt weren't great for the plants. Eventually I added a UV sterilizer which in a few days cleared up the greenwater issue. This was an improvement, but I began seeing increased algae growth on the plants and glass. The glass in particular was growing a very thick mat of algae.

On the plus side, water parameters were stabilized and I wasn't having to do large water changes weekly. In early August I ordered 18 Bloody Mary shrimp from Aqua Huna. They weren't too expensive, and when they arrived were also close to full grown. Was that enough shrimp to get started? Probably not. Should I have ordered more? Probably yes.

While I had every expectation that I would start off small, and then breed to a larger colony I had two issues, namely that the shrimp were rarely visible, and the tank was still full of algae. Coworkers would stop in to take a look, and leave disappointed there were no fish, no visible shrimp, and the tank looked dingy. Ready to keep on waiting for the shrimp to grow and breed, I did feel I needed to tackle the algae once and for all. 

At that point I felt like snails were my only hope. I didn't really want snails, but in terms of algae munching efficiency can they really be beat? Not wanting the snails to breed I opted to get 12 Zebra Nerite Snails, which in about a day and a half had demolished the algae on the glass. 

Edited September 18, 2023 by Creedmoor Aquatics

[Creedmoor Aquatics]

When I bought my CO2 tank my plan was to fill it myself rather than going somewhere like Airgas. I thought it would be a bit cheaper that way, and definitely more convenient. We receive a regular weekly delivery of dry ice, and any remaining dry ice melts away on the weekend, so scrounging a few pounds is no problem at all. 

If you're considering doing this err on the side of caution, but with some planning it is relatively simple to do. 

I had bought my CO2 tank off of Amazon and thought it'd be quick and easy to take the valve off, but it most definitely was not! 

I first opened the valve all the way to ensure the gasses inside had completely vented, and then attempted to twist the entire valve off the bottle. No matter how hard I twisted, it would not come off. I even tried having a buddy hold the bottle while I twisted the valve, but we still could not get it off. I had almost convinced myself the valve was reverse threaded, but everything I read online told me it was not. 

Eventually what worked for me was using a large set of vicegrips to hold the valve and a rubber strap wrench to hold the bottle, and then twist the both of them in opposite directions. Even still it took quite a lot of strain before the valve loosened up. Once I got the first 1/32 turn it quickly freed up and then came off relatively easy. 
I did add a small black line with a Sharpie before twisting the valve off, drawing across the brass and aluminum. This allows me to index the valve back to 'fully tight' when reinstalled. 




With the valve off I could now use a funnel to feed small pellets of dry ice into the bottle. The bottle is rated for 5 lbs of CO2 so I started with just 4.5 lbs of dry ice to leave myself a wide safety factor. In the process of adding the CO2 to the bottle some of it sublimated away, so ultimately there was less than 4.5 lbs in the bottle. Adding less than the rated amount ensures the bottle will not be overpressurized.

Once I was done adding the dry ice I re-installed the valve and turned it tightly, aligning the black lines I'd previously drawn to the 'fully tight' index. I then closed the valve and left the bottle to sit for 24 hours and warm up to room temperature. The bottle initially frosted over completely as the dry ice cooled the surface to below freezing, but after an hour or so the ice began to melt, and by the next day the bottle was charged to >800 psi. 

At this point the bottle could be used as per normal!

Edited September 18, 2023 by Creedmoor Aquatics

[nabokovfan87]

Not sure why, but a lot of the photos aren't showing up for me in the OP.  Maybe it's a thing in you signature block as well? @Creedmoor Aquatics?

[Creedmoor Aquatics]

On 9/17/2023 at 7:39 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Not sure why, but a lot of the photos aren't showing up for me in the OP.  Maybe it's a thing in you signature block as well? @Creedmoor Aquatics?

Thanks for letting me know! I've updated the image links, and double checked on another device. They look to be working now!

[nabokovfan87]

On 9/17/2023 at 5:22 PM, Creedmoor Aquatics said:

They look to be working now!

Awesome. Tank looks great!

[Creedmoor Aquatics]

After about 3 weeks since my last post there's been a lot of plant growth! The Pogostemmon Stellatus Octopus especially is taking over half the tank, and I'll be trimming it back soon.

The tank then:

The tank now:

You might notice I've done some re-arranging of some of the plants. This is my first time with the "full-size" Alternanthera, and I had not planned appropriately for just how tall it would get. With most of my crypts planted in between the Alternanthera and the Diplidis, they were quickly getting shaded out. I pulled them all out, and moved the Alternanthera further into the mid-background, and replanted the crypts into the mid-foreground. They seem to be loving it!

Algae issues have been significantly reduced. Not sure if it is due to the plants consuming more nutrients, the Pogostemmon shading everything, or both. 

I have had a planaria outbreak. I think I had seen a few just as I was pouring the nerite snails into the tank. I had hoped that maybe they wouldn't really take hold, but they're expanding enough you might see the specks of them there on the front glass. I ordered and received the Fritz Expel-P from Aquarium Coop, and have just dosed that today (6 packets for 60 gallons). Hopefully that works!

I've also decided to install an auto-doser for dosing Easy Green, Easy Carbon, and Easy Iron. It might seem like overkill for such a small tank, but Easy Carbon in particular calls for daily dosing with high light, and I am only in the office 3 days a week. Setting up the auto-doser will allow me to dose every day of the week!

I ordered a Jebao MD-4.4 WiFi autodoser which arrived with a non-functioning power button. After taking the unit apart I found the buttons are some type of capacitance pad that contacts a spring inside the unit. The button tested fine with the case off, and after re-assembling it the button worked.

I also ordered an acrylic 3-chamber x 1.5 liter reservoir which will hold 3 bottles each of the Easy Green, Easy Carbon, and Easy Iron.

The Jebao app wasn't very polished, but not very difficult to use either. I've currently got all 3 set to dose 2ml three  times a day, at 8AM, 12PM, and 3PM. If anyone would like to chime in on what dosing schedules worked for them that would be appreciated. 

The MD-4.4 does have a fourth pump that I'm not currently using. Could have saved money with a 3-channel, but I figured it couldn't hurt and maybe I'd want to add an auto-top up or some other med later. 

Now its time to trim those plants and top-up the tank!

 

[nabokovfan87]

That tank is a thing of beauty.

[Creedmoor Aquatics]

An update for the tank has been a long time coming!

Some quick thoughts before I jump into the exciting changes..

The tank in general has been very stable, water chemistry has been easily managed, and all in all the automation I have in place (Kasa WiFi timer power strip, JeBao WiFi auto-dosing pump, Aquarium Co-Op Auto-Feeder) is working really well. At this point all I'd really like to add is a timer on the light switch for the office lights for my new emmersed plants (which I will get to in a minute).

My co-workers have really enjoyed having the tank, they stop in daily to check on the shrimp and see how things are doing, and also to constantly pester me to finally add some fish!

I did have some minor mishaps with a blown power switch taking down the tank for a few days, but it was quickly returned to service. Afterwards I struggled with cloudy water, which you will see in some of the photos below, but it has really cleared up in the past week and I think we'll be back to normal soon.


In anticipation of adding fish here in Q1 of 2024 I wanted to add even more plants to the tank, so I recently got in some dwarf water lettuce and red root floaters, and added one of those semi-floating plant corrals to section off a portion of the surface for the floating plants. The portions I got were super small! but they've now acclimated and started to multiply. I expect in a few months the corralled section will be fully covered. 
 

I also wanted to add some emmersed plants along the back wall of the tank, but I couldn't find a commercial solution that did exactly what I was looking for. Ideally I wanted a 24" long, and approx 6" wide floating platform with holes for plant baskets, but the hydroponic solutions I found didn't quite match up to the dimensions I was looking for. 
Instead what I went with was a large board of natural cork that I cut down to size, and then drilled holes in for the baskets. This has worked pretty well and I'm generally quite happy with it.

Emmersed plants that were added: 

Microsorum Pteropus 'Java Fern'
Echinodorus sp. 'Red Rubin'
Echinodorus sp. 'Big Bear'
Selaginella Erythropus 'Ruby Red Club Moss'
Elocharis Vivipara 'Umbrella Hair Grass'
Anubias Barteri

The Java Fern, Anubias and Elocharis were pretty hardy, but the Echinodorus melted back during the transition. It being winter time the humidity in the office is very low, and I don't think the new plants very much cared for it. Nonetheless, the Echinodorus seem to be recovering with new shoots having cropped up this week.

Its a bit of a mess right now but I think it will look really nice once the plants acclimate and grow in. I'm really looking forward to the Elocharis at the back to grow out, it should get quite tall!



After very, very long consideration of what species of fish to add to the tank (probably nine solid months of pondering), I considered and rejected a number of options. I was really leaning towards Cherry Barbs or Black Ruby Barbs, or both, but wasn't quite comfortable risking my shrimp with either of them. A number of tetras were considered and rejected as my pH runs about 7.5 with medium gH and kH levels, and I didn't want to risk the tetras not adapting well to the harder water. Again, I'm only in the office three days a week, so I can't always keep a close eye on them!

I was starting to lean into Rasboras/Boraras, but really wanted to do something that would be large enough to show up on Teams calls with my colleagues, and also was looking for something 'new' to me. 

Ultimately I landed on...

A European strain of Longfin White Cloud Mountain Minnows! I bought 25 of them which were delivered two days ago, and they are looking great!
They range from a dusky red to almost a deep purple, depending on the lighting, and have a bright neon lateral line that my photos don't do justice. 

My understanding is that these are still juveniles with a bit of growing out to do, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they appear as full adults. 

Please enjoy the photo dump below.

 

 

I tried to get photos of the males flaring their fins for their courtship/dominance displays but they're fast and auto-focus on phone cameras is such a pain. 

 

[Creedmoor Aquatics]

I pulled out all the Helanthium Tenellum 'Dwarf Chain Sword' in the tank today, and trimmed back the Pogostemmon and Diplidis. 
The Helanthium had really started competing with my crypts for space and was making the midground look messy. I've got a little crypt popping up near the front glass. I'll let it grow a bit more before I pull it up and replant. 

Took a few quick videos of the shrimp all coming out during the water change. I don't quite know why a water change makes them so active, but haven't noticed any ill-seeming effects. 

Something I've never really put any thought into before now is what the heck is that carpeting plant in the foreground?
I've searched through all of my purchase history, and can't find anything except Dwarf Chain Sword/Helanthium Tenellum

This plant is tiny! It only grows to 1-2 cm in height and spreads by runners. I think when I planted it I sort of assumed it was Dwarf Chain Sword and would eventually grow taller, but it is obviously some other species. 


 

[Creedmoor Aquatics]

A drawback to the cork board used to float the emmersed plants has been tannins and generally increased cloudiness. I've been resistant to the idea of a canister filter since the start, but I decided I wanted to use Purigen and filter floss to really polish the water, so I broke down and bought a SunSun HW-3000. I chose it for being budget friendly, having a built in UV sterilizer, and a DC pump that could be turned down for reduced noise (currently running at 530 gph).

I pulled the AquaShine UV sterilizer out of the tank and will be bringing it home for my new 55 gallon. 

The new filter was pretty much immediately effective, and after 36 hours had produced clean, clear water. 

[Whitecloud09]

White Cloud Mountain minnows are the BEST fish! I love those so much, love the tank, would love to see how it goes and good luck on the future of this tank! @Creedmoor Aquatics If only I could have plants like that, but I got nanos, but planning to get some more plants soon for my WCMMs tank.

Edited March 1 by Whitecloud09
Edited something in

[Creedmoor Aquatics]

There's a notable sexual dimorphism in the color of these White Clouds. The males are significantly more purplish in the body, versus a more coppery color in the females.

 

The shrimp have been doing well with the Repashy Soilent Green, but I thought I'd give the Repashy Community Plus a try for the WCMMs. The good news is the shrimp love it, the bad news is these WCMMs won't eat anything unless its floating around in the water column. I could probably use it as a powder food, but I was interested in the gel food for its clean-feeding properties. 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

I’ve thought many times when the big box sale happens about this cube tank and now I’ll think doubly hard! It’s a beauty of a tank. Well done! If you give white clouds some bushy plants like Pogo Octopus or floaters or moss they’ll community breed. They tend not to hunt their young. 

[Creedmoor Aquatics]

I'm just in love with these purple males, I do not see the likes of them online.

 

 

[Creedmoor Aquatics]

My 3 year coin finally arrived!! 

I keep these on my desk in the office to fidget with.

 

[Creedmoor Aquatics]

I have really been struggling with trying to breed my White Clouds, and I'm not sure what I've done wrong. They're supposed to be prolific breeders!
My females are extremely gravid and the males are exhibiting courtship behaviors.

I have had them for about 6 months now and never seen a single fry.

I have tried splitting males and females in a breeder box and then combining them in the morning at first light
I have tried spawning them in a bucket
I have tried spawning them in a floating isolation net

I even tried spawning them in an isolation net, for several days, during Tropical Storm Debby! 

Still no sign of any eggs. 

They're really great looking fish and I'd love to have more of them.

 

[Woowala]

This might be obvious, but what's the temp?  If it's high try dropping it.

You may have already done this too, but I'd try setting them up in small tank with a screened bottom or some way you can be absolutely sure if eggs are being produced and eaten or not produced at all.

[Creedmoor Aquatics]

The tank is 72-73F

[Woowala]

Raise the temp? Lol I'm as stumped as you are

Maybe genetics if they're highly line bred?

Edited August 10 by Woowala

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/9/2024 at 4:04 PM, Creedmoor Aquatics said:

They're really great looking fish and I'd love to have more of them.

As far as method, I would check this out.  I would also encourage you to look at whitecloud dynasty on youtube.  @WhitecloudDynasty is also here.

 

[WhitecloudDynasty]

On 8/9/2024 at 7:04 PM, Creedmoor Aquatics said:

I have really been struggling with trying to breed my White Clouds, and I'm not sure what I've done wrong. They're supposed to be prolific breeders!
My females are extremely gravid and the males are exhibiting courtship behaviors.

I have had them for about 6 months now and never seen a single fry.

I have tried splitting males and females in a breeder box and then combining them in the morning at first light
I have tried spawning them in a bucket
I have tried spawning them in a floating isolation net

I even tried spawning them in an isolation net, for several days, during Tropical Storm Debby! 

Still no sign of any eggs. 

They're really great looking fish and I'd love to have more of them.

 

Pm me and we can figure out what's wrong

[Creedmoor Aquatics]

Time to trim out the tank!
I pulled a whole breeder box full of Riccia off my intake sponge with more leftover. 

I also pulled out the floating cork board planter. The cork itself worked great, but I never had enough light above it for potted plants, and ultimately decided not to add any additional lighting to my office.