Nanos in windowsill tutorial
Question: What is a nano tank?
Answer:
A nano tank is a small container, under 10 gallons.
The following are my results with nanos consisting of 4 ounces to 8 ounces and relying on daylight and grown on the windowsill.
Question: what are good plants for a nano?
Answer:
Alot of my micro nanos have hairgrass.
I have been growing hairgrass in several nanos as seen on an earlier post.
The height of the hairgrass depends on many factors such as daylight hours, size of container, depth of substrate, and the type of hairgrass.
Brandy snifters make a very nice nano, because the convex design of the glass magnifies the view, adding dimension to the plants.
Dwarf hairgrass makes an ideal nano plant because it can grow in a container on the windowsill with no other light.
It needs little more than fresh water, a floater plant to promote infusoria, and aquasoil substrate. This will be discussed in more detail.
Question: What substrate works and what doesn’t?
Answer:
My efforts using gravel were un-rewarding as the plants grew slowly. Aquasoil was used, and the plants did very well.
Question: How much light?
Answer:
During summer, daylight can be 14 hours, and indirect light is best for good growth.
The sun has less intensity in winter, and the nanos can take direct sun.
Growth slows down in winter, and sparsely planted nanos do best.
Question: Tell me about fertilizers?
Answer:
Because the nanos can develop algae, use fresh water or aquarium water to freshen the nano and do not use ferts.
Question: What about algae?
Answer:
The nanos are usually algae free.
In some cases, algae does grow. Seachem Excel can be used as a spot treatment to kill off algae.
Also it might be a good idea to use floater plants to absorb some of the sun’s energy. In addition, floaters help colonize beneficial bacteria and daphnia.
Question: What are beneficial bacteria and daphnia?
Answer:
Some small daphnia like critters hitchhike on the hairgrass and colonize the nano. They may promote an algae free environment.
Question: Any more ideas or pictures?
Answer:
I am trying plants such as anubia nana, java fern, and growing emersed hairgrass.
Also trying small crypts, with a few pictures.
This summer I tried growing small crypts.
Here are some inspiring pics are of a marsh on the
Potomac which is a tidal estuary.
Just tap your heels together and imagine a marshy grassland:
Question: What about emersed plants in nanos; what are they and why?
Answer:
Emersed plants, in this case, refers to plants whose base and roots are in water and whose tops are in air.
This kind of growth may produce flowers in nature and in the aquarium.
Hairgrass will flower easily in a windowsill nano. See post from March.
The following are some experiments with more nano ideas.
These are pictures of small crypts.
Cheers!
