Been awhile since posting.  Alot of changes going on.

It is December and daylight is at its shortest.  I have south facing windows, and the nanos are stacked up to get about five hours of direct sunlight.  There is a bit of algae as a result.

I am starting to use anubia nano with hairgrass.   The results to be unveiled in a few months.   

This nano tank gets only sunlight.  The little crypts are growing very well.  It is also full of cherry shrimp.  I need ideas for an aquascape.

Cheers!

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!

This has been a low tech tank with no fertilizers added. 

It has grown in natural light in the windowsill and has an aquasoil substrate.
The following are some pictures.

Cheers!

I have been growing some hairgrass on the windowsill at the office, and they get about 5 hours of sunlight.  The grass is flowering.

The top photo has some c. parva and e. parvulus

This is eleocharis arciculata in flower in winter!

c. Parva and e. Parvulus

the two goblets together

cheers!

It turns out that the two Apisto Eunotus are m/f and they have eggs.  The male is hiding, and the female is attacking everything that is near the eggs.  I give it a poor chance of survival with 10 cories and mollies and others in the tank.

Cheers!

I have a second theme for this tank and that is albinos and goldens
that is albino cories, one albino krib, golden apisto cacatoides, and koi angels.

the krib is from Africa, of course, but it’s an albino.

Cheers

In May the marsh explodes in growth.

May 6, 2007

May 28, 2007

These above closeups were taken from the bridge

On the other side of this small bridge is another marsh, and a marina beyond that, with the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge, being built in the distance

Nice variety of marsh plants!
 

Here is a video of the marsh.  The sound of the Red Winged Blackbird is on the video and at the end of the 2.5 minute video there are some closeups of the birds singing.

You can hear the planes in the background as it is close to Ronald Reagan National Airport

Cheers!

I am starting to think that maybe these should be planted in groups around the aquarium instead of short plants in front and with tall plants in the back.

So here’s some pictures.  There’s crypt parva on the left, crypt pygmae in middle, crypt willisi lucens on the right.  In the back is a curly enchinodoras and another val like enchinordorus in the back right.

Here’s the curly enchinodorus between crypt parva and crypt pygmae

Here is the neato enchinodorus that is remarkable for it is growing at a moderate height!

And a group shot

The apistos had bred, but either babies were sucked into the filter or?   

and the female who is more shy than the male: