dukydaf

I want to make my own nano cube for my desk.
I don't know if the dimensios should be 25*25*25( L*l*h)cm or maybe 25*25*30 (L*l*h) because i want to create the image of a cube but if i add 5 cm of substrat it would break the cube "thing".
The light i want to be 20W halogen. The substrate peat and sand on top (i already have peat and i don't have acces to aalready made substrate.
The plant's will be Bacomba , Hygrophilla corybosa, polysperma sunset and rotala macandra, echinodorus tennelus, cryptocoryne ( center piece), java fern on wood ( to mask the roots of hygrophilla).
The fish will be : 1 male betta splendens.

I want to grow plants out of th water.
And also i want to write something in the echinodorus tennelus any idea how to do it?

So what do you say 25 or 30 cm height??

Osteomata

My understanding: Halogen lighting won't work. Its extremely inefficient, providing a fraction of the usable light compared to a flourescent of the same wattage.

Regarding the tank dimensions: I would go with 25x25x25. If you look at the cube type aquariums from ADA (Amano style) they are perfect cubes. Even with the substrate, the eye will see the whole aquarium unless you hide the substate below a frame/edging.

dukydaf

I have done my first aquarium with only 3 cuts. It is 25*25*25.
As i said the aquarium will stay on my desk and i want to put on top of it the lamp that i otherwise use as a reading lamp.

You are right that the halogen lamp is not a very efective one but my purpose is to grow plants out of the water and to make them flower so to make this thing i have to rise my fluorescent about10-20 so i would need to double the number and they won't give me the focalised light like the halogen do.

And the aquarium is al 4g so that will come ike 5w/g

I'll go to the light forum and ask there. and i would like a little more participation on this topic it is my first nano.
I have time to make my decision on light and aquascape until 09.04 (m.d)
because i want my aquarium to dry out and also i'll be in the mountains looking for rocks and cool land scapes.

Osteomata

No, you wont have 5w/g, for two reasons:
1) Halogen usable light output is FAR less than flourescents
2) The watt per gallon rule is not accurate for small tanks.

I understand why you are doing it, but I think you may run into trouble growing the plants with that light.

dukydaf

so i will not be good if i use halogen and i can't realy use fluorescent because the smallest lenght in town is 30cm.

What can i use?

Fosty

Try using a spiral compact flourescent that fits right into a regular lamp. HERE
is a link. You might be able to find a desk lamp that will sit high enough above the tank to allow room for plants to grow outside of the tank.

dukydaf

To keep this up to date.

My nano cube has been running for about a month.
I managed to find a desk lamp and an CF at 6500k,1150Lm,23W.
I keep it about 10cm(4inches) above the water.
I have some problems with hair algae blue-green "algae" but i think that is because i feed my betta to much. Now he's out from the aquarium and i'll see what hapens.

The plants are : Rotala indicata; Lilaeopsis brasiliensis; Cryptocoryne petchi; Microsorium pteropus; Anubias nana; Hygrophilla corymbosa; Bacompa.

I did a 100% water change today and coked a little the algae and the plants with halogen to dry the algae out.


How can i et rid of the algae especially the hair algae?