# 7 gallon planted tank journal - ADA 30C



## zenster (Jan 16, 2017)

Well here it is, my first ever planted tank using the dry start method. Decided to go with an Iwagumi style design with only one stone to keep things simple and minimalistic. Since the initial setup, the tank has been getting misted with distilled water every other day and the top covered tightly with cling wrap to retain humidity. Temperature of room fluctuates between 18 to 20C. Light has been programmed to stay on from 7pm to 7am (12 hours). So far the plants have been responding quite well to whatever I've been doing (beginner's luck?). I've never seen anyone dry start anything other than foreground plants like HC so I thought I'd experiment (with Limnophila Sessiliflora) to see if it can be done successfully. I also plan to introduce some nano fish and shrimps after the tank is flooded and fully established.

Here are the specs:

*Start Date*

January 4th, 2017

*Tank*

ADA Cube Garden 30C cushioned by Garden Mat

*Lighting*

ADA Aquasky 301

*Cabinetry*

IKEA Besta (23 5/8" x 15 ¾" x 25 ¼")

*Filtration*

Eheim 2213
ADA Lily Pipe Mini V-2 inflow
Do!aqua Violet Glass Mini MP-1 outflow
ADA Clear Hose (10mm and 13mm) 
Eheim 494 Hose 
Eheim 494 Double Taps (3 sets)
SharkBite ½" x 3/8" barb reducer coupling (Model # UC009LFA)

*CO2 System*

Ista CO2 Controller with Solenoid, Bubble Counter, & Check Valve (Model # I-641)
Ista CO2 Aluminum Cylinder - 1L - Face Side
Ista CO2 Cylinder Support Base
Do!aqua CO2 Music Glass Mini Diffuser (15mm)
ADA Pressure Resistance Tube
ADA Clear Parts Set
Mini drop checker (unknown brand)
Ista pH controller model# I-817 (added on March 29, 2017)

*Temperature Control *

Hydor 200W Inline Heater (1/2") 
ADA J-05WH thermometer

*UV *

Cobalt Micro-UV (3 watts)

*Hardscape*

ADA Unzan stone

*Substrate*

ADA Aqua Soil Amazonia (powder)
ADA Power Sand S
ADA Bacter 100
ADA Clear Super
ADA Tourmaline BC

*Flora*

Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba' (from Tropica 1.2.Grow!)
Eleocharis sp. 'Mini' (from Tropica 1.2.Grow! and Hortilab)
Hydrocotyle tripartite 'Japan' (from Hortilab) completely removed on March 28, 2017 
Gratiola viscidula (from Hortilab) removed and replaced with HC (from Tropic 1.2.Grow!) on January 31, 2017
Limnophila Sessiliflora (from Hortilab)

*Fauna*

7 pure line crystal red shrimp
3 Amano shrimp
3 green neon tetra
1 celestial pearl danio

*Week 1*


*Week2*


*Week3:* Stems supported by bamboo skewers. Grew too tall in emersed form to support themselves.



*Week4:* Ditched the bamboo skewers and cut the stems (Limnophila Sessiliflora) down to their original height of approximately 5/8 inch. Also removed the Gratiola viscidula (GV) in the upper right corner and replaced with HC. The GV didn't seem to flow well with the rest of the tank. It also reminded me of a garden weed from my yard. Don't think I will use this plant again in the future.



*Week5:* Gave everything a trim except for the HC. Light was cut back to 10 hours because I've noticed a tiny bit of green algae growing at the front of the tank. Hopefully my RODI unit comes in soon so that I can flood this sucker.



*Week6* Continued with the trimming except for the HC. RODI unit on backorder. No stock till next week so that means this dry start will drag on for at least another 2 weeks!









*Week7* Just found out today (Feb 24th) that my RODI unit has been shipped. Looks like this tank will be flooded any day now.


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## Nick James (Jun 7, 2016)

Very nice tank!


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## cb1021 (Sep 21, 2009)

Nice tank! The HC grew in pretty quick!


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## zenster (Jan 16, 2017)

Nick James said:


> Very nice tank!





cb1021 said:


> Nice tank! The HC grew in pretty quick!


Thanks for the compliments.

Yeah, the HC really started to spread after the 2nd week. Must be lots of nutrients in the ADA soil. I forgot to mention that the tank gets 12 hours of light per day in case anybody is wondering. I also unwrap the cover for air exchange twice per day (morning and night) and give the tank a few puffs of my morning and after dinner breath. My wife said plants are lucky they don't have noses, lol.


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## zenster (Jan 16, 2017)

*An update*

Tank was submerged about 3 weeks ago but finally got around to upload some pics. Sorry for the bad quality images. All the pics since the start were taken with my smart phone (Samsung Note 3). Hopefully by the time I start my next project I'll have a better (DSLR perhaps?) camera to use.

*Final pic of dry start taken on March 7, 2017 right before flooding. Total number of days in dry start mode = 63. *









*Flooded March 8, 2017 with distilled water. CO2 at 2 bubbles per second started one day later on March 9th. Photo period: 8 hours.*









*Taken on March 13, 2017 after five 50% daily water changes using re-mineralized (Salty Shrimp GH+) RODI water. TDS measured at 105 ppm, pH at 6.2, GH 8, KH 0, ammonia 0.5, temperature 21C.*


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## Aro51 (Mar 30, 2011)

Beautiful!


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## planter (Jun 9, 2008)

Nice setup. Looks really good the DSM worked well for you.

That aquasky looks pretty slick


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## zenster (Jan 16, 2017)

Aro51 said:


> Beautiful!





planter said:


> Nice setup. Looks really good the DSM worked well for you.
> 
> That aquasky looks pretty slick


Thanks for the compliments 

Finally gave the HC carpet a trim yesterday. Most likely made my first newbie mistake by cutting too much off at once. The lush green leaves on top are now gone leaving the bottom yellow and melting brown leaves exposed for all to see. The entire carpet is now a huge eyesore as compared to before I went nuts with the scissors. Also removed the entire stalk of 'Japan' and snipped the Sessiflora down to a couple of stems (both plants growing too fast and getting too invasive for my liking). Hopefully by the next photo update in a few weeks the carpet will grow back like before. 

I also introduced 7 pure line crystal red shrimps, 3 Amano shrimps, 3 green neons, and 1 celestial pearl danio to the tank. Also bought a Ista pH controller today in case you're wondering what that thing is on the upper left corner of the tank.


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## thezenmaestro (Jul 6, 2018)

No more updates? 

Sent from my LG-H930 using Tapatalk


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## Ryan s (Jun 18, 2012)

Nice set up you got there. When you let the HC grow too thick the bottom part doesn't get enough light and dies off. Hopefully it will bounce back



zenster said:


> Thanks for the compliments
> 
> Finally gave the HC carpet a trim yesterday. Most likely made my first newbie mistake by cutting too much off at once. The lush green leaves on top are now gone leaving the bottom yellow and melting brown leaves exposed for all to see. The entire carpet is now a huge eyesore as compared to before I went nuts with the scissors. Also removed the entire stalk of 'Japan' and snipped the Sessiflora down to a couple of stems (both plants growing too fast and getting too invasive for my liking). Hopefully by the next photo update in a few weeks the carpet will grow back like before.
> 
> I also introduced 7 pure line crystal red shrimps, 3 Amano shrimps, 3 green neons, and 1 celestial pearl danio to the tank. Also bought a Ista pH controller today in case you're wondering what that thing is on the upper left corner of the tank.


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## UsAndThem (Jan 20, 2015)

Where did you buy your unzan stone ?


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## zenster (Jan 16, 2017)

UsAndThem said:


> Where did you buy your unzan stone ?


From Jarmila over at Angel Fins in Guelph. If she is out of stock you can try Joseph at [email protected]. He's the ADA distributer for all of Canada and can sell directly to you. Mind you the shapes of the rocks may not be to your liking so its probably best to inspect in person before you buy at one of his retailers like Angel Fins. Or get Joseph to take pics for you before you decide to buy.


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