Unheated nano

optykal

New Member
Just figured I'd share my first unseated tank.
S. Repens, Anubis nana and some c. Parva. A little driftwood, 2 celestial pearl danios and some cherry shrimp. Hoping to pick up some crystal shrimp as well to add to the variety.  Also looking for suggestions for a background stem plant of some sort and maybe an idea for a floating plant.

<img src="http://i56.servimg.com/u/f56/18/54/12/89/image11.jpg" style="width: 800px;height: 600px" alt="" />
 

MRTom

New Member
What are the dimensions? That looks like one of the new Mr aqua 6 long tanks.

I've been using baby tears (not dwarf) as a filler/background in my nanos because it is so undemanding. I tried stargrass and guppy grass, but no luck in my tanks. I think they withered because of insufficient lighting. I haven't tried hornwort or cabomba for the same reason.

I would just try a few different stems in there and see what works for ya. I'd love to find a good background stem plant for these tanks!
 

MRTom

New Member
Give it a try! I tried it on a 29 unheated for a while, and it lasted a few months. It might be easier to make it work on that tiny tank :D
 

pbmax

Active Member
You might try some creeping jenny (Lysimachia nummularia); it's fairly undemanding, the leaves aren't too big, and doesn't grow terribly fast.

I've kept pearl grass in the past (HM baby tears); the stuff tends to take over everything and then it gets stringy toward the bottom and has to be torn out and re-planted. If you do try pearl grass, keep it trimmed!!
 

optykal

New Member
Don't wanna deal with the maintenance on hc, and there isn't any co2 which I thought was pretty necessary for good hc growth?
 

pbmax

Active Member
I believe the type of baby tears that MrTom and I were referring to is HM (Hemianthus micranthemoides), also known as "pearl grass".  This is not the same thing as HC (dwarf baby tears).

Pearl grass thrives without CO2.  I don't use CO2 in any of my tanks and it went nuts for me.
 

pbmax

Active Member
I think cabomba would be too big for a tank of that size. It's also illegal to buy / sell / transport in this state.
 
pbmax said:
I think cabomba would be too big for a tank of that size.  It's also illegal to buy / sell / transport in this state.
Just want to clarify, Green Cabomba, is illegal in Washington State...while Red Cabomba and Purple Cabomba, are not illegal. :)
 

pbmax

Active Member
Back on topic, really any stem plant would work, as long as you keep it trimmed.  I've had great luck with ludwigia repens x arcuata in many of my tanks.

You could try a smaller crypt like undulata (not a stem plant, but it might suit the purpose), if you're patient. :)
 

optykal

New Member
Think ill just have to pop on down to some lfs's and see what's out there. Thanks for all the suggestions, will post another pic or two once I figure it out.
 

optykal

New Member
Haha thanks. I hope so too. It's crazy how hard it is to keep something so small. Even just feeding the fish is hard lol
 

pbmax

Active Member
Indeed; the tiny tanks are trouble. I've had an ongoing love/hate relationship with my 2.5 gallon Walstad for years now. I'm thinking about putting some shrimp in again...That didn't end well last time. :suspect:
 
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