Nano Aquascaping myaquascaping1.blogspot.com Tiny aquatic gardens are all the rage; perfect for the aquarist with limited space, or for those who simply enjoy the aesthetic of a scale-model planted layout, with all the benefits and challenges that come with it.
Most people get started in the hobby with the typical 10- or 20-gallon tank because these sizes are widely available as inexpensive starter kits.
Those who get hooked on the hobby quickly find that this not enough, and the desire for a bigger tank sets in. For some a 55-gallon tank may be enough, while others lust after a 6- or even 8-foot tank.
Big tanks can be a lot of fun, nano aquascaping and larger systems are often more stable than small ones, but big tanks are also a lot of work and are more expensive to set up, stock, and maintain.
Whatever the reason, in recent years, nano tanks have become a popular alternative to explore the hobby in greater depth, particularly for those of us interested in aquatic gardening.
What’s a Nano Tank, and Why Bother?
The term “nano tank” is not precisely defined in the industry, and, especially in terms of reef systems, tends to include tanks much larger than the tanks I consider true nanos, which, for the purposes of this discussion, can be defined as tanks no larger than 10 gallons—and some significantly smaller than that.
Nano Aquascaping-For years the industry has sold bowls for keeping goldfish and bettas to inexperienced hobbyists.
Knowledgeable hobbyists realize that these small containers are not suitable homes for either of these species, as the former are large fish most suited to the garden pond and the latter are tropical fish requiring a heated tank.
In recent years, however, many aquatic gardeners have experimented with small planted aquariums and have found that when these tiny tanks are appropriately stocked and managed, they are actually quite stable habitats and can be maintained for long periods of time with little effort.
Nano tanks have some real advantages over their larger counterparts. They are perfect for displaying small plant and animal species that would be lost in a larger tank, and for those who are seriously interested in the art of aquascaping, nano tanks allow the opportunity to experiment and rearrange, or even add more nano tanks at a tiny fraction of the cost of larger tanks.
Nano Aquascaping - For those with limited space, nano tanks are an ideal way to enjoy the hobby. A beautiful nano tank also never fails to draw the attention of visitors.
Nano Aquascaping - Choosing Equipment
Obviously, you want a small tank and equipment suitable for that tank. One choice, though not the most attractive, is to use the standard 2½-, 5-, or 10-gallon tanks available at any chain pet store.
Getting a filter for such sizes isn’t usually a problem, as there are several small external power filters available that will do a nice job on small tanks.
There are other small aquariums and bowls available that are inexpensive options, too, so look around and see what you can find.
The larger problem is lighting. Most commercial hoods available for tanks this small simply do not have an adequate amount of light to grow healthy aquatic plants. For a 10-gallon tank, one option is to purchase a regular 10-gallon hood and then retrofit the light fixture with compact fluorescent bulbs.
A quick Internet search will give you a number of sources for kits to do this. Nano Aquascaping - For the smallest tanks, a compact fluorescent desk lamp on a swing-arm base can be purchased at any home supply store.
These provide plenty of light for a tank up to about 5 gallons, and the amount of light can be regulated simply by changing the height of the lamp above the tank.
Much more attractive tanks are available if you are willing to spend a bit more money, however. Several major manufacturers offer complete nano tank systems that have light and filtration conveniently built in.
The best of these tanks have good-quality glass or acrylic with no seams to spoil the view.
If you choose one of these systems, make sure you choose one built with adequate light for growing aquatic plants (a minimum of 2 to 3 watts per gallon). There are also a few specialty sources that import small tanks from the Far East specifically for the aquascaping hobby.
These tanks range from moderately priced to very expensive but are fashionable, open-topped, rimless tanks with excellent clarity and no front seams. Some are sold with a filter and light fixture, while for others these pieces of equipment are available but at an added cost.
Unless you are lucky enough to live near one of the handful of aquarium shops in this country specializing in planted aquariums, you will probably have to order these tanks online.
For most nano tanks that will house fish or shrimp, you will have to purchase a heater. I prefer the very small, thermostatically controlled submersible heaters for any tank that is appropriately sized for them.
There are now heaters that fit this description for tanks as small as 2 gallons. Unfortunately, for tanks below this size there are no good options for thermostatically controlled heating.
Don’t overlook other types of containers for nano tanks either. A large flat-sided vase can be a lovely little planted tank. I’ve seen aquascapes done in petri dishes, and even inside a light bulb! Obviously, these smallest containers are not suitable for animal life, but that also means that you do not need to worry about filtration or heaters.
While it is perfectly possible to choose plants for a nano tank that will not require supplemental CO2, the use of supplemental CO2 will open up a world of exciting plants to you. If you use CO2 on your larger tanks, I’m sure you would want the same for a nano tank.
If you haven’t quite dared make the leap to CO2 supplementation, a nano tank is your opportunity to get your feet wet. Chances are, once you’ve tried it, you will be a complete convert!
Nano Aquascaping - CO2 for a Nano Tank
While most aquatic gardeners use pressurized-gas CO2 systems on their larger tanks, a yeast reactor is more than adequate for nano tanks.
There are wonderful small commercially made yeast reactors, or you can easily make one from a soda bottle, a rubber stopper, and a piece of airline tubing.
To diffuse the CO2 in a nano tank, you can either feed the CO2 into the filter or use a glass diffuser specifically sized for nano tanks (again, you can find these with a quick online search if your local pet store doesn’t carry them).
Neither of these methods are terribly efficient, but you don’t need a lot of CO2 in such a small tank anyway.
Setting Up Your Nano Tank
Nano Aquascaping - Equipment set up on a nano tank is exactly the same as for any aquarium unless you are using a really tiny container. For these very small tanks, you don’t need a filter or heater.
I use the best substrates available when setting up a nano tank. There are several good commercial substrate alternatives on the market these days, and while these might seem expensive when used in a large tank, even a small bag of substrate will be more than enough for several small nano tanks.
If the substrate you choose has a fair amount of organic material, consider using it only as a base layer, and covering it with a layer of fine, well-rinsed quartz gravel. This will save you a lot of early water changes while excess nutrients leach out of the substrate.
Nano Aquascaping - Similarly, because the tank is small, consider treating yourself to some of the fancy rock and driftwood that is available. You won’t need that much to make a stunning display. Alternatively, you can collect your own.
That way these design materials are free, and collecting them is half the fun. (Use standard precautions when collecting any materials for use in an aquarium.)
Plant Choices for the Nano Aquarium Cube
Because the tank is small, you need to choose plants carefully. It is important that the leaf size is in good balance with the size of the tank—large leaves will simply look cramped and out of place in a nano.
You also want to avoid plants that grow so vigorously that you need to trim them every few days to prevent them from overflowing the tank. This still leaves you many choices, however.
Nano Aquascaping - One way to go with a nano tank is a slow-growth/lower-light setup based on mosses, small Microsorum varieties, Anubias barteri var. “nana” and “nana petite,” and possibly small Cryptocoryne.
While regular Java moss Taxiphyllum barbieri grows too quickly and tends to overrun a tiny tank, some of the other mosses, such as Christmas moss Vesicularia montagnei, and other decorative mosses such as flame moss and weeping moss, grow more slowly and are very beautiful.
There are also a number of species in the genus Fissidens that are wonderful accents in a nano tank.
For a brighter look, dwarf hairgrass Eleocharis acicularis or E. pusilla will make a dense carpet without growing too tall in all but the smallest tanks. A tank like this can remain very stable and look very good with very little maintenance for a long period of time.
If you are willing to do a little more pruning and maintenance, there is a whole world of possibilities.
While the plants I mentioned above will grow best with supplemental CO2, most of them will do okay without it as long as there is organic material in the substrate. For most of the more delicate plants, supplemental CO2 will make a huge difference.
One of the most beautiful ground covers for small CO2-enriched tanks is Hemianthus callitrichoides. This prostrate plant, with its tiny, bright-green leaves, really makes a tank sparkle.
Other lovely low-growing species to consider are Pogostemon helferi and Staurogyne sp. “repens.” Nano Aquascaping.
Stem plants to consider for the nano tank are numerous, but a few of my favorites are Rotala wallichii, Didiplis diandra,and Mayaca fluviatilis.
For the midground, Micranthemum umbrosum and Hemianthus micranthemoides are both nice choices.
This list is far from exhaustive, however; look through any good book on aquatic plants and you will find many lovely possibilities. Just avoid stem plants with large leaves or extremely fast growth.
Nano Aquascaping - What About the Animals?
Whether you should put animals in your nano tank is dependent on the size of the tank and the amount of work you are willing to do. In my opinion, tanks under 2 gallons should be for plants only.
Kept this way, they will be a beautiful gem on your desk that you can enjoy with just regular top-ups of water and perhaps a bit of careful fertilization.
Tanks this small are very difficult, if not impossible to keep at a comfortable temperature for most fish and inverts, and if you are feeding animals in such a small container, you will be committing to very frequent water changes, both for the health of the inhabitants and also to avoid algae problems.
Tanks that are between 2½ and 5 gallons are still too small for most fish, but they are big enough that you can control the temperature better.
If they are heavily planted with healthy plants, they are also more able to absorb the nutrients added to the tank with judicious feeding. This size tank can be easily livened up by a colony of brightly colored shrimp, such as cherry red, crystal, or bee shrimp.
These shrimp all eat a certain amount of algae, so it’s fine to keep them a bit on the hungry side. They will keep your plants clean as they find their own dinner.
Concerning tanks of 5 gallons or more, there are many wonderful tiny fish that make good inhabitants. Many of these fish don’t do well in larger tanks because they can’t compete well with larger or more boisterous fish.
A nano tank gives them the perfect place to shine! As with plants, there are just so many possibilities that I can barely scratch the surface, but here are a few of my favorites.
From South America, the ember tetra Hyphessobrycon amandae is a tiny red tetra that does best in a school of at least 8 to 12, but they are so small that this is fine in a 5-gallon or larger tank.
Many of the dwarf pencilfish do very well; a real crowd-pleaser at the moment is the ruby red pencilfish Nannostomus mortenthaleri.
Nano Aquascaping - Moving on to Asia, the fish that top my list are the scarlet badis Dario dario and the incredibly beautiful celestial pearl danio Danio margaritatus.
The celestial pearl danio, on top of being beautiful, is a fairly quiet fish, and happy in smaller numbers than true schooling fish.
A group of six will be perfectly happy. Another Asian fish that is beautifully suited to the nano tank is the White Cloud Mountain minnow Tanichthys albonubes, an old-timer in the hobby.
These fish don’t look like much in the pet store, but put them in their own heavily planted tank and watch them glow!
There are many small killifish that are suitable for the nano tank. One of my favorites is Pseudepiplatys annulatus, the clown killie. Any of the blue eyes, such as Pseudomugil furcata or P. tenellus, are also good choices.
All of these fish really need a tank of their own if you want to enjoy their interesting natural behavior.
Of course, this barely scratches the surface of potential animals for nano tanks. Just remember to choose small fish, and don’t overstock your tank. (If you want more fish, set up another nano tank!)
Nano Aquascaping - Maintenance
Maintaining a nano tank isn’t much different from maintaining any planted tank; you just need to think in scale. For a scraper, a single-edge razorblade does a great job. A brine shrimp net is a useful-sized net for all but the smallest nano tanks.
For the tiny ones, you may have to make your own. It will be very difficult to remove fish from a fully planted nano tank, but a net is still very useful for skimming plant debris from the surface after pruning.
Many aquatic gardeners use specially designed tools for planting, and while these can be very useful for tanks of any size, they are an absolute necessity in a nano tank, where our fingers are just too big to work.
Speaking of hands in the tank, make sure you remove enough water from the tank to make up for the displacement of your hand before working in the tank. Otherwise, your desk is in for a wet surprise!
Water changes are easy in a nano tank. You can use small-diameter tubing to siphon the tank, or simply dip water out with a cup. Remember to do water changes regularly, though. In a little tank, there’s no excuse not to. Try to change 50 percent of the water weekly.
If you live in an area with very hard water, this is a chance to play with some softwater species using bottled water. This would be a drag with a big tank, but it’s easy with a little one. If your tank is open-topped, you will need to top up the water in between changes too. You will find that quite a bit evaporates.
Fertilization can be a bit tricky in tiny tanks. If you maintain larger planted tanks, one way to handle it is to do a water change on the big tank, dose your nutrients, and then use water from the big tank to change water on the little one.
If that’s not an option, you will have to do some careful math, and either learn how to dose with an eyedropper or make diluted solutions.
If you have used a substrate with good nutritional value, you may not need to supplement much for many months. If you have fish in the tank, the food you give them will also help fertilize the plants. Err on the side of caution when fertilizing nano tanks.
The nice thing, however, is that if things go wrong, or if you just get tired of the way your tank is set up, it’s so easy to completely re-set the tank. Drain the water into a small waterproof container, put the plants and fish in there too, and start over.
Nano Aquascaping - I have a friend who occasionally runs his small, seamless nano tanks through the dishwasher! I haven’t quite gotten to that point, but it is dead easy to do any cleaning that needs to be done right in the kitchen sink.
The Aquatic Gardeners Association
One thing any budding aquatic gardener needs to do is join the Aquatic Gardeners Association (AGA) at www.aquatic-gardeners.org.
Among other things, they publish a lovely full-color magazine with all the latest information in the world of aquarium plants and maintain a forum where anyone (member or not) can go and get good information from other hobbyists.
Their website is also the home of the International Aquascaping Contest, which includes information and photos of hundreds of aquariums, many of them nanos, to give you some inspiration and design ideas.
The AGA will be meeting for their convention this year in November in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, with a fantastic lineup of speakers and activities. Come join us if you can!
Nano tanks are not only beautiful, but they are a whole lot of fun. They are easy to set up, easy to maintain, and a beautiful accent to any room.
They give you a wonderful opportunity to try out your aquascaping skills on a small scale for very little money and allow you to play with some interesting species that you might otherwise not be able to.
If you can’t make the convention, Nano Aquascaping - you should still join the AGA and next year plan on entering your lovely new nano tank in our 12th Annual International Aquascaping Contest!
nano aquascape took Best In Show in the nano division of the Aquascaping Live! competition at the 2016 Aquatic Experience - Chicago. Image credit: Matt Pedersen
John Pini’s nano aquascape title Guidance took Best in Show in the nano division of the Aquascaping Live! competition at the 2016 Aquatic Experience – Chicago. Fluval 7.9-gallon (30-L) tank. Image credit: Matt Pedersen
nano Aquascaping jumped out of the special-interest groups and became a mainstream feature of the aquarium hobby when the inaugural Aquascaping Live! competition was launched at the 2014 Aquatic Experience – Chicago.
With the third annual Aquascaping Live! in 2o16, the competition grew in terms of participants, and the bar was raised with a field of strong offerings. (Well, to be fair, it’s probably more appropriate to say the bar was left a mangled and twisted pile of iron, cast aside by the hands of amateur aquascaper John Pini.)
Pini: An Aquascaper to Watch
John Pini, an Illinois native just 25 years old, arguably dominated the nano tank competition at the 2016 Aquascaping Live! competition (learn more about the 2016 competition, and see all the entries, in our Aquascaping Live! 2016 Small Tank Photospread).
Pini has only been aquascaping for 2 years, and yet he managed to conceive a design that stopped people in their tracks. The first-place, “Best In Show” nano tank entry was a source of conversation all weekend. Even if it wasn’t their absolute favorite aquascape, spectators and commentators were quick to acknowledge the exceptional nature of the design.
Nano Aquascaping - There are times you meet someone whom you believe is an up-and-comer, and after meeting Pini, I believe he qualifies for that title.
After just 2 years in the aquascaping hobby, and only a year on the competitive circuit, Pini has surrounded himself with exceptional mentors, including Bailin Shaw of the Aquatic Gardeners Association (AGA). Pini is also one of the founding members of the newly-formed Chicago Aquatic Plant Society.
We hope to feature more of Pini’s work and his inspired aquascaping philosophy in a future issue of AMAZONAS Magazine.
But for now, let’s turn our attention to how Pini took the 2016 Aquascaping Live! nano tank category by storm.
Nano Aquascaping - What Changed This Year
Pini entered the 2015 Aquascaping Live! contest, but failed to place out of 14 entries. This year, with 22 participants, the odds of being awarded were even tougher.
Nano Aquascaping - Looking back, Pini explained that the challenge was part of the inspiration. “I was really determined to place this time. But I also heard that a lot of well-known aquascapers were flying in [to compete] this year, so I knew the bar was going to be raised.
The people that I actually look up to, the people I was seeing online and getting familiar with their work–it was really cool to find out that I was going to compete against them. It also motivated me, made me more excited about the competition.”
Pini had been working on a lushly planted aquarium when he learned that this year’s competition would require aquascapers to create their aquascapes on the show floor (whereas in past years, one could largely construct things prior, and then simply “drop in” the aquascape).
The reasoning was simple: competition organizers wanted spectators to be able to watch this creative, constructive process as it happened.
This change in the competition rules caused Pini to scrap his planned design and completely start over. Objectively, this change in rules may have also been the catalyst that rocketed Pini to the top of this year’s competition.
This lushly-planted aquascape could have been John Pini's nano tank entry at the 2016 Aquascaping Live! competition, but a change in the rules forced Pini to completely rethink his design. Image credit: John Pini
This lushly-planted aquascape could have been John Pini’s nano tank entry at the 2016 Aquascaping Live! competition, but a change in the rules forced Pini to completely rethink his design. Image credit: John Pini
Nano Aquascaping - How Pini Adapated
“A lot of people were upset when they made the rule. I just saw it as another opportunity to aquascape. [In] prior years you could bring in completed scapes, but this year, no. You had to build it on the spot so people could see it built [as it happened].”
Nano Aquascaping - After tearing down the planted aquarium above, John started over. “I started messing around with the hardscape,” Pini said during our interview. “From the picture, you can tell it’s pretty complex as far as getting things balanced and pieced together. I probably had 30 or 40 different pieces of rock in that tank all said and done; it fits together like a puzzle.”
But how did he create this design? “I’d put sand in the tank and rocks, and play with it without water. I’d get it how I liked it and then go away, come back a few hours later to play with it again. It was probably a week before I was happy with it.”
Pini's dry runs at aquascaping, in no particular order. Variation 1. Image credit: John Pini
Pini’s dry runs at aquascaping, in no particular order.
When it came time to recreate this design on the show floor during the competition, Pini credits his success to practice. “I took it down and put it back together mutliple times before the show. Muscle memory and photos of the tank are what made it come together.”
Keeping the intricate rockwork together was also a challenge. “When I first set up the hardscape, it was all balancing.
So at the Aquatic Experience, when I was setting it up, I was using the two-part epoxy to hold a few of the pieces in place, so if someone knocked the tank the whole thing woudln’t collapse.”
Pini’s Aquascaping Materials and Method
For a substrate choice, Pini opted for simple cosmetic sand, in this case pool filter sand. Pini selected a fine-grained sand to emphasize scale. Had this been a normal tank not set up for competition, Pini suggested he would have also incorporated a substrate with nutrients to make maintenance easier.
Pini shared a great substrate tip for aquascapers looking to create depth in their designs: “If you really want depth in your tank, slope [the substrate].
Nano Aquascaping - Strategically placed stones or hardscape, or even plastic, can be used as supports for the slope. Once the plants grow in, that helps hold everything in place. The strong slope helps give the illusion of depth.”
Nano Aquascaping - The stone used is Seiryu Stone, and most of the plants in the design were grown right on the rock, affixed with either super glue or thread.
Some were added at the show, again using gel super glue to attach them to the hardscape so they wouldn’t float away. Pini noted that “it works pretty instantly.”
Pini’s plant choices and design were also made to emphasize the impression of a larger-than-life scale, and to make a natural impression. Pini shared an image that he created during his hardscaping to help envision how the planted tank would look.
John Pini's rough idea for where plants would go in his hardscape. Image credit: John Pini
John Pini’s rough idea for where plants would go in his hardscape. Image credit: John Pini
“A mistake new aquascapers make is, if you have a carpet of one species of plant, it may look really nice, but it doesn’t necessarily look natural,” Pini said. “A technique I applied to this tank was, I mixed stuff together so it looks natural.
When you step out into nature Nano Aquascaping, you have this war of plant life trying to choke out what’s next to it.
Creating that sense that different things were growing all over the place, that really helped give this aquascape a natural feel.”
Pini ultimately selected four plant varieties for the aquascape. They included:
Micranthum sp. “Monte Carlo,” a small green carpeting plant
Riccardia chamedryfolia, Coral Moss, a darker green liverwort moss which Pini notes is slow growing and beautiful. This fine-leafed plant helps to emphasize the illusion of scale.
Fissidens fontanus, Phoenix Moss, which creates beautiful dark green pillowy bunches
Bucephalandra sp. Pini selected a mini variant, possibly the variety known as “Mini Velvet.” It’s a small, dark-leafed plant that grows on a rhizome.
This view from the left shows the strongly sloped substrate and reveals the lit background that strongly aids in creating the illusion of depth in this layout.
This view from the left shows the strongly sloped substrate and reveals the lit background that aids in creating the illusion of depth in this layout.
A look at the right side of the aquarium reveals the cave in the back where fish would sometimes seek refuge from the commotion of the convention floor. Image credit: Matt Pedersen
A look at the right side of the aquarium reveals the cave in the back where fish would sometimes seek refuge from the commotion of the convention floor. Image credit: Matt Pedersen
John Pini's masterpiece, titled Guidance, on the day of judging (we've removed the hang on the back filter from this photograph to show you the aquascape as it was meant to be viewed). Image credit: Matt Pedersen
John Pini’s masterpiece, titled Guidance, on the day of judging (we’ve removed the hang on the back filter from this photograph to show you the aquascape as it was meant to be viewed). Image credit: Matt Pedersen
John Pini On Community, Fellowship, and Mentors
“Most aquascapes have a title. My title was Guidance. The reason for it is in honor of the people who’ve helped me along. The biggest thing about any hobby is community and fellowship with other people that have the same interests as you.
Nano Aquascaping - For me, that’s everything that makes it worth it in the end. If I was at home aquascaping by myself, yeah…(Pini pauses)…but at the end of the day it’s sharing that makes it worth it.”
“When I started a year ago, I didn’t really know anyone else in the world, I didn’t know anyone in the aquarium hobby. I started going to Fish Planet in Deerfield, IL, to get some rare fish and plants.
Steven Freed, the shop’s owner, told me, ‘I’m bringing in this guy from the AGA to do an aquascape seminar.’ That turned out to be Bailin Shaw.
“Bailin came in and did a presentation. I think I was so enthusiastic that he knew I was serious about getting into competitive aquascaping, so we stayed in contact. Last year, we decided to start up the Chicago Aquatic Plant Society.
He has given me a lot of guidance about how to grow plants, how to look for different things in aquascapes, and the key components that make something compelling, like how do you portray conflict, but also harmony. It looks like it’s all supposed to be there.
“With the online community, too, I’ve made a point to seek out people who are better than me, and sending them my stuff and asking, ‘What do you think of this?’ For the most part, they’re excited about new people getting in; they usually respond with advice and encouragement.
“Jeff Miotke reached out to me last year and gave me a compliment on the tank that didn’t place, and we started talking from there. As a mentor, he doesn’t tell me what to do or what to change, but he tells me what he sees.
I think that’s a really important quality of a good mentor Nano Aquascaping: he wants me to put my vision out there, not his. ‘This is what I see, what do you think about that?'”
Most people get started in the hobby with the typical 10- or 20-gallon tank because these sizes are widely available as inexpensive starter kits.
Those who get hooked on the hobby quickly find that this not enough, and the desire for a bigger tank sets in. For some a 55-gallon tank may be enough, while others lust after a 6- or even 8-foot tank.
Big tanks can be a lot of fun, nano aquascaping and larger systems are often more stable than small ones, but big tanks are also a lot of work and are more expensive to set up, stock, and maintain.
Nano Aquascaping
Whatever the reason, in recent years, nano tanks have become a popular alternative to explore the hobby in greater depth, particularly for those of us interested in aquatic gardening.
What’s a Nano Tank, and Why Bother?
The term “nano tank” is not precisely defined in the industry, and, especially in terms of reef systems, tends to include tanks much larger than the tanks I consider true nanos, which, for the purposes of this discussion, can be defined as tanks no larger than 10 gallons—and some significantly smaller than that.
Nano Aquascaping-For years the industry has sold bowls for keeping goldfish and bettas to inexperienced hobbyists.
Knowledgeable hobbyists realize that these small containers are not suitable homes for either of these species, as the former are large fish most suited to the garden pond and the latter are tropical fish requiring a heated tank.
In recent years, however, many aquatic gardeners have experimented with small planted aquariums and have found that when these tiny tanks are appropriately stocked and managed, they are actually quite stable habitats and can be maintained for long periods of time with little effort.
Nano tanks have some real advantages over their larger counterparts. They are perfect for displaying small plant and animal species that would be lost in a larger tank, and for those who are seriously interested in the art of aquascaping, nano tanks allow the opportunity to experiment and rearrange, or even add more nano tanks at a tiny fraction of the cost of larger tanks.
Nano Aquascaping - For those with limited space, nano tanks are an ideal way to enjoy the hobby. A beautiful nano tank also never fails to draw the attention of visitors.
Nano Aquascaping - Choosing Equipment
Obviously, you want a small tank and equipment suitable for that tank. One choice, though not the most attractive, is to use the standard 2½-, 5-, or 10-gallon tanks available at any chain pet store.
Getting a filter for such sizes isn’t usually a problem, as there are several small external power filters available that will do a nice job on small tanks.
There are other small aquariums and bowls available that are inexpensive options, too, so look around and see what you can find.
The larger problem is lighting. Most commercial hoods available for tanks this small simply do not have an adequate amount of light to grow healthy aquatic plants. For a 10-gallon tank, one option is to purchase a regular 10-gallon hood and then retrofit the light fixture with compact fluorescent bulbs.
A quick Internet search will give you a number of sources for kits to do this. Nano Aquascaping - For the smallest tanks, a compact fluorescent desk lamp on a swing-arm base can be purchased at any home supply store.
These provide plenty of light for a tank up to about 5 gallons, and the amount of light can be regulated simply by changing the height of the lamp above the tank.
Much more attractive tanks are available if you are willing to spend a bit more money, however. Several major manufacturers offer complete nano tank systems that have light and filtration conveniently built in.
The best of these tanks have good-quality glass or acrylic with no seams to spoil the view.
If you choose one of these systems, make sure you choose one built with adequate light for growing aquatic plants (a minimum of 2 to 3 watts per gallon). There are also a few specialty sources that import small tanks from the Far East specifically for the aquascaping hobby.
These tanks range from moderately priced to very expensive but are fashionable, open-topped, rimless tanks with excellent clarity and no front seams. Some are sold with a filter and light fixture, while for others these pieces of equipment are available but at an added cost.
Unless you are lucky enough to live near one of the handful of aquarium shops in this country specializing in planted aquariums, you will probably have to order these tanks online.
For most nano tanks that will house fish or shrimp, you will have to purchase a heater. I prefer the very small, thermostatically controlled submersible heaters for any tank that is appropriately sized for them.
There are now heaters that fit this description for tanks as small as 2 gallons. Unfortunately, for tanks below this size there are no good options for thermostatically controlled heating.
Don’t overlook other types of containers for nano tanks either. A large flat-sided vase can be a lovely little planted tank. I’ve seen aquascapes done in petri dishes, and even inside a light bulb! Obviously, these smallest containers are not suitable for animal life, but that also means that you do not need to worry about filtration or heaters.
While it is perfectly possible to choose plants for a nano tank that will not require supplemental CO2, the use of supplemental CO2 will open up a world of exciting plants to you. If you use CO2 on your larger tanks, I’m sure you would want the same for a nano tank.
If you haven’t quite dared make the leap to CO2 supplementation, a nano tank is your opportunity to get your feet wet. Chances are, once you’ve tried it, you will be a complete convert!
Nano Aquascaping - CO2 for a Nano Tank
While most aquatic gardeners use pressurized-gas CO2 systems on their larger tanks, a yeast reactor is more than adequate for nano tanks.
There are wonderful small commercially made yeast reactors, or you can easily make one from a soda bottle, a rubber stopper, and a piece of airline tubing.
To diffuse the CO2 in a nano tank, you can either feed the CO2 into the filter or use a glass diffuser specifically sized for nano tanks (again, you can find these with a quick online search if your local pet store doesn’t carry them).
Neither of these methods are terribly efficient, but you don’t need a lot of CO2 in such a small tank anyway.
Setting Up Your Nano Tank
Nano Aquascaping - Equipment set up on a nano tank is exactly the same as for any aquarium unless you are using a really tiny container. For these very small tanks, you don’t need a filter or heater.
I use the best substrates available when setting up a nano tank. There are several good commercial substrate alternatives on the market these days, and while these might seem expensive when used in a large tank, even a small bag of substrate will be more than enough for several small nano tanks.
If the substrate you choose has a fair amount of organic material, consider using it only as a base layer, and covering it with a layer of fine, well-rinsed quartz gravel. This will save you a lot of early water changes while excess nutrients leach out of the substrate.
Nano Aquascaping - Similarly, because the tank is small, consider treating yourself to some of the fancy rock and driftwood that is available. You won’t need that much to make a stunning display. Alternatively, you can collect your own.
That way these design materials are free, and collecting them is half the fun. (Use standard precautions when collecting any materials for use in an aquarium.)
Plant Choices for the Nano Aquarium Cube
Because the tank is small, you need to choose plants carefully. It is important that the leaf size is in good balance with the size of the tank—large leaves will simply look cramped and out of place in a nano.
You also want to avoid plants that grow so vigorously that you need to trim them every few days to prevent them from overflowing the tank. This still leaves you many choices, however.
Nano Aquascaping - One way to go with a nano tank is a slow-growth/lower-light setup based on mosses, small Microsorum varieties, Anubias barteri var. “nana” and “nana petite,” and possibly small Cryptocoryne.
While regular Java moss Taxiphyllum barbieri grows too quickly and tends to overrun a tiny tank, some of the other mosses, such as Christmas moss Vesicularia montagnei, and other decorative mosses such as flame moss and weeping moss, grow more slowly and are very beautiful.
There are also a number of species in the genus Fissidens that are wonderful accents in a nano tank.
For a brighter look, dwarf hairgrass Eleocharis acicularis or E. pusilla will make a dense carpet without growing too tall in all but the smallest tanks. A tank like this can remain very stable and look very good with very little maintenance for a long period of time.
If you are willing to do a little more pruning and maintenance, there is a whole world of possibilities.
While the plants I mentioned above will grow best with supplemental CO2, most of them will do okay without it as long as there is organic material in the substrate. For most of the more delicate plants, supplemental CO2 will make a huge difference.
One of the most beautiful ground covers for small CO2-enriched tanks is Hemianthus callitrichoides. This prostrate plant, with its tiny, bright-green leaves, really makes a tank sparkle.
Other lovely low-growing species to consider are Pogostemon helferi and Staurogyne sp. “repens.” Nano Aquascaping.
Stem plants to consider for the nano tank are numerous, but a few of my favorites are Rotala wallichii, Didiplis diandra,and Mayaca fluviatilis.
For the midground, Micranthemum umbrosum and Hemianthus micranthemoides are both nice choices.
This list is far from exhaustive, however; look through any good book on aquatic plants and you will find many lovely possibilities. Just avoid stem plants with large leaves or extremely fast growth.
Nano Aquascaping - What About the Animals?
Whether you should put animals in your nano tank is dependent on the size of the tank and the amount of work you are willing to do. In my opinion, tanks under 2 gallons should be for plants only.
Kept this way, they will be a beautiful gem on your desk that you can enjoy with just regular top-ups of water and perhaps a bit of careful fertilization.
Tanks this small are very difficult, if not impossible to keep at a comfortable temperature for most fish and inverts, and if you are feeding animals in such a small container, you will be committing to very frequent water changes, both for the health of the inhabitants and also to avoid algae problems.
Tanks that are between 2½ and 5 gallons are still too small for most fish, but they are big enough that you can control the temperature better.
If they are heavily planted with healthy plants, they are also more able to absorb the nutrients added to the tank with judicious feeding. This size tank can be easily livened up by a colony of brightly colored shrimp, such as cherry red, crystal, or bee shrimp.
These shrimp all eat a certain amount of algae, so it’s fine to keep them a bit on the hungry side. They will keep your plants clean as they find their own dinner.
Concerning tanks of 5 gallons or more, there are many wonderful tiny fish that make good inhabitants. Many of these fish don’t do well in larger tanks because they can’t compete well with larger or more boisterous fish.
A nano tank gives them the perfect place to shine! As with plants, there are just so many possibilities that I can barely scratch the surface, but here are a few of my favorites.
From South America, the ember tetra Hyphessobrycon amandae is a tiny red tetra that does best in a school of at least 8 to 12, but they are so small that this is fine in a 5-gallon or larger tank.
Many of the dwarf pencilfish do very well; a real crowd-pleaser at the moment is the ruby red pencilfish Nannostomus mortenthaleri.
Nano Aquascaping - Moving on to Asia, the fish that top my list are the scarlet badis Dario dario and the incredibly beautiful celestial pearl danio Danio margaritatus.
The celestial pearl danio, on top of being beautiful, is a fairly quiet fish, and happy in smaller numbers than true schooling fish.
A group of six will be perfectly happy. Another Asian fish that is beautifully suited to the nano tank is the White Cloud Mountain minnow Tanichthys albonubes, an old-timer in the hobby.
These fish don’t look like much in the pet store, but put them in their own heavily planted tank and watch them glow!
There are many small killifish that are suitable for the nano tank. One of my favorites is Pseudepiplatys annulatus, the clown killie. Any of the blue eyes, such as Pseudomugil furcata or P. tenellus, are also good choices.
All of these fish really need a tank of their own if you want to enjoy their interesting natural behavior.
Of course, this barely scratches the surface of potential animals for nano tanks. Just remember to choose small fish, and don’t overstock your tank. (If you want more fish, set up another nano tank!)
Nano Aquascaping - Maintenance
Maintaining a nano tank isn’t much different from maintaining any planted tank; you just need to think in scale. For a scraper, a single-edge razorblade does a great job. A brine shrimp net is a useful-sized net for all but the smallest nano tanks.
For the tiny ones, you may have to make your own. It will be very difficult to remove fish from a fully planted nano tank, but a net is still very useful for skimming plant debris from the surface after pruning.
Many aquatic gardeners use specially designed tools for planting, and while these can be very useful for tanks of any size, they are an absolute necessity in a nano tank, where our fingers are just too big to work.
Speaking of hands in the tank, make sure you remove enough water from the tank to make up for the displacement of your hand before working in the tank. Otherwise, your desk is in for a wet surprise!
Water changes are easy in a nano tank. You can use small-diameter tubing to siphon the tank, or simply dip water out with a cup. Remember to do water changes regularly, though. In a little tank, there’s no excuse not to. Try to change 50 percent of the water weekly.
If you live in an area with very hard water, this is a chance to play with some softwater species using bottled water. This would be a drag with a big tank, but it’s easy with a little one. If your tank is open-topped, you will need to top up the water in between changes too. You will find that quite a bit evaporates.
Fertilization can be a bit tricky in tiny tanks. If you maintain larger planted tanks, one way to handle it is to do a water change on the big tank, dose your nutrients, and then use water from the big tank to change water on the little one.
If that’s not an option, you will have to do some careful math, and either learn how to dose with an eyedropper or make diluted solutions.
If you have used a substrate with good nutritional value, you may not need to supplement much for many months. If you have fish in the tank, the food you give them will also help fertilize the plants. Err on the side of caution when fertilizing nano tanks.
The nice thing, however, is that if things go wrong, or if you just get tired of the way your tank is set up, it’s so easy to completely re-set the tank. Drain the water into a small waterproof container, put the plants and fish in there too, and start over.
Nano Aquascaping - I have a friend who occasionally runs his small, seamless nano tanks through the dishwasher! I haven’t quite gotten to that point, but it is dead easy to do any cleaning that needs to be done right in the kitchen sink.
The Aquatic Gardeners Association
One thing any budding aquatic gardener needs to do is join the Aquatic Gardeners Association (AGA) at www.aquatic-gardeners.org.
Among other things, they publish a lovely full-color magazine with all the latest information in the world of aquarium plants and maintain a forum where anyone (member or not) can go and get good information from other hobbyists.
Their website is also the home of the International Aquascaping Contest, which includes information and photos of hundreds of aquariums, many of them nanos, to give you some inspiration and design ideas.
The AGA will be meeting for their convention this year in November in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, with a fantastic lineup of speakers and activities. Come join us if you can!
Nano tanks are not only beautiful, but they are a whole lot of fun. They are easy to set up, easy to maintain, and a beautiful accent to any room.
They give you a wonderful opportunity to try out your aquascaping skills on a small scale for very little money and allow you to play with some interesting species that you might otherwise not be able to.
If you can’t make the convention, Nano Aquascaping - you should still join the AGA and next year plan on entering your lovely new nano tank in our 12th Annual International Aquascaping Contest!
Best Plants For Nano Tank
nano aquascape took Best In Show in the nano division of the Aquascaping Live! competition at the 2016 Aquatic Experience - Chicago. Image credit: Matt Pedersen
John Pini’s nano aquascape title Guidance took Best in Show in the nano division of the Aquascaping Live! competition at the 2016 Aquatic Experience – Chicago. Fluval 7.9-gallon (30-L) tank. Image credit: Matt Pedersen
nano Aquascaping jumped out of the special-interest groups and became a mainstream feature of the aquarium hobby when the inaugural Aquascaping Live! competition was launched at the 2014 Aquatic Experience – Chicago.
With the third annual Aquascaping Live! in 2o16, the competition grew in terms of participants, and the bar was raised with a field of strong offerings. (Well, to be fair, it’s probably more appropriate to say the bar was left a mangled and twisted pile of iron, cast aside by the hands of amateur aquascaper John Pini.)
Pini: An Aquascaper to Watch
John Pini, an Illinois native just 25 years old, arguably dominated the nano tank competition at the 2016 Aquascaping Live! competition (learn more about the 2016 competition, and see all the entries, in our Aquascaping Live! 2016 Small Tank Photospread).
Pini has only been aquascaping for 2 years, and yet he managed to conceive a design that stopped people in their tracks. The first-place, “Best In Show” nano tank entry was a source of conversation all weekend. Even if it wasn’t their absolute favorite aquascape, spectators and commentators were quick to acknowledge the exceptional nature of the design.
Nano Aquascaping - There are times you meet someone whom you believe is an up-and-comer, and after meeting Pini, I believe he qualifies for that title.
After just 2 years in the aquascaping hobby, and only a year on the competitive circuit, Pini has surrounded himself with exceptional mentors, including Bailin Shaw of the Aquatic Gardeners Association (AGA). Pini is also one of the founding members of the newly-formed Chicago Aquatic Plant Society.
We hope to feature more of Pini’s work and his inspired aquascaping philosophy in a future issue of AMAZONAS Magazine.
But for now, let’s turn our attention to how Pini took the 2016 Aquascaping Live! nano tank category by storm.
Nano Aquascaping - What Changed This Year
Pini entered the 2015 Aquascaping Live! contest, but failed to place out of 14 entries. This year, with 22 participants, the odds of being awarded were even tougher.
Nano Aquascaping - Looking back, Pini explained that the challenge was part of the inspiration. “I was really determined to place this time. But I also heard that a lot of well-known aquascapers were flying in [to compete] this year, so I knew the bar was going to be raised.
The people that I actually look up to, the people I was seeing online and getting familiar with their work–it was really cool to find out that I was going to compete against them. It also motivated me, made me more excited about the competition.”
Pini had been working on a lushly planted aquarium when he learned that this year’s competition would require aquascapers to create their aquascapes on the show floor (whereas in past years, one could largely construct things prior, and then simply “drop in” the aquascape).
The reasoning was simple: competition organizers wanted spectators to be able to watch this creative, constructive process as it happened.
This change in the competition rules caused Pini to scrap his planned design and completely start over. Objectively, this change in rules may have also been the catalyst that rocketed Pini to the top of this year’s competition.
This lushly-planted aquascape could have been John Pini's nano tank entry at the 2016 Aquascaping Live! competition, but a change in the rules forced Pini to completely rethink his design. Image credit: John Pini
This lushly-planted aquascape could have been John Pini’s nano tank entry at the 2016 Aquascaping Live! competition, but a change in the rules forced Pini to completely rethink his design. Image credit: John Pini
Nano Aquascaping - How Pini Adapated
“A lot of people were upset when they made the rule. I just saw it as another opportunity to aquascape. [In] prior years you could bring in completed scapes, but this year, no. You had to build it on the spot so people could see it built [as it happened].”
Nano Aquascaping - After tearing down the planted aquarium above, John started over. “I started messing around with the hardscape,” Pini said during our interview. “From the picture, you can tell it’s pretty complex as far as getting things balanced and pieced together. I probably had 30 or 40 different pieces of rock in that tank all said and done; it fits together like a puzzle.”
But how did he create this design? “I’d put sand in the tank and rocks, and play with it without water. I’d get it how I liked it and then go away, come back a few hours later to play with it again. It was probably a week before I was happy with it.”
Pini's dry runs at aquascaping, in no particular order. Variation 1. Image credit: John Pini
Pini’s dry runs at aquascaping, in no particular order.
When it came time to recreate this design on the show floor during the competition, Pini credits his success to practice. “I took it down and put it back together mutliple times before the show. Muscle memory and photos of the tank are what made it come together.”
Keeping the intricate rockwork together was also a challenge. “When I first set up the hardscape, it was all balancing.
So at the Aquatic Experience, when I was setting it up, I was using the two-part epoxy to hold a few of the pieces in place, so if someone knocked the tank the whole thing woudln’t collapse.”
Pini’s Aquascaping Materials and Method
For a substrate choice, Pini opted for simple cosmetic sand, in this case pool filter sand. Pini selected a fine-grained sand to emphasize scale. Had this been a normal tank not set up for competition, Pini suggested he would have also incorporated a substrate with nutrients to make maintenance easier.
Pini shared a great substrate tip for aquascapers looking to create depth in their designs: “If you really want depth in your tank, slope [the substrate].
Nano Aquascaping - Strategically placed stones or hardscape, or even plastic, can be used as supports for the slope. Once the plants grow in, that helps hold everything in place. The strong slope helps give the illusion of depth.”
Nano Aquascaping - The stone used is Seiryu Stone, and most of the plants in the design were grown right on the rock, affixed with either super glue or thread.
Some were added at the show, again using gel super glue to attach them to the hardscape so they wouldn’t float away. Pini noted that “it works pretty instantly.”
Pini’s plant choices and design were also made to emphasize the impression of a larger-than-life scale, and to make a natural impression. Pini shared an image that he created during his hardscaping to help envision how the planted tank would look.
John Pini's rough idea for where plants would go in his hardscape. Image credit: John Pini
John Pini’s rough idea for where plants would go in his hardscape. Image credit: John Pini
“A mistake new aquascapers make is, if you have a carpet of one species of plant, it may look really nice, but it doesn’t necessarily look natural,” Pini said. “A technique I applied to this tank was, I mixed stuff together so it looks natural.
When you step out into nature Nano Aquascaping, you have this war of plant life trying to choke out what’s next to it.
Creating that sense that different things were growing all over the place, that really helped give this aquascape a natural feel.”
Pini ultimately selected four plant varieties for the aquascape. They included:
Micranthum sp. “Monte Carlo,” a small green carpeting plant
Riccardia chamedryfolia, Coral Moss, a darker green liverwort moss which Pini notes is slow growing and beautiful. This fine-leafed plant helps to emphasize the illusion of scale.
Fissidens fontanus, Phoenix Moss, which creates beautiful dark green pillowy bunches
Bucephalandra sp. Pini selected a mini variant, possibly the variety known as “Mini Velvet.” It’s a small, dark-leafed plant that grows on a rhizome.
This view from the left shows the strongly sloped substrate and reveals the lit background that strongly aids in creating the illusion of depth in this layout.
This view from the left shows the strongly sloped substrate and reveals the lit background that aids in creating the illusion of depth in this layout.
A look at the right side of the aquarium reveals the cave in the back where fish would sometimes seek refuge from the commotion of the convention floor. Image credit: Matt Pedersen
A look at the right side of the aquarium reveals the cave in the back where fish would sometimes seek refuge from the commotion of the convention floor. Image credit: Matt Pedersen
John Pini's masterpiece, titled Guidance, on the day of judging (we've removed the hang on the back filter from this photograph to show you the aquascape as it was meant to be viewed). Image credit: Matt Pedersen
John Pini’s masterpiece, titled Guidance, on the day of judging (we’ve removed the hang on the back filter from this photograph to show you the aquascape as it was meant to be viewed). Image credit: Matt Pedersen
John Pini On Community, Fellowship, and Mentors
“Most aquascapes have a title. My title was Guidance. The reason for it is in honor of the people who’ve helped me along. The biggest thing about any hobby is community and fellowship with other people that have the same interests as you.
Nano Aquascaping - For me, that’s everything that makes it worth it in the end. If I was at home aquascaping by myself, yeah…(Pini pauses)…but at the end of the day it’s sharing that makes it worth it.”
“When I started a year ago, I didn’t really know anyone else in the world, I didn’t know anyone in the aquarium hobby. I started going to Fish Planet in Deerfield, IL, to get some rare fish and plants.
Steven Freed, the shop’s owner, told me, ‘I’m bringing in this guy from the AGA to do an aquascape seminar.’ That turned out to be Bailin Shaw.
“Bailin came in and did a presentation. I think I was so enthusiastic that he knew I was serious about getting into competitive aquascaping, so we stayed in contact. Last year, we decided to start up the Chicago Aquatic Plant Society.
He has given me a lot of guidance about how to grow plants, how to look for different things in aquascapes, and the key components that make something compelling, like how do you portray conflict, but also harmony. It looks like it’s all supposed to be there.
“With the online community, too, I’ve made a point to seek out people who are better than me, and sending them my stuff and asking, ‘What do you think of this?’ For the most part, they’re excited about new people getting in; they usually respond with advice and encouragement.
“Jeff Miotke reached out to me last year and gave me a compliment on the tank that didn’t place, and we started talking from there. As a mentor, he doesn’t tell me what to do or what to change, but he tells me what he sees.
I think that’s a really important quality of a good mentor Nano Aquascaping: he wants me to put my vision out there, not his. ‘This is what I see, what do you think about that?'”
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