The 15 Litre Moss Tank

**~firefly~** · 02-02-2013, 03:15 PM

I subscribed to Practical Fish Keeping magazine a few months ago and got a Superfish Wave 15 litre tank as a free gift (not bad for a subscription gift!) It took ages for the tank to be delivered but finally, after several months, it has arrived. It doesn't have a heater yet but I've ordered one that fits the tank.

I've been keeping the moss trimmings from my other two tanks and growing them on in a salad bowl (under a bedside lamp!) I was going to keep the tank as a hospital tank, but I figured that I'd put the moss in the new tank and run it in the kitchen (much to my fiancé's dispair at me setting up tank number 3!).

Here's the tank. It's been filled with water to check for leaks. Seems ok (although I haven't left it for any substantial period of time). Substrate is basically what I have in the cupboard...so a spare box of Dennerle Deponit mix (soil) went in as an underlayer.

I do like the LED lights on this tank - although annoyingly you cannot fit a timer to it. Cutting the power and switching back on (as a timer would) does not reset the lights to "on" so it wouldn't work. My only bugbear so far.

Capped off with Dennerle inert shrimp substrate. This stuff came with my nano shrimp tank but I didn't use it.

I've not got any further with the set-up as I'm currently boiling a piece of spare bog wood (that refuses to sink!) I'd like to put it in and arrange it properly before filling with water as it will save any disturbance of the soil underlayer.

**Greentoads41** · 02-02-2013, 04:11 PM

Looks way cool! Do you know what specific type of moss you have?

**jeffs99dime** · 02-02-2013, 04:13 PM

I will be subscribing to this thread. Looks pretty interesting already.

**~firefly~** · 02-02-2013, 05:15 PM

Not sure what type of moss, just bog standard java moss I think. I did have some Christmas moss but it died after a warm snap last summer.

**SomethingIsFishy** · 02-02-2013, 05:40 PM

Can't wait to see how this one turns out!!!

**Gogi** · 02-02-2013, 07:06 PM

awesome gift lol.

Def know how it is about your fiance's despair. My girlfriend gets really nervous whenever I enter a LFS.

This is the first thread I have subscribe to

Not that I dont like other threads, it just I never knew how, I just thought it something people just said, Like "good thread"= " will subscribe"

Cant wait to see what work of art comes from this. Good luck.

**~firefly~** · 02-02-2013, 07:15 PM

This one isn't planned out like the last one so I don't think it'll be a work of art! I'll see what happens.

Thanks though

**Gogi** · 02-02-2013, 07:21 PM

look up definition for automatism and pentimento art. Aquascaping is not painting but it is art

**~firefly~** · 02-03-2013, 11:07 AM

After boiling the wood for four hours yesterday it still wouldn't quite sink so I put it in a bucket of water with a bowl of water on top of it. This morning it stays down so I can proceed with the set-up.

The wood is pretty identical to the wood in my other nano tank so, theoretically, I could produce another "tree". But that wouldn't be very interesting, and I don't intend to grow carpeting grass in this one, so I settled on just a gnarled central chunk (the trunk is on it's side).

The best filling technique if you want crystal clear water. I never, ever, have cloudy water after setting up a new system.

Clear water. I didn't even rinse the gravel and I think you're supposed to having looked at the packet afterwards (whoops).

Halfway there.

**~firefly~** · 02-03-2013, 11:15 AM

And now with moss. First of all I thought I might be able to get away with just stuffing the moss into the nooks and crannies in the wood, and laying the rest of the moss on the floor at the front, but the filter undid all that and blew it all around the tank. Take two - it's all carefully tied to the wood with black thread.

Depending on how this grows in I might get some thin tangled strands of wood to stick in the top of this piece. I'm not sure yet. I'll leave it as is for now.

Close up of the wood and moss.

Not particularly attractive moon LED. It's a smart little tank though, I'm sure it could do a tiny reef set up with some modification as the lighting is fairly intense (far stronger than anything I've had before) - not bad for a freebie eh?

Let's see how algae likes it as it matures. It won't be cycled as I don't plan on putting any fauna in it. I have to keep up the illusion that this is a quarantine/hospital tank!

If any of my cory cats spawn again I might pick the eggs out and throw them in here (once I have a heater) so see what happens.