August '03 - Andrea Penna's 20 L Nano Garden. (Italy)

What a great little tank! The small, fine-leaf plants carefully chosen and arranged here in a diagonal 'part-jungle, part-carpet' layout give the impression of a much larger tank than it really is, and the fast-growing red-tipped Rotalas make an awesome contrast against the bright green surrounding plants. Be sure to visit Andrea's website containing dozens of other wonderful images detailing this tank!

Owner:	Andrea Penna (Italy)
Website:	Bonsai - un acquario da 20L
Setup:	April 2002
Dimensions:	42x23x21 cm
Volume:	20 L (nominal)
Filtration:	Millennium 1000
Lighting:	3x11 Watts Compact Fluorescents: Osram Dulux S 860/11, 1x8 W Neon (2700 K)
Substrate:	Akadama, Scott Osmocote for Lemon and Orange
Decoration:	3 small volcanic rocks
Others:	CO2 Askoll system, rechargeable, 10 bubbles/min. Timer 10/11/12 hours/day for "sunrise and sunset" atmosphere
Water:	pH 6.5-6.8. KH 2, GH 5, NO2 0, NO3 0, Fe 0, PO4 0
Fauna:	8 Paracheirodon innesi, 7 Caridina japonica, 2 Neocaridina sp.'I'
Flora:	Glossostigma elatinoides; Eleocharis acicularis; Riccia fluitans; Hemianthus micranthemoides; Lilaeopsis novaezealandiae; Rotala rotundifolia; Rotala rotundifolia 'Green'; Vesicularia dubyana; Christmas Moss.
Maintenance:	Water change 25% per week (KH 2, GH 5), 1 liter osmotic water every 2-3 days, Elos line Fase1, Fase2 and K40, alternating the three 1 ml per day
Comments:	For me it is very easy to manage this tank. The secret is to be patient and a good observer of your tank to understand what is happening inside. In my website I have a "diary" I wrote in italian language, and some technical and graphical data pages that may be useful.

If you'd like to submit an aquarium for Tank of the Month, just contact me.

Millennium water flow is across the front

Photos taken by Andrea Penna and displayed here with his permission.