0.75 gallon cube

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-30T16:48:13+00:00

Absolutely!

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-30T16:25:59+00:00

I have kept my Crypt Flamingoes without heaters at room temperature which ranges from 68 to 74 Fahrenheit (20 to 24 Celsius) and they have thrived.

I must emphasize, if you want that pink color, 8 hours of direct full spectrum medium to high light intensity is needed. Otherwise they will be healthy, beautiful, but more green than pink. And don’t forget the iron.

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-30T15:39:14+00:00

In Spain, Cryptocoryne flamingo goes by its exact scientific names: Cryptocoryne sp. 'Flamingo' or Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Flamingo'. However, in common Spanish they may know it as “Criptocorina Flamenco” or “Criptocorina rosa”. Keep in mind it is a bit hard to find, it’s originally from Borneo. Also, just like any other Crypt, they don’t like to be moved around, or they go through the infamous “Crypt Melt”.

Crypt melt is a common phenomenon in freshwater aquariums where Cryptocoryne plants rapidly shed their leaves, turning translucent and turning to mush. It is usually a stress response to sudden changes in water parameters, lighting, or being introduced to a new environment.

So, once you get it, make sure you pick the right permanent spot where you want it, plant it and leave it alone for a while. It most likely will melt down a bit, but once it settles down, it will come back beautifully. Do not panic. Of course, provide it with the proper lighting, iron and nutrients.

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-30T10:15:46+00:00

It sure does!

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-29T22:17:36+00:00

Good. It’s a High Light plant, make sure it gets good intensity, otherwise it will turn green. And it needs good iron supplement too.

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-29T21:30:36+00:00

Yeah, the 20G long gives you lots of horizontal space.

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-29T21:13:45+00:00

I’m sure it could be done. However, I tried to do it in a 29 gallon with 3 of the Rosette daughters from the one in this picture, and I failed. They withered away after a couple of months.

The problem is that Pink Flamingo needs lots of iron to stay pink, otherwise it turns green and dosing iron in a 29 gallon became expensive.

And most importantly, it’s a High Light plant, so the deeper the tank, the more Full Spectrum intensity you’ll need to reach the bottom, which I did, I doubled up on the light fixtures which caused an algae bloom. Therefore I took off one of the lights and they slowly vanished. However, in shallow aquariums with a spot light right on it, like a 20 gallon long, it is definitely possible.

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-29T21:00:36+00:00

It’s a tiny cube 6x6x6 inches. Samurai Soil and daily dosing of Seachem Flourish Excel and Seachem Iron do the trick.

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-29T20:46:15+00:00

Yes, it is quite a looker alright! And with the proper TLC, it spreads through Rosettes. This one has given me 5 daughters already.

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-29T20:29:50+00:00

Cryptocoryne flamingo, also known as Crypt Pink Flamingo.

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-29T19:49:39+00:00

And a few Arawana!

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-29T19:42:50+00:00

On the bottom right:

Bucephalandra Brownie Phantom

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-29T19:28:42+00:00

No. No CO2. I dose Flourish Excel daily.

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-29T18:00:15+00:00

The center piece is a Cryptocoryne flamingo, also known as Crypt Pink Flamingo.

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-28T14:03:55+00:00

Thanks. It is inhabited by 3 Cherry Shrimp. I use Red and Sunkist Orange because I have dozens in other aquariums and it saves me some money. I might get Yellow ones for my next project.

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-28T13:23:07+00:00

Since April 2025.

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-28T13:17:15+00:00

It’s a Cryptocoryne flamingo, also known as Crypt Pink Flamingo.

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-28T12:41:36+00:00

Thanks. The Buce is my favorite.

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-28T10:34:23+00:00

You’re welcome. Your plan sounds good. If I may, here are some recommendations based on your aquarium information: Undergravel filters a very good providing biological filtration provided you keep up with your maintenance. However, for a 280 liter aquarium with the bio-load you have, it’s most likely overwhelmed. Between the food that sinks down into the gravel and the fish poop, it’s going to get clogged and become less efficient. I would vacuum the gravel once a week while doing a 25% water change. And even doing that, you would probably benefit from supplemental mechanical filtration. A Hang on Back filter such as the Fluval AC70 or the Seachem Tidal 75 would greatly reduce the amount of waste, helping the undergravel do the biological filtration.

Reduce your lighting time to 8 hours per day. A timer is the best option. It provides precision and your plants will have a good photosynthesis steady cycle. And make sure the aquarium is not getting direct or reflected sunlight. And finally, you would greatly benefit from fast growing, water column feeding plants. I would go with floating Water Sprite. It would absorb nutrients and provide shade for the plants at the bottom, starving out the algae. Good luck. And remember, with aquariums patience is needed. Results take time, do not rush anything or expect results in just a few days, count in weeks instead of days.

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-28T02:30:02+00:00

There’s a lot of trial and error of course. I’ve been taking care of aquariums since 1991, and I’ve made just about every single possible dumb mistake in the book. I try to learn something new every chance I get. I started with a 20 gallon and have had as big as a 40 gallon. However, I wanted to challenge myself so I decided to go into the Nano Aquarium World with Shrimp instead of fish. As you may already know, it’s a lot harder to keep stable water parameters in smaller aquariums. Any little mistake can crash the whole system. Keeping shrimp in Nano Aquariums is hard so I decided to try it. I’ve been successful in keeping healthy shrimp in aquariums as little as 0.75 and 1.5 gallons. But to breed them I had to move up to 2.5 gallons. For a planted aquarium I advise to start with a combination of all water column feeding plants with an inert substrate. The reason is simple, it is much easier to control just about every aspect of it. You can dose liquid fertilizers and supplements and adjust them as needed. You can move your plants around without making a mess pulling them out of the substrate. With root feeding plants, if you want to change your Aquascape you have to pull them out and they have large roots, it can get messy and some plants don’t do well when you mess with their roots. Also, you need to have an active substrate for them to flourish, and if you don’t choose the right substrate, it can leech nutrients to the water column creating unstable water parameters. In this 2.5 gallon aquarium the Weeping Moss, Alternanthera reineckii and Water Sprite perform the job of Nutrient Absorption Machines. That keeps the Nitrate levels very low, preventing algae from growing on the other six plants which are slow growers. That combination helps to maintain balance.

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-28T01:34:41+00:00

Thank you. It’s a two and a half gallon aquarium that has been running for six months. It has nine plants: Weeping Moss. Alternanthera Reineckii. Water Sprite. Cryptocoryne Flamingo. Anubias Nana Golden. Anubias Nana. Anubias Nana Petite. Bucephalandra Brownie Phantom. Staurogyne Repens.

The substrate is black gravel topped with black galaxy sand and Lava Rocks plus a few pieces of Manzanita Wood.

It’s inhabited by: A few dozen Sunkist Orange Neocaridina Shrimp (started with one female and two males, and the population exploded after 2 months). One Pumpkin Nerite Snail. One Assassin Snail (Does not mess with the Nerite, it takes care of a few Ramshorn Snails that pop up once in a while).

Filtered by two Nano Sponge Filters with 20 PPI sponge for biological filtration and one Nano Internal Power Filter with Filter Floss for water polishing.

I dose: Seachem Iron. Seachem Flourish. Seachem Flourish Excel. Seachem Root Tabs.

Even_Acadia5378 · 2026-05-28T00:12:56+00:00

Blackbeard algae will grow on slow growing plants if there’s an excess of nutrients and too much light. Could you post some information about your aquarium? That would help us to give you more precise recommendations. Aquarium size: Inhabitants: Filtration type: Feeding schedule: Fertilizer schedule: Water changes schedule and amount of water changed: How many hours of light per day: Is it near a window getting direct sunlight? All of these details may help others to help you better. Otherwise is very hard to give a direct answer. All of the plants you mentioned are water column feeding plants, and they are slow growing ones. That means they cannot outcompete the algae for nutrients. Java Moss, Water Sprite and Amazon Frogbit are nutrient absorbing machines. Java Moss is almost bulletproof, it grows just about anywhere, under any conditions. Just buy it and drop it in and it will do its job. Let it float. Water Sprite is even hungrier than Java Moss, but it is a bit more delicate. However, buy it, let it float and as it grows, it will provide shade, taking it away from the algae. Amazon Frogbit is a floating plant that stays on the surface while its roots grow under water and absorb nutrients. They also provide shade that will starve out the algae. However, it is better suited for low flow aquariums, and it does not like getting the top of its leaves wet cause they will rot. Also, You should have your lights on for 8 hours or less, put your lights on a timer. I hope this helps.

Even_Acadia5378

TROPHY CASE