My girlfriend just got me a 12 gallon Nano Cube Deluxe for Christmas. It should be delivered to my house soon. I’ve owned tropical fish as a child and I’m barely getting back into the interest of keeping small fish again in my early 30’s – so yes, I’m a novice with little experience. I know for beginners, it is recommended to get a 20+ gallon tank. However, I live in a one bedroom apartment with limited room so I thought this nano cube would best fit. I’ve done some research and found that people have successfully kept a pair of Rams in 12 gallon eclipse systems with some neon tetras. Would someone please (with personal experience & knowledgeable) let me know what fish (that looks good & is compatible with Rams) are small enough and hardy to successfully cycle a tank before introducing the German Blue Rams? FYI, I don’t plan on keeping live plants. I want this to be a clean and simple setup.

Also, anyone with experience with the Nano Cube 12g Deluxe (for fresh water) can let me know if there is an opening in the back of this tank to put an air tube through for an external air pump for a decorate air stone or something? From all the pictures (which are mostly marine setups), it appears that no one has air bubbles being pumped in. Don’t mean to sound like a big-time novice, but is there some type of technology in the 3-stage filtration system in the rear that oxygenates the water or something? My online research won’t turn anything up on this? Please help…

Any additional tips would be helpful.

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i have an established 74 gallon planted tank set up as a south american black water tank. it is what you would call a ‘el natural’, ‘dutch’ or "Walstead" style tank. this means that i have no chemical or mechanical filtration; it is all biological in the form of plants, algæ and bacteria. so, the growth and health of my plants is paramount. the rapid plant growth and enthusiastic breeding of the fish shows that it is a stable independent biotrope (havent even done a partial water change since april).

are there any house-hold chemicals that degrade into a form of CO2 that is usable by plants? i dont want to use bottled CO2 or a fermentation reactor. until now, i have been using ‘Flourish Excel’ which is made by Seachem. it is a product that i would highly recommend to anyone, but the levels that i am currently dosing at to maintain the desired level of 10-15ppm, is getting a little out of my budget. i know that vinegar can be added to change the pH and that it degrades into a usable form of CO2, but is it practical for everyday use? i havent heard of anyone using it for prolonged periods. i am worried that if i change what i am currently doing, even a little, the entire system could crash. my thought was that i could monitor the system as i slowly in crease the doses and add tiny amounts of alkaline buffer to stabilize the pH.

i would consider myself to be among the top echelons of intermediate freshwater fish keepers. this being said, i cant find any one locally to mentor me any further. does any one know where i can find someone with personal experience in this area? maybe an enthusiastic moderator on a planted-tank forum?

any insights, experience or leads on further research would be greatly appreciated! thanks for your time,
-RT

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