# ****Triggers 20G Long Journal****



## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Started a new 20 long on 1/17/14. 

*Lighting:* Aquaticlife dual 24w T5HO with one Geisemann Aquaflora and one Geisemann Midday. 30" Finnex Planted+ LED. 10hrs a day

*Substrate:* 100% Eco-Complete

*Fertilization:* dry ferts. N-P-K mon, weds, fri. Csm+b tues, thurs, sat. Sunday is 50% water change

*CO2:* pressurized at 2bps through a GLA atomic diffuser

*Hardscape:* a few lava rocks I had laying around and a few small pieces of manzanita. 

*Other Equipment:* 100w Cobalt Aquatics Neo-Therm heater. Hydor nano powerhead. Eheim 2215 for filtration. 

*Plants:* Downoi, Hydrocotyle sp. Japan, HC, Eleocharis Parvula(DHG), Fissidens Fontanus, Starogoyne Repens, Anubias Nana petite

*Inhabitants:* PFR cherry shrimp, 4 Otto cats and a small school of cardinal tetras

*Other notes* - going for more of an Iwagumi scape here. Going to add some Hygro Pinnatifida in the back and maybe another stem plant. Still unsure on the stocking. The mini cycle is pretty much done with. Only lasted a few days. Was thinking of going with some cardinal tetras and some cherry shrimp. I like the look of schooling fish in iwagumi scapes. Any suggestions on fish or stem plants?

Will update as the plants fill in!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Another shot


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Sorry for the crappy shots btw. Most are gonna be from my iPhone for the time being


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

A week in and the HC has immediately recovered from some transitional melt. The stuff I have was grown emersed and is beginning to spread and display serious pearling.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Big bubbles


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## synaethetic (Oct 4, 2011)

Looks great man. With that much light you should have some awesome plant growth to look forward too.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

synaethetic said:


> Looks great man. With that much light you should have some awesome plant growth to look forward too.


Thanks! Yeah hoping everything fills in nicely


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## pirayaman (Mar 30, 2008)

Yeah light light light you'll have a better carpet than me soon enougg ahahah

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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

pirayaman said:


> Yeah light light light you'll have a better carpet than me soon enougg ahahah
> 
> Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk


Haha well we will see man. Looks promising so far


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## horsedude (Nov 10, 2012)

Looks good, how long does it take to get a thick carpet with that lighting?


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

horsedude said:


> Looks good, how long does it take to get a thick carpet with that lighting?


Prob a couple months. I won't trim it at all until it has completely filled in. That will give it a nice low look and promote smaller leaves


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Hard at work


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## horsedude (Nov 10, 2012)

The Trigger said:


> Prob a couple months. I won't trim it at all until it has completely filled in. That will give it a nice low look and promote smaller leaves


Reasonably long time then. How long would it take for a carpet of dwarf hair grass to take with 1 watt a gallon and no fets and co2?


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## pirayaman (Mar 30, 2008)

Looking healthy bro 

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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

horsedude said:


> Reasonably long time then. How long would it take for a carpet of dwarf hair grass to take with 1 watt a gallon and no fets and co2?


Well wpg rule is outdated because of all the advances in lighting. HOT5s, LEDs etc. Most people use PAR now. But to answer your question, a long time. It carpets very slowly and sparsely in those conditions. At least from my past expirience.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

pirayaman said:


> Looking healthy bro
> 
> Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk


Thanks buddy. I'm so anxious for it to grow in.


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## PJM (Nov 6, 2013)

*20 Long*

Should fill out nice. My HC started some runners so it should really take off now. My next tank plans will be a 20 long too. Keep it updated!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

PJM said:


> Should fill out nice. My HC started some runners so it should really take off now. My next tank plans will be a 20 long too. Keep it updated!


Yupp. It's really taking off now. It's pearling more and more every day


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Quick update. Decided to replace my coralife fixture just because I dislike the color it gives off and replacement bulbs are expensive. So I ordered a 30" Finnex planted+. Heard good things so I'm excited to see how it looks. I saw the PAR data Finnex released on it. They used a 24" fixture for the test. At 12" it was showing 61 PAR. With the 30" I ordered, I'm gonna take a stab and say I'm going to be in the low 70's range. The light will sit lower than the coralife fixture and put it at around 11" off of the substrate. I'll post before and after pics for those interested in the Finnex fixtures.


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## harilp (Feb 23, 2013)

What water did you use Ro or tap water??

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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

harilp said:


> What water did you use Ro or tap water??
> 
> Sent from my Blackberry Playbook using Tapatalk2


? Haha.. I use tap water cut with RO. My tap water is liquid rock.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

It's been a little over 2 weeks now. The HC is filling in nicely and the rest of the plants are showing significant new growth. My Finnex Planted+ will be here tomorrow and will replace the coralife fixture. I also am going to be replacing the lava stone with some seriyu stone I ordered.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

The HC and parvula have begun to spread and send out new runners


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

The downoi and hydrocotyle are also showing lots of new growth


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## RyanMan (Sep 14, 2013)

Tank is looking good! Do you find that the lighting with 1 Aquaflora and 1 Midday is too dim? Or does it look pretty good? It's hard to tell in pictures obviously, so just wondering how you felt about it.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

RyanMan said:


> Tank is looking good! Do you find that the lighting with 1 Aquaflora and 1 Midday is too dim? Or does it look pretty good? It's hard to tell in pictures obviously, so just wondering how you felt about it.


No I've actually found the Coralife fixture to be the dimmer of the two. The midday aquaflora combo is actually quite bright. They give off a bright white hue even though the aquaflora is a pink bulb. The new Finnex fixture coming tomorrow should put the Coralife fixture to shame. Hopefully it will give me the color I'm looking for


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## Zoidborg (Jan 29, 2014)

Wow Trigger can't wait to see that carpet filled in!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Zoidborg said:


> Wow Trigger can't wait to see that carpet filled in!


Thanks Zoidberg. Me neither!  I won't trim it until it's a solid mat


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Well my 30" Finnex Planted+ fixture finally arrived!




























This fixture is VERY light and extremely thin. The brushed aluminum housing is pretty cool looking. Very sleek and low profile. First impressions are it is quite bright, much brighter than my 65w coralife fixture and the LEDs span the entire length of the tank as compared to the two thirds(21") coverage I was getting with my PC bulb. The reflection off the surface of the water also looks very cool


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

*Before: Coralife 65w PC*



















*After: Finnex Planted+*



















The pics don't do it justice, but in person it is a dramatic difference. Hoping to see faster and healthier growth from this fixture


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## rlk (Feb 3, 2014)

Very nice!

More pics of your new light, please!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

rlk said:


> Very nice!
> 
> More pics of your new light, please!


as requested....









Compared to the Aquaticlife T5HO

















Very bright









Moonlights


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## woodsjail. (Feb 3, 2014)

Looking very nice! I am about to start a 20g long as well, 100% eco as well, with HC and maybe DHG, not sure yet. Did you DSM that HC or just toss it in?


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

woodsjail. said:


> Looking very nice! I am about to start a 20g long as well, 100% eco as well, with HC and maybe DHG, not sure yet. Did you DSM that HC or just toss it in?


Just tossed it in. I believe it was grown emersed so there was some initial die back, but it's really taking off now. My cardinals look like they have ich so I had to crank the heat up a bit. Nothing I haven't dealt with before though.


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## neilshieh (Sep 6, 2010)

I looked at the most recent pictures and thought, wow that sure is a lot of light.... LOL
Any reason you went with the finnex one and not current+ satellites?
What kind of algae is that green stuff? Are you not worried about it because it's still a young tank?
It's looking good though! When I started my tank I was thinking of something like this where it'd be mostly foreground stuff but collectoritis + the depth of the tank led to me going plant happy haha.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

neilshieh said:


> I looked at the most recent pictures and thought, wow that sure is a lot of light.... LOL
> Any reason you went with the finnex one and not current+ satellites?
> What kind of algae is that green stuff? Are you not worried about it because it's still a young tank?
> It's looking good though! When I started my tank I was thinking of something like this where it'd be mostly foreground stuff but collectoritis + the depth of the tank led to me going plant happy haha.


That's exactly what I usually do....go buck wild with plants lol. I controlled myself this time around and decided to go mostly foreground and mid ground plants; not my usual forte. I think I'm going to add some hygro pinnitifida as my one and only stem plant. As for the algae; I'm not too concerned about it. It's very mild green algae only growing the the rocks and glass. It's a new tank so I find this normal considering experience with my previous setups. Once everything starts filling in and my plant mass increases, it usually dies off and becomes non existent. My co2 is pumping like crazy and all the plants are growing fast and pearling so I can't complain. As for the light; I went with the finnex because of the consensus on this forum. Did a little research h and just decided to roll with it. It looks great and I'm hoping to get good results with it.


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Tank is looking good.. plants look healthy. Nice new light too! Following


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Thanks Brian!


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## rlk (Feb 3, 2014)

The Trigger said:


> as requested....


Thank you, sir! Looks very nice...

Am expecting my 20" Planted+ to be on the mat when I get home after work tonight!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

rlk said:


> Thank you, sir! Looks very nice...
> 
> Am expecting my 20" Planted+ to be on the mat when I get home after work tonight!


Awesome. Let me know what you think of it!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Real quick update. Decided to cut the photoperiod to 8 hrs for a few weeks until the plant mass increases a bit. Adding zero stem plants off the bat is a new method to me. The planted+ fixture is a little bit more intense than I thought


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Got some really nice pieces of seiryu stone today so I redid my hardscape


























Let me know what you guys think! I think it looks 1000x better than before. How did I do on stone placement?


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

I like it... it does look way better. Those are some nice looking stones with a lot of character. Good job.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Brian_Cali77 said:


> I like it... it does look way better. Those are some nice looking stones with a lot of character. Good job.


Thanks Brian. Yeah I feel I got really lucky and got some nicer stones. Can't wait for the HC to fill in along the stones. If I remember correctly....I'm pretty sure I got the HC from you


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Haha..yup. They were grown immersed so they're taking well to your tank. I like how fast they're growing. You should stick some substrate barriers between the HC and DHG though. That DHG will shoot runners in to that HC. You'll have a mixed mess on your hands and it would be tough to separate later.


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

Amazing change with the rocks. Looks much better.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Brian_Cali77 said:


> Haha..yup. They were grown immersed so they're taking well to your tank. I like how fast they're growing. You should stick some substrate barriers between the HC and DHG though. That DHG will shoot runners in to that HC. You'll have a mixed mess on your hands and it would be tough to separate later.


That's a good idea. I didnt even think of that. What do you usually use for barriers. Some kind of thin flexible plastic?


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Couesfanatic said:


> Amazing change with the rocks. Looks much better.


Thanks! I think so too  I'm hoping they will work well with the growth patterns of some of the plants I have in mind.


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

The Trigger said:


> That's a good idea. I didnt even think of that. What do you usually use for barriers. Some kind of thin flexible plastic?


Yeah I got some polypropylene placemats from Target or Walmart. Just cut them to size and stick them in. You can also use those clear plastic cutting boards, too. I not only use them for barriers, I also use them for 'substrate supports' when I'm creating slopes or trying to perk up some stones.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Brian_Cali77 said:


> Yeah I got some polypropylene placemats from Target or Walmart. Just cut them to size and stick them in. You can also use those clear plastic cutting boards, too. I not only use them for barriers, I also use them for 'substrate supports' when I'm creating slopes or trying to perk up some stones.


Cool. Thanks Brian. I'll have to grab some and get some in there quick. This DHG is just really starting to take hold and send out some serious runners. I'm seeing a hundred or so lime green spikes poking out of the substrate. I've had a total DHG carpet before and it was totally invasive. Never kept it with HC though. I'm assuming the HC will still be able to spread into the hair grass though since it's shoots are above the substrate as opposed to the hair grass whose runners are under?


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## Mrbluepanda (Dec 17, 2007)

Looks awesome with the stones!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Mrbluepanda said:


> Looks awesome with the stones!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


All thanks to you! Awesome stones btw. Very nice package you sent me. roud:


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

The Trigger said:


> I'm assuming the HC will still be able to spread into the hair grass though since it's shoots are above the substrate as opposed to the hair grass whose runners are under?


Yeah they'll both grow fine but will get intertwined. IMO, it would look better separated.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Brian_Cali77 said:


> Yeah they'll both grow fine but will get intertwined. IMO, it would look better separated.


I agree. I'll see what I can do before it starts. Thanks Brian


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

That looks a lot nicer with those stones. Do you have any plans to add any taller stem plants in the back? I think it would look nice to have some finer leaved plants behind the rocks.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Yeah actually I was thinking about adding some Hygrophillia Pinnatifida in the back. I love the deep red and dark green on the leaves. It's also grows in a cool way in which the little plantlets would grow in the crevices of the seiryu. I've kept it before and really liked it. Originally I planned to use it with the stone I had, but now the crevices in the seiryu will work better with what I want to do. I'm not going to go quite as extreme, but this pic is what inspired me to use the Pinnatifida.


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

looks awesome! you gotta do something about that heater tho!

i love serui (sp?) stones. it makes me sad that they are so expensive, are they laced with gold or what! i want to use them in ym 110 im starting, but i need like 100 pounds, at least. Im not spending $300+ on rocks, not happening.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Sean W. said:


> looks awesome! you gotta do something about that heater tho!
> 
> i love serui (sp?) stones. it makes me sad that they are so expensive, are they laced with gold or what! i want to use them in ym 110 im starting, but i need like 100 pounds, at least. Im not spending $300+ on rocks, not happening.


Thanks Sean. And yeah, that heaters killing me. Total eye sore. It's a shame it works so well. I had a hydor inline heater, but the thermostat failed and cooked my tank to 103 degrees so that was it for that heater. Only my apistos survived. I'm considering getting another but the last experience with them has left me on the fence about their reliability. As for the stone, it is very nice but also expensive. I usually see it sold for 3-4 dollars a pound :/


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

You can probably semi-conceal the heater by bringing it low to the substrate behind the stones.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Brian_Cali77 said:


> You can probably semi-conceal the heater by bringing it low to the substrate behind the stones.


I tried. It's just way too long. I might just take the plunge and get another hydor eventually. And I put those substrate dividers in today Brian. They seem like they will work well. Just used poly placemats from target. Thanks for the tip


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## midlife_hobbyist (Jul 4, 2012)

Tanks looking great!!!! Keep up the work.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

midlife_hobbyist said:


> Tanks looking great!!!! Keep up the work.


Thanks Bryan!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

*1 MONTH UPDATE!*

Its been about 4 weeks now and everything is filling in well. The downoi and HC especially are exploding with new growth. The hydrocotyle is filling in nicely in the back. The parvula is taking its sweet time but I find that in my experience to be normal in a coarse substrate like Eco-Complete. The co2 is kickin and i'm getting minimal algae. Just a little on the glass and rocks, otherwise the tank is super clean. Cardinal tetras and PFR shrimp are doing well. I had a small outbreak of Ich, and I quickly beat it into submission. The fish are now Ich free and eating and swimming normally. 

















HC is pearling and growing like crazy. Finally taking a firm hold* :red_mouth*

















HC sending up a steady stream of micro bubbles


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## Charlest (May 24, 2011)

Nice job. 

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Charlest said:


> Nice job.
> 
> Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2


Thanks Charles


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

looks like its coming along great!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Sean W. said:


> looks like its coming along great!


Thanks Sean! I'm finally getting excited about how it's turning out  first week or two I had my doubts


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

That's a sweet looking tank. I like your choice of plants; they work well with the rock. Let me know when you're ready to trim that Downoi, I'm going to be in need of some.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Phil Edwards said:


> That's a sweet looking tank. I like your choice of plants; they work well with the rock. Let me know when you're ready to trim that Downoi, I'm going to be in need of some.


Thanks Phil. And you got it. They're big, healthy crowns too. Will go perfectly with that Dutch scape  downoi is one of those plants that I've never had a problem growing. Grows like a weed in all my tanks. This is from my last setup...


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

I agree Trigger. They're perfect for Dutch setups; especially the shallow one that's currently flooded. Can't wait to see how they'll do in the emergent setup too.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Phil Edwards said:


> I agree Trigger. They're perfect for Dutch setups; especially the shallow one that's currently flooded. Can't wait to see how they'll do in the emergent setup too.


Yeah that should look good. Definitely one of my favorite plants. Very versatile.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

My cobalt neo therm heater showed up today....box was damaged, looked like it had been in a tank for a while and the bracket with the suction cups was missing. Sending it back tomorrow and ordering a new one.....let's try this again


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## johnnytrn (Feb 23, 2014)

Wow awesome progress! Is that a divider to limit the spread for your HC?


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

I love everything about this tank. Very nice.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

johnnytrn said:


> Wow awesome progress! Is that a divider to limit the spread for your HC?


Thanks! No it's more a divider to stop the spread of the hairgrass. Don't want the hairgrass ruining my carpet of HC one it really starts to spread. The HC will mostlikely spread into the hairgrass, growing over the divider a little which I don't mind.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

burr740 said:


> I love everything about this tank. Very nice.


Thanks man


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Tomorrow will be 6 weeks since I planted the tank. Everything still going well and plants are filling in quickly. I finally got my cobalt heater hooked up and it seems to work very well. It holds a rock solid temp of 78 degrees all day and is super slim. when looking straight at the tank its barely noticeable. FINALLY that Eheim monstrosity is gone from the background 

















HC is starting to get thick and beginning to root deeply


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

Mmm so much better, looks great!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Sean W. said:


> Mmm so much better, looks great!


 Thanks Sean. I think so too  what a difference lol


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## mistuhmarc (Oct 1, 2013)

I'm loving the Hydrocotyle . I never got it to carpet like that in my tank, because algae has always been getting at it. But after I moved it to my shrimp tank, the shrimp ate all the algae and now I'm thinking of retrying a carpet with it again.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

mistuhmarc said:


> I'm loving the Hydrocotyle . I never got it to carpet like that in my tank, because algae has always been getting at it. But after I moved it to my shrimp tank, the shrimp ate all the algae and now I'm thinking of retrying a carpet with it again.


Yeah it's a cool carpet for sure. Just have to prune it really hard and low about once a week otherwise it just forms a bush like I have. I gave up on trying to carpet that in past setups. Too much work lol


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

I have very little experience with Hydrocotyle sp japan, in the few weeks that i had it it was more of a bush plant that a carpet, i was wanting a carpet plant where i wanted it. so i took it out. it did give me one of the best pearl pictures ive ever taken tho!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Sean W. said:


> I have very little experience with Hydrocotyle sp japan, in the few weeks that i had it it was more of a bush plant that a carpet, i was wanting a carpet plant where i wanted it. so i took it out. it did give me one of the best pearl pictures ive ever taken tho!


Cool pic Sean  it most definitely pearls a lot. Its also my shrimps love making bush. Seems to be where they hang out and lay their eggs lol. But I understand what your saying. It wouldn't be my first choice for a carpet. Grows way to fast to be able to prune it the way I would want it.


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

Those plants are looking niiiice.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Phil Edwards said:


> Those plants are looking niiiice.


Thanks Phil. Some of the downoi leaves are starting to turn pink. Looks pretty cool


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Tank is looking GOOOOD! Can't believe how fast that HC took off.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Brian_Cali77 said:


> Tank is looking GOOOOD! Can't believe how fast that HC took off.


Thanks Brian! I know I can't believe it either. I don't know how many times I've heard people say on this forum that HC is hard to grow submersed from the start. I've had no problems growing whatsoever


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Well it's probably hard and stalls a bit if it were purchased grown emersed. Luckily, it was grown immersed and there wouldn't be too long of an acclimation/transitional period. Anyways, tank is looking fantastic... keep the updates coming


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Brian_Cali77 said:


> Well it's probably hard and stalls a bit if it were purchased grown emersed. Luckily, it was grown immersed and there wouldn't be too long of an acclimation/transitional period. Anyways, tank is looking fantastic... keep the updates coming


Will do man thanks


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## izabella87 (Apr 21, 2012)

very pretty scape i dig it


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## johnnytrn (Feb 23, 2014)

Tank is looking GREAT!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

izabella87 said:


> very pretty scape i dig it


Haha thanks Iz. I want to add some other plants but the weather here is killing me. It's too damn cold even for heat packs to ship plants -__-


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

johnnytrn said:


> Tank is looking GREAT!


Thanks man! Good luck with that Ray 2. You should be able to grow hydrocotyle no problem with that


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## izabella87 (Apr 21, 2012)

what u talking bout.. u wanna know whats cold? canada is cold. we live in -30 since november.....


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

izabella87 said:


> what u talking bout.. u wanna know whats cold? canada is cold. we live in -30 since november.....


Jesus. That just seems like......somewhere human beings shouldn't have to live.....hahahaha. You're right. I can't compete with that


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## PeterN1986 (Jun 15, 2011)

Sam, I gotta see this tank sometime. Where are you in Philly?


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

PeterN1986 said:


> Sam, I gotta see this tank sometime. Where are you in Philly?


Anytime man. I'm in West Conshohocken now. 15 minutes from center city right up 76


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

We have PFR shrimplets!!!!!


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## Charlieeex3 (Aug 18, 2013)

Nice tank trigger! I really like the transition of plants from the carpet to all the way in the back of the tank.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Charlieeex3 said:


> Nice tank trigger! I really like the transition of plants from the carpet to all the way in the back of the tank.


Thanks Charlie! I'm waiting for the hairgrass to fill in. It will look much better once it does but it's growing painfully slow. Trimmed it down to nubs today to get some more runners goin


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Quick week 9-ish update. Figured I'd do one after my water change. Everything's still growing pretty well. PFR shrimp are breeding like crazy. Juvies are literally everywhere. Upping all my dosages as I'm noticing slowing growth in a lot of the plants, also I tested pretty low nitrates; somewhere between 0 and 5ppm on micro day. With the high co2 and larger plant mass, they must be sucking up a lot more nutrients, a lot quicker than before. Also had a slight GSA problem a few weeks ago so I doubled my PO4, turned up the co2 a bit, cut back the photoperiod to 8 hours and added some Nerite snails. In two weeks it has stopped spreading and has actually started to disappear, even from the plants leaves. Still waiting for the weather to break here for a few days to order some Pinnatifida to add behind the rocks. Already starting to get bored with this scape lol. Needs some interesting stems.


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

Kool aid guy > "Ohhhhhhh yeeaaaaaaa"

Looks amazing man!
wheres the FTS!?


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Sean W. said:


> Kool aid guy > "Ohhhhhhh yeeaaaaaaa"
> 
> Looks amazing man!
> wheres the FTS!?


Hahaha. Thanks Sean ....well since you asked


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Wow...amazing scape and well groomed. Very nice!


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

great stuff, very tame, great trimming technique. plants look great and lush but dont crowd or hide the hardscape. really is great.

Are you subscribed to me on youtube? just curious if youve seen my 110 updates


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Brian_Cali77 said:


> Wow...amazing scape and well groomed. Very nice!


Thanks Brian


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Sean W. said:


> great stuff, very tame, great trimming technique. plants look great and lush but dont crowd or hide the hardscape. really is great.
> 
> Are you subscribed to me on youtube? just curious if youve seen my 110 updates


Thanks again Sean. No I'm not subscribed. Probably should be though considering I've watched your videos many times lol. Saw a 110 update a few weeks ago. I'll have to check out the new ones. How's it coming along anyway?


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

The Trigger said:


> Thanks again Sean. No I'm not subscribed. Probably should be though considering I've watched your videos many times lol. Saw a 110 update a few weeks ago. I'll have to check out the new ones. How's it coming along anyway?


its good! finished the 50% water changes every couple days routine, now am starting to do 30% water changes about twice a week so i switched over to RO/DI water. Its just a waste to do 50% water changes every 2 days with RO/DI water. I need to switch over to it tho because my GH and KH out of the tap is too hard for shrimp. i want a CRCS army in this tank. have a big trim coming soon to get things lower and more compact. cleaned the filter for the first time yesterday, seemed like all is well!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Sean W. said:


> its good! finished the 50% water changes every couple days routine, now am starting to do 30% water changes about twice a week so i switched over to RO/DI water. Its just a waste to do 50% water changes every 2 days with RO/DI water. I need to switch over to it tho because my GH and KH out of the tap is too hard for shrimp. i want a CRCS army in this tank. have a big trim coming soon to get things lower and more compact. cleaned the filter for the first time yesterday, seemed like all is well!


Awesome man. Sounds like it's coming along smoothly. Wish I could keep crystal reds. Too bad my GH is 19 out of the tap. Big thanks to southeastern Pennsylvania geology being entirely limestone -_-


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

The Trigger said:


> Awesome man. Sounds like it's coming along smoothly. Wish I could keep crystal reds. Too bad my GH is 19 out of the tap. Big thanks to southeastern Pennsylvania geology being entirely limestone -_-


yea man, my tap is around 16° gh. just too hard. Check out my " 86DHG, extra S repens please " video. its the last update i did.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

That moment when you realize cherry shrimp replicate like bacterium.....


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## Mrbluepanda (Dec 17, 2007)

Nice to see everything filling in!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Sean W. said:


> yea man, my tap is around 16° gh. just too hard. Check out my " 86DHG, extra S repens please " video. its the last update i did.


Just watched it man and damn.....tank is looking great! Can't wait to see how that repens carpet fills in. Trust me, won't take long at all. Stuff spreads like wild fire. Loving those stones too


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Mrbluepanda said:


> Nice to see everything filling in!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks man! Especially for these stones. Love em


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## MWebee (Oct 9, 2013)

Wow that carpet looks amazing!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

MWebee said:


> Wow that carpet looks amazing!


Thanks!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Finally got some Pinnatifida from Sean(sjb1987). Plants looks great. Paid for 4 stems and he sent me more like 7 or 8 . I had to cut a section out of the hydrocotyle to plant the stems (that crap is a mess). Pruned the hydrocotlye down hard for the second time this week because it was getting so overgrown. I also cut off the pinnatifida shoots and jammed them down into the crevices of the rocks so it should be interesting to see how they fill in!

























Sean sent me so much that I had to plant some of it in my 10g low tech cull tank. We will see how it does in there


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## Crazy4discus (Jan 30, 2014)

Very nice!!!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Crazy4discus said:


> Very nice!!!


Thank you


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

My iPhone actually took a good pic. Had to share


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

The Trigger said:


> My iPhone actually took a good pic. Had to share


Nice pic and shrimp! Was that straight from the iPhone or was there any post processed adjustments made? I just got some PFR shrimp and I hope I mine get as red as yours.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Brian_Cali77 said:


> Nice pic and shrimp! Was that straight from the iPhone or was there any post processed adjustments made? I just got some PFR shrimp and I hope I mine get as red as yours.


I only increased the sharpness and the saturation a tiny tiny bit. The iPhone camera gets washed out a bit under the LEDs.


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Very nice. I correct my pics as well when that happens.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Brian_Cali77 said:


> Very nice. I correct my pics as well when that happens.


Yeah I use the aviary app. I love it. Works really well


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## Seadon (Mar 24, 2014)

The Trigger said:


> Yeah I use the aviary app. I love it. Works really well



+1 on aviary, great app, that's what I use to take pics of my tanks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Seadon said:


> +1 on aviary, great app, that's what I use to take pics of my tanks
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yupp. I've tried all the other ones and Aviary is much much better than the rest. Best photo app in the iTunes Store. Not sure if you can get it on android.


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## Tiptop (Apr 15, 2013)

Gorgeous tank! Pinnatifida is such a cool plant

Sent from my C6916 using Tapatalk


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Tiptop said:


> Gorgeous tank! Pinnatifida is such a cool plant
> 
> Sent from my C6916 using Tapatalk


Thanks man. It's one of my favorite plants. Haven't had it in a few years but I'm excited to have it back


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## Seadon (Mar 24, 2014)

Tiptop said:


> Gorgeous tank! Pinnatifida is such a cool plant
> 
> Sent from my C6916 using Tapatalk



I'm working on getting some now, anyone have any tips on keeping it?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Seadon said:


> I'm working on getting some now, anyone have any tips on keeping it?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Needs high light and co2 to turn orangish red. Otherwise I've found it to just stay dark green. High light also makes it creep, sending out side shoots instead of growing taller


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## Seadon (Mar 24, 2014)

The Trigger said:


> Needs high light and co2 to turn orangish red. Otherwise I've found it to just stay dark green. High light also makes it creep, sending out side shoots instead of growing taller



High light meaning, a high PAR measurement or high in height off of the substrata? I have probably too much light on the tank, no co2 though, and the light is rather close to the surface of the water. Should I switch my lighting setup to better accommodate the Pinnatifida?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Seadon said:


> High light meaning, a high PAR measurement or high in height off of the substrata? I have probably too much light on the tank, no co2 though, and the light is rather close to the surface of the water. Should I switch my lighting setup to better accommodate the Pinnatifida?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yeah higher par. The higher the par, the more it will spread horizontally instead of growing towards the light. Higher light means more compact growth with Pinnatifida. What kind of lights are you running over what size tank? Too much light and no co2 is recipie for lots of algae.


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## Seadon (Mar 24, 2014)

The Trigger said:


> Yeah higher par. The higher the par, the more it will spread horizontally instead of growing towards the light. Higher light means more compact growth with Pinnatifida. What kind of lights are you running over what size tank? Too much light and no co2 is recipie for lots of algae.



I am experiencing that for sure, I have a 4 lamp HOT5 36" aquaticlife at the moment, I am switching that today to a 30" 2 lamp HOT5 coralife. I have some ferts on the way that I hope will help some, I just got laid-off so I am slowly scraping the $ together for a co2 set-up. Any thoughts on my issue?..I have a 29 gal. Btw


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Seadon said:


> I am experiencing that for sure, I have a 4 lamp HOT5 36" aquaticlife at the moment, I am switching that today to a 30" 2 lamp HOT5 coralife. I have some ferts on the way that I hope will help some, I just got laid-off so I am slowly scraping the $ together for a co2 set-up. Any thoughts on my issue?..I have a 29 gal. Btw
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Choooooo. Man that's a lot of light. With that much light you're def gonna need co2 to avoid algae. Good that your downgrading a bit. I'd cut the photoperiod to like 6 hours until you can get some co2 and ferts, or add a screen of some sort to shade the tank a bit. Otherwise algae is going to completely overtake EVERYTHING. I run high light but I compensate by having my co2 very very high. Algae is just waiting for the day my co2 runs out to take hold.


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## Seadon (Mar 24, 2014)

The Trigger said:


> Choooooo. Man that's a lot of light. With that much light you're def gonna need co2 to avoid algae. Good that your downgrading a bit. I'd cut the photoperiod to like 6 hours until you can get some co2 and ferts, or add a screen of some sort to shade the tank a bit. Otherwise algae is going to completely overtake EVERYTHING. I run high light but I compensate by having my co2 very very high. Algae is just waiting for the day my co2 runs out to take hold.



Yeah lol, I kinda figured, the fixture is meant for my 75 gal that's down at the moment, I put it on the 29 because all I had was a crappy old t12, but my 30" dual fixture is scheduled fore delivery today so hopefully that will help...I know that the aquaticlife is a bit overkill for the 30, but do you think it's enough for a 48x18x20H 75g?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Seadon said:


> Yeah lol, I kinda figured, the fixture is meant for my 75 gal that's down at the moment, I put it on the 29 because all I had was a crappy old t12, but my 30" dual fixture is scheduled fore delivery today so hopefully that will help...I know that the aquaticlife is a bit overkill for the 30, but do you think it's enough for a 48x18x20H 75g?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Depends what you want to grow. You could always go on aquaticlifes site and see if the have PAR data for your exact fixture. At least that will give you an idea of what light range you'll be in. But a 30 or 36" fixture will still leave you with a lot of dead space to each side of the fixture on a 75g tank. That's unless its way up above the tank.


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

looking sharp Sam!


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## Seadon (Mar 24, 2014)

The Trigger said:


> Depends what you want to grow. You could always go on aquaticlifes site and see if the have PAR data for your exact fixture. At least that will give you an idea of what light range you'll be in. But a 30 or 36" fixture will still leave you with a lot of dead space to each side of the fixture on a 75g tank. That's unless its way up above the tank.



There is actually a lighting thread on PAR vs wattage on this sight that has the PAR data graphed against the distance from substrate for my exact fixture, and many others, I was thinking it would probably have dead spots too, but after seeing that data, and how high the PAR readings are for that fixture, I think I can hang the light 7-10 inches above the tank and still get medium lighting, do you think 6-8 inches would be enough to disperse the light across a 48x18 footprint?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Seadon (Mar 24, 2014)

P.S. Trigger, I'm really sorry for high jacking your journal thread...I really love the look of this tank though, A+!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Haha it's okay man. Thanks guys. Sean how's that repens filling in?


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

It's getting there! New growth on all of them


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Sean W. said:


> It's getting there! New growth on all of them


Cool man. You should make an update video when they start spreading


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

The Trigger said:


> Cool man. You should make an update video when they start spreading


you know it!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Little update. Been in California for 6 days but everything seems to be doing well. Pinnatifida is looking great though i'm probably going to prune the three mother plants in the middle pretty heavily to encourage more compact growth. The shoots I jammed down into the rock crevices are very securely rooted in them. That was quick. Had to do a huge trim on the hydrocotyle Japan when I got home yesterday. HC is recovering nicely from the trim a few weeks ago, though not as quickly as I hoped.
























HC is getting leggy to the right side. Seems to be recovering nicely though with new shoots heading towards the leggy patch. Anybody know the cause for this?








Lots of berried females. Soon I'll have more babies to cull -_-


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## Zoidborg (Jan 29, 2014)

Looking good as always!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Zoidborg said:


> Looking good as always!


Thanks zoid!


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## parrottbay (May 14, 2012)

Wow, very impressed!


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

UPDATE! NAOW!

kthnxbi


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Haha thanks guys. I'll try to see if I can do an update when I get home from work.


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## omgwhiskey (Jan 6, 2014)

Love your tank!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Quick update. Week 12 pushing 13.


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## MadRiverPat (May 3, 2013)

Tank looks really great. I've been keeping tabs on it for a little while now. Where did you get your seiryu stone from? I'm looking to add some to my 20L and those pieces look great. Also, any idea how many pounds you used?


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

Looks great Sam! youll have to take a video so we can see the pearling in action!


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## Calbears (Mar 1, 2014)

Very nice work, I want a 20L of my own now.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

MadRiverPat said:


> Tank looks really great. I've been keeping tabs on it for a little while now. Where did you get your seiryu stone from? I'm looking to add some to my 20L and those pieces look great. Also, any idea how many pounds you used?


Thanks  I got the stone from MrBluepanda here on the forum. I think it's around 20lbs worth? He's great because he has pics of the actual stone you'll be getting and things like rulers for scale.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Sean W. said:


> Looks great Sam! youll have to take a video so we can see the pearling in action!


Thanks Sean as always. I'll try to take a video and post it here in this thread. Btw I saw your latest update and the repens carpet looks awesome! You have way more patients than I'll ever have. You said it took like 3 hours???


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Calbears said:


> Very nice work, I want a 20L of my own now.


Thank you


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

The Trigger said:


> Thanks Sean as always. I'll try to take a video and post it here in this thread. Btw I saw your latest update and the repens carpet looks awesome! You have way more patients than I'll ever have. You said it took like 3 hours???


eh, 3 episodes of mythbusters just of preparing the trimmed stems. Fatigue was setting in after about 70 stems, and i took a few short breaks to give my fingers a rest. Also, i have every episode of Mythbusters downloaded, so commercials arent a factor, so more like a little over 2 hours, of just pulling the leaves off. As far as the whole process, trimming, preparing and replanting, well over 3 hours, not to mention setting up the camera and doing a couple takes, when i flub a line or say something stupid, which happens a lot haha.

I look forward to seeing a video!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Sean W. said:


> eh, 3 episodes of mythbusters just of preparing the trimmed stems. Fatigue was setting in after about 70 stems, and i took a few short breaks to give my fingers a rest. Also, i have every episode of Mythbusters downloaded, so commercials arent a factor, so more like a little over 2 hours, of just pulling the leaves off. As far as the whole process, trimming, preparing and replanting, well over 3 hours, not to mention setting up the camera and doing a couple takes, when i flub a line or say something stupid, which happens a lot haha.
> 
> I look forward to seeing a video!


Hahaha. That's why I don't ever take videos where I talk in them. You seem pretty comfortable on camera. I personally am bothered by the sound of my own voice. It literally makes me uncomfortable lol, If that makes any sense at all.......maybe I'm not the only one who this happens to.....or maybe I am a psycho hahahaha


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

don't really like the way my voice sounds either. I read an article recently that explains that not liking your own voice, especially on Camera is common. I do not like my face being in the video at all tho.It's taken up until recently to be comfortable with talking in my videos, but even still like I said I still flub what I'm trying to say all the time. Like my diy co2 reactor video, I must have refilmed 10 times haha


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## jcgilmore2 (Jul 10, 2013)

The Trigger said:


> Quick update. Week 12 pushing 13.


Wonderfully done. Tank looks much better with the stone. Love it. One of the few tanks where downoi doesn't look out of place I feel like.

Not trying to hijack you thread, but check out my 20L. Pretty similar set-ups. Always enjoy seeing how others have dealt with similar tanks. Such an awesome hobby.

Look forward to seeing the tank evolve and develop even more.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Sean W. said:


> don't really like the way my voice sounds either. I read an article recently that explains that not liking your own voice, especially on Camera is common. I do not like my face being in the video at all tho.It's taken up until recently to be comfortable with talking in my videos, but even still like I said I still flub what I'm trying to say all the time. Like my diy co2 reactor video, I must have refilmed 10 times haha


Hahaha. Good at least I'm not the only one. I'd prob just add music in my video lol


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

jcgilmore2 said:


> Wonderfully done. Tank looks much better with the stone. Love it. One of the few tanks where downoi doesn't look out of place I feel like.
> 
> Not trying to hijack you thread, but check out my 20L. Pretty similar set-ups. Always enjoy seeing how others have dealt with similar tanks. Such an awesome hobby.
> 
> Look forward to seeing the tank evolve and develop even more.


Thanks man. Your scape is awesome btw. How do you keep your stones so clean?? I gotta take mine out and scrub them with a hard bristled toothbrush like once a month.


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## jcgilmore2 (Jul 10, 2013)

The Trigger said:


> Thanks man. Your scape is awesome btw. How do you keep your stones so clean?? I gotta take mine out and scrub them with a hard bristled toothbrush like once a month.


Well one I just put in, so it looks super clean.. for now anyway. The smaller one is pretty bad on the back side of it since its too small to scrub without knocking the baby tears everywhere, but you cant see that side in the pictures. On the big one though, I use a long metal bristled brush and hit it right before water changes.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

jcgilmore2 said:


> Well one I just put in, so it looks super clean.. for now anyway. The smaller one is pretty bad on the back side of it since its too small to scrub without knocking the baby tears everywhere, but you cant see that side in the pictures. On the big one though, I use a long metal bristled brush and hit it right before water changes.


Yeah it's a pain to take out a 7lb stone and scrub it. I waited till the roots of all the plants were really well established before I did it. Now I just take them out and when I go to put them back in, there's a perfect sized hole and they pop right back in. I have no algae issues except the stuff on the stones. It's annoying lol


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

The Trigger said:


> *Yeah it's a pain to take out a 7lb stone and scrub it*. I waited till the roots of all the plants were really well established before I did it. Now I just take them out and when I go to put them back in, there's a perfect sized hole and they pop right back in. I have no algae issues except the stuff on the stones. It's annoying lol


*clears throat*

come talk to me when you have a 32lb stone...

:icon_cry:


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## jcgilmore2 (Jul 10, 2013)

The Trigger said:


> Yeah it's a pain to take out a 7lb stone and scrub it. I waited till the roots of all the plants were really well established before I did it. Now I just take them out and when I go to put them back in, there's a perfect sized hole and they pop right back in. I have no algae issues except the stuff on the stones. It's annoying lol



Yeah, thats normal. Algae can be a pain but I dont mind it on the rocks too much. Even when I do clean it, i dont scrub down in all the cracks and whatnot... gives the scapes a more natural and aged look. Keep up the good work! 

Any big changes or plans in the future for this scape? Or just kind of taking it day by day


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

sean w. said:


> *clears throat*
> 
> come talk to me when you have a 32lb stone...
> 
> :icon_cry:


0_0


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

jcgilmore2 said:


> Yeah, thats normal. Algae can be a pain but I dont mind it on the rocks too much. Even when I do clean it, i dont scrub down in all the cracks and whatnot... gives the scapes a more natural and aged look. Keep up the good work!
> 
> Any big changes or plans in the future for this scape? Or just kind of taking it day by day


Yeah I like keeping a little green dusting myself. I agree it gives it that nice natural look.


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## Crazy4discus (Jan 30, 2014)

Nicely done!!! Love the setup!!


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Crazy4discus said:


> Nicely done!!! Love the setup!!


Thank you


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## jcgilmore2 (Jul 10, 2013)

What's going on with this thing now? Update? Forgot how awesome this tank is

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk


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## woodsjail. (Feb 3, 2014)

WOW! Its been a while since i have checked this out. Looks amazing! I hope my carpet fills in just as nice as yours!


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

i know, Sam i lagging! Where you at Sam!?


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Haha sorry guys, been real busy the last couple of weeks. I'll do an update today after my water change and HEAVY PRUNING


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

*WEEK 17*
I have been busy for the past few weeks so my tank was slightly neglected. Today I trimmed everything, scrubbed some rocks, cleaned out the canister filter, cleaned the glass and did a big water change. The HC was WAYYY overgrown. It almost looked like it was starting to rise away from the substrate a bit, so I took it down to about a half inch and pushed it down as hard as I could without disturbing it too much. I noticed I'm getting some BBA so I removed as much as I could manually and spot treated with some excel. Ill probably do this for the next week every day until it is eradicated. All in all not much has changed. I'm getting the itch to plant some stems to liven this tank up. Let me know any ideas you guys might have. 
















*BEFORE*








*AFTER*


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

Looks good Sam, much needed and well done trim! Is suggest staying away from stem plants, especially in a shallow tank like a 20L. They grow too quickly and will require trimming to often. I think tho some blyxa in the back right would really even it out


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Sean W. said:


> Looks good Sam, much needed and well done trim! Is suggest staying away from stem plants, especially in a shallow tank like a 20L. They grow too quickly and will require trimming to often. I think tho some blyxa in the back right would really even it out


Thanks man. As for the stems I know exactly what you mean. I think some Blyxa would actually look nice. Wish there were more compact stems I could work with.


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## jcgilmore2 (Jul 10, 2013)

The Trigger said:


> Thanks man. As for the stems I know exactly what you mean. I think some Blyxa would actually look nice. Wish there were more compact stems I could work with.


Yeah, stems suck. Been hacking them like crazy. Starting to get some nice hedges of rotala sp green and HM going though. The aromatica and luwigia rubin might be gone soon. Cant keep up with them.


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## jcgilmore2 (Jul 10, 2013)

Might sell my reef tank and get a custom tank made for a planted. Get it 16" deep... 12 not cutting it. Also want a longer tank too.


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## CluelessAquarist (Apr 5, 2014)

That carpet... WOW!


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Man.. tank came out niiiiiice! Amazing work and upkeep.. you must spend a lot of time trimming. Definitely more than me.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

jcgilmore2 said:


> Yeah, stems suck. Been hacking them like crazy. Starting to get some nice hedges of rotala sp green and HM going though. The aromatica and luwigia rubin might be gone soon. Cant keep up with them.


Yeah man your tank is looking awesome. Super clean and tidy


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Brian_Cali77 said:


> Man.. tank came out niiiiiice! Amazing work and upkeep.. you must spend a lot of time trimming. Definitely more than me.


Thanks Brian. Usually the only thing I trim is the hydrocotyle because it grows so damn fast. I'll do that like once a week. The rest of the tank I really don't touch. And that was my problem. I think if I had let the HC go any longer I would have had a disaster on my hands. Roots were very shallow rooted like it was preparing to liftoff :/ hopefully I halted that mess


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Neglect HC and suffer the consequences....


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## Ecas32 (Dec 14, 2011)

How would one avoid this?


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Keep it trimmed low at all times. Don't let it get taller than a half inch. Mines about an inch tall and it lifted off sooooo hahaha.


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

Thats a shame, 

same thing happened to me in my 29, i think my biggest cause was assasin snails, they like to burrow in the substrate, i think they kinda helped it along.

sorry to hear sam, its damn near impossible to get it to stay back down. Ill never use HC again for this reason. 

on a side note, have you seen my 20 Long Sam?


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Sean W. said:


> Thats a shame,
> 
> same thing happened to me in my 29, i think my biggest cause was assasin snails, they like to burrow in the substrate, i think they kinda helped it along.
> 
> ...


No snails for me, just straight neglect. I trimmed it all out and replanted some plugs. Should take a few weeks for it to fill back in. And no haven't seen it Sean. 
I haven't been on a lot the past month or so. Been really busy. Is this a new build after your 110 teardown?


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

Yup the 110 is gone. 

Check it out

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=669553&highlight=


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## Zoidborg (Jan 29, 2014)

Oh no the beautiful carpet!


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## xxstitch69xx (Aug 6, 2014)

absolutely beautiful tank!


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