# Thatgmc's Mr. Aqua 12g Long "Smokey Oolong Mountain"



## xmas_one (Feb 5, 2010)

I'd say that's WAY too much lighting... One NO T5 would be more like it. 

HC is probably one of the easier to maintain carpets once it's established..


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

xmas_one said:


> I'd say that's WAY too much lighting... One NO T5 would be more like it.
> 
> HC is probably one of the easier to maintain carpets once it's established..


So much lighting that it will kill plants?


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## xmas_one (Feb 5, 2010)

It will just be a non-stop algae farm in there with even one t5ho...

Or, you could keep your light, run one bulb only and raise it real high, like 12" off the top.

That tank is super shallow. You might even just put a single t8 over it..


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

Right.. damn algae. Too bad I already bought the fixture. The last time i was in the hobby T5HO were still expensive so I saw these lights priced at $110 and jumped on em. I'm going to try running 1 bulb and see how that goes.


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## Capsaicin_MFK (Nov 15, 2009)

I run 1 bulb on a T5HO and it works fine. I wanted the 6500k on it instead of the 10,000k but my first fixture fried and took out both bulbs with it.

I suppose you could make a drive and buy stones from ADA in California...man I wish I lived in Cali.


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

Capsaicin_MFK said:


> I run 1 bulb on a T5HO and it works fine. I wanted the 6500k on it instead of the 10,000k but my first fixture fried and took out both bulbs with it.
> 
> I suppose you could make a drive and buy stones from ADA in California...man I wish I lived in Cali.


How deep is your tank? 

I am actually ordering the stones from someone local =]


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

I just turned on the light. And with both of the T5s on it lights the entire room up...


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## OiZO (Feb 2, 2010)

looks nice. I been working on an iwagumi with this tank for awhile now (same plants you can see link in my sig). Finally getting some HC spread but i have had to battle some algae. The worst thing for me so far is cyano/bga. I have a 2213 on the tank but there just always seems to be some areas that dont get the flow you want and others that get almost too much. I am running furcata rainbows in it so they like the flow but with out the filter on full blast its hard to make the water hit the end. Before i go chemical to fight the bga im planing on getting a small powerhead and point at the trouble area. I read good flow will usually get rid of the stuff.

Also a heads up with this tank it needs like daily topping off. It has soo much surface area for such low gallons that water evaporates really fast. Temps swing really fast too i vary from 73F-74F at night to 81F during the day. I think the swing would be better if i had a better heater but i dont have the mula for an inline and i haven't found an affordable small heater for the tank other then my 5 dollar hang on one.

I would have done immersed if i had thought it about it more because my HC is growing so slow. BTW thanks again xmas_one for the hc!


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

OiZO, I just peeped your tank. It looks good! I like the scape very much. One thing I am worried about is algae. With so much light I'm running on this bad boy I have been considering turning it into a hard SPS reef tank. I might just sell the light and buy a T5NO fixture  Thanks for the top off tip. I will definitely be looking into a good 2nd hand heater before I fill it up.

Hey xmas_one... got any more HC? ^___^


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## Capsaicin_MFK (Nov 15, 2009)

thatgmc said:


> How deep is your tank?
> 
> I am actually ordering the stones from someone local =]


Standard 55g...so 21" I believe. It's a low-tech. I am having great luck with my 27watt Hampton Bay desk lamp on my 10g Iwagumi. Still in the emersed phase, but it's growing fast. I do daily mist sprays with a water bottle filled with macro fert solutions.


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## defiant (Dec 1, 2009)

im running 2 t5 ho bulbs on the standard tank stand and its doing fine. I noticed that with only one t5 bulb running my HC would strat growing tall. Im not having any issues with algae(knock on wood) and ive had this thing running like this for over a month.


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## xmas_one (Feb 5, 2010)

thatgmc said:


> OiZO, I just peeped your tank. It looks good! I like the scape very much. One thing I am worried about is algae. With so much light I'm running on this bad boy I have been considering turning it into a hard SPS reef tank. I might just sell the light and buy a T5NO fixture  Thanks for the top off tip. I will definitely be looking into a good 2nd hand heater before I fill it up.
> 
> Hey xmas_one... got any more HC? ^___^


Yeah, I still have some...PM me for details...


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

defiant said:


> im running 2 t5 ho bulbs on the standard tank stand and its doing fine. I noticed that with only one t5 bulb running my HC would strat growing tall. Im not having any issues with algae(knock on wood) and ive had this thing running like this for over a month.


Great tank! I just peeped it. Are you running two 39w as of right now? And for how long? I think that might be the cause of your current algae situation. I think im going to just use one bulb throughout. Maybe start with 2 bulbs during emersed even.


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## defiant (Dec 1, 2009)

thatgmc said:


> Great tank! I just peeped it. Are you running two 39w as of right now? And for how long? I think that might be the cause of your current algae situation. I think im going to just use one bulb throughout. Maybe start with 2 bulbs during emersed even.


 im running 2 of the 39w for 7 hours and as of right now no algae issues just some that appear on the glass about mid week but by then a few days later ill do my weekly water change and cleaning. so it works out fine.


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

defiant said:


> im running 2 of the 39w for 7 hours and as of right now no algae issues just some that appear on the glass about mid week but by then a few days later ill do my weekly water change and cleaning. so it works out fine.


Sounds good. I think I will try that for the first month. Also, just wondering but does anyone know if only 1 bulb is running if that will affect the ballast in any way? Just in case roud:


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## sapphoqueen (Feb 9, 2010)

fill it man!


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

hey guys... finally received my bag of amazonia today so i filled this puppy up. This is my first iwagumi tank so be nice... any criticisms are welcome 




















So.. im probably going to need another bag of amazonia before i can start planting. The ends of the tank have barely half an inch at some places. I miscalculated the amount i needed and should've just bought a 9 liter bag  If any of you guys are local to me in SOCAL and have extra amazonia they can spare, please let me know. I will pay you for your troubles


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

i think it would look better if you turned the second rock from the left the opposite direction and put the first from the left in front of the two middle rocks.

it may look different in person but it seems like the rocks kind of flow to the right, which would be fine if the arrangement wasnt in the center of the tank, but it feels unbalanced. im not great at aquascaping but i am an artist and it just doesnt "feel" right if you know what i mean. 

just a suggestion feel free to ignore me


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## xmas_one (Feb 5, 2010)

Needs more front to back slope!

I'd go nuts on the slope, especially behind the larger stones. 

http://www.aquajournal.net/na/iwagumi/index.html


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

kwheeler91 said:


> i think it would look better if you turned the second rock from the left the opposite direction and put the first from the left in front of the two middle rocks.
> 
> it may look different in person but it seems like the rocks kind of flow to the right, which would be fine if the arrangement wasnt in the center of the tank, but it feels unbalanced. im not great at aquascaping but i am an artist and it just doesnt "feel" right if you know what i mean.
> 
> just a suggestion feel free to ignore me


The second rock from the left has a buncha grooves in it so there are only a few ways i can place it without it looking like an outkast. It kind of looks like slate on top of slate if ya know what i mean. But good suggestion, I moved stuff around again.


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

xmas_one said:


> Needs more front to back slope!
> 
> I'd go nuts on the slope, especially behind the larger stones.
> 
> http://www.aquajournal.net/na/iwagumi/index.html


Thanks for the link. I just ordered another bag of amazonia because i was a bit short on the ends of the tank. Ill buff up the mound when it comes  I need to prop up the Oyaishi a bit. I kind of feel like my Soeishi is a little too big too. Haha! 

BTW sorry for the crappy pictures. Im using my blackberry. My camera wont be back until later tonigt


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

Finally added more substrate to the tank. I added MR. Aqua soil to it though. I couldn't wait for another bag of ADA to come in so i just went to an LFS near me to purchase a bag. I actually walked in looking for a new pair of metal tweezers. I left with a bag of soil and no tweezers haha. I also got a nice aluminum spray bottle from CVS. It was kinda pricey but i like the way it looks, kind of got that ADA metal look to it. I also got a small pot of HC from my LFS. The place is called A+ tropical fish if you guys are in the area. Great group of guys and they have some pretty good stuff that you would otherwise have to order online.

Im expecting a pack of HC from xmas_one soon too. Thanks again man!

Let me know what you guys think of the scape. Its still early so i can still move stuff around. One concern one of my friends had was that it looks a little too centered. I made the slope on the leftside a little more slanted but this picture is prior to that change. Im still waiting on the camera so i can take some better pictures. These are all from my bb tour. Thanks for looking!


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## MONARK (Jun 4, 2009)

Looks great!

I have the same GLA version of the tank and still deciding on the light. I'll wait and see how your works out so I can decide. LOLOL

Did you decide on a filter yet?? I'll be getting an Eheim 2215, it will have more than enough flow for the tank and you can play with the quick disconnect taps to adjust the flow.


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

MONARK said:


> Looks great!
> 
> I have the same GLA version of the tank and still deciding on the light. I'll wait and see how your works out so I can decide. LOLOL
> 
> Did you decide on a filter yet?? I'll be getting an Eheim 2215, it will have more than enough flow for the tank and you can play with the quick disconnect taps to adjust the flow.


Hahah smart choice. I kind of went overkill on the lighting lol. But defiant's tank is running the same lights and says his stuff is doing fine. I was going to go cheap and buy the azoo mini canister. It looks like the Tom rapid's filter but everything is more solidly built. I've already spent more on this tank than i originally planned so i dont know if i want to shell out another $100 for a filter. Heres my price list so far:

Tank - $70
Light- $110
Mr. Aqua Soil + ADA soil - $55
Seiryu stones- $50
----------------------------
$285 no fish no co2 no filter... FML

Oh well. I have a buddy in HK right now. I asked him to look for fishtank gear while hes over there. Last time he came back with bomb stainless steel utensils and diffusers for cheap. Now i need to determine a good Co2 and fert regimen.


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## MONARK (Jun 4, 2009)

thatgmc said:


> Hahah smart choice. I kind of went overkill on the lighting lol. But defiant's tank is running the same lights and says his stuff is doing fine. I was going to go cheap and buy the azoo mini canister. It looks like the Tom rapid's filter but everything is more solidly built. I've already spent more on this tank than i originally planned so i dont know if i want to shell out another $100 for a filter. Heres my price list so far:
> 
> Tank - $70
> Light- $110
> ...


Defiant's tank looks amazing too but I would like to wait 4 or 6 months once the tank is very well established and see how it will be doing with that amount of light, remember that when we put the substrate we lose water volume plus it makes the plants 2"-3" closer to the light, I just hope that in 4 months his tank is not an algae soup so I can use his set up as a sample to built mine.

thatgmc, one always ends up spending more than you have but I would rather buy it right than buy it twice, if you get an Eheim 2215 you more flow and might not need to add pumps to add flow, plus this might looks bad in a clean and simple set up as an Iwagumi; you might be able to adjust flow, you'd be able to add more fish to the tank and you could even go up six months probably without cleaning up your filter; believe me if you get a small filter you will have to do more maintenance, this tank is really long and a small filter might not turn the water strong enough and if this is the case you will have to add a pump or change to a bigger filter which might add to spending way more than you would expect.

I have an Eheim 2213 in my Mini M, the tank is 5.5gal and the filter is for a 66gal tank, I have really good flow adjusted by the taps and I have like 8 CPD's, a LOTS of shrimp in there; I just clean it every seven months and no problems at all.


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## Quesenek (Sep 26, 2008)

thatgmc said:


> Hahah smart choice. I kind of went overkill on the lighting lol. But defiant's tank is running the same lights and says his stuff is doing fine. I was going to go cheap and buy the azoo mini canister. It looks like the Tom rapid's filter but everything is more solidly built. I've already spent more on this tank than i originally planned so i dont know if i want to shell out another $100 for a filter. Heres my price list so far:
> 
> Tank - $70
> Light- $110
> ...


I have spent $850 more than I was planning and I don't have the tank I was planning on in the first place. On top of that I haven't even bought the plants yet I just have fillers that my LFS had in stock.


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

Quesenek said:


> I have spent $850 more than I was planning and I don't have the tank I was planning on in the first place. On top of that I haven't even bought the plants yet I just have fillers that my LFS had in stock.


Damnn wht size is your tank though? I mean this is not the most expensive tank i have put together. I had a 50g custom SPS/LPS reef tank with euro reef skimmer, hamilton mh, and the works. But i think for a planted fw tank at 12g ive spent quite enough already haha.


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## naturalwonders (Dec 24, 2008)

Wow, another 12G long. I'm waiting to see how this one will turn out. This tank is perfect for iwagumi style.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

That's an excellent hardscape you have going on there, though the rock on the far right seems a bit awkward. Excellent job thus far


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

How long should i be running my lights during emersed grow?


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## MONARK (Jun 4, 2009)

Hey man,

how many lbs of rock did you put in the tank????


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Run the lights as long as you want, I would say no more than 18 hours, though. 16 would be good- it gives the plants 8 hours to rest and breath out CO2/ take in O2.


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

Great. Ill be leaving the lights on the majority of the day now.

I am having one problem though and i dont know if its because of my T5 lights. But, the leaves on the newly planted HC seems to be turning somewhat yellow. Does anyone know the reason for this? Its been like 3 days and some of the HC that i planted the first day have maybe 10% of the leaves turn yellow.


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## Quesenek (Sep 26, 2008)

thatgmc said:


> Damnn wht size is your tank though? I mean this is not the most expensive tank i have put together. I had a 50g custom SPS/LPS reef tank with euro reef skimmer, hamilton mh, and the works. But i think for a planted fw tank at 12g ive spent quite enough already haha.


It's a 55g that I had taking up space in the garage. I was also thinking about starting up a nano reef but I think a 240 gallon planted rainbow tank would burn a lot smaller hole in my pocket considering I live only a few hours from GlassCages.


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

Quick fts











Oops on the dirt smudge and cable in the back.


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

Also, does anyone know why my HC's leaves are turning yellow like this?









Here are a couple more shots from 2 corners.


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## hoa101 (Aug 31, 2009)

This may help your lighting questions...

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lighting/97622-par-data-selecting-t5ho-light.html

With good reflectors, you want one T5HO bulb about 17-18 inches from the substrate in order to have medium high light. The light intensity will increase rapidly as you go towards the fixture (ie, as plants/substrate get taller).

You can see from the chart just how much light T5HO can put out. I used to run a similar fixture to yours at a height that gave me well above "high light" PAR, and at first things were okay. Eventually fate will catch up to you though... my aquarium turned into hair algae heaven. After reducing the lighting to one bulb and fiddling with the height, my algae problems went away again.


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

hoa101 said:


> This may help your lighting questions...
> 
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lighting/97622-par-data-selecting-t5ho-light.html
> 
> ...



17-18" means that i will have a huge amount of light spill in the room. Not to mention it will look funny. I think I am going to switch out the current fixture for a regular t5NO eventually. For now, the light doesn't seem to be hurting the HC too much. Unless the leaf burn is from the high light...


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

MONARK said:


> Hey man,
> 
> how many lbs of rock did you put in the tank????


I put in about 12-14 pounds in this tank.


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## Damian (Jun 17, 2009)

Isnt the yellowing a defeciency? I know in some dry start methods ferts diluted with water in a spray bottle are misted onto the plants to help aid in what is lacking.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

In my experience, the yellowing is just the old immersed form leaves dying as the new, thicker and waxier leaves grow in that can handle being exposed to the air and won't wilt as easily.

I can almost guarantee that there are no deficiencies present due to the fresh AS.


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## Damian (Jun 17, 2009)

CL said:


> In my experience, the yellowing is just the old immersed form leaves dying as the new, thicker and waxier leaves grow in that can handle being exposed to the air and won't wilt as easily.
> 
> I can almost guarantee that there are no deficiencies present due to the fresh AS.


Bah. Missed the aquasoil part. Such a great substrate.


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

CL said:


> In my experience, the yellowing is just the old immersed form leaves dying as the new, thicker and waxier leaves grow in that can handle being exposed to the air and won't wilt as easily.
> 
> I can almost guarantee that there are no deficiencies present due to the fresh AS.


Well... oopsies on my part. Its about half ADA soil and half Mr. Aqua soil. Although I think there are nutrients in the Mr. Aqua Soil.. its definitely not as high in nutrients as ADA. Since its only been about a week or so i'll give it a little more time. I do see it rooting nicely.


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## defiant (Dec 1, 2009)

just give it some time i did notice some yellowing upon planting and a day or 2 after the flood. if youre not too sure on the lighting just remove one bulb and only run the single bulb. This is what i did to my tank. I only added the second bulb about a week after the flood. But that was only due to noticing that the HC was growing stringy and growing vertical. you will be fine with that fixture you have unless you want to spend more money on another fixture. I say patience is the key so just give it some time and watch how the plants react then you start adjusting things.


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## soundgy (Jul 8, 2010)

*Re: Thatgmc's Mr. Aqua 12g Long Iwagumi Styo*

I am not trying to derail this, but I really like this 12 gallon long tank. Is there anyway you can get something like this with a cover/hood? I would like to put CRS in a tank like this. 

Sent from my HTC EVO using Tapatalk.


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

defiant said:


> just give it some time i did notice some yellowing upon planting and a day or 2 after the flood. if youre not too sure on the lighting just remove one bulb and only run the single bulb. This is what i did to my tank. I only added the second bulb about a week after the flood. But that was only due to noticing that the HC was growing stringy and growing vertical. you will be fine with that fixture you have unless you want to spend more money on another fixture. I say patience is the key so just give it some time and watch how the plants react then you start adjusting things.


Thanks defiant. I was hoping you'd chime in. Since i am starting a new tank for my sister's place, I was going to use this light on her tank instead. Maybe ill get myself a NO one. Ill see if there are any good deals out there :bounce:


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

soundgy said:


> I am not trying to derail this, but I really like this 12 gallon long tank. Is there anyway you can get something like this with a cover/hood? I would like to put CRS in a tank like this.
> 
> Sent from my HTC EVO using Tapatalk.


You could still use a rimless tank. You would need to buy a class cover and then make ADA style clips to hold it. Its doable


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## slicebo123 (Jan 4, 2010)

don't worry about the yellowing. losing a few leaves during planting is normal. the plants are stressed out--just like a human after we move to a new house/apt. you will also lose some leaves once u fill your tank up. the leaves have to adjust to a far less gaseous environment. 

one more thing. do not, do not fertilize your spray. the aquasoil has plenty of nutrients. i did the dry start method and learned a few things:

1) spray some water in there every day
2) make sure u keep the water level below the surface of the soil. (my water had more of a muddy consistency, which resulted in a good portion of my HC not rooting as well as it could have). 

otherwise, give it some time and this time will be awesome. i love 12g longs. 
where were u planning on putting the blyxa?


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

slicebo123 said:


> don't worry about the yellowing. losing a few leaves during planting is normal. the plants are stressed out--just like a human after we move to a new house/apt. you will also lose some leaves once u fill your tank up. the leaves have to adjust to a far less gaseous environment.
> 
> one more thing. do not, do not fertilize your spray. the aquasoil has plenty of nutrients. i did the dry start method and learned a few things:
> 
> ...



Thanks for the tips. 

Here is what i was thinking about the blyxa.. Im just not sure what i would put to the left side. It looks a bit unproportioned. What do i do? id rather change now than make a change when i fill up the tank :\


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## slicebo123 (Jan 4, 2010)

i have an HC/blyxa setup in my tank. Personally, I prefer the blyxa in a corner and on lower ground. This is because blyxa will grow very tall relative to the rocks you have (especially in a lower profile tank). Your tank will have a pyramidal shape if you grow the blyxa in the middle--it might look too symmetrical. 

Blyxa is really sweet for hiding all your equipment. you want the focal point to be your rocks. having the blyxa placed around it might over-power that look. i'd suggest planting it below the high ground. if i ever get a camera i'll send you a pic of how i arranged it.

but it all depends on the look you want.

ps: if you put some blyxa in that left corner. by the time it finishes growing its height should match the higest rock point.


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## defiant (Dec 1, 2009)

i love the way your hardscape looks....any updates on the tank? how are the HC doing are they still yellowing?


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

defiant said:


> i love the way your hardscape looks....any updates on the tank? how are the HC doing are they still yellowing?



Thanks defiant. Heres an update just for you! kekeke jk. I just took these pics last night. When you compare it to the picture from July 26th, you can see that the growth has filled in significantly. The leaves show very little yellowing and are all pretty much green now. However, there is also this green kinda film typey stuff that is showing up on the first inch or so of the foreground substrate. Some kind of algae but i dont know what is causing it. Maybe too much lighting? Ive been blasting the light for like 18+hrs a day.

I also bought a Eheim Ecco 2232. I need to find a way to make a spray bar for it and decide on a CO2 injection method too.

I am currently building an ADA style stand for a Mr. Aqua 720 (equivalent measurements to a ADA 60P). I will post some updates on that one as well.


I am in no hurry to fill the tank yet. I really want the HC to be completely covered before i flood it. So i might let it grow out for another three weeks or so. Ive decided to not get blyxa at this point. If anything i will add other floura to it later on. Thanks!!


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

Quick update. The growth is amazing!


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## TobasB (Aug 11, 2010)

Loving this, can't wait to see progress!


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

Quick update. I had a springtail infestation in my tank and it was getting really gross. Since the tank is in my bedroom, i was getting paranoid that the spring tails would start popping through the saran wrap and infest my clothes. 

So i filled the tank with threw on an Aquaclear HOB for now. Also threw in 5 guppy babies. They've survived for a week already. So what i did was fill it 50% and threw in the guppies with the saran wrap still on. Saw that the guppies were munchin on the springtails and after i didn see anymore buggies, i filled it up all the way. 

Im stil waiting on an eheim ecco for filtration. And for now im dosing excel. Growth has actually increased since i added water i think. I still need to find a way to inject Co2, since the lighting on this tank is overkill ^_^. If anyone has a good deal on a regulator and a 5-10 pound tank let me know. My budget is around $100ish. Thanks for looking!


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

I think this tank is approaching 85% completion. I just need to add the fish and shrimp to the tank and wait for the HC to fill in a bit more. Here are some pics!! Overall, this tank was probably the easiest one ive started. DSM makes everything super easy and i recommend it to anyone and everyone!




















This is the 1 3/8 hole i drilled through the Ikea cabinet.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

I love it.


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## lnstevens (Aug 9, 2010)

Now all you need is those glass outlet/intake that someone in ss was selling. 

It does look really good. Tells me just how bad my aquascaping skills are. LOL


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## defiant (Dec 1, 2009)

this is coming out beautifully. you should try looking into that byou inline diffuser sold on ebay. im using that on two of my tanks and it works great. plus you don't have to run anymore hardware into the tank like the co2 hose and diffuser. it was only 10 dollars and so far no problems with it. 

keep the pictures coming:icon_smil


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

Thanks guys i really appreciate it all the comments. 

Defiant, I am still deciding on a co2 injection method. I might go with this guy's http://socalaquascapers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6595 paintball regulator with solenoid. Looks pretty good. Ill look into the inline. Thanks 

I just added 6 galaxy rasboras and 3 Badis. Not the Badis Badis but the other one. Pics coming soon


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

Heres a video of my tank to the song F*ck you by Cee-lo. Best use of F*ck you in a song ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXDPxdcWl-s


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Those fish make the tank look gigantic.


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

dj2005 said:


> Those fish make the tank look gigantic.


Hahaha. Yea I really like these right now. Not to mention the Scarlett Badis remind me of a mini blue ram. The CPDs are great. Got em for their nice colors, size, and cuz they breed. Great fish imo. Eatin flake the first day. Badis on the other hand, I need to go get them some frozen food or something.


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## aman74 (Feb 19, 2007)

thatgmc said:


> Thanks guys i really appreciate it all the comments.
> 
> Defiant, I am still deciding on a co2 injection method. I might go with this guy's http://socalaquascapers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6595 paintball regulator with solenoid. Looks pretty good. Ill look into the inline. Thanks
> 
> I just added 6 galaxy rasboras and 3 Badis. Not the Badis Badis but the other one. Pics coming soon


Do you know what brand those rimless tanks he's selling are?

Great tank by the way!


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## brt_p (Nov 16, 2008)

IMHO, something is wrong with ur rock arrangement... dunno what..


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

brt_p said:


> IMHO, something is wrong with ur rock arrangement... dunno what..


Well thats some helpful criticism for ya! lol... The rock all the way to the right does not look right i agree. I dont know what to do with it though so for now it stays. Thanks for your informative contribution to this thread!


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## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

I think the rock at the right looks perfect. it just looks awkward because of the barespot beneath the ledge. But once that spot gets filled in, I doubt it will look weird anymore. So... nothing else but hc?


thatgmc said:


> This is the 1 3/8 hole i drilled through the Ikea cabinet.


Just bumping the pictures (for lazy people like me) so we don't have to look for it ^^


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

Alright well the algae bloom is in full swing. I have massive amounts of string algae and cloudy water. 

On the 10th i added Hagen diy CO2 system. I wanted to do pressurized Co2 but i couldnt pass on this deal. It was 50% off at petco for a grand total of 17 bucks. So i decided to go cheapo for Co2. 

On the 14th i added 11 more CPD. This could also have contributed to the algae bloom because of the sudden increase in nutrients and what not.

What do you guys think? I have since cut my photo period to 7 hours for the past 2 days, but honestly i think it is getting worse. And my new CPD are not eating  Please chime in with any ideas.


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## Hyzer (Mar 9, 2010)

Algae blooms are normal in the beginning but... you have way too much light. Even with pressurized it will be too much. Check out the lighting section for some great info.

I made the same mistake when I was starting up.


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

I understand that i have too much light but it was going fine for the 2 weeks i added water. The blooms only appeared after one of the 2 changes i made to it. 

I did a 15% water change, changed teh carbon, and added biomax to the filter.


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## OiZO (Feb 2, 2010)

i have been fighting algae for several weeks now with similar setup. I have been manually removing as much as i can and just keeping up with my dosing and i turned up the co2 a little bit more. Its still growing like crazy i am planning on nuking the hell out of it with metricide-14 once my shipment arrives.

Let me know if you find any solutions besides chemical warfare!

BTW your tank looks amazing. Your HC grew so fast. Your looks better then mine and i started months before you lol.


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## Hyzer (Mar 9, 2010)

I understand you made some changes, but the issue is lighting. You should really check out the lighting section of this forum. Light needs to be the limiting factor, rather than CO2 or ferts. This post by Hoppy is my favorite: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lighting/105774-par-vs-distance-t5-t12-pc.html

That being said, I really like your tank. Impressive design with some great hardware. Once you get the lighting and CO2 situation under control, you will be able to enjoy your masterpiece.


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## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

Looking really good. By not _badis badis_ do you mean scarlet badis, or _dario dario_?


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

OiZO said:


> i have been fighting algae for several weeks now with similar setup. I have been manually removing as much as i can and just keeping up with my dosing and i turned up the co2 a little bit more. Its still growing like crazy i am planning on nuking the hell out of it with metricide-14 once my shipment arrives.
> 
> Let me know if you find any solutions besides chemical warfare!
> 
> BTW your tank looks amazing. Your HC grew so fast. Your looks better then mine and i started months before you lol.


I am going to take one bulb out today to see if that helps. We have near identical setups ^__^ Are you still using DIY co2?



Hyzer said:


> I understand you made some changes, but the issue is lighting. You should really check out the lighting section of this forum. Light needs to be the limiting factor, rather than CO2 or ferts. This post by Hoppy is my favorite: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lighting/105774-par-vs-distance-t5-t12-pc.html
> 
> That being said, I really like your tank. Impressive design with some great hardware. Once you get the lighting and CO2 situation under control, you will be able to enjoy your masterpiece.


Thank you for the link. Very informative post and after reading it i have decided to take out one of the 2 bulbs. Until i find a way to hang my fixture higher, i will run 1 bulb. Its probably like < 4" off the surface of the water right now.



snausage said:


> Looking really good. By not _badis badis_ do you mean scarlet badis, or _dario dario_?


They are scarlet badis aka dario dario. 1 of the 3 died but that one wasnt looking too hot when i got it in the first place. Cool fish they remind me of mini blue rams.. cept red.


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## OiZO (Feb 2, 2010)

thatgmc said:


> I am going to take one bulb out today to see if that helps. We have near identical setups ^__^ Are you still using DIY co2?
> 
> No i am now using pressurized co2. I manually removed like a softball amount of claudo algae the other day. I am still waiting on my metricide-14. Chemical warfare here i come!
> 
> Let me know if taking out a bulb helps anything? From what i have heard HC can take all the light you can give it.


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## thatgmc (Jul 4, 2010)

Kinda sad but i never took photos at it's prime. I can say that it completely grew in and was about 1inch thick of HC. I added CO2 and am in the process of changing the entire HC patch into a giant patch of e. Belem that i got from CL. Pictures after wednesday midterm...


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

You can continue to use your light and not have to lift it if you just put some window mesh over the light to block it out. I used the 1mm mesh netting you'd use for window screen and taped it to the splash shield. It cut the lighting by a lot. I don't have a PAR meter but Hoppy said it'd cut something like 30-40%. This in conjunction with using just 1 bulb and you should have the right amount of light for this shallow tank


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

thatgmc said:


> With so much light I have been considering turning it into a hard SPS reef tank. I might just sell the light and buy a T5NO fixture


Another option is to hang a foot from the tank like Hyzer did.


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## thebettashop (Sep 24, 2011)

looks amazing. Very very encouraging! BTW Where did you buy the Seiryu Stones from?


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

brt_p said:


> IMHO, something is wrong with ur rock arrangement... dunno what..


I think it is the fact that the focal point is in the middle. Focal point in the middle keeps your eyes wandering left and right. By placing it slightly off center, you are effectively gently guiding the viewer's eyes (Golden Rule Ratio). Perhaps a taller rock on the right would help with that.


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Very nice tank man, love it.


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