# MABJ's Mossy Bonsai



## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

So what is my timeframe for putting the tank together? 

I've been planning it for a month. I got my moss tree in, my substrate, filter guard, safe start. 

Monday (four days) my tank should come in. 

Thursday (seven days) my plants come in. 

Some time in between Monday and next Saturday I plan to have a shipment of blue snails come in.


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## philipraposo1982 (Mar 6, 2014)

why use substrate?

cool idea.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

philipraposo1982 said:


> why use substrate?
> 
> cool idea.


Congrats on being the first! . Thanks for stopping by. 

Why use substrate? That's a good question. 

I have a few answers- A I want to do the different levels to make it look like a tree on a cliff. B I like having substrate in case I want to plant crypts or anything like that (crypts are a favorite of mine). C there's lots of beneficial bacteria in the substrate and it gives my MTS a place to hide.


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## DennisSingh (Nov 8, 2004)

I wish you the best of luck/skillz, what kind've filter and tank size? Only thing I recommend is go with a different moss than flame for your wall, its interesting but ant gonna look too well


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

StrungOut said:


> I wish you the best of luck/skillz, what kind've filter and tank size? Only thing I recommend is go with a different moss than flame for your wall, its interesting but ant gonna look too well


Why do you feel it won't look great? We considered several different mosses and decided flame was cost effective and would look nice. 

Thanks for the well wishes. I've got several filters I can use, but it came with a HoB with good reviews. 

4g tall AquaTop nano.


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## DennisSingh (Nov 8, 2004)

its just gonna grow straight up and walls generally get less light than rest of the tank so its not gonna look uniform if you get what I'm saying. If you can get a way to disperse light evenly throughout the whole wall, it'd be great, but for cost effectiveness why not use java or taiwan? Spiky or peacock would look great.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

StrungOut said:


> its just gonna grow straight up and walls generally get less light than rest of the tank so its not gonna look uniform if you get what I'm saying. If you can get a way to disperse light evenly throughout the whole wall, it'd be great, but for cost effectiveness why not use java or taiwan? Spiky or peacock would look great.


Hmm I'm not sure. I have a plan to get the light to hit the whole wall, we'll have to test it out. I also chose it because it looks very different from Xmas and it can easily be picked out if it gets mixed up. 

I can always swap it out eventually if I don't like it, I was planning on keeping the wall pretty well trimmed though. 

What do you suppose would do better as a moss wall but be different enough from Xmas moss?


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## DennisSingh (Nov 8, 2004)

Ya try it out, your right can always swap it out easily. Weeping if you can get it to weep, fissidens, willow. You do a good willow moss wall and it looks divine


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

StrungOut said:


> Ya try it out, your right can always swap it out easily. Weeping if you can get it to weep, fissidens, willow. You do a good willow moss wall and it looks divine


True enough! I've got lots of options thankfully . Did you have some shots you wanted to post?


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

Cant wait to see it all come together!


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

h4n said:


> Cant wait to see it all come together!


You tha man!! I'm pumped too!


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## DennisSingh (Nov 8, 2004)

MABJ said:


> True enough! I've got lots of options thankfully . Did you have some shots you wanted to post?


Ya sorry it took so long, I was trying to find my picture of the willow moss wall to show you but couldn't find it...

first I think was taiwan moss, but these two pics show which parts getting the light and not
b4








after








heres weeping moss as a wall








off the aqua moss site its labeled wrong, its actually a weeping wall
but this was the best and uniform wall I've been able to create in my prime with mosses, like with all my walls, light did not reach the bottom to grow out









What your trying to do is really cool and will look really cool if grown to the best. I've seen attempts where the moss looks stringy, still looks pretty cool but more potential is there. Heres a pic of kind've what your trying to achieve as a setup I believe minus the carpet









My recommendation!
tips
Keep the water clean!
photoperiod to the minimum-once you get algae its really hard to eradicate
with my moss tanks, photoperiod is 0-4 hrs and then gradually raised
This in my opinion helps a lot with moss to adapt to conditions
If you get algae during the startup then the light intensity is mostly too high

Those two tips for ya


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

All those tips are great and thanks so much for posting those pictures! 

Have you ever considered growing a wall out flat first then erecting it? That way the moss is all grown out and if you keep it all trimmed, it won't be too bad. That's just a thought. Han has been prepping the flame moss for meh. He said it is perking up. 

Oh another note is I don't want moss walls on the two sides, just on the back wall. I want to be able to see in from the sides ^^. 

That willow moss looked fantastic btw. How much does willow usually run?


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## DennisSingh (Nov 8, 2004)

MABJ said:


> All those tips are great and thanks so much for posting those pictures!
> 
> Have you ever considered growing a wall out flat first then erecting it? That way the moss is all grown out and if you keep it all trimmed, it won't be too bad. That's just a thought. Han has been prepping the flame moss for meh. He said it is perking up.
> 
> ...


You know I never thought to do it that way..

I never posted a pic of willow moss, I was trying to find my willow wall but couldn't find it it probably got deleted. 

Heres willow:









You can find a smaller version of it
Bartohog, he has a good deal on multiple golfballs.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Very pretty. Yeah I was referencing weeping. But I think I'm going to avoid weeping. 

Yeah that's how I'll be starting my moss wall at least for a few days. I am pretty sure that's how Han is doing it as well. 

Bart and I have done some deals. Perhaps I'll have to look into willow if I don't like flame. 

Fingers crossed that I do though! 

I'll keep this very updated with pictures as soon as the tank comes in.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Hey guys! This tank has prompted me to actually set up a shrimp rack so I can start producing some mosses and maybe farming some things for personal and small sale use. 

I just set it up today. 350lb capacity per shelf. 

I have a few questions. 

When putting a tank on a wire rack like this (especially a frameless tank) do you put anything other than the foam mat in between metal and glass? If so, what? 

Also if I wanted to run some strip lighting on each shelf, what would I do? What are my first steps? Thanks!!


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Tank ships today! And Saturday I won an auction for 20 blue Ramshorns . 

Now I can start breeding them and getting them out to our members.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

I need IMMEDIATE advice and acceptance/rejection of this scape!!











It is A LOT of substrate, but it is the only way the tree works with this rock. 

So?!?


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## pseudomugil (Aug 12, 2013)

that looks perfect for a moss tree, one of the better scapes for a moss tree I've seen!


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

pseudomugil said:


> that looks perfect for a moss tree, one of the better scapes for a moss tree I've seen!


Thanks!!!! Keeping the same form I'm using different rocks to get the substrate a tad lower. I'll post new pics soon!


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Ok on scape 2 and 3.0. 

In aquascaping it was recommended to me to try it on the left side. That's a lot of work so I just reversed the tank in 3.0

2.0









3.0









What are we thinking


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## raven_wilde (Jul 12, 2006)

I think it looks good... might skip trying to do a moss wall in there with that tree though, I think both together would be too much.

EDIT to add: The moss wall would detract from the tree, which is a really good find and should be featured. Also. I like the rocks in 3.0 better than 2.0 HTH


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Thanks! I think I finalized it in 5.0. 



















A note (the substrate isn't actually so deep, there's a bunch of rocks under it to make it use less substrate.)


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Any comments?


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## raven_wilde (Jul 12, 2006)

Looks swank. I like the area where the roots interact with the rocks


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

raven_wilde said:


> Looks swank. I like the area where the roots interact with the rocks


That was someone's suggestion and it immediately made sense! 

That's what I love about this forum. The give and take.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Okay filled her up with water today. I'll remineralize the water tomorrow. I didn't do it yet as I thought I might have to do a whole water change because of the new substrate. But it is surprisingly clean from my washing it in a pillowcase. 

The tree however is a magic tree. So it started floating. 

Well we couldn't have that, so I naturally put a rock on top of it until it decides to really put down its roots!


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## That70sfishboy (Apr 2, 2013)

Nice scape!! I'm glad to see your tanks again, Mark!


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## cjstl (Mar 4, 2013)

I was worried about your pile of substrate, but I saw your note on the rocks. That should help keep the hill in place. Another idea for a good hill or terrace is to stack pieces of eggcrate covered with screen and then just cover the assembly with a layer of substrate.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

That70sfishboy said:


> Nice scape!! I'm glad to see your tanks again, Mark!


Thanks so much! I'm so excited to work on scapes and start working on getting some successful colonies of shrimp running. That part I might need help with! I'm going to try to do everything 100% right and by the books. Hopefully that'll net me some shrimp success ;D. 





cjstl said:


> I was worried about your pile of substrate, but I saw your note on the rocks. That should help keep the hill in place. Another idea for a good hill or terrace is to stack pieces of eggcrate covered with screen and then just cover the assembly with a layer of substrate.


Thanks! Yeah I shook it pretty vigorously and it stayed in place rather well. 

Next time I do any hill I'll be sure to do an egg crate. Using 8lbs of substrate for a 4g tank is a bit much lol.


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## That70sfishboy (Apr 2, 2013)

How long did it take your aquatop tank to ship? I just ordered mine


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

That70sfishboy said:


> How long did it take your aquatop tank to ship? I just ordered mine


I'm 6000 miles away, so almost two weeks :/


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## That70sfishboy (Apr 2, 2013)

:icon_cry: Where are they located?


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

That70sfishboy said:


> :icon_cry: Where are they located?


Cali. I'm in WNY. 

Having a bit of an issue with this zoomed 501. It would SEEM it is having noise issues. So it's time to get a new canister or figure out a different option. This is is horrendous. And my fiddling with the impeller only made it worse.


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## That70sfishboy (Apr 2, 2013)

I could get you one from my work and ship it to you  25% employee discount goes a long way. Should i get one for my cube i ordered?


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

That70sfishboy said:


> I could get you one from my work and ship it to you  25% employee discount goes a long way. Should i get one for my cube i ordered?


Oh a zoomed? That might work out. How much does it work out to be with the 25%?

Honestly I love them for any size tank under 5-6 gallons


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## That70sfishboy (Apr 2, 2013)

I dunno lol. I don't work until friday, I can tell ya then. I might pick one up for me too though, lol. That or I'll just go the sponge route.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

That70sfishboy said:


> I dunno lol. I don't work until friday, I can tell ya then. I might pick one up for me too though, lol. That or I'll just go the sponge route.


Oh nice! Definitely let me know then! If the price is right, I'll pounce. Mine is only broken because I left it in the care of family and they let it run dry then called me confused as to why it was making weird noises.


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## That70sfishboy (Apr 2, 2013)

That sucks :/ My girlfriend is working tonight so I'll ask her to gimme the price.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Well thanks!


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## That70sfishboy (Apr 2, 2013)

No problem! I think i may go to an lfs tonight and look around..maybe pickup some plants since I'm basically out!


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

That70sfishboy said:


> No problem! I think i may go to an lfs tonight and look around..maybe pickup some plants since I'm basically out!


Never hesitate to order from Han! I have a $200 plant order coming in from him. I'm extremely excited. 

I nixed the moss wall though. It wasn't going to be the best in this tank. Maybe in the cubes! Yes that's it! Maybe I'll do a purely moss cube!


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## That70sfishboy (Apr 2, 2013)

DOO IT!! And I'll probably order from han if i don't get anything lol. Just going to look for sure. Maybe pick up some endlers for the cube. But I just read something that makes me feel like a complete idiot. Shrimp like cold water. I never knew this. Whoooooops. >_>


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

That70sfishboy said:


> DOO IT!! And I'll probably order from han if i don't get anything lol. Just going to look for sure. Maybe pick up some endlers for the cube. But I just read something that makes me feel like a complete idiot. Shrimp like cold water. I never knew this. Whoooooops. >_>


Yeah 72° is perfect for them lol. 

I will do it  I'm thinking mini Xmas moss. I'd say mini weeping but it grows far too slow.


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## That70sfishboy (Apr 2, 2013)

Yeah, I need some xmas moss lol. Thats what i plan on putting in my cube. Anyway, back from the fish store with Stargrass, a crypt wendtii, and some DW!


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

That70sfishboy said:


> Yeah, I need some xmas moss lol. Thats what i plan on putting in my cube. Anyway, back from the fish store with Stargrass, a crypt wendtii, and some DW!


Star grass? What's that?

Sounds like a nice LFS. You have a journal?


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## That70sfishboy (Apr 2, 2013)

Yeah, I'm typing it up as we speak


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## That70sfishboy (Apr 2, 2013)

I'll get a pic of the stargrass when the tank clears up. Its probably my favorite plant in the history of history.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

That70sfishboy said:


> I'll get a pic of the stargrass when the tank clears up. Its probably my favorite plant in the history of history.


Mine is all moss . But yeah snap a picture of it!


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## That70sfishboy (Apr 2, 2013)

Moss is a close 3rd behind Hygrophilia polysperma. You should check out the thread I made


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

BOOM. FINALLY FINISHED. 

Yeah it looks like crap now, but in two to three weeks the moss will start filling in I'm so excited. 

So we've got mini Xmas in the tree, and Xmas on the floor. 

I did one final labor intensive rescape, and I think I got it looking really nice. 

Full tank shot. 










Great Xmas 2x2s (some cut down to .5x2s)









Fantastic Anubias micro. 









More micro and the new slope. 









This is my new SunSun 602B filter. Was super cheap and it is REALLY NICE. 









Well what do you all think?!


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## That70sfishboy (Apr 2, 2013)

Awesome! Let me know when you get some moss trimmings worth shipping out; I'd be interested (I know it'll be a while lol). That filter looks pretty impressive. Quite tempting


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

$28 with free shipping. Better than a zoomed. I know I'll be picking up many more lol.


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## DennisSingh (Nov 8, 2004)

did i miss something? Your tank just got awesome overnight!


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

Looks great man!

How's that filter I almost got one a while back!


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## ConfidentBlue (Aug 27, 2013)

[emoji106] looks great man. I've been so tempted to buy one of those bonsais and doing something similar.

Beautiful and can't wait to watch this fill out!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

StrungOut said:


> did i miss something? Your tank just got awesome overnight!


Thank you!! Yeah I put a bunch of time into it on Saturday. Now I've got to write a bunch of reviews lol. Only thing you missed was that Han's order came in and the plants were fantastic . I am too excited for it to cycle.



h4n said:


> Looks great man!
> 
> How's that filter I almost got one a while back!


Dude it is fantastic. Strong flow, great GPH rating, quiet and it looks nice too lol. Appreciate the compliment. Now to figure out how to use my mini fiss and weeping moss!



ConfidentBlue said:


> [emoji106] looks great man. I've been so tempted to buy one of those bonsais and doing something similar.
> 
> Beautiful and can't wait to watch this fill out!


Thank you! The first time I ever saw one I pounced on it. I knew I had to have it. Not a bad $60 spent at all!


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Did all my testing. I don't test frequently, but I do test thoroughly to start a tank off.

So.. Here are my stats, and here's the advice I need!

TDS-250
GH-8 or 9 (I never know if it's turning or not and when to count, before or after, so Idk)
KH-1 or 2 (Same deal as above)
Ammonia - .25 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate - 5.0 ppm

So, I'm guessing that means tetra safe start works... Because I only squeezed a little filter media from my other filter into the new one, and I'm pretty sure those numbers couldn't just come from that. 

The question I then have for anybody who is good at cycling (I admit, I am not) is what do I do now?

I obviously have to keep a source of ammonia in the tank to keep the cycle good, and it obviously isn't finished, but at that stage in the game, wouldn't you say it's close?

Last question, should I add some snails to the tank? That's usually how I cycle, they usually can handle the ammonia, and they usually finish the cycle out. What do you think?

Thanks for your help!


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Definitely looking for that advice on the cycle ongoing, but I updated the name, as it isn't moss mayhem if there's no moss wall!


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## someoldguy (Feb 26, 2014)

Just wait ... You've innoculated the tank with both Safestart and some of the good scuz from one of your established tanks so the bacteria are there , they just have to multiply . That small ammonia reading should start to show an equally small nitrite reading in a week or so , then everything will go to 0 except nitrates , and you're good to go . Just check your water chemistry every few days . Sure ... throw in some snails if you can handle the threat of overpopulation . Be patient .


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

someoldguy said:


> Just wait ... You've inoculated the tank with both Safestart and some of the good scuz from one of your established tanks so the bacteria are there , they just have to multiply . That small ammonia reading should start to show an equally small nitrite reading in a week or so , then everything will go to 0 except nitrates , and you're good to go . Just check your water chemistry every few days . Sure ... throw in some snails if you can handle the threat of overpopulation . Be patient .


Hehe the snails I have, I'm pretty sure most of TPT will want. I'm breeding blue leopard spotted ramshorns. 

Thanks for the comment. Now the way I USED to understand cycling was this:

Water > Stuff breaks down in water > Stuff becomes ammonia.

There's ammonia in water > nitrIte develops to handle the ammonia

There's now ammonia and nitrIte > NitrAte develops to handle the ammonia AND nitrIte.

So based off those three statements above, isn't it true that I might never see a NitrIte reading? I might just stick with ammonia and nitrAte, then just nitrAte?


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## someoldguy (Feb 26, 2014)

Far as I know it still works that way , but then I'm not a water chemist nor do I play one on TV . Maybe there's some magic pixie dust in the Safestart that accelerates the conversion of nitrite to nitrate . Never used the stuff so I don't know . I'm pretty casual re: cycling . Generally I'll charge up the filter with stuff from a running filter , siphon off some bottom filth from a happy tank and throw it into the new tank with a maybe 20 % used water siphoned from elsewhere , wait a week or so , and I'm rolling . Anyway , keep checking your water , everything will settle out soon .


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Thanks! Hope so. I've tossed in a few large snails. They seem to be doing OK!


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Has anybody else done any scapes involving true micro Anubias?


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Here is the fishless cycle. 
With the Tetra Safe Start, and a bit of goodies from your other tank this ought to go really fast. I am concerned about the low KH, though. These bacteria get their carbon from carbonates. When you are trying to get the bacteria to grow as fast as possible you want optimum conditions for them. After the colony has grown you can sure do a big water change and set the water chemistry to whatever you want. 

Fishless Cycle

Set up tank and equipment. 
Fill with water, including dechlor. 
Optimum conditions to grow these bacteria the fastest:
GH and KH at least 3 German degrees of hardness, and higher is just fine. 
Add some other minerals, for example plant fertilizers: KH2PO4, trace minerals. 
High oxygen levels. 
Good water movement. 
A place to grow. They grow on surfaces, not drifting free in the water. Filter media is great. Sponges, floss, bio-media are all good places for these bacteria.
You can add a starter culture of the right bacteria if you want. It is optional. The cycle can go faster if you add something. Media from a cycled, healthy filter. Bottled bacteria containing Nitrospira species of bacteria. Do not waste money on anything else. 

Add ammonia (no surfactants, no perfumes) to test 5 ppm. 
Test daily. Add more ammonia to keep the test at 5 ppm through the first few days. 
Test for nitrite. When nitrite shows up allow the ammonia to drop to 3 ppm. 
Test daily, adding enough ammonia to bring the test to 3 ppm once a day. If you are growing plants that do not like this level of ammonia then test twice a day, and add enough ammonia to bring the test to 1 ppm twice a day. 
If the nitrite gets to 5 ppm do a water change. Perhaps add less ammonia for a few days. The nitrite removing bacteria (Nitrospira species) are slower growing, and the ammonia removing bacteria might be making more nitrite than they can deal with. 

When the ammonia returns to 0 ppm after 24 hours, and no nitrite shows up at that same 24 hour mark, then the cycle is done. 
A fishless cycle with no plants might have VERY high nitrate. Do a BIG water change, or even a couple of them to get the nitrate way down before adding the fish. You can fully stock the tank. 
A fishless cycle with lots of plants might show almost no nitrate. The plants are part of the bio filter, and are removing a certain amount of the ammonia before the bacteria even have a chance to turn it into nitrate, and then the plants are removing some or all of the nitrate produced by the bacteria. I would still do a big water change. 

If the fish you want to keep need water different than the hard, alkaline water that grow the bacteria so well, now is the time to change that to softer, acidic water. While you were trying to grow the bacteria as fast as possible you wanted optimum conditions for the bacteria. Now that the colony is well established you can change the conditions. They might not grow so fast, but that is OK.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

I retested the KH, and it's at least two, but I'm not sure exactly how to get it to three. 

Thanks SO much for commenting! I'll keep my eye out on the cycle and I'll make sure to test daily. 

How do you exactly 'add' ammonia I'm wondering? I've got none on hand. I've got snails in there creating waste, and I can feed them. Do you think that will suffice?


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## limz_777 (Jun 29, 2005)

i am using this stand as well , quite a pita to adjust the height at times


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

limz_777 said:


> i am using this stand as well , quite a pita to adjust the height at times


Yeah if there's tanks on it, you likely won't be adjusting the height. But it's better than a fixed height stand.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Got a total of 10 snails in here now! They are all alive and kicking so I think I'm good on them not dying. 

I'll keep testing ^^


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

This thread needs more pictures. This is a really awesome scape, look forward to the progression.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

talontsiawd said:


> This thread needs more pictures. This is a really awesome scape, look forward to the progression.


Much appreciated! I'll post more pictures. I'll get some snail shots tonight!


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

New pics tonight. First thing is the 1/3 done shrimp rack! Hehe. Super excited about it. Starting to look decent. I added boxes to the bottom shelf. 










The light isn't actually that bright. No worries. Next up is a shot of the tree and grass. Moss has grown some. 



















Next is mah snail. This one has spots, and an egg sac on it. Lol. 










Finally a FTS. Really starting to come together. 










Did I mention how I LOVE the SunSun?!


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## DennisSingh (Nov 8, 2004)

Great choice on the filter! You will notice that the moss on the branch closer to the light and closer to being emerged will grow much nicer, sorry if I haven't read through your whole post but whats your lighting on this?


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

dude the egg sac on the snail is to funny! haha

how big are those hose for that sun sun filter they look huge? Does it come with a spray bar?


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

StrungOut said:


> Great choice on the filter! You will notice that the moss on the branch closer to the light and closer to being emerged will grow much nicer, sorry if I haven't read through your whole post but whats your lighting on this?


No it's completely fine. Yeah I think the moss being close to the light will be very neat if I can avoid hair algae. 

So the light is a beamsworks light. Was cheap, but it was just a spare light I had on hand. 

I've got a 36" Beamswork coming to light up the whole shelf.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

h4n said:


> dude the egg sac on the snail is to funny! haha
> 
> how big are those hose for that sun sun filter they look huge? Does it come with a spray bar?


They're massive. They're at least an inch thick. They're super durable. Yeah it comes with a spraybar.

And yeah lol these snails are laying eggs everywhere lol.


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

wow that's so big! lol! smallish filter huge hoses haha

did you get the same type of beamworks for the 36"?


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

h4n said:


> wow that's so big! lol! smallish filter huge hoses haha
> 
> did you get the same type of beamworks for the 36"?


It should be similar output, but I got smaller LEDs. So there's more of the LEDs, but they're a better spread out.


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

I see! I got the LED Freshwater HI type, 48" for my shrimp rack. I like it so far.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

h4n said:


> I see! I got the LED Freshwater HI type, 48" for my shrimp rack. I like it so far.


Nice!!

That's what I got I think just in 36". I mean you can't beat Beamswork light fixtures. They're $20-40 for free shipping lol.


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

yup very true the 48" is $65 shipped


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

h4n said:


> yup very true the 48" is $65 shipped


Dawg you were right. This is boss. I wish I had about 4 more racks each with this light on the shelf.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

My guy just shipped me one of these to try out. Brand new beamsworks light .


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Just did a ton of work on the shrimp rack. 

Also did some testing... It wasn't positive unfortunately. So I have transferred even more filter media, and I am going to try to continue the cycle. 

But the good news is one shrimp rack shelf is officially done. I really recommend everybody get one of these. It's like a rig that you can attach stuff to. I've got drawers on it, fans hanging on the side to control temp spikes, power strips on both sides to manage the power chords, and possibly most important of all, you can actually rig up one long light for an entire row of tanks. This is super neat. 

I'll post pictures soon.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Hokay. Pictures keep journals interesting. 

So I'm going to be using this thread as my unofficial rack thread lol.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

So after the Nitrate was at 5 ppm, I couldn't detect any Nitrate last night. 

That is quite unfortunate, so the actions I took were swapping out a seeded filter sponge and squeezing filter juice into the water, along with replacing a gallon of water from this tank with water from an established tank.

I also added a bit more safe-start. 

We will again see what happens to the cycle. The ammonia is plenty high, I don't want it to go over 50 ppm.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Did some maneuvering of the rack today. Canisters are the best filters ever. Absolutely love them. Easy to hook up, better filtration and they are a siphon already. Just move the outflow to a bucket!


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## limz_777 (Jun 29, 2005)

looks like you are running out of space , maybe i have miss it but what moss are you using for the tree scape ? looks great by the way .


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

limz_777 said:


> looks like you are running out of space , maybe i have miss it but what moss are you using for the tree scape ? looks great by the way .


That's not a bad thing  maybe my wallet will regenerate a little then. 

I am using normal Xmas in the carpet, mini Xmas in the tree 

I debated on more but wound up on those two.


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## Bserve (Nov 4, 2012)

If only there was a *POOF* and the tank was fully grown. I guess I'll have to wait :hihi:


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Bserve said:


> If only there was a *POOF* and the tank was fully grown. I guess I'll have to wait :hihi:


You and me both! Right now I'm worried because I keep seeding the tank and nitrate isn't taking off, the ammonia just keeps growing.


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## cmdR_CHRIS (Jan 27, 2014)

How is the flow of your SunSun 602B filter? I see that you have it in that lovely 4g. I'm halfway through the dry start of my 2.5g and I really want some filtration but everything I have been looking at, HOB will not fit the rim and sponge filters are too big, is not built for a 2.5g bowl. I think a canister filter is the solution. Would you recommend the sunsun for a 2.5g?

Also how noisy is it? I would have it right next to my bed.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

cmdR_CHRIS said:


> How is the flow of your SunSun 602B filter? I see that you have it in that lovely 4g. I'm halfway through the dry start of my 2.5g and I really want some filtration but everything I have been looking at, HOB will not fit the rim and sponge filters are too big, is not built for a 2.5g bowl. I think a canister filter is the solution. Would you recommend the sunsun for a 2.5g?


The SunSun might be too large. I wouldn't want it on a tank smaller than this I don't think. Perhaps consider a zoomed 501. They're cheap and good, too!


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## cmdR_CHRIS (Jan 27, 2014)

MABJ said:


> The SunSun might be too large. I wouldn't want it on a tank smaller than this I don't think. Perhaps consider a zoomed 501. They're cheap and good, too!


Thanks for the quick response! Your tank rack looks great! Mossy Bonsai is a very cool concept, all the best to you.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

cmdR_CHRIS said:


> Thanks for the quick response! Your tank rack looks great! Mossy Bonsai is a very cool concept, all the best to you.


No problem at all!

Thanks  I love my rack. I hope to get it all functioning very soon. Building up the last two tanks now, just gotta cycle everything.


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## AutumnSky (May 19, 2012)

Hi, 
What ever happened with the Moss Tree?


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