# 22 Gallon ADA style tank - Lost Lake -FINAL - New pics 7/27 (56k)



## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

I just started this tank last weekend. This is my attempt to journal the setup and progress of the tank as it matures. I made my own tank and stand to reduce the cost while getting the ADA look and feel. The tank and stand DIY process can be found here. The journal of the second tank is here.

I just broke down a 80 gallon tank which will be replaced with 2 22 gallon tanks (including this one). So I already had the lights, CO2 equipment etc. required for the setup.

I also had a old tank which I had used to mature the filters artificially (added household ammonia and Fritz zyme bacteria and left it for 2 weeks to mature), so that I can jump start the setup process without harming any flora or fauna during cycling.

I named it "Lost Lake". Idea is to make a scape resembling a rocky lake shore that has dried up in the middle of a forest.

Here is a photo feature of the setup process.

First some power sand at the bottom









Covered up the rest of the base with Aqua Soil Amazonia - Type II. The front center has a dip to be filled up with sand. There is a small slope towards the side and a bigger slope towards the back.









The bigger rocks form the rear center of the scape









More smaller and medium rocks around main pieces to define the shoreline









Forest Sand Bronco mimicks the dry lake shore









Added a few bog woods and attached java moss to the bog wood and some of the smaller looks to give a "foresty" look with dead tree remnants and moss cover









Finally added the plants
Rotala indica and Ammania Gracillis on the background, red tiger lotus in mid ground and blyxa japonica and anubias barteri in the foreground.









The tank is filled up, CO2 and filter connections made. I'll have to add a background to hide the light bars etc.

Fishes will be added in a few days. I will try to publish pictures on a weekly basis to monitor the progress


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

Looks like a very good start. Are you sure you want to add fish so soon? I might hold off a couple weeks until the ammonia levels die down from the aquasoil.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

eyebeatbadgers said:


> Looks like a very good start. Are you sure you want to add fish so soon? I might hold off a couple weeks until the ammonia levels die down from the aquasoil.



Thank you very much. I have already done fishless cycling so my filter is mature and ammonia and nitrite levels are at zero. Nitrate is about 20 ppm


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Awesome diy! I look forward to seeing this tank mature!


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

clwatkins10 said:


> Awesome diy! I look forward to seeing this tank mature!


Thank you clwatkins.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

*End of Week 1*

More pictures at the end of week 1. Meanwhile I added my fishes from my old tank in it. Fishes introduced are
Discus - I had 3, 2 died. I have thought of giving away the 3rd one before but my wife did not agree. So he (?) stays
Danio, Mountain Minnow (my first fish), rummynose tetra, H. rasbora, Ottos, platy and one dwarf pleco.

I also added a white foam board background (which I notice in the picture to be a little tilted...gotto fix that). Until next week...



















Some pictures of both my tanks together


















I am not a great photographer. Any ideas about aquarium photography would be greatly appreciated.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

I am having a problem with my co2 distribution. The setup has 2 tanks supplied from single cylinder. The adapter on the cylinder is connected to the solenoid valve which the connects to 2 lines with a T valve. Till now everything was fine. This morning I accidentally broke one of the diffusers while cleaning the tank and replaced it with a spare I had. Ever since, co2 is flowing to only one line under normal bps. If I increase the bps considerably it flows little bit to the other one too. Obviously some pressure issue. Any ideas on how to fix the flow?


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

wayyyy too tiny tank for any discus at all

but layout is nice


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

fishman9809 said:


> wayyyy too tiny tank for any discus at all
> 
> but layout is nice


i know. But the discus is still juvenile (about 4" long) and still happy, so I'll let it stay till it out grows the tank :icon_lol:


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Tried some of my (non-existent) camera skills :icon_smil

Inhabitants


















Dusk in the forest. All the stem plants have started to spread and grow.


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## Outsane (Dec 5, 2008)

the dusk thing is pretty cool..... now I have to decide between that and moon lighting.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Outsane said:


> the dusk thing is pretty cool..... now I have to decide between that and moon lighting.


Better if you get both. Both are beautiful in their own ways

i have 
9 AM - 7 PM day
7 PM - 8 PM Dusk
8 PM - 6 AM Night (moon)
6 Am - 8 AM Dawn

It is pretty cool


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## ER9 (Aug 2, 2008)

that tank on the right looks freaking cool. looks like a mini swiss mountain range complete with conifer trees. what plants are those that look like the trees?

oops nevermind....overlooked the journal link. found it :icon_redf


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

I love both of your scapes! I'm a little concerned about that ASII leaching ammo, have you checked parameters lately? I had a mature filter also but I still had ammo at 4.5 ppm for a week!


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

mott said:


> I love both of your scapes! I'm a little concerned about that ASII leaching ammo, have you checked parameters lately? I had a mature filter also but I still had ammo at 4.5 ppm for a week!


Hmm...that's interesting. Never heard of that. Even the AFA guys never mentioned it. They did tell that nitrate will be high and indeed it is. Anyways, this is my experience. After I did fishless cycling of the filters and ammo went to 0 in about 7-8 days, I setup the scapes and introduced fishes on the 10th day. 

For the first week ammo in both tanks increased a bit (fluctuated between 0.25 to 1ppm) so I cut back on the feeding and did more regular water changes. There was one nitrite spike and I lost some cardinas, but with water change that was normalized too and I could save my cardinals.

Currently I am checking the parameters every other day (ammo and nitrite show 0) and reduced water changes to once per week. I will continue to maintain my feeding rate @ once every alternate day, till I complete stocking (more cardinals) and filter matures to handle that capacity.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

ER9 said:


> that tank on the right looks freaking cool. looks like a mini swiss mountain range complete with conifer trees. what plants are those that look like the trees?
> 
> oops nevermind....overlooked the journal link. found it :icon_redf


You made my day:icon_smil. I have got lot of praises and critic on that setup but never did anybody mention "swiss mountain" where as that was exactly my inspiration. Thank you


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

the dusk setting with the backlighting looks really cool.


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## Phoenix-cry (Dec 25, 2008)

I love the little sand 'lake' and that discus is way adorable.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Thank you all for visiting. Now I need some ideas. The blyxas on the left are constantly melting to the extent that they need to go. I am planning to replace them with something different.

This is what I have thought. broad leaved plants to contrast the rotalas behind. max growth not more than 4-6". Not too stemmy. No carpet plants that can start growing in the "lake":eek5:. May be some crypts, anubias.

Any ideas or suggestions? not just plant names, but if you have totally different ideas, let me know as well.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Got some E. Tenellus and Narrow Leaf Java Fern today from AFA. Ideas on how to place them. On initial thoughts I am thinking java ferns towards the middle of the tank between the rocks and tenellus on the left replacing blyxa.

comments? plants came with a hell lot of snails. Not in mood to clean them up today, so they stay in hospital tank for tonight while I think of ideas.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

First attempt on changing the layout. Tenellus replaced blyxa on the left (few more floating on the top to be planted). Moved the anubias from right corner to the center around the rocks. The java ferns occupies the right corner.









The photo quality is not good but it does its job :icon_roll.

Looking at it I am not sure if the anubias in the center looks too well. It actually hides another bunch behind it and seems a little out of place. My be take it off from there and place it on the right where the fore most java fern is. The java fern can be pushed a little back and tied to the base of the BW.

Some more work to do. 

Meanwhile rotalas and Myriophylls in the background growing pretty at decent pace. Ammania's also grew taller and got a trim job yesterday. Bad news today, I lost my only minnow. Poor guy jumped out of the tank. Tank parameters are all in safe limits, not sure why it did that. I probably have to get some plexiglass covers for the tanks.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Could not concentrate on the tanks for the last couple of days due to work pressure (for a time like this "work pressure" seems like a blessing!!!). Finally planted the remaining tenellus and moved the anubias to the base of the DW. For now content with the looks.

Sorry the water turned pretty murky while I tried to fix the fern and anubias so no pictures today.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

The water has turned even more murky today. Yesterday, I thought it was because of the dust resulting from planting. But that's not the case or it should have improved by now. Does this look like green water?

Yesterday









Today









Nitrate level shot up to 40 yesterday from 30 the day before.

Meanwhile some other shots

Platys nibbling on the moss ties. Fresh moss has already attached and sprouted from the BW, so I guess I will get rid of the ties and loose moss strands over the weekend.









E. Tenellus









Java fern


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## Nilraf (Jan 22, 2009)

wow, those tanks are a true testament to DIY, and they look amazing! Sorry about the greenwater, but once they mature they will look really nice!


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Nilraf said:


> wow, those tanks are a true testament to DIY, and they look amazing! Sorry about the greenwater, but once they mature they will look really nice!


Thank you Nilraf. I have added a pouch of Algone (had success with it before) yesterday. I have my next water change this weekend. Will leave it there and see how it goes. If the algone and water change does not help it, I have to try Excel next.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

I hoped to have a clear progression of the flora over the weeks, but the nasty green water was a bummer. Anyways, this is a journal, so it needs to have whatever happens. So here are some snaps at the end of this week

First the breaking news - floating algone pouch is the star of this week (and my fishes love it )









Good thing...so much is left to imagination









Some good news...the tenellus already started spreading runners within 4 days of planting.









The rotala and Myriophylls have maintained steady growth meanwhile. Anubias and java moss is also sprouting. Ammania growth has not really picked up yet.

6 hours of photo period and algone will be the continuation for green water cure. Changed water in last 2 days (20% daily). Will probably require 20-25% change every alternate day for this week.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Finally the water started to clear. Rotalas made quite a bit of progress. Except for the java moss, everything is blooming. Most of the java moss is melting but new shoots are starting as well. Still too small to capture on camera.

Added some pelia on the rocks today.

Myriophyllums are going crazy. 








May be a better picture tomorrow.


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## itstony (Jan 11, 2009)

hope the water gets clear again but that is one beautiful tank and arent discus fragile to water changes or is it not affected


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## rountreesj (Jun 12, 2007)

Should've baught my uv...


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

itstony said:


> hope the water gets clear again but that is one beautiful tank and arent discus fragile to water changes or is it not affected


Yes they are. But this one has been with me for over 8 months so I guess it is more used to. Also for water changes, I heat the fresh water seperately to the temperature in the tank water and add a measured dose of aquarium salt, chlorene remover and 3 types of medication so that the stress is less and a sudden outbreak of ick etc. can be prevented. So far it has worked :icon_roll


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

rountreesj said:


> Should've baught my uv...


I thought of using uv, but with 3 tanks to maintain I am in a budget constraint . Besides even if I add sterilizer, my plumbing is hard wired so I cannot do it inline and I don't want any more hardware in the tanks on a permanent basis, so install/uninstall is a hassle. I guess I am lazy in that aspect  so I rather preferred the traditional remedies.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

This week's photo feature




































Budding java moss


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Some brand new pictures










Red tiger lotus hiding my growing steadily behind the tenellus.









Rotala Indica bush...still green though









Ammanias grown faily tall









Who is that...is it me?









Rummynoses blend with sand









rasboras


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

New inhabitant - bumble bee goby


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## ddtran46 (Jul 8, 2008)

The tank is nice...but the water:icon_conf


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

ddtran46 said:


> The tank is nice...but the water:icon_conf


Actually the water is clean now. The photos in here are about a month old. I recently trimmed the stem plants, so waiting for them to grow back before taking new full tank shots.


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## skratikans (May 23, 2008)

Nice set up! I was also inspired by your swiss alps tank as well. I love following your journals. 
I love the goby, maybe I'm thinking of another fish but I always thought they were more of a brackish or slightly brackish fish


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

skratikans said:


> Nice set up! I was also inspired by your swiss alps tank as well. I love following your journals.
> I love the goby, maybe I'm thinking of another fish but I always thought they were more of a brackish or slightly brackish fish


Thank you.

I got these from Aqua Forest. They had a ton of these in their regular tanks and did not mention any special brackish water requirements so I don't know. But they seem to be doing well. I got 4 of them and they secured their territories on the 4 corner


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## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

how did you get rid of your green water? what was the imbalance? i have the same problem and i can't get rid of the stuff even after upping my co2 and doing 2 blackouts...


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

hilikus16 said:


> how did you get rid of your green water? what was the imbalance? i have the same problem and i can't get rid of the stuff even after upping my co2 and doing 2 blackouts...


In my case it was mainly because of too much light when the plants were sparse. I did not do any blackouts. I reduced photo period from 11 to 9 hrs. Also I had 2 T5s on the tank so I switched off one. And I did 20-25% water change every alternate day. Recovery will vary from tank to tank but it can take a while. For me it took about 2 weeks to show signs of recovery (meanwhile plants started off pretty fast which helped) and another week to fully recover. 

How bad is yours? You can also try some fast growing plants to utilize nutrients in the tank. For me Myriophyllums and Rotala Indica did the job. Also make sure that you are not overdosing nutrients or overfeeding fish. May be cut down on feeding frequency till the problem is resolved.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Did some minor rescapes over this weekend. 

- Trimmed the rotala indicas on the rear left.
- Trimmed and replanted the ammania gracilis on the right background for a thicker vegetation
- Trimmed and replanted Echinodorous Tenellus on the left foreground.
- Moved the narrow leaf java ferns from the right to the center in between the rocks.
- Planted some four leaf clovers on the right foreground. The plants were grown emersed in store. Hopefully once the emersed leaves melt and the submerged one leaf form spreads out, it will look better.










The moss on the wood was hiding too much of the fern and the right side of the tank so I decided to lay them down like dead tree trunks. Photo is a bit out of focus.

The scape looks rather flat right now. Once the ammania and rotalas grow back, that should create some textural difference.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

It's been a while since I updated this journal. Meanwhile I was busy making a LED light panel to replace my T5. Now that it is complete (link to the DIY thread in my signature), it is time to post new pictures of the tank under the new lights.


















I removed the white backdrop so with the light bars and the patio door behind, the mystic feeling is gone. I do have another idea for the backdrop that I want to try out. Till then this is how it is going to be.

Couple of shots with both tanks and the new light fixtures


















Different angles


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Decided to change the plant layout again. Before that some close ups of the inhabitants. 

Clover Field









I have serious green spot algae issue. Need to change the phosphate dosing









Rainbow









The dwarf anubias is all infested with algae. I snipped off most of the infested leaves after this shoot









Red tiger lotus


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

And the new scape. Replaced the E. Tenellus with HC that refused to spread in my other tank. Hopefully it will do better here. Also moved the moss covered driftwoods to the right and planted lots of limnophila aromaticas (from the other tank as well...that will get a major rescape too)


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## legomaniac89 (Mar 16, 2008)

Looks good, I like the rescape. Lots of Rotalas: that's my kind of tank


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## RamsRme (Mar 20, 2009)

Where'd the discus go?:flick::icon_lol:


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

legomaniac89 said:


> Looks good, I like the rescape. Lots of Rotalas: that's my kind of tank


Thank you. I love the rotalas too.



RamsRme said:


> Where'd the discus go?


Traded it in part for the rainbows


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

i love those gobies! i thought they were brackish tho? and can be aggressive? i want some tho.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

organic sideburns said:


> i love those gobies! i thought they were brackish tho? and can be aggressive? i want some tho.


Yes they are brackish but when I saw a ton of them in ADA SF, they explained that the gobies do fine in freshwater too so I decided to give it a try. Gobies are not actually aggressive. They are ambush predators but in my tank, their tank mates are too big for them to tackle, so they are pretty well behaved


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

oh i see. well then im going to try and find some gobies! what do u feed them?


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

organic sideburns said:


> oh i see. well then im going to try and find some gobies! what do u feed them?


Juicy bloodworms


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## wrangler (Oct 14, 2007)

I really like those "clovers" what plant is that? Is it hard to keep? Where did you get them...and do you ever offer them in S&S???


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

wrangler said:


> I really like those "clovers" what plant is that? Is it hard to keep? Where did you get them...and do you ever offer them in S&S???


That would be Marselia species. They're a great plant, I have some in my tank now

There's some Marselia for sale here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/swap-n-shop/86172-fs-moss-ferns-marsilea-micro-tenellus.html


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

wrangler said:


> I really like those "clovers" what plant is that? Is it hard to keep? Where did you get them...and do you ever offer them in S&S???


Yes they are Marselia Minuta. Pretty easy to keep and grow moderately fast. They are called 4 leaf clover but they are "4-leaf" in terrestrial form. Underwater they turn in 2-leaf form and spread by runners. I love them.

I don't have enough to put on sale yet, but may be in a month's time when I have sufficient, I will put some on sale.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Decided to go PMDD from this weekend after I did my weekly water change and measured the nutrient levels after 1 day.

I already go these dry ferts from aquariumfertilizers.com earlier this week.
Potassium Nitrate, Mono Potassium Phosphate, Potassium Sulphate, Chelated Iron, CSM









And prepared individual solutions (about 1-2 months supply at a time)

Prepared individual solutions so that I can alter individual nutrients as needed. For now I am targetting to keep nitrate 10-20ppm, potassium - 15-20ppm, phosphate - 0.5-0.75ppm, iron - 0.1-0.2ppm per week.

Plan is to check nutrient levels after each water change (50%) to baseline. Then plan for the daily dosage so that the max level is reached in 7 days. Kind of EI dosage, but I did some calculations in an excel to find out my regular dosage to reach up-to the mid level of each nutrient range in 7 days. Assuming that there will be some residual nutrients week over week, the dosage rate should reduce after a few weeks.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

weekly progress under LED - end of week 1


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## triazole (Aug 26, 2008)

looks smooth sailing so far...enjoy...


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

One thing that has been disappointing so far is the coloration of plants. I have tried altering iron dosage, altered light intensity and photo period, but the rotala indicas and ammania gracillis are not getting the bright colors.

Only exception is the tiger lotus.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

tank was overgrown with rotala indica and limnophila so I did a trimming today. At the same time I got rid of the ammania and bunched up all the limnophilas on that end.

For the first time my HC is showing some (tiny winy) progress in spreading out. So to allow them more space, I moved the driftwoods between the rocks.










Close up. The anubias looks worn out cause I trimmed a lot of algae infested leaves off it.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

my lily pipes and co2 pollen glass were long due cleaning but I have been procrastinating about it for months. This weekend I found this handy flexible pipe cleaner for 5 bucks that came extremely handy










fits pretty well









This is how the pipe looked immediately before cleaning









And here it is back in tank (on the right) after cleanup. The only problem with this model of lily pipe is that the bottom cannot be cleaned very well.









the pollen glass anyways had to be soaked in bleach water overnight and then rinsed and soaked in plain water for another day with Excel supplementing for the time being.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Some more pictures of the tank since last trim. Meanwhile I had a second attack of green water. Phosphate testing showed phosphate @ 2ppm. It is not really out of control, so a week or 2 of regularized water change and time for the rotala and limnophila (trimmed last week) to start growing back should help control the phosphate and green water.

closeup of the center. The green water is not so evident since these shots were taken right after a 70% water change, but you can still make out the haze.










limnophila aromatica showing growth and color









java moss jungle









tiger lotus


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Have you considered getting a UV sterilizer to help with the GW?

And I never noticed that Marselia patch in the front right until now!


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Have you considered getting a UV sterilizer to help with the GW?


nope. last time I had gw problem it was much worse but I managed to get rid of it in 2 week just with controlling photo period and nutrients. This time I started controlling those even before it got that worse, so I am hopeful that it would be eliminated before getting much worse. so no plans for uv sterilizer right now.



ZooTycoonMaster said:


> And I never noticed that Marselia patch in the front right until now!


probably because some of the earlier pictures showed them in their long emersed form when I planted them first 
They filled up pretty fast, and now I planted a few nodes on the left side too to fill that up.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Is it quad. or minuta?


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Is it quad. or minuta?


originally i thought it is minuta, but it is actually hirsuta (quad). I thought quads have their 4 leaf form in emersed growth and change to single leaf form under water. But in my experience, they have a combination of single and multi (2-4 leaves) leaves even under water. I have no clue what drives some leaves to be single and some to be multiple.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

I see.

How'd you plant it in the first place to get it to grow in so thick like that?


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

From the clump I got, I separated individual stalks with some root and planted them. Once they started to produce runners from the base and new nodes with the submerged form, I cut (right off the base) and removed the original stalks I had planted.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Was at AFA yesterday and got some downoi, mini pelia and tonina belem. they are for my next scape, provided i can grow the tonina. for now they will be in the hospital tank to get used to the water and start spreading.


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

malaybiswas said:


> originally i thought it is minuta, but it is actually hirsuta (quad). I thought quads have their 4 leaf form in emersed growth and change to single leaf form under water. But in my experience, they have a combination of single and multi (2-4 leaves) leaves even under water. I have no clue what drives some leaves to be single and some to be multiple.


Marsilea Quadrifolia and Hirsuta are two different species of plants. The former does grow four leaf "clover" looking leaves, and the latter grows anything from 1 to 4 lobed leaves. The plant in my experience grows the single leaves in higher light areas, and more lobes in the shady areas.

Tank is looking nice!!


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

eyebeatbadgers said:


> Marsilea Quadrifolia and Hirsuta are two different species of plants. The former does grow four leaf "clover" looking leaves, and the latter grows anything from 1 to 4 lobed leaves. The plant in my experience grows the single leaves in higher light areas, and more lobes in the shady areas.
> 
> Tank is looking nice!!


Really? I thought they are the same from what I have read on the web. When I bought it, it came a emersed 4 leaf clover. Submerged it produced between 1 to 4 lobes. From what you say, it definitely seems Hirsuta.


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

malaybiswas said:


> Really? I thought they are the same from what I have read on the web. When I bought it, it came a emersed 4 leaf clover. Submerged it produced between 1 to 4 lobes. From what you say, it definitely seems Hirsuta.


Yes, M. Hirsuta will exhibit mostly 4 lobed leaves when emersed.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

There was something with this layout that I was not too sure that I liked. But I was not able to figure out exactly what. 

Today I planned to trim the java moss and when I took out the driftwoods, I figured out what. I had a lot of rock placed in there that got completely hidden over time where as I my original intention was to highlight the rocks.

So, I decided the eliminate the 2 items that was overpowering the hardscape. The moss covered driftwood and the tiger lotus. The bigger tiger lotus goes to my "reservoir" for now. As for the moss, I trimmed them down to just the layer that is attached directly to the wood. Also removed the smaller piece of driftwood totally from the tank.

Was not sure how to place the taller ones. Decided to put them vertically between the rocks to utilize the height and keep the center proportionate to the side when the stem plants grow higher eventually.

But till not sure how it looks. Please critic.


















My favorite plant in the tank -rotala indica









Some other changes that I did was to move the anubias nana on the left where the tiger lotus was before









and planted Lilaeopsis mauritiana in the mid ground in between the rocks. If it works outs as I hope, they should grow thick between and rocks and define the rock layout. I expect them to grow 3-4" tall and that way they will tie in the taller plants on both sides to the center. Not sure how it will look once the moss grows back on the driftwood arch.









And some snaps of the rock layout that I wanted to highlight


















Apologies for poor picture quality and my tee-shirt reflection. I don't have much space around that corner. Normally when I am taking photos, I would move a few pieces of furniture around to create space, cover the windows, switch off all the lights...not this time...i am in a hurry today


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## cah925 (May 18, 2007)

I like the rocks and the wood arch, should look real nice as the grass grows in. Just keep trimming the moss over the arch so it doesn't take over and I think you'll be alright.


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## triazole (Aug 26, 2008)

i love the dawn-dusk effect!! (though i'm sure it'd vanish over time)...
as of now, the arch feels a bit lonely, but as you mentioned, should look great as the stems grow...at this point they also are jutting out sharply from the rocks, which tends to jar the eyes a bit...which may be a good thing on second thoughts...(some features do need to stand out)...
i'd suggest using some marselia on the left (in place of the anubias) to balance the right, and use the anubias (superglue on rocks !) to soften the transition of the drtiftwood...
just some thoughts...looking forward to the growth of the tank...


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

cah925 said:


> I like the rocks and the wood arch, should look real nice as the grass grows in. Just keep trimming the moss over the arch so it doesn't take over and I think you'll be alright.


Thank you cah925. That's what I am hoping. Let's see how it comes along.



triazole said:


> i love the dawn-dusk effect!! (though i'm sure it'd vanish over time)...


the dawn dusk effect is purely cosmetic in nature using a backdrop and shadow from the light. The main purpose is for photo shoots only 



triazole said:


> as of now, the arch feels a bit lonely, but as you mentioned, should look great as the stems grow...at this point they also are jutting out sharply from the rocks, which tends to jar the eyes a bit...which may be a good thing on second thoughts...(some features do need to stand out)...
> i'd suggest using some marselia on the left (in place of the anubias) to balance the right, and use the anubias (superglue on rocks !) to soften the transition of the drtiftwood...
> just some thoughts...looking forward to the growth of the tank...


I agree, the arch is lonely and stands out a LOT with all the moss stripped out. That's why I was unsure of it. Hopefully it will mellow out with the stem plants growing in and the moss growing back on the wood.

I have already planted some marselia on the left side and they have just taken off, so I should have that side covered in a few weeks. I agree, that it looks left out bare. As far as placing the anubias on the rocks, I am not sure if I want to hide the rocks too much with thick foliage. There is already some java moss that have started root on the rocks and I would let them fill in instead along with the grass.

If the driftwoods stand out too much, I would rather remove them and just let the rocks stand out instead...at least that's what I think as of now.

Thank you for all the suggestions. Keep them coming.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

This is all the moss I harvested from the driftwood yesterday









Trying an experiment to make a tree with them.
A nice piece of mopani wood with a iron mesh layer on top of it. The mesh is maliable and secured to the branches by just cutting holes and twisting the edges around the wood.









On goes the moss over the mesh. Another layer of mesh on top. Both layers secured by twisting them all around the edges. Now it is left in the hospital tank just in front of the filter outtake.


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## triazole (Aug 26, 2008)

> As far as placing the anubias on the rocks, I am not sure if I want to hide the rocks too much with thick foliage. There is already some java moss that have started root on the rocks and I would let them fill in instead along with the grass.
> 
> If the driftwoods stand out too much, I would rather remove them and just let the rocks stand out instead...at least that's what I think as of now.


i understand...:-D...keep up the good work...
and wishing a mewwy moss twee...


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Thank you


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

that is a very interesting piece of driftwood you have there


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

I kept scavenging all the lfs over the weekends looking for driftwoods that I like. Got this in the most unexpected place...PETCO. But I love it. It's mopani and I soaked it in water for 4 weeks but not much tanin.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

when I see that I feel like it is part of a baobab tree from madagascar or africa:hihi:


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

It does indeed and the moss should maintain the baobab look


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## bartak (Feb 18, 2007)

can't wait to see that grown in. I found that petco is the best and cheapest place for mopani. I have two pieces in my tank that were only 7 bucks each.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

What kind of moss is it?


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

bartak said:


> can't wait to see that grown in. I found that petco is the best and cheapest place for mopani. I have two pieces in my tank that were only 7 bucks each.


Yes Petco does have some cheap and good mopani wood. Since I am so close to AFSF, that's where I get better driftwood (and expensive too ). But sometimes lfs and chain stores just work out better than specialty ones 



vtkid said:


> What kind of moss is it?


 plain old java moss


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

This tank is once again going to get some changes in plants. While the limnos are grwoing good, the lower portions loose leaves as the plant keeps growing. I will be replacing them with some Ludwigia arcuatas that has smaller leaves and normally maintain that top to bottom. I may leave some of the limnos in the extreme back so that only the tops show where I can get the bright pink/red leaves. pics coming soon.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Any idea what these white spots are? They started growing on since the last couple of days. Are they some kind of fungus? This is in my hospital tank where I only have a few danios and now SAE or ottos or shrimp.

Any guidance/clue would be highly appreciated. Or should I say HELP ME OUT

EDIT: Oops!. Forgot to attach the main thing. These are only growing on the wire mesh securing mosses. I have several pieces of dw in there but none has any fungal growth on them.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

where did you get the mesh? could it have had something on it before?


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

This is non rusting aluminium mesh I got from Michaels. It is used for clay modeling. As per the package these should not be anything on it and I anyways washed them in water before using them.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Some major changes this week. I moved out all the rainbows. They were getting to big for the tank and too boisterous for the tank mates. Traded them for neon tetras in my other tank and moved the glow lights from the other tank to this one.

Plant wise, I had already planted some lugwigia arcuata on the right that are doing good. Few limnophilas are still on the back. Other than that I divided the rhizomes of the anubias nanas and planted 3 plantlets on the right side. Lastly, the marselia got a huge haircut.

Enjoy!
Basking ottos









Found something to munch on probably









This bumblebee almost camoflaged with the substrate









This little guy came in with the neons. Not sure what it is.









FTS from top









FTS


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Finally got rid of all the green water and fell in love with this tank all over again. Compare this pictures (below) with the ones above from last week and you'll know why.

Thanks for looking













































The cherry barbs like to bask in nose diving position between the 2 pieces of dw. They are there all thru the day.









The right side is not so pretty yet but the ludwigia and limnophilas are both picking up decently, so a few more weeks and a few more trims should get them there.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

PT got some system issues yesterday and this post was posted twice!!!


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

comment? Feedback? Good, bad, ugly?


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## legomaniac89 (Mar 16, 2008)

Lookin good man. Give that Rotala a couple good trims and it'll bush up real nice. And that Marselia (it is Marselia, right?) is gonna be sweet when it fills in


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## blair (Feb 8, 2009)

Very interesting... That wood gateway is awesome. It feels very alien without any other relating objects; like stone hinge. Once it fills in it will probably seems less dominating


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

looks awesome! that rockwork looks like something i would do, "boulder-strewn", but better than i would do it.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Thank you legomaniac, blair and hydrophyte.



legomaniac89 said:


> Lookin good man. Give that Rotala a couple good trims and it'll bush up real nice. And that Marselia (it is Marselia, right?) is gonna be sweet when it fills in


They already have got over 4 trims. I am sure there are over 200 stems in there. The problem is that the substrate is pretty flat instead of a slope so the stem plants have a taller space to grow. Also the LED panel distributes the light evenly so the stems grow in all directions giving it a sparse look (i am getting ideas already to remodel my LED panel ). Anyways, they will get a trim soon. I will also need to adjust the slope a bit and create some space in the back to plant more stem plants in the center (right now the rocks cover all the way upto the back in the center of the tank, so there is very little space to plant anything behind them).




blair said:


> Very interesting... That wood gateway is awesome. It feels very alien without any other relating objects; like stone hinge. Once it fills in it will probably seems less dominating


Good that you liked it, but yes, I am not quite sure if they support the "natural" look of nature aquarium. I might have to think of replacing them differently so they are more integrated in the scape.




hydrophyte said:


> looks awesome! that rockwork looks like something i would do, "boulder-strewn", but better than i would do it.


how do you know this is better ? I know there are flaws in this one that I don't like but don't know how to fix them yet. If you do something similar I might take ideas as well.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

i don't know, i like those rocks the way they are. i wouldn't move them.

isn't that funny the way that those barbs hang there in that one spot? i have some cherry barbs too and i often see them in that same pose, but in no particular place. you have trained yours well. i like that arch--it's _tense_--and i wouldn't touch it especially because the barbs use it that way.

i am a little less sold on the _Rotala_ clump. do you have any particular inclination to leave it the way it is/train it some other way/plant something else there?


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

hydrophyte said:


> i don't know, i like those rocks the way they are. i wouldn't move them.


I won't re-org them either. Just add some substrate below them to push them up a bit and push them a little to the front to create some space behind them.



hydrophyte said:


> isn't that funny the way that those barbs hang there in that one spot? i have some cherry barbs too and i often see them in that same pose, but in no particular place. you have trained yours well. i like that arch--it's _tense_--and i wouldn't touch it especially because the barbs use it that way.


 yeah the barbs are funny, but I did not train them. They just made themselves comfortable over there. 

Good that you like it, but I am still iffy. Let's see. I am not changing that yet, but it surely will keep bugging me till I figure out a way for it to gel with the rest of the hardscape.



hydrophyte said:


> i am a little less sold on the _Rotala_ clump. do you have any particular inclination to leave it the way it is/train it some other way/plant something else there?


I probably won't replace them with any other plant. Already too much has changed in this tank in the last 5 months. But I don't like that upwardly growth as well. Adding some height to the rocks will hopefully cut that out. Besides if I get some more space, the trims can be planted there so that it covers a larger part of the background rather than a corner. That way width and height will balance out a bit as well. 

The other reason they are standing out so much is because the right side is pretty empty right now. Once I have similar dense growth on the right side, it should be more balanced. Fingers crossed.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

I have been neglecting this thread for a while. But I have been doing some major changes since the last post so it is time for an update.

I did not re organize the rocks, but a lot of moss was growing on them so I had to move the faces for some of them to get a glimpse of the moss.

The biggest difference is the rotala trim. Not sure how it will look once it starts growing back, but hopefully with weekly trims I would be able to maintain this height and slope


















Close-up









I finally removed the arch and the new position of the dw is pretty much what it was earlier but on the other side. The barbs don't seem to mind it and still hang out below the dw in the new location.










The biggest difference that happened itself is the HC. 2 of the leftover clumps have spread out quite a bit and seems healthy. Just when I was about to give up on them, they bounced back so now I am in a dilemma on the HC or the Marsilea.


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