# Superior Roots — 60cm 6.5 Gallon Long



## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

*Current Tank Shot (10/20/2014):*










*Original Post:*

Earlier this summer my wife and I stayed at a cabin along the North Shore of Lake Superior in NE Minnesota. I've been going up there my whole life, and looking at it this time made me want to build a planted tank that would remind me of it. As it turns out, I have a 3 gallon nano in my office at work that I'm not loving right now, so I decided the perfect replacement would be a 6.5 gallon "long" Mr Aqua bookshelf tank. I think it's the most amount of water I'm willing to deal with since I'll have to haul water to/from my office for weekly water changes (going high tech and EI dosing).

I know there are "better" rocks for aquascaping, but I wanted them to look like the North Shore, so I collected some rocks from the shoreline area that I thought I could make work. This is the shoreline the rocks came from:










Side note: Last fall I was backpacking and fly fishing in the Cloud Peak wilderness in the Big Horn mountains of Wyoming, and there was a massive area (as in square miles) of conifer deadfall that had been dried out by the sun. Most of the trees were uprooted, and the twisted roots were exposed. I couldn't help myself, and I collected a small batch of twisted little roots for an unknown future project.

So, one fun thing about this tank for me is it's all personally collected materials! 

Along the North Shore, trees send roots out running over the rocks. I've hiked and tripped over many of them in my life. There just isn't much digging into the dirt to be had, so the roots go where they can. This was the look I was seeking. I wanted the feel of an old dead tree trunk with it's roots running over big Lake Superior boulders. After 6 vastly different attempts with many different rocks and roots, this is what I've put together.










Yes, it's pretty simple, but I'm really digging it. I have some more little rocks I might use, and I'm not sure about the little chips just yet, but this is definitely going to be the core. I'll have to glue the 8 or 9 wood pieces together, but it's pretty close to what I want for final layout. I'll also say that working in such a cramped area is pretty tricky (24" long, but only 6.5" deep and only 9.4" tall). This is a small space!

I'm planning on a mix between some sandy spots and some planted spots below the boulders (probably DHG belem). I'm thinking some willow moss and anubias nana petite around the trunk. Maybe a few little pieces of HC here and there around the tree. I'm still working out ideas for plants. To be honest, it's probably a bit premature posting this, but I'm pretty excited now that the tank is here and I'm settling on a scape.

Also, the egg crate is there to protect the glass. I'm going to trim it so it's only under the rocks in the end.

As for the rest:

Light: Current Satellite Plus 24"
CO2: Aquatek Paintball & 24 oz tank with a "mini" external reactor I'm making
Substrate: Aquasoil and Sand
Filter: Sunsun 602B
Automated dosing and lighting control via arduino
No heater (office is constant 72 degrees year round)

This will house my growing RCS colony (about 35 right now, with 3 pregnant females) and potentially a few RCS friendly fish like Ottos, but not sure on that part yet. Would otto's like a tank of these dimensions?

I'm curious what people think about this whole idea?


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## Aquadawg (Aug 18, 2012)

I love this idea and am very impressed with the wood and rock, as well as the story you told about getting it. I had no idea it was in eight pieces by looking at it. Conifer is a fir, isn't it and may contain a lot of sap so you may want to glue it to the rock or egg crate as it could be tough to keep from floating. Maybe a trial run in your bathtub would help you decide. Ottos would be fine in a tank like this and the shrimp are gonna look great. I can also picture some coral moss pushed in between the rocks as well. I will definitely follow this thread!


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

Aquadawg said:


> I love this idea and am very impressed with the wood and rock, as well as the story you told about getting it. I had no idea it was in eight pieces by looking at it. Conifer is a fir, isn't it and may contain a lot of sap so you may want to glue it to the rock or egg crate as it could be tough to keep from floating. Maybe a trial run in your bathtub would help you decide. Ottos would be fine in a tank like this and the shrimp are gonna look great. I can also picture some coral moss pushed in between the rocks as well. I will definitely follow this thread!


Thanks!

The sap is a good point, but any sap in these is long since gone. They've been in the sun for decades. They are light as a feather and dry as a bone, but that's even more the reason to glue them down. 

Good to hear a few otto's might work.

For moss, ricca is a cool idea. I've just heard if you change your mind it's damn near impossible to get rid of. I'll have to look into it more. It sure looks the part!


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

Very nice start and I see your vision as I have been up to the North shore in the Duluth area and it's absolutely beautiful. I would make a suggestion of pygmy cories as I just got a group of twenty of these little fish and they have great personalities. And as small as they are I don't see having any problems with even the tiniest of shrimp. I also think some Myriophyllum Guyana (mini) would look good in a smaller tank like this. You could use it in the background as it stays smaller and would give you some height. Looking forward to seeing this planted.


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## pseudomugil (Aug 12, 2013)

I love your scape, it reminds me of the boundary waters as well as the north superior shore (I guess they are pretty close together). I went canoeing with my family in the boundary waters last year and had a blast.
best of luck!


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## Jalopy (Aug 11, 2013)

Updates?


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## Aquadawg (Aug 18, 2012)

Jalopy said:


> Updates?


 +1:thumbsup:


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## rodstewart (Apr 25, 2014)

Great start! Thanks for sharing your story and inspiration  Subscribed!


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## mistuhmarc (Oct 1, 2013)

You know, when I first saw the name of this tank, I thought you had renamed your other tank at first! haha. It's looking good, but has anything been done on it recently?


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

I've been cycling the aquasoil in another temporary tank for about a month. When I bring this tank online, I need it to house over 40 RCS on day one. The ammonia leaching should be completely done when I get back from vacation in 2 weeks. I'm going to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area for a week, and then a bluegrass music festival for half a week. From there I'm expecting to set this thing up pretty quick. 

I have 100% of the equipment, including an arduino controller for dosing, light ramping, and a few other small duties. I've had the bio media in my 60cm tank filter for a month, so it should be quite mature by now. This weekend I plan on glueing the sticks together and sanitizing/scrubbing the rocks I collected.

I can only set it up on a weekend, or perhaps stay late at work one day. I can't do it when I'm visible. I can close my office door and cover the window, but like I said, it has to be after hours. That makes it a little tricky to get done.


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## Tyrone (Nov 22, 2013)

Can't wait to see this all come together! I really enjoy your journals..

Dan, if you need any small plants for this scape, I have a lot of HM, True mini xmas moss, flame moss and not sure exactly what else I have. Just PM me and inquire...


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## Aquadawg (Aug 18, 2012)

AnotherHobby said:


> I've been cycling the aquasoil in another temporary tank for about a month. When I bring this tank online, I need it to house over 40 RCS on day one. The ammonia leaching should be completely done when I get back from vacation in 2 weeks. I'm going to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area for a week, and then a bluegrass music festival for half a week. From there I'm expecting to set this thing up pretty quick.
> 
> I have 100% of the equipment, including an arduino controller for dosing, light ramping, and a few other small duties. I've had the bio media in my 60cm tank filter for a month, so it should be quite mature by now. This weekend I plan on glueing the sticks together and sanitizing/scrubbing the rocks I collected.
> 
> I can only set it up on a weekend, or perhaps stay late at work one day. I can't do it when I'm visible. I can close my office door and cover the window, but like I said, it has to be after hours. That makes it a little tricky to get done.


Enjoy your trip.


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## exv152 (Jun 8, 2009)

Very nice unique and artistic layout. Look forward to its progress.


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

Aquadawg said:


> Enjoy your trip.


My BWCA trip was awesome! Just dipping in for a day, and then off to a bluegrass music festival.



exv152 said:


> Very nice unique and artistic layout. Look forward to its progress.


Thanks! I'm hoping that next week I should be able to start making progress on this. The substrate is all cycled now, so I'm good to go there. I have to glue the root system together and boil/wash the rocks out.


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

Made a little progress today. I'm in the process of gluing all of the roots together. It'll take a day or two because I have to let each piece dry before I move onto the next one.

If I don't glue them, there is no way it'll pan out. It'll all come apart and I won't get the look I'm going for.


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## kman (Dec 11, 2013)

What kind of glue do you use? Standard 5 min epoxy?


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

kman said:


> What kind of glue do you use? Standard 5 min epoxy?


I'm using gorilla glue since I had it handy.


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## kman (Dec 11, 2013)

AnotherHobby said:


> I'm using gorilla glue since I had it handy.


Gorilla Glue wood glue ("now better than Elmers!"), or plain old Gorilla "we want you to try this instead of Super Glue" Glue?

Just keeping a mental tally of aquarium-safe glues and such.


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

kman said:


> Gorilla Glue wood glue ("now better than Elmers!"), or plain old Gorilla "we want you to try this instead of Super Glue" Glue?
> 
> Just keeping a mental tally of aquarium-safe glues and such.


I'm using this stuff:


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## kman (Dec 11, 2013)

Good stuff.


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## Aquadawg (Aug 18, 2012)

AnotherHobby said:


> Made a little progress today. I'm in the process of gluing all of the roots together. It'll take a day or two because I have to let each piece dry before I move onto the next one.
> 
> If I don't glue them, there is no way it'll pan out. It'll all come apart and I won't get the look I'm going for.


Glad to see you back Dan. I haven't been this excited since season 2 of Blacklist started lol.


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

Aquadawg said:


> Glad to see you back Dan. I haven't been this excited since season 2 of Blacklist started lol.


You and me both. Actually it's kind of funny you said The Blacklist because the creator and executive producer of that show is an old classmate of mine. He restored an old theater in our town and he has weekly showings of that series there along with other classic movies.


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

One of the things I enjoy about keeping a tank journal is sharing how I put things together. I've only done a few aquascapes, and each one is a new learning experience. I get many of my ideas from here, and some I just come up with on my own. Either way, it's fun to show what I'm doing because nobody else in my life would give a rats a$$ how I made a fake root system for an aquarium. 

So, here is the fully glued root system of what I think of as an old dead tree on the shores of Lake Superior. This is from the front:










This is the piece on it's own. It's incredibly sturdy, and I'm confident that it'll stay that way for the length of its useful life in my tank. 










To pull back the curtain just a little, it's less convincing from the sides, but also not viewable at all from the sides, so I don't care. It'll have moss and other plants to cover up the less convincing areas as well. 










From here it's pretty much ready to put together. The frustrating part for me is that it's at work, and I can't do it on company time. Well I could, but it would look bad. Either way, scheduling the setup time is not easy (my office is 35 miles diagonally across Minneapolis from my home).

I'm currently eyeballing next Saturday as a possible day to do it. The thing that sucks is that it really has to be a weekend, and if I miss one, it might be another week or two before I can get in there. I'm pretty sure next Saturday will work though. 

I'm way too eager to get this thing up and running. The ADA Amazonia has had probably 2 months of cycling to leach any ammonia, so I know I can plop all my shrimp in there right away. If it's next Saturday though (less than 2 weeks out), I really need to start nailing down my plant choices!


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## Tyrone (Nov 22, 2013)

I'm excited for you! I get all giddy when I see a scape come together! Can't wait!


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## Aquadawg (Aug 18, 2012)

ua hua said:


> You and me both. Actually it's kind of funny you said The Blacklist because the creator and executive producer of that show is an old classmate of mine. He restored an old theater in our town and he has weekly showings of that series there along with other classic movies.


Very cool Ua Hua

Bump:


AnotherHobby said:


> One of the things I enjoy about keeping a tank journal is sharing how I put things together. I've only done a few aquascapes, and each one is a new learning experience. I get many of my ideas from here, and some I just come up with on my own. Either way, it's fun to show what I'm doing because nobody else in my life would give a rats a$$ how I made a fake root system for an aquarium.
> 
> So, here is the fully glued root system of what I think of as an old dead tree on the shores of Lake Superior. This is from the front:
> 
> ...


Looks fantastic Dan.


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

*Plant Planning*

Saturday setup is now official — it's getting set up on the 18th! I've ordered a bunch of bucephalandra (over $100 worth), and I ordered some weeping moss and fissidens (not sure if I'll use both mosses or not yet). For buces, I got 1 blue devil, 1 samantha ghost, 2 black catherine, 2 pygmea and 2 mini fake catherine. 

I got the buces because I want to try something new, and I also want slow growth for this scape since it's at work. I have a ton of anubias nana in my bigger tank, so I'll probably grab a bunch of that to use for additional plant mass until the buses fill out more. Eventually, I want it to be just buces, moss, and dhg belem. At least that's what I'm picturing, who knows what'll really happen. Let's just hope I don't kill 8 little plants that cost me over $100.

I was originally going to do a large area of sand, with grass and plants only around the rocks, but now the plan is to have a full carpet of belem. I expect the amount of belem I'm willing to steal from my tank at home will be about 10-20% coverage in this tank on day one. From watching how quickly it grew before, I expect several months to fully carpet (med light, co2, ferts).

If you look at my final glued root piece, the roots actually float above the rocks a little. This was to keep them from getting covered too much by the moss. We will see how that actually works. I'm definitely doing the weeping moss around the root system and over the rocks. I've always wanted fissidens, and I think it could work, but I don't know exactly how I'll use it or where it'll go. If I decide not to use it, it can go in my fallen tree branch scape.

Either way, I'm really excited about the plants. I was thinking I wanted some some color in there, so I may or may not swipe some alternanthera reineckii mini from my other tank. Not sure on that yet.


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## LRJ (Jul 31, 2014)

Very cool. Looking forward to seeing this planted.


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## pewpewkittah (Jan 14, 2014)

So very cool!!! 

I am very excited to see this come together .


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## soking (Sep 6, 2014)

As a Minnesota gal myself, I'm seriously excited to see how this goes! Love love love the hard scape, it 100% reminds me of the north shore. You're tempting me to make a "Lake Superior" tank lol


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## umarnasir335 (Mar 2, 2014)

The hardscape on this tank is so genuinely unique and eye-catching. I already have really high hopes for how this tank turns out, especially given how much fun your 60P journal was to follow.


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

It's still very cloudy from today's setup, but here's the first shot of the new office tank! I'm headed home now (35 miles away), so I won't see it until Monday. Because of that, and not wanting to kill my shrimp, I'll have to wait until then to dial in the CO2. Until then, no CO2.


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## tylergvolk (Jun 17, 2012)

Nice start. Excited to see this tank mature and change through the future as your other creation did.


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## mistuhmarc (Oct 1, 2013)

Looking nice already, can't wait to see how it goes!


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

Thanks! Now that I'm home, I'll mention a few more things. All of the DHG belem was taken from my Fallen Tree Branch tank. I basically cut a 1/2" strip across the whole front of the tank, and that yielded about the right amount. 

I also wanted a little more plant mass to try and help avoid or minimize algae, so I dropped in a few plants that may or may not stay in there long term. I dropped in 2 stems of ludwigia red, 1 little stem of alternanthera reineckii mini, and 3 little blyxa plans from my bigger tank.

I didn't plant in front of the rocks yet because I was running low on DHG. I think I'll eventually plant it though. I also want to plant the AC20 HOB filter, but ran out of time. It's torture that I just set up a new tank and then had to promptly run out the door and won't see it for 2 days.

Also, I'm thinking of tossing some otto's in there since they won't eat shrimp and can do some cleanup. Is 6 too many for a 6 gallon tank? Should I wait until it's a bit more established first so they have food, or can I just supplement food for them?


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## mot (Sep 17, 2011)

What happened to the third rock on the right in your dry setup in the first picture? To my eye it balanced the scape and without it the left side is heavy.


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

mot said:


> What happened to the third rock on the right in your dry setup in the first picture? To my eye it balanced the scape and without it the left side is heavy.


I ended up removing it to have more room for the belem carpet, and dropped 2 small rocks in there instead. I was thinking that it might be too much rock, but now that I look at it, I think you are right. 

I wanted to run belem in front of the rocks on the left anyway, so maybe I'll take the plugs from the space where the 3rd large rock goes, and then plant them in front and put that rock back.


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## ChemGuyEthan (Apr 13, 2014)

Awesome tree and roots! I've been following this periodically waiting to see the final product and it looks great!

I wish you luck with your buce, I just got my hands on some as well.

Excited to see this filled in!


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## LRJ (Jul 31, 2014)

mot said:


> What happened to the third rock on the right in your dry setup in the first picture? To my eye it balanced the scape and without it the left side is heavy.


I agree. Still looks very nice though. Looking forward to seeing it grown in.


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

The water has cleared nicely! I have added the rock on the right back in, and it looks _much_ better. Thanks again mot for the suggestion! I also planted grass across the rest of the front and got CO2 running. 

I decided to removed all of the shrimp (you can see them in the pic I posted Saturday). I need to dial in CO2 and be comfortable with that. I have to make sure water parameters are good. I think it'll be several weeks before I add anything that breathes back into the tank. I have much less margin of error here, and I only see it 8 hours a day for 5 days a week. I also can't really tinker with if for most of those 8 hours since I'm working. Emergency water changes would be highly awkward during the day, for example.

I'm getting lots of positive comments from people walking past my office today.


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## Jalopy (Aug 11, 2013)

That rock makes such a big difference. Nice looking tank.


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

Jalopy said:


> That rock makes such a big difference. Nice looking tank.


Thanks! Yes it does! I also spaced that rock to the right to create enough separate to grow grass in between them. I'm hoping that creates a cool effect.


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## vanish (Apr 21, 2014)

Oh wow, I can't believe how such a small change made such a big difference.


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## pewpewkittah (Jan 14, 2014)

Wow, looks amazing!!! 

I have to agree with everyone else and say the added rock makes everything flow together perfectly, instead of the rocks suddenly 'dropping off'. 

Are you going to add moss to the rocks or keep them bare?

I can't imagine what it will look like once it matures, because it looks awesome already! Looking forward to the updates :3.

Also, are you keeping this a shrimp only tank?


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## kman (Dec 11, 2013)

Yes, big difference with the rock! Much better.

Should the co2 diffuser be on the opposite side of the tank from the HOB filter, I wonder? Just seems like you're getting big water movement and surface disturbance immediately next to where the co2 bubbles are trying to dissolve, so perhaps the other side would give you better chance at more thorough dissolving time. (and then swap the checker to the opposite side, too)

Does your Belem stay that short naturally, or do you trim it?


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

vanish said:


> Oh wow, I can't believe how such a small change made such a big difference.


Yeah, I loved it when I first did the scape, so I don't know what made me think it was better without the third rock when I put it all together on Saturday.



pewpewkittah said:


> Wow, looks amazing!!!
> 
> I have to agree with everyone else and say the added rock makes everything flow together perfectly, instead of the rocks suddenly 'dropping off'.
> 
> ...


There is weeping moss stuffed in and around the root. You can see some of it in the pic. There is no moss on the rock to the right. I'm not sure if I'll cover it in moss or not. I'm just going to leave it be for now.

I was thinking of adding a few Oto's to go with the shrimp. I guess they won't eat shrimp, even babies (which is the key). They get to 2" long, so the 1" per gallon rule would say 3 total. I haven't done a lot of research on them though, so it's just a thought at this point.



kman said:


> Yes, big difference with the rock! Much better.
> 
> Should the co2 diffuser be on the opposite side of the tank from the HOB filter, I wonder? Just seems like you're getting big water movement and surface disturbance immediately next to where the co2 bubbles are trying to dissolve, so perhaps the other side would give you better chance at more thorough dissolving time. (and then swap the checker to the opposite side, too)
> 
> Does your Belem stay that short naturally, or do you trim it?


The CO2 is not permanently placed right now. I'm replacing the diffuser within a day or 2, so I just dropped it in there for now. I was thinking of dropping it back behind the big rock to hide it. I'm hoping there is enough room back there. The drop checker could probably move too.

The belem grows a little longer than that in my Fallen Tree Branch tank, but not much. I trim it back to about 1" or less tall every couple of months. It doesn't grow very fast at all. It's been FAR easier to take care of than the UG I used to have.


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## knm<>< (Mar 18, 2010)

Are you keeping the aquaclear? If so, I seem to remember a thread a few years back where the CO2 line was routed directly into the impeller of the pump. That did away with the diffuser. Maybe a new project for you to run with?


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

knm<>< said:


> Are you keeping the aquaclear? If so, I seem to remember a thread a few years back where the CO2 line was routed directly into the impeller of the pump. That did away with the diffuser. Maybe a new project for you to run with?


Yes, I plan on keeping the aquaclear. They are great filters that are super easy to maintain. I ran a Zoomed canister on my last office tank, but it was too much hassle. I really need it to be easily and quickly maintainable since I really only work on it at work.

I've seen that CO2 project before. It looks slick, but this tank sits literally 3' from me for 8 hours a day. I don't want to hear an impeller chopping up bubbles. At all. Ever.


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## tandaina (Aug 17, 2013)

Love this little tank.  Lake Superior has a special place in my heart and you nailed the homage.


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## Aquadawg (Aug 18, 2012)

AnotherHobby said:


> The water has cleared nicely! I have added the rock on the right back in, and it looks _much_ better. Thanks again mot for the suggestion! I also planted grass across the rest of the front and got CO2 running.
> 
> I decided to removed all of the shrimp (you can see them in the pic I posted Saturday). I need to dial in CO2 and be comfortable with that. I have to make sure water parameters are good. I think it'll be several weeks before I add anything that breathes back into the tank. I have much less margin of error here, and I only see it 8 hours a day for 5 days a week. I also can't really tinker with if for most of those 8 hours since I'm working. Emergency water changes would be highly awkward during the day, for example.
> 
> ...


Nice job Dan! Beautiful tank! Here is a positive comment from afar. The extra rock makes all the difference. Rocks seem to do better in odd numbers for some reason. Take a look at my "bonsai vase" tank that I used your set up as some inspiration for. I put my fire red shrimp (about 16) in from day one and used liquid carbon for the first two weeks without problem.


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

Time for an update! Sadly, no buces are visible in the picture below, however they are all in there. See, there was a bit of an issue with the wood, and it quickly got underwater mold. This same thing happened in my other tank, and it took out a big chunk of plants. Well it did the same thing here, and I was out of town, so over the course of about 5 days the mold crept over and killed every single leaf, and it looked like they were all done. I did what I could, but in the end I just had a pile of sad rhizomes. 

The good news is that the moss went insane (needs a major trim), and the DHG belem is doing well. The other good news is that it looks like the buces will survive. The rhizomes didn't go soft and slimy like the leaves did, so i just layed them down in the grass and left them. It's been quite a while, but they are all sprouting the tiniest leaves on earth. They might not be much for several months, but they will all pull through.

I had a massive (and I mean massive) outbreak of GDA that is now 90% under control. There is a small amount of hair algae that is visible on the rock to the right, but it'll get taken care of soon enough with an H2O2 punch. There is zero algae in the grass, even though it looks a little like it. That's just on the glass near the substrate. There is still only 1 fish in there — a lone small bushnose pleco. He likes the algae, so i leave it on the side glass by the pump for him to eat. You can see how he keeps the rock mostly clean. 

The ludwigia red on the left is only in there because it now dies in my other tank. It's just holding out here until I get that resolved, and then I plan to probably remove it completely. The blyxa on the right is doing pretty good considering it also got nuked by the mold and was brought back from a tiny sprout. Interestingly the mold seemed to have zero effect on the DHG belem.

Overall though, it's looking pretty darn good on my desk at work.


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## kman (Dec 11, 2013)

I love it! That moss looks fantastic.


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## SKYE.__.HIGH (Mar 18, 2017)

Love the carpet so far, toothbrush and hardscape is like peanut butter and jelly, and I feel like that moss likes it’s home because of the growth it shows. Love your scape. 

Ps: I just realized that this thread is from literally years ago. Well anyway if it’s still running I would love an update.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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