# Fluval Chi 5g (modified) Planted



## Jsquared (Jan 14, 2013)

that is pretty cool. The chi actually looks pretty cool without that lightfilter crap and the weird inner garden square thing. looking forward to seeing it all grow in.


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

Funny how we always start out with a plan, but it takes so much discipline not to veer. 
I told myself I wanted to do a dry start, use osmocote, plant everything before submerging, add fauna later, etc. 
But then you see that cute fish, become lazy or get that new idea.. 

Anyways, some pics with the light on, and some pics after some additions. 

1. With light on
2. Corner shot
3. Close up
4. - I split and planted the Crypt Parva as a semicircular border on both sides of the driftwood (tough to see/distinguish from the microswords).
- I added some java fern and rotala behind the driftwood. I'm still iffy about them, esp. since they werent in the best condition, but they were cheap. 
- Added Dwarf Sag, one in the back-left corner and one on the right, next to the driftwood. 
- Added an Otto, a Pygmy/sparkling gourami, and *a Pygmy Honey/sunset? gourami?? Anybody even heard of this color variation in a Pygmy size? We'll see if its just a baby dwarf or a true pygmy. *

5. Repotted some of the left over microsword and a mystery plant to grow out and placed in center. 

Hopefully things will fill in nicely. Can't wait to rip out the microswords in the front, and for the back to get healthy and green. 

Still dosing Excel (0.5mL) daily, Awaiting dry ferts (Mono Potassium Phosphate [KH2PO4] and Potassium Nitrate [KNO3]). I have some old Flourish comprehensive for micros. I hope that's the only ferts I'll need , if any.


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

Nice start!


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## le0p (Mar 28, 2012)

Cool, I like the start of the carpet, looks good!


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

Thanks GMYukonon24s & Le0p!

Some shots with the dslr this morning.

1. Otto
2. Dwarf Sag on left, Crypt parva in a line down the center, Microswords throughout. 
3. The "Pygmy" Honey Gourami (Labeled this way at store, and asked an employee that said its true to its name, but I have my doubts. I suspect it's a baby dwarf honey.)
4. A small female Pygmy/Sparkling gourami poking around in the potted plant. 
5. Guppy Fry


Does this belong in the tank journal forum instead? If so, please move it accordingly.


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

Nice shots!


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## tex627 (Jan 11, 2009)

Great photos! I recommend adding more/bigger driftwood since Microswords are a quite tall foreground plant and it will engulf your current hardscape.


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

Thanks all! Yes, I plan to remove the vast majority of the microswords in the foreground to make space for dwarf hairgrass. I'd keep some microswords on both sides of the driftwood. I can get more small pieces of driftwood, but i wouldnt know where to put them. Pile them up? Spread them out?

I also noticed Im starting to get a film/ stagnancy of the water surface. The fish (otto, gourami x2, guppy fry) are not distressed at all, probably bc they are able to deal with low O2 (labyrinth), but I'll have to keep an eye on it.


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## tex627 (Jan 11, 2009)

If you place a paper towel on top of the film, and squeeze it out somewhere else then the film will go away after doing so a couple of times.


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

Thank you for the tip! It seems like all the water is a bit more viscous, which may be the tank stabilizing? I'm debating if I want to increase the flow of the filter. The fish and plants seem very happy though. I guess I lucked out by getting fish that prefer still water. 

Im glad to report new growth which is encouraging. Surprisingly the java moss isnt growing much if at all. Perhaps outcompeted by the other faster-growing plants? 

I also noted that some of the crypt parva is growing laterally, which i remember reading is due to higher lighting. So i guess the BeamsWork light is a good solution to the Fluval Chi's poor lighting for growing plants. At $30 shipped, and the internal filter for <$10, they are not a bad combo for upgrading. 

I gave one small (1-32tsp) dose of KNO3 and KH2PO4 yesterday along with a dose of Flourish comprehensive, along with the usual Excel. 
I plan on dosing the ferts once a week, the Excel either daily or every other day, and the flourish comp only once in a blue moon, b/c
1. I dont think Ill be changing water too often,
2. Non-CO2, medium lighting, and easy plants,
And 3. I dont want to hurt the fauna. 

Pics:
1. New growth in Microswords
2. New growth in Dwarf Sag & Microswords
3. Crypt Parva growing laterally
4. FTS


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## BS87 (Apr 9, 2012)

Does the Chi come with the glass lid or did you re-purpose some glass for that cause?


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

Ah, the top. 

It's a glass cover of a picture/diploma frame (dollar store) 9x11 (glass is 9.25x11").

I hate evaporation, so I noted the dimensions of the tank and always kept my eyes open for a suitable top. 
I even bought those plastic clips to hold a glass cover in hopes that I'd get a low-iron pane custom cut for me. But frugality won me over and I just use this (1/10 to 1/20 the cost). 

I warn against using acrylic, b/c it seems to bend with minimal heat/humidity. 

Its thin so not much loss of light, but im sure some light is reflected. 

Hope that helps.


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

1. So I noticed the plants were getting slightly yellow, so I diluted some of my ferts (kno3 & kh2po4) and I dosed another 1/32tsp equivalent. Perhaps I should dose more often than just once weekly. 

2. The algae on my potted plant wool has been pearling. I hope that's a good sign?? 

3. *What is the consensus on pond snails? * I saw one or two and am debating removing them. 

4. *Which shrimp would be best for this setup?* I guess I should check my pH. I'm leaning toward CRS. Any thoughts? I wish there was a simple cheat sheet with pics, pros/cons, compatibility, pH/environment, etc. Pls give some advice or point me in the right direction. 

5. *Any info on this little "pygmy"? honey gourami?* Anyone heard of one?


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

So I finally checked some water parameters:

pH = 7.5

Nitrates = 20-30ppm 

GH = >30 

KH = 4

*Is my GH a mistake? * I stopped at 30 drops bc the color indicator would not change. 

I dosed ferts yesterday and today just to try increasing the ferts and seeing how the plants respond. 


Pictures:

1. FTS - Not much noticeable change far away
2. Algae pearling
3. Java moss are doing better, probably from the higher nitrates and time to acclimate. 
4. Dwarf Sag's new leaf is growing long
5. Sparkling Gourami hiding


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## tex627 (Jan 11, 2009)

hyunbaw said:


> 1. So I noticed the plants were getting slightly yellow, so I diluted some of my ferts (kno3 & kh2po4) and I dosed another 1/32tsp equivalent. Perhaps I should dose more often than just once weekly.
> 
> 2. The algae on my potted plant wool has been pearling. I hope that's a good sign??
> 
> ...


1.) If your plants are yellowing, you should dose Iron.
2.) Algae is never a good sign and pearling does not make it good. As long as it isn't appearing in other parts of your tank, you're fine.
3.) Pond snails are annoying and can infest tanks with even two. I don't like them, but they are interesting to watch.
4.) Have you kept shrimp before? CRS would be a little frustrating to be your first shrimp as they tend to be finicky and every batch seems to have their own eccentric need to truly thrive.
5.) Never heard of it.

Hope this helps!


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Pond snails are fine and are a sign of a healthy tank. If there's not an overabundance of food, they won't overpopulate.

Since you're not new to aquaria, Crystal Red Shrimp may work for you. But you'll need to use a buffering substrate like Aquasoil and remineralized RO/DI water. It's not really true that each batch have their own eccentric needs to thrive - CRS are pretty hardy these days. Just keep your KH at 0, GH at about 4-5, use a buffering substrate, change 10% of your water every week, don't overfeed, make sure you provide a well-established tank and you'll be good to go. 

But Red Cherry Shrimp would be much more suited to your tank.

Please check the shrimp sticky in the shrimp forum regardless of what you decide.


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

Thanks for the reply!

1. Im cautious to dose my flourish comprehensive aggresively bc ive had fish get ill after doing so. Perhpas ill get new micros or just some iron. Any recs would be appreciated!

2. I have some thread/ green hair algae here and there but nothing crazy. Ive had BBA on a previous tank. That was the worst! Perhaps ill syringe my usual Excel doses onto the algae. 

3. I'll remove the pond snail(s). I also found a lone ramshorn! Quite pretty with "sparkles". Mustve been an egg stuck on somewhere. I guess i should remove that sucker too. 

4. Ive had an amano, and RCS before (in my brother's bowl) but thats about it. Would I need to feed (besides colorbits pellets) or supplement CRS something more?

5. I guess we'll find out if these are true pygmies. 

Thanks again!


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

Thanks SomewhatShocked. I guess Ill keep my eyes open for some nice cherries or some cheap RCS to get my feet wet. Any reason for the need for RO reconstituted water & the zero KH?


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

Ah, found some info on the CRS. Perhaps I should stick to cherries and the like for this setup.


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## shloken38 (Aug 17, 2012)

Tank is looking great. Is your java moss doing better? I read that java moss does not do well with Excel. Just wanted to throw that out there for you....something to look into. BUT, everything is looking good. I've been thinking of starting up a nano tank like this myself. Threads like these definitely inspire me to start one up.


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## shloken38 (Aug 17, 2012)

hyunbaw said:


> Ah, found some info on the CRS. Perhaps I should stick to cherries and the like for this setup.


Cherries are definitely the easiest to work with. You may want to consider another color though....yellow, orange....they are neos as well and will be just as easy. Again, I am DYING to get one of these going!!!!!


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

Thanks Shloken, Ill keep an eye on the moss regarding the Excel. Yea, I was thinking of possibly getting a different color, but we'll see. 

I syringed a double dose of the Excel on trouble spots today and have noticed:
1. No pearling of algae on the spot that i treated. 
2. Some browning of java moss on areas i treated. 

I didnt get to treat much bc a double dose meant 1mL of Excel. 

Shloken, you should go for it. In hindsight, I would recommend planting everything before filling the tank (i.e. dry-start method).


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## tex627 (Jan 11, 2009)

hyunbaw said:


> Thanks for the reply!
> 
> 1. Im cautious to dose my flourish comprehensive aggresively bc ive had fish get ill after doing so. Perhpas ill get new micros or just some iron. Any recs would be appreciated!
> 
> ...


1.) Good! I personally use SeaChem iron on smaller tanks because you're less likely to overdose, and you can use it for a long time!

2.) Excel could work. Have you considered a small algae crew for this tank? Like Amano Shrimp, Nerite Snails, and Otocinclus?

3.) Haha don't like snails either! Good choice in my opinion 

4.) CRS can be really finicky about TDS and temperature so I always keep that in mind.

5.) Good luck!


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

Thanks Tex, I appreciate the feedback/advice.

1. I gave a half dose of Flourish comprehensive until I get some Iron.

My current dosing regimen is still being adjusted, but right now it's 

NPK 1/32tsp 2-3x a wk
Micros half-dose a wk
Excel recommended dose daily. 

I feed ~3 crushed grains of Colorbits daily. 


2. The thread algae (or spirogyra?) is slowly gaining on me. 

I should have done a bleach dip on the plants from the LFS. I know exactly where the thread algae came from, but I didn't think it would cause a problem. :/ I guess I'll try adding an amano shrimp? (not the most aesthetic IMO)

I tried manually removing, but they just come back daily. I hope it isn't spirogyra as it seems like a PITA. 


3. Maybe my water is pretty soft? 

I was thinking about my high/unreadable GH, and did some digging. Seems like you often don't get a color change on my kit if you have very low hardness. I checked online for my water report and this is what I found:

http://www.unitedwater.com/eBooks/uwnj12_ccr/UWNJ_CCR_12.html#/7/zoomed

If I'm reading it correct, I have pretty soft water. 


4. After some research, it seems I may have a "true" honey gourami. 

They often get mistaken for "dwarf honey/sunset gourami" which are actually larger than the "true" honey gourami (1.5-2" max). It also has a slight black lateral line on it, so it may be a female.


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

So I realized maybe my ferts ratio is to blame for my thread algae bloom. 

The *KNO3 to KH2PO4 ratio is 1:1*, 1/32tsp ~2-3x/wk. 
Im not sure why I decided to use that ratio. 

*So what KNO3 to KH2PO ratio do you guys use? 
Do you supplement KSO4?
Pls give me some feedback on how you think I should be dosing. Even guesses are welcome.
Oh and should I do a water change and re-dose?*


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

A few things I have learned from reading and observing:

1. I should decide on how to approach this tank's fertilizing/Co2. In a nut shell, high or low tech?

If going high tech (ie. pressurized CO2), E.I. would do well, and in E.I., ratios of ferts are not very important, as long as theres enough of everything. 
CO2 and to some degree, lighting, will be key. 

If going low tech (Excel), I should focus more on "balance". I should consider lower lighting or smarter lighting placement and smarter scaping (Plant choice and placement). 
Minimal ferts and perhaps higher fishload. 
And above all, patience. Since everything is in a way, slowed down, It will appear as if the tank is evolving. It will take longer to see growth but also longer to see problems. A different approach to a different animal. 

2. Plants really do have certain conditions they love, (but CO2 seems to be a cure-all?)
Most plants have certain light situations in which they seem to work well, and are very particular. But it seems high-tech setups allow plants to do well regardless. Kinda cheating 

My experience with microswords is this. They would do well in two main situations. 
Situation A - medium to low light, preferably indirect light, less to no current. 
Situation B - (assumed) high light with CO2, good current. 
Anything in between and you're screwed. 
If you place them in direct or higher (not even that high!) light in a low-tech tank they do horrible. Too little light or too much current is no good either. 

So is this a difficult, moderate, or easy plant? It's very easy tech-wise if you put them in the right situation, but moderate to difficult if you dont know where to put them. 

The same seems to go with java moss & crypts in my experience. 
Crypts love indirect/lower lighting. I have a tank with no light, not much ambient light either, but with a high bio-load. They do amazing in that tank. 
But when i had strong lighting (excel, no CO2) they did just ok at best. I think they got outcompeted for the nutrients required for such high lighting. (The ones in the shade did better)

This is a good lesson if I decide to go low-tech: Smart scaping/plant-choice is more important in low tech. 


So for the current tank..

1. I adjusted my ferts solution, so it is now KNO3:KH2PO4, 4:1 
I will experiment with the dosage, but I hope the change in ratio will help keep the hair algae back to some degree. (I know its not proven that PO4 causes algae, but it sure doesnt help in a non-CO2 tank to have too much PO4!!)

2. Yesterday, I did a 50% water change and half-dosed using the new 4:1 solution. We'll see how the tank responds. 
I did notice that the red tops of my rotala turned greener after the water change. Some food for thought.


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

Update: 

1/32tsp KNO3, 1/128tsp KH2PO4 ~Every 2-3 days
A few drops of Flourish Comp. ~Every week
0.5mL Flourish Excel ~Daily

2-3 large flakes of Omega Flakes, crushed given daily


1. Growth of rotala & dwarf sag; Slow growth of microswords, java moss, java fern, crypt parva. 

2. Mystery hitchhiking plant in pot seems to be Glosso.

3. Noted some GSA after reducing PO4. Perhaps reduction was too much or too abrupt. 

4. Fauna adjusting nicely.


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## Jason K (Jan 3, 2009)

I like your tank...having a similar pico low tech excel setup going for 3 yrs now, I have a few comments.

Microswords did not grow well for me. Dwarf hairgrass and pygmy chain swords both grew much better.

Dwarf Sag took a long time to take off (3 months or so), but once it did, it grew really quickly.

RCS and other neos were a struggle for me, and most died off in after reaching adult size and usually after molting...i blame excel dosing, but who can be sure. But many people seem to have no problems with excel and shrimp tho.

I used EI dosing 1x a week, and have had no real serious algae problems after initial set up.


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

Thanks JasonK, Nice to have feedback from someone with a similar setup. 

I plan to have DHG as the main carpet in front, but I'm still in the process of getting some. I haven't seen too many pygmy chain swords around, but will keep my eyes open. *Any places you know of? * Regardless, it may be too tall to be the foreground for this 5g. 

Discouraging news for the RCS! I'm leaning toward RCS, so I'll report back the results if I add some. I remember them being very cheap at those chinatown stores, but I may go mail-order. Another possibility are the amano's but they're kinda big and not as decorative. 

*Can I ask how stocked (and what volume) your tank was? *


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## Jason K (Jan 3, 2009)

If you're in jersey, have you been to ridgewood aquarium? small store, but they had a lot of plant variety the one time I went there.

If you buy RCS from any pet store, you are most likely only going to get females. I know from personal experience that pacific aquarium in NYC chinatown only stocks females (whether they know it or not).

I have two ada mini-S, which are 3.5 gal (true water volume is about 2.5 gal). One currently stocked with 3 cardinal tetras and 3 RCS (only males left, btw), and the other thank with a betta.


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

JasonK, Ridgewood is where I got my microswords and crypt parva. Amazed that a store of that quality is close to me. I hope to get a tank & supplies from them as my career (hopefully) progresses. Most things in there are all quality and priced accordingly, yet fairly. 

As for an update, 

1. I did a nitrate test and saw it was consistently high, so I stopped dosing ferts and just continued with the Excel daily. So far, its doing ok. 

2. I am starting to setup the proper components for pressurized CO2, probably paintball. I got the aquatek regular size with paintball adapter, but am thinking maybe I shouldve just went with the mini/paintball reg. I thought It would be useful in case i upgrade to a 5lb tank for a larger aquarium. But thinking about it now, when I upgrade, Ill just go all out with a dual-stage, and keep the paintball setup for a nano tank. So in hindsight, I shouldve just went paintball mini aquatek. Doh! Also, I bought a Victor hpt 270b on ebay, so ill be working on that when time permits. 

3. I hope to stock the tank more: 
- Maybe a few more sparkling gourami? I like tiny nano fish, but I want to have shrimp in there, so i'm refraining from the nice pygmy loaches i saw, even the pygmy cories (or are they ok with shrimp??). 
- Plants-wise, gonna try the DHG in the front as planned, and i need to do something with those stem plants (rotala) in the back.


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

So here's my aquatek on a christmas tree stand, hahah.

Doing some minor rescaping/maintenance, so pics of tank will be later. I moved the wood forward to make space for stem plants in the back and adjusted the plants accordingly. 

My Victor HPT270B is leak free! It had the wrong gauges and some scratches, so I was worried about it. 

I also got a cheap regulator with chrome cga320 nipple & nut and USG gauges for cheap, so I harvested them over to the Victor. Im thinking burkert solenoid with a decent needle valve, and SS parts in between. Estimated total cost should be ~$175. There are some cheap dual stage regs all over. I missed out on one for $20!

I may just sell the dual stage since the aquatek is doing ok for my 5g, but I always dream of bigger tanks...


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

*Cladophora??*

I've been running CO2 at ~1 bps and the growth has generally been great. 
However, there are 2 things that are bothering me:

1. I think I may have Cladophora.  It's sad, because so far, it has been the only algae problem I've had! And it sucks because it's not even a technical issue!! My lighting, ferts, CO2 seem to all be decent. *Any help with this problem would be appreciated. I'm considering doing a drastic H2O2 cleansing*. 

2. One caveat is that my rotala seem to have some possible deficiency. **See Pic below** What could this be due to? 

1/32 tsp of KNO3 per week
1/128 tsp of KH2PO4 per week
~5mL of Flourish Iron per week
A few drops of Flourish Comprehensive per week *(I'm not a fan of this product. I'm considering getting new micros)*

A) Potassium deficiency? 
B) Micros deficiency?
C) Flow or light deficiency? (I redirected the light more toward the front a little while ago)

3. Plans: 

- I'm considering either just taking out the Rotala in the back and just doing microswords all around OR adding more colorful stem plants in the back-right (to create a stem plant section in the back). * What do you think?*

- I need shrimp!! RCS, maybe give CRS a shot? I'm leaning toward mail-order. *Any insight/tips on deals on this would be cool.* 


Enjoy the pics!!


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## mcclure91 (Aug 7, 2011)

very nice chi I just bought one too new in box for $10 (it didnt have filter or light) any updates on your tank and how are you liking the beamsworks led


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

Update! 

So I had a bout of clado, and although it looked kinda nice, it irked me. I took drastic measures by physically removing and excel/H2O2/bleaching everything. The best was the bleach, made clado turn white pretty quickly. Unfortunately the plants as well. So you have to use a diluted soln. and dip for maybe a minute. I also bleached the gravel and excel/H2O2'ed the driftwood. In the end, I just put back the microswords and the crypt parva. 

Now, I am snail and clado free (so far). I replaced the driftwood with a local piece of wood I had been soaking. I added a tiny anybias node as well. We shall see how this all recovers. The other salvaged plant species are in a small "creature container" in the other room. 

The Chi is doing well and the Beamsworks led light is good. Only gripe is that it is not square shaped so it will give strong light to a strip of area and low/med light in front or back of that strip. A square version would be awesome.


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## snakeskin (Jul 28, 2005)

This would look lovely with some c. balansae growing in the back to cover the cords I think... they have a lovely dark greenish red color with those wrinkled leaves that give such great texture to the tank. Would really compliment the driftwood I think.


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## hyunbaw (Jan 18, 2006)

*Major update*

After a poor experience with Clado infestation, I completely re-did the tank and made it a low-tech, no filter setup. Has been very stable. 

-Same 9W LED light on timer. 
-10W Heater
-No filter/flow
-Automatic feeder

-Fauna - some platys and guppies, ramshorns, and one nerite. 

-Flora - Anubias barteri and Anubias barteri nana. Crypt Parva, Java moss, some rotala, small amounts of microswords and java fern emerging up top. Duckweed. 

After a massive removal of java moss/rotala/duckweed.











Close up of Top half










Crypt Parva, Check out that Mulm!! about 2-3 inches thick. 



















------

I also setup a second Fluval Chi as my high-tech. 

-Azoo 13W CF on timer
-Aquatek paintball CO2 on timer
-Hagen Elite Mini Underwater Filter w/o any filter material. 
-Small doses of ferts here and there. 

-Fauna - Currently just one nerite snail. 
-Flora - Dwarf (Japanese) Hairgrass, Rotala. Hope to add some shrimp. 










Sorry for the rotated images.


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