# 30 gallon Christmas tree (56K warning)



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

Hey everyone! I started a 30 gallon rimless planted tank, and has been setup for 2 weeks. Currently the wood in the tank has this white fungus on it. I read that it's normal for new wood, and will disappear over time.

*Equipment:*
Tank: 23.6" x 19.7" x 16.5"
Filter: AIO tank
Heater: Jager 120 watts
Substrate: CaribSea Eco-Complete (60 lbs)
Lights: Kessil 150 WE 
CO2: GLA GRO CO2 SYSTEM
Diffuser: ATOMIC CO2 DIFFUSER - 70MM
Drop Checker: CAL AQUA 'PEARL' DROP CHECKER
Ferts: PPS-PRO FERTILIZER PACKAGE (from GLA)

*Plants currently in tank*

Christmas Moss
Dwarf Baby tears
Java Fern
blyxa japonica (right corner)

*Here are some pictures of the setup*


































































































*Goal for tank*

I am hoping to have the Christmas moss cover up the branches to create a tree effect. Hopefully in time, the baby tears will carpet the floor and color up a bit.

I ended up putting the baby tears on the ground, and placed a small rock on top of it to allow it time to grow in.

Feel free to leave feedback if you guys have any


----------



## DayOlder (Jul 12, 2014)

It's going to look great, in fact already does. I recently set up one similar in a 26B. I used Malaysian Driftwood which had been boiled and soaked for 48 hours. Never had any fungus appear on it, but still released a lot of tannins. After about a month I pulled it out because the Amano were making sawdust out of it. I've order a piece of Manzanita which I heard is stronger and last last longer. What kind of wood did you use and was it preboiled and soaked? That may make the difference.


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

DayOlder said:


> It's going to look great, in fact already does. I recently set up one similar in a 26B. I used Malaysian Driftwood which had been boiled and soaked for 48 hours. Never had any fungus appear on it, but still released a lot of tannins. After about a month I pulled it out because the Amano were making sawdust out of it. I've order a piece of Manzanita which I heard is stronger and last last longer. What kind of wood did you use and was it preboiled and soaked? That may make the difference.


Not really sure what wood it was to the honest. Before I put it in, I scrubbed it down, but did not boil it. 

I am not too worried about the fungus, from what I read, it's just bacteria eating away at the nutrients on the wood. After a few weeks, it should clear up on its own


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

One more day till my Co2 system comes in the mail! I will post pictures when it arrives!


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

My Green leaf Aquarium Co2 system and drop checker came in the mail today! Here are some pictures of the unit and the set up


















































All in all, the packaging of the entire system from GLA was amazing, and fast. I was able to go to Carbonic Services and fill the 5 lbs tank up for $20. Currently everything is set up and working as intended! More tank pictures will come in a couple days, to show the effects of co2 and baby tears


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

Atomic diffuser installed in tank and shooting off a nice clean mist. Cal Labs "Pearl" drop checker showing "Green" Co2 levels perfect so far


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

I am debating if I should add some other plants in the tank to fill it up a bit (something with color), or if I should just allow the Baby tears to carpet out and go from there.

Any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions?


----------



## vanish (Apr 21, 2014)

A little column A, a little column B


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

vanish said:


> A little column A, a little column B


Sorry, I am new to FW plants. What does little column A and little column B mean?


----------



## vanish (Apr 21, 2014)

Dragonxflare said:


> Sorry, I am new to FW plants. What does little column A and little column B mean?


You're going to kick yourself on that one. It just means do a little of both. Nothing to do with plants  Add a few, not a ton, more plants and let your carpet form, too.


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

vanish said:


> You're going to kick yourself on that one. It just means do a little of both. Nothing to do with plants  Add a few, not a ton, more plants and let your carpet form, too.


Thanks  I will look into what else to add

Bump: Excited!!

My ferts from GLA came in today! (PPS-PRO FERTILIZER PACKAGE)










I just mixed them in the bottles, and waiting overnight for everything to dissolve before using it. The baby tears and Christmas moss will love them!


----------



## Emplanted (May 3, 2014)

Can I ask for a site link for where you bought the micros and macros? I'd love to get some! Wow  love the tree


----------



## rabidrider (Jul 18, 2014)

nice job so far cant wait to see how it turns out. That tree is awesome. Hard to find pieces that fit so nicely like that good job


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

Emplanted said:


> Can I ask for a site link for where you bought the micros and macros? I'd love to get some! Wow  love the tree





rabidrider said:


> nice job so far cant wait to see how it turns out. That tree is awesome. Hard to find pieces that fit so nicely like that good job


Thanks! I am hoping it fills out soon!

Click here for the link to Green Leaf Aquarium, where I got the ferts from. I ended up getting the Pro package, but I heard great things about their EI package as well


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

I went to the LFS today and bought a few new plants:

1 Large Anubius
1 Baby Anubius bunch
5 stemmed blyxa japonica


----------



## ThisDarkDivide (Jun 24, 2014)

how about a full monty shot now (tank shot  )

and whats your bps rate currently at?

Bump: how about a full monty shot now (tank shot  )

and whats your bps rate currently at?


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

ThisDarkDivide said:


> how about a full monty shot now (tank shot  )
> 
> and whats your bps rate currently at?
> 
> ...


Here's a few pictures of the tank as of today.

I believe the BPS is around 4-5.

I also attached a short video of the tank, and at the end, you can see the bubble counter in action 


























Video of my tank, as of 7/20/2014: Click Here  (sorry for the camera quality, was using my Iphone to record)


----------



## ThisDarkDivide (Jun 24, 2014)

seeing any pearling yet?


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

ThisDarkDivide said:


> seeing any pearling yet?


Sadly no.... tanks been up about 2-3 weeks and havent fully established yet.

Should I be seeing pearling already?


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

As of 7/21/2014, I started to see a tiny bit of Hair Algae on my dwarf baby tears. It could be due to a chemical imbalance, since my tank is still going through the nitrogen cycle (should be finished soon), but in light of the hair algae, I decided to increase my Co2 a bit to help with the algae.

Also, I cut back my lighting from 10 hours to 8 hours. I feel maybe having a Kessil 150 WE Amazon Sun over a 30 gallon might be a tad too much, and 10 hours was too long.

Thoughts?


----------



## ThisDarkDivide (Jun 24, 2014)

I've 2 kessils on my 60 gallon cube. My Ludwigia peruensis is over 2 feet tall on 4 of the stems. I just cut and replanted them this afternoon.

Keep us informed


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

I ended up raising the gooseneck about 1-2 inches higher, and cut the light back down to 8 hours. Hopefully once I get some shrimp in Otos in the tank, it will start to clear up


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

7/24/2014,

Did a 50% water change (15 gallons), and added 7 Otos, and 5 Amano shrimp.

Current PH: 6.8
KH 4

Showing about 19 ppm co2 (within range). I will be leaving it around 2-3 bps for the next couple days to let the shrimp and otos settle before slowly upping the co2.


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

So... I went to San Diego for my brother in law's Bachelor party, and came home today (4 days later) to see my tank temperature reading at 88.9 degrees. It seems that a genius in my house, thought it would be smart to close all my windows and my door (basically trapping heat in my room) causing my tank temp to raise.

Lucky for me, all my Otos and neon tetras are ok. I lost a couple Amano shrimps, but still havent seen their bodies yet.

Worst part is, my Baby tears are looking like crap now. I assume the reason they look browned / yellowed out, is a cause of the high temp? Or could it be due to lack of nutrients?

Anyone have any ideas?


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

Thinking about purchasing the Neptune system Apex Jr.. has a temp probe as well as PH probe for monitoring.

Also, with this system, I can monitor everything through an app on my cell phone so I can see the temp, PH, etc etc at all times.


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

Added 24 Neocaridina Fire red shrimps today (Lost a little bit of color due to stress), and added the Pinpoint PH monitor


































Currently my KH is at 4, and GH at 8


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

So far, shrimps made it over night with Co2! I am not sure if I lost any but I can see a lot of them still around! *Thumbs up!*

I will probably be picking up a few more Amano's today to help with the little hair algae I have in the tank.


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

Picked up 10 Amano shrimps today at my LFS, and they are going crazy with the cleaning


----------



## ThisDarkDivide (Jun 24, 2014)

your baby tears will bounce back. i would expect those red shirmp to breed, I had several in an aqueon evolve 8 tank and they bred like crazy.


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

ThisDarkDivide said:


> your baby tears will bounce back. i would expect those red shirmp to breed, I had several in an aqueon evolve 8 tank and they bred like crazy.


I am still a little worried about Co2 injection, currently around 30 ppm. They seem to be doing fine, but who knows.

PH before lights: 7.7
KH: 4
PH after lights / co2 turns on: 6.6

Overall, things are looking good. I think I was running low on algae in the tank, so I ended up putting in a piece of zucchini in there for everyone. 

Been reading a lot about Ken's premium foods, and decided to pull the trigger on a 1/2 lbs bag of veggie sticks laced with calcium. This should give my Fire red shrimps some color / calcium for their shells.


http://www.kensfish.com/aquarium-supplies/fish-food-feeders/kens-premium-veggie-sticks-calcium.html


----------



## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Try adding CO2 to knock the pH to 6.6 and then watch it, also how long does it take from the start of the light period/CO2 addition to get it to 6.6? Keep the Diffuser clean and soak in Bleach or peroxide often to clean it and then rinse, add dechlorinator etc.

Do not trust the drop checker, stick with relative pH drop.

When temp goes up, the CO2 goes DOWN, same for O2.
plant demand however goes up for both CO2 and O2. so if you add a lot at say 75F, then it's 85F, it will be less.... and the plants will demand more.

HC should grow tightly along the sediment.
That stuff looks weak and lacking CO2.

Shrimp, that which cannot be killed. They are like cocker roaches.


Water changes, good CO2 and watching plants/livestock, those are the most important things. I do 2-3x a week 50-70% on new tanks till they are fairly well filled in, then you can back off.


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

plantbrain said:


> Try adding CO2 to knock the pH to 6.6 and then watch it, also how long does it take from the start of the light period/CO2 addition to get it to 6.6? Keep the Diffuser clean and soak in Bleach or peroxide often to clean it and then rinse, add dechlorinator etc.
> 
> Do not trust the drop checker, stick with relative pH drop.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the reply Tom. When the lights are turned off, PH is around 7.7, but once they are turned on with the Co2, it takes about 2 hours for the PH to drop to 6.6 (a rough estimate on time). Since I purchased the Pinpoint PH monitor, it made it 10x easier for me to monitor the PH fluctuation. I am still debating on getting an Apex Jr system. This way I can monitor my tank while im away, have more control over timing, etc etc.

Temp is pretty stable around 78-79 depending on how hot it is outside. 

I've been having some issues with the Nitrates showing zero while using the PPS-Pro method, so after discussing it with some members, I decided to switch to the EI method.

I created some pre-mixed bottles, that I hope will last me a few months, using the following mix (Dosing 5 ML)

Bottle 1: (500 ML)

138g KNO3
21g KH2P04
28g K2S04 (went less on this, since I was told I can get K from KN03, KH2PO4)

Bottle 2: (500 ML)

87g Plantex CSM+B 

I left out MGS04, since my GH is around 8. I normally use RODI water, but I have stones in my tank to bump the GH up. If I notice my GH is too low, I'll start dosing this. Until then, I'll leave it out

Dosing schedule:

Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday (5 ML Macro)

Monday, Wednesday, Friday (5 ML Micro) Plantex

Water Change on Sundays.


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

Tank as of 8/4/2014

*Fire Red shrimps hanging out*










*Otos having dinner*










*Full tank shot*


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

Decided to switch lights from my Kessil unit to the Dutch planted 6300k

http://www.buildmyled.com/dutch-planted-6300k-xb-series/

Currently awaiting fulfillment. Once this unit ships, I will post new pictures of the unit and how it looks over the tank


----------



## ThisDarkDivide (Jun 24, 2014)

im interested in seeing the difference in the light(s).


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

ThisDarkDivide said:


> im interested in seeing the difference in the light(s).


I'll take some before and after pictures when the lights get in!


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

Tank is finally stabilizing, and added 4 Crystal red shrimps (friend gave them to me) in the tank to see if I can keep them alive. Sorry about the bad picture, it was used with my Iphone


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

*8/21/2014 update*

I couldn't resist the deal I got, so I finally pulled the trigger on a Neptune Apex System. I am now able to monitor my PH, temp, and control everything through my computer as well as my phone! I was able to set it up where I can turn off / on everything through my phone, and I can check up on my tank while im away on business. 

I am still researching on what ORP does, to see if I want to get a probe for that. Supposedly it measures the the amount of oxygen in the tank? If someone can clarify this for me, it would be great!

Here are some pictures of the unit










































I was able to get the 8 outlet version which allows me to have up to 8 things on a timer. This will work perfect for my pumps, heater, Co2, Lights, Air pump (once co2 turns off).

Pretty excited!! Also, this Friday, my new light from BuildMyLED comes in, so i'll be setting that up soon as well!


----------



## ThisDarkDivide (Jun 24, 2014)

<- me jealous..


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

*8/22/2014 update*

After waiting two weeks, I finally got my Dutch 6300k XB series light from Build My LED


















*Dimmer*









*Mounts*









*24" 6300k Dutch XB series light*









*Comparison*

*Tank with 6700k Kessil 150WE Amazon Sun*










*Tank with 6300k Dutch*


















Overall, I noticed that the Kessil does have a little more white to the light, but with the Dutch 6300k, I am able to see the coloration of my shrimp a lot better. My Fire Red's and CRS colors are a lot deeper now with the 6300k. 

Also with this new light, I will now have more distribution of light throughout the tank, instead of with the Kessil, where it was a pendant, having light stronger towards the center, and weaker towards the sides.

Can't wait to see the growth with this new light I received from BML. Let me know your thoughts!


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

*update*

Plants started to pearl for the first time ever! They never pearled when I was using the Kessil, but after switching to the BML light, they started to. Great news!


----------



## mistuhmarc (Oct 1, 2013)

The jealousy for that apex system is high. That is quite the buy you have there good sir. I wish I had money for that. D:


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

mistuhmarc said:


> The jealousy for that apex system is high. That is quite the buy you have there good sir. I wish I had money for that. D:


So far the Apex System is pretty awesome


----------



## ThisDarkDivide (Jun 24, 2014)

how soon after the BML was added that you started to notice the plants pearling?


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

ThisDarkDivide said:


> how soon after the BML was added that you started to notice the plants pearling?


I started to notice it within a day of installing the new light. Also, my blyxa japonica is starting to really turn red, which looks amazing


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

Pretty excited today! Noticed my first Fire red shrimp berried with eggs!










Hopefully she survives, and the babies survive


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

So.. After getting my XB series, dutch 6300k light from BML, I set the light at 75%, and even with 1 PPM P04, I started to get a lot of Green spot Algae on some plants, as well as my glass.

I decided to drop to around 40-50% and go from there. Guess the XB series is pretty intense.


----------



## Xenaph (Dec 9, 2013)

Do you try to up the light ? It seem the best is have the light at 80-90 cm from the substate.


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

Xenaph said:


> Do you try to up the light ? It seem the best is have the light at 80-90 cm from the substate.


Don't really have a way to raise the light, so I ended up using the dimmer, and dropped the percentage down


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

Been a while since I updated the tank, here are some pictures as of today. The baby tears are looking pretty healthy and spreading out pretty nice now.










blyxa japonica has so much light, that it's turning red. How awesome is that!



























Java fern pearling a bit


----------



## Shidohari (Nov 6, 2008)

Lovely tank, i love how you used that moss and the plants you selected.

I wish i was that creative with how I chose my plants for my 20 gallon tall.

Keep up the good work.


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

Shidohari said:


> Lovely tank, i love how you used that moss and the plants you selected.
> 
> I wish i was that creative with how I chose my plants for my 20 gallon tall.
> 
> Keep up the good work.


Thank you!

You can always rescape your tank, if you dont like it


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

Sunday update!

*Christmas moss pearling up a storm*



















* Dwarf baby tears spreading nicely over Eco-Complete substrate*


----------



## Cyphos (Jan 27, 2007)

How the shimmer on the Kessil 150 WE 
compared to the XB

Bump: Woops Posted to quick,
Switched over from a reef, and I miss that shimmer affect in the water, without much current.

Wanted to know the difference in appearance between the pinpoint lighting (Kessil 150WE, which is deep penatrating light vs the BML)

I was looking for some accent lighting? Kessil 150WE

or does the BML provide all I need?

Thanks


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

Cyphos said:


> How the shimmer on the Kessil 150 WE
> compared to the XB
> 
> Bump: Woops Posted to quick,
> ...



With the BML, you wont see any shimmering like the Kessil. Regarding penetration, the BML lights are so strong, you wont have any issues with it.

I am currently only using my XB series at 50% with 30 ppm co2 pumping in my tank. Any higher, I tend to get a lot more GSA. After dialing it down, I still get GSA on the glass, but not anything too crazy


----------



## Dragonxflare (Jul 1, 2014)

Update on my tank...

My tank had an explosion of Staghorn, BBA, GSA, and hair algae when I left town for a week. I ended up tearing down and redoing it. So far it looks like this:


























I am hoping to get some idea's / suggestions on what else I can add / where.

Thoughts?


----------

