# 5.5 gallon rimless AGA journal



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

I wasn't happy with my 3g eclipse (mainly because i kept scratching the acrylic and the filter is crap) so i decided to upgrade to a 5.5g aga. I have a 5.5g derimmed and i just built a hood today which is pretty crude but it will get the job done. 

Here's a list of the some of the future specs:

-filter: tom rapids mini canister filter
-lighting: 20 watts of 6500k lighting (may up it to 26w if co2 isnt necessary)
-substrate: either eco complete or flourite (it depends which one my lfs has)
-plants: marselia minuta, downoi (hopefully), and that's all the plants i know i want for sure...got some thinking to do.
-livestock: some microrasboras (maybe 5-7?) and 2 otos.
-ferts: flourish comprehensive and flourish iron
-co2: flourish excel

Thats all i have planned so far. I'm hoping to get this tank setup within the next week and a half. Time for pics. Any suggestions or comments are welcome!

The tank


The hood (excuse the quality because it was made with basic tools). It will be painted black with a 10g hood fixture retrofitted and chrome tape everywhere on the inside.




The ridges holding the hood on the lip of the glass.



The tank and the hood.


----------



## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

with using a hood I think I would have left the trim on. also at 20 watt you may need to use a DIY CO2 setup excel may not be enough. I run 26 watts over my Mini M which is almost the same size as the AGA 5.5 which I have aswell; I rund Pressurized CO2 on that.

Craig


----------



## leodeal384 (Sep 25, 2007)

Hey, I just started a 5.5 rimless, too! I like the hood, but maybe take the legs off and try to suspend it...or make a stand that holds it above the tank. It sort of takes away from the rimless look. 
Also, could you not get the bottom trim off? Mine wasn't too bad, but I think it would look better if the whole thing was rimless. Although, with the bottom on you don't have to worry about what it is sitting on.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Craig: thanks for the suggestions. i thought about leaving the rim on but i think a hood wont take away from the overall appeal too much. plus i plan on trying to take the legs off and suspend the hood eventually when i get settled into my new apartment/house next semester. 

I'm hoping excel will be enough but we'll see. If things start getting out of control i'll probably switch to a DIY co2 system.

leodeal: thanks for the comments. like i mentioned before i'm hoping to suspend the hood in the future but i'll just have to wait and see. I didn't even try to take the bottom rim off because I found the top one to be hard enough. Plus, i'll be moving this tank between home and college about 1-2 times a year so i need all the protection and support i can get for the car ride. I just took a look at your 5.5 and I must say your off to a great start. keep it up!

Anyways I finished painting and wiring the hood today so i have some pictures of it doing it's thing on the tank. Here ya go:





I forgot to post a couple pictures of the inside of the hood all finished so here you go:

Off



On


----------



## chonhzilla (Apr 22, 2008)

cool Idea


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

thanks chon!


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

So i finally got this tank all set up after i got a few supplies for christmas. Here it is:









I left some room near the rocks because I want to add some downoi around them. I'll be adding rotala rotundi in the back left corner tomorrow as well as some dwarf sag somewhere. I'm also thinking about adding a few rocks to the right side with some blyxa behind them to balance the tank out. Let me know what you'll think because I'm very open to suggestions.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Well i added a few plants and a few more rocks to try to balance out the tank.

-current plants-
rotala indica (it might be rotundi but it was labeled as indica)
crypt wendtii red
sagittaria
crypt lucens
marselia minuta

-future plants- i left some room on the right side for some blyxa and some room all along the rocks for some downoi...now i just need to get my hands on some *wink wink*

Let me know what you'll think. Thanks!

FTS


Angled


Left Side


Right Side


----------



## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

wow I like it.. very nice looking setup. Looks like you did a good job derimming it too.. I cracked my 5.5 a little bit when I did that =X

Like someone said before.. I would've left the rim on if i was going to put legs on it. The hood looks GREAT painted black. I bet you can't even see it when the lights are off in the room. I would try to suspend it though, I think it would look even hotter.

Good job dude


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

thanks down shift!

I do hope to suspend the fixture eventually but for now it's gotta be on legs. And ya you can't see it too well when the room is dark so i'm fine with it.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Not a whole lot has changed besides the water clearing up but here's an update anyway. I moved the filter intake and spraybar to the left side because i like the water flow better that way. I also added the fish from my 3g after checking my parameters; this includes 2 otos and 2 rummy nose tetras. The tetras will be moved to my brother's 29g tank when i leave for college but the otos will be comming with me. When i get settled in back at school i plan on buying a school of harlequin rasboras or one of the boraras species (prob 5-6 fish). Also, i believe my crypt wendtii reds are melting but this was kind of expected...anyways here's the pics so let me know what you'll think:

FTS






One of the otos just hanging out


----------



## dp2012 (Jan 9, 2009)

your tank looks AMAZINGGGGG
i have the same exact tank, with filter, diy hood and light, and heater and its curently a freshwater but i really want to turn it into a planted tank just like that i have a few baby mollies in there can you please help me like what i need to convert it i have gravel but i want the actual planted substrate?? what is that called? and one more question WHAT IS THE GRASS i've allways wondered like the little grass looking stuff on the bottem please helpp thanks NICE TANK AGAIN


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

dp2012 said:


> your tank looks AMAZINGGGGG
> i have the same exact tank, with filter, diy hood and light, and heater and its curently a freshwater but i really want to turn it into a planted tank just like that i have a few baby mollies in there can you please help me like what i need to convert it i have gravel but i want the actual planted substrate?? what is that called? and one more question WHAT IS THE GRASS i've allways wondered like the little grass looking stuff on the bottem please helpp thanks NICE TANK AGAIN


Thanks! I have eco complete but there are a number of aquatic soils out there. I highly recommend getting rid of the gravel and getting some kind of a soil with nutrients in it- im noticing a huge difference now that i've switched to eco complete. I'm assuming your asking about my foreground plant? That's marselia minuta...one of many foreground plants.

Anyways here's and update on my tank:

I got my plants in today as well as a few extras and i also made the move back to school. Here's the tank all set back up!.

Current plants include:
-rotala rotundifolia
-crypt lucens
-dwarf sag
-java fern
-blyxa
-downoi
-dwarf hair grass
-marselia minuta
-1 unidentified plant

I hope you'll like it. It's time to sit back and watch it grow!


----------



## dp2012 (Jan 9, 2009)

thankkk you
yeah i want a driftwood and some nuitrent substrate i'd probbaly go with eco-complete do i need co2 and/or what chemicals etc. i might even put sand in the middle a little bit to make it look like a path or something idk thats still a maybe im not to sure but is there anything else i need? because i really want my tank lookin like yours it looks super cool


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

dp2012 said:


> thankkk you
> yeah i want a driftwood and some nuitrent substrate i'd probbaly go with eco-complete do i need co2 and/or what chemicals etc. i might even put sand in the middle a little bit to make it look like a path or something idk thats still a maybe im not to sure but is there anything else i need? because i really want my tank lookin like yours it looks super cool


Thanks again! So far i've been happy with eco complete so i highly recommend it. I have heard of a cheaper alternative called Schultz Aquatic Soil or something like that?- You can find it at home depot or lowes from what i hear. As far as CO2 goes, that depends on how much light you have. I have 20w and i use Excel which seems to be sufficient. I'm thinking about upping my tank to 26w but that might make it necessary for CO2...which i really dont want to deal with.


----------



## dp2012 (Jan 9, 2009)

i c im not sure but i think i heard of potting soil???? yeah i have a 10w which gives a good amount of light.and if i convert all this can i put my fish back n after im all done or should move them to my other 10gallon tank for a bit?


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

I would give your tank some time to cycle before adding inhabitants. You could cycle your 5.5 with the filter from your 10g for a quicker cycle. Also, 10w of light won't be enough unless you stick to low light plants. I would try to get 20w minimum over your tank.

Update:
well i went to my LFS and picked up a school of 6 neon tetras and 3 ghost shrimp. i cant stop starring at my tank now. The shrimp are especially fun to watch. Anyways here's some pictures of the new inhabitants:

FTS



Tetras


Shrimp


----------



## dp2012 (Jan 9, 2009)

my tank is already cycled do i need to cycle it again its running right now i just want to convert it into a planted im gunna order everything off dr.foster and smith today or sometime this week or should i use another website i live in MO so not to far a way like canda lol

the tetras and the shirimp look great i like them both too i've had them before


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

you should be alright if your tank is already cycled. But i'm sure it wouldnt hurt to wait a few days to add livestock after you add your plants. Dr. Foster and Smith is a good website so you should have no worries ordering from them


----------



## Agent Zero (Dec 24, 2008)

Beautiful Nano. I like the rimless tank. How hard was it to take off the rim?


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Agent Zero said:


> Beautiful Nano. I like the rimless tank. How hard was it to take off the rim?


Thanks Agent Zero! You've got a great start going on your 10g as well. The rim wasn't very hard to take off. My main advice is to take your time because i rushed the first tank i bought and ended up cracking the glass. Just take your time and cut every bit of silicon.


----------



## dp2012 (Jan 9, 2009)

wow i researched quite a bit and i might order some aquasoil from ADA but i was wondering theres a 9liter bag and a 3 liter bag which one should i get?? im thinking about getinc some HC google tropica and theres a pretty cool 3 gallon ada with a lot of nice HC growing


----------



## crudnugget (Feb 5, 2008)

dp2012, you can figure out exactly how much aquasoil you need by calculating the cubic centimeters of the soilbase. Get the measurements of the 5.5 gallon tank (length and depth front to back) in centimeters and then decide how deep you want the substrate (3 inches, or about 7cm is good). Then do a volume calculation in cubic centimeters (length x width x height) and convert the cubic centimeters to liters.

Google can do conversions for you. If you go to Google and type in "x cubic centimeters to liters" it will convert it for you. You can also ask it "x inches to centimeters" and it will convert between standard -> metric.

I'm guessing that if you got a 9l bag, you'd have quite a bit left over, but if you got the 3l bag, you may not have enough if you want a decent slope.

Sorry this was so long.


----------



## demosthenes (Aug 23, 2008)

awesome tank! i like the general scape and planning, and the shrimp are sweet. arent those little guys expensive though?

just buy two 3L bags, that should be enough for a good slope.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

demosthenes said:


> awesome tank! i like the general scape and planning, and the shrimp are sweet. arent those little guys expensive though?
> 
> just buy two 3L bags, that should be enough for a good slope.


Thanks Demo! I like it so far too i just cant wait for it to fill out. Those shrimp were actually only $0.49 at Petco!


----------



## dp2012 (Jan 9, 2009)

demosthenes said:


> awesome tank! i like the general scape and planning, and the shrimp are sweet. arent those little guys expensive though?
> 
> just buy two 3L bags, that should be enough for a good slope.



sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet i'll look at ordering either eco complete or aqua soil which do you preffer? i want either drift wood or some rock to make a moutain type thing or like a cliff with sand on the bottem or something?? any good ideas


----------



## dp2012 (Jan 9, 2009)

crudnugget said:


> dp2012, you can figure out exactly how much aquasoil you need by calculating the cubic centimeters of the soilbase. Get the measurements of the 5.5 gallon tank (length and depth front to back) in centimeters and then decide how deep you want the substrate (3 inches, or about 7cm is good). Then do a volume calculation in cubic centimeters (length x width x height) and convert the cubic centimeters to liters.
> 
> Google can do conversions for you. If you go to Google and type in "x cubic centimeters to liters" it will convert it for you. You can also ask it "x inches to centimeters" and it will convert between standard -> metric.
> 
> ...


thank you soo much, no problem u gave me a lot of gooooood information that i needed. im thinkin 2 3l bags or 1 3l and a powersand?? :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## dp2012 (Jan 9, 2009)

sry it took me a wile to reply my wifi stoped working


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Just a little update. The water is a bit cloudy still from moving a few rocks, replanting a few plants, etc. Not much has changed though it's just filling in slowly. Here's the pics:

FTS




I have a few other pictures but imageshack is acting up so ill post them later.
Anyways let me know what you'll think!


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Out of the blue today i decided i wanted to make a DIY co2 system. So i got all the supplies and used some i had lying around and i made a decent little setup.

I used a 20oz sprite bottle (what's the max size bottle you would use for a 5.5g?), an 8oz (i think) water bottle, and a red sea nano filter i had lying around missing the bottom half of the intake tube. I picked up some airstones from petco that fit pefectly inside the intake tube; all i had to do was make some holes above the airstone so it didn't plug the flow completely.

I did about 10 minutes worth of research on a recipe so im basically just going to play around with it on my own and find out what works best. For my first try i used almost a full cup of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of yeast, and about 3/4 of the bottle filled with luke warm water. I'm currently getting just under a bubble per second so we'll see if it's enough.

I haven't done much research on co2 set ups so i have a few questions about them: What other responsibilities come with co2? What kind of dosing do i have to do? Can i just dose flourish comprehensive and iron? Any suggestions on a recipe? I don't have too much co2 for my fish, right?

Anyways here's the pictures of the set up. Let me know what you'll think!

This is before i switched to a sprite bottle


----------



## RiverOtter (Jan 25, 2009)

Hey, love the tank. I've recently set up a 5.5 gallon myself, about five months ago.

I currently use CO2 tablets with a Sera plastic reactor. It's working well, but the thing is rather bulky inside the tank, and I've love to start playing around with DIY C02. You system looks great; however, I don't quite understand how the old filter works as a reactor. Care to explain it to a total noob?

Thanks! Keep up the great work.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Thanks for the comments. Do you have a link to your tank? I'd love to see it.

The DIY method was very easy and i highly recommend it. I'm very new to co2 also so other members may correct me if i'm wrong. 

The filter isn't the reacter, rather it's more like a diffuser. I shoved the airstone up into the filter intake tube so the co2 is being directly injected into the filter. The filter impeller chops the co2 into tiny bubbles and they are spread out everywhere in my aquarium. The reactor is the sprite bottle- that's where the co2 is being created by the sugar, yeast, and water recipe. The smaller bottle is a bubble counter. It's only purpose is to allow you to count how many bubbles the reactor is creating.

Just do a little research and give it a try if you want. Here's a link to help you http://fish.cecolts.com/pics/co2.html


----------



## RiverOtter (Jan 25, 2009)

Thanks for the help!

Yeah, I'm brand new to these forums (as a member) so I haven't posted any pictures or journals, but I'm looking forward to getting them up soon. Currently battling staghorn algae... looking for a better Co2 solution.

I currently use an aquaclear 20 as my filter, but I have an old, smaller HOB filter lying around that could work similar to your setup. Could be fun to play around with! So, you just kinda stuck the airstone inside the intake?

I'm looking forward to reading over the link. Thanks again.


----------



## ddtran46 (Jul 8, 2008)

hilikus16 said:


> Out of the blue today i decided i wanted to make a DIY co2 system. So i got all the supplies and used some i had lying around and i made a decent little setup.
> 
> I used a 20oz sprite bottle (what's the max size bottle you would use for a 5.5g?), an 8oz (i think) water bottle, and a red sea nano filter i had lying around missing the bottom half of the intake tube. I picked up some airstones from petco that fit pefectly inside the intake tube; all i had to do was make some holes above the airstone so it didn't plug the flow completely.
> 
> ...


Wow the co2 connected to the nano filter is a pretty cool idea. Your tank looks amazing.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

ddtran46 said:


> Wow the co2 connected to the nano filter is a pretty cool idea. Your tank looks amazing.


Thanks! I was so glad the airstone fit perfectly in the intake tube...it saved me a lot of trouble.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

RiverOtter said:


> Thanks for the help!
> 
> Yeah, I'm brand new to these forums (as a member) so I haven't posted any pictures or journals, but I'm looking forward to getting them up soon. Currently battling staghorn algae... looking for a better Co2 solution.
> 
> ...


Yup that's exactly what i did. Petco sells a 2-pack of slim airstone's made by Lee's Aquarium and Pet Products. They're called Discard-A-Stone. They fit perfectly in the intake tube


----------



## RiverOtter (Jan 25, 2009)

Cool! And it looks like you've just put a chunk of foam in the RedSea, right?


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

RiverOtter said:


> Cool! And it looks like you've just put a chunk of foam in the RedSea, right?


Sure did. That way i still get a little mechanical filtration out of it as well. The added flow from the filter is a plus too.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

It's time for a little update because a few things have happened with my tank.

First, I trimmed the rotalas down a lot and sold them to a member. I've got some before and after pictures to show in a minute.

Second, I added another 20oz bottle to my DIY co2 system for more co2 and more consistent co2. It's made a noticeable difference- i can see bubbles everywhere now!

Also, I just ordered the ingredients for the PPS-pro fertilizing system from GLA. I'm hoping that's the missing piece of the puzzle into making my tank take off (especially the marselia).

Here's a few pictures because what's an update without pictures?

Before trim


After trim


It's ugly, but hey it works


some bubbles


the current setup


----------



## MjlLms1134 (Jan 27, 2009)

Your tank looks very nice. Thanks for the help with my question back in my lighting thread. How is the DIY co2 doing now that you are running 2 bottles? My 1 liter bottle setup seems to be inop. I have a small water bottle added for a bubble counter and an inline check valve. Im starting to think i have bad yeast because its been up for a week and i never see a bubble in the counter or the supply tube to the HOB filter. I even took the airstone off to see if it was restricted. 

Anyhow- i love the growth you have in that one corner plant- is that the rotalas? Very nice. Maybe ill start a journal when i figure out how to post pics so you can take a look.


----------



## ddtran46 (Jul 8, 2008)

nice..


----------



## RiverOtter (Jan 25, 2009)

So - riddle me this. Again, I'm a total noob, so sorry if this is a stupid question.

With a small tank, how much co2 do you need? Can you overdo it?


----------



## Pinto (Jan 23, 2009)

Cool setup.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

MjlLms1134 said:


> Your tank looks very nice. Thanks for the help with my question back in my lighting thread. How is the DIY co2 doing now that you are running 2 bottles? My 1 liter bottle setup seems to be inop. I have a small water bottle added for a bubble counter and an inline check valve. Im starting to think i have bad yeast because its been up for a week and i never see a bubble in the counter or the supply tube to the HOB filter. I even took the airstone off to see if it was restricted.
> 
> Anyhow- i love the growth you have in that one corner plant- is that the rotalas? Very nice. Maybe ill start a journal when i figure out how to post pics so you can take a look.


Thanks! My co2 is doing much better with the second bottle. I have a lot more bubbles and it's quite consistent. I'm not sure why your system isn't working but i would try taking out the check valve. I had one on mine at first but i found it had a leak b/c i took it out and i had co2 after that. Also, how did you secure the hoses to the bottles? What's your recipe?

Yup, that's rotala rotundifolia. I love that plant- it turns a nice pink/red color when it gets near the surface. Try using imageshack.us to upload pictures. Then, copy the one of the lines of code it will give you in your post.



> nice..


Thanks!



> So - riddle me this. Again, I'm a total noob, so sorry if this is a stupid question.
> 
> With a small tank, how much co2 do you need? Can you overdo it?


That's a good question. I really don't know the answer but i would guess a 2L is about as big as you want to go on a 5.5 gallon or under. My two 20oz bottles are putting out a lot of bubbles. But yes, you can overdo it i'm just not sure the exact amount.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Pinto said:


> Cool setup.


Thanks! I'm lovin it too i just need to get rid of some brown algae...


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

My co2 is hard at work. Here's proof.


----------



## MjlLms1134 (Jan 27, 2009)

your co2 is definately at work there! i was just using the standard 1c sugar, 1/4 tsp yeast and water ina 1 litre bottle recipe. found out i had a bad packet of yeast-- bought a new packet and now i have bubbles. how often do you check your ph now that you have doubled the amount of co2 generators you are running?


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

I actually only check it every few days (mainly in the morning). The lowest it ever seems to go is ~6.6 so i don't have too much to worry about. I have hard tap water around here so i think it raises my ph


----------



## bill|408 (Mar 27, 2007)

beautiful 5.5, i might steal ur diy co2 idea


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

bill|408 said:


> beautiful 5.5, i might steal ur diy co2 idea


I definitely recommend it!


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

well...my tank is slipping deeper and deeper into algae infestation. I have a good bit of thread/hair algae on my plants (especially my downoi), some GDA on my glass, and a few spots of BGA. I have shortened my photo period to around 9 hours (down from 13), increased my nitrates, and i have been dosing excel daily. I just can't get rid of this stuff. I think a black out is in order if there's no sign of hope by tomorrow.

Algae is just no fun. I hope it doesn't turn me away from planted aquariums like it has done to many.

I'll get pictures up in the next couple days.


----------



## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

whats your light like? id shorten your photoperiod to 7hrs max.. extended photoperiods arent taken advantage of by plants, and algae will start to take over.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

I have a DIY canopy with 2x13w CFL bulbs from wally world. I guess i'll shorten my photo period even more before doing a black out. I can slowly bump my photo period back up to ~10 hours if i get rid of this algae right?


----------



## MjlLms1134 (Jan 27, 2009)

any updates- how is the shortened photo period doing with the algae problem?


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Update time. My tank isn't exactly in update condition but i figure i'll post a picture and see if one of you knows how to fix it 

I got rid of my brown and thread algae problems for the most part but i still have some BGA, GSA, and BBA (which is behaving on the DW so i kind of like it). Now, the newest problem is a bad outbreak of either Green water or some kind of bacteria bloom. It's lasted about a week and a half and isn't letting up. Any ideas? I'm sick of waking up to a cloudy tank every morning.

Besides these problems, i'm still noticing some good plant growth. My marselia plants are finally putting out a new leaf every day or two. My blyxas are also starting to peak over the rocks in the right corner. I've even had to trim the rotalas twice since the last picture! 

Oh and some more good news. One of the ghost shrimp is pregnant!

Picture time


----------



## Kayen (Oct 14, 2007)

Looks good, cloudy, but looks way greener than before.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

wow I love the downoi!


----------



## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

wow still loving this tank


----------



## ddtran46 (Jul 8, 2008)

I think you should put your spray bar under the water level.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Thanks for the comments everyone!

*ddtran46*, my spray bar actually is under water. I just poked a few holes in the top of it to get a little surface agitation for o2 and to keep the film off the top of my water that develops.


----------



## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Take a white cup and scoop out some water. Is it green?

If so, do a WC and then a blackout before the problem gets worse.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Well, i did a blackout a few days ago for about 2 1/2 days, did a 30% water change before and after, and then restarted my photo period at 3 hours of 20w CFL. My water wasn't crystal clear after the black out and it still isn't but it's noticeably better. Is this normal? Did i not do the black out for long enough?

Also, i'm in the process of upgrading my DIY co2 to 2x1L bottles instead of 2x20oz bottles. I replaced the first one today and i'll replace the second one on saturday or sunday. Hopefully this will help clear things up too.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Ok, i did another black out for 3 1/2 days because i'm really sick of this green water. Before i did the black out, i stopped dosing everything but a little excel for 2 days to make sure the GW didn't have any nutrients to help it grow. I also cleaned out both my filters and replaced about 1/2 the carbon in my canister filter. I just turned the lights back on yesterday with a 4 hour photo period. I also started dosing nutrients again, but only about 2/3 the normal dose (I think i may have been dosing a bit too much). 

I'm assuming my co2 levels were too low so i ordered a nano diffuser which should be here by friday, and i also finished upping my DIY co2 to 2x1L bottles. I guess i'm crossing my fingers and hoping it goes away this time.

Here's how it looks 2 days after the blackout (dwarf sag is going to need a trimming):


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Good news, my GW is almost completely gone. I'll have update pictures soon.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

As promised here's some updated pictures. I just did a trim yesterday so I have some before and after pictures. I'm glad i've finally gotten rid of the Green Water.

I also added a a Hydor Pico 300 powerhead and attached a spraybar to it. I think this added flow was the final blow to the GW. I added 3 more neon tetras for a total of 6 and i can tell they definitely like the flow.

Here's the pics:

Before



After


----------



## Kayen (Oct 14, 2007)

Looks good pretty far, after that glosso fills in you oughta have a nice green tank .


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Kayen said:


> Looks good pretty far, after that glosso fills in you oughta have a nice green tank .


Thanks! It actually Marselia Minuta, not Glosso. It's taking forever to fill in so i'm trying to get some HC to plant to the left of the MM. Which ever plant fills in slower will be sold.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Well I got bored so i decided to mess around with my image enhancing program and post a better picture.


----------



## ddtran46 (Jul 8, 2008)

Wow. Your downoi looks awesome!!!! Btw, what kinda spray bar is that hooked to the pump?


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

It's actually the exact same spraybar as the one above it. It's from a Tom Rapids mini canister filter. One of my LFS owners gave it to me along with some other spare parts.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Update time.

I moved home for the summer so I tore my tank down and rescaped it when i got home. I went with an iwagumi-ish tank; this is my first rock emphasized tank so let me know what you'll think. I can't decide if i should leave the branches in or not. The r. rotundifolia is a bit sloppy so i'll have to clean it up a bit. I'm looking for some HC as the main foreground to go along with the marselia minuta. Anyways here's some current specs and some pics:

Specs:
-Tank- 5.5g
-Lighting- 2x10w CFL (I plan on switching it to 2x13w in a few weeks)
-Filter- Tom Rapids Mini and a Hydor Pico 300 powerhead
-Substrate- Eco complete
-Ferts- PPS pro, Flourish Comprehensive, Flourish Iron, and Flourish Excel
-Co2- DIY with nano diffuser (I have ~2.7L of bottles)
-Inhabitants- 2 neon tetras and 2 ottos (which have bred many times!-but no surviving babies)
-Plants- R. rotundifolia, Blyxa japonica, Crypt Wendtii Red, Crypt Lucens, Lilaeopsis brasiliensis, Downoi, Eleocharis sp 'Japan', and Marselia Minuta...hopefully some HC will be on the way.


----------



## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Since you are doing submerged for Marselia, just wanted to share my experience. I got Marselia hirsuta in emersed form and planted each stalk individually. In no time they converted to the submerged form and filled up the space (one side of the tank). Since then their growth is slower although they continue to spread out. So with some more time yours' too should start filling in.

If you are considering HC, they too can be painfully slow to spread out in submerged form. I have some for over 5 months now and although they are spreading out, it is nowhere close to the beautiful HC lawns we see in other threads here who went emersed way. And the growth is way slower than the Marselia as well.

So imo, your marselia would probably be faster to fill up anyways in submerged form


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Thanks for the info.

I've actually had MM for several months now and I was able to get it to grow decent in my last scape until some hair algae wiped out most of the plants. Now I'd like to try HC as my main foreground with the MM giving certain areas some darker greens. I'm hoping I'll have good luck with submerged HC and I also added another 10w light for a total of 30w that is used for an afternoon burst. We'll see how it goes and I'll keep
you'll updated.

I'm also considering removing the rock in the foreground on the far right to make room for a larger HC field. What do you'll think?


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

The tank is getting some good growth with very little algae. There seems to be a tint bit of diatoms on the open substrate but that's about it. I'll get some pictures up soon.

I have HC on the way and I was wondering if 20w on for 7 hours a day with a 30w afternoon burst for 2 hours will be enough for the HC to carpet?


----------



## FrostyNYC (Nov 5, 2007)

Although this is an old thread, I think it deserves a bump. You've done a beautiful and unique job aquascape and it's really interesting to watch its progression.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

I finally found time to update the tank a little. It's come a long ways.

-5.5g aga
-Eheim 2213
-20w of CFL (30W afternoon burst) in a custom fixture
-Eco Complete Substrate
-DIY CO2

Flora:
-Rotala R.
-Crypt Lucens
-Crypt Wendtii Red
-Blyxa Japonica
-Dwarf Hair Grass 'Japan(?)'
-HC
-Downoi
-Sunset hygro
-Unidentified Local Species

Fauna:
2 otos
2 CPD's


I'll post some more specific specs when i get a chance and show the last few scapes this tank has gone through.

Picture time





http://img441.imageshack.us/i/p1040330s.jpg/


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Here's a few pictures of some old scapes. Some of them are cell phone pictures so the quality isnt great.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

1 week after planting (4 days since last picture). A little bit of growth- I expect it to pick up a lot in the next week or so. Lily pipes on the way so the ugly green pipes will be gone.

Picture time (10w of light in photos)


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Can anyone suggest a dosing schedule for this size tank? I'm currently dosing a modified PPS-pro mixture but i've had problems in the past 3 scapes with algae- which i believe is related to my fertilizing. Any help would be appreciated.

Current dosing schedule:

~1ml PPS-pro mixture (monday, wednesday, friday)
~0.5ml Flourish Comprehensive (tuesday, thursday, saturday)
~0.3ml Flourish Iron (tuesday, thursday, saturday)
~0.5ml Excel daily


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow it's a very nice scape! What's your custom light fixture made out of?


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Thanks! It's made out of poplar wood, I think. Inside it is 3 10w cfl bulbs. I leave 20w of light on most of the day and I use the additional 10 watts for afternoon bursts and sunset/sunrise.


----------



## Chafire (Jan 6, 2010)

Kind of an odd question...but do you by any chance know what type of rocks those are? curious whether you purchased them or found them?

Thanks
~Graham


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

sorry I'm not sure what kind of rocks they are. I found them in the mountains near gatlinburg on the way home. they appear white in the pictures but they're actually more gray with some decent texture to them.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

~2 weeks after planting

I trimmed a good bit of old leaves on the lucens and blyxa that had some hair algae on them so it may look thinner than last pic. The HC is definitely picking up pace and everything else is showing good signs of growth.


----------



## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

the HC and the crypts are lookin good mayne, its gona look great all grown out


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

chase127 said:


> the HC and the crypts are lookin good mayne, its gona look great all grown out


Thanks that's what i'm hoping!

I keep getting this nasty film on the surface. I've narrowed it down to my fertilizing as the cause. It didn't start appearing until about 3-4 days after i set my tank up which is the same day i began dosing. Any way to get rid of this? I have lily pipes on the way and i hear those can help?


----------



## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

hilikus16 said:


> Thanks that's what i'm hoping!
> 
> I keep getting this nasty film on the surface. I've narrowed it down to my fertilizing as the cause. It didn't start appearing until about 3-4 days after i set my tank up which is the same day i began dosing. Any way to get rid of this? I have lily pipes on the way and i hear those can help?


Is it oily in appearance? If so, it is protein and surface agitation will get rid of it.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Ya it looks kind of oily. It's hard to tell because all the bubbles from the CO2 get stuck under it and distort the way it looks. My tools feel slimy and slick when i mess with it; sounds oily to me.

Is it caused by fish food? Because a couple months ago i used to feed my fish much less (once every other day or so) and it would appear overnight; i was dosing more than i was now.


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

I have a little algae problem on my hands that i've had several times before on previous scapes- I'm so sick of it i'm finally asking for help. It looks like a mix between hair algae and staghorn and it forms on the edges of my c. lucens and blyxa japonica. I've been good about keeping up with my DIY co2, so the co2 level should b constantly high (considering it's DIY). Any ideas on how to get rid of it. I dont want this to ruin yet another scape.

(Sorry for the bad pictures. These were the only two i could snap before the battery died.)


----------



## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

BBA that stuff sucks. i would reduce light and spot treat it with excel


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

Thanks for the ID. I'll probably start treating it tonight


----------



## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

hey no prob glad i could help yah!!!


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

I was pretty excited today because my lily pipes arrived, but after installing them, i'm not as pleased as I thought I'd be. The flow from my 2213 seems drastically reduced. I thought the slots on the inflow might have been too small (which I'm still probably going to have to fix), but I hooked up the original inflow and it was still lacking. There's barely any movement in the plants below/behind the outflow now. Any ideas?


----------



## hilikus16 (Nov 6, 2008)

I'm still battling BBA, but it's kind of a stalemate right now (at least it's not getting worse). My tank doesn't show much growth because I've been constantly trimming leaves off all my plants hoping to slow down the BBA- i think it's finally working. I also raised my light about an 1" and it shows in my HC. 

I wasn't happy with the flow of the lily pipe outflow so I'm back to the ugly eheim tube.

Anyways updated pics

~1 month after planting


----------

