# New Aquascape for 2014 - ADA Mini-M #3



## ivan.f (Aug 12, 2011)

Looks awesome! Can't wait to see the rest


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## Charlieeex3 (Aug 18, 2013)

Wow great start! Really like how the rocks and wood blend together.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

ivan.f said:


> Looks awesome! Can't wait to see the rest


Thanks Ivan!



Charlieeex3 said:


> Wow great start! Really like how the rocks and wood blend together.


Thanks man... I just re-worked some hardscape that I already had on hand. can't wait to get it going...


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

That looks really nice with the way that wood looks like it has grown onto that stone. Did it just wrap around that rock so nicely by luck or did you have to break away any rock to get that look? I can't wait to see what you do with the planting because that hard scape looks really nice.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

ua hua said:


> That looks really nice with the way that wood looks like it has grown onto that stone. Did it just wrap around that rock so nicely by luck or did you have to break away any rock to get that look? I can't wait to see what you do with the planting because that hard scape looks really nice.


I know its hard to believe, but I got the wood like that. its an extra piece that I got with a wood order. And I actually placed the stones(its 2, 1 on top of the other) first...after a few tries I settled on that. I'm very nervous about planting...I don't want to take away much from the hardscape.


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## lamiskool (Jul 1, 2011)

very interesting hardscape!


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## chocological (Nov 13, 2012)

Look cool. I was kinda hoping to see a lighter colored sand in the front.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

chocological said:


> Look cool. I was kinda hoping to see a lighter colored sand in the front.


I thought about it, but I wanted to try growing a foreground plant again. I may do a sand foreground in my next scape... thanks for the advice.


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## Sprinkles (Mar 16, 2013)

Wow, the stones and wood look like they were made for each other! It makes it look like these are super old tree roots or something, like the wood has grown into the rock. This is gonna look really awesome.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Sprinkles said:


> Wow, the stones and wood look like they were made for each other! It makes it look like these are super old tree roots or something, like the wood has grown into the rock. This is gonna look really awesome.



Hey.... Thanks for the nice compliments. Your description will give me something to think about when I come up with a name.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

3/16. Day 1 dry start. 
Mosses:
Xmas moss(on stones)
Peacock moss(on wood)

I def don't have enough moss especially on the stones. I need to source some more Xmas moss.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

4/8 - Day 24 Moss Dry Start.

Good growth on the moss. I really like how its looking and it seems to be attached very well. I may have had a little too much water because I notice some green algae on the front glass. its nothing some h202 can't kill off. Im in the process of sourcing all the plants that I need for when I flood. Which will happen very soon. I'd rather start with as much plant mass as possible from the very beginning so as not to give the algae a chance to take hold. let me know what you think. thanks!


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## CmLaracy (Jan 7, 2007)

I like this hardscape and how you're using the dry start. More curious as to what you're going to be doing with the rest of the space. 

Smart with the high plant mass post flooding, it's a problem I'm just now remedying on my my most recent scape. Got cocky and started with low plant mass because I couldn't acquire enough Eleocharis 'belem' fast enough.


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## chan1011 (Mar 17, 2014)

I wish I read about dry starting, it looks super nice! I love your rock and wood scape!


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

CmLaracy said:


> I like this hardscape and how you're using the dry start. More curious as to what you're going to be doing with the rest of the space.
> 
> Smart with the high plant mass post flooding, it's a problem I'm just now remedying on my my most recent scape. Got cocky and started with low plant mass because I couldn't acquire enough Eleocharis 'belem' fast enough.



Thanks. That's exactly the problem I think I had in my last scape. But also, when I dry started my HC I had too much water. You really only need moisture or humidity. 

I'm definitely using stems and ephytic plants, ground cover etc... Hopefully it works out.


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## pwolfe (Mar 2, 2011)

Fantastic hardscape!


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Officially flooded this past weekend! Super excited about this scape...


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

1 WEEK UPDATE. co2 was at 3 maybe 4(hard to tell) bps. I'm starting to drop it during the week down to about 2bps. My ammonia levels have dropped dramatically in under a week. I am pretty much ready for livestock. I'll probably start off with ottos and amano's to help eat the diatom algae that has developed, of course. Water change schedule will change from daily water changes to twice weekly until the system becomes more stable, then it will be once weekly. Dosing schedule for the first week was, K And micros every other day. Changing it up to NPK AND MICROS every other day. Basically EI. The Monte Carlo looks a little beat up but I see new growth and that's a good sign. Actually there is new growth on all the plants in only a week. Anyway... I'll explain more about the set up in my next post.


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

Looks great, should be fun to see this grow in. One of my favorite tanks.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Craigthor said:


> Looks great, should be fun to see this grow in. One of my favorite tanks.



Thanks man!


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

updated my plant list:
Hygrophilia pinatifida
Vesicularia montagnei 'Xmas moss' 
Taxiphyllum sp. 'Peacock moss'
Bolbitis heroclita 
Eleocharis acicularis 'belem'
Micranthemum sp. 'Monte Carlo'
Cryptocorne wendtii
Staurogyne repens
Rotala rotundofolia
Rotala sp. 'mini butterfly' 
Hemianthus glomeratus(micranthemoides)


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## DefStatic (Feb 19, 2013)

Ok, where did you get that stone/wood combo? I am guessing they did not come this way LOL. But how in the heck, really creative and it is nice to see somthing refreshing and unique.

Did you have to alter the stone to get it to fit the wood or did you just somehow find the two and get them to work?

Seriously, bravo for the brilliance of this idea.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

DefStatic said:


> Ok, where did you get that stone/wood combo? I am guessing they did not come this way LOL. But how in the heck, really creative and it is nice to see somthing refreshing and unique.
> 
> Did you have to alter the stone to get it to fit the wood or did you just somehow find the two and get them to work?
> 
> Seriously, bravo for the brilliance of this idea.


hey! thanks for the compliments.... actually, these stones are re-used hardscape materials from previous scapes. actually, this piece of wood is an extra piece that I got from a manzinita wood order. I have others. the stone I got from a local fellow hobbyist. which is kind of rare to score locally and I got a great deal...so cheers to that dude. As far as the hardscape is concerned... I messed with it for a couple of days and tried different variations of stone and wood until I stumbled upon this combination. When it fit I as pretty amazed myself. The only thing I do regret is somehow securing the wood on the stone somehow..(maybe with glue?) it kind of moves back a little every time I'm in the tank doing some work. I tried superglue after I had already filed the tank but it didn't adhere well. I need to buy more then Im going to drain the tank and try to attach it to the main stone again. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to speak up...i need the advice.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Week 2 Update.

Things are still going relatively well. Stems are growing tremendously... Almost time to trim off all the old emerged growth. My rotala is growing roundish leaves which is kind of interesting... monte carlo took a a little hit but I see all new growth on it and its spreading. there is brown algae on most of the plants but that doesn't bother me one bit. very little green algae that i try to get rid of or spot dose with h2 o2.... since I had brown algae I decided to pick up 3 amanos and 3 ottos.... one of which I transferred into my 4 gallon cube because he immediately started swimming funny. the rest of the clean up crew were fine up until yesterday after I did my weekly water change and maintenance. I decided to do a fairly substantial water change because I wanted to get the water level down really low in order to try and secure the wood to my stones. It would move every time I touched it and it was driving me nuts. So I used some super glue and attached the wood to my stones at two different spots. Filled the tank back up and dialed my c02 up a bit. After a few hours and the co2 is kicking...I noticed the ottos were being very listless --- one died later on. One of the amanos was in the same spot for an hour acting funny. Now I'm getting worried. the other ottos seems ok, but he hid in the back of the tank behind the stems... I dialed back the co2 because I was worried that i gassed them. the other 2 amanos seems fine. I remember when I was glueing the wood together that I got some in the water by mistake...I hope that didn't release something in the tank. according to my research, many people use super glue in their tanks and that it is safe when it comes in contact with water after setting. but some of it did get in the water...im not sure. I may have to go out and get 1 more otto and amano....sux  

Other than that incident, Im really liking when things are going. As far as plant growth, I do have some crypts in there that were bought from those tissue culture plants at petco they seem to be taking longer to acclimate but I do see a little leaf coming through... if they don't work out I will try to find some healthier specimens. 

thanks for following along....


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## sewoeno (Apr 12, 2014)

absolutely amazing!


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

sewoeno said:


> absolutely amazing!



Thank you... I appreciate the compliments. It Still has a way to go. It's very immature ... But progressing well.


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## jcgilmore2 (Jul 10, 2013)

Looking awsome man! Will look even better when those stem plants get even more dense... subscribed.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Day 18









Week 3. Big trim.


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## Dantrasy (Sep 9, 2013)

It's really getting there! The rock sits in with the plants so nicely. When the moss grows just a little more it'll look brilliant.


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## omgwhiskey (Jan 6, 2014)

Awesome tank, sub'd!


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Dantrasy said:


> It's really getting there! The rock sits in with the plants so nicely. When the moss grows just a little more it'll look brilliant.


Thanks man... I'm really glad the hardscape worked out. Sometimes thats the hardest part, getting it dialed. I am battling a bit of brown and green algae at the moment. I'm sure it will pass. your tank looks gorgeous!



omgwhiskey said:


> Awesome tank, sub'd!


cool Thanks!


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

WEEK 4 !!

ALGAE! booo... it was inevitable. I should have learned my lesson from my last scape. My light is very powerful. Anyway, I raised the light a few inches. We'll see what happens. but I got all types of stuff going on. Plants are still growing though...


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Things keep getting worse. Algae got really bad. I tried the 1-2 punch algae treatment but it didn't seem to do much. I guess I used too low of a dose. I spot dose but the algae is starting to get away from me. I also raised my lights and cut my photoperiod. Also, I got 8 chili rasboras on Tuesday. The next day all but 2 jumped out. Bummer!! I have since learned that I did not properly acclimate them to my c02... I thought I had but was a little impatient on getting them in the tank. On the hunt now for more. It seems as though they've been hard to come by as of late. 

Having a tough time with this layout. I thought I learned a lot from my last one but I find that I'm making the same mistakes. It's too bad, it's such a good hardscape I'd hate to start over. Anyway, I missed my water change this past weekend because I was out of town. This tank is due for a trimming, cleaning and big water change. 
Here it is at day 47. Almost week 7. Thx for following.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Week 7. Trim 2 and major clean up. There's still algae but I think I can start treating it. The main culprit is BBA starting to form on wood and rocks. I think I'm going to start a spot dosing regime this week to kill it. Luckily I have some leftover Monte Carlo growing emmersed. I may fill in some spots that I needed to pull. I also trimmed some of the moss as it was getting very thick and there was some hair algae in it. I also cut up some glass and made a makeshift cover for now. Looks hideous but it works. Stil on the lookout for more chilis as well. The one I have left is def a little pale. According to my research they get redder as they grow older. Let me know what you think!!


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## Dantrasy (Sep 9, 2013)

Heaps better after the trim. your scape is busy, but tidy. great work.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Your scape and plant work is phenomenal. You may want to be a bit more careful about your livestock though. Do you need C02?

I bet your tank would thrive the same without it with a lower light


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Dantrasy said:


> Heaps better after the trim. your scape is busy, but tidy. great work.



Hey thanks! Wanted to challenge myself a bit this time.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

MABJ said:


> Your scape and plant work is phenomenal. You may want to be a bit more careful about your livestock though. Do you need C02?
> 
> I bet your tank would thrive the same without it with a lower light



Thank you. I appreciate the comments. I definitely think running co2 is better than not. I do think my lights are intense so I raised it and cut the photoperiod to help with algae.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

frrok said:


> Thank you. I appreciate the comments. I definitely think running co2 is better than not. I do think my lights are intense so I raised it and cut the photoperiod to help with algae.


Hehe I'll likely never tinker around with C02, but I salute anybody who does. When I said lower I meant lower power, not physically lower btw.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

MABJ said:


> Hehe I'll likely never tinker around with C02, but I salute anybody who does. When I said lower I meant lower power, not physically lower btw.



Lol. I understood what you meant. I don't have the cash to invest in another light at the moment. But I did consider going with a finnex... I may convert this tank to a low -tech in the future when I get a bigger tank. Thanks for the advice!!


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## mistuhmarc (Oct 1, 2013)

MABJ said:


> Hehe I'll likely never tinker around with C02, but I salute anybody who does. When I said lower I meant lower power, not physically lower btw.


To each their own . Co2 is definitely a nice addition and after adding the solenoid to my paintball tank, it's been so much more manageable, with minor tweaks here and then. 

Nice tank by the way . I'm definitely liking the way it's been coming out recently.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Day 63. Algae continues... mostly hair/thread and BBA. if I have time this weekend. I may pull a lot of the infested plants and clean as much as possible. some plants are growing well , others not so much. very disappointing. anyway, here is the latest shot from the other day. may post another shot tomorrow when the tank is cleaner... equipment update: Updated my outflow to an ADA P-1 10mm. creates a perfect flow around the tank IMO and no more film on surface. Its a bit big but I really like it. perfect for an ehiem 2211.

one lone boraras merah in the there after all the chills(8) jumped. 
waiting to get more...c02 acclimation will be different this time around.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Week 9. I began the process of cleaning up some of the algae in the tank. I removed all of the HM in the right corner and replaced it with fresh stems. I also trimmed as many infected leaves of other plants as I could. As well as trim some of the moss that has grown really thick. Can probably trim it down even more. I also got rid of a lot of the Monte Carlo that was infested. I plan on planting some that I have growing emmersed. Still have a way to go but to a little improvement.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

Wow, great scape here. I have followed many of your others, surprised I didn't see this until now. Don't have any advice on the algae but this is stunning tank.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

talontsiawd said:


> Wow, great scape here. I have followed many of your others, surprised I didn't see this until now. Don't have any advice on the algae but this is stunning tank.



Thank you. Really appreciate the compliments. It does have a way to go until things get balanced and plants start growing more healthy. Algae pretty much ruins your plant growth I have noticed. It takes a toll for sure. My high tech tanks have been a struggle since I really haven't figured out my lighting vs co2 vs ferts balance. Nano tanks are super hard to get dialed. 

I think I'm going to start saving so my next scape can be in a bigger tank. But that's a long project. Since it would also be high tech and has to look good in my space.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

frrok said:


> Thank you. Really appreciate the compliments. It does have a way to go until things get balanced and plants start growing more healthy. Algae pretty much ruins your plant growth I have noticed. It takes a toll for sure. My high tech tanks have been a struggle since I really haven't figured out my lighting vs co2 vs ferts balance. Nano tanks are super hard to get dialed.
> 
> I think I'm going to start saving so my next scape can be in a bigger tank. But that's a long project. Since it would also be high tech and has to look good in my space.


Trust me, I am in the same struggle. My first high tech was so easy and I thought high tech would be easy. I have had some huge failures and some decent ones but I have yet to have my initial beginners luck. I am high tech challenged myself, though I always tend to go back to them haha.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

talontsiawd said:


> Trust me, I am in the same struggle. My first high tech was so easy and I thought high tech would be easy. I have had some huge failures and some decent ones but I have yet to have my initial beginners luck. I am high tech challenged myself, though I always tend to go back to them haha.



My last scape was hard in the beginning a sell. Took me several months for it to balance out. And it still was 100 percent. And in the future, I may try medium tech. Somewhat low-med light but with co2.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Here's a different angle.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Really enjoy seeing the progress on this tank, especially like how well the moss has been doing.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

AquaAurora said:


> Really enjoy seeing the progress on this tank, especially like how well the moss has been doing.



Moss is pretty incredible. It's my favorite plant in the tank as well.


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

I've also followed and seen some of your older iterations of this tank.. I really like how this version came out. Great work!


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

BTW, are you still using the AquaRay LED?


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Brian_Cali77 said:


> BTW, are you still using the AquaRay LED?



Yep


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Week 10 !
So I decided to buy a new GH test kit when I realized that the one that I had was expired. I was curious as to what my GH was considering the fact that I have a pretty large piece of seiryu stone in this layout. It's actually two stones with a few smaller ones in different places to keep the formation stable. I never bothered to test my KH/GH since I have soft water and I knew that it would rise a little anyway, which is good for the plants and it saves me from having to dose equilibrium. Anyway, I did the test early in the week last week(two days after my weekly water change) and my GH was at 10! I was shocked. I think that's too high. I would like to try and keep stable at between 3-5. I did a water change and got it down to 7. Next day I tested again and it was up by one degree to 8. So my GH is rising at 1 degree per day. Anyway, this could be one of the reasons why I'm having some plant trouble. Anyone else with nanos and seiryu can chime in? What was your experience? This past weekend I did a larger water change than normal, about 80%. Now my KH back to 2 and GH is 4. I'm considering doing twice weekly water changes to keep it down. Hopefully that's enough to keeping down. 

Other than that. Thing a are ok. Still have some hair algae and BBA. But more manageable. Moss is looking a little dirty. Time for a trim soon. Also added some more Monte Carlo in the bottom right. A lot of it melted from h2o2. 

Let me know what you think!


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

Looks great.


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## Emplanted (May 3, 2014)

What light are you using? I love your tank!


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Emplanted said:


> What light are you using? I love your tank!



Aquaray mini led 400 tile. And I have archea power compact that goes on for 2 hours aimed towards the back.


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## Tyrone (Nov 22, 2013)

Nice scape! What type of crypt is that in the bottom-left corner?


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Tyrone said:


> Nice scape! What type of crypt is that in the bottom-left corner?



I honestly am not sure. It's one of those tissue culture crypts you get at petco. It say green wendtii, but it doesn't look like it from the pics online. If anyone knows what it is. Let me know! Lol


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

Closest i can tell it looks like lucens to me. 

Nice scape man it looks good. If you dont like your gh being so high you can swap out for some black lava stone or some slate or granite etc. The stones arent really a focal point in the scape so it wouldnt make a huge difference.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

kwheeler91 said:


> Closest i can tell it looks like lucens to me.
> 
> Nice scape man it looks good. If you dont like your gh being so high you can swap out for some black lava stone or some slate or granite etc. The stones arent really a focal point in the scape so it wouldnt make a huge difference.



Haha... I wish but there is no turning back on the hardscape now. I knew it would raise the GH but not by the much! I'll deal with it. 

Thanks for the compliments.


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## Tyrone (Nov 22, 2013)

Thanks guys. Just wanted to ask, I figured it might be C. Wilisii or C. Lucens.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Yo guys. Pretty much scratching my head here.  I know I've been having some algae issues but I finally have it somewhat under control. For some reason I am having a lot of trouble growing Monte Carlo. It seemed to have slowly been melting away along with my s. Repens. Co2 is good. Dosing EI. And I would say my lighting is probably medium. I've had the tank running for a few months now. Could the aquasoil have already depleted it's nutrients? That and maybe cuz the seriyou stone has been raising my kh/gh are the only things that I see that can be a problem. I do 2 water changes a week to keep in a good range. The pic below was from last week but it's more sparse now. Any. Ideas?


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Sorry to hear the plants aren't doing so well. Are you using tap? Maybe try a 50/50 with RO.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Brian_Cali77 said:


> Sorry to hear the plants aren't doing so well. Are you using tap? Maybe try a 50/50 with RO.



Yes but my tap is very soft. Less than 2.


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Have you tested the tap lately? Some municipals change water sources or alternate between them without notifying the public. Other factors like chemicals or whatnot can be in the system. I dunno, I know I'm stretching but it sounds like you have been doing everything else right. For example, here in AZ, the local planted forum announced that there was an accidental increase in the amount of chlorine they usually add to the tap. They had to bleed the system through the fire hydrants. Something pretty crazy like that.. LOL

Either way, hope it bounces back!


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Brian_Cali77 said:


> Have you tested the tap lately? Some municipals change water sources or alternate between them without notifying the public. Other factors like chemicals or whatnot can be in the system. I dunno, I know I'm stretching but it sounds like you have been doing everything else right. For example, here in AZ, the local planted forum announced that there was an accidental increase in the amount of chlorine they usually add to the tap. They had to bleed the system through the fire hydrants. Something pretty crazy like that.. LOL
> 
> Either way, hope it bounces back!



I know.. Thank you. I tested the other day and it was the same. Everything in the tank is doing ok including the fish. Stems don't look the best but they are not melting. Moss is growing wild. I think it may be my excel dosing. I friend just mentioned to me that the last time he was growing MC he dosed excel and experienced melting. That could be it. I was only dosing to help with my algae issues. So I'm going to stop dosing and see what happens. I would hate to buy more. Already spent too much on this plant.


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Oh good to know about the excel. Well at least you were able to narrow it down to a probable cause.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

The excel actually makes sense if it is at all similar to HC/HM. HC is pretty sensitive but HM is much less forgiving with Excel. It seems like they very well may be similar, I don't know how to figure that out off plant names myself.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Thanks for the input anyway guys.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

I was able re-stock my mini-m with 12 true chili rasbora (boraras brigitae) from a fellow hobbyist in my area. I made a temporary DIY screen top to prevent any suicidal tendencies(it's ugly but temporary). I also shut off my co2 a day before and had my lights off all the through the drip acclimation. The next day I turned on the co2, very low. And turned my lights back on. I was pleasantly surprised to come home from work and see them colored up. The pic below doesn't do them justice. They are wonderfully red and healthy fish. I'm extremely satisfied. I'm hoping to eventually remove the screen top and go rimless again as it's a pain in the ass to work on my tank in between maintenance days. I've stopped dosing excel in hopes that my foreground plant begins to grow back again. I still have spyrogira hair algae and some BBA on the wood. Tough to kill it even with multiple h2o2 spot treatments. Also, my cal aqua inflow pipe broken trying to fit it over the edge of the screen top. So I replaced it with an old acrylic which is too big for the tank. But it will have to do for now. Until I save $ for a new glass one.


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## mistuhmarc (Oct 1, 2013)

frrok said:


> I was able re-stock my mini-m with 12 true chili rasbora (boraras brigitae) from a fellow hobbyist in my area. I made a temporary DIY screen top to prevent any suicidal tendencies(it's ugly but temporary). I also shut off my co2 a day before and had my lights off all the through the drip acclimation. The next day I turned on the co2, very low. And turned my lights back on. I was pleasantly surprised to come home from work and see them colored up. The pic below doesn't do them justice. They are wonderfully red and healthy fish. I'm extremely satisfied. I'm hoping to eventually remove the screen top and go rimless again as it's a pain in the ass to work on my tank in between maintenance days. I've stopped dosing excel in hopes that my foreground plant begins to grow back again. I still have spyrogira hair algae and some BBA on the wood. Tough to kill it even with multiple h2o2 spot treatments. Also, my cal aqua inflow pipe broken trying to fit it over the edge of the screen top. So I replaced it with an old acrylic which is too big for the tank. But it will have to do for now. Until I save $ for a new glass one.


Quite interested on how you did your screen top. I want to make a top too, just without it being too noticeable. How did you do yours? 

Have you done the 1-2 punch with h2o2 followed by excel? It should do better off.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

mistuhmarc said:


> Quite interested on how you did your screen top. I want to make a top too, just without it being too noticeable. How did you do yours?
> 
> 
> 
> Have you done the 1-2 punch with h2o2 followed by excel? It should do better off.



Hi. I ordered the materials I need for this site. http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/diy-aquarium-screen-top-kits-1-4-netting-1.html. There is a how to video on how it is done. That's where I got the idea. I really didn't have time to make it near and less noticeable. I only had a day to put the top on before the fish came. 

I tried a lite version of the 1-2 punch. I'm nervous about killing my livestock and or bacteria. And plants for that matter. Some plants don't like h202. That's why I'm having difficulties as the moment.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Update. No pic... And I lost track of what week or day it is. Frankly, it doesn't really matter to me anymore. My fish are super happy. They seem to have adjusted fine to my co2 levels at this point. It's about 1,1.5 bps. Hard to tell... Every time I walk Into to the room they school up immediately and get excited to be fed. They are awesome fish. That's about the only thing I am satisfied by at the moment in regards to this tank. I still have spirogyra problems and BBA. My plants are not really doing well at all. Growth is slow or stunted. In some cAses melting. The Monte Carlo on the right side is sort of growing but not to my satisfaction. I really believe that the hardness levels of the tank(constantly rising) is what giving me issues along with algae. I try to do water changes during the week but it's kind of frustrating with my work schedule he way it is. Once a week is much better for me. At this point, I've sort of given up. I was going to try and do a 3 day black out to take care of the spirogyra but I don't know if it's worth it. The seriyu or limestone stones are too big and causing a lot of issues. I think I may re-scape with lava rock since it's inert. I love this hardscape but it's not worth the water troubles...especially since my tap is so perfectly soft for plants. What do you all think? Would love some feed back.


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## Projectp (Oct 7, 2013)

I had my mini M with seriyu, doing 50% water changes weekly with very soft tap water. My plants grew like crazy but I constantly had algae no matter what I did. When I broke it down I tested the water and the water in my 28G before I moved some fish over. Both tanks are 50% water changes with the same water. The 28G was 2-3 gh the seriyu tank was 15


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Projectp said:


> I had my mini M with seriyu, doing 50% water changes weekly with very soft tap water. My plants grew like crazy but I constantly had algae no matter what I did. When I broke it down I tested the water and the water in my 28G before I moved some fish over. Both tanks are 50% water changes with the same water. The 28G was 2-3 gh the seriyu tank was 15



That's interesting... Could be a cobination of things then. Not just the rise in gh/kh


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Quick update: just completed a 3 day black out to try and kill this hair algae. It did kill some but not all unfortunately. It seems I have a bad case of it. Oh well. Plants and fish are fine. I guess I'll just keep chugging along. I'm going to let this this one go until I'm happy then take a final photo and start new. Kind of sick of trying to fight algae. 
Came up with a title. "ANCIENT MYSTERY"

Cuz it's a mystery why I always seem to get algae...lol


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## mot (Sep 17, 2011)

I really liked the original concept on this with the wood embedded into the rock. Have you considered removing the moss? I think removing like 90% of the moss off both the rock and wood would really make this aquascape. Its just too nice to cover.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

mot said:


> I really liked the original concept on this with the wood embedded into the rock. Have you considered removing the moss? I think removing like 90% of the moss off both the rock and wood would really make this aquascape. Its just too nice to cover.



I agree with you. I just haven't had the chance to do a proper trim on the moss. It's a pain in the butt to trim cuz it doesn't float and creates a mess. I did remove some moss on the top of the stone near the surface. Thanks for the post!


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

September update. Not much to see. The hair grass is slowly spreading. The Monte Carlo isn't really doing much except attract algae and without any ottos. I'm noticed brown algae in bottom of glass. I got a new plant. Buce 'kedang round'. Other than that , I'm just waiting for the time to rescape. Can't wait. Want to try the flexi mini on this tank. Let me know what you think.


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## ConfidentBlue (Aug 27, 2013)

looking great man! awesome scape.


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## Jalopy (Aug 11, 2013)

Really good depth. Looks much bigger than a mini-M.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

ConfidentBlue said:


> looking great man! awesome scape.



Thanks!


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

This aquascape is complete. thank you everyone for following along. What a ride! Look out for my next journal. I already took this layout down and have started a new one...


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