# rocksmom's 12 Long Blue Velvet Haven - New FTS in first post!



## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

I've been wanting a 12 long for awhile but had basically given up on the idea of getting one because I already had so many tanks. That was until my husband and I went to a LFS and they had two of them in stock. I was shocked they had them and as soon as my husband saw it he grabbed it and took it to the register. We actually went back and forth on whether it would be my shrimp tank or his reef tank, but we ended up deciding that I would take this and he would take over my 25g cube once I move my shrimp. Better for both of us.

_Plan updated July 30. Current discussion and pics will start on page 3, post 39._
*Equipment*
Tank: Mr. Aqua 12 gallon long
Filter: Eheim Ecco 2232 with custom spray bar and intake
Substrate: Carib Sea Moonlight Sand
Light: 30" Finnex FugeRay
CO2: None
Ferts: Probably none. Possibly a very light dosing of macro/micro liquids.

*Hardscape*
Pa-Hai stones
Small river stones (used for attaching plants)

*Flora*
[strike]Mini Pellia[/strike]
Anubias nana
Anubias nana petite
Mini xmas moss

*Fauna*
Blue Velvet neos
Microdevario kubotai
Otos


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

Nice! Can't wait till its scaped. Don't forget to join the club!
Btw what's darker than amazonia?


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

I was thinking something like Brightwell Aquatic's "Escuro" substrate. It's supposed to be black, but would cost a small fortune. I could do something inert since at this point I only plan on keeping the neos, but I'll probably just end up using the aquasoil since I have it.

Already added the club link to my signature


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## mythin (Jun 26, 2009)

it bought 1 15 lb bag ($48inc tax) to fill mine with brightwell's and I had maybe 5 pounds left over, i have both the black and brown versions in different tanks (fine grain), its worth the price i think. The substrate doesnt turn to mush, so i actually have good flow through my substrate since there are a lot of air pockets.


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Nice tank! 

Subscribing to see what you have in store .


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

mythin said:


> it bought 1 15 lb bag ($48inc tax) to fill mine with brightwell's and I had maybe 5 pounds left over, i have both the black and brown versions in different tanks (fine grain), its worth the price i think. The substrate doesnt turn to mush, so i actually have good flow through my substrate since there are a lot of air pockets.


Is that really all it took? May I ask where you bought it at? I haven't seen it anywhere locally. All the stores around here are so saltwater focused that I'm lucky if I find a couple bags of flourite or eco complete.



speedie408 said:


> Nice tank!
> 
> Subscribing to see what you have in store .


Thanks! :hihi:


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

Spent the morning calling around to a few places and couldn't find anything but flourite, eco complete, and fluval stratum. I almost bought a couple bags of Azoo black from Marine Depot, but with the cost of shipping decided to just stick with the aquasoil. The Azoo doesn't look all that black from what I can tell in pictures anyway. I could be wrong though.

Ended up doing some shopping after that. Got a few houseplants to go around the tank:










I already have some succulents that I'll use as well. I still want to find a couple more including a goldfish plant. Of course. Also bought the light and bulbs:










I remember reading awhile back that someone on here bought one and posted that the diamond plate made a pretty good reflector. It cost more than I thought it was going to, but it seems like everything does in California. I plan on making a hood/cover/whatever you want to call it that will cover the top and sides of the fixture. Just painted MDF. It will match the hoods I made for my 7.5g tanks.

This isn't really related, but I had this waiting for me when I got home:










I had no idea that a 6 gallon tank would come in such a huge box. That's my 22 pound boston terrier sitting on top. I'll have to start the journal for this one once I get a chance to set it up. Have to get the area ready for the 12 long first.


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## meowschwitz (Sep 6, 2011)

Kudos for beating out your hubby for the 12G, although, I wouldn't mind seeing a nano reef in a tank like this. :red_mouth A great size for everything.


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

I really like this size tank so I can't wait to see this setup.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

meowschwitz said:


> Kudos for beating out your hubby for the 12G, although, I wouldn't mind seeing a nano reef in a tank like this...


You and him both! 





GMYukonon24s said:


> I really like this size tank so I can't wait to see this setup.


Thanks!


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

Went to Ikea over the weekend and got a stand for the tank. I was worried about the weight even though the tank isn't very large, so my husband sat on the display model and bounced around. I think it will be just fine.










Got the stand built and cut a piece of yoga mat to go under the tank for padding. Today I got the substrate in place. I think I'm happy with it:










I've never been one for a lot of substrate against the front glass, but I think in this case it will work. That's the side I plan on planting bacopa which should get some nice emergent growth. That's also the side the driftwood is going to go on. I think it will stick our of the water some too, which should look nice. I'm going to attach anubias petite to it which, unless I'm wrong, should also be able to grow above the water line. It's hard to see in the pic, but there's a small valley in the front center for the MM. The right side is what I'm still not 100% on. I know I'm going to put the moss covered rocks there, but they are low so I'd like something taller behind them. Haven't decided what yet.

For the hill on the left I actually used some egg crate and made umm... something. I basically just cut some pieces in varying sizes and zip tied them together into the general shape of the slope. Hopefully it will help it hold. I got the idea from someone on here, I think gordonrichards. He mentioned using screen too, but I didn't bother. Here it is in the tank before I covered it with the aquasoil.










Current issues/plans:

Got some MM in the mail today. Not having any experience with the plant it ended up being less than I expected. I posted a WTB for some more.
Stand ended up being taller then I planned for, meaning lights are going to be closer. Hopefully not an issue, but I suppose I can add something to diffuse the light if needed.
 Planning on getting spraybar made and filter put on the tank tomorrow. Currently trying to decide if I want the plumbing over the back or over the side. I'm thinking the side for ease of access. Houseplants should hide it anyway.


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

Nice stand! How much was it if you don't mind?
Btw what is MM plant?


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

sayurasem said:


> Nice stand! How much was it if you don't mind?
> Btw what is MM plant?


It was $90. They had some colors for $70, but I wanted the gloss finish. I figured it would stand up to water better. Here's the link: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10196431/

MM is marsilea minuta. It's supposed to be a good carpet plant for low light tanks. I read that it grows really slowly though, so I want to start with a good amount. I'm impatient.


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

Sweet. It looks clean


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## Chrisinator (Jun 5, 2008)

That's gonna be awesome to have plants around it as well!


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

Not as good of a day today as I had hoped. My fish arrived in the mail and 11 of 15 were DOA. The crazy thing is that they were "accepted" yesterday at 4:30pm and got here today at 11:30. How do 11 fish die in that amount of time? The survivors seem healthy enough so far. I contacted the seller immediately with photos but have yet to hear back. I'm not sure what to do now. I don't want to risk getting more from the same place, but I haven't been able to find any locally.

As far as the tank itself, I got a few things done. I made the spray bar and got the canister transferred over. The tank is filled, but completely empty. I'll get some pics tomorrow after I do some planting. I'll hopefully have the light up tomorrow too. I started messing with it tonight but was having trouble with the bulbs not locking into place.

On a positive note, my blue velvets are almost ready to hatch! You can see the eyes inside the eggs already. I noticed it a couple days ago so it shouldn't be long now.


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

rocksmom said:


> Not as good of a day today as I had hoped. My fish arrived in the mail and 11 of 15 were DOA. The crazy thing is that they were "accepted" yesterday at 4:30pm and got here today at 11:30. How do 11 fish die in that amount of time? The survivors seem healthy enough so far. I contacted the seller immediately with photos but have yet to hear back. I'm not sure what to do now. I don't want to risk getting more from the same place, but I haven't been able to find any locally.
> 
> As far as the tank itself, I got a few things done. I made the spray bar and got the canister transferred over. The tank is filled, but completely empty. I'll get some pics tomorrow after I do some planting. I'll hopefully have the light up tomorrow too. I started messing with it tonight but was having trouble with the bulbs not locking into place.
> 
> On a positive note, my blue velvets are almost ready to hatch! You can see the eyes inside the eggs already. I noticed it a couple days ago so it shouldn't be long now.


Sorry to hear that. What kind of fish is it?


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

Microdevario kubotai aka neon green rasboras. I'm pretty discouraged on the fish side of things lately. I had previously bought ten microrasbora merahs from a lfs only to have them die one by one from a bad case of ich. Thank goodness for quarantine tanks. I've gotten sick ones from them previously, but they're the only local store I've found with a decent variety.


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## bigd603 (May 10, 2011)

rocksmom said:


> Went to Ikea over the weekend and got a stand for the tank. I was worried about the weight even though the tank isn't very large, so my husband sat on the display model and bounced around. I think it will be just fine.


I have my 12 long on this exact bookshelf, and it's been doing just fine. Been on it for about 3 months now with no issues. I know another member has theirs on this shelf as well, so I don't think you will have any issues with it.


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## viwwo (Jan 15, 2010)

BOSTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And do not worry about the stand... my friend has a 55g on that.............


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

Good to hear about the shelf, but I can't imagine putting a 55 on that thing! Holy cow!



viwwo said:


> BOSTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Hehe. Do you have one too? We actually have two but the other one, Tonks, is very much my husbands dog while Rocky sticks to me like glue.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

So long story short I broke out my better camera and was able to get a couple pictures of my blue velvets. I only got a couple before the battery died. Here's the best:










The focus is off, but it's far better then anything I've taken of them so far. They actually look blue! The shrimp in the front was stuffed with eggs yesterday and now only has a handful left. I'm hoping they hatched and she didn't drop them for some reason. I watched her for about an hour to see if I could witness any hatching, but all I saw was her eating and pooping. A lot.


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Much better!! 

Nice shot... try to get some closeups and keep practicing.


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## fusiongt (Nov 7, 2011)

Recharge that battery and show us the tank


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

Patience people! 










I got the MM planted, did some cleanup (there was AS "dust" everywhere!), and got the driftwood in there with some anubias petite attached. Got the light hung as well, but it's not going to work. As you can see from the picture it's DARK. I could go a little lower, but then it won't work for houseplants. I think I'm going to return the light to Home Depot or see if my husband wants it for the garage and just do some brooder lamps with CFLs instead.

You can also see the spray bar that I made. It doesn't span the entire length of the tank because the piece of tubing I had was 3' total. I might make another one at some point, especially since I made the bend that goes over the lip of the tank too tall. It would be fine for a bigger tank, but in one this shallow it sticks up too far. I also have to find another way to attach it or get more suction cups because it keeps popping off. Good news is I get good circulation through the whole tank, even the end where the bar doesn't reach. You could really tell when I first plugged it in because there were some AS bits and MM roots getting all knocked around.

Plan for tomorrow is to do another water change and get the bacopa planted. And replant the couple MM that escaped. Still have to figure out exactly what I'm doing with the right side.


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## jbreyy (Jul 8, 2012)

That looks great, all of that Anubias Petite on that wood is gonna look awesome when it gets going. And you will even get them to grow emersed :]


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

nice! What did you attach the spray bar with?


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

I was bad and stole the clear/milky suction cups that were on all of our thermometers. Now I need to figure out a way to attach those too.


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

beeyootiful! I love it  Love the spray bar too - I really need to get another 12 long and set it up for shrimp (mine's a reef!). Love those blue shrimp too...gorgeous!

My 13.3 Mr Aqua is on an 8 cube Ikea Expedit too, and so far, no worries at all. The 12 long suits the thing perfectly!


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## viwwo (Jan 15, 2010)

Wow. That look so good! No man can do such a hill like you can! 

Yes I have a big Boston (30lb of rock!) and he is my love bug. 

When I saw the 55lb with big turtles on that ikea thing my heart just dropped. But it's fine a few years later.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

I've been sitting here staring at the pictures and I'm not liking the slope. Just too much substrate and not enough water. Now I have to rethink everything. I think I'm going to go to a couple LFS tomorrow and see if I can find any rocks or wood to inspire me. I do like the driftwood I have in there though. Hmm...



viwwo said:


> Wow. That look so good! No man can do such a hill like you can!
> 
> Yes I have a big Boston (30lb of rock!) and he is my love bug.
> 
> When I saw the 55lb with big turtles on that ikea thing my heart just dropped. But it's fine a few years later.


I thought my guy was big at 22. I saw one at a boston meetup that was 9 pounds fully grown. Cute little bugger. I'd like to see that one next to yours.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

These 12 gal long journals always capture my attention. It's seems as if there is a higher standard when scaping these tanks that the owners must live up to....lol. Nice shrimp.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

So I was up absurdly late last night looking at tanks for inspiration and am going to change this to a wabi-kusa inspired laout. It's actually the type of look I wanted from the beginning, I just didn't know what to call it or how to go about doing it. I'm currently working on a DIY wabi-kusa ball..ish... thing. I took a rock as a base and covered it with media bags full of AS. After I got it in the shape I liked I stuck it in the freezer. I plan on covering it in moss and then wrapping it in screen. This will be my base. To plant the plants I'll cut little slits big enough to stuff the roots/stem into. Here are the plants I'm thinking:

peacock moss
staurogyne repens
bacopa carolinia
anubias nana and congensis (not 100% certain on the species of the latter)
pothos (possibly)
peacock fern
hydrocotyle (not sure of species)

Those will all be on the "ball" on the left side of the tank and then on the far right will just be some small moss covered rocks. I already have those in the current shrimp tank and I have a bag of sand. Should be an interesting experiment. Hopefully it works out and I won't be on my third start.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

This tank is driving me crazy. I think might be going gray.

So my little wabi-kusa experiment had mixed results. It would have worked in theory. I got the ball covered in moss and wrapped in mesh. Just would have had to attach the other plants. Then I stuck it in the tank to see how it looked. Not good. It wasn't tall enough so there wouldn't have been any terrestrial area for the fern or other non-aquatic plants. I thought about remaking it, but I just don't think it's going to work with the dimensions of the tank. It's too narrow to get a natural looking slope while also having the top out of the water. I still like the idea of a planted area with a lot of negative space though. Maybe I can find a nice stump and do something similar with that. Le sigh.

As of now I'm putting this project t*emporarily on hold*. I need to think about this some before I dive in again and take some time looking at materials to work with. I was hoping to get by with what I had, but I don't think that's going to work at this point. I have two other tanks I need to be thinking about as well. Just had 200 pounds of eco complete delivered today for the 135g. :eek5:


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

where did you get the wood?


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

I found it at a lfs for $10.


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

rocksmom said:


> So I was up absurdly late last night looking at tanks for inspiration and am going to change this to a wabi-kusa inspired laout. It's actually the type of look I wanted from the beginning, I just didn't know what to call it or how to go about doing it. I'm currently working on a DIY wabi-kusa ball..ish... thing. I took a rock as a base and covered it with media bags full of AS. After I got it in the shape I liked I stuck it in the freezer. I plan on covering it in moss and then wrapping it in screen. This will be my base. To plant the plants I'll cut little slits big enough to stuff the roots/stem into. Here are the plants I'm thinking:
> 
> peacock moss
> staurogyne repens
> ...


I was really captured by that kind of tank idea for a long time, and looked a bunch of tanks. I can't do it here because our water is so hard that there would be constant lines on the glass, messing up the entire effect.

Search around a little. There is an AMAZING tank a guy did with a very similar concept. Shallow tank, Wabi-Kusa ball with moss/Anubias I think covering the ball so it didn't look like it was a ball. He had a fair amount of emergent growth, but it is one of the most beautiful tanks I have ever seen.


*** Found it for you while I was writing this post. This tank is, IMHO, mind blowing.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=39665

Some potential inspiration. Similar proportions, though much bigger 

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=84146

These two tanks are so damned pretty.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

I love those tanks! I found those too while I was searching and that's what made want to do it.

Geez, I hadn't even considered lowering the water level like in the second link. 12 gallons is pretty small to begin with, but I suppose it would be okay with my planned stocklist. Hmm. I like the idea of using a pot like in the first one. I already destroyed my little creation after I figured it wasn't going to work. I'll play around with it some more before giving up. If I can't get it to work then that's just an excuse to ask for a 60F for my next birthday.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

I should have known I couldn't put this on hold for very long. That lasted what, all of three days? I messed around with the wabi-kusa idea awhile longer, but decided I didn't want to lower the water level because of the already low water volume and hard water marks. I was looking at layout ideas and was really inspired by some in this thread: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=168077 Most notably the layout and plants from the 60P and the beautiful stones in the Mini L. 

I went on a bit of a spending spree last night and bought the following:
30" Finnex FugeRay
Pa-Hai stone from AFA (Not sure if these are the actual stones used in the Mini L, but they look really cool, and the AFA website says they are inert.)
mini xmas moss
mini pellia
Carib-Sea Moonlight sand

I already have quite a bit of anubias nana and petite. I'll get more if I need it, but didn't want to buy any until I was sure. Everything else should be coming in this week so I should have some pictures before the weekend. Need to figure out how to hang the light too. I'm guessing it will be something simple like eye bolts and chain.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

Just a little update on the fishy front. After a week of not hearing from them, I sent another message to the place where I bought my fish. They got back to me and said they'll send replacements _this time_, like they're doing me a favor. They also said they don't cover losses when shipped priority, but I know shipping time was not an issue. The package was in transit for well under 24 hours. I really want to point this out but am going to bite my tongue. I just hope these ones arrive healthy.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

My AFA package came today! I started working on some layouts, but I need some help. Here are some a couple I came up with.




























Sorry for the crappy lighting. My FugeRay came today (looks awesome by the way!), but I still need to get some hooks to hang it up with. I HATE the right side of the third layout, I only included it because I thought the left side looked pretty good. The biggest rock would look better if I could get it to stand up, but it doesn't have a big enough base. It becomes really top heavy and wants to tip into the glass.

Any suggestions?


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## Kai808 (Jul 19, 2011)

Looking good! Are you gonna use driftwood like those examples layouts from manini? If you do, they'll probably dictate your stone arrangement even more. I know you have other tanks to maintain but try all possible layouts with this tank. It's hard to be satisfied with this tank's unique dimensions. 

I'm also looking for an led light solution for my tank. I can't wait to see how the FugeRay works out for you. I'm deciding between the Fuge and the Ray2.

Good Luck!


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## onekraz3 (May 24, 2012)

I like the first one, but like kai808 says maybe a driftwood might do the scape some good. Seem like its missing something to me.


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## meowschwitz (Sep 6, 2011)

onekraz3 said:


> I like the first one, but like kai808 says maybe a driftwood might do the scape some good. Seem like its missing something to me.


Maybe not enough pieces of stone?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Some driftwood/manzanita could be nice but it feels like there's just height that's missing more than anything.


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

meowschwitz said:


> Maybe not enough pieces of stone?


More variety in heights and sizes of the stone in my opinion...and more can't hurt!


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

Unfortunately another $70 in stone is out of the budget. Heck, the first $70 was. I was a little disappointed with the size of the largest stone when I saw it as well, but now I'm kind of liking the smaller scale. The shrimp will look like beasts. :hihi: I will try incorporating that piece of wood I used in the initial setup as well as some other stone arrangements. I'll post more pics sometime today.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

Didn't have a ton of luck with the wood. Who knew aquascaping was like... hard... or something.

This is really the only one worth posting:









I didn't do anything with the right side, I'm pretty sure it's going to end up being just one of the unused stones so I'll worry about that when the left side is done. I tried a few other layouts with the wood but I kept getting an empty spot here:









It felt like there should be rock showing in that space like there is in this layout, but I couldn't get it to work. I'm thinking I might go with one of the initial all stone layouts. I have to keep reminding myself that this isn't an iwagumi. I guess I'm picturing the anubias and moss sort of drawing out the formations and adding height variation so it doesn't all have to come from the stones. One thing that I know is out of the question is making any sort of slope with that sand. I found that out last night in my 6g.


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

Why not bring the loaner over the the left side, build up some more height with the stones, plant between them, have the wood sticking out above/behind the rocks, and really just do one massive focal point, with your carpet extending off into infinity on the right?

Just an idea?



rocksmom said:


> Didn't have a ton of luck with the wood. Who knew aquascaping was like... hard... or something.
> 
> This is really the only one worth posting:
> 
> ...


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

Agreed...I'd pile them all at one end and have a nice lawn the rest of the way across.


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## flowerfishs (May 6, 2009)

the driftwood looks too small.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

There isn't going to be any lawn/carpet. The sand will be bare with the exception of the anubias and moss around the rocks.

My replacement fish came today. 3 made it (and one of those looks iffy) out of the 10 or 12 they sent. Less than 24 hours in transit again too. I guess that can't make up for dirty water and poor packaging. I really wish we were allowed to review vendors on here so noone else has to go through this. Poor fishies. I'm over it too. I'll just take the little school of five or six and put them in a different tank. Maybe do shrimp and otos only in this one.

And just to be clear, the seller is not msjinkzd.


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## larcat (Jul 27, 2011)

rocksmom said:


> And just to be clear, the seller is not msjinkzd.



I think that was pretty clear from the description of what arrived! :icon_cool


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## meowschwitz (Sep 6, 2011)

If you can keep it clean, the white sand'll look great. As for the hardscape, I quite like it. I have a thing for flat scapes, so I won't tell you to add more height or whatever; it looks fine as it is, to me, anyway.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

Just a quick update on the light. Hopefully will be able to post more later. Plan on getting it planted and filled today or tomorrow.

I moved the tank to a different room so I no longer had a nice handy shelf to hang my light from anymore. I was going to just use plant hangers, but didn't want to deal with mounting them on the wall so instead I went to Home Depot yesterday and got supplies to make my very own conduit hanger. I bought a can of spray paint to make it black, but my husband saw it and said he liked the look of the metal. Matches the light and my desk which is silver (powdercoat maybe?) and glass. Ignore the hardscape that's in there. That's not what it's going to be.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

Finally!

Background on, ready to go:









Hardscape in place:









Plants in place and filled:









Close up:









Obligatory 12 gallon loooooong shot:









As you can see I went with a lower rock layout. It's what I had originally planned, and I liked how it turned out. I'm in love with these rocks. I think I might need to buy some more from AFA to use in another tank. Once I saw what they looked like wet I decided not to use the mini pellia because I didn't want to cover them up. It's hard to tell in the pictures, but there are a lot of small river pebbles around the plants and bases of the stones with moss attached. These should fill in nicely and cover the anubias roots and the empty spots between the stones. The anubias are a bit disheveled at the moment. They were all floating in a little container for the past week or two so the leaves were growing in every which direction. Hopefully it won't take long for them to straighten out towards the light.

Still have to get the filter on it. Planning on doing that and raising the light up a little more tomorrow.


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

very pretty and serene. I like to low look too now


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

if_fishes_were_wishes said:


> very pretty and serene. I like to low look too now


Thanks! My husband thought the same thing. He called it my zen garden and asked where the little rake was.


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## radioman (Oct 29, 2007)

I've said it before and I will say it again. I love simple non cluttered tanks like this.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

I should rename this tank "Trouble in Paradise."

I ran into another issue today. I finally made my lazy butt hook up the filter and it turned the tank into a snowglobe. Exhibit A:










I tried lowering the spray bar, which actually blew a hole in the sand, and raising it up as high as possible. Still getting enough sand blowing around to make the tank look cloudy. I could drill more holes to lessen the pressure, but I don't really want to sacrifice flow in a tank this long. I think the moonlight sand is just too fine for a shallow tank like this. I hate to think what it would look like if I used a HOB. I'm thinking at the very least I'm going to end up switching out the substrate. Maybe redo the whole thing. Meh. I don't know. I think the large cluster of stones on the left would look really cool in a tiny tank. Like maybe the little 3 gallon Mr Aqua bowfront.


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

can you point the holes more towards the surface? I wonder if that may help.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

if_fishes_were_wishes said:


> can you point the holes more towards the surface? I wonder if that may help.


Thanks for the suggestion. I tried it, but the sand was still swirling around quite a bit. I think the issue is that no matter what angle the bar sprays at it ends up creating a circular current from bouncing off the glass which then picks up the sand.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

maybe try and find a larger grain sand. 
i know with my first reef tank, i had a sand bottom cuz i loved the way it looked, but it would all get blown away from the front and under the rocks cuz it was too fine for the amount of flow. when i added more sand, of a courser kind, it stayed put longer (but eventually got blown away too and then i said 'screw it' and went bare-bottom for the next tank).


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Wow. very Zen 

When are you getting the shrimp? I'm curious if they will stay dark on a light substrate.

I would recommend some staurogyne repens if you're looking for a substrate rooter. Grows very low and compact in all lighting.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

Thanks

I actually got the shrimp already a couple months ago, they're just in a different tank right now. I'm waiting on some coarser white sand to get here (Crystal River or something like that from Carib Sea) so I can switch it out for what's in there now. Once I get it switched out I'll run the tank empty for a few weeks for some good bio film to build of before moving the shrimp into it. We'll see how they look on the white. If they end up looking washed out I could always put them in a different tank and get some PFR or something that would stand out better.

I actually love the look of s. repens, but haven't had luck with it. I got a few stems from... youjettisome I think it was, and it just turned pathetic in my tanks. I'd like to give it another try, but probably not in this tank.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Why coarser sand? If you're removing the substrate anyway, might as well do a dirt (MGOPS) + white sand cap? Makes plants easy-mode.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

I liked the look of the white sand, but this stuff was super fine and the spray bar was knocking it around everywhere. I ended up using it in my one whiskey barrels to cap the dirt in there. The plants are growing great in there, but nothing in this tank is rooted in the substrate so it's not needed. All anubias and moss.


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