# CryptKeeper54's Mr. Aqua 12 gallon long



## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

And then there was one. I'm going to shut down all my tanks and make this my one and only. I'm leaning towards expanding on my river rock scape but my add some Iwagumi fusion to it. Time will tell. Gonna take this project slow.

Decided water evaporation was to quick on my previous nano tanks and hated the hard water lines it created. So I'm going sump. Got a Aqueon modular model 1 sump. Yes I know, could've made my own (which I have in the past) but with time contraints and family responsibilities, I rather just buy stuff now a days.

Got the Mr. Aqua 12 gal tank today from an LFS and water testing it for now. I saw an Aqueon 33 long tank and loved it but can't go away from the rimless look now. Kind of wonder why Aqueon doesn't get into the rimmless aquarium arena and make some extra bucks.

Notice the Eshopps nano overflow box is not meant for rimless tanks. The water level would be way to low so I need to build some sort of contraption to lift the overflow to a higher level.




























That's it for now. Going to work on my master list of stuffs later. Still deciding on if I'm going with the Finnex Ray II 7k/7K LED fixture but I'm leaning towards that particular light.


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## Beer (Feb 1, 2012)

Are they making those with low iron glass now? Mine looks a bit green compared to yours.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Beer said:


> Are they making those with low iron glass now? Mine looks a bit green compared to yours.


Not sure. I thought Mr. Aqua always made it like this. I'm loving the dimensions. Should be up and running in a month.


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## Ach1Ll3sH33L (Mar 1, 2012)

get some s.s mesh and make a pre filter for that overflow, i lost a few shrimp from them falling through when i had mine.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Wow that tank is beautiful. I was looking at the tank cluster in the back at first. I was like.. That doesn't look like a 12g tank!!

Then I started looking around your pic, and I saw that mammoth. 

Yeah that is on my list of wants! Can't wait to see what you do with it.

I have a long tank, and I would recommend two filters for increased water motion and more than one intake for cleaning.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Ach1Ll3sH33L said:


> get some s.s mesh and make a pre filter for that overflow, i lost a few shrimp from them falling through when i had mine.


Will do. How is that finnex ray 2. I noticed you got it directly on top of tank. Are you running into algae issues? I've been reading your journal..... great stuff. Thanks for your contribution to the hobby.



MABJ said:


> Wow that tank is beautiful. I was looking at the tank cluster in the back at first. I was like.. That doesn't look like a 12g tank!!
> 
> Then I started looking around your pic, and I saw that mammoth.
> 
> ...


Mammoth? That's funny to say about this tank cause I consider it to be a nano...lol, but I know what you mean. I'm loving this tank and hope I can make an aquascape worthy of it.

I'll be tinkering with how the water flow is when I get all my products. Going to devote all my time and energy into one tank instead of 7.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

I prefer the anticipation, the journey not the destination, the build up, etc. Maybe because my end results usually suck but that's another thing. Anyways, just waiting on my sump now. I've planned the aquascape and mostly gonna work with my intuition on planting day. 

I'm set on doing cheap RCS since I got an overflow and don't want to worry about expensive shrimp. So that leaves me to picking a schooling tetra that won't color clash with my shrimp and plants. Doing research now and hopefully updating my site with fresh content. Got to keep the dream alive.

I'm still contemplating on what to do with my eheim aquastyles, ADA Mini M and Schuber Wright tank. And not to mention my fluval tanks. Decisions, decisions, what to do....

Got the Finnex Ray II DS 7000k/7000k LEDs. This thing is nice and sweet.


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## Jsquared (Jan 14, 2013)

So jealous haha. I have been wanting nearly this same exact setup for a while now. I just need the room. I can't wait to see this all setup.


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## binbin9 (Jan 31, 2012)

I love this tank, cant wait to see what you'll do.


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## Kai808 (Jul 19, 2011)

I can't wait to see it set up and see how the ray II does. I found this tank locally but I can't afford the $113 price tag for another one. Subscribed!


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

The process has been slow but today made some progress. Broke down my Scuber Wright tank, did some cleaning and tied a bunch of anubias nana petite to some river stones. My other two tanks are now waiting to be transplanted. I'm reusing my Aquasoil since its less then 6 months old. Still waiting on my sump as there was a delay in shipping. Will drill holes in the table for the input and output lines for a clean look.

Side note: this cabinet stand I bought from City Mill is a nice match for my Eheim Aquastyle 6 gallon (my future shrimp tank).




























In the mean time, I'm studying the rule of thirds and aquascaping principles in general. Trying to take the next step of making a "contest worthy" tank.










This is the branch wood I had in my Fuval Edge 6 gallon. I'm liking that position and plan to put the other set of branch wood on the left 1/3 line, making it the main focal point of the tank. Or at least that's what I think its suppose to do.










Comments and suggestions welcomed. I want to get things done right. Anyone got suggestions on where I plan to place my sump overflow box.


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## Jarek Strzechowski (Feb 7, 2013)

Really cool tank! I can't wait to see how it turns out! You should put discus in it!!


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## defender.TX (Jan 29, 2013)

I really love that wood. Makes the tank look larger than it is, in my opinion. What about putting the overflow box on the opposite side of the tank from the driftwood (left side looking at it). I'm worried if you put it on the right side behind the drift wood it would make that side of the tank look way too busy.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Jarek Strzechowski said:


> Really cool tank! I can't wait to see how it turns out! You should put discus in it!!


Tank is way to small for discus.



defender.TX said:


> I really love that wood. Makes the tank look larger than it is, in my opinion. What about putting the overflow box on the opposite side of the tank from the driftwood (left side looking at it). I'm worried if you put it on the right side behind the drift wood it would make that side of the tank look way too busy.


ADA branch wood is what my LFS calls it. Its great for nano tanks. Where the overflow is in the pic will go another set of branch wood to somewhat hide the overflow. That's the plan for now.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Jsquared said:


> So jealous haha. I have been wanting nearly this same exact setup for a while now. I just need the room. I can't wait to see this all setup.





binbin9 said:


> I love this tank, cant wait to see what you'll do.





Kai808 said:


> I can't wait to see it set up and see how the ray II does. I found this tank locally but I can't afford the $113 price tag for another one. Subscribed!


This tank is the bomb. They should make more rimless tanks like a 33 long, 20 long, just long tanks in general.


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

Nice piece of wood! Great shape to work with.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Bought a new toy from bulkreefsupply.com. A RO/DI system. I was sold on their advertising videos.










Added these standard shelving brackets from homedepot. At its highest point, the light is 16 inches away from the substarte. This set up should give me greater control of the light intensity. I plan to paint these the same color as my wall to blend in a little better. I'm liking the setup so far.










Working on the sump plumbing soon.


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## Ach1Ll3sH33L (Mar 1, 2012)

once you add the bulkhead on that overflow your not gonna have enough room for an elbow if thats where your leaving the tank. I thought about using that overflow before and once i measured it, realized i would need a hole right below it in the stand, though maybe theirs just enough if you trim the bulkhead down. I concluded if i ever did one of these tanks again i would simply drill a hole in the glass and use one of those nano overflow covers


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Ach1Ll3sH33L said:


> once you add the bulkhead on that overflow your not gonna have enough room for an elbow if thats where your leaving the tank. I thought about using that overflow before and once i measured it, realized i would need a hole right below it in the stand, though maybe theirs just enough if you trim the bulkhead down. I concluded if i ever did one of these tanks again i would simply drill a hole in the glass and use one of those nano overflow covers


True dat. I drilled holes in the table. Pics to come. The sump is gonna be a tight fit so I gotta make mods to the table. If anything, I'll just buy a new table. I was originally gonna do the gl*ssholes.com nano kit but chickened out of wanting to drill this tank. Didn't want to commit on where my overflow was going to be permanently.


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## bluestems (Feb 7, 2012)

CryptKeeper54 said:


> Added these standard shelving brackets from homedepot. At its highest point, the light is 16 inches away from the substarte. This set up should give me greater control of the light intensity. I plan to paint these the same color as my wall to blend in a little better. I'm liking the setup so far.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I love the use of the wall-mounted brackets to mount the light! Look forward to seeing what you do with this gem!


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## Mumford (Nov 12, 2012)

Did you go with the finnex?

Subscribed


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

bluestems said:


> I love the use of the wall-mounted brackets to mount the light! Look forward to seeing what you do with this gem!


x2. I like it way better than my hanging setups I made from conduit.


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## gnod (Mar 24, 2011)

subscribed. looking forward to this!


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## assasin6547 (Feb 6, 2013)

That is pretty cool, :icon_wink you selling any of your other tanks? :biggrin:


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

nice hanging method! Is the water pretty hard? will you remineralize? or do a tap blend?


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## Kai808 (Jul 19, 2011)

My friend just bought that same RO/DI unit. He's a reefer in Mililani and tired of driving to sand island for water. Great looking set up!


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Mumford said:


> Did you go with the finnex?
> 
> Subscribed


yes. the ray 2 ds, 7k/7k lights.



rocksmom said:


> x2. I like it way better than my hanging setups I made from conduit.


the hangers are okay. not as slick as ada pipes and wires but it will do for now.



gnod said:


> subscribed. looking forward to this!


its a fun hobby and this is my most extravagent project yet. good times.



assasin6547 said:


> That is pretty cool, :icon_wink you selling any of your other tanks? :biggrin:


just breaking the tanks down and storing them away. been trying to sell a few locally, otherwise i got other projects in mind in the future.



Green_Flash said:


> nice hanging method! Is the water pretty hard? will you remineralize? or do a tap blend?


i wanted to have full control of water parameters. just adding GLA gh 
booster and doing ei dosing and it has been working pretty good on my mini m tank.



Kai808 said:


> My friend just bought that same RO/DI unit. He's a reefer in Mililani and tired of driving to sand island for water. Great looking set up!


cool..... the vids really sold me. sometimes its all about the advertising. i was also thinking i might do reefing one day so might as well start getting used to making my own water now.


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## Ach1Ll3sH33L (Mar 1, 2012)

if your doing e.i dosing with your ro/di make sure you add a bit more mgs04 and potassium. I found with straight ro that i was still lacking these 2 with the gh booster, probably not as big of an issue with lower light though.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Ach1Ll3sH33L said:


> if your doing e.i dosing with your ro/di make sure you add a bit more mgs04 and potassium. I found with straight ro that i was still lacking these 2 with the gh booster, probably not as big of an issue with lower light though.


That's good to know. What dose of those ferts (dry fert nano measurement, i.e. dash, pinch, drop/ or 1/4 tsp, etc.) would you estimate/ recommend for a 10 gal tank?

And what would be noticeble in my tank from this deficiency overtime?


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Long day. Tranplanted plants, did plumbing broke down two tanks, made this 12 gal and a simple shrimp tank (check my aquastlye last post). Hard work but fun at the same time.










Used pebbles to way down hc carpets.










Scape 75% complete. Waiting on buces frm PNT member I just purchased. Gonna play around with adding a little bit more river rocks.

Tried to use the rule of thirds (can u see my red lines?). Focal point being my tallest branchwood and my erio on the right.










Critiques welcomed. Going to be a work in progress but I love the layout so far. I just hope my branchwoods on the right color up to be more brown/ wethered to match the left side. I bleached them a while ago, hope its not permanently "white" looking..... stupid me. Fingers crossed.


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

sweet layout!


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Sweet work. Time to add a black or white background.


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## bluestems (Feb 7, 2012)

Looks awesome! can't wait to see it grow in  

I agree with Mark on adding a background. A black background will make that black box go away.


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## Ach1Ll3sH33L (Mar 1, 2012)

Im a big fan of this stuff as a background, if you dont like it you can always peel it off, i agree with the black background to make the overflow less obtrusive. or relocate it to the far end of the tank.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_234077-7413...t&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=window+tint&facetInfo=

You might look into trying to seal up the intake side of the wet/dry as best you can. this will keep the tank from degassing the c02. If you want to hide the c02 diffuser, stick it in front of the intake on your sump pump, this will pump all the micro bubbles into the tank still, and give them a lot more turbulence in the water to dissolve more efficiently.

The scape came out great btw!


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

That looks great! I prefer the clear background look.  

Is that a aqueon sump? Did you find that at a store?


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

sayurasem said:


> sweet layout!





MABJ said:


> Sweet work. Time to add a black or white background.





bluestems said:


> Looks awesome! can't wait to see it grow in
> 
> I agree with Mark on adding a background. A black background will make that black box go away.





Green_Flash said:


> That looks great! I prefer the clear background look.
> 
> Is that a aqueon sump? Did you find that at a store?


Thanks for the compliments everyone and for checking out my tank. I'm Loving this tank.

I actually prefer no background but I will experiment with it later on when I practice photographing this tank.

It is the aqueon sump, model 1. Got it from amazon. I actually like looking at it and showing it off so I bought this instead of building my own. Pricey but cool and gives me the option to convert it to a refugium if I ever go reefing. I'm still working on quieting the overflow.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Ach1Ll3sH33L said:


> Im a big fan of this stuff as a background, if you dont like it you can always peel it off, i agree with the black background to make the overflow less obtrusive. or relocate it to the far end of the tank.
> http://www.lowes.com/pd_234077-7413...t&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=window+tint&facetInfo=
> 
> You might look into trying to seal up the intake side of the wet/dry as best you can. this will keep the tank from degassing the c02. If you want to hide the c02 diffuser, stick it in front of the intake on your sump pump, this will pump all the micro bubbles into the tank still, and give them a lot more turbulence in the water to dissolve more efficiently.
> ...


Thanks. I'll check out my local lowes for that stuff. I was even thinking of frosted which I think they sell as well.

I'm not to worried about the co2. I got the two diffusers in tank, and a gla atomic inline diffuser as well. Plants pearling and looking good so far.


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## Kai808 (Jul 19, 2011)

Hey,

I like the equipment set up. But IMO, it looks like you might be running into the same issue about the scape that I have. The tank is so long that it's hard keep the left and rightside hardscape consistant while still complementing each other.

I really like the left hand side. Perfect wood, plants, and a good transition to the right using the stones in the back(The stones remind me of a Heiau). Then you get to the rightside... I'm just not feeling that driftwood. The angles are unnatural to me and I would find another piece or just take it out and move the leftside over to the right a little.

This is just my opinion but I hope it helps.

Kai


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Kai808 said:


> Hey,
> 
> I like the equipment set up. But IMO, it looks like you might be running into the same issue about the scape that I have. The tank is so long that it's hard keep the left and rightside hardscape consistant while still complementing each other.
> 
> ...


Staring at my tank this evening and was thinking the same thing. I'm a bit torn cause I like the look of the right sided branchwood pieces individually. It also doesnt help that the wood is a different color. I think I over bleached them and may rubbed off all the bark or something. 

I still want to try and make the wood work tho, and I'm going to wait til my rear stem plants fill in before I make any huge adjustments. Details of plant layout to follow.

Thanks for the critique.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Just phone pics. Wanted to see if I like a black background (temporary test using black construction paper). My fishes do.... me not so much only because the CO2 micro bubbles are SO MUCH more visible. The trade off is the sump overflow box is barely visible.

Dealing with hair algae like I was with my other tanks.

Added fishes: 5 otocinclus, 1 SAE, 15 ember tetras, 3 black phantom tetras, 1 rasboa maculata (lone survivor from old fluval edge tank). Might add more later on......

Trying to incorporate buces into aquascape little tricky for me right now.


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## chou (Feb 23, 2012)

looks good. makes me want to get a 12g long


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## amyhartofey (Feb 19, 2013)

This is an awesome tank! I love the length, would love to work with dimensions like that  I agree about the two different colour woods being a problem - do you have an alternative?


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## Kai808 (Jul 19, 2011)

Looks better with the plants! I think that rock holding down the right tree was throwing me off. I can see the potential now with the close up pics. Great Job!


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## Trail_Mix (May 17, 2011)

I love the look of the left side, but the right side still needs some work. I would try adding a Crypt or two to the mid-ground of the right side, and some Java Fern varieties towards the back and the right wall. Maybe stick to windelov, phillipine, and trident java ferns as they tend to grow lower, and your tank isn't that tall. That should give you a nice contrast and help you get that darker color you're looking for.

Personally, I love Buces; I think they're beautiful. They're also relatively easy to keep. But most of them are really small, and they're all such slow growers that I don't think you'll achieve much of a visual impact with them, even in a 12g. They definitely won't hurt, but also with all their color and leaf variation, they may not fit in aesthetically, you know? Also, if you _are_ going to use them, they grow best attached to a lava rock, or at least some kind of stone. I noticed that it looks like you didn't tie them down, but maybe I'm mistaken. Either way, especially considering their price, it's probably just not worth it to use Buces for this scape. If you decide to take them out, you can always sell them, or better yet, grow them emersed. After all, you're going to be deconstructing several tanks so you'll have some space and lighting already, and pots and dirt are cheap.

Just my .02


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'm thinking of replacing the branchwod. Just hope I can find the right pieces. The color is throwing things off. I'l just use it for another tank.

Still waiting on my background plants to fill in so I won't make dramatic changes just yet. I do like the left side but I'm wondering if my stem plants will throw it off. And I do like the idea of adding darker green plants for a better contrast.


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## mosspearl (Jan 30, 2013)

Beautiful layout.


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## bluestems (Feb 7, 2012)

chou said:


> looks good. damn makes me want to get a 12g long


me too! Looks nice :smile:


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

CryptKeeper54 said:


>


Turns out it was spirogyra algae judging by the results of using quick remedy API Algaefix.










Tank looks much better.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Update: Got new branchwood today (current branchwood in tank wil be going into one of my eheim aquastyles , which will be displayed at my work place. The branchwood is just not working in this scape). Will let these soak and tie moss to them within the week. I think my scape is missing more repition to tie both left and right sides. The moss on branches should help me achieve a better scape (at least that's what I hope).










Bought some fishes. Decided to go with a German Blue Ram (bottom right coner in pic below) and added more ember tetras.the ember tetras color contrast with the gren plants is awesome. They school a little better with the black background gone. Also, I was hoping the Ram would get them to school better as well.

Current stocklist: 27 ember tetras, 1 R.Maculata, 3 phantom tetras, 5 otocinclus, 1 German blue ram, 1 SAE, and 1 Betta.










The embers. In the background, I made a smaller version of the Hofer gurgle buster using 3/4 ths PVC pipe instead. Could be tuned to silent but I like a little water noise coming from my tanks overflow system.


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## assasin6547 (Feb 6, 2013)

Wow that's a lot of fish for a 12 gallon, but I guess there are a lot of plants.
The HC carpet is looking really fabulous, so nicely filled in.


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

Well, he does run a sump and that adds a few more gallons to the total system, I am guessing 10-20g depending on model.

Looking good, hopefully you can get rid of that algae.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

assasin6547 said:


> Wow that's a lot of fish for a 12 gallon, but I guess there are a lot of plants.
> The HC carpet is looking really fabulous, so nicely filled in.


I'm thinking with the wet/dry sump (about 8 gals extra water) and plants, I can have a huge bioload. The funny part is that the tank doesn't look close to being overcrowded. Another reason I love this 12 gal long tank.

HC is an awesome plant, but high maintenance. I like tweaking my tank often so its all good. Gotta trim it soon, growing fast in this setup.

This german blue ram is now my favorite fish. Great character and colors. Can't wait for him/her to get older and display its full colors. Might even try to pair this fish later on.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Rescaped with new branchwood. Should turn the same dark color in time as the left side. I think this scape "jives" better then my last layout and hopefully will look better when scape filled out and branch wood "ages" a bit submersed. I tried to add a little bit more repitition added with moss tied to branches on right side.

Before:










After:










Moved erio from front to back, s. repens also in back. Moved D. Diandra to far right corner. Putting my buces front and center of branchwood for unobstructed viewing.

Before:










After:










Still tweaking scape as most people do with their tanks. Adding pebbles here and there, playing with plant placement, and watching growth pattern of plants. The big thing I can't seem to incorporate is depth. Been researching this topic lately. Maybe my substrate slope is too small, I need a black background, and/or a few other things. Of course, this is a tricky tank to create depth. Just can't leave my tank alone....lol.

And finally, a favorite viewing angle of mine. Looking at the left side of tank. Now that's depth.


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

I like that new piece of wood. Buce look great on it. 

Is that ricca in the side view?


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Green_Flash said:


> I like that new piece of wood. Buce look great on it.
> 
> Is that ricca in the side view?


It is ricca, intertwined on e.belem to make it stay on the ground.


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## plecostomouse (Jun 9, 2011)

Looks great 

I think it lacks a bit of Flow from left to right, After the wood on the left it just sorta cuts off. Maybe a plant grouping sloping down would improve this.

I think H. Pinnitifida is deffinately an option!


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

You use the glass Jet pipe as the return pipe from the sump? I was thinking of doing something like that, a P-6 though for a larger tank. What size eheim is that? Did you use soft tubing to connect the pipe and what size? 13mm / 1/2 inch ID?


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## JEden8 (Jan 5, 2011)

Stunning!


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

plecostomouse said:


> Looks great
> 
> I think it lacks a bit of Flow from left to right, After the wood on the left it just sorta cuts off. Maybe a plant grouping sloping down would improve this.
> 
> I think H. Pinnitifida is deffinately an option!





JEden8 said:


> Stunning!


I hear you. I was trying to create that flow with the pile of river rocks instead of plants. Still trying to do that but I think I need to pile the rocks a little higher.










On a negative note, my mini pelia is apparently melting. It didn't like something in my water. It was just starting to look lush too after starting small and growing for the past 6 months on that branch. Also starting to get what I think is BBA and currently contemplating spot treatment with h.peroxide.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Green_Flash said:


> You use the glass Jet pipe as the return pipe from the sump? I was thinking of doing something like that, a P-6 though for a larger tank. What size eheim is that? Did you use soft tubing to connect the pipe and what size? 13mm / 1/2 inch ID?


Yes. P-2. Very snug fit on what is supposedly 5 mm glass. Tubing size 13m/ or 1/2 ID is correct. Connected to my eheim pump 1048.

I haven't had the time to make my detailed equipment list in this journal but I eventually will.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Just an update: trimmed hc down to ground. Heavily trimmed riccia. Added plant: hygrophila pinnitifida to right rear, behind D. Diandra. Shuffled rocks around to make room for crypt nurii ( expected to receive next week and will be placed behind and to the right of my crypt wendtii (brown)

Notes: 

1. I'm thinking of phasing out my riccia and letting the hc and e.belem occupy that space.
2. Phasing out the mid-background rock formation in hopes of crypt nurii occupying that space. Trying to tie the left and right scape with plants in a slope formation to the right, as previously suggested by member plecostomouse (posted in this thread).
3. My buces on the right are not doing well. I keep reading these are hardy but not for me. Not sure what's going on. Seen my ram and other fish nibble at the dying leaves on occassion. Buces on the left side (a bit shaded) are doing a lot better.

Pics:



















Mini pelia tips growing slowly. Will probably try to reattach healthy growth to wood and discard the melted/ black pelia when can.



















Erio kimberly (left rear). Lovely plant but just can't get it positioned right to suit this aquascape the best.










Pinnitifida behind diandra. Experimenting with how this plant is gonna look in this scape.










Buces not doing so hot. I was hoping they would take root to the branch wood by now.


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## Idrankwhat (Mar 20, 2013)

That tank is so tasteful. Throw out the TV's and put it in the entertainment system. Excellent setup.


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## hisxlency (Jan 26, 2013)

I love the layout and the wood. I am attempting something similar in a 20L. Good luck


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## Mumford (Nov 12, 2012)

Could you possibly be frying the Buce's? 

And what type are they?

Could they possibly be switching to the submerged form? (Assuming you bought them grown emersed)


- Mumford


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## fogduck (Mar 14, 2013)

Your tanks are really beautiful. Quick question... When you replaced your branch wood, where did you get new branch wood from? I've been trying to find some for a 12" cube but it's not available on adgshop right now.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Idrankwhat said:


> That tank is so tasteful. Throw out the TV's and put it in the entertainment system. Excellent setup.


Thanks. I actually boycotted cable 6 months ago. Now I just do air cable, netflix and hulu. Saved 100 bucks per month but I do miss my HD sports.



hisxlency said:


> I love the layout and the wood. I am attempting something similar in a 20L. Good luck


Thanks. Goodluck with your scape.



Mumford said:


> Could you possibly be frying the Buce's?
> 
> And what type are they?
> 
> ...


Possibly. All purchased submerged so not a transition thing. Names escape me now but I think I did list it in this thread somewhere. 



fogduck said:


> Your tanks are really beautiful. Quick question... When you replaced your branch wood, where did you get new branch wood from? I've been trying to find some for a 12" cube but it's not available on adgshop right now.


Thanks. I'm lucky to have 2 LFS that carry ADA equipment and a pretty good line up of plants and fish. They regularly stock nice hardscape materials. Only thing is the shrimp scene is "underground" since they are illegal.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Riccia gone, trying to grow out e. belem in the left corner. Erio kimberly was split and the much anticipated crypt nurii was just planted an hour ago. Much nicer than regular ole crypt wendtii 'brown'. Hope they do well in this tank. 



















Not sure if you can see the difference in the pic, but I'm loving this crypt. Thanks to TPT member for this fine plants.


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## Trail_Mix (May 17, 2011)

Love the C. nurii!


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

Yeah, its awesome.


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## bassmjm (Jun 1, 2011)

Great erios!


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Trail_Mix said:


> Love the C. nurii!





Green_Flash said:


> Yeah, its awesome.





bassmjm said:


> Great erios!


These plants are cool to have. This tank has been a joy to create and watch grow despite having algae issues here and there.


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## Alplily (Jan 1, 2012)

How are you liking the Finnex Ray II DS 7000k/7000k LED fixture? Would it provide too much light for a low-tech tank (no added CO2, or perhaps just a liquid supplement)? It looks terrific, though...


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Alplily said:


> How are you liking the Finnex Ray II DS 7000k/7000k LED fixture? Would it provide too much light for a low-tech tank (no added CO2, or perhaps just a liquid supplement)? It looks terrific, though...


Its a very nice light. I like it, very bright and a nice crisp white light that provides you with a "shimmer" effect. However, I've read most LED fixtures are not great for red plants. Red plants can not turn as red as they can be. I think this fixture is one of them.

This would be way too much for a low tech tank. I'm already hanging this light about 8 inches above water level and consider this a high light tank. Goodluck with starting your tank.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Just a pic & brief update: pinnatifida seems to grow small and compact under highlight, or at least in this tank, so going to rescape and probably put another stem plant behind my d.diandra on the right side of this tank.

Loving the finnex ray 2 but it doesn't seem to bring out red colors of plants. Looking to add supplemental lighting and maybe red stem plants on right rear of tank.

Raised the light a tad bit higher due to quick green algae growth on glass. I like having the ability to easily adjust heights with this setup.

Can anyone provide suggestions to my lighting concern? Is it my light or my nutrients that make my l.arcuata remain fairly green.


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## Trail_Mix (May 17, 2011)

I think your Buces aren't doing that great cause they attach better to rock, specifically lava rock, than wood. I would try that and see how it works. T hough I love the way they look where you layed them out, so it's a shame to have to move them. I also love the new branches and the placement of the Erio up front, you should add some more!! Also, I think the H. pinnatifida will look great once it grows in! What kinds of Anubias do you have in there, is it just Nana and Petite, or do you have others as well?


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

Wow very nice!


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Trail_Mix said:


> I think your Buces aren't doing that great cause they attach better to rock, specifically lava rock, than wood. I would try that and see how it works. T hough I love the way they look where you layed them out, so it's a shame to have to move them. I also love the new branches and the placement of the Erio up front, you should add some more!! Also, I think the H. pinnatifida will look great once it grows in! What kinds of Anubias do you have in there, is it just Nana and Petite, or do you have others as well?


I'm not sure what to do with these buces but the lava rock idea sounds like a plan. I wanted them front and center since they look so good when healthy but now I am having to rearrange and fit them in other areas of the tank. Just petite anubias, one of my favorite plants to use in "nano" scapes.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

sayurasem said:


> Wow very nice!


Thx. Looking forward to seeing your tank filled, UG should look awesome.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Just sharing pics. I love looking at this tank from the side. E.belem still not filled in yet. Moved some buces here, hoping for better growth.





































I also stare at my ADA outflow and get lost..... day dreaming.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Just watching plants grow. Trying to fill the right side with styro repens instead. I'm hoping to make a brief video soon just because...


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

Sweetness.
Have you thought of using a background? It would cover the HOB.
Looking good

via Droid DNA Tapatalk 2


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

OVT said:


> Sweetness.
> Have you thought of using a background? It would cover the HOB.
> Looking good
> 
> via Droid DNA Tapatalk 2


Pics on page 3. I experimented with it and it did hide the overflow well. However, the CO2 bubbles are magnified and distracting so I prefer no background.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

This tank is due for some changes. Going to replace HC with e.belem. Just getting tired of the HC look ad want something different. Erios getting pretty big, got to prune them small again somehow.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

This erio has a pretty big root system. Going to prune back some roots and leaves and replant this guy. Hopefully it bounces back and gives me a smaller erio again. Its starting to look out of scale with the rest of the plants. I'll do the same with the other big eriocaulon kimberly if this works out.



















Also did a brief youtube video of my tank with pics. Part 2 vid coming soon.


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## mjbn (Dec 14, 2011)

The HC looked so nice though!D: lol i hope the E. Belem accomplishes the look you're going for. I just went through your whole journal and you're scaping is awesome


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

Looking very nice!


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

Update: got rid of hc and replaced with e.belem. fought of BBA and cyno. Got rid of taiwan moss... just grew to fast and overshadowed everything. Slowly adding trimmings to fill in right side with crypt nurii and anubias petite. 





































and last, I'm moving so now I gotta transfer this badboy twice this year... good times.


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## CryptKeeper54 (Apr 14, 2012)

A few more close up pics... my buce is shooting a flower again but I think my fishes eat it or something cause they never make it to bloom.




























And the real reason I'm updating... I have a new toy. Works wonders.


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## Kai808 (Jul 19, 2011)

CryptKeeper54 said:


> And the real reason I'm updating... I have a new toy. Works wonders.


Welcome back! For the price of that toy, I hope you just have to wave in the air and the algae will disappear. lol. Don't worry I'm very jealous of that new toy.


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## wlevine09 (Apr 7, 2014)

Great looking tank, just picked myself up the 6 gallon version. Quick question, is that ADA aquasoil you're using?


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## Grumpy1415 (Oct 15, 2013)

Update?


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