# Quark's mini-s Iwagumi shenanigans



## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Hi all,

I've been away from the hobby for almost 10+ years and wanted to get back in. with the limited time and space now a days, I've decided to set up a tank in my office. All my previous tanks were jungle style, DIY CO2, and shoplights. This is my first Iwagumi, and nano'ish. The idea behind this tank was all about the image. It had to be pristine. All comments are welcomed and hopefully I will not end up with a tank full of algae. :icon_smil So without further ado, here is what I have so far:
*Equipment*
ADA Mini-S 3.5 gallons
Custom water catchment tray for that "just in case" scenario since this is in my office.
Eheim 2213
CO2 Provided by Atomic Paintball regular,Clippard solenoid, and clippard needle valve.
Rexgrigg style CO2 reactor.

*Lighting:*
Nanobox Flare

*Substrate*
ADA Amazonia Powder

*Hardscape*
Rocks found in a stream. I already had these and wanted to see what could be done with them.

*Fertilizer*
EI dosing method via liquid mix.

*Flora*
(HC) Hemianthus callitrichoides

*Fauna*
Undecided

*4/10/2014*

























Let me know what you all think.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

*Start 4/21/2014*








*Most recent full tank shot.*
*7/1/2014*


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## colorfan (Nov 12, 2013)

looks great so faar


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

*Update 4/11/2014*
Every day I'm shuffling.....


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## BeastMaster (Dec 17, 2012)

Hi Q. Like the three stone look. Will you be using CO2? Dry start the HC or going filled from the start? What kind of light is that gooseneck fixture? The lacquer serving tray is a nice touch. I'm doing a mini-S too. Good luck with yours. :bounce:


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## Chris_Produces (Feb 19, 2014)

Looks great. Don't forget the pressurized co2 setup (if DIY doesn't work out) for the HC...it's a dismal short lived ride with HC and no consistent co2 supply IME. Good luck!

P.S. I really like the 1st layout


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Chris, thanks for reminding me, I completely forgot to put that up as a spec. I do intend to do a pressurized CO2 setup, built up an external CO2 reactor, more commonly now known as rex grigg reactor, I'll post some pics up. Also thinking of doing a DSM start.


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## Chris_Produces (Feb 19, 2014)

quark said:


> Chris, thanks for reminding me, I completely forgot to put that up as a spec. I do intend to do a pressurized CO2 setup, built up an external CO2 reactor, more commonly now known as rex grigg reactor, I'll post some pics up. Also thinking of doing a DSM start.


Good deal. When I did my first tank setup earlier this year, I tried to skip out on it and I ended fighting a losing battle. Tore everything down, purchased new HC, co2 system and a 40B tank just for kicks. Wish I would've gone pressurized co2 from the start.


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## someoldguy (Feb 26, 2014)

The tray/ lamp is pretty smooth , keep management off your back regarding leaks/spills, too. Maybe make the tank back opaque? Not necessarily black , but something to hide what's behind the tank.


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## brad908 (Jan 21, 2014)

Nice. A fellow FW nanobox'er


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

@someoldguy heh, you read my mind on that background. Added a frosted back, and added more substrate to the scape. Also wet the entire thing to see how it looked, but didn't get the effect I was looking for. This ADA Amazonia Powder is really black when wet. 

*4/15/2014 Update*


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

I built this reactor a while ago, and will likely be used for this tank. I suppose its now more commonly known as a rexgriggs CO2 reactor. I wanted external because I don't really like in tank diffuser. They need to be cleaned, clog, and if not careful, it can back up the co2 completely and blow the line off, not to mention that the tank will look like I just poured 7-up. lol.

its got 1/2 inch inlet and outlets, and the co2 injection towards the top. Its empty on the inside, didn't want to deal with cleaning it. I plan on hooking it up an Eheim 2213. I tested the reactor to a fluval 104, but couldn't get a venturi going. Probably need to increase the outlet size. In any case, here is a picture.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

*4/21/2014*

So I couldn't wait to continue on this tank, and got some HC from a friend. started the HC DSM.

NanoBox Flare at 40% light.
8-hour duration.
covered with plastic wrap and poked 20 holes with a pencil.
stay tuned, planning on setting up a time lapse video.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

*Timelapse options*

So I'm setting up a timelapse setup, but could use some opinions. I setup a webcam inside the tank, for a close up shot of HC, but it isn't that good a quality.

So option 1:
webcam intank shot, taken ~15 minute intervals.









Option 2:
Full tank shot daily.
(problem is that there is glare, and i'd have to clean water drops)









Option 3:
picture in picture?!

Sorry in advanced if this isn't the proper place to ask this. Thanks.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

not much to see at the moment. This puts a whole new meaning to watching grass grow.


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## Chris_Produces (Feb 19, 2014)

quark said:


> not much to see at the moment. This puts a whole new meaning to watching grass grow.


Tell me about it. That's how I feel with my journal.


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## kaptin393 (Feb 27, 2014)

In my experience, watching grass grow is a lot more interesting than watching paint dry! Ha ha ha. I'm looking forward to seeing how you progress with this. I've tried to maintain small tanks in the past, but they always end up getting upsized somehow.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

ahh, yes, watching paint dry would be more rough.

Totally know what you mean, I have a 120gal tank at home that has been sitting empty and dry just waiting to be have something done with it. It's my biggest tank I've ever setup, and there's something majestic about it that I can't let it go, along with the custom cabinetry that I've made for it.  Setting up this high tech tank, makes me itch to set up the other, but I don't know if I can handle two high tech tanks.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

*chop chop, need a haircut?*

I gotta love Amazon. Found myself a $5 pair of 4.75 inch curved spring scissors. Pretty sharp, but nothing to cut yet. :frown:

They are tiny, but good for cutting around the stones.


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## BeastMaster (Dec 17, 2012)

I got the same scissors & it works great for detailed trimming, working in small spaces and carpet thinning. :bounce:


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

2-week mark, HC is definitely growing decent, I can see new roots starting to show. Still painfully slow.

I made a brief timelapse of 2 weeks.










Also, this animated gif probably bends the rules of photo posting. If anyone finds it offensive, please let me know, I will unlink if needed.

PS. I think them rules needs a bit of updating.


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

Cool vid.


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## mistuhmarc (Oct 1, 2013)

That gif of the HC growing is awesome . I found it very neat.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

got some goodies in the mail today!

















Alas, they are too big. I need them to be 13mm, but these generics looks too big for my mini-s. The intake is definitely too long, the outlet, might be doable.


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## mistuhmarc (Oct 1, 2013)

quark said:


> got some goodies in the mail today!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The outflow looks like it'll end up blowing your HC away. You might want to look into that. Haha


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Yep, I got some problems here. :icon_cry:


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## Chris_Produces (Feb 19, 2014)

Those things look huge. Hopefully you can find something that will work for the tank. I have that same setup minus the in and out pipes. The spiral bubble counter is hypnotizing lol.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

So it has been about a month since I first planted. So far its growing in well. I still have the tank covered and I only mist once a week now due to slight fungus setting in. There is new growth and the old brown stuff has started to decay. There is definately plenty enough moisture in the tank from once a week spraying, as the water on the HC leaves do not evaporate, looks almost like dew. Here are some pics, along with some new toys. :bounce:
*Start 4/21/2014*








*Most recent full tank shot.*
*5/20/2014*


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Oh, I forgot to mention, this past weekend, I had about a 60 hour blackout period by accident, and I mean, it was pitch black! I accidentally left my Coralux storm controller on "dark" over the weekend and the lights didn't go on. I came in yesterday and found that the plants were reaching up, but it definitely doesn't seem to have affected the plants much, everything is still green, time will tell I guess.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

another week, another day.
HC is filling in nicely but I've got some slow growth on the right side. I wanted 100% coverage before filling it, but I'm not sure what to do right now. Its growing thickly and maybe it needs a trim? has anyone done a trim on a DSM?


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## BeastMaster (Dec 17, 2012)

quark said:


> another week, another day.
> HC is filling in nicely but I've got some slow growth on the right side. I wanted 100% coverage before filling it, but I'm not sure what to do right now. Its growing thickly and maybe it needs a trim? has anyone done a trim on a DSM?


Looks really good. Didn't do a trim during DSM but I suppose it wouldn't hurt. Might even promote more horizontal growth. The slow growth on the right side may be a indicator of a light source deficiency (stone shadows) that could be an issue when you flood. Be patient, your almost there. :bounce:


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

*Regulator stuck on paintball tank*

So I did some testing today, filled the CO2 bottle, slapped on the co2 regulator and it was working fine. No leaks or anything. Next steps here are to remove that needle valve and adapt a solenoid to.

Problem is, I couldn't get the regulator off the Paintball tank with my bare hands!! it was well stuck on there, and I had to use a rubber strap wrench to take it off. I mean, that thing was on solid! This wasn't an issue when the tank was empty and I did a test fit. Is this supposed to be like this? I mean, they do take off Paintball co2 tanks off guns while there is still pressure, but they cycle the trigger. I've never dealt with Paintball just regular tanks, and those have a shut off valve, so there's no pressure when removing it.

Also, while I had the unit off, I cut the adapter down on my Lathe to shrink it a bit, gained maybe 1/4 inches so that it could slide easier into my cubicle cabinet.

Next steps from here I'll anodize that adapter. It'll give it some color, harden the surfaces, and hopefully make it easier to remove the regulator/adapter from the paintball tank under pressure much easier.

Here are some pictures for reference:
*Before:*









*During:*









*After:*


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Still waiting on my tank to fill in, hopefully I'll get to fill it later this month. I have noticed that some HC is browning, but only on the right side of the tank, and I'm wondering if its because the right side of the tank gets a slightly different color spectrum than the left? More red on the right I think, possibly it gets less PAR. Anyone has experienced this? or am I thinking about it too much. I could bump up the light some more, its only running at about 40% of its max output.


















*6/5/2014*


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## Chris_Produces (Feb 19, 2014)

I think it looks even. Only spots I see lack of light in, are the shadows in your early pics before planting.


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## MHerboth (Jan 10, 2014)

With paintball typically you have a lever which will depressurize your adapter I would look at getting one of these to go between your reg and the tank, however I doubt it would still fit in your cabinet with it on unless that silver adapter is the same thread as the tank.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Nice work so far


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

*The time is near.*

So I decided to dedicate half a day yesterday and work on my Co2 setup, here is what I ended up doing:

- Wire brushed the threads, and anodized my paintball Co2 adapter, orange color.
- Removed needle valve that came with Atomic Intense Regulator.
- Attached 10-32 male to male connector.
- Attached Clippard ET-2M-12 Solenoid to manifold(I wanted 12volts low voltage for control with Arduino/Coralux Storm)
- Attached manifold to 10-32 male connector.
- Attached Clippard MNV-4 Needle valve ( I would have preferred to use a Fabco NV-55, but this is what I already had, the needle valve that came with the Regulator supposed to be good, but I don't like those slip/compression fittings)
- Attached a 10-32 to 1/8 hose barb adapter.

There isn't one-way valve attached, as I like to use inline ones instead, makes it easier to replace, rather than taking apart a regulator setup.

I really like Clippard stuff, they have good miniature stuff and each of their parts comes with rubber gaskets to make a seal. Teflon tape is hard to use in non tapered threads, and thread sealant can be messy to use and when removing it, it leaves crumbs that can get lodged into places. So far, I didn't see any leaks, but I wanted to get some bubble soap, just used dishwasher soapy water. Best part now, is I can actually remove the regulator with the adapter from the paintball tank when its still pressurized. The anodized adapter really helped with the thread interfaces, next time, I'll just make my own damn adapter, I have the ATSM specifications for paintball marker tank interfaces now. Anyways, here is my progress, or rather final results.


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## Ecas32 (Dec 14, 2011)

Any updates? How did the transition go once flooded?


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Hey Ecas32,

Sorry, no updates, haven't flooded it yet. I just ordered my filter, hopefully sometime next week, the water should be going in.


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## Ecas32 (Dec 14, 2011)

quark said:


> Hey Ecas32,
> 
> Sorry, no updates, haven't flooded it yet. I just ordered my filter, hopefully sometime next week, the water should be going in.


awesome, keep us updated when you do!


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Holy moly, anxiety attack!

My filter supposed to come in the mail today, and my tank's HC dsm is growing in thick!

I think I need to fill soon! or trim soon!
but I heard in one of Amano's teachings no trimming should be done on a newly planted tank, does that apply to newly flooded tank? :icon_eek:

Take a look at that front wall, the HC has no room to go, its going UP, I don't want the underside to start dying off.....

6/23/2014 pic.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

*IT's FLOODED!!!*

Here it is, I flooded the tank!! HURRAY!

It was nice learning experience growing HC DSM style. Got the filter yesterday, and flooded the tank tonight. It was pretty awesome, shortly after the flooding, my HC started pearling, I didn't even kick on the Co2 yet, so I guess this was a good sign. The ADA Amazonia didn't cloud the water at all. Spent several hours hooking up the hoses, fiddling with the Co2 but it was worth it. I'll take more pictures later of the entire setup, its been a long night. Here are some teasers. Enjoy!

*Flooded 6/24/2014:*









*Pearling HC after flood:*


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Very neat. You've done something I really always wanted to do, I just hate the idea of co2 in my tanks. Your scape is gorgeous.


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## Charrr89 (May 15, 2013)

Beautiful... I'm still working on mine.. I flooded 3 days after DSM. Got a bit impatient.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Thanks for the comments!
As promised, here are some pictures of my setup.

*Paintball CO2 setup:*
Intense Atomic Paintball regulator, Clippard Solenoid, Clippard needle valve, glass bubble counter running at 1 bps.









*Filter/CO2 reactor, water catchment setup:*
Eheim 2213 with default media.
CO2 reactor hooked up on the outflow side, (water flows top down)
Big black tubing is the drain hose for my water catchment tray. It isn't the prettiest, but its all hidden behind view.

















*For the Finale, TIMELAPSE! 2-month period.*
"Click on the image"


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

SUPER nice time lapse. Things like that add to the hobby so much. Add that to your signature.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Thanks Mark, I just added it. :icon_smil


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Not a problem at all! So happy to have seen that.


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## BeastMaster (Dec 17, 2012)

Wow! You got that 2213 going full blast in your mini S. Even with 2-3ft of head pressure, that in tank flow must be extreme. You just flooded so you probably don't have any animals yet but when you decide to add, you can throttle one of the double tap valves to slow it down a bit. I think I missed something, what is the purpose of the black hose that empties into the cooler? Looks good. :bounce:


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Hi Beastmaster,

Yeah, the 2213 is full blast, and honestly, I don't think its all that strong, guess we'll find out after I add tank inhabitants. I really think that the reactor does slow down the flow a bit, specially with the 90 degree bends. I haven't measured, but based on view, maybe 10-20% reduction. To me, more flow is always better, I've always gone over the recommendation listed on filter boxes.

The black hose is a drain hose.  My tank sits on a melamine tray, with a 1" bulkhead fitted on the back side, going to a 90 degree elbow. It's made in case there are any spills from the tank, or god forbid, the tank cracks or leaks. Since this sits in my office, I wanted to make sure I took any precautions against walking into 3 gallons of water spread across the floor. The cooler holds 7 gallons, so it'll contain everything. I also would like put a leak detector on the floor, outside the cooler, to shut off the filter should it detect water. The 2213 can empty out 3 gallons pretty quickly, should a hose break lose or whatever may happen. :icon_eek:


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## thor79 (Apr 15, 2014)

The Tank is looking great! Nice work on that leak mitigation system...and since all the electric with the 2213 is up top...draining 3 gallons into the cooler should work perfectly.

You're my inspiration for setting up a time lapse of the tank I'm preparing to DSM some Cuba on. I thought that was a great idea when I first saw it. See the journal in my sig for details on that. I'm curious...how often did you take shots for your time lapse?


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

thor79 said:


> The Tank is looking great! Nice work on that leak mitigation system...and since all the electric with the 2213 is up top...draining 3 gallons into the cooler should work perfectly.
> 
> You're my inspiration for setting up a time lapse of the tank I'm preparing to DSM some Cuba on. I thought that was a great idea when I first saw it. See the journal in my sig for details on that. I'm curious...how often did you take shots for your time lapse?


I used an app called Yawcam. I took the shots at 1680 seconds, or every 28 minutes. I think I used a calculator for it, based on overall length of timelapse, end result clip duration and frame rate. I shot for about two months, and only during lighted hours, which was 8 hours a day for my dsm. The nice thing about Yawcam was that I could schedule the shots for the day hours, so I didn't have to go back and delete the dark images when the lights were shut off.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Just an update today:

I changed 50% of the water last night as part of tank cycling process. Removed surface film that was building up.

This morning, I noticed that the HC wasn't pearling, found that co2 rate dropped from 1bps to .5 bps. Noticed that the Atomic Co2 regulator working pressure dropped from 4 bar to 2.5 bar. Not sure why, but might be the stabilization pressure now that it's been running for a few days. Adjust the needle valve to get back the 1bps. Plants starting to pearl again.

I have a co2 drop checker, but they take a few hours to equalize, and it was turning back to dark green/blue.

I've never used this regulator that has an automatic working pressure, so we'll see how well it holds its settings.

No signs of algae yet, but I'm watching for it.
Started dosing EI, will dose Macro and Micro today as the weekend is coming up. I won't be here to dose, and lets hope I don't have algae bloom on Monday. Might setup the webcam again so I can monitor it.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

*Week 1 update*

hey guys.

Here I am at week 1 since the fill. I just returned to my tank from the weekend, and all is looking normal. I'm still tweeking my Co2 rate, seems a bit slow. I'm not getting below 1bps but my drop checker is still greenish. Plant's are not pearling like it did before, so I may need to do some adjustments.

Comparing my fill to Week-1, plants are growing. Starting to see some Brown Algae along the bottom glass and stones, but I'm not too worried. This should go away once the filter cycles. I don't see signs of melting, but we'll find out after I do a trim tonight. Here is today's picture.

*Filled 6/24/2014*









*Week-1 7/1/2014*


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Planning on any critters?


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

going to shoot for the following:

3 ottos
5-7 chilli rasboras
and some CRS or RCS if the tank seems stable enough.

might seem like a lot of bio load, but I hope my Eheim 2213 will do its job. :hihi:


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

That's too much for a 3G IMO. 

Why not stick with ottos and shrimp. Rasboras will be very cooped up in that setup.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Ideally, the Otos will no longer be needed for algae maintenance, (hopeful wishing), and it would just be rasboras and shrimp.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

quark said:


> Ideally, the Otos will no longer be needed for algae maintenance, (hopeful wishing), and it would just be rasboras and shrimp.


I see. Well for the record I'm against a school of rasboras for the 3G, but I hope it is a success for you.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Yep, I hear ya. The chili rasbora's are one of the smallest red fish I could find, however, finding them again might be tough as my LPS no longer has them. :frown:


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

Chili rasboras are super tiny. You will be fine.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Did some maintenance on the tank last night, trimmed, scrubbed brown algae, and 50% WC. Noticed some melting on the bottom layer of HC, but I'm not sure if that is due to DSM or just over growth. Trimming was a PITA! I had 4.75" curved spring scissors, 5" straight scissors, and 10" curved tipped scissors, and it still took an hour. I might look for a wave or s-curve scissors and a 6" curved spring scissors.


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## thor79 (Apr 15, 2014)

quark said:


> I used an app called Yawcam. I took the shots at 1680 seconds, or every 28 minutes. I think I used a calculator for it, based on overall length of timelapse, end result clip duration and frame rate. I shot for about two months, and only during lighted hours, which was 8 hours a day for my dsm. The nice thing about Yawcam was that I could schedule the shots for the day hours, so I didn't have to go back and delete the dark images when the lights were shut off.


Crap...I didn't realize yawcam could connect to ip cameras. I'm going to start using that, as it simplifies things for me. (was using Eventghost to capture shots from VLC media player streaming the ip cam)

The way I had it setup it was timed to start and stop at the same time my light goes on and off. My light timer isn't quite as accurate though as my PC...so at the start I get some dim shots before the light turns on (daylight from a nearby window that doesn't shine directly on the tank, it just lights up the room a bit), and some dark shots after the light turns off. Hopefully my BML controller will be here soon so I can resolve that.

I'm currently capturing every 10 minutes. Bit boring while that plants get used to their new home, but should make for rather smooth motion for the time lapse.

My guess on the melting is the HC is adjusting to being submerged. As long as new growth is happening any old growth that is melting is ok. If you've stalled on all growth then you need to check your parameters.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Hey Thor,

Depending on how long you want your end video to be, you may need to adjust your timelapse, or your frame rate. I would think most folks wouldn't want to watch several minutes of timelapse video. 

There are some calculators out there for figuring it out. In the end, I actually just adjusted my framerate to get a shorter video.

Also, one neat observation from timelapse is that my HC seems to do most of its growth within the first 2 hours of light. Don't know if that is from the co2 build up at night, or its just the way it grows.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Livestock is IN!

I was getting a bit bored with my tank, so I decided to get something moving in there. A trip to the LPS, and about a dozen ghost shrimps later......










These will be the test to see if my tank is inhabitable. I don't have many test kits, so I'm not sure my tank is cycled yet. These guys will tell, before I buy some Cherry Reds.


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## Lyfeoffishing (Jun 14, 2014)

Beautiful tank!!! 

I'd love to do that kind of setup for a betta but I have to stay away from CO2 until I get some experience first lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Test kits are cheaper than nice neos. Logically you should buy test kits before real livestock.


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## mot (Sep 17, 2011)

I know what you mean on the scissors. I bought my wave scissors about 4 months ago and they are worth every penny.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

MABJ said:


> Test kits are cheaper than nice neos. Logically you should buy test kits before real livestock.


Hey MABJ,

You got it! test kits are cheaper than nice neos, but you can rest assured, when I buy neos and perhaps they all die due to bad water parameters, you won't catch me saying "damn, I just wasted all that money on neos, should have bought a test kit" :icon_mrgr


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

A few updates that occurred over the weekend, couldn't find chili rasboras so settled for some Gertrude Rainbows - 6 of them. Found that they didn't like the full blast of my Eheim 2213 with the stock outlets, so I ended up making some Lily pipes out of acrylic to even out the flow a bit. They came out pretty good, considering they were my first set. So far so good, everything is alive and well, survived the weekend at least.


















































I wasn't going to purchase test kits, as I usually don't use them past a new tank setup, but decided on purchasing them anyways, and mind you, they weren't cheap, got the API Freshwater Master test kit, and a phosphate kit, and I already had a GH and KH test kit. Total? about $70, stupid chemicals don't ship via air to Hawaii. $1 for a dozen feeder shrimps as a water tester? better deal IMHO.

Anycase, thing are okay with the exception of Nitrites, but is to be expected as my filter is only a little over a week old.

Amonia: 0-.25ppm
Nitrite: over 5ppm
Nitrate: 10-20ppm
Phosphate: 0-.25ppm
dKH: 2
gKH: 7
PH: 6.6 or so.

I've been sorta dosing EI, but not on a regular schedule. Also dosing Prime at water changes, will start to dose Prime every other day to neutralize the Nitrite, per Seachem. Phosphate is a bit low, but I'm not sure I trust the test kit much.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

You might want to research online for better deals on test kits, api master kits can be gotten on amazon for $25 with free shipping (if prime member). For $70 you could have gotten a much more high end test kit that's more accurate (api kinda sucks but its whats in most people's budget).
Very good idea to dose Prime to bind ammonia and nitrite! I contact Seachem about it, asking how long it lasts in tank and will bind NEW ammonia/nitrite caused by fish/etc after adding the dose to the tank. They responded it lasts 48 hours. The bottle says you can dose up to 5x regular amounts for binding ammonia and nitrites. I've done this myself when ever adding new fish to an existing tank to avoid spikes caused by the new bioload having any effects on the fauna.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

AquaAurora said:


> You might want to research online for better deals on test kits, api master kits can be gotten on amazon for $25 with free shipping (if prime member). For $70 you could have gotten a much more high end test kit that's more accurate (api kinda sucks but its whats in most people's budget).
> Very good idea to dose Prime to bind ammonia and nitrite! I contact Seachem about it, asking how long it lasts in tank and will bind NEW ammonia/nitrite caused by fish/etc after adding the dose to the tank. They responded it lasts 48 hours. The bottle says you can dose up to 5x regular amounts for binding ammonia and nitrites. I've done this myself when ever adding new fish to an existing tank to avoid spikes caused by the new bioload having any effects on the fauna.


yeah, like I mentioned, due to the chemicals in the test kits, shipping via air is restricted, hence Amazon won't ship to me. Already looked into it. Amazon is great for the most part, I get all my stuff from them.

Its the first time I'm using prime, never had this stuff around 10 years ago, seems to be working fine. I guess that's why they recommended every other day to dose the tank for initial cycle, since it lasts 48 hours. But boy, this product sticks baaaaaad. lol.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

I can't smell worth [censor] right now (summer pollen/cut grass allergies) unless I stuff my nose *into *the bottle, I don't notice it. It doesn't make a noticeable smell in the tank/w/c bucket (lucky me). That sucks about the shipping :/


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

ah, I guess that's a good thing. I have a habit of smelling things... Got my prime from Amazon, and it actually leaked a little in the box it came in. When I opened the box, could have sworn someone farted into the box, and sealed it up real quick. Little did I know, that was the smell of Prime. :hihi:


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## god91234 (Feb 11, 2008)

this tank is great! i really love the nanobox lights, and Gertrude blues allways look like butterflies to me.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Update:

Its been two weeks since I trimmed and the HC has recovered well. It won't be long before I'll need to trim again shortly. Did a water change and tested my water, I should be fully cycled now. There was some diatom and GSA on the glass. Either GSA or GDA on the rocks, very tough to remove, picked up an electric toothbrush, helped but not much. Vacuumed the HC along with the water change.

*HC Vacuum WC*









*7/16/2014*









*Water Parameters*
NH3 - 0ppm
NO2 - 0ppm
NO3 - 5-10ppm
PO4 - 0 - 10ppm (I haven't calibrated the API test kit yet)
dKH - 4
dGH - 7
PH - 6.4
Temp - 68-73 degree Fahrenheit
Co2 - 1 bubble per second

I haven't cleaned my filter yet, I have a feeling its still very very clean. I think I'll clean it out in a week or so, and add purigen.

Going to start hunting for some S. Repens for between the rocks, and Blyxa for background.

Let me know what you guys think, thanks.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

So its been a few weeks since my last update, and the tank has been doing fairly okay. I've battled some Diatom and GSA and hair algae. The diatom mostly went away after the tank cycled, the GSA also hasn't been around since I've been more diligent on the EI dosing, but the hair algae, I cant get rid of, and this is the worst it's gotten, likely due to a massive trim. Anyways, here is the not so glory shot.


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## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

Yikes that's gnarly. Thank you low light tanks. Lol


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## wrenn420 (May 22, 2014)

Where did you get that plastic brace that is holding your paintball cylinder upright?


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

wrenn420 said:


> Where did you get that plastic brace that is holding your paintball cylinder upright?


Got it from a 2.5LB ABC HOME FIRE EXTINGUISHER. Usually comes with a mount. It's not a snug fit, but will do the job to prevent the tank from falling over.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Sorry for the lack of updates, but as you can see, I've been battling some algae. Here is a recap:

I think the root cause of my hair algae was high light, and not enough co2. I got my cheap lux meter (LX1010B) that Hoppy was using and got an estimated conversion to PAR. Previously, I was putting out 60 par at the substrate in the center, now I'm at about 40 par. Measured dry, so I think its a bit more if its in water. Here is a breakdown of what I've been doing so far:

Less light duration, from 8 hours to 6 hours.
Less light output from estimated 60 par to 40 par.
Added 4 ottos.
Increased/stabilized co2, estimated 30ppm, or to the point fish are hanging out at surface, yellow drop checker, co2 on 2 hours before lights)
slight increase of EI dosing to get more phosphates.
replaced 90 degree elbow in CO2 reactor for more water circulation.
(I run an eheim 2213 on my 3.5 gallon tank, water moves in a CCW motion)
Water top off every other day.
Measured water parameters before weekly WC:
NH3=0 ppm
NO2=0 ppm
NO3=25 ppm
PO4=2 ppm
PH=6.4
dGH=10
dKH=5
TDS=410

Observations:
Hair Algae is no longer visible. Only trace is on the glass, seen sideways as slight green build up.
HC growth has significantly been reduced to more than 50%, evident by water tests before a WC, and less trimming. Prior, NO3 and PO4 would be severely low down to 10ppm and .5 ppm.
Blyxa used to be a stump with 3 leaves, now growing, and reddish, (indication of strong light?, really? at only 40 par)
Tank has signs of BBA, on S. Repens leaves, and used to be on drop checker.
Signs of what seems like GSA on older S. Repens leaves, and lower layer of HC, evident after a trim.
some blueish green fuzz like algae on rocks, nothing I've seen before.

Overall, I think the tank recovered well, however, the presence of other algae still tells me I have a long way to go, specially with CO2. I think I'm ready to buy a Parker H3 or H2 metering valve, my Clippard MNV4 requires daily micro turn increase, at a certain point, its just too much and requires closing and opening again. Does not work well with about 30psi working pressure.

Last but not least, pictures!

*Monday 8/4/2014*









*Monday 8/11/2014*









*Tuesday 8/19/2014*









*9/2/2014*









*9/10/2014*









*9/18/2014*









*9/19/2014 Algae closeup*


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## freph (Apr 4, 2011)

Excellent recovery and algae management. Good to see you're taking note of your parameters as well so you know some of the science behind it. However, I tend to try not to rely on exact numbers and just go by what the plants and the overall tank (this includes your critters, too!) are telling me.

As far as the algae on the rocks goes, just spot treat with H2O2 and follow up with excel if needed. It'll die off.

You definitely won't regret an H3. Perfect for nanos as even a "small" change in CO2 with a less precise valve can mean cranky inhabitants. Perfect for reactors too (I use one of the Ista turbos) as you can fine tune the CO2 rate to make sure you don't have any any issues with air lock. I love mine to death and wish I would've bought more when they were cheaper. Alas, since it was a limited quantity I didn't want to take away from the rest of the hobbyists since I still had some S-series Swageloks at the time.

Keep at it! Your diligence is already showing in the results. Just a few more small hurdles and you'll be in the clear.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Its been a little over 3 months and really has been a learning experience. Since my last post, I've trimmed my S.Repens, Removed the gertrude rainbows and added 8 Boraras Maculatus, Not quite chili rasboras, but thats all my LPS had, and what started out as a sore looking blyxa, is now splitting into 3 with a flower bud. Pretty cool, never had Blyxa before, heard that the flowers won't bloom unless it reaches the surface. Still pretty neat though. Here are some pictures:


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## Tyrone (Nov 22, 2013)

Looks good man! Adding the repens and blyxa really added more texture and character to the scape. Add some Cherries or Fire red shrimp to add some color to the tank.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Tyrone said:


> Looks good man! Adding the repens and blyxa really added more texture and character to the scape. Add some Cherries or Fire red shrimp to add some color to the tank.


Thanks! Totally intend to add some, its going to contrast that HC carpet really well.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

*9 month update*

So it has been a constant downhill battle with my tank since I last updated this journal. My last pictures, I think were the tank's greatest moments. For the past 5 months, I've been trying to just maintain the tank, wc, trims, etc, but the hardest part has been to try and get rid of the BBA. Here is a quick recap of what I've done so far:

-Picked up a parker H3 metering valve to stabilize the CO2 at 2.33 bps. This really helped as it is a very accurate metering valve.
-modified my EI dosages for higher nitrates and higher Phosphates as I was running out, Nitrates are in the 30ppm range before WC, and Phosphates are 10+ ppm. This curbed my GSA problem, but it is still there on the glass, easy cleaning of the glass once every two weeks does the trick.
-I've tried dosing excel to fight BBA, however Blyxa did not like it, most of the blyxa started to melt, scrapped that idea.
-Tried a blackout period of 48 hours, seemed to help loosen up the BBA, however, that didn't remove it completely, and within a month, it was back.
-For the past two weeks, I'm maxing up the light levels of my lights, measured on my DIY par meter, 90par dead center at 8.5" above gravel. Contrary to what I thought it would do, it has curbed the growth of BBA, still there, and growing, but slowly. The idea here was to get the plants to grow faster.
- also added ramshorn snails. I really hated adding these guys as my tank was snail free for a long time.
- Added Cherry shrimps, mostly for aesthetics, but I can't seem to grow them well, likely due to high Co2 concentrations.

I am very close to my wits ends here and really considering scrapping the entire scape just to get rid of the BBA on the rocks, however, there is still one more thing I'd like to try, and that is to extremely reduce the amount of light down to 40 par or less range.


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## quark (Jan 10, 2014)

Well, I just wanted to put a closure to this journal. The tank seemed to have stabilized and with the addition of Ramshorn snails, the BBA started to disappear. I've since sort of let go of the plants growing, and got it to a final point where I just wanted to try something new. Here is a final shot shortly before I completely stopped taking care of the tank, and then tore it down. lol.


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