# ~ koop’s Mini M Office Distraction ~



## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

*Aquarium*
ADA Mini M

*Lighting*
ADA Solar Mini M

*Substrate*
ADA Aqua Soil Amazonia I Powder

*Hardscape*
Collected Local Stone

*CO2*
5lb CO2 Cylinder
GLA Supreme CO2 Regulator

*Filtration*
Ehiem 2213
Cal Aqua Fluxus 13mm Nano

*DIY*
Rex Reactor
Inline Heater
Inline PH Probe
Inline Temperate Probe

*Test Kits*
API Master Test Kit
Cal Aqua "Nano" Drop Checker

*Controller*
Aqua Controller Jr.
DC 8

*Fertilizer*
pfertz High-Tech+

*Tools*
ADA

*Flora*
Utricularia graminifolia - UG 
Elocharis sp. - Dwarf Hair Grass (possible)

*Fauna*
Caridina so. - Crystal Red Shrimp


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

Obviously this thread is about the Mini M but here are some pics of the old reef.

Full Tank Shot on Tear Down Day









Day of the *Great Flood* and the lovely Mrs.









Sump









It was a sad and expensive day when this Stichodactyla gigantea died- we were out of town for Christmas and came home to a wretched smelling house and a nuked tank.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

* Corals, Fish, and Misc *


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

* Back to the Mini M - Unpacking Day *



























Yeti thinks it’s Christmas.









Ryouh Stones from Jeff at ADG - Thank You.









I purchased the Ehiem on eBay and it was packed with shredded 1096 tax forms complete with full SS numbers, birthdates, names, and address. Opps!


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

* Stones *
I’m leaning towards using locally collected stones from Northern Minnesota. I only know about them because I'm a white water kayaker and they are from a small rock island between two class 3/4 rapids. The island is only accessible when the water is low for a few months of the year because you must climb down a 20 foot ledge/waterfall and cross the rapids to get at it. It's inaccessible by kayak because the rapids are too swift. I'm doing a two week ph test to see if they affect water quality. They've already passed the vinegar test.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

* Aquascaping *
I’m leaning towards an Iwagumi style scape but I’m hesitant to call it that because of all the baggage and “rules” associated with it. I am completely open to critiques and suggestions.

I chipped the tank yesterday while scaping -DAMN. It would probably hold water fine but I won’t risk it. I guess I’ll need to start a terrarium next. New tank should arrive tomorrow.

Scape 1









Scape 2









Scape 3









Scape 4


















Scape 5


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

* Flora *
I absolutely love the use of Utricularia graminifolia in Ugly Genius' riverrun- it inspired me to give UG a try. Ugly- I hope you don’t mind me using your photo. 










UG from Dollface growing out in the warm laundry room waiting for the new Mini M.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

* DIY Rex Reactor/Heater/PH Probe/Temp Probe *
Dry fitted DIY Rex Reactor/Heater/PH Probe/Temp Probe. The unit is about 24 inches tall and will be powered by an Ehiem 2213 at about 116gph (minus headloss) for a 5.5 gallon Mini M. It's a little taller because of the lower gph. The PH probe will control the CO2 via an AquaController (leftover from my reefing days) and is before the reactor for more accurate results. The temp probe will also control the heater via the AquaController. Reactor will be installed vertical or close to vertical with the heater at the bottom. The pipe is 2 inches in diameter and the fittings are all Heyco Cordgrips. 

Thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas?

1 Water In
2 CO2 Build-Up Release Valve
3 CO2 In
4 PH Probe
5 Water Out
6 75 Watt Ebo Jaber Heater
7 Temp Probe










This is the most current design- the temp probe was moved further from the heater for more accurate control.


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## PacMan (Oct 9, 2008)

wicked, looks like you know what your doing. haha. That reef tank looked sick. Cant wait too see the progress of your new tank. I love unpacking and open new boxes, just like christmas.


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## DC_84 (May 2, 2009)

4 and 5 look the best in my opinion. Your local stones look a lot better than the Ryouh Stones! They look great for an Iwagumi style tank.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

PacMan said:


> That reef tank looked sick.


Thanks Pac! It was a sad day but we've moved 5 times in the last 5 years and will be moving again shortly. A reef requires more stability than that.



DC_84 said:


> Your local stones look a lot better than the Ryouh Stones!.


I got a great deal on them so I can't complain.


Scape 6 - My current favorite.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

looking good so far, idk how my boss would feel with a tank at work...


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

skiboarder72 said:


> looking good so far, idk how my boss would feel with a tank at work...


hahaha I've already been cleared for a "small aquarium" but believe me I will be hiding all the CO2 and filtration in a cabinet. The worst they could say is bring it home.


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

One thing I would be concerned with is excess co2 being trapped in the reactor leaving the heater to possibly be exposed to a dry spot.


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

I've never seen a reef tank that makes me want my own, yours is(was?) a first. 
How is your UG holding up? That's such a cute little vase. 

Your locally collected rocks are super cool, a little straight for my tastes, I like scape #4 the most except for the larger leftmost rock, I think a smaller, more similarly shaped rock would be better.


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## jinsei888 (Apr 20, 2009)

^^I gotta agree, your old reef is magnificant, to say the least! I'm certain your planted aquascape will be up to per in its final aesthetic layout!


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

Orlando said:


> One thing I would be concerned with is excess co2 being trapped in the reactor leaving the heater to possibly be exposed to a dry spot.


The reactor will be mounted vertical with the heater at the bottom. There is also a purge valve at the top. Do you still think it will still be an issue?




Dollface said:


> How is your UG holding up?


The UG is doing great. It was a pale yellow when it arrived and I thought it was too far gone but it greened up nicely in the past few days.


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

I believe the pale yellow may have been due to it being in the dark during shipping. Good to see that it's doing well though.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

*jinsei888* Thank you! I think one problems with many reef tanks (including mine) is the lack of thought put into the aquascaping and coral selection. Too many reefs have random corals that look great alone but don't work together. This will be my first tank that every rock, plant, and animal will be carefully chosen to work with each other.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

New tank arrived today- here is the $85.29 chip.


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## Ariel301 (Sep 7, 2009)

Ouch, that's expensive!

I would think you could seal that up with some silicone and it would be all right. Since it's up at the top, if it leaks, you could always set up something with a lower water level like a riparium.


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## husonfirst (Sep 12, 2009)

The local stone looks great. Looks like there's some lichen growing on it. I really like scape 3.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

Ariel301 said:


> Ouch, that's expensive!
> 
> I would think you could seal that up with some silicone and it would be all right. Since it's up at the top, if it leaks, you could always set up something with a lower water level like a riparium.


I have no doubt it would hold but the head ache and cost of failure is much higher than the cost of replacing it. I'm thinking a riparium is in my future.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

It was beautiful day yesterday in MN and after kayaking I took a pic of the rock island where the scaping stones are from.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

Here's the "final" scape.






























The substrate in the back is over 2 inches deep and about 1/3 inch deep in the front. Would this be a problem?


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Nice scape. I don't see any problem with your substrate depth.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

The tank is finally setup and UG planted in the office.


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## python (Mar 21, 2007)

More cat pictures!


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## dxiong5 (Sep 28, 2008)

Wow, that was a great looking SW tank - planning one in the future, hopefully.

I too was inspired by UG's UG tank and am growing one as well (with UG from Dollface too!) It's growing steadily but I've had outbreaks of BGA here and there. Yours look very nice.


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## saint27 (Apr 27, 2006)

Nice looking aquarium there. I am thinking of doing something similar with my 5.5g

Looks like your running After Effects there. Are you in production industry?

I almost took a job just north of you in Mendota Heights. My wife is from the area and wants to get back there some day. You'll have to let me know where your rock island is so I can nab a few on my next visit.


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## bigboij (Jul 24, 2009)

very nice im planning on setting up a office M here soon will be watching.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

saint27 said:


> Looks like your running After Effects there. Are you in production industry?


I work in Communications at The Carlson School of Management, U of MN. I'm a one man band- photography, video, audio, multimedia, ect.



saint27 said:


> You'll have to let me know where your rock island is so I can nab a few on my next visit.


Shoot me a PM when you're in the area and I'll let you in on my super secret stash.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

python said:


> More cat pictures!


Yetti as a Kitten




















The Bengals that lived with us until they found a permanent home.






































And I can't leave out Belle, our Boston.





































This was the first and last time she will ever go kayaking- even on Class I water.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

koop said:


>


Looks super so far, and the kitties are super cute.


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## python (Mar 21, 2007)

Awwwwwwwwww.....

Those Bengals are really cute. We have a bengal mix, his name is Arby. I found him at Arby's


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## python (Mar 21, 2007)

Wet kitten


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

what a great crew of pets you have there!

love the tank so far!

and I'm totally jealous of your rocks!

cheers-K


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

kyle3 said:


> and I'm totally jealous of your rocks!


Come over and pick some up- I'm in Eagan. I'll make you a deal you can't refuse. Stones


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## nerdyjon (Sep 12, 2009)

What do you do for a living!


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

nerdyjon said:


> What do you do for a living!


Professional Bad A$$.


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

python said:


> Wet kitten




Its Matt Hoffman!


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## Emerica88 (Oct 16, 2009)

Perfect, it's so clean and simple looking.


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## nerdyjon (Sep 12, 2009)

No seriously. I am in college and whatever you do I am doing it. And doing it better.

You live the life


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

nerdyjon said:


> No seriously. I am in college and whatever you do I am doing it. And doing it better.
> 
> You live the life


I have no idea what that means but OK.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

I like what you have so far. I been so tempted to buy some of your scaping stones but I just purchased Yamaya that I'm discovering I don't really like. Anyhow, I'm interested to watch your progress.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

Digsy said:


> I been so tempted to buy some of your scaping stones


Black Friday Special on Scaping Stones.


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## justin182 (Aug 19, 2009)

Your old salt water tank was amazing!!!!! And your planted tank is already looking great~!!!

Did you get your CO2 cylinder from GLA as well?


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## wadesharp (Nov 27, 2009)

hey what is that grassy looking like stuffs really name? i want some but i can find it anywhere and i just put a tank back up and i think it would look great and what is its growth rate and stuff like that


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## Axelrodi202 (Jul 29, 2008)

I think the plant is _Utricularia graminifolia_. It needs soft water and I don't think it's an easy plant, but I haven't kept it, so see what other people say. It is carnivorous and will eat micro-organisms. Click here for a page on this plant.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

I'm planning on using a dwarf hair grass in the very back behind all the rocks and considering a plant other than UG for a mid-ground carpet- does anyone have a good suggestion that could work well with UG or should I stick with UG? Thoughts on the hair grass? 

This photo is a few weeks old but not much has changed.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

My impatience has gotten the better of me so I picked up another patch of UG for the mid ground. It's a little pale right now and needs a good trim but it should speed up the process quite a bit. The UG is the foreground is thickening and filling in quite nicely.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

It's been a slow few days at work so I also created a new signature for this thread.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

My co-workers are getting very anxious to fill the tank- more than me. They shouldn't have to wait much longer, maybe a few more weeks. The dwarf hair grass has been planted in the back but it's not doing so well, I give it a 50/50 chance.


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

Haha, I love that signature, what'd you make it with?


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## benon (Feb 18, 2010)

looks like a photoshop rounded rectangle with a gradient and drop shadow


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

benon said:


> looks like a photoshop rounded rectangle with a gradient and drop shadow


Correct- but this was made in Illustrator.


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## Dr. Acula (Oct 14, 2009)

This tank looks amazing. I'm a fan of just about everything in there. Fantastic stones, nice looking 'scape in my opinion, UG is one of my favorite plants, and you have a ritzy rimless tank. It keeps getting better and better too as it grows in. Kudos, and I want it.

Also, maybe I missed it, but what are your plans for fauna? Some nice little shrimps?


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

Dr. Acula said:


> Also, maybe I missed it, but what are your plans for fauna? Some nice little shrimps?


Thanks for the kind words- there will be crystal red shrimp and maybe cardinal tetras but this will be a shrimp tank first.

I am also considering some red root floaters too.


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

Tank looks great, Update please?

-Andrew


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## minicrazy592 (Apr 1, 2010)

^+1


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

Absolutely stunning, so jealous of all you guys stateside who can pull off UG.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

It's been a while since I've checked this thread, and the tank looks great! Nice scape. The UG goes very well with the stones. :thumbsup:


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

great dry start here, i wonder what happen when you start to fill the tank


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## MWBradshaw (Mar 21, 2010)

Good to see some fellow Minnesotan's on here! That tank looks awesome man and those stones look one of a kind.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

A Hill said:


> Tank looks great, Update please?


Ask you you shall receive- major updates are coming this weekend but here is a quickie.




garuf said:


> Absolutely stunning, so jealous of all you guys stateside who can pull off UG.


Thanks! I'm a planted tank noob so I think anyone can do it if they have the patience.




ikuzo said:


> great dry start here, i wonder what happen when you start to fill the tank


That is becoming a growing concern. The lower UG has been completely submerged since the beginning but the slopes visually looks very different. I'm debating a slow fill over two weeks or blasting it with CO2 and filling it all at once. My CO2 reactor is connected to the filter so my options are limited. More on that this weekend.




MWBradshaw said:


> Good to see some fellow Minnesotan's on here! That tank looks awesome man and those stones look one of a kind.


Indeed! Send me a PM if you want to know the "secret" location of the stones- North of the Metro.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

Two weeks ago I rescaped the front right and rear left slopes- I didn't like how they settled. The buried UG is just starting to break the surface and it shouldn't be long now. I've be misting daily with a diluted fert solution and it seems to be making a difference. My co-workers are quickly losing patience and I may fill it before it's fully carpeted.









I also cut-up some tupperware and buried it in the sand to help create a root barrier for the UG and hairgrass.










Speaking of hairgrass- it is greening up and enough should survive!










Big updates are coming this weekend!


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## ch3fb0yrdee (Oct 2, 2008)

Oh what a cool looking tank. Another emerse growth UG tank! Your UG grew fast. very nice rocks btw.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

ch3fb0yrdee said:


> Oh what a cool looking tank. Another emerse growth UG tank! Your UG grew fast. very nice rocks btw.


Thanks! The tank was planted in November so at this point it's going on five and a half months- I was thinking that's awfully slow.


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## dxiong5 (Sep 28, 2008)

You're growing hairgrass emersed too? Neat..


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow...I would not get any work done at all if this was in my office


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## tuonor (Nov 26, 2009)

Incredible UG carpet...you are a far more patient person than I.

I haven't had much luck with getting DHG to really take off emersed...how long have you had it planted? Separating the strands may help with the browning.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

dxiong5 said:


> You're growing hairgrass emersed too? Neat..


I would say it's merely surviving at the point- it was a ROAK so it was worth a shot.




ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Wow...I would not get any work done at all if this was in my office


Right now all I do is peel a corner of saran wrap off in the morning to allow for fresh air exchange and then mist with diluted ferts before I leave. It takes less than 1 minute per day. I do however find myself staring at it while my computer chews through video. And co-workers ask me daily when it will be filled and when we are going to be able to eat the shrimp.




tuonor said:


> I haven't had much luck with getting DHG to really take off emersed...how long have you had it planted? Separating the strands may help with the browning.


Maybe a month- I'll give it a try.


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## ch3fb0yrdee (Oct 2, 2008)

I find it super easy to do a dry start for UG. It's really slow to start, but once it gets going, its like an energizer bunny. 

Doesn't hairgrass go all crazy during emerse growth? I've never experimented with growing hairgrass emerse, but this is interesting to follow. 

When are you planning on filling it with water. It's going to kick ass.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Everything looks great.

I'd reconsider the hairgrass in the back though. It WILL invade and take over your UG once it gets going. Try Juncus repens or another grassy plant that's not quite as invasive.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

macclellan said:


> I'd reconsider the hairgrass in the back though. It WILL invade and take over your UG once it gets going.


I was considering pulling it out in favor of vallisneria nana- is that as invasive as HG?

something like this


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## Damian (Jun 17, 2009)

Updates? This tank is beautiful!


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## Lance Uppercut (Aug 22, 2009)

Dream2MkBlve said:


> Updates? This tank is beautiful!


Agreed!
Updates!


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## tuffgong (Apr 13, 2010)

Did you fill it yet?


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

Work has been screaming busy and we just closed on our first home so it has been an extremely busy few weeks. We also just got internet this evening so it's time for an update. 



I picked up a "Hemnes" nightstand from Ikea to hide all the equipment. It was modified with lower legs, under cabinet lighting, Aqua Controller Jr., powerstrip, and holes for cords and tubes. It's tight but everything fits. I would *NOT* reccomend using this as a "standalone" stand- it's not nearly stable enough.






















This is before the cords were organized and tidied up.













I broke one of the brackets on the Ehiem so it was replaced with a zip tie- it seems to be working fine.













The reactor works great. Check out this link for more info. The auto bleed however doesn't exactly work as planned so it will be replaced with a 3-way slitter and valve so it can be manually bled without making a mess. I plan to change the tubing to something a little less heavy duty and will upgrade the splitter then. The tubing doesn't bend well and it's a real PITA. The *actual* water flow through the Eheim and reactor is 71.4 gallons per hour.













The first leak and GPH test was a miserably failure.













The dwarf hair grass was replaced with Vallisneria Nana. It was mostly an aesthetic choice but also some suggested HG would be too invasive.













The whole system is managed by a left over Aqua Controller Jr from my reefing days. It's set-up to control the main light, heater, CO2/PH, filter, and cabinet light. I'll explain it in another post but here is the program:

A01	LT1	*Main Light*
A02	HET	*Heater*
A03	CO2	*CO2 Control*
A04	CAN	*Canister Filter*
A05 LT2	*Cabinet Light*
A06	Empty/Off
A07	Empty/Off
A08	Empty/Off

If Time > 08:00 Then LT1 ON
If Time > 16:00 Then LT1 OFF

If Temp < 75.5 Then HET ON
If Temp > 76.0 Then HET OFF
If Temp > 77.5 Then LT1 OFF
If Temp > 78.5 Then CAN OFF
If Temp > 78.5 Then CO2 OFF

If Feed Cycle A 015 Then Can OFF
If Feed Cycle A 015 Then CO2 OFF
If Feed Cycle A 015 Then HET OFF

If PH < 6.5 Then CO2 OFF
If PH > 6.8 Then CO2 ON

If Time > 00:00 Then LT2 ON
If Time > 00:00 Then CAN ON




The tank was filled about 2 weeks ago and there has been significant melting and algae since. I've been blasting the CO2 but it hasn't seemed to help. The situation seems a little hopeless and I am open to suggestions. The PH was in the 5.5 range for the first week before the AC Jr. was set-up and I dosed ferts twice before the algae exploted. There have been no water changes yet and I use regular Minneapolis tap water. *HELP?!*

*PH* 6.64
*Ammonia* 0 PPM
*Nitrites* .25 PPM
*Nitrates* 5 PPM
*Temp* 76.9





















































































One a side note- this is Sally (short for Salmonella), our Eastern Painted Turtle, he lives in another tank at home. We found him on the sidewalk more than half a mile from the nearest pond. Our guess is that a bird or fox dropped him there.


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## msnikkistar (Mar 23, 2010)

Try dosing with Excel?


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## kcirtappatrick (Mar 16, 2009)

msnikkistar said:


> Try dosing with Excel?


i agree with msnkkistar. i would try to manually take out as much algae using tweezers as well (its a PITA).


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

msnikkistar said:


> Try dosing with Excel?


Even with injected CO2? I've read that Excel will melt UG- Have you used Excel with UG?


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## msnikkistar (Mar 23, 2010)

Personally, no I haven't. I am just now going to be putting in some UG, but I have heard that as well. But people use it for the algae with the injection of co2 and then let the UG settle back in. Only other option I see is just turning down the amount of lighting you give to the tank.


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

Excel melts Ug by most accounts. Best thing to do would be to clean out as much algae as you can, up the co2, if there's no fish really ramp it up, make sure your ferts are all in check and do 50% water changes every day for 2 weeks and see how it goes. Also, try reducing the photoperiod to 5 hours.


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

Hey, this is off topic, but how about a picture of your turtle set up? I always loved turtles.


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## jman (Sep 7, 2009)

Maybe you need some fast growing plants in there.


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## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

With or without algae, I love your tank 

Maybe add floaters?


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Personally I never add ferts to a new tank until its through the algae phase as youre just feeding the algae.


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

Yet you can't create good levels of growth with out adding ferts otherwise you'll always be in the algae phase . 

Add ferts from the off, you'll be pleasantly surprised.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

I have never added ferts to a new tank and none of mine have algae. Good growth will come from the fresh water added and light thus helping to take up the excess nutrients that the algae is feeding on. Once the algae is back to a manageable phase restart you regimine.


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

I have, it made no sense to starve plants. The algae he has is indicative of low co2 and low nutrient levels. I'd dose EI and increase the co2 as much as the live stock would take and keep waterchanges up, manual removing it as much as possible.

Not adding anything to the water column will make things worse imho as your creating conditions algae just love to proliferate in. 
Also, I'd like to stress that excess nutrients DO NOT CAUSE ALGAE, EI works by having a excess so how can that possibly work? What causes algae is low co2, low levels of ferts and ammonia. All these can often be tracked back to having too much light and poor cleaning technique. 

Your suggestions on how algae take over and initially are caused are somewhat outdated and to me are akin to suggesting adding phosphate removers and a heating cable. If you don't believe me take up a subscription with the Barr report or read any of the articles on algae from jamesc's planted tank or dusko's algae guides. 

High horse dismounted.


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

Just re reading your thread and spotted your issue. Co2 controller. You want that on a standard timer _rather_ than on a ph setting, the ph levels of the tank are influenced by the substrate etc and will give you false readings leaving you injecting too little co2. If there's nothing in the tank up the co2 till your drop checker is yellow, have the co2 come on one hour before your lights and go off with them, keep the photoperiod to 5-6 hours for the time being and keep ontop of your ferts. I know it can seem a pita to not have "control" over the co2 but there are so many aspects going on within the tank that give false readings that it's much better to settle for a good injection rate that means your drop checker is lime green (or paler if you have no stock) when the lights are on this way you're avoiding instability that cause algae. 

Hope this helps.


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## Casty (Sep 28, 2006)

In my opinion, forget the drop checker/Co2 Controller. 

Just put as much as CO2 in there until you see heavy pearling, since (as far as I can tell) you don't have any shrimp in there yet you don't have to worry about gassing them to death. Even when you have some inhabitants, start the CO2 at a safe region and increase the CO2 until you find the sweet spot. It's hard to tell if shrimp are uncomfortable unfortunately, if you had fish they would be gasping at the surface. You may suffer a casualty or two until you tune your CO2 perfectly.

Other options include releasing a few shrimp to take care of the algae, reducing lighting period, add some fast growers (hornwort, anacharais, just float it for now) Also, if you can raise the light a little bit, it may help for now.


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

Regardless of the algae it looks great. 

As far as algae is concerned how about a water change and manually removing as much as possible then filling the tank back up and up CO2?

-Andrew


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. Everyone has their own opinion but after carefully sifting through all the ideas I have come up with a plan. It seems the melt is over and the lowest portion UG grew significantly over the weekend- it was also nearly submerged during the emerged phase. The algae is still growing in full force.




msnikkistar said:


> Try dosing with Excel?


I have decided that Excel is too controversial with UG.





VincentK said:


> Hey, this is off topic, but how about a picture of your turtle set up? I always loved turtles.


Sorry, We just let Sally go- he/she lived in a half drained 5 gallon betta tank for two weeks. I simply do not have time for a turtle tank and he wasn't eating well. Maybe in the fall.





jman said:


> Maybe you need some fast growing plants in there.


I was considering adding duckweed if it was a nutrient problem.





garuf said:


> I have, it made no sense to starve plants.


Agreed. I am now dosing Pfertz on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.





garuf said:


> Just re reading your thread and spotted your issue. Co2 controller. You want that on a standard timer _rather_ than on a ph setting, the ph levels of the tank are influenced by the substrate etc and will give you false readings leaving you injecting too little co2. If there's nothing in the tank up the co2 till your drop checker is yellow, have the co2 come on one hour before your lights and go off with them, keep the photoperiod to 5-6 hours for the time being and keep ontop of your ferts.


The CO2 now starts an hour before the lights come on and turns off with the lights with a reduced 6 hours photoperiod. Unfortunately I do not have a drop checker yet but I should very soon.





Casty said:


> Also, if you can raise the light a little bit, it may help for now.


It is not adjustable.





A Hill said:


> Regardless of the algae it looks great.
> As far as algae is concerned how about a water change and manually removing as much as possible then filling the tank back up and up CO2?


I'm now changing 20% on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

That sounds very good, 50% water changes would be better though. It's next to no extra work in a tiny tank like this. Best of luck!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Are you monitoring you nitate levels?


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

It says in post #80 that you NO3 is at 5ppm and if youre dosing KNO3 youre adding to the problem Is what I meant by not dosing ferts. IDK if Tom Barr agrees or not but it make perfect sense to me. Heater cables? Where did that come from?


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

I retract my last statement after reading this thread, and I apologize for giving you outdated information.....http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/algae/108650-nutrient-levels-algal-growth.html


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

Everything is cleaning up quite well- the melt is over, the algae is still a minor issue but it does not seem to be reproducing nearly as fast. The plants are pearling like mad and it should be shrimp ready in the next few weeks. *Thanks for all the suggestions, they are working!*


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## Digital (Apr 4, 2008)

Awesome looking office tank. Is that after effects in the bg on the shot with your dualies?


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

IC3D said:


> Awesome looking office tank. Is that after effects in the bg on the shot with your dualies?


Indeed, good eye, AE CS4- I'm Jonesing for CS5 but I doubt I could convince the penny pinchers that it's really needed.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

Today, I arrived at work to find a puddle on my desk, my aquarium sprung a leak. FML.


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

koop said:


> Today, I arrived at work to find a puddle on my desk, my aquarium sprung a leak. FML.


Dang that sucks, how bad was it?


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

VincentK said:


> Dang that sucks, how bad was it?


Slow and steady- enough to ruin my day and set me back 3-4 months. On a positive note Jeff at ADG Shop is taking care of it but now I have to rescape and reestablish the UG.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

That sucks to hear 
At least you are getting a replacement :icon_neut:


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

Your coworkers must be going nuts, how long was there water in it, a few days?

In all seriousness though that really stinks and hopefully transferring everything over works fine.

-Andrew


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## MrJG (Feb 21, 2007)

koop thats terrible to hear that the tank sprung a leak. If you lost too much UG in the algae battle and need some extra to help re-establish shoot me a pm. I can boost you a few squares for the cost of shipping.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

How's the replacement tank doing?


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

CL said:


> How's the replacement tank doing?


I spent the last few weeks living in denial but have decided it's time to stop whining and moaning and get back business. 





MrJG said:


> koop thats terrible to hear that the tank sprung a leak. If you lost too much UG in the algae battle and need some extra to help re-establish shoot me a pm. I can boost you a few squares for the cost of shipping.


Thank you, that is incredible generous but I have still have more than enough to keep going.



The new tank and my favorite office accessory.












The leaky tank without rock.





















The mess.












Here's a trick I learned from reefing- a few pieces of PVC can make a great base to prevent the rocks from settling. Is this case these are drain tiles, a pipe pipe works just as well but this was cheaper and less hassle than cutting it myself.






























Final Scape. You may notice that the small rock in the foreground is now gone- it was too small to stand out against the UG. Everything else is fairly close but the two large stones are significantly higher because of the PVC bases and there is more aquasoil for taller, more dramatic slopes. It's a little different than the first scape but the idea is exactly the same.





















Let's hope for the best this time.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Nice job. I use PVC in my mini m to raise a couple of the rocks as well. I made risers out of eggcrate for my larger tank.


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## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

Looks like your back on track. Your co-workers must think your nuts since its gonna take you like 8 months to get water in including the one before.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

VadimShevchuk said:


> Your co-workers must think your nuts since its gonna take you like 8 months to get water in including the one before.


You have no idea.


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## Capsaicin_MFK (Nov 15, 2009)

So did the tank leak from a seam or did the rocks crack it?

Also, I would like to know your secret rock location! I know exactly what type of rock it is, but the type of stuff I find isn't nearly as nice as what you have.


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## jsenske (Dec 20, 2004)

I am curious about the nature of the leak as well. Mini tanks with warranty claims/issues are almost non-existent worldwide for ADA. I'd really like to get the tank back for inspection. I offered a shipping label, I'll pay for it of course. When you are ready. 

Is that whole submersed method potentially a problem after you fill the tank suddenly? I mean as far as the whole "out of nowhere" algae bloom? I have no experience with the submersed start thing.


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## mattrt09 (Jun 12, 2010)

glad you got a new tank and its back in action 

it looks like your an editor? 
great job to have a fish tank next to you


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

What a bummer, but nice to see you back up & running so soon - nice composition.

I'd also like to complement you on your ownership of such a beautiful Orange Swingline Stapler - fantastic piece of office machinery.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

It appears I am a the victim of my own stupidity. I emptied the old tank, brought it home, and filled it up. *The floor was completely dry after an entire week leak test.* My only guess is that the 5am cleaning crew bumped the desk and splashed around a good amount of water. It must have wicked under the tank and wicked back out after I cleaned up the visible spill making it appear like a slow leak. I spoke with Jeff Senske (jsenske) at ADG Shop and he was incredibly gracious about the entire situation even after sending the new tank with no questions asked. Honestly, if you are looking for an amazing (non-leaky) tank with first class customer service you should seriously consider something from Jeff- it's also good to support our sponsors. I’ve had great customer service with other vendors but he kicked it up a notch on this one. So to make a long story short the whole transfer was for nothing and I’m a little dumbfounded how this one slipped past me. It's safe to say that the lesson was learned but I still believe it’s better to be safe than have 5 gallons of water on your office floor.


The very dry “leaky-tank."


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

Well that is one ordeal for you, glad to hear everything went well either way...

Don't you love being human? 

I'm sure your tank will be back in action soon, nice idea with the PVC.

-Andrew


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## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

updates?


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

The UG is doing great and I expect to fill the tank sometime in early September. It would be filled sooner but I'm taking some time off in the next few weeks. Other than that there is nothing much to report.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Emersed UG always looks so great and is so easy to care for. Looks awesome


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

It's FINALY filled . . . . . . again. It took 2 hours longer to fill than I expected because the latch broke on my BRAND NEW Eheim 2213. That's the second Eheim latch that has broken- I'll never buy another one. Also, the first plumb job leaked because the tubbing was a minuscule bit too large so everything had to be re-plumbed with the green Eheim tubing. I was too frustrated to take a FTS with it filled but I will in the next few days. Everything looks good so far but algae is already taking over- the CO2 is blazing and the filter media is from an established system so I hope the die-off cycle will be quick and painless. The drop checker is currently orange- the directions were in Chinese so I don't know is the fluid was the proper solution or if it needs preparation. I guess we'll find out.


FTS before the fill










Above










Close-up










Vallisneria Nana










Vallisneria Nana










Slowing filling










Asking for trouble










The cabinet


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Fantastic looking scape. Hopefully you have no more spontaneous problems from the equipment.

Are you going to be selling those rocks again in the future?


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

dj2005 said:


> Are you going to be selling those rocks again in the future?


I may but the problem is the effort required to collect, sort, advertise, email, package, and mail vs the price people are willing to pay doesn't justifies the time spent. I have a few larger stones available and will likely pick-up a few more this fall. It's more of a hobby for me as time permits.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

koop said:


> I may but the problem is the effort required to collect, sort, advertise, email, package, and mail vs the price people are willing to pay doesn't justifies the time spent. I have a few larger stones available and will likely pick-up a few more this fall. It's more of a hobby for me as time permits.


Well, if you're ever willing to put a package together for me then please send a PM my way. :smile:


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## dknydiep1 (May 21, 2006)

Any updates?


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## tetraontheedge (Dec 7, 2010)

I love Yeti, the white "catfish." And also the tank. Beautiful work.


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

Awesome, any update?


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## .Mko. (Sep 23, 2010)

^^ yea any updates?


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## FlyingGiraffes (Jan 30, 2011)

Looks great, sorry to hear about the "leak". :icon_wink

Would love to see how it looks now, half a year later. 

Also would be interested in a rock package from you, if you get around to collecting those. It sounds like a lot of work!


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

I'll take some pics tomorrow.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

Plenty has happened since the last update. All the UG melted from the September fill-up attempt. It seems UG grows immersed very well but I can't seem to successfully make the transition. 

I tried growing submerged UG and that worked for me. There are still a few thin spots that need to be filled but overall it's looking good. The current tank residents include 5 Cardinal Tetras and 2 Otocinclus. The tetras will move home and CRS shrimp will be introduced when everything is 100% stabilized.





















The Vals Nans pearls about 3-4 hours after the lights turn on and grows fast. I’ll probably need to bury plastic dividers in the soil to keep the runners from taking over the UG.





















I currently change 1 gallon every Monday and Friday followed by PFertz N,P,K M dosing three days a week. The tank requires about 1/2 gallon daily top off. The lights are on for 8 hours and pressurized CO2 for 10 hours. It appears there is still a nutrient deficiency so I may bump up the dosing.






























There is currently a small blue green algea/cyanobacteria outbreak. I've increased the CO2, cleaned the filter, repositioned the flow, spot treated with hydrogen peroxide, and am in the middle of a 3 day blackout with erythromycin. I realize erythromycin is the "nuclear" option but hopefully it will resolve the current problem and I'll be more diligent moving forward. The Black Brush Algae should also disappear when everything stabilizes.


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

I just read through the entire thread- what a long process, but at least you have it up and running now! It's definitely looking good, I am always extremely impressed by good looking nanos. I know from experience that a nano tank is much harder to do well than a large tank.


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## koop (Sep 18, 2009)

Chaos_Being said:


> It's definitely looking good, I am always extremely impressed by good looking nanos.


Thank you, it has been a longer and more difficult process than I initially imagined but significantly less complicated than my previous reef tanks. Overall I'm very pleased with the results. I'm currently planning an ADA 60F riparium for the den at home and the learning curve should be a little easier the second time around.


Here is a sneak peak of the driftwood that I picked from Rod for the riparium.


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## defiant (Dec 1, 2009)

koop said:


> Plenty has happened since the last update. All the UG melted from the September fill-up attempt. It seems UG grows immersed very well but I can't seem to successfully make the transition.
> 
> I tried growing submerged UG and that worked for me. There are still a few thin spots that need to be filled but overall it's looking good. The current tank residents include 5 Cardinal Tetras and 2 Otocinclus. The tetras will move home and CRS shrimp will be introduced when everything is 100% stabilized.
> 
> ...


 
i heard that that slime could aslo be the cause of lack of nitrogen in your water. 

i dosed my tank with pfertz nitrogen and it went away. i think trying nitrogen would be more forgiving on the plants than a black out IMO

but becarefull....you need to be dosing all the ferts and not just the one component otherwise you'll end up creating more algae and other problems. good luck tank is looking beautiful.. 

ive tried growing UG but had no luck yet :icon_conf


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## TLE041 (Jan 16, 2010)

That UG carpet looks great. I hope I can maintain mine long-term like yours.

BTW, I had similar slime like that on my HC carpet. I just used tweezers and manually plucked it off (it comes off in sheets). It's a little time consuming at first but over time it'll disappear.


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## Blice (Mar 7, 2011)

I have a feeling why you take such nice pictures :icon_wink

Awesome tank, really inspiring! When I set one up in my office I'll be using your thread as inspiration. Great stuff.


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