# ADA 120P "I've Lost My Mind"



## SwampGremlin (Dec 5, 2014)

Congrats on your nice 
new tank.


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## NeonFlux (Apr 10, 2008)

Awesome dude! Nice specs you got going already. And yeah, hobbies are always a great way to chill and unwind.. Can't wait to see updates.


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## Fishmonger859 (Jul 6, 2013)

I'm drooling thinking of what your gonna do with that sick set up man. 

Welcome to the hobby and good luck with your first bout with multi-tank syndrome...when I first got into the hobby a couple years back I turned around and had 5 tanks I admire your restraint so far.


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## klibs (May 1, 2014)

HBdirtbag said:


> "do things right, the first time.....and buy the best you can afford" (otherwise you end up doing things at least twice from my experience).


+1000

This is so true

Any plans for a scape???


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

*ADA 120P &quot;I've Lost My Mind&quot;*

Still debating that piece. As mentioned I've got some ohko stone. Sometime today I'll probably clean it off and do some test placements. Trying to decide if I want to add some driftwood as well. Gonna start laying things out in my head. Will most likely be a mosh posh of styles but with a good flow. 


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## Black Hills Hillbilly (Jul 22, 2015)

AFA crushed me last night by calling to inform me that they didn't have the 90P that I just placed an order for in stock & wouldn't be getting any for 2-3 months. They DID inform me that they had 120P's in stock... I'm starting to think my kitchen will either lose counter space or my leatherworking table will. I need to just sign my VA Disability check over to AFA. That's where it all goes now anyway!


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Ya, I called a few Saturday's to see if I could pick up my 120 and they only had them in the warehouse. I got impulsive and luckily the 90's were out of stock!


Here are the 3 ohko stones I have so far. Smallest is around 10 lbs biggest is 18 if I remember right. 

Probably going to cut the flat long one in half. Trying to determine how that's going to go down

These things are caked in mud. Gonna soak for a bit and give them a decent scrub while being careful. 


















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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Just playing around a bit. Some of the rocks need some shaping chiseled into them to get them to stand the way I want.

















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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Originally thought I wanted to add a fairly large piece of driftwood. Not sure I can now. The temptation to unbag the dirt is strong


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## skoram (Aug 9, 2012)

Your tank is gorgeous and the planned setup looks really promising. Are you going to have to tear everything down in a month when you move into your new house?

Couldn't agree with you more about doing things right the first time even if it costs you. I tried to set up a cheap lighting system for a riparium using bulbs bought from China. To make a long story short, too many problems with the bulbs and Chinese sellers led to me just spending about $600 on a new LED system (with just 3 LEDs) using the best parts I could find.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Ultimately I'm gonna refrain from the temptation to set it up until we move. 


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Filter arrived 










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## 10kredline (Nov 6, 2014)

Lol...thats so funny, seems like youve got bitten by the "plantedtank" bug. Nice setup man.


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

I vote no wood. Stones all the way. Have you considered how you want to scape this tank? Like full on iwagumi or more nature style? 

I've always had a hard time pulling off the wood/stone combo. I do like the way it looks when both are used to make it look like you've got a sand foreground with rocks used to create a boarder between the wood and plants area. You really don't seem to be going in that direction though.


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## ThatGuyWithTheFish (Apr 29, 2012)

oldpunk78 said:


> I vote no wood. Stones all the way. Have you considered how you want to scape this tank? Like full on iwagumi or more nature style?
> 
> I've always had a hard time pulling off the wood/stone combo. I do like the way it looks when both are used to make it look like you've got a sand foreground with rocks used to create a boarder between the wood and plants area. You really don't seem to be going in that direction though.


You need the right kind of wood, which is rare in this country. I envy the ADA wood supplies.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Hey Punk,

So, more nature style. Definately want it pretty heavily planted so iwagumi isn't gonna do it for me.

I'm having the same thoughts in my head on trying to combine both. I think I pulled it off well in my 45P, but it's such a small tank and the rock isn't big. It's a hard thing to make work.

I have been considering something like this where the color contrast is similiar.


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

ThatGuyWithTheFish said:


> You need the right kind of wood, which is rare in this country. I envy the ADA wood supplies.


That's not the case. What kind to you believe is best anyway? 


HBdirtbag said:


> Hey Punk,
> 
> So, more nature style. Definately want it pretty heavily planted so iwagumi isn't gonna do it for me.
> 
> ...


Yes. Big pieces like that one will work. Stay away from smaller pieces or it throws the scale off. It sucks that I'm going to have wait a month to see what you come up with.

Are staying in Walnut creek? I don't see how you guys can afford live down there.  It's a nice area considering I try to avoid the bay area like the pleg.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Yea, staying in Walnut Creek. It's tough on the pocket book (esp after spending 3 years in North Carolina). I'm an LA guy born and raised....only up here cause of work (currently run sales for a company that puts those annoying ads on your cell phone). Figuring 5-10 years then I'll make my way back to a beach somewhere (spent 10 years in Huntington down south before the NC move). 


The wait is driving me bonkers. Think I'm gonna have to put a towel over the tank to pretend it's not there. 



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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

It's a small world sometimes. I lived just up pch in seal beach for a few years. We also almost moved to Raleigh. We're in Walnut Creek and San Ramon all the time to visit family. I'm having to wait to start a tank up too. Completely different reasons though.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Small world. Yea I grew up in Arcadia (next to Pasadena). Then moved to HB for school (long beach state). Had a start up fold in 2009 and the wife was knocked up so we got in a car and headed east as we realized we wouldn't be affording California anymore. When we hit Raleigh realized we couldn't go further and settled in for 3 years before I realized humidity and me don't get along (although $300k houses were nice). I was out in SF 1 week a month so the move seemed natural and got us closer to family. While the creek isn't my ideal location, the wife is happy. And she stays home with two toddlers so whatever it takes I abide (plus I travel a ton, mainly international...so even more reason to make sure she's happy). We were starting to look in Marin before we found a great house (we are a block away from north gate high now, new house is a block away on the other side)


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## ThatGuyWithTheFish (Apr 29, 2012)

oldpunk78 said:


> That's not the case. What kind to you believe is best anyway?
> 
> 
> Yes. Big pieces like that one will work. Stay away from smaller pieces or it throws the scale off. It sucks that I'm going to have wait a month to see what you come up with.
> ...


I mean in terms of a Nature Aquarium style. I have seen very few scapes that have used wood really well. Most of the wood I see here is either very twiggy or very blocky.


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## Dantrasy (Sep 9, 2013)

My recommendation is that you mock up your hardscape out of the tank first. 

Get some egg crate and cable ties, build a structure for the rocks to rest on.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Dantrasy said:


> My recommendation is that you mock up your hardscape out of the tank first.
> 
> Get some egg crate and cable ties, build a structure for the rocks to rest on.



That is the plan  

Closed on the new house today. Plan on getting the new tank over there in the next few days and start playing with the hardscape.

We don't move in for another 2 weeks so I will have some time before I start planting.

Cable Ties = Zip Ties?


I plan on sloping pretty heavy in the corners, I picked up two more bags of Amazonia last weekend, bringing me to 6 total right now. I want to use the Stones and egg crate to help keep the slop holding up and then have a sort of valley coming down the center if I can pull it off.


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## Black Hills Hillbilly (Jul 22, 2015)

I'm planning on some massive sloping as well. Wondering if the pantyhose filled with dirt method will hold, or that combined with the plastic "egg crate" light diffusers is the way to go. BTW, I got so wound up waiting for you to get your tank set up that I bought my GLA 120-H. Glad I have an understanding wife! Congrats on the house!


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## mot (Sep 17, 2011)

> I found out that the "H" in 120-H stands for HERNIA


Now that is funny!


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Black Hills Hillbilly said:


> I'm planning on some massive sloping as well. Wondering if the pantyhose filled with dirt method will hold, or that combined with the plastic "egg crate" light diffusers is the way to go. BTW, I got so wound up waiting for you to get your tank set up that I bought my GLA 120-H. Glad I have an understanding wife! Congrats on the house!


Yea, i've got a bunch of egg grate now, gonna start the scape next weekend.

And congrats on the H!!!!


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

It begins.....












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## GrantF (Jan 5, 2015)

Ooooooooo looks good.

Not sure what your intent is on the banking so feel free to ignore my comment, but I would personally bank the substrate up even higher than you've got it. The banking at the back will look a lot smaller once water goes into the tank. That;s assuming that you want the banks to be large though.

Can't wait to see the finished product!


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## Dantrasy (Sep 9, 2013)

if the tank is not yet flooded consider cosmetic sand. 

also, are you going to more (bigger) rocks?


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## Black Hills Hillbilly (Jul 22, 2015)

You got your 120 & while reading your thread I said "screw it, I'm getting a 120". I got my scape laid out & went higher on the right, & find out you went higher on the right. I'm adopted, are you? We've got some weird long lost twin psychic aquascaping thing going on here lol. Looks good, can't wait to see what you (we) do next! :hihi:


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Dantrasy said:


> if the tank is not yet flooded consider cosmetic sand.
> 
> also, are you going to more (bigger) rocks?



gonna go stop by AFA this week and see what else I can find. Went by a few weeks ago and they were out.


Tank isn't flooded yet.....

Bump:


Black Hills Hillbilly said:


> You got your 120 & while reading your thread I said "screw it, I'm getting a 120". I got my scape laid out & went higher on the right, & find out you went higher on the right. I'm adopted, are you? We've got some weird long lost twin psychic aquascaping thing going on here lol. Looks good, can't wait to see what you (we) do next! :hihi:



that's awesome!!!!! love it

Bump:


GrantF said:


> Ooooooooo looks good.
> 
> Not sure what your intent is on the banking so feel free to ignore my comment, but I would personally bank the substrate up even higher than you've got it. The banking at the back will look a lot smaller once water goes into the tank. That;s assuming that you want the banks to be large though.
> 
> Can't wait to see the finished product!



I've still got two 9L bags left....this was done quick late last night after unboxing this new house for 3 days straight. Tank is in my office so I'm going to stare at it for the next few days and make some tweaks


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## Daisy Mae (Jun 21, 2015)

*Twins?*

What the heck is going on with you guys and twin 120s both sloped the same way?? It's just so funny. 
Following this. The coincidence just makes it more interesting.


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## Black Hills Hillbilly (Jul 22, 2015)

Daisy Mae said:


> What the heck is going on with you guys and twin 120s both sloped the same way?? It's just so funny.
> Following this. The coincidence just makes it more interesting.



Yeah, no joke huh? I'm gonna put on a tinfoil hat if we end up planting the same way!


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

DSM starts tonight 










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## GrantF (Jan 5, 2015)

Now we just gotta wait for Black Hills Hillbilly to post a picture of his tank with his daughter that might just happen to be your daughter's lost twin lol.

You're carpeting HC?


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## Black Hills Hillbilly (Jul 22, 2015)

Lol, got me there. I've got a 6'3" 19 year old son who wouldn't fit in the pic.










We finally diverge in scapage with my UG for carpeting on the way! & I'll stop posting pics on your thread, even if we are long lost siblings lol


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

GrantF said:


> Now we just gotta wait for Black Hills Hillbilly to post a picture of his tank with his daughter that might just happen to be your daughter's lost twin lol.
> 
> You're carpeting HC?



Gonna do DHG and Staurogyne Repens for carpet. Actually started laying down last night


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

It's time











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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

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## Black Hills Hillbilly (Jul 22, 2015)

Can't wait to see that red pop against the dragon stone with the greens in your foreground.


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## schnebbles (Jan 10, 2015)

jealous!!! I wish I could have a bigger tank but I just don't have room. I want so many plants and I'm out of room there too


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## Black Hills Hillbilly (Jul 22, 2015)

schnebbles said:


> jealous!!! I wish I could have a bigger tank but I just don't have room. I want so many plants and I'm out of room there too


There's always going vertical with a tank rack, something I'm considering. I want another 120 & I've been wondering if I can blame HBdirtbag again, but I don't know if my wife will buy it this time.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

I've got both my tanks in my home office, i'm learning this may be a regret. The office gets nailed with morning sun and heats up fast. Now add in the humidity of the water...it hasn't been fun. Got some tint on the window and that's helping out a bit. 

I do love the smell of fresh humid amazonia in the morning though, lol


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Just to give you guys an idea what the room looks like...my home office. Use to be the boiler room, may become the fish room lol


















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## Daisy Mae (Jun 21, 2015)

Room looks good, I particularly like the tool artwork. Did you do those?


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

I don't. A guy named Doug Dorr did them, had the boxed tools for probably 10 years now. The carb and camshaft lamps I made. 


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## Daisy Mae (Jun 21, 2015)

I just showed my husband the lamps, he correctly identified the parts. Boys and their toys, eh?


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## Black Hills Hillbilly (Jul 22, 2015)

New house looks great! Hmmm, & now I need a piston bookend.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Daisy Mae said:


> I just showed my husband the lamps, he correctly identified the parts. Boys and their toys, eh?



We all need them, can't tell if I love my wife or my toys more . Kids obviously win. 











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## co2art (May 28, 2014)

Lol - you rat-rodded the kids' wagon. Awesome!


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

co2art said:


> Lol - you rat-rodded the kids' wagon. Awesome!



Gotta cruise in style!!!


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

How do you like the Archaea stand? If I don't build a stand for my 60P, I am strongly considering one. I have not talked to a fellow member (from WC) in awhile but we used to have some gatherings every now in than out that way, exchanged some plants, hung out, drank some beers. I will drop you a line if we do it again. Nice setup.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

I like it. I have it for both my 120 and 45. It's well built except for one part. It's not painted. It's got a vinyl on it that is peeling in one spot on my 45 stand. I just didn't have the time and energy to build one with two toddlers and the recent move. 

Nice to see another wc member! Where in the city are you?


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

HBdirtbag said:


> I like it. I have it for both my 120 and 45. It's well built except for one part. It's not painted. It's got a vinyl on it that is peeling in one spot on my 45 stand. I just didn't have the time and energy to build one with two toddlers and the recent move.
> 
> Nice to see another wc member! Where in the city are you?
> 
> ...


I actually just moved out to Oakland, I was in Concord for awhile. Decided to downsize for location so I am stuck with a single aquarium now. That's why I was planning up upgrading basically everything on my 60P, potentially.

That sucks about the stand. That was actually my concern, when I first saw them and they were the first run, they looked to be thermofoil which is durable but if it's over MDF or the like, it's only as durable as what is under it if it gets wet, or when it gets wet when talking about an aquarium stand.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

I had a good leak out of the box with the small one. It's stained but has held up and not gotten mushy. That said its only been a few months


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Added some new plants from a local store. Two weren't labeled. Other is blyxa japonica. 

Have another shipment of plants on the way, little worried as its suppose to be 100+ this week and think the seller has already sent. 


Have a lot of melting going on but most have new growth by now so I'm not worried. 

























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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Also moved some of the media over from my 45p to help speed up the cycle process. Wife's starting to get pissed out betta is in a little 1.5g right now so need to get things moving


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Starting to fill in.














































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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Sooo...may get in trouble. Client just mailed me a $1,000 gift certificate to Aqua forest aquarium....


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## Chubbi (Mar 21, 2015)

wow, I think I would have had a small heart attack after hearing that. Have fun spending, I was there on vacation last month and wished I could have taken so much home with me. Nothing in the area even comes close.


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## Daisy Mae (Jun 21, 2015)

Score! Nice client.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Yea, I'm a little stuck on what to get since the tank is pretty much set. We'll see. Been thinking of a new light as I'm not sure I'm a huge fan of the sat plus pro. 


What's funny is his client has basically been paying my mortgage for the last few months, with the biz we've been doing together. I'm use to buying them gifts, not the other way around. 


Now if any of you see a pandora ad pop up on your phone click it


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## GrantF (Jan 5, 2015)

This thread is about to become even more interesting lol. 

If you don't mind me asking, why don't you like the sat plus pro? I'm planning a 30 gal tank and was planning on going with that light. I'd like to hear about any problems etc. before I spend $200+ on a light lol.


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## frenchie1001 (Jun 23, 2013)

I'm curious 2, I'm waiting on 2 to arrive.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

So, I like it, don't get me wrong. I just haven't found the right color setting for it I suppose, and it's not as bright as I expected. For example the light on my 45P (Archaea ultra gro) is MUCH MUCH brighter, and I think the coloring of it has spoiled me.


Now, i bought the plus because all the reviews were great and I didn't want to drop another $2-300 on a BML with dimmer/timer, etc. I may look into adding another one.

it's growing my plants great so far.


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## GrantF (Jan 5, 2015)

Oh ok. Good to know. No complaints otherwise?


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

GrantF said:


> Oh ok. Good to know. No complaints otherwise?



nah, otherwise it's a good light


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## Black Hills Hillbilly (Jul 22, 2015)

HBdirtbag said:


> For example the light on my 45P (Archaea ultra gro) is MUCH MUCH brighter, and I think the coloring of it has spoiled me.


Just when I was thinking about replacing my Ultra Gro with something else.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Black Hills Hillbilly said:


> Just when I was thinking about replacing my Ultra Gro with something else.



why don't you like it? I will say, i need to add a dimmer, i've got it on two 3.5 hour cycles with a 4 hour break in the middle of the day otherwise it's been algae fest for me.

You have it on your Big H?


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## co2art (May 28, 2014)

Hmm... 1000 bucks for afa... Superjet!!!


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## Black Hills Hillbilly (Jul 22, 2015)

HBdirtbag said:


> why don't you like it? I will say, i need to add a dimmer, i've got it on two 3.5 hour cycles with a 4 hour break in the middle of the day otherwise it's been algae fest for me.
> 
> You have it on your Big H?


I like it well enough, but I was thinking about something I could tweak the colors on to make the plants pop. I definitely need to get a second light due to my scape though. Those trees cast some good shadows.


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## Jeff5614 (Dec 29, 2005)

co2art said:


> Hmm... 1000 bucks for afa... Superjet!!!


My thoughts exactly!


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

co2art said:


> Hmm... 1000 bucks for afa... Superjet!!!



It was the first thing I looked up. Or one of their light setups 

Lights would be first. The superjet is pretty but I'm happy with my eheim. 




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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Updated pics. 




















































Diatoms are killing me 



















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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Ignore the wood block, i've got my 24" Satellite Freshwater + running a few hours a day as well. Think i'm pretty much done with plants, propagation should get me full in a 2-3 months. Am considering adding a red lotus lily though.

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## GrantF (Jan 5, 2015)

Glad you like your eheim filter. I'm planning on getting that one too lol.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Ya so far I love it. Silent, flows great. Maintenance is a breeze!!! Curious to see how flow is once the tank fills up and I finally put on the glass outflow.


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## Jeff5614 (Dec 29, 2005)

HBdirtbag said:


> .
> 
> Diatoms are killing me ...


They will pass. Just clean out as much as you can and time will get the rest.


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## GrantF (Jan 5, 2015)

Why not start up a new tank with the gift certificate instead of buying one piece of equipment? I bet your wife would love it lol.


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## Daisy Mae (Jun 21, 2015)

GrantF said:


> Why not start up a new tank with the gift certificate instead of buying one piece of equipment? I bet your wife would love it lol.


Ha ha, you're such an enabler. 
Oh, wait now, I would suspect pretty much all TPT members are.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

I agree on sticking with the Eheim from a financial standpoint. As nice as the super jet is, it's really mostly the same thing, with a few improvements. Obviously a big cosmetic jump but It's hard to sell myself on that because I would still rather have my nice shiny ADA filter hidden in a cabinet than exposed. It's not like ADA didn't Eheim for a long time either.

IMO, lighting is the most important part of a planted tank in 3 regards. It is what drives plant growth, it's the cosmetic way you see your tank from a viewing level, and from the cosmetics from a design standpoint. I love the look of the Solar series myself. However, it may be hard for me to justify what they are listed for on AFA's webpage, only because the technology has improved so much since they came out, not that ADA's LED's use the latest technology. Basically you pay top dollar for 10 year old technology but it's very pretty, both in design and color spectrum. I don't know what other options AFA has for that size of tank, I know they sell other brands for Nano's and their own brand, am not sure if they have a good offering for anything that big. I would certainly buy a Solar Mini if I had the appropriate sized tank but I would struggle to buy the larger Solar's for the price. That doesn't mean I would not buy them, I just would struggle to make the decision.

When in doubt, make no plans, it's not going to be hard to spend $1000 at AFA with two ADA tanks haha. Even when I had a single tank that I considered "complete", I still couldn't walk out with dropping some money on plants each time on at tank that was already 100% planted and I was totally happy with. They always have something that catches your eye.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Well I've already dropped $100 on plants. I'll most likely do most of my fish stocking with them. 

I'll also probably do another small tank for the kids (they hate mine are in my office)


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Got some Cardinal tetras and some otos today. We were in the city and the wife wanted to go by and once there the kids wouldn't let us leave without fish. Tank is close ammonia is almost gone. Nitrites have passed. We'll see. I hate otos, 2 of the 3 didn't even make it out of the bag. $1.99 I'm not gonna fuss, traffic had us in the car for about 2 hours in what usually takes 40 mins. 

Daughter fell asleep staring at the fish on the way home, lol










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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Sooo...i've been really disappointing with the coverage of my Sat + Pro, the front to back coverage is really weak and i've been subbing my old 24" Sat + around corner to corner throughout the days when i'm around. I think it'd help if I hung it about 12" above the tank, but I really didn't want to go that route.


Well...browsing amazon today....they had the 48-60" Sat + Pro on sale for $205 prime (I paid like $285 in July) and decided to order it ($80 cheaper then I could find if anywhere else). With Prime shipping at this price, it's a 2-4 week wait...they also have another seller doing it non-prime with free shipping if you want it faster. I'm one of those guys amazon probably hates (i know my UPS guy does) for using prime the way I do. Probably 50% of what I order gets returned...so I'm fine with the wait in order to be able to send it back hassle free if I don't like it.



Going to be traveling for the next 6 days, which i'm kind of excited about in order to see how things have grown when I come back. Wife is on tank duty....makes me kind of nervous.


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## bk. (Sep 27, 2014)

Man, I've been thinking about getting a second e-series but for that price I may have to pick up a satellite pro instead. That's a good deal!


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Yeah, now the only problem is I bought it out of our "joint" account and not MY account. Which promptly made her say "sweet, I now get a new purse". Which then prompted the question "how much have you spent on this tank"

The whole "Not much" isn't working


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## Black Hills Hillbilly (Jul 22, 2015)

HBdirtbag said:


> Yeah, now the only problem is I bought it out of our "joint" account and not MY account. Which promptly made her say "sweet, I now get a new purse". Which then prompted the question "how much have you spent on this tank"
> 
> The whole "Not much" isn't working


When you come up with a good answer to placate your wife, let me know. I need something to tell mine on the 85% chance I get another 120 in a couple weeks lol.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Black Hills Hillbilly said:


> When you come up with a good answer to placate your wife, let me know. I need something to tell mine on the 85% chance I get another 120 in a couple weeks lol.



I shower her with money.....I've tried many other ways over the years. The key is, making her believe you spent as little as possible to weaken the payback. 


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## Daisy Mae (Jun 21, 2015)

*HBdirtbag* and _*Black Hills Hillbilly*_-
I'm sorry guys, I feel for you. Even though I'm a girl, I can't suggest anything good really, we are all so different. The same girl will behave one way this hour and a different way in the next. 
I'm sure I have been a pain in my husband's a-- at one time or another (I'm hoping not too often), the good thing is he has buddies who can relate.


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## GrantF (Jan 5, 2015)

Question about your Eheim filter - by looking at pics online it seems like the inlet and outlet are both at the top. If that's the case, is the water not just going in and being sucked out at the top right away? Is there a pipe/conduit somewhere where the inflow water is brought to the bottom of the filter where it's then pulled upwards to the outflow?


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## Black Hills Hillbilly (Jul 22, 2015)

Daisy Mae said:


> *HBdirtbag* and _*Black Hills Hillbilly*_-
> I'm sorry guys, I feel for you. Even though I'm a girl, I can't suggest anything good really, we are all so different. The same girl will behave one way this hour and a different way in the next.
> I'm sure I have been a pain in my husband's a-- at one time or another (I'm hoping not too often), the good thing is he has buddies who can relate.


LOL, nah, my Household 6 is cool about it because she's seen how well it's done with my PTSD. I can still get another 120 & set it up right now with limited eye-rolling & maybe a couple deep sighs. I just gotta find a place to put it if I do...even have a couple scapes in mind.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

GrantF said:


> Question about your Eheim filter - by looking at pics online it seems like the inlet and outlet are both at the top. If that's the case, is the water not just going in and being sucked out at the top right away? Is there a pipe/conduit somewhere where the inflow water is brought to the bottom of the filter where it's then pulled upwards to the outflow?



they are both on top, it comes through the inlet, goes down a hole, comes back up through the filter and out the outlet....


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## GrantF (Jan 5, 2015)

Ok thanks. I'll be picking it up tonight then. Was looking at the cobalt EXT cause it's quite a bit cheaper, but the water goes in and out right at the top without a channel leading it to the bottom first.


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## Beelzebubbles (Feb 14, 2014)

Looking good! I'm jealous of your access to AFA....and your wallet for the ADA haha

Cant wait to see both of those tanks fully grown in.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

New light arrives Friday, right when I get back from my trip!!


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Came back, had some good growth. Water levels look in check finally. So, we added an [censored][censored][censored][censored] ton of fish. 

Here's what's in here now

10 - celestial pearl danios
8 - Cardinal tetras (tank raised)
10 - emerald dwarf rasbora
3 - Microrasbora kubotai (all they had)
10 - Otocinclus catfish
6 - amano shrimp

































Also added the second light










And daughter keeps yelling at the groups when they get out of their "class"











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## Black Hills Hillbilly (Jul 22, 2015)

How are you liking those lights compared to the Ultra Gro? I'm putting serious thought into a dual Led Plus Pro setup & using the Archea on my son's cracked turtle tank to grow emersed plants.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

So, the color of the UG I like on my 45p. I haven't messed with the settings on these guys much yet. But after adding the second one today I'm really liking things. What I realized I didn't like prior today was it simply didn't have enough coverage. 

All in all. I think I regret not going BML. but once you get that and the controller it's pricey (says the guy who now has two sat pros). I'd love to be able to do multiple photo periods during the day and have a burst option at 100% brightness for an hour a day. 

Right now I have these set at about 75% brightness. 


Also need to look into see if there is a way to put these on one controller. 


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Y not add another archaea hills?


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Afa gift certificate means strange impulse buys you'd never buy with your own money. My smaller tanks gets bad surface film, yet I got this for the big tank.










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## Daisy Mae (Jun 21, 2015)

Hmmm. 
Sexy shiny steel tube. :grin2:


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Two separate pregnant girls. Not sure what I'm going to do since the babies are going to get eaten alive. Also added 10 chili rasboras





















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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Stocking update:

Here's what's in here now

15 - celestial pearl danios
7 - Cardinal tetras (tank raised)
15 - emerald dwarf rasbora
9 - Microrasbora kubotai (all they had)
10 - Chili Rasbora 
7 - Otocinclus catfish
5 - Hasbrosus Cory
3 - SAE's



Shrimp
6 - amano shrimp
17 - RCS
15 - CRS
10 - Blue/Black Rili Shrimp
3 - Sunkist Orange CS


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## Black Hills Hillbilly (Jul 22, 2015)

HBdirtbag said:


> Y not add another archaea hills?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That's what I ended up doing, should be here today or tomorrow. I was playing around with the current one while planting last week to see what I'd need to eliminate dead spots due to the bonsai pines & having one all the way at the front & one all the way at the back was the only answer. At 100% I'm going to have to borrow the welding mask from my son to look at it.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Awesome. I've been meaning to look into a dimmer for my archaea


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## Black Hills Hillbilly (Jul 22, 2015)

HBdirtbag said:


> Awesome. I've been meaning to look into a dimmer for my archaea
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That's now on my list. The Big Brown Truck of Love showed up last evening. 2 Archaea 48" going at full bore...the light actually passes through walls... The city came & took down the streetlight on my corner to save money because the tank now lights up the block... The tank carpeted within 5 minutes & the house is a fire hazard because the pearling raised the O2 saturation in the atmosphere to 200%... I have to turn in my drivers license because I'm now permanently blind... I'm giving away 90 gallons of algae on the RAOK page... Well, you get the picture. 

The nice thing is that with the mounts placed 2" from the front & back of the tank respectively, I have absolutely no dead spots now with my trees. Operation Sit Back & Watch It Grow should be complete by Friday. Then I think it'll be time for Operation Please Don't Divorce Me But I Bought A Nano Tank Setup To Grow Rare Plants (That I'm not telling you cost a fortune) In.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Trimmed the rotala in the back heavily as I didn't like the way it was growing in. As well as the plant in the back left (forgot the name) and moved some stuff around.










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## Sub1117 (Sep 21, 2014)

Looking great!


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## Daisy Mae (Jun 21, 2015)

Oh, it's got more colour now compared to the last FTS. Nice!


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## MikeyMAC (Aug 8, 2015)

So Ive been following this thread for a couple of days now and I must say love the way your tank has come out I'm just recently joining the multiple tank club my self going from 20 to 40 and waiting for my 36 plus pro to come in before I get starting with the move of my 20. Big shout out to my Carolinian's, queen city here


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

MikeyMAC said:


> So Ive been following this thread for a couple of days now and I must say love the way your tank has come out I'm just recently joining the multiple tank club my self going from 20 to 40 and waiting for my 36 plus pro to come in before I get starting with the move of my 20. Big shout out to my Carolinian's, queen city here


:thumbsup:


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## klibs (May 1, 2014)

Coming along very nicely. Looking forward to this filling in during the next few months.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Really been taking off lately.













































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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Full shot










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## Dantrasy (Sep 9, 2013)

Nice FTS! Your scape is going great, you must be happy 

How's the vuppa going? My lfs advised against getting one because the clog easy. But I guess that depends on the tank and amount of debris. 

Is the extra flow created by the vuppa noticeable? Thanks for your feedback.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

*ADA 120P &quot;I've Lost My Mind&quot;*

It's going well. Gotta clean it out every few days and also make sure a fish or shrimp doesn't get stuck in. Flow is noticeable. Not a ton but noticeable. 

This was 100% an impulse buy for me. 

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## Nick00Merlin (Sep 29, 2015)

Awesome setup Bro! Let us know what kind of injuries you sustain after you get the nano! What kind of tank are you gunna set up for the kids? Mine have been begging me to get them a glow tank!


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Kids are out of the equation for a bit. Just finishing building my 5 year old a garden. Lol


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## Plantedcube (Oct 28, 2013)

just read through your whole journal! keep up the awesome work. How do you like the surface skimmer? Really looking for something to get rid of my oily surface. Also, you didn't want to get a jebao powerhead instead? They have a slimmer profile.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Didn't even know about them. I was having flow issues and jumped on Amazon quick and saw the hydor. Tried the 425 and 240. Kept the 240. Still have time to send it back. May give a jebao a try. 

I like the skimmer. I wish they were cheaper and I could throw one in my 10 gallon (put an eheim in it after like the work this unit did)


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Went out of town for a few days and came back to some good growth...and a new power head to try thanks to planercube's suggestion










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## Bainreese (Oct 2, 2015)

HBdirtbag said:


>


Great tank. Love following along. I have a question though. Your equipment list says you are using an Up Aqua inline diffuser but in the above picture its looking like you have gone to something else. I'm interested in what it is you are using overall and especially what is giving you that kind of cloud of Co2 as it looks very good for just a regular in-tank diffuser.


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## Chris_Produces (Feb 19, 2014)

Bainreese said:


> Great tank. Love following along. I have a question though. Your equipment list says you are using an Up Aqua inline diffuser but in the above picture its looking like you have gone to something else. I'm interested in what it is you are using overall and especially what is giving you that kind of cloud of Co2 as it looks very good for just a regular in-tank diffuser.


I think you're referring to is a Twinstar Reactor. Not a CO2 diffuser.

Bump: Check out adana usa


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Actually switched to reactors. Had niloc build me two so I now have reactors in both tanks. 

I got annoyed by the bubbles of the inline diffuser. 











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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Chris is close, it's actually a twin star knockoff by Doctor Chiriros. About half the cost. Suppose to prevent green algae, help keep tds down, etc. 

Still trying to determine if it's snake oil or not. 


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## Bainreese (Oct 2, 2015)

HBdirtbag said:


> Actually switched to reactors. Had niloc build me two so I now have reactors in both tanks.
> 
> I got annoyed by the bubbles of the inline diffuser.
> 
> ...


Do you have a picture of these installed in your tank?

I've got a 105g tank and thus my concern is with getting adequate Co2 to all areas of the tank as efficiently as possible. I'm looking to convert to an inline Atomizer by Up aqua but am now second guessing myself.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Real simple, they are in my cabinet, stand up straight. Inflow goes into the top, outflow out the bottom. Co2 into the middle. Will get a pic for you in a bit


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Buce is flowering 

















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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Latest FTS










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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

The variety looks great together!


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

60 day shot comparison










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## Dantrasy (Sep 9, 2013)

Turning out lovely! Well done


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

I swear I trim out more stems per week then I put in this tank...it's crazy!


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## Daisy Mae (Jun 21, 2015)

HBdirtbag said:


> I swear I trim out more stems per week then I put in this tank...it's crazy!


It just looks so lush! I guess that's where we'll managed high-techiness gets you. I'm a little lazy about this whole thing though, so I stick to low tech. I'd go crazy having to trim weekly. As it is, most tanks get a snip here, a cut there every couple weeks or so. 

Anyway, hats off to you is really what I wanted to say.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Always thought weed would be the most expensive plant I bought!!!










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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

Wow! Who would ever think that a plant called "blood vomit" could look so cool? How do you propagate the plant? I don't think I've ever seen a video or instructions on how to do so.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

bereninga said:


> Wow! Who would ever think that a plant called "blood vomit" could look so cool? How do you propagate the plant? I don't think I've ever seen a video or instructions on how to do so.



when the postman arrived with it I was actually on my way out to play poker, so I just dropped it in real quick. I think it'll easily split, going to re-arrange some stuff today and propagate one or two of them.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Latest FTS 


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Went away for a few days..












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## bk. (Sep 27, 2014)

Lookin good!


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## AlanLe (Jan 10, 2013)

what is your water parameter?


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Alan, I haven't checked anything in so long. Tds is in the 140-200 range. Ph 6.3-7.0 I believe. 


Decide to hack things up yesterday































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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

It's truly amazing how fast things grow. I've already had to do another full hack. Also my SR ground cover on the right is going through some kind of deficiency, it has almost completed lost every leaf. I think I'm gonna pull it up and replace it with buces, thinking a mini Catherine ground cover 


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Also, I must have trimmed $50 worth of macranda the other day and dumped it in the trash, need to stop being lazy and ROAK


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Updated pics. And wife finally got her wish for a shrimp tank













































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## Nick00Merlin (Sep 29, 2015)

Yes please! Lots of people would love to have a chance to grow some of your trimmings! 

Awesome tank btw! Been following along for a little bit now and this tank looks great!



HBdirtbag said:


> Also, I must have trimmed $50 worth of macranda the other day and dumped it in the trash, need to stop being lazy and ROAK
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Chris_Produces (Feb 19, 2014)

Any word on the Doctor Chiriros algae sterilizer? Snake oil? Seems like you could do the same thing with just more surface agitation to try and raise oxygen levels in the water.

Bump: For 70 beans though I guess it's worth a shot


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## aehowitt (Jan 4, 2016)

In the last photo you posted, what are the plants in the top/center and bottom/center?

Thanks!


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## Spiffyfish (Jan 30, 2014)

That's crazy you haven't been in the hobby for a year and your tank looks that good. I've been trying to do plants the past few months and it has been kicking my butt. I live in the east bay so I'm sure our water is pretty close to the same. Wish I had as good of luck as you. What are you dosing, and what is your photo period? I'm running 2 current plus' sat full blast, I'm just amazed at how well your tank has turned out. I'm in Hayward maybe next time you do a trim I can pick some of them up.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Chris_Produces said:


> Any word on the Doctor Chiriros algae sterilizer? Snake oil? Seems like you could do the same thing with just more surface agitation to try and raise oxygen levels in the water.
> 
> Bump: For 70 beans though I guess it's worth a shot



I don't know yes or no. But I haven't had any algae problems yet (knock on wood) other then a real real small bba spot after leaving it alone for 9 days. 

After dealing with spyro in one tank, any snake oil that tells me it'll help is worth it to me to try lol


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

aehowitt said:


> In the last photo you posted, what are the plants in the top/center and bottom/center?
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks!



Top center is macranda rotala. Forget the name of the other. 


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Spiffyfish said:


> That's crazy you haven't been in the hobby for a year and your tank looks that good. I've been trying to do plants the past few months and it has been kicking my butt. I live in the east bay so I'm sure our water is pretty close to the same. Wish I had as good of luck as you. What are you dosing, and what is your photo period? I'm running 2 current plus' sat full blast, I'm just amazed at how well your tank has turned out. I'm in Hayward maybe next time you do a trim I can pick some of them up.



Thanks bud. Did a ton of research before going at it. 

I switched to ro a few months back. My tds out of the tap was 400+!!!!!!!! This helped a bit I think. I'm dosing EI and an f ton of co2!


Photoperiod is 3.5 hours on, off for 3.5, on 6.5. Just bumped lights up from 73% to 80%


And absolutely willing to have you grab the trimmings!


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Anyone know what's going on with my repens?


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## Spiffyfish (Jan 30, 2014)

figure anything out with your s repens? mine look like they are starting to melt.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Seem to be growing back fine. I had pulled a good amount...but what I left appears to be charging forward. 


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## lasutaku (Jun 15, 2007)

Sorry if this was mentioned already, but do you keep your twinstar on 24/7?

Thanks!


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## HeavyUser (Jan 23, 2016)

What are those two snake like fish in your last set of pictures? *Nice Tank!

Edit: NVM, did a google search and pulled up Kuhli Loach!


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## Chris_Produces (Feb 19, 2014)

HBdirtbag said:


> Anyone know what's going on with my repens?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


You mentioned small amounts of bba earlier…

When my SR was having issues I started seeing bba also. I think it was due to the increased growth/mass. Had to turn up the co2 a little more and the SR recovered nicely and the bba went away. 

Not saying this is your problem but it helped in my situation. Seems like anytime I've had issues it was because of co2 levels not being high enough for how strong the PAR levels were with my lighting.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

lasutaku said:


> Sorry if this was mentioned already, but do you keep your twinstar on 24/7?
> 
> Thanks!



Yes I do, still not sure if this thing works or not, but i don't think i'd set up another tank without one



HeavyUser said:


> What are those two snake like fish in your last set of pictures? *Nice Tank!
> 
> Edit: NVM, did a google search and pulled up Kuhli Loach!


Yes, Kuhli loaches, pretty interesting fish. Wife and my daughter are obsessed with them. I do suspect they are eating my baby shrimp though (but so are the cardinals)



Chris_Produces said:


> You mentioned small amounts of bba earlier…
> 
> When my SR was having issues I started seeing bba also. I think it was due to the increased growth/mass. Had to turn up the co2 a little more and the SR recovered nicely and the bba went away.
> 
> Not saying this is your problem but it helped in my situation. Seems like anytime I've had issues it was because of co2 levels not being high enough for how strong the PAR levels were with my lighting.


It's possible, it's all growing back pretty good right now.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Just wanted to update as I've done some re-arranging and am re-growing some stuff out










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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

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## JoseRivera (Sep 10, 2013)

Great looking tank, i just read the whole journal this past hour, i was wondering though the hills seemed more prominent in the early pictures vs the more recent pictures, did you do that, did it happen on its own, or it just appears that way?


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

It's a little bit of both. The right side is still significantly higher. But it's slowly settled overtime from me pulling stuff off, current, etc


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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

HBdirtbag said:


> Yes I do, still not sure if this thing works or not, but i don't think i'd set up another tank without one



I've thought about getting one of these but can never get my ahead around if it really works. If it was <$100 I'd feel a little better about it.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

The knock offs are. You can pick them up for about $60 Chiriros Doctor 


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Latest...kind of in shambles...notnreallyv sure what I'm doing 
































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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

go pro video from a few months ago

https://youtu.be/icqBGvyc7bg


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## mysticalnet (Dec 2, 2007)

Still looks lush and healthy though 

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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

That video is awesome. hahah That's how it feels like to be one of them huh?


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## GrantF (Jan 5, 2015)

I'm no expert, but could the issue be flow related?

From your pictures it looks like the filter inlet and outlet are on the same end of the tank with the outlet at the bank and inlet at the front. This creates a circular flow which is good. On the opposite end of the tank however, you have two skimmers and a power head blowing water back at the lily pipes which could be creating dead zones. In your gopro video (that was cool btw) you can see that the surface of the skimmer side of the tank isn't really moving, but the lily pipe end is in circular motion. 

Maybe try rearranging your skimmers and power head to complement the circular flow. For example, you could place a skimmer on the left side of the tank (where they are currently) at the back and have it blowing to the front of the tank, then use your power head to blow the water from the skimmer across the front of the tank and into the the filter inlet. 

It's also possible that the water coming out of your lily pipe isn't moving fast enough to push it across the tank and that's why there's a dead zone in the middle. In this case you could maybe place the power head beneath the lily pipe to help it blow the water across the tank. 

I could be totally wrong here, but just a suggestion. Play with it and see what happens.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Hey Grant,

I assume this is in regards to the SR shedding?

If you look at the photos i posted above, you can see things get changed around a bit. The tank has good flow. I'm not sure why the SR keeps melting, but it seems to happen every few months, then grows completely back (has happened 3x's now).

I've now got it similiar to a way you described, outlet in back towards a skimmer, that then pushes towards the powerhead, and then off to the inlet. I keep debating just adding another filter.....


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## GrantF (Jan 5, 2015)

HBdirtbag said:


> Hey Grant,
> 
> I assume this is in regards to the SR shedding?


No I was just thinking in general. After seeing your video it looked clear to me that flow is an issue. Was that video taken before or after you rearranged your equipment?



HBdirtbag said:


> If you look at the photos i posted above, you can see things get changed around a bit. The tank has good flow. I'm not sure why the SR keeps melting, but it seems to happen every few months, then grows completely back (has happened 3x's now).


I'm not sure why it would do that, but I'm a beginner as you are and am currently using staurogyne for my first time now. Haven't had that issue yet.



HBdirtbag said:


> I've now got it similiar to a way you described, outlet in back towards a skimmer, that then pushes towards the powerhead, and then off to the inlet. I keep debating just adding another filter.....


Try sticking your camera in the tank again and see if you can see how the water is moving around the tank like you could in your video. I feel like buying a new filter is a last resort.

Here's a barrage of questions that you can post the answers to and see if one of us can help:

What is your dosing regime? What's your water quality like (kH, pH, gH)? Are you using tap or RO water when you do water changes? If you're using tap water, what is its kH, pH, and gH? How often are you doing water changes? What's your CO2 level? Where's your diffuser located in your tank? What do you have your Satellite Plus Pro's set to (i.e. RGB and white intensity)?


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Ahhhh, i turned off the powerhead and skimmer for the video as the noise drove me bonkers!


Dosing - EI + extra Iron
Water - KH: 0-1 GH: 4-6 PH: generally around 6 
CO2 - A [censored][censored][censored][censored] load, i dump it in there, let the fish tell me when to quit. Have a reactor in the cabinet.
Light - I mess around with these a lot....but over all white intensity is about 70-75%. R- 85-90 B - 75-80 G 85-90. But if i'm in the office i'll use one of the standard settings with 100% light for a few hours. (lights go on at 7 am, off 10:30-2:30 then on again till about 7:30 pm)


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## GrantF (Jan 5, 2015)

If those are your KH and pH values at the end of the day when your CO2 regulator turns off (likely the point when you have the highest concentration of CO2 in your water), that means that you have a CO2 concentration of 30ppm using a KH-pH chart. That would be bang on where you're supposed to be, but KH isn't just controlled by CO2 so your CO2 concentration might actually be lower than that. Have you tried turning it up incrementally? Maybe adding a diffuser to the skimmer end of your tank would help. I've recently learnt that aquatic plants be eid from dissolved CO2 but also just from CO2 bubbles being blown across them. See here: 

http://youtu.be/e0yR39isBsg

Do you know what's in your tap water? You might be able to find a water quality/water treatment report for your municipality online where it will outline what is put in your water. Although unlikely, it's possible that you might be overdosing nutrients?

I'm running one sat plus pro on a tank that's 31.5" long, 13" wide, and 17" deep with everything set at 60% and I've had no problem carpeting dwarf hair grass and micranthemum monte carlo. It's possible that you're providing too much light maybe?

What exactly do you mean when you say that your tank is in shambles? For the most part it looks pretty good to me.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Ahh, my tap water is horrid. I run about 75% RO.....and add in GH (my tap was popping out 350+ PPM!!!!)

I'll also be honest, I RARELY check water parameters these days.

By shambles, i've torn out/moved/replaced a bunch of [censored][censored][censored][censored].....no method to the madness...just kind of gone at it.


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

tap water parameter change a lot. well at least in my home they do. testing them before water change is a good thing to do if you have ro water so you know what the percentage you need.

great video btw


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Pulled all the rocks and doing some serious re-arranging 


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

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## bcarl_10gal (Feb 13, 2014)

I would improve your flow first move switch the lily output with the input. Second add a powerhead in the front right pointing left and another in the back left pointing towards the intake. 

Next lower your macro dosing to approx. .15ppm of iron per week. Best of luck!


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## ScubaSteve (Jun 30, 2012)

any updates on this?


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

ScubaSteve said:


> any updates on this?




Will get one out today or tomorrow 


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

These are both about two weeks ago


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Today


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

HBdirtbag said:


> It's time
> 
> 
> 
> ...


what's that white thing in the corner?

Beautiful setup by the way!!


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Dr. Chihiros....suppose to prevent algea, doesn't really do much...snake oil i believe


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

Ahh, maybe you need one in each corner? Good for halloween affect!!


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

HBdirtbag said:


> Dr. Chihiros....suppose to prevent algea, doesn't really do much...snake oil i believe




The science behind it is actually supposed to be sound. It basically performs electrolysis and forms lots of H2 and O2. But, it's one of those things where it can only help a tank out, not completely rid it of algae.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Been slowly redoing. 




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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

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## Leeatl (Aug 8, 2015)

Very nice tank .


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

I keep getting bored and changing things up. What I've learned is I have a f ton of s Belem.

















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## Ben Belton (Dec 12, 2008)

HBdirtbag said:


> What I've learned is I have a f ton of s Belem.


You do, but S belem is magical. I love it.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

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## jsarrow (Jun 10, 2008)

HB, how do you like the satellite led plus pro? Would you buy them again if given the chance and do you think 1 would be sufficient for a 90P?


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## IntotheWRX (May 13, 2016)

HBdirtbag said:


> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


where you at in walnut creek? i live across from john muir hospital. maybe i can mooch some trimmings off you? 

your tank looks great. very lush and your growth is super good. any tips on how you get your growth to be so good? it took mine months to reach where you are at.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

IntotheWRX said:


> where you at in walnut creek? i live across from john muir hospital. maybe i can mooch some trimmings off you?
> 
> your tank looks great. very lush and your growth is super good. any tips on how you get your growth to be so good? it took mine months to reach where you are at.



Right by Northgate high school. Would absolutely love to throw you some trimmings as I most often throw them away! I use EI Dosing and a [censored][censored][censored][censored] ton of CO2. And find using RO water helps a lot (our tap water here is [censored][censored][censored][censored]...i was looking at 350+ TDS out of the tap)


What does your WRX look like? I've got an old chevy suburban hot rod (purple with flames) and a 996 Turbo on CCW classics.....maybe we've seen each other around.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Latest update. Tanks disorganized right now. 











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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

*ADA 120P &quot;I've Lost My Mind&quot;*



jsarrow said:


> HB, how do you like the satellite led plus pro? Would you buy them again if given the chance and do you think 1 would be sufficient for a 90P?




Sorry, just saw this. I'm happy. Overall I wish I had gone bml's. but if I rebought today with bml no longer around I'd buy these again. 


How wide and tall is the 90p?


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Here's the latest. Went on a rampage the other day and changed a lot around.










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## Ben Belton (Dec 12, 2008)

I would love a "lawn" of Syngonanthus. Looks good and happy.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Just an update of what this tank looks like currently. It's a jungle. Baby #3 has been keeping me occupied. 

That said. New journal coming as I got the steal of a lifetime on an ADA 75H and ADA stand with an unbelievable amount of glass and gear (guy has a $3,200 receipt and everything was new. I paid $650!!)


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

...


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

...x


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Did a big trim yesterday


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## AndrewH (Dec 24, 2007)

Magnificent!

Definitely looking forward to following this build as it evolves!


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Blyxa keeps growing like mad. I swear I'm throwing away buckets full every other week...










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## overgrown (Dec 30, 2015)

Fantastic journal! Glad to see another local on here. Great stocking choices as well!


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

*ADA 120P &quot;I've Lost My Mind&quot;*



overgrown said:


> Fantastic journal! Glad to see another local on here. Great stocking choices as well!




🤙🏼 where abouts in the area are ya? I see the cpd's in your avatar, my favorite fish. 


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## overgrown (Dec 30, 2015)

HBdirtbag said:


> 🤙🏼 where abouts in the area are ya? I see the cpd's in your avatar, my favorite fish.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I'm located in the El Sobrante/Pinole area. 

The CPD's were my favorite fish as well, until I discovered the Chili Rasbora's. They are currently stocked in my nano tank (10 gallons is nano to me). I love the CPD's, but I always found them a bit shy in a way that the Chili's aren't.


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Very ironic you say that. The chili cpd ive flip flopped back and forth on for awhile. I have probably 50 of each in this tank


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

Did a big overhaul










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## cooperhelm (Apr 21, 2017)

looking good! any plans for buces on the wood?


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## HBdirtbag (Jun 15, 2015)

cooperhelm said:


> looking good! any plans for buces on the wood?




Already getting there. Had a large shipment arrive this week, unfortunately USPS took 7 days to deliver what should have been overnight...and 80% of the order came ruined due to the delay and a big heat wave. 


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