# Dan's 10G Planted Tank: Inclination *New Scape on Page 11*



## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

7-21-09:
Plants:
















































Red Cherries playing in the Pearlweed (or that is what I suspect that plant to be):








One of the many berried females:


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## CAM6467 (Feb 11, 2009)

Looking great! This is going to be nice once it grows really thick and you have to do your first trim job. I'm sure that you're going to be pleased with this. What is that substrate? 

Regards,

Charlie Mims


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## houstonhobby (Dec 12, 2008)

Looks like a great job. Wish I could have a series of pictures with no algae like that!


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

CAM6467 said:


> Looking great! This is going to be nice once it grows really thick and you have to do your first trim job. I'm sure that you're going to be pleased with this. What is that substrate?
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Charlie Mims


Thanks for the compliment. The substrate is regular play sand from Home Depot ($2.50 for 50lbs). However, it is not the white, very fine play sand, but instead a coarser grain sand that does not cloud the water even after a large replant.

houstonhobby: I'm sure I'll have a bunch of algae soon enough, hehe. My two Nerites have finally stopped mating (they seem to mate more than they clean my tank!), so at least they will start cleaning again.

Does anyone know what plant this is? 









Edit: Found out it is Riccia.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

7-25-09 (likely the last update for a week):

















gif showcasing the changes from 7-17-09 - 7-25-09:


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## mgdmirage (Mar 30, 2009)

looks good


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Very good! Everything is looking beautiful!


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## Sarkazmo (Jun 22, 2009)

I'm pretty sure that what you're calling Pearlweed is Penny Wort. Tank looks awesome by the way. I love floating plants so I need to get some of those Red Root Floaters. I've got Duck weed, Dwarf Water Lettuce, and Frogbit. Now I need to complete my collection, heh

Sark


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Sarkazmo said:


> I'm pretty sure that what you're calling Pearlweed is Penny Wort. Tank looks awesome by the way. I love floating plants so I need to get some of those Red Root Floaters. I've got Duck weed, Dwarf Water Lettuce, and Frogbit. Now I need to complete my collection, heh
> 
> Sark


I actually do have Pennywort, but that is in another tank as of now (it might be seen in an earlier picture of my tank, though). I just looked up Pearlweed on TPT database and it is indeed Pearlweed (which lives up to its name). Here is a picture from the database: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myPlantsImage.php?n=163_hemanthiusmicranthemoides.jpg


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Yep, pearlweed aka hm
Great plant!


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Did a quick trim yesterday of a few stem plants on the right. I do not know what to do with my Anubias Nana as it is too large. Two Anubias Nana Petite plants would look nicely in its current position (far left), but I do not have the funds for them. So, for the foreseeable future, the Nana will stay put. My Riccia is tied to the red cap as I am waiting for it to grow more before doing something more permanent with it.

Before I ramble too much, here are some blurry and bad pictures of how the tank looks today. Been getting lots of growth. I may need higher wattage CFL bulbs with the way the Red Root Floaters are sucking up the available light.

























































FTS comparison of 7-25-09 and 8-2-09:


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## Northern_Wind (Nov 1, 2008)

Wow! Beautiful tank, well done!


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

8-5-09:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Decently sized update today (8-8-09):
-I created a black background for the tank.
-Upgraded the 15w CFL bulbs to 20w bulbs since the Red Root Floaters have taken over the top of the tank, as can be seen in the following pictures.
-Trimmed my Wisteria plants as they, much like my Red Root Floaters, were sucking up much of the available light. Now I see why people state this plant should be in a larger tank.
-Trimmed my Pearlweed to even it out a bit.
-Moved my Anubias to hide the roots. I am quite pleased where it is currently.

Pictures:


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

This is really great--so much to see and so much dimension in such a little tank--reminds me of Bhushan's 10-gallon.


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## ryan_p (Mar 18, 2009)

dj2005 said:


> Decently sized update today (8-8-09):
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

I love that RRF! I could never keep mine red.


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## Kayen (Oct 14, 2007)

I'm loving that HM bush!


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Thanks for the comments.  I'll be removing much of the Wisteria once they begin to get too big. I'm thinking a stem or two in the back of my tank and that is all.


















Edit: Another update!
Trimmed many of my plants, and I've taken all but one Wisteria out of the tank.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Great tank! It looks much better than mine


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Great tank! It looks much better than mine


Lies. :red_mouth

8-17-09 Update:
After the big trim from the last update, everything seems to have slowed down in growing compared to the growth rate I was getting. I do not dose ferts other than Flourish, and I have been noticing deficiencies that come with no macro fert dosing (small, crinkled leaves with dark veins), so I assume having almost no ferts is what is limiting these plants. I've spent time browsing around gathering information about EI dosing, but since I only do 30% weekly water changes and only have Excel as a carbon source, I don't think dosing ferts would be a wise decision. Am I wrong?

Pictures:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

A tip to keep RRF' roots red is to not disturb the plant, at all. For the past week I've been trying to eliminate the damned duckweed, unsuccessfully I might add, and this caused the roots of the RRF to revert back to their green stage. The good news is that I've given up trying to eliminate the duckweed, and because of this, the roots are returning to their reddened stage.  I may move all but a select few duckweed-free RRF and hope that they rebuild their population. 

8-20-09:

















8-21-09:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Transferred most of my RRF to a smaller planted tank. Of the handful I currently have in this tank, there is no duckweed present. Needless to say, it is much brighter in my tank.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

This is such a happy little tank. I say that because I am always smiling when I view your journal. It really is an inspiration to the beauty of low-tech. Thanks for giving me inspiration.


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

I can't imagine that you will be able to get away with not fertilizing forever. I think you will see deficiencies multiply. You can dose on the limited side.


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## legomaniac89 (Mar 16, 2008)

Tex Gal said:


> I can't imagine that you will be able to get away with not fertilizing forever. I think you will see deficiencies multiply. You can dose on the limited side.


I have a soil substrate in my 20H, following Diana Walstad's example and I've never fertilized the tank at all. It's been up for almost 2 years without any kind of deficiencies. 

BTW, nice looking tank Dan. This is one of the better 10g low tech's I've seen.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> This is such a happy little tank. I say that because I am always smiling when I view your journal. It really is an inspiration to the beauty of low-tech. Thanks for giving me inspiration.


Glad you enjoy my journal. I've been following yours for several months as it is always a pleasure to see what is happening inside it. 



Tex Gal said:


> I can't imagine that you will be able to get away with not fertilizing forever. I think you will see deficiencies multiply. You can dose on the limited side.


True, limited dosing of ferts is an option. Perhaps down the road I will do that.



legomaniac89 said:


> I have a soil substrate in my 20H, following Diana Walstad's example and I've never fertilized the tank at all. It's been up for almost 2 years without any kind of deficiencies.
> 
> BTW, nice looking tank Dan. This is one of the better 10g low tech's I've seen.


A good substrate is another option, as you stated. Right now I am just using play sand so the plants aren't extracting any nutrients from that. I'll have to look into the Diana Walstad's soil substrate in the future to see what it entails. Thanks for the complement.

Tank update:
I wanted to wait until I received my new plants before making an update. FYI: If you ever see tranr posting a FS thread concerning plant trimmings over at APC forums, then hop on that deal. This is my second package from her and it is amazing how good her plant packages are. The packages were also only $7 shipped each (shipped in that nice regular Priority box rather than those tiny $5 flat rate boxes). In this package I received:
-Heteranthera zosterifolia (4-5)
-Myriophyllum mattogrossense (clump)
-Rotala rotundifolia (2-3)
-Rotala macrandra (2)
-Blyxa japonica (2)
-Najas guadalupensis (4-5)
-Vallisneria sp. with runners (4-5)
-Pistia (handful amount)
-I think another type of plant or two.

Finally, to top it off, she has excellent communication and offers helpful, in-depth advice on the plants, and even double bags and labels each plant bundle. An example:









Now for the actual tank pictures:
8-24-09:

















8-29-09:
- This is after receiving the plant package, but I couldn't fit nearly all the plants, even after removing the small piece of driftwood. I would have preferred leaving the driftwood in, as I think the tank looked better with it than without, but I have no other place to stick these plants. I'll see how everything does in the following month. The Rotala macrandra will likely not make it as my tank is low-tech, while that plant is more of a high-tech plant.


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## ryan_p (Mar 18, 2009)

your tank gets better and better. I cant still imagine its a low tech setup. This is one of the coolest low tech tank ive ever seen. keep up the good work :icon_smil.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

ryan_p said:


> your tank gets better and better. I cant still imagine its a low tech setup. This is one of the coolest low tech tank ive ever seen. keep up the good work :icon_smil.


Thanks!

9-1-09:
I removed the Anubias Nana as the leaves are just too large for the spot I had it in. Been getting some good plant growth over the last couple of days. Will be trimming the Pearlweed to even it out some soon.


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

Your tank looks so much bigger than a 10 gallon. 
Are you going to keep the HM trimmed to just that little bush or are you going to let it carpet? IMO I think this tank would look fantastic with a full HM carpet :S


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Definitely would like it to form a carpet. I have only trimmed the height once or twice before, that's all. If I had an actual CO2 system and/or fert dosing then I'd probably have a good carpet by now. Still, it is slowly, but surely, creeping along the substrate.


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

nice tank man.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

speedie408 said:


> nice tank man.


Thanks.

9-3-09:
Trimmed the HM a day or two ago. The RRF really propagates quickly. I'll probably be selling a fairly large floating plant bundle for a six bucks tomorrow on this forum if anyone is interested in some RRF, Water Lettuce, Frogbit, and Duckweed (unavoidable).


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## Matt724 (Jul 7, 2009)

Jealous


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

9-7-09:
















Rotala is doing well:








RCS party:








Riccia is also doing well:








Some top shots:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

9-10-09:
















Is this normal Riccia or Dwarf Riccia?


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

9-12-09:


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## KribensisBoy (Sep 11, 2009)

Tanks like this, want to make me go out and buy 50$ of new plants and try to make mine look half as good as yours,


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

KribensisBoy said:


> Tanks like this, want to make me go out and buy 50$ of new plants and try to make mine look half as good as yours,


You should be able to find some great deals on plants within the For Sale section of this forum, along with the For Sale sections of other aquarium forums. May take a bit of time to find the good deals, but they do come along. 

And thank you for the compliment!


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

9-15-09:


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

That riccia is taking off. Looks beautiful as usual.


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## FrostyNYC (Nov 5, 2007)

Looks really great. What's your plan for the riccia? Also, your HM is getting close to trim time, I think.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> That riccia is taking off. Looks beautiful as usual.


Thank you. 



FrostyNYC said:


> Looks really great. What's your plan for the riccia? Also, your HM is getting close to trim time, I think.


Thanks.

For now, I am just letting the Riccia grow. Maybe I'll make a Riccia only tank once it is big enough to distribute.

Yep, HM is definitely a giant bush now. Will be trimming that whenever I have time to do so.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

9-22-09:


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## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

wow this ten is just amazing the sense of depth and length you have created is awesome!

this is one of the only threads i actually started from the beginning and read through to see how you did all this. i cant believe you got all this to grow so well with just play sand and some excel!!! im so following along to see what happens next


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

It looks awsome! Hopefully I will be able to get a 10g of mine to look that good! (once I get the money.)


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

I plan to trim this weekend as the stems are all over the place, some growing out of the water.



problemman said:


> wow this ten is just amazing the sense of depth and length you have created is awesome!
> 
> this is one of the only threads i actually started from the beginning and read through to see how you did all this. i cant believe you got all this to grow so well with just play sand and some excel!!! im so following along to see what happens next


Thank you very much.  I am also quite surprised my plants are actually growing rather than dying. Low maintenance tanks sure are nice. Tank care consists of me feeding my shrimps then dosing Excel once a day. Then ~30mins for the weekly (or bi-monthly) WC.



JakeJ said:


> It looks awsome! Hopefully I will be able to get a 10g of mine to look that good! (once I get the money.)


Thank you and good luck with your 10g once you set it up!


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## demosthenes (Aug 23, 2008)

looks good, i love the sense of the sort of 'cave' in the middle. it adds a lot of depth to the layout, and it really accentuates the other plants. I think you should try to separate out the different species of plants in there, so there are more defined 'bushes' in your tank of the different species. As in, put all of your H. difformis with the rest of your H. difformis, and put all of your polysperma with the rest of the polysperma, etc. great start, i hope it continues to do as well as it has been doing!


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## Lindo (Apr 12, 2009)

I probably missed this, but how much exel and how long are the lights on for? I have been adding cuttings from the big tank but thinking its time just to get more plants as I love the way your tank has grown in.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

demosthenes said:


> looks good, i love the sense of the sort of 'cave' in the middle. it adds a lot of depth to the layout, and it really accentuates the other plants. I think you should try to separate out the different species of plants in there, so there are more defined 'bushes' in your tank of the different species. As in, put all of your H. difformis with the rest of your H. difformis, and put all of your polysperma with the rest of the polysperma, etc. great start, i hope it continues to do as well as it has been doing!


I've thought of doing that at least a month ago, but I am much too lazy to do it. I'll see if things are manageable after the trim. It's just so hard to get everything to stay put for me in a small tank due to limited space.



Lindo said:


> I probably missed this, but how much exel and how long are the lights on for? I have been adding cuttings from the big tank but thinking its time just to get more plants as I love the way your tank has grown in.


I dose 2x the recommended dosage of Excel (2ml). Lights are on 8-9 hours. I dose Flourish ~2x a week on random days.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Nice tank and your plants look happy too. It's remarkable what nice layouts some people can put together in small aquariums like 10-gallons. I am clumsy with two left hands so I can only pull it off in bigger tanks.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> Nice tank and your plants look happy too. It's remarkable what nice layouts some people can put together in small aquariums like 10-gallons. I am clumsy with two left hands so I can only pull it off in bigger tanks.


Thanks again, hydrophyte.

Today was trimming day. I'm quite sad to remove so many plants, but I felt it was time for a different scape. Once the HM fills in it should look quite nice. Hopefully the water clears up soon. Lots of shrimp poop has been stirred up today. I might do another water change tomorrow to clear it up some.

Before:








After (I'll be trimming the sunset hygros soon. I'm waiting to hear back from someone if he wants them):








Time for a HM field:








Trimmings:


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

LOL! love the bowl of trimmings! Are you sure you didn't take that px at my house?!


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## Ariel301 (Sep 7, 2009)

Very pretty tank! It definitely looks bigger than ten gallons.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Does anyone know if Purigen would clear the brown murky water? It is near impossible to siphon much of the tank, causing shrimp/snail waste to sit on the substrate clouding the water.



Tex Gal said:


> LOL! love the bowl of trimmings! Are you sure you didn't take that px at my house?!


I'm fairly certain. :icon_wink



Ariel301 said:


> Very pretty tank! It definitely looks bigger than ten gallons.


Thanks. Hopefully it'll look even larger once my new layout fills in. I had a few too many stems in my tank previously that were just getting too big to keep in a 10g tank. I actually only removed the large hygro (I think that was what it was) so much of the variety is still there, just in a smaller dose.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

9-29-09:
Tank has cleared up quite well. Trimmed the Sunset stems. Moved filter to other side of tank to improve circulation.

























As a bonus, here is my 2.5 gallon tank I received from ddtran. As you can tell, he has much better aquascaping skills than I do.  He was growing it emersed for a couple months, I decided to fill the tank up due to what I've read online - grow HC emersed for ~2 months for roots to establish then fill. I added a few RCS, then a few floating plants to help them out since there is no filter on the tank. I dose Excel once a day and that is all for maintenance besides topping the tank off and occasional trimming.

9-7-09:

























9-29-09:


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## jazzlvr123 (Jul 16, 2007)

just a suggestion you should add larger rocks to that scape if you want to see them later on, the hc will take it over most of those smaller rocks once it gets established unless very aggressively pruned


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

jazzlvr123 said:


> just a suggestion you should add larger rocks to that scape if you want to see them later on, the hc will take it over most of those smaller rocks once it gets established unless very aggressively pruned


I know, however, due to my budget I'll likely keep the current setup. Still, thank you for the suggestion.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

10-1-09:
Removed a couple more stems from the right side and then shifted the remaining stems in that area a bit more to the left. I'll probably be trimming my HM shorter soon to promote root growth and creating the illusion of the tank being larger than it is.


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## seds (Jan 30, 2009)

Looking cool. HM is now officially on my wish list.

Have you had any problems with frogbit + excel? As a general rule, plants in the "tapegrass family" which includes frogbit, are sensitive to excel and melt...


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

I love it! The shade from the RRF's really make a cool effect. You've done a great job with this ten gallon.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

seds said:


> Looking cool. HM is now officially on my wish list.
> 
> Have you had any problems with frogbit + excel? As a general rule, plants in the "tapegrass family" which includes frogbit, are sensitive to excel and melt...


The frogbit does lose a leaf or two a week, but new ones come in to replace them, as well as new frogbit plants. So, it does seem to affect them though not enough to hinder growth.



fastfreddie said:


> I love it! The shade from the RRF's really make a cool effect. You've done a great job with this ten gallon.


Thanks.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

10-6-09:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

10-13-09:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

10-16-09:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

10-22-09:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

10-23-09:
Small rotala trim.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

That cory picture is wonderful! I love it.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

10-29-09:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

11-3-09:
Ordered dry ferts as I am tired of looking at the skinny leaves that my Ludwigia stems have. Now to order measuring spoons for those 1/32 tsp measurements. 
Riccia is now floating since the Pearlweed was starting to engulf it (I'm still amazed at how fast Pearlweed grows).
Trimmed Pearlweed.
Removed another baby val. The mother val loves shooting out baby vals to the other side of my tank... Quite annoying.
Added my Red Sea Nano filter (was on another tank previously), but it seems I somehow damaged it when I cleaned it as whenever I plug it in, it runs fine for an hour or three, then shuts off. Not sure how I damaged it as all I did was rinse it out with water.

Pictures:


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## gsxunv04 (Oct 22, 2009)

good looking tank, have you considered co2 or are you happy with excel?


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

gsxunv04 said:


> good looking tank, have you considered co2 or are you happy with excel?


Oh, I have definitely considered pressurized CO2, but it is just too much money for me. If the tank was larger, then I would as Excel would end up becoming costly, but as it stands, I get 250 days per 500ml of Excel (double recommended dosage daily).

The main issue has been the lack of macro ferts, so I'm not really sure what type of growth I will be getting once I start dosing those. Still, I can't say I'm disappointed with Excel.


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## gsxunv04 (Oct 22, 2009)

cool, im a rookie at FW planted tanks, I just setup a 10g and was hoping excel would be all I needed.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

gsxunv04 said:


> cool, im a rookie at FW planted tanks, I just setup a 10g and was hoping excel would be all I needed.


All depends on the plants. Be sure to read up on what plants disagree with Excel. In the end, I find it to be a good cheap source of CO2 for small tanks, such as a 10g. Can't go wrong with pressurized, though. :icon_smil

Anyways, just received my ferts today. Ordered from aquariumfertilizer.com yesterday and received it today. Hard to beat that service.


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## justin182 (Aug 19, 2009)

looking very good.
btw, you don't need to get the 1/32 tsp spoon. what i did is to make a batch solution for 16 days and use 1/2 tsp spoon, which can be easily found in walmart.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

11-8-09:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

11-13-09:
Ferts are starting to take effect.

FTS:









Pete the Pond Snail:








Yes, I named it Pete. All my other pond snails were quickly eaten by my RCS, yet Pete is the only one to survive and grow.


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## demonbreedr16 (Jan 10, 2008)

Pete is a Brown Ramshorn Snail...not a pond snail. Just wanted to let you know!

Ramshorns are good for planted tanks and do NOT need to be killed like some other "pest" snails I have in all my tanks [shhhhh....] 

PS. Nice tank!


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

demonbreedr16 said:


> Pete is a Brown Ramshorn Snail...not a pond snail. Just wanted to let you know!
> 
> Ramshorns are good for planted tanks and do NOT need to be killed like some other "pest" snails I have in all my tanks [shhhhh....]
> 
> PS. Nice tank!


Thanks for the fix! I suppose I'll start calling "him" Ronny instead.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

11-21-09:


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## Dr. Acula (Oct 14, 2009)

Really nice tank, man. That's a luscious bush of pearlweed. Really healthy looking plants. 
But what's the name of what you have growing in the back middle? The sort of curly looking stuff. It looks awesome.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Dr. Acula said:


> Really nice tank, man. That's a luscious bush of pearlweed. Really healthy looking plants.
> But what's the name of what you have growing in the back middle? The sort of curly looking stuff. It looks awesome.


Thanks.

Not sure which plant you are referring to so I'll just list them: there are two types of rotala - rotundifolia and macrandra, myriophyllum mattogrossense, flame moss, and blyxa japonica (this might be the plant you are posting about).


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Just finished rescaping this tank about twenty minutes ago. Will have better pictures once the tank settles down and I scrape the algae off the walls of the tank. I love how eco-complete has nearly no cloudiness when introduced into a tank (at least in my experience).

I was thinking of adding mini riccia to the driftwood tunnel's floor or the driftwood beam, but it is just too messy when trimmed.

Same plants as before. I did add a crypt and one anubias nana petite.

I'm pleased with how it turned out. Any suggestions for improvement are welcome.

12-30-09:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

12-31-09:
Tank walls cleaned, for the most part, and dust has settled down.
I added a few nodes of MM (I love this plant so much).


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## Chrisinator (Jun 5, 2008)

Amazing tank!


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## connordude27 (Jun 14, 2008)

wow! have you considered paintball Co2? i was able to get it for my 10 for $100 with everything i needed.

Amazing tank lol i need aquascaping skills half that because those pics make my tank look ugly lol


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Chrisinator said:


> Amazing tank!


Thanks. I see you have a new journal up, time for me to take a look. 



connordude27 said:


> wow! have you considered paintball Co2? i was able to get it for my 10 for $100 with everything i needed.
> 
> Amazing tank lol i need aquascaping skills half that because those pics make my tank look ugly lol


My stems grow about 1mm a month (an exaggeration, yes, but growth is slow). Pressurized CO2 would be very nice, but I would think that Excel would be enough for the low maintenance plants that I am using, though it sure doesn't seem like it.

I'm going to give the tank a month and see if my plants start growing at a decent rate. If they don't then perhaps I'll take the plunge. :icon_eek:

Few more pictures from today:
















































Top of Java Fern. One can see the small HM bush in the corner.









Here is an infected cory of mine. He has been with these white fungus patches for about a month now. Since the tank rescape, the patches look to be falling off, so I hope he gets better. Doesn't seem to affect him in any way, but I am guessing if it gets worse it'll ultimately kill him and possibly infect my other corys. I would isolate him, but I have no where else he can stay. I've read keeping the tank at a higher temp will help out, and even though I don't own an aquarium heater I'll see what I can do with manually adding hotter water every so often to bring the temp from 70*F to ~76*F. That might be more damaging, however. :fish1:









Edit: Images will likely go down for a few days due to hitting my max bandwidth. If they do, they'll be back on the 9th.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

I'll be adding Fissidens Fontanus to the spire and remove the current moss. Previous images will return on the ninth of this month.

1-2-10:

















1-4-10:









1-6-10:

























With Fissidens attached:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Surfing RCS:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

1-9-10:
The stem plants are growing well. Soon I'll be able to trim them and replant the healthy tips.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Those stems are recovering beautifully! They look 3xs better in just a short time. What made you decide to take out the HM? I like it better with the MM now.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> Those stems are recovering beautifully! They look 3xs better in just a short time. What made you decide to take out the HM? I like it better with the MM now.


Thanks! I still have a small HM bush in the back left corner. I removed the giant bush as there isn't any room for it to exist within the new scape. It's too tall to be a foreground plant in a ten gallon unless it is trimmed regularly, and that is the only place I have room to plant.

1-12-10:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

1-15-10:
Trimmed the stems and kept the new, healthy growth. I installed a 20w CFL (replaced the 15w CFL) that is lighting the right side of the tank. Going to see if that speeds up their growth rate. Would be nice if they all grew straight rather than bending all over the place.

Why do my Java Fern leaves always disintegrate? The plant itself grows quickly, but the old leaves develop holes that later consume the whole leaf. Is this a problem unique to me? Is it the Excel? Lighting?

























Fissidens Growth:








The hunter silently lurks in the shadows...


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

1-23-10:
Found new spot for Anubias plant. 

Looks like I'm going to have to purchase some fishing line to tie down the Fissidens. The shrimp enjoy clipping regular cotton thread to shreds and now I have a few clumps of Fissidens floating around my tank.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

2-1-10:
Tied Fissidens down with fishing line Saturday.
Looks like the Blyxa is doing better.
Rotala is growing horizontally.
Repens aren't doing very well for some reason.
Sunset stems are doing great (I love my Sunset stems ).
Needle Leaf Java Fern is also growing quickly.
Crypt has stopped melting and I can't wait to see some mature leaves.
The Java Moss within the regular Java Fern works great with the RCS who play in it. That whole area is like a tree house for the RCS - reminds me a bit of the Navi tree in Avatar.
I have no idea if the MM is going to survive in this tank. Fast, healthy growth in my Mini M though nearly no growth in this tank.
Mini Riccia is enjoyed by the RCS and has really begun to grow quickly over the last week.

I think that sums it all up... Picture time!


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## narhay (Feb 28, 2007)

I like your tenacity and it was fun to watch this evolve over time. I really liked the patch of glosso (? or HC) you had in the front right corner but this new scape has a lot of space that it can grow into.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

narhay said:


> I like your tenacity and it was fun to watch this evolve over time. I really liked the patch of glosso (? or HC) you had in the front right corner but this new scape has a lot of space that it can grow into.


Thanks. Personally, I was never a fan of my previous scape as once the plants grew, I had little open space. The bush you are posting about was actually HM.

This new scape, as you stated, has plenty of open space that I can either fill in at a later time or keep it as is. I was hoping the MM would fill in, but I have no idea what is going on with it.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

2-7-10:
I trimmed one of the sunset stems and replanted it into four parts.
I also trimmed the repens stems to hopefully promote new growth.
Ignore the floating HM bush. The BN knocked it loose.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

2-10-10:
BN knocked the Blyxa loose so I transferred the plant to my Mini M.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Tank looks very nice and I love your Cories! Are they Sterba Cories?


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

dewalltheway said:


> Tank looks very nice and I love your Cories! Are they Sterba Cories?


Yep, Sterbai cories they be.  Thanks for the compliment.

And I must state, BN plecos do an awesome job cleaning the sides of the tank. Finally, no more algae scraping for me!


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## jart (Jan 17, 2003)

Looks great. I read the whole thread. I really want to set up a tank like this in the near future. I don't recall reading why you changed the substrate.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

jart said:


> Looks great. I read the whole thread. I really want to set up a tank like this in the near future. I don't recall reading why you changed the substrate.


Thanks for reading it all.

I had a bag of Eco-Complete laying around that I used on my 2.5g tank. Since I still had ~18lbs left, I decided to switch out the sand for it since it is a bit better for plants and provides more contrast. I like ADA AS's appearance much more, but I didn't feel like spending so much for substrate and also dealing with the ammonia spike + tannis coloring.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

2-20-10:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

2-27-10:
Looks like it is time to trim some more stems again.
Ludwigia stems are doing well. Slow growth, but at least they look healthy.










What is the circled plant in this picture? Abnormal strand of Fissidens Fontanus?


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

The tank and moss looks great! I love the cherries and cories. 
That looks like either mutated fontanus, or a whole different fissidens. I would cultivate it so that you get more of it


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

CL said:


> The tank and moss looks great! I love the cherries and cories.
> That looks like either mutated fontanus, or a whole different fissidens. I would cultivate it so that you get more of it


Thanks!

I knew I saw a picture of a similar looking strand and just remembered that it was of Willow moss: http://www.aquamoss.net/Willow-Moss/Willow-Moss.htm

Looks like that is it, which is a nice bonus. :smile:


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## !shadow! (Jan 25, 2010)

CL said:


> The tank and moss looks great! I love the cherries and cories.
> That looks like either mutated fontanus, or a whole different fissidens. I would cultivate it so that you get more of it


he's right, in my opinion lt almost looks like the shrimp were photoshopped on there hehe


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

2-27-10:
I decided to add a few more pictures with different angles:









Java moss sure has taken off:









I now have plenty of Sunset Hygrophila (I plan to purchase a stem variety package soon to add more color/variety to this section of the tank):


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

great tank


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

F22 said:


> great tank


Thanks F22!

3-1-10:
I removed the "black" (more like gray) background and I think the tank looks much better without it.
I'll also be removing the MM since it doesn't do well in my Eco-Complete. Maybe the pebbles are too large for it to grab hold like it does in ADA AS. Too bad as I think a carpet of MM would've looked great.


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## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

if i could tell you to change one thing it would be to take some of the light green plants from the right and put them on the left in the back for contrast. but very nice healthy growth!


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

3-15-10:
I have a stem variety package coming this week so many of the sunset stems will be removed to make room once it arrives.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

3-20-10:
My Riccia bush suddenly began shedding. I lost about half of it due to that. It is now wrapped in a screen pouch and I hope this will allow it to reattach itself. Lots of Riccia bits floating around in the tank.

I received my plant variety pack from fellow forum member Minsc a couple days ago and finished planting them yesterday. Excellent plants, Minsc! Some of them may not make it due to my water being hard and that CO2 is limited, but it worth a try.

I ripped some Fissidens off as a part of it had become infested with hair algae. Still some algae left, but I'll just deal with it on a weekly basis.

I also received two Zebra Nerites from msjinkzd over at AC forums. She has beautiful Nerites. 

Lastly, I set up an AC50 filter. The impeller was broken when I received it so I am currently using the impeller from my AC20 until a replacement arrives. Once it does, then I'll have both filters running on the tank.


















Plants on the right side of the tank:

















































Left side:









Middle:









Snails:
Ramshorn carrying egg clutch and baby RCS:









Zebra Nerite:


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## Niyona (Feb 20, 2010)

Oh I love the plant in the center of picture 2. What is it? LOVE it. 

I also really love that bit of twisty drift wood in the right side of the tank.

I love the Fissidens, been thinking of trying it out in my tank.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Niyona said:


> Oh I love the plant in the center of picture 2. What is it? LOVE it.
> 
> I also really love that bit of twisty drift wood in the right side of the tank.
> 
> I love the Fissidens, been thinking of trying it out in my tank.


I think the plant is Tonina belem: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myplants/126-Tonina_sp_Belem_Tonina_sp_Belem.html

It is one of the plants I don't think will survive for me.

Fissidens is a lovely plant and I recommend it.


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## Niyona (Feb 20, 2010)

Yeah I think my tank is going to end up being a little low tech for the tonina. It's pretty though!


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Niyona said:


> Yeah I think my tank is going to end up being a little low tech for the tonina. It's pretty though!


Yeah, the tonina plants are beautiful. Sadly, mine are already yellowing slightly. :frown:

3-23-10:
Added a couple more plant types. I wish my tank was a 20 gallon long so I would have adequate space for my plants but oh well.

Don't pay attention to the masking tape/sideways filter tube on my AQ50 filter as they are already removed.

Overly bright and green tinged video:


Pictures:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

3-31-10:
I think I now have 24 different plants within this tank. 

Red Spotted Nerite:









Cascading HM:









Java Moss - RCS Sanctuary (look at all those RCS babies ):









Crypt:









Plant that I forgot the name of:









Mr. Porcupine:


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

Great tank! I didn't know there were so many different shelled nerites.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

VincentK said:


> Great tank! I didn't know there were so many different shelled nerites.


Yup, there are quite a few variations. Then there are also the Clithon snails.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

4-2-10:
I removed the two Tonina stems as they were, as predicted, dying. Every other plant is doing very well, and the RootMedic substrate fertilizer seems to be working great.

If anyone could inform me as to what plant "Mr. Porcupine" is, I would appreciate it.










Happy Stem Family:


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Lovely, as always and stunning that it is only 10 gallons. I love the last plant, it is beautiful!


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> Lovely, as always and stunning that it is only 10 gallons. I love the last plant, it is beautiful!


Thanks! :icon_bigg

4-10-10:
Made a DIY hanging light assembly. Since the light fixture is now about two inches higher above than tank before, I switched out the 15w bulb for a 20w bulb (there are now two 20w spiral CFL bulbs lighting the tank). Lighting is now much more uniform and pleasing.

I trimmed a couple stems (Sunset and Ludwigia).

Plants are still growing very well, and some are the healthiest I've seen since I've had them.


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## tinkerpuppet (Feb 13, 2010)

Wow! One day when my 10gal grows up, I want it to look just like yours!


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

tinkerpuppet said:


> Wow! One day when my 10gal grows up, I want it to look just like yours!


Make sure it eats lots of veggies and drinks lots of water, and it'll grow up big and strong. roud:


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Great little ten gallon tank! I love the fissidens.
The cherries are looking good as well. I like the hm too. Good job overall :thumbsup:


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## !shadow! (Jan 25, 2010)

l agree with cl, you should be proud of your 10g. That fissidens gives me a lot of ideas in my tanks.


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

dj2005 said:


> Make sure it eats lots of veggies and drinks lots of water, and it'll grow up big and strong. roud:


Don't forget to keep it well nourished with the right nutrients and vitamins.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Thanks for the comments!

I recently purchased some Aquasoil so I switched out the eco-complete with that. While doing so, I trimmed a few stems (and removed a couple copies), and took out a bunch of Java Moss and HM (they'll grow back fast enough). I did add Marsilea minuta. Maybe in a couple months I'll have a nice MM and Microsword carpet forming. 

The water is still hazy from the 'soil, but I added Purigen last night which helped a bunch. Hopefully by the end of the week the water will be clear.

4-20-10:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

4-23-10:
Right after a WC:









Some macro shots:


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## AlexXx (Dec 1, 2009)

this tank has inspired me so much! man its looking great.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

AlexXx said:


> this tank has inspired me so much! man its looking great.


Thanks and I'm glad to be of help. 

4-24-10:
Ol' Stripey has been busy cleaning my filter all day:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

4-27-10:
Added a DIY moonlight to the tank.
How it is constructed:
One of these - I decided to go with the 500 mA model since LEDs use about 30 mA each, IIRC. Even a cold cathode inverter only takes ~400 mA, again IIRC (cathodes do power on with this model as I've tried it). Plus, it was cheaper in its base price and had free shipping.

One of these - I've had this guy sitting in storage for years (from my PC lighting fad of ~2004).

Attach the adapter to a timer, use some double-sided tape to attach the LED device to the light fixture, and voila, a timed moonlight system that is cheap, effective, and simple to build. It is easy to hide the wires too.

Picture (hard to take a picture of a moonlight):


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## jart (Jan 17, 2003)

Once again I have to ask, what did you want to accomplish by switching substrates again? Perhaps now maybe you won't need to add ferts?

Now that I think of it I should also ask, what is your most up to date fert regimen? I know you said that you were using daily Excel and twice weekly Flourish.

I really hope you don't mind if I "steal" some of your methods. I have an empty 10 gallon that just might hold water. Now that shrimp are available locally, I would like to give them a try... perhaps with a few hatchet fish. I quite like the look of fissidens as well.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

The first substrate change (from sand to Eco-Complete) was for two reasons:
1. Sand was too easily stirred causing cloudiness.
2. No contrast with inhabitants, driftwood, and flora.
3. No/low CEC.

The recent change to Aquasoil was because I was not pleased with a few things concerning the Eco-Complete, which were:
1. I only had enough Eco-Complete to make a 2" to 1" slope. This made it difficult to keep some plants planted due to my BN pleco.
2. I was not a fan of the large granule size of the Eco-Complete.
3. On that note, I was also not all that pleased with the grayish coloring. I was expecting black, not gray.
4. Marsilea minuta loves Aquasoil and wasn't doing as well in the Eco-Complete.
5. I love the uniformity of Aquasoil. Is it weird that I enjoy running my hand through dry Aquasoil? :hihi:
6. Aquasoil lowers pH. I have a base pH of about 8. I am likely going to try adding CRS soon. The Aquasoil lowered my pH to about 7.6, which is still very high for CRS, it is still better than 8.
7. And finally, as you mentioned, it is a nutrient rich substrate.

Right now, I am not dosing anything besides Excel. I am going to wait for the Aquasoil to settle down before dosing EI again.

Feel free to use any of my methods. You'll probably do a better job than I. 

Since I am posting, I suppose I'll provide an update on the tank. Right now, the haze is still there, even with Purigen and carbon in the filters. Might be a slight bacteria bloom. Until it goes away, I'll likely not be posting any pictures. The plants are doing well, however.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

5-13-10:
Well, seems that Purigen and fresh carbon have not been able to remove this haze. I am not sure how exactly I am supposed to get my water crystal clear. Is my AQ50 making too much flow causing Aquasoil dust to fly around the tank? My Mini M is spotless and that is with a weak zoomed 501 filter that doesn't even have Purigen or carbon in it. :fish1:

Besides dealing with my nemesis "The Haze", I removed nearly all the stems from the right side of the tank. A regular 10g tank just isn't big enough for them and how I wanted things to look. I left a couple stems beneath the AQ50's intake tube simply because I have no other tank to place them in.

In a few months, when the MM, Crypt, and Microsword fill in, the tank should look quite good.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

5-28-10:
For some reason the haze almost disappeared today. What does that mean? Pictures!

I actually like this scape right now, but I am expecting a DW piece from thedriftwoodstore.com on Wednesday (Length 18", Height 12", Width 7"):









The question I will be pondering once it arrives is whether to tear down what I have and implement that piece or see how the current scape fills in. Here is my plan if I do start using the wood:









As for the current situation:

Don't mind the two large tubes entering the tank. I will be receiving my lily pipes around Tuesday so they will fix that eyesore. Once the pipes arrive, I'll likely be removing the one of the two AquaClear filters since both will not be needed anymore.

The Sterbai have been laying some eggs as of late. I managed to save three and am curious if the eggs will hatch.










Java Fern with some Anubias petites attached to DW:









Part of an Anubias petite bush:









Some more petite:


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Your tank is so green and healthy!

And I think that new piece of wood would make a great accent. Are the Java Ferns going to be on it?


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Your tank is so green and healthy!
> 
> And I think that new piece of wood would make a great accent. Are the Java Ferns going to be on it?


Thanks. There is indeed lots of green in the tank (and also lots of "green" invested in the tank). 

I'm not sure if the Java Fern will have a place. The wood itself would take up much of the tank's space already, and I don't want to over plant the tank like I usually do. I'm not a skilled aquascapist so maybe someone has a better design than what I put up.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

6-2-10:
Received my lily pipes and driftwood today. Tomorrow I will rescape and hope for the best. In the meantime, enjoy some pictures of a new addition to my family:

About two days old:









About two weeks old:


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## demonbreedr16 (Jan 10, 2008)

dj2005 said:


> 6-2-10:
> About two weeks old:



Aww!!!

That looks like my new kitten, Arctic. He's[or she's] also 2 weeks old and is growing fast! Does yours have it's eyes open yet and generally into everything exploring?


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## nemosreef (Oct 19, 2007)

Nice tank. Adorable kitten.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

demonbreedr16 said:


> Aww!!!
> 
> That looks like my new kitten, Arctic. He's[or she's] also 2 weeks old and is growing fast! Does yours have it's eyes open yet and generally into everything exploring?


He actually began opeining his eyes before he was two days old. I thought he would be blind because of this, but his eyesight seems to be fine.

He is beginning to become adventurous. With Siamese, it usually takes them a bit longer (about three weeks).



nemosreef said:


> Nice tank. Adorable kitten.


Thanks!

---------
After staring at the driftwood for thirty minutes... and then for another thirty minutes after grabbing a cup of coffee... I decided it might look best sideways. Of course, I'm open to hear opinions on whether the previously shown stance or this stance is better. I have a feeling I am going to put it one way, do all my planting and refilling of the tank, only to find out I would have liked it better the other way.

Sideways:


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## Ariel301 (Sep 7, 2009)

What a cute kitty. =) 

That driftwood looks huge. Is there going to be much room for water and plants once that is in there?


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Ariel301 said:


> What a cute kitty. =)
> 
> That driftwood looks huge. Is there going to be much room for water and plants once that is in there?


Many of the plants will be attached to the driftwood itself. I'll have marsilea minuta + mini micro swords for the carpet, two types of crypts somewhere, fissidens and lots of anubias petite on the wood, likely some java moss and HM behind the wood providing a creeping effect, and the two dwarf stems of the plant I keep forgetting the name of. I think that's all of the plants.

The driftwood _will _take much of the tank's space up, which is good!


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

6-4-10:
I completed some of the rescape yesterday:
I have the driftwood and all plants besides the foreground (MM and mini micro swords) in the places I want them. I do not know if I want to add HM, java fern, and java moss yet. Once the tank clears I will see if I have space to add them.

Things are still very cloudy but it is going away. Until I can easily see within the tank, I cannot finish working on the slope of the substrate or start on the foreground planting.

To hold down the DW, I am using a rock, tape, and straws. I forgot to do this before the first refill so the DW decided to float, forcing me to start from scratch (hopefully everything is where I had it before the first refill).

For now, here is a teaser picture:


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## chilled_fire (Jun 4, 2010)

For a 10G setup , its fantastic the one which u already had 
Eager to see how the new one looks, btw how did you sterilize the drift wood am having the white algae issue with new driftwood i used in my tank.Hopefully urs stay clean.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

chilled_fire said:


> For a 10G setup , its fantastic the one which u already had
> Eager to see how the new one looks, btw how did you sterilize the drift wood am having the white algae issue with new driftwood i used in my tank.Hopefully urs stay clean.


Thanks. I was also pleased with my last scape, but I become bored easily. This new scape is infinitely better, though. I also had a bunch of anubias petite sitting in my Mini M waiting to be used too.

It might be too soon for me to know if the white fungus shows up on the DW. I purchased my DW from D.S. Drifter and his wood is submerged for a few decades, IIRC. So, I don't think I'll have the fungus issue. Even if the issue does arise, the fungus should go away on its own in a few weeks.

I actually didn't do anything to sterilize it as he pressure washes each piece of wood before selling and, again, it is submerged for years. However, it is always a good idea to sterilize things before adding them to a tank. I'm just too lazy to do it with DW. 

Quick Update:
I have most of the slope done. The rest of the slope will have to wait until I remove the tape and straws holding down the wood (they block access to half the tank).

Time to start foreground planting and adding the shrimps. :help:

Edit:
Foreground planting is done, as is adding most of the shrimp.

*Things left*:
[STRIKE]Add fish and the remaining shrimp - 6-5-10[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Add remaining anubias petites if needed - 6-5-10[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Position lily pipes in final resting places - 6-5-10
Make sure petites and other plants are where I want them - 6-5-10 or until tank clears more[/STRIKE]
Possibly find places for HM, ferns, moss... Some Blyxa wouldn't look bad either - On hold until tank clears more
Remove tape and straws once DW hydrates
Finish slope - On hold until DW sinks


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

6-5-10:
Now it is just a waiting game for the water to clear before I can complete the setup.

Couple more shots as the water cleared slightly:


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

What a pretty putty tat! How's the little kitty doing? On the tank side, has this thing cleared up yet? I am looking forward to updates!


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> What a pretty putty tat! How's the little kitty doing? On the tank side, has this thing cleared up yet? I am looking forward to updates!


Thanks. :smile:

The kitty is fine with a big, round belly full of milk.

Last time I rescaped with AS in this tank, it took a little over a month to fully clear. 

*Things still left to do*:
[STRIKE]Cut off any heavily GSA infested petite leaves - 6-7-10[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Add suction cup to inflow lily pipe - Any day[/STRIKE]
Possibly find places for HM, ferns, moss... Some Blyxa wouldn't look bad either - On hold until tank clears more and/or when DW sinks
Remove tape and straws once DW hydrates
Finish slope - On hold until DW sinks
Remove AQ50 filter - In one month
Replant uprooted MM/swords - Ongoing process


Here are some today pictures:




























Crypts back there:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

6-8-10:
After adding recharged Purigen yesterday, things have cleared up more. Right now the haze isn't too bad. I'm not sure if it'll clear up within the next few days or be similar to the last time, taking a little over a month to dissipate.

Today I added my Needleleaf Java Fern bush behind the DW. While I think it fits, it blocks the Crypts behind it. I suppose I'll see how things fill in.

FTS:









Here is a video of the tank currently - sorry for the shakiness; the tank is in a tight spot making it difficult to navigate around:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFrDPum2Chw


Edit:
*6-8-10 - Update #2*:
I added four stems of Blyxa Jap. They are small stems, but will fill in with time. 
I plan to add Java Moss to the piece of wood that sticks out of the tank's water once it is safe to remove the tape.
I also switched out the two 15w bulbs for my two 20w bulbs to benefit the Blyxa.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

How did I miss the previous post?!? Anyway, the tank is looking fabulous! I love the driftwood placement. How is the buoyancy doing on it? I see there is a little tape and straws left.  Your shrimp look so excited about there new digs.


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## globali (May 29, 2010)

Very nice.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> How did I miss the previous post?!? Anyway, the tank is looking fabulous! I love the driftwood placement. How is the buoyancy doing on it? I see there is a little tape and straws left.  Your shrimp look so excited about there new digs.


I have no idea if the DW will still float if I remove the supports. I think I'll be playing it safe and wait a few more weeks.

The shrimp are happy, though I think the Sterbai like it even more. They enjoy swimming through the many holes created by the DW.



globali said:


> Very nice.


Thanks, globali!


6-9-10:
I'm contemplating if I should add another stem of Blyxa to the left so it will be four in a row rather than three. I think I might wait until the current stems root so I don't knock them loose while planting the fourth.

*With that, here is an updated to-do list*:


Add one more stem of Blyxa to the left - ~2 weeks
 Replant uprooted MM/swords - Ongoing process until they all root (~2 weeks)
 Remove tape and straws - Once DW sinks (~July 1st)
Add Java Moss to DW peak - On hold until DW sinks (~July 1st)
 Finish slope if doable - On hold until DW sinks (~July 1st)
 Remove AQ50 filter - July 1st
 Add RootCaps - Once things root and scape is finalized

And since I'm making a post, here is a picture from today. Looks like the tank may have cleared a little more from yesterday's update.


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## nemosreef (Oct 19, 2007)

Off to a good start. I love that driftwood.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I recall reading that groups of 3 and 5 are more pleasing to the eye than even numbers like 4 or 6. This was landscaping and I am not sure if it'll apply to the blyxa or not.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

nemosreef said:


> Off to a good start. I love that driftwood.


Thanks nemo. It is definitely a great piece of DW.



sewingalot said:


> I recall reading that groups of 3 and 5 are more pleasing to the eye than even numbers like 4 or 6. This was landscaping and I am not sure if it'll apply to the blyxa or not.


I see. Thanks for the information. I usually just plop down plants and hope for the best. 

Two of them have been uprooted a few times lately, so today I replanted them and spread them out slightly. This will leave more room for each to grow and fill in the area more evenly. This also allows me to keep them in a group of three rather than four.

6-10-10:
Tank is about the same in terms of clarity.
I removed the AC50 last night.

Updated list:
* Replant uprooted MM/swords - Ongoing process until they all root (~2 weeks)
* Remove tape and straws - Once DW sinks (~July 1st)
* Add Java Moss to DW peak - On hold until DW sinks (~July 1st)
* Finish slope if needed - On hold until DW sinks (~July 1st)
* Clean tank walls from dried mud - Once plants root
* [STRIKE]Remove AQ50 filter[/STRIKE]
* [STRIKE]Add RootCaps (five in total)[/STRIKE]

I cannot get Photobucket's site to work so I'm going to try ImageShack for this update:










Happy Olive:









Happy Ramshorn:









Sprout:









Blyxa:









Java Fern:









Petite Walkway:









Fissidens:









Overhang:









Lots o' Petites:

























Lobelia cardinalis 'dwarf':









Lair of the Crypts:


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

I like this tank! Your pictures seem so clear and crisp. 

Sorry if you've answered this before, but how did you get the anubias onto the driftwood?


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> I like this tank! Your pictures seem so clear and crisp.
> 
> Sorry if you've answered this before, but how did you get the anubias onto the driftwood?


Three bushes are held down with fishing line. The rest either fit naturally or are using parts of the DW for support. The trick is to use large Anubias bushes that are part of a single rhizome. This way it is easy to have them stay in place just by using the bends of the DW itself. Once the large bushes are secure, the 1-2" petites can supplement them and be held down by their leaves.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

6-11-10:
Wasn't planning on an update today but the tank is just about completely clear after I performed the weekly WC.

Updated list:
* Replant uprooted MM/swords/Blyxa - Ongoing process until they all root (End of June)
* Remove tape and straws - Once DW sinks (~July 1st)
* Add Java Moss to DW peak - On hold until DW sinks (~July 1st)
* Finish slope, if needed - On hold until DW sinks (~July 1st)
* Clean tank walls from dried mud - Once plants root and DW sinks



























Sea of Red:









Sterbai Egg:









Pearling RCS:

















Crypts:









Blyxa Wave:


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

The shrimp looks like he is wearing a monocle. Too cool.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> The shrimp looks like he is wearing a monocle. Too cool.


A top hat to complete the ensemble and he is ready for a night out of town.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

dj2005 said:


> A top hat to complete the ensemble and he is ready for a night out of town.


LOL that should be your profile picture:hihi:


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

ROFLOL!!! Too cute.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Just so I have my to-do list on this page for easy reference:
Updated list:
* Replant uprooted MM/swords/Blyxa - Ongoing process until they all root (End of June)
* Remove tape and straws - Once DW sinks (~July 1st)
* Add Java Moss to DW peak - On hold until DW sinks (~July 1st)
* Finish slope, if needed - On hold until DW sinks (~July 1st)
* Clean tank walls from dried mud - Once plants root and DW sinks

I've been seeing a few Orangish-yellow Ramshorns sliding around in my 10g:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

6-15-10:
I decided to see if the DW was able to stay sunken without the aid of the straws and tape. I first took off the two straws and all seemed fine. I then tried my luck by carefully peeling back the two pieces of tape holding the DW down, and again, all seemed fine when they were off. Five seconds later the DW is floating.  I managed to get it back to a position that is almost the same as the original, so hopefully all is well in the end. The good news is my tank was only slightly cloudy for an hour after this endeavor.

The petites are doing great. Lots of new leaves are spawning. My Lobelia cardinalis 'dwarf' and Crypts are also doing wonderful. I can't wait for my carpet to fill in so the scape actually comes together.

My slope is still evening out. I have no idea how some of you are able to keep your beautiful slopes with bottom dwellers such as cories. It saddens me so...


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

6-18-10:
Added more Fissidens to the spire.
Also added my Frogbit back in.

Would Weeping Moss look good anywhere in this tank? I'm thinking of adding some to the left front and right back, but I've never used the stuff before so I'm not sure how it'll look.





































Camouflaged Olive:


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I like the idea of weeping moss, but I've never used it. By the way, every time I look at your journal now the song "Puttin on the Ritz" plays in my head.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> I like the idea of weeping moss, but I've never used it. By the way, every time I look at your journal now the song "Puttin on the Ritz" plays in my head.


Great... now I'm going to think of that song every time I view my journal, too. :icon_evil

6-21-10:
My "slope" evened out more since the last update so today I decided to add some more AS. I stuck a few plastic dividers in to stop the AS from leveling out, and I hope that I'll be able to remove them once the AS Powder sifts to the bottom (a month or so). Tank is a bit hazy due to this process, but not as bad as I expected.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Ooooo. I like the slope! Sorry about the song. I've actually had this song stuck in my head for days now.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> Ooooo. I like the slope! Sorry about the song. I've actually had this song stuck in my head for days now.


I also like the slope. 

If you want to get that song out of your head, listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6oUz1v17Uo


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

dj2005 said:


> I also like the slope.
> 
> If you want to get that song out of your head, listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6oUz1v17Uo


I L-ed my AO
Love the wood and petite


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## plantedpufferfreak (Feb 2, 2010)

very nice! love that dw!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

dj2005 said:


> I also like the slope.
> 
> If you want to get that song out of your head, listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6oUz1v17Uo


Hahahaha! I used to have such a HUGE crush on Picard growing up. :icon_mrgr


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Thanks for the compliments.



sewingalot said:


> Hahahaha! I used to have such a HUGE crush on Picard growing up. :icon_mrgr


Who didn't? :icon_redf

6-23-10:
I added a white background. I'm not sure if it takes away too much visual depth, possibly making the tank seem cramped.


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## Aquarium1 (Jun 20, 2010)

Lookin great


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

You're in good company, then. I loved everything about Picard and would watch that show for hours straight. (Still can. )

I like the white background. I think it does something to make the colors appear more vivid. Those anubias and shrimp are spectacular now.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Have you tried a black or blue background?


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Aquarium1 said:


> Lookin great


Thanks! I hope to see pictures of your 10g once it is planted.



sewingalot said:


> You're in good company, then. I loved everything about Picard and would watch that show for hours straight. (Still can. )
> 
> I like the white background. I think it does something to make the colors appear more vivid. Those anubias and shrimp are spectacular now.


I love anything SciFi, which means I also love Star Trek. I personally enjoy DS9 MUCH more than TNG, though. IMO, TNG had lots of great ideas and concepts, but many of the characters were simply annoying.

The last shot was taken with manual shutter speed, which is what I normally used before the rescape, so that may be why colors are more vivid.



ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Have you tried a black or blue background?


I would have, and I think a sky blue would look very nice, but I only have white paper with me.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Never could get into DS9, I think it's because I grew up on NG. My husband loves the original but hates everything since. Go figure.

I can tell you from experience, yellow paper is very ugly with plants.


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## Tigerfish (Jun 24, 2010)

Just read through your 10 gallon Journal, very nice!


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## j-pond (Dec 18, 2008)

Very slow day at work, so I just went through your entire journal. Very impressive what you have done. I have a couple of empty 10gallon tanks amd now know what to do with them.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> Never could get into DS9, I think it's because I grew up on NG. My husband loves the original but hates everything since. Go figure.
> 
> I can tell you from experience, yellow paper is very ugly with plants.


Yeah, I can't imagine yellow being a good background color. :smile:



Tigerfish said:


> Just read through your 10 gallon Journal, very nice!





j-pond said:


> Very slow day at work, so I just went through your entire journal. Very impressive what you have done. I have a couple of empty 10gallon tanks amd now know what to do with them.


Thanks Tigerfish and j-pond!

6-25-10:
I just purchased some Mini Pellia today. I plan to grow some emersed on the little spire of DW that sticks out of my tank once I remove the tape holding down the DW, of which I do not know if it has fully hydrated yet. I think I may add a couple inches worth at the base of the DW, too, under the DW overhang where it should receive minimal lighting, which hopefully means I won't have algae problems with it.

I'm shocked at how many new leaves the petite plants are producing. Each day I find at least one new leaf forming... I think it might because I sweet talk them. :wink:

During this week, the tank's water was lightly tea colored, and I assume that was because I was dosing too much in terms of ferts. Here are the pictures after today's weekly WC - water is much better in terms of clarity. I think I'll do another WC tomorrow as the water still has a slight tinge.




























6-26-10:
Small update. I cleaned my lily pipes and moved the inflow a bit. This allows me to route it up the back of the tank and allowing me to remove the suction cups.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

7-2-10:
It has nearly been one year since I started this tank. It went through many phases and transitional periods, each always providing me with a new learning experience. To mark this special near one year anniversary, I removed the tape holding down the DW as the DW has finally hydrated enough to stay sunken. *Cue loud applause*

Due to that, I added my Mini Pellia to its peak (thanks Outlawboss for the MP!), as well as three portions under the DW overhang.

Besides that, growth has been good and no sign of an algae invasion as of yet... Not that I expect one.

Pictures are a bit bubbly since I just did the weekly WC.










Compared to 6-9-10:









Rare Side View:









Army of Petites:









Blyxa:









Lobelia cardinalis 'dwarf':









Mini Pellia:


















Dinner Party (No idea why this image is out of focus):









The Lone Ramshorn:


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Perhaps adding some seachem root tabs (Calcium sulfate, Sulfur, Iron) would help the Tonia to adapt. 

What it the ph, gh, and kh of your water? So amazed at the growth and colors you are getting.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Hilde said:


> Perhaps adding some seachem root tabs (Calcium sulfate, Sulfur, Iron) would help the Tonia to adapt.
> 
> What it the ph, gh, and kh of your water? So amazed at the growth and colors you are getting.


Hi Hilde,

Thanks for the post.

The Tonia died long ago as my high pH (~8.0) completely wiped it in less than a month's time. I do not know the GH or KH of my water. I've been meaning to purchase those particular test kits.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

dj2005 said:


> Hi Hilde,
> The Tonia died long ago as my high pH (~8.0) completely wiped it in less than a month's time. I do not know the GH or KH of my water. I've been meaning to purchase those particular test kits.


I also have a high ph from tap water. But GH and KH very low. Found this is due to city treating water with phosphates. Found the java fern loves phosphates. To balance this I dose with Equilibrium.

Your plants in the back right look a little yellow. I wonder if Seachem tabs(Calcium sulfate, Sulfur, Iron) would help. For your light is very low and have read iron helps plants adapt to low light.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Hilde said:


> I also have a high ph from tap water. But GH and KH very low. Found this is due to city treating water with phosphates. Found the java fern loves phosphates. To balance this I dose with Equilibrium.
> 
> Your plants in the back right look a little yellow. I wonder if Seachem tabs(Calcium sulfate, Sulfur, Iron) would help. For your light is very low and have read iron helps plants adapt to low light.


You are posting of the Blyxa japonica plants. I have been growing that species in my Mini M for months and they have always been slow adapters to new tanks. In the next month they will really expand their growth and finalize their coloring. Of course, the current coloring, for the most part, may be how they will always look as Blyxa varies from vibrant green to red, depending on the lighting (green = low light, red = high light).

Iron may quicken this adapting period, but I do not mind waiting. :smile:


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

This is one of my favorite 10 gallon tanks

Is that huge piece of wood one piece or multiple pieces?


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> This is one of my favorite 10 gallon tanks
> 
> Is that huge piece of wood one piece or multiple pieces?


One piece. Some of the smaller pieces were broken off by UPS, but I epoxied them back on. I like epoxy.


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

nice scape and i love how red your cherries are...just had 2 questions:

1) where did you plant the mini micro swords??
2) are you using heater?


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

chris.rivera3 said:


> nice scape and i love how red your cherries are...just had 2 questions:
> 
> 1) where did you plant the mini micro swords??
> 2) are you using heater?


Thanks Chris.

1. Mini micro swords are with the Marsilea minuta. They take a while to adjust and have just begun to grow at a decent rate. In a month they should be much more visible.

2. I do not use a heater. I see too many issues with heaters becoming defective, and well, I do not need one for the inhabitants of this tank (Sterbai, RCS, snails).


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Your blxya is adapting quite readily to the new scape. Looks like it is loving the upgrade in lighting, too. I am totally stealing your idea for holding vegetable slices.


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

1. what temperature does your tank stay around??? i'm trying to decide if my shrimp tank will need a heater; currently the tank is around 71F




dj2005 said:


> Thanks Chris.
> 
> 1. Mini micro swords are with the Marsilea minuta. They take a while to adjust and have just begun to grow at a decent rate. In a month they should be much more visible.
> 
> 2. I do not use a heater. I see too many issues with heaters becoming defective, and well, I do not need one for the inhabitants of this tank (Sterbai, RCS, snails).


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> Your blxya is adapting quite readily to the new scape. Looks like it is loving the upgrade in lighting, too. I am totally stealing your idea for holding vegetable slices.


Yes, the two 20w bulbs seem to be doing the Blyxa good. I should still have low light since both bulbs are horizontally mounted.



chris.rivera3 said:


> 1. what temperature does your tank stay around??? i'm trying to decide if my shrimp tank will need a heater; currently the tank is around 71F


All depends what the ambient room temperature is. I think the lowest it gets is 65*F in the winter.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

7-8-10:
I figured out why my tank's water was yellowish - seems my Purigen bag stopped doing its thing even though it was recharged on 6/10/10. Right now I am running my nano filter with carbon in it, hence the extra inflow pipe.

I added some MM to the left of the tank.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Read that the Aquasoil lowered your pH from 8 to 7.6, which is still very high for CRS. Were you able to get it lower? 

What lights do you have over your tank?


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Hilde said:


> Read that the Aquasoil lowered your pH from 8 to 7.6, which is still very high for CRS. Were you able to get it lower?
> 
> What lights do you have over your tank?


I may have read my test kit wrong as my pH went back to its normal state the next time I tested a few days later. I did not end up purchasing the CRS as I need to test my KH, as well as test out a distilled/tap water mix to see what pH I can easily create.

I am currently using two horizontally mounted 20w spiral CFL bulbs. I normally used two 15w bulbs in my past scapes.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

dj2005 said:


> I am currently using two horizontally mounted 20w spiral CFL bulbs. I normally used two 15w bulbs in my past scapes.


Are those the daylight bulbs? For have noticed that the color spectrum helps plants to adjust to low light.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Hilde said:


> Are those the daylight bulbs? For have noticed that the color spectrum helps plants to adjust to low light.


Yes - 6500K. My camera enjoys adding red, yellow, and green coloring to my pictures so my FTS are not all that accurate, though the FTS posted on 7-2-10 is probably the closest my camera will ever get to the actual coloring of the tank.

7-9-10:
After weekly WC:




























This reminds of a hamster wheel:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

7-13-10:
Added more AS for the slope. This time it is mostly regular AS so the slope should be permanent. Plastic divider has been removed.

I recharged my Purigen and it is back to clarifying my tank. Hopefully it lasts longer than a couple weeks this time. Since Purigen is back in, nano filter removed.










Blyxa Root:









Olive (my Nerites are fascinated with the DW):









Albino Red Ramshorn:


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## ddtran46 (Jul 8, 2008)

Awesome tank!!


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

7-24-10:
Well, after a couple weeks experimenting with why my Purigen wasn't doing it's duty, I have arrived at the conclusion that it was my canister filter that was my problem. So, I reverted back to my trusty AC50 with some filter floss and my Purigen bag. Water is now clear. I just hope that I now don't grow a bunch of algae now that half my tank has very little flow. I may purchase a powerhead in the future as a precaution.

I switched out the 20w bulbs to 15w bulbs since I wanted the plants to receive the extra lighting in the beginning. A bit backwards from what I normally see people do (start low then go up).

I added a Weeping moss sleeve over the right branch a week ago. Don't think I've done anything else.

I'm still amazed at the speed my Anubias plants have grown.










The most fascinating section of my tank, but also the section that I rarely get to view:


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Awesome. That wood is something else.


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## justinq (Dec 6, 2006)

This is one of the best 10 gallons I've seen, I really like the scape and the plants. I see you're using 20 watt spiral CFL bulbs, but I'm curious as to what kind of fixture you have it in and how far it's suspended. I'm thinking of setting up a 10 gallon since I have one sitting around, so I'm gathering info and inspiration.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

CL said:


> Awesome. That wood is something else.


Thanks. My Mini M's scape should complement this tank nicely. Still waiting for the DW though!



justinq said:


> This is one of the best 10 gallons I've seen, I really like the scape and the plants. I see you're using 20 watt spiral CFL bulbs, but I'm curious as to what kind of fixture you have it in and how far it's suspended. I'm thinking of setting up a 10 gallon since I have one sitting around, so I'm gathering info and inspiration.


Thanks justinq.

Here's the fixture: http://www.petco.com/product/7395/Aqueon-Incandescent-Strip-Lites.aspx

It is just a generic strip light. It is suspended four inches above the tank.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

7-28-10:
New Nerites! Six Olives and two Green Horned. They are very cute and young.  Let the egg laying commence!



















One in my Mini M:


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

7-31-10:
Removed the Blyxa offspring off of the top of the right Blyxa bush.
Added a small amount of Willow moss to the left of the tank.
Olive Nerite keeps dislodging a chunk of my Anubias - very annoying.



















MM:









Blyxa:


















Willow & Company:









Weeping Moss Sleeve:









Swirling Frogbit:


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

If you're blue and you don't know where to go to, why don't you go where fashion sits......
:hihi:

Love the growing out! I can't wait to see the weeping moss when it fills in.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> If you're blue and you don't know where to go to, why don't you go where fashion sits......
> :hihi:
> 
> Love the growing out! I can't wait to see the weeping moss when it fills in.


Nice try but this song will be stuck in my head for a while: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQba92LBfHo :icon_bigg

8-5-10:
-Added 17 Ember Tetras today.




























Blyxa are fluffing up:









And my moss is weeping!


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## Jtang (Dec 28, 2008)

AWESOME TANK(S)
YOU ARE A MASTER!

I have one question, how did you get your Nerites to breed in freshwater?! 0.o 
You got some wonderful looking shells


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Jtang said:


> AWESOME TANK(S)
> YOU ARE A MASTER!
> 
> I have one question, how did you get your Nerites to breed in freshwater?! 0.o
> You got some wonderful looking shells


Thanks.

I can see how one of my posts can be misleading but I purchase all of my Nerites. :smile: I have never had a hatchling survive, and have yet to see conclusive proof that they can survive in FW setups. Luckily, Nerites are pretty cheap nowadays and can live for years.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I love Futurama! Do you have any updates on this tank? It's one of the few I still make time to look at once a week.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> I love Futurama! Do you have any updates on this tank? It's one of the few I still make time to look at once a week.


This is a very slow growing planted tank so not much has changed. Still, here are two pictures from 8-27-10 right after planting most of the mini micro sword:


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Nice! I don't know how I have missed this before. I love that driftwood and the TON of petite you have on it!


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## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Me too at the driftwood. Where did you get it??


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Digsy said:


> Nice! I don't know how I have missed this before. I love that driftwood and the TON of petite you have on it!


At least my petites grow quickly. 



Clare12345 said:


> Me too at the driftwood. Where did you get it??


I got it from D.S. Drifter. He has a FS thread in the SnS with plenty of driftwood pieces to choose from.


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## frogmanjared (Feb 21, 2008)

Your tank is INSANE! I think everyone's comments so far have summed the rest up.


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## Armonious (Aug 16, 2010)

Liking the tank. I really like how it seems much larger than 10gal just by looking at it.

The scape appears to be filling out very nicely as well.


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## Navigarden (Jun 25, 2010)

GOD all that annubias is gorgeous!


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Love it with the new microsword and the moss growing in, very, very beautiful! I can't wait to see this in a few more months.


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

9-3-10:
Thanks for the posts!

I was testing out a new light fixture last week that is more geared towards 5-8 gallon tanks and it just didn't provide enough light, hence why my Blyxa are looking a bit ratty. I have a 7.5G tank arriving today so that fixture will go on that tank and this tank is now back to its trusty 2x15w CFL bulbs.

The cories very much enjoy seeing how many mini micro swords they can uproot each day. So far, the record is around two dozen. They also love to even out my slope.


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

Those Fissidens are very nice and thick, I think they look great on a thick driftwood like that.


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## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

The petites compliment the wood. Has your carpet grown?


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

PinoyBoy said:


> The petites compliment the wood. Has your carpet grown?


The mini micro sword is doing well; however, I may do a rescape as the cories leveled out my slope, again, and that might be the last straw. This means I will need to uproot my whole carpet and replant, and also transfer all fauna to a bucket as I'll need to drain the tank to work with the AS. I'll be using the same plants and DW. The main focus is adjusting the substrate and positioning of the DW.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

What's the status of the slope?


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> What's the status of the slope?


It was impossible to keep any type of slope with the cories. Due to this, I performed a rescape on Friday and simplified things a bit. I'll try to get a picture uploaded when it is more finalized and the cloudiness is gone.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I gave up on trying to slope my tanks with cories as well. I look forward to the updated pictures.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Closed at the request of the OP.


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