# Update 3/16! **DIY LED Volcano!** Isla Nublar - Jurassic Park 5 Gallon Betta Paradise



## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Most Recent Video Update: Here

INTRODUCTION
I recently entered this fantastic hobby with a 10 gallon, that, over the past few months, has improved greatly. However, I'm running out of possibilities with my 10 gallon and I think I'm coming down with some MULTITANKSYNDROME! (I heard it's very contagious on this site).

I don't have much room in my dorm so I opted to go with a 5 gallon tank that will be designed for a Betta! Gotta love them bettas 

The tank is the 5 gallon Tetra brand from Wallyworld. I just got it in yesterday and have it sitting on my shelf until Thursday when I'll be able to start adding "things" before my spring break.

My 10 gallon did not have a plan to it other than I wanted some live plants and some fish. It shows in the aquascaping  For this tank I wanted to plan out my design and experiment more in the realm of true aquascaping. Instead of studying for my massive exam on Wednesday I have been sketching out a few plans and visualizing the final tank.

The Plan​
SUBSTRATE
The substrate will consist of 1 inch of Organic Potting Soil (slopes up to around 1.5" in the back for a bit of a hill effect) and a capped layer of fine gravel (CaribSea Super Naturals).

LIGHTING
I have not decided on specific lights but I'll most likely go with a CFL between 10 and 18 watts. The tank hood only allows for a single screw in type bulb. Depending on how that looks I may go with a clamp on desk lamp with a CFL.

Now for the fun stuff...

AQUASCAPE
The aquascape will center around a Red Tiger Lotus (I know they get big I'll be doing regular trimming/pruning...the whole point of this is to give me something to maintain). I'm also going to experiment with a carpet plant of Marselia Quadrifolia. Scattered on the side opposite to the RTL will be a few random rocks (hopefully granite and quartz crystal that I can find in the woods back home). The granite will be covered in Peacock Moss to give that deep green contrast to the Red Tiger Lotus and to break up the carpet a little. The Quartz will give more contrast and breaks. I'll play around with their placement once I get the tiger lotus and MQ in the tank.

Here's an example of my horrifyingly bad artistic skills



















In the designs I also have a spot for an anubais nana. I want to see how the different greens will contrast with each other. And the nana should help disguise some of the filter intake.

FUTURE
I may have to replace my filter because it is significantly larger than I was expecting. An 8 inch deep tank sitting on top of a nearly 12 inch shelf should fit perfectly. Well apparently not with a 4 inch filter on the back. The tank hangs off the front edge of my shelf by about half of an inch. So close! Will this be a problem? I know with larger tanks this could be a huge problem but the forces on a 5 gallon are insignificant to that of a 55 gallon right?


If you have any suggestions please let me know. 

RANDOM
Also, has anybody noticed that the photos on the boxes for aquariums of the "showcase" aquariums are HEAVILY overstocked? Just an observation.

Let me know what you think!


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

looks like a good plan!!!! i personaly think it will look better with a clip-on desk lamp, than the chunky stock hood. 

how high of light are you shooting for? any co2? diy, am i right?


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Thanks. I agree that it would look better with a clamp on desk lamp but the only question is if I have one that'll work (the next on the one that I have here at school doesn't seem to like going into an aquarium friendly position). I would then be able to move the filter over to the side and then be able to push the aquarium the extra .5" so it's fully on the shelf. I don't know how good that would look though :/. Why does Tetra have to make such a huge filter for a 5g?!?!? I can do DIY co2 and was planning on doing that if I needed the extra growth/algae prevention. I have all the materials for it anyway. Thanks again for the reply


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

NP!

id say do whatever is easiest. besides, if a betta is going in it, then you will need a lid. so stick with the hood


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

oh yes I completely forgot about that. I don't want to do saran wrap...that's a bit to...ghetto...for this tank right now. especially if i have a hood.

Ugh so frustraiting. I may be able to get an art friend of mine to make me a glass sheet and cut out areas for the filter and heater (or I can do that myself hopefully with a dremel). Something to consider.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

get it?? ghetto..hood bahah !

thats a good idea. i am thinking about making a hole in my 20 long to make WC easier


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

If you'd really prefer a clip light, you could also get a piece of plexiglass at HD and cut it yourself (if you score it you can snap it in a straight line for the overall size and then dremel out the openings for everything) Might be safer than glass if you're cutting it yourself. (I'm assuming you are trying to save $ otherwise i'd just suggest just buying a glass canopy) 

I think the layout looks good, but of course it's hard to tell without seeing it in action  Also, you could return the filter and pick up an azoo palm or red sea nano filter (as far as I can tell they are exactly the same thing with different brand names stamped on them). I've found that filter to be perfect for a 5g planted Betta tank, and it's only 2-3 inches deep, so you should certainly get your 1/2 inch back!  You clearly know a lot more about physics than I do, but it would make me nervous having any tank hanging off an edge even a little bit.

OR you COULD keep the filter you have and hang it off the side, but then you'd definitely need to do some finagling and make yourself a glass (or plexi) canopy. I did that on my old 20g tank, it was in a hallway so I wanted it right up against the wall, that made the only option hanging the filter off the side and it worked just fine. roud:


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Thanks for reading Kara!

I may know more about physics but you know MUCH more about fish tanks.

I definitely would prefer to have that 1/2 of an inch back. I'm going to check my local PetCo when I'm home. Hopefully they will have the Red Sea Nano. I was looking for that filter before (I heard about them but couldn't remember the name).

Only a few more hours until the exam...uh oh!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Good luck on the exam! (or if it was tonight, I hope it went well!) 

I hope you find the filter you want too, I love the red sea nano, for a super heavily planted and stocked tank, it might not be QUITE enough filtration / circulation, but for a Betta tank, I really think it's perfect. 

But there is always the side hang option if you can't find the red sea or azoo palm...... it just requires retro fitting a lid.......


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## .Mko. (Sep 23, 2010)

Oh man, your going to get the peacock moss going... =D
It is my favourite moss that i can't get in my area.. =(
I will be watching this very carefully lol and as for your plan i like it! i love the thought you put in to create the contrast in the tank.. this is going to be a good one.


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## elliebellie (Jan 28, 2011)

Looks like a sweet idea! Betta love all the way! <3


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Thanks guys! I had my exam last night (literally the hardest test I have taken in my life) and am VERY glad it's over.

Now I can take a trip over to walmart and start getting supplies. I'll see if they have either the Azoo or Red Sea but I'm quite doubtful. Also, for a cap on the dirt I'm going to try to find some black sand or fine black gravel. I think the dark color would look great if I can find it. If not I'm not too concerned about it (although I hope I have enough gravel left over from my 10g).

I'll post pictures of the setup and perhaps make a video. It will probably be quite comedic because I have never set up a dirted tank before and will probably cover my entire dorm room with dirt. My roommate will love this...


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

so your using mineralized top soil


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I don't know if it counts as MTS. I've got Miracle Grow Potting Mix.

Today is setup day! woot woot!


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

aquastudent said:


> i don't know if it counts as mts. I've got miracle grow potting mix.
> 
> Today is setup day! Woot woot!


 
sweeeeeeeeettttttttt


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

WOOHOO!!! Can't wait to see the pictures!!! :biggrin:


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I just finished dirting the tank. It was a mess but it turned out well. I can't wait to start getting plants in it!

I also purchased a Red Sea Nano filter. It fits perfectly. The edge of the tank is now flush with the shelf. I couldn't have asked for a better fit 

There is some video to go along with the photos so I'll get all those uploaded soon.

Thanks for checking in Y'all


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

WOOHOO!!!! Can't wait to see the pictures, and I'm glad to hear you found the red sea nano! :biggrin: were you able to return the other filter?


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

Pichurs pl0x


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I can't return the other filter because it came with the tank (it was a package deal). It's OK though because now I have a spare filter in case (God forbid) something happens.

Who knows...I may be able to set up a random tank in the future. I don't need to buy a filter anyway 

I'll upload pictures tomorrow. I was stupid and just spent the past couple of hours at my girlfriends dorm instead of preparing for my Medieval Culture midterm tomorrow...WHOOPS!

I'll upload then (and will hopefully have faster internet because I'll be able to go to the library). Cheers!


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

_I can't return the other filter because it came with the tank (it was a package deal). It's OK though because now I have a spare filter in case (God forbid) something happens._

*Spares are good*

_ Who knows...I may be able to set up a random tank in the future. I don't need to buy a filter anyway _

*YOU OFFICIALLY HAVE MULTI TANK SYNDROME *

_ I'll upload pictures tomorrow. I was stupid and just spent the past couple of hours at my girlfriends dorm instead of preparing for my Medieval Culture midterm tomorrow...WHOOPS!_

*I would totaly skip studying for that or spending time with my tanks *

_I'll upload then (and will hopefully have faster internet because I'll be able to go to the library). Cheers!_

_*FINE....*_


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

did you change your name james? or are there two james im thinking are one person?


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

orchidman said:


> did you change your name james? or are there two james im thinking are one person?


My name used to be james7139 and I got it changed  lol


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Oh Ok I was curious about that too  I have some photos for you all! I'm about to start the video so that'll take some time.

Here is the tank with the soil...and the mess I made on the carpet.










This shows about how much dirt I put in...around 1.5 inches








I've got my plans in front of me...even though I didn't have any plants and pretty much had it memorized (not too hard for a 5g like this).


Believe it or not this is after a couple of water changes...











Sorry for the blurriness. This shows a more aerial view of the carnage of dirt.











It's looking much much clearer











Needs a bit of glass cleaning but at least the water is clear










My desk currently...I am now completely surrounded!










Also, a bit of a surprise. When I checked my mailbox for my paycheck I found this (as well as my paycheck and a rejection letter from the SAO internship...honestly no surprise there)










So yeah I'm really really excited to start setting this up when I get back from break! I've got the moss in my 10g for break. The shrimp sure like it 

I'll get working on the video. That has a better description of the process and what I learned from it. Let me tell you that this was not as easy as I was expecting...although I did mess something up (i explain in the video).

Thanks for checking guys!


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Ok Well instead of making a betta paradise I believe I have made the perfect betta killing machine.

A friend of mine has advised me that the soil that I have used will slowly release fertilizers over the next 6 months or so. The Fertilizers will kill everything, plants and fish, in the water collumn and be an algae fest.

WHOOPS! I'll be fixing this once I return from break. I'm glad someone caught this before I made a HUGE mistake!


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

Good catch! I've read not to use the ones with fertilizers in them. I think ive read that miracle grow organic is good to use though. Can someone confirm on that though?


You can call me Bob


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

orchidman said:


> Good catch! I've read not to use the ones with fertilizers in them. I think ive read that miracle grow organic is good to use though. Can someone confirm on that though?
> 
> 
> You can call me Bob


Normal- bad
Organic-good

I've had 4 tanks with the organic choice, I think I'm pretty much an expert with it


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

yes, did you choose the wrong miracle Gro soil? organic is completely safe, it has kept my shrimp bowl looking great. shrimp love it.

also keep in mind, when you are redoing this, after you set the layer of soil, moisten it, then plant all your plants, then cover the soil with substrate cover. cuz if you dont do that, and you later go back to plant everything, you'll get soil floating all over the place there. when that happens use a fine brine shrimp net to net all the floating stuff out and make the water cleaner. oh and do water changes gently lol. until your plants create a thick sod for a carpet and hold the substrate together well.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

good advice newman!

i always use a strainer to add water


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Yeah! I looked for organic but they didn't have it. I didn't think it through that controlled released fertilizers would release into the water column and fry anything that was put in it. At least no plants or fish paid for my mistake.

I have also decided that I'm going to not go with a dirted tank. It'll be easier to break down and move to and from school this way. I'm back home (for spring break) and will take a trip over to my LFS when I'm not working and pick up a nice bag of black aquarium sand. I believe its Carib Sea SuperNaturals brand, the same brand I used for my 10g just a different "style".

The dark color will help make the plants and fish's colors pop and if I ever get around to keeping it as a RCS tank their colors would brighten up more too!

Thanks for bearing with me. I still can't believe I made a mistake like that! At least my dad gets a free bag of Miracle Grow.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

Hey, at least you decided to not go dirty now, instead of later


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

true true but I still have a 5 gallon worth of mess to clean up when I get back to my dorm. I want to go get started now! grrrrr.

Maybe I'll take a trip to my LFS tonight. I've got work at 7am tomorrow so I won't be out too late.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Well, I've been thinking very hard. I've heard many great things about this Tahitian Moon Sand stuff and it's got exactly the look that I'm looking for. The only negative is that it is inert. So I have a decision to make that I would like your help on.

If I go with the Tahitian Black Moon Sand substrate should I go with only that (with root tabs for fertilization...I believe this is the more expensive but cleaner version)

OR

Should I stick with the dirted idea, get some Miracle Grow Organic Soil (or another brand of organic) and cap the dirt with an inch or so of TMS?

Decisions, decisions...


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

DIRT


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## sejoy (Jan 18, 2011)

I'm doing both. Dirt bottom (from my yard...) and TMS cap. 8D


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

awesome let me know how it turns out

I think I'm going to head to Home Depot after work today and my LFS and pick up the dirt and sand

Woohoo


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

AquaStudent said:


> awesome let me know how it turns out
> 
> I think I'm going to head to Home Depot after work today and my LFS and pick up the dirt and sand
> 
> Woohoo



lets compare how our tanks do,i set up my 29 gallon yesterday with root tabs under the pool filter sand,well compare results later,




are you doing diy co2?


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Mkk

I'm very upset! I went to my LFS that had TMS when I went out to purchase supplies for my 10g a few weeks ago. They were out of stock and did not know when they were going to be getting a delivery of new substrates. Big Big Problem because I head back to school this weekend!

Does anybody know of a place to order it online without paying an arm and a leg?

Also, how imperative is clay containing iron? I found a website (off the MTS thread) and it seems cheap but I need to figure out the shipping.

I did pick up some dirt today. I know this dirt will work because I have seen many planted tanks that have used this dirt before. I picked up a small bag of Miracle Grow Organic Potting Mix/Soil. Either way I'm confident it will work.

I could have picked up CaribSea Aquarium Sand Substrate. It was pretty much exactly like the TMS but pure white instead of pure black. It wouldn't be exactly the look I was going for but it's better than nothing.

At this point I may just go out and buy some play sand and cap it with that. I'd save some $$$ but it wouldn't quite be the look I want. (and I'd have like 95% of a 50pound sand bag left over.

UGH!!!


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

JamesHockey said:


> lets compare how our tanks do,i set up my 29 gallon yesterday with root tabs under the pool filter sand,well compare results later,
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I was reading over the MTS thread and I don't think I was going to do MTS. I was just going to use dirt, not a wet/dryout phase then repeat. I was planning on using the strategy from Dustin at www.aquascape.ning.com

We can still compare how it all turns out


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

AquaStudent said:


> I was reading over the MTS thread and I don't think I was going to do MTS. I was just going to use dirt, not a wet/dryout phase then repeat. I was planning on using the strategy from Dustin at www.aquascape.ning.com
> 
> We can still compare how it all turns out


???


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

In my understanding, MTS is done with a process of adding a little bit of water and then letting it evaporate and repeating. This takes the minerals out of the water and puts it into the "dirt". It also calls for a different kind of dirt other than organic potting mix (i think). The whole process makes some sort of silt.

I was just going to use dirt/organic potting soil as nutritious substrate.


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

AquaStudent said:


> In my understanding, MTS is done with a process of adding a little bit of water and then letting it evaporate and repeating. This takes the minerals out of the water and puts it into the "dirt". It also calls for a different kind of dirt other than organic potting mix (i think). The whole process makes some sort of silt.
> 
> I was just going to use dirt/organic potting soil as nutritious substrate.


I know your doing miracle grow.... Idk I'm confused 


On with the show!


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

The MTS method is something different I guess. I'm just using dirt as nutrition, I am not adding minerals from tap water to the dirt.

oh well, I have found a couple of online sources for TMS. How much should I need?

These prices are including shipping.

I can get a...

5 pound bag for around $12

10 pounds for $20

and 20 pounds for $26

I know I won't need 20 pounds but I feel like 5 pounds for $12 is pretty expensive. How much will I need anyway? I need at least a half an inch cap (preferably closer to an inch)


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

i would get a 10 lbbag,and if shipping is too much im sure 5 lbs is enough


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I was walking my dog this morning, in the rain I might add (Dudley wasn't too happy about that), when I found some nice pieces of Quartz. I know what I'm doing today.

I do have some spanish homework to do but cleaning these pieces of quartz will be a lot more fun.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Some pics after I cleaned out the old dirt and put in the good stuff.

I'm "seeding" the filter so I won't have to cycle the tank.


















Mhmmmmm...dirt


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

You got an azoo palm! That's sweet


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## MaStErFiShKeEps (Dec 6, 2010)

What light did you end up using? Watts/K?


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

JamesHockey said:


> You got an azoo palm! That's sweet


It's actually the Red Sea Nano but I think it's the exact same filter with a different brand name. I think the clear plastic looks sweet and it's really quiet.




MaStErFiShKeEps said:


> What light did you end up using? Watts/K?


I ended up picking up a 13 watt CFL 6500k bulb at walmart. It really lights up the tank I can't wait to start trying to actually grow things.

I do need to pick up a timer though (*Kicks self for forgetting). I meant to do that...


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## MaStErFiShKeEps (Dec 6, 2010)

Cool! Thanks


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

plant your stuff in that dirt, then make sure you cover it up with some heavier substrate. even sand will do. it will hold your plants in and keep dirt down.

you can do the planting and all that and not worry about the cycle impacting the plants because it shouldn't. but seeding that filter is a great idea.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I would plant the plants if I had them and also if I had the cap. all should be coming in this week.


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

AquaStudent said:


> I would plant the plants if I had them and also if I had the cap. all should be coming in this week.


Sweetnessss


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Well the TMS came in today. I got 5 pounds of it through Petsmart. It shipped really fast actually...I'm just not sure if I got enough. I should have played it safe and gotten 10 pounds...now I may end up having to pay double shipping.

This is a lesson well learned.

On a positive note the sand looks awesome. I can't wait to get it underneath the bright lights and contrasting the quartz rocks I cleaned.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

sorry I keep forgetting that you DID want to cap with TMS.


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## sejoy (Jan 18, 2011)

Can't wait for pics. I havn't actually seen many TMS tanks. 
Mine's still in the planning stages. Art gallery's rejection might speed things up, parents are more willing to fund things when I'm depressed xD


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

sejoy said:


> Can't wait for pics. I havn't actually seen many TMS tanks.
> Mine's still in the planning stages. Art gallery's rejection might speed things up, parents are more willing to fund things when I'm depressed xD


Hey whatever works. My parents just said fund everything yourself and best of luck to you.
I took a 5 hour break for my night class and to tutor for physics (I'm all worn out now) but I did a few more water changes and cleaned off the top of the TMS. I've gotten most of the random scraps of dirt that were floating around. The water is at about 50% and just waiting for the plants that should come in sometime this week. Once that's done all I need is an inhabitant 

I've got to get up for conditioning in 6 hours and then I've got homework and classes out the wazoo so I'll upload pictures when I get the opportunity. Phew. College is rough lol


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

When's the Betta coming in?


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I need to talk to you about that. Do you think shipping in this weather will be a problem? I'm looking at the weather for me for the next 10 days. There are a few days in the mid 50s but most days have a high of mid-low 40s.

Some of the days have lows into the 20s :/ Will shipping be ok with that?


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

Hmmm maybe give it a week or 2


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

JamesHockey said:


> When's the Betta coming in?


Betta? What betta? 

And yes, college if rough, but it's so much better than working, LOL!


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

Betta Maniac said:


> Betta? What betta?
> 
> And yes, college if rough, but it's so much better than working, LOL!



ill get a pic of him when i get home


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

College is better than working although sometimes I wish I'd rather be making money than spending it all.

The betta is one owned by James. His bettas made little bettas at the end of 2010 (I believe I have the timing correct).

And a week or two is exactly what I'm thinking. I just hope it'll warm up.


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## Moody636 (Oct 24, 2009)

I wish I could just go to school. I go to school full time and I hold a full time job.

Just remember it will all be worth it in the end.

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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

AquaStudent said:


> College is better than working although sometimes I wish I'd rather be making money than spending it all.
> 
> The betta is one owned by James. His bettas made little bettas at the end of 2010 (I believe I have the timing correct).
> 
> And a week or two is exactly what I'm thinking. I just hope it'll warm up.


Well it was like a day or 2 before thanksgiving. So ya you're right


I'm gonna breed them again and actually try to raise the babies this time  I'm acualy thinking about getting one of the metallic bettas and breed it


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

that would be very cool! Where did you get your betta that you used to breed?

Upload a picture when you can 

I also may try to breed your "baby" with a store bought female (haven't gotten it yet). I have a pretty decently sized container to keep the female in...the only thing is I don't really have a tank to keep the baby bettas until they are big enough to give to my friends/other places :/ Damn neons...I really don't like neons anymore lol. My neons in my 10g are mean as hell as it is! It must be because they are from Walmart...


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

they are from petsupermarket  im gonna run upstairs and take a pic


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

U










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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)




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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

AquaStudent said:


>


 
wooooootttttt!!!!!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

WOOHOO!!! looking good! :biggrin:

I really like the moon sand!!!

And what a pretty little betta! I used to have a lady betta with those colors and she was beautiful, i had a trio of females in my 20g at my old place and the red and white one was the prettiest (i know i shouldn't play favorites but, it's true :hihi she had iridescent stripes along the spines in all of her fins too


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

nice lookin fish! i was reading about breeding bettas, and everytime i read about something, i want to do it AAHHHH MTS is attacking!!!


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

Lol thanks for the compliments!

All it takes is 2 tanks for them to breed...


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

i dont even have room/moeny for that! hahah! im gonna try my hand at GBRs though


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

orchidman said:


> i dont even have room/moeny for that! hahah! im gonna try my hand at GBRs though


Been there done that, well the babies never made it past wrigglers ( 1 spawn so far) but well see


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

nice start. though i recommend grey stones not white.


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## sejoy (Jan 18, 2011)

The sand looks great! 8D


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I've got some pieces of gray granite I was also going to try out but the betta that's going in will have a white body so I am thinking the white stones will color match better. It'll be trial and error. I also have some more smaller pieces of Quartz in the 10g I'm thinking about moving over. I just can't wait for my plants to come in so I can start working with those.

I also coughed up the double shipping and ordered 5 pounds more of the TMS. It's really thin in some spots. It's only a fraction of an inch deep in a spot or two.

Thanks for the replies guys!


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

the bettas sister is going to a new home today!


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

i think that gray stones ( pics would help though ) might help the betta stand out


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

The Marsalia Quadrifolia from Tannier arrived today. It was a bit of a pain to plant but it was a fun challenge. I broke up the long strands into smaller sections and scattered them over the foreground and right sides of the tank.
I'll try uploading soon.

I've also put the filter that came with the tank on the side of the tank to try and clear up some of the dirt junk that's floating around. As I believe I said earlier I have another 5 pounds of TMS coming in so that'll give me enough of a cap to keep all the dirt down.

And Betta Maniac and Karackle this is for you...I'm really really really considering trying out a moss wall for the background. I think that would look AMAZING but it's a lot of area to cover and I have absolutely no experience with moss walls.

I've been doing a bit of reading even though I really need to be doing my physics homework (I left it for the last minute again and will be paying for it...) and have a bit of a plan.

I could make a visit to Walmart and pick up some plastic sewing grid, a needle (If I can't find one), and some small suction cups (I think walmart will have this). I've already got some green thread that I can use to seal the front and back mesh pieces together. I can then explore the SNS and look for some moss.

Will peacock moss do well on a wall? If not what would be some other good options?


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

peacock will do great


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Ok well I have dreams. I'm picturing my tank (Pics tonight to help y'all see too) with a back wall covered in moss and a right side covered in moss. I'm looking at it and doing some calculations and Area = Length x Width = A lot of moss...

How do you see this working? Also, how will the lighting work on a moss wall? I'm looking at my light and it looks like it puts off light at over 180 deg so the wall would be getting hit with light from bottom to top (unlike my 10g which the top would get cut off).


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

ive always wanted a moos wall,never found the right mesh to make it


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

peacock or Xmas moss would work really well, they're very similar, in fact, i'm not even sure which it is that I have! :hihi:

a needle and thread OR zip ties works to put the moss wall together. A lot of people use suction cups, but they're not strictly necessary, as long as the wall fits snugly. That's what i did with mine, i made it a tight fit and then just shoved it in so it's right up against the wall. 

as for lighting, I didn't do anything different than I would have without a moss wall, most of the back wall gets hit by the light so the moss grows. moss doesn't need a ton of light to grow, it just might grow slower in some areas than others if parts of it are a bit shaded. 

sounds like a cool plan, can't wait to see it!

James - The mesh can be any kind of mesh as long as it's aquarium safe. I used plastic (or maybe it's fiberglass) gutter cover mesh, i chose it because the holes are bigger than other meshes and the wires (strings? whatever you call the things woven together to make the mesh :tongue are thinner than some of the other options. This worked well for my 5g but might be tricky for a full moss wall with a tank larger than 5 or maybe 10g because the roll is only just about the height of a 5g.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I'll have to check Walmart the next time I go (possibly this weekend) to see what they have for mesh. This will take a lot of moss to cover though wont it?

I was checking the SNS and I found a couple of people selling Peacock Moss in 3 golf ball sizes in a package for like $15. I think I'd need like 2 of these packages to get good coverage...that's a lot lol. I'm not sure if I can afford something like that.

Are my estimations correct? The tank dimensions (above the substrate) are about

8"x16"x8.5"

To cover the back and right sides i would need (8x16+8x8.5)=196 square inches of moss. It'll probably be a little less because I'll be adding more substrate but it won't reduce the number by much. perhaps not a full moss wall is what i need...hmmmmm

also...is there a way to delete a poll?


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

for a 5g I think one of those packages would do fine, I used maybe 2ish golfballs worth of moss between the wall AND the cave AND the pillars. moss goes pretty far, you want to spread it thin to reduce the amount that dies, don't forget it's going to be under a layer of mesh so the only part that will show in the moss wall is the new growth. A golfball of moss goes a pretty long way for this kind of project roud:


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

ok that's a good point. I'll check the store for some mesh hopefully this weekend.

I think once (if) I finish my homework I'll set up the DIY co2 for the tank. Since I have no animal life I'm not going to worry about sufficating anything. I can also monitor the ph levels to see how it'll fluctuate durring the day with c02 and can adjust from there.

Once I get a pair of old stockings I'm going to cover the filters in both my 10g and the 5g and set up some Cherry Red Shrimp in the 5g. Hopefully I can get them to breed for a bit. There will be a bit of time before it'll be very safe to ship the betta.

I'm also looking at the rocks in the tank and I'm liking them a lot. They aren't pure white but they have some red/pink mixed in. There's also a bit of brown and black on the "corner" rock on the right. Looking at the colors of the betta I think they compliment him well. He's got a whiteish body with red fins. Perfect


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Anyway...I took out the 3"x3" peacock moss grid out of the 10g and took it apart. I attached quite a bit of the moss to the rocks but there was a lot more on that grid than i was expecting. I spread out the remaining moss on the grid and reattached it. hopefully it'll have some room to grow in the next few weeks.

I'm also not sure I like the look of the moss on the rocks. It looks a bit too "forced." I do like the idea of a moss wall though. So maybe I'll be able to use this moss to get started on a moss wall and then get another order to finish it off. I'll upload some pictures later this evening on another homework break.

Oh...I've also set up the DIY c02. I'm still waiting for it to build up enough pressure to start releasing bubbles. I do not have another glass diffuser so I'm using the old airstone. Will it be worth purchasing another glass diffuser?


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Pictures as promised!

These were taken before I added the additional 5 pounds of TMS (which came in yesterday...I was surprised at how fast delivery was). The tank looks slightly different than the pictures but nothing very drastic. I put a piece of "PantyHoes" over the filter intake and will be adding some CRS this afternoon to hopefully get them breeding and established. I did the same in the 10g but want to double my chances of success.

I'm also in the process of uploading an Update video. I'll post the link when it's up (the upload has already failed twice lol)

Onto the pictures!
MQ!!!









Added some of the peacock moss

























Since these photos I have switched taken out the "Big" filter and put in the Red Sea Nano and added more TMS. I now have a very good layer of sand over the gravel. I just hope the roots will grow long enough to be able to reach the nutrients. Then again I could always just add a root tab or two until they get long enough...hmmmmm

Also, how would a moss wall work with the heater and filter both on the back wall? Will I have to build it around those or can I just build it straight across the back? I think there's enough room behind the heater to have some moss and plastic grid but I don't think there's much room behind the filter. Could I just separate it into two pieces: one that goes from the filter intake to the left and another that starts from the right side of the intake to the right wall?

Enjoy!


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Video is up at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqYn3JpXGgA

Enjoy!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Looking good! can't wait to see it as it grows in!  

As for the moss wall, I stretched it across the entire back of the tank and just rehung the filter with the intake over it. The moss just probably won't grow there. I have a submersible heater so that wasn't an issue, it looks like yours isn't submersible so just hang it over the moss wall too. Again, the moss probably just won't grow right there, but no big deal, it will look more uniform that way though I think. That's just my $0.02 though FWIW roud:


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Ok well I went to Walmart to find some plastic canvas and, believe it or not, they don't carry it anymore and the nearest place that'll have it is like 45 mins away. Great. Well I know what I'm going to be doing tomorrow morning.

On a happier note the Peacock Moss I ordered from the SNS arrived today. I got 3 golf ball sized things of moss and they look great.

I was really looking forward to setting up the wall this evening. Oh well...I can read some more tutorials so I don't make too many fatal errors.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

oh man, that's a total bummer about the plastic canvas!

Great to hear about the moss though roud: 

I can't wait to see everything put together!!! :biggrin:


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I decided to not sleep in on my "day off" and took a trip up to the craft store. They only had white ("clear") plastic canvas (I was hoping for black) but i still think this will look cool. It will look similar to the Quartz that is in the tank and will be a greater contrast to the TMS. The Green/White combination on the Quartz and Wall should be a cool effect.

Also, if I get the betta I'm hoping to get then the White theme will really be carried through (White, green, red, and black will be the main colors). It sounds very...Christmasy for some reason.

I hope to get the moss wall built this evening after I finish my physics assignment for tomorrow and do some tutoring. Fun stuff.

I'm planning on doing a video of how to make a moss wall...well at least how I'm going to do it. it should be entertaining at least


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

On the plus side, the clear might let the light through better than the black, resulting in faster/better early growth.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

That's possible but it's not all that transparant. I've stuck my fingers a couple times already. 

I also found out that my Red Tiger Lotus shipment went off the grid so they are sending another shipment. :/ to be fair to them they are easy to work with.

Anyway... I'll do my best to get some pics up once I finish


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

If you come up short on marislea or peacock shoot me a PM. Ive got plenty that would boost your 5g along for the cost of shipping. I think this tank is going to turn out awesome. Your video skills are awesome too. I like when people are themselves in their videos and actually speak instead of all music and looking.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Thanks Chad! I may take you up on that. I want to see how the MQ and Peacock moss do that I already have in this tank (I'm kinda broke right now too lol). I really appreciate it.

I made the moss walls today and am pretty happy with the way they came out. The wall on the right side of the tank is slightly too large and bulges out but I can fix that some other time. It actually looks pretty cool right now.

The cherries love it!

Here are some photos.










And a Cherry enjoying the new playground










I can't wait for this to grow out. I'm uploading a video right now and will post the link once it's up and running.


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Looks great!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

looking good man! the mesh might not be perfectly clear, but it will definitely let some light through, I'll be interested to see how quickly the moss grows with the white instead of black roud:

Really excited to watch this grow in! :biggrin:


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Karackle said:


> looking good man! the mesh might not be perfectly clear, but it will definitely let some light through, I'll be interested to see how quickly the moss grows with the white instead of black roud:
> 
> Really excited to watch this grow in! :biggrin:


Thanks Kara and BettaManiac. Kara...are you saying watching moss grow is much more entertaining than watching grass grow?


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I'm considering moving one of the otos from the 10g into the 5g at least temporarily because I'm starting to get a buildup of algae. I think it's diatoms but I'm not 100% positive.

Anyway, I decided that James's betta wouldn't be the best fit for me right now. I'm probably going to wait until the summer to get a betta in this tank. Another fish I was considering is Dario Dario (Scarlet Badis). My only hesitation (apart from figuring out how to feed them) is that this tank won't be very densely planted (tall plants wise) so I'm not sure if the dario dario will like that too much. The 10 gallon is another story 

Dwarf puffer would be cool too but not a good fit for me at the moment...sometime in the future though I'd love to set up a 20g puffer tank or something along those lines 

And I almost completely forgot to update on the actual status of the tank. It's doing quite well and the shrimp are happy. I see a couple new molts each morning/day. The moss wall is really starting to take off. There are a lot of moss "runners" starting to poke it's way out of the holes in the plastic canvas. I'm getting really excited 

Any reading (for me)/comments/suggestions would be fantastic and greatly appreciated.


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## 10gallonplanted (Oct 31, 2010)

3 Dwarf puffers would look really good against the moss wall, im getting some for a 20g soon. I wish i could do a moss wall on my shrimp tank, too bad my scuds would strip it clean like the last time i put singapore moss in there. I took it out when it was completely brown/black. Its making a recovery now in a cut in half two litter now.


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## 10gallonplanted (Oct 31, 2010)

Oh i thought this was a 10g, 3 puffers might be too much haha.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

yeah 3 would be a bit too much  I've got fairly low filtration on this too and no real good way to keep snails. It's a future project though, like once I get a house and out of school (which will be never at this rate...spending too much time on tpt and not enough proving the orthogonality of Legendre Polynomials)

I'm thinking some Scarlet Badis would be cool too because they would be different than what I would normally have. I'm just not sure if they would "fill" this tank enough. Then again, I think they would look sweet.

How many could I fit in a 5g? 3 males 3 females?


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## 10gallonplanted (Oct 31, 2010)

I think msjinkzd has a very nice deal on them right now, i jsut bought microcrabs & otos from her. Not in the Shop and Swap section, but the other one you can sell in. I don't really know but they are a very attractive fish. I tihnk i saw she had them there at least?


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## 10gallonplanted (Oct 31, 2010)

Ask her.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I actually messaged her earlier today about them after I searched threads for Dario Dario. It looks like a sweet deal and I'm really going to look into it although shipping to me may not be the best option at the moment. It's starting to hit the mid 40s but I don't know how long that will last.


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## sampster5000 (Oct 30, 2010)

I love how you are doing the moss wall. Not just on the back wall but on the other walls. Very good idea! I never thought of this. Gonna look awesome.


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## Ben. (Mar 29, 2011)

make it grow faster. roud:


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I'm trying Ben  I got the DIY c02 running earlier today and in my celebration I decided to make a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGlVUBlN7pQ

I think I'm going to go with some Scarlet Badis in this tank. It's something unusual and uncommon. It'll also allow me to keep the cherry shrimp in the 5gallon (and hopefully get them to breed and move them to the 10g)

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Thanks y'all.


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## Ben. (Mar 29, 2011)

it looks promising, that moss wall is going to be awesome. I just started my dirt 10 gallon! I might make a moss wall tooroud:


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## thewaterbird (Apr 16, 2011)

did you get a spiral CF bulb? I am starting up the same 5g tank, and want to replace the bulb, but I'm not sure if a spiral will fit.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

yes I got a spiral CFL, 6500k 13 watts I think. It was around $5 at my Walmart so they're pretty cheap and so far they work great.

My MQ is loving it and the Moss Wall is EXPLODING with growth! I forgot to post the link to my update videos on my 5 and 10 gallon tanks on here.

Update Video April 16, 2011


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## MaStErFiShKeEps (Dec 6, 2010)

Any ferts? And post pictures


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I'm not dousing ferts but I am using Dirt (MG Organic) as my lower substrate. I'll post pictures hopefully this evening. I was thinking of sticking in some root tabs but I haven't really decided yet. Do you guys have any suggestions? Would root tabs help?


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## demonr6 (Mar 14, 2011)

I don't think you need the root tabs with the MG Organic. I have a play around tank using MG Organic base and it is thriving pretty well without help. The rt's may be overkill. Nice work on the moss wall. I want to do something like that for the rear of my tank. Unfortunately time is not my friend lately so I am going to find someone and have them do it.. money always talks. LOL


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

lol it honestly isn't all that time consuming. it really is just a 2-3 hour project for the entire thing. the most expensive part though is getting all the moss :/ that put a fairly large dent in my wallet


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Last night I picked up a baby carrot at the dining hall, boiled and nuked it, and let it soak in some dechloronated water to cool. I added it to the tank to try and supplement the RCS diet a little (I was also told it would improve their color).

Today, I came back from classes around around half past noon and found most of my Red Cherry Shrimp dead! I removed those deceased and did a 50% waterchange. I also removed the carrot because there was some white threadlike stuff on it and on the substrate around it. On top of this I'm not sure if the Red Sea Nano Filter is working. The motor is churning but I can't tell if it's pumping out any water.

Anyway so far the two remaining shrimp seem to be doing ok. I've been keeping a close eye on them. I tested the water parameters and they all seemed normal. Could a non-organic carrot cause death to a shrimp?

On a happier note all the plants are doing great. I need to move the MQ around a bit because it's starting to grow on top of itself. The anubais nana are also growing a lot. The smaller one has 4 new leaves coming in and the larger portion is getting to be quite large. The Red Tiger Lotus is finally getting roots into the substrate and the the pads are growing fast.

I gave away quite a few plants from my 10g and some of the pennywort to a friend from another forum. He's expecting a large birth of Red Cherry Shrimp in his tank so he may send me some once they get older. I can only hope I can get things sorted out before then.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I promise I will post pictures soon.

But in the meantime a quick textual update.
The moss wall is doing amazing. It's a dark green and is really growing nicely. The Marselia quadrifolia is really doing amazing. It's gotten great coverage in most of the tank and now consistently runs across the entire front. It's turning into a nice carpet.

The RTL is coming along nicely with 3 small pads already. The Anubais nana have many new leaves and I could probably propagate them again.

On the other side I'm still having trouble keeping the filter running. I think the panty hose I'm using stop the flow too much. I'm going to need to find something new :/


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

can't wait to see the pics! If you are using pantyhose to protect the babies from getting sucked up, I would try using a piece filter sponge (NOT kitchen sponge), it should do the trick. I've used nothing before and just usher the babies that get into the filter out when I do a filter cleaning too. They're so small that they usually survive their trip through the impeller and then just grow up eating debris in the filter LOL...it's like a baby shrimp nursery, keeps them safe from hungry fish :hihi: But since the tank is shrimp only at the moment, I'd just use a piece of filter sponge.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

yeah I'm going to have to check online i think for filter sponge. My LFS at school won't carry them. Idk about my LFS back home. It's possible.

Is there a certain one that would be best for a Red Sea Nano?


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Here's the newest Update video. I need a name for the tank.

Any suggestions? Right now it's called the "Badass Badis Tank" but I'm not sure if Badass is "appropriate". Let me know if it isn't so I can change it . I know college language does not match up to proper societal etiquette.

Badass Badis Aquarium April 26, 2011


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

Dirty bettas, badass badis...what will be next lol?
good call with the caves under rocks. are badis already in the tank?


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I don't know what will be next lol  hopefully a fantastic looking 5 gallon aquarium (I can only hope)!

I don't have the Scarlet Badis yet. I'm getting them May 14th. Right now the only resident is a lone Red Cherry Shrimp.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

i see. the badis might eat some young of breeding cherries. but if the have enough plant matter (moss wall will really help) then the shrimp can hide effectively and will successfully breed in the tank.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

yeah that's one thing that I'll be interested to see. I'm sure they will get hungry but I'm pretty sure the shrimpletts will be able to take cover in the MQ carpet as well as in the moss wall. That's one thing that I'm going to be looking at. I want to learn as much as I can about Scarlet Badis.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

I can refer you to a fellow hobbyist who kept and bred Badis in the past if you would like to get info from her.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I would love that! Thanks!


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I finished my finals and moved back home yesterday. All is well in the 5 gallon. I have my neons (from the 10g) hanging out in there now until I can fully get their home all set back up.

I'm not sure what the status is with the Scarlet Badis. I was hoping to get them on May 14th but that may not be possible anymore. We will see how events unfold.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

Are you ordering them from online? If you are lucky, the hobbyist i was talking about is still breeding them and might have individuals for sale. But I do not know yet if that is true right now. I will let you know soon.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

That would be really cool. I was going to get them semi locally but she won't have them in until after the local meeting and by the time of the next meeting I'll be away from home again so I'm going to have to resort to shipping.

I'm hoping this won't break my fragile college bank


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

Check your PM for an update. Looks like I was off on that one lol. Hopefully though you are still in luck and can get this other species.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Thanks! I'll just wait until I get the Scarlet Badis (Dario dario) because they will hopefully be the perfect fit.

Thank you for trying though.

Like I said before I will get some pictures posted hopefully tomorrow. The neons are loving the tank and seem very happy. I need to dial in the heater though :/ It's still relatively chilly in there.

Is there a way to the get rid of a poll?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

No problem, I though i would try to help


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## jasonpatterson (Apr 15, 2011)

AquaStudent said:


> yeah I'm going to have to check online i think for filter sponge. My LFS at school won't carry them. Idk about my LFS back home. It's possible.
> 
> Is there a certain one that would be best for a Red Sea Nano?


Dunno if you're still looking for a sponge, but Petsmart carries a prefilter sponge for the Fluval Edge that runs about $3 and works very well. It's black and the length can be reduced fairly easily if it looks too big in your tank. The shrimp are generally fairly happy to climb all over the thing cleaning it also.


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## gringostar9 (Oct 11, 2010)

Hey, your tank looks great. Do you want some Red Tiger Lotus... I dont live at home where my 55 gallon is anymore. When i went home for mothers day the entire top of the tank was covered in Lilly pads. Im talking 8 inches in diameter. It was the first time i was home in 2 months. After i cut all the pads back i noticed a flower bulb. an hour later it bloomed and i had this:









im going back home June 3rd. Ill send yo some if you still want it... The stuff grows like crazy.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Wow that is amazing! I'm actually all set with my RTL. Hell, I need to keep them small. It's awesome to have them that large but that would take up my entire tank 

Thanks for the offer though!


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## gringostar9 (Oct 11, 2010)

Yea i was so surprised when i got home. It has spread like crazy. It will randomly shoot up all over the place so keep on it. I was lucky to get a flower.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

New Pics! I moved the tanks down into my apartment for the summer. The move went well and I even got in the RCS my friend sent me. I'm also experimenting with some Indian AlmondLeaves.

Right now my pennywort isn't doing all that well and there is some other various melting but nothing too bad I hope. I also put in the stock filter (larger and more powerful than the Red Sea Nano) with the filter from the 10g so it's all cycled for the shrimp.

So far things are looking fairly good. It is harder to keep the pennywort floating because of the more powerful filter. any suggestions?

onto the pics.

Looking down at the carpet. You can also see a few shrimpies.










Shrimp! And I believe those are some saddles! (please correct me if I am wrong)










Kind of a weird side view of the tank.











I also posted an update video of both the 5 gallon and the 10 gallon tanks.

Update Video 25 May 2011

I also am proud to announce that I have broken the 100 subscriber mark on youtube! Thanks so much everybody!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Tanks are looking great man! 

So I might have missed something, but are there Scarlet Badis in here yet or is that just the plan for the tank? If there are, I'd love to see pics if you can get them! If not yet, then I can't wait!


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## 10gallonplanted (Oct 31, 2010)

Those are definitely saddles! Expect a berry or two.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Awesome. I can't wait for berries 

There are no Scarlet Badis yet but that is the plan. I need to message MrsJynxed to see what the status is.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Sorry I haven't updated y'all in awhile. I've been working hard and haven't had time to do too much tank related.

Today however I was in an exceptionally energetic mood. Everything went smooth today with my research and I got to help out with prepping the superconducting magnet for the liquid helium shipment for the next few weeks of data taking. Liquid Nitrogen is a lot of fun 

Anyway I made an update video. To summarize, no badis yet but I'm still working on it, I did a rescape because I got a sweet piece of driftwood, and the cherry shrimp are doing great.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions for modifying the rescape. I had trouble making the carpet of MQ even again. It's grown out SOOO MUCH!

Here's the video. Let me know what you if you have any ideas on how to improve it 

Update Video 10 June 2011


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Here are some pictures of the rescape.

FTS




























 Let me know if y'all have any aquascaping ideas.


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## plecostomouse (Jun 9, 2011)

hey, sweet tank, i like the ground vover.
i would say that darker rocks would provide a better aquascape as the contrast is a but to much atm i feel,

but hey what do i know 

good luck


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

A lot of people have been saying that. I have some pieces of granite that I found but I thought it made the tank look too dark overall. I did add IAL to darken and soften the water for the Dario dario a bit but I don't want it to be pitch black.

It would look more natural without the quartz but I'm not going for entirely natural. I want to highlight the greens, reds, and whites. Green and red are opposites on the color wheel and make each other pop. Red and white is one of my favorite color combinations and are the colors of a male scarlet badis.

I actually did move some things around and thinned out the carpet so I could send some Marsilea Quad to a friend of mine. I now have one of the long quartz rocks lying in front of the DW on the right side. It frames the driftwood better than how it was before and creates a hiding spot and a broader area under the RTL similar to what someone said in my aquascaping question thread. the left side of the driftwood has the other two larger quartz rocks. the elbow shaped one is on bottom slightly behind the DW and has the larger anubias nana pinned between the DW and the quartz. the third piece of quartz makes another cave with the elbow piece.


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## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

Oh yes the need for more tanks it's a problem I have. Now that I have gotten into the plant world I needed another tank. I too have a 5 gal I am trying to map out what plants I want and where. 

It looks good the moss wall will really bring it all together once it grows in.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Thanks Snowflake 

I have some great news!

1) My friend over on another site finally paid me back for some plants I sent him in April. He sent me about a dozen or so of the shrimplets from his Fire Red Shrimp. I'm hoping they will strengthen the fairly strong line I already have in my 5 and 10 gallon tanks.

2) ...drum roll please...I finally got some Scarlet Badis! They arrived from California a day earlier than expected! I've got them acclimating right now. They are so cool looking. I can't wait to get pictures up. I think one of the 6 is a female (very pale compared to the others). The plan is to keep 4 of the males in the 10g and a pair in the 5g. I have no idea how I'm going to get the pair out of the bag though (I have them all acclimating in the 10 right now).

I'll figure something out 

Also, is there a way to attach moss to a filter output shoot? I'd love to see some moss dangling from the filter. I think that would be really cool and it would help filtration a little bit.


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Love the Badis! They're so cute.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Here's some video of them in the bag chilling in the 10g. I now have separated 4 of the males and put a pair in the 5g. I tried to pick the one with the best color.

Scarlet Badis and Fire Red Shrimp Video


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

i hear that females do not have stripes on their body. do all of you fish have the vertical stripes?


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

nope. There is one that is nearly completely pale and doesn't show any stripes. I have her and the best colored male in the 5 gallon and the other 4 in the 10g. The pair seemed to stick close to each other in the bag and now that they are in the tank they still stay relatively close to each other


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

have they colored up some? i want to see pics of the fire reds! i couldnt really see the colors well in the video


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

The girls I've seen are a dull grey/brown while the boys are red. The difference is really obvious.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

the cherry shrimp are still pretty young. They came from "Fire Red Cherry Shrimp" parents so hopefully they will show their parents colors but that's not always true. Either way I'm glad to have some shrimp from a different tank to strengthen the genetics.

The badis have colored up quite well. The lone male has some great colors. The 4 boys in the 10g are doing quite well too. I fed everyone some of Ken's Golden Pearls to give that a try and it worked great. The neons went crazy for it. I'm pretty sure the badis went after it too.

I need to pick up some tweezers so I'll be able to more easily feed the white worms...chopsticks just aren't cutting it...

I will get up some pictures soon. I'm going out swing dancing tonight. Yes...I said swing dancing


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

AquaStudent said:


> the cherry shrimp are still pretty young. They came from "Fire Red Cherry Shrimp" parents so hopefully they will show their parents colors but that's not always true. Either way I'm glad to have some shrimp from a different tank to strengthen the genetics.
> 
> The badis have colored up quite well. The lone male has some great colors. The 4 boys in the 10g are doing quite well too. I fed everyone some of Ken's Golden Pearls to give that a try and it worked great. The neons went crazy for it. I'm pretty sure the badis went after it too.
> 
> ...


nice. hopefully they will show their parent's colors. 

i know what you mean about needing tweezers! i used chopsticks when i fed worms. maybe try a mini eye dropper, like a tiny turkey baster. i think thast what alot of SW guys use. but you could use the tweezers for planting. so its a 2 for 1

swing dancing. have fun! i ( no im not the dorky type ) swing dance. been doing it about 2 years. i usually go a few times a month. a friend of mine did a few talent shows... pm me if your interested in a video of it... :iamwithst


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

that sounds awesome. It turns out that I'm not going swing dancing because I forgot to thaw the ground beef for my dinner...I'm really hungry and it's just now thawed so I'm going to enjoy my dinner and go swing dancing next week 

but that means that I have no excuse for not getting some pics up tonight


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

haha.. forgot to thaw the hamburger... hhaah. wear slippery shoes...

pics noW!


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Yes sir!

FTS with the male poking out































































I love the florescent blue that's in the background of their red striped sides. It's such a cool effect!

I also don't know why the pictures are not embeding


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

only one shows through.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

fixed I uploaded to photobucket instead...


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

the fish look great! that male is awesome... you planning on breeding?


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I would love to although I have absolutely no experience with that and not much room for raising fry. I would have to get another tank and I'm not sure if I have room for that :/


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## 10gallonplanted (Oct 31, 2010)

Hey I'd be interested in buying some of your MQ within the next two weeks when I get some money! 

Looks great in your tank by the way.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Thanks! 

I'll make sure to set some aside for you also. I have another friend who is hoping to get some MQ from me as well.

I need to let it recover for a bit because it got some serious abuse when I was rescapeing and moving stuff around the past week.


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## 10gallonplanted (Oct 31, 2010)

Thanks so much.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

it does look like that is a female. though i've read that males sometimes keep the coloration of females (pale, brown, white) to not stand out and get attacked by more fit males. though i am pretty sure that such imitator males would have some faint stripes. it would be cool if you had a pair.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Looking good dude! Those fish are awesome!!! I never realized how tiny they are until seeing the male poke his head out in the FTS of a 5g! I might need to find me some of them! :biggrin: So many awesome fish....so little tank space. :hihi:

I agree with you, the neon blue is stunning!

the tank is looking good too


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Well there goes my hope of potentially breeding these guys.

The female has been acting strange for the past few days. She was eating so I didn't think it was anything too serious but I just got home from work and found her floating.

I'm now considering adding a couple more males to the tank to get some more movement. There should be plenty of space for 3 males to all have their own bases.

Still... :angryfire:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire <---- Me


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

aw man! I'm so sorry to hear about the female  boys are all still doing well though?


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

The boys still seem to be doing quite well. I am really not sure what happened. From the getgo she seemed quite shy. Maybe putting just her and a male in the 5g wasn't a good idea?


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I've moved two Scarlet males from the 10g into the 5g so now there is a trio of males. I'm thinking a trio will be better than just two because aggression will be spread out more but also won't be too crowded. I think the exclusivity of the single female caused lots of unnecessary stress.

I'll get some pictures up tonight.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Ok well it's been awhile since I've updated y'all. I'm back in my apartment at school and my room is filled with fish tanks. My desk is completely full with my TV (on a 5g bucket so I can see it), a lamp, my laptop, an Xbox360, paintball c02 setup, and my 5g tank. I'll get a picture up soon hopefully. I'm sure y'all will get a kick out of it.

First of all you can check out my newest video update here!

Scarlet Badis in Planted Nano Aquascape
​
The scarlets are doing well and have some amazing color. I just switched the tank around a little and removed the red tiger lotus that was originally growing in there. It wasn't looking at all how I wanted it to so I took it out (made a bit of a mess with the dirt) and transferred it to the 10g. I found a new lotus growing off of the lotus seed so I placed that in the 5g. I'm going to start again with it and hopefully get something with ROUND leaves.

The pressurized c02 system is working very well. I have 2 24 oz c02 tanks and have barely used any from the first tank over the past 2 months since starting. I have a video reviewing my c02 setup here.

Pressurized Paintball C02 Setup

I will post more updates and hopefully some pictures soon. Subscribe to my youtube channel for more frequent updates and HD recording! 

Thanks!


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Pictures! (for anyone still following)

Full Tank Shot











Scarlet Badis (Dario dario) in the Marsilea Quadrifolia carpet









































The Scarlet badis have such great personalities. They like to stick themselves into the moss wall and lounge around. It's hilarious!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Great pictures Aqua!!! The badis have colored up REALLY nicely since they first came into your tank, they must be happy! roud: 

The tank is looking good too, growing in very nicely! :biggrin:


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

Great pics! The fish look so happy! Good job. Here's to not letting this thread die


You can call me Bob


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Thanks Kara and Orchid. I'm doing my best to keep the thread alive.

The scarlets really have colored up a lot. I'm trying to upload a video now of me feeding them some Frozen Brine Shrimp. It so funny to watch them. They eye the piece, stare it down for a few seconds, turn their head a bit, creep a little closer, then BAM! they snatch it up.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Yesterday, I almost had a major co2 incident. I had the c02 coming out like crazy (I was experimenting a bit I must add). It was flowing hard. Well, a couple hours later I was sitting at my desk doing homework and noticed that the Scarlets were swimming near the top and they looked like they were having a hard time. I had read a bit here and there about c02 injection and gassing fish and identified the symptoms immediately.

I turned off the c02 (and removed the diffuser from the tank), stirred the water around a bit to encourage gas transfer, and exchanged a few cups of water between my 5 and 10 gallon tanks (similar water params). All is well in the tank and there were no causalities.

Here's part one of the incident.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhouYklLeO4

Today I decided to move one of the scarlet badis to the 10 gallon. I chose the one that doesn't seem to have as large of a territory in the tank and seems to get chased around by the other two. I believe he will be much happier in the new establishment and will enjoy the extra room.

I am still working on getting some females. When I do get females though would I be ok with placing two pairs in my 5g or would i be better off with 1 male and two or three females or two males and three or four females. These guys aren't too hard on the bioload but I'm more worried about territories but am also thinking that some competition would be helpful to induce breeding and be a bit more natural. Any thoughts?

Cheers!


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## Penny (Sep 16, 2011)

This tank looks great! What a good idea using the craft mesh for a moss wall, I have some extra laying around from a DIY divider I made, I will have to give it a try!

Sorry to hear about your CO2 incident. I'm glad everyone is alright.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Definitely give it a try. It works great.

I'm having some problems with green hair algae. It seems to enjoy growing out of my filter output, some on one of the rocks (the one receiving the most flux from the lights), and on some of the moss.

My lighting is a 13 watt 6500k CFL above the 5g tank. I have the timer set to come on at 1 pm and shut off at 10:30 pm. Should I reduce the photoperiod?

I am also running pressurized c02 while the lights are on. I have a decent amount going in (as you know from my earlier experience).

I'm going to try and manually remove as much as I can when I get caught up on my Quantum Mechanics, Planetary Science, and Modern Physics homework and study (a lot) for my QM exam on Thursday.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I'll try to get a picture up of the mess soon.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Here are the photos of the algae I promised. Quantum Mechanics exam tonight! Time to start cramming!




























From observation it seems that the algae on the moss wall is much thicker and more "weblike". It also has a darker shade of green which could be because it's attached to the darker colored moss rather than more free floating.

What are the best ways to counteract this type of algae? I'll be manually removing as much as I can tomorrow.


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

I had a MAJOR hair algae outbreak a few months back. I lifted the light 4" and it went away. Good luck with the exams!


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## Jeffww (Aug 6, 2010)

That looks like cyano to me...


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

I love that moss wall! I might have to try that some day!


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

yes thats cyano on the moss wall. the rest are different types. water fall algae is some sort of thin filamentous algae. eitherway, manual removal, turkey baster removal, mad water changes and no dosing should help. also while you are doing all that, you could do a blackout for a few days. after the black out keep up the removal and when there's nothing to remove, keep up the changes and it wont come back. a part of this is just not giving up and being patient, it takes a while to keep it from returning again.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll do a bit of research on Cyano. Are there specific causes for that? Am I correct in thinking it's a bacteria? Anyway, I'll start a dark period tomorrow and see how that goes.

I don't dose any ferts but I did dirt the tank so it may be some sort of leakage of nutrients. I guess I just need to find the balance in the tank 

Please keep the suggestions coming.

P.S. I'll be on my way to my exam in a bit...if I don't make it then Betta Maniac can have my tanks


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

hope you do well on that exam!

dont worry about the dirt, if you are not dosing in addition to that then that's great. 
Cyano is a bacteria but its very photosynthetic and behaves much like algae in terms of blooming in your tank. its causes are similar to any other algae, just imbalances of nutrients including phosphates and nitrates and other things like lights.

just manually remove as much as you can before each water change you do. and increase the frequency of water changes in general. this will pass, my shrimp bowl got hit by cyano for a long time too a few months after i started it up. just be patient


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

That sounds good. I'll get to work on it after my classes today.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

My exam went surprisingly well. I took advanced electricity and magnetism last semester (the hardest undergrad course) and the exams took me 6 hours each (they took everyone that long) and I didn't do so hot on them. But I felt much better on this one so there's still hope for me in physics.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

ok well I ended up getting a bit lower on the exam than I had hoped for but still much better than last semester 

Either way...I did some waterchanges but I think that's adding to the problem more than it's helping resolve it. There may be a large phosphates/other nutrient count in my water (we have pretty crazy water here...I almost can't drink it). I'm going to go back to lighting the tank (no blackout schedule) and resume pressurized c02 when the lights come back on.

The main thing I wanted to run by you all is moving some of my Fire Red Shrimp from the 10g to this setup. I only have one scarlet badis left because one of them disappeared a day or so into the blackout after a waterchange. I'm not quite sure what happened there. Either way the other scarlet badis also doesn't look like all that happy. I may move him back to the 10g where the scarlets are a bright bright BRIGHT red.

My next problem will be what to do with the ghost shrimp in the 5 gallon currently. I've heard conflicting stories of aggressive ghost shrimp and peaceful ghost shrimp. I now understand that ghost shrimp is the common name of a bunch of different shrimp species with many different temperaments. How easy are the species to tell apart.

Either way another option would be to give the ghosts to my roommate who still hasn't set up his tank yet...It'll give him something to start with.

Another option would be to keep the ghost shrimp in the 5g, not add the RCS, and rescue a betta the next time I'm in the "city." (not really a city) I do miss keeping a betta...

Anyway what do you all think?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

add the cherries


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Newman said:


> add the cherries



With the ghosties?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

yesh


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I'm going to wait until tomorrow afternoon after I make my run to the city. I'll hopefully be able to pick up some excel or some PhosGaurd (I'll see if there's anything remotely appealing) and I'll also see what bettas they have.

If there's nothing all that pleasing then I'll probably move the RCS in there and try that out.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I was very lucky today. When I went on my errands my last stop was Wal-Mart. Last night they got an order of Crowntails and I couldn't resist!

They had a black crowntail with some silver/white colors. Kinda like a Black Orchid but not quite like an Aquabid one  Still. He's gorgeous! I have him in the 5 gallon right now and I'm seeing how he gets along with the Scarlet Badis. If there are any conflicts I'll move the scarlet badis out to the 10 gallon. So far they seem to be getting along nicely.

Here's the video of him. Hopefully I'll be able to get some pictures of him tomorrow! I do need to come up with a name for him though? Any suggestions?

I've already gotten Toothless (after the dragon from How to Train your Dragon), Umbreon, and Bibby...

I'm thinking something astronomical, physics, or mythological based...
Shrodinger? Hubble? Hawking? Laplace? Lorentz? Einstein? Planck? Gallileo? Newton?  I can go on and on...Ceres, Ceberus, Io, Chronos, Titan

Paradox? who knows...who knows...

Here's the video if you want to see him. Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz8V...OBY2QOCFRgDEhw-5ysKb6zarjx1W4YE&feature=inbox


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Here are some photos of the new king of the tank.

I had a co2 accident late last week and lost all of my ghost shrimp, the scarlet badis, and almost the new betta! It was horrible. I found the betta and the scarlet badis both stuck behind the moss wall. The scarlet badis had already perished and the betta looked beat up but I nursed him this weekend and he's as lively as ever.

The damn c02 got turned way up (I dont know how but it did).

Prior to accident




















Post Accident









Finally a DECENT picture of him


























I tried to get "art-like" but it didn't turn out too well. I think I should just stick to physics...


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## Unicorrs (Nov 2, 2011)

thank God the betta survived

Organic Dirt with Tahitian Moon Sand Cap is winning!


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## ashes2ashes (Apr 7, 2011)

Very nice looking set up. Glad your betta made it! Pretty fish. =)


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Unicorrs said:


> thank God the betta survived
> 
> Organic Dirt with Tahitian Moon Sand Cap is winning!


I'm thankful too! I would have been so upset! I'm not exactly sure what's causing my algae outbreak. I gravel vaced it when I changed water, tried regular wter changes, I even used DI water (so no phosphtes from my tap).

Any ideas on the best way to get rid of green algae? I remove a lot by hand but a lot of it I just can't get to...there's just too much!



ashes2ashes said:


> Very nice looking set up. Glad your betta made it! Pretty fish. =)


Thanks. I'm glad he made it too!


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## magma (Oct 31, 2011)

Sorry about your shrimp. Glad the betta survived. About the algae, try getting a couple of otocinclus fish. These guys are like the clean up crew for algae, very handy in tanks with plants.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

magma said:


> Sorry about your shrimp. Glad the betta survived. About the algae, try getting a couple of otocinclus fish. These guys are like the clean up crew for algae, very handy in tanks with plants.


That's a possibility but I think I am more likely to get a Nerite and a couple of amanos. I'm going to see what Ms. Jinxed has.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

OK I ordered a CUC from Rachael and should be getting them tomorrow. I've gotten two Nerites. I'll house them both in the 5g until I get the algae under control then probably will move one over to the 10g or start up a small plant/shrimp/snail bowl. Also, I should be getting about 5 or so ammanos. I'll probably split them up 3 and 2 (between the 5g and 10g or the bowl) eventually but we will see.

I'm also very excited to say I've decided on a name. I'm going to name him after one of the physicists/mathematicians that is currently making my life a challenge but worth living.

Paul Dirac is a genius and one of the developers of Quantum Mechanics. He also studied one of my favorite mathematical concepts, the Dirac Delta which is an infinite spike. It's pretty cool stuff.

Anyway, the betta's name is now Dirac.


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## sssnel (Nov 8, 2011)

That betta is beautiful.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

thanks sssnel!

Here's an update video with some shots of the new crew that I've added to the tank (some probably temporarily until I get the algae under control).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjbv4JjdtoY


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

i see a healthy betta in that vid =)


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Thanks Newman!

It's only been a couple of days and the tank already seems sooooooo much cleaner. There's still a bit of algae on the back moss wall that I'll probably manually remove once I get the chance but other than that it looks great!

The Driftwood is cleaned off, the marsilea quadrifolia carpet looks green again! I'm loving this!


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## trixella (Jan 24, 2011)

> I even used DI water (so no phosphtes from my tap).


Years ago I had used distilled water with a betta and over time the fish slowly lost its color and was laying at the bottom of the bowl. When I called the guy at my lfs he said that I needed to change the water over to tap b/c the distilled water had stripped his minerals. Sure enough, I changed the water to tap and the next day he was brightly colored and zipping around. Also, I believe the distilled will erode your nerite snails shells.


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## sssnel (Nov 8, 2011)

Loving your betta


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

trixella said:


> Years ago I had used distilled water with a betta and over time the fish slowly lost its color and was laying at the bottom of the bowl. When I called the guy at my lfs he said that I needed to change the water over to tap b/c the distilled water had stripped his minerals. Sure enough, I changed the water to tap and the next day he was brightly colored and zipping around. Also, I believe the distilled will erode your nerite snails shells.


Yeah I've heard that also. The distilled water was an experiment I was trying before I got the betta to try and reduce the algae. I can't afford to buy distilled water every time I do a water change anyway.

The snails and otos have done a great job of cleaning it up...they did it much better than I could. I may end up moving some of them to my other tank so there's enough of a meal for everyone.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

only use the distilled water for top offs... or if you have money to spare then you can re-mineralize the distilled water to a decent TDS for bettas and shrimp. otherwise just use tap water for water changes.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

yep yep that's exactly what I'm going to be doing.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I want to update you guys on the progress of this tank. It's really looking great! I swapped out the white peacock moss walls with black plastic canvas and java moss. This attempt should be much better.

Also, I've moved Dirac the betta out of his 5 gallon home and into the 10g where he will have more room. I found a gorgeous betta at Petco and couldn't resist. He was listed as delta-tail but he's very close if not reaching halfmoon status.

Anyway he's king of the tank along with two nerites and a small group of ammano shrimp.

You can view the progress of all my tanks (Including my dad's temporary Oscar growout tank) on my video logs.

Update Video for January 7th 2012

I will try to get some photos up of the tank.

Thanks guys!


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

great betta!!!! i dont know much about betta, although ive read alot. he is definitely super-delta. although in sometimes in the video it looked like a halfmoon to mee. so im not sure. either way, grea great fish!


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I definitely agree on the super delta. I love his colors.

We need to come up with a name for him


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

I liked patriot like you said. Or jimbob. Or marvin. Idk haha just spitting random names out there. Chuck Norris the betts would be classy.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Here are some Pics 

The betta still doesn't have a name  Any suggestions?


I have an idea about a project involving the bubbler that's just randomly floating in the tank. It will be scaped into the tank once I have the rest of the project completed.

FTS










This is the most recent rock that'll be used in the formation of the volcano. I'll go in and mess around with the actual landscape once I have the circuit built.









The star of the tank! I still haven't come up with a name for him.









Side angle view with the betta.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I finally got the DIY LED Volcano circuit working and placed it into the tank. It looks awesome. You can see it in my newest installment on youtube (also linked below).

On a more disappointing note my betta has ich. I started him on the heat and salt method yesterday. Hopefully I caught the parasite early enough that I'll be able to "eradicate the infestation" in about a week. I hate keeping the temp so high and using salt. The plants just don't like it one bit.

I am also considering picking up an empty 10g from the LFS and trying my hand at betta breeding. What do y'all think?

DIY LED Aquarium Volcano Project Video​


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## trixella (Jan 24, 2011)

*Name?*

Ailani is Polynesian for Chief.


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## Robotponys (Sep 7, 2011)

UPDATE! I LOVE this tank so much! I especially love your bettas, why don't my LFS's get anything like that. Oh, and about the ghost shrimp I know they're all dead but do not get them again since there is another species that will eat the other ghost shrimp and also any fish it can catch. It is possible that is what happened to the scarlet badis. The evil species apparently looks pretty much exactly the same.  Just in case.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Thanks  I'll upload pictures this afternoon but I can give you a quick "textual" update.

Right now I don't have any fauna in the tank. I've got the betta in the breeding setups (I need to find a new female...I'm debating on whether or not to pay $4 at the nearest walmart...I did see one that was ready to go though so idk). I'm blasting the c02 and put an additional 13w 6500k CFL above the tank. The carpet has exploded with growth but also I've started getting some what I believe is BGA growth. I can photograph everything this afternoon and show you guys.

I don't think it was the ghost shrimp although it very easily could have been. I never noticed any aggression from the ghosts. It was more likely because I only had two scarlets in the tank so that one bullied the other.

Thanks for getting me rolling again on the updates. I don't want this thread to fall into the dark abyss of lost threads


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## Robotponys (Sep 7, 2011)

Awesome! I want some babies! I hope he is young enough for breeding...


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

we can hope. The males seem to be for it. The females are the ones I'm having trouble with. They show interest and the physical features but then they just hide in the corner. Oh well we will see.

Here are photos as promised (even if they are a few days overdue)

Right now the tank is in hyper grow mode. I've got two 13w 6500k CFL above the tank and I'm blasting it with c02. The carpet has really grown in a lot. There's a few spots of some BGA.

FTS: Lots of CO2 Bubbles and a poorly placed magfloat









Carpet Shot, you can also see the new leaf on the anubias









Algae shot. Any suggestions on the best way to kill it? 72 hour blackout?









Algae and Carpet


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I've entered in LEDGroupBuy.com's video competition. Please "like" my video on youtube so I can get $100 in LEDs and have a new project to work on.

I'd really like to see how LEDs can add to the planted hobby.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6EUyFbMjEg

^Like Please


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I've got some great news! We won the LED contest so I'm going to work on designing a new fixture for this tank. I'm very very very excited!

Here's a video about the contest, updates on the 5 and 10 gallon tanks, and some photos of my trip to Italy. I hope you enjoy!

Video from March 16, 2012


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## ENAL5 (Jan 29, 2012)

Nice job! Congratulations!


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I wanted to give a time lapse video a shot and here's the result.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up5h8UG3CGM

It's not great but has definitely taught me a lot.

Next time I would like to find an angle that doesn't have so much reflection, lower the lighting and take a longer exposure (blur motion as well), find a way to cover up the scratch/turn around my tank, and do some more tinkering in a video editing software so I can use my intro and fade the music.

It took 3 hours to render the video...ridiculous!


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

I took a few photos today and thought I'd share them.

Cropped Version (New Profile Pic?)









Original of Above (should have cleaned my side glass)









FTS of 5g: Betta Surfing in Filter Current









Butt Shot









Strange Shadow


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## jingleberry (Mar 1, 2012)

Beautiful Bettas.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

Thanks Jingle. He is a pretty one.

I just uploaded a new video showing all the stuff I received from Gordon. He's a great seller and really gives you more than what you paid for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDVqY2HsL3c


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