# Anthony's ADA 120p



## BradC

Thats a nice tank to bad you have to tear it down! How many discus do you have in there?


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## msnikkistar

WOOT! Someone called me all excited on his way home with it. LOL


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## antbug

Most of the fish will also not be making the move. Discus are going to be my main focus in this tanks and I will be getting a few more. I would like to keep the fish down to a few species. I would also like to do this with the plants as well.

120p and AS.


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## antbug

BradC said:


> Thats a nice tank to bad you have to tear it down! How many discus do you have in there?


Just the 2 you see. Most of the other fish will not make the move. I'm thinking Discus, a nice schooling fish and cleaning crew.



msnikkistar said:


> WOOT! Someone called me all excited on his way home with it. LOL


What? I was happy.


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## msnikkistar

Nothing! I am jealous you got it!


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## Da Plant Man

Can't wait! I thought about getting a 120-p....seems so expensive though...


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## VadimShevchuk

I definitely like the idea of a simple stocking plan in an awesome tank!


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## Dan the Man

> Can't wait! I thought about getting a 120-p....seems so expensive though...


Yeah...but it's pretty to cool to own the best tank money can buy for that size!


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## antbug

Dan the Man said:


> Yeah...but it's pretty to cool to own the best tank money can buy for that size!



What's crazy is, I was looking at getting a tank built with starphire glass and it cost more than the ada tank. Even Glasscages after shipping would be more than this tank. In the end, why mess around with someone building a tank when you can have the name and the quality of ada.


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## antbug

Does anyone have any ideas on how to speed up the ada aquasoil aging process? 

Currently, I have it outside in a 10g tub and I'm doing water changes twice a day. Is this the best way? I have a few HOB's. Would they help if I loaded them with ???. I really want to set this tank up soon because the clock is ticketing with the old one. Just the idea of coming home to my fish dead and 50g on the floor..... Yikes! Plus I have this bada$$ tank waiting in the spare bedroom.

Help!


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## chad320

Antbug, I want to personally (over the internet) thank you for this thread. I said "See honey, his wife is soooooo nice and into the hobby that she got him a 120-P for his birthday. I need a girl like that!" Shes not one to be outdone so we'll see if I get one too.
BTW, the piece of driftwood you sent is smothered in peacock moss and fits into the new scape perfectly so THANKS!


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## antbug

chad320 said:


> Antbug, I want to personally (over the internet) thank you for this thread. I said "See honey, his wife is soooooo nice and into the hobby that she got him a 120-P for his birthday. I need a girl like that!" Shes not one to be outdone so we'll see if I get one too.
> BTW, the piece of driftwood you sent is smothered in peacock moss and fits into the new scape perfectly so THANKS!


Glad I could help.

Let's see some pics of the wood? Do you have a journal of this tank?


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## chad320

No, I still havent done my taxes so I dont have another camera yet  You will for sure see it soon enough and get due credit for it  I guess if she gets me an ADA I might have to send it back covered as a thank you  I cant wait to see what your plans are for this! The same as your 55 or something completely different?


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## Dan the Man

> Does anyone have any ideas on how to speed up the ada aquasoil aging process?


Not a clue...using mulm or your old filter might help, but I doubt even old filters have the ability to tame the ammonia that would leach from new Aquasoil...I'm not sure about the Nitrites either, both being toxic to fish...new tanks usually take 3 1/2 weeks to become safe.


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## speedie408

Congrats antbug and welcome to the 120-p club . 

To cycle your tank faster, keep up with your water changes (I'd say at least 80% WCs 3 times a week for the first 2-3 weeks. Running an established filter(s) on it will also speed up the cycling process as well. I was able to stock my tank after 7 days with this method. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/t...a-120-p-journal-river-wild-7.html#post1106098

What's your plan for the hardscape?

*addon* I also forgot to mention... for the above method to work the way it did for me, you have to start off with a heavy plant mass right after you fill it with water. The more plants the better.


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## antbug

Dan the Man said:


> Not a clue...using mulm or your old filter might help, but I doubt even old filters have the ability to tame the ammonia that would leach from new Aquasoil...I'm not sure about the Nitrites either, both being toxic to fish...new tanks usually take 3 1/2 weeks to become safe.


 
Thanks for the info Dan. I guess I'm hoping for a magic solution that doesn't exist .




speedie408 said:


> Congrats antbug and welcome to the 120-p club .


 
Thank you. I'm a proud member!




speedie408 said:


> To cycle your tank faster, keep up with your water changes (I'd say at least 80% WCs 3 times a week for the first 2-3 weeks. Running an established filter(s) on it will also speed up the cycling process as well. I was able to stock my tank after 7 days with this method. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals-photo-album/110982-ada-120-p-journal-river-wild-7.html#post1106098
> 
> What's your plan for the hardscape?
> 
> *addon* I also forgot to mention... for the above method to work the way it did for me, you have to start off with a heavy plant mass right after you fill it with water. The more plants the better.




Right now I have 3 bag of AS outside in a tub and I'm doing 2 water changes a day. The tub is only 20g so I'm not sure how this will affect the process. 

Would putting an established filter on the tank kill the biological bacteria in the filter? Is there any media that would help the ammonia?

I'm still trying to figure out the hardscape. I want to use the manzy from this tank and maybe the rocks. So far I'm leaning towards.....

Left side.... 

Manzy covered in peacock moss coming out of a large Java fern, maybe needle leaf. Blyxa Jap. surrounding and covering most of the ground. Some kind of a stem plant (hopefully something with a nice redish color) along the back wall. I'm open for suggestion on this one? I will also be putting a piece of black vinyl on the back wall to help hide the equipment. 

Ride side....

I was thinking of a nice slope going to the far back corner and using the Black Coastal Rock to help hold the slope and add character. just a simple Glosso rocky hill is want I'm looking for on this side. Still unsure on the flora. Maybe DHG belem or something else?


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## chilled_fire

With my new filter it took me 3 weeks to stabalize the amonia , guess it depends on the batch , some say it takes around 4 weeks even with used filter.
Oh, and btw you are one lucky guy to get 120-p as a gift , my wife wont even agree on Fluval EBI


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## speedie408

antbug said:


> Right now I have 3 bag of AS outside in a tub and I'm doing 2 water changes a day. The tub is only 10g so I'm not sure how this will affect the process.
> 
> Would putting an established filter on the tank kill the biological bacteria in the filter? Is there any media that would help the ammonia?


That should def help leach out the ammonia. 

It won't kill the beneficial bacteria. It'll help cycle your tank much faster of course. Doing vigilant water changes is best at ridding ammonia imo. There's been debate over this method, but I like to use old tank water from say your old tank when doing water changes on the new tank. At least for the first 2 weeks. It's not totally necessary but beneficial to a speedy jump start.


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## Dan the Man

Hmmm never heard of that method before. Is that so the bacteria in the water from the established aquarium would add to the bio content of the "mature" filters being used? ADA recommends daily water changes for the first week. So your basically initiating the decomposition of the organic matter in the aquasoil which in theory would speed up the leaching and bio process assuming the filters you are using are either already mature or maturing alongside the aquasoil.


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## speedie408

Dan the Man said:


> Hmmm never heard of that method before. Is that so the bacteria in the water from the established aquarium would add to the bio content of the "mature" filters being used? ADA recommends daily water changes for the first week. So your basically initiating the decomposition of the organic matter in the aquasoil which in theory would speed up the leaching and bio process assuming the filters you are using are either already mature or maturing alongside the aquasoil.


Correct.


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## antbug

Just a quick update....

I picked up my garden mat today. I know these are expensive, but the shop I ordered my tank from hooked me up as a thank you for all the business I send their way.

I also went to the sign shop today and got a nice piece of black vinyl. This will hide all my equipment as well as the window behind the tank. 

Things are coming together.


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## sidefunk

So sweet. My dream tank. Have fun!


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## mott

Awesome! Can't wait to see another 120p


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## antbug

and the fun begins.


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## antbug

everything out.


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## antbug

After a quick clean, I moved this tank to my spare room. It will house the fish for a few weeks till I get the new one set up and cycled.



And without further adieu...


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## antbug

Next it was time for the vinyl.


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## antbug

That's it for tonight. Tomorrow I'm going to play around with my hard scape.


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## JamesHockey

Waaaaa!!! Weird seeing an Ada tank without lily pipes!

Jk looks great!


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk


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## A Hill

Looks like you're off to a great start!

-Andrew


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## speedie408

Lookin good! 

What kinda vinyl is that? I can't tell if it's see through or not. I didn't like mine and ripped it off last night. Stowed it away just in case I have a change of heart later


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## Da Plant Man

Looks uber good! Can't wait to see it scaped with plants and fish!


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## .Mko.

wow cant wait to see that hardscape =) great looking tank.


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## Clare12345

I love the vinyl! It looks very nice. Maybe I should do that with my 4 g.


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## antbug

speedie408 said:


> Lookin good!
> 
> What kinda vinyl is that? I can't tell if it's see through or not. I didn't like mine and ripped it off last night. Stowed it away just in case I have a change of heart later


It's not transparent. Just intermediate grade vinyl.

I have the hardscape in and it's filled. The water is very cloudy, so no pics as of yet. After some clear water and a few plants, I'll post some pics.


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## jcardona1

Nice new upgrade


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## antbug

The hard scape right before I planted all this blyxa.


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## antbug

.... and a few pics from today after a water change. I also added some needle leaf java fern. I'm picking up some glosso on Sunday so I will do another water change then and plant the glosso. Still not sure about the plants being used. Open for suggestions.


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## Chewyy

Nice ! That is looking great so far! Great tank btw!


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## Gunplameister

Nice tank, getting me all excited to Finnish scaping and get water in mine. Lucky ur wife is understanding. I had to work on mine for my 60p lol


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## antbug

Thanks guys.

Picked up the glosso today and planted it. Pics coming soon.


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## BradC

Black vinyl came out really good.

Did you just apply it to the back or use water and a little soap?

And if you don't mind me asking how much of a foot print of vinyl did you buy and how much was it?


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## antbug

The back of my tank is almost 48" x 18". The vinyl I got came on a 30" roll. The guys at the sign store cut it a little longer for me at 30" x 54", but you don't need that much extra. 4 - 5" extra inches would have been plenty. The shop had a minimum purchase of $20, so that was he charged me. I'm sure you could find it for cheaper. 

It's really easy to apply. Just get a spray bottle and fill it with warm water. Add a few drops of dish soap and shake. As you are peeling off the backing, spray the vinyl so it doesn't stick to its self. You should also spray the glass. Oh yeah, make sure your glass is spot clean 1st. Just lay the vinyl on the glass and use a credit card or a squeegee. Once you get all the bubbles and water out, let it sit for a few hours. Take a sharp razor blade and trim. A first it will not look perfect through the glass, but within a day or two it will. Hope this helps you. It’s very easy to do.


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## BradC

Awesome thanks!

I am going to re-do a 55 gal and starting a 20 gal tall so I would like to do this to both. Just wanted to get an idea of the price and process.


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## Aquahollics

Looking good... Nice turnaround!


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## antbug

A quick pic of the glosso planted.


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## antbug

So I'm thinking about going to dry ferts and EI dosing. I already do weekly water changes. What would I need to get and what amounts would I dose for a 65g?


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## antbug

Still looking for suggestions on an EI regiment...

Maybe I'll get some help if I post some pics :hihi:

My wonderful wife got me a snow white discus for v-day. Here is a pic of the three I have now. They are in a holding tank till this one is ready. Also a current pic of the 120p


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## jkan0228

One question on your jet pipe in the top left hand corner.
Do you aim it slightly towards the surface of the water? Or down? Or parallel to the surface?


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## antbug

Slightly towards the surface. I'd say around 10 degrees.


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## BradC

That snow white discus is beautiful! Have to say I am jealous


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## speedie408

Lookin good buddy!


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## antbug

Thanks Nick and Brad.


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## CannaBrain

whew, comin along very nicely.


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## chad320

Heres Tom Barrs site for EI dosing...http://www.barrreport.com/forum.php

Or, I use this because I have alot of tanks and it eases tension over WCs (less frequent)http://sites.google.com/site/aquaticplantfertilizer/home/pps-pro

Orlando at GLA has all the ferts you need.

Sweet tank so far BTW!!!


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## CLASSIC

Wow, lucky man! I love that 120p, cant wait to see this grown out. sub'ed.


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## problemman

im in love that snow white discus!!! i really want discus again!


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## Herbicidal

Excellent aquarium Anthony! Nice to see another planted Discus tank. Can't have too many of those! :biggrin: Looking forward to seeing this one develop over time. Oh, what are you planning to do for lighting?


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## antbug

chad320 said:


> Heres Tom Barrs site for EI dosing...http://www.barrreport.com/forum.php
> 
> Or, I use this because I have alot of tanks and it eases tension over WCs (less frequent)http://sites.google.com/site/aquaticplantfertilizer/home/pps-pro
> 
> Orlando at GLA has all the ferts you need.
> 
> Sweet tank so far BTW!!!


Thanks for the info Chad. I ordered some ferts from Orlando.




Herbicidal said:


> Excellent aquarium Anthony! Nice to see another planted Discus tank. Can't have too many of those! :biggrin: Looking forward to seeing this one develop over time. Oh, what are you planning to do for lighting?


I'm not sure on the lighting yet. I currently have a dual T6 light on the tank, but I'm looking at a possible Tek T5 upgrade down the line. I also would like to upgrade my co2 setup. As of now the tank is doing well, so I will focus on Discus and plant layout.

Thanks everyone else for the comments.


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## plantbrain

antbug said:


> So I'm thinking about going to dry ferts and EI dosing. I already do weekly water changes. What would I need to get and what amounts would I dose for a 65g?


I'd do about 1/2 tsp KNO3 3x a week, along with 15 mls of traces and 1/8th or so of the KH2PO4, add about 1tsp or so of the Gh booster after water change.

The rest is current/O2 and CO2, light management.

I'm setting up my 120 here in the next couple of weeks, so we can compare notes etc.


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## speedie408

plantbrain said:


> I'd do about 1/2 tsp KNO3 3x a week, along with 15 mls of traces and 1/8th or so of the KH2PO4, add about 1tsp or so of the Gh booster after water change.
> 
> The rest is current/O2 and CO2, light management.
> 
> I'm setting up my 120 here in the next couple of weeks, so we can compare notes etc.


Tom,

1/2 tsp of K only? I've been dosing 1tsp, 3x/wk for a while now in my tank and the BBA is pretty much all gone. Should I be cutting back?  Sorry for the thread jack Antbug.


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## malaybiswas

speedie408 said:


> Tom,
> 
> 1/2 tsp of K only? I've been dosing 1tsp, 3x/wk for a while now in my tank and the BBA is pretty much all gone. Should I be cutting back? Sorry for the thread jack Antbug.


Did you mean kno3? K is available from kh2po4 and gh booster as well.

Sorry about another thread jack. You tank looks very pleasing. That blyxa farm will be spectacular very soon.


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## speedie408

yup, my bad, kno3.


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## antbug

No jacking at all, please continue. I did ask the original question.


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## cervantesmx

soooo whats the update?  keep the pictures coming


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## antbug

As requested..... a pic from tonight.

I was thinking of getting a piece of wood that has a nice curve and make an arch in the open area. Something to bring the two sides together. Thoughts? I need some ideas cause this layout is not working for me.


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## Herbicidal

Hi Anthony, my first thought when I saw your picture was *WOW!* Great contrast in colors! The Discus look really good too! Looking at it longer, I see what you mean about maybe too much open space and wanting to draw things together. I like your idea of an arch or something like that. I'm rather 'challenged' in the aquascaping dept. and I look forward to what other's may suggest.


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## jcardona1

antbug said:


> As requested..... a pic from tonight.
> 
> I was thinking of getting a piece of wood that has a nice curve and make an arch in the open area. Something to bring the two sides together. Thoughts? I need some ideas cause this layout is not working for me.


Looking really good! I think some more wood would help. Also, you thought of leaving the background clear? I think planted tanks look much, much better with clear backgrounds instead of black. I wish I would have left my 57g clear after I started planting it.


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## antbug

Herbicidal said:


> Hi Anthony, my first thought when I saw your picture was *WOW!* Great contrast in colors! The Discus look really good too! Looking at it longer, I see what you mean about maybe too much open space and wanting to draw things together. I like your idea of an arch or something like that. I'm rather 'challenged' in the aquascaping dept. and I look forward to what other's may suggest.


You and I both, buddy.



jcardona1 said:


> Looking really good! I think some more wood would help. Also, you thought of leaving the background clear? I think planted tanks look much, much better with clear backgrounds instead of black. I wish I would have left my 57g clear after I started planting it.


It's a piece of vynal, so i could take it off. My reason for it was due to the placement of the tank and the equipment. It's right in front of a window and no lily pipes. I'm pretty sure it will stay. I just need some tall stem plants or something.


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## chad320

So you've spent about a month doing some research and growing this out, can we have an update? I'd love to see how this worked out or your work in progress.


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## FDNY911

+1 on the update. This is a good journal!


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## antbug

chad320 said:


> So you've spent about a month doing some research and growing this out, can we have an update? I'd love to see how this worked out or your work in progress.





FDNY911 said:


> +1 on the update. This is a good journal!


I'll take some pics tonight and do a little update.


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## chad320

*cough*:icon_roll


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## antbug

Sorry for the late reply. I needed to trim and clean first.

So whats new....

As you can see, the blyxa is doing really good. I might need to thin it out a little. 

The glosoo is growing more up than out. I've trimmed it twice now and I think it's starting to get trained to stay low. I also just re-planted some trimming tonight to speed up the carpet.

The peacock moss is doing well on the lower branches, but on the upper, I've been fighting some brown algae. I've been treating it with h202 but had to back off. The moss started turning brown. 

The needle leaf is growing great. I added a little more, but it might be temporary. I more or less did it to see what more plants in this bare area looked like. So far, I like it.

Discus are starting to get along. The red one was picking on the the white. I think they all learned their place and they just swim together now. I'd like to get another 30-40 rummy nose, but I'm have a hard time finding some nice ones. 

The only other new thing is a few assassin snail and some cherry culls. I figured the discus would eat them, but they're still there and I even see a berried one. RCS breeding in 84 degree water, haha.


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## antbug

chad320 said:


> *cough*:icon_roll


Haha. Send me some Aura! .............please


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## chad320

Looks beautiful Anthony!!! Thats coming along nice! Your discus look great too. Glad I could dub-step the karma for you


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## Herbicidal

Nice growth. roud: Glad to hear the Discus have sorted themselves out.


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## antbug

Thanks guys.


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## Kazuya

Another great looking set up.

This part made me laugh....


chad320 said:


> Antbug, I want to personally (over the internet) thank you for this thread. I said "See honey, his wife is soooooo nice and into the hobby that she got him a 120-P for his birthday. I need a girl like that!" Shes not one to be outdone so we'll see if I get one too.


Don't mean to brag but its cool that our wives are great to us. :thumbsup:
My wife is getting me a 75-P with lily pipes, and CO2 bubble counter, for our anniversary. 
At the cost of what a 75-P goes for here, its like getting a 120-P.

Once again can't wait to see more pics.


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## antbug

A few new pics. Can anyone say Blyxa forest..... :biggrin:


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## Herbicidal

Wow!!! :icon_eek: You need an underwater lawn mower now! Looks great! roud:


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## antbug

No joke! I need to start selling it.

Thanks, Herb.


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## hydrophyte

Wow that _Blyxa_ looks awesome and so do the discus!


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## shrimpnmoss

You tanks looks great. Discus are so beautiful. The bare spots would look cool with white sand IMO...

One day I'll have a 120p...need a bigger house first..lol..


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## antbug

hydrophyte said:


> Wow that _Blyxa_ looks awesome and so do the discus!


Thanks



shrimpnmoss said:


> You tanks looks great. Discus are so beautiful. The bare spots would look cool with white sand IMO...
> 
> One day I'll have a 120p...need a bigger house first..lol..


Thank you.

I never intended to have all this blyxa in the tank. I rescaped my mini L and pulled all the blyxa on the right out of it. The glosso wasn't doing so well, so I pulled it and added the blyxa. I think it looks better, but it will not stay this way. I'm thinking of a c. parva carpet in this area. Still not sure.


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## shrimpnmoss

I love the jungle look of the big a$$ blyxa...looks like a lion could be lurking in there ready to pounce.


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## antbug

shrimpnmoss said:


> I love the jungle look of the big a$$ blyxa...looks like a lion could be lurking in there ready to pounce.


 
haha that's what this tank is missing, a big a$$ lion :icon_mrgr


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## shrimpnmoss

What is that black square above the light on the left/


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## antbug

shrimpnmoss said:


> What is that black square above the light on the left/


It's an Eheim auto feeder. Great for my Discus and/or vacations. You can set upto 4 feeds per day.


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## speedie408

Looks good Ant! I like blyxa japonica but once it gets past a certain point, it just looks like a mound of overgrown grass. Yours is almost to that point lol. It just grows way too fast for my liking. C. parva would be awesome in there man.... it's just so painstakingly slow growing that it sucks. You should do a mini microsword foreground .


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## antbug

Thanks Nick. I totally agree on the blyxa. Don't know much about mini microsword. Do you have some?


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## speedie408

One more post and you'll reach Satan haha. Just thought I'd point that out with the whole Rapture ordeal. 

I've got some mini microswords indeed. Lemme know if you wanna try your hand at some.


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## antbug

Is it e. tenellus? I can't find much info on mini microswords. How tall does it get. I only have med light in this tank, how well will it do?

Do you have any pics of the tank it's in? I know you have pics....:hihi:


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## speedie408

Oh no... Not e. Tennellus at all. Grows much slower, but not as slow as parva lol. It only gets about 1.5" tall max. 

Here's a picture of some emersed growth : http://flic.kr/p/9yevjQ


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## antbug

How well would it do in med light, co2 and EI?

Price?


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## speedie408

PM'd ya bro.

This plant pretty much thrives in high tech environments, but will also do well in lowtech tanks as well. I've got it growing in my OEBT tank with super low light (26w cfl on a 20g high), no CO2, no dosing, and it's doing fine. Just grows ALOT slower.


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## antbug

It's been long over due to upgrade my co2 system. Played the eBay game for a few weeks and ended up with this.


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## antbug

... next on my list is an Idael V52-1-12 and a Burkert 6011. Hmm Father's day is coming up?


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## Da Plant Man

I'm jealous.


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## Kazuya

Nice reg roud:. Did it come with a CGA 320? If not I will pm you a place to get one. Do not forget the swagelok parts too.

Father's day you say. Isn't it great and extra day to get gifts.


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## antbug

Da Plant Man said:


> I'm jealous.


Thanks man.



Kazuya said:


> Nice reg roud:. Did it come with a CGA 320? If not I will pm you a place to get one. Do not forget the swagelok parts too.
> 
> Father's day you say. Isn't it great and extra day to get gifts.


It is indeed.


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## 150EH

Antbug what a nice setup and it really looks great, no problems with the sun hitting the tank that's a plus. I like your avatar as well, they do tend to put in a the "Fishzone" we should all have low blood pressure and live to a 100 if the setups, algea, etc. don'r kill us, a job well done I love your tank.


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## antbug

150EH said:


> Antbug what a nice setup and it really looks great, no problems with the sun hitting the tank that's a plus. I like your avatar as well, they do tend to put in a the "Fishzone" we should all have low blood pressure and live to a 100 if the setups, algea, etc. don'r kill us, a job well done I love your tank.


Thanks, 150EH. Hopefully it will look even better once I have a solid co2 setup on a timer. 

Oh man I can't wait for a timer. haha


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## oldpunk78

Nice everything man. I guess I know who out bid me on that reg, lol.


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## antbug

oldpunk78 said:


> Nice everything man. I guess I know who out bid me on that reg, lol.


haha. Soory man. If I would have known, I would have got another one. 

At least I know it has the oldpunk approval. roud:

What's even funnier is, Kazuya was watching this one on eBay till I told him I was going for it. 3 TPT members bidding on the same reg. :red_mouth

There were a few nice Victor SS for a good price that I was going to get if you out bid me. The ad says two stage, but they look like single stage to me. I'll PM you the links.


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## antbug

Quick picture update.


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## shrimpnmoss

Nice...you still have the jungle going...you should adopt those 6 wild turquoise discus that someone has for sale on the SnS...the ad with the plant wall....


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## xJaypex

Ahh very nice discus! 
Ive always wanted to have some in my show tank but i cant even keep ottos alive.


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## Herbicidal

xJaypex said:


> Ahh very nice discus!
> ...but i cant even keep ottos alive.


Discus are easier! :icon_mrgr


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## antbug

shrimpnmoss said:


> Nice...you still have the jungle going...you should adopt those 6 wild turquoise discus that someone has for sale on the SnS...the ad with the plant wall....


Me like jungle! :icon_mrgr 

Thanks for the heads up. I'll check it out.



xJaypex said:


> Ahh very nice discus!
> Ive always wanted to have some in my show tank but i cant even keep ottos alive.


I *had* 6 otto's :drool:



Herbicidal said:


> Discus are easier! :icon_mrgr


So true. 

What up HERB!


----------



## TwoStrokeKing

Beautiful discus!


----------



## antbug

TwoStrokeKing said:


> Beautiful discus!


 
Thanks. I have one more, a snow white, but she must have been hiding.


----------



## chad320

The tanks lookin good as ever Ant!! Your discus are super fine


----------



## antbug

chad320 said:


> The tanks lookin good as ever Ant!! Your discus are super fine


 
Thanks brotha!


----------



## chiefroastbeef

Beautiful fish, beautiful plants, beautiful tank!

I LOVE the aquascape, so peaceful, and the discus gives it such vibrancy with its color.


----------



## antbug

co2 unit almost complete.


----------



## antbug

and here is an updated FTS.


----------



## chad320

Lookin good Ant. Have you not had Co2 on this the whole time or are you just upgrading your system? And is the wood in the very front for shrimp?


----------



## antbug

Thanks, Chad.

I have a paintball system on this thing right now. Ok, stop laughing. This will be my 1st REAL system. I still need a tank and a few fittings, but I now have the main parts.


----------



## antbug

haha looking at my last picture, look at the drop checker. I hate that thing! It will never stay on the glass.


----------



## chad320

I think its Zoo-med that makes the magnet holders. I only use mine for a few weeks until im comfortable im getting enough into the water then I pull it out until I change the tank. Good luck on getting all set up. Its super easy once you figure out what you need. Now the real Blyxa forest will begin :hihi: If you want any regular Pellia or Peacock moss shoot me a PM with your addy and ill get it out to you tomorrow bro.


----------



## antbug

Thanks Chad. I'm good on plants right now. After I finish this co2 unit, my next project will be upgrading my light.


----------



## antbug

chad320 said:


> And is the wood in the very front for shrimp?


Yes, it's Cholla wood. I got it from Liam. Shrimp love it!


----------



## antbug

Almost done. I just need a bubble counter and 10lb tank


----------



## jkan0228

Beast....


----------



## bsmith

What a great tank. I cant wait till I get my 120 and do something with it. I really like discus, I have 2 crappy ones in my 37g but I think when I get the 120 I will have to order from Hans and get some really good ones. All the ones available in my are at LFS are stunted, chipped eyed just not that pretty.


----------



## antbug

Just got my 10lb tank. Leak teating the system tonight.


----------



## antbug

co2 system is rock solid! I can already see an improvement.

A few pics of the show off.


----------



## antbug

Who says cherries wont breed in 84 degree water?


----------



## shrimpnmoss

dang I"m surprised that your discus doesn't eat your cherries....i guess they have the jungle to hide in..


----------



## WaveSurfer

Nice tank and great photos! Especially liked the Discus photos!


----------



## speedie408

Lets trade fish Ant! 

Your discus for my roselines  haha

That's a good lookin fish bro.


----------



## Herbicidal

Looking real good Anthony! Man, if that Discus grows into his fins he'll be a whopper!!! :eek5: roud:


----------



## TankZen

WOW sweeet tank!!!! Sick.... I can't wait to get all my co2 parts and get my co2 reg together!


----------



## antbug

shrimpnmoss said:


> dang I"m surprised that your discus doesn't eat your cherries....i guess they have the jungle to hide in..


I'm sure they do eat some, but like you said, they have plenty of places to hide. When I clean my filter, there must be around 50-80 cherries in it each time. When I'm putting them back it the tank, the rummynose pick off a few small ones too. The circle of life, right? 



WaveSurfer said:


> Nice tank and great photos! Especially liked the Discus photos!


Thanks. He was sitting in that spot for around 20 minutes. I must have taken 30 pictures of him.


----------



## antbug

speedie408 said:


> Lets trade fish Ant!
> 
> Your discus for my roselines  haha
> 
> That's a good lookin fish bro.


How about my discus' for a big school for rummynose? I might be down for something like that.



Herbicidal said:


> Looking real good Anthony! Man, if that Discus grows into his fins he'll be a whopper!!! :eek5: roud:


Thanks Herb. It's been fun growing him out. I think he was around the size of a quarter when I got him.



TankZen said:


> WOW sweeet tank!!!! Sick.... I can't wait to get all my co2 parts and get my co2 reg together!


Thank you. It's a fun project.


----------



## bsmith

antbug said:


> Who says cherries wont breed in 84 degree water?


Fattest cherry ever, look hes even eating a blood worm. :icon_mrgr


----------



## Ben Belton

Very nice.


----------



## Kayen

Those discus are things of beauty! And like others have said, i'm surprised the cherries haven't been picked off, must be a ton of hiding places


----------



## antbug

bsmith said:


> Fattest cherry ever, look hes even eating a blood worm. :icon_mrgr


It's all that awesome Ken's food from the homie bsmith :icon_smil


----------



## antbug

I just picked up a new piece of equipment, a Cannon 30d w/ a Sigma 28-300. Super stoked! It's been 2-3 years since my last DSLR. I kick myself everyday for selling my last setup, a Cannon 20d w/ a lot of L glass. Oh well. I now have a better body, just need to stock up on some glass.

MUCH better pictures to follow.......


----------



## bsmith

I recently got a Nikon D3100 and have been super happy with it. Now I just need to master taking pics of the tank. Good luck my friend.


----------



## antbug

bsmith said:


> I recently got a Nikon D3100 and have been super happy with it. Now I just need to master taking pics of the tank. Good luck my friend.


In my past life, I was a wakeboard photog. I have dozens of magazines with my shots in them. I'm quite familiar with SLR cameras, but shooting fish tanks will be a new experience for me. It shouldn’t be any problem as things move a LOT slower. Well, minus them damn rummynoses. :hihi:


----------



## bsmith

Well any hints you can give LMK friend!


----------



## antbug

a few pics with the new camera after a major trim.


----------



## jkan0228

Magnificent colors....


----------



## The_Finglonger

*Nice tank!*

Good job with your tank. roud: The colors of your discus really pop. The tank has come a long way to get where you have it now. Looking forward to updates from this thread.


----------



## WaveSurfer

Wow, very nice tank and layout! Love the discus too!


----------



## chad320

Nice score on the camera!! Its paying off already! The tank is still looking pretty sweet. I have to ask, where did you find the big black rock? Ive searched all over and cant find any black rock that size. I got a scape in mind but havent been able to get it together w/o the black rock.


----------



## antbug

jkan0228 said:


> Magnificent colors....


Thanks, Jeff.



The_Finglonger said:


> Good job with your tank. roud: The colors of your discus really pop. The tank has come a long way to get where you have it now. Looking forward to updates from this thread.


Thank you. I should have a new update coming soon. I just got some new plants in. :bounce::biggrin:



WaveSurfer said:


> Wow, very nice tank and layout! Love the discus too!


Thanks man.



chad320 said:


> Nice score on the camera!! Its paying off already! The tank is still looking pretty sweet. I have to ask, where did you find the big black rock? Ive searched all over and cant find any black rock that size. I got a scape in mind but havent been able to get it together w/o the black rock.


My buddy sold it to me for a price I couldn't refuse. 

I got the rock from Nikki. She got a bunch of it when she scaped her 33g. It was the leftover rock. I believe it's called black coastal or something like that. Hit her up for the sorce. I'm going to pull most of it out when I find the right piece of wood. What I had planned, didn't work out. I'll let you know if/when that happens.


----------



## antbug

Hygro pinnatifida added. Thanks Crispino!


----------



## shrimpnmoss

I'm envious of these large tanks that allow you to make impulse buys on plants and always have room for new plants. Hey...good deal on SnS...gonna snatch that up....


----------



## zachary908

Love the tank, antbug! Those discus are amazing. Also, I envy your photography skills... and your camera!


----------



## antbug

shrimpnmoss said:


> I'm envious of these large tanks that allow you to make impulse buys on plants and always have room for new plants. Hey...good deal on SnS...gonna snatch that up....


You won't be sorry. Cris has awesome deals and plants.



zachary908 said:


> Love the tank, antbug! Those discus are amazing. Also, I envy your photography skills... and your camera!


Thanks, Zachary. You have a nice looking discus as well.


----------



## zachary908

antbug said:


> Thanks, Zachary. You have a nice looking discus as well.


Thanks, antbug!


----------



## antbug

Did I little trim last night...


----------



## Herbicidal

Hey Anthony, everything is looking great! Nice job my friend! roud:


----------



## antbug

Thanks, Herb!


----------



## jkan0228

Looks kinda messy IMO but maybe thats because of the trim  
I think it looked better with the middle open with 2 'blobs' of blyxa on each side. 
But thats just me...


----------



## antbug

jkan0228 said:


> Looks kinda messy IMO but maybe thats because of the trim
> I think it looked better with the middle open with 2 'blobs' of blyxa on each side.
> But thats just me...


Jeff,

I hacked it back pretty hard this time. I'm going to be away this coming weekend so I will not have any time for my tanks. Once my stems grow back, it will look much better. To be honest, I'm trying to see what does well in my tank and after I get some more wood, I'll do a little hard scape change and organize it.

I liked all the blyxa too, but like nick said, it was just too much. This plant grows like a weed in my tank and I'm trying to keep it under control. Let me know if you need more when you're back. I read somewhere that a bunch of your stem melted. Thanks for the feedback.


----------



## jkan0228

antbug said:


> Jeff,
> 
> I hack it back pretty hard this time. I'm going to be away this coming weekend so I will not have any time for my tanks. Once my stems grow back, it will look much better. To be honest, I'm trying to see what does well in my tank and after I get some more wood, I'll do a little hard scape change and organize it.
> 
> I liked all the blyxa too, but like nick said, it was just too much. This plant grows like a weed in my tank and I'm trying to keep it under control. Let me know if you need more when you're back. I read somewhere that a bunch of your stem melted. Thanks for the feedback.


Yup, do post a pic when they grow back 

This is what happened:








Along the driftwood it was all blyxa before I left. And its just gone.... So I will be needing a pretty decent amount


----------



## antbug

some new growth, so some new pics.


----------



## antbug

and the FTS


----------



## jkan0228

How many discus and rummy noses do you have in there?


----------



## antbug

2 discus left (and they are for sale) and about 30 rummynose. I'd like to have about 100 once the discus are gone.


----------



## antbug

Looks like my blyxa is almost ready for you too. I'll do a count this weekend when I do my water change.


----------



## 2in10

Gorgeous tank


----------



## antbug

2in10 said:


> Gorgeous tank


 
Thanks. It's kind of messy right now. After I pull a bunch of the blyxa out for Jeff, I'm going to shift a few things around. Maybe I'll pick up a few more sticks to add to the hard scape.


----------



## jkan0228

How many did you have at the most? I mean discus.  won't 100 rummynoses be a bit too much? Isn't a 120P only 60 gallons?


----------



## antbug

I had 5 at one point, but that was in my 50g. I only had 3 in this tank. 

Yes, about 65g. Not sure if 100 is too many, but for example, Tom Barr has 300+ cardinals in his 180g. 100 seems about right :red_mouth


----------



## jkan0228

Haha ok. So how many do you think I can put in my current 95G? Sorry to hijack.


----------



## antbug

The rule of thumb is ten gallons per discus, or so i've heard. You should check out the simplydiscus.com forum. Great info on that site. 

I'd say get at least 5 to start. They like to be in groups.


----------



## chris.rivera3

nice tank...i just finished reading through everything and I had 2 questions:

- is your tank the newer high-clarity/clear glass model???

- since your discus are in a darker substrate have you noticed any black spotting?? I always thought they needed to be in light substrate


----------



## antbug

chris.rivera3 said:


> nice tank...i just finished reading through everything and I had 2 questions:
> 
> - is your tank the newer high-clarity/clear glass model???
> 
> - since your discus are in a darker substrate have you noticed any black spotting?? I always thought they needed to be in light substrate


 
The tank was purchased in January of this year. I believe it's the newer model. The glass looks a little "greener" than my mini L does, but it's a lot thicker too. 

Your second question is the main reason I'm selling them. The red melon is peppering and even though he is not stresses, his bars show due to the background and substrate. The blue turquoise doesn't have that problem. You are correct. 

Thanks for checking out my thread.


----------



## jkan0228

I think you should send me those 2 for my experimentals.... hahahaha


----------



## aquaquang

You have the best equipment (ADA) out there but your aquascape needs to improve it. Actually it looks really flat, stems plans should always be planted in background not in foreground or middle of the tank. You might need to add more driftwoods and rocks. Think about a concept, make a sketch and create more slopes and natural look. Depending what level you want to achieve, keep it simple but in an artistic way to attract the viewer.


----------



## bsmith

I can agree with the above post. There needs to be mote prominent hardscaping in the tank IMO.


----------



## antbug

aquaquang said:


> You have the best equipment (ADA) out there but your aquascape needs to improve it. Actually it looks really flat, stems plans should always be planted in background not in foreground or middle of the tank. You might need to add more driftwoods and rocks. Think about a concept, make a sketch and create more slopes and natural look. Depending what level you want to achieve, keep it simple but in an artistic way to attract the viewer.


Thanks for the critique. My original plan fell a little short. I wanted to do a glosso hill on the right and what you can’t see anymore is a steep slope to the back right corner. My light came from my old 50g and that tank was only 12” wide. This tank is 18” and this light doesn’t have the spread (or power) that I needed for that scape. At this point I’m just having a good time growing plants, learning about them and all around gardening skills. I’m planning on selling my discus and once that happens, I’m going to pick up some more wood and rescape this tank. This more that likely will not happen till the end of the year when I will be getting a new light as well. I’m also thinking of changing up the stand. Might as well do it all in one shot. Again thanks for the info and checking out my thread.


----------



## antbug

bsmith said:


> I can agree with the above post. There needs to be mote prominent hardscaping in the tank IMO.


agreed!


----------



## bsmith

What fixture ate you wanting to get?


----------



## antbug

bsmith said:


> What fixture ate you wanting to get?


 
I'm leaning towards the 48" Tek 4 bulb t5 light. Most likely with the giesemann bulbs. If not that, maybe a catalina aquarium fixture. They are local to my as well. 

Thoughts on either?


----------



## bsmith

I own two cat aqua fixtures and they are rock solid. Personally I would not spend the money on a Tek when you can get a cat which is (from what I have read) not much if any lesser quality for so much less money. Plus you can call up cat aqua and they will build you whatever you want.


----------



## 2in10

bsmith said:


> I own two cat aqua fixtures and they are rock solid. Personally I would not spend the money on a Tek when you can get a cat which is (from what I have read) not much if any lesser quality for so much less money. Plus you can call up cat aqua and they will build you whatever you want.


I agree, you only need 2 bulbs spaced 6" apart.


----------



## antbug

bsmith said:


> I own two cat aqua fixtures and they are rock solid. Personally I would not spend the money on a Tek when you can get a cat which is (from what I have read) not much if any lesser quality for so much less money. Plus you can call up cat aqua and they will build you whatever you want.


 
What would you suggest from Catalina Aquarium? The reason I'm leaning toward the Tek is the style. I like how thin they are.


----------



## antbug

2in10 said:


> I agree, you only need 2 bulbs spaced 6" apart.


 
Agreed. I need the spread.


----------



## aquaquang

antbug said:


> Thanks for the critique. My original plan fell a little short. I wanted to do a glosso hill on the right and what you can’t see anymore is a steep slope to the back right corner. My light came from my old 50g and that tank was only 12” wide. This tank is 18” and this light doesn’t have the spread (or power) that I needed for that scape. At this point I’m just having a good time growing plants, learning about them and all around gardening skills. I’m planning on selling my discus and once that happens, I’m going to pick up some more wood and rescape this tank. This more that likely will not happen till the end of the year when I will be getting a new light as well. I’m also thinking of changing up the stand. Might as well do it all in one shot. Again thanks for the info and checking out my thread.


No problem. You're very lucky to have ADA tank products, equipment and Aquasoil in your area. Where I live they're none ADA cause people in my area seems don't take this hobby really serious and they prefer the mentality "Buy cheap buy twice" LoL! So most the supplier scares to lost his money importing those stuffs.

Unlike Hemianthus or Dwarf Hairgrass, I found that Glosso is a faster carpet to grow. I had grown successful with a Coralife 65W compact, it was growing really well, beautiful color and thick until I decided to make a change and removed them. Now I want it back 

Keep us the update!


----------



## bsmith

antbug said:


> What would you suggest from Catalina Aquarium? The reason I'm leaning toward the Tek is the style. I like how thin they are.


Check these out the new "super slim" t5ho fixtures. I guess they just came out with these more "tek like" fixtures. I would think that if you called and talked to Jim he could build you one of these with 4 bulbs with 2 cords (2x2) or even 3 (2x1x1) you could even omit the moon lights or keep them. that's the nice thing about all the products they sell; they build them in house so you can get whatever you want. 

http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=71_194&products_id=1821

Or the old standby "black solar t5ho' fixtures which I still think look very nice. 

http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=71_136&products_id=1423

Like I said these all have very nice electronic advanced ballast and produce barely any heat at all and have individual reflectors that are super durable. I cant tell you how many times I have cleaned mine off and after cleaning they look like new still.


----------



## antbug

Thanks for the info B. I was looking at the black solar too, but the gold in the picture was throwing me off. I also saw their new slim line, but at that price, I might as well get the tek.

Did you go with their bulbs?


----------



## bsmith

I did but over the years I have experimented with Geismann, GE, and others. For a plant grow (pink bulbs) I like the geismann aquaflora and for a 6000k-8000k I like the GE ecolux. I like the crisp white of 10000k's but do not have a real preference for any single brand with that color temp.


----------



## speedie408

I use to hear great things about Cat since they were (probably are still) substantially cheaper than TEK and most Cat owners had nothing but praise like bsmith. I had the chance to see the Black Solar Cat in action and IMO compared to my TEK, it doesn't measure up as far as reflectors are concerned. The Cat reflectors are tiny in comparison to the TEK. I mean, there's barely enough clearance to fit the bulbs to where the bulbs are literally almost touching the reflectors. If you've seen a TeK reflector, they are parabolic and are much wider. This makes all the difference IMO. The bulbs are not crammed into the reflectors which makes reflecting much more efficient.


----------



## bsmith

speedie408 said:


> I use to hear great things about Cat since they were (probably are still) substantially cheaper than TEK and most Cat owners had nothing but praise like bsmith. I had the chance to see the Black Solar Cat in action and IMO compared to my TEK, it doesn't measure up as far as reflectors are concerned. The Cat reflectors are tiny in comparison to the TEK. I mean, there's barely enough clearance to fit the bulbs to where the bulbs are literally almost touching the reflectors. If you've seen a TeK reflector, they are parabolic and are much wider. This makes all the difference IMO. The bulbs are not crammed into the reflectors which makes reflecting much more efficient.


I have never seen a tek in real life but from pics I can see they do have really nice reflectors. The Cat has V shaped reflectors that have a good portion (about 1" that is flat on the top) and on my fixtures they arent that close to the bulb.


----------



## ua hua

Take a look at the reflectors in the Tek lights and it will make it look like you have 6 bulbs. They are top notch fixtures with the best refletors out there. I too have heard nothing but good about the Catalina fixtures but until you see a Tek light it's hard to understand just how nice they are. If you want to save a few bucks go with the Catalina and if you want to make a wise investment in a top of the line product go with the Tek.


----------



## 2in10

Tek and ATI use parabolic reflectors that hang past the bulb and they are 95% and 98% reflective respectively. I would guess the Cat to be around 90% to 92% reflective which is more than sufficient for planted tanks.


----------



## antbug

Discus were sold last night to a fellow SAPS member. They are going to a good home with other discus fish. They will be missed, but I can now move on to my new scape.


----------



## jameslibtech

looking great!


----------



## jkan0228

So what is your new scape?


----------



## antbug

jameslibtech said:


> looking great!


Thanks!



jkan0228 said:


> So what is your new scape?


Still working on it. I'm saving for a new light and I want to build a new stand (ADA style). I was thinking of having my club over for a "scape my tank" meeting and let the pros hook it up :hihi:. As you can see i'm troubled in that area :help:. Most of this will take place early next year. I do know that it will have A LOT more wood, that's forsure! I will also add around 60 more rummynose for a total of about 100. I want that big school look. 

My buddy told me of a good spot to get some manzy so I need to take a trip before the snow comes. I have a good idea of what I'm looking for.

How's that blyxa doing for you this time?


----------



## antbug

Well, I couldn't wait for the major re-scape change so I did a little mini re-scape. I pull out all the blyxa and only used a few stems. I think I've had my blyxa fix, haha. I scored some new plants from a club member and went to work. New plants are crypt green gecko, staurogyne porto velho and myriophyllum mattogrossenses. All other were in my tank but moved around. I also noticed a patch of fissiden fountain that is growing on some manzy and I've never had any in this tank. It looked too cool so I had to leave it. 

I also borrowed my clubs PAR meter and found out that my bulbs were not putting out the power they used too. I was only getting around 20 PAR at the substrate. After replacing my bulsb, I now get 50ish PAR at the sub. What an awesome tool! Another change to the tank is an inline atomizer from www.theshrimplab.com. I now have one less piece of equipment in my tank and no more bubbles. I know have a fine mist that comes out of my spray bar. I like this change.

Anyways, here are some pictures as of last night.


----------



## antbug

one last pic.


----------



## mcqueenesq

Those last photos are amazing. Thanks for keeping up with the updates. It's great to see how the tank progresses.


----------



## shrimpnmoss

I like the new scape. Very Clean.


----------



## nonconductive

very nice


----------



## bsmith

Looking really good.

I really like the promiscuity of fissidens with DW that it has never even had contact with as far as we know. I have a piece of wood in my mini m that has fissidens, a couple different types of moss and even some susswasserstang (no idea where that came from) growing on it. I scraped/scrubbed the wood till there we no visible plant matter left on it to the naked eye then even boiled it for over an hour... Guess what a couple of months later it was full of the aforementioned plants. 

What type of lighting/bulbs do you have in the fixture, how old were they and what is your PP (photo period)? I have been trying to get a good measure of the useful life for t5ho's.


----------



## antbug

mcqueenesq said:


> Those last photos are amazing. Thanks for keeping up with the updates. It's great to see how the tank progresses.



Thanks for checking out my thread. It's definitely a work in progress.



shrimpnmoss said:


> I like the new scape. Very Clean.


I’m liking it too. Actually, for the 1st time haha



nonconductive said:


> very nice


Thank you.


----------



## antbug

I was thinking of adding a "branch" of manzy right behind the porto velho... or maybe one in front? thoughts?


----------



## antbug

bsmith said:


> Looking really good.
> 
> I really like the promiscuity of fissidens with DW that it has never even had contact with as far as we know. I have a piece of wood in my mini m that has fissidens, a couple different types of moss and even some susswasserstang (no idea where that came from) growing on it. I scraped/scrubbed the wood till there we no visible plant matter left on it to the naked eye then even boiled it for over an hour... Guess what a couple of months later it was full of the aforementioned plants.
> 
> What type of lighting/bulbs do you have in the fixture, how old were they and what is your PP (photo period)? I have been trying to get a good measure of the useful life for t5ho's.


Thanks B!

I know, I had to leave it, right? I did have fissidens in my 50g, but it was covered in algae and I removed it all. It either came from that or hitchhiked on some other plants I got. Either way, I like it! :tongue:

I have a cheap POS Odyssea fixture. It had the original odyssea bulbs t5 10k 36w? <--- I know, that doesn't make sense. T5HO is 54w and T5NO is 28w. I went with the Aqueon t5no 6700k 28w bulbs. They were on sale at petsmart for $10 each. I'm looking at a Tek fixture for replacement soon, so it was a cheap option. My photo period is 7 hours, 2:30pm - 9:30pm.


----------



## Alyssa

The pictures do not do this tank justice - it's way more gorgeous!


----------



## bsmith

antbug said:


> Thanks B!
> 
> I know, I had to leave it, right? I did have fissidens in my 50g, but it was covered in algae and I removed it all. It either came from that or hitchhiked on some other plants I got. Either way, I like it! :tongue:
> 
> I have a cheap POS Odyssea fixture. It had the original odyssea bulbs t5 10k 36w? <--- I know, that doesn't make sense. T5HO is 54w and T5NO is 28w. I went with the Aqueon t5no 6700k 28w bulbs. They were on sale at petsmart for $10 each. I'm looking at a Tek fixture for replacement soon, so it was a cheap option. My photo period is 7 hours, 2:30pm - 9:30pm.


Thanks for the info. 

I know the Tek fixtures by sunlight supply are the top of the line fixtures but you may want to consider a Catalina aquariums t5ho fixture. All you need to do is call them and talk to Jim (he is an owner and the actual person who builds the fixtures) and tell him what you want. He can do whatever # of bulbs/power cords, switches, moonlights and hanging options that you could think of. The ballasts are pretty much the same as the Tek lights but the only thing I can see where Tek has the advantage is that their reflectors are a bit better, perhaps allowing 5%-10% more efficiency of light use. 

What size/amount of bulbs are you wanting? I have a 24" 3x24w with 2 power cords (one for the two outer banks and one for the center banks) that has hanging hooks on it that im thinking about selling as I replaced it with MH fixture. You could check it out in my 60-p journal. If you are wanting a fixture for this tank obviously that wouldn't work (unless you wanted to use two fixtures which might not be a bad idea....)


----------



## antbug

Alyssa said:


> The pictures do not do this tank justice - it's way more gorgeous!


Thanks, Alyssa.


----------



## antbug

bsmith said:


> Thanks for the info.
> 
> I know the Tek fixtures by sunlight supply are the top of the line fixtures but you may want to consider a Catalina aquariums t5ho fixture. All you need to do is call them and talk to Jim (he is an owner and the actual person who builds the fixtures) and tell him what you want. He can do whatever # of bulbs/power cords, switches, moonlights and hanging options that you could think of. The ballasts are pretty much the same as the Tek lights but the only thing I can see where Tek has the advantage is that their reflectors are a bit better, perhaps allowing 5%-10% more efficiency of light use.
> 
> What size/amount of bulbs are you wanting? I have a 24" 3x24w with 2 power cords (one for the two outer banks and one for the center banks) that has hanging hooks on it that im thinking about selling as I replaced it with MH fixture. You could check it out in my 60-p journal. If you are wanting a fixture for this tank obviously that wouldn't work (unless you wanted to use two fixtures which might not be a bad idea....)


Cat aqua is local to me as well. I know they have good stuff, but I just like the look of the tek. Cat aqua has black solar and it looks nice, but the pics on his site don't do a good job of selling them. The picture has gold in it and it look unfinished? The price is right though. http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1423

Do you know much about this fixture? 

The new fixture would be replacing the POS Odyssea, so I need 48". I also want to hang it, but that's another project.


----------



## bsmith

They are completely black. I use one on my 37g. It's a 30" 4x24w where the bulbs are staggerd a bit. I would be happy to take some pics when I do get home this evening if you would like me to. 

GO CARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## antbug

Please do if it's not too much trouble. Maybe you can tell me, it looks like the "grill" on the top would allow light out? Am I looking at the unit wrong? 

Currently 3 - 2 Cards.  Good luck!~


----------



## bsmith

CARDS WON!!!! Whooo hoooo. Now just 3 more like that......

There is no light that escapes from the top grill/vent. 


















































Moonlights,


----------



## antbug

Thanks for the pics, B. I might take a drive over and check them out in person.


----------



## bsmith

I think that would be very cool regardless if you purchased from them or not.


----------



## 150EH

You tank looks very neat and clean, I'm a Rummy fan too and it surprising how many people like them, currently I have 31 and they are the best schoolers. It looks like you may have remove this one but was that H. pinnatifida that your shrimp were climbing all over? If so it was the neatest I've ever seen and I liked it pinched back in kinda Crypt form like a rosette plant.

I might pick up a couple more Rummy's I gotta little space left.

I know this is kinda old but the Black Solar T5 HO fixture is a good design IMO, I liked that mesh releasing the heat and if they were really smart they could do that directly above the bulb to reduce the heat and extend bulb life.

More old news, I just picked up C. wendtii green gecko and I love the bright green and delicate nature of tis crypt, I have 6 types of Crypt in my tank and I could just keep on going as they are some of the most beautiful plants, it seem recently they have really caught on but the used to be just a slow growing low light plant and folks showed little interest.


----------



## Herbicidal

antbug said:


> Thanks for the pics, B. I might take a drive over and check them out in person.


Hey Anthony! I like the new plant arrangement! :thumbsup: BTW, if you go over to Catalina (not sure if you've been before) the "store" looks a little run down from the outside and it's not really set up for customers to visit, nevertheless, Jim is a nice guy and should take good care of you. Maybe he could even do something custom to better fit your needs? Can't hurt to ask! I've been there a couple of times in the past year. Once for my own retrofit units that mount inside my canopy and again for my wifes tank, I bought her a 4 bulb unit (black - no top mesh) with built in moonlights. Can't remember the exact model.


----------



## speedie408

I know folks speak good things about Cat fixtures but you aint seen real t5hos till you've had a TEK bro . Trust me on that one Anthony. 

Liking the new scape, but it needs more hardscape material. I know you're working on that . 

Have fun collecting man.


----------



## bsmith

speedie408 said:


> I know folks speak good things about Cat fixtures but you aint seen real t5hos till you've had a TEK bro . Trust me on that one Anthony.
> 
> Liking the new scape, but it needs more hardscape material. I know you're working on that .
> 
> Have fun collecting man.


Have you compered them side by side? I will say that the reflectors on the Tek fixtures do look a bit better but im not sure how much better in all reality they are since I can barely look at my fixture when only 2x24 are on and I feel like im getting a sunburn when all 4x24 are lit!


----------



## speedie408

bsmith said:


> Have you compered them side by side? I will say that the reflectors on the Tek fixtures do look a bit better but im not sure how much better in all reality they are since I can barely look at my fixture when only 2x24 are on and I feel like im getting a sunburn when all 4x24 are lit!


Not literally side by side, but I've seen Cat fixtures up close and personal. Also IWANNAGOFAST and I tested our lights with our club PAR meter. See the results for yourself:

His CAT fixture suspended 22" above the substrate with all 3 bulbs ON (bulbs were 7-8 mos old)









My TEKs with only 2 bulbs ON (bulbs about 6-8 months old) *my lights were suspended 18" above the tank rim* 









Heck, here are the results with 4 bulbs ON if your wondering.


----------



## antbug

Good info guys. No doubt the Tek fixture looks better IMO and from what everyone tells me, they are. I'm just not sure they are worth that extra $$$$. That's where the decision will come into play. 

Thanks for the readings, Nick. That helps a lot.


----------



## bsmith

Nice info Nick but it would really be nice to have a comparison with apples to apples. I also will argue that even though some people say you can run t5ho bulbs for 2 years between replacement that is only good in an office environment and for our needs they need to be replaced every year.


----------



## antbug

150EH said:


> You tank looks very neat and clean, I'm a Rummy fan too and it surprising how many people like them, currently I have 31 and they are the best schoolers. It looks like you may have remove this one but was that H. pinnatifida that your shrimp were climbing all over? If so it was the neatest I've ever seen and I liked it pinched back in kinda Crypt form like a rosette plant.
> 
> I might pick up a couple more Rummy's I gotta little space left.
> 
> I know this is kinda old but the Black Solar T5 HO fixture is a good design IMO, I liked that mesh releasing the heat and if they were really smart they could do that directly above the bulb to reduce the heat and extend bulb life.
> 
> More old news, I just picked up C. wendtii green gecko and I love the bright green and delicate nature of tis crypt, I have 6 types of Crypt in my tank and I could just keep on going as they are some of the most beautiful plants, it seem recently they have really caught on but the used to be just a slow growing low light plant and folks showed little interest.


h pinnatifida is still in there. It wasn't doing so well with my old bulbs. Now that my PAR is back up there, it should bounce back nicely. If not, I'll pick up some more. 

I plan to have around 100 rummy's in here. Just slowly adding to the group. I think I'm at 35-40 now. 



Herbicidal said:


> Hey Anthony! I like the new plant arrangement! :thumbsup: BTW, if you go over to Catalina (not sure if you've been before) the "store" looks a little run down from the outside and it's not really set up for customers to visit, nevertheless, Jim is a nice guy and should take good care of you. Maybe he could even do something custom to better fit your needs? Can't hurt to ask! I've been there a couple of times in the past year. Once for my own retrofit units that mount inside my canopy and again for my wifes tank, I bought her a 4 bulb unit (black - no top mesh) with built in moonlights. Can't remember the exact model.


Thanks for the info Herb. 



speedie408 said:


> I know folks speak good things about Cat fixtures but you aint seen real t5hos till you've had a TEK bro . Trust me on that one Anthony.
> 
> Liking the new scape, but it needs more hardscape material. I know you're working on that .
> 
> Have fun collecting man.


More hardscape....check! I keep telling myself that I'm going to take a trip up the hill to get some and then I start thinking about all the time, work and gas money. Tom's house is less than 10 minutes from me and he has all the wood I need. I really need to stop being cheap and just pick some up from him. haha.


----------



## speedie408

antbug said:


> Good info guys. No doubt the Tek fixture looks better IMO and from what everyone tells me, they are. I'm just not sure they are worth that extra $$$$. That's where the decision will come into play.
> 
> Thanks for the readings, Nick. That helps a lot.


If you want to stick with T5HOs for a while, TEKs are worth every penny dude. There will never be a moment where you'd stand back and say to yourself, "Damn, maybe I should've gotten that TEK in the first place.". Don't even think twice! lol You won't look back on any other T5's after that. 

The only reason I'd buy something else is if I jump on the LED bandwagon. :hihi: Maybe soon! 



bsmith said:


> Nice info Nick but it would really be nice to have a comparison with apples to apples. I also will argue that even though some people say you can run t5ho bulbs for 2 years between replacement that is only good in an office environment and for our needs they need to be replaced every year.


Brandon - It is what it is bro. TEKs are just better fixtures. Cats will never be better unless they start using TEK reflectors . Build quality is there on the Cats, no doubt.


----------



## antbug

speedie408 said:


> If you want to stick with T5HOs for a while, TEKs are worth every penny dude. There will never be a moment where you'd stand back and say to yourself, "Damn, maybe I should've gotten that TEK in the first place.". Don't even think twice! lol You won't look back on any other T5's after that.
> 
> The only reason I'd buy something else is if I jump on the LED bandwagon. :hihi: Maybe soon!


Maybe soon you'll be selling your Tek? :biggrin: 

I know Tom is making the switch soon, but he has the 8 bulb fixture and I want the 4. What are you waiting for....JUMP! :biggrin:


----------



## 150EH

I'm think about bulbs that last 5 years, I use Power Compact lighting that was high tech ten years ago but replacing bulbs and ballasts is too much plus there hot and draw too much current.

I don't know if your a DIY guy but I got this link at another forum and have been checking these out for a couple of weeks and they seem pretty good gor the money. The come with 6,500 diode but you have to ask via email you'll save in every direction, take a look here


----------



## bsmith

150EH said:


> I'm think about bulbs that last 5 years, I use Power Compact lighting that was high tech ten years ago but replacing bulbs and ballasts is too much plus there hot and draw too much current.
> 
> I don't know if your a DIY guy but I got this link at another forum and have been checking these out for a couple of weeks and they seem pretty good gor the money. The come with 6,500 diode but you have to ask via email you'll save in every direction, take a look here


That's cool that company is offering DIY kits like that. I have read ALOT about DIY LED fixtures and I just cant justify the cost + the time and energy it takes to make a proper fixture. It seems to me (didn't add up the cost of things from your link) that if you want to put enough light on a ~50g tank to be considered high light after all is said and done, completely you are looking at over a $500 investment and I think that's pretty conservative. 

I know they will pay for themselves after 5 years or so when you figure in bulb replacement cost and electrical savings but I dont know, there is also that feeling I get for some reason that they just arent as substantial at a good t5ho/mh fixture.


----------



## 150EH

Well someone told me 1 watt of led was worth 3 watt of my pc lighting, so the 24 led dimmable kit with the heatsink is equal to a 216 watt fixture fo $99, and I asked a friend with similar light but his has the high dollar Cree diodes which do put out more light and his is over a 60 gallon tank which will grow anything, so I see it a little differently.

The heatsink is 16" basically but I think 2 of these over a 120P right would do it and be like the diffrence Speedie showed in his photos, so $200 plus some wood work, $300.


----------



## bsmith

150EH said:


> Well someone told me 1 watt of led was worth 3 watt of my pc lighting, so the 24 led dimmable kit with the heatsink is equal to a 216 watt fixture fo $99, and I asked a friend with similar light but his has the high dollar Cree diodes which do put out more light and his is over a 60 gallon tank which will grow anything, so I see it a little differently.
> 
> The heatsink is 16" basically but I think 2 of these over a 120P right would do it and be like the diffrence Speedie showed in his photos, so $200 plus some wood work, $300.


Thats not too bad but lets be honest, if one were putting a LED fixture over a 120-p its very likely that they would go the cheaper route on lighting. The DIY ones I have seen/am talking about have controllers that were programmed and can be programmed to simulate dawn/dusk cycles, night time even thunder storms!


----------



## speedie408

antbug said:


> Maybe soon you'll be selling your Tek? :biggrin:
> 
> I know Tom is making the switch soon, but he has the 8 bulb fixture and I want the 4. What are you waiting for....JUMP! :biggrin:


Probably not . Even if I went LED, I'm keeping the TEK for other projects. :smile: Just jump on a new one.


----------



## antbug

speedie408 said:


> Probably not . Even if I went LED, I'm keeping the TEK for other projects. :smile: Just jump on a new one.


Hoarder! :biggrin:


----------



## antbug

Paid a visit to Mr. Barr house for some wood. Still not sure on the new center piece, but I really like the position of the one in front of the porto velho. The center piece is super cool and can be flipped around many different ways. I think I will try some other positions?


----------



## antbug

One last pic. I liked this angle.


----------



## jkan0228

No offense but your tank looks absolutely naked right now.... But so does mine... who am I the one to talk?


----------



## antbug

jkan0228 said:


> No offense but your tank looks absolutely naked right now.... But so does mine... who am I the one to talk?


Naked? You're just getting used to the "blyxa forest" look. You'll get tired of it soon :icon_mrgr.

I want to add some crypt parva in the front left area and the stauro porto velho will spread and fill in the middle nicely. The back right corner will fill in once the stems grow more, but naked, really? 

I'm lovin' the myrio mato. The color is awesome and the way it sways in the current. love it!


----------



## speedie408

Once that porto velho starts growing on you, you'd better stay on top of it bro... that stuff is a weed! It gets ugly FAST if not manicured. FTS looks clean!


----------



## antbug

speedie408 said:


> Once that porto velho starts growing on you, you'd better stay on top of it bro... that stuff is a weed! It gets ugly FAST if not manicured. FTS looks clean!


I know you pulled it out for that reason. So what's the speedie tip on keeping it looking good. Do you mow it? 

Thanks man, this tank has come a long way.


----------



## zachary908

I think it looks great! Looks super clean, unlike my mess of a tank. :hihi:


----------



## shrimpnmoss

I love the new look. Clean and open. That wood looks great. Especially the 1/2 buried one in the front.


----------



## speedie408

antbug said:


> I know you pulled it out for that reason. So what's the speedie tip on keeping it looking good. Do you mow it?
> 
> Thanks man, this tank has come a long way.


Clip all stem tips as soon as the mass starts growing. Sooner or later you'll have to yank the old stems out and replant the fresh cut tops if you wanna keep them looking fresh, because he old growth gets ugly sooner or later. That's the reason why I yanked em and didn't bother replanting.


----------



## antbug

zachary908 said:


> I think it looks great! Looks super clean, unlike my mess of a tank. :hihi:


Thanks!



shrimpnmoss said:


> I love the new look. Clean and open. That wood looks great. Especially the 1/2 buried one in the front.


I'm with you on the new front piece. I will expose a little more of the front part once it's waterlogged. I need to flip the new center piece around. It's got a lot of character. 



speedie408 said:


> Clip all stem tips as soon as the mass starts growing. Sooner or later you'll have to yank the old stems out and replant the fresh cut tops if you wanna keep them looking fresh, because he old growth gets ugly sooner or later. That's the reason why I yanked em and didn't bother replanting.


Thanks for the tip. I'll stay on top of them.


----------



## 150EH

It does look clean and the scape looks neat and well done, I like the wood too and you have that nice AS so showing that off also looks nice.


----------



## Alyssa

Wow that is gorgeous!


----------



## Alyssa

speedie408 said:


> Sooner or later you'll have to yank the old stems out and replant the fresh cut tops if you wanna keep them looking fresh, because he old growth gets ugly sooner or later.


Isn't that sort of true of all aquatic plants more or less? Or are there a bunch that just always look good?


----------



## antbug

150EH said:


> It does look clean and the scape looks neat and well done, I like the wood too and you have that nice AS so showing that off also looks nice.





Alyssa said:


> Wow that is gorgeous!


Thanks guys.


----------



## antbug

It's been about a month so I guess it's time for some new pics. Hhhmmm what's changed.....Moved that new piece of wood from the center to the right side, red tiger lotus and just some good growth.


----------



## shrimpnmoss

Lol that didn't take long for this bad boy to jungle right back up!


----------



## antbug

shrimpnmoss said:


> Lol that didn't take long for this bad boy to jungle right back up!



Thanks man, gotta love co2. I need to hack the myrio mato back bad!


----------



## chad320

Looking good Anthony!!!


----------



## antbug

chad320 said:


> Looking good Anthony!!!


Thanks Chad!


----------



## 150EH

I like the look of the wood in what was a little empty area in the back right, it looks much better with the center open. It so clean and neat I can't even look at my tank now. Have you ever tried Mayaca fluviatilis, it's a very small & delicate stem but it looks nice, respond to prunning well, and pearls like crazy, it is just a bright green but it always looks nice with all the little bubble on it, just a thought as it has a little lighter look.


----------



## antbug

150EH said:


> I like the look of the wood in what was a little empty area in the back right, it looks much better with the center open. It so clean and neat I can't even look at my tank now. Have you ever tried Mayaca fluviatilis, it's a very small & delicate stem but it looks nice, respond to prunning well, and pearls like crazy, it is just a bright green but it always looks nice with all the little bubble on it, just a thought as it has a little lighter look.


Thanks 150EH. I like the wood better in that spot as well. It's a really cool piece and can be turned to show different shapes (if that makes sense).

That's a really cool plant. I might give it a try. Do you have any? If so, wanna trade for any of my stems/plants?


----------



## aXio

Looks very good. Nice clean scape.


----------



## antbug

Thanks, aXio. It's come a long way.


----------



## antbug

Some updated pics..... Enjoy.


----------



## plecostomouse

sick.


----------



## antbug

plecostomouse said:


> sick.


Thanks bro.


----------



## zachary908

This is looking fantastic, Anthony! Keep at it, dude.


----------



## jkan0228

Looks very nice and clean! Love it!!


----------



## 150EH

antbug said:


> Thanks 150EH. I like the wood better in that spot as well. It's a really cool piece and can be turned to show different shapes (if that makes sense).
> 
> That's a really cool plant. I might give it a try. Do you have any? If so, wanna trade for any of my stems/plants?


Sorry I'm slow on the response, but yes I have it in both tanks, it's a good Fe indicator and it pearls like crazy, click on my Nano journal to get a good sense of scale it is a very small and delicate plant. It's so delicate I put 5 or 10 stems together and push them all in the substrate together, if you do that about 10 times you'll have a small mass about 5 inches in diameter.

You tank looks nice and it so hard for me to have substrate showing, it looks nice and clean but I alway think I can get another species in that little spot.


----------



## plecostomouse

whats the plant thats growing under the wood on the right, just left of the crypts


----------



## Alyssa

Looks sooo pretty!


----------



## sidefunk

Tank is looking great. The porto is really growing in well.


----------



## antbug

zachary908 said:


> This is looking fantastic, Anthony! Keep at it, dude.


Thanks for the kind words, Zach



jkan0228 said:


> Looks very nice and clean! Love it!!


Wow, Jeff likes it. It must be looking better :icon_lol:


----------



## antbug

150EH said:


> Sorry I'm slow on the response, but yes I have it in both tanks, it's a good Fe indicator and it pearls like crazy, click on my Nano journal to get a good sense of scale it is a very small and delicate plant. It's so delicate I put 5 or 10 stems together and push them all in the substrate together, if you do that about 10 times you'll have a small mass about 5 inches in diameter.
> 
> You tank looks nice and it so hard for me to have substrate showing, it looks nice and clean but I alway think I can get another species in that little spot.


I know what you mean. I'm thinking of adding some thing to the right of the porto haha. 



plecostomouse said:


> whats the plant thats growing under the wood on the right, just left of the crypts


I'm not sure what it is. Tom Barr gave it to me at the last SAPS meeting. It's some small clover looking plant. I need to spread it out in the area. I put it under the wood to hold it down till I get around to it.


----------



## antbug

Alyssa said:


> Looks sooo pretty!


Thanks Alyssa. Let me know if you see any plants you want to try. I trim weekly.



sidefunk said:


> Tank is looking great. The porto is really growing in well.


It is doing really well for me. I need to trim it really soon. Thinking of doing a "Tom Barr mow" on it. Thoughts?


----------



## antbug

I just updated my other thread so I might as well do this one too.


----------



## sepehr

Superb job, it's beautiful!


----------



## speedie408

As I expected, that porto velho is gettin THICK!! Time for a trim or it'll start choking itself to death from below. 

Tank looks great man!


----------



## antbug

sepehr said:


> Superb job, it's beautiful!


why thank you!



speedie408 said:


> As I expected, that porto velho is gettin THICK!! Time for a trim or it'll start choking itself to death from below.
> 
> Tank looks great man!


I know I need to trim it. I really want to mow it down like Tom does with other sp's, but I'm scared. What are your thoughts on that?


----------



## chad320

Wow, it looks great still. Are those Green Gecko crypts?


----------



## speedie408

Ant, 

All you gotta do is get a pair of clippers and go to town. I wouldn't suggest "mowing" it but rather just randomly snip stems everywhere. Just maintain consistant uniformity when doing so. They'll respond very well to pruning since they already have acclimated root structures. New growth will come through much faster then when first planted.


----------



## antbug

chad320 said:


> Wow, it looks great still. Are those Green Gecko crypts?


Yes sir. The only crypts I have. Thanks Chad.



speedie408 said:


> Ant,
> 
> All you gotta do is get a pair of clippers and go to town. I wouldn't suggest "mowing" it but rather just randomly snip stems everywhere. Just maintain consistant uniformity when doing so. They'll respond very well to pruning since they already have acclimated root structures. New growth will come through much faster then when first planted.


Come on Nick, tell me I can mow it. :bounce::icon_mrgr 

I guess I'll just have to prun it. I don't know why I'm fighting it.


----------



## OVT

Just stumbled on this thread. Great looking scape! (I will steal it )
Funny that I got 120P for MY birthday from My wife same time you got yours.
Are we long-lost twins?


----------



## antbug

OVT said:


> Just stumbled on this thread. Great looking scape! (I will steal it )
> Funny that I got 120P for MY birthday from My wife same time you got yours.
> Are we long-lost twins?


I don't know. Are you really good looking?


----------



## OVT

No, just incredibly handsome 



antbug said:


> I don't know. Are you really good looking?


----------



## smiller

Very nice setup. I enjoyed catching up on it. Have you been pleased with the Aquasoil? Anything you would change if you could start all over again? Keep up the great work!


----------



## antbug

smiller said:


> Very nice setup. I enjoyed catching up on it. Have you been pleased with the Aquasoil? Anything you would change if you could start all over again? Keep up the great work!


Thanks for checking out my thread. Love the AS. I wouldn't do a tank without it. The only thing I would change would be a co2 system first and a lot more hard scape.


----------



## antbug

Just did a major rescape. Water is too cloudy to take a picture now. Tomorrow I'll post some.


----------



## antbug

Water was still a little cloudy last night. I was bleaching my purigen and that was just added back this morning. It should be good for pictures tonight. So far I'm liking what I see.

I also have some erios coming.


----------



## antbug

Here is a pic of the left side, still cloudy. The hybrid red is new. Also a quick pic (from the right) of my new erio's (thanks Jimmy!). :biggrin:

I'll get some better shots after it clears up.


----------



## antbug

Not 100% clear yet, but a FTS as promised.


----------



## plantbrain

You might even could use more light and get this sucker thicker and dense plant growth.


----------



## antbug

Did I just hear you suggest more light? I'm at 40 umols at the sub, isn't that enough?

The only reason I'd want more is to move the light up. Too bad your tek is the 8 bulb or I'd probably pick it up. As you can see Tom, you 120g heavenly influenced my new layout. Any thoughts on moving plants around? Also the only wood that is fixed in place is the one on the left sticking out of the water. Any suggestions on moving some of the wood around?


----------



## oyeabog

Very nice.great job VERY jealous. What are the dimensions of tank ?


----------



## antbug

oyeabog said:


> Very nice.great job VERY jealous. What are the dimensions of tank ?


Thank you. It's an ADA 120p. In inches it's roughly 48x18x18.


----------



## inareverie85

Beautiful plants you got there 

Really like the layout, too!


----------



## antbug

Took a few pics last night, so I'll post hem up. 

Erio's are doing really good and getting setted in, check out the flowers. I might move the wood on the right a play with it on the left a little more. I'm not happy with it in that spot. Everything else is doing really good.


----------



## antbug

update


----------



## speedie408

Lookin REAL nice Ant!


----------



## Herbicidal

Looks great Anthony! You've got the green thumb! Or is it the blue thumb? :tongue: Like a living piece of artwork. roud:


----------



## antbug

speedie408 said:


> Lookin REAL nice Ant!


Thanks, Nick. I need to trim the proto velho, again hahaha. I know I know, you told me. I'm thinking about pulling it out and moving it to the right side. Kind of inbetween the rocks on the right with maybe a few stems behind? I will need to find a new spot for the erio mini's. I'm going to split a few. Any pointers?



Herbicidal said:


> Looks great Anthony! You've got the green thumb! Or is it the blue thumb? :tongue: Like a living piece of artwork. roud:


Herb! Where you been? We have a meeting coming up, you should come. Jose is doing a little talk on photography too. Thanks for the kind words. This tank has come a long way. I need to check out your tank for an update.


----------



## GMYukonon24s

That looks tank looks great.


----------



## Uptown193

antbug said:


> update


Looking good bra!!!


----------



## Algae Beater

GORGEOUS one of my favourite tank dimensions of all time


----------



## Herbicidal

antbug said:


> Herb! Where you been? We have a meeting coming up, you should come. Jose is doing a little talk on photography too. Thanks for the kind words. This tank has come a long way. I need to check out your tank for an update.


Hanging out on the down low and off to one side. :tongue: March something right? One more time please on date/place/time. Since I've not been doing anything with plants as of late, I have not signed up on SAPS. I talked with Jose a few weeks back and he mentioned the meeting too. If the timing works, I'll come on out. All my fishy's are doing well thanks! Oh, I also picked up Jose's last two 'wilds'. He's done with Discus at this point in time. Too many other things on his plate. Man, those wilds are some fussy fish!


----------



## antbug

Well a few things have changed. I wanted to update my co2 system on my mini L tank and I started to collect the parts. I ended up with the same, if not better items than I had on this tank. In the end, the better co2 system was added to this tank and my old system was added to the mini L. Here is a picture of the new co2 system.


----------



## antbug

I also took out the Stauro porto velho that took over the center of my tank. Nick told me this would happen, but I had to watch it grow. I moved it to the right side to grow between the rocks. Hopefully I will be able to manage it in this spot better and it show/highlight the rocks as well. Here is a pic right before I pulled all the stauro out.


----------



## GMYukonon24s

Beautiful tank. This makes me wish I had CO2.


----------



## antbug

and now some pics of the new layout. The erio's were just split so they look a little sad right now, but will bounce back nicely. The L. "red" need to be trimmed bad. I'm still unsure of it's location as well. I'm thinking about some crypt parva in the center and maybe stauro purple behind it? Looking for a nice mid-ground plant. Any suggestions?


----------



## antbug

I love that last pic. Look at all the mist. :icon_evil


----------



## Stella Blue

antbug said:


> I love that last pic. Look at all the mist. :icon_evil


Me too!! 

Your tank looks amazing..... the rummy nose's are my favorite schoolin' fish, adds the prefect touch!!

:icon_smil


----------



## antbug

Stella Blue said:


> Me too!!
> 
> Your tank looks amazing..... the rummy nose's are my favorite schoolin' fish, adds the prefect touch!!
> 
> :icon_smil


Thank you! :redface:

The rummynose are awesome. I need a lot more though. I want at least 100 in the tank. Right now I have about 25-30 (hard to count  )


----------



## antbug

New plants, new pics. Sorry for the bad iPad pics. I'll get out the DSLR tomorrow. The rotala sunset is still recovering from shipping.


----------



## antbug

A few more.....


----------



## antbug

Changes are happening.....


----------



## jkan0228

Bro you got some nice stems in there! Keep it up and make it a Dutch! :hihi:

Nice log of fissidens too


----------



## antbug

Thanks Jeff. Wait till you see my new rocks. 

Nick had to go out and get cool rocks and I wanted to be like the cool kids.


----------



## jkan0228

Lol based on his hardscape, I'd say those rocks have a reputation to live up to! Better do a good job :hihi: 

Btw I saw that you're in the market for some TT's. If you still are in a month, I can sell you some Peewees.


----------



## antbug

Well this isn't a total rescape, but they are pretty awesome. Let me know about the TT's, I'm glad they're doing well for you.


----------



## antbug

Here's a teaser pic.....


----------



## antbug

No one liked my teaser pic?


----------



## jkan0228

Personally I don't like teasers... Cuz it makes me want to see moarrrr. :hihi:


----------



## speedie408

antbug said:


> Thanks Jeff. Wait till you see my new rocks.
> 
> Nick had to go out and get cool rocks and I wanted to be like the cool kids.


LOL sorry Ant... just caught this. Now show us your new rocks with a FTS!


----------



## zergling

ohko stones?


----------



## antbug

ok ok, FTS, Not 100% happy with the right side. I think I need a bigger rock. The shrimp LOVE these rocks.


----------



## antbug

I really excited as this tank is starting to come together nicely. I've made a few changes to the wood placement and it made a big difference. A few rock tweaks, plant growth and *70 new rummynose*. Last night I was in awe looking at them school together. My love for fish tanks turned to love for plants, but these fish together in a large group reminded me why I started to love fish tanks in the beginning. After the fish color up a little, I'll post some pictures.


----------



## Herbicidal

Hey Anthony, your aquarium is coming along quite nicely! I can't wait to see your school of Rummy Nose! :icon_eek: Must be something to see in person. roud: BTW, where did you get your school from? Are you happy with the quality of the fish so far?

Talk about a new infusion of fertilizer!!! :biggrin:


----------



## antbug

Hi Herb, hope all is well. There is a meeting tonight :hihi: , gonna make it?

Quality is good, but they are still small. I prefer it this way so they can grow in my tank. I think they school a little tighter too, because they are from the same stock. You'll have to let me know when you're in my area and stop by and see them. It is a site to see. Maybe I'll post a video soon. They still need to color up though.


----------



## Herbicidal

All is well, thanks! Sorry, can't make it tonight, too much on my plate. I'll keep your offer of a visit in mind. :smile: So, where did you get all those from? Special order?


----------



## antbug

Herbicidal said:


> All is well, thanks! Sorry, can't make it tonight, too much on my plate. I'll keep your offer of a visit in mind. :smile: So, where did you get all those from? Special order?


We'll hope to see you next time. Yes, it was a special order.


----------



## jkan0228

Video please! I really wanna see how a big school of rummy's school


----------



## plantbrain

Fatten up those Rummies first, then take a video in 2-4 weeks time.


----------



## antbug

Look at all that damage I did to that poor plant. Crazy how they don't correct themselves in better conditions.


----------



## antbug

FTS as of 5-5-12


----------



## antbug

Sump time.


----------



## jcgd

Goooooood call.


----------



## ua hua

Nice, what model # is that overflow box? Is it the CS100? And what return pump are you going to use? I have been thinking about putting my sump from my reef days on my 90gal. and been looking into getting a CPR overflow box and get rid of the old u-tube overflow box I have. I love how quick and easy sumps are to clean out. It beats the hell out of having to take apart a canister filter.


----------



## antbug

jcgd said:


> Goooooood call.


Thanks!



ua hua said:


> Nice, what model # is that overflow box? Is it the CS100? And what return pump are you going to use? I have been thinking about putting my sump from my reef days on my 90gal. and been looking into getting a CPR overflow box and get rid of the old u-tube overflow box I have. I love how quick and easy sumps are to clean out. It beats the hell out of having to take apart a canister filter.


It's the CS90 overflow and the sump is the CPR900. I didn't get a pump yet as I'm not sure which one to get. A suggestion was made on the Lifeguard quite one 3000. If you purchase the whole package they sell it with the rio 2100. I don't think that pump is big enough. Anyone have any other suggestions?


----------



## accordztech

haha anthony, I remember chatting with you about me going with a sump...I guess you jumped off the cliff first! lol.


----------



## 150EH

I have a smaller Rio that I'm very happy with but I have heard a lot of noise complaints about Quiet One pumps, good luck.


----------



## antbug

accordztech said:


> haha anthony, I remember chatting with you about me going with a sump...I guess you jumped off the cliff first! lol.


I was waiting for you, but you never showed up. So I just jumped by myself. Really Tom pushed me .



150EH said:


> I have a smaller Rio that I'm very happy with but I have heard a lot of noise complaints about Quiet One pumps, good luck.


Ironic. Quite one's are noisy. What rio do you have on what size tank and sump?


----------



## antbug

I have a problem waiting for replies as I just purchased the quiteone 3000. It has a 3 year warranty, so I'll use that if it's noisy. What else do I need? I have the sump, the overflow box, the hose to the sump and a return from the pump. Am I missing anything?


----------



## jgb77

I've been wanting to go with a wet dry more and more recently. They seem to have many advantages for a planted tank.
As far as what you are missing, many use the aqua lifter pump to maintain siphon. Here is a link: http://www.marinedepot.com/Tom_Aquatics_Aqua_Lifter_Dosing_Pump_Accessories_for_Aquarium_Overflow_Boxes-Tom_Aquatics-OE1137-FIOFOA-vi.html
Nice tank too.
John


----------



## antbug

So what happens if I don't have this pump? Thanks for the reminder, I knew I was forgetting something. Am I missing anything else?


----------



## accordztech

antbug said:


> So what happens if I don't have this pump? Thanks for the reminder, I knew I was forgetting something. Am I missing anything else?


I believe the air that gets trapped inside the overflow needs to come out, and thats what the pump is for...I Think


----------



## pk705

A properly designed overflow does not need such a pump. You do not want yet another element that can fail when the power goes out.


----------



## 150EH

antbug said:


> Ironic. Quite one's are noisy. What rio do you have on what size tank and sump?


I don't own one but I taken notice of more than a couple complaints because I was going to use one in my RO holding tank, but no actual hands on experience with Quite ones. I hope they were wrong.

One more thing that made me happy with Taam-Rio, you will never open a box and pull out more free stuff, elbows, suction cups with several way to mount them, more rubber mount to isolate the pump, etc. mine is quite small a 10HF rated at 660 with 1 ft. head.


----------



## 150EH

Do you have a heater for the sump, Jemhco has some nice heater bulkhead adapters so the controls are right up front, I use one in my holding tank and Craig used them in his sump.


----------



## antbug

150EH said:


> Do you have a heater for the sump, Jemhco has some nice heater bulkhead adapters so the controls are right up front, I use one in my holding tank and Craig used them in his sump.


Yes, I do have a heater.

Do I need a flow valve to control the flow rate from the overflow box?


----------



## accordztech

pk705 said:


> A properly designed overflow does not need such a pump. You do not want yet another element that can fail when the power goes out.


then why does cpr sell them for theirs?


----------



## oldpunk78

antbug said:


> Yes, I do have a heater.
> 
> Do I need a flow valve to control the flow rate from the overflow box?


Nope. Just from the return pump.


----------



## antbug

Wish me luck. I'm adding the CPR sump system this weekend.


----------



## Raul-7

Don't use a CPR overflow, they're the worst. Relying on a third device to restart the siphon is a recipe for disaster. A much better design is a U-tube style overflow like Eshopps, Lifereef, etc. The U-tube never loses siphon due the acrylic wall inside the overflow box which keeps the end submerged. It's simple and effective.

You can then add a Hoffman standpipe to make it silent.


----------



## 2in10

I would suggest a power cut off switch for your pump in case the sump goes dry.


----------



## antbug

Raul-7 said:


> Don't use a CPR overflow, they're the worst. Relying on a third device to restart the siphon is a recipe for disaster. A much better design is a U-tube style overflow like Eshopps, Lifereef, etc. The U-tube never loses siphon due the acrylic wall inside the overflow box which keeps the end submerged. It's simple and effective.
> 
> You can then add a Hoffman standpipe to make it silent.


The u tube can and dose fail as well. It can build up bubbles and slow the flow way down. In some cases it can break the siphon. You also have a huge box inside your tank, and I'm not down with that. We rely on ALL the equipment in our tanks everyday. Why is this any different? With proper care, there is nothing to worry about. The u tube design is a good one too, but CPR was my best choice for several reasons. The wet/dry sump is the easiest to seal as well. I was looking hard at eshopps, but CPR got my business.

Thanks for the concern. Hey, where's the "good luck"? :icon_mrgr According to you, I'll need it :bounce:


----------



## antbug

2in10 said:


> I would suggest a power cut off switch for your pump in case the sump goes dry.



I'm considering that as well. I was thinking one in case it over flows too?


----------



## 2in10

I agree good idea.

Make sure your water level in the sump is low enough to hold all of the water that will back siphon from your return line in case of power outage. If your return line empties below the water level of the display then drill 2 3/16" on opposite sides of the return line 1/4" to 1/2" below the display water level. Then find what level your backflow ends up in your sump when you have a power outage by shutting off the pump.


----------



## antbug

Thanks 2in10. I will test power outages for sure.


----------



## Raul-7

antbug said:


> The u tube can and dose fail as well. It can build up bubbles and slow the flow way down. In some cases it can break the siphon. You also have a huge box inside your tank, and I'm not down with that. We rely on ALL the equipment in our tanks everyday. Why is this any different? With proper care, there is nothing to worry about. The u tube design is a good one too, but CPR was my best choice for several reasons. The wet/dry sump is the easiest to seal as well. I was looking hard at eshopps, but CPR got my business.
> 
> Thanks for the concern. Hey, where's the "good luck"? :icon_mrgr According to you, I'll need it :bounce:


I didn't mean to be a buzz kill, but I was in same situation a few months ago. I've read through numerous threads from reef hobbyists who have much more experience with overflows than we do. The vast majority recommend the U-tube overflows over the CPR style.

I ended up going with a U-tube. Added a Durso and a second drain for redundancy and silence [similar to Herbie's method]. First real test was last week during a power outage, it survived without a hitch.

Agreed on the return holes; they are a must and better than check valves. Drill 2 1/8" holes in your return; be sure to drill them at downward 30-45 degree angle to minimize back-splash. 

BTW, you will love a sump. Much easier from all aspects (ie. dosing, top off, mechanical filtration, no evaporation in DT, heating, etc.) Do you plan on using filter socks? If not, you should consider it since they can filter anything from 200 microns all the way down to 1 micron if needed. 

Good luck.


----------



## accordztech

antbug said:


> Wish me luck. I'm adding the CPR sump system this weekend.


dUUde im so interested in some pictures of the setup!


----------



## antbug

I'll take plenty of pictures along the way. 

What's being installed is, CPR 900 wet/dry sump with a cs90 overflow box. Lifegard 3000 pump and a toms aqualifter pump. I will be running my co2 line directly into the lifegard pump. Heater will be on the sump as well. 

Tomorrow should be a fun day.


----------



## jcgd

Nice. Make sure once you have it all running that you test every scenario you can think of. Plug one of the drains and shut the power off and on both fast and slow. Partially block the overflow with plants to starve the drains and see how far the waterline in the display rises. Use airline to blow air into the u-tube to simulate air getting in there. Turn the tom's aqualifter off and do the air test again. Just test anything you can think of so you know what is an issue and what isn't. 

You're going to love having a sump!


----------



## antbug

Well planning and research paid off. The sump went in without any issues. It's a little louder than I'm used too, but what can you do with a wey/dry. It's the nature of the beast. Speaking of beast, the lifegard pump is awesome! Just check out the surface movement now. I used to have a powerhead in my tank, but it's no longer needed. Really nice to have all this equipment out of the tank. 

Thanks everyone for the help.


----------



## Lurch98

That's awesome! I have the same filter sitting in my garage, waiting for the swapout. I'm doing a full tank rebuild (new stand, new substrate) so I'm taking my time.

Did you have any problems with the CPR flexible pipe? I like the quality, bit it's much longer then I need, and it doesn't seem to be able to be shortened. May just go with regular tubing instead.


----------



## ua hua

Did you put the output on the same side of the tank as the overflow box? I still can't decide between the CPR overflow box and the u-tube design Eshopps. I have used the u-tube overflow boxes before and think the CPR looks like a cool design, the only problem is I have 3" of space between my tank and back wall and that is all you need for the Eshopps and don't really feel like completely breaking down my tank to move it out 2". How are you diffusing CO2? Are you using a needle wheel pump or a diffuser?


----------



## 150EH

Sweeeeeet!!! I want to hear what you have to say a month from now but everyone that crosses over to a wet/dry likes it way better than a canister. I'll be ordering the last piece for a 10 gallon I'm building then I'll start stock piling materials for a plywood tank and I'll build my own sump, I can't wait. 

What can you hear, vibrations or hum from the pump or the trickle of the drip plates?

I almost forgot, are the Quite one pumps quite?


----------



## 2in10

Quiet one pumps are rather noisy unfortunately.

Great work Antbug, congrats


----------



## antbug

Lurch98 said:


> That's awesome! I have the same filter sitting in my garage, waiting for the swapout. I'm doing a full tank rebuild (new stand, new substrate) so I'm taking my time.
> 
> Did you have any problems with the CPR flexible pipe? I like the quality, bit it's much longer then I need, and it doesn't seem to be able to be shortened. May just go with regular tubing instead.


No problems at all. It is a little long for me as well and because of that, I moved my overflow box to the other side. I have future plans of hard pluming the system, but the soft line works fine. Just make sure the line doesn't dip down and then back up. You will hear some gurgling if it's not all in a downward flow. 

Have fun, it's a great system. 



ua hua said:


> Did you put the output on the same side of the tank as the overflow box? I still can't decide between the CPR overflow box and the u-tube design Eshopps. I have used the u-tube overflow boxes before and think the CPR looks like a cool design, the only problem is I have 3" of space between my tank and back wall and that is all you need for the Eshopps and don't really feel like completely breaking down my tank to move it out 2". How are you diffusing CO2? Are you using a needle wheel pump or a diffuser?


Either side worked fine. I only moved mine because of the soft line being a little long. I think I prefer it on the same side just for the simple reason of having all the equipment on one side. I went with CPR because of the size inside the tank. I only have 18" front to back and I didn't want 4-5" taken up inside. I guess the trade off is move room taken up out side. Both were at the top of my list and great choices. I'm just feeding the co2 into the lifegard pump. I had to turn down my co2 3 full numbers in the ideal veneer handle. That is a BIG reduction on co2. Before was using an atomic inline diffuser. 



150EH said:


> Sweeeeeet!!! I want to hear what you have to say a month from now but everyone that crosses over to a wet/dry likes it way better than a canister. I'll be ordering the last piece for a 10 gallon I'm building then I'll start stock piling materials for a plywood tank and I'll build my own sump, I can't wait.
> 
> What can you hear, vibrations or hum from the pump or the trickle of the drip plates?
> 
> I almost forgot, are the Quite one pumps quite?


It was the water noise. The pump was fine until I slowed it down. Reducing the flow added more noise to the pump, a slight hum. Nothing bad though. I could see how it could get to you if it was in your room, but then you shouldn't be getting a wet/dry.

Good luck on your project.



2in10 said:


> Quiet one pumps are rather noisy unfortunately.
> 
> Great work Antbug, congrats


As long as it works like it should, I'm ok with the noise. It was pretty quite when I had it open all the way. Tom Barr recommend this pump to me and I'm sure he has some knowledge in this department.

Thanks for the congrats. I was pretty stoked once it was all done.


----------



## antbug

I was also able to count all my stock when adding them back in....

81 rummynose
10 albino cory
3 pea puffers
2 otto 
25-30 amano
500+ RCS (no I didn't count them  )

I had 5 other assorted cory's, but they didn't go back in.


----------



## 150EH

Wow, that's a lot of stock in that tank, it's funny because I've looked and commented so many times and I always thought you had a very light fish load because I rarely see them in the photos.


----------



## 2in10

LOL it is crazy how many you can have in a tank that is well planted and not know the count.


----------



## jgb77

How is the CPR setup working out for you, and are you happy with it so far?
Thanks,
John


----------



## antbug

So far so good. I will change out the soft line for hard, but the overflow and wet/dry are awesome. My 1st water change with this filter was Sunday and it was a breeze. I'm still deciding on the placement of the overflow box and return, but that's probably because i like to tinker with things.

A few shrimp have made there way into the sump. I had a screen on the overflow at 1st, but it was restricting the flow too much. I need to get some with a bigger opening. 

One thing I should point out is the use of these on rimless tanks. The opening for the overflow to hang on the tank is too wide. You need to fabricate something to secure it on. Other than that, it's been smooth sailings.


----------



## Overfloater

How is your Rotala Sunset doing?


----------



## antbug

Overfloater said:


> How is your Rotala Sunset doing?


Man this is a tricky plant. The one stem I kept is going really good. As soon as I increased my photo period, the stunted growth stopped. I received 10 healthy, beautiful stems from Tom Barr and they all melted in my tank. Right next to the one stem doing well. I recently trimmed that one stem and planted the top right next to it. The top melted away like the others from Tom, but the bottom is doing well. I counted 7 side shoots coming out of it this morning. Not sure why it's being so finicky in my tank.


----------



## plantbrain

antbug said:


> So far so good. I will change out the soft line for hard, but the overflow and wet/dry are awesome. My 1st water change with this filter was Sunday and it was a breeze. I'm still deciding on the placement of the overflow box and return, but that's probably because i like to tinker with things.
> 
> A few shrimp have made there way into the sump. I had a screen on the overflow at 1st, but it was restricting the flow too much. I need to get some with a bigger opening.
> 
> One thing I should point out is the use of these on rimless tanks. The opening for the overflow to hang on the tank is too wide. You need to fabricate something to secure it on. Other than that, it's been smooth sailings.


The Stainless steel grate I have works like a charm for this, if you want/need some, let me know and you can stop by and snip up one quick.


----------



## plantbrain

antbug said:


> Man this is a tricky plant. The one stem I kept is going really good. As soon as I increased my photo period, the stunted growth stopped. I received 10 healthy, beautiful stems from Tom Barr and they all melted in my tank. Right next to the one stem doing well. I recently trimmed that one stem and planted the top right next to it. The top melted away like the others from Tom, but the bottom is doing well. I counted 7 side shoots coming out of it this morning. Not sure why it's being so finicky in my tank.


Well, you can rule out the photoperiod I guess as a reason.

You bumped it to 10 hours right? Or more? I'm at 8 now.

Try not trimming it much. Mine is still easily to manage, but it would be nice to have 100% nice stem regrowth after replanting.


----------



## antbug

plantbrain said:


> The Stainless steel grate I have works like a charm for this, if you want/need some, let me know and you can stop by and snip up one quick.


Sounds good. Thanks Tom.



plantbrain said:


> Well, you can rule out the photoperiod I guess as a reason.
> 
> You bumped it to 10 hours right? Or more? I'm at 8 now.
> 
> Try not trimming it much. Mine is still easily to manage, but it would be nice to have 100% nice stem regrowth after replanting.


Yes from 12pm -10pm. I even used my finger nails on that last stem thinking that the scissors may have had something to do with it. No clue.


----------



## jgb77

antbug said:


> Man this is a tricky plant. The one stem I kept is going really good. As soon as I increased my photo period, the stunted growth stopped. I received 10 healthy, beautiful stems from Tom Barr and they all melted in my tank. Right next to the one stem doing well. I recently trimmed that one stem and planted the top right next to it. The top melted away like the others from Tom, but the bottom is doing well. I counted 7 side shoots coming out of it this morning. Not sure why it's being so finicky in my tank.


Interesting...could the problem be that this plant has a hard time acclimating to new tank conditions then? My experience with this plant went like this: I received 3 stems from someone, 2 melted from the top down and the 3rd seems to be doing well so far. 
John


----------



## antbug

jgb77 said:


> Interesting...could the problem be that this plant has a hard time acclimating to new tank conditions then? My experience with this plant went like this: I received 3 stems from someone, 2 melted from the top down and the 3rd seems to be doing well so far.
> John


That doesn't explain the one stem that was doing good. When I trimmed that stem, I planted it right next to the cut bottom. The top melted and the bottom is doing great with 7 new shoots coming off it.


----------



## plantbrain

I'm still trying to think of some reason why one does and the other does not since they are in the same location, same light, cO2, ferts etc. 

Differences in trimming/handling etc are really the only reasonable hypotheses I can come up with.


----------



## Overfloater

It's doing fine in two of my tanks, though the macarandra isn't. One tank has a 5 year old ADA MH bulb and the macrandra is coming around in that tank. 

I had bought three stems from Aaron and it has grown into a couple dozen and it's only about half tank height. It seems to branch profusely.


----------



## jgb77

antbug said:


> That doesn't explain the one stem that was doing good. When I trimmed that stem, I planted it right next to the cut bottom. The top melted and the bottom is doing great with 7 new shoots coming off it.


Established roots, maybe? I don't know. The one stem I have doing well has a lot of roots compared to the ones that melted.
John


----------



## plantbrain

Overfloater said:


> It's doing fine in two of my tanks, though the macarandra isn't. One tank has a 5 year old ADA MH bulb and the macrandra is coming around in that tank.
> 
> I had bought three stems from Aaron and it has grown into a couple dozen and it's only about half tank height. It seems to branch profusely.


Mine also did great for a few weeks. Then I noticed a stem oir two that goes south,m the leaves fold downward and the leaves become yellowed and pale, with veins showing, then the stem wrinkles and turns black over the course of maybe a week or two.

I can cut the tip off and the bottom will resprout into 4-8 plants etc..........so it's not only weird plant to plant, but it's highly localized on the plant as well.

I'll take some pics of it.

the Macrandra might just trimmed more aggressively if it's still growing well.
I hacked the snot of of it.


----------



## antbug

If all goes well, I should have a new (new to me) Tek light next week. I'm quite excited.


----------



## plantbrain

I have a lot of neat T5 bulbs FYI....I just checked, so I can cobble a set for you to work with. I know you prefer whites mostly, but a red and blue, even the purple's are cool.

On an 8 bulbs config, I think I have a pretty close idea for what I want on one tank, I also have the infamous green T5 bulb also.

So if you have mostly green plants, this should pop the colors out.


----------



## ThatGuyWithTheFish

Your rummynose don't look bright in the picture, are there noses very red? And they don't eat your RCS?


----------



## antbug

ThatGuyWithTheFish said:


> Your rummynose don't look bright in the picture, are there noses very red? And they don't eat your RCS?


It's the flash. They have bright red noses. I'm sure they eat the ones they can get, but I have so many that it's not an issue. I saw a pea puffer get a baby RCS the other day. It was pretty rad.


----------



## plantbrain

R sunset and you can see the leaves are weird on few, while fine on others.

All were replanted at the same time.


----------



## antbug

Just picked up my new 6 bulb Tek light from Tom. I can't wait to get this thing hanging and on my tank. Tom tossed in some extra lights too. Midday, 6k, and the super cool Green bulb. I'll post some pictures once I get it all polished up. Super pumped right now!

Thanks again Tom!


----------



## plantbrain

antbug said:


> Just picked up my new 6 bulb Tek light from Tom. I can't wait to get this thing hanging and on my tank. Tom tossed in some extra lights too. Midday, 6k, and the super cool Green bulb. I'll post some pictures once I get it all polished up. Super pumped right now!
> 
> Thanks again Tom!


Well might be a case of Jack and the bean stalk.
But you are ready for more light I think at this point.


----------



## antbug

Pics as promised. Those green bulbs are crazy cool!


----------



## accordztech

Yea bro, that light looks WAAAAYYYYYY better than mine LOL


----------



## jkan0228

What's the benefit of different colored bulbs besides plant's using different colors?


----------



## antbug

accordztech said:


> Yea bro, that light looks WAAAAYYYYYY better than mine LOL


It was WAAAAAYYYYY more money as well . 



jkan0228 said:


> What's the benefit of different colored bulbs besides plant's using different colors?


Tom said the green plants would benefit from the green bulb, but I really have no idea. I know they look wicked cool and I'll be giving one or two a try. 6 HO bulbs over my tank is a lot. I think Nick has the 4 bulb version. Once I get it hung, I'll borrow the club PAR meter and go from there.


----------



## speedie408

Dude... I gotta try some of those green bulbs out. They look CRAZY green! 

I actually have that same 6 bulb fixture as well as my 4 bulb one. Tek fixtures are LEGIT! 

With that fixture you should be fine with some CO2 tuning... I'm only saying this with confidence because I got the 6 bulb fixture blowing up a 40B, with a 5hr noon burst lol. And it's only hung 6" above the rim.


----------



## antbug

Got the new light hung. Some crappy iPhone pics.


----------



## antbug

I'll break out the DLSR soon and get some nice pictures. 

I need to get the SAPS par meter, but currently it's 11" above my tank and super bright. Lovin' the look.


----------



## ua hua

What brand is that green light? I really like the color combo I have now but I'm not opposed to trying different color combos out.


----------



## antbug

ua hua said:


> What brand is that green light? I really like the color combo I have now but I'm not opposed to trying different color combos out.


Not sure. I'll check tonight for you.


----------



## antbug

The green bulb is a Spectralux T5HO Green


----------



## tetra10

where did you get all of the blyxa? im looking for some


----------



## antbug

tetra10 said:


> where did you get all of the blyxa? im looking for some


I have very little blyxa in the tank now. Sorry.


----------



## antbug

High light? I think so....

100+ umols at the sub and only 4 bulbs are on. I love this light! Currently the light is hanging 11 inches above my 18" tank. I have about 2" of sub so that would total 27 inches in this picture. Needless to say, I bumped my co2 up :hihi:


----------



## antbug

My Sunset Hygro is so pink and my mermaid weed is a beautiful cooper color. L. aromatica looks better than ever. R. sunset is getting longer leaves. This is only a few days with this light on and I'm really liking what I'm seeing. More pics to come.


----------



## antbug

I turned on all six bulbs, two of them were the greens, and reading in the same area were 145umols. I'm not sure if I should raise the light a little more or see how everything does at 100 for now.


----------



## accordztech

Can i bring my tanning lotion and observe? LOL


----------



## antbug

accordztech said:


> Can i bring my tanning lotion and observe? LOL


Sure can. Bring your tools and help me build a stand.


----------



## accordztech

antbug said:


> Sure can. Bring your tools and help me build a stand.



Does your wife mind me topless while I get a tan? lol :icon_mrgr


----------



## antbug

Started to see a little algae even though I've bumped the co2 up a few times. Decided to raise the light. I'm now at 14 inches above the tank and 30 inches to the sub. Reading in the same spot as the picture are now 90umols. I still might go higher.


----------



## plantbrain

So would you say more light = easier control of algae, or........less?
Why might that be?


----------



## antbug

Less control by far. 

Well my light has gone up drastically so the demand for co2 and ferts has as well. With the demand so high you have less room for errors. With EI I don't need to worry with my ferts, so co2 must be my issue. I've bumped it up a few time over the last week and will continue through this week (the wet/dry sump allows me to add a lot most co2 than before). If I don't see any improvements I will start adjusting my photo-period which is at 8 hours right now or I can play with the outside bulbs and have them come on the first hour, then the middle for six, then the outside for the last hour. It sure is nice to have all these options. I just need to make them work for my tank.


----------



## accordztech

How are you diffusing your co2?


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## antbug

accordztech said:


> How are you diffusing your co2?


I just feed my co2 line into the sump pump. chop, chop, chop! I think I'm around 10bps. Too many to count. You should hear it. chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop!


----------



## antbug

Prego rummy?


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## jkan0228

With such a high Co2 count, have you ever been worried about gassing your fish? Or does your sump take care of that?


----------



## Herbicidal

antbug said:


> Prego rummy?


Or a very FAT and HAPPY Rummy! :biggrin:


----------



## antbug

jkan0228 said:


> With such a high Co2 count, have you ever been worried about gassing your fish? Or does your sump take care of that?


Before the wet/dry, I was max out on my co2. If I bumped it a little, and I mean a little (ideal NV with veneer handle), cory's would be and the top gasping for air. Rummy's would drat to the top for air all the time too. 

Once I got my new light, my PAR readings tripled and I needed to out compete the algae with co2. Since I've added the wet/dry my o2 levels are through the roof and I've bumped my co2 up every week since adding the light. Not once have I seen any ill affects on my livestock. You should hear it when my co2 turns on. It sounds like a machine gun "brup-bup-bup".


----------



## antbug

Herbicidal said:


> Or a very FAT and HAPPY Rummy! :biggrin:


You should see her from the top. 4x as wide as the others. Her scales are all flared out too. I doubt they'll make it, but it's pretty cool.


----------



## antbug

That erio was a RAOK from Jimmy and it was the size of a quarter when I got it. Look at the sucker now. Any clue on what kind it is? Thanks again Jimmy.


----------



## jkan0228

I have a wet dry as well and I was wondering if I place some foam under the drip tray to catch any detritus from the water and if it's full of mulm, can this cause O2 levels to not be at their maximum?

If her scales are flaring it could be dropsy.


----------



## antbug

jkan0228 said:


> I have a wet dry as well and I was wondering if I place some foam under the drip tray to catch any detritus from the water and if it's full of mulm, can this cause O2 levels to not be at their maximum?


Not at all. O2 is being pulled down with the overflow and when it trickles over your dry media, it super saturates the water with o2. I have two different foam pads in them drip tray and I have a layer of filter floss just under my bio bail. Then I have two bags of ceramic media, then two bag of purigen, then one last sponge. 

I think you're fine. :wink:


----------



## antbug

jkan0228 said:


> If her scales are flaring it could be dropsy.


Crap dude! I think you might be right. I'll QT the fish at lunch or just take it out.


----------



## ThatGuyWithTheFish

Yup, it's dropsy. Rummynose have never bred in captivity, as far as I know. And I'm pretty sure they lay eggs.


----------



## antbug

ThatGuyWithTheFish said:


> Yup, it's dropsy. Rummynose have never bred in captivity, as far as I know. And I'm pretty sure they lay eggs.


I tried to get him out at lunch, but damn these guys are fast. Plus the lights were not on yet. What's the worst that can happen if I can't get him?


----------



## Green_Flash

Great looking tank. I enjoyed reading the entire thread. 

For the T5 light, I would have recommended ATI, they are the best T5 lights you can buy and would match the ADA style perfectly, they are something you would see on a "spaceship" lol. You see, I came from saltwater and looked into T5 lighting, Tek does not get much love, the ATI reflector and quality are regarded as vastly superior, one major difference is the lack of fans in the Tek which result in a much reduced lifespan of the fixture. For quality and reliability ATI is the T5 fixture to get. a 4 bulb 36-48 inch would have been plenty, and is what many SPS reef keepers would use.
Coming from saltwater I also have a lot of experience regarding sumps, personally if I were using a HOB siphon I would have gone Lite reef or drill the tank, they have not failed in 25 years, the CPR could very well fail and flood your house. I would also have recommended a trigger systems sump/wet/dry + sicce/eheim return pump imho.


----------



## makutaku

antbug said:


> Not at all. O2 is being pulled down with the overflow and when it trickles over your dry media, it super saturates the water with o2.


If O2/air is being pulled down, noise is being produced. I wish I could oxygenate the water better, but not at the expense of my sanity. :icon_wink

If on the other hand someone uses a full siphon method such as Herbie or Beananimal, I don't see the benefit of a wet-dry since we need to seal it to prevent CO2 from escaping.


----------



## plantbrain

makutaku said:


> If O2/air is being pulled down, noise is being produced. I wish I could oxygenate the water better, but not at the expense of my sanity. :icon_wink
> 
> If on the other hand someone uses a full siphon method such as Herbie or Beananimal, I don't see the benefit of a wet-dry since we need to seal it to prevent CO2 from escaping.


Air is still pulled in......it's just reduced, whereas a canister does not pull any in.
Surface skimming is also a good way to exchange O2 since the scum layer, even if you cannot see it, is removed. The elevation of the water in the tank itself and the flow is stable, more so than most any canister filtered tank, this also stabilizes the O2/CO2 gas exchange rates.

I have consistently measured 1-2 ppm higher O2 in 4 aquariums vs the old readings with canisters.


----------



## antbug

Green_Flash said:


> Great looking tank. I enjoyed reading the entire thread.
> 
> For the T5 light, I would have recommended ATI, they are the best T5 lights you can buy and would match the ADA style perfectly, they are something you would see on a "spaceship" lol. You see, I came from saltwater and looked into T5 lighting, Tek does not get much love, the ATI reflector and quality are regarded as vastly superior, one major difference is the lack of fans in the Tek which result in a much reduced lifespan of the fixture. For quality and reliability ATI is the T5 fixture to get. a 4 bulb 36-48 inch would have been plenty, and is what many SPS reef keepers would use.
> Coming from saltwater I also have a lot of experience regarding sumps, personally if I were using a HOB siphon I would have gone Lite reef or drill the tank, they have not failed in 25 years, the CPR could very well fail and flood your house. I would also have recommended a trigger systems sump/wet/dry + sicce/eheim return pump imho.


Oh trust me, I know all about ATI's. I visit Tom Barr's house all the time and he is running these bad boys. I've seen first hand the light ATI's can produce and the control you have over each bank of lights is just ridiculous. As far as drilling the tank..... I'm not ready nor will I ever be. The thought of drilling a $700 tank just scares the ____ out of me. 

Thanks for checking out my thread. This tank and I have come a long way. I'll take an updated FTS. The coppers and reds have just popped with the new light.


----------



## Herbicidal

Jose would drill it for you. He's done a few now - successfully. Just say'n. :biggrin: As long as it's not 'tempered' glass (I believe that is a no-no).


----------



## antbug

Herbicidal said:


> Jose would drill it for you. He's done a few now - successfully. Just say'n. :biggrin: As long as it's not 'tempered' glass (I believe that is a no-no).


I know it's not tempered, but I'm still not drillin'. I just can't do it :biggrin:


----------



## plantbrain

antbug said:


> Oh trust me, I know all about ATI's. I visit Tom Barr's house all the time and he is running these bad boys. I've seen first hand the light ATI's can produce and the control you have over each bank of lights is just ridiculous. As far as drilling the tank..... I'm not ready nor will I ever be. The thought of drilling a $700 tank just scares the ____ out of me.
> 
> Thanks for checking out my thread. This tank and I have come a long way. I'll take an updated FTS. The coppers and reds have just popped with the new light.


The Rotala issue: CO2.

I managed to add them to the 180, no melt/decay.

Need to fix the 120 to do the same, rummies are going out also.
Want any?


----------



## Herbicidal

plantbrain said:


> The Rotala issue: CO2.
> 
> I managed to add them to the 180, no melt/decay.
> 
> Need to fix the 120 to do the same, rummies are going out also.
> Want any?


Tom - sent you a PM about the rummies...


----------



## Green_Flash

antbug said:


> Oh trust me, I know all about ATI's. I visit Tom Barr's house all the time and he is running these bad boys. I've seen first hand the light ATI's can produce and the control you have over each bank of lights is just ridiculous. As far as drilling the tank..... I'm not ready nor will I ever be. The thought of drilling a $700 tank just scares the ____ out of me.
> 
> Thanks for checking out my thread. This tank and I have come a long way. I'll take an updated FTS. The coppers and reds have just popped with the new light.


I don't blame you for not drilling that beautiful glass, neither would I. :biggrin:
I think there is a model with a built in overflow. 

Your discus were great, you sold them because they can't live in darker substrate?


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## antbug

It's been a long time and lots have changed. 

FTS as of 11/19.


----------



## Amandas tank

You've done a lot with your tank. The first scape was great, the next scape was amazing and now I am curious what you will be doing next since the last picture is much different.
Did you ever catch that rummynose with dropsy? Or what ended up happening? Just curious.

Great thread BTW :smile:


----------



## Emerica88

The new hard scape looks awesome. What is the green plant in the back?


----------



## puopg

That is Rotata sp. Green


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## antbug

Amandas tank said:


> You've done a lot with your tank. The first scape was great, the next scape was amazing and now I am curious what you will be doing next since the last picture is much different.
> Did you ever catch that rummynose with dropsy? Or what ended up happening? Just curious.
> 
> Great thread BTW :smile:


Thanks for the great comments. I'm really liking this new layout and once the ET fills in, it will look great again. I wasn't able to catch that fish and I'm unsure what happened to him. One day he was there all fat and the next I couldn't tell if he was gone or back to normal. I have lost about 30 rummynose due to jumping. Either I had to many in the tank or..... For some reason they would always jump out right when the light turn off. Maybe from bright to dark quick scares them. I know others who were keeping these guys with dimmers on their lights and they were not having the same problem. 



Emerica88 said:


> The new hard scape looks awesome. What is the green plant in the back?


Thank you. It just plan ole' Rotala green. 



puopg said:


> That is Rotata sp. Green


roud:


----------



## antbug

Current plant list..

Rotala Green, back left corner
P. Palustris (Mermaid Weed), Just to the right of the r. green
ludwigia "red", in front of the r. green
Crypt parva, left front foreground
fissidens fontanus, moss on various wood branches
elatine triandra, center and right foreground
crypt nurii "pantang", far right corner
HC, far right corner (around crypt nurii "pantang")


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## antbug

Small update. 

The HC was uprooted by shrimp or the corys. I have more in a grow out tank so I can add that back later if wanted. The ET is spreading nicely. C nurii I got from nick is growing nicely. Other than a hack to the r green and l red, not much new. Here is a updated fts. Sorry for the phone pic. 










Kind of a cool pic of some mermaid weed.


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## Couesfanatic

Awesome, this is screaming with potential. Can't wait to see it grown in.


----------



## antbug

Couesfanatic said:


> Awesome, this is screaming with potential. Can't wait to see it grown in.


Me as well!


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## BeachBum2012

That is looking awesome! I really dig the way the wood is set up.


----------



## antbug

BeachBum2012 said:


> That is looking awesome! I really dig the way the wood is set up.


Thank you. The wood came from Tom Barr. It was in his and I quote "scrap pile". Best wood around IMO.


----------



## antbug

Just got back from a week and a half vacation. Boy was I happy to come home to this. I should have a full carpet in a few more weeks. 










For the vacation all I did was shorten was photo period to 6 hours and dropped my temperature 10-15 degrees. I did this mostly for the fish as I didn't trust the house sitter with my tanks (ferts, feeding and water changes). I know it's easy to have set amounts ready, but trust me, it was better this way . 


I need to top and replant the mermaid weed and the r. red could use a trim too. The r. green is filling bank in nicely after a hard hack. The nurii mutated is doing really good. The old leaves suffered in the transaction and got a little algae. A little gardening is needed, but I'm loving this plant. Talking about crypts, I'm thinking of pulling the crypt parva and just letting the ET fill the entire foreground. We'll see. Moss is doing good as always. I'll take some FTS after I clean the glass and do some gardening.


----------



## antbug

here are some pics from today after a little trim and a water change. The tank is filling in nicely.


----------



## plantbrain

Tank has really shaped up and you are looking like a good aquascaper now. Dramatic improvement!


----------



## Overfloater

Looking great! 

Tom, no comments on my iwagumi?


----------



## fplata

Wow looking awesome!!! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## antbug

plantbrain said:


> Tank has really shaped up and you are looking like a good aquascaper now. Dramatic improvement!


Thanks Tom. Means a lot coming from you.



Overfloater said:


> Looking great!





fplata said:


> Wow looking awesome!!!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 Thanks. I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out.


----------



## @[email protected]

looking great. i love the dark colors against the light green carpet.


----------



## puopg

Can't wait for the update!


----------



## antbug

puopg said:


> Can't wait for the update!


Pulled out the DSLR after a water change. I'll post some pics tomorrow after I resize them.


----------



## kwheeler91

i agree with tom antbug you have really improved throughout the course of this journal. good job!


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## antbug

Not much has changed. I had a co2 issue (i forgot to turn it back on) and my ET took a little hit. I sold a few big patches and it's still recovering from that and a recent trim. Looking at these pictures, its due for anther soon. The l. red needs to be trimmed as well. I normally pull the whole stem and just replant the tops. I'll do that some time this week. Other than that, the fissidens continues to grow nicely and the p. palustris is quickly becoming a favorite stem. My crypt nurii is getting big and has already thrown off a few baby plants. Love this crypt! The r green is doing good as always. Shrimp are thriving and my cory's are doing great. I'm down to about 25 rummynose. They keep jumping out one at a time. When they are gone, I might replace them with some spotted blue eye's.

.....on to the pictures.


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## Herbicidal

Gorgeous! roud:


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## sjb1987

love how the tank is coming along... gotta love that et for how bright it is


----------



## antbug

Herbicidal said:


> Gorgeous! roud:


Why, thank you Herb!



sjb1987 said:


> love how the tank is coming along... gotta love that et for how bright it is


That's my favorite part about ET. It really brightens up this tank. The r green helps too


----------



## Chaoslord

I enjoyed reading this journal. 
You've had some nice scapes. 
I'm currently on the hunt for some mermaid weed, hopefully i can grow it as nice as yours.


----------



## antbug

Chaoslord said:


> I enjoyed reading this journal.
> You've had some nice scapes.
> I'm currently on the hunt for some mermaid weed, hopefully i can grow it as nice as yours.


I should have a few stems for sale in a week or two. OVT and Crispino sell it as well. Both great sellers.

Thanks for checking out my thread.


----------



## Jsquared

I love that ET, I have been searching for some for a while now. If you know anyone else who can sell some or if you can; please send me a PM. You tank is looking really nice! Good work!


----------



## antbug

Sad day. The boss made up her mind and we are moving. This tank and my mini L will be coming down. Time to start thinking about some new scapes.


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## puopg

Nooooooo. Sorry man . Are you moving out of state or the sac area? Sad to see our president go!


----------



## chew

Hopefully you stay in the sac area. If you need help moving I work for beer/plants


----------



## antbug

Appreciate the offer. Yes, staying in the sac area.


----------



## accordztech

NO way! And you basically finally got that tank dialed down. Haul that tank to the new house!


----------



## Brian_Cali77

antbug said:


> Not much has changed. I had a co2 issue (i forgot to turn it back on) and my ET took a little hit. I sold a few big patches and it's still recovering from that and a recent trim. Looking at these pictures, its due for anther soon. The l. red needs to be trimmed as well. I normally pull the whole stem and just replant the tops. I'll do that some time this week. Other than that, the fissidens continues to grow nicely and the p. palustris is quickly becoming a favorite stem. My crypt nurii is getting big and has already thrown off a few baby plants. Love this crypt! The r green is doing good as always. Shrimp are thriving and my cory's are doing great. I'm down to about 25 rummynose. They keep jumping out one at a time. When they are gone, I might replace them with some spotted blue eye's.
> 
> .....on to the pictures.


Beautiful tank! What are you using for that light green carpet plant?


----------



## tizzite

Looks great!


----------



## antbug

Brian_Cali77 said:


> Beautiful tank! What are you using for that light green carpet plant?


That is ET (elatine triandra). Very nice carpet plant.


----------



## antbug

tizzite said:


> Looks great!


Well, it doesn't look like that now. All hard scape is out but one piece of wood. All fish are gone only some amano and cherry shrimp left. This tank will be coming down this week. 

The wheels are spinning for a new scape.


----------



## plantbrain

antbug said:


> Well, it doesn't look like that now. All hard scape is out but one piece of wood. All fish are gone only some amano and cherry shrimp left. This tank will be coming down this week.
> 
> The wheels are spinning for a new scape.


I'll have some starter plants for you after you set things back up.

LMK if you need some help tank moving.


----------



## antbug

.......... and the tank is empty!


----------



## ua hua

I can't wait to see what you do with the new scape. It's always a pain to have to move tanks but at least it gives you the chance to do something different. 

By the way.... I had to show my wife your avatar picture and she got quite the kick out of it and said she was glad to know that I'm not the only one who pulls up a chair in front of the tank. 

Hey some people sit in front of the tv and I get way more enjoyment out of my tank than my tv and it's not warping my brain, at least that's my justification.


----------



## Couesfanatic

did you ever set this back up?


----------



## antbug

Couesfanatic said:


> did you ever set this back up?


I did. You can see it here


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## Couesfanatic

thanks, looks like a fun read.


----------



## antbug

6/1/14 update.


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## Green_Flash

That looks excellent. Love the rock and overhanging branch.


----------



## Dantrasy

Love this one. Great job.


----------



## MiSo

great use of rocks and wood. looks fantastic.


----------



## newbieplanter

antbug said:


> Next it was time for the vinyl.


Where did u get this vinyl kit for tha tank? Saweeeeeeet


----------



## Gatekeeper

Nice hardscape.


----------



## AnotherHobby

That's a really fantastic hardscape!


----------



## antbug

It's been a long time since I've done an update. Happy New Year all.


----------



## Overfloater

It's been far too long. Looks great!


----------



## chris.rivera3

Ant!!! You're slacking on the updates bro!!!


----------



## antbug

Too funny chris! 

11/5 update


----------



## Sub1117

That E. Hydropiper is damn beautiful. Lovin' the scape


----------



## mot

Really nice tank. I had a double take on the red ground cover...hah...my eyesight isnt what it used to be.


----------



## antbug

Sub1117 said:


> That E. Hydropiper is damn beautiful. Lovin' the scape


Thank you. I'm liking it more than the sand that was there before. Plus, aquasoil doesn't scratch the glass.:angryfire



mot said:


> Really nice tank. I had a double take on the red ground cover...hah...my eyesight isnt what it used to be.


haha you should see my tank when it's feeding time. The entire ground is red. It's also a cool site on water change day when I have 1000 plus shrimp buzzing around the tank like a race track. Thanks for the kind words.


----------



## boxhead1990

How do you find the cpr900 after running it for a while?

Sent from my D6653 using Tapatalk


----------



## antbug

boxhead1990 said:


> How do you find the cpr900 after running it for a while?
> 
> Sent from my D6653 using Tapatalk


Works great. Water is super oxygenated and clear all the time. I just wish I got the overflow with two drain pipes. I had to customize mine, but it was no big deal. I tape off the dry part so no co2 is lost and so far so good.


----------



## SingAlongWithTsing

antbug said:


> It's been a long time since I've done an update. Happy New Year all.


what's that green plant right under the overflow and the back left corner? some type of ludwigia?


----------



## boxhead1990

antbug said:


> Works great. Water is super oxygenated and clear all the time. I just wish I got the overflow with two drain pipes. I had to customize mine, but it was no big deal. I tape off the dry part so no co2 is lost and so far so good.


i just wish those aqualifter pumps were available in australia everytime i go hunting for them there always 110v which is about half of the voltage we use in australia 

so you modified you hang on for 2 drains?

and yeah last time i rang a hang on overflow i wished for 2 drains, i think i feel inspired enough to piece together another sump and overflow im so over the evap in my tank, its coming into summer here soon so the evap is pretty extreme


----------

