# Flooded: Aww'agumi (Mr. Aqua 12G)



## Aww (Feb 9, 2012)

*9th June 2013*


*Equipment*
Mr Aqua 12G (3ft Bookshelf - 90 x 21 x 24cm - 45litres~)
UP Aqua Pro Z LED
Eheim 2217 (with 2215 Impeller)
Hydor ETH 200w
DICI Professional 2-Stage Regulator
KegKing 2.6 kg Cylinder (1 bps)
Max Mix CO2 Reactor (Medium)
Cal Aqua Labs Lily-pipes (F2 Outflow and X1 Nano Inflow)


*Plants*
ADA New Amazonia (9 litres)
HC (Hemianthus Callitrichoides "Cuba")
UG (Utricularia Graminifolia)
Lilaeopsis


*Fauna*
12 x Chili Rasbora (Boraras Brigittae)
4 x Clown Killifish (Aplocheilus Annulatus)
3 x Pygmy Cory (Corydoras Pygmaeus)

5 x Darwin Algae Shrimps
2 x Red Cherry Shrimp


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## Aww (Feb 9, 2012)

*DSM had been going for well over 8 weeks.*
Yesterday I found some really nice rocks and decided that it was finally time to scape this tank.


*Easier said than done.*
Replanting well rooted HC and moving substrate around to fit the rocks was no easy task! Luckily it wasn't already flooded.
I really should have placed rocks in at the very beginning but to be honest I was unsure of what I direction I wanted to take with this tank.

After a few hours I ended up with the following and I'm quite happy with it actually! Slope is still intact and the rocks look like they were there from Day 1 

Still looks a little incomplete so I'll be off to find some more smaller rocks this weekend.


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## Aww (Feb 9, 2012)

*Raised the rocks higher:*
Planning ahead for the growth of HC. It was pointed out that some of the rocks should be raised in height so they don't eventually disappear.
Thinking I might angle the 1st and 4th rock lower tomorrow as it's looking a little too similar to the 2nd and 3rd rock.
From this photo I can now see how much light the glad wrap is reflecting. Didn't pick it up before!












*Some photos of the rock groupings:*
They are all made from 2 rocks each.


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## PinkRasbora (Jan 22, 2005)

Nice!! I wanna steal your rocks though hehe


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## chevyguy8893 (Nov 5, 2012)

That is a really nice setup and hardscape, I look forward to seeing how this progresses. Nice work!


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## sapphoqueen (Feb 9, 2010)

A long boat you got there sir! I will wait for that to get more shape


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## PeterN1986 (Jun 15, 2011)

12g long's look great in general, and I like yours the best so far. Great rock placement too!


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## Aww (Feb 9, 2012)

*Bit of a small update:*
I stopped using the gladwrap on the tank for the past 1.5 weeks and have been misting daily.
The HC actually grew a helluva lot better than when I had the tank covered up!

I also added some UG in between the rock formations and they are growing extremely quickly compared to HC... new leaves sprouting the day after planting.










From this angle you can see how I'm attempting to use the main rock to reduce the strong current.













*CO2 setup hooked up and ready!*
Picked up a KegKing 2.6kg cylinder today. Bit of an overkill for a tank this size but I'm guessing I won't be refilling for an extremely long time. 













*Cal Aqua Labs vs. eBay CO2 Checker*
The photos speak for themselves. The difference in build quality is negligible to me.












*Thanks for looking!*
Next update will be of the tank flooded


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## Aww (Feb 9, 2012)

*My wife and I decided to finally flood the tank tonight.*
We covered half the tank in newspaper and proceeded to fill it with a slow flowing air-tube.













You can see how well this works and it took roughly 20 mins to fill the whole tank.













Aqua-soil is so dirty! Surface scum...













*With the tank filled. We spent the next hour trying to prime the filter and get the water flowing through the pipes.*
There was so much air trapped in the hoses and I'm assuming the Reactor and Heater as well!

I kept switching the filter off because I didn't want to run it dry but my wife just told me to leave it on as she furiously shook the hoses.
Surprise surprise... it eventually worked and the air cleared. Listen to your wife, she's always right. Hah! 

Here's how the tank sits now! There's still a bit of air trickling around in the reactor which I'll try to clear tomorrow.











*FTS:*
Thanks to everyone who's been following along on this journey of mine.
Will have more updates soon 













*Advice needed:*
Filter and water has been taken from an established tank.

Plans for the next 2 weeks will be the run the CO2 on high and reduce the lighting period to 7-8~ hours.
No ferts and no fauna will be introduced during this time.

Is there anything else I should be doing and expecting?

I'm anticipating that there will definitely be a cycle of diatoms.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

Why not start fertilizing?


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

You might not want to block the current from your output. The right side of your tank might not have good flow across and algae might happen. One way is to put input and output on different side but it won't look as clean is this.

Overall that is some killer scape!


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## Cyanider (Mar 1, 2013)

Looks good! Makes me wanna go ahead and buy the 12G long I was planning next.


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## Aww (Feb 9, 2012)

*Thanks for the kind words and suggestions guys.*


*Week 12 Update:*

The HC has transitioned quite nicely.
It does appear to be pearling at the end of the 2 hour mark but only in the front of the tank and not in the rear. So far I haven't noticed any melting at all *crosses fingers*
95% of the original UG however melted away in the first day. I have since replaced it today with a fresh pot and hopefully it will take off.
I have both CO2 checkers on opposite ends of the tank and they drop to a light lime green colour. Increasing the BPS from 2 - 4 doesn't drop it any further.
I'm using the Cal Aqua Lab Indicator Solution... does anyone know if this is even able to reach yellow?

The only algae I have noticed at the moment is GDA on the far left rock. No algae anywhere else at all yet.
I haven't done any major water changes yet as I'm assuming the plants will be fine with all the excess nutrients being leeched out of the soil.
I have been skimming surface scum daily though and replenishing with about 4l of tap water in the process (about 10% of approx total water volume).

I had shut down my other tank and had noticed that there were 2 RCS hiding out in the driftwood.
Not being in the best shape I threw them into this tank and surprisingly they have bounced back (one of them has even moulted earlier today).


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## Aww (Feb 9, 2012)

*Week 13 Update:*

HC has filled in even more and is spreading horizontally whilst also growing vertically in some patches.
This week I've also noticed an incredible amount of pearling compared to last week.
CO2 checkers are now both also indicating a very light green/yellow.
Lighting has been extended by an hour to a total of 8 now.

Tank is now officially cycled!
Ammonia/Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 5.0 ppm


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## Aww (Feb 9, 2012)

*Week 14 Update:*

Plants
HC is continuing to spread well. We have been trimming the longer stems and hoping to give it a full mow next weekend to encourage it grow back denser.
UG looks absolutely disgusting. Almost yellowing and no noticeable new growth at all. Hopefully it's just in the rooting process but time will tell.

We've been thinking about what background plant to use and haven't quite decided yet.
Hairgrass seems to be the usual suspect and Blyxa can look lush and natural (but can be quite overpowering).
We'll play around a little as we are hoping to create something a little different.
We added some Lilaeopsis behind the rocks just to see how it looks and I think it will work quite well when kept low and used as an accent.

CO2 has been reduced to 1bps with the drop checker reporting 30ppm after the end of the lighting period.


Algae and SCUM
Had some hair algae make an appearance on the glass earlier this week. Took a toothbrush to it and it hasn't dared to return.
Typical cycle of diatoms which is difficult to manage when we're using tap water for top ups (having an open top and all  )

Surface scum has been so frustrating and we just can't get it under control. Because the lily-pipe directs the flow of water downwards; surface agitation is virtually non-existant.
I'll siphon the oily surface out every night and sure enough it'll make a return the next night.
It's unsightly to see CO2 and Oxygen bubbles trapped beneath it!


Fish, Glorious fish!
We have introduced the following to our tank:


*5 Darwin Algae Shrimps*


*12 Chili Rasbora (Boraras Brigittae)*
Juveniles but they do have a little colour on them. We lost one last night because it decided the grass was greener (and much drier) on the other side.
Will possibly add another 11 to the current group at a later stage.


*4 Clown Killifish (Aplocheilus Annulatus)*
Beautiful looking specimens. There deep blue eyes are just stunning. Can't wait to see them mature further and see the tails in the male colour up more


*3 Pygmy Cory (Corydoras Pygmaeus)*
Terribly cute. My personal favourite so far! They are so playful, school tightly and leave my plants well alone. Thinking to add another 2-4 at a later stage


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Excellent set up and great photography. The stones and layout you've chosen create a great sense of flow. I really love the look of long shallow tanks. Done right they make the tanks seem bigger than they are. I just flooded my tank after a 2+ months DSM and hope to get a similar affect.


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## synaethetic (Oct 4, 2011)

Awesome tank, you've done a good job at documenting the evolution of your aquarium.

I too am plagued with surface scum. Tried getting rid of it many ways . . . and in the end installing a surface skimmer was my only option. 

It would be tough to hide a surface skimmer with such a sleek scape like yours, maybe a ADA vupa would be an option for you.


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## Aww (Feb 9, 2012)

*Thanks for the kind words!*
We're thinking that we will have to consider a skimmer soon. Plants seem to pearl quicker and more consistently on days that I siphon the surface scum out. So I'm assuming that it could be restricting light penetration and oxygen exchange.


*Just a mid-week update.*
I haven't topped off the tank for a few days now to encourage the Diatoms to disappear.
Tonight the water level was looking quite low after I siphoned out the surface scum.
After a quick trip to Coles and 4L of Pureau Water later the tank is replenished!


*Neat little discovery tonight!*
The position of your lighting can change the impact of your scape.


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Sweet layout and great photos!


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## rwong2k (Dec 24, 2004)

nice looking tank!


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## tizzite (Mar 28, 2010)

Awesome tank, and thanks for the side by side comparison of the drop checkers- I was wondering the difference. The Cal Aqua Labs is a thing of beauty but the price is a bit hedonistic.


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

Gorgeous tank! You make it look way bigger than 12 gallons.


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## Aww (Feb 9, 2012)

Thanks guys!



tizzite said:


> The Cal Aqua Labs is a thing of beauty but the price is a bit hedonistic.


To be honest both drop checkers just sit in the corner and we don't even notice it.
Would rather put the money towards the lily pipes where they actually make a difference both in appearance and functionality


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## RENDOG (Nov 15, 2006)

Beautiful tank. Please let me know where I can find your light. Thank you.


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## Omegatron (Feb 13, 2013)

I really love this tank, shallow and long. if the misses ever allows me to buy a new one its definatly going to be something like yours.

I like the scape, you said you had problems with the UG. Is it looking better? I started 2 months ago also with UG and took it out a last week (i now have HC). I had absolutely 0 growth and when i took it all out i didnt see any new runners under the substrate level at all.

i put the UG in a container using some normal plant substrate (the one you use for normal plants in your home or garden). I did this because i didnt want to throw away € 70,- of UG just yet. And guess what, after 3 days of emersed i see that it grows new leaves. (i wanted to bash my head against a wall when i saw i lol).

ill keep following your tank!


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## limz_777 (Jun 29, 2005)

why a 2215 impeller ? is it better ?


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