# 3 Gallon JBJ Iwagumi



## Rexor20 (Oct 4, 2012)

Read on.


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## xmas_one (Feb 5, 2010)

Ditch the heater, do a dsm with small gravel. The kind that is like the same size as the diameter of a pencil lead. CO2 will be a huge help once you decide to fill, make sure you're patient, and that it's near a full carpet before you fill with water.


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## Rexor20 (Oct 4, 2012)

xmas_one said:


> Ditch the heater, do a dsm with small gravel. The kind that is like the same size as the diameter of a pencil lead. CO2 will be a huge help once you decide to fill, make sure you're patient, and that it's near a full carpet before you fill with water.


What's dsm? How do I get the carpet to spread?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

dry start. i highly recommend it too. cover the tank in plastic wrap or something to keep humidity up. makes sure no plants dry out.

you provide lots of light, and have patience and the HC will spread.


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## Rexor20 (Oct 4, 2012)

Newman said:


> dry start. i highly recommend it too. cover the tank in plastic wrap or something to keep humidity up. makes sure no plants dry out.
> 
> you provide lots of light, and have patience and the HC will spread.


Alright sounds good. I googled it and found a big post on barrreport that was very thorough. If I wanna add tetras do I need the heater? Homemade co2 good enough?


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## jbrady33 (Jun 7, 2012)

How warm is your house? I have the same tank at work with no heater, never seems to go under 70. ( at 72 to 74 right now with ac running). Check the link in mr signature


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

well tetras are going to like temps of 78F or something, so yeas unless you live in a tropical region, get a heater.


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## jbrady33 (Jun 7, 2012)

According to several info sites, neon like a much wider range of temps, from 68 to 78. Cardinals like the warmer range 75 to 84.


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## c_gwinner (Mar 23, 2012)

I think that either Neons or Cardinals would be kinda crammed in the 3 gallons. You will need to cycle the tank like you normally would, but it might take longer with the Miracle gro. Welcome to the forum and you should search the forum before google, there is a ton of info on here and sometimes google brings you straight back to here haha.


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## Rexor20 (Oct 4, 2012)

So I got my bag of magic dirt in the mail today and am finally able to start figuring out the hardscape. I've looked at pictures and videos of a lot of setups but I still feel like I'm doing something wrong. Here's a few setups that I tried out...any suggestions would be great. I plan on doing HC in front with DHG in the back. DSM and maybe shrimp eventually. I also need a light that isn't blue.


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## Rexor20 (Oct 4, 2012)

Bump


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## jbrady33 (Jun 7, 2012)

I like the bottom one - first one is to "stonehenge-y"


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## crazydog64 (Jul 25, 2011)

I like the 2nd one but would bet that the back right and front center stone would get lost in the carpet, even a short one.


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## Rexor20 (Oct 4, 2012)

So this is where Im at. I bought an HC mat 4x4 and 3 bunches of DHG and planted them. They are separated by a plexiglass sheet to keep them from growing together. 

I'm not really sure what to do next as my HC doesn't look like its growing much and is actually melting in places. The DHG is still rooting I'm assuming since it still looks green and isn't dieing off anywhere. 

I'm using a 9w 6500k light for 12 hours per day and watering with de-chlor tapwater with some miracle gro. 

At this point I feel like I should flood the tank but I'm afraid there aren't enough plants to fight algae. The growth has been much slower than I thought it would and even with some trimming I still feel like its slow going. So I see a few options: I could just flood it and do liquid ferts and hope for the best. Or I could buy some more HC to plant before I flood it to have a better bio-load. I just don't want to spend more money and then have it crap out on me.

My final option would be to scrap the whole thing and do a low tech tank. I really wanted to get some shrimp in there which I hear is better to do low tech.

Anyway here are some pics. The plants in the front seem to be healthy but the growth isn't very impressive. The two bunches in the back right have melted back a lot, not sure why.









Any advice or direction would be great. Thanks


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## Rexor20 (Oct 4, 2012)

bump. looking for some advice.


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## angelsword (May 16, 2009)

You have really taken your time with this tank. I have the same one and wanted to do what you're doing. I decided I preferred instant gratification and had it planted and filled in about a day.

Did you switch the stock bulb? You can get a 9 watt 6,500K bulb at home depot for a few bucks. Make sure you get the one that says G23 base if you decide to get one.


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## Rexor20 (Oct 4, 2012)

yeah I switched it to a 6500k. I'm thinking about instant gratification now. I'll probably just order a few more mats and fill up the tank.


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## angelsword (May 16, 2009)

I've never done a dry start I I can't offer advice on that. I've also never gotten a carpeting plant to take hold and spread well. There may be a connection there. Maybe if I get another Picotope someday I'll try it.


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## Rexor20 (Oct 4, 2012)

what kinds of plants did you have in yours? did you have trouble getting the carpeting plants to root or to spread?


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## angelsword (May 16, 2009)

I don't have a carpeting plant in mine. I can't figure out how to post pics from my phone but if you check my recent post I just posted some in another picotope thread.

I have a rock covered in Riccia, valls, anubias nana, blyxia and pellia. I know none of those are spelled even close to correctly. Again, because I'm on my phone. Hopefully you can future out what I meant lol


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## tex627 (Jan 11, 2009)

For a dry start, make sure things are not too wet or you will get mold and possibly clado. Just keep the light on for about 10 hours a day and wait. A dry start is a lot easier then going submersed right away without CO2. Good luck!


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Cladophora is something that you're only going to develop if you bring it in on new plants. It won't magically appear - especially in a "dry" environment like that. So I wouldn't worry about that. Wouldn't worry about mold, either, as it's something you can fix with a quick spritz of Excel in some water.

To make things fill in more quickly, break those plant groups up and spread them out. Use a checkerboard pattern for planting.

Keep the water line just at the surface of the substrate and mist your tank a couple times a day at minimum. Use airline tubing (as a siphon hose) or a dropper to remove any excess water.

Make sure there are ferts in your substrate - usually in the form of root tabs.


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## Rexor20 (Oct 4, 2012)

thanks for the tips. ill give that a shot. I also ordered some more HC to speed this up.


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## Rexor20 (Oct 4, 2012)

*Update 2/10/13*

So I went ahead and bought some more HC. My plan is to let it grow a little and root for one more week and then fill up the tank. 

I noticed that the plants on the right side appear to be browner looking. They haven't really melted except in a few spots but they look more withered where the ones on the left are nice and green. I'm kind of hoping that filling it with water and doing some changes will filter whatever the problem is or at least spread nutrients, light, water, etc. more evenly and maybe resolve it.

Here is a pic so you can see what I mean about the side to side health of the plants.










I'll update when I fill it.


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## tex627 (Jan 11, 2009)

Judging by the picture, I would recommend MUCH BIGGER STONES. The power and composition within the Iwagumi style is in the character of the stones. If the stones fail to bring character to the aquascape, generally the whole aquascape will suffer.


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## Rexor20 (Oct 4, 2012)

tex627 said:


> Judging by the picture, I would recommend MUCH BIGGER STONES. The power and composition within the Iwagumi style is in the character of the stones. If the stones fail to bring character to the aquascape, generally the whole aquascape will suffer.



I know. I had great aspirations for this first tank but now that I've got it started I'll settle for just having it grow in nicely. I had some bigger seiryu stones but took them out when I heard that they mess with the pH.

At this point I'd like to just get the tank filled and growing in so that I can at least have healthy plants for a rescape or tank upgrade in the future.

Any suggestions on why one side is browner than the other?


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## Rexor20 (Oct 4, 2012)

I'll be filling the tank hopefully tomorrow and have a few questions I was hoping might be answered here.

The tank has been getting light for about 10 hours per day for the past 2 months and I know doing that with it filled would likely cause some algae. Should I just cut the light right away or slowly go down to 7-8 hours?

My filter has never been run and the media is all dry. 1st do I need all 3 layers of filter material? 2nd should I soak the filter media first?

Finally, I'm a little worried about fertilizing. I have Flourish, Excel, and Seachem Iron. I was going to follow the directions on the bottles and try for a homemade type of EI with 40% water changes weekly. Do I need NPK too or will my HC and DHG survive without them?


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## assasin6547 (Feb 6, 2013)

I think if you cut the hours down it suddenly it would be completely fine. Don't know much about the filter but if you are worried about no BB then add Bacter 100 or something of the sort to get a headstar. DHG will survive without fertilization, don't know bout the HC.

Very nice start so far!


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## Rexor20 (Oct 4, 2012)

So I filled the tank last Friday and its been going okay so far. The HOB that came with the tank really disturbs the plants near where the intake is, and it doesn't stir the surface of the water much. I have been testing the ammonia to see when it comes down and it was still at 4 ppm yesterday morning. How do I know when the tank is fully cycled?










I also ordered a co2 diffuser and I'm going to get some DIY going to move things along faster. Unfortunately it looks like there are spots developing on the HC. They are hard to see in the picture but they are little black spots.










I plan to do a water change each week and see how it goes. So far this is how I dosed:

Water Fill:
-33 drops excel
-6 drops flourish
-4 drops iron

Day 2:
-6 drops excel
-4 drops flourish

Day 3:
-6 drops excel
-4 drops flourish

Day 4:
-4 drops iron
-6 drops excel


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## Rexor20 (Oct 4, 2012)

So I guess no one loves me since I haven't gotten any replies here but I'll do another self-satisfying update anyway.

The browning on the leaves has faded and it appears that any leaves on the HC that died are kind of breaking off and the rest of it is coming back healthy. The DHG that I got grown submerged and then tried to convert to emersed for my DSM is coming back with a few bright green blades growing out. I received the rest of my Seachem products and will be starting a EI schedule tomorrow...I did a big WC today. 

Ammonia is steady at 2.5ish ppm with nitrites at 0 and nitrates around 20-40 ppm which is good per the little book that came with the test kit. 

I also picked up some RCS who are all looking good. When I first got them into the tank they were grey and tweaking out. They have settled in and their color has come back. It looks like one of them molted its skin and no victims yet. 

My CO2 diffuser came today so I'll probably be setting up a DIY tank today or tomorrow. I also put in the heater that I originally bought since the shrimp will do better with it.

I was also looking at the zoomed 501 since the cheapo HOB that came with the tank has developed an annoying rattle and the tank is in my bedroom.

Pic of one of the shrimps


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

Nice shrimp pic.


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## Neatfish (Jun 22, 2012)

Pretty cool tank I have the same one but decided to do a nano reef with it.


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## oliver77 (Oct 22, 2012)

Rexor20 said:


> So I guess no one loves me since I haven't gotten any replies here but I'll do another self-satisfying update anyway.
> 
> The browning on the leaves has faded and it appears that any leaves on the HC that died are kind of breaking off and the rest of it is coming back healthy. The DHG that I got grown submerged and then tried to convert to emersed for my DSM is coming back with a few bright green blades growing out. I received the rest of my Seachem products and will be starting a EI schedule tomorrow...I did a big WC today.
> 
> ...


Hey, I love u man. 

I normally just lurks around here. But i think you're off to a good start.
Just make sure you keep on pumping CO2 as i heard hc need them with high light and ferts.

Good luck and keep updating the progress.


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## Jarek Strzechowski (Feb 7, 2013)

:thumbsup: I love you I know the feeling. You're tank is awesome and even though people haven't been commenting lately, you should keep posting pics because we are ALL jealous. :fish:

Use bigger rocks!!!


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## Rexor20 (Oct 4, 2012)

I tried to get my DIY co2 going with a bubble counter but it would not make enough pressure and kept leaking no matter what I did. 

I hooked it up anyway and just put the bottle on the floor and made sure it was clear so that none of the yeast/saltwater can get up the hose. The diffuser filled part way with water so it's kind of like a self contained bubble counter.

Also a pic of the whole tank as it is.










I really wish I had spent more time finding the right rocks. I know of a few places to get something good but got lazy and just grabbed something from my backyard. I may try a re-scape but will probably just see how this goes for now since I would do a DSM again if i started over. All of the scapes on this channel are really cool, I like the vertical aspect going on.






The filter really churns up the substrate which sucks since my plexiglass wall to separate the hairgrass from the hc is now visible. The zoomed 501 is only 33 bux shipped on Amazon and is pretty tempting. I'm also concerned with the poor rooting of my HC. It seems like just bumping it will get it to float up. I usually just poke it back down into the substrate but only a little bit will be visible. Most of the DHG died but i see a few blades growing up. Once the weather warms up I will probably get some more to speed up the growth.


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## Jarek Strzechowski (Feb 7, 2013)

Rexor20 said:


> The filter really churns up the substrate which sucks since my plexiglass wall to separate the hairgrass from the hc is now visible.


Ya, HOB power filters tend to do that. I had one on my 3g when it was saltwater and it really churned things up. That's why I went the internal route on my freshwater adventure. The TOM ones are 45gph and small enough to not take up much room at all, but they're getting harder and harder to find. Petsmart doesn't carry them anymore. You might have to contact TOM directly if you want to know where to get one. Don't get the aqueon ones though. they are way to powerful and being internal, they just suck everything up like a vortex.


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