# El Funko's Fluval Edge



## El Funko (Aug 31, 2010)

I had tropical tanks as a kid, but haven't had one in quite some time. Here's my first attempt at a planted tank:

Fluval Edge - 6gal.
Replaced Halogen with LED
Added 10W Coralife CFL
DIY CO2 (waiting for diffuser - using chopstick for now)
12 lb black flourite substrate
15W Hydor heater - under the gravel

Hardscape:
1 really huge chunk of "lace rock" - It's really big, maybe too big (5 lbs). But I loved it and couldn't resist it. 
4 pieces of petrified wood
1 chunk of some pretty rock my wife found while we were offroading (Maybe quartz?)

Dosing excel daily (.5ml) and Flourish Comprehensive 1x/week

flora:
Riccia fluitans - tied to a flat piece of slate
Marsilea spp. - front right
Sagittaria subulatta - mid left
Lindernia rotundifolia 'varigated' - back left corner
Proserpinaca palustris- back center (one stem submersed form, all the rest still converting from emersed)
Echinodorus 'vesuvius'- 1 plant far right
Rotala rotundifolia - back center/right
anubias barteri (maybe nana?) - front left and in lace rock

Fauna:
5x Harlequin Rasboras
3x Otocinclus
undetermined number of tiny snails that seem to have hitched a ride with the plants

The tank has been up for about two weeks now. I used a sponge from a friend's established tank to complete the cycle in about three days. All the numbers are good now.

Comments are welcome, as I said I'm new to this. Thanks for looking!

Full shot:









Left side (w/ Rasboras):









Pic of the underside of one of the Otos:









In the very short time I've had this tank, I've already re-scaped it three times. At first we had a large chunk of Mopani driftwood in there. It looked nice, but was still leaching tannin and then started growing the white fungus. I wasn't willing to "wait it out," so I pulled it and went with another smaller rock that my daughter found. Then, when buying more stock after the cycle was completed, we saw the lace rock, and just had to have it. So...

I'm still looking for some moss that will cling to the top of the lace rock (Christmas moss, Taiwan moss, etc...). If anyone has any leads, send me a PM. I'm also planning to add shrimp at some point down the road, probably CRS.


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## RayT (Aug 27, 2010)

That rock is large but its very unique and I like the looks of it. What type of filter are you running?


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## El Funko (Aug 31, 2010)

RayT said:


> That rock is large but its very unique and I like the looks of it. What type of filter are you running?


It's the stock filter from the Fluval package, the AC20.

It's been a bad week.:icon_frow I received 7 CRS and some HC from a local TPT member, and I was at a point where everything was stable and ready to settle in for the long run. Or so I thought...

Something happened two days after adding the CRS, when I did a water change to lower the level and plant the HC. Next morning I had two dead harlequins, and two more that didn't look good. Harlequins and ottos were swimming to the top to get air, so I thought my DIY CO2 had gassed them. I pulled it out and lowered the water level a little to get more surface area and a longer drop from the filter to increase agitation. But I had to go to work, so that was all I could manage that morning. When I got home, two more dead rasboras... I did a 50% water change. Over the next couple of days I lost the last rasbora, one otto, and have two MIA CRS. I posted a thread looking for help, and the general consensus was that I'd introduced stock too quickly. Even though the ammonia was never over .5 ppm, I guess I went too fast with adding inhabitants. I tested the O2 when the problems arose, and I was good there (I think it was 8 ppm?). GH is up there at 130, we have hard water here. PH still around 7.4. 

Everything's settled down now, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 10 ppm nitrates. The two remaining ottos seem better (they were pretty sluggish for a few days), and the 5 CRS are very entertaining. They've pretty much ripped up all the riccia from the stone it was tied to, so it's been floating to the top. 

I bought a sample of mini pellia and fissidens from a member, and have tied the pellia to two small stones and super glued the fissidens to the top of the big rock. I need to get more pics taken, but my new obsession has really taken off. There's literally no room in this tank for any more plants.

I'm waiting another two weeks, then I'm going to introduce some CPD. Two local stores say that they're going to have some in by then. I'm planning for 5 or 6, hopefully that's not overstocking too badly. According to aqadvisor.com it should be fine (they put the stocking level with 6 CPD, 5 CRS and 2 ottos at 76%). CPD aren't cheap, but moreover, I hate being responsible for the death of any living being (very buddhist of me, I know...). 

I've been investigating getting pressurized CO2. The DIY seems to be running fine, but I never get over 5 ppm. I'm waiting for a glass/ceramic diffuser to arrive from aqmagic.com, but shipping from Malaysia is taking forever. I'm hoping that will get more CO2 into the tank. But so far, everything's growing, and no algae, so maybe I shouldn't make too many changes? I'm a gadget freak, and love to buy new stuff...

Don't hesitate to comment...


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## El Funko (Aug 31, 2010)

Just a couple more updates.

The CRS molted today:

















And here's a new front shot. Note the nicely growing HC in the front, the fissidens on top of the lace rock, and the two mini pellia moss rocks to the left (near the zucchini).


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## MlDukes (Nov 24, 2009)

That HC looks great - Keep us posted on how it does


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