# Jungle Mode. High Tech Minimalist.



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

I've had a 20 gallon long up and running for a couple years now. Its come and gone with different scapes, never really amounting to anything. It usually just ends up being an over grown dutch mess and I actually kinda dig it.

20 gallon setup:
Finnex Planted+ 24/7
GLA Gro Reg.
Atomic Diffuser
Hydor Inline heater
Sunsun 302






As a birthday present my girlfriend told me to find a new tank. I was initially thinking of grabbing an ADA, but everywhere seemed to be sold out. I went ahead and looked at my local fish store and they had a Mr. Aqua 25 gallon cube that I was seriously considering. After contemplating for awhile, I stumbled upon a Mr. Aqua 33 gallon. Low Iron 10mm glass. Awesome silicone work and a great size of 24x18x18 inches. Not quite a cube, but plenty of depth and height. 

I'll be breaking down the 20 long to use most of its equipment and moving the new tank into its spot.

And this is where my tank journal will begin.

33 Gallon Setup:
Sunsun 302 filter
Hydor Inline Heater 200W
GLA GRO Reg.
Atomic Inline Diffuser
Eheim Skimmer
Kessil A360WE

I'll be making a custom stand hopefully this weekend. And am waiting on the light to arrive. Hopefully I'll be able to get things setup and running sometime this weekend or next week.


----------



## noelanr (Jan 28, 2016)

Subbed this thread. Looking forward to updates.

Sent from my ALCATEL ONETOUCH 6050A using Tapatalk


----------



## Mike00726 (May 23, 2011)

Cool


----------



## touch of sky (Nov 1, 2011)

I am looking forward to seeing your progress. It looks like it will be beautiful.


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

So after reading about @jedimasterben trouble with the size of his sunsun filter and running a C02 reactor on it and not having enough flow, I decided to go ahead and purchase an eheim classic 2217. This would be overkill if it went straight to my tank, but I'll have an inline heater and the C02 reactor. With those, the flow should be perfect if not a little too strong, which I can deal with. Better to have too much flow than not enough. 

My light should be getting here tomorrow and the filter hopefully on Monday. I'm finalizing my design for my stand and hope to get it done this weekend.


----------



## LRJ (Jul 31, 2014)

Good luck! I have this same tank, and I love it.


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

My Kessil A360we came in yesterday and I got around to setting it up on my current 20 gallon long. The far edges don't quite get the same light, but thats expected with the pendant.



I love the color on this light. No more harsh white light from the Finnex 24/7. This light has color throughout its brightness. And the shimmers, the shimmers are so nice. Make the tank look totally different. I can't wait to get this set up on the new tank. 

I also started making the new stand, got everything done expect putting the door on because I need to figure out what to paint it. Anyone have suggestions?

I've been looking into a controller as well. Kinda leaning towards the Neptune Systems Apex. It'd allow me to control everything, monitor and log, and make things seamless. Has anyone used one of a planted tank before?


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

Got the stand all made, painted and moved to my apartment. I couldn't resist trying the tank on it. I think it looks nice. I also applied a static cling frost glass vinyl. I'm gonna try this instead of the black that I've done in the past. I really can't get over this tank. The craftsmen ship is amazing. 



Bonus picture of a plant I can't remember the name of.


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

Top down view of my 20 long. 



I think I have time tonight to make the switch over to the Mr. Aqua. I have a scape in mind, but haven't had a chance to put a rough draft together.


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

School has been killing my lately. Damn automatic control systems. Anyone have any secrets? haha So I haven't been able to update my journal, but I finally have some time. 

I went ahead and bought the apex controller, and so far I'm in love with it. It is so nice to not have 4 timers for everything. Being able to monitor my ph is nice as well so I can dial in my C02 amount. I plan on doing a big write up on the apex after I have some more time with it. 

The kessil light is doing amazing. I love it. It's so simplistic and it's showing some great growth and color. A lot of people say it doesn't support red colors, but my ludwigia palustris and my alternanthera reineckii are both showing awesome colors. 

Right now I'm starting a battle with Green Dot Algae, I'm increasing my phosphates and C02 and lowered my light period by 2 hrs to help combat it. 

I'm also starting to notice some diatoms starting, which is normal for a month old tank and I know will pass in a couple weeks. 



I did a simple scape with some ohko stone I had. I'm waiting for everything to fill in right now. 

I need some help deciding on fish though. Right now I have 2 rummynose tetra from my old tank, I think I'm gonna try and see if my LFS will take them. I had a German Blue Ram in the past, so this time I was thinking of getting an Apisto. That leaves the middle of the tank empty however and I have no clue what to fill it with. Any suggestions?


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

Just updating with some growth pictures. Everything is really growing in and filling the tank nicely. I built a Cerges reactor and am waiting to find the time to install it and see how it does. I'm hoping to get rid of the soda pop look in the tank.


----------



## Chandy (Mar 14, 2016)

Absolutely love both your tanks. Also really like your choice of plants. I need to get myself that plant you have that floats at the top. Please let me know what it is when you find out


----------



## Tmuck44 (Mar 17, 2013)

I would get an Appisto. Just hard to find a pair! Had a pair for a while and it is definitely my favorite fish.


----------



## Seetide (Feb 25, 2016)

I like the look of the original "overgrown Dutch mess" as you call it! The new tank looks great and I am saving for the Kessil or a Halo myself.


----------



## Skeelski (Mar 27, 2015)

That red plant by the way is Alternanthera Reineckii if I'm not mistaken-


----------



## rnaodm (Jun 9, 2012)

wow very nice tank, I especially like that Mr Aqua 33 and think the frosted back was a better choice then the black background.


----------



## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

Damn that Kessil looks awesome. I thought about getting one but it's $$$$$!


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

Chandy said:


> Absolutely love both your tanks. Also really like your choice of plants. I need to get myself that plant you have that floats at the top. Please let me know what it is when you find out


Thank you! I kinda just put in what I find for sale on here. And I believe you're talking about the ludwigia repens on the right. It's growing like crazy. I just trimmed it down a little today.

Bump:


Tmuck44 said:


> I would get an Appisto. Just hard to find a pair! Had a pair for a while and it is definitely my favorite fish.


Ya. Kinda hoping I can get a pair and maybe they'll breed. I gotta swing by my LFS and see what they have. The tank is cycled and grown in, so they have places to hide now.


----------



## saty (Apr 1, 2015)

toybox22 said:


> My Kessil A360we came in yesterday and I got around to setting it up on my current 20 gallon long. The far edges don't quite get the same light, but thats expected with the pendant.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Did you remove the top plastic frame alone to make it rimless?
Is it safe to do that? I have never tried it. Looks like a cool idea


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

saty said:


> Did you remove the top plastic frame alone to make it rimless?
> Is it safe to do that? I have never tried it. Looks like a cool idea


I did remove the top brace. I left the bottom however. From the research I did, it seemed safe to do as long as you didn't ruin any of the corner silicone. There's a pretty big debate wether it's safe. I took the chance and it held for me with never any issues. But it definitely changed the look of the tank and made me want to go rimless on my next. I'll never buy a rimmed tank again. Haha

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk


----------



## saty (Apr 1, 2015)

toybox22 said:


> I did remove the top brace. I left the bottom however. From the research I did, it seemed safe to do as long as you didn't ruin any of the corner silicone. There's a pretty big debate wether it's safe. I took the chance and it held for me with never any issues. But it definitely changed the look of the tank and made me want to go rimless on my next. I'll never buy a rimmed tank again. Haha
> 
> Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk


How did you take it out? I have a 10g grow out tank for plants, i can use that for testing.
I am waiting for this sunday to get the $1 per gallon deal from petco. planning to get 20g.


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

saty said:


> How did you take it out? I have a 10g grow out tank for plants, i can use that for testing.
> I am waiting for this sunday to get the $1 per gallon deal from petco. planning to get 20g.


It's a slow process. I used a heat gun and a razor blade. I heated up a section of the brace, then ran the razor around it. I slowely just peeled it away from the glass. There aren't really tutorials for it, so just take your time and watch the corners. Don't want to damage that silicone. And then I water tested it for like 3 days to make sure it didn't burst. 

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

Hey guys, haven't posted in a while. Tank hasn't been looking pretty lately so I haven't been posting anything. Lately I've been battling some cloudy water. I had a brain fart and washed my filter floss with sink water, and I think I lost most of my good bacteria. Probably lost my cycle a little and am having a bacteria bloom. It's lasted about 2 weeks now. I've tried doing massive WC, but the cloud always comes back. The water hasn't turned green at all, so I don't think it's a green algae attack. I'm gonna try leaving it alone, not dosing anything, and possible grabbing some quick start to see if that speeds things along. I also added some purigen to get rid of the yellow water I had which cleared it up quick before the cloud attacked me.

Yellow water I had.


Cleared the yellow to nice clear water.


Cloudy water due to bacterial bloom.


----------



## Hetzer (Sep 23, 2012)

Cloudiness aside, I really like it; the Kessil is amazingly bright!


----------



## Chandy (Mar 14, 2016)

How much Purigen did you add to your filter? 

I added a bag of about 100 grams of Purigen but after a week, my water still hasn't cleared. Still yellow as ever... 

A water change did see it dilute a little, but nonetheless still the same  

On another note, good luck! Hope your tank gets back to its former glory soon


----------



## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

It is a shame there are fish in already.
0.165g of potassium permanganate would have cleaned that mess up really quickly.
It will kill your nitrifying bacteria too though.

Btw, if you don't mind an unsolicited bit of advice, I would move that tall plant casting shadow on the rock away, it is hiding the focal point of your tank.


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

Chandy said:


> How much Purigen did you add to your filter?
> 
> I added a bag of about 100 grams of Purigen but after a week, my water still hasn't cleared. Still yellow as ever...
> 
> ...


I probably added about the same. 100 grams. It cleared it up in like 24 hrs. 



Nordic said:


> It is a shame there are fish in already.
> 0.165g of potassium permanganate would have cleaned that mess up really quickly.
> It will kill your nitrifying bacteria too though.
> 
> Btw, if you don't mind an unsolicited bit of advice, I would move that tall plant casting shadow on the rock away, it is hiding the focal point of your tank.


Ya. There aren't many fish, but still has fish. I'm hoping some quick start bacteria will help it along. 

And thank you for the advice. I was gone for 5 days and that plant grew like 6 inches and is huge now. I plan on moving and trimming things soon. Just trying to grow out all my trimmings to either replant or sell!


----------



## Jamo33 (Feb 18, 2014)

This is an extremely cool tank!
Awaiting pictures of it now its cleared up again


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

So I finally had time to run and grab some Tetra Safestart to help build up what I think is an algae bloom from no good bacteria. While I was there I grabbed some Tetra Water Clarifier as well. I added both last night around 11pm. No difference so far. Says to wait 48hrs before re-dosing, so we'll see if things clear up. 

My GLA CO2 regulator started acting up and making an annoying sound. GLA was awesome and was quick to reply to my emails with troubleshooting. I can't begin to explain how amazing there costumer service was. Unfortunately, there is nothing more I can do to troubleshoot and will be sending it back tomorrow for them to look at. Hopefully it'll be a quick turn around because I don't know how my tank will do without it. I'll be supplementing with metracide 14, which is similar to Excel, just more concentrated. I'll also be lowering my lighting to 40% intensity instead of 80%. This is to combat no CO2 and make the demand for nutrients less. Make my tank less high tech.

I grabbed a couple Oto's as well. Looking to grab some more.


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

*Big Update!*
Here's how the tank it sitting right now.



So it's been a little since I've updated you guys on my tank. So, I ended up buying a cheap UV sterilizer off Amazon to see if that would help clear up the green water I had. I ran it on the slowest setting and stuffed it full of filter floss to increase the dwell time to as much as I could. Between the UV and a couple water changes I was able to get the green water gone and my water is looking amazing. I'm still running the UV only because I added some fish, and thought I'd leave it for now while the tank increases its bio-load handling abilities.



I had my kessil light mounted to the rim of the tank. At first this didn't bother me, but looking at my tank, it was becoming and eyesore. I want to have a nice, clean tank, and it was something I could fix. I went ahead and ordered the kessil mount extensions, which gave me the extra length to reach my stand. Then it was as simple as taking the mount and attaching it to the stand. I'm way happier with the look.



I had been considering looking for some glass lily pipes. But the glass really didn't do much for me. Ya they look great when they are clean and apart of a nice layout, but I like the industrial look. So researching around I saw stainless steel pipes existed and I knew I wanted to get some. Bunch on ebay, but nothing too pretty. Finally I found the BorneoWild SS pipes, however I had no way of getting them. Luckily I saw another user had purchased them through someone on here. @junglefowl was there to save the day and was able to order me some. I was so excited when they showed up my door and an immediately had them in my tank. Love the look of them over the eheim green pipes. They're raw stainless, so they don't match the color of my Kessil light and mount, but the finished match and overall they look great. 







So once the water cleared up, I thought it was time for some fish. I went to my LFS and grabbed 3 more Oto's for a total of 6. I had a German Blue Ram in the past, and while I loved it, I wanted to switch it up with this tank. They had a couple different apisto's there, but the cacatuoides super red really caught my attention. It was the last male and I grabbed him 3 females to make a nice harem. I think he's gorgeous and can't wait to see how he grows and colors up. Also hoping to get some fry outta him. haha so with the orange of his fins, I didn't want any other orange fish. So I decided to grab 10 neon green rasporas. So far everything is coloring up nicely. 



That's all for now. GLA has my regulator and they are working on fixing the noise. This limits what I can do in terms of growth of the plants. But so far everything is still going strong!

I really should take all the equipment outta the tank and get some nice shots of it. Hopefully this weekend I can find some time.


----------



## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

That light extension makes a pretty big difference. Glad you made the switch!


----------



## LRJ (Jul 31, 2014)

Looking great! The Borneo pipes are killer. I agree about the light extension too. The other thing about getting the light mount out of the tank is it will make it much less of a pain to net out trimmings.


----------



## Chandy (Mar 14, 2016)

Where to start, there's so much to comment on in your latest update! 

Firstly, so glad to hear that you've finally won your battle with cloudy water  

Lovely stainless steel pipes, my only concern would be not being actually able to see the gunk when you're cleaning. 

Lastly, I love the apisto's! I was actually talking to my mate earlier today about keeping cacatuoides super reds before coming home to see your update!


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

Quick update. GLA fixed my regulator and got that hooked up and running as of last night. Glad it came because a lot of my plants were not liking the lower light and less ferts. I ordered a nice piece of mounted driftwood and am looking to rescape sometime next week. I removed the UV and water is looking awesome. All the fish are doing great. Hoping to get my cerges reactor hooked up soon too. Now I'm just waiting for everything to bounce back. 

I'm gonna try and get some nice pics tonight with all the equipment removed from the tank.


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

I got my Cerges hooked up yesterday. I'm not too sure I like it. I think I just gotta get it dialed in. Right now I can't get my ph to drop very quickly. I may need to put a ball valve on the output of the reactor to create some back pressure and increase diffusion. With that, I thought I'd show what inside my stand looks like. Excuse the cords, they're a mess. Now that I have everything hooked up, I'll have to do some cable management. 





My driftwood is supposed to get here next week. Here's a pic. I also have some moss, anubias and swords coming as well. Planning a full rescape once everything gets here. 



I'm having a lot of melting and die off of plants in the tank right now. I think it was the lack sudden lack of Co2 when my regulator was gone. I'm hoping things change and bounce back now that I have my Co2, ferts and lights back to normal. Here are some pics of how the tank is looking today. 






Bump:


----------



## Kperro (Apr 26, 2016)

Looking great! Looking forward to seeing more progress. And hoping you get the cerges reactor dialed in. I'm planning to build my own shortly after getting my dry start going. What made you decide to run an apex on this system? Having just tore down my reef tank I know those are very capable systems. Also where did you find that piece of wood and is it spider wood? Just picked up a large piece of manzanita for my start.


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

Thanks! Ya. I have a ball valve coming to hopefully increase the diffusion. Right now it gurgles a little so I know it can be better.

The apex was really an impulse birthday purchase. I had bought the kessil light and so I wanted a controller. Kessil makes their own so I was considering that. Then I was looking at ph controllers and heater controllers. At this point I'm getting pretty close to the price of an apex, so I just went for it. Little learning curve, but I really enjoy it. It's totally a luxury with freshwater, but I would totally buy it again. And I hope to get a salt tank in the future, so I can just expand off this apex. This is how I responded to someone on reddit asking;

"I love the apex. I did the whole outlet timers and I was just over it all. The apex was an impulse birthday buy and I'm really glad I did it. Right now I have it controlling my Kessil light, doing a dawn/dusk ramp. It oscillates my skimmer on and off to get the oil off the top. I have a feeding and water change timer where it cuts everything off for a certain time, and automatically turns everything back on. Controls me heater and sends me alerts if it spikes or drops. And there are a ton of add ones as well. I plan on getting the dosing pump and leak detector at some point. I can monitor the tank and control anything from anywhere and have an ip camera watching the tank. I'm sure I forgot something. And there is a ton more you can do. I'm sure I haven't used it to its fullest. I don't have it controlling my Co2 yet because I'm dialing in my cerges reactor right now. Not getting the diffusion I want, but I know that from the ph probe. But ya. I love it. I went all out on this tank and I love it."

I got the piece on ebay from 'rocknartcreation'. They have a pretty good selection. They say if it sinks or not and have mounted and non mounted pieces. Quick shipping and I got mine with no issues. Be wary of the pictures though. I definitely thought mine was bigger, even though they give dimensions, it just looked bigger in the pic. Luckily I have some dragon stone I'm using as well in my next scape, so I don't think I'll need more driftwood. haha


----------



## LRJ (Jul 31, 2014)

Since you're into the high tech you should consider getting a VorTech MP10. You will love it. Will do wonders for your CO2 distribution and aeration.


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

LRJ said:


> Since you're into the high tech you should consider getting a VorTech MP10. You will love it. Will do wonders for your CO2 distribution and aeration.


I've looked into them and may be in my future, but I seem to get good flow with my filter pipes and the eheim skimmer. I also have two hydro koraia nano's sitting around I'd try first. But it would be nice!


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

So I ripped out the glosso. It was cover in BBA and trimming it wasn't working. I wsn't planning on using it in my next scape, so I'm just waiting on my shipment of plants to get that started. I may head to my LFS and just grab some of the plants and get it started and add what I ordered when it gets here. I'm really impatient when it comes to things with my tank.


----------



## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

great tank!

what are you doing for foreground plant?

yeah, I feel you. i'm super impatient, that's why I do high tech and let things grow faster, I wouldn't have the patience for a low light tank and waiting years for things to fill in


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

monkeyruler90 said:


> great tank!
> 
> what are you doing for foreground plant?
> 
> yeah, I feel you. i'm super impatient, that's why I do high tech and let things grow faster, I wouldn't have the patience for a low light tank and waiting years for things to fill in


All my tanks have had a carpet, so I'm gonna try going without one for once. We'll see how long it lasts. 

I finally got around to my rescape last night. Little lacking because I'm still waiting for some plants to show in the mail. But it should look nice when things grow in. Hoping to get pics soon. 

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

Went from this...


To this...


The time came for a big rescape. I kept seeing all these 'natural' looking scapes and was drooling over them. I started my collection of inspiration pictures and slowly found what I wanted. I ditched all the stem plants I had and got anubias, crypts, vals, ferns and mosses. I kept my tiger lotus because it finally decided to grow and has sent two lilies to the top of my tank in 2 days. Crazy growth and an awesome metallic yellow and red color. I got 3 coconut shells for my apistos because as I was rescaping, I found eggs on my rocks. Hoping they'll breed again when they get comfortable with the tank. The females brought on this crazy yellow color with the lighter sand. The male lost some of his color, but he should spring back. 





For now I'm just waiting for some plants to come in the mail and for things to grow in. Really considering grabbing the MP10QD that @LRJ suggested since I've had to reduce the flow from my eheim to get the head pressure I need for my Co2 to drop my ph by 1. The Kessil sticks too far into the tank and maybe with the extra flow I could remove the skimmer as well.


----------



## LRJ (Jul 31, 2014)

Woah! Big changes, even switched out the sub. Interested to see this grow out. Mind putting together a list of plant species?

You don't _need_ the MP10. Especially with your new setup being mostly low light plants, you'll probably find that you need to reduce your lighting intensity, which will also reduce your CO2 demand, and flow of CO2 won't be as critical as in your high energy setup. I imagine you'd be just fine with that Hydor. That said, the MP10 would also be more than up to the task of providing good flow in that jungle you're going to have, and if you're into the high tech, it's just a bad a** pump to have. If you get one you'll see what I'm talking about. Great ability to randomize and automate a schedule of varying flow patterns over the course of the day.

Great looking apistos btw!


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

LRJ said:


> Woah! Big changes, even switched out the sub. Interested to see this grow out. Mind putting together a list of plant species?
> 
> You don't _need_ the MP10. Especially with your new setup being mostly low light plants, you'll probably find that you need to reduce your lighting intensity, which will also reduce your CO2 demand, and flow of CO2 won't be as critical as in your high energy setup. I imagine you'd be just fine with that Hydor. That said, the MP10 would also be more than up to the task of providing good flow in that jungle you're going to have, and if you're into the high tech, it's just a bad a** pump to have. If you get one you'll see what I'm talking about. Great ability to randomize and automate a schedule of varying flow patterns over the course of the day.
> 
> Great looking apistos btw!


Thank you! I'm really liking this scape. I love the bright sand.

Didn't necessarily switch out the sub. Just pushed the aqua soil to the rear and filled the front with sand. All the plants still have roots in the aqua soil. I do plan on keeping this tank high tech. I love fast growth tanks so we'll see what I can do to these slow growers. I have my intensity of the Kessil at 50% right now. Gotta do some more water tests to see how much ferts to dose.

And exactly. I don't need it. But I do want it. haha I just got a partime job at my LFS. And from what I understand, I get 50% off ecotech products. Which makes it even harder not to buy an MP10. And if I do start a saltwater tank, which I do see in the future, I could always move it over. I'll see how the tank does for a couple weeks and decide. haha 

How are your plants and moss wall coming along?


----------



## LRJ (Jul 31, 2014)

toybox22 said:


> And from what I understand, I get 50% off ecotech products.


Sounds like an easy decision 



toybox22 said:


> How are your plants and moss wall coming along?


The wall is entirely mossed but only a single strand thick. Going to be a loooong while for growout. Fissidens logs are in a five gallon emersed, not seeing any new growth but hasn't been long. Bunch of stems growing out too in the actual tank but not looking so happy at the moment, too busy these last few weeks for proper maintenance. But I'm still hoping to get some progress pictures posted later this month if things settle down.


----------



## Chandy (Mar 14, 2016)

Looking very clean! What a different take on a scape. I'm also going to be doing a rescape in a month or two. I thought I was happy with what I had, but was wrong haha. 

What else are you going to add to the tank?


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

Chandy said:


> Looking very clean! What a different take on a scape. I'm also going to be doing a rescape in a month or two. I thought I was happy with what I had, but was wrong haha.
> 
> What else are you going to add to the tank?


Thank you! And that's how I was feeling. I was over the crazy dutch jungle I've always had. Wanted to go to a more natural jungle. I'm hoping it'll look nice once it's all grown in. I'm still slowly adding plants here and there. 

I just added 6 more green rasbora's for a total of 14, lost a couple from jumping. I still have a ton of space for fish, just don't know what I want. 

You need to post some full tank shots before you rescape! I wanna see how your tank is looking.


----------



## Chandy (Mar 14, 2016)

toybox22 said:


> Thank you! And that's how I was feeling. I was over the crazy dutch jungle I've always had. Wanted to go to a more natural jungle. I'm hoping it'll look nice once it's all grown in. I'm still slowly adding plants here and there.
> 
> I just added 6 more green rasbora's for a total of 14, lost a couple from jumping. I still have a ton of space for fish, just don't know what I want.
> 
> You need to post some full tank shots before you rescape! I wanna see how your tank is looking.


I'm going the opposite from something low maintenance to something more captivating and high maintenance. 

I've taken photos, will do my best to give a brief update tonight!


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

Hey guys. It's been a while since I updated. Not much has changed. Growth has been really slow. I'm hoping things are settling and will see some quicker growth. I added 5 Purple Emperor Tetra, will be getting some more. Here's an updated pic. I need to get some more val and ferns.


----------



## R|M|D Photography (Apr 9, 2016)

Gorgeous setup man!!


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

R|M|D Photography said:


> Gorgeous setup man!!


Thank you! Definitely not what I have envisioned for it yet. I really want that full jungle look. I have a big order coming with some plants and I'll probably grab a lot more val when I go to work.


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

Had a huge scare today. I was just checking on things under the tank and noticed some water on my cerges reactor. It was a super super slow leak, but I don't know how long it had been going. Luckily, I had my canister filter in a 5 gallon bucket, which I put under my cerges. All the water dripped into the bucket. Had like 4 inches of water in the bottom with the canister in it. I was so scared my floor was ruined when I saw the leak. 

So I couldn't get the leak to stop. I think the o-ring wasn't sitting right or something. So I pulled it all out. I really liked the cerges, but I couldn't get it to be quite and I tried increasing the head pressure, but I just had no flow after. This is with an eheim 2217. So this lead to me heading to my LFS and grabbing some new glass! I got a hang over thermometer, a Co2 jumper thing and a bigger glass diffuser. I pulled the eheim skimmer out as well. I'm really liking all the glass and metal in the tank. Just need to keep an eye on my fish now that I don't have a ph probe in there. The thermometer is also in Celsius. Not a big deal though. haha My diffuser is being super noisy as well. I'm hoping it'll break in.






I am getting some bio-film on the top. I just adjusted my outlet pipe to get more surface movement. We'll see if that helps. I should have got the built in skimmer for the Borneo wild pipes. Maybe I'll see if I can get some.


----------



## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

wow, I love the rescape! very simplistic look but looks so natural! I love it !


----------



## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

just remember there is a colour difference in genders of emperors, although the easy give away is the eyes... males have blue eyes.


----------



## R|M|D Photography (Apr 9, 2016)

Love the look of the glass in the tank. I plan to change over to glass lily pipes for both inflow and outflow really soon.


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

monkeyruler90 said:


> wow, I love the rescape! very simplistic look but looks so natural! I love it !


Thank you! Still needs to grow out a lot. It's taking its time. It's frustrating when I'm used to stems growing an inch a day, to barely seeing anything during the week. haha



Nordic said:


> just remember there is a colour difference in genders of emperors, although the easy give away is the eyes... males have blue eyes.


Ya. I tried to grab both male and females. I think I have 3 males and 2 females. Females aren't as colorful either. I'm hoping to grab some more of both.



R|M|D Photography said:


> Love the look of the glass in the tank. I plan to change over to glass lily pipes for both inflow and outflow really soon.


Ya. Glass makes everything look so nice. However, I love my stainless filter pipes. Wouldn't give them up for glass. I think I have a good combination of both. But I had to put my eheim skimmer back in, so ugly. I can't get the bio-film to go away.


----------



## R|M|D Photography (Apr 9, 2016)

You need that in glass too then. 



Amazon.com : ISTA Glass Outflow & Inflow Lily Water Pipe for Aquarium Plant Filter, Tube Hose (12mm or 16mm) (Surface Oil Protein Skimmer 12/16mm) : Pet Supplies


I would love to do the stainless pipes to match the brushed aluminum trim on my Osaka tank, but they are just too pricey compared to the $16 for a glass set.


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

R|M|D Photography said:


> You need that in glass too then.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'm hoping to hear back from the vendor I went through last time to see what pricing is on the Borneo Wild Skimz. It looks really nice, so I hope it's not outrageous. I just wanna get my eheim skimmer out. haha 

I thought that too, but I always here about the cheap ones breaking when you pull the piping off.


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

So I heard back from the vendor I got my SS pipes from, and I should be getting my Skimz pretty quickly hopefully! I'm excited to get another piece of equipment outta the tank. I also got a nice shipment of plants in and it really filled in the tank and it looks awesome. Can't wait for it all to grow and fill everything in. I'm not the happiest with the look in front of the tank. I may remove the rocks and move some plants around. I think I need to move the Apisto coconut to somewhere else as well. Anyway, here are some updated pictures! I haven't seen much algae, so I may increase my intensity a little. I'm at 60% right now. 

Front


Front/Side


----------



## Kensho (Oct 24, 2012)

damn!!!! that is on point! what are the demensions of the tank? I have the 40g cube.
Trying to rationalize the 400 for a 360w Kessil. plus mount plus controller over a other options.


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

Kensho said:


> damn!!!! that is on point! what are the demensions of the tank? I have the 40g cube.
> Trying to rationalize the 400 for a 360w Kessil. plus mount plus controller over a other options.


Thank you!!! I appreciate it. I'm really like this scape. It's by best one so far. 

It is a Mr Aqua 33.7 gal Low Iron. 24"(L) x 18"(W) x 18"(H). Almost a cube. 

I had a finnex on my 20 long. I loved it and it did everything I asked of it. I grew whatever I wanted. But for this tank, I knew I'd have this tank for a long time. I wanted to do this right. My LFS uses Kessils on both their fresh and salt and their tanks look amazing. The single pendant and sleek mounting arm just looks amazing. The shimmer is awesome. And their controller makes everything so easy. I can't help but recommend the Kessil light to anyone who asks. I just got my go pro back from some friends, I'll have to get some videos of it. Kessil also has some great costumer support.


----------



## sfshrimp (May 24, 2016)

*gorgeous*

Gorgeous tank bro!!!



toybox22 said:


> Thank you!!! I appreciate it. I'm really like this scape. It's by best one so far.
> 
> It is a Mr Aqua 33.7 gal Low Iron. 24"(L) x 18"(W) x 18"(H). Almost a cube.
> 
> I had a finnex on my 20 long. I loved it and it did everything I asked of it. I grew whatever I wanted. But for this tank, I knew I'd have this tank for a long time. I wanted to do this right. My LFS uses Kessils on both their fresh and salt and their tanks look amazing. The single pendant and sleek mounting arm just looks amazing. The shimmer is awesome. And their controller makes everything so easy. I can't help but recommend the Kessil light to anyone who asks. I just got my go pro back from some friends, I'll have to get some videos of it. Kessil also has some great costumer support.


----------



## R|M|D Photography (Apr 9, 2016)

In for the videos!


----------



## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

have the apistos started breeding yet?


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

monkeyruler90 said:


> have the apistos started breeding yet?


They have! No fry yet, but I did see eggs in one of the coconuts.


----------



## toybox22 (Sep 29, 2014)

So I got busy with school. Senior year engineer while taking graduate classes. No time. 

Here is how the tank looked during the months I wasn't posting.

I love this corner shot.









And here is a FTS.









And that was the last picture I took, because I broke it down and recently switched to the dark side....

I started up a Innovative Marine 40 Reef tank. Working at an aquarium shop made it hard not to switch. I reused my stand because the IM 40 had the same dimensions which was nice. I have been doing planted tanks for multiple years and was ready for something new. I'm sure I'll come back one day, or have both. But for now, I'll be focusing on my reef. 

As many of you know, I went hardcore with the equipment on my planted tank. That has continued with my reef. Kessil AP700, Apex Controller, 2 Vortech MP10's shipping and I'm sure a doser will come soon.









I'll still be around on the forum, but this is the last update from me unfortunately. I've always enjoyed the community and everything I learned. I'll still be working with freshwater and plants at my work, so I won't be totally out!

I'll be starting a journal over on nano-reef if anyone cares to follow, same username.


----------



## mistaleung (Jan 14, 2017)

Lovely Tank. I am about to buy a Kessil LED, but i cannot decide which controller to go, the APEX or the Kessil one?
Can you please give me some advice?
Thank you in advance.

Leo


----------

