# Spring Mountains ADA - NEW update page 5



## Solstice (Jan 9, 2006)

Very nice Felix!!! When that riccia takes of, that's going to be on hell of an awesome tank! I really like the hardscape!


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

thanks solstice, do you think the riccia will grow without co2 or should i get some excel?
btw your broken bridge nano was one of the insprations for the rocks, i liked how your hardscape looked as though it once was joined together, so i based my hardscape on freeze thaw, which is when water freezes and thaws over the winter and cracks apart rocks, then in the spring you get the lush green plants growing in between the destruction
heres a wide angle:








I think i need more elocharis to the right of the large rock to blend it in a bit more


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## Solstice (Jan 9, 2006)

I don't have experience with riccia, but I do have a lot of pellia in my tank which is very similar and it EXPLODED with Excel. I'd look into picking some up and forget the DIY CO2. 

I like your inspiration (the freeze thaw that is)!  It's very well executed. 

I think the eleocharis will fill in just fine the way you have it now.

I'm curious why you shifted the thermometer. In the hardscape pic it looks like it's tucked nicely back in the corner but it looks like you moved it up when you planted the tank. Just wondering why....

Is that ADA substrate?


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

actually the heater hasent moved i think i moved the filter a bit
yeh its aquasoil amazonia with a jbl florapol power sand clone

if anyones wondering were i got the plants they came from www.plantsalive.co.uk and were excelent expect for a decimated pot of glosso, but when i emailed to complain they said they would send a replacement straight away so its good service there

I got all the other stuff from the best planted tank online shop in the uk
www.aquaessentials.co.uk they basically have everything there all in one place (heehe no they arent paying me for this plug)

my plans for inhabitants are :
2x golden pencilfish (if my lfs stocks them)
some type of characin possibly black neons
amano shrimp which I will be putting in a week on monday as per amano reccomendation with some otos hopefully


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## frozenbarb (Dec 16, 2006)

why is the water so yellow?


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## eklikewhoa (Aug 29, 2006)

frozenbarb said:


> why is the water so yellow?


Aquasoil has peat amongst other things that will color the water initially.


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

aaah i understand now! thanks eklikewhoa, so it will go away with time and i dont need something to clear it like purigen?


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## bharada (Mar 5, 2004)

I love the rock work. Great job! 

Purigen will remove the color almost immediately. Otherwise it'll disappear on its own after a few weeks of parital water changes. When I set up a 20g tank with AquaSoil it initially looked like someone had poured a can of Mt Dew in it. :icon_lol:

Regarding adding Amanos shrimp to the tank, be sure you check your ammonia levels before you do as that's another thing that AquaSoil puts out in abundance initially.


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

will do thanks for the tips 
is there a simple way to test for ammonia, acutally wouldent ammonia rasie the ph? as it is a weak base, but maybe that is only in large quantitys and even small quantitys are enough to kill shrimps and fish?
anyone know anything about this?


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

Ammonia liquid test kits are probally best, the small stick on Ammonia "meters"(plastic cards with colors on them" probally are very inaccurate.
i don't think ammonia raises ph, but i know if your ph is above a certain point, it becomes deadly-er, and below a point and it's harmless.


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

ok yeh your probly right, does anyone have any advice on acclimatising amano shrimp?


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

D..d..d...d..d..d.d.dd.dddddrip. would work.


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## bharada (Mar 5, 2004)

I typically add a drop of Prime to the bag water then do a 30-45 minute drip acclimation.


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

The tank looks very nice. I may want to do something like that in the future. What kind of rocks are those?


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

the rocks i hacked out personally from the old quarry near my house, i used my dads pick axe and it took ages, but i got exactly what i wanted!
it was fun and it made me feel cool!


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## Color Me Blue (Nov 10, 2005)

Nice!! Yes, you can grow riccia w/o CO2. I did. But you'll help it along faster by adding it/dosing excel. 

Love the rock placement too!


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

IME, riccia's most limiting factor is light. without plenty of light it's like watcking your fingernails grow!


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

well i have 16wpg!
im going to order some excel and get some amanos in there as theres a bit of hair algae around, will amanos eat hair algae?


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

FelixAvery said:


> the rocks i hacked out personally from the old quarry near my house, i used my dads pick axe and it took ages, but i got exactly what i wanted!
> it was fun and it made me feel cool!


Wow that IS pretty cool  All the rocks in my tank came from random places we have been to for vacation. So all the rocks are different, and I like all of them. I even think some rocks are from Argentina!!(where I was born). 



FelixAvery said:


> well i have 16wpg!
> im going to order some excel and get some amanos in there as theres a bit of hair algae around, will amanos eat hair algae?


They might, I mean they are known to be the most efficient algae eating shrimps, according to Tikashi Amano (hence the shrimps name). So I would say yes, but never having kept that species personally, I can not be sure. Either way having Amano Shrimp in your tank will make your tank ---------------------------- <That much better!
Shrimp tank > Shrimpless tank :icon_lol:


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

well my dads taking me out to the lfs to get some tomorow! 
should be cool, damn im hooked im already planning my next tank!
i have another tank (60l trampy goldfish undergravel filter) so i was thinking of doing a driftwood, crypts and stem layout for it! but ill need like 12l of aquasoil so i might have to have a sand foreground

resguy can I add you to msn?


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

work in progress , but looking alot better now









































what do you guys think??! a 1 week cycle with the help of seachem prime!
the fish are fine and have been under close observation since monday!
they are so nice! black phantom tetras rule!
i just started dosing excel so finger crossed for a growth spurt!


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## Solstice (Jan 9, 2006)

It looks absolutely fantastic Felix. I love it. Now stop spending all your money on fish and go get a tripod for that camera!!! :tongue:


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

thanks solstice, yeh i keep nagging my dad to bring one of his home from his studio!


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

i think you just need photography practice. although, a tripod helps.


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## guitardude9187 (Aug 22, 2006)

tripod = photo p'wnage


awesome tank and the two lights are sssssaaaaawwwwweeett looking


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

thanks guys 
getting amanos tomorow! woo!


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

Woh, dude the tank looks great! Way better than mine of course, mine is more of a shrimp tank than planted tank. Great job and those Tetras are quite nice, I have seen them in my LPS.


FelixAvery said:


> well my dads taking me out to the lfs to get some tomorow!
> should be cool, damn im hooked im already planning my next tank!
> i have another tank (60l trampy goldfish undergravel filter) so i was thinking of doing a driftwood, crypts and stem layout for it! but ill need like 12l of aquasoil so i might have to have a sand foreground
> 
> resguy can I add you to msn?


Sweet! I know what you mean, I got hooked the same way and the only thing that is stopping me from more tanks is my 14 year old budget and I've never received an allowance :icon_roll Anyways recently I sold my male Veiled Chameleon for $150 and I am going to use that money for a 27 gallon setup. And I also have a 10 gallon tank in my room that I got for free from some guy who was dumping it. So yeah I have the tanks not the cash. 

I think that driftwood layouts look really sweet so I am looking forward to your next tank thread 

Of course you can add me, just read my signature  My username is [email protected] .


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

I just got some more plants, u know why? cos there was no plants hardly behind the rocks!
im just waiting for the water to clear before i snap some pics!


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

FelixAvery said:


> I just got some more plants, u know why? cos there was no plants hardly behind the rocks!
> im just waiting for the water to clear before i snap some pics!


Awesome  Looking forward to those pictures :thumbsup:


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## Gill (Mar 20, 2005)

Awesome Looking Tank, Love the rock work


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

i got 4 amano shrimp today! they are so cool ive spent hours looking at them
note the growth of the background and side plants


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

Ive worked out why the pictures are so in need of a tripod!
1/4 second exposure! DOH!
I will try get better shots later today, and a shot of my shirmps
a cool thing they do is graze on the lichen left on the rocks, and when they move from the big rock to the other prominant rock they jump the gap! its really cool!

I will have to trim the riccia soon, the clumps are just about neutrally boyant!


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

The tank is looking great Felix  Nice job


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## mrbman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

FelixAvery said:


> i got 4 amano shrimp today! they are so cool ive spent hours looking at them
> note the growth of the background and side plants


I agree, they are fun to watch


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## yoko (Mar 16, 2007)

FelixAvery said:


> 2 ikea 40w lights - 16wpg


Hey Felix!! Thanks for your suggestions on my build- you posted your wabi-kusa in my Thread, although I could not recognize any of the plants. The plant I got from the river the other weekend is still alive and doing well, even without fertilizer 7 ball thingy:smile: 

I was just at Ikea yesterday, looking for lights but couldn't find anything. Do you have pics of your light set up??


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

ill show you what i used
1 sec ill find it on the ikea website 
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stor...tId=10794&langId=-1&chosenPartNumber=30051494
i used that for the wabi-kusa, but dont use the bulb it reccomends
find one that have like a flourescent and has a circuit board in the side

the ones that are over my scape arent avaible in the us
but this is similar
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stor...tId=10795&langId=-1&chosenPartNumber=80050265

hope that helps


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Love the look of this tank, but the heater sticks out like a sore thumb. Is there any way to hide it amongst the back behind some plants?


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## yoko (Mar 16, 2007)

FelixAvery said:


> ...
> the ones that are over my scape arent avaible in the us
> but this is similar
> http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stor...tId=10795&langId=-1&chosenPartNumber=80050265
> ...


AH I was looking at that light for a long time, but wasn't sure what bulb would fit so I didn't get it!! 

haha I just wrote you on turthead's Thread:tongue:


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

yeh ive managed to hide it a bit better now, its up the side near the top by the filter, i can only see the end of it really

the rocks are starting to turn a nice greeny color, but the shrimp are anoying me lol, they dont do any cleaning and just sit around all day!
might get some cherries instead as they are nicer

so far the hairgrasses are slowly turning immersed, and the riccia is flourishing, actually today i got some glosso in the post and planted some small clumps of it around the place
im still dosing excel but have yet to see a difference


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

waah my filter konked out, i will have to buy another!
will my fish be ok for a few days?


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

woo i just had my first day of work at the lfs!
was fun!
used some of my wages to buy a replacement filter to the one that broke!
EHEIM 150 liberty - this thing is a monster!
puts out a lovely strong flow!

the fish are still doing fine and the riccia has really bloomed!


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

new furniture just WAITING to have an ada 60-p on it!









wabi-kusa


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

Love the Wabi-Kusa Bowl


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## yoko (Mar 16, 2007)

OMG I want you slippers :icon_eek: :icon_eek: :flick: :hihi: :hihi: 

new furniture just WAITING to have an ada 60-p on it!
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n301/Hunter_1989/DSCN1385.jpg[IMG]



I thought you put it on the stove haha :biggrin: :icon_lol: 

wabi-kusa
[IMG]http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n301/Hunter_1989/DSCN1390.jpg[IMG][/QUOTE]


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

lol yeh my slippers rule, my brother got them for me
what are u talking about a stove lol?

and thanks yoshi!


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

Dude, that filter looks badass XD The tank looks nice:thumbsup: And congrats on your first day of work (I have yet to wait  )


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## erodstrom (Apr 9, 2007)

Great tank, it looks like you had a strong sense of what you wanted before starting.... I wish I did that...


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

thanks guys
update: the excel has really made the plants take off and im seeing great growth, still alot of alge on the glass as i havent been able to find an otto
shrimps have shed which freaked me out


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

Glad to hear Excel helped with plant growth, bummer that you haven't found an otto yet ..


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

yeh no otto and all my shrimps are like dead or gone

good news it i payed off the debt for this tank and can now start on the 15gal!
wooo


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## eklikewhoa (Aug 29, 2006)

Ammonia/cycle problems?


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

dont think so maybe i overdosed excel?

tank update: rubbish! riddled with alage, the problem stems from the damn hairgrass which was sold to me as immeresed, but was clearly emmersed, its basically rotting away and that is causing the algae


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

update
tank looking nice again, hairgrass out, e.tennelus spread out. algae gone
4 new OTTOS  and some new background stems
pics to follow


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

update 1 otto is dead 
i can only see 2 atm so another is probly dead also

edit
ok this is crazy just took the hood off my hob filter and saw a shrimp living in there, he crawled down into it so i waited for him ot emerge and used my tweezers to gently coax him to the ride of his life, down the outlet slide
hurrah not all my shirmps are dead


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

as of yesterday!


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

looks mature, nice.


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## valleyvampiress (Apr 25, 2005)

I love the lights you used. They look unique and clean. Your tank looks excellent! Is it possible to get a close up shot?


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

thanks guys, ill take more pictures once the plants have recovered from trimming


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## MrJG (Feb 21, 2007)

Tank is looking sweet bro. 
Good to hear that you have some shrimp left, i wouldn't worry too much about loosing the otos from my experience they are very delicate especially in the first 24-48 hours.


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

thanks, yeh i stil have two which means they are here to stay hopefully
I added in some plants, im going to try and do a nice shot without any equipment
i also added some crypts just for my own enjoyment, you cant really see them


here we go


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

Gorgeuss scape felix!
it looks awesome in that pic, the riccia filled in nicely.


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

thats dufus, ive trimmed thoose untidy plants RIIIIGHT down to like 4cm
and so ill be excited to see them grow into a massive bush


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

The riccia?
Do you have problems getting all the trimmings out of the tank? I do.


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

i meant the stems, i always take all the equipment out of the tank to trim that way you can net all the trimmings out really easily


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

Heres an update, some night shots of the tank, plus a view of my next setup  im soo excited 
also my new wabikusa, in the bowl of the old one, but, this one uses my ferts and substrate mark II also alot better composition using my WK-nets and other products im developing. all this wild growth after 2 weeks


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## Gerald the Mouse (Jun 19, 2006)

Don't know if you stated this earlier, but what is the stocking of your tank?


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

sweet shots.
Another WK test huh?
Sweeeet.


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

atm i have 2 ottos 1 amano shrimp
and 8 black phantom tetras
hope that helps


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## volatile (Feb 13, 2007)

FelixAvery said:


> atm i have 2 ottos 1 amano shrimp
> and 8 black phantom tetras
> hope that helps


Is that too much for a 5 gallon, especially considering that your rocks take up so much room? I have an ADA Mini Garden M which is 5 gallons (but not a cube) and I want to stock it with multiple tetras too (cardinal or glow light) or rasboras but I'm afraid the tank is too small for them to live comfortably. 

I really like your tank by the way. Your rocks look better than any rocks I've seen in fish stores here. Too bad there are no quarrys for me to go gather some rocks..


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

thanks for the volatile comments (or the other way around )

Usually when you go into fish stores they say how big is your tank to ensure you dont over stock - LIE 
what they dont realise is that a tank with a large plant mass and good filtration can handle far more waste than a fish only tank. This is due to the fact that plants eat ammonia and nitres and that aquascapers carry out WC's more frequently than mere mortals.
I would reccomend up to 10 small fish maybe 20 - 25 cm in all, but with this you will need a heavy plant load (no soil showing) and I would also reccomend and maximum of 2 ottocinclus and as many inverts as you like.

remember i do have one beast of a filter, turning over 570lph in a 25l tank.

I am considering taking out the phantoms and going for 5 leopard danios and more inverts, thoughts?


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

FelixAvery said:


> This is due to the fact that plants eat ammonia and nitres and that aquascapers carry out WC's more frequently than mere mortals.
> 
> I am considering taking out the phantoms and going for 5 leopard danios and more inverts, thoughts?


LOL!!
mortals huh?
so we're super humans?

I like the idea of more inverts, but the PT's add alot of interest. i bet the leos would too though.


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## Lucky_13 (Apr 18, 2006)

it is possible to overstock planted tanks a bit more easily than non planted tanks, however its not just a matter of bioload, but also swimming space. like i wouldn't put danios in anything smaller than a 3ft tank because they are so hyper.


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

*runs to check how long 3ft is*
well ill ask my boss what he thinks, we keep them in a display tank thats 12" at work and they seem fine so


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## Color Me Blue (Nov 10, 2005)

Beautiful tank!!!


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## FelixAvery (Jan 11, 2007)

thanks for the comments

the R.nanjeshan seems to be recovering well but im still trying to find a bettter plant for the right background
any suggestions?


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