# My First Planted Journal - Juwel Rio 125



## AndyN (Jun 2, 2006)

Wow! Your plants look so lush. I wish mine could look like that!


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

I love your betta, reminds me of me, if i had a choice between beutiful colored bettas, or the ugliest betta, i choose ugly every time!


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## vollphann (Jun 3, 2005)

Very nice! Beautiful tank and pics. thanks for sharing! I'm working toward that kind of growth....but gotta long way to go!


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Thanks for the comments guys, its early days yet and its not as I want it.
I started it about 5 years ago to keep a goldfish, but I have passed the goldfish to someone else since then and decided to start a planted tank.
Upgraded the lights added an external filter and some DIY CO2, want to get presurized with PH Controller eventually (one thing at a time).

I will keep this post updated


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## sfcallen (Dec 13, 2006)

Nice flora and fauna!! Great choice of plants.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Just a little update, spread the HC a little more and also added some riccia to some rocks as you can see below:


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## Roc (Mar 16, 2007)

I can't believe all that good growth with only 48watts of light. Makes me feel silly I have so much light and my growth looks nothing like yours


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

iroc said:


> I can't believe all that good growth with only 48watts of light. Makes me feel silly I have so much light and my growth looks nothing like yours


Sorry its 4x24w :icon_roll my mistake! Upgraded two week ago from 2x24w T5 and 2x18w T8


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## Finch_man (Mar 21, 2006)

Do you dose any fert in this tank?? Looks very nice!


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Finch_man said:


> Do you dose any fert in this tank?? Looks very nice!


Daily dose of Kent Botanica Fe, K, Vita and Grow.
Just ordered all the stuff to try out gregs ferts, will change to that soon.


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## Roc (Mar 16, 2007)

LondonDragon said:


> Sorry its 4x24w :icon_roll my mistake! Upgraded two week ago from 2x24w T5 and 2x18w T8


Well then now I don't feel bad


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Quick update, after a week needing a trim 

Full View:


HC & Riccia:


Riccia:


So far so good


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## RESGuy (Jan 15, 2007)

Very nice growth  I really like the Riccia on those rocks :thumbsup:


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

RESGuy said:


> Very nice growth  I really like the Riccia on those rocks :thumbsup:


Thanks, the intention is that the Riccia will join together as one big ball! Lets see if that is possible.


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## CampCreekTexas (Feb 28, 2007)

That is really beautiful!! I can only dream about something like that right now. But you do inspire me.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

CampCreekTexas said:


> That is really beautiful!! I can only dream about something like that right now. But you do inspire me.


Thanks  my setup is very simple anyone can achieve this


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Finally got the list together, might have missed a plant or two and hopefully the list is correct! 

Fauna:

10 x Harlequin rasbora
3 x Ottos
11 x Amano Shrimp
4 x Small Clown Loaches
6 x Corrydoras
3 x Rainbowfish
1 x Clown Pleco
1 x Betta Splender
2 x Platies (Male & Female)
Assorted Guppy/Endlers Mix


Flora:

Anubias barteri var. nana
Nymphaea lotus (zenkeri)
Hemianthus callitrichoides ''Cuba''
Vallisneria americana 'Mini twister'
Riccia fluitans
Amazon Sword
Ludwigia repens ''Rubin''
Cabomba caroliniana
Cardamine lyrata


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## anfield89 (Oct 19, 2006)

Hi LondonDragon.

This is my first post on this forum!

I live in London as well (not many of us about on this forum), where did you get your HC from? 

I live north of the river and tend to go to Crewes Hill in Middlesex (if you know it), Home Marine, Wildwoods etc. Never seen HC for sale there though.

I'm also trying to get hold of some Blyxa, which seems to be impossibe here!

Ta.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

anfield89 said:


> Hi LondonDragon.
> This is my first post on this forum!
> I live in London as well (not many of us about on this forum), where did you get your HC from?
> I live north of the river and tend to go to Crewes Hill in Middlesex (if you know it), Home Marine, Wildwoods etc. Never seen HC for sale there though.
> ...


Hi, I purchased my HC in a shop in Great Portland Street, Central London.
It was the only time I saw it there so I grabbed a couple of pots of it. 
I was also after some Blyxia lately and also failed to find it in the shops.
You can buy it online, I have purchased stuff from this website before and they do a great service, they have both HC and Blyxia.

http://www.aquaticplants.eu.com/index.html

Hope this helps, good luck


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## Roc (Mar 16, 2007)

for you UK'ers try going to http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showforum=27 it is a forum just like this but centered in the UK


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## Rhea (May 29, 2006)

I'm hoping to plant up my Rio 125 in the next few months, and wondered if you had any problems before adding the external filter? 
I ended up removing the internal filter from my other Juwel tank and was hoping I'd be able to save some money on this one !

Have you had any probs adding the additional lighting?


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Little update after a good trim on all plants.

Front:


Riccia:


Amano Shrimp:


Some of my Fish:








Male platy a little confused! lol


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Just a quick update, added some riccia meshes in an attempt to cover some of the gravel since the HC didn't really work out.

Full View:


Riccia on Rock


Riccia on Stainless Steel mesh


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Here is another update, removed the first mesh of riccia on the left hand side, thats where the clown loaches enter to the plastic tube underneath the plants so they kept throwing gravel all over the first mesh.

Full Tank Shot:


Riccia on rock and on mesh:


Amano Shrimp on riccia mesh:


Riccia on Rock:


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## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

where did you find the steel mesh?


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

RachPreach said:


> where did you find the steel mesh?


The meshes I purchased them on ebay as usual, ebay is now my local shop for everything LOL link below, I made an offer of $4 and they accepted it.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=250033649741


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

Plants are nice and full  I love the Rainbow macros :thumbsup:


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

jaidexl said:


> Plants are nice and full  I love the Rainbow macros :thumbsup:


Thanks  I have to take some more of the fishes soon


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

Im in liverpool , not tooo far from lonDon, lol.
im very impressed with your tank, and i jsut dont understand why i cant get results liek this, what substrate is in teh tnak.
thnaks


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

zach said:


> Im in liverpool , not tooo far from lonDon, lol.
> im very impressed with your tank, and i jsut dont understand why i cant get results liek this, what substrate is in teh tnak.
> thnaks


Here we are all neighbours  its just normal gravel, which is not the easiest to plant, some friends told me to do a complete strip and change the gravel when I upgraded the equipment but I stuck to it to see how it it would develop, some plants are potted in their original pots or they would just get uprooted in no time, so far so good  I am glad I didn't spend a fortune on proper amazon soil.

Just pently of light, enough CO2 and ferts and I am getting the right results.


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

its very nice anyway, which species is that to the roght, teh green bushy 1 cabomba?
how much c02/ light you use.


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

ther maust be more to it, how can you grow HC in gravel


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

zach said:


> its very nice anyway, which species is that to the roght, teh green bushy 1 cabomba?
> how much c02/ light you use.
> ther maust be more to it, how can you grow HC in gravel


thanks 
I have found out that its not cabomba, shop had it labbeled as something else which now I forgot :icon_roll 
I have two CO2 nutrafin kits, and I use DIY recepie, change one at the weekend and the other midweek for contants CO2 flow.
Lights I have 4 x 24w T5, on from 12noon until 8:30pm

The HC lasted a couple of weeks and died off.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

The riccia on the rock is probably one of the best i have seen. Nice job!


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

ahh shape about teh hc, i have 4 x 30 w t8s, all differant bulb types, coudl i get thsi kind of growth from them do you think


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

gmccreedy said:


> The riccia on the rock is probably one of the best i have seen. Nice job!


Thanks, the hard part is keeping it on the rock


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

shape = shame Lol


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

zach said:


> ahh shape about teh hc, i have 4 x 30 w t8s, all differant bulb types, coudl i get thsi kind of growth from them do you think


I have a couple of Clown Loaches and the HC was always up at the surface of the water, so after replating it on a daily basis I kindda gave up on it lol

If you have a 25G then the lighting should be more than enough, what you using as fertelization?


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

5 c diy c02 - excel flourish - kent freshwater plant ( eco comign soon)


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

zach said:


> 5 c diy c02 - excel flourish - kent freshwater plant ( eco comign soon)


For the last couple of months or so I have been using the following dry ferts, use them every other day, Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursday:

KN03 (Potassium Nitrate) (1.4 gm)
KH2P04 (Mono Potassium Phosphate) (0.4 gm)
K2S04 (Potassium Sulfate) (0.4 gm)

And also Tropica Plant Nutrition 10ml and Kent Botanica Fe 2ml on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Do a 50% water change on Saturday or Sunday.

If you want a UK site that sells all the stuff let me know.


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

yes i do . ta buddy i thought id have to get dry ferts from us


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

zach said:


> yes i do . ta buddy i thought id have to get dry ferts from us


http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/ all you need is there


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

wow mega plant site  ta


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Added a couple of plants, rotalla to the right and one which I am not the name to the left.
The riccia is doing well, the riccia I added to the branch at the back is really growing fast, the riccia on the rock became loose so I had to tie it back down and not doesn't look as good any longer and the riccia on the mesh is groing but not at a rate i like, think the light as trouble reaching that deep since the riccia on the branch is growing fast and always pearling and near the gravel does not pearl, distance from light to gravel is 50cm.

Full Tank:


Riccia on branch (view from above):


Riccia on Rock and mesh:


Left hand side:


Right hand side:


Riccia ballon, just a silly test held on a rock by a string:


Hope you enjoyed the photos 

Any comments and critics always welcomed


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

looks sweet man, those ricc ia meshes realy work, tryed a reflector on your lights, what lights do you use btw?
i rescaped my tnak today il take sum pics and show u in a min


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

zach said:


> looks sweet man, those ricc ia meshes realy work, tryed a reflector on your lights, what lights do you use btw?
> i rescaped my tnak today il take sum pics and show u in a min


My lighting unit already as reflectors built in. 4x24w T5


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

mmm idoubt that lack fo lgith is the lower riccias problem, lol 4 x t5 is liek max isnt it?, prett ymuch 4 wpg, i ahve 4 wpg of t8


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

hey london dragon chek my new scape , the link on my sig. tell me wat you think, only done today, and realised i dotn av enough eco, so im guna buy more plant substrate tomorow for the plant half


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

zach said:


> hey london dragon chek my new scape , the link on my sig. tell me wat you think, only done today, and realised i dotn av enough eco, so im guna buy more plant substrate tomorow for the plant half


So far looking good, I like the beach section, you just have to let the plants grown now and organise them as they grow


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

Ta mate , iv put it in teh photo section ( in my sig ) , i liek teh riccia mesh, look better wen you cant see the mesh


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

zach said:


> Ta mate , iv put it in teh photo section ( in my sig ) , i liek teh riccia mesh, look better wen you cant see the mesh


Two of the meshes filled in nicely pretty fast, the other two are struggling, no idea why!


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## rodney (Apr 10, 2007)

It looks like you have a water fall effect of Riccia! 

Looks great, Given me plenty of ideas for my next scape.


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## vibes_jedi99 (Jun 20, 2007)

very nice plants and fish. I love those riccia look great


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

rodney said:


> It looks like you have a water fall effect of Riccia!
> Looks great, Given me plenty of ideas for my next scape.


Never really thought about it as a water fall, guess I will have to take that idea and see if I can create something better with it  thanks for that and for the positive comments.



vibes_jedi99 said:


> very nice plants and fish. I love those riccia look great


thanks for the positive feedback


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Just a quick update of the Riccia I place on the tree branch I picked up at Hyde Park Corner in central London.

Riccia pearling:


Riccia on the tree branch:


Another close up:


Critics and comments always welcomed!


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

how many fish


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

zach said:


> how many fish


4 Clown Loaches (which I am trying to re-home)
4 Corrydoras
4 Rainbow fish
6 Ottos
14 Amano Shrimp
10 Harlequim Rasborras
2 Platies
? assorted guppies (keep getting moved to breeder tank)
1 Clown pleco

White Betta that I had not long ago passed away.

Don't think I forgot anything


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

And Do You Ever Get Algae. I Have Similiar Fish Numbers But Get Algae


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

zach said:


> And Do You Ever Get Algae. I Have Similiar Fish Numbers But Get Algae


Never, not even on the glass! Only clean glass once every couple of weeks.


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

i have 2 x cardinals
5 x ottocinclus
6 x Cory
2 x glow light tetra
4 x khuli loach
1 x borneo sucker
1 x bristle
1 x amino
2 x red rams
4 x chequer board cichlids
2 X ALTUM

Total: 30
in my 25 G, how often do yuo feed?

i geusw it could be cos you use dry ferts, i baught soem off that site btw, N1


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

zach said:


> in my 25 G, how often do yuo feed?
> i geusw it could be cos you use dry ferts, i baught soem off that site btw, N1


Seems a little too stocked, reason I am getting rid of the clown loaches on mine.

I feed mine twice a day, morning before I leave for work and evening when I get back, not too much just enough so that everyone one eats something. A combination of flakes, granule, pellets and frozen foods. Once every couple of weeks I feed them live shrimp or small blood worms.

Good look with the ferts, note that just dry ferts is not enough.


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

wow you feed them 2s a day i feed miena tiny bit every day or otehr day, and yes i use the dry ferts and a tsp of kent fresh water plant and flourish


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

zach said:


> wow you feed them 2s a day i feed miena tiny bit every day or otehr day, and yes i use the dry ferts and a tsp of kent fresh water plant and flourish


What kind of filtration do you have?


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

eheim 2215, 3 stages of sponge layer, ltos of floss, ceramic peices, and bio balls at top


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## Pac-Man (May 14, 2007)

I like your tank alot. I have a 29 too and am using DIY c02, nice to see someone else doing the same. Only got a 1x65 PC though. You've got a great sense of depth in this tank, and the plants look great. Nice job! :thumbsup:


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## J-WS6 (Jan 29, 2007)

nice tiger lotus...props, not too many rock those on here


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## Jessica (Mar 1, 2007)

Beautiful tank! So clean and pristine!!


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## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

LondonDragon,

Your riccia pictures are way cooler than mine! Nice work!


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## George (Sep 11, 2004)

Hi LondonDragon, 

Impressive aquascape and photography. Please tell me you're entering this into the PFK Aquascaping contest.....

I have a Rio 125 too btw - http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/205056-post60.html


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Thanks for the positive comments guys  Much appreciated



Pac-Man said:


> I like your tank alot. I have a 29 too and am using DIY c02, nice to see someone else doing the same. Only got a 1x65 PC though. You've got a great sense of depth in this tank, and the plants look great. Nice job! :thumbsup:


I will eventually upgrade to pressurized, did try with the Hydor but the replacement 92g cannister were not cost effective. Yeah you just need a little bit more light, they do say one watt per liter. Thanks for the comments.



George said:


> Hi LondonDragon,
> Impressive aquascape and photography. Please tell me you're entering this into the PFK Aquascaping contest.....


Someone did mention that but I am not sure if I will do it, need to find some more information about it, when it the deadline? Any ideas? thanks for the comments.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Hi guys, just a quick update, all is going well, the riccia in the meshes was not growing thoughout as I planned so this weekend I just re did it, since it had grown very fast on a couple of meshes, I now had enough to place a proper spread all over the 4 meshes. Will need to wait a couple of weeks for it to fully develop now, should notice growth by the end of the week.

Angled tank shot after a good trim of the plants and just before the water change:


As usual comments and critics always welcome


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## fish_lover0591 (Nov 11, 2006)

wow your tank looks great!


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

yeah dragon that is one beasty tank, amazing you have no special gravel


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## George (Sep 11, 2004)

LondonDragon said:


> Someone did mention that but I am not sure if I will do it, need to find some more information about it, when it the deadline? Any ideas? thanks for the comments.


http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=276

PM me your postal address and I'll send you an entry form. I'm sure you're entry will be competitive. I'm one of the judges....


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

your tank looks better than ever, seems alot brighter, differant camera options? 

Could you please state your full dosign regeime in term of tsp. thanks


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

fish_lover0591 said:


> wow your tank looks great!


Thanks 



zach said:


> yeah dragon that is one beasty tank, amazing you have no special gravel


Just proves you don't need to spend lots of money on gravel to get good growth 



George said:


> PM me your postal address and I'll send you an entry form. I'm sure you're entry will be competitive. I'm one of the judges....


PM sent, many thanks



zach said:


> your tank looks better than ever, seems alot brighter, differant camera options?
> Could you please state your full dosign regeime in term of tsp. thanks


I use a gram scale to measure the exact amounts, rather than trying to work it out with a table spoon 

+/- 1/4 tsp KN03 (Potassium Nitrate) 3x a week (1.4 gm) 
+/- 1/16 tsp KH2P04 (Mono Potassium Phosphate) 3x a week (4 gm) 
+/- 1/16 tsp K2S04 (Potassium Sulfate) 3x a week (4 gm) 
The above 3 on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday

Tropica Plant Grow 3x a week (5ml) Kent Botanica Fe (2ml)
The above on Monday, Wednesday and Friday

50% weekly water change on Saturday.

Brighter photo just diferent settings on camera!


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

now im relay confused
isnt 1/4 tsp - 1 quarter of a tsp and 1/16 tsp - 1 16th of a tsp
?


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

zach said:


> now im relay confused
> isnt 1/4 tsp - 1 quarter of a tsp and 1/16 tsp - 1 16th of a tsp
> ?


should be a 6th of the spoon! better to use a gram scale, brought one on ebay! and as you can see so far so good


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## zach (May 28, 2007)

EBAY is the way! ta


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Been away for some time  Tank is still doing great will take some photos soon to show new developments. 
Got a mention this month on Pratical Fishkeeping Podcast (Paulo Leal's Tank) very happy about that 

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/blog.php?blogid=158

More updates soon


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## Dan in Aus (Feb 10, 2008)

Awesome tank great work


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Dan in Aus said:


> Awesome tank great work


Many thanks


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Hello everyone, 

Over the last couple of weeks I have been moving things around. I had 3 Clown Loaches in the tank for just over 3 years from my time before moving to planted and they were causing havoc with uprooting plants etc... they were rehomed last Saturday and gave me an oportunity to redo somethings and get the tank back on track.
My place was a building site for about 6 months and the tank was just left there feeling very neglected, since I was doing a lot of the work myself after my job, there went the evenings and weekends. The only plants that didn't survive was the Riccia and HC, and the green plant I had on the left hand side which I have no idea what it was called. Also on the left hand side underneath the plants there was a large 15cm diameter by 30cm long plastic tube where the loaches used to hide which I have now also removed. During that time the Anubias grew like mad now I have lots just from one tropic pot, silly me left them out too long while moving things about and some of the leaves dried out 

The plants have been trimmed quite a bit so needs a couple of weeks to grow back, last week got a couple of pots of HC which I planted on the left hand side and this week received some glosso and mosses, which I planted yesterday. The glosso is away pearling which I guess its a good sign, I am trying it on my pea size gravel and see how it goes, if it doesn't hold I will change the gravel.

OK enough for today, here are some photos I just took.

Full tank shot:









Created a moss wall on the back of the tank using a wire mesh, just want to see the effect when it grows.









And a photo of my favourite fish 









As always comments and critics always welcomed.
Thanks for looking


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Hi everyone,

Just thought I would give you another update before the water change.

For comparisson, here is last week Saturday:









Here is today:









Since the last update the glosso and HC is starting to fill in, its been a bit of a strugle as my corys go digging in the middle of it and end up uprooting it, I have been replating it every day as it floats.
Also added some Blyxa to the middle, due to this have placed the weeping moss mesh at the back on the horizontal, its starting to show signs of growing now, not fast by any means hehe
Over the last week I have only been dosing TPN+ as I ordered a bottle by mistake of my usual TPN, I will keep dosing this until I get my pressurised system which should arrive any day now. Once I get the CO2 system installed I will move to complete dry ferts.

Full tank shot and a couple more photos of plants:



























Thanks for looking, as always critics and comments always welcomed


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

That looks very lovely! I think the blyxa addition was a really good move. The plants look lush and healthy, and I love the height you've gotten with them!


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Thanks Laura, I also really like the Blyxa, got it of a member of a forum as I haven't seen it on sale here in the UK, except in one online shop and I am really happy with it, looks great


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Just another quick update, I have now added the pressurised CO2 system, only been up and running for two days.
I have also moved to complete EI fert dosing with the addition of MgS04. Since the last update added a little piece of bogwood with some branches on the left hand side, and to it added some dwarf riccia.

For comparisson, this is two weeks ago:









This is today (moved the lighting a little back to highlight the moss wall):









This is a close-up of the weeping moss wall:









And this is a close-up of the glosso, did a trim of some older leaves that were developing some algea.









Thats all for now, critics and comments always welcomed


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

The moss wall won't expand beyond the mesh, will it?

I love the bright green of the cabomba; but I'd probably switch it and the crypt out- IMHO putting bright greens in the back and darker colors up front tends to give a tank better perception of depth?

The moss on driftwood really highlights that piece; I hadn't even noticed it before! :thumbsup:


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Another week, another update 
Its been a week since the pressurised CO2 as been running, I have noticed the plants pearl more often than they did before and its also the first week with complete EI.
I am noticing some problems though, looks like I am getting some tiny hairy algea on some of the plants and also some of the older leaves are getting holes when before they didn't, any ideas? Funny thing is the algea on the Anubias has cleared almost completely. The HC and the glosso are also not doing very well, they getting algea on them and the HC is looking dark green.

Here is the tank today:









Top view of the glosso:









Riccia on branch:









Another close up (have quiet a few trumpets of all of suden):









Thanks for looking, critics and comments always welcomed


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Looks awesome in the pics!!!

What are your CO2 levels running?


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

lauraleellbp said:


> Looks awesome in the pics!!!
> What are your CO2 levels running?


Thanks, I am running at 1-2 bps


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Another week another update  Not a lot as changed since last week, have been dosing Easycarbo (5ml perday) since I received my order on Tuesday, also have setup a new diffusor, wasn't very happy with the glass diffusor.
I am now using the Hydor diffusor, its working very well, and I am much happier with it. Pump only comes on when my CO2 comes on and goes off at the same time as CO2.
I have noticed less algae in the tank over the last week, but since dosing easycarbo I have noticed my water is not clear like it was before, its slightly cloudy, something to do with Easycarbo and the EI ferts?

Here is the tank last week:









Here is the tank today:









The HC is recovering but its still not great, glosso is mixing with it:









The glosso is doing much better now and its filling in great:









One of the two corrys:









My two Rainbows:


















I am currently happy with the right hand side of the tank, and now just working on the left, the weeping moss wall is coming along great too, I quite like the effect.

Thanks for looking and feel free to critic and comment as always


----------



## SeaSerpant (Feb 20, 2008)

I really like your clean fresh pictures. I think it looks great. are you going to expand your moss wall to the whole aquarium? Everything has filled in nicely. what do you have for stocking? (sorry i ask everybody this)


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

SeaSerpant said:


> I really like your clean fresh pictures. I think it looks great. are you going to expand your moss wall to the whole aquarium? Everything has filled in nicely. what do you have for stocking? (sorry i ask everybody this)


Thanks for the comment, I am considering expanding the wall further, I have doubled it a couple of weeks ago and its kindda looks nice, like the effect when its grown.

Stock at present:

2 Rainbow Fish
2 Ottos
10 Harlequin Rasbora
1 Clown Pleco
2 Corrydoras
6/7 Guppies/Endler (some fry also)
10 Amano Shrimp
20 Red Cherry Shrimp

Thats about it


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## SeaSerpant (Feb 20, 2008)

I like the stocking list. (may sound weird) I like the wall but in my aquarium it might be pretty bad b/c it's so big.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

SeaSerpant said:


> I like the stocking list. (may sound weird) I like the wall but in my aquarium it might be pretty bad b/c it's so big.


I am happy also with the stocking list, might get a couple more rainsbows will see, worried they might eat my cherries.
The moss wall I am really just trying it out, just some moss off a forum member and giving it a go, so far I am happy with it, going to let it grow more and see the effect I might expand it further 
Yes if the tank is too big it might not look that nice, but if you like great and jungle then its perfect


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

the tank looks very deep with those moss wall at the back. nice rainbows, add some more. i have like 12 boesemanis and never regret to bought them.


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## rasetsu (Oct 11, 2007)

LondonDragon said:


>


Great looking tank. The above picture makes me a little sad. I had 6 in my 75 gallon and just lost one of them. Definetly my favorite fish. They ate all of my RCS though. Suprised you still have yours.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

ikuzo said:


> the tank looks very deep with those moss wall at the back. nice rainbows, add some more. i have like 12 boesemanis and never regret to bought them.


I am betting on the moss wall at the moment and see how it looks when fully grown, the rainbows are nice but the tank is small to have too many, think 4 is the maximum I will stay with these two for the time being and see.



rasetsu said:


> Great looking tank. The above picture makes me a little sad. I had 6 in my 75 gallon and just lost one of them. Definetly my favorite fish. They ate all of my RCS though. Suprised you still have yours.


Thanks, and I understand its hard to take it when you loose a fish, I lost two of the rainbows also, I had two blue dwarf, not sure what happened they just died.
I have noticed that the sights of the RCS are less and less, I guess it wasn't a great idea to add them to the tank, might get a RCS breeder tank going and only moving the larger ones to the main thank.

Thanks for the comments guys


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## phanizzle (Jun 28, 2007)

nice tank and awesome pictures, what camera are you using?


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

phanizzle said:


> nice tank and awesome pictures, what camera are you using?


Thanks  I am using an old Konica-Minolta 5D (now replaced with the Sony Alpha 100/200) with a Tamron 90mm Macro lens.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

A quick update on how the tank is developing, the algea has now completely gone, there is only a small amount on the oldest leaves of the anubias but I guess thats expected. 
The algea on the rotala and blyxa has disapeared, the glosso is now doing pretty well and I have cut almost all the old leaves that had some algea on it and its look very healthy now  its been slow for the glosso but its getting there, maybe when it starts getting cramped I will uproot it and replant it. Will then at that time get rid of the HC which is not looking any better, seems to be stuck in time, some light green leaves and lots of dark green leaves.
Gave the tank a really good trim this weekend, couple of photos to show how its looking today:

Here is it last week (post for comparrison):









Here how it looks today


















As always feel free to coment and critic


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Another quick update, just letting things grow in, needs a bit of a trim at the moment might do that later one when I do the water change. The glosso is really taking off now, might need to replant it soon. My Red Cherries are out more often now, they seem to love the moss wall, thats were I spot them all the time.

Here last week:









Here is today:









The Glosso looking really healthy:









And a few more photos of the plants and one of the Rainbows:



























Has always comments and critics welcomed  thanks for looking


----------



## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Few people have been asking what plant is this and that so I decided to create a diagram:

Original Photo:









Diagram:










1. Rotala sp. ''Nanjenshan'' (Mayaca) ?? not sure about this one
2. Bacopa monnieri
3. Anubias barteri var. nana
4. Limnophila sessiliflora
5. Hemianthus callitrichoides ''Cuba''
6. Ludwigia repens 'Rubin'
7. Blyxa Japonica
8. Vesicularia ferriei (Weeping Moss)
9. Glossostigma elatinoides
10. Cryptocoryne undulata
11. Taxiphyllum sp. (Spiky Moss)
12. Nymphaea lotus (Green version)


These two cannot be seen on photo:
13. Cryptocoryne parva (growing in the middle of the Ludwigia repens)
14. Riccia sp. 'Dwarf' (growing at the top back floating for a test)


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Hi guys,

Just a quick update, just took some photos earlier this evening, not a lot as changed the plants have grown quite a bit, just letting things fill in, received the materials today to building the new moss wall, got more of the stuff than what I really needed, going to create a moss wall for my new shrimp breeder tank also, and should have enough left for a couple more tanks LOL
Things are looking great, this week added the "Limnophila aromatica", a few stems melted away but whats left is looking pretty good, I have increased the CO2 a little also to help it along, I am going to use some of the plants from this tank for the new 60l, like the anubias and some of the crypts. Since I moved the crypts about a few months ago, now I have small crypts growing everywhere, guess they are coming from the roots that were left in the gravel.
The tree branch that is in the tank is temporary, was thinking of using it in the shrimp tank so its just there to sink.

Now to some photos, tank last week:









Tank today:









One of my two corries on the glosso:









The Limnophila aromatica on the left hand side of the branch:









Close-up of the tank:









Comments and critics always welcomed  thanks for looking


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## CobraGuppy (Sep 23, 2007)

Wow, nice tank. I love your moss wall.

I think the driftwood sticks out a bit too much though, maybe cover the front a bit with some blyxa/L. aromatica?


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

i like the tank. the driftwood looks good IMO. what i would do however, is put the anubias in front of the asian ambulia and let the asian ambulia grow a little larger.


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

that's a huge cory compared to the glosso leaves.


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## Ozymandias (Jan 17, 2008)

what type of cory is it?


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

CobraGuppy said:


> Wow, nice tank. I love your moss wall.
> I think the driftwood sticks out a bit too much though, maybe cover the front a bit with some blyxa/L. aromatica?


Many thanks, the branch is the temporary, going to use it in my shrimp tank, just there to get it to sink.



@[email protected] said:


> i like the tank. the driftwood looks good IMO. what i would do however, is put the anubias in front of the asian ambulia and let the asian ambulia grow a little larger.


The branch like i mentioned before is going soon, the anubias might be moving also to my low tech shrimp breeder tank. Going to move a few things about soon, thanks for the recommendation.



ikuzo said:


> that's a huge cory compared to the glosso leaves.





Ozymandias said:


> what type of cory is it?


To be honest I have no idea what type they are, if anyone can help identify them  I have two in the tank and they are pretty big. Had them for about a year now.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Hi Guys,

Last night the football was boring so I decided to do some work on the tank, cleaned the front glass that I hadn't cleaned in about 3 weeks and trimmed some plants. Last Saturday I purchased some plants also which I can't remember the names now so I will post the names of those later on. The plant on the right hand side (Limnophila) as taken a very big trim yesterday so looks a little low now, it will grow back up in a couple of weeks.
Other than the couple of extra plants added not much as changed really, its just growing very well, and the glosso is getting thicker by the week, didn't realyl want to go through the pain of replanting it again but looks like I will have to do it sooner rather than later.
Enough tank and here as some photos 

Full Tank Shots:


















Moss wall looking good also:









The glosso:


















Other shots:



























Never had much success with hair grass, so thought I would give it another go:









Comments and critics are always welcomed  thanks for looking


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

The plants look amazingly healthy and lush! Gorgeous job.

I think the cory is C. septentrionalis http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=390


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

lauraleellbp said:


> The plants look amazingly healthy and lush! Gorgeous job.
> I think the cory is C. septentrionalis http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=390


Thanks Laura and thanks for the ID, after checking some photos on google it does seem like that species


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Just another quick update since the water was so clear today! Was checking the camera after cleaning it and took some more photos. The plants I couldn't remember the names last time were as follows:

Added over the last two weeks:
Staurogyne sp.
Nesaea Pedicellata
Rotala Rotundifolia
Limnophila Heterophylia
Eleocharis Acicularis

Removed last week:
Rotala sp. ''Nanjenshan'' (Mayaca)

Think I will stop adding plants now and move on to the 54l that is cycling, this one just needs to grow now and be enjoyed. I am almost happy with this one, not sure what I will do when it gets to a point that there isn't more I can do with it. Don't really want to re-scape it either, might just try to maintain it the way it is and just move the plants around as they grow.

Full tank shot:









Top of the tank:









Bottom half:









Spiky Moss growing very well and algae free:









Glosso, also algae free:









One of my lovely corries:









One of my Rainbows:









Also I have noticed over the last week that the plants are all pearling like never before, might have been due to the increase on CO2 when I introduced the L. Aromatica.

Comments and critics always welcomed


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## lekyiscool (May 27, 2008)

beautiful cory! his shape is very nice

and also nice tank the moss really adds a lot


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

lekyiscool said:


> beautiful cory! his shape is very nice
> and also nice tank the moss really adds a lot


Many thanks, first time trying moss, only got them about 2 months ago, very happy, also got Xmas moss in my new tank.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

your rainbow has an excellent blue hue.


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## chonhzilla (Apr 22, 2008)

clean!


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Thanks guys  Rainbow colour is a little saturated!


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Just another quick update, plant wise nothing as changed just moved a couple of things around and gave most of them a good trim. What I have added this week was a couple of rocks and a piece of redmoor wood.
I like the colour of these rocks thats the reason I went for them so will see what you guys tink about it, not 100% sure on position yet but I didn't want to move too many things to get them in for the time being.
Also this week gave the glosso a good trim, its not looking its best after that but I hope it will just fill back in again, trying that first before tanking the step of replanting it all.

Here is the tank last week:









Here is the tank today:









Small rock under the moss:









Close up of smaller rock:









Top of the larger rock:









Large rock:









Comments and critics always welcome


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## CobraGuppy (Sep 23, 2007)

I love the new look. The rock in the last pic helps break up all the green and contrasts nicely.

How did you get your blyxa to grow short in the front and tall in the back? Did you use the Blyxa Aubertii in the back?


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## Chrisinator (Jun 5, 2008)

Wow! Beatiful! I need we need to come up with aquascaping tips!


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## Dkle (Apr 11, 2004)

Beautiful! I love how everything blends in so nicely in a mature tank. The blyxa looks awesome. I love the bosemani rainbows as well.


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## resowner92 (Jul 23, 2007)

nice redmoor u got there wish i had the money for it  also love the new look


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

CobraGuppy said:


> I love the new look. The rock in the last pic helps break up all the green and contrasts nicely.
> How did you get your blyxa to grow short in the front and tall in the back? Did you use the Blyxa Aubertii in the back?


Thanks  got some mixed views about the rock, I like the colour reason I picked it, will see in a weeks time if I am still happy with it.
The Blyxa I got off a forum member and I just planted the larger stems at the back and shorter at the front and its been growing like that ever since.



Chrisinator said:


> Wow! Beatiful! I need we need to come up with aquascaping tips!


Many thanks  Just need a good eye to place the plants in the right place regarding colour and growth and then just sit back and watch it all blend in.



Dkle said:


> Beautiful! I love how everything blends in so nicely in a mature tank. The blyxa looks awesome. I love the bosemani rainbows as well.


Many thanks  Bosemani are my fav too, shame the tank is not that big to had a large shoal of them, maybe if I get the new 500l tank 



resowner92 said:


> nice redmoor u got there wish i had the money for it  also love the new look


Many thanks, the redmoor cost me £1.20 or $2.40USD so doesn't really break the bank hehe


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## trace_lynn (Apr 15, 2003)

Lovely tank! Both the plants and the fish are great. I also really like the larger rock, the color and the chiseling type shapes on it are nice. Can't really see the small one but the shadowy-ness of it I like. I would definitely not mind staring at that for a few hours instead of the TV!

Great work all around!


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## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

Nice work.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

trace_lynn said:


> Lovely tank! Both the plants and the fish are great. I also really like the larger rock, the color and the chiseling type shapes on it are nice. Can't really see the small one but the shadowy-ness of it I like. I would definitely not mind staring at that for a few hours instead of the TV!
> Great work all around!


Many thanks, its been a long road but now is a nice focal point in the living room, really pleased how its coming along. I have added another rock will post some photos on the next update.



fshfanatic said:


> Nice work.


Many thanks


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## rasetsu (Oct 11, 2007)

Everything looks great!


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

rasetsu said:


> Everything looks great!


Many thanks


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## NstyN8 (May 9, 2008)

Very Nice! I especially like the mosses. A very clean tank!


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

NstyN8 said:


> Very Nice! I especially like the mosses. A very clean tank!


Many thanks  I never had mosses until a few months ago and very happy with them, never thought they could look this good, then again was used to seeing java moss!


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Hi guys just a quick update, things are looking up, things are growing faster and faster in the tank and I see so much pearling now even the mosses are pearling lol, this week added some Monosolenium Tenerum (Pellia) and Fissidens splachnobryoides (which later found out is non-aquatic so will see how this does, the amano shrimp seem to love it).
Decided to trim the glosso again this week, trimmed it just over a week ago to test and it grew back pretty quick and stong so this week gave it another proper trim see how it reacts this time, hopefully by next week it will be looking lush again.
Also decided to try one more stone on the right side of the Blyxa, really like this mini landscape rock 

Tank last week:









Here is the tank today:









Spiky moss in the center:









Close up of the glosso, in the middle the two new additions:









Another close up of the glosso:









The hairgrass is growing nicely for the first time in my tank:









Separated and replanted the Staurogyne sp.:









New addition to the tank, was too fast and this is the best shot I could get, will try another soon:









My rainbow:









Comments and critics always welcome, thanks for looking


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

I think it looks amazing. I like all the bright colors and dark colors mixing together. Very nicely done.
And your fish look happy


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Orlando said:


> I think it looks amazing. I like all the bright colors and dark colors mixing together. Very nicely done.
> And your fish look happy


Many thanks Orlando


----------



## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

REALLY NICE!! You have quite a flare for this!


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Tex Gal said:


> REALLY NICE!! You have quite a flare for this!


Many thanks Tex  I am getting the hang of it, still a lot to learn


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

i like the moss, they grow beautifully. 

what's the plant that you tied down there? whatever it is, i hope it will fill in the midground there. it still looks pretty empty.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

ikuzo said:


> i like the moss, they grow beautifully.
> what's the plant that you tied down there? whatever it is, i hope it will fill in the midground there. it still looks pretty empty.


Its Pellia and I am hoping it will fill in nicely to give a contrast between the carpet and the higher plants.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Just some photos of the tank, the L. Aromatica is growing pretty nicely, I think I am going to move things around and plant it to fill that left hand corner completly. and maybe move the anubias which are behind it to the front and see how it looks.
Also the Blyxa is looking great, the Skipy moss took a huge trim the other day when I sent out to 4 board members now needs to grow back again, still plenty there though. The Lilly is shooting new leaves on a daily basis at the moment.

Over the past 2 weeks I have been running 6x24w T5 on this tank just to see how it reacts to high levels of light, I have increased the CO2 slightly and also the ferts to cope with the extra light. So far I am seeing great results, specially from the L. Aromatica and the Glosso is growing ever more compact afer the trim I gave it a couple of weeks ago.

Some photos:



























Critics and comments always welcomed, thanks for looking


----------



## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

they're filling in nicely!!!
nice glosso lawn.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

ikuzo said:


> they're filling in nicely!!!
> nice glosso lawn.


Many thanks


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## mybrotherdarrell (May 28, 2008)

Beautiful tank! I think you did a good job with size, plant choice and 'scaping -this tank looks much bigger than a 29g.

Definitely makes my 29 look like a box of water.  Good inspiration!


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

This tank is wonderful for regular gravel, I have 55gal with gravel and I could only wish to get mines to grow like your tank. 

Simply Stunning!!!!!!!!!!!!

SUBSCRIBED


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## NstyN8 (May 9, 2008)

What is that grass-like plant next to the L. Aromatica?


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

mybrotherdarrell said:


> Beautiful tank! I think you did a good job with size, plant choice and 'scaping -this tank looks much bigger than a 29g.
> Definitely makes my 29 look like a box of water.  Good inspiration!


Many thanks, and hopefully the journal will give you some pointers in the right direction.



rekles75 said:


> This tank is wonderful for regular gravel, I have 55gal with gravel and I could only wish to get mines to grow like your tank.
> Simply Stunning!!!!!!!!!!!!
> SUBSCRIBED


Many thanks, just takes the right level of light and CO2 then pump it full of EI ferts 



NstyN8 said:


> What is that grass-like plant next to the L. Aromatica?


Its Blyxa Japonica


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

wow, awesome tank. That glosso is amazing!


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## mizu-chan (May 13, 2008)

Your glosso is simply beautiful!
This is a wonderful tank with so many lush plants!


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## MedRed (May 20, 2008)

Amazing tank and beautiful pictures!


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Thanks guys, yesterday took the scissors to the glosso and now its looking pretty awfull lol now it will need a couple of weeks to get back to full health, was getting to thick and was starting to rot underneath.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Just a quick update, my glosso was way too thick so it started rotting away at the gravel and this morning half of it uprooted, so was time for a major change and replating the glosso.
Moved a few plants about and also the rocks and wood, was a shame as I was starting to like the way the tank was going but oh well gave me the day to do something in the shade its way too hot outdoors at the moment.

First turned it into a Paludarium:









All the plants and hardscape:









After replating it all:









Left Side:









Right Side:









Photos not very clear as I just filled it up, I have since also replanted the glosso, what a nightmare of a job! Took forever to sort it out and to replant it. Can't wait until it fills in again, was a nice learning experience anyway, now I know I have to keep on top of it all the time with the trimming and never let it get too thick.

Now I have to wait a couple of months before it looks decent again :|

Thanks for looking and as always comments are welcome


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Hey guys/gals, just another quick update a week after the rescape. Haven't really done much apart from chopping up the moss wall and sending the mosses to a few users and you can see the glosso planted now. Still trying to get some donnoi to create an effect betwen the carpet and the stem plants, going to the LFS this afternoon so will see what they have in stock.

Here some photos taken this morning:














































Comments and critics always welcomed  thanks for looking


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## Lorenmws (Jul 27, 2008)

I'm jealous, my tank has been up for awhile and your tank still looks better when It's half full off water and your plants are on the ground!


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Lorenmws said:


> I'm jealous, my tank has been up for awhile and your tank still looks better when It's half full off water and your plants are on the ground!


Hehe thanks, if you need some help or advice just ask


----------



## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Planted the 5 pots Pogostemon Helferi that I got yesterday afternoon after a visit to the LFS, here a couple of photos how it looks now:

Before:








After:









From above:









Just have to wait and see how it grows, planted it pretty compact, lets see how it does. First time I am trying this plant.
Also purchased for Apistogrammas, they were too shy yesterday to face the camera, will see if today they come out for some photos.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Excellent tank. Healthy growth, good composition.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

How does the Hydor CO2 diffuser work? Do you like it?


----------



## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Thanks gmccreedy 



ZooTycoonMaster said:


> How does the Hydor CO2 diffuser work? Do you like it?


Yeah its great, breaks up the CO2 into really tiny bubbles the flow disperses them better into the tank, and it doesn't put any pressure on the CO2 tubbing.


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## MedRed (May 20, 2008)

I adore this tank... looks great!


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Thats just beautiful  Well done


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Was cleaning the tank and decided to take some photos of the Moss wall, its made of Weeping moss if you missed earlier posts 





































Problem with a moss wall is keeping the top of it tidy and clean, after a prune it becomes cluttered with bits of the plants you just prunned, mine as taken life at the top, its growing glosso, HC and some riccia lol here a photo:










Water was still a little cloudy, thanks for looking


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

LondonDragon said:


> Was cleaning the tank and decided to take some photos of the Moss wall, its made of Weeping moss if you missed earlier posts
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
You will have a new plant soon GlossyHCia. 

Looks good by the way. I tried a moss wall a while ago, Mines did not turn out so good. I spread the moss to thin in the beginning so I gave up on it, Glad to see someone doing so well with it.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

lol, thats really cool


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

I will register the new species  thanks guys


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Couple more, was just messing about with the camera, trying a few things since its playing up and took these:



















Looks pretty cool when the neon is on, and you can see all the pearling in the tank.


----------



## CobraGuppy (Sep 23, 2007)

Woah, that looks so cool.

With that lighting, it doesn't even look aquatic! To me, it looks like a rainforest at night.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Thanks cobra, its just a LED strip that I purchased on ebay.

Just a quick update, after 4 monhs my CO2 bottle is running out, so it will be time to try a FE for the first time, going to be interesting that 

My glosso is filling in nicely, almost covered the front now, I prunned it at the weekend and now have new shoots going everywhere, here a quick photo:










Thanks for looking


----------



## Oscar17 (Dec 7, 2007)

Hello LondonDragon, I have a Rio 125 also, except mine is in black.
I noticed you upgraded your lights form the original factory specs.

Just wondering what you did with the built-in box filter. Are you using the sponges that are recommended or did you change something out?


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Nice. That looks great. Makes me want to try glosso


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Oscar17 said:


> Hello LondonDragon, I have a Rio 125 also, except mine is in black.
> I noticed you upgraded your lights form the original factory specs.
> Just wondering what you did with the built-in box filter. Are you using the sponges that are recommended or did you change something out?


Hi Oscar, I purchased a 4x24w luminaire of a german seller on ebay for £46 and later managed to get a 2x24w for £16, all with T5 tubes in them, must say I was pretty suprised I got them that cheap, they work great though and would recommend them. PM for details.
I left the original filter in there and just added an external filter, as I travel sometimes and my sister looks after the place when I am gone and she knows nothing about fishkeeping was safer to leave the internal in case the external broke while I was away. But if you had a powerfull filter like 1000lph then you won't need to keep the internal. I use the sponges that came with the filter and just buy cheap white sponges on ebay which I replace at every water change, the other sponges I just clean them in a bucked full of tank water once a month, and also clean the external once a month. I alternate cleaning of the filters every couple of weeks, that way always maintain bacteria levels high and avoid problems that might happen if you clean both filters at the same time. Hope that helps, anything else just let me know 



clwatkins10 said:


> Nice. That looks great. Makes me want to try glosso


Many thanks, if you were in the UK I would put some in the post at my next prune, but since you are in the states it would arrive dead!!


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## Oscar17 (Dec 7, 2007)

Actually, I was specifically wondering about the *Green* (nitrate scrubbing sponge) and the *Black* (carbon sponge).. Did your filter come with these? and are you using them? or did you replace with the neutral *Blue* sponges (like I did) or any other media? Just curious.

Love your set up by the way. I'm strictly low tech so 2nd filter, maybe in the future.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Oscar17 said:


> Actually, I was specifically wondering about the *Green* (nitrate scrubbing sponge) and the *Black* (carbon sponge).. Did your filter come with these? and are you using them? or did you replace with the neutral *Blue* sponges (like I did) or any other media? Just curious.
> Love your set up by the way. I'm strictly low tech so 2nd filter, maybe in the future.


Yes it came with those sponges but I have never changed them, just change the white fine one, the others just become normal sponges for bacteria in the tank, and just rinse all the other once a month in a bucket.


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## Oscar17 (Dec 7, 2007)

You re-use the carbon sponge?... You may find this interesting then. I took this strait from the Juwel Rio 125 manual: _ "Replace the black activated carbon sponge every 4-6 weeks. Again, if you have large fish then this may be to be more frequent. This ensures that any chemical impurities from the water will be removed. Please note that the chemicals which are absorbed by the activated carbon contained in the sponge, will be released to the water again if the change intervals are too long."_ 

It doesn't say the same for the Green sponge.. but I replaced both black and green sponges with blue ones anyway. Cheers! and thanks for the feedback.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Oscar17 said:


> I took this strait from the Juwel Rio 125 manual: _ "Replace the black activated carbon sponge every 4-6 weeks. _


_

Yes it says that, they want you to buy more sponges, once their effectiveness runs out, they become just sponges, the same as the blue ones! So found no point in spending more money on blue ones!_


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Took some more shots today, did a water change yesterday and gave things a good prune. Nothing much has changed, just letting things grow, have reduce the lighting back to 4x24w, think the 6x24w was a bit too much.
Been slacking a little on the EI dosing and water changes, so have noticed some algae, will do another water change mid week to get things on track.

Here some shots of the tank:



























Comments and critics always welcomed


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## mizu-chan (May 13, 2008)

Looks great. Love the second shot with the betta front and center.


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## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

it looks great  so green and lush. the moss wall adds an awesome effect. i really like it. have you thought about replacing the l. sess with something that will grow better (less leggy) in high light?


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## cah925 (May 18, 2007)

stunning, absolutely beautiful!


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Thanks for the kind words everyone, much appreciated 



chris127 said:


> it looks great  so green and lush. the moss wall adds an awesome effect. i really like it. have you thought about replacing the l. sess with something that will grow better (less leggy) in high light?


Many thanks, I have noticed the L. Sess running leggy now since I upped the lighting to 6x24w, thanks for the idea and its something I am now looking into replacing, just have to find something that will suite that corner, any ideas?


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Some photos of my fish  the plants are just growing for now 























































And the Betta:









Thanks for looking, comments and critics always welcomed


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## mizu-chan (May 13, 2008)

Fish look great! You took some excellent shots :thumbsup:


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## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

the fish look great  



LondonDragon said:


> Many thanks, I have noticed the L. Sess running leggy now since I upped the lighting to 6x24w, thanks for the idea and its something I am now looking into replacing, just have to find something that will suite that corner, any ideas?


rotala corlata would add some color, ludwigia cuba would keep with the green (mostly), pogostemon stellatus would work too roud:


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

Awesome looking tank, very lush with the moss wall!


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Mnay thanks everyone


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## kotoeloncat (Apr 12, 2006)

wow, thats a dang nice moss wall you how did you do that ?


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

kotoeloncat said:


> wow, thats a dang nice moss wall you how did you do that ?


Used a plastic mesh with some plastic suckers to hold it in place then attached the moss over the mesh with some cotton thread.


Just a quick update with some photos, not a lot has changed, just letting things grow now and keeping the glosso trimmed and low, few photos for you to see whats going on so far.





































The Staurogyne sp. is doing better now:









So is the P. Helferi:









Close-up of the Fissidens Fontanus:









Hope you liked the photos and tank, critics and comments always welcomed.

Thanks for looking


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

beautiful plants, i see no algae at all. do you have some rasbora espei there with the harlequins? they're beautiful


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## fishboy87 (Feb 19, 2008)

I have an extremely hard time picturing the tank look any better than it already is


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## mizu-chan (May 13, 2008)

Beautiful.


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Cant be said enough " very nice tank you got there " .


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## prettyrustyrobot (May 23, 2007)

so, so pretty.

great job!


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Many thanks everyone for the kind words, there is still much room for improvement 



ikuzo said:


> beautiful plants, i see no algae at all. do you have some rasbora espei there with the harlequins? they're beautiful


Just the Harlequins  many thanks


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## jcardona1 (Jun 27, 2008)

that is incredible!


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

i'm sure i see some espeis there. the ones with the little black mark like hengeli but with the brown body. nevermind.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Thanks guys


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Hi guys/gals, just a quick update.

Few things have changed in the tank, lost some of the fish in the tank for no apparent reason, added three new ottos and problems started after that so not sure if they were the cause, anyway I lost the corries, the Aspistogrammas, and some of the ottos including the new ones. So for now I will let things as they are regarding fish, now I have left the 2 rainbows, 10 harlequim rasbora, 2 ottos, 1 betta, 1 clown plec (I think its still there) and some amano and red cherry shrimp.

Also since I couldn't find the dead fish I had to strip the tank to clean it properly and decided to uproot the plants and redo the moss wall, took the oportunity to learn from the moss wall what I did wrong before and make it right this time.

Here the tank after the clean up, with no moss wall:










Here two days later with the new moss wall:





































Here is yesterday:









Fissidens Fontanus:









Staurogyne sp.:









Helferi and glosso:









Thanks for looking, comments and critics always welcomed


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## Bk828 (Mar 11, 2008)

Very beautiful tank


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Bk828 said:


> Very beautiful tank


Many thanks


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## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

so whatd you do to the moss wall? looks great none the less


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Just a quick update, just letting things grow at the moment, haven't been to LFS so no new stems, just working with I got on the right hand side, still not happy about it. Have removed the Fissidens Fontanus from the redmoor wood and placed it in the shrimp tank as I had an algae issue with it, almost clearned now 
Got all the spare parts I ordered to sort out my external, it was leaking, new o-rings sorted everything 

Some photos:



























Taiwan Moss:









Spiky Moss:









Weeping moss wall:









Thanks for looking


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Love it as always


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

can i comment:
*WHOA!*
thats all i have to say.


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## SeaSerpant (Feb 20, 2008)

A quick and AMAZING update, GREAT JOB. Keep up the good work.


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## harmonyacre (Nov 24, 2007)

WOW!! Your tank is beautiful!!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

That's really, really lovely.

What plant is that to the right of the Downoi?


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

looks like staurogyne sp.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Many thanks everyone for the kind words, much appreciated 



lauraleellbp said:


> That's really, really lovely.
> What plant is that to the right of the Downoi?


Has fishman9809 said it is the staurogyne sp.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Quick update with some photos 

Due to problem with my luminaire, one of the ballasts went about 3 weeks ago, so things in the tank have been suffering.
I have lost almost all my Blyxa, my Donoi is almost all gone too, and the glosso started suffering too, the right hand side is a little bare and the rest of the glosso started growing upwards rather than as a carpet, plenty of trimming to try and keep it low.

I managed to purchase a replacement ballast online (EJQ ignored all my emails regarding the ballast, luminaire was still under warranty) and yesterday attempted a DIY install with success  I have now a fully working luminaira again.

Some photos:




































Moss wall:









Taiwan moss:









Managed to get this side shot:









Thanks for looking, comments and critics always welcomed by everyone


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Congrats on the fix! Tank looks beautiful as always!


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## Chrisinator (Jun 5, 2008)

How much maintenance does this tank need? Awesome tank, by the way.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

clwatkins10 said:


> Congrats on the fix! Tank looks beautiful as always!


Many thanks 



Chrisinator said:


> How much maintenance does this tank need? Awesome tank, by the way.


A 50% weekly water change and prunning once a week. Also the dosing of the dry salts 6 days of the week. Many thanks


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Just a little update, has some might have noticed on a old post I have a little bit of glosso growing emersed over the tubbing of my external filter spraybar, today while doing the weekly water change I noticed it was flowering 

Overal photo of the glosso:









Closer up of the glosso:









Close shots of the two flowers:


















Thanks for looking, comments and critics always welcomed


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

That's really cool  I wanna try to grow some glosso now


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

I really enjoyed this from the first to last pictures. Having a 29 gallon, it's really inspiring as many i see (including my own) have trouble with "depth" and your's looks so full but still very "cohesive". I also just planted some glosso i got for free today, what a pain, i don't know if it will work with my lighting but this is inspiring to me, if it works, i know it will be the right choice. I only did a small portion so far, i didn't have enough nor did i want to do more until i know it will work.

Great tank though, love it.


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## rekles75 (Feb 25, 2008)

Ok I have been quiet for too long, We need updates now.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

This tank is now just to keep some plants healthy until I rescape it 

Only photo I have of it the is recent:










Thanks for looking


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## Cyriss (Feb 15, 2009)

Very beautiful and inspiring!


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Just a quick update on this tank, I am putting my rescape on hold so now I am testing a few things, I am running this pretty high light now and high CO2 and also the main reason for keeping it going full planted is to test the auto dosing system which has been running 3 weeks now, during this period I haven't dosed EasyCarbo at all, its working great.

Some photos of what the tank looks like at present:














































Thanks for looking


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## Northern_Wind (Nov 1, 2008)

beautiful tank! So lush!


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Northern_Wind said:


> beautiful tank! So lush!


Many thanks


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Been taking a few more photos today, the tank was starting to get some algae so I have now upped the CO2 and the dosing.
Rather than dosing 40ml per day I have set it to dose 40ml on Mondays, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, 80ml on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I am also dosing a couple of tea spoons extra per week of Trace and the anubias are loving it.

Well lots of photos for you guys to see whats going on:




































































































Thanks for looking  critiques and comments always welcomed


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## Etrnlwanderer (Mar 14, 2009)

Hats off to you LondonDragon. It took me more than an hour to read your entire thread, and boy was it worth the effort? It sure was! Both visually and informatively. 
I'm a newbie on this forum, based in India, and I have been out of the loop as far as aquariums go for the past 10 years or so. Your journal has been more than a boost to making me want to dive head first back into this wonderful hobby.
Will be keenly watching this thread and I will occasionally pester you for some tips on how to set up a tank that will be at least half as good as yours.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful tank and expertise with us.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Etrnlwanderer said:


> Hats off to you LondonDragon. It took me more than an hour to read your entire thread, and boy was it worth the effort? It sure was! Both visually and informatively.
> I'm a newbie on this forum, based in India, and I have been out of the loop as far as aquariums go for the past 10 years or so. Your journal has been more than a boost to making me want to dive head first back into this wonderful hobby.
> Will be keenly watching this thread and I will occasionally pester you for some tips on how to set up a tank that will be at least half as good as yours.
> Thank you for sharing your wonderful tank and expertise with us.


Glad you enjoyed the thread  and good luck with your tank, if you have any questions just fire them my way, either here on via PM but on the thread its always best has it helps other people too  
Many thanks


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Haven't updated this journal in a while, here is how the tank was looking before I planted the HC, and moving towards lower maintnance plants in half the tank.


















After finishing planting the HC in the tank, I have some of it melting away, but that seems to have stopped and its pearling away everyday when I get home. I was not happy with the EI solution, it was getting my tank a little cloudy and was seeing some algae, so for a test I have been using TPN+ for the last couple of weeks.
Water has remained crystal clear all week and plants have developed much better colours too and the algae is gone.
Going to carry on using TPN+ for a few more weeks and then go back to EI and see the differences, might have to increase the EI solution, maybe it was not strong enough.

Photos right after planting:


















Thanks for looking. Comments always appreciated.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

that's a ton of HC to begin with!! looking great. I really love this tank...my kind of tank.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

malaybiswas said:


> that's a ton of HC to begin with!! looking great. I really love this tank...my kind of tank.


Cheers. Was lucky enough to be given this by another forum member that was tearing his tank down, a lot of it has melted away, lets hope what is left starts spreading now


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## mountaindew (Dec 10, 2008)

Very well kept aquascape!
It has a balanced look and feel to it!
-md


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## rbarn (Mar 21, 2009)

Bloody brilliant ............ y'all ....... hehe :thumbsup:


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Many thanks guys  comments much appreciated (keeps me going and try to achieve better hehehe)


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

So you've switched over to hc?
I like it


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## eiginh (Sep 3, 2009)

*update?*

*BUMP*

Your tank is amazing! It's very inspiring and motivates me to not give up with my 10g. I'm really jealous of how you grew your moss wall and the moss on wood. I have moss in mesh tied on wood and it isn't growing as bushy as yours are.  

This thread has been going for about 2 years now haha good job!


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

This tank is still going, here some of the latest photos:





































Thanks for looking


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## DarrellAR (Mar 5, 2010)

London: You might look at the Aquatic Quotient site under the thead "Mosses and the men who love them - Part X" and you will find a fern gametophyte that makes a nice wall. Frode Roe (Foxen.com) nice site with some good ideas (Dutch Style)


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## Pootie (Mar 5, 2010)

marked for goodness.. I had a Reef tank for a whilee. And i am in the process of moving and want to try my hand at a planted tank. I got some good ideas from your thread... Good stuff.


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## kcrossley (Feb 22, 2010)

Nice job! If I changed my tank that much everything would be dead. God must have really given you a green thumb.


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## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

i really like this tank!!


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## !shadow! (Jan 25, 2010)

Something about the look on this gravel l can't put my finger but w/e it is, it goes well with the plants you have. Nice job!


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Many thanks guys, I am considering getting rid of the gravel and replace it with a fertile substrate, just to have better success with carpeting plants.


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## !shadow! (Jan 25, 2010)

So a fresh new start i'm assuming?


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

!shadow! said:


> So a fresh new start i'm assuming?


If replacing the gravel yes, at the moment this is just evolving from scape to scape without doing complete tear downs.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Another update another photo, the new CO2 inline diffuser is great, very happy I purchased that  tank is now pearling like crazy, even the Fissidens fontanus is pearling! lol





























Photos just had a resize, and straight off the camera, the Tamron 90mm macro is a great lens! Shame the camera its attached to! lol

Think that is enough photos for one day haha


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## pmd5700 (Oct 27, 2007)

Incredible tank! Great photography skills too. What camera/settings are you using?

-Peter


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

pmd5700 said:


> Incredible tank! Great photography skills too. What camera/settings are you using?
> 
> -Peter


Thanks Peter, I am using a very old Konica-Minolta 5D (now replaced by the Sony Alpha series) and the settings were on auto.


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Well the tank is still going without a rescape, just keeps evolving from one to the next, here the latest photo taken yesterday:










Took the opportunity to make a video also: http://vimeo.com/13137723


Some older photos of the tank, fauna and flora:

Threadfin Rainbows:













































Moss:









Pearling:









Where its located in the room:









Pixie being naughty! (Portuguese Podengos)!









Thanks for looking, comments and critiques always welcomed


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## AkCrimson (Dec 17, 2009)

Gorgeous tank, I love the way it looks in your living area too!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I was admiring this tank just the other day on UKAPS.org. It is looking as lovely as ever. These are really great fish shots that you have gotten. I hope that I will have a chance to do a setup with threadfin rainbows some day.

How are those podengos in the house? Are they fairly well mannered?


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

AkCrimson said:


> Gorgeous tank, I love the way it looks in your living area too!


Many thanks 



hydrophyte said:


> I was admiring this tank just the other day on UKAPS.org. It is looking as lovely as ever. These are really great fish shots that you have gotten. I hope that I will have a chance to do a setup with threadfin rainbows some day.


The threadfins are lovely indeed, very peaceful you should get some for your ripariums 



hydrophyte said:


> How are those podengos in the house? Are they fairly well mannered?


They are great around the house, they only bark when someone knocks at the door and do not chew on anything other than their toys


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## xmas_one (Feb 5, 2010)

Amazing tank, I really enjoy the post, thanks for sharing!


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

This tank is one of the old legends of PTF


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Thanks guys  

Old Legend hehe


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## LondonDragon (Mar 15, 2007)

Was sent a few PMs regarding what happened to this tank, this tank is still going but not with the same scape, it was rescaped in early 2011!

Still went on for a little while:









But after a heater incident that basically boiled the whole contents of the tank, I had no choice but to start again, and now don't run any heaters on any tanks anymore!!










I then started a Iwagumi in this tank, here it is on day 1:










And 6 weeks later it looked like this:





























Month later:










Video: http://vimeo.com/23820732

And a couple of weeks more:






































The rocks turned a very light colour so I stopped cleaning them and gave it a more natural feel:



















Couple weeks later:




























Due to lack of time and work taking over the tank started suffering:





































And eventually the HC had to go:



















And slowly started turning into something else:




























And now looks more like a Jungle than a Iwagumi 



















Not sure what is going to happen next as my scapes tend to merge from one thing into another! Might get a new tank soon and start something else long term 

Thanks for looking 

More info can be found here: http://www.ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14998 (please remove is not permitted to post links to other forums)


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## fishboy199413 (Jan 20, 2010)

This is one of the coolest progressions I have ever seen and really love how it looks. For some reason people overlook the jungle looking tank which I think is one of the most natural ways to have a tank. Keep up the god work.


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