# ADA Mini-S: Riven



## Ugly Genius

This tank that I've named Riven is my first foray back into the planted tank hobby after a four-year hiatus. It's really, really good to be back!

I started this ADA Mini-S on July 4. The first picture I took of it was three days later on July 7th.










Here's the tank after a week up and running.




























I'm in no way as good in photography as so many people here on the forum. Coupled with the fact that my camera sucks, I can only beg forgiveness for the crappy photos. I tried.
And sorry for forgetting to put up my background.

*Lighting 26W - 40W*
In the beginning, light fell from a single 27W $19.00 Home Depot "Robocop" lamp. While this is a really good lamp for a tank of this size, I eventually replaced it for two 13W Ott-Lite Natural Light Supplement Plant Growth Lamps. 
I found these for cheap at Home Depot. The first was on sale for $24.95 (originally $49.99) and the second one I found a day later at the same store for .01¢! These are really good lamps as they are the _exact_ height as the tank and, due to their small form factor, allow for adjustable positioning around the tank. 
For a couple of hours every few days, I've been turing one of the 13W lamps off and using a 13W and the 28W for a total of 40W. I've been playing with fire doing this, however, as the plants are not established yet and algae is always looking for an excuse to crash a tank party.

*CO2*
CO2 is supplied by a DIY mixture in a Hagen canister to a glass diffuser. (The mixture is sugar + half teaspoon of baking soda + a quarter teaspoon of bread yeast.)
Prior to the DIY -- installed on July 8th -- I used 2x the recommended dose of Flourish Excel.
Soonish, I'll be getting the ADA CO2 system, as it's _so_ good looking -- it matches my MacBook in sexiness! One thing I can say about ADA stuff. It's sexy as hell.

*Fertilizers*
I dose Nature Aquarium Goods Green Brighty Step1 and Brighty K every day; a half-pump to one pump depending on a wildly-inaccurate and borderline-paranoid intuition of mine. Water changes have been done daily with one-half to one gallon of water.

*Filtration*
This is filtered by a Red Sea Nano-Filter. I'd go with a canister filter, but I've got this tank on my kitchen counter with no place to hide one and quite frankly, I find canister filters incredibly ugly.

*Substrate*
I've got a very thin bottom-layer of Nature Aquarium Goods Power Sand Special S covered by a 1.5" to 2.5" layer of Nature Aquarium Goods Amazonia. I love this stuff!

*Heater*
It's heated by one of those small flat Hydor heaters.

*Hardscape*
I spent way too much money on the rocks. They are Manten Stones from Aqua Forest Aquarium. Please tell me you like them because like I said, I spent _way_ too much on them.

*Plants*
There is no environmental theme for the plants I've chosen. (I term this method of choosing plants "NRWSE" -- for No Reason What-So-Ever.) 
Actually, that's not entirely true; I picked Based On Coolness. Forevermore known as "BOC".
Glosso, because it's awesome; HC because it was close to impossible to get four years ago and, like Glosso, is awesome; a Mini Java Fern which is incredibly cool as it looks just like a regular Java Fern albeit smaller; Anubias Nana "micro" which is even smaller than "petite" and is super-duper awesome; Four-Leaf Clover for it's contrast in color and height to the Glosso and HC; a small amount of Christmas Moss is growing under the rock of Anubias because Christmas is awesome and if I can have a bit of Christmas in my tank year-round...; and Pennywort which I don't like all that much but put it in there just to see how it does.

*Fauna*
I'm going to keep this tank algae eaters only. Right now I've got five Amanos and seven CRS. Eventually, I'll add some RCS from my 10 gallon breeding tank, but for now, I'm in love with the CRS and want to look only at them. 
While I love the Amanos for their dedication to keeping tanks clean, compared to the small, beautiful red-and-white-striped CRS, they look like big, lumbering jerks. (They tend to bully the smaller shrimp in my tanks.)

Anyway, this is my first trip back into this great hobby. As I'm still very rusty and have forgotten so much, any comments or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Ugly


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## mizu-chan

Welcome back! This tank is looking great, and has certainly made a lot of progress after only a week! :eek5:
Great looking tank, and can't wait for updates!


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## FrostyNYC

Very nice. I'm a fan.

Maybe move the glass diffuser to behind the java fern? The only other issue I see is that you have three different groundcovers, and I can definitely see them climbing all over each other and mixing once they take off.

For some reason, I think Ranunculus inundatus would look really nice in this tank. Maybe because its so small, unusual and eye catching (and doesnt require as much care as an erio or other eye catching plant)


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## Jack Gilvey

Love the tank and its name. More importantly, I clicked on a well-written and entertaining post...now _that's_ awesome 'round here.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks for the comments and suggestions, guys!

*mizu-chan*, thanks, it's good to be back. Feels like home.
I didn't even notice how much the Glosso grew in until I looked at the photos. It seems when you stare at your own tank day after day for what seems like hour after hour, it doesn't seem to grow at all. Then you look at a photo and you're like, "Damn, I guess they weren't plastic!"

*FrostyNYC*, thanks! I've taken your advice and put the diffuser behind the fern. I've done one better and replaced it with a highly-sophisticated, ADA-inspired prototype not yet available in the US market: a broken-off chopstick. While glass diffusers are awesomely awesome, in a nano tank, they _do_ tend to stick out. I wish I could find one the size of a thimble. Or what'd be even better is if someone made a glass chopstick!
As for the Glosso, Four-Leaf, and HC carpet plants, yeah, you're right. I'm going to let them compete and see who looks best. I'm hoping that they will play nice together and create a wonderful metaphor of color, texture, shape, and size for the world to see and learn from: it's the mixing and blending of all the differences that makes the world such a beautiful place!
But I'll probably end up yanking the HC and Four-Leaf as the Glosso is, metaphorically, like American pop culture -- it spreads _everywhere_.
If I can find Ranunculus Inundatus locally, I'm totally going to try it. You've got a good eye. I would have never picked it, but once you mentioned it, I thought, "Ah ha! _That's_ the part that's missing!"

*jgilvey*, thanks! The name is a cool, if I may say so myself. It was that or Glass Container with Water and Live Inhabitants. Riven rolled off the tongue easer, though, so I picked it.
And thanks for the compliment on the post. I did spend quite a bit of time writing it. It's nice to hear that you appreciated it. It' amazing how much we can write about things so small, isn't it?

Again, thanks for the replies, guys!


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## mizu-chan

Haha, I know what you mean. Don't even notice until they need a trim


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## ZooTycoonMaster

I don't think the tank cycled after 1 week Crystal Red Shrimp are very sensitive to any ammonia and nitrites, so they'll be the indicator if your tank is cycled or not. 

Nice tank! A little too much AquaSoil though


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## Ugly Genius

*ZooTycoonMaster*, not only are you 100% correct with regards to the insufficient cycle time, you also get good karma points for possibly and most likely saving some shrimp lives. 
This morning, I moved all inhabitants out of the tank and into the ten gallon. (Fully cycled.) While I did do a partial fishless cycle and use filter material from a cycled tank prior to the planting and introduction of shrimp, the cycle on Riven was not complete. 
This is to say I got impatient. 
Now the tank's empty of things that move and I'll keep it that way for some time now.
While it's not as fun to look in my tank and see only water moving, I can now up the CO2 without fear of hurting the animals.

As for the Aqua Soil depth, yeah, it's a tad deep. 
When I first set this tank up, I had considerably less -- 2 cm. in front, 4 cm. in back. (This is half of what ADA suggests in their "How to Layout-Making Manual".) At this depth, however, the Power Sand was floating up at the slightest provocation.
There I'd be walking through my kitchen to get something to eat and the Power Sand'd be all, "Hey, you call us, dude?" 
"No, I was just getting a soda from the fridge." 
"Hmm, we swore we heard you call us. Anyway, now that we're up, we'll just float around here. On the substrate. On the surface. Everywhere. So if you need us, you know where to find us." 
"..."
So I buried them in the 4 cm. to 8 cm. that ADA prescribes in the manual.
Does it look really stupid so thick? Now you got me all self-conscious about it. Like when you're talking to someone and they keep picking their teeth and you can't pay attention to the conversation because you're wondering if they're trying to tell you that you have a square of parsley stuck on your front tooth from lunch.









_I'm really hoping the Glosso, HC, and Four-Leaf play nice together._









_The Mini Java Fern and Anubias Nana "Micro". While it's not apparent in the photo, compared to "Petite" variety the "Micro" is hella, hella small._


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## ZooTycoonMaster

I love Four-Leaf Clover Here's a pic of it in my 10 on July 3:









Although I think the FLC and Glosso will overshadow the HC

And about the substrate, I think it's a little too late to remove some of it if you wanted to. But a good thing about it is that the plants get more nutrients:thumbsup:


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## CL

woah! Micro anubias? Looks nice.


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## Ugly Genius

*ZooTycoonMaster*, very healthy looking plants! 
I really dig the color and taller-than-Glosso height of FLC. Years back, I saw a Glosso carpet sprinkled with Four-Leaf Clover and it looked stunning. I'm trying to achieve that here. It's already sent out several runners per sprig of stuff I planted a week and a half ago but...
...Glosso is most certainly the fastest grower in this tank. I've already had to trim, replant, and even toss some.
As my experience with HC is limited to this tank and a brief foray in an experimental 2½ gallon, I'm not certain if it's growth is slow or consistent with other people's experience.
Yeah, I'm actually quite happy that I did the substrate as deep as I did. Some of the Glosso I replanted yesterday had roots over an inch long. Glosso _loves_ to dig deep in Aqua Soil, apparently!
BTW, the shrimp you "resuced" from this tank are all doing very well in my ten gallon breeder tank. They give you their thanks!

*clwatkins10*, Yeah, it's a really cool little plant. I'd never heard of it until I saw it at Aqua Forest here in San Francisco. Initially, I was skeptical and though I paid four dollar more than the "petite" for a "petite" that was nutrient starved and then labeled "micro", but I'm pretty sure this thing's legit. It's leaves are smaller than my pinky fingernail whereas a "petite's" leaves are closer in size to my ring finger fingernail.

Yesterday from Ocean Aquarium, I picked up some more shrimp. In the bag was a small clipping of a cool-looking moss that Justin, the store's owner, had been arranging in one of his tanks before he bagged my shrimp. I have no idea what kind it is, but I've planted it in a crevice of one of the rocks. Hopefully, soon enough it'll grow large enough for you guys to help me identify.


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## Ugly Genius

Here's a shot of my tank just now. 









_There's a picture above from roughly the same angle that was taken a couple of days ago. I'm pretty happy with the growth. (Actually, I just looked at the picture and they look pretty much the same. You have to trust me, there_ has _been growth. Really!_

The HC is kinda sorta getting itself going, but it's no match for the super-charged Glosso. (The stuff's growing crazy-quick!) The Four-Leaf Clover's holding it's own. Every day I have to cut back the Glosso, though.

Yesterday, I upped the CO2 to two canisters in an effort to get the HC kick-started. Apparently it worked, because after a day, the HC has spread quite a bit from the day prior.

I'm starting to see algae on some of the leaves. I'll hold back on feeding the plants tomorrow and do a 50% water change tonight after lights out.

I've started moving the filter from corner to corner depending on the day so as to ensure that all corners get adequate flow. Eventually, I might put another Red Sea Nano-Filter on the opposite side. (I noticed algae on the glass in "dead spots" that got inadequate flow.)

For a moment, I thought I had the start of hair algae. When I pulled it out, however, I found that it _was_ hair. Hair from my Golden Retriever, Zooey. Zoo, you should know, adores fish. He'll stare at my tanks for hours. As a matter of fact, he's why I got into fish tanks in the first place. I saw how much he liked them and got one for my place. Now I think he'd rather I walk him than spend so much time growing plants in water. 









_This is Zooey. 0 WPG, no substrate, no ferts, no CO2; just food, water, walks, fetches, hugs, pets, and love._


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## CL

wow, what great growth! Cool pup too!


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## MedRed

Your tank looks great. Zooey is awesome. I wish I had a fish watching pup.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, _CL_ and _MedRed_.

I'm having a ton of fun with this tank. 
While I made some mistakes with the rock layout: the rocks are too small, too uncharacteristic, and too close to the glass (making cleaning the glass a major pain), the tank _feels_ healthy to me. This feeling will pass with the first major and inevitable algae outbreak, but still, right now, I'm getting a feeling of satisfaction and contentment knowing that the plants are thriving.

I have two Goldens. Zooey, who you've met, and Franny. Franny is also a Golden Retriever, but she shows no interest in fish what-so-ever. Franny's vice is Kung fu movies. Franny loves them. Her favorite is _The House of Flying Daggers_.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

They grew that much with just DIY CO2 and a diffuser???? Did the bubbles get pushed around by the filter? I can't believe it:icon_eek: 2 :thumbsup:


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## Ugly Genius

*ZooTycoonMaster*, yesterday, I put the diffuser (now a chopstick) under the filter outflow so the bubbles did get pushed down and into the tank. That helps a lot, I think. I'm also dosing two bottles of CO2 now, so that helps as well. (As a matter of fact, I've got so much CO2 going in, I could probably add sugar and caramel color to the water and have Coke!)

More than anything, I think the growth can be attributed to Aqua Soil. I have experience with Flora Base, Eco-Complete, and Shultz Aquatic Plant Soil, and I've never seen growth this quick with any of those substrates. This stuff's incredible!


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## fish_fasinated

awsome tank, wish i could afford ada lol but hey someday im sure.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *fish_fasinated*. Yeah, save up and you'll get some ADA stuff in no time. It's worth the wait, I'd say.

Here's Zoo watching the tank. Pardon the dishes in the sink, the napkin used to clean the glass (of the tank not the dishes, unfortunately), the motorcycle gloves, the chopsticks (used to plant Glosso), this morning's (unwashed) coffee mug, the tupperware (used to top off the tank), the extra tubing, and anything else. 
I'm a bachelor -- I tend to revel in it.









And here's a plain old tank picture.


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## @[email protected]

careful with the glosso. it is already growing over a rock, and it will easily take over the whole tank if not trimmed often.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *@[email protected]*. Right after the photo was taken, I cut those leaves and a few others. Trimming the Glosso'll probably be a daily task. (Not probably...definitely.)

Here's a neat shot from above.









And an important update. I've cleaned the dishes!








_Yay me!_


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## Ishar

hahaha congrats on th empty sink!!!! 

I think the carpet of HC mixed with Glosso will look awesome!! Such a good idea


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## ZooTycoonMaster

I get confused when you call the dog Zoo:hihi:

Careful, don't drop the camera in the tank!

I like the overhead shot.

Have you tried finding Nerite Snails or something to clean the GSA off of the rocks?


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Ishar*. Eventually, once the HC takes hold, I'll trim the Glosso back and let the HC have more of the show. The Glosso'll be the "stem plant" and the HC'll be the carpet. That's the plan, at least.

*ZOO!*
Yeah, totally. Although if I were to drop the camera in the tank, I'd have an excuse to get a new one. I'd imagine that many peoples camera phones are more sophisticated than the circa 2001 camera that I'm using.
The other day I dropped a light in the tank. Luckily water never touched any electric parts.

I'll look for some algae eating snails of some sort. I'm reluctant to put any O2 breathers in the tank yet, though. The thing's got a lot of CO2 going into it. I have two Ottos in my shrimp tank on standby for Riven to finish its cycle. Worst case scenario is that they'll have a ton to eat when the cycle's finally finished.


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## fish_fasinated

Ugly Genius said:


> *I'm a bachelor -- I tend to revel in it.*


that right there explains why you can afford ADA! lol id be shot and single if i spent money like that on such a small tank! im hoping my 2.5g desk tank goes well and she wants one of her own! lol


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## Ugly Genius

*fish_fasinated*, yep, that's it exactly. I was in a relationship for a long time, so now is my time to do _my_ thing the way _I_ want! For now at least. The inevitable will come...
So I guess the question for a lot of us guys is happiness at home or an ADA tank?
You chose wisely.

Anyway, on tank front...
Had some pearling and growth and algae, but all in all the tank's doing well.



















Also, in my shrimp tank, I've got several berried CRS and RCS. It'd be cool if they had babies.


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## Nismo

Very nice progress cant wait to see the inhabitants move in. And did you say you got a lamp for .01¢ ?? BTW, are you glosso trimming able to propogate or rare they waste?

keep up the good work!


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Nismo*. 
I'm anxious to get some fish and shrimp in too. But at the same time, I like being able to be aggressive with my ferts, CO2 and maintenance without fear of hurting/bothering anything.
I did get one of the lamps for .01¢. Luckily, I was doing the self-checkout at Home Depot so I paid my .01¢ (via credit card!) and left.
I don't think I've ever paid one cent for anything.
I propagate some of the trimmings, but I'm starting to run out of room. Some has gone to waste, unfortunately. Not much, but some.
I've noticed that the HC, which is now taking off, is forming a wall that is blocking the Glosso from coming into it. Almost as if it were choking the Glosso out of its space.
At this point I'm rooting for the HC as I've never done an HC carpet and I think it'll look great once it's done.

I think this weekend I'll put a stem plant of some sort in-between the _Lion King_-looking rock and the Rock of Gibraltar-looking rock. Undecided as to what, however.
Suggestions?


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## ZooTycoonMaster

I feel like getting a chopstick as a diffuser and modifying my CO2 powerhead and grow some Glosso after looking at your pics:eek5:


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## Nismo

your running out of room ehh? well im not if you catch my drift ....


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## @[email protected]

your HC will still need help to not get burried under glosso. even if it grows tall enough and fast enough to keep horizontal stems out, glosso can and does propagate by underground runners.


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## Ugly Genius

Nismo said:


> your running out of room ehh? well im not if you catch my drift ....


Absolutely, *Nismo*. Once I get a enough left over, you're first on the list.



ZooTycoonMaster said:


> I feel like getting a chopstick as a diffuser and modifying my CO2 powerhead and grow some Glosso after looking at your pics:eek5:


What's up, Zoo! 
The secret is in the chopstick _and_ a rubber-band! The rubber-band makes the bubbles more Glosso-friendly! I still think the secret to the Glosso growth is the close lighting (the bulbs are, like, one inch from the water's surface) and the Aqua Soil.



@[email protected] said:


> your HC will still need help to not get burried under glosso. even if it grows tall enough and fast enough to keep horizontal stems out, glosso can and does propagate by underground runners.


Don't I know it. Glosso, in a CO2 and light-rich tank, grows like a weed. The HC will not win this battle without my help.

I'm leaning towards Blyxa japonica as a background plant. I think it's technically a stem plant despite looking like grass. Whuddya you guys think?


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## @[email protected]

it is a stem plant by growth structure. it has a stem and new growth happens along nodes on the stem. but it grows slow and dont expect to get the nutrient control benfits of stem plants with it. 

i might also consider riccia.


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## Ugly Genius

Hey *@[email protected]*. Thanks. Yeah, I was thinking more along aesthetic lines as opposed to the fast-growing, excess-nutrient-sucking power of a stem plant. I'm just thinking that the tank is lacking, I dunno, character. It's too sterile. Got no kick, ya know?
That's what got me thinking the Blyxa japonica would be a good balance. It's grassy, but tallish (for this tank). I was considering Dwarf Hairgrass too, but I did it before and I wanted to try something new.
I'd do Riccia, but that plant drives me nuts! It's beautiful, it pearls if you simply smile at it (and not even nicely), and has great texture, but it grows so fast and it gets everywhere. My patience is pushed far enough with the Glosso.
I appreciate your suggestion, though. If you have any other ideas, I'd really appreciate it.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> What's up, Zoo!
> The secret is in the chopstick _and_ a rubber-band! The rubber-band makes the bubbles more Glosso-friendly! I still think the secret to the Glosso growth is the close lighting (the bulbs are, like, one inch from the water's surface) and the Aqua Soil.


How does it make it Glosso-friendly? I'm not getting the whole concept of that:hihi:

And where do you do your shopping at? ADA store?


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## Ugly Genius

Hey *Zoo*. I see you're from the Bay Area, so I'll get specific with where I shop. 
The ADA stuff I get at Aqua Forest Aquarium on Filmore. Have you ever been there? Awesome place. 
I also go to Ocean Aquarium on Cedar. Justin, the store's owner, is so knowledgeable, patient, and kind its ridiculous. Every one of his tanks, and there are dozens upon dozens, are 'scaped. You can rest assured that any fish or shrimp you buy there are at the peak of health.
I get some stuff at Aquatic Central on Ocean Avenue as it's close to my house.
Back in the day, I got a lot of stuff from Nippon Goldfish on Geary, now closed. That was a good store.
Other stuff was bought on the Swap n Shop and craigslist.

Today I'll go to some of those stores because I want some new plants, two 10,000k 13W CFs, and maybe a new species of shrimp. (I currently have CRS, RCS, Bumblebee, and Amano.) I also want to see if I can find some Nerite snails.


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## Ugly Genius

Here's a full tank shot taken just now.










Here's a close up of the HC and FLC.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

My parents would think I'm crazy if I told them I wanted to go to a fish store in San Francisco:hihi: They'd also probably make me pay for gas:hihi:

So I still don't get how the rubber band makes the CO2 Glosso-friendly But seeing how much success you're having, I feel like finding a giant chopstick (or if I can't, then a limewood airstone) and seeing if that'll do any better 

Subscribed, btw:thumbsup:


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## Ugly Genius

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> My parents would think I'm crazy if I told them I wanted to go to a fish store in San Francisco:hihi: They'd also probably make me pay for gas:hihi:
> 
> So I still don't get how the rubber band makes the CO2 Glosso-friendly But seeing how much success you're having, I feel like finding a giant chopstick (or if I can't, then a limewood airstone) and seeing if that'll do any better
> 
> Subscribed, btw:thumbsup:


If you and your parents ever come up this way and go to Japantown, walk half a block up from the Kabuki movie theater and visit Aqua Forest Aquarium. It's a really nice store.

I was just kidding about the rubber-band. I could not get the chopstick in firmly enough to get small bubbles, so I wrapped the end with a rubber-band. The end result is smaller bubbles and a more-airtight seal.
As you can see from the above photo, I also went back to the glass diffuser. Once I put that in and used the chopstick on the other, I started to get consistent pearling. The tank now starts pearling after about an hour of lights.

I see from your journal -- which is looking good, by the way -- you've got a ten gallon with the Nutrafin system. I was thinking of using the same system as I liked the powerhead idea. Since I had old Hagen systems lying around, however, I used those canisters. Maybe you could do an additional DIY bottle with a chopstick diffuser. But keep in mind, my tank is about three and a half gallons, and since I have no livestock, I can pump quite a bit of CO2 in it without hurting anything. (I also dose Excel.) Since you have livestock, you'd have to be more careful than I.

Right now I'm thinking that I'll tear down Riven in a few months. I'm more creative than I am a nurturer, so I get the most enjoyment from creating a tank rather than taking care of it. That said, I might not put fish in this first version as I'd hate to get them acclimated only to take them out a little while later. So once I get good plant growth and find a cool rock and or driftwood, I'll make Riven Reloaded.

And thanks for the subscription! I don't think I've ever been subscribed to before.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

I have the Red Sea Turbo CO2 Bio-System The powerhead's hooked up to a 1L DIY bottle and a 2L DIY bottle. I may attach a small water bottle to the powerhead to make it something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvHwq5XhGfk&feature=related
Then I have another spare 1 liter bottle which I can hook up to either a limewood airstone or a chopstick.

Nooo don't take this down I like it the way it is


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## windfish

Nice tank. I really like the glosso.


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## Ugly Genius

Okay, went shopping.

Got some Blyxa Japonica at Aqua Forest. 










I'm still not certain on it's placement, but because I designed this layout with only Glosso, HC, FLC, Java Fern, Anubias, and Christmas Moss in mind, I didn't make space or arrange the rocks for taller plants and had to put it where I could.
So I stuck it in the corner. 
When I put it anywhere else, it tends to either overpower the nearby plants or become to much the focal point.
Any comments or suggestions will be appreciated.

I also found a really small diffuser. It's rad. It was $19.00 but it's worth it. It really breaks the CO2 down into itsy-bitsy bubbles.









_Remember, that's a_ mini _Java Fern_ next to the diffuser. The leaves full grown are three inches tall.

I also got 10,000K bulbs. The yellow of the 6,700k bulbs was starting to look too washed out for my tastes. The 10,000k tends to bring out more of the greens and blues of the plants.
Does anyone have experience with 10,000k? How'd they work for you? This is the first time I've used them.

The water got a bit cloudy when I was dusting some of my Green Dust Algae, but it's slowly starting to clear.
I've read articles suggesting that by letting the GDA be for four weeks, and it'll clear on it's own. I don't think I'm that patient. I'll just keep cleaning as much as I can without disrupting the plants.

*Zoo*, thanks for the compliment. Give the chopstick a try. (Don't forget the rubber-band!) If not, an airstone would work great.

*windfish*, thanks! Yeah, it's growing quite well. Better than I'd like sometimes.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Plants don't have any blue color in them:hihi:

Did you take a look at the spectrum of the bulb? Plants prefer wavelength in the green, orange, red, and yellow spectrum.

Have you tested your water parameters yet?

I got the same diffuser for $4 on E-bay


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## Ugly Genius

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Plants don't have any blue color in them:hihi:
> 
> Did you take a look at the spectrum of the bulb? Plants prefer wavelength in the green, orange, red, and yellow spectrum.
> 
> Have you tested your water parameters yet?
> 
> I got the same diffuser for $4 on E-bay


You're supposed to tell me about the ebay diffuser _before_ I spend fifteen dollars too much! :wink:

I haven't checked my water parameters. 
Heck, I don't even know the temperature it is. 
All I know is that it's wet.
I'll get around to checking one of these days, but to be quite honest, testing water bores me tremendously. I tend to do everything by intuition, hunches, and luck. (I think they're calling it "E.I." now-a-days.) I go by plant color, growth, algae, and fish behavior. It works for the most part. I'm wrong a lot, but I'm right sometimes, too.

As for the bulbs. 10,000k has much more blue than the other end of the planted tank spectrum. So these look a lot more blue than the 6,700k's I had before. From what I've read, 10,000k should be okay for a planted tank.
I like this color as it gives a clearer, cleaner look to the tank. Where the 6,700k's had a late afternoon color to them, these look more like midday.

I forgot to upload this picture in the last post.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Does your chopstick produce any bubbles? I only see the majority of them coming from the diffuser


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Zoo*. The chopstick does produce bubbles, but because I don't have it under the outflow of the filter, they tend to float straight up to the surface. About four to six tiny bubbles a second, I'd say.

If you have a diffuser like the one I got today, I'd say, use that and get another if you're going to do a second or bottle. I'm going to hook another Nano-Filter up to this tank and put a second diffuser like this one under it. While I can state that the diffuser and the chopstick get my plants pearling, I'm still convinced that its the Aqua Soil that's making the Glosso grow the way that it is. Like I said before, I've grown Glosso before but it's never taken off like this no matter how I fertilized or CO2'd or lighted the tank.

Also, the Mini Java Fern seems to be loving it's place next to the CO2. It's got at least six plantlets beneath its leaves.

The only thing that is _not_ growing for me is the Christmas Moss and the unknown moss that I got from Justin at Ocean Aquarium. Granted, I put only a tiny amount on the rock on the far left (below the Anubias) and inside the crevice of the rock to the right of it, but it seems to have not grown at all. It's growing fine in my other tanks for which I don't fertilize or dose CO2 at all.
Any ideas as to why that would be?


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

I really have no idea about your Moss...maybe the Moss is deformed:hihi:

Sort of too late for me to change the substrate...I recently changed to Flourite a couple months ago, and the cloudiness was like:eek5: :icon_eek:  :drool:


----------



## mizu-chan

Looks great so far! So much growth in so little time.


----------



## @[email protected]

moss can take a month to acclimate to its new tank, since it grows so slow. it takes less when you move it from tank to tank when its just light and CO2 thats different. but if you get the moss from somebody with different water, it usually takes its time.


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Zoo*, Flourite's probably more than good enough. Besides, from what I've read, Flourite gets better with time.

Thanks, *mizu-chan*. It's such a tiny tank, the space fills in pretty quickly, but still, the growth has been pretty good. Oddly enough, I can't grow terrestrial plants to save my life. I'm keeping a bonsai alive at my office somehow, but that's the only one.

*@marko*, that's probably it. I really wish it would start filling in because until it does, this tank won't come together aesthetically the way I want.

*An Ugly Genius Opinion*
We've got choices: 5,000k to 10,000k; yellow or white/blue.
And:
Lights on the 10,000k side of the spectrum look better. Period.
I'd like to try 8,000k but I've yet to see them in 13W CF.
For a time, my Glosso and HC seemed yellowish and I thought perhaps they were lacking in Potassium or Nitrate. As I dose Brighty K and Nitrate is presumably not a problem, I hypothesized that perhaps the bulbs (then 6,700k) were not showing me the greens that they had. And it turned out to be true. With the 10,000k's, the plants are really showing me their green.

*KH Question*
Yesterday at Aqua Forest, I was speaking to one of the guys about their big tank with Glosso. I was mentioning how beautiful it was and he started to tell me about how he grows it. We talked about lights, nutrients, and something else. Because I've got the attention span of a gnat, my mind wandered to something shiny flickering off the storefront window -- maybe it was a car driving by or a pretty woman in a red dress -- anyway, he said that KH affects how Glosso grows. But because of the car driving by or the pretty woman in a red dress -- or was it the sound of someone dropping quarters into a parking meter? -- I didn't catch if it should be high or low. I think he said high, but like my attention span, my memory sucks.
Does anyone know if Glosso prefers a particular KH?
[_Hey, did you just see that--? It was shiny. In a red dress. Sounded like quarters being dropped into a meter._]

Oh, before I forget...
























_Taken this morning._

This shot was taken with my MacBook. It's blurry, but the color representation is a bit better than with the super-old Sony camera that I have. It's not quite the green as shown here, but rather in between the yellow of the Sony shots (all other photos) and the green of this one.


----------



## @[email protected]

well, i dont think it really matters much, its not like an erio. mine grew fine in a kh of 3-4, though. so that will work, i dont know if its optimal though.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

I don't think KH matters with your tank:eek5: It's already growing like CRAZYroud:


----------



## Ugly Genius

You guys are probably right. And seeing as how even knowing if Glosso had a KH preference, I probably wouldn't buffer the water anyway, I guess it's all for the good.

The Blyxa's doing well so far. It pearls like crazy. Of all the plants, Blyxa pearls the most. I'll just have to wait and see how it grows.










Is Blyxa japonica a root feeder?


----------



## @[email protected]

does it matter? you have AS, right? so if it is, it will do well, if not, it will still do well.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

It's a stem plant, and most stem plants absorb nutrients through their stems.


----------



## @[email protected]

you mean leaves, not stems?

but its not like a stem in growth speed or nutrient absorption speed, so it might not be, but either way, it will do fine.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks for the replies, guys. I've done some reading and apparently its a root feeder.

I ask the question because while its a long way off before I'll have to do so, I'm wondering about how to do substrate fertilizing. The experience I have with substrate ferts is limited to tabs of one sort or another. You know, pop one in the substrate and that's it.
I'm sure there's more to it, though.


----------



## @[email protected]

it depends on how much you clean your gravel. but still, AS is sure to last a long time, especially since your HC wont reach deeper then the first inch.

i only clean the top, so i dont attract BGA (it seems to like to be near decay, which makes sense since it is a bacteria). but anything deeper then the light reaches, i leave. so that restores most of the nutrients; especially since i have stems like rotala and l. sessiliflora that feed mostly from leaves absorb liquid nutrients, grow and use them in their tissues, and then the leaves fall off and rot as they get shaded by higher foilage, putting the nutrients in the ground. 
i still put a tab near the crypts every few monthes, just cause their leaves are completely useless.


----------



## Jack Gilvey

Looking better all the time, UG. Shame about all those bubbles on the leaves, though.  Still enjoying your prose. 

Marko...can I _pleeeeeease_ read your profile? 


Jack


----------



## fish_fasinated

looking great! everything is growing so fast.


----------



## CL

that growth is just amazing


----------



## Ugly Genius

I came home to an algae bloom.
Not a big deal. With all the green dust algae that's been accumulating on the rock and plants and glass and diffusers and substrate and filter intake, an algae bloom was predicted. Expected.
During the day, all the dust algae clogged my Nano-Filter's itsy-bitys sponges and so the outflow kept recirculating dust algae and getting it _everywhere_.

It was ugly, but nothing a water change couldn't cure.

So I did a water change.

That's when things got ugly.

This morning while drinking my morning cup of coffee, I was looking into my tank thinking that I made a slight faux pas by putting the Four-Leaf Clover inside the bed of HC. The two just don't mix. Color-wise and leaf-shape wise, they're just not compatible; they don't bring out the best of each other. (Like me and my ex.) I decided that sometime soon I'd take it out.

So while I'm doing a water change to clear the water column of dust algae, I decide, _Well, Ugly, you've got half the water out, why not pull out the Four-Leaf Clover?_
People call this a "slow grower". Total bull. This thing was everywhere. It was like the friggin' internet -- one connected to another to another to another to another. And it's roots! So deep!
Pulling them up while trying to inflict minimal damage on the substrate was not unlike diffusing a bomb.

After about thirty minutes of carefully removing all the Four-Leaf Clover from the HC bed and replanting sprigs of HC in it's place, guess who decides to float up?
Blyxa.
I have no idea how this plant roots itself in nature. Once one of it's runners comes detached from the parent plant, I can see it floating down the stream. And down the stream. And down the stream. And down the stream. The thing is so buoyant, it should classified as a jellyfish! Or a cloud! Every single time I tried to plant it, it would float back up. I was starting to get pissed.
I cut the Blyxa in half and planted half of it. This time with chopsticks. Finally -- knock on driftwood -- it stayed.

By this time, the substrate is tore up. Dust -- AS and GDA -- is everywhere. The tanks all ugly and I'm sad.

So I ran to the store to get some Clarity. (I know many of you prescribe to the notion that such products treat the symptom and not the cause and I thank you very much for being like that -- the world needs people like you. But I'm so not like that. I like my tank water clear and I wanted it clear! So...) I put the Clarity in and it seems to be working, but...aw screw it, here are the pictures...









_After the Four-Leaf Clover was removed and the Blyxa cut in half. In the FLC's place, I have planted sprigs of HC. It'll look much better as a solid bed of HC. I don't know what I was thinking with the HC and FLC mixed._

Here's why I think so...








_I think the Glosso and HC are going to look awesome when they both mature. You can see in the middle where I removed the FLC. I really like this picture. I just wish it weren't so foggy._

*@[email protected]*, thanks for the info. I'll keep it in mind when I start fertilizing the substrate.

*jgilvey*, thanks! Speaking of bubbles, remind me to tell you guys a story of the coolest fish anything I saw in Japan. Tomorrow maybe. I'm too tired to write that one out.

*fish_fasinated* and *clwatkins10*, thanks!


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

It doesn't matter, it still looks awesomeroud: You should have mixed it with the Glosso - they look ALOT alike.


----------



## @[email protected]

your blyxa problem could have been solved much easier with a plant tie (AKA plant weight).


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Zoo!* Thanks, man. I appreciate you saying that.
The reason I got the FLC was because it looks so good with Glosso. For some reason, though, I didn't plant the FLC with it. It's my first run with FLC and from what I had read, it was a slow grower, but it's really not. In the right conditions, it grows quite quickly. Right now, the only place it is growing is behind the left-center rock. It'll spread down the valley between the two left rocks and it'll look good there, I hope.

*@Marko*, yeah, I had thought of those as I was cursing and swearing at the Blyxa, but I don't have any weights. Also, I don't like artificially tying down plants. I don't even like the fact that the Anubias and Java Fern are tied to their rocks. I _try_ to have my tanks as "natural" as possible. That being said, had I some plant ties, I would have _totally_ used them yesterday.

This morning I've got what looks to be a bacterial bloom. That or residue from the war I waged yesterday on the substrate. It's fitting as today is a cold foggy day in San Francisco.

Anyway, here's to hoping that the filter doesn't clog while I'm at work.


----------



## Merfolk

Beautiful! I love ADA stuff.


----------



## CL

Merfolk said:


> I love ADA stuff.


Who doesnt


----------



## MedRed

clwatkins10 said:


> Who doesnt


my wallet


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Merfolk* & *Co.*, thanks! ADA stuff is awesome. I love it. It's the Apple brand of our little hobby.
While it's expensive, I don't think it's ridiculously so. 
The tank was sixty dollars. While that is a lot for five sheets of glass glued together to hold water, when I think of the joy it brings me, it's really quite cheap. I spend about as much for some video games that I don't play all that much. And Aqua Soil is pretty much the going rate for a quality substrate.
For me, the stuff is totally worth it.

My tank water's starting to clear after the algae/bacterial bloom. Bacteria milkiness remains somewhat, but it'll probably clear in a day or two.

I'm going to have to pick up another filter for this think. Even on it's highest flow rate, the Nano-Filter does not have enough oomph to move all the water in this tank. A canister is not an option as, like I said in my first post, they're ugly and this in on my kitchen counter where it cannot be hidden.

I'll also pick up another glass diffuser. I've fallen out of love with the chopstick. Despite the wondrous marriage of recycled nature serving counter-top nature and old-fashioned human ingenuity, it's bubbles are just not small enough. (Or, at least, not _consistently_ small enough.)

Anyway, here's a picture taken just now. Looks the same pretty much.


----------



## @[email protected]

the things are growing really fast, there is a visible difference from a few days ago.

yeah all that lead is kinda weird, but i dont know how anyone plants stems without them. my stems dont need to be uprooted by fish, they just float up of their own accord. i just tie the plant weight around 3-4 of them and stick it in the gravel, so i dont see it and the plants stay down.

oh, and just a suggestion, have some more blyxa on either the left or right, to make one side of the background bigger then the other. with the blyxa on one side and fern on the other, its a bit symmetrical.


----------



## rice n curry man

It looks really good. 

You're making me want to buy ADA stuff...


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *@marko*. As this tanks a constant work-in-progress, I'll might just end up taking your advice and adding more Blyxa. (I'm just not really enthused about doing any Blyxa anytime soon until I get some weights.)

*rice n curry man*, thanks!

I'm still fighting dust algae. In the morning it's fine. It's when I come home that it's bad.

Nothing's changed since the last post, but here's a picture.









A full-tank shot for good measure...


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

The Blyxa didn't grow at all:icon_cry: 

But at least you have a nice Iwagumi layout with the rocks, HC, and Glossoroud:


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Zoo*. Nope. The Blyxa's been pissed since it's re-planting. When I first put it in, it was happy as could be. Then I did the re-plant and concurrent cutting it in half, and it got pissed. I'm keeping my eye on it to see if it keeps throwing it's temper tantrum. I've got healthier specimens on stand-by if need be, but I'd like to give this one a chance. I think it's got some fight in it, so I'll let it be. I've got a good feeling about this guy. He'll make it.

Besides, my attention's being taken up by the dust algae.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Question.
On my glass diffuser, there is some white stringy growth. When flowing beneath the output of the filter it looks a lot like the vapors given off of dry ice.
I can't get a picture of it, unfortunately, but I was wondering if anyone knows of what it could be.
It's like I said, white, stringy (like dry ice vapor), 2 mm. long strands that are quite difficult to remove.
I've done some reading and some people say it's fungus, but what do you think?

Unrelated to the question picture of the morning.








_Water's still cloudy. This morning as an experiment, I'm dumping 54 watts onto this little three point five gallon tank. I figure you only live once..._


----------



## mizu-chan

Ugly Genius said:


> Question.
> On my glass diffuser, there is some white stringy growth. When flowing beneath the output of the filter it looks a lot like the vapors given off of dry ice.
> I can't get a picture of it, unfortunately, but I was wondering if anyone knows of what it could be.
> It's like I said, white, stringy (like dry ice vapor), 2 mm. long strands that are quite difficult to remove.
> I've done some reading and some people say it's fungus, but what do you think?


Are you running a DIY mixture? I get this stuff too on my chopstick diffuser.
I think it's yeast built up, but I'm not sure. 
Interested in other peoples replies too


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *mizu-chan*. Yep. DIY. Sugar + half a TS of baking soda + a quarter TS of yeast.
The yeast build-up make sense. Let's see if anyone else has some insight.


----------



## CL

It is fungus. My shrimp and snails eat it off of mine.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Is it alive? Maybe it's hydra...I hope not:icon_eek: 

But yeah, with DIY mixtures (particularly with the Hagen systems) there seems to be a cottony-build up on the bubble ladder...maybe it's just the yeast or something.


----------



## Ugly Genius

I've decided that I hate Blyxa.
If someone were to ask me if I hate rush hour traffic while late for work and an urgent need to pee really badly with no off-ramp in sight or Blyxa, I'd have to think about it and ask, "How badly _exactly_ did I have to hypothetically pee?"
I slapped another Nano-Filter on the tank and guess who decides to float to the top!
So now I'm just going to let it float at the top until I can find some lead weights.

Four letters: ARGH!


----------



## Ugly Genius

I went to Aqua Forest to pick up a plant weight and a diffuser. While there I also picked up a moss. For the life of me, I can't remember what it's called.










Where Java Moss, Christmas Moss, et cetera have a fabric textured look to them, this one is more plastic-like. Anyone know what it's called? It started with an R and sounded something like Riccia, but it isn't Riccia (obviously). It was a long name, too. That much I remember.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

http://www.aquamoss.net/Moss-List.htm

I don't see any moss that starts with "R"...

Did the guy have a Japanese accent? It looks a little like Flame Moss, except not so flame-y:hihi:


----------



## CL

It's hard to id the moss when it blends in with the color of the water


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Zoo*. It's not Flame Moss. I've got to get a better camera to give you guys a better look. It might not even be a moss at all. I'll call the store tomorrow and ask.

*clwatkins10*, you making fun of my algae-rich water? A tad jealous of it's wonderful verdant hue? 

Here's what the tank looks like with the new "moss."


----------



## MedRed

looking great!


----------



## @[email protected]

perhaps its a plant similar to riccia or subwassertang? i forget the name of the category of those plants.


----------



## roybot73

Liverworts...


----------



## mizu-chan

Tank looks great as usual.
I just noticed that you got rid of good ole' chopstick.  
But I suppose it was time to move on.


----------



## Ugly Genius

roybot73 said:


> Liverworts...


You must be right. Ricciocarpus. I think that's what it was! Thank you, *roybot73*!

I've mentioned my ten gallon shrimp tank in the past. Here it is.










This tank, Zooey's Delight, is built strictly for functionality -- to raise shrimp and house plants until I know what to do with them.
It currently houses an unknown number of Amanos, Cherry Red Shrimp, Crystal Red Shrimp, Bumble Bee Shrimp (I know...I know...), Rainbow Shrimp, Nerite Snails, Ottos, and the coolest 1" crayfish ever.

Zooey's Delight actually gives me more enjoyment than Riven in that (one) it has things that move in it and (two) I do absolutely nothing to it save turn on the light, scrape algae from the front pane of glass, and change the water. I don't feed it, I don't dose it, I don't aquascape it, I don't trim it. Riven's my "nice" tank, but Zooey's Delight is my "fun" tank.

It's ugly, but it's got a great personality. 

That Anubias Nana you see in the photo...that thing lived in almost complete darkness for four years. It was buried in a tankful of Java Moss for all that time and still looked good for the wear when I pulled it out. (And you would not believe how much the Java Moss grew. Wall-to-wall moss!)

Eventually, when Riven's ready, I'll move some fauna from here, but for right now, everyone's quite happy in there and I'm reluctant to break up the party.


----------



## Ugly Genius

mizu-chan said:


> Tank looks great as usual.
> I just noticed that you got rid of good ole' chopstick.
> But I suppose it was time to move on.


Thanks, *mizu-chan*.
Yeah, I went glass on the chopstick one yesterday. But, hey, this doesn't mean that we can't still be friends. 

I made the switch because while a chopstick is a great diffuser given the price, the inconsistency of the size of the bubbles produced was irking me.
The glass diffusers give me consistently smaller bubbles where the chopstick gave large and small, depending on its mood. As a matter of fact, by the end of the day, the tank would sound exactly like a glass of Coke. You could hear the CO2 bubbles' fizzled pops on the water's surface. (This is also why I'm reluctant to introduce fauna to Riven; despite the fact that the tank pearls after about 45 mins of light, I'm afraid that there's too much CO2 in it.)

I still highly endorse chopstick diffusers, however. Had I not found these super cool nano glass ones, I would still be using the chopsticks.


----------



## mizu-chan

Ugly Genius said:


> a chopstick is a great diffuser given the price, the inconsistency of the size of the bubbles produced was irking me.
> The glass diffusers give me consistently smaller bubbles where the chopstick gave large and small, depending on its mood. As a matter of fact, by the end of the day, the tank would sound exactly like a glass of Coke. You could hear the CO2 bubbles' fizzled pops on the water's surface. (This is also why I'm reluctant to introduce fauna to Riven; despite the fact that the tank pearls after about 45 mins of light, I'm afraid that there's too much CO2 in it.)


Yeah, I know what you mean. Until I put it into my filter intake I would always hear that constant fizzling noise. Even though I also love the chopstick diffuser, I sense that it will soon be my time too. Just like you, when I first put it into play I was so pleased with it. But an upgrade is in order. But it's always good to know that someone with as great a tank as you had the same kind of diffuser as me :hihi:


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *mizu-chan*. That's a very nice thing to say.
And remember, I change my mind all the time. Remember how I said I loved 10,000k over 6,700k? Well, I'm back to 6,700k. I got tired of the arctic look of the higher spectrum. I'm sure I'll change it again in the coming weeks.

Good news. The tank's got it's first inhabitant. I took *ZooMasterTycoon*'s advice and got an Olive Nertite for the dust algae.










I'm going to introduce fauna very, very slowly. This guy'll be alone for several more weeks before I add anything else. I'm not worried about the cycle so much as the bio-load. I want to be able to observe the affect the new snails, shrimp, et cetera on the tank with considerable care.

At least something moves in the tank now. 

Albeit very, very slowly.

Here's another "don't drop it" shot.









My cloudy water is definitely algae. After lights out, the water clears up just fine. See?


----------



## Jack Gilvey

Tank's really looking fantastic, UG. I like the slight cloudiness, actually. It adds a John Carpenter-like foreboding to the 'scape, as if a rasbora could be lurking _just_ out of sight. 
Also, submersible LED's could transform those diffusers into little sconces. Just a thought.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

The Glosso looks like peas from overhead:hihi:

Maybe you could put the 10K in one fixture and leave the 6700K in the other fixture if you can't decide between both


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *jgilvey*! 
It's funny you should mention LEDs. I've been wondering if you or anyone knows anything about moon lights. I'd love to be able to see my tank at night and did a limited amount of reading on LEDs used to this effect. Anyone have experience with moon lights?

What's up, *Zoo*! They do look like peas, don't they? Visualize whirled peas! I like that shot. Most of the time, I hate the pictures I take, but that one I actually like.
I'm going to be cutting back the Glosso in the front, though. As this is my first go with HC, I want to let it take more real estate in the front so as to gain some experience with the plant. I'll be slowly cutting back the Glosso to about the middle (or a tad further back) of the tank so the HC can spread its wings.
I did try both bulbs at one point but due to the fact that I have two separate lamps, the color spectrums didn't bleed into each other and, rather, looked like two halves of different tanks. (Or a strange "before and after" shot in a magazine advertising sun block.) What I want to try are the 8,000k bulbs. I found a seller on ebay, but I haven't gotten around to ordering them yet.

The cloudiness got a bit better today. It looks like this:









_This is after a water change, though. The algae bloom is still bad._

It's funny, the dust algae got bad about two days after I switched to 10,000k and now, one day after changing out of them, it goes away. It's probably coincidental, but also something I'll experiment with later to see if it can be repeated.
[_EDITOR'S NOTE: Thank God for spell check in modern browsers. The preceding sentence had, like, forty-seven misspelled words in ti (I mean it)._]

The lone Nerite Snail is doing a hell of a job...
...cleaning my heater! 
Come on, bro! The glass! The rocks! The leaves! Clean _them_! Not the friggin' heater! It's _black_ for crying out loud!
But I can't be mad at the dude. He's cute and I'm just glad he's not dying of asphyxiation (spelled that correctly without the spell check -- yay me!) from all the CO2 I'm dumping in the tank. In a couple of weeks, I'll introduce another Nerite from my other tank and see how it goes.

Anyway, have a good night/day, people.


----------



## Ugly Genius

My Cherry Shrimp had babies. Suckers are so small! They're only a bit bigger than an eyelash. I looked right at one and didn't even see it until it moved. This is the first time I've ever bred anything save a Betta. Pretty cool.
Justin from Ocean Aquarium was kind enough to give me two berried Rainbow Shrimp so hopefully they have kids soon, too!
I'm not holding my breath for the CRS and Bumble Bee Shrimp to have kids (hybrids, even), but one can always hope.

Here's a shot taken this morning.










Here's a clearer shot of that moss I bought a few days back.










What do you guys think it is?


----------



## CL

that aint no moss, but its pretty cool


----------



## fish_fasinated

deffidently not a moss, but the tnak looks good, hope you have great luck with your shrimp.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

That's no moss...it looks like a bundle of baby Downois scrunched together:hihi:


----------



## p3md

It could be Fissidens.


----------



## Ugly Genius

What ever it was, it's gone. I took it out. It looked too much like a toupee. It's now a bed for the shrimps in Zooey's Delight.

Besides, the Christmas Moss (which may be Taiwan Moss -- can't tell yet), is starting to grow out beneath the Anubias. Once that takes, it'll look cool.

I'm starting to think about getting another Mini-S to set besides this one on my counter. For that one, I want to do a swampy look. Low-light, densely planted plants with little or no CO2. Mini Java Fern, moss, and Anubias Nana Micro. Rather than rock, I'll go wood. It'll be home to my three Dwarf Crayfish. (Love those suckers! At first I could not see their appeal, until I got some. Friggin' awesome. Like shrimp, only smarter. Not as active, sure, but they got personalities. And very peaceful so long as you don't try to enter their lairs. Then it's on!)


----------



## mizu-chan

Man I think another one on the side of this one would look right nice.



> It looked too much like a toupee.


That made me cry a little while I was laughing. keke. :hihi:


----------



## Nismo

wow, its comming together incredibly nice. good work.


----------



## @[email protected]

tank looks really nice now.

i think that "moss" is something closely related to pellia.


----------



## p3md

Ugly Genius said:


> What ever it was, it's gone. I took it out. It looked too much like a toupee. It's now a bed for the shrimps in Zooey's Delight.
> 
> Besides, the Christmas Moss (which may be Taiwan Moss -- can't tell yet), is starting to grow out beneath the Anubias. Once that takes, it'll look cool.
> 
> I'm starting to think about getting another Mini-S to set besides this one on my counter. For that one, I want to do a swampy look. Low-light, densely planted plants with little or no CO2. Mini Java Fern, moss, and Anubias Nana Micro. Rather than rock, I'll go wood. It'll be home to my three Dwarf Crayfish. (Love those suckers! At first I could not see their appeal, until I got some. Friggin' awesome. Like shrimp, only smarter. Not as active, sure, but they got personalities. And very peaceful so long as you don't try to enter their lairs. Then it's on!)


I tried keeping crayfish (I don't know which specie exactly, red color, about 2.5 inches) on my 55g planted tank before.

After about a week, I took them out. IME, they are avid gardeners themselves :redface: They cut stems, I think just for fun.

I suggest you put a "test" plant before you go full on, just to see if they do the same.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *mizu-chan*, *nismo*, & *Marko*. Tank's coming along. I'll add another Nerite in a week or two. After that, I'll probably start adding RCS one at a time. I doubt I'll add fish. I do too much gardening and it would just freak the fish out with my hand in there all the time. The only fish that might work is a Betta, and I'm not feeling a Betta for this tank.

Thanks, *p3md*. I've noticed that they tend to love to move rocks. I'm hoping they'll be okay in the new tank as I'll only be planting Java Fern, Anubias Nana, and Christmas Moss. So unless they can learn to untie knots...

The dust algae's slowly abating. I have no idea if there's a correlation between 10,000k bulbs and the dust algae, but ever since I changed bulbs, the algae lessened considerably.

I ordered a new, smaller heater. The Hydor's not cutting it. Water gets too cold even in the summer. San Francisco winter's get really cold.


----------



## Ugly Genius

I think I've determined the identity of the "moss".


----------



## CL

That looks and sounds like it to me


----------



## Ugly Genius

For the record, as I looked back over this thread just now I see that *@[email protected]* called it two days ago. Kudos, *@[email protected]*!


----------



## Ugly Genius

I've removed the Mini Java Fern. It simply did not match the rest of the tank. Specifically, it was too dense, too dark, too forest-like. Too Java Fern.

I'm giving the back left corner to the Anubias Nana "Petite", the Four-Leaf Clover, and the Christmas Moss (which I cut back due to it growing in quite messily).

On the left I attached a small amount of Mini Pellia to a rock to see how it grows. I've seen some fabulous images of Mini Pellia done right and I'd like the same for this tank.

I added one more Nerite Snail, bringing the total number of inhabitants to two.

The HC on the right is getting a bit high, a trim is in order soon.

On the left I'm running 13W of 10,000k and on the right 13W of 6,500k. (Yesterday, Saturday, I noticed that for three hours the sun shines on this tank. That, and not the 10,000k bulbs were the cause of the dust algae. This will be remedied by a screen/shade of some sort.)

That's pretty much it.

I went to Aqua Forest yesterday and they said that the Mini tanks are out of stock from the supplier so new shipments are not expected for two to three months. This means my plan for a tank next to this one are on hold until then. (Which is good because I had to take my motorcycle in yesterday for a tune up and the bill came to just over $400.)


----------



## CL

Wow, thats is incredible growth. That AS does wonders! Looks great!


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Awww, the Blyxa is dying But at least the other plants are doing great


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, guys.

Does the Blyxa look like it's dying? I know a lot of the older blades are dying off, but it's got new blades coming in. They're bronze-reddish, however. Is this a sign of something?


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Ohhhh I just couldn't see the newer leaves. 

Are you dosing any ferts?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Yeah, I'm dosing Green Brighty Step 1 and Brighty K. One pump each per day.

I did some reading after my last post and there seems to be two opinions on red leaves on Blyxa: Nitrogen deficiency or high light. I'm more inclined to believe the high light theory at this point. (The nitrogen deficiency post I read sounded as if the guy was basing his judgment on anecdotal evidence and I've grown leery of taking the advice of people spouting unscientifically-based observations as fact in this hobby. Heck, for a time, I was _convinced_ that 10,000k bulbs were causing my dust algae. Had I been home at 1:00 on weekdays, however, I would have seen that the sun shines right on this tank.)

[_AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just reread that last paragraph and I realized that it could be construed as relating to members of this forum. I assure you that this is not the case. The post in question that I read was on a different forum. The guy was kind of arrogant towards the questioner and this irked me. Arrogant people make me sad._]


----------



## fish_fasinated

looks awsome, with the glosso (i think its glosso) and HC kept seperate like that it looks really good.


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## mizu-chan

If that Mini Pellia grows in, it will really look amazing.
Fingers crossed


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *fish_fasinated*! I like the way it looks, too. However (and this is a BIG however), it's quite a pain cutting it back to give room for the HC to spread. Both plants are persistent and clever and they find ways to snake through and over each other. I figure it'll take another three to four months to get this tank where I want it in terms of plant balance. This is to say, I need the Christmas Moss to take off (come on, man, grow!), and the HC to spread backwards while I slowly trim back the Glosso.

Cool new avatar, *mizu-chan*. 
Yeah, until I bought this plant, I didn't even know that Mini Pellia existed. Now that I have it and, more importantly, know what it is, I'm really beginning to see the possibilities of it. It may just be my new "it" plant. (My previous "it" plant, the plant I _had_ to have in a tank was Glosso.) There are just so many things that can be done with it.
I just have to see how it grows in relation to my patience (which is razor thin).

As I don't test my water at all, I'm doing a nitrate test the old-fashioned way. I threw a itsy-bitsy sprig of Riccia into the water column. I'll see how it grows and base my dosing regimen off of my observations.
This sprig of Riccia is circa my last foray into the hobby four years ago. For four years, the Riccia lived (and grew) in almost complete darkness buried in a huge mound of Java Moss. (So those that tell you that Riccia needs high light are wrong. It needs high light to flourish, sure, but it'll live just fine in almost perfect dark with no filter and zero nutrient dosing. Just an FYI.) 
I plan to take the E.I. method of dosing to entirely different and crazily inappropriate level. I'll christen this new method: H.D.I.D?W.A.G! (How Do I Dose? Wild-A## Guesses!) 
Or W.A.G. for short. 
W.A.G.'ll be based on a sprig of four-year old Riccia, dust algae, the box office success of the new _Clone Wars_ movie, and the emotional disposition of my snails. (I'll also take into consideration the advice of my dog, Zooey. And to a lesser extent, Franny, my other dog. [She's more into kung fu movies than fish so her opinion counts less.])

Oh, I have lots of babie RCSs in my shrimp tank now. I think the Rainbow Shrimp might have had babies, too. Not sure, though. I'm just waiting for the CRS and Dwarf Crayfish to get busy. I put on Marvin Gaye hoping it'll get them in the mood.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> Oh, I have lots of babie RCSs in my shrimp tank now. I think the Rainbow Shrimp might have had babies, too. Not sure, though. I'm just waiting for the CRS and Dwarf Crayfish to get busy. I put on Marvin Gaye hoping it'll get them in the mood.


Isn't that the guy that sang "Ain't no Mountain High Enough":hihi:

Looks like the Nerites are doing a great jobroud: Mine eat all the algae as well:icon_roll


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## CL

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Isn't that the guy that sang "Ain't no Mountain High Enough":hihi:
> 
> Looks like the Nerites are doing a great jobroud: Mine eat all the algae as well:icon_roll


I think he meant the song "lets get it on"


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## Ugly Genius

*Zoo*, one day when you're older, you'll understand. And when you do, you'll think back and say, _That Ugly Genius was right!_

For the plantedtank.net record, Marvin Gaye is ineffective for getting shrimp and crayfish to have any type of Sexual Healing. Perhaps they're more into the romantic ballads. I dunno.

And you were right about the Nerites. Great for dust algae. Earlier in this post, you recommended them and it's because of that post that I got them. So, thanks!

My camera is out of batteries so just imagine my tank looking like it did a couple of days ago, only with three snails now.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

clwatkins10 said:


> I think he meant the song "lets get it on"


I can't imagine that voice singing...sed







songs

_3 Nerites_??!??! 1 will get to the algae fast enough if you have the patience:hihi:

Oh and btw, you may want to try putting a cover on the tank. I found my Nerite at the very top of the tank right underneath the rim (I had to push him back down). And considering that my tank is 12" high and yours is....9.5" (I think), they don't have to travel far to escape:hihi:


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## ZooTycoonMaster

No updates in 4 days? You usually update this every day to every other day:eek5:


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Zoo.* Thanks for the post.

I had a company softball tournament that took up a bunch of time and energy.1 By the time I got back home, the last thing I had on my mind was this fish tank. (I guess it's more of a snail tank at this point.)

Not much has changed in Riven. A few days ago, one Nerite died. Felt bad about that. So I took another out, leaving only the one. He's doing fine.

Here's a photo taken just now.










Not much has changed.
I stopped using the Ott-lites and switched back to the Home Depot "Robocop" lamp. As it hangs higher over the tank, I've noticed substantially less algae growth despite being one watt higher than the Ott-lites.2

As I'm still shaken by the death of one of the Nerites (why oh why!), I'm leery to introduce anything else into what might be a very healthy-looking, but ultimately toxic environment.3

I'm still slowly pulling back Glosso for the HC to grow. I have to trim the HC in certain places, too, but I'm too sore to do that right now.4 I re-introduced a very small plantlet of Mini Java Fern. (It's stuck in the crack in the rock center-left.) Other than that, it's pretty much the same. There's some algae on the right glass, but that's because I'm too lazy to clean it and the Nerite isn't hungry enough to eat it.


-------
Notes and errata
1. We lost more than we won; but we had fun doing it.
2. What this means that in a future tank, I will super-charge the growth with the lower hanging Ott-lite fixtures, and switch to a higher hanging lamp once the plants have settled.
3. I'm a firm believer in karma and try my darnedest to not have anything die for the sake of what amounts to a hobby for me. So when something dies, through my fault or just the will of the universe, I feel like crap about it.
4. Who knew that softball could be so physically taxing?!


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## mizu-chan

So jealous of this tank.


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## CL

That hc has grown great! Your tank is very green


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## ZooTycoonMaster

clwatkins10 said:


> That hc has grown great! Your tank is very green


I know!!! Lol.

Hopefully the Blyxa will grow and turn red to be the "centerpiece" plant:thumbsup:


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## fordtrannyman

Nice:thumbsup:


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## Aquarist_Fist

Very nice-looking tank and sorry for your loss. I notice you are using a Hagen CO2 canister with different diffusor than the ladder. Can you comment on how the diffusor compares to the ladder?


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## chase127

that HC and glosso carpet is so lush and nice. its great


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks for the comments, guys. I'm thinking of adding a new plant this weekend, but I don't know what. Also, the Blyxa's got to go. I just don't like it. So I'll be adding two plants over the weekend. I'm open to suggestions.
So far I have Glosso, HC, Christmas Moss, Anubias Nana Petite, Mini Java Fern, Mini Pellia, FLC, and an unknown Moss. I want something tall and striking. As is, I feel this tank has no kick. No personality. It's just well-manicured and healthy. I want to give it some flavor. I'm even considering adding a small piece of driftwood, if I can find the right shape and size.
So, any plant suggestions are appreciated.

I've had a couple of questions about my CO2 setup here and via PM.
First, I chose diffusers over the ladder simply because they fit. The ladder is simply too talk to fit in the tank. Their small size allows for me to place them under the filters' outflow, consequently giving the CO2 one more dunk into the water column for further saturation before they float to the surface. Also, they look better. Ideally, I'd like no pipes, hoses, or cords of anytime, but until that technology is invented, I like the ADA-style glassware over Hagen's gray ladder.
I don't have any numbers on how well the ladder diffuses CO2 versus a diffuser, and I'd wager that the difference is negligible. (The exception being that the ladder cannot easily be placed beneath filter outflows.)
Four years ago I had this tank:








I used the ladder and had pretty good success with plant growth. (And algae, apparently. I have no idea why I didn't clean the glass before taking the picture.)
As for my mixture...I use two cups of sugar, one teaspoon of baking soda, and a quarter teaspoon of yeast. Measure precisely and change regularly and you _will_ get CO2. If you're not, chances are your connections aren't air tight. Make sure no air is escaping _before_ getting to the diffuser. (So many people think DIY CO2 can't penetrate a glass diffuser, but they are wrong. If your bottles and tubes are tight, it'll start bubbling in about thirty to forty-five minutes.)
I hope that answers your questions.

Other than that, I've cut back on dosing. I'm getting more algae than I'd like on my dosing days, so I'm cutting back completely until I see plant nutrient deficiencies.


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## Aquarist_Fist

Thanks for the detailed information! I agree that the glas diffusor looks better than the ladder, especially if one has one of those nice glass drop checker in the tank. roud:


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## CL

I would suggest a nice bush of rotala sp goias (sp?) for the back left corner. It has nice small leaves. Some downoi would look kewl in front of the tall leaning rock on the back right.


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## Karackle

Well, i just found this thread and I wanted to tell you that 1) your tank is gorgeous (though i agree a nice new plant might spice it up some :icon_wink) and 2) You're an excellent writer and I love your writing style, your posts are fun, interesting and lively to read. 
Oh, and Zooey is adorable!


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## Ugly Genius

You're welcome, *Aquarist_Fist*. The short answer to my long answer earlier is just go with whichever you think is cooler.

*clwatkins10*, you're a mind reader. I was thinking of that plant, but wasn't sure. It's a cool plant, so it's definitely one I'll consider.

Thanks for the compliments, *Karackle*. It's nice to hear things like that.

I'm going to be tearing Riven down this weekend.
I'm going to go to Aqua Forest and pick up a new bag of Power Sand and Aqua Soil, possibly some driftwood, and a few plants.
I've made mistakes with Riven and I want to correct them.

MISTAKES I'VE MADE​

My hardscape sucks. The rocks are (one) too small and (two) too uncharacteristic. I want a hardscape with character. Pizzaz.
My rocks are placed too close to the glass making glass cleanings needlessly difficult.
The layout of the plants seems forced. Everything has it's place and it does not flow together naturally. I want something that would look like it could happen in nature.
Glosso. It's a weed. I don't want a tank I need to prune every day. Glosso is simply too fast-growing for a nano tank of this size (small) with a patience like mine (short). I'll go with an HC-only carpet in the next iteration of this tank.
More moss. I love moss and the moss I attached to rocks has hardly shown itself as I started with too little of it.
Fish. I need to add fish and/or shrimp. Fish tanks are boring without something moving in them.
Blyxa. If I use it in Riven Reloaded, I'll plant it before I add water to get it deeper and tighter into the substrate.
Intelligent plant placement. I did not consider the fact that plants in the filter outflow will accumulate debris. This means no slow growers (i.e. moss and Anubias) in the area of the outflow.
Better filtration. The Red Sea Nano-Filters kind of suck and not very well. (Pun intended and not intended.) I think I'll have to go with a stronger, less delicate filter.
No ferts for the first three weeks. With Aqua Soil, I don't think dosing even Brighty Step 1 is necessary. I'll possibly dose Brighty K, but probably not. I'll wait three weeks.

There's a ton more mistakes I've made, but they're sitting in my subconscious right now.

My girl'll be helping me with Riven Reloaded. She's a staggeringly talented painter. I'm hoping her artistic eye can help with layout composition and color. _Baby, I'm counting on you!_

If you guys notice any flaws in my tank that you think I should avoid next time around, please let me know. My ego is in no way attached to Riven so any criticisms you have will be welcome as it'll help me improve.


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## mizu-chan

Sad to hear you're going to tear down Ugly Genius, but if your not happy with it then you have no choice in my opinion.  Really looking forward to the Riven Reloaded! This is was a really cool tank to watch grow, so I'm expecting big things for the new one


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## Karackle

I just found this thread and now the tank is getting taken apart! Hahaha oh well, I agree with mizu, if you're not happy with it, there's really no option but to take it down! It is after all, your tank so YOU have to be happy with it! I'm excited to see how the Riven Reloaded incarnation of this tank comes out, it sounds like you've got some good ideas and i look forward to watching this one from the beginning!


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## CL

Well, Riven reloaded sounds cool. For the filter, I would get an eheim 2213. If you dont want to put down $70 for a filter, maybe a mini canister could be an option 
PS: so youve got a woman now?


----------



## Jack Gilvey

> I'm going to be tearing Riven down this weekend.


 The news comes at a particularly bad time for me as I'm at something of a crossroads personally and Riven was my one constant, my Gibraltar. Many has been the day I've come home (sometimes having never left) and checked to see how Riven was. The adorable shrimp, the maverick Glosso, the dueling diffusers, the "moss". Even the green water.

We hardly knew ye, Riven. Caveat empty.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Awwww I left on an airplane to New York and I see this news:icon_cry:

Oh well. Maybe Riven Reloaded may be even better


----------



## Ugly Genius

Sometimes, despite your truest of intentions, life pushes you in another direction. In this case, that which life pushed me left of where I wanted to go was Aqua Soil Amazonia Powder -- the lack thereof, more specifically.

Yesterday, my girl and I went to Aqua Forest to pick up parts for Riven Reloaded. Unfortunately, they were out of Aqua Soil Amazonia Powder. As I'm dead set on using the powder type in the next build as it looks friggin' awesome in a nano -- especially since I plan on having sections of the substrate visible in the next build -- my plans for Riven's tear-down have changed. 

Here's what I mean:
After reading your kind comments, and hearing my girl's take on the whole thing (she likes the tank and thinks it should be kept), I got kind of introspective and philosophical and weepy and thought, "Ugly, dude, rather than destroy and recreate something in which you see flaws, why don't you try to fix it? Take Riven, warts and all, and make it better. 
"Draw a line in the sand and stand there -- strong and true. 
"Just there, with all that doubt and uncertainty swirling about you, shout into the face of that blustering cold maelstrom 'I see the beauty in you! I will stand by you and fight for that beauty! I will not leave you! Not ever.' [_It's here that I look all heroic; my hair and clothes whipping crazily in the wind, tears of strength and resolve streaming down my face.]_ 'I will fight for you! I. Will. Die. For. You!'"
Metaphorically-speaking, of course. The most I'll probably end up doing is changing it's water and trimming it.
I'm going to try to use Riven as an exercise to care for something I wish was otherwise -- to take a thing and care for it despite the fact that I want it "better". To learn from my mistakes and not run from them.
It's a pretty good way to live, too, if you think about it.

So what I'll probably do is wait for Aqua Forest to get their Aqua Soil Powder and more Mini-S's and build a new tank next to Riven as originally planned.

I did end up getting new plants yesterday. Downoi and Christmas Moss. Downoi was * clwatkins10*'s idea. (Perfect choice. Thanks, bro!)

It turns out that the moss I originally planted in Riven is what's called Amano Moss. Amano Moss is like Christmas Moss in shape, but bushier; not what I wanted. I like the clean, flat look of Christmas Moss. So what I'll end up doing is removing the Amano Moss and putting Christmas Moss in it's place. Right now it's sitting unsightly on top of the center rock on a square mesh.

I also got three shrimp known as Yellow Stone Shrimp. They are in Zoo's Delight. Cool shrimp.

Anyway, after all that babbling, here's a photo of Riven. 









_Ignore the Christmas Moss on the mesh in the center of the tank. It's just me getting it settled._































































_I haven't posted a photo of my dogs lately. Here's Franny & Zooey. Right before taking this picture, Franny got pissed at me for fussing so much over "my stupid fish tank". We wrestled for a bit and she's fine now._​
Oh, I forgot, I also switched from the flat black heater to a Marineland 10W heater a week or so ago. It's smaller. I like it.

So that's it. After all that drama, we're back to where we were.

P.S. At Aqua Forest, there's a new line of ADA products. It's called Aqua Do or some such. Something about "Aquarium Supplies for Beginners". Not cheap, though. A nano glass diffuser, even smaller than the ones I have, were sixty bucks. Really cool stuff though.


----------



## CL

Man your hc and glosso has grown thick!


----------



## windfish

Ugly Genius said:


> P.S. At Aqua Forest, there's a new line of ADA products. It's called Aqua Do or some such. Something about "Aquarium Supplies for Beginners". Not cheap, though. A nano glass diffuser, even smaller than the ones I have, were sixty bucks. Really cool stuff though.


Here is the full catalog of Do!aqua products:

http://adana.co.jp/_products/Do_index.php

I've been waiting for these to come to the US...I hope Aqua Forest (or even better, ADG) puts them up for sale on the website soon. Some of the stuff looks great, and at a better price than the normal ADA glassware/equipment, but probably the same quality.

As far as Riven goes, I certainly see the flaws you're talking about, but if you enjoy it, keep it. However, if you're planning on buying another tank that fulfills what you wanted Riven to be, then I don't really understand why you would leave it running. The great thing about small tanks is that its easy to tear them down and start fresh if you want to. To me, there is a large difference in learning from your mistakes and keeping those mistakes around as a constant reminder.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Yeah, that's it. Do!aqua. I knew there was an exclamation point in there somewhere.

The prices are better than ADA's high-end stuff, but it's still pricey. Like I said, sixty bones for a small glass diffuser. Their nano lily pipe was fifty, and that seemed cheap in comparison. 
Besides glassware, they also have Do!Aqua maintenance tools and tanks. (The tanks were cube single-sheet glass-types. Much like the flower vases you see from time to time.)
The stuff did seem to be of high quality.
From what I've heard, ADA's having trouble fulfilling orders from the warehouse for some time now. I don't know if this shortage is real or if they're having supply issues. Suffice it to say, it makes it hard to start a new ADA tank (or rebuild one) if we can't get the ADA parts we need. Kind of frustrating, really.
I do know that one Do!Aqua tank that was $19.00 a few weeks ago has since gone up to $25.00. Supply and demand, I guess.


----------



## windfish

Ugly Genius said:


> Yeah, that's it. Do!aqua. I knew there was an exclamation point in there somewhere.
> 
> The prices are better than ADA's high-end stuff, but it's still pricey. Like I said, sixty bones for a small glass diffuser. Their nano lily pipe was fifty, and that seemed cheap in comparison.
> Besides glassware, they also have Do!Aqua maintenance tools and tanks. (The tanks were cube single-sheet glass-types. Much like the flower vases you see from time to time.)
> The stuff did seem to be of high quality.
> From what I've heard, ADA's having trouble fulfilling orders from the warehouse for some time now. I don't know if this shortage is real or if they're having supply issues. Suffice it to say, it makes it hard to start a new ADA tank (or rebuild one) if we can't get the ADA parts we need. Kind of frustrating, really.
> I do know that one Do!Aqua tank that was $19.00 a few weeks ago has since gone up to $25.00. Supply and demand, I guess.


I know that they have released a new version of all Cube Gardens in Japan. The glass is thicker (on the Mini tanks, anyway), and the clarity is higher. I started a thread about them, and Do!aqua, in the Equipment section.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/equipment/71621-new-ada-cube-gardens-do-aqua.html


----------



## Ugly Genius

Perhaps that is why there is a shortage on ADA stuff. Maybe they're re-vamping their line.

Maybe it's good I'm waiting then. I can put together a more high-tech tank with the new stuff that's coming down the pipe. I do know that I like the glassware. I'll just have to pace my buying as I'll grow broke just trying to fill a three point five gallon tank!

One thing I do want is yellow tubing. I dunno why, but I think yellow tubing would look fresh. ADA makes it but AFA doesn't stock it as they think most people would not agree with me.









_This is a shot along the left side of my tank. In the back there tied by white string, you may be able to see the Mini-Pellia. The stuff grows so slow. I'm serious. I think it's been in there two weeks and it's barely grown. Anyone have experience with this plant?_​


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> I also got three shrimp known as Yellow Stone Shrimp. They are in Zoo's Delight. Cool shrimp.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​


The dog's delight or my delight? lol

Nice tank! Which plants are you going to transfer to Riven Reloaded?


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## kingfish92

sweet tank, makes me want to start one up


----------



## Tex Gal

Ugly Genius, looks like you have some green thread algae starting on your moss. I have been fighting that stuff. I learned today that amano shrimp will eat it. I have been uprooting my UG and tossing it trying to get that stuff under control!! 

I have the regular pellia. It does grow slow. (I think I might like the subwassertang better. It grows a little more compact.) I have been trying to find the mini pellia. Where did you get yours?


----------



## Jack Gilvey

Looking better than ever, UG. Dig the Salinger pups, too.


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Tex Gal*, the Mini-Pellia I got from Aqua Forest Aquarium here in the city. I know they have some in stock as I saw some on Saturday. It's $9.99 for a small one.five" square.
It's growing better for me in my shrimp tank -- in which I do nothing save water changes. Makes me think that my water column in Riven is less that nutritionally perfect.
I've been fighting the hair algae for some time now. (Although some of it actually _is_ Zoo's hair -- his hair is _everywhere_ in my house.) By using the higher-hanging Home Depot light, and refraining from dosing Brighty Step One and Brighty K completely, it's abated quite a bit.
I'm reluctant to add fauna of any type just yet. I do too much experimenting with CO2 to risk the lives of O2 breathers. The one Nerite I have in there is adjusted, and I think he's probably a genetic freak of some sort. A Super Snail or something. The first shrimp I'll introduce are Cherries as I have a ton of them and they seem fairly hardy.
In the meantime, I've also been doing daily one gallon water changes and that helps with the hair algae as well.

*jgilvey*, you're perhaps the fifth person in Zoo's life who have recognized the connection between Salinger and Franny and Zooey. There's a long story about how I came to name them and if you guys are interested, I can relate that long, boring story to you when I get back from work. I think I also still need to tell you guys the story about the coolest natural aquarium I ever saw in a hole in the ground about forty-five minutes away from Mount Fuji in Japan.


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Do!aqua glassware*

Got curious after yesterday's Do!aqua discussion and picked up two new diffusers. One's small and the other's hella small.









_The one time my Japanese comes in handy. This is the Do!aqua CO2 Music Glass 15. (I think it was mis-marked and it's actually the CO2 Music Glass Mini 15.)_









_This one's even smaller. Do!aqua CO2 Music Glass 10._​
The larger was thirty-six bones; the smaller was thirty-three. Much cheaper than the next size up, sixty.

Here, in this picture, you can better see how small the smaller is. It's quite cute, really.








​
I have no basis of comparison to the high-end ADA stuff, but this stuff seems to be of pretty good quality.

{_August 19th EDIT_}
Here are some just-taken shots of the diffusers diffusing. Sorry my camera can't zoom any closer. (What do they call those--? Macro?)

















This is just because it's a cool shot. It shows the last bit of "open land" on my substrate. The FLC, Glosso, and HC are all racing to fill it. (I'll let you in on who wins: The FLC. I'm rigging it so that they get that whole corner.)


----------



## CL

Those look cool! Tell us how they work out


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Zoo* and *kingfish92*, I just noticed that I missed your posts. Sorry. Didn't mean to ignore them.

I'm not sure what plants I'll transfer to the new tank, *Zoo*. HC for sure, Christmas Moss, and other than that, I don't know. I almost always use Anubias Nana, so that'll probably be in there. If I use Glosso, it'll be sparingly. As I plan on using wood, I'm pretty much obligated to use Mini Java Fern.

*kingfish92*, you should! Nanos are so much fun! Maintenance is a snap and you can supercharge growth without going broke on equipment.


----------



## Jack Gilvey

> jgilvey, you're perhaps the fifth person in Zoo's life who have recognized the connection between Salinger and Franny and Zooey. There's a long story about how I came to name them and if you guys are interested, I can relate that long, boring story to you when I get back from work. I think I also still need to tell you guys the story about the coolest natural aquarium I ever saw in a hole in the ground about forty-five minutes away from Mount Fuji in Japan.


 Count me in!

Jack


----------



## MedRed

Genius... I just ordered the music glass 15... do you think it's big enough for a 20 gallon High Iwagumi?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *MedRed*. I'd say so. It's about three-fourths of an inch in diameter and the same high. It's probably a really good choice in that the 10, which is less than half the size, is perfect for the Mini-S.
I'm really not a good person to ask such things, though. I crank CO2 _way_ up usually. So if _I_ had a twenty gallon tank, I'd have, like, eight diffusers running. (And Excel.) (And I'd exhale through a straw into the water column as I looked at the tank.)
I got some PMs regarding the Music Glass equipment. Would you care to share where you ordered yours so that others can do the same?


----------



## MedRed

My LFS ordered them through aqua forest. Aqua forest just got a lot of the Do!aqua line in and they haven't incorporated them into the website yet. They do not have any of the tanks or stands at this point. They do have the food, ferts, co2 stuff, and lily pipes.

oh yeah... what do you do to keep your ph from crashing with using so much co2?


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## Ugly Genius

TOP SECRET

PROJECT U.G.L.E.E.
Ugly Genius Livestock Evaluation and Extraction








Over the course of the following weeks, livestock from Zoo's Delight will be observed and evaluated for possible emigration to Riven. Only individuals displaying exceptional health, fortitude, and strength will be considered for Project U.G.L.E.E.. As the mission involves significant risk to health and life, compensation in the form of Crab Cuisine will be made to the maimed or deceased's next of kin in the event such does occur. END DOCUMENT.​
Of course, I get so racked with guilt every time a shrimp dies on my watch, the evaluation period may stretch for months. Possibly even years.


----------



## MedRed

ha ha... very nice!


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> Got curious after yesterday's Do!aqua discussion and picked up two new diffusers. One's small and the other's hella small.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _The one time my Japanese comes in handy. This is the Do!aqua CO2 Music Glass 15. (I think it was mis-marked and it's actually the CO2 Music Glass Mini 15.)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _This one's even smaller. Do!aqua CO2 Music Glass 10._​
> The larger was thirty-six bones; the smaller was thirty-three. Much cheaper than the next size up, sixty.
> 
> Here, in this picture, you can better see how small the smaller is. It's quite cute, really.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​
> I have no basis of comparison to the high-end ADA stuff, but this stuff seems to be of pretty good quality.
> 
> {_August 19th EDIT_}
> Here are some just-taken shots of the diffusers diffusing. Sorry my camera can't zoom any closer. (What do they call those--? Macro?)


$36 and $33 you mean for those 2 small diffusers???? What store did you get them at?

And I LOVE that Downoiroud:


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## Ugly Genius

*MedRed*, my means for keeping the pH from crashing is two-fold. Rather than give you the step-by-step and rather dull long-version, I'll paint the bones for you.
First I have no clue what my pH is. Not a single clue. If I'd have to guess, it's probably somewhere between zero and fourteen. Second, I ignore the fact that I don't know if my pH crashes from all my CO2. (And please note that I'm not all that mad at you anymore for reminding me of this ignorance. I'm totally over it. )
So you see, my method for preventing excessive CO2 dosing to crash my tank's pH is quite bullet-proof.
Seriously, my method of keeping a tank would probably make most of you cry. I just watch my plants and fauna and go by what I see.

*Zoo*, didn't you go (or aren't you in) New York? How is/was it? Yeah, those diffusers were pricey, but they're cool, bro! Especially the small one. I got them at Aqua Forest Aquarium here in the city. They've got a bunch of ADA's new budget line of stuff, Do!aqua.
I was talking to one of the shopkeepers and they weren't sure how well the stuff would sell, so they only bought a limited quantity, but apparently it's selling quite well and I'm sure they'll end up stocking my more of each item.

The Downoi is cool, huh? Yeah, I really like it. Tank's missing one more plant, but I haven't the foggiest what it should be.

Oh,









_Tank got a haircut._​


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## ZooTycoonMaster

I got back last night...landed in SFO, I was thinking of your tank:hihi:

Is that a piece of Riccia stuck to your filter?


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## fish_fasinated

i think i drooled a little when i saw that tiny diffusor. lol iv been searching for a nice small diffusor for my 2.5 gallon but i doubt ill ever see one of those in canada. booerns


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## Ugly Genius

begin transmission
last login 2008.20.8 Wed 20:48
*login:* Ugly Genius
*password:* *******
accepted​logon...
connected.
>
>
U.G.L.E.E. FIELD NOTES
>
>
>
CANDIDATE ONE: MASTER CHIEF; Caridina sp. "Bumblebee"; D.O.B. UNK; HEIGHT: 1 CM; LENGTH: 3 CM; WEIGHT: UNK​>
Project U.G.L.E.E.'s first candidate has been identified. A Caridina sp. "Bumblebee". Individual displays remarkable strength and courage. Observed the candidate competing with and winning against two larger and presumably stronger Caridina japonica for a pellet of Crab Cuisine. Candidate, hereafter referred to as "Master Chief", shows remarkable courage and/or hunger. Master Chief's complete disregard for his own safety can be considered a desirable trait in a potentially hostile environment such as Riven. Will continue to observe Master Chief for additional (for this project) desirable quasi-suicidal tendencies. Will also consider feeding more than three pellets so as to avoid hostile encounters such as the one just witnessed.
UG​
>
logout
end transmission


----------



## windfish

Ugly Genius said:


> begin transmission
> last login 2008.20.8 Wed 20:48
> *login:* Ugly Genius
> *password:* *******accepted​logon...
> connected.
> >
> >
> U.G.L.E.E. FIELD NOTES
> >
> >
> >CANDIDATE ONE: MASTER CHIEF; Caridina sp. "Bumblebee"; D.O.B. UNK; HEIGHT: 1 CM; LENGTH: 3 CM; WEIGHT: UNK​>Project U.G.L.E.E.'s first candidate has been identified. A Caridina sp. "Bumblebee". Individual displays remarkable strength and courage. Observed the candidate competing with and winning against two larger and presumably stronger Caridina japonica for a pellet of Crab Cuisine. Candidate, hereafter referred to as "Master Chief", shows remarkable courage and/or hunger. Master Chief's complete disregard for his own safety can be considered a desirable trait in a potentially hostile environment such as Riven. Will continue to observe Master Chief for additional (for this project) desirable quasi-suicidal tendencies. Will also consider feeding more than three pellets so as to avoid hostile encounters such as the one just witnessed.UG​>
> logout
> end transmission


Haha love these posts... hope all goes well with MC.

Also, I ordered the mini Do!Aqua lily pipes from AFA. They were out of the small diffusers but I will just order from them directly when there are more.


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## MedRed

lol Genius. you have a unique style. i ordered the music glass that hooks over the lid and down the side. 

I can't tell you what's missing. Have you thought about adding something that's not green? you'd probably throw up a little in the back of your throat... but i'd probably line the back with a rotala mini


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## ZooTycoonMaster

It's hard to believe that this:







​ 
Turned into this:


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## Tex Gal

Maybe your missing plant is lobelia cardinalis small form.....


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## Karackle

wow! It's amazing to see the progression when you look at it like that!


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## Kayen

Wow nice progression ! I'm jealous!


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks for posting that, *Zoo*. It's cool to see the progress the tank has made. (And to answer your earlier question, yes, that is Riccia in the filter. I use Riccia as a litmus test for nutrients in the water column. If it grows fast, there's enough nutrients -- no need to dose -- and if it grows slowly, I need to fertilize.)

I just took a shot in which I tried to mimic the first shot's angle. (It's off, but at least I got the camera in the reflection!)

















_It's been exactly forty-eight days since this tank was set up. 
Oh, and I named the Nerite: Guilty Spark. Feel a Halo-theme going on here?_​
*fish_fasinated*, it's a cool little thing. I want two now. The bigger one looks so big to me now.

*windfish*, you're going to like those pipes. I saw them and they are very nice. I like them better than the ADA ones. Let me know if you find out when AFA gets the small diffuser in stock, whuddya? Question for you about the pipes...what size filter do they fit on? Any size? They looked really small to me.

*MedRed*, you and I think alike. I was eyeing that plant the other day at Aqua Forest, but something stopped me -- probably the seventy bucks I spent on two diffusers. Anyhow, that is kind of the look I want. I'm also thinking that the rear left corner needs a dominating plant. Something almost as striking as a small piece of driftwood. You know, something that just says, "Hey, look here! I'm rad!"

*Tex Gal*, that plant is really, really cool and would so work. Except it's not true aquatic, right? I mean, I'd hate to put it in, fall in love with it, only to have it die not too soon after. Life's got enough heartbreak without adding to it.

Thanks, *Karackle* and *Viettxboii*!


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## ZooTycoonMaster

The true aquatic form will look something like big Glosso: 
















The non-aquatic form won't


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## ZID ZULANDER

Ok maybe you already touched on this but there is like 12 pages and I dont have the time to ready everyones questions and all. Whats with the two diffusers? One for Co2 and the other for air at night?


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## windfish

the inflow is 13mm and the out flow is 10mm. My eheim uses 13mm so I'm going to have to rig something up for the outflow...


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Zid*. Both diffusers are for CO2. Early on I found that one DIY CO2 setup was not enough as the lights I have on this tank, 26W, hang very close to the water's surface -- about one inch. I leave them in the tank all day and night and the one Nerite snail I have in there seems fine. He's never tried to escape the tank so I'm assuming O2 levels are adequate. Also, there are residual "pearl bubbles" beneath leaves of Glosso first thing in the morning so I'm assuming a that this tanks O2 and CO2 parameters are okay. 

On a completely unrelated note, the _Force Unleashed_ demo is off the hook!


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## thief

Got to Ugly ( lol funny calling you that!),

This tank has had a amazing transformation. Maybe not the best scape but the way you did it all and I am glad that you aren't taking this down. I think you should just keep making small changes over the months!

Also I used to be a good star wars fan but I have heard so many say good stuff about Force Unleashed. I guess I should try it out!

Any plan for shrimps or fish in the tank or are you all about growing the plants first?

Great tank man!


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## ZID ZULANDER

The demo was good. I will probably buy it when it comes out. As long as it has live play as well.



Ugly Genius said:


> Hey, *Zid*. Both diffusers are for CO2. Early on I found that one DIY CO2 setup was not enough as the lights I have on this tank, 26W, hang very close to the water's surface -- about one inch. I leave them in the tank all day and night and the one Nerite snail I have in there seems fine. He's never tried to escape the tank so I'm assuming O2 levels are adequate. Also, there are residual "pearl bubbles" beneath leaves of Glosso first thing in the morning so I'm assuming a that this tanks O2 and CO2 parameters are okay.
> 
> On a completely unrelated note, the _Force Unleashed_ demo is off the hook!


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## Ugly Genius

Took the advice of *Tex Gal*. Whuddya guys think?


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## CL

I think it will look really cool when it grows in. Your finally gettin' some height to the tank


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## Tex Gal

It looks nice in there. I think I might want to move it over to the right by your dark rock,(wedged in there). It's too similar to your other plants in that corner to have it there. Can you also trim your downoi and plant the top also so that you have a small grouping there? It's a nice leaf texture in there. Your one tall sprig of plant in the back left corner - do you plan of a little grouping of that, maybe getting a little taller. It looks really good back there. It would also hide some of your equipment back there. 

You've come a long way!


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## CL

Haha, ninjad you texgal  I aggree with TG some nice little groups of plants would be nice. Oh, and I see you cleaned your intakes


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, guys. The new plants have completely changed the look of the tank to me and I'm still getting used to it. I'm really not sure how I feel about this new "look". My girl likes it -- tells me to give it time. I'm inclined to agree at this point.

Here's a new angle.


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## mizu-chan

I think it looks great! I actually really like the new plants. The difference in height really adds something.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks for saying that, *mizu-chan*. I kind of feel like I did sometimes when I was a kid and I just got a haircut and I'm walking to school imagining everyone's going to laugh at me because it looks funny. Then I get there and a kid says, "You got a haircut." I nod, flinching as I get ready for him or her to laugh and point. Except they don't. They'd just say, "Cool. Let's play tag!"

Question, my ADD kicked in when buying plants yesterday and I forgot to remember what the hell plant I bought.
What plant is this?:


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## ZooTycoonMaster

I was about to ask that too:hihi: But it looks like Rotala "Araguaia"?


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Zoo*. A Google image search pretty much confirms that's the name. Not much info on this plant though.
According to the fellas at AFA, this plant needs iron and a long duration of light to get it's reddish color. Other than that, I know nothing about it. I just think it is really pretty.









_Yesterday I cut the Glosso and HC quite bit._









_I just cleaned the tank and I put this picture here for myself to remind myself later when I'm lazy that a clean tank is a good thing._​


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Tex Gal and I have some...I don't do much with it, just leave the lights on 10 hrs. a day and it grows for me:hihi: But TG's has much more red and, overall, if better than mine:hihi:


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## skyypeaches

looks great! maybe add a couple marimo balls? (i've been obsessed with them lately) it'll add some movement to your tank and their dark green colour would contrast nicely with the light green


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## Ugly Genius

*Zoo*, really basic question about this plant. Does it root? When I got it from AFA, it had no roots. I don't know if this is because they had just planted it sans roots, or if because it's some weird type of plant that for some magical reason, does not need roots but somehow stays in the ground.

*skyypeaches*, thanks! I think marimo balls are really cute. I'm not sure if I'll add them in this tank, but I've grown them before and they are a ton of fun. And you're right, the color would go great, but I'm looking for that one last plant -- I'm thinking a stem plant -- to finish the 'scape off. After that, Project U.G.L.E.E. can commence in earnest.

Nothing else new. Guilty Spark's doing a great job cleaning the algae and my fight with green water, then dust algae, then hair algae seems to be going well. (Knock on driftwood.)
You know what--? I never went through a brown algae phase. I suppose it could be because I have hardly any livestock, but I never saw it at all in this tank. (Again, knock on driftwood.) It's either the fact that I never feed this tank, or because I do daily one gallon WCs. Probably both. Either way, I'm not complaining.

What I will say is that I'm now a full convert to fishless cycling in a planted tank. Simply because you can _so_ supercharge growth and you can monitor nutrient dosing with pinpoint precision and neither the fish/shrimp or tank is harmed. No hurt fish, no full-blown algae outbreaks. A win/win if you ask me.


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## Tex Gal

Your mystery plant does look like Rotala sp. araguaia. Congrats on your find. This was a hard plant for me to find. It's a cool little plant. It needs high light to keep it's red color. It will grow roots like any other stem plant. You can also trim it just like other stem plants. I keep it with low nitrates since it's in my CRS tank. I've just cut back on my light. We'll see if it keeps it's red color....


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## Ugly Genius

Got a new plant. Again, I don't know the name. Poly-something.

Here's a picture:








It was super expensive. That one stem was $9.99. But it's so beautiful. It's fragile and lonely. Representative of a transient beauty found in Japanese art.








I've placed it in the tank in the only place I can put it right now. Everywhere else is too violent with flow from the filter.

Eventually, once it settles, I may move it, but for now, I'll keep it there.

Again, I rely on the kindness of all you to help me identify it.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/go.php

Hygrophilia sp. 'Tiger' or sp. 'Red' by the looks of itroud:


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Zoo*. Thanks. I'm not certain that's the plant, though. The Hygrophila's have visible veins in their leaves where this plant does not. It's really close, though.

Browsing throught APC's plant finder, however, I see that the Polygonum sp. 'Kawagoeanum' very closely resembles this plant. I wonder if that's it.


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## kelvin2go

It s very nice tank!! cool~


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *kelvin2go*. Love your shrimp!

Master Chief died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know. I found him curled behind the driftwood in Zoo's Delight. The cause of death is unknown, but know that the little guy was _the_ bravest Bumble Bee shrimp ever born. 
Little guy probably went out swinging. A bunch of the bully Amanos were probably giving crap to the new Yellow Stone Shrimp, and Master Chief, being the eternal champion of the underdogs, would not tolerate it and went buck wild on them -- showing them that you can take their lives, but you can't take their freedom!

In all seriousness, Master Chief probably died for one of two reasons. Either it was the Brighty K and Brighty Step 1 that I dosed today -- I usually never dose that tank -- or the heat -- today it was quite hot in the City. It was probably the ferts. He, one CRS, and one Cherry were found dead in the tank.

I've since did a 40% WC.

I do feel bad for the Master Chief. He really was a kick-butt shrimp.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> -- or the heat -- today it was quite hot in the City.


*nod* It was 100+ down here...San Francisco is usually colder:hihi: What was it over there?

But my CRS are surviving, and _they're_ the ones that are sensitive to temps above 76...and my temp was 82:help:


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## MarioMaster

Man, I wish I was at home right now - I'd build you guys some chillers to protect your shrimp


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## FrostyNYC

I'm surprised you found the dead shrimp. I NEVER find anything dead in my tank. I lost 2 otos in the last 2 months, and never found the bodies. Gulp.


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Zoo*. I don't know how hot it got in my house, but it got pretty toasty. Not as hot as Santa Clara, but it was up there. I'm not convinced that the heat did them in, though. There are so many variables in this hobby, it's difficult to say what causes what sometimes. All I know is that all shrimp are fine now.

*MarioMaster*, thanks, man!

*FrostyNYC*, I only barely found Master Chief. His head and legs were gone by the time I pulled him out of the tank. The circle of life, I suppose. But it seemed an inglorious end to such a cool shrimp.













































_My goal with this plant -- identity still unknown -- is to propagate it to the point that I can scatter it about the Glosso and HC so as to create the look of a grove of maple trees in a field of grass._​


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Wait so when is Riven: Reloaded starting?


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## CL

I like it! Your tank looks really clean. Nice


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## Ugly Genius

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Wait so when is Riven: Reloaded starting?


When AFA gets more Mini-Ss in stock. I decided to keep this tank up and running and I'll use clippings from it to transfer to the next tank. 
There's a couple of reasons why I'm keeping Riven up, but one of the main ones is that I am learning so much from this tank. There are a lot of built-in problems resulting from the plant choices I made and the layout, and I think it's good to ride this tank out to learn what I can so that the next tank benefits from the lessons learned.
Besides, this tank is super healthy and I'd hate to disrupt the plants that seem pretty happy where they are.
AFA said they might have Mini-Ss in stock in October, so that's what I'll shoot for.



clwatkins10 said:


> I like it! Your tank looks really clean. Nice


Thanks, *clwatkins10*. The tank was just cleaned. It didn't shine nearly as much an hour ago.


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## MedRed

this tank looks sooooooo good... The added height has added a lot of dimension to the tank for sure.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *MedRed*. I've been watching your Iwagumi. I can't wait for that thing to fill in. Gonna look awesome. Keep us updated, please!

Here are some new pictures of changes I made since this morning. 









_I'm not sure how some of you will feel about my choice to place the stem plant in the middle of the Glosso, 
but I believe that once they grow out, they will look phenomenal where they are.









I also added a Nymphaea. From what I read, it'll eventually get bigger than it is, but for now, I like the way it looks._


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## CL

That lily is cool. Ive never seen one with those color markings before


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## Ugly Genius

Me either, *clwatkins10*. I noticed it at AFA a few weeks ago, but it was so unique looking, I wasn't sure if it'd fit my tank. Today I just said "F it" and bought it. I like how it looks in Riven.
The only downside, is that I think it gets quite large, so I'll either have to trim all large leaves or take it out if it grows too big. Until then, I love the color it adds to the tank.


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## MedRed

Thanks for the words on the iwagumi... i plan on cranking the co2 ugly genius style before the livestock goes in. 

i think your lily is N. micracantha. It does get MUCH bigger. I have it in my 40 hex which is a tall tank. it reaches the surface.


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## Ugly Genius

That big, huh, *MedRed*? Well, I'll just have to let it do it's thing while I can let it do it's thing and when it's done doing it thing, let it do it's thing in a bigger tank.
I think you'll be happy with the "cranked up" CO2. It's worked out great for me. The only problem is that all my friends make fun of me for having a fish tank with no fish. When I tell them that it's because of all the CO2 I push into the tank on account of the high-light low-hanging fixtures I slapped onto it, for some reason they call me a nerd and/or dork. I can't imagine why. What's more cool than planted tanks?

On an unrelated note: I've got hair algae from AFA's plants. As I'm defenseless on the SAE/Amano front, I've got to fight this outbreak on my own. I'm not sure what to do. As I stopped dosing ferts a while ago, I've already got two DIYs and I does Excel once every now and again, and I do one to two gallon water changes daily, my only other recourse is to shorten the lighting duration.
Unless someone has another option. 
Does someone know how to fight hair algae without algae eaters while already doing daily WCs, dosing Excel, hyper-sufficient CO2 (i.e. already too much), and daily hair algae vacuums?


----------



## MedRed

i've had really good success using hydrogen peroxide in pipette and spot treating hair algae. You can see the results immediately as it makes the algae fizz. I had to treat my flame moss this way and it worked very very well.


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## FrostyNYC

I second treating it with H202. I did the same with my plants. Worked quite well, and it's reasonably safe on the tank ecosystem.

The _Nymphaea _is eye-catching. I've seen google images but always doubted their authenticity. Do you mind if I asked you how much you paid for it? Does anyone know if they retain those markings even when mature?


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## Ugly Genius

I'll give the hydrogen peroxide a shot. Thanks for the tip, guys.

I paid fifteen for it, *FrostyNYC*. A lot, I know.

I did see a larger specimen there and it had the same coloration and markings. Don't know how close to fully grown it was, though. Anyone else know the answer to Frosty's question?


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## Ugly Genius

Every once in a blue moon algae does something cool like grab hold of a piece of Riccia and tether it like a kite.


















_This photo is unrelated to anything. I just posted it here because I thought it was cool.









FTS._​
Besides the hair algae, this tank also has a ton of Nematodes. I'm not feeding this tank and I do vacuums daily, so I'm inclined to think that it might be from the decaying Glosso stems that result from my periodic Glosso mows. They're harmless, but I'd like to get them in check. During the day they hide, but a night...oh my!


----------



## rice n curry man

It looks really nice


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## kelvin2go

Will this tank has few CRS ? lol~


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## Tex Gal

I'm really liking the new plants you added to your tank. I've been following your thread. 

I love that lilly. I had one and had to give it up. One leaf got to be 6" across. I have too many plants in my tank to give that kind of real estate to one plant. Maybe you have a different kind than I did. The common name for mine was Jade lilly/lotus.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *rice n curry man*! I appreciate it.

*kelvin2go*, yes, eventually I will be adding CRS. Thanks so much for the shrimp, by the way. 
People, if you ever want really super nice CRSs, buy from kelvin2go. I'm serious. I got some CRSs from him yesterday and they are _beautiful_. I really wish I had a good camera to show you guys, but just know that if you're interested in getting a higher grade CRS than is available in most stores and don't want to spend a paycheck per shrimp, Kelvin's your man.

Thanks, *Tex Gal*. I've seen your tanks, and your comments mean a lot to me.
The plant was labeled as a Nymphaea sp. "Four Color". I think it does end up getting quite large. What I plan on doing is trimming the plant as it's leaves grow too large. Hopefully this won't hurt the plant in anyway. If it does, I'll just move it to the bigger tank.

Oh, the new red stem plants that I planted on the right are Polygonum. The sp. was "acritulation" or some such. Spelled almost like articulation but with a c in there. I've yet to find info on the plant though. Anyone know?


----------



## fish_fasinated

beautiful tank, glad to see some updates on it. and trust me when i say im no stranger to algae and the fun it can be. lol keep up the good work.


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## Tex Gal

OK UG - I looked up your lilly and I do think it's a different variety than the one I had. With any luck your's won't get as big a leaves as mine did. I found it for sale on aquabid. I'm gonna try it. I think your's has a starker contrast than the one I had.

I asked about the new red plant because it looks similar to my Hygro. sp 'araguaia'. 

Thanks for your kind words about my tanks. I think I may finally be in the right track with them. Only time will tell.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *fish_fasinated* and *Tex Gal*. I'll probably be forever fighting algae in this thing, but at least it keeps things interesting. And I think the Nymphaea I have does grow quite big. Actually, it's already given off two new leaves.

No changes to the tank. 








I'm going to need to upgrade the filtration on this thing, though. Nano filters simply don't give enough circulation. 
Also, I believe that the filters that are on the market right now don't really give the flow that planted tanks need. They are too one-directional. We need a filter that has no dead spots -- where every corner is given equal flow of nutrients and fresh water.
Until such an system is invented, I'll probably get a Eheim Ecco. Because it's small.


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## deleted_user_16

i vote 2213 

overfiltering is the way to go


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Did you get that stem plant on the right side (either Hygro sp. or Polygonum something, I forgot) from AFA? I seriously need to go there soon:icon_eek:


----------



## MedRed

i'm using an ecco 2232 on my mini-m. It's fantastically easy to use and is excellent flow for my tank. I liked it so much that I bought a 2236 for the iwagumi


----------



## @[email protected]

to get rid of nematodes:
add fish. if they are from decay, they are not parasitic, so they cant harm the fish, and are excellent live food. 
if you add a hardy fish like guppies, you wouldnt even have to feed at this point (though it certainly wouldnt hurt). they would eat the nematodes and nibble the algae and that would give them what they need nutritionally.


----------



## kelvin2go

Hey Job,
I saw your Hagen Nutrafin CO2. 
is it running good and easy to use? do you recommend it?
Looking for a CO2 for new tank.

Kelvin


----------



## garuf

If you're spending money on a filter go with a 2213 and get a cheap regulator and a Fire extinguisher and have pressurised co2. It'll pay off.


----------



## Ugly Genius

I decided that the tank was looking too Dutch. Being of mixed ethnicity myself, Japanese and Polish, I decided that I needed to represent my Japanese side and bring balance to the tank with some driftwood. What I'm trying to accomplish is a half European, half Japanese tank.








And here's a picture of beautiful CRSs I got from kelvin2go. If you want beautiful CRSs, Kelvin's your man.


----------



## deleted_user_16

wow!!!! what grade crs are those?


----------



## Ugly Genius

*fishman9809*, I have no idea what grade they are but the pictures don't do them justice _and_ there are even prettier ones that I could not get a picture of.
If Kelvin's ever offering up CRSs, hit him up, you won't be sorry.


----------



## deleted_user_16

yes, i will, i just really like the grade you have 


how much did it cost? i can ghuess grade from that.


----------



## Ugly Genius

kelvin2go said:


> Hey Job,
> I saw your Hagen Nutrafin CO2.
> is it running good and easy to use? do you recommend it?
> Looking for a CO2 for new tank.
> 
> Kelvin


Hey, *Kelvin*.
I'd only recommend the Hagen for the canisters. They're airtight. I don't care for the ladder -- it's ugly. And the mix you can do for yourself, and better, with sugar, yeast, and baking soda.
Would I recommend it? Sure. But I'd also recommend a regular soda bottle and a pretty diffuser.


----------



## rekles75

Just checked out this journal, I was digging it alot until I saw the last pic with the wood. What is that mopani (sp.) wood. I dont think I like the look of it in this tank. Just my opinion. 

The growth is spectacular.


----------



## deleted_user_16

ok, i researched it, that shrimp in front of last pic, is a SS Hinomaru most probably


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

It's either S-grade Tiger Tooth:








Or S-grade V-Band:


----------



## fish_fasinated

tank looks great, i understand the look you are going for and i like it. always good to see someone doing somehting a little different then everyone else.


----------



## Ugly Genius

*rekles75*, I feel you. Since reading your comment, I've scrutinized the heck out of the driftwood. _Did I finally jump the shark?_ 
Maybe I did. 
But I've got to trust my artistic instincts here. I think it'll look fine if it grows out the way I have in my mind's eye. I've planted Mini Java Fern behind the driftwood. My plan is to have to grow in a large clump and envelope the back left corner. With a thick tight cluster of Mini Java Fern covering most of the driftwood's base and with the Mini Pellia growing on the driftwood's branches, I think it'll balance out the hyper-manicured right-side of the tank. The Rotala'll have to come out, but I may just replace the Blyxa with it when I do. (I don't really like Bylxa in this tank.)
My point is, I do appreciate your candor, rekles75. It makes me self-conscious as a mofo, but it's always good to hear other points of view.

*fishman9809* and *Zoo*, what I ended up getting are:
CRS: One V shape, two tiger teeth, and one half V/red dot; CBS: Three tiger teeth; and GWS: 3 golden.
They are pretty as heck. Eventually, I'll be moving CRS into Riven, but that's a ways off yet. I've still got some (a lot of) fine tuning to do with the tank.
*fish_fasinated*, thank you so much. I really do appreciate your comment.


----------



## rekles75

Ugly Genius said:


> *rekles75*, I feel you. Since reading your comment, I've scrutinized the heck out of the driftwood. _Did I finally jump the shark?_
> Maybe I did.
> But I've got to trust my artistic instincts here. I think it'll look fine if it grows out the way I have in my mind's eye. I've planted Mini Java Fern behind the driftwood. My plan is to have to grow in a large clump and envelope the back left corner. With a thick tight cluster of Mini Java Fern covering most of the driftwood's base and with the Mini Pellia growing on the driftwood's branches, I think it'll balance out the hyper-manicured right-side of the tank. The Rotala'll have to come out, but I may just replace the Blyxa with it when I do. (I don't really like Bylxa in this tank.)
> My point is, I do appreciate your candor, rekles75. It makes me self-conscious as a mofo, but it's always good to hear other points of view.


WOW so elegantly put. I believe you have a wonderful eye, and looking at the rest of your thread I know your vision will come to be what you want it to be. I cant wait to see more, nano tanks are the hardest tank to scape and keep it proportioned at the same time and you are doing a great job at it. Keep up the good work. 

SUBSCRIBED


----------



## kelvin2go

Hi Job, 

Thanks for the advice for the Hagen Co2. @[email protected] 

wow I see my CRS in your gorgeous tank!! haha~ 
They must be happy about this new wonderful tank . 
I think they are great match in this tank 

I added 1 more red tiger teeth in your package, total should be 11. @@'
May be you can count them 

kelvin


----------



## c_sking

Ugly Genius said:


> I'm going to need to upgrade the filtration on this thing, though. Nano filters simply don't give enough circulation.
> Also, I believe that the filters that are on the market right now don't really give the flow that planted tanks need. They are too one-directional. We need a filter that has no dead spots -- where every corner is given equal flow of nutrients and fresh water.
> Until such an system is invented, I'll probably get a Eheim Ecco. Because it's small.


 
So basically a wave generator for the planted tank....back to the reef stuff I go:icon_twis Just when I thought I was out they pull me back in:help: :help: :help: :help:


----------



## Ugly Genius

*c_sking*, yeah, like that, I suppose. I've never been in the mafia...I mean, into reef tanks, but I imagine it would be something like that.
What I want is something that optimizes the flow of water and nutrients to all parts of the tank.
A constant and consistent flow of water and nutrients across the tank.
Right now the filters on the market don't do what I want. They're good, don't get me wrong, but I think they focus more on filtering and less on flow distribution. I want both.
Would a wave generator do such a thing without ripping a planted tank apart? I mean, are you making me an offer I can't refuse?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *rekles75*. I appreciate that.

*kelvin2go*, yep, you're right. Eleven. Eleven beautiful shrimp. I love those little guys. Not only are they pretty, they are healthy little guys.

Here's another photo of one.  (Sorry again. My camera sucks.)








And here are some tank shots. The water's cleared a bit from yesterday's Aqua Soil meets driftwood extravaganza.


















_*EDIT:* Taken September 7th. Added Anubias Nana Petite to the base of the driftwood and on one branch._








P.S. I noticed that I've failed to reply to several posts on this page and the last. I'll get to those later tonight. Sorry. The driftwood took a hell of a lot of attention last night. And I've been catching up on this season's _Battlestar Galactica_.


----------



## CL

looks great as always


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *clwatkins10*!

I've added two Amanos to Riven. It was an ordeal. After acclimating them via drip method for about thirty minutes, I dropped one on the kitchen floor. I eventually scooped him up, but who knows how he is for the wear.

I need them to rid the tank of hair algae and, hopefully, some of the plant debris that gets past my gravel vacs.

I'd take a picture, but they're both hiding at the moment. Pissed, most likely. They were happy in my two point five gallon Betta tank for four months now.

Here's a good shot of a CRS from Zoo's Delight.









_The one sorta visible in the back is from a LFS near my house. 
It's ugly in comparison to the CRS in the front of the photo that I got from kelvin2go _​


----------



## kelvin2go

The CRS looks healthy  nice!
I heard Amanos good @ hair algae. 
hope they helps!


----------



## Ugly Genius

You tell me. What in this picture is different?









_This tank's finally got legs. Get it--? Snail; no legs. Shrim...aww forget it. Stupid joke._​


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> You tell me. What in this picture is different?


We can finally see the FLC?:hihi:


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Zoo*, you have an amazing eye for plant detail. I'm serious. It's kinda scary. It's my tank and even _I_ didn't notice the Four-Leaf Clover until you mentioned it.

I'm just happy to have two Amanos in there. They aren't eating anything as they're still in their hiding phase, but it's cool none-the-less.
After these two adjust, I'll up the total number to five Amanos. I'll also consider one more Nerite.


----------



## Ugly Genius

*My friends can no longer cap.*









_Scarlet Badis_


----------



## aquatic-store.com

that tank is sweet good job with it. And have fun back in the hobby


----------



## Ugly Genius

One of my favorite shrimp in my tanks is one that gets very little attention in the hobby at large, the Yellow Stone Shrimp. These are very cool shrimp. They change color from clear to yellow and have a neat silvery glowing tract running through them.









_Yellow Stone Shrimp_









_CRS_​


----------



## fish_fasinated

love you crs! very nice.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

I have never heard of a Yellow Stone Shrimp Did you get them at an LFS?


----------



## Ugly Genius

I fixed my filter problem. I cleaned the intakes with pipe cleaners and the flow is much better. I'll probably take *MedRed* recommendation eventually and get the Ecco 2232. For now, the Nano-Filters will work, though.
As a photo above reveals, I took *@marko*'s advice and got a fish to eat the nematodes. It's a cool little fish. Really little. Half an inch if that.
*Zoo*, I got the Yellow Stone Shrimp at AFA. There's not much info out there on them, but they're a good addition to a tank. Good cleaners, not shy, and very interesting-looking.

The tank's now inhabited so I can't turn on the lights whenever I want to take a photo. But I just planted more Mini Java Fern so the left-hand side of the tank is starting to look more densely planted. It's coming along. A work in progress.


----------



## deleted_user_16

those kinda look like green shrimp a bit.


----------



## MedRed

Genius your tank has really come alive. It's absolutely fantastic!


----------



## Ugly Genius

*fishman9809*, they do a bit. They also look a tad like the Red-nosed shrimp. Cool shrimp. If you ever see some, pick them up. Good shrimp to have.

*MedRed*, thanks! Yeah, it's weird having to be responsible for fish, shrimp, and plants now. No more reckless CO2 dosing for me. (Although I haven't turned off any CO2. I just don't dose Excel anymore.)

The Amanos are slowly getting the hair algae in check. It'll be a month or so before it's under control, but it's coming along.

I've finally become curious as to what my pH is, so I'm going to get a test kit soonish.


----------



## deleted_user_16

hopefully, if it is green shrimp, they dont cross-breed with your CRS, after all, thye are both Cardina


----------



## kelvin2go

fishman9809 said:


> hopefully, if it is green shrimp, they dont cross-breed with your CRS, after all, thye are both Cardina


I have the same doubt before, because I saw the chart of PlantedInverts. Then I saw a TW CRS breeder put green shrimps together, then I ask him if they cross breed. To get green CRS lol. He said he put them over a year with no problem and some breeder in China keep them in same tank without cross breed problem. 
I think CRS should not breed with green shrimp.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, guys. 
While they do look similar, the "Yellow Stone Shrimp" that I have in my tank are not Green Shrimp. I'll try to get a better picture later today. It's closer in appearance to this than the Green Shrimp.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Just got done with the worst part of having carpet plants. The trimming. Actually, the trimming I don't mind so much as the netting out all the floating leaves. HC's much worse in this regard. It takes forever to net out HC. It almost makes having a carpet not worth it.

Anyway, here's a shot of something ugly.









_Hair algae_​
That plant's got the worst of it.

I'll fight it like I did the dust algae. Patience and persistence. 

Any advice you guys have will be appreciated, though.

So with the hair algae and the recently-trimmed carpet, Riven looks like crap.









_It looks okay from a distance, but up close it's ugly._









_Here you can see the additional Mini Java Fern 
and Anubias Nana "Petite" that I planted on the driftwood._​


----------



## fish_fasinated

tank looks great as always UG. and trust me that little tiny bit of algea is nothing compared to what i have on a regular basis! keep up the peristence and im sure this will be beat.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Do you have any Flourish Excel? Spot dose that hair algae-infested plant and the hair algae should go away.

But wait don't you have Amano Shrimp? They should take care of it...


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *fish* and *Zoo*.
I've got Excel and I spot dosed yesterday. Also, what the Excel don't kill, hopefully the Amanos will.
I'm concerned with why the algae's allowed to grow here, though. I'm wondering if I might be doing _too_ many water changes. Perhaps my biofilter's being diluted. I dunno.
I do know that the Amanos are doing their job, though. Much of the other areas once with algae are now clean. If they keep this up, I'll consider giving the Amano Union the raise and health benefits they've been asking for.


----------



## asimkhatri

Beautiful..
wat r the dimensions..?


----------



## deleted_user_16

im not sure im corret, but excel isnt safe with CRS, maybe its just a rumor.


----------



## epicfish

fishman9809 said:


> im not sure im corret, but excel isnt safe with CRS, maybe its just a rumor.


Incorrect. I dose Excel in my shrimp tanks and they're fine. Just don't try any Excel OD'ing for algae.


----------



## deleted_user_16

oh, yeah, thats what i meant, OD'ing is unsafe with CRS, or am i halucinating again?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *asimkhatri*. The tank's dimensions are 31x18x24cm (12"x7"x9.5"). A tad under three point five gallons.

CRSs are very sensitive. In Riven, however, I've yet to add any CRSs. At present there are only Amanos and some Cherry Shrimp fry. I'm not really OD'ing Excel. I just spot dose a small amount onto the algae. It's a fairly small amount -- perhaps ineffectual -- but I'm just trying to slowly see how it does.

My Nerite, Guilty Spark, was found on the kitchen counter. 
I got sad. 
The little guy made it a good foot from the tank. I sniffled as I traced his fruitless trek across the kitchen counter. 
_Poor little guy. Gave it his best. So his journey was fruitless. He was a little soldier, a trooper, and he tried so hard to find his own Shangri-La. Why oh why do the good die young?! Wait...what's this--?_
Then I noticed that his trap door was shut and thought that maybe, just maybe...
So, yeah, he's alive.
Never before the introduction of fish and shrimp did Guilty Spark try to escape Riven. He climbed into the filter once, but never out of the tank. He seemed to be perfectly happy. Maybe the fish and shrimp are just freaking him out. Maybe he's one of those loners. A misfit. A rebel.
Whatever he is, he's alive.


----------



## fish_fasinated

lmao nice story UG im happy the little guy is back in the tank.


----------



## thief

Lol that's funny stuff there! Also let me know how your battle with the hair algae goes. Is yours slimy? I am no guru with algae but mine is stringy but when I go to get out out the tank it sort of falls apart and when taking out of the tank it is gooey and slimy!


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks *fish_fasinated* and *thief*.

*theif*, I'm not certain of the constancy out of water as I trim it with scissors and a hose. Once I cut, the hose vacuums it right up. In the tank, it's quite strong and sticks quite tightly. I got this algae from plants from AFA. I should have pulled it off before putting the plants in my tank, but hubris got the best of me.
While it's ugly, it is teaching me to learn to balance my tank's parameters without a single test kit. I'm going by gut, advice, and observation. 

(Note: Gut and observation are as of yet ineffectual; advice will be appreciated.)​


----------



## Renegade545

I really like that tank... Great job, it looks stunning.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Renegade545*. It's always nice to hear something like that.

Here's the tank just now.









_Nothing's changed._​
The hair algae's getting a bit worse but only on the right side of the tank. The left is clean. I'm thinking it might have to do with flow, but it could also be because that's where the trimming took place and the algae is being fed by the detritus. Who knows. Eventually I'll figure it out. For now it's still manageable.

I'm going to be upping the Amano count significantly. 
Irresponsibly. 
I've got four in there right now, I'm going to take the number up to ten. I believe that this tank can support that many. (I want to tell you the truth of what I'm _really_ going to do and fess up that I plan on having fifteen, but I know some of you will yell at me for doing so. So unparenthetically, I'll say that I plan on stocking ten. And hopefully if you do yell, it won't be so loud.) 
So, I'm upping the number of Amanos to ten. (Fifteen.)

Guilty Spark is back doing his thing. No escape attempts.

The Scarlet Badis, as of yet unnamed, is a cool cat. He ate some Cherries I put in there after rescuing them from the filter in the other tank, but I ain't mad at him. He's just doing his thing.
Tough little guy, too. When I'm looking at the tank, the dude'll look right at me. "You looking at me, homie? I _know_ you don't want a piece of this! 'Cause I will eff you up. Believe it: I. Will. Mess. You. Up!"

Right now, what I'm most interested in this tank is the Mini Pellia. I really hope it takes good and well to the driftwood. I think on certain types of wood, Mini Pellia cannot be beat as an accent plant. Mosses can't touch it. Mini Pellia has a detail that can't be matched and must be seen in person to appreciate. Especially in nano tanks.

So tomorrow I'm off to AFA to get more Amanos and who knows what else. I also want some Tiger Shrimp, but I think I need to go to Justin at Ocean Aquarium for that.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


>


That rock in the front is barely visible:hihi:

And it's amazing that the hardscape hasn't changed sicne you started the tank:icon_eek:

Nice little tankroud:


----------



## asimkhatri

wat a nice little garden u hav..
I love it..


----------



## Ugly Genius

My pH, I now know after finally having bought a test kit, is 6.8. 
Amano says in _Nature Aquarium World_ that this number is ideal for aquatic plants. I have no idea why this is the case, but if Tak says it's good, that's fine by me.

Today there are sixteen Amanos in Riven.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

_16 Amanos_?!?!?? I heard they jump/climb out of tanks...I've found 2 dead RCS out of my tank with a 4" light fixture over it, and you have no Amano deaths (that we know of:hihi:icon_eek:


----------



## Ugly Genius

What's up, *Zoo*!
They do climb. Amanos are notorious for climbing into filters. In Zoo's Delight, I've found at least five that did that. One died as a result of his expedition, but the others stayed alive inside the filter. (I made it a point to check the filter, a HOB, every morning.)
I've noticed that once Amanos get acclimated to a tank, they tend to climb less. I haven't had a climber in Zoo's Delight in months.
I've never lost a CRS, RCS, Yellow Stone Shrimp, Rainbow Shirmp, or Bumble Bee Shrimp to climbing. I've never even _seen_ one of those trying to climb out.
I think it's quite interesting that you found CRSs that climbed out. I really did not think that they had it in them. It takes quite a bit of strength to get out of a tank, and I thought any shrimp weaker than an Amano couldn't do it. Apparently I was wrong.

I also picked up some Amano Moss at AFA. I'm undecided what, if anything, I'll do with it. I'll tie it to rocks tomorrow and see what I feel like doing with it then.


----------



## fish_fasinated

holy crap with 16 Ammanos in this little tank your tank will definitely be less fuzzy. and probably have some starving shrimp. do you plan on keeping them once the algae is under control?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Heya, *fish_fasinated*. Once the algae's under control, I'll lessen their numbers considerably. My plan is to have CRSs in this tank, but Amanos are just better algae eaters than CRSs. Once the hair algae's shaved off, I'll move the Amanos into my shrimp tank and let the tank settle to see if an outbreak comes again and if I need to play with CO2, lights, and ferts more. Once that's done, I'll move the CRSs in.


----------



## Ugly Genius

I think I figured out the cause of the algae.

Look:








Notice how the Polygonum leans leftwards? 
It shouldn't. 
The filter's flow is not strong enough there to push it sideways and the light is right above it. It should, if anything, grow straight up.
So:
I think it was the right-hand side bulb. It was too old. The Polygomun was leaning towards the strongest, healthiest light source -- the one on the left. And that is why the algae took hold more on the right-hand side of the tank than the left. (This is an older bulb that I used back four years ago for a bit when I first got into the hobby. It's total use probably exceeds six months.)
I've since swapped the bulb for a new one. The Polygonum has expressed it's appreciation by pearling like mad as it did before the bulb wore out.

Cause look at the left. It's much less algaefide.








And here are some shrimp.








And here's a one inch square in the front of the tank where the HC just died. Dunno why just there and no where else. It's not, I believe, because the HC was thick there before I cut it and that is what was left underneath. Other places, thicker than that still have healthy HC below it. I'll just have to wait and see how it grows back to see if I can find a cause.








And here's an Ef Tee Es.









_Ef Tee Es = FTS = Full Tank Shot = Ugly Genius is [STRIKE]a loser[/STRIKE] stupid. (EDIT: "Stupid" is more appropriate here.)_​


----------



## CL

haha, eh tee es lol. Im sure the hc will grow back. Sorry about the algae, my tanks going through a breakout as well -_-


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *clwatkins10*. Algae's never fun, is it?


TERMINAL CMD 2008.13.9 10:15 > lang is:US
/**
* grumpyness *on*
* author *ugly genius*
() method: *caffeine deficiency*
// * severity *7*
// *+ duration *2:00*
BEGIN
----------

Today's one of those days. One of the frustrating ones.
I woke at 8:00 AM. That's late for me now-a-days. Slept pretty well, but the week was a tough one so I wish I could have slept in later. (Franny woke me. She wakes really early.) 
I do my thing: take the dogs out, make coffee, and check out the tanks. As I'm looking at Riven, I just see scraggly; not pretty at all. The Glosso still looks pathetic after last week's trimming, the HC looks beautiful and terrible depending on where I look in the tank, and the algae's still doing it's thing.








It's basically one of those days where I want to take up a static art. Something that does not change day-to-day. Writing, painting, even film do not change day to day. There is no need to protect your art from so many unpredictable variables. It's like those of us who choose to grow planted tanks are not content with safe art forms. No, we need extra levels of frustration layered upon the already difficult task of growing things underwater.

Of course this could just be the fact that my morning coffee's yet to kick in and I'm just being overly critical of the tank.

It probably is.

Still, it doesn't change the fact that Glosso is really, really ugly after a trim.

Also, I really wish ADA would start shipping more tanks. They've been out of the Mini-Ss for months now. I would love to start a new Mini-S or Mini-M, but they've been backordered for quite some time. What's up with that?

----------
/**
* grumpyness *off*
()*resume norm op*
* END PROGRAM > 10:19 10:17​

What was I talking about? Oh yeah, algae sucks, but I'll figure it out. Just need time and patience.


----------



## CL

Haha, youre too funny lol


----------



## windfish

Ugly Genius said:


> Hey, *clwatkins10*. Algae's never fun, is it?
> 
> 
> TERMINAL CMD 2008.13.9 10:15 > lang is:US
> /**
> * grumpyness *on*
> * author *ugly genius*
> () method: *caffeine deficiency*
> // * severity *7*
> // *+ duration *2:00*
> BEGIN
> ----------
> 
> Today's one of those days. One of the frustrating ones.
> I woke at 8:00 AM. That's late for me now-a-days. Slept pretty well, but the week was a tough one so I wish I could have slept in later. (Franny woke me. She wakes really early.)
> I do my thing: take the dogs out, make coffee, and check out the tanks. As I'm looking at Riven, I just see scraggly; not pretty at all. The Glosso still looks pathetic after last week's trimming, the HC looks beautiful and terrible depending on where I look in the tank, and the algae's still doing it's thing.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's basically one of those days where I want to take up a static art. Something that does not change day-to-day. Writing, painting, even film do not change day to day. There is no need to protect your art from so many unpredictable variables. It's like those of us who choose to grow planted tanks are not content with safe art forms. No, we need extra levels of frustration layered upon the already difficult task of growing things underwater.
> 
> Of course this could just be the fact that my morning coffee's yet to kick in and I'm just being overly critical of the tank.
> 
> It probably is.
> 
> Still, it doesn't change the fact that Glosso is really, really ugly after a trim.
> 
> Also, I really wish ADA would start shipping more tanks. They've been out of the Mini-Ss for months now. I would love to start a new Mini-S or Mini-M, but they've been backordered for quite some time. What's up with that?
> 
> ----------
> /**
> * grumpyness *off*
> ()*resume norm op*
> * END PROGRAM > 10:19 10:17​
> 
> What was I talking about? Oh yeah, algae sucks, but I'll figure it out. Just need time and patience.


Heh I think I got ADG's last Mini S until the restock at the end of September. I think the reason they've been backordered for so long is because the cube garden line was just updated in Japan. The tanks are clearer, thicker, but have shorter warranties.

I've always had trouble with the patience involved in letting aquascapes mature and recover after trims, but I guess its just part of the hobby. That's probably why I have other tanks that just focus on the inhabitants, to get me by while my planted tank looks like a mess.


----------



## Ugly Genius

So the end of September is the date. Cool. I can wait that long. Thanks, *windfish*.

Earlier Zoo was talking about shrimp climbing out of tanks. I just caught one Amano jumping out twice in five minutes. The dude is absolutely determined to get out of Riven. There he is in the drain and I think he's probably going to die, but I put him back in the tank.
The dude jumps again!
If he lives, my lord! He was in the drain (twice) in non-dechlored tap water mixed with coffee grinds, some old ramen noodles, a rubber band, and soap scum.









_Look! This is after the second jump -- 
he's getting ready for another attempt!
Good thing I don't take this personally._​


----------



## windfish

Ugly Genius said:


> So the end of September is the date. Cool. I can wait that long. Thanks, *windfish*.


Keep in mind that's just ADG in Houston. I have no idea about AFA.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Good to know. Thanks, *windfish*. From what I've heard, they come from the same warehouse, so both stores'll probably get them somewhere around the same time.

They've also been out of the new Do!aqua stuff for quite a while. No new small diffusers or the cool small stuff. Hopefully they get that stuff in at the same time.


----------



## kelvin2go

lol that is like an amano mission impossible !!

did you try fewer hrs of the lighting for the algae? or separate the lighting hours and no light ? ( like, continuous 8 hr a day, become 5 hr a day and non-continuous[11-12pm, 1-2pm, 4-5pm, 7-8pm, 9-10pm, ] I think it will help algae.


----------



## @[email protected]

i like where the tank is going. just needs to healthy up a bit.

see, the thing about paintings is that they are nice at first, and then they are just part of the room. a tank never fades into the background. if that happens it pulls your attention to it by your carnivorous fish deciding that plants taste good, or by clado stopping by to say hi to you.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *kelvin2go*! How's it going? Your CRS are doing so well in my other tank! Great shrimp.
I'm going to take your advice and shorten the light duration. I'll keep you updated.

*@[email protected]*, long time no see. Thanks!

For the record, that Amano jumped a third time. This time he made it to the counter. I've since put him in Zoo's Delight. It's a bigger tank. He made his point. Hopefully he's happy there.


----------



## MedRed

[email protected] made his point. Uhhh amanos in open top tanks. I probably lose 10-15 a year from suicidal missions. I wish they couldn't support their own weight out of water.


----------



## @[email protected]

all arthropods can. they are immensely powerful comparing their weight to how much they can hold up. 

my suggestion is to keep a glass or acrylic cover on the tank (just if its DIY acrylic, then drill a bunch of small wholes to allow enough gas exchange. then you can keep the shrimp, and just take it off for pictures.

that being said, i have an amano in my open top 20L, hes in there for almost 2 years now.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Glad I'm not alone, *MedRed*. 
You guys might be surprised to hear that "Amano Impossible" -- to borrow Kelvin's idea -- is still alive. He looks pissed off, probably does not like me all that much, but he's still kicking in the ten gallon tank.

Good advice, *@marko*. I like open tanks, though. Seeing as how I haven't had any more escape attempts, I'll probably keep it that way unless I witness a disturbing pattern.

Nothing else new. The HC hole's gotten bigger. I'm thinking it may have to do with flow. (Then again, I always thing flow's got something to do with it and it turns out to be something completely different.)

Completely unrelated to anything planted tankish:
_David Foster Wallace, one of my favorite authors, committed suicide on Friday at the age of forty-six. He was a remarkably talented writer. We lost someone great.
I'm bummed about that._


----------



## deleted_user_16

hey ugly genius, you sed you were looking for new do!aqua products? have you bought one of their cool bowls yet?


----------



## @[email protected]

maybe its not getting enough CO2 (you have a diffuser right, not a reactor?). try dosing excel, see what happens; if its anything like its cousin HM, it will do better.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *fishman9809*. I've been tempted to buy one, but I decided against it. It seems that they're better suited for wabi-kusa as there is some distortion in the glass. I know next to nothing about wabi-kusa, so I'll just wait for the new shipment of Mini-Ss.

Thanks, *@[email protected]*. I'm already running two DIYs and an occasional dose of Excel and there is minimal surface disturbance from the filters, so it might not be CO2. It could be, though. So I'll play around with it some and see what it gets me.


----------



## kelvin2go

I am good ~ preparing to move this week 
hopefully, I will have time set up a 20gallon down there ~

BTW, how is the algae now? does it turn a bit better after lowering the light duration? 
I also heard juvn. size Amano clean/eat better algae then big one lol.

Hope the algae will be gone


----------



## Ugly Genius

A Bad Morning​
My Scarlet Badis jumped. Found him on the kitchen linoleum this morning. Dried out. An Amano was found dead in a midst of a molt.

It was probably the CO2 that did them in. Too many shrimp, too many plants (at night when they consume oxygen), too much CO2, and not enough O2. The Badis jumped because he needed air. The Amano probably had insufficient O2 to complete the strenuous molting process.

Lesson learned. I've since lowered the water level at night so as to allow for water surface disturbance.

I really need to move to pressurized CO2 so as to have more control.

I consider stocking levels in relation to water quality -- ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate -- but I had forgotten to take into account nighttime O2 levels.

Nature Will Survive​
Despite the deaths, the tank is starting to recover.

















The thread algae is still present, but it's being slowly eaten by the shrimp. As of yesterday, there are Amano, Rainbow, and Tiger Shrimp in this tank. Ten Amano, five Rainbow, and two Tiger.

Here's a cool pic I just took.









_I like it because it's artsy fartsy._​
I took it when I was trying to get a close up of the Mini Pellia.


















_She's preggers._​


----------



## Ugly Genius

In the interest of balancing the tank, I've removed one CO2 setup. I'll see how this affects plant growth.
In all honesty, I wouldn't mind if it slowed down a bit; trimming's become a royal pain.









_Now I_ really _need to put up my background. Looks naked, don't it?_​
I'm also cooking pasta. This is a big deal. I _never_ cook.

_Force Unleashed_ is great.


----------



## 17882

When I first started aimlessly browsing the web in search of interesting fish tanks I stumbled upon this site and this thread. Your tank was/is a big inspiration! Was just wondering...

How long does your co2 mix last in the hagen container?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *pbfreakon*. I just took a look at your four gallon. Great start! If that's your first planted tank, I think you have tremendous potential!

As for my CO2 mix, it lasts about three weeks. I usually swap the mixture out at two weeks just to be safe, though. I use sugar to the first line, one teaspoon of baking soda, and a quarter tablespoon of yeast. I'd definitely suggest using yeast and baking soda over the packets. It's the same result and tons cheaper.


----------



## fish_fasinated

ya a little DIY mixing with your own yeast and sugar works great and is extremely cheap.

UG your tank looks amazing, better and better with every picture.


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## garuf

If you want to make the tank more stable you *lower the light! *. Pressurised co2 would also help as it does not fluctuate like yeast based does.


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## @[email protected]

you will need SOME CO2 supply in there other then the animals for the plants to do well. excel may be enough for HC (i know HM grows GREAT on just excel, and HC and HM are very closely related).


----------



## 17882

Thanks for the reply! Looks like I'll be picking one of those up as soon as I get some spare cash...looks like a plastic bottle for now though haha.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *fish_fasinated*. Cool for you to say that.

Hey, *garuf* and *@[email protected]*. I still have one DIY setup on the tank. I just took off the back one. So rather than running two, I'm running one.
My main concern is with the CO2 and pH fluctuations at night.
Here's my thinking:
First, I lost a fish to jumping at night and I think with all the additional shrimp, snail, and plants competing for the O2, he thought he'd have better luck getting it outside the tank. (Poor little dummy.) Meaning, I'm not concerned with the tank during the photoperiod, I'm concerned about what happens when the lights are off.
Secondly, the bare spot in my HC in the front of the tank was _exactly_ where the outflow of the second filter pushed the CO2 bubbles. This patch did not start until _after_ I added all the fauna (i.e. competition for the O2 in the PM). I'm hypothesizing that at night when plants breathe O2, the HC was asphyxiating on the CO2 being pumped right down on it as there was considerably less with the fauna breathing it.
That is why I want a pressurized system, I could crank CO2 way up when the plants are pushing out air like a friggin' air stone, and turn it off at night when they stop producing O2.
Of course, this is all half-baked scientific speculation on my part.
I'm an idiot, not a scientist.

*pbfreakon*, a DIY bottle is just as good assuming you made it air tight. Heck, I don't even like the ladder it comes with, so if your bottle works, stick with that. What I would suggest is that if you have no fauna in your tank, crank the CO2 _way_ up. Your plants will explode. On a four gallon, given sufficient lighting, you could have two diffusers pumping CO2 from the bottom and perhaps even a third closer to the surface. 

Oh, remember Amano Impossible from a few posts back? The guy who jumped three times into a drain full of old ramen noodles? Well, he's not only alive, as I already mentioned, but he's eating!

So know this:
Ugly Genius has the world's strongest Amano shrimp. Period. (He's a bit crazy, but he's the world's strongest.)

Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

EDIT:

I just realized that I never give the Blyxa any face time in the billions of photos in this journal.








Due to a history of abuse inflicted on poor old me by the sinister Blyxa, I don't like it very much. It's moderately pretty, but not to the extent that it justifies the pain in the arse that it is.
It floats.
Just to get attention.
It's well-behaved now.
But the damage has been done.
It's over.

But that's besides the point. The reason I posted this photo is to show you how good shrimp are at cleaning fuzz algae. The Blyxa was coated in fuzz algae three days ago.
See? Overstocking shrimp _can_ be a good thing.

Yet another EDIT:

I just took these two pictures. They capture the forest swamp vibe I'm trying to achieve on the left side of the tank.

















Oh, and I've decided that between Glosso and HC, Glosso is prettier. HC is more consistently good-looking -- meaning, even after a trim, it looks great whereas Glosso looks like crap -- but when both are at their prime, Glosso is so, so, so much better looking. 
Especially when the leaves are small and just growing in. 
In the first "swamp forest" photo, do you see the HC and the Glosso in the lower-right corner? Isn't the Glosso hella prettier than the HC? Seriously! I don't think it's possible to say no.

And to think, a couple of days ago I was crying about how my carpet looked like crap.
Amazing what a couple of days can do, huh?


----------



## chadly

I think your tank looks pretty sweet. you've done a great job getting the HC to spread out. I like what you've done with the polygonums. I've had ideas similar to that myself. I hope to spend an hour or so and go over this thread sometime soon. Good work, keep it up. I feel like I wanna reach in there and nibble off a little piece of that mini pellia... 

p.s. I've been checkin out those ott lights at the craft store. They have OTT bulbs at the depot, thought about trying one out.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *chadly*.
The HC has really taken off. It starts slower than Glosso, but it grows much quicker once it reaches a critical mass. The Aqua Soil is a huge part of it. Aqua Soil + carpet plants + light & CO2 = growth quicker than you'd like.
The Mini-Pellia is my favorite plant in this tank. In my next tank, I want to use it quite extensively. In nano tanks, there is no better driftwood accent plant, in my opinion.
The Ott-lites are perfect for Mini-S. They are the exact height of the tank and allow for arrangement anywhere you want due to their small size.
And, yes, reading all twenty-one pages of this thread would probably take an hour. I can't believe I've written so much about three and a half gallons of water!


----------



## Ugly Genius

I solved the hair algae problem.

I just cut the plants and leaves affected. The shrimp took care of the straggling remains that made it past the pruning.
The tank is now, comparatively speaking, hair algae-free.

From here on out, I'll probably soak all new plants in Zoo's Delight for an evening as any plant I put in there, no matter how covered in algae, is picked clean by the army of shrimp in that tank; it's not unlike an acid bath in terms of thoroughness.


----------



## @[email protected]

i think that the HC is starting to recover and grow back over the bald spots.


----------



## fish_fasinated

man your tank looks so great as always, it has a charector like no other. joly good!


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Is that a Tiger shrimp or Amano Shrimp on the driftwood?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *@[email protected]*. The HC is slowly coming back, you're right. I'm thinking of going to a Glosso-only carpet as I like the way it looks, but I'll see how the HC comes back before making my final decision.

Here's two photos of my carpet of mixed HC and Glosso.


























Thanks, *fish_fasinated*. I lavish an embarrassing amount of attention on this tank and it's nice to know that some people like it! Thanks!

*Zoo*, in the front is a Tiger Shrimp and in the back are Amano. I've got ten Amano, five Rainbow, two Tigers, and two or three Cherry in there.


----------



## Renegade545

Great growth and nice tank.


----------



## Ugly Genius

My tank










is this










carbonated.​


----------



## windfish

I agree with you on the glosso. This may seem contradictory, but I think HC actually looks better in larger tanks where the details tend to blend together into a larger picture, whereas glosso's beautiful little leaves lend themselves more to detail-oriented nano-scape like your tank (provided that you can deal with the rapid rate of growth)

Just my two cents.

Also, Jeff from ADG confirmed that the new shipment of Cube Gardens will be the "new" type with clearer, thicker glass. I assume that the same applies to AFA. It almost makes me with that I had waited to start my ADA Mini.


----------



## CL

windfish said:


> I agree with you on the glosso. This may seem contradictory, but I think HC actually looks better in larger tanks where the details tend to blend together into a larger picture, whereas glosso's beautiful little leaves lend themselves more to detail-oriented nano-scape like your tank (provided that you can deal with the rapid rate of growth)
> 
> Just my two cents.
> 
> Also, Jeff from ADG confirmed that the new shipment of Cube Gardens will be the "new" type with clearer, thicker glass. I assume that the same applies to AFA. It almost makes me with that I had waited to start my ADA Mini.


Yesss  Good news for me. I'm glad I decided to wait until they get their "big" order in with the new tanks to order my 30c. Its gonna be sweet . 
UG, thats a lot of co2 bubbles. Any Idea on the ppm or ph?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Renegade545*!

What's up, *windfish*? Yeah, I'm right with you on the Glosso vs. HC in nano tanks for the very reasons you stated.
I'm trying to grow the Glosso to varying heights. I like the look of Glosso growing upwards and would like to have a strand of it here and there do that. I'll have to experiment with shading the areas I want this to happen to see how it goes.
And thanks for the head's up w/r/t the new tank shipments. I'm glad I waited.
BTW, AFA has the small diffusers in stock. Saw them yesterday.

*clwatkins10*, my pH out of the tap is 7.6_ish_. Riven averages around 6.8. (This may have much to do with the Aqua Soil, which brings down a water column's pH, as well as the CO2 I pump in.)
The bubbles I took a picture of are not all carbon, though. Many, if not most, are O2. The tank pearls quite violently.

In a couple of weeks, this tank will be three months old. 
I'll be moving on to Green Brighty Step 2 per ADA's suggestion and I'll be changing the right side of the tank to better match the left. This will probably mean removing the right-hand leaning rock and inserting a Mini Pellia-covered piece of driftwood that leans forward, left, and canopies so as to give the tank an enclosed and secluded-woodsy feel to it.


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Driftwood as a Metaphor for Ugly Genius Should Get Out More*

The wood's not _exactly_ what I had in mind, but it'll do. It's not super clear as the water's still cloudy after disturbing the Aqua Soil, but I think you can see the general shape of the tank. 








What I'm going for is a forest woods sort-of-look. Kinda primeval. I'll start adding plants around the right-side driftwood; probably a small mound of Anubias Nana Petite.








I like it much better than the rock I had there previously. My intention is to grow Christmas Moss and Mini Pellia along the side, hiding most of the wood eventually.

Oh, a total unrelated PS:
Did you ever notice that Amanos have night vision? If you ever turn on the tank light after the lights have been off for a few hours, you'll notice that their eyes glow much the way dogs' eyes do. I just noticed that last night.


----------



## Digsy

I just found this thread and just had to say, what an awesome layout. My first thought was that it looks like a scene from Jurassic Park. :thumbsup:


----------



## taku

Nice addition!!!


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Digsy* and *taku*!

The water's still cloudy, but it's slowly clearing. I hope it clears soon. I want to see my tank!

Anyway:
Are you familiar with Occam's razor? Well, it's relevant to yours truly and his dying HC.
Here's what I mean:
A couple of pages ago, I hypothesized that my HC was dying because of either (1) flow [too much or too little, I forget] or (2) the HC choking on the excessive amounts of CO2 during the evening. Ridiculously elaborate explanations, really.
Anyway:
Occam's Razor which stipulates that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one should be heeded from here on further.
The HC is dying because I let it grow too thick.
Period.
End of story.
_Stop making things complicated, Ugly!_

I do crap like this all the time. 

Another case in point:
A few weeks ago my plants stopped pearling as much as they used to. They would pearl, but not all that vigorously. 
I got it into my head that because some of the plants were pearling but not others, perhaps one of my bulbs needed replacement. 
I then got to thinking that the plants may have sucked all the nutrients out of the Aqua Soil. 
I then got to thinking that the algae was sucking the nutrients away from the plants. 
I then got to thinking that my newly-introduced shrimp were somehow interfering with photosynthesis.
Ridiculously convoluted reasons.
Anyway, the reason, as those of you less inclined to make life difficult may have guessed, was that my CO2 needed replacement.
So you see:
I'm an idiot.

But:








_Here's a cool picture of the new driftwood tucked inside the Glosso with Mini Pellia tied to the trunk.
Since this photo was taken, I've added Mini Java Fern behind the driftwood. It looks cool there.
I'd show you a picture of it, but you can't see it.
Too cloudy._​


----------



## SearunSimpson

Are those glass diffusers hooked up to DIY Co2? If so, are you finding you are creating enough pessure to push the Co2 through them without fear of your Co2 reactor exploding due to pressure? I have a glass diffuser, but I'm scared that my DIY set up wont create enough to push through and that the built up pressure will eventually make my pop bottles burst. Right now i have it hooked up to a Co2 ladder instead, but I want to use the glass diffuser for aesthetic reasons.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *SearunSimpson*.
Yeah, it's DIY CO2. It definately creates enough pressure to push through the ceramic disk. I would say that there is very little risk of the build-up of pressure causing the pop bottles burst. (Pop bottles are engineered to withstand carbonated pressure.)
Diffusers are not as air tight as you'd imagine. Sure, they are difficult to blow through, but that's because we have relatively weak lungs when compared to pressure build-up from yeast.
This is to say, I'd say that your worries are completely unfounded.


----------



## chadly

the new wood looks cool, with the lack of a background plant, you've achieved a beautiful layout. I'm trying to picture the tank without that java fern in the back which is barely visible at first but kind of seems out of place. I haven't read your thread yet, but what would you consider - if anything - of any type of background stem plant? After adding the driftwood, a new plant addition behind it as a backdrop seems pheasable.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *chadly*. I added some Mini Java Fern behind the new (right-side) driftwood yesterday. Behind the left-side driftwood, there's a ton of Mini Java Fern, but it's still getting used to it's new home. It'll probably take another few months to get to where I want it. I think if it grows the way I want it to, it'll look pretty cool. I think Christmas Moss, Anubias Nana Petite, and Mini Java Fern are so pretty together.

What I plan on doing is growing Mini Java Fern on the left and right and in the center, in the space where the right-side driftwood slopes left, I'll add a red stem plant. That's a while away, though. Once I add something, I usually wait to see what my eye tells me to do next.

Here's a picture taken just now.









_Water's still a bit cloudy, but it's clearing._​
I added yet more shrimp.
Here's a cool one I got from Justin at Ocean Aquarium:









_He called it a Yellow Spot Shrimp._​
In this tank there are eleven Amano, seven tiger, five rainbow, three Green shrimp, and two Cherries.
And Guilty Spark.
I know...
I know...


----------



## Tex Gal

Your tank is looking great. Love the addition of the new wood. Your downoi is disgusting!.. jk. I changed the light bulbs to lower wattage on my shrimp tank and now my downoi is melting! ARGG!!! Need to find a lower wattage than the ones that gave me the hair algae. Always a balancing act! :icon_roll


----------



## fish_fasinated

man i wish i had your talents or is it money lol. the second piece of wood seems to balance things out more. looks great!


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Tex Gal*! Hope you're well.
The driftwood took some guts for me to do. I was really reluctant to tear out the rock that was there lest I wreck my Glosso carpet and I wasn't really sure it'd look good. Now it's closer to what I had in mind when I first started this tank. So I'm glad I did it.

You know, my Downoi melted quite vigorously for the first couple of weeks that it was in my tank. The lower leaves would melt away. The top kept growing, but it lost all of the leaves it had in the store within two weeks.
But yours was doing fine until you changed the lighting, huh? Sucks. My only advice is to have you read your signature!

So you're still fighting the hair algae, huh? Don't give up. You'll beat it. I beat mine -- knock on wood -- by cutting off the infected leaves. I found that my shrimp were largely ineffective against the stuff. It seems that hair algae is an Amanos last choice for algae. Meaning, I would have to conquer every other type of algae before they'd touch the stuff.

And, you're right, it's such a balancing act. Would be any fun if it weren't. (Me = Libra.)


----------



## Ugly Genius

fish_fasinated said:


> man i wish i had your talents or is it money lol. the second piece of wood seems to balance things out more. looks great!


Hey, *fish_fasinated*!
It's the money. (Although I'm not rich! That's why I do nano tanks! Cheap. Pretty. And easy to maintain.) 
If you know what to buy, when to buy it, and what to do with what you bought, you can grow anything.
There is an intuition involved, but this is only my third planted tank, so I've yet to really develop that any.


----------



## Down_Shift

Man, I think I have an idea for my second nano tank! I'm so tempted to pick up a tank like yours right now and do something similar.

Where can you pick up these 'ada' tanks? Can I get them locally? 

(sorry for the noob q's)


----------



## Down_Shift

Ugly Genius said:


> Here's a shot of my tank just now.
> 
> .img.
> 
> _There's a picture above from roughly the same angle that was taken a couple of days ago. I'm pretty happy with the growth. (Actually, I just looked at the picture and they look pretty much the same. You have to trust me, there_ has _been growth. Really!_
> 
> The HC is kinda sorta getting itself going, but it's no match for the super-charged Glosso. (The stuff's growing crazy-quick!) The Four-Leaf Clover's holding it's own. Every day I have to cut back the Glosso, though.
> 
> Yesterday, I upped the CO2 to two canisters in an effort to get the HC kick-started. Apparently it worked, because after a day, the HC has spread quite a bit from the day prior.
> 
> I'm starting to see algae on some of the leaves. I'll hold back on feeding the plants tomorrow and do a 50% water change tonight after lights out.
> 
> I've started moving the filter from corner to corner depending on the day so as to ensure that all corners get adequate flow. Eventually, I might put another Red Sea Nano-Filter on the opposite side. (I noticed algae on the glass in "dead spots" that got inadequate flow.)
> 
> For a moment, I thought I had the start of hair algae. When I pulled it out, however, I found that it _was_ hair. Hair from my Golden Retriever, Zooey. Zoo, you should know, adores fish. He'll stare at my tanks for hours. As a matter of fact, he's why I got into fish tanks in the first place. I saw how much he liked them and got one for my place. Now I think he'd rather I walk him than spend so much time growing plants in water.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _This is Zooey. 0 WPG, no substrate, no ferts, no CO2; just food, water, walks, fetches, hugs, pets, and love._



omg.. that looks like a long haired dashchund!! I have a black dox.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Heya *Down_Shift*.
Thanks! If you've got an idea for a tank, I'd say go with it!

The ADA tanks aren't sold in Boston, but they can be ordered from AFA and ADA.

That said, in order of importance, I'd buy thusly (where * denotes ADA [i.e. pricey] item:

Aqua Soil *
Light 
Filter 
CO2 
 Glassware *
Power Sand *
Tank *

Of that list, Aqua Soil is the only essential item. With that stuff, you can grow anything given the correct balance of light, CO2, and ferts. And if you've done the inside of the tank right, people won't pay all that much attention to the sticker in the lower-right corner so any tank will do.

That said, I love my ADA stuff. It makes me love the hobby more. It's expensive and you don't always get what you pay for, but it has an aesthetic that makes me actually want to touch my tank. It makes this visual hobby tactile for me.

And, yeah, that's Zoo, my Golden Retriever. I love him. He and I have been through so much together. I can't even write how much I love that little guy. (Although he's not so little. He's thigh-high and about eighty pounds.)


----------



## fish_fasinated

*sigh* the joys of being a college student with no current job. For now my 2.5 gets the clipping run offs from my 20 gallon. 

i find it hard to believe this is your third attepmt, good on you. to think that you "haven't developed any intuition" yet.


Ugly Genius said:


> Hey, *fish_fasinated*!
> It's the money. (Although I'm not rich! That's why I do nano tanks! Cheap. Pretty. And easy to maintain.)
> If you know what to buy, when to buy it, and what to do with what you bought, you can grow anything.
> There is an intuition involved, but this is only my third planted tank, so I've yet to really develop that any.


----------



## Down_Shift

Aw man their ADA's are all sold out!! Damn they look good too..

Do you have more shots of your tank from afar?


----------



## thief

Down shift just so you know the ADG sight listed above is restocking everything actually today! So probably soon this week everything will be up plus new stuff. I personally can't wait!

Also UG may I say your tank looks very mature now. The growth is rally complimenting your stones. Well done!


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *fish*. I remember all too well my broke college days. I went years wearing the same pair of tennis shoes and eating pasta night after night after night. (At the same time, despite the poverty, college is a great time in your life. Don't look at what you don't have -- ADA stuff and expensive shrimp -- but just live your life as hard and as well as you can. And don't stop doing that after college, either. The rest of your life can be just as good, if not better, if you stay true to yourself. That way you'll have money, a kick-butt life, _and_ ADA stuff.)

*Down_Shift*, looks like thief told us that our wait is over! Now I can start my new tank.
Anyway, here are two afar shots of Riven.

















*thief*, that means a lot to me. Thanks!

I spent a lot of effort on the details of this tank, but because my camera sucks and I suck at using it, they never come through in my photos. Anyway, here's a detail I just added. It's a small piece of Anubias Nana "Petite" tucked inside the slant of the driftwood. Also visible is the Mini Pellia that I tied to the driftwood before I put it in.


----------



## windfish

Great shots, UG. I really like the new feel your tank gives. Its like a tropical forest.


----------



## asimkhatri

great..

How Much Light?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *windfish* and *asimkhatri*!

I've got 26W (13W x 2) @ 10,000k. I run the lights about twelve hours a day.


----------



## Tex Gal

Ugly Genius said:


> Thanks, *Tex Gal*! Hope you're well.
> You know, my Downoi melted quite vigorously for the first couple of weeks that it was in my tank. The lower leaves would melt away. The top kept growing, but it lost all of the leaves it had in the store within two weeks.
> But yours was doing fine until you changed the lighting, huh? Sucks. My only advice is to have you read your signature!
> 
> So you're still fighting the hair algae, huh? Don't give up. You'll beat it. I beat mine -- knock on wood -- by cutting off the infected leaves. I found that my shrimp were largely ineffective against the stuff. It seems that hair algae is an Amanos last choice for algae. Meaning, I would have to conquer every other type of algae before they'd touch the stuff.
> 
> And, you're right, it's such a balancing act. Would be any fun if it weren't. (Me = Libra.)


Thanks for the concern and encouragement! We are quite a ways from the hurricane area. Still praying for those poor folk that were hit. Trying to do my part and send clippings to anyone that needs them. It's certainly the least I can do.

Actually NO MORE ALGAE!! Yeah!!! The amanos did the trick. They are my buddies!roud: I have gotten bulbs that will give me 36 watts instead of the 48 that I had in there before. I'm gonna try that and see what happens. I'll keep a close eye on my CO2 and dose as much nitrate as I dare. That's really the only one that I'm reluctant to use because of my CRS. We'll see how well that works. Hopefully my downoi will bounce :bounce:back.


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## Ugly Genius

Have you guys ever seen your shrimp molt? It's friggin' rad. They start by peeling away the dead layer their exoskeleton and then with it peeled off their head, they dart quickly forward, ripping out of the exoskeleton leaving it a ghostly cloth behind them.
It's a hell of a lot quicker than I would have thought. 
I've seen it twice so far. Cool stuff.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

I've seen it in video and in my tank. It _is_ awesome!!!


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## Ugly Genius

_Tank water's cleared after the Aqua Soil was disturbed. It took four days._









_Mini Pellia's taking hold. Threads are starting to unravel._









_Shrimp and bubbles._​


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## CL

Looks nice as always  I love the frequent picture updates


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## FrostyNYC

Strange. Is one of your amano shrimp really a ghost shrimp? Maybe it's just a bad angle. The back looks really arched and the face tilted upward like a ghost.


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## Mad78

that moltin vid is gnarley, and a little creepy, it looks like an alien hatching lol


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *cl*. Yeah, I'm kind of addicted to posting pictures in this thread.

*FrostyNYC*. You've got a good eye. That's not an Amano. It's Cardina labeled as a "Gold Spot Shrimp". It's very similar in appearance to a Ghost Shrimp, but up close it's a lot prettier. It's got huge bulging eyes that when seen face on, looks quite funny. It's also got gold spots running down it's sides; really pretty. And you can also see it's organs moving inside it's body. Cool.

*Mad78*, shrimp molting is a trip. At first it looks like their noses are breaking off. The next thing you know -- poof -- they are out of they shells. Wild.


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## Ugly Genius

Does anyone know of a plant similar in structure to Downoi, but in a darker green hue? I love the leaf shape of the Downoi in this scape, but the bright green is tropical where I'd like it more forest-like.
In particular, I'd like a small plant that looks like a terrestrial fern. It'd look like a Downoi with the color of Java Moss.








I added some moss that I found growing in a pot in my front yard. I have no idea what it is. It quite pretty, very small -- a quarter the size of Christmas Moss fronds --, and I'm _think_ it's aquatic, but time will tell. (In the above picture it's tied to a rock to the front-left of the Downoi.)


















_Added Erio Mini._


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## Ugly Genius

I took the day off. 
I went to the gym, did some shopping, played video games, and then I made the mistake of watching the news. My gosh! What the heck happened to us?! So rather than ponder that question and get into a downward "Life Sucks" spiral, I took pictures of my tank. It's the equivalent of sticking my fingers in my ears and yelling, "Lalalalalalalala!"

So here are the lalalalalalalalas:


















_Xmas Moss is the prettiest moss of them all, EyeEmOh. 
(Where EyeEmOh = IMO = In My Opinion = I'm still a dork.)_









_At last count I have thirteen different species of plant in this tank._









_I really like this picture. It's pretty cool, right?_​


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## Ugly Genius

Oh, and just when the lalalalalalas couldn't get any better, here's a photo of Dwarf Crayfish getting it on.








And a CRS just because it's pretty and pretty things are great.


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## CL

Nice erio. I myself am 16 and Ive got the you know what scared out of me by the economy


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## fish_fasinated

oh UG you crack me up. great shots though. when did you add the crays? pretty sure i missed that in all the updates. lol


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## @[email protected]

clwatkins10 said:


> Nice erio. I myself am 16 and Ive got the you know what scared out of me by the economy


dont worry, our whole generation will be subsistence farmers, lol. what sucks is that there will be no bail out. which means no banks. which means no loans. which for a lot of ppl means no college or no grad school for some with a bit of cash.


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## Ugly Genius

You know what, though -- some things happen and you just have to have faith that everything's going to work out fine. Easier said than done, sure, but there's very little we can do to change all this right now. Just have to have faith.

*fish*, I got the crays several months ago. I mentioned them only in passing and, as their in my ten gallon shrimp tank, I don't mention them here all that much. 
Hell, until today, I wasn't even sure how many I had. I bought three but I see them so infrequently, I wasn't sure if all three were still alive. All three are.
I'm pretty excited about the whole mating thing, really. I mean, I may have dwarf crayfish babies in a month or so. How cool is that?!


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## Ugly Genius

For me this is hella exciting news. A CRS is berried! One of the nicest ones that I got from kelvin2go. She's got little red eggs. I'm so jacked about this.

Honestly, I had given up on the CRSs ever breeding in Zoo's Delight. My water's a 7.6+ out of the tap, so a couple of weeks ago I started injecting CO2 in the hopes that a lower pH would get the CRSs "in the mood". It brought the pH down to 7.0 and maybe that's what did the trick.

In any event, I'm hella jacked about this.


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## fish_fasinated

i think its exciting news if thats any consolation.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *fish*! I'm pretty excited by the news, too. Funny thing is is that none my lower grade CRSs are berried. I would have thought the lower grades would breed quicker. Not that I'm complaining, though.

Nothing new here. Tomorrow this tank will be three months old. I'll be switching from Green Brighty Step 1 to Green Brighty Step 2. As is, I dose fairly irregularly. I'm pretty sure that because of the Aqua Soil, the dosings I do are nourishing my ego more than the plants; at least by pumping something into the tank I can take some credit for what Aqua Soil does by itself.

Anyway, on the left side of the tank, the Anubias Nana "Petite" is starting to really fill in. The Mini Java Fern is growing slowly but surely.


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## fish_fasinated

i wish i could find some petite nana in my area. love anubias. 

funny enough i saw the little squiggly plant (i recognised the name but can't for the life of me remember it) you have in your tank in my LFS today. was kinda surprised really, but this is also one of the better LFS stores iv been to


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## @[email protected]

i think thats the batari petite.

as far as i know (and ive had debates about this on hear before, so not all will agree) there are nana petites and batari petites. people say they are the same thing, but one is anubais batari petite and it is larger then anubias batari nana petite. i have both, and one has leaves double the size of the other, but still way smaller then other anubias.


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## fish_fasinated

oh no sorry i meant the plant that is actually in the bottom right corner. the long leaves that have a sort of frill to them. and as for the anubias, i fairly certain thats its anubias bateri nana "petite" a sort of sub species of nana. sort of bread to be that small. same you would do for fish.


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## Ugly Genius

I think the plant *fish* is referring to is the Downoi. Cool little plant. I was going to take it out as I wasn't feeling it, but my girl told me that it really adds to the 'scape. So I'm keeping it for now.

As for the Anubias barteri "Petite" vs. nana "Petite", I'd have to say it's nana "Petite". 
I think scale gets thrown off in this tank. I've never seen a smaller Anubias plant and if this _were_ the larger barteri, well, I just don't think so. 
The leaves are about the size of a pinky fingertip. Besides, the barteri var. barteri's have longer petioles which where these are three-fourths of an inch max.

Speaking of mini things, someone here PMed me about keeping an eye on the Erio's "mini" status. Sometimes, regular Erios end up being sold as minis, I was told. In AFA's case (the store at which I bought it), I think it's a case of being mislabeled by the supplier, but none-the-less, I'll be keeping an eye on it's growth.


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## fish_fasinated

now i have heard of anubias bateri nana "micro", that or i might be crazy. might be somehting nice to look for?


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## @[email protected]

oh, then congrats. the point of every nano is to make it look bigger. i thought that plant was twice as big. 

yes, i have had an A. bateri nana "micro", if thats what its called. it popped up in my tank. it just grew next to my A. bateri nana. i dont know how. but it had a rhizome as thick as a nana stem, and leaves as big as a large pinhead. i still have picks. im sad to say, the plant is lost somewhere in my tank, and very possibly dead.
it was cool, but too small, i lost it.


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## fish_fasinated

ya it was the downoi, it was $8. but im poor, and ya.


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *@[email protected]*, thanks! 
One of my Anubias was supposed to be a "micro" but it seems to me to be more "petite" to me. Just so long as none of them are the regular variety, I'm fine. A regular-sized Anubias Nana could really wreck a nano 'scape once it grew to full size.

Hey *fish*, once the downoi gets big enough to trim, I'll give you some. I can't promise anything, though. The downoi tends to melt at the bottom as it grows on the top, so I haven't the foggiest how I'd go about trimming it.


















_Gold Spot Shrimp with it's funky eyes._









_Tiger Shrimp on moss_









_What I put in my water._​


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## MedRed

Your tank just keeps evolving. reminds of a set from jurassic park. Beautiful and green.


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## fish_fasinated

that would be great UG, if it mealts underneath as it grows up maybe you can just trimm it and replant what you have? it might also send out side shoots to fill in the bottom more once those lower leaves are gone. kinda like what a hygro would do? who knows, this is probably another one of those time will tell things.

tank looks great as always! so many kinds of shrimp, i love it!


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## deMastro

Very nice jungle!

Beautiful.


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## CL

It looks great UG. Cant wait for the next update


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## charpark

What type of moss is that tiger shrimp sitting on in the 3rd pic?


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## CL

charpark said:


> What type of moss is that tiger shrimp sitting on in the 3rd pic?


I believe it is Christmas Moss


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## Ugly Genius

Hold one hand in front of your face. Extend a thumb and forefinger upwards, leaving a half-inch gap between them. 
_That's_ how close I was to buying a pressurized CO2 system.
Instead I bought a jacket.
In my defense, it's a nice jacket.

Thanks, *MedRed*, *fish*, *deMastro*, and *clwatkins10*! 
*fish*, I think once the Downoi grows another inch upwards, I'll cut the top and it's yours. I'd rather not take out the bottom as it's thrown out roots pretty deep into the substrate.

*charpark*, cl is right, it is Christmas Moss. It's my favorite of all the different moss types. It grows clean and the green is the most vibrant-looking to me.

Speaking of moss, what moss is this?









_I think it's too thin to be Flame Moss; notice that it's about as thin as thread. 
But you guys might know better than I._​
And here's why HC's a pain in the butt.









_If you don't trim regularly, the bottom rots, the tops die, 
and you're left with bald patches in the substrate. 
So: either trim regularly and replant, or use Glosso._​
And here are glamor shots.


























Oh, my Gold Spot Shrimp jumped. Or was eaten (by other shrimp or, possibly, Franny or Zooey). 
Last night my girl and I went to dinner with my parents. When we got home, dude was gone. No where to be seen. I checked everywhere for him, but I can't find him. Sucks. I liked that little guy.


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## CL

Too bad about the shrimp. That moss might be zipper moss aka fissidens zippelianus


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## fish_fasinated

THANKS UG! lol sweet! dang now you got me all excited. now if i could just get the right equipment for my nano and get things balanced.

also im sorry for your loss, im sure there will be a replacement for this little guy in no time.

zipper moss seems likely, from what i hear its an extremely slow growing moss too.


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## Ugly Genius

Maybe that _is_ it, *cl*. I found this stuff growing in a water-filled bamboo pot in my front yard. Time will tell if it's Zipper Moss. Mine looks a bit darker than is in the photo you linked, but the structure is quite similar.

Anyway, as I wait for dinner to cook, I took more pictures. Here are my Rainbow Shrimp. These shrimp are fresh as they change color to match their environment and mood.


















_Both shrimp in the two photos are the same type of shrimp.
They range in color from black to brown to red to blue to yellow to green,
depending on their mood. The dark grey guy in the upper photo which I took five minutes ago is now burgundy._​


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## Tex Gal

I wonder if that moss ins stringy moss. I was just reading about stringy moss. Look here. The px down toward the bottom shows it growing up just like your px.
http://www.aquamoss.net/Stringy-Moss/Stringy-Moss.htm


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## CL

I love rainbow shrimp! I had one sold to me as a blue mole shrimp


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## charpark

Thanks ugly for clarifying the moss type. It looks great, as does your tank!

Will you at some point be selling off some of that HC or Downoi?! I'd love to get some


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## Ugly Genius

Last picture of the night. I promise.

It's just that I've never seen Mini Pellia pearling. I didn't think it could.

But:


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## CL

That mini pellia is the shiz.
Could you maybe some time get a closeup of your mini fern? Im trying to put an ID on this fern I have. It has rounded leaf tips...


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## Ugly Genius

My shrimp are sick and I don't know why. For the past two days they have been standing still -- like deer sniffing the wind when a wolf's nearby.

I don't know what it could be. I did change to Green Brighty Step 2 three days ago. Step 2 contains iron where Step 1 does not (or more of it). Could that be it? When I dosed a half-pump, I diluted it in a gallon of water.

I also changed my CO2 mixture. Same recipe, same diffuser, same everything.

That's all that has changed in the past week.

I did a 75% WC yesterday, but the shrimp are still inactive.

I don't want to get tunnel vision and think that the problem is ferts when it's something else, so if you can think of any other possible causes for the shrimp being inactive, I'd be very appreciative.


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## thief

Hey UG,

I been having the same thing with my Amanos! They used to be so active but one day they started just sitting under my branches in the shade. They would move but in a still manner.


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## @[email protected]

does the tank have a heater? the temp dropped a while ago, and with lower temps in your home, the tank may have gotten cooler. shrimp are exothermic (cold-blooded), so if the temp is lower, their metabolizms are slower and they cant do anything as fast. lowering the temps is a trick for catching escaped reptiles because it makes them slow, it should work the same way with shrimp.


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## Ugly Genius

*thief*, crazy that the same thing's happening to you! I'm honestly at a loss as to what's up. How long have your shrimp been acting like this?

*@[email protected]*, there is a heater and the tank is at a steady seventy-eight degrees.


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## fish_fasinated

i know next to nothing about shrimp, but i do wish you luck as i know you love these little dudes


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *fish*!

Here's the shrimp in order of lassitude:


Amano and Rainbow
Green
Tiger
Cherry

Amano and Rainbow are tied for first in terms of inactivity. The Green and Tiger move about and eat occasionally, but no where close to how they were just two days ago; they're at about 25% activity. The Cherries are fairly active.

Could it be water quality, I wonder. Perhaps the tank's bio-filter crashed for some reason. Times like this I wish I had some test kits.

It is also in times like this when I have to remember that I did the best I can do and that's all I can do, and I just have to let go and hope for the best.

Hang on, Shrimp. Just hang on! We'll get through this!


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Aren't Cherry, Green, and Rainbow Shrimp from the same genus and will interbreed?


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## deleted_user_16

green is cardina


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## CL

Dark green isnt, neon green is


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Well still, if its Caridina, it can breed with Tiger, which is also Caridina:hihi:


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## Ebichua

Where did you get your mini java fern? Looks great!  Was it from AFA?


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Zoo*. I'd rather not get into a discussion on interbreeding; it usually gets ugly. I'll just say that I don't sell, trade, or release shrimp and I'm "pro-choice" on the matter and leave it at that.

Besides, at this point it's kind of putting the cart in front of the horse. I have to keep these shrimp alive before I even think about them breeding.


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## Ugly Genius

*clwatkins*, pretty sweet dude! "whoa, mamma!" upside-down under your name. I like that.

*Ebichua*, yes, I got the Mini Java Fern from AFA. I haven't seen any there lately, though.


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## Ebichua

Aww, really? I was going to go there just for those minis too! I'm a big fan of mini/petite stuff  I would LOVE to add that to my collection. 

Selling any? ^^

PS. Yay to pro-choice!


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## deleted_user_16

pro-choice!!! lol


man, i need to go to AFA again, need....more.....mini stuff.

just cuz they are cardina or neocardina, doesnt mean they'll interbreed, rudolph shrimp are cardina and i know someone who keeps them with CRS, and also dark green shrimp, no crossing there, all cardinas.


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## fish_fasinated

UG your scaring me dude, no updates in the last couple days. is everything ok? if everything is indeed ok your regular updates are kinda missed as i never get tired of looking at that awsome tank.


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## thief

Hey UG,

Just letting you know they have been getting better. Every once in while I see the little guys flying around and actually doing something. I think as said before I don't have any Heater! So temp fluctuates between 65-73. Yes I know that the temp is low. Heck every morning I wake I'm freezing cold.

To let you know UG these random acts have lasted for about 2 weeks. Only thing is that it sounds like you have a different problem. Probably water quality. I would do lots of water changes!

Keep us updated.


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## Ugly Genius

Hey guys,

I'm still here. I've been a bit too frustrated to post here as I have been spending the past several days racking my brain trying to figure out what's going on with my shrimp. They are still not moving. None have died, however.

And I can't figure it out. :angryfire (This emoticon is not truly representative of what I feel. There should be [1] more fire, [2] lightning bolts, and [3] even more fire! Oh, and [4] knives -- knives being driven into my skull representing the friggin' headache this has caused me.)

I've:

stopped dosing ferts;
performed daily water changes;
changed my filter media;
and added another heater as I noticed that the temp dropped to seventy degrees by the morning.

One clue I have is in a new algae that's cropped up. BBA. From what's I've read, BBA is caused by inconsistent CO2.

The shrimps' listlessness can be traced back to the day that I changed their CO2 mixture previously. As plants remained healthy and pearled quite a bit, I dismissed the possibility that it could have been a bad mix. But last night, having noticed the BBA and having run out of all other options, I tried a new batch of sugar, yeast, and baking soda. (Is it even possible to have a "bad" mix of CO2?)

This morning the shrimp are a bit more active. Not normal, but they are kinda-sorta moving. Sometimes.

So maybe it's the CO2 mixture.

I can't say until I see the little guys move around more.

I should also mention that the Tigers Shrimp and Green Shrimp are less affected by this. They are more active than the Rainbow and Amano; they're not their usual selves, but they are slightly more active than the latter.

Well, here's a picture of shrimp standing still.









_I call it "Shrimp Standing Still Under a Log Making Ugly Genius Feel Like a Beautiful Idiot"._​
Other than that, everything is going well.


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## CL

The shrimp laziness could be caused by nitrates... too bad you have no test kit


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## Ugly Genius

I _may_ have found the cause of for my "museum shrimp".1

Before I go on, let me state right here that my girl said to me four days ago, "Babe, just let it be and they'll be fine."

I didn't listen.

I never do.

I'm stubborn.

And a bit dumb.

So:
I make my way to Ocean Aquarium and I tell Justin about my shrimp. I start to tell him what I've done to try to solve the problem. He stopped me after I told him that I did water changes.
"That's your problem," he said. "San Francisco changed it's water not too long ago. It's now got a pH of 9 out of the tap. Used to be 7.8, but now it's 9. What you're doing when you're changing water is adding ammonia to the tank."
Apparently, the city recently started adding calcium and magnesium as well. Something about preventing pipes from rusting. (The extra calcium would explain why my shrimp are molting like crazy.)
Anyway, what's happening is my water changes have been causing the pH to swing like crazy and it's stressing my shrimp.

Meaning, I should have just left well enough alone; the more I was trying to help, the more I was hurting things.

What This Means​It's about control, isn't it? Part of the allure of this hobby is controlling the variables to produce favorable environmental and artistic results. There is a point, however, where one must let go of control and just let things be.

Guess I've learned something about myself. I guess I have to learn to let go, to stop trying to control things.

Oh, I went pressurized.2









_Look to the right of the tank._​
_______
1. Last night, after a long grueling week of hearing my nauseatingly incessant (and some would argue misplaced) concern for my motionless shrimp, my girl sees Riven for the first time since the shrimp had stopped moving. 
She peers into the tank, turns to me giving a huge and at-the-time-infuriating-for-its-insensitivity-to-my-considerable-and-heartbreaking-pain-smile (my shrimp are sick and you're smiling?! You're making the Baby Jesus cry, babe!), and says, "It looks like a shrimp museum! You know, those ones with cavemen hunting Wooly Mammoths!" I now think that's pretty funny, 'cause that's exactly what it looks like. A museum display. Funny girl.
2. It gives me more control over the rate of CO2 injected into the tank.


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## CL

Yay! Your problem is solved, and now you have pressurized


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## Tex Gal

Ugly Genius said:


> I _may_ have found the cause of for my "museum shrimp".1
> 1. Last night, after a long grueling week of hearing my nauseatingly incessant (and some would argue misplaced) concern for my motionless shrimp, my girl sees Riven for the first time since the shrimp had stopped moving.
> She peers into the tank, turns to me giving a huge and at-the-time-infuriating-for-its-insensitivity-to-my-considerable-and-heartbreaking-pain-smile (my shrimp are sick and you're smiling?! You're making the Baby Jesus cry, babe!), and says, "It looks like a shrimp museum! You know, those ones with cavemen hunting Wooly Mammoths!" I now think that's pretty funny, 'cause that's exactly what it looks like. A museum display. Funny girl.


You crack me up! :icon_lol: If she has just looked into your tank for the first time since all this has begun she "obviously" doesn't have the attachment you do for your tank, much less your shrimp. Perhaps she's a bit more "balanced" than those of us "in the hobby", who spend half our lives dosing, w/c, planting... etc... yah think?

Pretty amazing about your local water! Now you're gonna have to worry about mixing water! What a pain! At least it's a small tank. It's really pretty. Love all your leaf textures.


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, Tex Gal! In my girl's defense, she hadn't been to my house since last week. And I'll tell you, she really does make an gallant effort to at least _act_ interested in my hobby.

Case in point, a few weeks ago when I called her, breathless and panting, talking in rat-a-tat quickness about my CRS being berried, she, in bumper-to-bumper traffic, let out a gasp and said, "Oh my God! Congratulations, baby! See, I told you you could do it." She really was genuinely happy for me. She could care less about little dots under a shrimp, but she knows it means a lot to me and acts excited.

She got the same way when I told her that Starbuck was not dead in _Battlestar Galactica_.

And when I told her that there would be a new _Halo_ game.

She also lets me argue (even at fancy shmancy business-related cocktail parties) that no matter what George Lucas says to the contrary, I believe that the Dark Side is always stronger than the Light Side. Short term, long term it makes no difference.

_[I'm just playing about that last part. I don't argue about the relative strengths of both sides of the Force. I usually voice my doubts on the ability for the Millennium Falcon to make the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs. Come on,_ tweleve parsecs_? Thirteen, maybe, but not twelve.]_


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## Tex Gal

ROLF! You are a stitch!


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## Ugly Genius

*Ebichua*, I forgot to mention that yesterday at AFA they did have some Mini Java Fern. Call before you go out there to make sure they're still there as they only had two bunches or so. They had lots of Anubias Nana "Petite", though.

Here's a Golden Bee Shrimp from my other tank.


















_54W and a counter full of stuff._​


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## @[email protected]

wow, you are really into shrimp.
lol

that tank looks really jungle-like. too bad that the HC is starting to grow up and you will need to replant it.


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## fish_fasinated

man wish mine would jungle like that! looks great though! i think you got the foresty look you were looking for.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *@[email protected]*.

Yeah, I really do love shrimp. Not so much into fish. Dunno why. They just don't do anything for me.

HC and I probably need some therapy. It's just not working out. 
_HC, it's not you -- it's me. I think we just need to see other people, you know?_ 
While HC carpets look great. In order to keep them looking great a periodic replanting is necessary. Unlike the carpet love of my life, Glosso, that can be trimmed to bare and it'll regrow without being replanted, HC requires much more attention to look great.


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## deleted_user_16

jeez, 54w?!?!? thats 3 times what i have on my 30c!! lol 

love that golden bee


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *fish*! It's coming along. Once the Mini Pellia covers the left driftwood and the Mini Pellia and Christmas Moss cover the right, this tank will be finished in terms of becoming how I initially envisioned it. 
Well, that and the Mini Java Ferns growing denser in the corners. 
The name of the game now is to keep everything trimmed until those three plants grow up.

*fishman9809*, what's up, bro. The fifty-four watts was just for an hour. I wanted to see how much quicker the tank would pearl with an additional 28W on it.
Answer: much quicker.


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## CL

Ugly Genius said:


> I wanted to see how much quicker the tank would pearl with an additional 28W on it.
> Answer: much quicker.


lol, I bet. My plants dont pearl as much as they used to though. That mini pellia is pretty cool


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## Ugly Genius

In all my worry about shrimp death, I overlooked the other side of the circle of life. 
Just now as I was looking at my tank while drinking my second cup of coffee, I saw on the heater a Green Shrimp fry.
One of my Green Shrimp was berried when I bought her and I assumed that she dropped her eggs in the midst of my changing-too-much-water fiasco.
I guess I was wrong. She did hatch her eggs.

So what does this tell you. That not only have I _not_ have any deaths, I've had _births_.
So what does this tell you. That Ugly Genius worries a lot for no good reason at all.
So what does this tell you. That Ugly Genius has got to learn to chill.

Oh, I found some Bumble Bee Shrimp for cheap yesterday. They were in fairly poor conditions: a filterless, heaterless breeder box without food. I figured they'd have better luck in Riven than that.


















_Truthfully, I'm just addicted to shrimp.
Saving them from bad conditions got nothing to do with it._​
This is just a funny picture. The Amanos look like tourists posing for a picture. The kind where the person taking the photo would say to the guy on the left, "John, move closer to the middle. Okay. Cheese!"









_Cheeeeeese!_​


----------



## Karackle

hahahahhaaha that picture of the amanos in a line is AWESOME! You're posts continually crack me up, but for some reason, seeing the shrimp there posing like that in conjunction with your commentary just made be burst out laughing...and get some weird looks from my officemate. But she started laughing too when I showed her. I love it, they're kind of looking at the camera as if they're saying "what? you never seen shrimp standing in a line? geeeeez..." 

Also, I haven't commented on your thread in a long time, but I just wanted to say the tank is looking spectacular! Your scale is amazing, when I see just a close up of the tank it looks like I could walk into that jungle. And a jungle it appears to be! I love it! :thumbsup: I've really enjoyed watching this tank evolve. 

Oh, and I never understood the shrimp thing until I got some of my own....i'm totally intrigued and a little obsessed with shrimp now. I had a similar reaction to find a saddled AND a berried RCS in my tank yesterday....i squealed a little and yelled for my boy to come see....he came running in from the other room thinking I'd injured myself but found me just staring at the tank motioning for him to come over, when he did i breathlessly whispered "loooook.......EGGS!" :biggrin: So.... i know how you feel! :hihi:


----------



## fish_fasinated

dude thats awsome to hear about the new editions! bees and babies!we have orange bees at my new job. i got a job in the fish room at the local big al's! lol so i now have a very cheap source for lots of fishy fun while im in school!


----------



## hyphination

your tank looks awsome man. it looks so natural. have you entered any contest before?


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Karackle*! That picture even makes me smile. What's even funnier is that the tank's right next to where I browse the net. So as I'm hunched over the counter reading this forum, I turn to see the Amanos starring right at me. Then, behind me are my dogs Franny and Zooey lined up doing the same thing. It was almost as if they were trying to tell me something. Something I couldn't. Quite. Put. A. Finger. On.
Until, Zoo pulled me aside and said, "Dude, it's a friggin' holiday and you're here in the kitchen reading about plants in water. Did you even _look_ outside?! It's nice out. And Fran and I gots to pee, ya know."
They were telling me that I need to get out more.

*fish*! Congrats on the new job! That's a dangerous place to work for a planted tanker. But, there are worst ways to spend your money.
Yeah, the new shrimp are cool. I've had mixed success with Bumble Bee Shrimp. A couple of months back I had my heart broken when my favorite Bumblee Bee, Master Chief, died and was consequently eaten by an Amano. Lost two more since then, but the remainder hung on. Hopefully this batch'll be okay.
Pour a forty on the curb for the Master Chief, though, whuddya? Gone but not forgotten, little buddy.

*hyphination*, thanks! No, I've never entered a contest. Technically, this is only my third tank. I have a long way to go before I could enter any contests with any degree of confidence. I'm flattered that you'd think I might have had, though. And judging from your first tank, you'll be entering contests before me!

Hey, totally off topic. Since this is only my second day with pressurized CO2, lemme ask you guys a basic question. Is there a rule of thumb with regards to bubbles per second. I've heard two to three. I've also heard that you crank it until the fish or shrimp seem affected. Right now I'm about one point five bubbles a second. The shrimp seem fine, the plants seem fine, and maybe that's my answer right there, but I was wondering if there's a "sweet spot" for a three point five gallon tank + bubbles per second that anyone's discovered.


----------



## CL

Don't worry too much about the BPS. It varies on a variety of factors. Crank it up like you said, but not too high. Of course, that's only if you don't mind changing your cartridges a lot


----------



## @[email protected]

BPS is a POC unit for pressurized IMO. lol, too many acronyms.

you measure CO2 by ppm, not BPS.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *cl* and *marko*.
I guess I'll get a CO2 tester of some sort. I really don't like the look of the drop checkers. They take up a ton of room and are very distinctive-looking for something that measures only one aspect of a tank. (If it could also predict the future, I'd consider one, but...)
Anyone know of a small, super-sexy CO2 tester that doesn't look like a droopy, glass apostrophe?

The shrimp are slowly starting to come about. The Bumble Bee, Tiger, and Cherry are doing great. The Amano and Rainbow are still a bit sluggish, but they're okay.

When I came home and tested my water's pH after about eleven hours of light + CO2, it was at 6.0. With DIY, I stuck hard and firm at 6.8. Do you think this is a cause for concern? Is the pH dropping too low? If you've read this thread from the get-go, you know I hate testing water, and because of this, my understanding of what a pH means, let alone what's best for my shrimp and plants, is close to zero on the test strip comparison chart. All I know is that rather than trying to nail down a specific pH, it's best to have a constant pH. I just want to know if this is too low and I should try to up it closer to 6.8 or so.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> Thanks, *cl* and *marko*.
> I guess I'll get a CO2 tester of some sort. I really don't like the look of the drop checkers. They take up a ton of room and are very distinctive-looking for something that measures only one aspect of a tank. (If it could also predict the future, I'd consider one, but...)
> Anyone know of a small, super-sexy CO2 tester that doesn't look like a droopy, glass apostrophe?


This one!


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## fish_fasinated

i think the droopy glass apostrophe look better then these. red sea co2 stuff just isnt very nice lol.


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## Ugly Genius

I will say this about that one, *Zoo*, it doesn't look like an apostrophe. As for super-sexy, however...sexy's in the eye of the beholder, I guess, isn't it? Thanks, though.

I did see in a catalogue somewhere a digital pH meter. Anyone try those?


----------



## Ugly Genius

There's always something to worry about with a planted tank.

Right now, it's BBA that's starting to grow on the driftwood.

Look:








It's most visible on the wood portion, but it's also growing on the Christmas Moss. It is also growing on the Mini Pellia on the left-hand side driftwood. I don't know if this is due to my tap water -- 9.0 out of the tap -- or CO2 or what.

Anyone know a way to beat BBA? Should I _not_ turn off CO2 at night? Should I up it more during the day? I'm not really keen on spot-dosing with Excel or some such. I'd like to see if I can balance the tank and bring things together naturally. Anyone know?

Also, the tank's in dire need of a trim.








Trimming's never fun for me. The way I 'scaped this tank makes it a terribly dexterously-challenging ordeal. Once I cut the front-right HC, it's going to be bald until the new stuff can grow in; meaning ugly. Hopefully, the Glosso will take over in the interim. I don't think I'll work with HC for some time. It's not pretty enough to justify its pain-in-the-buttedness.


----------



## CL

I think that pure no3 kills bba, it might be k, but I'm pretty sure it is no3, though, you might want to temporarily move the shrimp while you do the dosing


----------



## fish_fasinated

why trimm? i thought you wanted a foresty look? lol i think it looks great.


----------



## rasbora

If you could find a young flag fish that was small enough to leave your shrimp alone, it would own that bba.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *fish*. It's funny you should mention the forest look. Yesterday I was looking a photos of temperate rainforests and I noticed a distinct similarity.

















Hey, *rasbora*! Thanks for the advice. I'll see how it goes with playing with CO2, if that fails, I'll look into the Flag Fish or an SAE.

Here's a corner full of the Bumblee Bees.








And the obligatory FTS.


----------



## Renegade545

Your tank is looking awesome, filled in nicely. 

Its odd how similar your tank looks to that pic.


----------



## Karackle

Wow, your tank really does look like that pic! Right down to the fern in the right corner of the forest pic looking like your downoi! Very cool


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## fish_fasinated

well UG just as you said me working in the fishroom in my local big al's, im taking home some plants tonight lol. maybe a downoi and something for the 20G


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## Ugly Genius

Grrr.

I can grow plants okay, but I suck at fauna. (EDIT: I should change that statement. I can grow plants fine and I can raise fauna -- as evidenced by my shrimp tank. However, I seem to suck at doing both in the same tank. WTF's up with that?!) 
I came home from work to see that one Bumble Bee jumped, and a Rainbow and Tiger died.

pH this morning before lights and CO2 was a neutral 7. Just now after ten hours of lights and CO2, it was at 6.2. Could this be the cause of the shrimp stress? If so, how do I remedy it?


----------



## chase127

clwatkins10 said:


> I think that pure no3 kills bba, it might be k, but I'm pretty sure it is no3, though, you might want to temporarily move the shrimp while you do the dosing


i think it was pure *kno3* i read about in some thread that killed bba.


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## CL

chris127 said:


> i think it was pure *kno3* i read about in some thread that killed bba.


haha, true, I just had to combine the k with the no3 lol


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## bsmith

BBA is a huge pain in my nano. It says its from not enough/fluctuating co2 levels. In my case its tough since I have DIY co2. Also I find that there is ALWAYS more in areas with higher flow.Just somethings to think about.


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## jinx©

Great looking tank. Nice work and good luck with the algae. roud:


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## thief

Lol UG I find it funny how we are battling the same problems! 

This week my tank has been taken over by thread, and BBA, with minor cases of Spot and Slimy algae! lol

All what I know is that this is going to be a long battle! 

Ill see you on the Front lines Admiral UG.

P.S. Shrimp are doing ok now!


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## Karackle

pH swings will definitely cause stress, so I'd imagine that could be at least part of the problem (though I have no idea what the other part could be). As for how to fix it though, I'm not sure, i've never run a high tech tank. Sorry to not be more helpful.


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## Ugly Genius

BBA's gone. 90% of it, at least.
Here's how I did it.

Step 1: I don't know.

That's not entirely true. I changed two things that _may_ have helped. I moved the filter outputs and I moved my diffuser.
Ironically, and what will be a part of my eventual point, is that I didn't do these things to help the BBA; I did it to help my shrimp.

With my pH swinging all over the place, I had to try to limit the amount of CO2 dissolved into the water column. So rather than have the diffuser right beneath a filter output as I had had it, I moved the diffuser towards the front of the tank and the filter output towards the back. (Now the bubbles float directly to the surface rather and being pushed into the water column beneath the flow output.)

This seemed to help the pH swings which seemed to help the shrimp. The shrimp, feeling a bit better, seemed more inclined to eat. Being more inclined to eat, they ate some of the BBA. (Yes, I saw my Rainbow Shrimp eating the BBA. Actually an Amano is eating some right now. Look...)








So what I think helped my BBA was a combination of all of the above. Less CO2 dissolved into the water column, change of flow position, and shrimp eating.









_The diffuser's up front now away from the flow. Less saturation, less pH swings._​
Yesterday was my birthday, so for a present, my girl took me to AFA and we picked out a lamp and ordered a Mini-M. This one should be in at the end of the month or so.









_The new lamp._​
I also got a couple of pieces of kick-butt driftwood.








I'm thinking it'll have a Glosso carpet. (Maybe. Another possibility is a hairgrass carpet.) On the driftwood, Mini Pellia. In the nooks, Anubias Nana "Petite", and not much else. Possibly Mini Java Fern, but I'm not married to that idea. Basically, I want a slow-grower that will probably take close to one year to reach maturity.

I want this tank to be much more "low maintenance" than Riven. I also want it to be viewable from 360º. A Mini-M is two gallons bigger than a Mini-S, so I'll have to learn more about what light and CO2 are needed.

*thief*, good luck with the BBA. For the thread algae, the best defense I found was to just cut the affected leaves/plants. Once I did that, it never came back.

*chris127* and *clwatkins10*, thanks! I'll keep that in mind.

*fish*, did you end up getting plants for your 20?

*jinx©*, cool avatar! Thanks!

*karackle*, I convinced you're right. I've checked with hobbyists in SF and most have reported that the water coming out of our taps is now at 9.0 where it was 7.8. That combined with my newly-installed pressurized CO2 probably put the shrimp through terrible stress. It's not surprising they're acting strange. If anything, it's amazing I only had three deaths with the pH swinging from 9.0 down to 6.0 in a single day! Hopefully, me doing fewer WCs and lowering the CO2 will help them.
My weakness in planted tanks is that I focus much more on plants and optimize the tank for them but don't consider the ideal conditions for the fauna. What I need to do is find a balance between the two, where conditions are best for both.


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## CL

Good to hear, and awesome birthday present! Hope you had a good one


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## hyphination

cool light, thats the one i have lol 
it looks like its at the same height as mine if I lower it anymore I feel like the back isnt getting any light because fixture is hanging more over the front side hmm what should i do?
btw your tank is looking great as usual:thumbsup:


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## Church

I like that lamp... what kind is it? What's the wattage? What did it cost?


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## chase127

that is some seriously awesome driftwood  i cant wait to see it in the tank.


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## fish_fasinated

well UG i managed to get some plants for my 20 and my 2.5, i got some star plant for the 20G and a REALLY nice clump of downoi for the 2.5. unfortunetly my kitten knocked my light into my tank last night so its drying out as i type right now. hopefully it still works cause ill be rather upset if it doesnt. now if i could just get rid of some hair algea over taking the moss in my tank then ill be set.

im happy you managed to get things under better control. this new tank im sure will be just as wicked awsome as this one is.


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## Ugly Genius

Riven has been emptied of shrimp.

The shrimp -- whose health would swing from better to worse from day to day -- was causing me angst that was affecting my overall enjoyment of the tank. I moved them to Zoo's Delight where they are all doing much better.

Other than that, the tank's the same.

Thanks, *cl* and *hyphination*!

*Church*, the lamp's a 28W @ 10,000k from AFA. It's their brand Archaea. Cool little lamp. (If you want my personal opinion on the best lights for a Mini-S, it's two Ott-Lite task lights. They can be gotten at Fry's for thirty-four dollars. Perfect height and no wasted light spread.

*chris127*, I'm jacked about the new driftwood and I can't wait to start the new tank. This one'll be much lower maintenance. I'm tired of baby sitting tanks. This one will be a Mini-M (5.5 gallons) with 28 W and CO2. All plants will be slow-growers. Right now I'm leaning towards no carpet at all. Or if I do, I'll use UG. All I know is that it'll have a ton of Mini Pellia.

*fish*, congrats on the new plants. I hope the light recovered from it's cat-induced swim. 
I got some hair algae, too. I put in some UG I got from AFA last week and, like most of the plants I get there, it had hair algae. This means the tank'll have to be trimmed again. (The only cure I've found to hair algae is to manually cut the affected leaves.)


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## asimkhatri

your tank is becoming more beautiful day by day

keep it up.. (Y)


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## asimkhatri

Hw many HOB are thr..?


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *asimkhatri*. There are two HOBs. I have them set to swirl the water column counter-clockwise. My next tank I'll probably go canister with a Eheim.


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## asimkhatri

sound's great..
nice tank tc


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## ZooTycoonMaster

C'mon, no pics in almost a week?


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## Ugly Genius

*Zoo*! I think this is the longest between photos, isn't it? Usually I post them with such frequency that you could print them out, stack them, and flip through them so as to have a cartoon of plant growth. 
You're going to have to believe me when I tell you that Riven looks like crap. It got hit hard by algae in one week. I think it might be because of the change in light fixture, but who knows. All I know is that it really does look terrible.
I don't have a photo right now, but I'll post one tomorrow. I figure if I can show you when my tank looks good, I have a moral obligation to show you what it looks like when it looks like crap.

That said--I'm excited.

Here's why.









_An ADA Mini-M!_​
Specs from the top down:
Archaea 28W lamp
Zoo Med 501 Turtle Filter
ADA CO2 Advance System
Aqua Soil Amazonia Powder
Aqua Soil Amazonia
Power Sand S (maybe)

I'll probably be playing with the layout all tomorrow.

It's very likely that this will have only Mini Pellia, Mini Java Fern, and Anubias Nana "Petite". Three slow growers. Three of my favorite plants.
I _might_ do a UG carpet, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, that's all there is for now.

Tomorrow's an sfbaaps open house at AFA. I might go. Should be fun.


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## CL

That is great! I'm assuming that that is the "new" make of ADA tanks? If so, how do you like the improvements?


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## Ugly Genius

What's up, *cl*. Honestly, if no one had told me, I would not have noticed a difference. The glass is thicker, that much I noticed, but I've yet to see anything else that's different. Same good ADA quality as far as I can see.


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## asimkhatri

wow nice tank..


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## fish_fasinated

well you know what this means, another journal! lol get is started


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## AlexRaven

Amazing tank ! The Dwnoi is very eye-catcing and looks like a little palm tree between the rocks. The Riccardia chamaedryfolia is a splendid livewort (I use it in my tank too) but you should know that it is a VERY slow growing little plant. It takes months to create a moss-like carpet.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Today I went to the sfbaaps open house at AFA. Hella people there. Fifty or so. The brothers gave us a demonstration of laying down substrate. It was a good time.

I picked up some plants while I was there. A short form of Dwarf Hairgrass. Supposedly this stuff is shorter than the normal short variety of Dwarf Hairgrass. It maxes out at about half an inch. This is what I'll be using as a carpet in the new tank (as of yet unnamed).

I'll be using Mini Pellia on the driftwood and Anubias Nana "Petite" between the rocks.

With a 'scape of only three plants, the hardscape is pretty important. Quite frankly, laying down a hardscape takes a lot of courage and forethought for me. I'm realizing now -- after three-plus hours of rearranging over and over the wood and rocks -- that I'm deficient equally in both. All I've been able to do is slope the substrate and set up the filter pipes.

Hold on, lemme take a picture of the layout I've come up with...

Okay:








While that might not look all that much to you, it took me three hours to get to that. My goal was to have it look like a tree grew out of a rocks in a mountaintop. The hard part was in getting the rocks to sit naturally-looking while still fitting in the cramped five point five gallons.

In Riven, the tank was about details. Subtleties. In this tank, I want more impact. A larger hardscape and fewer details.

Dwarf Hairgrass will cover the substrate, Mini Pellia will be tied to the front upper edge of the right-hand snake looking driftwood (like mushrooms you see growing on the sides of trees in the forest) and on the right hand side of the left-hand driftwood. Anubias Nana "Petite" will be tucked into the rocks here and there.

I was thinking of doing something with the hand-looking crown of the left-hand driftwood, but I'm thinking no. Sometimes the 'scapes I like best _don't_ don't have plants in those cool-looking places and I realize that the person who made the 'scape did it on purpose so as to not ruin that cool feature of the rock or driftwood.

And as promised, here's a photo of Riven.








No, the photo's not blurry. That's algae! I'm going to fight this one. My impulse is to tear it down and start over, but this tank has given me so much, I'll fight for it. Picture Morpheus sitting in his chair with his sunglasses on saying, "Isn't that worth fighting for? Isn't that worth _dying_ for?" And then the algae gets all Mr. Smith on me and says, "It's inevitable, Mr. Anderson." And I throw him from my back and say low and determinedly, "My name...is Neo!"

Or at least something like that.


----------



## CL

The 'M' is gonna be a sweet tank man! That's too bad about riven . But you get to start fresh with the new tank! I think I might have to get one for christmas lol


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *cl*! You know, you've given me an idea for a name. Elemenoh. Get it--? L-*M*-N-O.

As planting takes so much time, and a lot of it requires that I tie plants to the driftwood and rocks, I'm not going to plant tonight. I'll just leave it as is on the kitchen counter and start planting later this week.

I also see that I failed to reply to a couple of posts.

Thanks, *asimkhatri*. I appreciate that.

*fish*, whuddya you think? Should I start a new journal or just have both here? My fear is that if I separate the two, I might ignore one. On the other hand, were I to have one journal, people would have trouble knowing where on tank started and the other began. (I suppose I could just change the title and write "ADA Mini-S: Riven & ADA Mini-M: Elemenoh starting on page _x_.)

Thanks, *AlexRaven*. Yeah, I love Mini Pellia. It does grow slow but it's so worth it, don't you think? I'd never try a carpet of it as it's way too slow-growing for my limited patience, but on wood, nothing looks better, in my opinion.


----------



## fish_fasinated

really sucks about riven, although trust me when i say you dont have THAT much algae. you should see both of my tanks.

well i can understand the keeping track of things, but you could also bookmark the links to both journals and that way you have both reminding you to keep updated.


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## hyphination

i like the new tank. for my next tank i was also planning to make a simple layout using dwarf hairgrass. if you find out the name of the variety of the super short hairgrass lmk or maybe i can just buy some super short clippings from you when it grows out lol. cant wait to see the new setup!!


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *fish* and *hyph*.

Hyph, the hairgrass was listed simply as Dwarf Hairgrass. I asked the guys if it stayed short and they said it would. It's a...what do they call it when they mix species to create certain characteristics? Hybrid? Something like that. All I know is that it was expensive. Twelve bucks for a two inch square.

In order to keep this journal honest, I'm going to post photos of Ugly's ugly. It wouldn't be fair if I only posted the pretty pictures, right?


























That hit in one week. Two days after I changed the Ott-lites for the Archaea clip-on, I got hit with the stuff. I'm not saying it's the Archaea light's fault that I got hit with this algae, but I'm not saying it's not either. I've switched back to the Ott-lites and we'll just wait and see. In the meantime, I'll probably pick up a new bulb for the Archaea before I use it on the new tank. It doesn't hurt to be safe.

And don't go admiring me thinking I'm posting these pictures based on some sort of journalistic integrity or selfless honesty. 
No, I'm posting them because I really do hope to beat this thing. 
And then one day four hundred pages from now, we'll look back at these photos and you'll be all, "Hey, Ugly, remember when you had that bad algae?" And I'll be all, "Oh yeah. I kicked that algae's butt, didn't I?" And you'll be all, "Yeah." And I'll be all, "Yeah." And well look off into the horizon, pensive and reflective, and we'll think, "Sure did; kicked that algae's butt _real_ good."

Or something like that.

I'm in no mood to 'scape the new tank today. For some reason I've been terribly lazy today. I had meetings and trainings all day and I hate meetings and trainings. I hate them more when I'm lazy. Which is odd because you really don't _do_ all that much in meetings and trainings except listen and occasionally try to say something smart-sounding. (The truth is all I wanted to say was, "Guess what everyone! I'm starting a new Mini-M!" Instead I sat there and tried to look interested.)


----------



## thief

Hmm algae? I wonder if they have "makeup" for aquariums?

lol 

I'm having the same problem too. Thread, Staghorn, BBA are just taking over my Mini M. Not sure what to do. I wish I can red more about how to solve it. Want to tyr out this IE dosing method from tom barrs site.

Also the new scape is looking good I think it's a nice base but I would play with it a little more for the hell of it.

Nice rocks what are they?


----------



## chase127

daaang! sorry about the algae... i hope the amanos are going to town on it though  good luck with the eradication!! and i cant wait to see the mini m up in action too, Riven looks great


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## asimkhatri

I like the shape of ur DW 
nice one


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *thief*. It's weird how we seem to have the same problems at the same time.
And you're right, about a lack of information on fighting algae. Most of its anecdotal and, I've found, ineffectual for my tank. For the BBA, for example, the main cause is reported to be fluctuations CO2 and inadequate flow. This was not the case in my tank.
I think what it comes down to in the end is finding the correct balance. Plain and simple.
No doubt I'll keep playing with the 'scape for the Mini-M. After all, what looks good on the kitchen counter does not necessarily look good inside the tank. The hard part is actually figuring out what to plant where. I'm trying to figure where the plants would grow in nature. This is hard because what looks natural and what is pretty and interesting are not always the same thing.
The rocks are Manten stones from ADA. They're the same as in Riven, but these I've broken up so as to expose the porous insides.

Thanks, *chris*. I took the Amanos out a week or so ago. I even took out Guilty Spark, the Nerite. Now there are only two Cherries in there. The Cherries must be happy with absolutely no lack of food for them.

Thanks, *asimkhatri*. I really like the DW, too. In fact, I bought the pieces even before I had a tank. I just knew that I wanted to use them.


----------



## thief

lol I find it interesting too how we have somewhat the same problems but different causes. Such as I have a Ehiem 2234 ( I believe ) and flow is not the problem. But I can see DIY CO2 the problem. I still have not gotten it down yet. I have a leak in mine as of now. Also I read that Inadequate flow and not enough O2 is a cause. Nextly lighting for mine. I leave it on about 15 hours a day! Some say I am crazy. More adventures I think. :icon_wink I hoping to run to Radio Shack to buy the timer this week. 

But on the bright side my white clouds have breed like crazy. I counted like 30 babies. But I bought some fish and well they got a full tummy. 
lol

I will update my journal one day. School is the essential target for now!


----------



## welchrock

ugly genius - where did you get the Archaea 28W lamp? looks pretty sweet and 28W is a lot coming out of such a small frame.


----------



## workn4frags

nice set up. I had the same problem with the algae and dosed excel daily until it was gone. I am now dosing according to the directions and do not have any algae.


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## Ugly Genius

*theif*, yeah, school's important; focus on that. And an added plus is that it never gets algae!

*welchrock*, the light is from Aqua Forest Aquarium. I think it's their store brand as "Archaea" is the company name of the store. It's sold in other stores as I believe hyphination bought the same lamp in Hawaii. It's a good little lamp. The good thing about it is that it can take four-pin or square-pin bulbs. The bad thing is that the bulb is not centered in the fixture and if you center the lamp, the right-hand side of the tank is shadowed a couple of inches. (Much like ADA's Mini Solar lamp.)

*workn4frags*, I will try the Excel route if the algae keeps up for more than a week. I'm trying to first determine if the algae was caused by a bad bulb in the Archaea fixture. I'm thinking it might be as even after one day with the Ott-lites back on it, the algae has dissipated considerably. (Note: for those with Mini-Ss, there is no better light source than two 13W Ott-lite task lamps. They are exactly the right intensity, exactly the right height, and exactly the right spread. They are even better than ADA's Solar light. Seriously, ADA should make lamps like this.)

Well, today _Fallout 3_ (a video game) is coming out. I'm excited about it. Quite honestly, with Riven's algae and a massive die-off of shrimp in Zoo's Delight, I was seriously considering leaving this hobby. It was just too frustrating. 
What I think now is that I need to lessen up on it a bit. Take it slow. Focus less on the tanks and balance out everything else in my life. A video game will help in this regard. Also I should go on more motorcycle rides while the weather's still nice.

Maybe _I_ need more light and O2.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Before I plant and put water in, please fire away. Any comments or criticisms appreciated.








Oh, and remember, I'll be using hairgrass, so what might look like too big of rocks, might not look so big once it's planted.


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## deleted_user_16

looks very VERY nice, u should get more ADA tanks 

get a 60p !!!!


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## CL

I love it! Are you gonna start a new journal or keep it in this one?


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## hyphination

love the new layout keep up the good work!
btw are there replacement bulbs for the archea light with higher wattage?


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## fish_fasinated

thats an amazing scape! i can't wait till this is planted. UG you never stop amazing me.


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## Karackle

Layout looks awesome! 

The only thing I'd suggest is maybe painting the clamp holding the light onto the tank black so it doesn't stand out so much (unless that's already the plan), and the rocks are kind of close to the glass in some places which could get tricky if the glass needs to be cleaned, but the aesthetic is fantastic!  I can't wait to see it planted either!


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## 17882

The Mini M looks great, looking forward to 30+ pages of it's evolution!

Also, what color temp are the bulbs in your two ott lites? I'm planning on buying one to add to my tank. I know ott makes natural light supplement bulbs, but all the lamps I'm finding online are the trucolor bulbs. Are yours natural light or trucolor?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *fish*. If money were not an object, I'd go for a bigger tank. I know I'd love having the extra room. 'Scaping would be so much easier and open up so many more possibilities.

Thanks, *cl*. I think I'll start a new journal once I plant. It'll make keeping track of it easier for everyone else. As Riven and the Mini-M will be very different, it'll probably be better if I started a new one to keep things simpler for people.

*hyphination*, I don't know if a higher wattage could be safely used in it or not. All I know is that there are other temps available -- 6,700k, 8,000k, 10,000k, et cetera.

Thanks, *fish*. That's a very nice thing to say.

*Karackle*, thanks! The clamp is an eyesore, isn't it? I'll figure out something. I also have to figure out how to make the Zoo Med pipes less ugly. While I really love the hardware aspect of this hobby, I also hate that much of the hardware is so ugly. Even the ADA stuff, while innovative and creative-looking, is a bit too conspicuous for my tastes. I wish we there were hardware that was functional and invisible.
I really tried to make it so that cleaning the glass would be easy, but I focused more on the wood. I'll study the rocks tonight and see what I can do.

*pbfreakon*, thanks! This things thirty-two pages! My lordy. I'll probably update the new journal a lot less, though. With slow-growing plants, there won't be all that much to talk about.
For the Ott-lites, you can use any 13W bulb. Actually, I wouldn't even recommend using Ott bulbs unless you get the plant ones. Just get any 13W in your preferred 5,000k to 10,000k spectrum.


----------



## welchrock

Ugly_Genius thanks for the info on the light; even with the shady area you mentioned, it sounds like you would recommend the light...right? Do you think 28W is appropriate over 5.5 gallons?

Looking forward to new picts!


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## Ugly Genius

You're welcome, *welchrock*. 28W over 5.5 should be fine for pretty much any plant assuming you have CO2 and you make sure the light spread is even and low. And, yes, I'd definitely recommend the lamp.
My only concern with the lamp is the bulb that it comes with. I'll be swapping the stock 10,000k bulb for a new one as this one does not seem to fuel the plants in quite the same way as other ten k bulbs I've used.


----------



## hyphination

what temp bulb are you planning to switch it out for? ohh and how is that fallout 3 game? are you planning to get "gears of war 2" also?


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## Ugly Genius

I'm going to try to find an 8,000k bulb. Seems a good balance between the yellowish 6,700k's and the blueish 10,000k. The good thing about these lamps is that they can take square and straight pin bulbs; the ADA's can't.

_Fallout 3_ is great. If you're into RPGs a la _Oblivion_ and are into the post apocolyptic milieu, then this game is perfect for you.
Yeah, I'll be getting GoW2. No doubt.


----------



## Tex Gal

UG here is a great site about treating different types of algae.
http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm

I've got to tell you my experience with clado, which is what it looks like you have. My 10g shrimp tank was dong fine. I change light bulbs wanting more light. Because I had CRS in there, I did not change dosing. I dose EI in that tank except for the KNO3. Instead of 1/8 tsp I put in 1/32 tsp or sometimes 1/16th. Well in a matter of days I had clado growing everywhere! I also found out later that my local LFS has clado in all their tanks. I think I may have brought some in from there but I'm not sure. Anyway it was like yours on my Xmas moss and some places in my fissidens, mini rotala etc. I ended up tearing out my UG trying to get rid of it.

Niko and Pedro told me about amanos. They said to put 16 in there. (This was after I had tossed pretty much all my UG and much of other plants. I did what they said. I now have NO clado at all. They can find every little piece. They eat it. I fed the tank VERY VERY LEAN. Not until I saw the amanos eating my mosses down did I tank some of them out. I left 6 in there "just in case". Of course I changed back to the other bulbs. 

I think it's a combo of too much light and not consistent enough CO2 and lean ferts. I don't believe it's about the spectrum of the bulb. 

Anyway... that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!


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## Ugly Genius

Okay, it's planted. 

I've got more Hairgrass to plant, but that's such a PIA, I'm doing it in sessions so as to keep my sanity in tact. (The PIA part is not the planting, it's getting the grass off off the mesh and cotton without destroying the roots. Argh!)

Here's the new tank.


















_I still need a name for the tank._​
I know it looks empty and rather lonely, but I want to go really slow on this one. Just a few species of plants -- four right now -- mostly slow growers. Ideally, this tank will require only Excel and periodic Micro and K dosings. (But knowing me, I'll have CO2 hooked up before the weekend's over. Who am I kidding? By tonight.)

My mind's eye sees the Hairgrass spreading low and dense and the Mini Pellia and Anubias Nana "Petite" to staying where they are, growing slow and steady. There's a Mini Java Fern tucked to the right of the driftwood, plopped in as an afterthought.

Note: Amazonia Powder is _much_ easier to plant in than the normal size. *A lot* easier.

Note: The Archaea lamp is best clipped to the back of the tank a few inches right of center so as to ensure a proper spread.

Note: The Zoo Med's outflow pipe is great. It spreads it's flow evenly across the tank, left to right, from the back to the front. Flow like this eliminates dead spots and ensures that ferts are evenly distributed. ADA has got to make a glass outflow pipe like this; something pretty and flute-like.


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## deleted_user_16

hey ug, how much was that lamp, looks nice, maybe go ell with my 30c.

by the way, i think you should move hardscape over to the left more, because otherwise the way u have it looks awkward, braches to the left, but placed in center. if you want it centered, i would rearrange it with more wood. shrimp tank again, huh?


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## CL

I thought you were starting a new thread? Looks great BTW


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## Ugly Genius

Darnet, *fishman*! You cloudied my water! I know that you've got a pretty good eye (seen your tanks) so it's not like I could ignore your advice as coming out of left field, so I scooted the driftwood left. The V now is right at the 3:5 mark. I'd take a picture, but you can't see anything because, like I said, once I did that, the Aqua Soil dust stormed. And that's your fault. Thanks (sarcastically). And thanks (sincerely).

Hey, *cl*. Thanks. Yeah, you're right, it deserves it's own thread. I'll do that tomorrow once the dust settles.


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## fish_fasinated

this is going to look really nice, and simple. lol and a second thread will be worth it.


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## deleted_user_16

Ugly Genius said:


> Darnet, *fishman*! You cloudied my water! I know that you've got a pretty good eye (seen your tanks) so it's not like I could ignore your advice as coming out of left field, so I scooted the driftwood left. The V now is right at the 3:5 mark. I'd take a picture, but you can't see anything because, like I said, once I did that, the Aqua Soil dust stormed. And that's your fault. Thanks (sarcastically). And thanks (sincerely).
> 
> Hey, *cl*. Thanks. Yeah, you're right, it deserves it's own thread. I'll do that tomorrow once the dust settles.


sorrryyyyy :icon_redf

haha, i think it'll look great when planted more heavily, when you think you'll have all the plants? i find the powder version to have thicker particles, so it clears faster, so hopefully by tomorrow its clear.

you going for a whole Mini tank series?


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## Ugly Genius

Thread for the new tank started here.


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## Ugly Genius

Impulsive frustration brought about Riven's tear down.
Not all is lost, though.
Through destruction we also have creation.









_I have a clean slate with Riven, here-forth Riven Reloaded._​
I have no idea what type of 'scape I'll do this time 'round. All I do know is that I want to use light, water, substrate, plants, and, maybe, CO2.









R.I.P.
Riven
July 4, 2008 - November 8, 2008​


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## deleted_user_16

as soon as i read reloaded i was all "oh gosh". lol

cant wait to see it RELOADED 

duh duh duhhhhh


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## Karackle

I hope you saved some of those plants that you worked so hard to cultivate! 

Can't wait to see the reloaded version though either! RIP Riven.


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## CL

I can't wait! Do a rockscape maybe with some mazantia!


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## hyphination

Nooooooo .....:icon_cry:. this tank was my motivation, may you RIP Riven. . .knowing you though, you'll probably put together something even better! good luck and i cant wait to see the new masterpiece


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## fish_fasinated

RIP riven, now when does the resurection start?! ill get the candles and talisman, d you know the chants?


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## Ugly Genius




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## CL

I love the rocks, but I'd try to rearrange them some...


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## deleted_user_16

i love your centerpiece rock, but you need a supporting rock, usually u have the main rock dignified and tallest (you do), and you have 1 little bit smaller rock pointing the opposite direction behind it as to show the dominant rock. then you keep smaller less important side stones to decorate and create a more natural, rocky scape.


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## Karackle

I like the rock scape the way you have it, I'd maybe prop the smaller 2 up slightly more, but other than that I like it, it's a really cool look but it's different than the common iwagumi layout which personally make me dig it more. I guess it all depends on the look you're going for though.


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## Ugly Genius

As of now, the plan is Micro Sword in the back and Glosso in the front. No other plants planned at the moment.


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## CL

That looks better


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## dylanserbin

oooo daddy likey..


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## Karackle

nice, that looks really good! can't wait to see it planted!


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, guys!

I need your collective advice.

With or without the driftwood in the back right?









_With_









_Without_​
I'm not going for a strictly and by-the-book iwagumi here -- I'm not against using wood if it adds to the 'scape.
So do you think it adds or subtracts from the 'scape. I'm torn. I've been looking at this tank so long, I no longer trust my eyes.
(Note: my girl stayed over last night and for most of the day and evening I was tinkering on Riven. This morning, finding me _still_ tinkering, she said, "I never knew how much work these were to set up!" It's true. These things take a lot of thought and time, don't they!)


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## CL

I like the wood, but I would move it to the left some


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *cl*. I really trust your judgement, so thanks.

I'm not sure I can move the DW over, though. I had it there initially, but I wanted to have some room in the back for algae scrapes, so it had to move right and forward so as to facilitate this. I'll see what I can do, though.

If I keep the DW, I'll wrap it in Mini Pellia and accent it with a Mini Java Fern or Anubias Nana "Petite".
Glosso'll still be the main carpet, but I'm debating about what carpet to use in the back: Micro Sword, Dwarf Hairgrass, or UG. Dwarf Hairgrass is easiest to maintain (especially since I have the super short variety); Micro Sword just looks cool; and UG, because not many people do UG.
I'll also try to find a use for the Mini Erio I have. If it doesn't subtract from the overall flow, I'll use it. I'd like to use the Downoi, but I don't think it'll match the overall feel, ya know? I don't know what else I'll use from Riven. Remember that colorful lily that I had sometime back? That thing disappeared. Dunno what happened to it. It got buried beneath the Downoi, eaten a bit by the shrimp, and then -- poof! -- gone. That would have been cool in this tank.


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## @[email protected]

i like it better without the wood.

id go with micro sword. i love the plant. and im not just saying this because i have some narrow-leaf micro sword for sale.
if not, then UG. i think dwarf hairgrass is over used in nanos.

thats kinda like what my dwarf lotus did/does. it grows in really nice, and then for no reason throws off all its leaves and roots, stays dormant for a weeks, and starts to grow back.


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## mizu-chan

I love the hard scape you have going. Your rocks has such character. I can't wait to see this baby filled. I think if you were to make the DW into a tree style with moss it would really add to your scape. But thats just me.. I love tree styled DW. :hihi:


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## Dollface

A little late to chime in about the rock scape, but i would like to see how it looks with the smallest center rock removed. It doesnt flow with the rest of the scape for me.

That being said, I _love_ that main rock, it looks like a mountian where the rock strata has been thrust upward. Where did you get it?
If you dont tell me i may be forced to steal it, though I may just steal it anyway because it's so awesome.

I'm seconding the No Driftwood motion, but also seconding the Moss Tree motion, styled all wind blown. Like a Sumi-e mountain painting.


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, Dollface. Not too late yet. I'm still figuring things out with Riven Reloaded as I get chores done. Meaning, I haven't filled it with water yet.

So:







That center small rock was bothering me, too. I put it there more for gardening purposes as it's an awkward place to trim Glosso. But, the rock in it's place is worse than overgrown Glosso. So it's gone.

The rock _is_ rad. It's one of those rocks that puts a tremendous amount of pressure on you. The kind where you just _know_ that you better nail the 'scape down or people will be _pissed_. _You had a great rock like that and you ruined it with a scape like that?! For shame!_

I got it at AFA. They've got quite a few nice stones there. It think it's Seiryu, but it might be Ryuoh; I forget.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Isn't this tank filled already? Or is it a different tank than Source?


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Zoo*. This is Riven Reloaded. Riven was torn down yesterday. This one is built in it's place using the same plants. 

Source is up and running. I'm doing that one in a different journal.


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## CL

I wish that I had an lfs that sold *stones* and not *pebbles*


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## Dollface

That looks so much better, I cant wait to see it filled in.

Honestly the rock scape is so amazing you could probably do anything to that tank and it would still look cool.

I need to stop by AFA for some aquasoil for my 10 gallon. Sadly, some Awesome Mountain Rocks arnt in any of my tank plans, so i'll just have to live vicariously through yours, If you dont mind.


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## CL

Hey, why not add a black or white or maybe light light blue background while the tank is conveniently empty?


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## deleted_user_16

i would go white if u want a more happy feel than a dark and mysterious look.


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## CL

fishman9809 said:


> i would go white if u want a more happy feel than a dark and mysterious look.


or light blue if you want it to look like the sky and the rock to look like a mountain


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## fish_fasinated

man this scape looks great. kinda makes me want to for go my DW altogether and do rocks. on that note UG, i have taken your advise and bought some rocks. i really liked the look of the pagoda so i bought some. i'll be posting some pictures of it in my thread for my transforming 2.5 later tonight.


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## @[email protected]

clwatkins10 said:


> or light blue if you want it to look like the sky and the rock to look like a mountain


or black to make the plants bright green colors stick out and look vivid and vibrant.


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## thief

WOW! Ug this tank will rock! That main stone is gorgeous!!! Also yes it is likely ryouh stone. The scape is looking very strong though. Nice flow to it so far!

I can't wait to order some of my stone from AFA now!


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## Ugly Genius

Done!








I worked _really_ hard on Riven Reloaded. I'm exhausted. So much thought and time went into this one that I'm spent; I got nothing left in the tank. (Pun intended. Sorry.)
While I'm exhausted, I also have that high that comes after finishing something I've worked really hard on. That's always a good feeling.
Also, when I got stuck, many of you chimed in with helpful advice and comments. Thanks so much! (Also, I should state here that every single person who posts here has helped me learn. Virtually everything I know about planted tanks was learned right here.)

After planting all the Glosso and Micro Sword, I could not help but marvel at people who keep non-nano tanks. I can't imagine planting sprig-by-sprig in anything over ten gallons. I would need a team of three people, a forklift, and scuba gear to do it.

To think Riven started like this:








Riven Reloaded has a lot more personality, I think. How it stands the test of time is yet to be seen, however. For despite how Riven started, it ending up quite different. (I miss that tank. While at the time, I only saw it's flaws, now that it's gone, I see that it was quite pretty. [I hope that doesn't sound cocky, because I don't mean it in that way. I'm just proud of how that tank came out before I destroyed it.])








Now it's just a waiting game to see how the plants take off. 

The plants are Glosso, Micro Sword, Mini Pellia, and Mini Java Fern.
I'll be using two DIY CO2s (+ daily doses of Excel), 28W of light, a Marineland 10W heater, and two Red Sea Nano Filters. (I'm considering getting a Zoo Med for this one, too.) Ferts will be on an as-needed basis in the form of ADA's Green Brighty Step 1 and Brighty K. (I won't be dosing Step 1 for a few weeks, though.)

I don't have fauna plans just yet, but shrimp will definitely be in there. Also a Nerite. Do you think two Ottos could comfortably live in there?

Anyway, that's it. Now I can forget about aquascaping for a while.


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## CL

It looks good UG, but the wood looks kinda funky...?


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks! Yeah, the driftwood does does seem wrong there, but I'm growing Mini Java Fern between the branches, so hopefully it'll look better once that takes. If it doesn't, I'll move the driftwood to be closer together.


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## Dollface

I keep checking back hoping that a spontaneous time warp occured and we all get to see a sneak peak of how it's grown in a month or two in the future.


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Ugly's Personal Rebellion (or Why I Chose Driftwood)*

I woke with a couple of things on my mind this morning, *cl*'s comment about the DW must have been one of them. For as I passed Riven on my way to make coffee (both tanks are on my kitchen counter -- awesome!), the driftwood placement irked me to no end.

While most of you liked the hardscape sans wood, something _compels_ me to keep it in. This is not an aesthetic/artistic choice, mind you; I'm not seeing a high-and-mighty something that you are not. ('Cause I never do; if anything, you guys point out things I _should_ do but am too stubborn or blind to see.) 

Me keeping the DW is much more personal than that: I don't enjoy tanks without a moss and/or liverwort growing in it. Dunno why. It must be something in my planted tank DNA.

As the rocks in this 'scape would not look good with Mini Pellia growing on them, I was forced to use wood. (EDIT: That's not true. Looking at the photo, I see that I could have and should have put Mini Pellia on the nooks of the right-hand low, arching rock. It would have looked rad there.) Also, I felt that I needed something in the back right corner to give the tank more long-lasting visual appeal as the rock, while striking, would over time loose it's impact. (How much fun could staring at a rock be after a few months?) I needed something to balance the overall look so that I would not get bored after a short bit of time.

What I'm trying to say is that I did not ignore your opinions on the DW. I do listen. It's just that I really, really, really love Mini Pellia and I would do anything to have it in this tank. And that's why the DW's there.

And cl was right. It did look funky as it was. So I moved it right. Look:








Off topic.
Pressurized CO2 has spoiled me. I'm looking at the bubbles rising from the two diffusers in Riven Reloaded and I'm sad. My DIY bubbles are pathetic compared to pressurized. And it seems that now that it's colder, it takes the yeast longer to produce bubbles. "Breathe, guys. I know its cold, but just breathe."

And that's that. I'll let the tank settle for a week. All I'll do is turn on the lights and dose Excel. Riven took about a month and a half to fill in, let's see how long this incarnation takes.


----------



## Tex Gal

WOW! I love the new rock scape. Can't wait to see what it looks like grown in. Keep up the good work!


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## hyphination

i love the new rocks. for my next tank i think ill be ordering my hardscape from AFA. which nerite and how many are you planning to get? im thinking of adding some to my tank to clean my rocks because i cant clean them without moving them around a little. and did u have any issues with them crawling out?


----------



## luckydud13

I love how you used the height of the rocks to your advantage


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## aquaphish

The rocks in the scape are really awsome!!! I like the placement as well as the shape of the large main rock. But sadly it appears to be supported by the rocks at the base and they take away from the strength of the main rock. Maybe they need to be rearrainged to complement the large rock and not seem that they are supporting it.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *luckydud13*. Using small rocks was a mistake I make in Riven. While they looked big prior to planting, once the plants grew in, they shrank considerably to the point that they were not noticeable. I did not want that this time around. I still wanted to be able to see a significant portion of the rocks after the plants had grown in.

Hey, *aquaphish*. Thanks. I think you're absolutely right about the main rock seeming supported and consequently loosing some of it's perceived might. In the beginning, my plan was to have the main rock without any smaller supporting rocks beneath it. It is a strong enough rock to stand alone, I think.
My thinking when placing those rocks there is that the bottom will soon be lost to the Glosso. Meaning, the base of the rock will become invisible. The smaller supporting rocks were put there to act as a visual accent to the Glosso carpet. You know, to kind of break up the carpet of green that will be forming there.
What I see in my mind's eye is that once the Glosso grows in, the smaller rocks will suggest that the main rock was thrust upwards from beneath the ground: small and by then barely-noticeable chains of stone that link it to it's molten origins beneath the Earth's crust. Or something like that, at least.
Glosso carpets about an inch high, so most of those will be covered by the time the tank matures.

By the way, how long does it take a Glosso carpet to fill in? I forget. Hold on, lemme check...
Okay, I'm back. Sixteen days. It takes sixteen days to fill in a Mini-S.

From this:









_July 4, 2008_​
To this:









_July 20, 2008_​
Sixteen days.

In Riven I used Power Sand Special S and Amazonia.
In Riven Reloaded I used Amazonia and Amazonia Powder, no Power Sand. Let's see if that makes any difference.
Lighting-wise I had two thirteen watt lamps on Riven and I have one twenty-eight on Riven Reloaded. CO2 and dosing is the same. (Although I had chopstick diffusers for a time in Riven where now I have one ADA and one Do!aqua.)


A Random Aside Brought to Mind from My Aforementioned Rock Placement Thingamatalky​
When setting Reloaded up, I had to make choices: what looks good now versus what looks okay now, but will look nicer once it's planted. 
Sometimes these are the same thing, but often, a hardscape changes completely once it's grown in. (And this is without moving a single rock or piece of driftwood. Grown-in plants just make it look completely different.)

There's a good discussion in the General Planted Tank Discussions. The OP questioned whether the quality 'scapes are planned from from the get-go with a definite and strongly "locked in" finished state in mind, or do they evolve to become the high-quality tanks that we've all seen.
While I will not claim to have tanks of high quality, I can say that for me, I do both. I start with a finished tank in mind, but I let the tank tell me what it wants and needs 'scaping-wise as it grows. To not allow the 'scape to change and grow would rob me of much of the fun of having a planted tank. The unpredictability of it gives it a dynamic not unlike painting with colors that bleed with beautiful violence.
In Reloaded, the five rocks were placed after considerable thought. Each serves a purpose either aesthetically or functionally -- sometimes both. For example, the rocks on the furthest left and right were put where they are to prevent the Glosso from mixing with the Micro Sword. (Or, at least, to give me a line of demarkation as to where to start to trim the two should they overgrow the rocks.) I also happened to think they looked good there. So I found a balance between aesthetics and functionality.
Until the Glosso and Micro Sword grow in, however, I will not know if these rocks serve the purpose I intend.
[_Right here, Ugly Genius forgets what his point was._]
Oh, I remember:
No matter how much planning I do, the tank may surprise me and all of my carefully laid-out plans may be thrown out because the tank decided to do something unexpectedly beautiful.
And that's one of the best parts of this art: unexpected beauty.
Oh and my other point, and one I've yet to master, I think one purpose a carefully laid-out scape should do is to hide the equipment as much as possible. (Obviously, I still suck at this.)

Man, what's with all the babbling this morning?! Must have been some extra caffeine in my coffee or something. Sorry about that.

My camera's out of batteries, so no new pictures of Riven Reloaded this morning. Maybe later if I remember to get batteries. Scratch that. The tank looks exactly like it did yesterday.


----------



## fish_fasinated

i think i understand what you mean. i also believe that one persons tank evolves as they take influences from other peoples tanks and evolves them into thier own ideas. while they may look similar they will never look exactly the same. everything in life is applied to this as well. evolution is built on learn from ones own mistakes and hopefuly from the mistakes of others.

keep on your path and im sure this tnak will evolve into the grandure that is all your tanks UG. and don't forget at minimum the weekly picture postings to keep us up to date.


----------



## Ugly Genius

I've been remiss in responding to some of your posts. Sorry about that. Chalk it up to excitement of setting up the new tank.



mizu-chan said:


> I love the hard scape you have going. Your rocks has such character. I can't wait to see this baby filled. I think if you were to make the DW into a tree style with moss it would really add to your scape. But thats just me.. I love tree styled DW. :hihi:


Where ya been, *mizu-chan*?! Missed ya!
Thanks!
While I don't think I made the type of moss tree to which you were referring, I did sort of make a moss tree. Rather than make a bushy, alive tree, I went for a dead tree overgrown by moss (except it's not moss, but you get the point).



clwatkins10 said:


> I wish that I had an lfs that sold *stones* and not *pebbles*


Yeah, I'm very lucky to have AFA so close. Who knows, if this hobby gets big enough, maybe they'll be such a store in every major city. (I'm not holding my breath, but I can hope.)



Dollface said:


> That looks so much better, I cant wait to see it filled in.
> 
> Honestly the rock scape is so amazing you could probably do anything to that tank and it would still look cool.
> 
> I need to stop by AFA for some aquasoil for my 10 gallon. Sadly, some Awesome Mountain Rocks arnt in any of my tank plans, so i'll just have to live vicariously through yours, If you dont mind.


Sure, *Dollface*. No problem. Just you wait until you're hit with a wicked case of MTS. Then you won't be living vicariously through anyone. You'll probably have a rock tank, a wood tank, a wood and rock tank, a brackish tank, et cetera. 
I'm already thinking about my next tank. Yeah, you all know what that's going to be: Mini-L. And once I do that, I'm done. I swear! (For that tank I'm thinking of having no hardscape what-so-ever. The tank will get all of it's shape and structure from the plants. But I'm not signing the contract on that idea yet. It's just an idea I'm considering.)

*cl*, *fishman*, and *@marco*, while I totally see the need for a background, I want one that's removable. More often that not, I need to look from behind for one reason or another. Were I to put one up, I would probably go for a light color; possibly one that fades from light to dark so as to look like a setting sun.



fish_fasinated said:


> man this scape looks great. kinda makes me want to for go my DW altogether and do rocks. on that note UG, i have taken your advise and bought some rocks. i really liked the look of the pagoda so i bought some. i'll be posting some pictures of it in my thread for my transforming 2.5 later tonight.


Good job on getting the rocks. Last I checked, you didn't post the pictures promised, though.



thief said:


> WOW! Ug this tank will rock! That main stone is gorgeous!!! Also yes it is likely ryouh stone. The scape is looking very strong though. Nice flow to it so far!
> 
> I can't wait to order some of my stone from AFA now!


Thanks, *thief*. Can't wait to see what you do with the stones you'll order from AFA.
That main stone was nineteen dollars. Expensive, huh? I think all-in-all, all the rocks were forty-five or some such. There's some dude with these stones in his back yard and he's reading this saying, "Ugly is certainly no Genius for paying that much for those!"
But I think they're worth it.



Tex Gal said:


> WOW! I love the new rock scape. Can't wait to see what it looks like grown in. Keep up the good work!


Thanks, *Tex Gal*. That means a lot to me.



hyphination said:


> i love the new rocks. for my next tank i think ill be ordering my hardscape from AFA. which nerite and how many are you planning to get? im thinking of adding some to my tank to clean my rocks because i cant clean them without moving them around a little. and did u have any issues with them crawling out?


Thanks! I'm probably just going to use Olive Nerites because that's what I have on hand.
And a big yes to them crawling out. Guilty Spark used to climb out of Riven all the time. Now he's in Source and he's climbed out twice in the week or so it's been up. He never gets far, though.
Despite that, they are great to have in a tank as they do a fairly good job of cleaning, and are fun to watch. (In as much a snail moving slowly across glass can be fun to watch. It's more fun that watching paint dry; I'll say that much at least.)

And *fish_fasinated*, yeah, I feel that way, too. I get so much inspiration from others' tanks here. I also get a lot of inspiration from nature. Now that I'm back in the hobby, I'm much more observant of how plants grow naturally.


----------



## deleted_user_16

hey ugly genius, (i cant call u ugly or genius without it sounding sarcastic or mean ) if you want an easily removeable background, try getting a piece of white cardboard (thin) and laminating it. it worked on my tank, but yo may need to use a couple pieces of tape, thats the downside


----------



## Dollface

Ugly Genius said:


> Sure, *Dollface*. No problem. Just you wait until you're hit with a wicked case of MTS. Then you won't be living vicariously through anyone. You'll probably have a rock tank, a wood tank, a wood and rock tank, a brackish tank, et cetera.
> I'm already thinking about my next tank. Yeah, you all know what that's going to be: Mini-L. And once I do that, I'm done. I swear! (For that tank I'm thinking of having no hardscape what-so-ever. The tank will get all of it's shape and structure from the plants. But I'm not signing the contract on that idea yet. It's just an idea I'm considering.)


Alas, i've already got a severe case of MTS, just without the tanks (damn you, lack of job!) 
I do however have a 5 gallon hex and a 10 gallon with no top rim that are in the works.
The 5 gallon is going to be entirely plants, unless i can find some really cool manzanita, the 10 gallon ... is secret, but it does involve some twigs, that counts as wood, right?

But I still want an iwagumi, and a shrimp only tank, and everybody and their mom has an ADA mini stop that it's making me want one. 
Most of all i want a nice big, 50 long to play around with, i've already got that one scaped out ... in my mind. 

BUT ANYWAY
Mini-L you say? that would definately give some room to play around with plants in, any idea as to what kind, some red perhaps?

(I swear i'm not stalking this thread or anything, i just happened to wake up and hop on to check the forums ... yeah, that works.)


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *fishman*. I'll give that a try. 
And you can call me anything you want. I won't take it personally. (I made up the name, afterall.) Ugly's fine with me. If you ask me, "ugly" -- despite it's negative connotation -- is a fun word to say. Phonetically, I think it's a very pretty-sounding word. Ugh and Lee. Like chocolate and peanut butter. Separate they are great, together they are wonderful!

*Dollface*, so when will your secret plans be revealed to the world? I'm looking forward to your twig scape. I don't think I've ever seen a hardscape consisting solely of twigs.
The Mini-L's eight and some gallons. To me that seems HUGE. Actually, when people call a ten gallon a nano, I blink twice. A ten gallon seems like a monster compared to my Mini-S and Mini-M. If it's a plant only 'scape, then, yes, reds as an accent for sure. I think it will be the ultimate test to see if I can make an interesting 'scape using only plants.

And stalk...I mean, write away. I'm very appreciative of everyone who writes on this thing. It keeps me going.


----------



## deleted_user_16

Ugly Genius said:


> Thanks, *fishman*. I'll give that a try.
> And you can call me anything you want. I won't take it personally. (I made up the name, afterall.) Ugly's fine with me. If you ask me, "ugly" -- despite it's negative connotation -- is a fun word to say. Phonetically, I think it's a very pretty-sounding word. Ugh and Lee. Like chocolate and peanut butter. Separate they are great, together they are wonderful!
> 
> *Dollface*, so when will your secret plans be revealed to the world? I'm looking forward to your twig scape. I don't think I've ever seen a hardscape consisting solely of twigs.
> The Mini-L's eight and some gallons. To me that seems HUGE. Actually, when people call a ten gallon a nano, I blink twice. A ten gallon seems like a monster compared to my Mini-S and Mini-M. If it's a plant only 'scape, then, yes, reds as an accent for sure. I think it will be the ultimate test to see if I can make an interesting 'scape using only plants.
> 
> And stalk...I mean, write away. I'm very appreciative of everyone who writes on this thing. It keeps me going.


lol, i bestow the name ugly upon you in my name book then :thumbsup: the good thing about the laminate is its easily removable and completely water proof

and yes, apparently up to 10 gallons is nano  then again, when i go to AFA, all the huge tanks, i feel anything up to 30 gallons is nano :icon_roll darn them and their 120p's, 90p's, 180p's, and what not


----------



## thief

Hehe you think that's alot UG, I mihgt be paying around $60 for 1 main piece of Manten stone! I'm skeptical about it though. When you went down there were you able to see any nice pieces of Manten? I want to make sure I am getting what I payed for! Also I think I might try out there ryouh stone again as your main stone looks like a real gem.:thumbsup:

But I hope they will be able to work with me to get what I am wanting.


----------



## fish_fasinated

Ugly Genius said:


> Good job on getting the rocks. Last I checked, you didn't post the pictures promised, though.


i'll get them up i swear, things around my life have been nuts with working full time at 40+ hours a week and in class 25 hours of the week too. i don't work tonight so i SHOULD get them posted tonight. i have an idea of what i want to do in the tank but ill go into detail as to what in my post with the rocks.


----------



## Ugly Genius

I did see a lot of really nice Manten stone, *thief*. Even if the piece sent you isn't perfect, Manten takes really well to breaking. In my opinion, it looks _better_ broken open.
And I so feel your pain. I've spent so much money on rocks it's crazy. Rocks!
The stone I got have some marked "Extra nice". This one one of said pieces.

*fish*, I feel your pain. While I didn't do the 40 hours plus full-time school, I did do 32 hours of work plus full-time school and it was nuts. Eventually I burned out and had to cut down to twenty hours of work. (Even that was tough.)


----------



## Dollface

Ugly Genius said:


> *Dollface*, so when will your secret plans be revealed to the world? I'm looking forward to your twig scape. I don't think I've ever seen a hardscape consisting solely of twigs.
> The Mini-L's eight and some gallons. To me that seems HUGE. Actually, when people call a ten gallon a nano, I blink twice. A ten gallon seems like a monster compared to my Mini-S and Mini-M. If it's a plant only 'scape, then, yes, reds as an accent for sure. I think it will be the ultimate test to see if I can make an interesting 'scape using only plants.
> 
> And stalk...I mean, write away. I'm very appreciative of everyone who writes on this thing. It keeps me going.


Well, it's not really a twig scape per se, they'll be attached (hopefully) to a trunk of drift wood, and then covered in moss, so that might give you some idea.
and to answer your question, I might post a joint journal tommorrow, since i acctually have the tanks back here now. 

I'm kind of tempted to agree with you that 10 gallons is massive, but then again i just hauled that thing + 4 and 1/2 litres of wet aquasoil all the way back from my boyfriends place on public transit. My arms, man, _my arms._
On the other hand, when you think about a measly 10 gallons in context to say, a 210 gallon tank, it's not that much of a reach to the word 'nano'.

It would be intresting to see what you do with plants only, without a hardscape to tinker with and/or build around I get the feeling it would be an ever-changing adventure.


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Dollface*, that is what's called hardcore. Hauling that much Aqua Soil is hardcore. But Aqua Soil is _so_ worth it. Stuff's the raddest.

Anyway, I got some good up close shots of Riven Reloaded just now. (I forgot that my wireless Mighty Mouse has two AA batteries. Swapped them out to snap the shots.)









_FTS looking pretty much the same.









It looks to me like a meteor.









The texture of the rock is pretty kick-butt in this photo.









And this looks like an Ent (from _The Lord of the Ring_'s movies) hand grabbing for the diffuser._​


----------



## Kayen

GOGOGOGO. The ent wants to hog the CO2 for himself D: .


----------



## fish_fasinated

i always enjoy your shots UG, love the interesting angles you add.


----------



## Ugly Genius

I'm now in the boring part of a tank's life.

The ohyeah!ness of a newly-set up tank has worn off, and I'm waiting for the plants to take hold. Thank God for video games.

But I did snap some photos that will help later in the tank's life so as to have a basis of comparison.


















_The Glosso is starting to grow, but only I, who have stared at this tank for days and days, would notice._









_I have no clue about growing Micro Sword. This is my first time._​


----------



## deleted_user_16

had to do this, lol










anyway, the tank looks fantastic ugly! love the rock now, guess those small rocks were bugging me before! cant wait to see full on glosso


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## garuf

It's a shame this tanks isn't bigger, the scape would look much happier in a bigger tank.
It's still a grand effort, well done.


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## Tex Gal

Loving it. What do you have tied onto the wood in the back. Is it mini pellia? I just received some of it in an trade (thanks so much, Six!!!). It's the coolest little plant. Looks microscopic next to the big stuf! LOL

BTW, the driftwood looks a little too close in the photos, kinda crowded. Maybe it doesn't look like that in person. Odd numbers are always more interesting than even - do you have one more piece? Kinda hate to bring it up because I love the tank so much but think it might be a little tweak to the design. ... just maybe?!


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## Ugly Genius

*fishman*, ha! Love it! Kind of reminds me of me, that shrimp: a climber. (A personal note: I climb on everything. Trees, signs, buildings, fences... Drives my girlfriend nuts. Says she wished I would walk down a street like a normal person instead of picturing myself to be a ninjafied Spiderman. But she loves it. Who wouldn't? _You do love it, don't you, baby?_ [My girl reads this journal, too. She's not a planted tank person but if you ask her what Glosso is or what "CRS" stands for she can answer you.] But, yeah, it drives her nuts, my climbing/jumping. But secretly she loves it. I'm her ninjafied Spiderman!)

*garuf*, you're hurting my Mini-S's feelings! The little guy's already got a complex about being the smallest kid in his class and now you go and say that! 
I'm just playing. 
Yeah, the hardscape would fit perfectly in a Mini-M or Mini-L but we play the cards we are dealt and do the best with what we've got. The Mini-S needed a new 'scape and it got the rocks.
But now that you mention it, I'm reminded of the feeling I had when I was a kid and I was convinced that my head was too big for my body. I was sure of it. I must have been in second or third grade at the time. I just remember thinking that my head was way out of proportion to my body and that it would continue to grow until it could not be supported by my neck and I'd roll around on the floor like a toy top with no spin left in it.
Told my mom about it and she told me that my head was fine and that if I was really worried about my head getting too big, I should study because that would help shrink it. (I deduced that this was done in much the way exercise burns fat except the "exercise" here was "study" and the "fat" was "bigheadedness".) I told her that I'd rather have a big head and roll around on the floor like a toy top with no spin left in it than study and went out to play with my big head.
So what I'm trying to say is that I'm going outside to play.
Me and my big head and big rock.
(Maybe that was the day that I started climbing things. Could it be that I'm climbing things still because I'm running away from the fear of having a big head--?)

*Tex Gal*, good job on the Mini Pellia. The stuff rocks, huh? Love it. Yeah, that's what tied to the driftwood. I've also got a sprig of Mini Java Fern tied to it. (You can kind of make it out in the photos.) Your advice is right on the money with regards to the driftwood. I think once the Mini Java Fern takes hold, it may lessen the "Ugly, that stuff's out of place" thing.
What I'm hoping with the driftwood is the Ugly Duckling effect. You know where it looks pretty awkward initially, but once it grows up it becomes a knock-out.

If not, me, my big head, my big rock, and my ugly driftwood will go outside to climb on things.


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## ohyeahcrx

Dang...when that glosso fills in it'll look so sweet. Then the tall plants in the back. Its safe to say I am pretty pumped to see this one grow in. 

Oh and those rocks are one of a kind aswell. Good pickup!


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## @[email protected]

you planted the micro sword too thin. you should get more in there. it will take monthes and monthes too fill in from that.


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## garuf

I just stumbled back from the pub and read that retort, I think I might have woken my flat mates choking on pizza from laughing.

I never said I didn't like it! 
I can't wait to see it when it's all grown in, you can say "I told you it wasn't too big" then.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *ohyeahcrxp*! Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing this one grow in, too. The Glosso's going to make or break this tank, so most of the lighting, ferts, and CO2 will be directed towards it's well-being.

Hey, *@[email protected]*. Thanks for that. As I've never grown Micro Sword, I have no idea about it's rate of growth. That said, I'm in no rush to grow this tank out as I usually get my ideas about where to next take the tank until the second month. It's possible, if not likely, that I will find a new use for the back of the tank. I'll keep the Micro Sword, but I'll probably be adding plants and the empty space in the substrate back there will be a good thing.

*garuf*, ha! I'm reading your sentence and I have to translate it to myself. Okay a "pub" is a bar, a "retort" is a reply, "flat mates" are roommates, but what the heck is "pizza"?
I'm just kidding.
And don't worry, I'll never say I told you so. Planted tanks are -- no matter what others may say -- an art. 
And art is self-expression. 
So as long as each of us does what our mind's eye tells us looks and feels best, there is no wrong.
As for my head growing to the point that it rolls on the floor of its own accord -- that's an entirely different matter. If that happened, I _could_ say to my mom, "See! I told you so!"

Anyway:
This is all very preliminary, but the twenty-eight watt Archaea lamp might not be intense enough to induce Glosso carpeting. The sprigs seem to be shooting upwards. But this is all very early in the game, so it's not the time to assume that will indeed be the case. It's obviously not the brightness of the bulb -- twenty-eight watts is more than bright enough to have Glosso carpet. It's got to be the distance to the bottom of the tank. However, due to the narrow nature of a twenty-eight watt bulb, keeping it low and evenly distributed over the front and back of the tank is difficult.
What does this mean?
Nothing.
I mention it only in a Dear Diary sort-of-way.
Dear Diary,
My Glosso might not carpet. And Sally was mean to me again today at recess. Why is Sally always mean to me? Also, I think I have the Force.
Signed,
Ugly Genius​
And that's all to report on Riven Reloaded.
As I wait for Riven Reloaded to take hold, I'm focusing on Source, the Mini-M. I'm really growing attached to that tank. I think it's going to come out a lot like I envisioned at it's setup: a meadow.
[NOTE: Being a city boy, I don't actually _know_ what a meadow is and if I were standing in the middle of a meadow, I'd probably say something stupid like, "Wow! What a nice tundra!" And those around me more in the know would be all, "What the heck are you talking about, Ugly? This is a meadow." And I'd be all, "Wow, it's exactly as I envisioned it." And they'd be, "You're such an idiot."
So how I can say the Source is going to come out looking like a meadow is beyond my ability to understand as well.]


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## garuf

This thread grows more and more surreal. Ugly, are you familiar with Quantz? Your last response reminded me a lot of it.
http://www.qwantz.com/
C'mon English isn't that different from "English". 
Also, a pub isn't so much of a bar, it's more a you know... pub. Like a house, but with a bar instead of a kitchen.


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## Ugly Genius

Today's too nice of a day here in SF, so I'm going to try to keep my tank-keeping to a minimum; warm days like this cannot be wasted inside with the cold coming.

In any event, I just now got to exploring photobucket's image editing tools.


























Tank's slowly taking off. The Glosso will probably be right on schedule, sixteen days to cover the substrate. The Micro Sword will be much longer than that.


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## Kayen

Hah enjoy those warm days.
It's already at almost freezing, no snow yet .. normally around this time of year we'd have at least a couple feet of snow on our lawns at this time of year.

Also patience is key as you already know for the microsword.


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## CL

UG, did you name the tank Riven after that book called Riven?


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *cl*.
The name riven came from a riven in a rock in this tank's first incarnation (see photo). It was also a video game and a book(s), but neither of these was the direct inspiration for the tank's name.


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## Ugly Genius

My girl set this up.








It's a small two point five gallon tank in which I keep a betta. Until yesterday, the tank was just some rocks with very nice carpet and wall of algae (hair, dust, cyno, and probably a few types not yet identified by science.)

I emptied the tank, filled it with Aqua Soil, handed her a handful of rocks and driftwood and let her have at it.

I gave her no ideas what-so-ever. This tank is 100% her.

As you can see, she did very, very well. (I think it's perfect.) She doesn't like that the left side is so bare, but I told her that tank's are constantly evolving and there's no need to "nail it" on the first day. (And for the record, I _like_ that it's bare on the left; it gives the illusion that it's a lot bigger than two and a half gallons.)

Interesting note, the rocks and driftwood are from Riven, the first incarnation. In a way, this tank is Riven's offspring.

It's twenty-eight watts via a 9" Coralife fixture. DIY CO2 + Excel. Red Sea Nano Filter. Hydor 8W heater. Amazonia. Mini Java Fern + Mini Pellia + UG + Christmas Moss + Anubias Nana "Petite". A Betta whose name escapes us at the moment.


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## mizu-chan

The tank your girlfriend did looks great. The rocks and DW you use in all your scapes always looks so amazing to me.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *mizu-chan*! I'll tell her what you said. (Actually, she usually checks this journal, so she'll see what you said for herself. I'm sure she'll say thank you.)

Oh, I forgot to mention this earlier. My girl says that if you look closely, you can see George Washington's head in her 'scape. I can't see it, but she can. Something about the nose and hair. Now _that's_ true genius. If you can create George Washington's face in your 'scape...genius.

This is Riven Reloaded. This is after exactly seven days. Growth is coming along nicely.









_Today_









_Five days ago._​
Even the Micro Sword seems to be spreading pretty quickly!


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## Kayen

Nice, things are progressing faster than you thought!
Also the GF did a great job with her tank, you should be proud .


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## eyebeatbadgers

Tank looks good man.

Correct me if I'm wrong:redface:, but isn't "riven" a verb, and "ravine" a noun? That rock has a crack, or "ravine" (not really best description). The rock has been "rived" by water (past tense of "rive").:thumbsup:


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## asimkhatri

nice scape..
your Girl friend did a great job..
I like it


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Viettxboii*! And, yes, I've very proud.

*eyebeatbadgers*, thanks! It is a verb. So in the case of the rock, it'd go something like "The rock was riven by the incessant flow of water." Although in the case of the original Riven, it would have been, "The rock was riven by Anubias Nana "Petite"."


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## Dollface

There better be some more updates on your GF's tank, It looks awesome. You may not need to nail it on the first day but I think she did. Does UG mean Utricularia graminifolia? If so, is she planning it as a carpet for the left side? cause that would be pretty awesome. UG looks so good as a carpet.

And, uh, your micro sword looks like it's growing.


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## alexinio

This diffuser works with diy co2?


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## Ugly Genius

*asimkhatri*, thanks, man. You've always got really nice things to say, I (this time we) appreciate it.

I'll definitely keep posting updates on that tank, *Dollface*. (I've tentatiely named it "Gift" until my girl can name it herself. ["Gift" is a very clever name. *Gi*rlfriend's *F*irst *T*ank. Get it--? It's her first tank and her scape is kind of a gift to me.]
Yeah, that's the UG in there. It's in the back right now as it's pretty ragged from having been in a ten gallon twenty-eight watt, no CO2 shirmp/holding tank for about a month. Hopefully it'll spread and look awesome.
Yep, the Micro Sword is growing pretty quick, actually. It's no match for the Glosso, but not much is, really.

*alexinio*, yes it does. You'll hear a lot of people on forums swear that DIY CO2 cannot create enough pressure to break through the pores in the ceramic tile. Ignore them. The problem is not DIY CO2 pressure but either their connections are not airtight (CO2's escaping before it gets to the diffuser) or they just have a bad batch of yeast. 
So, yeah, you can get a glass diffuser with your DIY setup and you'll be fine. Just remember, like any CO2 setup, every connection needs to be airtight.








Anyway, yesterday the girl and I were supposed to take Franny and Zooey on a long walk, but life got in the way. I'm making it up to my little guys right now.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> Anyway, yesterday the girl and I were supposed to take Franny and Zooey on a long walk, but life got in the way. I'm making it up to my little guys right now.


You should take them on a walk at the Japanese Tea Garden by the Academy of Sciences


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## Ugly Genius

Eight Days Later


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## deleted_user_16

getting sexier as teh days pass


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## mizu-chan

Looks great as usual. :thumbsup:


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## fish_fasinated

glad to see your glosso starting to fill in a little. looking good UG


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## hyphination

Ugly Genius said:


>


great looking tank. looks like the glosso is starting to carpet:thumbsup: woohooo. i like the tank that your gf set up. the scape makes it look a lot bigger than a 2.5G like you said. ohh and this picture, i noticed you have a rock climbing team. looks to me as if the three on the left making their way to the top of the mountain and the two on the right are practicing the extreme angles lol


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## deMastro

I want those rocks!!!
:icon_eek:


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## Ugly Genius

*fishman*, *mizu-chan*, and *fish*, thanks! That means a lot. The beginning part of a tank's life is always when I'm most insecure about it all, so your comments mean a tremendous plenty.

The GF's tank is indeed nice, *hyph*. Thanks for saying that. It looks even better in person and the water's starting to clear and once it does, the planted tank hobby will have a remarkable talent to deal with. I told her that I was kind of peeved that she did so well right out of the gate. It took me months to learn what she did in one afternoon by instinct. 
What's even cooler is that she's prettier, funnier, and nicer than she is talented...and she's a staggeringly talented painter.
[_Babe, if you're reading this, don't let that go to your head. I can do handstands way longer than you!_]

Yeah, I got myself a bonefide climbing team, don't I? 
I'm going to have to talk to those guys. If they're going to free solo the mountain, they should at least have a spotter and some pads at the bottom. They weren't cheap at four bucks a pop, and if one of them dies because of a fall from that rock, they'll be hell to pay.

Speaking of which, what do you guys call the black and white CRSs? I call them Crystal Black Shrimp, but I've heard other call them by different names. Diamond Shrimp. Bee Shrimp. Et cetera. And the fact that they look exactly like the Bumble Bee shrimp but are apparently a different species just makes my head hurt. 

I wish they had named the Bumble Bee Shrimp the Zebra Shrimp. Just makes more sense to me. I've never seen a black and white bee. They're black and yellow. 
Furthermore, there should be no Bee Shrimp, either. 
It should be the Zebra Shrimp for the Bumble Bee and the Nun Shrimp for the Bee Shrimp.
Yeah, that'd be cool. "How many Nuns you got in there?"
"Four Nuns and one Zebra."
...walked into a bar...


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## deleted_user_16

the name has become CBS, just same as CRS, except black and not red.


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## Ugly Genius

Gift, the GF's tank, is still doing it's getting-settled thing. I added a really nice piece of Anubias Nana "Petite" in the back, but other than that, the tank's untouched. The UG may or may not come back from the dead. Time will tell.

I'm not dosing ferts so early in the game and might not have to except for K now and again.

Anyway, the pics are what you want to see...


























Oh, and I added a Nerite.


----------



## Dollface

That is a most gorgeous betta. I hope the UG comes back from the dead, it would be a wonderfull zombie-carpet.


----------



## hyphination

i like the first picture, the betta looks like a mythical creature making a fly by. 

im thinking about really geting a nerite. how far could it escape say after a 8hr work shift?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Dollface* and *hyphination*. That betta's what got me back into the planted tank hobby. I don't remember the exact chain of events that led to his purchase, but I do know that I would not dream of putting a fish in a tank without the filtering power of a plant and things took off from there.

*hyph*, while Nerites will on occasion escape from the tank, it's not really all that frequent for me. Guilt Spark will make a run for it when I add a significant amount of fauna or make changes to the amount of CO2 injected into the tank. The Nerites in my other tanks never try to escape. (In those tanks, I leave the water parameters pretty constant.) Anecdotal evidence, sure, but the net result is still the same: my Nerites are not habitual escape artists. (Knock on wood.)
And when Guilty Spark did escape, he only made it about two feet before closing his hatch and waiting for an airlift back to water.


----------



## asimkhatri

getting more beautiful day by day
thats a Lovely tank
I love it


----------



## Karackle

Both tanks are looking fabulous! 

And the Betta is gorgeous, he looks a lot like the one I just lost, i hope he's as friendly as mine was!


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *asimkhatri*!

*Karackle*, sorry to hear about your Betta. This guy's probably not as cool as yours was, but he's got his moments. It's pretty obvious that he _loves_ his new digs because his bubble nest is huge! A quarter of the tank sometimes. It's actually to the point where I worry if he gets too happy, it'll block the light to the plants. (A good problem to have if you love Bettas; a bad problem to have if you love plants more.)
The good new is that the UG seems to be taking to it's new home as I am seeing new growth. But the chickens haven't hatched yet, so I ain't counting eggs.

Oh, I forgot to mention this a few days ago, but on Sunday I swapped the 10,000k bulb to 7,200k. I like this light a bit better. I suspect that I would love to have a bulb in the spectrum smack dab in the middle between 10,000k and 6,700k. 8,350k or thereabouts.


----------



## brion0

I like the idea of being able to reach the bottom, and not having water up to my
arm pit. Looking at your post and clwatkins10 makes me realy want to start a 2.5. The study of your post may be making my head smaller. Im thinking little tanks any way.
Thanks for all the info an pics.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *brion0*! That's a nice thing to say. cl's got some serious skill when it comes to nanos.
Nanos are a lot of fun. If you focus on your two point five for a bit and get good at 'scaping and maintaining it, it also gives you a new appreciation for larger tanks. Because you'll look at it and think, "Wow, I have all this space -- there's so much I can do with it!" and you'll also be better trained at adding the small details that make a large tank awesome to see close up. Because nano are all about details.


----------



## MrJG

Nice job on the re-scape. The rock placement is fantastic... as well as the stones themselves. Thats not to say I didn't like the previous Riven, I still can't believe you managed to pack that many species in such a small tank. This one seems to be going in more of a minimalist direction with plant choices and I think its going to look awesome when it fills in. 

You guys always updating with the nice nano-layouts are making me want to pay a little more attention to my 2.5g even though I only rock an 8W standard florescent and no CO2! Its like a VW thing compared to an Audi R8. I can watch my tank for months on end and never notice the HG filling in. Haha.


----------



## fish_fasinated

man UG you little betta tank is even pretty cool.good job!


----------



## Karackle

Thanks, yeah he was a great little fish and i miss him (who thought i'd miss a fish?) but he did live a long healthy life, so that's good  Glad to hear your guy is happy and building with bubbles, it is unfortunate that that sign of happiness in the betta mean the light gets dimmed....tricky! more flow? But it's good he's happy and either way the tank is looking awesome!


----------



## Tex Gal

Hey UG give me a close up please! Remember - "it's all about the details"....


----------



## chase127

Hey ugly (lol) is your dw ADA black wood?


----------



## Ugly Genius

fish_fasinated said:


> man UG you little betta tank is even pretty cool.good job!


Thanks, *fish*. Yeah, my girl done good with this one. I'm convinced that when this one grows in, it'll blow Riven, Riven Reloaded, and Source out of the water (so to speak). A cliff face of rocks and driftwood overlooking a field of UG...man, it's going to be something!
She made little choices that I would never had made. I so glad that she created this hardscape.



Karackle said:


> Thanks, yeah he was a great little fish and i miss him (who thought i'd miss a fish?) but he did live a long healthy life, so that's good  Glad to hear your guy is happy and building with bubbles, it is unfortunate that that sign of happiness in the betta mean the light gets dimmed....tricky! more flow? But it's good he's happy and either way the tank is looking awesome!


Thanks, *Karacle*!



Tex Gal said:


> Hey UG give me a close up please! Remember - "it's all about the details"....


*Tex*, I tried taking some photos for you just now, but they all sucked. More specifically, they looked exactly like the ones I posted a few days ago. I'll try again tomorrow assuming the Glosso and Microsword do their thing.



chris127 said:


> Hey ugly (lol) is your dw ADA black wood?


Dunno what that wood is, *chris*. I don't think it's the black wood, though. It's thinner and got more bark on it than the black wood I've seen.

[Editor's Note: Ugly just now, just today discovered the multi-quote button on these forums. Two words for you: slow learner.]


----------



## chase127

Ugly Genius said:


> Dunno what that wood is, *chris*. I don't think it's the black wood, though. It's thinner and got more bark on it than the black wood I've seen.


hmm. did you buy if from afa in cali?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Yeah, I did.


----------



## chase127

youre lucky you have such a cool store by you


----------



## CL

Your tank looks great ug, and thanks for the compliment


----------



## asimkhatri

OMG dats a Awsome pose


----------



## brion0

I bought a ozelot sword abought 8 months ago,I watched it die down to the roots. Then it started growing new leaves. Since then I have brought home every plant that I found in two chain stores here in I.F. My fish seem to realy like having real plants. My 29 gal planted community makes me real happy. Lots of reading on this site an others and I think im getting that algae grower thing under control. Im thinking a low tec diy plan for a nano. You are lucky to have nice stores near by, Im jelouse. details! Your avitar keeps lookin' at me funny.


----------



## hyphination

i like the color of the new bulb. doesnt make your rocks look as blueish as the 10000k bulb. 
btw where did u get your diffuser? im looking for something smaller


----------



## Ugly Genius

Four Before Dinner​


----------



## CL

Everything is growing great!


----------



## Tex Gal

Rocks are awesome. Love the mini-pellia! - again!! (Still think you need to move the logs apart. ...beating a dead horse here!)


----------



## Dollface

That mini pellia is growing on me (and the driftwood) more and more.


----------



## Captain Hooked

Sick stones. I'd love to find some like that. Very nice! :thumbsup:


----------



## brt_p

the rocks were rocks! :thumbsup:
but, IMO, there's a two focal point, your main rock and your DW..So, my suggestion is remove the DW, and adding more slope in the back..[urrgghh it's gonna be awesome..haha..it's just a suggestion anyway, please don't do it if you already satisfy with that one :redface:]


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, guys. Yeah, I am 100% with you all on the DW. That said, I do think eventually it will look good where it's at. The tank's not even close to being filled in yet and once a tank does fill in, I think the rock and the driftwood won't look quite as diametrically opposed as they do right now.
But I'm wrong all the time so maybe eventually I will move it to the left, but for now, I'm going to leave it where it is.

Why Ugly's Sad​
That said, today's one of those days that I'm not really feeling this hobby. There's something in my water, I'm convinced of it. Even in my established tanks, I'm getting huge shrimp and snail die-offs. I've spent months troubleshooting this and I'm now at the point where I will no longer try to raise fauna. Period. It's just not worth it for me. Besides not having to go through the heartbreak of knowing that another shrimp died on my watch, I will also gain more mastery of managing water quality as I will have to fight algae without the help of a cleaning crew.

But that's just me putting a positive spin on a crap situation.

Yeah, it's one of those days. The discouraging ones. Where if I could swear on a forum I would. 
In all caps. 
Red size 7 font.
With a bunch of exclamation points after it.
And the smiley that looks like it's on fire put in there for good measure.

It's one of those days.


----------



## fish_fasinated

sucks about the fauna dying off dude, maybe you could try spring water. this way you get good quality water with needed minerals and what not, and ensuring good quality water.

on a lighter note, the tank is looking fantastic! that mini pellia is awesome! makes me want some so bad lol.


----------



## @[email protected]

if this happens often, maybe you should look into investing into an RO/DI.


----------



## garuf

Or some really strong dechlorinator?


----------



## thief

A RO unit would be perfect. Usually run around 100-140 bucks. But it is worth investing when having these troubles.

Can you tell me your water Parameters,

Possible Cu, and Iron content may be harmful. Try and do as much research about this as I think if you put enough time and effort you will find out what's going on.

I have those kind of days to though every so often. Just don't over think it all and get your mind on something else and come back to it later!


----------



## brt_p

three choices :
1. spring water
2. RO
3. chemical filter [which is as water softener and purifiers] :redface:


----------



## Tex Gal

UG so sorry to hear that. I wonder if there may be some type of contamination from your tools. OR maybe from the towel that you wipe your hands on. Do you use fabric softener or those dryer sheets? Just wondering.... I hate to see you give up. Sometimes it's just something like that. Your plants are great! Maybe try something other than shrimp. 

I will have to tell you that I killed many shrimp until I got the hang of it. (I just don't talk about it! shhhhhh!) I have them running out of my ears right now. I didn't realize but I was putting catfish food in which contained copper! :iamwithst I don't use any cleaners on my glass or anything to dry my towels. I even have special fish towels.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Okay.
I took thief's advice and got away from the tanks for a bit.

I'm still going to steer clear of fauna. For a while at least.

It's ironic. Outside of water I can't grow anything but I'm very good at raising animals. In water I can grow pretty much anything but can't keep animals alive to save my life. Maybe I should stock my tanks with amphibians. They live in water and on land, right?

There's something wrong with my water. Contamination. Ferts. Metals. CO2. Cycle crash. Gunk on my hands. Something. What exactly, I still don't know. I'll find out eventually ("eventually" being optimistic), but for right now, I'm going to focus on the plants. It's what I'm better at. (Which is not saying all that much because obviously I suck as much as is humanly possible with shrimp. Heck, I almost killed a snail but saved him by putting him in Source. [Fauna in Source seem to be fine.])

Anyway, I didn't tinker with Riven Reloaded at all for the past couple of days. Things are still growing nicely. Dust algae's doing it's thing, but that's usually what happens in the first several weeks of a tank's life. It'll probably be gone in a few weeks.

















Now that the tank's growing in, I see that it's missing a plant or two.

Dunno what I'm going to do, but it'll come to me. (Yes, I am thinking of doing away with the DW that no one seems to like. You guys were right. But something needs to be added if it comes out. Dunno what, but something. I'm open to suggestions.)


----------



## fish_fasinated

Its looking good UG, that glosso is filling in so nicely.


----------



## deleted_user_16

hey ugly, SF must have changed their water supply during the time CA had a small drought, because SF used to have some of the best water in CA because they drew it down from the Sierras. So the water may or way not be your problem.


----------



## brt_p

UG, check your N element level [such as ammonia, nitrite, nitrate] and GH..i hope you found the culprit..:redface:


----------



## thief

Hey UG,

Like you said I'm sure you will find out. Also I wanted to ask it doesn't really look like you have alot of Oxygen going through your tank. May I ask are you happy with your filtration? I have a Eheim 2232 filter on mine. It's a expensive filter but I think the filtration on my Mini M is amazing. :icon_mrgr

I really think filtration solves a lot of my problems from how my fish act, to algae in my tank! May not be the problem you think it is but I would highly suggest looking into this when you have time. Many shrimp breeders suggest even over filtration. The more the better!


----------



## Ugly Genius

Death smells awful.
The OCD side of me just had to clean the dust algae off the glass of Riven Reloaded. 
Found a dead CRS while doing so.
It explained this terrible smell I had on my hands after taking them out of the water.
My Lord!
It smells like turpentine, molasses, poo, vinegar, motor oil, and salt mixed together in a moldy cardboard box and left in the sun for six months. 
Oh, and some spoiled prune jelly poured on top of it.
My point is:
Don't leave dead things in your tank for more than two days.

On a less-smelly note...
I just want to let each and every one of you know -- those that said it and those that just thought it -- you were right.
And/Or:
I was wrong.
The driftwood didn't fit the tank. I took it out.









_You were right._​
The tank flows better now. It's cloudy on account of the algae I stirred up cleaning, but the lines of the rocks flow much better sans the DW.

On a non-rock-related note:
I also want to thank each one of you that offered advice and condolences for my suckitude at raising shrimp. I really do appreciate it. I've learned a lot from all of you and you're always teaching me more. The fact that I don't want to add shrimp for some time is not a reflection of a lack of appreciation of your help, it's just that I feel like crap when things die -- why do things have to die?! -- and I'd rather give life than take it. And given my luck right now, I would take it.

Anyway, that's it for today. 

My hands still stink.


----------



## deleted_user_16

ugly, just get an ro/di filter, im pretty sure it'll cost you less than starting over repeatedly

its not you, iits me, nah, im just kidding, its not you, its ur luck, bad things happen to you, just get up and try again 

i think the rock scape is nice. wat i would do now, not tear it apart, just slowly pull out the rocks as to distrub the AS at minimal amounts, sscrub the rocks clean as they were when u got them. pick all the algae you can out, get spring/ro/di water from your local supermarket, replace 1/2 the water, or even 3/4, and place the rocks back in. should work wonders.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *fish*. Thanks. I'm not planning on tearing down the tank or anything like that. I'm just going to let it grow as it is. The algae doesn't bother me. That I can handle. I think it'll abate of it's own accord without me doing too much.
My plan is to start focusing on _the_ most important aspect of a planted tank: the water. It all begins and ends with water. So I'll start doing what I hate: testing my water.
So, no, I won't be tearing down Riven Reloaded anytime soon.
I'll probably start a new one soon enough, though: ADA Mini-L: Inevitability.

Bigger tanks are a lot easier to keep, so maybe on that one, after it's been up for a few months, I'll add things that move.

For now, it's all about the water.


----------



## deleted_user_16

oh, you scared me, in the post u sounded pretty broken up 
i like the name of teh mini-L


----------



## brt_p

is it green-water or it's just the photo?..i hope it's not.
but, if it's true, like i said before, check your N level..


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey *fish*, I was down a couple of days ago, but now I'm fine. This tank'll stay as is for a while. I'm discouraged with my shrimp-keepingitude, but I'm happy with the tank overall.

*brt_p*, it's dust algae that was stirred up from the glass cleaning. It's cleared up now. There is, however, some fuzz algae growing on the rocks. I'll test my water today or tomorrow and post the results.

*thief* mentioned filtration a few posts back and I'm thinking of dropping a Zoo Med in this tank. Two nano filters are not enough.

Thank God today's the end of the week. Work's been really tough lately. A couple of days with my girl and the dogs and video games is just what the doctor ordered. (I'm coming down with a cold, I think. Got that sore throat that usually precedes a cold.)


----------



## fish_fasinated

don't worry *UG* you will get this all sorted out then you can go for something really exotic like salawisi shrimp. lol but for now do what you think you need to do with your tank all will be well.


----------



## FrostyNYC

Regarding dead things in your tank: I recently adopted a baby chinese algae eater from someone who was shutting down their tank. It was in bad shape, and died shortly after I transferred it to my 10 gallon. Of course, it died wedged between a rock and the back of my tank, and instead of ripping my tank to pieces, I left it there, amid my shrimp and snails. I noticed no increase in ammonia or nitrites, and the fish was gone in two days. 

So, lesson here is to just get yourself a mass of hungry creepy crawly creatures, and the dead things will disappear seemingly on their own. No nasty rotting smell on your hands.


----------



## Tex Gal

UG - your descriptions crack me up! Adding the rotten prune juice adjective sent me laughing! Maybe you should think of following in Shel Silverteins shoes. We need another poet like him!

So... what did you do with the mini pellia on your wood?! You gotta use that somewhere. Maybe on rocks to make little bushes or something. It's not that I thought you should REmove the wood, just that you need one more and to MOVE it farther apart. Anyway its getting beautiful.

... Go wash your hands!....


----------



## @[email protected]

try amanos. they are pretty hardy.


----------



## FrostyNYC

Amanos dont breed in FW though, which is half the fun of shrimp. But if you can get your amanos to berry up, then you know you're doing something right.

Maybe dwarf crays?


----------



## thief

I thought amanos do breed in FW but the babies need to hatch in full saltwater in order to do well. 

I don't know about crays though? I've been breeding them for a year now thy love plants. Dwarf crays I think can only eat so much at a given time.


----------



## Dollface

Awe, I was just getting used to the driftwood, but it does look better now that it's gone. Now just the long wait for the background to grow in, since the glosso seems to be taking off. 

And the best thing i've ever found for a sore throat is the following. 
1. Really good lemon tea
2. Lemon flavor Ricola cough drops with menthol
3. Lots and Lots of honey, not sugar. 

Boil water, Pour over tea, drop in one to two cough drops, sweeten with very large tablespoon of honey, stir, steep tea till warm. Enjoy. 
Well, as much as you can enjoy anything with a sore throat.


----------



## Ugly Genius

I'm still sick. The sore throat is now a full-blown cold. Left with little else to do, I reloaded Reloaded. (I guess now it's Riven Re-reloaded.)

I wasn't happy with the last 'scape in that it was boring to watch grow. All you noticed was the main rock.

So I set my sick butt in front of the tank and went at it. My goal was to make the plants the focus this time, not the rocks.

I brought back some stars from the original Riven. Downoi, which everyone seemed to like, and the plant I hated, Blyxa. (Still hate, actually.)

Tech-wise, it's all the same. Twenty-seven watts, two nano filters, two DIYs, an eight watt heater and Amazonia Powder.

I'm doing something that may not be good in that I'm _not_ dechlorinating my water. I just want to see how this affects plant health/algae abatement. (On account of this tank having no fauna.) I know that it will affect the overall health of the tank as well as cripple the cycle, but I'm just curious to see what happens.


----------



## deleted_user_16

chlorine goes away in time, so i dont think it'll hurt much, all my tanks are started with chlorinated water. i like the flow of this tank a lot more


----------



## @[email protected]

this tank looks a lot better.

chlorine will be gone in... say 12-24 hours.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *fish* and *marko*.

SF tap also has chloramine. They started adding it about four or five years ago. Where chloramine evaporates in about a day, I've heard that chloramine takes days to evaporate. Any idea what effects the chloramine will have on plants? (EDIT: I should say, the effects of chloramine in the concentrations found in municipal tap water.)


----------



## thief

I always thought something was missing in the last scape. Don't get me wrong it was a good scape just didn't feel right. 
Anyways the new scape looks pretty good but that left corner does look a little lonely. Maybe e when you get more blyxa?

Anyways I think your on the wright track. Redoing an aqua scape is like editing and revise your rough draft essay ( at least the way I think of it ) and sooner or later you got yourself a A+ worth essay!

lol I hate to say it UG as it's just weird but I was just sick during thanksgiving! lol :eek5:

I'm better though now! :thumbsup:

Ohh I think it's a good experiment your doing. I've never added any DeChlorinator to my tanks and they are fabulous!!! People say I'm crazy but I tested my water and my test said that there was no Chlorine. At least not in a measurable amount at least.


----------



## @[email protected]

i like the left corner empty. it keeps the sides from being symmetrica.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *thief*. Thanks, man. That's freaky you being sick at the same time. We're always going through the same crap at the same time, huh? Weird. You just tell me when you buy a winning lottery ticket so that I can buy one, too.
I'm completely with you on this 'scape versus the old one. I liked the rock layout of the old one, but at the same time, I didn't enjoy watching it grow. There was nothing to see. Maybe if the 'scape had been in a larger tank, the field of Glosso and Microsword would have been impressive, but in a Mini-S the impact was lost due to the limited space. 
Here I tried to get closer to the original Riven's plant diversity, density, and carpet-focus. (Now that I think about it, this tank is now being renamed to Riven Revolutions. I'll change the title of the thread after I post this.)
The back-left corner will hopefully fill up with the Blyxa. If not, I'm open to suggestions for a plant to replace the Blyxa. As my long-time readers may remember, I hate the fact that Blyxa floats to the top at the slightest provocation.
So how do your fish and shrimp do with the non-dechlored water? And do you notice less algae outbreaks with chlorinated tap water.

Thanks, *marko*. My plan is to keep the two sides unbalanced, but you know me, I'm always changing things in these tanks so who knows how it'll end up.
That's the fun of a planted tank, though, I suppose. In Riven Reloaded, I didn't have much fun because I "locked in" the layout on the day I set it up; the nature of the hardscape allowed for little improvisation as the tank matured. By nature I'm a creative type and having a tank in which no little changes can be made was incredibly boring for me. In Riven Revolutions, I made sure to leave a lot of room for tinkering. The back-left corner is one such place.
This is to say, I'm always open to suggestions for different plants to try.

I added a Zoo Med to this tank last night. As you can see from the below photo, the spray bar is the perfect length for a Mini-S. The only problem is the ADA diffuser had to be moved to the right-front. This is unfortunate as it means I'll have to make sure it stays clean. (Glassware is only pretty when it's clean. Grrr.) The flow rate of the Zoo Med is perfect, too. Not too strong or too weak. A big improvement over the two Red Sea Nano Filters that I had been using. (With two Zoo Meds, I think I should start a Zoo Med Pimp Club. I guess this would make me Zoo Med Pimp Number One! ZMPC represent!)


























In the photo, you can make out the Downoi plantlet I tucked in the substrate. I also moved the Petite Nana from the front to the driftwood.


----------



## thief

lol I make sure I tell you when I win. I surprised no you said anything about the driftwood. lol before I didn't notice it but now with the Diffusor out of the way it attracts my eye.

I think it was a good move to move the anubias. 

For my tank well I am pretty amazed about not having any algae outbreaks ever! My little 2.5g iwagami tank. The lights are on for about 16 hours a day on average. Only thing is minor BBA on the rocks. I can't find out why there's no algae outbreaks though. But yeah my tanks are very healthy. But I can't say that you should go do what I'm doing as everyones water is different.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Hey, I haven't seen this tank in a long time

How small is that Downoi?


----------



## brt_p

UG, did you buried the whole stem of your downoi?..or is it too small?..
i've seen a few leafs of it, but i didn't see the top of it.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Zoo* and *brt_p*. The Downoi is very small. It's a newly-born plantlet from my giant Downoi in my holding tank -- I'd say about the size of half a dime. Most of it is just root structre buried under the substrate. A few leaves I left topside for light collection purposes until it breaks the surface.

Also, I'm right now having a Mini Erio de-algified in my shrimp tank. Once clean, I'll be replacing the Blyxa with that. The light yellow of the Blyxa doesn't look right to me in this tank.









_De-algification of the Mini Erio in progress._









_Just because there weren't quite enough photos on this page..._​


----------



## Dollface

I wasn't completely sold on the scape till that last picture just now and I totally just fell in love with it. 
It was nice looking with all the face on shots, but I honestly just wanted to mirror it so all the rockwork was on the lefthand side. But that angle right there is just astounding.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Dollface*! (And thanks for the sore throat advice!) I know what you mean about the left-hand side. When setting this up, I spent hours trying to have the hardscape on the left. It just wouldn't work, though. Then, subconsciously, I stole my girl's hardscape ideas in the two-point-five she set up and did something similar here. (It was funny. I was totally having 'scapers' block when I took a break to play video games. [Important point: The two-point-five is right next to the TV.] After playing for a bit, I get hit with "inspiration" and created the hardscape you now see. After patting myself on the back for a "brilliant display of rock placement and driftwood ingenuity", I look right and see my girl's tank. I then look at Riven Revolutions. I turn to her tank. I turn to Riven Revolutions. "Crap! I just copied her 'scape!" I must have been studying the tank in between levels of _Bioshock_ without knowing it. Oh well, as they say, "Talent borrows, genius steals.")
Anyway, this setup should be much more fun for me long-term. Iwagumi-style tanks are too boring for my tastes.

I added the Mini Erio in place of the Blyxa. It looks much better than the Blyxa. Less conspicuous.









_NOTE: If you're like me, the large leaf of the Whorled Pennywort just off center is bothering you. I will cut it. 
I'm leaving it there now as the plant gets acclimated so as to give it plenty of "solar cells" to get settled._​
Now I'm going to the gym. I've put it off for four hours as I played with this tank.


----------



## mott

Oh man those rocks look awesome there. Great work.
The sharp one in the back is fantastic I must have it


----------



## fish_fasinated

holy crap a blink, fight a delerium inducing fever and come back from what felt like death to this! WTF! lmao tank looks awsome, but i'm still not sure about the pennywort though. the leaf structure of that plant in general is hard to work with.


----------



## Craigthor

How do you like the Mini S? Thinking about getting one and a full ADA setup to go with it. What are you using for CO2, ADA?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *fish*! I hope you're feeling better. While I too was sick, it sounds like what I had was not nearly as bad as yours. And sorry for scaring you with the new and unannounced re-scape.
As for the Pennywort...I'm going to keep it in for now to see how it does. I've been observing nature quite a bit lately, and I've noticed a ton of round-leaf plants. What I'm hoping is to have the Pennywort there, but subtly so. Meaning, once it gets tall enough to be noticed -- like the one right of center -- I'll cut it.
Drink water!

*Craigthor*, I like the Mini-S a lot. It's my favorite tank, actually. (I have a Mini-S, Mini-M, a two point five AGA, and a ten gallon AGA.)
I'm using Amazonia, Amazonia Powder, Green Brighty Step 1, and Brighty K.
For CO2, I use two DIY setups (the Hagen canisters) diffused through one ADA diffuser and one Do!Aqua diffuser.
The light is a twenty-seven watt Archaea lamp from AFA in San Francisco.
Were you to get a Mini-S the only thing that I would say that you must buy is the Amazonia and Amazonia Powder. Everything else is up to you. I don't think you can go wrong doing the whole ADA shebang, though. It's just if you want to spend the money to do it.
I have the ADA CO2 System 74 on my Mini-M and it's good, but in retrospect, I should have gotten a five pound container and done it that way. Cheaper and better, I imagine.
Oh, but ADA does make some kick-butt diffusers. I'd recommend those, too. People say you can get just as good a diffuser off of ebay, but they don't break down the bubbles the way that they ADA ones do in my experience. Even the Do!Aqua ones -- ADA's budget line -- don't diffuse as well.
Looking forward to seeing you do the whole setup. Now that I think of it, I know of a person on the sfbaaps site that did the full ADA Mini-S setup. Lemme see if I can find the post. BRB.
Okay, I found it. Here. (You might have to be a registered user to see the post and if, so, sorry. It's a nice tank. It was one of the tanks that convinced me to get back into the hobby after four years away and to go the ADA route.)
Anyway, good luck!


----------



## CL

Whoa! Rescape. I like.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *cl*!

Last night I moved the Whorrled Pennywort and added more Microsword.







.

And I'm no longer sick!


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## fish_fasinated

sweet deal dude, so jealous!


----------



## hyphination

damn UG, i really like the new scape. looks awesome. you have great talent man! it kind of reminds me of my old scape but this one is way better. btw the mini-s is a 3.5G right? how often do you do WC?

sorry to hear about your livestock problem, may they RIP.


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## Craigthor

what kind of erio is that? Need to decide on a tank soon as I'm going nuts, Nano, 15 or 20H, also considering a 33 Long.

Craig


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *fish*. I hope you're feeling a bit better by now. If it makes you feel any better, after a day I work, I feel like crap again. I guess I spoke too soon when I said I was feeling better. I'm not sick like I was, but I am tired as heck.

Thanks, *hyph*! The start of a tank is always an insecure time for me, so I appreciate that. And it's funny you mentioned your first 'scape. Yesterday, I was looking at this one and your first 'scape came to mind. They are similar. (I'll be honest with you. When you broke that 'scape down I was heartbroken. It was perfect. I so wanted you to build from that. But, my heartbreak was unfounded as you pulled off a magnificent 'scape with the rocks you broke down from that one. Lesson learned: Don't doubt the hyph.)
As for the WCs, yes, the tank's about three point five gallons and since this tank is just a few days old, I change about half a gallon every day. (It's easy since it's right next to the kitchen sink.) Once the tank gets legs I'll change about a half gallon every three or four days. (Since the tank is open, I top off for evaporation every day and I fill ADA tanks to the brim.)

Hey, *Craig*. It's a Mini Erio. I shouldn't get any bigger than about the size of a quarter. I'm lucky in that this one seems to love to shoot off stalks for it's flowers. It cost quite a bit, though. I think it was eight bucks.
As for your tank choices, all I can say is that I love nanos in that they really teach you to 'scape. God's in the details, as they say, and a nano is all about the details. I'm slowly moving up in size. I've moved to a Mini-M and next I'll go Mini-L. I'm not too keen on the high tanks, though. A thirty-three long would be rad, though.

Anyway, here are some photos I just shot. This is the infatuation period of the tank for me. Everything's clean and clear. No uncontrollable algae, no trimming, no mysterious shrimp deaths, I can dose CO2 and Excel with reckless abandon, and all is good in the world. Just wait a couple of weeks after the algae's made it's move. (Oh, before I forget. As you may know from reading this journal, I've decided to use non-dechlored tap water in this tank. There was some residual algae on the main rock from Reloaded. It has since turned brown and appears to be dying with no adverse effect on plant health or growth. Just an FYI. I'll keep you updated.)









_Glass all shiny and clean!_









_One DIY is simply not enough!_









_My three favorite minis: Mini Anubias, Mini Pellia, and Mini Erio._









_For comparison's sake after the Glosso's grown in._​
For those of you who've never planted Glosso before, here's some advice that I forgot to do in Riven's last incarnation. Tuck the stems deep. Leave only the very tips of the leaves showing above the substrate. (Even deeper than what is shown in the above photo.) If you do, it tends to grow neater and tighter to the substrate, I've found. I didn't do this in Riven Reloaded and the end result were runners that bridged quite high from the substrate surface rather than right on top of it. I forgot to to do this last time and I hated how the Glosso grew in.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Nothing new.

I'm in love with crystal clear water, though. So much that I can't stop taking photos of it. It speaks to some part of me that likes crystal clear things. (Something you'd never know if you saw the state of my house.)


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## Craigthor

I love this tank, finally decided on a tank for myself but won't highjack your thread.

Craig


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## Dollface

It doesn't even look like there's water in there.


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## SPL-311

Man that is some clear water! What do you have loaded into your filter? Puragen or just some filter pads and whatnot? It looks great, I can't wait for it to fill in. I think the hardscape on this one will really lend itself to how you have it planted.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Craigthor*, *Dollface*, and *SPL-311*. I have no idea why the water's so clear so quickly. The Zoo Med's just running the stock media: sponge, charcoal, and ceramic rings. This'll end though. It always does. So while it lasts, I'll enjoy the clean water.

It's the one benefit of having an empty tank. I can WC without fear of stressing the fish or shrimp.

I'm toying with two ideas for fauna. A lone Dwarf Puffer or a small shoal of Microrasboras.
But you know me -- eventually, I go back to shrimp.
I always do.
It's inevitable.
But I'm really thinking a DP would be cool in here. I had a couple a few years back and I loved their intelligence and personalities.


----------



## SPL-311

I had a mini puffer for a while that I got from Aquaforest to take care of a snail problem I was having. To this day it is my girls all-time favorite fish out of everything I've had. They are super cute, and like you say, have terrific personalities.


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## Karackle

Wow, I love this new scape! I'm so glad you brought back the wood with the mini pellia (or aquatic lichen as i like to call it :tongue it looks awesome in that spot. I really dig the contrast of the rocky side and the flat side, can't wait to see how it grows in!


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## windfish

Great new scape, UG. You have a very unique vision with your tanks. I look forward to seeing how it turns out. I just put up the final photos of my S.


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## brion0

The rocks in your last scape were realy cool. Your right, I dont just only see the rocks in the new one. The anubias is a nice looking plant. I know your past it,but I liked the way you mixed all the differnt ground covers (riven reload?), it gave that tank slight disorganized feel.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Karackle*! Yeah, the driftwood with its lichen was just too nice not to use. I've still got a large piece ("large" by nano standards) of Mini Pellia coated driftwood from the original Riven. It's grown quite thick on it and it'll look awesome in a new 'scape.
The tank is missing something on the right in the space currently occupied by the diffusers. I need a stem plant or something bushy like a moss or Mini Pellia. I'm thinking a mound of Mini Pellia might be what does it.

Hey, *windfish*! Thanks, man. Long time no see. I saw your tank. Looking good. Bet you're excited about the rescape. That the best part of this hobby. The creation part.

Hey, *brion0*! Yeah, the rocks are great. Truth be told, I was this close to not using them in this scape as I could not find a layout that I liked. I was going to save them for a Mini-L I'll be doing sometime in the nearish future.
Don't get me wrong, I love to look at HC, I just don't like to trim it. The mix was nice looking. It's just that with HC, you kind of have to go through slash and burn periods where you uproot everything and replant. I hated doing this and ended up with dead patches here and there where I failed to do what I should have done. (I hate being reminded to do things that I was too lazy to do. Expert procrastinator here.)
What I might do in a few weeks once the Glosso's taken over, is add Dwarf Hair Grass to evoke that wild look of which you spoke. I've seen Amano do it in his tanks and it looks great. Mixed ground covers look more natural to me.


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## Karackle

Yeah I'm really glad the wood is back with its lichen :biggrin: You're tank (well both of your tanks) inspired me to dive in and redo my 5.5, i will start on that this evening i think. Does the mini pellia grow in low-ish light / no CO2 do you know? I'd love to use it in my 5.5 if I can get my hands on some / it would grow. 

Thanks for the inspiration! I can't wait to see your tank as it grows in!


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## Ugly Genius

Wow, thanks, *Karackle*! It's good to hear that I helped get someone back into nanos. Nanos seem to be the redheaded stepchildren of this hobby and I'd love to see more people into these things. They rock.

Mini Pellia does grow in low light with no CO2, albeit very slowly. I have it in my ten gallon with no CO2 and twenty-eight watts of light and it does it's thing just fine.


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## fish_fasinated

oh yeah all better here *UG*, I seem to have the strongest immune system ever. The actual fever days were limited to one point five (as you would say). while I still had the occasional flare up all is well now.

Egad i love the mini pellia, just makes the DW look that much better!


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## Ugly Genius

Glad you're better, *fish*. 
Mini Pellia is an awesome addition to a nano. I love it.









_Mini Pellia_









_Rock and Glass_









_What Ugly Sees When He Sees What He Sees_​


----------



## fish_fasinated

Man the algae on those rocks looks amazing! so natural looking. I can never get tired of seeing every angle of this tank lol.


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## Craigthor

beautiful, I will have to find some of that mini pellia once I get my tank up. I'm cheating abit and just picked up an AGA 5.5 derimmed it and a pair of the OTT Lights in white. May go back for more of those lights as they rock and are 50% 0ff.  

Maybe someday my tank will look like yours. Just beautiful.

Craig


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *fish*. With a nano, one has to find new angles to take as there's not much diversity to keep a journal interesting otherwise.

*Craigthor*, right on! I've been singing the praises of the Ott-lites for a while now but no one seemed to notice. They are, hands down, _the_ best lamps for a nano. They blow the Archaea I have on this tank out of the water, so to speak. Perfect wattage, perfect length, and you can get the bulbs to within under an inch of the surface of the water if that's your thing.
Good luck with the new tank. What helped me in getting all the Rivens looking like they did and do was the kind people here on this forum. I post a ton (almost daily), and people have always been kind in offering encouragement, ideas, and suggestions. So post away and I'm sure all of us will help where we can.

I've planted what I'm calling "Forgotten Surprises". In this case, the "Forgotten Surprises" are Dwarf Hairgrass, UG (the plant, not me), and Mini Java Fern.
The Mini Java Fern and Dwarf Hairgrass are planted behind the main rock. Out of sight, they will probably be forgotten until they grow in (hence the "forgotten" and "surprise" part).
The UG is planted next to the Mini Erio. UG takes _forever_ to get acclimated to a tank so I'll probably forget it's there as I wait for it to do so.

I believe that once the Hairgrass fills in the back (near the driftwood and small rock back there), it'll make the 'scape look much more natural.
The UG is there in the event I grow bored of the Glosso and want to uproot it. Besides, I've never seen a mixed carpet of Glosso and UG. (I think a carpet of UG might look more appropriate than Glosso in this 'scape. I've only planted a itsy-bity bit so you guys won't notice it for some time.)
The Mini Java Fern is my "explosion plant". It's in the rear right corner where once it grows in, it will give the main rock a look as if it's peeking out of foliage.


----------



## CL

Nice. I'm feelin' that mini p.


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## Craigthor

UG- Sweet, I'm actually looking for some UG. I had a 20H that had a large amount of it and love the looks of it.

If you propogate any of these MINI plants LMK.

Craig


----------



## Ugly Genius

Two to post before dinner.

















That's all. Night!


----------



## fishboy87

wow, it looks like a large cliff/ledge overlooking a savanna. very nice!!


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## bbaker

UG, did you ever end up getting any of the blue or green shrimp from Ocean Aquarium?


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *bbaker*. Nope, never did. A while back I got some Green Shrimp from Justin, but that was a while ago. Good shrimp. I'm interested in the Blue ones he just got in, but I'm out of the shrimp game for a bit. If you get some, lemme know how they are.

I'd post some pictures, but I'm waiting for the Glosso to fill in a bit more so that it does not look like the same photo posted day after day. The tank looks good in terms of growth. Glosso's coming along nicely, about fifty percent to a full carpet, and the Microsword's filling in quickly.


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## bbaker

I don't think I'm going to mess around with the blue shrimp... I doubt very much that they'll breed true and am worried that the (brown) offspring will hybridize with my cherries. Might pick up some of the greens, though. If I do I'll post back here in a few weeks with impressions. 

Awesome tanks, btw, they have me in the early stages of rationalizing the purchase of a second CO2 system. :icon_redf


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## pga7602

My MiniM finally came in. As per your advice, I also ordered a bag of Amazonian and Amazonian powder. Tank thread should be ready by next week.

I want to know more about your DYI Co2 setup. From what I can see, the hagen canister is just used in place of a soda bottle right? Or am I missing something? If this is true, you just pour the soda and yeast straight inside and add water? 

I am planning on getting a ada glass diffuser like yours, but have not decided on how I'm going to do the Bottle yet. How do you like your setup?

Thanks in advance for answer my noobie questions


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *bbaker*. Thanks! I highly recommend two DIYs CO2s if you have high light. The benefits are more than commensurate for the time it takes to mix another bottle.

*pga7602*, congrats on the Mini-M. I think you'll love it as it's the perfect sized nano.
As for my DIYs, yeah, they are the Hagen canisters connected to regular glass diffusers. The mixture I use is sugar to the first line, a teaspoon of baking soda, and a quarter teaspoon of yeast. Add water and you're done.
BTW, you might want to check out the Do!aqua line of diffusers. They are pretty good quality, smaller, and look really nice. Cheaper, too. I have one on this tank and a smaller one in Source. They are not listed on AFA's site, but if you write or call them, I'm sure they'll ship them to you. The smallest is the Music Glass 10. The one on this tank is the Music Glass 15.

Anyway, here's a picture. Nothing new. Just Glosso growth.


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## fish_fasinated

glad to see some good growth from the glosso, its filling quite nicely.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

The Glosso looks taller than Riven...is it cause of the lack of light?


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *fish*.

*Zoo*, I noticed the same thing but I'm not certain what the cause is. My first thought is like yours, less light in Revolutions than in Riven. Although technically this incarnation has a higher wattage lamp than Riven did. The Ott-Lites I used were (1) closer to the water's surface and (2) could be positioned directly over the carpet. This is neither here nor there, however; I've grown Glosso in a 2.5 with 13W and it stayed lower than this. So I'm not sure why it's doing what it's doing. (Basically, the leaves are growing longer than is usual, for those who haven't been following this journal from day one.)
So if I'd have to guess, it's not the lower wattage but the fact that the Archaea lamp can't hang as tight to the water's surface as the Ott-lites can. (Another reason why Ott-Lites are perfect for nanos!)


----------



## Dollface

I kind of like the tall-ish glosso. It could look really intresting if it fills in really thick.


----------



## Tex Gal

I'm liking this one! Still maybe some bamboo, limno mini, or Arthraxon in the back. It would make your DW really pop.


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## Ugly Genius

A fairly significant change to Riven Revolutions. I added UG.

I pulled up the Glosso this morning and spent an hour planting the UG. Glosso just didn't look right to me. It broke the scale of the tank; made the Mini-S look as small as a Mini-S is. UG maintains the scale and, more than Glosso, has a texture that matches the rocks in this tank.

Lemme know what you think.









_Water's still cloudy, but you can make out everything pretty well._








I'll be putting the Glosso in the front center of Source. That'll have to wait for later, though. After an hour of gardening, I'm beat.


----------



## Craigthor

Looks great that is that I will be using on my Mini M.

Craig


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## Tex Gal

I like it better than the glosso. You got a nice batch of UG there. Where did you get it? I just got some from a store and it wasn't nearly as nice as yours! Lucky duck!


----------



## Karackle

Oh I like it a lot! I agree, it works better with the scale of the tank, looks great!


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Craig*, *Tex*, and *Karackle*! I'm digging the UG, too. I only have limited experience with this plant, but I have brought it back from the dead once, so I'm hoping this all ready healthy bunch will fill in nicely.

*Tex Gal*, I got the UG from AFA. This bunch is much healthier than the bunch I got from them some time back. That stuff was terrible. It came back to life, but it took a lot of work on my part. (Lots of CO2 and lots of nutrients.)

When I first got UG, I didn't like it as it's a carnivorous plant. Dunno why, but the idea of a meat-eating plant in my tank didn't appeal to me. (I'm not a vegetarian or anything, I just like the only meat-eaters in my house to be me, Zooey, and Franny.) But now I've come around to the coolness of a carnivorous plant. It won't bother the shrimp as they're too big and even if it gets the small ones, it'll help control the population.)

Speaking of which...

Do you guys remember my unexplainable shrimp deaths? The one that put me off raising fauna of any type. Ever. Remember that?
Well, now I have the opposite problem. Unexplainable shrimp _births_! I'm studying the UG and I see two very tiny RCS in there. They must have hitched a ride on the UG from my shrimp tank where I quarantine my plants for algae. I'd like to think of it as immaculate conception, though.

Oh, and yesterday, my girl and I are watching _Wall-E_ when we see the DIY setup on her tank blow out the diffuser. (The tank's right next to the TV.) A big whoosh! and bubbles streaming out from the tubing like fire from a rocket ship. The Betta and Nerite are fine -- I did a partial water change to clean it out. It was cool, though. But it was good that we were right there as much more damage could have been done.


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## Tex Gal

You certainly have an interesting life. All these unexpected things going on! 

Congrats on the shrimp. Perhaps it's a hint that you shouldn't have given up on the shrimps because some expired.... If at first you don't suceed- try, try again.


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## Dollface

I love UG(the plant) so much, it looks so fantastic as a full carpet. I saw a couple patches at AFA ahwhile back and it looked amazing. 

Speaking of your girlfriends' tank, how is it going? And did it ever get a proper name besides 'Gift'?


----------



## fish_fasinated

The UG (plant) suits this tank so well, adds a slight difference in texture to the tank. im pretty close to ording some rocks from AFA soon.


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## @[email protected]

much better then glosso. with the glosso it took some constraint for me not to say something like "you may as well have put a sword plant in there". 
now, it looks like a big tank shrunk down again.


----------



## SPL-311

COOL! I've always wanted to try a UG carpet but it's tough to find around here. Lemmie know if you have uncontrollable growth and need to unload a nice mat of that stuff.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> *Tex Gal*, I got the UG from AFA. This bunch is much healthier than the bunch I got from them some time back. That stuff was terrible. It came back to life, but it took a lot of work on my part. (Lots of CO2 and lots of nutrients.)


YES I NEED TO GO TO AFA REAL SOON:eek5:

How much was it?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Tex Gal said:


> Congrats on the shrimp. Perhaps it's a hint that you shouldn't have given up on the shrimps because some expired.... If at first you don't suceed- try, try again.


That's true, *Tex*.



Dollface said:


> I love UG(the plant) so much, it looks so fantastic as a full carpet. I saw a couple patches at AFA ahwhile back and it looked amazing.
> 
> Speaking of your girlfriends' tank, how is it going? And did it ever get a proper name besides 'Gift'?


Aww, thanks, *Dollface*. I love y...oh, wait...You were talking about Utricularia graminifolia. Yeah, yeah, real nice plant. Love that UG.

My girl's tank is doing pretty good. Nothing's changed much as I have only slow growers in there, but it's coming along.

Here:








Remember, just yesterday this tank had a glass diffuser shot into it's substrate, a ton of CO2, sugar, and yeast pumped into it and it survived. Testament to my girl's tremendous 'scaping skills. Not a single rock or plant was moved by the explosion. (Which was big.)



fish_fasinated said:


> The UG (plant) suits this tank so well, adds a slight difference in texture to the tank. im pretty close to ording some rocks from AFA soon.


Thanks! Cool deal on the rocks, *fish*. Know what kind you'll be picking out?



@[email protected] said:


> much better then glosso. with the glosso it took some constraint for me not to say something like "you may as well have put a sword plant in there".
> now, it looks like a big tank shrunk down again.


Thanks, *@[email protected]*. Yeah, I'm feeling the UG much more than the Glosso.



SPL-311 said:


> COOL! I've always wanted to try a UG carpet but it's tough to find around here. Lemmie know if you have uncontrollable growth and need to unload a nice mat of that stuff.


I'll let you know how it goes, *SPL-311*. UG would look great in your tank, I think.



ZooTycoonMaster said:


> YES I NEED TO GO TO AFA REAL SOON:eek5:
> 
> How much was it?


Have you been to AFA yet, *Zoo*? Knowing how much you love this hobby, I think you'll faint when you get there. (So bring something soft to land on.) The UG's expensive, though. Eighteen, I think. (So you might faint at some of their prices, too. Bring two soft somthings to land on, then.)

Here's one my taken-from-the-side action shots.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> Have you been to AFA yet, *Zoo*? Knowing how much you love this hobby, I think you'll faint when you get there. (So bring something soft to land on.) The UG's expensive, though. Eighteen, I think. (So you might faint at some of their prices, too. Bring two soft somthings to land on, then.)


Nope, only been to Ocean Aquarium, which I already felt like fainting:hihi:

Approximately how many square inches was the UG?


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Zoo*, the stuff I planted in Riven Revolutions + the stuff in my girl's tank is all of it; a two" x two" square, I'd say.

And, they are starting a new 120-P that looks like it's going to be off the charts. An Iwagumi with _the_ most beautiful rocks. I didn't see it filled, just the rockwork and already my girl and I could tell that it's going to be gorgeous.

Plant-wise, they are a bit low right now. Dunno why. Not as big a selection as usual.


----------



## deleted_user_16

Ugly Genius said:


> *Zoo*, the stuff I planted in Riven Revolutions + the stuff in my girl's tank is all of it; a two" x two" square, I'd say.
> 
> And, they are starting a new 120-P that looks like it's going to be off the charts. An Iwagumi with _the_ most beautiful rocks. I didn't see it filled, just the rockwork and already my girl and I could tell that it's going to be gorgeous.
> 
> Plant-wise, they are a bit low right now. Dunno why. Not as big a selection as usual.



a NEW 120p???? tightttt, last time i was there, the 90p by the plant tanks was jsut set up, how is it doing?


----------



## Dollface

Sound's like people are going to be taking some field trips soon to AFA, I know I am, I wonder if I can make up a valid enough excuse though. I was thinking of doing my new 40 long as an Iwagumi, just need the right rocks...

ANYWAY
The girlfriends tank is looking awesome, that huge patch of UG looks, well, huge. It it's the size of one of the patches I remember from AFA last time I went, those were tiny man. Gives a pretty mindblowing scale of the tank. 
And I'm laughing a little to hard at the betta with his hat and scarf. Poor betta.


----------



## fish_fasinated

Ugly Genius said:


> Cool deal on the rocks, *fish*. Know what kind you'll be picking out?


I'm thinking the ryouhI'm not sure yet. I only looked once while I was at school killing time before work, haven't looked since.


----------



## Ugly Genius

This post is more for me than it is for you. I'm keeping track of UG's growth. The growth is noticeable only to me -- a guy who stares at this tank for hours.

Day One:








Day Three:








Actually, there's been no growth, but that was to be expected. This is UG we're talking about.

Bad news, Gift, the girl's tank, had a filter malfunction last night and now the water's F.U.B.A.R.. The Betta's fine, but he must be pissed. The water's murky as heck and the tank'll probably have to be torn down and resurrected as everything's coated in yeast, sugar, and baking soda. I changed the water just now, but it's still cloudy and smells like sugar. So....

Other than that, nothing new. Oh, my Tiger Shrimp in Source had babies. That's a good sign that I don't kill _all_ shrimp. To date, I've bred RCS, Dwarf Crayfish, Green Shrimp, and, now, Tiger Shrimp. I've had CRS berried, but they all died prior to releasing them and my Amanos are perpetually knocked up but you know how that goes in freshwater.

It is hella, hella cold in SF today. Freezing. It's, like, forty degrees! That's nuts for the City. We don't have homes designed for this. And we certainly don't have jackets like we see people wearing on the news in Wisconsin or wherever it gets hella, hella, hella cold; those Eskimo-looking jackets like Han Solo wore in _The Empire Strikes Back_ on Hoth. All we got are the kind of jackets Han Solo wore on Tatooine.
Hopefully all shrimp will be okay. Temps are dropping a bit low even with the heaters, but not dangerously so.


----------



## Kayen

Oi, that's bad for the tank D: . Let's see what your girlfriend comes up with next ! 
And if you think around 40 degrees FARENHEIT IS COLD? Try it here ..
-30c this past week... that's ... -22F .

40 degrees .. is like what 5c? That's nothing my friend, i'm still in a shirt/hoodie in that weather.

Anyways, good job on the Tiger shrimp! Try again on the CRS later, i liked those CBS you had though =] . 

PS. i'm scared to go buy some live stock atm.... instant freeze the moment i walk outside LOL.


----------



## fish_fasinated

Viettxboii said:


> 40 degrees .. is like what 5c? That's nothing my friend, i'm still in a shirt/hoodie in that weather.


Tell me about it! I know people that wear shorts in that weather and wonder why people are chivering!

The tank is looking great *UG*, and I CAN see a difference in the ug after a couple days.


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Viettxboii*, that's nuts. That's end of the world temps right there. If that happened here in the Bay Area, we'd panic. Anything below fifty degrees and we're calling Arnold to tell him to declare a state of emergency.

*fish*, thanks, man. The UG's going to be an exercise in patience to watch grow, but that's a lot better than trimming every other day.

I've started dosing Brighty Step 1 (half a pump) every day. On a daily basis I dose one-half pump of that + one-half pump of Brighty K. I also OD Excel. I add one drop of Green Bacter with each WC.
During the first few weeks of a tank's life, I dose only K and Excel. I don't start the micros until about week three. This seems to work for me.


----------



## Badcopnofishtank

Nice.


----------



## Tex Gal

I see some growth in your UG Or either you planted more! Mine is pathetic. The pieces I got were so horrid compared to yours. I wish I had known they had some. I just got a plant order from them! ARRRGH!


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> *Viettxboii*, that's nuts. That's end of the world temps right there. If that happened here in the Bay Area, we'd panic. Anything below fifty degrees and we're calling Arnold to tell him to declare a state of emergency.


*nods*

Except now it's 39, and FREEZING


----------



## deleted_user_16

Ugly Genius said:


> *Viettxboii*, that's nuts. That's end of the world temps right there. If that happened here in the Bay Area, we'd panic. Anything below fifty degrees and we're calling Arnold to tell him to declare a state of emergency.
> 
> *fish*, thanks, man. The UG's going to be an exercise in patience to watch grow, but that's a lot better than trimming every other day.
> 
> I've started dosing Brighty Step 1 (half a pump) every day. On a daily basis I dose one-half pump of that + one-half pump of Brighty K. I also OD Excel. I add one drop of Green Bacter with each WC.
> During the first few weeks of a tank's life, I dose only K and Excel. I don't start the micros until about week three. This seems to work for me.


it was below freezing today in the east bay, lol, tomorrow its supposed to go realy low, like lower 20s 

that huge earthquake on the hayward fault that is coming is something more to worry about, lol

i love that algae u got in there, and thats the first time ive ever said i like algae.


----------



## Dollface

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> *nods*
> 
> Except now it's 39, and FREEZING


Pffft, I'm home for christmas up in norcal & it's in the mid 20's up here with two feet of snow on the ground. Our water pump actually froze last night. 

And I've been hiding infront of the fireplace like the wimp I am. Boo, cold.


----------



## brion0

Always enjoy checking up on your tank. Thanks for all the pics so I can stare at your tank to. 

Getting into the - temps tonight here. Atleast im not in Alberta.


----------



## Kayen

Alberta ... haha it gets colder next week!
It's horrible really, i got stuck outside in -50c weather last year after an exam waiting for a late bus for almost an hour ! Imagine a group of frozen fifteen year olds fighting to get on the bus when it finally arrived! ( Apparently two of hte busses never came and broke down due to the insanely cold weather).

UG: Nice Fert regime, hopefully it'll get the UG up to speed !


----------



## OliverN

Hey UG,

If I'm not mistaken, you're also injecting CO2 in this tank so I'm interested in what your motivations are for the Excel - are you using it as an algacide?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Badcopnofishtank*!

*Tex Gal*, the stuff they had just recently got nice. For a while, it didn't look so hot. Either it acclimated to and started thriving in their tanks, or the got a new shipment from a really good supplier. This stuff is _really_ nice, though. I'm "sterioding" the main part in Source as that tank's parameters are pretty much perfect for growing anything.

*Zoo*, it is cold, huh?

*fishman*, it's warmed up a tad here in the City. Hope is has for you over there, too. 
I like the algae, too. It'll probably flare up in a week or two, but this tank's water is under pretty good control, so I think it'll settle down after it does that.

*Dollface*, what's snow?

*brion0*, temps can actually _go_ into the negatives? My lord!

*Viettxboii*, that's just cruel to make anyone leave the house in that weather. They should give you A's just for making it to the friggin' bus!
Yeah, I'm hoping the fert's get this tank lush like the Original Riven. (Hereforth *OR*.)

*OliverN*, yeah, I've got two DIYs on this tank. I don't dose Excel as an algaecide per se. 
It's half experimental and half too-much-free-time.
Virtually everything I do in my tanks is based on a WAG (wild assed guess; also known as an "ugh": Ugly Genius Hopes). 
I look through the glass, see something, think about how to solve and/or create it, and jump to a conclusion that may or may not be the correct course of action to take to achieve said goal.
So why am I using two DIYs and ODing Excel--?
No clue.
I do know that two DIYs are better than one in a Mini-S, though.

With that out of the way, pictures.

















Off topic:
This is a pretty good hobby. 
I've got a relatively stressful job. It's chaotic. No day is ever the same and I never know what's going to happen. While I love this aspect of it -- I can't stand having the same routine every day --, it can get to you over time.
So to come home to the tanks and seeing them grow, really helps soothe me. They're calming.
Donchathink?


Except when things go wrong. In which case, my tanks become just like my job. But for right now, things are going well with the tanks.

Knock on driftwood.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Woot I get to go to SF during winter break







Hopefully _not_ on a Tuesday so I can go to AFA

I see that small Downoi in the second pic


----------



## OliverN

Thanks for being so amenable as to answer my question (as a long term lurker on your tank diary, I kind of knew you would, but still). I really like your tanks - they have an expansive and tranquil feel to them. Plus, you always pick such great rocks.


----------



## Craigthor

Lookin great, whos UG will fill out first


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Zoo*, even if you have to ask for it as a present, you must have your parents take you to AFA. Mow the lawn, do dishes, get into Harvard...do whatever it takes. You won't be sorry.

*OliverN*, you're welcome! I'm so appreciative of everyone who posts on this forty-eight page U.G.L.I.E.S.T. (Ugly Genius' Lengthy Internet Exhibit Showoff Tank), that I can't imagine not at least trying to reply to everyone.
And thanks for the compliment. I put an embarrassing amount of time and energy into my tanks. It's super cool to know that other people like them, too. (Although I don't always like my tanks. Sometimes they drive me nuts. I think it's that way for everyone.) (Case in point: the driftwood in this tank is pissing me off right now as it's got fuzz on it. It'll go away eventually, but for now it's driving me crazy. I feel like screaming at it, "Why are you doing that?! You're making my Mini Pellia ugly!")

*Craigthor*, I've got a few days' head start on you, more watts per gallon, and a smaller area to fill.
That said, yours will probably outgrow mine in no time flat.
You've got an awesome setup. An inline diffuser, a perfect amount of light for a Mini-M, Aquasoil, and a great filter. I can't compete with that.
That said, the competitive side of me will occasionally chime in with destructive advice for you. _Craigthor, you should add four cups of lemon juice to the water column and a pack of orange Mentos® in the substrate. It'll help control algae and provide vitamin C to your plants. Your plants look deficient in vitamin C._
I'm just kidding. I would never do that.
But seriously, you should consider adding four cups of lemon juice to the water column and a pack of orange Mentos® in the substrate. It'll help control algae and provide vitamin C to your plants.


----------



## Craigthor

Damn I screwed up then I added 5 cups of OJ as I was out of Lemon Juice and a pack of regular mentos think it will come out fine.


----------



## Ugly Genius

My kitchen counter is a curious thing.
The purpose for which it was originally (and presumably) intended has been reinterpreted and redefined.
For me it is not a place to wash dishes and prepare meals -- the preparation of meals is done only in the microwave and via the phone; the washing of dishes is vague concept of which I have some memory but no concrete and specific recollections of how to achieve such a thing. (Although I do recall it involving water [any pH will do] and an item known as "soap".)
For me the sink is a place to drain tank water, clean rocks, and store aquascaping materials (rocks, wood, substrate, bits of HC, Glossso, and CO2 glassware).
The counter is a shelf for tanks, unread mail, coffee mugs, my laptop, and a place to sit when I'm too lazy to pull out the stool (which, ironically, is never put away as I'm too lazy to put it away; rather it's pushed out of the way [but not put away] far enough to be, for all intents and purposes, put away but not technically put away, just way out of the way).








So where everyone else would see a kitchen counter, I see everything else.

And that is the kitchen counter according to Ugly.


----------



## Craigthor

must be single..... wife would never allow that here...


----------



## Karackle

hahahaha I like it.


----------



## rekles75

Thats the funniest Shnit tonight, I love it. The single life ah, I miss it soooooo much.


----------



## fish_fasinated

Haha, hey be happy you have that much counter space. I have just enough for a pile of dirty dishes, a sink full of dirty dishes and the dish rack full of clean but not put away. and no I'm not single, the girlfriend hates doing dishes as much as I do.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Well, it's been one week since I planted the UG. There has been growth; I can see it now.









_Day One_









_Seven Days Later_​
Yesterday I got this stuff called SuperBac Biological Aquarium Cleaner. I got it to help clean Gift after the yeast explosion. Instead, the girl and I rebuilt Gift. (Pictures forthcoming.) So I'm using this stuff in Riven Revolutions and Source. The guys at AFA told me that the SuperBac stuff really helps reduce cleanings. I'll keep you updated.

I'm supposed to be Christmas shopping right now, but it's raining, it's cold, and I'm lazy.
Instead I'm going to catch up on _Battlestar Galactica_.


----------



## Craigthor

wow what all are you dosing... I'm just doing K and micros since I just setup the tank... I do love the aquasoil as I uprooted and changed my slopes and the UG had started sending out some white roots in a few days.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Craig*. I just started dosing Green Brighty Step1 a few days ago. I've been dosing Brighty K since I set it up. I also do 2x to 4x OD of Excel. (This will probably stop as I'm right now getting a third DIY setup brewing.) I love CO2.
I don't know how much water column ferts contribute towards UG growth, though.
Anyone know if UG is a substrate feeder or a water column feeder or both?


----------



## Craigthor

Ugly Genius said:


> Hey, *Craig*. I just started dosing Green Brighty Step1 a few days ago. I've been dosing Brighty K since I set it up. I also do 2x to 4x OD of Excel. (This will probably stop as I'm right now getting a third DIY setup brewing.) I love CO2.
> I don't know how much water column ferts contribute towards UG growth, though.
> Anyone know if UG is a substrate feeder or a water column feeder or both?


Would be good to know. I have Pfertz root tabs at the bottom of my substrate maybe I should break a couple of extras up for the tank. No excel but I do have presssurized CO2 via an inline diffuser so I should be getting plenty of CO2.

Great growth your ahead of me, oh yeah I jsut planted mine again yesterday :icon_twis


----------



## starrystarstarr

Craigthor said:


> must be single..... wife would never allow that here...


LOL for me its the other way around.. my hubby get on my case about the "fish junk"


----------



## Ugly Genius

So here's the AGA two and a half gallon tank that my girl and I put together last night.

This one's got a jungle feel to it. Sprigs of HC are planted in front. Mini Pellia on the left, Mini Java Fern and Anubias Nana "Petite" in the center, and Christmas Moss on the right. All-in-all, it's a low maintenance setup. (Except for the HC which I'll end up yanking if it gets on my nerves like last time.)

This tank was built for the Betta. (He's in the back inside the Mini Java Ferns.) We both got hit with 'scaper's block last night and by the end we both agreed to forgo the pursuit of getting it "perfect" and just getting the tank set up for the poor little guy. Even so, I think it came out really good. My girl laid down the framework and I finished up with the details.


----------



## Green Leaf Aquariums

Nice  That's what I call maximizing your use of kitchen space 

- Orlando


----------



## fish_fasinated

nice, lol is ther eenough room for the little guy to swim in with those rocks though?


----------



## brt_p

IMHO, i think the rocks were too big..but i do understand ur idea of jungle, maybe putting small branches and small rocks together would be better..
(just a piece of my mind..please ignore it):icon_mrgr


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Orlando*, right?! The kitchen counter now serves so many purposes. It's a win/win if you ask me.

*fish*, hey, I gave him three inches in which to move.

*brt_p*, dude, there is no need for you to feel bad for saying that. That's why I post on these forums: for advice, encouragement, and a slap in the back of the head.

That said, I made small changes that I hope won't get me in trouble with the love of my life.








I removed the big rock and put back the driftwood from Riven and Gift. I'm reluctant to do too many more changes lest the proverbial stuff hit the proverbial fan. ChunowhaaI'msayin'?


----------



## brt_p

Ugly Genius said:


> *brt_p*, dude, there is no need for you to feel bad for saying that. That's why I post on these forums: for advice, encouragement, and a slap in the back of the head.


hahaha..that's very Anthony Dinozo (NCIS) of you..:hihi:

back to ur tank,
the rock on the right side, i think it's too symetric and still, too big..
here's my idea, get those big rocks smashed into little pieces, than arrange them around ur DW. :biggrin:


----------



## fish_fasinated

oh nice, little valley look with out even intending on it! and all you did is remove the biggest rock


----------



## Craigthor

UG. What stones are you using in Riven? I contacted Steve at AFA to try and get him to send me some pics of Maten and Seiryu stones for the Mini M.

Craig


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Craig*. Right now it's got Ryouh stone. The first iteration had Manten.
I've seen Manten stone used to good effect in Amano's tanks, but I'm not super impressed by them. (You can see them up close in some of the earlier picture of Source.)

Ryouh and Seiryu look great. You can't go wrong with either one.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

How's the UG spreading/doing?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Zoo*. It's growing pretty quick -- _a lot_ faster than I expected.

Here:








Here's what it looked like last week, seven days after planting:








And here's what it looked like two weeks ago, the day of planting:


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

WOW! Maybe I should buy that $18 2x2" piece of UG from AFA:hihi: My dad promised me he'll be taking me to there _and_ Ocean Aquarium this week

Cept I'll be spending alot of money


----------



## Dollface

This is what I did just now.

Me: Hey, new post *click, scrollscrollscro-* WHOA


that is some insane growth there, stop making UG(the plant) look so easy, UG(the person). You're seriously tempting me into some, and I would probably kill it by just looking at it. D:


----------



## Craigthor

Dollface said:


> This is what I did just now.
> 
> Me: Hey, new post *click, scrollscrollscro-* WHOA
> 
> 
> that is some insane growth there, stop making UG(the plant) look so easy, UG(the person). You're seriously tempting me into some, and I would probably kill it by just looking at it. D:


 
wolfs got some in the SnS forsale 3x3 for $15 plus shiping. I just grabbed some more as I don't care for the E. 'Belem' and will just be using UG and Mini Pellia.


----------



## Dollface

Craigthor said:


> wolfs got some in the SnS forsale 3x3 for $15 plus shiping. I just grabbed some more as I don't care for the E. 'Belem' and will just be using UG and Mini Pellia.


Alas, I don't even have a tank with water to put it in, much less a tank with the lighting, fertz, and CO2 to even keep it alive.

[strike]Well, technically, I've got an inch of water in the 5 gallon, and the 20 gallon is full ... of goldfish.[/strike]


----------



## Craigthor

Dollface said:


> Alas, I don't even have a tank with water to put it in, much less a tank with the lighting, fertz, and CO2 to even keep it alive.
> 
> [strike]Well, technically, I've got an inch of water in the 5 gallon, and the 20 gallon is full ... of goldfish.[/strike]


 
Just think the goldfish would love an expensive snack, similar to caviar.

Oops, sorry enough dethreading here...


----------



## mizu-chan

Looks amazing UG!


----------



## Ugly Genius

Have fun at AFA, *Zoo*. The only thing with the their UG is that you _have_ to get a very healthy square of it. So pick carefully lest you spend weeks trying to nurse it back to health. I've had two bunches of the stuff from there. The one before was not so healthy and it took a long time to bring it back. This bunch, healthy from the get go, took to my tanks without any skipping a beat.

Thanks, *Dollface*. To be honest, I didn't even think it grew as much as it did until I took that photo last night.
It's funny what grows fast and what doesn't in this tank. The UG and Microsword are growing great. The Anubias Nana "Petite" and Mini Pellia are growing super slow. (Slower than is normal, even.) The Mini Erio is throwing off a ton of stalks, but no leaves that I can see. The Dwarf Hairgrass and Mini Java Fern (hidden behind the rock) are also going super slow.
It could be that my WC nutrients are out of whack, but who knows...

*Craig*, a tank of UG and Mini Pellia sounds awesome.

Thanks, *mizu*!

While I'm happy with my plant choices, there is one thing I regret about this sparsely planted tank: it doesn't pearl. I didn't plant enough "heavy breathers" and the few I have in there are too limited in number to sufficiently saturate the water column.
Pearling is not the end-all be-all, but I love seeing a tank pearl. It just looks cool. I also want to up the CO2 to three DIYs. Fuzz algae's covering much of the DW and rocks and I'd like to get that down some.


----------



## Craigthor

you know you should go pressurized...

Craig


----------



## Ugly Genius

Craigthor said:


> you know you should go pressurized...
> 
> Craig


Yeah, I know.
But:
I found out yesterday that I owe five hundred dollars to the State of California -- it's a long sad story about me sucking at math.
So:
Any pressurized CO2 money is going to help the Golden State balance it's budget.


----------



## Kayen

Ouch.
Well then the yeast + sugar ain't working that bad, hell your UG is growing like it's on crack still. 

Mini pellia ... droooooooooooooooool...............
dammit i have to get my hands on some!


----------



## rekles75

You do make the UG look easy, And I thought it was hard to grow. Well not hard but a slow grower.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Viettxboii*. I've just upped it to three DIYs. We'll see what affect that has on the tank.
And Mini Pellia is a great plant. I love it.

Hey, *rekles*. Thanks. I'm not sure if it's great growth is me or the plant itself. It just seems like a very healthy bunch I got. Either way, I'll take it because it's really filling in nicely.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Ok so hold up...
Your tank has low light, liquid ferts, and DIY CO2 diffused through a diffuser.

And I have high light, dry ferts, and DIY CO2 diffused through my canister filter.

I should be able to grow UG too


----------



## Dollface

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Ok so hold up...
> Your tank has low light, liquid ferts, and DIY CO2 diffused through a diffuser.
> 
> And I have high light, dry ferts, and DIY CO2 diffused through my canister filter.
> 
> I should be able to grow UG too


You do realize by saying this, you've assured your failure in growing it?


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Lol:redface:


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Zoo*, I've seen your tank and I have no doubt you can grow UG. You've got a green thumb.

I think UG's rep for being a difficult plant to grow stems from the fact that it's not widely distributed yet. Once more people get this plant, everyone will see that UG is just like HC in that it takes some time to get it's engine revving, but once it does, it grows quite easily. (And this is not me trying to be all "Ooh, look at me! UG's so easy to grow because I'm rad!" With the right light (medium is fine), CO2 (lots), and a good substrate, it's no harder than any other carpet plant.)

Remember, it's not all the tech you have in and around your tank that matters, but how all that tech affects the water. 
It all begins and ends with water.


----------



## Phoenix-cry

I love the rocks! Such wonderful flow!


----------



## Craigthor

Ugly Genius said:


> *Zoo*, I've seen your tank and I have no doubt you can grow UG. You've got a green thumb.
> 
> I think UG's rep for being a difficult plant to grow stems from the fact that it's not widely distributed yet. Once more people get this plant, everyone will see that UG is just like HC in that it takes some time to get it's engine revving, but once it does, it grows quite easily. (And this is not me trying to be all "Ooh, look at me! UG's so easy to grow because I'm rad!" With the right light (medium is fine), CO2 (lots), and a good substrate, it's no harder than any other carpet plant.)
> 
> Remember, it's not all the tech you have in and around your tank that matters, but how all that tech affects the water.
> It all begins and ends with water.


I agree. UG has a habit of taking along time to come back if it melts or is in poor shape. I got some from 2 different sources and its amazing what one bunch is doing compared to the other. One was in transit for 3-4 days the other I got overnighted to me. If you can get it fresh and locally and replant it ASAP I think that makes a huge difference.

Craig


----------



## Ugly Genius

Slowly, the Downoi is poking it's head out of the sand.








Happy New Year, everyone.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Nevermind, I'm getting some Marselia Minuta in the mail soon which will be the new foreground plant I like that one better than the M. Quadrifolia.


----------



## Dollface

It's so cute and tiny. I feel like cheering it on to get bigger.


----------



## mizu-chan

The more and more I look at your tank, the more and more I want to try UG. I think once I go to college and I start up a new tank there I am definitely going to give it a shot. It's not that you make it look easy (you do), but I guess it's that your not pulling your hair out with it in your tank. It seems like you're having a good experience with it, and that makes me a little less intimidated. I used to look up care and maintenance for this plant and it always had this: _Level: Experienced Hobbiest_. :icon_neut
But nope. I think I'm ready now! 

Love all your tanks man. Truly inspirational! Thanks for the awesome journals. :thumbsup:


----------



## Ugly Genius

Nothing's changed in terms of plant selection, layout, et cetera. I'm probably about three weeks away from figuring out how to trim UG. (Anyone know how to trim UG?)

Today I have off. So:
I'm going to hit the gym and then try to find a small internal filter to work as a CO2 reactor. I've read that the Hagen Elite Minis work good in this regard. As of right now, I have three DIYs; two via glass diffusers and one via a chopstick (back right corner).

Off topic:
I've been watching a unidentified type of algae that you can make out in yesterday's photo of my Downoi grow on the UG and Mini Pellia. It's slowly starting to abate.
While I haven't been in this hobby all that long, I do feel a certain confidence when it comes to living with algae. I can look at one of my tanks, see algae, and know if there is something that I am doing wrong, or if it's just cyclical and I that I should just let it run it's course. In this case, I feel that all I have to do here is let it run its course. If my hunch is correct, the algae will be gone in three weeks. (To be replaced with a completely new and unexpected problem.)








The Microsword is really tall now. I didn't know it could get that tall. I'd say it's four or five inches. Eventually I'll trim it but for now I like the wild look.
In about a month, I think we'll start to see the Dwarf Hairgrass I planted behind the main rock start to show. It'll help minimize the manicured look that this tank now has. (I want this tank to be a happy medium between Dutch and Nature Aquarium. Hey, we can call this new look DNA! Get it--? Dutch Nature Aquarium!)

Anyway, I've got to get ready for the gym.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> Today I have off. So:
> I'm going to hit the gym and then try to find a small internal filter to work as a CO2 reactor. I've read that the Hagen Elite Minis work good in this regard. As of right now, I have three DIYs; two via glass diffusers and one via a chopstick (back right corner).


That CO2 reactor (from what people have told me) produces too much CO2 for a 10 gallon tank (mine), so it should produce even _more_ CO2 for a smaller tank like yours:confused1:

Maybe you could put a powerhead by one of the diffusers to chop uo the bubbles even more.


----------



## Ugly Genius

I missed some posts.

Thanks, *Dollface*. The Downoi does need a cheerleader. I think he's feeling a bit neglected because I'm focusing so much on the UG. I feel bad about that because I think when all is said and done and this tank matures, it'll be him, the Downoi, that pulls the tank together. (Now that I think of it, I'm naming the Downoi Timmy. It just sounds right to give him a name. Timmy the Downoi.) Go, Timmy!

*mizu-chan*, you should totally do it. I think you can. And I think anyone who has seen your tank would agree. 
(Everyone else besides mizu, if you haven't seen mizu's tank, check out the link in her sig, come back, and try to tell me that you don't think she can grow UG.
Go on, we'll wait.
You back?
Was I right?
Thought so.)
And thanks for your compliments. Can you believe how long this journal is?! Fifty-one friggin' pages! And some of you have been here with me from the beginning. Thanks for that. And judging from the page hits, there are a lot of people reading but not posting. Unless, like, four of you are visiting hundreds of times a week. 

*Zoo*, thanks for the head's up. I'm still going to give the thing a try, but now I'll be alert to the possibility of CO2 overdosing. Worst case scenario, I'll take one or two diffusers out and keep the internal filter. I'll keep you updated.
I think my reason for wanting to try a small internal filter is also for experimental purposes. As this tank is very lightly stocked, just a few RCS, I can take certain liberties with the tank's parameters. In the nearish future, I'll be setting up an ADA Mini-L, and in that tank, I want to apply the combined wisdom of Riven and Source to create my magnum opus in the form of a tank that I don't have to do crap to but still looks okay. (Which probably equates to 1 WPG with too much CO2, a carpet of Mini Pellia, and a rock named Fred.)


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Wait doesn't AFA sell Downoi?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Yeah, it does. Are you going soon, *Zoo*?


----------



## CL

Wow! The tank looks awesome UG!


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> Yeah, it does. Are you going soon, *Zoo*?


Yeah, I have (almost) all day tomorrow Looking forward to it.

Hey what's that plant behind the mini pellia, next to the flowering Erio? It looks sort of like a stem plant


----------



## mizu-chan

Haha, thanks UG. That was great and made my day 
Yup I still remember when I first saw how fast your glosso grew in Riven. I was totally amazed. But you've convinced me! Once I tear the 20L down when I go to college I'm going to buy a nice healthy patch. :thumbsup:

By the way, what kind of wood are you using and where did you get it? Every time I show my sister this tank she ask me what kind it is and I never have an answer. I've been meaning to ask you but I always forget. I ask also because it looks so natural and branch like. Bark and all.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *cl*!

*Zoo*, I forget the name of the plant. You told me what it was once upon a time.
Here are closer shots:

















*mizu*, I don't know what the wood's called. I got it at AFA and I forgot to read what the box said. Next time I'm there, I'll check.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Oh, right that's Rotala sp. 'Araguaia'

And that Microsword _is_ tall:icon_eek:


----------



## Ugly Genius

Yeah, that's the plant, *Zoo*. Thanks.

Anyway, here's a closer view of the UG angled from above. If you look closely, you can see a reflection in the glass of that which fuels UG (the man): coffee. (French roast, black, three cups.)









_In my world, there is no such thing as too much CO2.
Perhaps in the near future, the world will look to us, the plant dorks, 
to solve the world's carbon emissions problem.
Plant dorks unite!_​


----------



## deleted_user_16

the wood is like some root wood they sell at the back, right?

and that is some awesome UG, no wonder people call u UG!


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *fishman*. I'm digging your new 'scape, by the way.

Let's do something different. Let me show you my world: where I sit when I sit and say what I say when I say it here to you.

My corner of the world:








Notice that the counter is clear! This, my friends, is monumental! The girl and I cleaned my kitchen all morning and now it's clean and it feels like someone else's house. Nice.


----------



## CL

Wow, really cool counter. That's a great view


----------



## Kayen

I wish i had your kitchen ..


----------



## Craigthor

UG- How tall is that Rotala A.? Looking to add a small bush of plants in the M and have some HM coming but that deep red is beautiful


----------



## gsmitchell

Ugly Genius said:


> Nothing's changed in terms of plant selection, layout, et cetera. I'm probably about three weeks away from figuring out how to trim UG. (Anyone know how to trim UG?)


Trimming UG really doesn't work too well in my experience. I have found that the best thing to do when it gets too tall is to rip it up and replant, but when you replant, plant it deeply (at least an inch into the substrate). This way, there is just a bit of the "leaf" part sticking out of the substrate. The new "leaves" that then grow will be shorter.

I totally agree with your observations that UG grows fast, maybe not HC fast, but a patch at least doubles in size in my tanks every 3-4 weeks. Good light, and soft water seem to be the two essentials. If you have both of those, you can grow UG.

Great tanks by the way!

Greg


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Viettxboii*. And know that you are the first person in human history to _ever_ say that about my kitchen. Although, now that it's clean, I really like it.

*Craig*, the Rotala is about four inches right now, but it gets as tall as it wants to. It also branches sometimes, but not annoyingly so. The red is only under medium to high light. With the Solar Mini you have coming, the twenty-seven watts will be fine. The lower leaves will remain green, but the upper will be red like you see in the above photos.

Hey, *gsmitchell*. Thanks for the info. I appreciate it. That said...
WHY DID YOU HAVE TO SAY THAT?!
Ehem. I mean, what I meant to say was, oh, great, just like HC, it has to be uprooted and replanted. Wonderful!
I'm just playing. Although I _do_ loathe carpet plants that need to be replanted. Like HC. I hate that plant. Love seeing it, hate owning it. 
A part of me knew that it had to be replanted based on some internet reading I had done on UG. I was hoping against hope that the people saying that were just kidding or were under the influence of powerful pain medication that made them say foolishly mean things.
Oh:
I just checked out your tank in your sig. Beautiful. You've used UG _exactly_ the way it looks best: as if flowing like a river through rocks.

EDIT: Seeing how I've posted a FTS every Sunday since this one was setup, I thought I'd keep the tradition alive.


----------



## Kayen

Yay another pic . And i feel special now UG ;D .
I think it must be the insane cold we put up ( holy crap -30 or lower for a week , in fact my face is frost bitten), it gets warmer tomorrow for a bit hopefully my sanity will return.

Oh yeah question, the green on your rocks .. is that just more mini pellia or algae ?


----------



## Craigthor

Thanks and look good UG. Can't wait to see this all filled out.

Craig


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Viettxboii*. That's algae. It's pretty well-behaved and kinda pretty so I'm not trying too hard to eliminate it. The Mini Pellia is only on the driftwood.

Here's a close up of the rock.









_Dunno what kind of algae it is, though. Beard, maybe?_​


----------



## Dollface

Thats a stunning picture, I don't even know why.


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## Kayen

The algae really makes your tank look all that better =] 
Adds a natural glow to the rocks, but yes i had the same algae, however mine did NOT stay well behaved ;( .
Hell that's a reaall pree picture man


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Dollface*. It think it's the rock. It's a cool rock.
Sometimes I do take pretty photos, and it's a surprise to me. Back on page one of this fifty-three page planted tank memoir (yeah, I'm no longer calling it a journal; it's a memoir!), I said, "I'm in no way as good in photography as so many people here on the forum. Coupled with the fact that my camera sucks, I can only beg forgiveness for the crappy photos. I tried."
And I think after taking photos day after day after day, I started getting lucky with increasing frequency. This is to say, take hundreds of photos and at least a few will turn out pretty. A 100 monkeys + 100 typewriters + 1,000,000 years = eventual Shakespeare kind-of-thing. Except this = 1 dork (me) + 1 crappy camera + hundreds of pictures + considerable free time = the photo above.

Totally non-monkey and dork related question about bubble counters. My bubble counter in Source needs to have water added every couple of weeks or so. Is this normal?

EDIT: Here's a shot I just took. I like it.


----------



## Ugly Genius

I try to be as honest, forthcoming, and open-minded as I can in this journal. I've failed in the honest and forthcoming parts for the past several weeks.
Here's how:
Have you noticed that I haven't really given close-ups of the UG and Mini Pellia as of late? I haven't for a reason. Look:









_Algae_​
This stuff's been here for a while now -- three weeks, maybe. Dunno what type of algae it is, but I suspect it's got to do with a nutrient imbalance in my water column. I think this is the case because my substrate root feeders are growing crazy-quick, the WC feeders, however, not so quick. Almost not at all.
The stuff is not very fast-spreading and from a distance, it's barely noticable.
See:








Anyway, I brought this up so as to keep this journal -- I mean, memoir -- open and honest. Cant' go showing you only my pretty without the ugly.
What's the value of pretty without ugly?

EDIT: Just took these. I like 'em.









_The UG in the background looks dope._









_Can you find the Amano?_​


----------



## Craigthor

Maybe Claph..

Cladophora, Blanket Weed 

http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae/cladophora3.jpg

Description Cladophora is a branching, green filamentous algae. Feels a bit rough and sometimes a bit gritty. 
Cause Low CO2. Low nutrient levels. 
Removal Can be very stubborn and difficult to eradicate. Make sure your dosing is good and keep your CO2 levels high. Manually pull out every bit you can see until it stops growing. May take a while but should work eventually. Make sure water circulation is good. Overdosing Flourish Excel may clear it. Amano shrimp sometimes eat it. 

http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm

Craig


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## Craigthor

Now if I would leave my UG to grow out instead of replanting it it would spread faster  Yours is looking great.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Get Flourish Excel!!! It works miracles. I think it's cheaper at Ocean Aquarium for $8, not sure of AFA's price.

Just suck some up in a syringe and squirt at the algae


----------



## CL

Wow! It's really growin'!


----------



## Kayen

Try spot treatment with excel as ZTM said.
If i recall you don't have any wild life left in there so should be good .


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks for the advice, guys. I did a bit of the spot treating of Excel. While this did work, it also affected the health of my Mini Pellia in that it turned a lighter shade of green -- indicating to me that it didn't like that all that much.

I seem to recall having this same algae early in Riven's life. I think I just let it be and it went away of it's own accord. I'll have to read through all this to see if my memory's correct. (Thank God I keep this journal. It seems I forget more than I learn so having it written down really helps!)

Anyway, here's how I pump CO2 into this tank. I've now gone with three diffusers rather than two + a wood airstone.








And the obligatory Sunday Eff Tee Es:


----------



## CL

Once you get that algae cleaned up this tank will look like one that wins awards  I really like it. I can't believe how fast that ug grows for you


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## Craigthor

UG- Why not Tee all the CO2 lines together and run one diffuser? Also your UG has gone to town.

CL- Soon your 30c will look like that.

Craig


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## deleted_user_16

why dont u just get 1 diffuser with all the co2 containers hooked up by 2 t valves, lol


----------



## Ugly Genius

Guys, you know what--? I honestly never even considered that. Now that you mention it, it seems so obvious, but as I shoved diffuser after diffuser in this tank, that thought never occurred to me. I reckon I'll go pressurized before I do that, but the idea is a good one.

Anyway, now that I put the diffusers under the filter outflow, the tank pearls nice and pretty. An important fact I forgot is not how much CO2 you pump into the tank, but how much of that CO2 gets into the water column. (I'm serious, I forget more than I learn in this hobby.)


----------



## Craigthor

Nice carpet...


----------



## thief

Such a sick looking tank!:icon_cool

Yeah I should try doing that to mine, I think when put under the outflow pipe the CO2 gets distributed more evenly over the whole tank. That UG carpet is beautiful too!

How many Diffursors do you have in there I see 6!:icon_wink


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Craig*.

What's up, *thief*? You're the one person to whom that when I say, "I hope all's well" I _really_ mean it as whatever happens to you seems to happen to me! (To those just tuning in, thief and I tend to have the same algae outbreaks/shrimp deaths/colds/et cetera at the same time. Kind of spooky seeing as how he's on the other side of the other side of the country.)
Three diffusers, thief. Nuts, huh? I'd go pressurized, but right now I'm thinking of upgrading to Mac OS 10.5 from OS 10.4. I want to use _Boot Camp_ to play _Planescape Torment_ on my MacBook. I love that game!

A couple of days ago I cleaned the tubing on my filter. Flow had slowed to a trickle in this tank. I'm hoping that the algae that's covering most of everything was caused by that and, consequently, it's being since fixed, will help eliminate it. We'll see.

The UG has officially taken over the substrate. As this was my first attempt with the plant, I'm happy with the results. It's a beautiful color and stays low; a good nano carpet plant.








I just cut the Microsword. Looks better, I think.


----------



## thief

Hey there UG thanks for the great welcome! I've been so frustrated lately with school. With just getting back from vacation a week late the teachers are pounding all us! ( Are school caught on fire and so we had another week of vacation) So I just finished my Chemistry 1 Finals today! I go to 2 public schools. One for Reg. Math, History, English, and Spanish. Than I take all my Science course at AquaCulture School. Not only all of this crap but Between H.W. and with Midterms at my reg. school next week I'm about to go insane! 

So pretty much I don't get much time with my tanks! I haven't cleaned them in like a month. They look nice but I will be taking down my Mini M and starting fresh. Ohh Some good news though, I finshed my ADA tank rack! I bought like 300 worth of stone from AFA for christmas. I might show pictures of the Huge piece of Manten stone and a bunch of seiryu!:icon_smil
Then with my rack finished I feel enlightened as my dreams are little by little coming true!

lol So there like half the things going in on my life right now! Maybe I tell the other half later! lol I hope I'm not spamming I just need to vent a little I guess.

Anyways I plan to design a scape soon enough with UG as my main plant so look for a pm by me in the coming months UG!


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *thief*. If how my life has unfolded until now is an indication of anything, life is always the hardest right before it gets a whole lot better. So just hang in there. And it's pretty rad that you're going to an AquaCulture school. No wonder your tanks are so beautiful.

Nothing new with this tank. The algae's still there, maybe it's gotten a bit better. Maybe not.

Small tanks are difficult. The balance of scale, nutrient levels, lighting, and stocking is much harder than in a larger tank, I feel. Compared to my Mini-M, I feel like I have to work twice as hard on this tank to get half the results.

Of course, a small tank has it's benefits in that it fills in quickly and can be equipped for a fraction of the cost of a larger tank, and that's good, I suppose.

All that said, lately, I've been slowly falling out of love with this Riven Revolutions. It's not that I have a wandering eye and am falling for Source, it's just that RR is making me work very hard for very little in return. I can't seem to get the CO2 levels or lighting exactly right, the shrimp, while alive, are hardly energetic, and the algae seems to really love living here. (I suspect that this is my main reason for falling out of love with this tank.)

Anyway, here's a photo of how a man falls out of love.








EDIT: After posting I just reread the part I wrote to thief about things being hardest right before they get better. Perhaps I should take my own advice with this tank, huh? Guess it shows that I can talk the talk but can't walk the walk!


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## CL

lol at the three diffusers. I wish that they would hurry up and get the Do!Aqua products on their site. You sure are a great advertisement for them


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *cl*. I've also arranged the Music Glass diffusers as music notes. It reads: Dun, dah, dahh.

Does anyone know of a good twelve inch twenty watt light fixture? Twenty-seven watts is too much for a Mini-S, I'm thinking. I'd like something around the eighteen to twenty- two watt range.


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## CL

There are some nice 13 watt light fixtures, this one is two x 13 watts, so you'd have more controll on the lighting http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/pro...=1230&osCsid=de5fbd8d14dcee6c6a4598fe8cce2987
What are you going to do with your current light fixture?


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## Dollface

I think that UG just has a thing for diffusers, and can't bare the thought of cutting down the lines to just one. 
It's just a theory though. 

No idea on lights, I'm looking for a not-ghetto fixture for my 5 gallon hex though so if you find something, do share.
Stupid home depot and walmart have both failed me in my quest for OTT-lites. >:I


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## Craigthor

Dollface said:


> I think that UG just has a thing for diffusers, and can't bare the thought of cutting down the lines to just one.
> It's just a theory though.
> 
> No idea on lights, I'm looking for a not-ghetto fixture for my 5 gallon hex though so if you find something, do share.
> Stupid home depot and walmart have both failed me in my quest for OTT-lites. >:I


I got my OTT Lights at Hancock Fabrics on sale... Check with the craft and fabric stores...

Craig


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## Ugly Genius

*Dollface*, am I that transparent? Truthfully, I _do_ like having a ton of diffusers in this tank. However, I'm also becoming increasingly annoyed by Dee Eye Why See Oh Two as it's frustratingly difficult to balance light and CO2 with any precision in a small tank; we may see a Riven Revolutions rescape this weekend on account of these frustrations.
Fry's in Palo Alto has the Ott-lites. I'll let you know about any other lights I find, though.
Oh, a few pages back (or in Source's journal) you mentioned you were trying to cultivate Riccia. If you need some of the mini type, I should have some in the relatively near future. Are Oh Aye Kay. (Say it out loud; you'll figure it out.)


----------



## jargonchipmunk

Ugly Genius said:


> Are Oh Aye Kay. (Say it out loud; you'll figure it out.)


Random Of Act Kindness?


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## Ugly Genius

Ha! I guess it is! See what happens when you [STRIKE]post[/STRIKE] try to be clever before coffee?


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## sgtiger

So I just purchased that light you're using now from AFA. Are you saying you're not happy with it?


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *sgtiger*. I like the Archaea fixture, but for me, tuning twenty-eight watts of light and DIY CO2 on a Mini-S is just too precarious a balance for me to have any fun with on a long-term basis. One wrong move on my part and I get an algae outbreak. I think something closer to the twenty watt mark is better. At that wattage, can still grow anything I want, but I won't have to worry about falling off the razor-thin line that twenty-eight watts draws with regards to tank balance.


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## Kayen

Light balance is a good thing.
Don't be like me and beam 2x32 watt spirals over a small tank ( in my case 2.5g)

Anyways, are you going to down your light then i assume ?


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## keving

http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsU...wattpowercompactfixturesinglestripwlunarlight

it's an 18watt 12." strip with a lunar LED light. I'm picking up an Mini-s today and I've been eying that light since i have the bigger brother (40watt) on my 10gal tank.

stock it has a 10,000K bulb and a 460nm, but you can get a replacement bulb that's dual 10,000K

the LED lunar light is my favorite part of the light though, after you turn off the mains it throws a little spotlight in the center of the tank so you can still see it but it's soft enough that you could sleep with it on

you'd have to figure out a way to float the light above the tank though
I'm thinking about building a stand for that purpose


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## Dollface

UG: hey, man, I don't blame you, my dream piece of equipment is pretty much the cal aqua inline diffuser. (and some freaking aquascaping scissors right now, my new lotus is melting and trimming off the dead leaves with hair scissors is annoying)

and some mini riccia would be awesome, the stuff I have in my tank right now is just not growing for me at all.

Craig: I'll have to check out craft stores then, since Iunno when I'll be back in the bay area to look around there. Living in two places at once is really annoying, I don't reccomend it.
Oh man, that totally just reminded me, I meant to check Micheals while I was in town but forgot, woops.


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Viettxboii*, that's a lot of light. How's it working for you? The way I see it, as long as you're able to balance it, the tank looks good, and you're happy, let the light shine! I'll be taking my light down. Twenty-seven is too much for me. I need a pressurized system to handle this much light; three DIYs are not enough.

*keving*, thanks for that link. I had looked at that light briefly, but wasn't too sure. You say you have the larger one. Would you recommend that brand? I love the lunar light feature. Right now I use an LED flashlight at night. Freaks the heck out of my shrimp.

*Dollface*, that inline diffuser is off-the-hook, ain't it? I think it's a hundred bones, though. And seeing as how I've got an infatuation with diffusers...
And the trick to growing Riccia is to leave it in water and do nothing to it. At all. Don't feed it, don't nurture it; don't even _think_ about it. Completely ignore it. Your best bet is to leave it outside in a bucket of water. I did so and I now have a planter with probably a gallon jug worth of Riccia that started out as a handful. And honestly, it doesn't even need light to grow. Riccia is, despite contrary belief, a low light plant. It can grow and thrive in lower-than Java Fern levels of light. Seriously. I did it.


----------



## keving

I like the light so far, i did the switch to dual 10,000k bulbs and the lunar light doesn't bug my cherry reds at all. in fact the tank seems busier at night thanks to the LED


----------



## Dollface

That's what I did last week, just dumped it in to my hex with all the other floaters and hoped for the best, I'll give it a month to see if I can dig up more than the three sprigs I started with. I have my doupts though, the water lettuce seems to be overpowering everything. 

I may have to try the Riccia-ina-bucket approach, maybe with some Duckweed in there just for kicks.

and Hey! it's been nearly a whole page without a new picture! for shame.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Dollface*. Trust me on the Bucket-O-Riccia. It'll work. Just don't forget to forget about it. That's the key. And I'll soon have enough Mini Riccia to pass out, so don't cry if the Forgotten Bucket approach doesn't work.

And here is the last picture of Riven Revolutions. I've already started tearing it down by taking out the driftwood. I have no idea what I'll do this time around, I just know that this one has run it's course.








I'm tearing this one down mainly because of the algae. There are also little things about the 'scape that bother me, but I can't tell you exactly what they are because I only see the flaws on a sub-conscious level. Meaning, I see it and _feel_ something wrong as opposed to _seeing_ it.

That said, I'm super-excited about rescaping today. This is the part I love most.


----------



## Craigthor

Well I expect a full update and pictures by tonite . Also that means you need to go to AFA and buy something, isn't that part of changing the tank around?

Craig


----------



## sgtiger

I don't get it... you've already spent $60-70 on that Light.

With three DIY co2's, you must be spending a decent amount in supplies long-term.

Why not just piece together a pressurized co2 system for $60-100 and keep the 27watts?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *sgtiger*. For this rescape, I'll continue using the Archaea. It may sound like I'm blaming the light for my algae frustrations, but this is not the case. These mistakes are my own.
That said, twenty-seven watts is too much for this tank. I want less light as it's just easier to maintain, pressurized or not. Twenty-seven is perfect for a Mini-M (five point five gallons) but is too high for my tastes with a Mini-S (three point five gallons). Even with pressurized CO2, I want less light so as to afford me room for error. (I screw up all the time.)

EDIT: I should mention that I'm not saying twenty-seven watts is too much light for a Mini-S. It's not. I've used that amount and been perfectly happy with it. It's just that at this point in time, I'm more into a laissez faire method of tank maintenance and lower light affords this. 
So if you have twenty-seven watts on a Mini-S, you're fine. It is not too much light in the categorical sense of it all. It's just too much for Ugly.


----------



## Kayen

Haha well said.
For a mini-s sized tank, i personally would go with around 20 watts of CF, or 18 watts of T5.
On that note the 64 watts of spirals beamed down onto my 2.5? well while it lasted i had, within days a giant glob of hair algae all over the tank hahaha.
Otherwise, i seem to hit a sweet spot on my 2.5 with a single 20 watt spiral, albeit i'm growing my plants emersed right now lol. 


Looking forward to the rescape.


----------



## Phoenix-cry

It looks great!


----------



## CL

Well, the ug looks great from a distance, but I would guess that there is algae in it  What are you doing with the stones?


----------



## Ugly Genius

An Aquascaper's Stream of Conciousness​
Why'd I start this? It was fine. Just some algae. I could have beat it.
Hungry. Gotta eat. 
If I turn the rock like this...no, that doesn't look right. Crap. 
These rocks are all wrong. Too big for this tank. People are going to say it's too centered. Golden ratio, they'll say. 
-- Screw the golden ratio. And what do you care what other people think?
-- I don't. 
-- Yes, you do. 
-- No, I don't.
-- You do.
-- Well, maybe I do, but I also know what _I_ think looks good. And this looks good.
-- No, it doesn't. The rocks don't match.
-- You don't think so?
-- The colors are different and the texture's slightly off.
-- One's Ryuoh the other's Seiyru.
-- Are you serious?
-- Yep.
-- Why didn't you tell me when I was at AFA?
-- I thought you knew.
I'm starving. Gotta eat. Just a couple of more minutes until S----a will be here. We're gonna go see that movie. What's it called---? 
Shoots! None of the friggin' rocks look right! And I lost my slope. I have to take them all out and reslope. I hope I didn't crush too much of the Aqua Soil. 
I wonder if I should have used Power Sand. No, Tom Barr said it's useless. He would know, right? I guess. 
Sometimes he sounds grumpy his posts. But he's cool in person. I thought he was a old guy until I saw him in person. He's young. 
No, you're better off without it. Remember how it would get mixed up with the Aqua Soil and look all ugly. Yeah, it's better without it.
_Slumdog Millionaire_! That's the movie we're seeing. What the heck's that movie about anyway? And what's a slumdog? I think we're seeing it because it got an Oscar nomination for best picture. I'd rather finish hardscaping than see a movie, but S----a's excited about going so...
So hungry.
Gotta make sure I let the dogs out before we go. We might not be home until late.
UG or Glosso? I really like Glosso better but UG looks better in small tanks.
-- You could go HC.
-- I hate HC.
-- But it is pretty.
-- Yeah, but I hate cutting it.
-- Have you even thought of what you're going to plant?
-- Kind of.
-- Just kind of? Don't you think the plants you're going to use are just as, if not more important than the hardscape?
-- Yeah, I guess.
-- You guess?! Dude, the plants are what makes a planted tank and all you're thinking about is the friggin' rocks!
-- I think S----a's here.
These rocks suck. I have to go back to AFA tomorrow and see if they have something else that'll work. Maybe driftwood. 
I wonder if they think I'm there too much. They probably don't mind. You're single-handedly keeping them in business.
-- No, no driftwood.
-- Why?
-- Just trust me. Go with only rocks.
Man, I'm still hungry.
I wonder if I should change my clothes for the movie. Aw screw it. I'll go in sweats...









_So, yes, I'm totally stuck and I don't know what I want to do with this 'scape.
It'll come to me, but I'm still hungry.
Gotta eat._​


----------



## Phoenix-cry

giggle


----------



## thief

Hey UG,

Lol a lot of thinking you have done. lol

Like you said it will come to you! Also if your going to see a movie go see Taken It's so awesome and intense! I saw yesterday on Dvd. Yeah my dad know a bunch of people! One of the best movies on action I've seen and very realistic.

Also I think you should think outside the box. Have you try just laying the rock down flat and maybe getting some sand to make a river or something. Remeber although having it stand up like that may be the best looking position sometime using the less detailed and ugly side may prove it wrong!


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *phoenix*.

Hey, *thief*. I've tried the rock in different positions and angles, but I've yet to find something that works. It's not so much that rock -- which actually looks good even when laid flat -- but in the supporting rocks. I need to find better accent pieces. 
I've decided to go UG around the base of the main rock. UG will cascade circularly outward and down into a carpet of Glosso. I want the effect to be that the main rock looks like a meteor that crashed into a field of grass and the tank is a freeze frame of the grass (UG) exploding outward. (Where the UG is long, it'll look like Glosso shooting outwards at high velocity.) So all I need are some rocks that are long and slant outwards -- indicating earth that is being thrust away by the meteor's impact.


----------



## CL

Ugly Genius said:


> Thanks, *phoenix*.
> 
> Hey, *thief*. I've tried the rock in different positions and angles, but I've yet to find something that works. It's not so much that rock -- which actually looks good even when laid flat -- but in the supporting rocks. I need to find better accent pieces.
> I've decided to go UG around the base of the main rock. UG will cascade circularly outward and down into a carpet of Glosso. I want the effect to be that the main rock looks like a meteor that crashed into a field of grass and the tank is a freeze frame of the grass (UG) exploding outward. (Where the UG is long, it'll look like Glosso shooting outwards at high velocity.) So all I need are some rocks that are long and slant outwards -- indicating earth that is being thrust away by the meteor's impact.


Sounds..... 
.
.
.
AWESOME!


----------



## Craigthor

Why not just use the 1 rock. Do you have a hammer you could smash one of your other rocks up into pieces to use...


----------



## Karackle

wow that sounds like an awesome idea! 

And awesome stream of consciousness!


----------



## Ugly Genius

Finally finished.



































With the exception of the original Riven, this rescape is more dependent on plant growth than any other. I'll have to encourage growth along certain lines and discourage it at others. 

UG is placed around the circumference of the main stone (Ryuoh). Here UG was planted very deep. The tips you see are the top of one blade of a bunch of at least six. It is my hope that the UG grows neater as a result of planting this way. Glosso is planted around all the other stones (Seiryu). I want the UG to bleed into the Glosso through the gaps in the Seiryu stone.

Besides the Mini Pellia used sparingly in the crevices of the Seiryu stone, no other plants were used.

Because the main stone is so characteristic, it's looks an awful lot like Riven Reloaded and Riven Revolutions. I'm hoping that once it grows out, it will look much different. 

I purposely used two different types of stone so as to accentuate the meteor-like quality of the Ryouh stone. Eventually, I may use the tall Hairgrass from Source in the back of this tank so as to further illustrate a feeling of impact from above.

My back hurts.


----------



## CL

very cool, but why didn't you do a mound of AS around the center stone to give the ug the cascading effect?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *cl*. Good idea. I considered that for a time but it seemed like a heartbreak waiting to happen. I have a hard enough time to keep my slope, let alone one in the center of the tank around a heavy rock. UG tends to grow higher than neatly-trimmed Glosso, so I'm hoping the UG will accomplish the same effect.

Oh, how's the UG working out for you?


----------



## CL

Ugly Genius said:


> Thanks, *cl*. Good idea. I considered that for a time but it seemed like a heartbreak waiting to happen. I have a hard enough time to keep my slope, let alone one in the center of the tank around a heavy rock. UG tends to grow higher than neatly-trimmed Glosso, so I'm hoping the UG will accomplish the same effect.
> 
> Oh, how's the UG working out for you?


It's still getting used to the new tank. I think I see a few new starts of leaves though


----------



## CL

Oh, and if ug is grown on flat substrate, doesn't it grow in all directions?


----------



## brion0

I was looking at your tank last night, thought this is filled in good, must be about time for Ugly to tear it down an start again! I see you have.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Aaw don't let a little algae get you down I have a bunch and I haven't taken down my tank (although the real reason is because I'm too lazy:hihi

but anyway, I'm looking forward to the rescape


----------



## rekles75

*Impact* ........ Great name considering the size of the brick wall you hit last night in coming up with a layout. 

I have been wondering about the mixed look of UG and Glosso since you mentioned it a while back. As always I cant wait to see what you do next.


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## Ugly Genius

*cl*, slope does not have so much to do with it as how layered it gets. The first several layers will look like bed head. After it's layered, it will get a combed look. Just give it time and it'll lay flat.
And as long as it's staying the same color, it's doing fine. You'll think it's not growing at all for a few weeks and then it'll be everywhere.

*brion0*, I'm that predictable, huh? Next time you think I'm going to rescape, give me a head's up, whuddya? I'll stock up on more food next time. I barely ate during the rescape.


----------



## Dollface

you're probably going to kill me for saying this after you spent all that time on the rescape BUT if you feel like messing with the rocks, I think the right most rock needs to be angled down, so it's more of a 90 degree angle formed by the edges of it and the main stone. If that makes any sense at all

UH WAIT LEMME SHOW YA








Due to the highly technical nature of my line tool work, here's whats what
Red line - angle that it's currently creating
Blue line - angle of the left most and center stone, and then flipped
green line - my visual aproximation of a 90 degree angle
dotted red line - the angle that I think the top of the stone should be moved down to. 

And such ends me being horribly nitpicky, feel free to begin beating me about the head.


----------



## thief

Dam I forgot my bat. lol Actually what you show us makes a ot of sense. The right stone is too over powering and lowering I think would make a big difference and make it look more like an impact!


----------



## Karackle

Wow I think it looks awesome! I have to say though, personally I think the right rock looks perfectly like the impact look you were going for, almost as if the meteor split on impact. It's the rock on the left that I think is not quite right, I'd almost turn it 180 so the "pointy party" is facing the "meteor" instead of away from it....if that makes any sense? 

I love your idea, and impact is definitely an awesome name!


----------



## @[email protected]

wow, another rescape.
how long did your oldest scape last?
6 monthes?
7?
lol.

the scape looks good. hopefully it works.


----------



## Ugly Genius

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Aaw don't let a little algae get you down I have a bunch and I haven't taken down my tank (although the real reason is because I'm too lazy:hihi
> 
> but anyway, I'm looking forward to the rescape


Hey, *Zoo*. Thanks!
After seeing Source miraculously clear to sparking with zero visible algae, I could not stomach seeing my love, my raison d'être (in this hobby), my Mini-S, algaefied; it broke my heart.
Besides, I _love_ rescaping. It's one of my favorite parts of this hobby.



rekles75 said:


> I have been wondering about the mixed look of UG and Glosso since you mentioned it a while back. As always I cant wait to see what you do next.


Thanks, *rekles*! I think UG and HC look better together, but I love Glosso too much not to use it here.



Dollface said:


> you're probably going to kill me for saying this after you spent all that time on the rescape BUT if you feel like messing with the rocks, I think the right most rock needs to be angled down, so it's more of a 90 degree angle formed by the edges of it and the main stone. If that makes any sense at all


*Dollface*, actually, that diagram helped a lot! Thanks! Wish I had it when I was setting this thing up. (I think everyone here knows from working on their own tanks that what looks so simple -- the placing of rocks in dirt and pouring water on top of them -- is anything but simple. I spent so much time with these rocks today, I feel like I know them by name! In the same breath, I spent so much time looking at them, I lost the ability to objectively see and judge the 'scape. It was hard enough trying to keep straight what was Seiryu and what was Ryuoh. Note: they are practically the same. No real discernible difference unless you're a geologist or something or a wizard.)
I'm going to try to slowly work the right-hand rock to the prescribed angle. I pushed it a bit down after reading your post, but I'm reluctant to go more as I'd have to take some water out of the tank and I want things to settle before I go moving things around any more.



thief said:


> Dam I forgot my bat. lol Actually what you show us makes a ot of sense. The right stone is too over powering and lowering I think would make a big difference and make it look more like an impact!


Hey, *thief*. No need for the bat. If I had had it earlier, I probably would have used it on myself. I swear I have OCD with planted tanks. _I'll plant this sprig of Glosso this was so that it has more of a chance of sending out runners that way. And I'll plant this sprig of Glosso that way so that it has..._ Over and over and over.
And don't get me started on planting UG! The worst thing about this plant is separating it prior to planting. You have to rip it, but its not clear exactly where you are to rip it. And when you do, you feel like you're killing it. And sometimes you rip it and you _do_ kill it. It's a pain in the butt. HC and Glosso are a walk in the park compared to Glosso. Yes, even HC is easier.
Oh, and don't even get me started on dog hair. It is only a slight exaggeration to say that I spent as much time pulling Franny's and Zooey's hair out of this tank as I did planting.



@[email protected] said:


> wow, another rescape.
> how long did your oldest scape last?
> 6 monthes?
> 7?
> lol.
> 
> the scape looks good. hopefully it works.


Thanks, *@[email protected]*. I think it's closer to seven _weeks_. So I guess I have OCD and a short attention span.

EDIT:
*Karackle*, I read your post, but for got to include it in the quote reply. Sorry about that.
Thanks, and I completely agree with you on that left rock. It's just that it doesn't look right turned the other way due to the shape of the rock. That's it's best side forward. If I turn it around, it actually doesn't fit into the scape at all. I'd go a smash some more, but today I smashed more rocks than a guy on a chain gang.

Oh, FYI for all of you who read my Stream of Conciousness: _Slumdog Millionaire_ is a good movie. I didn't think I'd like it on account of it not starring Penelope Cruz and/or Jessica Alba, but it's good none-the-less.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Oh, quick question. Does anyone know if ADA's Green Bacter actually does anything?


----------



## windfish

Ugly Genius said:


> Oh, quick question. Does anyone know if ADA's Green Bacter actually does anything?


No idea. It smells like smoky barbecue sauce, though.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Doesn't it, *windfish*? One day I accidentally dripped some on my light and the house smelled like a barbecue for days.


----------



## windfish

Ugly Genius said:


> Doesn't it, *windfish*? One day I accidentally dripped some on my light and the house smelled like a barbecue for days.


Haha nice. I gave some to a friend in my building to get his cycle going, but nothing short of a fully controlled experiment can really prove its effectiveness.

On another note, I just set my Mini S back up again. Unfortunately, it looks awful. The Aquasoil is leaching a lot of color into the water- earlier, someone wondered why I was brewing tea in my aquarium. I planted glosso for the carpet, but its currently growing rapidly upwards rather than across. I'm contemplating the switch to HC.


----------



## Dollface

I've learned over the years that Diagrams make everything better, _everything._

I also totally get not wanting to mess with things for a while, I've gotta jam some manzanita sticks into my hex soon and unless I drain the thing completely it's going to result in mass aquasoil carnage. I love what it does for the plants but good god it crumbles if you just look at it wrong.


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## Craigthor

Looking good. I love the use of 2 different kinds of stone. Seems the only difference is a slight difference in color.

Craig


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *windfish*. Are you using Power Sand? I noticed that when I used Power Sand, the water did get very tea-colored. I liked the look. It made it look like photos of the Amazon I've seen.
As for your Glosso, that's odd, isn't it? You have the ADA Solar Lamp, right? Glosso should carpet at twenty-seven watts. Maybe the bulb needs replacing?

It breaks my heart when Aqua Soil crumbles, *Dollface*. I'm slowly working the rock, but with the carpet plants just getting started, I'm going to wait for them to throw down roots before moving things even slightly.

Thanks, *Craig*. Yeah, there's not that much difference between the two. Usually, I don't mix different types of rock, but these two kinds accent each other well, I feel. Especially since it was my intent to have one type contrast with the other so as to make the main rock seem otherworldly.

I planted HC yesterday. (I know what I've said about the plant in the past. Just hear me out.) Just a few sprigs in the front right. It was necessary. Even though I hate maintaining HC, it was an artistic necessity. HC would look like Glosso being blown to bits.

Thematically it goes thusly:
UG = Glosso expoding outward at high velocity after being struck by a meteor.
HC = Glosso blown to bits from the explosion of said meteor.
Glosso = Glosso before being blown to bits by twice-aforementioned meteor.​
I'm contemplating getting some very expensive Mini Microsword. It's very short. Max height about an inch. Tres cool. This will be used right at the base of the main rock to look like impact debris flying straight upwards after the meteor hit the earth. Either that or Dwarf Hairgrass.

I've been snapping shots of this tank daily from the same angle. After each seven days, I'll post the progression photos. I think it would be neat to see how a tank grows photo after photo.

Oh, my girl thinks the name for this tank is wrong. She says I should call it Riven Mistress. Cause that what this tank feels like to her: my mistress.


----------



## Craigthor

Ugly Genius said:


> Oh, my girl thinks the name for this tank is wrong. She says I should call it Riven Mistress. Cause that what this tank feels like to her: my mistress.


Mine feels the same way. Any name on that expensive Mini Hairgrass, sounds interesting:confused1: You get all the good plants. I bet I can kill Hair grass as fast as some kill HC. I killed about a 5x5 patch of eleocharis belem when I set up this tank. :eek5: Expensive mistake. 

Oh yeah if you drill through your counter all your equipment could be hid. Just keep the plugs you cut out so if you ever move you can silicone them back in. :icon_eek:

Craig


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## Ugly Genius

Once I learn more about the Mini Microsword, I'll let you know, *Craig*.
And that's a good idea regarding the counter. I might just do that. I'm not even using the space below Source except for six-years-old phone books.

Here's a photo just for fun.


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## Ugly Genius

Here's the Mini Microsword. I've yet to plant it as I'm letting my shrimp clean it before adding it to Riven.









_That's not baby growth. It's that small._​
The stuff they have growing in a show tank maxes out at about an inch. I've wanted this plant for Riven Revolutions, but they weren't selling it until this Sunday.

It looks a lot like UG when UG's starting to grow out, but, of course, once UG grows in and starts to layer, Microsword and UG look nothing alike. It's here that I'm hoping the Microsword will look cool at the base of the main rock as impact marks.


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## Craigthor

Interesting in 6-7 weeks once the tank grown in and you chagne things around LMK I would love to play with some of that. Can't wait to see it grow full. 

Craig


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## Dollface

Did you get that mini microsword at AFA? and how much was it?
I'm really intrested to see how it grows


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## Phoenix-cry

Way cool! It's looking good!


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## Ugly Genius

Yeah, *Dollface*, I got it there today. Twenty bucks.
You've seen it. I know you have. Okay, when you walk in, on the left and in the front window, is the Glosso Iwagumi. Next to it against the wall on your left is a Mini-M also with Glosso and shrimp. To the right of that is an Iwagumi with Shou stone and mostly hairgrass. To the right of that one is a 60-P. This is the one with the Mini Microsword sprinkled with Dwarf Hairgrass. You've seen it as it's been there for a while. 
To the right is the 90-P they set up at the sfbaaps open house a few months ago. (It looks friggin' awesome now.) To the right of that is the Iwagumi Glosso tank we were talking about not too long ago. That tank looks pretty good now.
So in summation, the tank with Mini Microsword is two to the left of the new Iwagumi Glosso tank.
Speaking of their tanks, only two of the seven show tanks they have look really nice. The others, even the front window Glosso tank, need work. But the two that are in good shape are in _very_ good shape. And the new Glosso one is coming along, so that would make three.

Thanks, *Phoenix*! I just read that you're on three tanks now. It's all downhill from here. Meet you at the bottom.

EDIT: Sometimes I reread my posts and realize that there are a ton of grammatical errors in my posts. For this I apologize. I'd edit them, but...sometimes it's best to show oneself as oneself is. Warts and all.
But if you don't understand what I've written, just aks. I mean, ask.


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## CL

Ugly Genius said:


> But if


Is this further emphasizing the "warts and all" comment? 
EDIT: I see you fixed it


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## Ozymandias

hay just stated looking at this the tank looks good and the Mini Microsword looks really interesting good luck with it hope fully it spreads around the hobby more (this is the first time i've heard about it)


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## brion0

Ugly Genius said:


> *brion0*, I'm that predictable, huh? Next time you think I'm going to rescape, give me a head's up, whuddya? I'll stock up on more food next time. I barely ate during the rescape.


Thought about asking when you were going to do a rescape, but I didnt want to disrupt your artistic flow. Some times fasting brings out ones creative side.


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## Ugly Genius

Yeah, I fixed it right after I posted, *cl*. So much for warts and

Hey, *Ozy*. Welcome! Rather than make you read through fifty-eight pages of this book, I'll give you the Cliff Notes version.

On July fourth, I started this tank after four years away from the hobby. It was my third tank ever.
On Novemeber eighth, I tore Riven down because of algae. And lots of shrimp died.
Riven Reloaded was born the following day. I hated that 'scape. Lots of shrimp died. Again.
On November twenty-ninth, I was sick, bored, and hated the old scape, so I tore Riven Reloaded down and started Riven Revolutions. I'm pretty sure shrimp died, but I cannot be certain. Probably.
Riven Revolutions made it until January twenty-fifth. Tore down because of algae. But NO SHRIMP DIED! Yay!
Which brings us to Riven Impact. I'm liking this layout a lot. But that means little.

Hey, *brion0*. Algae and hunger are all it takes, apparently, for me to do a rescape.
And shrimp dying.

I should state that I no shrimp have died in recent memory. In fact, all shrimp in Source are doing really, really well. And these are not just RCS. CRS, Green, Orange, Blueberry, Tiger, and Amano are all doing well. I'm very, very proud of myself. I have no idea why they're doing well as I have no idea why they died in the past, I just know that I'm happy.

I planted the Mini Microsword, but photos are pointless as right now it looks just like UG.
If this plant grows the way I think it will, I think my next 'scape will be a Mini-L with Mini Microsword, Mini Pellia, and tons and tons of different types of ferns. I want a low-light beauty.


----------



## Phoenix-cry

I have SO fallen off the micro tank wagon. Sigh.

Where can one get mini pellia? I can only find the normal stuff.


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## Dollface

Ah, alright, that's ringing a few bells, but the last time I went there i was a little sleep deprived (read: up for 24+ hours) and I'm blanking out a little on the details. See, I can remember the new Iwagumi with glosso, I can remember the Mini M since I asked about the Microrasbora they had in there, but everything else is a blur. 

Note to self: Even though it totally seems like a great idea to go into SF and look at the pretty fishes after staying up the whole night, it's not. Even if you did end up with a really cool plant.

Oh man, you're already talking about your next scape, Iunno if that bodes well for how long Impact will last.


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Phoenix*, PM me. I have a few itsy-bity bits of Mini Pellia that fell off the driftwood in Source during the Mini Microsword planting. They are only nickel-sized, but they are super-healthy so they'll grow into bushes of the stuff in no time.

*Dollface*, just know that on a sub-conscience level you know what tank it is.
As for Impact's longevity...well, this is the first 'scape in which I took a concept -- a rock hitting the earth at high velocity -- and tried to execute it in a 'scape. As I usually 'scape from the gut, I see this tank as a test of my ability to create and, more importantly, maintain a 'scape based on a preconceived concept. So I'm going to try to keep it up past the seven week mark. At _least_ two months.

In the meantime, I've been snapping daily progression photos of Riven Impact. I'll post them on Sunday. Growth is slow and noticeable only to me, I'd wager. (I never use the word "wager" in daily conversation, but I use it quite often in written communication. What's up with that? I'd wager I reckon myself a gunslinger of some sort when I write. 'Cause I never say "reckon" either.)


----------



## MedRed

Hey UG. Is the Micro Sword lilaeopsis novae mini?


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## CL

Has that main stone gotten darker?


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Med*. I'm pretty sure it is, yes. I did some Googling yesterday and came across this which by all indications to my wildly untrained and stupendously unscientific eye appears to be the same plant.
I'm hoping so, at least.
I have this uncanny ability to make "mini" plants grow big. (Either that or the AFA folks see me come in and scribble "Mini" in front of every plant they want me to buy! "Hey, a Mini Redwood tree?! I'll take it!")

*cl*, funny you should mention that today because I was just this morning thinking the same thing. And, yes, it did get darker. A lot darker, actually. Maybe it's just gotten tan from all the light. (I'm joking, by the way. It'd be embarrassing for everyone if one were to reply, "Ugly _Genius_, stones don't have melanin. It doesn't take a _genius_ to figure that out.) 

(Speaking of genius [of the slow variety], I just now figured out that when using Firefox, Crtl + I/B/whatever activates the corresponding HTML code in the message field. I usually use Safari which does not do this.)


----------



## CL

Ugly Genius said:


>


Yeah, look how light it used to be...?


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## MedRed

Ugly Genius said:


> Hey, *Med*. I'm pretty sure it is, yes. I did some Googling yesterday and came across this which by all indications to my wildly untrained and stupendously unscientific eye appears to be the same plant.
> I'm hoping so, at least.
> I have this uncanny ability to make "mini" plants grow big. (Either that or the AFA folks see me come in and scribble "Mini" in front of every plant they want me to buy! "Hey, a Mini Redwood tree?! I'll take it!")
> 
> *cl*, funny you should mention that today because I was just this morning thinking the same thing. And, yes, it did get darker. A lot darker, actually. Maybe it's just gotten tan from all the light. (I'm joking, by the way. It'd be embarrassing for everyone if one were to reply, "Ugly _Genius_, stones don't have melanin. It doesn't take a _genius_ to figure that out.)
> 
> (Speaking of genius [of the slow variety], I just now figured out that when using Firefox, Crtl + I/B/whatever activates the corresponding HTML code in the message field. I usually use Safari which does not do this.)


I'm a little frustrated with AF right now. I've been checking with them every month since August 31st to see when they would get more in. I've sent them 10 emails on the subject and was supposed to be notified when it came in. I just emailed them and they have two pieces left. Not exactly happy at the moment... but i will take what i can get.

Edit... and whoever that eCubed guy is in your linked post bought it from my LFS right before i went back to buy it myself. my 5.5 gallon has been waiting on a foreground since august!


----------



## Craigthor

UG- what are your thoughts on Maten stone? What do the pieces look like, AFA doesn't have a super godo pictures but figure you've seen it first hand.

I'm placing 1 more large order with them and though of getting some stone either both Seiryu and Maten Minimum order of each 15 for S and 5 for M. or just getting 10-15 lbs of the maten. It would be nice if they would send me some pictures but that hasn't worked so far.

This will probably be my last AFA order for awhile as its a stock pile list for a extras and a few last toys.

Craig


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## Craigthor

CL is right I'm assuming that the main stone is seiryu has gotten really dark..


----------



## CL

Craigthor said:


> CL is right I'm assuming that the main stone is seiryu has gotten really dark..


he said it was ryuoh but I think its seiryu


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## windfish

clwatkins10 said:


> he said it was ryuoh but I think its seiryu


Agreed. Seiryu tends to be darker, and has white veins running through it. 

AFA once sent me an order of what was supposed to be all seiryu, but some of the stones looked lighter, and lacked the veins. Recently, I ordered some Ryuoh, and it looks exactly the same as the lighter stone I had received previously. I think they may have ripped me off the first time.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey guys,

It's a really tough call on which stone is which.

All I can say is that the main stone I got was in the Ryouh Stone box. And believe me, due to the described rarity of Seiryu stone and it's purported ideal nature with Glosso and Hairgrass, I looked through the Seiryu stone box first. 

After I got the stone I think I mentioned that it was Seiryu, but someone corrected me and since then, I'm leaning towards Ryouh, but this is based off of comparisons to other stones in the Ryouh stone box.

If you see the two in person, they are virtually identical. (And due to the relative abundance of Ryouh vs. Seiryu, you're more likely to get a nice piece right out of the box without much chiseling.)

Both have veins running through them, albeit, Seiryu's are more distinct. The only discernible difference to me is that Seiryu has a rougher texture that lends itself quite well to nanos in that it must be seen up close to appreciate. From a distance, you'd never know.

As for my main stone, I'd like to think it's Seiryu, but honestly, I know too little about rocks to know for sure. I just know it's pretty and I have not seen one close to it since. I lucked out with that find.

Right now AFA does not have any good Seiryu or Ryouh stones. Last week, at least.

*Craig*, Manten stone does not impress me. I have it in Source and in the original Riven. It's not all that much better than stuff you can find in the outdoors, if you ask me. Cracked open it has a great texture, but the impact of the scape would be from the arrangement or rocks as opposed to one or two really striking pieces.
I prefer Seiryu and Ryouh. Those are the ones that when its in your hand, you want to 'scape -- right then and right there.

That sucks about the rocks, *Med*.


----------



## Craigthor

UG- Thanks for the first few pages and good Maten Stone pics. Doesn't look like it would be that nice in a Mini. Maybe in a larger tank where you could have more of it/ Much larger pieces. Do you remeber how much you bought of it so I can comapre what I would be getting.

Now do I take the Risk and order Seiryu and hope for some good pieces. My rocks are fine as they are completely covered I just know is the time to stock up on supplies before the little one comes in June. Also with my large order Steve is giving me free shipping. Choices, choices.....

Again thanks for the time to respond.

craig


----------



## Craigthor

One last bother-

Have you seen the Yamaya Stone?

Craig


----------



## Ugly Genius

I bought a lot, *Craig*. It was close to two-hundred dollars worth. To make matters worse, I was on my motorcycle when I took it home. In my backpack. Through rush hour traffic. It was nuts. People must have thought I wanted to race them -- what with me all hunched over the gas tank racer-style -- but I was just trying to keep the approximately fifty pounds I had on my back centered in my back so as to not rip the bottom of my bag!

I will say this, Craig, plants and rocks are the paint of our art. Without them, we cannot make pictures. You can't go wrong with Seiryu and Ryouh. Both are equally beautiful.

And later, I'll make a confession to all of you about the rocks in Riven Reloaded, Revolutions, and Impact. (Nothing sinister.) I can't now as my girl's on her way over and I missed her something fierce.


----------



## Kayen

Nice effort on the motocycle.
That's a helluva alot to carry on your back @!


----------



## MedRed

Ugly Genius said:


> That sucks about the rocks, *Med*.


It wasn't the rocks... it was the microsword... i'm very jealous now. I've heard it's fairly slow growing... and i'll only be working with two squares.


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Craog*, I've see Yamaya stone, but I've never actually studied it so I can't give you any opinions on it. However, yesterday being payday and me itching to use my Cal Aqua filter pipes, I'll probably be getting a Eheim 2232 from AFA. While there I'll take a look at the Yamaya stones and tell you what I see.

Thanks, *Viettxboii*. Only people on The Planted Tank would appreciate that feat. When I told people at work about my Herculean trip home, they said, "You did what?!"
I replied, "I carried fifty pounds of rocks on my back in traffic through the city on a motorcycle."
"We don't care about that," they said. "You spent two-hundred dollars on rocks?!"

*Med*, in AF's defense, I do believe that they just got the Mini Microsword in on Sunday. How big a tank are you filling with it? The planting I did, the front quarter of a Mini-M was half of a square, for your reference. (Although I don't plant too tightly as I like my carpets to spread relatively slowly .) I'm also not sure how slowly it grows as some of the sprigs I planted in Impact a couple of days ago are already sending out runners.

And here's the confession about my rocks of which I earlier spoke.
When I first bought the main stone, I assumed it was Seiryu due to it's beauty. (At the time, I incorrectly assumed Seiryu to be prettier than Ryuoh. I now know that they are both beautiful.)
However, after posting photos here, thief mentioned that he thought it was Ryuoh.
So I got confused.
Later as Riven Reloaded started to settle, I began to get a tingling in my gut that the 'scape wasn't right. I couldn't put my finger on what exactly, but I knew that something was wrong.
So I tore it down and started Riven Revolutions. 
By the time I had finished setting up Riven Revolutions, I knew what was wrong with Riven Reloaded: the main rock and the supporting rocks were not the same type of rock. I didn't mention it here because it would be like pointing out that you got a haircut that you don't like. Sometimes it's just better to shut up and hope no one notices. In the case of my rocks, no one did. (I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you guys, but I was afraid. I'm so sorry!)
And more than the algae, that, the mix of two similar albeit different types of rocks used, is why I tore down Riven Revolutions.
And so I went to AFA to pick up rocks from the Seiryu stone box to match the main rock when setting up Impact. (At this time I was pretty sure the main rock was Seiryu.)
However, when I got home and spent the afternoon 'scaping, I no longer had any opinion on which rock was which as they all looked the same.
But it seemed to me due to the extreme color difference between the two, that they must be different types of rock.
So I stated, half-fibbing, half-hoping that the main rock was Ryuoh and the accent rocks were Seiryu. (As, ironically, by this time I wanted two different types of rocks.) This is despite knowing that one of the accent rocks was different than the others.
Dollface pointed out a rock that was angled wrong a few pages back. It is this rock, the back right one, that is definitely different from the other accent rocks. I know this because I pulled it from inventory that I have here at home. (I was also pretty sure at the time that this was brought up that it was this fact that accentuated the "wrongness" of this rock. Several people brought up the fact that this rock seemed to be the wrong angle. (Which it is, I agree.) However, I think that on a subconscious level, all of you saw that of all the rocks, that one was different than the rest. Hence the need to "correct" it. It's the same wrongness that I saw when I first set up Riven Reloaded but couldn't put my finger on exactly what was that was.)
And that, my friends, is my confession. In Impact, one rock is either Seiryu or Ryuoh and all the rest are the other of that which that one is not. So if the main rock is Seiryu, all the rest are too save the back right which is then Ryuoh.
To make this rather long, boring confession clearer and more muddied at the same time, allow me to post photos of Seiryu and Ryuoh.

Rather than try to say which I think is which, I will simply tell you from which box I got them.









_Ryuoh_









_Seiryu_









_Ryuoh_









_Seiryu_









_Seiryu on left, Ryuoh on right_​
So you can see that the two are virtually identical. There are differences in the texture and one has deeper cracks in it. (You will also notice that the rock marked "Ryuoh" has visible lines. This is because it was in Riven Reloaded and Revolutions. The lines do not show up on either type of rock until they've been in the water for a while. The Seiryu has not been put in water to this point.)

And that's way more than I ever thought I'd write on rocks. You know someone knows how to have a good time on Saturday mornings! Holla back at your Ugly!


----------



## Craigthor

WOW! UG thanks for the time to write and snap pictures. 

From what I can see the Seiryu seems a littel sharper edged and the Ryouh seems more washed as if it came from a creek bed.

The coloring is almost identical on the dry rocks. 

LMK what you think of that Yamaya Stone as I really want to order a couple of different kings to play with. From the tiny picture the Yamaya Stone makes me want to order a bunch to play with. If they have some super cool pieces LMK and have steve hold them for me. I will be placing my order first of next week once the bank clears the tax refund 

Craig


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## Ugly Genius

You're welcome, *Craig*. That's the difference I notice most, too. Ryuoh is a tad smoother.

I just snapped this picture and I needed to post it because I started humming a tune once I saw it.









_Riccia in the Sky with Diamonds_​


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## ZooTycoonMaster

wow thatsalotta CO2:eek5:

My tank had lots of CO2 bubbles on it once, but it wasn't as awesome as yours:hihi:


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## thief

Aww man I feel guilty now that I said that. lol

Anyways I said that about the rock because it is what I thought. I have spent countless hours on the internet looking at hundreds of photo's and site looking at mainly Manten and seiryu stone and sometimes ryouh stone. So I do have some exp with how the rocks look! But your main stone has both characteristics of Seiryu and Ryouh! Ryouh is often dark and has more visible white viens. But seiryu often has the nice jagged and sharp look to it. I doubt that you will solve which one it is though. Maybe a hybrid! 

From what I know the 2 stones must be collected pretty close to each other. Ryouh is usually whether down more so possibly collected by a stream or something. I have order the 2 rocks before and well often I find old dead moss attached which means it came from a moist place. So it is hard to say what the stone is and they are both similar but yet different.

lol Don't you love talking about rocks!


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## Ugly Genius

Don't feel guilty, *thief*. You did not in any way state definitively that it was Ryuoh stone. You made an educated guess based on a photo, over the internet, with a 2.0 Mega pixel camera, under water, with glass in between, with a florescent light source, and no side-by-side comparisons. And in the end, it matters little here.

I like your theory on the main stone being a hybrid rock. Like me! Seiryu/Ryuoh, Japanese/Polish. So would this make this stone a Seiuoh--? A Ryuryu--?


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## CL

Yeah, I like it with two types of stone. There is the meteor, which is one type of rock, and there are the earthen rocks that were thrust up from the impact that are not the same type of rock that the meteor is.


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## windfish

clwatkins10 said:


> Yeah, I like it with two types of stone. There is the meteor, which is one type of rock, and there are the earthen rocks that were thrust up from the impact that are not the same type of rock that the meteor is.


:icon_roll


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## Ugly Genius

The loading of this post is going to slow the internet down. Sorry.

Here are progression photos of Riven Impact from day two to eight.

Day Two:







Day Three:







Day Four:







Day Five:







Day Six:







Day Seven:







Day Eight:







I just took off one CO2 diffuser so as to put it on Quasi-Wabi. I really need to get pressurized for this tank.


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## Dollface

Ugly Genius said:


> The loading of this post is going to slow the internet down. Sorry.
> 
> Here are progression photos of Riven Impact from day two to eight.
> 
> Day Two:





Ugly Genius said:


> Day Eight:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I just took off one CO2 diffuser so as to put it on Quasi-Wabi. I really need to get pressurized for this tank.


I love that little bit of glosso in the right corner


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Lol I love your 3 diffusers:hihi:


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## Craigthor

Pressurized :eek5: But then we won't get to see the musical diffusers :icon_cry:.

Are you going to stick with the ADA CO2 system? you can probably jsut pick up a Grey parts kit, base, regulator and save you a few bucks over the Adavanced system. Then again you can never have too many Diffusers:icon_eek:. 

Craig


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## Ugly Genius

*Craig*, with the base system, what else would I need? 'Cause I have enough diffusers and I don't need Green Bacter. I'd need another bubble counter and what else? Do you know?


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## Craigthor

Ugly Genius said:


> *Craig*, with the base system, what else would I need? 'Cause I have enough diffusers and I don't need Green Bacter. I'd need another bubble counter and what else? Do you know?


After pricing individual you might want to consider the Advanced set. Then you have extra stuff.

There is what I came up with:

Regulator: $110
Grey parts Set with Check Valve: $10
Canister Base: $8
Bubble Counter: $52

You would still need the CO2 Canister and some pressure proof tubing which you may have left from the previous setup. The ball valve would also add abit more cash.

How long does a typical canister last you?

You could consider getting something like this below:

Y branch $10
Speed controller x2 $29eahttp://www.adana-usa.com/index.php?main_page=afa_product_info&cPath=1_4&products_id=61
Grey Parts Set with check valve: $10
Bubble counter $52

You may need a coule of joint sticks to but steve could probably ste you up. 

This would eliminate the need for 2 regulators. Both would have to be on at the same time but probably wouldn't be a problem in your case. If so you could just add a couple of Ball valves before or after the speed controller.

Would be cheaper $130 after tax I would guess. You may just have to replace the single canister more often instead of 2 at a time.

Craig


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## Ugly Genius

*Craig*, thanks for that write-up! That helps a lot. I think I'll go the Y branch route. Thanks again!
Oh, I saw you post in the other journal. Absolutely. Once this stuff grows out, I'll give you some.

I'm not worried, but I am cautious. The UG's got algae growing on it. It's the usual kind you expect to get early in a tank's life, but with my love for Mini Microsword growing daily, the UG better find a way of defending itself against this stuff or I'm yanking it and putting in all MMS.








EDIT:
My blessing and my curse. When I think of doing something, I usually do it. I removed a substantial amount of UG and planted Mini Microsword. Now I'm off to bed. I'm finally finishing Stephen King's Dark Tower series.


----------



## brion0

The Dark Tower series, is a good read. Started it way back in high school, bought the last three books in hard back, as soon as they came out. Still like the fist book most.


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## Craigthor

looking good. yeah I have some GDA and GSA poking around. it is doesn't vanish in a couple more weeks I'll start actively try to kill it but until then it doesn't seem to be spreading and is most likely due to he huge ammonia spike. I had CRS in this tank after 3.5 weeks. My trick was to not do any water changes till jsut before the shrimp arrived. worked for me.

Craig


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## Craigthor

one last thing. They do have a 4 branch splitter if you wanted to run pressurized on all 3 tanks with the option of adding it to the Mini L once you get it. they sell a cap so you could cap the 4th line until you needed it.

Craig


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## Karackle

Well, of course, the tank is looking awesome. And I agree with CLWatkins, I like the idea of the 2 different stones, one the meteor, and the rest the rocks dislodged by the impact. Awesome. 

But what I really wanted to tell you is that I was laughing my butt off when I read your post about only saying "reckon" and "wager" when you were typing / writing and not actually using them in spoken conversation because it made me realize I do the same thing, and with the same words to boot!I use "reckon" quite a bit when I type, as well as "wager" on occasion....what IS up with that? Apparently you and I both fancy ourselves old westerners...but only when we're typing. ....hmm.....now that I'm re-reading this.....i don't think I usually say "to boot" when I'm speaking either..... Interesting.


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## Ugly Genius

Isn't it, *Brion*? I'm partial to the first book as well. So far this last one is great. I'm going to cry when I finish. Perhaps this is why I put off reading it for so long.

Hey, *Craig*. Yeah, I've found that GDA is nothing to worry about. It's like the common cold. We all get it, we all get over it. GSA a bit more complicated, but nothing to pull your hair out over.
And thanks for the advice on the splitter. I might go that route depending on when I get the Mini-L. (Probably soonish: the second or third paycheck from now.)

*Karakle*, I reckon we do. If, however, either you or I start saying "mosey" (as in, "I reckon I'm going to mosey on down to AFA to fetch me some shrimp") then that's an open invitation for an intervention.

Nothing new here. After I eat yesterday's fried rice (beef) and do some squats (squat rack _and_ and bench press in my living room; that's right, holla at your boy, a kitchen full of fish tanks and a living room full of weights), I'm going to plant the rest of the Mini Microsword. I like the look of the Microsword much more than the UG.

I'm going to be honest with you. I'm not all that fond of UG. It's okay, but it's a very specific looking carpet. Meaning, the scape has to be based around UG rather than having it adapt to the look you want.
My favorite carpet plants is ordered in descending order thusly:
Glosso
Mini Microsword
Hairgrass
HC
UG
MM (This is not a knock against MM, it's just that all of you know how long I keep up my 'scapes and by the time this slow mofo carpeted, I would be on my sixth scape.)

Well, the microwave just beeped and it's time for my fried rice/squats/planting session.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking: poor Ugly has such a tough life.

In my defense, I also have to catch up on the last episode of _Battlestar Galactica_ and read _The Dark Tower_. Where's a guy to find the time?!


----------



## Karackle

hahaha I definitely agree that adding the word "mosey" to either of our written vocabularies is certainly an invitation for intervention!


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## Ugly Genius

Here's what the tank looks like sans UG and with Mini Microsword.








Up close.


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## Craigthor

I aint got no Mini Microsword. I may have to mosey over to San Fran to fanagel some of dem splendid plants 

Craig


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## Ugly Genius

Less talk.
More pictures.


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## Ugly Genius

I just _had_ to post this one.


----------



## Kayen

LOLOLOL.
Nice dog !


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## MedRed

your microsword is looking really good! tank is going to look awesome as it grows.


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## rekles75

UG you shrunk the dog!!!!


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## Craigthor

that Microsword is really looking sweet. Now I need some . Does it seem to spread really fast?

Craig


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## fish_fasinated

looks good, big surpise lol. no really thought tank looks great.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Kayen*!

Thanks, *Med*. Of all the hardscapes I've done, I like this one the best. At the same time, it's the most boring tank I've had. It seems like it's taking forever for the carpet to form. The most fun -- if you can call it that -- I have with this tank is hunting down snails with the hose.

Yeah, *rekles*. Franny was acting up so I shrunk her. She started digging in the Aqua Soil so I brought her back to normal size.


The Microsword spreads slowly but grows fast, if that makes any sense, *Craig*. Meaning, it forms new blades quicker than, say, HC (but slower than HG), but still has not come close to forming the density I need for the look I'm going after.

Thanks, *fish*. Good to have ya back.

The HC which I brought back from the dead after being in my low-light shrimp tank under a mound of Java Moss is perking back up and starting to spread.
It's also starting to pearl a bit. This is good in that at least there are enough plants in there to super-saturate the WC. Before it was like a desert.

Oh, for those with the Archaea light and a Mini-S:
A good height over the rim of the Mini-S to which to extend the lamp is three and a half inches with the right-hand side of the clip four inches from the right-side of the tank. This gives the lamp a balanced spread and is not too high to as to have Glosso grow vertical, yet not too close so as to induce algae.
In my experience, at least.


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## Ugly Genius

Pressurize CO2 has me spoiled. In this DIY CO2-powered tank, growth is steady, but slow.








I have no big eaters in this tank, so scraping algae and trimming infected leaves has been a daily chore, but it's not unmanageable.








While looking at the tank this morning over a cup of coffee, the idea to remove all Glosso and HC and have a full Mini Microsword carpet crossed my mind. It has since phoned for a reservation and is en route. 
Meaning, I'll probably end up doing that as I think the stones and Mini Microsword compliment each other very well.

Which brings to mind something I kept meaning to bring up but got side-tracked with rambling about _Battlestar Galactica_, _Fallout 3_, my dogs, the benefits of having a squat rack in one's living room (I'm doing squats between sentences here), and the angst of shrimp dying.
What I wanted to say is that MTS or "Multiple Tank Syndrome" is a misnomer in that the term "syndrome" implies a clinical or psychological characteristic that may reveal a deeper or more fundamental state of imbalance or dis-ease in the mind or body. Like those people you see on Animal Planet who have way too many cats. (Not that I'm talking smack if you happen to be one of said people.)
I propose that rather than multiple tanks be viewed as a "syndrome", it be viewed as a "system". 
A Multiple Tank _System_ with a goal of allowing us to improve and refine our aquascaping talents through simultaneous, concordant, yet independent maintenance of more than one 'scape.
(Kind of) An anecdote:
When I had one tank, Riven, I was forced to use it to express every artistic impulse that I had. All at once and all in the same tank. 
Therefore, many different types of plants -- all of which I was terribly excited to use -- had to be forced into a unified 'scape that, while succeeding on an aesthetic level (I think the original Riven was my prettiest tank), failed to allow me to express myself artistically, as the look that I really wanted -- dark and foresty -- had to be muted (so-to-speak) by the high-light demands of HC, Glosso, and the other high-light plants I had crammed in there.
Now, having five tanks (two of which I've never posted photos), I am able to indulge all artistic impulses without compromise. Which is to say, I can have a dark foresty tank, a swampy tank, and a carpet tank and not be forced to do it in one 'scape. Each one speaks only what I want it to say and nothing else.

I know what you're thinking:
_Ugly, you waxed on very well and good (tad long-winded, though), but you're preaching to the choir here, buddy old pal. It's not us who see this as a syndrome; it's our significant others._

And to this I can only say:
Yeah, I guess it is a syndrome, then.
Forget what I said.

So instead, let me talk about what I know:
_Battlestar Galactica_ is on tonight (yeah!), I have two sets of squats left to do after which I'll play some _Fallout 3_ (still not finished), Franny and Zooey are sleeping at my feet, and no shrimp died.
Yeah, that's better. That's Ugly.


----------



## Ugly Genius

The _Halo Wars_ demo is not all that great. RTSs just aren't any fun without a keyboard and mouse.
But that's not why I'm writing.
I got fish. Six Phoenix Rasboras, Boraras mera. I'd take a photo, but there's not point. The suckers move to quickly to catch any in focus.
_A one minute interlude_
Not a good sign. On my way to the sink to rinse out a coffee cup, I noticed that one just jumped. I put him back in and he's swimming again, but I can't help but see it as a portent.
This is why I like plants.
They don't jump.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> I got fish. Six Phoenix Rasboras, Boraras mera. I'd take a photo, but there's not point. The suckers move to quickly to catch any in focus.


From Ocean Aquarium right?

Good luck with the fish! They have some great colors and personalities


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## destsk

FINALLY! read your whole thread, haha. All 62 pages. Not at once, though.

I really enjoy your writing and pictures, UG! It was great to see those tanks and their progress.

If everything goes according to plan (which often not the case with this hobby), Impact should look great! I'll keep watching! 

Oh, and thanks for getting me back to aquariums - I left my 100l planted (albeit not very successful) tank at my old place when i moved to another town to study in college. But while reading your thread, i got this feeling again - I WANT PLANTED TANK!

So i'll be setting one up planted nano (5g maybe) soon! Oh, and sorry for this off topic!

Simas


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## deleted_user_16

i bet he got them from AFA zoo, they got em in, saw em today. you are going to have to put a cover on the tank if you have boraras merah 

the only boraras that did not jump for me is boraras uropthalmoides, too weak. (labeled as dwarf mosquito rasbora at AFA)


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Zoo*, *fish* is right. I got them from AFA. They're cool little fish. They've colored up since yesterday and are a nice pink-red. For the life of me, however, I cannot snap a good picture of them.
As for a cover, *fish*, that'll never happen. These guys'll have to learn to stay put or I'm out twelve bucks. Either way, a cover is _not_ going on this tank. Topless until the day I die. I have, however, lowered the water level to three-quarters of an inch below the rim.

Hey, *destsk*. Thanks! That means a lot. I've always wondered if someone read this thread all the way through. It's great to know that someone has! Although recently, I've come to the conclusion that I have to kick up the entertainment value of the posts as it's quite difficult to maintain interest in three gallons of water for what's going on eight months now. Especially when that three gallons is a slow-growing Iwagumi-type 'scape. Basically, all I can write about is the grass growing.
And it's great you're getting back into this hobby. A five gallon tank is perfect. Do it!
And never, ever (any of you) feel bad about throwing an off-topic comment in this thread. This isn't my thread in the sense that I dictate what is said and why. I love conversations that flow based on whatever comes to mind. Structure is for our hardscapes, not our conversations.

I really want to switch back to Ott-lites for this tank. The Archaea lamp is less-than ideal in that it's a single twenty-seven watt bulb; the concentrated intensity makes balancing the spread needlessly difficult in a tank this small.

Off topic, yesterday, Valentine's Day I picked up a cake for the little lady. I had the people at the shop write, "Happy President's Day" on the cake instead of "Happy Valentine's Day". 
Five words for this idea: Aw. Some. Ly. Fun. Ny!


----------



## Craigthor

Ugly Genius said:


> Off topic, yesterday, Valentine's Day I picked up a cake for the little lady. I had the people at the shop write, "Happy President's Day" on the cake instead of "Happy Valentine's Day".
> Five words for this idea: Aw. Some. Ly. Fun. Ny!


Did she take pics of your face once you realized? That would be a photo perfect moment. :redface:

Congrats on the fish! The dog will clean them up if they hit the floor. :icon_roll

Craig


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## Ugly Genius

You know, *Craig*, I have wondered exactly how many shrimp Zoo and Fran have eaten. I mean, lately their teeth have been nice and strong -- like they're getting extra calcium or something.

Question, do you guys think a Mini-S could support two or three Ottos in addition to the six Phoenix Rasboras currently living there? I'm ridiculously good with water changes so it's not the water quality I'm concerned with but rather the size of the tank being too small for a couple of Ottos to be comfortable. 
I do need an algae eater in there to scrub the leaves, however. As I have all shrimp-only tanks, I want to try a fish-only tank.


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## deleted_user_16

WHERE ARE THE PICS UGLY, lol

i dunno about the fishload though ugly, seems kinda high..


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *fish*. Yeah, I kinda thought so. Especially since this tank is not heavily planted at all. (And it's so small!)
I still might throw a duo in there, though. So don't yell if I do.
As for the pictures. As this tank is growing so friggin' slow, I've decided to increase the intervals at which I post photos lest all of you see a new post with photos and think, "Isn't that the same photo from yesterday?" I'll snap some tomorrow, though. There has been some growth, but it's a lot slower than I accustomed to. Even the Glosso -- which usually grows like a weed for me -- is taking it's time to carpet. But I'm not complaining. If I could cultivate a slow-growing form of Glosso, I'd probably make a ton of money selling to lazy aquascapers like me.


----------



## deleted_user_16

why would i yell, lol

i have 2 otos, a colony of RCS, an amano shrimp, and what was 13 boraras (7 uropthalmoides and 6 maculatus) 3 of which i think died because of Martinez water supply going from .3 mg of chlorine to 123 mg in a 7.5 30c 

i just wanted pics to see it with fish


----------



## Ugly Genius

Oh, you wanted a photo of the _fish_, *fish*. See, that's how little I think about fish. I don't even realize that people like to see photos of fish as well as plants.

I've still got zero skill at photographing things that move quickly, so these'll have to do for now.









_Finally, Ugly gets fish._









_Of the dozens of photos taken, this one was the clearest._​
I should mention that I'm starting to like fish a lot. This bunch, at least. They make the tank more interactive. When I feed them, they come to the surface to eat the micro pellets. Then, having established that I am the hand that feeds them, they come to the surface whenever I peer into the tank. It's like we've got a relationship of sorts.


----------



## Craigthor

Tank is starting to look great. Love the differences between the 2 types of rocks gives the tank a cool balance and effect.

Dang youtube videos in the Lounge have me playing a bunch of old hip hop videos 

Craig


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## deleted_user_16

ugly, now that i see merah's size, im starting to think you can pull 2 otos off without a high bioload. merah will grow a little bigger, but not much


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## Ugly Genius

Got three.
They don't like me very much right now. They're giving me the dirty looks that one gives another when they've been netted, bagged, driven home, unbagged, and put into a new and unfamiliar tank at the other's other's insistence.








I got three because I've noticed that Ottos tend to be a bit less pissed off when in groups of three or more. (I've also noticed that Ottos are moody S.O.B.s.)


----------



## jaybugg13

UG, I have been reading your thread since you started and never posted . Your tanks are awesome helped in part by your creative genuis and in some small way by the fact that you live near a planted tank mecca! I currently have two 60-p's on a 75g stand one is a reef and his next door neighbor is just waiting to get planted. I am sure that the work you have done will inspire my designs to some end so thank you for taking the time to not only work on your tanks but document every thought they cause!!! Oh by the I have had the rescape every 7 weeks issue in my reef nano so I think we should challenge ourselves to stick to a scape for at least 3 months!! First one to cave has to buy the other some livestock.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *jaybugg*! I'm really glad people are enjoying this journal. I've gone through so many phases since I got back into this hobby on July 4, 2008.
I am very lucky to live so close to all these cool fish stores. When I got out of the hobby the last time, AFA had just opened. I never went inside. Wasn't interested. (It was a little bit after this that I went through _the_ worst period of my life. Awful, terrible stuff that breaks a heart, scatters the pieces, and leaves one a hollow shell unrecognizable even to oneself.) After all the bad stuff passed (as it always does), I went into AFA with my girl and the rest is the history you read here. (And to think when we went in on a whim; I just wanted to show her the hobby that I _used_ to be into.)
I cannot take you up on your challenge. You will win. Source is the only tank I've kept up for any length of time. This is no doubt because it hasn't had a bad algae outbreak.
That said, I do have faith in Riven Impact. Of all of Riven's incarnations, I think this one's got the longest legs. Once it grows out, it's going to look really good, I think.

Nothing new going on here. Glosso's about a week away from being finished from carpeting. The HC and Mini Microsword are taking a bit longer.

Fish are doing well. (No deaths! No jumps!) The Ottos are doing a super job of cleaning up the dust algae. I added two MTSs and two RCS to help clean up the food that the Phoenix Rasboras miss.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Riven Impact is turing out to be the most boring tank I've ever grown. Everything is growing super-duper slowly. The Glosso's doing okay, but the Mini Microsword and HC are taking their time. (Granted, the HC started as just three quarter-inch sprigs so it's not like it's being misbehaving-ly slow.)
But still, I'm impatient.


























In true Riven-fashion, Impact is not without it's heartbreaks, either. Two (possibly three) Phoenix Rasboras died. Dunno why. The Riven Curse, I suppose.
I'm not even going to talk about the welfare of the other residents because once I do -- no matter how well they are doing -- they will die. (With great power comes great responsibility; I mustn't abuse my power to kill things with optimism and praise.)


----------



## Craigthor

UG- Just remember to give it atleast a month. Its amazing how a month can change the look of a tank around. Talk about growing slow that darned Mini Pellia is the slowest thing I've ever tried to grow 

Craig


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## Ugly Genius

I keep telling myself that, *Craig*. Give it a month, give it a month. 
It's taking considerable will power not to put more plants in here. 
Stems. 
Something red. 
Something mossy. 
Anything! 
But I'm trying to stick to my initial plan to have an honest-to-God Iwagumi. Meaning: 
No stems.​No stems, dammit!
_Sigh._ No stems.
This is proving to be difficult for two reasons. The first is the aforementioned boredom of it all. The second is keeping the sucker balanced. 
A Mini-S is already difficult to balance due to it's small size, but with no fast growers in there to eat up all the stuff that plants eat up, it's crazy difficult to keep the algae away. 
The Ottos have done a wonderful job of cleaning up the dust algae on the rocks, _much_ better than I can do with a syphon tube and too little patience, but still, the tank needs weekly glass scrapes and daily water changes. (I change about a quarter to half a gallon a day.)
I feel you on the Mini Pellia, *Craig*. It takes forever to get going, but once it reaches a critical mass, it starts to look really nice and after that point, you don't really notice the slow growth but, rather, appreciate it as it stays looking perfect for quite a long time before you need to trim it. It's in this way that it is far superior to the mosses we all often use. Once mosses catch fire, you have to trim those almost daily, it seems. Besides, nothing helps keeps a nano's scale like Mini Pellia.

Just now I looked at the photos I posted above. I'd have to say that given my experience with this tank and my experience with these plants, Riven Impact will probably take three more months to look like I envisioned it when I set it up.
Three months!
That's crazy, people!
Can you picture _me_, the impatient, 'scape-happy Ugly Genius you all know so well, keeping a Riven tank up for what will then be four months?! Seriously? Can any of you see _that_ happening?! Come on.
But I am going to try.
Although, I'm still seriously considering slowly removing the Glosso and HC and having the entire tank be just Mini Microsword and Mini Pellia. I think that would look super rad.

I finally tracked down a copy of _Street Fighter IV_ at Best Buy. 
Great game. 
I suck. 
Can't even beat the game on easy.
And my thumbs hurt.
Back in college, I was really, really good at _Street Fighter II_. I learned in my dormitory in Japan playing daily against Japanese college kids who did little else but play SFII, practice guitar, and smoke cigarettes. (Generally speaking, Japanese college students don't study as hard in college as they did in high school. American college students actually study much harder, in my experience. Although most Japanese high school students are probably much more studious than most post-grads in the States. But I digress.) So when I got back to the States, there was not a kid in the San Francisco Bay Area who could beat me in _Street Fighter II_. I was the man.
So much has changed.
Right now, Franny or Zooey could beat me and they don't even have thumbs!
All that said, the game looks and plays great. It's exactly like the old Street Fighters, only a lot prettier. If you enjoyed any of the old SF's, you'll like this one.
Oh crud! _Battlestar Galactica_ just started. Gotta stop rambling and gotta go!
Later.


----------



## Craigthor

3 Months huh guess you will need that Mini L to hold you over. Go all Dutch with it. Tons of stems.

Craig


----------



## thief

lolol UG take an easy man. You are too used to the having your Co2 making your plants grow so fast!!! It took my 2.5g HC carpet 3 months to develop nicely! And yes it was boring but in time it did pay off. Now the tank is over 9 months old! Longest tank Ive kept at least. I am think of taring it down and will keep it for Fry let CPD, Danois, or shrimp.

As for video games the ONLY game I play is Halo 3. I am pretty sick at it but I have bad days! best score so far 42-8! Dam proud of it!:thumbsup:

Anyways hang in there!


----------



## jaybugg13

UG, as an owner of both a Mini M and a Mini S what do you think are the unique challenges/pleasures of working in the smaller tank? I have the 60-p and I am exited about working in it, it has wonderful dimensions, endless possibilties but not so much space that it will be hard to coordinate, but I really have an itch to do a Mini S, especially when looking over your thread. That being said do you think that if you had the 60-p and the Minis you would lose interest in working with the smaller tanks or does the mystique never die?


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Craig*, when I do the Mini-L, I'm thinking of going way strange. The kind of strange that'll leave you thinking that I've finally lost it. I want plateaus formed by tiny stones shaped by hand and arranged like stone walls. On the landings, I will grow HC (yes, HC) and in the back, mighty ferns and Bolbitis.
Like this:









_Tiny rocks to form wall like those seen at this photo of Stern Grove, my jump workout place._​
While I realize that Taiwanese-style aquascaping is not very much cared for, I think it's great. It takes me back to my days as a kid where I'd have more fun making forts for my Star Wars men out of rocks, wood, and leaves than I did actually playing with them.

*thief*, you got that right. I'm way spoiled by pressurized CO2. DIY is great, but the fact that you can't really control the amount of CO2 entering the tank in relation to the light provided makes finding and keeping the balance difficult.

*jaybugg*, man, that's the hardest question a person could ask me about this tank. I don't really have an answer. Because I love and hate this tank in the same breath.
I can tell you what I get out of it, though.
This Mini-S has made me a better aquascaper. Here's why: 

I've learned to manage water parameters in a very small volume of water.
Due to it's small size and razor-thin margins for error, I've learned the importance of balancing light, CO2, and ferts. 
My sense of scale (and maintaining it) has been refined far beyond what it was before I started Riven. 
It's frequent and persistent crashes have taught me to experience all failures with both eyes open and without self-pity, arrogance, or excuses. (Probably the most important lesson I learned.)
You'll notice that all these things are tied to the inherent difficulty in having a small tank.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's very much worth it for the lessons it can teach you.
I'm probably preaching to the choir here in this section of the forum, but I think that pound for pound, nano 'scapers are some of the most skilled aquascapers around.
Would I ever get another Mini-S like I thought of doing several months ago--? Maybe, but only after having done larger tanks first. I'd like to see what I could do in a bigger tank.
So should you get a Mini-S if you have an itching to do so? Absofriggin'lutely. When inspiration calls, you jump. No questions asked. Behind love and hope, inspiration is the third most important thing in this life we're living. 
Doubt my hardscape and plant choices but don't doubt that.









_Taken just now. 
Nothing new, but algae's all but gone and the tank's finally starting to settle._​


----------



## Craigthor

Ugly Genius said:


> *Craig*, when I do the Mini-L, I'm thinking of going way strange. The kind of strange that'll leave you thinking that I've finally lost it. I want plateaus formed by tiny stones shaped by hand and arranged like stone walls. On the landings, I will grow HC (yes, HC) and in the back, mighty ferns and Bolbitis.
> Like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Tiny rocks to form wall like those seen at this photo of Stern Grove, my jump workout place._​
> While I realize that Taiwanese-style aquascaping is not very much cared for, I think it's great. It takes me back to my days as a kid where I'd have more fun making forts for my Star Wars men out of rocks, wood, and leaves than I did actually playing with them.


Go for it! Can't wait...

Craig


----------



## Kayen

Yay no algae!


> While I realize that Taiwanese-style aquascaping is not very much cared for, I think it's great. It takes me back to my days as a kid where I'd have more fun making forts for my Star Wars men out of rocks, wood, and leaves than I did actually playing with them.


Haha, me too man, or us spending more time on our tank looking at the plants and the tank rather than our fish ?


----------



## 1slowtsx

That would be a cool and unique setup if you do the step wall thing.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, guys. Yeah, I'll probably end up doing the stone wall thing if I have the patience and skill to shape the stones in the way I want them.

Riven Impact is doing well. Nothing new, but I thought I'd post some photos anyway. The Lawn Marshpennywort and Riccia you see are just there temporarily to drink nutrients from the water until the HC, Glosso, and Mini Microsword get settled.


----------



## Craigthor

UG need some HC. I just tore out a 3x3 patch its yours if oyu want it.

Craig


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Craig*. I'll be okay, though. I've actually got quite a bit of HC in my shrimp tank, but I chose to start with a very small amount so as to better be able to control it as it grows. Right now it's growing exactly as I want it to: slowly.


----------



## Ugly Genius

The tank's starting to fill in and I'm beginning to be really happy with it. (Before I was just kinda happy with it.)








Algae's still staying away. I think I finally mastered the Archaea lamp on a Mini-S. It only took six months to figure it out. Keep it three and a half inches from the surface, with two DIYs, and good filtration.

Anyway, it's late. I'm tired. I really hope Franny doesn't wake me at six like she does most mornings. I'd love to sleep in until seven-thirty.

_Franny, you hear me? Papa needs to sleep. Seriously.
Let me sleep and I'll take you and Zoo for a long walk._


----------



## Ugly Genius

There are few feelings better than getting into sweat pants after a long hot shower at the end of a hard day's work.

That's neither here nor there, though.

Riven Impact is doing it's thing. I'm quite pleased with it.


























I'm hungry. I could go to the mall to get take-out, but after the hot shower and sweats and the hard day's work...maybe I'll just order Chinese.

Yeah, I'll do that.


----------



## chase127

i love the mini microsword valley in the middle. youre great at nanoing. i wonder what you could do with say, a 60P or a 120P :icon_twis


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## Francis Xavier

Ugly - great tank, been following for a while but haven't posted. I myself am fighting the good fight with the stones layout and algal problems.

And yes, otto's are about as temperamental as oscars, i've had some literally lay there when not happy.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *X*. (It sounds cool to call you that. Hope it's okay.)
Layout is the best and worst part of setting up a tank. On the one hand, the creative rush cannot be beat; on the other, the monumental difficulty of predicting where to place stones, wood, et cetera in relation to how they will be best accented by and accent for as-of-then absent plants is borderline cruel. The fact that this mandate is internally motivated -- no one's putting a gun to our head and forcing us to make an odd number of rocks look pretty inside of five sheets of glass -- just makes the whole thing suck more.

Ottos are something else, huh? 
Right now, the lights are off in the tanks and the kitchen. It's dark so they think they're alone. 
From the glow of my MacBook's screen, however, I can see them frolicking across the front of the glass playing that game of tag, eat, tag that Ottos play when they are happy. 
They think I don't see them. 
So happy. 
Carefree. 
Playing their game.
They think I don't see.
But I do.
Bastards.
Act all grumpy when I'm around.
Stupid Ottos.
What'd I ever do to them but give them great homes?!
Why do they have to be so moody when I'm around?
Why?
I'm just kidding. 

Kinda.

There's one Otto who _really_ doesn't like me. I must look like a guy who picked on him when he was a kid because every time I come anywhere close to the tank he darts this way and that as if the movement is going to somehow spirit him away to a place that does not have people that look like me. _I'm just walking to the microwave to heat up my burrito, bro. Chill._


----------



## Francis Xavier

X is cool, I'm tempted to get a doctorate just so I can go around saying I'm Professor Xavier. That'd be so awesome.

I originally had 4 otto's, but one jumped out during something (god knows when) all I know is I found him on the carpet a few days ago. Today I added 5 more to the tank, as soon as they hit the water all 8 of them grouped up and have been doing their frolick thing none stop. But god when those 5 otto's were in the bag staring at me they had the biggest expression of "god....I hate....my life....why you gotta be like that man? why you gotta go and move me...I hate you...so much...so now i'm just gonna lie here." 

I had one disappear one me for days on end and I thought he died, and mind you, this was while I was tearing up plants and replanting and rearranging, and you'd think that i'd have scared him out or seen him or something. Then I happened to glance over and there he was chilling with the other two. I was pretty blown in wonder at that until I went up to change the water and saw him curl up between a java fern and under the edge of a stone. That bastard was just hiding every time I came near.

I swear to god Seiryu stone adds an extra layer of pressure to the whole "You better not mess this one up" mentality...since you'd hate to take something that already is as strong an aesthetic tool as Seiryu stone is and find some way to make it ugly.


----------



## Francis Xavier

I'm sorry, UG, but I have to post this.

I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. My wallet hates you. In a moment of weakness I bought a Mini-S. God, I already have a 55gal and a 30gal, I Do not need this extra headache. I place the blame squarely on your shoulders UG...and my impulsiveness.



> *Thank You! We Appreciate your Business!*
> 
> *Delivery:*
> 
> *AFA (Aqua Forest Aquarium) makes every effort to get your order to you as soon as possible. In-stock items are generally shipped within 24 to 48 hours.
> *


----------



## CL

Wow it looks great! It's all coming together awesomely. The mini microsword, the mp, the glosso, well done


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## Craigthor

Francis Xavier said:


> I'm sorry, UG, but I have to post this.
> 
> I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. My wallet hates you. In a moment of weakness I bought a Mini-S. God, I already have a 55gal and a 30gal, I Do not need this extra headache. I place the blame squarely on your shoulders UG...and my impulsiveness.


 
Hehe, atleast its *UG* and not me. :tongue:

Craig


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## Ugly Genius

*chris*, missed your post last reply. Sorry about that. And thanks! I'm curious to see how much (or little) I'd enjoy a bigger tank. It would either be absolute bliss (all that space!) or a maintenance nightmare (five gallon water changes?!).

*X*, man, I'm sorry. So, so, sorry. You are going to love that Mini-S and you're going to want to chuck it out the window.
This is related to your Seiryu stone comment in that the ADA tanks are the same. A lot of people say that an ADA tank does not make a person a better 'scaper. While this is obviously true, it's also partly false. Because like Seiryu stones, if you have an ADA tank the part of your soul that champions against the world's grotesqueries, cannot abide you not giving your all to make it as pretty as you can. 
The part that'll have you wanting to chuck it out the window is due to the fact that it's so small, the aforementioned world's grotesqueries -- in the form of algae -- are looking to party crash at a moment's notice.
And I'm glad I'm not alone on the Otto-front. Today they seem cool with me, though. I drained their water to below the filter for lights out (I do this because if I don't the two DIY CO2s that I have in there make them crazy by morning) and they didn't try to run away or call my mother names.
And seriously, you're going to love the Mini-S. (Riven Impact has once again reclaimed it's spot in my heart as the favorite of my tanks. She's like the girl I want to stop loving 'cause she's bad for me -- smokes and cheats and takes my money -- but I can't ever stop loving her.) 
Remember:
Give a Mini-S twenty-seven watts three and one half inches from the water's surface, two DIY CO2s (or one pressurized setup), and Aqua Soil and you can grow anything.

Thanks, *cl*!

*Craig*, straight up. If you inspired just ten people to buy what you bought ADA-wise, no one _could_ hate you. In fact, the Obama Administration would probably invite you to the White House as an honorary guest for single-handedly rescuing the American and Japanese economies from recession.


----------



## CL

Ugly Genius said:


> *Craig*, straight up. If you inspired just ten people to buy what you bought ADA-wise, no one _could_ hate you. In fact, the Obama Administration would probably invite you to the White House as an honorary guest for single-handedly rescuing the American and Japanese economies from recession.


hahaha :hihi:


----------



## Ugly Genius

Tank's chugging along. I'll be taking out the Lawn Marshpennywort soon as it's done it's job of sucking up some of the fish/shrimp poop until the other plants could take hold. The plant profiles I've read on the growth of Lawn Marshpennywort state that it's a medium grower. Nope. Sucker grows quick. Real quick.


----------



## CL

Ugly Genius said:


> Tank's chugging along. I'll be taking out the Lawn Marshpennywort soon as it's done it's job of sucking up some of the fish/shrimp poop until the other plants could take hold. The plant profiles I've read on the growth of Lawn Marshpennywort state that it's a medium grower. Nope. Sucker grows quick. Real quick.


Hey UG, Riven looks great. Do you think that there is a possibility of doing a foreground of that lawn marshpennywort in my mini? I really think it's a cool plant. What do the leaves max out at for you? About the size of a nickel? I'd be glad to take some off your hands for you :hihi:


----------



## Ugly Genius

*cl*, I think Lawn Marshpennywort would look awesome as a carpet. In your tank, it would probably carpet quicker than even Glosso. The leaves in Riven get no bigger than a dime. In Source, about nickle-sized. 
Tomorrow, another member's getting my extras, but in two weeks, if you want some still, I'll send you some. Re-PM me your address and in two weeks a couple of runners are yours.


----------



## Francis Xavier

Yeah Ugly, it's going to be interesting for me in the next month or so. I've got plans working for the Mini-S (which I went ahead and got the lights and pressurized for it), and I'm also preparing to setup a Wabi-Kusa at the same time.

Now my problem is the fact that the only plants they sell in my area are java moss and java fern, with the rare anubias thrown in there. Seems that the popular fashion in this town is either reef aquariums or texas holey rock / sand cichlid tanks...Don't they know the majesty of the planted tank?! So far all I know what i want for sure is glosso, some anubias nana petite, downoi, hc, riccia, and pellia. Maybe some christmas moss or something, and if I could find that 4 color nymphaea somewhere that'd be cool.

I was going to just start using the 30 gallon as a holding tank for plants, but now that I've rearranged the setup some it's like "this would look awesome with a carpet of HC...and these anubias don't really fit in anywhere here..."

My idea for the Wabi-kusa is to make an atoll, with some low carpet plants in the center of the atoll being the only real submerged plants with a lotus. I think that's going to rock.


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Frax* (even better than *X*, don't ya think?), did you get the ADA light or the Archaea? Good job on the pressurized. I'd like to be able to say, "Once you go pressurized, DIY gets left behind." But I can't because only one of my three tanks has pressurized so in my case it more like "Once you get the money to go pressurized, you do." But that doesn't rhyme.
Sounds like you're going to have great fun with the new setup. From your plant list, it's going to look great. Hit me up with a PM and I'll see if I can send you some plants in a couple of weeks.
The wabi-kusa you have planned sounds great.


----------



## Francis Xavier

I went ahead and splurged on the ADA light and the ADA co2 system. I've got a 5 lb co2 cylinder on my 30 gallon and all that. I think i'm going to try to find some ott-lights for the wabi-kusa though. Cost me a little more money than I intended to spend, but it's pretty.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Good job on the lights and CO2, *X*. I really, really want the ADA light. Before I get that, though, I need pressurized on this tank.


----------



## Francis Xavier

I have to admit, compared to quasi-wabi and source, this tank seems a little bare now. I can't quite put my finger on it though.


----------



## Ugly Genius

No, you're right. It's quite bare. And it's even more boring to watch. NOTHING goes on in here. Occasionally the Ottos will give me a guilt trip about ruining their lives, but other than that, the only fun is watching the Glosso roots shoot deeper into the front of the substrate.
That said, I would not be able to do this tank without having Quasi and Source to let me get off my densely-planted ya-yas. I need the balance of too much versus not enough, I guess you'd say.
I will say this, yesterday the filter clogged in Riven Impact and that was pretty exciting. Relatively speaking.
Despite all this, this tank is the most rewarding of all my current tanks as it's been the greatest challenge. And you gotta admit, for me, it's been up for a while. A couple of months at least. That's forever for Ugly.


----------



## Francis Xavier

Yeah, i'm in that same boat. The solution to feeling like you're not wasting materials by having a certain type of tank...build more tanks. Now that I've gone planted I can't go back to bare rock scapes for malawi cichlids. I think that 55 gallon is gonna be torn down and sold or converted to salt water before long. 

The funnest part for me is the challenge of keeping it going, and topping your previous setups. I think that's why I tore down Ukiyo and am rescaping it. To try to one up it's previous incarnation more than anything.


----------



## Francis Xavier

oh by the way-

Speaking of temperamental oto's, I removed -one- anubias plant from the aquarium and they've been sulking at me since whenever I come close. They look at me like a small child looks at their parents after they've punished him and taken away his gameboy with that "you've taken my gameboy away from me, what're you going to do next? take my snes away too? I hate you. I'm running away"


----------



## CL

Francis Xavier said:


> oh by the way-
> 
> Speaking of temperamental oto's, I removed -one- anubias plant from the aquarium and they've been sulking at me since whenever I come close. They look at me like a small child looks at their parents after they've punished him and taken away his gameboy with that "you've taken my gameboy away from me, what're you going to do next? take my snes away too? I hate you. I'm running away"


pssh. game boys and snes's are so last decade:icon_roll

Ug, your tank looks fantastic!


----------



## Ugly Genius

Tried a 2.0 EV on my camera when taking the above photos. All prior pictures were taken with a -2.0 EV. EV, google tells me, stands for "exposure value"; Something to do with shutter speeds and light and apertures and...actually, I don't even know if it has anything to do with shutter speeds, light, and aperatures. I just made that stuff up as it's the only words I know associated with photography. Well, maybe two more: flash and mega pixels. And film. Do people still use film? Or do we just call film "disposable cameras" now?

Riven Impact's still doing it's thing. I'm happy with it right now. I estimate that it needs one more month to completely fill in.

Forgot to respond to this, *X*:


Francis Xavier said:


> I think i'm going to try to find some ott-lights for the wabi-kusa though.


Do it. They're rad. Love 'em. I keep trying to get to Fry's to pick some up, but the closest stores in East Palo Alto and I don't get down that way all that much. (And EPA is scary.)


----------



## CL

Yes, EV is exposure value. The longer the exposure, the lighter the picture. ISO has to do with how fast the picture is taken. Low ISO without flash is blurry, while high ISO is grainy.


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## Ugly Genius

More of the same.


----------



## CL

Very good, UG. This tank looks great. You're really getting better at this stuff!


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## Craigthor

Looking good. I think this would look awesome with just Mini Microsword.

Craig


----------



## CL

Craigthor said:


> Looking good. I think this would look awesome with just Mini Microsword.
> 
> Craig


Don't give him any ideas 
But yes, yes it would


----------



## Craigthor

clwatkins10 said:


> Don't give him any ideas
> But yes, yes it would


 
Its OK I can be his brain for a day....:eek5:


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Craig* and I apparently think alike. (Or he has indeed taken over my brain.) For I did plan some time back to have this tank only Mini Microsword and Mini Pellia. Due to the growth rate of Mini Microsword relative to my patience, however, I elected to keep the Glosso and HC in here until the Microsword starts to spread in earnest. A small tweak, however, I'll keep the Glosso at the edges as I think it adds kick to the otherwise simple 'scape.


----------



## Ugly Genius

I love the different color greens in this shot.









_We still don't know what kind of rocks are in here.
The small ones still look different from the main one, huh?_​
For those of you squinting to see what's in the background, lemme see if I can help: a pot (for chicken soup), a toothbrush (for hair algae), a measuring cup (for my coffee maker), chopsticks (for eating and planting), and tupperware (Granny's -- forgot to give it back to her).

An oddity I've noticed:








Mini Pellia grows different depending on the kind of CO2 it gets (i.e. the concentration). Riven gets DIY and the Mini Pellia grows looser when compared to Source's Mini Pellia fed by pressurized CO2.


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## CL

Nice shots, UG. That mp is top notch as always :thumbsup:


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *cl*.

It sucks. I swear I went to the store _just_ to get a burrito. I swear. Anyway, my LFS is two stores down.
I got four Orange Shrimp.








I have shrimp collectoritis.

But they do add color.


----------



## boltp777

your shrimp look beautiful are they yellow shrimp or a type of tiger shrimp i love your tank as well flows very nicely.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *boltp777*. They are Orange Shrimp. I don't know too much about them. I've kept them before but only with moderate success.


----------



## Ugly Genius

I didn't notice this until today, but the MS and HC are mixing. I think it looks really nice.


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## Ugly Genius

Tomorrow's a day off. So needed. So tired. I'll probably go to AFA and who knows what I'll end up coming home with. (That's rhetorical; hence the period rather than a question mark.)

Riven Impact's coming along. One of the Orange Shrimp died. Of death. 
This Mini-S is cursed. The only shrimp that like it in here are the hearty RCS. And the Ottos. (And let's be honest, the Ottos don't _like_ it in Riven Impact -- they just prefer it over death.)








Other than that, things are going well. I'm happy with it.


----------



## CL

:hihi: It died. Of death.
Classic


----------



## Tex Gal

Looks so nice! Love your nanos.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *CL* and *Tex*. Tex, did the Lawn Marsh Pennywort get there yet?


----------



## Francis Xavier

Hey Ugly, where would you say the ideal spot for a diffuser is in the Mini S? I see traditionally a lot of diffusers on the opposite end of where the filter output is, but I'm wondering if placing it under the output is better or not (and well, it would look prettier if I could hide the glassware on the pane of glass opposite of where the focal point is). 

Theoretically, having the diffuser under the flow of the filter would increase dispersion of the CO2 amongst the tank, right? Maybe I should just splurge on the inline diffuser ><


----------



## Ugly Genius

*X*, that's a great question that I must preface with the following: Every observation, suggestion, and thought that I put forth in this and any other of my journals should be held as suspect. If I say, "Water is wet," google it to make sure. This is to say, I am _the_ most unscientific guy on this board. Everything I do is based on a hunch or intuition or mood.
So to get to my point:
Due to the fact that I'm running DIY on Riven Impact, I've found that having the diffusers beneath the outflow does indeed help. (If you have pressurized, one can easily increase output in order to compensate for inefficiencies resulting from the diffuser's placement.) I've gone the opposite-side-from-the-outflow route, but noticed many more bubbles rushing directly to the surface than with the way I have it now. When I have it beneath, plants pearl more quickly and there is very few bubbles sitting on the surface of the water.
So to answer your question:
I don't know. It works for me, though.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Since very little changes day-to-day in Riven Impact, the only fun is in moving the camera around.

















Not much else going on in this tank. I removed all the Orange Shrimp and put them into Source. It's just cruel to leave any shrimp other than RCS in here. No cover in too small a space = miserable shrimp.


----------



## garuf

Are you dosing anything? There looks to be some algae on the glosso from low fert levels, in particular Kno3.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *garuf*. No, I'm not dosing right now. And I'm definitely not dosing KNO3. (I didn't even know what KNO3 was until I googled it. Potassium nitrate, for those who also didn't know.) 

There is indeed spot algae on some of the Glosso and the Lawn Marshpennywort. So I take it that people have had success getting rid of this by dosing KNO3? Dumb question, would dosing K with water high in nitrates form KNO3?


----------



## garuf

Psh can't say I know but I think it would be good to dose EI on this tank, A it would give you a really good experiment and the fact that you're already experiencing algae will help bring the tank back to full heath. 
Here's an article that covers the basics better than anywhere I've ever seen, I'd suggest you make a nice coffee and try and digest it.


----------



## Ugly Genius

*garuf*, I'm assuming you meant to hyperlink the aforementioned article, but forgot. I'd be interested in reading it if you get the chance.

One thing I have noticed about Riven Impact in comparison to the original Riven is that growth has been noticeably slower. Initially, I chalked this up to cold temps. (I started Riven in July. Impact started a couple of months ago.) As it's been warmer lately, when I didn't notice an increase in growth rate, I started to wonder if they was a possible nutrient deficiency.
The thing is -- and correct me if I'm wrong -- but Glosso and Microsword are primarily root feeders. I'd think that after only a couple of months that there would still be enough food in the Aqua Soil. Still, the difference between Riven Impact and Riven is the original had PowerSand and Amazonia; Impact has only Amazonia Powder.

What I'll do is start by dosing K. So starting today, March 19th, Ugly started K. Remember that, k?


----------



## garuf

Haha, so I did. 
http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=1211
There you go, it's a lot of science to take in but it's the next logical step for your tanks, even if it is retroactive.


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## garuf

Yes they're root feeders but imagine that you're only allowed to eat apples, but you really crave some soup, you'll be okay eating just one of the other for a certain period of time but after a while you need both to be healthy and happy. It's exactly the same but substitute soup and apples for soil based nutrients and water dosed nutrients, Ideally you should be giving the full spectrum of nutrients, Kno3, kh2po4 and mgso4 as well as trace nutrients. You can do this with off the shelf stuff or much more cheaply by making your own ei mix and dosing with a pipette. As long as your Co2 is good, you have plenty of flow and you're doing your 50% a week water change religiously you'll make the change over effortlessly.


----------



## Ugly Genius

What if I don't like apples, though?
Just kidding.
I get what you're saying. You're saying that I need to add soup to my tank. Low sodium, I presume.


----------



## garuf

don't actually add soup to your tank that by and large would be bad.
But yeah, You've got most of the picture and from the way your tanks are progressing you have good maintenance practices and dedication. As well as an admirable eagerness to put into practice advice, so yes, you need soup. 
Read through Ceg's article, the man is a genius and understand dosing better than anyone else once you have a good idea mix up your solutions and start dosing ferts, your plants will thank you and everything will become that little bit more healthy. Give everything a good prune to get any algae already present out though, dosing will only fuel the fire if you don't.


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## Ugly Genius

The soup's working out great, *garuf*! Algae's practically gone and after trimming, I can lick my hands clean for some deliciousness.
For the literal readers out there: DO NOT PUT SOUP IN YOUR TANKS! We are just kidding.









_Soupless._​
P.S. That article you linked is quite interesting. I recommend that anyone here read it. You must register to see it, but it's worth it. 
In a couple of weeks I'm going to write some of my thoughts on dosing that I've been mulling over for a couple of months. Nothing ground-breaking, but I think someone has to say it.


----------



## organic sideburns

i love this tank! i went through the first page, and then noticed it was 67 pages long! wow! anyways, the latest pic looks really good, ur picture taking skills is better(or maybe ur tank looks better) but i love that big rock! also, i have 2 goldens as well! spanky and buckwheat! i love goldens they have so much personality and are so loving and fun!


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## fishboy87

I'm not too much of a literal reader but I skipped down to the post with the pictures and soup just popped out on me and I was just thinking. . . .you're kidding me right?! On a more serious side, the tank is looking great and keep it up!


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *organic sideburns*. Rad name, by the way.
Yep, there's sixty-seven pages here. I really can't believe it. Sometimes it's a bit embarrassing how much time and energy I devote to my tanks. In the same breath it should be said that it's a beautiful thing to love to do something rather than have nothing for which you are wholeheartedly passionate. 'Cause I do _love_ this hobby. Probably two-hundred pages worth.
I have gotten better at taking photos, if I do say so myself. What I do now that I didn't do then is I conceptualize what I want to show you guys before I actually take the shot. 
Here's what I mean: when I look at my tanks, I rarely look at them from the FTS view. I'm usually leaning on my elbows on the counter staring deep from substrate level or from the side or from the top or from a down-up angle right to left. Who knows. Three-hundred and sixty degrees in a three dimensional plane. As I'm contorting my neck and shoulders peering into the tank, I'll see a cool scene that I just _have_ to share with you guys. So I whip out the camera and try to get that shot. This has worked for me as before I would just shoot from predetermined angles and hoped for a non-blurry picture.
Goldens are awesome, aren't they? I love my little guys. Zooey's my rock and Franny's my muse. Right now, Zoo lays on the floor behind me and Fran is at the kitchen doorway where she dropped a tennis ball. Technically, she does not want me to throw it to her. She just wants me to know that she has it. I don't know why this is important to her. It just is. And when you love someone, you let them keep what is important to them. _So, yes, Franny, that's your ball. Yes it is._

Thanks, *fishboy*!

Anyway, here are some photos snapped after dinner. The one thing about Microsword that I learned is that it spreads before it gets dense. So this is to say, it's going to be a long while before this tank is filled in.


























On the plus side, the usual super-bad algae problems have been avoided this time around. All of you constant readers out there can attest to the fact that Riven Impact has stayed up a fairly long compared to some of the other Riven iterations.


----------



## Hail

This is a beautiful tank with _so_ much going on. When looking at the pictures my eyes are darting all over the place trying to take in every single leaf and shadow. I can only imagine what it looks like in the real world.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Hail said:


> This is a beautiful tank with _so_ much going on. When looking at the pictures my eyes are darting all over the place trying to take in every single leaf and shadow. I can only imagine what it looks like in the real world.


Congratulations on posting the 1,000th post to this thread!


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Hail*.

One thousand and three posts now, *Zoo*. Nuts, huh?

Work's got me more than a little bit burned out. While I'm grateful even in a good economy to have a job, this does little to change the fact that if you push yourself day-after-day to your absolute limit, eventually you will break down. I'm almost there. Holding-on-by-a-thread there.

So I'll post a photo of HC pearling in order to take me to that place where I'm not perpetually tired, terrifically over-taxed, and holding onto a thread.

Riven Impact, take me away...








When people ask you why you do what you do -- those silly little things like planted tanks that don't change the world in any single way -- you can tell them that you do it because there are days like Ugly's having that grind you down and leave you boneless. It's then that these silly little things have this miraculous power to reconnect us to that which gives us the energy and spirit, the source, as it were, to do what we do when we do what we do to change the world in our own small ways.

A good night's sleep and coffee can do the same thing.

Planted tanks are prettier, though.


----------



## pga7602

UG: that was deep. All that from staring into you tank aye?


----------



## Gweneth

Looking at that tank every day would make me philosophical, too.


----------



## jargonchipmunk




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## Ugly Genius

*pga* and *Gweneth*, that's not even scratching the surface of it all. That's just a small dose of the myriad of ways I tie in planted tanks to the most (seemingly) unrelatable things (I always find a way).

Here's a recently-used metaphor I inflicted on someone:
THEM: My wife and I haven't been getting along lately.
ME: You know, think of a marriage as a planted tank. A planted tank is above all other things about balance. Balance of light, CO2, ferts, and plants. Light can be seen as love. CO2 can be seen as communication. Ferts can be seen as money. And plants can be seen as children. All these things must be in balance in the correct proportions or you'll have algae: discord. Now light -- love -- feeds everything. Without it, the rest won't matter. All the talking -- CO2 -- in the world won't make a difference, if you don't love each other. And...
THEM: Are we talking about marraige or planted tanks?
ME: Yes.​
YES! Finally. A chipmunk seal of approval. Thanks, *jargon*

Today I put six Amanos in here to help the Cherries and Ottos with the hair algae. I've had mixed success with Amanos eating hair algae, but it's worth a shot. Besides, even if they do nothing, Amanos are probably my favorite shrimp. They aren't pretty in the SSS CRS sense of it all, but they take their jobs seriously. Gotta respect that.









_I got this hair algae from AFA.
What I'm trying to say is, it's not my fault!_​


----------



## Ugly Genius

A TALE OF TWO GLOSSOS​
IT was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of growth, it was the age of nutrient deficiencies, it was the age of pearling, it was the age of algae, it was, in short, what every planted tank needs, and about which all the authorities scream it to be: balance.

Although not like this.

On the right, it's the epitome of health. Flawless and lush. Not a spot of algae, not a blade of brown grass.








On the left, it's a different tank entirely. Wretched and decayed. Broken Glosso leaves litter the substrate and life struggles to find purchase in the Aqua Soil blocked from flow by the stone that gives the tank it's name.








Nutrient deficiencies, no doubt, but what's just as important is flow. The left is blocked from the outflow by the main rock. So I guess even our answers to problems in a planted tank need balance.


----------



## jargonchipmunk

I feel like I should have just taken a 'hit' of something before reading your post. Or maybe like you take hits of something before looking into your tank! 

As with everyone, I think you are far more critical of your own work than others will ever be.


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## Ugly Genius

Ha, *jargon*! Coffee and sickness are the only hits I'm taking.

I should clarify that poetics probably got the best of me in the above post. After all, were I to call the left-hand side wretched and decayed, it could hurt the feelings of people struggling to grow this plant. The above photo is not Glosso in it's prime, but I don't see it as awful, either. So I don't want any of you to think that if you have the same problem (or worse), that I think it's a terrible thing. My point was rather to illustrate the need for balance and the use of Charles Dickens got me off on a tangent of Two Cities and Glosso and exaggerations and poetics.

And if there's anything I lack from time to time, it's restraint from literary theatrics.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Source got color and Riven Impact get stems.

















I've got a lot more of the Micranthemum umbrosum, but I'll wait to see if I like it in here.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Just some Friday waiting-for-my-girl-so-we-can-go-to-dinner uploads.


















_I didn't realize it when I took the photo, but you can see my C.C. Lemon bottle in the sink.
Love that drink. It's a Japanese lemon soda that I got addicted to in college.
I hope that one day they release it to the American market._​
I'm a firm believer in GCWCID (giving credit where credit is due). garuf called out the nutrient deficiencies in this tank and even with just under a week of dosing Brighty K and the occasional Step 1, I'm already seeing a difference. Where before the plants looked tired, they are now more vibrant. It's most apparent in the Mini Pellia, but the other plants are benefiting as well. Thanks, garuf!


----------



## Craigthor

UG have any use for a broken ADA Mini Pollen Glass? LMK Got my replacement one in today. 

Craig


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## legomaniac89

UG, you have over 1000 posts in this journal for a reason. Riven Impact is simply beautiful.


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Craig*. Thanks, but I spent forty bucks this weekend on shrimp I don't really need all that much. (I'll explain in a bit.)

Thanks, *lego*!

So yesterday the girl and I went to Berkeley for pizza. (Hella friggin' good!) I've got a one-track mind, so I tacked on a detour to Albany Aquarium. Albany Aquarium is the final third of the BAPTTOS (Bay Area Planted Tank Trinity of Stores) consisting of AFA, Ocean Aquarium, and Albany Aquarium. (I made up the BAPTTOS thing up just now; you're probably better off not using that in conversations as no one will know what you're talking about. And BAPTTOS should not be confused with Baptists -- something all together different.)
Anyway, this was my first trip to Albany Aquarium. It's very nice. A pretty good plant selection, but a tad on the expensive side. I ended up getting a bit of Marsilea crenata and five Tiger Shrimp. I didn't really need either, but I wanted to support a LFS and I kinda-sorta needed the Tigers for Quasi-Wabi. (I think I have close to fifteen shrimp in that tank.)
Today, I went to Ocean Aquarium. Justin got a ton of cool fish in this week. He said that an unexpected benefit of the economic downturn is that more rare fish are made available to him as other stores are not buying as much. So if you live in the BA, hit up Justin for fish. He's got a ton of rare and cool offerings. (I'd tell you what fish they were if I knew. If you've read this journal for any length of time, you know I know jack about fish. I do know that there was this small fish that was clear but had glowing eyes. Rad.)
I got some shrimp very inappropriate for the verdant Riven Impact: Green Shrimp. Most of the time I can't see them as they're the same color as Glosso, it seems.

Here are two shots of the tank. In each photo, there is at least one Green Shrimp.









_On the left. See him?_









_This one's easier._​
I was also _this_ close to buying a JBJ Picotope at Albany Aquarium. I'd love to use all the stock parts and make a low-light 'scape. I held off as I want my next tank to be bigger rather than small.


----------



## CL

Go big or go home!


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> Anyway, this was my first trip to Albany Aquarium. It's very nice. A pretty good plant selection, but a tad on the expensive side. I ended up getting a bit of Marsilea crenata and five Tiger Shrimp. I didn't really need either, but I wanted to support a LFS and I kinda-sorta needed the Tigers for Quasi-Wabi. (I think I have close to fifteen shrimp in that tank.)
> Today, I went to Ocean Aquarium. Justin got a ton of cool fish in this week. He said that an unexpected benefit of the economic downturn is that more rare fish are made available to him as other stores are not buying as much. So if you live in the BA, hit up Justin for fish. He's got a ton of rare and cool offerings. (I'd tell you what fish they were if I knew. If you've read this journal for any length of time, you know I know jack about fish. I do know that there was this small fish that was clear but had glowing eyes. Rad.)
> I got some shrimp very inappropriate for the verdant Riven Impact: Green Shrimp. Most of the time I can't see them as they're the same color as Glosso, it seems.


Oooh Marselia. Can we see a pic of it?

I wish I could get some of these rare fish Justin got, but I bet most of them will eat shrimp


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## legomaniac89

Ugly Genius said:


> He's got a ton of rare and cool offerings. (I'd tell you what fish they were if I knew. If you've read this journal for any length of time, you know I know jack about fish. I do know that there was this small fish that was clear but had glowing eyes. Rad.)


Clear with glowing eyes. Blue eyes, by chance? Maybe like this one?










I would have crapped myself if i found these at a LFS

This is Invertzfactory's picture, by the way


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## Ugly Genius

*cl*, to me ten gallons is huge. Is that good enough?

*Zoo*, some of the fish Justin had were very small. The ones with the glowing eyes made a Sparkling Gourami in the same tank seem huge. So, given enough hiding space for the shrimp fry, you'd be fine with the smaller ones.

*lego*, Albany Aquarium had those. My girl and I thought they were hilarious because their fins look like upraised arms. As in, _The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire! We don't need no water let the mother..._
The ones Justin had were different. From a distance, the bodies were invisible. They looked like floating neon blue dots swimming across the tank. Super cool.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> *Zoo*, some of the fish Justin had were very small. The ones with the glowing eyes made a Sparkling Gourami in the same tank seem huge. So, given enough hiding space for the shrimp fry, you'd be fine with the smaller ones.


Interesting. I may go up there in April again, hopefully I'll see/buy them


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## Ugly Genius

Do that, *Zoo*. You won't be disappointed.

Hair algae is all but gone. This morning, all of a sudden, it was gone. Dunno how, dunno why. All I know is that it is gone.


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## Ugly Genius

_You can't tell, but I did a bit of a trim last night._









_I want to at least get a glass intake pipe on this.
I like that the Glosso's growing up on this side of the rock.
In a future 'scape, I plan on using low light; Glosso growing up is part of the plan.
I'm thinking a Mini-L -- in the relative near future -- with twenty-eight to thirty-two watts and no CO2 or Excel.
Simple and easy._









_Everything but the kitchen sink.
Which is to the right._​


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## CL

Ugly Genius said:


> I'm thinking a Mini-L
> 
> _Everything but the kitchen sink. *and source*_​


What about a big tank?


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## Ugly Genius

A Mini-L _is_ big, *cl*! Actually, I do plan on going up higher than that, but that's only after I bought this:









_This, my friends, is sexier than anything ADA could ever make.
And you guys know that I love planted tanks, so that's saying something._​
It's 2008's paint scheme, so I'll probably have to get it used, but this is a good thing in that it should be closer to eight grand rather than the close-to eleven grand out the door. Once the eight grand is paid off, I'll get a 90-P or 120-P.

I mean, seriously, that or this:









_If you said this, your and my priorities are way different._​


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## Craigthor

Nice bike, too bad you can ride them more than a few months here or I would have one. 

Why not step up to a ADA 180P or bigger. Then just stack all the Mini tanks inside of it.


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## lookin_around

Ugly Genius said:


> A Mini-L _is_ big, *cl*! Actually, I do plan on going up higher than that, but that's only after I bought this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _This, my friends, is sexier than anything ADA could ever make.
> And you guys know that I love planted tanks, so that's saying something._​
> It's 2008's paint scheme, so I'll probably have to get it used, but this is a good thing in that it should be closer to eight grand rather than the close-to eleven grand out the door. Once the eight grand is paid off, I'll get a 90-P or 120-P.
> 
> I mean, seriously, that or this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _If you said this, your and my priorities are way different._​


Very nice looking bike...You won't regret the choice at all . I've seen some nice things done with graffiti editions. Are you apart of BARF or 600rr.net?

I got my 07 in December of 07 and to this day I still look at it as if it were on the showroom floor. You know its bad when every time you're walking away from her you have to look back just to make sure everything is still the way you left it...and to admire the design that went into such a beautiful machine.


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## pfertz

Nice bike! A buddy that I ride with has one - very nice indeed, and there's TONS of aftermarket stuff available.


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## Dollface

Pfft, Everybody knows you get the motorcycle, every time. 

(this is me being fantastically jealous, btw, I want a bike already)


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## Ugly Genius

Glad to see that we're in agreement on the important things, *Craig*, *lookin'*, *pferts*, and *Dollface*.

Nothing new going on in here. The stem plants have taken to their new home and are starting to grow. I'm digging them. Initially, the Lawn Marshpennywort was meant to be a nitrate sucker, but it's staying. I love how it's creeping up in the back-right of the tank. The other stems add something I didn't even know I missed: height.
One thing I learned from the first couple of months of Riven Impact is that I will never do another iwagumi. They are _the_ most boring tanks to watch grow. I love them and owe my getting enthused with this hobby to Amano's stunning iwagumi "Shining on the Plateau" (page 90 of _Nature Aquarium World_), but due to the fact that the growth of the plants is predetermined (this is to say: a carpet and nothing more), there are absolutely no surprises as the tank fills in. What you plant is what you get. I like the surprises that natural- and Dutch-style tanks bring.

Anyway, enough aquatic-layout critiques. Let's get to the pictures.


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## Karackle

I've been a bit AWOL recently so I just spent a good bit of time catching up on your thread and I have 2 important things to say (well they seem important to me anyway)

1) HOT and SEXY bike! DEFINITELY save for and get that first, and the save and get the large glass box.

2) This tank is beautiful! I really like the way it's grown in and I agree that the added height from the stems adds a very visually pleasing element that was unmissed when it was not there, but would be missed now if it went away, it makes me look at the tank as a whole more and brings my eye all over the tank instead of just along the bottom. 

Anyway, gorgeous tank.


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Karackle*! You said what you said very nicely. Thanks!

San Francisco is breathtakingly beautiful this morning. 
I woke first in the dark. The clock read six and Franny stood at my bedside, her tail thump-thump-thumping against the bedside table upon which the digital clock sits. Her wet, cold nose was inches from mine. Franny does not like to sleep. Ever. She makes a pleading growl that sounds a lot like what a farmer must sound like on days like this: _Daylight's burning, boy! Those crops out there ain't gonna pick themselves!_
_Why can't you be like Zoo, Fran?_ 
Zoo lets me sleep as late as I want.
I tell Franny that I ain't picking no cotton pickin' crops and roll over to the other side of the bed.
I wake an hour and a half later to beautiful white gold light pressed hard and warm against my bedroom windows.
Franny, hearing my movements beneath the sheets and knowing that this noise usually means I'm getting out of bed, rushes to my side. Her tail is now slamming the bedside table, threatening to knock over the clock and books stacked there. _Told you, papa. I told you it was going to be nice. I woke you but you wouldn't listen. It's nice, huh, papa? It's_ real _nice!_
_Yes, you were right, baby. You were right. Come on, guys, let's go eat._ Before leaving the bedroom, I add, _But I still ain't picking no crops!_
Franny and Zooey tilt their heads, confused for a moment by this comment, before rushing out the bedroom door to the kitchen.

It turns out that while I didn't _pick_ crops, I did trim them. I saw that the tank was looking a bit bushy, so Riven Impact got a trim this beautiful Saturday morning.


























I must come to the realization (soon) that there is no such thing as a perfect carpet plant.
My idea of a perfect carpet plant is one that you never have to trim. It grows in and stays at exactly the right hight with exactly the right density. No further trimming, propagating, or manicuring necessary. I was hoping the Mini Microsword, a slow grower, would fit this bill, but it grows taller than I had hoped.
So I guess I just have to get used to the idea that for as long as I'm in this hobby, Franny's right: Daylight's burning and there are crops that need picking.


----------



## Dollface

I'm pretty sure I haven't mentioned this before, but, I really like the effect that the stems add to the tank. It gives a sense that life is slowly creeping back into a previously cleared area, and it's starting to take over again.


----------



## deleted_user_16

i think you get a kawasaki ninja zx-14


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Dollface*. There's one other plant that can't be seen yet, but it's (hopefully) growing. A four-color lotus. I've got the bulb planted in the front right. I want to see what this tank looks like with a small splash of color.

*fish*, haven't seen you around in a while. That bike's a beast! For a while, I was considering it's younger brother, the ZX-6R, but when I sat on it, the CBR600 and the GSX-R 600 felt more comfortable. When I sat on the ZX-14, I felt like I was riding a whale.
Truth be told, the GSX-R had what I call the "Excalibur Effect" on me. The Excalibur Effect is a sound I hear in my mind that is akin to the clouds suddenly parting after a hard, dark rain, a shaft of crystal white light slanting through the part, and angels singing: aaaaahhhhh. Kind of like the first note in _The Simpsons_ theme song.
I get the same with the CBR, but with the GSX-R, the aaaahhhh is louder.
I think the CBR is sexier, though, and sexiness always wins out over divine intervention with me.


----------



## deleted_user_16

I know exactly what you're talking about ugly, cbr's are sexy, and so are GSX-R's, but ninjas are fast, ooooooh yeahhh, haha

Do you know if afa rescaped their main 180p yet? I came and it was empty except fir the hardscape, did they finish it?


----------



## Ugly Genius

*thief*, the tank's still empty at last look. Can't wait for them to get it started.

Question for anyone:
This is Micranthemum umbrosum, right?








I suck at names. What's the common name for that guy?

Here's an Amano.








If this tank had a theme song, it would be Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Opus 68. "Pastorale".








Usually, that's the song I'm humming when working on this tank. (All my tanks, actually. This is _the_ most beautiful song written about nature, in my opinion.)

I was going to get the Mini-L today, but good weather got in the way. I fell in love with the sun, the warm, my dogs, a long walk, and fresh air. I'll probably go sometime this week to pick it up.


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## deleted_user_16

is what you have Micranthemum umbrosum?


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## Ugly Genius

Yeah, is it? I can't trust google as there several plants showing up with this name.


----------



## CL

Yes, that's mu, aka giant baby's tears I think


----------



## deleted_user_16

HM is baby tears CL, HC is dwarf baby tears, this is just Micranthemum umbrosum, lol


----------



## CL

fishman9809 said:


> HM is baby tears CL, HC is dwarf baby tears, this is just Micranthemum umbrosum, lol


there are many baby's tears. I meant to put "giant" before it


----------



## chase127

it looks just like my MU. dont skimp on the CO2, it'll wigg out..


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, guys! 
So it's Micranthemum umbrosum a.k.a Giant Baby Tears a.k.a. MU. My confusion yesterday stemmed (pun intended as I could have used the just-as-apt "originated" and avoided this parenthetical comment all together, but, hey...) from the fact that some sites were calling it plain old Baby Tears when I knew that HM is actually Baby Tears and HC is Dwarf Baby Tears. The "Giant" cl pointed out clears things up.
It seems to be doing well enough in Riven Impact, so hopefully it's getting enough CO2 via DIY.

Speaking of which, this weekend I got the Do!aqua catalogue and on the first page is this picture.









_Sorry for the bad quality; this is a photo taken of a photo_​
I was struck by the fact that a lot of the plants in this tank are the same type I've used in Riven Impact even though I hadn't seen this photo until after I had put all the stems in. What I liked -- but didn't have -- was the cross-shaped plant beneath the Giant Baby Tears, but I didn't have a clue as to what it was. 
Seconds later, I'm looking through my shrimp tank and lo and behold, this very plant floats to the surface. I don't know how it got in there. Talk about coincidence!
Anyway, does anyone know what the X-shaped plant is?


----------



## Craigthor

Maybe Rotala Green or Dilipidis Diandra... sorry just my best guess.


----------



## CL

I would say rotala green as well


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Craig* and *CL*. I'd say it's probably Rotala "Green" after googling both plants.

Speaking of Rotala, I added a small stem of Rotala "Magenta" to see if I like the red in this tank.








Once it grows up a bit, I'll see if I like it in here.


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## malaybiswas

Nice tank. I have been away from this forum for a while and on the DIY forum mostly. I come back today and this thread catches my eyes.

How is your HC, glosso, clover combination working? I tried HC in my tank, they did not die and they did not spread, so I started glosso which took off right away.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Welcome back, *malaybiswas*.
In my experience, Glosso is a sprinter -- very quick out of the starting gate. HC is more of an endurance runner, slow to start, but once it finds it's rhythm, it grows slow and steady until it hits a critical mass at which point it explodes. 
For me, the HC in this tank -- which started as three quarter-inch sprigs -- took about two months to get to where it is now. For the first month, it did nothing. Now, it's starting to hit it's stride and requires regular trimming.
The Lawn Marshpennywort grows very quickly initially and then slows down. Love that plant.
Mini Microsword, which I adore, grows slow as heck.


----------



## Ugly Genius

It wasn't until I looked at this FTS just now that I realized that the tank is unbalanced. The left-hand side lacks the kick that the right received with the introduction of stem plants.








My options for adding plants are limited to the low-light variety, however. As you can see, the Glosso on the left of the tank is growing upwards indicating low light levels. While I love vertically-growing Glosso as I think it looks great, the left side still lacks a certain something.

Or:
(And I just thought of this)
I could trim that Glosso down to exaggerate the lack of balance and, consequently, bring a sense of aesthetic balance by-unbalancing the whole thing.
I think I'll try that before adding something.

And: 
(And I impulsively just did this)
I just cut it. I think it looks better "unbalanced" like this.








So:
(And for no reason at all)










_I hardly ever take photos of fish._​


----------



## Ugly Genius

Found an Amano in the sink this morning. I had no idea, but Amanos can _walk_ out of water. I mean, they are strong enough to support themselves outside of water. How rad is that?! I got him back in the tank before he dried out. I'm glad. I respect a shrimp that's not afraid to take chances (however stupid) _and_ is strong.


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## legomaniac89

Renegade shrimp! Maybe he was heading for Quasi-Wabi?


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## CL

very nice, ug. Is that the amano in question in the picture?


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## Francis Xavier

Hey, UG, I just decided to buy the Mini L too. Totally have dual journal threads going.


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## Ugly Genius

*X*, did your Mini-L arrive yet? I'm still waiting on my filter.

Something weird happened today. 
Not too long ago, I wrote about Ottos being moody S.O.B.'s. Well, today, one of them let me pet him/her. I was picking out a leaf of Glosso from the water's surface when my finger accidentally brushed an Otto. Now usually, this would result in the Otto in question darting to the furthest corner of the tank while screaming, "Stranger danger!"
Today, however, the dude/ette didn't even flinch.
So I tried touching him/her again.
Same thing.
Now I should state that this isn't like I pet Fran and Zoo. It's more of a gentle poking and prodding that one would give a dead bird one finds on one's porch a fine, sunny Sunday morning, but in the human-to-Otto scheme of things, this is about as affectionate as things'll ever become and "petting" is as apt a word as we're going to get.
While I'd like to think that I've got this tank so well nailed down that all the fauna in it are perfectly content and the occasional jabbing by me is a perfectly reasonable imposition with which to put up in exchange for such a wondrous place to live, it's probably more likely that the Otto was just sleeping and didn't see me coming.

Pictures of the tank looking exactly the same.









_The Otto in question is in the rear, top-left corner of the tank._


























I think I may have to resign myself to the fact that the Mini Microsword will never fill in all the blanks.


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## Craigthor

Or maybe it will but will take along time. 

I'm so thinking about another tank. But I want a Long short tank to play with something like a 33g long or 40 long. Wonder what AFA has to fit that bill? 

Long tank with UG and Rocks for a nice aquascape.

Craig


----------



## Francis Xavier

I did get my Mini L, just today in fact. It's so big. Or at least it seems that way after toying around so much in a 45-F and a Mini S (but really, the Mini L shouldn't surprise me that much, it's the same dimensions as the 45-F but it's taller). 

The Shou stones are proving to be a unique challenge to scape with. They very nearly require vertical designs (hence the meaning of the name in chinese, lonely pillar or some such, it's been a while since I reviewed chinese). But I'm getting around that, I've settled on going with a multiple carpet plant alternative to bring them out and accentuate them more. Need to get a camera to get some critiques on the hardscape before planting happens.


----------



## CL

Craigthor said:


> I'm so thinking about another tank. But I want a Long short tank to play with something like a 33g long or 40 long. Wonder what AFA has to fit that bill?
> 
> Long tank with UG and Rocks for a nice aquascape.
> 
> Craig


I knew it wouldn't take long 
40 breeder FTW!

UG, this tank is sooo beautiful.
You have come such a long way!


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## Jack Gilvey

Ugly Genius said:


> If this tank had a theme song, it would be Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Opus 68. "Pastorale".
> Usually, that's the song I'm humming when working on this tank. (All my tanks, actually. This is _the_ most beautiful song written about nature, in my opinion.)



Yup...one of my favorite pieces of music, in fact.


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## Ugly Genius

*Craig*, AFA got a lot of new Do!aqua tanks. The cool sizes! The 120-P sized one was $309 or something. The glass is the same quality as the ADA first generation tanks. (Like Riven Impact.) 
You should totally go big, bro. With your skill, patience, and eye, it would knock us out. Cold. (I'm still impressed that you pulled your tank off for the show with one catastrophe after another.)

*X*, The Mini-L's are big, huh? 
Shou stones are great. A cool thing about them is that they can be broken easily into relatively predictable shapes. (Not the case with Ryouh, Seiryu, et al.)
I personally think mixed carpets look the most "natural". Never in the outdoors have I seen a single grass plant occupy a hundred percent of a patch of ground unless it was a lawn in suburbia. Most often, many types intermingle to form a beautiful mosaic of green.

Thanks, *cl*. I must admit that this tank looks a lot different than it did less than a year ago. When I look back at page one and think that I had no idea how much this hobby would end up consuming me, it blows me away. Don't regret it in the slightest, though. Love this hobby.

*Jack*, you've got good taste!

That said, tell me to shut the hell up when I get all Doctor Dolittle on this forum. That Otto I "petted" the other day--? Dude died. The reason he let me "pet" him, evidently, was because he was on his last fin. 
Pour a few drops of Prime on the curb for my little homey.


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## thief

Dude $309 for a 120-P ADA Do!aqua tank. Ohh I have plans now. I didn't tell to many but I am moving to a awesome house. There a piano there now but when the people move t spells ADA tank "HOT SPOT" lol

Well I am off to save up some money. Ohh and UG I might send the plants tomorrow. Maybe is the key word!


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## Francis Xavier

Hey UG, what lighting are you gonna use for the mini L? I'm debating on whether or not two ott lites will be enough or if I'm gonna have to go with something else.


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *X*. I'm starting out with twenty-eight watts from a Coralife Aqualight. Slowly, I'll bump the light up but I'm not sure how quickly or by how much.
I think for the first couple of weeks, twenty-six watts would be fine. Three OttLites would probably be perfect as medium light.


----------



## Ugly Genius

It's important to not forget where you came from. I (re)started in this hobby in this tank and I'll be damned if I neglect it now that I have three others.

Trimmed it today.

















I added Bolbitis to the right and left sides of the tank. This is the beginning of a slow and gradual change to Riven Impact. Ever so slowly, I will be adding new plants.
As of this writing, I don't know what I'll be adding -- I only have that itching feeling that the tank is in a transition period and that it's waiting for my conscious mind to catch up to it's pace.
All I know is that something's missing, I just don't know what.


----------



## Karackle

I love how this tank has grown in. It's very simple, and yet very complex. I dig it. Gorgeous as usual.


----------



## fish_fasinated

UG your tank is looking really nice! cant wait to see what your end result will be.


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## jinx©

Karackle said:


> I love how this tank has grown in. It's very simple, and yet very complex. I dig it. Gorgeous as usual.


Well said and along the same lines as I was thinking. At first glance it looks like a fairly simple layout, but the more you look the more your eyes are drawn into all the small details and diversity of textures. 

Very well done UG.roud: I've pretty much just lurked along with your journals without commenting so far, but all your tanks look great. You have a good eye.


----------



## Karackle

jinx© said:


> Well said and along the same lines as I was thinking. At first glance it looks like a fairly simple layout, but the more you look the more your eyes are drawn into all the small details and diversity of textures


Thanks! And well said to you too, you've captured exactly what I meant!


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Karackle*, *fish*, and *jinx*! Cool things for you to have said.

I really like mixed carpets. I think they look more natural than one consisting of a single type of lawn plant. This carpet has Glosso, HC, Mini Microsword, Hairgrass, Lawn Marshpennywort, and, in places, Mini Riccia.


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## Francis Xavier

I love top shots of carpets, I'm not sure why - maybe it's because in nature you never see side shots, always top shots. I'm totally with you on the mixed carpet UG, that's my next beast to tackle now that I've gotten single carpets down, although my farm tank may do that naturally before long.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *X*! I'm thinking of starting a non-hardscaped nursery, too. High light and way too much CO2.

Last night I started taking bigger photos of Quasi-Wabi. Riven Impact's turn now.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> I really like mixed carpets. I think they look more natural than one consisting of a single type of lawn plant. This carpet has Glosso, HC, Mini Microsword, Hairgrass, Lawn Marshpennywort, and, in places, Mini Riccia.


What's that very tiny plant? Is that the marshpennywort?


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## Ugly Genius

Hey, *Zoo*. On the right side middle? Yes, it is.
The smallest leafed one is HC. There's also Glosso, Mini Microsword, Bolbitis, and Riccia in that photo.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> Hey, *Zoo*. On the right side middle? Yes, it is.
> The smallest leafed one is HC. There's also Glosso, Mini Microsword, Bolbitis, and Riccia in that photo.


Oh...right. I didn't see HC in the names of carpet plants:hihi:

I may end up getting another carpet plant to integrate into my Marselia. But hopefully the Staurogyne will creep along the gravel and look like Elatine Triandra


----------



## pleco4me

Hey U_G ! 

Your tank/s are looking great as always. I love the big rock in the centre - it adds heaps of character to your scape.

How do you find the Do!aqua music glass 10d?
Can you give me some rough dimensions of the unit? Im looking for a diffuser for a tank 15cm tall and 18cm wide.

Cheers
Craig


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *pleco*.

It'll fit just fine in that tank. Quasi-Wabi's twenty centimeters cubed and it fits in there fine.

The diffuser's seven and half centimeters tall and at it's widest it's two and a quarter centimeters. The diffuser disk itself is about a centimeter and a half.

Here's a photo next to a tape measure (in inches):









_Basically, what I'm saying, *pleco*, is it's small._​


----------



## pleco4me

Great! Thanks heaps for that U_G :thumbsup:


----------



## Ugly Genius

You're welcome, *pleco*.

Nothing new here. I'm still contemplating the next something to add to Riven Impact. A stem plant, but I'm not sure what.

In the meantime, photos:









_You'll hear a lot of guys say that one should not get excited by pearling as it doesn't mean all that much.
While this is true, pearling is pretty and pretty things are always worth getting excited over._









_I hadn't seen these Green Shrimp in weeks and assumed them dead.
They're not.
I just don't know where they could have hidden.
This is an iwagumi, fer crying out loud!_​


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> _Basically, what I'm saying, *pleco*, is it's small._​


That diffuser is freaking small. I saw it at AFA and the diameter of the ceramic part wasn't even as big as my thumb.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Yep, it's a very small diffuser, *Zoo*. It's great for a Mini-S and smaller, but anything bigger and you'd need the next size up. (Unless you were just low light.)

Riven Impact a bit over three months old. Feels longer than that, though.









_Initial planting_









_Today_​
Hardscapes tend to "shrink" once the tank starts growing in. That's why I build slightly-larger-than-looks-right hardscapes at the beginning.


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## CL

Your tank looks great as always


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## MedRed

looks great!



Ugly Genius said:


> Hardscapes tend to "shrink" once the tank starts growing in. That's why I build slightly-larger-than-looks-right hardscapes at the beginning.


That's so true. I think my Iwagumi is going to get swallowed up once it's planted


----------



## blair

Stunning! Your planting is an inspiration. I will embark on my mixed-carpet journey tomorrow morning over coffee and Bob Marley


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *cl*!

Appreciate it, *Med*. I'm sure your 岩組み (iwagumi) is going to come out just fine.
Technically, Riven Impact is no longer an 岩組み. With the inclusion of stems, it's become something new: an UG組み (pronounced yougeegumi).

Thanks, *blair*. Mixed-carpets take a lot of finesse to pull off. I think you'll really enjoy growing yours. 
One can't just plop different carpet plants down willy-nilly. Thought about growth rate, leave shape, color contrast, and the like must be considered. It's a challenge, but a good one.
Listening to Bob Marley helps, too.

What a day! It was busy. It was emotional. It was a day I'm glad I experienced, but the likes of which I hope to not experience again. I'd go into the details, but the relevant parts are all subtly nuanced by details of my life and personality that are very much not planted tank related and, even if they were, quite elaborate, intricate, and, I'll be honest, boring. I'm sure you have better things to read.
But, it's also a day in which coming home from this kind of day, seeing Franny and Zooey super jacked to see me -- _Papa! Do you know what we did today--?! We played and then slept. Then we played some more and slept. Papa, play with us! Or sleep! Let's just do something!_ -- and seeing my tanks doing well, kinda makes all that fatigue and emotional exhaustion melt away.








Yesterday or the day before, I added some Rotala "Magenta". As this tank is higher light than Quasi-Wabi, it should redden up a bit more in a few weeks.


----------



## Green Leaf Aquariums

Nice UG! 

-O


----------



## Tex Gal

Tank is looking great. I gotta say I love the pennymarshweed. It's the neatest plant. I love how it maintains the slits in the leaves.


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## equi_design

WOO HOO! I just read all 73 pages. Granted, certainly not in one sitting. It's been about a week, a few pages a day. 

UG, thanks SO much for this journal. I keep all nano sized tanks myself, and it's wonderful inspiration to see what you create! Now mosey on over there to fetch some photos of those there shrimps. 

Cheers,
Jami


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Orlando*!

*Tex*, it _is_ a cool plant, isn't it? It the one plant that always surprises me (pleasantly) with the manner in which it grows. Some plants, left untended, grow in ways that wreck a 'scape. (Like Glosso and HC.) Lawn Marshpennywort, however, has an ability to "bust poses" that almost always look fresh. Meaning, I never have to trim it for reasons of being unruly, but rather just because it needs to be pushed back some.

Thanks, *equi*! You're welcome, of course, and thanks for reading it all. This journal will be a year old come July. Probably be close to eighty pages by then.
I reckon I'll get some shrimp shots soon. Trouble is, I don't think they like me much. They're constantly hiding. There's a Green Shrimp who tolerates me okay, but the rest think I'm a jerk. Dunno why. I hardly ever talk smack about them behind their backs.

Did some minor changes here and there. Tank's about ninety percent finished. I just have some work to do on the left-hand side. Still no clue what I'll put there. The right's done, though.


















_*equi*, I just noticed that there is a shrimp in this picture.
I think that's the Green Shrimp who tolerates me.
The rest are behind the main rock talking crap about me._​


----------



## Ugly Genius

Tupac had it right.
California knows how to party.
Today is absolutely beautiful! Just got back from the gym, and on the ride home, it seemed as if the entire planet was outside enjoying the perfect weather.
So before I go out to do what they're doing, a couple of pictures that I think are pretty.


























Westside!


----------



## CL

Wonderful! The top down on the mp is awesome! Since when did you have riccia in here?


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

How are you cooling down your tanks for the "heat wave"?


----------



## CL

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> How are you cooling down your tanks for the "heat wave"?


He should buy a chiller for each one :hihi:
Because that would be sick lol.
No, two chillers. Yeah. Isn't that right, UG?


----------



## asimkhatri

awsome UG..
hey can u give me the light details...

thanks


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Zoo*, luckily no shrimp died during the recent hot weather in Riven Impact. Lost three in Quasi-Wabi, but Riven Impact fared okay.

*cl*, I've had Riccia in the carpet from the beginning. It never really took off until recently. Actually, it did quite poorly for a few months; on the verge of dying. It wasn't until I started dosing Brightly Special Lights that it started to take off.

The light's an AFA's Archaea proprietary brand, *asimkhatri*. It's twenty-seven watts at 7,200k. It's about twelve inches long and telescopes up about four inches. It's perfect for a Mini-S-sized tank, but not much bigger than that due to the fact that the reflector sucks. It's a good lamp. OttLites are better, but this one's good. Sixty bucks, I think it is.


----------



## asimkhatri

cool I made mine DIY for my 11 gallon


----------



## Ugly Genius




----------



## CL

Great pics as always, UG! You can never get tired of pearling


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *cl*. 
About pearling. It's weird. There are some days this tank pearls like nuts and other days that it doesn't. Nothing's different between the two days. 
I've got the ADA CO2 on this until Source is finished with the dry-start, so it's not due to DIY CO2 inconsistency. 
There are just some days in which it pearls a lot more than others.
It pearls every day, but there are days where it looks like the water's boiling and others where there are just a few bubbles here and there.
Dunno why that is.



























_Eight types of ground cover.
Mini Riccia, Riccia, Mini Microsword, Glosso, Mini Pellia, HC, Staurogyne, and Tall Dwarf Hairgrass.
Nine, if you count the Lawn Marsh Pennywort._​


----------



## Ugly Genius

I think my Oto may have an alcohol problem. 
Ever since swapping over Source's pressurized CO2 system and letting the DIY fizzle out, my Oto's been sucking on the DIY diffuser a lot more than the diffuser merits algae-wise; the thing has been clean of algae for a week now. 
I think he may be going through withdrawals. 
I've seen withdrawals (in people) first-hand and I recognize all the behaviors that indicate a person going through DT's. Hyperactivity, irritability, paranoia...wait, that's how Otos are anyway.
Still, I think my little guy actually has an alcohol problem.


----------



## lookin_around

Lol an alcoholic Oto...That is Mint! Thats some nice groundcover you've got going. I shiver at the thought of having to trim it all though.

I don't know what it is, but trimming just doesn't seem to be my thing. Those little pieces get everywhere, and then I seem to spend more time trying to scoop them up in my little net than the actual trimming.

Man I need to get pressurized on my tank. Lol I say this after buying a slip on for my bike just yesterday. Gah, I just can't seem to commit to dumping more money into this tank.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *lookin*. Speaking of trimming, I did a bunch yesterday. Good thing about a nano is trimming takes about fifteen minutes.


----------



## CL

Sharp!
Those carpet plants look stunning!


----------



## KentCurtis

UG this tank looks awesome. My tank right now only has driftwood as the main hardscape components.... all the local stores only carry some very limited stock of rock/driftwood....it sucks. This take is very inspirational to me - like I told you, I am still waiting on G/F approval to purchase my own ADA mini and light (good lord, see ya $210) haha, but when I do I will be studying these journals of yours!


----------



## Reginald2

I really love your ground cover. Using several different plants like that really adds some scale. 

Looks great. Sorry to hear about your oto, one day at a time.


----------



## JadeIceGreen

2 days and 74 pages later...
Very good write up UG!! I love your writing. =)

Your foreground of carpet plants is awesome, it takes planning and guts to plant so many different types of plants in such a tight space and nurture them into that sweet looking thing.

I initially wanted to upgrade my Mini M into a 60-P but after reading your threads, you made me realized that instead of always having bigger tanks, we nano planters should be proud about our small tanks and the challenge they present. Granted, big tanks are huge in potential and after planting a 5 feet for my in laws, they are just awesome. But when money and space are not on your side, nanos are extremely cool as well. :hihi: (Damn, that didn't work, I still want a 7ft planted tank someday... :help

And I completely agree with what you said. Rather than spend all your money on one big tank, several small tank gives you the opportunity to have different scapes all at one go. This somehow makes us sane and we don't go jumping about wishing for a gallery like ADA does. (at least it works for me!)

If I may add a little critique, (holds up shield to ward off the Manten, Seiryu, Shou, Ohko and Fuji rocks that are launched at me by UG's fans.. Hey! I am a fan too! Oooo.. that is a big rock you are throwing.. put it down!) you may want to trim the stem plants on the right a little.. I feel that the tank lost a little sense of impact with your main rock and stem plants at the same height, an invisible line has been drawn across the tank at the height.

Or what you can do is to grow stem plants directly behind your main rock and have them drape down a little above the main rock. The stem plants can also then be trimmed at a sloping angle from left to right. This will further highlight the edge of your rock and frame it nicely.

And thanks for Herbert Von Karajan - Beethoven Symphony No. 6 In F Major 'Pastoral'. Its now my new scaping track..:wink:


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Reg*. I'm digging the ground cover, too. Once upon a time, I was a Glosso purist. It was all Glosso or nothing. Times have changed, haven't they?

*Jade*, never feel you have to protect yourself for having stated an opinion. At least not from me. And pretty much everyone who posts here doesn't look like the stone-throwing type. (Well, maybe one or two are, but they would throw small stones. Underhand. And at your upper arm only.)
Afterall, you made some very good points. I agree with all of them.
The rockscape did loose a lot of "impact" with the inclusion of the stems. And despite constant tweaking on my part, I've yet to nail down the balance of the main rock and stems. I'm still working on it, but it's a slow process as the final image of what I want this tank to look like is still materializing in my mind's eye.
Tonight I will trim the stems down, though. Perhaps that will clear the canvas enough for me to determine how to balance out the 'scape. I have a feeling that I can get this tank where it needs to be without the inclusion of any more plants. It's going to come down to trimming it to where everything balances out.
One day, I hope to get a bigger tank, too. If I'm in this hobby a few years from now, I'll get a big tank. A HUGE one. For years I've been haunted by an image I saw back in Japan of the most beautiful freshwater plant environment about two hours away from Mount Fuji. (I've been meaning to write to you guys about it for almost a year, but keep forgetting. I'll try to write about it soon.) Anyway, part of the environment was a hole in the ground that lead to a cave. I want to recreate that cave in a big tank. (I should mention that it is this freshwater cave that I saw that drives me to make tank after tank in this hobby. It was the first time I ever saw plants pearling, and it was all natural. No CO2, no ferts, and no intervention from man; just a hole in the ground and the most beautiful, pure, and pristine water I had ever seen. I've been chasing that image with every tank I make.)
And thanks for taking the time to read my journals. It's super cool that I have people reading and writing to this thing. I'd like to eventually kick up the entertainment value of these journals by posting video, but, one, I don't have a good video camera, and, two, I have never edited a video in my life. (And, three, most of the videos would probably be of me doing handstands next to each of my tanks with Beethoven music as the soundtrack.)


----------



## Ugly Genius

A _kotatsu_ is _the_ most awesome piece of furniture you could ever own. I game, watch TV, chill, talk on the phone, and even play with Franny and Zooey under my kotatsu. During winter months, nothing -- not even grappling hooks, which are seriously kick-butt all year round -- is better than a _kotatsu_.
I found this cool-looking fifteen watt, 6,500k lamp at Lowes the other day and not having a tank on which to put it, I filled yet another bowl with water, added some rocks, and will let this one grow out low-tech on my _kotatsu_.









_See Franny staring at the bowl?
The sad thing is, when I finished filling it with water I understood why she was starting at it.
Their water bowl was empty.
Poor little girl was thirsty and wondering why I was putting her "new" fancy(!) waterbowl so far out of reach._​
Dunno what I'll plant in it yet besides the Staurogyne. Probably just some easy-growers to give me something to look at when the levels are loading while playing 360 games.

EDIT:
Forgot, trimmed Riven Impact a bit.








For those of you following this journal for a while, you gotta admit that this incarnation has stayed up from quite a while.
By my standards, at least.

_A few hours later..._
I finished planting. Mini Java Fern, Anubias Nana "Petite", Crypt Parva, Special Fern, Taiwan Moss, Mini Moss (terrestrial on rock out of water), Staurogyne, Giant Duckweed, and Mini Microsword.


----------



## thief

Very cool. It looks like we got another hard core halo fanatic like myself eh!!! I should play you one day.:icon_wink Some of the art in that book is awesome too. Great stuff in it, man I can't wait until I am at the point of so many ADA tanks as you are!


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *thief*. Yeah, I dig _Halo_ pretty big-time. Except for _2_ -- sucked. Very much looking forward to _ODST_ and _Reach_. I'm on Live as Hapa Jedi. I'm on sporadically, but if you see me and feel like playing, hit me up. (Any here, really.)


----------



## Francis Xavier

UG, kotatsu are -awesome- especially in japan during the winter when there's usually no centralized heating.


----------



## jarberg27

I have never posted to this thread. I did not read this thread from start to finish. However, over the last six months, I have read all one thousand one hundred and nine posts. I love Ugly's tanks. 

I remember the first time I saw his iwagumi mini-s (back when it still WAS iwagumi). I thought: boring!

Somewhere between then and now I somehow clicked the wrong button and accidentally ordered my own mini-m. It arrives in a few days.

UG: for each of us that comes out of the woodwork with the classic "long time listener, first time poster" there are a dozen more loitering in the back. 

You inspire and you provoke. How many posts of yours have I said "I want that. Wait, can I do that? Eh, well, if I can't I just won't post *those* pictures."

But you always post. And for that, I say thank you. On behalf of the masses:

Yours,

constant reader


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks a lot, *jar*! It means a tremendous plenty.
A thousand, one-hundred and eleven posts now! It'll be a year next month -- Riven will be one year old!
When I look back to the first post, I'm amazed at how much my techniques have changed.
I agree with you, I the 'scape _was_ boring and it's quite remarkable that I continued given how -- pun here -- un-impactful the hardscape was.
What I knew then as much as I know now is that comments from the likes of Mizu, Frosty, Jack, Zoo, marko, fish, et al kept me going and taught me so much. 
I don't think I'd be in this game if it weren't for the people who post here at TPT.
I'm glad there are people that read this journal. (Wasn't I supposed to call it a memoir?) I've come to the realization that my journals go through periods of heavy volume of comments and periods of non-UG drought. Being more of a lurker myself, I know there are probably quite a few of you who read but don't post, so I just keep plugging away regardless of the drought conditions and hope someone out there is enjoying it.
I also like snapping pictures. It's addictive.
And, *jar*, congrats on the Mini-M. It is the best sized ADA nano tank. Hang twenty-seven watts of light (evenly spread) three inches from the top rim of the tank with one bps of CO2 and an ever-so-slight ripple of surface movement and you will have _the_ perfect environment for growing anything. Do yourself a favor and get a 2232 right off the bat and know that with the twenty-seven watts, CO2, and flow, your tank is the best it's going to be tech-wise.

What else have I learned in the year doing this...?

Make your hardscape bigger rather than smaller.
Dry-start if possible.
Amanos are the best algae eaters. Period.
Glosso, despite early indications to the contrary, will eventually loose to HC in the race to fill out the tank.
Algae is the result of an imbalance between light, nutrients, and CO2. (Arguments on the specifics as to what, why, and how, cloud the issue and should be ignored as they take the mind off the simple fact that excess and deficient nutrient levels _can_ cause algae if light and CO2 are not provided in correct counter-balance to available nutritional resources. Focus on the overall balance, not the specific details.)
Aqua Soil is awesome.
Shrimp will jump and there's nothing you can do to stop them from trying.
Mini Pellia is rad.
Bolbitis, too.
The normal run-ofthe-mill Java Moss actually can look prettier and more natural than the more exotic varieties of mosses.
Snails are a good thing.
EI dosing should not be practiced by beginners as it does not afford the ability to see, and later recognize, signs of nutrient deficiency. (One must make mistakes so as to learn from them.)
Some dogs like fish tanks, others do not.
Small, periodic trimmings are easier than further-apart more elaborate ones.
Otos don't like people.
Wild-type Neocardinias are pretty friggin' cool. And cheap.
Amano is a true genius. Almost twenty years after _Nature Aquarium World_ was published (in Japan), we're still trying to catch up with what he did in that book.
The ending of _Battlestar Galactica_ was a let down.
Substrate slopes will settle.
Flow is as important as CO2.
Tanks are more fun in winter when it's cold outside.
Hairgrass grows slower emersed than submersed.
Megan Fox is hot.
Staghorn algae is the coolest-looking algae. Second is Clado. Third is Blackbeard. The rest suck.
No matter what, do not make a carpet of Riccia; you will regret it.
Consider ever piece of advice given as one can learn so much by being open to others' ideas.
Dwarf Crayfish are boring as they hide all the time.
The PlayStation 3 controller sucks.
Guys driving BMWs like to try to beat motorcycles starting off the line at a stop light. (They never stop trying, but never will win, either.)
ADA's CO2 system is not as good as the larger types (Go GLA before ADA)
DWscapes are more fun long-term than rockscapes.
Filter cleaning sucks.
Instead of wireless internet, the world should focus on wireless electricity. (Besides lightning.)
One DIY CO2 setup is _never_ enough.
A squat is not a squat unless it's ass to the ankles. (If your knees can't handle it, you shouldn't be at the squat rack.)


----------



## oldpunk78

^ those are some good points. and i definitely have to agree that megan fox is hot! lol 

oh, and i beat motorcycles off the line all the time - in my ford focus, hahaha.


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## blair

Haha, excellent advice (both tank and real world scenario). And yes, many of use lurk as well, but we appreciate the images and continual posting. Without, our lurking would be rather boring!  So, thank you.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *punk* and *blair*!

On July 4th, this tank will be a year old.
Riven Impact is currently in it's prime. It's doing it's thing and I'm happy with it.








The stems on the right are in need of a trim, but that's just maintenance. The fact is, this tank has said what I needed it to say and on July 4th, I'll tear it down and start over. (The July 4th date is just a poetic musing on my part. Chances are, it'll be closer to July 10th -- the day I fill Source -- so that I can move the shrimp in there. It just sounds better to say that I'll end it on it's anniversary.)
It's time.
I want to end a tank in it's prime. I don't want it to be because of algae, a change of mind regarding 'scape, plant choices, or any other et cetera. I want it to end because I _choose_ to.


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## mountaindew

A fine setup, with some added drama!


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## hyphination

your carpet is awesome man. its inspiring! btw are you using the standard archea 27W 10,000K bulb?


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *mountain*.

*hyph*, I am using a 7,200k bulb. Swapped the stock one out about six months ago or so. No reason why I did, though. 10,000k looks fairly similar. Just felt like it, I guess.
Quite frankly, until you asked, I had forgotten that it _was_ 7,200k; looked 10,000k to me until I just checked.
Goes to show you that for all the fussing I do about getting the "exact right aesthetic spectrum", I don't even notice a 3,000k difference. Go figure.


----------



## hyphination

Ugly Genius said:


> *hyph*, I am using a 7,200k bulb. Swapped the stock one out about six months ago or so. No reason why I did, though. 10,000k looks fairly similar. Just felt like it, I guess.
> Quite frankly, until you asked, I had forgotten that it _was_ 7,200k; looked 10,000k to me until I just checked.
> Goes to show you that for all the fussing I do about getting the "exact right aesthetic spectrum", I don't even notice a 3,000k difference. Go figure.


Is that the solar mini bulb? I was also thinking about switching it out for a lower temp bulb. btw did you notice any change in your plants growth?


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## garuf

I know the name of your special fern, it's okay, you can pay me in dollars I'm easy.
It's "Crepidomanes auriculatum". Enjoy.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *garuf*. But I gotta give credit where credit is due. cl called it back in February. I've just never taken the time to learn to spell Crepidomanes auriculatum.

*hyph*, I've never noticed any difference in rate of growth from anything between five and ten k. Just pick the temp you think is pretty, is my advice.

Just now I was looking over the first post of this journal from nearly a year ago. Aside being struck by the phenomenally fast Glosso growth -- testament, I believe, to the benefits of Power Sand (which I have not used since, but may use the next time around) -- is my enthusiasm for this hobby.
It got me to thinking...
Yesterday in Source's journal I waxed on about my waning enthusiasm for planted tanks.
Today, perhaps being a bit nostalgic, perhaps being a bit pumped (it's Friday!), perhaps just realizing that love does wane from time to time and there's nothing you can do but ride it out until the next wave of affection comes crashing in, I got a tingle in the pit of my stomach that shook loose the plaque that coated the arteries of my heart through which the love for the hobby flows and -- ba bump, ba bump -- the excitement came back. (How's that for mixed metaphors?)
As I studied the size and shape of the Mini-S, my head tilted right. (When I'm in a creative mood, I tilt my head right. [I also sit half-Indian style on one foot if I'm sitting down.]) In any event, the part of my brain that monitors the other parts of my brain let out a little shout of joy. "The boy's got it. He's got an idea growing in his head."
And so...
Maybe:
Round rocks this time. River rocks coated in Mini Pellia and moss. A blend of verdant textures rolling across the ground.
Riven.
Rolling.
Tomorrow.

Ba bump!


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## @[email protected]

i keep being amazed how well the tank looks with the multi-plant carpet. in everyones tanks but yours that i have seen i did not like the effect (even amanos when he mixes glosso and hairgrass), but it looks great in Riven.


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## Reginald2

I'm sure that us lurkers will be sad to see it go, but we will look forward to the next incarnation.


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## Ugly Genius

Here's me hyping me.

If you like mosses, et cetera, you're gonna wanna keep an eye on Riven's next incarnation. I got some really, really cool mosses just now. 
Six kinds. 
All cool as heck.


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## blair

Exciting  Can't wait to see what ace you have up your sleeve!


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## Tex Gal

UG, I enjoy your posts. You are quite the romantic! Hate to see the tank go, but will love watching the next one!


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *@[email protected]*, *Regi*, *blair*, and *Tex*!

Here are the bones.

















The idea with this one is to have the driftwood completely covered in mosses, fissidens, and liverworts and the substrate bare. Eventually, I want no section of wood visible -- the entire woodscape is to be covered in various shades and textures of mossy greens.
The plants are Fissidens Nobilis (Mini Fissidens), Jungermannia pseudocyclop, two liverworts whose names I don't recall, Mini Pellia, and, my favorite, Mini Christmas Moss (hella cool).

Taking a page from Craig's book -- albeit no baby here -- the setup is designed so as to be easy to maintain. Again, no slope. (I very much doubt you will ever see me slope another tank's substrate.) The driftwood (two pieces, actually) is removable (i.e. not tucked in the substrate). No stems. No fauna save MTS. The plants can do well in low light, so I'll be extending the Archaea light fixture to it's highest point to limit the intensity.

The name will be Tanglewood.


----------



## Craigthor

Looks smokin' *UG*. I'm jealous of your mosses where did ya find the Mini Fissidens? I spent about 6 months trying to find some and gave up some time ago. Mini Christmas moss I need some pics of that as well.

I let you borrow the baby for a couple of days too so you don't feel left out. 

Man I wish AFA was clsoer for the cool hardscape stuff. I cna't get them to take pics of anything or I would buy some, I guess with what I've spent there they would be accomadating for my scaping needs.

Craig


----------



## JadeIceGreen

I love your hardscapes... you got a real talent for them.
Just based on this hardscape, its the best that I've seen in a mini S by far.
I am so waiting to see this covered in moss and other stuffs. =)


----------



## thief

Wow.. this looks nice!!! Hey UG, I have a questions when you order driftwood from the website are you paying for one piece of driftwood or multiple?

I was fortunate to get some small southeast asian driftwood from a lfs nearby and it is by far my favorite wood. The texture is AMAZING on them!!!

Also Craig, I am surprised they haven't taken photos? They have done so for me. I think it might depend on what you are ordering from them. When I asked, it was always for big pieces of stone from 15-35lbs.
They have done photos for me multiply times for seiryu and manten stone. 

Anyways I hope this week I can start becoming innovative again in the hobby as I haven't really been active here much. But I do have MANY projects in the works. Infact today I came up with a great idea for the ADA WabiKusi tanks. Hopefully I will beable to show everyone soon as I have never seen it done in that tank.


----------



## @[email protected]

OMFG!!!!!!!!!!
THAT WOOD IS AMAZING!!!!!!

seriously love the wood. and i think the idea sounds really cool, some of the intricate texture of the wood will be covered up, but it will look good anyway.


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## Ugly Genius

Finished.



































I'm really happy with how this one came out. To me, it's the most Japanese tank I've set up. Can't explain it, but it's gives me a Miyazaki anime vibe when I look at it. I'm digging that.

There are seven varieties of moss, fissidens, and liverworts on the driftwood. I'll try to post names and up close photos later when the water clears. Most are quite rare and if you're in the SF area and love mosses, go to AFA now. They have some really, really, really cool stuff.

Stats are the same from Riven Impact, twenty-seven watts, DIY CO2, and Aqua Soil Amazonia powder. The light is now extended as high up as it will go, however.

Anyway, here you have Riven Tanglewood.


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## oldpunk78

that is going to look cool!


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## Craigthor

Way to go UG now I really wish I could hit up AFA. I would love individual pics as I may contact george and see if they can ship me some.

Craig


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## blair

Wow... :eek5:

For driftwood that is truly a wicked hardscape, UG. Nicely done! :thumbsup:

Sad to hear you will cover it all though. That texture of the wood is really breathtaking. Good thing you have such nice mosses to make it an understandable manipulation.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *punk*, *Craig*, and *blair*.

*Craig*, I'll get photos soon, but I'm pretty sure you'll the only moss you won't want that they just got is the Flame Moss and there's a twenty-five dollar per square type of Fissidens that is not pretty enough to justify the price; all the rest, you'll want. Especially with you current woodscape. Just tell them to give you one of each of the new ones except those two. You won't regret it. (Or if you do, you could probably sell them in the SnS and they'd be gone in a second.)
Actually, the liverwort on the far left of the second shot is probably passable for you as well.
The Mini Christmas Moss, Fissidens Nobilis, the Pottias sp., Blepharostorm, and Jungermannia pseudocyclop (hella rad, that one; pearls like nuts) are all worth getting. They're all around seven bucks a pop. (Those are all the names written on the glass at AFA so if you give them those names, they'll know the ones.)

*blair*, I'm still on the lookout for your rocks. They had some good Zebras rocks yesterday, but I could not in good conscience pick those out for you. Seiryu or Ryouh are the way to go.

EDIT:
As a one year retrospective lemme show Riven in it's original incarnation and Riven a year later.

















Looking back, I think one of the most important skills I gained in setting up and keeping a planted tank is restraint. 
A year ago it would have been impossible for me to have a tank without a carpet and stems. I wouldn't be able to resist as they are too much fun. 
Now, however, having made so many tanks, I no longer need to try to do everything with each 'scape. Rather, I'm able to discipline myself to setting a theme and sticking to it. The end result is that the artistic impact of a 'scape comes out more mature.
I think initially we all want to prove to ourselves (and each other) that we can grow this, that, and the other. So we do it all: carpets, stems, mosses, floating plants, rocks, wood, et cetera all in one 'scape. While this is how we gain experience with all the different plants in this hobby, it tends to mute our artistic expression. Much in the way that musicians say that it's not the notes of a song that matter but the space _between_ the notes that make a song.

Anyway, enough lecturing. I'm hungry. Off to 7-Eleven for nachos. Love their nachos.


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## @[email protected]

you know what i think would look nice? some weeping moss on a couple of low points to grow down from the wood and connect it to the gavel.


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## Francis Xavier

I'm digging it UG. The driftwood there has enough texture to almost pass for rock! Although it's hard to imagine one of your scapes without a carpet, I do have to say.


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## hyphination

Loving the new hard scape!! may I ask where you get all your materials from?


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## Ugly Genius

*@[email protected]*, that's a good idea. However, I have limited experience with Weeping Moss -- limited to growing it under a light on my kotatusu in the living room -- am was not certain that it would give me the "weeping" effect for which it is so touted. Every photo I've seen of it, the "weeping" is rather subtle. Almost like tired Christmas Moss. Do you know how sharply Weeping Moss can hang?

Thanks, *X*. Crazy, huh? No carpet. I do believe that this 'scape will benefit with the absence of one. The more I look at the tank, the more content I get with the choices I've made. (As of right now, this tank has replaced Quasi-Wabi as my favorite tank.)
Of course, this opinion and my resolve to keep the tank all mosses may change after the tank's been up for a month or two.

Hey, *hyph*. I get most of my hardscape stuff from Aqua Forest Aquarium here in the City. Occasionally, I get stuff from a bonsai store around the corner from them as well.
The hardscape is two pieces and I was about to only get the smaller of the two. The larger's purchase was a nagging whim. I actually put it back in the box once as I thought it too big for a Mini-S. The thing kept calling me back, begging me to buy it. Really glad I listened to the wood. The hardscape would have sucked without it.


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## @[email protected]

Ugly Genius said:


> *@[email protected]*, that's a good idea. However, I have limited experience with Weeping Moss -- limited to growing it under a light on my kotatusu in the living room -- am was not certain that it would give me the "weeping" effect for which it is so touted. Every photo I've seen of it, the "weeping" is rather subtle. Almost like tired Christmas Moss. Do you know how sharply Weeping Moss can hang?


no, ive never actually had this moss. 
but this google pic looks promising:


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## JadeIceGreen

I think the hardest thing about this scape will be to ensure that the wood will always have its character and strength. That will mean keeping the moss short and spaced out, to be a supporting role, to be an accent rather than take over the hardscape.

I can't think of a nice lawn plant but if you could, it will make your hardscape stand out even more. This is already awesome. Can't see what you will do with all those empty spaces at the foreground and background that will frame your hardscape nicely.


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Jade*. My plan is to keep the moss neatly trimmed so as to accentuate the knuckles of the driftwood. I will probably keep some patches bare as I'm digging the wood and moss contrast.
The only carpet I that would match this 'scape does not exist: HG that grows no taller than half an inch.
I forgot to mention this way back when, but way back when when I was researching the Ehiem 2211, I came across a post of yours on aquaticquotient.com. It is _the_ most detailed equipment write-up of the history of everything. Great post. (Love those Arcadia lights. So sexy!) Your decision to swap over to the 2213 from the 2211 also helped me make up my mind when choosing a filter for Source.

In other news...
It's Tannin City in the tank today. Aqua Soil and Southeast Asian driftwood will do that.
It's welcomed, though. The way I see it, the tannins will blunt some of the light during this tank's delicate period to hopefully help circumvent some algae issues.


















_You can barely make out Quasi-Wabi in the back there.
Tank looks like it's filled with mud from certain angles.
Again, this is a good thing._​
CO2's being pumped in with two DIYers. Indicator's solution is Gatorade yellow.

I jump-started the cycle yesterday with a dose of Tetra's SafeStart. Supposedly, this stuff has the Nitrosomonas, Nitrosospira, and Nitrospiras that constitute the bulk of the big eaters in a bio-filter. I also ODed on SuperBac's Biological Aquarium Cleaner. (Mainly because I wanted to interact with my tank in some way and seeing as how it's too newly setup to dose ferts, I dosed bacteria instead.) 
I'm convinced that a bio-filter is one of our most valuable defenses against algae. It's why algae is much more rampant in newly setup tanks. (Note: don't take that as gospel. It's just a hunch on my part.)

Anyway, I'm home sick from work today so I'll probably be tinkering with all of my tanks to help pass the time.


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## legomaniac89

Man, it's tough to see Impact go, but I gotta say that the driftwood you got for the rescape is wicked! And 7 kinds of moss and liverworts...that's going to be so unique once it all grows in. 

Oh, and get well soon!


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## JadeIceGreen

Oh thanks for the compliment, it means alot coming from you! 

I've actually been wanting to start another journal soon but am torn between a new Mini M or a 60P. I want to go full ADA so I've alot of saving up to do.

Arcadia lights are cool but they do scratch easily and the quality is not what I will expect from such expensive lights. I am drooling over the mini solar, but I'm afraid that my table top won't be able to hold 20kg over a 36cmx22cm footprint (Mini M). 
http://ikea.com.sg/catalog/product_display.asp?art=90024718-4926-5-9-306949957-90463983
What do you think?

(sorry for going out of topic!)


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## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *lego*.

That's a really nice tabletop, *Jade*. You figure the Mini-M plus the light, water, and hardscape weights about sixty pounds; sixty five, maybe. It might work.

The simplicity of my plantscape paid off yesterday.
I have this thing -- call it an "ideal". This "ideal" tries to eliminate all artificiality from my 'scape. The artificiality here being the plastic mesh used to tie the moss, fissidens, and liverworts to the driftwood.
While the mesh proved a great convenience two days ago, yesterday, it started to bug me; it wasn't natural, if you catch my drift(wood).
So I decided to retie the everything with cotton thread. Cotton thread is fine by my "ideal" as it dissolves and is made of natural materials.
I was loathe to disturb the tank so early into it's life, but the mesh was an itch that I had to scratch.
Turned out to be easy-schmeesy. Drain a bit of water, take out the driftwood, do my thing, put it back, fill the tank back up.
A driftwood only hardscape with a flat substrate is highly recommended.

Tank's still the color of diluted coffee. The tannins are most likely from the East Asian driftwood. Elements, set up a couple of months ago, has the same type of wood and the water is still tea-colored.

The next phase will be the driftwood fungus. I still haven't determined if the fungus is an inevitability or if it can be avoided with a robust bio-filter. I believe that DIY diffuser fungus (the white cottony stuff) can be eliminated with a robust bio-filter as my older setups never get the stuff; only the new tanks. Wonder if it's the same for driftwood?


----------



## blair

It will be interesting to hear if the fungus can be solved with enhanced bio-filteration. I know mine was everywhere! Took a little while but my Oto eventually cleared the wood. Doubt he would eat the fungus, but he certainly did something.

Gatorade yellow in the drop checker huh? I see your new tank is on the Quest for G :hihi:


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## @[email protected]

Ugly Genius said:


> The next phase will be the driftwood fungus. I still haven't determined if the fungus is an inevitability or if it can be avoided with a robust bio-filter. I believe that DIY diffuser fungus (the white cottony stuff) can be eliminated with a robust bio-filter as my older setups never get the stuff; only the new tanks. Wonder if it's the same for driftwood?


the white fungus on the diffuser is yeast. you put it in the bottle to respirate and produce CO2, but the spores can get into the diffuser, and if you tank has enough dissolved organic matter, the spores will grow. 
you can pretty much elimate it even with high DOM if you put a gas seperater (another bottle betweent the first one and the diffuser filled 1/3 of the way with water with the tube in going into the water and the tube out being above the water; essentially trapping the spores in the water).


----------



## ldk59

UG, I think you've hit (yet) another one out of the park!

I'm going to miss Impact to be sure, but Tanglewood is
going to be a pleasure to watch as it matures (as are all
of your tanks/scapes).

I'm sure that I'm not alone in having learned a great deal
from your journals.

Thanks for sharing your vision with us roud: 

Larry


----------



## will325i

I too had a bad case of White fungus on Mopani & Manzanita driftwood in the initial 2 wks. Diligent removal by hose and introducing endlers/guppies solved my fungus problem.
Will


----------



## equi_design

UG, Tanglewood looks amazing. You are my planted tank idol!! I was just oohing and ahhing over the new incarnation last night and babbling endlessly about all your tanks to my hubby. Pointing out pictures to him. 

He was very good and looked on like he should. 

And btw, you got me back into this hobby as well. Since starting to read your journals a few months ago (I guess I started about 4 months ago)- I've gotten into 'scaping my tanks. Nothing as fancy as yours, but I'm learning. 

Anyhow, I just wanted to say I love this new 'scape. And I'm thinking something like this type of layout would be good for my new shrimp breeder tank. Easy to clean, easy to catch the little buggers for shipping. 

Cheers!
Jami


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *@[email protected]*. I'm curious as to why I don't get the fungus on my diffusers once a tank's biological filter is in high gear. Quasi-Wabi, fully established and also DIY, does not get the fungus; nor did Riven, Riven Reloaded, and Riven Impact. I wonder if it's possible that an established bio-filter somehow counteracts whatever it is that gets the fungus growing on diffusers.

Thanks, *ldk*! Glad you're reading. I really appreciate that.

Hey, *Will*. If the 325i is in relation to a BMW, I hope you're kind to motorcyclists (seventh bullet point from the bottom). Thanks for the tip.

Hey, *equi*! Glad you're getting into the hobby -- and dragging your husband along whether he wants to or not! I drag my girl to AFA so often that the guys there not only know me, but her, too.

Not much to show here. Tank looks pretty much the same. It's still cloudy. If anything, it's gotten worse. I'm still cool with this, though, for reasons stated earlier.
I'm pumping tons of CO2 and this makes me feel great. Dunno why. Just does.
Growth has been minimal, but this is a moss tank. Growth will be slow.
Despite not being able to see into the tank clearly and noticing absolutely no growth... 
...I am completely smitten with this tank. I _love_ it. Not in an ooh-it's-so-aweseome!-yay-me! kind-of-way, but...I don't know...it just has a je ne sais quoi that hits me right there, you know? A part of it is its balance of art and function that appeals to the artistic yet obsessive compulsive side of me. 
It also looks like a spider.
I like spiders.

Anyway, that's all that's going on with this tank. I should update Element's journal. The problem with that one is that it's in my living room and I can't shoot photos of it until the sun sets and by that time, I'm in bed reading. (Jeez, I'm sounding older and older with each journal entry. Pretty soon I'll be harkening back to the "good old days" when there were only three _Star Wars_ movies.)

(Actually, the world _was_ better when there were only three _Star Wars_ movies.)


----------



## @[email protected]

well a good bacterial colony can remove enough dissolved organics to starve out the spores. thats why an established tank wont get fungus easily, since the spore wont take unless there is a surge of dead organics.


----------



## Reginald2

(Actually, the world was better when there were only three Star Wars movies.)

You just crossed your own line. That's awesome.

Looking forward to seeing it clear up some. That is some great looking wood.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *marko* and *Reg*.

I've been intentionally keeping the water cloudy by overdosing on SuperBac Biological Aquarium Cleaner. My unscientific -- and possibly harmful -- reasoning is that it (1) helps jump-start the bio-filter and (2) keeps algae at bay in that the lighting is significantly diffused by the resultant bacterial bloom.
I have no idea if it's doing either.
I like thinking it's doing something, though.

Anyway...









_A horse._









_Fissidens Nobilis._​


----------



## blair

Haha, "_A horse_". Nice moss mane. What is it with your tanks and an animal resemblance? 

Great new shots... interesting how the driftwood sort of hovers above the floor. I like it!


----------



## CL

I get back from vacation, and you've changed the tank!

I gotta say, I love it.
Pretty sick if you ask me. 

Awesome name too


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## Ugly Genius

Welcome back, *cl*! Road trip to Florida, right? Hope you had a good time.

Water's starting to clear and the details are starting to become visible.








Here are five of the nine mosses/fissidens/liverworts in this tank.








When I got all these plants I was super-jacked. Like, wet-my-pants jacked. And so I can't wait for my girl to come over later that day so that I can show her all this cool stuff.
When she does:
"Went to AFA this morning. You are going to be. Blown. A. Way!"
"What did you get."
"You aren't going to believe this." I take the lid off the tupperware in which I had been storing the plants. "Ta da!"
"..."
"Well--?"
"Nice."
"Nice?! Just _nice_?! These are friggin' rad! Not just...'_nice_'. Dude, look at these! Fissidens all small and cute and #hit. Mini Christmas Moss -- how fresh is that?! And look at that one! I don't even know what it's called but I do know that it's off-the-charts awesome!"
"But they all look pretty much the same."
I take a deep breath and count to ten. "Baby, I love you so much. But when you say hurtful and ignorant things like that, I just don't know if we're compatible? Those are the kinds of comments that make the Baby Jesus cry. And I don't know if I can be with a person who makes the Baby Jesus cry."
She looks at me for a long searching moment and says, "You're an idiot."
"I know you are but what am I?"
"An idiot."

She's right, though. They do look a lot alike.
And I am an idiot.

Anyway:
Here's a photo taken yesterday compliments of tannins, the setting sun, and ADA/Do!aqua glassware.


----------



## legomaniac89

Hahahaha I've definitely had one of those conversations before. Mine usually end in, "but they're just plants", usually followed by me rolling my eyes and walking away.

I call first dibs on your moss and liverwort trimmings! :biggrin:


----------



## Ugly Genius

Sure thing, *lego*.

Of all the plants in here, this might be the one to watch.








Unfortunately, I don't know what it's called, but of the nine plants in here, this one seems to have the most promise.

It's color and texture seem the most versatile. The dark verdant hue lends itself well to forest-scapes with an ivy vibe, but the leaf shape, wispy and almost flowery, would match well in a Japanese and Dutch 'scape.

I'll try to find out the name.


----------



## sgtiger

I'm guessing you're using a zoomed filter on this tank. Regardless, do you use a carbon bag, or do you just fill the canister all the way with ceramic media?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *sgtiger*. I do use the carbon bag. I use them for quite some time -- long after the carbon absorbing ability is exhausted -- and I replace them every couple of months or so.

Funny you should ask this now, though. I was considering doing away with the carbon bags and just adding bio-media. Cheaper and easier in the long run.

I'm also considering upgrading to an Eheim 2211 for this tank.


----------



## sgtiger

Yeah I only ask because I wonder if a carbon bag filters out the nutrients in the water. Can't be good for plants. 

OTHO, if I have shrimp or fish, they will probably need the carbon bag.


----------



## Ugly Genius

It does filter out nutrients, *sgtiger*, but never to the extent that I've noticed a nutrient deficiency.

With shrimp or fish, carbon filtration is not a necessity, necessarily. With a good plant mass, sensible stocking levels, and regular maintenance, they'd be just fine without.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Forum's going wonkers, so I'll make this brief.

Upped the lighting a tad for these photos so as to show the details better. At all other times, I'm keeping the Archaea lamp as high as it can be extended -- about four and three-quarter inches -- above the rim of the tank so as to keep light intensity down as these plants don't need high light and...
Lots of CO2 + Medium Light = Pure Awesome;
where Pure Awesome = Very Little Algae.


----------



## Kayen

Yummy .... Fungus.
Not part of pure awesomeness i'm assuming.


----------



## Craigthor

Can't wait for this to fill out. Would make a great shrimp only tank.

Craig


----------



## equi_design

I'm in the Driftwood fungi stage on one of my tanks. Ugh. Ick. It's just gross. 

Oh, and my conversations about fish, plants & tanks don't usually end with people calling me an idiot- usually it's you're a GEEK! (some people sub in Dork there too). But ya know, I'm okay with that. 

I think I'm a limnologist at heart. And I embrace my tank-geekdom. 

Tanglewood is lookin' lovely, UG!


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Craig*!

*Kayen* and *equi*, yeah driftwood fungi sucks, but it's an inevitability with some kinds of woods, it seems.
Truth be told, it doesn't really bother me all that much because I've gotten it so many time and each time it's gone away, I actually don't really even notice it all that much.

Saw the starting of Hair Algae just now. Dunno how, I'm not dosing ferts save K.


----------



## JadeIceGreen

I realised that algae always come in the early stage of a scape's life.. No matter how careful we are about dosing or lighting levels.

Daily 20% water changes does wonders for me when it comes to combatting algae.


----------



## Ugly Genius

This is cute.









_See him?_​


----------



## CL

Ha! Cool shot, UG!
He's so little  Even though he's under wood, it reminds me of Mesa Verde for some reason


----------



## Ugly Genius

He's a little RCS I put in there on a whim. For the foreseeable future, he and some MTSs be this tank's only inhabitants. I've kept a RCS alone in my Betta tank for quite a while and she's doing really well. It's good in that I'm afforded the ability to get attached to a shrimp rather than loosing track of who's who.

Question, what is a group of shrimp called? A swarm--?


----------



## CL

Ugly Genius said:


> Question, what is a group of shrimp called? A swarm--?


a school?
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Shrimp


----------



## Ugly Genius

Maybe it is a school, *cl*. I can't find another answer online.

I added Purigen to the filter about three hours ago. The tannins are all but gone.








Initially, I loved the tannins as they helped to diffuse the light during the tank's delicate initial period. Today, I really wanted to see this tank crisp as I always felt that the 'scape would look best with crystal clear water.
If the Purigen keeps doing what it's doing, the water should be crystal clear by the time I wake up tomorrow.


----------



## CL

I think that I'm gonna need to get some purigen next time I place and order online (should be soon, I'll need to buy a couple more k4s for my 40 breeder) so that the water in my two nanos will clear up. I miss having the crystal clear water that you are getting there


----------



## Ugly Genius

Slowly, the details of the mosses, fissidens, and liverworts are starting to emerge and you can get a gentle feel for what I envisioned when I set this tank up.









_A mingling of verdant textures across a tangle of wood lines._









_Crouching Green, Hidden Cuteness_​
A couple of days ago, I did an algae scrape of the glass save this area.








This section I left algaefide. I thought it looked a bit like the algae one sees in saltwater tanks. And having a complex about knowing jack $#1t about SW tanks, I thought I'd compensate by leaving this as is.


----------



## MedRed

looking good!


----------



## Ugly Genius

So, *Med*, does my algae look at least kinda-sorta SW legit? 

Please say yes because I'm going for that _Bio-Shock_ SW-algae-corrosion thing there.

//UG synaptic_syntax_translation: 
where NerdLevel = 0; UG = 100: 
_Bio-Shock_ is a kick-butt video game that takes place in an Ayn Rand_ian_ undersea utopia-turned-dystopia. 
One of the best FPSs I've ever played.
A lot of the scenery is corroded/algaefide.
//End UG synaptic_syntax_translation.


----------



## CL

That moss is incredibly awesome!


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Pottias sp.*

Thanks, *cl*.

This is Pottias. My current fave in here. 









_Let's just call it "Pot Moss"._​
It looks a bit like a hybrid of HC and Pearlgrass, but with the color and growth pattern of a moss.
The leaves are tiny, semi-translucent, and rounded to a angled tip. They grow in very short stems from a brown, thread-like root structure that runs the length of the plant; not too unlike HC. 
Growth can be rated as medium, where Anubias would be considered slow and Glosso would be considered fast.
It attaches pretty well to driftwood.
Growth is primarily outward as opposed to up. If this continues, Pottias may prove to be an nice low-light carpet plant.
I have yet to notice any pearling from this plant, but I also have the light low on this tank, so I can't say if it's a heavy breather or not. It's coloration leads me to believe that it likes low-light and may not be a heavy oxygen producer along the lines of Riccia, HC, and the like.
That's pretty much all the observations I have at the moment.
I'll try to detail each of the other plants in here so as to get the info (and eventually clippings) out there.
Think of Pot Moss as HC's dark and exotic cousin from a foreign land, with a sexy accent, and none of HC's high-maintenance demands.


----------



## @[email protected]

let me know when you do a trim of the "pot moss" id love to get my hands on some.


----------



## CL

Ugly Genius said:


> _A mingling of verdant textures across a tangle of wood lines._​




What is the moss in the bottom left of this picture?​


----------



## zerojoe0917

that "pot" moss looks nice!!!


----------



## ddtran46

Ugly Genius said:


> //UG synaptic_syntax_translation:
> where NerdLevel = 0; UG = 100:
> _Bio-Shock_ is a kick-butt video game that takes place in an Ayn Rand_ian_ undersea utopia-turned-dystopia.
> One of the best FPSs I've ever played.
> A lot of the scenery is corroded/algaefide.
> //End UG synaptic_syntax_translation.


Yeah..I played the demo for Bioshock....It's kinda too scary for me:icon_roll

The tank is looking great so far.


----------



## cintamas

I'm always in complete shock that this is a mini-S! You do have a knack for using your hardscape to maximize space, even when faced with a tiny cube (like quasi-wabi). I am enjoying this moss fiesta and can't wait to watch it take over the poor wood.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Will do, *@marko*. Just keep an eye on this thread and when you hear me mention a trim, remind me, whuddya?

*cl*, it's Blepharostoma Trichoph. (I'll probably call it BT moss.) The jury's still out on this one. I like how it's growing in my tank, but didn't care for the way it was growing at AFA. At AFA it was growing long and stringy. Like Zipper Moss, only shorter. In a few weeks, after it's grown out more, I'll write out my observations like I did for "Pot Moss".

Thanks, *zero*!

*ddtran*, it is a creepy game. Hella good once you get into it, though. I _hated_ it the first time I played.

Thanks, *cint*. (I got your PM and will reply.)

One of my mosses almost died. The Notocyphus Lutescens, the plant in the front-center of the photo cl quoted, almost succumbed to an accidental Excel OD. It's pulling through with new growth after a significant portion browned. I'm pretty sure it'll pull through fine. No more Excel dosing for me, though.









_You just know you've got some fresh mosses going on 
when the two most "common" ones are Mini Pellia and Flame Moss._​


----------



## CL

Hey UG! How's the tank?


----------



## hyphination

Any updates? Oh and do you still have that link for the Ott-lites?


----------



## kcirtappatrick

hyphination said:


> Any updates? Oh and do you still have that link for the Ott-lites?


I tried to order some Ott-Lites a while back. The lights alone were pretty cheap. Great deal right?! However, Once the shipping and handling costs came into play it, turned out a bit expensive. I think the shipping cost a little more than the lights. But, they look so nice! I was still debating on getting them.

-Pat


----------



## legomaniac89

Hey UG! Don't tell me we lost you to that new TV you got? It's been 3 weeks since any new pictures of Riven...


----------



## Ugly Genius

It wasn't just the new HDTV that I got that kept me away. The past two weeks sucked.
Hella sucked.
Nothing worth going into right here, but suffice it to say, I'm glad it's all over. ("It" being all the crap that sucked; but like I said, that's all over and here I am and let's get to the reason you're reading this post in the first place.)








The tank's done virtually nothing in the intervening three weeks. Everything's still growing and doing well, just very, very slowly.
I pretty much ignored all my tanks for the past three weeks as, like I said (twice), the past two sucked. I did water changes here and there and scraped algae when I felt I had to, but pretty much all of my tanks were on cruise control as I took care of -- let's just call it -- business.

Usually, I'd offer some insight into the growth characteristics of a given moss, fissiden, or liverwort, but I got none. Been a bad dad to this tank and haven't watched it at all.

All I can say is that today was the first day that I ever dosed Green Brighty Special Lights and virtually every plant in here grew noticeably between the time I left for work at 7:30 and returned at 5:00.

Poor kids were probably starving.

BTW, Aqua Soil Powder sucks in comparison to the normal kind when it comes to nutrients contained within.

Wish I had more to give you after what for me is an eternal absence, but I'm out of shape in the planted tank game and you're going to have to give me time to find my legs again.

On an unrelated note, HDTV is so over-rated. 
Take video games for instance. Back in 2001 I was playing _Quake III_ with high details at 1600x1200 at eighty frames per second on my gaming PC. So when I fired up _Unreal Tournament III_ on the Xbox 360 at 1920x1080 on the new set, I was left wanting. Sure the textures are nice, but the resolution is not all that much better than what I was able to get from my lowly GeForce3 Ti500 video card way back in the day. (If I remember correctly, the whole machine was powered by 512 MB of RAM and an AMD 1 GHz T-bird. I might be mistaken on all this, though.) 
And don't get me started on TV. Most of the channels look worse! And the ones that are at 1080p afford little except to show that movie stars have bad skin up close.

One cool thing I learned about myself is that I am fresh.
Here's why:
I'm setting up the TV and I look in back and see florescent light pouring out. I think to myself that the color looked 6,500k. Well, after reading the manual, I see that one of the backlight colors is indeed 6,500k. (The other colors are 9300K and 11000K, if you're interested.)

Anyway, I'm going to get back to my TV. Sorry for the long absence. And I'll get back to all the PMs I've not gotten back to soon!


----------



## jose faria

Hi UG,
Sometimes being away from our tanks, just makes us more aware of the beauty of that small piece of glass.
It's like a cycle and it never ends, because we always find a new thing to love in our tanks.


----------



## icepotato89

why did you use aqua soil in a tank with no rooted plants?


----------



## mizu-chan

*UG*, even though you say you've been neglectful I love this tank regardless. I love the piece of wood you have in there; it seems very serene. Sorry you've been having a tough time. Hope things get better for you!


----------



## trigun808

i fully agree with mizu, i love this peace of wood!
even if u say u neglected it, it doesnt show it


----------



## CL

C'mon UG! I hope everything is okay


----------



## Craigthor

clwatkins10 said:


> C'mon UG! I hope everything is okay


I agree! :bounce:


----------



## ldk59

Last update from UG was 08-20-2009, 10:28 PM

I think we need an update Ugly :wink:


----------



## CL

ldk59 said:


> Last update from UG was 08-20-2009, 10:28 PM
> 
> I think we need an update Ugly :wink:


even if it is an ugly update


----------



## oldpunk78

anyone know what happened with ugly? hope all is well...


----------



## CL

oldpunk78 said:


> anyone know what happened with ugly? hope all is well...


I don't know. I know he was having a bad couple of weeks. 
I hope he's okay.


----------



## Ugly Genius

I'm so sorry I've been out of touch for so long. I've been meaning to write, but things just kept coming up. There was death, a fight, depression, self-pity, confusion, and anxiety. One after another, the crap kept hitting the proverbial fan and I don't know if you've ever seen crap hit a fan, but it splatters _everywhere_. Knocked the writing wind right out of me.

Anyway, I'm off work a bit early and I thought I'd take the time to update all of you on the progress of this tank.

Pretty much, it's pretty much the same.

Look:





















































Just a couple of days ago, I swapped out the DIY CO2 and slapped on an ADA Advanced System. It's too soon to tell if it makes any difference, but I'd like to think it does.

The Fissidens, Mini Pellia, and Pottias are doing the best. The Rose Moss, Mini Rose Moss, and Blepharostome are just doing so-so. Hopefully, the additional CO2 will help them.

Anyway, my sincere apologies for worrying any of you. I appreciate your concern, however. Means a lot.

And so here I am, shaken, but still standing.


----------



## legomaniac89

Woooooo! Glad to see you're back UG. You had us worried there for a while.

Riven is looking amazing! This has been a huge inspiration for my 10g rescape.


----------



## CL

YAY! The moss has gown so much! I'm so glad you're back! You've been gone too long


----------



## oldpunk78

glad to see you back. i was starting to wonder...


----------



## Green Leaf Aquariums

Its looking really nice with all the new growth. Could get an ID on the last pic. moss?

-O


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, guys. *O*, that's Pottias. It's my fave in this tank right now. With tremendous patience, it would make a stunning carpet.

I'm catching up on all the posts I've missed in the intervening weeks. Craig sold his tank! That sucks!


----------



## Outlawboss

Glad to see you back and typing UG.


----------



## mizu-chan

Happy to see you back. Hope everything starts looking up for you.
Your tanks look ace. Always will be an inspiration for me.


----------



## Skrimpy

I really like your tank. What plant/moss is that on the driftwood?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, guys.

Last night I decided to tear down Riven Tanglewood. Too much was going wrong with it.
The MTSs were dying for some reason; detritus covered everything, nearly killing three types of moss in the process; growth was stunted; and the glass was perpetually covered in algae and/or detritus.
This morning -- waking optimistic and with an idea in my noggin -- I decided to give this incarnation one more go.
I really do love this hardscape and it would be a shame not to at least _try_ to get the tank to flourish.

So I took my post-waking idea and slapped on an AquaClear 20 and removed the ZooMed 501. Already, after just six hours, the change is remarkable.
I have a feeling that I may have made the ZooMed toxic in some way with the irresponsible over-dosing I did of Stability and other bio-filter jump starting solutions at the start of this tank.


























Don't be impressed by the new growth of the Mini Christmas Moss, Blepharostome Trichoph, and Mini Rose Moss -- those are newly-bought as those were the three plants that almost died for unknowable reasons that I hope to soon make knowable.

I'm absolutely in love with HOB filters on anything under eight gallons. As long as you keep the water level high, surface agitation is minimal (i.e. CO2 levels remain consistent), and keeps the formation of surface scum at bay. 
Were I more ambitious, I would make a one gallon sump-style HOB in which I would place a ton of low-light plants and filter the water not with sponges and filter floss, but with the plants themselves.

If the tank recovers with the new filter and plants, I may consider a carpet of some sort. I have a feeling that some of the detritus problem I have is related to the fact that there's nothing on the ground to eat up all the crap that falls there. The carpet's a toss up between UG and HC; possibly MM. Pottias, the plant on the top-most portion of the DW on the left, is also an option.


----------



## Outlawboss

UG, I'm glad you didn't do a complete tear-down on Tanglewood. I've been really interested in watching this tank develop. I do agree that a carpet would be helpful, as well as aesthetically pleasing. 

Also, +1 on the HOB filters. It is SO easy to clean the one on my Finnex. 5 minutes and I'm done. I love that. On nano tanks like these, they do a great job of keeping things. The only drawback is the hanging off the side of the tank thing, but put it behind and make the plants grow nice and nobody ever notices because they're too busy looking at a kick ass tank.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Outlaw*. 
I'm going to state it here: This one's on _you_, Outlaw. This is _your_ responsibility. How this plays out is on _your_ shoulders. 
I took your reassurance towards my wandering musing to add a carpet plant and planted exactly eleven sprigs of HC along the front of the glass.
I'm just kidding, though. It's not your responsibility. (If it goes bad, though...)

As I wondered what carpet plant to use, I though that since I had never made a strictly-HC carpet, now would be a good time. Up until now, I've always used it as a a mixed carpet with Glosso and/or HG. I've never used it as the only carpet plant in a tank. Now might be a very good time to try a straight HC carpet.

Initially I planted Glosso, but I thought the size of the leaves would throw off the scale of the tank and due to the considerable number of shadows cast by the DW, getting it to carpet would take Hollywood-level lighting effects to pull off.

MM was a solid contender for the role, but it's too slow of a grower for my ADD-riddled brain and the darker hued green would not contrast as starkly as I would like against the already dark hues of the mosses, fissidens, and liverworts on the DW.

UG was dismissed simply because I'm using it extensively in riverrun and wanted something else here.

MS is played out by yours truly. I've got it in two tanks already.

As many of you who've read this thing from the beginning know, I'm not the biggest fan of HC as it's a pain in the butt to trim, but so are most other carpet plants, so why get picky just because HC has teeny-tiny leaves? So I'm trying it here. UG's first pure HC carpet.


----------



## zerojoe0917

hahaha a few days ago , i was about to ask you for some update! 

nice...big change!


----------



## mizu-chan

Can't wait to see this start gorwing out *UG*. 
I'm glad you haven't torn anything down, if you did who would my muse be?!


----------



## CL

Everything is looking great. I'm watching CSI: NY and there was a guys tattoo that said "Tanglewood" lol


----------



## Outlawboss

Haha, ok UG I'll take that challenge. I have full confidence in you. You know what's funny, I was _going_ to suggest that you use an HC carpet (purely out of selfish love for the plant) but I thought, "Naah, he'll never go for it." 

Low and behold...here you are a couple hours later with a post detailing exactly what I had in mind. Freaky, I'm tellin' you.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *zero*

Thanks, *mizu*. Sweet thing to say.

Was the dude on _CSI_ covered in moss, *cl*?

*Outlaw*, I think you were right on the money with the carpet encouragement. After planting the HC -- good call, by the way -- I came home yesterday and was actually excited to look into the tank. Up to this point, I stopped getting excited over Riven Tanglewood. Mosses, while pretty and neat, are boring as nitrate to watch grow. HC, an exponentially faster grower than moss, will give me something to watch.

















I'm hoping that with the inclusion of HC, the carpet will help with the photos. Up to now, I can't get a good photo of this tank as it's so dark. The carpet should help reflect light back onto the hardscape so that all of you can see the details that are there.

Some good_ish_ news is that I think I may see the return of the "Jellybolt" algae that I had in Source some time back. This was a type of algae that looked like Staghorn, but had a jelly texture and lightning bolt shape. It was fresh. I think I might be seeing it start to form in the front center of the tank. Initially, the area was occupied by BBA. It's now transforming to what looks like "Jellybolt".

Or it's just plain old Staghorn.


----------



## jargonchipmunk

I think the HC will bring the hardscape and mosses "into" the substrate if that makes any sense at all. Up until I saw those few sprigs of HC in your plans, I had always wondered where you were going with this tank. Without the carpet, it always looked like the wood and mosses were simply sitting on top of some dirt. (they effectively ARE doing that, but it just looked a bit uninspired to me) With the addition of the HC, I think all the lines will meld and this tank will be something worthy of the Riven namesake haha


----------



## Outlawboss

I'm interested to see how the HC will behave with the shade of the wood in some places. In my own experience it grows into the shadows somewhat, but then stops on its own. It could be a really cool effect.

Loving this tank soo much.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *jargon*.

Hey, *Outlwaw*. Thanks!

From about three weeks after it was planted, Riven Tanglewood pissed me off. I wasn't growing well and there was perpetual algae and slime on everything. Ugly's ugly tank, as it were. This is despite it being my favorite hardscape.
Then, about two weeks ago, on a whim, I swapped out the bulb with a new one. Then, all of a sudden, things started growing much better. Algae is still present, but I'm chalking this up to me trying to find the new light to CO2 to fert balance; this should take another two weeks to fine tune.

And while you can see the algae in this tank, you may also notice that the growth has sped up considerably.

So check your bulbs.


----------



## demosthenes

wow, looks great! i dont know if this would completely go against the point of this tank or not, but i think some lighter colored, small-leafed stem plants in the back left corner would look good. maybe some micranthemum umbrosum? your mosses are WAY cool, it seems like a nice light-green behind them for shade contrast would bring out the deep green in the mosses more.


----------



## Outlawboss

Look at that HC go. It's moving faster than the stuff in my emmersed HC growery. Nice.


----------



## Ugly Genius

This weekend, Riven will be overhauled. A complete tear-down and restart.

Be forewarned, this iteration of Riven may prove to be _the_ most boring hardscape you've ever seen.

Lemme explain:
This weekend, I fell in love with a rock that kinda-sorta looks like Hakkai stone.









_I fell in love with the one on the left._​
I know what you're thinking. _Ugly, there is nothing all too special about either of those rocks._
I know.
But a guy feels what a guy feels, you know?

And know this:
I'm finicky as hell, so who knows where my heart'll be come Sunday when I redo the tank. I've got a kick-ass piece of driftwood I've been saving for a rescape and I've got three phenomenal pieces of Seiryu that I've been...

...actually, right after I typed "been", my girl called. As we spoke on the phone, I fiddled around with the aforementioned three pieces of Sieryu and I've found _the_ hardscape Riven was meant to have!

So forget the Hakkai_esque_ stone from above. Riven's going Seiryu. (I told you I was finicky. I changed my mind in -- what...? -- ten minutes.)

Anyway, I might get started tomorrow after work as it's my day off from the gym. If not, it'll have to wait until Sunday.


----------



## Mr. Fisher

Ugly Genius said:


> Lemme explain:
> This weekend, I fell in love with a rock that kinda-sorta looks like Hakkai stone.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _I fell in love with the one on the left._​
> .


 
Hey Ugly, 

I heard that meteors can leech iron in the water column...


----------



## Francis Xavier

Hey UG, I'm glad you decided to not go with the river stones. They're great and I love them as a design element, however they kind of require a larger tank and a specific type of layout to give them justice, they aren't really suited for nano tanks, since they derive the extra character they need by numbers and positioning more so than individual traits (that isn't to say they aren't individually good looking stones, just not in the same way Seiryu is).


----------



## Ugly Genius




----------



## CL

That scape is kick butt! Love it.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Hey, that's not an Ott-Lite! Are those the smaller Archaea fixtures from AFA?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *CL*! 

*Zoo*, this is the twenty-seven watt Archaea. I've had it on this tank for a while now. Over six months, I'd say. I use the Ott-Lites on the Mini-Ms. Although, I'm not super fond of this fixture and may get two more Otts for this tank.

I didn't mean to post a picture and run, but I worked on tearing the old tank down and setting this one up right after getting home from work. After an hour and a half of that, I was starving.
Plant-wise, I'm thinking of HC. I also plan to use lines of Mini Pellia. I'm not sure the exact orientation of these lines, but I think a carpet of HC would look quite nice interspersed with tributaries of the darker green Mini Pellia.
I could use some ideas of something longish, malleable, and heavy (i.e. it sinks) on which to attach the Mini Pellia and lay it atop the carpet. Quarter inch tubing fits the bill except that it will not sink. If you can think of something that is like tubing but will sink, I'd be very much appreciative.


----------



## houseofcards

UG that looks very promising. Good luck.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> *Zoo*, this is the twenty-seven watt Archaea. I've had it on this tank for a while now. Over six months, I'd say. I use the Ott-Lites on the Mini-Ms. Although, I'm not super fond of this fixture and may get two more Otts for this tank.


Sorry, I haven't checked this thread in a long time:icon_neut How much was it?


----------



## Outlawboss

UG, what about some filter tube with slices cut in it for the plant to attach to. You could sink the tubing under the substrate so it wouldn't be seen, and it's bendy.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *house*!

*Zoo*, you gotta stop by more often. When I first got into the game, it was your comments that kept me going.

*Outlaw*, that's a good idea. I've gone a different route in terms of planting as you can see below.

















After looking at the hardscape for some time, I decided that to best accentuate the features of the rocks, a river of UG was needed down the center. To compliment the river effect, Japanese Hairgrass has been planted at the top of UG flow. The UG will spill into a pool of Mini Pellia at the bottom. (This is the first time I'm using Mini Pellia as a carpet plant -- albeit in only a very small section.) The majority of the tank will be HC. (I'm hoping that HC's ubiquitous nature in this hobby will render it largely "invisible" so as to bring attention back to the Japanese Hairgrass, UG, and Mini Pellia, the tank's focal points.)

For this dry-start I'm doing a couple of things differently than before. Firstly, I'm leaving the lights on twenty-four/seven. Secondly, I'm using the quarter inch of accumulated water in the tank to grow the not-so emersion-friendly Mini Pella; it can grow submersed while everything else grows emeresed.

I've had only limited success growing Japanese Hairgrass emeresed, but I'm willing to give it another try (fourth time!) because I think it can really add to the plantscape if it grows as I want it.

And now the waiting begins.


----------



## CL

I'd watch out for algae on the mp with the lights on 24/7. I've been growing it completely emersed in my 40 breeder for several months now and it grows like crazy emersed. It just sits there for about a week or so, then it takes off and doesn't stop.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Okay, *CL*, I'm going to trust you. I just drained the water. I've had no luck growing this stuff emersed, but if you say so I'll give it another shot.


----------



## paulrw

man, i really liked the moss,but this looks promising!


----------



## brt_p

dude, ure getting good!!! keep it up!! :smile:


----------



## Outlawboss

I second CL's comments on growing MP emmersed. I've been doing the same thing with much success. The stuff seems to love growing emmersed. I've had really good growth.

Looking good UG.


----------



## Ugly Genius

A slight rework brought on by severe lassitude. I promised myself I'd make it to the gym before lunch, but as I was getting ready I saw that Riven just _had_ to be tinkered with. Next, I'm sure that Reach will need something done. Or maybe my books need rearranging. There'll be something to keep me from the gym. I'm just that lazy today.

Anyway...








The most apparent change is the addition of the two stones center-right. When I started this hardscape, the image of a Star Destroyer constantly flashed through my head. 








I'm not exactly sure what made the addition of the two stones make the tank seem more Star Destoyer_ish_ in my mind, but somehow it does seem more -- what's the word? -- Imperial to me.


























Secondly, I ditched the UG. I wasn't feeling it. Instead, I elected Japanese Hairgrass to fill the valley in the front-center. The JHG is better suited because its short, delicate lines will compliment the craggy nature of the hardscape, I feel. (I'm also a bit bored of UG as I'm using it quite extensively in riverrun.)

HC grows quite easily emeresed. It's nowhere near as slow-growing as riverruns's UG was.

I've had only limited success growing JHG and MP emeresed so this dry-start will be a test of not only my patience, but my faith as well.

Let's hope the Force is strong with me.


----------



## Ugly Genius

After some messingaboutabit I decided to add Mini Microsword to the JHG in the river portion. I also removed one of the two new rocks as the hardscape and plantscape became too confusing once I added the darker-green MMS.
I also added some Glosso to the top and a Crypt Parva tucked in the shade of a rock. (You'll never notice the Crypt as it looks just like the Mini Microsword.)

















I told you I'd find a way not to go to the gym. (In my defense, I did do a few sets of squats: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; and [email protected])


----------



## Francis Xavier

Holy crap, I see the star destroyer now!

I was going to say how i liked the scape better with the rock you removed from it still there, but I can see the star destroyer much clearer without it. Ergo the 9 year old Star Wars nerd in me says "But Sir. The odds of successfully surviving an attack on an Imperial Star Destroyer are approximately... "


----------



## Ugly Genius

3,720 to 1, *X*. 
Never tell me the odds.

Here's a photo for me to gauge growth.








My one concern is the Mini Pellia carpet; it's not attached to anything but the substrate. I don't think it'll be heavy enough to stay put once the tank's filled. If so, I have some flat rocks to which I could attach it, but I'm reluctant to attach it to them now as I'd like the MP to absorb the nutrients and the water from the AS.

Other than that, I'm finished planting and I'm going to let this one simmer on the counter for a few months.

Good times.

Time to head back into the asteroid field. They'd be crazy to follow us, wouldn't they?

______
NOTES:
If the first and last lines of this post made no sense to you, take solace in the fact that you are not a nerd. At the same time, I feel bad for you. Nerdishness is rad.
UG's favorite SW movies in order are: ESB, RotS, SW, AotC, RotJ, and PM.


----------



## Ugly Genius

I have a question in which the pursuant discussion is as important as the answer. Meaning, I'd rather not have people assert their answer as fact and take offense when someone offers a differing opinion. (Not that any of you are like that, but you know how the internet can be.) I'd just like other peoples experiences on:

Do plants sleep?

I've read articles and forum postings on the subject and after reading each one, I'm convinced that the one just read is the correct answer. Meaning, I invariably flip-flop from yes, they do need sleep to no, they only need dark to establish blooming cycles. It gets even more confusing when the they-don't-sleep camp recognizes that plants do indeed close up their petals, leaves, et cetera, but this is not indicative of "getting tucked into bed" but is born out of conserving energy as the sun is not out, but not necessarily getting "needed sleep" as we personify it.

Setting aside all the algae issues, what are your experiences, do plants need lights off to sleep?


----------



## Outlawboss

Maybe not sleep by strict definition, but I think they like to "rest." I think from my own experience that all living things need periods of low activity to recharge, heal, and change cycles.

I'm sure plants could go with no dark periods (consider plants at high lattitudes when sometimes it's daylight for 24 hours a day), but it seems again in my own experience, that they do better when they have a cycle of light/dark.

Cool question btw.


----------



## sharkrocket72

I would say yes they do sleep. There is a clear change when the lights are on and off. When the lights are on the plants take in CO2 and produce O2. When the lights go off and they rest/sleep it reverses and they draw in O2 and produce CO2. This alone I would say is indicative of a sleep or rest cycle.


----------



## neumahrs

Actually plants consume oxygen at all times but during the day they produce a lot more than they consume. However during the night they can no longer produce oxygen thus they have to absorb it from their surroundings. This isn't because plants are resting or sleeping, but its so they can keep producing energy to keep themselves alive. Now not all plants can handle exposure to light 24/7. For example tomato plants will start getting lesions with excessive light exposure, on the other hand many tropical plants such as African Violets grow like crazy and have no negative affects from continual light exposure.
I have a feeling that with aquatic plants we'll see some plants that do very well with a nonstop light cycle and some that will just melt from it.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Just some pictures.


















_I added more E. tenellus that I picked up at the store yesterday. 
The stuff wasn't super-healthy. Hoping it'll bouce back soon enough._


















_I've been adding more and more MP as I'd really like a full carpet of the stuff._​
This morning I upped the wattage to -- what's twenty-seven plus thirteen? -- forty watts. I'm currently leaving the lights on twelve hours a day, but I may switch back to twenty-four/seven soon enough.


----------



## Dr. Acula

UG, as a long time lurker, short time forum member, and shorter time planted tanker, I've always really liked your tanks. This one has just happened to be my favorite. It's been a pleasant read. So there you go, a little ego boost for ya.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks for the ego boost, *Doc*. I appreciate that. 
Truth be told, Riven's my favorite tank, too. In each of it's iterations, I always put the most effort into this Mini-S. 
Hardscape-wise it's had it's ups and downs, but I always tried the hardest on this tank.
It's also been my most difficult tank to balance.
A Mini-S is really too small for a beginner, I feel. 
A Mini-M is perfect. 
And perhaps because it was so difficult, when I've been able to balance it, it's felt more well-earned.


----------



## Ugly Genius

An annoying habit of mine that my girl must endure is that in the middle of watching movies in the living room, I get up, go to the bathroom, and on my way back, I start tinkering with the tanks in the kitchen. Very often I'll miss most of the movie while doing so.

That happened again tonight where I made some rockscape changes.









_The new rocks are lighter in color as they're not wet yet.
The color difference should disappear in time._








This time around, I'm trying a much more dramatic and vertical rockscape.


----------



## Kayen

Man i wish i had access to such nice rocks. Mine all look like crap. Maybe that's why i gave up on the hobby and sold all my nanos, since noone really paid attention to them and i even i think they sucked.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Kayen*. I wouldn't be so hard on yourself. You had a great nano going there for a while.


----------



## Damian

awesome rockscape. Cant wait for this to fill in.


----------



## Kayen

Woah i just noticed the very nice pocket inbetween the rocks where you stuffed more substrate . and you're fully taking advantage of that.
Great work UG. 
How's the e tenellus emersed speed going for you ?


----------



## BMueller777

daymmmmmm.... 84 pages of awesomeness hahaha

nice tanks man!

-brian


----------



## CL

While I love the pockets that you created to put plants in, I feel like that little rock is too flat on the front, and it gives the scape to much of a round feel on the upper left, IMO. I feel like a rock about half of the height of it would look better, but that's just how I picture it in my mind. Having never actually worked with the rocks myself, I don't know much about it, but I'm sure that you worked with the scape a lot longer than I took to critique it. Basically what I'm saying is, if you like it the way it is, then leave it. If artists always took the critics' advice, we would wind up with all art looking the same, and it would no longer be art, but instead some kind of equation for what is "beautiful".
I've really gotten into quite the habit of rambling lately  :hihi:


----------



## Ugly Genius




----------



## CL

Now _that_ is cool. It's very bold and definitely brings to mind some awesome mountain.
Very cool.


----------



## zerojoe0917

dang! getting better every single day uglyg! 
can't wait till you fill it up with water!


----------



## AlexXx

i liked it before :/


----------



## PinoyBoy

IMO... Great tank. But doesn't the new addition of rocks make it look round~ish?
It looks like one big centerpiece. Either way, it still looks great.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, guys! 
I figure I'll use the dry-start period to try all different kinds of rockscapes. As the rockscape is composed of approximately ten stones jigsawed together, it can be assembled and reassembled pretty much on a whim.

Speaking of which...
...this last assembly was created after quite a few drinks last night. While I wasn't quite drunk, I was well past buzzed. (The girl and I had a hard week at work and we wanted to let off some steam on a Friday night.) 
Even in my semi-drunken state, I knew at the time that it was a bad idea to drink and 'scape. While not as bad as drinking and driving, drinking and 'scaping can lead to deadly results. (I guess you could call this an SUI: Scaping Under the Influence. Coincidentally, "_sui_" is also means water in Japanese.)
Never-the-less, when I woke this morning, my first thought after fearing I'd have a hangover (I didn't) was the dread of seeing what I had done to Riven's hardscape the night before. In the end, however -- while some choices my now-sober mind sees as questionable were made -- I'm more or less happy with this assembly. I'll try it for a bit longer and see what happens.

In any event, I did a test fill just to see what the magnification effect would have on the already large rockscape.



































I think when things start to grow out, the size of the rockscape will end up being just about spot on.

I've also elected to have as large a MP carpet as I can get.


----------



## Aqua'd

Looks like a big turtle skeleton. 
Your scapes always look like animals to me!
Although it has a big round look to it, I kinda like it, it makes the mosses you have near the front look really really tiny, like brush underneath a huge cliff.

I love the pockets that are created center and slightly left, they give the whole scape a naturally unnatural look. Like part of the scape was created to be a nature replica and the overall scape was created to look like a rising sun with beams of rock coming off  
Anyway, keep it up, I always get great ideas from any pictures you post!


----------



## MrJG

I gotta try this sui you speak of. The result is awesome! Can't wait to see it grow in.


----------



## newday3000

Very cool design. What jumped out at me was the face staring out of the rock. Even cooler.


----------



## Aqua'd

Hahaha, wow.. That is almost scary. I like it, this tank should be a scene in Lord of the Rings or something


----------



## Outlawboss

I have been thinking "Lord of the Rings" all along, so I'm glad you said something Aqua'd. Now I know I'm not alone. Experiments in beauty, indeed.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Aqua* and *Outlaw*. It does have the LotR-vibe, don't it?

I filled the tank two days ago.



































The flora:
Riccardia sp. (Mini Pellia)
Hemianthus callitrichoides (HC)
Utricularia Graminifolia (UG)
Fissidens Nobilis
Echinodorus tenellus
Glossostigma elatinoides
Riccia fluitans
Mini Microsword
Mini Xmas Moss

The tech:
Twenty-seven watts
CO2 @ .75 bps
K and Micros daily

I'm eager to see how this one grows out as I've done quite a few things differently planting-wise, this time around. Most of it won't show for a few months as the plants have to grow out of the tucks in the rocks into which I've planted them.

The gist of the planting is that I wanted this one to look like a mountain range seen from a distance. This limits the types of plants that I can use. Mainly, every plant picked had to be very, very small.

Tank's got some residual BGA from the dry-start, but BGA usually remedies itself after a few weeks.

I probably won't stock this tank with fauna. Some MTSs, maybe, but that'll have to wait until it's done cycling.

Anyway, now we just set this one on the stove and let it simmer until it's done.


----------



## Damian

stunning


----------



## RcScRs

Dark Green Shrimp would look amazing in this tank and follow the overall scape...


----------



## Craigthor

Ugly Genius said:


> The flora:
> Riccardia sp. (Mini Pellia)
> Hemianthus callitrichoides (HC)
> Utricularia Graminifolia (UG)
> Fissidens Nobilis
> Echinodorus tenellus
> Glossostigma elatinoides
> Riccia fluitans
> Mini Microsword
> Mini Xmas Moss
> 
> The tech:
> Twenty-seven watts
> CO2 @ .75 bps
> K and Micros daily
> 
> I'm eager to see how this one grows out as I've done quite a few things differently planting-wise, this time around. Most of it won't show for a few months as the plants have to grow out of the tucks in the rocks into which I've planted them.
> 
> The gist of the planting is that I wanted this one to look like a mountain range seen from a distance. This limits the types of plants that I can use. Mainly, every plant picked had to be very, very small.
> 
> Tank's got some residual BGA from the dry-start, but BGA usually remedies itself after a few weeks.
> 
> I probably won't stock this tank with fauna. Some MTSs, maybe, but that'll have to wait until it's done cycling.
> 
> Anyway, now we just set this one on the stove and let it simmer until it's done.


 
Looking great *UG*, if you ever thin out some of those cool as heck mosses you will ahve to let me know. I'm going BIG with the new tank! Don't think I will bea llowed to post it in the Nano forums. 

Craig


----------



## chumblaka

Where do you get these cool rocks?


----------



## SearunSimpson

Wow, drinking and scaping is clearly the thing to do: Drink, scape, wake up, and stare in amazement!
Looking awesome!


----------



## MrJG

The UG thats tucked up there... is it just sandwiched between the stone? Sans substrate?

Oddly enough I did something very similar with the 10 gallon I just set up yesterday but I positioned the stones where I could throw a little pocket of aquasoil in the nooks. Little difficult to get things stay in place but I managed to get some strands planted.


----------



## fish_fasinated

beautiful as always UG!


----------



## soundtweakers

I just spent the last two hours going through this journal. I envy you man, you're having way too much fun!!

great photo journal and definitely many of my favorite scapes all within one journal. simply awesome, congrats man.


----------



## FDNY911

Those stones are amazing! I wish we had a place here in New York City to buy things like that.


----------



## dxiong5

Wow, awesome scape UG! Looking forward to the plants filling in!


----------



## houseofcards

Nicely done, congrats!


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, guys!

Riven's going through puberty. It's no longer a kid and not yet an adult. Meaning, it's got zits, a squeaky voice, and it's legs are too long for it's torso. Meaning (less metaphorically), that it's got some algae, sporadic growth, and less-than vibrant green.








I've made subtle changes that are too small and too numerous to mention/recall, but I think I'm pretty much done tinkering for the time being.
The observant may notice that one stone is missing from the crown. It fell during a glass wiping session and caused an avalanche of Aqua Soil on what was up until then a really nice carpet of Mini Pellia. 
I was irked, but not beaten. 
After realizing that I lacked the patience to pick each grain of Aqua Soil off the Mini Pellia carpet, I just let it sit there -- rationalizing that the MP will eventually poke through and benefit from the fertilized Aqua Soil. (It was this same type of rationalization that had me cramming the night before exams in college as I "work better under pressure". While this may be true -- I _do_ work better under pressure -- I also scored better on tests when I studied during the entire semester as opposed to the night before. And I felt a hell of a lot more rested to boot!) (And unrelated aside: what does that mean--? "To boot"? How does it translate to "in addition to" or "as and added benefit"? I use that phrase all the time and have no idea where it came from.)

I also added two RCS. One died as a result of jumping into the filter intake and failing to avoid the impeller. The other has made it into the filter twice and not suffered the same fate. 
Scientific proof that luck is genetic.

Speaking of luck...
For the life of me, I cannot get this tank to pearl. No matter how much CO2 or light I pour on, it will not pearl. Not that pearling is the end-all, be-all of anything, but I really love pearling.

Other than that, things are moving along. Slowly but surely.


----------



## Craigthor

Ugly Genius said:


> Thanks, guys!
> 
> Riven's going through puberty. It's no longer a kid and not yet an adult. Meaning, it's got zits, a squeaky voice, and it's legs are too long for it's torso. Meaning (less metaphorically), that it's got some algae, sporadic growth, and less-than vibrant green.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've made subtle changes that are too small and too numerous to mention/recall, but I think I'm pretty much done tinkering for the time being.
> The observant may notice that one stone is missing from the crown. It fell during a glass wiping session and caused an avalanche of Aqua Soil on what was up until then a really nice carpet of Mini Pellia.
> I was irked, but not beaten.
> After realizing that I lacked the patience to pick each grain of Aqua Soil off the Mini Pellia carpet, I just let it sit there -- rationalizing that the MP will eventually poke through and benefit from the fertilized Aqua Soil. (It was this same type of rationalization that had me cramming the night before exams in college as I "work better under pressure". While this may be true -- I _do_ work better under pressure -- I also scored better on tests when I studied during the entire semester as opposed to the night before. And I felt a hell of a lot more rested to boot!) (And unrelated aside: what does that mean--? "To boot"? How does it translate to "in addition to" or "as and added benefit"? I use that phrase all the time and have no idea where it came from.)
> 
> I also added two RCS. One died as a result of jumping into the filter intake and failing to avoid the impeller. The other has made it into the filter twice and not suffered the same fate.
> Scientific proof that luck is genetic.
> 
> Speaking of luck...
> For the life of me, I cannot get this tank to pearl. No matter how much CO2 or light I pour on, it will not pearl. Not that pearling is the end-all, be-all of anything, but I really love pearling.
> 
> Other than that, things are moving along. Slowly but surely.


*UG*, you had better go check out my thread for my new tank. Missing your input.  Link is in my signature...

Craig


----------



## NJAquaBarren

UG,

what is the light fixture that you have now? Looks different from your original. At 85 pages, I didn't look for mention of a switch on the thread.

Are you happy with it?


----------



## Fat Guy

looks great.


----------



## Robotguy

Ugly Genius said:


> (And unrelated aside: what does that mean--? "To boot"? How does it translate to "in addition to" or "as and added benefit"? I use that phrase all the time and have no idea where it came from.)


Questions like that leave me wondering all day, so I had to look it up:



> To boot
> 
> *Meaning*
> 
> Moreover; in addition to.
> 
> *Origin*
> 
> This term has nothing to do with footwear. The 'boot' is thought to be a derivative of the earlier 'bat' meaning 'good or useful'. This is also the root of the word 'better'.
> 
> Forms of 'to boot' in Old English date from around 1000AD. Robert Manning of Brunne included a version of it in Langtoft's Chronicle, 1330:
> 
> "A hundreth knyghtes mo... and four hundreth to bote, squieres of gode aray."


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Barren*, the light is the twenty-seven watt Archaea. Truthfully, I don't like it all that much; or, said differently, I would not buy it again given the chance. It's too much light over too narrow a spread. Two thirteen watt OttLites are much better.

Thanks, *Fat*. But as you'll hear in a minute, things have changed.

Thanks for that, *Robot*. Cooperation at it's finest, and we now know where "to boot" came from to boot.

Just five minutes ago, I tore this incarnation of Riven down. I'm going to rescape tomorrow. It's not that I hated the hardscape, but I'm still haunted by the memory of Tanglewood. I really, really loved that one. (Tanglewood was the 'scape a few months back in which I had the tangle of driftwood covered in various mosses and such.) 
I made mistakes that I hope to correct this time around and do it right. I had too small of a carpet out of the gate, too many mosses with which I had too little experience, and I didn't treat the driftwood for long enough prior to starting the tank. I also poured too much light on what are low-light plants, for the most part.
I'm not committed to the plants I'll be using, but Glosso might be there as I bought four pots today at AFA. Pretty healthy bunches, too, by the looks of them.
MP is definitely going to be in there as it's awesome.
Other than that, it'll just have to wait until I've slept on it. Usually, I have my better ideas -- if I have any at all -- in the morning.


----------



## NJAquaBarren

Can't wait tosee the next iteration.


----------



## Craigthor

This is the *UG* I'm used to seeing around here!


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Barren* and *Craig*.

Are you sitting down? If not, sit. 
I'm about to show you what is indubitably my greatest 'scape.
Make certain no sharp objects are near you as what I'm going to show you will -- I kid you not! -- blow your mind. When one's mind is blown, it has been scientifically proven that one's head will fall onto the nearest sharp object as that is, scientifically-speaking, the way of such things. 
It's true for having one's socks knocked off, as well. Which reminds me, you might want to take your socks off as they're about to be knocked off anyway.
So sit, keep the sharp things away, and be sockless.

For four hours I toiled over this Mini-S; four hours minus a forty-five minute soak in the tub somewhere in the middle.
So for three hours and fifteen minutes I toiled over this Mini-S. I laid down this blow-your-mind/fall-on-sharp-objects/knock-your-socks-off hardscape.








I'm going to allow for a few moments for the applause to die down.

Everyone okay?
Heads still intact? Socks located?
Good.
I know what you must be thinking. _It's...magnificent!_ Sniffle. _It's just so..._sniffle_...beautiful._
I know. It really is.

I'm playing, of course.
Some of you may be wondering what you're looking at as the photo's not all that clear. No, what you're seeing is what's there. It's a flat substrate of Glosso with nary a hardscape item at all.

You see, this time around, I'm building Riven in phases. This is phase one. Phase one consists of laying down a Glosso carpet. 
Once the carpet is grown in, I'll start phase two: the driftwood. 
Then comes phase three, but I don't really know what phase three is as I don't really have a plan that far out. Not including a phase three, however, seemed kinda lame as a build with only two phases seems -- I dunno -- short.

I'm going to use phase one to determine the highest I can extend the Archaea light while still getting Glosso's characteristic carpet growth. At present, It's extended as high as it will go. I'll drop it down as is required.
I'm pumping one bps of CO2 a second and that's a lot for a Mini-S.
I'm not going to dose anything buy K for the first three weeks. And I won't start the K until next week.

While for you this is perhaps _the_ most boring thing you can imagine, I'm feeling really good with this slow start. It feels really good to be coming back to Glosso, for one thing -- I missed it a lot. It's the most difficult carpet plant as one must balance light intensity, CO2, and ferts within razor-thin margins of error. I also like the feeling of control afforded by being able to observe the growth of one plant at a time. This will allow me to dial in the optimal parameters with, hopefully, fewer mistakes along the way.

Also, if you go back to page one of this billion-page journal, you'll see that my first build and this one look very similar.

Ugly's come full circle.

Ugly's come home.

Tra-la-la-lala.


----------



## Craigthor

Ahhh! I see daylight through that window, go grab the aluminum foil.....

Looks great I can see what this may look like based on previous scapes and my own forage in the Mini world....

Boring not so, its what will make this scape great. Can't wait for Phase III but I think you will have to put Phase II into action first so you know what your after for the next jump.

Craig


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, thanks, *Craig*. I appreciate that.

I added some Mini Christmas Moss to the filter. I want to see how it does. I'm hoping it will grow thick and act as an active filter media.








This photo's just so that I can gauge growth of the carpet as time passes.


----------



## Craigthor

You and all your cool mosses.....


----------



## Outlawboss

Hey, there's nothing wrong with white space, or in this case...clear space? It's a cool way to start.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Craig* and *Outlaw*!

To me, 'scapes either feel right or wrong right out of the gate. 
It's a lot harder to tell when they feel wrong. With so much artistic energy, time, and thought invested into a 'scape, one that later reveals itself to be wrong is not viewed objectively and virtually all of it's flaws are overlooked because of all that was given to it. Very often it takes me months to catch onto a 'scape being wrong. 
However, when I set up a 'scape that I will later hate, reflection afterwards will reveal that there was, from the very start, a gentle scratching at the back of my skull that had been etching the words, "The 'scape ain't right, bro."
This happens more often than not.

Conversely, when I get a 'scape that I really like, there is no doubt. I know with absolute certainty that what I laid down is what I wanted to lay down and it's perfect and I'm happy and everything's grand. This is very rare, though.

Oddly enough, satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the wrong and right 'scapes is not one-hundred percent contingent on aesthetics. Much of it results from the inexplicable -- a _jais ne se quoi_ that I cannot pinpoint or describe but know to exist if only on a subconscious level.

So what am I getting at?

I dunno.

But:
The last incarnation of Riven felt wrong from the get-go. It wasn't until starting this current incarnation that I realized exactly how wrong it was. Aesthetically, it was much more interesting than the current iteration, but still, I so much prefer this one. 
That said, I can't tell you why I like this one more. After all, right now it's a flat layer of substrate with sprigs of Glosso sticking out of it; nothing to look at, in other words.
Still, though, this one _feels_ right.

Perhaps it's because I'm starting this one slow and strictly monitoring the light, CO2, and fert levels that gives me a feeling of control. Or maybe it's the fact that I've yet to lay down the hardscape and this lack of commitment to a given hardscape excites me. 
I dunno.

The fact is, after you're into this hobby long enough, one begins to see that where before the placement of rocks and plants was of the upmost importance, the artistic mindset shifts -- maybe even expands -- to require a more direct a reflection of values one holds.

Here on these forums we all solicit critiques for our 'scapes. This is one of the best aspects of these forums. Outside viewpoints that support and challenge our own help us refine our skills as artists. 

Just don't forget to listen to that gentle scratching on the back of your head. It might be making a good point, too.

In the end, that's just as important.

It can also mean you have a dry scalp.

I've been taking daily photos of this tank from the same angle in order to gauge growth. I'll post them tomorrow.
The light is still extended as high as it will go and the Glosso seems to be carpeting so I'm hoping I can keep it this way. (Some springs are even pearling by lights out; a good sign.) I'm loathe to increase light intensity over a Mini-S as balancing the parameters is a pain in the butt.

In other news, _Final Fantasy XIII_ is pretty fun. Not super fun. But pretty fun.

I took the day off from work. I so needed it. It's been crazy busy and I'm burnt out. Too bad it's going to rain. I really was hoping to get a ride in.


----------



## Craigthor

Ugly Genius said:


> Thanks, *Craig* and *Outlaw*!
> 
> To me, 'scapes either feel right or wrong right out of the gate.
> It's a lot harder to tell when they feel wrong. With so much artistic energy, time, and thought invested into a 'scape, one that later reveals itself to be wrong is not viewed objectively and virtually all of it's flaws are overlooked because of all that was given to it. Very often it takes me months to catch onto a 'scape being wrong.
> However, when I set up a 'scape that I will later hate, reflection afterwards will reveal that there was, from the very start, a gentle scratching at the back of my skull that had been etching the words, "The 'scape ain't right, bro."
> This happens more often than not.
> 
> Conversely, when I get a 'scape that I really like, there is no doubt. I know with absolute certainty that what I laid down is what I wanted to lay down and it's perfect and I'm happy and everything's grand. This is very rare, though.
> 
> Oddly enough, satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the wrong and right 'scapes is not one-hundred percent contingent on aesthetics. Much of it results from the inexplicable -- a _jais ne se quoi_ that I cannot pinpoint or describe but know to exist if only on a subconscious level.
> 
> So what am I getting at?
> 
> I dunno.
> 
> But:
> The last incarnation of Riven felt wrong from the get-go. It wasn't until starting this current incarnation that I realized exactly how wrong it was. Aesthetically, it was much more interesting than the current iteration, but still, I so much prefer this one.
> That said, I can't tell you why I like this one more. After all, right now it's a flat layer of substrate with sprigs of Glosso sticking out of it; nothing to look at, in other words.
> Still, though, this one _feels_ right.
> 
> Perhaps it's because I'm starting this one slow and strictly monitoring the light, CO2, and fert levels that gives me a feeling of control. Or maybe it's the fact that I've yet to lay down the hardscape and this lack of commitment to a given hardscape excites me.
> I dunno.
> 
> The fact is, after you're into this hobby long enough, one begins to see that where before the placement of rocks and plants was of the upmost importance, the artistic mindset shifts -- maybe even expands -- to require a more direct a reflection of values one holds.
> 
> Here on these forums we all solicit critiques for our 'scapes. This is one of the best aspects of these forums. Outside viewpoints that support and challenge our own help us refine our skills as artists.
> 
> Just don't forget to listen to that gentle scratching on the back of your head. It might be making a good point, too.
> 
> In the end, that's just as important.
> 
> It can also mean you have a dry scalp.
> 
> I've been taking daily photos of this tank from the same angle in order to gauge growth. I'll post them tomorrow.
> The light is still extended as high as it will go and the Glosso seems to be carpeting so I'm hoping I can keep it this way. (Some springs are even pearling by lights out; a good sign.) I'm loathe to increase light intensity over a Mini-S as balancing the parameters is a pain in the butt.
> 
> In other news, _Final Fantasy XIII_ is pretty fun. Not super fun. But pretty fun.
> 
> I took the day off from work. I so needed it. It's been crazy busy and I'm burnt out. Too bad it's going to rain. I really was hoping to get a ride in.


 
Even if it's raining you can still always make a trip to AFA though I bet its dry inside. 

Craig


----------



## Robotguy

I gotta say, *UG*, your threads have the absolute best combination of beautiful tanks, excellent photography and interesting, readable writing style. I am looking forward to watching this one come together, and reading about your experiences in the process.

KUTGW.


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## Kilroy_1911

Ugly Genius said:


> "The 'scape ain't right, bro."


My new sig :iamwithst. UG's threads make me laugh
I look forward to seeing this tank evolve


----------



## Ugly Genius

I didn't make it to AFA yesterday, *Craig*, but -- who knows? -- I might go there today or tomorrow. It's not raining, though, so I might elect for a ride. Or: I could _ride_ to AFA.
That reminds me of the time that I rode home from AFA with about forty-five pounds of Manten stones in my backpack. By the time I rolled into my driveway, I was slung over the gas tank.

Thanks, *Robot*! That's a really nice thing to read.
Speaking of which, I'm thinking of starting video on this journal. I figure I can use my MacBook's Quicktime Screen Recording feature to show my photos while I explain, rather than write, what's going on in some of the shots. I did a test yesterday, and while I think it's awkward as heck to see and hear myself talk, it might be a good periodic way to change things up. After eighty-seven pages, maybe it's time this journal evolved.

Hey, *Kilroy*. Thanks, man. I just hope people don't think I'm talking about your 'scapes when they read your sig. They'd be all, "UG became a jerk all of a sudden."

I took these shots yesterday.

















I would not be in this hobby were it not for Glosso. When I first saw it in a planted tank in Nippon Goldfish...


_Nippon Goldfish_​
...I was blown away by the very idea that a fish tank could have something that resembled terrestrial grassland. The idea never even occured to me that such a thing was possible. It was then through the NGF's employees that I learned of Takashi Amano. The fire was lit at that point.

A carpet of its round, cupped leaves are incredibly beautiful to me; even today after all these years, it remains my all-time favorite carpet plant.

This incarnation of Riven will eventually house my two favorite plants: Glosso and Mini Pellia. You could give me a infinite number of hardscape and an infinite number of tanks with just these two plants and I doubt I would ever get bored of making new 'scapes.

I figure the tank will need at least three more weeks before I can enter phase two of the setup. In the meantime, I'm going to start prepping the driftwood for placement.

A few weeks ago, I switched the bulb on the Archaea fixture from a ten-thousand k bulb to the National Twin 1 FPL27EX-D.








I have no idea what spectrum it is -- the Japanese on the box describes it as "park day color" -- but whatever it is, it's pretty much perfect. Maybe it's eight-thousand k. I dunno.
This bulb's a square pin but it will work with the straight pin configuration of the Archaea fixtures.
Here's how you do it: If you're looking at the ballast of the bulb, the two pins closest to the writing-side of the ballast are black on the left, white on the right. Red is then above black, green is above white. I highly recommend this bulb over the stock ten thousand k bulb that comes stock with the fixture. I believe it's the same bulb that comes stock with the ADA Solar Mini fixtures.

Anyway, that's pretty much it for today. It's not raining, but it's cold as heck. I might end up just going to the gym, playing _Final Fantasy XIII_, and having dinner with the folks and my girl. riverrun's in dire need of a trim, but I'll probably save that fun for tomorrow.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Here are the progress pictures from day two to seven.









_Day two_









_Day three_









_Day four_









_Day five_









_Day six_









_Day seven_​
It'll probably be another three weeks until I get a full carpet.


----------



## Craigthor

Nice! Yes, that ADA light is ~8000k. I loved the look of it on my Mini M when I had it. Now that I've gone back to metal halide with this tank I've really fallen in love with the Phillips Mastercolor 4200k 92CRI bulbs. For being such a low K rating I expected a really yellow bulb but not true with this one, which probably has to do with the really high CRI (color rendition index) rating this bulb has. I was on another forum and they were showing a new PlasmaARC light that is just coming out shortly and it had a CRI of 95 with a 6700k spectrum and was close to the same coloring as mine.

How about we toss things up with a 70 watt MH over this tank? You could carpet Glosso out in a day, 2 days tops.


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## dxiong5

Nice updates, really looking forward to this one.

When you rescape your tanks, are you using the same substrate from the previous scape? Or are you changing it completely? Just wondering...


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Craig*.
I really love to sharp, crisp light of MHs. There's an intensity in MHs that is more akin to the sun's beams than is achievable with fluorescents. One day in the far future, I'll get a tank bigger than ten gallons and I'll play with the fun light fixtures.

Thanks, *dxiong*. I' use new batches of substrate with each build. There's no particular reason I do this. I suppose I just like the idea of starting "fresh" every time.

Question:
Do plants absorb ammonia and nitrite as easily as they do nitrate? I mean, in a not-yet-fully cycled tank, would my plants benefit from me seeding my bio-filter from another tank in order to have the ammonia and nitrite more quickly converted to nitrate, or will the plants eat up just as readily ammonia and nitrite?
I'm not worried about fauna in here as I don't plan on introducing anything for at least a couple of months. I'm thinking strictly on a what's-best-for-plants basis.
Do you know?


----------



## CL

Ugly Genius said:


> Question:
> Do plants absorb ammonia and nitrite as easily as they do nitrate? I mean, in a not-yet-fully cycled tank, would my plants benefit from me seeding my bio-filter from another tank in order to have the ammonia and nitrite more quickly converted to nitrate, or will the plants eat up just as readily ammonia and nitrite?
> I'm not worried about fauna in here as I don't plan on introducing anything for at least a couple of months. I'm thinking strictly on a what's-best-for-plants basis.
> Do you know?


The way I understand it is, they can only absorb NO3 and NH4, so they have to wait for the bacteria in the tank to break the NH4 that isn't absorbed by the plants into NO2 (which can't be absorbed), then the NO2 breaks down into NO3, which is absorbed by the plants.

I'm not sure if the plants absorb NH4 _easier_ or _better_ than NO3, but the NO3 is certainly more safe for the animals that live in the tank.

I'm not too sure if plants can absorb ammonia (NH3), but I am pretty sure that they can absorb ammonium (NH4)

For more information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_cycle


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *CL*. That's one of the best summations of the topic I've read. 
_(I'm going to take credit for something for which I deserve none. If you keep in the game, CL, you are going to be big in this hobby. Huge. You've got the balance of aesthetic sensibilities and intelligence. You're, what?, a senior in high school or something ridiculous like that and you all ready are doing what you do and know what you know...? It ain't normal, kid. You occasionally dip into the NaCl end of things, but we forgive you that. No one's perfect.)_​So I suppose going off what you're said and the wiki article you referenced, an uncycled tank could conceivably hurt the plants in that accumulated nitrites are toxic to plants.
I've been seeding the tank with Seachem's Stability, Microb-Lifts's Special Blend, and ADA's Green Bacter. None probably do a thing, but they do give me something to do besides watch Glosso grow.

As an additional result of being restless while waiting for Riven to grow in, I added a total of seven species of plants to my filter: Mini Christmas Moss, Lawn Marsh Pennywort, a moss whose name I forget, Anubias Nana "Petite", Pottias, and Mini Microsword.








Right now my filter's more fun than my tank.


----------



## CL

Ugly Genius said:


> Thanks, *CL*. That's one of the best summations of the topic I've read.
> _(I'm going to take credit for something for which I deserve none. If you keep in the game, CL, you are going to be big in this hobby. Huge. You've got the balance of aesthetic sensibilities and intelligence. You're, what?, a senior in high school or something ridiculous like that and you all ready are doing what you do and know what you know...? It ain't normal, kid. You occasionally dip into the NaCl end of things, but we forgive you that. No one's perfect.)_​
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Right now my filter's more fun than my tank.


Haha, wow. Thanks, UG . Really makes me feel special.
I actually got registered for classes at UK yesterday.
Engineering.

You're filter looks just like the filter on my mini m:


----------



## Craigthor

*UG with a tank bigger than a Mini Series!* :icon_mrgr


----------



## A Hill

So I don't post in journals too much, but I do view them a lot. I've been debating the move to nano land before this fall while I'm away at school and recently started deciding against going early, so I decided to read one of you very small tank journals and I've remembered why I want to get away from large tanks Great stuff you do, as always.

Granted, it was more of a skim since I don't have a few weeks or years to read it all I read most of it. Good stuff.

Have you seen the Do!Aqua diffuser that hangs on the tank? Do you know how they compare size wise to your diffusers? I want a small one because I feel the scale gets killed when one throws in a small diffuser that really isn't small... I'm looking to get a mini m most likely. 

-Andrew


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Hill*! I have seen the small diffuser that hangs off the tank. It's the Music Glass Mini 10D. It is the same size as the one I have in Riven, the Music Glass 10D.
For a Mini-M, the Music Glass Mini 10D and the Music Glass 10D might actually be too small, depending on how much CO2 you plan on pumping. The ceramic disk of these diffusers is the size of a pen cap. So if you're pumping, say, a bubble per second, you will be fine. If, however, you plan to go higher than that, then you may want to consider the Music Glass Mini 15D or Music Glass 15D. The larger ceramic disk of the 15Ds -- about the size of nickel -- will allow for the gas to escape through more pores, resulting in a finer mist.
I'm using 15Ds in my Mini-Ms and I fine they fit the scale perfectly and allow for adequate diffusion. (I pump around a bubble and a half per second with twenty-six watts of light.)
The 10Ds are the cutest of them all, though. You can't go wrong either way, but I lean slightly towards the 15Ds for anything above a Mini-S.

When you're growing one plant, keeping a photo journal interesting is tough.
But as Glosso is such a pretty plant, I was able to snap some shots that I think are mildly interesting.








I've been doing an obscene number of water changes on this thing. I'd estimate that I change about fifty percent daily water changes.








Until yesterday, I did not know that Glosso preferred soft water. This is simultaneously fortunate and unfortunate.
It is fortunate as SF has soft water from the tap.
This is unfortunate because until yesterday, I was adding Seachem's Equilibrium to my tank.
Even so, the Glosso did not seem to suffer all that much as a result of me upping the GH.


























The three nearly identical-looking photos above show the three MTSs I have in this tank. They are my sole source of fauna entertainment. Let me tell you, they are a hoot to watch. Just a moment ago, one buried itself in the gravel and then stayed there for seventeen minutes. Then the other one grabbed onto a Glosso leaf and kinda held it for -- gosh -- six minutes. It was awesome. It was kind of dramatic as I wasn't sure if he was going to fall off the leaf or not. A real tense moment, that was. The third one, the smallest guy, had me bitting my nails in anticipation as he approached the glass and I kept thinking to myself, "Is he going to climb the glass?!" In the end, he didn't. He chose to suck on a piece of Aqua Soil. It was nuts. I wish I got all of it on video because you guys would have flipped.
Forget fish. If you want excitement -- _true_ excitement -- get some snails. Those dudes are crazy fun to watch.
It's like Cirque du Soleil only more awesome.

On a serious note, during my internet readings about Glosso, I realized how indebted we are to those who came before us in the hobby. I'm not just talking about Amano & Co. I'm talking about the you's and me's from the decades before us.
I was reading about Glosso on The Krib and, apparently, fifteen years ago, Glosso was still quite difficult to come by in the US. It was hobbyist like you and I from years prior who created the demand, found the supply, and created the channels of distribution, not just for Glosso but for all the plants we use today.
We would not be doing what we do nearly as well had they not walked the path before us.
We owe all of those people some thanks.
But chances are they could care less of our gratitude as most of them moved onto saltwater tanks.

Where did this sentimentality stem from? Dunno. Maybe the death-defying antics of the MTSs stirred up something in my soul.

Speaking of which, right now the small MTS is approaching the heater. This looks like it's going to be an exciting evening! I'll keep you updated.


----------



## dxiong5

Lol, your journals give me the much needed break from studying for exams. Inverts for the win.


----------



## matthew.shelly

you have just 3 mts? i thought they multiplied like crazy?! do you feed them?


----------



## MrJG

Ugly Genius said:


> It's like Cirque du Soleil only more awesome.


Haha! Got a nice chuckle on that one after the first couple MTS lines. Solid.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *dxion*, *matt*, and *JG*. It was truly an amazing night of non-stop excitement. Never a dull moment with snails.
Matt, right now I only have three as I just set up the tank, but give the tank a month and I'm sure there'll be a lot more.

Dunno if you guys remember the DW from two 'scapes ago, so here it is again.









_This is an old picture from a few months back.
I didn't tear down the tank yet again._​
Rather than cover the thing with mosses like I did before, I'll be attaching Mini Pellia to horizontal branches only. I like the way Mini Pellia grows flat. When it attaches to a vertical surface, it tends to grow outwards and that would change the shape of the wood too much for my liking.

I'm still a couple of weeks away from adding the wood, though.


----------



## matthew.shelly

i really like that wood. it reminds me of something out of a fairytale. Pan's Labyrinth maybe? i really like the cave look it has to it. are you going to have to tear out some of the glosso to put the wood in?


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *matt*. The wood is pretty cool. The problem is that when the wood's in a filled tank -- partly due to the darkness of the wood and partly due to the narrow spread of the Archaea light -- it doesn't photograph all that well. In person, it looks great, but I've yet to snap a photo of it submerged in which it looks like it does to the naked eye.
In order to counteract the above-mentioned unphotogenic nature of the DW, I decided to add Narrowleaf Java Fern to the DW as well as MP. I may also include Bolbitis. The light hues of the JF will, I hope, accentuate the shape of the DW. I'm going to start with only rhizomes tied to the wood. This coupled with the slow growth of the MP means that this tank will probably tank over six months to even start approaching maturity.
I'm going to place the DW directly on top of the Glosso. Inevitably, the parts covered will die and the parts in the shadows will grow vertically, but there's really no other way around it.

The tank's twelve days old. In a few days, I'll have to start worrying about algae as around the two to three week mark, algae starts to graffiti the walls of a tank. So far, I've been lucky.

Apparently, keeping the Archaea light extended as tall as it will go is intense enough to get Glosso to carpet. I'm still thinking of getting another set of OttLites as I prefer their spread to the Archaea.

Weather's been perfect the last few days. Meaning, no one has a better commute in the world than I do.


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## AlexXx

I love reading your journals haha, that snail tail made me chuckle quite a bit. And that DW is amazing!


----------



## MrJG

UG I just got a nice portion of mini pellia from another scape member. Any tips for this stuff since you've been using it a while? I'm assuming its just like any other pellia. Just put it where you want it and forget about it. 
I'm tempted just to break it all up into tiny chunks and let it decide where it wants to go in a few tanks.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Alex*!

Hey, *JG*. It's not a bad idea to break the MP up and use it in different tanks if this is your first go at it. It will give you the experience with the plant under several different conditions.
The main thing about MP is that initially it grows very slowly. It's going to be so slow that as you're watching it in your tanks, you're going to think back to this conversation and think, "Certainly UG didn't mean _this_ slow. Because my MP is not growing at all." But, yep, it's _that_ slow.
Once it gets settled after a couple of months, it grows quite nicely. Not too fast so as to be a nuisance and not so slow as to induce doubt into its keeper.
MP grows stringy under low light and dense under high light. CO2 is not necessary, but it appreciates it none-the-less.
The one difference between MP and Pellia is that MP's growth can be more intricately shaped via it's position to the light. This will make sense to you once you've observed it for a couple of months. You will see that if you place it, for example, on a vertically-angled branch, it will fan outwards; place it on a flat rock and it will carpet; and place it in a vertical crevice of a rock and it will grow upwards. It makes MP one of the coolest plants in the world.

I forgot to mention this last night. Yesterday, I added UG to the filter. Depending on how it does, I eventually plan to replace all other plants in there with UG. From what I've read, UG's natural habitat is nutrient-poor stream banks. This leads me to believe that the filter may be the best place to actually grow the plant, seeing as it's got stream-like flow and no substrate on which to feed. It think a filter full of UG would look awesome. I hope it does well.

Here's growth from day eight to thirteen.









_Day 8_









_Day 9_









_Day 10_









_Day 11_









_Day 12_









_Day 13_​
For a baseline comparison, here's day two.








Growth's been pretty good. As I look at this tank every day, it seems that there's been no growth, but the photos show that it's done pretty well so far.
I'm really happy with the National twenty-seven watt eight k bulb. The color of the spectrum really makes the green of the Glosso pop.
The great part about growing a flat Glosso carpet is that I'm able to observe the intensity of the bulb sans a par meter. I can pretty much tell via the density and rate of growth where the light is the strongest. In my case, its a strip right in the middle of the tank. It is here that the growth has been quickest and most dense. Growth is slowest at the glass.
All this could be assumed, as one could deduce without my long, drawn-out carpet growth observation that the light should be strongest right beneath the bulb. But let me have my scientific moment, huh. This is the closest the artistically-leaning UG gets to scientific observation.

A few days ago I started adding four drops of Brighty K.
Yesterday I added exactly one drop of Green Brighty Step 2 (I don't have Step 1), but I don't think I'll add more for a few more weeks. A hunch tells me that it's too soon to add micros.

This weekend, time permitting, I will redo either Morrowind or Quasi-Wabi. I've got a jonesing to create a low-light forest-scape.

Thank God it's Friday! I downloaded _Ninja Assassin_ on XBox Live. The girl and I will watch it tonight after work. (My girl's pretty rad in that, while she prefers chick flicks, she will watch ninja/samurai movies with me and enjoy them. I think she may also watch them so as to gleam what is going on through my mind as we're walking down the street and I'll all of a sudden climb a street pole and scream, "Tatsumaki senpuu kyaku!" as I twist down towards the sidewalk.)


----------



## FDNY911

HAHA lol I just saw Ninja Assassin 3 days ago ... My girl didn't have to question me as to why I was throwing a few kicks and punches in my sleep.


----------



## A Hill

Thanks for the information UG! I figured you'd know the better of the two from personal observation. Some things are difficult to determine from pictures in magazines or online. 

Your posts are great, get me laughing every time.

-Andrew



Ugly Genius said:


> Thanks, *Hill*!I have seen the small diffuser that hangs off the tank. It's the Music Glass Mini 10D. It is the same size as the one I have in Riven, the Music Glass 10D.
> For a Mini-M, the Music Glass Mini 10D and the Music Glass 10D might actually be too small, depending on how much CO2 you plan on pumping. The ceramic disk of these diffusers is the size of a pen cap. So if you're pumping, say, a bubble per second, you will be fine. If, however, you plan to go higher than that, then you may want to consider the Music Glass Mini 15D or Music Glass 15D. The larger ceramic disk of the 15Ds -- about the size of nickel -- will allow for the gas to escape through more pores, resulting in a finer mist.
> I'm using 15Ds in my Mini-Ms and I fine they fit the scale perfectly and allow for adequate diffusion. (I pump around a bubble and a half per second with twenty-six watts of light.)
> The 10Ds are the cutest of them all, though. You can't go wrong either way, but I lean slightly towards the 15Ds for anything above a Mini-S.


----------



## Dollface

For what it's worth, in my experience UG (the plant) doesn't do well without substrate, I've grown it floating a few times, and it tends to grow very scraggly and tangled, with plenty of bladders, which it only seems to do when it's not getting adequate nutrients.


----------



## Ugly Genius

It'll soon become a situation involving layers.








This photo was taken just now. Growth is coming along nicely. It's got -- what? -- another two weeks before I can go into phase two. Pretty soon, however, I'm going to have to start trimming so as to not have the Glosso layer upon itself as some of the leaves are starting to grow over themselves.

Phase two -- the introduction of the aforementioned driftwood -- has got me more than a little nervous.
Two reasons why:
一番) I've got my tranquility going on here and everything's growing well and quickly and without incident. The introduction of another variable in the form of driftwood -- no matter how cool -- makes me worry. Needlessly, perhaps. But I do worry.
二番) The thought of the Glosso that will be covered by the driftwood dying breaks my heart. We've been through so much over these past couple of weeks, the thought of some of the plants dying...I don't want to talk about it.​
















The tank's now almost three weeks old. It's starting to show some visible signs of algae. A bit of fuzz, some thread, and a little dust. Nothing bad. Just the usual stuff one sees at the startup of a tank.

The tank's also going through it's bacterial bloom period so the water's a bit cloudy, especially in the morning. By lights out, it's pretty much crystal clear.

I'm seriously considering only stocking snails in this tank. I'm not sure what kind, though. So far I have my MTSs, but I would like something else. Nerites are cool, but I've done them extensively in other tanks.
Anyone know of cool algae-eating snails?

*Dollface*, I've noticed that, too, about UG. In my filter, however, it's doing quite well. Actually, the UG and the Pottias are doing the best of all the plants in my filter. This is a surprise to me as I expected the Mini Christmas Moss or Lawn Marsh Pennywort to be the happiest in there. (Those two are doing okay, but not quite as well as the former. The 'Petite' is also doing well, but that plant'll do well anywhere.)

Speaking of filters. One of you inventive and entrepreneurial folks out there should develop and sell a plantable filter. It should be a HOB, clear, have an open top, a media basket that can hold substrate without substrate spillage into the tank and/or the impeller, a small light source (LED), and an optional inlet for CO2 injection. The outflow should be gentle to minimize surface disturbance and at the bottom of the outflow a small basket (also clear) in which to place and contain floating plants such as Riccia. This way, we could do away with artificial filter media completely and have our tanks filtered by substrate and plants.
So get to it. I'll buy one.


----------



## CL

There's always something appealing about a nice lawn 
And you just wait, that hydrocotyle will take over before you know it


----------



## AlexXx

UG, that filter idea is great, you should get to it! Im sure everyone on here would love to support it, i sure would!


----------



## deleted_user_16

this is the best scape yet ugly haha


----------



## matthew.shelly

The filter sounds pretty intense. Considering how well you've managed the tank (and others) in the past, I'm sure you can handle anything the wood can throw your way. It's not like it's the first time you've had wood in a tank before.
A snail tank sounds pretty interesting. It'll be clean, that's for sure.
You could always try to move some of the plants out of the way of the driftwood and re-plant them along the sides. Not only would you keep them from dying, it would make for a very nice, thick carpet. I don't have any experience with this plant so I don't know how feasible that is.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Quick question preceded by rambling.

Right now Riven's got an AquaClear 20 on it. Flows just about right, but I wouldn't mind a tad more. I'm thinking of upping to an AquaClear 30 in order to increase flow and increase the size of my bio-filter so as to help maintain more stable water conditions. Where the 20 is rated at a hundred GPH, the 30 is rated at one-fifty. My concern is that that the outflow may be too strong.

So my question is to anyone who may have run a AquaClear 30 on a small tank, less than four gallons: how'd it work out for you? Or if you have both the 20 and 30, how much stronger is the flow on the 30?

Thanks, homies.


----------



## CL

50% off- http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3610&prodid=6164&catid=113
If you find the flow too much, you could just put some kind of floss or sponge over the intake.


----------



## Ugly Genius

*CL*, thanks, bro! That's a really good deal. I just ordered it.
And you're right about restricting flow if necessary. I'm thinking that it probably won't be necessary as I'll be adding the DW in a week or so and that in itself will block much of the flow. After all, if this tank can handle a 20 with no hardscape and the Glosso leaves are barely even moving in the sway, fifty more gallons an hour of filtration is probably going to be perfect with the DW.
Thanks, again.


----------



## jargonchipmunk

with the aquaclears you don't have to worry about flow too much as they have the built in flow restrictor in the intake tube. (just move it side to side slightly and you raise or lower the flow)


----------



## Dollface

Ugly Genius said:


> Speaking of filters. One of you inventive and entrepreneurial folks out there should develop and sell a plantable filter. It should be a HOB, clear, have an open top, a media basket that can hold substrate without substrate spillage into the tank and/or the impeller, a small light source (LED), and an optional inlet for CO2 injection. The outflow should be gentle to minimize surface disturbance and at the bottom of the outflow a small basket (also clear) in which to place and contain floating plants such as Riccia. This way, we could do away with artificial filter media completely and have our tanks filtered by substrate and plants.
> So get to it. I'll buy one.


You could modify an AC into a 'fuge for plants like that, SW people do it all the time. You probably wouldn't even need substrate, just plant things directly into some fine filter floss. It'd basically be a very crude hydroponics set up. It wouldn't be hard to make a removable basket out of plastic cross stitch mesh for the floss so you could have access your choice of media underneath either.

I actually had a red sea nano filter where a piece of riccia had gotten stuck to the filter floss that was slightly above the water line, over the course of a few months, it colonized the ENTIRE surface of the floss in emersed form, along with some duck weed, and a few bits of moss. It was pretty spectacular actually. The entire thing was lit with light spillage and because the plants were growing emersed, co2 injection wasn't required. The only downside was I couldn't bring myself to clean it out after a while so it turned into a nitrate trap.


----------



## Ugly Genius

*Dollface*, I finally understand your signature as I played _Beautiful Katamari_ for the first time yesterday.

You're right. It is.


----------



## CL

A "nitrate factory" wouldn't be bad for a freshwater tank (as it is for saltwater). It would actually be benefical; plants love nitrate.


----------



## Ugly Genius

The Glosso's now twenty days old.









_Day one_









_Day twenty_​
On the first day, I was not certain that the twenty-seven watts from the Archaea fixture extended as high as it will go, four and three quarter inches from the rim, would be strong enough to have the Glosso carpet.









_It is._​
I started with one bubble per every five seconds. With the increase in plant mass, I've upped to one bubble per every four seconds. 








I've been performing daily fifty percent water changes. Twenty-five percent in the morning, twenty-five percent in the evening.
Every other water change or so, I've been adding an eight of a teaspoon per gallon of water. (I have no idea what my GH is; I only know that SF's tap is soft. I also have no idea if I need to raise the GH as the Glosso does well if I raise the GH or not.)

I've been dosing four drops of Brighty K daily; two drops in the evening, two drops at night. (I measured and one pump is eight drops. Four drops is the proscribed daily dose for a Mini-S.)
Two days ago, I started with one drop of Green Brighty Step 2.

A week back, I added Tetra SafeStart -- quite a bit of it; enough for a fifteen gallon tank -- as I'm a firm believer that a bio-filter at a tank's start up really helps mitigate algae issues. 
I've also been dosing about two to four drops of ADA's Green Bacter. This is suppose to be supplemental food for the bio-filter. In which case, bacteria love bar-b-que because that is what this stuff smells like.

As I mentioned yesterday, and with CL's good find, I'll be upping to an AquaClear 30 when it arrives in the mail. I to run both the 20 and the 30 for a week or so. The benefit of having only snails as fauna is that I can have pretty much as much current as my plants' roots can hold against.

To date, I've pretty much given this incarnation of Riven the sum total of all of my experience in this hobby. I spared no effort in maintenance and care. So far, it's paid off because I haven't had the usual problems I've had with the Mini-S. No terrible algae issues, minimal die-off, and satisfactory growth. Of course, this is all super easy to do when you have no hardscape and only one type of plant to watch over.









_The most exciting tank in the history of exciting tanks!_​
The driftwood is being soaked in a bucket set in the sun on my front porch. I a week I'll attach the MP and maybe some Fissidens in preparation for it's move into Riven Tanglewood (_ver. 2.0_).

On a random aside, did you know that motorcycles and planted tanks have something in common? 
They do. 
I ride year-round. So most of the time, it's me alone in a sea of cars. Now with the weather turning nice here in SF, there are a lot more bikes on the road. When I see a fellow rider, I get hella jacked. _Hey, someone like me! I'm_ not _alone._ It's a good feeling seeing another rider. Like a lone wolf finding his pack after a winter of isolation in the mountains.
So, too, it is true of planted tankers. Most of the time when I'm about in fish stores or what not, it's the SW folk, or Betta people, or pond folk wandering the aisles. It's very rare to see fellow PTers. But every now and again, at AFA, for instance, I'll see another planted tanker stand mesmerized in front of a tank full of plants and I think, "I'm not alone. There are others. We _are_ out there. We _do_ exist."
Brings a tear of joy to my eyes.
We're not the majority, but we love what we do, and no one, _no one_, can carbonate and oxygenate a tank like we can.
At least, not as pretty as we do.
And that's a fact.

Keep the rubber side down, keep the hardscapes up!


----------



## jman

Your glosso is amazing. I can't get mine half that low in my Mini-M.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *j*. What light are you using on your Mini-M?


----------



## jman

I have the Archaea 27W fixture with two of the Hagen diy co2 units. The glosso grows fast, but just not too flat.


----------



## Ugly Genius

That's odd. It's enough light and it sounds like enough CO2.

I'm sure you're familiar enough with this hobby to know that eventually, given enough time and experimentation, you'll figure it out. If you ever need help, of course, feel free to ask.


----------



## Dollface

Ugly Genius said:


> *Dollface*, I finally understand your signature as I played _Beautiful Katamari_ for the first time yesterday.
> 
> You're right. It is.












PS: Beautiful Katamari was ... not my favorite. You should pick up the original Katamari Damacy and We ♥ Katamari on the PS2, Or if you really have to, Katamari Forever on the PS3. Nothing against the 360, but the controller is all sorts of wrong for Katamari. 



CL said:


> A "nitrate factory" wouldn't be bad for a freshwater tank (as it is for saltwater). It would actually be benefical; plants love nitrate.


Only up to a point, it made for a plethora of algae woes and it affected the health of the fish after a while, and they weren't even nitrate sensitive fish/shrimp. The rate of nitrate produced would probably be too irregular to benefit plants, and might cause trouble if you're already dosing. The problem was the filter floss was the only media I had, If I were to do it again I would go with a removable basket that I could rinse gently + bio balls and/or purigen underneath.


----------



## Craigthor

UG- This thing is looking amazing, now you need to go from these up to a HUGE tank like I did.  I don't expect nothing short of a 180cm ADA though from you.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks for the info, *Doll*. Appreciate it.

Thanks, *Craig*. One day I'll join your ranks and go big. For me a 60-P would be about as big as I'd go, though.

The 30 was on my doorstep when I got home from work today. After feeding the dogs, I slapped it on Riven. The flow's good. Not too much as I had worried. Actually, it's pretty much perfect.
Currently, I'm running both it and the 20. While I'm a bit worried about outgassing of the CO2 tomorrow with the additional surface agitation two filters run simultaneously create, I want to have the 20 going during the transition so as to keep the bio-filter intact. (And _if_ outgassing is mininal, I may consider running both all the time. I love flow.)









_The 20's on the left and the 30's on the right._​
I'll plant the 30 but I'm not certain what plants I'll use. I may just go for Mini Christmas Moss as it's very leaf structure seems evolved for filtration. Or maybe UG. The UG's doing really well in the 20 so far.

I've started trimming Riven. While the entire of the substrate is not yet covered, there are areas in which light intensity is strongest and CO2 is abundant that the Glosso grows quite thick over itself. This is ironic in that until I started trimming, I wanted growth to happen quickly; now that I have it, I want it the opposite.

Same goes for so many things in life, huh?

In a week, week and a half, Riven will be ready for Phase Two, the driftwood.

I don't even know if I'm looking forward to that.

Change is so scary!

Speaking of something related to absolutely nothing we've been talking about. Yesterday, after four years or so, I finished _Oblivion_. I don't know why it took me so long. I mean, I really liked the game. I just kept getting distracted by the tanks, other games, books, _Battlestar Galactica_, and CBR600RRs. Good game. I may download the _Shivering Isles_ to continue playing some more. Hopefully, the expansion will only take two years.


----------



## Ugly Genius

A test run with the DW.


























Should I keep it or try something else?
If I keep it, I'm inclined to not add any plants to the DW. Currently, there are some MP, Fissidens, and Mini Christmas Moss that somehow survived from Tanglewood. I'm just going to let those guys grow out without adding anything else.
Alternately, I can try something all-together different.


----------



## thief

I like it. But it does have an empty feeling may I add! I think a nice background plant would be needed on the back left corner ( Rotala sp. Green?) I think with a background plant it would add depth and a poofy mass of splendid color! As for the plants thought are on the wood, I agree that you should let them grow, I think it will have a cool look.

Also, UG, I surprised that you didn't try adding slope to the tank to experiment with depth. Maybe in your upcoming "larger tank" you can experiment this. 

Another thing that worries me, is a died off underneath the wood,. This is fine, but what if the stuff we see dies (any glosso that is visible but still right next the the wood) can leave an unpleasant blackness around the wood. Just some criticism, not trying to convince you the wood is a bad idea!


----------



## Tex Gal

I like the wood too, but I also think it needs something tall in the back left hand corner.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Hey, *thief* and *Tex*. Thanks! I agree with everything you mentioned.
Truth be told, after I posted the photos, I took the DW out. Mainly for one of the reasons you mentioned. I did not like the idea of some of the Glosso dying. I'm going to see if I can find a hardscape that only minimally impacts the carpet. We'll see what I can come up with.
As for the slope...I will slope a substrate on occasion, but I find that I like the flat better. The sloping effect is only really noticeable when a tank is viewed straight ahead. As most of my tanks are on a counter -- waist height --, I very rarely, except when shooting photos, look at them straight on; usually I see them from a sixty degree angle, where the illusion of depth is gained from having the substrate flat.
Another hardscape idea I'm playing with involves chopsticks covered in MP stuck into the substrate like trees and tiny rocks covered in moss hung from fishing line like clouds.
It might be one of those ideas that sound great in my head and are vomit-inducing in real life.


----------



## Reginald2

I wouldn't mind seeing airborne moss, it is just too pretty to be relegated to the depths of any aquarium. I saw something at a pet store once involving fishing string, a Styrofoam ball, and some java moss. I think it would look cool after it grew out and got all bushy.


----------



## jman

I bought some moss on a styrofoam ball from Petco once. I bet if you used flourocarbon fishing line it would look pretty cool.


----------



## matthew.shelly

Reginald2 said:


> I wouldn't mind seeing airborne moss, it is just too pretty to be relegated to the depths of any aquarium. I saw something at a pet store once involving fishing string, a Styrofoam ball, and some java moss. I think it would look cool after it grew out and got all bushy.


I'm trying to do something like that in my tanks right now. I took a small cork ball that I got out of one of my busted whistles and attached some java moss to it. I'm hoping it will grow don like some vines.


----------



## Outlawboss

It makes me think of moss fireworks. Whether it would be useful in a scape or not, that be a cool thing to see!


----------



## fish_fasinated

interesting piece, needs something else though.


----------



## Ugly Genius

One AquaClear 20.
One AquaClear 30.
One Hydor Koralia Nano.









_Almost enough flow._​
As I'm still undecided on a hardscape, I've decided to make Riven purely experimental until I can figure out what I want to do. This means that I will simply plant what I feel like planting and teching in any way I see fit until inspiration hits me.


----------



## Dollface

You're right, the surface isn't a permanent whirlpool yet, that's not nearly enough flow.


----------



## CL

I love me some flow. Did you get that k nano from Drs. F&S?


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## ZooTycoonMaster

This tank almost makes me want to try out Glosso!

Where'd you get the Koralia Nano from?


----------



## CL

Oh zoo, was it you, or UG that I told that they were $15 at Drs. F&S?


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## ZooTycoonMaster

CL said:


> Oh zoo, was it you, or UG that I told that they were $15 at Drs. F&S?


That was me...but I'm still not sure if they'll diffuse CO2 well.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Donchaknowit, *Dollface*. Until I can get a whirlpool -- or a tsunami, at the very least -- I don't have nearly enough flow in this tank.

*Zoo* and *CL*, I did get it at F&S. It was on sale for something like fourteen bucks.
I don't know if it'll diffuse CO2 into the water column, Zoo, but it will help distribute the CO2 and ferts around the tank. The way I see it, it does not matter how much CO2 and ferts one has in the WC if the water in question never actually gets to the plants.

I don't know if I'll keep the pump in there too long as with Riven being twelve inches wide and the pump being two and a half inches long, the shadow the pump creates is relatively large. In a low-light setup, this would not prove to be a problem, but with Glosso needing a fairly high light intensity to carpet coupled with the fact that I have the light at the absolute maximum distance from the substrate in which to get the Glosso to behave as such, the shadow may mean that the pump's got to go.

I'm going to leave it in for a time, however. I'm a firm believer that circulation is one of the most important attributes of a planted tank. I place it above CO2 in terms of importance. It goes: Light. Nutrients. Flow. CO2.

Someone's got to make a good planted tank pump option. Most of the pumps are for reef applications. And most reef stuff is hella ugly. (I just pissed of a bunch of you reefers by saying that, didn't I? Let me rephrase that: Due to the fact that reefs are by nature almost inherently prettier -- with their colorful corals and brightly colored fish --- than even the best planted tanks, the equipment does not need to be pretty and ends up being, for the most part, stomach-achingly hideous.)

The UG's still growing really well in the filter. When it gets brighter in my kitchen, I'll snap a shot. Just know that a really good filter plant is UG. I have a feeling that a HOB filter is a close facsimile of it's natural environment. It's very leaf structure seems suited for the high flow location and it's bladders can catch any microorganisms flowing over it.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> *Zoo* and *CL*, I did get it at F&S. It was on sale for something like fourteen bucks.
> I don't know if it'll diffuse CO2 into the water column, Zoo, but it will help distribute the CO2 and ferts around the tank. The way I see it, it does not matter how much CO2 and ferts one has in the WC if the water in question never actually gets to the plants.


Does it look like there's room behind the impeller to stick CO2 tubing in and have the impeller chop up the bubbles?


----------



## Ugly Genius

You probably could pinch tubing through the strainer and get some CO2 bubbles broken up by the impeller, but I can't say how well.
I can tell you that if you were to diffuse with a glass diffuser or even a chopstick or airstone and place the it anywhere close to the pump, it would suck up close to 100% of the bubbles, break some of them up further, and disperse all of it in the direction of the pump.
I have my glass diffuser on the other side of the tank and the pump still pulls in quite a bit of CO2 and spits it back down towards the substrate. 
I don't think it would make a great diffuser, but it would turn something as simple as an airstone or chopstick into something comparable, if not better, than anything ADA can produce in terms of CO2 distribution.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

Ugly Genius said:


> You probably could pinch tubing through the strainer and get some CO2 bubbles broken up by the impeller, but I can't say how well.
> I can tell you that if you were to diffuse with a glass diffuser or even a chopstick or airstone and place the it anywhere close to the pump, it would suck up close to 100% of the bubbles, break some of them up further, and disperse all of it in the direction of the pump.
> I have my glass diffuser on the other side of the tank and the pump still pulls in quite a bit of CO2 and spits it back down towards the substrate.
> I don't think it would make a great diffuser, but it would turn something as simple as an airstone or chopstick into something comparable, if not better, than anything ADA can produce in terms of CO2 distribution.


Ok then. Thanks for the help


----------



## Ugly Genius

_Slowly. 
The hardscape emerges._​


----------



## ClPat

I gotta say that carpet is amazing, lush and a perfect green! the contrast with the moss is cool as well.


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

That's some very healthy Glosso and Mini Pellia!


----------



## jms

makes me want to try glosso.


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## Outlawboss

And from the green sea of UG, it emerged...


----------



## CL

That glosso looks really healthy. You sure have gotten growing it down to a science :thumbsup:
Congrats on unofficially having the longest thread on PTF (I do believe)


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Pat*, *Zoo*, *ZMS*, *Outlaw*, and *CL*! CL, this thread may end up being one hundred pages soon enough.

I'm taking my time with Riven. Everything is being laid down very deliberately and specifically, piece by piece. However, I do not have a vision of what the hardscape will be when I'm finished. What I'm doing is laying down a piece of driftwood or stone and letting it stay there for a week or so. After looking at the tank during that time, I try to find something that will fit the to-that-point aggregate whole of what's already there. 








As of right now, the above photo is where I'm at. I have no idea where I'll go from here. I'm considering going away from a "landscape in a tank" and trying a more "natural" 'scape in that rather than trying to have a complete scene, I'll try to achieve a look where the tank was simply taken from a twelve inch by seven inch square of nature and put into my tank without consideration of the aesthetic balance of things; where the growth patterns of the plants in relation to each other supersede any confines or constraints dictated by a hardscape.
But we'll see if I can pull that one off and still have it look good.


----------



## CL

bump


----------



## A Hill

CL said:


> bump


Yeah really :flick:

I'm sure it looks great as it did in that picture.

-Andrew


----------



## JamesReef

Ugly your threads have provided me with several nights of shock and awe, very inspirational, you are a genius but I seriously doubt you are ugly!

Thankfully I am only about halfway through both the Riven and Source threads so I still have a few more enjoyable nights of reading.

Great work, amazing!


----------



## CL

I agree, James. The writing in these threads are so good, and the threads are so long, they might as well be made into books :biggrin:


----------



## Outlawboss

I miss my UG fix.


----------



## VincentK

Outlawboss said:


> I miss my UG fix.


Why he doesn't update anymore?


----------



## Outlawboss

He'll be back. I think!


----------



## CL

Too busy riding his bike, I guess


----------



## Ugly Genius

Okay, I've been away for a long time. But I have a good reason. Here's why.


----------



## Dollface

:thumbsup: You like this.


----------



## dj2005

Ugly Genius said:


> Okay, I've been away for a long time. But I have a good reason. Here's why.


Will you be teaching him/her the ways of the Jedi-I mean Aquascaper?


----------



## chris.rivera3

hahahaha!!! congrats man!!! and nice video ....i like the addition of the, "interrupted....."




Ugly Genius said:


> Okay, I've been away for a long time. But I have a good reason. Here's why.


----------



## Reginald2

So... no more aquariums in the kitchen?


----------



## Outlawboss

ROFL! Best. Video. (and news) EVAR!

Congrats!


----------



## CL

Ah! Dude congrats. I wasn't able to watch the video until now, but I assumed it was either a video of a guy biking, or a video of a baby. Nice!


----------



## Francis Xavier

that's great man, I'm happy for you. The video is very UG esque.


----------



## oldpunk78

nice :hihi:
congrats!


----------



## Ozydego

would be cool to suspend the DW so as to not disturb the carpet, trimming glosso underneath would be tricky though... having moss hanging down off the DW could get really interesting...


----------



## Ugly Genius

It's been a long time, and I miss it. I'm going to spend the next week or so getting back up to speed on the technical details of planted tanks -- I've forgotten everything! -- and resurrect one of my tanks. Looking forward to getting my hands wet once again.

UG


----------



## Couesfanatic

Nice, it's been a while since i've seen you post. You had some of the best nano's around. Excited to see your work again.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Thanks, *Couesfanatic*.

I checked the dates and took about forty-five minutes to do the math and determined that it was five years ago that I tore down my six tanks: a Mini-S, two Mini-M's, a Mini-L, and two cubes. 

During those five years, my wife and I have had two kids, now aged four and two. I'm sure we did other stuff during that time, but I have no memory of it. It's just a blur. Raising kids demands so much from parents. Parents love their children with every fiber of their being and I'm know that most would rip off an arm just to keep their kids safe, but my God...raising them...I'd rather be randomly and repeatedly kicked in the nuts than put up with some of the [censored] that one must put up with raising kids. (Case in point, I just put my two year old to sleep, but not after she threw a tantrum because I would not let her wear her rubber rain boots to bed. I'm not making this [censored] up. Who the [censored] wears rain boots to bed--? Does she even realize how sweaty her feet would get sleeping with those things on? And everyone in my neighborhood knows that she _would_ wake up in the middle of the night crying her friggin' head off because her feet would feel like the Fukushima reactor meltdown. Kids, they're idiots. I'm telling you! Just kick me in the nuts.)

Anyway, the reason I bring that up is to explain why I quit planted tanks five years ago. You see, I have a very addictive personality. I get obsessed with things. Crazily. Five years ago, I was obsessed with planted tanks. I loved them. I'd be in meetings at work talking about God knows what, and my mind would wander to a something related to planted tanks. "I understand that the organization is moving in that direction in regards to the needs of our clients and the changes in the tech landscape, but...you know, I don't think there _is_ such a thing as too much light. As long as you can supply enough plants, CO2, and nutrients, you can effectively stop and algae infestation." So suffice it to say, in order to be a good dad to my -- at that time -- soon-to-be-born son, I had to quit.

Now, with the kids no longer waking in the middle of the night and driving my wife insane from insomnia, I can get back to some of the things that make me happy.

Earlier today, I pulled a Mini-M out of storage and I'll start with that. I have no idea what kind of aquascape I'll do, but I'm thinking rock and wood with slow-growth focal plants and a glosso carpet fronted by sand. We'll see what kind of aquascaping materials I can find at the store. I'll be doing CO2 injection and probably only shrimp and snails as inhabitants.

In the meantime, I'll be checking out everyone else's aquascapes to see what're the trends are now, but if and of you have advice regarding things that have changed in the last five years, please let me know.

Oh, quick question, does anyone have any experience with the Aquasky Moon 361? It's so pretty.


----------



## Daisy Mae

Ugly Genius said:


> During those five years, my wife and I have had two kids, now aged four and two. I'm sure we did other stuff during that time, but I have no memory of it. It's just a blur. Raising kids demands so much from parents. Parents love their children with every fiber of their being and I'm know that most would rip off an arm just to keep their kids safe, but my God...raising them...I'd rather be randomly and repeatedly kicked in the nuts than put up with some of the [censored] that one must put up with raising kids. (Case in point, I just put my two year old to sleep, but not after she threw a tantrum because I would not let her wear her rubber rain boots to bed. I'm not making this [censored] up. Who the [censored] wears rain boots to bed--? Does she even realize how sweaty her feet would get sleeping with those things on? And everyone in my neighborhood knows that she _would_ wake up in the middle of the night crying her friggin' head off because her feet would feel like the Fukushima reactor meltdown. Kids, they're idiots. I'm telling you! Just kick me in the nuts.)


I was laughing so hard while reading this that the two kids asked me what was up. I had to read it to them of course. The twelve year old started laughing half way through. Huh. He will feel the pain soon enough, but not too soon I hope. Maybe in 18 years or so.


----------



## Ugly Genius

I'm glad you got a laugh out of it, *Daisy Mae*.

I played hooky for half a day and went down to AFA to pick up supplies. I got a bag of Aqua Soil Amazonia and a bag of Colorado Sand. I could not find any good hardscape pieces from their selection, so I'm going to dig through my stash and see if I can cobble something together from what I've already got.

In addition to the substrate, I justified, at least to myself, a large_ish_ purchase. Since I have not been in the hobby for five years, I have not spent any money in the hobby for five years. _So_ this means that I probably saved thousands -- if not trillions! -- of dollars over the past five years. _And_, I reasoned, I could therefore afford to spend a _measly_ hundred and eighty bucks on the Aquasky 361 LED lamp because _really_ I probably save at least a quadrillion dollars over the past five years. Maybe more! Anyway, the 361 is totally over-priced, but it's very pretty.

So now with the house empty -- I played hooky from work, remember -- I am going to dig through my garage and see what hardscape materials I can find.

I also have to determine what filter I want to put on this thing.

Once I've decided on a hardscape, I'll figure out what plants I want in it and I'll get this scape started in earnest. You know, with pictures and all that.


----------



## Ugly Genius

Okay, here's what I found in my stash.

















This is a rough idea of the tank may look like. I probably won't fill it in today. I'll sleep a bit on the layout and see if I get a different idea.


----------



## Tihsho

I want that piece of wood in your scape badly! Did you happen to find it at a LFS in SF? I have one piece like it, but want another one for symmetry. Tanks looks great! Welcome back!


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## Ugly Genius

Hi, *Tihsho*. Thanks. Yeah, I got that piece years ago at Aqua Forest Aquarium here in SF. Check them out online at adana-usa.com.


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## Ugly Genius




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## Tihsho

No fair you have more wood stashed @Ugly Genius!


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## Couesfanatic

lookin good


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## PinoyBoy

Welcome back UG! Can't wait to watch this one grow.


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