# 90U Central Island with Hygrophila Wabi Kusa Balls



## a modest aquarist (Jun 11, 2019)

I don't think I can ever get tired of seeing hygrophila pinnatifida in an aquascape. Nice work! Don't think I would be mad coming home to seeing that everyday.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

a modest aquarist said:


> I don't think I can ever get tired of seeing hygrophila pinnatifida in an aquascape. Nice work! Don't think I would be mad coming home to seeing that everyday.


Thanks! It's such an interesting plant. It just needed its own space to spread out into. I've also got some hygrophila araguaia in there an love it as well. It's turning into a ground cover around the base of the island pretty much on its own.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Shameless glam


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## *Ci* (Jun 16, 2016)

That is a really beautiful tank ... the pinnatifida “shrub” >love<


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

*Ci* said:


> That is a really beautiful tank ... the pinnatifida “shrub” >love<


Thank you kindly!

This is my first truly successful planted tank. It's... amazing! I finally achieved the balance that has eluded me so far and it's a wonderful feeling!


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

The meme got me!! 😂😂😂😂


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## Ventchur (Apr 29, 2018)

Beauty! Love the choice of substrate and keeping the focus on the pinnatifida. Looks straight out of it's natural habitat in India.


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

Beautiful! You have every right to be proud,

Question. I was going to add some hygrophila pinnatifida to my tank to replace a "Little Shop of Horrors" giant sword plant but was concerned about its tendency to spread too quickly and thus need a lot of trimming.

How much trimming are you needing to do?


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Ventchur said:


> Beauty! Love the choice of substrate and keeping the focus on the pinnatifida. Looks straight out of it's natural habitat in India.


thank you. the substrate has been a bit of a struggle... started with sand, but it got too junky looking. settling into a mix of sand and gravel. getting closer!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

mourip said:


> Beautiful! You have every right to be proud,
> 
> Question. I was going to add some hygrophila pinnatifida to my tank to replace a "Little Shop of Horrors" giant sword plant but was concerned about its tendency to spread too quickly and thus need a lot of trimming.
> 
> How much trimming are you needing to do?


thank you! 

in this tank i'm not having to trim too much, but that's mostly because i'm intentionally letting it take over. if you want to have it in one spot, you'll have to trim some runners, but i don't think that would be unmanageable. 

one thing i've noticed about this plant though is that it really seems to prioritize new growth, and older leaves can get a bit ratty looking. in this tank, most of the trimming that i do is to remove the lower, older leaves to open up space for new growth from young shoots. you'll probably need to replant healthy tops periodically, which could be a bit messy since it's an aggressive rooter.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

One of the biggest issues with the first version of this tank was the hardscape. I used driftwood but didn't figure out how best to secure it in place until after the substrate was already in the tank. If you've ever tried to place big pieces of stone-mounted driftwood in a tank already full of wet soil, I'm sure you can imagine how such an approach could lead to sub-standard results. It always felt improvised and just not quite right. 










With the new version, first and foremost I wanted totally secure hardscape that went (and stayed) exactly where I wanted it. That hardscape was some really hard driftwood secured to slate.










That was combined with some locally-sourced river rock.










But first, the old tank had to be broken down. This was a family affair.










Since the new version of the tank was going to be based on the hygrophila from old scape, breakdown and set up had to happen back to back. Thy hygro stems were kept in a holding bin while the tank was cleaned out.










Once the tank was cleaned, we made the wabi kusa balls with reclaimed aquasoil and hygro tops.



















Next up, the hardscape and wabi kusa balls (we called them 'hygro bombs') were placed into the freshly-cleaned tank.



















I was really happy with how it turned out at the time, but looking back now I realize I put way too much sand in there.










At the end of planting day, we were totally spent and really satisfied with how it came out. Things went downhill quickly...


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

EmotionalFescue said:


> At the end of planting day, we were totally spent and really satisfied with how it came out. Things went downhill quickly...












And then...?????


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Planting day was December 5th. Within days, much of the hygro began to melt, and a diatom outbreak began to explode. 

I honestly wasn't expecting such a massive melt given that the plants were going back into the same soil/water and were only in the holding bin for a few hours. Nevertheless, melt they did, and the tank quickly became a horror-scape of heartbreak and woe. 

The problem - as I saw it - was that after much of the plant mass had melted away, I was critically underplanted, and I was lighting a lot of open sand. I figured what I needed was a way to bulk up my plant mass temporarily and get my light to fall on photosynthetic surfaces instead of open sand until the hygro could recover and bulk up.

Solution: frogbit.










I love frogbit, and always keep some going somewhere in the house. But, I have found that it doesn't usually transition very well from one tank to another. The best frogbit you'll get in a tank is frogbit grown in that tank. So, while I started with several hands full from my daughter's betta tank, I knew it would take a couple weeks to grow out a nice, healthy patch that would really help this new tank get through its struggle period.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

As the frogbit grew out and the tank continued to struggle, I motored on with regular water changes and excel doses. Thankfully, the diatoms respond well to excel, so I used the full initial dose post-water change once the established leaves started to get pretty caked. This was probably once every five days or so? With a water change about every other day. Something like that. I didn't keep any notes :\

Meanwhile, December ground on, and we started to remodel the room the tank was in.










This room used to be our dining room, but it turns out we're just not really dining room people. Instead, we're turning it into a sitting room. The plan was to paint an accent wall, replace the light fixture, and put in a new couch, rug, and coffee table. The furniture would take 3 months to come in (it should arrive any day now!), so we figured that's how long we had to turn this tank around. No pressure.

Here's the room before we started, for reference.










Around this time I also replaced the twinstar with a pair of Kessils and a new light mount.










The tank continued to look terrible as 2020 became 2021.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

On January 23rd, we added 30 Amano shrimp. We were mostly just ready to see some life in this tank and thought that the shrimp at least had a shot at helping us out with the algae and worst case probably wouldn't make it much worse.










By the last week of January, we were really starting to see some new growth, and the shrimp had completely rid us of diatoms... which quickly gave way to the dreaded green filamentous algae that plagued the planted tank in my living room.



















Having had much experience with this algae, this development was depressing. This stuff simply does not respond to excel, even at overdose levels. It _does_ respond to the 1-2 punch treatment, however. So, while I wasn't ready for that yet, at this point I knew that's where this was headed. But, before going big on the algae treatment, I wanted to be sure that I'd addressed all the underlying issues. As it stood at that point, I was concerned about three things:

CO2 consistency (I feared I had none with my cheap needle valve and bubble counter)
Fertilizers (I was using PPS-Pro with EDTA chelated micros)
Flow (I was using a lily pipe for the return on the left side of the tank, and I was seeing by far the best growth on the far right while plants weren't doing nearly as well in other areas of the tank)
In the first weeks of February I set out to address these points.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

On February 3rd, I installed a flow meter with a good valve and began monitoring my pH to find the right flow rate.



















The flow meter was a total game changer - counting bubbles is for suckers! But, after monitoring the pH drop, one issue became clear: I didn't have great gas exchange. My pH continued to decrease throughout the day, getting into dangerously low territory before the lights went out. I programmed some off periods in the afternoon for the CO2 timer, but this reinforced my concerns about flow.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

On February 10th, I installed a spraybar and continued to monitor pH for several days.










The spraybar made a huge difference in gas exchange, and the flow in the tank was clearly much better. I needed a significantly higher co2 rate to hit a 1.3 drop, but the pH curve was much better. With the spraybar and a higher co2 rate, I hit my target drop and stayed there throughout the day without needing programmed blackouts in the afternoon.

At this point, I felt like I had a much better handle on co2 consistency and water flow through the aquarium.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Regarding fertilizers... unfortunately, I didn't take any notes, so I'm not exactly sure when this happened. But, sometime near the middle of February, I switched from PPS-Pro to 18, 4.5, and 21 ppm/wk NO3, PO4, and K, respectively, and an EDTA+DTPA micro blend benchmarked at .6 ppm/wk Fe.

Around this time I also did the 1-2 punch (2.5 Tbsp/10g). As expected, this knocked the filaments out almost entirely, and... they miraculously have stayed gone. I still have a few here and there on the highest leaves, but it isn't spreading, and you really have to go out of your way to try and spot them.

After I got the algae under control, I moved some fish from the tank in my living room which is getting its own make-over. So, it now has 17 dwarf neon rainbow fish, one pearl gourami, 8 otocinclus catfish, and those OG amano shrimp.

As of today, the tank seems very healthy. I'm changing the water once a week (~60%), the plants are growing nicely and algae isn't. I'm still fiddling with the substrate (today I took out some of the gravel) and equipment (yesterday I changed out the reactor), but this is as close to autopilot as I've ever gotten in this hobby. I think getting a handle on the co2 was a big contributor, but I credit most of the turnaround to the spraybar. FLOW. FLOW. FLOW.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

I almost forgot - here's where we're at with the sitting room.










Still no furniture... but, at least the tank won't be an eyesore once we finally have that couch!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Some pics from the past few days:


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Back in January, I swapped out my 20" narrow reactor for a version with a 10" wide housing. The motivation at the time was that the tall reactor was always tipping over when I serviced the canister. The shorter version was indeed more stable, but it had 1" ports and I wasn't super careful with the plumbing, so it ended up just taking way too much space in the cabinet. It was also quite a bit louder. Having just recently made a new 20" reactor for another tank, I realized that it can be stabilized by just affixing the housing to a piece of acrylic. So, this past weekend, I switched from this:










to this:










This change gave me a lot more room in the cabinet and moved the important reactor valves and connections to the front to be more accessible. It's also quite a bit quieter, which we'll appreciate when that couch finally arrives...


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Water change day.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Some pics of the fish not being so shy...


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

I think I finally figured out how to take a decent pic of this tank. Now if the fish would just come out...


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

More fish pics from feeding time this morning...























































and a little shrimp doing its thing before the lights came on:


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Finally got a few of Gary.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

More feeding time pics...























































and, lastly, a shrimp with his pellet!


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## Mr.Shenanagins (May 2, 2017)

Wow great tank! Awesome recovery too, it can be so frustrating. Are those all dwarf neons? They look huge! I have 6 I got back in November that are about 1.5 inches. Your pearl gourami is beautiful too. Do they go after the shrimp at all?


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Mr.Shenanagins said:


> Wow great tank! Awesome recovery too, it can be so frustrating. Are those all dwarf neons? They look huge! I have 6 I got back in November that are about 1.5 inches. Your pearl gourami is beautiful too. Do they go after the shrimp at all?


Thanks - it's been quite a ride!

Yep, those are dwarf neon rainbows. There are 17 of them in there. Love those fish. They have to most interesting behavior, especially in the early morning. We also have way more males than females which is supposed to be a no no, but it's really working for us. Lots of chasing but no real aggression. It's like we went so far in the wrong direction it's okay. 

Nobody bothers the shrimp that I can see, and the shrimp spend a lot of time out in the daylight hours.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Tried to capture some of the early morning rainbow behavior this am. They really only do this before the lights come on, so it's a bit challenging to video...


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)




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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Gary was much less camera shy today.



















Also, we got _some_ of our new furniture. Rug and coffee table came in. The couch may be stuck in the Suez Canal...


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

EmotionalFescue said:


> The couch may be stuck in the Suez Canal...


Wow. That would be a BIG couch!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

mourip said:


> Wow. That would be a BIG couch!


the couch is now unstuck, but it is so beautiful the egyptians are refusing to let it go


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Fish pics...


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Are you ever just in love with your tank and then one day you look at it and think, 'I hate it!'? That happened to me recently with this tank. For a while I've struggled with the observation that (I think) the tank looks really cool close up, but not from a distance (like, say, from a hypothetical couch in the same room). When you're standing right in front of it, it looks varied and textured. From far back it can look pretty homogeneous and boring. A few days ago I looked at it and realized, "my god, it just looks like a big, dumb, green blob".

When I first planted this thing, I had a plan. I was going to trim the hygro to encourage bushing. I wanted big leaves emanating from down low in the center of the bush. I thought it would look weird with tall, vertical stems, so the plan was to discourage that. Well, the tank started to struggle SO HARD that by the time the plants started doing better, I was unconsciously resistant to chopping them. I sort of lost the thread a bit on what this tank was intended to be from the outset. And, lo did it come to pass: it _did_ look weird when it was full of mostly tall stems.

Anyway, this is post-trim, looking somewhat less blobby. I'm going to work up (or down?) to having less of the vertical palm tree-like stems and more horizontal growth and bushiness. I think some more variety may be called for as well. Moving forward, I'm going to experiment with making other mini wabi kusa bombs that can be dropped into the bush. I've got some ludwigia glandulosa growing out in another tank - I think that would compliment the hygro well in terms of color and vertical growth rate. I have no idea how it would respond to the substrate ball treatment. We'll see! Might try spicing things up with some buce and anubias around the bottom too. Never stop fiddling...


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Had my head in the cabinet this morning and decided to take a video of the reactor in action.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Never doubt the grip-strength of the mighty Hygrophila Pinnatifida!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Fish pics.


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## Sequoia Exotics (Apr 2, 2021)

Wow! Amazing tank and you obviously got it balanced! Love the way it the room fits the tank


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Sequoia Exotics said:


> Wow! Amazing tank and you obviously got it balanced! Love the way it the room fits the tank


Thanks!

Yes, it's in a steady equilibrium at this point...

Welp. Time to rescape I guess!



Spoiler



kidding





Spoiler



mostly


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

These fish look their best lit with natural light, when the aquarium lights are off. _kinda hard to take a picture of that though! _Ah well, this is the best I could do.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

This tank journal has turned into more of a fish and shrimp glamour shot blog...


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

I could 100% look at your glamour shot tank pics all day long!! Absolutely amazing work on both the pics and the tank!!! Thank you for sharing!!!!!!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Plinkploop said:


> I could 100% look at your glamour shot tank pics all day long!! Absolutely amazing work on both the pics and the tank!!! Thank you for sharing!!!!!!


Ha, thank you - I'll keep em coming!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

I took another go at ambient light fish pics this morning. You really can't avoid getting your own reflection in them, but I think this set does a better job of conveying the really great coloration these fish have.

Also, I have to say - modern cameras are amazing. Tracking focus through aquarium glass and usable ISO 12,800. We've come a long way from the film cameras I grew up on!


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

Picture 3rd from the bottom with the schooling behaviour is so beautiful!! You have an amazing eye!!!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Plinkploop said:


> Picture 3rd from the bottom with the schooling behaviour is so beautiful!! You have an amazing eye!!!












They are so fun to watch. With over 2:1 males to females, I thought we could have problems, but it hasn't turned out that way at all.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

I think my favorite is the stealth shrimp in the last one. Looks like he's really up to no good.


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

That's amazing!! Thank you again for all the gorgeous pics!!


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

EmotionalFescue said:


> Also, I have to say - modern cameras are amazing. Tracking focus through aquarium glass and usable ISO 12,800. We've come a long way from the film cameras I grew up on!


What camera and lens are you using?


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

mourip said:


> What camera and lens are you using?


It's a Sony a7rIII with a 24mm f1.4 lens. I have had a lot of lenses in my days, but I think this one is my favorite. I should note that photography has been my longest hobby, and - before aquariums (!) - where all my hobby money went. A fair amount of that money went into this camera/lens combo.

Never thought I would find a hobby more expensive than photography, but here we are! lol.


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

EmotionalFescue said:


> It's a Sony a7rIII with a 24mm f1.4 lens. I have had a lot of lenses in my days, but I think this one is my favorite. I should note that photography has been my longest hobby, and - before aquariums (!) - where all my hobby money went. A fair amount of that money went into this camera/lens combo.
> 
> Never thought I would find a hobby more expensive than photography, but here we are! lol.


That is my other hobby also. I have the a7rll but I use legacy manual focus lenses. My favorite are Leica because of the color rendition.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

mourip said:


> That is my other hobby also. I have the a7rll but I use legacy manual focus lenses. My favorite are Leica because of the color rendition.


oh nice! i started with the OG a7r and waited until the IV dropped to upgrade to the III. I also use the fuji X system. for years before going all digital i was all about medium format film. i had various MF cameras, but the hasselblad 500cm was my favorite. those old zeiss lenses were so good. my zeiss 50f4 was my all time fav until i got this sony 24mm.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

In keeping with the fish fashion blog theme I've got going... I took a few pics of the shellies in my wife's office this evening. Nothing to do with this tank, but there's nowhere else for them to go.


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

OMG, adorable neos!! Those are one of the shellies I used to breed!!! Nice to see them here getting a little love!! Your wife's got good taste lol


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

I've been having some issues with this tank lately. First I noticed an uptick in filamentous algae (egad!), and now I'm starting to see cloudy water. I feel like this may have all started when I did a really big trim (post #37, 18 days ago). I know better than to cut that much out at once, but sometimes I just can't help myself.

I'm doing mid-week water changes, and am working on feeding the fish more slowly and putting less food in overall (more in their bellies, less in the water). But, the cloudy water isn't improving with water changes. Not sure if it's the start of green water or a bacterial bloom or what. In any case, I've got the UV hooked up to help clear it up.










Wishing I had an FX6 instead of the FX4 so I could just keep the UV plumbed. Oh well. For now I've got it running when the lights are off (I dose chelated iron daily and don't want the UV to cause it to precipitate). The sterilizer is connected to a booster pump so as to protect my overall flow. I didn't want to mess up the co2 by slowing the flow through the reactor while trying to fix the cloudy water and just end up causing other problems.

Sometimes I feel like planted tanks are like flying a helicopter. Not sure if you've ever flown a helicopter, but let me tell you - it's hard! You start off fine but then begin to drift in one direction and correct maybe _a little too much_ which gets you off in the other direction... Before you know it the overcorrections compound one another and... you have crashed the helicopter.

Gonna see if I can keep this baby airborne. Wish me luck.


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

Good luck!! Maybe it's the season lol I have a bit of greenwater popping up in my turtle tub right now.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Plinkploop said:


> Good luck!! Maybe it's the season lol I have a bit of greenwater popping up in my turtle tub right now.


This should be the season of sunshine and lolipops, instead I've got snow and green water.


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

😂😂😂😂


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

I forgot that a single crab hitchhiked in with the shrimp!


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

Thai micro?


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Plinkploop said:


> Thai micro?


I think so? Don't really know anything about freshwater crabs, and since I didn't buy him on purpose, I'm not really sure.


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

Lol, fair enough. Certainly is a cute little bugger!!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Sadly, this morning there was a dead rainbow in the tank.










This was a serious bummer. 

There are no signs of trouble with any of the other rainbows or the gourami, but there was a dead otto two days ago. I don't know if their deaths are related, but... my wife has been having some mysterious deaths in one of her office tanks, and we don't have the most strict (read: any) hose segregation protocols. I've got my fingers crossed that this isn't the start of something, but I decided it was probably a good idea to have the UV sterilizer plumbed in full time.

I had been using it to clear up some cloudy water last week (could be related???), but it was hooked up externally and rather clunkily. Here it is now:










The reason I didn't have the sterilizer plumbed in permanently before is that I didn't have enough pump to spare after powering the big reactor. The solution (rather than buying an FX6) was to plumb in the sterilizer _and a booster pump_.

Thankfully I had a spare Eheim 1260 which is rated for 640gph. I ran the output from the canister into the eheim and from the eheim into the reactor. The output from the reactor then runs into the sterilizer and then up to the tank. I placed the pump before the reactor so I could use the reactor's back-pressure valve to manage the overall flow. I knew it would be too much not throttled down after having the booster pump hooked up temporarily last week. Now all of the flow control translates to increased pressure and more efficient co2 dissolution in the reactor. Indeed, I dropped an extra 0.1 pH with the same overall flow and co2 rate after the plumbing change. The reactor is also essentially silent now.

Fingers crossed for no more dead fish!


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

I'm so sorry for you and your wife's losses!!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Plinkploop said:


> I'm so sorry for you and your wife's losses!!


Thanks! Fish don't live forever, just want to make sure I'm doing right by them...


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

It still stinks. Good luck!! Fingers crossed it's nothing major!!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

full tank shot. lookin pretty shaggy!


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## ReeferRusso (Dec 29, 2018)

So, I "followed" this thread back when you started it. For some unknown reason, I never received any notifications about updates. This has happened to me numerous times on other threads I follow too. Ugh... oh well.

Sorry to see you lost a rainbow. Hopefully, it's a one off and all else is thriving. 

I got a bit of a kick out of the photography side conversation as you may as well be speaking Greek to me. While I know very little about cameras, lenses and photog stuff I have a pretty nifty little collection of old cameras and lenses from my dad. No idea is they're any good or worth anything but I still hang on to them.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

ReeferRusso said:


> So, I "followed" this thread back when you started it. For some unknown reason, I never received any notifications about updates. This has happened to me numerous times on other threads I follow too. Ugh... oh well.
> 
> Sorry to see you lost a rainbow. Hopefully, it's a one off and all else is thriving.
> 
> I got a bit of a kick out of the photography side conversation as you may as well be speaking Greek to me. While I know very little about cameras, lenses and photog stuff I have a pretty nifty little collection of old cameras and lenses from my dad. No idea is they're any good or worth anything but I still hang on to them.


i've had some issues with followed threads not throwing alerts too. not sure what's up with that.

unfortunately, my wife is now thinking she has a slow burn variety of columnaris in her problem tank. we're really hoping that's not what's going on here... just doing the wait and see thing for now.

oooh, old cameras! they usually end up being old kodak brownies rather than leicas or hasselblads, but there's always the chance of an amazing find!


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## ReeferRusso (Dec 29, 2018)

Good luck with your tanks and fish. 

I don't recall exactly what brands the cameras and lenses are but I know there isn't any Kodak equipment. My father spent his career being a 4 color separation cameraman for accounts like National Geographic, Playboy and Disney to name a few. He was fully aware of the difference between good and great equipment. That being said, he did get my mom a Polaroid SX70 before they were available to the public as he had a lot of contacts. I don't remember what year it was but I think it was around 1971 or 1972. I still remember that camera very clearly as it was silver with what I believe was leather. My mom loved it but he always said he wouldn't be caught dead holding that camera!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

ReeferRusso said:


> Good luck with your tanks and fish.
> 
> I don't recall exactly what brands the cameras and lenses are but I know there isn't any Kodak equipment. My father spent his career being a 4 color separation cameraman for accounts like National Geographic, Playboy and Disney to name a few. He was fully aware of the difference between good and great equipment. That being said, he did get my mom a Polaroid SX70 before they were available to the public as he had a lot of contacts. I don't remember what year it was but I think it was around 1971 or 1972. I still remember that camera very clearly as it was silver with what I believe was leather. My mom loved it but he always said he wouldn't be caught dead holding that camera!


ooh, now i'm intrigued! you might have some primo cameras in there.


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## ReeferRusso (Dec 29, 2018)

EmotionalFescue said:


> ooh, now i'm intrigued! you might have some primo cameras in there.


Hey, did someone say, "Prima?" (Yeah, I know it was primo but close enough.)

Crank it up and do a dance!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

ReeferRusso said:


> Hey, did someone say, "Prima?" (Yeah, I know it was primo but close enough.)
> 
> Crank it up and do a dance!


lol, i'll pipe it into this conference call i'm on...


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## ReeferRusso (Dec 29, 2018)

EmotionalFescue said:


> lol, i'll pipe it into this conference call i'm on...


I GUARNTEE you'll get some feedback and almost all of it will be positive. Hard not to love Louis Prima!

Then again, I might be biased as this was the type of music my dad would spin and blast through his HH Scott tube amplifier into his JBL speakers that he got in 1956 shortly after he married my mom. They're still together (65 years) and he still cranks music through the same equipment. He's replaced the tubes a couple times but I have to say you're hard pressed to find a modern-day system with a sweeter sound!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

ReeferRusso said:


> He's replaced the tubes a couple times but I have to say you're hard pressed to find a modern-day system with a sweeter sound!


i believe it!


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## ReeferRusso (Dec 29, 2018)

He's always referred to his speakers as James B. Lansing speakers. He also likes to say they were made before the company started producing crap. Lol


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

...speaking of cameras (sort of!)... it is my observation that taking good aquarium photos is quite difficult. i keep trying new ways to translate how a tank looks in person to a photo, and pretty much always fail. BUT, i try to keep failing in new ways. here's another full tank shot, but this time with a telephoto lens. looks quite a bit different.










also, no more fish deaths yet.


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

Hi @EmotionalFescue.

I am have problems with my new Hygrophila pinnatifida which is leggy, yellow and has some holes in the leaves, which also seem short to me. The rest of my plants seem happy and growing well. I have a doser and use Thrive with a daily injection. I do add some Excel also. You can see my journal from the link below.

Any thoughts?


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## ReeferRusso (Dec 29, 2018)

EmotionalFescue said:


> ...speaking of cameras (sort of!)... it is my observation that taking good aquarium photos is quite difficult. i keep trying new ways to translate how a tank looks in person to a photo, and pretty much always fail. BUT, i try to keep failing in new ways. here's another full tank shot, but this time with a telephoto lens. looks quite a bit different.
> 
> View attachment 1028788
> 
> ...


Pretty interesting as this one, compared to the last, looks to have less light. However, I know the light source is the same on both. 

I know a few people on the reefing side who have the photography down to a science. It's really amazing what they're able to capture. 

I meant to find and look through the box of old photo equipment this morning. I'd like to say I was too busy to do so but the truth is I totally zoned on the idea! 

Happy the fish are still fairing well!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

mourip said:


> Hi @EmotionalFescue.
> 
> I am have problems with my new Hygrophila pinnatifida which is leggy, yellow and has some holes in the leaves, which also seem short to me. The rest of my plants seem happy and growing well. I have a doser and use Thrive with a daily injection. I do add some Excel also. You can see my journal from the link below.
> 
> Any thoughts?


I have only had this plant in pretty rich, high light situations. Right now my weekly dosing in this tank is:
18ppm nitrate
4.5ppm phosphate
21ppm potassium
2ppm magnesium
gla micro mix benchmarked on 0.6ppm iron

It has also done well at PPS ratios (less phosphate, more nitrate, more iron).

I have noticed a couple of things about this plant. Old growth gets ratty compared to other plants, and it deteriorates quickly in shade. I looked at your journal, and it seems like most of your plants are low light. seems like the hygro is also in the back corner? It could largely be just not enough light.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

ReeferRusso said:


> Pretty interesting as this one, compared to the last, looks to have less light. However, I know the light source is the same on both.
> 
> I know a few people on the reefing side who have the photography down to a science. It's really amazing what they're able to capture.
> 
> ...


the light is probably just down to my settings from one shot to the next. what would be really handy for aquarium photography is a macro lens. i've never had a proper macro lens, but it's on my list!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

equipment update:

this morning after feeding the fish, i turned everything back on and was just like, 'my god this canister is loud'. it seems to have gotten louder and louder over the past 8 months or so, though part of it is probably being spoiled by the lack of noise from the dc return pump in my livingroom tank. anyway, i ended up just turning the fx4 off and adjusting the reactor valves to keep consistent flow. i'd say it's only about a quarter as loud this way.

i think i'll just use the pump in the canister to prime the system after canister cleanouts.


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

EmotionalFescue said:


> I have only had this plant in pretty rich, high light situations.....
> 
> I have noticed a couple of things about this plant. Old growth gets ratty compared to other plants, and it deteriorates quickly in shade. I looked at your journal, and it seems like most of your plants are low light. seems like the hygro is also in the back corner? It could largely be just not enough light.


I have my light over the back 1/3 of the tank so it has actually been directly over the Hygro. My guess based upon what you said is that I might turn it up a bit and see how the rest of tank responds as well as the Hygro. I really do not want to go down the algae path!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Ultrawide!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)




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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

after a couple mid-week water changes and a reduction in feeding, the filaments are back under control, and with the UV running nights, the water is just as clear as can be. and, no more deaths (knocks on wood)!










still no couch.


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

My lord you've been waiting for that couch forever!! Even the cargo ship's been cleared of the Suez already 😆😆😆 you poor thing!!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Plinkploop said:


> My lord you've been waiting for that couch forever!! Even the cargo ship's been cleared of the Suez already 😆😆😆 you poor thing!!


apparently just one of those weird covid things. not sure if it's supply chain weirdness or people splurging on furniture with their stimulus checks, but... yeah. ordered late december!


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

Wow!! That happened with my daughter's bed too- took a bit less time than your couch but still 3 months. I hope it arrives soon!!


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

EmotionalFescue said:


> after a couple mid-week water changes and a reduction in feeding, the filaments are back under control, and with the UV running nights, the water is just as clear as can be. and, no more deaths (knocks on wood)!


Reducing feeding has been one of the best things that I ever did to get my algae under control. I now just feed on M/W/F...

...and occasionally adhoc when I want to see any of my Pygmy Cories 

Fish are all doing well...


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

mourip said:


> Reducing feeding has been one of the best things that I ever did to get my algae under control. I now just feed on M/W/F...
> 
> ...and occasionally adhoc when I want to see any of my Pygmy Cories
> 
> Fish are all doing well...


i hesitate to alternate days because i'm just too afraid i'll forget if it's not a daily thing. same with fertilizers - i do those daily as well.

i do measure the food out with measuring spoons though. before, i was doing 3/4 tsp of flakes. now i've got them down to 1/2 tsp. i've got an army of shrimp that do a great job cleaning up, but i think 3/4 was just too much for the system. no one seems to be _actually _starving, though the fish sure act like they're starving when the lights come on and they know it's feeding time!


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

EmotionalFescue said:


> i hesitate to alternate days because i'm just too afraid i'll forget if it's not a daily thing. same with fertilizers - i do those daily as well.


I chose MWF as it was easy for me to remember but I understand how it can be overlooked. For ferts I am using a Jabao doser with a 5 liter reservoir. That was a really good choice. The tank is very stable with good plant growth and very little algae. I think that the plants really respond well to consistent levels of ferts.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

mourip said:


> I chose MWF as it was easy for me to remember but I understand how it can be overlooked. For ferts I am using a Jabao doser with a 5 liter reservoir. That was a really good choice. The tank is very stable with good plant growth and very little algae. I think that the plants really respond well to consistent levels of ferts.


i have thought about an auto doser, but it would just have to be for vacations since i just don't have any more room in my cabinet. 3' tanks are kind of a pita wrt cabinet space.


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## ReeferRusso (Dec 29, 2018)

Waiting over 4 months on a couch? Ouch! For waiting that long, I hope it comes with someone to rub your shoulders while you lay on it!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

It's not even a crazy nice couch!

I actually just got a call not an hour ago to schedule its delivery. Next Tuesday!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

cruisin...










all these crypts are my current fav plants


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)




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## ReeferRusso (Dec 29, 2018)

EmotionalFescue said:


> cruisin...
> 
> View attachment 1029341
> 
> ...


Looking good!

I always find it curious when I see rocks in a tank and some rocks get algae and then some rocks don't get any algae. Especially when they appear to be the same kind of rocks. I imagine there are a number of reasons for this but it would be all speculation on my part.

I love the Rainbows!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

ReeferRusso said:


> Looking good!
> 
> I always find it curious when I see rocks in a tank and some rocks get algae and then some rocks don't get any algae. Especially when they appear to be the same kind of rocks. I imagine there are a number of reasons for this but it would be all speculation on my part.
> 
> I love the Rainbows!


it can be mysterious, though in this case it's probably from me moving things around during the weekly gravel vac.

rainbows are great. i'm excited to put a much larger tank in this spot one day so i can have some of the larger species. gonna let these fish live out their days in this tank though...


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## ReeferRusso (Dec 29, 2018)

They are pretty fish and can also have great little personalities. I do not presently have any but, like you, have some big plans for the future. Unfortunately, there are a number of moving pieces and those are up in the air now. 

Their days, as you put it, may be quite lengthy. If memory serves me correctly, @Greggz has had Bows live beyond 10 years. I think one might have made it 14 years but don't quote me on that one.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

i'm not sure if the smaller variety i have is the same or not... i seem to recall reading that they may crack 4-5 years, but i'm guessing there's a lot of variance around that estimate.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

ReeferRusso said:


> They are pretty fish and can also have great little personalities. I do not presently have any but, like you, have some big plans for the future. Unfortunately, there are a number of moving pieces and those are up in the air now.
> 
> Their days, as you put it, may be quite lengthy. If memory serves me correctly, @Greggz has had Bows live beyond 10 years. I think one might have made it 14 years but don't quote me on that one.


I've had quite a few make it 10 years. Longest was over 12 years old. 

But that's not the rule, more an exception. But still, in general compared to most fish in the hobby, Bows are a long lived species. Not unusual at all to go 7 or 8 years or in some cases longer.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

guys... it happened.


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

Yay!!! The couch!!!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

guys. video is so hard. i don't get it in so many ways...

NEVERTHELESS here is a little timelapse of the rainbows this morning.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Shout out to my shrimp crew. You guys are the real heroes.


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

🤜🤛 here's to the shrimp!!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

After a water change and a little nip and tuck in the mid section:










I'm trying something a bit different with the hygro right now. It's turning into quite the thicket - more of a single, large thing than a collection of individual stems. So, I'm just letting it do its thing up high and keeping the bottom trimmed up to reserve space for lower light plants. That low space is filling out with various crypts and buces, plus the araguaia. 

One thing that has surprised me about the tank is how well all these lower plants grow in just an inch or so of sand with no root tabs or anything. Just plain sand and rich column dosing.

Interestingly, I've noticed in the past couple days that the filaments are gone. Pretty cool to get what was looking like it might turn into an outbreak totally turned around with nothing but some extra water changes and a slight reduction in feeding. I guess I did also install the sterilizer, but I doubt that did anything for the filaments.

It feels like this tank is balanced on a knife's edge. A bit too much or too little of any one thing... Anyway, I guess that's half the fun.


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

Man on man what a fun journal. Looks great!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Fat Guy said:


> Man on man what a fun journal. Looks great!


Thanks!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Well, we had to euthanize one of the female rainbows last night. She had no outward signs of disease, but was clearly flaming out fast. In case it was disease, we didn't want to leave her in and have her get munched on before we could retrieve her.

Gah.

I'm really hoping this is not the slow burn columnaris. It seemed like that's what went down in my wife's tank. She had to nuke the whole thing once she got down to 4 out of 12 original fish. That was the first point she saw outward signs. It's so hard to tell because the fish are not obviously sick. These rainbows are about two years old now, so It's possible that we're just seeing the leading edge of our mortality distribution with this batch...

What a pisser.

I'm keeping my eyes peeled and the UV on. Not sure what else to do.

Fingers crossed!


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## pyoinator (Aug 17, 2020)

I know that praecox are notoriously overbred in the US, it's hard to find well bred ones. As such they're pretty weak and prone to random deaths. I hope you get long life out of yours, amazing looking tank and great photography!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

pyoinator said:


> I know that praecox are notoriously overbred in the US, it's hard to find well bred ones. As such they're pretty weak and prone to random deaths. I hope you get long life out of yours, amazing looking tank and great photography!


Thank you for the kind words and the note about the rainbows!

That's good to know and also kind of a bummer... this is a hard hobby in a lot of ways, but seeking out and supporting sustainable breeding practices is something I haven't even started to delve into. We were pretty naive when we got these fish, so that wasn't even on our radar. Maybe we'll be able to find a good breeder when we eventually put a 5' tank with larger rainbows in this spot.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

And just because I'm procrastinating on a memo I should be writing this morning, here's another full tank shot. This time I used a telephoto (this is 70mm) and a tripod, so I could get the ISO down into a reasonable range. 

Happy Monday (ugh)!


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## pyoinator (Aug 17, 2020)

EmotionalFescue said:


> Thank you for the kind words and the note about the rainbows!
> 
> That's good to know and also kind of a bummer... this is a hard hobby in a lot of ways, but seeking out and supporting sustainable breeding practices is something I haven't even started to delve into. We were pretty naive when we got these fish, so that wasn't even on our radar. Maybe we'll be able to find a good breeder when we eventually put a 5' tank with larger rainbows in this spot.


Yeah absolutely, unfortunately it's pretty hard (and much more expensive) to find good breeders! There are none local to where I am, so I've done my ordering on aquabid, there are many good ones on there, and guarantee you some absolutely stunning rainbows!


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

So sorry about your loss!! Fingers crossed it's just a 1 off... It as a tough hobby, it's nerve racking that there's a ton of unknowns that pop up when you're least expecting them. Good luck!! And thank you for the beautiful pics, as always!!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

One of these days when I'm feeling ambitious, I need to get in there and hoover some of that gravel out. It's just gotten a little too green and sickly looking. I'm not sure if fresh rocks would get just as green, now that the tank is more well-established? In any case, it would likely require unachievable levels of ambition to find out!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

some pics...


































































the ladies were feeling very photogenic today.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

...and some more pics.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

During this week's maintenance, I took out some gravel and scraped the glass below the sand line. It will take a little bit for the tank's currents to get the sand and gravel into their new equilibrium, whatever that will be. Right now it's got that freshly-churned homogeneity that looks super unnatural and weird. 

I'm feeling very "whatever" about this tank at the moment. Somewhere between "it's alright" and "ugh". I might love it again next week. Hard to say. I have found myself fantasizing about what I'd do with 5' of tank in this space...

We had another rainbow death. A female and by far the smallest of the lot. Still no outward signs of disease, so I'm leaning toward natural causes (insofar as weak genes from overbreeding can be considered 'natural').


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

So sorry for another loss. That's rough. Fingers crossed things get better!!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

I have to admit that we really don't know what to make of this fish... Closer to female body shape, but... not really all the way there? Orange fins vs. yellow, etc.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

I love it again. lol.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Just a few random pics. 

I pulled out a camera I haven't used in a long time... One of these days I might actually take photos of things other than fish tanks again!


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

That's absolutely GORGEOUS! What a perfect tank to show those poor overbred Praecox off at their best. I love how you did the substrate; the streamed look seals the deal.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Phil Edwards said:


> That's absolutely GORGEOUS! What a perfect tank to show those poor overbred Praecox off at their best. I love how you did the substrate; the streamed look seals the deal.


Thank you for the kind words!

I really do like those fish a lot and I'm excited to try some other, larger rainbow species in a bigger tank.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Some of my favorite tank viewing is after the lights are off...


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

What brand of hose did you use to make the wabi kusa from?


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Phil Edwards said:


> What brand of hose did you use to make the wabi kusa from?


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

Phil Edwards said:


> What brand of hose did you use to make the wabi kusa from?


...and what kind of aqua soil did you use? Did you just poke the cut stems into the balls?

I am thinking of making a couple to put in my back corners to contain my hygro a bit.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

mourip said:


> ...and what kind of aqua soil did you use? Did you just poke the cut stems into the balls?
> 
> I am thinking of making a couple to put in my back corners to contain my hygro a bit.


I used tropica soil which was reclaimed from the original incarnation of this tank.

The trouser socks are actually pretty thick, and the balls themselves are double-walled, so it's kind of tricky getting the stems in. Thankfully, the hygro stems are really substantial, so it worked out okay (I also tried making some with rotala and that didn't work at all).

To make the balls, I funneled substrate into the sock and tied the sock tight around the soil. Then I pulled the sock down over the ball and tied another knot on the other side. To get the stems in, I jabbed the ball with some sharp forceps (something like a knitting needle would work well here I think). I then worked the stem in the fresh hole by hand. The trick is to not let the holes get out of alignment before trying to insert the stem.


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

Excellent. Thanks!


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

I keep thinking you're saying Trouser Snake when I see Trouser Socks. LOL


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Phil Edwards said:


> I keep thinking you're saying Trouser Snake when I see Trouser Socks. LOL












I found this gif while image searching for a funny "trouser snake" meme. it was... appropriate.


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## minorhero (Mar 28, 2019)

EmotionalFescue said:


> Some of my favorite tank viewing is after the lights are off...
> 
> View attachment 1030234
> 
> ...


Great looking tank and pictures! That little bit of ambient lighting is great.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

minorhero said:


> Great looking tank and pictures! That little bit of ambient lighting is great.


Thanks! Aquariums are (maybe not so) surprisingly hard to photograph well, but I keep trying.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)




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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

Those fish are looking amazing! The plants help to show them off at their best.


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

Do you have any shrimp in your tank? I imagine those rainbows would enjoy the Neocaridina that I have in my tank...

Might not be a good fit for them(the shrimp).


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Phil Edwards said:


> Those fish are looking amazing! The plants help to show them off at their best.


Thanks, Phil. They're always so energetic first thing in the morning. Always a natural time to snap a few pics.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

mourip said:


> Do you have any shrimp in your tank? I imagine those rainbows would enjoy the Neocaridina that I have in my tank...


Yep - there are ~25 Amanos in there. 

For this tank livestock was limited to species that can't make more of themselves, but I would someday like to have a sustainable community tank. In my last community tank I ended up with a runaway Cory population, and now I'm a little gun-shy. Seems tricky to get that balance right.


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

EmotionalFescue said:


> Yep - there are ~25 Amanos in there.
> 
> For this tank livestock was limited to species that can't make more of themselves, but I would someday like to have a sustainable community tank. In my last community tank I ended up with a runaway Cory population, and now I'm a little gun-shy. Seems tricky to get that balance right.


Yup. I have a runaway Bloody Mary neo population. I have been giving them away locally. I hate to set up a "survival" tank but perhaps a few rainbows would look nice!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Over the past few weeks I have phased out the frogbit in favor of water lettuce.










I'm really liking it a lot. Great color and nice leaf shape with more variation in size that keeps some open space between clusters. It also keeps a decent root with rich column dosing which the frogbit would not do.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

BIG NEWS

in the coming months, this tank will be coming down... 

The reason is simply that it's been quite successful and we want to have a bigger version of it. To that end, we ordered a 5' waterbox (clear pro 6025) with black stand to go in the same spot (we're fortunate to have a load beam running directly under the tank).

While we're not in a rush to make the change, and it will take a while to pull it off (it will also involve me and my wife swapping offices for reasons I'll get into later), we wanted to get the damn tank in hand given how much supply chain tomfoolery there has been of late. It's in stock now, so we figured it can sit in the garage until we're ready.

Now, I don't want to imply that I feel like this tank is perfect. It is definitely not. BUT - there are several things that have worked out really well, and I'm feeling confident that those things will translate well to a larger volume. Primarily, we will have space for a layout that incorporates two distinct islands with some open sand swim-through space between them. And we will have room for larger species of rainbow fish (which we adore).

The plant list will generally be more diverse - without the focus on a single species like we have now - but, all the plants we have now will find a place in the new scape in some form or fashion. We especially love the crypts, which are doing extremely well in sand with column dosing.

My plan for the remainder of this journal is to essentially debrief on various aspects of the current tank as a way to think through what went well and what could be improved moving forward. Lots of brainstorming on filtration and FLOW. Also, I'm sure there will be a healthy smattering of random pics thrown in for good measure.

The current livestock will be moving back to the livingroom tank which is currently going through it's ugly new planted tank infancy.


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

Looking forward to updates!!! Have to catch up on this thread now lol apparently I missed a lot on hiatus 👓


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

I have a lot of writing to do today, and it always goes better when I take my laptop out of my office (with my dual monitors, one of which always has a tantilizing internet browser a mere click away...). 

So, I'm set up in the sitting room enjoying the fish while they do their midday routine that I usually miss. There is much picking at those water lettuce roots!










Is that wall not just screaming out for a larger tank?!


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

Yeah, a 5 foot tank will fit that area nicely. Good choice!

I'm looking forward to reading your pre-briefing-de-briefing posts between now and then.


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

Excellent choice. I have the WB 4820 but on a different stand which is not so tall. Will you stay with cannister filters or go with a sump?


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

mourip said:


> Excellent choice. I have the WB 4820 but on a different stand which is not so tall. Will you stay with cannister filters or go with a sump?


Yeah, they're good tanks. My wife has the 3620 in her office and it's really nice. The UNS stands are super short, and I'm happy to be getting one with a bit more height.

We actually thought long and hard about getting a Red Sea peninsula for this spot because I love their tanks and really do like having a sump, but, in the end, I really wanted more flexibility with the intake and return. Specifically, I want spraybar return and some deep-water intake.

Sooo, I'm going the canister route, but I'm going to take it in a bit of a different direction based on what I've got going with this tank. One canister with an external pump. I'm actually thinking about maybe freelancing the canister with chained commercial water filter housings, but I'll probably do a single FX6. Still thinking about the pump.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Some recent pics...


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

EmotionalFescue said:


> ...I'm going the canister route, but I'm going to take it in a bit of a different direction based on what I've got going with this tank. One canister with an external pump. I'm actually thinking about maybe freelancing the canister with chained commercial water filter housings, but I'll probably do a single FX6. Still thinking about the pump.


Interesting. So you are thinking of adding an external pump to an FX6? Would you then unplug the FX6, remove the impeller and let the external pump do the lifting?

I have often thought about that and wondered it anyone had tried it. Or am I misunderstanding you?


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

mourip said:


> Interesting. So you are thinking of adding an external pump to an FX6? Would you then unplug the FX6, remove the impeller and let the external pump do the lifting?
> 
> I have often thought about that and wondered it anyone had tried it. Or am I misunderstanding you?


It would be a bigger version of what I'm doing on this tank. I currently have an FX4 with an Eheim 1260 external pump. I started out running them both but eventually just turned the canister off. I haven't removed the impeller. I'm already having to choke back the flow from the Eheim, so there aren't any flow issues. The FX4 just didn't have enough power on its own to run the reactor and sterilizer but there's more than enough with the external pump alone.

The Eheim is actually rated for slightly fewer GPH than the canister, but it handles the downstream pressure from the reactor and sterilizer much better which makes sense given that it's a return pump that's not designed to depend on intake flow to offset the head of water it's pushing to the tank.

This arrangement has worked out really well because I have all the power I need without having to run a second loop just for CO2. In some ways it seems silly to bypass a static impeller just to use the canister chamber. That's what's got me thinking about making my own filter.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Here's a pic of the cabinet just now. It's a little hard to see what's going on because the cabinet is so cramped (gimme those extra two feet!)... If you follow the out from the canister, you can see it loop down into the Eheim and then up to the reactor.


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

From the hubby- "I'm amazed it all fits in there" with his eyes wide and jaw slightly dropped. Your ability to make a stand that contains the hoses too just won me $20 😂 Thank you!!


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

EmotionalFescue said:


> In some ways it seems silly to bypass a static impeller just to use the canister chamber. That's what's got me thinking about making my own filter.


In my mind the biggest plus for using a commercially made cannister in this scenario is that they are already made to purpose with well engineered seals and filter flow patterns. 

Of course there is always the allure of DIY which you seem to be adept at... 

Has WB given you a shipping date? When mine came I used Task Rabbit to get two strong and willing men to move my tank from my garage into my basement. Even my WB 4820 was way over my ability to lift safely with a friend. Safe both for me ...and the tank!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Plinkploop said:


> From the hubby- "I'm amazed it all fits in there" with his eyes wide and jaw slightly dropped. Your ability to make a stand that contains the hoses too just won me $20 😂 Thank you!!


Haha, nice. Glad to be of service!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

mourip said:


> In my mind the biggest plus for using a commercially made cannister in this scenario is that they are already made to purpose with well engineered seals and filter flow patterns.
> 
> Of course there is always the allure of DIY which you seem to be adept at...
> 
> Has WB given you a shipping date? When mine came I used Task Rabbit to get two strong and willing men to move my tank from my garage into my basement. Even my WB 4820 was way over my ability to lift safely with a friend. Safe both for me ...and the tank!


No date yet, but once it gets here it will be staying in the garage for a while. I'll definitely need help of some kind to get it inside and on the stand, but thankfully it doesn't have to go up or down any stairs!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Debrief #1: CO2

There was a point when this tank was a disaster, and I made a few changes to try and turn it around. One of those changes was to really get serious about CO2 consistency. Because I changed a few things all at once (CO2 changes described here, plus installation of a spraybar and changes to fertilizers) it's impossible to know how much of the shift from disaster to success was attributable to nailing down the CO2, but I suspect it was a lot.

From the outset I had the ability to get good CO2 saturation because I had a nice, big, fully tunable reactor. Here's how it was set up at the beginning:










The use of a bypass and back pressure control let me get good saturation, but where I was lacking was consistency. Because I was using a bubble counter with a crappy needle valve and was trying to measure saturation with a drop checker, I was chasing my tail from one day to the next just trying to get the CO2 into the zone and keep it there. In an effort to eliminate CO2 consistency as a factor in my algae struggles, I added three pieces of equipment to up my game:

a high-resolution (150mm), industrial flow meter (used/ebay, $35 (!)) with a tube rated for 50ccm air flow,
an excellent low-flow metering valve (built into the flow meter), and
a pH monitor.
After ditching the drop checker and targeting an approximate pH drop with the monitor, I realized that my CO2 needed to kick on way before I thought it did. It turned out that the hour or so that I was running it before the lights got me only about a 1 point drop, but it took a lot longer to get all the way to 1.4 (3+ hours).

Once I figured out which kick-on time and flow reading on the meter gave me the saturation I wanted, I simply had to maintain that same reading on the meter in any given day to get that same result (there was some dialing in that needed to happen with the spraybar addition, but once that was established it's largely been set-and-forget). Here's what that flow meter looks like when I peek into the cabinet during the day (it goes back to the same spot every day without fail):









I also eventually changed the reactor to be a little more user friendly. Both valves right up front, and an acrylic base to make it not want to tip over. That's what's in there currently:









Now, it turns out that my wife wants to take this tank for her own in her fish room/office, so I'm going to need a new reactor and regulator/post-body for the new tank. For the reactor, I'm going to try something just a bit different... where I normally use a brass barb for the injection point, with the new reactor, I'm going to port the gas directly into the housing with a bulkhead:


















This will simplify the plumbing somewhat since I'll be able to T straight off to the bypass on the input side - no barb means no dogleg after the bypass T to accommodate the injection site. I'm going to be using a 20"X4.5" housing and I plan to insert the gas pretty low. High enough to not get sucked right out the exit, but low enough to give those injected bubbles a nice, turbulent ride to the top of the housing.

I also picked up a fresh regulator (Airgas Y12-215A, ebay, $28 (!)) which I'll pair with another one of those Key Instruments flow meters. This one has a 106ccm tube which I've been holding onto in the event that I got a big tank one day (was it ever really in doubt??? I don't think so).









I think that pretty much covers it. For CO2 I feel really good about what needs to happen from day one. There will be struggles, but they won't be the result of inconsistent CO2!


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

That's awesome! The only recommendation I would have would be to shorten the vinyl tube in the reactor so the gas enters as close to the top as possible to get maximum contact time. Other than that, you've got a bang-up system there!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Phil Edwards said:


> That's awesome! The only recommendation I would have would be to shorten the vinyl tube in the reactor so the gas enters as close to the top as possible to get maximum contact time. Other than that, you've got a bang-up system there!


Thanks, Phil. I'm pretty excited about the whole thing. It's good to have a project in the pipeline!

Regarding the reactor... I think the flow will be low enough and the freshly injected bubbles big enough that they will travel up before getting broken up by the turbulence at the top, so my intention is to increase dwell time with the lengthy inner tube. But I will be using a clear housing so I can get it dialed in just right.


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

EmotionalFescue said:


> Debrief #1: CO2
> 
> ...I also eventually changed the reactor to be a little more user friendly. Both valves right up front, and an acrylic base to make it not want to tip over. That's what's in there currently:
> 
> ...


I returned to using an inline diffusor after trying a Griggs on my 75g. I had issues with noise(gurgling) and I struggled with priming after opening my prefilter for cleaning each week. The inline diffusor works well but introduces a very fine haze caused by the very fine bubbles. It does affect clarity a bit.

I am wondering if you have tried or considered using an inline diffusor ahead of a Cerges as the entry point for the CO2? The only downside I can see is a restriction to flow that would drop output to the tank, but that is a given with any inline addition. In theory, this configuration could allow more contact time, allowing the CO2 bubbles to dissolve more perfectly, resulting in an increase in CO2 efficiency.

Thoughts?


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

mourip said:


> I returned to using an inline diffusor after trying a Griggs on my 75g. I had issues with noise(gurgling) and I struggled with priming after opening my prefilter for cleaning each week. The inline diffusor works well but introduces a very fine haze caused by the very fine bubbles. It does affect clarity a bit.
> 
> I am wondering if you have tried or considered using an inline diffusor ahead of a Cerges as the entry point for the CO2? The only downside I can see is a restriction to flow that would drop output to the tank, but that is a given with any inline addition. In theory, this configuration could allow more contact time, allowing the CO2 bubbles to dissolve more perfectly, resulting in an increase in CO2 efficiency.
> 
> Thoughts?


In one iteration of the reactor design for the 80g tank in my living room I had an inline diffuser plumbed in before the reactor. I had started with just the diffuser but couldn't stand the bubbles.

It's an easy way to make a reactor quieter but has the downside of an extra thing you have to service. Since then I've found that you can make a cerges really quiet and entirely maintenance-free without the diffuser. 

A combination of three things makes the cerges design really quiet and efficient in my experience: bypass and back pressure valves and gas insertion directly into the flow (a bit of tubing inside the barb works well for this). I can't hear the reactors outside the cabinet even at the end of the day.

I think with a bit of extra maintenance, an inline diffuser plus a bypass valve could get you a pretty quiet setup too. The back pressure valve is still useful for burping the reactor when it gets a gas pocket, but may not do a ton to bring the noise down unless you've got a pressure rated pump.

I never have tried a rex griggs reactor.


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## Thenoob (Jan 15, 2014)

I'm curious how you attack the tubing on the inside of the barb. Do you use a special fitting or just jam it in?

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Thenoob said:


> I'm curious how you attack the tubing on the inside of the barb. Do you use a special fitting or just jam it in?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk


Just jam it in! If it's 1/8" threads then that works. If it's 1/4" then I have nested the CO2 tubing inside of a section of nano python tubing... and _then_ jammed it in.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)




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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

fresh fts:










looks like it's time to clean the intake again...


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

As lovely as ever!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Phil Edwards said:


> As lovely as ever!


Thanks, Phil! I keep tweaking and trying to improve this tank all while plotting to take it down... It's kind of a weird headspace to be in wrt a planted tank. Guess I'm trying to finish it out on a high note and learn as much as possible before the tear down.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)




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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Found a nice piece of wood for the big tank today










It's... kinda big. Might have to chop it up and slate-mount various pieces individually 🙂


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

That's one gorgeous piece of big wood!! Nice find!!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Plinkploop said:


> That's one gorgeous piece of big wood!! Nice find!!


Thanks! I'm kinda chomping at the bit to get this next project going, but the tank these fish are going to is still on the struggle bus. Just gotta channel my zen...


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

Can't wait to see what you do with that tree trunk you hauled home lol. Patience is a virtue 😅 that bit'll get chomped on soon 😉👍 don't crash the struggle bus 😂


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

This is escalating quickly...


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## Thenoob (Jan 15, 2014)

That wood is amazing. Only mildly jealous...

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

It's a damn cool piece of wood, but it's taking me in an emergent direction which means no lid... Makes me nervous for jumpers, but I'm hoping I can plan the plumbing with a lower water level to reduce the risk there.


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## Thenoob (Jan 15, 2014)

EmotionalFescue said:


> It's a damn cool piece of wood, but it's taking me in an emergent direction which means no lid... Makes me nervous for jumpers, but I'm hoping I can plan the plumbing with a lower water level to reduce the risk there.


Always wanted to do an emergent ephiyte scape but jumpers are are a concern for sure.

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)




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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Just a thoughtful fish contemplating his place in the world. What lies beyond the glass? What does the future hold??? (if only he knew...)


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)




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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

feeding time


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## Plinkploop (Jan 24, 2021)

Nothing beats the HD of a planted tank 😉👍


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## Thenoob (Jan 15, 2014)

Gorgeous! Makes me want to take up photography just to take good tank pictures.

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Thenoob said:


> Gorgeous! Makes me want to take up photography just to take good tank pictures.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk


Thanks! It's been a great hobby throughout the years...


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

The fish are comfortable in their new home (same as their old home) in the living room.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Next up: the Malaysian Driftwood Installation!




























I'll be starting a journal for this next project at some point in the near future. LOTS of little tasks and mini projects to complete for this build... 

I'm already prototyping some plumbing options to meet the challenges of this MASSIVE piece of emergent wood (see the returns in the pics above). The lighting is also going to be a huge challenge because of the height of the wood (~80 inches off the floor and 23 inches above the top of the tank!).

More to come...


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

EmotionalFescue said:


> The fish are comfortable in their new home (same as their old home) in the living room.


Cool. After seeing your tanks previous incarnation I decided to try Hygro. The Hygro has really taken off and I have been slowly pulling out the Val altogether as it tends to get very long and grows aggressively with runners into areas that I have other plans for. Luckily my Red Rubin Swords are finally filling in the back.

Really looking forward to seeing what you do with the new tank. Is it a 75g?


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

mourip said:


> Cool. After seeing your tanks previous incarnation I decided to try Hygro. The Hygro has really taken off and I have been slowly pulling out the Val altogether as it tends to get very long and grows aggressively with runners into areas that I have other plans for. Luckily my Red Rubin Swords are finally filling in the back.
> 
> Really looking forward to seeing what you do with the new tank. Is it a 75g?


It's funny, I've got Val's in the living room tank and they grow like crazy but send out very few runners. Maybe it's due to the inert substrate and purely column dosing? Idk. My red rubin swords are taking forever to fill in... Planted from tissues. I think they might reach full size by the time the kids go off to college...

For now I've got a mishmash of plants in there until the laggards fill in.

New tank is 130 gallons which may not be quite big enough for this piece of wood!


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

130g. Great. 
Go big or go home!


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

mourip said:


> 130g. Great.
> Go big or go home!


Exactly!


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

Oh, man, I was going to say cut the stump portion straight and mount the whole thing vertically then get vines or other plants growing up it. 

I'm curious to see how it'll look in the tank with this orientation when everything's grown in. The H. pinnatifida might look cool growing up out of the tank on the wood.

As far as the return orientation; I'd recommend having the ones on the back point toward the left side of the tank so that the combination of the two sets creates a circular flow pattern rather than pushing water all to one side. This will help keep things from settling back behind the wood and will help make things easier to clean.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Phil Edwards said:


> Oh, man, I was going to say cut the stump portion straight and mount the whole thing vertically then get vines or other plants growing up it.
> 
> I'm curious to see how it'll look in the tank with this orientation when everything's grown in. The H. pinnatifida might look cool growing up out of the tank on the wood.
> 
> As far as the return orientation; I'd recommend having the ones on the back point toward the left side of the tank so that the combination of the two sets creates a circular flow pattern rather than pushing water all to one side. This will help keep things from settling back behind the wood and will help make things easier to clean.


Since the lights are going to be mounted so high, I'm definitely thinking about getting some vines growing on the emergent portions. I'm generally having a hard time visualizing with the tank on the ground like this... I reserve the right to revise/chop as needed when I get the glass up on the stand. That said, the visual flow is very much left to right and I'm imagining a heavy planting on the left that tapers out toward the back right corner with some bare sand in the front right. This ties into where I've got the returns positioned - generating a circulation pattern that tumbles down the glass on the right. The plan is to do some custom intakes on the left that are near the bottom of the tank to really encourage that circular flow. I see your point about the orientation, but it would cause the plants to point left when the scape screams left to right...

There's going to be a lot to this project... the first thing is getting the hard pipe and the (very substantial) cutsom light mount on the wall. Once I can get the tank in place, it will take some time to get the hardscape right. I think there's going to be a fair amount of rock and polyurethane foam to separate the planted area from the sand. THEN I'm going to dial in the returns to work with the final hardscape. I plan to fiddle a lot at this stage and make sure flow is dialed before I plant. I'm thinking about putting little streamers on toothpicks throughout the tank like a total nerd


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

You're not a nerd; using streamers is a great idea!

Oh wait...I suppose "it takes one to know one", so I may not be the best one to make judgements on who's a nerd or not.


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## EmotionalFescue (Jun 24, 2020)

Phil Edwards said:


> You're not a nerd; using streamers is a great idea!
> 
> Oh wait...I suppose "it takes one to know one", so I may not be the best one to make judgements on who's a nerd or not.


The secret is not to suppress one's inner nerd, the secret is to surround one's self with fellow nerds!


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