# salmons 13.3g rimless: update 05/15 (56K) last photos?



## karatekid14 (Jan 16, 2011)

Look at the first sticky at the very top of Tank Journal & Photo Album. It is called Photo Album Rules, that should help with all your photo questions. At the top of all the sections there are important and helpful threads (called a sticky)


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## Regenesis (Apr 12, 2011)

Posted by KyleT (Administrator)


> 1. The image can be no wider than 1024 and no taller than 768.
> 2. The image can be no larger than 250 kb.
> 3. If you have many large pictures in one post please say so in your subject by adding (56K) or (56K warning).


I cant wait for pics! If you need your pic resized, Please visit the following: http://picresize.com/

Welcome to the forum


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Thanks for your help KarateKid. Sorry probably sounds dumb, but I'm new to forums as well as this site. so am I I'm supposed to add 56k warning in subject line if there's alot of photos? (i.e. like 5 photos @ 100k). 

Here's some pics for my new set-up:


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

thanks regenesis  sorry missed your last post there....was dealing with the pics, i have more from start to now. still trying to resize it all.

pics are @ roughly 18hrs since i filled it


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

anyone have any input regarding foreground and background plants for this scape? as im looking to keep it a simple iwagumi, either glosso or HC as a foreground carpet, and either dw hairgrass, maybe blyxa jap. or something similar in the back. as i do not yet have a pressurized co2 set-up, which would be best suited to get it started? aiming for excel dosing atm, any of these plants listed not like excel?

im still playing with the idea of the d/w tree in there, kinda feeling like it would need more similar tree(s) to have it balanced w/ the rocks. 

is there a max depth for the substrate before it can start to affect b.b. or plant roots in a negative way?

thanks!


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## Zerocon (Apr 14, 2011)

salmon said:


> anyone have any input regarding foreground and background plants for this scape? as im looking to keep it a simple iwagumi, either glosso or HC as a foreground carpet, and either dw hairgrass, maybe blyxa jap. or something similar in the back. as i do not yet have a pressurized co2 set-up, which would be best suited to get it started? aiming for excel dosing atm, any of these plants listed not like excel?
> 
> im still playing with the idea of the d/w tree in there, kinda feeling like it would need more similar tree(s) to have it balanced w/ the rocks.
> 
> ...


Hey salmon, i think you should ditch the driftwood you've got in there right now, or add a couple more pieces or go larger, it looks cool, but it isn't very pleasing to the eye, also, try and go for some Guppy Grass towards the back of your tank if your keeping it Iwagumi, and some hair-grass for the mid-front section  
It would look simple, yet awesome.:icon_biggroud:

Pic is how you should have it


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## Bree (Dec 17, 2010)

That looks like a good start, can't wait to see how this progresses!


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Thanks for the suggestion Zerocon! Forgive my lack of knowledge, but what is guppy grass? I also feel the same r.e. the driftwood. Unless there was more of similar or larger pieces it just doesn't appear balanced to the eye.




Bree said:


> That looks like a good start, can't wait to see how this progresses!


Thanks Bree!


Can anyone suggest a low growing foreground plant best suited to this tank/setup w/o pressurized co2, or will excel dosing be enough in a small tank like this for say glosso or HC? Im worried that without pressurized, my light may be too much, so Im thinking of suspending it a foot or so above to help prevent an algae outbreak.


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## Regenesis (Apr 12, 2011)

Guppy Grass is something like a moss. It can either be planted or tied. The name really says it all, guppies like this stuff In My Experience.

From what I've heard, HC can be grown without C02 in the tank (Not sure if this is true though). You could try Dwarf Sagittaria (Sagittaria subulata), It is a low-medium light plant that grows a great little carpet. What about Microsword?

Just because you need C02 does not mean that you need pressurized. There are many Diy ways to provide C02 to a tank without it costing a lot


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Thanks Regenesis  i've seen dw. sag a couple times, but never really thought of using it for a carpet....but being less demanding, it might be an awesome idea. i thought i read somewhere it was slower growing? 

since i have to take a day trip to get to the lfs, i might just decide on plants while i'm there which seems kinda silly :icon_neut I guess as long as stick to keeping it simple w 2 species (fore and back) I should be ok? i'll be going on saturday and hopefully be planting that night. no fauna plans until tank's cycled, already have some amano's in my nano that may end up in here....maybe some a small school of neons?

The only thing that steers me away from diy c02 is the potential mess and of course the fear of dumping my tank. can diy be a consistant source if done properly? as it is only 13g, i guess i wouldn't need much.

Thanks for everyones feedback so far!


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

anyone ever keep lilaeopsis mauritiana? i think this might look good behind the rocks.

edit: just realized that this is variety of microsword, i always thought echinodorus tenellus was microsword. so many choices......


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## Regenesis (Apr 12, 2011)

In My Experience, dwarf sag will grow just as fast as any other plant in my tank (Im sure they would be slow growers in low-light tanks, but not highlight). I have some in the corner of my 30 gallon and its start to grow pretty big, sending up runners everywhere.

You have many choices when it comes to stocking your tank, such as: Neon tetra, Cardinal tetra, Cherry barbs, Celestial Pearl Danios, Sparkling gourami, Ember tetra, Pygmy Corydoras, Pristella tetra, Killifish (Smaller kind), Platy, Guppies, Betta (Choose tank-mates carefully), Lemon tetra, Endlers livebearers, etc.

I don't think you could keep a constant supply with Diy C02. I have something similar to diy C02, uses the same method, the Nutrafin Natural Plant System (With C02), and I have to change the mix every 2-3 months.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

*planted update*

hi all 

purchased my plants today, didn't really get what I was looking for....oh well. picked up what i could, some narrow leaf micro sword and what looks like blyxa j. , it was in the assorted tank of plants unlabled beside the tank w/ labeled blyx that had a much higher price :eek5: the clerk at the store didnt know any different either way....sure looks like the blyxa in there other tank.
really wanted the dwarf sag they had, but it was double the price of both the others

thoughts on the planted layout? suggestions?


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

plants are holding in the stratum nicely, but next time i would probably use a sand cap of some sort to better hold things in place. i wish i had bought a bit more plant matter to start but we shall see how it fills in.

can anyone tell if that is blyxa j. behind the stones? i can provide a close up if need be. im a little unsure if it is and kinda hoping it isn't some sort of a non aquatic...darn pet stores...guess that what i get for cheaping out.

also, can anyone tell me how to edit the subject thread up top? (i.e. add an "update")


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

SIGH.....:icon_neut

major bring me down.... came home from work today, found what looks to be hair/thread algae  dont know for sure, have never had the hair algae, only bga and bba in other tanks. 

tanks been running for 10 days, and already the algae begins....this could be a short lived journal :angryfire

what's odd is my params seem ok??? there is however an odd surface film, almost oily that i have not seen before in my tank experiences. ideas? help? i guess i really need a decent co2 set-up


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## Regenesis (Apr 12, 2011)

It does look like Blyxa Japonica in the back, but post a close up picture so we can make sure. 

Could you possibly get a pic of this Hair algae? The hair algae can be from the contributing factors: Dead spots in aquarium (No water flow reaching this certain area allowing nutrients to build up), Nutrient problems (nutrient deficiency, imbalance, or excess), Excess Iron in water, or Imbalance in C02/Nutrients and light.

The film along the top of the water is usually normal. I get it all the time. Surface agitations helps keep it away.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Regenesis said:


> It does look like Blyxa Japonica in the back, but post a close up picture so we can make sure.
> 
> Could you possibly get a pic of this Hair algae? The hair algae can be from the contributing factors: Dead spots in aquarium (No water flow reaching this certain area allowing nutrients to build up), Nutrient problems (nutrient deficiency, imbalance, or excess), Excess Iron in water, or Imbalance in C02/Nutrients and light.
> 
> The film along the top of the water is usually normal. I get it all the time. Surface agitations helps keep it away.



Thanks Regenisis, i throw up some pics tom. hopefully. it's possible the hair algae may have come from the plants as ive never had it in others and the tank is only 10 days in, guess it's my own fault really


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## Regenesis (Apr 12, 2011)

Yeah, I was thinking that also.


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## Zerocon (Apr 14, 2011)

looks real nice!! I love blyxa


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

not much of a positive update, left last week and came home yesterday to find a nasty mess of hair and thread algae. drained it 80%, scraped out as much as i could and tried to spot treat it w/ excel on the lilaeopsis (hopefully it doesn't mind excel). it mostly left the blyx alone oddly, and it has actually greened up and looks a little better since i left. 

no point in pics atm (doesn't look any better since the last one), hopefully things turn around and the plants start to pick up. it's coming up on three weeks so i'll finally start thinking about some fauna soon  also might look into a diy kit or pressurized this week, and will post a param test as well.

Cheers!


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

well, I've learned that I am very capable of growing algae.....quite capable in fact. i got the hair and thread algae under control only to find a small patch of bga popping up @ 2.5 weeks into tank cycle. SWEET!

having had it in my 55g for quite some time now, and meticulously trying to keep it at bay, I'm really disappointed it's already showing up in this tank. i always avoided using anitbiotics (maracyn), but am truly considering it on this tank before it really gets out of control (aside from also correcting any underlying issues). its already beginning to cover the tips of the lilaeopsis and blyxa despite daily hand cleaning.

i do plan to pick up a Co2 kit in next few weeks, but dont want to bother with something pricey atm if the bga does not get dealt with. almost considering a complete teardown/restart.

is it possible that cyano can be introduced through tap water?

also considering looking into dry dosing, just need to learn up on it some more.

have lots of experience with terrestrial plants and fertilizing regimes, but am dumfounded when it comes to submersed plants, such a different ball game.

oh ya...to top it all off...i somehow got two hitch hiker bladder snails on my plants that have since layed hundreds of eggs. ...at least my clown loach will be happy


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

well things are looking up, still no fauna unless you include the 100+ pond snails that are now in there cuz of my plants, last time i dont treat them first. but almost all the algae is gone   

seeing new growth on both the lilaeopsis and the blyxa, i think my blyxa must have been grown emersed pre-sale, lots the existing leaves have fallen off, and new green growth is shooting up from the base.

still looking into co2, thinking of going the paintball route due to the small size of the tank (13g). i can only find one prebuilt that comes w/ a solenoid, im looking to buy the kit online. anyone have any suggestions r.e. a co2 for this? also, any on here know where to order a good line of dry ferts? ordering online shipped to canada that is.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

edit on the thought the blyxa was grown emersed....justr realized ive already read it doesn't grow emersed....man i hate being a noob


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## Dr. Acula (Oct 14, 2009)

Blyxa doesn't grow emersed, so it isn't transitioning to immersed, but it does melt almost every time you move it to a new tank, in my experience. It's normal and if there's new growth then you're fine.

And a paintball CO2 setup would work, and depending on how much you want to spend I think GLA has a real nice paintball regulator. But if you have the room I would really advise getting a 5 lb cylinder instead. The price difference isn't great, and in the long run it'll last much longer and save you a bit on refills.

Also, I think you've got a bit too much light for that tank, especially with it just sitting on the rim that close, though I'm not a lighting guru by any means. I would look into trying to raise it. As you've seen it can cause a good bit of algae to crop up. And with high output t5's I would say that dosing and CO2 are definitely a good idea. EI isn't hard to figure out, and there's plenty of information about it on this site and all over the web. I get my dry ferts from, again, GLA, and I think that they ship to Canada as well.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Dr. Acula said:


> Blyxa doesn't grow emersed, so it isn't transitioning to immersed, but it does melt almost every time you move it to a new tank, in my experience. It's normal and if there's new growth then you're fine.
> 
> And a paintball CO2 setup would work, and depending on how much you want to spend I think GLA has a real nice paintball regulator. But if you have the room I would really advise getting a 5 lb cylinder instead. The price difference isn't great, and in the long run it'll last much longer and save you a bit on refills.
> 
> Also, I think you've got a bit too much light for that tank, especially with it just sitting on the rim that close, though I'm not a lighting guru by any means. I would look into trying to raise it. As you've seen it can cause a good bit of algae to crop up. And with high output t5's I would say that dosing and CO2 are definitely a good idea. EI isn't hard to figure out, and there's plenty of information about it on this site and all over the web. I get my dry ferts from, again, GLA, and I think that they ship to Canada as well.



Thanks for your reply Dr.Acula :thumbsup: I had even previously read that about blyxa, but forgot it.:icon_redf 

the co2 kit (paintball) from gla is the one ive been looking at, looks like a good unit (minus the price tag)....anyone got any experience w them to share? im thinking that route would be best due to space reasons, maybe go w/ at least two paintball canisters. as far as the light being so close, i had pondered that myself, and some hangers of some sort will be incorporated in the tank stand thats in the works. as for now, the light is only on during the evening for a couple hours, just indirect daylight for the day to assist the algae outbreak, which is completely gone! fingers crossed.

i did notice for the first time last night however, there were what i believe to be copepods or something similar, and there's a bunch. maybe finally adding some fish might help keep these at bay. being the first tank ive actually started, ive been learning and discovering all sorts of stuff each day. oh and when i said pond snails in my last post, i meant to say bladder snails, which other than looking ugly on the glass, i dont really mind.

might post some pics on saturday, hoping to pick up some fauna by then. thanks for everyones help and replies so far


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Hi all, would like to post a pic update, but havn't been able to find my camera charger for almost 3 weeks now 

anyhow, finally tossed some fauna in last weekend, 7 neons and 2 PFR's. Ideally I'd like to eventually have a school of CPD's but the LFS was out so I went with neons to "test the waters". I would have scored a couple more PFR's and will next time I can, but two was all I could get. They are awesome looking, with the one being more red than the other. The other one more just looks like a really red cherry. The neons are barely bigger than the shrimp so there no worries there. If and when I find my charger, I'll throw up a couple pics.

Oh ya, I looked into GLA dry ferts, no shipping to Canada


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

here's couple PFR pics. finally got a camera :icon_smil

will post FTS this evening when there's less glare. 

can anyone tell me what type of algae is growing on the microsword?(first pic) is it hair? it's only on the old existing leaves, all the new growth is fine, hasn't touched new blyxa growth either. same algae is on the rocks which I don't mind, the inverts seem to like it.

I'm wanting to trim the old stuff down to the new growth....is that ok with microsword? will the leaves continue to grow when trimmed? also i'd assume trimming some of the older growth would help drive growth to the newer stuff?

oh ya...dont mind the bladder snails


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Here's a couple new photos, excuse the very poor cell phone quality and mild mess in the tank, just did a trim and WC, still a little bit of gsa or gda on the glass. the bubbles from the powerhead are c02 via my recent DIY upgrade :icon_smil plant growth has exploded since getting it down! the lilaeopsis m. has some daily growth, check the left side of the pic. even got some red on the two nicest blyxa bunchs, but doesnt show w these pics, needs an overhead shot.

also got a line on some awesome fauna, hopefully get it this week. think a 13g is too small for an otto or two? I could always put em in my 55g later on?

as for my shrimp, is it true amanos will go after baby rcs/fire reds?

cheers


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

hi all,

little bit of an update, but no pics atm. 

microsword growth is unreal (for a slow growing plant) i'd say the co2 is making a noticeable difference. it's popping out new runners everyday, already hitting the front and sides of the glass and spreading like wildfire  

got some glassware on it's way, lily pipes, drop checker, diffuser. about to order my canister, going for a 2213, I'm a little concerned the flow rate may be a bit excessive, but it comes with double taps so i can hopefully adjust the outflow till things settle down. but hey at least I finally took the canister plunge, always been a HOB or internal filter user.

tank now houses some ottos as well, probably my new fave fish  I had finally tracked down a school of CPD's to order in.....but showed up 5mins after they arrived @ the store only to find every single one perished  I felt guilt on my part just for ordering them and probably wont be doing so again. the hunt for CPD's continues.

I'll throw up a pic when I can snap a decent shot. still cant find my charger for my camera thats not a cellphone.

Cheers!


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

finally found my camera charger!

last couple photos with my ugly internal filter before my canister arrives. got my glassware 

overall im not happy with my rock placement, and most of my sloping has flattened out. oh well, gonna leave it for a bit to grow out and then maybe consider removing the front middle and front right rocks. got some e. parvula coming to replant the back right, only got a couple blyxa that made it.

also still battling hair/thread/fuzz algae and bladder snail army

looks like i ran out of photo room too


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

hey all

got my 2213, didn't know it came stock with pipes and the tubing, pretty stoked on that  . might use them before i throw on my glass lily's to test it out and address the flow rate.

quick question regarding changing out the internal, should I leave the internal and continue running or just take the sponge from it (maybe cut it up?) and toss it in the 2213?


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Well, a bit of a happy, yet also a sad day aquarium wise today. :icon_frow

My angel fish in my 55g I've had for several years (friend had it for 1-2 yrs before) passed away today. Did what I could, QT'd, treated, but the h.i.t.h. was far too much to heal. Very sad as it was my favorite fish :icon_sad:

On the happy note, my CPD's arrived today, all of them in great looking shape. First time I've seen them in person. Fun fish to watch....when you can see them that is. Also my 2213 is up and running, using the stock in/outs for now. 

Also ordered some HC and E. Parvula, might drop a bit in this tank but my hair algae prob is just thriving right now, so might hold off on that. I shoulda left my photo period to what it was when I got rid of it the first time....duuhhhh

Can anyone recommend a good site to upload photos too?


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

One of my four ottos randomly perished for no obvious reason :frown: i have read it can be common for them to randomly die within a couple of weeks or so after introducing but they've been in for over 6 weeks now and all looked healthy. bummer.

Other than that tank is so so, just cleaned up a HUGE mess of two types of algae; a softer hair type and some hair/thread almost stringy like stuff that drives me crazy  pulled out half of my recently rooted HC trying get it all out. i think my timer had an issue while i was gone for several days causing this massive eruption.

CPD's are great, not really touching the mix of foods i'm trying to give them but they are getting fat and very colorful. Pretty sure I see them going after stuff i cant even see. They're also definitely adjusted to the tank and swimming out in the open a fair amount.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)




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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Beautiful tank


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

2in10 said:


> Beautiful tank


thanks!


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Couple quick pics from today. Finally got off my butt and put my lilys on. Should prob update what the tanks running...been almost 5 months since starting it with my little internal and no co2....time sure flies.

Tank:

13.3g Mr Aqua rimless bowfront

Equipment:

-Eheim 2213
-Fluval Strutam substrate
-DIY C02 2x2L, champagne yeast
-nano diffuser (up-aqua? got it from gla)
-13mm nano Cal-Aqua in and outs
-Cal-Aqua Clip drop checker
-Fluval m submersible heater
-locally collected rocks
-Liquid macros/micros

Flora:

-HC front/between rocks
-Lilaeopsiis m. foregorund/sides
-Blxya j. back left
-E. parvula backround
-Xmass moss and java moss
-duckweed (light screen/jumper preventer/n. sink....dont like the stuff though)

Fauna:

-11 CPD's
-3 Ottos
-6 RCS
-2 PFR's
-4 Amanos
-Snails :angryfire




















CPD's are tough to get a clear shot of.....









Still not staying still for a pic



























Getting great diffusion with DIY and this diffuser,found a kink in the main feed today and the bubbles took off almost 5x more. took 24 hours to build enough pressure to get it thorugh the diffuser.











Also about %90 sure I have clado in here. That and some other strange algae type (rhizo?) that favours my HC greatly. Gonna get a good pic of it and throw up a topic in the algae threads. Still kinda playing with the infow, outflow and diffuser placements, all suggestions welcome


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## plecostomouse (Jun 9, 2011)

looks pretty sweet man i like the rocks!


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## Sd760 (Apr 25, 2011)

Great tank! Big fan


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

thanks for the kind comments plecostomouse and Sd760....its great to hear what others think, good or bad, being it's my first scape.

really liking the current filter and diffuser placement/set-up, dc is the greenest it's ever been. flow seems more balanced than the spraybar i was using.

need to look into doing up some livefood for my cpd's as they seem to love the crushed flake, but appear to be a little less colorful as when i was giving them some mosi larvae i conjured.

hair grass is finally establishing, HC spreading nicely, and the microsword is finally coming back after mowing it.

thanks for looking, any suggestions welcome.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Couple new shots. Haven't lifted a finger since my last post, other than a very minor w/c and top ups, and quickly cleaning the front glass once. Really needs a trim badly...getting very messy and overgrown in spots. 

Blyxa is flowering which is pretty cool to see, there's three flowers I can see that look ready to open. Also had a random CPD death since last post....very strange and sad.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Well...hit the point where I want to re-do it all....clado is not helping the current "scape" :icon_sad:

Other than that heres a couple pics. Pics taken just after a recent trim and WC, so don't mind the mess and the lack of green in my DC (usually almost lime green)

Cant keep my blyxa green!










Sunlight CPD's...getting some afternoon sun reflection on the tank, really brings out the colors.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

quick shot. playing with the background lately so dont mind that. thinking i might try white or blue perhaps maybe a frosted look? did try a browinsh one but it was too murky looking.

still fighting the clado badly. didn't get id confirmation in my algae thread post, but im fairly positive it is clado. it's mostly near the fore ground, fuzzy looking near the HC.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

wow, your tank has matured beautifully... didn't catch this thread. which diffuser did you get, what brand? ive heard that diy co2 wouldn't work with glass diffusers because it doesn't produce enough pressure but it appears you have it dialed. good job. hope you clear up your algae issue... cheers.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

frrok said:


> wow, your tank has matured beautifully... didn't catch this thread. which diffuser did you get, what brand? ive heard that diy co2 wouldn't work with glass diffusers because it doesn't produce enough pressure but it appears you have it dialed. good job. hope you clear up your algae issue... cheers.


Thanks frrok! its over 6 months since cycling and I couldn't agree more about the maturation start to finish :icon_mrgr .....being my first real scape too. the diffuser is a nano from GLA. it took a fair bit of tweaking the setup to get it work and get enough pressure through the diffuser...i too had my doubts and feared a possible disaster. champagne yeast makes a world of difference. with staggered twin 2L's it lasts well over a month before one of the bottles needs to be changed out. thanks for your kind comments!


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

*First ever CRS! New plant!*

:icon_mrgr:icon_mrgr:icon_mrgr

got my hands on two CRS today, one even came berried courtesy of the awesome LFS guy. hoping she doesn't drop em, but only time will tell. couldn't snap the mama, seems to be hiding. it was a long trip home so the white was almost gone (whiter before bagging) but is starting to come around. this one looks like a juvie to me....looks to be still quite small.











also picked up some alternanthera reineckii 'small leaf' for this tank and some cyrpt parva for my 55g. i'd love parva in this tank, but there is already too much going on. have been wanting the parva for awhile...growing time and tank space lost! 

Im wanting to put the reineckii either where the blyxa is....or infront of or behind it. theres 3 main rooted stems of blyxa to either stay or go. anyone have any suggestions?


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Quick FTS with new stems. Got bored of the look and am switching it up with whatever real estate was left  been over 24hrs since my first two CRS went in....got a glance at one today, couldnt see the berried one....but did last night. hoping my params are good enough for them to survive.....fingers crossed. oh ya, dont mind the pic quality, only have my iphone atm. thanks for looking!


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

quick pic update. stems adapting nicely, already showing some color. CRS seem to be quite happy, caught the momma cruising for food, (fingers crossed) still holding eggs! hope to have my camera back soon for better pics, these are cell pics. also, just found out I now have an LFS with ADA products very nearby :eek5: !!! looking into the size i want to get either a 60 or 75cm garden but still up in the air, kinda like a kid on xmas. really like the idea of a 60x45x45? cant wait :icon_cool huge thanks to morphaldus for turning my ADA search in the right direction on a diff thread!






























berried CRS. first one, seems to like the conditions!


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

just over a week since last new stems and first two CRS were added. stems are growing in nicely, really showing more color on the tips than expected, but is nice to see it's happy. CRS appear to be happy and look great, but tend to hide in my mass of HC. only catch them them from time to time, time for more now that the conditions are working for them. 











Teaser pic for next build! :flick:


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

pics from a few days ago, finally have my better camera! don't mid the mess....my CO2 line needs a cleaning and just did my biggest HC/moss trim ever. was tough to bite the bullet and hack as much as I did, but bounced back within two days with re- growth.


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## plecostomouse (Jun 9, 2011)

asdfghjkl
those shrimp are kool, wish i could get some in newzealand......
i really like your scape


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## inka4041 (Jul 27, 2008)

I really like this setup. Hits a great pitch between coiffed and luxuriantly wild.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

plecostomouse said:


> asdfghjkl
> those shrimp are kool, wish i could get some in newzealand......
> i really like your scape


thanks so much!. thats a bummer you cant get them in new zealand? can you get any sort of shrimp? bit of a trade-off here though, new zealand has some amazing species of aquatic plants to be had, that could probably be wildly obtained...presuming its legal and all.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

inka4041 said:


> I really like this setup. Hits a great pitch between coiffed and luxuriantly wild.


thanks!


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## Ben. (Mar 29, 2011)

nice tank, Did all the HC at the bottom die? cause thats a huge mass of HC haha


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Ben. said:


> nice tank, Did all the HC at the bottom die? cause thats a huge mass of HC haha


thanks! not too much die off, most of it is growing on the rocks and completely took it over. but the deepest spot of the mass where its not actually rooted in the substrate has died off a small amount underneath, but the shrimp really dig the HC cave it's created.


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## Storm (Aug 7, 2011)

Really nice scape/tank. Did you have any problems with the HC uprooting after it gets too tall? I heard what can happen is that the upper leaves shade the lower part of the plants and when the lower plants die, the whole thing comes up from the substrate in chunks.

I'm growing an HC carpet emersed right now so I wonder if this will happen.


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## bighollywood (Nov 27, 2011)

Love the tank. It looks awesome.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Storm said:


> Really nice scape/tank. Did you have any problems with the HC uprooting after it gets too tall? I heard what can happen is that the upper leaves shade the lower part of the plants and when the lower plants die, the whole thing comes up from the substrate in chunks.
> 
> I'm growing an HC carpet emersed right now so I wonder if this will happen.


Thanks! The HC did/still is dying underneath a bit where it got so thick/no light, but only in the spot where its not rooted in the sub. i never planted the one chunk, just wedged it between the rocks. never has floated up on me....yet. Its grows so fast for me that I might actually remove the one big mass. it will do what you say though if it gets too thick.




bighollywood said:


> Love the tank. It looks awesome.


thanks so much!



So I finally got a real good glimpse of my berried CRS last night, she's huge!:thumbsup: At first I thought she had dropped the eggs because they were originally a purplish color, but closer inspection revealed opaque-ish colored eggs, and what i thought looked like little eyes in them. Had her for almost a month and she was carrying the eggs then. How long till she drops them? Are MTS a threat?

Will attempt for a pic, but it's darn near impossible.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

couple new pics, my camera charger didnt apparently make it back with the camera....so cell pics for now.

haven't seen my promising berried CRS since last post, just hoping for the best. did a big trim and first sort of re plant ever, think it will look good once the right side fills in, definately moving away form my initial design. ignore the mess, still dont have a pipe cleaner, and the sponge on the intake is for hopeful CRS babies. now have a total of five CRS, crossing fingers for more!

before trim/replant











After replant


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Saw the CRS momma this morning, eggs were gone, think I just missed it. Did however see a male CRS swarming her nand watched him do the dirty with the eggless momma! Hoping for another batch. Dont know what to look for size wise, but i rarely even see the adults in the "thicket" so chances i see a shrimp fry are slim. hopefully the same goes for my CPD's :icon_eek:

Hopeful soon to be CRS parents










guess its time to start a journal for my 75P......playing with some wood right now, really liking this piece, def needs more


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

*Spotted a CRS baby!!!*

Despite all odds, I just spotted a CRS baby! Probably the equivelent to, or harder than, finding a needle in a haystack. SOOO tiny.....now very worried about my CPDs going to town :help:

Almost considering pulling the CPDs and putting them in my 55g jungle.....but really dont want to? I likely wouldnt want to transfer them back, tank has a mild BGA problem.

In 6 months I never had any RCS/PFR berries or babies....but my first ever CRS has dropped a bunch of babies!! Wondering how many there are, if I saw the one that is. Crossing my fingers I guess....

Almost caught the baby on the macro, but disappeared, will keep trying.


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## MitchellLawson (Nov 8, 2011)

Congrats on your babies! Can i ask what the big leafy plant is?


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

MitchellLawson said:


> Congrats on your babies! Can i ask what the big leafy plant is?


Thanks!

The reddish grassy plant is Blyxa Japonica, the Green/Golden stems to the right of it was purchased labeled Alternanthera Reineckii "Narrow Leaf", but I cant seem to truly ID myself, or find out much info on it.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

pic update. haven't seen another baby CRS since I saw the one, one of CPD's looks as though its been eating well.....

wish i could have moved them, but I didnt really expect to even have the chance at CRS hatching first time, never got any action from my RCS/PFRS.

Also hoping for a plant ID on the first pic, I'm now thinking it could be Ludwiga planatal? (mind my spelling) Tank is pretty messy and could use a trim soon. Dont mind the mess. Also unsure of my recent re-plant....time will tell.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

not much too update, other than the fact I discovered my heater had been unplugged for over a week!!!! It's been cold lately, but somehow my room temp. was good enough, kept it at about 69F. almost thinking about pulling the heater completely because it is below freezing outside, but still good? plant growth has seemed to slow though.......

pic with dimmed ceiling halogen lighting, no T5. could probably get growth with just this light on lol


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)




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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Still haven't seen any more CRS babies  Guessing they all got munched on.....

If somehow they are some survivors hiding, how long until they are at a size the CPD's wont chow down? They hatched just over 2 weeks ago. I was thinking 4-6weeks they would be a better size?

Also, considering adding more CRS/CBS or some tigers of some sort and removing my CPD's. How many shrimp would be a reasonable amount for this tank? 50 or less? There is alot of plant cover....


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

couple shots from tonight, more trimming....need to get my other tank started so I can get rid of all the floating HC and stems.










found some settings on my point and shoot I was playing with










my nicest CRS


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## Regenesis (Apr 12, 2011)

Your tank looks really good! Has grown and changed quite a lot since the last time I was on.


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

Very nice tank. not sure what your vision or inspiration was but it Looks to me like an actual flooded forest floor. Two thumbs up


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Regenesis said:


> Your tank looks really good! Has grown and changed quite a lot since the last time I was on.


Thanks Regenesis! I couldn't agree more, every now and then I'll look back at my first page for comparison. Has really come together, and I never moved a thing. How are your tanks doing?



kwheeler91 said:


> Very nice tank. not sure what your vision or inspiration was but it Looks to me like an actual flooded forest floor. Two thumbs up


Thanks so much! I agree on the "flooded forest", perhaps you have helped me find a name for this tank roud: Original inspiration was a creek edge/iwagumi (not even close) with blyxa "rushes" behind all my stones, but things changed along the way as plants grew (or didn't) and such. Look at my first image or two, hard to tell that was the hardscape I started with and never changed.

Thanks for everyones comments. Let's hear some more, good or bad. Anyone think the blyxa in the back right doesn't fit the scape? It's barely rooted and started to pull up as I just moved it there....I'm on the fence about it myself.


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## Rion (Dec 29, 2006)

I've never had any problems with my CPDs eating my shrimp babies but I only have cherry shrimp and they breed like roaches so I may have just never noticed. The baby shrimp tend to hide in thick cover when available so you might not see them for awhile. If you do remove the CPDs keep and eye out for fry that may appear, with a tank that lush and green I'm sure they've dropped eggs a few times. babies will only be a few mm's long and clear with black eyes until they are free-swimming then they only slightly longer and clear.

Anyways, the tank looks great! I'm jealous of the growth because I've never had much luck with ground-cover plants. Your CRS also reminded me that I need to get my hands on some in the near future for tank that I started up.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Rion said:


> I've never had any problems with my CPDs eating my shrimp babies but I only have cherry shrimp and they breed like roaches so I may have just never noticed. The baby shrimp tend to hide in thick cover when available so you might not see them for awhile. If you do remove the CPDs keep and eye out for fry that may appear, with a tank that lush and green I'm sure they've dropped eggs a few times. babies will only be a few mm's long and clear with black eyes until they are free-swimming then they only slightly longer and clear.
> 
> Anyways, the tank looks great! I'm jealous of the growth because I've never had much luck with ground-cover plants. Your CRS also reminded me that I need to get my hands on some in the near future for tank that I started up.


Hey Rion, that is music to my ears re the shrimp fry :icon_lol: Your sig pic got me into CPD's believe it or not...so thanks!

My hopes are that the CRS babies are hiding in the greenery somewhere, but I did see one two days after they hatched believe it or not. My CPD's tend to really scour the bottom lately, so my hopes are starting to fade. Never seen a CPD fry, had them for over 6 months, so that is cool to hear as well, they might get the boot to the 75P once its on its ready, start a shrimp only tank.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

quick shot semi overhead shot and a pic of 55g thats been going through some ups and downs


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)




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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

changed out my T5 bulb for a geissman midday powerchome bulb.

also playing with a new camera, these are the first aqua pics with it. need to upgrade to a paying membership on photobucket i guess....these look terrible compared to the originals before resize/cropping. my beginner skills don't really help either, but am learning


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

testing out new camera some more, have hundreds of shots, still figuring out how to get the best images uploaded online from 18mp lol.....even this pales in comparison to the actual photo taken.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)




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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

couple new pix


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## kwozemodo (May 3, 2010)

beautiful looking tank, whats the carpeting plant?


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

kwozemodo said:


> beautiful looking tank, whats the carpeting plant?


Thanks! Carpet showing is mostly HC, and some microsword mixed with dhg near the right side.


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## Overgrowth (Feb 19, 2012)

Beautiful tank! Would the Amano Shrimp jump out of the tank?


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## qxz06090 (Jul 5, 2010)

salmon said:


> Thanks! Carpet showing is mostly HC, and some microsword mixed with dhg near the right side.


Is your hagen glo single bulb light or duel light?


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Overgrowth said:


> Beautiful tank! Would the Amano Shrimp jump out of the tank?


Thanks! Funny you should mention that, no amano's climbing out, but just 5 mins ago inspected the tank, everything looked well, I turned around and something flew off the bottom of my sock. It was an Oto :icon_frow must have leapt out overnight. 



qxz06090 said:


> Is your hagen glo single bulb light or duel light?


Single.

********

really choked about my poor Oto :icon_frow They have been in the tank for for 8+months now, I didn't think they were jumpers. I did top off to the brim yesterday, but that's not the first time doing that either.

I'll try for some pics tonight, needs a trim really badly.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

It has come a long way and looks really good, what's even more suprising is all those plants in Stratum because it's so light and hard to work with, How in the heck do you keep that Blyxa down?

Your new pipes look nice but now you gotta keep them clean, no big deal.

I like your plant choices too, everything is the proper scale.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

150EH said:


> It has come a long way and looks really good, what's even more suprising is all those plants in Stratum because it's so light and hard to work with, How in the heck do you keep that Blyxa down?
> 
> Your new pipes look nice but now you gotta keep them clean, no big deal.
> 
> I like your plant choices too, everything is the proper scale.


Thanks so much! 

it was a indeed a pain to get the blyxas to stay put until they rooted, but they're golden once they did, massive root systems. 

ya cleaned one of the pipes properly once, didnt have a pipe brush for the longest time :icon_roll still need a smaller one for these pipes, so delicate.

i think collectoritus is setting in, i keep adding new plants as fast as I pull trimmings out.

thanks for looking


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

may as well throw up some new pics while im posting.

needs a trim badly, you couldn't tell but i just hacked a ton of moss out. HC mound is so thick I'm pretty much waiting to see it float up. I also have some HC growing as "stems" in the back getting close to 4" tall :hihi:

still working on uploading the highest quality images i can, but got lazy with these 

































































just discovered the color on this new plant that hitchhiked as 2 little leaves, amazing pink :icon_excl


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

*help me pick some new shrimp*

So I'm looking for ideas for some new shrimp. current fauna is shrinking from what it was when stocked last June, think it's time to refresh.

current inhabitants:

-4 CPDs
-2 Otos
-5 low grade CRS
-2 PFRs 1 RCS
-4 Amanos

I think I may pull the CPD's, add two more oto's and then 10 or so new shrimp, neos or cards. dont really wanna spend more than $150 for 10 shrimp as this will be my first real dive into something higher grade. obviously either the neos or crystals that are in there now may have to go depending on what i go with. 

that said here's some of the options I was looking at:

-Aura blues
-TT's
-OEBT or BTOE's (if avail. prob too $$$)
-red tigers (if avail.)
-Chocolate neos
-more CRS/CBS
-more PFR's, they need be similar to my current ones

lets hear some thoughts on what you would do, and what might look good in this setup.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

just after a major HC and microsword hack. hardly even looks like i put a dent in it.


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## Regenesis (Apr 12, 2011)

It still looks really good!


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Regenesis said:


> It still looks really good!


Thanks Regenesis! 

It's gone way past the look I was after and is now turning into a collectoritus tank haha....still nice to look at though, very low maintinence 


Had a 13 hour power outage yesterday, temp in my 55g was down to 63f, this tank was at 61f when the power came back on....yikes. some of the fish in the 55g looked like they were ready to freeze, turning pale. Im worried about my canister for this tank however, as it sat cold with the same water for 13 hours, BB are probably toast. probably going to see a mini cycle shortly.....

No deaths due to the temp as of yet....in fact the CRS looked happier in the cooler water, i even see a saddle this morning!


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

testing out my xml build for the first time for a full day....beg my pard on the blurry cell phone pic.

HC starting pearling like mad a couple hours after doing so, probably too much light and its only running just over half power of the controller will let it....and only has 3 of 12 optics on.


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## Chyrol (Jan 18, 2012)

Hey, I just read through your journal. Looks really good! It has come a long way from when you first started. 

I'm glad you were able to make it through the power outage without much issue, sounds like it got pretty cold. Keep us updated on the lights, it will be interesting to see what happens. Hope for no giant algae eruption!


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Chyrol said:


> Hey, I just read through your journal. Looks really good! It has come a long way from when you first started.
> 
> I'm glad you were able to make it through the power outage without much issue, sounds like it got pretty cold. Keep us updated on the lights, it will be interesting to see what happens. Hope for no giant algae eruption!


thanks for the kind words!

still appears stable after the power outage. these LEDs may or may not stay on this tank, as it was actually put together for another tank build. oto's already seem to appreciate the sunrise and sunset feature, they were sensitive to the quick on/offs on the old light and had a little spaz when it did so.

if I dont raise the fixture, it WILL cause an algae farm :angryfire


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

couple of oto macros taken with my p&s


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## ChadRamsey (Nov 3, 2011)

what a beautiful tank. you did an outstanding job roud:


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

ChadRamsey said:


> what a beautiful tank. you did an outstanding job roud:


Thanks for the kind words!


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Just added some new fauna, something I've wanted since starting the hobby!

Really brings the tank to life :icon_mrgr will take some pics to post once theres no glare


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

dslr battery gave up before i could upload....note to self, get a spare battery or two. anyways, quick and blurry cell pic of my new eye-catchers. very happy with them, might add a couple more once these settle in for a few days.

this is about two hours after acclimating them


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## Chyrol (Jan 18, 2012)

Those are some nice pics! I love ottos, they seem to have so much personality.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Chyrol said:


> Those are some nice pics! I love ottos, they seem to have so much personality.


thanks. they are indeed neat little fish and i'd add more if the last one didn't skydive :icon_frow

*********

Happy to report some good growth with the LEDs and was able to finally get the back left stems growing well as i was able to move the light on an angle to really juice that corner. not getting the best spread with it sitting on top though...it would be ok if the optics weren't on


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

been awhile since I updated. tank has been moved and is on it's new stand, the new 75-P took it's old spot.

haven't been focusing my best efforts on this tank due to the new build, but I did just notice my first ever berried PFR ! only saw the eggs cause she was fanning them, cant even see them through the shell. whats nice is she is the nicest and only original PFR from 10 months ago, I recently added some more and voila, berries! these should be nice coloured babies (assuming they make it) as there are no dull PFRs in the tank. no pics of berries as of yet.

onto some tank pics

just before the big move/trim










after move. goodbye stems. looks terrible sans stems atm.










LED beams visible










photo bombing rummy, they seem to have a knack for doing this










rummy shoal










CRS


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)




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## vincenz (Jan 29, 2012)

The scape is great. I'm half-expecting a hobbit or a teletubby to come out of one of those hills.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

vincenz said:


> The scape is great. I'm half-expecting a hobbit or a teletubby to come out of one of those hills.


hahaha! darn hobbits haven't showed up in awhile, always off on some big important quest :biggrin:


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

older pic of CRS










some recent tank pics, can you tell i made the switch to dry dosing?


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

first berried CRS from my S+, SS+ batch. hoping she hangs on to em, hard to see through the white and looks like a pretty small clutch but it's berries none the less!


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## Mr. Fish (Apr 24, 2012)

Very nice look to this.. when I first started following wasn't too psyched about the scape.. This definitely made a stunning turn around.

Good work!


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Mr. Fish said:


> Very nice look to this.. when I first started following wasn't too psyched about the scape.. This definitely made a stunning turn around.
> 
> Good work!


Thanks, I agree! Still the exact same hardscape, not that its visible anymore though!


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## halffrozen (Nov 4, 2011)

Insanely beautiful.


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

halffrozen said:


> Insanely beautiful.


many thanks!


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## salmon (Apr 14, 2011)

Holy smokes! Not to dig up my own old thread, but I had forgotten what this tank used to be.

I believe a rescape will be in order over the holidays....after seeing these pics old pics I kinda think I shouldn't have let this tank go


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## Neatfish (Jun 22, 2012)

Looks nice too.


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