# REVAMP - Planted HOB spillway for AquaClear HOBs UPDATED AGAIN! (Cleaning)



## jbrady33

August 18, 2014
Got tired of so much H.Japan, tried something new! 

Experimenting with Dragon's Tongue (according to the tag from Lowe's it's Hemigraphis repanda - beats me). A terrestrial plant that is supposed to be ok in boggy conditions but not underwater. Going to plant it just on the top sponge, not in the 'spoon'. I wonder if dwarf baby tears would grow in the spoon?

Here we go!
Step one, grab the fist full of H.Japan from the top and rip out (very technical)
before:









After (with black top sponge removed):









Next, make a huge mess in a company bathroom sink rinsing ALL the soil from the roots (yes I cleaned it up before anyone saw and I didn't clog the sink, strained it all out)









"plant" the little plantlets in the sponge, poke a hole with a bamboo skewer and thread through









All Planted:









Back on top! Now I just hope it grows and doesn't melt into mush.






















*New* - Disassemble, clean & replace pics on page 3!

(How to at bottom of post)
NEW PICS! The spillway is doing very well, and the part on the sponge in the body of the HOB is taking off now too. Have to watch that it doesn't clog the impeller!  The moss and ricca that started the spillway is swamped by the other plants now - probably acting as a substrate now 




















Ok, the how-to is still below, but here are some pics at a month out that might explain a little better how it goes together (was swapping out the purigen with a recharged one)

There are 2 pieces, the spillway on the outflow of the filter and the "sponge Wabi-Kusa" that goes on top of the media stack










The spillway removed


















The "Sponge Wabi"  It is all on top of or in the sponge piece










How the sponge fits in the filter stack











****

Here is my take on a planted HOB - this design should work on any Aquaclear and I'm sure can be modified for other makes. This design leaves the interior of the AQ full of media, the plants grow on the screen and into the extra sponge on top. It also works well for calming down the turbulence in my shrimp tank.

This is version 2.0, the first used plastic mesh screen and the plants slid right off! 

First you need a chunk of Stainless screen, For my AQ30 it needed to be 4x6. I got mine from H4N here on the board, asked for something stiff enough to hold it's shape and with the holes a bit bigger than a filter guard. Spent some time with my leatherman pliers to turn it into this shape, sort of like a ladle or a high heeled shoe. This is by far the hardest part:









The part that goes in the tank ends up in a spoon shape, the arched part has to be bent over on itself to fit in the mouth of the HOB. I rolled all my edges as I went so nothing sharp sticks up.

You will also need a chunk of coarse foam if you want to do the top of the HOB media stack, I used a chunk of the coarse black foam from a Marineland canister refill. Note that it is so coarse you can see through it. Cut a piece into a rectangle the to cover the top of the media stack.










Now put it together like this. The "handle" of the spoon shape fit into the HOB between the case and the media, the black sponge goes on top of the media stack, you can tuck it under the handles you use to pull the media out. Even if it isn't submerged, that is ok - it will wick water up and stay moist all the time.










Now plant it! I put riccia in the 'spoon', the edges hold it in place - it is actually growing above the water surface, beautiful green. I tied moss (xmas, fissidens) to the 'walls' of the spoon, that is just starting to fill in. 
On the arch of the spillway is more moss, Hydro Japan (I think - little vine that looks like clover?).
At the sponge/spillway joint I tucked in some little struggling anubias, red stem clipping, more moss. stems are taking off.
On top is more moss, Purple Waffle (house plant from home depot), a rhizome of rabbits foot fern and an African violet leaf. The last 2 are experiments - don't know how well they will do as hydroponic only plants  Violet will probably grow but not flower, the rabbits foot is a long shot. 

What do you think?


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## Cyanider

Very cool! I am actually trying this with plastic mesh draped down (no floating effect like yours). If it fails I'll give this a shot


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## jbrady33

I tried plastic mesh first, basically word but kept straighten back up, and when the riccia got too heavy it slid right off and made a mess in the tank.

Here was that version


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## Imi Statue

What does it look like from underneath the water surface? I have thought of this before but just never really like the idea of it hanging into the tank due to looks. Your idea here might just change my mind.:thumbsup:


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## sayurasem

This is so nice! 

So where the black sponge go? On top of the mesh? Basically what is the riccia sitting on?


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## jbrady33

Imi Statue said:


> What does it look like from underneath the water surface? I have thought of this before but just never really like the idea of it hanging into the tank due to looks. Your idea here might just change my mind.:thumbsup:


It's only a 3 gallon tank, so very hard to see underneath  The edges of the 'spoon' have moss tied to them, but the bottom is just SS mesh. If done on a taller tank you could also tie moss to the bottom to cover the mesh.


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## jbrady33

sayurasem said:


> This is so nice!
> 
> So where the black sponge go? On top of the mesh? Basically what is the riccia sitting on?



The black sponges goes in the HOB on top of the stock filter material, like a lid. Doesn't go down into the tank at all.

The ricca is sitting in the bowl of the SS Mesh 'spoon', and having the bowl shape has kept it matted together better than having a flat ramp (so far)

This might give a better idea of what I am thinking when I say a 'spoon shape', imagine the ricca sitting in the spoon.










But the bowl is shaped more like a rice spoon


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## DogFish

Great DIY project idea! Thanks for posting.


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## VisionQuest28

This is pretty cool. Couple questions...how are you attaching the plants to the mesh? And do you find this impedes the flow of the filter? Like if the sponges in the filter get clogged, the water level rises in the filter, and some water starts to over flow the intake side, and also has potential of over flowing the back of filter.


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## mrbooz8787

love this i have a ac 50 on my 36 bow front may give this a shot


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## Michael T

Wow, really awesome idea. I will be using this DIY project. Thank you


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## jbrady33

growing in nicely


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## GreenBliss

Beautiful jbrady33!


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## umdterps96

*Planted HOB spillway for AquaClear HOBs*

Looks good


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## PinkRasbora

wow nice


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## jbrady33

Updated pics at top of thread.


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## rocksmom

This is really nice. I have two planted hobs, but unfortunately no room to add something like this because the tank is too narrow. Very cool though. I'll definitely keep in in mind if I do one on a different tank.


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## tattooedfool83

Does the "wabi" sponge fit into the filter stack? OR rest on top? And if it just rests on top how doesnt it slide forward towards the top of the tank?


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## AirstoND

Nice...what are your water parameters like, specifically hardness, alkanity, nitrates, temp and pH.


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## drewsuf82

Everytime...I find this thread I get lost in it....This is so awesome one day I have to try this. It looks great!!!!


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## jbrady33

tattooedfool83 said:


> Does the "wabi" sponge fit into the filter stack? OR rest on top? And if it just rests on top how doesnt it slide forward towards the top of the tank?


It fits under the little finger/thumb holes just like it was the top piece of media in the filter stack.


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## jbrady33

AirstoND said:


> Nice...what are your water parameters like, specifically hardness, alkanity, nitrates, temp and pH.


Been pretty steady:
GH about 80 - 100 ppm (very soft water mineralized with fluval shrimp supplement. Stopped using Seachem Equilibrium on this little tank)
KH about 40 ppm or less
nitrates about 5 ppm (comes out of the tap that way)
temp 72 to 75. No heater, in an office building.
PH 6.5 to 6.8 (come out of the tap that way)


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## psalm18.2

That is really beautiful. I love it.


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## jbrady33

updates in first post


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## GreenBliss

That's amazing. Beautiful.


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## pejerrey

Nice!  love planted HOBs!!


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## AnotherHobby

That is awesome! What a great way to take what is otherwise an ugly piece of tank equipment, and make it into a really pretty tank feature.


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## jbrady33

Thanks everybody! Just building on the ideas of others :smile: 
I have to trim the HOB plants more than the ones in the tank now, really been growing well. What ever kind of red-ish stem (ludwigia?) that is LOVES being emerged and is going nuts, so does the "clover vine" (hydrocotyle japan i think). 

Every once in a while I stick my finger into the spillway part ot be sure water is still flowing through and over, cause i can't see it anymore


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## jbrady33

Using a coarse sponge as the growing media at the top of the HOB is working and showing huge growth. Here is a small piece that shows the plants putting a root system down in the sponge with no problem:


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## Unikorn

Neat idea! How do you make sure the filter doesn't overflow out the back?


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## jbrady33

Unikorn said:


> Neat idea! How do you make sure the filter doesn't overflow out the back?


Doesn't seem to be a problem, at least with an Aquaclear - I have filter supported on the tank so that it is tilted slightly towards the tank, and it has a built in overflow back to the tank around the "U" tube


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## jbrady33

Question was asked if this thing could ever be taken apart for cleaning, here is the answer! 

I did confirm one suspicion, I always suspected that the Fluval foam pre-filter (from an Edge I believe, cheap) was so fine that the rest of the filter was only really biologic and chemical - the pre-filter providing all the mechanical. Turned out to be true - the sponges in the body of the filter ran totally clear, even after wringing them out. (they are stained from life before the sponge). This works well for me, as I can easily remove the pre filter to clean every week or 2.


Starting point:









The carrier pulled out with no issues:









back side:









Front (with spillway from underneath):









Small roots did penetrate the purigen pillow, pulled out ok though:









The sponge from the top of the stack - I picked this coarse black sponge on purpose as a "growing media" for the plants to root into (it's from a marineland canister)









Re-assembled - new purigen on the bottom this time, keep te roots away and the pre-filter is doing all the mechanical work:









Back in filter body, plants a little beat up but they grew back in real quick!


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## pweifan

I really like this setup a lot. For some reason, I don't think the Wandering Jew "fits". Maybe because I associate it as a house plant and not a terrarium plant in my head? Anyhow, that's the only thing I'd change, but that's just personal preference. This is an excellent setup. Nice job!


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## jbrady33

pweifan said:


> I really like this setup a lot. For some reason, I don't think the Wandering Jew "fits". Maybe because I associate it as a house plant and not a terrarium plant in my head? Anyhow, that's the only thing I'd change, but that's just personal preference. This is an excellent setup. Nice job!


I agree - it's a little bulky too. When I get a chance I plan on potting it and letting the ludwigia & clover-stuff take over again. Would love if the mosses and rabbits foot fern could keep up, or even something like sag or chain sword sticking up!


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## pweifan

UG would be beautiful. It might not be humid enough for UG, though...

By the way, I laugh at your signature almost every time I read it


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## kcartwright856

I am in LOVE with this!

I keep my tank VERY over-filtered due to messy puffers and with my recent tank size downgrade, circulation is a bit harsh.

Would something like this help diffuse the situation?


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## aparker

I too have a planted hob with some l repens among other things. Everything is going strong except the ludwigia! Have you found its growth to be slow emersed or should I change things up? It might also have something to do with the size of the cuttings I started with (very small).


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## jbrady33

kcartwright856 said:


> I am in LOVE with this!
> 
> I keep my tank VERY over-filtered due to messy puffers and with my recent tank size downgrade, circulation is a bit harsh.
> 
> Would something like this help diffuse the situation?


Oh yeah, cuts the turbulence way down. The thicker it grows the more it smooths it out. If I lift the plants I can see the water running over the spillway and into the tank, just smoothed out.

It does slow down the flow quite a bit too (a good thing for me). Since the outflow is so smooth now, I don't throttle the aquaclear back - I let the 'extra' water fall out past the U tube - gives a little surface movement which is nice.


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## jbrady33

aparker said:


> I too have a planted hob with some l repens among other things. Everything is going strong except the ludwigia! Have you found its growth to be slow emersed or should I change things up? It might also have something to do with the size of the cuttings I started with (very small).


It took a good while for the stems to adjust and kick in - but when they did they went nuts! :smile:


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## jbrady33

pweifan said:


> By the way, I laugh at your signature almost every time I read it



I didn't think anybody noticed it (or got it) - used it many places and you are the first person to say something :smile:


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## BulletToothBoris

Beautiful


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## kcartwright856

jbrady33 said:


> Oh yeah, cuts the turbulence way down. The thicker it grows the more it smooths it out. If I lift the plants I can see the water running over the spillway and into the tank, just smoothed out.
> 
> It does slow down the flow quite a bit too (a good thing for me). Since the outflow is so smooth now, I don't throttle the aquaclear back - I let the 'extra' water fall out past the U tube - gives a little surface movement which is nice.



Just what I wanted to hear! I have an AquaClear 70 on a 10 gallon.


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## Italionstallion888

so you put the coarse foam on the SS mesh to grow the plants correct?


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## jbrady33

Italionstallion888 said:


> so you put the coarse foam on the SS mesh to grow the plants correct?


Not quite what I did, but that would work too.

I put the black foam on top of the HOB body only. The SS mesh that extends into the tank as a spillway originally had a wad of ricca & moss that attached to it - the stems seem to have used the ricca and moss as a 'media bed' to grow in. I'm guessing the ricca has been staved out under there long ago.


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## Italionstallion888

I'm working on a smaller version for my 10 gallon tank. So I don't really need anything on the SS mesh, I can just put my moss directly on it?

Thanks for the help.


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## jbrady33

Italionstallion888 said:


> I'm working on a smaller version for my 10 gallon tank. So I don't really need anything on the SS mesh, I can just put my moss directly on it?
> 
> Thanks for the help.


Yep! Moss just needs something to hold onto - and the SS does that well. You should 'sew' it to the mesh with thread or thin fishing line so it does't slide off. Eventually it will attach.

A lot of the people selling moss grow it on SS mesh squares to make it easy to portion out and move around.


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## AquaAurora

Wow this is such a lovely idea, great way to hide the hob a bit! If only I didn't keep/plan to keep fish with a tenancy to jump I'd try this, but having a hood over top the growth would defeat the purpose visually at least.
Thank you for sharing this with everyone


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## tolga

absolutely a wonderful idea! do you guys put any form of plant fertilizer or liquid co2 into the tank? i havnt really noticed any fish in these setups? if you do have fish in these tanks, does this setup allow you to feed your fish more then usual, meaning instead of 1 frozen cube a day to say 2 a day as the plant would filter the excess nitrates out?

regards
tolga


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## jbrady33

recent pics for those interested. Still grows so fast I have to hack it back every few weeks


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## Neatfish

You keep giving me ideas for my picotope. What's the plant in filter?


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## Down_Shift

how is the riccia staying together like that? the flow doesn't break it apart and make a mess?

looks awesome


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## jbrady33

Down_Shift said:


> how is the riccia staying together like that? the flow doesn't break it apart and make a mess?
> 
> looks awesome


The spoon shape of the spillway keeps it together, and it grows together like a mat after a while. Seems to stick to and mat up if grown on a sponge too.


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## Down_Shift

jbrady33 said:


> The spoon shape of the spillway keeps it together, and it grows together like a mat after a while. Seems to stick to and mat up if grown on a sponge too.



I'll have to keep that in mind. I've always tied it down. But overtime it falls apart. It just grows fast and infests the tank. I've been keeping a small amount in a box since I love the color and need to find a way to keep it in check. Thanks!


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## Betta132

Any suggestions on things to just plant directly in a HOB filter? Right now I've got what I'm pretty sure is goosefoot and a little bit of pothos.


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## jbrady33

Lot's of suggestions in this thread:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=170324&highlight=planted+hob


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## Hush

What a great idea. I have a ac110 that I haven't been using because it creates to many bubbles unless the water is at its maximum level.

So I made a spillway for it and used some extra java moss I had laying around.

I attached the moss to the top sponge with gel type super glue.

The moss on the screen was attached by sewing it on with 4lb test fishing line.


Now not only is my ac110 nice and quiet but I also have a little java moss farm on top of my tank!


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## Hush

Here is another angle. I may add More plants but for now it's just moss


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## mightymizz

Very cool idea.

Would an AC 20 or 30 be too big (powerful) for a 2.5g?


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## jbrady33

mightymizz said:


> Very cool idea.
> 
> Would an AC 20 or 30 be too big (powerful) for a 2.5g?


Putting a spillway like this and a foam pre-filter (the one made for the Fluval edge fits good and is real cheap - like a could of dollars) both restrics the flow and calms the output. Mine is an AC30 on a 3 gallon


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## Veritas

have you thought of selling preformed "spoons"?


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## Italionstallion888

I would buy a preformed "spoons" I tried making my own and they didn't turn out very well lol


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## Veritas

Likewise. This would be a great item to sell, I would buy one for sure


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## Fishinfreak

In your thread of this tank, you showed the H Japan had completely taken over. Is it growing in the riccia in the spillway? Or is it growing in SS mesh. Also, has it pretty much killed everything else off by blocking it out?


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## Pandanke

This is so neat! I have a couple HOB this would work on, I especially want to try it with my Azoo Palm/Mignon 60 ones because I keep them in cubes in prominent spots in my house, like my diningroom table. 

So what type of meshing is this that you're using? I've always been leery of using metal in my tanks.


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## jbrady33

Fishinfreak said:


> In your thread of this tank, you showed the H Japan had completely taken over. Is it growing in the riccia in the spillway? Or is it growing in SS mesh. Also, has it pretty much killed everything else off by blocking it out?


I think the old ricca & moss in the spoon is pretty dead, just some left in a few places on the edges. The H japan swamped everything else, except that ludwigia - just plain ol ludwigia but it grow tall and fast enough to peek out of the H japan, and it turns a nice red when grown emerged like this.

Mostly everything roots in the top sponge REAL well, and eventually got rooted into the SS mesh as well (the roots come down and through it on the underside, I trim them back)

Bump:


Pandanke said:


> This is so neat! I have a couple HOB this would work on, I especially want to try it with my Azoo Palm/Mignon 60 ones because I keep them in cubes in prominent spots in my house, like my diningroom table.
> 
> So what type of meshing is this that you're using? I've always been leery of using metal in my tanks.


It was a piece of SS mesh with slightly larger than normal holes that (member) h4n on here happened to have on hand. I think he sells similar stuff regularly, and it is real marine Stainless, hasn't showed any sign of corroding like hardware store stuff.

I don;t think the hole size really mattered much either


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## Veritas

hook us up man! haha. Got a business opportunity to sell these! 

I tried making one for both my AC30 and AC70....and failed terribly


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## Lucubration

Wow, this looks excellent! You just convinced me to buy SS mesh for the first time.

Thanks for the great idea (and pictures).


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## mags8679

I have AC filters on all my tanks, I need to try this, it looks beautiful, thank you for sharing.

Bump: What's the SS mesh? is it shrimp screen? and if not and where do you buy it?
Thank you.


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## Italionstallion888

Where are you getting ss mesh at? I can only find heavy-duty ss, its sharp and hard to mold.


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## jbrady33

Italionstallion888 said:


> Where are you getting ss mesh at? I can only find heavy-duty ss, its sharp and hard to mold.


right here on the board, I got mine from user h4n, I think it is what he uses to make shrimp guards. Check the for sale section, not expensive either


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## jbrady33

August 18, 2014
Got tired of so much H.Japan, tried something new! 

Experimenting with Dragon's Tongue (according to the tag from Lowe's it's Hemigraphis repanda - beats me). A terrestrial plant that is supposed to be ok in boggy conditions but not underwater. Going to plant it just on the top sponge, not in the 'spoon'. I wonder if dwarf baby tears would grow in the spoon?

Here we go!
Step one, grab the fist full of H.Japan from the top and rip out (very technical)
before:









After (with black top sponge removed):









Next, make a huge mess in a company bathroom sink rinsing ALL the soil from the roots (yes I cleaned it up before anyone saw and I didn't clog the sink, strained it all out)









"plant" the little plantlets in the sponge, poke a hole with a bamboo skewer and thread through









All Planted:









Back on top! Now I just hope it grows and doesn't melt into mush.


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## AquaAurora

Very nice, hope it grows well for you, and damn I didn't realize your planted setups were at work and not at home, nice!!


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## pweifan

I like the look a lot. I hope it grows for you and doesn't turn to mush. If it does work out, I may ask you for some cuttings  Good luck!


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## jbrady33

AquaAurora said:


> Very nice, hope it grows well for you, and damn I didn't realize your planted setups were at work and not at home, nice!!


 the little 3 gallon and a few bowls are at work, the 36 is home in our living room 

Bump:


pweifan said:


> I like the look a lot. I hope it grows for you and doesn't turn to mush. If it does work out, I may ask you for some cuttings  Good luck!


 if you have a Lowes you can pick one up cheaper than postage, mine was $5, they had a smaller one for $2.50.

I think any place that sells ' little angels' brand might have them.


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## Veritas

so no chance on buying preformed one? 


mine ended terribly, the moss got moldy and the sponge fell into the water


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## pweifan

jbrady33 said:


> if you have a Lowes you can pick one up cheaper than postage, mine was $5, they had a smaller one for $2.50.
> 
> I think any place that sells ' little angels' brand might have them.


Thanks for the heads up. I found some at the Lowes here  I'll let you know if I have any luck. I was thinking of trying to grow it a couple different ways and see what works. Any update on yours?


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## jbrady33

pweifan said:


> Thanks for the heads up. I found some at the Lowes here  I'll let you know if I have any luck. I was thinking of trying to grow it a couple different ways and see what works. Any update on yours?


So far it still looks good, time will tell


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## jbrady33

AquaAurora said:


> Very nice, hope it grows well for you, and damn I didn't realize your planted setups were at work and not at home, nice!!


Here's the whole cubicle  Yes to both - people like it and think I'm just a little bit weird!


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## AquaAurora

Wow very nice office, to hell with the bland cubical!!!
Your wondering jew is the most purple-est I've ever seen!! Is it because of variant/sub species, nutrients, or your camera? Your fern on the far left looks like it needs a little love :c


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## jbrady33

AquaAurora said:


> Wow very nice office, to hell with the bland cubical!!!
> Your wondering jew is the most purple-est I've ever seen!! Is it because of variant/sub species, nutrients, or your camera? Your fern on the far left looks like it needs a little love :c


I think it is the breed - came that way (from Lowes I think, maybe home Depot) and I have seen much greener ones too. My favorite (which I have seen but don't have one) are really purple and really twisted, dense leaves - very cool. Should have snatched it up the first time I saw it.

The fern is a little sad - but I really like it and would love any tips. It is a rabbit's foot fern - the rhizomes are healthy and plentiful, the leaves are sad (as you can see)


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## jbrady33

Seems to like the conditions just fine, 










same angle, 6 months later:


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## Raymond S.

Not that I know the particular plant but many ferns require high humidity.
The fern mentioned in #80


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## pweifan

jbrady33 said:


>


That is filling in quite nicely! Glad to see it 

By the way, I forgot to tell you. I did find some of this plant at Lowe's, but I never put it in the HOB. Mine is by a window and the leaves are more pointy/sharp looking. When I get the 20 gallon tall set up, I'll put some in the riparium planters. Thanks for confirming they will adapt


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## mags8679

It looks so green and beautiful, I have to give it a try.....who wouldn't.


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## TankFreak420

I love this idea and I'm stealing it for 4 filters on my 3 tanks with clip on lights. I know I want different plants in each one and know all the plants I want to grow in the filter. However I am having trouble coming up with more than just Monte Carlo on the spill away mesh. I want to put Staurogyne Repens in my penguin 100B and Anubias nana in my penguin 150B, both are on my 40g breeder. I also what to put a Java Furn in my quietflow thats on my 15g. My 38g has a AquaClear 50, but because of the way the light is on it I can only do the spillway. I intend to use my Monte Carlo on the 38g but I'm at a loss for the other 3 spillaways.

EDIT: I just noticed your automatic top off, vary cool.


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## tylergvolk

How fast does that H. Japan grow emersed on the spillway? Looks great!


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## jbrady33

tylergvolk said:


> How fast does that H. Japan grow emersed on the spillway? Looks great!


real fast - it's basically emerged so it grows like a weed.


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## tylergvolk

Your thread has inspired me to attach a marina breeder box to a mr. Aqua 3G.










It's a work in progress.


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## Nubster

This tank still alive? I've done something similar in the past but to less effect. I'd like to do it again on the tank I'm currently setting up which is a 12" cube Mr. Aqua with an AC 20. Might have to bump up to my old AC 70 if I decide to do this but I think the motor is burnt out. This was my last attempt a couple years ago. Things were doing good until I got lazy and let things go to shizit. 



This has definitely given me renewed interest. I might dust off my larger Mr. Aqua instead for this project...the one in the picture which is 19" across and 12x12. 11.5g total.


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## jbrady33

*Still Kicking!*



Nubster said:


> This tank still alive? I've done something similar in the past but to less effect. I'd like to do it again on the tank I'm currently setting up which is a 12" cube Mr. Aqua with an AC 20. Might have to bump up to my old AC 70 if I decide to do this but I think the motor is burnt out. This was my last attempt a couple years ago. Things were doing good until I got lazy and let things go to shizit.
> 
> This has definitely given me renewed interest. I might dust off my larger Mr. Aqua instead for this project...the one in the picture which is 19" across and 12x12. 11.5g total.



Oh yeah, still alive and kicking! 
Here is a pic from today:













I've had to hack the filter back twice, gets taller than the lights. This stuff grows like a stem - chop it short and it regrows.


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## Nubster

That's awesome. I need to get into Lowes and see what goodies I can find. I used some Lowes plants in my tank a couple years ago and they did alright. Not sure off top of my head what they were...I'm terrible with plants names. I think it's all in my Blue Diamond thread I started way back when...this time around I want to keep it more simple. I really like your spillway idea and then maybe some red root floaters and keep it at that instead of all the baskets and rafts I had last time.


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## AquaAurora

My dragon tongue does great close to strong light (13 watt 6500k cfl). My HOB use to have several plants but has been taken over by the Helxine soleirolii
aquaclear70


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## Nubster

That's awesome!


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## jbrady33

Update!

3 yrs later, the Dragon's Tongue in the HOB all died at once. not sue why, just one of those things. If I can find some club moss (bog plant) might try that.


Tank is still choked with Crypts and Moss, probably Anubis deep in there where I can't see it 

Been animal free for a ear at least, thinking about trying cherry shrimp again. First attempt with them only last a year, I think a combination of too much messgin with the filter and Purigen did them in. (Great stuff for clear water, but IMO shrimp don't seem to like. )


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## jbrady33

Last Update! I have RAOKed away the 3 gallon, still looking good but no time for proper care. For the first time in years no tanks in my life, weird!


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## pweifan

Sorry to hear that  I'll also be tearing down my last tank as soon as the cold snap finally breaks. It's going to be weird for sure. I'll be moving this spring/summer but plan on setting up a new tank after we get to the new place. Any specific plans to set up a new tank in the future?


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## The Dude1

Someone really lucked out. This is a fantastic thread. I'm going to start converting my HOB's into planted. I was thinking of using the 20w LED floodlights to illuminate the HOB's. All of my lights sit right on top of the tanks.


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## Nubster

Planted HOB's are cool. I didn't have the best success the time I tried but I think it was a combo of light, plant choice, and being lazy. I thought about trying it again someday. 

My attempt...


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## theatermusic87

I have 2 that are planted and while they aren't scaped and pretty, I like the contrast with the neater submerged growth


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## zrace

Really cool idea, looks great!


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## Flying_Rasbora

How do you fertilize this tank? I have a similar tank and I have been dosing EI light. I feel like I could up the ferts with all of the emersed growth.


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## vanish

@Flying_Rasbora you can't link directly to a google photo like that. It will work for you, but not for the rest of us. It is possible to it it via google drive using the share button. Get the link, then, before the "?" in the url, change "open" to "uc".


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