# TuonoR's 6g Fluval Edge **Rescape update 7/26



## tuonor

Hi all,

Opening this thread to detail the setup of my 6 gallon Fluval Edge. I bought this tank to set-up for my 2 year-old, having been out of the hobby since college (call it a trial to see if I want to take the plunge again). 

The glass top / limited access of the Edge was a plus for me as I'll be setting the tank at my son's height and the design of the tank will keep his curious hands out of the water. Plus I love the design.

Will be my first attempt at a planted aquarium so am quite open to suggestions. This forum has proven to be invaluable already and I'm barely off the ground.

*Current equipment:*
- Fluval Edge in orange
- Zebrano wood stand (its actually an 18" high stool but just the right height for my little guy to see the tank)
- [STRIKE]LED Wholesalers lights from the Edge thread[/STRIKE] 2 x 13W Catalina Aquarium "Lighthouse" hood
- Aquaclear mini HOB (comes with the Edge)
- Cartridge-style CO2 system using a leland micro-regulator and a bunch of Clippard parts (www.clippard.com). 
- ADA "ball glass" diffuser injected into the Aquaclear mini 
- Catalina 50W titanium heater
- Flourite black substrate

*Future plans:*
- [STRIKE]Upgraded lighting using 9W flourescent biax-mount bulbs. Still deciding whether to entirely scrap what came with the tank and replace it with a DIY fixture of 2 9W bulbs or strap a single 9W alongside the existing fixture[/STRIKE] Need to retrofit reflector and lights from Catalina Aquarium fixture to the stock Edge hood
- DIY feed delay timer for the HOB filter
- DIY moonlights using parts from Oznium

*Plants*
- Dwarf baby tears (HC)
- Lilaeopsis mauritius 
- Dwarf hair grass (Eleocharis acicularis)
- Mini pelia on the way...not sure where to put it

*Dosing*
- Pfertz [STRIKE]medium[/STRIKE] high tech package [STRIKE](just N and micros)[/STRIKE]

*Fauna*
- [STRIKE]Thinking CPDs and an oto or two[/STRIKE]
- CRS with a token CBS (added 2/28)
- 5 B. Brigittae (added 2/24 and 2/26)
- [STRIKE]2 Otos (added 2/23)[/STRIKE] (gifted on the S&S when I got the zebras)
- 3 Zebra Otos (added 3/16)


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## tuonor

First impressions:










We picked this up a few weeks back at a LFS in Venice. Opted for the orange color which is really a metallic burnt orange hue but looks great.

Have been pretty impressed with the quality of the setup, but I suppose when paying $120 for this tiny aquarium one would hope to be impressed. The finish on the hood and housing is nicer than you'd think (several times nicer than the plasticy finish of the Eclipse systems) and is flawlessly applied. The silicon joints on the aquarium are better than average but could be improved.

Looking at the lighting setup, I'm not sure why Fluval opted for such a complex rig. The setup has 2 MR11 sockets for 2 x 10W halogens set into a plastic light bar that is attached to the rear housing that also houses the HOB filter. While the light bar swings up and out of the way for access to the tank, one still has to lift up a decorative hood (the orange thing on the top of the tank) to get to the lights...seems like it would have made more sense to leave out the hinged arm setup and just put a couple of flourescent strips in the hood like a normal set-up.

Haven't fully decided yet but thinking of taking this out and putting in a DIY setup with 2 9W Coralife bulbs (flourescent). One option is to just get a couple biax sockets and fashion a mounting bracket. Alternatively wondering if its possible to gut one of these Coralife mini aqualight hoods and for the innards:


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## tuonor

*Hardscape - opinions?*

My toddler and I spent part of the weekend cleaning out the tank and brainstorming on the hardscape.

Materials:
- 1 bag Flourite black (15.4lbs)
- About 15 lbs of Yamata stone from Nature Aquarium in SM

For the Edge, 1 15.4lb bag of Flourite may be marginal. With a slope you'll have about 1.75 - 2" of gravel at the front and 2.5" at the back. However given the limited height of the Edge aquarium (8.8" high), I figured I'd try this first. 

Tank with flourite black, rinsed 7 times in a bucket and the run through a strainer (I probably should have let it dry outside but its not that warm these days):









*Now for the rocks...interested in people's opinions of the following ideas, as well as any suggestions for modifications:*

_Option 1 (did it before we put the flourite in):_









_Option 2 (my runner up):_









_Option 3 (this one feels too busy to me):_









_Option 4:_









_Option 5 (leaning toward this one -- same as option 4 but with the flat stone set so it looks more angular):_


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## javi

Personally, I like options 2, 4 and 5. Are all thirty pounds in the tank?


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## Bonefish

I'm digging #4 and #2.

I bet your kid is going to love it. Especially once you put the fishies and other tank beasties in.


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## Dollface

I would go with 2 or 5, excellent rock arrangements. I would venture to guess you could actually remove some of the fluorite, you don't need more than 1" in the front. an exaggerated slope is ideal for rock work like that.


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## Francis Xavier

2 is a great start for a solid rock aquascape. However, what is your intention for the scape? Iwagumi?


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## tuonor

javi said:


> Personally, I like options 2, 4 and 5. Are all thirty pounds in the tank?


The ~15lbs of Yamata consisted of 2 larger stones (about the size of the main one in the pics above) and 3-4 smaller stones. I'm only using one of the large stones and 2-3 of the smaller ones. Suffice to say, its painful to pay the 1000% mark-up on these ADA stones and use only half of what was purchased. But at least I have a local source...



Francis Xavier said:


> 2 is a great start for a solid rock aquascape. However, what is your intention for the scape? Iwagumi?


Probably Iwagumi-like. I'm thinking of keeping it relatively simple given the small opening will limit my flexibility to maintain stuff. 

For plants, currently trying to obtain some: HC (foreground), dwarf hairgrass (the smaller E. Parvula if I can find it) and maybe a couple b. japonica for the back.


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## Francis Xavier

The style behind #2 is a solid classical Iwagumi aquascape, the others are fairly marginal, although #5 might look better if it was oriented on the right side as opposed to the left, given the tilt direction of the stone, although #5 doesn't have the impact potential that a design along the basis of #2 has. 

1, 3 and 4 just don't work well, I'm trying to put my finger on precisely why, and all I can think of at the moment to explain it is that the scapes are too "flat" per se. In #3 the stone on the far left that is going the opposite direction of the main stone isn't large enough to perform that function, which is the same issue with #4 because the middle transition stone is "flat," where as in #5 it's upright which eases the transition and puts less strain on the far left support stone.

I would suggest, if you continue to experiment, to experiment with scapes modeled after #2 and #5.


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## Bonefish

Agreed with Francis Xavier. #2 has the most classic look: it's very strong, good central focal point, and good "flow" between the rocks. Both the positive space (the rocks) and the negative space (empty substrate space) make powerful visual impacts.

I like the arrangement of the back two stones in #4 and #5, but I'm not quite feeling the position or angle of the smaller front one. I think it would look good if it were angling away from the largest stone, kind of mirroring what the second-largest is doing. Like all three stones are "exploding" away from a central point. Here's a quick-and-ugly Photoshop of what I mean:


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## tuonor

*Latest and greatest*



Dollface said:


> I would go with 2 or 5, excellent rock arrangements. I would venture to guess you could actually remove some of the fluorite, you don't need more than 1" in the front. an exaggerated slope is ideal for rock work like that.


Good idea, I used some of the flourite to build up the mound in-between the cluster of rocks.



TsuRyuu said:


> Agreed with Francis Xavier. #2 has the most classic look: it's very strong, good central focal point, and good "flow" between the rocks. Both the positive space (the rocks) and the negative space (empty substrate space) make powerful visual impacts.
> 
> I like the arrangement of the back two stones in #4 and #5, but I'm not quite feeling the position or angle of the smaller front one. I think it would look good if it were angling away from the largest stone, kind of mirroring what the second-largest is doing. Like all three stones are "exploding" away from a central point. Here's a quick-and-ugly Photoshop of what I mean:


How's this, I took the "exploding" idea to heart, but maybe too much so? I'm pretty happy with it but feel like I might need 1-2 more stones. 

My toddler loves how his rock garden turned out (he makes it a point to show anyone who will follow him into the living room) but the HC I bought from plantedrandall just came in, so need to get to planting this weekend.


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## Dollface

In general, the less stones the better, these look fine. I would just shift the whole arrangement over to the right, the main stone is too centered in the tank, and it gives the appearance of the scape being too weighted to the left.


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## Francis Xavier

with this arrangement I would move the front middle stone to the right of the Main stone, leading into it (in a horizontal manner), while overall shifting the setup to the right. I would also recommend adding one more really small stone to round out the number to 5, or shorten it to 3 rocks. Generally speaking you want to avoid even numbers for stone arrangements.


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## Bonefish

tuonor said:


> Good idea, I used some of the flourite to build up the mound in-between the cluster of rocks.
> 
> 
> 
> How's this, I took the "exploding" idea to heart, but maybe too much so? I'm pretty happy with it but feel like I might need 1-2 more stones.
> 
> My toddler loves how his rock garden turned out (he makes it a point to show anyone who will follow him into the living room) but the HC I bought from plantedrandall just came in, so need to get to planting this weekend.


I'm flattered you liked my suggestion! :biggrin: Digging this concept. I agree with Dollface that the setup would benefit from a shift to the right to keep the composition from being too left-heavy. And I second Xavier about rounding it out with another rock in order to keep odd numbers.

Should look great once it's 'scaped!


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## Dollface

If you're going to go for odd numbers, I would actually remove a rock, specifically the one that's on the farthest left, in the middle. I would then move the middle rock over to the left a little bit.


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## lemuj

just wondering, were u able to put in the coralife mini on this tank?


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## tuonor

Many thanks for all the feedback. I stopped by Nature Aquarium to pick up a few smaller stones last night. I've seen some people ask about the ADA stones and what you actually get per pound; so I'll include the pic below which shows 1.5 lbs of Yamata stones.










So here is the mostly completed hardscape. Per Dollface, TsuRyuu and Francis Xavier's suggestions, I took out a stone and shifted the remaining ones around. I tried to keep it such that from most angles there was always an overlapping stone in the perspective.

However, I realized I can't move the overall arrangement to the right. Because the Edge only has a small hole in the center of the top, if I move the big rock over to the right, I can't access the right side of the tank. 

So instead I threw a couple of smaller rocks on the other side of the tank to balance things out, keeping the total count at an odd number and trying to make it look they lead into the big rock. I'm not 100% happy with this aspect, but I'm planning on putting hairgrass in the back and this will provide a natural looking dividing line between the HC and the hairgrass.

Any final comments are welcome, planting starts tomorrow.


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## tuonor

lemuj said:


> just wondering, were u able to put in the coralife mini on this tank?


I got my hands on one and am 80% sure it will work, but have to take the thing apart and play around with it. 

Will post more on this when I figure it out.


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## Francis Xavier

You might need to have the stones on the right side be a little bit bigger, or if they are buried have them sit on top of the substrate instead so they aren't as 'invisible.'

When you plant, plant deeep so the HC grows in low and thick.


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## hyunbaw

*warning*

the coralife might run a little hot, so beware.


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## tuonor

hyunbaw said:


> the coralife might run a little hot, so beware.


Interesting, current thought is to move the ballasts to an outboard box b/c the light fixture has to be gutted anyway.


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## tuonor

*planting update*

My son and I managed to get some HC planted on December 13 (thanks PlantedRandall!), but we were gone over the holidays so I'm just finding time to post an update. The plan is to grow the HC emersed for 1-2 months and later add some dwarf hairgrass (background) and micro chain sword (transition zone between HC and hairgrass). Trying to teach the kid the virtues of patience early.

Temporary lighting set-up is LED bulbs from the Fluval Edge thread and a 23W generic spiral bulb in a $10 Ikea floor lamp. Still working on a new lighting solution

_Small hands shown for scale _









_Here is the aquatic gardner at work. General technique was to separate the HC down to the stem as much as possible, then per Francis Xavier's advice, pushing the stem into the Flourite as far as possible with tweezers. Doing this resulted in many leaves ending up below the Flourite surface, but I figured this is probably okay. _









_December 13, 2009: Taken the day it was planted_









_December 20: 1 week in...very little going on here but if you look very closely there are a couple new leaves_









_December 28: 2 weeks in...starting to fill in_


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## tuonor

One last thing in terms of dosing:

I diluted Pfertz N and Micro ferts at 1 pump / gallon of water and used this to "drown" the gravel. Periodically, I am spraying the HC with a diluted version of this mixture. Curious if i) these concentrations sound right; and ii) whether I need to be dosing P and K as well.

There doesn't seem to be a clear consensus on whether the very limited amount of water in the tank at the emersed stage should have i) the same amount of ferts that one would use for a fully filled tank (ie a much higher concentration of ferts / unit of water) or ii) the same concentration (ferts / gallon of water) as one would find in a filled tank. 

What I'm doing is in-between.


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## tuonor

Quick update on emersed growth. A couple weeks back I planted some dwarf hairgrass (E. acicularis) and Lilaeopsis mauritius from AquaBotanic. Seems like people have had mixed success growing hairgrass emersed but I figured I'd give it a try.

My original plan was to flood the tank this weekend but I'm still waiting on a couple parts for the pressurized CO2 setup to come in.

In the meantime I modified a Hagen Hush 5 HOB filter to replace the stock filter. While the Aquaclear is (IMHO) the best designed HOB filter, it takes up too much room in the back housing to fit my CO2 rig underneath it and I figure one doesn't need a 100gph filter for the edge.

_January 3_









_January 10: hairgrass and L. mauritius added for background (latter is in emersed form)_









_January 17: as you can see here, while the HC continues to fill in nicely, I'm getting some yellowing of the HC on top of the mound. Not sure if its drying out (this section is well above water line) or it has just exhausted its nutrients, so I threw a Pfertz tab into the mound and am spraying every day now_









_Front shot: in retrospect I wish I had played around more with sloping the substrate, but probably too hard to change now._


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## speedie408

Nice job! Lookin forward to seeing this thing filled and mature. How the hell do you get your kid to help out like that... my kids would just make a big mess lol.


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## TLE041

How is the new light fixture working for you? Do you have pictures of it on the tank?


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## BMueller777

awesome tank. update? :icon_smil


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## TeaQue

Lookin' great!


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## Pinto

This is going to look awesome!


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## AlexXx

wow that carpet is looking amazing! filling it so well.


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## Fat Guy

looks great. I'd love to see the new light fixture as well and how you have it setup on the tank. how's the growth of the HC once you put the rest of the h2o in? I think your substrate slope looks fine too


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## soymilk

What model regulator did you buy? What kinda co2 canisters did you get with it?


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## tuonor

speedie408 said:


> Nice job! Lookin forward to seeing this thing filled and mature. How the hell do you get your kid to help out like that... my kids would just make a big mess lol.


Lol. You don't know how many pictures we went through to get the couple I posted. Regardless, he is def interested in helping (the fact that he gets to get his hands dirty and tear things up certainly helps). 



TLE041 said:


> How is the new light fixture working for you? Do you have pictures of it on the tank?


Update here still pending (and admittedly long overdue) lemuj, TLE041 and Fat Guy...light works great but still need to transfer the reflector and bulbs to the Edge hood. I'll post an update when I get around to fabricating that. For now, I just have the Catalina light perched on the aquarium.



BMueller777 said:


> awesome tank. update? :icon_smil





TeaQue said:


> Lookin' great!





Pinto said:


> This is going to look awesome!





AlexXx said:


> wow that carpet is looking amazing! filling it so well.





Fat Guy said:


> looks great. I'd love to see the new light fixture as well and how you have it setup on the tank. how's the growth of the HC once you put the rest of the h2o in? I think your substrate slope looks fine too


Thanks for the encouragement, BMueller, TeaQue, Pinto, AlexXx and Fat Guy. Keeping my fingers crossed for the pending flooding of the tank. Unfortunately, the DHG is not doing nearly as well as the HC but I think its because its planted in the back of the scape, where the slope is sufficient that the DHG roots aren't submerged. I'm spraying this area 2x a day now to try to keep it moist.

Will post an update pic before / after tank is flooded this weekend. Stay tuned.


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## Fat Guy

awesome. looking forward to the updates.


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## tuonor

soymilk said:


> What model regulator did you buy? What kinda co2 canisters did you get with it?


Its a leland regulator sourced from a beer brewing supply company, with misc. clippard parts (needle valve, micro solenoid, etc.). I'll post a DIY at some point, but here is a quick preview pic with some of the other CO2 gear. 










Its basically the size of the ADA nano CO2 setup (just under 8" tall, with a 1.5" diameter cylinder), at a (very) slightly lower upfront cost than the ADA and then a 40-60% ongoing savings for CO2 based on the cost of the ADA cartridges vs. the food grade ones I'm using. You also get a pressure meter on the regulator, and I believe it could be modified to be used with a paintball canister down the road.

I'll point out up front that this is definitely not the most cost effective way to get pressurized CO2 into an Edge, but its the only way I could find to get the whole thing into the back housing so the tank remains essentially self contained.


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## Fat Guy

nice!


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## DreamProductions

tuonor said:


> Its a leland regulator sourced from a beer brewing supply company, with misc. clippard parts (needle valve, micro solenoid, etc.). I'll post a DIY at some point, but here is a quick preview pic with some of the other CO2 gear.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Its basically the size of the ADA nano CO2 setup (just under 8" tall, with a 1.5" diameter cylinder), at a (very) slightly lower upfront cost than the ADA and then a 40-60% ongoing savings for CO2 based on the cost of the ADA cartridges vs. the food grade ones I'm using. You also get a pressure meter on the regulator, and I believe it could be modified to be used with a paintball canister down the road.
> 
> I'll point out up front that this is definitely not the most cost effective way to get pressurized CO2 into an Edge, but its the only way I could find to get the whole thing into the back housing so the tank remains essentially self contained.


Wow thats a awesome setup! I would love to get this for my Edge also. Do you think you have some links to the items purchased so I could get a similar setup in mine? I don't know where they would have these parts locally around my area. If you could that would be great and very helpful for some of us Edge owners


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## tuonor

DreamProductions said:


> Wow thats a awesome setup! I would love to get this for my Edge also. Do you think you have some links to the items purchased so I could get a similar setup in mine? I don't know where they would have these parts locally around my area. If you could that would be great and very helpful for some of us Edge owners





soymilk said:


> What model regulator did you buy? What kinda co2 canisters did you get with it?


Posted a detailed DIY here with parts lists:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/di...co2-shown.html

Note the pics of how this fits in the Edge are still pending.


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## tuonor

Update pics. Have been muddling through my first attempt at a fishless cycle without much success. Day 20 or so and my nitrites have been reading 1ppm for at least the last 10 days. Probably shouldn't have used the Nutra "Cycle" bacteria that come with the edge.

Anyway here are progress pics from the last few weeks:

_January 31. Last pic of emersed growth before filling the tank_
_







_

_Would you believe he filled the tank one dixie cup at a time?_
_







_

_Tank filled. In this pic, you can see the Catalina hood that (someday) will donate its reflector, bulb clips and bulbs to the stock hood._


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## tuonor

Most recent pics from today (Feb 19). Tank is suffering from an outbreak of thread algae and I spent an hour or so trying to pull it out earlier today. Will crank up the CO2 and maybe adjust the photo period tomorrow.

I have some Excel on hand but am hesitant to overdose it b/c I read somewhere it is tough on HC. Would be curious to hear people's thoughts on this.

_Hairgrass starting to fill in. Just behind my rock algae farm. For some reason the DHG is taking hold nicely on this side of the tank but is stagnant on the other. Possibly a flow issue (because the light should pretty much be symmetrical)._
_







_

_Lilaeopsis mauritius. It is still transitioning to its immersed form (which is alot shorter). This plant seems to be doing the best of the three in the tank._
_







_

_HC. Some days it looks great, others it looks like its threatening to wither away. I still can't get it to pearl (I cheat by changing the water). I suspect I have a nutrient deficiency as I am only dosing Pfertz N and micros and have some yellow leaves. Probably should have bought the high-tech package from Pfertz instead._









_FTS. If you have any thoughts on how to make my heater less noticable, I'm all ears. The cord is too short to move it to the corner._


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## TeaQue

Looking good!


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## EdTheEdge

Very very nice! roud:


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## PinoyBoy

Just a wild idea on hiding the heater.

Slice your intake tube in half. Put the heater inside the intake tube. Only do this if the heater can fit inside the intake tube.

Just an idea. Not meant to be taken serious unless you want to do some modifications.


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## Chrisinator

Awesome tank!



> Slice your intake tube in half. Put the heater inside the intake tube. Only do this if the heater can fit inside the intake tube.


That's gonna block/limit the flow!


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## TLE041

Chrisinator said:


> That's gonna block/limit the flow!


Absolutely. And also, is there a heater small enough to fit into an intake tube?

I find my Marineland Stealth heater blends with the dark background so well that I don't notice it unless I'm specifically looking for it.


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## PinoyBoy

It wasjust a wild idea ^^

From the pictures, yes, it looks like it would fit. So it gave me the idea.


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## Fat Guy

lookin great!!


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## Fat Guy

...oh....and I'm feeling the same about pearling....water changes are my secret too


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## Fat Guy

How's the tank looking?


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## dkbmxr18

Fat Guy said:


> How's the tank looking?


I was wondering the same thing. Hopefully he has a thick carpet of HC by now so he can send me some. :hihi:


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## tuonor

Thanks *TeaQue*, *EdTheEdge*, *Chrisinator* and *Fat Guy! *Unfortunately the tank is going through some growing pains. Thread algae outbreak that I haven't figured out how to beat back. I reduced the photoperiod to 5 hours, added some otos (who frankly don't seem to be all that interested in the thread algae) and started dosing K and P (which I wasn't dosing before). Keeping fingers crossed that this is just a "phase" that the tank is going to go through.

I am starting to suspect that, contrary to my initial concerns that I wouldn't have enough light, maybe I actually have too much light (13W x 2 of PL bulbs over a 6 gallon tank that is relatively low in height). If I can get off my butt and finish the lighting project I initiated weeks ago, I will have the flexibility to cut that to 2 x 9W...in the meantime I'm running a shorter photoperiod.

*PinoyBoy**, *interesting idea with the heater but not going to fit in there unfortunately. I did manage to find a 25W nano heater (< 4" long!) that I ordered but it runs on overseas voltage so I'll have to report back after I have tested it. Hoping it works -- I hate the heater being back there despite it being a Edge-friendly titanium look.

I added B. Brigettae and Otos last week and CRS this past Sunday and will try to upload a couple pics shortly.


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## tuonor

dkbmxr18 said:


> I was wondering the same thing. Hopefully he has a thick carpet of HC by now so he can send me some. :hihi:


Unfortunately I wasn't dosing potassium and the HC suffered some die-off of lower leaves. I am now dosing potassium but coupled with the shorter photoperiod I'm using to retard the algae issue I probably have less HC mass than at the last update when the algae was just becoming a problem.


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## tuonor

Pics of the new inhabitants, introduced over the last week:

_Otos drip acclimating. These are regular Otos from Petco, as Nature Aquarium was closed and I was feeling impatient (having a toddler along who is expecting to take home some new guys will do that to you). I'm still concerned that the survival rate may be low given the source, but we're at the 7-day mark without issues._









_Oto. This one (or maybe the other one) is named Leo. He actually looks like he's eating something although I'm skeptical its my thread algae as it continues to run rampant..._









_CRS acclimating. We got these yesterday from kangshiang, who is a great guy and luckily is local. _









_11 CRS and 1 CBS..._


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## tuonor

CRS in the tank. You can see the problem I'm having with the HC leaves yellowing in the second pic. I'm assuming for now this is a potassium deficiency based on a chart I found on TPT, but remain (very) open to suggestions.



















I also added a handful of B. Brigittae but these guys are so small and darty I can't get a decent pic. We were originally deciding between CPDs and the Brigittae and went with the Brigittae because the CPDs just seemed too timid. 

The Brigittae have turned out great. They don't really school but spend most of their time out in the open (perhaps that is because we don't keep any larger fish in the tank).


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## Fat Guy

...by the way, did you ever get your lighting setup to fit underneath the canopy or do you run the lights without canopy? looks great!!


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## tuonor

Fat Guy said:


> ...by the way, did you ever get your lighting setup to fit underneath the canopy or do you run the lights without canopy? looks great!!


Still on the list of things to do. Playing around with the light levels and CO2 to get the algae under control and, at some level, hoping I can pin down the right lighting before I retrofit it.

In terms of the CO2, I have a ceramic diffuser on the way from Aqua Forest (this one) and am going to play around with injecting directly into the AC filter intake (vs. after the impeller chamber with a broken chopstick which is my current strategy). I'm hoping using a ceramic diffuser in the intake will increase the CO2 - water contact time and still allow me to keep the CO2 stuff out of the tank; while avoid gurgling at the impeller given the micro bubble size.

BTW -- my HC pearled for the first time yesterday (sans water change)! I noticed more bubbles were trapped under the top glass than usual and immediately went to check the water level which was normal (for non-Edge owners, the downflow of the stock HOB filter causes bubbles to get trapped under the glass if the water level is too low). Realized it was drifting up from the HC. Hopefully this means my HC will recover now that I'm dosing K.


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## Fat Guy

awesome.

When you retrofit that light, post some pics. That nano diffuser looks pretty cool and that's great about the HC pearling. The next thing on my list is dosing potassium, but because I'm just growing moss I haven't seen any recent nutrient deficiency. I've been just dosing nitrogen and micros....best of luck with that HC. looks good growing in your tank even though you're seeing some yellowing


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## TeaQue

Looking good! I'm also having issues with thread algae.

How many shrimp would be ok in this tank? The only reason I picked up ghosts was because everyone selling CRS will only ship 20 or more and I figured 20 would be too many for this tank.


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## tuonor

Fat Guy said:


> awesome.
> 
> When you retrofit that light, post some pics. That nano diffuser looks pretty cool and that's great about the HC pearling. The next thing on my list is dosing potassium, but because I'm just growing moss I haven't seen any recent nutrient deficiency. I've been just dosing nitrogen and micros....best of luck with that HC. looks good growing in your tank even though you're seeing some yellowing


I don't have alot of experience with mosses, but you might be okay without P or K. Perhaps just wait and see how the moss grows in. I wasn't originally planning to dose P and K but my HC started yellowing.


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## tuonor

TeaQue said:


> Looking good! I'm also having issues with thread algae.
> 
> How many shrimp would be ok in this tank? The only reason I picked up ghosts was because everyone selling CRS will only ship 20 or more and I figured 20 would be too many for this tank.


Probably depends on what else you plan to stock. Take this with a grain of salt as these are the first shrimp I've kept...but shrimp have almost no bio load. Indeed, based on the tank calculator here, you could keep 75+ shrimp in the tank if it were a no-fish tank.

In my case, I figured the Edge could support a couple otos, 6 b. brigittaes and 6-8 CRS. I bought more than I needed b/c as you point out they're typically sold in groups of 10 and since these are my first run at keeping CRS I'm assuming there will be some attrition. 

If not, I imagine I won't have any trouble finding someone to pick them up...

Try pm'ing kangshiang. I got my CRS from him and IIRC he ships. Really good guy and great looking CRS.


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## tankaddict

Hey have your HC experienced any melting after submerging? 40% of mines died after a good 2 weeks growth submerged.


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## tuonor

tankaddict said:


> Hey have your HC experienced any melting after submerging? 40% of mines died after a good 2 weeks growth submerged.


No melting that I can point to, just yellowing / blackening of some lower leaves which I suspect is related to a potassium deficiency. 

What does your melting look like?


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## tankaddict

tuonor said:


> No melting that I can point to, just yellowing / blackening of some lower leaves which I suspect is related to a potassium deficiency.
> 
> What does your melting look like?


Leaves started to turn transparent and melted away. It has since stopped and started to regrow.


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## tuonor

A few small updates:

_Sourced some zebra otos! I bought 3 trying to be realistic about the survival rate of these guys. Doing okay so far, but still stressing for them to make it past the critical first 2-weeks..._









_CRS putting on a production of Lion King for the new zebras_
_







_

_B. Brigittae. Finally managed to get a half decent photograph of one of them. I really like these little guys, they're bold and always on the prowl for food_









_FTS. This is actually from March 7. Thread algae is alot worse but at least the HC is bouncing back nicely after I started dosing P and K. The HC pearls a bit late each day but I feel like it'd be doing better if it wasn't choking in algae. Still refuse to resort to excel for the shimp's sake...but am going to try it if the thread algae is still growing in a couple weeks _


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## Fat Guy

lookin good!! How's the hairgrass treating you?


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## Ugly Genius

I can't believe that I didn't notice this thread until now. Great journal! I don't know how I missed it.

For your first planted tank and in a setup as difficult as the Edge, you knocked it out of the park.
Keeping in mind all the limitations inherent to an Edge, I don't think I can find a flaw.
I love your Zebra Otos, and the CRS are simply beautiful.
And in one of your photos, your kid looks hapa. Is he hapa? I only ask because I'm hapa and we hapa have to stick together.


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## tuonor

Fat Guy said:


> lookin good!! How's the hairgrass treating you?


DHG is doing better. For some reason though its still doing better on the right side of the tank but not really doing much on the left side. I still suspect this is flow related (the rocks / mound on the left really block flow in the back left corner) but don't have a solution for it.

The L. mauritius has proven to be a real slow grower, but I still really like the plant. I was previously thinking it was doing better than the DHG but now I'd say the opposite is true.



Ugly Genius said:


> I can't believe that I didn't notice this thread until now. Great journal! I don't know how I missed it.
> 
> For your first planted tank and in a setup as difficult as the Edge, you knocked it out of the park.
> Keeping in mind all the limitations inherent to an Edge, I don't think I can find a flaw.
> I love your Zebra Otos, and the CRS are simply beautiful.
> And in one of your photos, your kid looks hapa. Is he hapa? I only ask because I'm hapa and we hapa have to stick together.


Thanks UG, that really means a ton coming from you. The Edge has really been a fun reintroduction to the hobby and a good outlet for my tinkering madness.

Good eye btw -- hadn't heard the term hapa before but given that I'm Filipino it fits. Its really been fun involving him with the tank, even if he sometimes plays spear fisher with his chopstick while we're supposed to be algae hunting. Good thing his aim isn't very good...



BTW -- I have some mini pelia to put in the tank. Thinking of either putting it on top of the mound on the left (replacing the HC that I have growing between the three rocks) or maybe on the 2 smaller rocks on the right. Would appreciate any thoughts on how to best position it...


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## AlexXx

those are some nice shots! that zebra oto is so cute! I cant believe ive never seen one before, to bad my LFS never has anything cool like that haha.


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## tuonor

AlexXx said:


> those are some nice shots! that zebra oto is so cute! I cant believe ive never seen one before, to bad my LFS never has anything cool like that haha.


Appreciate it AlexXx. They're elusive fish; seems like the stores that get them in only have them a few times a year. To make things more difficult, they seem to be even harder to get properly acclimated than regular otos...unfort one of mine started looking pretty rough yesterday.


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## tuonor

My Edge is seeing some dark days. Did a series of water changes b/c I was worried about a sick zebra oto and somehow nuked half my CRS population. Then 2 days later, the oto died anyway. Also have a thread algae infestation of the extremely persistant kind...ugh. 

At least I have a few remaining CRS to keep me motivated. I'm encouraged by the fact that this was one of the best looking shrimp out of the original flock and he is still going strong...


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## TLE041

That CRS is awesome. Sorry to hear about your losses.

Thread algae are the worst. I'm battling it myself at the moment. Between myself, an oto, RCS, amano shrimps, and Florish Excel, we're keeping it somewhat controlled. The worst is when they're all tangled up in the plants and moss.


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## martinpc

*Love this tank*

I am doing something similar, but for some reason my HC won't grow. I am growing immersed and have upgraded the lights to the 160 lumen, 6000uv, white, wide angle type and have been dosing with Pfertz N and tablets. For some reason, I can't get any growth. Granted the HC I got was pretty poor, but I thought it would have started to grow by now.

Pics here.

Any help/advice?


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## tuonor

martinpc said:


> I am doing something similar, but for some reason my HC won't grow. I am growing immersed and have upgraded the lights to the 160 lumen, 6000uv, white, wide angle type and have been dosing with Pfertz N and tablets. For some reason, I can't get any growth. Granted the HC I got was pretty poor, but I thought it would have started to grow by now.
> 
> Pics here.
> 
> Any help/advice?


Thanks MartinPC. I'm pretty sure you don't have enough light for HC with 2 x 160 lumen LEDs. I'm running 2 x 13w PC bulbs currently which puts out about 1500-1600 lumens (PAR is a better measure but I don't have a par meter and at least this gives you a sense of relative lighting).

As an aside I tried cutting my lighting to 1 x 13W (750-800 lumens) recently and the HC started shriveling.


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## martinpc

tuonor said:


> Thanks MartinPC. I'm pretty sure you don't have enough light for HC with 2 x 160 lumen LEDs. I'm running 2 x 13w PC bulbs currently which puts out about 1500-1600 lumens (PAR is a better measure but I don't have a par meter and at least this gives you a sense of relative lighting).
> 
> As an aside I tried cutting my lighting to 1 x 13W (750-800 lumens) recently and the HC started shriveling.


Are you using the 8" double light here?

http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/product_info.php?products_id=1242

If so, does it get hot?


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## tuonor

martinpc said:


> Are you using the 8" double light here?
> 
> http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/product_info.php?products_id=1242
> 
> If so, does it get hot?


I think it may have been the 10" fixture b/c it was cheaper . The 13W bulbs are the same size and you just need the fixture for the reflector / wiring / ballasts.

It doesn't get too hot...nothing like the stories I've heard about the Coralife mini. However, depending on the plant density you're planning 2 x 13W may be too much. My current plan is to scale back my lighting to 2 x 9W Coralife 6500k bulbs using this ballast.


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## martinpc

tuonor said:


> It doesn't get too hot...nothing like the stories I've heard about the Coralife mini. However, depending on the plant density you're planning 2 x 13W may be too much. My current plan is to scale back my lighting to 2 x 9W Coralife 6500k bulbs using this ballast.


Well, I am hoping that I will eventually get a nice carpet to cover the whole scape. I ordered enough from the store, but they only sent me enough healthy stock to cover what you see. I was really disappointed in the store. They won't get any repeat business. What happens if you have too much light?

I would love to see your new light setup when you get it going. Please post some pics.


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## NJAquaBarren

Great project. Love the stand with the orange Edge. If only I didn;t have small kids sure to knock something like that over.


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## sammyman

tuonor said:


> Its a leland regulator sourced from a beer brewing supply company, with misc. clippard parts (needle valve, micro solenoid, etc.). I'll post a DIY at some point, but here is a quick preview pic with some of the other CO2 gear.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Its basically the size of the ADA nano CO2 setup (just under 8" tall, with a 1.5" diameter cylinder), at a (very) slightly lower upfront cost than the ADA and then a 40-60% ongoing savings for CO2 based on the cost of the ADA cartridges vs. the food grade ones I'm using. You also get a pressure meter on the regulator, and I believe it could be modified to be used with a paintball canister down the road.
> 
> I'll point out up front that this is definitely not the most cost effective way to get pressurized CO2 into an Edge, but its the only way I could find to get the whole thing into the back housing so the tank remains essentially self contained.


Do you mind spelling out the other components that you have on your tank aside from the CO2 setup that you have already outlined? Most of the other stuff appears like it is from ADA. Details on what you have would be great as I am basically copying everything you do. Thanks.


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## tuonor

NJAquaBarren said:


> Great project. Love the stand with the orange Edge. If only I didn;t have small kids sure to knock something like that over.


Thanks NJAquaBarren. I figure my little guy can't tip over 50lbs but we'll see as he gets older. For now, he loves the fact that its toddler height. 



sammyman said:


> Do you mind spelling out the other components that you have on your tank aside from the CO2 setup that you have already outlined? Most of the other stuff appears like it is from ADA. Details on what you have would be great as I am basically copying everything you do. Thanks.



Sure, no problem. The setup is always evolving (as you can probably tell), but the current stuff I'm using is:

Heater: Up Aqua 25W placed inside the AC mini
Diffuser: ADA Ball Glass with output injected into AC mini
CO2 tubing: coralife CO2 resistant tubing. I use the grey ADA tubing in the pic for hooking up any glass (b/c the CO2 resistant tubing is too stiff)
Bubble counter: red sea bubble counter
Needle valve: Swagelok SS-SS4. The ADA Speed Controller in the prior pic is no better than the Clippard
Gravel: flourite (if I ever do a full rescape I will prob try Aquasoil)
Rocks: Yamata stone
Ferts: Pfertz NPK / M. Diluted with distilled water 1:1 so 1 pump is for 5 gallons, rather than 10
Lighting: the "plan" is 2 x 9W Coralife 6500k bulbs using a ballastwise ballast mounted remotely and the reflector / bulb clips / sockets from a Catalina Lighthouse fixture. I am still in the queue to use my local club's par meter which would help me make up my mind


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## tuonor

*Rescape!*

So I decided to do a grounds up retooling since

The rockscape blocked access to large swaths of the foreground (only realized how much of an issue this was during the first big trim)
I wanted to cut upkeep as I got another tank. Thinking I'll give Aquasoil a try in the hopes I can dose less and decided to swap the HC out for UG
I got some really cool Seiryu rocks from Boink (thanks Boink!)
The thread algae was driving me nuts
And last (but not least), I killed a decent amount of the HC trying to get rid of thread algae. Not sure if it was the H2O2 or 50% reduction in lighting. Anyway, even though its growing back, there will be alot of dead stuff on the bottom so I'd have to do a replant it anyway
Here are a few ideas that I mocked up. Which one do you like?

_*Option 1:*_









_*Option 2:*_









_*Option 3:*_








-


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## Outlawboss

#1 or #2 for me. Love the angles the rocks make in #2


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## Fat Guy

nice rocks!! I can't tell you how many times I've gotten my hands wet changing and reshaping and moving and tilting and sloping and turning and twisting and replanting and watching and waiting then changing and reconfiguring and altering and........man oh man...is it hard to settle on a scape. looking forward to seeing what you do. It's hard in the edge because of that small opening in the top...a lot of the difficulty is configuring a scape then transferring that idea to the tank. can't wait to see the updates.

best,

-el g


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## volatile

tuonor said:


> Here are a few ideas that I mocked up. Which one do you like?


I like option 1! But some of your rocks (especially the small back left one) will be covered up once the UG grows out.


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## mgdmirage

1 or 2, 2 slightly more, definitely not 3.


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## zoragen

1 or 2. I like 2 with the pointy rock.


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## xJaypex

Number 1 looks sweet


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## King Friday

Arrangement 1, by a long shot. Nice balance without looking forced, and the lines all flow into one another. It would even work without the leftmost rock in the front row. Arrangement 2 is the weakest. The three rocks have no relationship to one another and there is no harmony between the elements. 3 almost works, but the big rock needs to move further left and rotate clockwise a little bit to keep it from crowding the rock on the right.


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## wearsbunnyslippers

#1 for sure, but turn the small rock in the middle so that the lines line up the same way you have it in #3, then it will compliment the larger rock on the right.


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## sammyman

Go for number 2!!! What did you do to reduce the lighting 50%?


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## SirKappa

UNO!!!!! 100%. It is like............ perfect.


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## fhqwhgads

number 1, but ug can grow a little long so maybe poke out those low laying rocks a bit


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## TeaQue

How is this tank doing now? Did you ever figure out a way to get rid of the Algae on your HC? I tried my hand at HC and its grown remarkably but recently was overtaken by blue algae


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## MlDukes

Love the new rocks! I see its been awhile since youve been on? Id like to see how the tanks evolved.

Your planned lighting mod is nearly identical to the reef mod I just finished for my Edge. If youd like to save yourself hours of headaches then take a look at my post. It came out GREAT! FYI 2x13w bulbs *with cooling fans* will heat your water 2 degrees over room temp. I havent tested them without the fans. 

There's a link to my Edge journal below, take a look and tell me what you think.


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## thatgmc

tuonor said:


> Its a leland regulator sourced from a beer brewing supply company, with misc. clippard parts (needle valve, micro solenoid, etc.). I'll post a DIY at some point, but here is a quick preview pic with some of the other CO2 gear.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Its basically the size of the ADA nano CO2 setup (just under 8" tall, with a 1.5" diameter cylinder), at a (very) slightly lower upfront cost than the ADA and then a 40-60% ongoing savings for CO2 based on the cost of the ADA cartridges vs. the food grade ones I'm using. You also get a pressure meter on the regulator, and I believe it could be modified to be used with a paintball canister down the road.
> 
> I'll point out up front that this is definitely not the most cost effective way to get pressurized CO2 into an Edge, but its the only way I could find to get the whole thing into the back housing so the tank remains essentially self contained.


I would love to see the DIY to this. I am currently running the Pierce Co2 system but it lacks the solenoid.


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## jeffvmd

thatgmc said:


> I would love to see the DIY to this. I am currently running the Pierce Co2 system but it lacks the solenoid.


Will the pierce CO2 accomodate the 88g disposable spare air canister?
I'm planning to get one and they have a up co2 with solenoid.


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## thatgmc

jeffvmd said:


> Will the pierce CO2 accomodate the 88g disposable spare air canister?
> I'm planning to get one and they have a up co2 with solenoid.



I haven't tried. Im trying to find out the same thing. Where do they sell the up co2 with solenoid?


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## aquaphish

I have a Leland regulator too but looking for a silonoid to attach to it. What kind and where did you get yours. And how will you be hooking it?


BTW the Leland will accept the 88g co2 cartridge.


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## jeffvmd

thatgmc said:


> I would love to see the DIY to this. I am currently running the Pierce Co2 system but it lacks the solenoid.


Here's the link to tuonor's Nano co2 rig build which I followed too. Well with some parts replaced as they are cheaper.:hihi: But that is the basic design some edge owners who ran CO2 did.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/101417-nano-regulator-build-pressurized-co2-shown.html



aquaphish said:


> I have a Leland regulator too but looking for a silonoid to attach to it. What kind and where did you get yours. And how will you be hooking it?
> BTW the Leland will accept the 88g co2 cartridge.


Try to get the clippard minimatic solenoid.
I got mine on ebay. I got the CLIPPARD ET-2-24VDC


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## tuonor

*I'm back!*

Just got back from Italy and realized an update to this journal was long overdue.

As some may recall, I rescaped in May after battling thread algae for weeks. I probably should have waited it out, but I was never completely happy with the layout so I figured it was time for a change. I got new rocks from Boink, and ditched the flourite in favor of Aquasoil, partly in the hopes of reducing my dosing regimen and partly to see what the buzz was about before finalizing the spec for my 90P.

I ended up going with a rock configuration that was different from the mock-ups I posted May 1st. I was initially torn vs. "option 1", but felt the layout below worked better once the rocks were actually in the tank. Unlike my first attempt, this layout considers the access issues created by the Edge's restricted opening. 










I tried to incorporate elements of a classic iwagumi, although I'll avoid calling it that as I'm sure I made many mistakes. Its a bit difficult to see in the picture, but there are a couple of smaller rocks intentionally placed high up on the slope to enhance front-to-back depth / perspective. This technique was counter-intuitive initially, but once I tried it, it made alot of sense. 

My plan was to put DHG from the first go round in the back, and then try out UG in the foreground. Quick pic after transplanting the DHG:










Pic after adding the UG. 










100% of this first UG batch melted and never re-grew. So had to get another batch and replant. 90% of that batch melted and never re-grew. Finally, when I was on the verge of giving up completely, the remaining slivers of UG started to take off in June.

I am still not even close to 50% UG coverage today but at least the DHG is throwing runners off like crazy. I need to pull out the DHG overgrowth and put in a barrier to keep it separated. I suspect the use of Aquasoil has made a big difference in growing the DHG emersed (you can see my first go-around with emersed DHG in flourite earlier in this journal).

Will take more current pics and post them later this week. One issue I have at this point is algae growing on some of the sobstrate. Is this typical with an emersed setup with Aquasoil (perhaps because the Aquasoil retains water)?


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## tuonor

TeaQue said:


> How is this tank doing now? Did you ever figure out a way to get rid of the Algae on your HC? I tried my hand at HC and its grown remarkably but recently was overtaken by blue algae


Never did quite conquer the thread algae; hope you've had better luck TeaQue. 



MlDukes said:


> Love the new rocks! I see its been awhile since youve been on? Id like to see how the tanks evolved.
> 
> Your planned lighting mod is nearly identical to the reef mod I just finished for my Edge. If youd like to save yourself hours of headaches then take a look at my post.


Beautiful work, this is basically what I had in mind except I was going to put the ballast in a waterproof enclosure in the back section of the Edge and I wanted to somehow mount the lights on the stock swingarm. But waiting for the UG to grow in has taken the urgency out of my DIY schedule.

BTW, do you feel the 2 x 13W setup is too much light, or just about right? I was having algae issues with my prior setup and was thinking about switching to a lower wattage bulb when I make the install permanent.



aquaphish said:


> I have a Leland regulator too but looking for a silonoid to attach to it. What kind and where did you get yours. And how will you be hooking it?
> 
> BTW the Leland will accept the 88g co2 cartridge.


See here for the full DIY on my CO2 build. 

FWIW, Williams Brewing recommends against using the 88g crossman CO2 carts with the Leland regulator. Discussed here.


----------



## Damian

tuonor said:


> See here for the full DIY on my CO2 build.
> 
> FWIW, Williams Brewing recommends against using the 88g crossman CO2 carts with the Leland regulator. Discussed here.


I had heard about them being against it. Now that theres a disclaimer I know better. Its just that the crossman cartridges fit so easy! Bah. Will have to make a switch. Anyone know a good site that has a good deal on the brewing carts?

EDIT: The new scape looks great!


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## aman74

tuonor said:


> In the meantime I modified a Hagen Hush 5 HOB filter to replace the stock filter. While the Aquaclear is (IMHO) the best designed HOB filter, it takes up too much room in the back housing to fit my CO2 rig underneath it and I figure one doesn't need a 100gph filter for the edge.


What's wrong with the stock filter?

I saw the Hush 5 on sale for 7 dollars or so and I'll grab one if the stock Edge filter needs replacing.


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## Fat Guy

hows it coming along now?


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## daygoboiz

Any new update?


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