# Doyle's 12g Bookshelf Tank



## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Nice start! Glad to see someone else with a bookshelf tank. 

For your issues you're having you're going to get the following questions from others, so I might as well put them up now.

1 - What is your light cycle duration?
2 - What are you dosing (if anything)? If so, how often?
3 - Are you using RO or Tap? 
4 - What is the rate of CO2 injection? Do you have a bubble counter? 
5 - Do you have a CO2 drop checker in the tank we can't see? How are you confirming your CO2 levels?


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Thanks for the reply Tihsho. To answer your questions:



Light Cycle was 12hrs a day, down to 6 hrs for a week then down to nothing for a week. This didnt seem to help clear the green furry algae, now I have co2 I have gone to 8 hrs light while the Co2 is running at 1 bubble per 5 seconds.

No dosing, have not tried anything as yet.

Unsure what RO or Tap means? Type of water? If so Tap water with stress coat + (which i guess is dosing... only used when doing water changes)

Rate of co2 is currently 1 bubble every 5 seconds. Rather then turn of at night I have reduced to 1 bubble every 20 seconds. I have only been running Co2 for 1 day.

I do have a drop checker, it has gone from blue (low co2) to green (ok co2) in about 24hrs since adding co2


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## KGNickl (Feb 21, 2015)

doylecolmdoyle said:


> Thanks for the reply Tihsho. To answer your questions:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I keep my drop checker at light green to almost yellow and I'm pretty good. Just adjust little by little once a day and be around so you can make sure your not gassing your fish. Also, I'm guessing your setup does not have a solenoid which gives you less flexibility because at night your pumping Co2 into the tank but not getting the benefit of it being used and just lowering oxygen level for the fish.

12 hours a day might be a little excessive. I would cut down to 8-10. I run 9 hours and since I like to look at my tank in the morning before I head to work and at night when I'm around I have my timer set where it goes on from 7am-11am then off then back on from 3:30pm-8:30pm. Works fine for me. I have not scrubbed for algae in 2 months and have pretty explosive plant growth.

You might want to dose some ferts. A good starter is Seachem Flourish since its easy. I started with flourish and just stuck with it because it grows everything I want and is super easy. I use a syringe medicine doser that the guy at a target pharmacy gave me for free when I asked if they sold them on the shelf. I also started to use seachem iron recently since I have some red plants that it really brings out. I also drop in a 1/2 dose of seachem excel once a week and full dose at water changes.

RO is a system you can run your water through (reverse osymosis). Your most likely just using tap? Most tap water if fine but algae can be an issue if your water has a high level of phosphates. This can also change throughout the year. You can buy a test kit. If its high you can buy Seachem PhosGuard and run it for 3-4 days every 2-3 water changes (assuming 20% water changes).

Also, I would scrub the tank down and give it 1-2 weeks w/ the co2 to stabilize. 

I would say the next 1-2 months it might take you a while to get everything adjusted and once you hit it right its easy.

When I first started planted I had black algae issues brought in from a plant..... Then I had issues with green water. Then too much normal algae everywhere. It was due to too much light, a not fully established cycle, and unstable co2 that was also on the low side.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

*doylecolmdoyle*, thanks for answering those questions. I'll comment on *KGNickl*'s comments to give you more clarity:



KGNickl said:


> I keep my drop checker at light green to almost yellow and I'm pretty good. Just adjust little by little once a day and be around so you can make sure your not gassing your fish. Also, I'm guessing your setup does not have a solenoid which gives you less flexibility because at night your pumping Co2 into the tank but not getting the benefit of it being used and just lowering oxygen level for the fish.


This is correct. Keeping on the edge of green and yellow will provide the most CO2 to your plants. The problem with going from no CO2 to CO2 is getting the fish adjusted. I would up your bubble per second and add surface agitation at night to add oxygen as you cannot adjust your CO2 (on/off) per a solenoid. If you want to be smarter about it, look into adding an inline solenoid so you don't have to worry about choking out your fish at night.



KGNickl said:


> 12 hours a day might be a little excessive. I would cut down to 8-10. I run 9 hours and since I like to look at my tank in the morning before I head to work and at night when I'm around I have my timer set where it goes on from 7am-11am then off then back on from 3:30pm-8:30pm. Works fine for me. I have not scrubbed for algae in 2 months and have pretty explosive plant growth.


I would agree on shortening your light cycle. If you want to see your tank in the morning and afternoon/night when your home, provide a break in the lighting like this user has.



KGNickl said:


> You might want to dose some ferts. A good starter is Seachem Flourish since its easy. I started with flourish and just stuck with it because it grows everything I want and is super easy. I use a syringe medicine doser that the guy at a target pharmacy gave me for free when I asked if they sold them on the shelf. I also started to use seachem iron recently since I have some red plants that it really brings out. I also drop in a 1/2 dose of seachem excel once a week and full dose at water changes.


I disagree with this for one reason, *might *is not the term that should be used, but more so *must*. Using any OTS (off the shelf) ferts for your setup will be fine, be it a Seachem product (i.e. the Flourish line) or Brightwell Aquatics. You need a dosing regiment to provide the plants food in order for them to out compete the algae.



KGNickl said:


> RO is a system you can run your water through (reverse osmosis). Your most likely just using tap? Most tap water if fine but algae can be an issue if your water has a high level of phosphates. This can also change throughout the year. You can buy a test kit. If its high you can buy Seachem PhosGuard and run it for 3-4 days every 2-3 water changes (assuming 20% water changes).


He did say he was using tap. KGNickl is correct that your tap water params will change (due to seasons or how the facility treats your water) but phosphates are not a big big concern. Why do I say that? Because plants utilize phosphates as a source of nutrients as well. If you cut back your lighting a couple hours and start dosing ferts you should be on the right track. Phosguard IMO is not needed.



KGNickl said:


> Also, I would scrub the tank down and give it 1-2 weeks w/ the co2 to stabilize.


I would say the next 1-2 months it might take you a while to get everything adjusted and once you hit it right its easy.[/quote]

Removing the hair algae would be a great start to keeping it in check while getting the plants healthy enough to out compete.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Thanks for the feedback guys, a real help!! I will get onto using fertilisers this week. 

Quick question is there any issue from going from a higher bubble count during the day to a very low count at night or should i just manually shut the co2 off at night? 

I will look into a automated system at some stage but wanted to keep things cheap to start with. Didn't plan on adding co2. Will most likely have some more questions tomorrow as I need to call it a night now.

Thanks again


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Going from a 1 bubble/sec (if that stays in the right range for your drop checker) to a say 1 bubble/20sec or no bubbles at night isn't bad. A solenoid turns off the gas at night so that you don't have dead fish in the morning. 

I hate to say it, but there is no such thing as cheap CO2. Over the years I've spent copious amounts on DIY CO2 and realized if I spent as much as I had in the R&D process of DIY I would have had a decent regulator. I gave up on CO2 until I was given a few regulators and realized that the ~$100 regulator + initial $120 for a 5lb tank was worth while. You're on a better track then I was with at least injected CO2. What I would recommend to cut cost is find a way of integrating a solenoid on your system to keep things consistent. Turning a bottle on and off each night is a pain and one day you will forget to turn it off or turn it on. Either way, bad things happen.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Thanks Tihsho, I have seen a regulator with solenoid and bubble counter at my local aquarium shop on sale for $150 down from $200, it fits the disposable 95g cartridges I have, tho I think if I do upgrade I may as-well go with a refillable tank.

CO2 Regulator with Solenoid and Bubble Counter for Disposable Bottles | Aquarium Online Store

I will keep saving some coins and look to upgrade at some stage, for now its manual co2 and manual lighting... Tho I should get a timer for the light.

Will start ferts this week and keep you posted! 

Thanks again!


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Just my .02 but I'd just go 5lb tank ASAP. The disposible cartridges will add up over time and you'll see you will surpass the cost of a reg + tank in no time. 

If you can try to go in this order of upgrades/additives:

1) Timer
2) Ferts
3) CO2

The reason I go with that is you can at least start automating one thing, light. With that you can reduce algae growth by reducing the photo period and keeping it constant. 

Ferts right now are something you're not doing get EI/PPS/off the shelf bottle stuff ASAP to give the plants a kick in the nutrient department.

CO2 you currently have, it's just not efficient and you will need something constant. A larger bottle holds a consistent pressure longer and lasts. Plus getting a solenoid for it is simple as most come with the reg. I just looked at the reg you linked... Honestly it's not worth it. You can get a Milwaukee regulator (which is decent and you can add-on/upgrade parts on it) for $89.95 and get a 5lb tank (full) for around $120. Do yourself a favor and do the math of a cartridge a month for a year + that reg price you listed of $150 and see what comes out cheaper. The 5lb tank should last you 6-8 months and on average is around $20 to fill/swap.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Thanks Tihsho, makes sense to go with a larger CO2 setup. I am in Australia not to sure if we get the Milwaukee brand over here but I will check them out.

I was going to run with Seachem Flourish and Flourish Excel, will try get to a shop this evening to pick some up.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

I'm not sure what sites ship to Australia, or if you have a localized Amazon down there, but in case you do:

Amazon.com: Milwaukee Instruments Solenoid Valve, CO2 Regulator with Bubble Counter: Health & Personal Care

Check it out. Generally you want to replace the bubble counter and add a needle valve to make it more accurate. That said those upgrades will still be less than the regulator you posted


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Picked up some Flourish and Flourish Excel... I have done the initial dose of Excel with a water change, any recommendations on what kind of dosing routine to keep up?

I also picked up a medical syringe should I does the Flourish directly onto the plants / into the substrate near the roots?! The initial dosage of excel I just dosed directly into the tank


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

You can dose them directly to the tank. Try to dose near the output of the filter to disperse it through the water column. Keep in mind you picked up the basic ferts in the Flourish line. Excel is a liquid based carbon, and Flourish is a comprehensive "all in one" that is mainly macros I believe? Someone keep my info in check. I know they offer Trace and Iron as well as a few others that you may need to get depending on how your plants react. You might need them, you might not.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Thanks Tihsho, just stalked your Mr Aqua 6.5 thread you started, very nice! I noticed you raised you LED light up about 3 inches using some wood either side, I like this solution and I think I will try something like this myself! Did you secure the light or wood some how?


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Thanks! The wood is a temporary solution as I plan on suspending the lights. The wood has notches in the ends (just how I found it) and just happens to fit the light perfectly. The light is just sitting on the wood right now, no mounting or additions to have it there. It's definitely more than 3" up, it's more like 6-7"


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

KGNickl said:


> 12 hours a day might be a little excessive. I would cut down to 8-10.
> 
> You might want to dose some ferts. A good starter is Seachem Flourish since its easy.


I would do 6hrs until the algae goes away. 

Dry ferts is the way to go. Why pay for the water in Seachem ferts. I like Select Aquatics all in 1 dry fert. It contains - Calcium sulfate, Iron sulfate, Magnesium sulfate, Manganese, Molybdenum, Potassium sulfate, Phosphates, and Biotin. I use it and does KNO3 (Potassium nitrate). By the way what are your *nitrates*? Need to be 10 to 20ppm.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Hilde said:


> I would do 6hrs until the algae goes away.
> 
> Dry ferts is the way to go. Why pay for the water in Seachem ferts. I like Select Aquatics all in 1 dry fert. It contains - Calcium sulfate, Iron sulfate, Magnesium sulfate, Manganese, Molybdenum, Potassium sulfate, Phosphates, and Biotin. I use it and does KNO3 (Potassium nitrate). By the way what are your *nitrates*? Need to be 10 to 20ppm.


Thanks Hilde, yes looking to just do 6 hrs light a day, without any automation I am going to run the lights when I get home from work, which is good as this is the only time I really get to see the tank, I will look into dry ferts, this is all very new to me! 

Nitrates last time I checked where 5 - 10ppm, will test again tomorrow.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Seems like the Excel is killing of some of the algae build up on the driftwood and rocks, as you can see the green algae is more "patchy" after 1 day dosing Excel! Hopefully it keeps improving. 










I still have a lot of what I would describe as white / grey junk that gets caught on my plants, it easily bushes off but is not easy to remove from the water as it basically breaks up to nothing. Any idea what this is and how to combat it? Also I have noticed a pink almost chalk like material starting to form on the wood and on random bits of substrate, any idea what this is, should I try remove it?! 

Also my plants in the foreground are giving off a lot of bubbles when i run the lights and co2, is this a good thing? There is a odd bit of pearling but most of the bubbles are rising to the surface of the plants.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

You can spot dose with Excel as well to kill algae.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Will try that, I take it you use a dropper or syringe, should I dilute the excel then squirt it at the problem area?


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Just use a pipette or syringe and dose (the amount for the tank) in a controlled area. Do not dilute as the full strength is what kills some algae.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Great will give that a shot soon, thanks again for all these tips really helpful!


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

update... seems like the decline of algae has kind of stalled, like the initial does of 10ml excel shocked / killed some algae but the recommended dose hasn't kept up the decline in algae, tho it hasn't got any worse, tempted to dose double excel to see what happens... thoughts? have only been running the lights for about 6 hrs a day with my CO2 dropper showing a light green towards yellow.

I would say the plants have improved since dosing excel daily (only about 1ml for a 50 ltr tank) and flourish 2 / 3 times a week again only about 1ml. They do seem a bit healthier but still pick up a "grey" algae (tho may not be algae?) that can be brushed off.

Still a fair bit of green algae on the glass around the aqua soil... any tips on how to get rid of this? I do scrub at it with a tooth brush but I dont want to disturb the soil to much so its kind of hard to remove.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

You can slowly up the Excel dose, just keep an eye on the fish. 

As for cleaning the algae off the substrate, spot dosing would be your only option besides pulling out the layer of substrate.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Tihsho said:


> You can slowly up the Excel dose, just keep an eye on the fish.
> 
> As for cleaning the algae off the substrate, spot dosing would be your only option besides pulling out the layer of substrate.


Cheers will up the dose slowly, the fish seem ok with the dosing at the moment.

The green algae isnt on the substrate but on the glass close down near the substrate and is hard to remove, ill just keep at it, pretty sure the tank is getting to much sunlight and that is causing most of the algae growth.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

doylecolmdoyle said:


> Still a fair bit of green algae on the glass around the aqua soil... any tips on how to get rid of this? I do scrub at it with a tooth brush but I dont want to disturb the soil to much so its kind of hard to remove.


I have been having a similar problem in my high light tank. Have found dose a little aquarium salt kills it. Think 1 Tbs a week will help.

I too have read some have white fuzz in the beginning. It goes away without damaging anything.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Check into the Aquarium Salt more. If I remember correctly, there are some posts showing negative affects.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Cheers for the tips, going to try minimise the sunlight, which is a bit hard as the tank is in my apartment with huge windows that get a lot of morning sun, will keep the blinds down but they dont block out the light very well...

Going to do some research into Aquarium Salt!


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Tihsho said:


> Check into the Aquarium Salt more. If I remember correctly, there are some posts showing negative affects.


Yeh it can melt some plants like valinsia. Don't think 1 Tbs will melt anything. Just like excel can melt valinsia plants if dosed to much.


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## ursamajor (Oct 6, 2015)

Hi there, regarding the "grey" algae that seems to accumulate on your plants, I have the same thing in a newly established tank. Gets stuck in my java moss. Honestly, I think it's just organic debris settling out and getting picked up by the plants. I take care of it by gently vacuuming it off the plants whenever I do my water changes. Keeps the plants looking bright, and might help with algae control as well.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

If it's debris settling you might want to consider increasing your overall flow in the tank.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Hi Tihsho it maybe well be, tho when i watch the water flow (if I stir up some debris) it flows ok, but I do see some settle at the far end of the tank, I am only using a Eheim aqua compact 40 filter (what the shop sold me when i got the tank as I had no idea) I am considering running a second Eheim aqua compact 40 filter as they are only $100 bucks and suit my setup, is there any issue with running two separate filters, apart from trying to fit both into the tank...

I could look at getting a whole new filter but this stuff is only just a month or so old.

Good news is the green algae on the driftwood seems to be declining!


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

There is no issue with running multiple filters, it's up to you if you don't mind seeing them in the tank. I personally don't like in tank filters because I don't like to see hardware and I find they make a mess to pull out when you clean them. Keep in mind you can get a Eheim canister filter (2213) for under $100 on Amazon.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

True, I dont like the look of the set up that much either the actual canister sits outside but the pump with inlet, prefilter and outlet hang on the inside of the aquarium. Also my tiny bottle of C02 (95g) ran out today, lasted about 2 weeks... I have 3 more bottles to use but will upgrade to something refillable once they are out.


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

I'm not sure I follow. Are you talking about your filter? If not the Eheim 2213 is all external besides the inlet pipe and outlet pipe.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Sorry yes my current filter EHEIM aquacompact 40 the actual canister sits outside but the pump with inlet, prefilter and outlet hang on the inside of the aquarium... 

I probably would not have gone with this setup if I had done research before jumping into buying the tank... live and learn! and waste money


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## Tihsho (Oct 10, 2007)

Haha, well if you're going to reinvest into a filter I would highly recommend looking into a canister. You can use your current filter as a supplement as well as provide flow on the other half of the 36" tank.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Yes, I think I will some day, love the look of the glass pipes etc so would like to go that route !


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## sohankpatel (Jul 10, 2015)

I have alot of hair algae as well, i haven't read the entire thread, so tell me if i have repeated anything. Scraping it off the glass is a must, it starts looking really bad if you dont. Otos dont really eat hair algae. I have some Florida Flagfish that eat a decent amount of algae, i only have 2 in a 55g, so they dont do a ton, but a few may help eat your algae. They only eat hair algae and they eat BBA, they were actually recommended to me over SAE by my lfs, because they use them in their plant tanks to limit algae growth.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

So after double dosing Excel for a few days most of the hair algae is gone and a lot of the green fuzzy algae is disappearing, I also cleaned out my canister filter and things are looking good. Saying that after cleaning the canister either my bio-load as gone out of wack or my co2 fully discharged into my tank (added a new 95G and it was empty when i got home from work / within 24hrs) and two fish couldn't handle it and jumped out. RIP Rummy Nose friends.

So I have not really ran any CO2 for 2 days and things are looking ok, tho I will pull apart the nano CO2 setup and reassemble and try my second last 95g tank... Also need to get a glass / algae scraper.

I have cut the photo period down to about 4 - 5 hrs. Some photos below, the CO2 isnt usually positioned like this in the photos, moved it as it was empty and didnt realise when I took the photos


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

So good news, the tank is pretty much algae free, well at least from the plants, wood and rocks, still some green on the glass, especially the areas that are hard to access to clean. 

Does anyone have a any recommendations on a snail that mite clean the glass in the hard to access areas? Needs to be something that wont get out of the tank as I dont have a lid.

Also the ISTA mini CO2 kit is leaking from the pressure gauge, going to try return the setup as soon as I can, bummed because I wasted 4 of the 95g tanks on this defective kit... hopefully they give me a refund or store credit and I will get 1ltr refillable bottle and regulator with solenoid.

Here are some photos, starting to get some good plant growth again!


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Ok so i decided to give the tank a bit of a re-scape and plant a few new plants, I got rid of the wood as it blocked the water flow a fair bit, first photo is how i original set up the new Seiryu stone, and the day light photo is a quick re-arrange, but Ive got a feeling I mite change i up again... the very shallow and narrow bookshelf tank is a bit challenging to scape I am finding, I think my 2ft tank will be a bit easier.










Thought that big flat rock looks a bit boring and blocked water flow again.










As it sits at the moment. Ignore the random difuser, its just a new disc and I am letting it soak a bit as ive found new discs seem to give of lots of big bubble.

Next task is to get a better filter and some lilly pipes which I have ordered, but still deciding on filter, also would like to move the heater inline / buy a inline heater.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Here is a slighter better photo 24hrs after replanting / scaping some of the plants, I would like to get some ground coverage happing around the stones, but I think anything like HC etc will get uprooted by my catfish... perhaps some moss on tiles / mesh?!


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Started dosing NPK about 1 week ago (every second day) and the plants are looking a lot healthier, still getting a bit of "dust" on the plants, just brushes off I think its from the aquasoil, I really need a better filter ASAP, you can see ive used a toothbrush to angle the aquacompact for max water flow, I can see the plants down the far end moving now. Also everything is growing to the right as this tank is in my living room and I have huge windows to the right... Also need to chop the top of the stems on the right and replant, new growth is nice and green while the old stems are looking a bit shabby


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Finding it hard to stop moving stuff around in this tank, the fish wont be impressed... ideally I want to pull it all apart and start again but I think ill let it sit awhile longer.

I went to "move" one rock after a water change and ended up taking all the rocks out and making a big mess of the substrate, I would be surprised if I didnt have a algae break out tomorrow... Also trimmed and replanted some of the stem plants, hopefully the newly planted stems shoot up!

Also tied some java moss to some pebbles, did a very bad job of this so will be interesting to see how it goes.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

doylecolmdoyle said:


> I went to "move" one rock after a water change and ended up taking all the rocks out and making a big mess of the substrate, I would be surprised if I didn"t have a algae break out tomorrow.


Been there. The result was cory's died. Since I only do water changes monthly I probably stirred up toxins.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Tank seems to be going well... Can anyone help me identify the stem plants in my tank, the shabby looking stems in the front right which I have trimmed and replanted centre back, you cant really see them but seem to be doing well and will hopefully shoot up soon) and the bunch on the left and back right and also the bunch back right (long wavy stems with round leafs). I will take extra note of what I am purchasing in the future!










Thought I would post a photo of how the tank sits in my apartment living room, it really makes the room!


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

doylecolmdoyle said:


> Can anyone help me identify the stem plants in my tank


Need a close up of the plant to identify it.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Yeah, I thought that as soon as I posted, Ive identified one of the plants, will get some better photos up over the weekend.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

doylecolmdoyle said:


> Yeah, I thought that as soon as I posted, Ive identified one of the plants, will get some better photos up over the weekend.


So what is it?


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Hilde said:


> So what is it?


It is lindernia rotundifolia, hard to see in that photo but its behind the lone rock on the right


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

doylecolmdoyle said:


> It is lindernia rotundifolia, hard to see in that photo but its behind the lone rock on the right


Here looks similar to Bacopa monnieri.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Purchased a coloured LED strip, positioned it behind the tank, gives a cool effect, I like this colour as it seems more natural


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Would running a led to simulate sunset etc while your main light is off have any adverse effects on the tank? Perhaps for a hr in the morning and 2 hours at night after a 5 hr photo period, I wouldnt think it would have much effect on anytihng?! (hopefully)










Also purchased some plants online last night, only a few and I am not sure where I will plant them. Hopefully they arrive tomorrow

I got some Blyxa japonica, Alternanthera reineckii, "Sao Paulo" Persicaria sp, Ludwigia arcuata Needle Leaf, Staurogyne repens and Ludwigia glandulosa. Only small quantities of each, should fill the tank out a bit more but I am not sure where to plant it all. May end up looking like a mess!


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## Nick00Merlin (Sep 29, 2015)

Has anyone used black lights to help with algae and green water? Just make sure it is the only light, (so a pitch black room) for an hour or two a few times a week for 1-2 weeks is supposed to help I hear.


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## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

Love the LED lights in the background -- very cool effects.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Planted the Blyxa japonica, Alternanthera reineckii, "Sao Paulo" Persicaria sp, Ludwigia arcuata Needle Leaf and Ludwigia glandulosa, the Staurogyne repens is floating as I couldnt get it to stay in the substrate, need to read up on how best to plant that stuff, only have about 3 or 4 stems about 2 inches long. The tank now looks a bit more full, but I think the new stems are all to long, mite have to trim and re-plant. I like the red colours behind the rocks tho!


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## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

love the back lighting tricks  tank looks great!


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Got a new bigger canister filter and to run it in I need to position the outlet etc down the opposite end of my small aquacompact 40 while I establish the new filter, not sure my fish are a fans of the new filter with a much higher flow but at least now I can see all my plants moving in the current. 

Perhaps to much flow, but I plan on installing a inline heater and I am sure that will slow down the flow a bit


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## sohankpatel (Jul 10, 2015)

doylecolmdoyle said:


> Got a new bigger canister filter and to run it in I need to position the outlet etc down the opposite end of my small aquacompact 40 while I establish the new filter, not sure my fish are a fans of the new filter with a much higher flow but at least now I can see all my plants moving in the current.
> 
> Perhaps to much flow, but I plan on installing a inline heater and I am sure that will slow down the flow a bit


What canister did you get? I am trying to find a nice one for a 12g long tank


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

sohankpatel said:


> What canister did you get? I am trying to find a nice one for a 12g long tank


I got a astro 2206 which is a Chinese copy of the eheim pro, its rated for 700 l/h, I had credit at my local store so made sense to use it on this upgrade. Fish seem to be adapting to the extra flow


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Lilly pipes etc have been moved into place, just need to remove the old aquacompact 40 once the new filter is established, really need to trim the Micranthemum micranthemoides some strands are almost reaching the water line, a job for later in the week I think.


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## Cmeister (Jul 5, 2009)

Looks sharp

Bump: Something I've always wondered about, do you get a lot of glare from the lighting when you get up close?


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Cmeister said:


> Looks sharp
> 
> Bump: Something I've always wondered about, do you get a lot of glare from the lighting when you get up close?


Glare from the LED back light? No not really or not that I have noticed, generally with the main light on the tank / glass looks crystal clear.

here is a fancy instragram filtered photo


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

The Java moss I tied to some pebbles is finally starting to grow and hide the cotton string used to tie it down... also missing one rummy nose tetra, cant find it on the floor, so dont think it jumped, I am guessing it died and the other fish ate it...


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Rather boring Saturday night for me, sick with a cold, so what else to do than take photos of my fishtank! Hopefully take the Aquacompact 40 filter out tomorrow and give the big bush on the right a trim!


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## jlfkona (Jan 1, 2013)

It looks great!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## bereninga (Mar 18, 2006)

This tank size is so popular these days! I wish I had the room to start one. That backlighting is cool!


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

got some macro tubes of ebay for my cheap 50mm lens, tricky to get focus but here are some initial snaps of a few of my tanks inhabitants


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

You mentioned the tank getting a lot of sunshine everyday, hopefully none of this is direct light on the tank. That has always been a mayor algae trigger in my systems. I now place tanks so that the sun never falls on them. Also I have a very white rock in the centre of the aquarium light's field, I can adjust photoperiod just by keeping an eye on it to see if even the slightest green tinge forms.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Nordic said:


> You mentioned the tank getting a lot of sunshine everyday, hopefully none of this is direct light on the tank. That has always been a mayor algae trigger in my systems. I now place tanks so that the sun never falls on them. Also I have a very white rock in the centre of the aquarium light's field, I can adjust photoperiod just by keeping an eye on it to see if even the slightest green tinge forms.


The tank gets a bit of sun light from the windows, nothing I can do about this as I live in a small apartment with large floor to ceiling windows and minimal space to put this tank elsewhere, I make sure the blinds are shut every morning to knock down some of the morning sun that would normally beam directly onto the tank. The sun levels must not be to bad as the tank has been fairly algae free (apart from some green spots on the glass) for the past few months. 

But you can see all the plants grow towards the right, where the windows are located


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

My previous fish room was a bit like that.
Still busy setting up stands and stuff, 10 o' clock at night and I'm still varnishing outdoors, it is still 93F but we hit 111F this afternoon....so things are going slowly.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Took a iphone snap today, I added some Rotala H'ra (cant be seen at the back only small stems) Mayaca Fluviatilis and Hydro Mini Jap to the tank the other day, along with trimming and replanting some of the Ludwigia arcuata Needle Leaf and Ludwigia glandulosa. Looking back on my older photos the tank is looking more jungle like every day. 

I am liking the growth in the tank but always think I should pull it all down and actually plan a better "scape"
Still learning a lot about planted tanks, especially that cory's like to dig up my pearl grass... I don think ill ever get the middle part of the "hedge" to fill in.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Two month comparison photo below, the first photo was taken on 19-11-2015 and the next photo taken today 19-01-2016, the peal grass is continuing to be destroyed by the catfish, Im thinking I will pull up most of it and plant some more repens on the right. I have a bunch of moss propagation going on in this tank, looking a bit messy but I dont mind!


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## dbleoh7 (Feb 9, 2007)

Looks great! I love the look of the blue LED backlighting. I wish my Blyxa grew like yours. Do you know where you got the LED backlighting or have a link by chance?


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Thanks, the Blyxa is getting huge, need to read up on how to trim it. The LED strip is from a hardware store in Australia, but its just a generic RGB waterproof LED strip, there are a lot on ebay for cheap.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Moved a bunch of the pearl grass / HM and planted some more repens on the right. Also trimmed the big green leafy (no idea what they are) stems behind the new repens.


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## philipraposo1982 (Mar 6, 2014)

Nice tank, I would rather see an unedited photo though. Looks over edited to me eyes

Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

philipraposo1982 said:


> Nice tank, I would rather see an unedited photo though. Looks over edited to me eyes
> 
> Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk


Thanks, here is the photo before playing with the shadows and highlights in photoshop, not to much difference really, the photo is from my iphone so looks a bit washed out, I find pushing the shadow and highlights a little helps the photo look closer to has it looks to the eye


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

have let a few plants go and take over the tank, dont really mind and its fun just to watch stuff grow out of control, tho I will trim and do a bit of a rescape soon! Got rid of the pearl grass as it really got out of control and I think ill fill the tank with a few more rocks on the right.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

I think this will be the last photo before a rescape next weekend, turned into a bit of a jungle, with some of the plants growing the length of the tank, have stopped dosing any ferts and the tank continues to do well, tho all my blyxa uprooted, will deal with that when i rescape.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Official last photo, will be pulling down this tank (will leave the substrate in place) to start fresh next weekend. New Scape will be mainly hardscape and small slow growing easy to maintain plants. Creating a messy Jungle has been a fun and learning experience!


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