# Trenton's ADA 60P Journal - Tank Planted



## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Current FTS (August 24, 2012).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7857799118/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

Hey everyone,

This journal will be chronicling my iwagumi style ADA 60P and what I found out along the way. I have found out very quickly that there is no cut and dry method of doing things so bear with me as I try to make sense of it all.

My aim is to make my journal detailed so that others can get help from it if needed. I don't consider myself to know very much, but I am learning more every day.

I just really want to thank everyone on TPT for taking time out of their lives to post their own experiences, journals, replies, etc. Without these invaluable resources, I would be making a lot more mistakes than I am going to!

*Current Setup - Rockwall Mountain Scape*
Red denotes planned/unpurchased
Blue denotes in the mail!

*Soil/Substrate:*
- ADA Aqua Soil New Amazonia Normal (9+3 liters)
- ADA Aqua Soil New Amazonia Powder (3 liters)
- ADA Clear Super, Bacter 100, Tourmaline BC, Penac W and Penac P

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7158189677/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7343391924/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

*Hardscape:*
- Rocks collected at our cabin in B.C.
The rocks were scrubbed and disinfected with bleach water and tested for suitability with the API Nitrate #1 drops. No bubbles were present.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7158171553/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7158184067/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

*Filtration/Flow:*
- Eheim Classic 2215
- Media TBD
- Hydor 200w Heater
- Aquatic Magic 13mm Lily Pipes


http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7158207725/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7343402510/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

*CO2 Distribution:*
- 5lb Aluminum Cylinder
- Go CYL-20 SS Regulator
- Clippard Mouse Solenoid
- Swagelok SS-SS2-A
- Assorted Swagelok Fittings and Check Valve
- Aquatic Magic Bubble Counter
- Aquatic Magic Rhinox 2000 Distributer 
- Aquatic Magic Drop Checker


http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7343432916/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

*Light: *
- Aqua Medic Sunbeam 2x24W T5HO
- Giesemann Midday
- DIY Conduit Light Hanger


http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7158228491/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

*Flora:*
- Hemianthus Callitrichoides 'Cuba' (HC)
At this point as I am just trying to figure everything out so I will be sticking with one carpet plant. I will try more plants/mosses in the future though once I get the hang of everything. I would like to try out: mini micro sword, DHG, e. tenellus and various other mosses.

*Fauna:*
- 12 Rummy Nose Tetra
- 6 Panda Corydoras
- 4 Otocinclus Vittatus (Otos)
- 4 Amano Shrimp
- 2 Long fin GBR

*Fertilizers:*
- Pfertz NPK and Micros
- ADA ECA, Green Bacter, Green Gain and Phyton-Git

Misc.:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7158205871/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

So far it has been a big struggle to try to source everything that I need living in Calgary, AB. I have had to buy pretty much everything online from the USA or Vancouver, BC. This means a lot of shipping costs but the alternative is waiting for an order to come in at my LFS and pay double the price anyways so shipping is worth it.

Currently I am waiting a couple of packages. The 60P among other things has finally been in stock, so it is being shipped right now from AFA! I will have to wait till the end of July though to plant and fill as I am on holidays for about 2 weeks.

I can't wait to share my experiences with you all. Thanks for checking out my journal!

-T


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Pfertz arrived yesterday.

Quick shipping, had to pay $20 when it got here though...


http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7164708153/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Two of the bottles leaked a bit, not too much though!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7349918194/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Full set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7164704729/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

Shipment from AFG with my 60P is scheduled to come tomorrow. Pictures to come on the weekend.


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

Wow! Somebody else from Calgary. Solid setup man, I can't wait to see your scape. I know how you feel about sourcing everything. I just got a tank going myself. 

Definately subscribed!


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

jcgd said:


> Wow! Somebody else from Calgary. Solid setup man, I can't wait to see your scape. I know how you feel about sourcing everything. I just got a tank going myself.
> 
> Definately subscribed!


Thanks! Pretty nice setup yourself, can't wait to see it once it's grown in more. 

By the way, where do you get your CO2 filled? I haven't called anywhere yet, but most places don't advertise they fill CO2 cylinders for small consumers like us. I have seen in other threads Sprouse and The Recharge Centre mentioned along with Airgas and other major distributors of gases. I'm thinking the bigger places would be less catering to guy who wants a 5lb cylinder filled. They would also need to fill as I wait because I only am getting one cylinder. Any ideas?


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

Recharge center is where I go. It's off of Blackfoot trail. Around 58th ave. The only issue is you have to leave it overnight or pay a rush fee of $10. Otherwise it's around $25 for a normal fill.


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## iano7000 (Apr 21, 2012)

I have been ordering parts online for my fish tank since I live on Vancouver Island. I would recommend USPS for packages coming from the states if you're not already using them. UPS is the enemy is my opinion, they always seem to have extra fees. Good looking gear, can't wait to see more.


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

iano7000 said:


> I have been ordering parts online for my fish tank since I live on Vancouver Island. I would recommend USPS for packages coming from the states if you're not already using them. UPS is the enemy is my opinion, they always seem to have extra fees. Good looking gear, can't wait to see more.


Ups has a chart on their site that states the value of the item, and the duty+ processing you will pay. The fees aren't hidden, they are just really high. They are good if you need the package on a certain day though. I've had stuff sit at the border for six weeks or more with USPS. They are still my #1 choice, regardless. 

Trenton, where'd you get the stainless parts for your reg?


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## mcqueenesq (Aug 29, 2011)

Wow, you're all set! Looking forward to seeing the finished product.


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## ChadRamsey (Nov 3, 2011)

well it appears that you are not cutting any corners so far....

I cant wait to see the set up


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## fusiongt (Nov 7, 2011)

Pretty parts, now let's see the tank setup.


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

fusiongt said:


> Pretty parts, now let's see the tank setup.


 
I agree can't wait to see it setup


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## mahko (Dec 10, 2011)

I chuckle every time I walk in to Pisces and see the prices of ADA products. I second the recommendation for Recharge Center. I got my filled CO2 tank there, but haven't had to refill it yet. Nice to see how this turns out.


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## Mr. Fish (Apr 24, 2012)

Not sure why people buy those bottles instead of dry ferts...

But they sure do look nice.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Sorry about the slow response. Had a crazy couple of days! On to the responses.



jcgd said:


> Recharge center is where I go. It's off of Blackfoot trail. Around 58th ave. The only issue is you have to leave it overnight or pay a rush fee of $10. Otherwise it's around $25 for a normal fill.


I will have to drop by their once I get my cylinder. I would probably do the rush thing because I don't think I would have the time to go two days in a row.



iano7000 said:


> I have been ordering parts online for my fish tank since I live on Vancouver Island. I would recommend USPS for packages coming from the states if you're not already using them. UPS is the enemy is my opinion, they always seem to have extra fees. Good looking gear, can't wait to see more.





jcgd said:


> Ups has a chart on their site that states the value of the item, and the duty+ processing you will pay. The fees aren't hidden, they are just really high. They are good if you need the package on a certain day though. I've had stuff sit at the border for six weeks or more with USPS. They are still my #1 choice, regardless.
> 
> Trenton, where'd you get the stainless parts for your reg?


Now you guys tell me!! Yeah I always forget about the COD charges from UPS. I got the UPS slip yesterday for my packages from AFA... not a pretty sight! Let's just say that my good deal I got from getting lower prices in the US is not such a good deal anymore... I guess that's the sacrifice I have to pay because the alternative was not getting the tank till probably August.

I got the stainless reg and needle valve from Maknwar.



mcqueenesq said:


> Wow, you're all set! Looking forward to seeing the finished product.


Thanks, me too! 



ChadRamsey said:


> well it appears that you are not cutting any corners so far....
> 
> I cant wait to see the set up


Well I did cut corners on the glassware. I plan on upgrading it in the future though to most likely all ADA. I like the Cal Aqua Labs glassware too but I think I'd like to stick to the one brand.



fusiongt said:


> Pretty parts, now let's see the tank setup.


You will, but I have to wait till the end of July. I am gone on holidays in the middle of July. Not a good combo with a cycling tank!



GMYukonon24s said:


> I agree can't wait to see it setup


Thanks!



mahko said:


> I chuckle every time I walk in to Pisces and see the prices of ADA products. I second the recommendation for Recharge Center. I got my filled CO2 tank there, but haven't had to refill it yet. Nice to see how this turns out.


I know! What I don't understand though is how some things are the same and others are double the US price... Really like your tank by the way! I guess it's probably cause it is similar to my setup! 

Had actually saved pictures of your stand as one I want style mine after in the future.



Mr. Fish said:


> Not sure why people buy those bottles instead of dry ferts...
> 
> But they sure do look nice.


And hopefully they will make my plants look nice too! 

I know, I know. I read a lot of arguments about dry vs premixed fertilizers and I realize they are not as economical. I don't want a big debate about one vs. the other. They both have their merits and demerits. All I have to say is that it was the easiest and fastest thing for me use at this point.

The only reason I chose Pfertz over RootMedic, and nothing against the two bottle system, was that it was a bit more customizable in the dosing.

I am not ruling out using dry fertilizers in the future though. Depending on how well this tank goes and how many more tanks I may (or may not) acquire the cost savings of the premixed would far outweigh the convenience of the premixed.

Tank and other supplies on Monday!!


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## vraev (Apr 13, 2012)

Looks awsome man. I didn't get the additives and stuff, but have a pretty similar setup to yours...pfertz included and the same ADA rip off bubble counter (which is just soo cool looking).

Nice to see another canadian here.  Subscribed.


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## Uptown193 (Apr 25, 2011)

Nice supplies and tools so far. Looks like you are planning everything out perfectly. Now the hard part comes at getting the perfect tank and setting up the scape. Good luck on your build, lord knows we all need it. lol...


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

vraev said:


> Looks awsome man. I didn't get the additives and stuff, but have a pretty similar setup to yours...pfertz included and the same ADA rip off bubble counter (which is just soo cool looking).
> 
> Nice to see another canadian here.  Subscribed.


Your setup is looking pretty solid yourself. Love the riccia carpet so far. Yeah, the bubble counter looks like it is pretty well built. We will see about it’s functionality when I get everything setup.



Uptown193 said:


> Nice supplies and tools so far. Looks like you are planning everything out perfectly. Now the hard part comes at getting the perfect tank and setting up the scape. Good luck on your build, lord knows we all need it. lol...


Thanks! I am really trying to plan everything out as much as I can beforehand. Takes a lot of time, but I think it will be worth it in the end. Good thing my wife is patient about my excessive researching before I purchase anything (and I mean everything)! I/we have a whole new (expensive…) hobby from her original comment of suggesting a fish tank. I’m glad though. It was so much fun, albeit frustrating at times, to research everything I needed/wanted to get.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Yesterday was such a good day!
1.	It was our 1st year anniversary.
2.	The new Macbook Pros were announced (now I have decide which one…)
3.	My 60P arrived along with a bunch of other stuff

My heart couldn’t take. I couldn’t even eat my lunch I was so excited watching the 2012 WWDC!

On to the pictures.

Stupid UPS COD. Can’t complain that they are here though.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7179141611/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Goodies!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7179137221/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
The Amazonia powder ripped about an 2cm… got dirt and dust on everything in the box.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7364363132/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
A small tree was used to protect the 60P.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7179132025/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Here are all the goods. I had to order Green Bacter/Gain from the US cause apparently it’s not approved for sale in Canada yet. I guess customs didn’t have an issue though, thankfully.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7364355566/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Here is the tank in place (sorry about the blurry picture).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7179120929/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7364347366/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

Light fixture is waiting at the post office, so I should be picking that up today.


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## dxiong5 (Sep 28, 2008)

Nice equipment, looking forward to how this one progresses!

Lol about the small tree protecting the 60P. I have a 60P too and mine came with the same amount of cushion.

ps: MacBook Pro with Retina Display!


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

dxiong5 said:


> Nice equipment, looking forward to how this one progresses!
> 
> Lol about the small tree protecting the 60P. I have a 60P too and mine came with the same amount of cushion.
> 
> ps: MacBook Pro with Retina Display!


Thanks! It has really started to come together in the last week. It sucks I have to wait another month though, I guess it gives me time to get the rest figured out... I have to kinda finalize my dosing routine of sorts and figure what mix of foods is best for the fish that I chose. 

Ps. Definitely thinking of the MBP w/ retina. I have a 2006 15" MBP right now which is super slow although still works perfect, never had a problem with it. I was planning on getting the new MBP and updating the hardrive to a flash one anyways. All the better if it comes with a flasqh drive aaaand a retina display. Who needs a cd drive these days anyways.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Picked up the Aqua Medic 24" Sunbeam yesterday from the post office. Everything looks great. Looks well built and feels solid.

It also came with two Aqua Medic ocean blue actinic bulbs. I won't be using these as I got the Giesemman Midday bulbs but I'll keep them for backup though in case anything happens to the primary bulbs.

Sorry about the cell pics, I wanted to open it but my D90 battery was dead.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7368673912/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
It was a bit tricky getting the bulbs into the waterproof o-rings. Seals pretty good though.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7368673174/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7368672198/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
The reflectors clip directly onto the bulbs. They look to very good quality.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7368671492/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7183438677/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

In-situ:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7368669888/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

Going to hopefully get to the DIY conduit hanger this week and attaching it to the stand.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

*Dosing Question*

Hey Guys,

I have a dosing question. I came up with this dosing/water change schedule that I wanted to run by you all to see if it looks OK.

*1st Week Plan:*

Water Change – Daily @ 80% change
Pfertz – After water change, ½ dose (one pump each)
Green Gain – Daily @ 6 drops
Green Bacter – Daily @ 6 drops
*2nd Week Plan:*

Water Change – Every other day @ 75% change
Pfertz – After water change, ½ dose
Green Gain – After water change, 5 drops
Green Bacter – After water change, 6 drops
*3rd Week Plan:*

Water Change – Every third day @ 50% change
Pfertz – After water change, ½ dose
Green Gain – After water change, 4 drops
Green Bacter – After water change, 6 drops
*4th Week Plan:*

Water Change – Once a week @ 50% change
Pfertz – After water change, ½ dose NPK, next day ½ dose Micros
Green Gain – After water change, 4 drops
Green Bacter – After water change, 6 drops
*5th Week and onward:*

Water Change – Once a week @ 50% change
Pfertz – Full dose (2 pumps each) of NPK one day, Micros the next day with a rest day the day before water change (dosing 6 days a week)
Green Gain – After water change, 4 drops
Green Bacter – After water change, 6 drops
ECA – After water change, 16 drops??
Phyton-Git – After water change, 12 drops??
Should I start adding the ferts later on? Like after week four? Does ECA and Phyton-git need to be added regularly?
I have attached a picture as I think it is more clear (to me at least).

Thanks guys!


http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7372675994/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Anyone else dose with a Pfertz and ADA supplemented regime?


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

Hey dude. Have you checked out frank's journal? The how to do everything one? He has the schedule he (Ada) recommends. It would lay out what to dose and when.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

jcgd said:


> Hey dude. Have you checked out frank's journal? The how to do everything one? He has the schedule he (Ada) recommends. It would lay out what to dose and when.


Yeah, I have read through pretty much his whole journal a while back. It’s hard to find all the information though cause it is so spread out…

I found this on another website (http://www.azaquaticplants.com/community/showthread.php?t=8499).

_------------------------------------------------------
Dosing:
------------------------------------------------------
There seem to be large variations in how different people use the ADA products. You also might become frustrated with the Japanese on the box and the bottles, forcing you to dig out the instructions paper each time you want to use these. You will also find yourself doing the Liter to Gallon conversion over and over again. Here are some guidelines based on converting the ADA instructions to Gallons, w/ notes on other uses and dosing levels:

- ECA: Recommended dosing is 15 drops per 10 gallons of water, once a week. Many people use MUCH less (20%-40% of this dose). Remember you are getting Fe in your Micros as well!
- Green Gain: 3-4 Drops per 10 Gallons of water, once a week. Up to 9-12 Drops per 10 Gallons of water after heavy trimming
- Python Git: 7-8 Drops per 10 Gallons of water, once a week. If treating algae, dose up to 35-40 Drops per 10 Gallons of water
- Green Bacter: 3-4 Drops per 10 Gallons of water, once a week. At initial setup or to treat cloudy water dose up to 9-12 Drops per 10 Gallons of water_

So based on the above, and what I have found in Frank’s journal, I think I am pretty close. 

I will make the following changes:

Keep the Green Gain at 6 drops instead of dropping it after first week. After trimming, I will dose between 15-20 drops.
Green Bacter will be upped to between 15 and 20 drops a day in the first week.
Seeing as how I won’t have any red plants, I will drop the ECA down to 10 drops per water change.

When should I start dosing the ferts and supplements? Should I be at full dosage of Pfertz and dosing ECA at one month? I am assuming as how you need to promote growth and fight algae, Green Gain and Phyton should be dosed from the start.

Question JCGD, have you used the filter media from Pisces that is their own brand? It looks like a good idea that it already comes with a bacteria culture on it? The guy there told me studies have been done and proven that their bio x max (I don’t know if that is the correct name) is superior to others, including the synthetic eheim media.


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

Nah, I use whatever. I don't really bother with any of that stuff. I prefer Seachem Matrix but I buy it from j&l instead because it's much cheaper. I'm trying to source pumice in Canada because it's one of the best mediums, and raw bulk stone should be pretty cheap. 

Even with the premixed ferts, I can't fathom why someone buys them once thy learn of dry ferts. No offense to you or anyone else, but if you really wanna spend the money, buy a lifetime supply of ferts for the same price and donate the difference. Honestly if you can't mix your own ferts, than you have no business keeping a tank because understanding the balance of the tank is 10x more complicated. Not aimed at you, aimed at everyone in the hobby. 

This mantra I apply to any of those instant bacteria liquids, media, etc. but if you want name brand media, I suggest the repackaged pumice stone - Seachem matrix. Apparently is had a bit more area then the Eheim stuff. I've used both and I usually buy whatever is cheaper.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

jcgd said:


> Nah, I use whatever. I don't really bother with any of that stuff. I prefer Seachem Matrix but I buy it from j&l instead because it's much cheaper. I'm trying to source pumice in Canada because it's one of the best mediums, and raw bulk stone should be pretty cheap.
> 
> Even with the premixed ferts, I can't fathom why someone buys them once thy learn of dry ferts. No offense to you or anyone else, but if you really wanna spend the money, buy a lifetime supply of ferts for the same price and donate the difference. Honestly if you can't mix your own ferts, than you have no business keeping a tank because understanding the balance of the tank is 10x more complicated. Not aimed at you, aimed at everyone in the hobby.
> 
> This mantra I apply to any of those instant bacteria liquids, media, etc. but if you want name brand media, I suggest the repackaged pumice stone - Seachem matrix. Apparently is had a bit more area then the Eheim stuff. I've used both and I usually buy whatever is cheaper.


I will check the price of the Seachem Matrix next time I go to Pisces and compare it to their in-house brand.

No offence taken. I know why a lot of people are all for dry ferts and I have nothing at all against them. I will probably try my hand at them eventually. I understand the dry chemicals and have the ability to mix them myself (working in the chemical/process engineering field and all), I just don’t want to. I'm not bashing one or the other.

And yes, even though they are “expensive”, when you break down the actual cost/month, it’s really not that unreasonable. See the chart below that I made up when investigating the ferts. $4.30/month isn’t that bad… and when they run out and I refill with the jugs, that drops down to $2.19/month.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7375470846/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

Wow dude. Those charts are nifty. Would you mind removing the info that only applies to you and adding the charts to the dosing sticky?

If you are going with matrix I can pick some up for you in Vancouver over the long weekend when I get my own. Saves on shipping and they usually give me a little off because they don't need to honor the free shipping deal. Same goes for anything else you need.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

jcgd said:


> Wow dude. Those charts are nifty. Would you mind removing the info that only applies to you and adding the charts to the dosing sticky?
> 
> If you are going with matrix I can pick some up for you in Vancouver over the long weekend when I get my own. Saves on shipping and they usually give me a little off because they don't need to honor the free shipping deal. Same goes for anything else you need.


Thanks. I use spreadsheets to tabulate a lot of my information. I find it the easiest to work with.

I think I will hold off on the matrix, but thanks though! I haven't decided what I am doing yet for media. I wanted to start out with quite a bit of carbon to absorb the excess stuff in the water for the first couple of weeks so I still have time to research.

I actually made an order from J&L a while ago. I got my heater (with the wrong size barbs... I didn't realize there were Hydro 200W heaters with 1/2" and 5/8" barbs), test kit and Giesemann bulbs from them.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Updated planned dosing schedule:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7394405462/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Haven’t posted for a couple of days. I have had a really busy week.

Been getting everything I need for my DIY conduit hanger/stand. I have pretty much everything that I need now.

The list right now of what I still need to get is:

1/2” hose
5/8” hose
Hose adapter (1/2” x 5/8”) (Because I got the wrong size barbs on my heater)
Cable clamps or ferrules for 1/16” cable on light hanger
Filter media
Carbon media
Regulator parts/solenoid (Messaged btimmer 92 for the solenoid. Waiting for him to get back from vacation).
The end of July to come!
Can’t really think of anything else at this point. I am trying to get the stand all together as fast as I can so that I can put it in place and then put my scape together. I think that I will have time to do that tomorrow evening and Saturday.

I had bought a Woods power bar with built in digital timers, but after reading a bunch of reviews on those digital timer power bars, I decided against it. Instead, I got a nifty swivel surge protector that has lots of room to put timers on it (http://www.360electrical.com/our_products/swivel/8-swivel_outlet.htm) and am going to get either digital or mechanical individual timers. This at least gives me the advantage of modifying in the future, and it is a lot better quality (and less sketchy) then the all-in-one digital timer power bar.

Currently planned list of power users:

Lights – Timed (Probably about 2pm-11:30pm daily. May have it on in the morning for a bit before we got to work.)
CO2 Solenoid – Timed (Probably 1pm-11pm)
Filter – Constant
Heater – Constant
Lunar light – Timed (Possible future addition)
Airstone – Timed (Possible future addition)
On another note, last week I ordered my new computer. Got the newly updated MacBook Pro 15", with a 1TB HD and glossy high res screen. I decided against the new retina version as it is not fixable/modifiable. Not a good combination for a computer! Got it in the mail yesterday, 1 week after i ordered it! It’s pretty slick and it’s a whole lot faster than my 6 yr old MBP! I will probably swap out the HD for a flash drive and upgrade the ram, but that won't be for a while yet.

Peace out,
-T


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

On another note, is anyone familiar with all the swagelok fittings? I got a swagelok needle, so now I need fitting based on that. I'm thinking of something along the lines of:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7183937795/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
The only one that might be different is if I receive a stainless 10-32 fitting on the outlet of the Mouse when I buy that. Then that fitting may be a 10-32 x 1/8" male so I would have to get a 1/8" female x 1/8" OD swagelok tube fitting.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
-T


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

No thoughts anyone on the fittings?

Got around to getting the rest of the stand together last night as well as the fittings for the light hanger. I had some old Ikea cable curtain hangers left from my last apartment and they worked great!

Here is the build:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7429709540/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7429711838/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7429706748/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7429703804/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

Borrowed a conduit bender and got the conduit bent this morning. I may cut the height down a bit and trim it up a bit later. I also think I will get some grommets to hold the cable in place to keep it from moving.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7429677640/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7429674968/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7429672130/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Till next time,
-T


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## Uptown193 (Apr 25, 2011)

Hi nice setup. I dose with ADA's ECA for my red plants and it works great. I also do not think you need to dose if you do not have any plants yet. I did the same water change reg, with ADA's products and within 2 weeks I had perfect water parameters to add fish. I also use Pfertz products like yours and use one pump of each 5 days a week, 2 pumps after a water change. I now do water changes every 4 weeks and my water is crystal clear. The filter is the most important factor. Keep up the good work.

P.S. Try to center the tank under the light somehow and cut the end that is hanging over about 4-5". Sorry, I have a close eye to detail.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Uptown193 said:


> Hi nice setup. I dose with ADA's ECA for my red plants and it works great. I also do not think you need to dose if you do not have any plants yet. I did the same water change reg, with ADA's products and within 2 weeks I had perfect water parameters to add fish. I also use Pfertz products like yours and use one pump of each 5 days a week, 2 pumps after a water change. I now do water changes every 4 weeks and my water is crystal clear. The filter is the most important factor. Keep up the good work.
> 
> P.S. Try to center the tank under the light somehow and cut the end that is hanging over about 4-5". Sorry, I have a close eye to detail.


I'm not dosing yet as my tank isn't up and running yet... I thought that was assumed.

So you dose 7 pumps each weekly of the Pfertz line. I may reschedule slightly from my 6 pumps weekly if I find I don't have to do water changes weekly like you (which would be nice!)

Haha, you do have a close eye! I had moved the light forward on the hanger to prevent the back one from slipping off the bend. I picked up some gaskets today to slip over the pipe to prevent this. And yes, I will be trimming the end of it as I said. It is 5" to long and I lined up the bender at the wrong end of the corner.

Thanks for the help,
-T


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Got the hardscape in last night. See the end of this post and let me know what you think.

Penac P/Penac W/Tourmaline BC

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7432823818/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Power Sand Special S

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7432816078/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7432801164/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Bacter 100/Clear Super

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7432770658/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Added the Aqua Soil around the edge and then filled in.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7432758362/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7432752404/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Added the rest of the 9L bag of Aqua Soil. I put some strings on the tank for guidance on the golden ratio. I didn't stick to them exactly though. (http://goldenratiocalculator.com/)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7432731640/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
And now, the hardscape. What do you all think? Comments and tweaks welcome! Also note that it has to look good on three sides.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7432704660/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7432708576/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7432723160/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7432713822/ http://www.flickr.com/people/60413[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7432719164/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7432687540/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Till next time,
-T


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

Wow can't wait till everything is filled up!!!


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## dunehole (Sep 13, 2011)

Looking really good. Liking the hardscape and your light hanger. Do you know how high your going to hang your lights? I find I have to keep cutting back my light period and raising my lights on my 60P with Catalina 2x24.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

monkeyruler90 said:


> Wow can't wait till everything is filled up!!!


Thanks, me too. Now that is scaped in, I can't wait till the end of July!


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

dunehole said:


> Looking really good. Liking the hardscape and your light hanger. Do you know how high your going to hang your lights? I find I have to keep cutting back my light period and raising my lights on my 60P with Catalina 2x24.


Thank you!

I'm not quite sure yet how high I am going to hang the light. Seeing as how it is by the couch, there is already light leaking from the side a lot so I don't want to raise it up to much. We are only home in the evening though so I can probably the cut the lighting period down to just when we are home, that way I don't have to raise the light too much.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

"Planted" scape quickly made with photoshop. Too plain with just HC? I don't want to make it too complicated though...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7447591472/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

Till the end of July? I don't think Id be able to wait that long! You have some patience!


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## deleted_user_17 (Jun 14, 2012)

Subscribing. I think this is a great setup so far


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

As I was scrolling down, I had to do a double take!  LOL!! I saw that you got your hardscape in a few days ago, but I was shocked when I saw the tank "planted".....I thought to myself "Holy CRAP that's nice!" and saw that you Photoshopped that in.

If you get your HC to grow like that, I think that will be pretty nice looking! I don't think that you need to add anything else....keep it simple! Therein lies the beauty of Iwagumi, right?


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

monkeyruler90 said:


> Till the end of July? I don't think Id be able to wait that long! You have some patience!


Patience is a virtue! Buuuuut in this case, I don't have another choice, so I don't know if it still counts as patience?



Jedi_Pizza said:


> Subscribing. I think this is a great setup so far


Thanks Jedi!


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

crazydaz said:


> As I was scrolling down, I had to do a double take!  LOL!! I saw that you got your hardscape in a few days ago, but I was shocked when I saw the tank "planted".....I thought to myself "Holy CRAP that's nice!" and saw that you Photoshopped that in.
> 
> If you get your HC to grow like that, I think that will be pretty nice looking! I don't think that you need to add anything else....keep it simple! Therein lies the beauty of Iwagumi, right?


This made me laugh when I read it! I wish it was at that point already.

I think I have to keep it simple at this point anyways. Better do something simple and right, then complicated and screw up royally. Sure it would be "easy" for me to plant 10 different things but I have no idea how they grow at this point.


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## Vermino (Jun 14, 2012)

I think the formation + HC is sick.. that thing is going to be the focal point of the neighborhood


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

I have to admit, when I saw the first pick of your hardscape it was cool but not my favorite. But from 3 angles, that is crazy stuff. Love it. 

I personally think just HC is a bit boring, only because the rocks are smooth. I think a bit of Hydrocotyle of some type, maybe a bit of belem, or some other foreground that isn't round leaved would add just the right amount of character. I wouldn't say that HC alone wouldn't do it but just adding some extra "roughness" will do your scape and rock texture well, IMO.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Vermino said:


> I think the formation + HC is sick.. that thing is going to be the focal point of the neighborhood


Thanks, I dunno about the neighborhood though…



talontsiawd said:


> I have to admit, when I saw the first pick of your hardscape it was cool but not my favorite. But from 3 angles, that is crazy stuff. Love it.
> 
> I personally think just HC is a bit boring, only because the rocks are smooth. I think a bit of Hydrocotyle of some type, maybe a bit of belem, or some other foreground that isn't round leaved would add just the right amount of character. I wouldn't say that HC alone wouldn't do it but just adding some extra "roughness" will do your scape and rock texture well, IMO.


This is the thing that I have been thinking about as well. If I start to change the one rock, it may upset the whole balance seeing as how it has to be viewed from three sides. Right now I think I have laid it out in such a way as not being too much of an eye sore from each side while still maintaining some dramatic/unstable lines to draw the eyes across.

I am beginning to think that just HC may be boring as well. Once I did that photoshoped version, I thought maybe I should add something else. I was thinking I might add some taller plants between the rocks to make it look more like a natural outcropping of rocks. My LFS brought in some new plants and they have some DHG and micro sword that looked pretty nice as well as some other small taller plants that could suit those taller areas. I kind of wanted to go for a natural look, would it be best to put dividers between the HC and DHG if I put that in? DHG will take over my tank otherwise won’t it?


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

Sorry, I didn't mean to say that I didn't like the hardscape, I just am saying it becomes way more impressive after you realize that it's supposed to have 3 angles. 

I haven't done DHG as HC but DHG grows really fast for me. To be honest, I haven't used it in a scape for that reason. I put some in my 20 long to try it out and it doubled in size every 2-3 days. Most people think that if you are using it with something else, a divider is a must.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

talontsiawd said:


> Sorry, I didn't mean to say that I didn't like the hardscape, I just am saying it becomes way more impressive after you realize that it's supposed to have 3 angles.
> 
> I haven't done DHG as HC but DHG grows really fast for me. To be honest, I haven't used it in a scape for that reason. I put some in my 20 long to try it out and it doubled in size every 2-3 days. Most people think that if you are using it with something else, a divider is a must.


I knew what you were saying, I was just trying to explain myself and the thought process behind the way a laid it out to be viewed from three sides. I probably would have done it differently if it was to only be viewed from the front.

Yeah, I’m kind of sketched to use DHG for that very reason as well. Maybe I will try some micro sword between the rocks or something, we will see.


On another note, my LFS now has cultured HC in stock. It’s so tempting to buy some and plant right now… how long can it go without human intervention?? *Sigh* I still need to wait though cause I still don’t have everything for the regulator yet.

Also, I picked up an ADA thermometer yesterday as well as some Hikari Mini Algae Wafers, Hikari Tropical Sinking Wafers and New Life Spectrum Small Fish Formula. I will pick up some frozen foods later on to feed as well (Haven’t decided which ones yet though).

At my LFS they had shrimp are marked as “Algae Eating Shrimp” are they the same as Amanos? They looked the same to me but I don’t know if there are similar breeds or something.

-T


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Updated scape. Quote taken from my hardscape critique thread.



trenton said:


> Here is the update. More back to the original one I made. (Don't mind the tape, I just used it as a quick reference for the golden ratio points that I wanted to use.
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7498092474/ t
> 
> ...


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

trenton said:


> At my LFS they had shrimp are marked as “Algae Eating Shrimp” are they the same as Amanos? They looked the same to me but I don’t know if there are similar breeds or something.
> 
> -T


Pisces? Yeah, they are Amanos. They should really change the labelling but they have it like that for the sole reason that people will buy them when they have an algae outbreak.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

jcgd said:


> Pisces? Yeah, they are Amanos. They should really change the labelling but they have it like that for the sole reason that people will buy them when they have an algae outbreak.


Yup, you got it, it was at Pisces. I thought they looked the same, but I wanted to be sure. 

Thanks!
-T


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

trenton said:


> Yup, you got it, it was at Pisces. I thought they looked the same, but I wanted to be sure.
> 
> Thanks!
> -T


Yeah man. Though I should tell you that I like this second scape. It's a little simpler than the first and I think it is even better.

I only bought my first Amanos a little while back to pick up some hair algae that was in my tank. It was a non co2 setup for my quarantine tank and between adding a pressurized setup (just a little co2, maybe 10ppm) and a dozen Amanos, the tank was spotless in a couple weeks.

They are pretty sweet shrimp though. Kinda have this neon stripe in their back that looks sweet and they act pretty cool. I really like them and will use them all the time now.


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

Okay so you referred me to here, but I wanted to know how you tested those rocks - vinegar is not a strong enough acid to tell if they are inert, and im %99 positive that kind of rock is not inert as I have seen it in the field many times and tested it in hopes that I could use it, but it always foams to the HCL test!

edit: I see I am completely blind.. well thats awesome that you found inert stones!


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## styxx (Jul 2, 2003)

*Questions, Thoughts, Concerns, Suggestions, Oh My!*



trenton said:


> I knew what you were saying, I was just trying to explain myself and the thought process behind the way a laid it out to be viewed from three sides. I probably would have done it differently if it was to only be viewed from the front.
> 
> Yeah, I’m kind of sketched to use DHG for that very reason as well. Maybe I will try some micro sword between the rocks or something, we will see.
> 
> ...


Trenton,
I love how enthusiastic you are about the hobby and the degree of precision associated with your planning. First, I wanted to express to you my experience with HC. In the past, when using Aqua soil, CO2 and the right lighting I could grow it without much effort at all. However, the issue with HC is that yes it is gorgeous and looks beautiful...for the first few months. Then it becomes a PITA, because it will tend to grow very thick vertically and when trimmed this only exacerbates the problems, such that eventually it will literally float up off the substrate. This isn't to suggest that you shouldn't try it - it's a great plant and an excellent way to hone your skills. But I would recommend something that demands less maintenance in the future when you eventually decided on a rescape. Second, I think that some Stauro would look very good between the rocks - it has the compact growth and height that would complement the HC very nicely. Or perhaps some short Anubias on rock? Just a few thoughts to throw out there for you. The HC is a very bright green and I think maybe some dark green color contrast might be appropriate...

Finally, be prepared to get pissed off with the Aqua soil. I strongly suggest patience when getting the tank up and running and cycling. I made the mistake years ago (when the original Aqua soil was out) of trying to plant right away - very bad decision, lol. The original version had so much organics that the damn water turned milky white (anyone remember THAT b.s.!?). I was doing water changes twice a day, everyday for ever, lol. Even with the new version, it will take some time. But IME nothing grows plants like Aqua soil! I'm not using it anymore because it compacts over time, but when new, it is truly impressive. 

Hope this helps?! Subscribed!


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

jcgd said:


> Yeah man. Though I should tell you that I like this second scape. It's a little simpler than the first and I think it is even better.
> 
> I only bought my first Amanos a little while back to pick up some hair algae that was in my tank. It was a non co2 setup for my quarantine tank and between adding a pressurized setup (just a little co2, maybe 10ppm) and a dozen Amanos, the tank was spotless in a couple weeks.
> 
> They are pretty sweet shrimp though. Kinda have this neon stripe in their back that looks sweet and they act pretty cool. I really like them and will use them all the time now.


I tried a couple of other scapes, but I always liked the way the first one looked. Actually, when I took the first down, two of the rocks were pretty unstable, so it was probably better that I changed it anyways.

I was planning on putting the Amanos in the tank first (after the tank is cycled) to deal with algae if it becomes an issue. Do you supplement their diet with anything? I plan on getting some otos too, so I bought Hikari algae wafers for them to nibble on if there isn’t enough algae.



Chlorophile said:


> Okay so you referred me to here, but I wanted to know how you tested those rocks - vinegar is not a strong enough acid to tell if they are inert, and im %99 positive that kind of rock is not inert as I have seen it in the field many times and tested it in hopes that I could use it, but it always foams to the HCL test!
> 
> edit: I see I am completely blind.. well thats awesome that you found inert stones!


Yeah, I would have been really bummed if the rocks were not inert after all the work of collecting and brining them back home. Thanks for your concern though, much appreciated!



styxx said:


> Trenton,
> I love how enthusiastic you are about the hobby and the degree of precision associated with your planning. First, I wanted to express to you my experience with HC. In the past, when using Aqua soil, CO2 and the right lighting I could grow it without much effort at all. However, the issue with HC is that yes it is gorgeous and looks beautiful...for the first few months. Then it becomes a PITA, because it will tend to grow very thick vertically and when trimmed this only exacerbates the problems, such that eventually it will literally float up off the substrate. This isn't to suggest that you shouldn't try it - it's a great plant and an excellent way to hone your skills. But I would recommend something that demands less maintenance in the future when you eventually decided on a rescape. Second, I think that some Stauro would look very good between the rocks - it has the compact growth and height that would complement the HC very nicely. Or perhaps some short Anubias on rock? Just a few thoughts to throw out there for you. The HC is a very bright green and I think maybe some dark green color contrast might be appropriate...
> 
> Finally, be prepared to get pissed off with the Aqua soil. I strongly suggest patience when getting the tank up and running and cycling. I made the mistake years ago (when the original Aqua soil was out) of trying to plant right away - very bad decision, lol. The original version had so much organics that the damn water turned milky white (anyone remember THAT b.s.!?). I was doing water changes twice a day, everyday for ever, lol. Even with the new version, it will take some time. But IME nothing grows plants like Aqua soil! I'm not using it anymore because it compacts over time, but when new, it is truly impressive.
> ...


Yeah, this is what I have read about HC carpets. They look nice for a while, but they eventually lift off. I have heard about “cutting holes” in the carpet to keep if from growing too dense. Does anyone have experience with this? Are there any other carpeting plants that have the same effect as HC but do not lift off?

Wow, I like the look of the stauro as well as the anubias. I found some neat looking anubia tetras that I could possibly use. I was thinking the same thing about having some darker green plants between the rocks. Maybe even some moss of some sort.

I was planning on doing a lot of water changes at the start, so yes, I am ready! Patience, I have, but I can’t wait to get everything in. About three weeks now till planting day!

Thanks for the great info about the HC!

-T


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## styxx (Jul 2, 2003)

Trenton, I used to cut _small_holes in the HC carpet once it was fully grown, but before it started to grow vertically thick. Doing so promotes horizontal growth; the appearance one is trying for is a mini-swiss cheese like pattern that keeps the HC growing horizontally while maintaining the appropriate height. It's time consuming work though, but the results are worth it. Glosso is one that doesn't float up off the substrate, but E. Hydropiper is another that (while rare) doesn't float either - its root system is very deep unlike the much shallower rooting HC. I think that Stauro, Anubias, Moss maybe even some Hygrofilia Compacta would all be good options for the spaces between the rocks. And you're welcome - I'm happy to help!


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Got back from my vacation and have been pretty busy since. Got the tank planted and regulator built too! Bear with me, this may be a long post...

Got all the pieces to build the regulator. Since the needle valve had Swagelok fitting I decided to go with all Swagelok pieces.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7658467080/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Here are all the pieces layer out (Opposite side of actual output).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7658459490/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Put together!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7658452086/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

Here are the plants I bought. I didn't want to wait to get any shipped, so I didn't get exactly what I wanted, but pretty much. The HC pots came with some other plants that I used as well. We will see how they grow in.

Hemianthus Callitrichoides 'Cuba'
Lilaoepsis Brasiliensis
Juncus Repens (The lady accidentally gave me this one instead of another pot of Lilaoepsis)
Cyperus Helferi (?? There was no label at the store)
Ammania sp. 'Bonsai' (Also known as Rotala Indica)
Crytpcoryne Becketti 'Petchii'
Echinodorus 'Red Flame'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7658380278/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
I found it pretty difficult to plant the stuff in the ADA Aqua Soil. I also wrecked a lot of my slopes, but i figured that may happen. I will fix it once the plants start to take root. I thought that I had everything well in the soil, but after I filled, a bunch of them came up. I used crumpled up paper to fill, finally finished everything at 1am in the morning tuesday. At this point, I didn't have CO2 tank filled yet, so I used Excel for the first two days.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7658445534/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7658437410/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
The morning after, no more bunches came up, yay!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7658429110/http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
After the first water change. I will be trimming that Ammania down once it roots. At this point, everything wants to float still so I don't want to touch anything. I tried replanting some HC and another bunch comes up, so I will leave it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7658422544/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
In-situ.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7658406474/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
After second water change. Got the CO2 in too! My diffuser is not working very well though. There are only bubbles coming out in one area and they are large... anybody have any ideas? Could I have wrecked by putting too much flow of CO2 through it?:icon_redf

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7658399182/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7658384652/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

I installed the supplied ADA check valve inline before the bubble counter. This morning there was water in the line up till that point. Is this normal? Is there a leak in my system? I think I will leak check it tonight to make sure there are none.

And one last thing, I am having trouble keeping the bubbles at a constant rate. I had to turn my regulator outlet pressure to less than 10 psi and then the needle valve doesn't seem to change the flow. Is this normal, or does it take a while for the change to take affect once I turn the needle valve?

I think I may have seen some type of algae yesterday. It looked like hair algae. Will take picture of it if there is some of it tonight.

Till next update,
-T


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## styxx (Jul 2, 2003)

*Uh Oh*

I hate to say it, but I suspect that something's wrong with your pressure and you probably have a leak somewhere. What are all those pieces with the regulator? I think that's your problem - you have so many different parts that each one is a place for a leak and failure. The fact that water is filling your airline tubing suggests that you don't have enough static pressure to keep the water out, which says "I'm leaking" to me. Another symptom of insufficient pressure is the fact that the diffusor is only putting out bubbles from one area, and the bubbles themselves are large. They won't be microbubbles unless you have an atomizer type diffusor. Perhaps others can suggest some alternate theories? By my count you have no less than 5 screw points with teflon that could be leaking all at the same time at different speeds. Since this is your first tank, I would have donated to buy you a new Milwaukee (I've used more than one of these over the past decade and they've never failed me yet) had I known you were going to build your own, lol! Definitely leak test everything and keep us posted.

Also I'm sure that I don't have to tell you (as you've already learned) don't touch the HC until its started to spread really well. It will just keep floating up on its own. Keep up the water changes while checking the ammonia and no ferts (except maybe a little K) for a least a week. Those are my suggestions, others can elaborate on their strategies... Hope this helps!


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

nice!


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## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

Push the hc down and bury it by dumping soil directly on top till it stays down. It'll come back through. You should also sprinkle AS powder of the hc to fill in all the gaps and bring the soil almost level with the hc. It'll help keep it down.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

styxx said:


> I hate to say it, but I suspect that something's wrong with your pressure and you probably have a leak somewhere. What are all those pieces with the regulator? I think that's your problem - you have so many different parts that each one is a place for a leak and failure. The fact that water is filling your airline tubing suggests that you don't have enough static pressure to keep the water out, which says "I'm leaking" to me. Another symptom of insufficient pressure is the fact that the diffusor is only putting out bubbles from one area, and the bubbles themselves are large. They won't be microbubbles unless you have an atomizer type diffusor. Perhaps others can suggest some alternate theories? By my count you have no less than 5 screw points with teflon that could be leaking all at the same time at different speeds. Since this is your first tank, I would have donated to buy you a new Milwaukee (I've used more than one of these over the past decade and they've never failed me yet) had I known you were going to build your own, lol! Definitely leak test everything and keep us posted.
> 
> Also I'm sure that I don't have to tell you (as you've already learned) don't touch the HC until its started to spread really well. It will just keep floating up on its own. Keep up the water changes while checking the ammonia and no ferts (except maybe a little K) for a least a week. Those are my suggestions, others can elaborate on their strategies... Hope this helps!


I think something was the matter with the bubble counter and diffuser. I did the soap test and I did not find any leaks. I will keep on eye on the CO2 system though until it starts to act more consistent. There were some hairline fractures at the corner of my diffuser, so I bought a cheap Fluval one. When I was trying to switch it out to see if there could be a change I broke it, but the bubbles are much better with the Fluval one. I will wait a bit to buy an ADA one.

I am not going to touch the HC again till it is rooted better.

Thanks for the help!
-T 



sayurasem said:


> nice!


Thanks!



jcgd said:


> Push the hc down and bury it by dumping soil directly on top till it stays down. It'll come back through. You should also sprinkle AS powder of the hc to fill in all the gaps and bring the soil almost level with the hc. It'll help keep it down.


Good idea, I should have done that when I planted it. I think it would be complicated to add more soil now that the tank is filled, wouldn't it?

-T


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Fourth day picture after water change:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7665716352/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7665707092/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
The plants started to pearl right after the fill like crazy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7665698354/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
There are two different kinds of algae that I have seen in the tank. There is some white fuzz on the soil and hair algae on the ammania.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7665702844/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7665690282/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Water test results:

pH 6.4
Ammonia 2 ppm
Nitrite 1.0 ppm
Nitrate 20 ppm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7665686144/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Cheers,
-T


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## lotus02 (Feb 17, 2005)

Just Beautiful ! Makes me think my tank is crap  and here I thought I did an awesome job but now I want to tare it apart and redo it.


----------



## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

Now that is flooded. All you can do is trim and replant.


----------



## SaltyNC (Jun 26, 2012)

It's looking great, Trenton. I really like how you document so much with photography, like your water parameter tests. That is really helpful for new people coming into the hobby. Sorry about your diffuser, man. I tried to find a Fluval until my diffuser arrived, but everyone around here is sold out. I ended up having to use a piece of bamboo, but I'll be durned if it didn't work quite well.

I'm looking forward to seeing it grow in.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

lotus02 said:


> Just Beautiful ! Makes me think my tank is crap  and here I thought I did an awesome job but now I want to tare it apart and redo it.


Come on now, your tank isn't that bad... I have seen much worse, plus, if I even attempted a reef tank, I'm sure I would be saying the same thing.

I just planted it too, so we will see in a couple of weeks how it looks. Things could go downhill very fast if I mess it up.



sayurasem said:


> Now that is flooded. All you can do is trim and replant.


I have already to trim the ammania, and the HC is getting kinda scraggly. I'm gonna have to trim that soon, but I don't want to uproot it.



SaltyNC said:


> It's looking great, Trenton. I really like how you document so much with photography, like your water parameter tests. That is really helpful for new people coming into the hobby. Sorry about your diffuser, man. I tried to find a Fluval until my diffuser arrived, but everyone around here is sold out. I ended up having to use a piece of bamboo, but I'll be durned if it didn't work quite well.
> 
> I'm looking forward to seeing it grow in.


Thanks Salty! Some people may think that my pictures are excessive, but for myself, I find journals boring if there are no photos. Plus I love taking pictures! All my glassware is Aquatic Magic from ebay so I wasn't expecting high quality. I will wait until I find some ADA glassware used and then use the cheap stuff as backup. 

I saw some wooden diffusers at my LFS, but I decided not to get them because on the package it said they needed to be replaced quite often (like 3 weeks) when their functionality starts to go down.

Hope you can find a nice diffuser... your tank is too nice to have an ugly fluval one!

-T


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

No picture today, sorry.

The tank has a weird film on the top though. I guess it's not really a film, it's a layer of what appears to be more viscous water that kinda traps the small CO2 bubbles. Is this a protein layer or something? What is this caused by, too much fertilizers?

I bought new drop checker solution yesterday because the ebay stuff stayed a weird brown/green colour. After I used the new solution, within an hour it was completely yellow, hence I turned the CO2 down considerably. I'm trying to keep it on the lighter end of green.

Would a high CO2 rate like I had cause plants to not bee as healthy? The ammonia doesn't seem like it is doing the greatest with the bottom leaves melting and the top leaves looking pale. An ideas?

Till next time,
-T


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## SaltyNC (Jun 26, 2012)

trenton said:


> Thanks Salty! Some people may think that my pictures are excessive, but for myself, I find journals boring if there are no photos. Plus I love taking pictures! All my glassware is Aquatic Magic from ebay so I wasn't expecting high quality. I will wait until I find some ADA glassware used and then use the cheap stuff as backup.
> 
> I saw some wooden diffusers at my LFS, but I decided not to get them because on the package it said they needed to be replaced quite often (like 3 weeks) when their functionality starts to go down.
> 
> ...


You can never have too many pictures, especially when they look as nice as your pictures do. That's sad to hear about the Aquatic Magic. I thought it was good stuff. The nano diffuser from them is what I'm waiting on. 

Ha! Funny about the ugly Fluval. I don't know about my tank being nice (thanks for saying so), but the Fluval was definitely going to be a temporary solution until the glass one comes in. When I build my ADA tank, I'm going to do an inline CO2 reactor. That might be something to consider. One less thing in the tank, though the ADA diffusers really are like art work. 




trenton said:


> The tank has a weird film on the top though. I guess it's not really a film, it's a layer of what appears to be more viscous water that kinda traps the small CO2 bubbles. Is this a protein layer or something? What is this caused by, too much fertilizers?


I think the ADA guys recommend bringing the lily pipes up at night to create some surface agitation. On my little Petco tank, I was getting the same thing and had to drop the water level. That also seemed to help with algae.



trenton said:


> Would a high CO2 rate like I had cause plants to not bee as healthy? The ammonia doesn't seem like it is doing the greatest with the bottom leaves melting and the top leaves looking pale. An ideas?
> 
> Till next time,
> -T


I don't think it can be too much CO2. Even at a high rate, it would still be less than what is in normal air when plants are growing emerged. Are you still dosing 1/2 squirts of Pfertz? You might actually need to up the dosing with your good light. Most of my plants went through a little shock after flooding the tank, and I trimmed them up, and now everything is very vibrant since adding CO2 and dosing Pfertz, and I'm doing about a 3/4 squirt every other day in a 6 gal tank. Yes, I fell for the pretty bottles, too. :wink:


----------



## SaltyNC (Jun 26, 2012)

T,
Check out the Tom Barr link in this thread for your surface film:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=185643


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## styxx (Jul 2, 2003)

I agree with SaltyNC, the film is just a protein layer. A little surface agitation will make quick work of it. And you could have a very high CO2 and it wouldn't (by itself) harm the plants, though the reduced PH might burn some if the CO2 is high enough (to say nothing of suffocating any life in that aquarium). Now where are those pics!? lol


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

SaltyNC said:


> T,
> Check out the Tom Barr link in this thread for your surface film:
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=185643





styxx said:


> I agree with SaltyNC, the film is just a protein layer. A little surface agitation will make quick work of it. And you could have a very high CO2 and it wouldn't (by itself) harm the plants, though the reduced PH might burn some if the CO2 is high enough (to say nothing of suffocating any life in that aquarium). Now where are those pics!? lol


Yeah, I figured it was a protein layer. I have been raising the outlet pipe at night sometimes to remove it and it seems to be working. Whenever I do a water change, I just place some paper towel on top of the water t remove the skim.

I actually had very high CO2. The 4dkh solution I got with the drop checker from asia malaysia or wherever was... crap. So I bought some new fluval solution a while back and it turned instantly yellow within about 1/2 an hour so... I reduced my CO2.

Also, I found my CO2 leak before I left before the weekend because I was scared it was going to runout by the time we got back :eek5: It was at the connection between the CGA320 fitting and the reg. Since fixing that more than a week ago, my needle has barely dropped. I'm pretty thankful about that, cause I would have had to fill it every couple of weeks it the problem hadn't have been resolved.

Thanks for the help guys.

-T


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Progress pictures.

July 30

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7702318684/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
August 1

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7702322518/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
August 2 - Some of plants trimmed.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7702347184/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
August 7

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7759260882/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
August 9

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7759730018/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
August 10

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7759753022/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

More to come shortly,
-T


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Other random pictures:
Pearling!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7759659122/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Plant close-ups

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7759742572/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7759720220/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7759748634/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Full tank angle shots

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7759251358/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7702326248/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

-T


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

So I cleaned out my filter yesterday and my tubing. I had installed the heater in the wrong location when I first did it (1 am...) so I fixed that as well.

Cleaning media if tank water.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7769295872/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
It was pretty dirty... 2.5 weeks. I filled up the void space in the filter with a bit of ehiem bio media and rings for now. I plan on getting more bio media though for my next maintenance.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7769261274/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Took out the carbon that I had placed in at the beginning in preparation to get fish.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7769317762/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
With the heater moved I was able to get both the filter and the cylinder under the tank!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7769220104/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7769207910/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

My ammonia is 0, nitrite is now coming down from off the charts and nitrAtes have been staying at around 40 to 80ppm.

Found a couple of small snails last week. I think they hitchhiked with some of the plants. I have been crushing them, and haven't seen any for a couple days. Not getting my hopes up though.

I really hope that we can get fish this week! The HC doesn't seem very strongly routed so I don't know if I should get shrimp and corys yet. What do you guys think? Will they wreck the substrate and HC? I was thinking of starting with the otos and rummynose tetras, although they tend to be more sensitive, so I dunno...

Cheers,
-T


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

things are going well !


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## styxx (Jul 2, 2003)

Do NOT get any corys! Those damn fish will tear up that substrate like little crack fiends. Otos and tetras and shrimp should be ok. Also I t seems to me that while your HC is growing well, it's more vertical than horizontal growth. How high is your light from the top of the tank? I would trim the HC and lower the light to increase the PAR @ substrate level. That should make it grow more horizontally than vertically. And finally, don't be afraid to pour a little aquasoil on top of the HC in areas where it's not rooting well. That should hold it down long enough to take root.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

monkeyruler90 said:


> things are going well !


Thanks!



styxx said:


> Do NOT get any corys! Those damn fish will tear up that substrate like little crack fiends. Otos and tetras and shrimp should be ok. Also I t seems to me that while your HC is growing well, it's more vertical than horizontal growth. How high is your light from the top of the tank? I would trim the HC and lower the light to increase the PAR @ substrate level. That should make it grow more horizontally than vertically. And finally, don't be afraid to pour a little aquasoil on top of the HC in areas where it's not rooting well. That should hold it down long enough to take root.


Hmmmm... maybe I'll have to wait for the HC to be well rooted. I am planning on either getting a dwarf species or panda's so it shouldn't be as bad as the larger ones.

I was planning on trimming the HC again. The light is 8" from the water surface and ranges in height from the substrate from 19" to 17". Do you think that is too much?

It's funny that you say that about the aqua soil. I had already done that to some patches of the HC. Most of it has taken root though, I'm just not confident having fish picking at it yet!

-T


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## styxx (Jul 2, 2003)

I just strongly suggest to not get corys because HC doesn't have a very lengthy root structure and so it has to be well established before introducing those types of foraging fish that like to nose around in substrate. And even then I would be very wary. I would reduce the light by another 2" and see what kind of effect it has and adjust the CO2 as necessary. You're doing everything exactly right so far if you haven't had any algae. If after a week at the new lowered hight, you find no real algae problem, then you could keep it at that reduced height, but if you DO find an algae problem, raise it back up. Anything over 1/2 a foot above the tank for just the light fixture that you have is pretty high (at least for HC) IMHO. Oh believe me that HC will grow right through that aquasoil, lol. If you check on post #138 of my 60P thread in my signature, you'll see that my light was directly over my tank, lol.


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## flowerfishs (May 6, 2009)

nice clean looking tank. The plant looks so health!


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## SaltyNC (Jun 26, 2012)

Trenton,

Cory hastatus is an interesting fish. They are nano-sized and swim in very tight schools. They don't spend as much time on the bottom like most corys do. They are somewhat difficult to find, though. I almost went with these for my nano, but decided to instead go for Boraras brigittae.

Here is a video showing the hastatus schooling behavior:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oid0wfuh3I


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## styxx (Jul 2, 2003)

Salty, 
Those hastatus are pretty sweet! I don't think I've *ever* seen any corys swim together like that!


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## SaltyNC (Jun 26, 2012)

They look great against a dark background. It is one of the tighter schooling fish. There is a YouTube video of hundreds of them in a bare tank. It'll almost make you have a seizure watching them. 

BTW, I spelled the fish I plan to stock incorrectly. It should be Boraras brigittae.


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## SaltyNC (Jun 26, 2012)

Here is that other video I was talking about. They don't behave anything like what one normally thinks of as corys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVw8yKsJjSs


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## styxx (Jul 2, 2003)

SaltyNC said:


> Here is that other video I was talking about. They don't behave anything like what one normally thinks of as corys.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVw8yKsJjSs


Wow. You're right they don't behave like normal corys do (although I did see some liking to stay close to the substrate, but nothing like normal foraging behavior)! Amazing.


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

Looking beautiful.

How deep is the substrate bed?


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## AussieDIYFK (Aug 13, 2012)

very nice tank mate


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

styxx said:


> Wow. You're right they don't behave like normal corys do (although I did see some liking to stay close to the substrate, but nothing like normal foraging behavior)! Amazing.





SaltyNC said:


> Here is that other video I was talking about. They don't behave anything like what one normally thinks of as corys.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVw8yKsJjSs


I still really like corys so I will definitely wait for the HC to be well rooted first. I really don't know which one I like more at this point. Both the Habrosus and Pygmy ones both act like normal corys, which I like, but could be an issue with the HC. The Hastatus act very differently, although I like that too. Would they inhabit the same area the tank as the rummynose though? I'm kinda leaning toward the bottom dwellers just because there will be a school of rummy already. I think what it will ultimately come down to though is what I can get my hands on at the LFS.

I can't wait to get fish... I need my nitrites at zero now!!

-T


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Green_Flash said:


> Looking beautiful.
> 
> How deep is the substrate bed?


Thanks! I'm at work right not, so not measuring it, but I think it ranges from about 2" to 4". Next scape I will probably try to keep it flatter, but it's would I had to do to use the rocks that I collected.



AussieDIYFK said:


> very nice tank mate


Thanks man!

-T


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Last night's pictures. Did a major trim of all plants and HC for the first time.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7778076324/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7778061802/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7778043628/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

In some spots, the HC is going horizontal, but in others, it seems like it is barely holding on by a couple of roots. I felt like I was going to pull up all the HC the whole time I was trimming. Is this because it was going vertical too much? 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7777957380/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7778013928/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

Are these brown spots normal?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7778029146/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

I have also lowered the light by 3" so it is now about 5" above the water. I will see if this makes a difference with the HC. I have not upped the CO2 yet, I am watching the drop checker tonight to see if it's ok.

-T


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## deleted_user_17 (Jun 14, 2012)

wow, looks absolutely beautiful and peaceful


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Jedi_Pizza said:


> wow, looks absolutely beautiful and peaceful


Thanks!


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Did a huge water change today.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7784838436/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Ummmmm... is the silicone supposed to be like that? What should I do? Should I avoid filling to high?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7784834262/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
Pre-change water parameters:

pH - 6.4
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 2
Nitrate - 80
After water change:

pH - 7.0
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 1
Nitrate - 10
I'm starting to get some green and brown algae on the glass also.

-T


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## SaltyNC (Jun 26, 2012)

trenton said:


> The Hastatus act very differently, although I like that too. Would they inhabit the same area the tank as the rummynose though? I'm kinda leaning toward the bottom dwellers just because there will be a school of rummy already. I think what it will ultimately come down to though is what I can get my hands on at the LFS.


I doubt they would be at the LFS. I don't own any, but every time I see them in videos, tank shots, etc, they are more in the middle of the tank or roaming all over the place.

Your tank if filling in beautifully. It's amazing how fast things are growing.You probably don't have too much longer before the tank cycles.


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

Oh 2-4 inches? Thank you. 

My bed will probably be 3 inches so I was estimating how deep that would look.


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## styxx (Jul 2, 2003)

As you can see in post #92, the difference between horizontal growth and vertical growth. HC will literally lift itself off the substrate and float up without constant trimming. It also needs high light to create the carpeting (horizontal) growth effect. The brown spots are probably algae - run the leaf between your fingers and see if it wipes off. From the looks of it, it will probably wipe of easily, if not then it may be something else. However, if it does just wipe off, then its just brown dust algae - shrimps and ottocinclus love it and will clean it up over night, lol. Considering that you're starting to see it on the glass, simply means that you have high intensity light and I would get some Amanos or ottos to handle it, or you can just clean it with these. The water parameters are looking good, though I wouldn't recommend such a drastic water change with fish, lol. With the lowered light you should see some substantial growth now, especially after the trim. Another week or two and it's going to be ridiculous. Seriously. 

As for the issue with the silicone, what exactly is the issue? I can't see to what you're referring in the photo above. I see a color difference, but I can only see from one side and not from where both panes of glass meet. If you are worried about a sealant failure, lower the water level to beneath where the area is in question!! Please post a pic of the sealant joint, asap.


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## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

The tank looks great, and the photos are so crisp! I have the same issue with my 60-P, in one of the top corners you can see the silicon separating from the glass panel. I believe this is normal for ADA tanks over time but it is important to notice if that air bubble between the glass grows and gets bigger which could be a warning. I've notice my "bubble" on mine about 6 months ago. I haven't seen it grow though (fingers crossed).


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## Jegli09 (Jul 25, 2012)

I like the progress so far!


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

styxx said:


> As you can see in post #92, the difference between horizontal growth and vertical growth. HC will literally lift itself off the substrate and float up without constant trimming. It also needs high light to create the carpeting (horizontal) growth effect. The brown spots are probably algae - run the leaf between your fingers and see if it wipes off. From the looks of it, it will probably wipe of easily, if not then it may be something else. However, if it does just wipe off, then its just brown dust algae - shrimps and ottocinclus love it and will clean it up over night, lol. Considering that you're starting to see it on the glass, simply means that you have high intensity light and I would get some Amanos or ottos to handle it, or you can just clean it with these. The water parameters are looking good, though I wouldn't recommend such a drastic water change with fish, lol. With the lowered light you should see some substantial growth now, especially after the trim. Another week or two and it's going to be ridiculous. Seriously.
> 
> As for the issue with the silicone, what exactly is the issue? I can't see to what you're referring in the photo above. I see a color difference, but I can only see from one side and not from where both panes of glass meet. If you are worried about a sealant failure, lower the water level to beneath where the area is in question!! Please post a pic of the sealant joint, asap.


I would add some ottos or amanos, but my water parameters aren't good enough yet... soon hopefully. That was actually the biggest water change I have done yet. Don't plan on doing that with fish though!

I don't really get it. Some areas look like they are growing well, others are not. More in the post to come.

Yeah, the silicone had an area where it looked like it separated. I have lowered the level a bit.



thief said:


> The tank looks great, and the photos are so crisp! I have the same issue with my 60-P, in one of the top corners you can see the silicon separating from the glass panel. I believe this is normal for ADA tanks over time but it is important to notice if that air bubble between the glass grows and gets bigger which could be a warning. I've notice my "bubble" on mine about 6 months ago. I haven't seen it grow though (fingers crossed).


Thank you! Over time... this has only been set up for almost a month. Hopefully it doesn't get worse! I'll keep my eye on it.



Jegli09 said:


> I like the progress so far!


Thanks!

-T


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Today's shot:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7819346252/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

Current water parameters:

pH: 6.4
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm (Don't know why this came up from being zero forever...)
Nitrite: 2 ppm
Nitrate: 40 ppm

Starting to get all kinds of algae in tank. Don't really know the names of them. My light is 5" from surface and is 2 x 24W T5HO, dosing two squirts of Pfertz NPK + Micros every two days. I just read that I should not being doing these at the same time, so I will be alternating days from on with these. 

Any thought on the algae issues?

BSA?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7799430568/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

GDA?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7799423596/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

Brown fluffy stuff on rocks:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7819378428/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

Black stuff:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7819372908/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

Green floaty balls, brown and hair looking stuff on HC:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7819357202/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

Also the crypt is starting to get some small holes in the leaves. New and old alike. I have read this is from nutrient deficiency. I thought I was dosing adequately. Any thoughts?

Thanks for the help!
-T


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## ayobreezie (Aug 12, 2011)

Looks good besides the little algae problems you're having. I'll be following your thread pretty regularly. Getting my 60P wet next week.. setup is pretty similar, what about the pfertz dosing have your read? Trying to figure out how I will be dosing. Also looked up the ADA additives you were using, probably gonna get Green Bacter, ECA, and Phyton-Git myself.


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## styxx (Jul 2, 2003)

I would start to dose per the recommended regimine and add either some Excel or Phyton-Git. That GDA you should clear off regularly before it becomes encrusted on the glass then you'll have to use a razor blade to remove it. Algae is a constant battle, but one that can be won! That fluffy brown stuff and the algae in the HC will get cleaned up with sufficient number of amano shrimp. What's your CO2 rate at the moment (looks high enough based on the pic with the drop checker). I think you just need to get the tank balanced and all these algae issues will disappear (especially a reduction in that ammonia). Next time you trim, I would trim the HC right to the substrate level, for example this is just after a trim.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

ayobreezie said:


> Looks good besides the little algae problems you're having. I'll be following your thread pretty regularly. Getting my 60P wet next week.. setup is pretty similar, what about the pfertz dosing have your read? Trying to figure out how I will be dosing. Also looked up the ADA additives you were using, probably gonna get Green Bacter, ECA, and Phyton-Git myself.


Thanks! I don't think I have quite figured out the pfertz dosing yet because I have quite a bit of algae in the tank right now, mostly in the HC.



styxx said:


> I would start to dose per the recommended regimine and add either some Excel or Phyton-Git. That GDA you should clear off regularly before it becomes encrusted on the glass then you'll have to use a razor blade to remove it. Algae is a constant battle, but one that can be won! That fluffy brown stuff and the algae in the HC will get cleaned up with sufficient number of amano shrimp. What's your CO2 rate at the moment (looks high enough based on the pic with the drop checker). I think you just need to get the tank balanced and all these algae issues will disappear (especially a reduction in that ammonia). Next time you trim, I would trim the HC right to the substrate level, for example this is just after a trim.


Dosing pfertz every other day x 2 pumps each. Usually add a cap of excel too. Haven't really tried the photon-git yet. I'll read the instructions again tonight.

I will be getting some amano shrimp here pretty soon. I did a trim of the HC the other day as low as I could get, but some areas are still barely rooted. They are almost floating, so they still uproot very easily. I'm trying to force it to send roots down.

Thanks for the help guys!
-T


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Aaaaaaannnnnddd I present fish (and shrimp)!!

Been to busy to post. Got three rummy nose tetras last monday and three RCS.

They were pretty pale when I first added them:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7835529864/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7835520054/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

Tank parameters where still doing OK, so I added 7 more rummies and 3 otos on wednesday.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7857947940/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

Two of the otos had stubby tails when I got them, apparently this is happens regularly. They are already growing back!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7857937420/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7857875094/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

The otos seem to be pretty comfortable in the tank... the rummies on the other hand. When the lights are off, they will swim in the whole tank. When the lights come on, they all hang out in the deepest part of the tank in the front. Everyday they are getting better though. They were eating the first night I added them to the tank.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7857788438/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

Current FTS (August 25, 2012)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7857799118/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

Still trying to figure out the correct dosing/CO2/light combination. The HC was looking really good after I trimmed it but now it is covered in algae...

Last time I checked, all pH/Ammonia/nitrite=0 and nitrates at 40

-T


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## styxx (Jul 2, 2003)

*Amano Shrimp*, that is all.


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## SaltyNC (Jun 26, 2012)

Trenton, congrats on the tank cycling and the fish and shrimp going in. It's looking good.


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

styxx said:


> *Amano Shrimp*, that is all.


Added three the other day... haven't seen them since so I don't know if they are MIA. 



SaltyNC said:


> Trenton, congrats on the tank cycling and the fish and shrimp going in. It's looking good.


Thanks!


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Current Tank Stats

Fauna:

2 x GBR (I think they are male/female. Still unsure)
12 x Rummy Nose Tetra
3 x Oto
3 x RCS (Not sure if all three are alive still)
3 x Amano Shrimp (Haven’t seen them since adding them.)
Flora:

HC
Lilaoepsis Brasiliensis
Juncus Repens
Cyperus Helferi
Rotala Indica
Crytpcoryne Becketti 'Petchii'
Echinodorus 'Red Flame'
Anubias barteri var. Nana (Not planted yet)
Lighting:

Weekdays – 6:45 to 7:15am and 4:20 to 11:30pm
Weekends – 4:20 to 11:30pm
CO2:

Approximately 2 to 3 BPS – 4 to 11pm
Feeding:
Usually twice a day, fasting one day a week. Feeding frozen food every couple of days (A quarter of a block is plenty!)

NLS Small Fish Formula
Hikari Blood Worms
Hikari Spirulina Brine Shrimp
Hikari Brine Shrimp
Dosing:

2 Pumps Pfertz NPK+Micros every other day
1 Cap excel every other day
After water change, 6 drops each Green Gain and Green Bactor, 12 drops Phyton and 16 drops ECA
Filter:
Last night, after about five weeks running, I did some changes on the filter.

Ceramic rings from LFS
Eheim coarse filter sponge
Eheim Substrata (Came with filter. Original biomedia in filter)
LFS Biomax (Same supplier as Seachem Matrix)
Filter Floss
Purigen (250 mL)
Water Changes:
Trying for every seven days, but that is too long at this point. Usually go to the top of the biggest rock, so about 5 gallons.

-T


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

Tank maintenance day yesterday! Going to be gone for three days this weekend so I wanted the tank clean before we went. The tubing was pretty gross. Some of the algae stained the tubing. Does anybody else have this problem?


Current FTS:






Our new rams. I thought that I got a male and a female. Can anybody tell from these pictures? The female has a noticeable pink area on her belly (second picture), a bit rounder of a head and is slightly smaller than the male. A lot of the other things are common between the two. Since yesterday though the male has been hiding between the two main rocks while what I think is the female acts the same. Is this normal?





Shrimps coloured up a lot and I think all of them have molted!



Cheers,
-T


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## styxx (Jul 2, 2003)

They're just shy because of the openness of the tank but they'll get used to is. Nice to see the shrimp are adjusting well. If they're molting that generally is a good sign that they're growing.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

looks great!! i love your fish choices! GBR's are a favorite of mine, so are Rummy noses! the scape is awesome too!


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## maxwellag (Mar 30, 2012)

Looking good! What lily pipes are you using?


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

styxx said:


> They're just shy because of the openness of the tank but they'll get used to is. Nice to see the shrimp are adjusting well. If they're molting that generally is a good sign that they're growing.


They are starting to be a lot less shy now. Even came up to the top to eat today! I think it's just taking them time to settle in.



orchidman said:


> looks great!! i love your fish choices! GBR's are a favorite of mine, so are Rummy noses! the scape is awesome too!


Thank you kindly!



maxwellag said:


> Looking good! What lily pipes are you using?


The lily pipes are from evilbay. Aquatic magic. Thanks!

-T


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## trenton (Apr 27, 2012)

So my male GBR has been clenching his tail... don't know what the reason is, so I checked my levels and I had an ammonia and nitrite spike! I found a dead shrimp in the lily pipe suction yesterday and didn't really think anything of it. I just removed it.

Did a PWC, so hopefully things will change with him. All the other fish became more active after the change, so i think this is a good sign.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7933826590/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

Anybody else have dark coloured amanos? Do you know what the cause is. I happened to catch this although I haven't really seen them at all since adding them/the GBRs.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7933857902/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/
I also added some Anubia sp. Nana today

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7933793236/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7933783418/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7933778710/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/

Cheers!
-T


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

nice addition!


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

So pretty! I like that you can see right through the tank


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## styxx (Jul 2, 2003)

I can tell you right now those Amanos are going to get straight to work! lol. And you're going to love that Val. Nana...I almost went with Cyperus Helferi but changed my mind at the last minute and it was a great decision.


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## Rbp917 (Dec 9, 2012)

Any updates?


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## R2D2 (Oct 27, 2016)

*This is awesome!*

I have been reading a lot, trying to document myself in order to try and create one of this wonders.

I have never done it and I know that it's not a simple task.

Can you give me some more updates?


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