# GLA 120p - CIAC 2018 Results



## mot

Thought I'd share my latest project. Decided to change out my ADA 90p for a GLA 120p aquarium. The tank is 48x18x18 so its 12" longer than the ADA90p. It sure will be a tight fit in my office with all the doors and windows. Why there are 5 just in the bedroom alone makes wall space a premium

Decided to use the Hydrophyte "raw industrial" stand design for my stand. So big thanks to him for posting this design. Instead of the red cedar Im going to be using poplar to match my shelving unit. So far I have the tank and the fasteners ready to go and just waiting on the wood and other equipment to arrive. Should be about a week or so.


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## Phil Edwards

Ooooh, nice. Looking forward to seeing this come to fruition.


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## Freemananana

That is going to be hell of a stand. I've used that style of corner brace many times and it is a very strong joint. But those pieces are not cheap if I remember correctly.


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## mot

Freemananana said:


> That is going to be hell of a stand. I've used that style of corner brace many times and it is a very strong joint. But those pieces are not cheap if I remember correctly.


Thats good to hear. The cost for the metal pieces was inexpensive compared to the rest of the setup!


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## kimchilee

can't wait till this tank is up and running! looking forward to seeing this project progress.


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## Nooob

Looking good so far!


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## Freemananana

mot said:


> Thats good to hear. The cost for the metal pieces was inexpensive compared to the rest of the setup!


I'm a very budget oriented kind of guy. While not expensive, they are at least several dollars a piece at the local hardware store. 

I'm excited to see where you go with the stand. I'm really into the DIY furniture thing lately and fish tank stands are just another outlet. The 'chest' look as I call it is very unique. What kind of finish are you going with on the wood?


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## mot

Freemananana said:


> I'm a very budget oriented kind of guy. While not expensive, they are at least several dollars a piece at the local hardware store.
> 
> I'm excited to see where you go with the stand. I'm really into the DIY furniture thing lately and fish tank stands are just another outlet. The 'chest' look as I call it is very unique. What kind of finish are you going with on the wood?


Its going to be Minwax Jacobean which is the color of my shelving unit. Wood and and a few other items are yet to arrive.

Bump: So here is intake pipe I picked up from CO2 Art that arrived yesterday. Im running two Eheim 2217s so this will go on one of them. I think it may restrict flow a bit but to add skimming is worth it to me. How well it works is still to be determined. The top and bottom pieces of the skim part are acrylic and the rest is glass.


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## Freemananana

That's the best way to go. I stained my corner table, coffee table and tank stand the same color. Slightly different woods, but very similar when finished. I searched the color and it looks very nice. I'm excited to see how the hardware compliments the wood. 

Are you going to assemble the piece, take it apart, stain it, and reassemble it? Stain the wood after cutting, then assemble? Or just stain it as one solid piece?

As for the surface skimmer, I had poor luck with my cheap surface skimmer I was using. That is probably of higher quality, but a dedicated unit does a really good job.


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## ROWEBLAST

The level of I excitement I have for watching this tank develop is through the roof. Anytime I see a Mot tank journal thread, consider it an instant subscribe. Really looking forward to see the stand complete.

I think a lot of us are drooling for more pictures.


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## bpb

What kind of lighting are you thinking for this build?


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## lamiskool

Looks like we are both setting up a 120P! Super excited lol


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## MadRiverPat

Really like that inflow/skimmer from CO2Art, might have to check them out. Does the glass quality seem pretty sturdy?


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## Brian Mc

I have been running that same skimmer for a couple of weeks now and like it a lot. I have to play with the amount of trapped air under the top piece to get it working right but once set it runs all week til the next water change.

Sweet looking tank, can't wait to see the new scape. Thanks for the water prep advice in your other thread, that is exactly what I am doing as well, I am sure my tank will look like yours any day now. :icon_roll


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## mot

ROWEBLAST said:


> The level of I excitement I have for watching this tank develop is through the roof. Anytime I see a Mot tank journal thread, consider it an instant subscribe. Really looking forward to see the stand complete.
> 
> I think a lot of us are drooling for more pictures.


Thanks. Glad you like them.

Bump:


bpb said:


> What kind of lighting are you thinking for this build?


Going with the ecoxotics. Thought about buildmyled but decided to stay with ecoxotics.

Bump:


lamiskool said:


> Looks like we are both setting up a 120P! Super excited lol


Sweet, Ill have to check your journal out!


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## AlanLe

You cant go wrong with the ecoxotic. I have 2.


































-Alan


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## mot

MadRiverPat said:


> Really like that inflow/skimmer from CO2Art, might have to check them out. Does the glass quality seem pretty sturdy?


It seems pretty fragile. Honestly Im suprised it made it in one piece from overseas. Was just a bit of bubblewrap around it thrown in a box. The box was crushed....yet it made it so maybe not so fragile. The top and bottom ends of the skimmer portion are unfinished glass so its sharp edge but covered up with the acrylic. The one bend in the glass coming to the skimmer piece is pinched quite a bit which will restrict flow. 

All in all considering how much it cost Im pleased so far....but its not even wet yet.


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## Squeaks5635

What brand of frosted background are you using. Anything special or just some stuff you can get at the Home Depot?


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## Jeff5614

How does the GLA tank compare with an ADA tank?


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## Squeaks5635

Jeff5614 said:


> How does the GLA tank compare with an ADA tank?


Check out post number 3 from mot in my journal. He commented about the two since I asked the same question.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=861626


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## Jeff5614

Squeaks5635 said:


> Check out post number 3 from mot in my journal. He commented about the two since I asked the same question.
> 
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=861626


Thanks!


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## mot

Squeaks5635 said:


> What brand of frosted background are you using. Anything special or just some stuff you can get at the Home Depot?


Got it at Home Depot. It was frosted windows film just make sure it has NO adhesive.


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## Riverboa

Excellent tank choice, 120p is one of my favorite tank dimensions for aquascaping. Good luck and enjoy! 

By the way, where did you find these 3 way brackets? they look substantially better than the ones usually found on Homedepot/Lowes



mot said:


>


cheers, 
Boa


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## mot

Those fasteners are from Lowes. I removed the stickers, washed them and then painted them.


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## Ach1Ll3sH33L

Those skimmers work well, they don't really reduce flow, once the system is running the inflow pipes mostly run off of siphon, and your just adjusting at the bottom how much you want to skim the surface. One issue I had using them was the slits in the skimmer part are somewhat narrow, and tended to get plugged up quite easily, when that happened the skimmer would bob up and down and gulp air. I used a file and widened the skimming slits a bit and this solved my problem.


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## rebelbuck1993

mot said:


> Its going to be Minwax Jacobean which is the color of my shelving unit. Wood and and a few other items are yet to arrive.
> 
> Bump: So here is intake pipe I picked up from CO2 Art that arrived yesterday. Im running two Eheim 2217s so this will go on one of them. I think it may restrict flow a bit but to add skimming is worth it to me. How well it works is still to be determined. The top and bottom pieces of the skim part are acrylic and the rest is glass.


Let me know how the skimmer works for you i am looking into one for my 2215 for a 75g i am working on in my signature


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## mot

Ach1Ll3sH33L said:


> Those skimmers work well, they don't really reduce flow, once the system is running the inflow pipes mostly run off of siphon, and your just adjusting at the bottom how much you want to skim the surface. One issue I had using them was the slits in the skimmer part are somewhat narrow, and tended to get plugged up quite easily, when that happened the skimmer would bob up and down and gulp air. I used a file and widened the skimming slits a bit and this solved my problem.


Good to know.

Bump: Just an update. I have all the equipment in but am waiting on the wood i ordered to come in.

Found that the ecoxotic hanging kit is 12" too short. It appears it is partly made out of Cablegrippers. I think i should just be able to get some longer wire and stops that can be crimped on and replace the wire that is too short.


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## rebelbuck1993

mot said:


> Good to know.
> 
> Bump: Just an update. I have all the equipment in but am waiting on the wood i ordered to come in.
> 
> Found that the ecoxotic hanging kit is 12" too short. It appears it is partly made out of Cablegrippers. I think i should just be able to get some longer wire and stops that can be crimped on and replace the wire that is too short.


yes i believe you could after looking at them, it looks like all you would need is some cable crimps, possibly find them in a bigger fishing store near you, i know offshore cable crimps would do the job,


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## mot

rebelbuck1993 said:


> yes i believe you could after looking at them, it looks like all you would need is some cable crimps, possibly find them in a bigger fishing store near you, i know offshore cable crimps would do the job,


Thanks for taking a look. Ill have to add this to my weekend project list.


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## mot

Upgraded my GLA CO2 regulator with two more manifolds. Was a piece of cake to add them. Just unscrew two bolts. Line up the 3 manifolds. Put the two new longer screws in tight. Done.


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## kimchilee

mot said:


> Its going to be Minwax Jacobean which is the color of my shelving unit. Wood and and a few other items are yet to arrive.
> 
> Bump: So here is intake pipe I picked up from CO2 Art that arrived yesterday. Im running two Eheim 2217s so this will go on one of them. I think it may restrict flow a bit but to add skimming is worth it to me. How well it works is still to be determined. The top and bottom pieces of the skim part are acrylic and the rest is glass.


i was actually thinking about getting another lily pipes set from co2art, but now i would like to see how the surface skimmer work for you first.


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## Mikeygmzmg

What a gorgeous tank, done very professional and clean. Those reds are poppin off... Great scape as always Mot.


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## mot

Mikeygmzmg said:


> What a gorgeous tank, done very professional and clean. Those reds are poppin off... Great scape as always Mot.


Hah, not mine. alan posted those in my journal showing the ecoxotic lights.


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## lamiskool

When I still had my 55gal and was looking into glass intakes/outtakes I was actually looking at those glass skimmer type intakes but from what I read online they are a PITA. Also read that you have to constantly adjust it. Not sure if its true or not but keep us updated on how they actually function!!


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## Squeaks5635

mot said:


> Upgraded my GLA CO2 regulator with two more manifolds. Was a piece of cake to add them. Just unscrew two bolts. Line up the 3 manifolds. Put the two new longer screws in tight. Done.


Does this mean you will be adding more tanks? or are these going to be connected to some of your other existing "grow" or "holding" tanks that I assume you have?


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## 6Speed

mot said:


> Got it at Home Depot. It was frosted windows film just make sure it has NO adhesive.


Ah, so this film is static cling type stuff? I bought some frosted film off amazon and it has a stickyness to the backing. It is hard to apply without getting bubbles...directions say to use soapy water to aid in application.


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## mot

Still waiting on the wood for the stand build. Supposed to come in tomorrow.

I did finish modifying the ecoxotic hanging kit. Bought new wire so I could lengthen it which I did by about two feet. Couldnt find the caps so ended up using sleeves. And while I was at it I added thimbles on the lower end so i have something to grip and pull to raise and lower the lights.


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## mot

Squeaks5635 said:


> Does this mean you will be adding more tanks? or are these going to be connected to some of your other existing "grow" or "holding" tanks that I assume you have?


Two of the CO2 lines will be going to the 120p. With two filters I figured if I ever have one filter stop working Ill still be able to keep things running. And Im hoping that I can send half the CO2 to each atomizer which Im thinking would cut down on the CO2 fizz in the tank. The third one is just in case. I have a ADA60f underneath my 90p right now. If I ever decide to fill it Ill have CO2 for it.


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## natebuchholz

If you don't mind me asking, how much was the additional valves on your gla regulator. I maybe looking into this in the future. Pretty sure I have the exact same regulator you do. 
Thanks and wonderful build as always.


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## Squeaks5635

mot said:


> Two of the CO2 lines will be going to the 120p. With two filters I figured if I ever have one filter stop working Ill still be able to keep things running. And Im hoping that I can send half the CO2 to each atomizer which Im thinking would cut down on the CO2 fizz in the tank. The third one is just in case. I have a ADA60f underneath my 90p right now. If I ever decide to fill it Ill have CO2 for it.


I see, I was thinking the same sort of thing while researching co2 injection methods. I had come up with a few things I haven't really seen anywhere yet wondering if they would work. One of them was sort of a combination of the atomizer before a "reactor like" tube where the atomizer puts the bubbles out and the "reactor like" tube basically just gives more residence time for the bubbles to dissolve before the water enters the tank.

At least that way it solves the issues I see of people with reactors not being able to inject much co2 without overloading the reactor, and the people using an atomizer with too many bubbles because there is not enough time to dissolve before entering tank.

I agree on the thought that splitting the co2 between two atomizers on two filters should cut down on the fizz in the tank. Especially since I have seen in reviews and videos significantly less fizz on atomizers running less total flow. But this may just be related to the total concentration in the water being higher making it harder to dissolve. Please let us know if this works.

Also have you tried increasing the tubing length, or adding some kind of turbulence, after your current atomizer on the 90p to reduce the fizz. Or would you say that higher flow is worth having the fizz?

Where did you order your poplar from? I heard Hardwood inc in Atlanta was the best place to get hardwoods from. Poplar can have a greenish tint to the wood, and can be blotchy when stained. It would be a good idea to test stain a piece to make sure your Jacobean turns out the color and uniformity you are intending.

JT


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## Brian Mc

Squeaks5635 said:


> I see, I was thinking the same sort of thing while researching co2 injection methods. I had come up with a few things I haven't really seen anywhere yet wondering if they would work. One of them was sort of a combination of the atomizer before a "reactor like" tube where the atomizer puts the bubbles out and the "reactor like" tube basically just gives more residence time for the bubbles to dissolve before the water enters the tank.


I thought the same thing and just got done trying this idea out. Added a cerges reactor but kept the inline atomizer before it. The bubbles are so fine they don't really rise in the reactor and just flowed right out, just as much 7UP as before. I just took the atomizer out last weekend and am happy so far but still cranking it up to where it needs to be. A lot of guys here just run the atomizer into the input of the filter and have good results, that was going to be my next iteration but don't think I will need it. HTH


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## Aplomado

I'm watching this!

I would love to see more pictures of how you build the stand!

What size lumber are you using?


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## Squeaks5635

Brian Mc said:


> I thought the same thing and just got done trying this idea out. Added a cerges reactor but kept the inline atomizer before it. The bubbles are so fine they don't really rise in the reactor and just flowed right out, just as much 7UP as before. I just took the atomizer out last weekend and am happy so far but still cranking it up to where it needs to be. A lot of guys here just run the atomizer into the input of the filter and have good results, that was going to be my next iteration but don't think I will need it. HTH


let me know if you are able to get your co2 levels to the same they were with the atomizer, without any burps or large bubbles escaping the reactor.


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## mot

Wood arrived for the stand. Inspected it and then stained it. Should have everything I need now to finish the build accept the space is currently occupied by my 90p. So that will be at least 10 more days until I have contest photos done. Im building a diy flash stand for the tank photos as well. Ill post some pictures of it when done.


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## Brian Mc

Nice color, that stain job looks great.



mot said:


> So that will be at least 10 more days until I have contest photos done.


5/20 + 10 days = May 30
IAPLC Deadline = May 31

Taking it down to the wire I see. :hihi:


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## mot

Brian Mc said:


> Nice color, that stain job looks great.
> 
> 
> 
> 5/20 + 10 days = May 30
> IAPLC Deadline = May 31
> 
> Taking it down to the wire I see. :hihi:


Thanks. Yea and with time zone change it is the last day. I screwed up some of my plants a couple weeks ago and waiting for them to grow back.


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## r45t4m4n

Mind sharing your cut list? I am planning on building the exact same stand. Also, where did you order the wood from?


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## aXio

Following! =)


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## mot

r45t4m4n said:


> Mind sharing your cut list? I am planning on building the exact same stand. Also, where did you order the wood from?


Sure. Here are the dimensions of the wood:

Top 1 of 48-1/4" x 18-3/4" x 1-1/2"
Legs 4 of 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" x 36-1/2"
Short frame 4 of 9-1/4" x 1-1/2" x 3-1/2"
Long frame 4 of 38-3/4" x 1-1/2" x 3-1/2"
Middle brace 2 of 13-1/4" x 1-1/2" x 3-1/2"
Shelf 1 of x 16-1/4" x 45-3/4" x 3/4" (all corners notched out 3-1/2" x 3-1/2")

This will put my stand height at 38"


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## mot

Dry fitted:










And completed:


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## Mitashade

Gorgeous stand. Looks fantastic, well done.


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## Aplomado

Really nice!


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## mot

I just finished taking my IAPLC 2015 photos last night and wanted to share my diy photo setup. It was super easy to build. Takes about 5 minutes to setup and take down. I needed it to be able to stash away when not in use and not be a big hassle. This was my 3rd attempt at setting up something for taking contest photos. I used it for the past few nights and I was able to suspend my strobe flashes where I wanted them easily. The hairdryer is mounted with a clamp from a clamp light and a bit of velcro and I could aim it where I needed it easily. The black cloth is photographers backdrop material that I found cheap on the internet and blocked the flash very well. The stand cost about $60 total (not including flashes or hairdryer which I already had). And its sized big enough for my new 120cm tank and can be modified easily.










And it Breaks down into a small enough package to easily fit in a duffel bag.


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## andrewss

great work on the stand, love the stain color and also the brackets look really cool


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## mot

andrewss said:


> great work on the stand, love the stain color and also the brackets look really cool


Thanks. Im not very good at building and this stand was simple enough i could do it.


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## Freemananana

That is neat! I need to build a PVC frame. What size is that? 1"?


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## mot

Freemananana said:


> That is neat! I need to build a PVC frame. What size is that? 1"?


I did 3/4". It sags just a bit in the middle and is a little wobbly so I need to tweak it so if your doing anything over 4' go with the 1".


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## Hetzer

The stand turned out excellent!


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## mot

Finished my IAPLC 2015 entry this morning and am quite pleased with it. Maybe this time I will crack the top 100 and have my work put in front of the judges panel. Now the hardest part...the long wait until rankings come out in August.

So with that done its time to start thinking about swapping out the ADA 90p with the GLA 120p.

Bump:


Hetzer said:


> The stand turned out excellent!


Thanks Hetzer!


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## Freemananana

Alright! Thanks for the suggestion. I haven't seen photos of the tank on the stand, am I missing something?


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## mot

Freemananana said:


> Alright! Thanks for the suggestion. I haven't seen photos of the tank on the stand, am I missing something?


Nope. Haven't quite gotten that far yet is all. I need to figure out how I'm going to knock down my 90p. I think I need to just get a bunch of buckets to empty all the plants, soil and fish into for holding. Move the 90p to a temporary location. Set it backup and place everything back in that I plan on keeping. Then wont have to rush so I can properly setup the 120p in its place.


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## Freemananana

Ah, make sense now. I'm glad I was able to set up my new tank in a different location and move everything after. Putting it in the same location would definitely pose some issues. I think you have the best plan right there though, moving it to buckets and setting it back up in a new home. That does make for a long day though.


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## dru

Can't wait to see this setup!

Following


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## Aplomado

I've ordered some hardware to try and build a similar stand.

Really nice!


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## mot

Aplomado said:


> I've ordered some hardware to try and build a similar stand.
> 
> Really nice!


Sweet. Yea make sure you look through the hydrophyte thread if you havent already.


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## mot




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## Phyzix

Well done sir.


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## mot

Phyzix said:


> Well done sir.


Thanks. I am quite pleased so far with everything. Started installing the filters today so getting close to leak testing.


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## Islandgaliam

I drool every time I look at that stand!


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## mot

So the build is finished and just need to tweak a few things now:

Leak Testing









Hardscape - No.1









Partially planted - more plants should arrive Thursday and then in goes the sand.


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## AlanLe

You should try ohko stones. The driftwood in the middle looks out of place.


-Alan


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## bucky

Wow. Inspiring layout! Is that regular old jungle val in the back?


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## Jeff5614

Speaking of the stones, where did you pick those up?


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## mot

bucky said:


> Wow. Inspiring layout! Is that regular old jungle val in the back?


Thanks. Its a good start and will change quite a bit still. That is Cyperus helferi. I had them from my last aquascape. They started as tissue cultures and have been growing out for about 9 months in my last aquascape.

Bump:


Jeff5614 said:


> Speaking of the stones, where did you pick those up?


The stones came from an ebay shop.


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## dru

I like the stones but I agree with Alan, that wood kills the negative space there


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## IWANNAGOFAST

Love the rock work! 

Really amazing. Reminds me of the Creation of Adam painting on the Sistine Chapel


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## mot

IWANNAGOFAST said:


> Love the rock work!
> 
> Really amazing. Reminds me of the Creation of Adam painting on the Sistine Chapel


That is so funny...I had the same thought about the two rocks.

Bump:


dru said:


> I like the stones but I agree with Alan, that wood kills the negative space there


Thanks for the input. I agree something is off there as well and am still working it.


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## BradH

Nice scape and nice stand! How thick is the plywood on top? I'm asking because I built a stand similar in a way, but when I put my tank on top it didn't sit flush against the plywood. So I was just curious about yours. Did you have to plane the plywood or anything?


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## mot

BradH said:


> Nice scape and nice stand! How thick is the plywood on top? I'm asking because I built a stand similar in a way, but when I put my tank on top it didn't sit flush against the plywood. So I was just curious about yours. Did you have to plane the plywood or anything?


The wood is poplar and is 1.5" thick slab that I had built at the lumber yard for this project. I made it so thick to match the wall shelving unit in my office.


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## exv152

Very nice layout. The driftwood on the right is overshadowing IMO the nicest part of the rock scape.


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## mot

exv152 said:


> Very nice layout. The driftwood on the right is overshadowing IMO the nicest part of the rock scape.


Thanks all. I appreciate the help. Ended up breaking it down today and just finished the rescaping. The rock/driftwood wall was taking up too much space and there wasnt much left too work with for planting. Have to get used to the new dimensions. Also decided to not use sand yet so I can change up things much easier. Have plants coming tommorrow so will see how i feel about the new scape in the morning. So far it looks much more balanced than my first attempt.


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## lamiskool

Lol I would be waaaay to lazy to rescape it adter doing all that work. Excited to see the second attempt


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## andrewss

dramatic scape! I love it!


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## mot

Hardscape No. 2 - 50% planted


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## dru

I was digging it before but that is a huge improvement. Way more natural and pleasing to the eye an as overall composition.

It looks great now, it is going to look amazing completely planted and filled in


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## mot

Water is still cloudy after the rescape but here are some photos anyways.

Side photo showing Backlight









This is my Dantrasy photo shot!









Another try at it...I like how the tanks look at these angles.









FTS


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## Willcooper

Very nice. I am loving the back light. The tank looks much more pleasing to the eye with the second scape. Great job!!


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## jsarrow

Great attention to detail with everything, scape, tank, etc!


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## mot

Here is a photo of the closet behind the tank with all the equipment and storage.


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## kimchilee

so well organized compared to mine.


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## Squeaks5635

Whats the word on the two atomizers reducing the amount of fizz in the tank?

Edit:

What is this?


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## mot

Squeaks5635 said:


> Whats the word on the two atomizers reducing the amount of fizz in the tank?
> 
> Edit:
> 
> What is this?


 That is a timer for the CO2. Old outdoor timer that ive used for about 20 years now.


Splitting the CO2 is working brilliantly. No fizz. CO2 at 70ppm yesterday and 50 ppm today. And i would think distribution is excellent.


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## ConfidentBlue

Nice Job on the hardscape and plant selection Mot. I like this scape a lot!


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## mot

One week update. Some of the Amannia Bansai bit it on the far left side. Probably would have recovered but was getting some fungus on it and just didnt want to risk it. Monte Carlo is sending out new growth. Old growth is melting. Marsilea is doing well. Zosterfolia is growing like a weed as expected. Probably will be able to start shaping it next week. All in all really pleased with the tissue culture plants I received.


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## Spit1A

Looks fantastic!


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## mot

Been out of town and haven't touched the tanks since Wednesday. Left the wife in charge of ferts. Hoping all will be well when I get back tomorrow evening.


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## andrewss

wow looks really really great


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## Planted_Edge

Looking really good, are you using the backlight fixture as a moon light?(after main lights are off)?or what is the main purpose of it?sorry if you mentioned it already, I skimmed through the posts.


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## mot

Planted_Edge said:


> Looking really good, are you using the backlight fixture as a moon light?(after main lights are off)?or what is the main purpose of it?sorry if you mentioned it already, I skimmed through the posts.


Just for aesthetics. I like the look and use backlight during photographing the tank and thought why not have it back lit all the time?


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## mot

Here is my first try at video ever. Used a Canon 60D and an iPhone and it was way harder than I anticipated. Both videos are not good. In fact I would go as far as saying that they suck. Going to read up on how to do this right. Could use some advice.

This is with iphone
https://flic.kr/p/uHDx8Z

This is with Canon 60D
https://flic.kr/p/uqPkrd


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## treyLcham

Not showing =\. Great tank though! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## mot

treyLcham said:


> Not showing =\. Great tank though!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I just changed it to links. I have no idea how to embed it or if it can even be done. I just tried saving it as a youtube video and it looks way better...flickr sucks for video maybe?


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## Squeaks5635

mot said:


> Here is my first try at video ever. Used a Canon 60D and an iPhone and it was way harder than I anticipated. Both videos are not good. In fact I would go as far as saying that they suck. Going to read up on how to do this right. Could use some advice.
> 
> This is with iphone
> https://flic.kr/p/uHDx8Z
> 
> This is with Canon 60D
> https://flic.kr/p/uqPkrd


I like the quality of the first one much better. The only thing I can suggest since I am no professional is to make sure the quality settings are maxed on the camera. And of course if the ball-head you have on your tripod offers smoother panning movements they help keep the quality up. 

I believe that a lot of the higher quality videos are shot on tripod from different locations panning different directions then stitched together for the final video.

Keep posting the tank looks great.

I do think that the videos offer a little more "realism" that sometimes is lost on photos


----------



## mot

Ok so here is another try using Youtube instead of Flickr.

Video - Aquascape No.1


----------



## Squeaks5635

mot said:


> Ok so here is another try using Youtube instead of Flickr.
> 
> Video - Aquascape No.1


Much better, video was great.

Thanks,

JT


----------



## mot

Squeaks5635 said:


> Much better, video was great.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> JT


Awesome. Thanks Squeaks for the tips. I promise if I do another it will be much better. 

Things I noticed immediately were that the lighting is dark, had lots of wobble, and lost focus a little and the worst was that the looking down shots didn't render correctly. I used Microsoft Movie Maker and it was pretty simple but messed up that rendering from the .mov to .mp4.


----------



## Hetzer

Beautiful.


----------



## mot

Two week update:




























Tank is doing well. Pleased with the look and feel of it. May have to replace the Zosterfolia as it is growing crazy fast and way bigger than I thought. Its gone from mostly dead tissue culture to completely filling in the back in the two weeks. Ill have to see how well it looks after trimming back a few times.


----------



## exv152

mot said:


>


I've got marselia crenata and I've become a big fan of it over glosso, HC and other carpet plants. What species is that; hirsuta, crenata or minuta?


----------



## lamiskool

Crazy how fast the plants are growing for ya!


----------



## mot

It is Crenata. It is a nice looking plant.


----------



## mot

lamiskool said:


> Crazy how fast the plants are growing for ya!


Yea I think having the two CO2 atomizers plus EI ferts plus Aquasoil with roottabs and moderate light is working out quite well. I knew the Zosterfolia would grow quickly but am surprised that the monte carlo and crenata are filling in fast too. Should be fully carpeted by next week. I dont think it will be too bad to maintain this tank. The carpet isnt all that large and there is only a small area with the stems in the back as most of it is Helferi which is a slow grower.


----------



## jsarrow

_Great looking tank._ Just curious, do you have a photo with the filtration running and CO2 atomizers on? Curious how much of a "7up" look they create when running.

Thanks,


----------



## treyLcham

really like this scape! Well done!


----------



## dru

mot said:


> Two week update:


Great shot

How are the Buces attached?


----------



## mot

jsarrow said:


> _Great looking tank._ Just curious, do you have a photo with the filtration running and CO2 atomizers on? Curious how much of a "7up" look they create when running.
> 
> Thanks,


Yes all those photos and videos have the CO2 running at the time. So no issues at all.

Bump:


dru said:


> Great shot
> 
> How are the Buces attached?


They were tied to slate chips about 2" to 3" long with sewing thread about a year ago. I use this method for any epiphytic plant so that I can move it around easily between aquascapes.

Hope that helps.

Bump:


treyLcham said:


> really like this scape! Well done!


Thanks Trey.


----------



## kimchilee

do you mind sharing your fauna list? and what's the name of that tallest background plant? thinking about add some to my tank, what do you think?


----------



## mot

kimchilee said:


> do you mind sharing your fauna list? and what's the name of that tallest background plant? thinking about add some to my tank, what do you think?


Sure the fish in there are:

Green Neons
Otocinclus
Chili Rasboras

The tall plant in the back cyperus helferi. The ones I have in there are approaching a year old. So it is a slow growing plant and just requires very little maintenance. Its one of my favorites.

I would not put it in your existing scape. Your tank is looking great and has filled in nicely it just needs more time. If anything I would move that AR mini to the left and more behind the big rock closer to the overhang but not in it. And then plant more blyxa throughout the back right from the corner of the tank to a little past the overhang bracketing in the AR. Just make sure you dont go to far to the left and obscure the overhang.


----------



## kimchilee

mot said:


> Sure the fish in there are:
> 
> Green Neons
> Otocinclus
> Chili Rasboras
> 
> The tall plant in the back cyperus helferi. The ones I have in there are approaching a year old. So it is a slow growing plant and just requires very little maintenance. Its one of my favorites.
> 
> I would not put it in your existing scape. Your tank is looking great and has filled in nicely it just needs more time. If anything I would move that AR mini to the left and more behind the big rock closer to the overhang but not in it. And then plant more blyxa throughout the back right from the corner of the tank to a little past the overhang bracketing in the AR. Just make sure you dont go to far to the left and obscure the overhang.


thanks for the advice mot! i'll see what i can do next week before water change.


----------



## mot

CO2 testing today.

measured using Pinpoint monitor: pH - 6.49
measured using Hannah Alkalinity Meter: KH - 74 ppm = 4.1 dkh
Calculated: CO2 - 40ppm

Basically in this range every drop in pH of .01 will amount to an increase in CO2 by 1 ppm. So being able to measure values over interpreting color charts makes a significant difference imo. I personally cant tell the difference between a pH of 6.3 and 6.4 using the Bromothymol blue color tests. If it was interpreted at 6.3 and was actually 6.4 then Co2 would say be 20ppm instead of 30ppm.

Of all the things Ive purchased over the last 5 years getting a quality CO2 regulator, pH probe and alkalinity meter were some of the best money spent. Im able to dial in the CO2 without all the guess work I went through in the past.


----------



## rebelbuck1993

tank is looking good, where did you get your wood sir. lol, tom barr seems to be on vacation or something, even on the barr report i haven't been able to get ahold of him.


----------



## oldpunk78

Forgive me for asking, as you obviously know what you wanted to create here, but why did you select the size wood you did? It actually kinda takes away from the lines of the rock formations. (To me anyway) I would have thought that less, larger pieces of wood would have been the way to go.


----------



## mot

First major trim.



















Bump:


rebelbuck1993 said:


> tank is looking good, where did you get your wood sir. lol, tom barr seems to be on vacation or something, even on the barr report i haven't been able to get ahold of him.


I pm'd him last week and he responded right away. I know if you don't have at least 5 forum posts on barrreport you cant pm. Maybe that is the issue?

Bump:


oldpunk78 said:


> Forgive me for asking, as you obviously know what you wanted to create here, but why did you select the size wood you did? It actually kinda takes away from the lines of the rock formations. (To me anyway) I would have thought that less, larger pieces of wood would have been the way to go.


Get out of my head! I've been waiting to see the 2015 manzanita post from Tom Barr and have a box of wood coming. What you see in the tank is just what I had already soaked from my last aquascape and is undersized for the bigger tank.

Its very odd timing on your and rebels posts...queue spooky music.


----------



## mysticalnet

Wow. I think you should compete in the international aquatic plants layout contest!


----------



## Squeaks5635

mysticalnet said:


> Wow. I think you should compete in the international aquatic plants layout contest!


:icon_surp lol


----------



## Jeff5614

rebelbuck1993 said:


> tank is looking good, where did you get your wood sir. lol, tom barr seems to be on vacation or something, even on the barr report i haven't been able to get ahold of him.


I had a pm from him yesterday on The Barr Report so if he has been gone then I guess he's back. Of course he may just get so many pm's it's hard to keep up with them all.


----------



## tiffjones611

*Brackets?!*

Where did you find those brackets?! They are absolutely GORGEOUS!


----------



## mot

tiffjones611 said:


> Where did you find those brackets?! They are absolutely GORGEOUS!


The brackets came from the hardware store in the deck framing area. I cleaned them up and then painted them.


----------



## etane

like it except too much cyperus h. creates space and scale issues. also reminds me of rice farming.


----------



## mot

etane said:


> like it except too much cyperus h. creates space and scale issues. also reminds me of rice farming.


You would really like how it looks now then. The rice farm comment is pretty funny. I modified the aquascape a lot last week. I know right...big shock. Removed a lot of the helferi as it was too much and the photos weren't showing enough negative space. Only have two of them left in the back right corner where you can only see the upper few inches. Pulled all the zosterfolia as it just didn't look right and it grew way too fast. And also redid the rock and wood work from scratch to build more depth as in perspective. The underlying aquascape is still there but just working on improving it.

Going to enter in the new ISTA IIAC contest in a couple weeks hopefully.


----------



## dru

Really impressive

Just curious, how long do you spend on this tank weekly?


----------



## oldpunk78

Mot, what type of tubing are you using for your filters?


----------



## MamaJu

Mot - This looks awesome! I need help with my sad tank We just got back from 3 weeks in Europe and found out that our lights were off on two of tanks. Can I buy your left overs?


----------



## andrewss

perfect tank


----------



## mot

oldpunk78 said:


> Mot, what type of tubing are you using for your filters?


I use the ADA brand for peace of mind. I tired the stuff from the hardware store but went back to ADA because of the following:

It comes off and on the lily pipes easily when its time to clean.
Seems to come cleaner easier.
The tubing is a bit thicker and softer and it doesn't kink.
It doesn't have writing or sticky packing tape all over it. This is a huge pet peeve of mine. Why do companies put stickers or tape all over their product that takes serious effort for the consumer to remove. That is just dumb.

Bump:


MamaJu said:


> Mot - This looks awesome! I need help with my sad tank We just got back from 3 weeks in Europe and found out that our lights were off on two of tanks. Can I buy your left overs?


Sent you a PM.


----------



## Planted_Edge

I'm using the same tubing from ADA but I'm not taking my chances with the lily pipes, I always leave the hoses longer and when it's time to clean, I cut the part that goes on the lily pipe and remove it safely...each time I clean I cut about an inch off...when they get too short, I replace the whole thing. I figured it's cheaper to buy a hose than risk breaking the lily pipe.


----------



## mot

Ahhh yea try pushing the tube a bit further on. Sometimes requires a slight twisting motion and it will release and slide right off. Works every time.


----------



## Planted_Edge

Tried it today . Came off nicely. Thx for the tip.


----------



## oldpunk78

mot said:


> I use the ADA brand for peace of mind. I tired the stuff from the hardware store but went back to ADA because of the following:
> 
> It comes off and on the lily pipes easily when its time to clean.
> Seems to come cleaner easier.
> The tubing is a bit thicker and softer and it doesn't kink.
> It doesn't have writing or sticky packing tape all over it. This is a huge pet peeve of mine. Why do companies put stickers or tape all over their product that takes serious effort for the consumer to remove. That is just dumb.


Thanks. I just ordered some. I didn't realize it was only 20 bucks.


----------



## ThatGuyWithTheFish

mot said:


> I use the ADA brand for peace of mind. I tired the stuff from the hardware store but went back to ADA because of the following:
> 
> It comes off and on the lily pipes easily when its time to clean.
> Seems to come cleaner easier.
> The tubing is a bit thicker and softer and it doesn't kink.
> It doesn't have writing or sticky packing tape all over it. This is a huge pet peeve of mine. Why do companies put stickers or tape all over their product that takes serious effort for the consumer to remove. That is just dumb.
> 
> Bump:
> 
> Sent you a PM.


Interesting that you say that. I've had trouble taking off my lily pipes from eheim tubing, and have actually broke some doing that.


----------



## mot

Planted_Edge said:


> Tried it today . Came off nicely. Thx for the tip.


Awesome. Yea its counter intuitive too push it a bit further on but it makes all the difference. The tubing should last you years now!

Bump:


oldpunk78 said:


> Thanks. I just ordered some. I didn't realize it was only 20 bucks.


Yea its really not that much more than the stuff in the hardware stores. Worth every extra penny.

Bump:


ThatGuyWithTheFish said:


> Interesting that you say that. I've had trouble taking off my lily pipes from eheim tubing, and have actually broke some doing that.


Yea, its just not worth risking the lily pipes imo and cleaning is already a chore why make it worse.


----------



## Mikeygmzmg

It came out very nice man. I am jealous of your organized filter and co2 setup. It's probably somewhere on these 10 pages of threads, but is that picture of the gear in a closet or garage? That's a great idea to keep that stuff away from the tank.


----------



## mot

Mikeygmzmg said:


> It came out very nice man. I am jealous of your organized filter and co2 setup. It's probably somewhere on these 10 pages of threads, but is that picture of the gear in a closet or garage? That's a great idea to keep that stuff away from the tank.


Thanks. It is in the closet. Had an electrician pull an outlet there when I remodeled my home office. Then cut out a 12" rectangle in the drywall and fitted it with a conference room grommet on both sides creating a pass through. That way I can have all the tubes and cords I want and easily pull them in and out and still look clean.

Lots of fish...over 70 of them in the tank now.










Still need to rig something up to suspend the tubing to the bottom of the stand. You can see it hanging in the picture.


----------



## oldpunk78

How's that surface skimmer working out? How often do you need to adjust it if at all?


----------



## mot

oldpunk78 said:


> How's that surface skimmer working out? How often do you need to adjust it if at all?


Its been working great. No surface film and no adjustments. Just clean it when i clean the rest of the pipes.


----------



## ThatGuyWithTheFish

So have you used eheim tubing too? Also, where do you get it? AFA doesn't have any for sale on its website.


----------



## Planted_Edge

^AFA doesn't have lots of things in stock according to their website, but if you give them a call, they'll most likely have it.


----------



## mot

ThatGuyWithTheFish said:


> So have you used eheim tubing too? Also, where do you get it? AFA doesn't have any for sale on its website.


Yea...I only use the Eheim tubing for other purposes like for my quarantine tank or making a siphon water changer. I just looked at AFA website and it is currently listed in stock. Look under Filtration Systems | Filter Media & Parts | Clear Hose.


----------



## jsarrow

mot said:


> Lots of fish...over 70 of them in the tank now.


Great looking tank! Nothing like a school of tetras and barbs to really tie things together. Is the small tank below your grow out tank for the 120P above?


----------



## mot

jsarrow said:


> Great looking tank! Nothing like a school of tetras and barbs to really tie things together. Is the small tank below your grow out tank for the 120P above?




Yes it is just an emersed setup. I use it to keep plants i may want to use later.


----------



## smug vic

your setup is so nice and lush looking.


----------



## kylehca

Beautiful!


----------



## oldpunk78

Mot, I received the tubing from afa yesterday. I'm impressed. Thanks for the suggestion. It also has a smell to it that reminds of the plastic they used to make toys out of in my youth. So it brought me back to a point where I was kid opening a new toy. Nice :hihi:


----------



## MPdesign

What a crazy tank !


----------



## 10kredline

where's the video?


----------



## talontsiawd

Amazing job. I love the 90P's dimensions over the 120P but you definitely pulled this off. I also love the fact you have a "machine room", makes the open stand feel very elegant which they usually just show off clutter. Great idea.


----------



## bsantucci

How deep does that return inlet with surface skimmer go? Looks short from the website but I like the idea. I would love to run that and get the eheim skimmer out of my tank. I like to have the intake close to the substrate though. 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


----------



## Squeaks5635

Is the surface skimmer really important, what if any negative effects in the aquarium is it preventing other than some gross looking stuff on the surface? Also is this something you typically see used more often on larger tanks.


----------



## mot

10kredline said:


> where's the video?



Link to the youtube video is on page 7 of this journal.

Bump:


bsantucci said:


> How deep does that return inlet with surface skimmer go? Looks short from the website but I like the idea. I would love to run that and get the eheim skimmer out of my tank. I like to have the intake close to the substrate though.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


Here is a photo of it in my tank. Tank is 45cm tall. Hope that helps.










Bump:


oldpunk78 said:


> Mot, I received the tubing from afa yesterday. I'm impressed. Thanks for the suggestion. It also has a smell to it that reminds of the plastic they used to make toys out of in my youth. So it brought me back to a point where I was kid opening a new toy. Nice :hihi:


Excellent. Glad I could help.

Bump:


Squeaks5635 said:


> Is the surface skimmer really important, what if any negative effects in the aquarium is it preventing other than some gross looking stuff on the surface? Also is this something you typically see used more often on larger tanks.


I believe it is important for gas exchange. I used to have a pretty thick film unless I raised up the lily outflow at night and then had to lower it in the morning. So its one less daily chore for me. It also makes me very happy to see a crystal clear surface all the time.


----------



## mot

Getting ready for contest photos so did a big maintenance today and decided to get the camera warmed up as well.

Trimmed the helferi plantlets off to clean up the look of it.









Mixed carpet is looking good. Nice and thick.









Little peak of the detail.









Fish are colored up and looking very healthy.









Bucephalandra's have been flowering like crazy...too bad they only last a day.


----------



## bsantucci

mot said:


> Link to the youtube video is on page 7 of this journal.
> 
> Bump:
> 
> Here is a photo of it in my tank. Tank is 45cm tall. Hope that helps.


Thanks, that did help! Just ordered for my tank, we have the same height tank 

Your whole tank is amazing though, great job!


----------



## mot

Rented a new camera/lens to try it out. Here is a quick pic I did in Macro mode with a wide angle lens. It is one of my purple pencilfish.










Here is with the new camera and my macro lens for comparison










Turned off the filters for this one...


----------



## Squeaks5635

Last photo turned out great. I guessing that is CO2 in the previous pictures?

Something odd about the last one though is it seems that both ends of the branch are in focus and the middle is not but it looks like the branch is coming towards you not like a U shape. I thought the focus had to be in a certain vertical plane, of which you could adjust the depth. But this looks like your focused in two different planes. Either way it looks nice to me.


----------



## mot

Squeaks5635 said:


> Last photo turned out great. I guessing that is CO2 in the previous pictures?
> 
> Something odd about the last one though is it seems that both ends of the branch are in focus and the middle is not but it looks like the branch is coming towards you not like a U shape. I thought the focus had to be in a certain vertical plane, of which you could adjust the depth. But this looks like your focused in two different planes. Either way it looks nice to me.


Yep those are CO2 bubbles in the first two pics. And yes your understanding is correct and that branch does bend that much so that the middle of the branch is closer.


----------



## HBdirtbag

oldpunk78 said:


> Mot, I received the tubing from afa yesterday. I'm impressed. Thanks for the suggestion. It also has a smell to it that reminds of the plastic they used to make toys out of in my youth. So it brought me back to a point where I was kid opening a new toy. Nice :hihi:



I meant to pick some up when I was there last weekend. Curious, I only noticed 1/2....did they have 5/8" too when you ordered?


MOT, amazing tank brother!


----------



## IWANNAGOFAST

Looking goooood! What contest are you entering?


----------



## oldpunk78

HBdirtbag said:


> I meant to pick some up when I was there last weekend. Curious, I only noticed 1/2....did they have 5/8" too when you ordered?
> 
> 
> MOT, amazing tank brother!


Website says only a couple left.


----------



## Vermino

looks awesome.. you should definitely look into making a video of this tank


----------



## mot

IWANNAGOFAST said:


> Looking goooood! What contest are you entering?


Thanks. Going to enter the IIAC and CBAP today. I finished the photo shoot last night and have about 10 really good photos to pick from for my entries.

Bump:


Vermino said:


> looks awesome.. you should definitely look into making a video of this tank



I did make a video back on page 7 as a first try. It turned out pretty bad so I need to read up on how to do it better. I'm thinking of just setting up the camera on a tripod in front of the tank.

Maybe feed the fish or do some maintenance. I'm a bit burned out right now after taking contest photos last night with all the prep that goes into it.


----------



## bpb

I cannot imagine keeping lily pipes like that clean. outstanding pictures


----------



## mot

Made the deadline and finished my entries for both contests.


----------



## Squeaks5635

mot said:


> Made the deadline and finished my entries for both contests.


Good luck Mot, I am sure you will do great.


----------



## rd.rnnr

*And the aquarium stand wood is from...*

Hello Mot-
I picked up this thread with photos of your stand in Pinterest. Wow! I love the clean lines of the stand, aquarium and lighting. I read the entire thread of your build up to the finish of the entire set-up. A couple of people along the way inquired to where you purchased the wood for your stand and I did not see a response anywhere (Tom Barr reference was for the internal aquarium wood, right?) and was hoping to order some up for a tank build. I am so inspired by your aquarium. Thank you for sharing.


----------



## mot

rd.rnnr said:


> Hello Mot-
> I picked up this thread with photos of your stand in Pinterest. Wow! I love the clean lines of the stand, aquarium and lighting. I read the entire thread of your build up to the finish of the entire set-up. A couple of people along the way inquired to where you purchased the wood for your stand and I did not see a response anywhere (Tom Barr reference was for the internal aquarium wood, right?) and was hoping to order some up for a tank build. I am so inspired by your aquarium. Thank you for sharing.


Cool the credit for the stand design goes to another member here who goes by Hydrophyte. You can search this forum and find his thread. The wood was purchased from the local lumber yard called Pierce and Pierce. I imagine any lumber yard would carry the wood you would want. So yea Tom Barr is where the Manzanita branches came from for the decor.

Im very glad to hear that I inspired you. Maybe we will see your journal here soon!

Bump:


Squeaks5635 said:


> Good luck Mot, I am sure you will do great.



Thanks Squeaks. Now its time to revise things for the AGA entry. So in the new tank so far I have the following aquascapes for those who are following:

Two practice scapes shown in this journal.
1. "Sistine Chapel" - hardscape only
2. Rice fields

Then I revised it and tweaked it into my contest entries.
3. Aquascape No.1 - IIAC/CBAP entry - I cant remember what I called it...

and I began Aquascape No.2 for the AGA entry on 9/13 which should be doable as the carpet is grown in and most of the plants are mature. Just have to grow in the stems.


----------



## Dantrasy

I'm sure you'll do very well in the comps. You do great scape man!


----------



## mot

Dantrasy said:


> I'm sure you'll do very well in the comps. You do great scape man!


Thanks. Means quite a bit coming from you.


----------



## bsantucci

Good luck with the contests mot! 

I do have a question for you. I got my skimmer pipe from co2art and hooked it up today but the skimmer part just isn't doing anything. It doesn't pull down below the water level. I can't figure it out. Did you have to fiddle with it at all? 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


----------



## mot

bsantucci said:


> Good luck with the contests mot!
> 
> I do have a question for you. I got my skimmer pipe from co2art and hooked it up today but the skimmer part just isn't doing anything. It doesn't pull down below the water level. I can't figure it out. Did you have to fiddle with it at all?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


Yea, you need to adjust the bottom flow. There is an acrylic piece that inserts in the bottom and you turn it to close off the bottom intake slots. This increases the pull from the top. You may have to press the top down a couple times to get any extra air out.

Ive had to do very little to get it to work properly.

Hope that helps.


----------



## bsantucci

Thanks for the reply how do you find it filters the water? I have to have it fairly closed to make the skimmer piece suck down. I feel like it may be restricting the overall flow. 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


----------



## mot

bsantucci said:


> Thanks for the reply how do you find it filters the water? I have to have it fairly closed to make the skimmer piece suck down. I feel like it may be restricting the overall flow.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


That doesnt sound right. I have mine on a eheim 2217 and would say its 50% closed. Im running 2 eheim 2217s and water is crystal clear.


----------



## Nebraska Fan

*One of a kind*

Nice stand! Would like to build one also. Where did you purchase the leg brackets? thanks


----------



## Wessonator

Hello,

Where did you purchase your brackets for the tank stand? 

Thanks,
Wes


----------



## mot

Wessonator said:


> Hello,
> 
> Where did you purchase your brackets for the tank stand?
> 
> Thanks,
> Wes


Hi Wes.

I bought them at Lowe's in the deck section.


----------



## mot

So got the IIAC results on this tank the other day. 148 out of 804. Not too bad considering that it was less than two months old. Will post the final photo here when its appropriate.

Started to knock it down today for the rescape for iaplc 2016. I think I have the concept but only have some of the layout materials that it will require.


----------



## Dantrasy

Well done on your IIAC result! 

I think there was 820 entries, no? Puts you (and me) in the top 20%


----------



## mot

Thanks Dantrasy. And you are correct 820.


----------



## mot

Final IIAC 2015 photo.


----------



## oldpunk78

Awesome! Can't wait to see the next one


----------



## mot

oldpunk78 said:


> Awesome! Can't wait to see the next one


Thanks.

Ill post the next ones I did when AGA results are posted. I have one in my nano tank, one in my ADA90p which was entered in IAPLC 2015 and one in my GLA120p. The one in the 120p is a slight rescape of the one I did for IIAC.

I've been busy the last couple months acquiring sufficient aquascaping materials for my next scape in the 120p hopefully it will be my IAPLC 2016 entry. Ended up with about 450 pounds of rock and a large pile of manzanita to pick through. Spent about 3 weeks putting together the hardscape based on my vision. Was happy to Finish the hardscape and initial planting today and the result is looking strong. Now to grow, trim, tweak, grow, trim, tweak for the next 6 to 7 months.

Had soil, wood and sand buckets, tarps all over, stuff outside, stuff inside, all the plants in buckets from the last scape. It really started to smell like a jungle. My wife doesn't show much interest but she never complains either....she is the best. She will be happy to see the mess cleaned and the house aired out when she gets home today!


----------



## Mitashade

Hey mot, do you have the plant list for this tank somewhere? One or two are bugging me. (The background plants, specifically.) 

Beautiful, btw.


----------



## mot

Mitashade said:


> Hey mot, do you have the plant list for this tank somewhere? One or two are bugging me. (The background plants, specifically.)
> 
> Beautiful, btw.


sure. its cypress helferi and ludwidgia.


----------



## mot

Here are my 3 entries for the AGA 2015.

<27l ended up top 10










180l










240l


----------



## HBdirtbag

hot damn


----------



## littlefish_

Those are incredible. Congratulations!


----------



## vvDO

Wow!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Dantrasy

thanks for posting these awesome pics Mot! top 10 is a big achievement


----------



## mot

Thank you all. Im glad that you enjoyed them as much as I did making them.


----------



## Aquarium_Alex

Stunning! The use of buces and anubias in your tanks are amazing, and the hardscapes are also very intricate and well done. I like the use of ammania to break up the foreground as well.


----------



## oldpunk78

Was at the park today. Saw this. 










Even the playground thinks mot is cool. :hihi:


----------



## Mitashade

mot said:


> sure. its cypress helferi and ludwidgia.


AH! Cyperus helferi is exactly the plant I had my eye on for my tank. Thought it might be, thanks!


----------



## mot

This made me lol. Thanks for sharing.




oldpunk78 said:


> Was at the park today. Saw this.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Even the playground thinks mot is cool. :hihi:


----------



## mot

I have a new camera and am really happy as the photos are just better. Better color, less noise, sharper focus, faster focus just all around better. Here are some of the quick photos I shot this morning.

Took a few of the buce's which have been doing really poorly for awhile. I've been following the csm+b toxicity thread and stopped dosing it two weeks ago. I am now seeing new leaves and they are no longer twisted. BBA that I had also seems to have stopped spreading and is looking weaker. The new leaves seem a bit pale so I started dosing Flourish today at about 1/2 the recommended dosage. Id appreciate some feedback on this growth issue.

Look at this buce. The red leaf is new in the last week. The first put out in a month. Look at the others. They are twisted and deformed.


----------



## end3r.P

*GLA 120p - Pic updates*

Wow. Great pics. Are those green neon tetras? And which pencilfish species is that?


----------



## Dantrasy

Hi Mot

Is the bba in low flow areas? I'll take it for granted your co2 is fine. But if flow is low in some areas (like is always is in my scape because of rock obstruction), i find you have to compensate by lowering light intensity. 

is there anything different about this scape? design wise that might be slowing flow in some areas?

perhaps the bba spores were already on the buce and any amount of light/ferts was going to let them grow. 

who knows? I'd just snip the affected leaves. although snipping buce seems like such a shame. i've never seen a buce in real life, it would be hard for me to cut it away, but I'd still do it for fear it gets worse.


----------



## mot

Thanks. They are green neons. And that is a purple pencilfish.


----------



## mot

Dantrasy said:


> Hi Mot
> 
> Is the bba in low flow areas? I'll take it for granted your co2 is fine. But if flow is low in some areas (like is always is in my scape because of rock obstruction), i find you have to compensate by lowering light intensity.
> 
> is there anything different about this scape? design wise that might be slowing flow in some.


Thanks for the help Dantrasy. Im not a bit worried about the bba as i know i can beat it. I do have a good handle on CO2 which is at a steady 35ppm throughout the day with good mix throughout the tank. As far as flow it doesnt seem to have any correlation as it exists in direct flow from the output and in lower flow areas.


My main issue is that ive been having growth issues since setting up my 120p. Some plants are putting out new leaves very slowly and they are deformed, twisted and curled.


Here are my thoughts on the deformed or no growth issue.


If you look at the first pic you can see the reddish new leaf. Compare that to the others that are curled and much darker. Btw the buce is brownie red. I had zero new leaves on that plant in a month. I stopped csm+b and k2so4 dry fert dosing 2 weeks ago and also reduced to 1/2 kno3 and kh2po4. Being mostly moss, buce and anubias in the tank would think this would be more than sufficient N,K and P.


That red leaf appeared a week ago and is almost correctly formed. So im hopeful that my growth issue ive been struggling with was a toxicity. Also the bba appears to be dieing back going from dark color to more greyish.


I am suspecting that i created this issue and then piled on as i started using osmocote plus tabs in the soil at about 1 every 10cm and dosed full ei. I thought the growth issue was a deficiency and increased ei dosing to double thinking its no big deal as i do massive water changes weekly which will reset the tank. Someone advised that its possible for traces to build up in the soil and take some time to leach out. Which is the reason i just stopped dosing trace.


So i started to dose seachem flourish today which is a liquid trace fert now at half strength as some of the new growth looks pale.


Im thinking of increasing the flourish dosage until new leaves look correct.


Time will tell.


----------



## mot

This was my first attempt for the IAPLC 2016 and was maybe 40% done. Ran into some issues so decided to break down and restart from scratch. Hope you enjoy.


----------



## bt7896

Very cool! Third one is my favorite!!


----------



## anfield

That's looks great. No idea how these competitions work but I've seen others that look like this as opposed to your moss canyon 3 which was my favorite and a pretty novel approach


----------



## saty

mot said:


>


What is the name of the fish on top left? blue ones are neon tetra.
i want to see if my LFS has those.


----------



## mot

The fish in the upper left is Trigonostigma espei.


----------



## Mikevwall

Harlequin rasbora


----------



## bereninga

The green neons look awesome. What new photographic toy did you get? It's always fun getting new gadgets.


----------



## mot

bereninga said:


> The green neons look awesome. What new photographic toy did you get? It's always fun getting new gadgets.


I sold my canon 60d and bought a 5d mark iii.


----------



## switch26

Hi MOT, I have been following a lot of diff journals lately with people discussing the plantex csmb toxicity issue. I believe I have the same problem so I am experimenting like you as well with cutting back my ferts and I stopped dosing plantex as well..

I use to grow the brightest pink Rotala wallichi and with dosing the first bit of full plantex dose a lot of my Rotala became torched in a matter of 24 hours.. 

Only thing that changed was my fert dosing..

Hoping that was the issue as even my Rotala rotund will not grow and I have a separate tank at my parents house that doesn't even get dosed with ferts and all my Rotala grows perfectly.

I am very interested to see how ur experiment works out!


----------



## bereninga

mot said:


> I sold my canon 60d and bought a 5d mark iii.




Niiice! That's a huge upgrade that will last you for years. Congrats!


----------



## saty

mot said:


> The fish in the upper left is Trigonostigma espei.





Mikevwall said:


> Harlequin rasbora


Thanks. Found the fish in LFS.
Set up a new tank and the nitrates are way too high. Need to wait few more days before Nitrates are stable. Plants are yet to pick up speed 
water change is not helping.


----------



## mot

saty said:


> Thanks. Found the fish in LFS.
> Set up a new tank and the nitrates are way too high. Need to wait few more days before Nitrates are stable. Plants are yet to pick up speed
> water change is not helping.


Espei are great fish. Very active and like to swim about mid tank. Im pretty sure you mean Ammonia levels are too high and not Nitrate?


----------



## mot

So had another set back for my 2016 IAPLC entry. I was about 50% done and this is what it was looking like.










Things were going well enough and then I broke it. I know that sounds weird. I removed a driftwood pieces to work on the bottom right corner. When I did this one of my other pieces of driftwood shifted and snagged the Rotala which uprooted it in a big mat. So at that point I lost the right hand side of the tank. And from there it just really fell apart quickly to the point I just ended up completely knocking it down.

This pic shows how it looked on the right side as I was making some changes on the right side. I removed the driftwood as it was right up against the glass and I couldnt get my hands in there.









After the Rotala pull, I removed the shifted driftwood. Usually I have a bunch of buckets/tarps/towels and do a break down in order and keep things neat.









This time it was just a mess. Stuff laying on towels which were soaked through and through. My wife walked in and just shook her head and walked out. Was feeling pretty low at this point.









Tried to put it back together a couple of times and failed. Ended up just throwing everything back in the tank for the night and come back the next day to start fresh.









So I went back to the drawing board. The new scape has been setup now for 3 weeks and is looking good. Fingers crossed it has enough time to grow in.


----------



## bereninga

Man, that's a tough situation to go through. Sorry to hear about the collapse.

Your numerous aquascapes make it look so easy. At your expense, it's kind of good to know that you're actually human. But I believe that your new layout will continue to be a competitor. Good luck for the contest and thanks for sharing the ups and downs!


----------



## mot

Thanks. One of the reasons I took a moment to grab the camera to journal this was to show that I have just as many failures as successes.


----------



## Bmanz21

Looks amazing


----------



## frrok

Bummer


----------



## saty

mot said:


> Espei are great fish. Very active and like to swim about mid tank. Im pretty sure you mean Ammonia levels are too high and not Nitrate?



No Nitrate. even after like 3 - 80%-90%water change weekly nitrates are above 80ppm in less than 12hrs.

I am thinking something went wrong with my Nitrate solutions. I am planning to take sample water to my LFS this week end and ask them to test it. Ammonia is always zero. Have established eheim filter running.


----------



## mot

saty said:


> No Nitrate. even after like 3 - 80%-90%water change weekly nitrates are above 80ppm in less than 12hrs.
> 
> I am thinking something went wrong with my Nitrate solutions. I am planning to take sample water to my LFS this week end and ask them to test it. Ammonia is always zero. Have established eheim filter running.


Yes that is high but not crazy. I also would be suspicious of the accuracy of the kit.

Bump: 42 days left. Grow little plants....grow...please!


----------



## vision

mot said:


> Thanks. One of the reasons I took a moment to grab the camera to journal this was to show that I have just as many failures as successes.




this speaks volumes.


----------



## mot

vision said:


> this speaks volumes.


Hah...not sure how to take that. I do have an entire thread on failed aquascapes here somewhere. When i say failed i do want to clarify that I mean never finished or realized to the original vision before teardown and no final photo.


Getting some more fish for the tank in a couple days. So thats always exciting. Starting making final tweaks this week. One more big trim this weekend and then then time to add the details.


----------



## mot

From my past aquascape.


----------



## anfield

Thats rough. Only tore down one tank so far and it was a major pain. I cant imagine having to do this many times. You need to get rid of the carpet in that room lol. Was looking great though if thats any consolation.


----------



## mot

anfield said:


> Thats rough. Only tore down one tank so far and it was a major pain. I cant imagine having to do this many times. You need to get rid of the carpet in that room lol. Was looking great though if thats any consolation.


Thanks, the new scape is turning out even better so Im happy. And yea it is no fun tearing down. The worst part of tearing down is having to worry about running out of time to meet the contest deadline. Im at about 5 weeks with the new scape and am pretty confident that it will be grown in another 5 weeks. Most of the plants are anubias, buce and ferns that were already grown out. The moss and a few of the other plants need to fill in and mature.

And you are right about carpet which is what I did have before my office remodel. I spilled so much no matter how careful I tired to be. So, the carpet in my office now is an industrial carpet tile laid on top of rubber. I pulled up about two gallons of water with the shop vac and it was dry in three hours.


----------



## dru

I think everyone makes the mistake of having something against the glass once 

Good luck on the rescape!


----------



## mot

New fish arrived.




























Sneak peek of the tank


----------



## saty

mot said:


> From my past aquascape.


How do you clean the right side of the tank? Drift wood is so close to the glass. 
I have drift wood closer to back glass and its so hard to get to those places. 
Magnets and metal scrapper is out of question. I am currently using tooth brush :crying:


----------



## mot

I use a soft cloth and wipe the sides down weekly. In case of GSA which I have rarely i use a credit card. I slip my hand in there and get it done. Sometimes I nudge the wood a bit out of the way and it goes back to where it was when I pull my hand out. I lost the last aquascape due to rescaping and not glass cleaning.


----------



## ailyhsaun

What sort of hardware is needed for this project?


----------



## mot

Nice surprise yesterday. One of my apisto pairs have fry. Will be interesting to see if any make it with all the other fish in there.


----------



## Jamo33

Wow Mot.

Honestly, a pat on the back mate these tanks and scapes are truly something to see. Bravo on the contests and I'm sure the next scape will be and do ever better.

Good luck in the next contest!

This has given me many new ideas and inspiration for my eventual tank haha

All the best, and Ill be following along. Subbed.


----------



## anfield

How do the apistogramma get along with the shrimp?


----------



## bereninga

Can't wait to see the final shot for this tank!


----------



## mot

Jamo33 said:


> Wow Mot.
> 
> Honestly, a pat on the back mate these tanks and scapes are truly something to see. Bravo on the contests and I'm sure the next scape will be and do ever better.
> 
> Good luck in the next contest!
> 
> This has given me many new ideas and inspiration for my eventual tank haha
> 
> All the best, and Ill be following along. Subbed.


Thanks. Ill look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Bump:


anfield said:


> How do the apistogramma get along with the shrimp?


So far no issues. The Amanos are quite large compared to the apistos. The female apisto with the fry is quite aggressive when anyone comes within 6 inches of the babies. She gives them a good wack and they get out of the way. All of the fish are learning to give her her space. The shrimp still stumble and range and get chased off.


----------



## mot

bereninga said:


> Can't wait to see the final shot for this tank!



Awesome...and I cant wait to show it off! Sadly the wait will be quite long. The IAPLC contest closes submissions on May 30th. Then the rankings are typically announced in mid August. And then the reveals of the winning works should be in October.


----------



## mot

Submitted the IAPLC contest photo on Sunday. And Last few days Ive been resetting back to scratch. Always so much work to do. But thats ok, its worth it for a fresh start during the long wait to hear back on the contest rankings.


----------



## Mikeygmzmg

scape looked awesome Mot.. Did you use shower nets to tie the moss down to the stones on the front right?


----------



## anfield

How much did that piece of driftwood set you back if you dont mind me asking.


----------



## bereninga

Do you always rescape right after a competition? Is it to prepare for the next year? That is one gorgeous piece of driftwood. Is it one or many glued together? You must have a nice inventory of goodies for your scapes.


----------



## mot

Mikeygmzmg said:


> scape looked awesome Mot.. Did you use shower nets to tie the moss down to the stones on the front right?


Thanks. But what I showed was not my contest entry.
Yes, good eye I did use nets to tie the moss to slate chips.

Bump:


anfield said:


> How much did that piece of driftwood set you back if you dont mind me asking.


Only an arm. Usually its an arm and a leg.

Bump:


bereninga said:


> Do you always rescape right after a competition? Is it to prepare for the next year? That is one gorgeous piece of driftwood. Is it one or many glued together? You must have a nice inventory of goodies for your scapes.


I do knock down after the competition usually. This year I hadnt planned on it but Im a bit burnt out as this scape was really time consuming to get it ready and keep it clean. So Im simplifying and making it a lot less maintenance.

The driftwood is several pieces just thrown in the tank after cleaning. Want to reuse it and wanted to make sure I got rid of any pest snails and algae as well as keep it waterlogged. My layout materials are growing steadily but still would like a lot more.


----------



## DennisSingh

Your healthy system brings out the color of your fish extremely well. I bet they swim like they're in heaven as well. I've seen fish swim in a nice healthy tank, way different from your normal swimming , they have a bit more zip and fun as i see it.

Bump: I didn't read through the whole, what type of wood is that?


----------



## houseofcards

Very impressive! MOT if you don't mind me asking what has been your highest ranking in IAPLC so far?


----------



## mot

StrungOut said:


> Your healthy system brings out the color of your fish extremely well. I bet they swim like they're in heaven as well. I've seen fish swim in a nice healthy tank, way different from your normal swimming , they have a bit more zip and fun as i see it.
> 
> Bump: I didn't read through the whole, what type of wood is that?


Yea the fish were doing there thing for sure. spawning every morning. I have video of it Ill post once the contest results are out.

The wood is spiderwood.

Bump:


houseofcards said:


> Very impressive! MOT if you don't mind me asking what has been your highest ranking in IAPLC so far?


Thanks. My best IAPLC to date is 136 in 2014. Hoping to crack top 100 this year.

Bump: Finished gathering all my layout materials today.
Tank clean and sanitized. Check
Filter and pipes cleaned and sanitized. Check
Wood clean and waterlogged. Check
Stones clean and nearby the tank. Check
Aquasoil Arrived. Check
Tissue Culture plants in hand. Check
Layout idea....still tbd.


----------



## bereninga

Damn, you're a very neat scaper to be doing all this on carpet! I'm excited to see this next one.


----------



## houseofcards

bereninga said:


> Damn, you're a very neat scaper to be doing all this on carpet! I'm excited to see this next one.


I wish I didn't have carpet in my man-cave. Even my little 1.5G spilled alittle. I could only imagine what would happen if I had the stuff MOT has.

Bump:


mot said:


> Thanks. My best IAPLC to date is 136 in 2014. Hoping to crack top 100 this year.


136 is excellent, especially for someone USA-based. The only time I ever entered was with a Mini-S and I finish 415 if I could remember correctly. My claim to fame is I was in the top 10 performing Nanos (Of course there isn't a nano competition) but I looked at all the other Mini S or smaller setups. The only Americans I ever heard of scoring higher than yours where The guys from ADG and Aqua Forest and both at the time were ADA-Distributors trained in Nature Aquarium Scaping in Japan. I'm not getting into the politics of distributors entering an ADA contest but for me the inventory they possess alone gives them an advantage.


----------



## frrok

Can't wait for your next layout mot. Thanks for all the help and excellent advice with my entry. I think you'll break 100 this year. If I can break out of the 1000s - I would be happy. Lol


----------



## mot

frrok said:


> Can't wait for your next layout mot. Thanks for all the help and excellent advice with my entry. I think you'll break 100 this year. If I can break out of the 1000s - I would be happy. Lol


Anytime frrok. Im sure you will do fine. You improved things quite a bit in that last month despite having the little one.


----------



## mot

So pushed through and have the scape mostly done. Need to get about 5 more pots of plants to finish. Now I just need to scape the 2 x 30cm cubes below. Then clean up begins so I can get my office back to usable by Monday morning.


----------



## bereninga

*GLA 120p - Start on Aquascape No.6*

Nice! I really like the contrast of the bluish tones in the stones against the wood. Those stones look amazing! 

No yogurt method eh? Just painting the moss on without? It should stick easily, especially to wood.

What are those plastic things you're using below the substrate?


----------



## Opare

bereninga said:


> What are those plastic things you're using below the substrate?



I think they are drainage cells used for terrestial plants. Another user Xiaozhuang also uses them to build height and structure in the substrate. I guess its cheaper and easier to use the piling rocks.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## mot

Opare said:


> I think they are drainage cells used for terrestial plants. Another user Xiaozhuang also uses them to build height and structure in the substrate. I guess its cheaper and easier to use the piling rocks.
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That is correct. Dennis has been using them for awhile. Ive been trying to get some for a long time and finally found a place that sells them here. It makes for a very stable structure and reduces the aquasoil used. I used only 3 bags on this scape.


----------



## Opare

mot said:


> That is correct. Dennis has been using them for awhile. Ive been trying to get some for a long time and finally found a place that sells them here. It makes for a very stable structure and reduces the aquasoil used. I used only 3 bags on this scape.



I'm definitely going to give them a try in my next tank. Also gives you a good base to play around with hardscape and levels, without making a mess with sand or something.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## mot

Powered through today. Setup my 2 x 30 cm cubes. Stuck a pair of Apistos in one and my pencils in the other. So much cleanup. Still not done but am pretty close. I am whooped.


----------



## SingAlongWithTsing

mot said:


> That is correct. Dennis has been using them for awhile. Ive been trying to get some for a long time and finally found a place that sells them here. It makes for a very stable structure and reduces the aquasoil used. I used only 3 bags on this scape.


Did you find them at your local nursery or something? did the drainage sells have a brand? trying to find something similar


----------



## mot

SingAlongWithTsing said:


> Did you find them at your local nursery or something? did the drainage sells have a brand? trying to find something similar


I found them at a place called RainHarvest Systems located in Georgia but they do ship.


----------



## ScubaSteve

Wow...you have a gift. And you're right down the road...lol!


----------



## bereninga

mot said:


> I found them at a place called RainHarvest Systems located in Georgia but they do ship.


I have a feeling these people will be getting a lot more orders now. I've been wondering where to get these things. Seems like a more legit system than egg crate light diffusers. Thanks for sharing the info!


----------



## mot

bereninga said:


> I have a feeling these people will be getting a lot more orders now. I've been wondering where to get these things. Seems like a more legit system than egg crate light diffusers. Thanks for sharing the info!




Youre welcome. They will be wondering what the heck is up with all the tiny orders! Hah!


----------



## Crazy Bunny

I love the idea of using those "Drainage Cell".
but how do you guys fill in those big holes ?

I understand the cell are good support for the rocks and such.

But how do you guys do the "Cover Up" ?

aren't all the substrate will creep though and using the same amount of substrate ?

Bunny

Bump:


houseofcards said:


> I wish I didn't have carpet in my man-cave. Even my little 1.5G spilled alittle. I could only imagine what would happen if I had the stuff MOT has.
> 
> Bump:
> 
> 136 is excellent, especially for someone USA-based. The only time I ever entered was with a Mini-S and I finish 415 if I could remember correctly. My claim to fame is I was in the top 10 performing Nanos (Of course there isn't a nano competition) but I looked at all the other Mini S or smaller setups. The only Americans I ever heard of scoring higher than yours where The guys from ADG and Aqua Forest and both at the time were ADA-Distributors trained in Nature Aquarium Scaping in Japan. I'm not getting into the politics of distributors entering an ADA contest but for me the inventory they possess alone gives them an advantage.



I totally TOTALLY agree !!!!
The hardscape are def. gave them much much more advantage !!
I have spend countless of money on the hardscape (over 1k mark)
and I can smell the divorce paper coming if I keep buying rocks and wood. lol.


Time is everything my friend. or this "$$$" can help a lot ! lol
The winner of "Longing" scrape took 2 years to correct all the fine piece of wood.


----------



## mot

Crazy Bunny said:


> I love the idea of using those "Drainage Cell".
> but how do you guys fill in those big holes ?
> 
> I understand the cell are good support for the rocks and such.
> 
> But how do you guys do the "Cover Up" ?
> 
> aren't all the substrate will creep though and using the same amount
> I totally TOTALLY agree !!!!
> The hardscape are def. gave them much much more advantage !!
> I have spend countless of money on the hardscape (over 1k mark)
> and I can smell the divorce paper coming if I keep buying rocks and wood. lol.
> 
> 
> Time is everything my friend. or this "$$$" can help a lot ! lol
> The winner of "Longing" scrape took 2 years to correct all the fine piece of wood.



If you look at the previous page I show the lava rock i used to fill the cells. Im sure some substrate falls through but because lava rock is jagged i find it to really work well.


Yea there is no doubt that for contest tanks that superior layout materials are a necessity. Its taken 4 years to gather what i have and im just getting to a point where I can build my scapes without feeling like i have to compromise.


Just as important are the availability of plants. Like my scape now i need 6 more pots to finish and have to wait until they are available.


----------



## Crazy Bunny

mot said:


> If you look at the previous page I show the lava rock i used to fill the cells. Im sure some substrate falls through but because lava rock is jagged i find it to really work well.
> 
> 
> Yea there is no doubt that for contest tanks that superior layout materials are a necessity. Its taken 4 years to gather what i have and im just getting to a point where I can build my scapes without feeling like i have to compromise.
> 
> 
> Just as important are the availability of plants. Like my scape now i need 6 more pots to finish and have to wait until they are available.






Wow.. 4 years !! I've been doing my "Collection" for only 1 year. The space under my bathroom sink are full. lol.
To be honest I sort of "Addicted" to collect nice pieces that only people here will understand. Sometimes I even buy a proper size of tank JUST for the stone that I found are too nice to left out.


I love how you crush all the lava rock to small pieces to fill in !!
If I ever need to re-scrape my 40 gallons I will def. go for the way you do. 


Can't wait to see your next work !!


Bunny


----------



## IUnknown

Opare said:


> I think they are drainage cells used for terrestial plants. Another user Xiaozhuang also uses them to build height and structure in the substrate. I guess its cheaper and easier to use the piling rocks.


This is great. Are you using the 30mm size for the 120P?


----------



## mot

IUnknown said:


> This is great. Are you using the 30mm size for the 120P?


I used the 52mm.


----------



## mot

I noticed this morning that I have now had the 120cm tank for a year. Hard to believe as it feels like its been here much longer. I guess starting my 6th aquascape in a year has a bit to do with that. Looking back at the aquascapes it took some practice to get used to going from 90cm to 120cm. The extra length makes a big difference in the size and amount of layout materials. Here is a compilation of the scapes so far:

Aquascape No.1









Aquascape No.2 - AGA 2015









Aquascape No.3 - Taken down before it was finished. Intentionally.









Aquascape No.4 - Taken down before it was finished. This time by accident.









Aquascape No.5 - Currently submitted to IAPLC 2016. To be revealed in October.









Aquascape No.6 - Current Scape. Will finish planting Tuesday. Hoping to enjoy this one much longer than the past scapes. This scape was a challenge because I knew I wanted two things out of it. No.1 it has to look great to reduce the odds that Ill knock it down and No.2 quicker maintenance. Hopefully Ill achieve this in Aquascape No.6. 









What do you all think? What is your favorite?


----------



## frrok

Thanks for sharing. Your skills improve with each aquascape.


----------



## mot

frrok said:


> Thanks for sharing. Your skills improve with each aquascape.


Thanks Frrok. Ill keep sharing as long as you keep reading!


----------



## mysticalnet

Aquascape #2 is my favourite for now 

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk


----------



## bereninga

These are all incredible! I like #3 the best. It's tough to pick just one though.


----------



## Tyrone

*GLA 120p - Aquascape No.6 - 1 year old*

I definitely like #4, but that may change after you reveal scape #5. I've always liked your "Moss Canyon," from the 90p. That has always been my favorite ever since I've joined TPT. It was actually one of my inspirations. 

Did you ever think of using Unzan Stone in any of your upcoming scapes?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## mot

Tyrone said:


> I definitely like #4, but that may change after you reveal scape #5. I've always liked your "Moss Canyon," from the 90p. That has always been my favorite ever since I've joined TPT. It was actually one of my inspirations.
> 
> Did you ever think of using Unzan Stone in any of your upcoming scapes?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thank you all. The responses always fascinate me.

I would love to do a scape with Unzan. I would need a sponsor or two to afford it! Im currently stretched to my maximum on what I'm willing to spend.


----------



## anfield

I like the look of #6 although 3 is great as well. Moss canyon though remains my favorite as well.


----------



## bereninga

mot said:


> Thank you all. The responses always fascinate me.
> 
> I would love to do a scape with Unzan. I would need a sponsor or two to afford it! Im currently stretched to my maximum on what I'm willing to spend.


Unzan IMO looks very much like black lava rock, which is a lot more affordable.


----------



## IUnknown

Mot,
Just started following your work, but it has definitely inspired me. Thanks so much for all the info! I'd pick number 4 since its the most convoluted.


----------



## mot

Flooded the tank on Friday to get the nitrogen cycle started. And the ghostly white fungus has appeared in full effect on the new piece of spiderwood. This always happens and always takes a week or two to run its course. Might be longer this time as the new piece is really large and thick. By the way Otocinclus devour this fungus with a passion. Doing the 50% or greater water changes each day for the first week or two. Also like to run carbon the first 2 to 3 weeks. The rest of the plants should arrive Tuesday morning.


----------



## Crazy Bunny

mot said:


> Flooded the tank on Friday to get the nitrogen cycle started. And the ghostly white fungus has appeared in full effect on the new piece of spiderwood. This always happens and always takes a week or two to run its course. Might be longer this time as the new piece is really large and thick. By the way Otocinclus devour this fungus with a passion. Doing the 50% or greater water changes each day for the first week or two. Also like to run carbon the first 2 to 3 weeks. The rest of the plants should arrive Tuesday morning.


oh man. this is going to happen on me very soon !
Mot, when you change water daily during your cycle, you fill in tap water ?
after the cycle is done, do you usually clean your filter media with tank water ?


J


----------



## mot

Crazy Bunny said:


> oh man. this is going to happen on me very soon !
> Mot, when you change water daily during your cycle, you fill in tap water ?
> after the cycle is done, do you usually clean your filter media with tank water ?
> 
> 
> J


Awesome.

I fill the tank right from the tap. Before I start filling I drop in Seachem Prime into the tank.

I clean the filter every two to three weeks regardless if during cycling or not. I do use the tank water to rinse the media so that it disrupts it as little as possible while removing the detritus.


----------



## mot

Shipment arrived.
5 pots HC
1 pot eleocharis mini
1 pot flame moss

This was first time using all Tropica tissue culture plants and it was by far the easiest and quickest plant session I've done. It took me about 40 minutes to plant this morning.


----------



## ScubaSteve

Wow...so impressed. I love it!


----------



## Mikeygmzmg

Very nice mot, I like the way the stone descends down to the front of the tank. Can't wait to see the HC soften some of the edges around them. May have misses it in the thread, but are you going to tie some moss to the branches or leave them bare?


----------



## mot

Mikeygmzmg said:


> Very nice mot, I like the way the stone descends down to the front of the tank. Can't wait to see the HC soften some of the edges around them. May have misses it in the thread, but are you going to tie some moss to the branches or leave them bare?


Thanks. Yea there is some moss on the branches. We will see if it takes as it was dry started for a few days to get it to cling but the fungus is really thick so it may not make it.


----------



## bereninga

mot said:


> Thanks. Yea there is some moss on the branches. We will see if it takes as it was dry started for a few days to get it to cling but the fungus is really thick so it may not make it.


In my experience, fungus is very good at destroying any plants that it touches. I hope the otos will be diligent in cleaning that up for the plants.

This tank is looking very nice. The hardscape looks so good together. I like how the rock angles all point towards the focal point.

I love using tissue culture plants because it's always exactly the plant that you're looking for and they're easy to clean and work with. This scape already looks very nice and will look even better once grown in.

What other plants do you have planned for this or is that a secret?


----------



## cmdR_CHRIS

Can you please share where you sourced the Tropica tissue culture plants?


----------



## mot

cmdR_CHRIS said:


> Can you please share where you sourced the Tropica tissue culture plants?


Sure from Invertebrates by Msjinkzd

Bump:


bereninga said:


> In my experience, fungus is very good at destroying any plants that it touches. I hope the otos will be diligent in cleaning that up for the plants.
> 
> This tank is looking very nice. The hardscape looks so good together. I like how the rock angles all point towards the focal point.
> 
> I love using tissue culture plants because it's always exactly the plant that you're looking for and they're easy to clean and work with. This scape already looks very nice and will look even better once grown in.
> 
> What other plants do you have planned for this or is that a secret?


Yea the fungus is no fun. Otos and amanos wont go in until the cycle has run its course. So in the meantime it is manual removal with the daily water change.


----------



## Crazy Bunny

mot said:


> Shipment arrived.
> 5 pots HC
> 1 pot eleocharis mini
> 1 pot flame moss
> 
> This was first time using all Tropica tissue culture plants and it was by far the easiest and quickest plant session I've done. It took me about 40 minutes to plant this morning.


Mot, you will have great success on those cultures. I used that brand too ! 
they are healthy, clean and grow fast !! love them !


----------



## devank

Hi, 
I found your wood fish tank stand picture on Pinterest and I am trying to replicate it. I can't seem to find the corner braces that you used anywhere, do you remember where you got them? 
Thanks.


----------



## gaga43

mot said:


> Shipment arrived.
> 5 pots HC
> 1 pot eleocharis mini
> 1 pot flame moss
> 
> This was first time using all Tropica tissue culture plants and it was by far the easiest and quickest plant session I've done. It took me about 40 minutes to plant this morning.


Where do you guys find these pieces of wood?!?! I haven't come across ANYTHING like this piece of wood here what is it?


----------



## SingAlongWithTsing

gaga43 said:


> Where do you guys find these pieces of wood?!?! I haven't come across ANYTHING like this piece of wood here what is it?


It's spider wood. i think it's also sometimes called red moor


----------



## mot

SingAlongWithTsing said:


> It's spider wood. i think it's also sometimes called red moor


It is spiderwood and that is 5 pieces that I cut and assembled to get the shape I wanted.


----------



## Dou

I love #2 and #3. Great work - I wish I could try a tank this size... One day. Thanks for posting all these updates! And your office set-up looks great. Too bad housing here in Vancouver BC is absolutely horrible =(.


----------



## mot

Here is a tank I did three years ago with same basic concept as my current scape. Pretty fun to look to the past and see how far I've come in a short period of time. Aquascaping is all about materials, practice and practice.

Taken 9/2013









Taken 6/2016









The old scape photo is flipped horizontally btw just to align it with the current scape.


----------



## bereninga

The recent scape is much better! It looks more cohesive and the hardscape placement is so much more natural. The old scape is no slouch though.


----------



## pdela

mot said:


> It is spiderwood and that is 5 pieces that I cut and assembled to get the shape I wanted.



Do you buy this locally or online? If online, whats the website


----------



## mot

bereninga said:


> The recent scape is much better! It looks more cohesive and the hardscape placement is so much more natural. The old scape is no slouch though.


Yea the new one has much better proportions, flow and shape. My scaping techniques have changed dramatically as I've lived and learned.

Bump:


pdela said:


> Do you buy this locally or online? If online, whats the website


Both, If I see a nice piece at a fair price Ill buy it. I've bought quite a bit from the for sale section of these forums. There are a few sellers that will do wysiwyg.


----------



## mot

So I have my 2 x 30 cm cubes setup under my 120p. One of the cubes has a pair of apistogramma cacatuoides which to my delight have fry again. The last two batches of fry stood no chance in my 120p with the other fish. 

Having fry again is amazing because the male actually died or was mostly dead. I found him on the carpet the morning after I put the pair in the tank. He was dried out and not moving. Perfect example of a fish chip. Placed him in the tank just to make sure and somehow he came back to life. Never seen anything like that before. After about 5 minutes of holding him upright in the water he started breathing again. Later that day he started swimming. The next day he was taking food. And now 2 weeks later I have fry. Was like the Princess Bride story where he was only mostly dead and had to get back to his true love....hah yea whatever. 



















Good photo except the dog hair on the glass...geez.


----------



## frrok

Amazing. He's gorgeous! My male died from some sort of disease and my female was alive for a while after until she got caught up in my skimmer. Even though I made something to prevent fish from getting sucked in. Somehow she managed to get trapped. I'm so bummed. No apistos for me for awhile unless I make a biotope specifically for them. They have too much personality and I get upset when they die.


----------



## mot

frrok said:


> Amazing. He's gorgeous! My male died from some sort of disease and my female was alive for a while after until she got caught up in my skimmer. Even though I made something to prevent fish from getting sucked in. Somehow she managed to get trapped. I'm so bummed. No apistos for me for awhile unless I make a biotope specifically for them. They have too much personality and I get upset when they die.


I hear you Frrok. They seem more like pets than fish. A neon dies oh well. Losing an apisto hurts.

What skimmer do you have? Mine has had no issues with sucking in fauna.


----------



## frrok

mot said:


> I hear you Frrok. They seem more like pets than fish. A neon dies oh well. Losing an apisto hurts.
> 
> 
> 
> What skimmer do you have? Mine has had no issues with sucking in fauna.




Eheim 350. Same one most aquascaper a use. I've lost a few pygmy cories and amanos in that thing. I listen to the aquascaping podcast and Shawn, who mostly posts on aquascaping world, has this great tip. You can make a plastic thing to make the slits not as wide by using the bottom of a plant pot that aquatic plants come in. If you google it. You can see what I mean.


----------



## Crazy Bunny

mot said:


> So I have my 2 x 30 cm cubes setup under my 120p. One of the cubes has a pair of apistogramma cacatuoides which to my delight have fry again. The last two batches of fry stood no chance in my 120p with the other fish.
> 
> Having fry again is amazing because the male actually died or was mostly dead. I found him on the carpet the morning after I put the pair in the tank. He was dried out and not moving. Perfect example of a fish chip. Placed him in the tank just to make sure and somehow he came back to life. Never seen anything like that before. After about 5 minutes of holding him upright in the water he started breathing again. Later that day he started swimming. The next day he was taking food. And now 2 weeks later I have fry. Was like the Princess Bride story where he was only mostly dead and had to get back to his true love....hah yea whatever.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Good photo except the dog hair on the glass...geez.


Oh Mot !!! I am sorry !! 
I have the exact same fish "Apristogramma Caca." and I love him to death ! you see I asked you lot of question on my up coming tank is for them !!
I totally agreed they are more like pet then fish !! And my male had jump off the tank one time but my kid caught it and put it back right away.
Recently I got one big male (3.1 inches) and 3 female and all females are constantly trying to lure/impress the male and get him to their cave to fertilize the eggs !! 
Until the other female felt jealous and fight with the other and drove my male crazy !!
Needless to say when all female got frys. it's like a war zone there with 2 extra Amazon Puffers !! lmao !

Sorry Mot. Don't mean to flood you with my story. 
But they're just one AWESOME fish to keep.

Be warn to all "Going to Own" this type of great fish.
THEY LOVE TO DIG !!! THEY LOVE TO MAKE CAVES !! 
so keep that in mind when you scrape.

Bunny


----------



## Sykith

Just finished perusing the thread. Not that it hasn't already been said but there are some really beautiful pictures and scapes in here! Absolutely inspiring. Thanks. I hope to have an office/fish room as great as that one day.


----------



## doylecolmdoyle

Just ready your entire thread (while at work) loved reading all your detailed posts and the behind the scenes photos! Keep up the great work!


----------



## mot

Im glad you both enjoyed the read and thanks for letting me know that you did!


----------



## streamlined

What substrate is used in the tank, and what ferts / root tabs / dosing? Would appreciate the info... Thanks!


----------



## castronaut8

Mot, what's your experience with the twinstar? Deciding whether or not to get one for my planted shrimp tank im planning


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## mot

streamlined said:


> What substrate is used in the tank, and what ferts / root tabs / dosing? Would appreciate the info... Thanks!


Currently aquasoil. No root tabs. Only dosing Potassium and iron.

Bump:


castronaut8 said:


> Mot, what's your experience with the twinstar? Deciding whether or not to get one for my planted shrimp tank im planning
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I think it does increase oxygen levels which is good. I don't think it does much for controlling algae for my tanks. Large water changes each week in my opinion do more to get rid of algae spores than this gadget. I hate how it looks so it has to go. I have it in currently but it will be coming out after the cycle is done. Ill probably add a second canister filter with a skimmer which is on my temp tank with my neons in it for now. So oxygen shouldn't be an issue.

The other thing that is lame is that the performance degrades as it ages. I'm on my second set of plates. The first set never worked right. The second one worked a lot better and was obviously a different design. Now my second one after about 9 months puts out a lot less bubbles than when new. It just degrades too quickly and is an eye sore so I wont be buying another.

Hope that helps.


----------



## mot

Update on the current scape

40 Amano Shrimp went in and are working furiously at the fungus on the new driftwood pieces.










Plants are off to a good start.









Neons waiting patiently for their new home


----------



## mot

Got the camera out and took some more photos of my apisto fry which are about a week old. They are now swimming about the tank. Fun to watch and really hard to photograph as they are so tiny.


----------



## bereninga

Wow, that is VERY close. Are you cropping or using an extender at all? Crazy how small they are!


----------



## mot

bereninga said:


> Wow, that is VERY close. Are you cropping or using an extender at all? Crazy how small they are!


Yea its like trying to photograph a moving dot. I used my 100mm macro lens. Photos are cropped a little bit.

Here is one of them cropped in tight. Looks like some BBA or staghorn in the photo. Can barely see it with naked eye.


----------



## MantisX

Would love to have one of your female apistos for my harem.


----------



## BBogdan

Nice looking hardscape man!
You will cover up the wood with moss and ferns ?


----------



## frrok

You did the right thing by separating the pair. When mine spawned I had no choice but to leave them in my tank with all the other fish. The female guarded them with her life. But eventually it stressed out too much and she gave up and I lost them. Happened twice! Good luck with the babies.


----------



## mot

Quick water change this morning turned into a mess.

Turned off my Eheim 2217 and started siphoning water out of the tank. A few moments later the top of the cannister blew off. What the heck? Ive been using these filters for 5 years and never have seen anything like it. This particular filter is only 1 year old.

So a big mess. Get the shopvac out and suck up the water. Cleaned up the filter and tubing and put it all back together and it is working normally. But I can just picture a disaster if the power goes out. Most of my tank water will be on the floor.

Any ideas what the problem could be? Im thinking its the metal clasps or the cheap plastic seat that holds them has warped or bent so that they don't hold tight.

I've been toying with the idea of sticking a bigger filter on but it seems like choices are very limited.

Id like to continue to use my lily pipe and skimmer which is 12/16mm and 16/22mm respectively. Like to have increased flow and also be able to use the existing biomedia. Any suggestions?


----------



## frrok

mot said:


> Quick water change this morning turned into a mess.
> 
> 
> 
> Turned off my Eheim 2217 and started siphoning water out of the tank. A few moments later the top of the cannister blew off. What the heck? Ive been using these filters for 5 years and never have seen anything like it. This particular filter is only 1 year old.
> 
> 
> 
> So a big mess. Get the shopvac out and suck up the water. Cleaned up the filter and tubing and put it all back together and it is working normally. But I can just picture a disaster if the power goes out. Most of my tank water will be on the floor.
> 
> 
> 
> Any ideas what the problem could be? Im thinking its the metal clasps or the cheap plastic seat that holds them has warped or bent so that they don't hold tight.
> 
> 
> 
> I've been toying with the idea of sticking a bigger filter on but it seems like choices are very limited.
> 
> 
> 
> Id like to continue to use my lily pipe and skimmer which is 12/16mm and 16/22mm respectively. Like to have increased flow and also be able to use the existing biomedia. Any suggestions?




I use an eheim pro g90 on my 90p. Perfect flow and lots of space for media. I use 17mm pipes on inflow and outflow. Only issue I had was in the beginning figuring out how to prime it. But no problems since. Are you running (2) 2217's on the 120p?


----------



## Jeff5614

mot said:


> Quick water change this morning turned into a mess.
> 
> Turned off my Eheim 2217 and started siphoning water out of the tank. A few moments later the top of the cannister blew off. What the heck? Ive been using these filters for 5 years and never have seen anything like it. This particular filter is only 1 year old.
> 
> So a big mess. Get the shopvac out and suck up the water. Cleaned up the filter and tubing and put it all back together and it is working normally. But I can just picture a disaster if the power goes out. Most of my tank water will be on the floor.
> 
> Any ideas what the problem could be? Im thinking its the metal clasps or the cheap plastic seat that holds them has warped or bent so that they don't hold tight.
> 
> I've been toying with the idea of sticking a bigger filter on but it seems like choices are very limited.
> 
> Id like to continue to use my lily pipe and skimmer which is 12/16mm and 16/22mm respectively. Like to have increased flow and also be able to use the existing biomedia. Any suggestions?


Superjet


----------



## IUnknown

I just got the Eheim Professional 4 Plus 600 External Canister Filter - 2275 for a second canister filter on my 120p and love it.


----------



## Crazy Bunny

mot said:


> Quick water change this morning turned into a mess.
> 
> Turned off my Eheim 2217 and started siphoning water out of the tank. A few moments later the top of the cannister blew off. What the heck? Ive been using these filters for 5 years and never have seen anything like it. This particular filter is only 1 year old.
> 
> So a big mess. Get the shopvac out and suck up the water. Cleaned up the filter and tubing and put it all back together and it is working normally. But I can just picture a disaster if the power goes out. Most of my tank water will be on the floor.
> 
> Any ideas what the problem could be? Im thinking its the metal clasps or the cheap plastic seat that holds them has warped or bent so that they don't hold tight.
> 
> I've been toying with the idea of sticking a bigger filter on but it seems like choices are very limited.
> 
> Id like to continue to use my lily pipe and skimmer which is 12/16mm and 16/22mm respectively. Like to have increased flow and also be able to use the existing biomedia. Any suggestions?


Oh no !! :surprise: sorry to hear that Mot.
May I ask are you using the canister to siphon the water ?
I use 2217 myself and to be honest, the metal clip just sort of "holding" the motor head in place. 
The real seal is all about the red rubber O ring and the edge of the canister. 
Try to wipe it clean and apply some Vaseline around the beveled edge. 
My English is BAD ! I hope you understand what I mean.


----------



## mot

frrok said:


> I use an eheim pro g90 on my 90p. Perfect flow and lots of space for media. I use 17mm pipes on inflow and outflow. Only issue I had was in the beginning figuring out how to prime it. But no problems since. Are you running (2) 2217's on the 120p?


I have been running two but on this latest scape I wanted to see if I could get by with just one to lessen the maintenance as filter cleaning is a pita.

Bump:


Jeff5614 said:


> Superjet


Im thinking about it but the numbers I'm looking at don't look great. The numbers that I'm having a problem with are the price tag and the flow rate.

Bump:


IUnknown said:


> I just got the Eheim Professional 4 Plus 600 External Canister Filter - 2275 for a second canister filter on my 120p and love it.


This Im looking up right now. Do you feel you need two of them on your 120p?

Bump:


Crazy Bunny said:


> Oh no !! :surprise: sorry to hear that Mot.
> May I ask are you using the canister to siphon the water ?
> I use 2217 myself and to be honest, the metal clip just sort of "holding" the motor head in place.
> The real seal is all about the red rubber O ring and the edge of the canister.
> Try to wipe it clean and apply some Vaseline around the beveled edge.
> My English is BAD ! I hope you understand what I mean.


Yea the seal is good and in place. It is running now with no issues. Somehow the pressure blew the top off when i unplugged it. 4 of the 5 clamps had come off.


----------



## mot

I think I may have figured out the issue. I think it was a combination of two of the clips being very loose and air trapped in the filter from the skimmer. I have tightened the clips and removed the air from the canister and dialed back the surface skimming so it isn't grabbing as much air.

I tested it a couple times by turning the filter off and all was well. Ill have to keep an eye on it.


----------



## Jeff5614

IUnknown said:


> I just got the Eheim Professional 4 Plus 600 External Canister Filter - 2275 for a second canister filter on my 120p and love it.


I have a couple of Pro 3's, 2075 and 2076, on my 120H and am happy with them. The Pro 3's have 16/22 tubing on the outlet and the 2217 has 12/16 so it would require a new lily pipe.

Viv pipes are nice and a third of the price of ADA. The glass of my Viv pipe is actually a little thicker than my ADA pipe.


----------



## Minhha2006

Finally made it to the end of this. This journal was amazing! Sub'd.


----------



## IUnknown

mot said:


> This Im looking up right now. Do you feel you need two of them on your 120p?


Depends on if you like to have a lot of fish. My problem is that I put too much in-line with my filters to keep things out of the tank, cerges reactor, heater, ph probe, temp prob, so I get pressure loss. My second canister is what comes with the aquavas setup, superjet knock-off.


----------



## mot

Minhha2006 said:


> Finally made it to the end of this. This journal was amazing! Sub'd.


Glad you enjoyed the read. Must have taken awhile!

Bump:


IUnknown said:


> Depends on if you like to have a lot of fish. My problem is that I put too much in-line with my filters to keep things out of the tank, cerges reactor, heater, ph probe, temp prob, so I get pressure loss. My second canister is what comes with the aquavas setup, superjet knock-off.


Yea Im probably going to end up with two filters on this tank again. I also have an inline heater and atomizer on the outflow side. Plus 6 or 7 feet or so of tubing.


----------



## mot

Just a quick update...Most of the Neons went in. Tank is doing well.

Filter has been good since I made the changes.


----------



## sunkist

this is amazing. havnt really posted much here, just a lot of reading, but this is quite inspiring to the entry level game players like me.


----------



## mot

sunkist said:


> this is amazing. havnt really posted much here, just a lot of reading, but this is quite inspiring to the entry level game players like me.


Im glad to here it.

Tank is doing well still. Lowered the lights a few inches to pick up the growth rate.


----------



## ScubaSteve

Any update pics?


----------



## mot

ScubaSteve said:


> Any update pics?












This is a week ago. Carpet is having a tough time versus the amano shrimp army. I've increased lighting by 30 minutes a day and lowered it 6" and started dosing small amounts of N and P to increase the growth rate.


----------



## Jaye

Wow! Gorgeous!


----------



## mot

Dam, shoot, dang nabbit....broke another skimmer pipe. That's it I'm going steel before I cut a finger off or lose an eye. Its always the intake never broke an outflow.


----------



## Dou

MOT - may I ask what type of wood that is? I really like how thick it as at some parts but it gets branchy and thin at others as well.

Also... unfortunate to see the broken pipe =[


----------



## mot

Dou said:


> MOT - may I ask what type of wood that is? I really like how thick it as at some parts but it gets branchy and thin at others as well.
> 
> Also... unfortunate to see the broken pipe =[


Sure it is Spiderwood which came from a combination of the LFS and a TPT forum member. It took about 7 pieces put together to create the large piece you see.

Thanks about the pipe. At least no bleeding this time.


----------



## Dou

mot said:


> Sure it is Spiderwood which came from a combination of the LFS and a TPT forum member. It took about 7 pieces put together to create the large piece you see.
> 
> Thanks about the pipe. At least no bleeding this time.


Thanks! I see spidewood at the LFS as well but they appear way smaller and much more branchy. Excellent job on putting it together - I would've never guessed that it was...


----------



## ScubaSteve

Thanks for the updated pic! Looking good and sorry to hear about your inflow pipe.


----------



## Centromochlus

Beautiful!


----------



## IUnknown

I recently saw this if you are looking for a skimmer that is discreet.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016M86JG...UTF8&colid=ZWF6P13HN8S9&coliid=I1MJJLH7IAZYUE


----------



## Filet-O-Fish

I really love the fact that you share your ups and downs in this hobby.Thanks. 
Not many people will be so.


----------



## mot

IUnknown said:


> I recently saw this if you are looking for a skimmer that is discreet.
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016M86JG...UTF8&colid=ZWF6P13HN8S9&coliid=I1MJJLH7IAZYUE


This is what I got.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZfHmftFVL.jpg


----------



## Crazy Bunny

mot said:


> Dam, shoot, dang nabbit....broke another skimmer pipe. That's it I'm going steel before I cut a finger off or lose an eye. Its always the intake never broke an outflow.


damn !!! I feel ya !! 
It would be my FOUTH intake pipe broken so I had learn and change everything to SS.


----------



## mot

Crazy Bunny said:


> damn !!! I feel ya !!
> It would be my FOUTH intake pipe broken so I had learn and change everything to SS.


Yea Bunny. I'm so careful about it to and no matter how I try I still break them.

On to other news. Bought the RedSea Reefer 525 XL and a Geismann Aurora. Arrived at the LFS today. Picked up the light but have to enlist help to get the rest as it is HEAVY.


----------



## pdela

mot said:


> Yea Bunny. I'm so careful about it to and no matter how I try I still break them.
> 
> On to other news. Bought the RedSea Reefer 525 XL and a Geismann Aurora. Arrived at the LFS today. Picked up the light but have to enlist help to get the rest as it is HEAVY.


Awesome! You are going to love it! What color stand did you go with? And holy cow, it is heavy. WAYYYY heavier than I ever expected. The stand alone is ridiculous. Standing up single panels while building the darn thing almost killed me. 

Love light choice too, get the shimmer effect and coverage of T5s with the sleek fixture design. Do you plan on hanging it directly off the roof?

You're going to be able to handle anything you throw at that setup, can't wait to see what you come up with. Depth on the 525xl is amazing, almost went with the 425XL but the extra 3" cut into the walking space so I decided against it :crying:


----------



## Powerclown

Hi Mot,i feel your pain with the broken pipe,after I broke a few I only soak them in bleach or hydrogen peroxide,no spring brush anymore.


----------



## mot

pdela said:


> Awesome! You are going to love it! What color stand did you go with? And holy cow, it is heavy. WAYYYY heavier than I ever expected. The stand alone is ridiculous. Standing up single panels while building the darn thing almost killed me.
> 
> Love light choice too, get the shimmer effect and coverage of T5s with the sleek fixture design. Do you plan on hanging it directly off the roof?
> 
> You're going to be able to handle anything you throw at that setup, can't wait to see what you come up with. Depth on the 525xl is amazing, almost went with the 425XL but the extra 3" cut into the walking space so I decided against it :crying:


Got the light fixture in yesterday and it looks awesome. Didn't realize it would need a transformer so that sucks. It came with it but just another thing that can go wrong. And on top of that they don't make an IOS app yet to control the light. So had to order a bluetooth dongle for my pc along with the T5 bulbs as apparently there is a break in period that I wasn't aware of either before I can even turn this beast on. 

You have me nervous about the stand. Ill have to enlist some help it sounds like. Don't want to botch it and have a tilted stand.

Bump:


Powerclown said:


> Hi Mot,i feel your pain with the broken pipe,after I broke a few I only soak them in bleach or hydrogen peroxide,no spring brush anymore.


Wow, yea i never broke one with the brushes. Cant imagine how that would happen. I always end up just bumping the glass against something and snap it. Probably why I only break intakes as the outlets are much sturdier for small drops and bumps.


----------



## Crazy Bunny

mot said:


> Yea Bunny. I'm so careful about it to and no matter how I try I still break them.
> 
> On to other news. Bought the RedSea Reefer 525 XL and a Geismann Aurora. Arrived at the LFS today. Picked up the light but have to enlist help to get the rest as it is HEAVY.




Wow !! Nice !! 
but aren't the Geismann Aurora are for Salt water ?


----------



## mot

Crazy Bunny said:


> Wow !! Nice !!
> but aren't the Geismann Aurora are for Salt water ?


Yes. Yes it is. Ive gone to the darkside. No fears though I am keeping my GLA 120p as a planted tank. I am selling all 4 of my nano tanks to make room for the new beast.


----------



## HBdirtbag

mot said:


> This is what I got.
> 
> https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZfHmftFVL.jpg



curious your thoughts on when you get this. I've been eye balling them for months.


We need to join forces....i'm down 4 outflows....never broke an inflow


----------



## Crazy Bunny

mot said:


> Yes. Yes it is. Ive gone to the darkside. No fears though I am keeping my GLA 120p as a planted tank. I am selling all 4 of my nano tanks to make room for the new beast.




lol ! No Mot, if you decide go Marine or Reef. The light you bought just a starting point to the dark side. :wink2:


----------



## mot

My steel pipes came in. The quality is much better than I anticipated for the price. Ill upload pics when i finish my new PC build.


----------



## Crazy Bunny

mot said:


> My steel pipes came in. The quality is much better than I anticipated for the price. Ill upload pics when i finish my new PC build.


Hey Mot,
Mind if you can share where you get it from ?
I too looking for a SS outflow pipe.
thanks
Bunny


----------



## mot

IAPLC 2016 results just arrived in my mailbox. So nervous had to have my wife open it.










Overjoyed!!!! Breaking the top 100!


----------



## Opare

mot said:


> IAPLC 2016 results just arrived in my mailbox. So nervous had to have my wife open it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Overjoyed!!!! Breaking the top 100!



Well done! That result is spectacular. When are you allowed to show the scape you submitted? Is it only after they publish the book or whatever?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## IUnknown

mot said:


> Overjoyed!!!! Breaking the top 100!


Tremendous accomplishment, great job!


----------



## Shakes

Congrats, I am extremely impressed with your aquascaping talents!!


----------



## Alex CC

Well done! Thank you for sharing with us this wonderful experience.


----------



## mot

Thanks All!

Here is the uncovered letter. So happy to finally reach the top ranks. Looking forward to revealing my creation in October.


----------



## Riverboa

Grats. Well-deserved!!


----------



## Jaye

Wow, I'm really impressed! Well deserved.


----------



## ScubaSteve

Nice!!! Great job!


----------



## Ssid

Congratulations.. Really well deserved...


----------



## bbqthis

Just read this whole thing. Wow. Definitely made me envious. Congratulations on all of your accomplishments!


----------



## mot

Ill dig this up for u when i get a chance.




Crazy Bunny said:


> Hey Mot,
> Mind if you can share where you get it from ?
> I too looking for a SS outflow pipe.
> thanks
> Bunny


----------



## mot

Finally got around to putting the new stainless pipes on the tank.


----------



## Ssid

Eye candy!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Ssid

Mot.. Pardon me if I missed where you mentioned them, but what LED's are those?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## mot

Ssid said:


> Mot.. Pardon me if I missed where you mentioned them, but what LED's are those?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


They are Ecoxotic E120s


----------



## Ssid

Thank you...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Willcooper

mot said:


> Ssid said:
> 
> 
> 
> Mot.. Pardon me if I missed where you mentioned them, but what LED's are those?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
> 
> 
> 
> They are Ecoxotic E120s
Click to expand...

Do you know what kind of par you are achieving? Dimensions look similar to a 40b. Is that about right?


----------



## mot

Willcooper said:


> Do you know what kind of par you are achieving? Dimensions look similar to a 40b. Is that about right?


No. tank dimensions are 48" x 18" x 18" 


40 breeder is about 36" long. So Ecoxotic E90 would be a good fit.


Hope that helps.


----------



## vvDO

Willcooper said:


> Do you know what kind of par you are achieving? Dimensions look similar to a 40b. Is that about right?




I tested 2x e90's (36" version) at 22" no water getting around 60 par, strips were about 8" apart


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## mot

Been busy with making changes in my office. Decided to sell off my nano planted tanks to make time and room for a reef. So that has been taking a lot of my time over the last couple months. Here is a few pictures of the changes:


----------



## mot

Tank is doing well despite a bit of neglect from working on the new tank.


----------



## IntotheWRX

nice picture.


----------



## Dou

Congrats!!! Did you happen to post the photo of your submitted scape?

Best,
Dou


----------



## mot

Thank you all for following along and finally after the long wait I'm happy to reveal my IAPLC 2016 entry - Aquascape No.5 - Remembrance


----------



## talontsiawd

mot said:


> Thank you all for following along and finally after the long wait I'm happy to reveal my IAPLC 2016 entry - Aquascape No.5 - Remembrance


Ultra amazing!


----------



## supert

You mind sharing the equipment list, diffusers, canister filters, and etc. ? I also noticed in the back pic is that a Red Sea tank set-up?


----------



## gnikwoc

Also, are you on another forum for your reef tank? Wouldn't mind tracking your progress


Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


----------



## mot

supert said:


> You mind sharing the equipment list, diffusers, canister filters, and etc. ? I also noticed in the back pic is that a Red Sea tank set-up?


Yes it is a RedSea Reefer 525XL that Im currently setting up. Its been 4 months in the making and is waiting for its first fish and coral hopefully by the end of the year.

My planted tank has the following:

2 ecoxotic eseries LEDs
1 Eheim 2217 with biomedia only
1 Hydro inline heater
1 CO2 inline atomizer
1 ADA CO2 diffuser
1 GLA CO2 regulator and 20lb bottle

Hope that helps.

Bump:


gnikwoc said:


> Also, are you on another forum for your reef tank? Wouldn't mind tracking your progress
> 
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


It is a reef tank and I do have a journal here

Bump: Also did a recent interview with the Aquascaping podcast. You can listen to it here. This is a great resource for those interested in aquascaping so have a listen.


----------



## Foxpuppet

mot said:


> This is what I got.
> 
> 
> 
> https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZfHmftFVL.jpg




Are you happy with the skimmer?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## mot

Foxpuppet said:


> Are you happy with the skimmer?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Yes, it works extremely well and is quality construction.


----------



## aXio

I know I told you in person the other day at the ARC meeting... but mad props on the placing 62 my friend!!!

Truly amazing work!


----------



## supert

mot said:


> Yes it is a RedSea Reefer 525XL that Im currently setting up. Its been 4 months in the making and is waiting for its first fish and coral hopefully by the end of the year.
> 
> My planted tank has the following:
> 
> 2 ecoxotic eseries LEDs
> 1 Eheim 2217 with biomedia only
> 1 Hydro inline heater
> 1 CO2 inline atomizer
> 1 ADA CO2 diffuser
> 1 GLA CO2 regulator and 20lb bottle
> 
> Hope that helps.
> 
> Bump:
> 
> It is a reef tank and I do have a journal here
> 
> Bump: Also did a recent interview with the Aquascaping podcast. You can listen to it here. This is a great resource for those interested in aquascaping so have a listen.


Thank you for sharing, wow only one Eheim 2217 that is running on that tank? Interesting..


----------



## mot

Just upgraded my Eheim 2217 to a Fluval FX4. I changed filters in an attempt to reduce from needing two of them down to one. So far the flow is looking quite good but the tank isn't grown out yet. Also hoping to have to maintenance the filter less. I'm currently cleaning out the Eheim 2217 weekly. Hoping for every other week or every month with the Fluval. We will see.










Here is the what the surface now looks like. It previously was very little motion.










Bump:


supert said:


> Thank you for sharing, wow only one Eheim 2217 that is running on that tank? Interesting..


One Eheim will work when the tank is fairly open. For a contest scape I run 2 x Eheim 2217s plus powerheads where it needs more flow. I Just upgraded to Fluval Fx4 for increased flow and filtration.


----------



## IntotheWRX

upgrading is always part of the fun


----------



## vanish

Wow, that's quite the equipment closet!


----------



## mot

Ive been looking for new LEDs and havent found anything I like yet. Decided to use my old Marineland Planted LED from the 90cm and strap it between the 2 ecoxotic 120s. PAR level was 25 to 30 and now is about 50 to 55 at the substrate. Color on it is off toward warm yellowish color in my opinion and not attractive. Plants wont care though.


----------



## talontsiawd

vanish said:


> Wow, that's quite the equipment closet!


That is true. Jealous certainly. When I get a single family home again, it just may be a requirement I have a small closet next to my tank. Took note of that when I first saw it in this journal, or a previous one. Super awesome.


----------



## Henney

I'd recommend the Vypr LED light by fluence bioengineering. How is the fx4 since you modded the output and input from 25mm to 17mm?


----------



## mot

New lights arrived. I chose the Fluval Fresh and Plant 2.0 with the wifi controller. Here is why I picked them over all the others:

1. Inexpensive - I did not find any light on the market today that met my criteria and I know I will upgrade again.
2. Suspension Mountable - Using most of my existing hanging kit I was able to get these in place in about 10 minutes.
3. More than sufficient PAR. A big boost over what I had with the 2 Ecoxotic LED strips.
4. Controllable with timer and ramp up/down.










Bump:


Henney said:


> I'd recommend the Vypr LED light by fluence bioengineering. How is the fx4 since you modded the output and input from 25mm to 17mm?


Never heard of Vypr LED. Will have to look them up and see what they are all about.

The FX4 is working great. The flow is significantly increased over the Eheim 2217 even with the reducers. CO2 in the tank is now visibly moving throughout with just the one pump. Good surface movement as well. I've only cleaned the filter once since I put it in. I rescaped the tank and haven't cleaned it yet. The Eheim would of clogged up and have been at a trickle by now. The FX4 is still moving the same amount of water.

Really pleased with this upgrade.


----------



## Henney

Fluence use to be BML but they changed and turned into a horticulture lighting company. Their new lights are expensive but still cheaper than ADA lighting. I have one hung 2 feet over an ADA 120H and I have to turn it to 20% intensity. It's definitely a buy one light and use it forever kind of light.


----------



## jsarrow

Great journal as always. Curious if you could post a full tank shot with the Fluval Fresh lights on? I have been considering replacing four T5's over my 90P with one of these fixtures and was wondering how they render colors? Also curios what your thoughts are on the functionality of the wifi control for the Fluval Fresh?

Thanx!


----------



## mot

jsarrow said:


> Great journal as always. Curious if you could post a full tank shot with the Fluval Fresh lights on? I have been considering replacing four T5's over my 90P with one of these fixtures and was wondering how they render colors? Also curios what your thoughts are on the functionality of the wifi control for the Fluval Fresh?
> 
> Thanx!


My aquascape is currently setup for my IAPLC entry so I wont be posting any pics of it. I can tell you that my meter shows the Kelvin at 6450 with everything turned up full. I would say that it is ok color rendering to my eye. Im sure the more expensive fixtures out there are better like the Kessil, ADA, LUPY, and a few others. But at the price I just couldn't pass it up. I'm getting nearly the same look as my ecoxotics but with 3 times the par.

Hope that helps.


----------



## jsarrow

Definitely helps, thanks for the info.


----------



## Nlewis

Don't you get a ton of light spill with the Fluval's raised that far above the tank?


----------



## mot

Nlewis said:


> Don't you get a ton of light spill with the Fluval's raised that far above the tank?


Thats a good question. I was thinking the same thing that I would need to lower them. Found that this hasnt been the case.

Even though they advertise a 120 degree angle Im seeing less light spill than my Ecoxotic LEDs. Im not sure why but much less light on the wall and floor. I actually had them lower to begin with but then raised them up to get even coverage at the surface in front and back of the tank.


----------



## mountaineer girl

mot said:


> Dry fitted:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And completed:


Hello...could you please tell me what the brackets are called and where you purchased them? Thanks!


----------



## irace1

*Wood for Stand*

Great thread, and glad to see it is still going strong! I looked through everything twice and couldn't find where you purchased the wood for the stand already precut.

Thanks


----------



## mot

irace1 said:


> Great thread, and glad to see it is still going strong! I looked through everything twice and couldn't find where you purchased the wood for the stand already precut.
> 
> Thanks


Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. The wood came from a local lumber yard. I ordered it to the dimensions I needed so that I could just stain and assemble. I lack the tools and skills so I knew this way I would be able to get a furniture quality stand.

Bump: Just a quick update. Still loving the new filter and lights. Both are Fluval. The filter saves me a lot of time as it doesn't need to be cleaned nearly as often and is keeping the tank noticeably cleaner and the flow doesn't seem to drop off at all between cleanings. The other thing I noticed is that the biomedia doesn't get nearly as dirty. When I would rinse the media from the eheim it would be almost black. Seems like the Fluval design keeps the detritus in the sponges and on the bottom of the canister and away from the biomedia.

I think the eheim is a good filter and certainly reliable but just wasn't nearly powerful enough for a 120cm tank. Even two of them on the tank was still undersized. 

Between the new filter and the stainless steel lily pipes Im spending much less time on maintenance and more time on scaping. Only regret is not making these changes sooner.


----------



## Dantrasy

Hi Mot, I'm back on this forum! 

I found the same thing re filters. A 120cm needs something bigger like the fx4. In my case I use and g6 and 406, that's just enough. 

I know you can't show a pic of your scape ... but do you have a name for it?


----------



## mot

No name yet. Ill hit you up with an email.


----------



## MamaJu

YEAH!! Matt and I knew that you would place. Sorry so late to the party but we had a flood at the house and I've been MIA. Congratulations and I can't wait to see your new set up.


----------



## jsarrow

Hey Mott, great aquascape and set up as always. Curious what your thoughts are on the FX4 now that you have had it in operation for a while. Do you feel like it moves a sufficient amount of water in the tank and do you have anything plumbed in line on the return like a diffuser or heater?


----------



## mot

Sure. The FX4 has been a great filter so far. I really like that I don't need to service it nearly as often as the Eheim. The biomedia stays detritus free for the most part. sponges are easy to rinse. I dont notice any reduction in flow between cleanings. I have a inline heater on the return and thats it. I do have reducers to go from the Fluval tubing down to 17mm stainless steel pipes.

I do run an extra powerhead once my scape fills in to make sure Im getting adequate CO2 distribution. My contest scapes are very full from top to bottom with hardscape and plants that block the return flow from getting everywhere.

Hope that helps.


----------



## BettaBettas

mot said:


> Been busy with making changes in my office. Decided to sell off my nano planted tanks to make time and room for a reef. So that has been taking a lot of my time over the last couple months. Here is a few pictures of the changes:


 just curious what type of flooring is that? looks really nice & modern  
*also nice tanks! Goals!*


----------



## sdwindansea

BettaBettas said:


> just curious what type of flooring is that? looks really nice & modern
> *also nice tanks! Goals!*


It is kind of sad that I think I know the answer to this (my wife has ruined me). It looks like Flor carpet tiles https://www.flor.com/


----------



## BettaBettas

sdwindansea said:


> It is kind of sad that I think I know the answer to this (my wife has ruined me). It looks like Flor carpet tiles https://www.flor.com/


 Not a carpet guy, I also didn't know rugs where still a thing??? Looks like they have some neat things though. not for me! Thanks swindandsea


----------



## David_1

Nice stand! Where did you find the hardware? Are corner brackets stained or painted?



mot said:


> Sure. Here are the dimensions of the wood:
> 
> Top 1 of 48-1/4" x 18-3/4" x 1-1/2"
> Legs 4 of 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" x 36-1/2"
> Short frame 4 of 9-1/4" x 1-1/2" x 3-1/2"
> Long frame 4 of 38-3/4" x 1-1/2" x 3-1/2"
> Middle brace 2 of 13-1/4" x 1-1/2" x 3-1/2"
> Shelf 1 of x 16-1/4" x 45-3/4" x 3/4" (all corners notched out 3-1/2" x 3-1/2")
> 
> This will put my stand height at 38"


----------



## David_1

Nice stand! Where did you find the hardware? Are corner brackets stained or painted?



mot said:


> Sure. Here are the dimensions of the wood:
> 
> Top 1 of 48-1/4" x 18-3/4" x 1-1/2"
> Legs 4 of 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" x 36-1/2"
> Short frame 4 of 9-1/4" x 1-1/2" x 3-1/2"
> Long frame 4 of 38-3/4" x 1-1/2" x 3-1/2"
> Middle brace 2 of 13-1/4" x 1-1/2" x 3-1/2"
> Shelf 1 of x 16-1/4" x 45-3/4" x 3/4" (all corners notched out 3-1/2" x 3-1/2")
> 
> This will put my stand height at 38"


----------



## mot

Lumber was made by the local lumber yard. The hardware is simply desk joists from Lowes and were painted.


----------



## SKYE.__.HIGH

Hello, I just discovered your talent in this hobby and I must say. Your tanks are amazing. But the part that amazes me most is that it's not that you just found a perfect match of wood and plants and stumbled upon a first place iaplc tank. But you consistently make gorgeous tanks one after another. I'm just going to clarify because I'm curious you go by "Jeff" is this right? Like Jeff from ADG? But he's from Texas so I'm very confused. Also I have a question, how are you liking your Fluval fresh and plant 2.0? And how did you hang them? I have just purchased the Fluval fresh and plant for my 120-P. I'm going to try to go with one or might (probably will) get two. What do you think? 

Thanks for your help, Skye

PS: You should have,(in my opinion) been farther up the list than 62


----------



## mot

Hey thanks man. I appreciate the kind words. My name is Jeff Miotke and live in Atlanta area. 
You can get more of me here:

Get to Know Jeff Miotke | ScapeFu057 - ScapeFu
and
Episode 24: Jeff Miotke ? The Aquascaping Podcast

Im still doing planted tanks but they have all been for contests and can't be revealed until the contest winners are announced. Also have been getting back to reef keeping in the last year.

You are thinking of Jeff Senske who is the owner of Aquarium Design Group in Houston.

The Fluval LED is working out just fine. The power of the light is good. I use cable grippers to suspend it from the ceiling. This way I can raise and lower it as I need which is particularly great during photo sessions. The only thing I don't care for in the light is that the spectrum is a bit off and cannot be changed other than the amount of blues. The colors are no where near as vibrant looking as under other lighting say like the Ecoxotic LEDs I had. The light should have more reds and greens imo.

When I bought it I was more worried about the PAR output and the cost. I wanted to spend the least amount of money and basically push off the purchase of a really high quality light. LEDs have come a long way but still have a long way to go.

Hope that helps.


----------



## n3hihz

mot said:


> Hey thanks man. I appreciate the kind words. My name is Jeff Miotke and live in Atlanta area.
> You can get more of me here:
> 
> Get to Know Jeff Miotke | ScapeFu057 - ScapeFu
> and
> Episode 24: Jeff Miotke ? The Aquascaping Podcast
> 
> Im still doing planted tanks but they have all been for contests and can't be revealed until the contest winners are announced. Also have been getting back to reef keeping in the last year.
> 
> You are thinking of Jeff Senske who is the owner of Aquarium Design Group in Houston.
> 
> The Fluval LED is working out just fine. The power of the light is good. I use cable grippers to suspend it from the ceiling. This way I can raise and lower it as I need which is particularly great during photo sessions. The only thing I don't care for in the light is that the spectrum is a bit off and cannot be changed other than the amount of blues. The colors are no where near as vibrant looking as under other lighting say like the Ecoxotic LEDs I had. The light should have more reds and greens imo.
> 
> When I bought it I was more worried about the PAR output and the cost. I wanted to spend the least amount of money and basically push off the purchase of a really high quality light. LEDs have come a long way but still have a long way to go.
> 
> Hope that helps.


Love some pics of your reef tanks? 

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk


----------



## SKYE.__.HIGH

Thanks a lot, so you made the hanging kit? And is there a chance you could take a quick pic of your 120-P with whatever is easiest. Pretty please sugar on top. 

Thanks a lot, skye


----------



## mot

SKYE.__.HIGH said:


> Thanks a lot, so you made the hanging kit? And is there a chance you could take a quick pic of your 120-P with whatever is easiest. Pretty please sugar on top.
> 
> Thanks a lot, skye



Haha...no. I did not make the kit it was a package deal with the Ecoxotic LEDs. Do a quick search for Ecoxotic LED hanging kit. Fluval has a similar hanging kit as well.

Bump:


n3hihz said:


> Love some pics of your reef tanks?
> 
> Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk


Sure I have a journal here http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2591143

Enjoy.


----------



## SKYE.__.HIGH

Could you please post a quick full tank shot of your tank with the Fluval 2.0's. 

Thanks, skye


----------



## mot

SKYE.__.HIGH said:


> Could you please post a quick full tank shot of your tank with the Fluval 2.0's.
> 
> Thanks, skye


Just scroll up on this page and you can see the LEDs on the hanging kit.


----------



## SKYE.__.HIGH

Yeah but what I wanted was a picture of the plants and the lights all in one. Is that possible


----------



## mot

SKYE.__.HIGH said:


> Yeah but what I wanted was a picture of the plants and the lights all in one. Is that possible


Hah. Love the enthusiasm. The reveal will be October. The anticipation is the best part!

Bump: Finally knuckled under and automated the planted tank. Couldn't resist after automating everything on the reef tank. Added Auto dosing of fertilizer and auto top off water.


----------



## SKYE.__.HIGH

Thanks for the sneak peak! I didn't know you were entering this one, my bad.


----------



## mot

SKYE.__.HIGH said:


> Thanks for the sneak peak! I didn't know you were entering this one, my bad.


Yep. No worries. Every time I setup these days I plan on entering a contest with it. I'm shooting for 2 a year but it may be too ambitious. We will see.


----------



## JJBTEXAS

Which brand of stainless pipes are you using? Are you happy with them?


----------



## mot

JJBTEXAS said:


> Which brand of stainless pipes are you using? Are you happy with them?


They were off Amazon. Cant remember the brand but they were from overseas. If you dig back through this journal a few pages you may be able to find a link.

I do like them from a maintenance standpoint except for the plastic holders. Wish it had suction cups on the side as the plastic is in the tank and makes it harder to clean around and I have to clean those brackets as well. Performance wise, I think my ADA Lily is much better as far as the outflow pattern the intake is about the same as my CO2 Art glass skimmer pipe.

All in all I am happy enough to stick with them. I would like to look at getting a stainless steel pipe set that had suction cups down the road. I know Seachem just released some.


----------



## JJBTEXAS

mot said:


> They were off Amazon. Cant remember the brand but they were from overseas. If you dig back through this journal a few pages you may be able to find a link.
> 
> I do like them from a maintenance standpoint except for the plastic holders. Wish it had suction cups on the side as the plastic is in the tank and makes it harder to clean around and I have to clean those brackets as well. Performance wise, I think my ADA Lily is much better as far as the outflow pattern the intake is about the same as my CO2 Art glass skimmer pipe.
> 
> All in all I am happy enough to stick with them. I would like to look at getting a stainless steel pipe set that had suction cups down the road. I know Seachem just released some.


I just bought some off of Amazon recently and was a little disappointed in the finish around then bends. Not terrible, but could be better. I agree with you on the holders.


----------



## jsarrow

Mot, your tank is awesome, thanks so much for posting it. I'm curious as to what camera and lens you are using to take these great pictures?


----------



## mot

jsarrow said:


> Mot, your tank is awesome, thanks so much for posting it. I'm curious as to what camera and lens you are using to take these great pictures?


Thanks. Glad to share.

I have a Canon 5d Mkiii with a 24-70mm Canon Lens. Photos are usually in the 24 to 30 mm range. Usually use off camera flash over the tank.


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## TheLordOfTheFish

Fantastic thread. I have a question about how you efficiently measure and dial in the CO2 levels in your tank. Do you have any tips on that subject? to share with us mere mortals?


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## jsarrow

Thanks for the camera info.


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## mot

TheLordOfTheFish said:


> Fantastic thread. I have a question about how you efficiently measure and dial in the CO2 levels in your tank. Do you have any tips on that subject? to share with us mere mortals?



I use a hanna alkalinity checker and a CO2 probe and calculate the approximate CO2 value. This gets me in the ballpark. From there i watch the plants and fine tune. I think that flow through the tank is as important as the CO2 concentration. Also I believe that CO2 mist is beneficial in addition to dissolved CO2.

Hope that helps.


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## TheLordOfTheFish

mot said:


> I use a hanna alkalinity checker and a CO2 probe and calculate the approximate CO2 value. This gets me in the ballpark. From there i watch the plants and fine tune. I think that flow through the tank is as important as the CO2 concentration. Also I believe that CO2 mist is beneficial in addition to dissolved CO2.
> 
> Hope that helps.



Thanks. Could you elaborate on how you are using the alkalinity checker? I know how to use a KH/PH chart to figure out the amount of CO 2. Would this be a similar approach? Or if you know of any literature where i could learn more about this, that'd be awesome too.

Or am I missunderstanding this and the alkalinity checker measures KH (alkalinity=KH)??? That'd be amazing. I'm still a noob


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## sevendust111

Deleted


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## KrypleBerry

Great thread, lots of good info and gorgeous tanks Mot, really very beautiful work. Id love to see you reef build! Good luck in the competitions!


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## mot

TheLordOfTheFish said:


> Thanks. Could you elaborate on how you are using the alkalinity checker? I know how to use a KH/PH chart to figure out the amount of CO 2. Would this be a similar approach? Or if you know of any literature where i could learn more about this, that'd be awesome too.
> 
> Or am I missunderstanding this and the alkalinity checker measures KH (alkalinity=KH)??? That'd be amazing. I'm still a noob


Yes, you understand correctly. KH or dKH is the measurement reading of alkalinity.


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## mot

So the tank has been in "farm" mode since June. Soon this will come down and the 2018 contest scape will be started.


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## KrypleBerry

Beautiful, I like the sweeping right to left flow of the hardscape. Your hard work shows. Looking forward to seeing the new look!


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## SKYE.__.HIGH

When your farm mode looks better than 85% of all other peoples “contest” scapes LOL


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## mot

A few weeks left for farming. Then time to take it down and begin IAPLC 2018 journey.


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## frrok

@mot. Will
You share your IALPC entry?


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## mot

frrok said:


> @mot. Will
> You share your IALPC entry?


Sure will. In about 2 weeks.


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## mot

As promised here is my last contest creation:










Rank 184. In hindsight there is a lot of things I would change about this scape but I think that will always be the case. Lessons learned and moving on to 2018.


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## Greggz

My goodness that is just beautiful and striking.

I see these types of tanks, and I don't know how you guys do it.

It really is creating a piece of art. 

Well done!


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## Syris

Absolutely stunning roud:


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## SingAlongWithTsing

wtf how did that not get higher than 184, it looks better than some in top 27

what plant are you using for the canopy? hydrocotyle tripartia?


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## Nigel95

mot said:


> In hindsight there is a lot of things I would change about this scape but I think that will always be the case.


What did you learn about this scape and what would you do different when doing this scape over? Just curious maybe I can learn .

I feel ya... everytime I set up a scape I see things that could be better. It makes me want to rescape all the time.

Great scape, good luck next scape. Love all the the details on the sand and the busy growth on the trees.


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## BeeBop

First of all absolutely stunning creations. Secondly for a newbie like me you are a professor. I look forward to following you. I hope to have my tank in by the end of December, being built by Custom Aquariums. Thanks for all you do.


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## burr740

One could write a book on all the amazing aspects of this scape. But one one of the most amazing things to me is how you got the fish to pose just right!!

The H tripartita makes nice tree tops, I like that better than moss because it has actual leaves


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## Powerclown

Hi mot,I think that the double pathway was a little bit too much it doesn't look right. Don't get me wrong still a great scape,but for a Iaplc contest the Wow-factor is missing,and that is exactly what they looking for. Good luck for 2018.


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## mot

Appreciate the feedback you all. Lots to love with this scape and lots of room to continue to improve.


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## Ben Belton

I love it. A nice departure from what Karen Randall calls the "twig and moss" scape.


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## doylecolmdoyle

wow love it, truly jaw dropping! keep up the great scaping!


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## SKYE.__.HIGH

Holy crap, I have never seen a canopy scape, never. I have seen many with the big trees and the maze of roots going down the trunk. This is truly beautiful. Iaplc must have been on crack the day they graded yours cause I think they accidentally put a one in front of what the real ranking should have been. 

Best of luck for 2018,

Skye


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Stacy1

That scape is beautiful! I wish I had 1/10 of that talent. Unfortunately I have the creativity of a rock but my eyes know beauty when they see it. You should be very proud of yourself regardless of someone else's ranking numbers. Great work!


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## mot

Thanks to all of you for providing so much feedback. I have started the 2018 contest scape and will be using 200 pounds of black lava rock this year. Ive never worked with it before and it has been quite challenging so far.


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## KrypleBerry

Looking forward to seeing the new scape Mot! This thread has priceless info and a ton of inspiration, thanks for sharing your journey!


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## SKYE.__.HIGH

Hey @mot , I’m curious how your Loki g your Fluval filter still? Any problems? I’m thinking of switching from my 2217 and 2215 to one x4 or even x5 (throttled down). Do you think these would be suitable for a bedroom application (quietness)? What is your filter cleaning entail? 

Thanks a lot, sorry for all the questions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## mot

SKYE.__.HIGH said:


> Hey @mot , I’m curious how your Loki g your Fluval filter still? Any problems? I’m thinking of switching from my 2217 and 2215 to one x4 or even x5 (throttled down). Do you think these would be suitable for a bedroom application (quietness)? What is your filter cleaning entail?
> 
> Thanks a lot, sorry for all the questions.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I have it on the shelf. I broke the ceramic shaft while cleaning and the replacement cost is really high because the part includes all the surrounding parts. So havent shelled out the money yet to get it fixed. I reverted back to my Eheim 2217 but took it out of the closet and put it right next to the tank to increase the flow. Since Ive done that things have been working well.

When I had the Fluval I found that I had to clean much less often as the Eheim. Cleaning was a bit easier. The priming was easier. All in all it was an easier filter to run. One thing I didnt care for is that Fluval ribbed tubing. Adapting from it to lily pipes sucked.

Hope that helps.


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## SKYE.__.HIGH

mot said:


> I have it on the shelf. I broke the ceramic shaft while cleaning and the replacement cost is really high because the part includes all the surrounding parts. So havent shelled out the money yet to get it fixed. I reverted back to my Eheim 2217 but took it out of the closet and put it right next to the tank to increase the flow. Since Ive done that things have been working well.
> 
> 
> 
> When I had the Fluval I found that I had to clean much less often as the Eheim. Cleaning was a bit easier. The priming was easier. All in all it was an easier filter to run. One thing I didnt care for is that Fluval ribbed tubing. Adapting from it to lily pipes sucked.
> 
> 
> 
> Hope that helps.




Thanks a lot, I’d love to see a photo of your closet/undertank equipment and how you connected the Fluval tubing with inline heaters? Thanks for the help though, hardscape reveal would be one step closer to enlightenment as well, lol. 

Thanks skye


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## mot

SKYE.__.HIGH said:


> Thanks a lot, I’d love to see a photo of your closet/undertank equipment and how you connected the Fluval tubing with inline heaters? Thanks for the help though, hardscape reveal would be one step closer to enlightenment as well, lol.
> 
> Thanks skye


What I did was use two reducers right off the Fluval valve/rigid tubing piece Then I attached inline heater, atomizer and lily pipes as normal in the tubing. I found the reducers at local home improvement store in the plumbing area.

Hope that helps.


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## mot

IAPLC 2018 scape is now done and will be entered shortly. Tore the tank down on Wednesday which took 13 hours and set up the new scape on Thursday in 16 hours for the CIAC 2018. Very tired but quite pleased with the results. Will share the results this summer when I can.


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## rover

So awesome. I jumped on the plans and purchased the braces and screws at home depot yesterday... cleaned them all up, removed the stickers, washed and prepped for spray paint...

Only problem now is NO ONE carries untreated 4x4 hardwood here in NJ except for Cedar. I've called a half dozen places w/in 20 miles of my house... 

I don't think Cedar will do this justice, especially for $180 in lumber alone? That would put me at about $260 w/ screws and paint and hw. I'm picturing splintery jungle gym posts... Not what I want for that kind of investment. Getting depressed now... shopping and cleaning and now will just be returning most likely. ;o(

I'm now considering this from Costco and just not using the wheels as it would give it double the support strength I'm sure. A 55 gallon tank w/ rocks and such inside must weight 650lbs...

Whalen 48" Metal & Wood Work Bench
https://www.costco.com/.product.1600090.html

Hope I find a wood supplier or this project will just be a dream... Thanks though.

Rov


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## mot

Very cool find on the bench.


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## mot

So its been awhile and Ive been busy. Closed my IT consulting business and retired in April. I have been aquascaping harder than ever. This year was a good year for rankings.

Competed in the China International Aquascaping Contest and placed 22nd. Won a fully paid trip to China where I competed in the Live contest with 26 others who ranked the best in their country.










Was an honor to present my creation on the big screen.










We were given the materials and 6 hours to aquascape a 90p in front of the public. Here is my creation.










Was proud to come home with Rank 7 in the world.

The best part was making so many great friends and just having a blast.










In a couple weeks Ill be able to reveal my IAPLC 2018 entry which placed 84th.

Looking forward to next year.


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## Greggz

Congratulations and WOW!

Stunning presentations. Living art. 

I could never do it, but sure do appreciate those who can. 

Really, really impressive.


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## SKYE.__.HIGH

Oh my, you are a truly talented individual. Thanks for all your insight on the hobby. Sure has helped me.


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## frrok

Jeff. Do you have an Insta account where you will post your layout for iaplc?


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## mot

Hey bud. Yes you can follow me on facebook at jeffmiotke.7 or insta at jeffmiotke

Bump: Ill post my IAPLC 2018 here as well shortly.


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## billb

Congratulations on your 65th place in the 2020 IAPLC competition!


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