# High-Tech 10 Gallon Planted Shrimp Tank (PICTURE HEAVY)



## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

First let me take a minute and thank everyone on this forum who have posted and asked questions and even more thanks to everyone else who took the time to answer those questions as well as my own. Because of you I feel like I have finally built a tank that (assuming it doesn't go to hell) will be the best I have ever done. 

And Now ON TO THE SHOW!

*Equipment*
10 gallon Aqueon tank (Thank you Petco for your Dollar a Gallon Sale) 
Finnex HMA-50S 50w Titanium Heater
Fluval Aquaclear 30
EHEIM Skim 350 Aquarium Filter

*Lighting*
Current USA Planted Plus Pro

*Substrate*
Black Diamond Blasting Sand (2040)

*Hardscape*
Seiryu stone 

*Flora*
Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo' for the carpet
Staurogyne Repens
Alternanthera reineckii 'Mini'

*Fauna*
3 Caridina multidentata (Amano Shrimp) [Cleaning Crew 1.0]
3 Otocinclus [Cleaning Crew 2.0]
Started with 4 Black Diamond Shrimp and now I have over 20

*CO2*
Red Sea CO2 System 500 attached to a Paintball tank

I am still debating if I should wait it out and do a Dry Start Method (worried since I have never done it before) or if I should just flood the tank now and get the filter and heater running. 

_*ADVICE WELCOME*_

Here are some pictures of my progress so far. 
















Again Please Advice welcome, this is my first time doing something this at this level and I don't want to mess it up lol


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

I really could use some advice here. I don't want to mess up this lol I don't think I can afford to get the plants a second time lol I really could use some advice from people who have done the Dry Start Method using BDBS and any advice they want to give. What should I be on the look out for, do I need to use ferts now or when I flood the tank, again..... advice requested.


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## SKYE.__.HIGH (Mar 18, 2017)

I have never used BDBS but I have used other types of substrate for the DS method. I would recommend you go less than more in my experience. You can tell if they are getting dried out and don’t let that happen but definitely do not over water. If you are going to put any fertilizer in your spray bottle then I would recommend a very little amount. I did it before and I could see the different ferts on the leaves once the water had evaporated. Lean is key. Hope this helps, Skye


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

I am here for my Week 2 update. 

So far things are doing ok. I have gotten a routine down for misting and airing out the tank. The Staurogyne Repens are starting to grow and I am happy to see that. and it looks like the Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo' is doing pretty good too. I am not seeing any dying leaves or mold growing. 

My Alternanthera reineckii 'Mini' however seems to be dying and I am not sure if it is because I planted them at the highest point of the scape and they just aren't getting enough water or if there is some other reason. They didn't look all that great when I got the plants but I thought maybe they would bounce back.... I guess we will have to see. 

I also picked up some Dry Start Spray from the Glosso Factory with hopes that it will help give the plants the ferts they need during the DSM. If it works well I may ditch my Seachem line of ferts and go with their system. It seems pretty well organized. Has anyone had any experience with them? (Maybe a question for the ferts section of the forum)

Anyone else done a DSM with BDBS? Any feedback would be welcome


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Day 16 update. I really haven't seen much in the way of growth on the Monte Carlo and I think the AR Mini is trying to hold in there. I am switching from a once a day misting to a 3 times a day misting where on the third time in the day I soak up any excess water from the substrate using paper towels (Viva brand ones are great for this and totally reusable) I am hoping that by increasing the frequency the AR Mini doesn't die off because its roots are getting water more consistently. 

I was looking online and saw that Current USA now offers a Serene Freshwater LED Kit which is basically backlighting for your aquarium. So i took an old Ikea Dioder  that I had and set it up behind my tanks. It doesn't look as fancy as the one they have but its still a cool effect. 






Please feel free to offer any feedback . I really would appreciate it.


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Day 21 Update (3 weeks in whoo hoo!)

OK, so this dry start method is really challenging me each day. Not because its difficult... its because I really want to flood my tank as more time passes! lol However patience and routine has been the key. 


Looks like my new routine of misting 3 times a day has been helping the AR Mini. Its starting to bounce back and I am starting to see new growth! (SUPER EXCITED) Sadly I don't think all of it is going to bounce back so I may have to use some clippings later to fill in the gaps. Everything else seems to be doing good as well. I have gotten a little bit of leaf burn on the S. Repens (largely in part to my over use of the Fert Spray) but I seem to have the dosing amount under control now so lets see how it turns out. 

So for those out there who have done the DSM before and you used Monte Carlo.... how long did you wait to flood your tank? 

Please feel free to offer any feedback or suggestions.


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## Thelongsnail (Dec 2, 2015)

I'm afraid I can't help with tips on DSM, but just wanted to say that this is going to look great once it's filled in! 

I wish my country's fish stores did a £1 per gallon sale, super jealous!


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Thank you so much for the encouraging words! I really hope it looks as good in real life as it does in my head lol!


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## Quagulator (May 4, 2015)

MEandYouPhoto said:


> So for those out there who have done the DSM before and you used Monte Carlo.... how long did you wait to flood your tank?


It took me about 30 minutes before I flooded my tank  

I never understood the dry start method. Strong lights, CO2 and ferts = carpet without a dry start in like 2-3 months, so why even bother with a dry start? That's how I see it anyway. 

My vote: Flood the tank, crank the CO2 while there is no livestock and watch as the plants fill in.


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Day 28 (4 Weeks since planting)

I have had really good success with my system of misting 3 times a day, soaking up all the excess water about 25 minutes after the 3rd misting and then applying the Gloss Factory Dry Start ferts right before I covered it up for the rest of the night. It looked like the AR Mini was is starting to come back in some areas but it is not going to be as many as I had planted. Looks like I will have to get another batch of the plants to fill the gaps later on. 

Today is Sunday and a few days before Thanksgiving and I have run into a little problem. I realized I was going to be away from home for a period of 4 days and it would be impossible to keep up on my routine. So I have decided to flood the tank today. I went about it a little differently than some people. I decided to take half of the water out of my low tech planted Betta tank and transfer it into the new tank. Then I topped off each of the tanks with a load of fresh water. Hopefully it will help cycle the tank a little faster. (Both were then treated with Seachem Prime) 

Heater is set up, Filter is running and CO2 is being fed in through side of the intake tube of the AC30 and I have been pushing it hard and heavy to get a lot of CO2 in there right away.

In preparation for the new tank. 3 weeks ago I took the AC30 and set it up to run in tandem on my existing 10 gallon Betta tank to cycle the media and get some bacteria growing. 

So today starts Day 1 of the flooded tank

Here are some pictures 










Now here is really where I could use some advice. 

First..... When should I perform my first water change

Second ...... When should I start with the ferts. Currently I have pretty much ALL of the Seachem line of ferts. (Flourish, Iron, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium, Trace) I will probably use these up and then switch to Dry Ferts.

Any other changes I should make now that I have flooded the tank?


Thanks!


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## tls2death (Jan 7, 2018)

You put your CO2 line into your filter intake? Is there a reason you're not using a diffuser?


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

tls2death said:


> You put your CO2 line into your filter intake? Is there a reason you're not using a diffuser?


Honestly when I got the CO2 kit Red Sea CO2 System 500 (Paintball Bottles) it comes with a large bulky "turbo reactor" and it seemed to lose more C02 than it helped to dissolve. So after looking online I came across a few posts about people feeding the C02 line into their intake on their HOB filters and allowing the impeller to dissolve the gas into the water column. It has worked pretty well for the last couple of years. Didn't really see a reason to change it up.


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## kaldurak (May 2, 2010)

You should start fertilizing the water column now that you have one 😉 the plants don't stop eating just because their environment changed.


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Quagulator said:


> My vote: Flood the tank, crank the CO2 while there is no livestock and watch as the plants fill in.


I have a question about the "crank the CO2" part. Do I want to just get the CO2 up to green in the drop checker or should I go full yellow since I don't have to worry about killing any livestock? And if yellow then how long should I let it run like that before I start to dial it back in preparation for livestock?



kaldurak said:


> You should start fertilizing the water column now that you have one 😉 the plants don't stop eating just because their environment changed.


Good point. I have stared adding ferts as of today and I am working with some great folks over in the Ferts section of the forum to work out a good dosing schedule.


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## Quagulator (May 4, 2015)

MEandYouPhoto said:


> I have a question about the "crank the CO2" part. Do I want to just get the CO2 up to green in the drop checker or should I go full yellow since I don't have to worry about killing any livestock? And if yellow then how long should I let it run like that before I start to dial it back in preparation for livestock?


Drop checkers should be a light yellow colour even with fish in the tank. 

Aim for a 1.0 drop in pH to start (if there is livestock) 

No livestock, go for a 1.5 drop in pH. Dial this back to 1.0 when you decide to add fish, let them adapt and then bring it up a few more points to 1.2 or 1.3. 

Measure tank water without any CO2 dissolved in it. That is your baseline pH. Then measure the pH throughout the CO2 period and note your peak drop in pH. Adjust as needed to reach the 1.0 - 1.5 drop. 

Most reports on journals here with fish are in the 1.0 - 1.4 range. You should be able to get away with the higher numbers because you're running a HOB filter, so lots of agitation / O2 exchange.


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Quagulator said:


> MEandYouPhoto said:
> 
> 
> > I have a question about the "crank the CO2" part. Do I want to just get the CO2 up to green in the drop checker or should I go full yellow since I don't have to worry about killing any livestock? And if yellow then how long should I let it run like that before I start to dial it back in preparation for livestock?
> ...


Ok in the past I have just let the CO2 run 100% of the time because my system is manual on and off I do not have the ability to automate it. I do understand that this will waste CO2 But I have found that it makes things more consistent. 

But you mention that the drop checker should be bright yellow even with livestock in the tank. How do you know how much CO2 is too much?


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## Quagulator (May 4, 2015)

MEandYouPhoto said:


> Ok in the past I have just let the CO2 run 100% of the time because my system is manual on and off I do not have the ability to automate it. I do understand that this will waste CO2 But I have found that it makes things more consistent.
> 
> But you mention that the drop checker should be bright yellow even with livestock in the tank. How do you know how much CO2 is too much?


You watch for fish gasping at the surface. That is too much CO2. Check the drop in pH and adjust 0.1 less, and watch again, repeat. 

24/7 is perfectly fine, just ensure you aren't gassing the fish at night. Run an airstone at night, have the airstone turn off an hour or two before the lights come on to let CO2 build up a little.


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Day 35 (Day 7 since flooding) 

Well this is the first full week since I flooded the tank and its been a mixed bag of excitement and worry.

For the excitement part. It looks like the Monte Carlo had enough time to set up roots in the BDBS. This is good because now I don't have to worry about it floating. Also the Monte Carlo and the AR Mini are showing some new growth since I flooded the tank so that is also good news and the S Repens is of course rockin it like a champ. 

The worry part comes also with the Monte Carlo and the AR Mini lol I am getting a huge section melting back so i am hoping it will recover in time. 

For ferts I think I am going to use the *Seachem Planted Aquarium Dosing Calendar* from their website at least until I run out of the stock of Liquid ferts I have. Then I will switch to dry ferts and try my hand at the true EI dosing

New Pics for the week


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## KZB (Jan 3, 2018)

Very nice looking tank. I would recommend getting a timer for your co2. They are very inexpensive. Also save you a lot of time refilling a paintball co2 tank, and your livestock especially shrimp will thank you.


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

KZB said:


> Very nice looking tank. I would recommend getting a timer for your co2. They are very inexpensive. Also save you a lot of time refilling a paintball co2 tank, and your livestock especially shrimp will thank you.


 Thank you for the compliment and the advice. Sadly, a timer isn't the issue for my C02 lol as I have several of those. The unit I purchased doesn't come with a solenoid it is only a manual dial that I can turn on or off. Some day i hope to get a proper CO2 unit with solenoid but right now that is just an expense I can't afford. I am curious about your advice about the shrimp however. I know you can gas out fish by adding too much CO2. But I figured that since I have my CO2 feeding in through the HOB that it will dissipate faster. Right now I don't have any livestock in the tank and likely won't until the carpet grows in and the AR Mini starts to grow out.


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## KZB (Jan 3, 2018)

If you plan to run co2 24/7, maybe throw in an aerator on a timer that turn on when lights are off. Just to make sure your shrimps and other livestock are ok.


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

KZB said:


> If you plan to run co2 24/7, maybe throw in an aerator on a timer that turn on when lights are off. Just to make sure your shrimps and other livestock are ok.


 I will definitely look into that. It has been suggested by some other people that the HOB will offer enough gas exchange and surface agitation to help dissipate the CO2 but if I need to add an aerator I certainly will.


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## Quagulator (May 4, 2015)

MEandYouPhoto said:


> I will definitely look into that. It has been suggested by some other people that the HOB will offer enough gas exchange and surface agitation to help dissipate the CO2 but if I need to add an aerator I certainly will.


Just keep an eye on it for the first night, shrimp don't require as much O2 as fish (all species are different) from a chart I found on the interweb... If you see them distressed you may need an air stone, but a HOB should offer a lot if not max surface agitation.


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Day 42 (Day 14 since flooding) 

The MC is FINALLY starting to really fill in! It is just amazing how much of a difference it is from last week. I got to wondering if it was possible to take some of the clippings and replant them into a mesh screen or into one of the other more bare areas and it looks like the answer for that would be no. It however may be possible to trim off a section of the new growth (roots and all) and transplant it into some of the other areas to help it spread out more evenly. I may try that later if the center melts away too much more. I took my python hose and lightly ran it over some of the old growth and melted leaves to try to extract some of them and unfortunately that wasn't very successful. So I took a chopstick and just went in there and broke up all of the dead stuff (it made a huge mess) and gathered up the new growth into a clump and replanted it. I will have to see how it turns out. 

The AR Mini is the trickiest part of this whole thing. It is growing fine in a couple of clumps but the rest of it is pretty much died away. I figure I will give it a couple of more months to grow out and then see if I can propagate the stems 

Worse case scenario is I just let it all die off and fill it in with the S. Repens because it is just going wild in there. 

New pictures of the week











Any feedback is welcome!


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## KZB (Jan 3, 2018)

It's looking Great. Looks like it's getting established nicely in your substrate. Your carpet will love trimming. Dont be afraid to give it a mowing. It will encourage it to keep sending out side shoots. If you decide to trim and replant. If your able to trim nice patches still intact. Just place in the substrate with a little rock to hold it down until to send roots down into your substrate


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Day 49 (Day 21 since flooding) 

This week started out normal enough, Dosing according to the Seachem dosing chart. Weekly water change and 12 hour photo period. CO2 at probably 12-15 bps lol ( probably overkill but I am going to start dialing it back in the next couple of weeks ) 

What I wasn't expecting was for my CO2 canister to run out over the weekend while i was gone for 3 days. 

So as soon as I got home I took a look at the tank and noticed that some green algae had started to grow on the Seiryu stone and a little on the glass. I didn't see any growing on the plants so it looked like I might have dodged a bullet. I immediately did a canister change (paintball tanks are easy) and a 50% water change (worked out well because I normally do them on Sunday nights anyway) I took a toothbrush and started scrubbing away at the stones to tear some of the algae off and once the water change was done then threw in a double dose of Excel. It looks like I really got lucky this time but I will have to make sure I keep a closer eye on the CO2 and make sure I don't run out again while I am gone for any period of time. 

Here are this weeks picture updates 






Second surprise of the day was after I did the water changes on my 3 tanks (this one, betta tank and turtle tank) My Amano Shrimp finally decided to release her eggs. (I know they wont survive but its cool to see them in the tank) 

The shrimp that are going into the new tank are currently housed in the Betta tank until their new home is fully grown in and ready for them. 

Thought I would throw in some bonus pictures of the Betta tank and the shrimp











White spots are not on Betta they are the baby Amano shrimp floating through the water


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Day 51 (Day 23 since flooding) 

Starting to see a little algae growing on some of the leaves of the S. Repens, trying some targeted dosing of Excel to see if I can kill it off before it grows wild. I want to make some adjustments with my CO2 and dial it back a little as I don't want to blow through a 24oz paintball tank in two weeks again. I do have 3 tanks so but I would like to try to make it last as much as I can. 

For a heavily stocked 10 gallon tank how many bps seems reasonable? 1-2 .... 20? lol 

Feedback would be much appreciated.


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## Quagulator (May 4, 2015)

MEandYouPhoto said:


> Day 51 (Day 23 since flooding)
> 
> Starting to see a little algae growing on some of the leaves of the S. Repens, trying some targeted dosing of Excel to see if I can kill it off before it grows wild. I want to make some adjustments with my CO2 and dial it back a little as I don't want to blow through a 24oz paintball tank in two weeks again. I do have 3 tanks so but I would like to try to make it last as much as I can.
> 
> ...


Use pH drop as a more accurate measure. 

2 BPS is a good starting point.


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## fiji (Jul 12, 2018)

Nice looking tank man!

so it looks like the melt back recovered just fine in the back?


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Quagulator said:


> Use pH drop as a more accurate measure.
> 
> 2 BPS is a good starting point.


Quagulator. Can you recommend a good thread on this topic. I honestly want to learn more about it but I am not entirely sure what you mean.




fiji said:


> Nice looking tank man!
> 
> so it looks like the melt back recovered just fine in the back?


Thank you for the compliment!

If you are speaking about the AR Mini... I would say "sorta" The sprouts you see are only about 1/4 of what I actually planted originally. It is starting to grow back in some places I will have to see if it springs back in a few of the more bare areas. If not I will either order another TC portion or I will just use the clippings off of these sprouts to fill in the gaps.


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## Quagulator (May 4, 2015)

MEandYouPhoto said:


> Quagulator. Can you recommend a good thread on this topic. I honestly want to learn more about it but I am not entirely sure what you mean.


Measure pH (preferably with a calibrate pH pen / probe not the liquid drop tests). 

Measure the tank's fully degassed water, 1 hour BEFORE the CO2 comes on for the day. 

Wait until the tank is at its maximum amount of dissolved CO2 and measure pH again.

A 0.8 - 1.0 drop before the lights come on is a good starting place, with a peak drop of 1.0 - 1.3 throughout the day. Watch livestock as you slowly increase CO2 over the course of DAYS. If they are gasping, measure / note pH and make an adjustment.


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Quagulator said:


> Measure pH (preferably with a calibrate pH pen / probe not the liquid drop tests).
> 
> Measure the tank's fully degassed water, 1 hour BEFORE the CO2 comes on for the day.
> 
> ...


As mentioned previously I currently do not have a way to automate my CO2 injection. I do not have a solenoid on my Paintball tank unit. So I choose currently to run it 24/7 and it is fed into the intake of my HOB where the impeller chops up the CO2 and adds it back to the water column. Since I am using a HOB I am getting a fair amount of surface agitation and gas exchange. 

I will probably look into getting a pH pen online (any suggestions for what to look for in one?) 

Some day I hope to get a proper CO2 kit and a 5lb tank to go along with it but for the time being working with what I have.


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## Mighty Quinn (Jul 24, 2017)

Anything to update? It's been nearly four weeks since you flooded and I am curious to know how things are going. 

Nice job so far! I've been following this thread closely because I am planning to start a tank using DSM in the next week or so.


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## Quagulator (May 4, 2015)

MEandYouPhoto said:


> As mentioned previously I currently do not have a way to automate my CO2 injection. I do not have a solenoid on my Paintball tank unit. So I choose currently to run it 24/7 and it is fed into the intake of my HOB where the impeller chops up the CO2 and adds it back to the water column. Since I am using a HOB I am getting a fair amount of surface agitation and gas exchange.
> 
> I will probably look into getting a pH pen online (any suggestions for what to look for in one?)
> 
> Some day I hope to get a proper CO2 kit and a 5lb tank to go along with it but for the time being working with what I have.


Might be best to do some searching for other threads regarding 24/7 use, as I am not experienced in that department 

I also run a non-solenoid paintball setup, I did purchase a https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-Instruments-MA955-Solenoid-Dosing/dp/B00C2DVD2W and it has served my well for 4-5 years and counting.


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Quagulator said:


> Might be best to do some searching for other threads regarding 24/7 use, as I am not experienced in that department
> 
> I also run a non-solenoid paintball setup, I did purchase a https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-Instruments-MA955-Solenoid-Dosing/dp/B00C2DVD2W and it has served my well for 4-5 years and counting.


OMG I didn't even know you could get those! lol Can you show a picture of how you have yours connected?

Any issues you had with its setup that I should be aware of?


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## Quagulator (May 4, 2015)

MEandYouPhoto said:


> OMG I didn't even know you could get those! lol Can you show a picture of how you have yours connected?
> 
> Any issues you had with its setup that I should be aware of?


This is the only picture I have currently. 










It's straight forward. 

Run a line of CO2 tubing from the regulator into the "in" end of the solenoid, and then out the "out" end of the solenoid. Hook the solenoid up to a simple outlet timer and you're done. No issues 5 years of use on mine.


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Quagulator said:


> This is the only picture I have currently.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


ROFL you are using the exact same CO2 system I am lol Thanks Quagulator!


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## kaldurak (May 2, 2010)

Heh, my solenoid failed. I am now the solenoid, manually turning my co2 tank on and off. I'll eventually replace it.


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Mighty Quinn said:


> Anything to update? It's been nearly four weeks since you flooded and I am curious to know how things are going.
> 
> Nice job so far! I've been following this thread closely because I am planning to start a tank using DSM in the next week or so.


Thank you for following, I hope it helps you as well in your new tank.


Day 56 (Day 28 since flooding) 

Well the algae battle rages on but it looks like I am winning so far. I continue to go in each day and use a tooth brush to clean off the glass and the Seiryu stone. I also added my 3 Amano Shrimp into the tank (cleaning crew 1.0) and they are doing a great job of keeping the plants clean of algae. I have had to dial back my photo-period from 12 hours back down to 8 (I may slowly increase it over the next couple of weeks once things balance back out again.) 

Last week after I took pictures and did an update I took one of the clumps of Monte Carlo out of the front right corner and placed it in the front center in one of the less filled in areas. I was surprised at the amount of root growth I had gotten out of something as simple as BDBS and some ferts. I don't think it was on par with a nutrient rich substrate like Aquasoil or the like but it was still about an inch in root growth. I got lucky in the fact that the clump just went right into the substrate without any extra work needed and seems to have started to grow out. The hole that it left behind has already started to fill in from the other surrounding MC. 

I keep thinking to myself how much I wish that the MC grew faster but then I go back and take a look at the pictures over the last several weeks and I realize how fast it has been growing!

Here are new pictures for this week!








BTW if anyone knows a good method for taking pictures of your tank from the top down (without getting bad light reflections) please let me know! lol


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Day 64 (Day 36 since flooding) 

Christmas Eve Update!

Last week I transferred my 3 Amano Shrimp into the tank and while they are good algae eaters there was just no way they were going to be able to keep up with the needs of this tank.

Mid week pictures from about 3 days ago. You will see there is good algae growth on the Seiryu stone and some algae is starting to grow on the S. Repens. The glass is starting to look hazy because the algae is growing pretty rapidly on there as well.








I have already reduced my photoperiod down from 12 hours to 8 and I have been trying to keep the CO2 levels up to about 3 bps so it was time to bring in "The Heavy Hitters"



3 days ago I introduced 3 Otocinclus to the tank and let me tell you. Those little guys know how to clean a tank!!!

Here are pics from today (just 3 days later)









I didn't do anything different. I didn't clean anything after adding them to the tank and I only did a 50% water change today. 

The Amano shrimp have decided to make their home in the A.R. Mini They seem to spend most of their time in there but still venture out into the rest of the tank from time to time. 

As far as the A.R. Mini is concerned I am glad with its growth and I am looking forward to letting it grow so that I can trim it and replant the tops in the bare areas. I really want to get that area of the tank to be as filled in and bushy as the S. Repens has become. 

On a slightly scary note. After my water change I heard the distinctive "dripping" sound hitting the carpet behind the tank. I rushed back there and sure enough the Fluval Aquaclear 30 looked like it was leaking but luckily it wasn't. It had been bumped during cleaning and had been tilted just ever so slightly that the water was starting to drip out the back of the filter instead of all of it cascading out the front. I was fortunate to catch it in time. 

One day I might want to upgrade from a HOB on the tanks to a small canister filter, Anyone have any suggestions for a 10 gallon? I have two tanks I would be looking to replace each for. This one (Planted Shrimp tank) and my Betta Tank. 

Anyway I hope everyone has a great Holiday!


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Day 72 (Day 44 since flooding) 

Happy New Year TPT!!!!

I wanted to take a minute and throw in my weekly update. From this point forward I am going to only really make updates when there are some significant changes or if any questions pop up. I wanted to also take a couple of minutes and thank everyone who has given me advice and helped me through this process. And to those Naysayers who say you can't grow a tank like this with nothing more than Black Diamond Blasting Sand.... Well suckers you were wrong!!! lol 

Yes, there were other factors. Such as: 
I did use a fertilizer designed for the Dry Start Method and it did require a lot of work to get here. 
I used Osmocote root tabs
Misting several times a day, absorbing the excess water out every day.
Performing weekly 50% water changes after I flooded the tank. 
A good filter, lights and heater
Seachem liquid fertilizers worked great


Your mileage may vary but for me it worked out pretty well.

Here are some pics of the tank for January 1 2019 





































My next planned update will probably be in two weeks when I do my first trimming, The Monte Carlo is about 1.5 inches thick and the S. Repens have easily grown to 3 inches tall. 

I am going to leave the A.R. Mini alone and let it grow out some more before I trim it. I want to have enough to be able to top it and replant it in the bare areas in the back corner. 

Until then Happy New Year!


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Day 85 (Day 57 since flooding) 

Well as promised I am giving a new update. Today... was the tanks first trimming!

I gave the Monte Carlo a good mowing down so that it is only about 1/2 to 1 inch thick in most places. I also cut the S. Repens down to about half size across the board and then replanted probably 30 stems back into the tank. 

This left me with 2 pretty full quart sized baggies full of trimmings that I will probably give away locally. I also bagged up the Monte Carlo and I will see if anyone wants to try their hand at DSM with them. 

I left the A.R. Mini alone this time as I want to let them grow out a little more before I top them but they back corner is looking great now. 


Here are current pictures of the tank after the cutting. I only regret not taking a picture of it all before I trimmed. The small rocks were almost completely buried and the larger rocks were only showing their tops. The growth was amazing once it got established!


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## KZB (Jan 3, 2018)

All the plants look nice and healthy. keep up the good work.


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## Jamo33 (Feb 18, 2014)

Awesome work! Love the tank and your persistence! I'm in the midst of my DSM and happy to know that you can pull through it to the other side and be this successful!


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## fiji (Jul 12, 2018)

Great journal man!


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

Day 92 (Day 64 since flooding) 

Wow, what a journey this has been. When I envisioned this in my head originally I had a goal. I wanted to make a layout that was visually appealing and one that would allow for a stable environment to keep shrimp in as well as a few other types of livestock. This setup is in my Game Room and sits about 5 feet from my desk. So it was going to always be something I could look at and I wanted to be happy with the results. Well here it is 3 months later and I feel like I have succeeded. 

Last week I did my first trimming on the tank and mowed the MC down to about half its height. It was pale and patchy yellow underneath and didn't look all that great but this week its green and lush again and growing growing like mad. The S. Repens has lost some of its bushiness and I suspect it will keep growing but I want to make sure and keep it short. The A.R. Mini was finally topped this week. It had grown to about 5 inches in height on some of the stems so I decided to top about 6-7 of the stems and use them to fill in the back corner. 

This is by far the most advanced and beautiful tank I have ever attempted and I owe it all to every person here who has given me advice, challenged me and helped me with ever post I made. 

I doubt I will be making any further posts to this thread anytime soon as currently I have reached a plateau for the tank. My next step will be to get some kind of Neocaridina shrimp to put in the tank. I have Red Cherry Shrimp in my Betta tank and they are doing really well. I would eventually like to get some kind of other shrimp to keep in this new tank but finding someone here locally that sells is challenging. I don't really want to buy from an online retailer as the shipping costs really increase the overall cost of the shrimp. 

Here are today's pictures (and probably the last for a while)


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