# Down_Shift's ADA 60P *Back from the dead after 8 months



## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

My 2.5g with plants that might go into the new tank.










Moved the 2.5g, replaced with the 60P!









The Filter stuff.









Cutting a cheapo Mat and foam black board. Double sided taped the Board to the tank.

















Final look










The Cabinet under my counter stores some canned goods and pots. I cleaned out the top shelf and used it for the canister/co2. I measured out the Canister thinking it would fit, but I forgot to include the hose outlet/inlets doh. So my drawer has to stay slightly open to give the clearance needed for the hoses.









Drilled Hole for the hoses.


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## MARIMOBALL (Mar 18, 2007)

Ahh another 60P congrats on your purchase. Rimless tanks look so much bigger that regular tanks. Looks like a good collection of equipment. What substrate will you be using?


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

MARIMOBALL said:


> Ahh another 60P congrats on your purchase. Rimless tanks look so much bigger that regular tanks. Looks like a good collection of equipment. What substrate will you be using?



I have a whole bag of Shultz's and some left over Flourite from my friend's tank. I also picked up a 20lb bag of Eco Complete Black. Will probably leave the Flourte/Shultz mix on the bottom and top it with the Eco Complete. I'm tempted to do a huge slope so I will need alot of substrate! 


(Any Suggestions / Criticisms are welcome)


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## MARIMOBALL (Mar 18, 2007)

Hmm the substrate may mix over time and create an unatural look. I say just keep the eco. 
BTW don't forget to add something under the tank. I found black foam board at target for $3.50 and its almost as good as the ADA garden mat. Im sure you know but the ADA logo should be on the bottom right corner of the front of the tank.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Well that took me a good part of the evening. Now I'm waiting for the light to come in, along with the glassware and Co2 equipment. 

I'm afraid I won't have enough clearance for the light since the cabinet is right above the tank! We'll see what happens tomorrow.

And I didn't get rid of my 2.5g!! It made its way into a IKEA Cube shelf.. ~10 RCS shrimps hanging out in there.









The Moss I'm trying to keep going for the tank..


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

MARIMOBALL said:


> Hmm the substrate may mix over time and create an unatural look. I say just keep the eco.
> BTW don't forget to add something under the tank. I found black foam board at target for $3.50 and its almost as good as the ADA garden mat. Im sure you know but the ADA logo should be on the bottom right corner of the front of the tank.



1 20lb bag of Eco seems really little.. Especially if I were to make a giant slop for a tree or something. Should I just go out and get a 2nd bag?


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## MARIMOBALL (Mar 18, 2007)

use the same blackboard for the bottom of the tank. I used the same type of mat on my 60P and during my rescape I noticed it created a vacuum between the tank and stand. It felt like the tank was going to break when I tried to remove it.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

MARIMOBALL said:


> use the same blackboard for the bottom of the tank. I used the same type of mat on my 60P and during my rescape I noticed it created a vacuum between the tank and stand. It felt like the tank was going to break when I tried to remove it.



Good call. I actually had to semi fight with the tank to move it around.. and I wasn't sure if the pressure I was using might cause some stress on the glass! I'll pick up another foam board tomorrow and put it ontop of the sticky mat!


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## MARIMOBALL (Mar 18, 2007)

start with one bag maybe black sand underneath to save you some money. but if you can afford it, get more eco. remember its gonna last a couple of years. So its good to do it now than later.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

MARIMOBALL said:


> start with one bag maybe black sand underneath to save you some money. but if you can afford it, get more eco. remember its gonna last a couple of years. So its good to do it now than later.



I was trying to look for black sand. No one sells any locally and I'd rather not pay for shipping / wait for shipping. That's why I was going to fill the bottom with the Shutlz :icon_roll

You're right about it mixing though. Once I'm ready to fill the tank, I'll put one bag in first. If that doesn't work out, I'll just go down the street to pick up another bag of Eco!


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## moogoo (Dec 7, 2007)

great stuff man! i'm looking to upgrade my perfecto 30g to a 75-P once I've got the money and time to work on the setup. This time around I will do it right from the beginning with automated dosing and topping off. 

Keep us updated on your progress.  Look forward to seeing your hardscape.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Not much of an update.. Took people's suggestion on putting a foam board under the tank. Got my Coralife 65w 10k in yesterday. Set it up and wasn't really happy with the fugly brown color of the casing.. I bought some black plastic spray paint from Homedepot today.. will try to spray it black when I have time.

CO2 Tank in today.. except.. they sent me the WRONG ONE... I ordered a 2.5lb to fit in my cabinet, they sent me a 5lb... Surprisingly the 5lb actually JUST fit in the cabinet, but I don't know if the regulator will make it taller. Regulator comes in on Friday, so I'll test fit it. If it doesn't fit, I'll have to call them up and send this one back.

Here's a pic of how it looks now.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

That's so exciting! I've been planning my 60p that I'm going to get this Christmas since July. I can't wait to see this set up. The regulator should only come around .5 inches above the top of the 5#, at least that's the way it is for my tank


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Well just finished up on blacking out the Coralife. It's drying right now.

Here are some pics of the process.. Only took about.. 20 minutes tops.


Ugly Original color:










Prep---- Sanding down and mask out what I didn't want painted.











Just finished painting:









Still has the Coralife Logo (still need to pull off the rest of the masking tape):











And I cut the rear section because you don't see it anyways.. I mainly didn't want to paint it because there was the switch, safety label, and power cord. So I just masked and made a cut:


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## moogoo (Dec 7, 2007)

i thought the coralife fixtures had an aluminum housing? guess not. why did you sand it? 

looks good either way though.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

moogoo said:


> i thought the coralife fixtures had an aluminum housing? guess not. why did you sand it?
> 
> looks good either way though.



It is aluminum. The white stuff you see is the original paint. You don't have to sand it, but I prefer sanding before I paint. It lets the paint adhere to the surface better.


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## leemik (Oct 14, 2008)

Looks good.. You should have painted it Ferrari red :thumbsup:


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Sorry slaya, I'm not balla like you. Hottest RedLiNeZ EvA OMgZ.

-Slayerz Inc


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Almost there...

CO2 regulator came in today.. so the Dr Foster Smith semi auto kit... comes with a Azoo Regulator.. just an fyi for anyone that was looking into it.

The Diffuser came broken, they are replacing it. I plan on using a nano one anyways. The diffuser they offer is INSANELY big..




















I have the bubble counter in the cabinet.. Figured it would be cleaner that way. The only thing I don't like is, it has suction cups on it.. so it keeps falling off the cabinet.. I'm going to drill it into the wood tomorrow as it's almost 1am here!



Oh and here are some plants.













Plan for tomorrow includes drilling the counter holder into the cabinet and filling my CO2 tank as the co2 places are only open during the weekdays :icon_roll I'll probably start putting in the substrate tomorrow also. I'm still planning on using eco complete with a mix of some Schultz/Flourite. 

I want to get my lily pipes in before I really get the tank running.

Drop Checker was shipped today though :thumbsup:


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## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Looking top notch man. Keep it up!:thumbsup:


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## leemik (Oct 14, 2008)

put some water on the suction cups and it'll hold better


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## guitardude9187 (Aug 22, 2006)

good progress man, any idea for the scape or are you going to piece it together when you put the tank together?


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

That's some nice stuff


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Had some issues with filling the co2 this weekend.

Also had some issues with the canister filter ehh.. I guess it doesn't run with without the tank being mostly full =X.. also need to fix the hoses.. yikes.. I'm such a noob.. First time with a canister haha.

Tank is half full of water.. driftwood/rocks are all ties with moss now.. 

I ended up using the Flourite/SMS instead of the Eco. I think it's just too much black in the tank.

I need to finish up tomorrow.. and Where the F are my lily pipes???


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

So the tank is running on a spray bar right now until my pipes come in. Grr..

Co2 filled today. Will mess with the regulator and stuff tonight. 

I'm not very happy with my scape.

My stems I got were all bent and crooked. Also I don't how I want it set up.

I tried to put together a moss tree, but I don't like the way it looks (probably needs a few months to grow out).

I'm going to try a rescape tonight or tomorrow depending on how much I have after work/classes.

Make sure to take some pics of the current scape so you guys can give me some pointers also.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Here are some pics from filling the first 6g of RO water + substrate + Moss tying.

11/1/08


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Went shopping Sunday with my friend. Ended up picking up a cleaning crew for my 2.5g nano. I'm thinking bout swapping this tank for another ADA tank. It sits right across from the 60P. My first tank.. includes RCS/Amano/Oto

More info on this tank in this noob thread: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/planted-nano-tanks/73876-my-first-attempt-2-5g-bow.html


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Here are pics from this afternoon. Moved some stuff around.. and put in the CO2!! Co2 is setup with a timer so it only opens up when the light is on.

the floating cups are cups of moss and riccia..

I'm kind of lost on the layout/scape at this point.. If you guys have pointers please post em up. I'm really close to getting rid of the moss tree as it looks fugly!



















Is this some kind of Fern? I dunno what plants I have anymore lols.









the Ugly Tree









These things grow way too fast... small amount filled up 4 tanks..









The mess of stems/driftwood/co2 diffuser/bubble counter





























work in progress.. let me know your suggestions..

Things I've encountered: 

Co2 tank that i bought fit under the cabinet.. it was a #5.. the one I got from the swap.. was [email protected]#[email protected]# So now I have a 6ft co2 air line run from the one end of my couch to the tank :confused1: Only place I can fit it...

My tank is sooo cloudy from micro bubbles.. turned the flow down from the spray bar.. Canister hoses need to be shortened.. but waiting for my lily pipes this week... Then I can throw the canister into the cabinet...

The Co2 counter says i'm doing 2 bubbles per a second.. Is that right? recommendations?










I guess that's it for today.


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## leemik (Oct 14, 2008)

looking good man.. I'd say blast it with CO2 until you get livestock 

I don't think you can tell if you have the right amount of CO2 until you either get a ph monitor or CO2 checker..


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Yaaaar slaya. I turned up to about 4bps just to mess around.

The tank from AG only had 800 something on the guage.. I remember you saying full is 900-1000. lols.

Drop checking is still in the mail.. along wit my lilys.. ugh


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Update: LILY PIPES N DROP CHECKER!!!




























Redid my scape a lil too






















Some riccia and moss I'm trying to grow out










update: just threw in more polishing pads to see if it will clear up the white cloud


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## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Hey Matt,

Forgot about your thread. I sent plenty of extra stems for you. 
Hope you will be able to make a nice background of them all. Also it is normal to get some bent over ones just let them grow out and trim them back.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Tom, sent you a reply to your PM! Thanks.


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

Your check valve should be in-line _before_ your bubble counter...


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

roybot73 said:


> Your check valve should be in-line _before_ your bubble counter...


? I have a check valve before my bubble counter and also another after my bubble counter. two total. You don't see the one before the bubble counter because it's closer to the co2 tank.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

I've been commenting in your thread about the white film, but I just wanted to say that this tank is looking good and I can't wait to see how it fills in! If you have the same kind of success with this one as you did with the 2.5 i'm sure it'll look great!


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

More plants. Hopefully I'll have a good looking background now..


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

I like that gravel


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## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Hmm nice colorata you got there!:icon_wink

I know what you mean though it does look messy at the moment.
But if I were you just let them grow out. After this you can trim them as you want them and even replant more of it!

Believe just give them some time and you will have a nice looking background!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

looking good! Can't wait to see it fill in, and when the water clears :hihi: damn that initial bacterial bloom!


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## leemik (Oct 14, 2008)

looks like it's clearing up a little


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## Rion (Dec 29, 2006)

The tank just needs to start growing in and you'll be in business.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

looks good, but can we see another pic of the tank when it clears?


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Filled the tank a lil bit more with my WC water from my 2.5g shrimp tank. Also a little bit of Accu Clear goes a LONG way..




















Riccia growing insanely fast for 3 days!























































Let me know what you guys think. First time really planting a tank. I think it's kinda a mess imo.. But has a kinda natural look to it. I'm half and half on the scape right now.

Oh and to celebrate my "clear" tank.. I ordered a ReefKeeper 2 /w PH Probe and an Hydor 200w Inline Heater!

I'm so tempted to top off the tank now :redface: But afraid I might want to move/change stuff tomorrow.


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## DansSpace (Mar 28, 2008)

Like you said about the tank not having a "real scape", I actually really like the natural look.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

DansSpace said:


> Like you said about the tank not having a "real scape", I actually really like the natural look.


I was gonna say pretty much the same thing. I really dig the larger rocks that make a river bed look in the center there and as for the rest of it, it really has a natural feel and I really like it. Most of my scapes are kind of haphazard going for a naturalish look too so I guess I'm partial to that  

I like it a lot though! Can't believe how full and lush it is already!  Can't wait to see it mature! :thumbsup:


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## leemik (Oct 14, 2008)

well it may not be the most eye catching aquascape but it certainly looks cozy for the future shrimps and fish you're gonna have in there


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

I cleaned up alot of the little ferns growing on the bigger leaves and replanted them in my nano. I also moved some stems away from the intake pipe..

My Rotala red seems to be turning green, anyone suggestions?


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## MARIMOBALL (Mar 18, 2007)

IMHO im not fond of the wavy substrate in the foreground, and the plants in the front left are gonna hide the background stems. All else is looking good.


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## John7429 (Jan 11, 2008)

Lookin good bro!


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Updated pics from today.. stuff's def grown'. Not sure what else to do. I moved some of the stems around in the back to get it looking a little cleaner. I also cleaned up some of the Java Ferns.. pull all the baby ferns off of em.

I'm selln' some of the floaters as they're growing like crazy!
Oh and I squeeze out my nano's filter media, along with putting some iron and some tap water into the tank. I don't think I have anything to cycle since I used 100% RO water with lotsa plants. We'll see how this goes..

Here's some pics from today..














































This plant was only a LEAF when I got it... grew out a bunch of leaves! Can someone ID it?









My replacement diffuser I had laying around since my last one blew up today..









the Riccia growth


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## John7429 (Jan 11, 2008)

leaf looks like it might be difformis?


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

John7429 said:


> leaf looks like it might be difformis?



lols did I get it from you? haha hitchhiker leaf turned into a monster plant.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

These are pics of my apartment (1 bedroom, really really really small)..

The 2 tanks when the lights are out. Lights turn on when I get home from class/work... ~6pm and shut off at 1am. Lets me save electricity since I'm mostly home at night!























































My small living room.. notice how narrow my place is, both tanks facing each other!









I plan on getting another ADA Mini-S / or Mini-M and splitting my co2 from the 60P.


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

i believe the plant is mexican oak leaf plant.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Holy crap, it only normal for my Rotala to grow 2x as tall in 3-4 days??


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## John7429 (Jan 11, 2008)

Which rotala?


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Did some trimmings for some people.. trimmed alot of my floater roots thank god...

also installed my heater.. and while i was wrestling the hoses.. the only way to fit the heater was diagonal due to the size of the 200w hydor.. jebus it's HUGE.. I cut up my spray bar flow control valve and put it inline with my lily pipe!

also installed my Reef Keeper 2 last night with temp gauge and R2 Moonlighting.. I'll be installing the PH Probe this weekend once I get the calibration fluid.

Here's pics from today's work..

Cabinet...



















Tank






































The plants a bit more controlled..




















The R2 Moonlight:









































I put magnetic tape on the back of the Control Unit so it's move-able on my Fridge =)











DIY Flow Control -Inline


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## John7429 (Jan 11, 2008)

Nice mods


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## OhNo123 (Jan 8, 2008)

Nice tank, what type of floater is that?


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

OhNo123 said:


> Nice tank, what type of floater is that?


Frogbit.

It looks a lot better!


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## Minsc (Jul 9, 2006)

Your unknown plant is Ceratopteris cornuta, aka water sprite.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

OhNo123 said:


> Nice tank, what type of floater is that?



i had a good amount left over.. still about 2 portions left in the S+S, ROAK.

these grow too fast!


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Minsc said:


> Your unknown plant is Ceratopteris cornuta, aka water sprite.



thank you!


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## AEWHistory (Nov 6, 2008)

Nice tank DS, very nice indeed. Keep writing; I'll keep reading... :thumbsup:


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Wow it's looking great! Still has a very natural feel but a bit less chaotic now after the trim, it looks awesome!


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Picked up a Mini-S yesterday and had it all setup the same day! Still a bit on the fence about my scape. Thing cleared up SO FAST. Currently cycling with my 2.5g's media. Will post pics later today when I get a chance.

also reorganized my thread! yay.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Here's the Mini-S I got from dotconnect a couple days ago.. 

*11/23/08*
Setting it up.. Right when I got home =)










Eco Complete









The Slates


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

11/24/08

The tank scaped and as is..



















you may notice some hair algae from the hairgrass on the left corner.. My buddy gave me a patch of hairgrass for this tank. His tank did have some algae. I'm going to correct this by only lighting the the tank for an hour a day.. hopefully it cures this..


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

11/29/08

Here's the most recent pics:




















Hopefully it cycles fast.. I used all the water from my cycled tank and media.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

11/24/08

Cut up a AC sponge filter for a prefilter on my nano.. Still losing all my RCS.. from old age?
Also put in a Hydor Nano Heater.. it DOES WORK and does what it claims to do .. a few degrees!


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

11/29/08

Yep.. my RCS went extinct.. and I think I'm missing a Amano!! Otto's and 2 other Amano's seem to be doing pretty damn well.. parameters are all normal.. except for temp changes from 84 to 76 through this weekend. Did a quick trim and added some more moss. Thinking I need to restock this tank with more RCS... hopefully with better luck?


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

11/24/08

Crazy seeing these plants grow.. 5 days and it's a bit grown out again...


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

11/29/08

Some quick pics before I start trimming..




















Cleaned up the roots that were growing out of many stems on the left side and replanted most of them.. I noticed there's kind of a dead spot in that corner (right under the outflow lily pipe).. not much flow so debris gets settled there..





























After trim.... Don't mind the bubbles/debris.. tank hasn't settled yet from a WC and replanting











































My Reefkeeper controller fell off the sticky magnetic tape.. so I ended up gorilla gluing the magnets to the back of the controller! >=)
Oh and I put some Taiwan moss on the right piece of wood also.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

*12/5/08*

New updates since I got a new camera today!!

All the tanks are not topped off, kinda waiting for this weekend to do the water changes and then topping em off. I top off every week, this is usually how much water I lose in about 5 days..

ADA Mini-S










ADA 60P










































































The 2.5g Nano Bow

Drop acclimating the RCS I got from a fellow PT'er (After losing all of my 1st batch of RCS )


















Amano


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## John7429 (Jan 11, 2008)

Looks good boss!


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## Characins (Feb 4, 2008)

Very nice ADA!

There's so much going on, you could stare at that tank for hours.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

All three tanks are looking great! The layout of the mini-S is different and unique, I dig it, it'll be interesting to see how it grows in  Are you going for a moss carpet in there?


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Thanks guys




Karackle said:


> All three tanks are looking great! The layout of the mini-S is different and unique, I dig it, it'll be interesting to see how it grows in  Are you going for a moss carpet in there?



I'm trying for a really controlled clean look. I don't want the moss to take over all the slate as it would lose that red brick feel. The tank is on 3 hours of 27w light right now. I'll be bumping it up when I get the co2 going.


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## leemik (Oct 14, 2008)

You need fish!

:fish::fish::fish::fish:


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

2.5g and Mini-S

2.5g got a minor rescape and complete water change. Drained it 100% and cleaned out the substrate. Tied the java fern to the wood this time and got rid of some other stuff. There's no stock left in it. Moved all the oto's and amano's to the 60P. RCS went extinct =(
















Mini-S got glassware in finally... now I need to get to the hardware store tomorrow and get some teflon tape or whatever to install the new dual co2 splitter so it can run off the same co2 tank as my 60P. It's still running 2 hours of light daily. The hair algae that were on the plants when I got em is basically gone! Need to still get a heater for the tank as it sits close to the window. That's bout it.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Got some fish 12/4. Started with 4 guppies 1M and 3F, 4 Amano's, 4 Oto's, 1 Bamboo shrimp.
1F guppie didn't make it through the night. The 2nd night one of the oto got stuck on the lily pipe. 

12/10
Everyone else i still alive =) I threw in the 3 oto and 2 amano in my 2.5g because I had to redo the tank.
Also the gf picked out 2 more F guppies and an oto for me.

Now I know guppies are not the coolest thing on these forums, but I've honestly never had them before. I really want to see if I can get some fry out of them! Also I love how the colors come out with the 10000k light. Looks soo nice. I attempted to get very different colors for each fish.

I also have cardinals coming from RMC. Should be here tomorrow or Thursday. After that I just want to load up on RCS! Stock is almost done!



























































































































































The guppies are great to watch. I've been staring at the tank for hours lately. They love to get into the flow of the lily output and fly across the tank.. Then they just follow the circular of the tank and keep the doing it! When they get bored they just hide in the plants. They also stare back at my when I sit on the couch beside the tank haha.


Current list:

5 Guppies 1M/4F
6 Amano Shrimp
7 Oto
1 Bamboo Shrimp


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)




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## ka NUK (Nov 29, 2008)

Nice setups:thumbsup:



Down_Shift said:


> Now I know guppies are not the coolest thing on these forums, but I've honestly never had them before. I really want to see if I can get some fry out of them!


That made me chuckle. In my experience guppies are the "rabbits" of the fish world. The challenge for me had always been birth control :icon_roll

Keep it up!

ka NUK


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## FastTimes (Oct 16, 2008)

you have a nice set up, i like the picture of the amano looking down at the rcs


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## coolnick (Oct 28, 2006)

Nice setups, funny how it all snowballs. I just had a 10 gal QT tank turn into a planted RCS tank about 12 hours after setting it up.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Wow, awesome pictures! I'm jealous of your camera!  Guppies are fun, I happen to think they are gorgeous fish. Tanks are looking great! I think you'll find you won't know what to do with all your baby fish before long, have fun with it though! I'm working on a guppy/endler breeding project currently, good stuff  You definitely picked out different and gorgeous colors in your guppies too!  

I love the bamboo shrimp! I have one and he's awesome, really fun to watch. I will mention though that because your tank is relatively new, you may need to supplement his food for a while, they need REALLY fine powdered food so you might need to crush some flakes or pellets really small, or pick up some Hikari first bites or another baby food that is already a powder and sprinkle a bit in the tank every few days for him, especially if you see him wandering around on the bottom scavenging for food. This is usually a sign they are not getting enough food, when there is enoguh food in the tank you should see the bamboo shrimp standing on something with his fans in the air filtering particles out of the water. (I read up a lot on these guys before getting one so I thought I would pass on what i've learned, sorry if you knew it already ) 

Also having the baby powder on hand might come in useful once your guppies start breeding


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Karackle said:


> Wow, awesome pictures! I'm jealous of your camera!  Guppies are fun, I happen to think they are gorgeous fish. Tanks are looking great! I think you'll find you won't know what to do with all your baby fish before long, have fun with it though! I'm working on a guppy/endler breeding project currently, good stuff  You definitely picked out different and gorgeous colors in your guppies too!
> 
> I love the bamboo shrimp! I have one and he's awesome, really fun to watch. I will mention though that because your tank is relatively new, you may need to supplement his food for a while, they need REALLY fine powdered food so you might need to crush some flakes or pellets really small, or pick up some Hikari first bites or another baby food that is already a powder and sprinkle a bit in the tank every few days for him, especially if you see him wandering around on the bottom scavenging for food. This is usually a sign they are not getting enough food, when there is enoguh food in the tank you should see the bamboo shrimp standing on something with his fans in the air filtering particles out of the water. (I read up a lot on these guys before getting one so I thought I would pass on what i've learned, sorry if you knew it already )
> 
> Also having the baby powder on hand might come in useful once your guppies start breeding


Good idea on that. I didn´t know that. I do notice he gets on top of the ferns and opens himself up infront of the lil output, probably grabbing whatever is in the flow.. 

I´m heading to the lfs after work, might as well pick up some first bites.


Seems like I´m missing ANOTHER guppy today.. that´s 2 missing guppies.. wtf


----------



## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

If he's up on the fern filtering from the output, that is definitely a good sign! But since you only just added fish and the whole tank is relatively new, you probably will still want to supplement. When I got my bamboo the tank was pretty new so I'd add some powdered food every few days, now i do it once a week at most and I rarely see him foraging on the bottom. He also seems to really like baby brine shrimp (frozen or live) and frozen daphnia when I feed those, they're small enough for him to grab also. Glad the info was helpful!

Do you mind if I ask where you got your guppies? FWIW I've had a LOT of trouble keeping guppies alive that I got from PetSmart. The ones I got at my small LFS seem much hardier. I've lost every guppy from PetSmart, I had one that I thought would make it, I had him for a month or two so I was hopeful, but he just passed a couple days ago. No signs of fungus or anything either, he was just sitting on the bottom one day and dead the next, none of the other fish seem to have been effected. So I just thought i'd put that out there.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

They were from a LFS, unfortunately they don't have a guarentee on fish =(

So total, I've lost one the first night. Found him laying in the moss..

Yesterday, one of them went MIA over night.. 

this morning.. I'm missing another!

That's 2 MIA's and 1 dead! What's weird is, no bodies!


----------



## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Very weird! Are they stuck in the plants somewhere? To the filter?


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

My plants are pretty dense in the back of the tank, most of the oto's and shrimp hide in there unless there's food.

I bet one of the guppies died in the back somewhere >=(


I went out to the lfs after work today. Picked up some first bite. GF was with me and she kept staring at the guppy tank. I ended up buying another female she picked out. So I'm back up to 5 guppies now. I noticed another guppy pregnant too.. that's 2.. I have the Mini-S ready for fry =X

I fed the tank today.. 1 algae wafer, 5 flakes of fish food, and a pinch of first bite. Damn this powder stuff is crazy. The guppies actually went for the first bite instead of flake food.. hmm..

Bamboo shrimp ate some, but then started foraging for the flakes that got to the bottom =X


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

i think the guppies look nice in the tank

is there any chance that they might be jumping? the tank isn't covered so they might have jump behind the counter or something


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

OOOH jumpers, I didn't think to suggest that, definitely something you should look into! Any way they got into the filter? 

Well I guess each shrimp is different! Hahaha at least he's eating, i reckon that's what's important  If he starts turning red then you'll know he's really happy, mine gets especially bright red right before he molts too, it's awesome!


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

monkeyruler90 said:


> i think the guppies look nice in the tank
> 
> is there any chance that they might be jumping? the tank isn't covered so they might have jump behind the counter or something



Yea I assume the MIA guppy jumped and my dog had a good breakfast of her. There's not other explanation. I'll check the dense plants when I trim later next week. She might be dead in the plants!




Karackle said:


> OOOH jumpers, I didn't think to suggest that, definitely something you should look into! Any way they got into the filter?
> 
> Well I guess each shrimp is different! Hahaha at least he's eating, i reckon that's what's important  If he starts turning red then you'll know he's really happy, mine gets especially bright red right before he molts too, it's awesome!


Wow cool. I didn't know they turn red. I don't think mine has molted yet.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Yeah, they turn redder as they get situated and happy in the tank, and especially if they are well fed, and then they get extra red right before molting. At least mine does. He didn't molt until i'd had him a couple weeks, so i wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't molted yet, you'll probably be able to tell when does, the molted shell will be hanging around somewhere  

Also, your female guppies are much prettier than the ones around me! I went to the LFS yesterday to try and find a couple pretty females, there were some that were ok, but nothing that struck my fancy, I left with 3 amano shrimp for my 20g instead :tongue:


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

I have 7 oto's and 6 amano's in the tank now =X.. All were accounted for last night as I watched them go crazy for algae wafers. I swear the shrimp and otos only come out when I turn the moon light on and lights off.

Thinking bout picking up more amano's and oto's this weekend.

Also gotta find a new co2 fitting so I can get my 2way working..


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Getting the temp level before I drop acclimate

























































i finish my co2 manifold setup too.. nano ada has the co2 going!




















One was injured in shipping and died this morning =(

A trim is in order tomorrow.

Stock list:

28 Cardinals
1 Black Tetra
5 Guppies
9 Amano Shrimp
10 Oto
1 Bamboo Shrimp

A bit overstocked, but I like it!

I have Malaysian Trumpet snails and RCS coming too! (Thanks Damien!)


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Wow, the tank looks awesome with the cardinals in it! I love the way they glow! 

How big is the tank in gallons approximately? I haven't gotten these weird ADA sizes down yet


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Karackle said:


> Wow, the tank looks awesome with the cardinals in it! I love the way they glow!
> 
> How big is the tank in gallons approximately? I haven't gotten these weird ADA sizes down yet



18g :icon_redf


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

oooh that's actualy quite a bit bigger than i thought! 

You are definitely a little overstocked, but you are very heavily planted with fast growing plants and if I recall you are over or at least really well filtered, so I think you should be ok, though I'm no expert!


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Did a trim today in preparation of being out of town for the holidays.

I kinda screwed up cutting the rotala and ended up putting just about all of it up in the S+S heh. I did clean up the java fern of all the fernlets and made a biiig patch of mini fern. Tank kinda looks really empty now =( Fish don't have anywhere to really hide!

I'm gonna keep that in mind next time and trim small amounts.


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## MARIMOBALL (Mar 18, 2007)

I would cut down on the fish to 20 cardinal. the Amano shrimp and 5 otos. 44 fish is a bit much :icon_redf. I have 11 fish in mine. Next trim you do you can cut up to 1/3 of the stem to begin to shape the plants into a nice bush.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

How do I shape bushes?

Also how can I prevent roots from growing on the stems? These white roots grow out of the stems, above ground and get all tangled up in the plants near by. I had to clean alot of it tonight.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Unfortunately, there's not really any way that I know of to prevent the stems from growing roots out of the main plant. Perhaps dosing fertilizers more often and then they won't need to put out as many roots to soak up nutrients? I have NO idea if that really works or not, so let someone else weigh in before making any changes  i just know that in my 10g guppy breeding tank where I just have floating plants and don't dose there are roots popping out every which way, but in my show tanks, the roots are more concentrated near the substrate, but there are still roots that grow from the stems. That's all I got, sorry it's not more helpful :tongue:

One last thing, since you are a bit overstocked now, make sure you keep a close eye on your ammonia and nitrIte levels, adding all those fish so quickly may be more than bacteria can handle. So if the levels start to spike at all, just do some water changes. If the ammonia and nitrIte make it back down to 0, then you'll probably be able to get away with the overstocking, if it refuses to finish the cycle, you may have too many fish. Generally your tank will let you know if it's overstocked, but you did add a lot of fish pretty quickly so definitely keep an eye on the levels  

Tank is looking great! :biggrin:


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Came home from a 5 day trip. Got a package of a few RCS and MT snails.. GF threw them in the tank along with some plants?

Can anyone ID this for me?








The plant in the background






Fish during feeding time.











After I did a few minor things to the tank tonight. Moved some plants around. Combined all my Java Fern into one clump. ~15% water change. Some water testing. Ammonia, Nitrite/Nitrate all 0.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Tank is looking excellent! And wow, i think i already said this, but I just love the way cardinals make a tank look!


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Thanks Karackle! How long until you had your guppies birthing? It seems my guppies are pregnant but it's been 2 weeks, no babies yet =(

I plan on adding a few more Amano Shrimp as I haven't been able to find more 3 or 4 of them on a regular basis. Seems like the larger Amanos survived and the smaller ones are MIA.. Gonna try Invertz to change up suppliers. Also gonna see if i can pick up a few more Oto since 3 smaller ones died over the past few weeks. Also going to prepare some oto's for my Mini-S (along with amano's) so I mind as well get them all at once to save shipping.

I was thinking bout throwing some kind of bigger sized snail into the tank also. I have so many smaller snails now that I'm going to have to get rid of some soon.

Going to find a few other sources of RCS to mix in the breeding.

Does anyone have suggestions on fertz and dosing? Anything that is shrimp safe?


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

You're welcome!  It takes about 4 weeks for guppies to have their babies, so you should see some soon since they were most likely pregnant when you bought them. Your tank is really densely planted though too, so it's possible you may have babies in there that you won't see until they're big enough to get more adventurous and come of hiding  

As for the amanos, i'll just mention that they're REALLY good at hiding, i know there are people on here that thought they had lost a bunch of their amanos, but then they had to tear down their tanks for various reasons (major overhall, moving etc.) only to find that once there was no plant and wood for the amanos to hide in, they were all there. So there's a good chance they are still in there. FWIW. 

3 otos in a week huh? Were they in there before you added the guppies and cardinals? If so, I'd say make sure you check your water parameters if you haven't been. You added a lot of fish at once, it's possible you overloaded what the beneficial bacteria could handle and you're having a mini-cycle. It's actually a good idea to be checking your parameters daily for a mini-cycle until you know the tank is stable (that is, again, if you're not doing so already).

As far as ferts, i'm pretty sure that as long as they are dosed correctly, they're all shrimp-safe. it is possible that I'm wrong about that though, so you might want to wait for others to chime in


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

the oto's died through out a span of a 2 months. They were mostly smaller ones though. They've been a real gamble to keep alive. 

My parameters are all 0 still :thumbsup:

I'm going to look into getting a set of fertz to mess around with after Xmas. I just want to make sure I don't have any casualties because of my messing around.



Karackle said:


> You're welcome!  It takes about 4 weeks for guppies to have their babies, so you should see some soon since they were most likely pregnant when you bought them. Your tank is really densely planted though too, so it's possible you may have babies in there that you won't see until they're big enough to get more adventurous and come of hiding
> 
> As for the amanos, i'll just mention that they're REALLY good at hiding, i know there are people on here that thought they had lost a bunch of their amanos, but then they had to tear down their tanks for various reasons (major overhall, moving etc.) only to find that once there was no plant and wood for the amanos to hide in, they were all there. So there's a good chance they are still in there. FWIW.
> 
> ...


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## coolnick (Oct 28, 2006)

Down_Shift said:


> Does anyone have suggestions on fertz and dosing? Anything that is shrimp safe?


I am going with the EI instructions I found in this thread. All the info you need is in the first post. When I punched those numbers into Chuck's calculator they seemed to be about twice as strong as the calculator recommended. When I mixed up my first batch of stock solutions I went half strength per that thread, which comes out to full strength per Chuck's calculator. I am going to dose for a week or two, then decide if I want to double up. I read lots and lots of EI dosing threads and everyone seems to agree it is safe for inverts. I have 40 RCS in my 10g now, so I guess I'll find out soon enough if it is safe.

Your tanks are still looking awesome BTW. :thumbsup:


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## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

WOW down shift your tank is looking really great. the plants look very healthy. I can't believe my Rotala's are still living. Pretty cool seeing someone else has them. lol 

Also I have been having a lot of troubles with ottos too. I've played around with them quite a bit and I would say like 1/4 usually makes it past 6 months. At least that's for me so far.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

thief said:


> WOW down shift your tank is looking really great. the plants look very healthy. I can't believe my Rotala's are still living. Pretty cool seeing someone else has them. lol
> 
> Also I have been having a lot of troubles with ottos too. I've played around with them quite a bit and I would say like 1/4 usually makes it past 6 months. At least that's for me so far.



thanks man. I actually gave away most of it and kept the bottoms of some of the originals. Replanted them a week ago. They are coming back with a vengeance!


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

So my mom came by and had a present for me.. 2 female guppies! Man these 2 are HUGE in size.. I codenamed the yellow/orange fin "Big Mama" haha..

Here are some pics from tonight..










This is Bigmama


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## Naja002 (Oct 12, 2005)

Down_Shift said:


> How do I shape bushes?





Pruning timeline...


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Your pictures are so awesome, do you use a tripod and/or a special lens? 

Tank and fish are looking healthy and awesome! 

When you say your parameter are all 0, does that mean nitrAtes too? I'd be surprised if the nitrAtes were 0 in a small tank with that many fish, even with all your plants I'd still expect to see some nitrates, I have some pretty fast growing plants in my 5.5g that only house 1 betta and 3 otos, and I still get really high nirtrAtes if I neglect water changes.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

My parameters are always 0 in all my tanks.. I don't get it! I'm using 100% RO water.. that might have something to do with it. Another funny thing is I have never had to scrape any algae off the tank.. there is no algae build up anywhere.. just a slight clear film residue on the inside glass. (magfloat has been sitting on the side of the tank since I put it together!)


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Got home at like 4am last night and did a water change.. noticed I had FRY!! BABIES!! Got home a bit earlier today lols.. took some pics!

I have a total of 6 hiding in the plants right now.. I bet there were more but my 28 cardinals and 6 guppies probably got to em.. Bastards are going through the lants now getting stuck and **** trying to get the rest of the babies..

i have 2 other guppies that look like they're about to explode.. expecting more fry the next few days!


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

What to do with a soccer ball size of Xmas moss? Picked it up from a fellow PT'r.. Special thanks to Mark!

It's in QT in my Mini-S till i figure out what to do with it.


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

[strike]Ship some to me?[/strike]

If you don't have any drift wood to tie it to, I would net it around some slate for a moss carpet.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

I don´t have anywhere for the moss right now, but I will once I rescape my 10g and my 2.5g... If I have any left over, I will make sure to shoot you a pm.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Tore down the 2.5g bow completely this time and dumped the substrate.. put in a thin thin layer of eco complete. Put in a nice hill in the back left corner for the crypt. Trying to keeping it simple and clean. 100% RO Water. Will let it sit for a month or so before I put anything in it.

The right side has a rock with some moss on it, a stem of rotala, and a small piece of watersprite.
The left side has a small piece of wood with moss and fern tied to it. There is a crypt behind the wood also.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Amanos




































RCS Cave










Cardinals




























Guppies:
Skinny Female after birth last week









This one's gonna explode soon.. I have 3 of them like this










MTS Snails









Dead Otto
I found this guy under a piece of wood.. I have a feeling the shrimp got to it before I did =X










Living Ottos =)




















Drop Checker I just cleaned up









Growth:
Floaters after a week and a half! I got rid of ALL of them except 1 small patch.. regrew so fast..









Stringy Riccia growth 









Left side of the tank growth









Tank
Before (1 week ago)









Now (1.5 week after trim)


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

ADA Mini-S Both Otto are still alive


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## coolnick (Oct 28, 2006)

Your riccia would probably do a lot better without the floaters. Mine is going absolutely bonkers. What kind of moss is that? I like the Amanos a lot, but I can't seem to find any local.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Totally agree on that one. I´m going to trim later this weekend and get rid of most of them again haha. They grow FAST.

You can also hit up Pedro at InvertzFactory to get CHEAP Amano´s..


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

I am planning on upgrading the lighting fixture to a 4x24w t5HO Nova with 2 lunar moon lights and also throwing a 2nd XP2 with lily pipes in.

Does anyone think this will be over kill?
This is mostly due to my high bio load and I would like the extra flow to combat algae from a upgraded light.

Also does anyone have the measurements of the Nova 4x24w T5HO with 2 LED fixture attached with legs? I can only find the fixture itself, which is 2.5¨. I only have 5¨ of clearance before I hit my kitchen cabinet.


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## coolnick (Oct 28, 2006)

Down_Shift said:


> I am planning on upgrading the lighting fixture to a 4x24w t5HO Nova with 2 lunar moon lights and also throwing a 2nd XP2 with lily pipes in.
> 
> Does anyone think this will be over kill?
> This is mostly due to my high bio load and I would like the extra flow to combat algae from a upgraded light.
> ...


I don't think you can ever have too much flow, unless the fish can't handle it. I had a single Fluval 304 on my 65g and it wasn't cutting it so I had to add a Seio superflow. I hate having the Seio in the tank so I just bought a new Fluval 405 so I can run the 304 and 405 and ditch the Seio.

With a second canister filter you could run a Rex style CO2 reactor instead of your diffusor. That's what I'm doing with mine.


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## daverockssocks (Dec 1, 2008)

crsx checking in.

You're crazy with the amount of flow and lights you're going to run.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Down_Shift said:


> I am planning on upgrading the lighting fixture to a 4x24w t5HO Nova with 2 lunar moon lights and also throwing a 2nd XP2 with lily pipes in.
> 
> Does anyone think this will be over kill?
> This is mostly due to my high bio load and I would like the extra flow to combat algae from a upgraded light.
> ...


For the size of the tank, I think 4X24W might be more than required. 

As far as flow is concerned, have enough to remove dead spots as much as possible but not too much, since cardinals don't enjoy a lot of current in the water.

No matter what you do algae is bound to happen. But since you have a healthy planted aquarium, they should be in check if the plants flourish. As far as green spot alage is concerned, they will happen even in the outlet of the filter, so no flow is big enough to curb all of it. Cleaning in a regular interval is the best way to keep them in check IMO.

A very beautiful tank.


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## small-fish (Jan 3, 2009)

Down_Shift said:


> I am planning on upgrading the lighting fixture to a 4x24w t5HO Nova with 2 lunar moon lights and also throwing a 2nd XP2 with lily pipes in.
> 
> Does anyone think this will be over kill?
> This is mostly due to my high bio load and I would like the extra flow to combat algae from a upgraded light.
> ...


do ittttt


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## Phoenix-cry (Dec 25, 2008)

Such a pretty tank! I love it!


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## Agent Zero (Dec 24, 2008)

Nice Tanks and Beautiful pic. 


Nice car too, what mods have you done, F/I or N/A?


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

malaybiswas said:


> For the size of the tank, I think 4X24W might be more than required.


I agree. I have 4x24w Sundial fixtures over my 60P's and I've never had to run more than 2x24w and I have them suspended 8" over the tanks. T5's are ridiculously bright and without any glass in the way, all that light is more than enough for the 10-12 inches of water..


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

prototyp3 said:


> I agree. I have 4x24w Sundial fixtures over my 60P's and I've never had to run more than 2x24w and I have them suspended 8" over the tanks. T5's are ridiculously bright and without any glass in the way, all that light is more than enough for the 10-12 inches of water..



I've been having trouble with reds in my tank. It seems like my Rotala never gets red until they get up to the surface of the tank. That's without any floaters or anything in the way. I figured I could get away with more light / flow / dry fertz.

Do you think I can just have 2x24w on throughout the day and have a burst of 4x24w?

Have a link to your tanks? Curious to see what you're growing!

I just got an email from a vendor saying the legs dock the fixture 5.5" above the tank??? I've found other people saying it's about 4.5" total including fixture. Anyone actually have one that can measure? :thumbsup:


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Agent Zero said:


> Nice Tanks and Beautiful pic.
> 
> 
> Nice car too, what mods have you done, F/I or N/A?




Thanks dude,

When that pic was taken, the car was single turbo´d with 400rwhp on the dyno.

Currently it´s being taken apart and rebuilt with a built longblock, Greddy twin turbo, fuel return, and stand alone ems.


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## coolnick (Oct 28, 2006)

If you still haven't started dosing you should probably do that before you add more light. My Rotala indica has pink tips on the lower shoots all the way at the bottom of the tank. I can't remember the names of the crypts that I have in the tank, but I got them both specifically to keep the tank nice and green. The small guy is completely brown/red and the crinkly one only shoots off new red leaves. Doh!


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Do you think my red color is due to dosing 

I was dosing iron and flourish for a while but didnt see a difference..

Any suggestions on a starter package for dry ferts

nice Vette :thumbsup:


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## Agent Zero (Dec 24, 2008)

Down_Shift said:


> Thanks dude,
> 
> When that pic was taken, the car was single turbo´d with 400rwhp on the dyno.
> 
> Currently it´s being taken apart and rebuilt with a built longblock, Greddy twin turbo, fuel return, and stand alone ems.


 
NICE! I'm current running a Boost 2.0L LS/V Integra now never dyno, just street tune by me and a good friend. It's also apart for a rebuild or sale. I'm thinking about getting out of the game and into Euro's once again( 05' S4) 

28psi on a T3/T4 .62 trim and .70 trim hot side. I was known to keep up with cars well into the 450whp area. So it's fun for a lil four banger  Honda.


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## Agent Zero (Dec 24, 2008)

Your PM box is full.


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## coolnick (Oct 28, 2006)

Down_Shift said:


> Do you think my red color is due to dosing
> 
> I was dosing iron and flourish for a while but didnt see a difference..
> 
> ...


I don't know if it is due to your dosing or not, but with proper amounts of CO2 and light you definitely need a complete dosing regimen. Just doing a couple of things won't do much for you. I used to just dose Kent Grow and Kent Micro and like you I didn't see any results at all. Recently I started the EI dosing and have been seeing good results. I started at half strength and this week I bumped it up to full strength. It might be a coincidence, but my Riccia was fully covered in bubbles after the first day of full strength. Normally there would be very few bubbles if any.  I will update my 10g thread this week with some more pics and see if the trend continues.

Anyway, read this thread, actually all the info you need is in the first post. I ordered everything from www.aquariumfertilizer.com and was pleased with my ordering experience.

I am dosing Plantex CSM +B, KNO3, KH2PO4, K2SO4 and Fe according to the chart in the first post of the above thread. I have 3 bottles of solution, one contains the CSM +B, another for the Fe and the third contains the KNO3 KH2PO4 and K2SO4 mixed at a 4:1:1 ratio, respectively. I used Chuck Gadd's calculator to double check my solutions and found that with his calculator, the EI instructions were off by a factor of 2 (he also has a downloadable windows program here). That is what led to my initial 1/2 strength dosing. His calculator might lean towards the conservative side, so I decided to do 1/2 strength for a few weeks, then switch to full strength. I am only a couple days into the full strength, but I will report back with my results.

Thanks for the compliment, I actually noticed your Innovate WBO2 boxes in some of your pics and was wondering what kind of car you had. I checked out your webpage, that is definitely a nice G35. My Z is mostly stock, just lowered with some sticky tires and a modded stock Ti exhaust to make it sound like it should.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

*Before Trim*





















Black Neon Tetras... the 2 that I bought from Petco died in the QT tank. I bought these guys to add into those 2.. =( (Impulsive buy add-in on order lol)





















Dwarf Cray. Got 5 of these guys. They kinda look like Amano's with claws.. One of them are berried.. one of them is missing a claw =X











School of Ember Tetras




















One of the fancy Snails and another Dwarf Cray











One of my original Amano's.. I have 2 that are as big as my Bamboo Shrimp.. kinda messed up.. The ones I got from Invertz were ALOT whiter.. and no red or blue dots.. Different Sp?











Getting ready for the haircut


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

*TRIM!!*


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## John7429 (Jan 11, 2008)

WOW.

That's a lot of trimmage!


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Oo btw,

ordered:

-2nd XP2
-Cleaner Brush for Lily pipes 
-Hang on, 'bagger' plastic box.. like the ones they use for bagging fish at the pet store
-4x24w t5ho (need to get 2 daylight bulbs since it's coming with 2 atinics)


Waiting for Pyro to get back to me on a 2nd set of Lily pipes too!

oh and need to get dry fertz


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

John7429 said:


> WOW.
> 
> That's a lot of trimmage!



Now you know where I got the plants from  John helped me get started with a trim package to start my tank.. 3 trimmings later :redface:

Where have you been? Out of town??


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

About your reds... how much light do you have? How old are your bulbs. I've found that reds have more to do with light intensity than anything else...


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## John7429 (Jan 11, 2008)

Down_Shift said:


> Now you know where I got the plants from  John helped me get started with a trim package to start my tank.. 3 trimmings later :redface:
> 
> Where have you been? Out of town??


I went to Korea in Sept and Dec for a couple weeks a piece...

Been busy with school and work lately.

Life in the real world is much more difficult than the military! lol

If you would consider sending me your actinics, PM me...


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Tex Gal said:


> About your reds... how much light do you have? How old are your bulbs. I've found that reds have more to do with light intensity than anything else...



I totally agree with you! I noticed my reds were either green or slightly pink.. when the stems got closer to the light, they turned a nice red.. so I came to the conclusion of picking up a 4x24 t5h0 to replace my 3 month old 65w 10k Coralife.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

John7429 said:


> I went to Korea in Sept and Dec for a couple weeks a piece...
> 
> Been busy with school and work lately.
> 
> ...



You got PM.

O I bet.. you'd expect after serving your country and getting shot at.. it won't get any harder when you're out as a civilian.


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## amano101 (Dec 21, 2008)

love all your tanks. very clean. same with the car in your sig, g35, right? i try moving to a hobby that doesnt suck ALL my money up and what do i see? a car that makes me want to walk out and pop my hood to see what needs "fixing". uuhhhgggg...  just curious where you bought your co2 tank from since im in the process of starting my 29g. also, do you like the regulator your using (is it an azoo?). i've been looking at SuMo but they're super expensive. im a noob at plants so all help is appreciated.


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## Agent Zero (Dec 24, 2008)

Tank looks great man. Any after trim shots?

what do I do with all the trimming you are sent me? just stick them into the 
substrate?


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Agent Zero said:


> Tank looks great man. Any after trim shots?
> 
> what do I do with all the trimming you are sent me? just stick them into the
> substrate?



I would float em for a day then plant em. Tweezers > using Fingers. Steal your gf's cosmestic ones if you have to :thumbsup:





amano101 said:


> love all your tanks. very clean. same with the car in your sig, g35, right? i try moving to a hobby that doesnt suck ALL my money up and what do i see? a car that makes me want to walk out and pop my hood to see what needs "fixing". uuhhhgggg...  just curious where you bought your co2 tank from since im in the process of starting my 29g. also, do you like the regulator your using (is it an azoo?). i've been looking at SuMo but they're super expensive. im a noob at plants so all help is appreciated.



Yep it's a G35. 
I originally bought the Dr Fosters Semi Auto kit.. I believe it came with the Azoo Regulator. Works great haven't had a problem. I didn't use the bubble counter it came with though.. 
But I think it's a good cheap kit.. I picked it up for 104 bucks or something shipped.. can't beat that if you get a complete kit to get you started.. solenoid, plumbing, regulator, needle valve, counter, diffuser etc.. I didn't know what i was doing either, so I figured a cheap kit would be good enough to mess with. Look for a Dr Fosters coupon code around.. I was lucky enough to find a 10% off coupon and stacked a free shipping :thumbsup:

The tank was off co2canisters.com. Came all shiney and new.. but I did a swap at the co2 station. I would just get whatever is cheapest and still current with the date if you're going to end up swapping.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

After Trim.. forgot to post it up


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

wow your tank looks like one at the AFA store:icon_eek:


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Down_Shift said:


> Oo btw,
> 
> ordered:
> 
> ...



Everything ordered except for 2 more t5ho 10k's. Should have everything towards the end of next week! Big upgrade for the 60P :icon_excl


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Start of the upgrades... 2ndXP2 setting up




















Basically had to drill a bigger opening for the hoses on the right. I plan on having the 2nd outflow next to the intake.. and the left side have the 2nd intake with the older outflow. Going to be a tight fit since I have no room to play with by the right side (refridgerator). Anyone have suggestions on positioning?

I also cleaned up the shelf to fit the 2nd XP2. I moved the ReefKeeper Strip down 1 shelf along with all the accessories.











More to come as I get parts in.


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## TheCryptKeeper (Mar 9, 2008)

tank looks amazing.. jealous of the cardinals too!


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

So... the light came in today.. got here when I was in class tonight.

took me a while to figure out how to take out and install t5ho bulbs LOL.. didn't know they were soo easy to install..

Took the 2 actinics out.. left the 2 10k's in.. and did a few tests with it..

Now the bad news...
It didn't fit under my cabinet.. ASDKJALSKDASKDJ

The good news...
I mod'd it hahahah.. I shortened the legs... nothing a dremel, sandpaper, gorilla glue, and black spray paint can't fix LOL..


before paint and sanding









finished product x4










Will upload pics of light tests in a few min..


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

2x t5ho 24w 10k bulbs..











1 65 pc 10k












Again.. but reflection off the wall.. had the fixtures aimed up.

t5ho 2x24w










65w pc












Conclusion: 2x24w should be slightly more than a single 65w pc.. Especially since I picked up a high output setup. IMO they were about the same.. the 65w actually looked a little brighter.. but I'm probably wrong.. I was mainly basing it on the whiteness.. 

I still have 2 pink day light grow bulbs coming tomorrow. I'll throw those on.. rescape a little bit.. throw in the lily pipes if they come tomorrow.. if not I won't install the new light until Saturday.. just so I don't need to keep moving **** around when I'm installing stuff..

I find it really annoying that the t5ho fixture is slightly longer than 24".. so it doesn't center right on my tank.. because one side of my tank is against my fridge.. so the left side hangs a lil bit more..

CO2 diffuser soaked in bleach all day.. cleaned it right up.. now I'm soaking it over night with some Prime (dechlorinator)

Ooh and the tank has the 2 XP2's installed now.. just waiting to finish it up this weekend!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Tank is looking fantastic and all of your fish are beautifully colored!!! 

I think I need to get cardinals in one of my tanks, they have such amazing color!


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

eek its kinda hard to tell

but they both look good. does the single CF get hotter than the t5 ho?


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Karackle said:


> Tank is looking fantastic and all of your fish are beautifully colored!!!
> 
> I think I need to get cardinals in one of my tanks, they have such amazing color!


Thanks K.. Cardinals rule!!





monkeyruler90 said:


> eek its kinda hard to tell
> 
> but they both look good. does the single CF get hotter than the t5 ho?


I didn't really run the t5ho for a long time.. but I can definitely touch the t5ho after having it on for 20 min.. compared to the CF that gets insanely hot.


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## jinx© (Oct 17, 2007)

Down_Shift said:


> I didn't really run the t5ho for a long time.. but I can definitely touch the t5ho after having it on for 20 min.. compared to the CF that gets insanely hot.


That's one of the biggest things I first noticed after switching to t5ho. They run waaaaay cooler which I'm guessing could extend bulb life over CF's. 

I agree it's hard to tell if one's brighter than the other in your pics and I've had similar trouble seeing a real difference (to the eye) in some of my swaps.

Great looking tanks BTW. (and car )roud:


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## Pinto (Jan 23, 2009)

I envy your tank!! Your Cardinals awesome!


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

Very nice tank, Can't help but feel it needs more hardscape though?


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

garuf said:


> Very nice tank, Can't help but feel it needs more hardscape though?


Ya I agree.. It did have a hardscape.. there's 5 pieces of wood and many large rocks that are not covered in moss!


Love your avatar too haha


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Still waiting on the other sets of lily pipes to come in.. should be here tomorrow.. I bought 2 extra sets from a forum member,just in case lol.. Need to install one more intake.. notice the sole blue intake ugh.. eye sore.. hopefully it will be gone tomorrow...

More than 2x the light, 2x the flow since my last post..

Lights are 2 pinks 5pm-1am and 2 10k's 6pm-12am.

Huge difference in coloring.. my greens are GREEN.. reds are dark dark red now not pink.. when noon burst comes along... my tank looks like it has air stones everywhere.. micro bubbles like crazy. I turned up the co2 about double and dosing dry ferts now also.

I'll top it off to the rim after I get rid of the blue intake pipe this weekend.. then I'll get some finished pics.


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## pandjpudge (Dec 7, 2008)

i dont think you have enough fish :icon_lol:


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## houstonhobby (Dec 12, 2008)

It is all personal preference of course, but I disagree about not having enough fish. In my 120 gallon I originally intended to stuff it full of tetra schools, but I stopped when I got to 25 green neons and 20 lemon tetras (plus 16 ottos, a botia, 10 dwarf crawfish and 25 anerieds for cleanup). Yes, it is empty in there. But it looks very natural.


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## coolnick (Oct 28, 2006)

houstonhobby said:


> It is all personal preference of course, but I disagree about not having enough fish. In my 120 gallon I originally intended to stuff it full of tetra schools, but I stopped when I got to 25 green neons and 20 lemon tetras (plus 16 ottos, a botia, 10 dwarf crawfish and 25 anerieds for cleanup). Yes, it is empty in there. But it looks very natural.


Sarcasm, learn it and know it lol.


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## Characins (Feb 4, 2008)

coolnick said:


> Sarcasm, learn it and know it lol.


LOL, play nice.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Officially done with equipment..

Here's with the final lily pipes.. They finally came in today haha..










4 boxes of 17mm Lily Pipes + 2 XP2's




Final setup









4th pipe is on the other corner for more flow.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Holy crap, how much flow do you need?:icon_eek:


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## small-fish (Jan 3, 2009)

tank is pimp


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## esteroali (Oct 24, 2007)

*Are those my shrimp?*

Where do you get the shrimp in the pics? Are those the ones I gave you? Damien


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Holy crap, how much flow do you need?:icon_eek:


It's nice. Some plants have a very calm wave to the now. It was mostly the Rotala that were moving when I had the single XP2. Now with the other one hitting some of the foreground, everything looks very natural. 




esteroali said:


> Where do you get the shrimp in the pics? Are those the ones I gave you? Damien



There's a Bamboo in there along with ~22 Amano's. The RCS are yours though 





--

An update.. Came home to 2 dead Oto. Don't know which killed them first.. the 86.5 degree water or the PH at 6.0... I turned up the CO2 a little bit this morning.. I also topped off the tank so there wasn't much aerating of CO2.. I guess it was a bit too much? Are Oto that sensitive? The other fish seem to be fine.. they are not gasping at the top and stuff. The temperature was due to my apt building.. they spiked the heat WICKED high. I don't really have control over it. I now have a fan over the tank and a window slightly open (it's freezing out). The temperature is down to 80.5..


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## ben314z (Jan 11, 2009)

D'oh! Sorry man.


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## naturalwonders (Dec 24, 2008)

Down Shift, may I ask what kind of camera are you using to take these pics?

Thanks.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

naturalwonders said:


> Down Shift, may I ask what kind of camera are you using to take these pics?
> 
> Thanks.



It's just a Canon 40D with a 50mm f/1.4.


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## thief (Jan 12, 2008)

Wow nice tank photos man. Yeah My fahter got the 40D a while ago but I haven't really used it much since then. Maybe I will break it out today and challenge you to a 40D photo contest.:eek5::icon_wink:red_mouth


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

You'll probably own my up on it haha. I'm still a noob at the whole photography thing. 

I remember when you sent me the Rotala, it came in a photography label didn't it? haha


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Bumps tank is crazy jungle. Gonna take pics and trim as soon as my finger heals up.. just it wide open last night doh


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## small-fish (Jan 3, 2009)

about time, take pre trim and after trim pics, i want to see the amount of growth you are getting with those lights


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## daverockssocks (Dec 1, 2008)

fish must have crazy tail muscles from all the flow in your tank lol


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

I have the flow angled so they have nice space with no current. My old lily is still in the same position aimed along the back side of the tank going across left to right.. the new one goes diagonal from the back right corner to the front center of the tank. All the fish like to chill in the left side and the center.. and most of them time they are playing in the current!

Is it possible to grow Hygro emersed?


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## daverockssocks (Dec 1, 2008)

I'm not sure. It seems pretty hardy so it might work.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Welcome to the jungle...


















Wondering why all the light is staying at the top???






















Crazy growth since the lights!







































I even got some emersed Hygro LOL











Check out the color on the Rotala.. very deep red!!










Fish are not happy.. all cramped up =( My guppies won't be even hang out at the top because they get tangled in the floaters' roots..



































































an hour of trimming later...









Most of it stored under a light until I get rid of it.















































He's back at the top of the tank!


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

So.. after the trim and water change... I let it fill up with RO DI water..

Went to work on the ADA Mini-S Nano...










I got this cool neat spiky plant from my dwarf cray fish.. it grew stupid fast.. I had about half an inch barely coming out of the substrate when I planted it.. and it grew out to *18* INCHES!!











Here's some pics of the fish in the ADA nano.. no casualties at all.. minus the snail that got stuck upside down... 2 amano, 6 rummy nose, 5 CPD's, 2 oto






































Here's some pics of the 3rd tank.. 2.5g bow.. used as a hospital/QT tank really.. not really use of it now.. just growing a nice scape..



















This is how I roll.. all 3 tanks topped off.. 





























Still have 5g of RO DI water left to spare.


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## itstony (Jan 11, 2009)

dam thats crazy how full the 60p WAS loll. and the tanks are really topped off..which reminds me i need to put in more water for mine..lol.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Your tank never ceases to amaze me:thumbsup:


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## small-fish (Jan 3, 2009)

very nice


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## itstony (Jan 11, 2009)

thnx for the frogbits today matt! appreciate it.

free bump for your awesome tank


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## Eric D (Jan 26, 2009)

I love this tank, Is that bright yellow glowing thing your drop checker?:eek5:


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## coolnick (Oct 28, 2006)

Eric D said:


> I love this tank, Is that bright yellow glowing thing your drop checker?:eek5:


Yes it is lol. Now who said fish couldn't tolerate high levels of CO2?


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Wow! That is a lot of trimming. Does your back ache, lol! I like the look.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Well time to trim again.. I cheated and did 2 small trims before this one.. but the tank is overgrown again.. looks like I have to trim every week to keep the tank neat.. 

I'm thinking bout a rescape too!


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

How's the tank?


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> How's the tank?


sorry for not keeping up with the thread. been quite busy and was on vacation for a while haha.

60P is ok. had a heat wave and I wasn't here to take care of it. Lost a few fish. The tank is heavily overgrown. ROAK'd lots of trims to locals to try to clean it up. Might be doing a complete substrate change to eco complete (want more black!!) and a different scape. Picked up some ADA rocks. Going to pick up some manz. wood sometime next month and do a completely different scheme.


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## H82LOS3 (Mar 5, 2009)

Great job matt, need more pics!!

Love all ur tanks


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

finally some kind of update!

60P









Mini-S









Both tanks are under construction.. Mini-S will probably stay the same.. been using it to breed guppies.. fry hide in whatever that stringy stuff is growing afloat.. It's impossible to plant it!!

60P is a storage tank right now until I get my Manz. wood then I will do a complete rescape.. 

I've also put in a new tank!
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/p...y-final-tank-addition-shallow.html#post904989


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Mm tore down the 60P last night. Have the diffuser soaking in peroxide.. I feel bad for pulling all that driftwood out =(.. but it's going to be replaced with something cooler!

I'm gonna take pics of the rocks and root i'm going to use.. will post up so you guys can help me with some ideas.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

60P is rescaped! Not the best, but I'm going to let it grow out a little before tweaking it.

Both the filters are working again too!! (after a nice little flood yesterday morning haha)


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

Let the tank grow for about 8 months untamed. Bit out of control. Finally had time this week to get into it.. Rescaped. Still doing some fine tuning of the scape. 

Here's a moonlight pic for kicks. Will update with real pics in a few days once the water clears up.

Ran out of CO2 also.. will get that this week.

I plan on turning this into a cherry shrimp tank with Ember tetras and cory.


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