# look how far I've come! 20L journal: new pics 4/11/10



## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

I just have to share the drastic improvement my tank has had in the past 2 months! The project never ends so let me know what suggestions you have for my tank! 

2/5/09:








2/18/09:








3/1/09:








3/17/09:







(this picture has one light turned off to cut down on reflection, the shots with all lights on are really washed out. any tips?)





































I'm really happy with the rapid improvement I've gotten in plant health. In November i had rescaped dramatically and pulled all of my fast growing rotala. by January I had brown algae and a number of my slower growing plant didn't make it, (that's why the tank looks so sparse in the feb. photo). So I'm very glad i won my battle!  I look forward to your comments and criticisms!


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Nice Job! Your plants look really healthy and happy! :thumbsup:

Can you give us some details on your tank like substrate, lighting, CO2 etc.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Great progress! You have come a long way on this tank. I love the lily.


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

LOL I totally forgot to go back and add that stuff :icon_redf

As requested:
up and running since 12/05
AGA 20 gallon long

hagen Co2 ladder with DIY (1 20oz.(approximately) bottle changed every other week or when the bubble count gets low)

36 watts of t-5 (1colormax bulb, 1 6700K bulb)9hrs
20 watts of t-8 "life-glo" 9hrs

ferts: all seachem: root tabs for the swords and lotus, excel every other day, flourish every 3 days, iron every 3-5 days

eco-complete and small black gravel, aquaclear 50 HOB, 75 watt jager heater, AGA glass top

FAUNA: 5 rummy nose tetras, 2 Aeneas corys, 2 Julii corys, 4 otos, 4 amano shrimp

FLORA: Dwarf Sagittaria, Amazon sword(2 varieties, I think black and melon?), Hygrophyla difformis, Bacopa monnieri, Rotala indica, Nymphaea pubescens(lotus)

water parameters:
PH 7.2, KH 4, GH 9, Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5-10, (tap PH is 7.6-7.8)

did i miss anything?


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## skabooya (Apr 15, 2005)

Water change schedule and how often you need to trim lol


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

I'd like to plant something whimsical on the driftwood. I'd also like to find some smaller more spindly pieces of driftwood to have peaking out of the Hygrophyla difformis (wisteria). Well. . .these aare the ideas I've been playing with most recently.

cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

skabooya said:


> Water change schedule and how often you need to trim lol


bugger! :icon_eek: :biggrin:
water change once a week, 50%

I trim 1-2 times a week I try to do it somewhat frequently so i can do just the hand full of stems that are tallest so the tank (especially the rotala) doesn't have that mowed lawn look.


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## skabooya (Apr 15, 2005)

Fissidens fontanus would be beautiful on driftwood. OR some taiwan moss drooping down off the driftwood like a cascading waterfall mmmmmmm tranquil


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

great suggestions! thanks skabooya


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

Ok I've got some ideas to run by everyone:

1st: I'm toying with the idea of planting HC on the driftwood. I'm not sure if i'm up to it. . . opinions?

2nd: I'm thinking about adding more fish. . . I've always been really big on not pushing stocking too far so my tanks are lightly to moderately stocked and I'm not sure if I should add anything at all. The fish I'm thinking of are 2 more rummys and a pair of Rams. I'm really hesitant but I'd love to have a larger school and I'd love to have Rams for all the obvious reasons 

thanks for looking everyone!
cheers-K


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## Yassmeena (Jun 29, 2008)

Your tanbks is gorgeous!!!!! Very nice work, and what a dramatic difference in just two months. Do you mind giving your specs? (lights, fert regimen, CO2, etc)?

The one suggestion I can make is to go with a more graceful peice of driftwood. Perhaps a old curvy manzanita that can draw attention to the focal point and give elegance...

That's all I can really suggest - it's a wonderful tank!!!! 

And, yes get rams!!!!!!!


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

thanks Yassmeena, and the specs are in the third-ish post
cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

by the way I agree about the driftwood- it's so straight it seems stiff and rigid. The thing is it's screwed onto one of those slate bases and it would disturb 1/2 the tank if i were to replace it with something more elegant. That's why I'd like to disguise it a bit by growing a plant on it.


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

mmmmk so I've been doing a bit of reading and it seems that seachem is not the least expensive sort of ferts to use- but their "diluted" or less concentrated nature might be a good thing since my tank is not large. plus i'm messing with my established balance if i change it up. . .soooo should i hunt down some dry ferts in the twin cities (Minneapolis/St.Paul, MN) or should i leave good enough alone?

thanks for the input!
cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

tank update: today i lost one of my rummys- I'm quite sad about it b/c he was quite the character. he had scoliosis so he bobbed and twirled around the tank all the time. I imagine his death is related to his condition. I'll miss him, he was my favorite.


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

today i picked up some flourish potassium - I'm having some "washed out" looking leaves on my dwarf sag. and some fragility in my lily.
my nitrates are up to 15 ppm 2 days after a water change so i think the potassium/nitrate ratio is imbalanced

by the way if I'm saying things about plant nutrients that make no sense at all, tell me please- i read SOO much stuff I sometimes wonder if i'm absorbing the right info.

any how i also got some Hemianthus micranthemoides that I'd like to get growing on the driftwood. so my next task is researching that. 

I'm still intending to get a few more rummys they're out at 2 of my LFS and the third had little scraggley looking ones so I have to wait a couple weeks for them to come in. I have noticed since i went from 5 to 4 rummys that they are out and about much less so that confirms for me that the group has gotten too small for them to feel secure.

thanks for your comments and suggestions- hint hint 

cheers-K


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

kyle3 said:


> tank update: today i lost one of my rummys- I'm quite sad about it b/c he was quite the character. he had scoliosis so he bobbed and twirled around the tank all the time. I imagine his death is related to his condition. I'll miss him, he was my favorite.


So sorry to hear about your loss. :icon_cry: After losing eight fish these past few weeks, I am feeling your pain. How are the other rummys doing? Well I hope. Seachem is great, but it can get expensive overtime. Use it until it is less cost effective and then look into getting dry fertilizers. I personally loved seachem.


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

thanks sewingalot the other rummys are healthy- thanks for your advise on ferts too


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## cah925 (May 18, 2007)

Wow, that's an amazing transformation. Keep up the good work!


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

*scaping/plant suggestions*

thanks cah925!

As always happens, the sword plant is outgrowing my little tank and I'd like to replace it with something with Broad leaves, maybe a large crypt? anybody have suggestions for a plant that would look good there? thanks in advance!

cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

oh yeah and-
another little update: I added the potassium on sunday night tested my nitrates again today and they're down to 10 ppm as of this morning.

also i tied the Hemianthus micranthemoides to the driftwood (boy was that a pain!) so we'll see how it grows in- hopefully it will "soften" the look of my driftwood. after covering the driftwood with it i had a bunch left so i threw it in a jar on the windowsill with a little excel- if i get around to it i think I'll rearrange my 5 gallon and put some in there.


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

*Photo update*









Full tank shot today-4/10/09 I'm toying with going lidless and raising the lights 3 inches as you can see in this photo. 
PROS: 
1)immersed growth-Nymphaea pubescens might flower & Bacopa monnieri might as well. 
2)Also better viewing
CONS:
1) Lower WPG, however the T-5's (higher intensity than the T-8 that would get the boot) would hit more of the tank's footprint
2)the light is less secure in this arrangement
3) the cat might jump in/ knock over the light

So I could keep the T-5's raised but add back the glass lid to make the light more stable and keep the cat out. But would this block the light? with the light farther from the glass i think it might reflect the light rather than letting it pass through. what do you think?








another shot of the tank sans lid

Also any suggestions on cheap ways to stabilize the light? if you're familiar with my coralife fixture- all I've done is bend the little wire pieces that come out each side down and put them on the inner lip of the tank.

cheers!


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

*more photos*

here's the Hemianthus micranthemoides right after i tied it down to the driftwood:









and here's a shot of it today after 5 days - looking healthier 









more to come. . .


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

*more photos*

I'm not sure if you can tell from the FTS but i gave up on the gradual trimming technique with the rotala - i mowed the lawn  and traded it at the LFS I also thinned the wisteria out quite a bit it was getting out of hand.

I'm having a little GSA I think it's a combination of low K2SO4 (phosphate) and too much light i had kicked it up from 8hr's to 9, and then 10 hrs (stupid but i just love to watch the tank) anyhow I've cut light as of today to 8hrs and It's on my list to go fetch some phosphates. . . I really need to stop going to the LFS- very dangerous- lol
here are some shots of my new GSA :redface:








you can see that this leaf has a lot more than the one next too it, and who knows why that is?!? :icon_roll








on the Bacopa








and on the dwarf sag. it's also on the rotala, wisteria, and sword plant- but not noticeably unless you press your nose to the glass.

you can see in the picture of the sag. that it has some washed out looking leaves as i mentioned in an earlier post. It's worth pointing out that the dwarf sag. in the shade of the sword plant has GSA on it also but none of the leaves in that area are washed out in color at all. I'm thinking that in the higher light the plant is needing more nutrients one or 2 of which i must be low on. :redface: so I added potassium to my dosing earlier this week and I'll be getting phosphate - hopefully i don't have to dose nitrate too- we'll see what gets it looking better. I want to hear about it if you've got ideas on this  

thanks for looking and commenting! -K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

oh i forgot here's my lily pad! (another is shotting up too)


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Cool tank Kyle! It looks great and what progress! I'm jealous! Sorry about the GSA. 

Have you considered using EI for your dosing? It seems like the simplest and safest way to keep a healthy tank, and not be experimenting with ferts all the time (unless you enjoy the tinkering with ferts of course.) You're already doing weekly 50% WC's and that's the hard part. 

You may have inconsistent Co2 which could also lead to the GSA. I've read many DIY'ers use two bottles and alternate weekly refills to keep it more consistent (which you may be already doing.) Tom Barr always seems to point people back to inconsistent Co2, especially people who always play the cause and effect blame game with the ferts. Pressurized is the best of course, but it costs money up front. :hihi:

I think the light looks good raised up. It does look like an accident waiting to happen though. Maybe you can find a better way to secure them. Rather than adding the glass lid, I would lower the lights another inch and bend the bottom of the wire with pliers and a little heat so it can form an inverted U over the inside and outside of the tank lip making it at least a little more secure. I also saw some pretty cool DIY fixture legs made from [strike]plexi[/strike] acrylic on mountaindew's journal 

Good luck. Glad I finally made it over to your journal. Worth the trip!


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

thanks freddie! I've definitely considered EI. I think when i finally finish the bottles of ferts i have that's what I'll do, but for now I'm still getting stuff i can find at the LFS. Also i didn't intend on it but it is kind of fun to experiment and see how i can manipulate my little chemistry project  lol.

I have read a lot about tom's CO2 theories and i definitely think they've been applicable to my tank in the past. right now i change the CO2 very regularly and i dose the excel to supplement it so that if there are a few days of lower injected Co2 i have a surplus (theoretically) for my plants to take advantage of. establishing the Co2 routine that i have now is what got rid of the algae problem i had last year- so i hope i have adequately addressed any Co2 shortage in this tank. Until i get lots-o-$ I won't be able to afford pressurized  when i can I'll get a bigger tank to inject it into 

as far as the light goes i came to the same conclusion you did and i have lowered it to 2 inches above the tank and i bent the wire in such a way that there is some tension pressing out against the rim of the tank. haven't had any problems yet and I've had the lid off for 5 days now. I'm going to check out those acrylic legs tho, thanks for the link!

I'm so glad you enjoyed the journal too! thanks
cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

update: 
well i still haven't found any phosphate but lifting the light a bit and shortening the photo period seems to have slowed the GSA. doesn't seem to be advancing at all.

I picked up more rummys at the LFS. I was going to get 4 for a total of 8 but they had 5 and i didn't want to leave 1 loaner behind so i bought five and now i have a total of 9, (i know i'm a ridiculous sap but what can i say). They seem to have adjusted well. all of their noses are a deep red and the rummys that have been in the tank seemed totally ecstatic to have new mates. I haven't had any losses and no ammonia or nitrite. they've been in the tank since tuesday evening, so i think they'll all make it. 

I also added one more critter- a bamboo shrimp, when he first went in I was a little worried b/c he was very light colored. but the next morning he was a warm brown/red color and he was filtering away sandwiched between two sword leaves. He's as fascinating as my other shrimp and i'm eager to see him grow.

off topic: while i was at the LFS i got offered a job- supplemental income! sweet!

the bacopa is already breaking through the surface of the water. I'm going to do some research and find out if i need to do anything special to get it to flower. yeah!

thanks for reading everyone!


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

little update:
I've been a bit lazy this week and haven't dosed any ferts since the water change (5 days ago) and the rotala needs a trim and i haven't gone and gotten any phosphates- but the tank looks good (lol) the GSA seems to be on it's way out- i think the reduced photo period and raising the lights is the source of the improvement.

I had an adventure in shrimp keeping this week. one evening while doing my customary head count i couldn't find the bamboo shrimp. I didn't get excited at first b/c he hides very well when he's not filtering. So i grabbed a net to sift through the rotala and wisteria -no bamboo shrimp. . . . that's not good! where could he have gone. . .did the cat eat him. . . .well maybe he crawled into the filter so i start slowly pulling the filter media up and surprise a shrimp flops out onto the floor. AH! after fussing over how to not injure him i get him back into the tank in the morning he's nice and red again- crisis averted. it was a little freaky tho! 

cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

today i changed my CO2 injection method. I took my airline tube that comes from the CO2 jar and stuck it in a hole in the filter that goes directly into the propeller. I learned about the method in this post: today i changed my CO2 injection method. I took my airline tube that comes from the CO2 jar and stuck it in a hole in the filter that goes directly into the propeller. I learned about the method in this post: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/86784-diffusing-co2-aqua-clear-50-hob.html

now i need a drop checker to be sure it's working (i needed one anyways )

cheers-K


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

nice tank! i really like the mossy appearance of that hygro. what is that big thing on the left side? 

and congratulations on finding the LFS job. i am going to visit some Minneaplois area stores on a sales trip next week. which area of town is your store in?


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

thanks for stopping by hydrophyte, glad you like the tank. (the LFS is called something fishy, and it's right by the airport)

the left side of the tank is mostly an amazon sword with some smaller runners from anther sword (black sword?- id's on swords are so tricky :icon_roll ) and directly in front of those is some dwarf sag- it's grown rather tall in the shade of the swords.

I need to take some new FTS's, the pearling weed is grown in nice and thick and is just starting to do the "draping" thing i intended it to. Also the lily is growing taller since i decided to let it put out the lily pads (hoping for a flower) however the height of it in my foreground is kind of bugging me so i might loose patience and cut the pads- we'll see. 

on 5/2 i ordered some stuff from aquahk8's ebay store. I ordered a drop checker and three glass diffusers (I'm finally adding CO2 to my smaller tanks- maybe they'll be presentable in a month or so  ) the one i got for the 20L has the bubble counter in the base of the diffuser- i hope this will help me stay on top of my CO2 consistency in conjunction with the drop checker.

Also since i started my new side job i special ordered flourish phosphate- you should have seen the looks on the faces of the reefers in there- "you want to add phosphates?!?" yes that's right i do:biggrin: 

After i get my ebay items and i can better gauge what kind of CO2 saturation I'm getting, I'm considering upgrading my lights I think i would get an identical coralife T-5 and run a 10,000K bulb. i think i would probably just run the third bulb for a total of 54 watts- leaving one off. I've been really happy with the lidless/raised lights however i don't get the same intensity of red in the rotala indica that i did when it was right at the surface.

Also toying with the idea of adding moonlights. . .$$$ all these ideas are costly so we'll see how fast I'm able to dump money into my tanks. some day i should be a big kid and go pressurized. . .still too broke for that:icon_wink.

thanks for reading everyone!
cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

Oh! i forgot last weeks exciting adventure! 

My fears about the open top came true! The cat fell in in the middle of the night. i heard a big crash/splash and ran out of the bed room to find a tidal wave had sprayed 1/3 of the dining room, light fixture floating on the surface of the tank and one soaking wet, horrified cat. needless to say i freaked a little. but letting the fixture dry for a day, lots of mopping and topping off the tank (3 gallons had to be replaced!) and everything is doing well, amazingly the light still works. there wasn't any major plant damage and everyone was present and accounted for the next morning when i did a head count. 

I'm hoping she has learned her lesson and will drink out of the tanks that don't require such acrobatics. She really was freaked out, it was kind of funny-sopping wet kitty:icon_eek:

cheers-K


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

kyle3 said:


> (3 gallons had to be replaced!)


Ah so the cat weighs about 3 gallons


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

thanks for the update. glad to know that your cat is OK. i guessed that that big green plant might be a sword. i wondered if it could be a spatterdock

i agree that equipment costs and stuff really start to add up fast, especially if you have multiple tanks and if you're looking at upgrades. planted tanks still aren't nearly so costly as reefs.

i just checked out the Something Fishy Website. it looks like a nice store. do you all do much with planted tanks?


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

they have 2 75g's one low light and one higher light- they need a little help . . .weekly deliveries and i've seen nice plants in there before i started the job however there is no fert dosing or CO2 so if they don't sell quickly they get a little sad- I think i might be able to encourage improvement in this area. I hope I can get the owner to order more and more hard to find stuff. 

As it stands there are good healthy crypts (red, bronze & green wendtii), java moss and fern, anubias barteri, algae balls, ozelot sword, ludwegia repens, hornwort, cabomba, Hygrophyla difformis, saggitaria, amazon sword, crinium, Aponogeton ulvaceus, micro chain sword, dwarf hair grass, and a couple other stems i haven't id'd yet.

so there are a number of good basics, 4 blocks away is another LFS they have 4 tanks of plants and randoms thru out the store, so i used to stop at both in one trip.

cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Ah so the cat weighs about 3 gallons


lmao


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## rrrrramos (Jan 24, 2008)

kyle3 said:


> Oh! i forgot last weeks exciting adventure!
> 
> My fears about the open top came true! The cat fell in in the middle of the night.


I worried about this exact same thing when before I started my rimless tank. My cat used to love pawing at the glass on my 20 when that was set up. She stares for hours at the fully enclosed NanoCube and swats at the glass every now and then. But she has yet to try to get to my open top tank, even now that it has a fish in it. Of course I'm setting myself up for disaster saying that, knowing my luck she'll smack it to the ground tonight!


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

rrrrramos said:


> I worried about this exact same thing when before I started my rimless tank. My cat used to love pawing at the glass on my 20 when that was set up. She stares for hours at the fully enclosed NanoCube and swats at the glass every now and then. But she has yet to try to get to my open top tank, even now that it has a fish in it. Of course I'm setting myself up for disaster saying that, knowing my luck she'll smack it to the ground tonight!


i really hope nothing goes wrong for you! i think i was very lucky that the only thing that happened was that my cat got very wet and very freaked out.

good luck!-K


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

Maybe you should try to dip the cat's feet in the water. That way they will see that they don't want to be in there and avoid it. IF you put them in it (just a foot or so) each time, they would begin to avoid it, ( I would think, anyway...). 

Looking forward to a new px of your tank...  ... and maybe a wet kitty px.... ;D


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

i wish i had gotten a picture of her soaked! i didn't think of it!

and i need to get new pics of the tank- maybe I'lll have time tomorrow. sorry for the delay

cheers-k


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

can't wait for more pictures :bounce:


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

*As promised, new pictures *

Alright here are some pictures from today:










Right side:








this larger lily really choked out the smaller one that was on the far right, i moved the bulb to another spot in the tank to see if it will make a come back but I'm thinking of filling in the dwarf sag on the far side so there's not so much empty space in the corner. 

It's also developing some white spots on the leaves and my first thought was a fert deficiency but then i noticed the malayan snails i added from another tank a couple weeks ago are on it rather frequently- does anyone know if they could be damaging the leaves? I still haven't gotten phosphates . . . should look into the fert thing a little deeper still. if anyone has any experience with this please let me know what worked for you 

Center:








pearling weed has thickened up really nicely, I'm pretty happy with it.

Left side:



































sorry this ones a little over exposed but it shows the whole tank stand so i thought it might be cool to see.

thanks for looking! hope this photo update was sufficient :biggrin:

cheers-K


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Looks good! I love that HM all tall and bushy!!!

You could use 3M Dual Lock to attach your power strips to the bottom glass of your top tank. Then they're less visible and have less risk of getting splashed during water changes. The only problem might be the heavy timers falling out of the plugs, but you can cut a tiny piece of the dual lock and put it between the timer and the power strip. A little of that stuff goes a long way. 

I had an open stand at work and the visible plugs drove me crazy! I used the 3M for a while and then finally ended up enclosing the stand with wood.


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

thanks for the tip freddie that's a great idea!


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

yesterday i yanked the lily pads so i should start to see lower growth the next few weeks. i couldn't stand it anymore.:icon_roll

cheers-K


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

kyle3 said:


> yesterday i yanked the lily pads so i should start to see lower growth the next few weeks. i couldn't stand it anymore.:icon_roll
> 
> cheers-K


do you mean that your _Nymphaea_ started to grow floating pads? those really look cool, but they do hog all the light and the plant quits growing the pleasing underwater leaves after they start to develop. it could be cool to have a really huge tank with lotuses and plenty of light+ferts so that they could flower.


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

hydrophyte said:


> do you mean that your _Nymphaea_ started to grow floating pads? those really look cool, but they do hog all the light and the plant quits growing the pleasing underwater leaves after they start to develop. it could be cool to have a really huge tank with lotuses and plenty of light+ferts so that they could flower.


that is what i mean i had between 4&5 pads for the last few weeks. it would be great to get it to flower- more lights! more ferts! more! more! lol- it will have to wait for "more" floor space 

cheers-K


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## eva321 (Apr 27, 2009)

love the tank! do you think that sword will eventually outgrow it?


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

it will for sure. I'll eventually have to pull it out and replace it with something smaller. I'm sure it will take half the substrate with it so that will be fun.

cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

my glass diffuser and drop checker arrived in the mail today all the way from Hong Kong in one piece! it only took 16 days which is awesome i think! gotta get to bed now but I'll set up tomorrow afternoon and start my "which diffusion method works better" experiment 

cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

Well I've found myself unintentionally learning new things! lol

started trying to install my drop checker today and have reluctantly learned about 4dkh solution and the complexities of making it- i don't want to go there. so i found a possible seller in the swap and shop- if that doesn't work out i'll have to buy 250ml from GLA for 12.99+shipping- boo!

so my drop checker analysis will have to wait- i think i am going to install the glass diffuser in the mean time.

here are a few neat shots i got this week of my shrimp:

this one is an amano see's very busy with all those eggs- too bad they won't make it- she's been holding on to them and fluffing them for a whole week









i know i need to clean the prefilter sponge there :icon_redf

here's a shot of my bamboo shrimp on the underside of a sword leaf (you can only see his tail but you can see what a pretty color he is!










here's a shot of him from the side of the tank you can see him head, fans and all:










that ones a tiny bit blurry, oops!

cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

okay, new this week: i added a second coralife t5 freshwater 30" fixture (identical to the one i have) i have it on the front portion of the tank but i haven't raised it yet- not sure if i will yet. i have only one bulb on so i'm getting a total of 54 watts so 2.7wpg. 

I installed the glass diffuser. i had trouble getting water in there for bubble counting but i can see bubbles popping up so I'm not too worried about it for now- I'll get it perfect later.

I installed the drop checker according to the instructions included with it- of course I' discovered the directions are wrong and i need 4dkh, as i mentioned before, but i left it in there until i can get some 4dkh and i noticed today that it has turned from blue to green- don't know if it means anything but i still liked to see it change 

yesterday i added a second bamboo shrimp- guilt from knowing they're happier with company made me do it. :redface:

i also added a couple tufts of brazilian micro chain sword to perhaps slowly replace the dwarf sag.- it does better in the shadier parts of the tank and looks a little rough in the center where it get direct light so we'll see if the chain sword is better suited for that area.

I'm also drinking a bottle of grapefruit juice so i can add more DIY CO2 to the tank so the new light doesn't overwhelm my CO2 saturation.

thanks for looking everyone!
cheers-K

edit: i also taped a piece of paper to the wall by the tank so i can record what day i dose which ferts and keep track of how consistent i am


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

and thanks for the updates! i'm interested to see shots, details and assessment of your drop checker and diffuser. i have a new project in the works and i need to start shopping for CO2 equipment.


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

this morning both bamboo shrimp were out filtering by eachother  I'm glad they're pals already.

I just finished building another 2 liter CO2 chamber. I'm going to add it to the smaller one i already have running- maybe the squealing from the glass diffuser will stop:icon_roll i can hope right 

cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

I forgot to mention that the lily has new leaves growing and the bulb that had been choked out by the larger lily has new leaves growing - it seems to like it's new location 

cheers-K


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## skratikans (May 23, 2008)

your tank looks gorgeous...maybe you could do a ug or hc foreground?


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

here are some shots of the inhabtants 








false julii cory








aneus cory








rummys who loath to hold still and are really juping when the camera is out- what's so scary about a camera?








this is the oto i've had for a few years








the newer oto's added in february 

cheers-K


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

is that one of those spiro counter/diffuser from GLA?


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

it's from ebay- got it from a guy in Hong Kong. his seller ID is aquakh. super good deal i paid $10 i think. just have to be patient with shipping took a couple weeks.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

cool deal


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

i just ordered dry ferts. and 4dkh from GLA. yeah!

cheers-K


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## TheCryptKeeper (Mar 9, 2008)

always good service from Orlando! roud:


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

oh here are these new pictures. thanks for the update. 

otos are great aren't they?

i need to study up what about that kind of diffuser.


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

Torpedobarb said:


> always good service from Orlando! roud:


absolutely! they came really fast now i just have to figure out how to use them:icon_eek: lol 

It's seriously time for a trim- I got rushed last week and only did a water change no trimming so "it's a jungle in there" I'll try to do before and after pics- should be funny.


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

hydrophyte said:


> oh here are these new pictures. thanks for the update.
> 
> otos are great aren't they?
> 
> i need to study up what about that kind of diffuser.


Pics:
Were they hard to find? 

Otos:
I really do love my otos- beyond their functional role they are really cute & interesting critters to observe. great personality.

Diffuser:
I actually chose it because it was the only one on the discount ebay site that was large enough for my tank (in fact it's a bit over sized- but all well) I also thought that with the built in bubble counter it would help me monitor how productive my DIY CO2 mixture is at any given time. so far i like it- except for the noise and once I get the 4dkh in the drop checker i'll know how good a job it's doing. -growth has been good though. 

cheers-K


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

kyle3 said:


>


This is an amazing shot! I love it. :eek5:


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

sewingalot said:


> This is an amazing shot! I love it. :eek5:


thanks sewingalot! i don't have the greatest camera- especially for macro shots so i was pretty lucky to get it to focus so well! :redface:


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

okay- so a week and half later i finally did the big trim! I've been busy with work and birthdays and weddings so water changes had to suffice for a while there! so at long last i have shots of the jungle and the then the lawn .

I would have trimmed more than i did but i was concerned about taking too much plant mass out at once and giving algae a window of opportunity- we'll see if i over did it :redface:

here are some before shots:

















sorry for the reflection on this one- the light hides a bit of the overgrowth :icon_eek:
I swear these pictures don't show how packed with plants the tank looked! but all well. . .

here's all the stuff i pulled out:









here's the trim back:


























this one shows the drop checker right after i filled the tank so it's pretty blue- but it's a nice green now :thumbsup: my DIY is doing the trick


As you can see i threw in some Limnophila aromatica(the purple stuff) midway thru last week. It was in pretty rough shape when i got it from the LFS- the guy working gave me two bunches for the price of one and what's in the tank is all that was sort of salvagable from all of it. Hopefully some of it roots.

Also the wisteria was getting tall and lanky- i think all the rotala and pearling weed were choking it out~ absorbing all the Co2 before it got to the far side of the tank.

I wrote down a dosing schedule for the dry ferts but before i taped it to the wall by the tank i lost it :icon_redf so i gotta do that research again, lol. so for now i'm still using seachem.

thanks for reading everyone!

cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

there's a heat advisory in the twin cities today temps over 90F and humidity up to 90% . . . my tanks are getting hot:eek5: this morning when i got up they were over 80F (AH!) 

we've got one window air conditioner and now i've got a few fans circulating the cool air into the other room that has tanks, including one fan that is directed right at the 20L and 6.5g. hopefully they'll stay cool enough not have any problems . . .
wish me luck!

cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

i forgot to mention in yesterday's update that the larger lily shed it's leaves (including one that was new) so i pulled the bulb out and threw it in the fridge- so it thinks it's winter 

the smaller one is still developing some tiny leaves so i left it to see if it will make it without a period of dormancy


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

everything looks great. i want to set up a 20L someday i really like the shape.

hmmm, which kind of lily is that? is it a temperate species? i had never heard of any aquarium _Nymphaea_ requiring winter dormancy. but i don't know very much about them. i mean to get more because the ones i have tried have done well in my low-tech systems

it is hot here today today. i don't like to run the AC, but the tanks upstairs were already at 80F first thing in the morning, plus the dog was real hot yesterday and wouldn't stop panting. so today i closed everything up and turned on the central air.


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

Well, I've only read of others recommending the dormancy when I was researching at the time i got the plant- could be incorrect info. . . I guess I'll let you know in a few months if it comes to life~ figure it out the old fashioned way (i.e. trial and error:icon_bigg )

I feel the same way about AC. i wait as long as i can to fire it up and turn it off as soon as i can. besides the tanks, i have a 19 year old long haired cat- so the air is for her sake as well- she doesn't need the added stress.:thumbsup:

by the way hydrophyte- your tanks are looking wonderful!
cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

Little update and some new pictures! 

I finally started using the dry ferts i got! and things are looking good.

I raised the second light fixture in the same manner the original was raised.

I've been concerned that with all the thick plant growth, that the far end of the tank wasn't getting enough circulation. so i'm looking at power heads that will fit the tank but in the mean time i set up my backup filter- with no media in it to maximize flow. It's a cascade 200 and i put it at the opposite side of the tank from the aquaclear. it's been there for a number of days and the wisteria is showing better growth (could be the better ferts too). Also as soon as i turned it on the fish seemed to enjoy it. the rummys are back and forth through the flow a lot and they're schooling tighter when they pass through the highest flow area. good stuff  (the filter wasn't installed yet when i took these pics, FYI)

so with out further ado, the latest pictures:



























thanks again to everyone who drops in!

cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

I'm just looking at these pictures again, and noticing how entirely void of an aquascape the tank is these days. which is not to say that this tank was ever a great example of aquascaping :wink: i supose it would go a long way if i trimmed more often . too busy for that at this point it time. . . maybe someday:icon_roll

cheers-K


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

kyle3 said:


> I'm just looking at these pictures again, and noticing how entirely void of an aquascape the tank is these days. which is not to say that this tank was ever a great example of aquascaping :wink: i supose it would go a long way if i trimmed more often . too busy for that at this point it time. . . maybe someday:icon_roll
> 
> cheers-K


I think tanks can bring a lot of joy without the perfect scape. Its hard to compete on this awesome website, but when I see a tank full of green like yours, I give it two thumbs up. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: 

I know you enjoy the heck outta this tank. 

Looks good man!


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

thanks freddie! you're right green is great and it really does entertain me!

It's been a busy summer so i've totally neglected updating my journal. 
a few crypts have been added the lily is large and pink again and the sword plants are living up to their tank busting reputation.

I'm looking forward to more time indoors to get it back into shape (i.e. tame the jungle  ) I'm also thinking about overhauling- start with a totally new hard scape and edit my plant list a little. I'd like to have a little more open swimming water for the occupants to stretch their fins. We shall see. but I'll be sure to take pictures along the way.

cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

alright here are some new photos, i took them a week and a half ago (approximately). so here's my overgrown baby  :



















It's definitely time to take out the swords- or at least most of them, they're even bigger now than they are in these shots. So that will involve a total re-scape simply b/c the root of those swords fill half the substrate  

I'm going to move more towards crypts and have fewer stems just so i don't have to do as much trimming, I'd like a lower maintenance trimming schedule.  

there are 3-4 crypts in there that i think will grow quite a bit more once they aren't totally dominated by all the stems and swords, I have another crypt that's out growing the 6.5 that I think I'll move in here and a crypt spiralis from the betta tank I think will look pretty in the back round. I'd love to get my hands on some parva or willisi too. I'll look in the swap-n-shop a little later.

cheers everyone hope your tanks are treating you right  -K


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Those look like a lot of happy plants.


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

I think they're a little too giddy hydrophyte! i can't keep them in the tank


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Just don't let them do this.


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

Lol!


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

*holy moly*

Well a did a BIG trim- i didn't know there was room for that many plants in there!:icon_eek:

moved in the crypt spiralis and moved a bronze wendtii over to the right side with the others. I also moved the lily to the backround b/c it's so tall now.

i took out all the bacopa moneri, all the wiseria, 1/2 of the rotala indica, & thinned out the dwarf sag. once what's in there grows in how i want it i might replace the rotala with the wisteria. . .we'll see. In the mean time everything i took out is in my 10 gallon quarantine tank:










i also decided not to take the swords out yet, instead i thinned them significantly. I disturbed so much of the substrate replanting the right side that i didn't want to do the left too. plus i took out so much plant mass I'm risking an algae bloom already.

pics are a little washed out (don't know why) and the water isn't fully cleared yet.
so without further ado here's the new state of the tank:























































major bummer i dropped my drop checker and it broke, so I'll have to order another one 

also the fish are pissed at me, they're all hiding. . .they'll get over it- once they've had a good night sleep and their bloodworm breakfast 

looking forward to the grow in this time.

cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

i really want some different driftwood


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## funkyfish (Mar 16, 2009)

Tank looks awesome  
I'm thinking of switching to crypts too, my ludwigia grows so fast and arial roots driving me nuts LOL


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

thanks funky fish. I like your avatar


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

here's a couple shots today with the water cleared up:



















cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

Alright i did the deed! The swords are all gone. . .well in the other room in the QT 

I brought home some sad mayaca and hermeantia (sp? I'll have to look that up can't remember if that's close to the name or if i just made it up  ) and planted them in the back, hopefully they recover and flourish.

I moved an Anubias from my betta's tank- it was getting too big for a 5g and i thought it would add a little diversity of color and leaf shape.

Oh and i took the rotala out too- in a tank that's only 12" tall it just need to be trimmed so much i decided to retire it. so hopefully my nutrient uptake balance isn't too disturbed but an algae bloom might be in my future but, I'm armed and ready! (otos, amanos, Co2 and excel)

I also added a new fish- 1 tiny, tiny SAE. We've had them in at the LFS for about 3 weeks and they've been in effective QT- tho not for disease, just happenstance of space available. He's grazing happily and I'll bring him back to the store if he out grows the 20 before i get the 65 up and running.

So yada, yada, here are the pics roud:









FTS









overhead shot









hermeanthia (?)









mayaca









un identified anubias









blurry shot of the new guy









rummys hiding from the camera

Just for fun a shot of my sweet betta:









hope you enjoyed the update! and let me know if you have any suggestions!

cheers-K


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

You are gonna love the new scape! All the plants still look super healthy!


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## funkyfish (Mar 16, 2009)

I like the new scape  And I really starting to like the 20g long tanks.... If only I had more $$$ and space I would set one of these up as well. 




kyle3 said:


> thanks funky fish. I like your avatar


Thanks! I found this picture somewhere and had to make it as my avatar... it is pretty sweet :hihi: :tongue:


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

thanks guys. 

It was time to get rid of those swords- a 20g is no place for multiple tank busters. :tongue: plus they were taking up valuable real-estate!

I do feel a little badly for my bamboo shrimp tho; they so enjoyed them for perching on.

oh, and freddie: the bits i put in the tank are only the top most parts of the plants i threw away lots of rotten mush. but i think u're right. what's in there seems healthy.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

It's filling in great!

And that's a fab betta!


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

*New pictures! 2/23/10*

Well there haven't been many adjustments since the last pictures just a lot of leaving the plants alone to root and fill in. per Amano's wisdom of not trimming the plants for the first couple months I've left the new aquascape alone to get nice and healthy before i start major tinkering.  

The crypts are all filled out nicely- the spiralis was the slowest to settle in. Any thoughts on what other kinds of crypts i have; i'm all ears. I thought they were all Wendtiis but I haven't really verified that.

the Mayaca has really taken hold and the baby tears are tick again but the other new stem is in a really high flow area and is still struggling so i may have to re locate it. or move the filter for a while.

As soon as i have the stems solid enough I'm going to replace the dwarf sag. in the foreground. I think the java moss enshrouded driftwood needs to go; you can barely see the great red of the lily or the anubias behind it.

So without further ado, here are the pictures from today:


















close-up on crypts:









I've also put the glass lid back on the tank. Originally i put it on temporarily so that i wouldn't have to worry about evaporation while i was on vacation in Florida. however I've found that the fish are out and about more with it on. it must make them feel more secure some how, so I'm going with it.

Speaking of vacation i was debating the likelihood i would be able to instruct a friend how to fertilize and feed and top off while i was gone and quickly came to the conclusion that would never work.  

So i ended up cutting my watts down and shortened my photo period so that i could go with out ferts. and just put fresh CO2 mixture on a couple days before i left. I also bought a cheap auto feeder and set it to it's minimum feeding amount. 

It worked great there was definitely some algae when i got back but nothing drastic and it's coming under control steadily since the tank has gotten back to it's regular regiment. just a little black brush left on the anubias and a little bit of thread algae lingering in the mayaca. but I'm almost there roud:

thanks for your comments everyone! 
cheers-K


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

I just looked at the pics from right when i replanted- it's grown in a lot. I can't wait to have a tangible aquascape!


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

I took some more pictures today and i got a few decent portraits of a few of my inhabitants. and some better shots of the plants.

Let me know what you think!













































this one is a little blurry but it shows the nice orange on this sterbai's fins:






















































cheers everybody and thanks for looking! -K


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

lookin good!


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## !shadow! (Jan 25, 2010)

stop drinking so much and you wouldn't have blurry pictures! l see that cup on top of the tank


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

:icon_eek: lol i use the shot glass to melt frozen food for the fishes. i swear i haven't had a drink since friday


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

In the quest to have a lower maintenance tank i have re-scaped yet again.

think i might order some c. parva for a little more foreground but the dwarf sag. had to go it was taking over.

so lets here some criticisms and suggestions if you have any to offer 








sorry about the reflection on this one i was too lazy to close all the shades.



















this crypt has really colored up beautifully, can anyone ID it? i've guessed tropica but i'm not sure.








this is just a sweet shot of one of my amanos i got last month- had to share it 

this is another fts i took last night:
















my bamboo shrimp loves the hydor i rarely see him/her anywhere else.

hope you enjoy everyone!

cheers-K


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## gbbari (Mar 28, 2010)

Kyle - could you stop the CO2 and convert to a low-tech tank given the plants & fish already in there? You may have to reduce the light a bit and/or lighting periods, but it would seem such a well established tank might be converted so that maintenance goes way down.


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