• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Lessons learned - ADA 45C

5678

Member
Joined
27 May 2015
Messages
332
Location
South Oxfordshire
Lessons learned? Well, hopefully!

I thought I'd start off my journal post for my new tank which I will be starting on the weekend.

I took advantage of the recent 20% offer at TGM and went to town with the orders! Jim has been a massive help with validating my intended approach and it's been much appreciated.

I rushed into my current tank and now, with hindsight, there are several things I want to do differently. I was never happy with my hardscape, substrate, tap water over RO, lighting and just the general cosmetic appearance of the tank.

So, this time round I've gone nearly full ADA with the setup. I know some people aren't fans of the brand, but I wanted to see for myself.

I've got sat waiting to set up...
ADA 45C
Tmc white gloss stand
ADA Aquasky 451
Eheim Pro3 250
ADA 17mm lily pipe and inflow
ADA Power sand special
Aquasoil Amazonia (powder and normal)
ADA glass wear, diffuser, drop checker, thermometer.
20kg of TGM blue stone
6 large pieces of redmoor to choose from.
CO2 will come from my existing co2art kit using a 2kg fe.
For ferts I'm going to try the ADA system to start and see how it goes.

Planned planting will be
L Hippourides
Various Microsorum
echinodorus tenellus
Montecarlo
Weeping, Christmas and flame moss
Anubias/bucce

Fauna, I'm planning a large school of rasbora, not sure which.
20 Amano
A few SAE or otto, maybe both
Then possibly a pair of dwarf cichlids. Kribs or Apistos most likely.

Updates and pictures to follow shortly!
 
A few iPhone photos from today...

Settled on a layout which I think I'm happy with! I'm not going to fill it for a day or so to make tweaking easier if I decide to. I had to make the island a little bigger than I'd started with as I felt it was sacrificing too much planting space. I've used lots of substrate supports around the edges too.

The one thing I'm toying with still is banking up the rear corner some more and add some more stones in there too.

I've ordered up some clear filter hoses and was slightly annoyed at myself that I had forgotten to do so already!

All comments welcome!

B03163EC-9E7B-4B21-B974-1B185651902D_zpsmd5tqjos.jpg


3AF83295-5DF3-4C83-A4C4-E69A43366F85_zpsieyktjch.jpg
 
Looking at it this morning I'm not happy with it.

Can't get away from the thought that the back left corner needs more height. I want to grow some stems in there anyway, but it's a lot of height to fill.

The risk I see is that if I start building up with rocks and soil then I'm going to have a very thick soil layer and potentially less surface area for planting.

Maybe I plant this and see how it goes? There isn't much to disassemble if I do want to bank it up more.
 
Exciting new tank :wideyed:

for the scape, I feel it's a bit too even - if that make sense - it's a nice square island with nice even sand edges ... can you slant the rocks more (they seem v upright in the photo), also add some angle to the shoreline; you can plant gaps in the rocks so still retain planting area, this is a very different style ( A Brief Crack of Light), but I suspect when it grows in there will be plenty of foliage :)
 
If you are planning to bank the back corner, i would suggest inserting substrate supports to hold the bank.

James Finley seems to be one of the aquascaper that I see often does so. It is a sort of thick plastic plates that you insert into your substrate.
Once your plants grows, you wouldn't even notice that the support is there

http://www.thegreenmachineonline.com/shop/tgm-substrate-supports/

Cheers,
 
Lots of substrate supports in already. Learnt that in my previous tank, it's amazing how quickly things will level themselves!

I think the photo makes the rocks look straighter than they are.

Been thinking more and just not sure what to do with the layout :(
 
The difficulty is that with my intended planting all grown in, all you would see hardscape wise is the tops of the wood and the rocks.

Perhaps I should still build a bank up, use smaller pieces of wood and then I've got less need to grow massive stems to fill it?
 
Two weeks in now and second water change due tomorrow.

All kit is in the tank now, twinstar, co2 etc.

I'm concerned that the Eheim Pro3 250 won't be strong enough. I'm going to judge plant movement once they are in and may just buy a JBL e1501 to replace it with.

I'm also going to add more sand when I plant to bank it up against the rocks a little. Will also bank the substrate up at the rear a bit more too.

Plant list that I've decided on is:
- Echinodorus tenellus
- Hydrocotyle verticillata
- Micranthemum 'Monte-Carlo'
- Alternathera reineckii ''mini'
- Hygrophila pinnatifida
- Microsorum pteropus trident
- Microsorum pteropus narrow
- Microsorum pteropus petite
- Syngonanthus sp. 'Belem'
- Christmas Moss
- Flame moss

Fish wise, I'm still undecided. I'll add 20 Amano and 20 CBS to start and then bide my time. Trying to read up on Clown Killifish but am reading that they are prone to jumping! I also like the look of chocolate gourami, but they may be a bit too big.
 
It's just not turning water fast enough for the size of the tank Imo.

I've only got it half full of media too. A bag of bio rio in the middle, half a tray of siporax in the bottom and some mesh in the top.
Factor in the lily pipes and it's not enough to circulate the water well enough.

Anyone want to buy a 2 week old Pro3 250?
 
It's just not turning water fast enough for the size of the tank Imo.

note this comment from ldcgroomer
jbl 1501e arrived today and it was interesting to read in the booklet that while the pump head is rated at 1400lph the expected flow is between 800-900lph when filtering through media and pipes.

You may want to measure actual flow rates
 
Back
Top