# Ada 60P - nature aquarium



## CooKieS (17 Nov 2017)

Hi there, long Time no see but I can't leave this Beautiful hobby.

I'm actually collecting stuff and thinking about the hardscape of my 2018 tank.

Specs-

Ada 60p
Twinstar 600 led
Jbl e901
Inline CO2 2kg
Tropica soil powder
Chihiros doctor v4
Inox pipes

Hardscape:

River Wood
River Gravel and rocks
La plata Ada sand

Plants:

Anubia petite
Eriocaulon sp japan needle leef
Mosses
Ferns
Marsilea

Fauna: any suggestions welcome

To be continued...

First hardscape tryout:








Cheers
Thierry


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## Nigel95 (17 Nov 2017)

Welcome back


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## Ryan Thang To (17 Nov 2017)

Hi
Nice one mate. I too have a brand new 60p waiting for it to be scape. Your wood is looking good. Keep us updated

Cheers
Ryan


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## SKYE.__.HIGH (18 Nov 2017)

Love the scape, exited to see the progress. 

Cheers
Skye 



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Tim Harrison (18 Nov 2017)

Good to see you posting again Thierry, Your tryout scape is looking great so far.


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## SeanOB (18 Nov 2017)

bookmarked for sure! 
glad to see you are back at it


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## Shinobi (19 Nov 2017)

Glad you decided to stick around after all  
Looking forward to your journal


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## CooKieS (19 Nov 2017)

Thanks guys, I'm soon moving to my new house so that tank won't start until next spring, but that will leave me time to do hardscape properly. 

Do you think that the JBL e901 will be enough flow and bacteria support for this tank?


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## CooKieS (5 Feb 2018)

Hi there, finally moved, still a lot to do in my new house but tank is in place.




Next step; buying CO2 bottle and steel pipes.

Cheers


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## Tim Harrison (5 Feb 2018)

Very sleek...but how do you plan to keep the water in


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## Eduard18 (5 Feb 2018)

Yes, indeed, are you sure that's the right position ?


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## CooKieS (11 Feb 2018)

Steel pipes in place!


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## alto (12 Feb 2018)

It looks as if house was designed to support the tank 
- excellent wall textures & colors


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## mow said (12 Feb 2018)

were did u buy the pipes from


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## CooKieS (13 Feb 2018)

mow said said:


> were did u buy the pipes from



http://www.hinterfeld.com/uk-mufan-...flow-outflow-plant-filter-pipe-set-13mm-17mm/

French shop called skaii-and-shrimps but these are the same one, seems to be sturdy for the price, I like the plexi supports that come with them, gives better stability and clean look.


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## CooKieS (13 Feb 2018)

alto said:


> It looks as if house was designed to support the tank
> - excellent wall textures & colors



Haha thanks, that fake rocks wall works good.


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## CooKieS (17 Feb 2018)

Building the stuff together...


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## CooKieS (19 Feb 2018)

First hardscape tryout...


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## SeanOB (19 Feb 2018)

oooooh man this is gonna be good.


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## CooKieS (20 Feb 2018)

V2.0


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## CooKieS (22 Feb 2018)

Today's work; diy tool stand and added jbl volcano wraps


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## CooKieS (25 Feb 2018)

V3.0


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## Tim Harrison (25 Feb 2018)

That looks great, well in proportioned and scale.


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## Angus (25 Feb 2018)

I love the continuity in the way you have faced the wood, very natural looking hardscape.


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## CooKieS (2 Mar 2018)

thanks guys, natural is what I have in mind 

What about the fish selection?

I'm thinking of these:

simulans tetra or
coffee bean tetra (hard to find) or
hyphessobrycon roseus (yellow phantom tetra) or
kubotai

And as cleaning fishes;

otocinclus sp. or
panda loach

What do you think?


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## Nigel95 (2 Mar 2018)

I really love the Paracheirodon simulans. They are cheap, school well and man they shine! Very hardy fish to. 

Kubotai will give better sense of scale. Also very nice fish. But a bit expensive over here!


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## CooKieS (8 Mar 2018)

I added ada amazonia soil and eggcrate to separate soil from sand and  add some height to the Back, next step is adding la plata sand and more rocks!cheers


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## Mikeba (8 Mar 2018)

Looks like the 60P scapes are popular these days 

Very nice hardscape. Well balanced and the wood size seems perfect for this tank. Looking forward to seeing this planted!


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## CooKieS (9 Mar 2018)

60p is popular and great to scape so it doesn't surprise me 

Well, I've just added la plata and nano
Pebbles rocks.





Here's the not so definitive plant list (any thoughs welcome!):

eleocharis sp montevidensis
Anubia petite
Microsorum trident
Bolbitis heudelotii
Lilaeopsis braesiliensis 
Marsilea crenata
Christmas moss
Riccardia
Hydrocotyle verticillata
Elatine hydropiper


Cheers


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## Tim Harrison (9 Mar 2018)

Nicely done, looking very natural.


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## CooKieS (14 Mar 2018)

Have renamed this scape 'cheetah on the run' because of the shape of the middle Wood I just add.


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## SKYE.__.HIGH (16 Mar 2018)

Looks very nice and natural, it all flows very nicely.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## CooKieS (16 Mar 2018)

Much appreciated, thanks.

'Flow' , 'natural' , 'river' that's the feeling I want to achieve in this tank.

Btw, I just ordered those sweeties;

















Cheers


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## Napoleon (17 Mar 2018)

Nice plants!
I’ve seen you added the aquasoil already. Do you know that it shouldn’t get dry so you should cover your tank if you’re not planting straight away


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## CooKieS (17 Mar 2018)

Napoleon said:


> Nice plants!
> I’ve seen you added the aquasoil already. Do you know that it shouldn’t get dry so you should cover your tank if you’re not planting straight away



Didn't know this , had tropica soil before and let it dry for weeks before planting without problem. What's wrong with the Ada?

Anyway, Thanks for the tip mate, I've mist some water on the soil and a plastic sheet to keep some humidity in there


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## CooKieS (17 Mar 2018)

Cheers!


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## Daveslaney (17 Mar 2018)

How do you manage to keep the beer in the glass sideways too?


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## Napoleon (22 Mar 2018)




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## CooKieS (23 Mar 2018)

Another step, another beer


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## kadoxu (23 Mar 2018)

SUPER BOCK!!!


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## Bolota (23 Mar 2018)

That is a serious beer!!!!  worth of a premium scaper!
I have decided to dim my 600E because it was too much light? do you have it full intensity?


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## CooKieS (23 Mar 2018)

Bolota said:


> That is a serious beer!!!!  worth of a premium scaper!
> I have decided to dim my 600E because it was too much light? do you have it full intensity?



Haha, too many beers to taste for one life..super bock is a good one, perfect for summertime.

I have it on full because I don't have any dimmer to go with, honestly this is my first twinstar led and I find it not so powerful in comparaison to the chihiros RGB and A-series...seems good to me, lovely colors too!

So, day 1, here we go;


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## Bolota (23 Mar 2018)

Anyway. Your wood work is really good! really like it! Feels natural and refreshing!
It is also nice to have pebbles for a change. Already too much of Japanese rocks.
I'll be following!


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## CooKieS (27 Mar 2018)

Well, thank you very Much. 

In situ pic, sorry for the bad phone quality, will take out my olympus next Time...





Everything is going fine, some fungus on Wood and some melting on C.parva and Elatine Hydropiper...no algae yet. 20% WC every 3 to 4 days. 6hours lightning period

Cheers


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## CooKieS (27 Mar 2018)

Kicked myself in the b**t and here are some pics!


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## Napoleon (28 Mar 2018)

Very nice @CooKieS


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## CooKieS (31 Mar 2018)

No problem mate.

The cat says ´hello'


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## SKYE.__.HIGH (1 Apr 2018)

Napoleon said:


> @SKYE.__.HIGH  My wrong got a thread  called  60P so got the wrong one but apparently I can’t delete it
> Sorry @CooKieS



LOL, your all good, I just thought it was weird this guy is posting pics of his tank in another members journal .


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## CooKieS (1 Apr 2018)

One week old:

Elatine hydropiper has died, typical transition period from in vitro pot...not much to worry about:




Some physa marmotata snail are coming from plants..well they are good algae eaters:




 news plantlets from hydrocotyle verticillata and marsilea crenata:







Cheers


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## CooKieS (6 Apr 2018)

Week 2:

Buce melting, diatoms attack, added some micros buce and pangolino anubias...otherwise everything Ok.

Pics:


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## CooKieS (8 Apr 2018)

Cleaning crew is in!


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## Nigel95 (8 Apr 2018)

Lovely detail shots!


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## Gill (8 Apr 2018)

Nice, you got some Pink Galaxy Ramshorns. Their Feet look so nice with all the gold sparkles on them.


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## Angus (8 Apr 2018)

Nice macro pics.


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## CooKieS (12 Apr 2018)

Thanks guys.

Major diatom outbreak, anubia and bucephalandra are still melting (including rhizome)...hard times but slow growth of the other plants.

Amano at work and bottom details pic;





Cheers


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## doylecolmdoyle (12 Apr 2018)

I feel your pain with the buce / anubias melt, do you think its high ammonia that causes the melt, that is assuming your tank is cycling?


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## CooKieS (12 Apr 2018)

doylecolmdoyle said:


> I feel your pain with the buce / anubias melt, do you think its high ammonia that causes the melt, that is assuming your tank is cycling?



I don't think so, I've put in some anubia pangolino and new buces last week from another store and they seem OK yet, we'll see 

Maybe first batch of plant was shipped when it was too cold outside? Strange as the other plants from same batch seems ok?

I'm starting to wonder If the fungus on the river Wood causes the anubias and buce rhizome to melt?


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## doylecolmdoyle (12 Apr 2018)

CooKieS said:


> I don't think so, I've put in some anubia pangolino and new buces last week from another store and they seem OK yet, we'll see
> 
> Maybe first batch of plant was shipped when it was too cold outside? Strange as the other plants from same batch seems ok?
> 
> I'm starting to wonder If the fungus on the river Wood causes the anubias and buce rhizome to melt?



I guess melt is a mystery, I transfered some buce / anubias from one of my established tanks (pretty much same water parameters) to my 5ft tank and they started to melt after I added the wood, which was growing fungus, and the melt was mainly around areas where the plants touched the wood. I also added liquid ammonia around the same time to check if tank had cycled so I was thinking it was the slight ammonia (2ppm) spike that caused some melt. I removed the wood as it was to busy with the wood but now you have me thinking the fungus could have caused some of the melt.


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## CooKieS (12 Apr 2018)

Thanks for you feedback, any other experiences with Wood fungus and anubia/buce melting guys?

It could be that...Time will tell


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## CooKieS (16 Apr 2018)

Had to make an Diy filter guard for my stainless steel pipe (this thing killed 3 of my ramshorns snails... )

Melting is ok for now, diatoms is getting better, got some gba under control on my eriocaulon...seems not to grow, hope it continues this way

Some pics:


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## MJF90 (16 Apr 2018)

Goodjob on the shrimpguard! doesn't restrict the flow?


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## CooKieS (17 Apr 2018)

MJF90 said:


> Goodjob on the shrimpguard! doesn't restrict the flow?



Thanks, it's an simple stainless steel moss pad wrapped around the pipe so no flow restriction at All.


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## CooKieS (17 Apr 2018)

Finally!


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## doylecolmdoyle (18 Apr 2018)

What are the goby's? they look cute!


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## CooKieS (18 Apr 2018)

doylecolmdoyle said:


> What are the goby's? they look cute!



Stiphodon Percnopterygionus


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## alto (18 Apr 2018)

Hyphessobrycon roseus?
if so, nicest I've seen - how long have they been in the tank? 
(they always look very subdued in the shop)

How big are those gobies? Did you get a pair or group?

 for all the questions


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## doylecolmdoyle (18 Apr 2018)

CooKieS said:


> Stiphodon Percnopterygionus




Oh very cool, are you injecting Co2? I read they need high oxygen levels, I did look into Stiphodon for my river tank but they are impossible to find in Australia


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## CooKieS (18 Apr 2018)

alto said:


> Hyphessobrycon roseus?
> if so, nicest I've seen - how long have they been in the tank?
> (they always look very subdued in the shop)
> 
> ...



You're welcome,

Yes, these are roseus tetra, at the Time of this pic they were in the tank for only a couple hours. I'll take another shot today, they really pop out in a planted tank and twinstar rgb helps too. Lovely underrated fishes.

I got a pair of stiphodon, this is one of the smallest species, female is about 4cm and male 3,5cm adult size. I hope to feed them With spirulina gel because the male is skinny...they're awesome fish to watch


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## CooKieS (18 Apr 2018)

doylecolmdoyle said:


> Oh very cool, are you injecting Co2? I read they need high oxygen levels, I did look into Stiphodon for my river tank but they are impossible to find in Australia


 
Sorry to hear that, strangely you're living near them as they come from japan.

I'm injecting CO2 but not so much and I got a lot of surface agitation+chihiros doctor+overrated filtration...hope they will be ok. Time will tell!


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## Hades (18 Apr 2018)

Nice journal and beautiful tank!
I love the buces! 
I am currently considering Stiphodons too, just have to love them! 
Was doubting a bit myself because i also inject co2, but like you say they should be ok with enough surface agitation... It will be interesting to see how things go in your tank.



CooKieS said:


> 'cheetah on the run' because of the shape of the middle Wood I just add.


Hehe, i spotted the cheetah! Sweet!


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## doylecolmdoyle (18 Apr 2018)

CooKieS said:


> Sorry to hear that, strangely you're living near them as they come from japan.
> 
> I'm injecting CO2 but not so much and I got a lot of surface agitation+chihiros doctor+overrated filtration...hope they will be ok. Time will tell!



They are not allowed to be imported to my country, along with a huge list of other fish, we have tough laws! Australia has native Stiphodon, but very very very (very) rare, they are beautiful and very interesting fish! keeps us updated


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## Tim Harrison (18 Apr 2018)

Lovin' the _Hyphessobrycon roseus. _They're perfect, I'm always on the look out for smaller Hyphessobrycon spp


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## alto (18 Apr 2018)

Check locale & species of the particular stiphodons - while some are decidedly riverine, many are from quieter pools

I'd forgotten that one far too thin individual _Stiphodon sp._ went onto my "quiet zone" _Betta hendra _tank (long ago 45 cm ADA tank with frosted back & sides) that depends on window light (only H micranthemoides grew through the winter) & a slowed down Eheim Classic 150 ... I found him/her fat & happy when I took down the tank yesterday (believing it was fishless)
There was a good amount of algae in the tank with the summer/fall sun - though I find mine also seem to love frozen brine shrimp (blood worms not so much)

Like the ones above, it's a smaller species, imported as type X which it assuredly isn't - this is not uncommon with _Stiphodon_ shipments

They do seem oxygen sensitive when arriving in the shops, so I'd not place any into a high CO2 tank initially - regardless of current & surface ripple

(It's likely they arrive with some degree of ich as its prevalent at the holding farms, I usually treat all incoming fish with an anti-ich med, if they seem much more active after the first Tx, I do a 3-5 day course depending
Note that fish with obvious ich "spots" are well infested & should be treated over a couple weeks rather than a couple days)


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## CooKieS (19 Apr 2018)

Tim Harrison said:


> Lovin' the _Hyphessobrycon roseus. _They're perfect, I'm always on the look out for smaller Hyphessobrycon spp



Me too...Couldn't find hyphessobrycon takasei so I choose these roseus, no regrets, they fit the 60P perfectly.


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## MJF90 (22 Apr 2018)

Really nice choice of fish! Are the stiphodons good at digging? i got a pair of rhinogobius and they keep digging underneath my dragonstone..


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## CooKieS (22 Apr 2018)

Thanks guys and thanks for the tips about stiphodon sp too, hope they'll
Be fine on my tank. From now they seem to be OK, but they're hiding a lot.

They don't dig very often, only the male do so and it seems that it prefers to hide between the wood. Hopefully he won't destroy my sand path!


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## CooKieS (26 Apr 2018)

1 month update and new glass outlet from gush;








Please don't pay attention to algae and overall bad plant shape, I'm still trying to find balance.

Cheers


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## MJF90 (26 Apr 2018)

Looking great man!


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## alto (26 Apr 2018)

CooKieS said:


> Please don't pay attention to algae and overall bad plant shape, I'm still trying to find balance.



Isn't that why we add interesting fish - the ultimate distraction 

It's always more interesting to see an aquascape in all it's guises, rather than just the perfect moments

I just did a partial rescape - everything out & soil substrate well vacuumed, then old & new pieces back 
No fish for the first week so I could run outrageous CO2 
Still a plant I've never seen melt, has now completely gone (it was a tissue culture cup that had sat in the shop for several weeks before purchase)
I just added fish 2 days ago, I'd noticed slight melt on a few leaves, then a few more next day, now the entire plant has gone ... so I just admire the sparkly new fish


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## CooKieS (27 Apr 2018)

That's right! I particulary love to watch All the algae eaters doing the work for me, the stiphodon are grazing on pebbles and wood All day long, amano shrimps are busy at cleaning sand and snails are good glass cleaners. 

Next step is adding some otocinclus, What do you think, 4 is enough or do I need more?

Btw, here's a pic with the zoom lens, previous pic was taken with my macro lens hence the blurriness in the background ;





Cheers guys


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## alto (27 Apr 2018)

I can never decide about otocinclus - they're much happier in groups but I never have enough algae to support more than 2-3 (in a similar sized tank), then they love to snack on any new sword leaves, or Nymphaea leaves 
I'm never successful at getting them to eat fresh vegetables or pellets (the plant leaves taste better I guess)

I see recommendations to keep them in groups of at least 6 ... but is this really enough for a fish that seems to only be found in massive shoals in nature 
A single or duo will remain in good condition, displaying fairly quiet behaviour
The greatest activity I've observed is when they're kept in large groups in large tanks 

I have a couple now - remnants from a group of 7, & since then Otos have been in short supply in the shops for several months

Of course whether I purchase them or not, they will continue to be sold in fish shops & I suspect my tank is a bit more suitable than some


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## Jayefc1 (27 Apr 2018)

Looks good cookies


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## Konsa (28 Apr 2018)

Hi alto
My ottos are very keen on Hikari algae wafers.As long as U feed in one spot and there are no beastly amanos to rob the food they do well on them.As for when buying them I get a piece of new  redmoor wood with thick part on it that has not been in water before from shop and pin it down in my eastablished tank for few weeks they just love the white slime and the initial film that appears on it and that helps me to boost them up.
Regards Konsa


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## CooKieS (29 Apr 2018)

Thanks guys, I've just changed my mind, instead of otocinclus I'll buy some more female stiphodon;













I've spotted the female stiphodon eating BBA and cyanobacteria last week, awesome , unfornutaly coulnd't take a pic but these fishes are définitively the best algae eaters I've seen. They do seem to love the setup even with CO2 (oxygénation at night with added waterpump though).

Roseus tetras are fully acclimated now and even spawning in the ferns, would be nice to have babies!

Cheers


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## CooKieS (1 May 2018)

Cheers


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## alto (1 May 2018)

You can likely add another male as well (if these fish are seldom available you may want "backup" boys just in case) or possibly try a trio of males as this often works out better - though I'd feel more comfortable trying this in a 90cm tank or if you've other tanks to move fish into if needed

Some species are much more territorial than others - depending on shop conditions, watching them for good while may tell you whether additional males would be worth trying


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## CooKieS (4 May 2018)

thanks for the tip, we'll see if my LGS got some another male in stock but I don't think so, last time I went there they only got some S.Semoni in stock (male and female).

I could go with Semoni female as they're nearly identical to my Percnopterygionus female.

Anyway, I'm now trying to clean my tanin (that came from my river wood pieces) with one Seachem Purigen, curious to see the result, pics to come.


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## PM (4 May 2018)

Looks great. Are the metal lily pipes 13 or 17mm?


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## CooKieS (4 May 2018)

PM said:


> Looks great. Are the metal lily pipes 13 or 17mm?



Thanks, they are 13mm to go with the JBL e901 filter.


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## CooKieS (4 May 2018)

24hours after putting purigen bag in the filter:

The water is already clearer. 

Now I need an background screen, what do you think; white or black?


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## CooKieS (15 May 2018)

Hi guys!

Cheers from interzoo 2018:




Tank is getting better;  my bucephalandra finally stopped melting and seems to grow fine, other plants too, less algae, I killed cyanobacteria with blue green slime remover from ultralife (awesome stuff btw). I'm still playing with ferts dosage but I'm getting there...fishes seems happy too.

I'll buy more stiphodons soon.





Cheers


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## MJF90 (15 May 2018)

Tank is looking great! you were at interzoo? any interesting new products available?


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## CooKieS (20 May 2018)

Yes , chihiros led and doctor with Bluetooth control, new eheim stuff led etc, pico aqualighter Soft led and wabikusa...some cool stuff!

Tank update, I'm thinking of adding h.pinitifida on left Wood and right Wood, thoughs? Cheers


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## CooKieS (31 May 2018)

Bba outbreak, what should I do? I tried increasing macro and decreasing micro, more CO2...dosing easy carbo from easylife.

Otherwise, ok, still thinking of adding background stem plant but don't know which one yet

Pics:







Thanks


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## Angus (31 May 2018)

Spot dosing liquid carbon mixed 1 part LC to 5 parts water with a syringe underwater works pretty fast on BBA, just remember don't exceed recommended dosing, just use your usual daily dose mixed with tank water.


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## Duplicareus (2 Jun 2018)

Have you cleaned your filter?


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## Bolota (2 Jun 2018)

CooKieS said:


> I'm thinking of adding h.pinitifida on left Wood and right Wood, thoughs?


I would not add it. I think you achieved a quite good combination of textures. HP, unless you keep it really low, will bring a very different texture/color to the ones you have in there... 
I think your tank is becoming quite nice. Congratulations!

I had a huge BBA crises in my last tank. To me it is a matter of more cleaning and upping the CO2. Or make it more efficient.

Cheers.


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## CooKieS (3 Jun 2018)

Thanks guys,

I'm actually dosing 3ml liquid carbon in the water column per day, I will try the spot dosing next time thanks.

I'm cleaning my filter once every two months, last Time I added seachem purigen in the filter, can this thing cause troubles? Pipes and hose are dirty...

Finally, thanks for you advice Bolota, I'm thinking adding stem plants in the back right but don't know which one? Rotala sp? hm? Didiplis?

New fishes btw:







https://nsa39.casimages.com/img/2018/06/03/180603100752364421.jpg










Cheers


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## Duplicareus (3 Jun 2018)

Personally, when my hoses are visibly dirty, it means dissolved organic should be rather high and its a good time to give the filter a good rinse and change the floss

If everything is at a good level, more often than not is down to maintenance thats causing the algae


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## alto (3 Jun 2018)

Gorgeous tetras - looks like an emperor tetra body shape but not like any I've seen for sale locally 

Curious what species the Otos were listed as 

Tank is looking grand!

If you're looking for a touch of red, maybe some H 'Araguaia' (should be able to attach to wood as long as water nutrients are steady) - or try some 1-2-grow style H pinnatifida & keep it severely trimmed (looks good though not sure how well it does longterm when this is done)


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## CooKieS (4 Jun 2018)

Thanks I'll clean my filter floss. This JBL e901 is not as good as my old eheim one anyway.

Alto; these are sold under royal tetra 'super blue' sélection, real name is Inpaichthys kerri, they are not shy and Beautiful...

Anyway, H. Araguaia is an awesome idea thanks!

I've mounted an white background and the tank is looking WAY better IMO:





Cheers


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## alto (4 Jun 2018)

In the midst of a rescape & now you've got me thinking ...
except where am I going to find a white background to try


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## alto (4 Jun 2018)

CooKieS said:


> these are sold under royal tetra 'super blue' sélection, real name is Inpaichthys kerri, they are not shy and Beautiful...



If they looked anywhere near that good in the shop, they must be a special line - any idea if they are wild caught or line bred?


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## mooncake (4 Jun 2018)

I think I saw those fish in the Aquatic Design Centre in London the other day, or some very similar. I'd never seen them before in person and they did catch my eye.


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## Duplicareus (5 Jun 2018)

alto said:


> In the midst of a rescape & now you've got me thinking ...
> except where am I going to find a white background to try


I just stuck a piece of acrylic cut to size behind


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## CooKieS (5 Jun 2018)

The white background is just an adhesive white film I've bought in a DIY store. 

The royal 'super blue' tetras are line bred, in the shop they were looking very dark but in my tank males are blue and female black. I'll post better pics soon.


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## CooKieS (6 Jun 2018)




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## Duplicareus (6 Jun 2018)

Love the stiphodon shot!


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## doylecolmdoyle (6 Jun 2018)

The goby looks so cool, like a punk!


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## CooKieS (17 Jun 2018)

Last update, before adding some stems in the background.





Cheers!


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## CooKieS (4 Jul 2018)

July update, lose the stems idea in the background, I love the low maintenance and nature style of the actual version;





Next Time i'll clean the middle path, add some new sand and pebbles and take the final pic. Still some BBA but nothing too annoying, burning it with liquid carbon at every water change.

Actually dosing 3ml aquarebell npk daily and 2ml aquarebell iron weekly.

Cheers guys


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## CooKieS (13 Jul 2018)

Hi guys, final shot crop:





Now I'm letting this tank turn into jungle and I'll rescape this in autumn, cheers


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## CooKieS (26 Aug 2018)

Ugly tank still running, I trashed All the eriocaulon because it's an BBa magnet and slow growing boring plant.

Got some rotala H'ra, we'll see if this helps me from selling All my stuff and find an better hobby.








Cheers


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## Shinobi (27 Aug 2018)

CooKieS said:


> Ugly tank still running, I trashed All the eriocaulon because it's an BBa magnet and slow growing boring plant.
> 
> Got some rotala H'ra, we'll see if this helps me from selling All my stuff and find an better hobby.
> 
> ...



Is it that time of the year again?


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## CooKieS (27 Aug 2018)

Shinobi said:


> Is it that time of the year again?
> View attachment 117468



Exactly...


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## Ysiatis (27 Aug 2018)

CooKieS said:


> Exactly...


Cheers Cookies ! Keep scaping, man, your good to this !


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## CooKieS (27 Aug 2018)

Ysiatis said:


> Cheers Cookies ! Keep scaping, man, your good to this !



You're the Ysiatis from aquagora?


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## alto (27 Aug 2018)

CooKieS said:


> selling All my stuff and find an better hobby.


No 
you’re rather good at this scaping business


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## CooKieS (27 Aug 2018)

Crazy fast growing rotalas...




About 1cm height in 4 days


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## Ysiatis (28 Aug 2018)

CooKieS said:


> You're the Ysiatis from aquagora?


Yes, I am !  Nice to see you (and your scapes !) again !


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## CooKieS (28 Aug 2018)

Le plaisir est partagé.

V1.0 final version:






V2.0 in progress:


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## CooKieS (30 Aug 2018)

Rotala is starting to show new immerged leaves;

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Fishes seems to love the sand foreground and the pebbles:


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## CooKieS (5 Sep 2018)

Rotala h'ra macro shots


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## CooKieS (12 Sep 2018)

Say Hi to my new pair of rams...and pogostemon erectus by aquaflora. Cheers!


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## alto (12 Sep 2018)

Put the P erectus in the most light & CO2 deprived area of the tank so it remains a miniaturized version of itself 

I (almost) prefer it in my low tech tanks 
(where it’s a relatively slow growing & restrained version of itself)

Same ram in both photos?
(or 2 males re “blue spangles” )


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## Ysiatis (13 Sep 2018)

Hellow new pair of rams !  Nice pics Cook !


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## Looneeyy (13 Sep 2018)

Just read this start to finish, very interesting read. @CooKieS very nice job


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## CooKieS (13 Sep 2018)

Thanks guys!

Alto: P.Erectus is in the background so not Much light and CO2 there, we'll see how big it gets.
Also in the two pics it's the male (just in), female was hiding. I'll take new pics once they have coloured a bit


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## CooKieS (17 Sep 2018)

Rams;






And the most dispensable tool I've ever bought;








Cheers


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## Fiske (17 Sep 2018)

CooKieS said:


> And the most dispensable tool I've ever bought;



?
For brushing nose hairs?
?


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## Matt @ ScapeEasy (18 Sep 2018)

That first photo is absolutely stunning!!!


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## CooKieS (19 Sep 2018)

Yes,BBA nose hairs...

In vitro H.pinnitifia is starting to propagate in the jungle;




My rams won't eat anything yet, what do you feed them guys? Thanks


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## Conort2 (19 Sep 2018)

How warm is your tank? Rams like it hot. Also in that last pic of the ram it looks like it has clear stringy faeces hanging from it so may be worms. I find a lot of tank bred dwarf cichlids seem to carry these. 

Cheers

Conor


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## CooKieS (19 Sep 2018)

Conort2 said:


> How warm is your tank? Rams like it hot. Also in that last pic of the ram it looks like it has clear stringy faeces hanging from it so may be worms. I find a lot of tank bred dwarf cichlids seem to carry these.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Conor



Actually water is 24-25 degrees but I'm planning to buy an inline hydor heater to get 27 degrees, don't wanna get too hot because of riccardia. 

Is 27 degrees gonna be Okay for rams?

They make white poo, could that be worms as you said?

My LFS told me they gave them frozen food...I'm gonna try this.

They seem very calm and not stressed at the moment but not active at All....


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## Conort2 (19 Sep 2018)

CooKieS said:


> Actually water is 24-25 degrees but I'm planning to buy an inline hydor heater to get 27 degrees, don't wanna get too hot because of riccardia.
> 
> Is 27 degrees gonna be Okay for rams?
> 
> ...



I'd try bumping up the temperature abit more if I was you, try 27 and see if it makes any difference. Should hopefully speed up their metabolism. Then try them with something like frozen bloodworm, if they say no to that then you know you have a problem. 

Let us know how you get on with those changes. May then be a case of having to worm the fish if you don't have any luck.

Cheers

Conor


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## CooKieS (22 Sep 2018)

Well, the rams have had a little bit more interest in the frozen bloodworms than the flakes but they don't seem very happy, I should receive my heater this week.

Pic of the tank before big trim and WC, any tips about trimming rotala? Thanks





Cheers


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## Shinobi (22 Sep 2018)

CooKieS said:


> Well, the rams have had a little bit more interest in the frozen bloodworms than the flakes but they don't seem very happy, I should receive my heater this week.
> 
> Pic of the tank before big trim and WC, any tips about trimming rotala? Thanks
> 
> ...



Depending on what you want to achieve with the Rotala - for that dense bushy look, you should build up from the bottom, trimming very low the first couple of times.
The stems usually splits into 1-3 new stems every time they are cut back.

If you want them less bushy you just cut a bit higher


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## Matt @ ScapeEasy (22 Sep 2018)

The rams in the photo don't look massively unhappy... they are quite colourful. It might be worth seeing what type of food they were fed where you got them from?


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## CooKieS (23 Sep 2018)

Thanks Shinobi for the tip, after trimming;





Matt: LFS told me they were feeded with frozen artemias and bloodworms that´s why I've tried these.
It seems that my water is way too cold (23 degrees), that may explain that they aren't very active yet


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## Nigel95 (23 Sep 2018)

Nice scape


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## CooKieS (30 Sep 2018)

Have a nice sunday evening guys!


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## CooKieS (6 Oct 2018)

Lazy maintenance...full of bba and overgrown...waiting for the pogostemon erectus to come up in the back left corner. Cheers


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## CooKieS (12 Oct 2018)

Trimming day

Unfortunately female ram died, male still there but eating nothing but 2-3 frozen worms weekly... 

On the other side, I got one pregnant oto!


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## AverageWhiteBloke (12 Oct 2018)

IME worm Rams right from the off. I would say 90% need worming. I've been through hundreds of Rams in my time and the second you see white stringy faeces or turning their nose up at food treat straight away. They seem to prefer warmer temps around 26 deg if possible but once they are wormed they are quite voracious feeders and will tackle anything anytime, they always look for food when you're near the tank so if they start picking it's a bad sign.


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## alto (12 Oct 2018)

CooKieS said:


> of bba and overgrown



Filipe Oliveira’s Seachem Excel (or whichever proprietary product he used) scheme works well 

I still really like this tank 



CooKieS said:


> Unfortunately female ram died, male still there but eating nothing but 2-3 frozen worms weekly...


Rapid respiratorion? iridovirus is not uncommon in rams 

AWB is correct, they should be outgoing, happy little fish

As the male ram is no longer eating enough for medicated food to be effective (any medication always decreases palatability), you might try a Metronidazole or Praziquantel bath ... I think Metro is better tolerated by most fish, shrimp etc than Prazi


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## CooKieS (18 Oct 2018)

Thanks guys for the tips, I'll bring the ram back to the LFS.

As for the algae I'm dosing easylife easycarbo , isn't this the same as excel?

Anyway, I'm trying a new lean fertilisation by Ada since two weeks and things are getting better, even my rotala h'ra is finally turning orange...to be continued.


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## alto (18 Oct 2018)

CooKieS said:


> It seems that my water is way too cold (23 degrees), that may explain that they aren't very active yet



I tend to keep my tanks ~24-25C and haven’t had issue with rams, though haven’t kept any for awhile now as lfs stock hasn’t been great quality - deformed (balloon), hormoned (GIANT size, funky proportions), hybrid (body shape & size of M. altispinosus  with dilute M. ramirezi colouring) ... 
some of the nicest conformed rams have been in the electric blue color lines (platinum) but I’d really like some nice wild type 

Seriously Fish reports 26C - 30C


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## alto (18 Oct 2018)

CooKieS said:


> As for the algae I'm dosing easylife easycarbo , isn't this the same as excel?


In theory - no EasyCarbo available locally so I’ve only used Seachem version, formula is likely similar but may not be identical (though that may be insignificant)

I’ve been remiss with trimming and one tank is in a jungle phase - also haven’t opened the filter in months  - I’ve noticed BBA on the wood recently and dosed Excel at the 5ml/40litres using total tank volume rather than “probable” water column volume 

I did syringe (transfer pipette anyway ) some Excel directly on the easily accessible BBA on Day 1, then rather forgot about the whole venture for the next month until I saw  a nice furry batch on the same wood - and a neighbouring bit of wood 

Big trim, couple 50% water changes (fish are more comfortable with 2 x 50% rather than a single 70-80% water change), Excel on Day 1 & Day 3 (small - quick! - water change before dosing) ... a week later & the visible BBA seems to have disappeared from the wood ... now I just need to do an epic trim again 

I was growing out plants for another tank scape but it’s gotten a bit crazy in there  



> On initial use or after a major (> 40%) water change, use 1 capful (5 mL) for every 40 L (10 US gallons). Thereafter use 1 capful for every 200 L (50 US gallons) daily or every other day.



I seldom use Excel and dose Tropica Premium & Specialized daily (most days  ) acc. bottle suggestion though I adjust this for plant mass


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## CooKieS (18 Oct 2018)

alto said:


> I tend to keep my tanks ~24-25C and haven’t had issue with rams, though haven’t kept any for awhile now as lfs stock hasn’t been great quality - deformed (balloon), hormoned (GIANT size, funky proportions), hybrid (body shape & size of M. altispinosus  with dilute M. ramirezi colouring) ...
> some of the nicest conformed rams have been in the electric blue color lines (platinum) but I’d really like some nice wild type
> 
> Seriously Fish reports 26C - 30C



Yeah, seems hard to get good looking and healthy one...sadly. Didn't know that those can get worm!

I've got an hydor inline heater now, so the tank is actually at 27C since 3 weeks.

As for the easycarbo, I'll try to overdose one day before waterchange and see what happens. Syringe on affected plants (Hardy ones like anubias or buces) works great.

Thanks again alto!


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## CooKieS (19 Oct 2018)

big WC, trimming, cleaning, and easy carbo day, as the man said!


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## greenink (20 Oct 2018)

This is so great. Really nice to see how it's changed over time. Like these journals that have a bit of the frustration as well as the experiments and success. Keep going!


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## CooKieS (20 Oct 2018)

greenink said:


> This is so great. Really nice to see how it's changed over time. Like these journals that have a bit of the frustration as well as the experiments and success. Keep going!



Thanks, no pain no gain


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## CooKieS (1 Nov 2018)

Hi there, added 5 hyphessobrycon roseus to the 7 Already that are already in...now the schoal is complete.

Rams unfortunately both died...worm? Surely...Sad experience.

 One female otocinclus is full of eggs...nice surprise, would be awesome to have some fry.

Plants are thriving since I use lean ferts (only ada brighty K and some trace mix after WC).





Rescape soon...cheers


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## dw1305 (1 Nov 2018)

Hi all,





CooKieS said:


> Rams unfortunately both died...worm? Surely...Sad experience.


The ones you buy are usually a sad reflection of the true fish.They are just incredibly unhealthy. 

I've been thinking about getting some again, but I'm only going to buy them from some-one who breeds them.

cheers Darrel


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## CooKieS (3 Nov 2018)

Yes, I've to find a breeder too

Cleaning the middle path and added sand for more depth:


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## Daveslaney (3 Nov 2018)

Filled in well. Looking really nice now.
Good job.


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## CooKieS (10 Nov 2018)

Thanks! Had A lot of plants, ferts experience and fun with this tank.

Last pics of this before the 2019 version, cheers and thanks again for the help guys!


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