# Andy D's Splendid Tank



## Andy D (6 Jun 2014)

Hi All!

The tank is not here yet so you'll have to be patient (like me!). However I thought I would add a few details as I miss adding to a blog. 

First of a little background for those that don't know. Up until a few weeks ago I was running 6 tanks plus a bowl. Here is the blog - http://forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/showthread.php?t=89433 I decided (for a number of reasons) to reduce these to 1. (Well 2 but the other will house Fire-Bellied toads).

My plan for the tank (inspired by Tom's Bucket O'Mud and Alastair's Chocolate Puddle) was to go for some emmersed growth in the form of some popular house plants and a blackwater style bio-tope for the fish. The tank will house my Ember Tertras, Chilli Rasbora and hopefully my male Betta. My eventual plan for this tank will be to house a few female Betta Splendens - hence my title.

First task was to decide on the tank. My initial choices were an ADA 60P or TMC Signature as I wanted a decent brace-less tank. The TMC would not fit in the space I had so that left the ADA. At £150 per tank I was not sure I could justify the expense for a 2ft tank. In the end I ordered two tanks from ND Aquatics for almost half the price of the ADA. They are the same spec as the ADA - 60 x 30 x 36cm - but with 10mm glass. The front panel will Opti-White whilst the rest will be standard glass. These are being delivered on the 24th June. 

Whilst I have been waiting for the tanks to arrive I have sold most of my other tanks and have been getting the bits together for the new tank. The bits I have so far are:

Lighting - 2 TMC Aquabar 500's with dimmers. It was really important for me to have control of the light intensity as this was lacking with most of my previous tanks. They will be mounted with TMC Tank Rim Mounting Brackets. My only concern will be whether the emmersed plants get enough light. Time will tell. I can always tweak it.





House plants being used are Peace Lilly, Ficus, Maidenhair Fern and Calathea. Looking at them I am not sure whether they might take up too much space. I am considering just going with a row of Peace Lillie's. I think I will give these a go and see how I get on.




Hardscape will be a couple of my salvaged pear branches but I may replace these with manzanita later on. I am planning to go with a soil substrate capped with either sand or cat litter. I am not sure which at this stage. Plants will be various Anubias and Java Ferns. The surface will be covered with floating plants. The emmersed plants will be attached to the back wall using 'bathroom organisers'. They will contain clay balls capped with soil and sand.







Filtration will be via one of my current Fluval Nanos and I have bought a 75w Aquael heater which looks quite discreet for a heater.




I am planning on going with 100% re-mineralised RO using this formula - http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/RO.htm. This will give me a gH of 5 and a kH of 1 although I am going to increase this to two. I did consider a pre-mixed formula like TMC Re-min but I think this will be far more cost effective. The chemicals and scales cost about £20 and should last over 2 years.




Current plan is to keep the tank open topped but I have had some covers fabricated from polycarbonate just in case. 

I just need the tanks now...


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## allan angus (6 Jun 2014)

sounds great look forward to seeing it


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## Deano3 (6 Jun 2014)

looks good andy will be watching this one


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## Andy D (6 Jun 2014)

Thanks. I hope so. For once I actually have a pretty good idea how this will look.

Probably goes without saying that this will be low-tech.


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## Edvet (7 Jun 2014)

Just me being me, why not something like Beta imbellis or so


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## Andy D (7 Jun 2014)

Edvet said:


> Just me being me, why not something like Beta imbellis or so



I am always open to suggestions. 

I will bear that suggestion in mind. At present I have the fish already.


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## sciencefiction (7 Jun 2014)

Sounds like it's going to be a Splendid tank Andy  Looking forward to it.


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## aliclarke86 (8 Jun 2014)

I fear you are right about the terestrisls... I have about that many plants in my 3 foot vivarium type thingymebob and they take up the whole thing. A bunch of Spathiphyllum and maybe mix some of the adiantum sp. In and it will look great

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk


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## Andy D (8 Jun 2014)

Thanks for the positive comments all!


Potted up the Peace Lillie's today. I am pretty sure I am just going to use these for now as I think the other plants will just be too big.

I gave it a go using the clay balls topped with cat litter and then sand and to be honest what I expected to happen happened. As soon as they were submerged the sand fell between the balls. Instead I used the clay balls and topped with small stones. These are now sat in a bowl of water (with ferts) in the hope they get acclimatised sooner.

I have also bought some 'Redbush' tea bags after reading about someone on PFK using these for tannins and providing similar health benefits as Catappa leaves.

A couple of shots showing the first attempt and final attempt.


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## sciencefiction (8 Jun 2014)

The piece lilies will grow massive Andy. Just give them time 
Here is mine after about a year or so:


 
The hydroton balls will get saturated eventually and won't pop out of the planter plus the roots of the lily will grow big and even grow out of the planter and hold the balls with their roots too.
With my emersed plants now grown too much and severely shadowing the submerged plants I've decided to install another light straight over the tank at lower level as otherwise I just can't keep both emersed and submerged plants because the suspended light isn't enough any longer.
I already removed a calathea plant as I ran out of room really on a 5f tank with just 5 planters so if you are keeping them long term, they will grow big.


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## Andy D (8 Jun 2014)

I know they can get massive to but I can always trim them or replace them when they are too big.

Nice shot by the way. Do you have a full tank shot? (I suspect you have a journal that I should check out really!  )

My other concern is with lighting. It kind of dawned on me after I bought it that the aquabars and tank rim mounting brackets might not get the light into the plants. I might see if I can angle one if needed.

I am not concerned with the plants shadowing the tank as I can move the aquabars and will mainly be using Anubias and Java Fern anyway.


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## sciencefiction (8 Jun 2014)

Anubias and Java fern won't mind at all I guess. 
The journal is in my signature below under the name "Disaster" but it had quite a few setbacks along its life like lants melting, then recovering, then tank leaking, then all lights busting, etc. but there are some pictures there, nothing special though.


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## Andy D (8 Jun 2014)

Thanks, I'll check it out. 

(I use Tapatalk so don't see people signatures - just in case you thought I was a bit mental for not seeing it)


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## aliclarke86 (9 Jun 2014)

This redbush thing has got me very interested. Do you have a link to the pfk post? 

Probably not if your on tappatalk

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## Fern (9 Jun 2014)

http://www.undergroundhealth.com/10-amazing-health-benefits-of-rooibos-tea/
Think I will ditch the Earl Grey! Interesting about adding a 'brew' to an aquarium too.


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## Andy D (9 Jun 2014)

aliclarke86 said:


> This redbush thing has got me very interested. Do you have a link to the pfk post?
> 
> Probably not if your on tappatalk
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk



I can do links 

Here (Page 2) - http://forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/showthread.php?p=1062286#post1062286


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## AverageWhiteBloke (9 Jun 2014)

Subscribed, out of curiosity where did you get the bath organisers from and do you think the suckers will take the weight?
Possibly use wire to hang off the side maybe?


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## Andy D (9 Jun 2014)

AverageWhiteBloke said:


> Subscribed, out of curiosity where did you get the bath organisers from and do you think the suckers will take the weight?
> Possibly use wire to hang off the side maybe?



I got them from ASDA - http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/anyone-looking-for-riparium-planters.33128/#post-352119

The suckers seem strong but I know they lose strength over time so I will be using wire as a back up too.


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## Andy D (24 Jun 2014)

Today's theme - Highs and Lows! 

My tanks turned up today and blimey they are heavy! I am very happy with them.  

However I was not happy with this - 





- especially as my other tanks have been drained and cleaned and my fish are in buckets! I called ND Aquatics and the very friendly lady who answers went and spoke to the tank builder who advised they will be okay to use on Friday. They look fine to me but I don't wanna risk it so I did not need to take a day off today. Oh well, at least they are here. 

Another negative is that I had planned to use the lights from my Ebi's to light the toad tank. However I had not checked on the size of glass they would accommodate and 10mm is too wide. D'oh! The positive is that one TMC Aquabar will be plenty for each tank so lights are sorted.

Therefore today has not been too productive. But here are a couple of shots to give you an idea:


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## Edvet (24 Jun 2014)

Neat tank, grats!


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## aliclarke86 (24 Jun 2014)

Tank looks really good.. What sorta dosh did you have to hand over?

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## Andy D (24 Jun 2014)

Thanks for the kind comments. Not as nice looking as I was hoping for today! 

Tanks were £76 each plus £30 for delivery. ND deliver themselves so you know it won't be man-handled by a third party.


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## Andy D (27 Jun 2014)

Friday has arrived so I can now set the tank up! 

First up I have stuck in a base layer of pond soil. Probably not needed with my plants but just in case:






I have capped this with Unipac Senegal sand:





Heater already in (which I must say I am very impressed with how discreet it is) so added the pear branches:





Partially filled and added my Anubias. These are in quite good condition considering how long they have been sitting in a bucket for!





Next I have added the caddies:








And then the remaining plants and filter. A couple of Java Fern tucked in the back and yet more Anubias. Also added a couple of strands of Vallis:








Added some floating plants. They are looking a bit worse for wear but I hope they recover:





I added a few squirts of Tropica Specialised and Premium. TDS is 160, gH is 6 and kH is 2.

Overall I am quite pleased. I am considering sourcing smaller caddies or an alternative way to attach the plants. Current caddies do the job well but I have not made my mind up as to whether they are too big.

I am also going to need to suspend the light as I think the current position may negatively effect the growth of the Peace Lillie's. Time will tell. I will let it all settle tonight and add the fish tomorrow. I also have some Catappa leaves and Alder cones to add along with my tea bags to stain the water.


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## Alastair (28 Jun 2014)

Hi Andy 
If you get some Micranthamum micranthumoides and plant onto the top layer of the caddies it grows over the edges and down like a curtain covering them

Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk 2


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## Edvet (28 Jun 2014)

Or use some tie-wraps to fasten some javafern on the frontside.


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## sciencefiction (28 Jun 2014)

I would not bother planting anything beneath the piece lilies in the caddies,  whatever it is, it will find itself smothered eventually without any light reaching it. Unless you keep the piece lilies small.
I'd say it's better to suspend the light way higher in the long term, unless you are getting plenty of direct sunlight.


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## Dominic (28 Jun 2014)

Looking sweet mate look forwards to it growing in.


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## Andy D (28 Jun 2014)

Alastair said:


> Hi Andy
> If you get some Micranthamum micranthumoides and plant onto the top layer of the caddies it grows over the edges and down like a curtain covering them
> 
> Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk 2



Thanks Al!

I'll add this to my shopping list.


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## Andy D (28 Jun 2014)

sciencefiction said:


> I would not bother planting anything beneath the piece lilies in the caddies,  whatever it is, it will find itself smothered eventually without any light reaching it. Unless you keep the piece lilies small.
> I'd say it's better to suspend the light way higher in the long term, unless you are getting plenty of direct sunlight.



I have Anubias under the caddies as this does well in low light. If the roots get to be too much I'll trim them up a bit.

Definitely better to suspend it. Looking at it know I don't know why I ever thought this would work! 

I need to order a few bits to do this but may bodge something together in the meantime.


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## Andy D (28 Jun 2014)

Dominic said:


> Looking sweet mate look forwards to it growing in.



Thanks Dominic!


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## sciencefiction (28 Jun 2014)

Andy D said:


> I have Anubias under the caddies as this does well in low light. If the roots get to be too much I'll trim them up a bit.
> 
> Definitely better to suspend it. Looking at it know I don't know why I ever thought this would work!
> 
> I need to order a few bits to do this but may bodge something together in the meantime.



Hi Andy,
what I meant was in response to Alastair's suggestion below. The stalks of the peace lily get too tick and multiply themselves so one can't really plant other plants in the same caddy.



Alastair said:


> Hi Andy
> If you get some Micranthamum micranthumoides and plant onto the top layer of the caddies it grows over the edges and down like a curtain covering them


[DOUBLEPOST=1403983718][/DOUBLEPOST]Here's a picture, all from one caddy:


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## Andy D (28 Jun 2014)

Ah I see!


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## Andy D (1 Jul 2014)

Tonight I have bodged together a way to suspend the light using some garden twine and the tube the MMS rail came in.





Here are a couple of shots. The plants either side of the tank are just there temporarily for now. 









As always, you will have to excuse the poor photography!


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## Andy D (1 Jul 2014)

I should also add that all fish are doing well so far. The Betta keeps to himself at the top and the Tetras and Boraras hang about everywhere else.


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## sciencefiction (1 Jul 2014)

Very nice. I wish I could suspend light over my small tank where it is.


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## Dominic (2 Jul 2014)

That looks freakin' awesome man! Very ingenious way of suspending the light too  haha!


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## Lindy (2 Jul 2014)

Necessity is the mother of invention or as you call it 'bodge job'. I myself am a huge fan of bodging.


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## Lindy (2 Jul 2014)

Where is the second bar hojng to go? It would be quite good lower down and to the front of the tank, angled to illuminate the area shaded by the emersed growth.


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## Edvet (2 Jul 2014)

As long as it is left twisting, eco green, Amano approved Super Twine it's OK Andy


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## Andy D (4 Jul 2014)

ldcgroomer said:


> Where is the second bar hojng to go? It would be quite good lower down and to the front of the tank, angled to illuminate the area shaded by the emersed growth.



I am not too sure about this at present. I have bought another bar and used the rim supports to have it near the front. It does detract from the overall look but is necessary for now until I can get something else sorted. 

As for the plants at the back I am hoping the Anubias will be ok. They seem to tolerate low light very well and are showing new growth. I do have a submersible LED bar that I could stick under the planters.


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## Andy D (4 Jul 2014)

I was a bit concerned tonight that I may have lost my Betta. Not to any health issues but he had disappeared. 

Chucked some food in and waited. He appeared out of some Lilaeopsis I had wedged between two of the planters!


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## sciencefiction (4 Jul 2014)

Maybe its handy for him to hold himself near the surface. They like staying on top of something near the surface.


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## Andy D (4 Jul 2014)

Yeah I suspect so.


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## vauxhallmark (7 Jul 2014)

ldcgroomer said:


> Necessity is the mother of invention or as you call it 'bodge job'. I myself am a huge fan of bodging.



It's "botch job", and "botching". A bodger is a skilled craftsman who produces legs etc. for chairs by turning green wood ( http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodging ). I only know this because it used to drive my woodwork teacher at school mad if anyone said bodge when they meant botch!  Mx


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## Lindy (7 Jul 2014)

Ah, thanks for the clarification!


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## Lindy (7 Jul 2014)

My woodwork/technical drawing teacher used to throw a block of wood the size of a brick at anyone that annoyed him.


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## Andy D (7 Jul 2014)

vauxhallmark said:


> It's "botch job", and "botching". A bodger is a skilled craftsman who produces legs etc. for chairs by turning green wood ( http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodging ). I only know this because it used to drive my woodwork teacher at school mad if anyone said bodge when they meant botch!  Mx



You learn something every day!


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## Andy D (20 Jul 2014)

I've added another LED to the tank. The suspended one was just not providing enough light at the front. It does detract from the overall look but it will have to do until I can get a decent mounting rail. 

I also managed to get a shot without loads of reflections (still not a great shot though  ) 





I also lost my Betta  and an Ember Tetra get stuck behind the filter  .

The Betta pine-coned and was dead a day later. I cannot say why as so many things have changed for it I could not narrow it down. Before it fell sick it was behaving as normal and it's colour was better then ever. 

This was about a week ago. On the positive side everything has been okay since.


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## Fern (20 Jul 2014)

Sorry to hear about your Betta 
Since reading about Rooibos tea I have been putting the bags in my tanks and while water changing I pop in a fresh one, I like the stained coloured water, and I'm sure my fish are benefiting too   But, is it ok to use them continuously like this?
I must add that I enjoy drinking the tea too, very refreshing on a hot day, not that we have many of those up here......


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## Andy D (20 Jul 2014)

Fern said:


> Since reading about Rooibos tea I have been putting the bags in my tanks and while water changing I pop in a fresh one, I like the stained coloured water, and I'm sure my fish are benefiting too   But, is it ok to use them continuously like this?



Yes I think so. A LFS near me uses tea-bags all the time for their blackwater tanks.


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## sciencefiction (21 Jul 2014)

Sorry about your fish Andy.


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## Fern (21 Jul 2014)

Andy D said:


> Yes I think so. A LFS near me uses tea-bags all the time for their blackwater tanks


Thankyou!
Fern


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## Andy D (8 Aug 2014)

A few days ago I took a short video. It was using my iPhone 4 so don't expect anything to rival Spielberg or Iain Sutherland! 

I've added some sort of ambient track whilst experimenting with doing this so further apologies if this does not suit. 

Without further ado:


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## Andy D (8 Aug 2014)

Went to MA and bought some Lilaepsis Novea-zeelandlae for the foreground as this was doing well in my low-tech Walstad style tank.


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## Andy D (8 Aug 2014)

Front shot:


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## sciencefiction (8 Aug 2014)

I love it. Looks good.
I tried the rooibos tea in all my tanks.  It lowered my Kh from 7 to 5 within an hour of putting it, something like 4 bags on 340+ litres of water did that.  So its quite potent that way and I've tried almond, oak leaves and other stuff and they never did that so quick, so its interesting that way. I actually love it to drink it, made it even in ice tea.
The fish didn't mind it though and I'd say they quite liked it apart from the livebearers.


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## Andy D (10 Aug 2014)

Thanks SF!

Seems strange to have dropped the kH so much. Worth noting.


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## Iain Sutherland (10 Aug 2014)

totally uneducated here but why would tea drop the KH?  It cant actually be taking minerals out of the water..??
Unless you mean PH?

Do find this one really interesting Andy, have wanted to do a tank with a heavy emersed focus for a long time... wish i had space for Al's old 3x3 tank.  One day...


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## Andy D (10 Aug 2014)

I think it must be pH. 

Interesting is good.  

I am quite pleased with it so far but tbh I don't think the tannins have actually suited this tank. With the shade from the plants the back area was just too dark. With water changes (25% ish) every 2 weeks the water is clearing and looking better.


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## sciencefiction (10 Aug 2014)

Nope, the ph didn't move. It dropped the Kh by two within an hour as I said. I tried it on 5 tanks so I can assure you it drops the Kh. It would drop the Ph too if one doesn't start with a Kh as high as 7-8 as I do but you need a bigger shift in Kh in order to get the Ph down too, at least in my experience.
I'd say if one has a very low Kh/soft water, should be careful with this tea as it will swing the stats quickly. I don't know if it will affect the fish or not by doing so though. I put two bags on a 50 litre and I thought the fish seemed distressed for a while but got over it, well didn't die anyway.


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## Iain Sutherland (10 Aug 2014)

That's weird, although my knowledge of science is junior school level my guess would be that something in the tea is affecting the test results. 
It's quite possible I'm entirely wrong but I don't see how tea can remove minerals to effect the kh... Happy to learn something here though.... Darrel/Clive...


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## sciencefiction (10 Aug 2014)

Everything of the same sort I've tried like alder cones, almond leaves, etc,...affect the Kh first and then depending how lot it gets it, can drop the ph too, just didn't do it as fast as the rooibos tea. So I don't think its weird, its the acids in the tea that affect the buffers, neutralize some of them. It obviously wouldn't drop the mineral content which is measured by general hardness.


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## Iain Sutherland (10 Aug 2014)

too true, sorry been a long day... brain thinking gh.  so no not so weird, still a pretty big shift mind.


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## sciencefiction (10 Aug 2014)

Yes, I was surprised myself but that's what the tests showed me and I tried several times just to make sure.


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## Andy D (15 Aug 2014)

I have removed a lot of the Salvinia Natans from the tank and replaced it with more Water Lettuce. I have also added some Frogbit.

I have also bought an Anthurium to balance out the external left side of the tank.


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## Greenfinger2 (15 Aug 2014)

Hi Andy,Fab thread Great looking tank Nice video too.And i learnt something new Tea bags what a neat idea


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## sciencefiction (16 Aug 2014)

Its looking great Ady. I think you are right about brightening it up if you want your submersed plants growing.
You know that anthurium to the left loves growing in water


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## Andy D (16 Aug 2014)

sciencefiction said:


> You know that anthurium to the left loves growing in water



Yeah! 

I originally considered this but as with the plant on the right (whose name escapes me as I type this) it is just too big. 

Maybe I'll see if I can take some sort of cutting...

Edit - Calathea.


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## dw1305 (16 Aug 2014)

Hi all, 
The addition of organic acids etc from the Rooibos or green tea etc will effect pH, dKH and conductivity. All humic substances tint the water and are able to chelate multivalent cations. 

It is back to the active clay substrates and cation exchange capacity (CEC), the organic acids do this because they have negatively charged sites on the molecule surface (CEC) that bind to multivalent cations, such as iron (Fe+++), calcium (Ca++) and magnesium (Mg++). Monovalent cations will only be bound to a very small degree, with ions bound according to their order on the Lyotropic series <http://faculty.plattsburgh.edu/robert.fuller/370%20Files/Week5Ion%20Exchange/Lyotropicseries.htm>.  

Because H+ ions are lightly bound they will be replaced by Ca++ ions etc. taking these out of the equation. 

Your dKH test is actually measuring alkalinity, and not just HCO3-  ions, and you've added H+ ions lowering the alkalinity. There is a good explanation here: <http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/alkalinity.html>

Have a look at <http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/humic-acids> & <http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/chelation> for some more bits on humic substances.

cheers Darrel


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## Andy D (16 Aug 2014)

Cheers Darrel, just what I thought!


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## Andy D (17 Aug 2014)

Yesterday I managed to get the other light suspended. Not having the bar obstructing the view of the Peace Lillie's was great but the back of the tank under the caddies lost a lot of the light it was getting before.

Therefore I have gone back to using the rim mount for it. Perhaps I should have used an alternative method for the Peace Lillie's. Oh well, I don't mind it to be fair.


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## Andy D (31 Aug 2014)

Not a great deal has changed. I added 20 RCS a few days ago and they seem to have settled in well. I have seen quite a few moults.

The water lettuce is slowly making its way across the surface. As well as the usual benefits this brings the roots are doing a good job at covering up the planters. 

Here are some (poor) shots:


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## Iain Sutherland (31 Aug 2014)

Whats the secret to the lileaopsis andy? just dies in my low tech.

Think we buy our lower pot saucers at the same place pal.


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## Andy D (31 Aug 2014)

Iain Sutherland said:


> Whats the secret to the lileaopsis andy? just dies in my low tech.



Neglect I think.  

When I gave the Walstad method a half-hearted go this plant did well. When I knew I was taking the tank down I just left it to its own devices. All the plants in the tank finally gave up except this. 

Basically I don't do anything but plant it and leave it to get on with it.



Iain Sutherland said:


> Think we buy our lower pot saucers at the same place pal.



Yeah posh aren't they!


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## Andy D (10 Sep 2014)

I took an overhead shot today. I would have preferred to get more height for the shot but it will do. 

You can see the new leaves as they have a very waxy look, more so than new leaves on plants grown in soil. I wonder if this is due to how they are grown?


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## sciencefiction (11 Sep 2014)

Very nice. Yes, the leaves grow very glossy and stay glossy too  You'll see when it grows more. Peace lily seems to love the water conditions more than being in a pot and grows nicer that way.


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## Andy D (8 Oct 2014)

On the 5th October I turned 37. Seeing as it was my birthday I decided to be a bit extravagant and have paid more than I rightly should have for two Do!Aqua plant cubes - http://www.thegreenmachineonline.com/shop/wabi-kusa/plant-glass/cubes/doaqua-plant-glass-cube-1520





Yes they are basically vases but I could not find any others for the size I wanted that were any cheaper than these. As I am sure most of you know they are designed for Wabi-kusa (http://www.thegreenmachineonline.com/articles/tips-techniques/wabi-kusa) and whilst this is something I may try later I have bought them to go either side of my tank to replace the plants that are there.





The plan is to have some Spider Plants growing emmersed like the Peace Lilies in the main tank and the cubes will be decorated in a similar fashion (subject to change ) to the main tank.

I still have a few bits to get together, namely some decent but cheap clip on lights to attach to the main tank to shine over the cubes. Currently considering some clip-ons from IKEA- http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/10214213/.

I am also considering removing the black background on the main tank to let more light is as it is pretty dull.


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## Andy D (12 Oct 2014)

The darkness in my tank has been bugging me and I had been considering getting an Arcadia Classica Stretch to sit on the tank rim just above the water line. 

Fortunately before shelling out £48 I came to my senses!  and I have simply lowered my current light. At the moment it is suspended but I am hoping someone who has an Arcadia Stretch can donate their plastic rim clamps.

Finally I have the light level I have been after! 

Here are some shots:


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## Greenfinger2 (13 Oct 2014)

Hi Andy, The tank looks fab healthy plants too.What moss is on the wire?? If you put it in a damp plastic box on a window sill.It will grow into a nice thick mat in about a month or so  I love the W-K planters.They look great with the small DW pieces and sand in. What plants are you thinking of using ?


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## Andy D (14 Oct 2014)

Thanks! 

It's Java moss. I'll give you suggestion a go at some point.

The plan for the W-K glasses is to grow some Spider plant plantlets in them. I did not realise how chunky their roots can be until recently so the plan now is to leave the wood and sand and add some leaf-litter. I have some Ramshorns to add as well. I have some eggcrate on order that will rest on top to support the plants and this will hopefully be obscured as they grow.


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## Andy D (26 Oct 2014)

Some progression.

I have the egg crate in place and the plants have been inserted through it. A few days on and the roots are developing. 

I have added some clip-on lights from Ikea. The colour of the lights themselves is fairly similar to the walls in an effort to help them blend in and be as unobtrusive as possible. The actual colour temperature though is not to my liking. They are 2700k and I knew I was taking a gamble but they will do for now. Ideally I want something close to the 6500k of the aquabars. All solutions to this gratefully received. 

Ramshorns are in and I have a few egg clutches already. 

On the main tank I now have the lower light supported by some Arcadia Stretch rim clamps.

Some shots (forgive the tissue background. This is only temporary and is covering up some wiring and plugs etc).


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## Alastair (5 Nov 2014)

Love the planting either side Andy. The ikea lights do take a little getting used to but after a while the colour doesn't seem so bad.I love them. Great journal mate


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## Andy D (5 Nov 2014)

Cheers Al!

I am coming round to the temp of the lights....slowly.


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## Andy D (11 Dec 2014)

Time for an update.

I have had to increase the height of the suspended Aquabar as the Peace Lillie's and Lucky Bamboo were starting to grow beyond it. I have reduced the intensity to try to slow down the growth rate.

Since lowering the second Aquabar the Water Lettuce has grown massive and now individual plants measure about 4-5" across. 

Seeing as most of my plants are Anubias it will come as no surprise that not a lot has happened internally.

The spider plants in the cubes are doing well. 

Here are a few shots:


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## allan angus (12 Dec 2014)

great display i love it


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## Martin in Holland (15 Dec 2014)

Good example of how little light is needed for a good growth.


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## Andy D (19 Jan 2015)

Today has been 'operation remove as much duckweed as possible whilst understanding this is ultimately a pointless endeavour'! 

In fact I got rid of quite a lot of the smaller floating plants although there are still quite a few left. I have also pulled up all of the Lilaeopsis and made two clumps of it and placed it by the stones.

I have now replaced the Ikea lights with Superfish IQ43 LEDs. I am much happier with these.

Peace Lillie's are still growing like mad. I might have to cut them back soon. I've managed to get some half decent pictures today!


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## rodoselada (19 Jan 2015)

very nice Andy!


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## aliclarke86 (19 Jan 2015)

Wow this has come on since I was last checking in, the peace lilies look great!


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## Alexander Belchenko (20 Jan 2015)

stunning. Love that jungle corner. Esp. 2 little tanks at sides. Never thought that plant will thrive as water (riparium?) plant. That gives me ideas.


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## Mr. Teapot (20 Jan 2015)

Brilliant! Very, very nice.


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## Vinkenoog1977 (20 Jan 2015)

Love it!!!


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## Greenfinger2 (20 Jan 2015)

Hi Andy, Superb little jungle 
The new lights are much better. Nice looking too


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## ian_m (20 Jan 2015)

Superb. Is that a triffid I see growing there ?


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## kirk (20 Jan 2015)

Brilliant, your fish must love the cover.


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## sciencefiction (23 Jan 2015)

It's really nice Andy. You've done a great job with the multiple lighting.
Mine grew so big they shadowed all my tank.  I've removed 2 separate pots from my big tank because I still haven't got around of getting more light but the way you've done it works best as it obvious from your beautiful tank pictures.


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## Andy D (24 Jan 2015)

Thanks for the positive comments everyone!


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## Rob Dahl (28 Jan 2015)

Very nicely done Andy. Looks delightful.


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## Andy D (22 Mar 2015)

Time for an update. 

There have been a few changes since the last update. Not so much with this tank but I bought 3 more tanks from ND Aquatics. 

As a result of this the Do Aqua! Cubes have been moved to the front room windowsill. They have had some Anubias added and I'll see how they go. This tank has then been shuffled to the side to make way for another tank. There may be a journal for that at some point. 

Anyway, this tank was starting to get dim so this means the water lettuce needs thinning out. I removed 2 plants of this size:




A little while ago the AquaEl Neoheater I love so much stopped working. 
I contacted Swell whom I bought it from and I must say the service was excellent. They took it back, tested it and as they did not have the same model to replace it with they refunded my money. 
In the meantime I have been using a Superfish heater. Today I went to install my new Rena Smart Heater but the only place I can put it is in the back left corner and the open top of the heater is completed protected from the flow so I am concerned it will cause issues. (I should have thought about that sooner  ). I have stuck with the Superfish heater and will look at other alternatives. 

A couple of shots of the tank:







Took a photo of the top view and noticed I finally have a proper flower growing (left hand side):


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## Rob Dahl (22 Mar 2015)

Plants all look extremely healthy Andy.


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## Andy D (22 Mar 2015)

Thanks Rob!. The emersed plants are doing very well. I am pleased to see there is a white flower growing. Prior flowers have been green and stunted.


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## Greenfinger2 (23 Mar 2015)

Hi Andy, Wonderful Growth there and plants look super healthy Congratulation 
Looking forward to the flower photos


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## Andy D (7 May 2015)

Time for an update although not much has happened.

I had to remove the spider plant from the left side. It had started to rot at its base. I suspect it was not getting enough light due to this being blocked out but the rather large Peace Lillie's on that side as well. 

I have some normal flowers which is nice! 

I have taken some pics just now but they are not great. Sorry.


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## Greenfinger2 (8 May 2015)

Hi Andy, Looking fantastic


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## Jose Duarte (8 May 2015)

It looks great, and the 2nd aquarium side by side makes a great effect!  

Cheers,
Jose.


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## Andy D (11 May 2015)

A short while ago I added a small Calathea to the tank. The main plant was in the decline so I simply saved the healthiest looking bit. I stuck it into the tank - just for the sake of it more than anything else - by attaching it to the front of the tank with a bog-standard airline sucker. 

Today I was pleased to see some new growth:


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## Andy D (16 May 2015)

Had a massive hack of the Peace Lillie's today. Some were blocking too much light from above and others were just making access to the tank impossible. 
I've never kept Peace Lillie's alive long enough to have to prune them before so I hope my random cuts are fine and they are ok.


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## Ryan Thang To (29 May 2015)

your tank still going strong. good job man

cheers
ryan


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## sciencefiction (30 May 2015)

Andy D said:


> I've never kept Peace Lillie's alive long enough to have to prune them before so I hope my random cuts are fine and they are ok.



I started mine from a plant that was feeling sorry for itself on the window sill for years.  So you are not alone 
But they do love it in fish tanks. Mine is flowering right now again and I am down to one pot from 3 peace lilies at some stage because they blocked all the light even in a 5f tank and I had to bin very healthy plants. There was no point condemning them to the window sill again .
But they are so worth it. I now have constant nitrogen deficiencies  I moved a large bunch of fish recently to that tank, was curious if I'd cause a spike adding so many fish at once but not a dent.... I hope more fish help out with the nitrate/nitrogen as I am going through a jar of kno3 powder like sugar these days. I don't know whether I am keeping the plants to help with the fish or keeping the fish to help with the plants


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## sciencefiction (5 Jun 2015)

Hey Addy, took a picture today of my peace lily. It's gone mad flowering. It seems they do twice a year at least but mine took at least a year or more to do so since it adapted to the water conditions first time 2-3 years ago.  Mine was actually nitrogen deprived when it started this time recently because at first I sawe yellowing old leaves all over the tank including the lily but then the lily started flowering(or maybe triggered it)  However, I noticed that lack of micros can cause twisted flowering buds in my "pink" flowering plant next to the peace lily(forgot the name of the plant)  It's recovered since I added some micros but the flower is not as big as it should be. But they are flowering nevertheless.


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## JohnC (5 Jun 2015)

loving this peace lily action. nice work both of you


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## Jose Duarte (5 Jun 2015)

Top aquarium! I love it!


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## banthaman.jm (7 Jun 2015)

Andy, great looking tank, really healthy 
Jim


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## Andy D (31 Aug 2015)

Well the Peace Lillie's are gone.

Due to condensation issues in winter I really needed to minimise any evaporation from the tank. My plan was to substitute the caddies with square pond planters. This serves 2 purposes. One, they would be easier to get between (there would only be 2) to cover the tank and reduce the evaporation and two, they are black so would blend in with the background of the tank. 

I decided to crack on with this today. I had the pond planters set-up and planted a few weeks ago. I added them to the tank but hit a snag. The front facing side was sagging and ended up under the water. I tried a couple of things to prop them up but with no joy. 

Therefore I had to revert to plan Z. I have removed all of the emersed planting so I can now fit a full cover. I have changed the substrate over to Uni-Pac black micro-gravel to match my other tank. I cleaned up the wood and replanted most of the Anubias. I still have about 4/5 left over. I do plan to add a Buce or two and some sort of stem plant to add more height on the right hand side. 

The Ember Tetras, Chilli Rasbora and RCS that were in here have all been moved over to my other tank. In a few weeks I will be looking at stocking this. Most likely with CPDs.


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## 5678 (1 Sep 2015)

How many cpd are you looking at? I've had them in small numbers before and hardly saw them. I think down to lots of other active tank mates though. 
Thinking of 30-40 in my 45c.


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## banthaman.jm (4 Sep 2015)

looking forward to seeing this new set up evolve
Jim


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## sciencefiction (5 Sep 2015)

Hey Andy, nice changes. I am looking forward to see what you do. Good luck.


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## Andy D (5 Sep 2015)

5678 said:


> How many cpd are you looking at? I've had them in small numbers before and hardly saw them. I think down to lots of other active tank mates though.
> Thinking of 30-40 in my 45c.



I was thinking about 30.


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## Andy D (5 Sep 2015)

banthaman.jm said:


> looking forward to seeing this new set up evolve
> Jim



Thanks!



sciencefiction said:


> Hey Andy, nice changes. I am looking forward to see what you do. Good luck.



Thanks!

Current plan is to get more micro-gravel to top up the shallow areas. 

I shall get a few more pots of Lilaeopsis to plant in the open areas.

Maybe some Hygrophila Difformis for the right hand side.


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## sciencefiction (5 Sep 2015)

That sounds nice. Something fast growing would be good to make a balance in the mean time.
You anubias looks very good and clean which is a tough thing to achieve.  I've noticed that it does well in tanks with black background because light is never bouncing at it that much.


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## alto (5 Sep 2015)

Another "change" fan here 

Be interesting to see how the Lilaeopsis does - I had some in a non-CO2 tank but ended up leaving the lights off for weeks as it's been very hot, nothing left looked good after that so I impatiently ripped everything out & rescaped last week. Added in some Tropica _Littorella uniflora_ - as that's what was in at the shop  ... not sure I like it ... that fleshy texture is just weird ...


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## Andy D (5 Sep 2015)

sciencefiction said:


> You anubias looks very good and clean which is a tough thing to achieve.  I've noticed that it does well in tanks with black background because light is never bouncing at it that much.



I've always kept the light level fairly low which the Anubias like.


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## Andy D (5 Sep 2015)

alto said:


> Another "change" fan here
> 
> Be interesting to see how the Lilaeopsis does.



Lilaeopsis has been bomb proof for me. I had it in a tank once that was neglected for weeks and every other plant suffered but the Lilaeopsis. 

It will just take forever to grow so is a nice match for the Anubias in that sense.


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## Andy D (23 Sep 2015)

I went to a LFS on Sunday and got some more Lilaeopsis. The plan was to get some stems but they were looking pretty sorry for themselves so I got some Java Fern and Bolbitis instead.

I still need to get more gravel for the left hand side so I couldn't fully plant it as I plan too.

I also have some Cryptocoryne Balansae that I can add but this had some cyano (it had this in the shop) that I am working on getting rid of before I add it. 

I also saw some lovely female Bettas. If I add some floating plants and up the temp the tank may eventually live up to its original plan! 

Here it is now:


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## Crossocheilus (23 Sep 2015)

Beatifully simple 

Some bettas would look nice in their, but what about something like apistos or kribensis, lurking amongst the anubias? Just a thought 

Crypt balansae is a lovely plant and very easy to grow.


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## Andy D (23 Sep 2015)

I have considered Apistos and Kribs and they are still an option but I really like the Bettas.


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## Andy D (5 Oct 2015)

I went to the LFS on Sunday. The Kribs really did catch my eye. Howwever, I am concerned that I would need a pair and to get a pair I would probably need to but several individuals until a pair formed. What would I then do with the rest?

Instead I bought some Cherry Barbs. I have admired these fish for a long time so decided to buy some.

So, still no Bettas but here is a video of the Cherry Barbs. It was taken just a few hour after purchase:


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## Iain Sutherland (5 Oct 2015)

good looking tank andy, the cherry barbs are an awesome addition.  They are great fish that just get better with age and far to often over looked.


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## Andy D (6 Oct 2015)

Thanks Iain! 

They really are lovely fish. Quite active and full of character.


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## Greenfinger2 (7 Oct 2015)

Hi Andy, Wonderful fish Fab Scape and planting


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## Andy D (24 May 2016)

So it's been nearly 8 months since the last update so the changes are gonna be huge right! 

OK, I'm not fooling anyone. Not a great deal has changed. It is mostly Anubias after all. 

The tank went through a bit of a rough patch with diatoms. Had to remove the Lilaeopsis as it suffered. Not quite sure why this happened but it's seems to be back in balance now. There is some BBA on the Java fern but nothing I am concerned about. The glass needs a decent clean but apart from that I am happy.

Here is a (squished iPhone) shot:


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## Rob Dahl (24 May 2016)

Looking good Andy


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## alto (25 May 2016)

If you decide to try Lilaeopsis again, go for the 1-2-Grow sort, it seems to transition easier.





Hi Rob
haven't noticed you around much lately, hope all is well 
Cheers


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## Andy D (25 May 2016)

alto said:


> If you decide to try Lilaeopsis again, go for the 1-2-Grow sort, it seems to transition easier.



I think I will. I used the 1-2-grow stuff in my Betta tank and it did much better than the regular potted batch I used in here. (I appreciate that a different tank will have different factors but I will still give it a go).


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## PARAGUAY (25 May 2016)

The Anubias look really good Andy


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## Andy D (25 May 2016)

PARAGUAY said:


> The Anubias look really good Andy



Thanks!

A few had some issues with algae but I trimmed all the affected leaves off and moved the plants slightly to improve circulation and they seem to have responded well.


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## PARAGUAY (25 May 2016)

Its a plant am liking more and more, I have some sort of plodding along on a piece of branched wood which is suffering a bit of a algae issue, may give a trim and try and shade it more.


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## Greenfinger2 (25 May 2016)

Hi Andy, Looking great


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## Rob Dahl (27 May 2016)

alto said:


> If you decide to try Lilaeopsis again, go for the 1-2-Grow sort, it seems to transition easier.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hello Alto, I had a total knee replacement a  month ago, which has rendered me rather incapable of doing anything which required lifting or getting in awkward positions. I am pretty well healed now, so will probably be a little more participatory than I have been.
After spending many hours and lots of bad words attempting to tie small plants on with thread and trembling fingers, I have finally purchased some cyanoacrylic adhesive which is still difficult with shaky hands so I enlisted my wife's help and now a formerly bald root has _anubias_ and_ fissidens_ growing on it. (hope the anubias roots will eventually hide the white glue. Wish they'd make it in a dark color. Wonder if you could add color when you squeeze it out?


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## Andy D (7 Sep 2016)

Hi!

I'm gonna be repeating myself on three separate journals but this tank has now been taken down. 

In fact all 4 tanks in this room have been taken down and sold. No further pics I'm afraid.  

They have been / will be replaced with 2 Dennerle Scapers tanks and two Do! Aqua plant glass 'cubes' for Wabi-Kusa. 

New journals will be up in the near future. 

Andy


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## Greenfinger2 (13 Sep 2016)

Hi Andy, Looking forward to your new projects


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## Andy D (15 Sep 2016)

Thanks Roy!

I have started a journal HERE. Still need to be able to take a decent photo. I feel the tanks look much better in the flesh.

Hoping to start a couple of Wabi-Kusa soon so may need to pick your brains on them.


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## Greenfinger2 (15 Sep 2016)

Hi Andy, Following your new Projects mate  Thanks for the link


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