# Deansie's Ada 45-P Iwagumi



## Deansie (16 Aug 2017)

So back again for my 3rd journal, 
hopefully learned a bit from my previous two. 

My first go
https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/deansies-55l-cube.35800/

Second (still running)
https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/trigon-190.38832/


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## Deansie (16 Aug 2017)

Things on order are
* 9 litres of Ada Amazonia powder
* Eden External Aquarium Filter + Heater 511-100W (100L +100w)
* Ada 45-P with lid
* Chihiros a-series plus

Still to get Rocks then plants etc.

Would love to keep some red plants, as of yet I've been unable to.


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## Deansie (17 Aug 2017)

Not seen this filter used on here before, it's a 3 chamber, 600lpr external with a built in heater. On first impressions I'm really pleased. Can see the first sponge being used for filter floss only but the quality is great. £60 posted, I'd pay not far of that for a hydor external heater so I thought it was worth a punt.


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## Deansie (18 Aug 2017)

Light and tank arrived, very pleased with both. Think they are going on too of where the old immerser was housed.








Should have this planted next week, soil comes on Monday and will try collect rocks at the weekend.


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## richard brown (18 Aug 2017)

Looks very sharp


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## Deansie (18 Aug 2017)

richard brown said:


> Looks very sharp


Probably the best it will look, all down hill once it's planted lol.


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## doylecolmdoyle (18 Aug 2017)

Dont forget to put some kind of foam under the tank!


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## Deansie (18 Aug 2017)

doylecolmdoyle said:


> Dont forget to put some kind of foam under the tank!


I was thinking the silver insulation roll that you put behind radiators, think that will be sufficient?


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## doylecolmdoyle (18 Aug 2017)

Deansie said:


> I was thinking the silver insulation roll that you put behind radiators, think that will be sufficient?



Not to sure, I think you will need something thicker with some give, ADA sell a matt or you can buy stuff per metre from hardware stores / rubber suppliers


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## Deansie (18 Aug 2017)

Ok thanks for that, appreciated.


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## Nigel95 (18 Aug 2017)

Do you have any plans for the hardscape already? If not I would not rush it. Once the tank is planted it is very hard to change things. I always buy a cardboard box with the same dimensions of my tank and make the hardscape in there. Once I am satisfied I will make it in the glass tank. This reduces the risk of scratching the glass when trying out scapes and it doesn't expose the aqua soil for to long to air.


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## Deansie (18 Aug 2017)

Nigel95 said:


> Do you have any plans for the hardscape already? If not I would not rush it. Once the tank is planted it is very hard to change things. I always buy a cardboard box with the same dimensions of my tank and make the hardscape in there. Once I am satisfied I will make it in the glass tank. This reduces the risk of scratching the glass when trying out scapes and it doesn't expose the aqua soil for to long to air.


Thanks for the advice, It will definitely be a rock scape only. I've had wood in all my previous tank. I imagine it will be quite minimalistic but we'll need to wait and see what the rocks are like. I wouldn't mind moving a few plants but I don't want to be moving rocks


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## Deansie (24 Aug 2017)

My first ever Lily pipe set arrived from China today which looks great and also the seiryu rock so can get this scaped awaitingbthe plants which should come in the next few days. Can't wait to see the Lily pipe in lol.


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## alto (24 Aug 2017)

What did you get for under the tank?
ADA mat is (quality) closed cell anti-vibration foam, you should be able to track down similar - open cell foams don't perform the same, though if your surface is very even & flat & you don't have any traffic etc vibrations, under tank mat material is less important  

Add some Rotala 'Vietnam H'ra' as this plant will tell you how much ambient light the tank is getting - leaves open & then close (when it's had enough "day" light) - the small leaf suits nano tanks, nice "pink" color (rather than red)

I have it in a window tank, started with CO2 but none for weeks now due to supply issues, plant growth has slowed & no visible pearling but otherwise plant seems healthy


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## Deansie (24 Aug 2017)

I ended up using this as I had it on my garage floor, it worked s treat and cost nothing http://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eB...9&pm=1&ds=0&t=1503479872000&ver=0&cspheader=1
I'll research that plant, thank you. I plan to keep that window blind closed and it is north facing so doesn't get much intense light.


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## Deansie (25 Aug 2017)

Just remembering how hard it is to scape lol, anyway, here's my best so far. Let me know what you think, should Lily pipes be at back?
Thanks


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## Deansie (26 Aug 2017)

Thanks Nigel for suggesting that I practice with a soil first, was a great tip.


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## Nigel95 (26 Aug 2017)

Hey good to see you started With the scape.

I think you need a much bigger main stone (2/3 of the height of your aquarium). It Would make the scape much better.  

Put the main stone on a focal point according golden ratio. 

Keep us updated with pics 

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## Cor (26 Aug 2017)

If you going for a Iwagumi please do some proper research.
Like the Oyaishi must be your focal point and should be around 2/3 the height of the aquarium, as this ratio appeals to the human eye.


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## Deansie (26 Aug 2017)

To be honest my idea of Iwagumi is to have great plants and no wood lol. But I'll have a look thank!


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## Deansie (26 Aug 2017)

I hate rock arranging lol Grrrr


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## Nigel95 (26 Aug 2017)

Deansie said:


> I hate rock arranging lol Grrrr



Never rush once scaped changes are hard/impossible! 


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## Deansie (27 Aug 2017)

You wouldn't think I was messing about with these rocks for so long as it looks bloody easy, think my sons could have popped in the stones and came up with better but anyhoo, here it is.
Lights on 2ND of 7 intensity levels, 6 hours a day.
C02 on 24/7 right now and doing 50% daily w/c
Dosing EI
Plants Monti Carlo, dwarf hair grass and Hemianthus callitrichoides Cuba HC which I kindly received from top bloke Keith Aka sonic ninja.
Funny enough I tried this previously in my trigon but it died fairly fast, on recieving this big chunk I floated it on top of the floating plants in the trigon and it was doing great, better light maybe.


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## Silviu Man (27 Aug 2017)

Hi Deansie!

Nice scape! The main rock  is very nice and the small one from the front looks like as if it were cut from the the bigger one.
Maybe you consider portioning HC more than that ... Could help in covering the substrate.


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## Deansie (27 Aug 2017)

Thanks very much Silviu, after looking at photos I think your right, looks. Bit clumsy, hands wet again tonight for me.


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## Silviu Man (27 Aug 2017)

Be aware about HC : it need a fast/strong start for being able to generate proper roots system that will feed the plant. This means light/CO2/ferts. 
There are many negative experineces with HC when one or more of these limiting conditions were ignored. Including two of mine


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## Deansie (27 Aug 2017)

Thanks, c02 is yellow and ferts are plentiful, I've got the light low but if the plants don't appear to be reponding I'll try bumping them up a bit. Flow is good also, 600lpr on a 30 odd litre tank.


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## Deansie (30 Aug 2017)

3 Day update.

Plants look ok, think I'm seeing some growth but certainly no algae or melt....yet. lol. Really like the look of the equipment. Ive managed to hide it all in my wife's funny table where the top comes off.
Also added a Jbl inline atomizer and upped the light to level 4 of 7.


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## PARAGUAY (1 Sep 2017)

Deansie said:


> I hate rock arranging lol Grrrr


Take a look at George Farmers mini guides at Aquarium Gardens on his YT I think there's 4 .The one about rock choosing and placement I thought was really helpful. You have done a nice set up though


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## Deansie (1 Sep 2017)

Thanks, I'll have a look for sure, it perhaps will help make arranging next time a bit more enjoyable



PARAGUAY said:


> Take a look at George Farmers mini guides at Aquarium Gardens on his YT I think there's 4 .The one about rock choosing and placement I thought was really helpful. You have done a nice set up though


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## Deansie (1 Sep 2017)

The plants appear to be doing ok, no melt but no very noticeable growth I don't think. 
Since installing the inline diffuser it's taking I'd say double the bubble rate to achieve similar C02 results to the bazzoka. 
If appearance is not so much an issue the bazooka seems to be better at the task.


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## Deansie (2 Sep 2017)

First time any of my plants have done this 
Had pearl envy for ages looking at all your tanks


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## Jayefc1 (3 Sep 2017)

Looks amazing can't wait to see it mature please keep posting


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## Deansie (4 Sep 2017)

Day 8

Things have been going smoothly, to smoothly lol. Plants seem to be growing well, nice and green with no yellowing or melting at all. Next to zero algea, only a diatoms dusting on the large rock.
The Jbl diffuser has bedded in now and seems to produce bubbles that don't break the surface but lie under it, quite strange but I like it.
As from tomorrow I'll be doing a 50% water change every second day, lights still 4th of 7 levels of intensity for 6 hours. With the growth that's happening I'm not sure if it ever needs to be increased.


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## Deansie (5 Sep 2017)

Jayefc1 said:


> Looks amazing can't wait to see it mature please keep posting


Thanks very much Jay, it's already the best growing carpet I've had.


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## sonicninja (5 Sep 2017)

Looking great  


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## Deansie (5 Sep 2017)

sonicninja said:


> Looking great
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


Cheers Keith


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## Samjpikey (6 Sep 2017)

I like this journal .... I'll be keeping a close eye 

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## Jayefc1 (6 Sep 2017)

Looking really nice mate


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## Deansie (6 Sep 2017)

Cheers guys, glad it's a half decent read. I know how these tanks lull you into a false sense of confidence then bang so not getting a head of myself thinking I've cracked it ha ha.


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## buttons (6 Sep 2017)

Tank is looking very nice  


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## Deansie (12 Sep 2017)

Day 14






Growing in well, have been doing minimum 50% water change every second day. Light level is on 5 of 7 for the last week so was talking rubbish when I said I wouldn't raise it
Had some dust/diatoms, also seen some green hair or beard algae, have tried removing when I see it. I don't have a test kit so was wondering what's a typical length of time for a Ada soil aquarium to cycle?


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## Nigel95 (12 Sep 2017)

Deansie said:


> Day 14
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Hard to say can take 2 weeks but more like 6 weeks also possible. So far my tanks were cycled after 2-3 weeks with New aquasoil. 

Take some water to a LFS and let it test. 


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## Daveslaney (12 Sep 2017)

Nice healthy growth.Looks good.


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## Deansie (13 Sep 2017)

Thanks guys,  Yeh I'll do that Nigel, not forking out cash for a kit I never use. My big tank hasn't been tested in a long time.


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## Deansie (18 Sep 2017)

Day 19


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## Jayefc1 (18 Sep 2017)

How's the filter/heater going looking at investing in one but just wanted to see what u think about it and if u would recommend it


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## Elliott Barratt (18 Sep 2017)

Hi Deansie,

I'm using the exact same filter; some questions:

Does yours make a "sucking" noise every 15 mins or so? I'm trying to ascertain if it's the filter or the c02 kit I have....

Also, does your heater have trouble getting to temp? I can hear mine clicking on / off but the tank always seems to be a few degrees below what I set it to. I think I need to adjust mine...

Thanks.


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## Deansie (18 Sep 2017)

Jayefc1 said:


> How's the filter/heater going looking at investing in one but just wanted to see what u think about it and if u would recommend it


Hi Jay, I'm really happy with the filter. Great having the heater out out of the way but not having the faff of a hydor or expensive eheim etc. I've been in the game long enough now not to get caught. up with the brand thing all the time. Says me with an Ada tank lol, but I have cheap all pond solution filter on my trigon 190 and it's magic.
The size of Eden I have gives a nice amount of flow for this tank, might help gauge what you need, sure flow is adjustable, I'll check tomorrow for you.


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## Deansie (18 Sep 2017)

Elliott Barratt said:


> Hi Deansie,
> 
> I'm using the exact same filter; some questions:
> 
> ...



 Hi Elliot, I can't say I've noticed a sucking noise but assume I would have by now, sounds like air is getting into your system somewhere. I've not heard the heater ever click on or off although I have my filter out of the way in a table. To be honest I've not got a thermometer yet (or test kit), I set the heater to 24 and finger tested it ha ha, seemed similar to my trigon so I was happy enough, but I couldnt tell you if there was a noticeable temperature gradient to be honest. Sorry


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## Jayefc1 (19 Sep 2017)

Cheers mate sounds.like the one for me if it's strong enough for the ada 60p


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## Elliott Barratt (19 Sep 2017)

Deansie said:


> Hi Elliot, I can't say I've noticed a sucking noise but assume I would have by now, sounds like air is getting into your system somewhere. I've not heard the heater ever click on or off although I have my filter out of the way in a table. To be honest I've not got a thermometer yet (or test kit), I set the heater to 24 and finger tested it ha ha, seemed similar to my trigon so I was happy enough, but I couldnt tell you if there was a noticeable temperature gradient to be honest. Sorry



Hi Deansie,

I got through to a salesman at aquatix-2u.co.uk where I bought the original filter - one email later the guy said they're sending out a whole new unit which will be with me tomorrow! I guess mine is just faulty. At least I have no fish in there and I'm still near the beginning of my cycle.

With that I'll also use the new heater they're sending to see if mine was out, or whether or not it's just the way they are and get back to you.


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## Deansie (19 Sep 2017)

Great Elliot, really can't fault customer service by the sounds of it.
I'm changing the filter floss tomorrow and n mine so be interesting to see how much a mess I make, first time is always the worst.

Unless you do tank maintenance under the influence of red wine lol, I can confirm this isn't a good idea. Though I can confirm that external filters are fine turned off for a day and don't result in die off, my discus where still happy as Larry lol.


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## Deansie (24 Sep 2017)

Day 25





Tank has been going well, almost grown in now. I removed the stem plants as they just didn't look right for tank, I also trimmed the hair grass and carpet at the front.
Ivr added some cherry shrimp and 2 Otto's which all seem to have settled in nicely. 

I've had to fit a small mesh filter onto the Lily uptake which I don't like to see but hey ho. Getting some hair algae etc noting major. So good so far


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## sonicninja (24 Sep 2017)

Wow, great progress!


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## Deansie (7 Oct 2017)

Day 39
http://s360.photobucket.com/user/deansie26/media/IMAG1694_1_zps9rpu5ydc.jpg.html]

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, tank going ok, growth been good-carried out large trim of the carpets today. The shrimp have already bred and I can see tiny shrimp dotted about lol. Ottos look good to and going to add a few dittrthy fishes an some Amano shrimp.


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## Deansie (7 Oct 2017)

Quick update.

Added 4 amano shrimp and seen one eating a big turf of soft hair algae straight away, with I bought more! Well happy as this is the only algae I'm
Having a problem with Lol.
How many do folk keep in there 45 litre tanks?
Also counted 5 baby red shrimp tonight,


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## steveno (19 Nov 2017)

Looks great, and great journal.


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