# Re-education.....



## Ady34

Hi UKAPS,
It’s been a while since I’ve posted in relation to planted aquascaping but I’ve found may way back after a couple of years of hardscape only, fish systems.
Several years ago I opted for a simpler side of the hobby which fitted my lifestyle better. Aquascaping lessons learned from several years in planted tanks lent themselves to attempting to create hardscape only tanks which looked nice but focused more on the fish and offered easy maintenance.
My first tank was a room ‘divider’ and was a pleasure running for well over a year without issue:



 

The second was borne from a desire to keep   the king of the freshwater aquarium; Discus, housed in my dream tank, an 8’x2.5’x2.5’ ND Aquatics tank bought as a 40th Birthday present.



 

I loved the Discus, but earlier this year we made the decision to move home so unfortunately the ‘dream’ tank had to go due to space limitations. 
This left me wondering where to go next. Downsizing the tank was a must and keeping discus in a smaller system just wouldn’t have been the same. So I opted for an Aquascaper 1500, big enough for a variety of options and back to rimless braceless. I was really impressed with the quality of these systems, the silicone work is near flawless and the raw concrete look cabinet is modern and fits well with our new home.

A trip to the stunning Aquarium Gardens gallery shop offered a meeting place with some fellow ukaps friends and left me with renewed enthusiasm for planted aquascapes, some new hardscape materials and several visions of what to do with the tank. I opted for a new wood to me, ’Talawa wood’, branchy but angular, unlike the more twisted redmoor or manzanita I’ve used before. This combined with a stash of Seiryu stone would form the basis of the hardscape materials. 

Pretty sure I wanted to keep a relatively simple system, I began adding the wood and rock which work really well together, and ended up with a scape well suited to epiphytes, ferns, mosses, buces, anubias etc which should provide an easier to care for long term set up much in the same vein of my last planted scape NAtural Jurassic.

Im in no huge hurry and am still putting together some equipment, but the tank is operational, awaiting the adddition of Co2 equipment and then a plant order. I will then need re-educating on how to care for the plants and be reintroduced to the complexities I’m sure!

Here’s the scape ready for action.....



 

Evolution Aqua, Aquascaper 1500, raw concrete look cabinet.
Twinstar 600sp x2.
Fluval G6 x3 (minimum x2 depending on flow)
Inline hydor heater.
Inline Co2 diffuser.
Aquascaper glassware set with surface skimmer x1.
Gush glassware set x2.
Talawa wood.
Seiryu stone.
Unipac Maui quartz sand.
Plumbed via thermostatic mixer valve through hma filter.

Cheerio,
Ady.

P.s, it’s good to be back


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## CooKieS

This is awesome, welcome back! 

As for your hardscape only tanks, how do you avoid algae?

I'm kinda tempted to do an hardscape only tank for next year...love yours and the adg vibe ones.


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## Costa

Beautiful!


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## Konsa

Welcome back Ady
Hardscape is mind blowing, Subscribed.
Regards Konsa


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## John S

Glad to see you back Ady. The new scape looks fantastic as always.


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## Conort2

Looking at how strong the hardscape is on the new tank I'd be half tempted to go hardscape only again! I'm sure it will look brilliant once it's planted though. 

Any idea what the fish stock is going to be on this new one? It's a fairly large tank so you have plenty of options.

Cheers

Conor


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## Daveslaney

Fantastic hardscape.
Great to have you back.


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## Kezzab

Really reminds me of this:


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## CooKieS

Kezzab said:


> Really reminds me of this:




Yes but Ady's hardscape is way better than this one...sorry Jurijs


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## Tim Harrison

Great to see you starting the long awaited journal Ady; simply stunning hardscape...


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## Kezzab

CooKieS said:


> but Ady's hardscape is way better


Aye, granted.


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## Ady34

CooKieS said:


> This is awesome, welcome back!
> 
> As for your hardscape only tanks, how do you avoid algae?
> 
> I'm kinda tempted to do an hardscape only tank for next year...love yours and the adg vibe ones.


Thanks CooKieS, trick with hardscape only is access for maintenance but most importantly lighting....low lighting is key, I’ve always ran with rgb bias, low white light, but low intensity is important.



Costa said:


> Beautiful!


 Thank you.



Konsa said:


> Welcome back Ady
> Hardscape is mind blowing, Subscribed.
> Regards Konsa


Thanks for the welcome back and the compliment 



John S said:


> Glad to see you back Ady. The new scape looks fantastic as always.


Cheers John, nice to see some long term members still active 



Conort2 said:


> Looking at how strong the hardscape is on the new tank I'd be half tempted to go hardscape only again! I'm sure it will look brilliant once it's planted though.
> 
> Any idea what the fish stock is going to be on this new one? It's a fairly large tank so you have plenty of options.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Conor


Ha, thanks, I was a bit tempted, but it may be too fussy for hardscape only.
Fish stock likely platinum tetras and I want farlowella twig catfish or sturisoma perhaps. Perhaps shrimp and some bristle nose plecos to keep things clean.



Daveslaney said:


> Fantastic hardscape.
> Great to have you back.


Cheers Dave 



Kezzab said:


> Really reminds me of this:



Yep, awesome scape from Jurijs, if it ends up half as good as that did I’ll be over the moon.



CooKieS said:


> Yes but Ady's hardscape is way better than this one...sorry Jurijs


 Thanks, not sure about that but I will take the compliment  Jurijs had a strong vision for the final overall look and it turned out stunning.



Tim Harrison said:


> Great to see you starting the long awaited journal Ady; simply stunning hardscape...


Thanks Tim, it looks it’s best from that angle tbh, but that is where my seat is positioned so it’s almost like it was planned 
Feels quite therapeutic ‘journalising’ amongst like minded people 

Thanks for the welcome back 
Ady.


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## Ady34

Short video of the hardscape:


Cheerio.


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## Iain Sutherland

Love it Ady, the video shows how detailed the  hardscape is, great to have you back mate.  

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


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## rebel

Great detail!!!


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## ian_m

Welcome back. Please fill with shrimps in excess like your Aquanano40 which is one of my favourite journals. Shame some of the pic's have gone in that journal.


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## Ady34

Iain Sutherland said:


> Love it Ady, the video shows how detailed the  hardscape is, great to have you back mate.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


Cheers Iain, I’m feeling the love 
Might get some graded gravels or smash up some seiryu for a bit more detail around the base, however more often than not I find these annoying during maintenance so likely won’t  



rebel said:


> Great detail!!!


Thanks 



ian_m said:


> Welcome back. Please fill with shrimps in excess like your Aquanano40 which is one of my favourite journals. Shame some of the pic's have gone in that journal.


Thanks for the welcome back, likely will have shrimps but I can’t guarantee as many as the aquanano, that got a bit crazy  started as 10 tiny jouveniles that tank did. Shame some of the photos have disappeared, I don’t know why that is.

Little video of it filled, not all equipment fitted but functional to start a cycle of some sort....



Cheerio,
Ady.


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## ian_m

Ady34 said:


> Shame some of the photos have disappeared, I don’t know why that is.


It is because the pictures were originally hosted on ImageShack.us, which years ago, as UKAPS didn't host pictures, was the correct and free way to host (such a fantastic ) pictures. A year or two ago ImageShack.us decided they would now charge for the once free picture hosting service, the minimum service charge being $4 per month. Thus many pictures now became lost to the Internet.

LondonDragon did manage to download to UKAPS many hosted pictures, before various picture hosting services started charging, but many pictures did not make it. The internet is now full of forum posts without pictures, quite a loss in my opinion.

However UKAPS now accepts pictures in posting, so hopefully loss of pictures won't happen again.

Being aware this was going to happen I went round my bigger DIY forum posts and updated the pictures to UKAPS hosted.


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## Costa

@Ady34 isn't the substrate too thin? Will any plants be able to root in what looks like to be 1" max?


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## Ady34

ian_m said:


> It is because the pictures were originally hosted on ImageShack.us, which years ago, as UKAPS didn't host pictures, was the correct and free way to host (such a fantastic ) pictures. A year or two ago ImageShack.us decided they would now charge for the once free picture hosting service, the minimum service charge being $4 per month. Thus many pictures now became lost to the Internet.
> 
> LondonDragon did manage to download to UKAPS many hosted pictures, before various picture hosting services started charging, but many pictures did not make it. The internet is now full of forum posts without pictures, quite a loss in my opinion.
> 
> However UKAPS now accepts pictures in posting, so hopefully loss of pictures won't happen again.
> 
> Being aware this was going to happen I went round my bigger DIY forum posts and updated the pictures to UKAPS hosted.


That’ll explain that then as I did use imageshack a long time ago. Much better now being able to upload direct 



Costa said:


> @Ady34 isn't the substrate too thin? Will any plants be able to root in what looks like to be 1" max?


I don’t think I’ll be planting anything in the substrate. All epiphytes or plants that will fix to wood or rock. The only exception may be some c. Balansae, which if added will be potted in some drinking glasses with soil substrate at the right rear.

Cheerio.


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## alto

Ady34 said:


> potted in some drinking glasses


rather than sealed containers, I’d use something perforated (such as orchids pots) to allow currents through the potting medium 

Given the surface current, I’d add some fast growing stem plants at tank startup rather than floaters ... 

Micranthemum umbrosum and Heteranthera zosterifolia are a couple of my favourites, both seem happy if just anchored in some sand or stashed between hardscape as long as water column fertilization (& CO2)


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## Ady34

alto said:


> rather than sealed containers, I’d use something perforated (such as orchids pots) to allow currents through the potting medium
> 
> Given the surface current, I’d add some fast growing stem plants at tank startup rather than floaters ...
> 
> Micranthemum umbrosum and Heteranthera zosterifolia are a couple of my favourites, both seem happy if just anchored in some sand or stashed between hardscape as long as water column fertilization (& CO2)


Thanks for the tips Alto, I did wonder about the drinking glasses, however I really don’t want soil escaping and wanted to contain the crypts from spreading so I may just leave out any substrate plants altogether. I’ll be limiting light from the start so hopefully won’t need any fast growers, although I’d need to refresh myself on the reasons why fast growers are used initially. 
Cheerio.


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## Matt @ ScapeEasy

Firstly the hardscape is truly amazing!...

Secondly... c. Balansae (great plant) should do ok without planting substrate. It won't grow quickly but it will grow... I have some in sand and some in planting substrate in my tank so this is from experience in my low tech setup. You could always pop in a couple of root tabs... or a bit more wacky but workable with a plant like a crypt. Put planting substrate in a ball made from an old pair of tights... loads of options! Another similar option but looks a bit more 'wild is so go with A. Crispus (also grows well in anything).

Edit: the Crispus is quite hardy but not that tall... I meant C. Calamistratum... sorry!


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## GHNelson

Don't need substrate for Crypts if there is sufficient Co2 and Ferts in the water column!
hoggie


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## Ady34

Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> Firstly the hardscape is truly amazing!...
> 
> Secondly... c. Balansae (great plant) should do ok without planting substrate. It won't grow quickly but it will grow... I have some in sand and some in planting substrate in my tank so this is from experience in my low tech setup. You could always pop in a couple of root tabs... or a bit more wacky but workable with a plant like a crypt. Put planting substrate in a ball made from an old pair of tights... loads of options! Another similar option but looks a bit more 'wild is so go with A. Crispus (also grows well in anything).
> 
> Edit: the Crispus is quite hardy but not that tall... I meant C. Calamistratum... sorry!


Thanks Matt, more food for thought however I may go down the route both you and hoggie suggested....



hogan53 said:


> Don't need substrate for Crypts if there is sufficient Co2 and Ferts in the water column!
> hoggie


.....may just stick them in the sand and see, although containment won’t be so easy this way. Last time I grew balansae it popped up everywhere!

Still haven’t organised my regulator or further considered plant lists. I don’t seem to be in a hurry to do anything these days 
Wood has gone fluffy as expected so it looks a bit ‘minging’ at the minute. I keep getting tempted to add a few bristle nose to sort it out but I’ll wait.
Christmas is done now so I will get my co2 sorted and then look at plants. Still missing one of the timers for my lights which is lost in the post somewhere.

Here’s a couple of images for interest 
Added an acrylic protector to the tank base again with this scape as I like to add my hardscape directly to the tank before substrate. I don’t like the bigger rocks on the glass:








Few detail shots:

















Maybe this can be classed as planted.....





And a few different angles.....













Cheerio
Ady


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## Matt @ ScapeEasy

...


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## DutchMuch

...


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## Ady34

Erm.....





And.....





=......





Fluffy wood looks awful, I know it will go in time but having sourced a good amount of fissidens from UKAPS member buttons (thanks very much, awesome condition), I thought I’d better get it cleaned quicker ready for a plant order early new year so after running the tank for a couple of weeks filled, I added some mature media from my sons tank and popped a couple of bristlenose in to help with the fluff and some diatoms.
Next will be another filter with inline co2. I am going to upgrade my regulator but will order that with my plant order. Both light controllers have arrived so I’ve ran a light cycle and will adjust accordingly the intensity and duration when the plants arrive. Currently a maximum of 30% via the s2 pro controllers from China.

Cheerio
Ady


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## Zeus.

Ady34 said:


> Next will be another filter with inline co2



Or maybe  Maxpest Gyres


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## dw1305

Hi all,





Ady34 said:


> a good amount of fissidens from UKAPS member buttons


Now that really is a lot of _Fissidens, _all kudos to @buttons.

cheers Darrel


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## Ady34

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,Now that really is a lot of _Fissidens, _all kudos to @buttons.
> 
> cheers Darrel


Indeed, just need to psyche myself up for tying it all on with bloody cotton and sticking it all down....along with my fingers no doubt


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## Tim Harrison

Ady34 said:


> sticking it all down....along with my fingers no doubt


Hate when that happens


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## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> Hate when that happens


I’ll either have fissidens covered fingers or I’ll be stuck in the tank to the Seiryu stone......I’ll try and tie most of it


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## Tim Harrison

I always try to tie moss whenever/wherever I can. Glue works fine but it's just messy, and a good dose of cyanide doesn't always get the moss off to the best of starts


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## alto

Looks to be lots of V shapes to jam some moss - as long as the filter movement (& that giant fish ) doesn’t lift it away, it will spread by sticky tendrils and cover your wood ... at least that’s how my moss seems to advance everywhere 

Of course for faster coverage, do the thin layer style seen in ADA videos + lots of “moss cotton” (ie any cheap cotton thread that looks fine with your wood ... don’t use “quilting” thread as that stuff lasts forever  )


I added some new wood recently to tank with Clithon snails - no chance for any visible wood gunk


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## Ady34

alto said:


> Looks to be lots of V shapes to jam some moss - as long as the filter movement (& that giant fish ) doesn’t lift it away, it will spread by sticky tendrils and cover your wood ... at least that’s how my moss seems to advance everywhere
> 
> Of course for faster coverage, do the thin layer style seen in ADA videos + lots of “moss cotton” (ie any cheap cotton thread that looks fine with your wood ... don’t use “quilting” thread as that stuff lasts forever  )
> 
> 
> I added some new wood recently to tank with Clithon snails - no chance for any visible wood gunk


Yep there will be plenty of ‘jamming’ plants into crevices and plenty of cotton too.
When I come across some horned nerite snails they will be added also as I love the way they look along with their extra benefits as part of the cuc. 
I can’t wait now really, itchy fingers to moss and anubias this up.....along with a few other plants too......
Cheerio,


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## Ady34

Old nerite with crs......



 

what I’d give for the flora and fauna that was in this tank now!


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## Costa

Tank is so beautiful and balanced it's offending


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## Ady34

Costa said:


> Tank is so beautiful and balanced it's offending


I think I like that 

First ‘proper’ tank maintenance, sand vac and water change and a little bit of glassware cleaning without full removal. There were brown diatoms over the sand likely due to new tank imbalance without being planted or fully operational.

Refilling via hma filter, water heated to correct tank temperature direct from boiler through thermostatic mixer valve:





Need to pop to get some brown cotton to tie moss.
Next step is to get the co2 up and running and attach that fissidens before I kill it 

Cheerio.


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## CooKieS

Fissidens works best glued but with very small batch.


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## Tim Harrison

Works well tied as well. I find it grows more evenly that way.


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## Ady34

Thanks chaps, I’ll tie round wood where I can & I’ll stick to rock where i have to. 
Cheerio and Happy New Year!


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## Filip Krupa

Zeus. said:


> Or maybe Maxpest Gyres



Lol

Are you on commission yet Zeus?


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## Ady34

Filip Krupa said:


> Lol
> 
> Are you on commission yet Zeus?




Ooooh.....






Second filter added tonight, will attempt some form of diffuser co2 tomorrow night until I decide if I should invest in a new co2 art inline unit over my boyu ones. Don’t trust them not to be broken as one I’m sure had a hairline crack. Does anyone know if the co2 art ones perform well?
I did another water change, the sand needed siphoning as the bristlenose are doing a great job of converting the wood fluff into the other stuff......

While the water was down I decided to tie a bit of fissidens, every little helps.
Plant order tomorrow hopefully 
I’ll decide whether to add another filter for better distribution once planted, although I suspect I’ll need to.

Good old bristle nose....





Cheerio,
Ady


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## Tim Harrison

Great to see you've made a start on the planting Ady. Looking forward to seeing what it looks like when the rest of the plants go in.


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## Kalum

i've been trying the new CO2Art inline diffuser (was using the older UP version before) for the past couple of weeks now and it's good, i like the build quality and it's easy to use and install (better locking collars) but i'd say I need a higher bps than i did on my old UP diffuser, might try and put the UP back on without changing anything and see if there is a difference in pH drop (time and overall drop)


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## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> Great to see you've made a start on the planting Ady. Looking forward to seeing what it looks like when the rest of the plants go in.


Ha, one branch I did, seems I’m not great at knots, however the fissidens is still in place this morning 
The rest of the plants have been ordered this morning;
Anubias (various small species)
Bucephalandra (various species - not green)
Bolbitis heudelotii
Microsorum sp petit and trident
Hygrophilia pinatifida in vitro to attempt as an epiphyte
Riccardia
Some mini Christmas moss

I’ll see how we go with these and decide if I want anything else.



Kalum said:


> i've been trying the new CO2Art inline diffuser (was using the older UP version before) for the past couple of weeks now and it's good, i like the build quality and it's easy to use and install (better locking collars) but i'd say I need a higher bps than i did on my old UP diffuser, might try and put the UP back on without changing anything and see if there is a difference in pH drop (time and overall drop)


Thanks for the info, I’ve ordered one along with the pro elite regulator. Good to hear the build quality is good on the diffuser. I have a 2kg bottle to start but will look to replace with a 5kg one when needed......I suspect sooner rather than later 

All should arrrive tomorrow so I’ll hopefully have some sort of ‘finished’ system soon.

I’ll be fertilising initially with some extremely old supplies of tropica fertilisers.

Cheerio,


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## Kalum

Ady34 said:


> Thanks for the info, I’ve ordered one along with the pro elite regulator. Good to hear the build quality is good on the diffuser. I have a 2kg bottle to start but will look to replace with a 5kg one when needed......I suspect sooner rather than later



I'm currently at 4bps on a 90L so yeh i think you'll have fun trying to guess what yours will be!


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## Ady34

Received a lovely box of plants today from aquarium gardens, great quality, great service and I’m really looking forward to planting up tomorrrow.
Got the new regulator also so should be good to go.
I’m sure I will need more plants as the mass will look smaller once removed from pots and attached to hardscape 
Great to see some green again though......





Cheerio


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## Tim Harrison

Ady34 said:


> Great to see some green again though......


Definitely


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## alto

Ady34 said:


> I’m sure I will need more plants as the mass will look smaller once removed from pots and attached to hardscape


I bet you could’ve ordered double 
It’s a grand tank 

The Bolbitis should do well here, I chucked mine (again) after it just became too massive - it’s a fairly fast grower if happy
I’ve seen people trim it back harshly to contain it, but it never seems as happy once you start doing that 
(or maybe I just feel too guilty  )



Ady34 said:


> Hygrophilia pinatifida in vitro to attempt as an epiphyte


I think this plant really shines as an epiphyte, & find the 1-2-Grow does really well 
It will also suddenly shoot off


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## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> Definitely


I can’t stop watching my unfinished tank already, the plants just add something that you can’t explain, the whole system takes on a different aura, the little bristlenoses appear instantly more inquisitive and at home.
I really hope I don’t kill these plants and stress myself out with co2, I’m beginning to remember the battle  I’ll keep the lighting low and ramp it all up slowly I think.



alto said:


> I bet you could’ve ordered double
> It’s a grand tank
> 
> The Bolbitis should do well here, I chucked mine (again) after it just became too massive - it’s a fairly fast grower if happy
> I’ve seen people trim it back harshly to contain it, but it never seems as happy once you start doing that
> (or maybe I just feel too guilty  )
> 
> 
> I think this plant really shines as an epiphyte, & find the 1-2-Grow does really well
> It will also suddenly shoot off


Yes I love bolbitis and much like yourself I hated hacking it back so tended to leave it which resulted in a slightly overgrown look which some may have called scruffy.



 


Hopefully the h. Pinitifida will take, I’m slightly nervous about the whole plant thing again 
Double the plants may not be far off the mark 

Thanks for the interest, I’m like a kid in a candy shop looking forward to planting tomorrow....
Cheerio
Ady


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## Ady34

Planted.....



Took a while but done for now. I have ordered a few more bucephelandra and another anubias to fill in a few areas. Some plants will need siting better as I think I will get a few floaters and the mini Christmas moss is keen to escape its position but I was reluctant to superglue it if not necessary.
Tying fissidens to the branches was a good laugh 
I broke my larger temporary in tank diffuser so have an undersized one in until the co2 art inline arrives next week. I will need to add another filter for circulation but unsure where to locate it yet for best distribution.

I will run at 30% lighting intensity for 5-6hrs per day for a while until I’m happy that everything is going in the right direction.
Min 50% water change per day for the first week.

I will add a complete plant list later.

Cheerio,


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## Kalum

This is going to be something special when grown in I reckon, nice work


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## Daveslaney

I'll second that.
Really nice.


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## Tim Harrison

Looking great all ready...


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## Jayefc1

Wow looks amazing


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## Ady34

Kalum said:


> This is going to be something special when grown in I reckon, nice work





Daveslaney said:


> I'll second that.
> Really nice.


Thanks, just hoping nothing goes wrong 


Tim Harrison said:


> Looking great all ready...


Cheers Tim, I really want the lights to come on again to have a watch. Popping out to try and get some shrimp today also 


Jayefc1 said:


> Wow looks amazing


Thank you 

Cheerio,


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## CooKieS

Hi, nice plants.

Be aware that the bolbitis can be trimmed hard (the bigger and older leaves) for the planting to ensure new growth.

H.pinnitida is a weed, careful with this one. Needs to be trimmed weekly once acclimated.

I love the buces!

Cheers


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## Ady34

CooKieS said:


> Hi, nice plants.
> 
> Be aware that the bolbitis can be trimmed hard (the bigger and older leaves) for the planting to ensure new growth.
> 
> H.pinnitida is a weed, careful with this one. Needs to be trimmed weekly once acclimated.
> 
> I love the buces!
> 
> Cheers


Thanks CooKieS, I hope I have the weed problem....currently I’m more worried about keeping them alive but fingers crossed.
Yeah I’ve seen Amano used to chop the bolbitis to the rhizome when introducing it to the aquarium for the first time......I may do that but it’ll be so bare without them 
I’m loving the buces too, few more on order to add here and there 





Cheerio,


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## CooKieS

Don't worry about the pinnitifida, it's an easy one.

And for the bolbitis, because your tank is so big, it's not necessary. It's useful in nano tanks where it should stay compact and small.


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## Ady34

CooKieS said:


> Don't worry about the pinnitifida, it's an easy one.
> 
> And for the bolbitis, because your tank is so big, it's not necessary. It's useful in nano tanks where it should stay compact and small.


Thanks


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## Ady34

Plant list: 

Anubias ‘petite’
Anubias nana ‘paxing’
Anubias nana ‘pangolino’
Anubias nana ‘bonsai’
Microsorum pteropus mini ‘petit’
Microsorum pteropus ‘trident’
Bolbitis heudelotii
Hygrophilia pinnatifida
Riccardia chamedryfolia
Fissidens Fontanus
Mini Christmas moss
Bucephalandra wavy green
Bucephalandra sp. ‘red’
Bucephalandra biblis
Bucephalandra theia
Bucephalandra sp. ‘Lamandau mini red’

Few images after a day of settling and some new additions....

Zebra nerite snails and red cherry shrimp. I also added some amano shrimp:




 



 



 

 

Three types of anubias;  pangolino, bonsai and paxing:



 

H. Pinnatifida straightening:



 



 



 

Few more....



 



 



 



 



 

Current photoperiod 6pm - 11pm including sunrise and sunset at maximum 25% lighting intensity. Hoping this low light offers a chance for the plants to settle and a little wiggle room regards co2 which I am dialling in. I will increase to 6 hrs once I know co2 is good for lights on.

Cheerio,


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## CooKieS

Just one last thing, the h.pinnitida is placed a bit high on the Wood, it doesn't look very natural and when it will grown in it will look strange.

My advice would be to put it more in the middle, or directly between the other ferns (bolbitis and microsorum), once settled in, it will add some colors and texture without looking out of place or too obtrusive.


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## Ady34

CooKieS said:


> Just one last thing, the h.pinnitida is placed a bit high on the Wood, it doesn't look very natural and when it will grown in it will look strange.
> 
> My advice would be to put it more in the middle, or directly between the other ferns (bolbitis and microsorum), once settled in, it will add some colors and texture without looking out of place or too obtrusive.


Appreciate the tip, some is low down some is high, it’s a bit of an experiment to see if some will emerge and grow. I only want a bit of a different colour higher up to mix the green bias, if they look odd I will move them.

Cheers.


----------



## Ady34

Going to try and do all my water changes early morning before any co2 injection or photoperiod starts. After would be fine too but that would be too late as I like my photoperiod when I can view the tank after work. Hopefully this will maintain continuity of available co2 during the photoperiod and not confuse the plants with bursts of limitless supply to much lower levels. Will see how we go.
Early mornings for a few weeks.....


----------



## Tim Harrison

That's a good plan, it's what I try to do too...problem is I don't often manage it


----------



## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> That's a good plan, it's what I try to do too...problem is I don't often manage it


I’m not a morning person but needs must.....I’ll see how I feel tomorrow


----------



## Ady34

I managed it again......


----------



## Konsa

Hi 
On my first ever hi-tech tank with ADA system I was doing my daily WC 1-2am ish after work.(I am a chef so long days with late finish)
U are bound for a success with that sort of dedication 
Regards Konsa


----------



## Ady34

Konsa said:


> Hi
> On my first ever hi-tech tank with ADA system I was doing my daily WC 1-2am ish after work.(I am a chef so long days with late finish)
> U are bound for a success with that sort of dedication
> Regards Konsa


That is commitment 

Hopefully mine will pay off......
The view just now with a few more goodies that arrived today from aquarium gardens in the boxes bottom left. Dave is always on point getting orders packed and shipped 



 

Cheerio,


----------



## Tim Harrison

Crikey Ady, there's no stopping you now...what have you ordered this time?


----------



## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> Crikey Ady, there's no stopping you now...what have you ordered this time?



Some extra bucephalandra and a couple extra anubias to fill some gaps. Should be good to ‘gro’ then.......

Incidentally what fertilisers are you using now? EI or a pre mix? I’m on an old supply of tropica currently but it’s not going to last long.....the downside of a larger tank , I’m thinking EI will be the way to go.


----------



## Kalum

Ady34 said:


> Some extra bucephalandra and a couple extra anubias to fill some gaps. Should be good to ‘gro’ then.......



Oh dear..... Show yourself out but first pack up that tank and send it up to Scotland first...


----------



## Ady34

Kalum said:


> Oh dear..... Show yourself out but first pack up that tank and send it up to Scotland first...


......Collection only


----------



## Tim Harrison

Ady34 said:


> Incidentally what fertilisers are you using now? EI or a pre mix?


I'm using up the last of my TNC complete and TNC lite...and when that's gone I'm going to experiment with variations on a theme of EI.
I think EI is probably the most cost effective way for you to go too


----------



## Ady34

Did the early morning wc again 

I have quite a lot of surface movement, hopefully this will help with gas exchange and increase oxygen content to aid fauna within the tank, especially during co2 injection, something im always conscious of. I’m also considering a twinstar ‘algae inhibitor’ to add further oxygen, not just for fish/shrimp but perhaps filter bacteria too?



 

Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Zeus.

Ady34 said:


> I’m also considering a twinstar ‘algae inhibitor’



Go for the Chihiros Doctor same thing fraction of the price, Both me and Tim use the Chihiros reators on our twinstars and they work fine. I have both the Chihiros and Twinstars both running Chihiros reactors. Loads on E-Bay


----------



## CooKieS

Zeus. said:


> Go for the Chihiros Doctor same thing fraction of the price, Both me and Tim use the Chihiros reators on our twinstars and they work fine. I have both the Chihiros and Twinstars both running Chihiros reactors. Loads on E-Bay



Agreed.

I have the chihiros doctor v4 and it's very versatile and useful to add O2


----------



## Harry H

Is there much difference between chihiros doctor v3 vs v4? Anyone has both maybe? Only diff I see is latter has Bluetooth?


----------



## Lee iley

Are these to be used only if you use co2. Could I have one in my low tech tank? What is the benefit to having one of these? 
Cheers Lee


----------



## Matt @ ScapeEasy

They increase oxygen levels and are supposed to kill green algae cells though the science is a little hazy on how / how effectively, that said people who try them do tend to stand by them!


----------



## Lee iley

Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> They increase oxygen levels and are supposed to kill green algae cells though the science is a little hazy on how / how effectively, that said people who try them do tend to stand by them!


Thanks Matt I might invest in one them.


----------



## Ady34

Zeus. said:


> Go for the Chihiros Doctor same thing fraction of the price, Both me and Tim use the Chihiros reators on our twinstars and they work fine. I have both the Chihiros and Twinstars both running Chihiros reactors. Loads on E-Bay





CooKieS said:


> Agreed.
> 
> I have the chihiros doctor v4 and it's very versatile and useful to add O2



Are the Chihiros as reliable, and build quality as good as the twinstar? I don’t want to buy the chihiros and wish I’d gone for the twinstar however I’m all for making a saving if they perform the same task 

Thanks,
Ady.


----------



## Ady34

Bolbitis throwing out a few submerse leaves.....


----------



## Matt @ ScapeEasy

Lee iley said:


> Thanks Matt I might invest in one them.


Might be worth getting the views of a few more people on here first!.. I've never tried one myself!


----------



## Lee iley

Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> Might be worth getting the views of a few more people on here first!.. I've never tried one myself!


Will do thanks.


----------



## Kalum

Ady34 said:


> Are the Chihiros as reliable, and build quality as good as the twinstar? I don’t want to buy the chihiros and wish I’d gone for the twinstar however I’m all for making a saving if they perform the same task
> 
> Thanks,
> Ady.



I think you'll find the answer in the fact most people with twinstars are replacing their reactors with the chihiros versions when due for replacement with no ill affects, not heard of anyone having issues with the main control unit as well


----------



## Ady34

Kalum said:


> I think you'll find the answer in the fact most people with twinstars are replacing their reactors with the chihiros versions when due for replacement with no ill affects, not heard of anyone having issues with the main control unit as well


Thanks Kalum, with over £100 saving I may put up with the slightly less polished aesthetic of the chihiros if it is going to do the same job


----------



## Tim Harrison

Like @Zeus. mentions I use the Chihiros reactor with the Twinstar brain and it works just as well. I looked at it this way...the Twinstar reactor on its own costs as much as a complete Chihiros unit, so if the combo didn't work I'd just buy the Chirhiros brain as well and still have spent similar money; at the time a little less actually. If I was going to buy again, I'd just go for the entire Chihiros unit. From what I can gather they do exactly the same thing...and I think the aesthetic of the Chihiros is fine. The other thing is that the wire on the Chihiros reactor is quite a bit longer so it's much easier to hide the brain, or position it and the reactor strategically than the Twinstar, especially with a deep tank.


----------



## Ady34

Thanks @Tim Harrison  some good info especially regards the wire although I was considering that hang on bracket thing also for the twinstar just because it looks ......I’ve heard they are a bit frail though.
I’m pretty much decided to go for the chihiros now as the saving is just too large to ignore. Next thing is I guess find a supplier, likely all eBay jobbies I guess but are there any uk suppliers/sites at all? Need to decide on 3rd or 4th generation also?

Cheers again all


----------



## Kalum

I just ordered another one from a chinese seller on ebay (bluestone001) a couple of days ago, £34 all in

no UK sellers as far as i know (some on ebay but they will just double handle from China anyway). Last one i bought was from Hinterfeld but obviously can't now


----------



## Tim Harrison

Ady34 said:


> ’ve heard they are a bit frail though.


Yeah, I know what you mean Ady, but I don't think either would survive a drop test 
I buy my reactors from eBay, usually via Hong Kong, I think there maybe a few UK sellers. It's a shame Hinterfeld have gone out of business, even the eBay shop has closed.


----------



## Daveslaney

I use the chihiros doctor 3 because I have one, would I buy another one? No.
I have purposely used it on and off for around a year now and to be honest aside from adding O2 to the water I don't think they have any noticeable effect on anything else. I only say this about added O2 because I noticed my plants seem to pearl more when I run the chihiros.
The are also ok if you stick them below your Lilly pipe to check the flow/ distribution around your tank.
This is the only difference I have found. Don't get me wrong added O2 isn't a bad thing and I suppose the chihiros is around the same price as a decent air pump, but the reactor is just another piece of equipment you have to stick on the side of the tank..


----------



## Ady34

Little video.....
Best changed to higher resolution if possible 



Cheerio,


----------



## Ady34

Daveslaney said:


> I use the chihiros doctor 3 because I have one, would I buy another one? No.
> I have purposely used it on and off for around a year now and to be honest aside from adding O2 to the water I don't think they have any noticeable effect on anything else. I only say this about added O2 because I noticed my plants seem to pearl more when I run the chihiros.
> The are also ok if you stick them below your Lilly pipe to check the flow/ distribution around your tank.
> This is the only difference I have found. Don't get me wrong added O2 isn't a bad thing and I suppose the chihiros is around the same price as a decent air pump, but the reactor is just another piece of equipment you have to stick on the side of the tank..


Yep, o2 would be the only reason I’d want one, not for any miracle algae cure. I have a lot of surface movement but I’d like to have extra oxygen available for the critters if possible.
Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Ady34

The H. Pinnatifida seems to be ‘gripping’ the wood with new roots already......interesting to see as the roots don’t appear to be acting in a hanging way but actively wrapping around the wood to anchor itself. I guess this is why it can be used as an epiphyte


----------



## Tim Harrison

Once it gets a grip it's pretty tenacious.


----------



## DutchMuch

haven't checked in, in a while. 



this is exquisite.


----------



## Ady34

DutchMuch said:


> haven't checked in, in a while.
> 
> 
> 
> this is exquisite.


High praise, many thanks.


----------



## TBRO

Stunning scape Ady, looks amazing and only just planted! I like the idea of all epiphyte plants. 

I found H.pinitifada a bit fussy, it grows for me but old leaves go tatty. Think I’m not mean enough with my pruning. Seems people have success with it and ADA ferts regimes. 

What are you using to film? Very nice steady footage. Good work T 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Ady34

TBRO said:


> Stunning scape Ady, looks amazing and only just planted! I like the idea of all epiphyte plants.
> 
> I found H.pinitifada a bit fussy, it grows for me but old leaves go tatty. Think I’m not mean enough with my pruning. Seems people have success with it and ADA ferts regimes.
> 
> What are you using to film? Very nice steady footage. Good work T
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks T, although there are a couple of non epiphyte plants now in the form of some cryptocoryne balansae, ludwigia red and cyperus halfeiri which may or may not stay.
Will monitor the pinnatifida and see how it goes, tbh I’m nervous about all the plants at the minute 
Filming wise it’s just my hands round my iPhone 8 .

FTS, some new fish added today.....seems I need to clean some glassware and switch the lamp off when I take photos 






Cheerio,


----------



## alto

Awesome journey so far 

What are your fish plans?
First group seems to be going for subtle

Please don’t say cardinals/neons ... there are so many amazing tetras (and other species groups) out there 
- I used to love cardinals back when they were wild caught, now the farmed fish (which look to have some mixed ancestry) are going now the (inbred) neon path 

(I help a friend with fish shipments so I see a lot of fish )


----------



## alto

Re Twinstar Nano system - Green Aqua (who run these in their shop and client tanks) suggests an overall improved plant health (in terms of reduced algae) of 5-10%

I feel they’re especially useful if you’re away from the tank as that additional oxygen can help protect livestock from CO2 related issues

I’ve a Twinstar Nano I bought when I “woke up” my tanks after a few years hiatus - it sits in the cupboard now as I felt it was time for a replacement disc but no local distributors any longer and I refused to pay the shipping fees ... I did love the _smoke_ _in_ _water_ effect 
And it’s useful for looking at (daily) flow within the tank 

(don’t ask what they looked like  )



Tim Harrison said:


> but I don't think either would survive a drop test


Mine has 
Several  

I do think it makes a difference in (algae) an Iwagumi type set up where you don’t want to add any fast growing stems


----------



## scapegoat

This is looking super nice!


----------



## Ady34

alto said:


> Awesome journey so far
> 
> What are your fish plans?
> First group seems to be going for subtle
> 
> Please don’t say cardinals/neons ... there are so many amazing tetras (and other species groups) out there
> - I used to love cardinals back when they were wild caught, now the farmed fish (which look to have some mixed ancestry) are going now the (inbred) neon path
> 
> (I help a friend with fish shipments so I see a lot of fish )


No not neons or cardinals. I love cardinals in particular but knew I didn’t want them in this scape. I wanted gold/platinum tetras (Hemigrammus rodwayi) and yesterday bought the remaining 19 from my local Maidenhead Aquatics for a great price. Ideally I wanted around 40 but I can add to the group when I find more. I love the subtlety yet beauty of these little fish. My son has 5 in his small tank and after seeing them I knew I had to have some. Perhaps I will add another 1 or 2 groups but unsure currently.
Penguin tetra have always been an interesting and active schooling fish for the upper regions, and rummynose for the lower but I’m not certain yet. I have had rummynoses frequently also so may look for something different. I do love the Paraguay tetra but they can be a bit feisty and I also love moenkhausia costae. I think I want to avoid deeper bodied tetras and although I love pencilfish, I have found they are jumpers and don’t want them to die a nasty death.



alto said:


> Re Twinstar Nano system - Green Aqua (who run these in their shop and client tanks) suggests an overall improved plant health (in terms of reduced algae) of 5-10%
> 
> I feel they’re especially useful if you’re away from the tank as that additional oxygen can help protect livestock from CO2 related issues
> 
> I’ve a Twinstar Nano I bought when I “woke up” my tanks after a few years hiatus - it sits in the cupboard now as I felt it was time for a replacement disc but no local distributors any longer and I refused to pay the shipping fees ... I did love the _smoke_ _in_ _water_ effect
> And it’s useful for looking at (daily) flow within the tank
> 
> (don’t ask what they looked like  )
> 
> 
> Mine has
> Several
> 
> I do think it makes a difference in (algae) an Iwagumi type set up where you don’t want to add any fast growing stems


Thanks for the info, I want one simply for oxygenating benefits, anything else is a bonus.
I have just ordered a 4th generation chihiros from China so will look forward to seeing it in action when it arrives.



scapegoat said:


> This is looking super nice!


Cheers Scapegoat 





Cheerio,
Ady


----------



## Tim Harrison

Ady34 said:


> Perhaps I will add another 1 or 2 groups but unsure currently


Very nice fish choice Ady, I guess that's the beauty of a tank that size you can have several groups of different species; it's one of the reasons I always admired Amano's larger scapes.


alto said:


> Mine has
> Several


Butter fingers


----------



## alto

Ady34 said:


> wanted gold/platinum tetras (Hemigrammus rodwayi)


If you find a larger shipment of wild caught (very gold), there are often 2-3 species, including a smaller (adult) sized fish with brilliant purple/green lateral stripe - they are lovely fish 

Recently I picked up a white fin ornatus tetra that has very interesting behaviour - lots of display and slow shoaling movements, you said you didn’t want any of the deeper body tetras but wild caught (or more recent imports) tend to much slimmer body
Example
https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/hyphessobrycon-copelandi/

If you watch the various videos from Interzoo 2018 tanks with Ruinemans Aquarium stock George Farmer and Filipe Oliveira Youtube channels) there are some rather nice fish to be seen


----------



## Ady34

alto said:


> If you find a larger shipment of wild caught (very gold), there are often 2-3 species, including a smaller (adult) sized fish with brilliant purple/green lateral stripe - they are lovely fish
> 
> Recently I picked up a white fin ornatus tetra that has very interesting behaviour - lots of display and slow shoaling movements, you said you didn’t want any of the deeper body tetras but wild caught (or more recent imports) tend to much slimmer body
> Example
> https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/hyphessobrycon-copelandi/
> 
> If you watch the various videos from Interzoo 2018 tanks with Ruinemans Aquarium stock George Farmer and Filipe Oliveira Youtube channels) there are some rather nice fish to be seen


The gold tetra I have had been in the shop for a long time so are more silver. I think it is a diet thing that maintains the gold? These are lovely fish, they have a blue tinge to the lateral line with great iridescence. Pictures don’t really capture it nor do videos but they really do shine under the light with flashes of sheen.....





I used to have some white fin bentosi tetra that were really interesting to watch spar, they were  great fish but definitely best in their juvenile form and under a red bias light.....





Thanks for the comments, all food for thought. I really liked these but fear for small fish and shrimp and also I’m pretty sure they will take flight: hemiodus gracilis






Cheerio,


----------



## alto

Ady34 said:


> I think it is a diet thing that maintains the gold?


It’s thought to be a parasite that’s leads to the laying down of the “gold” skin component - it’s observed in almost all wild tetras to some degree ... obviously not to the extent of the “gold” tetras
(I’ve no idea if this is locational or genetic predisposition)

Even among wild caught “gold” tetras the degree of metallic gold varies, my last shoal which I purchased as very small juveniles, were just as “brassy” a year on - though obviously much larger fish than initially

I’ve also heard that the degree of gold wanes, yet I observed the opposite ...

I agree Hemiodus gracilis looks grand, a large enough shoal of gold tetras may fare well (as long as they aren’t seen as prey) as they seem quite confident

Slightly smaller and reputed to be quite well behaved
https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/sahyadria-denisonii/

I suspect both larger fish will be more respectful of their smaller tankmates if the tetras are well established, then add quite small juveniles of the larger species and ensure a sufficiently sized group for normal antics to remain focused inside the group

Shrimp will be predated regardless


----------



## CooKieS

Love the gold tetra! Tank is looking very nice, can't wait to see it grows.


----------



## Ady34

CooKieS said:


> Love the gold tetra! Tank is looking very nice, can't wait to see it grows.


Me too, I keep forgetting it’s only been a week and I’m wanting everything settled, adapted and full already


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





alto said:


> If you find a larger shipment of wild caught (very gold),


I've never seen any in the UK that weren't platinum coloured (so presumably tank bred), but they are really nice fish. 

cheers Darrel


----------



## jsiegmund

That is one stunning tank you've got, congratulations. I can completely see how one would be sitting in front of it for hours just looking at everything that's going on in there. Very curious to see how it grows in. 

Slightly off topic: that glassware inlet I've seen a couple of times now, does anyone know whether they are available in The Netherlands somewhere?


----------



## zozo

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,I've never seen any in the UK that weren't platinum coloured (so presumably tank bred), but they are really nice fish.
> 
> cheers Darrel



UK Fish Stores importing from here, get them Wild.. 
https://www.ruinemans.com/en-GB/2875/gold-tetra.html
They are indeed lovely fish..


----------



## Iain Sutherland

alto said:


> It’s thought to be a parasite that’s leads to the laying down of the “gold” skin component - it’s observed in almost all wild tetras to some degree ... obviously not to the extent of the “gold” tetras
> (I’ve no idea if this is locational or genetic predisposition)
> 
> Even among wild caught “gold” tetras the degree of metallic gold varies, my last shoal which I purchased as very small juveniles, were just as “brassy” a year on - though obviously much larger fish than initially
> 
> I’ve also heard that the degree of gold wanes, yet I observed the opposite ...
> 
> I agree Hemiodus gracilis looks grand, a large enough shoal of gold tetras may fare well (as long as they aren’t seen as prey) as they seem quite confident
> 
> Slightly smaller and reputed to be quite well behaved
> https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/sahyadria-denisonii/
> 
> I suspect both larger fish will be more respectful of their smaller tankmates if the tetras are well established, then add quite small juveniles of the larger species and ensure a sufficiently sized group for normal antics to remain focused inside the group
> 
> Shrimp will be predated regardless


This was a random interesting fact that Tai told me about a week or so back...
Gold tetra, silver tetra and others are all actually black neons and it is a bacteria specific to locality that causes the colourations...

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


----------



## zozo

Iain Sutherland said:


> it is a bacteria specific to locality


That's very intersting, are there any scientific articles about it available on internet?

Thus it is biotope specific..  Something like pink and white Flamingo's  Tho that's more pigment change by specific diet.. Who knows maybe intestinal bacteria (specific gut flora) plays a role in this too.

Comming to think of it, i say yes why not it's rather common in the animal kindom, never thought of it before with wild fish.


----------



## Tim Harrison

From Seriously Fish https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/hemigrammus-rodwayi/..


> This species has something of a confused taxonomic past. The standard colour of the fish is a rather dull silvery grey, with a little colour in the fins. However in certain areas in nature, the species is sensitive to a particular type of trematode parasite. This causes a reaction in the skin of the fish, resulting in a spectacular metallic gold colouration formed by deposits of guanin. When initially discovered, these golden fish were mistakenly described as a new species, _Hemigrammus armstrongi_. This is now considered a junior synonymof _H. rodwayi_/
> 
> Unfortunately, captive bred specimens do not exhibit this colouration, as they are not exposed to the parasite. This is why most of the ‘golden tetras’ seen for sale do not live up to the common name stated on the tank. Infected wild caught fish are available from time to time, and are truly stunning.]


----------



## zozo

Tim Harrison said:


> From Seriously Fish https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/hemigrammus-rodwayi/..



Does that mean if these wild caught golden specimen treated with a dewormer will loose that color? Than is it smart to buy these gold colored fish as wild catch, since they cary that flatworm? Does it infect other fish?..


----------



## Tim Harrison

zozo said:


> Does that mean if these wild caught golden specimen treated with a dewormer will loose that color?


You would have thought so, but who knows...there is surprisingly little info on them out there. But according to reefs.com they are not infectious https://reefs.com/2015/03/02/parasite-responsible-color-popular-tetra/


> This fish appears to be more prone to disease than many other tetras (particularly to skin parasites). However, wild specimens, which (judging from the preponderance of gold “morphs”) usually show evidence of exposure to the parasite, tend _not_ to be carriers and pose no general threat to their tankmates


----------



## Ady34

So my ‘dull’ platinum (or silvery grey.....(don’t they know grey’s all the rage now??)) ones are parasite free 


Tim Harrison said:


> From Seriously Fish https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/hemigrammus-rodwayi/..


Interesting information though, tbh I bought them for my son and myself based on the silvery look rather than the gold. Another observation is that they look distinctly less deep bodied and more slender than black neons, but again I guess this could be down to locality or genetics of the captive bred breed line?


----------



## Tim Harrison

I suppose morphologically they bare at least a superficial resemblance to Black neons which belong to the _Hyphessobrycon _genus. Seriously Fish mentions that their taxonomic status is currently uncertain; they have been put in the _Hemigrammus _genus with over 70 other species, many of which may require reclassification in to existing or perhaps new genera. So I guess it is possible that they could be black neons incognito, but it seems unlikely.


----------



## Ady34

jsiegmund said:


> That is one stunning tank you've got, congratulations. I can completely see how one would be sitting in front of it for hours just looking at everything that's going on in there. Very curious to see how it grows in.
> 
> Slightly off topic: that glassware inlet I've seen a couple of times now, does anyone know whether they are available in The Netherlands somewhere?


Thanks for the compliment  I do tend to get lost for time sat watching it, even more so now there are fish out and about. I do watch empty tanks with hardscape also, and then with just plants.....my wife thinks I’m mad  I guess it just imagining each stage and how it will come together, trying to position plants in your head and then actually realising it. I really enjoy the creative process, hardscaping is what I enjoy most as it’s the backbone to all tanks, planted or not.
I’m intrigued as to how it will fill in also, hopefully I’ve chosen appropriate plants that will maintain the overall shape but develop to offer a more ‘natural’ look.

As for the ea aquascaper glassware set I’m unsure if evolution aqua have a distributor in the Netherlands. Maybe email evolution aqua direct and ask the question.

Cheerio
Ady


----------



## alto

Aquarium Glaser report adds some details of the parasite lifecycle 

https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/tag/gold-tetra/


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 
I'd be pretty confident that the number of described _Hemigrammus _species is just a tiny fraction of the actual number of separate species.





alto said:


> Aquarium Glaser report adds some details of the parasite lifecycle


I wonder if that contains the fact that Tai Strietman was alluding to  





> ........The golden gloss covers a great number of pattern that is usually indispensable for determining a species. Today we know a great number of golden tetras belonging to a vast number of different species, although they usually appear only as single specimens in most species......


cheers Darrel


----------



## alto

Tim Harrison said:


> black neons in incognito, but it seems unlikely.


I’m with Tim on this one  - fortunately DNA typing is now being used to examine/analyse (ornamental) fish species with some surprising results

I read a paper on the Rosy Tetra Clade some months ago, the fish closest in phenotype (outward) appearance are not always the closest in terms of genetic material


----------



## Iain Sutherland

I clearly wasn't paying close enough attention when Tai was telling me about this!! 
It's a very interesting parasitic life cycle though.

Tank is looking stunning Ady. 

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


----------



## Tim Harrison

alto said:


> I read a paper on the Rosy Tetra Clade some months ago, the fish closest in phenotype (outward) appearance are not always the closest in terms of genetic material


This one https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0098603 ? I'm actually surprised that classification is still being attempted in any other way. DNA is the daddy.


----------



## alto

MY bad 

I certainly didn’t mean to suggest the present research group was implying the connection, more historical


----------



## Tim Harrison

No not at all @alto, just meant that trying to identify species using classic morphology seems like a blunt instrument by comparison, especially when it comes to cryptic speciation in a genus like _Hyphessobrycon_ which is over 150 species strong and probably still growing


----------



## CooKieS

Tim Harrison said:


> No not at all @alto, just meant that trying to identify species using classic morphology seems like a blunt instrument by comparison, especially when it comes to cryptic speciation in a genus like _Hyphessobrycon_ which is over 150 species strong and probably still growing



Man, I love hyphessobrycon species, my last one (filamentosus) are awesome; very active in comparaison to most other sp


----------



## Jayefc1

Ady your journal is the best on here at the moment not only a stunning tank with a long way to go but fish info from alto and tim that in all honesty goes a lil over my head but is still interesting all the same lol thanks for taking the time and sharing Ady 
Tim and alto keep the articles comin boys


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> Ady your journal is the best on here at the moment not only a stunning tank with a long way to go but fish info from alto and tim that in all honesty goes a lil over my head but is still interesting all the same lol thanks for taking the time and sharing Ady
> Tim and alto keep the articles comin boys


Thanks, pleased your enjoying it. A very long way to go at the moment  (see below).
I agree there are always plenty of very knowledgeable members to offer interesting insights to all facets of the hobby which makes for great reading  

Update;
Tank is dirty, bristlenose poo a lot and flow is disrupted low down around hardscape which leaves ‘dead spots’ where this waste accumulates along with settlement in/on the plants  I’m going to have to carry out a daylight cleanse including siphoning and ‘wafting’.....along with glassware cleanse 

Daily 50% water changes were successfully completed for week one and now in week two, every other day is the routine, all early morning well before co2 injection or photoperiod.
The co2 art inline diffuser has been added in favour of the undersized in tank diffuser. After a day off settling the co2 art is proving excellent at misting the tank 






Co2 is not optimal yet, going beyond peak a few hours into the photoperiod and taking 3 hrs pre lights on to get up. I will stick with it for now until plants begin growing in earnest, using my solenoid on the regulator to turn co2 off periodically for 15min intervals, something I found I had to do in the NAtural Jurassic scape.
Bit of a learning curve again, I’ve been dosing too lean so will monitor progress over the coming days with the increased input. I have also ordered ei fertilisers again for when my tropica supply diminishes as this will be the most cost effective way. Plants are going through an adapting phase (or upset phase ) with old h. Pinitifida leaves shedding, new growth seemingly muted and bucephalandra not ‘shining’, something is not to their liking but I’m hoping that is fert related. If nothing improves I will add a third Fluval G6 to increase distribution, but currently there is gentle circulation all over with visible misting throughout.

The current photoperiod is from 5-11pm including 1hr sunrise and 1hr sunset periods with a 1hr higher intensity period mid photoperiod. The higher intensity is only 25% whilst the rest is @20% except the hr ramp up/down periods. I am going to increase duration half an hour each day for the rest of the week to give a total 8hr photoperiod but keep intensity the same. I will monitor this and if all is well increase intensity slowly mid next week. Intensity will always remain relatively low on this tank as I prefer a slow and steady growth rate 

All wood mould and diatoms are gone, glass remains pretty clean with a slight biofilm which I remove once a week.

Temperature is around 75f.





Cheerio and thanks again for all the input, always much appreciated 
Ady.


----------



## Konsa

Hi 
I found the buces need a little more time to adjust even with CO2 and full EI before they take off.As long as U manage to keep them algae free they will reward U in few months.
Regards Konsa


----------



## Ady34

Konsa said:


> Hi
> I found the buces need a little more time to adjust even with CO2 and full EI before they take off.As long as U manage to keep them algae free they will reward U in few months.
> Regards Konsa


Hopefully, I’m just not seeing much new root development and leaves are a bit lack lustre. Maybe time will be all they need. Will also see if adding extra fertiliser helps. 
Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Konsa

Hi
Apart from time they don't need much.When I had mine originally I was with CO2 tank with full EI and strong light.They didn't do much for about 6 months and almost all original leaves wilted away (but that was  not the stock from the plant producers that is available now)Then I went low tech and took about 2 years to tripple what I had.Now I have them in 3 different light low techs and they seem to do good in all of them.They not rampant but the growth is good for my conditions.I found they do best if they can strech a root or two in rich substrate or a bit of mulm.
Regards Konsa


----------



## CooKieS

Ady34 said:


> Hopefully, I’m just not seeing much new root development and leaves are a bit lack lustre. Maybe time will be all they need. Will also see if adding extra fertiliser helps.
> Cheerio,
> Ady.



Be patient Ady, that's only 2 weeks 

Buces are easy as konsa said, got some on very low tech tank with no soil or ferts and they look brillant

Nice shot, love the talawa branches with the épiphytes and the seiryu, great mix


----------



## Kezzab

Hi, what's the thinking behind the 15min co2 breaks? 
Cheers k


----------



## Ady34

Cheers @CooKieS and @Konsa, I will be patient and am hoping it’s just adapting but you know when something just doesn’t quite look right....



Kezzab said:


> Hi, what's the thinking behind the 15min co2 breaks?
> Cheers k


Co2 has been reaching too high a level for the fish and not levelling out, however plants are not fully settled and growing, nor light at the final intensity which will drive faster growth so I’m turning the co2 off for 15mins to off gas a little a bit like lifting off the accelerator in your car when going too fast.
Surface agitation is high so gas exchange is good and co2 comes on 3 hours before the photoperiod. I don’t want to ease off a little on the co2 or increase the time period it’s injecting before lights on just yet as I know with better plant growth more co2 will be utilised and naturally removed. Might sound a bit crazy but I did this before as I just couldn’t dial it in just how I wanted so found it easier to ‘feather’ the co2.

Cheerio


----------



## Kezzab

Ok, I see where you are coming from. I'll bear it in mind!
K


----------



## Tim Harrison

Ady34 said:


> Daily 50% water changes were successfully completed for week one and now in week two, every other day is the routine


That's serious dedication for a tank that size, and all early morning as well.


Ady34 said:


> am going to increase duration half an hour each day for the rest of the week to give a total 8hr photoperiod but keep intensity the same. I will monitor this and if all is well increase intensity slowly mid next week


What intensity did you start with, and what are your Twinstars at now Ady?


----------



## Kalum

Ady34 said:


> Plants are going through an adapting phase (or upset phase ) with old h. Pinitifida leaves shedding, new growth seemingly muted and bucephalandra not ‘shining’, something is not to their liking but I’m hoping that is fert related. If nothing improves I will add a third Fluval G6 to increase distribution, but currently there is gentle circulation all over with visible misting throughout.
> 
> The current photoperiod is from 5-11pm including 1hr sunrise and 1hr sunset periods with a 1hr higher intensity period mid photoperiod. The higher intensity is only 25% whilst the rest is @20% except the hr ramp up/down periods. I am going to increase duration half an hour each day for the rest of the week to give a total 8hr photoperiod but keep intensity the same. I will monitor this and if all is well increase intensity slowly mid next week. Intensity will always remain relatively low on this tank as I prefer a slow and steady growth rate
> 
> All wood mould and diatoms are gone, glass remains pretty clean with a slight biofilm which I remove once a week.
> 
> Temperature is around 75f.
> Ady.



Looks like it'a all settling in nicely Ady

I'm having a similar experience with the h. pinnatifida shedding leaves and very little growth with pretty much the same lighting levels, my buces have settled really well and are looking great, a couple of leaves that were curled from the beginning are starting to unfold as well. I am dosing EI so hopefully that will be the difference for yours. Weirdly my crypt beckettii is having the worst time out of all and suffering melt even though it has been thriving in my low tech for months, go figure


----------



## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> That's serious dedication for a tank that size, and all early morning as well.
> 
> What intensity did you start with, and what are your Twinstars at now Ady?


Ah it’s not too bad, I just siphon straight to the drain I had put in next to the tank and refill direct from the thermostatic mixer valve I had plumbed in below the tank 

Started at 20% lighting intensity , still the same but with an hour at 25% mid photoperiod 



Kalum said:


> Looks like it'a all settling in nicely Ady
> 
> I'm having a similar experience with the h. pinnatifida shedding leaves and very little growth with pretty much the same lighting levels, my buces have settled really well and are looking great, a couple of leaves that were curled from the beginning are starting to unfold as well. I am dosing EI so hopefully that will be the difference for yours. Weirdly my crypt beckettii is having the worst time out of all and suffering melt even though it has been thriving in my low tech for months, go figure


 Crypts can be fickle, pleased your buces have settled well, fingers crossed mine do too. The fertilisers have arrived today, excellent service from APFUK. I won’t use the ei ferts until the tropica has ran out. I have increased my dosage so it won’t take long 

Cheerio


----------



## Tim Harrison

Ady34 said:


> Ah it’s not too bad, I just siphon straight to the drain I had put in next to the tank and refill direct from the thermostatic mixer valve I had plumbed in below the tank


Good idea, next new house I move in to I'll have to give that some serious consideration


Ady34 said:


> Started at 20% lighting intensity , still the same but with an hour at 25% mid photoperiod


That's a lot lower than I'd thought it'd be, but makes perfect sense given your plants and biomass.


----------



## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> Good idea, next new house I move in to I'll have to give that some serious consideration


Full automation would be even better but not really suited to minimalist open top systems.



Tim Harrison said:


> That's a lot lower than I'd thought it'd be, but makes perfect sense given your plants and biomass.


Yeah, terrified of nuking the plants really 
But yes, relitively little plant mass and slow growers it’s definitely better safe than sorry and low light has worked for me in the past with similar plants. It still ‘looks’ bright to my eyes anyway. I bet I don’t get past 50% intensity at all.


----------



## DutchMuch

Ady your making me change my iwagumi idea into a island scape stop  






Jokes aside with every image you post it looks even more stunning than the last.


----------



## Jayefc1

My buces melted away to start with hardly any of the original leaves left but are now starting to bounce back slowly


----------



## Jayefc1

Time is not good when you have no patience lol


----------



## Ady34

DutchMuch said:


> Ady your making me change my iwagumi idea into a island scape stop
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Jokes aside with every image you post it looks even more stunning than the last.


Ha, everyone loves the island life  and thank you 



Jayefc1 said:


> My buces melted away to start with hardly any of the original leaves left but are now starting to bounce back slowly


Good to hear they are bouncing back 

I siphoned the dirt I talked about earlier from around hardscape and ‘wafted’ the plants. Your mindset is much better after a little effort 

Few snaps from tonight:










A lonely shrimp......





Juvenile bristlenose.....





Bucephalandra flower:





Siamensis and shrimp:





Cheerio,


----------



## DutchMuch

sorry if i missed it (most likely) what type of wood did you use?


----------



## Ady34

DutchMuch said:


> sorry if i missed it (most likely) what type of wood did you use?


Talawa wood


----------



## Jayefc1




----------



## Jayefc1

Sweet knowles Aquatics not sure where you are ady but I saw these wild gold tetra and thought of you have a look on line bro some.amazing.fish


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> Sweet knowles Aquatics not sure where you are ady but I saw these wild gold tetra and thought of you have a look on line bro some.amazing.fish


Thanks Jayefc1, seems I can get the number I’d want delivered for £20 which would make them about £80 in total for 24 fish, however at this time of year I’m slightly reluctant. I may hold on for a while and see if anything comes up closer to home.
Again thanks for thinking of me though 
Cheerio
Ady


----------



## Jayefc1

Yeah they was not cheap but the colour was so nice pic don't really do them justice


----------



## Ady34

Well, I now have fish with white spot, melting anubias, thriving anubias, leafless failing pinnatifida, growing fissidens, a chihiros doctor and berried cherry shrimp so a mix of emotions really 

On the positive side the fish seem to be recovering, I will medicate them if there is any regression.
The anubias melt is new to me however I’ve heard of it. That and the failing pinnatifida suggest co2, but that isn’t getting increased any more, distribution to the effected plants seems good to me. My lighting has been increased gradually to a 7hr photoperiod with most of it at 25% intensity and a burst mid period of 30% for 2.5hrs. This will be increased to 8hrs and a little more intensity next week. Perhaps the slight increase in intensity has upset the anubias however I would say that lighting is still very low.
Fertilising exclusively with tropica specialised now at suggested dose, split into daily volumes. I will increase once I see growth in earnest. Then switch to ei mix when i have ran out.
The fissidens in particular appears to have responded positively to the extra light/fertiliser and is now showing bright green new growth, as too are some of the anubias.
Bucephelandra seem to be a bit hit and miss with some species doing much better than others in particular the ‘theia’ variety which seems solid.
I’m happy to see several berried shrimp so hopefully their numbers will increase and help keep the moss clean. I noticed that they made a huge difference when added in numbers to my NAtural Jurassic tank.
Really like the chihiros unit, I think the oxygenating benefits are priceless. It may well be just me but I’m also convinced that within the few days of use the Seiryu stone looks ‘brighter’, generally looks a healthier tank.....we will see over the coming weeks.
Last week was every third day water changes, down to one a week next week however I may do two a week.
Still undecided on the extra filter, although I could do with extra circulation in some areas where detritus settles and annoys me. Heavy hardscape upsetting flow patterns always has this potential.
The tank overall looks unchanged, still need to clean the glassware and I may have to replace a couple of anubias. Hopefully with extra light plants will be driven to grow and not fail as food will be readily available in co2 and fertiliser.

Cheerio,


----------



## Tim Harrison

It's always a bit of a mixed bag until things settle down, but still looking awesome Ady.
I reckon Twinstar/Chihiros keeps green algae at bay too, my rocks are spotless, that is aside from a bit of diatomaceous algae every now and then, but that brushes off with ease.


----------



## Konsa

Hi
As long as fish are concerned U can try some Levimisol medicated food.It is quite aquarium safe to use.It is considered to boost fish immune system and clears any intestinal worms as a added bonus .I used it as an addition when treating the puffers with esha Exit and it really made a difference. I  get this as bird wormer Harka verm from ebay and use it when getting in fish from Asian imports or as a preventative measure every few months for my puffer fish as I feed all sort of live foods  exclusively.
It can be used as a bath too.
Original discussion here
https://www.loaches.com/Members/shari2/levamisole-hydrochloride-1
Regards Konsa


----------



## Daveslaney

Looks good Ady.
I would think the probs you describe are just minor probs as you tank starts to stabilise once it does all will become good.
I find Thiea and the red sp seems to do good out of all the Buces I've tried so far. Not happened In my current tank but in a previous tank i found the thiea sp would loose some leaves sometimes for no apparent reason. Never really found out why.


----------



## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> It's always a bit of a mixed bag until things settle down, but still looking awesome Ady.
> I reckon Twinstar/Chihiros keeps green algae at bay too, my rocks are spotless, that is aside from a bit of diatomaceous algae every now and then, but that brushes off with ease.


Yeah, I think a lot can be said for stability and maturity in a tank. I love it when it gets to that relaxed stage when things seem to rub along nicely with a set routine. I haven’t quite got the balance of something in this tank yet but will keep plugging away in the hope that it comes, it’s still early days but it’s just not quite right.

@Konsa, I’ll look into the levimisol and read that link when I have time, thanks for sharing it.



Daveslaney said:


> Looks good Ady.
> I would think the probs you describe are just minor probs as you tank starts to stabilise once it does all will become good.
> I find Thiea and the red sp seems to do good out of all the Buces I've tried so far. Not happened In my current tank but in a previous tank i found the thiea sp would loose some leaves sometimes for no apparent reason. Never really found out why.


Yeah, just I’ve not had anubias melt before, the h. Pinnatifida, well that’s just not being able to grow plants, but anubias have been bulletproof for me before so that concerns me a little. Time will tell I guess but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they all don’t go the same way.
The theia is lovely, Lamandau mini red is the one that doesn’t seem to be offering anything and looks in the worst condition. The rest are ticking along i guess.

Sad looking pinnatifida, slow stunted growth and leaves falling off, points to co2 but could be fert related also;



 

Cheerio,


----------



## TBRO

Hi Ady, for me I can get Pinitifada to survive but it doesn’t really thrive. In fact I’m having more luck growing it in air, than water! Don’t loose hope it often seems to die back and then start growing again from lower down. T 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Daveslaney

Yes i find Pinitifada can be tricky too untill it gets established. I usually trim the older/ bigger leafs off once they start to look a Bit worse for wear.


----------



## Ady34

TBRO said:


> Hi Ady, for me I can get Pinitifada to survive but it doesn’t really thrive. In fact I’m having more luck growing it in air, than water! Don’t loose hope it often seems to die back and then start growing again from lower down. T
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk





Daveslaney said:


> Yes i find Pinitifada can be tricky too untill it gets established. I usually trim the older/ bigger leafs off once they start to look a Bit worse for wear.


Thanks, some of it is hanging in just new growth seems not right, stunted or malformed growth and leaf loss. I have grown it relitively successfully in my first aquascape ‘Dragons Crypt’, although it was always a bit leggy probably due to low light. You can see it here at the left:






I have increased the photoperiod to 8 hours now and intensity peaks at 40% for 4 hours of the 8. The remainder of the photoperiod is raised to 35% with a half hour sunrise and 1hr sunset. I will stretch out the higher intensity period and perhaps increase intensity more over the coming days, although I may leave it at 40% for a while to monitor more closely.

Detrius is annoying me, perhaps the bristle nose were not a great long term choice for this scape.

I had 2 anubias petite melt and a third one lost a couple of leaves, I don’t know if this will fail totally. I re ordered anubias nana, however I have given that to my son as it was too large for this scape. I will need to get petite or an alternative for the gaps left.

Melting anubias, not pretty 








The tank seems to be turning a corner now though, there is currently no reoccurrence of the white spot effecting the fish and there have been no further deaths from jumping. The plants, although not perfect, are showing signs of growth now which makes me feel better. The bucephalandra are all showing better health and root growth too which is encouraging.









Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## DutchMuch

Maybe this lil' post i have here will cheer ya up ady.


Even though your tank is going through some troubles right now, it still looks exquisite and even more so, elegant, at a distance of 10 feet away.



Now i do have a question if i might ask, what lights are you running? im certain you said somewhere before but i am to much of a lazy bum to look myself.


----------



## Ady34

DutchMuch said:


> Maybe this lil' post i have here will cheer ya up ady.
> 
> 
> Even though your tank is going through some troubles right now, it still looks exquisite and even more so, elegant, at a distance of 10 feet away.
> 
> 
> 
> Now i do have a question if i might ask, what lights are you running? im certain you said somewhere before but i am to much of a lazy bum to look myself.


Ha, thanks DutchMuch, it is nice to watch from my chair at least 
The lights are Twinstar 600SP x2.
Thanks,
Ady.


----------



## Jayefc1

Lol lazy bum = fat asses


----------



## DutchMuch

Jayefc1 said:


> Lol lazy bum = fat asses


HEY HEY WHAT ARE YOU SAYING ABOUT ME HUH



*kiding*


----------



## CooKieS

Got the same problem with anubias melt in my old 60p setup, I suspect ammonia 'burn' from new ada aquasoil...


----------



## Ady34

CooKieS said:


> Got the same problem with anubias melt in my old 60p setup, I suspect ammonia 'burn' from new ada aquasoil...


Yeah could be, however I think sometimes if the rhizome is damaged this may have an impact. Don’t know why mine went as I have no active soil. All just the anubias nana petite aswell, the rest are good


----------



## CooKieS

Ady34 said:


> Yeah could be, however I think sometimes if the rhizome is damaged this may have an impact. Don’t know why mine went as I have no active soil. All just the anubias nana petite aswell, the rest are good



Second cause could be they get too cold during shipping?


----------



## Ady34

CooKieS said:


> Second cause could be they get too cold during shipping?





CooKieS said:


> Second cause could be they get too cold during shipping?


Perhaps.


----------



## Ady34

Chihiros doctor......


----------



## Ady34

Quick phone video tonight.....



Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## akwarium

That doctor looks cool, but do you see any positive effects?

Tank is absolutely lovely, like the tetra's in there.


----------



## Ady34

akwarium said:


> That doctor looks cool, but do you see any positive effects?
> 
> Tank is absolutely lovely, like the tetra's in there.


Thanks, I definitely see a positive effect on the fauna in the tank, the fish are much more settled and active without any early signs of co2 distress.
I initially thought my rock was ‘brighter’, however I’m unsure on this and I don’t tend to get algae on my rocks as a rule. The tank looks clearer and cleaner, but I cannot say with any certainty if this is down to the device.....it may even just in my head. I did purchase the chihiros with the sole intention of adding extra o2 to the tank, not as an algae prevention method. I’m not disappointed, especially given the low cost of these devices, I will continue to run it in any co2 injected tank......looking cool has a positive effect on me too, I find myself waiting for the mist


----------



## Jayefc1

Looks amazing mate that the golden tetra


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> Looks amazing mate that the golden tetra


Cheers, I really like them too, once everything settles I may add some black neons too for a slight contrast.


----------



## Tim Harrison

Ady34 said:


> The tank looks clearer and cleaner, but I cannot say with any certainty if this is down to the device.....it may even just in my head.


I don't think it's just in your head Ady, that tank looks immaculate. And your fish have definitely settled well, they look like they're behaving quite naturally.


----------



## Jayefc1

Can i ask.where you got them from Ady


----------



## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> I don't think it's just in your head Ady, that tank looks immaculate. And your fish have definitely settled well, they look like they're behaving quite naturally.


Cheers Tim, I’m vacuuming bristlenose s**t daily though 



 

I’m pleased with how the fish have seemingly overcome their illness. Few fins to grow in again but hopefully they will be in perfect health in a week without reoccurrence.



Jayefc1 said:


> Can i ask.where you got them from Ady


The fish? They were from my local Maidenhed aquatics. 

Cheerio,


----------



## Ady34

A little bit of maintenance tonight again, finishing off cleaning the second set of glassware. I use a ‘jbl cleany’ pipe cleaner to get into the tubes and finish off with a ‘dennerle cleanator’ in the lily and outer glass which is also excellent for the salt lines. 




 







 

Quick sand vacuum to remove detrius and a rub over with the soft pad algae scrubber to the glass panes to remove a small amount of biofilm and the jobs a good un’ ready for an early morning water change.
I’m finding a little and often approach is working best, with the general cleaning that you need to be able to see being carried out when lights are on and the large water change done early before the photoperiod.
I really don’t look forward to glassware and pipework cleaning but once it’s done its a great feeling as the tank looks so much nicer.....



 

Moved the drop checker again tonight to the very bottom front corner (least obvious co2 area) of the tank to monitor co2. Ive always thought that even a dc is just a guide much like a bubble counter as they can be influenced by injection type, location etc etc. Misting from an atomiser could throw the result as microbubbles diffuse directly into the dc rather than dissolved co2 from a reactor having to diffuse back out of the water giving a ‘truer’ reading of co2 levels? However that said, it is a good tool to give an idea, I guess the misting offers co2 in a different way to the plants than that of a reactor so at least you can use it to see where the co2 is getting to. Perhaps an ideal scenario would be to use both a reactor and atomiser to maximise co2 availability.



 

Cheerio,


----------



## DutchMuch

i absolutely hate cleaning my pipes.
Reason i only do it once it starts decreasing flow significantly lmao


----------



## Ady34

DutchMuch said:


> i absolutely hate cleaning my pipes.
> Reason i only do it once it starts decreasing flow significantly lmao


It’s surprising the difference that dirty pies make to flow, but yep it’s a nasty job .......
Just on with that water change before work.....


----------



## Jayefc1

Its weird but i actually enjoy the cleaning and little and often is by far the best approach would hate to leave it till it was a complete mess with loads to do that drop checker looks a nice colour


----------



## Jayefc1

How much water are you changing now Ady


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> that drop checker looks a nice colour


Yeah, I wouldn’t be able to run this level in my tank without the fish showing co2 distress without the chihiros. Everything is very comfortable but I’m still moving the drop checker around to make sure levels are good all around.



Jayefc1 said:


> How much water are you changing now Ady


Changing about 60% this morning now I’m down to one water change a week. I did do about a 30% wc earlier in the week however when I did a proper sand siphon.

Cheerio,


----------



## Jayefc1

Do you think the chihiros is allowing a higher co2 concentration in the tank then cause that is not to far from a yellow colour even with the twin star in my 45p if it got to that colour the Dannios where at the top of the tank maybe it's the difference In tank size as well


----------



## Zeus.

Jayefc1 said:


> Do you think the chihiros is allowing a higher co2 concentration in the tank then cause that is not to far from a yellow colour even with the twin star in my 45p if it got to that colour the Dannios where at the top of the tank maybe it's the difference In tank size as well



I believe it does as it increases the [O2], if my chihiros/twimstar reactors get clogged with scale as it does with having hard water the snails in my 50l fishless tank and RCS hang out near the surface, I have lossed some RCS for this in the pass for this reason, so always try to descale the reactors weekly.


----------



## Tim Harrison

Jayefc1 said:


> Do you think the chihiros is allowing a higher co2 concentration


I think every tank is different, and that what might work in one may not necessarily work well in another. But generally speaking yes, Chihiros and Twinstar algae busters are really just very efficient, and when you think about it, cheap O2 generators. The jury may be out on whether they reduce green algae etc (I think they do), but they definitely help with O2 saturation, and allow for more wriggle room when it comes to injecting CO2.



Zeus. said:


> so always try to descale the reactors weekly.


Just out of interest Zeus, what do you use to descale and for how long?

Sorry for the highjack Ady   Nice maintenance tips btw...


----------



## Onoma1

DutchMuch said:


> i absolutely hate cleaning my pipes.
> Reason i only do it once it starts decreasing flow significantly lmao


 
I agree, however, started using VWP Cleaner Sterilise (it's sold for cleaning home brew equipment) rather than dunking them in domestic bleach to clean. Using the VWP I can just dunk them in it - leave them in it for 30 mins or so and they either come out clean or it makes it really easy to clean them. Even thought of just getting a spare set of pipes and leaving them in this overnight - which is how I used to clean demijohns. Ady's, however look like they aren't ever dirty enough to need anything more than a gentle rinse! Sparkling tank- something to emulate.


----------



## Kalum

Oh what's the eheim vacuum gadget.... 

I love a gadget and could use something quick and easy for midweek cleaning of shrimp s***


----------



## Andrew Butler

Kalum said:


> Oh what's the eheim vacuum gadget....


A load of rubbish in my opinion; found the suction awful.


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> Do you think the chihiros is allowing a higher co2 concentration in the tank then cause that is not to far from a yellow colour even with the twin star in my 45p if it got to that colour the Dannios where at the top of the tank maybe it's the difference In tank size as well


Yes, as others have said it definitely helps livestock in high co2 injected tanks as it increases o2 levels. I’m unsure as to the accuracy of the dc due to the reasons mentioned above with micro co2 bubbles diffusing directly in. That dc colour is at the very end of my photoperiod however it is near that colour for the majority of it.



Onoma1 said:


> I agree, however, started using VWP Cleaner Sterilise (it's sold for cleaning home brew equipment) rather than dunking them in domestic bleach to clean. Using the VWP I can just dunk them in it - leave them in it for 30 mins or so and they either come out clean or it makes it really easy to clean them. Even thought of just getting a spare set of pipes and leaving them in this overnight - which is how I used to clean demijohns. Ady's, however look like they aren't ever dirty enough to need anything more than a gentle rinse! Sparkling tank- something to emulate.


Ha, they were definitely dirty looking back at some earlier images  I’d already ran the cleany pipe through the lily pipe in the image above. I don’t use any bleach generally, the only benefit is the little closed end which the brush doesn’t reach. When that gets particularly bad I will soak in a bleach solution overnight and use a donor outlet to keep the filter running.



Tim Harrison said:


> I think every tank is different, and that what might work in one may not necessarily work well in another.
> 
> Sorry for the highjack Ady   Nice maintenance tips btw...


No problems at all Tim, and I agree, every tank is different. I also use a lot of surface agitation and I guess the tank has a relitively large surface area, combined with the skimmer it all adds extra o2 and gas exchange.


Kalum said:


> Oh what's the eheim vacuum gadget....
> 
> I love a gadget and could use something quick and easy for midweek cleaning of shrimp s***


Eheim quick vac pro, I think it’s decent for a quick once over when you don’t want to start siphoning and removing water. I wouldn’t use it for a thorough clean.
https://www.eheim.com/en_GB/products/accessories/cleaning/quick_vac_pro

Cheerio,


----------



## Daveslaney

Just out of interest Zeus, what do you use to descale and for how long?
I usually soak mine in a cup of white vinegar for about half hour to descale. Then a good rinse and put back on.
Sorry Tim I copied that from your post instead using quote.


----------



## Zeus.

Tim Harrison said:


> Just out of interest Zeus, what do you use to descale and for how long?



Citric acid, teaspoon full with boiling water for some time!!!! well till it goes cool but normally doing a WC so take it out at start back in at the end or easier if I put it back before the tank is full so I can get the Reactor in without getting the end of cable wet as closed top tank




normally do both reactors for both tanks at the same time.

When the reactors are done I empty the kettle stick the Citric acid water in there leave top off kettle so it keeps boiling switch it on for 5 mins and descale the kettle at the same time  wife made a cup of tea with it a few weeks back  lemon tea I think


----------



## Ady34

Zeus. said:


> When the reactors are done I empty the kettle stick the Citric acid water in there leave top off kettle so it keeps boiling switch it on for 5 mins and descale the kettle at the same time  wife made a cup of tea with it a few weeks back  lemon tea I think



Quite fortunate where I live, the water is soft so we get very little limescale.


----------



## Ady34

With all that goes with creating and maintaining an aquascape it’s important to remember to enjoy it 

I’ve managed to sit in front of the tank tonight with a cuppa, the dog and catch up with some of my favourite @George Farmer you tube aquascaping content all in one sitting.......

(Videos best viewed in higher definition where available as they are just phone video)



Really appreciating the livestock in the tank too. Popped in to my local Maidenhead today and they have more gold tetra. I held off buying more for two reasons. Firstly, as my current fish had suffered a recent outbreak of white spot I wanted longer to ensure no reoccurrence and secondly the fish in the store must be recent arrivals so an extra week will ensure I can see that they are in good health.

A lovely cherry shrimp enjoying cleaning the fissidens which is now starting to grow in well and some of the gold tetra showing lovely colour and behaviour......



Happy Sunday evening


----------



## Tim Harrison

A definition of bliss, if ever there was one


----------



## Ady34

Pretty much exactly 1 month old and I’ve swapped the 2kg co2 bottle last night. Don’t think that 2kg in 1 month is bad on a tank of this size. I am going to invest in a 6kg bottle in the future so swaps will be less frequent.

Picture just for interest, don’t think I’ve posted a  full tank and cabinet shot in daylight planted up:





Cheerio,


----------



## Kalum

Just wow


----------



## DutchMuch

That water level though






bravo sir, nothing is better than a tip top (pun intended) water level!


Lemme do a overall rating: 
Lighting, 10/10
Stand: 20/10 
Stock: 9/10
Water level: over 9000
Carpet floor: -2 points 
Modern walls: 10/10 +3 points
Potted plants: +1 point 10/10


----------



## Ady34

Kalum said:


> Just wow


Thanks Kalum.



DutchMuch said:


> That water level though
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> bravo sir, nothing is better than a tip top (pun intended) water level!
> 
> 
> Lemme do a overall rating:
> Lighting, 10/10
> Stand: 20/10
> Stock: 9/10
> Water level: over 9000
> Carpet floor: -2 points
> Modern walls: 10/10 +3 points
> Potted plants: +1 point 10/10



Your posts are priceless, I’m not liking the carpet for the tank either, it’s too deep and I’m struggling to open the cabinet doors. I like the carpet under my feet though  Seriously though, the cabinet doors are a bit of an issue,   I don’t dare cut a bit off them as the open end will be like a sponge for any spilled water  First world problems.....
I thought the water level was a bit low tbh, could have topped it up a few mm


----------



## Jayefc1

Agreed looks amazing


----------



## Andrew Butler

Ady34 said:


> Seriously though, the cabinet doors are a bit of an issue, I don’t dare cut a bit off them as the open end will be like a sponge for any spilled water


You could carefully trim them, treat the cut ends with a few coats of waterproof PVA or something similar then source some iron on edging - colour match wouldnt be so much of an issue as long as its close.


----------



## Tim Harrison

Stunning...and nice finish on the cabinet. The colour matches your carpet 
How's the position of the drop checker working out?


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> Agreed looks amazing


Thanks @Jayefc1 



Andrew Butler said:


> You could carefully trim them, treat the cut ends with a few coats of waterproof PVA or something similar then source some iron on edging - colour match wouldnt be so much of an issue as long as its close.


I’ve thought about it but not sure I fancy it really. I may message evolution aqua to see if you can buy door kits seperately incase it all goes horribly wrong 



Tim Harrison said:


> Stunning...and nice finish on the cabinet. The colour matches your carpet
> How's the position of the drop checker working out?


Yeah it was all part of a planned colour scheme, the plant pot I just bought was a considered choice too in a light grey concrete finish 






The drop checker is much the same although perhaps a little greener for early photoperiod:
4.30pm




5.30pm




6.20pm




Always time for a fts too with a bit of a filter 





Cheerio,


----------



## Lee iley

Looks ace. Well done. A tank I could only dream of.


----------



## akwarium

do you aim for a certain C02 level?


----------



## Jayefc1

Got to admit I wouldn't wanna be touching the doors your only talkin 5ml or so is it worth it for a lil extra effort to open them


----------



## Ady34

Lee iley said:


> Looks ace. Well done. A tank I could only dream of.


Thank you Lee  I’m sure one day you will have your dream tank. If there’s one thing about UKAPS it’s an inspiring community which helps you get to where you want to be 
I had my dream tank, not a planted aquascape but a tank I never thought I would own. I like long term aquascapes and my discus tank could have gone on forever I think......if we didn’t have to move home.....



 

 

 

 



Loved my discus, but i do love the aesthetics and clean lines of rimless braceless and of course the challenge of planted aquascaping.....I guess this tank is my new dream, love the aquascaper tank and cabinet and have enjoyed the creative process. Still a way to go though so I’m sure I’ll continue to enjoy the journey and the challenge which really is what it is all about 



akwarium said:


> do you aim for a certain C02 level?


I always aim for around 30ppm, I doubt I ever really get there, but I don’t tend to use high lighting intensity for that reason 



Jayefc1 said:


> Got to admit I wouldn't wanna be touching the doors your only talkin 5ml or so is it worth it for a lil extra effort to open them


It would definitely be worth it as it’s really annoying and will damage the carpet.......I doubt I’ll do it though as I’m like you and don’t really want to wreck the doors. To be fair it’s only one that rubs badly......I knew I shouldn’t have got that thicker underlay 

Cheerio,


----------



## Lee iley

Ady34 said:


> Thank you Lee  I’m sure one day you will have your dream tank. If there’s one thing about UKAPS it’s an inspiring community which helps you get to where you want to be
> I had my dream tank, not a planted aquascape but a tank I never thought I would own. I like long term aquascapes and my discus tank could have gone on forever I think......if we didn’t have to move home.....
> 
> View attachment 121550 View attachment 121551 View attachment 121552 View attachment 121553 View attachment 121554
> 
> Loved my discus, but i do love the aesthetics and clean lines of rimless braceless and of course the challenge of planted aquascaping.....I guess this tank is my new dream, love the aquascaper tank and cabinet and have enjoyed the creative process. Still a way to go though so I’m sure I’ll continue to enjoy the journey and the challenge which really is what it is all about
> 
> 
> I always aim for around 30ppm, I doubt I ever really get there, but I don’t tend to use high lighting intensity for that reason
> 
> 
> It would definitely be worth it as it’s really annoying and will damage the carpet.......I doubt I’ll do it though as I’m like you and don’t really want to wreck the doors. To be fair it’s only one that rubs badly......I knew I shouldn’t have got that thicker underlay
> 
> Cheerio,


That is a beautiful discus tank. It's massive. How many litres was that. 
Cheers Lee


----------



## Ady34

Lee iley said:


> That is a beautiful discus tank. It's massive. How many litres was that.
> Cheers Lee


Yeah it was 1200 litres, 8’x2.5’x2.5’. 
Was sad to see it go. 
On the bright side water changes are faster now


----------



## Ady34

Hi,
added to my collection of gold tetra yesterday and couldn’t resist the faces on these rabbit snails:



 

No everyone’s cup of tea but I’m a sucker for a pretty face  

The tank isn’t lighting the world on fire with growth, the bolbitis could have done with trimming back to encourage new submerse growth when added as it seems to be static in the most part. Couple of issues with some anubias melting  but I’ve added a few more plants to fill the voids. 
Lighting is still maxed at 45% for 4 of the 8hr photoperiod which is still low imo. Interesting point from George Farmer in his twinstar vs kessil video about lumens and how bright a light looks to the human eye. The twinstar is definitely one of these as the light looks much brighter than the power and brightness percentage suggests.
Still not in the sweet spot with this tank, but happy to take it slow. 

Video best viewed in the highest quality available as it’s just phone video quality.  



Cheerio,


----------



## Tim Harrison

Ady34 said:


> No everyone’s cup of tea but I’m a sucker for a pretty face


Crikey, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder...


Ady34 said:


> Still not in the sweet spot with this tank, but happy to take it slow.


Still looking good Ady, and I agree, patience is a virtue especially with a relatively low plant biomass. I'm still running my Twinstar at 60% for 6hrs a day.


----------



## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> Crikey, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder...
> 
> Still looking good Ady, and I agree, patience is a virtue especially with a relatively low plant biomass. I'm still running my Twinstar at 60% for 6hrs a day.








Yeah I think the low plant biomass lengthens the stabilising and maturation of a tank, things are slowly settling but still having issues with melting anubias. I’m wondering about lcp and wether in fact running my lighting at such low intensity initially actually stalled growth rather than just the intended purpose of preventing algae and melt. I’ve just  increased lighting intensity to 50% for a 3.5hr period after 6 weeks, maybe it was too slow and steady.....we shall see what happens next.

Noticed a small example of how sensitive high tech systems can be tonight.
One of my nerite snails somehow got itself plugged into the ea skimmer today, I saw it on the glassware this morning so I’m presuming it happened early on in the day. I didn’t think it would have managed to go up the skimmer portion but anyway, I came home tonight and could tell there was something amiss. The fish were more tentative. On closer inspection I saw the dc to be much yellower for the time of day and then noticed the skimmer portion of the glassware had a snail wedged in which in turn had sunk it below the water level. This had obviously effected the o2 levels within the tank and subsequently the fish were less active. They weren’t struggling by any means but had the twinstar also have failed for example, they may have been in more trouble. I didn’t take an image as I just wanted to rescue the snail and allow skimming to resume. The snail was fine fortunately and the fish recovered to full activity within a few hours. Just goes to show the effect a little imbalance can have on the system....

Photo just for interest. End shot:





Cheerio
Ady


----------



## soggybongo

stunning photos any.


----------



## Geoffrey Rea

Ady34 said:


> I’m wondering about lcp and wether in fact running my lighting at such low intensity initially actually stalled growth rather than just the intended purpose of preventing algae and melt.



All of the scapes at Aquarium Gardens are ramped up steadily to full speed within the first month. Make of that what you will.

Glad to hear your snail lives @Ady34 , good you spotted him. Your scape looks amazing by the way


----------



## TBRO

I’ve found the same on my high tech set up. If the skimmer fails for some reason the drop checker goes yellow. Seems to be really important for gas exchange.

Wouldn’t worry about light intensity for anubias they seem to be able to grow in deep shade. Albeit slow! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Tim Harrison

Geoffrey Rea said:


> All of the scapes at Aquarium Gardens are ramped up steadily to full speed within the first month.


I'm guessing to get the plant growth, colour, and morphology needed to get the scapes showroom ready asap. Not recommended unless you absolutely know what you are doing.


----------



## Ady34

soggybongo said:


> stunning photos any.


Cheers soggybongo, just off the old iPhone 8.



Geoffrey Rea said:


> All of the scapes at Aquarium Gardens are ramped up steadily to full speed within the first month. Make of that what you will.
> 
> Glad to hear your snail lives @Ady34 , good you spotted him. Your scape looks amazing by the way


Thanks and yeah I feared the worst when I saw it in there, fortunately it was the large skimmer hole not the inlet slats on the glassware that seem to be death traps.
AG are pros, but yes I do think I may have started too slow,  however I would rather that than the potential wipe out with higher lighting intensity. I remembered the struggle I used to have so wanted to ensure in didn’t lose all my plants from nuking them. The anubias I don’t think is light related be that too high or too low, especially given the low light I started at but I just don’t know. It spanks of co2 as it’s structural failure from the rhizome through to the leaves,  but I have some that are doing absolutely great. It’s weird and something I’ve never experienced before.



TBRO said:


> I’ve found the same on my high tech set up. If the skimmer fails for some reason the drop checker goes yellow. Seems to be really important for gas exchange.
> 
> Wouldn’t worry about light intensity for anubias they seem to be able to grow in deep shade. Albeit slow!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yeah, I’ve had them under bolbitis before with very little light and they did great, some are but some just fail  



Tim Harrison said:


> I'm guessing to get the plant growth, colour, and morphology needed to get the scapes showroom ready asap. Not recommended unless you absolutely know what you are doing.


Very true, they need the plants to look as good as they can as quickly as possible. They are there daily to adjust and tinker as necessary. I know it in principle however struggle in practice  I’m up to 50% now though so only 50% to go 

With 2x twinstar 600SP @45watts each suspended approximately 25cm above the water surface @50% intensity, I’m only running a maximum of 45 watts (of high par) led over a 460l tank currently which I guess is still really low. Unsure what the high par Nicha leds equate to but I’m sure I’m not using a lot of light, even if I get up to full intensity I don’t think it will be high lighting for this sized tank.

Cheers for the input everyone


----------



## Ady34

Sat watching the tank over the past few days I’ve been thinking about what other fish I would like. I would like a feature fish and have been thinking about opaline gourami, the blue would look nice, although I am currently unsure about this. Their potential size is one issue I’m concerned about.....and shrimp snacks too  One thing I do know is I would like a species that will make use of the intricate rock and wood formations. I’d like to see something enjoying moving in and out, up and under the rocks and crevices and I’ve pretty much decided on dwarf chain loach, I’ve kept them before and they would be perfect. I’ve seen discussions on their appropriateness with larger nerite species of snail and they seem compatible although I do have some reservations about them with the rabbit snails and their lovely tentacles  Sometimes the loaches don’t seem to bother snails at all, I think it worth the risk and if their are any issues between them I will rehome the rabbits in my sons tank. Perhaps they may be a threat to shrimp also but I have seen several tanks with shrimp and monkey loaches so fingers crossed. I saw a group of 13 in my local Maidenhead today but due to the price I decided to leave and make sure.....I’m pretty confident I will be going back soon  

One of my old monkeys:







Corydoras would also be interesting, I love those little dudes and panda Corydoras have been one I have wanted to keep for a long time. I will see how the loaches go and decide if the lower regions can take another group and indeed how boisterous the loaches are once settled as I don’t want them out competing the Corydoras for food.

Cheerio


----------



## CooKieS

Panda corys are lovely and would suit your tank perfectly, I was gonna buy them for my 60p but they're too big.


----------



## sparkyweasel

Opaline Gouramis can  be very aggressive. Individuals vary, but probably only from stroppy to vicious, I've never known a really peaceful one.


----------



## Ady34

sparkyweasel said:


> Opaline Gouramis can  be very aggressive. Individuals vary, but probably only from stroppy to vicious, I've never known a really peaceful one.


That’s that decided then, I want to relax in front of the tank not get .
Thanks for the information  I’ll look for a different option. 
Cheerio


----------



## Conort2

Ady34 said:


> That’s that decided then, I want to relax in front of the tank not get .
> Thanks for the information  I’ll look for a different option.
> Cheerio


As already said Opalines are very territorial. Why not try pearl gourami or even thick lipped gourami. They're a decent size but don't come with the aggression of the opaline. You won't get the blue coloration however a male pearl in breeding colouration is much better anyway.

Cheers

Conor


----------



## CooKieS

A schoal of Moenkhausia pittieri would looks awesome too and complete the smaller gold tetra you got.

Instead of gourami, I would choose 4-6 pterophyllum scalare. They would love those talawa branches.

All that would make the perfect amazonia fish assortiment, with matching colors.

Cheers


----------



## Costa

I keep telling people to give the Cochu's Blue Tetra a shot. They are my personal favorite, they mate every single morning and are hyperactive throughout the day.


----------



## Conort2

Costa said:


> I keep telling people to give the Cochu's Blue Tetra a shot. They are my personal favorite, they mate every single morning and are hyperactive throughout the day.


I find them to be really aggressive. How are they with other fish in your tank?

Cheers

Conor


----------



## Ady34

CooKieS said:


> A schoal of Moenkhausia pittieri would looks awesome too and complete the smaller gold tetra you got.
> 
> Instead of gourami, I would choose 4-6 pterophyllum scalare. They would love those talawa branches.
> 
> All that would make the perfect amazonia fish assortiment, with matching colors.
> 
> Cheers


Mmm, diamond tetra, they may work that’s a consideration for sure.
I’m not going with angels though, lovely fish but  they are too tall bodied for what I want, I want to try and keep more of a panoramic look, accentuating the horizontal aspect.



Costa said:


> I keep telling people to give the Cochu's Blue Tetra a shot. They are my personal favorite, they mate every single morning and are hyperactive throughout the day.


I have considered them before as they are a subtle beauty but maybe a bit busy and I’ve also heard they can be a bit aggressive.



Conort2 said:


> As already said Opalines are very territorial. Why not try pearl gourami or even thick lipped gourami. They're a decent size but don't come with the aggression of the opaline. You won't get the blue coloration however a male pearl in breeding colouration is much better anyway.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Conor


Yes pearl gourami are stunning but quality ones seem to be less available. I would consider them if I found some nice ones but I would prefer only males as I don’t want the whole mating aggression or to stress the fish with the surface movement I have. Not sure how just males would get along, I guess I could keep a solitary male......

Ooooh, decisions decisions


----------



## Steve Buce

Great looking tank, love the scape and a really interesting read on how you got there


----------



## Steve Buce

On your fish choice, school of corys would look cool, maybe a mixed group, like on on tanktested latest video


----------



## Costa

Conort2 said:


> I find them to be really aggressive. How are they with other fish in your tank?
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Conor



Aggressive? Not at all. No fin nipping whatsoever, they sometimes steal the pellets from my corys though!. I find them very playful with their own species and super active.


----------



## Costa

Ady34 said:


> I have considered them before as they are a subtle beauty but maybe a bit busy and I’ve also heard they can be a bit aggressive.



One other option would be the yellow fin Congo tetras but very expensive (~ 40 a piece); they go very well with regular Congos


----------



## Tim Harrison

I've kept opaline gouramis in the distant past, and found them to be fine, not really that aggressive, but I could have been lucky I suppose. Have you thought about moonlight gouramis, I've kept them as well and from what I can remember they seemed pretty placid.


----------



## Conort2

Tim Harrison said:


> I've kept opaline gouramis in the distant past, and found them to be fine, not really that aggressive, but I could have been lucky I suppose. Have you thought about moonlight gouramis, I've kept them as well and from what I can remember they seemed pretty placid.


Moonlights are really nice, however they get quite big. 

If you go for cories, I'd suggest duplicareus. The colour of them looks great against lift sand. With a tank this size you have quite a few options.

Cheers

Conor


----------



## Matt @ ScapeEasy

How are the anubias doing? I heard the other day on a podcast by aquarium co-op that 5% of imported anubias have 'anubias rot' a mystery disease we don't understand and can't treat (though I suspect it may be as simple as some don't survive the ordeal of shipping?) Some retailers will apparently quarantene anubias and look out for this and dispose of affected plants before we have the chance to purchase them. Though I doubt my LFS does anything like this!!


----------



## Ady34

Steve Buce said:


> Great looking tank, love the scape and a really interesting read on how you got there





Steve Buce said:


> On your fish choice, school of corys would look cool, maybe a mixed group, like on on tanktested latest video


Thanks Steve, I’m still not decided but if corys were to be added I’d have to get a single species.


Costa said:


> Aggressive? Not at all. No fin nipping whatsoever, they sometimes steal the pellets from my corys though!. I find them very playful with their own species and super active.


I’ve observed them in shops before and been tempted by their relentless activity, however....


Costa said:


> One other option would be the yellow fin Congo tetras but very expensive (~ 40 a piece); they go very well with regular Congos


love both species of Congo tetras, and a fish ive overlooked so they may be a good shout, thanks 


Tim Harrison said:


> I've kept opaline gouramis in the distant past, and found them to be fine, not really that aggressive, but I could have been lucky I suppose. Have you thought about moonlight gouramis, I've kept them as well and from what I can remember they seemed pretty placid.





Conort2 said:


> Moonlights are really nice, however they get quite big.
> 
> If you go for cories, I'd suggest duplicareus. The colour of them looks great against lift sand. With a tank this size you have quite a few options.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Conor


Mmm, not so keen on moonlights.
I had a group of duplicareus with my discus. Some i had since my NAtural Jurassic scape, I should have kept them but had nowhere to house the group so unfortunately gave them away with the discus:


 



I’d like something different now though if I do add corys.



Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> How are the anubias doing? I heard the other day on a podcast by aquarium co-op that 5% of imported anubias have 'anubias rot' a mystery disease we don't understand and can't treat (though I suspect it may be as simple as some don't survive the ordeal of shipping?) Some retailers will apparently quarantene anubias and look out for this and dispose of affected plants before we have the chance to purchase them. Though I doubt my LFS does anything like this!!


Some are flowering and thriving, some have failed, rotting leaves and rhizome, I don’t know what has caused it but it is unusual to me from my experience of anubias. I think I’ll replace them with the green variety of bucephelandra.

As a side I was thrilled with my purchase of a group of 10 strong dwarf chain loach......which I now never see except on a morning when lights are off  maybe the Corydoras will be a good choice after all.....

Tank needs a good clean; I’ve been busy and away last week and weekend so the tank is a bit ‘mucky’ and in need of a water change 

Lights still maxed at 50% intensity, I’ll increase this week to 60% to try and induce a bit more growth as it’s pretty static still. I’ll tweak co2 again also I think as I’ve noticed co2 not to be optimum for lights on.

Few random photos....

Flowering bucephalandra and anubias;



 



 



 



 


Cheerio,


----------



## akwarium

stunning pics! 

a group of chocolate gouramis might be nice in there, or a more adventurous choice: Betta pugnax.


----------



## CooKieS

akwarium said:


> stunning pics!
> 
> a group of chocolate gouramis might be nice in there, or a more adventurous choice: Betta pugnax.



Agreed but they are sensitives fishes


----------



## Ady34

akwarium said:


> stunning pics!
> 
> a group of chocolate gouramis might be nice in there, or a more adventurous choice: Betta pugnax.


Thanks, yeah love the the idea of chocolates but I don’t think it’s the right tank for them, too bright and busy and not enough at the surface for the beta. Tbh I’m just going to leave it as it is and see if anything takes my fancy when I visit a shop. The gold tetra are increasing in size and offer a decent visual display and I still need to get the plants going in the right direction.
Thanks for the suggestions though, there is a lot of food for thought.
Cheerio


----------



## Iain Sutherland

I'd second Congo Tetra, stunning when settled and would suit your scape. 
If you fancy lower level then African butterfly chiclids work well with congos.

The African tank I did is still my all time favourite and that was all because of the stocking... always active and playful and little aggression once the chiclids sorted ranks.

Failing that dwarf neon rainbows???







Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


----------



## Ady34

Iain Sutherland said:


> I'd second Congo Tetra, stunning when settled and would suit your scape.
> If you fancy lower level then African butterfly chiclids work well with congos.
> 
> The African tank I did is still my all time favourite and that was all because of the stocking... always active and playful and little aggression once the chiclids sorted ranks.
> 
> Failing that dwarf neon rainbows???
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


Stunning fish, and great photos. Many congos  Ive seen seem poor quality, I appreciate they don’t colour up fully until mature but those I’ve seen recently in shops are not great. Good ones seem hard to come by.
Dwarf neons are nice too, my son has some in his tank.
Cheerio


----------



## Iain Sutherland

Too true Ady, a lot of poor looking ones out there. MA generally have good quality ones or certainly my local one.
I'm sure what ever goes I will look great in that scape fella.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


----------



## Daveslaney

A good shoal of Emperor Tetras would look nice.


----------



## X3NiTH

Daveslaney said:


> A good shoal of Emperor Tetras would look nice.



If it's the Purple variety (Inpaichthys Kerri) they are gorgeous but make sure it's a decent sized shoal because less than 10 turned into Fight Club for me, and now there are two with half a tank each where mealtimes can get a bit sporty.


----------



## Costa

Amazon exotics ships wild caught fish, including Congo and Phenacogrammus aurantiacus "Lemon Congo Tetra" Lefini River. They quoted €50/piece for the latter which unfortunately it's out of my budget, but you guys that buy ADA soils and lights might be able to afford a school


----------



## alto

Costa said:


> Amazon exotics ships wild caught fish, including Congo and Phenacogrammus aurantiacus "Lemon Congo Tetra" Lefini River. They quoted €50/piece for the latter which unfortunately it's out of my budget, but you guys that buy ADA soils and lights might be able to afford a school


Not so much 
I’d do my tank (& have some soil left over) with 3 bags ADA, but 3 Lemon Congo Tetra would disappear in the foliage


----------



## alto

My vote, new tank, new fish - choose species you’ve not kept before 



Ady34 said:


> As a side I was thrilled with my purchase of a group of 10 strong dwarf chain loach......which I now never see except on a morning when lights are off



Are you certain of the species?
A _sidthimunki _are lovely fish, I had a group of 6 back when (wild caught) and they were always out & about

I added some of these a couple months ago, they hated the small quarantine tank (only ever saw a single grey fish) but always show up here and there in the main tank
https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/mugilogobius_rexi_en/

Note other sites discuss temperature range etc


----------



## Ady34

Daveslaney said:


> A good shoal of Emperor Tetras would look nice.


Yep in numbers they do look cool 


X3NiTH said:


> If it's the Purple variety (Inpaichthys Kerri) they are gorgeous but make sure it's a decent sized shoal because less than 10 turned into Fight Club for me, and now there are two with half a tank each where mealtimes can get a bit sporty.


 Don’t want that!


Costa said:


> Amazon exotics ships wild caught fish, including Congo and Phenacogrammus aurantiacus "Lemon Congo Tetra" Lefini River. They quoted €50/piece for the latter which unfortunately it's out of my budget, but you guys that buy ADA soils and lights might be able to afford a school



Out of my budget too, so was the soil  just had to do a scape with sand only


alto said:


> My vote, new tank, new fish - choose species you’ve not kept before
> 
> 
> 
> Are you certain of the species?
> A _sidthimunki _are lovely fish, I had a group of 6 back when (wild caught) and they were always out & about
> 
> I added some of these a couple months ago, they hated the small quarantine tank (only ever saw a single grey fish) but always show up here and there in the main tank
> https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/mugilogobius_rexi_en/
> 
> Note other sites discuss temperature range etc


Yeah different fish are nice to keep, I will see what comes up.
I’m pretty sure they are sidthimunki, don’t know any others that look the same. They act and look like them but are very shy currently.....maybe the rocks and wood I thought would offer them fun to nip in and out of simply offer good shelter to hide from humans 
Cool little gobies you have, Ive looked at a few rhinogobius species but I’d maybe rather see them in a rocky flowing biofilm laden scape. They may prefer more alkaline water than I can offer also?

Well I carried out my long awaited maintenance tonight, it was filthy and the plants full of settled detrius. Good wafting, sand siphon and a bit of thinning of the old bolbitis leaves to try and encourage new growth will hopefully help. Cleaned pipes, glassware and the co2 diffuser to improve flow and help the co2 mist again which had noticeably reduced.
Boy I’m pleased cabinets have doors, mine is a tip underneath so it’s great to be able to shut it off  I remove the cabinet doors during maintenance for ease of access.....photo directly after refilling and during chihiros activity so pretty milky.....





Lights up to 57% intensity. Will monitor co2 tomorrow as cleaning the diffuser will have altered efficiency and I’ve been increasing the pre-light on injection period to optimise levels, hopefully I won’t have gone too far.
I really must get my under tank sorted and tidied 

Oh, spotted a few shrimplets tonight also so that’s good news after loosing a few berried cherry shrimp.

Cheerio,


----------



## alto

Ady34 said:


> I’m pretty sure they are sidthimunki, don’t know any others that look the same.



When these first entered the aquarium trade, juveniles were often shipped as sid’s (discussions may still be available in the LOL  archives)
https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/ambastaia-nigrolineata/
Fish that are “typically” marked seem easy to differentiate, but in LOL discussions (at the time) posters included individuals that were impossible to distinguish (without getting into meristics)
One observation was that A nigrolineata tended to be more reserved (though now there’s discussion that dominant fish may set the behaviour trend for the shoal)



Ady34 said:


> They may prefer more alkaline water than I can offer also?


My group seems happy despite the soft, non-alkaline water ... I’d intended to set up a more suitable tank while they were in quarantine but then thought they’d perished (I’d treated for a ich initially)
I kept feeding the tank occasionally just in case, then finally broke the tank down as I’d not seen what I thought was the last fish, for a week
 as I found one, then another, then another for a total of 5 (I’d begun with 6)
With no where really suitable to place them, I dropped them in the 90cm tank so they could be hidden creatures with space to move about in secret (rock, wood, plants) 
A couple weeks later they began coming out whenever I approached the tank - obviously waiting on the Food Drop 

And now they’re that translucent golden yellow (rather than the odd grey/brown fish I saw occasionally in the Q tank- which did have harder etc water)



Ady34 said:


> I really must get my under tank sorted and tidied


  

At least you’ve mounted the power bar and not just balanced it on some containers


----------



## alto

Ady34 said:


> bit of thinning of the old bolbitis leaves to try and encourage new growth will hopefully help


Jurijs mit JS has some video from a new tank set up (with GF I believe) where he trims back most of the Bolbitis emerse growth, saying this promotes new submerse leafs


----------



## Tim Harrison

Nice FTS...
Is that Blue cylinder an RO unit Ady? And I'd be really interested to know how the tanks plumbing works for emptying and refilling; for future reference if ever I get around to doing something similar 
Did you also mentioned something about a thermostatic mixer tap further back in the journal, if so which one ?


----------



## Ady34

alto said:


> When these first entered the aquarium trade, juveniles were often shipped as sid’s (discussions may still be available in the LOL archives)
> https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/ambastaia-nigrolineata/
> Fish that are “typically” marked seem easy to differentiate, but in LOL discussions (at the time) posters included individuals that were impossible to distinguish (without getting into meristics)
> One observation was that A nigrolineata tended to be more reserved (though now there’s discussion that dominant fish may set the behaviour trend for the shoal)


Mmm, never seen those before but yes they look very very similar, almost indistinguishable from sids, so could well be. Would be just my luck that the dominant fish was camera shy 



alto said:


> My group seems happy despite the soft, non-alkaline water ... I’d intended to set up a more suitable tank while they were in quarantine but then thought they’d perished (I’d treated for a ich initially)
> I kept feeding the tank occasionally just in case, then finally broke the tank down as I’d not seen what I thought was the last fish, for a week
> as I found one, then another, then another for a total of 5 (I’d begun with 6)
> With no where really suitable to place them, I dropped them in the 90cm tank so they could be hidden creatures with space to move about in secret (rock, wood, plants)
> A couple weeks later they began coming out whenever I approached the tank - obviously waiting on the Food Drop
> 
> And now they’re that translucent golden yellow (rather than the odd grey/brown fish I saw occasionally in the Q tank- which did have harder etc water)


Ah, pleased they are doing great  Always nice when the fish come to you when you approach the tank too.




alto said:


> At least you’ve mounted the power bar and not just balanced it on some containers


Ha, only one power bar is currently mounted, how can I not find the time to sort this out 



alto said:


> Jurijs mit JS has some video from a new tank set up (with GF I believe) where he trims back most of the Bolbitis emerse growth, saying this promotes new submerse leafs


Yeah, we discussed this earlier in the journal, Mr. Amano used to do it also, but I wasn’t brave enough as there would have literally been no height or build to the plant mass visually......I wish I had done it now though 



Tim Harrison said:


> Nice FTS...
> Is that Blue cylinder an RO unit Ady? And I'd be really interested to know how the tanks plumbing works for emptying and refilling; for future reference if ever I get around to doing something similar
> Did you also mentioned something about a thermostatic mixer tap further back in the journal, if so which one ?


Cheers Tim, the blue unit is a HMA filter, doesn’t strip the water, just removes chlorine, chloramine and other heavy metals. The pluming is pretty basic and not entirely automated. I’ll take more images later to explain better.

Another FTS this morning once things had cleared, just popped the lights on briefly to check things.....



 



Cheerio,


----------



## Costa

Beautiful, flawless. Tempted to rage-unfollow


----------



## Vijay_06

Simply stunning!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## alto

Time to trim 
-the moss (close to wood Amano style for first 3-4 trims)
-the upwardly mobile pinnatifida (it will start crawling only if you insist), just stash the trimmed stem somewhere and it will continue on, once it’s got roots, pinch out the tip for side shoot formation ... though I’m sure you know all this


----------



## sciencefiction

Smashing tank Ady. 

I am voting for the loaches and SAEs or similar. They're gregarious species and a lot more fun than the typical schooling fish I see around in planted tanks. They'd love that sort of tank. The sidthimunki will do the fun part, the SAEs will typically join them and may actually school/play with them if they're in numbers but will also clean up around the place. And then pick a a bunch of smaller schooling fish to patrol the mid and surface waters, something more colorful to offset the black/white/grey, but something active too in order not to get spooked by the active loaches/SAEs.


----------



## Ady34

Costa said:


> Beautiful, flawless. Tempted to rage-unfollow


Thank you and ......the plants are far from flawless though 



Vijay_06 said:


> Simply stunning!!!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thank you Vijay, very kind words.



alto said:


> Time to trim
> -the moss (close to wood Amano style for first 3-4 trims)
> -the upwardly mobile pinnatifida (it will start crawling only if you insist), just stash the trimmed stem somewhere and it will continue on, once it’s got roots, pinch out the tip for side shoot formation ... though I’m sure you know all this


Yes, I nearly chopped the fissidens during maintenance but I just couldn’t bring myself too as it’s the only thing that has filled in. I will do it soon though.
As for the pinnatifida, I only have the one bit that has started to sprout upwards but I will nip it right down to encourage sidewards growth. I’m feeling a little like the ‘gorilla’ superglue I used to attach it may have hindered growth somehow. Some of the plants failed completely, some are stunted and only one has now started to show normal healthy growth. I’m sure I read a post somewhere on the forum about this brand of superglue perhaps not being an ideal choice, maybe this is true.
(Found the post: https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/loctite-superglue-hydroquinone.56498/)



sciencefiction said:


> Smashing tank Ady.
> 
> I am voting for the loaches and SAEs or similar. They're gregarious species and a lot more fun than the typical schooling fish I see around in planted tanks. They'd love that sort of tank. The sidthimunki will do the fun part, the SAEs will typically join them and may actually school/play with them if they're in numbers but will also clean up around the place. And then pick a a bunch of smaller schooling fish to patrol the mid and surface waters, something more colorful to offset the black/white/grey, but something active too in order not to get spooked by the active loaches/SAEs.


Thanks sciencefiction, I have sae and the dwarf chain loach. The dcl did school with the sae on introduction but have now become more reclusive. Just today a few of them are becoming more adventurous so fingers crossed I will get the interesting behaviour I wanted. The sae are always on the go, cleaning, sparring and even hunting weak shrimp 
I’m considering adding a group of sumo loach but a little concerned they may be too boisterous.
Saw some lovely dumbo female fighters today also which were a consideration. An odd choice but the colours were lovely. Ooooh, choices choices, I may just go all eclectic and mix it right up, I do love the fish and there’s just some many to choose from 

Cheerio,


----------



## sciencefiction

Ady34 said:


> The sae are always on the go, cleaning, sparring and even hunting weak shrimp



Do they have a black blotch around the anal area? I am just trying to determine the species you've got.

Loaches in general may need a bit more time to settle in, perhaps weeks, but once they do, they should be quite bold dancing at the front. SAEs seem to be confident in big groups too, very social fish that needs its own species. Most people buy 1 or 2 of them and wonder why they disappear or become reclusive.


----------



## alto

Ady34 said:


> Saw some lovely dumbo female fighters today also which were a consideration. An odd choice but the colours were lovely.



A “sorority” group of Betta splendens usually does fine in a tank this size - just pick up 10-12 females
Chances of peaceful coexistence is improved with juvenile fish (avoid egg bound mature females as these can be reluctant to acclimate to “sorority” life, also losses are more likely due to inability to release/reabsorb egg masses ... depending)
A true “sorority” with juvenile females from same brood is a different experience than buying in unrelated females
ie have the fun of breeding your own Betta and grow out the spawn in this amazing tank! 

You can also add several Betta ‘Giant’ males or females or mixed group to an aquarium of this size (but these are usually much more expensive) - I noticed that Chen Betta had some nice coloured ‘Giants’ 
(though I personally prefer HMPK)

One comment re dumbo Betta - they often do better longterm in lower flow aquariums, there are compromises with the ‘dumbo’ gene, especially dumbo + dragon scale (as both may affect respiratory ability), also dumbo + rosetail 
(again, personally I’d avoid rosetail in a community aquarium, and especially in a high flow system)
Consequences are often minimal in young fish, becoming more apparent with maturity 

Note that Rosetail is in most Halfmoon lines these days, but as both appear to be multi-loci, the effects are variable over a fairly broad range 

Apologies for the lecture


----------



## rebel

Wow simply fabulous.

What lights are those? (Sorry if it's mentioned before).


----------



## Ady34

sciencefiction said:


> Do they have a black blotch around the anal area? I am just trying to determine the species you've got.
> 
> Loaches in general may need a bit more time to settle in, perhaps weeks, but once they do, they should be quite bold dancing at the front. SAEs seem to be confident in big groups too, very social fish that needs its own species. Most people buy 1 or 2 of them and wonder why they disappear or become reclusive.


Hi, yeah the loaches are getting a little more bold, we’ll 2 of them anyway, hopefully they haven’t been outcast from the group for being too photogenic  
With regards the sae, no blotch around the anal area. They have a yellow tinge to the fins, I did my best to grab a couple of photos but they don’t tend to hang around for long 




 

 

 



Interesting fish, maybe I should add more as I only have three, but I’m a bit concerned they may now be less tolerant of more?

Got a small group of 10 white fin bentosi tetra at the weekend, I’ve kept them before and really like their look and behaviour. I think I may also add a group of lemon tetra.





I also saw some stunning Congo tetra however they were already sold, it has confirmed though that when I find the right ones I will be adding Congo’s as the larger sized fish group.
Cheerio,


----------



## Ady34

alto said:


> A “sorority” group of Betta splendens usually does fine in a tank this size - just pick up 10-12 females
> Chances of peaceful coexistence is improved with juvenile fish (avoid egg bound mature females as these can be reluctant to acclimate to “sorority” life, also losses are more likely due to inability to release/reabsorb egg masses ... depending)
> A true “sorority” with juvenile females from same brood is a different experience than buying in unrelated females
> ie have the fun of breeding your own Betta and grow out the spawn in this amazing tank!
> 
> You can also add several Betta ‘Giant’ males or females or mixed group to an aquarium of this size (but these are usually much more expensive) - I noticed that Chen Betta had some nice coloured ‘Giants’
> (though I personally prefer HMPK)
> 
> One comment re dumbo Betta - they often do better longterm in lower flow aquariums, there are compromises with the ‘dumbo’ gene, especially dumbo + dragon scale (as both may affect respiratory ability), also dumbo + rosetail
> (again, personally I’d avoid rosetail in a community aquarium, and especially in a high flow system)
> Consequences are often minimal in young fish, becoming more apparent with maturity
> 
> Note that Rosetail is in most Halfmoon lines these days, but as both appear to be multi-loci, the effects are variable over a fairly broad range
> 
> Apologies for the lecture


Thanks for the detailed information alto, perhaps I will avoid these too and I’m pleased I didn’t impulse buy them. Time to think and research is always a good thing.


----------



## Ady34

rebel said:


> Wow simply fabulous.
> 
> What lights are those? (Sorry if it's mentioned before).


Thanks rebel, the lights are Twinstar 600sp with inline controllers


----------



## Tim Harrison

Nice fish choice, my local Maidenhead has white fin bentosi tetra in at the moment, I think they're pretty cool; love the Hyphessobrycon genus anyway. I think lemon and Congo tetras would work very well too.


----------



## sciencefiction

The SAEs you've got appear slightly different than mine. I suspect you've got _C. atrilimes _due to the resemblence to mine but the lack of black blotch. Mine appear to be _C. langei . _They are both quite similar in appearance but C.Langei do have the black blotch around the anal area and resemble otocinclus a lot in coloration and even in body shape around the mouth, very grey backs with white underside, with a separating black stripe. The body shape is slightly different to yours looking at your pictures.

Here is the best I got of mine. I've got 5 in total. They school with the denison barbs a lot but tend to be always close together. I never knew they like their own kind so much or I would have gotten more of them at the time.  They are also obsessed with human hands and love cleaning them  I am a bad photographer but at appropriate light and angle you can see purple and silver in their color.





The shape of the head is somewhat flat looking on mine, just like otocinclus.


----------



## sciencefiction

I was showing you the above as you might want to complete the school with C.Langei instead as they are better algae eaters and true BBA eaters, unlike C.atrilimes which may prefer fish food and soft leafed plants in their adulthood. Having said that, I feed mine algae pellets due to the lack of plants and algae in the tank.


----------



## Ady34

sciencefiction said:


> I was showing you the above as you might want to complete the school with C.Langei instead as they are better algae eaters and true BBA eaters, unlike C.atrilimes which may prefer fish food and soft leafed plants in their adulthood. Having said that, I feed mine algae pellets due to the lack of plants and algae in the tank.


I never knew there were so many types. They must be difficult to distinguish, although I think you maybe correct. It’s tricky as age and lighting can play a part I guess, mine do however currently seem to be more uniform In colouration, having less of a colour difference above the stripe.


----------



## sciencefiction

Yes. They are many species and some not yet well identified from what I've read. I think we've got two separate species. C.langei are the only ones with a black blotch around the anal area, at least that I know of,  so they're easy to distinguish in a shop, although they're often in mixed species tanks, and all look pretty much the same when young.


----------



## CooKieS

Love the bentosi, nice choice!

Would love to have such an big tank to enjoy mixing différent species like you do and watch them school together...one day hopefully


----------



## Ady34

sciencefiction said:


> The SAEs you've got appear slightly different than mine. I suspect you've got _C. atrilimes _due to the resemblence to mine but the lack of black blotch. Mine appear to be _C. langei . _They are both quite similar in appearance but C.Langei do have the black blotch around the anal area and resemble otocinclus a lot in coloration and even in body shape around the mouth, very grey backs with white underside, with a separating black stripe. The body shape is slightly different to yours looking at your pictures.


On looking at my fish again there is one that is different, more slender with a flatter head and it does have the black blotch around the anal area so I guess I have one langei and the others likely atrilimes 

Bristlenose are breeding, first batch of eggs under a rocky crag. I thought they were still too young but obviously not. I’ll likely spend many many an hour catching out juvenile bristlenose to take back to my lfs from now on 
I had tens and tens of them before from a single pair but they all went with the discus. Shame as there were masses of them with no aggression. The ones I have now bicker all the time.
Interestingly they would only ever breed with the presence of rocks in the tank. Once I moved them into my big tank which only had wood and ‘plastic’ rocks they never bred again. I know it wasn’t due to water quality as when I initially set the tank up I had to weigh the wood down for a few weeks with some Seiryu stone which they laid eggs on. That was the last time as the rocks were removed once the wood became waterlogged.

Cheerio,


----------



## Ady34

@Tim Harrison, details of the water change set up. It’s not fully automated but makes things simple. Better planning would enable the waste to be positioned beneath and behind the tank or hidden better, however I didn’t know exactly the cabinet dimensions, access or position the builders placed things at the time and now although I could hide the waste behind the tank better, it is more practical where it is and you can’t see it in the living room anyway as it’s tucked away in the corner beside the tank.

I basically asked if the builder could put a hot and cold feed to the living room. They agreed and although initially placed them in the wrong place (as in the image below) I got them where I wanted them, behind the tank and hidden. They also put a waste away in which I’d planned, as it is conveniently on the other side of the washing machine wall:









Once finished and moved in I just plumbed in from the existing hot and cold feeds....





I used my existing equipment from the discus tank which was a ‘Bulldog’ thermostatic mixer valve, 3/8” John guest pipe and fittings and a 20” hma filter. The 3/8” pipe and fittings are used to allow sufficient flow rate (up to 7.8 liters per minute) so the boiler kicks in to get the hot water. A 20” hma can take the higher flow rate (plus the filters last longer......and I was doing a lot of big water changes on the discus tank; 2x 300 liter changes a week )





The mixer valve just needs the hot/cold bias adjusting to reach the desired temperature, then it is set and can be left alone.

The hma fully removes chlorine and chloramine  so no chemicals needed when water changing. The filters last for 30,000 litres but I tend to just replace annually at a cost of around £40.





I just have excess pipe below the tank with inline valves so when refilling I just pull it out, hook over the glass and open the valve.....









If a cabinet tank or tank with a coloured background were used instead of a rimless braceless minimal set up, you could hard plumb this all and just turn valves, however I didn’t want pipework to be seen.

The drain away is just a simple u bend and pipe which link into the washing machine drain conveniently on the other side of the wall. Not the prettiest solution which as I said could have been hidden under the cabinet, but I can’t really see it where it is in the living room and it is more practical like it is......





Quite simple really but saves an incredible amount of faffing around with hoses and buckets and water conditioners, especially on larger tanks 

Cheerio,


----------



## Edvet

You could at least have build a stand colored removable cover for your waist drain.............................
My 400 gallon has a sump which has an overflow to the sewer. I couldn''t live without it.
If i ever build something new automatic waterchangeing ( continuous drip) will always be there, luckily we don''t need prime with our waterquality where i live.


----------



## Iain Sutherland

Love that set up Ady, I totally planned to do this when I gutted my house but with so many other things needing doing I thought I'd do it later.... of course it never happened! 
Great to see how you've done it though mate so think I now have another job in the summer list. 

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


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## Tim Harrison

Thanks for the detailed explanation and pics Ady. Absolutely what Iain said, great to see how you've done it.
Next house I'm definitely going to get that done; it'll doubtless save me countless hours researching and faffing about


----------



## Ady34

Edvet said:


> You could at least have build a stand colored removable cover for your waist drain.............................
> My 400 gallon has a sump which has an overflow to the sewer. I couldn''t live without it.


I know 

Yep an overflow or drain to the sewer is highly practical 



Iain Sutherland said:


> Love that set up Ady, I totally planned to do this when I gutted my house but with so many other things needing doing I thought I'd do it later.... of course it never happened!
> Great to see how you've done it though mate so think I now have another job in the summer list.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk



Yeah luckily (or unluckily ) for me someone else was doing all the building work, but I imagine doing it yourself there were an awful lot more important things to consider. It certainly does make life a lot easier though and is well worth it on larger or multiple tanks.

Tbh, in my old house with the discus, I retrofitted it, just t’d off the pipes to the washing machine, which was in the garage and conveniently right next to the boiler, and ran a long pipe from there to the tank. The waste I bored a hole through the conservatory wall to retrofit a waste pipe to the drain outside. Again the siphon pipe was just a bit longer to reach from the tank to the waste in the conservatory.

It isn’t essential but the closer your tank is to the boiler the better as the temperature of the water going in is reached quicker. I used to run a bucketful of water off in the old house to allow  it to reach temperature.
I was fortunate in my new house again that the boiler is on the opposite side of the wall where my fish tank is situated, I don’t run any water off now, just straight in to the tank so no waste and up to temp almost immediately.




Tim Harrison said:


> Thanks for the detailed explanation and pics Ady. Absolutely what Iain said, great to see how you've done it.
> Next house I'm definitely going to get that done; it'll doubtless save me countless hours researching and faffing about


No worries Tim, it’s pretty simple when you can see it but sounds complicated if your unfamiliar with fitting sizes etc.

Cheerio,


----------



## Dadofthree

Ive done something similar on my big tank 
Ive put a 200ltr tank in cabinet with a direct cold feed and a pump in the tank with a feed pipe up the back of the display tank so i just fill and declorinate then during the week for daily top ups just flick a switch and top up then at week ends just drain off display for water change then flick the switch approx 180ltrs nice freshwater then just turn the tap in cabinet and refill the 200ltr tank also during the week the stored water is at room temp


----------



## Ady34

Hi,
managed to get a few good Congo tetras last weekend along with a few other fish I’ve been looking for for a while. The Congo’s still have a bit of growing to do but are well shaped fish so I’m confident they will be nice adults.
I’ve also been looking for sturisoma aureum for a long time and some came up near to me so have added a small group of four which are now starting to feed and settle well. I thought they would utilise the branches more but seem more of a substrate dweller:





Added a few additional plants including extra h. pinitifida from fellow member @Konrad Michalski and some rotala green at the rear to bulk this area out in preparation of trimming back the remaining emersed bolbitis leaves. Also a couple more bucephalandra green to fill some gaps:







 


Cheerio,


----------



## Konrad Michalski

Really nice set up. Well done mate.


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## Conort2

The tank is looking great! Wish I had room for some sturisoms, will definitely be a show stopper when they're fully grown.

 Do you have any other species that you definitely want to stock for this one? So many options with a tank of this size.

Cheers
Conor


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## TBRO

Just read the section about the auto water changes! That is so epic! Do you do commissions? 

Love the Pygmy chain loaches, such an interesting little fish. How many do you have? I can post you some snails. T


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Ady34

Konrad Michalski said:


> Really nice set up. Well done mate.


Thanks Konrad, and thanks again for the plants. They don’t seem to have been effected at all by their extra long trip 



Conort2 said:


> The tank is looking great! Wish I had room for some sturisoms, will definitely be a show stopper when they're fully grown.
> 
> Do you have any other species that you definitely want to stock for this one? So many options with a tank of this size.
> 
> Cheers
> Conor


Thanks Conor, yeah the sturisoma will be great, maybe too big if anything but I’ve wanted some for so long I just had to get them. To be honest, I just love fish, there are so many I’d like to keep but don’t have the space or correct tank. It’s already looking a bit hectic and eclectic in here  I would say I need another tank, but I know that one wouldn’t be enough and it would never end.......
I just have to be mindful of fish choices with the open top, I’d love some pencilfish in this tank but know I can’t as they will jump to their death. I think I have pretty much reached the cap for fish now, I was going to add some lemon tetra but think I’ll leave it as it is as the congo tetras have a bit of growing to do and it is already a bit busy for a traditional aquascape.
I do also have some sumo loach which I added too  These are really fascinating little fish, especially at feeding time when they race around like they won’t ever get fed again.....




 

Cheerio,


----------



## Ady34

TBRO said:


> Just read the section about the auto water changes! That is so epic! Do you do commissions?
> 
> Love the Pygmy chain loaches, such an interesting little fish. How many do you have? I can post you some snails. T
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 Ha, sorry no commissions. 
Yeah the dwarf chain loach are starting to become less shy now so seeing some interesting behaviour, I have a group of ten which have been munching down on a slight snail population that had been developing


----------



## TBRO

Yes, I know the tension between wanting to keep the NA look (shoal of one type of tetras/Rasbora) and wanting to keep cool and interesting fish! 

I’ve had a small group of dwarf pencils and not had any jumpers but it’s always a risk. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Conort2

Ady34 said:


> Thanks Konrad, and thanks again for the plants. They don’t seem to have been effected at all by their extra long trip
> 
> 
> Thanks Conor, yeah the sturisoma will be great, maybe too big if anything but I’ve wanted some for so long I just had to get them. To be honest, I just love fish, there are so many I’d like to keep but don’t have the space or correct tank. It’s already looking a bit hectic and eclectic in here  I would say I need another tank, but I know that one wouldn’t be enough and it would never end.......
> I just have to be mindful of fish choices with the open top, I’d love some pencilfish in this tank but know I can’t as they will jump to their death. I think I have pretty much reached the cap for fish now, I was going to add some lemon tetra but think I’ll leave it as it is as the congo tetras have a bit of growing to do and it is already a bit busy for a traditional aquascape.
> I do also have some sumo loach which I added too  These are really fascinating little fish, especially at feeding time when they race around like they won’t ever get fed again.....
> 
> View attachment 122646
> 
> Cheerio,


Ha I feel your pain, I love the nature style aquariums but it's still more about the fish rather than the plants for me. There's so many rare and interesting species I want to keep but one aquarium at the moment means I have to be patient! 

I think you could get a with adding more smaller interesting bottom dwellers and lurkers rather than open water shoalers. The loaches, catfish and the like are pretty hidden away and don't detract from the aquascape.

Cheers

Conor


----------



## Ady34

Instagram filter makes it nice and warm.....but picture quality a bit fuzzy too unless you click on the image and look at it that way 

It’s been a while since the last update, maintenance has slipped a little recently, things have been busy  The Substrate becomes dirty quickly as the fish load has increased and water circulation isn’t optimised at the lower levels, this combined with no sand cleaning for a few weeks has allowed a little algae to develop under the substrate line. There is also a fair amount of filamentous algae developing in and from the fissidens which I remove manually with the twisting toothbrush technique. I still haven’t trimmed the fissidens so it’s a bit of a detrius trap too but i quite like the bushy look.
The chihiros has scaled up so I have swapped the mesh for the spare and will clean with a vinegar solution.
I will monitor the algae development with increased maintenance as I suspect the lack of it recently has been the main cause. I’m finding with this tank that the build up of biofilm on the inside of the filter pipes must be faster and greater as it has a marked effect on the efficiency of the co2 art inline diffuser which needs pipe cleaning regularly to maintain the fine mist, something that I never had to do in past systems with the up inline diffusers. I’m pretty sure this is standard procedure however and I just got lucky previously with a much lighter fish load.

Lights are at a maximum of 70% intensity now and if increased maintenance doesn’t correct the algae issue I will lower this 5% also.

Cheerio,


----------



## CooKieS

Hi Ady,

Filamentous algae are caused by ammonia, so Lazy maintenance, not enough biomedia in your filter, not enough plants are causing it.

Nothing to worry about 

You can trim that fissidens to avoid propagation, btw fissidens is an filamentous algae magnet!

I love the new fish addition, those tetra Congo rocks.

Cheers


----------



## TBRO

I would agree, Fissidens is terrible for hair algae! I got rid of it in my new scape, going to try and stick with a neatly trimmed, designer stubble of Java, over the fissidens full beard! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## CooKieS

TBRO said:


> I would agree, Fissidens is terrible for hair algae! I got rid of it in my new scape, going to try and stick with a neatly trimmed, designer stubble of Java, over the fissidens full beard!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Java well trimmed and under high light and good CO2 is an awesome looking moss!

Fissidens too but that stuff is an dirt magnet, tips: clean it very often with turkey baster to avoid dirt accumulation and filamentous alge.


----------



## Ady34

CooKieS said:


> Hi Ady,
> 
> Filamentous algae are caused by ammonia, so Lazy maintenance, not enough biomedia in your filter, not enough plants are causing it.
> 
> Nothing to worry about
> 
> You can trim that fissidens to avoid propagation, btw fissidens is an filamentous algae magnet!
> 
> I love the new fish addition, those tetra Congo rocks.
> 
> Cheers


Yeah it’s definitely lack of maintenance, it has got quite bad 



 



 



 



 



 

I didn’t get into an increased maintenance schedule after the last post but have taken steps this morning with a good trim and cleanse. I must do better. 

After shots.....



 



 



 

Pipes still need cleaning again but the fissidens has been trimmed and thinned, sand siphoned and water change done. On the plus side the mini java fern and bucephalandra are increasing in mass and the bolbitis is growing in well now. 

Cheerio,


----------



## Ady34

TBRO said:


> I would agree, Fissidens is terrible for hair algae! I got rid of it in my new scape, going to try and stick with a neatly trimmed, designer stubble of Java, over the fissidens full beard!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 Yeah the fissidens is a bit more than stubble but much shorter than the full beard it was. I’ll try and keep on top of it now


----------



## TBRO

It still looks great, Buces look very healthy! I found cosmetic sand a bit of a PITA so ditched it for my current scape. T 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Iain Sutherland

Hey Ady, any update on this beaut mate? 

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


----------



## Ady34

TBRO said:


> It still looks great, Buces look very healthy! I found cosmetic sand a bit of a PITA so ditched it for my current scape. T
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I love the sand and have never had an issue in the past however I think a combination of the wood used and adding bristlenose to this scape have exaggerated the substrate issue. I think the wood bark is disintegrating and adding to the issue.....that and my lack of a solid maintenance schedule 



Iain Sutherland said:


> Hey Ady, any update on this beaut mate?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


Not so much of a beaut, these are the best angles currently 



 



 

Couple of the fish when it wasn’t too messy....



 



 

I haven’t managed to consistently maintain the tank and it shows, the hair algae is taking a stronger hold and a tear down may be the only way. I’ll hang on and see if I can get it back on track, maybe reduce lighting intensity down to try and allow for a little leniency in the upkeep, however I know it’s entirely on me as I haven’t even been regularly water changing which is a simple task.

This is an in tank shot to show the slip ....



 

The chihiros isn’t working so efficiently now after cleaning. I used a vinegar solution however it doesn’t seem to have the same level of output. Is this something common or is there a better way of cleaning the reactor? 

Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## CooKieS

Against filamentous algae I use easylife algexit.
Works flawless and in about 2-3 weeks it will kill All the green hair algae which is a nightmare in fissidens moss


----------



## Tim Harrison

Still looking good tho' Ady.

I had filamentous/hair algae growing on my moss, it was a bit of a nightmare to control. As soon as I got rid of my Rams it disappeared. The reason, all the little cherry shrimp came out of hiding and ate it, they're constantly picking over it now not a trace of algae left.

As far as the Chihiros and Twinstar go, once you have to start cleaning the reactors their days are usually numbered https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/twinstar-what-is-it.28335/page-43#post-560158


----------



## Kezzab

I just rescaped partly because of hair algae in fissidens! Its a bloody nightmare.


----------



## alto

I suggest a severe trim of the mosses - they will regrow from just a scraping left on wood
That should remove most of the algae
Maybe a Seachem Excel algaecide dosing scheme 


Then add an army of shrimp (not sure they’ll manage much under all the interested fish eyes) or Clithon corona snails (or assortment of Nerites, Mystery and Clithon)

As the white sand always shows the mess (and then you try to look somewhere else) maybe switch to a darker sand (grey, mixed black/natural etc) 

Make water changes easy - what method do you use at present?

Unfortunately sometimes the wood breakdown is just too much - can you feel a soft outer layer? (that’s easily scraped by thumbnail - and plecos!)
I have some pieces of twiggy wood I love, but the snails love it even more - not too unsightly with aquarium soil but tank definitely needs the large weekly water changes then


----------



## alto

The twiggy cats are looking awesome
but I can see who gets most of the food 
- those Congo’s need to get their game on!


----------



## Ady34

CooKieS said:


> Against filamentous algae I use easylife algexit.
> Works flawless and in about 2-3 weeks it will kill All the green hair algae which is a nightmare in fissidens moss


Thanks CooKieS, I’ll give it a go if I can’t shift it with better husbandry.



Tim Harrison said:


> Still looking good tho' Ady.
> 
> I had filamentous/hair algae growing on my moss, it was a bit of a nightmare to control. As soon as I got rid of my Rams it disappeared. The reason, all the little cherry shrimp came out of hiding and ate it, they're constantly picking over it now not a trace of algae left.
> 
> As far as the Chihiros and Twinstar go, once you have to start cleaning the reactors their days are usually numbered https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/twinstar-what-is-it.28335/page-43#post-560158


Mmm, suspected that with the chihiros, I’ll have to order more.
As for the shrimps, yep I have a similar problem, they all get eaten with my current fish stock. I’m hoping better maintenance will help control it however I remember the difference adding all my crs to my NAtural Jurassic scape made to the fissidens and coral pelia, they were pristine.


Kezzab said:


> I just rescaped partly because of hair algae in fissidens! Its a bloody nightmare.


yep, I’ve toothbrushed it out of the fissidens to a degree which works ok as the fissidens is fixed to the wood but other mosses just get pulled away.



alto said:


> I suggest a severe trim of the mosses - they will regrow from just a scraping left on wood
> That should remove most of the algae
> Maybe a Seachem Excel algaecide dosing scheme
> 
> 
> Then add an army of shrimp (not sure they’ll manage much under all the interested fish eyes) or Clithon corona snails (or assortment of Nerites, Mystery and Clithon)
> 
> As the white sand always shows the mess (and then you try to look somewhere else) maybe switch to a darker sand (grey, mixed black/natural etc)
> 
> Make water changes easy - what method do you use at present?
> 
> Unfortunately sometimes the wood breakdown is just too much - can you feel a soft outer layer? (that’s easily scraped by thumbnail - and plecos!)
> I have some pieces of twiggy wood I love, but the snails love it even more - not too unsightly with aquarium soil but tank definitely needs the large weekly water changes then



Yeah the moss needs another trim as I did it before which helped. The shrimp do get eaten and I have some nerite snails. The sand I like but I guess I’ll just have to maintain it better, I have bristlenose plecs but I’m not going down the route of wood eaters as they make a whole new level of mess  I had a L190 with my discus and he ate my expensive wood and turned it into 5x as much waste 
Here he is when he was quite small....





My water change is easy so no excuses there, I’ve just been lazy 

Thanks for all the tips, I’ll try harder and if all else fails I’ll give the algexit a go.

I did a part maintenance yesterday with a major trim and thin of some plants which has improved circulation again. Still the pipes and glassware to do and the substrate line but with twisting the thick of the hair algae away it at least feels nicer. The tank is dirty though, the amount of detrius in the plants is quite embarrassing, I think there are several factors at play, each making the situation a little bit worse. I’ve reduced the lighting intensity slightly also.

The plants had become quite thick and rooty with the emerged growth taking advantage....





Anyway a couple of shots this morning after the dust settled.....









Fissidens looking a bit better after removing the thick of the hair algae and washing the dirt out. Needs a trim but looking much better.





Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Tim Harrison

Just out of interest, what light intensity have you settled on Ady and how long is your photoperiod ?


----------



## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> Just out of interest, what light intensity have you settled on Ady and how long is your photoperiod ?


It was only up to 65% for 6hrs of an 8hr photoperiod of which the rest was ramping up and reducing down to and from 40%.....that’s a very confusing and complicated explaination 

Down to a max of 60% intensity now, it is a tank mainly of slow growers and a lazy owner


----------



## Jayefc1

Mate it's still an amazing tank


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> Mate it's still an amazing tank


Thanks dude


----------



## Iain Sutherland

Still looking great ady even with reduced maintenance! I'm sure the increase in love will sort the little issues... that and some more amanos  
Fissidens is a bugger for hair algae.  That plec is stunning though fella.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


----------



## Filip Krupa

Ady34 said:


> Quite simple really but saves an incredible amount of faffing around with hoses and buckets and water conditioners, especially on larger tanks



Couldn't agree more. I change aprox 3,800L of water every week on The Beast. Takes me no time.
(2,800L drip fed over 7 days + 1,000L weekly 50%)

Fil


----------



## Ady34

Another little water change and sand siphon tonight. Filter clean, algae scraping and pipework over the next couple of days will make a huge difference but it already feels a lot nicer again just for the thinning out, sand cleaning and water changes.  




 



 



 



 



 

Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Lauris

Love it!


----------



## Ady34

Lauris said:


> Love it!


Thanks Lauris 

Did another major maintenance session today including repeat sand siphon, algae scrape, water change and filter pipe and glassware clean. Still battling the thread algae with a toothbrush, however I’m feeling a bit more love for the tank again.....you get out of them what you put in I guess 



 

Something that has always bugged me is the left foreground which has always seemed a little unbalanced. The wood lines don't elongate enough in the area shown below, illustrated in black and white as it enhances the composition. I noted it on creating the scape and to some degree balanced it with the rock cluster however it needs wood. I have one piece of Talawa wood left unused which I am going to cut a branch off, waterlog, and add to the area highlighted. This will balance the overall hardscape shape I believe. 



 

Over the last couple of weeks I have increased my fertilisers as plant mass has increased and this has had a noticeable positive effect on the bucephelandra which some look almost iridescent now with a blue sheen, something I have seen in others scapes and strived for, they are stunning plants. Looking back at early photos it is clear how much mass has been added so naturally they need more food.

Something I will also consider more in future scapes is fish choice. Often aquascapes seem ‘boring’ or perhaps repetitive in fish choice, however there is a reason why we see so many tanks with harlequins, neons, black neons, rummy nose etc. These fish, although can be predatory, Will co-exist with shrimp which are hugely important to the overall well-being of a planted tank. Larger species of tetra like bentosi and other species such as congo tetras actively hunt shrimp, something I have seen in this tank and has a huge effect on shrimp numbers and more importantly their activity. Swarms of shrimp can help keep mosses clean from detrius and algae, but when under threat they are nowhere near as efficient for obvious reasons. I love my fish but slightly regret not sticking with smaller mouthed species 

Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## alto

Well done
Tank is looking fantastic again   

There are some “algae shrimp” “japonica var.” that are mean devils and very resilient to larger fish activity- these are shipping out of Indonesia 
They are japonica sized, look similar but no “dots” - a bit more stocky perhaps, and receive excellent reports as algae crew 

I’m going to search out some smaller males to add to my tank where the Rams have decided on Shrimp Hunting


----------



## sciencefiction

Ady34 said:


> Did another major maintenance session today including repeat sand siphon, algae scrape, water change and filter pipe



It's all about aesthetics Ady  I am sure the tank was doing just fine without the scrubbing 



Ady34 said:


> Something that has always bugged me is the left foreground which has always seemed a little unbalanced.



It looks like the tank going to fall on that side but with my untrained eye I would have no idea what you can do to that corner. Perhaps a longer brunch coming from the center of the wood that extends a bit further to fill up that space a bit.


----------



## sciencefiction

sciencefiction said:


> erhaps a longer brunch coming from the center of the wood that extends a bit further to fill up that space a bit.



Actually, thinking of it a bit more, I think the issue is the other corner/side that looks a bit too crowded creating the unbalance. How about removing the moss covered brunch on the right side and plant it to the left instead?


----------



## Ady34

alto said:


> Well done
> Tank is looking fantastic again
> 
> There are some “algae shrimp” “japonica var.” that are mean devils and very resilient to larger fish activity- these are shipping out of Indonesia
> They are japonica sized, look similar but no “dots” - a bit more stocky perhaps, and receive excellent reports as algae crew
> 
> I’m going to search out some smaller males to add to my tank where the Rams have decided on Shrimp Hunting


Thanks for the info, I’ve actually seen several amano shrimp in the tank tonight and feel they may be large enough not to be snacks. The cherry’s are tasty and easily visible so maybe more amanos or the above mentioned species could be the answer.



sciencefiction said:


> It's all about aesthetics Ady  I am sure the tank was doing just fine without the scrubbing
> 
> 
> 
> It looks like the tank going to fall on that side but with my untrained eye I would have no idea what you can do to that corner. Perhaps a longer brunch coming from the center of the wood that extends a bit further to fill up that space a bit.





sciencefiction said:


> Actually, thinking of it a bit more, I think the issue is the other corner/side that looks a bit too crowded creating the unbalance. How about removing the moss covered brunch on the right side and plant it to the left instead?


Thanks for the ideas, I really don’t want to remove anything from the right hand side as I really like the way that has developed. I’m going to add the extra little bit of wood and hopefully that will balance it better. 

Couple of shots from tonight, i actually spent a good hour and a half sat enjoying watching the tank tonight.....



 



 

Cheerio,


----------



## Matt @ ScapeEasy

@Ady34 as well as adding a branch within the red circle you might want to consider shortening the branch above the red circle which I believe would achieve the same effect? In fact I wonder if the problem is not that this branch is actually a couple of inches too long and is disrupting the triangular composition?


----------



## Tim Harrison

Ady34 said:


> I noted it on creating the scape and to some degree balanced it with the rock cluster however it needs wood.


I didn't notice that, but I know what you mean it's just a niggling detail...the curse of every perfectionist. A little bit more wood there is all that is needed.
I don't think removing wood at either end is the answer. It would unbalance the scape in other ways and by the time you'd finished balancing it up again you'd just be left with rocks 


Ady34 said:


> Will co-exist with shrimp which are hugely important to the overall well-being of a planted tank.


I think I took shrimp for granted. It wasn't until I removed the rams and the thread algae disappeared over night that I remembered just how important they are in a planted tank.


Ady34 said:


> I’m feeling a bit more love for the tank again.....you get out of them what you put in I guess


Amen to that...Anyway, it's looking mighty fine, and you've inspired me to get some maintenance done in my tank this morning, it's been over 2 weeks...


----------



## Ady34

Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> @Ady34 as well as adding a branch within the red circle you might want to consider shortening the branch above the red circle which I believe would achieve the same effect? In fact I wonder if the problem is not that this branch is actually a couple of inches too long and is disrupting the triangular composition?


You may be right, some of the branches may be a little too long however i feel that the easiest solution is to extend the draw of the scape by adding an extra bit of wood to the highlighted area. If I remove some mass elsewhere I may run the risk of loosing the weight needed to balance the overall hardscape.


Tim Harrison said:


> I don't think removing wood at either end is the answer. It would unbalance the scape in other ways and by the time you'd finished balancing it up again you'd just be left with rocks


As Tim says it’s really easier to add a little more rather than take away as if I trim the branches and don’t like it then I can’t undo that, especially in a matured tank. At the hardscape stage you always have relatively easy options and fixes without consequence, but once running it is more difficult. The wood and rocks are like one, with many of the branches actually underneath large pieces of Seiryu 



Tim Harrison said:


> Anyway, it's looking mighty fine, and you've inspired me to get some maintenance done in my tank this morning, it's been over 2 weeks...


 Prevention is definitely better than cure and your tank is looking in tip top condition currently, you certainly don’t want to end up chasing it like this 

Thanks again everyone for all the input, it’s great to be able to share and talk out the journey with other hobbyists and it’s much appreciated 

Little video from tonight, I haven’t yet (and likely won’t ) learn how to edit and make better the videos.....I haven’t even hidden the sound of the tv with music  I’d choose the best quality available as it’s only a phone camera. 



Cheerio,


----------



## CooKieS

Nice Ady.

Can't stop thinking that your scape would look better with an smaller and more compact moss than this fissidens on those roots...like mini x-moss, riccardia or even some Callicostella prabaktiana?

Cheers


----------



## Jayefc1

Back on track and glad to see it mate it's a beautiful piece of art work you have there and I agree with the lil balancing issue 

Cheers
Jay


----------



## Tim Harrison

Relaxing video, and some nice textures, I really like the relatively large leaves of the Ludwigia waving in the breeze; works well in your large tank.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





CooKieS said:


> Callicostella prabaktiana


New one for me, it looks very promising. 

cheers Darrel


----------



## Ady34

CooKieS said:


> Nice Ady.
> 
> Can't stop thinking that your scape would look better with an smaller and more compact moss than this fissidens on those roots...like mini x-moss, riccardia or even some Callicostella prabaktiana?
> 
> Cheers


Yeah I had thought that myself, I was looking at the fissidens and thinking it looked larger than I was used to. I think I’m my previous NAtural Jurassic scape I must have had fissidens Fox rather than Fontanus as it was noticeably smaller. Trimming it more frequently will help though I think as it will keep the shape of the wood better and not look so bulky. The callicostella moss looks interesting though.



Jayefc1 said:


> Back on track and glad to see it mate it's a beautiful piece of art work you have there and I agree with the lil balancing issue
> 
> Cheers
> Jay


Thanks Jayefc1, it’s getting there, the algae may be a bit stubborn to eradicate but it looks passable from a distance now so I’ll just keep plugging away with maintaining it.



Tim Harrison said:


> Relaxing video, and some nice textures, I really like the relatively large leaves of the Ludwigia waving in the breeze; works well in your large tank.


Yeah the ludwigia is large but like you say anything too fine may not work. I may mix it up though and add a smaller red plant in amongst it.....suggestions are welcome 



dw1305 said:


> Hi all, New one for me, it looks very promising.
> 
> cheers Darrel


Yeah looks perfect for growing over rocks in particular.

Few images just for interest......

Buces filling in......






Sumo loach and dwarf chain loach.....





Then and now.....





Cheerio


----------



## Iain Sutherland

Looks stunning mate, its filling in really well.  I think another 10 Congo tetra would really bring it alive, there actively is really nice is a good group.  As far as shrimp go, I had Simonii simonii in mine with Congo's and butterfly cichlids and they seemed to maintain a good number, maybe the natural brown colour helped opposed to cherries that look like tetra prima pellets!!
If you fancy trying them but cant find them then I can try catching some in the paludarium but they are illusive buggers in that set up.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


----------



## Ady34

Iain Sutherland said:


> Looks stunning mate, its filling in really well.  I think another 10 Congo tetra would really bring it alive, there actively is really nice is a good group.  As far as shrimp go, I had Simonii simonii in mine with Congo's and butterfly cichlids and they seemed to maintain a good number, maybe the natural brown colour helped opposed to cherries that look like tetra prima pellets!!
> If you fancy trying them but cant find them then I can try catching some in the paludarium but they are illusive buggers in that set up.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


Yeah I was was on the same wavelength as you and was going to get more last weekend however ran out of time after I’d been to get 2 farlowella acus. May get chance this weekend as your right they need greater numbers to look effective and see the true behaviour.



 



 

Cheerio,


----------



## Ady34

Hi,
I cleaned the chihiros reactors tonight in a descaling solution. I’ve read other members having issue with this method however after how poorly the previous reactor performed after cleaning with bleach and vinegar I thought I had nothing to lose. 2x new reactors arrived today in the post so if it failed and the reactors no longer worked or worked poorly then I had a back up.
Popped a capful of the solution in a glass of warm water for about half an hour with the reactor and this removed all of the scale. Rinsed and soaked with freshwater and then swapped it with the reactor in the tank. Switched on and the results were impressive with much better o2 micro bubbles immediately. It has performed well all night but will report back over the coming days. I’ve since used the same method in the other reactor which again has fully descaled. This one will be left to dry out so will see if that impacts it’s effectiveness at all when used in the future.

Cheerio,


----------



## John S

I'm interested in the results Ady. I used the same method and initially performance was as good as new but it didn't long and completely died shortly after.


----------



## Ady34

John S said:


> I'm interested in the results Ady. I used the same method and initially performance was as good as new but it didn't long and completely died shortly after.


How long did it last?
1 day, still going strong.....



 

Cheerio,


----------



## John S

Ady34 said:


> How long did it last?
> 1 day, still going strong.....



Mine lasted only a day Ady.


----------



## Looneeyy

Ady34 said:


> How long did it last?
> 1 day, still going strong.....
> View attachment 125162
> Cheerio,



Do you rate the product at all? Or is it just abit of placebo?
Everywhere reads good, other than the price tag
as not having a tank at the mo not been able to use/test! but with quite a few coming on the market now it would be nice to see how you’ve come on with using such product!
Looney.


----------



## Geoffrey Rea

Looneeyy said:


> Do you rate the product at all? Or is it just abit of placebo?
> Everywhere reads good, other than the price tag



Depends on how you think about it. Getting consistently high levels of o2 in a tank can be expensive whatever method you take. The irony is that twinstar’s/chihiros are relatively cheap compared to say... a wet/dry sump system with full plumping, return pump, heater, the cost of the actual sump and an efficient design that doesn’t gas off too much co2.


----------



## Jayefc1

Ady34 said:


> 2x new reactors arrived today in the post so if it failed and the reactors


Can I ask where you got them.from.please 
Cheers 
Jay


----------



## Looneeyy

Geoffrey Rea said:


> Depends on how you think about it. Getting consistently high levels of o2 in a tank can be expensive whatever method you take. The irony is that twinstar’s/chihiros are relatively cheap compared to say... a wet/dry sump system with full plumping, return pump, heater, the cost of the actual sump and an efficient design that doesn’t gas off too much co2.



Yeah I understand what you mean the high levels of o2 are massive! but unsure as there a reasonably new “item” into the industry where not many people have reviewed as much


----------



## JEK

Tank looks great. Love the moss on the branches!



Geoffrey Rea said:


> Depends on how you think about it. Getting consistently high levels of o2 in a tank can be expensive whatever method you take. The irony is that twinstar’s/chihiros are relatively cheap compared to say... a wet/dry sump system with full plumping, return pump, heater, the cost of the actual sump and an efficient design that doesn’t gas off too much co2.


But would you really need a wet/dry sump for high O2 levels? I mean during the day the plants will produce oxygen and during night some surface agitation would be enough to have sufficient O2, wouldn't it?


----------



## Ady34

Looneeyy said:


> Do you rate the product at all? Or is it just abit of placebo?
> Everywhere reads good, other than the price tag
> as not having a tank at the mo not been able to use/test! but with quite a few coming on the market now it would be nice to see how you’ve come on with using such product!
> Looney.


Hi Looney, 
yeah I rate the product, oxygenating benefits are the most important feature for me, especially with the use of injected co2. A consistent supply of additional oxygen gives peace of mind. The jury’s out on the algae prevention but that wasn’t my main goal on adding the reactor. 


JEK said:


> Tank looks great. Love the moss on the branches!
> 
> 
> But would you really need a wet/dry sump for high O2 levels? I mean during the day the plants will produce oxygen and during night some surface agitation would be enough to have sufficient O2, wouldn't it?


It’s a good point, however I like the idea of introducing another o2 source as I can’t quantify what the plants are producing, especially during co2 injection pre photoperiod. It just feels like a nice buffer to have for little outlay really. Injecting co2 has always been a slight weight on my mind regards livestock, especially after a first hand very bad experience of what can go wrong. If I can add extra o2 to reduce risk then its worth it for me.
I also utilise the surface skimmer for dual purpose, again partly to increase o2. If one of these methods fails I do notice a difference in fish behaviour during injection hours so they do definitely help. 

It’s still working well....
Day 2:  



 

Extra photos just because I like adding photos.....

End shot:


 

Congo tetra:


 

Where’s twiggy?....


 

Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> Can I ask where you got them.from.please
> Cheers
> Jay


eBay mate, 2 for about £30 delivered from China


----------



## Looneeyy

Ady34 said:


> Hi Looney,
> yeah I rate the product, oxygenating benefits are the most important feature for me, especially with the use of injected co2. A consistent supply of additional oxygen gives peace of mind. The jury’s out on the algae prevention but that wasn’t my main goal on adding the reactor



Yeah there advertised for the algae side of things, which in that area I think it’s abit grey? but o2 levels it’s a no brainer!


----------



## Zeus.

I use citric acid to descale my reactors, teaspoon of salt in a glass fill with boiling water and leave for 30 mins.
Then when reactors done pop the water back in kettle bring it back to boil and descale the kettle. Forgot all about it once and wife made herself a nice cup of citric acid tea with it


----------



## Ady34

Zeus. said:


> I use citric acid to descale my reactors, teaspoon of salt in a glass fill with boiling water and leave for 30 mins.
> Then when reactors done pop the water back in kettle bring it back to boil and descale the kettle. Forgot all about it once and wife made herself a nice cup of citric acid tea with it


----------



## Jayefc1

Ady34 said:


> eBay mate, 2 for about £30 delivered from China


Thanks I cant seem to find them must just be having a blond moment 

Jay


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





Zeus. said:


> Forgot all about it once and wife made herself a nice cup of citric acid tea with it


I've done that as well. 

cheers Darrel


----------



## Ady34

Little update.....

Been keeping on top of things a bit better with regular siphoning of substrate and mosses. The hair algae remains but is much less. 
The chihiros reactor remains in good working order a week on so fingers crossed it will continue. 
I added another 5 congo tetra at the weekend and they have settled well. I still find shrimplets when maintaining the mosses so some do make it past the hungry mouths.
I still need to thin the fissidens hugely however I was awaiting adding the extra price of wood to the left hand side of the tank, which I discussed earlier, as I may have needed some trimmings to tie to it. I have added that wood now and am happy with the way it has worked and balanced more the scape. I will buy another buce or two to add around the wood and decide if I need the fissidens on it then. Currently the wood is attached to a small piece of Seiryu stone with a rubber band to keep it in place until water logged......



 

The various suckermouths were immediately drawn to the new wood and made for an interesting photo. Sturisoma and Farlowella.....



 

Tank pre and post additional wood. Needs extra plants to soften and blend along with time for the wood to waterlog and darken naturally but it has achieved what I wanted and balanced the scape more imo......



 

Cheerio,


----------



## CooKieS

Red tiger lotus, instead of the ludwigia, would look insanely good in your scape.

Good job on that added Wood, works great! 

That bolbitis on the right could do some
Trim.

Some marsilea crenata or even hirsuta planted around the rocks in the sand could add detail and make it more natural.

Just some suggestions, to make this nice tank even nicer, would love to work with an big tank like this one day. Need to convince wifey first and then find an easy WC solution like you did!


----------



## alto

Do t let your moss get thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiss long


----------



## Geoffrey Rea

Looking great @Ady34 

The final stone and wood makes the scape trail off on a slope really nicely


----------



## Jayefc1

The wood and stones are perfect just finishes it really nice mate 
Cheers 
Jay


----------



## Iain Sutherland

Looking immense ady, great return to the planted like.
Have to agree with Cookies, think a red nyphea would work brilliantly at the back instead of ludwigia.
Loving the mix of sucker mouths. Keep it up mate. 

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


----------



## Matt @ ScapeEasy

+1 on those suggestions from me too


----------



## Ady34

Thanks for the suggestions, unfortunately nowhere to plant a lily 

Been in a downward spiral again and a few days ago it literally looked disgusting, substrate was filthy, thread algae had taken over and plants were overgrown, however three evenings maintenance has left it looking bearable again. It’s not exactly setting the world alight with plant growth and health but then again it doesn’t get the love and attention it needs. Slow way of aquascaping is the only way for me it seems anyway as I can’t commit to heavy maintenance.
On a positive note, the fish are happy 




 

Cheerio.


----------



## Jayefc1

Still looks amazing though ady 
Cheers 
Jay


----------



## Edvet

What would happen if you reduce the light very gradually  ( in this case i would start increasing distance between lamp and tank), certainly would reduce maintenance required.


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> Still looks amazing though ady
> Cheers
> Jay


Thanks Jay, tbh it’s the mosses that are in the worst health, the rest look ok at a distance and the buces are filling in nicely.



Edvet said:


> What would happen if you reduce the light very gradually  ( in this case i would start increasing distance between lamp and tank), certainly would reduce maintenance required.


Yeah, the lights are only at 60% intensity, however I could reduce that a little. I don’t really want to raise the physical height as the light spill will increase in the room. I may try a 5% decrease in intensity, however I do believe my problems are self inflicted with a distinct laziness in maintenance and often inconsistent fertiliser routine . Relitively Low plant mass may also be a contributing factor. This really is by no means a high maintenance tank, I just need to commit more regular time. 

Cheerio,


----------



## Ady34

What is this little addition in the emoticons?  Wabi kusa, greenfinger


----------



## alto

Ady34 said:


> substrate was filthy, thread algae had taken over and plants were overgrown



I was so keen to see this photo 

I suspect the moss is a bit of a contributor- it seems not to have really established but is grand at trapping debris - and tank is lacking sufficient stems to help balance tank while you’re off elsewhere ... maybe add in some H zosterfolia (it never seems to root extensively so should be easy to gradually remove)

Add some Stiphodon species to stir sand and clean up algae as it’s occurring?


----------



## Ady34

alto said:


> I was so keen to see this photo
> 
> I suspect the moss is a bit of a contributor- it seems not to have really established but is grand at trapping debris - and tank is lacking sufficient stems to help balance tank while you’re off elsewhere ... maybe add in some H zosterfolia (it never seems to root extensively so should be easy to gradually remove)
> 
> Add some Stiphodon species to stir sand and clean up algae as it’s occurring?


Yeah, something is off balance as plant health is not optimum nor has it been. A lack of shrimp population effects the mosses in particular I’ve found but the Congo’s find them a tasty snack so they aren’t at their most efficient in this tank. I did add some rotala green a while ago to try to help balance things out however it never established either making me realise something is out of kilter.

I should have taken a before shot but unfortunately didn’t.......I’m sure it won’t be too long until I get the opportunity again 

Same old.....


----------



## alto

Depending on other fish, various livebearers such as guppy, molly, platy (there are some stunning colors available now) etc will usually spend their day plant tidying


----------



## Kalum

i always found that fissidens was more hassle than it's worth after a while and holds a lot of detritus/algae magnet

replaced it with riccardia and it's much cleaner in general in the tank


----------



## nayr88

Ady34 said:


> Yeah, something is off balance as plant health is not optimum nor has it been. A lack of shrimp population effects the mosses in particular I’ve found but the Congo’s find them a tasty snack so they aren’t at their most efficient in this tank. I did add some rotala green a while ago to try to help balance things out however it never established either making me realise something is out of kilter.
> 
> I should have taken a before shot but unfortunately didn’t.......I’m sure it won’t be too long until I get the opportunity again
> 
> Same old.....
> 
> View attachment 126490



Ady,

great tank.
I've really enjoyed reading this one start to finish, the fish choices was my favorite bit haha.
I'm dreadful with fish choice and would of ended up with some rainbow snakeheads!!

Or if i was being more sensible, a lvery large gang of pencil fish and a Male + Harem of one of the very brightly colored dwarf cichlids - tripple red cacatuoides (think you may have kept these before?) or similar.

anyway, thanks for sharing and must say it is very inspiring. Good to see one of the older names popping up again.


----------



## Ady34

Ady34 said:


> What is this little addition in the emoticons?  Wabi kusa, greenfinger


I have just found out about the sad passing of a well respected and passionate member of the forum and the significance of this emoticon as a sign of respect to Roy Smith, greenfingers. Rest in peace Roy.


----------



## John S

Ady34 said:


> I have just found out about the sad passing of a well respected and passionate member of the forum and the significance of this emoticon as a sign of respect to Roy Smith, greenfingers. Rest in peace Roy.



That's very sad news. RIP Roy.


----------



## Ady34

Kalum said:


> i always found that fissidens was more hassle than it's worth after a while and holds a lot of detritus/algae magnet
> 
> replaced it with riccardia and it's much cleaner in general in the tank


I had both in my NAtural Jurassic tank and shrimp made a huge difference to the cleanliness of both. The fissidens I have now grows less healthy however is a much larger variant than the one I used to have but either way it is definitely a detrius trap without the benefit of hundreds of shrimp to maticulously clean it. The Riccardia didn’t take in this tank.



nayr88 said:


> Ady,
> 
> great tank.
> I've really enjoyed reading this one start to finish, the fish choices was my favorite bit haha.
> I'm dreadful with fish choice and would of ended up with some rainbow snakeheads!!
> 
> Or if i was being more sensible, a lvery large gang of pencil fish and a Male + Harem of one of the very brightly colored dwarf cichlids - tripple red cacatuoides (think you may have kept these before?) or similar.
> 
> anyway, thanks for sharing and must say it is very inspiring. Good to see one of the older names popping up again.


 The pencil fish and dwarf cichlids would have been fine, the snakeheads maybe not 
As much as the tank isn’t in perfect health, when it’s tidied up it still offers a lot of pleasure and I do like the plants, I guess it’s having something in your home that fits your lifestyle. High energy would definitely be a no go for me.
I guess the beauty of UKAPS is it’s longevity and accessibility made so by the ever open armed members who make you feel right at home even after a long break away  Its great that long standing members such as yourself are still active also


----------



## Deano3

Hi ady i am back also and thinking i want to try again soon, we were both on here very often, tank is looking great and hope to speak more soon i will be keeping eye on thread 

Cheers dean

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


----------



## Ady34

Deano3 said:


> Hi ady i am back also and thinking i want to try again soon, we were both on here very often, tank is looking great and hope to speak more soon i will be keeping eye on thread
> 
> Cheers dean
> 
> Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


Good to see you back, good luck with the tank, you got the tank still or have your eye on a new set up?
Cheerio,


----------



## grathod

This is something to behold Ady, coincidently, I’ve also centred my new project on Congo tetras, they are truly amazing. Will be taking inspiration on plant choice from yours. Dialled in mate, watching with great interest.


----------



## oscar

Ady34 said:


> Yeah, something is off balance as plant health is not optimum nor has it been. A lack of shrimp population effects the mosses in particular I’ve found but the Congo’s find them a tasty snack so they aren’t at their most efficient in this tank. I did add some rotala green a while ago to try to help balance things out however it never established either making me realise something is out of kilter.
> 
> I should have taken a before shot but unfortunately didn’t.......I’m sure it won’t be too long until I get the opportunity again
> 
> Same old.....



Stunning aquascape Andy


----------



## Deano3

Ady34 said:


> Good to see you back, good luck with the tank, you got the tank still or have your eye on a new set up?
> Cheerio,


No tanks or gear at all got rid of everything a while ago so will be starting from scratch. I am thinking a nano and try my luck then eventually a larger tank maybe when get a larger house as limited space with 2 kids. Great to see you back at it mate.

Dean

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


----------



## Ady34

Picture update, new fish, plants filling in more and still not getting enough attention to make it immaculate however it’s fun to watch 








 

Water change.....


 





Monkeys......


 

Helping keep things clean.....


 

busy tank......


 

Couldn’t resist......


 



 

Cheerio,


----------



## Deano3

That looks excellent some beautuful pictures, good to see a familiar face again ady tank looking great.

Dean

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


----------



## Tim Harrison

Looking great Ady


----------



## Filip Krupa

Amazing!


----------



## Jayefc1

Looks beautiful mate a work of art 
Cheers
Jay


----------



## Kalum

Filling out great and the main parts has grown in amazing! Looks awesome mate.

Can't help but think the moss on the ends of the branches detracts from the clean look of it all though and maybe better without...


----------



## Matt @ ScapeEasy

I think youve just inspired a few chanes in my tank!..... been struffling for a while with having too much light at the surface for the java fern up top and too little for the plants at the lower side of the triangle. I can see here how youve compensated for that very effectively.


----------



## Craig Hill

awesome tank


----------



## Ady34

Deano3 said:


> That looks excellent some beautuful pictures, good to see a familiar face again ady tank looking great.
> 
> Dean
> 
> Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk





Tim Harrison said:


> Looking great Ady





Filip Krupa said:


> Amazing!





Jayefc1 said:


> Looks beautiful mate a work of art
> Cheers
> Jay





Kalum said:


> Filling out great and the main parts has grown in amazing! Looks awesome mate.
> 
> Can't help but think the moss on the ends of the branches detracts from the clean look of it all though and maybe better without...





Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> I think youve just inspired a few chanes in my tank!..... been struffling for a while with having too much light at the surface for the java fern up top and too little for the plants at the lower side of the triangle. I can see here how youve compensated for that very effectively.





Craig Hill said:


> awesome tank



Cheers guys 
@Kalum you may be right about the branches, I don’t fancy stripping them though to find out, as if I prefer it with the moss I then have to re tie all the fissidens 
@Matt @ ScapeEasy i guess your meaning keeping the plants in the exposed area lower in the water column and then shading those on the right side with the stem plant? I also use pretty low intensity lighting. It’s a slow grower but easy to keep.

It’s been running almost a year now 
Not a perfect aquascape but easy and enjoyable in the home. The plants have filled out considerably with the buces in huge clusters now. Overall the scape has kept its shape, I think to make it more complete suggestions of trimming down branches etc would help with the composition however I’m not that fussed and tend to prefer to use the branches as they are for the most part. A lot of the smaller wood has rotted and broken away so the detail is lost, compensated for in some part by the increase in plant mass. I guess when the larger structural branches begin to fail it will be time for a rescape....but for now it will just keep plodding along with its imperfections and algae 

Few phone shots after maintenance......a lot of Christmas light and mirror reflections 



 



 



 



 





Hope you all have a great Christmas and all the best for 2020.

Ady.


----------



## PARAGUAY

Great journey , have to look in on this more


----------



## Matt @ ScapeEasy

Merry Christmas to you too. Pretty sure this is my favourite tank about now...


----------



## Wookii

Fantastic looking tank Ady, and a great journal to read.

I may have missed you detailing it, but can I ask what model of tap water filter it is that you are using? I wasn't aware the filters for them lasted 30,000 hours (!!), and I may get one myself for our own automated water changes, rather than rely on trying to auto-dose conditioner to our header tank!

I assume the filter is carbon based in some way, and also removes heavy metals etc?


----------



## Wookii

^^ Sorry I meant 30,000 litres there


----------



## Ady34

Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> Merry Christmas to you too. Pretty sure this is my favourite tank about now...


Thanks Matt, really nice to hear.


Wookii said:


> Fantastic looking tank Ady, and a great journal to read.
> 
> I may have missed you detailing it, but can I ask what model of tap water filter it is that you are using? I wasn't aware the filters for them lasted 30,000 hours (!!), and I may get one myself for our own automated water changes, rather than rely on trying to auto-dose conditioner to our header tank!
> 
> I assume the filter is carbon based in some way, and also removes heavy metals etc?


Hi, it’s a 20” HMA filter:
20" sediment filter and Spectrum PCB-20-CM carbon. The pre filter will remove sediment down to 1 micron and protects the carbon cartridges from blocking or channelling there by lengthening their useful life. The PCB filter will remove Chlorine and Chloramine if present along with organically bonded metals.
* 
How long will the cartridges last?*

This depends on the flow though speed of water, and the ppm of the target contaminates.

- Option One @ 7.6 LPM - Chlorine to 190,000 litres, Chloramine to 12,000 litres.
- Option One @ 3.8 LPM - Chlorine to 380,000 litres, Chloramine to 30,000 litres.

hope that helps, I’ve found them to be very effective, easy to use and much easier than dechlorinators.

little video just while I’m here.....



Cheerio
Ady.


----------



## Iain Sutherland

That's stunning mate, exceptional looking tank and inhabitants.... although I reserve judgement on the betta 

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


----------



## Kalum

there's the money shot 

it's amazing how planning/planting well at the start allows it to mature into something special like that as time goes on, impressive mate


----------



## Wookii

Ady34 said:


> Hi, it’s a 20” HMA filter:
> 20" sediment filter and Spectrum PCB-20-CM carbon. The pre filter will remove sediment down to 1 micron and protects the carbon cartridges from blocking or channelling there by lengthening their useful life. The PCB filter will remove Chlorine and Chloramine if present along with organically bonded metals.
> *
> How long will the cartridges last?*
> 
> This depends on the flow though speed of water, and the ppm of the target contaminates.
> 
> - Option One @ 7.6 LPM - Chlorine to 190,000 litres, Chloramine to 12,000 litres.
> - Option One @ 3.8 LPM - Chlorine to 380,000 litres, Chloramine to 30,000 litres.
> 
> Cheerio
> Ady.



Thanks Ady, where did you buy them? Devotedly Discus?


----------



## Ady34

Wookii said:


> Thanks Ady, where did you buy them? Devotedly Discus?


Yes  They have different types for different scenarios within your home.


----------



## Conort2

Perfect, can’t fault anything. Great fish choice and the layout looks fantastic. It really has developed into something special.

cheers

Conor


----------



## Ady34

Iain Sutherland said:


> That's stunning mate, exceptional looking tank and inhabitants.... although I reserve judgement on the betta
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


Thanks mate, I know, I know but for some reason I just couldn’t resist the Betta in the shop, just something about him 


Kalum said:


> there's the money shot
> 
> it's amazing how planning/planting well at the start allows it to mature into something special like that as time goes on, impressive mate


Thanks Kalum, on reflection it was too lightly planted from the start, but good things come to those who wait 


Conort2 said:


> Perfect, can’t fault anything. Great fish choice and the layout looks fantastic. It really has developed into something special.
> 
> cheers
> 
> Conor


Very nice if you to say Conor, although close up there are things to fault 

thanks again for the positive comments, wonder how long this scape will last.....I think unless boredom kicks in then it could go on indefinitely 
Cheerio,


----------



## Geoffrey Rea

Ady34 said:


> wonder how long this scape will last.....I think unless boredom kicks in then it could go on indefinitely



The passion for the new is inevitable for most folks. Beautiful scape @Ady34 top job


----------



## Ady34

Geoffrey Rea said:


> The passion for the new is inevitable for most folks. Beautiful scape @Ady34 top job


Yeah there’s always the itch.....it’s less expensive to leave it going though


----------



## Deano3

Stunning setup mate looks great.

Dean

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


----------



## JEK

Such a beautiful scape! Love the whiptails.


----------



## LondonDragon

This is one excellent journal which derserves a place in the Featured section


----------



## Gill

Simply Stunning.
Do you find that the Dragon Fighter spends most of his time within the dense planting. Or does he venture out into the high flow areas.


----------



## Ady34

LondonDragon said:


> This is one excellent journal which derserves a place in the Featured section


Thank you Paulo and to all that have contributed to the journal so far. The interest, knowledge and willingness to share from forum members never ceases to amaze and makes UKAPS what it is and the best around 

Little photo while we’re here....



 

Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Ady34

Gill said:


> Simply Stunning.
> Do you find that the Dragon Fighter spends most of his time within the dense planting. Or does he venture out into the high flow areas.


He ventures out regularly to be honest,  the tank isn’t the ideal place for him really but he can hide away if he needs.


Deano3 said:


> Stunning setup mate looks great.
> 
> Dean
> 
> Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


Thanks Dean, much appreciated.


JEK said:


> Such a beautiful scape! Love the whiptails.


Cheers, yeah I love them too, I love fish generally and would have countless numbers of all sorts if I could, hence this tank being far too full and eclectic


----------



## Tim Harrison

Good to see your scape has been moved to the Featured Journals section where it belongs


----------



## Jayefc1

Tim Harrison said:


> Good to see your scape has been moved to the Featured Journals section where it belongs


Very much agree with Tim on this.


----------



## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> Good to see your scape has been moved to the Featured Journals section where it belongs





Jayefc1 said:


> Very much agree with Tim on this.


Cheers chaps.


----------



## Matt @ ScapeEasy

Congrats, I’ve said before how inspiring this tank is!! Especially your use of stems. Time to have a read from the beginning...


----------



## PARAGUAY

Same as Matt need to read through this journal


----------



## Ady34

Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> Congrats, I’ve said before how inspiring this tank is!! Especially your use of stems. Time to have a read from the beginning...





PARAGUAY said:


> Same as Matt need to read through this journal


Thanks 
re-education needs a re-read 
Might even have a go myself


----------



## HafMan

I’m in awe at this tank!
Love everything about it, keep it up!


----------



## Matt @ ScapeEasy

Finally got round to doing a full read through of the thread...  I’m even more inspired to make changes to my own tank to emulate your use of slow predominantly slow growing plants, simple and substrate etc...

Did you plant the crypts in the sand in the end?

Can you advise how you’ve attached the Ludwigia? I’d like to emulate this approach in my own tank (if I can find some again in the shops  after I stupidly got rid of mine). I struggle with Java fern up top both collecting detritus from food getting blown into it by the filter and getting algae in the high light up top when the plants at the base need it this high... (sorry you did ask me before Xmas what I meant about thit... here is the explanation at last!!)


----------



## Ady34

HafMan said:


> I’m in awe at this tank!
> Love everything about it, keep it up!


Cheers HafMan.


Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> Finally got round to doing a full read through of the thread...  I’m even more inspired to make changes to my own tank to emulate your use of slow predominantly slow growing plants, simple and substrate etc...
> 
> Did you plant the crypts in the sand in the end?
> 
> Can you advise how you’ve attached the Ludwigia? I’d like to emulate this approach in my own tank (if I can find some again in the shops  after I stupidly got rid of mine). I struggle with Java fern up top both collecting detritus from food getting blown into it by the filter and getting algae in the high light up top when the plants at the base need it this high... (sorry you did ask me before Xmas what I meant about thit... here is the explanation at last!!)


Hi, yes the crypts were planted directly in the sand without any added substrate fertilisers. 
The ludwigia is simply anchored within the bolbitis. I just remove it periodically when it gets too long, trim a few inches off the bottom and ‘stuff’ them back in.
I use relitively low light and with the easy plants they don’t need a lot at the lower regions. Some of the bucephalandra at the right hand side is nearly permanently shaded. With regards the java fern, maybe just try agitating the leaves regularly with your hand to dislodge any detrius to help. 

Ive noticed a build up of bba within the tank now, on the wood and the edges of the slow growing plants. This along with the hair algae indicates I’m not looking after the tank as I should. I have let attention to co2 slip recently too and made an error last weekend whereby I went away for the weekend and left my lights on manual mode. Before I left I wanted to feed the fish so popped the lights on, fed the fish and forgot to switch back to timer......the lights were on 24/7 for the weekend which won’t have been good for anything. The co2 ran out the weekend before and it was a few days I think before I noticed this, so the two incidents have likely been accelerators to the rapid appearance of the bba. The co2 has been left sub optimal for a long time to be honest but the tank was plodding along relitively trouble free until the two weekends just discussed. I’m pretty sure with a good period of consistent maintenance and readdressing optimum co2 it will halt the demise......just need to put the effort in  
Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Ady34

Ludwigia from above.....




 

and below....





and an image of the emergent wood showing the level of decomposition in the water as opposed to above.....





cheerio
Ady.


----------



## Wookii

Ady34 said:


> Ludwigia from above.....
> 
> View attachment 131543
> 
> and below....
> 
> View attachment 131544
> 
> and an image of the emergent wood showing the level of decomposition in the water as opposed to above.....
> 
> View attachment 131545
> 
> cheerio
> Ady.



Wow -  is that deterioration in the wood normal? I've not used the Talawa wood that you have before, but I don't think any of the wood I have (mainly Mopani type) has eroded like that.


----------



## Andrew Butler

Ady34 said:


> and an image of the emergent wood showing the level of decomposition in the water as opposed to above.....


This is a big reason why I'm not so keen on wood for a long term aquascape plan. It depends on the type of wood also, I know.

It's looking good though, a viewing pleasure which is what I think it's about for me.
When are you coming round to help with mine?!?


----------



## Ady34

Wookii said:


> Wow -  is that deterioration in the wood normal? I've not used the Talawa wood that you have before, but I don't think any of the wood I have (mainly Mopani type) has eroded like that.


I think it is quite normal. The tank is over a year old and previous wood such as manzanita and redmoor root I’ve used has deteriorated similarly.


Andrew Butler said:


> This is a big reason why I'm not so keen on wood for a long term aquascape plan. It depends on the type of wood also, I know.
> 
> It's looking good though, a viewing pleasure which is what I think it's about for me.
> When are you coming round to help with mine?!?


 Yeah, I just like a scape to look like an aquarium and to be able to enjoy it. Different people find pleasure in many facets of the hobby but for me slow and steady with longevity suits, especially in a tank this size.

Thanks for the comments.
Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





Andrew Butler said:


> This is a big reason why I'm not so keen on wood for a long term aquascape plan. It depends on the type of wood also.


Some wood lasts really well, real bog wood (either pine or oak), Mopani, Douglas Fir (_Pseudotsuga) _are all good ones.

The longest lasting one I’ve found is Oak heart wood.

Cheers Darrel
_

_


----------



## Andrew T

Just because I like wood cuz of my trade, I thought maybe, just maybe it’s possible that we could find some Lignum vitae (guayacan, pockholtz) branches somewhere out there.
Looks like it’s the hardest wood out there....3 times harder than red oak . Not many big trees out there anymore but plenty of small ones.
And the branches look appealing for a nature aquarium...


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





Andrew T said:


> Just because I like wood cuz of my trade, I thought maybe, just maybe it’s possible that we could find some Lignum vitae (guayacan, pockholtz) branches somewhere out there.
> Looks like it’s the hardest wood out there....3 times harder than red oak . Not many big trees out there anymore but plenty of small ones.
> And the branches look appealing for a nature aquarium...


It is covered by <“CITES”> and is on the IUCN red list, so I think it is pretty unlikely you could obtain any legally, and there would certainly be ethical issues even if you could.

Cheers Darrel


----------



## Ady34

Hi,
the bba in this tank is becoming a significant issue. My maintenance for a long while now has not been on point, neither has my attention to co2. Ive let this slip and I have known this for a long time without correction and now it’s biting me. The wood is decomposing at a rate now with crumbling of the thinner branches, this and the bark on the wood will not help the issue. Fish load is increasing rapidly also with the bristlenose plec population booming. This poses two problems, feeding them and the resultant waste adding to organics and bio load. Tonight I counted 30 plecs easily during feeding time......this needs addressing as does my input into the tank.....you only get out what you put in.
With all these factors at play I’m surprised it has taken so long to destruct, the relitively low lighting and easy plants have been the only saviours.
Tonight I have deep cleaned one of my filters, tomorrow the other will be done. I have trimmed the worst effected leaves and began picking bba from the wood. I will attempt to get some photos tomorrow as close up the tank is not in a good way. I also need to replace some of the sand substrate as it has become ‘stained’ due to age.
I am hoping to address many of the issues, however only time will tell the effect of the wood on the algae. This weekend I will try to rehome a batch of bristlenose to reduce the amount of bottom food I need to add and the resultant bio load.
I am considering an additional filter too to increase distribution throughout the tank, especially important with the increased plant mass now in the tank.

Anyway, I’ll get on top of the things I can for now and see where this goes.......

cheerio
Ady.


----------



## Kezzab

Good luck. It's a bloody slog sometimes isn't it!


----------



## Wookii

Ady34 said:


> Hi,
> the bba in this tank is becoming a significant issue. My maintenance for a long while now has not been on point, neither has my attention to co2. Ive let this slip and I have known this for a long time without correction and now it’s biting me. The wood is decomposing at a rate now with crumbling of the thinner branches, this and the bark on the wood will not help the issue. Fish load is increasing rapidly also with the bristlenose plec population booming. This poses two problems, feeding them and the resultant waste adding to organics and bio load. Tonight I counted 30 plecs easily during feeding time......this needs addressing as does my input into the tank.....you only get out what you put in.
> With all these factors at play I’m surprised it has taken so long to destruct, the relitively low lighting and easy plants have been the only saviours.
> Tonight I have deep cleaned one of my filters, tomorrow the other will be done. I have trimmed the worst effected leaves and began picking bba from the wood. I will attempt to get some photos tomorrow as close up the tank is not in a good way. I also need to replace some of the sand substrate as it has become ‘stained’ due to age.
> I am hoping to address many of the issues, however only time will tell the effect of the wood on the algae. This weekend I will try to rehome a batch of bristlenose to reduce the amount of bottom food I need to add and the resultant bio load.
> I am considering an additional filter too to increase distribution throughout the tank, especially important with the increased plant mass now in the tank.
> 
> Anyway, I’ll get on top of the things I can for now and see where this goes.......
> 
> cheerio
> Ady.



It's difficult to keep on top of things sometimes isn't it. Like many hobbies, interest levels fluctuate as time goes on. I knew this of myself, from when I had tanks in the past, so on my recent tank I made sure I automated almost everything I possibly could.

As you have quiet a few larger species, you could replace some of the fish with some true Siamese Algae Eaters, they could hopefully help keep on top of algae. Likewise you could add some Amano's assuming you're larger fish won't pick them off. I found spot dosing BBA with Excel and a syringe worked a treat, and the shrimp scoffed it once it started to discolour.

There are probably a few things you could do to make life easier going forward. Reducing your bio-load a little might help. You could also automate your water changes if you felt inclined - especially as you're 90% of the way there with your HMA filter and waste pipe in situ - that way you could increase water change frequency also to match your bio-load without any increase on your time - that would definitely help with BBA as I think that thrives when the dissolved organics in the water column increase. I had the same issue in my new tank with BBA, and the TDS had increased, so I just doubled the automated water changes, spot treated with Excel. and 'touch wood' it has gone for the most part.

Like I've said before, the wood disintegrating is a new one to me - I wouldn't be too happy with that, especially given how much the stuff costs. The wood I'm using in my current tank, was in another tank 16 years ago for about 3 years - it hasn't changed at all in that period.


----------



## Ady34

Kezzab said:


> Good luck. It's a bloody slog sometimes isn't it!


Ha, thanks, I know why it’s happened and it’s down to me......


Wookii said:


> It's difficult to keep on top of things sometimes isn't it. Like many hobbies, interest levels fluctuate as time goes on. I knew this of myself, from when I had tanks in the past, so on my recent tank I made sure I automated almost everything I possibly could.
> 
> As you have quiet a few larger species, you could replace some of the fish with some true Siamese Algae Eaters, they could hopefully help keep on top of algae. Likewise you could add some Amano's assuming you're larger fish won't pick them off. I found spot dosing BBA with Excel and a syringe worked a treat, and the shrimp scoffed it once it started to discolour.
> 
> There are probably a few things you could do to make life easier going forward. Reducing your bio-load a little might help. You could also automate your water changes if you felt inclined - especially as you're 90% of the way there with your HMA filter and waste pipe in situ - that way you could increase water change frequency also to match your bio-load without any increase on your time - that would definitely help with BBA as I think that thrives when the dissolved organics in the water column increase. I had the same issue in my new tank with BBA, and the TDS had increased, so I just doubled the automated water changes, spot treated with Excel. and 'touch wood' it has gone for the most part.
> 
> Like I've said before, the wood disintegrating is a new one to me - I wouldn't be too happy with that, especially given how much the stuff costs. The wood I'm using in my current tank, was in another tank 16 years ago for about 3 years - it hasn't changed at all in that period.


Yeah, auto water changes would be a good addition as at least it would consistently get fresh water. I have just been particularly lazy with this tank though, eating ice cream and watching golf seems to have taken over, no excuses 
The bristlenose were a bad choice in retrospect  and the Congo tetras are stunning fish, however they really do impact the shrimp population which is something I know hasn’t helped the mosses in particular. I have a relitively heavy fish load as it is as I just like fish, but I do need to reduce it by rehoming some bristlenoses.
I may get some excel and spot dose the wood at water change, however I will try to just be better at looking after the tank generally. Filter cleaning is a big vice also, I need to open them up more regularly for cleans.

Anyway, crazy as it is being as how I can’t look after this tank properly, I have the itch for an additional ADA 30c system which would offer greater and more regular rescaping possibilities due to its small size and smaller financial impact .......I just want one, it’s shiny 

cheerio,


----------



## Wookii

Ady34 said:


> .......I just want one, it’s shiny



Man after my own heart!


----------



## Ady34

To be honest this tank has never been immaculate with incredible plant health, but now it is looking particularly poor.
As promised, bba......





















filter was filthy.....









Second filter, pipes and glassware was cleaned
last night. The fissidens was cut back hard too. Hoping to replace some substrate this weekend, chop some more of the worst effected leaves and rehome some bristlenoses. A fresh batch of bristlenose eggs has been laid in the spawning rock, but I’m too soft to just destroy the eggs, I don’t know much about fish phsycology but if they were mine I’d be pretty upset if they were destroyed 

Im tempted to run a course of excel treatment also but am more than a little worried about messing, as with the amount of buces in there now if they melted for some reason that would be tank over 

Cheerio,


----------



## Andrew Butler

Ady34 said:


> filter was filthy.....


Blimey; I've never pulled one out that bad 
It shows your filter is keeping some of the waste at least 
As a suggestion maybe an easy option is to simply pull the pre-filter every couple of days and rinse it through quickly - you know these filters the same as I do and simply spraying a hose from the outside is about the easiest way to clean them.
One thing I found out as someone told me was putting a piece of course foam in the pre-filter helped the pre-filter work better which was true but I never really had a problem without it if I kept on top of them but you've got quite a load so might be worth a thought but just keep an eye on the flow and don't have it all the way to the top.

The wood is one thing I was quite surprised at when I saw the above/below waterline the other week and put me off wood even more on my planned longer term setup.


----------



## Wookii

Ady34 said:


> Im tempted to run a course of excel treatment also but am more than a little worried about messing, as with the amount of buces in there now if they melted for some reason that would be tank over
> 
> Cheerio,



Don’t worry the Buces should be fine - I’ve been spot dosing mine without issue - if you’re worried dilute it a little, and stick to your target overall tank dose (be that x1 or x2 dose etc). 

Just make sure you spot dose with a small (1ml is good) syringe, a thick needle helps with accuracy too: Amazon

I’ve found BBA reacts very well too it - one or two doses and the shrimp start munching it away - a day later and it’s gone. Stag horn I’ve found is a little tougher and needs 2-4 spot doses before it gets eaten.


----------



## Andrew Butler

Wookii said:


> Just make sure you spot dose with a small (1ml is good) syringe, a thick needle helps with accuracy too


I've got a TMC Reef Coral Feeder 542mm on the shopping list next time I place an order - there are other versions but looks promising for reaching places easily without getting your arms in.
@Wookii - the Amazon link isn't working.


----------



## Wookii

Andrew Butler said:


> I've got a TMC Reef Coral Feeder 542mm on the shopping list next time I place an order - there are other versions but looks promising for reaching places easily without getting your arms in.
> @Wookii - the Amazon link isn't working.



Sorry, let’s try again:

1ml Syringe & 14G Blunt Needle (5 Pack) for DIY Mixing (1ml Syringe) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00SFS3ZHO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0lMyEbZXNQ7Z9


----------



## Andrew Butler

Wookii said:


> Sorry, let’s try again:
> 
> 1ml Syringe & 14G Blunt Needle (5 Pack) for DIY Mixing (1ml Syringe) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00SFS3ZHO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0lMyEbZXNQ7Z9


Working


----------



## Ady34

Andrew Butler said:


> Blimey; I've never pulled one out that bad
> It shows your filter is keeping some of the waste at least
> As a suggestion maybe an easy option is to simply pull the pre-filter every couple of days and rinse it through quickly - you know these filters the same as I do and simply spraying a hose from the outside is about the easiest way to clean them.
> One thing I found out as someone told me was putting a piece of course foam in the pre-filter helped the pre-filter work better which was true but I never really had a problem without it if I kept on top of them but you've got quite a load so might be worth a thought but just keep an eye on the flow and don't have it all the way to the top.
> 
> The wood is one thing I was quite surprised at when I saw the above/below waterline the other week and put me off wood even more on my planned longer term setup.


Yeah, I let it go far too long. I used to clean the pre filter twice weekly, I got lazy and the fish load and plant load increased which has lead to my problems. I’m going to do twice weekly pre filter rinses as you said, it’s easy enough with a hose from the outside which is exactly how I do it.
In one of my old tanks I used to add filter floss in the centre of the pre filter, it would clog fast in this tank but I guess that would encourage better filter maintenance.
Tbh the wood isn’t anything I wouldn’t expect, I’ve had wood in the past disintegrate but it is a bit tough after you’ve invested in hardscape materials for them to disappear I front of you ........better this way than in my discus tank where the royal plec ate my investment in front of me 




Wookii said:


> Don’t worry the Buces should be fine - I’ve been spot dosing mine without issue - if you’re worried dilute it a little, and stick to your target overall tank dose (be that x1 or x2 dose etc).
> 
> Just make sure you spot dose with a small (1ml is good) syringe, a thick needle helps with accuracy too: Amazon
> 
> I’ve found BBA reacts very well too it - one or two doses and the shrimp start munching it away - a day later and it’s gone. Stag horn I’ve found is a little tougher and needs 2-4 spot doses before it gets eaten.



Thanks for the tips, I’ve started a treatment with flourish excel, double stated dose. I’ll see how this fares before spot dosing but I’ve read elsewhere on the forum about crypts in particular not liking the addition......I’m prepared for the balansae to melt but it will be sad as it’s just starting to take hold now.

Anyway, managed to do a bit more revival today starting with catching out as many bristlenoses as I could before they got wise to what I was doing. I managed about 20 I think, but not the big male who stuck himself right into his hole with the eggs he’s tending. There are still a lot left but it’s a start, I’ll try again next weekend.





Took this batch to my local store.

Then it was out with the old sand which was heavily discoloured and stained, I simply siphoned it out to minimise disturbing it.





















Big water change to boot......





cleaned some old sand to add back in......





......and done.....simply scooped the cleaned sand into a small pot and submerged it close to the bottom of the tank and poured it in......





Substrate looking crisp again......










Fish keeping off the bottom whilst I was swapping it out...






Anyway, looking a lot better again, and excel treatment underway. Hopefully I’ll be able to rid the bba (and the hair algae) without too many plant casualties. I need to trim the ludwigia again and clean the pre filters regularly. Few really bad leaves to remove also but getting there 
Lights currently set at a maximum intensity of 45% for the left side where there is no shade, and 50% for the right where there is more plant mass to shade the lower part of the tank.
Added the drop checker back in too so I can try and dial the co2 in better again.

Oh, still considering the ADA 30c  Never been much of a fanboy, but would be nice to own a full set up, and now with a dedicated aquascaping store literally on my doorstep it’s hard to resist.......

Cheerio, and thanks for the tips.


----------



## Andrew Butler

Ady34 said:


> In one of my old tanks I used to add filter floss in the centre of the pre filter, it would clog fast in this tank but I guess that would encourage better filter maintenance.


Is filter floss not a bit too fine? you've experience of doing it so unsure how, and if it effected flow rate (on screen)


Ady34 said:


> cleaned some old sand to add back in......


Was this through rinsing that it came up clean? (Unipac Maui quartz sand?)


Ady34 said:


> Tbh the wood isn’t anything I wouldn’t expect


I can't find where but when I commented somewhere people kind of rubbished this being something normal, but you've clearly shown it happening.
Puts me off adding wood to my next longer term planned aquascape, that's for sure.

Aside from the above it looks pretty enjoyable viewing to me, which I think is what the hobby's all about.


----------



## Ady34

Andrew Butler said:


> Is filter floss not a bit too fine? you've experience of doing it so unsure how, and if it effected flow rate (on screen)
> 
> Was this through rinsing that it came up clean? (Unipac Maui quartz sand?)
> 
> I can't find where but when I commented somewhere people kind of rubbished this being something normal, but you've clearly shown it happening.
> Puts me off adding wood to my next longer term planned aquascape, that's for sure.
> 
> Aside from the above it looks pretty enjoyable viewing to me, which I think is what the hobby's all about.


Hi, the floss does reduce the flow a little and I won’t be using it in this tank tbh as I need the flow and I don’t want to be cleaning every day.
The sand was some used I had previously from my discus tank, I just rinsed it and added it. I threw the sand I removed from this tank out, it’s too badly stained.
Yeah to me wood is biodegradable so will always disintegrate, the rate will just be different between types, I just accept it tbh and don’t tend to reuse wood hardscape as I always want fresh pieces for a new aesthetic.
The tank does look ok and from a distance has an impact. I do enjoy it and your right, that’s what it’s about but this has just got a bit too ugly tbh and I need to address the issues. I’m already feeling a lot better about it after a few maintenence sessions, just need to be consistent now.
Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





Ady34 said:


> the rate will just be different between types, I just accept it tbh


A lot depends on the wood. In my experience these types are the most resistant to decay.

Real "bogwood", wood that has been encased in a peat bog for hundreds, or thousands of years, 
Oak (_Quercus robur_) heart wood, from either branches or roots.
Douglas Fir (_Pseudotsuga menziesii) _heart wood
Mopani wood (_Colophospermum mopane_)
cheers Darrel


----------



## Tankless

Does the disintegrating Manzanita wood affect water parameters?


----------



## Tim Harrison

Looking much better for the maintenance Ady 
You planning on getting much more milage out of this scape?


Tankless said:


> Does the disintegrating Manzanita wood affect water parameters?


I think the wood in Ady's scape is Talawa wood.
Manzi does decay a little, but it's very hard and resistant.
So no it doesn't impact much, if at all, on water parameters.
I've got pieces that have been used many times and still have plenty of life left.


----------



## Ady34

Tankless said:


> Does the disintegrating Manzanita wood affect water parameters?


As Tim said, it’s actually Talawa wood, with good tank maintenance and regular water changes it should not effect water quality.


Tim Harrison said:


> Looking much better for the maintenance Ady
> You planning on getting much more milage out of this scape?


Yeah it does look a lot better but a photo filter helps too 
I think I am planning on running this for a lot longer. The thought of rescaping is so tempting but the cost in a tank this big is a little daunting so long term is definitely the way forward. I will see how well I can pull it back, but if the recent maintenance is anything to go by then I’m confident it will improve significantly.
I am almost decided to go for a second smaller set up which I can rescape more frequently to scratch the creative itches. That way I can leave the big tank as the slow burner, enjoy it, and get my aquascaping fix with a more cost effective system with regards creating more and varied scapes. Initial outlay will be an investment but future scapes will definitely be more achievable in a 30cm cube. I have always preferred larger tanks but I’ve converted myself to the positives of a nano 
Cheerio,


----------



## Ady34

After carrying out double filter strip downs, and substrate replacement all within a couple of days i think it is important to follow up with above average water changes to counteract any reduction in filter bacteria and the loss of natural bacteria within the substrate. I’ll be doing ^50% water changes every other day this week and possibly every third day next week to ensure water quality remains safe for the fish.







Cheerio,


----------



## Jayefc1

It's so nice to see you posting and taking care of that beast of a tank mate it's been my fav tank on here for a while was gutted to see you had lost that lil bit of fire for it so glad its beginning to get turned around hope it all works out and your getting to the point where your happy with it again


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> It's so nice to see you posting and taking care of that beast of a tank mate it's been my fav tank on here for a while was gutted to see you had lost that lil bit of fire for it so glad its beginning to get turned around hope it all works out and your getting to the point where your happy with it again


Cheers Jayefc1, would really like to turn it back around and make it look the way it should.


----------



## Ady34

Bba.....

red is dead??


----------



## Wookii

Ady34 said:


> Bba.....
> 
> red is dead??
> 
> View attachment 132363



Is that from spot dosing/misting, or from whole tank dosing? if the latter what dose are you adding?

Your shrimp should munch through that if you have any left.


----------



## Ady34

Wookii said:


> Is that from spot dosing/misting, or from whole tank dosing? if the latter what dose are you adding?
> 
> Your shrimp should munch through that if you have any left.


Hi Wookii,
Whole tank dosing @ 5ml flourish excel to every 40l for 2 days.
Water change of 50%.
Next day another dose @ 5ml for every 40l, then at 5ml per 80l for the second day, 50% water change and I’ll repeat this till Sunday when I will stop altogether as I hate adding chemicals  Hopefully red is dead.

cheerio,


----------



## Wookii

Ady34 said:


> Hi Wookii,
> Whole tank dosing @ 5ml flourish excel to every 40l for 2 days.
> Water change of 50%.
> Next day another dose @ 5ml for every 40l, then at 5ml per 80l for the second day, 50% water change and I’ll repeat this till Sunday when I will stop altogether as I hate adding chemicals  Hopefully red is dead.
> 
> cheerio,



Yep, its those first three days that got it then I reckon. It'll disappear sharpish now I suspect.


----------



## Ady34

Wookii said:


> Yep, its those first three days that got it then I reckon. It'll disappear sharpish now I suspect.


Yes it turned red within the first three days, just belt and braces now for the rest of the week.


----------



## Ady34

Well, more maintenance at the weekend including a thinning of the bolbitis and crypt balansae and trimming the ludwigia. The bba has gone red, but nothing is eating it so it still sits on the wood and leaf edges in places. Excel treatment has now stopped, however the water has a slight milkiness, perhaps a small bacterial bloom due to a mini cycle from the major maintenence of the last week. Every third day water changes this week just to make sure, but all the livestock is well with no accelerated breathing nor any flicking or irritation so I believe all is good. I didn’t manage to catch any more bristlenose this weekend, but although I still have a fair amount of substrate detrius, it is nowhere near as bad as before and i can manage it with a quick siphon every couple of days.

the ludwigia and bolbitis were getting pretty condensed




So I pull the ludwigia stems completely




Thin out the older or damaged bolbitis and crypt leaves




trim the ludwigia down




Grab them in the tweezers




And push them into the mass of bolbitis to anchor








it’s not perfect but has a better overall feel again




Oh, and I did this.......




More equipment to collect so a slow burner but a smaller tank for more frequent creativity 

cheerio,


----------



## Wookii

^^ Could you add a batch of large Amanos, or will your larger fish still hunt them? Some horned nerites may also eat the dying algae.


----------



## Ady34

Wookii said:


> ^^ Could you add a batch of large Amanos, or will your larger fish still hunt them? Some horned nerites may also eat the dying algae.


Large amanos maybe safe but it’s finding them to buy. To be fair the cherry’s are maintaining a population but not booming to the numbers needed and I think there work ethic is effected by the large fish that do pick them off. I could add snails as I can source them locally. I had some before but they have disappeared.


----------



## Wookii

Ady34 said:


> Large amanos maybe safe but it’s finding them to buy. To be fair the cherry’s are maintaining a population but not booming to the numbers needed and I think there work ethic is effected by the large fish that do pick them off. I could add snails as I can source them locally. I had some before but they have disappeared.



Most Maidenhead Aquatics have Amanos as does my local Pets at Home - in fact PAH have pretty large ones generally. If you buy females they will grow the largest.


----------



## alto

Just catching up - great response to the Excel (which is about what I’ve seen on the odd occasion I’ve had enough BBA to bother treating (definitely the wood was an outstanding home as virtually none elsewhere)) I didn’t try to remove any discoloured BBA and it seemed to have disappeared a month on 

I encourage removal of the heavily affected leafs of the Buce etc - even once the BBA dies back, there is still significant leaf damage (more prone to new algae attachments, expensive for the plant to maintain) - established plants generally  have no problems building new (healthy) leafs 

I wonder how much of your wood disintegration is related to the pleco attention - even the softest wood I have, deteriorates much more slowly than what I see in your photo 

Excess feeding of fish - your fish are well rounded and large specimens   

Shrimp - not sure I’d bother adding Amano re cost and poor work ethic when there’s loads of fish food to be had (this applies to most SAE as well, especially as they mature they naturally consume less vegetative matter (even in the wild))
Also attention from fish will quickly convince them to dwell happily in the undergrowth 


ADA 30C 
I was going to attempt to persuade a 45P or even 60P but you were too fast (I find square scaping a challenge - I often run my 30C with just the Eheim mini up filter  - though I went with the ONF Nano + so good light control)
Of course, now awaiting your 30C scape


----------



## Ady34

alto said:


> Just catching up - great response to the Excel (which is about what I’ve seen on the odd occasion I’ve had enough BBA to bother treating (definitely the wood was an outstanding home as virtually none elsewhere)) I didn’t try to remove any discoloured BBA and it seemed to have disappeared a month on


Thanks for the info, good to hear it will go without intervention. I’m sure I saw some manufacturer with a tweezer for bba removal, I guess I could use a set of eyelash tweezers to manually remove any from the hardscape I see just to help things along


alto said:


> I encourage removal of the heavily affected leafs of the Buce etc - even once the BBA dies back, there is still significant leaf damage (more prone to new algae attachments, expensive for the plant to maintain) - established plants generally have no problems building new (healthy) leafs


Yes, I have been removing the worst effected leaves as I spot them. Snipping a few buce and bolbitis leaves in particular. The bolbitis I mind less as they readily show new fronds however the buce seem slower growing so don’t feel as comfortable taking a lot from them....the worst ones definitely though.


alto said:


> I wonder how much of your wood disintegration is related to the pleco attention - even the softest wood I have, deteriorates much more slowly than what I see in your photo


I’m not too sure, I thought bristlenose weren’t aggressive with wood, more biofilm and algae eaters. Maybe it is water chemistry related.


alto said:


> Excess feeding of fish - your fish are well rounded and large specimens


 I do only feed once a day. I guess the Congo’s eat natural shrimp supplies. 





alto said:


> Shrimp - not sure I’d bother adding Amano re cost and poor work ethic when there’s loads of fish food to be had (this applies to most SAE as well, especially as they mature they naturally consume less vegetative matter (even in the wild))
> Also attention from fish will quickly convince them to dwell happily in the undergrowth


That is my worry too, shrimp hunters do tend to put them off a bit.


alto said:


> ADA 30C
> I was going to attempt to persuade a 45P or even 60P but you were too fast (I find square scaping a challenge - I often run my 30C with just the Eheim mini up filter  - though I went with the ONF Nano + so good light control)
> Of course, now awaiting your 30C scape


I took a while deliberating which tank, I wanted something smaller but always prefer a more panoramic tank for much the same reasons you described. It was a more stressful decision than I’ve made it appear, but I went with a more practical and sensible option in the end as even the 45p was a little too large for the space I have in the kitchen diner. Also the cost increases with every item you buy and I kind of want it mostly all to be ADA, but on a budget. I appreciate a small filter or even a skimmer would suffice however with such a small tank I didn’t want the invasion of a skimmer and then I want the ADA filter too so am looking at the es300 with spin pipes. Likely overkill for the 30c but I decided that tank, light, stand and filter would be ADA. I’ve picked a bad time to start this though with the global situation. Cabinet is made to order in this size and 300 superjet is out of stock without a delivery date  I’m not in a huge rush I guess, apart from impatience 
I could choose more controllable lighting but I just want it to be ADA, I don’t really know why I have this desire to own an ADA set up as I haven’t really felt the need before......it’s nice to have nice things i guess and on a small scale is semi affordable.....the items do look nice too 

Anyway, thanks for the input, I will enjoy trying to scape the very tiny 30c, I’m much more used to larger tanks so it should be challenging. I’m hoping, if not to set the world alight with the scape, but to try some different things without the worry of wasting a huge amount of money on failing. It will be nice to utilise more ADA products and see how they fare.
Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Jayefc1

Tank is looking loads better Ady the plants mass looked insane should have a better flow now it's been thinned a little 

That little ADA cube will be intresting 
I know what you mean about wanting a full ADA set up there is something special about it I dont know why but evertihng just feels classier even next to the ea of which is a nice set up have you ordered the cabinet for the cube then and the superjet


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> Tank is looking loads better Ady the plants mass looked insane should have a better flow now it's been thinned a little
> 
> That little ADA cube will be intresting
> I know what you mean about wanting a full ADA set up there is something special about it I dont know why but evertihng just feels classier even next to the ea of which is a nice set up have you ordered the cabinet for the cube then and the superjet


Thanks Jayefc1, should help with flow, although there are still areas that I could thin more in the java ferns and bolbitis. I still need to adjust up the co2 also as I only get to  a darker rather than lighter green dc colour. I need to do it on a weekend really when I can monitor it properly.
Yeah there is something just that little more special with ADA, maybe a bit of hype, but the design and styling of the equipment is definitely just that bit more on point.
I have a cabinet on order which isn’t due until May, and I guess will have to wait for news on the filter too. The irony is any other sized cabinet is in stock available for delivery, just the cube cabinet clear for the 30c is apparently not a sought after unit so made to order. I’m guessing this is due to the small size and relatively high cost, meaning most people choose to sit the tank on any household furniture. The small tank fits anywhere and is probably chosen as it won’t take up extra room.
I so nearly went for the 45p, but it would have just been that bit too big for where I wanted it.
Cheerio,


----------



## Jayefc1

It's a shame cause the 45p is an amazing tank i love the dimension of it and it is a good size to keep that creative itch scratched. Not scaped a 30 but I think it will be fun can't imagine going from your 1200 to 30 and like you said its it's not going to cost a fortune to play with every 3 months or so I do think it's harder to get a balance in the smaller tanks


----------



## alto

Ady34 said:


> I want the ADA filter too so am looking at the es300 with spin pipes.


Me too 

I also have the 30C on a kitchen counter - after debating the 45P (too big) , I’m just not that keen on the 36 mm rectangle (whatever it’s called these days) but likely I just need to work with it rather than focusing on what I can’t do with it ... I think Jurijs UNS 5N is much the same shape and his scape turned out rather nice - love Steve the Scaper  ... I’ve had some small _Stiphodon_ gobies and they’ve not done any real digging (but also in bigger tanks)

You’ll have a very nice set up once the pieces arrive - ADA delivers on aesthetics


----------



## Jayefc1

Is there a local Ada supplier near you then if so your a lucky man


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> Is there a local Ada supplier near you then if so your a lucky man


Yep, one just opened up literally on my doorstep


----------



## Jayefc1

Wow you are a lucky man do they have them set up and running scapes in


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> Wow you are a lucky man do they have them set up and running scapes in


No ADA systems set up yet but in the future they may do. They have literally only been open a few months and are slowly building up both stock and displays.


----------



## Jayefc1

Maybe they could do with someone scaping one of those lovely ADA tanks for them @Ady34 would be amazing to get use of a tank in there shop free scaping cant beat that


----------



## Ady34

Maintenance day today, I’ve been slowly tweaking co2 up again also over the past few days to a point where I think I have a good balance.
I think I’ve mentioned before that I’ve always struggled with the co2 balance, perhaps this is down to my plant choices, more often than not utilising slow growers and lower lighting. I can get the dc to light/lime green for the start photoperiod, but it seems to escalate to an uncomfortable level during the day without intervention. The co2 builds rather than reaching a plateau of off gassing and plant uptake. Low lighting tends to slow the pace of the plants and slow growers maybe tend to use less co2 hence the gradual build. To combat this for many years I have utilised the timer on the solenoid to switch the gas on and off during the photoperiod to maintain a level. About 3 hrs into the photoperiod I begin to turn the gas off for 15minutes every hour so it doesn’t go beyond a comfortable level for the fish. This seems to work pretty well for me.
I can immediately tell the difference within the tank of tweaking and upping my co2 as the plants have began pearling as the oxygen content of the water becomes saturated. Due to these changes I have upped the light intensity 5% also to a maximum of 55% for the right light, I will continue to monitor and increase again if I feel the need. The fissidens hasn’t recovered from its heavy trim as fast this time and I feel it may be down to the reduction in light intensity I implemented to battle the bba outbreak.
Bba has certainly been halted, there are a few small areas but I can monitor and react if necessary.
Anyway, I took a short video and several during and after maintenance photos which I’ll share as I’m feeling better about the tank again 

Shrimp hunting 


































































And a quick phone video look around the tank, if you have the option, choose the highest resolution.......



cheerio, stay safe,
Ady.


----------



## alto

Tank is looking awesome 

What is mounted above the tank - metal fish sculpture?


----------



## Matt @ ScapeEasy

Great to hear that you’re feeling better about the scape again - because you definitely should be!!!


----------



## Jayefc1

Wow mate looking loads better those buces are amazing


----------



## Ady34

alto said:


> Tank is looking awesome
> 
> What is mounted above the tank - metal fish sculpture?


Thanks and yes a metal fish sculpture 




Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> Great to hear that you’re feeling better about the scape again - because you definitely should be!!!


thanks Matt 




Jayefc1 said:


> Wow mate looking loads better those buces are amazing


cheers Jayefc1, they’ve certainly filled out in a year, only looking back at old pics and videos do you appreciate the gain in plant mass 

cheerio,


----------



## Tim Harrison

Nice video Ady, tanks looking awesome


----------



## Gill

Looks Stunning


----------



## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> Nice video Ady, tanks looking awesome





Gill said:


> Looks Stunning


Thanks chaps.

One thing I’ve noticed over the years is how different bolbitis heudelotii grows in different tanks. The leaf formation varies hugely, sometimes very serrated leaves, other times less so. I’m guessing this is down to environmental factors rather than different sub species? Does anybody know?
Cheerio,


----------



## Jayefc1

Ady34 said:


> only looking back at old pics and videos do you appreciate the gain in plant mass


Yeah when you see it every day you dont appreciate how much the grow especially the slower growers


----------



## Ady34

@Tim Harrison has done a little video edit for the video which is much nicer than my rudimentary efforts. 
Thanks Tim 



cheerio.


----------



## Tankless

Is the ludwigia attached the wood?


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





Ady34 said:


> The leaf formation varies hugely, sometimes very serrated leaves, other times less so. I’m guessing this is down to environmental factors rather than different sub species? Does anybody know?


As far as we know it is just one species.

I've had a much <"smaller growing plant"> but I don't know what might happen with a bit more TLC.





Iain Sutherland said:


> amano has a similar tank in this 'complete works' followed by the comment that in order to get emeresed bolbitus it took the tank 4+ years..


There are some <"pictures of one of Amano's tanks"> with enormous emersed plants.  

This was one of @hydrophyte's grown on a raft.






cheers Darrel


----------



## Ady34

Tankless said:


> Is the ludwigia attached the wood?


Hi, no it is simply pushed into the mass of bolbitis


----------



## Wookii

Ady34 said:


> Hi, no it is simply pushed into the mass of bolbitis



I must have missed that despite reading your whole journal - so you have no soil in the scape at all then?


----------



## Ady34

Wookii said:


> I must have missed that despite reading your whole journal - so you have no soil in the scape at all then?


Nope, none


----------



## Jayefc1

Either vid is good tank is still the star of the show though


----------



## Tim Harrison

Jayefc1 said:


> tank is still the star of the show though


Exactly, it's what inspired me to have a go 
It's Ady's video, I just mucked around with it a bit and added a sound track 



Ady34 said:


> [MEDIA=youtube]DmOWOC9n1qc[/MEDIA]
> 
> cheerio.


----------



## Jayefc1

It does look good


----------



## Ady34

Thanks Tim and Jayefc1,
I’m really pleased with how the tank has changed in the last two weeks since implementing some basic changes. The water has never been clearer than the past two days, the plants, fish and shrimps all look so much more vibrant and im actually watching the tank again.
Happy days in such unprecedented times. This hobby is a good one for the soul.

stay safe everyone.

cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Mr.Shenanagins

Just went through your whole thread Ady, really stunning setup. Such lush growth for mostly epiphyte scape, really filled out nicely. However that video Tim edited, that music sounds like it’s from an 80’s inappropriate adult film


----------



## Ady34

Mr.Shenanagins said:


> Just went through your whole thread Ady, really stunning setup. Such lush growth for mostly epiphyte scape, really filled out nicely. However that video Tim edited, that music sounds like it’s from an 80’s inappropriate adult film


Thanks and that made me chuckle, I can’t un-hear that now


----------



## Ady34

What’s next?.......


----------



## Jayefc1

No way is it empty really omg


----------



## Jayefc1

I cant even bring myself to.press the like.button lol


----------



## CooKieS

Nice april fools


----------



## Jayefc1

Ohhh you ********


----------



## Matt @ ScapeEasy

Nooooooooooooo.... you have to be fooling us. Nope I’ve decided you definately are... I couldn’t cope with that on top of everything else...


----------



## Matt @ ScapeEasy

Ha - date on the photo is Nov 18!!!! We are saved!


----------



## Wookii

Lol got me there for a second ‘til I remembered the date!


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> No way is it empty really omg





Jayefc1 said:


> I cant even bring myself to.press the like.button lol





CooKieS said:


> Nice april fools





Jayefc1 said:


> Ohhh you ********





Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> Nooooooooooooo.... you have to be fooling us. Nope I’ve decided you definately are... I couldn’t cope with that on top of everything else...





Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> Ha - date on the photo is Nov 18!!!! We are saved!





Wookii said:


> Lol got me there for a second ‘til I remembered the date!



you got it. open the photo, there is a hidden message on the cabinet 

happy April fools day


----------



## Matt @ ScapeEasy

@Ady34 Oh dear... I didn’t even see that!! I went straight to the photo properties!!!


----------



## Tim Harrison

Mr.Shenanagins said:


> However that video Tim edited, that music sounds like it’s from an 80’s inappropriate adult film


Nooo...! I'll have to do another edit now with different music.
Well actually maybe not... it is, after all, aquascaping porn 


Ady34 said:


> What’s next?.......
> View attachment 133057


My heart actually skipped a beat when my browser opened up on your empty tank Ady


----------



## Jayefc1

Tim Harrison said:


> My heart actually skipped a beat when my browser opened up on your empty tank Ady


Il second that especially at 1.20am how cruel @Ady34


----------



## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> Nooo...! I'll have to do another edit now with different music.
> Well actually maybe not... it is, after all, aquascaping porn
> 
> My heart actually skipped a beat when my browser opened up on your empty tank Ady


Thanks Tim 




Jayefc1 said:


> Il second that especially at 1.20am how cruel @Ady34


straight on it 

tank is still going strong, I think I might recategorise it as an ‘fishtankquascape’......

few species in there, you can see most of them in this shot ......






Gotta love a congo tetra, and a harlequin rasbora, and a buce, and a microsorum petite.....





and just for the heck of it, a male sturisoma aureum with maturity bristles......





 Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Jayefc1

Ady34 said:


> straight on it


That you was mate you had it planned and I feel right for it


----------



## Jayefc1

Any way back to reality nice pics of the fishtankqascape its looking really healthy again mate


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> Any way back to reality nice pics of the fishtankqascape its looking really healthy again mate


Cheers Jay, yeah it’s looking good again. No bba left at all.


----------



## Tim Harrison

Ady34 said:


> Gotta love a congo tetra


They are spectacular fish, and yours are mighty fine specimens


----------



## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> They are spectacular fish, and yours are mighty fine specimens


They are stunning, and that image is a picture of calm......however it’s not so calm when they are hunting shrimp, stealing the bottom feeder food and playing with it in the tank or chucking water at me, the walls and over the front of the tank at feeding time


----------



## CooKieS

Lovely fishes and photography Ady


----------



## Wookii

Ady34 said:


> They are stunning, and that image is a picture of calm......however it’s not so calm when they are hunting shrimp, stealing the bottom feeder food and playing with it in the tank or chucking water at me, the walls and over the front of the tank at feeding time



Now that’s be a video that would be interesting to see!


----------



## Gill

Love the fish in this scape, they are showing tru colors and behaviuors.
How are you finding the Gold Tetras, Have you seen any of them displaying a slight lime green tint to them. They really do look stunning in the right settings with enough light that you can see the colour shifting in their scales as they move between different areas of the tank.

My Mistake, the Black Neons looked Gold for an instant.


----------



## Ady34

CooKieS said:


> Lovely fishes and photography Ady


Thanks, although the photography is limited to my iPhone 8 and enhanced with instagram filters 


Wookii said:


> Now that’s be a video that would be interesting to see!


One day.....


Gill said:


> Love the fish in this scape, they are showing tru colors and behaviuors.
> How are you finding the Gold Tetras, Have you seen any of them displaying a slight lime green tint to them. They really do look stunning in the right settings with enough light that you can see the colour shifting in their scales as they move between different areas of the tank.
> 
> My Mistake, the Black Neons looked Gold for an instant.


Thanks Gill, they are gold/platinum tetra, and they do have a very blue/green sheen and an obvious stripe. I’m still unsure of the exact species they are tbh, there was some discussion earlier in the journal. Perhaps they have morphed back to the more natural colour without enhancement from diet. Either way they are stunning in the flesh and something which I cannot capture on camera.

cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Ady34

Hi all,
during the lockdown I’m finding myself really enjoying viewing the tank. I’ve been pinching out plants here and there to give better shape and lines to the scape and I am really appreciating the fish. The ludwigia needs another trim, this time I’m not going to remove the stems completely, but trim them in tank and replant the tips to encourage extra plant mass from the cut stems.
This scape doesn’t offer the complexity and detail from plant variety of many competition tanks, but I feel the plants are really coming into there own now and looking how I envisaged for this slow growing low maintenance tank.
Anyway, this has inspired another phone video which is best viewed in 1080p.
It’s a 2min 30 second video running round the tank trying to capture the fish and the  use of plants and layers. The end shots particularly illustrate this and it is one of my favourite aspects. The substrate space is also shown as it is something i felt was important for the bottom dwellers of the tank. The extra dimension gained from open top tanks is interesting. Looking down and seeing the movement of water Is calming and being able to view the tank from many angles offers pockets of viewpoints which are unique.
I think I’d like to get better images and video content of the tank as there are lots of reflections created by a mirror on the adjacent wall......
.....this one.....



 



 

I will look to cover this at some point and darken the room to try and capture something of better quality, however I am limited to my iPhone for these. I also feel the iPhone doesn’t quite capture the aspect correctly and seems to shorten the tank length a little as it does look different in reality. Anyway, I’m rambling a little now so hope you are all staying safe in these uncertain times? Enjoy your tanks, I know I am 
Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Ady34

Whilst not working the tank is definitely getting more tlc, and I have more time for viewing.
Thought I’d share again a typical weekly maintenance routine as I’m now actually carrying this out and it goes to show that you get out what you put in. The algae woes are behind me and the tank is looking vibrant again because of it.

I start by removing the cabinet doors as this offers easy access to the equipment below. I then lay down an old roll of carpet to prevent spillages on the living room carpet 





The water level gets dropped if necessary, and I give the glass a quick wipe to remove any biofilm/algae...





Next is to remove any loose leaves or debris from around the tank...









Next I trim and plants or stray leaves, mainly bolbitis, ludwigia and any damaged leaves I see. There was a few on the crypt balansae which needed thinning out a bit anyway.









I said i was going to cut the ludwigia in tank this time, however it had developed a lot of roots so I decided to remove and trim again as I’m not a fan of seeing the white roots....









Trim down, I normally then remove a couple of leaves from the lower part of the stem in preparation of replanting...





.....and shortened ready to replant.....





Pushed back into the bolbitis, it straightens itself up pretty quickly.....





Next day....





I need a step as I’m a bit short ...





The red ludwigia definitely adds to the scape....





I also try to remove any new plantlets that start to grow on the tips of the ferns as they look a little untidy.









Once all the trimming is done....





....I then clean the substrate. I have two sizes of siphon/gravel cleaner. A little one for getting into the more awkward areas, and then a larger one for doing the majority of the sand. It’s amazing how much detritus builds up in just one week.





This is siphoned away down a drain away next to the tank:





Some water is used to water the houseplants 

Whilst the remainder of water is being drained I take the opportunity to clean the pre-filters in the Fluval G6 filters. I do this twice weekly now and I also swap the glassware for a duplicate set I have cleaned ready. Every 2-4 weeks I clean the pipes also and fully strip down the filters on an alternate 2 week cycle.





The water level is pretty low for quite a while so I regularly mist the exposed plants to prevent them drying out too much.....





I also quite like the view with the exposed plants....









once all is back together I refill via the the thermostatic mixing valve and HMA filter direct from the boiler:





Put the ‘stuff’ back in the cabinet.....





.....doors back on and enjoy......







I even extended the photoperiod tonight as I was enjoying relaxing in front of the tank....





Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Jayefc1

I'm so jealous it's truly beautiful mate and so glad your getting out what you put in there was a.time I thought it was a goner but you have brought it back to it's TRUE glory well done


----------



## Tim Harrison

That's one heck of an update Ady, great to see the scape looking so good


----------



## Jayefc1

Tim Harrison said:


> That's one heck of an update


It was that but really intresting to see how other do there maintenance


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> I'm so jealous it's truly beautiful mate and so glad your getting out what you put in there was a.time I thought it was a goner but you have brought it back to it's TRUE glory well done


Thanks Jayefc1, is your name Jay? I keep meaning to ask as I want to just write Jay all the time however don’t want to if that’s not your name 
Yeah I have to say I was a little worried myself when the bba reared it’s ugly head. I knew my maintenance hadn’t been on point and some basics had slipped but feared also that it could have been the wood deteriorating and a forced strip down may have been necessary Thankfully it was all on me so sorting looking after the tank and tweaking the co2 again worked 
Really appreciate your interest too mate 


Tim Harrison said:


> That's one heck of an update Ady, great to see the scape looking so good


 yeah I guess spending more time in front of the tank encourages it....that and more time on my hands allows it  I do think though that this hobby offers a great stabiliser in situations like this, you can focus on nurturing something and enjoying it too, it definitely helps keep the mind focused.


Jayefc1 said:


> It was that but really intresting to see how other do there maintenance


Somebody may take something from it and if nothing else it’s something to look at 

Cheerio.


----------



## Jayefc1

Ady34 said:


> our name Jay?


Yes it is mate


Ady34 said:


> feared also that it could have been the wood deteriorating and a forced strip down may have been necessary


Yeah when you was saying the wood seems to be falling apart I feared the same


Ady34 said:


> sorting looking after the tank and tweaking the co2 again worked
> Really appreciate your interest too mate


I'm.really glad it is sorted by dy my fav tank in here


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> I'm.really glad it is sorted by dy my fav tank in here


Me too mate, and thank you, that’s really nice to hear


----------



## Ady34

Put this little pic together for my aquatic Instagram account (ady_myers_aqua) the other day, pretty cool to see the hardscape, planted to grown in pics altogether....


----------



## Jayefc1

Just followed you on Instagram forgot how strong the hardscape was without the actual plants


----------



## Room101

Ady34 said:


> Put this little pic together for my aquatic Instagram account (ady_myers_aqua) the other day, pretty cool to see the hardscape, planted to grown in pics altogether....
> 
> View attachment 133777


What a beautiful tank. Thanks for all the info you have given the community. I'm also looking to purchase the 1500. I went to see Dave at aquarium Gardens so I could see the tank in person. Great place. What a tank! 

So... I'm at the very early planning stages. I can install a drain very easily. Also I'll be able to get access to a hot and cold feed So I'm going to replicate your setup.

The only question I have to you sir. 
Is there anything regarding the plumbing you would change if were staring again?

Regards. 
Alan.


----------



## Ady34

Room101 said:


> What a beautiful tank. Thanks for all the info you have given the community. I'm also looking to purchase the 1500. I went to see Dave at aquarium Gardens so I could see the tank in person. Great place. What a tank!
> 
> So... I'm at the very early planning stages. I can install a drain very easily. Also I'll be able to get access to a hot and cold feed So I'm going to replicate your setup.
> 
> The only question I have to you sir.
> Is there anything regarding the plumbing you would change if were staring again?
> 
> Regards.
> Alan.


Thanks Alan for the kind words and you won’t go far wrong visiting Aquarium Gardens and speaking with Dave or any of the staff there.
The Aquascaper 1500 there will be a class above as it was aquascaped by Filipe Oliveira and AG look after it impeccably as they do with all their scapes. It is an amazing gallery and I think probably the best showcase for planted aquaria in the uk. The Talawa wood and some seiryu stone along with most of the plants for my own scape were purchased there and I can’t fault their commitment to customer care.

In relation to the plumbing on the tank for me personally the system works well and offers a little versatility for refilling other tanks around the house. I guess depending upon your tank location and surroundings you could put the refill feed direct to the tank and hide the drain away behind the tank. Ideally I’d like a removable sealed top to the drain away, however with a u bend in there is no chance of bad smell return anyway. What I would say is ensure you have the hot and cold feed pipes and valves in the correct position behind the tank (if your putting them behind the tank) where the rear of the cabinet has the clear back gaps. Mine was slight guesswork and where I have positioned the tank hides/overlaps them slightly which makes turning the valves on/off slightly awkward. I don’t know how you will be positioning the tank or if you have the option to have the pipework and drain in a seperate cupboard next to the tank as that would eliminate a lot of precision. if you need any measurements then feel free to ask 
Hope that helps in some way.
Cheerio
Ady.

*edit: actually you will likely be getting the new aluminium framed cabinet style and I think from memory they are pretty much completely open backed, but worth looking into if your pipes etc are all going behind the cabinet.


----------



## Ady34

Go on then, while I’m here I may as well stick a few pics on .....









Cheerio,


----------



## Jayefc1

Might aswell  while your here lol


----------



## Room101

Thanks for the info.
I have a suspended floor and there's plenty of room under the floor to crawl around. I can place the drain when the tank base is installed.

Behind the wall, where View attachment 133882 View attachment 133883 View attachment 133882 View attachment 133882 View attachment 133883 the tank is going there's a walk in cupboard (under the stairs)  so I was thinking of putting some my plumbing in there. I might just have the 2nd set of hot and cold taps under the tank. I've not told the wife about that idea yet!  Anyway, I'm lucky that I've got flexibility regarding plumbing. The joys of owning a house built in 1925!

Yes I'm sad. The blue tape is the size of the 1500. It's all a plan. Letting the wife know what I'm doing.


----------



## Room101

My trigon is getting old. Time for something new.


----------



## Ady34

Room101 said:


> View attachment 133884 View attachment 133885 Thanks for the info.
> I have a suspended floor and there's plenty of room under the floor to crawl around. I can place the drain when the tank base is installed.
> 
> Behind the wall, where View attachment 133882 View attachment 133883 View attachment 133882 View attachment 133882 View attachment 133883 the tank is going there's a walk in cupboard (under the stairs)  so I was thinking of putting some my plumbing in there. I might just have the 2nd set of hot and cold taps under the tank. I've not told the wife about that idea yet!  Anyway, I'm lucky that I've got flexibility regarding plumbing. The joys of owning a house built in 1925!
> 
> Yes I'm sad. The blue tape is the size of the 1500. It's all a plan. Letting the wife know what I'm doing.


Sounds like you have several options there, probably the best one would be to position the tank and then go through the wall exactly where needed from the cupboard. 
The blue tape is a great idea of showing the scale. I did exactly the same with my 8ft tank in my old house to visualise the dimensions. 
Lovely trogon you have, notoriously tricky to scape but you have used the space well 

cheerio,


----------



## Andrew Butler

Room101 said:


> I have a suspended floor


Sorry for interrupting your post @Ady34 but reading 'Suspended floor' and 500kg (ish) in such a small is worth having a good thing over @Room101 - unsure if this has crossed your mind?
There's ways around it of course.


----------



## Ady34

After a little maintenance yesterday.
Needs a trim again to tidy it up, some pretty big bolbitis leaves appearing


----------



## Ady34

Today I decided that I would enter the tank into the IAPLC to increase uk participation.  This is a bit late to prep the tank realistically, however I’ve got a week to try and organise the tank. To be honest it won’t look a hugely different to what it does now and I don’t expect it to place highly at all. It certainly isn’t a competition tank but representing will be nice.
So in basic prep for a photo i am going to increase just about everything this week and hope it doesn’t all go Pete tong! Water changes, ferts, lighting and co2 all up a little. I adjusted my lighting which I thought was already at 60% up a little.....it was only at 55% right hand light and 50% left hand light.....so it’s up to 55% and 65% respectively for a three hour period, not a lot but enough I guess. There is a disparity between lights as the left side of the tank is much more open and light is free to penetrate whereas the right side has greater plant mass with some stems and lots of shade.
I will up ferts from 125ml per day to 150ml per day and co2 will be left on throughout the photoperiod, without the hourly 15min breaks, under monitoring. I will carry out three water changes this week and two sand siphons. I think I am going to drop the temperature a degree or so also to around 73 Fahrenheit. All fish will be monitored during this period of alteration and adjustments made accordingly. Realistically this should have been started 4 weeks prior, but I have only just decided 100% to enter, and I didn’t really consider prepping the tank. It will be quite a tricky tank to get looking good for a photo as the fish load is too great and I always have something on the sand. I don’t like doing water changes and sand cleans for photos as there are too many air bubbles in the tank and on the plants and the sand tends not to look naturally levelled immediately after. This means photographing will be done either the day after maintenance, or two days after, so a light small siphon above the sand may be necessary on photo day to remove any fish waste.
I have done some trimming and thinning today to make small adjustments to the shape and am going to swap out some moss that isn’t doing to great for some small anubias or bucephelandra in two areas.
All equipment will be removed for the photo, and although I won’t go to the lengths of professionals regards surface movement and ideal fish placement, I will be attempting to reduce all reflections within the room and try to utilise a tripod with my phone or maybe a borrowed camera to get the best image I can.
One thing I am undecided upon is wether to add some detailing rocks/gravels to the base of some of the substrate rocks. It really isn’t a detailed tank, but that has been more for my personal ease of maintenance. I don’t know wether the heavier nature of planting will overpower detailing rocks and make them seem a bit futile? Any thoughts are welcome 

after a little maintenence today:













Anyone else entering this year?
Ady.


----------



## Ady34

Been posting on insta, thought I’d share them here too 📷........

















aquascapes are cool


----------



## AqueousJungle

Great photos! 

Good luck with your IAPLC entry. I know you said you weren’t expecting to place highly etc  but I personally believe you do deserve to as I have admired this tank for a good while now. There are too many dioramas appearing in the high rankings in my opinion, anyone else agree?

If I was going to do some detail rocks I would want to use a rock of the same type broken up personally - given the short timescales involved this would likely not look right as the patena/darkening that comes with age on the types of rocks will not have had chance to form. I’m not a fanof using different gravels as a transition personally asI think they look unnatural. I think I saw Juris use Marino moss glued to rocks prior to a competition photo before and this looked good so may be something you wish to research/consider.


----------



## CooKieS

Good luck and congrats for entering IAPLC mate, with the comeback of the NA style, your beautiful aquascape has all chances to get a nice ranking! 

As for the sand, just leave it like that, it goes well with the style of the rest of the tank.


----------



## Ady34

AqueousJungle said:


> Great photos!
> 
> Good luck with your IAPLC entry. I know you said you weren’t expecting to place highly etc  but I personally believe you do deserve to as I have admired this tank for a good while now. There are too many dioramas appearing in the high rankings in my opinion, anyone else agree?
> 
> If I was going to do some detail rocks I would want to use a rock of the same type broken up personally - given the short timescales involved this would likely not look right as the patena/darkening that comes with age on the types of rocks will not have had chance to form. I’m not a fanof using different gravels as a transition personally asI think they look unnatural. I think I saw Juris use Marino moss glued to rocks prior to a competition photo before and this looked good so may be something you wish to research/consider.





CooKieS said:


> Good luck and congrats for entering IAPLC mate, with the comeback of the NA style, your beautiful aquascape has all chances to get a nice ranking!
> 
> As for the sand, just leave it like that, it goes well with the style of the rest of the tank.


Ah thank you both. Yes I think you are right about the graded stones/gravel not having time to age. I think they would be too fussy for this heavy scape so will enter as is.
My planned preparation for the tank hasn’t gone to plan as I got cellulitis in my knee last week so was a little incapacitated. I haven’t yet taken a final image and am not completely happy with the flow of the scape but trimming and thinning some buce now may look too unnatural. I will get an image as it is and enter though. I too am not a big fan of the diorama styles of recent times but do appreciate the skill in putting them together. This tank and myself are more lifestyle than competition, it looks to me at least a lot more balanced in real life than on an image which is great 
Little maintenance and small water change tonight in hope of taking an image tomorrow evening.
Cheerio,


----------



## Jayefc1

Not sure what's happened but havnt had notifications on your thread mate and missed a bit congrats on deciding to enter the comp mate tank looks amazing as always


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> Not sure what's happened but havnt had notifications on your thread mate and missed a bit congrats on deciding to enter the comp mate tank looks amazing as always


Thanks Jay.
Really looking forward to trying to get an image tomorrow night


----------



## LondonDragon

Shared on the UKAPS FB page


----------



## Ady34

LondonDragon said:


> Shared on the UKAPS FB page


Thanks Paulo.


----------



## Ady34

So, tonight I took the photo for iaplc.
It was actually really cool to do again. My family were in the room and my two boys were interacting taking their own images and my eldest helping with prep. Everybody agreed the tank looked really nice with all equipment removed and lighting turned up. 
Yesterday I did an additional 50% water change and full sand siphon after the one already carried out on Monday. The glass was cleaned in the tank so that today all I had to do was remove equipment and lightly siphon the substrate. 
I lightly siphoned the sand again to remove any obvious fish waste and cleaned the exterior glass. I made a makeshift light shade to prevent glare and colour wash out in the image. Realistically it should have been black and surrounded the sides of the tank too but the white polystyrene did help hugely. My son held a hairdryer to add surface movement which does add an extra touch to the image which is nice.  All in all I’m happy with the phone camera attempt, I took images on my phone, the wife’s iphone 11 and my sons huawei. To be honest I think i may enter the image taken on my sons phone as colour representation looks closest to true on that. I will choose an image tomorrow and enter. It makes me realise how poor my iPhone 8 is in comparison. 
Anyway it certainly could have been improved, the light shade could have been dark and a full surround, I could have used a proper camera and a tripod, but I utilised what I had and am happy with the final result. It’s nice to have a dedicated photo to keep and also to take part in the competition. 

Action shot:





Cheerio and good luck to all that have entered.


----------



## Jayefc1

It's funny how much cleaner and crisper the tank.looks just by removing the hardware if the shot above is anything to.go by the I'm pretty sure the final shot is really nice and hope the tank does well for you mate you have put a lot of work in to it probs more over the last couple of months since you got your mojo back.for it lol.


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> It's funny how much cleaner and crisper the tank.looks just by removing the hardware if the shot above is anything to.go by the I'm pretty sure the final shot is really nice and hope the tank does well for you mate you have put a lot of work in to it probs more over the last couple of months since you got your mojo back.for it lol.


Thanks Jay, I agree, it gets an extra dimension without equipment. The stillness of water and lack of co2 bubbles let you view it in a pure way. It is by no means perfect, nor professional but it surprised me in a positive way.
You are right, I think in regards to working on the tank more in the past few months it pretty much epitomises the journal title...... Re-education. This tank has illustrated that you get out what you put in, algae and untidiness can simply be overcome with effort and knowledge. There are mistakes in fish stocking, co2 needs attention, lighting is a balance and all of these things have a knock on effect in a planted tank. I have experienced these along the way and understand how to manage them. I love this tank, it is exactly what I wanted to achieve, longevity with a relative ease of sustainability.
If I ever rescape this tank there will be no Bristlenose plecs and I will try to resist fish that will definitely eat shrimp .........


----------



## Jayefc1

Your right the title is perfect bet you didnt really expect it to be so poignant when you named it 


Ady34 said:


> You are right, I think in regards to working on the tank more in the past few months it pretty much epitomises the journal title...... Re-education. This tank has illustrated that you get out what you put in, algae and untidiness can simply be overcome with effort and knowledge.


Totally agree with this and the knowledge part is pretty easy to.get when your here with so many willing member to help and advise but sometimes the effort part is a lot harder to maintain as we both know the passion comes and goes just glad yours came back for the 1500


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> the knowledge part is pretty easy to.get when your here with so many willing member to help and advise but sometimes the effort part is a lot harder to maintain


Yep, we have a great community here but they can’t make you do your filter clean


----------



## Jayefc1

Haha my point exactly mate


----------



## Ady34




----------



## Ady34

End shot taken during the iaplc shoot with equipment removed......


----------



## Ady34

Snippet of the iaplc shot.....


----------



## Ady34

Doing maintenance today, involved pulling the ludwigia stems again and trimming. Replanting them by pushing the stems into the mass of bolbitis reminds me of my Mum flower arranging years ago pushing flowers into those floral foam blocks  💐 You can get just the right shape by pushing them in at just the right depth........





‘pushing’ was a popular word in that paragraph


----------



## LondonDragon

Stunning 👏 if only mine will look half as good as yours


----------



## Ady34

LondonDragon said:


> Stunning 👏 if only mine will look half as good as yours


I’m sure yours will look better mate, the colour contrasts, variety of textures and your ability to grow beautiful stems will make it a more stunning tank imo.


----------



## Ady34

Pile in the pictures......
Evolution Aqua Aquascaper 1500 with raw concrete grey cabinet.....




Cheerio,


----------



## Deano3

Stunning mate deserves to be highly rated so natural looking.

Dean

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


----------



## Wookii

Hey @Ady34  - quick question if I may. What thermostatic mixer are you using on your HMA unit? I can't seem to find one anywhere with the correct (20-25 degree) output temperature ranges, they all seem to be 36-45 degrees!


----------



## Ady34

Wookii said:


> Hey @Ady34  - quick question if I may. What thermostatic mixer are you using on your HMA unit? I can't seem to find one anywhere with the correct (20-25 degree) output temperature ranges, they all seem to be 36-45 degrees!


Hi, 
It is a ‘bulldog TMV3/TMV2 Combined valve’
It is rated at 35-48 degrees Celsius temperature range however I believe this is due to there intended use for hot water supplies (showers, baths, basins etc) and not due to their inability to supply water mixed at lower temperatures as I have no issue lowering mine which is currently set at at about 24 Celsius. It is simply a valve that allows more or less hot and cold water through to maintain a temperature.
I wouldn’t worry about the temperature ratings, you just turn it down more 




Deano3 said:


> Stunning mate deserves to be highly rated so natural looking.
> 
> Dean
> 
> Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


Thanks Dean, we shall see but I know that it will not place highly. It is nice to be in it though


----------



## Ady34

Here’s a Friday FTS and a bucephelandra tropica red.....








Cheerio,


----------



## LondonDragon

This is by far my favourite tank at the moment, now if only I had the space for one of these! lol


----------



## Wookii

LondonDragon said:


> This is by far my favourite tank at the moment, now if only I had the space for one of these! lol



Agreed, it’s a truly beautiful tank. The fact that @Ady34 has done with without a single grain of soil is truly inspirational - I’m seriously considering going that way myself.

@Ady34 have you found any downsides to growing the stems without soil? Can you grow pretty much any stem plant like this?


----------



## Ady34

LondonDragon said:


> This is by far my favourite tank at the moment, now if only I had the space for one of these! lol


Ah, thanks Paulo, very nice of you to say. 



Wookii said:


> Agreed, it’s a truly beautiful tank. The fact that @Ady34 has done with without a single grain of soil is truly inspirational - I’m seriously considering going that way myself.
> 
> @Ady34 have you found any downsides to growing the stems without soil? Can you grow pretty much any stem plant like this?


Thanks @Wookii, with the ludwigia I haven’t really found any downsides but it is a relitively easy stem. I’m not particularly experienced with stems to be honest so unsure if all or most would be able to be grown in this way but realistically I see no reason why not with appropriate water column fertilisation. I’m sure green aqua used this method in their large display with some more advanced stems at one time but don’t quote me on that.


----------



## Ady34

Centre of the tank shot.....


----------



## SRP3006

Those Congo tetras have truly stunning colours. Really finish off the scape beautifully.


----------



## Ady34

Still ticking along nicely.
Little bit of bba hanging around on the wood in areas, likely due to needing to up frequency of filter maintenence. That being said I did a full filter clean today and in two weeks will do the other.
Fissidens needs a trim again and the rotala I got from @hogan53 (🙏) are starting to grow nicely so will be moved to mix with the ludwigia on the right of the tank soon.....





Little shot of the wall decor too. Quite like having this themed art above the tank. My Father’s Day present from the kids was a print of my iaplc image which is currently at the framers and this will join the fish shoal behind the tank soon 





Cheerio,


----------



## Wookii

Ady34 said:


> Still ticking along nicely.
> Little bit of bba hanging around on the wood in areas, likely due to needing to up frequency of filter maintenence. That being said I did a full filter clean today and in two weeks will do the other.
> Fissidens needs a trim again and the rotala I got from @hogan53 (🙏) are starting to grow nicely so will be moved to mix with the ludwigia on the right of the tank soon.....
> 
> View attachment 151966
> 
> Little shot of the wall decor too. Quite like having this themed art above the tank. My Father’s Day present from the kids was a print of my iaplc image which is currently at the framers and this will join the fish shoal behind the tank soon
> 
> View attachment 151967
> 
> Cheerio,



Looking fantastic Ady. How do you hold all the stems down, do you have to weight any of them, or do they all just wedge in gaps in the rocks and wood?


----------



## Ady34

Wookii said:


> Looking fantastic Ady. How do you hold all the stems down, do you have to weight any of them, or do they all just wedge in gaps in the rocks and wood?


Hi, 
The stems are simply pushed into the bolbitis and the fern and bucephelandra. No weights or any other means, the plants are quite dense so hold the stems well, and especially in regards the ludwigia, it grows roots quickly which anchor it very well. The ludwigia has the added advantage of being quite a large leaved and robust plant so the lower leaves act like anchors also.
Cheerio,


----------



## LondonDragon

Still amazed every time I see a photo of this tank  would not change a thing here other than move it to my living room! lol


----------



## Ady34

LondonDragon said:


> Still amazed every time I see a photo of this tank  would not change a thing here other than move it to my living room! lol


Thank you Paulo


----------



## rebel

I would love to see a high res picture of the FTS. Very balanced scape that's for sure. Maybe you need to add a little tension....you know...just for kicks and giggles.


----------



## Ady34

rebel said:


> I would love to see a high res picture of the FTS. Very balanced scape that's for sure. Maybe you need to add a little tension....you know...just for kicks and giggles.


Ha ha, I thought I had tension with the lower right wood going the opposite way.......I’d love a high resolution image too however limited to my phone camera


----------



## Ady34

Little home decor rearrangement tonight....,
Includes my awesome Father’s Day present back from the framers today 





cheerio,


----------



## DeepMetropolis

How you manage to keep the carpet dry during maintenance? 

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G920F met Tapatalk


----------



## Geoffrey Rea

DeepMetropolis said:


> How you manage to keep the carpet dry during maintenance?



I think it’s because @Ady34 has a wife and he values his personal safety 😂


----------



## Ady34

DeepMetropolis said:


> How you manage to keep the carpet dry during maintenance?
> 
> Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G920F met Tapatalk





Geoffrey Rea said:


> I think it’s because @Ady34 has a wife and he values his personal safety 😂


It is true, I do value my safety  ....I also utilise an old piece of carpet that I roll out over the living room carpet as seen here when the puppy was ‘helping’ me with maintenance.....



Cheerio,


----------



## Ady34

What be in the reflection?.......


----------



## Harry H

Ady34 said:


> What be in the reflection?.......



Is that a EA600? 

And a twinstar light?


----------



## Ady34

Harry H said:


> Is that a EA600?
> 
> And a twinstar light?


You know your reflections 
MTS has infected me once again 😬


----------



## Harry H

Ady34 said:


> You know your reflections
> MTS has infected me once again 😬



Yes, I have a 600 as well, looking forward to seeing what you would come up, and looks like you had the perfect spot for it, just the right space.


----------



## Jayefc1

Wow mate MTS has kicked in is that technically 4 now lol


----------



## Ady34

Harry H said:


> Yes, I have a 600 as well, looking forward to seeing what you would come up, and looks like you had the perfect spot for it, just the right space.


Thanks, thought I had a plan for it but now I don’t, need to consider my options scape wise but definitely planted. Perhaps leaning more towards an iwagumi now but not set in stone.
It fits the space nice but the radiator position is not ideal, I think it should be ok though.


Jayefc1 said:


> Wow mate MTS has kicked in is that technically 4 now lol


Yeah, 1500, 30c, 600 and the dooa.....although that doesn’t count as it’s a terrarium 
Both the kids have tanks too so there are 6 so far....

cheerio,


----------



## Tim Harrison

Ady34 said:


> Yeah, 1500, 30c, 600 and the dooa.....although that doesn’t count as it’s a terrarium
> Both the kids have tanks too so there are 6 so far....


Crikey Ady, is there any corner of your home left to fill ? 
Either way looking forward to seeing what you do with this one


----------



## Melll

Ady34 said:


> Perhaps leaning more towards an iwagumi now but not set in stone.



😆😆😆

I love word play 😃


----------



## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> Crikey Ady, is there any corner of your home left to fill ?
> Either way looking forward to seeing what you do with this one


That is it for me, no more spaces for actual aquariums.....one space left for a 20cm cube dooa though


----------



## Ady34

Melll said:


> 😆😆😆
> 
> I love word play 😃


Completely unintentional


----------



## Putney

My goal is to a bigger house to have more tanks  But i'm still on my first


----------



## Ady34

Putney said:


> My goal is to a bigger house to have more tanks  But i'm still on my first


No need for a bigger house, just get smaller tanks


----------



## Melll

Ady34 said:


> No need for a bigger house, just get smaller tanks




Get both, bigger house and bigger tanks as well as small ones 😃


----------



## Tim Harrison

Putney said:


> My goal is to a bigger house to have more tanks  But i'm still on my first





Ady34 said:


> No need for a bigger house, just get smaller tanks


Or chuck your furniture out. 
MTS...Just how bad do you have it ? 🤪


----------



## Melll

There is a big mistake in that room.......... they still have a dining table.


----------



## Tim Harrison

Melll said:


> There is a big mistake in that room.......... they still have a dining table.


Obviously not fully committed...
Although, perhaps they should be 🤪


----------



## LondonDragon

Melll said:


> There is a big mistake in that room.......... they still have a dining table.


It's to prepare the meals for the fish!!


----------



## Melll

@LondonDragon ,  of course, silly me


----------



## Wookii

Tim Harrison said:


> Or chuck your furniture out.
> MTS...Just how bad do you have it ? 🤪
> 
> View attachment 152402



Wow, that's just shocking! Just the mere thought of water changes on all those tanks makes me feel slightly sick.

 . . . and whats in those wine glasses? Not fish I hope?


----------



## Melll

Wookii said:


> . . and whats in those wine glasses? Not fish I hope?




Bettas.


----------



## Wookii

Melll said:


> Bettas.



That should be a hangable offence as far as I'm concerned!


----------



## Deano3

Wow i seemed to miss this last update mate vut you did mention it in my jurnal another tank  you are brave but all your tanks are incredibly beautiful and you obviously have to a tee and know what your doing with your tanks so why not, looking forward to seeing what you do sure will be worth the wait  

Dean

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


----------



## Ady34

Hi,
The 1500 is status quo, I’ve done a bit of thinning of the plants as the buce, Fissidens and java fern mini we’re getting a bit too overgrown. The tank looks better for it but highlights the relative ease of upkeep of this slow growing tank as that’s the first major thinning of the buce and fern I’ve done in 17 months  Most of the trimmings were given to my eldest son who has scaped and set up a little aquael tank for a betta all on his own. He is entirely responsible for its upkeep, water changes, filter maintenance etc which is cool. It is currently cycling for a minimum of a month before the introduction of some snails and then a Chen’s betta 
I’ve had a slight return of bba likely attributed to lack of filter maintenance however I have once again taken appropriate measures to eradicate 
The living room is looking more like a gallery currently with the new tank addition and I’m thankful for an understanding wife














My sons tank, scaped by himself and he decided on the plant positions and I superglued them......




Cheerio,


----------



## LondonDragon

Tank is looking awesome, first trim in 17 months! nice, I might have to take a leaf out of your book mine is on hyperdrive! 

Nice living room, loving the gallery, think there is space for a couple more here and there! 

The young one surely has learned from the master already 👌👏


----------



## Ady34

LondonDragon said:


> Tank is looking awesome, first trim in 17 months! nice, I might have to take a leaf out of your book mine is on hyperdrive!
> 
> Nice living room, loving the gallery, think there is space for a couple more here and there!
> 
> The young one surely has learned from the master already 👌👏


Ha, first more serious trim of the slower growers, I have done the odd snip here and there over the last year and a half. Your tank is looking stunning, but I’m too lazy for hyperdrive 
I do have a 20cm cube dooa to put somewhere 
I was going to add it to the same unit as the other terrarium but I’m a little worried it’s getting a bit too busy in there now  
I think Jack has done a great job with his little tank, hope he continues the hobby, there are certainly worse things for kids to be doing.
Cheerio,


----------



## Melll

You have a lovely room, nothing like a gallery though until the sofa and side tables go and get replaced with tanks  Your Son`s tank is really nice too. 👍

I do agree, it is so nice to have supportive spouses 😃


----------



## PARAGUAY

Your son has a great tank Well done looks like the hobby is in good hands for the future


----------



## Ady34

Hi,
quick post;




IAPLC 2020 rank 1043.
Whilst if I’m honest the result is a little disappointing, the tank was never intended as a competition scape and is more a lifestyle tank which fits within our home. I have already had over 18 months of enjoyment from the evolution of this scape and can’t see that ending any time soon. The scape was set up with longevity and simplicity in mind, no soil and easy slow growers make maintaining it easy but still impactful. It has more than fulfilled my personal brief and for that I am  very happy 🌱😃 
Aquascaping brings enjoyment in many ways 🤟🏻
Congratulations to all who entered this year, there are some truly inspirational aquascapes and aquascapers out there 😎🙌
Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Jayefc1

To be honest mate I've looked through the top 127 on phillipe oliveira fb page and none of them make me smile as much as when I see yours don't get me wrong there amazing scapes. yours is a part of the ukaps community and speaking for myself I feel like I have been a part of the journey and that is so much more fun than any of the other scapes in the IAPLC that ranking they gave you sucks but at least you had the balls to enter and the memory of the final pic with all the family involved so congrats is in ordered either way


----------



## SRP3006

Your tank was one of the first tanks that really inspired me to look at aquariums differently, as works of art if you like, I know very little about aquascaping and the iaplc but I prefer your tank to many of the higher entries. I would be more than happy if I could create a scape and maintain a scape as you have.


----------



## Luketendo

Ady34 said:


> Hi,
> quick post;
> View attachment 153512
> IAPLC 2020 rank 1043.
> Whilst if I’m honest the result is a little disappointing, the tank was never intended as a competition scape and is more a lifestyle tank which fits within our home. I have already had over 18 months of enjoyment from the evolution of this scape and can’t see that ending any time soon. The scape was set up with longevity and simplicity in mind, no soil and easy slow growers make maintaining it easy but still impactful. It has more than fulfilled my personal brief and for that I am very happy
> Aquascaping brings enjoyment in many ways
> Congratulations to all who entered this year, there are some truly inspirational aquascapes and aquascapers out there
> Cheerio,
> Ady.


Definitely like it more than many of those in the top 127. Depends a lot on taste I think, always prefer plant scapes rather than hard scapes.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## Andrew Butler

Ady34 said:


> The scape was set up with longevity and simplicity in mind


I think that's what more people on this forum are looking for these days, I know I am.
People that want to make tanks specifically for competitions or as more of an intense hobby is fine and I have no problem with that but I think when you find you neither have the time and/or abilities to do this with ease then why feel that your simple aquarium doesn't live upto expectations - I know this is something I've experienced and ultimately it's you that wants to enjoy looking at your aquarium so if you're pleased with it then that's the main thing.

On a side note I really like what you have done and think that photo would fall right into place as inspiration to anyone, myself included as I've told you before. It looks great and well done you.


----------



## Tim Harrison

Like I said before Ady, it's a great looking scape and the image is great too. Scaping for competitions has become something of a different skill set pretty much divorced from the Nature Aquarium concept the IAPLC was originally conceived to promote. I think you have to go in to most competitions with that mind set these days.

The competition is supposedly heavily weighted toward creating a natural habitat for fish, a max of 50 points. But I'm left wondering what the weather's like on the planet the judges come from. The wining scapes have more in common with scenic model making than natural aquatic habitat, hence the term diorama style.

If you want to split hairs you could argue that since the judging criteria has become weighted toward the above there has been a slight shift back in the original direction, but it's nothing to write home about. Either way it's not my cup of tea...

The last time I thought the winner of the IAPLC was justified was 2018, which is not that dissimilar to your scape. Forth place is good too.


----------



## Melll

Congratulations


----------



## CooKieS

Tim Harrison said:


> The last time I thought the winner of the IAPLC was justified was 2018, which is not that dissimilar to your scape. Forth place is good too.



I Can’t agree with that, iaplc 2018 winner was just an guy without imagination;


----------



## Tim Harrison

Haha, I'd forgotten about that. I guess what I meant was it's about as close to Nature Aquarium that a winner of the IAPLC has got in recent years. And I wasn't far wrong 🙃
Either way I much prefer Ady's scape to the winners.


----------



## CooKieS

Ady your scape is looking great and definitely deserves more, I think that the pic would have been Better  with some white background or blue tinted for exemple.
Adding more plants like patches of carpeting plants and nymphea at the back could add some interesting points too.

anyway congrats for keeping it for so long in this shape.


----------



## CooKieS

Tim Harrison said:


> Haha, I'd forgotten about that. I guess what I meant was it's about as close to Nature Aquarium that a winner of the IAPLC has got in recent years. And I wasn't far wrong 🙃



Sure, but NA style was Amano stuff. Does it means that everyone has to copy amano stuff to get high ranking at iaplc? Mhhh definitively would be boring. Iaplc has to make aquascaping evolve, and with the creativity of some guys in the top 27, I’m glad it has evolved into something that can turns more people into aquascaping.

simply try this: show 2 scapes to a non hobbyist;
1) na style; ‘well it’s an aquarium with plants’
2) Steven Chong work (for example): ‘holy molly it this even an aquarium’ 

I still find nice to see perfectly made na style or iwagumi in the top 127 at iaplc this year, it shows there is an place for everyone.


----------



## Wolf6

Jayefc1 said:


> To be honest mate I've looked through the top 127 on phillipe oliveira fb page and none of them make me smile as much as when I see yours don't get me wrong there amazing scapes. yours is a part of the ukaps community and speaking for myself I feel like I have been a part of the journey and that is so much more fun than any of the other scapes in the IAPLC that ranking they gave you sucks but at least you had the balls to enter and the memory of the final pic with all the family involved so congrats is in ordered either way


Agreed. I just watched the top 127 as well and after seeing variations on the same three themes for like 60 tanks I skipped forward, only then did they get more interesting. They certainly werent ugly tanks by any means, but they just didnt interest me. But your tank looks like the sort of tank I could sit in front of for hours. Its lovely and deserved a better rating imo.


----------



## Tim Harrison

CooKieS said:


> Sure, but NA style was Amano stuff. Does it means that everyone has to copy amano stuff to get high ranking at iaplc? Mhhh definitively would be boring. Iaplc has to make aquascaping evolve, and with the creativity of some guys in the top 27, I’m glad it has evolved into something that can turns more people into aquascaping.


Yeah for sure, but that's not really my contention.


CooKieS said:


> I still find nice to see perfectly made na style or iwagumi in the top 127 at iaplc this year, it shows there is an place for everyone.


And that too I agree with, but NA style scapes do seem to be becoming increasingly scarce in the higher rankings.





My contention is that half the marks are supposedly awarded for recreation of natural habitat for fish. That must be open to a whole different interpretation to that held by most folk who know something about aquatic environments. Imaginary flooded terrestrial landscapes are not natural habitat for fish. I think if that criteria alone was taken more seriously there would be far more NA type scapes in the top 27, and Ady's scape would have scored much higher.

The scape below was submitted to the 2018 AGA Aquascaping Contest in the *biotope section* and is titled "Penglai Fairyland". Needless to say it was immediately disqualified.
I'm not sure if it's a deliberate sideswipe at the current trend for fantasy diorama, but I have to admit the irony made me smile...


----------



## PARAGUAY

My own thought on completions and types of planted aquariums is that there is room for all types and everyone differs so as in 2018 the winner .Well probably a surprise with against previous winners and no two people pick the same winner and my view l look at some in the hundreds that could have been the winner. IMO Also noticed certain parts of the world favour distinctive styles


----------



## Ady34

Jayefc1 said:


> To be honest mate I've looked through the top 127 on phillipe oliveira fb page and none of them make me smile as much as when I see yours don't get me wrong there amazing scapes. yours is a part of the ukaps community and speaking for myself I feel like I have been a part of the journey and that is so much more fun than any of the other scapes in the IAPLC that ranking they gave you sucks but at least you had the balls to enter and the memory of the final pic with all the family involved so congrats is in ordered either way


Thanks so much Jay, I guess that’s the thing, the scaper gets enjoyment from developing his tank for different reasons. Competition tank makers get their enjoyment from that process, hobbyists an entirely different journey with different goals.
Im pleased to have shared the tanks development here and I’m pleased that others have enjoyed it too.


Luketendo said:


> Definitely like it more than many of those in the top 127. Depends a lot on taste I think, always prefer plant scapes rather than hard scapes.
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk





PARAGUAY said:


> My own thought on completions and types of planted aquariums is that there is room for all types and everyone differs so as in 2018 the winner .Well probably a surprise with against previous winners and no two people pick the same winner and my view l look at some in the hundreds that could have been the winner. IMO Also noticed certain parts of the world favour distinctive styles


Thanks Luketendo and Paraguay,  it’s so subjective and I guess that is why the limitations and possibilities are being challenged so much nowadays. It is the international Aquatic Plant Layout contest after all



Wolf6 said:


> Agreed. I just watched the top 127 as well and after seeing variations on the same three themes for like 60 tanks I skipped forward, only then did they get more interesting. They certainly werent ugly tanks by any means, but they just didnt interest me. But your tank looks like the sort of tank I could sit in front of for hours. Its lovely and deserved a better rating imo.


Thanks, I guess that’s the main difference between a hobbyist tank and a competition tank. Many competition tanks look like the fish have been added for the day to prove it is an aquarium rather than live in it as part of it long term. I think that to a degree is some of the contention with judging criteria as ultimately they are an aquarium and should represent in some way a more natural setting. The iaplc always produces outstanding works of art and that is where there is often a divide in opinion between art and environment.


SRP3006 said:


> Your tank was one of the first tanks that really inspired me to look at aquariums differently, as works of art if you like, I know very little about aquascaping and the iaplc but I prefer your tank to many of the higher entries. I would be more than happy if I could create a scape and maintain a scape as you have.


That’s so nice to hear, I’m pleased it has inspired you and that in itself means more than any ranking. I see aquascaping as an art form, I guess it’s a blend of looking nice and being in some way natural, some look at it as purely art. There are other factors I consider such as ease and longevity of producing and maintaining an aquarium suitable for both fish and plants.


Andrew Butler said:


> I think that's what more people on this forum are looking for these days, I know I am.
> People that want to make tanks specifically for competitions or as more of an intense hobby is fine and I have no problem with that but I think when you find you neither have the time and/or abilities to do this with ease then why feel that your simple aquarium doesn't live upto expectations - I know this is something I've experienced and ultimately it's you that wants to enjoy looking at your aquarium so if you're pleased with it then that's the main thing.
> 
> On a side note I really like what you have done and think that photo would fall right into place as inspiration to anyone, myself included as I've told you before. It looks great and well done you.


Very true, what drives a hobbyist and a competitor are different. Both are fine. There is a lot in between also and you are right, as long as the maker/keeper is happy and enjoying the process then the hobby will thrive as ultimately that is what it is about.
To be honest I think the na concept is perhaps more based on hobbyist aspirations nowadays rather than competition as the bar has been raised and developed on competition.
I think most members here are hobbyist focused and just want a nice aquascape in their living space. I’m all for ease and impact, I know @GeorgeFarmer advocates an easier style also and I think for many now they are choosing to fit aquascaping to personal briefs, be that budget, time, space etc. Maybe that has always been the case but I think now it is more easy to see through you tube and internet access that you can achieve a beautiful aquarium more easily, that combined with the ease of access to the hobby through the increasing number of stores now around.


Tim Harrison said:


> Like I said before Ady, it's a great looking scape and the image is great too. Scaping for competitions has become something of a different skill set pretty much divorced from the Nature Aquarium concept the IAPLC was originally conceived to promote. I think you have to go in to most competitions with that mind set these days.
> 
> The competition is supposedly heavily weighted toward creating a natural habitat for fish, a max of 50 points. But I'm left wondering what the weather's like on the planet the judges come from. The wining scapes have more in common with scenic model making than natural aquatic habitat, hence the term diorama style.
> 
> If you want to split hairs you could argue that since the judging criteria has become weighted toward the above there has been a slight shift back in the original direction, but it's nothing to write home about. Either way it's not my cup of tea...
> 
> The last time I thought the winner of the IAPLC was justified was 2018, which is not that dissimilar to your scape. Forth place is good too.


Thank you Tim, I was happy with the image but know that things can be improved. I guess it’s down to the emphasis you put on what you want to achieve from the tank. Competition vs other goals. As you know this tank was never a competition tank, I’m pretty sure I have my level and my needs from aquascapes now and will never push or perhaps have the ability to produce a competition tank tbh, I don’t have that drive. I like fish and aquascaping so blend the two to enjoy in my home on a daily basis and that is where I get my pleasure. I may choose to try new things and to push my goals with small steps, different hardscape choices, different plants but that is it, I have no desire to attempt to create a highly ranked competition tank.....unless it was a lifestyle tank competition 

I have to agree with you in the judging criteria and was hoping for a slightly more na biased top 27. There are tanks which I think are more true to the concept, however some are like you say, diorama. I have to say the number 1 winning work is leaning towards a blend of natural, more so than many of the others I guess but some seem to me almost fairytale. I really do appreciate the skill involved in making some of the scenes and they look incredible but in no way do I associate them to aquariums and an environment for fish. Take for example work ranked number 4. Incredible scape, highly skilled and unbelievable vision and execution, but wow, there is nowhere on this planet that looks like that in Nature on land or underwater. That doesn’t make me feel happy personally and it wouldn’t be something I could sit in front of on an evening enjoying a cuppa.



I think both yourself and Thierry have very strong opinions on the iaplc and both are relavent.


CooKieS said:


> I Can’t agree with that, iaplc 2018 winner was just an guy without imagination;


This for me epitomises the change and progression in the iaplc. I think to say the creator had no imagination is strong, I think more the issue is that the na concept leads creators to produce very similar scapes simply due to the fundamentals in hardscape and plants, it is a style. We all love that style and many hobbyists strive to recreate and produce scapes in a similar way as they are beautiful for fish and plants. This is also perhaps more achievable nowadays with the progress and accessibility within in the hobby. More aquascaping stores and more aquascaping equipment mean that more can access and buy materials, plants and equipment at reasonable prices so can create their own slice of nature. This promotes the ability of more to produce top quality competition winning worthy aquascapes.


CooKieS said:


> Sure, but NA style was Amano stuff. Does it means that everyone has to copy amano stuff to get high ranking at iaplc? Mhhh definitively would be boring. Iaplc has to make aquascaping evolve, and with the creativity of some guys in the top 27, I’m glad it has evolved into something that can turns more people into aquascaping.
> 
> simply try this: show 2 scapes to a non hobbyist;
> 1) na style; ‘well it’s an aquarium with plants’
> 2) Steven Chong work (for example): ‘holy molly it this even an aquarium’
> 
> I still find nice to see perfectly made na style or iwagumi in the top 127 at iaplc this year, it shows there is an place for everyone.



I can understand your feelings, the iaplc as a competition needs I guess a level of progression too to promote competitiveness. Na tanks tend to look similar and that makes seperating them even more subjective and difficult. When creators are producing works like those in the top 27, they do stand out and wow people and i guess to some degree this is to be embraced. It makes judging them easier in some ways as they are clearly skilled and also more ‘unique’ or not so mass produced.
The contention is always with how comfortable people feel seeing fish in scapes which seem to have very little resemblance to a natural setting. There will always be the ‘glass box’ arguement but I do wonder how many of these more diorama based scenes do have fish in them long term as they seem more biased towards creation and vision than keeping an aquarium. If the judging criteria have a bias towards recreating a natural environment for fish then this needs to be clarified and highlighted more. You mentioned Steven Chongs tank, this for me is a great work, but I get confused by some of the reflection details and question there necessity and even their creation.



I think this is also the beauty of competition, everybody has a viewpoint and fair arguement as to the relevance and place for all types within the contest. If they were all the same that could be seen as dull however I just like looking at quality na aquariums so will find most pleasure looking through the pages of my collection of Takashi Amano books. These set ups for me have the best blend of art and nurture, hardscape, fish and plants and blend the art of aquascaping and fishkeeping perfectly.
It could also be a generation thing, Amano was the creator of the na concept and really brought aquascaping to the forefront of the hobby. Nobody will forget that but nowadays there are so many top quality aquascapers and creators that we are spoiled and a new generation sees beauty in new ways.


Melll said:


> Congratulations


Many thanks Melll 

The iaplc always creates a buzz and conversation and that’s why we all like it so much. There are hundreds of top quality inspirational scapes, many contentious choices, lots of differing opinions and also most importantly more scapers enjoying the hobby. This is a good thing.
Cheerio,
Ady.

Here’s a few images that didn’t make the cut and a few during my photo shoot


----------



## Ady34

CooKieS said:


> Ady your scape is looking great and definitely deserves more, I think that the pic would have been Better  with some white background or blue tinted for exemple.
> Adding more plants like patches of carpeting plants and nymphea at the back could add some interesting points too.
> 
> anyway congrats for keeping it for so long in this shape.


Ah, forgot to add this into the reply above.
Thanks Thierry, I’m in no way trying to whine about the result, I was just hoping for a little more 
I appreciate the scapes limitations, there is always room for improvement. Before even entering I knew the detail was not there and for sure your suggestions would improve the overall composition and sense of scale


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## LondonDragon

Ady34 said:


> That doesn’t make me feel happy personally and it wouldn’t be something I could sit in front of on an evening enjoying a cuppa.


Totally agree, I would get fed up with that very quickly, but what an amazing work and great skill and vision to achieve it. Something out of a Sci-Fi movie for sure!!


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## Ady34

LondonDragon said:


> Totally agree, I would get fed up with that very quickly, but what an amazing work and great skill and vision to achieve it. Something out of a Sci-Fi movie for sure!!


Yep, I’d like to have seen it in the first hand to see how it looked from other angles as I suspect that would have altered it visually too. It is a proper photo oriented competition tank and it paid off. Fish choice is a bit odd too but he came 4th so what do I know


----------



## Andrew Butler

Ady34 said:


> what do I know


How to keep an aquarium most people would be far more than happy with, is enjoyable to look at and lasts.


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## Ady34

Managed to capture this image the other evening looking up at the tank. It looked so natural, like looking up through the water at the sky 





and a nice one of some buce.....






cheerio,


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## Melll

Nice 👍


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## Tim Harrison

Very nice image Ady, you're right it looks totally natural 👍


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## LondonDragon

Very natural indeed and so healthy, still my favourite tank 

Soil is over rated!!!


----------



## Vijay_06

Just saw the video of this tank in George Farmer’s YouTube channel. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Amazing scape! Amazing work!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Artichoke

This is gorgeous, love the Bucephalandra (is that right?), if could make something half as beautiful I'd be happy


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## Ady34

Artichoke said:


> This is gorgeous, love the Bucephalandra (is that right?), if could make something half as beautiful I'd be happy


Thank you and yep, that’s right, bucephelandra are stunning plants 🌱




Vijay_06 said:


> Just saw the video of this tank in George Farmer’s YouTube channel. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Amazing scape! Amazing work!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks Vijay, much appreciated  

It was great to have @George Farmer in our home to photograph and film the tank for a feature on his channel and an upcoming PFK feature too 

here he is;




and here I am;




here’s a link to the video:


Cheerio,
Ady.


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## LondonDragon

Well done Ady  well deserved that feature, looking forward to it


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## Ady34

LondonDragon said:


> Well done Ady  well deserved that feature, looking forward to it


Thanks Paulo 🆒


----------



## Tim Harrison

Well done Ady, those plants have grown in to monsters 👍


----------



## CooKieS

Ady34 said:


> Managed to capture this image the other evening looking up at the tank. It looked so natural, like looking up through the water at the sky





Ady34 said:


> Managed to capture this image the other evening looking up at the tank. It looked so natural, like looking up through the water at the sky
> 
> View attachment 153666




That is an fantastic shot Ady, looks like an Ada catalog.

Congrats for the G.Farmer YouTube video Ady, will defo take a look later.


----------



## Paul27

Ady34 said:


> Thank you and yep, that’s right, bucephelandra are stunning plants 🌱
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Vijay, much appreciated
> 
> It was great to have @George Farmer in our home to photograph and film the tank for a feature on his channel and an upcoming PFK feature too
> 
> here he is;
> View attachment 154094
> and here I am;
> View attachment 154096
> 
> here’s a link to the video:
> 
> 
> Cheerio,
> Ady.




Watched this today. Looked absolutely stunning!


----------



## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> Well done Ady, those plants have grown in to monsters 👍


Ha I know, kind of further exaggerates the lack of sense of scale in here 🤪


Paul27 said:


> Watched this today. Looked absolutely stunning!


Thanks Paul 🙌


CooKieS said:


> That is an fantastic shot Ady, looks like an Ada catalog.
> 
> Congrats for the G.Farmer YouTube video Ady, will defo take a look later.


Thanks man, yeah I got lucky with that shot, don’t really even know how it happened but looks a little more impactful with an Instagram filter 😬

cheerio,


----------



## PARAGUAY

Saw the video yesterday . Further insight to the great plant growth Lovely aquarium


----------



## Ady34

PARAGUAY said:


> Saw the video yesterday . Further insight to the great plant growth Lovely aquarium


Thank you.

The tank has once again suffered an outbreak of bba and staghorn, blooming just a week after George’s visit. It is being stubborn to remedy and I’m wondering if perhaps the wood is now a major contributing factor. I’ve upped maintenence again, both filters have been fully cleaned and I’m on two water changes per week. I am going to reduce lighting intensity and use excel also to combat it as it doesn’t seem to be shifting. Generally the plants don’t seem as healthy so something is off balance.
The sand is also much dirtier when I’m siphoning so I’m thinking there is an accelerated deterioration of wood.

here are some close ups of the algae on the edges of the buce.....













Cheerio,


----------



## Conort2

Ady34 said:


> Thank you.
> 
> The tank has once again suffered an outbreak of bba and staghorn, blooming just a week after George’s visit. It is being stubborn to remedy and I’m wondering if perhaps the wood is now a major contributing factor. I’ve upped maintenence again, both filters have been fully cleaned and I’m on two water changes per week. I am going to reduce lighting intensity and use excel also to combat it as it doesn’t seem to be shifting. Generally the plants don’t seem as healthy so something is off balance.
> The sand is also much dirtier when I’m siphoning so I’m thinking there is an accelerated deterioration of wood.
> 
> here are some close ups of the algae on the edges of the buce.....
> 
> View attachment 154984
> 
> View attachment 154985
> 
> View attachment 154983
> 
> Cheerio,


I find mixing glute in a spray bottle with some tank water does the trick. Spray all the exposed plants/hardscape when doing a water change and within a week or so the stuff is defeated. Leave it to soak for say ten minutes and then fill. I used to spot dose but it is too long and tedious if you have a lot of affected areas. Combining this with the increased maintenance you are doing should do the trick hopefully.

tank still looks great by the way, a proper nature aquarium!

cheers

Conor


----------



## Wookii

Conort2 said:


> I find mixing glute in a spray bottle with some tank water does the trick. Spray all the exposed plants/hardscape when doing a water change and within a week or so the stuff is defeated. Leave it to soak for say ten minutes and then fill. I used to spot dose but it is too long and tedious if you have a lot of affected areas. Combining this with the increased maintenance you are doing should do the trick hopefully.
> 
> tank still looks great by the way, a proper nature aquarium!
> 
> cheers
> 
> Conor



What ratio of glute/water do you use Conor? I tried this a few months ago managed to melt some anubias and buce, so went back to misting with a syringe - think I have it in a 10:1 solution, but may have left it sitting on there too long.

@Ady34 are you using Purigen in your filters? If not, that may help a little if you think your wood is releasing organics.


----------



## Andrew Butler

Wookii said:


> are you using Purigen in your filters? If not, that may help a little if you think your wood is releasing organics.


Activated carbon works a treat in the G6 filters Ady has, if only they integrated a heater they'd be almost perfect.


----------



## Conort2

Wookii said:


> What ratio of glute/water do you use Conor? I tried this a few months ago managed to melt some anubias and buce, so went back to misting with a syringe - think I have it in a 10:1 solution, but may have left it sitting on there too long.
> 
> @Ady34 are you using Purigen in your filters? If not, that may help a little if you think your wood is releasing organics.


It was quite a strong mix and not very exact if I’m honest lol. Think I done about 6/7ml which is about a double dose to treat my entire tank If added directly to the aquarium, with about 400ml of water. I think 10:1 solution as you’ve found is far too strong. 

Also when dosing be careful not to breath the mist in, glute is pretty nasty.

cheers


----------



## Wookii

Conort2 said:


> It was quite a strong mix and not very exact if I’m honest lol. Think I done about 6/7ml which is about a double dose to treat my entire tank If added directly to the aquarium, with about 400ml of water. I think 10:1 solution as you’ve found is far too strong.



Ah, that'll be it then!


----------



## LondonDragon

Ady34 said:


> blooming just a week after George’s visit.


Did he throw in some biscuits when you stepped away?


----------



## maj74

Conort2 said:


> I find mixing glute in a spray bottle with some tank water does the trick. Spray all the exposed plants/hardscape when doing a water change and within a week or so the stuff is defeated. Leave it to soak for say ten minutes and then fill. I used to spot dose but it is too long and tedious if you have a lot of affected areas. Combining this with the increased maintenance you are doing should do the trick hopefully.
> 
> tank still looks great by the way, a proper nature aquarium!
> 
> cheers
> 
> Conor




Curious - What is a 'Glute spray'? Tried Googling Glute / water mix, and all I get is a selection of swimming exercises for strengthening buttocks!!


----------



## Wookii

maj74 said:


> Curious - What is a 'Glute spray'? Tried Googling Glute / water mix, and all I get is a selection of swimming exercises for strengthening buttocks!!



“Glute” is an abbreviation for Glutaraldehyde, which is the active ingredient in so called liquid carbon products such as Seachem Excel and Easy Life Easy-Carbo.

Whilst it’s usefulness as a carbon source is debatable, it has a well proven side use as an effective algaecide, especially when spot dosed.


----------



## Ady34

Hi,
things are improving and the bba is slowly subsiding. I am feeling a desire for change with this tank which usually means it’s time to move on.....
I will run this until after Christmas to reach the two year milestone and then consider my options.
Here’s a photo just after maintenance on Sunday......






Cheerio,


----------



## LondonDragon

Would be a shame to tear this one down, but it's been two years and you get the urge to do something new  
Put up the hardscape and plants for sale as is


----------



## Wolf6

Still looking awesome though  Any idea's yet what kind of direction you want to go next?


----------



## Ady34

LondonDragon said:


> Would be a shame to tear this one down, but it's been two years and you get the urge to do something new
> Put up the hardscape and plants for sale as is


First rule of hardscape collections is never to sell hardscape collections 


Wolf6 said:


> Still looking awesome though  Any idea's yet what kind of direction you want to go next?


Thanks and no, not really, lots of ideas but no real definite concept. If it gets planted again it will likely be a full soil substrate and small fish with less variety.


----------



## Andrew T

Impressive that you’ve managed to run this for 2 years.
Something like this for your next scape with black neon tetras would be awesome...


----------



## Ady34

Andrew T said:


> Impressive that you’ve managed to run this for 2 years.
> Something like this for your next scape with black neon tetras would be awesome...
> View attachment 156050


Great skill involved but diorama are not really my cup of tea. 
cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Tim Harrison

Ady34 said:


> Great skill involved but diorama are not really my cup of tea.
> cheerio,
> Ady.


And I'm not too sure how well broccoli will grow under water either...


----------



## Kezzab

Tim Harrison said:


> And I'm not too sure how well broccoli will grow under water either...


It does ok. Takes a while to transition. I did a brassica based scape a while back.


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## BigD

Needs strong water movement


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## Ady34

Rotala and ludwigia. Both originally from @hogan53.


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## Ady34

Sat watching tv.....🤔🤥😂





Oh, check out the poll, what would you do?

cheerio,
Ady.


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## Paul27

Ady34 said:


> Sat watching tv.....🤔🤥😂
> 
> View attachment 156381
> 
> Oh, check out the poll, what would you do?
> 
> cheerio,
> Ady.


Watching tv 🤣, would forget the tv even existed if that was in my living room. 

Can understand you wanting a change when it hits the two year mark even though this one is stunning.


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## Mr.Shenanagins

Ady34 said:


> Rotala and ludwigia. Both originally from @hogan53.
> View attachment 156120
> View attachment 156121


Do you happen to know which variety of ludwigia it is? @hogan53 ?


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## GHNelson

Mr.Shenanagins said:


> Do you happen to know which variety of ludwigia it is? @hogan53 ?


Purchased as Red Ludwigia!....


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## Tim Harrison

Ady34 said:


> Oh, check out the poll, what would you do?


I'd definitely rescape the 1500.
The possibilities are endless 🤔


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## Nuno Gomes

Ady34 said:


> Oh, check out the poll, what would you do?
> 
> cheerio,
> Ady.



Keep it and rescape it, that is a dream setup there's no point replacing it


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## maj74

Andrew T said:


> Impressive that you’ve managed to run this for 2 years.
> Something like this for your next scape with black neon tetras would be awesome...
> View attachment 156050


I really like the look of this (except the 'trees' - which I don't think work) 

Does anyone know any more about this setup? - more pictures?


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## maj74

maj74 said:


> I really like the look of this (except the 'trees' - which I don't think work)
> 
> Does anyone know any more about this setup? - more pictures?


This looks like it may be by the same person...


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## Ady34

Hi,
reduced the lighting a few percent just to make things easier. Bba is mainly focused on the exposed branches, and although it is still present on the edges of the plants, it is not getting worse. The tank overall remains nice to look at but keeping the sand clean is near impossible with the abundance of bristlenose again which I’m sure doesn’t help with the algae.
I’m still undecided 100% where to go next but I think it will be a smaller tank.






Cheerio,
Ady.


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## Room101

Hi Ady. 
Interresing that you say a smaller tank is a possibility.  Sorry if ive missed a post explaining your reasons. But I would be interested as to why smaller.
Regards.


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## Siege

I changed a 6’ tank to 2X 600 and 1 x 900.

Really good swap, but wish I’d got a 120-p instead of the 900. Looking to change it next year. Not that much extra water in volume but will give me more scope.

Just food for thought!


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## Room101

I was looking at a 1200 but thought the 1500 wouldnt be much different in running costs. Well. That's what I've told the wife. 😂😂👍


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## Siege

Room101 said:


> I was looking at a 1200 but thought the 1500 wouldnt be much different in running costs. Well. That's what I've told the wife. 😂😂👍


😂

Massive step up in maintenance time though from the 1200 to 1500 though. That plus the hardscape, plants etc.


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## DTM61

I'd just like to say thanks for keeping this journal Ady, in all my time on many different forums, this has been my favourite read. Your tank is an inspiration and your honesty about trying to maintain balance is very reassuring to me. Congratulations on such a stunning setup.


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## Ady34

Room101 said:


> Hi Ady.
> Interresing that you say a smaller tank is a possibility.  Sorry if ive missed a post explaining your reasons. But I would be interested as to why smaller.
> Regards.


Hi, I haven’t really explained so I guess I should. Whilst I’ve loved this tank, and it has had ease of maintenence in mind from the outset, as @Siege suggests the maintenance is still considerable on a tank of this size. It is purely the length of time it takes to carry out the basics of sand siphon, pre filter clean, glass clean and water change. On this tank it’s a couple of hours, but more if trimming and full filter/pipe cleans are needed. Whilst this isn’t a huge amount of time, fitting it in can sometimes be tricky when balancing other commitments and tanks. Both of my sons have tanks which I help maintain and with the inclusion of the ea600 I have realised how much quicker it is to maintain this tank comparatively. I can perform general maintenance in about half and hour, less than an hour with more intensive maintenance. Opting for a couple of smaller tanks will allow more freedom with maintenance, perhaps performing water changes when the family is in bed for example later on an evening. With the big tank trying to perform 2 hrs of cleaning once everyone is in bed isn’t ideal......I don’t fancy it by then tbh  Then if I were to opt for a more intensive scape that time would only increase. Smaller tanks simply take less time and are less expensive to scape. I really do love this tank though and my plan is to keep it so I can swap several smaller tanks out for one big tank if I fancy a change again in the future.


Siege said:


> 😂
> 
> Massive step up in maintenance time though from the 1200 to 1500 though. That plus the hardscape, plants etc.


Exactly.




Siege said:


> I changed a 6’ tank to 2X 600 and 1 x 900.
> 
> Really good swap, but wish I’d got a 120-p instead of the 900. Looking to change it next year. Not that much extra water in volume but will give me more scope.
> 
> Just food for thought!


Yeah, I really don’t want a 4ft, and I like wider tanks tbh......plus ada is a jump in cost 


DTM61 said:


> I'd just like to say thanks for keeping this journal Ady, in all my time on many different forums, this has been my favourite read. Your tank is an inspiration and your honesty about trying to maintain balance is very reassuring to me. Congratulations on such a stunning setup.


Ah, thanks so much for the comment, it means a lot and that’s what these journals are all about. We can all learn from each other’s experiences and they are always good to look back on for reference.

Anyhow, I got a 900e twinstar light for Christmas so that is a strong clue as to the size of tank I’m going for 

I hope everyone has had a lovely Christmas and all the best for 2021. I’m grateful to be part of a hobby which seems largely unaffected by the events of this year and I will look forward to enjoying Scaping during the coming year.

cheerio,


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## Deano3

I would also like to say thanks ady such a inspirational tank and must say i am glad your going for a 900 so I can get some tips and hints from following along your next journey  cant wait to see what equipment you will be using and what hardscape ideas you have, the 900 is a great size that is not to big but not to small its just right  and doesn't take up to much time, i did large water change this morning and glass clean etc took around a hour but could be quicker if needed.

Just watched the video with George again on my laptop rather than phone such as stunning scape and just fits so well into living space 
thanks again and be waiting for the new journal.
Dean


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## LondonDragon

Stunning as always and love the Xmas tree also  so what are the plans for it in 2021?


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## Ady34

Deano3 said:


> I would also like to say thanks ady such a inspirational tank and must say i am glad your going for a 900 so I can get some tips and hints from following along your next journey  cant wait to see what equipment you will be using and what hardscape ideas you have, the 900 is a great size that is not to big but not to small its just right  and doesn't take up to much time, i did large water change this morning and glass clean etc took around a hour but could be quicker if needed.
> 
> Just watched the video with George again on my laptop rather than phone such as stunning scape and just fits so well into living space
> thanks again and be waiting for the new journal.
> Dean


Thanks Dean, your comments are very much appreciated.
I haven’t got a clear idea of a scape yet but I’m sure once I have the tank I’ll get a feel for something.



LondonDragon said:


> Stunning as always and love the Xmas tree also  so what are the plans for it in 2021?


thanks Paulo, the 1500 will be put away for another day. The plan is to rotate between several smaller tanks or one big tank at a time.....will see how that goes but I really don’t want to move the 1500 on as it’s a great tank.


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## LShortman

Stunning tank mate I follow you on Instagram this is a real inspiration for fellow hobbyists 

Sent from my SM-G780F using Tapatalk


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## Ady34

LShortman said:


> Stunning tank mate I follow you on Instagram this is a real inspiration for fellow hobbyists
> 
> Sent from my SM-G780F using Tapatalk


Thanks for the support


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## Ady34

2 years old today 🥳
This will be staying a little longer due to the current lockdown restrictions. No point in taking it down when I can’t get another tank set up in its place.
In situ Last night......



 Cheerio,


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## SRP3006

Cracking looking set up, I would be very proud to have a aquascape as stunning as that in my living room.


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## oscar

Absolutely stunning tank and journal was very informative/ fantastic to follow, carry on the great work 👍


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## LondonDragon

Ady34 said:


> 2 years old today


Happy Anniversary  this one is still my favourite tank of all time, reminds me of the first one I created with plain gravel that I had going for 7 year or more! I might convert my current A900 to something similar to this!


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## Ady34

SRP3006 said:


> Cracking looking set up, I would be very proud to have a aquascape as stunning as that in my living room.


Thank you.


oscar said:


> Absolutely stunning tank and journal was very informative/ fantastic to follow, carry on the great work 👍


Thanks, I enjoy the journal process and it’s always there to refer back to if needed.


LondonDragon said:


> Happy Anniversary  this one is still my favourite tank of all time, reminds me of the first one I created with plain gravel that I had going for 7 year or more! I might convert my current A900 to something similar to this!


Thanks Paulo.
7 years is an incredible length of time and a great achievement.

Working a little harder with this tank again with 2x weekly maintenence sessions of sand siphoning and water changes. I’ve picked the bba from the wood, trimmed the worst effected plants and hopefully it will improve. I need to try and catch some Bristlenose and re-home them again if I’m to be truly successful however with the breakdown of the tank coming it seems almost futile. 

















Cheerio,


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## DeepMetropolis

Your scape looks like one big flower bouquet, very pretty.


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## Garuf

Handsome tank that, always wanted to keep Farowellas but never been able to have a tank big enough.


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## PARAGUAY

Its a great tank and a great journal read .l thought having a 55gallon downstairs my other smaller tanks 3 of would work out well upstairs bedrooms and landing but the maintenance even though low energy ones never really took into account


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## Ady34

Well, that is it.....






I’d like to end this journal by saying a huge thanks to everyone on the forum who has contributed along the way. The input offered has certainly contributed to the success of this tank and for that, as with my first planted tank journal on UKAPS,  I am always grateful.
This tank has offered everything that I set out to achieve.....and so much more.....returning back to the planted tank scene. Longevity, education, and enjoyment. There are so many facets to this hobby, and this tank has inspired me to try some new avenues.

I’m looking forward to creating a new smaller set up and get some existing projects (the Twenty Seven Thousand - 30c journal) up and running. One day I’m sure I will revisit this big tank, but for now I will enjoy multiple tank syndrome in a manageable way.

I have some amazing keepsakes from the scape, noteably the IAPLC 2020 final image and print my family got me, along with @George Farmer visiting and producing two incredible video montages alongside the recently released Practical fishkeeping magazine article which I am over the moon with. This tank in that respect has far exceeded expectation and I hope can inspire others to see the potential benefits of a longer term or even a simpler aquascape that still offers high impact.

I’ll leave things with a collection of the images which I’ll be honest, make me proud. It may sound a little over the top, but being part of this hobby is hugely beneficial in many ways. There is a strong sense of community, there is a connection with nature and it is an interest that can be enjoyed within our homes, which during recent times is especially beneficial.

Cheerio, and here’s to the next one 














The recent PFK magazine article written by @GeorgeFarmer. I have copies of the high resolution images he took, however I think they are too large to upload so I have re-sized some of them to add.


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## Iain Sutherland

Love this mate, was a wicked tank and a credit to your commitment to it, the hobby and forum.  
Looking forward to the next installment fella 👋


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## Paul27

This has been one epic journal and was absolutely beautiful. I can only imagine when you do go back to this tank at some point in the future of what you will create!.


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## Gill

An incredible journey watching this scape grow from, strength to strength.


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## mort

I was only reading about your tank yesterday in the new pfk and was going to post what a nice write up it was. I have to say I'm very sorry to see it go but some people in the hobby are worth a little personal disappointment because you know what they will be creating next is going to be worth it.


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## LondonDragon

Sad to see this go, this was an epic tank, but looking forward to the next one for sure 
Still going to be the 1500? or being replaced by smaller tanks?


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## Tim Harrison

It was one of those rare and truly epic journeys. Thanks for sharing Ady


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## Ady34

Iain Sutherland said:


> Love this mate, was a wicked tank and a credit to your commitment to it, the hobby and forum.
> Looking forward to the next installment fella 👋


Thanks man, no real ideas for what’s next though. I’m sure something will come to me.


Paul27 said:


> This has been one epic journal and was absolutely beautiful. I can only imagine when you do go back to this tank at some point in the future of what you will create!.


Thanks Paul, when I saw it empty I thought about just scaping it again straight away, I’ve got some lovely big pieces of frodo stone 🤔 



Gill said:


> An incredible journey watching this scape grow from, strength to strength.


Thanks Gill, it took a while but it got there in the end 



mort said:


> I was only reading about your tank yesterday in the new pfk and was going to post what a nice write up it was. I have to say I'm very sorry to see it go but some people in the hobby are worth a little personal disappointment because you know what they will be creating next is going to be worth it.


Ahh, really nice of you to say. I feel it’s a hard act to follow in terms of physical presence, but hopefully the smaller tank will be equally enjoyable 



LondonDragon said:


> Sad to see this go, this was an epic tank, but looking forward to the next one for sure
> Still going to be the 1500? or being replaced by smaller tanks?


Cheers Paulo, you’ve always been a strong supporter of this scape. The 1500 will be replaced with a new 900 and my existing 600, but I will also be finally filling the little 30c Ada tank I have.



Tim Harrison said:


> It was one of those rare and truly epic journeys. Thanks for sharing Ady


Ha, long-standing tanks tend to feel like that, and no problem at all; sharing is caring


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## Tim Harrison

Ady34 said:


> Thanks Paul, when I saw it empty I thought about just scaping it again straight away, I’ve got some lovely big pieces of frodo stone 🤔


It's got a great aspect ratio, similar to a shallow. There's just so much potential. First time I saw your image of it clean and empty I thought, '_hold on Ady's got a new shallow',_ and then I noticed it looked rather large in reference to your furnishings 😁


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## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> It's got a great aspect ratio, similar to a shallow. There's just so much potential. First time I saw your image of it clean and empty I thought, '_hold on Ady's got a new shallow',_ and then I noticed it looked rather large in reference to your furnishings 😁


I agree, it does have a lot of potential, it’s a great sized tank. I know I will want to utilise it again which is why I just can’t get rid of it and it’s going into storage, however what I have learned is that I really only have time for the one big tank or a few smaller much quicker to maintain systems. I’m really liking the ease of the little 600 but would like just a little more space so a 900 seems a good fit. I do have another 600 also so my choices for small tanks are pretty good  but I think I’d prefer a 900 and 600 over two 600’s.......with perhaps the exception of the frustratingly different heights they are going to sit at 
The two tanks will take up a five foot space just like the 1500 and they will both be positioned on the one wall so viewing will be much better again


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## Paul27

Ady34 said:


> Thanks Paul, when I saw it empty I thought about just scaping it again straight away, I’ve got some lovely big pieces of frodo stone 🤔


I don't blame you wanting to!. I'll be looking forward to the 900 your planning, please don't keep us waiting too long!. 🤩


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## Ady34

Paul27 said:


> I don't blame you wanting to!. I'll be looking forward to the 900 your planning, please don't keep us waiting too long!. 🤩


Should be in the house 27th feb, but I need to get my thinking cap on about what I want to do with it. I’ve been that focused on taking down the 1500 and planning the ins and outs that I’ve kind of not thought any further forward than actually moving this tank out and getting the new tank in


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## Paul27

Ady34 said:


> Should be in the house 27th feb, but I need to get my thinking cap on about what I want to do with it. I’ve been that focused on taking down the 1500 and planning the ins and outs that I’ve kind of not thought any further forward than actually moving this tank out and getting the new tank in


I understand that as it's a big tank to take apart and with having to move things around. Bet you will be glad when everything is sorted and the 900 is in place.


----------

