# Nick's ADA 90 cm



## Harlequin (21 Sep 2007)

OK, having promised this to George, Neil and Richard for a long time, and having spent more than 2 years planning and getting everything together, I thought it was high time I got my journal going on my latest tank.  

Since inception more than 2 years ago, I've had other tanks come and go. I've moved house (the main hold-up), and procrastinated over the cabinet and a host of other things.  4 1/2 weeks back I finally got the tank planted up.  

I'll post a bit more about this tank, objectives, inspiration and so on as I go along.  I'll also put a up an equipment list and plant list later on.  In the meantime, here are the set-up pics.

Basically this is an all-glass ADA 90 cm tank, using ADA CO2 distrbution parts and filter parts.  The cabinet is custom (made by the same German tank manufacturer to my spec).  Light is MH and T5.  Filter is Eheim.  Substrate and ferts are ADA.  Finally, water comes out the tap, and that is about all I can say about it.

1. Bare tank and cabinet






2. ....and now with a bit of the wood I used





3. First thing, add ADA Tourmaline BC...





4. Then add some Power Sand Special M...





5.  Finally, top it off with a load of Aquasoil Amazonia.





6.  Get wood...and set as you like





7.  Begin planting, fixing ferns and moss first





8. Then plant up the mid-ground.  Densely...





9. Then do the same for the foreground...





10.  Finally, plant the back up, and start filling.









11.  Top it off (and hope it doesn't leak   )


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## George Farmer (21 Sep 2007)

Worth the wait, Nick.  Mighty impressive indeed.

Looks like the 'scape will do the gear justice, and vice-versa. 

Thanks for sharing.


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## CJ Castle (21 Sep 2007)

> Then plant up the mid-ground. Densely...



You sure did plant densely, Harlequin... Looks like the mid/back ground has been planted for weeks...   

Looks very good!


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## Moss Man (21 Sep 2007)

Looks brilliant, it already looks like it has grown. 

Who knows how great it will look when it has matured.


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## Harlequin (21 Sep 2007)

Well thank you for you comments.  You can be sure I'll be posting more stuff over the coming weeks.  Anyway, I think you'll like it when I post some pics of how it has grown in.  Suffice to say, it is my pleasure to share this with you guys!


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## Harlequin (21 Sep 2007)

OK, here are some specs for you.  The only other thing to add here is that I have purchased an Aquamedic 3 channel Reefdoser, whcih I will be using to automatically dose my ferts.  We're off on our hols for a couple of weeks from Sunday, so I needed something to dose the tank while I'm away.  Anyway, here are the specs.  I've included numbers of plants I used. I hope this is helpful for folk.  Planning a tank is a big job, and I am a big believer in planting up very heavily from the beginning, and if you've not done it before, I figured it would be good to know how that translates into numbers of pots.

Plants, all Tropica:
Liliaeopsis brasiliensis (10)
Bolbitis heudlotii (3)
Microsorum pteropus â€˜narrowâ€™ (3)
Vesicularia dubyana (6)
Cryptocoryne wendtii â€˜greenâ€™ (6)
Cryptocoryne wendtii â€˜brownâ€™ (6)
Cryptocoryne wendtii â€˜Tropicaâ€™ (6)
Cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae (6)
Rotala rotundifolia ( 8 )
Rotala rotundifolia â€˜greenâ€™ (13)
Rotala sp. â€˜Nanjenshanâ€™ (Mayaca) ( 8 )
Micranthemum umbrosum ( 8 )

Light: Arcadia Series 4 (1 x 150 W 5200K MH & 2 x 24 W T5 â€˜Plant Proâ€™)
Filter: Eheim Professional 3 Electronic w/ ADA Lily Pipes (inlet & outlet)
Filter Media: Ehfimech, Ehfi substratpro, Seachem Purigen
CO2: Pressurised; JBL regulator and solenoid
CO2 distribution: ADA Pollen Glass Beetle w/ grey parts set
Heater: Hydor inline external heater-stat
Tank: German made Opti-White high clarity â€˜ADA-styleâ€™ 90x50x45 cm 
Cabinet: custom ADA copy (German-made; as tank)

Substrate: ADA Aquasoil Amazonia (3 x 9L), ADA Powersand Special M (1), ADA Tourmaline BC

Fertilisation: ADA Brighty K, ADA Step 1, ADA Green Gain (dosed as per instructions)
Other: Seachem Excel (as required), Seachem Prime (at water change)

Photoperiod: 10 hrs/day; MH on for 4 Â½ hrs in middle of photo period

Week 1: Brighty K 8 ml/day
Week 2:  Brighty K 8ml/day, Step 1 4 ml/day; Seachem Excel full dose on 3 consecutive days
Week 3: Brightly K 8ml/day, Step 1 4-6 ml/day
Week 4: Brighty K 10 ml/day, Step 1 8-10 ml/day

Maintenance: Trimming of Rotalas after 2 Â½ weeks.  First 2 weeks, 50% water change every 2-3 days, then every 4-5 days.  20 drops Green Gain every day after trimming until good new growth is seen.   After week 1, very minor brown algae on emmerse L. Brasiliensis leaves and some stringy green stuff.  Normal dose of Excel added for 3 days with frequent large water changes eliminated this.  Normal water changes will be 50% weekly, with Seachem Prime added at water change.  Purigen (1 bag) checked every 3 weeks, and will be re-charged as required.  Use of Purigen requires use of Prime (or similar treatment that does not contain amine-based polymers in the slime coat) to allow re-generation.  Job done.


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## Harlequin (21 Sep 2007)

OK, here are a few shots after a week.  The main thing that happened in the tank is that the Rotalas started to change from their emmerse to submerse form.   They also started to sprout a lot of roots...Which is a good thing.

Here is a shot of the system.  Awaiting a new beetle counter from ADA, but other than that, it is all here.





Here is a shot of the Rotalas.  The 'Nanjenshan' doesn't really change much, just gets bigger, but the rotundifolias change a lot.





And here you can see the roots.  So, a good start all round after a week or so.


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## Harlequin (21 Sep 2007)

These shots are after 2 weeks.  Excuse this splurge of photos-I've taken a load, and it has taken a while to get organised to get them up on the site.  Anyway...

After 2 weeks, things have grown on.  The rotalas are doing very well at this stage.  The crypts have all started putting out new growth, after some of the original leaves began to die back.  At this point a bit of algae appeared.  No big deal, just some long hair algae and a bit of brown dust on the Lilaeopsis.  I hit it with a regular dose of Excel every day for a few days and just changed about 50% of the water every 2-3 days.  It disappeared after a couple of days.

Flourishing stems..





One of my favourite Crypts, wendtii 'Tropica' variant settling in





One of my favourite plants, the Congo water fern, and the moss, both growing in





...and some more shots of things when the tank is half empty.


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## zig (21 Sep 2007)

Looks quality Nick

Lots of stems there to keep you busy  after 2 weeks hols  jungle (joking!)

Looking forward to see how this grows out should look excellent.

Edit: just counted 83 pots


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## George Farmer (21 Sep 2007)

Hey Nick,

You need to replace that 500g cylinder with a 2Kg fire extinguisher...  Â£22.


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## Harlequin (22 Sep 2007)

Yes, it is a bit of a jungle when the stems get going!!

I hadn't acutally counted up how many pots I actually had altogether, but you're right!  It was quite an outlay, but I believe it is the best way to get a good start with your tank.  Too many people plant sparesly at the outset, in my opinion.  This way the tank has the best chance of starting up without too many issues in my experience.

I think you're right about the CO2 canister George.  I might have to look into it when I get back, those 500g ones don't last that long...


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## Harlequin (22 Sep 2007)

OK, this is the last update for 10 days or so; I'm off on my hols.  The tank is currently about to enter the 6th week, but here are updates from the 3rd week.  Had a big trim of the stems today.  Talking of which, week 3 saw the first big trim of the stems....

Here is a view after 16-odd days, and a nice close-up of the Rotalas (before I took the old scissors to them!).  Plenty of clippings to go 'round!  At this stage they don't have a lot of shape to them, and this is just how they've grown from planting.  Over  the coming weeks successive trimmings will thicken them up.  When the other plants have caught up, I can start to think about shaping the aquascape a little more...













So, eventually you have to take the old shears to your prize plants.  If they are strong and healthy and conditions are good, they won't mind having a serious haircut.  I can say that, after this, they soon grew back, thicker than before.  At this point, I've only trimmed the Rotalas, and left the Micranthemum alone, as it grows at about half the speed of the Rotalas.  Since this first trimming the Micranthemum also got the same treatment.  Again, all I'm doing here is trimming them down, keeping it level.  Shaping will come later.


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## James Flexton (22 Sep 2007)

Thats a cracking tank Nick. it's nice to see the progress of an ADA setup i have seen plenty but only a snapshot from a single point in time. Watching a long term layout develop will be great. Almost all on here as i'm sure you know are using EI methods so the comparison will be interesting. it's certainly off to a flying start. those background stems will really bush out when they regrow i'm sure. The effect should be stunning. 

Out of interest what sort of monthly outlay are those ada ferts? very roughly obviously.

looking forward to seeing the next update, have a good holiday.


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## George Farmer (23 Sep 2007)

Man, those stems are gonna be to die for once they bush out proper.

You're making me want to try out stems again...

Nick, are you aiming for a near symmetrical layout?  With the fern in the centre and even groups of stems it appears that way ATM.  

I guess you can prune the stems to suit and once the crypts establish, that will introduce a whole new dimension.

Anyway, great journal so far.  Keep up the good work.

And have a nice holiday.  May you return to an algae-free tank.   



> ...are using EI methods so the comparison will be interesting...



James - The ADA system is not so different from EI.  Add nutrients every day, large water change every week.  The main difference is in the substrate, where the ADA system provides NP, rather than through the water column, as per EI.  Even then one can add NP to the water with ADA via Special Shade and Special Lights.

This said, the ADA system is super effective and more user-friendly than EI.  If I had the spare cash then I'd try it out for sure.  But we've just bought a horse for Emily....


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## James Flexton (23 Sep 2007)

ahh i see. i'd never really looked into it TBH. i am put off by the branded nature of the ADA ferts. not disputing they are excellent and produce fantastic results. obviously the nature aquarium gallery speaks for itself. i prefer to know exacly what i am putting in the water from an educational perspective. i am quite happy when a plant is difficent and i subsequently "cure" it by working out which nutrient is lacking. if i was to add a big dollop of fert X and it fixed said problem, unless i knew exactly what was in fert X then i would still be wondering what nutrient was lacking in the first place.

plus a bag of dry powder goes a long way

to clarify i am not knocking ADA ferts at all, whatever is in them works, period.


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## oldwhitewood (24 Sep 2007)

Nice journal old boy. It will be interesting to see how this develops. I am noting the clarity as we go along.





The growth you can see here is brilliant. A fine nature aquarium sir I take my hat off to you.


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## Fred Dulley (24 Sep 2007)

Fantastic. Looks so green and healthy. Worth the wait.
I hope to be able to create something similar in the future when I'm not so busy with 6th form education.


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## Harlequin (7 Oct 2007)

Gents,
Many thanks for your comments!

Well, back from my hols now-had a trip to New England for a couple of weeks with the wife.  Very nice, except arriving in Boston to find a heatwave at the end of September!!

Neil - of course, the clarity!   On that note, I must say the Purigen I've been using certainly has done the trick with removing staining from the water due to the bogwood.  I don't mind a bit of colour, but when I took it out to recharge it the other week I was amazed at how quickly the water began to look like tea.  Suffice to say, not long after putting it back it cleared up really quickly.  Good stuff.  That and the Eheim Pro 3, which is a cracking filter.

James, regarding the ADA ferts, at the moment I'm dosing about 10 ml a day of Brighty K and Step 1.  At that rate 500 ml lasts around a month and half, give or take.  That is around Â£45 worth of liquids every month and a half.  So, it is quite costly to use these liquids, and I think it has been said elsewhere that anything above a 90cm and the cost of using them can become pretty significant.

George is right, in many ways there is similarity with EI.  I do large water changes weekly.  I guess this method just takes EI to its logical extreme, where you don't even consider ratios of NP for example, never mind shooting for a certain ppm per day, you just put your faith in whomever made the ferts and dose it accordingly.  Of course, I would tend to modify the dose at the beginning and ramp it up accordingly over the first month or two.  Anyway, glad you like the journal-as you say, a lot of these kind of tanks tend to 'appear' done on the internet, so I just wanted to document it a little more.

George - the stems are going great guns, and they really are the best I've grown.  At the moment the layout is quite symmetrical, and this was intentional.  I didn't plan on having so much green at the back, but when I orderd the plants Tropica were out of L. inclinata var. verticilata 'Cuba', and this would've added some different colour and texture to the back ground.  That said, I am chuffed with that growth I've had and there response to a really harsh trimming-as Fred mentioned, really green and healthy.  Anyway, once the slower growers have settled in I aim to start shaping the stems a little more, to get the 'final' impression.  The other thing that is interesting will be to see how many times I can hack back the stems and still get good re-growth before the whole lot need to be re-planted.

Now, regarding algae-funny you should mention it....

While away my mind did occasionally wander to the tank and I must admit to a bit of concern-would the dosing pumps do there job etc...Any, sods law, when I got back the other day, there was some algae.  Mostly in amongst the Lilaeopsis, which is really thick.  It is the kind of slighty fuzzy green stuff.  The other thing was that the stems had barely grown from where I chopped them nearly 2 weeks previously.  The crypts and ferns were fine, as was the Micranthemum.  What appears to have happened is that one of the suckers holding the CO2 line came of kinking the line and more or less cutting off the supply of CO2.  In addition, there were some air bubbles still in the dosing pump line, which may have prevented correct dosing.  Anyway, having cured this, and in addition done some big water changes and dosed Green Gain, the stems responded immediately, and have sprouted a lot of new growth within days. I'm also dosing Excel at 150% dose per day. Along with the water changes, steady supply of CO2, this should sort out any further algae issues.  I may have to pull and re-plant the Lilaeopsis though, or at least thin it, as it really is thick.

Anyway, I'll post more pics in the next week or so, get this up to date with weeks 4-6 photos, then shoot some more of how the tank is now.

Cheers,
Nick


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## James Flexton (7 Oct 2007)

thanks for the update nick. what a bummer about the co2 and ferts. i hate leaving my tank for any length of time. last time my autofeeder was all set up and the damn batteries died. fish were like anorexic piranhas when i returned.

good luck sorting it, your getting there by the sounds of it.

what is that purigen stuff? i have 5 huge pieces in my 100G at present and i am getting through massive amounts of dechlorinator doing daily water changes to try to remove the staining. got charcoal filter pad in as well and it's still leeching. the cardinals love it though so I'm not too fussed, no plants in there yet either i just hope it stops soon.


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## Harlequin (7 Oct 2007)

Purigen is made by Seachem.  Check out their website for more info on it.  In a nutshell it is a less aggressive alternative to carbon.  A lot of folk worry about carbon stripping nutrients, whether that is the case or not, Purigen claims not to do it.  It aims to remove nitrite and ammonia, rendering them easier to deal with via biological filtration, and also is also a 'polisher' of the water.  I've found it very effective, and would recommend it.  As you can see, it has had no adverse impact on my plants, so I don't think you should worry about it stirpping stuff you want in the water column.  My advice would be to get a couple of bags for your size tank.  At a tenner a pop, might seem expensive, but it works and you can easily regenerate it with bleach, so I think it is a good alternative to carbon.  One thing-make sure you use a non-amine based de-chlorinator/slime coat.  I use Seachem's Prime now (I used to use Nutrafins product), as this is compatible with Purigen-the problem comes when it comes to re-charging basically.  There is plenty of info on the Seachem website about this.

Cheers


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## James Flexton (7 Oct 2007)

sounds great thanks nick. i've got two blokes painting the outside of my house today so have been ordered by the misses to sit on my butt all day and not leave the house.i was running out of surfing material - off to seachem site now. thanks.

Â£10 a pop seems cheap especially if it's rechargeable - great.


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## Dave Spencer (7 Oct 2007)

jimbooo said:
			
		

> what is that purigen stuff?



Look no further than this very forum James.

http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t= ... sc&start=0

Dave.


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## James Flexton (7 Oct 2007)

great thanks dave, i missed that thread. my LFS a mile away stocks it i shall get some next time i'm there and give it a go. i have tannins galore at the moment so that sounds like an ideal product for me. multipul water changes on 100G when you are on a water meter are expensive in themselves so purigen will probably be cheaper in the long run. sounds like a good excuse to me anyway. oh plus the dechlorinator costs..


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## james3200 (7 Oct 2007)

very nice tank & journal, good to see another ADA addict


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## Harlequin (24 Oct 2007)

Quick update then...

Seem to have sorted out the little algae problem I had after coming back from my hols.  It was starting to accumulate in the Lilaeopsis, which was getting very thick and dense.  So, as well as trying to work out a way to rid myself of it, I also wanted to think about how I manage a grass foreground.

Getting the CO2 back on-line properly and dosing a normal Excel dose daily did the trick.  I also basically gave the Liliaeopsis a haircut.  Within a week or so the algae had gone.  I also added a dozen ottos, although I think the CO2, Excel, trim did the trick.

I was thinking about how to manage the grass foreground for sometime, as it has grown very thick, and in some cases is too tall. I'd read you could just trim certain grass-like plants just as you'd do with a lawn, and so I figured I'd give it a go.  Having got at it with the scissors, it didn't look great (still some algae in it), but after a week or so new growth was clealy evident, and this, coulped with the algae disappearing was encouraging.  So, it seems that giving it a good trim is an alternative to pulling the whole section and re-planting, at least in the medium term.

I think this is pretty interesting, because a lot of folk have moved away from conventional foreground planting recently (including myself) becuase they are either tricky to grow sufficiently well to give a really nice result, or when they do get going (as this has) they kind of run-away with themselves, and you end up having to do a lot of messy re-planting.

Ferns are growing well, just doing their thing.  It always takes time in my  tanks (or so it seems) for Java ferns to really get going, and mine look nice and healthy, but seems to be putting a lot of energy into developing adventitous plantlets on the leaves (with attendant not so great looking hairy roots!).  Occasionally, I remove a large Congo water-fern leaf too.

The crypts are also doing pretty well, and I would describe their growth a very good.  That said, they are still not where my best Crypts were in my ADA Aquasoil Malaya tank.  Those things were the best I've ever grown. Interesting becuase I'd read that ADA recommend Malaya in particular for Crypts (which is kind of obvious I suppose).

Anyway, more photos soon...Just done another big trim of the stems, and I'm thinking that next time around, the cuttings might have to be re-planted.

Nick


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## beeky (24 Oct 2007)

Why are you dosing Excel and CO2? As an algicide?


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## Harlequin (24 Oct 2007)

Yes, as an aid to getting rid of the algae.  

One of the key compounds in Excel is polycycloglutaracetal, which, apparently, is a trademarked (by Seachem) polymerized isomer of glutaraldehyde.  The latter can be used to sterilize dental and medical equipment, and apparently as an embalming fluid (amongst other things).

The polymer has a well known impact on algae (google Excel, and you'll find many refs to use by planted tank people on algae), which I recall Seachem acknowledge, in a round-a-bout kind of way-apparently US regualtions prevent them from marketing it citing the biocidal impacts; it is considered to kill most algae at concentrations between 0.5-5.0 ppm.

Because some people have noticed that it can kill mosses and higher plants too at higher concentrations, I would not advocate what a lot of folk do.  Namely, overdosing it.  I would stick to the normal dose, applying that to the affected area by a syringe.  I have no doubt it works.  I have only used it on what you might call nuisance algae, rather than chronic infestations (the former can, of course, become the latter).  The first time was on black brush algae on wood.  I used the syringe method on it repeatedly and within days it bleached white and completely died.  Apparently, it kills cells extremenly quickly, so this might explain why more 'simplistic' plants like algae are most susceptible.

Of course, you can get all this from google, but it gives an idea about why I use it.


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## George Farmer (25 Oct 2007)

Less of the words, they're boring!    

Piccies, please...


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## oldwhitewood (25 Oct 2007)

Too right! Picatures!


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## beeky (26 Oct 2007)

I've read about it's effect on algae in the past, although it was only in reference to hair algae. I can confirm this as well as I had some attached to my wood which disappeared over the course of a week when I started dosing. Interesting about the mosses though. That might explain why my java moss never grows in the same tank. It's not dieing, but it's not growing either. I'll stop dosing and see what happens (that's another way of saying that I've run out of Excel and can't afford anymore yet!).


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## Ray (2 Nov 2007)

Hello, who is the German manufacturer of your tank and stand - I'm just accross the boarder in Switzerland so very practical for me to go to him direct.

Very nice tank by the way, I'm thinking of a similar size.  It is 90x45x45 isn't it?  How do you think it would be if you'd gone for the 60cm high - too deep to work on/for light to penetrate or OK?

Thank you,

Ray

PS - we all want photos!


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## Themuleous (3 Nov 2007)

Only just found this thread, gorgeous tank, a bit of aquatic eye candy.

Sam


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## Harlequin (5 Nov 2007)

Sorry chaps-I'll post some more pics soon!  I have some, just not got around to putting them up!

Ray - I got the tank from Aqua Essentials, who deal with the company in Germany.  I'm sure you could get the contact from Richard there-just drop him a line.  It is the same company that make the tanks for ADA.

I considered a 60 High, but had always had a 45 cm high tank in mind.  Turned out they had a 50 cm made in stock so I took that.  A 60 would be nice I think, get the extra depth.  I don't think light penetration would be too much of an issue-certainly I get excellent growth of Lilaeopsis at the bottom of mine with the 150 W metal halide.  If you were worried about that, you could always get a 250 W!!  I don't think that would be necessary by the way.

Sam-thanks for your comments-glad you like it!!

Cheers,
Nick


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## Ray (5 Nov 2007)

Thanks for answering Nick.  I was thinking about doing low light CO2 or Excel so putting say 100W T5 accross the top.  We'll see.  Looking forward to the pics, it looks great.


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## stevet (8 Nov 2007)

'Ray - I got the tank from Aqua Essentials, who deal with the company in Germany. I'm sure you could get the contact from Richard there-just drop him a line. It is the same company that make the tanks for ADA. '

OUCH! You went for the high clarity stuff then! That looks extremely expensive. Is it really that much clearer than normal aquarium glass?


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## Harlequin (26 Nov 2007)

Stevet - yes I went for the full monty on this tank.  I only really keep the one going and I'd been planning something special for years.  This is really it (certainly in terms of hardware).  I can certainly say that it terms of build quality the tank is first rate.  With no bracing to help hold back 200+ litres, you need it!!  The cabinet is also top notch too-a very nice product.

Sorry for the lack of updates guys, just been a bit busy with a few things of late.....I have some pics and will try and post them soon!  Been tied up with finally stripping and cleaning the Rio 125 and re-housing the occupants, amongst other things.

Nick


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## TDI-line (5 Feb 2008)

Awesome tank.


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## nickyc (6 Feb 2008)

Hi Nick, 

Looks amazing!  Could we see some more pictures?


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## Harlequin (1 Mar 2008)

Morning all....

Been off the forums for a little while, but I've not been sitting idly by on the planted tank front.

Well, this tank had been torn down - time for a change and a  new scape.

So a big box of Tropica plants came into my possession yesterday and and all hell broke loose as I started on ripping down the old and getting the new one going.  Will get some pictures up soon - we are quite literally about to have a baby so I can't promise updates will come with any frequency over the next few weeks!

Cheers
Nick


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## Dan Crawford (1 Mar 2008)

Good luck with the baby. 
Looking forward to seeing you new scape


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## George Farmer (1 Mar 2008)

Wow!  Congrats on the baby, Nick.

Low-maint 'scape?!


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## Arana (1 Mar 2008)

Wow! good luck to you and your new family Nick


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