# Crystal Mountain



## Nuno M.

Hi everyone,

Here it goes a my new home tank layout started last week, hope  you guys have time to follow this one 

Here goes the setup:

Started:
24/08/2016

Tank: 
120x50x50cm Extra-Clear Optiwite Glass

Stand: 
DIY - 122x51x82cm

Light:
CHIHIROS A-1201 x2
8000K 5630 SMD LED's 65w

Filter:
1x EHEIM 2178 (600T) THERMO-FILTER

Filter Midia:
Original Blue Pad
Sera Siporax 2l
Seachem Matrix 4l
JBL Symec Syntetic Filter Floss

Other Equipment:  
Kit CO2 aquaristic.tec 13kg FE
JBL ProFlora PH Control 
ADA Pollen Glass Beetle Ø50
ADA Glass Counter 
ADA CO2 Indicator
CHIHIROS DOCTOR SUPER
VIV Lily Pipes 17mm (outflow)(inflows)
Jebao DP-4 

Hardscape: 
Local Rocks
Entwood

Substrate: 
ADA Aquasoil Amazónia 

Ferts:
EI Daily

Weekly Target:
20ppm NO3
30ppm K
3ppm PO4
10ppm Mg
0.5ppm Fe

Plants:
Bucephalandra Belindae
Bucephalandra Motleyana "Braun/Rot Narrow" 
Bucephalandra Motleyana "Riam Macam"
Bucephalandra Fake Catherinae
Bucephalandra "Kedagang"
Bucephalandra Velvet Leaf "Entikong"
Eleocharis Acicularis "Mini"
Hemianthus Callitrichoides "Cuba"
Hygrophila "Araguaia"
Hygrophila Pinnatifida
Ludwigia Arcuata
Rotala "Rotundifolia"
Rotala "Green"
Staurogyne Repens 

Photos:

Final Hardscape
_MG_2420 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

After Filling with Water
_MG_2440 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

Photos from today with clear water and diferent angles
_MG_2451 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

_MG_2450 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

_MG_2449 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

_MG_2444 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

Hope you guys like it ...


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## tadabis

Hello! Looks like it will be a nice tank! Keep going and posting updates. Will be interesting to see how it goes


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## Dantrasy

Fantastic!


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## alto

Cant wait to see this growing in


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## Timon Vogelaar

Beautifull! Nice "local" rocks you got there? Did you buy those or find them somewhere?


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## rebel

Lovely wood!


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## Manuel Arias

It sounds interesting! Let's see how evolves. Following this one.

Cheers,
Manuel


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## Nuno M.

tadabis said:


> Hello! Looks like it will be a nice tank! Keep going and posting updates. Will be interesting to see how it goes



Hi tadabis,

I will do my best to keep you all updated 



Dantrasy said:


> Fantastic!



Thank you Dantrasy 



alto said:


> Cant wait to see this growing in



I'm also very eager to see this one growing ...



Timon Vogelaar said:


> Beautifull! Nice "local" rocks you got there? Did you buy those or find them somewhere?



Hi there Timon,

This rocks were actually gathered along Portuguese shore near Lisbon/Cascais, I've used them before with no major problems they act like mini landscape rocks buffering the tank water.



rebel said:


> Lovely wood!



I've been keeping them for quite long now, I've used them before in me AGA participation back from 2014 with a top 10 in Biotope Category 
http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2014/show626.html

I wanted to use them on a Scape for quite a good time now 



Manuel Arias said:


> It sounds interesting! Let's see how evolves. Following this one.
> 
> Cheers,
> Manuel



Thank you for following Manuel 

I will try to keep this topic updated ...


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## Nuno M.

Here goes a little update with a little more than a week of life 

Plants are filling quite nicelly, and started the fertilization with half the daily dose of a full EI regime, I'm almost certain that this setup will not need more than that, let's see as it feels in ...

The cleaning team is most certain to enter this week to help with some of the HC melting a crew of 20/30 Amanos will certanily do the job ...

Here goes a photo were you can see that a lot has grown in this past week 

_MG_2459 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


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## Manuel Arias

Good job, Nuno! So far, so good. I like the natural flow of the aquascape and the selection of plants. 

I have two questions, please:

-What type of wood is that one? I have seen it in the past but I never managed to identify it.

-The dark plant in the middle...which one is it?

Thanks!

Cheers,
Manuel


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## Daveslaney

Think its called Entwood.
Brucephalandra sp cant make out which from pics.
Great scape.


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## Nuno M.

Manuel Arias said:


> Good job, Nuno! So far, so good. I like the natural flow of the aquascape and the selection of plants.
> 
> I have two questions, please:
> 
> -What type of wood is that one? I have seen it in the past but I never managed to identify it.
> 
> -The dark plant in the middle...which one is it?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Cheers,
> Manuel



Hi Manuel the wood as Daveslaney said is Entwood\Hornwood and the darker plant in the middle is Bucephalandra "Kedagang" ....



Daveslaney said:


> Think its called Entwood.
> Brucephalandra sp cant make out which from pics.
> Great scape.



Thank you Daveslaney


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## Nuno M.

After 15 days all going really really well 

Here are 2 full view photos 

18mm without backlight
_MG_2477 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

18mm with backlight
_MG_2478 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


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## Alexander Belchenko

Beautiful, crystal sharp photos.


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## Mark Allen

That is an awesome tank!


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## alto

Stunning  
that wood gets better every time I see it 

Is this the ADA version or some other?


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## Nuno M.

Alexander Belchenko said:


> Beautiful, crystal sharp photos.



Thank you Alexander,

I really try to every time to take good photos from my tanks 



Mark Allen said:


> That is an awesome tank!



Thank you Mark 



alto said:


> Stunning
> that wood gets better every time I see it
> 
> Is this the ADA version or some other?



Thank you Alto,

Don´t really know if they are ADA pieces of wood, I bought them at ADA main reseller here in Portugal, they might be but I can´t say for shore


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## MatusG

Really nice scape baddy! May I ask where did you get the wood from? Searching for similar but have problem to find some.

Thank you and looking forward for next updates 


Odoslané z môjho iPad cez Tapatalk


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## Nuno M.

MatusG said:


> Really nice scape baddy! May I ask where did you get the wood from? Searching for similar but have problem to find some.
> 
> Thank you and looking forward for next updates
> 
> 
> Odoslané z môjho iPad cez Tapatalk



Thank you MatusG,

They were bought at Aquaeden a Portuguese aquascaping store


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## doylecolmdoyle

Looking fantastic! love how you have incorporated the rock and wood! Can you share details on your photography setup, Camera, Lens etc, even F stop / shutter speeds etc? How far back from the tank do you take the picture, with a 18mm lens I am guessing fairly far back otherwise the horizontal lines would start to distort? Again well done, this one will be epic when grown in.

EDIT - I see the photos are hosted on Flickr I was able to get most of the info from there... would be interesting to the distance from the tank tho when you take the shot!


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## Nuno M.

doylecolmdoyle said:


> Looking fantastic! love how you have incorporated the rock and wood! Can you share details on your photography setup, Camera, Lens etc, even F stop / shutter speeds etc? How far back from the tank do you take the picture, with a 18mm lens I am guessing fairly far back otherwise the horizontal lines would start to distort? Again well done, this one will be epic when grown in.
> 
> EDIT - I see the photos are hosted on Flickr I was able to get most of the info from there... would be interesting to the distance from the tank tho when you take the shot!



Hi there doycolmdoyle,

You can see all the details from my photos at Flicker just click on the pictures to follow the link, scroll down and voila, all the secrets about every each one of the photos, the only post processing that i normally do is with Lighroom. 
I crop the image and do a lens correction and also do a black vignetting , and as I shoot in RAW format I adjust the highlights and shadows and the black and white balance ... And that basically does it


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## Nuno M.

doylecolmdoyle said:


> EDIT - I see the photos are hosted on Flickr I was able to get most of the info from there... would be interesting to the distance from the tank tho when you take the shot!



You can get that info from Flickr also, in this particular photos the focal distance was about 95cm  when I use my 10-18mm is much closer to the tank


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## doylecolmdoyle

Nuno M. said:


> You can get that info from Flickr also, in this particular photos the focal distance was about 95cm  when I use my 10-18mm is much closer to the tank


Cheers for the reply! Yeah I noticed the focal length in Flickr after I posted, thanks for the tips !


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## tmiravent

Hi Nuno!
The is the kind of tank that when we see it alive...
Time for a video to see the 'bulldozers' and cuba relation! Never thought it worked so fine!
Wondering about the PAR of that light...
cheers


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## Nuno M.

One more week has passed by and today was day for a good first triming 

 Before:
_MG_2482 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

After:
_MG_2484 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


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## CooKieS

Crystal clear pics!


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## doylecolmdoyle

Looking really good, love the shape you are already getting on those stems at the back. Great photos again!


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## Nuno M.

One month after starting this scape it's going strong   

It has destabilized a bit from the last trimming, the PO4 went to zero, and left some margin for GSA to take a grip on the hardscape, the dosing was adjusted today with 2 new bottles of macro and micro, let's see what happens 

Here are a few shots, hope you guys like it 

_MG_2490 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

_MG_2492 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

IMG_2493 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

IMG_2499 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

IMG_2500 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

IMG_2501 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

IMG_2507 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


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## doylecolmdoyle

Lovely! I almost dont mind the GSA on the rocks, all looks very balanced, tho I will be interested to see if you can fight the GSA off with upping your PO4 dosing


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## Nuno M.

doylecolmdoyle said:


> Lovely! I almost dont mind the GSA on the rocks, all looks very balanced, tho I will be interested to see if you can fight the GSA off with upping your PO4 dosing



I there doylecolmdoyle,

Thank you for your words, I also like the GSA on the hardscape, gives it a more natural look, but at the same time takes away some of the rock beauty.

I've only upped the PO4 intake by 1,2ppm weekly now aiming for 4,2ppm weekly instead of 3ppm this is a 0,6ppm daily input, but hoping to be enough to keep them on check ... 

Some rock scrubbing with a toothbrush will also help in diminishing it a long with more frequent water changes


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## doylecolmdoyle

Nuno M. said:


> I there doylecolmdoyle,
> 
> Thank you for your words, I also like the GSA on the hardscape, gives it a more natural look, but at the same time takes away some of the rock beauty.
> 
> I've only upped the PO4 intake by 1,2ppm weekly now aiming for 4,2ppm weekly instead of 3ppm this is a 0,6ppm daily input, but hoping to be enough to keep them on check ...
> 
> Some rock scrubbing with a toothbrush will also help in diminishing it a long with more frequent water changes



Keep us posted! I too am battling some GSA on rocks, not as heavy as the GSA in your photos but I have also upped PO4, I even ordered a phosphate test kit but not sure how accurate it is, even after increasing my dosing it seems to read very low.


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## Nuno M.

doylecolmdoyle said:


> Keep us posted! I too am battling some GSA on rocks, not as heavy as the GSA in your photos but I have also upped PO4, I even ordered a phosphate test kit but not sure how accurate it is, even after increasing my dosing it seems to read very low.



I have really good conditions for this algae take it's grip on the hardscape, with PAR levels of 120-130 at substrate and not being a heavily planted tank, there will be always margin for this kind of algae to thrive in this setup, it's all about maintenance tough ...
I most confident that when I have the Rotalas really thriving and with the shape and volume that I'm aiming this will be more manageable ...

I will do my best to keep this tank always up to date ...

Thank you for following


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## AndreiD

120 PAR is a lot of lighting in my opinion  you can get into trouble if you don't know how to manage

GSA is not a real issue but BBA can be


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## Nuno M.

AndreiD said:


> 120 PAR is a lot of lighting in my opinion  you can get into trouble if you don't know how to manage
> 
> GSA is not a real issue but BBA can be



It's really high light this CHIHIROS fixtures are very powerful rated at 9700 Lumens each 

As for managing I have my routines figured out, it's not my first planted tank , nonetheless tank you for your concern


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## rebel

Hey dude, Do you run your chihiro lights at full or dimmed?

Had a look at your AGA biotope entry. Loved it! That wood has been a great investment indeed!


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## Nuno M.

rebel said:


> Hey dude, Do you run your chihiro lights at full or dimmed?
> 
> Had a look at your AGA biotope entry. Loved it! That wood has been a great investment indeed!



Hi rebel,

Thank you for your words, really appreciated 

Has for the lights I've been using them at full power for 6H/day, when the HC carpet closes completely, I will up this to 8H/day and see how the tank manages 

I will try to do some PAR readings at this lights, but outside the tank at a given hight and at their different power settings


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## rebel

Great stuff man. These lights are very powerful at a fraction of the cost of any other light. I find that the colour is also very good (maybe not perfect).


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## Bolota

Hi Nuno, could you tell the name of the plants in the 4th and 6th photos above? 
Thanks and congratulations for the very nice tank!


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## Nuno M.

Hi there bolota,

Thank you for your words 

In the 4th is Hygrophyla Araguaia and the 6th is Bucephalandra Motleyana "Braun/Rot Narrow"


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## greedy

Looks superb as always.Do you fertilise from the beginning?Maybe use half dose from early start?You dont believe that ADA paradigm to fertilise only with K in the begining?


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## Greenfinger2

Hi Nuno, Wonderful scape and planting


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## parotet

Awesome tank, congrats!

Jordi


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## Nuno M.

greedy said:


> Looks superb as always.Do you fertilise from the beginning?Maybe use half dose from early start?You dont believe that ADA paradigm to fertilise only with K in the begining?



Hi there greedy,

Thank you for your words

As for fertilization on this tank I've dosed nothing on the first week, as the plants are adapting and the fresh Aquasoil will give them plenty, on the second week a started with EI-Daily half dosing, as the tank started to kick off I upped the dose to full EI dosing.
I've never used ADA full range fertilization products (liquid fertilizers) and routines, i'm most certain that this will work for the most, using ADA Aquasoil along with PowerSand and all the extra powders... 

The principal ADA representative/re-seller  here in Portugal is Aquaeden's Rui Alves, one of a kind person and a dear friend, he has the most astonishing planted tank gallery here in Portugal after Mr. AMANO ''Florestas Submersas'' and he uses for the most of them the full ADA system and fertilization routine, 
and I have to say that this are always beautiful and healthy tanks, So I believe this methods work in full, not so much for my pocket 

Personally I think it's quite pricey 500ml bottle here in Portugal is like 30€, we need at least 3 of this bottles to start a tank that in my case will last 41days using the recommended dosing, 90€ gives me powders to fertilize my tank for more than 2 years 

For me using EI fertilization along with ADA Aquasoil is a killer combo 

Here are my ferts input based on Ceg4048 article from UKAPS 

NO3 - 2,86ppm Daily/20ppm Weekly
PO4 - 0,6ppm Daily/4.2ppm Weekly here I was aiming for 3ppm Weekly following Ceg's article, but GSA started to appear and by testing I saw it going to 0 so upped the dosing in the new bottles matching WET's dosing from RotalaButterfly 
K - 4,29ppm Daily/30ppm Weekly

Fe - 0,07ppm Daily/0,5ppm Weekly
Mg - 1,43ppm Daily/10ppm Weekly



Greenfinger2 said:


> Hi Nuno, Wonderful scape and planting



Thank you for your words Greenfinger2 



parotet said:


> Awesome tank, congrats!
> 
> Jordi



Thank you Jordi


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## Nuno M.

Because tomorrow is Water Change day I grabbed the test kit to do some water parameter check and with the new bottles of of Macro and Micro i'm getting at this end of the week:

NO3 - 10ppm
PO4 - 0,4ppm

Fe - 0,2ppm

Really good parameters in my opinion


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## greedy

I agree, ADA ferts are not for my pocket too.So i use Aqua Rebell like you.You are using tap water or Ro water?What about gh and kh parameters?


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## Nuno M.

greedy said:


> I agree, ADA ferts are not for my pocket too.So i use Aqua Rebell like you.You are using tap water or Ro water?What about gh and kh parameters?



I'm not using Aquarebell at the moment, but have in the past and this are really good fertilizers, but comparing to dry powders are expensive also 

As you are asking i went to the test box and done them also by your request 

dKH - 3º
GH - 120ppm x 0,056 = dGH - 6,72º

My pH probe is now marking 6,28 witch means I have 44ppm CO2 at this given time


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## greedy

Yes i know, all can make yourself and cheap Only i buy Spezial N and micro.To make Spezial N difficult to find some components in my country.


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## Nuno M.

One more week, rocks really in need of a toothbrush cleaning, filter needs maintenance along with the lilypipes, snails everywhere, but plants are super healthy really thick growth, and ready for a new trim 

10mm lense
IMG_2510 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


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## jns

Wow!  Great looking tank as are all the other ones in your signature block; you clearly have a nack for aqua scaping.


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## tmiravent

Not bad Nuno...
Kidding, it's very good layout, well done!
Time to put some swimming stuff over there, maybe some fish...
Love the color of that pipes! 
cheers


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## Nuno M.

jns said:


> Wow!  Great looking tank as are all the other ones in your signature block; you clearly have a nack for aqua scaping.



Thank for your words and taking the time to see them all 



tmiravent said:


> Not bad Nuno...
> Kidding, it's very good layout, well done!
> Time to put some swimming stuff over there, maybe some fish...
> Love the color of that pipes!
> cheers



Thank you for your words Tiago, really appreciate it coming from you 

At this time I don't feel the need for having fish swimming around, and still haven't decided witch school to go for this time 

As for the pipes they are really nasty, but it's something that doesn't bother me, 
I will do an effort for having them clean when I post new photos of this tank


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## CooKieS

Rusty pipes!

Had the same algae on rocks with my chihiros led so I dimmed it and half dosed NPK to avoid weekly manual cleaning of the stones. 

Would love to see a schoal of black neon tetra in there 

Keep up the good work!


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## Nuno M.

CooKieS said:


> Rusty pipes!
> 
> Had the same algae on rocks with my chihiros led so I dimmed it and half dosed NPK to avoid weekly manual cleaning of the stones.
> 
> Would love to see a schoal of black neon tetra in there
> 
> Keep up the good work!



Maybe I'm using to much Iron on my dosing, will have to check that 

I'm using them on full power to spice up the color on the stems 

As for the school they are really awesome looking fish Tiago ''tmiravent'', had them in his last scape and I had the pleasure to see them schooling live several times, really top notch, but they tend to be quite aggressive towards shrimps,
and I'm planning on getting a colony of Pure Red Line Caridina Logemanni Silane Line, so the choice has to be made with that in mind ...

I will most probably go for some kind of Boraras or Trigonostigma species


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## doylecolmdoyle

Nuno M. I saw your tank on Instagram, posted by Green Art Moscow, hope they didnt hijack your photo?


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## Nuno M.

doylecolmdoyle said:


> Nuno M. I saw your tank on Instagram, posted by Green Art Moscow, hope they didnt hijack your photo?



Hijacked for sure, I don't even got an Instagram account , but no worries the tank is in the same place let them do what they want with the photos ...

When we submit our tanks on public networks it's a risk we take, and I don't mind people sharing it, it's a sign that they liked my work, none of you will see me personally sharing my tank on Facebook, Twitters or other kind of social networks, 
I like sharing them on forums, here in UKAPS, in my Portuguese forum Aquaforum.pt, also in Barr Report, this way a can keep track of my posts, and share experiences with all of you, I also like to keep track on the tanks of people that follow my works,
and this way we all learn from each other, it's a win win situation, on social networks I think it's more like a vanity fair (post photos and waiting on the likes) of course I like seeing my tank posted for example on UKAPS Facebook and getting like 300 likes 
but I prefer coming to UKAPS or other forum, and have real opinions, suggestions, questions, this kind of relations it's what made me learn and reach the level I'm now, but still much to learn from you all 

I'm all in for the BACK TO FORUNS initiative


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## Nuno M.

Following the conversation with EdwinK at his thread I will share here my 2 recipes for fertilizing With or Without UREA 

Following Clive's article about EI fertilization here at UKAPS he recommends a weekly nutrient intake of :

20ppm NO3
3ppm PO4 As I seem to always get this value to 0 by testing I'm going for a 4.2ppm weekly intake on my recipe as I stated before 1.2ppm increase from Clive's reference values following the Daily recomendation on WET's Rotalla Butterfly (http://rotalabutterfly.com/index.php)
30ppm K
0,5ppm Fe
10ppm Mg

I take this values and divided them by 7 as I do daily fertilization with a peristaltic pump (JEBAO DP4)  and I always use 500ml DI Water Bottles and dose this recipes 1ml for 10L aquarium water 

N source KNO3 only

1st Bottle MACRO 500ml DI water
2,86ppm NO3 - We will need 23,32gr of KNO3 wich gives us also 1,8ppm K
0,6ppm PO4 - We will need 4,3gr of KH2PO4 wich also gives us 0,25ppm K
4,29ppm K - We take the KH2PO4 and KNO3 K values and subtract them to the total amount of K we get (4,29 - 1,8 - 0,25 = 2,24ppm) we will need 24,96gr of K2SO4 We can also mix half this dose in the Micros Bottle for better solubility 12,48gr in Macro Bottle and 12,48gr in Micro Bottle

2nd Bottle MICRO 500ml DI Water
0,07ppm Fe - Here I'm using MicroMix Plus from (http://aquarium-fertilizer.eu/) it's a 6% total Iron Mix so we will need 5,83gr of this powder
1,43ppm Mg - We will need 72,51gr of MgSO4

N source KNO3 + UREA

I've reached this formula by adjusting Tobias Coring Spezial N recipe available also here at UKAPS (http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/for-dan-spezial-n-nitrogen-fertilizer.14594/)

1st Bottle MACRO 500ml DI water
2,86ppm NO3 - 2,5gr of Urea will give us 1.03ppm as NO3 and 0,5ppm Urea so we subtract this value from the NO3 amount (2,86 - 1.03 = 1,83ppm) we will need 14,92gr KNO3 wich also gives us 1.15ppm K
0,6ppm PO4 - We will need 4,3gr of KH2PO4 wich also gives us 0,25ppm K
4,29ppm K - We take the KH2PO4 and KNO3 K values and subtract them to the total amount of K we get (4,29 - 1,15 - 0,25 = 2,89ppm) we will need 32.2gr of K2SO4 We can also mix half this dose in the Micros Bottle for better solubility 16.1gr in Macro Bottle and 16.1gr in Micro Bottle

2nd Bottle MICRO 500ml DI Water
Exactly the same as in the first mix 

Hope this can be of use for you all


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## doylecolmdoyle

Nuno I very much agree it's impossible to stop people stealing your photos and claiming them as there own, they are really cheating them self, ur image has been watermarked with " chihiros aquatic studio iberica"

I like your attitude towards sharing your scapes and knowledge with the forum / community! Keep up ththe great work


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## tim

Lovely scape so far nuno, great detail in the journal of your methods and regime, keep the updates coming


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## Nuno M.

doylecolmdoyle said:


> Nuno I very much agree it's impossible to stop people stealing your photos and claiming them as there own, they are really cheating them self, ur image has been watermarked with " chihiros aquatic studio iberica"
> 
> I like your attitude towards sharing your scapes and knowledge with the forum / community! Keep up ththe great work



Actually Chihiros Aquatic Studio Iberia  has been sponsoring this Aquascape and they have full authorization to use my photos in social networks, they are marked also with my name, as you can see I'm using some of their products 

The more we share the more we learn 



tim said:


> Lovely scape so far nuno, great detail in the journal of your methods and regime, keep the updates coming



Thank you for your words tim,

I will do my best to have the tread updated and with all the details


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## Nuno M.

Deep maintenance day, rock´s scrubbed, filter and pipes cleaned, major water change +90% 

IMG_2513 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

IMG_2521 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

IMG_2537 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


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## tmiravent

Hi Nuno that carpet is crazy! 
Like the 'new' pipes! lol 

I found amazing that buces are doing pretty good side by side with cuba!
You really know how to push velocity without loosing control! And i know how quick we can crash a tank (i've crash it a few times!) 
Time to make a video! 

I've to go there to see it before you start other, you really go fast! 
cheers


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## Nuno M.

Hahahaha, I've adjusted the Fe dosage, no more rusty pipes,

I really love HC carpets, but I also know they are unforgiving, we have to treat them well, good old stable CO2 is a must, also good lightning and good N source 

As the tank matures the Bucepahalandras are taking their grip, and now started all to flourish, a good sign of the tank maturity 

I try to show you all how I manage things, no secrets here, good old maintenance is the key, I had my handful of crashes also, but took the time to learn from them all...

Don´t worry i have no plans to start over soon, you are more than welcome to came here see it be yourself, and help me with the video


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## Emrah

Amazing tank!


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## Nuno M.

Emrah said:


> Amazing tank!



Thank you Emrah 

Well the tank is still recovering from last trimm, and now to clean for my taste, it seams it has stabilized with new ferts dosing, and GSA won't be comming back soon 

Started this last sunday Urea dosing, let's see what happens 

Here's it actual state just momments ago 

_MG_2548 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


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## Nuno M.

Today I will leave you with other kind of photos,

Yesterday arrived 10 Caridina Logemanni Pure Red Line, only have like 1cm but already have stunning colors, will let them grow with their bigger cousins Caridina Japonica ...

It was really hard to get them with my zoom lenses, and had to crop the image so you guys can really see them more close, compare their size to the HC leaves , really beautiful shrimps really happy on getting them 

IMG_2565 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

IMG_2576 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

IMG_2583 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

IMG_2585 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr[/quote]


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## tadabis

Nice photos!


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## Nuno M.

Trimming Day, SCISSORS MODE ON 

IMG_2590 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


----------



## Nuno M.

SCISSORS MODE OFF 

IMG_2591 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


----------



## tmiravent

Nuno, nice cut!
really likearcuata ,top!


----------



## greedy

I see you use ph controler in all your setups.And i saw your friends use also.Do you think it helps?What do you think about that?I see beautiful results, but i have little bit doubt about that item ??


----------



## Nuno M.

tmiravent said:


> Nuno, nice cut!
> really likearcuata ,top!


 
Lovely plant Tiago,

As you could see very hard to control, it grows very wild in this setup, lets see how it will grows after this trimm 



greedy said:


> I see you use ph controler in all your setups.And i saw your friends use also.Do you think it helps?What do you think about that?I see beautiful results, but i have little bit doubt about that item ??



Hi there greedy,

For me is the most precise way to control CO2, but I use it with 2 solenoids, my JBL Proflora has a built in CO2 solenoid, that I programmed as a safety, I never want my pH to drop more than 6,4 (45ppm CO2 dKH4) and the ideal level for +/- 30ppm is around 6.5 pH (35ppm CO2 dKH4), i use the controller just if something goes wrong (Single Stage Regulator on 10kg CO2 industrial bottle) it shut's down CO2 automatically, and I use a second solenoid to night shut off, in this way I have constant readings on pH drop and up, with some fine adjustments on the needle valve I can stabilize the pH right were I want it and keep it constant all day long , I counter all this with my drop checker and the colors match the goal I'm aiming for, I think the tank speaks for it self specially the HC carpet, since I use this method, I've had none problems with CO2 targeting


----------



## plantbrain

You might consider adding some moss(say weeping or mini Xmas) to the wood. Would give a nice feel and "age" the look more. 
Big water change and then add moss with super glue gel. Refill 5 minutes later.


----------



## alto

I love this tank just as it is 

There are enough _moss on wood_ aquascapes out there - one of the reasons I like this tank so much is the stunning wood with all it's shadow play & contrast in texture to the plants


----------



## Nuno M.

plantbrain said:


> You might consider adding some moss(say weeping or mini Xmas) to the wood. Would give a nice feel and "age" the look more.
> Big water change and then add moss with super glue gel. Refill 5 minutes later.



Hi there Tom,

For now I will keep it as it is, H. Pinnatifida is starting to take it´s grip on rocks and wood as I intended since the start of this layout, will let it develop more before thinking on adding something else, appreciated your opinion maybe in time I'll add maybe Taiwan Moss (Taxiphyllum Alternans) which I used in other spaces and liked very much or some Mini Coral Moss (Riccardia Chamedryfolia), will see this options on a near future or not 



alto said:


> I love this tank just as it is
> 
> There are enough _moss on wood_ aquascapes out there - one of the reasons I like this tank so much is the stunning wood with all it's shadow play & contrast in texture to the plants



Hi there alto,

Yes for now I'm really liking this wood textures, will let it develop more and will decide in time if I add something else


----------



## Nuno M.

A week after the major trimming it´s already taking its pace 

_MG_2693 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


----------



## rebel

Very beautiful!

I've never been able to shape or grow stems like those. Do the leaves go tatty in the middle of those domes?


----------



## Nuno M.

rebel said:


> Very beautiful!
> 
> I've never been able to shape or grow stems like those. Do the leaves go tatty in the middle of those domes?



Hi there rebel,

There's no big secret here, you just have to keep on pruning them frequently, like 2-3cm apart from the last trim ...

For now they are still strong beneath my cutting line, but in time we have to do an inverse trim (cut them from the base near the substrate and plant the tops), the rest is just good water flow good CO2 and ferts ...
Good strong lights also makes them grow more bushier


----------



## doylecolmdoyle

EPIC, love this tank so much! I want to try some stem plants / domes like that one day, perhaps for my next scape... I have never been great with trimming and replanting stuff the stems always seem to float away along with the struggle to find room next to the existing stems, do you have any tricks for replanting? I am thinking drop the water right down below the substrate level where the stems are planted, guess this would only work if the stems are elevated and livestock have some water at the low level.


----------



## Nuno M.

doylecolmdoyle said:


> EPIC, love this tank so much! I want to try some stem plants / domes like that one day, perhaps for my next scape... I have never been great with trimming and replanting stuff the stems always seem to float away along with the struggle to find room next to the existing stems, do you have any tricks for replanting? I am thinking drop the water right down below the substrate level where the stems are planted, guess this would only work if the stems are elevated and livestock have some water at the low level.



Hi doylecolmdoyle,

Thank you for the kind words ...

First tip we need to have good tweezers, with good grip, when i want to do some stems replanting for me it´s better with water, without a third from being full seems to do the trick quite well ... In this way we have the notion of the stems size underwater and try them all to match in height when replanting, I plant them deep also like, 2-3cm on the substrate, also the way we position the the stems on the tweezers is very important so they don´t get loose ... After the big mess I always do a big water change ... And that's it 

I will try to do a video of this procedure when the time comes


----------



## doylecolmdoyle

Nuno M. said:


> I will try to do a video of this procedure when the time comes



Thanks for the tips, a video would be great, keep up the good work!


----------



## rebel

@Nuno M. , thanks for all the tips! Much appreciated.


----------



## Nuno M.

Some Close-Up shooting 

Bucephalandra "Kedagang"
_MG_2711 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

_MG_2738 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

CO2 Diffuser
_MG_2764 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

Caridina Logemann Pure Red Line
_MG_2769 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

Rotala sp. 'Vietnam'
_MG_2780 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

Ludwigia Arcuata
_MG_2791 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

Rotala Rotundifolia
_MG_2782 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

Side-View
_MG_2796 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


----------



## EdwinK

Great photography!!!


----------



## Nuno M.

EdwinK said:


> Great photography!!!



Thank you EdwinK,

I've tried my best


----------



## Nuno M.

Did some water testing after Water Change will keep it this way with half the EI dose 

NO3 < 5ppm 
PO4 - 0,2ppm
Fe - 0,05ppm
GH - 80ppm dGH - 4.48º
dKH - 3º
pH - 6.4 
CO2 - 33ppm


----------



## Nuno M.

I think I'm in trigger happy mood  

Vietnam Ambulia (Limnophila sp. ''Vietnam'')
_MG_2820 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

Caridina Logemann Pure Red Line
_MG_2811 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

_MG_2804 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


----------



## Archer

very nice. like it!


----------



## Nuno M.

Morning shot, with all the stems still closed  

_MG_2825 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


----------



## CooKieS

Nice pics!

These stones and woods needs some toothbrush!


----------



## Nuno M.

CooKieS said:


> Nice pics!
> 
> These stones and woods needs some toothbrush!



Thank you CooKies,

For the time being I will let the hardscape alone, I didn't like it when it was to clean  
Plants are super healthy and that is what matters most to me


----------



## Nuno M.

Back-Light Testing 

_MG_2831 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


----------



## bobiciupe

Nuno M. said:


> Thank you CooKies,
> 
> For the time being I will let the hardscape alone, I didn't like it when it was to clean
> Plants are super healthy and that is what matters most to me



Maybe it's all about pictures, but the plants and especially the rocks seem to me full of algae. I dont think your plants are super healthy. Please do not mind, it;s just my point of view


----------



## Nuno M.

bobiciupe said:


> Maybe it's all about pictures, but the plants and especially the rocks seem to me full of algae. I dont think your plants are super healthy. Please do not mind, it;s just my point of view



Hi there bobiciupe,

Of course I don't mind your point-of-view, 

The only plants with algae are some of the bucephalandras older leafes affected by GSA, all the other plants are algae free...

I'm using really strong light 120PAR at the carpet, so it's normal that algae take it's grip to the harscape, as I said before I like it this way, think it gives a more aged look to the tank but at the same time it takes away much textures expecialy on the wood, eventualy I will clean it, but for the time being I will leave it this way,


----------



## Seoulstar

First of all, I just want to say your tank is amazing, especially the hardwood is great and I like how you are sharing your whole experience instead of just posting tank shots. Your photos are also amazing, super crisp, especially the full tank shots.

I see that you are dosing half/full EI but do not see any micros. How are you dosing your micros? In other forums there is so much talk about deficiencies/toxicities of micros so I'm interested to see what method you are following. Are you only dosing Fe & Mg for micros?


----------



## Nuno M.

Seoulstar said:


> First of all, I just want to say your tank is amazing, especially the hardwood is great and I like how you are sharing your whole experience instead of just posting tank shots. Your photos are also amazing, super crisp, especially the full tank shots.
> 
> I see that you are dosing half/full EI but do not see any micros. How are you dosing your micros? In other forums there is so much talk about deficiencies/toxicities of micros so I'm interested to see what method you are following. Are you only dosing Fe & Mg for micros?



Thanks for your words Seuoulstar,

I try my best to share the little I know, and it feels very good when I have this kind of feedback from you guys 

I've been following some of this discussions, in Barr Report, The Planted Tank, regarding this  toxicities, but in my fertilization I use a very good Iron and Micro source as I've have described a few threads behind,
and I really do not see the advantage on using like +0.2ppm FE daily intake as suggested in some calculators and forums, at this moment I'm with half EI dosing in this tank this means a daily input of 0.035ppm FE, and I see no Iron deficiencies whatsoever,
I've been dosing leaner for some time now, when the tank asks for more, I give it a little more but general rule, half the EI dosing is more than enough for this kind of setup, if you do a tank say a dutch style with very fast growing stems, maybe a full EI regime it's more suitable.
But for Iron I stick with Clive's(Ceg4048) recommendation of 0,5ppm weekly, and i've been dosing half of this and I don't see any deficiencies

Here goes the full MicroMix+ composition:

6% iron total
0.41% iron (gluconate)
0.11% iron (EDDHMA)
4.15% iron (DTPA)
1.33% iron (EDTA)
0,32% copper (EDTA)
0.8% borron
1.6% (EDTA) manganese
0.08% molybden
0.32% zinc (EDTA)
0.47% Potassium
1.5% Calcium (EDTA)
1,3% sodium
0,004% cobalt
0,43% chloride
0,001% aliminum
0,001% Titan
0,001% Nickel
0,001% iodine

With the full dose from my dosing here are some values from http://aquarium-fertilizer.eu/ calculator

Fe +0.07
Mn  +0.019
Zn  +0.004
Cu  +0.004
B  +0.008
Mo  +0.001
Na  +0.004
Cl  +0.006
Co  +0.001


----------



## AndreiD

You are using gluconate , EDDHMA , DTPA and  EDTA Iron so it does not matter if you have hard or soft water , the plants will "absorb" iron anyway , this is a good Iron/Micro recipe


----------



## Nuno M.

AndreiD said:


> You are using gluconate , EDDHMA , DTPA and  EDTA Iron so it does not matter if you have hard or soft water , the plants will "absorb" iron anyway , this is a good Iron/Micro recipe



Yes I know AndreiD,

It's an awesome mix with this 4 chelates, when Tiago (tmiravent) discovered this powders online, we immediately know we had to try them, and now I wont be changing to other one soon I've bought 500gr that in this tank will last me for like 7 years of dosing on a full EI regime.

They also mention this on their description: 

*4 FORMS OF IRON*

Fe-gluconate
The less strong of used chelates, but as onlz one binds iron in ferrous form (Fe2+) which is faster and easier utilised by plants then ferric form Fe3+. You can find this form of iron in excelents Seachem Flourish Iron. Requests fo dealy dosing.
Fe-EDTA
Comonlly used form of iron. Used in fabulous Plantex CSM or JBL Ferropol
Fe-DTPA
Stable iron (up to pH 7,5) used in Tenso Cocktail or Easy-life Ferro
Fe-EDDHMA
The strongest iron. Stable up to pH 11. Lasts suplly plants for many days. even when you forget.
Every single of listed forms is able to supply enough of iron, but their combination makes MicroMix PLUS very unique.


----------



## Seoulstar

Nuno M. said:


> Thanks for your words Seuoulstar,
> 
> I try my best to share the little I know, and it feels very good when I have this kind of feedback from you guys
> 
> I've been following some of this discussions, in Barr Report, The Planted Tank, regarding this  toxicities, but in my fertilization I use a very good Iron and Micro source as I've have described a few threads behind,
> and I really do not see the advantage on using like +0.2ppm FE daily intake as suggested in some calculators and forums, at this moment I'm with half EI dosing in this tank this means a daily input of 0.035ppm FE, and I see no Iron deficiencies whatsoever,
> I've been dosing leaner for some time now, when the tank asks for more, I give it a little more but general rule, half the EI dosing is more than enough for this kind of setup, if you do a tank say a dutch style with very fast growing stems, maybe a full EI regime it's more suitable.
> But for Iron I stick with Clive's(Ceg4048) recommendation of 0,5ppm weekly, and i've been dosing half of this and I don't see any deficiencies
> 
> Here goes the full MicroMix+ composition:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm only providing feedback because its well-deserved. My jaws dropped after I saw the first tank shot, not only because it was a nice scape but photography was so crisp and detailed. Then I saw how much you were sharing your experience so I made an account to acknowledge but also to learn more.
> 
> The dry powder I am currently using for my micros is CSM+B and used to dose the full EI but then started seeing twisted leaves and abnormal growth so had to stopped.
> 
> I also see people using Miller Microplex but never heard of this MicroMix+, is this another dry powder alternative for micros? Maybe I'll try it out if they shipped international.
Click to expand...


----------



## Nuno M.

Seoulstar said:


> I'm only providing feedback because its well-deserved. My jaws dropped after I saw the first tank shot, not only because it was a nice scape but photography was so crisp and detailed. Then I saw how much you were sharing your experience so I made an account to acknowledge but also to learn more.
> 
> The dry powder I am currently using for my micros is CSM+B and used to dose the full EI but then started seeing twisted leaves and abnormal growth so had to stopped.
> 
> I also see people using Miller Microplex but never heard of this MicroMix+, is this another dry powder alternative for micros? Maybe I'll try it out if they shipped international.



Wow now I'm really flattered let me welcome you to UKAPS hope you like it here 

I´m always willing to share what I know if people are interested in it, so regarding CSM+B I think with a leaner dosing it will not be troublesome, but for example on Planted Tank people that wore talking about toxicities were aiming for more than 0,2ppm Fe daily as suggested on WET's calculator and blaming Cu and Bo for high toxicity, if we take the same approach of dosing 0,5ppm weakly suggested in Clive´s article here in UKAPS, this means daily doses of 0,07ppm FE so we will have this trace doses:

CSM+B
Fe +0.07 (Fe-EDTA)
Mn +0.02
Mg +0.015
Zn +0.004
Cu +0.001
B +0.013 (x2 the concentration of MicroMix+)
Mo +0.001

MicroMix+
Fe +0.07 (Fe-gluconate, Fe-EDTA, Fe-DTPA, Fe-EDDHMA)
Mn +0.019
Zn +0.004
Cu +0.004 (x4 the concentration of CSM+B)
B +0.008
Mo +0.001
Na +0.004
Cl +0.006
Co +0.001

0,2ppm Fe daily is like 3 times this dosage, I've seen they claiming 0,5ppm daily also, so you can see what actually happens to Cu and Bo levels, this will accumulate in sediment filter media and water column, Bo and Cu are actually used in anti-algae products, we can imagine that this can in fact really stunt the plants growth, and imagine what it can do to sensitive critters 

If you have CSM+B to use, stick with it, it will be no really night and day differences, the MicroMix+ in my opinion is very good for having 4 different iron chelates and a couple more Traces like Nickel that help metabolize my urea dosing by the plants 

In practice I doubt it will be eye noticing growth differences between both products, just keep it on the leaner side 

Almost forgot MicroMix+ is also a dry powder that we mix in conformity with the dosage we want and believe that they will ship it worldwide,

Hope this answered some of your doubts


----------



## Seoulstar

Nuno M. said:


> Wow now I'm really flattered let me welcome you to UKAPS hope you like it here
> 
> I´m always willing to share what I know if people are interested in it, so regarding CSM+B I think with a leaner dosing it will not be troublesome, but for example on Planted Tank people that wore talking about toxicities were aiming for more than 0,2ppm Fe daily as suggested on WET's calculator and blaming Cu and Bo for high toxicity, if we take the same approach of dosing 0,5ppm weakly suggested in Clive´s article here in UKAPS, this means daily doses of 0,07ppm FE so we will have this trace doses:
> 
> 0,2ppm Fe daily is like 3 times this dosage, I've seen they claiming 0,5ppm daily also, so you can see what actually happens to Cu and Bo levels, this will accumulate in sediment filter media and water column, Bo and Cu are actually used in anti-algae products, we can imagine that this can in fact really stunt the plants growth, and imagine what it can do to sensitive critters
> 
> If you have CSM+B to use, stick with it, it will be no really night and day differences, the MicroMix+ in my opinion is very good for having 4 different iron chelates and a couple more Traces like Nickel that help metabolize my urea dosing by the plants
> 
> In practice I doubt it will be eye noticing growth differences between both products, just keep it on the leaner side
> 
> Almost forgot MicroMix+ is also a dry powder that we mix in conformity with the dosage we want and believe that they will ship it worldwide,
> 
> Hope this answered some of your doubts




Thanks for your thorough response. So do you dose micros on a daily basis based on Fe 0.07ppm or 0.166 every 2 days (3 days a week) for days when you don't dose macros?

I think I read somewhere its dangerous to dose micros and macros on the same day? 

You also mentioned Cu and Bo levels can accumulate in the sediment filter media, what should I look when cleaning the media? Makes sense Bo and Cu are used in anti-algae products, hence why I probably don't have any algae except for some GDA on the glass!

Thanks again


----------



## Nuno M.

Seoulstar said:


> Thanks for your thorough response. So do you dose micros on a daily basis based on Fe 0.07ppm or 0.166 every 2 days (3 days a week) for days when you don't dose macros?
> 
> I think I read somewhere its dangerous to dose micros and macros on the same day?
> 
> You also mentioned Cu and Bo levels can accumulate in the sediment filter media, what should I look when cleaning the media? Makes sense Bo and Cu are used in anti-algae products, hence why I probably don't have any algae except for some GDA on the glass!
> 
> Thanks again



Hi again Seoulstar,

1- I dose MICRO and MACRO one hour after lights on, because I have a peristaltic pump, and it auto doses everyday, at the same time, if you prefer you can divide the 0,5ppm into 3 and dose according to EI guide lines one day micro, one day macro and 1 rest day, but in my opinion it will be absolutely the same thing, there will be the same amounts of ferts in the tank so It's a matter of routine, do what works best for you 

2- There's no danger in dosing both in the same day, only thing is that phosphate and Fe compounds tend to bind to each other, but if you think about it, what about all-in-one fertilizers ?? Tropica Specialized like ?? More likely to happen with week chelates, so that's the reason I dose my ferts after lights on, when pH has drop from Co2 injection, maintaining fe-gloconate soluble in fe2+ form, I also dose the Urea dose at this time not letting the bio-filtration process it, so plants can have really a benefit from this dosing, I also use ascorbic acid and potassium sorbate to prevent mold formation and lower the pH of my solutions 

3- Don't really worry about this, it will have practically non impact, in my opinion, at least if we dose on a leaner side ...


----------



## Nuno M.

One more week and it's in need of another trim, to wild for my taste now , tomorrow I will try to take a picture in the morning with the stems closed to see the effect

The H. Pinnatifida is taking it's rightful place  

_MG_2835 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


----------



## tim

I prefer the wild look nuno  and the mature look the algae gives the hardscape, it's a stunning scape


----------



## Nuno M.

tim said:


> I prefer the wild look nuno  and the mature look the algae gives the hardscape, it's a stunning scape



Thank you tim


----------



## CooKieS

Love the wild look too, let it grow please


----------



## Seoulstar

Thanks again for the  response, I guess routine is more important than technicality.

Please have a look at the thread I started today, trying to diagnose my plants, would be interested to receive your insight on what may be lacking/overdosed.

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/ludwigia-super-red-new-growth-yellow-and-other-problems.47812/


----------



## kadoxu

Olá Nuno,

I've been taking notes from this journal! 

I have one question. You adjusted your Fe dosage to counter rusty pipes, your dosing was 0.5ppm weekly, how much are you dosing since the adjustment?


----------



## Nuno M.

CooKieS said:


> Love the wild look too, let it grow please



I will a little more than I have to cut them down 



Seoulstar said:


> Thanks again for the  response, I guess routine is more important than technicality.
> 
> Please have a look at the thread I started today, trying to diagnose my plants, would be interested to receive your insight on what may be lacking/overdosed.
> 
> https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/ludwigia-super-red-new-growth-yellow-and-other-problems.47812/



Will have a look for sure 



kadoxu said:


> Olá Nuno,
> 
> I've been taking notes from this journal!
> 
> I have one question. You adjusted your Fe dosage to counter rusty pipes, your dosing was 0.5ppm weekly, how much are you dosing since the adjustment?



Hahahahah,

Sorry man that was a joke, the solution for that is cleaning 

I do my ferts according what I've posted some pages behind, than I do more or less ml dosage, the recipe is always the same


----------



## kadoxu

Nuno M. said:


> Hahahahah,
> 
> Sorry man that was a joke, the solution for that is cleaning
> 
> I do my ferts according what I've posted some pages behind, than I do more or less ml dosage, the recipe is always the same


I was just so focused on getting every detail from your posts, that I missed joke!


----------



## Nuno M.

Now it really needs trimming 

10mm



_MG_2845 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

10mm Back Light


_MG_2849 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


----------



## greedy

Nice colours What about light regime?How many wats/litre do you use ?And if you have "light peak" how many w/l you use at that time?
You can write in percents of power of course


----------



## Alexander Belchenko

It seems you trim it every 10 days, but then I checked your journal, and it seems last major trimming was at November 1st. Is it correct?


----------



## Nuno M.

greedy said:


> Nice colours What about light regime?How many wats/litre do you use ?And if you have "light peak" how many w/l you use at that time?
> You can write in percents of power of course



Thank you greedy,

The lights are on for 8h straight, full power, each fixture has 65w of 8000k smd leds the tank has 271L wich means it has 0,47W/L and the fixtures are quoted for 9700Lumen each, so in my setup I have 72Lumen/L I also have PAR measurements in tank 

*Chihiros Serie A 120cm . 65W . 8000ºK - OPEN AIR*
cm PAR
10 286
20 142
30 91,2
40 64,3
50 47,8

*2xChihiros Serie A 120cm . 65W . 8000ºK - IN TANK
now with water . 120x50x50 tank . 6,5cm fixture high + 2cm water level = 8,5 cm LED to water*
cm PAR PAR (with apogee converter factors**)
10 265 213
20 192 140
30 152 106
40 132 110
48 122 82

All measures took in darkness, open space to avoid reflections, open air (no water).
Always took reading in the axis of light (the best value).
Sensor used was Apogee SQ-120* without the LED correction factor (direct measures).

* Apogee Underwater factor correction 1.08
** Using 'Underwater-PAR-Calculator' made by apogee.
*** Correction factor for LED (when compared with T5) CW -4,2% ; NW -6,1%; WW -9,9% (not applied to this test)

You can follow the topic ''The Power of Light'' on a couple of measurements me and Tiago (tmiravent) took on several LED light fixtures 
https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads...ar-values-for-led-fixtures.43178/#post-469559



Alexander Belchenko said:


> It seems you trim it every 10 days, but then I checked your journal, and it seems last major trimming was at November 1st. Is it correct?



Hi there Alexander,

I trim it everyday, removal of older leaves, leaves out of scale and sometimes algae affected leaves 

The last major trim was carried out on October 30, that time I've trimmed everything to the bone


----------



## SteveHung

Beautiful tank and nice photography. Nuno I see you have been using the Chirios Doctor but yet you have green algea... Do you mind sharing your experience on this piece of equipment? 
Cheers


----------



## tmiravent

I think is about time to make a light  test for final shoot!


----------



## alex08

That's so nice, Nuno!


----------



## AndreiD

Hi Nuno , do you have any idea what levels of NO3 , PO4 and Fe  (in ppm) do you have in this tank ? 
I'm not interested on how much are you dosing , i'm interested in the values that you have inside the tank.

Thanks


----------



## Nuno M.

SteveHung said:


> Beautiful tank and nice photography. Nuno I see you have been using the Chirios Doctor but yet you have green algea... Do you mind sharing your experience on this piece of equipment?
> Cheers



Hi there SteveHung,

I think that Twinstar/Chihiros Doctor are a great addition to any kind of aquarium, I remember when I was a kid, my uncle had an electrolysis device mounted on the kitchen wall to purify the company water making it safer for human consumption, i think the same principle applies to aquarium water, this will for shore kill pathogens and free algae spores on the aquarium water column it's not a miracle device but it plays it's roll in the aquarium maintenance, so you can discard a UV light filter, strangulating your filter output by using one of those, you will have pathogen free environment for your fish and critters, and for sure the dissolved O2 will be higher, and it also activates positive ions (Na+, CA+2, Fe+2, Mg+2, K+, Zn+2), making them easily available for aquatic plants proof of that it depending on the mesh the device uses you can see deposits on this same meshes, we see this very often in DIY devices with stainless steel meshes...

As for my GSA, for sure with 120par at substrate level this is very hard to prevent, it's all about maintenance, and scrubbing the hardscape it's a task that has to be done from time to time 

As I said before this is not a miracle device that eliminates all of your algae but it helps getting them on check ... Has almost everything in life we have to maintain the discipline to reach our goals, the same applies to our aquariums, and I think the secret for the success in our hobby is kipping a good disciplined maintenance, and let nature take it's course, timed water changes, good fertilization regime, optimized CO2 intake, and good pruning it's half way there 





tmiravent said:


> I think is about time to make a light  test for final shoot!



Not quite yet Tiago,

But we can start testing for the final shootout 



alex08 said:


> That's so nice, Nuno!



Thank you Alex 



AndreiD said:


> Hi Nuno , do you have any idea what levels of NO3 , PO4 and Fe  (in ppm) do you have in this tank ?
> I'm not interested on how much are you dosing , i'm interested in the values that you have inside the tank.
> 
> Thanks



I've just done some water testing, and this is for the most part of the times the results I got in the end of the week, tomorrow is water change day 

NO3 - 10ppm
PO4 - 0,6ppm
Fe - 0.2ppm

Here is the actual state of the layout 

_MG_3039 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


----------



## MrHidley

Beautiful, I am in complete awe of this tank.


----------



## tmiravent

Fancy fish!
nice,


----------



## Nuno M.

MrHidley said:


> Beautiful, I am in complete awe of this tank.



Thanks MrHidley 



tmiravent said:


> Fancy fish!
> nice,



They are a classic, but never get out of style, I think they wore a great addition the this layout


----------



## JackMartins

Nuno, que aquário fantástico! Parabéns.

Back to english in respect of all forum users 
May I ask you, are they Rasboras Harlequin? If I'm not wrong, here in Brazil at least, they get prohibited of commercialization! The only Rasboras I can find in the market nowadays are Galaxy. Which are really nice also, but a little more expensive!

Also, I know that you are using Amazonia as substrate. Do you have anything else? Soil additive? Power Sand?

Thanks and again, congratulations!


----------



## MrHidley

JackMartins said:


> Nuno, que aquário fantástico! Parabéns.
> 
> Back to english in respect of all forum users
> May I ask you, are they Rasboras Harlequin? If I'm not wrong, here in Brazil at least, they get prohibited of commercialization! The only Rasboras I can find in the market nowadays are Galaxy. Which are really nice also, but a little more expensive!
> 
> Also, I know that you are using Amazonia as substrate. Do you have anything else? Soil additive? Power Sand?
> 
> Thanks and again, congratulations!



You might want to look out for Espei Rasboras, they look very similar to the Harlequin Rasbora, but are a little smaller. Galaxy are indeed very nice however they are an increbily shy fish.


----------



## AndreiD

Nuno M. said:


> NO3 - 10ppm
> PO4 - 0,6ppm
> Fe - 0.2ppm



Thanks for the info


----------



## Nuno M.

JackMartins said:


> Nuno, que aquário fantástico! Parabéns.
> 
> Back to english in respect of all forum users
> May I ask you, are they Rasboras Harlequin? If I'm not wrong, here in Brazil at least, they get prohibited of commercialization! The only Rasboras I can find in the market nowadays are Galaxy. Which are really nice also, but a little more expensive!
> 
> Also, I know that you are using Amazonia as substrate. Do you have anything else? Soil additive? Power Sand?
> 
> Thanks and again, congratulations!



Obrigado JackMartins 

Yes they are Trigonostigma Heteromorpha I'm considering trowing in 20-30 more  

I've used the complete line before, I think it is really beneficial for long term aquascapes ... Sure it gives also a great boost when we start up the tank, but the great thing about power sand is being a live substrate, and this becomes critical on the first year on more or less, depending on your final substrate height also 
It will optimize root uptake oxidizing nutrients from clogged up substrate and trapped gases deposits like N2O...

In short therm aquascapes I think it doesn't justifies the extra costs 



AndreiD said:


> Thanks for the info



Test again today just before waterchange

The levels have droped quite a bit from last night 

NO3 - 5ppm
PO4 - 0,4ppm
FE - 0,1ppm

This with almost a full EI dose, maximum dose for my tank is about 25ml of my solutions, I'm dosing 20ml daily from macros and micros


----------



## AndreiD

JBL tests ?


----------



## Nuno M.

AndreiD said:


> JBL tests ?


----------



## Nuno M.

A few more 

50mm
_MG_3065 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

_MG_3060-Edit by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

Trigonostigma Heteromorpha (Harlequim Rasbora)
_MG_3053 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

_MG_3046 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

_MG_3041 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


----------



## Robert H. Tavera

Beautiful tank and nice fish selection too! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Nuno M.

Robert H. Tavera said:


> Beautiful tank and nice fish selection too!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Thank you Robert


----------



## JackMartins

Thanks @MrHidley and @Nuno M. !
I´m still looking for Rasboras here in Brazil aquarium shops, but until now, no success!


----------



## Nuno M.

JackMartins said:


> Thanks @MrHidley and @Nuno M. !
> I´m still looking for Rasboras here in Brazil aquarium shops, but until now, no success!



Try to contact Andre Longarço or Luca Galagarra from AQUABASE São Paulo, they will be more than welcome to answer if it is possible to get them there in Brasil, and maybe import what you are looking for 

It's very easy to find them on Facebook, I will give you the shop URL http://aquabase.com.br/wordpress/ , speak with them  

Here's a Layout from Luca with Trigonostigma Heteromorpha
http://aquabase.com.br/wordpress/portfolio/premio-2/


----------



## JackMartins

Nuno M. said:


> Try to contact Andre Longarço or Luca Galagarra from AQUABASE São Paulo, they will be more than welcome to answer if it is possible to get them there in Brasil, and maybe import what you are looking for
> 
> It's very easy to find them on Facebook, I will give you the shop URL http://aquabase.com.br/wordpress/ , speak with them
> 
> Here's a Layout from Luca with Trigonostigma Heteromorpha
> http://aquabase.com.br/wordpress/portfolio/premio-2/



Thanks Nuno! I know this guys very well. Their shop is amazing.
And Luca capacity to build hardscape is pretty impressive! Of course you know this!

The aquarium you share is from 2013. At that time it was not THAT hard to find rasboras. As I mentioned, I believe some species get prohibited to be commercialized! 
Anyway, I'm going to contacted them as soon as y aquarium gets mature.


----------



## Nuno M.

Trimming day,

Changed the frontal S. Repens for P. Helferi let's see were it goes now, the H. Pinnafida is a wonderful plant, and now with the right footprint and mass i wanted since the beginning of this scape 
The Rotalas wore trimmed to give them shape, i think one more trim and it will be ready for a good final shootout !!!

Hope you guys like it 



_MG_3127 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


----------



## Tim Harrison

Looking great...I'm a big fan of open negative space and the tension it creates. 
It's a great contrast to the hardscape and planting, and evocative of a drop off in to deeper water; it's also great swimming space for critters


----------



## Alexander Belchenko

Big tank is big tank. I like everything about big tanks, and what you do in them.


----------



## Nuno M.

Tim Harrison said:


> Looking great...I'm a big fan of open negative space and the tension it creates.
> It's a great contrast to the hardscape and planting, and evocative of a drop off in to deeper water; it's also great swimming space for critters





Alexander Belchenko said:


> Big tank is big tank. I like everything about big tanks, and what you do in them.



Thank you guys


----------



## Nuno M.

Well since fertilization is always a good subject, this time I will do 1 more experience with my tank, I'm going for Full ADA Line DIY Style Fertilization 

Anyone curious about it ?? Any thoughts you want to share ??

Here's my calculation sheets, this time I will test the UREA formula, since it's what I've been using until now and still have some to work with  



ADA 1 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr



ADA 2 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr



ADA 3 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

Here's my Estimative Index sheets for comparison  



EI 1 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr



EI 2 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr



EI 3 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr

Hope this info can be useful for future reference


----------



## greedy

Nice work, Nuno.How much potassium sorbate and ascorbic acid do you put in your macro fertilisers?In which form do you buy acorbic acid?Maybe you throw tablet of vitamin c?


----------



## Nuno M.

Hi @greedy ,

I do not mix Macros/Micros together, I use 2 separate bottles, so really no need to use Potassium Sorbate and Ascorbic Acid but if you want to do it i think 0,5gr of PS and 0,2gr of AA would suffice !!!

With 30ml doses in my tank, 500ml bottle will last about 16 days so it will not have time to produce any type of mould or fungus, so in my case there's really no need of using Potasium Sorbate ...


----------



## Nuno M.

Just done the weekly maintenance on the tank !!! Done some water testing before the 1/3 waterchange !!! Let's see how it will handle the very lean dosage from now on !!!

NO3 - 1>5ppm
PO4 - 0,4ppm
FE - 0,1ppm

Here's the tank just after filling , the Rasboras are a wonderful schooling fish 


 





_MG_3186 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


----------



## Daveslaney

Fantastic.
Just keeps getting better.


----------



## alex08

That carpet there!


----------



## tmiravent

It's amazing to watch that tank in live!


----------



## Nuno M.

Daveslaney said:


> Fantastic.
> Just keeps getting better.



Thank you Daveslaney 



alex08 said:


> That carpet there!



Hard one to keep in check but one of the most beautiful carpeting plants we have in this hobby !!! 



tmiravent said:


> It's amazing to watch that tank in live!



It's getting there Tiago 

We need to try out a photo-shoot with flash to see it's potential !!!


----------



## Nuno M.

Thank you @tmiravent for the patience and for the strobe studio lights 

Here's a test for the final ones !!!


----------



## MarkyP

that carpet is insane looks stunning - great tank


----------



## tmiravent

I'm not convinced about the colour of the top wood, maybe too 'burned'...
still some work with the lights and plants! (almost there)
Her some details...

























cheers!


----------



## doylecolmdoyle

Wow great close up photos, I kind of like the non strobe lit photo posted before the test final shot, has a bit more depth with light drop off towards the back, but I guess everything is nice and sharp and lit well in the strobe lit photo. Great work this tank is stunning!


----------



## Nuno M.

MarkyP said:


> that carpet is insane looks stunning - great tank



Thank you MarkyP 



tmiravent said:


> I'm not convinced about the colour of the top wood, maybe too 'burned'...
> still some work with the lights and plants! (almost there)
> Her some details...
> 
> cheers!



Thank you for the Macros Tiago,

Yes there is still good margin for improvement on both cases, but very pleased with the first try !!!




doylecolmdoyle said:


> Wow great close up photos, I kind of like the non strobe lit photo posted before the test final shot, has a bit more depth with light drop off towards the back, but I guess everything is nice and sharp and lit well in the strobe lit photo. Great work this tank is stunning!



Thank you doylecolmdoyle,

The advantage of the strobe light's is exactly that, good uniformity from the light source, and actual real good natural colors at 6000K whitebalance, not saturated in after processing or by colorfull bulbs, what you have is what you get


----------



## Kamiel

That wood is awesome! Great looking scape.
I'm also curious how you guy's manage to take such clean pictures.


----------



## Bolota

Olá Nuno,
I think that the left side looks like there is a mirror inside the tank... a bit strange.  maybe because the carpet there is kind of  bending down. Maybe less trimming on that edge would make a smoother continuity with the reflexion on the left wall...


----------



## Nuno M.

Kamiel said:


> That wood is awesome! Great looking scape.
> I'm also curious how you guy's manage to take such clean pictures.



Thank you Kamiel, 

As for the pictures, it's a matter of practice, use a tripod for FTS is really important also !!! This last one was taken with the healp of 2 studio strobe lights, one above the tank and other projected on the back wall !!!



Bolota said:


> Olá Nuno,
> I think that the left side looks like there is a mirror inside the tank... a bit strange.  maybe because the carpet there is kind of  bending down. Maybe less trimming on that edge would make a smoother continuity with the reflexion on the left wall...



I know what you meam Bolota, but with carpeting plants, is impossible to disguise, even if I would let it grow more the thickness of the glass will create a line all along the side glass, so for that reason I opted to trim it down and give a bushier look !!! It's also good for maintenance as the scrapper can go all the way to the substrate level !!!


----------



## doylecolmdoyle

Hi Nuno, can you share any tips on how you got you H. Pinnafida nice and bushy and compact, how did you trim the Pinna?

Your tank is looking amazing as always!


----------



## Nuno M.

doylecolmdoyle said:


> Hi Nuno, can you share any tips on how you got you H. Pinnafida nice and bushy and compact, how did you trim the Pinna?
> 
> Your tank is looking amazing as always!



I only trimm the bigger leafs, and when it's going were I don't want it to go !!!

Sad news this tank has been teared dawn !!!

Here's the final video a day before tearing it apart !!! Final photo will be published after this year contests !!!


----------



## Alexander Belchenko

Great work mate. Good luck with contests.


----------



## Skiper

One of the best aquariums and definately one of the best journals I have seen. Full of information, tips and amazing and stunning photos. I am planning an almost identical spec aquarium myself with some small variations mainly in filtration. Other than that will be same equipment. What I really enjoyed was all the infos about the chihiros lights, cause I was quite sceptical about their penetrating power but all this info about the PAR convinced me go for them.


----------



## Daveslaney

Think you will be hard pushed to beat this one.
Thanks for sharing your fantastic scape.
Good luck with the contests.


----------



## doylecolmdoyle

Sad news indeed, agreed this is one of the best journals I have read, love reading your updates and looking at your quality photos and videos. Thanks for all the tips, looking forward to seeing what you create next!


----------



## jesperl.dk

Fantastic scape and a truly great journal. All your journals are great and I am learning a lot from reading them.
I am starting to plan a 120x50x50 and are of course looking for what you have done. And you have done differently at different times. Do you mind a few questions?

At one scape you used two filters with two sets of in-/out-flow. Another time I think you used two filters, but with only one in-/out-flow. And in this scape you used only one (large) filter.
Do you have a final recommendation? With my limited experience, I have found it difficult to get good flow in all parts of the tank with only one in-/out-flow without adding an extra flow pump like many do – but you do not use that?

At this last scape you used the Chihiros fixtures. They sure look good at you can obviously grow plants with them. Do you think they are as good as the previous fixtures you have used? More importantly, how do they look to your eye? – do the plants and colors look great? Obviously that will be subjective, but it is also obvious that you have great taste  My concern is that they are 8000K – quite cold.

You have tried different dosing regimes at different times.
Do you have a conclusion on your DIY ADA dosing experiment? In you Crystal River journal you are in 2014 very enthusiastic about Aquarebell Makro Spezial N and KramerDrak, but it seems your are now mostly doing more common EI?


----------



## Paulo Soares

> At one scape you used two filters with two sets of in-/out-flow. Another time I think you used two filters, but with only one in-/out-flow. And in this scape you used only one (large) filter.
> Do you have a final recommendation? With my limited experience, I have found it difficult to get good flow in all parts of the tank with only one in-/out-flow without adding an extra flow pump like many do – but you do not use that?



Good evening, 

Conneting filters in line or in paralel is not a solution and you won´t have any gain. Remember.. you always have the same power! One filter will not increase the power of the other. Simple as this. 
You may have a tiny tiny help by the OUTflow that will connect in the Inflow of the other but no reward will be achieved ... 
I believe you will have some issues by the time comes to clean them  

Now.. you say you have difficult to get good flow in all parts of the tank. Well this is quite vague.. what you mean precisely?
Any tank has areas where there is less flow than other areas but that´s normal. Even if you put two filters one in each side of the tank you´ll never have the same flow in all tank. 
Of course that if your filter is not proper to the size of the tank you´ll have more issues. 

But has long as you have a proper filter and the IN / OUT well assembled (you should try your best combination for your layout) no issues will come along.

As for light Nuno was testing for PAR measures and he acomplished that a PAR between 40 or 50 will do for any plant purpose. In other words use Medium Light.


----------



## jesperl.dk

Evening 



Paulo Soares said:


> Good evening,
> But has long as you have a proper filter and the IN / OUT well assembled (you should try your best combination for your layout) no issues will come along.


Thanks! 
I pretty much follow https://www.ukaps.org/index.php?page=setting-up-a-higher-tech-planted-tank, and for my current 100x40x50 I have an Eheim 2075 as well as a Hydor nano for extra flow. Originally years ago I saw good improvement when I added the Nano, but I might try and drop the Hydor for my current scape.



Paulo Soares said:


> Good evening,
> As for light Nuno was testing for PAR measures and he acomplished that a PAR between 40 or 50 will do for any plant purpose. In other words use Medium Light.


Yes I am pretty much aware of that. I probably did not phrase it well, but my question was mostly how it looks to us humans 

Do you or Nuno have any thoughts regarding my question about fertilizing?

Thanks again!


----------



## Paulo Soares

jesperl.dk said:


> Do you or Nuno have any thoughts regarding my question about fertilizing?



Hi again dear Jesperl,

Me and Nuno are friends here in Portugal, and we debate a lot the "Ei - T.Barr" system.. and i´m one of those guys that is a UNbeliever of "EI" and consequences of using this method or dry salts.
I allready used it, as for ADA or Tropica system and i can garantee that with "EI" i did have plenty more issues on my tanks than any other fertilizers. And i´m not saying anything new.. cause if you scroll/search on the web you´ll find more people having lot´s of problems by using "EI" than others using Tropica, Aquarebbel, Ada, kramer or elese for instance.

The "EI" method is very well described by T. barr and it´s not suitable for our tanks and is not being understood as it should be. People start to aply it without any regard or caution or even methodology. Just doing a receipe, placing a target and get on the gas with it it in the highway..
Well.. looks quite easy comparing the issues people do have don´t you think?
But let´s just forget this by now.. cause i think i allready did have my "dose" on "Ei" discussions and his Followers..

As for me i don´t do any fert in my tank for now. I doing an experiment on my fertil substrate (Tropica Plant Growth) and till now is working pretty well.

But if i have to choose i honestly point Tropica Specialised. What an amazing fertilizer. 

And you do not have to spent so much on it as people used to say.

As people is accostumed to "EI" method where they aply large amounts of ferts they think that by using "Tropica Specialised" they will spent lots of money cause they try to accomplish the same targets of "EI" but using Tropica.. wich is a big mistake  

I´m going to let you a tip to think about:
If you try to acomplish a target of 20 to 30 Ppm of No3 (for instance) by using tropica Specialized or ADA you will have to spent lots of money on ferts of course. So.. do you think the manufacturers used this targets? Are they foolish?
Is it really needed it? Do you believe that a plant needs this kind of targets? Remember this targets are aplyed on "EI". (?) 
There you go...

That´s why Nuno is a trully remarcable guy by testing and testing over and over and also sharing what he observes and he aply a "EI" method using ADA for an example so you can do a fertilization not spenting so much money.

He will come here and response as soon as he can. He´s now on a new job challenge and for now dosen´t have too much spare time.

But i felt i should let you my opinion and my point of view.

Best regards


----------



## xim

Paulo Soares said:


> As for light Nuno was testing for PAR measures and he acomplished that a PAR between 40 or 50 will do for any plant purpose. In other words use Medium Light.



Tom Barr called this level low light....

I guess many members think 40-50 is medium and then follow the advice of using low light. So they go lower than that, resulting in newbies having problem about dying or not growing plants while never having green coloured algae (only brown or black).


----------



## Nuno M.

Alexander Belchenko said:


> Great work mate. Good luck with contests.



Thank you Alexander



Skiper said:


> One of the best aquariums and definately one of the best journals I have seen. Full of information, tips and amazing and stunning photos. I am planning an almost identical spec aquarium myself with some small variations mainly in filtration. Other than that will be same equipment. What I really enjoyed was all the infos about the chihiros lights, cause I was quite sceptical about their penetrating power but all this info about the PAR convinced me go for them.



Thank you  Skiper,

They are quite good fixtures price wise 



Daveslaney said:


> Think you will be hard pushed to beat this one.
> Thanks for sharing your fantastic scape.
> Good luck with the contests.



Thank you Daveslaney,

Not really concerned on doing better or worse next time, I have to like it the rest is secondary 



doylecolmdoyle said:


> Sad news indeed, agreed this is one of the best journals I have read, love reading your updates and looking at your quality photos and videos. Thanks for all the tips, looking forward to seeing what you create next!



Thank you doylecolmdoyle,

Let's wait and see what the future holds, I've sold the tank and cabinet already, going for something smaller (ADA 60P), because I don't have time at the moment to keep something this big !!!



jesperl.dk said:


> Fantastic scape and a truly great journal. All your journals are great and I am learning a lot from reading them.
> I am starting to plan a 120x50x50 and are of course looking for what you have done. And you have done differently at different times. Do you mind a few questions?
> 
> At one scape you used two filters with two sets of in-/out-flow. Another time I think you used two filters, but with only one in-/out-flow. And in this scape you used only one (large) filter.
> Do you have a final recommendation? With my limited experience, I have found it difficult to get good flow in all parts of the tank with only one in-/out-flow without adding an extra flow pump like many do – but you do not use that?
> 
> At this last scape you used the Chihiros fixtures. They sure look good at you can obviously grow plants with them. Do you think they are as good as the previous fixtures you have used? More importantly, how do they look to your eye? – do the plants and colors look great? Obviously that will be subjective, but it is also obvious that you have great taste  My concern is that they are 8000K – quite cold.
> 
> You have tried different dosing regimes at different times.
> Do you have a conclusion on your DIY ADA dosing experiment? In you Crystal River journal you are in 2014 very enthusiastic about Aquarebell Makro Spezial N and KramerDrak, but it seems your are now mostly doing more common EI?



Thank you for your words jesperl,

I will answer the best way I can 

One large good filter for me it's the way to go, and if you can go for a thermofilter, in the past I've bought the JBL 1501GreenLine and one of those wasn't enough for my aquarium, then I bought the second one pair them in line and in parallel and the final outflow from that was most likely what I have now with only one EHEIM 600T this one is the perfect fit actually it's the only piece of equipment that I wont be selling as the pump is electronically controlled, I will use it on my future aquarium an ADA 60P 

As for the CHIHIROS fixtures, they are quite good one's for the price tag they have, as for the color rendition, I really like it on the colder side so the 8000K was on spot for my personal taste, if you watch the video the color rendition is pretty much what you get no color correction or edition on it !!!

Yes I have a final thought on ADA's DIY fertilization VS EI, actually It worked like a charm, no deficiencies on the plants, good colors, much less maintenance on the tank, less algae on hardscape and glass, and slower growth rate really really happy with it 

I've used EI for quite a good time now I like the ratio between nutrients originally given by Tom Barr, I then tested Spezial N from Tobias Coring with urea the results wore stunning since then I use UREA in my EI Recipes, but my dosing is adjusted to my tank needs and that is the major problem with EI, people do not adjust the dosing, not any aquarium need this soup of nutrients, this will lead to more algae, more maintenance, bigger water changes and more frequent ones, overall an EI dosed tank need's lot's more maintenance than a low dosing regime with nutrients mainly in the substrate, I always use ADA Aquasoil in me setups for me there's no better substrate system so I tend to be dosing leaner and leaner and always with good plant response, I really think that dosing leaner but with UREA/NH4 on the mix things work really really well ... If you see most of N fertilzers on the market use one of those N sources, Tropica, ADA, EasyLife, Seachem, EQUO, VIMI you name it and they use it, so all those plant fertilizers have to be doing something right , despite the method of dosing, they are good fertilizers ... That's the main reason for also using UREA, I will order some NH4NO3 for my next experience with DIY fertilizers 



Paulo Soares said:


> Good evening,
> 
> Conneting filters in line or in paralel is not a solution and you won´t have any gain. Remember.. you always have the same power! One filter will not increase the power of the other. Simple as this.
> You may have a tiny tiny help by the OUTflow that will connect in the Inflow of the other but no reward will be achieved ...
> I believe you will have some issues by the time comes to clean them
> 
> Now.. you say you have difficult to get good flow in all parts of the tank. Well this is quite vague.. what you mean precisely?
> Any tank has areas where there is less flow than other areas but that´s normal. Even if you put two filters one in each side of the tank you´ll never have the same flow in all tank.
> Of course that if your filter is not proper to the size of the tank you´ll have more issues.
> 
> But has long as you have a proper filter and the IN / OUT well assembled (you should try your best combination for your layout) no issues will come along.
> 
> As for light Nuno was testing for PAR measures and he acomplished that a PAR between 40 or 50 will do for any plant purpose. In other words use Medium Light.



You are wrong Paulo,

There's several benefit's from having filters connected in-line or in parallel, in line I can say that you have a good flow boost actually one JBL 1501 full real test runs at 800-900L 1400l/h pump head in the in-line configuration was pumping around 1100l/h in parallel assembly this went up to 1500-1600 L/H doubling the filters outflow but to much for my tank, the benefit's for me wore having more space for bio and mechanical filtration, less pipes going in/out of the tank, boosted filter outflow 

As for PAR I've accomplished nothing Paulo, this info is out there for many years now I just measured the lights and then gave you guys the results ...



Paulo Soares said:


> Hi again dear Jesperl,
> 
> Me and Nuno are friends here in Portugal, and we debate a lot the "Ei - T.Barr" system.. and i´m one of those guys that is a UNbeliever of "EI" and consequences of using this method or dry salts.
> I allready used it, as for ADA or Tropica system and i can garantee that with "EI" i did have plenty more issues on my tanks than any other fertilizers. And i´m not saying anything new.. cause if you scroll/search on the web you´ll find more people having lot´s of problems by using "EI" than others using Tropica, Aquarebbel, Ada, kramer or elese for instance.
> 
> The "EI" method is very well described by T. barr and it´s not suitable for our tanks and is not being understood as it should be. People start to aply it without any regard or caution or even methodology. Just doing a receipe, placing a target and get on the gas with it it in the highway..
> Well.. looks quite easy comparing the issues people do have don´t you think?
> But let´s just forget this by now.. cause i think i allready did have my "dose" on "Ei" discussions and his Followers..
> 
> As for me i don´t do any fert in my tank for now. I doing an experiment on my fertil substrate (Tropica Plant Growth) and till now is working pretty well.
> 
> But if i have to choose i honestly point Tropica Specialised. What an amazing fertilizer.
> 
> And you do not have to spent so much on it as people used to say.
> 
> As people is accostumed to "EI" method where they aply large amounts of ferts they think that by using "Tropica Specialised" they will spent lots of money cause they try to accomplish the same targets of "EI" but using Tropica.. wich is a big mistake
> 
> I´m going to let you a tip to think about:
> If you try to acomplish a target of 20 to 30 Ppm of No3 (for instance) by using tropica Specialized or ADA you will have to spent lots of money on ferts of course. So.. do you think the manufacturers used this targets? Are they foolish?
> Is it really needed it? Do you believe that a plant needs this kind of targets? Remember this targets are aplyed on "EI". (?)
> There you go...
> 
> That´s why Nuno is a trully remarcable guy by testing and testing over and over and also sharing what he observes and he aply a "EI" method using ADA for an example so you can do a fertilization not spenting so much money.
> 
> He will come here and response as soon as he can. He´s now on a new job challenge and for now dosen´t have too much spare time.
> 
> But i felt i should let you my opinion and my point of view.
> 
> Best regards



As I said before in my opinion Estimative Index is the best way to grow aquatic plants (I'm no believer I know this for a fact and experiencing with it), better and faster growth better colors, better plant health overall, but much more maintenance work to do !!! But has Tom said time and time again, but no one seems to listen, the dose has to be adjusted to the tank/plant needs ...

Every plant need's some degree of fertilization especially K+ Paulo and Fe Micro-elements, maybe you have enough on your tap water 

As for Fertilizing Lines/Brand's I also think they are doing things right, In the case of Tropica, ADA the fertilization is added based on their substrate systems and this results in a perfect symbiosis !!!

Today these fertilizers are very easy to replicate using dry salts, and to do them your self spending less money and at the same time learning a little bit more about this hobby 

Thank you for your words regarding me, I really like to share this things with you all, and it's good when actually someone else uses that info to do well in their own tanks !!!


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## tim

Great journal nuno, awesome scape


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## jesperl.dk

Nuno M. said:


> I've used EI for quite a good time now I like the ratio between nutrients originally given by Tom Barr, I then tested Spezial N from Tobias Coring with urea the results wore stunning since then I use UREA in my EI Recipes, but my dosing is adjusted to my tank needs and that is the major problem with EI, people do not adjust the dosing, not any aquarium need this soup of nutrients, this will lead to more algae, more maintenance, bigger water changes and more frequent ones, overall an EI dosed tank need's lot's more maintenance than a low dosing regime with nutrients mainly in the substrate, I always use ADA Aquasoil in me setups for me there's no better substrate system so I tend to be dosing leaner and leaner and always with good plant response, I really think that dosing leaner but with UREA/NH4 on the mix things work really really well ... If you see most of N fertilzers on the market use one of those N sources, Tropica, ADA, EasyLife, Seachem, EQUO, VIMI you name it and they use it, so all those plant fertilizers have to be doing something right , despite the method of dosing, they are good fertilizers ... That's the main reason for also using UREA, I will order some NH4NO3 for my next experience with DIY fertilizers


That makes a lot of sense. I make my own EI mix, and will order some UREA to use as well. A bit further along I will try slowly lowering my doses as well. Thanks!


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## Penta

Great journal indeed !
I've made almost any DIY copy of fertilizer that exists, but never tried ADA fertilizers. And since I'm curious by nature I have a question for you :
So there is a table with ADA fertilizers and the total amount of all four of them match the ppm of your ADA DIY (UREA). This means that your DIY consist of all four ADA fertilizers gathered in one bottle (and MicroMix in separate)? As far as I know they are not used all together but depending on your tank age ?
If so, you are dosing this "all-in-one" 1ml/10l every day, right ?
Thanks in advance and keep posting your knowledge !


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## Nuno M.

Penta said:


> Great journal indeed !
> I've made almost any DIY copy of fertilizer that exists, but never tried ADA fertilizers. And since I'm curious by nature I have a question for you :
> So there is a table with ADA fertilizers and the total amount of all four of them match the ppm of your ADA DIY (UREA). This means that your DIY consist of all four ADA fertilizers gathered in one bottle (and MicroMix in separate)? As far as I know they are not used all together but depending on your tank age ?
> If so, you are dosing this "all-in-one" 1ml/10l every day, right ?
> Thanks in advance and keep posting your knowledge !



Hi there Penta, 

It's not a all-in-one solution but it could be, just add some potassium sorbate and ascorbic acid to the solution to avoid the precipitation of the Fe with PO4 this will also preserve the solution for a longer time ... 

In my plan I have a bottle for Macros and a bottle for Micros separating the total amount of K2SO4 between the Micro and Macro bottle for better solubility 

And yes I was dosing all of them in a daily basis 1ml/10L you can dose exactly as ADA by doubling the amount of salts on a 500ml


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## Penta

Thank you for the answer Nuno, 
I've made DIY TPN+ in the past, so I know how to mix iron and phosphate . What I had in mind by "All-in-one" was all ot the ADA ferts (Brighty Lights, Shade, K and Step 3) in one solution and another with MicroMix. As for the K2SO4, I know your way of doing it since i'm following your journal since the beginning.
Just wondering if I try it with Dennerle Scaper's Soil, as i said I'm too curious to try everything 

Thanks again !


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## Nuno M.

I've never used or known someone that uses Dennerle Soil, but if it's rich in nutrients I would give it a go !!!

STEP 3 is replicated in my mix with MicroMix Plus as this is the stronger FE dosage from ADA Line


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## LondonDragon

Moved to Featured Journal forum


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## Nuno M.

LondonDragon said:


> Moved to Featured Journal forum



Thank you Paulo,

It's a great honor having one of my journals in this section of UKAPS !!!


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## Nuno M.

Daveslaney said:


> Hi Nuno
> When you dose your ADA diy with Urea or EI with Urea as shown in the tables.
> Do you dose macro one day micro the next? Or do you dose both macro and micro on same day?
> Going to give both a try in the near future.
> Regards Dave.



Hi there Dave,

I dose both on the same day/everyday 30min apart, just before lights ON !!!


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## Daveslaney

Thanks Nuno.


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## Nuno M.

No problem Dave,

Give some feedback after a while of using the recipes !!! Have in mind that ADA DIY will only work if you use Amazonia or similar product rich in Ntrogen, otherwise it can be to little of a dose !!!

If you have further answers make them on the thread as someone else can have similar doubts and in that way all can share the experience !!!

Good mixing and do not fire near KNO3 


Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk


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## Daveslaney

Thanks Nuno
Will go with the EI one as my substrate is Nando around 18 months old now.


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## Gonçalo Silva

Excellent journal and (you guys don't know him in person) a great guy. Always willing to help. 
Congrats Nuno for this amazing aquarium and I am eagerly waiting for the final photo. 

Abraço


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## Konrad Michalski

Great journal. That's what we call a real aquascaping, nice hardscape, super healthy plants, great quality photos and everything based on high level of knowledge. A lot to learn from. Thanks for sharing.


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## mohsen12251

Nuno M. said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> Here it goes a my new home tank layout started last week, hope  you guys have time to follow this one
> 
> Here goes the setup:
> 
> Started:
> 24/08/2016
> 
> Tank:
> 120x50x50cm Extra-Clear Optiwite Glass
> 
> Stand:
> DIY - 122x51x82cm
> 
> Light:
> CHIHIROS A-1201 x2
> 8000K 5630 SMD LED's 65w
> 
> Filter:
> 1x EHEIM 2178 (600T) THERMO-FILTER
> 
> Filter Midia:
> Original Blue Pad
> Sera Siporax 2l
> Seachem Matrix 4l
> JBL Symec Syntetic Filter Floss
> 
> Other Equipment:
> Kit CO2 aquaristic.tec 13kg FE
> JBL ProFlora PH Control
> ADA Pollen Glass Beetle Ø50
> ADA Glass Counter
> ADA CO2 Indicator
> CHIHIROS DOCTOR SUPER
> VIV Lily Pipes 17mm (outflow)(inflows)
> Jebao DP-4
> 
> Hardscape:
> Local Rocks
> Entwood
> 
> Substrate:
> ADA Aquasoil Amazónia
> 
> Ferts:
> EI Daily
> 
> Weekly Target:
> 20ppm NO3
> 30ppm K
> 3ppm PO4
> 10ppm Mg
> 0.5ppm Fe
> 
> Plants:
> Bucephalandra Belindae
> Bucephalandra Motleyana "Braun/Rot Narrow"
> Bucephalandra Motleyana "Riam Macam"
> Bucephalandra Fake Catherinae
> Bucephalandra "Kedagang"
> Bucephalandra Velvet Leaf "Entikong"
> Eleocharis Acicularis "Mini"
> Hemianthus Callitrichoides "Cuba"
> Hygrophila "Araguaia"
> Hygrophila Pinnatifida
> Ludwigia Arcuata
> Rotala "Rotundifolia"
> Rotala "Green"
> Staurogyne Repens
> 
> Photos:
> 
> Final Hardscape
> View attachment 91022_MG_2420 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr
> 
> After Filling with Water
> View attachment 91023_MG_2440 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr
> 
> Photos from today with clear water and diferent angles
> View attachment 91024_MG_2451 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr
> 
> View attachment 91025_MG_2450 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr
> 
> View attachment 91026_MG_2449 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr
> 
> View attachment 91027_MG_2444 by Nuno Matos, on Flickr
> 
> Hope you guys like it ...



Hello buddy
The equipment inside the aquarium cabinet Please let me see.
Thankful


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## Progen

mohsen12251 said:


> Hello buddy
> The equipment inside the aquarium cabinet Please let me see.
> Thankful



Naughty naughty!

You hardly know the guy and you already want to see everything?


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## mohsen12251

Progen said:


> Naughty naughty!
> 
> You hardly know the guy and you already want to see everything?


What do you got?
There are many photos of the equipment up!


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## Nuno M.

mohsen12251 said:


> Hello buddy
> The equipment inside the aquarium cabinet Please let me see.
> Thankful



Unfortunately this tank is no longer assembled, I've sold almost all the equipment, and will start soon on a new canvas !!!


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## Nuno M.

Progen said:


> Naughty naughty!
> 
> You hardly know the guy and you already want to see everything?



No secret's here Progen,

If I had the chance I would gladly show you guys the equipment inside the cabinet !!!


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## ir0nma1den

Amazing journal, gonna take alot of the information written about fertilization to use.


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## Nuno M.

ir0nma1den said:


> Amazing journal, gonna take alot of the information written about fertilization to use.



Thank you ir0nma1den,

Be my guest using all the info, that was the main reason for sharing it 


As some of you may know this tank placed #116 in IAPLC 2017, the final photo is still in contest EAPLC and AGA 2017 so I will only share it after this contest results come out !!!

Thank you all for following this journal


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## Nuno M.

Now that the screening of IAPLC 2017 winning works has been shown to the world I've came here share with you guys this tank final shot !!!

Thank you all for keeping following my works !!! =)

#116 IAPLC 
#78 IIAC
#25 CIPS
#15 EAPLC
??? AGA




Crystal Mountain Final Shot by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


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## Tim Harrison

Congratulations on your rankings Nuno


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## Nuno M.

Tim Harrison said:


> Congratulations on your rankings Nuno


Thank you very much Tim 

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## tmiravent

Maybe your best layout Nuno!
Cheers


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## Nuno M.

tmiravent said:


> Maybe your best layout Nuno!
> Cheers



Thank you for your words Tiago


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## Nuno M.

And another great surprise came in today, this tank placed #15 on EAPLC 2017 

Thank you to all of you that keep following my Journals !!!

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## SKYE.__.HIGH

Congratulations, you deserve it. I just love this tank. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Nuno M.

SKYE.__.HIGH said:


> Congratulations, you deserve it. I just love this tank.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thank you for your words SKYE._.HIGH !!! 

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## Nuno M.

Aldough I've got no ranking in AGA 2017 I was luky enough o have a judge comment of this layout !!! Here's a Print-Screen from AGA website 



AGA 2017 Judge Commentary by Nuno Matos, on Flickr


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## Silviu Man

Amazing! I like very much particulary the way you get in the pics the Rasbora "fleet".
Of course, that is coming after beautiful grass, rarely seen at such view in many tanks.
Congratulation!


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