# A New Beginning (New Pics & video 10/8/2016) - 180L



## Aeropars (7 Jul 2015)

Hi All,

After moving house and losing interest somewhat, I'm back having another go at growing some plants 

I've previously tried a number of approaches to getting a decent aquascape on the go but algae and poor growth has hit me hard almost every time. hopefully, I'm better equipped to make this work now so I thought I'd document the progress along the way and hopefully get some good advice as and when I need it!

So... here's what I've got on the go:

*Tank:* 180L Juwel Rio. Sanded and painted high gloss grey.
*Lighting*: 4 x TMC Aquabeam 600 LED light strips with Aquaray Controller.
*Filtration*/*Flow*: 1 x Eheim Pro e3 2078 (Rated @ 1800LPH) with Purigen bag and Eheim installation sets on the inlet/outlet, Koralia Evo 2800 Powerhead.
*CO2*: Pressurised with 2 x Bazooka atomizers. 1 placed under the filter intake and the other placed below the Koralia
*Livestock*: 2 x Angelfish, 1 x Indian barb for snail control.
*Hardscape*: Landscape Rock from Aqua Essentials
*Plants*: C. Parva, C. Wendtii Green, C. Wendtii Brown, P. Helferi, Narrow Java Fern, H. tripartita, Alternanthera sp Rosanevig, C. Helferi, Bacopa Australis, Hygrophlia Australis, Bacopa Amplexicaulis, Ludwiga Palustris Green.

Issue 1 - The first of the challenges I am facing is whether to use the spray bar or not. I've started a separate thread on that one in the CO2 forum so I won't go on about that too much here. In essence, I'm trying to figure out the best way to get the CO2 round the tank and the spray bar seems to create less flow around the tank than if I was to leave it off. It also leaves me with a quandary as to where to place the Koralia. I believe both are needed to get the flow I want but the configuration is baffling me somewhat.

Issue 2 - LED lighting is a new one on me and I've read that they can be pretty bright! At present, I have all 4 lights set to ramp up over 2 hours to 35% brightness They switch on at 5PM and are completely off by 10PM. From 8PM they start to dim. I like the dimming effect however I'm not sure if the plants do. What would be my best bet to start with on the lighting configuration?

Here's a couple of quick pictures of the tank as it stands. I've not 'scaped it as yet, just chucked everything in to get and idea of how the tank is doing.

Tank by Lee Parsons, on Flickr
Untitled by Lee Parsons, on Flickr
Untitled by Lee Parsons, on Flickr


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## Paulo Soares (7 Jul 2015)

Evening..

Issue 3.  What substrate is that? If you are really concerned about plants i think you make a bad choice there.

Issue 4: With that filter you have more than enough flow. What you really need is a good dissolution of your CO2 and for that my ffriend you wont´get it till you buy good stuff. A ADA or DOAqua diffusor is your best way. If you try to put a Inliner or something between inthe way of the filter than you´ll have a fifth issue. Lack of flow.

Buy a 30 PPM calibrated solution, put it on the DropCheker and there you go. Simple. No need to read thousands of arguments around the CO2.

If you a have a good dissolution you wont have any issues about CO2.
Seeing bubbles everywhere acording to a good flow is not a good sign of an also good dissolution. Bubbles are wasted CO2.. the less bubbles you see the more excelent dissolution you are getting.

So go for it!  You´re in the right path friend. Best wishes

Big hug


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## Aeropars (7 Jul 2015)

Hi Paulo,

Thanks for the reply. 

The substrate is baked clay with a sprinkling of root fertiliser underneath. Unfortunately, I'm spent up for the minute so I cant replace it with anything specificity for planted tanks. that said, I've seen a lot of people use this stuff with excellent results. My only negative point about it is that its very light and is difficult to keep plants anchored on the initial planting.

I'm no expert but the mist that I get from the Bazooker atomizer is finer than anything I have ever seen from another manufacturer. You can what I have by clicking here (I have 2 of these by the way): http://www.co2art.co.uk/collections...tomizer-diffuser-for-aquarium-up-to-250l-70mm

I've got my drop checker in the tank already with the 4kh solution ready to see how the CO2 dissolves. Tonight is the first nice without me fiddling with the tank and doing water changes so I plan to monitor it closely.


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## Aeropars (9 Jul 2015)

I added the Koralia last night, added the second bazooka diffuser and cracked up the CO2. So that's one bazooka under the filter intake and one positioned under the Koralia. When I got home about 9:30PM the drop checker was lime green and the fish looked happy enough. 

Today I have scaped the tank and repositioned the Koralia. and removed a section of the spray bar to hopefully increase the output pressure to create a bit more flow. Provided all the plants stay anchored down I'll take a few pictures later and put them up. I could use some advice on the positioning of the koralia and the filter outlet based on the scape I have chosen so I'll be sure to try and capture the flow.

I have a question regarding the drop checker: The PH reagent changes colour based on the gases released from the water column into the air gap of the drop checker. While I know this is how people estimate the amount of gas in the aquarium, will it not give false readings if small CO2 bubbles are ending up in there as they are blown around the tank?


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## aaron.c (9 Jul 2015)

Looking good! I wish I had the larger Juwel cabinet.  I can't fit all of my stuff in it 

Paint job looks good


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## Aeropars (9 Jul 2015)

Been playing and this is what I've come up with. The plants on the left are probably going to go at some point later as I couldn't fit them in so they are staying there just for biomass at present. When I have some time over the weekend I'll get the SLR out and take some better pics. 

Not sure on the Koralia placement with this setup. I'm thinking left hand side pointed towards the plants would be best with the filter outlet in the same direction. Anyone have thoughts?

Aquascaped by Lee Parsons, on Flickr

Aquascaped by Lee Parsons, on Flickr


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## Aeropars (11 Jul 2015)

As promised, here's a few photos with the SLR. All going well so far, no sign of any algae and I'm getting a green drop checker and a full 1 point drop in PH (7.4 down to 6.4 by lights on)

DSC_0131-Edited by Lee Parsons, on Flickr
DSC_0133-Edited by Lee Parsons, on Flickr
DSC_0142-Edited by Lee Parsons, on Flickr


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## Paulo Soares (13 Jul 2015)

Magnificent!!


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## Aeropars (13 Jul 2015)

Thanks Paulo.

Today I noticed that a lot of the P.Helferi had mysteriously disappeared. I uprooted what was left and noticed that the stems had started to melt. Looking into that particular issue from previous discussion on here it looks like it's probably a CO2/Light balance issue. To combat and try and save what is left, I've dropped my light intensity to 25% from 35%, slightly increased CO2 and double dosed Easycarbo after today's water change.

I have to admit, I'm slightly bemused as to why it has melted. The CO2 looks good, I'm getting a 1PH drop and leafs on all of the plants at the front are all flowing well. I've for new growth on the stems and given them a trim today. I'll monitor closely over the next day and wee if the melting stops.


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## Paulo Soares (13 Jul 2015)

Why are you using easycarbo it if you have CO2 Injection?


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## Aeropars (13 Jul 2015)

I was using it as a suppliant during the tank start-up in case i was not dosing enough gas CO2.


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## Aeropars (16 Jul 2015)

Bit of an update:

I've moved a few of the plants round to get a better balance while I hope is maintained. Been keeping up the water changes 3 times a week and onto a twice a week schedule this week. No signs of algae however the P. Helferi has totally melted and gone. The Cyprius Helfer has some browning on the leafs however I believe that this was to be expected as it settles in. Can anyone confirm this?

I have a strange issue with one of the plants though in that it looks like chunks are being taken out of the leafs. It actually look slike bite marks so I'm not sure if my Angel fish are having a nibble on then or not. 

I'll get some pictures tonight to show how things are looking and get some close up's of the issues.


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## Aeropars (16 Jul 2015)

Here's the pics I promised then. Can anyone tell me what's going on with the stem plant?

DSC_0196-Edited16-7 by Lee Parsons, on Flickr

DSC_0201-Edited16-7 by Lee Parsons, on Flickr

DSC_0198-Edited16-7 by Lee Parsons, on Flickr


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## tim (16 Jul 2015)

Nutrient deficiency maybe mine does this in my low tech when I forget to add ferts.


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## Aeropars (16 Jul 2015)

I'm dosing EI and I'm pretty sure I have 30 PPM in there fiven the drop checker and PH drop. Not sure what else I can do. If I up the CO2 any more then it comes out the diffuser in big bubbles due to how much its getting through it.


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## Andy D (16 Jul 2015)

Just wanted to say the tank is looking good and I always love seeing a decent home cinema set-up too!


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## tim (16 Jul 2015)

Hygrophillia polysperma sp are nutrient hungry plants under optimum conditions (which it looks like you have) try double dosing micros or macros for a while see if anything changes love your in situ shot btw


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## Aeropars (16 Jul 2015)

Thanks for the replies guys. I'll double dose and see where that gets me!

BTW, the sound system sounds insane


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## Alexander Belchenko (17 Jul 2015)

I wonder if position of coralia could be better at left side directing flow to front right corner to create flow all around the tank. Right now it seems your tank has 2 (virtually) disconnected flow areas, left half and right half.


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## Aeropars (20 Jul 2015)

Thanks for the reply Alexander.

Would you do that with the spray bar pointing forward to the front of the tank as it currently is?

As a side-note, I've removed the floss from my filter today and according to the Eheim software, I'm getting an additional 80 LPH throughput by doing so.


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## Alexander Belchenko (20 Jul 2015)

I think I'd try different results and watch how it impacts.

Your hygrophilla may suffer due to low Ca (calcium) level or overdose of K (potassium). I know you guys don't believe in overdose, and it's hard to tell whether it deficience sometime. So, I'd check Ca first. Do you have any idea how hard is your tap water? I'm mostly interested in GH value if any.


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## Aeropars (20 Jul 2015)

I don't know the exact value but I generally have hard water in this area.


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## Aeropars (3 Aug 2015)

Hi all,

A progress update and I'm afraid its a bit mixed.

My main issues are a lack of growth and some melting of plants. The P. Helferi didnt last long at all a few weeks after my C. Wendtii brown has melted almost completely. Oddly, the green version is doing fine. I also have 2 lots of H. tripartita and I notices very little growth form it so i uprooted at today's water change and it had gone black where it was in the substrate. The one nearer the front of the tank appeared to be fine though. On the up side it seems as thought the browning of the C. Helferi has stopped and stabilised. On top of this I have almost Zero algae... some discolouration of the rocks but I think is is just dust from the cat litter I'm using. If it is diatoms, its like nothing I have seen before and is only appearing on the rocks.

A couple of weeks back I removed the spray bar and put the koralia on the left hand side next to the filter outlet so all the flow is pushing in a single direction. I added another drop checker so I have one on the left and on the right and both are erring towards yellow so it looks like CO2 is high enough. Tonight I've dimmed my lights to 20% but increased the photo period as I was wondering if its too short as its only on properly for 2 hours with 1.5 hour ramp up and down each side of that.

Does anyone have any idea what might be wrong here? 

I'll take some more pics tomorrow.


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## Lindy (4 Aug 2015)

I'd put the spray bar along one side of the tank, not along the back. Try having your lights on for 6hrs with no ramp up/down or 5hrs with 30min ramp up and down. Once everything is growing how you want then you could fiddle with ramping. Why such a long ramp up and down period? Makes It hard to know how much light your plants are actually getting. Looks great set up although you probably only need half the light you have lol...


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## Aeropars (4 Aug 2015)

Thanks for the reply.

Yes I was thinking about doing that with the spray bar and having the koralia slightly under it pushing in the same direction. I can direct the flow downwards some more in that case.

I thought the ramping time might offer a more natural effect with sunrise and sunset but I do wonder if my issue are due to light so I'll take your advice and do a 30 minute ramp and 5 hour photo period.

I knew I'd have too much light under the hood but due to having cats I'm not allowed an open top tank (as much as I'd love one) and the spread of light just isnt good enough with 2 units 10cm from the water surface. I'm happy I've not cause an algae fest in the tank with them though so that's one good thing to come out of it!


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## Chris Jackson (4 Aug 2015)

I counsel patience.....

These plants are adapting to their new environment and emersed grown leaves have to transition into their submersed form, it takes time, some will suffer melt some won't, some might get nipped by the fish... 

Until everything is growing well you really should not need to overdo ferts. either because the plants are adjusting rather than growing. Remember that for every change you make it will take days or a week before you really see the results so resist the urge to constantly change things. Give the plants a stable environment but with plenty of water changes during these early weeks.

I like a slow ramp up and down with lighting and it has always worked very well for me. I'm not familiar with your lights but a gradual up and down over 6 hours should be fine. Less intensity is always going to be easier to manage and also makes CO2 much less of a concern. A short bright spell part way through is plenty to keep the more light hungry ones happy.


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## Aeropars (4 Aug 2015)

Thanks for the reply. I've added some already submersed Blyxa Japonica so that can be a true indication of what's actually happening.

Are all plants grown emersed then? I got nearly all from Aqua Essentials but I assumed they were kept submersed!

Incidentally, I know for sure that the stems were being eaten by the Angelfish as the stems right next to the Koralia are perfectly fine. I guess the flow here stops them having a snack on the plants!


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## Sk3lly (4 Aug 2015)

A lot of plants are grown emersed where it has access to atmosphere levels of co2. About 300ppm i believe. Plants will grow fast and healthily ensuring the supplier can turnover plants quickly. It also allows us guys to get algae free, snail free, healthy plants! Although we then need to be careful in transitioning them to submersed 


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## dw1305 (4 Aug 2015)

Hi all,





Aeropars said:


> I've added some already submersed Blyxa Japonica so that can be a true indication of what's actually happening. Are all plants grown emersed then?





Sk3lly said:


> A lot of plants are grown emersed where it has access to atmosphere levels of co2


 As "Sk3lly" says they are mainly grown emersed in the nurseries. 

This is a "Tropica" plant production video. 
 

In the case of _Blyxa spp. _I think they are obligate aquatic plants and have to be produced submersed. 

cheers Darrel


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## Sk3lly (4 Aug 2015)

Yea blyxa will not grow emersed. Just dies  


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## Chris Jackson (4 Aug 2015)

Yes and even submersed grown plants still need a period of adjustment when moved from one environment to another and may also suffer melt... nature is never in a hurry.


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## Aeropars (6 Aug 2015)

Thanks Guys. 

After upping the light duration I'm now seeing signs of growth and I've cleared a lot of the black rot from the stems. I'll monitor what happens with this.

The brown stuff which I thought was dust from the cat litter looks like its now Diatoms so I'll be getting some Ottos in there to help out with that ASAP.

I was going to take some more pics tonight but the camera battery is dead so I'll get some on Sunday and show how things are progressing.

Despite the issues I'm determined to get this right! I cant see my problems being CO2 or flow but I'll let you guys be the judge of that!

Thanks for the advice so far!


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## Aeropars (13 Aug 2015)

Hi All,

I'm afraid things are getting worse to an extent. I'm having some issues with plans still melting and I have no idea why. Its clearly down to lighting so I've dropped the intensity to 10%. Having read a thread by CEG, I am thinking I may have underestimated the intensity of these LED jobbies that I have on there.

Some plants are having in there but some are melting further. The C. Wendtii green being one that's started losing its leafs. 

I'm not sure why though as I believe I have good flow, dosing EI and what appears to be good CO2. If I up the CO2 any more it gives the fish some stress.

I'll get pics tonight when the lights are on.


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## Aeropars (17 Aug 2015)

Hi All,

I've finally gotten round to adding new pics and they are not pretty. While I'm only having a little diatom trouble, the plants are deteriorating massively. I've had a good clear out today of all the ones I thought were beyond saving. Can anyone tell me what the hell to do now? I'm almost certain I have the best CO2 I've ever had and the flow is pretty good too as you can see in the video of the plants swaying. Still getting a 1.1PH drop and lime green drop checker so I'm out of ideas!

DSC_0203-Edited16-7 by Lee Parsons, on Flickr
DSC_0210-Edited16-7 by Lee Parsons, on Flickr
DSC_0204-Edited16-7 by Lee Parsons, on Flickr
DSC_0205-Edited16-7 by Lee Parsons, on Flickr
DSC_0206-Edited16-7 by Lee Parsons, on Flickr
DSC_0207-Edited16-7 by Lee Parsons, on Flickr
DSC_0208-Edited16-7 by Lee Parsons, on Flickr
DSC_0209-Edited16-7 by Lee Parsons, on Flickr


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## Ryan Thang To (18 Aug 2015)

im sorry to say that is way too much flow. i know flow is important but yours is overkill. the co2 is blown away not enuogh time for plants to take it in. try taking the wave maker out and move your diffuser near the intake or move it around to find the best spot.

is your 1 point ph drop when your light come on or at the end of the photo period? co2 drop checker i don't use them i have a ph metre lets you know current ph when turn on .

cheers
ryan


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## Edvet (18 Aug 2015)

I don't  believe in to much flow myself, i would advise patience.


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## Aeropars (18 Aug 2015)

Hi Edvet. Yes, that was what I thought as well. Particularly as the CO2 is also dissolved in the water column.

The tank has been set up for over 4 weeks now and there has been steady degradation in the plant, some have already not survived. Does this not indicate that there is an issue? I'm happy to be patient but I've never had plant melt quite like it although, granted, I have never used LED lighting before, just 4 x T8's. I'm assuming this was where things went wrong with me putting the lights on too high when they are only 10CM form the surface of the water. I'd be very interested to know what my PAR values are!


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## aaron.c (18 Aug 2015)

The Grobeam 600's are pretty powerful.  I have two over my Rio 125 and I run them at 60%


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## Aeropars (18 Aug 2015)

Hi Aaron,

How far form the surface did you have them? I'm running them balanced on the centre brace on a Juwel Rio 180. When I started running the tank I ran all 4 at 30%. Because of them being close to the surface there was some light overlap but not a lot, particularly at the front and back of the tank.

Now I'm running all 4 at 10% for 6.5 hours with a 30 minute ramp up and down.


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## Edvet (18 Aug 2015)

I would advise in decreasing light for a few weeks to see what happens if you're not happy.


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## Edvet (18 Aug 2015)

Aeropars said:


> running all 4 at 10% for 6.5


This doesn't sound like to much though.


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## Aeropars (18 Aug 2015)

Hi Edvet,

That's what I thought. I've only recently done this so I'll see how things progress. I've also doubled the EI dosage as well to be sure I'm getting enough in there.


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## aaron.c (18 Aug 2015)

I am using the Aquaray mount, not sure how high it is - much higher than in the hood.


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## Aeropars (29 Oct 2015)

Hi All. Its been a long time since I provided an update.

Essentially its taken me a while to get to grips with the right levels of light from the LED fixtures but I think I've now settled on each light running at 15%. Unfortunatly I pretty much cooed all of the plants and had very few survivors but I have made progress and I've seen slow but sure growth on the few plants I had remaining so now I'm more confident I'm doing things right, I'm going to redesign the tank again. I was doing something wrong with my EI dosing as well which wouldn't help. I was not dosing MGS04!

I'm ditching the cat litter as its just too light to keep anything planted for a decent amount of time to allow the roots to take hold. I've gotten myself some Tropica Plant Growth base substrate and I'll be capping that with Limpopo sand. I've heard good things about this combination! I'll be re-using the rocks I have in there as well as supplementing with some Redmoore wood I've gotten from eBay. I hope this will make the scape look a bit more natural.

All being well I'll be doing the transformation over this weekend so I'll be sure to document and upload the pictures here as i do it!


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## aaron.c (29 Oct 2015)

Great stuff, looking forward to seeing it.  

I am running my Grobeams at 40% at the moment.


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## Aeropars (12 Jan 2016)

It's been a long time since this was updated and that's because it has taken until now to get somewhere with my growth. Essentially I believe the problem was down to too little light so that the plants were almost dormant. So contrary to my post previously, the 15% lighting stopped the plants melting but offered nothing to help them grow. I've now got up to 30% with decent signs of growth. I also had some CO2 issues where I was getting inconsistent results where some days I would have the right bubble count and the next it would have slowed down a lot. To fix this i had to up the working pressure and now I'm hitting an almost yellow drop checker every day with around a 1.1 to 1.2 drop in PH.

You can see the discussion of my plant growing progression with LED lights here: http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/too-much-light-really.38504/

So i loaded up on lots of new plants, salvaged a few of the old ones and I go again. The baseline is as shown below. Growth will be closely monitored on this!


DSC_0422.jpg by Lee Parsons, on Flickr


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## aaron.c (12 Jan 2016)

Glad you are getting back on track 


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## Aeropars (17 Jan 2016)

Just when I think I've turned a corner it seems I hit a problem again!

Today I've hit the first sign things are still not right. After coming home from a weekend away my Blyxa has shed a lot of leafs. I'm not sure if this is a reaction to being transported or not though however it has made me paranoid. I've seen signs of new root growth in a couple of pieces I replanted earlier in the week. Everything else seems to be OK at the minute. I have got a night green drop checker so I think CO2 is ok but I am still only running 25% intensity on my lights which makes me wonder if the Blyxa is not getting enough light or something. 

Any suggestions?


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## Aeropars (18 Jan 2016)

Before I forget, I should also add that I am dosing DIY EasyCarbo (glutaraldehyde) as well on top of the injected CO2.


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## jonny.j (18 Jan 2016)

Like the rockwork buddy and how you put to one side of tank"


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## Aeropars (29 Jan 2016)

So 2 weeks on, I'm even more confused than what I was before. I've not noticed any growth really other than some new roots form the Blyxa. That said, the Blyxa is shedding leafs but not melting at the stem. My CO2 level is such that fish gasp at the surface and I've had a casualty which was probably caused by this. My flow is better than ever with clear movement on all my plants, some even too much and they are leaving over in the flow. My Micranthemum Monte Carlo is just sitting there and doesn't seem to be spreading but it certainly is dying off as its remaining vibrant green.

My lighting is currently at 33%. I am considering upping this some more to around 40% to see if it triggers growth.

Would the collective recommend this? Or is there something else causing my lack of growth?


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## Julian (29 Jan 2016)

Aeropars said:


> My lighting is currently at 33%. I am considering upping this some more to around 40%



I've upped mine from 10% to 60%..! Hasn't been a week yet but the plants are looking good.


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## aaron.c (29 Jan 2016)

I upped mine to 100%! 


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## aaron.c (29 Jan 2016)

Worth noting that my lights are about 65cm from substrate so I felt I needed more light. Plants have responded positively so far


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## Aeropars (29 Jan 2016)

Hi Aaron. How many of the strips do you have over your tank? Is it just 2?


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## aaron.c (29 Jan 2016)

Just 2 yeah. Over Rio 125


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## Chris Jackson (29 Jan 2016)

Can you set one strip lower than the other? Perhaps one at 50% the whole photoperiod and the other at 100% for a couple or three hours? I dont think you need constant intense light but having a couple of hours of "full sun" each day has always worked well for me.


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## Aeropars (2 Feb 2016)

WE HAVE PROGRESS!!!!

I'm glad to report that I have noticeable growth since upping the lighting. I had a couple of strands of hairgrass in there which sat doing nothing for months but during yesterdays water change I notice it had put runners out. I'm now running all lights at 40%. I find it odd that this level has started growth as I had put the lights on to this level when I first started the tank and the plants melted. I can only assume there was something CO2 related causing the issue when I set the tank up. I'll give it another week and I'll get another picture up here so show the growth.


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## aaron.c (2 Feb 2016)

Fantastic news!!


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## Jaap (2 Feb 2016)

I think you can increase your light levels. Assuming that I had one of these grobeams over a 40L tank at 40cm from the substrate and at 100% and still the light was not enough, I would recommend that you increase the light intensity 5%-10% every 10 days until you see growth that you are happy with.

In my own personal experience I think there is a misconception that the whole lot of TMC lights are very very powerful. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but they are not that powerful where someone needs to use them at 10% or at 40%. Maybe at the begining at 50% but then just up them.

Thanks


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## Aeropars (2 Feb 2016)

I think you are right. To the naked eye they look very bright but I don't think they are as bright form the plants perspective. I also think they are far more directional than what tubes are which makes the brightness deceiving.


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## micheljq (5 Feb 2016)

Hello, i do not understand why you did lower the intensity of the Grobeams to 10% (many plants must have died because of lack of light intensity), i am glad you upgraded the intensity.

I have one Grobeam 600 only, right over the tank, mixed with other leds and it is at 100% (4 hours a day).  I did not purchase the equipment to play with its intensity.

Michel.


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## Aeropars (8 Feb 2016)

Hi Michel,

I dropped the intensity as my plants were melting when I had it on 40%. This was when I first set up the tank so I dropped the intensity to lower the demand for CO2 and nutrients. I assume that i am now getting growth because the plants have settled in and adapted to under water life.


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## Aeropars (15 Feb 2016)

Hi All,

Time for a new picture update with the progress. The last pic i posted was some time back and having gotten to grips more with the plant growing aspects with these LED lights, I feel I can can concentrate a little more on the look of the tank now. I have a couple of questions along the way so I hope you'll help me out 

The foreground carpet is coming along now and has certainly come out of its dormant state. I went away last weekend and there was a noticeable growth difference with more of the carpet formed over 2 days than I had ever noticed. I've added some Bolbitis and more Java Fern Narrow to the wood but this is now blocking the view of the Cyperus Helferi. I think i'm going to have to move that to somewhere else in the tank for it to be seen. I've also added some giant moss to a few of the branches as a tester.

I cant remember the plant I have on the right hand side (i'll dig out the labels) but I've come to the conclusion that the leafs are a bit big for the scape and something a little more fine textures will look better.

I think I'm going to need something in the middle of the wood though as that area looks quite bare.The obvious choice is some Anubias Petite or something similar but I'm interested to hear what you guys would do with that area. Thoughts?

QUESTION: How the hell do I get that Hydrocotyle sp."Japan" to stop growing upwards?! I keep pushing it down like it says on the tropica website but it just pops straight back up!

Blyxa melt as stopped and I think we're now back into growth which I'm happy about as I love this plant. So overall I think I've turned a corner but only time will tell!

On with a few pics!

Here's the before pic:
160111-20.27.32(Lee)

After:
DSC_0074.jpg

DSC_0075.jpg

DSC_0076.jpg

DSC_0077.jpg

DSC_0079.jpg 

DSC_0082.jpg


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## Nelson (15 Feb 2016)

Loving that .
Maybe a smaller leaved Bucephalandra for the wood.


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## aquamania (15 Feb 2016)

Nice one it's looking good. What intensity have you settled on with your lights?


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## Greenfinger2 (15 Feb 2016)

Hi Aeropars Looking fantastic 

With the  Hydrocotyle sp.Japan pin it down with a couple of tooth picks it will soon root in


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## Wisey (16 Feb 2016)

Hydrocotyle has been one plant I really managed to grow (similar issues to you with TMC LED's). Just take hold of a long strand half way along and push it down in to the substrate in the direction you want the plant to spread. Requires some care as they come up again easily when you let go, hadn't thought of Roy's tooth pick idea, but that sounds good. I managed to keep mine quite low and get it to spread sideways just by pushing in to the substrate from time to time. It eventually got out of hand, it grows really well.


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## Aeropars (16 Feb 2016)

Thanks for the replies guys. 



Nelson said:


> Loving that .
> Maybe a smaller leaved Bucephalandra for the wood.


I'm not familiar with those plants. Do you know where I can get them?



aquamania said:


> Nice one it's looking good. What intensity have you settled on with your lights?


I'm running at 40% at the moment but I intend to try and up it somewhat in the coming weeks to see what effect that has on the plants. I find it really odd that I started at 40% when I first built the tank but everything melted.



Greenfinger2 said:


> Hi Aeropars Looking fantastic
> 
> With the  Hydrocotyle sp.Japan pin it down with a couple of tooth picks it will soon root in


I'll give that a go! Many thanks for the tip!

On reflection, I think I'm going to remove the 2 larger rocks from the right hand side as well. I dont see that they offer anything and will give me more space for some mid ground plants. I might be able to move the C. Helferi there to its at least visible.


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## Greenfinger2 (16 Feb 2016)

Wisey said:


> Hydrocotyle has been one plant I really managed to grow (similar issues to you with TMC LED's). Just take hold of a long strand half way along and push it down in to the substrate in the direction you want the plant to spread. Requires some care as they come up again easily when you let go, hadn't thought of Roy's tooth pick idea, but that sounds good. I managed to keep mine quite low and get it to spread sideways just by pushing in to the substrate from time to time. It eventually got out of hand, it grows really well.



Hi Once it gets going it grows like a weed  Fantastic looking plant I love the leaf shape and colour


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## Greenfinger2 (16 Feb 2016)

Hi Aeropars, 
I'm not familiar with those plants. Do you know where I can get them? 

Here' one place 

http://www.freshwatershrimp.co.uk/category.php?id_category=85


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## Aeropars (16 Feb 2016)

Greenfinger2 said:


> Hi Aeropars,
> I'm not familiar with those plants. Do you know where I can get them?
> 
> Here' one place
> ...



Wow. Not cheap are they!!


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## Greenfinger2 (16 Feb 2016)

Aeropars said:


> Wow. Not cheap are they!!



No there not cheap Wonderful looking plants though.


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## Nelson (16 Feb 2016)

Aeropars said:


> Wow. Not cheap are they!!


They've normally got more than is on the website. Send Edward a pm, to see what he has.
He may even do you a deal .


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## woodster (16 Feb 2016)

Love the living room shot, I really like to see these it gives you a better view of how it looks in real life, regards Mark.


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## MatusG (16 Feb 2016)

Really nice aqua aeropas  may I ask you what is the black white sand you have in there? Didnt find it in the comments. Thx and good luck.


Odoslané z môjho iPad cez Tapatalk


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## Aeropars (17 Feb 2016)

Hi Matus. It's Unipac Limpopo sand.


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## MatusG (17 Feb 2016)

Thank you Aeropars, i thought so...shame the delivery from UK to Slovakia its crazy expensive. 


Odoslané z môjho iPad cez Tapatalk


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## Aeropars (4 Mar 2016)

Hi Guys,

Heres a few more photos of the progress. I'm getting a small amount of algae which I think is BBA however its only on the slow growers. Can anyone confirm this? I'm not sure how this has come about as the CO2 seems pretty stable so I've started dosing double the amount of DIY easy carbo. What would you guys do to battle this?

DSC_0150-Edited by Lee Parsons, on Flickr
DSC_0151-Edited by Lee Parsons, on Flickr
DSC_0152-Edited by Lee Parsons, on Flickr
DSC_0153-Edited by Lee Parsons, on Flickr
DSC_0154-Edited by Lee Parsons, on Flickr
DSC_0156-Edited by Lee Parsons, on Flickr


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## Aeropars (9 Mar 2016)

I've done a short video showing how the tanks looking, the flow and the issues:


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## Chris Jackson (9 Mar 2016)

Love the scape, but as for growth issues it's tricky.

My gut feeling says still more light...for the carpet plants at least. The crypts look pretty happy and not in a brightly lit growth form now whereas in higher light (carpet plant levels) they will tend grow rather more compact and darker. As a safe test you could try positioning some of the struggling Hemianthus micranthemoides into more light nearer the surface and see if grows more strongly over a few days. 

Yes light encouages algae but algae will also take hold on plants struggling with lack of light. It may not be relevant but my tanks seem to do better without Easy Carbo...


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## alto (10 Mar 2016)

That's a lot of current


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## Aeropars (10 Mar 2016)

Chris Jackson said:


> Love the scape, but as for growth issues it's tricky.
> 
> My gut feeling says still more light...for the carpet plants at least. The crypts look pretty happy and not in a brightly lit growth form now whereas in higher light (carpet plant levels) they will tend grow rather more compact and darker. As a safe test you could try positioning some of the struggling Hemianthus micranthemoides into more light nearer the surface and see if grows more strongly over a few days.
> 
> Yes light encouages algae but algae will also take hold on plants struggling with lack of light. It may not be relevant but my tanks seem to do better without Easy Carbo...



Hi Chris. Thanks for the comment. I am slowly upping the lighting an dam confident that the algae issues are not really light related. I have had some fluctuating CO2 to and I'm still trying to get the CO2 as high as possible without distress to the fish. As I now have more plant mass I'm seeing I can up the levels of CO2 more due to the increased O2 levels in the tank.



alto said:


> That's a lot of current


Too much do you think? Someone told me I had too much before but I cant see flow as being a bad thing for plant growth. I do have problems keeping the plants upright though! I'll do a video with and without the Koralia.


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## Aeropars (1 Aug 2016)

Hi all. 

I haven't updated this since March but everything has been going OK. My growth issues of the past have gone away and the tank has filled in to the point I have removed a number of the plants because they didn't match what I had in my head. Now I'm comfortable with how things are going I'm looking to improve the scape.

 I still do have a few issues. The Tripartita Sp. Japan isn't performing too well and has curled leafs after I trimmed it back heavily. I think it might be a flow issue as i can't see it moving like I can the rest of the tank. I also have what i think is diatoms on old leafs. I've upped the CO2 to try and combat this and have started using a gravel vac at each water change to get the substrate as clean as possible. CO2 is now running right on the cusp of the fish being in distress so if i put any more in then the fish will gasp at the surface. 

I hope to update this more regularly than i have done but here's a pic as of tonight's water change.


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## Nelson (1 Aug 2016)

That's looking great .


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## Jamie McGrath (1 Aug 2016)

smashing carpet, looks great!


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## Aeropars (1 Aug 2016)

Thanks guys. Its not perfect and I'll tak esome close up's to prove it shortly


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## JackMartins (2 Aug 2016)

Amazing tank.
May I ask, what is the plant on the background(taller-behind the rocks/wood) the first from left do right? Is this a cryptocoryne? What species?


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## Aeropars (2 Aug 2016)

Hi Jack. Yes, that's a crypt Wendtii Brown.


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## Tim Harrison (2 Aug 2016)

Wow...looking fantastic.


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## Konsa (2 Aug 2016)

Great looking tank.Do U still have the Koralia in as not seen on latest photos?


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## Aeropars (3 Aug 2016)

Konsa said:


> Great looking tank.Do U still have the Koralia in as not seen on latest photos?


I decided to remove it because it essentially kept the stems growing at diagonals which didn't look great. No doubt about it though, the flow certainly helped growth.


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## Aeropars (4 Aug 2016)

So today I'm going to be making a couple of changes in the hope I can increase flow to the Tripartita. I've ordered myself some acrylic tube so I'm going to make a full length spray bar so will be having a go at making one of them over the coming days.

Secondly, I've gotten my hands on some Anubias petite which should add some further interest to the bare areas of wood and rock. I'll be sure to take some pictures when I've finished.


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## Aeropars (10 Aug 2016)

Hi all.

I've been pretty busy on this tank over the last week after ordering some maintenance accessories. I've gotten myself a couple of different sized wire brushes so i could give the rocks a good scrub and I've also made myself a DIY acrylic spray bar. I'm quite pleased with the results!

I've actually used the Eheim software and the USB connection to the filter in order to monitor real time flow and see whether the spray bar is restricting flow. I started by taking the bar off all together then taking a reading of the LPH value. I then increased the hole size until the flow value was just under the unrestricted value. I'm hoping that this will now help some of the plants which are not doing too well. Specifically the Tripartita Sp. Japan as I understand this should be growing like a weed. 

While cleaning the rocks up I've moved things around a little to try and gain a little extra height. I've also moved the Crypt wendtii brown as it was a little too tall on its previous position at the left of the wood and rocks. I've also added a good amount of Anubias petite. I'm not fully a happy with it, particularly the right hand side so if you have suggestions of what I could do, please speak up 

Heres a few pics of the updated tank and some of the issues I am facing.

DSC_0336.jpg 

DSC_0340.jpg

DSC_0337.jpg

DSC_0338.jpg 

DSC_0339.jpg


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## Aeropars (10 Aug 2016)

Here's a quick video as well for those interested.


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## Daveslaney (11 Aug 2016)

Top job with the spraybar,Looks great


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## Aeropars (11 Aug 2016)

Daveslaney said:


> Top job with the spraybar,Looks great


Thanks Dave. It's a little more chunky than I'd have like but I wanted to use the Eheim installation set attachments as its more flexible than the standard shepherds crook.


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## Christos Ioannou (13 Aug 2016)

Hi,  congrats on your progress!

 I cannot help but notice that you started reporting progress after you ditched the kitty litter substrate(?). 
I do have the same substrate(?).  I am really looking forward to a rescape-first thing to go is that substrate.  don't get me wrong,  I can grow plants on it...  but I feel very strongly that a decent substrate is definitely going to help to achieve a more elegant result like you did. 
So,  what are your thoughts? Can you attribute your success to the change in substrate? This really seemed to be the turning point in your case. 

Thanks! 

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk


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## Manisha (13 Aug 2016)

Lovely journal and tank!


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## Aeropars (15 Aug 2016)

Christos Ioannou said:


> Hi,  congrats on your progress!
> 
> I cannot help but notice that you started reporting progress after you ditched the kitty litter substrate(?).
> I do have the same substrate(?).  I am really looking forward to a rescape-first thing to go is that substrate.  don't get me wrong,  I can grow plants on it...  but I feel very strongly that a decent substrate is definitely going to help to achieve a more elegant result like you did.
> ...


I don't think the cat litter affected growth in any way however it was so light that i found it hard to keep plants in the substrate, especially when taking into account the high flow rates I had.


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## Tim Harrison (15 Aug 2016)

Looking great, love the sense of space.


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## Aeropars (9 Mar 2017)

Hi all,

This 'scape has run its course and I'm planning to tear it down in the coming days. There's a number of lessons I have learnt from this attempt which I plan to take into the next and I plan on reusing most of the plants currently in there but with some additions. What those additions are I am yet to decide.

I'll be adding a few more bits of rock in the new scape and and building up an area of substrate with some Tesco cat litter which I have laying around tied in the wife's tights and then topped with Unipac Limpopo sand.

I took this video last night which will be the last I take of the tank in this setup. I'll be sure to write a new journal once i have it figured out.


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## Paulo Soares (9 Mar 2017)

Hello dear friend,

Looking forward and wish you all the best. 

Big Hug


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