# The Island - ADA 75P - It's been a while....



## Kalum (16 Sep 2019)

This has been a few months coming after my barn find of a tank earlier this year, so I’ve been playing with ideas and stockpiling hardscape since and waiting till I had more time to get this set up. A return to high tech and my first proper attempt at a fairly high light tank.

*Tank* – ADA 75P (140L)
*Stand* – ADA Garden Stand
*Light* – Chihiros Vivid with Chihiros hanging kit
*Filter* – Eheim Pro 4+ 350t with course foam, Matrix and Purigen
*Co2* – Co2Art Pro-SE & inline diffuser via 2kg FE
*In/Outlet* – Cal Aqua Influx X3 lily pipe & Chihiros Stainless outflow

*Hardscape* – Seiryu stone & Manzanita wood
*Substrate* – ADA La Plata & Amazonia
*Ferts* – EI

*New plant list:*
3 x Rotala rotundifolia 'Orange Juice' (Pot)
3 x Rotala rotundifolia (Pot)
2 x Microsorum Pteropus Trident (Pot)
1 x Vallisneria nana (Pot)
1 x Bolbitis Difformis (in Vitro)
1 x Bolbitis heudelotii (in Vitro)
1 x Cryptocoryne parva (in Vitro)
1 x Cryptocoryne x willisii "nevillii" (in Vitro)
1 x Riccardia sp. "chamedryfolia" (in Vitro)
1 x Weeping Moss (from Konrad)

*Plants from current tank:*
Bucephalandra Mini Needle Leaf
Bucephalandra Lamandau Red
Bucephalandra Lamandau Mini Red
Bucephalandra Braun Rot
Bucephalandra Mini Cherry
Bucephalandra Deep Purple
Bucephalandra Mini Lamandau Purple
Bucephalandra Mini Coin
Bucephalandra Super Red
Bucephalandra Theia
Bucephalandra Spec Brownie
Frogbit

*Livestock (planned):*
Apistogramma (TBD)
Celestial Pearl Danio
Microrasbora Kubotai 
Otocinclus

Started setting the tank up today so will progress as it goes...

Old and new


----------



## Deano3 (16 Sep 2019)

Great tank dimensions i will defently be folling this one.

Thanks dean

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


----------



## CooKieS (16 Sep 2019)

Superb Gear...can't wait to finally see the chihiros vivid in action.


----------



## Kalum (16 Sep 2019)

After 3 hours cleaning manzanita I finally got round to an initial layout of the stones, they will move a fair bit for the final layout when I come to glue them in but this is the general idea, will see if I can bring the stones forward more to give more planting area but I need to keep the wood away from the front glass

A lot more manzanita to go in to give height to the layout


----------



## Kalum (16 Sep 2019)




----------



## Siege (16 Sep 2019)

Nice hardscape, lovely set up 

Check with Dave at AG if there is any chance of getting the bolbitis difformis from the Tropica limited edition pots. They are really good. I think you will be lucky though as they were really limited supply.

Likewise look at the normal bolbitis in a traditional pot. They are so much better than the in vitro pots.

You may wish to look at Rotala Yao Yai. Nice mix with orange juice. Again AG has it but you may need to phone because I donot think it’s it’s on the website yet.

Are you running an Eheim skim or the smart ADA one to assist with flow and surface film?

S.

Ps. Are you going to put an ADA Solar RGB, a super jet filter and silver cover for the gas bottle on it at some time?
I would!


----------



## Kalum (16 Sep 2019)

Cheers @Siege 

I've already had my AG order come in on friday just passed so have all plants sitting waiting on me finalising the hardscape  I got the bolbitis difformis linea in vitro as the ADA is hidden away if they have any left like you mention lol

Usually the bulk of my order is with AG but a lot was showing out of stock so got most of it from my other go to which is Aquasabi, I'll see how I get on with the normal bolbitis in vitro as its sitting here now but appreciate the advice mate

Treated myself to some of the Tropica scissors and tweezers from AG as well while I was at it, they sent the wave instead of the spring but I quite like them as well now I've seen them 

I've noticed a couple of people mention yao yai but never seen it grown out yet

Yeh got an eheim skim sitting in the box ready to go back left, outflow will be front left

Haha mate I wish I was that flush so my knock off Solar RGB (Vivid) and Eheim will have have to make do, but I am thinking about putting a cover on the co2 bottle but it won't be the ADA slip on 

Vivid on and playing about with manzanita, it's just thrown in to get a rough idea of location and will stew on it over night and glue the hardscape tomorrow then planting time


----------



## Siege (16 Sep 2019)

That rock rock is really strong.

Can you move the whole thing forward twisting the left hand piece of wood so that it’ll fit, it’ll be more of an island scape? Will give you loads more depth I think.

S. 

Ps. Try swapping over the 2 end pieces of wood? see what you think.


----------



## Siege (16 Sep 2019)

Ps. As the stems grow in might want to move the skim to the back right facing forward. May blast the stems too much going straight into them.

Just a thought......!


----------



## Kalum (16 Sep 2019)

@Siege 

Yeh I've tried moving the stone forward as much as I can tonight and I just can't get it working as the wood is tight to that stone on the left and wraps around the back

I've tried moving the middle forward as well and the rocks just don't sit as well, I'm going to play about with a few smaller rocks in the morning and see what I can get working 

Good idea about the 2 end pieces of wood I see what you're getting at and I'll try that in the morning, I've got another bit of wood I might try and fit in as well but will see...

I was meaning the skim pointing forward in the back left, so same direction of flow as the lily pipe front left, like you say I don't want it directly on any plants as it'll probably be too much for them


----------



## alto (16 Sep 2019)

Fantastic hardscape materials

My 2p critique 

Presently you’ve 1/3 foreground 1/3 hardscape 1/3 background ... except that foreground runs all the way into the back so more like 1/4 of the tank footprint will be soil 
I’d reverse that trend and move the stones forward - creating more contrast and depth
(Jurijs talked about the “too much foreground effect” in his IAPLC video shoot with George Farmer (I think that’s the one anyway))
And preferring asymmetry I’d foreshorten the sand on one side, creating a soil area behind rock (on that side)
(the opposite of Siege’s Island scape  or maybe not, the island is just bigger than the tank  )

Take some photos of the present setup
And maybe start again from scratch tomorrow, moving the rocks forward etc

You could also try FO technique where he places the wood first, and then adjusts the rocks

So funny, I was going to say almost the same as Siege re pot vs in vitro choices on some of those plants


----------



## Kalum (16 Sep 2019)

Always happy for input @alto 

Yeh the amount of foreground bothers me as well and I've tried a few times to move it forward but I could do with a few more stones to make it work, but the main problem is the wood doesn't work then

But the stone wrapped round to the back will definitely be staying as I can view the tank from all 3 sides and want a better side view 

Both bolbitis I've never had before so I'll know for next time  had good success with crypt in vitro in the past and riccardia is great so much easier to work with


----------



## alto (16 Sep 2019)

Kalum said:


> But the stone wrapped round to the back will definitely be staying as I can view the tank from all 3 sides and want a better side view


I was only thinking a couple inches so you’ll still have the side view


----------



## Kalum (16 Sep 2019)

@alto ah ok got you, yeh that is an option I might see if it gives me a bit more freedom with the rock placement as well, will give it a try in the morning 

Was bugging me to see what it would look like with the biggest wood on the left as @Siege mentioned so had to have quick reset before sleeping on it....

I added the other bit of wood in as well (on the right and it would be sitting more upright if glued in, resting on the glass the now)


----------



## Siege (16 Sep 2019)

Have tryouts try swapping the 2 low down pieces of wood. Turning one over maybe.

I think that will enable you to bring the rock forward and have a piece sticking up above the carpet at the front rather than getting lost?


----------



## Siege (16 Sep 2019)

Ps.

Looking at the photos again, I think I prefer the wood sticking upwards how you had it originally. That was perfect. 
The central piece looks a little too central in the later version maybe.........?! 

Either way it’s Its really good. Hard to go wrong with hardscape that good, just drag it all forward. As alto eluded to, too far back is the most common mistake I see day to day.


----------



## Kalum (17 Sep 2019)

Another morning, another scape, stone has been moved forward about 5cm and I'm happy with it now, wood is still going to be moved about but it won't be far off what's shown, not sure if the piece to the left is one bit too much and too busy but I quite like it as well...

Heading out for a couple of hours so will see what I think when I get home and it's getting glued! Comments welcome to help me decide


----------



## alto (17 Sep 2019)

Just to drive you crazy ...

my favourite wood is the “Yesterday 12:02” post photo - I just prefer less upright wood
and feel like I want another piece curving over the rocks


Stone is photo appears fairly level in height across the tank - can you make this more jagged/less even


----------



## Kalum (17 Sep 2019)

@alto I totally agree with the upright statement and it's something I'll be trying to avoid when coming to glue, most of the wood is leaning as best as it can for a very rough layout to get an idea at the minute

I want as much of the wood at the back overhanging the stone as possible, haha unfortunately I've run out of 'creepy wood'


----------



## Kalum (17 Sep 2019)

Rock glued and gaps plugged


----------



## Kalum (17 Sep 2019)

Calling it a day, planting in the morning...


----------



## alto (17 Sep 2019)

Fantastic 

(and I see you read my mind and used 5 upright woods rather than the less aesthetic 6 )


----------



## Kalum (17 Sep 2019)

alto said:


> Fantastic
> 
> (and I see you read my mind and used 5 upright woods rather than the less aesthetic 6 )



Thanks buddy 

And yeh that extra piece just never looked right, turns out the pros know something with this odd number thing eh


----------



## alto (17 Sep 2019)

I might consider trimming that leftover piece so it can be used half obscured in the sand area ... not sure on this in contrast to the more refined twisty wood
(in the left side “space” - though there may be rather less room than appears in the photo)


----------



## Kalum (17 Sep 2019)

Yeh that left corner is only about 7cm x 5cm so not much room for anything, plus I want a bit of negative space with that wood flowing to the right and plan to have more small stone detail around that area


----------



## Kalum (18 Sep 2019)

Plant prep


----------



## 84Reasons (18 Sep 2019)

Kalum said:


> Plant prep
> 
> View attachment 127674


Sorry if this has been mentioned earlier but are you putting any substrate at the front? might look weird without ... just a thought


----------



## Kalum (18 Sep 2019)

Planted, now time to fill


----------



## Kalum (18 Sep 2019)

@84Reasons la plata sand will go in last after I've filled and drained to let any soil dust settle first (probably tomorrow once I've had the filter running for a bit)


----------



## alto (19 Sep 2019)

Nicely done 

Though I find more dust comes out of my La Plata sand than Tropica Soil
(Apple had subbed “worms” out of La Plata )

I was checking out Glass Aqua for updates and found this video


----------



## Kalum (19 Sep 2019)

@alto I've always rinsed la plata before putting it in so haven't had any dust issues with it

Since this is a rescape and fish need to go in quickly I've also had the amazonia soaking for about 3 weeks to stop excessive ammonia spikes and also rinse out all of the small floating pieces, still managed to get a light film of soil dust everywhere  but easily cleaned before sand goes in


----------



## Paul Lane (19 Sep 2019)

Really liking the scape, this wood has some great features, looking forward to seeing this mature


----------



## Jayefc1 (19 Sep 2019)

Looks really nice Kalum my rescape had the fish in that day with no soaked soil no issues at all cant wait to see the sand at the front are you adding more detail to it


----------



## Kalum (19 Sep 2019)

Thanks @Paul Lane 

Cheers @Jayefc1 yeh a mature filter should be able to deal with it but I'd rather just have that added piece of mind, a lot more stone detail to go in at sand level and some parva to plant as well


----------



## alto (20 Sep 2019)




----------



## Kalum (20 Sep 2019)

@alto what you worried about mate


----------



## alto (20 Sep 2019)

Just waiting on the continuing story photos ...


----------



## Kalum (21 Sep 2019)

Sand is in.....as well as 10x cpds and approx 100 RCS from my other tank, still need to add stone details and parva and will get an update sunday


----------



## Siege (21 Sep 2019)

Really really nice. Strong hardscape.

Minimal dust from la plata. Nothing the filter can’t handle. Super nice sand.

The Tropica bolbitis difformis are back in, would look nice on the wood, as would any Buce!


----------



## aquascape1987 (21 Sep 2019)

Very nice mate. Look forward to seeing this when it has grown in. Really love that wood


----------



## Kalum (22 Sep 2019)

Thanks @Siege, yeh la plata is my go to now and fits what I want perfectly. Cheers but I already have some which I've added (in vitro) so will see how it does, but I'm thinking of adding something else to the sides of the rotala so will see....

Cheers @aquascape1987 

Quick shot since the rest of the tank is still fizzy after a water change...


----------



## Kalum (22 Sep 2019)

Water change fizz

Added 12x Embers today (will be adding 9 more next week), they have settled in great and are not shy or jumpy in the slightest, the CPD's responded straight away by being more outgoing and confident and seem to have made friends already with a few of the more colourful males joining the group of embers for long spells and swimming together


----------



## Jayefc1 (22 Sep 2019)

Those rsc are lil beauties mate the scape looks amazing to bro


----------



## Kalum (23 Sep 2019)

Thanks @Jayefc1 

So my ruthless shrimp have decided they weren't going to give the poorly parva (left) a chance to recover after being left on a window sill and planted 4 days later than the same batch of parva on the right and have decimated it, another pot of parva it is then!


----------



## alto (23 Sep 2019)

Well it’s pretty obvious (to even the dullest shrimp in the crew) THAT parva was going to contaminate the entire tank with its loathsome DOCs 

For crypts in similar state, I just trim all the stems at soil level - if the rhizomes are healthy they’ll make a comeback (just parva can be rather laggardly about it) - your shrimp were just following the same guidelines


----------



## Kalum (24 Sep 2019)

Yeh exactly they are too efficient! They've obviously seen the good condition of every other plant and didn't want this poorly specimen littering their front garden, new pot ordered as well as a couple more crypts

Also going to get another 2-3 post of rotala from AG and going to try some tropica soil instead of amazonia in my other 45P tank


----------



## Kalum (27 Sep 2019)

Due a clean and water change but just wanted to share the latest simple purchase after seeing how handy it is on the green aqua videos

Work smarter not harder...


----------



## CooKieS (27 Sep 2019)

Haha I use the Ikea version:





Ikea sunnersta, very cheap (0,99€) and very practical.


----------



## Jayefc1 (27 Sep 2019)

Love the eihem tray wouldnt do without mine


----------



## Siege (27 Sep 2019)

Worth buying, I’ve seen them and thought they look smart in pictures?

I have a maintenance trolley coming for my birthday as the better half is fed up with me storing crap on the dining table. 

https://www.bigdug.co.uk/trucks-trolleys-c22/shelf-trolleys-c189/plastic-tray-trolleys-p17216

“No point in putting it away as I’ll use it next week” is growing rather stale as an excuse, so I’ve been told that’s what I’m getting!

I asked “where will I then put the trolley with stuff on? Didn’t get a full answer but the gist was “I don’t care, it won’t be on the table!”


----------



## Kalum (27 Sep 2019)

Haha love it @CooKieS 

I think it'll very quickly pay for itself £12 after a few trims of rotala and not dripping water everywhere like I normally do @Jayefc1 

You're not messing about are you @Siege  Best I've done is buying this and also go a magnetic kitchen knife holder on the side for tools...


----------



## Siege (27 Sep 2019)

Now the magnetic tool holder I do like. Dead posh!


----------



## Jayefc1 (27 Sep 2019)

Me too that is a good idea


----------



## Kalum (28 Sep 2019)

Eheim Skim 350 fitted with a slight mod, now shrimp/fry/nano fish safe


----------



## Jayefc1 (28 Sep 2019)

Have you just streched some tights over it and an elastic band around the base


----------



## Kalum (28 Sep 2019)

Yeh as simple as that @Jayefc1 but I used tiny cable ties instead of an elastic band


----------



## Jayefc1 (28 Sep 2019)

Cool mate looks good hows it working


----------



## Kalum (28 Sep 2019)

Works great and top still floats unlike when you insert foam etc.. noticed a slight film on the surface but this cleans it up perfectly, just toying with the idea of running it 24/7 or just when co2 is off...

Will have a search and see what the general consensus is


----------



## Kalum (29 Sep 2019)

pH profile sundays

Sitting at 8bps with skimmer running all day, nice lime green for lights on and and upped the vivid to 35% after it being on 30% the first week (it's only on 1% in this photo.....)


----------



## Kalum (1 Oct 2019)

Finally found and purchased the missing piece of my 75P tank jigsaw (breeders photo), updates soon!


----------



## alto (1 Oct 2019)

Stunning
Which variant?


----------



## Kalum (1 Oct 2019)

@alto 

apistogramma agassizii super red


----------



## CooKieS (2 Oct 2019)

Kalum said:


> Works great and top still floats unlike when you insert foam etc.. noticed a slight film on the surface but this cleans it up perfectly, just toying with the idea of running it 24/7 or just when co2 is off...
> 
> Will have a search and see what the general consensus is



Your tip doesn't work on mine unfortunately 

Had to go back to my old trick with mesh...that eheim skim needs an v2.0 with livestock protection !


----------



## Kalum (2 Oct 2019)

CooKieS said:


> Your tip doesn't work on mine unfortunately
> 
> Had to go back to my old trick with mesh...that eheim skim needs an v2.0 with livestock protection !



How come? I've found a small issue with it in that after a while (about 12-24 hours of running) it builds up an air bubble and then starts spitting out air from the outlet

Remedied this by having it on a timer to shut off for 15 min every couple of hours but I'm going to see if I can make another version with a hole in the middle so it can just be run 24/7


----------



## Kalum (2 Oct 2019)

Water change, trimming, a few stone details....and more planting done tonight, just finished so no progress pics till tomorrow as I'm calling it a night

Needed done before the new arrivals turn up...


----------



## CooKieS (2 Oct 2019)

Kalum said:


> How come? I've found a small issue with it in that after a while (about 12-24 hours of running) it builds up an air bubble and then starts spitting out air from the outlet
> 
> Remedied this by having it on a timer to shut off for 15 min every couple of hours but I'm going to see if I can make another version with a hole in the middle so it can just be run 24/7



I'm running it at full power and 24/7, got the same issue: spitting air bubbles After few hours running with the tights on it...

Found that this solution works best in my setup;






Cheers


----------



## Kalum (3 Oct 2019)




----------



## Jayefc1 (4 Oct 2019)

Oh the tank looks good already kalum cant wait to see the fish in there too mate


----------



## Janci (6 Oct 2019)

How did it go with the urgent living creatures?


----------



## Jayefc1 (6 Oct 2019)

Come on mate wanna see them in the tank please 
Cheers
Jay


----------



## Kalum (6 Oct 2019)

Apologies @Janci and @Jayefc1 I've not had much time for pictures as been working every hour under the sun this week

But the good news is both settled in great and also seem to get on great with all current inhabitants, they seem to have brought out the CPD's who follow the male around and I've found him bunking down with them behind the centre rock at nights, female had made the cave to the left her home


----------



## Kalum (6 Oct 2019)

And a quick tank shot 2 weeks in, it got its first trim of rotala on tuesday when I added 2 pots of rotala yao yai and some more crypts, larva also replanted and a couple of stone details to the left but more to come 

No w/c for 4 days now so that will be done and the sand cleaned tomorrow night, low water level as a precaution with the new arrivals


----------



## Janci (7 Oct 2019)

The apistogrammas looks stunning. Even when only freshly added to the tank.

How do you like the lamp so far?
Does is not heat up a lot? I have read a remark about this.


----------



## Kalum (7 Oct 2019)

Thanks @Janci, the female settled in straight away and coloured up but the male took a little while longer but now seems to be enjoying life and getting used to his new surroundings, both eating well

I'm running it on 35% at present and it's cold to the touch, have ran it at 70% for over an hour and was still cool, running it 100% it gets warm but I can't see me ever running it that high, its blindingly bright at full power


----------



## Kalum (8 Oct 2019)

3 week update


----------



## Kalum (9 Oct 2019)

Stone detailing


----------



## Kalum (9 Oct 2019)

@CooKieS my skimmer got worse with the air bubbles as it got dirty so have made a mk2 version....cheers for the idea


----------



## Dan OB (10 Oct 2019)

Looks like a good solution, I've also seen Green Aqua selling this: https://greenaqua.hu/en/green-aqua-skim-350-uszo-garnelavedelemmel.html?nosto=frontpage-nosto-5

Sent from my SM-N976B using Tapatalk


----------



## Tom Michael (10 Oct 2019)

Kalum said:


> @CooKieS my skimmer got worse with the air bubbles as it got dirty so have made a mk2 version....cheers for the idea
> 
> View attachment 128239


where do you get this mesh material from please?

Thanks


----------



## Kalum (10 Oct 2019)

Dan OB said:


> Looks like a good solution, I've also seen Green Aqua selling this: https://greenaqua.hu/en/green-aqua-skim-350-uszo-garnelavedelemmel.html?nosto=frontpage-nosto-5
> 
> Sent from my SM-N976B using Tapatalk



Haven't seen that before! nice 3D printed option



Tom Michael said:


> where do you get this mesh material from please?
> 
> Thanks



This is what I used: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/29084846...674e84828de&bu=43032836141&cp=1&sojTags=bu=bu


----------



## Kalum (10 Oct 2019)

MTS strikes again.....

Will see about another journal for this depending what I choose to do with it


----------



## Dan OB (10 Oct 2019)

Kalum said:


> MTS strikes again.....
> 
> Will see about another journal for this depending what I choose to do with it
> 
> View attachment 128267


I've just picked up the same tank £30 ex display with light! Just a heads up the S2Pro dimmer works with this light if you need to dim the light a little, if you were thinking of going low tech! 

Sent from my SM-N976B using Tapatalk


----------



## Kalum (10 Oct 2019)

Dan OB said:


> I've just picked up the same tank £30 ex display with light! Just a heads up the S2Pro dimmer works with this light if you need to dim the light a little, if you were thinking of going low tech!
> 
> Sent from my SM-N976B using Tapatalk



I've got the same dimmer waiting to try on it so that's good news @Dan OB ! Managed to pick mine up 2nd hand but brand new in box so couldn't resist, it's a nice wee tank and light combo, got an eheim liberty 75 HOB on order and it'll be co2 no matter how much light I use

What you planning for yours?


----------



## Dan OB (10 Oct 2019)

Kalum said:


> I've got the same dimmer waiting to try on it so that's good news @Dan OB ! Managed to pick mine up 2nd hand but brand new in box so couldn't resist, it's a nice wee tank and light combo, got an eheim liberty 75 HOB on order and it'll be co2 no matter how much light I use
> 
> What you planning for yours?


I'm thinking a cherry shrimp tank, but not 100% sure just yet! I might do co2 aswell. I will endeavour to put up a journal aswell. What kind of co2 set up are you thinking of using on this? 

Sent from my SM-N976B using Tapatalk


----------



## Kalum (10 Oct 2019)

@Dan OB this will be a shrimp only tank as well so sounds like we have a similar idea, I'll be using a co2art reg for sure and more than likely co2 welding bottle and neo diffuser (just looking through nano diffuser options at the minute)


----------



## Kalum (15 Oct 2019)

Apisto and otto scrutinizing my latest small purchases


----------



## SRP3006 (15 Oct 2019)

Kalum said:


> Apisto and otto scrutinizing my latest small purchases
> 
> View attachment 128380


Absolutely stunning Apisto, beautiful colouring. They have always interested me but I worry about my shrimp population


----------



## Kalum (15 Oct 2019)

SRP3006 said:


> Absolutely stunning Apisto, beautiful colouring. They have always interested me but I worry about my shrimp population



First week they didn't bother the shrimp, yesterday I caught 2 of them hunting and eating one of the biggest ones, I think my population of 100+ will slowly fall from now on...

But they are soo worth it


----------



## CooKieS (16 Oct 2019)

Kalum said:


> First week they didn't bother the shrimp, yesterday I caught 2 of them hunting and eating one of the biggest ones, I think my population of 100+ will slowly fall from now on...
> 
> But they are soo worth it



Not cool..


----------



## Kalum (16 Oct 2019)

Plenty of hiding places within the rotala at the back and anything in the top half of the tank is safe but the female loves guarding the left front sand area so anything within that area is risking being chased


----------



## Kalum (21 Oct 2019)

So the tank is just over 4 weeks in now and rotala was well overdue a big trim, some slight browning/greening of rocks (which I don't mind tbh) but apart from that all good on the algae front so far


----------



## Kalum (21 Oct 2019)

Should also note lighting is now up to 45% for the last few days and this is when I've started seeing a bit more rock colouring, determined to push past and up intensity a bit more for rotala colouring (dangerous game as always) so will be done slowly over the next few weeks


----------



## Shinobi (21 Oct 2019)

Kalum said:


> Should also note lighting is now up to 45% for the last few days and this is when I've started seeing a bit more rock colouring, determined to push past and up intensity a bit more for rotala colouring (dangerous game as always) so will be done slowly over the next few weeks



While tank is growing in and coloring up I don't see any reason  as to why not run light at 100%. Keep a lean dosing, no more than 8 hours of photoperiod and 2x 50% WC until week 8. Never failed me  you'll have fast  colorful growth in no time


----------



## Kalum (21 Oct 2019)

Thanks @Shinobi, while I'm enjoying the maintenance at present and it's not a chore I'm not sure I'd say the same with the growth at 100% 

But I have been keeping an eye on yours and others lean losing and once my arms are a bit better so to speak, I think I'll end up at least trying and seeing how I get on with it as well, all part of the learning curve

What is your own experience and opinion between ada and tropica fert dosing?


----------



## Shinobi (22 Oct 2019)

Kalum said:


> Thanks @Shinobi, while I'm enjoying the maintenance at present and it's not a chore I'm not sure I'd say the same with the growth at 100%
> 
> But I have been keeping an eye on yours and others lean losing and once my arms are a bit better so to speak, I think I'll end up at least trying and seeing how I get on with it as well, all part of the learning curve
> 
> What is your own experience and opinion between ada and tropica fert dosing?



Tropica is the easiest, cheapest and most convenient - all in one, I also find this better for mosses.

ADA is better for individual control and fert parameters, especially if you are going to try to limit No3 to improve on coloration of some red plants. Note that for ADA you'll need 2-3 different bottles of fertilizer.


----------



## Kalum (22 Oct 2019)

@Shinobi yeh had a look and tropica specialised is actually pretty reasonably priced in 5L bottles (depending on dosing dosing obv)


----------



## Dan OB (22 Oct 2019)

Kalum said:


> @Shinobi yeh had a look and tropica specialised is actually pretty reasonably priced in 5L bottles (depending on dosing dosing obv)


Have you ever considered Ei for dosing? I'm thinking it might be a good idea.

Sent from my SM-N976B using Tapatalk


----------



## Shinobi (22 Oct 2019)

Kalum said:


> @Shinobi yeh had a look and tropica specialised is actually pretty reasonably priced in 5L bottles (depending on dosing dosing obv)



2ml a day for a high planted high-tech 180L tank, you'll do the math


----------



## Shinobi (22 Oct 2019)

Dan OB said:


> Have you ever considered Ei for dosing? I'm thinking it might be a good idea.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N976B using Tapatalk



I seen more people fail than succeed with EI  the internet seems to like it though


----------



## Dan OB (22 Oct 2019)

Shinobi said:


> I seen more people fail than succeed with EI  the internet seems to like it though


Ok, I'll stick to Tropica then  

Sent from my SM-N976B using Tapatalk


----------



## Kalum (22 Oct 2019)

@Dan OB I'm EI dosing currently and it's working well but the other side of it (lean dosing) always intrigues me, some will say why bother if it's working but then I always just ask myself why don't companies just make an EI equivalent and use it as (yet another) marketing opportunity

Both clearly work as long as everything else is spot on but I do think EI gives a lot more wiggle room for errors, just a learning curve as always


----------



## CooKieS (22 Oct 2019)

For your tank, that is low plant pass, Ada or tropica seems the easiest way.

For something heavy lights and plants , I would suggest pps pro or the method or controlled imbalances for example.

I'm generally starting lean dosing when starting a New tank, just K and some micros for the first 2-3 months depending on plants mass and then going for an full regime with macros+micros.

Cheers


----------



## Kalum (22 Oct 2019)

Sometimes the fish need to come first rather than the plants...

DIY BBS hatchery and grow out tank


----------



## Kalum (22 Oct 2019)

Post trim


----------



## dw1305 (23 Oct 2019)

Hi all, 





Kalum said:


> Post trim


Your _agassizii_ have coloured up well. 

cheers Darrel


----------



## Kalum (23 Oct 2019)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all, Your _agassizii_ have coloured up well.
> 
> cheers Darrel



Yeh the male has settled in and coloured up nicely now, both feeding great (to the point i worry about them overeating tbh), it's made the tank dynamics so much more interesting and i'm enjoying learning about them


----------



## Kalum (23 Oct 2019)

Do you ever get the feeling someone is following you around....


----------



## Kalum (24 Oct 2019)

Mid week water change


----------



## CooKieS (24 Oct 2019)

I love stems!


----------



## Kalum (24 Oct 2019)

@CooKieS rotala is very quickly becoming one of my favourites, only a month in in this one but I'm actually really enjoying the maintenance on a tank for the first time and it's down to the difference in stems week to week (and having the experience now to have thought through all aspects of running and maintaining it lol)


----------



## JEK (24 Oct 2019)

I notice that your frogbit has nice and short roots. Do you trim or do anything to keep them short? Nice scape and fish btw!


----------



## Kalum (24 Oct 2019)

@JEK thank you and yeh I trim them every week (or they get tangled in the wood) while thinning out how much has grown so it doesn't take over, roots probably grow about 10-15cm a week easy in this tank


----------



## CooKieS (25 Oct 2019)

Kalum said:


> @CooKieS rotala is very quickly becoming one of my favourites, only a month in in this one but I'm actually really enjoying the maintenance on a tank for the first time and it's down to the difference in stems week to week (and having the experience now to have thought through all aspects of running and maintaining it lol)



Yes, it's an bit challenging as it requires pruning and shaping very often but the fast growth help against algae and the lovely bubbles on it plus the fact the leaves are 'closing' at the end of the day are awesome.

I'm actually trying 3 rotala SP. in my 60p; h'ra, rotundifolia and colorata. Will take some shots once it has matured.


----------



## Kalum (25 Oct 2019)

@CooKieS it's exactly that, the pearling and closing at end of photo period are good indicators to use to set it all up and along with being fast growing helps balance the tank

Nice i've got 3 sp. as well, rotundifolia, orange juice and yao yai. Will keep an eye out for your updates


----------



## Kalum (30 Oct 2019)

Got my monies worth out of the old one....




Just makes me want to have a shallow tank as well


----------



## Kalum (5 Nov 2019)

Got a follow from the main man himself Dave Chow on Instagram on my new page I set up for my tanks

He follows a lot of people it seems... but I'll still take it


----------



## Kalum (5 Nov 2019)

Even with the mesh my frogbit was crowding and covering my skimmer so another easy DIY solution was needed....


----------



## Matt @ ScapeEasy (10 Nov 2019)

Neat solution to be fair! I've always heard of airline tubing being used but never quite figured out a neat solution... a useful photo, thanks!


----------



## Kalum (10 Nov 2019)

Thanks @Matt @ ScapeEasy and no problem, I was the same but using suction cups with the detachable clips to leave just the ball makes for a nice easy solution thankfully, saves any glue


----------



## Kalum (11 Nov 2019)

Maintenance session incoming...



 

Sea of pearling rotala


----------



## Kalum (11 Nov 2019)

After a small diatom outbreak a couple of weeks ago and BBA appearing on the high flow areas I've cleaned the filter twice in 3 weeks, water changes every 3/4 days and dosing 15ml excel at water changes only (as well as spot dosing some areas of BBA) and it has made a huge difference and cleared most of it up nicely

Lights now up to 50% 

10 more embers and 4 amanos added 2 days ago


----------



## Jayefc1 (11 Nov 2019)

Wow mate there are some beautiful colours on the live stock the cpd's look very healthy
And that is some serious pearling i love watching tanks pearl there is something about producing oxygen that is satisfying
How are the apistogrammas with the cherry shrimps now 
Cheers 
Jay


----------



## Janci (12 Nov 2019)

Those apistogrammas looks great and bring a good contrast to the rest of the tank.
Curious to see how it looks after maintenance.


----------



## Kalum (12 Nov 2019)

Thanks @Jayefc1 they have all coloured up brilliantly and seem to be doing great

After the water change fizz disappears it's great to see proper pearling, give me an indication co2 is doing its job and I'm on the right track 

Apistos have calmed down a lot and settled really well with them and 90% of the time they'll swim right by them, they have their occasional moments of madness with anything that comes in the front left of the tank but mostly they are prettly chilled 

Thanks @Janci will be trimming today so will try and get pics later


----------



## Kalum (12 Nov 2019)

Embers and CPDs inspecting the newly cleaned glass work


----------



## Kalum (12 Nov 2019)

Post trim, all weeping moss removed from left side and top right branch, soon to be replaced by more riccardia top right (obsessed with this stuff) and more buce bottom left (wanting a fair bit so need to try some different suppliers or it'll get expensive)


----------



## Jayefc1 (12 Nov 2019)

Looking good bro really clean and a pleasure to look at keep.the updates coming please 
Cheers
Jay


----------



## Kalum (12 Nov 2019)

Much appreciated as always @Jayefc1 

Now I just need to get my 2 other tanks up to scratch....


----------



## Kalum (20 Nov 2019)

Sad news, came home to find the male apisto had passed, he had been hiding and not feeding the last few days so something wasn't quite right with him, he has been doing great up until now and all others including female apisto are doing great, no spikes in parameters or alterations in tank and no visible signs of disease so maybe just his time, RIP wee man


----------



## Paul27 (20 Nov 2019)

Kalum said:


> Sad news, came home to find the male apisto had passed, he had been hiding and not feeding the last few days so something wasn't quite right with him, he has been doing great up until now and all others including female apisto are doing great, no spikes in parameters or alterations in tank and no visible signs of disease so maybe just his time, RIP wee man
> 
> View attachment 129232



Shame as he was a nice looking fish


----------



## Janci (21 Nov 2019)

He was gorgeous.


----------



## Jayefc1 (21 Nov 2019)

Gutted for you mate hope the others are all ok 
Cheers
Jay


----------



## Kalum (21 Nov 2019)

Thanks @Paul27 @Janci @Jayefc1 

All other fish are doing great including the female apisto, I'll be keeping an eye on the female over the next couple of weeks to make it's nothing disease related and all being well then I'll look into getting another male to keep her company


----------



## Kalum (24 Nov 2019)

Sunday night viewing


----------



## Jayefc1 (24 Nov 2019)

Nice and relaxing mate its hard work keeping 3 tanks and there all a credit to you mate 

Cheers
Jay


----------



## Janci (25 Nov 2019)

With that view, you do not need a TV.
Beautiful


----------



## Kalum (25 Nov 2019)

Thanks as always @Jayefc1 @Janci

This tank is going well (touch manzanita wood...) but changes incoming for my other 2 tanks

Might introduce another stem plant to break up the rotala as well but not sure what yet...


----------



## oscar (25 Nov 2019)

Very nice...


----------



## cbaum86 (25 Nov 2019)

Nice view! You don't look like you're getting much light spill from the Vivid, mine feels like its lighting up the whole room. What % you running it at there?


----------



## Paul27 (25 Nov 2019)

Looks a really nice place to chill out in. Looks  likea fair bit of growth since you last posted a photo too.


----------



## Kalum (25 Nov 2019)

Thanks @oscar

Much appreciated @Paul27 and yeh the rotala grows 25-30cm every couple of weeks in this setup so getting used to bi-weekly big trims now

Cheers @cbaum86 but this is how I have it set up for night viewing on just 1% (yes one percent)

For perspective this is it on 100% at the same time of night and with no other lights on as per the 1st picture


----------



## cbaum86 (25 Nov 2019)

Kalum said:


> For perspective this is it on 100% at the same time of night and with no other lights on as per the 1st picture



That makes much more sense. I also have the same light and wondered how you avoided it looking like the sun was in the room.

Think I'm gonna look at getting some shades made for it like the ADA Solar RGB. I've seen Chihiros are showing off the Vivid 2.0 which has shades available. Shame they don't have any for this version.


----------



## Kalum (25 Nov 2019)

@cbaum86 are you able to adjust your photo period to suit when you're viewing the tank?

That's all I've done with this so the plants get the light they need but I don't need to wear welding goggles while sitting near the tank...

This is my lighting at the minute, so it ramps down from 50% to 5% by 7pm and then down to 1% by 7:30pm


----------



## cbaum86 (26 Nov 2019)

Kalum said:


> are you able to adjust your photo period to suit when you're viewing the tank?



That's actually quite a good idea. I never considered not tying in the viewing period with the photo period. Something I shall be trying this week. Thanks for the idea 

Also, have you tried the new control app "My Chihiros"? Whilst I do like the light I think the apps and bluetooth connection leave a little to be desired. Then again, I suppose it's not the end of the world, not like I'm on there changing it every 5mins.


----------



## Thumper (26 Nov 2019)

cbaum86 said:


> Also, have you tried the new control app "My Chihiros"?


I'm using it and there are various cumbersome parts - like the time selection, which never locks right.
But keep in mind, Chihiros is just a team of ~20-25 people, doing all the work from engineering to selling, to developing and accounting.


----------



## Kalum (26 Nov 2019)

cbaum86 said:


> That's actually quite a good idea. I never considered not tying in the viewing period with the photo period. Something I shall be trying this week. Thanks for the idea
> 
> Also, have you tried the new control app "My Chihiros"? Whilst I do like the light I think the apps and bluetooth connection leave a little to be desired. Then again, I suppose it's not the end of the world, not like I'm on there changing it every 5mins.



Yeh i've tried it and didn't like it so went back to the old which has always worked fine for me (if within 5m of the light). The new one is clunkier to use and set a standard lighting profile and it also dropped connection a lot more as well. 



Thumper said:


> I'm using it and there are various cumbersome parts - like the time selection, which never locks right.
> But keep in mind, Chihiros is just a team of ~20-25 people, doing all the work from engineering to selling, to developing and accounting.



It's exactly that, the lights are brilliant value for money and if an app is a slight bit buggy for the couple of times a month i change the lighting then so be it, i can live with that when saving this much money over other options when the colour rendition is better than most others as well


----------



## Kalum (28 Nov 2019)

Every month I like to do a big water change (70-80%) to reset everything, today is that day


 

And I think it's safe to say my rotala is growing well....


----------



## CooKieS (29 Nov 2019)

Nice, what rotala SP. Is it?


----------



## Kalum (29 Nov 2019)

CooKieS said:


> Nice, what rotala SP. Is it?



Yao yai, orange juice and rotundifolia, will be bringing my N dosing down after this batch of EI runs out and upping the light a bit more to bring out the colours a bit more 

Thinking of thinning out and removing some of the rotundifolia soon and trying another of the narrow leaf versions


----------



## alto (29 Nov 2019)

Kalum said:


> bring out the colours a bit more


most Rotala sp seem to take a while to develop oranges, red etc 


unless you’re Filipe Oliveira


----------



## Thumper (29 Nov 2019)

That Rotala looks yummy.


----------



## Shinobi (29 Nov 2019)

alto said:


> most Rotala sp seem to take a while to develop oranges, red etc
> 
> 
> unless you’re Filipe Oliveira



High light, low no3 makes all the difference. This is TC plants coloring up after two weeks, in the mentioned conditions


----------



## Kalum (29 Nov 2019)

alto said:


> most Rotala sp seem to take a while to develop oranges, red etc
> 
> 
> unless you’re Filipe Oliveira



Yeh I'm taking it slow and steady with colour chasing, would rather a stable and algae free tank over ramping up the light and ending up with issues 

I'm no where near @Geoffrey Rea standard with colour chasing and tank stability and miles off Filipe so I'll play to my own strengths


----------



## Kalum (29 Nov 2019)

Thanks @Thumper 

One day @Shinobi .....one day lol


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (29 Nov 2019)

Kalum said:


> I'm no where near @Geoffrey Rea standard with colour chasing and tank stability and miles off Filipe so I'll play to my own strengths



There is no distance mate, just got to be keen to give it a whirl. Go into the light....  

As @Shinobi said:



Shinobi said:


> High light, low no3 makes all the difference.



Personally not aiming for the reddening effects from restricted NO3, but as the Amazonia soil gets depleted and if there is a lack of further nitrate being added, this will be the outcome. That tank is about pushing your luck with PAR and seeing where, if any, the tipping point is with cooking your plants. 

Filipe on the other hand just doesn’t want the maintenance  Forced stalling of growth through nutrient restriction in the water column married with higher light to force adaptation in the plants to lessen growth; red growth due to less chlorophyll.

All the other plants will be green with envy (hardy hardy haaa... bad joke. Sorry  )


----------



## Kalum (29 Nov 2019)

@Geoffrey Rea Trust me I've 'given it a whirl' a couple of times in the past and cranked up the light and it's not ended well  I'll let you play the hare and I'm happy taking the role of the tortoise in this story 

Nah both yours and @Shinobi comments are appreciated and it's good to get the push to try it and I'll be tweaking things very shortly to try and learn more now I've got a fair understanding of it all and hopefully can pass the novice exam


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (29 Nov 2019)

Kalum said:


> I'll let you play the hare and I'm happy taking the role of the tortoise in this story



That is the point of the journal. If the whole tank goes down in flames I will report it. If people ask questions I answer honestly. Alternatively if it all goes well then we probably learn very little.


----------



## Kalum (30 Nov 2019)

Time for a trim tomorrow....


----------



## Kalum (1 Dec 2019)

3 types of rotala trimmed for replanting 

Rotundifolia | Yao Yai | Orange Juice


----------



## MJQMJQ (2 Dec 2019)

Nice!


----------



## Kalum (2 Dec 2019)

Day off so while I was about the house I'm doing a ph profile just to check co2 stability during lighting period and for no real reason other than curiosity I wanted to get a feel for how my 3 tanks vary with regards to GH/KH, while test kits are inaccurate I just wanted a ballpark of this is higher than that and the answers were pretty much as expected, all taken 1 day after a 50% WC on each tank

Tap:
3KH/3GH/37ppm TDS 

This tank (75p with seiryu and manzanita and EI):
6KH/9GH/180ppm TDS 

45p (manzanita and EI):
3KH/5GH/130ppm TDS 

Nano (larger seiryu to water volume ratio and substrate ferts only)
9KH/11GH/230ppm TDS


----------



## Shinobi (2 Dec 2019)

Kalum said:


> Tap:
> 3KH/3GH/37ppm TDS



That's some pretty dope tap, where do you live?

To further enhance your reds in rotalas,  you could also try replanting the cuttings to further develop existing coloration


----------



## Kalum (2 Dec 2019)

Shinobi said:


> That's some pretty dope tap, where do you live?
> 
> To further enhance your reds in rotalas,  you could also try replanting the cuttings to further develop existing coloration



Central Scotland, yeh I'm pretty spoiled having tap water like that available so no excuses for me! 

I'm replanting probably 50% of my cuttings after each trim, it's pretty dense now so will need to thin it out soon so I can keep on replanting, ferts will be adjusted in the coming weeks


----------



## alto (3 Dec 2019)

Kalum said:


> it's pretty dense now so will need to thin it out soon so I can keep on replanting,


You can just cut stems back to ground level (or somewhat lower) and replant the nice bright stems
(or pull up stem plants - I just have the siphon going at the same time)

Tank is looking amazing!


----------



## Kalum (3 Dec 2019)

Thanks @alto that's much appreciated mate 

Yeh i think i'll give it another few weeks and actually pull out a lot of the stems, trim and replant, I know one of the techniques a lot use is trimming down to ground level as you say but I want this to be a longer term tank so don't like the idea of the low cut stems struggling and being unhealthy in the shade of the taller ones and potentially upping the waste organics in the tank (longer term)

will use this as a good excuse to introduce another thin leafed rotala (not sure which yet) and remove some of the rotundifolia


----------



## MJQMJQ (3 Dec 2019)

Kalum said:


> Thanks @alto that's much appreciated mate
> 
> Yeh i think i'll give it another few weeks and actually pull out a lot of the stems, trim and replant, I know one of the techniques a lot use is trimming down to ground level as you say but I want this to be a longer term tank so don't like the idea of the low cut stems struggling and being unhealthy in the shade of the taller ones and potentially upping the waste organics in the tank (longer term)
> 
> will use this as a good excuse to introduce another thin leafed rotala (not sure which yet) and remove some of the rotundifolia


Nice tap water maybe i should move over.Mine has TDS 150-200 from the tap which is still ok.Brighter light will also turn them redder but be careful about algae.


----------



## Kalum (4 Dec 2019)

MJQMJQ said:


> Nice tap water maybe i should move over.Mine has TDS 150-200 from the tap which is still ok.Brighter light will also turn them redder but be careful about algae.



Yeh that's still pretty good @MJQMJQ, only reason you'd ever need RO is for very fussy fish and shrimp, everything else that's perfectly fine 

Don't worry I've learned from previous mistakes with this tank and any changes will be done in steps and monitored for how it affects things


----------



## Jayefc1 (4 Dec 2019)

Gotta love the ehiem box just perfect for those lil moments of pleasure


----------



## Kalum (4 Dec 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Gotta love the ehiem box just perfect for those lil moments of pleasure



not sure i get quite the same amount of pleasure from it as you by the sounds of it mate.....


----------



## Jayefc1 (4 Dec 2019)

Haha the pleasure comes from how simple it makes things not the actual box lol


----------



## Kalum (4 Dec 2019)

only messing @Jayefc1 it certainly is the simple things like this, good tools and the python water changer that have made me enjoy the hobby so much more due it taking out a lot of the hassle and mess that usually comes with maintaining a tank


----------



## MJQMJQ (5 Dec 2019)

Kalum said:


> Yeh that's still pretty good @MJQMJQ, only reason you'd ever need RO is for very fussy fish and shrimp, everything else that's perfectly fine
> 
> Don't worry I've learned from previous mistakes with this tank and any changes will be done in steps and monitored for how it affects things


Yep have to remineralise too 


Kalum said:


> only messing @Jayefc1 it certainly is the simple things like this, good tools and the python water changer that have made me enjoy the hobby so much more due it taking out a lot of the hassle and mess that usually comes with maintaining a tank


What tools?


----------



## Kalum (5 Dec 2019)

MJQMJQ said:


> What tools?



I'm using tropica wave scissors, mini spring scissors and tweezers


----------



## MJQMJQ (5 Dec 2019)

Kalum said:


> I'm using tropica wave scissors, mini spring scissors and tweezers



Fancy Im using small barber scissors cos I ran out of budget and long 30cm tweezers as well as a normal green net heh.


----------



## Kalum (11 Dec 2019)

Delivery of a male apisto to replace my other that sadly passed a couple of weeks ago



 

The female already showing him who's boss


----------



## Kalum (12 Dec 2019)

Even Jamie Foxx on the TV is trying to get a sneak peak at what I'm making....


----------



## Jayefc1 (13 Dec 2019)

What mix you going to use mate


----------



## Kalum (13 Dec 2019)

This is what the mix will give per week


----------



## Kalum (16 Dec 2019)

Another visit to the LFS for a few more ottos and amanos


----------



## Kalum (16 Dec 2019)

Epiphytes and front manzanita wood removed....looking bare!

Been wanting to remove, deep clean and reposition everything for a few weeks so now is the time....


----------



## Kalum (16 Dec 2019)

Some good growth on even the slow growing epiphytes


----------



## Kalum (17 Dec 2019)

The new kid on the block starting to colour up and settle in nicely


----------



## Kalum (31 Dec 2019)

Rotala refresh (this is 14 weeks growth), removed all rotundifolia, replanted orange juice and yao yai and introduced some new h'ra


----------



## Ryan Thang To (31 Dec 2019)

Hi
Lovely set up mate. Plants looking super healthy. You just need to save up for a Ada rgb 

Cheers
Ryan


----------



## Keetchy (31 Dec 2019)

Inspirational bud. I'm looking at setting up an island design this weekend after paying AG a visit to get some goodies and ideas. I will take some of your tank into the planning stage 

So in your last full tank shot, is that how its staying? Or do you still need to add the pieces of wood that were removed and have a re-design?


----------



## Kalum (1 Jan 2020)

Cheers @Ryan Thang To and good to see you're back posting and updating your journals buddy  happy with how it's going and enjoying the journey

Very kind of you @Mark Keetch and you're more than welcome to take the good and learn from the bad of whatever I do  

All wood has been put back in and I'll get another FTS once I've sorted out the foreground planting and maintenance now I've completed the rear stem overhaul


----------



## CooKieS (1 Jan 2020)

Ryan Thang To said:


> Hi
> Lovely set up mate. Plants looking super healthy. You just need to save up for a Ada rgb
> 
> Cheers
> Ryan



Not worth it, better buy 2x chihiros vivid 2


----------



## Kalum (1 Jan 2020)

Forgot to comment about the ADA comment but @CooKieS pretty much sums it up 

I'll be ordering a vivid 2 to replace my vivid 1 in the coming months


----------



## Keetchy (1 Jan 2020)

Kalum said:


> Very kind of you @Mark Keetch and you're more than welcome to take the good and learn from the bad of whatever I do
> 
> All wood has been put back in and I'll get another FTS once I've sorted out the foreground planting and maintenance now I've completed the rear stem overhaul


 Haha. I gain at your expense  Look forward to seeing the pics bud.

I'll be starting my journal again as the first 2 pages are of my old setup which is nothing like what the tank is going to look like after this weekend


----------



## Ryan Thang To (1 Jan 2020)

CooKieS said:


> Not worth it, better buy 2x chihiros vivid 2


Hi
Depends on the colour to be honest. Ada rgb is still one of the best i seen also the results  remarkable. I've not seen what the chihiros can do yet so i can't compare. 

Here a little example. From kessil to ada 5 days since the swap over


----------



## Kalum (1 Jan 2020)

The new ADA Solar RGB is without doubt king, their new RGB I'm sure is great but the design just isn't the sleek and minimal ADA standard we are used to (and I personally like), I've moved to pendant lights for any big tanks now as the benefits for maintenance is massive so the vivid does a great job at punching above its weight and I rate it over my previous twinstar


----------



## Ryan Thang To (1 Jan 2020)

Kalum said:


> The new ADA Solar RGB is without doubt king, their new RGB I'm sure is great but the design just isn't the sleek and minimal ADA standard we are used to (and I personally like), I've moved to pendant lights for any big tanks now as the benefits for maintenance is massive so the vivid does a great job at punching above its weight and I rate it over my previous twinstar


Oh yes pendant is better overall. I wanted to use my ada rgb on my 60p but it look way to silly. I will be upgrading to the new aquasky rgb once it available in the uk. 

When is the new vivid 2 available buddy? I need to see what it look like first


----------



## CooKieS (1 Jan 2020)

Ryan Thang To said:


> Hi
> Depends on the colour to be honest. Ada rgb is still one of the best i seen also the results  remarkable. I've not seen what the chihiros can do yet so i can't compare.
> 
> Here a little example. From kessil to ada 5 days since the swap over



Well, in my expérience, every led Can grow plants, I even had better results with white led (Ada aquasky, chihiros a series) than with rgb.

The oversaturated colours of the Ada Solar rgb aren't my cup of tea and well, for that hefty pricetag I Can get an full 90cm setup with cheaper brands and grow plants too.


----------



## CooKieS (1 Jan 2020)

Ryan Thang To said:


> Oh yes pendant is better overall. I wanted to use my ada rgb on my 60p but it look way to silly. I will be upgrading to the new aquasky rgb once it available in the uk.
> 
> When is the new vivid 2 available buddy? I need to see what it look like first



It's already available on aliexpress for example, for about 300bucks


----------



## Kalum (4 Jan 2020)

New rotala layout - h'ra directly behind the rock, orange juice back middle, yao yai at either side


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (4 Jan 2020)

Kalum said:


> New rotala layout - h'ra directly behind the rock, orange juice back middle, yao yai at either side



Love it!


----------



## Kalum (4 Jan 2020)

Cheers @Geoffrey Rea the h'ra and hottonia are settling in nicely and looking forward to getting some new growth from them, I just need to try and tease out these reds now....

Under 5ppm of NO3 and light up to 75% (for 4 hours then very low for 3 hours for viewing time) so fingers crossed


----------



## Kalum (5 Jan 2020)

Maxed out on planting space now, just to let this mature and grow out


----------



## MrStoffel (6 Jan 2020)

Looking great! Love the new rotala's. 
They'll look very pretty once coloured up.


----------



## Keetchy (6 Jan 2020)

Wow dude looks amazing. Cant wait to see how it grows out.

What are those red fish you have to the left? Look awesome in a shoal


----------



## Kalum (6 Jan 2020)

Thanks @MrStoffel I'm liking the look of the thinner leaves of the h'ra and yao yai against the thicker orange juice, didn't realise OJ was a much faster grower than the rest when first planting so it's much better planted at the back instead of directly behind the rocks as well now

Cheers @Mark Keetch the fish are ember tetras


----------



## MrStoffel (7 Jan 2020)

@Kalum Yeah i get that. I have a similar problem in my tank where i planted some R. rotundifolia in front of R. Walichii. Not realising that the rotundifolia is a much faster grower.  Lets see if i can keep up with trimming. Otherwise i will have to do a replant as well.


----------



## Kalum (14 Jan 2020)

Tank is featured in one of tropicas community features on instagram 

Get voting if on there  no.8


----------



## Deano3 (14 Jan 2020)

I am not on there or would have but tank looks great in that picture 

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


----------



## Kalum (14 Jan 2020)

Cheers @Deano3 

Even a wee vote from jurijs


----------



## Box of Demons (15 Jan 2020)

Do we need a surface skimmer? I am setting up  new tank (roma 240) and buying all the kit not got a surface skimmer yet


----------



## Kalum (15 Jan 2020)

Box of Demons said:


> Do we need a surface skimmer? I am setting up  new tank (roma 240) and buying all the kit not got a surface skimmer yet



You don't need one but i find it helps massively as i tend to get a biofilm without (due to having a downwards style lily pipe)


----------



## Paul27 (15 Jan 2020)

Good luck, hope you win!


----------



## Kalum (15 Jan 2020)

Thanks @Paul27 

I've managed to get quite a few votes so happy with just that tbh, some of the guys and girls in it have 7000+ followers and are pro scapers that do it for a living so I'm sure they'll win overall  it's just nice to be featured tbh


----------



## Paul27 (15 Jan 2020)

Kalum said:


> Thanks @Paul27
> 
> I've managed to get quite a few votes so happy with just that tbh, some of the guys and girls in it have 7000+ followers and are pro scapers that do it for a living so I'm sure they'll win overall  it's just nice to be featured tbh



You've made it into the top ten which is an achievement in itself. Regardless who wins your tank looks great!


----------



## Kalum (19 Jan 2020)

No rest for the wicked when rotala is involved, another big trim and replant


----------



## Kalum (19 Jan 2020)

Removed the floating plants now the tank is maturing


----------



## Keetchy (19 Jan 2020)

How long did you have the floating plants in for bud? I got some in mine but I'm not a fan of them so wondering when I can take them out


----------



## Kalum (19 Jan 2020)

For about 4 months @Mark Keetch

Theres no rule and you don't even need to use them at all if you don't want to, but you need to make sure you have the mature plant mass to be able to cope without, I've kept them in a holding tank just in case I tip the balance of the tank by removing or if the fish start jumping since they are used to them

I love the clean look without but I did grow to like them, especially as they help the balance of a tank no end


----------



## Keetchy (19 Jan 2020)

Kalum said:


> For about 4 months @Mark Keetch
> 
> Theres no rule and you don't even need to use them at all if you don't want to, but you need to make sure you have the mature plant mass to be able to cope without, I've kept them in a holding tank just in case I tip the balance of the tank by removing or if the fish start jumping since they are used to them
> 
> I live the clean look without but o did grow to like them, especially as they help the balance of a tank no end



Ah right ok. Tank has only been running not even a week now so I got a long way to go before it's all settled in. Lol.
Your floaters are much bigger than the ones I got in mine so I might need to get some more or bigger ones.

Your tank looks the nuts by the way. Well done for the Tropica feature. Well deserved


----------



## Kalum (19 Jan 2020)

Thanks @Mark Keetch that's much appreciated bud 

Just had a quick look at your journal and probably not what you want to hear but I'd definitely get a load of floaters in and will help you deal with algae the first couple of months, if you have a lot of fast growing stems then they will help as well


----------



## Keetchy (19 Jan 2020)

Kalum said:


> Thanks @Mark Keetch that's much appreciated bud
> 
> Just had a quick look at your journal and probably not what you want to hear but I'd definitely get a load of floaters in and will help you deal with algae the first couple of months, if you have a lot of fast growing stems then they will help as well



Thanks for the advice bud. I do have some floating plants but not many. I should probably get a few more. Fast growers in the tank are Heteranthera Zosterifolia, Hygrophila Compact and 4 or 5 stems of orange juice.


----------



## CooKieS (20 Jan 2020)

Kalum said:


> Thanks @Paul27
> 
> I've managed to get quite a few votes so happy with just that tbh, some of the guys and girls in it have 7000+ followers and are pro scapers that do it for a living so I'm sure they'll win overall  it's just nice to be featured tbh



Hi mate,
Ho do you see the votes?
I'm a big noob on Insta


----------



## CooKieS (20 Jan 2020)

Kalum said:


> No rest for the wicked when rotala is involved, another big trim and replant
> 
> View attachment 130845



Chihiros vivid power! Love this light unit. Nice compact rotala growth


----------



## Kalum (20 Jan 2020)

CooKieS said:


> Hi mate,
> Ho do you see the votes?
> I'm a big noob on Insta



You need to just look through the comments mate and total them yourself, no automatic counter unfortunately


----------



## Kalum (20 Jan 2020)

Mark Keetch said:


> Thanks for the advice bud. I do have some floating plants but not many. I should probably get a few more. Fast growers in the tank are Heteranthera Zosterifolia, Hygrophila Compact and 4 or 5 stems of orange juice.



What I learnt very quickly on here when I first started is that my perception of 'heavily planted' was way off the mark  

For instance I had about 7 pots worth in my first tank and thought it was packed, in this scape I started with about 12 pots of rotala alone and now probably have an equivalent of at least 30+ pots even after thinning it out (due to replanting)


----------



## Keetchy (20 Jan 2020)

Kalum said:


> What I learnt very quickly on here when I first started is that my perception of 'heavily planted' was way off the mark
> 
> For instance I had about 7 pots worth in my first tank and thought it was packed, in this scape I started with about 12 pots of rotala alone and now probably have an equivalent of at least 30+ pots even after thinning it out (due to replanting)



Haha yeah I'm probably in the same boat as you. This site has definitely been an eye opener for us


----------



## CooKieS (20 Jan 2020)

Kalum said:


> You need to just look through the comments mate and total them yourself, no automatic counter unfortunately



I hope you win then 

Too Lazy to Count anyway but number 8 seems high in the comments


----------



## Kalum (23 Jan 2020)

Waving goodbye to phone photos


----------



## Jayefc1 (23 Jan 2020)

Need a nice new front shot then 

J


----------



## Kalum (23 Jan 2020)

@Jayefc1 I need to get a lens first....


----------



## Shinobi (23 Jan 2020)

Kalum said:


> Waving goodbye to phone photos
> 
> View attachment 130914



Nice one, looking forward to see what you do with it.

I'm personally waiting for the IV to come out (hopefully here in February).


----------



## Kalum (23 Jan 2020)

Shinobi said:


> Nice one, looking forward to see what you do with it.
> 
> I'm personally waiting for the IV to come out (hopefully here in February).



Yeh I'd love to wait on the mk4 as well but it will be out of my price range when first out and got this for an offer I couldn't refuse. Loving the size and feel of it compared to my old Canon DSLRs I had a few years ago

Trying to wade through the world of lenses at the minute, think my first purchase will be a fairly cheap walk about lens like the samyang 24mm f2.8 and it might double up as a good lens for shooting the tanks as well, any tips on lenses are more than welcome


----------



## Kalum (4 Feb 2020)

Tank bouncer


----------



## Kalum (4 Feb 2020)

Made a last minute decision to make my first ever EAPLC entry last week with this tank. Scape is far from 'ready' and needs a couple more months to mature and it may not be a traditional 'nature' scape but it will be a good learning curve for me 

Not expecting it to do well at all as it's not a patch on the vast majority of natural scapes entered in this but it's just a bit of fun and was a good excuse to use my new camera


----------



## Keetchy (5 Feb 2020)

Looking bang on bud  If that's not fully grown out yet, cant wait to see when it is. And stunning appistagramma too

That device stuck on the left panel of the tank, is that your diffuser?


----------



## Tankless (5 Feb 2020)

It looks very good. What size were the manzanita pieces that you used within the scape?


----------



## Tim Harrison (5 Feb 2020)

It's looking great, good luck in the EAPLC


----------



## Kalum (5 Feb 2020)

Mark Keetch said:


> Looking bang on bud  If that's not fully grown out yet, cant wait to see when it is. And stunning appistagramma too
> 
> That device stuck on the left panel of the tank, is that your diffuser?



Thanks for the kind words mate, the white ugly thing is a chihiros doctor 



Tankless said:


> It looks very good. What size were the manzanita pieces that you used within the scape?



Thanks @Tankless, manzanita was various pieces between 20cm and 60cm long



Tim Harrison said:


> It's looking great, good luck in the EAPLC



Cheers Tim much appreciated, think I'll need it but looking forward to seeing how it all works and see if I get the bug for future entries or not


----------



## Onoma1 (5 Feb 2020)

It looks amazing! Good luck.


----------



## CooKieS (5 Feb 2020)

Glad to see that the rotala are starting to colour up 

Good luck for eaplc!


----------



## Kalum (5 Feb 2020)

Thanks @Onoma1 

Much appreciated @CooKieS and it was a bit more orange/red last week on the run up to the 'final shot' when it was at 80% on the vivid but it also started bringing on GSA on the glass so it's back down to 60% while I try to understand why (and lost a bit of colour on new growth in turn)


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (6 Feb 2020)

Kalum said:


> Made a last minute decision to make my first ever EAPLC entry last week



Nice one @Kalum 

Have at it mate and wishing you the best of luck in the EAPLC


----------



## Kalum (6 Feb 2020)

Geoffrey Rea said:


> Nice one @Kalum
> 
> Have at it mate and wishing you the best of luck in the EAPLC



Cheers buddy much appreciated


----------



## Keetchy (6 Feb 2020)

Kalum said:


> Thanks for the kind words mate, the white ugly thing is a chihiros doctor


So do you have that running 24/7 and just turn it off for pics?


----------



## Kalum (6 Feb 2020)

@Mark Keetch it's on 24/7 but it doesn't operate all the time, how often it turns on is covered by itself depending on the tank volume and TDS (so maybe every 20min or so)


----------



## Keetchy (6 Feb 2020)

Kalum said:


> @Mark Keetch it's on 24/7 but it doesn't operate all the time, how often it turns on is covered by itself depending on the tank volume and TDS (so maybe every 20min or so)


Ah gotcha. I might look into one if I ever get algae issues I cant control. But so far so good in relations to algae


----------



## Kalum (6 Feb 2020)

Mark Keetch said:


> Ah gotcha. I might look into one if I ever get algae issues I cant control. But so far so good in relations to algae



I don't use it for algae, I use it to add oxygen since I run co2 with minimal surface agitation


----------



## Kalum (7 Feb 2020)

Finished 2nd against some very talented scapers, very happy with that


----------



## Keetchy (7 Feb 2020)

Kalum said:


> Finished 2nd against some very talented scapers, very happy with that
> 
> View attachment 131326


Ah that's brilliant dude. Congrats. You should be happy with that seeing you were just entering it for a bit of fun


----------



## Kalum (7 Feb 2020)

Mark Keetch said:


> Ah that's brilliant dude. Congrats. You should be happy with that seeing you were just entering it for a bit of fun



Cheers buddy but this was just an Instagram thing ages ago, I could only dream of even breaking the top 100 in EAPLC


----------



## Keetchy (7 Feb 2020)

Kalum said:


> Cheers buddy but this was just an Instagram thing ages ago, I could only dream of even breaking the top 100 in EAPLC


Huh? So you got 2nd in the Tropica competition? Not the EAPLC? Sorry bud, I never heard of the EAPLC let alone know what kind of talent goes into it


----------



## CooKieS (7 Feb 2020)

Kalum said:


> Finished 2nd against some very talented scapers, very happy with that
> 
> View attachment 131326



I was wondering if my tank was still ranked as I've closed my account?


----------



## Kalum (8 Feb 2020)

Mark Keetch said:


> Huh? So you got 2nd in the Tropica competition? Not the EAPLC? Sorry bud, I never heard of the EAPLC let alone know what kind of talent goes into it



Yeh mate, the one above was just one of the Tropica community features where they pick 10 scapes that fit one of their themes for that month and let the public vote on them

EAPLC is a formal competition with a judging panel and set rules and criteria and affiliated to ADA 



CooKieS said:


> I was wondering if my tank was still ranked as I've closed my account?



Yeh mate you got 3rd  Fabian Beck (Scapeling) who is sponsored and has 8000+ followers won it


----------



## Keetchy (8 Feb 2020)

Kalum said:


> Yeh mate, the one above was just one of the Tropica community features where they pick 10 scapes that fit one of their themes for that month and let the public vote on them
> 
> EAPLC is a formal competition with a judging panel and set rules and criteria and affiliated to ADA


 Gotcha. Well still, fair play bud. Definitely something worth bragging about


----------



## CooKieS (8 Feb 2020)

Kalum said:


> Yeh mate, the one above was just one of the Tropica community features where they pick 10 scapes that fit one of their themes for that month and let the public vote on them
> 
> EAPLC is a formal competition with a judging panel and set rules and criteria and affiliated to ADA
> 
> ...




Good to hear that even on something as full of advertising and sponsors like Instagram , some random aquascapers can rank high. All is not lost. Congrats buddy


----------



## Kalum (8 Feb 2020)

Exactly my thinking @CooKieS 

Nice gesture from the guy that won it below (who is sponsored by Tropica along with a few of the other entries) and has offered to pass the prize to me since he already gets looked after by Tropica anyway


----------



## Deano3 (8 Feb 2020)

I would be chuffed, well done mate well desereved and well done cookies 

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


----------



## Kalum (8 Feb 2020)

Cheers @Deano3 fibgers crossed we might see more of the UKAPS members popping up in some of these competitions etc, even if just for a bit of fun


----------



## Keetchy (8 Feb 2020)

Kalum said:


> Cheers @Deano3 fibgers crossed we might see more of the UKAPS members popping up in some of these competitions etc, even if just for a bit of fun


I'd definitely like to give it a shot once the tank is more mature. But I wouldn't know where to go to enter it


----------



## Matt @ ScapeEasy (9 Feb 2020)

They are run on Tropicas page on Instagram. I placed first once myself... unfortunately not for my own work but for advertising theirs  screenshot below.

I have also been successful in the gallery competition Maidenhead Aquatics runs which whilst less aquascape focussed. It’s invariably an aquascape that wins (obviously they look the best!!). https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/gallery/


----------



## Kalum (11 Feb 2020)




----------



## Kalum (4 Jan 2021)

It's been a while.... 

As with most, I'm sure the past year has seen a lot of things in our lives prioritised over others (personally for some really good things and some not so). 

Hope everyone is doing OK within their own circumstances and managing to keep a smile on their face in some way

From the high of making my first entry into EAPLC earlier last year with this tank to the low of it being neglected during the first lockdown as I didn't have the time to spend on the upkeep of a higher energy tank and it took its toll, my 2 smaller tanks faired better as they were low energy but they have both now been shut down so I can focus on getting thie 75p back to something I can enjoy again... 

So it's a new year and a new scape for the 75p


----------



## Kalum (5 Jan 2021)

might as well end this journal by sharing a few of the images that i failed to last year....

here is my EAPLC 2020 competition entry image


----------



## Kalum (5 Jan 2021)

forgot to mention the above scape placed 85th in EAPLC last year, if i'm honest i was just happy to pull something 'reasonable' together and get an entry in at all, big learning curve even down to the photography side of it


----------



## Kalum (13 Mar 2021)

Thanks for the share on the UKAPS Instagram page @LondonDragon 

Not been on in a few weeks so only just noticed

My account on there is ka_aquascaper


----------

