# 22 gal Mr.Aqua



## Rob Dahl (29 Feb 2016)

Start of new thread. Actually started on Oct. 23, 2015
http://glassboxgardeners.com/threads/planted-22-gal-long-mr-aqua.343/page-11


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## Rob Dahl (1 Mar 2016)

Here's my tank


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## alto (1 Mar 2016)

Great update 

I'd been wondering how your tanks (& you) were doing  

I read through your Glass Box Gardens thread start to finish but couldn't open any photos so hoping you'll post more of them on this thread as well ... perhaps just choose 10 -12 that show tank's progression (plus a few from the Big Change Day of 3 tanks into 1 - I always like these  )


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## Rob Dahl (1 Mar 2016)

Hi alto, Good to hear from you. Here are a few pics and a video




Newly filled and planted tank



20 gal. sump



water cleared


 
friend helping me


 
holding boxes


 
cleared, but small bubbles

Short video


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## Nelson (1 Mar 2016)

Excellent .
Looks so much bigger than it is .


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## Rob Dahl (1 Mar 2016)

Thank you alto and Nelson


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## Rob Dahl (2 Mar 2016)

...and thanks to all of you who viewed and commented.


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## Rob Dahl (2 Mar 2016)

Began to have a blue green algae problem, so gave it a dose  of excel and this is the last day of a four day lights out. If this doesn't work I will carefully dose with peroxide and maybe lights out again.


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## Rob Dahl (3 Mar 2016)

The treatment seems to have worked. Now will get some green fire tetras tomorrow or the next day.


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## tim (3 Mar 2016)

Really nice layout Rob, look forward to more updates.


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## Rob Dahl (6 Mar 2016)

cancelled


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## Rob Dahl (7 Mar 2016)

Here's one of my new green fire tetras. More color will develop as they age.


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## Rob Dahl (7 Mar 2016)

Thanks everyone for your likes to my posts. I appreciate your reading them.


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## Greenfinger2 (7 Mar 2016)

Hi Rob, Looking good love the new fish


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## Rob Dahl (13 Mar 2016)

Had a small resurgence of BGA and treated with H2O2 this time. My fissidens and java moss is not looking good. I think I might have over fertilized. Will cut back. Have been using iron, potassium, and nitrogen, almost one cap per 40 gallon.


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## Rob Dahl (14 Mar 2016)

Here's some pictures of the damage:


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## Greenfinger2 (14 Mar 2016)

Hi Rob, Sorry to hear that mate H202 is strong stuff. Carbo or excel work well on BGA and will not cause as much damage to the plants.
Trim back the dead moss and replant from the living it will soon grow back you may need more flow in that area.


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## Rob Dahl (14 Mar 2016)

Roy, I turned off the pump when I added 1ml. of 3% H2O2 distributed along the edge of the substrate where the BGA was. Noticed bubbles rising from the treatment area and left pump off for a few hours. I believe the damage to the mosses and fern started to occur before this as you might see from my earlier pictures. The only thing I changed was more ferts, which I am now dispensing only iron every other day. Will be much more sparing after this and will do trim when my wife can help me. Alas, it was looking so nice. Oh well...


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## dw1305 (15 Mar 2016)

Hi all,





Rob Dahl said:


> Had a small resurgence of BGA and treated with H2O2 this time. My fissidens and java moss is not looking good.





Greenfinger2 said:


> Sorry to hear that mate H202 is strong stuff. Carbo or excel work well on BGA and will not cause as much damage to the plants. Trim back the dead moss and replant from the living it will soon grow back


Definitely the H2O2. Mosses don't have a protective epidermis, so they are very prone to damage by strong oxidising agents like hydrogen peroxide.

My suggestion for BGA would be to syphon it out, and then possibly give your filter media and hoses a clean. 

cheers Darrel


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## Rob Dahl (15 Mar 2016)

dw1305 said:


> Definitely the H2O2. Mosses don't have a protective epidermis, so they are very prone to damage by strong oxidising agents like hydrogen peroxide.
> 
> My suggestion for BGA would be to syphon it out, and then possibly give your filter media and hoses a clean.


Thank you Darrel, I shall keep that in mind and keep the H2O2 in the closet!


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## Rob Dahl (15 Mar 2016)

Here's a picture of the moss 23 days ago. You can see that the _fissidens_ has already begun its decline. The only fert I was adding was iron.


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## Rob Dahl (19 Mar 2016)

This weekend I'm going to scrape the sides and trim dead plant material, vacuum the substrate, and treat with Excel. With a 19-38 li. R/O water change hoping it will help. Will also dim and shorten light period.


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## Rob Dahl (21 Mar 2016)

This weekend I scraped the sides and trimmed dead plant material, vacuumed the substrate, and treated with Excel. With a 20 li. R/O water change hoping it will help. Also dimmed and shortened light period. Here's the result:


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## Rob Dahl (21 Mar 2016)

Thank you Nelson, Roy, Dantrasy, and Gil


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## Rob Dahl (21 Mar 2016)

Rob Dahl said:


> Here's a picture of the moss 23 days ago. You can see that the _fissidens_ has already begun its decline. The only fert I was adding was iron.


Thank you Dantracy


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## Rob Dahl (24 Mar 2016)

_Fissidens_ recovering after stopping over fertilizing and H2O2 treatment on Sunday. Now have been treating with 3x Excel for 4 days.


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## Rob Dahl (26 Mar 2016)

Well the bleached ember tetra kicked the bucket. Still have five of the original six and they all look healthy. The bleaching was what caught my attention. I'll keep a weather eye out


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## Rob Dahl (27 May 2016)

After spending many hours and lots of bad words attempting to tie small plants on with thread and trembling fingers, I have finally purchased some cyanoacrylic adhesive which is still difficult with shaky hands so I enlisted my wife's help and now a formerly bald root has _anubias_ and_ fissidens_growing on it. (hope the anubias roots will eventually hide the white glue. Wish they'd make it in a dark color. Wonder if you could add color when you squeeze it out?


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## Rob Dahl (28 May 2016)

Here's what my tank looks like now:



and a little larger:


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## Rob Dahl (6 Aug 2016)

Short video of my new rummynose tetras and their tank mates:
http://glassboxgardeners.com/threads/planted-22-gal-long-mr-aqua.343/page-28


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## Rob Dahl (8 Aug 2016)

Thank you Alto


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## Rob Dahl (11 Aug 2016)

Thank you Dobu


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## Rob Dahl (18 Sep 2016)

Finally got around to doing a little trimming, planting, removing overgrowth. Here are before and after photos.


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## Greenfinger2 (18 Sep 2016)

Hi Rob, This Scape keeps getting better and better mate   Love it


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## Rob Dahl (18 Sep 2016)

Many thanks Roy. I appreciate the encouragement. Are your getting started again?


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## Greenfinger2 (18 Sep 2016)

Hi Rob. Yes Mate 3 new projects on the way. Its finding the time at the moment I have the plants and the materials for the set ups. Starting to clear out the old projects then on to the new


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## Manisha (18 Sep 2016)

That tank looks fantastic - I really love the long shape


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## tim (18 Sep 2016)

This is looking great Rob, black background makes the plant and fish colours pop, you seem to be well on top of your algae issues now mate, top job


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## Rob Dahl (19 Sep 2016)

Thank you EdwinK, dw1305, tim, Mannish, Nelson& Madhav. As I said to Roy, I appreciate your comments.


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## Madhav (20 Sep 2016)

Plant selection and placement made your tank look much bigger than it actually is. Your tetra looks massive when I assume it as 60-70 gal. Tank...nice tank

Sent from my HUAWEI GRA-UL00 using Tapatalk


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## Rob Dahl (20 Sep 2016)

Thank you zozn another matter I have noticed that my Monte carlo exhibits differential growth. Does anyone think it may be caused by too low light levels? It is also VERY slow growing.


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## Rob Dahl (23 Sep 2016)

Just got six var. "diamond head" neon tetras:


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## Manisha (1 Oct 2016)

Rob Dahl said:


> Thank you zozn another matter I have noticed that my Monte carlo exhibits differential growth. Does anyone think it may be caused by too low light levels? It is also VERY slow growing.



Did you ever figure this out? I'm sorry I can't help (except suggest it's usually flow & co2...) Perhaps starting a thread in the 'plants' topic might help get you an answer? Your new tetras are lovely ☺


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## Rob Dahl (1 Oct 2016)

have used the lighting to 80% we'll see if that has any effect


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## Rob Dahl (8 Nov 2016)

BGA on the move! Have now turned off lighting for a few days. Have vacuumed and will make large water change.


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## Rob Dahl (15 Nov 2016)

Thank you Manisha. Right now I have reduced my daylight source to 20% and 7 hrs. Will see if that makes any progress in effectiveness.


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## Rob Dahl (30 Jan 2017)

After treatments, tank looking better


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## Rob Dahl (30 Jan 2017)

Here are some new little Cardinal tetras and Bororas briggitae I purchased.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/129377489@N05/32559388515/in/dateposted-ff/


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## Rob Dahl (2 Feb 2017)

Thank you kadoxu


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## Rob Dahl (25 Feb 2017)

Decided to set up a Borneo blackwater tank for my B. brigittae. Got out my Fluvial Spec V and added a 50 watt heater and adjusted the filter sponges so my guys didn't get sucked in. (made that mistake previously), added a mature planting on Mopani wood and an additional of new Mopani wood planted with a few Java ferns Windelov. Here's an image of them in holding:


 
and here's the tank in assembly:


 
After finishing the setup waited overnight to bring temp. up and here's the new setup with my B. brigittae:


 


 


 
I'm figuring the Mopani wood and an Indian almond leaf which I added will slowly darken the water as well as adding some protozoan life for the fish. I'm leaving the lights on for now to encourage plant growth (the fish have plenty of shady places).
With luck I'll get some breeding and the fry have lot's of spots to hide. Will be interesting to see if this project is successful.


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## Daveslaney (25 Feb 2017)

Cant see the pics Rob.


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## Rob Dahl (26 Feb 2017)

how about this. (up above)


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## Rob Dahl (27 Feb 2017)

Thank you kadoxu, tim, dw1305


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## Rob Dahl (28 Feb 2017)

Here is an approximation of the blackwater effect I'm trying to achieve:


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## AverageWhiteBloke (28 Feb 2017)

I think you maybe linking images in closed forums Rob, the one above appears to be from box gardens so people would have to be signed in to see it but you will be able to. You need to upload them somewhere public like imageshack, imgur or flickr maybe.


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## Rob Dahl (28 Feb 2017)

Contact, Was it just the image of blackwater tank? Or was it also the link to my other glass box site? I just linked the blackwater image to Flickr.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (28 Feb 2017)

Can't remember which others weren't working now, I was having a quick look at dinner time while at work. The blackwater one wasn't working but is now. Some others were working from what I can remember.


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## Rob Dahl (3 Mar 2017)

B. brigittae looking comfortable after a few days in their new tank:


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## Rob Dahl (14 Mar 2017)

update:
Have had the blackwater aquarium set up for two plus weeks now. The B. brigittae are doing well, but I have noticed no mating behavior yet. I get early morning sun on the tank, so I use lights only 2 hrs a day and have had no algae problems (yet).


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## Rob Dahl (14 Mar 2017)

Thanks Gil


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## Rob Dahl (17 Mar 2017)

Here's an HD image of my 22 gal. long:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/129377489@N05/33365112261/in/dateposted-ff/


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