# The Opium Cartel



## Vinkenoog1977 (15 May 2015)

Hey guys,

I've been really slacking off on my journals due to time constraints, but will be restarting them, and adding a few new ones, such as this one. The name is from the fact it sits on the salon table in my TV room, which happens to be an opium table, so. It's been running for a few months now, in several forms, but these pics are from the replant I did yesterday, after a visit to the pond plant section of my local garden center. Found some lovely plants to add, so had a reshuffle, and this is the result.
Haven't had any real troubles with this one, except some BBA on some of the leaves of the mini Java fern, and I've had quite a few deaths in my Red Cherry Shrimp colony, due to (probably) molting issues. I had the temp up to 25-25 C for a few weeks when a visiting Betta called it its home, and I'm guessing that the higher temperature, combined with the hard water we have here, was the culprit. The temperature has been brought right back down to 21-22 about 10 days ago after the Betta left for home, but I've still found 1-2 deaths per day, all with the same crack in the shell, just behind the head. The odd thing is that the 20 Yellow Cherry Shrimp I added about three weeks ago, have not had any deaths. Very odd, maybe someone can shine some light on this.
And to be perfectly honest, yes, this tank was very much inspired by Mr. Teapot's masterpiece Green Pekoe Pond.

Some specs.

*Hardware:*
50x30x30 cm. aqaurium, 4 mm. glass thickness, black silicone
JBL e401 Greenline filter
Superfish Nano Heaters 25 Watt x 2
DIY Bio CO2 via 2 Fluval CO2 Diffusors
JBL ProSilent a50 airpump through an Eheim Air Diffusor (runs from 1 AM to 11 AM to gas off excess CO2)
IKEA Jansjo Lamp x 9 (630 lumens total)

*Substrate:*
Soil (Pokon Sowing Soil)
Vdl Gravel Black 1-3 mm

*Hardscape:*
Bogwood x 3
Lava Rock

*Flora:*
Acorus Pussilus
Juncus Effusus
Juncus Ensifolius
Typha Minima
Sagittaria Graminea
Hygrophila Araguaia
Lobelia Cardinalis
Rotala Rotundifolia
Ludwigia sp. "Mini Super Red"
Echinodorus Vesuvius
Echinodorus sp. "Red Devil"
Microsorum Pteropus sp. "Mini"
Microsorum Pteropus sp. "Windelov"
Anubias Nana sp. "Mini"
Bucephalandra Sekadau
Taxiphyllum sp. "Spiky"
Hemianthus Callitrichoides
Terrestrial Moss (unsure of the exact type, was taken from nearby woods)
Drosera Capensis
Spathiphyllum Cochlearispathum
Hydroctyle Tripartia sp. "Japan"
Alternanthera Reineckii sp. "Mini"
Sarracenia (unsure of the exact type)

*Fauna:*
Otocinclus Affinis x 6
Otocinclus Arnoldi x 6
Red Cherry Shrimp ~50
Yellow Cherry Shrimp ~20
Blue Cherry Shrimp ~8
Anentome Helena x 6
Mini Horn Sunsnail x 3
Mini Tylomelania sp. "Golden Rabbit" x 3
Tylomelania sp. "Yellow Poso"

*CO2 & Ferts:*
CO2 is on 24/7 (with an airpump running at night), going at about 2bps (with a JBL ProSafe Bubble Counter)
I dose EI at 1,5 times normal (due to the heavy, HEAVY planting) (6 ml. Micro (days 1-3-5) and 3 ml. Macro (days 2-4-6) with one restday)
I dose Flourish Iron daily (1 ml.)

And now for some pics.


































































Let me know what you think!


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## zozo (15 May 2015)

Wow!! I wana have it!  Wonderfull, now this is a beautiful setup.. I miss the Nepenthes actualy.. I realy wonder why i havent seen one yet over here.

On top of the moss tree would be a nice place to put one..

I once bought a baby one from here, they have a nice rare collection..
https://www.wistuba.com/


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## Jamie McGrath (15 May 2015)

I think this is a great looking tank and I love the lights. The name you have chosen is good but I was looking forward to seeing what an opium table looks like, an chance of a shot?


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## Tim Harrison (15 May 2015)

Wow amazing...tho' the pics look somewhat Sci Fi surreal with the IKEA lamps leering over the scape...it reminds me of John Christopher's 'The Tripods'


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## zozo (15 May 2015)

I bet y


Jamie McGrath said:


> I think this is a great looking tank and I love the lights. The name you have chosen is good but I was looking forward to seeing what an opium table looks like, an chance of a shot?


i bet you've seen them before maybe without knowing.. Low so you can sit on cushins at it, with thick short outwards  bend legs, usualy square tables..  But i wait for the picture as well..


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## Vinkenoog1977 (15 May 2015)

zozo said:


> Wow!! I wana have it!  Wonderfull, now this is a beautiful setup.. I miss the Nepenthes actualy.. I realy wonder why i havent seen one yet over here.
> 
> On top of the moss tree would be a nice place to put one..
> 
> ...



Thank you so much!
And those look lovely, will have to have another dig around at some garden centers.


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## Vinkenoog1977 (15 May 2015)

Jamie McGrath said:


> I think this is a great looking tank and I love the lights. The name you have chosen is good but I was looking forward to seeing what an opium table looks like, an chance of a shot?



Thank you!

Sure, this is mine.


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## Vinkenoog1977 (15 May 2015)

Troi said:


> Wow amazing...tho' the pics look somewhat Sci Fi surreal with the IKEA lamps leering over the scape...it reminds me of John Christopher's 'The Tripods'



Thanks!

Bit War of the World-ish, I see what you mean!


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## zozo (15 May 2015)

Vinkenoog1977 said:


> Thank you so much!
> And those look lovely, will have to have another dig around at some garden centers.



The problem in the garden centers is they have to big spieces for that use.. They usualy have the big hardy ones for the living room. Small ones are rare to find there arent so many small spieces. Thats why i had to order at Wistuba.. Hes a specialist in nephentes and can recomend provide the small spieces.. I have to dig to find back which i had, was a nice one with red bloody vains in its cups. I see if i find it back.. But they are hard to keep, as i found out, it died on me, had no tank back then.. But above a tank with enough humidity it shouldnt be such a big deal. I'll try it again one day.

Ah! found it again it was a baby N. Spectabilis. Is a very slow grower and a baby is just a few inches.. Will takes years to mature.. There are smaller ones..


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## Vinkenoog1977 (15 May 2015)

They do look real lovely. Will check them out, and who knows, might add a nice one. Do you know if it likes its roots submerged, or not?


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## zozo (15 May 2015)

No its an ephyfite, top or mid of the tree would be perfect.. No direct light lots of humidity and there are highland and lowland spieces.. The lowlands can take cooler environments, but dont like heat. Other way around lowlands dont like cool surroundings.. So i guess you need to go for a lowland one in this setup.. In the garden centers you only find highlanders..

Oh!? Dont want to spoil the fun.. But dont be suprised that you pay 20 pounds for a baby.. They are rare.. I did..


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## Vinkenoog1977 (15 May 2015)

Okay, cool, I was still looking for something to add higher up on the middle "treestump", and these would look lovely.

And my niece is married to a flower and plant import and export dude, so I might give him a ring and see what he can come up with as far as these beauties are concerned.


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## zozo (15 May 2015)

Would be a lauch if he comes up with wistuba.. The other one i could find is in the states. I curious if he knows a UK suplier.. ANd i wrote something wrong above.. The highlanders like cool instead of warm..


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## Vinkenoog1977 (15 May 2015)

So I would definitely need to go for a highlander species then? Awesome.


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## zozo (15 May 2015)

Nono i think not, sorry for the confusment and my english. I think above your tropical tank it wont be that cool and always humit warm air rising up. So that would more be a lowland jungle climate i guess. Higland climate is very high in the borneo mountains where it can be quite cold, colder then you would expect for that area.

To be realy asured i would write Andreas Wistuba an e-mail and ask him which smaller spieces is best suitable for your setup. I had an expensive highlander dying on me in the summer because it was to warm and dry and did put it to late in the greenhous. The shock was to much, they are very sensitive plants.. Thats why they are so rare and not seen that often. They wont forgive mistakes and die off easily. i made the stupid mistake to first buy the plant and then build the greenhous for it..

So be aware of that, before you spent relatively much money on such a little nepy...

Maybe that plant import dude can provide you with a realy small relatively cheap highlander as in the garden center.. I mean a realy young one, those to young for the garden center. They are special breeds crosed spieces, hard enough to survive hour living rooms with proper care. Try that first.. They grow very slow and are not so expensive, you still can replace it if it cant stand the warmt of the tank. If that works you ca go a step further and get a more beautifull delicate one..

I never did it before above a tank so it would be an experiment for me too..


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## Vinkenoog1977 (15 May 2015)

Thanks for clearing that up for me!


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## zozo (15 May 2015)

Still found a picture of my highland spectabilis (Sibayak Sumatra) on the net which i posted in another forum..




Lovely isn't she, just a tiny baby that pot is only 2 inch in diameter. The clay balls are just decorative under there is sphagnum.
Lasted 8 or 9 months when the temp went over 25C it was fatal, even spraying every day several times didnt do it. First the tiny pitchers withered away.
Then i did put here in a little greenhous, but it was over she slowly died in 3 months time  Bad bad me!..


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## jagillham (15 May 2015)

What's the red plant in the 5th photo down please?

Great tank


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## Noman (15 May 2015)

Thats a gorgeous little tank.


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## Vinkenoog1977 (16 May 2015)

Thanks guys!!! 



jagillham said:


> What's the red plant in the 5th photo down please?
> 
> Great tank



That's the Alternanthera Reineckii sp. "Mini", much easier plant than advertised, likes some more light than average, not too fussy as far as CO2 goes. At least, in my hard water.


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## jagillham (16 May 2015)

I think I'll be getting some of that then. Any recommendations as to from where?


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## Vinkenoog1977 (16 May 2015)

Not sure where you could get them, as I'm in The Netherlands, but I ordered some online, unable to find it at my LFS.


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## jagillham (16 May 2015)

My LFS also not great for plants sadly. Hopefully they'll catch up soon with more and more people getting involved in planted tanks!

Can get pretty much any of this stuff online, but the postage doubles the price annoyingly!


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## Greenfinger2 (16 May 2015)

Hi Vinkenoog, Stunning


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## banthaman.jm (16 May 2015)

Fantastic tank, don't really need to say any more 
Jim


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## Vinkenoog1977 (16 May 2015)

Thanks for the compliments guys!

@ Jagillham: I usually save up my online orders, so I break the free postage limit.


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## Vinkenoog1977 (16 May 2015)

Updated the plant list (actually forget a few species) and added my CO2- and fert-regime.


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## Vinkenoog1977 (16 May 2015)

Well, a mere 48 hours after the replant and cleaning of everything and anything, I already have several holes in my spraybar plugged up. This has been bugging me for a while, but I'm finally fed up. I'm thinking about replacing the spraybar with two nozzles, either side of the central piece of wood, right above the CO2-diffusors, so splitting the outflow of the filter to two nozzles (these). These are the most open spots, where the nozzles will be able to get the water to the front pane of glass, and that should be enough to get flow everywhere in the tank. Even with the spraybar, I seem to have some deadish spots, especially the far left and far right. What do you guys think?


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## zozo (16 May 2015)

Only thing i can tell you about splicing tubes and water flow (Maybe you already know) is you have to make both hoses exactly even in lenght and make sure that they both give about the same resistance against the presure of the pump. The hose which gives the least resistance f.e. shorter ore less bends,  will otherwise spray more water presure then the other..

Or else you have to make a loop to even the presure and make both outlets give the same..


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## Vinkenoog1977 (16 May 2015)

Yeah, I knew about that, will probably go for a loop just to be sure.


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## Vinkenoog1977 (17 May 2015)

Found another dead RCS just now, again with the all too familiar cracked shell behind the head. Temp has been around 22 C for a few weeks now, but I suppose I could still be seeing the effects of the higher temp I had for about 5 weeks for the Betta in combination with the hard water I have here, but I would love to hear the input of others, cause this is really starting to p me off.


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## JohnC (21 May 2015)

Hiya,

This is actually my third viewing of this wonderful set up. Kudos for the light use. I've had a couple of the same ikea lights on nano tanks that i was doing blackwater experiments on. Never thought they were strong enough to grow stuff, i guess i just needed to think bigger .

I'm currently adding on things to a 30cm cube dwarf puffer tank with emergent branch section and was musing on sundews. Not having dabbled in the carnivorous plant area much can you give me any tips on its care? It looks to be flourishing under that spot lamp. Is it just bear rooted in the HC? is it fine with the ambient humidity of the tank top in a cooler room that occasionally gets very warm when the fire is lit? misting?

Best Regards,
John (off to browse sundews on ebay)


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## Vinkenoog1977 (21 May 2015)

Hey John,

This is my first attempt with sundews as well, and so far, it's doing pretty good, am seeing some new stems emerging and it seems to have adapted fine to its new environment. It's just bare rooted into the HC, doesn't seem to need any extra moisture, but I mist the tank 2 or 3 times a days anyway, mostly to help the emergent leaves of the Echinodorus adapt.
Will keep you posted on my progress! And thanks for the compliments!

Paul.


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## Vinkenoog1977 (22 May 2015)

Well, I just replaced the spraybar with two nozzles, and the flow is still rather crap, to be perfectly blunt. I'm starting to realise that getting decent flow around the plants in a tank that is SO heavily planted, especially around the filter return(s) is nigh on impossible. Did just make an offer on a second hand e401, to double the capacity, but even with that second filter, I think I will still be having issues. So, contemplating another rescape now, something a bit more islanish (never done an island layout, so a great excuse off course! LOL Good thing I love this hobby. 

Edit: never mind, withdrew the offer, after realising replacing the filter media would make the total place pretty much equal to a brand spanking new one. So now the choice becomes; add a new filter, or do a rescape in such a way that the single e401 will get the job done. Would love some input guys: add filter or rescape (would be #5 in this tank all-in-all LOL)???


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## Vinkenoog1977 (22 May 2015)

Picture update, will probably be moving things around this Sunday, keeping most plants, except the E. Red Devil (simply too large/ high for this setup, and the emerse leaves are really struggling to adapt, but growth has been incredible!), and adding one, maybe two more species. The wood pieces will be moving to an island-ish position, with the largest of the Sags serving as a centre point of sorts. Should clear the path for the spraybar, improving flow and CO2-distribution (which is suffering the most at the moment).
Good news is that I have seen no more dead shrimp since Tuesday! Was really getting on my nerves, but am now quitly confident the problem is fixed, be it the removal of the agressive Betta or the adjustment of the temperature.

Some pics now!
Feeding shrimp:








Oto butting in:




Emerse Ludwigia:








Emerse E. Red Devil (the reddest leaf in the picture went from 1" to emerse in about 5 days!):




Emerse Echinodorus and new growth on the carnivores:












Emerse growth:








Bucephelandra Sekauda (4 new leaves since arriving 6 weeks ago):




Oto Convention:









Hope you like it!


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## Vinkenoog1977 (23 May 2015)

Had another little shopping spree at the gardening center today, and picked up a mahoosive pot op Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis for the cost of a regular little pot, and some gorgeous flowering Rotala Indica. Should be a fun day tomorrow!


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## Vinkenoog1977 (24 May 2015)

Updated plant list, pics wil follow later tonight! The Sundew did not enjoy itself, and has been moved to the window sill. The Windelov was getting too big, as was the Red Devil, so they will both be relocated. 

*Flora:*
Juncus Effusus
Juncus Ensifolius
Typha Minima
Sagittaria Graminea
Hygrophila Araguaia
Lobelia Cardinalis
Rotala Rotundifolia
Rotala Indica
Micranthemum sp. "Monte Carlo"
Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis
Ludwigia sp. "Mini Super Red"
Echinodorus Vesuvius
Microsorum Pteropus sp. "Mini"
Anubias Nana sp. "Mini"
Bucephalandra Sekadau
Taxiphyllum sp. "Spiky"
Hemianthus Callitrichoides
Terrestrial Moss (unsure of the exact type, was taken from nearby woods)
Spathiphyllum Cochlearispathum
Hydroctyle Tripartia sp. "Japan"
Alternanthera Reineckii sp. "Mini"
Sarracenia (unsure of the exact type)


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## Vinkenoog1977 (24 May 2015)

Right, some pics and a small little, crude vid.

























Gorgeous pink!
















Added some Ember Tetras to the mix.




Love the flowers on the Rotala Indica!





And the vid. First time trying to edit, no effects or fancy scene breaks, couldn't work that out. LOL


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## Greenfinger2 (25 May 2015)

Hi Vinkenoog, Stunning  Are the spot lamps by Ikea bulb 2700 K ??


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## Vinkenoog1977 (25 May 2015)

Thanks Roy! And yes, they are IKEA JANSJO Spots, 70 lumen each.


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## JohnC (25 May 2015)

Booo, what do you think the issue with the sundew was?


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## Vinkenoog1977 (26 May 2015)

It was either too wet, or it was having issues with relatively higher flow around its base, not sure which it was.


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## JohnC (26 May 2015)

Vinkenoog1977 said:


> It was either too wet, or it was having issues with relatively higher flow around its base, not sure which it was.



ok. will adjust my plan and do a touch more reading before i twitch.  i've even found out my ikea lamp


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## JohnC (26 May 2015)

do you think there was a chance the sundew was reacting to the EI ferts with their dislike for nutrient rich substrates and watering. Fertiliser burns?


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## Vinkenoog1977 (26 May 2015)

Ow, that's a good one, hadn't thought about that! On the other hand, Mr Teapot's Sundew is doing great, and that's in water with ferts as well, so. But I did see some blackening around the base.


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## Vinkenoog1977 (28 May 2015)

First flowers in one of the Sagittaria!!!


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## Vinkenoog1977 (30 May 2015)

Flower stem seems to be liking the conditions.


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## Greenfinger2 (30 May 2015)

Hi Vinkenoog, Wonderful flowers


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## Vinkenoog1977 (6 Jun 2015)

Did another video update last night, hope you enjoy (will try some better camerawork and voiceover next time  )


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## Greenfinger2 (7 Jun 2015)

Hi Vinkenoog, Love the video  Voice over, Nice to hear you my friend  The plants are looking healthy fish are happy Congratulations


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## Vinkenoog1977 (7 Jun 2015)

Thanks Roy! Really loving this little tank!


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