# Jase's 28l Long/Shallow - "Attrition"



## Jase (24 Aug 2009)

This will be my second 'scape and my first Journal   

The *tank *is 8â€ wide, 9â€ tall and 24â€ long, float glass tank I had lying in the garage, which used to house a friend's Desert Hairy Scorpions  

I have an idea in my head of how I want it to look but without influencing opinions, I am very open to suggestions as this is an awkward size  

Equipment is none existant as yet but I have the facility to use *CO2 *but would prefer not to, again opinions/experiences welcome. 

*Filtration *will probably end up being an external, maybe a Tetratec ex400 (i love my ex1200) if I can get my hands on one cheap enough, or at all, or possibly go back to the wicked ways of Fluval with the 105. The alternative would be a HOB filter, which I like the idea of but have no experience with. Internal is not an option I approve of anymore.

*Lighting *might be difficult to decide upon, although a 2ft luminaire would make sense, but again this would be new territory for someone who's only used PC and T8 tube lighting.

*Heating*. If possible, no heating, room temp would be great, otherwise it'll be small internal heater hidden behind the hardscape   Obviously my preference would be external heater but I haven't got one for my 125l so can't favouritise with my newer project   

*Hardscape*, possibly some good ol' British driftwood or Redmoor root, depending on what I can find. A few small rocks wouldn't go amiss in the image in my head.

*Flora*. Planting-wise i'm thinking the obligatory _M.pteropus_ and possibly a few small anubias, would like to try some type of grass, but again   I will be advised on this, to suit the setup    Crypts are also a firm fave of mine along with Staurogyne but probably wont use the latter

*Substrate *is a big'un, I'm thinking Oli Knott's NS in the planted areas with some sort of dull orange/brown sand at one end, contrasting with the rocks and grass

Anyway....what I have come up with so far...


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## samc (24 Aug 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

i quite like the size apart from the depth which is a little limited.

i would go for an iwagumi. you could create a nice one in there


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## Jase (24 Aug 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Depth being front to back? I completely agree, could do with being atleast 12 if not 15inches front to back.

My first thought was Iwagumi as I suggested in Steven Chong's thread about shallow tanks viewtopic.php?f=15&t=6784

Iwagumi would be very much out of my comfort zone


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## samc (24 Aug 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

iwagumis IMO are not as hard as you think. 

you could look at one you like a copy it. obveiously you cant exacly but you just need to take time with them. you can do it slowly and leave it for a while to see if you like it and change it here and there until you like it.


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## Themuleous (25 Aug 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Great tank, I started out in the planted hobby with a 24x8x8" which was perfect as it didnt cost a fortune to plant!

Here's a link to my old journals

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=635&p=5021&hilit=nano#p5021

http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?sho ... 80&hl=nano

I did find that the lighitng is key to such a small tank, despite what you might think it doesn't want to be _too_ high 

Sam


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## hydrophyte (25 Aug 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

That tank has an interesting, non-traditional shape. I am intrigued to see how this develops.


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## Jase (25 Aug 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				Themuleous said:
			
		

> Great tank, I started out in the planted hobby with a 24x8x8" which was perfect as it didnt cost a fortune to plant!
> 
> Here's a link to my old journals
> 
> ...



Thanks for that link Sam, looks great with the additional substrate later in the Journal  8) Don't know if I could be doing with all that HC maintenence though   Tempted to try it though, as like you said in the journal, small tank is cheap to re-scape at any point...


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## Jase (25 Aug 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				hydrophyte said:
			
		

> That tank has an interesting, non-traditional shape. I am intrigued to see how this develops.



Thanks, should be a nice challenge regardless of whether I try something unusual


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## zig (26 Aug 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Nice little tank,I like unusual shaped tanks, nice little chip on it as well  I saw a great tank earlier this summer which I was tempted to buy, it was 36"x12"x12", not particularily unusual but it was very long for its height, I could imagine doing aquascapes in it though. Interesting to see how you get on


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## Jase (26 Aug 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				zig said:
			
		

> Nice little tank,I like unusual shaped tanks, nice little chip on it as well  I saw a great tank earlier this summer which I was tempted to buy, it was 36"x12"x12", not particularily unusual but it was very long for its height, I could imagine doing aquascapes in it though. Interesting to see how you get on



Thanks Peter, yes I'm a little disappointed there is a chip but hopefully I can cover it up with the filter gubbins   

The only worry I have with the lack of front-to-back depth is making the scape seem 2 dimensional...


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## Jase (2 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Had a little scribble over the weekend and came up with this. Some of the plants I haven't used before, i.e. grasses, marsilea, HC.

Provisional planting list:

_Eleocharis parvula
Eleocharis acicularis
Microsorum pteropus _'narrow'
_Cryptocoryne sp._ possibly  _moehlmannii_ or _becketti _'petchii'
_Marsilea hirsuta_ or _Hemianthes callitrichoides_ 'cuba'
Also something small that looks like Bolbitis...

In the pic I've put _Vallis nana_, that isn't going in


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## Dan Crawford (2 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

That looks great, if it turns out as planned it'll be a stunner!


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## Jase (2 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Thanks Dan, any thoughts on a Bolbitis-looking small plant?


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## Dan Crawford (2 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

If it were me, i'd go for some really nice moss as Bolbitis on the end of a piece of wood might look a little unnatural. Bolibtis could still be good, just keep it trimmed to keep it small, if thats the look your going for?


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## samc (2 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

looks good jase 

i have read a piece by amano himself saying that he like to put bolbitis on the end of the wood as it looks the most natural. i thought myself that this would look strange but he has it growing out of the water which you could do too, and it looks ace.


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## Dan Crawford (2 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				samc said:
			
		

> i have read a piece by amano himself saying that he like to put bolbitis on the end of the wood as it looks the most natural.


Amano who?


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## samc (2 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

 i thought it sounded strange tbh but in the big tank in the gallery it works. 





you can just see on there


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## Jase (2 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

I like the idea of it breaking the surface, perhaps putting it along the top piece of wood instead of the java fern would work well. 

Going to be ordering the substrate some time this week, going for Oli Knott's NS for the planted areas, shouldn't need much I wouldn't have thought.

The stones are going to be the biggy, might have to venture to TGM for some Dragon Stone


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## Dan Crawford (2 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				Jase said:
			
		

> Going to be ordering the substrate some time this week, going for Oli Knott's NS for the planted areas, shouldn't need much I wouldn't have thought.


TDi Line is selling a load  


			
				Jase said:
			
		

> The stones are going to be the biggy, might have to venture to TGM for some Dragon Stone


It's always worth hand picking your stones


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## Jase (3 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

I have wood...   

Went to a mate's house last night as he has some driftwood collected from various UK beaches. Some nice bits, though most are too big but I managed to get 5 nice bits, three of which I will probably use unless something else catches my eye when (if) I go to TGM at the weekend.


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## Jase (8 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

I've now got my hardscape together...

I took the 1 and a bit hour drive up to TGM on Sunday with my ever obliging girlfriend on the promise of a bit of shopping. She looked decidedly bored whilst I rummaged around in the tubs of stone, much like I was about to a short while later whilst she chose a new pair of shoes!   

Placed an order with Aqua Essentials yesterday, 10l brown fine Oli Knott NatureSoil, should be arriving tomorrow I suspect. However, tomorrow is Poker night so I'm torn between 'scaping and Poker  

3kg chunk of Dragon Stone from TGM, needs to be smashed into pieces as it's a bit big at the moment   

I love this stuff!






Zambezi Sand also courtesy of TGM, don't even need half of this but oh well   





UK Driftwood from a mate, will probably only use the three smaller pieces


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## Jase (12 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - Picture Update 12.09.09*

Here's my first attempt at the scape. This is by no means the finished article, got a lot of tinkering to do with regards to rockwork and not 100% on the middle piece of wood


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## Vito (12 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - Picture Update 12.09.09*

Looks like a good start Jase, I like the substrate layout but I think the wood needs to be tweaked as it seems a bit unnarutral, I like the top peice of wood but the other two need to be fiddled with, as you said its not the finished article, try and create a natural flow with the wood. Post up your pics of your creations!


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## Jase (13 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - Picture Update 12.09.09*



			
				Vito said:
			
		

> Looks like a good start Jase, I like the substrate layout but I think the wood needs to be tweaked as it seems a bit unnarutral, I like the top peice of wood but the other two need to be fiddled with, as you said its not the finished article, try and create a natural flow with the wood. Post up your pics of your creations!



Thanks Vito   

I've added larger pieces of rock to the left hand side to give it a bit of extra definaition and altered the level of the sand a bit, with a steeper transition from sand to NS on the right. 

Starting to look better with the tweaking, but I really don't like the two lower pieces of wood now, in comparison to the top piece. The middle piece isn't _as _unnatural as it seems in the photo where it looks like a piece of snapped garden cane


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## Jase (14 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - Picture Update 12.09.09*

I'm no 'saintly' and thus it seems I'm talking to myself, but never mind  

Latest effort, with the two crap pieces of wood removed, thoughts welcome


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## Garuf (14 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - Update 14.09.09*

lovely little tank that, if only you had a couple more branches it'd be perfect!


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## Jase (14 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - Update 14.09.09*

Cheers Garuf. The plan is to now find a couple more pieces of wood to hopefully tie in with the nice piece I have in there. 

Next stage after that is purchasing the hardware. Going for a Tetratec EX600 and see how I get on with that flow. Only tank I've had as small or smaller than this was back when I used to breed Bettas in filterless cubes 5 or so years ago so flow rate will be experimental to say the least   

Lighting I will probably be going down the retro power compact set up route, as I get beautiful light from my existing unit on my other tank.

Probably going to go pressurised CO2 on this bad boy as well, no point spending all this money and clogging the thing with algae like the game of catch up i'm playing with my other set up, get it right in the first place hey?!


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## Mark Evans (16 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - Update 14.09.09*



			
				Jase said:
			
		

> I'm no 'saintly'



a good job eh?....

looks good to me my friend. at at least a good start. i can see where your heading and i love the gravel/rock idea   i reckon it will look crackin when you've finally finished.

the panoramic look is cool.


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## Jase (16 Sep 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - Update 14.09.09*



			
				saintly said:
			
		

> Jase said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Maybe when I've managed to get some decent snaps of the tank   


Thanks though Mark, definately a work in progress as this is the first time i'll have used sand, or stone, for that matter, in an aquarium. 

Should have another update tonight after a few tweaks yesterday evening


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## Jase (28 Dec 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - Update 14.09.09*

Right, even I'd forgotten about this tank   

I put it to one side with due to the Pico Competition but that has only inspired me to get this bad boy set up. I also learned a lot about the substrate, from using it in the Pico. I found that it moves, and collapses very easily so set about dismantling the Nano and putting in plastic dividers in an attempt to limit the substrate sliding from back to front.This allowed me to tinker with the hardscape and i'm please with the outcome - albeit that I still can't take a decent pic of an empty tank   

I know the bottom two pieces of wood are still crap but the plan is Amano-esque moss covered wood anyway so i'm thinking it'll be fine, the shape is nice, it's just ugly   

*Before*




*Now*


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## NeilW (28 Dec 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - Update December*

I like the new layout and rocks a lot, lovely, what fish/inverts are going in there?  maybe nice to have the wood clean as it is without moss.


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## Jase (29 Dec 2009)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - Update December*



			
				NeilW said:
			
		

> I like the new layout and rocks a lot, lovely, what fish/inverts are going in there?  maybe nice to have the wood clean as it is without moss.


Thanks Neil, interesting you like the wood, admittedly it's better than the stuff I had in originally but i'm not too sure, I think it's too light in colour. I'll soak it before I decide, see if this makes it darker.

First choice fish is _nannostomus mortenthaleri _ Red Coral Pencil Fish 



As for inverts, I'll chuck some Cherries in there from my big tank


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## Jase (14 Jan 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - Update December*

This tank has dragged on for a scary length of time. 

I have made a few decisions about hardware for this tank, and with my other hobbies of keeping Reptiles etc, I have decided to go 'Energy Conscious' with this tank. Therefore I am using a small HOB filter purchased from fleabay, this chucks out (apparently) 680l/h and I'm very pleased with it, this may still be assisted by a Koralia Nano I suspect. 

New Wave co2 Reg and Solenoid is gonna be ordered in a sec


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## Jase (21 Jan 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - Update January*

*Update*

Equipment is all ready   





*Plants have been ordered, final planting list;

Eleocharis Acicularis
Cryptocoryne Moehlmannii 
Lilaeopsis Novea-Zealandiae 
Bolbitus Heudelotii 
Microsorum Pteropus*


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## Mark Evans (21 Jan 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - Update January*

top banana! cant wait for this.


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## Jase (21 Jan 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - Update January*

Cheers Mark, it's been a long time coming   

Plants are all Aquafleur, courtesy of Aqua Essentials, only because I could order them in smaller quantities (nudge nudge wink wink   ), else I'd have bought from you, 'cause you're cheaper


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## Jase (2 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - Update January*

*Planted*  

Photos not great, overexposed but as this is a 'warts n all' journal i'll show you   

My wood was totally non-submergeable and popped right out during filling   *I need new wood* Please PM me if you can help


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## Steve Smith (2 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

That looks awesome Jase   I really like the dragon stone, and how you've positioned it


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## Jase (3 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

Thanks Steve.

I've done away with the HOB Filter because the pump was faulty. I have replaced it with an Eheim Pro 2222, purchased from SteveUK - cheers bud   

It has taken some time fiddling around with the flow as the Nature Soil is VERY lightweight and gets blown around easily. I've found there is a fine line between getting the flow sufficiently from the left to the right of the tank without rearranging the substrate


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## Vito (3 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

I love the hardscape jase, cant wait for the plants to fill out and then it will be great


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## Jase (3 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

Cheers Vito   

I've ordered a couple more hairgrass to bulk it out a bit on the right hand side and also some Marsilea for the front right, which is what I wanted there originally but girlied out and went for the lilaeopsis instead


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## Jase (3 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

I'm suffering from Diatoms already. You can see from the photo that the tips of the hairgrass are affected


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## Mark Evans (3 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*



			
				Jase said:
			
		

> You can see from the photo that the tips of the hairgrass are affected



that's die off mate. trim it all down to stop it. you've got the emerged growth. nothing to worry about.


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## Jase (3 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

Do you mean it's only growing on the die off? I'll give it a hair cut then. I didn't have any die off when I used Acicularis in my Pico (without cutting it back) so it's new to me


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## Mark Evans (3 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*



			
				Jase said:
			
		

> Do you mean it's only growing on the die off? I'll give it a hair cut then. I didn't have any die off when I used Acicularis in my Pico (without cutting it back) so it's new to me



looking at the image, it looks like some of the emersed growth is declining. some of it makes it through and continues to grow, but to help keep the tank 'cleaner' from the off, it's a good thing to cut it down to about 1 cm, then everything that comes through will be brand new green growth.


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## Jase (3 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

After Mark's advice i gave the hairgrass a trim... 

The Lilaeopsis at the front right is coming out as soon as the Marsilea arrives


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## Jase (4 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

The Cryptocoryne Moehlmannii has started to melt. You can see the melt in this photo taken yesterday, on the left hand leaf.


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## Jase (4 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

Dragon Stone is awesome, love the stuff...


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## Jase (4 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

*Day 5*

I can't keep my hands out of this tank and although it's only day 5, i'm already bored of the lack of development   I therefore took some 4 crypts from my big tank and planted them in this one. I don't know why I planted it so sparsely in the first place   More plants arriving tomorrow too   

Just need some wood...


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## CeeJay (4 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

Hi Jase

This will be a lovely scape when it's grown in. Love the layout.


			
				Jase said:
			
		

> I can't keep my hands out of this tank and although it's only day 5,


Patience my man, patience


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## Jase (4 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*



			
				CeeJay said:
			
		

> This will be a lovely scape when it's grown in. Love the layout



Awesome, thanks Chris   



			
				CeeJay said:
			
		

> Patience my man, patience



Easy for you to say, from there   Having open top tanks really doesn't help, if there's a stray leaf floating, you grab it, if there was a lid, you'd walk past - I do anyway


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## CeeJay (5 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

Hi Jase


			
				Jase said:
			
		

> Easy for you to say, from there   Having open top tanks really doesn't help, if there's a stray leaf floating, you grab it, if there was a lid, you'd walk past - I do anyway


I know what you mean   
I used to be the world's worst fiddler, but I've calmed down a bit now


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## NeilW (5 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

I really like the format of a long tank, bit of a challenge to create a composition in a panorama.  For my next tank the plan is to get something similar to yours but create it as some kind of river biotope with the filter inlet at one end and the outlet at the other to get flow across the tank.  Gotta wait a long time though for it but I spose that means lots of planning 8)


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## LondonDragon (5 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

Very odd shape indeed but an ideal tank for shrimp  all you need now is to get rid of that ugly heater and your sorted oh yeah and get a load of shrimp, Sulawesi Cardinals would look awesome in that tank  keep it up


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## Jase (5 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*



			
				LondonDragon said:
			
		

> Very odd shape indeed but an ideal tank for shrimp  all you need now is to get rid of that ugly heater and your sorted oh yeah and get a load of shrimp, Sulawesi Cardinals would look awesome in that tank  keep it up



My thinking now is that it is too shallow for fish really (the back right especially) and therefore it will be shrimp-only. Sulawesi Cardinals sound like a GREAT idea to me   



			
				LondonDragon said:
			
		

> all you need now is to get rid of that ugly heater and your sorted



Aww, you're mean, that heater is like a brother to me


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## LondonDragon (5 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*



			
				Jase said:
			
		

> My thinking now is that it is too shallow for fish really (the back right especially) and therefore it will be shrimp-only. Sulawesi Cardinals sound like a GREAT idea to me


They like scapes with lots of rocks and less vegetation so this tank is ideal and because of the shape you would be able to see them more often and great for photography as well.



			
				Jase said:
			
		

> Aww, you're mean, that heater is like a brother to me


I can be meaner...


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## AdAndrews (5 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

Looks great Jase! the rock is awesome, i think thats probably what i'll be using in the future


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## Jase (7 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

Thanks Ad, ye the rock is great stuff, it has a good mix of colours with the greys and oranges. It does take a hell of a lot of cleaning though...


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## AdAndrews (7 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*



			
				Jase said:
			
		

> Thanks Ad, ye the rock is great stuff, it has a good mix of colours with the greys and oranges. It does take a hell of a lot of cleaning though...


get yourself nerite snail-these things are beasts, i dont even have to clean the tank glass anymore


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## Jase (7 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

I meant before it goes it the tank. In all the nooks and crannies of the rock is a soft clay which muddies the water so get a toothbrush and give it a good scrub before hand.

With regards Nerites, I fully appreciate and admire their cleaning prowess but I'm yet to convince myself that I WANT to put a snail into my tanks


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## Jase (8 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

*Day 9*

Marsilea planted yesterday, it wasn't in the best condition on arrival and three pots didn't go very far. I've left a bit of the taller growth to allow it to 'settle in' before trimming.


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## andyh (8 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

Jase

Loving it the scape looks great, cant wait to see it with more growth and take shape.

I like this as its different from the norm, if you not what i mean! The widescreen view is cool!


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## Jase (9 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

Cheers Andy   

I'm pleased you like it, and it's nice that my ideas are coming to fruition as this is my first 'planned' scape. I'm waiting on some Manzi wood from the Plantedbox.com boys so I can finish off the hardscape.

I also have plans for a DIY cabinet


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## Jase (9 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

Here's an alternate view, from my bed. The plan now is to build an ADA-style cabinet to house the filter which is on the floor to the left. The tank currently sits on an old tv stand that I partly dismantled for its new purpose...


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## TBRO (9 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

Lovely rock work, the bolbitis looks super healthy. Did you cot off the emergent stems with the Marisella. It took ages to get going for me but when it does it's rampant, T


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## Jase (9 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*



			
				TBRO said:
			
		

> Lovely rock work, the bolbitis looks super healthy. Did you cot off the emergent stems with the Marisella. It took ages to get going for me but when it does it's rampant, T



Cheers T

I cut off about 75% of the emergent growth, wasn't quite confident enough of cutting it all back   I'm gonna keep an eye on it and act accordingly


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## Jase (18 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*

*Update*

*Day 17 (Saturday)*

We have new wood! JamesM and Saintly sorted me out with some nice Manzi wood pieces, which took between 24 and 36 hours to sink, this stuff is awesome - cheers fellas

I've added yet more Crypt moehlmanii from my big tank to bulk out the right hand side after revisiting my original plan drawing

Marsilea and hairgrass growing well, the latter spreading new runners all over the place. 

The thing randomly plonked on the left temporarily is a tile covered in Fissidens


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## Nelson (18 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - MANZ GOT WOOD*

thats looking great  .


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## Jase (18 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - MANZ GOT WOOD*

Thanks Neil   Can't wait for it to grow in


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## JamesM (18 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*



			
				Jase said:
			
		

> *Update*
> 
> *Day 17 (Saturday)*
> 
> We have new wood! JamesM and Saintly sorted me out with some nice Manzi wood pieces, which took between 24 and 36 hours to sink, this stuff is awesome - cheers fellas


You're welcome bud... you chose well too, looks ace


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## andyh (18 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*



			
				Jase said:
			
		

> *Update*
> 
> *Day 17 (Saturday)*



Really like the wood positioning! really helps complete the scape.  Are you planning to grow any mosses on it?
 
Andyh


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## AdAndrews (19 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - MANZ GOT WOOD*

Thats awesome, be nice when it all grows, get everything flowing in one direction, a bit like a river


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## Jase (19 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*



			
				JamesM said:
			
		

> You're welcome bud... you chose well too, looks ace



Cheers James. The other large piece I got is great but didn't quite fit into the scape, next time though


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## Jase (19 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*



			
				andyh said:
			
		

> Really like the wood positioning! really helps complete the scape.  Are you planning to grow any mosses on it?
> 
> Andyh



Hi Andy, thanks for your kind words. I'm unsure about mosses at the moment to be honest, I might have to use some because of the lack of planting to the left and middle. I have that Fissidens and also some Xmas Moss to try out, what do you reckon? Fissidens?


----------



## Jase (19 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - MANZ GOT WOOD*



			
				AdAndrews said:
			
		

> Thats awesome, be nice when it all grows, get everything flowing in one direction, a bit like a river



Thanks Ad   It does flow like that now, I wish I had a HD video camera to show you. Becuase of where the filter outlet is and the shape of the tank, the flow circulates along the front across the right and then along the back to the filter inlet. It works really well except when the filter decides to blow out a little extra flow and blows a crater in the NS


----------



## AdAndrews (19 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - MANZ GOT WOOD*



			
				Jase said:
			
		

> AdAndrews said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



 Damn it Nature Soil!

After working with a fairly tall tank with the arc (compared to its length) I am very tempted to go with this type of set-up, it gives a different dimension.

good luck with it,


----------



## Jase (19 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - MANZ GOT WOOD*



			
				AdAndrews said:
			
		

> Damn it Nature Soil!
> 
> After working with a fairly tall tank with the arc (compared to its length) I am very tempted to go with this type of set-up, it gives a different dimension.
> 
> good luck with it,



Ye I really like the unusual, if slightly mad dimensions of it. I'm finding the flow the hardest part of it, but this is because of the NS being moved away from the glass on the right. Also, if I lower the outlet, the rocks that retain the raised area, creates a vortex that swirls the sand around


----------



## Ben M (19 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - MANZ GOT WOOD*

wow   love the wood and rock positioning


----------



## Jase (19 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - MANZ GOT WOOD*



			
				pest control said:
			
		

> wow   love the wood and rock positioning



Thanks Pest   

I might lower the large piece of wood so it is parallel to the water line, it's annoying me a little


----------



## andyh (19 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*



			
				Jase said:
			
		

> andyh said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I would go fissidens as its one of my favourite plants. Plus its leaf structure is small and would suit the size of your scape. I just lay it on the wood pieces and tie it on with cotton/fishing line. Its a slow grower but an excellent little plant.


----------



## Jase (19 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - NOW PLANTED*



			
				andyh said:
			
		

> I would go fissidens as its one of my favourite plants. Plus its leaf structure is small and would suit the size of your scape. I just lay it on the wood pieces and tie it on with cotton/fishing line. Its a slow grower but an excellent little plant.



It does have a beautiful delicate shape. Is Fissidens a gripper/creeper? My thinking at the minute is tie it to the base of the large wood and it grow up and over...


----------



## Jase (19 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - MANZ GOT WOOD*

*Update

Day 20*

I've come home from work to find this... Brown algae alllllll over my rocks. As you can imagine, I am suitably unimpressed. You can see the growth from the hairgrass in the middle though....


----------



## a1Matt (19 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - MANZ GOT WOOD*

I just popped by to say +1 vote on adding fissidens and that it will attach to the wood.

The tank is looking good (even with the brown fuzz) I really like the long low tank and dragon stone combo  
(I tried a similar layout in my tank a couple of years ago and it looked rubbish!)


----------



## LondonDragon (19 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - MANZ GOT WOOD*



			
				a1Matt said:
			
		

> I just popped by to say +1 vote on adding fissidens and that it will attach to the wood.


True, if you need some drop me a PM


----------



## Jase (20 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - MANZ GOT WOOD*



			
				a1Matt said:
			
		

> I just popped by to say +1 vote on adding fissidens and that it will attach to the wood.
> 
> The tank is looking good (even with the brown fuzz) I really like the long low tank and dragon stone combo
> (I tried a similar layout in my tank a couple of years ago and it looked rubbish!)



Thanks Matt, I think Fissidens it is then   The more I look at it, the more obviously barren the wood appears. My original plan was to have some Bolibitis or Java Fern attached to the wood but I don't think this would work now.



			
				LondonDragon said:
			
		

> True, if you need some drop me a PM



I have a small amount already in the tank on the left that I got from Moostruhe, but I will definately let you know if/when I need more, thanks Paulo


----------



## Jase (26 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - MANZ GOT WOOD*

I'd best update the spec. to what I'm using now, has changed a lot from the original plan   

*Filtration* 
Eheim Pro 2222
*Lighting* 
Over Tank Luminaire 2 x 14w T5 with photo period of 8hrs per day 
*CO2*
Fire Extinguisher with Wave Regulator & Solenoid, with Glass Pollen 1000 nano diffuser on 2.5hrs prior to photo period for 8hrs  
*Fertilisation*
Daily dosing using dry powder fertilisers, Macro / Trace Elements alternate days
*Substrate*
Oliver Knott Nature Soil, Unipac Zambezi Sand
*Hardscape* 
Manzanita Wood, Dragon Stone 
*Plants* 
Cryptocoryne moehlmannii
Marsilea crenata
Eleocharis Acicularis 
Fissidens Fontanus (Phoenix Moss)
Bolbitus Heudelotii


----------



## andyh (26 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Hey Jase!

What about livestock then? What you doing?

Andy


----------



## Steve Smith (26 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

How's the diatoms going mate?  Have they run their course yet?


----------



## Jase (26 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				andyh said:
			
		

> Hey Jase!
> 
> What about livestock then? What you doing?
> 
> Andy



Hi Andy,

I'm a little confused about this tank, I put 2 Ottos in yesterday and after about a minute they were listless and I could poke them without response and pick them out with my fingers. They recovered within a few seconds of being in my other tank  :? I had just done a 50% water change on both tanks and the temperature was almost spot on.

After Paulo's suggestion of Cardinal Shrimp, that is the way I plan to go - no fish. Just need to find some...



			
				SteveUK said:
			
		

> How's the diatoms going mate?  Have they run their course yet?



Hi Steve,

Diatoms were still there yesterday. It had become very thick on three of the rocks and appeared to be 'respiring' (pearling) and it was annoying me so I went about it with the girlfriend's toothbrush   

I will put a pic up, possibly this evening. I have had a ridiculous amount of *more *Crypt melt but the Marilea and hairgrass are spreading nicely. Marsilea could do with a trim as it has become a bit leggy


----------



## andyh (26 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				Jase said:
			
		

> Hi Andy,
> I'm a little confused about this tank, I put 2 Ottos in yesterday and after about a minute they were listless and I could poke them without response and pick them out with my fingers. They recovered within a few seconds of being in my other tank  :? I had just done a 50% water change on both tanks and the temperature was almost spot on.



I suspect that was down to CO2 levels, i always like to make sure that the CO2 levels are low in a tank when i first introduce fish to a new aquarium. As when they are in the fish shop, the levels are low.

Its sounds like they may have been Stoned on CO2.  

Gently increase the co2 over a few days once you have introduced the fish. That way they can acclimatise to your conditions.

should be ok


----------



## Jase (26 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				andyh said:
			
		

> I suspect that was down to CO2 levels, i always like to make sure that the CO2 levels are low in a tank when i first introduce fish to a new aquarium. As when they are in the fish shop, the levels are low.



Co2 was my first thought but i'd just changed half the water specifically so I didn't gas them - hence my confusion  :?  After I removed them I did a 95% WC


----------



## Jase (28 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

*Update

Day 27 *

Yesterday it was trim time. The hairgrass had grown randomly and messy so out came the scissors   

You can see from the latest photo that the Diatoms have moved onto the Wood which makes the whole scape seem  darker, thankfully I gave the rocks a quick scrub to remove the majority of the brown algae (Diatoms)

You can also see the reduction in plant mass to the Crypts, major melt in that area and I removed a few that were showing early signs of melt, but there are new leaves coming through now - thank god   

Marsilea continuing to grow and spread quickly


----------



## chump54 (28 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

have you got any plans to let something grow above the surface on the right hand side... that would look fantastic, next to the wood.

Chris


----------



## Jase (28 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Hi Chris, hopefully the Bolbitus will grow above the water's surface, though I'm still not sure whether to attach it to the wood.

This tank is definately going to take a while to reach its peak, especially with all the Crypts melting, so I have plenty of time to adjust it, perhaps putting the moss onto the wood, along with the Boilbitus


----------



## chump54 (28 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				Jase said:
			
		

> Hi Chris, hopefully the Bolbitus will grow above the water's surface


oh nice, I haven't seen bolbitus emersed before.    

Chris


----------



## Jase (28 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Sam posted a pic of one of Amano's tanks on this thread, page 2, showing emerged Boblitus on the left hand side.

The brown algae is really frustrating me now, but what can you do but wait?!


----------



## samc (28 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

this will turn out a beauty jase.   

have you thought about an echindorus in the back corner? theres some nice ones out there

i would cut the acicularis down more. i normally do it to the substrate as it will die off now, so the less there is to die off the better


----------



## Jase (28 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				samc said:
			
		

> this will turn out a beauty jase.
> 
> have you thought about an echindorus in the back corner? theres some nice ones out there
> 
> i would cut the acicularis down more. i normally do it to the substrate as it will die off now, so the less there is to die off the better



Thanks Sam, I hope so and certainly think it has the potential to be good.

What sort of echindorus are you thinking of particularly? I've never used any species of echinodorus   

Looking at the hairgrass now, I'm going to have to agree with you about cutting it all back, close up it looks messy


----------



## samc (28 Feb 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

have a look on plantedbox for the echindorus. i was meaning for emersed. they all do ok in the average room humidity as far as i know. i have radicans in an emersed tank and the new leaves are a deep purple colour. i love them  

and i have made the mistake of not cutting the hairgrass right down before. the new stuff grows and the cut stuff dies so then they are all mixed, and to get the dead stuff out you have to cut it down


----------



## Jase (1 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				samc said:
			
		

> i have made the mistake of not cutting the hairgrass right down before. the new stuff grows and the cut stuff dies so then they are all mixed, and to get the dead stuff out you have to cut it down



Thanks for the advice always good to hear other people's experiences, I'll trim it right down



			
				samc said:
			
		

> have a look on plantedbox for the echindorus. i was meaning for emersed. they all do ok in the average room humidity as far as i know. i have radicans in an emersed tank and the new leaves are a deep purple colour. i love them



I have a feeling the scale of the tank will be lost if I use an Echinodorus - after looking at hydrophyte's Riparium, this tank is only tiny


----------



## andyh (1 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

I think your right about the echinodorus, especially if your thinking about tenellus. I had this in a previous scape and it grew up to at least 6-8 inches in height. The scale might not be right for you size of tank.

So what happened with the livestock? Shrimps and Ottos will help keep you algae at bay?


----------



## Jase (1 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				andyh said:
			
		

> I think your right about the echinodorus, especially if your thinking about tenellus. I had this in a previous scape and it grew up to at least 6-8 inches in height. The scale might not be right for you size of tank.
> 
> So what happened with the livestock? Shrimps and Ottos will help keep you algae at bay?



Hi Andy,

I had the trouble with my Ottos last week, but will be trying them again this evening after I've trimmed the hairgrass again and done a WC. Shrimp-wise, I'm trying to get some Cardinal Shrimp so I'm cautious of putting Cherry Shrimp in beforehand, I don't want the Cherry Shrimp to breed and take over the tank before I manage to get hold of any Cardinals.


----------



## andyh (1 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				Jase said:
			
		

> andyh said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Good luck with the Cardinals. I have never kept them as i have never seen them in the flesh, if i had i would of bought them. Lets hope your ottos go in without a problem, otherwise you can have to work out where the problem lies? :?:


----------



## Jase (1 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				andyh said:
			
		

> Lets hope your ottos go in without a problem, otherwise you can have to work out where the problem lies? :?:



I have an idea of what could be the cause - some sort of poisoning. I used some sheeting, that I received in a delivery from AE, to break the water surface when refilling the tank (much like Oli Knott) It resembles polystyrene but a lot thinner, you can roll it and scrunch it. I also used it for the same purpose immediately afterwards to fill my 125l. My 45+ shoal of Espei Rasboras were all dead within 1 minute, all sunk to the substrate belly up. I can only put it down to the sheeting. All Shrimp remain in good health. 
I now have the 5 Ottos I purchased for the Nano in the 125l and they are ok. I just hope it isn't a permanent thing in this tank, with the NS absorbing whatever toxins were on the sheeting.


----------



## Steve Smith (1 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Crikey Jase, that's not good   Fingers crossed that with a lot of water changes it'll sort things out.  I wonder if using activated carbon would help?


----------



## Jase (1 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				SteveUK said:
			
		

> Crikey Jase, that's not good   Fingers crossed that with a lot of water changes it'll sort things out.  I wonder if using activated carbon would help?



Worrying really. I've been changing 75% of the water every other day, which was why I was happy to try the Ottos last week. Carbon is a good idea definately worth a try, I have some fresh in the cabinet, I'll stick it in tonight


----------



## Jase (1 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

*Update

Day 30*

Massive haircut gone on this evening, acicularis trimmed right down to the substrate. A lot of die off gone now - looks like it's all gone    Followed by 300% WC   

I took the chance to take the wood out and blast it under the shower to get the diatoms off and added some Fissidens to each of the pieces. Looking at the photo, I don't like where the two small pieces of wood are now, so they will be adjusted tomorrow


----------



## Steve Smith (1 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Fissidens is awesome when it starts to creep naturally.  It started to do it in my shrimp tank, before I had to take it down:


----------



## Jase (1 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Aww man, I can't wait for this tank to grow in


----------



## Jase (9 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Marsilea was growing too leggy so got trimmed to the substrate. Diatoms still there but I haven't put the Ottos in yet


----------



## LondonDragon (9 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				SteveUK said:
			
		

> Fissidens is awesome when it starts to creep naturally.


I attached some to some redmoor roots, then got fed of it and removed it and scrapped it off, a couple of months later noticed little green things growing on the wood, and now it as covered the entire root (photos in my journal), from just a little bit of roots it grew and crawled all the way along the branch, really impressive, but also very slow lol


----------



## Jase (11 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

I recieved my extra portion of Fissidens from Paulo yesterday, thanks a lot bud    I will add it to the tank tonight and take some fresh photos

I've also ordered an UP CO2 Atomizer this week after several positive reviews http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT


----------



## Jase (24 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

*Update

Day 52   *

Overall I'm pleased with the look of the tank, it's developing, albeit VERY SLOWLY.

Marsilea is still sporadic, there are multiple stems that grow very tall very quickly, and others than wont grow at all. There is a lot of root movement though, as seen through the substrate at the glass edge  8) Hopefully this will kick in soon.

The Crypts are looking MUCH better, lots of new leaves, growing slowly but getting there   

Bolbitus is sprouting new growth quite quickly. 

Hairgrass is strange, not much upward growth and a lot more wavey than when I used it in my Pico  :? 

Diatoms, Brown algae is still a big issue in this tank, I'm putting this down to lack of maintenance as I've only ever done 1 water change per week. This will increase to two water changes per week minimum.

I've added two red eyed Tetras stolen from my dad's tank, these will be replaced soon but it's just nice to see some movement in the tank other than CO2 bubbles.


----------



## andyh (25 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Good to see some live stock in shot!

How you finding your atomizer?

Should look great once the plants get a little more established.


----------



## ceg4048 (25 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				Jase said:
			
		

> ...Diatoms, Brown algae is still a big issue in this tank, I'm putting this down to lack of maintenance as I've only ever done 1 water change per week.


Nope, put this down to too much light. Although multiple water changes do help. Halve your light and you will see immediate positive results. After a few weeks, when the bacterial colonies are more dense you can resume the higher lighting.

Cheers,


----------



## flygja (25 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

You could also get an otto. They really love diatoms and a pair of them cleared my 3-foot tank in 2 days.


----------



## Jase (25 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				andyh said:
			
		

> Good to see some live stock in shot!
> 
> How you finding your atomizer?
> 
> Should look great once the plants get a little more established.



I know, it's really nice seeing something swimming in there   It was my missus that forced my hand "are you ever going to have FISH in your fish tank"   "Yes, love"

Yes the atomizer is great, reduces the equipment in the tank and the plants are always covered in bubbles. I'll be getting one for my 125l when I get round to it.

Thanks Andy, I feel it'll be worthy of a flutter in the IAPLC if it decides to kick in  8) 



			
				ceg4048 said:
			
		

> Nope, put this down to too much light. Although multiple water changes do help. Halve your light and you will see immediate positive results. After a few weeks, when the bacterial colonies are more dense you can resume the higher lighting.
> 
> Cheers,



Thanks Clive, I have reduced the lighting from 8 to 7 hrs thinking this may have a contribution, but i'll try turning one bulb off and see how I go   



			
				flygja said:
			
		

> You could also get an otto. They really love diatoms and a pair of them cleared my 3-foot tank in 2 days.



I'm rubbish at keeping Ottos alive, even with offering them a variety of food as well as any algae they can find


----------



## Jase (26 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

I don't know how you fellas get decent snaps of your fish, something I need to work on for sure...

You can see the bubble size put out by the atomizer


----------



## Steve Smith (26 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Nice shots Jase   That really is a mist.  More and more tempted by one of these for my next setup.


----------



## andyh (27 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Jase 

my secret for the photos is to take them once the co2 has stopped!


----------



## Jase (28 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				SteveUK said:
			
		

> Nice shots Jase   That really is a mist.  More and more tempted by one of these for my next setup.



Yep it really is great, I'll be ordering one for my big tank too   



			
				andyh said:
			
		

> Jase
> 
> my secret for the photos is to take them once the co2 has stopped!



 Perhaps I'm too impatient

*Update

Day 57*

Purchased some new fish so gave the Red Eyes back to my dad.

I bought a group of 'Paraguay Tetras' _Aphyocharax paraguayensis _ RUBBISH shoalers   I waited for the CO2 to go off first Andy    

Fissidens from Paulo is looking good


----------



## Jase (30 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*


----------



## Steve Smith (30 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Hey Jase.  Comming along nicely!  Can't wait for it to fill in more


----------



## Jase (30 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				SteveUK said:
			
		

> Hey Jase.  Comming along nicely!  Can't wait for it to fill in more



Cheers Steve, I've cheated a little...

*Update

Day 59*

My plan originally incorporated a Java Fern or two, so I raided my 125l for some nice small needle leaf    Best thing I've done in this tank. Oh and I ripped the dirty Marsilea out. Tempted by Glosso as a replacement...


----------



## George Farmer (31 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Very nice, Jase.

Hardscape is particularly strong.  I almost think it may look better without the wood, and instead replacing it with a large piece of petrified wood to replace it as a focal point.  For me it's at odds with the naturalistic style of remainder of the layout, as it look like it's 'out on a limb'.

However, once the moss has grown in and the base plants are mature, I'm sure the effect will be softened.

Keep up the good work!


----------



## Jase (31 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> Very nice, Jase.
> 
> Hardscape is particularly strong.  I almost think it may look better without the wood, and instead replacing it with a large piece of petrified wood to replace it as a focal point.  For me it's at odds with the naturalistic style of remainder of the layout, as it look like it's 'out on a limb'.
> 
> ...



Hi George, thanks for your thoughts. I know what you mean about the solitary piece of wood I was thinking of naming the scape 'Lonely Branch' only yesterday    I had planned on using three pieces of similar size but the two other pieces are smaller and are quite hidden. Perhaps changing the background to white would highlight the smaller branches below.

Plenty of time over the long weekend to tinker with the tank and possibly plant some more in right corner to fill it out


----------



## Steve Smith (31 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

I think a white background might work well for this scape Jase


----------



## Jase (31 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				SteveUK said:
			
		

> I think a white background might work well for this scape Jase



I'll definately be giving a white background a go this weekend, and hopefully my local friednly P@H will have some Glosso in stock for me to plant up  8)


----------



## Steve Smith (31 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Come to TGM, I'm sure they'll have some


----------



## Jase (31 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

I was going to join the road trip but United-Chelsea is keeping me home


----------



## Jase (31 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				Jase said:
			
		

> I was going to join the road trip but United-Chelsea is keeping me home



Infact, I'm surprised Paulo has organised it, being a Chelsea fan


----------



## George Farmer (31 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

I also think a white background, or no background with backlighting on a pale wall, would suit this nicely.

All the best for the weekend (football and aquascaping!)

I look forward to the progress.


----------



## LondonDragon (31 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				Jase said:
			
		

> I was going to join the road trip but United-Chelsea is keeping me home


I did think about that also, but I it probably prevent me from having a heart attack! so TGM it is!! lol

Btw the tank is looking nice  once the fissidens covers the wood a little more it will blend in nicely


----------



## Jase (31 Mar 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				LondonDragon said:
			
		

> Btw the tank is looking nice  once the fissidens covers the wood a little more it will blend in nicely



Thanks Paulo, the Fissdens is crdit to you, so healthy, and still got half of it left   



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> I also think a white background, or no background with backlighting on a pale wall, would suit this nicely.
> 
> All the best for the weekend (football and aquascaping!)
> 
> I look forward to the progress.



My 125l has no background against the 'cappacino' coloured walls and it looks ok  :? . This one has a radiator behind, hence the tshirt attached to the back


----------



## Jase (4 Apr 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Here we go, white background. Please excuse the glare, these were taken literally 10 mins ago rushed, it's very sunny and I'm getting nagged to go and mash the spuds for dinner


----------



## hydrophyte (4 Apr 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

That looks lovely Jase. I like the extensive exposed hardscape.


----------



## Mark Evans (4 Apr 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

A massive improvement on the background.


----------



## chump54 (4 Apr 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

hey thats looking brill, the white bg makes it into a different scape. nice one

Chris


----------



## JamesM (4 Apr 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Looking good Jase


----------



## Steve Smith (4 Apr 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

That really lifts the whole scape Jase!  Everything pops better and the plants really stand out.  Before, they were sort of sucked into the background and the hardscape dominated.  Now it's a lot more balanced IMO


----------



## Jase (5 Apr 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				hydrophyte said:
			
		

> That looks lovely Jase. I like the extensive exposed hardscape.



Thanks Devin   I'm pleased with how it's starting to develop



			
				saintly said:
			
		

> A massive improvement on the background.



Cheers Mark, I have to agree although the hairgrass seems to disappear against the background though   



			
				chump54 said:
			
		

> hey thats looking brill, the white bg makes it into a different scape. nice one. Chris



Nice one Chris, credit goes to George Farmer for kicking me up the bottom to change to the white background  



			
				JamesM said:
			
		

> Looking good Jase



Cheers bud   



			
				SteveUK said:
			
		

> That really lifts the whole scape Jase! Everything pops better and the plants really stand out. Before, they were sort of sucked into the background and the hardscape dominated. Now it's a lot more balanced IMO



Thanks Steve, I'm pleased with how it looks now, much brighter and cleaner look. My fish choice is laughable now though, you can't see them


----------



## Jase (9 Apr 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

*Update*

*Glosso Added*

I also took my own advice and cut the Bolbitis right back to the Rhizome


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## George Farmer (9 Apr 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Definite improvement with the white background!  Credit to Steve for the idea; I just agreed...


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## andyh (9 Apr 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Wow Jase, its really coming along now, starting to look more mature, nice addition of the glosso!


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## Jase (10 Apr 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> Definite improvement with the white background!  Credit to Steve for the idea; I just agreed...



Thanks George, yep reading back it was Steve in fairness, sorry Steve   



			
				andyh said:
			
		

> Wow Jase, its really coming along now, starting to look more mature, nice addition of the glosso!



Cheers Andy. I had to try the Glosso, couldn't let you have a better carpet than me  

It's growing well now, lots of new growth from the crypts all coming out at once.

There may be a twist/alteration to the wood coming nothing fancy...


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## Garuf (10 Apr 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

It's crying out for some of Samc's custom acrylic pipes, the scape looks great, it's maturing well but every picture my eyes are drawn to the eheim green specials.


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## JamieOxford (10 Apr 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

Very nice tank, I like the aquascape and choice of rocks.
I'm currently setting up a 24x8x8" shrimp tank so it's always nice to see some inspiration.


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## Jase (10 Apr 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				Garuf said:
			
		

> It's crying out for some of Samc's custom acrylic pipes, the scape looks great, it's maturing well but every picture my eyes are drawn to the eheim green specials.



Cheers bud.

Argh don't say that, i was hoping nobody had noticed them!   In fairness i've been considering something to replace them for a while but haven't got round to doing anything about it. I looked into some HK glassware on fleabay and the inlets are all too longfor my tank. Does Sam make them to sell?   

In the meantime i'll take them and the heater out for photos


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## Jase (10 Apr 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				JamieOxford said:
			
		

> Very nice tank, I like the aquascape and choice of rocks.
> I'm currently setting up a 24x8x8" shrimp tank so it's always nice to see some inspiration.



Hi Jamie, thanks for your kind words. I think this shape tank is great, I'm considering getting one built in Optiwhite glass, I like it that much   

I look forward to seeing what you come up with and I'm flattered to inspire    Will you be doing a journal?


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## Garuf (10 Apr 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*

I don't think he does, he just happens to be very handy with acrylic, if you search for how to bend acrylic tube/pipe or something along those lines there's a thread that more than deserves stickying with details on how to bend the stuff and also a couple of users experiences.


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## Jase (10 Apr 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long*



			
				Garuf said:
			
		

> I don't think he does, he just happens to be very handy with acrylic, if you search for how to bend acrylic tube/pipe or something along those lines there's a thread that more than deserves stickying with details on how to bend the stuff and also a couple of users experiences.



Thanks Gaz I'll have a look into it


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## Jase (10 Sep 2010)

*Re: Jase's 28l Long - "Attrition"*

Rare update from me. This tank has kicked the blahblahblahblah out of me and has been duly named 'Attrition' meaning 'wearing down to weaken or destroy' - it almost beat me  I got bored shortly after the last update and left the tank to its own devices leading to even more diatom brown algae everywhere and then BBA, hair algae, poor plant growth. 

I then decided enough was enough and that a tank with a volume that i could possibly drink in one sitting, was not going to get the better of me   Cue massive cleaning and maintenance programme, including daily 'weeding' of hair algae from my Fissidens, not much but just a few strands growing daily. And with this newly inspired urgency to defeat this monster I discovered the holy grail to the planted tank - FREQUENT WATER CHANGES! What. A. Difference. You can stick your weekly 50% WC up your ars...  ...bums   Alternate days minimum 75% WC, up to 600% WCs in the early stages of the cleaning

I've added more plants - _crypt wendtii 'Tropica', green, e.tennelus_. 
Also _staurogyne repens_ which, like all the other plants I have tried in the right hand front corner failed. So that's _lilaeopsis novae-zelandiae_, _marsilea crenata_, _staurogyne repens_ and also glosso that i could not grow in that corner. 
*But the good news is that I can grow UG in there   Don't tell anyone...*

It all needs a trim and a tidy-up, hence no FTS   

*Teaser pic   *


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## Lisa_Perry75 (10 Sep 2010)

It certainly does tease! I don't believe you, you better post a FTS... While you are doing 75% w/c every other day how did you dose your ferts to compensate?


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## Jase (10 Sep 2010)

Hi Lisa, with the larger WCs I dosed as normal. I changed say on Sunday adding normal Macro dose after, Monday add normal Trace dose, then WC on Tues adding normal Macro dose after, Weds add normal Trace dose, etc. 

When I say 'normal' Trace dose, i mean a triple dose, as usual   

*UG immediately after planting 24.08.10 (front right hand side to the left of the dying staurogyne  )*




*UG growth 09.09.10*


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## Gill (10 Sep 2010)

Looks Amazing, Dunno how I missed this thread.


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## chump54 (10 Sep 2010)

thats great, the rock and crypts work really well. 



Chris


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## Jase (10 Sep 2010)

Gill said:
			
		

> Looks Amazing, Dunno how I missed this thread.



 Possibly because I havent updated for 5 months. Thank you, I'm really pleased with how it's developed



			
				chump54 said:
			
		

> thats great, the rock and crypts work really well.
> 
> 
> 
> Chris



Thanks Chris, appreciate the positive feedback


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## andyh (10 Sep 2010)

Jase, well done mate for sticking with it! It's all to easy to give up but you have learnt the secret (which isn't really a secret) water changes are your friend! The tank looks great dude, how about a few more pics?

Also well done on the UG, the 3 cherry shrimp in my tank have had half of it so they will be coming out tomorrow!
Cheers
Andyh


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## Jase (11 Sep 2010)

andyh said:
			
		

> Jase, well done mate for sticking with it! It's all to easy to give up but you have learnt the secret (which isn't really a secret) water changes are your friend! The tank looks great dude, how about a few more pics?
> 
> Also well done on the UG, the 3 cherry shrimp in my tank have had half of it so they will be coming out tomorrow!
> Cheers
> Andyh



Cheers Andy. Yep, I'm so pleased I stuck with it. Will try and get an FTS later but for now, i'm off down the golf course   

I still have Cherries in this tank but they don't go near the UG. There is something about that corner that they, and all other plants I have put there, don't like. I presume it's the fast flow. The filter blast from the front left to back right corners and whips around in a figure of eight meaning super fast flow over there


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## Lisa_Perry75 (11 Sep 2010)

It looks pretty good to me!!!


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