# Rivers Edge - ADA 45P - planted and filled



## Kalum (19 Mar 2018)

After initially having my halfmoon rosetail betta in his own tank and moving him to a peaceful community tank I've decided while he seems happy, he definitely enjoyed being on his own more so this will be tailored to him, plus it satisfies my MTS.... 

Simple low tech mini jungle theme with manzanita wood and variations of java fern, mosses, frogbit and a few other tbc plants

Tank - ADA 45p
Lighting - Chihiros A-series plus (A451) 
Filter & heater - Eheim 250t 
Cabinet - IKEA Besta

Hardscape made with 5 pieces of manzanita and I used bastel plastik to join them, will all be covered with java fern and moss so the white bits will be hidden

Excuse the reflections


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## Digitalfiend (22 Mar 2018)

Looks like a good start with that wood!


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## Aqua360 (22 Mar 2018)

good job on the wood, looks like a great start to the hardscape


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## Smells Fishy (22 Mar 2018)

Cool man. It'll be nice to see how this turns out.


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## Kalum (1 Apr 2018)

Finally getting round to setting this up, fiddly job but getting there


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## Fiske (1 Apr 2018)

Your betta will love it if you find a solution for dimming that 451. Plants too I guess, if you're going for slow growers and no CO2. Otherwise, expect algae.


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## Kalum (1 Apr 2018)

Fiske said:


> Your betta will love it if you find a solution for dimming that 451. Plants too I guess, if you're going for slow growers and no CO2. Otherwise, expect algae.



It has an inline dimmer but will also be running a TC421 controller, on the fence whether I'll use liquid CO2 or not but definitely no gas


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## Kalum (1 Apr 2018)

Excuse the reflections and glare, impossible to get a good shot during the day 

Last shot is gravel I'm on the fence with adding to give the substrate a bit more texture, but I kinda like it simple as well....


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## Daveslaney (1 Apr 2018)

.Looks great.
I would add the gravel under the wood leave the left side and front plain sand.


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## Smells Fishy (1 Apr 2018)

Yeah add some gravel.


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## Kalum (1 Apr 2018)

Done for the day, will see how I feel about the gravel in a day or 2

Temp green inlet back right until my stainless steel inlet arrives


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## Tim Harrison (1 Apr 2018)

Nice epiphytic planting, and wood. I like the contrasting negative space as well


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## Kalum (2 Apr 2018)

Running a VIV Lily Pipe Spin coupled up to an Eheim 250t on this, overkill as it's 950lph but i'm restricting flow by using the spin pipe and reducing tubing from 16/22mm directly from filter down to 12/16mm so i can use 13mm inflow/outlflows.

Had the filter turned right up initially and the spin pipe does a good job of keeping the gentle flow throughout the tank.......the only downside which my poor betta can testify to, is that it creates a vacuum at each side of the pipe which sucks anything near it in. Upon inspecting the lily pipe my betta had the washing machine treatment and the filter is now turned down to half way. Very slight movement of plants but more importantly the betta can swim close but get away from the outflow without the fear being sucked in and being dazed and confused for the next 10min

Wanted to try the spin pipe out of curiosity but will be keeping an eye on it and see how well or not the betta and plants react to it, the juggling act of keeping a very gentle flow for the betta and a healthy enough flow around the tank!


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## Aqua360 (2 Apr 2018)

I always avoid liquid carbon with my beta's, not because I have scientific proof of it being harmful to them, its more just a general instinct. You may find good results with simple ferts and water changes with the plant selection, a further consideration would be floating plants, but may not be to your aesthetic tastes


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## Kalum (2 Apr 2018)

Aqua360 said:


> I always avoid liquid carbon with my beta's, not because I have scientific proof of it being harmful to them, its more just a general instinct. You may find good results with simple ferts and water changes with the plant selection, a further consideration would be floating plants, but may not be to your aesthetic tastes



Floating plants are already in (frogbit and salvinia). That's exactly my thinking, i'm going to try and run this on ferts only (1/5 EI) and see how i get on. Liquid carbon will only be added if plants struggle. I'm still trying to find a balance in my high tech so don't want to over complicate this one


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## Kalum (2 Apr 2018)

Exploring his new surroundings


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## CooKieS (2 Apr 2018)

Very clean looking


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## Digitalfiend (3 Apr 2018)

Wish I could find wood like that around here.  Is that really manzanita?  The stuff I ordered a while back looks more like: http://www.treelocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/manzanita-branch-pile.jpg  ... _much_ lighter in colour and also more thin and branch-like. 

I love the rich smooth texture of that wood you're using.  Looks like select ADA horn wood  Where did you get it from?


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## Kalum (3 Apr 2018)

Thanks mate I got it from Aqua Essentials, I've noticed the lighter manzanita and also ADA hornwood and have to say it does look more like hornwood, it was sold as manzanita but it's quite soft and smooth so not sure if either aged or just named incorrectly

This is the main lower piece when I first got it


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## Digitalfiend (3 Apr 2018)

Cool, thx for the link. 

That is going to be one happy betta.   Wish I had got the 45p for mine instead of the Mini M for the additional space.  Have you given your betta a name yet?  My daughter insists that all of our bettas must be named.


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## Jayefc1 (3 Apr 2018)

Looks amazing and a beautiful lil fish too


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## Kalum (4 Apr 2018)

Water change tonight and after some fissidens arriving in the post from @Ryan Thang To I added that in as well as some gravel, might play about with it a bit front left but overall happy with it


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## Jayefc1 (4 Apr 2018)

Looks good think the gravel adds a lil texture to the sand I got my moss of Ryan today too nice moss looks healthy


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## CooKieS (4 Apr 2018)

Adding Gravel is an good idea, adding some small sized pebbles under that Wood would look even better IMHO


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## Kalum (4 Apr 2018)

Adding small stone or pebbles at the base of the wood was the initial idea but I like the clean look it has without at the minute, I've got some small stones lying around so might have a pay about but pretty happy as is


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## Killamanjaro (5 Apr 2018)

Beautiful scape, I really like the way you've arranged the wood and the selection of plants.


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## Kalum (5 Apr 2018)

Light was playing havoc with the camera so terrible pic but this is the sight every time I go near the tank


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## Kalum (9 Apr 2018)

Anacharis has been growing rampant in the first week and reached the surface alreadg, major cut back and replant to the dismay of one betta...


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## Kalum (18 Apr 2018)

Added 5 shrimp from my other tank into this to see how they'd get on together, both are inquisitive of each other but no aggression at all, betta will swim near them but isn't interested and they'll come right up, walk past and he doesn't bat an eyelid


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## Gill (18 Apr 2018)

Lol would you just look at all that poop


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## Kalum (18 Apr 2018)

Gill said:


> Lol would you just look at all that poop



Yeh it's fair to say the shrimp have settled in well.... That's only 4 days and 5 shrimp!


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## Kalum (28 Dec 2018)

Not updated this in ages so thought I really should. 

All shrimp have been removed so it's betta only and has been for a while, unfortunately my betta has been suffering from pretty bad fin rot the past couple of weeks and I think his eyesight is going as he's not able to spot food as well, still acting normally and happy apart from that with bubble nests but just not as active as he used to be

Sand replaced with ada la plata and the trusty coconut has been moved back in to try and give the betta a bit more cover while he's poorly

After never having success with frogbit with most of it dying off even with dosing full EI I've finally started to see a difference since I started to dose calcium at the last water change (very soft water), somehow affecting uptake of another fert??

This is how it stands now, should have got a before the sand removal and clean but I removed masses of fissidens so some of the wood is looking a bit messy at the minute


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## Konsa (29 Dec 2018)

Hi Kalum
To be successful fith floaters is best if U manage to contain them in one area of the tank so they dont get moved (get bashed )arround.I use fluorocarbon fly fishing line just  under water level with suckers on glass is virtually invisible in water.I grow floaters indoors  and outdoors(in rain water) successfully and some have never seen ferts but still growing.I will personally go for Dwarf watter lettuce  in that size tank as frogbit can get really big root system 
Regards Konsa


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## Kalum (29 Dec 2018)

Konsa said:


> Hi Kalum
> To be successful fith floaters is best if U manage to contain them in one area of the tank so they dont get moved (get bashed )arround.I use fluorocarbon fly fishing line just  under water level with suckers on glass is virtually invisible in water.I grow floaters indoors  and outdoors(in rain water) successfully and some have never seen ferts but still growing.I will personally go for Dwarf watter lettuce  in that size tank as frogbit can get really big root system
> Regards Konsa



Thanks Konsa, my spin lily pipe keeps flow very calm and still for the betta so floaters are not not moving around at all and I still had no luck preciously. Interesting you have success with no ferts as well. 

Out of interest do you have hard or soft water? I'm just thinking too soft water might have something to do with it as it's too much of a coincidence that I up my dkh and all of a sudden they spring to life


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## Konsa (29 Dec 2018)

Hi
I have moderately hard water out of the tap.
But doubt that it has much to do with the floaters success as I have them outside in pure rain water too.They grow slow in there but still grow.I have some frogbit in there now that is not completely dead yet from the cold.My tanks are all covered tho
If one floater is not working try another.U never know
Regards Konsa


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## Kalum (10 Jan 2019)

Unfortunately my wee betta took a turn for the worse over the past few week and was struggling to swim, would dart to the surface then literally fall to the substrate then he'd just lie on the substrate on his side, was eating till the past couple of days and was clearly suffering so I've just had to euthanize the poor wee guy


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## AverageWhiteBloke (10 Jan 2019)

That's a bummer mate, if it's any consolation he looked quite an old fish. have you tried a bit of magnesium in your water. I found when running low ferts in soft water with slow growing plants that a little bit of magnesium and potassium picked the floaters up a bit.


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## Kalum (10 Jan 2019)

Thanks mate and yeh had him for a year and he was clearly getting on a bit

I'm dosing full EI in both my tanks so more magnesium and potassium than they could ever need especially in this as I've only been dosing Excel and no gas co2


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## AverageWhiteBloke (10 Jan 2019)

Ok, worth a punt.


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## Kalum (12 Jan 2019)

Probably a gut reaction but would be weird to just replace my betta into the same scape so it's been torn down and will rescape, on the look out for a Galaxy/Koi betta but in no rush as I'll be using Amazonia so will need that to cycle first

State of affairs today....




And scape table ready to have a play around with


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## akwarium (12 Jan 2019)

sorry to hear about your Betta.  In my opinion they are fish made for rainy days, looking at them always cheers you up. And so, despite the fact that I feel they look like swimming drag queens on steroids,  I truly like them. 

Looking forward to your new scape!


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## Kalum (13 Jan 2019)

akwarium said:


> sorry to hear about your Betta.  In my opinion they are fish made for rainy days, looking at them always cheers you up. And so, despite the fact that I feel they look like swimming drag queens on steroids,  I truly like them.
> 
> Looking forward to your new scape!



Thanks akwarium and couldn't agree more, they are definitely the divas of the fish world. Great wee fish that show personality you can actually interact with

Some Sunday morning scraping which has reinforced the need (as if I needed any encouragement) for more stone and wood, will see what Aquasabi and Aquarium Gardens have in stock, it's just a shame I can never pick them in person as it would save me a fortune!

Gives the rough idea of what I'm thinking, stone separating ADA Amazonia at the back and ADA La Plata at the front

Will be low light and low flow (but high turnover) but will more than likely low dose excel so most stems won't grow dense enough and end up leggy, I'm leaning towards going down the Crypt and anubias route with planting, but I do want something with a bit of substance in the back right but needs to be in proportion

Open to suggestions on planting


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## Kalum (17 Jan 2019)

Order has been placed for:

5kg of Seiryu
Anubias Pangolino
Micranthemum 'Monte-Carlo' Tropica 1-2 Grow!
Helanthium tenellum 'Green' - Tropica 1-2 Grow!
Echinodorus Tenellus Tissue Culture -Linea In-Vitro
Cryptocoryne Willisii Tissue Culture - Linea Vitro
Hygrophila 'Siamensis 53B' Tropica 1-2 Grow!

Also received 3 new pieces of manzanita at the weekend so should be all set once it arrives

ADA Amazonia (normal and powder) is soaking in buckets at the minute so i don't get the normal ammonia burn on the monte carlo. Why i'm trying it again i don't know as never had any luck even with co2......


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## Ady34 (17 Jan 2019)

Glutton for punishment 

Always exciting awaiting an order.....


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## Konsa (17 Jan 2019)

Hi
Will be good idea to put air stone in those buckets with Aquasoil  and change the water now and then  too
Regards Konsa


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## Kalum (17 Jan 2019)

Ady34 said:


> Glutton for punishment
> 
> Always exciting awaiting an order.....



Honestly I don't know why i do it to myself, i just seem to gravitate towards MC/HC every time i order plants even though i've tried 3 times and failed 3 times to grow it!



Konsa said:


> Hi
> Will be good idea to put air stone in those buckets with Aquasoil  and change the water now and then  too
> Regards Konsa



Changing the water daily at present but no air stone, wouldn't have thought that would benefit much?


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## AverageWhiteBloke (17 Jan 2019)

For the NH4 (Ammonia) to convert to No2 (Nitrite) then No3 (Nitrate) it's going to need to rob an O molecule from somewhere, hence keeping the water oxygenated with an airstone would be my guess.


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## Kalum (17 Jan 2019)

AverageWhiteBloke said:


> For the NH4 (Ammonia) to convert to No2 (Nitrite) then No3 (Nitrate) it's going to need to rob an O molecule from somewhere, hence keeping the water oxygenated with an airstone would be my guess.



I'm not looking to cycle the substrate, just let it leech the ammonia in the early stages of it being submersed as it always does, the tank its going into has been kept going with a mature filter and ADA la plata so trying to avoid any cycle once introduced


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## AverageWhiteBloke (17 Jan 2019)

Ok mate, I thought it might have been to keep it aerated so it doesn't become anaerobic and stagnating.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (17 Jan 2019)

Just to add id there's nothing there to start converting the Ammonia, won't it just stay ammonia and soak back into the granules. Should be ok if you're changing the water in the bucket I guess.


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## Kalum (17 Jan 2019)

Yeh all fair points that you and Konsa are bringing up mate, if there's any benefit in it then I have one sitting so can easily add it, without water changes I'd definitely agree

This is the first time I've pre-soaked it and it was just a thought to try and reduce the ammonia phase of the soil so I can stock as early as possible while I'm awaiting hardscape arriving anyway

Basically like re-using old amazonia instead of brand new and assuming there won't be a continued ammonia leeching after the usual initial 2-3 weeks?


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## AverageWhiteBloke (17 Jan 2019)

I'm not sure mate, I'm not familiar with the substrate. I did have a look into it a while back when another poster was using ADA ferts but without the substrate, it became apparent that ADA ferts or at least for the first 6 months to a year didn't have any N and P in them as most of this was derived from the substrate. I have heard that ADA substrate has 100x the amount of EI dosing in it but I don't know if this is ammonia that's converted to nitrate or these is also nitrate "built in" as well. Either way it seems to get released slowly over quite a long period whatever it is. Sorry I can't help you more, would be better speaking to someone who has experience with it and see how long the ammonia leaching goes on for. I would guess though once a tank, the plants and the bacteria are established any further ammonia it did release would be mopped up pretty quick before it has chance to cause a problem with the fish.


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## Kalum (17 Jan 2019)

that makes sense with the lean dosing approach of the ADA ferts in the early stages but yeh I don't know for certain one way or another with how and what is released. All I know is from my own experience and others on here in that the first 2-3 weeks it leaches a fairly high amount of ammonia, whether that is the intended source of nitrates is an interesting point but even using a mature filter and tank you still see an early spike with new substrate.

That could well be the time it takes for the bacteria to adapt and process it quick enough after a few weeks, or it levels off after an initial spike


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## AverageWhiteBloke (17 Jan 2019)

Would make sense mate, I'm not as much advising you here as running through it with you. I'm sure the scientists will be along shortly when they've finished work


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## Kalum (17 Jan 2019)

Every day is a school day for most so it's good to talk through and understand things better, pre-soaking it could be completely pointless but it also won't do any harm. Will see for myself in a week or 2 once it's being used.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (17 Jan 2019)

I don't think it would be pointless for sure, if you change the water in the bucket now and again it will surely remove the ammonia leached.


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## Konsa (17 Jan 2019)

Hi
Being in a bucket is not ideal.It caps itself sort of and only the upper layers are leaching what they are leaching. An ait stone will create some movement trough substrate hence better. I find it best to put airstone during night in the tank itself once it is setup and do the daily WCs and U won't get ammonia burn on plants .Other option is to plant the carpet later, lets say on week 3-4.
Here is 2 weeks difference after airstone addition.
Before




After



Regards Konsa


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## Kalum (17 Jan 2019)

AverageWhiteBloke said:


> I don't think it would be pointless for sure, if you change the water in the bucket now and again it will surely remove the ammonia leached.



That's my thinking as I (currently) believe it produces a higher ammonia release in the first 2-3 weeks than it does after this period. 

Question is.....is that correct or does it still release ammonia after this which is used as a nitrogen source and we just don't see the ammonia as the bacteria is processing consistently by that point


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## Kalum (17 Jan 2019)

Konsa said:


> Hi
> Being in a bucket is not ideal.It caps itself sort of and only the upper layers are leaching what they are leaching. An ait stone will create some movement trough substrate hence better. I find it best to put airstone during night in the tank itself once it is setup and do the daily WCs and U won't get ammonia burn on plants .Other option is to plant the carpet later, lets say on week 3-4.
> Here is 2 weeks difference after airstone addition.
> Before
> ...



Thanks for the input Konsa and what a difference in the carpet in just 2 weeks! I'll have a Chihiros Doctor running on the tank so hopefully that will aid the oxygen levels in place of an airstone

The soil is being moved around in the buckets daily when changing water which is more than would be happening in the tank once planted but i get your point about water movement possibly aiding in the leaching process.

I still had ammonia burn in my last scape even with very regular water changes as usual in a new setup


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## dw1305 (17 Jan 2019)

Hi all,
I'd go for an air-stone as well. If the ammonia is converted to nitrate (NO3) (and it will be eventually, even without the air-stone) you don't then want anaerobic denitrification (NO3 ~ N2 gas) to occur. If the the oxygen levels are higher it will just remain as NO3 until the plants use it. 

The <"COMAMMOX _Nitrospira_"> that can convert ammonia directly into nitrate are pretty much universal in the environment. 





Kalum said:


> All I know is from my own experience and others on here in that the first 2-3 weeks it leaches a fairly high amount of ammonia, whether that is the intended source of nitrates is an interesting point but even using a mature filter and tank you still see an early spike with new substrate.
> 
> That could well be the time it takes for the bacteria to adapt and process it quick enough after a few weeks, or it levels off after an initial spike


 Probably is the "wrong" micro-organisms that have proliferated under high ammonia loadings. It won't matter in the longer term as ammonia levels fall the microbial assemblage will change.

cheers Darrel


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## AverageWhiteBloke (17 Jan 2019)

dw1305 said:


> I'd go for an air-stone as well. If the ammonia is converted to nitrate (NO3) (and it will be eventually, even without the air-stone) you don't then want anaerobic denitrification (NO3 ~ N2 gas) to occur. If the the oxygen levels are higher it will just remain as NO3 until the plants use it.



See @Kalum I'm not as daft as I look....I couldn't possibly be  Wasn't a bad guess. Told you they'd be here as soon as they finished work, they can't resist a good bacteria discussion


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## Kalum (18 Jan 2019)

Haha thanks gents, water change done on the buckets last night and an air pump with 2 lines added in each to keep things moving


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## alto (19 Jan 2019)

Commiserations on your Betta loss - amazing how attached one can become 

Maybe look for a HMPK next time around - gorgeous colours but a lot less fin to manage

Just be careful with “dragonscale” Bettas (plakat or “regular”) - breeders attempt to get a full mask, but there will always be some with partial mask, and some where the mask “overgrows” and the metallic scales eventually cover eye and gills as the fish matures (I’ve seen this most often in the “dragons” red,black,gold etc where there’s a high degree of glitter/iridescence on the body scales, and full mask of course)

Have you seen the “hellboy” Bettas - brilliant strong colours 
(non dragonscale)

For the MC, try planting very small clumps - my tap is basically rain water and this seems to work best - once I’ve got submerse MC established, I can rip it up and use as minimal replanting stock and it grows like crazy
(Tropica Soil Powder)

Can you add CO2 temporarily? this definitely helps MC 
- though I’ve had it do very well in the window low tech tanks in summer: lots of light, no CO2 - even with only a few inches of water, no filter, loads of green algae arrived ... when I finally got back to the tank, water changes etc, the MC and Marsilea crenata were battling for carpet space (and no visible algae )

Hemianthus micrathemoides does very well in soft water, no CO2 
H siamensis 53B Tropica tissue culture did fine initially but without adding GH/KH it gets unhappy after some months

Don’t let the H tenellum invade the MC - without CO2 I suspect the MC will fade in the battle


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## Mark bowen (19 Jan 2019)

Lucky Betta


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## Kalum (19 Jan 2019)

alto said:


> Commiserations on your Betta loss - amazing how attached one can become
> 
> Maybe look for a HMPK next time around - gorgeous colours but a lot less fin to manage
> 
> ...



Thanks alto, some good info and I'll definitely take your advice when planting the MC and I'm raising my GH/KH a bit over tap as I've found a few plants struggle with very low levels so hopefully keeping it in the 4-6 range will help. No spare reg for co2 so isn't an option but liquid co2 can/will be used 

I've decided on a Galaxy Koi HMPK which also have localised iridescent scales and markings but the hell boys are stunning as well, really bold colours. The mustard gas variation is also one I was considering

Interesting to hear about the dragonscale varient and its a shame it gets to the point of selective breeding where the animal suffers as a result

And yes I only read about the tenellum being quite invasive after I placed the order, is it still quite rampant under low tech conditions?


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## Kalum (20 Jan 2019)

Initial very quick layout after receiving the stones today, going away for a couple of days so will come back to it and see what I want to change


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## oscarlloydjohn (20 Jan 2019)

The manzanita looks great in there


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## Kalum (20 Jan 2019)

Thanks Oscar

Meant to say the stone behind the vertical branches is just there to hold it in place and that area will be planted. Part of me kind of likes it as well if raised a fair bit in height 

A bit more height would be added to the right hand side stones with substrate


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## alto (20 Jan 2019)

The low curving wood is my favourite - I’d elevate it slightly above the substrate so it’s not lost in the planting


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## Kalum (22 Jan 2019)

alto said:


> The low curving wood is my favourite - I’d elevate it slightly above the substrate so it’s not lost in the planting



Thanks Alto, it's a good point and I'll have a play about with levels in the next day or 2

Any suggestions with planting?

So far my thoughts are:

Helanthium tenellum 'Green' behind stone on left (should keep it from taking over)
Monte Carlo around base of wood and lower section of rock (not looking for a carpet of this)
Hygrophila Siamensis 53B back right corner

I did have Echinodorus Tenellus and Cryptocoryne Willisii ordered but Aquarium Gardens are out of stock now and need to get back to Dave with alternatives

Torn with what to plant back middle and right hand side........


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## alto (22 Jan 2019)

Buces?

Try establishing some MC in the rock crevices - not sure how this will go as no CO2

Hemianthus micrathemoides usually grows well without CO2 - not as “lush” but still a lovely green fine leaf stem 

Rotala Vietnam H’ra seems to do OK as well, again nice small leaf, though you’ll need to seed how green vs pink it goes 

I quite like some E parvula for texture - it’s usually less compact under lower light

H tripartita - again nice contrasting texture, colour


Crypt beckettii petchii (Tropica) is one of my favourite crypts

Helanthium ‘Quadricostatus’ (Tropica) also plays quite nice in low tech setups


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## Kalum (22 Jan 2019)

alto said:


> Buces?
> 
> Try establishing some MC in the rock crevices - not sure how this will go as no CO2
> 
> ...



Some food for thought there @alto cheers 

Buces (possibly theia or mini red) at the base of the wood is on my list and I have anubias nana pangolino for between the rocks

H tripartita is a good idea but unsure if this would be too much for a tank my size and the scape, could be nice back right if I moved the Siamensis 53b to the back centre possibly...

I have C. Beckettii in my other tank and really like it but thinking something about 10cm height max for the right hand side so it doesn't hide the back right planting


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## alto (22 Jan 2019)

Tropica C beckettii petchii is maybe 4-5cm tall in my tanks, C parva is very low, but also very slow
If you begin with C wendtii green (Tropica) it may also remain small in a low tech 

H tripartita is all about the trimming 

I’d keep the Siamensis less central as it can easily dominate


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## Kalum (22 Jan 2019)

OK, after staring at the hardscape and a few tweaks decision made

Planting will be:

Tenellum back left
H tripartita back centre
Siamensis 53b back right 
C willisii right middle
MC around around wood base and above rocks
Buce (tbc) at base of wood
Anubias nana between rocks
And unsure whether to add some riccardia to the wood or leave it clean, will decide later


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## neonplanet40 (25 Jan 2019)

Just curious mate, how do you find your light? I am about to set up my old 40l tank (Dimensions approximately: W = 12 inches, H = 14 inches, L15 inches) and need to get a light for it. Unsure what to get at the moment.


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## Kalum (25 Jan 2019)

neonplanet40 said:


> Just curious mate, how do you find your light? I am about to set up my old 40l tank (Dimensions approximately: W = 12 inches, H = 14 inches, L15 inches) and need to get a light for it. Unsure what to get at the moment.



If anything its too bright, I'm running it low tech and I've got it around 10% and it's more than enough, it's a good light and have zero complaints but on a tank this depth it's overkill, if I was to buy another it would be the wrgb version


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## Kalum (27 Jan 2019)

Wood cabled tied and bastel plastik used to set in place and create a footing to sit underneath the substrate


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## Kalum (27 Jan 2019)

Realised that I had set the left hand branch far too low but I'll just have to live with it for now and will adjust in a week or 2


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## Kalum (31 Jan 2019)

Didn't last long before I changed the wood the joys of using bastel plastik is that it just needs dipped in boiling water to soften, adjust and leave to reset


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## neonplanet40 (31 Jan 2019)

Looking great mate. Just realised your in Dunfermline (I'm in Alloa) so good to know there are semi locals to share advice lol.


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## Marc Davis (31 Jan 2019)

Nice scape. Just needs some cheap diy co2 and away it goes.


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## Kalum (1 Feb 2019)

Haha small world and thanks mate, if you're struggling for stone for your new tank let me know as I've got a fair bit after buying new stuff from Andrew on here (that won't be for sale but got at least 2 other bags of Seiryu and manten stone), depends what you're looking for and sizes, drop me a pm and happy to help out a local


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## Kalum (1 Feb 2019)

Marc Davis said:


> Nice scape. Just needs some cheap diy co2 and away it goes.



Thanks Marc, it's looking pretty bare until it grows in but trying to stay away from c02 with this, it's a nice comparison to my high tech


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## Kalum (1 Feb 2019)

ordered Bucephalandra Deep Purple and Mini Red for this but i'm thinking i should have waited to order as they will be going through the post as we speak in -8deg....hope they survive

General tank stats at present:

Full EI dosing
LC (Excel) - 2ml daily
Lighting period = 3pm till 7pm @ 10%, 7pm till 9pm ramp down to 0
Eheim Pro 4 250t set at 50% with spin lily pipe which means very low flow
Temp is 24deg


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## Kalum (2 Feb 2019)

Bucephalandra came.... Both were £5 each from k2aqua which I've had great dealings with in the past, picture on ad is very misleading and shows a pot sized amount and I trust them so didn't bother looking at description, my fault as it stated 1 plant 5 leaves and they weren't joking with the deep purple...






So ill be ordering more in vitro buces from my trusted source of Aquasabi again once the weather gets a bit better


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## Kalum (3 Feb 2019)

Waiting for this wee guy to arrive next week, Galaxy Koi HMPK


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## Kalum (6 Feb 2019)

Got this wee guy this morning, he's tiny and only about 4 months old. Colours are amazing and the iridescent galaxy markings are almost glow in the dark and change from white to bright blue


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## Konsa (6 Feb 2019)

Hi
May I ask where U got him from?
Im trying to lure the girlfriend for another tank and she loves a good  betta.lol
Regards Konsa


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## akwarium (6 Feb 2019)

it is for sure a pretty little fish! 

HMPK stands for half moon plakat?


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## Kalum (6 Feb 2019)

Konsa said:


> Hi
> May I ask where U got him from?
> Im trying to lure the girlfriend for another tank and she loves a good  betta.lol
> Regards Konsa



Chen's betta on FB, best quality bettas I've seen for sale



akwarium said:


> it is for sure a pretty little fish!
> 
> HMPK stands for half moon plakat?



That's the one mate


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## Kalum (6 Feb 2019)

I've got 4 of my cherry shrimp from my high tech tank in with him at the minute to test his tolerance to them as I'm wanting a clean up crew to help but don't want any other fish

But....

1. Do I use this for my best cherries
2. Do I go for something slightly different like a high grade orange neocaridina
3. Do I go down the crystal red/snow white route and try something different to my main tank


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## Kalum (7 Feb 2019)

Betta seems to be inquisitive of the shrimp but not aggressive and doesn't chase, goes right up nose to nose and swims away, as I first came in today he was flaring away at me so quite surprising he's chilled with the shrimp but could be good news for the next part....

Been offered some pure white line shrimp, good price but they still aren't cheap so it could either be an expensive snack or a nice wee breeding project in this tank

Tank parameters are close but not perfect for them:
pH = 6.9-7.0 slightly high
GH = 5-6
KH = 1-2
TDS = 130-180
Temp = 25deg slightly high


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## Gigiobx (8 Feb 2019)

Kalum said:


> Thanks mate I got it from Aqua Essentials, I've noticed the lighter manzanita and also ADA hornwood and have to say it does look more like hornwood, it was sold as manzanita but it's quite soft and smooth so not sure if either aged or just named incorrectly
> 
> This is the main lower piece when I first got it
> View attachment 114468


That's the piece that really caught my eye!


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## DutchMuch (8 Feb 2019)

Kalum said:


> Do I go down the crystal red/snow white route and try something different to my main tank


+1 for this choice 


hot betta btw


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## Kalum (20 Feb 2019)

Turns out this wee riot will kill any shrimp in sight and refuses to eat anything but frozen bloodworm or artemia, he also loves uprooting plants and trying to get as close to the spin outlet as possible and swimming in and out of the current, polar opposite to my chilled betta before but just as hilarious to watch and full of character

New bubble nest every day when I come home as well


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## Kalum (20 Feb 2019)

Also started my first dose of Rhizotonic today, just 3ml at water change at least initially


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## CooKieS (20 Feb 2019)

Sorry for your shrimps, each betta is so different.


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## Kalum (20 Feb 2019)

CooKieS said:


> Sorry for your shrimps, each betta is so different.



He was fine the first week then once he settled in he just goes after everything, luckily I didn't put my PWL shrimp in with him but still a shame for the couple of cherries that I tried in there


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## Jayefc1 (20 Feb 2019)

What's rhizotonic


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## Kalum (20 Feb 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> What's rhizotonic



It's an algae based fert that is supposed to stimulate root growth so I'm using it in my 2 tanks as I'll have a lot of buces and moss


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## alto (21 Feb 2019)

A gorgeous Galaxy Boy 
- keep a photo log for his changing colour


I’ve yet to have an HMPK that doesn’t go _a shrimp hunting 
_
In a densely planted tank with lots of carpet and hardscape, it may take a few months before the Betta becomes that focused Hunter ... now my plakats need to make do with smaller, non-shrimp tanks 

 My most impressive Shrimp Marauders
1) a tiny licorice gourami pair, male instantly killed several shrimp that were almost as big as him (during the time it took me to find a net and collect him)
2) a lovely black orchid HM ... as above it was 60 seconds of carnage 
Tank was an established Spec 19 with plants, shrimp etc 

Most domestic Bettas take a while to discover the Joys of Shrimp Hunting, some become very dedicated, some remain  “lazy hunters”, others just ignore the shrimp and even allow bold shrimp to steal prime treats


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## alto (21 Feb 2019)

Kalum said:


> He was fine the first week then once he settled in he just goes after everything, luckily I didn't put my PWL shrimp in with him but still a shame for the couple of cherries that I tried in there


What is your PWL line?

I keep reading that as Pure White Line


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## Harry H (21 Feb 2019)

That is a beautiful beta!


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## Kalum (21 Feb 2019)

alto said:


> A gorgeous Galaxy Boy
> - keep a photo log for his changing colour
> 
> 
> ...



Yeh i'll definitely be taking pics every week to keep an eye on his colours changing, will be interesting to see how he turns out as he's still quite young

He seems to be doing a good job already at taking out adult shrimp, it's a weird one as it's a natural thing for them in the wild but i'd also feel guilty if i was to 'feed' him shrimp. Did you find your bettas kill and leave or kill and eat? this guy seems to tear to shreds and eat  my last betta was too slow and lazy to the point the shrimp would climb all over him if he stayed still long enough



alto said:


> What is your PWL line?
> 
> I keep reading that as Pure White Line



Yes Pure White Line, pics are in my other journal here - https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/buce-drift-new-arrivals-settling-in.56037/page-3#post-553045



Harry H said:


> That is a beautiful beta!



Thanks Harry


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## lazybones51 (21 Feb 2019)

I added a small female Betta to my RCS/Guppy tank. Over a few days she killed (but didn't eat!) half the colony.


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## Kalum (23 Feb 2019)

Move the buce I had in here to my other tank and swapped it for the anubias I had in there, also added some weeping moss to the branches

Some healthy growth, albeit slow as expected, no algae to report yet, lots of limpets annoyingly though!

Added a frosted background which I think works great with this and will be staying, unsure about the same on my main tank though


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## alto (23 Feb 2019)

lazybones51 said:


> I added a small female Betta to my RCS/Guppy tank. Over a few days she killed (but didn't eat!) half the colony.


Every female I have kept began shrimp hunting very quckly


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## Kalum (5 Mar 2019)

Ripped out the Echinodorus Tennelus as it didn't really fit in colour wise, plus it was a bit spread out with it's runners so wouldn't really work where i had it, the Helanthium tenellum works well as it's contained in the left hand side

Soon to be replaced with Eleocharis mini and couldn't resist H. Tripartita mini after seeing it in @CooKieS tank.

Got carried away as always and added my 12th variety of buce (green variety this time) and some normal sized Tripartita for my main tank


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## CooKieS (5 Mar 2019)

You won't regret it, the mini hydrocotyle is one of my new fav plant; versatile, cool for nano and easy to grow.


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## Natasha (5 Mar 2019)

May I ask, where are you getting the hydrocotyle mini? I love the look of it. @CooKieS @Kalum


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## Kalum (5 Mar 2019)

CooKieS said:


> You won't regret it, the mini hydrocotyle is one of my new fav plant; versatile, cool for nano and easy to grow.



Looks like the perfect transition plant from low to high level planting and between hardscape



Natasha said:


> May I ask, where are you getting the hydrocotyle mini? I love the look of it. @CooKieS @Kalum



Aquasabi are the only place i've seen it so far. Feel like i'm cheating on Aquarium Gardens  but they have a slightly different stock list so use both and found them both to be great


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## Natasha (5 Mar 2019)

Thank you! Ah yes, Aquarium Gardens are great, hopefully they will stock it soon.


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## CooKieS (5 Mar 2019)

Natasha said:


> May I ask, where are you getting the hydrocotyle mini? I love the look of it. @CooKieS @Kalum



Got it from aquasabi too, their XL portion are very nice, love them.


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## Kalum (9 Mar 2019)

Always impressed with the quality of the xl in vitro pots from aquasabi


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## Kalum (9 Mar 2019)

Had a big maintenance day on my 2 tanks with some planting and minor changes, plus an 80% WC on both

Excuse the bubbles and limpets, planning to treat with esha adx to get rid (need to look into dose)

Eleocharis mini to replace the MC, it was growing well but change of heart and want to try something to add a bit more texture and depth


 



Hydrocotyle tripartita and the mini version planted to hopefully give a bit more depth and a stepped height to the back


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## Kalum (9 Mar 2019)

Oh and a bucephalandra biblis sp. green


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## X3NiTH (10 Mar 2019)

I used Gastropex to clear my limpets when I was worrying they were eating the Buce and leaving holes in leaves, (actually watched one on the Buce, observed what it was doing and where it went and it wasn't the cause of damage I saw on the Buce even after a few days monitoring the patch it fed on, the leaf was still healthy, it was eating either diatoms or algae on the leaf) wasn't going to take chances and elected to rid what I could not see. Took a few doses to get rid of them because they clamp down hard to exclude the external environment. Best method to get rid I found was to use a finger nail to exert pressure on the carapace to cause it fracture (letting in the gastropex) or break apart completely and the fish get a quick meal.


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## X3NiTH (10 Mar 2019)

Mind you on closer inspection you've got quite a few I see. Give em the thumbnail on the ones you can see.


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## Kalum (10 Mar 2019)

X3NiTH said:


> I used Gastropex to clear my limpets when I was worrying they were eating the Buce and leaving holes in leaves, (actually watched one on the Buce, observed what it was doing and where it went and it wasn't the cause of damage I saw on the Buce even after a few days monitoring the patch it fed on, the leaf was still healthy, it was eating either diatoms or algae on the leaf) wasn't going to take chances and elected to rid what I could not see. Took a few doses to get rid of them because they clamp down hard to exclude the external environment. Best method to get rid I found was to use a finger nail to exert pressure on the carapace to cause it fracture (letting in the gastropex) or break apart completely and the fish get a quick meal.



Cheers for the info mate, I've never seen then on any plant yet but I do have some damage on the anubias, its more for the untidy look they give the tank more than anything though, unfortunately I struggle to get my hand in to the tank due to the branches and would end up causing more damage to the hardscape and uprooting plants

Think I'll try a couple of bits of veg and see if that entices them...


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## dw1305 (10 Mar 2019)

Hi all, 
I have <"Limpets"> (_Acroloxus lacustris)_ in the tanks and I'm pretty sure that they don't eat any of the plants.  Mine tend to come and go in abundance, but I don't know why.

cheers Darrel


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## Kalum (10 Mar 2019)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> I have <"Limpets"> (_Acroloxus lacustris)_ in the tanks and I'm pretty sure that they don't eat any of the plants.  Mine tend to come and go in abundance, but I don't know why.
> 
> cheers Darrel



I've always had them in both my tanks even though I buy 90% of plant in vitro but suppose that is still 10% where I've not been as careful, never had them this bad and is usually just a handful

They don't bother me apart from looking untidy (same as the love or hate snail dilema)


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## dw1305 (10 Mar 2019)

Hi all,





Kalum said:


> I've always had them in both my tanks even though I buy 90% of plant in vitro but suppose that is still 10% where I've not been as careful, never had them this bad and is usually just a handful


I think mine came in with some moss that I picked up from <"Bosherston Lily ponds">, but I've put a few different wild collected mosses and plants, so they might have come with other mosses etc. They seem to come and go in abundance, but I don't know why.

I believe they feed at night, but I've never seen mine anything other than static on the glass.

cheers Darrel


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## Kalum (10 Mar 2019)

Just came home and was admiring the view as I walked into the living room with nothing but tank lights on so thought I'd share


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## Kalum (14 Mar 2019)

Seen another stunnjng HMPK galaxy betta for sale tonight, similar markings but mainly white instead of red

So tempted to get another small tank....


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## CooKieS (14 Mar 2019)

How much? Saw some nice ones at my LFS but they were asking 45€ which is way too much expensive IMO


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## Kalum (14 Mar 2019)

CooKieS said:


> How much? Saw some nice ones at my LFS but they were asking 45€ which is way too much expensive IMO



Yeh that's very expensive, standard price I've seen them for is £25 which includes my LFS and online 

I have plenty of hardscape left over from my 2 tanks, I've got a betta trio with dividers removed but it's more of a spare/quarantine emergency tank but do I try a shallow tank....small cube....or just stick with the 2 tanks I have and spare myself the extra maintenance...


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## alto (14 Mar 2019)

Kalum said:


> Seen another stunnjng HMPK galaxy betta for sale tonight, similar markings but mainly white instead of red
> 
> So tempted to get another small tank....


Do it!

Remember that rule of odds (human perception finds asymmetry more attractive )


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## Kalum (14 Mar 2019)

alto said:


> Do it!
> 
> Remember that rule of odds (human perception finds asymmetry more attractive )



Like you're thinking @alto but I'm too late and that one is sold already, ones like that don't come up often but it's got me thinking again though...


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## alto (14 Mar 2019)

CooKieS said:


> How much? Saw some nice ones at my LFS but they were asking 45€ which is way too much expensive IMO


Depends on the fish 
Show quality, breeder quality are expensive fish, new color strains cost much more (and breeder will sell males only, also never top males)


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## alto (14 Mar 2019)

@Kalum 
Now you’ve time to get a tank set up 
(and keep the Q/H tank stashed away still)


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## Kalum (15 Mar 2019)

@alto i've been toying with the idea of using my quarantine tank as a buce grow out tank (experiment) and cost wise that might just win out even though i would love another betta, never say never though and might end up with both in the future...


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## Matt @ ScapeEasy (21 Aug 2019)

Any updates? (Please!)


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## Kalum (21 Aug 2019)

Long overdue an update but this is about to see its 3rd rescape, I removed the wood as it was too much of a pain for maintenance (should have known better) and I've let the tennelum and frogbit run rampant

Betta is doing great and has darkened up a lot so will get a pic soon


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## alto (21 Aug 2019)

Kalum said:


> soon


Soon!


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## Kalum (29 Aug 2019)

Ok so I promised a couple of betta update pics...

Apologies for the poor quality but he gets far too excited when you approach the tank and darts about


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## Kalum (29 Aug 2019)

This is also the last picture of the tank before it's torn down, it's been neglected over the summer due to work commitments and most of the wood was removed to make water changes easier but it will be getting a makeover in the next couple of weeks with some new wood that arrived from the states now I have more time


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## alto (3 Sep 2019)

Stunning Galaxy!

He’s worth rather more now if you chanced to list him 

A great example of how “red” hides beneath “blue” in Bettas


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## Kalum (3 Sep 2019)

Thanks @alto the pictures dont do him justice and his iridescent scales are something else with the blue really bright now

I would love to breed him as it seems a waste not to and lose his colour strain so to speak but I just dont have the space or means to properly raise them


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## alto (3 Sep 2019)

Kalum said:


> would love to breed him as it seems a waste not to and lose his colour strain


Not to worry, he has at least 50 full brothers (+ sisters) 
(& possibly many more)


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## alto (11 Sep 2019)

Kalum said:


> makeover


?


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## Kalum (12 Sep 2019)

alto said:


> ?



 All in good time mate, got a week off work next week so plan is to rescape this and also set up the new 75P 

Very simple hardscape of just manzanita for this one this time round


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## Kalum (12 Sep 2019)

and after the carnage that ensued after trying him out with shrimp.......i'm thinking about trying him with a nerite snail, need some sort of clean up crew and hopefully he leaves it alone

There are still a few shrimp surviving in there and will be pulled when i rescape but i've also found a few errrmmmm, less than intact lets say  definitely an angry wee boy


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## alto (12 Sep 2019)

I think you need to try several snails - that will divide Mr Betta’s focus 

Dark shrimp seem to attract less attention, you can also try some of the Japonica var. (meanest shrimp I’ve ever seen)

Have fun next week


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## Kalum (12 Sep 2019)

this is a very true but i also want to limit the amount of annoying white eggs around the tank.....

I've been completely snail free in my tanks up until now but i need a clean up crew in this tank, i put in culls from my main tank so they were pretty clear. Sometimes he leaves them alone and swims on by, sometimes it's like a scene from Kill Bill


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## Kalum (8 Oct 2019)

A long overdue update with the new low maintenance and simple re-scape...


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## Kalum (23 Oct 2019)

the lack of surface movement on this tank bothers me, ran co2 on it for a couple of days but a surface film of co2 developed which is obviously not good for a surface breather like a betta so was swiftly removed

i'm at a crossroads with this tank with the following options:

Stick with running the Eheim 250t and remedy the surface movement with an aquascaper skimmer inflow
Remove the Eheim external and use an Eheim Liberty 130/200 HOB (really liking the liberty on my nano tank), simplifies the tank completely but will need to add an internal heater. This will give a slow flow water movement around the tank (more than option 1)
Side (rim) mounted lights bother me for maintenance and after setting my other 2 tanks up with a chihiros vivid and flexi mini i'm considering my options of changing the light (ONF flat nano or similar as this doesn't need to be high light)


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## Kalum (24 Nov 2019)

So as above this tank was pretty much just thrown together as a quick fix while I decided where I was going to go next with it, after searching for a while I finally found the perfect piece of hardscape for what I'm planning....

This will be the new main hardscape piece, lighting will be changed to an ONF Flat Nano and filtration will be an Eheim Liberty 130 HOB


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## alto (29 Nov 2019)

I missed your Oct 23 post ... I run a few nano tanks with just an Eheim 350 skim or Mini Up, I also just set the lily pipe so that it gently roils the surface, there may be some CO2 loss but it seems to work well enough 

I’ve in LOVE with my ONF Flat Nano (I got the + version as it was on sale for not much more)

 for the rescape


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## CooKieS (29 Nov 2019)

alto said:


> I’ve in LOVE with my ONF Flat Nano (I got the + version as it was on sale for not much more)



I've to Say that I'm regretting selling mine...looking for the + version too now , Pricey but very good for nano tanks and versatile.


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## Kalum (29 Nov 2019)

I've been impressed with the eheim liberty HOBs I've now got running on my 2 nano tanks, good turnover without too strong flow, plenty of room for media for such a small unit and perfect surface rolling  as I always seem to get a slight film on my nanos, plus it's not affected by floaters like the eheim skim can be and like you say @alto I'm happy with a bit of co2 loss and will just run a bit higher 

@alto @CooKieS I just got the normal one since the actual light is the same and £30/40 for it being app controlled is a nice option but not something I'm too bothered about on this tank


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## Geoffrey Rea (29 Nov 2019)

Kalum said:


> I've been impressed with the eheim liberty HOBs I've now got running on my 2 nano tanks, good turnover without too strong flow



If you don’t work for Eheim @Kalum you should 

You’ve sold me on the Liberty HOB, just ordered the 75 model. Going to try it on a Nano shrimp tank.


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## dw1305 (29 Nov 2019)

Hi all, 





Geoffrey Rea said:


> If you don’t work for Eheim @Kalum you should. You’ve sold me on the Liberty HOB, just ordered the 75 model


I <"like them"> as well. 

cheers Darrel


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## Kalum (29 Nov 2019)

Geoffrey Rea said:


> If you don’t work for Eheim @Kalum you should
> 
> You’ve sold me on the Liberty HOB, just ordered the 75 model. Going to try it on a Nano shrimp tank.



 I wish I was getting commission mate but can't take the credit I stole the use of them from @Iain Sutherland 

I've got the 75 and 130 at the minute


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## Kalum (16 Dec 2019)

Some new stone/pebbles for the upcoming rescape


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## dw1305 (16 Dec 2019)

Hi all, 





Kalum said:


> Some new stone/pebbles for the upcoming rescape


They are very nice, some genuine water rounded granite cobbles, like @doylecolmdoyle's from <"5 ft Bookshelf....">



 

cheers Darrel


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## Kalum (16 Dec 2019)

Thanks Darrel and natural is exactly what I want this scape to be, back to basics and something a bit different from my high tech 75p and those types of tanks and hardscape

@doylecolmdoyle and some others on here have pulled off the simplistic scapes like this well so will see how I get on with this one


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## Kalum (30 Dec 2019)

Blank canvas ready for the rescape


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## Kalum (30 Dec 2019)

My betta seems to be loving life in my flexi nano so that might become his forever home, but it means this will be empty......any suggestions?


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## Monkfish (31 Dec 2019)

Wood looks like an animal with it’s head to the ground.


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## Kalum (31 Dec 2019)

@Monkfish it's amazing what people can see in things just like clouds, now you say it I can kinda see it as well 

Having a think overnight and I'm thinking about a small group (6ish) of pygmy corys for this as well as it being a shrimp tank (instead of my flexi mini being my shrimp tank, this being 3x the size will help stability for them as well)

Tempted to add something else but need to watch it's not over stocked but been having a look at loaches, gobys, sparkling gourami (scarlet badis and pea puffers are out due to shrimp unfortunately)

Or the easy nano go to of bororas brigittae


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## Jayefc1 (31 Dec 2019)

I like the simple scapes have you seen this  

Just rescaped my 800 with @Geoffrey Rea amazing plants 
Cheers
J


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## Kalum (31 Dec 2019)

I love the look of them @Jayefc1 and your new scape looks great! But I think I'd get bored too quickly with it (like I did with my iwagumi) 

What I have in my head with this is a fair bit going on between hardscape and variety of plants, fingers crossed I pull off the picture I have thought up...


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## Deano3 (31 Dec 2019)

i see a t-rex looking thing in the wood now you say,looking forward to what you do and i am the same keep thinking i want a iwagumi but i know i would get bored as loving the stems etc currently.

Good luck whith what ever you do
Dean

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


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## Kalum (1 Jan 2020)

Few new bits to try out on this tank


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## Jayefc1 (1 Jan 2020)

I like the stainless co2 tube connector glass always breaks on me 
But I also like the look of the bending neo diffuser so no need for a connector 

Cheers
J


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## Kalum (1 Jan 2020)

That's exactly why I bought the SS ones as my last glass one broke on me @Jayefc1 the only thing that outs me off the bendy ones is the heating leaves black marks on the acrylic 

Hardscape update, still need a journal title for this...


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## Jayefc1 (1 Jan 2020)

I think juris did an update on how to bend with out marking the plastic when he did the first vid he held the flame to close and heated to quickly he said
Hard scape looks good mate like the pebbles
Cheers
J


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## CooKieS (1 Jan 2020)

Jayefc1 said:


> I think juris did an update on how to bend with out marking the plastic when he did the first vid he held the flame to close and heated to quickly he said
> Hard scape looks good mate like the pebbles
> Cheers
> J



Yes, stupid mistake


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## Jayefc1 (1 Jan 2020)

They do look really good though


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## Kalum (5 Jan 2020)

Up and running


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## Deano3 (5 Jan 2020)

Looks good mate should grow in nicely love the rock work.

Dean

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


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## Kalum (5 Jan 2020)

Thanks @Deano3 pretty happy with it so far, turned out fairly close to how I pictured it in my head


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## Kalum (7 Jan 2020)

Such a peaceful and 'zen' little tank......until the pygmy cories arrive


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## Patrick Crowley (8 Jan 2020)

Looks great!  I like the river stones, makes a nice change to the seiryu/dragon stone you often see in scapes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Kalum (8 Jan 2020)

Thanks @Patrick Crowley thats always nice to hear and exactly why I decided to try and do a tank like this, something a bit different and it also gives me another challenge

I was finding myself in the same old mindset with each of my 3 tanks so have rescaped them to 3 different styles and it makes for much more interesting viewing and looking forward to taking a step back and enjoying watching them grow in


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## robinj (30 Jan 2020)

Nice tanks you have. Like those big pebbles. I want to ask sth. 
Are your Eheim HOBs silent? Are you satisfied with them? I have Aqua Nova NF450 on my 12L and it has good feature - there is reverse valve so the filter doesn't get empty when out of electricity. Is there sth similar or what happens in case of power cut?


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## Kalum (31 Jan 2020)

Hi @rjugas thanks for the compliment 

They are quiet but do give off a slight hum, and mo they do slowly drain back into the tank when power is turned off


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