# IM BACK- Nature's River by Harry Robinson



## HarryRobinson (26 Jul 2012)

So I figured people who are new to viewing my journal would like to skip right to the end to see the updates, so here I am creating a new journal for the scape, starting from yesterday where I planted it up  

Specs:

Tank: 36x21x20cm
Lighting: 2x 12w LED's
Substrate: ADA Aquasoil, Maui sand
Filter: Eheim 2213
Fertilizers: TPN+ and Easy Carbo 0.5ml a day
Decor: Manzanita Wood
Plants: HC, Cryptocoryne wendtii green, Marsilea Crenata, Pogostemon erectus, Riccia Flutians
Critters: None as of yet 

I Will be doing weekly updates on the progress and growth and will also answer questions, maybe ask a few too 

FTS

FTS 26-07-2012 by Harry.R, on Flickr


IMG_0251 by Harry.R, on Flickr


IMG_0250 by Harry.R, on Flickr


IMG_0253 by Harry.R, on Flickr

Thanks for looking


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## Ian Holdich (26 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

looks really good mate, nice pics as well.


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## Rowly (26 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Stunning scape Harry, looking forward to seeing it grow in! 

Rowly


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## HarryRobinson (26 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*



> looks really good mate, nice pics as well.



Thanks Ian, yeah just started using picasa, i can't get used to photoshop ahh!



> Stunning scape Harry, looking forward to seeing it grow in!



Thanks Rowly, you'll have to thank Antipofish for the idea   , but i made it come a realtity    I too am looking forward to it growing in, the pogostemon has a lot of growing to do haha


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## Ady34 (26 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

loving the moody shots Harry, very nice.
Like the way the marselia creeps up amongst the wood too  
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## HarryRobinson (26 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Thanks Ady, yeah picasa has some cool effects, strays your eyes away from my terrible photography with a point and shoot though haha  Yeah that was the intended plan with the Marsilea, also to just place it randomly throughout the scape to add an extra natural feel to the scape


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## HarryRobinson (27 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Okay so i've noticed a few deficency's on some plants, could you help us out here? 

The Marsilea's leaves have browning at the edges

Marsilea browning by Harry.R, on Flickr
HC browning

HC Browning by Harry.R, on Flickr
Signs of HC melt

HC melt by Harry.R, on Flickr


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## Kristoph91 (27 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Looking good mate. 

Best get some nice shrimp in there to keep on top of the housework!


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## HarryRobinson (27 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*



			
				KrisHumphreys1991 said:
			
		

> Looking good mate.
> 
> Best get some nice shrimp in there to keep on top of the housework!



Yeah im trying track some down haha


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## ceg4048 (27 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson 'Deficiency help please*

Nice scape mate. Really well executed. Add more CO2 and/or review flow/distribution to get better flow to the substrate. This is easy to diagnose.

Cheers,


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## HarryRobinson (27 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson 'Deficiency help please*



			
				ceg4048 said:
			
		

> Nice scape mate. Really well executed. Add more CO2 and/or review flow/distribution to get better flow to the substrate. This is easy to diagnose.
> 
> Cheers,



Thanks Clive, I would add more CO2 if i had it  Im using Easy Carbo Currently with TPN+, maybe up the dosing of easy carbo? I'll have a look at the flow.


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## ceg4048 (27 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson 'Deficiency help please*

Yeah mate, no doubt. More EasyCarbo = More CO2. 
Reducing your light intensity while you troubleshoot is always a smart move as well.

Cheers,


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## HarryRobinson (27 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson 'Deficiency help please*

So, from 0.5ml a day to maybe 1? 1.5? I cant reduce my light intensity because they are two LED bulbs, removing one would leave one side of the tank dark.


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## Antipofish (27 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson 'Deficiency help please*



			
				HarryRobinson said:
			
		

> So, from 0.5ml a day to maybe 1? 1.5? I cant reduce my light intensity because they are two LED bulbs, removing one would leave one side of the tank dark.



Cant you put a dimmer switch on them Harry ?


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## HarryRobinson (27 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson 'Deficiency help please*

They are wired onto a plug going into a timer, then into a power socket, i haven't a clue how to put a switch on 

Since your here matey, did you post that purigen last week?


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## wazuck (28 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson 'Deficiency help please*

Just a thought, you can buy dimmer switches That look like a plug timer. They were designed for desk lamps. Could be good for your situation? Just plug it into the socket and turn the dial down. Easy. How's the shimmer with the lights?


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## ceg4048 (28 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson 'Deficiency help please*



			
				HarryRobinson said:
			
		

> So, from 0.5ml a day to maybe 1? 1.5?


Yes you can treble or even quadruple the amount you are dosing but beware that some plants have a lower tolerance. This plant is not one of those but I don't know what else you have in the tank.


			
				HarryRobinson said:
			
		

> I cant reduce my light intensity because they are two LED bulbs, removing one would leave one side of the tank dark.


OK, well if you can't then you can't. The important lesson here is to know that more light requires more CO2, so whereas you might have solved the problem with a lesser increase in EasyCarbo dosing, this amount of light will require a higher increase in dosing. It's probably not a big deal in this case, but in the future, for bigger or more important projects you may want to include dimmable lighting in your planning.

Cheers,


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## Iain Sutherland (28 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson 'Deficiency help please*

just be a bit careful mate, i seem to remember reading that riccia doesnt like liquid carbon, but i may be wrong.


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## HarryRobinson (28 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson 'Deficiency help please*



> How's the shimmer with the lights?



Looks brilliant mate, enhances the fact the scape is made to be like a stream/river where the water surface would be making a shimmer naturally 



> Yes you can treble or even quadruple the amount you are dosing but beware that some plants have a lower tolerance. This plant is not one of those but I don't know what else you have in the tank.



Yeah, ive got riccia so i only dosed 1.5ml today to see how it goes 

Okay, so im gonna head off to the LFS to see if i can locate some cherry shrimps! Need a clean up crew!


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## Kristoph91 (28 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson 'Deficiency help please*

Good idea. 

Maybe an amano or two would help !


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## HarryRobinson (28 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson 'Deficiency help please*

LFS had no shrimp what so ever! Damn! Suppose anyone knows anyone who have some shrimpys to sell?


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## Kristoph91 (28 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson 'Deficiency help please*

There's loads of people on here mate. Just look at the old ForSale/Swap/Wanted section, find an old RCS for sale thread and PM the member. 

Done. 
Probably cheaper and better to get them from someone on here anyway 

I'd give you some, but I can't while I'm here


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## HarryRobinson (29 Jul 2012)

I'll do that then


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## Garuf (29 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson 'Deficiency help please*

Very nice scape, I can't wait to see it grown out.


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## HarryRobinson (30 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Little update, HC was showing signs of melting and yellowing but after the up in dosage of carbo im seeing lots more horizontal growth and no more melting  Will be getting some shrimp this week, got a little algae that need seeing to!

Just 1 question, would 1.5ml easy carbo a day be okay for shrimp in my tank?

HC

HC by Harry.R, on Flickr

1 week FTS

Natures River Harry Robinson by Harry.R, on Flickr


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## HarryRobinson (31 Jul 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

So i've ordered some Eleocharis mini and styrogene repens from TGM both 1-2 grow becuase its brilliant stuff! I think i'll leave the shimp for a while until my tank its full grown in, then the shrimp will have lots of places and plants to explore


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## HarryRobinson (1 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

I really under estimated the power of purigen, WOW! Also by upping my dosage of easy carbo the growth from the hc is immense, its spreading like craaazy


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## OllieNZ (4 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Hey Harry,
Did you end up incresing the light or are you still using the 3ws? looks great btw


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## GreenGrow (4 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Really good sense of depth in the tank, the only thing that you could do is possibly get a smaller grain size for the sand to help with the scale? Just a thought but looking forward to this one fully grown in.


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## HarryRobinson (5 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Yes ollie, ive upgraded from 3w led's to 12w ones  

I would get a smaller grain Ed but it would be so tricky adding it to the tank, and i kind of like how the big soil granules look like pebbles in a river


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## HarryRobinson (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Black background?


NR black background by Harry.R, on Flickr


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## pariahrob (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

I'm a fan of black backgrounds but I'd like to see it without any photo editing done. More importantly, are you happy with it?


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## HarryRobinson (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Yes i'm really pleased with the current state of the tank, i just need those plants to fill in! Will have some more 1-2 grow plants by Friday so im looking forward to that  Here's a picture un-edited.


un edited by Harry.R, on Flickr


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## Antipofish (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Harry I really do like this tank. You have chosen some great plants and the different types give good texture and balance, and as you say, when its grown more it will look awesome.  The black background in this instance really adds to the overall appearance, so I would say definitely keep it 

Whatever you have growing on the wood needs to be kept reasonably short IMO, and this will help maintain the illusion of scale.  Add to that swapping that white grit for some finer white sand and I think it will be bang on.  I know you said you liked the larger grain (and ultimately its your scape so thats what matters), but I cant help agreeing with someone else who suggested the same.  The finer sand will bring much more illusion of scale.  If you want to maintain the appearance of a riverbed then keep some of that grit and scatter it over randomly and even add a few slightly larger pebbles (though they would be small for what they are but would look like boulders in a riverbed).  If you do swap it over it should not be too much of a PITA.  Just drop the water level way down first and adding the replacement sand should not be that scary.  You could take the opportunity to add some dividers in between the aquasoil and the riverbed 

Keep going mate, its really taking on a great appearance though.


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## Emyr (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

That's a really beautiful little tank Harry, great use of the space within a small tank. I particularly like the piece of wood branching across and coming out the top of the water, it almost extends the tank into the surroundings and makes it seem bigger, the sand path is nice as well. Love the second photo down in your first post (apart from the TPN bottle at the side) with the plant to the side, what effect/filter/app have you used on those first photos? Can we see a photo of the lights above it?


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## HarryRobinson (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Thanks chris, Im glad someone has picked out that i ahve chosen lots of plants to make it look as natural as possible. To add to that i'm getting two more species friday, Eleocharis mini and styrogene repens so im sure it will look even better when they arrive  

I think i will keep the background, i love how everything looks alot greener.

I took your advice on the moss and have cut it short, must say it does look alot better!

Instead of using white sand for the river bed, do you think maybe that i could crush/grind the left over sand i have from doing this? Trust me i have alot left


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## HarryRobinson (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

We posted at the same time Emry haha  

Thanks for the kind comments, i use picasa to edit my photos and just mess around with a few presets they have like cross processing and using a vignette to fade the edges  

Gimme 5 mins and i'll post a pic of the whole setup in situ for you all


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## HarryRobinson (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*


NR in Situ by Harry.R, on Flickr


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## Antipofish (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Lol, its up to you, but I personally dont think you will get the right effect without a LOT of grinding (ooer).  I would consider selling what you have left if you can and buying a small bag of whatever sand you like.  Unipac do small bags that only cost about £4   But hey, why not try it with a small bit and see what happens.

(PS, its St*au*rogyne  )


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## Emyr (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

I like it without the black background, it blends into the surroundings better and opens it all up more and the wood stands out, the black closes it all in a lot. I know what you mean about it enhancing the greens a lot which does look nice but for me your particular scape looks better without. Interesting lighting rig, how did you decide on how high to fit it in regards to how much light you wanted the tank to get?


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## Ian Holdich (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*



			
				HarryRobinson said:
			
		

> NR in Situ by Harry.R, on Flickr




^^^love this PIC Harry, really well done mate, it's coming on nicely.


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## HarryRobinson (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Ooer indeed chris ahaha, yeah i'll sure have a look into getting some sand, i'll probably get some when im at the lfs in a few weeks to get some cherries 

Emyr, The lights where setup like this so that i don't get beams in the tank from the LED rays  Now im looking at it, i'm sure ive not seen anyone have a light setup like this before!

Thanks Ian, I agree


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## OllieNZ (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

That insitu shot is sweet looking and the light setup is definitley unique


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## HarryRobinson (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

A view from the top, excuse the oily water  


top by Harry.R, on Flickr


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## Westyggx (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Looks awsome mate!


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## Antipofish (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Just a tip Harry... you can soak up any surface cum pre photo by using some kitchen towel


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## Westyggx (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*



			
				Antipofish said:
			
		

> Just a tip Harry... you can soak up any surface cum pre photo by using some kitchen towel



I hope you meant scum lol


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## Antipofish (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*



			
				Westyggx said:
			
		

> Antipofish said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Oops, yes      Mind you, people did ask me what a "protein skimmer" was for on my Marine setup  8)  But lets not continue this


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## Antipofish (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*



			
				ianho said:
			
		

> HarryRobinson said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Harry I have to completely agree with Ian here.  Thats an excellent pic.  I love the planting tools on the table for extra scale.


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## HarryRobinson (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Thanks guys, i would use a kitchen towel however with the wood sticking out the water  its quite difficult not to move the wood which would uproot my plants, trust me it happened a few days ago


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## HarryRobinson (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Look at this little bugger i just spotted! Id? Remove it or keep it? 



snail by Harry.R, on Flickr


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## Danny (7 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

seriously sexy tank mate


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## Kristoph91 (8 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

REMOVE. 

Pond Snail - HORNY PLANT EATER


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## Antipofish (8 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*



			
				KrisHumphreys1991 said:
			
		

> REMOVE.
> 
> Pond Snail - HORNY PLANT EATER



Kris is right .. I used to have some in my tank (I let them stay as I liked their pearlescent shells).  I added about 30 assassin snails recently and am already noticing an improvement from not having the pond snails.  

Bear in mind if you encounter a proliferation in any snail population (and by that i do mean proliferation not just a few extra every now and again) then it can indicate over feeding when you have fish in there 

Ramshorns are harmless however, and look great (sadly my assassins got mine too so now I just have the assassins in the tank).


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## pariahrob (8 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Yank it out Harry. Just pull them out as you see them. They can eat plants, although mine didn't seem to much. Once you have them they are hard to get rid of but really not too much of a problem.


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## Antipofish (8 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*



			
				pariahrob said:
			
		

> Yank it out Harry. Just pull them out as you see them. They can eat plants, although mine didn't seem to much. Once you have them they are hard to get rid of but really not too much of a problem.



Lol not if you chuck some Assassins in Rob !  Mine disappeared practically overnight


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## HarryRobinson (8 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Okay i'll just squish em as i see them


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## Emyr (9 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

They look horrible and take over, I tried squishing them for a few months and they do not go, so got 5 assassins and they were gone in days. Assassins are amazing, if they are fed well their coloration can be really beautiful with the yellow and black strips becoming very clear and bold.


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## Antipofish (9 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*



			
				Emyr said:
			
		

> They look horrible and take over, I tried squishing them for a few months and they do not go, so got 5 assassins and they were gone in days. Assassins are amazing, if they are fed well their coloration can be really beautiful with the yellow and black strips becoming very clear and bold.



Do you recommend anything in particular to feed them Emyr ?  I have about 30 (apparently as i rarely see them) in my tank.


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## Kristoph91 (9 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Above comments are right. Assassins are the way forward.

I see maybe one or two a week in my 30L, I squish them and let them sink. 

The shrimp LOVE them


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## HarryRobinson (9 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Okay i got my plants today, yet again thanks to TGM for superfast delivery of my 1-2 grow  Also i must say again that the quality from 1-2 grow  is immense, look how many stems of staurogyne i got from this one pot! 

stems by Harry.R, on Flickr
I got this and also some Eleocharis 'Mini'.
I'll post a pic up soon of the tank cleared up


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## pariahrob (10 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

I've bought some of that myself recently. I'm loving the 1-2-grow plants. Really good value and they take hold and grow really quickly too.
Looking forward to seeing it all planted up.

RR


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## wazuck (11 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Wow that's a nice amount! Defo going to be getting that for my low tech 2ft. I have it growing emersed at the min in the window sill. If I don't get enough ill buy some 1-2 grow.


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## HarryRobinson (11 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Ok guys so i'll get a picture up asap, just really busy at the moment     Got a question for ya. Im not seeing no way near enough growth from my pogostemon, could i possibly increase my 0.5ml dosage of tpn+ to 1ml? Im dosing 1.5ml of Easy carbo daily


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## Emyr (12 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Harry, people are often weary of upping their dosing, they then double it and see great results. You could definitely up your dosing and I would recommend that you do, The trick is trying to find that 'sweet-spot' in your tank and what your plants require. So start by doubling it to 1ml and go from there, you may need to increase it again. With quite a good plant mass and HC in there (requires a lot of co2) I would also increase your dosing of liquid carbon to 2ml and see how that goes. Experiment and see how your tank reacts, it takes time.


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## HarryRobinson (12 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

I'llstart doing that then matey  1ml tpn+, 2ml EC


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## HarryRobinson (14 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Ok so i haven't been uploading photos for a while because ive been waiting for a little present, A tripod! All the photos below are unedited and taken with a tripod on a 2sec timer  I'll upload a 'proper' fts soon after a water change and some trimming 

*Click to enlarge images


P8145176 by Harry.R, on Flickr


P8145177 by Harry.R, on Flickr


P8145178 by Harry.R, on Flickr


P8145179 by Harry.R, on Flickr


P8145180 by Harry.R, on Flickr


P8145181 by Harry.R, on Flickr


P8145182 by Harry.R, on Flickr


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## darren636 (14 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

looking good. So give me those tubs of moss!


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## HarryRobinson (14 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Its just some riccia on the right and a mix of plants on the left pot, i'll see what i can do


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## darren636 (14 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

its ok dude. Got a house move to do before i even think of getting more plants


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## HarryRobinson (14 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson*

Okay so here's the tank in its current state, i had a few melts with the staurogyne so that patch has been removed and replaced with a riccia stone on the left  Not much else folks, enjoy!


NR 14-08-12 by Harry.R, on Flickr

And here's a comparison showing growth in 1 week, first pic being a week ago

NR black background by Harry.R, on Flickr

NR FTS 14-08-12 by Harry.R, on Flickr


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## HarryRobinson (16 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Had a few leaves fall off the crypt in the past few days, they looked to of melted on the stems and detached themselves from the main plant. I reckon this is because of them being emergent leaves before and them making way for the new growth, am i right?


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## Antipofish (16 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

you quite often get crypt melt harry so i would not worry too much, they usually come back.  it would be unusual for crypts to have been emersed unless you know them to have been, but the melt is often encountered regardless.  For my sins I have always been lucky with most crypts but then I cant grow pogostemon for toffee so go figure, lol


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## HarryRobinson (16 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Yeah the plants at aqua essentials are grown emmersed  Yeah the pogostemon i have is being very weird, it has only grown around a centimeter since I've put it in! Plants eh, who'd have em' ?


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## Antipofish (17 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*



			
				HarryRobinson said:
			
		

> Yeah the plants at aqua essentials are grown emmersed  Yeah the pogostemon i have is being very weird, it has only grown around a centimeter since I've put it in! Plants eh, who'd have em' ?



LOL. Mugs like us !!   8)


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## Ady34 (17 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Gotta say Harry, this is looking really nice


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## HarryRobinson (18 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*



Yeah thanks Ady, just a shame that god'dam pogostemon isn't growing fast enough, might have to chuck some other  plants in there to give an instant effect. The main aim at the moment is to get that pogostemon growing like no body's business  

Also guys, i have a little melting across my patches of Staurogyne, any ideas on why this is happening?


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## tim (18 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Looking nice mate pogo will take off its a bit of a slow starter ime as for stauro as Clive would say flow and co2 getting to the plant tweak ur co2 see if it makes a difference


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## HarryRobinson (18 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Don't have co2 matey, only liquid


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## tim (18 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Up the dose a little if u can then mate still slow growth with no algae is better than no growth mate tanks looking like a winner though mate


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## HarryRobinson (18 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Thanks tim  Well ive upped it from 0.5ml to 1.5ml to 2ml, i don't think i should go any higher being such a small tank? What possible problems could i get with excess liquid co2?


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## tim (18 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Dead fauna mate if u go too high ime some fish shrimp etc are more tollerant of it than others maybe leave as is 
mate pogo will catch up slow growth isnt always bad less trimming and pruning to do


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (18 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Don't think he has any Fauna Tim, unless I'm mistaken.

You can also get 'melt' in the more 'Liquid Carbon' delicate plants, Should be alright to up though.


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## tim (18 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Ah ok yeah I'd up it a bit then or maybe dose twice a day for a while 12 hour intervals if possible


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## HarryRobinson (20 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

I dose 1.5ml TPN+ and 2.5ml easy carbo daily now. Lets see what happens


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## Kristoph91 (20 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Looking good mate keep it up! Looks miles better than my journal


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## HarryRobinson (20 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Its looks good from afar but atm im having severe problems with a hugeeeee stauro melt! I really don't know why it's melting, any thoughts?


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (20 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Could be caused by the EC overdosing.


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## HarryRobinson (20 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Here's a pic (i've labelled where the melt is) Maybe Nath, although it started when i was only dosing 0.5ml :L


stauro melt by Harry.R, on Flickr


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (20 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Mines just done that recently, I think mine was flow related, meaning I wasn't getting enough Co2 to it.

Is it possible that its in an area getting low levels of carbon?


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## HarryRobinson (20 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Hmm, well that area is right under the crook so the flow would be very low, i have no other way of placing the pipe though... Plus the area getting lots of flow is melting too ;(


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## Ady34 (20 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Hi Harry,
I'm beginning to think stauro maybe one of those plants that doesn't fare well with liquid carbon. It all melted in my nano which is LC only and never recovered even when increasing the dosage. In such a small tank I think your right not to want to up it anymore.
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## HarryRobinson (20 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Thanks ady, yeah i think i'll go back to 1.5ml LC and keep the TPN+ at 1ml  So do you think we should notify the forum of stauro's hate for LC?


----------



## tim (21 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

hey mate hows your riccia doing from what ive read its a lot less tollerant of liquid carbon than staurogyne for most if riccia is doing ok you could be looking at flow distribution issues maybe you could diy a small acrylic spraybar to go across the back or even side of the tank
thats not to say up the dose of liquid carbon either on your tank 1 ml is dosing 3 1/2 times the recomended dose just see what works best for your tank stauro is one of those PITA plants good luck with a solution mate


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## wazuck (21 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Im growing staurogyne with LC no problems so I wouldn't have said that is the problem!! It's weird.


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## HarryRobinson (21 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Well, my riccia is showing now signs of melting at all, in fact its thriving and growing like no body's business haha! I tried a spraybar some time back and it blew my substrate everywhere so that is a definate no no


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## Antipofish (21 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*



			
				HarryRobinson said:
			
		

> Well, my riccia is showing now signs of melting at all, in fact its thriving and growing like no body's business haha! I tried a spraybar some time back and it blew my substrate everywhere so that is a definate no no



If you wanted to use a spraybar for distribution purposes but found the flow velocity was too great a good tip is to increase the size of the holes in the spraybar... it makes a world of difference


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## HarryRobinson (21 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Hmm, i'll post updates soon then of a spraybar


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## HarryRobinson (21 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Update Pics)*

Okay so i had a little section of a spraybar, i had to melt one end shut and enlarge the holes so they are about twice as big as they was before. Bit of a botch job but it works for the time being, i'll get some clear acrylic pipe sometime and make a full length one  Here's the pics


spraybar by Harry.R, on Flickr


spraybar by Harry.R, on Flickr


new spraybar by Harry.R, on Flickr

On visual inspection, the flow is much better around the tank, thanks for the advice guys!


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## Antipofish (21 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Spraybar)*

Job's a good'un mate.  You can get spraybar endcaps at your LFS


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## HarryRobinson (21 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Spraybar)*

Not at half 9!  Here's a vid too (phone Quality, my SLR doesn't do videos  )

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hrtanks/78 ... hotostream


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## tim (21 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (NEW Video pg11)*

cant you turn your crok so it runs one side to the other harry see if it improves things before buying your acrylic looks better flow wise mate


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## HarryRobinson (21 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (NEW Video pg11)*

Yeah that causes the plants in the corner opposite the output to flatten  So i think i'll go with a nice clear spraybar


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## tim (21 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (NEW Video pg11)*

clear looks the biz mate  cool vid harry


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## Antipofish (21 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (NEW Video pg11)*



			
				tim said:
			
		

> clear looks the biz mate  cool vid harry


 :text-+1:


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## HarryRobinson (22 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (NEW Video pg11)*

Love the way my tank looks under the desk lamp


Nature's River with G4 bulb by Harry.R, on Flickr


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## HarryRobinson (30 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (NEW Video pg11)*

Well, starting to look more habitable now, everything has gone into turbo mode

FTS (Change back to white, fits in with my room better)

FTS by Harry.R, on Flickr

Closeups

HC by Harry.R, on Flickr

HC RICCIA CRYPT by Harry.R, on Flickr

HC RIGHT by Harry.R, on Flickr


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## Antipofish (30 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (NEW Video pg11)*

You are getting excellent growth there harry, well done mate


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## darren636 (30 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (NEW Video pg11)*

 looks like rabbit droppings on your pathway !


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## HarryRobinson (30 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (NEW Video pg11)*

Thanks chris, yeah its growing in pretty quick now  

Ill get on it right away darren dont worry


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## HarryRobinson (30 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (NEW Video pg11)*

Better? 


Looking down the path by Harry.R, on Flickr


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## darren636 (30 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (NEW Video pg11)*

think i need to get out more!


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## Antipofish (30 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (NEW Video pg11)*



			
				HarryRobinson said:
			
		

> Thanks chris, yeah its growing in pretty quick now
> 
> Ill get on it right away darren dont worry




Still reckon the smaller grain maui would look a whole lot better.  That bigger grain reduces the scale totally.  Give it a go


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## HarryRobinson (30 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (NEW Video pg11)*

I would matey if i had some money, totally skint atm!


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## Kristoph91 (31 Aug 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (NEW Video pg11)*



			
				tim said:
			
		

> cant you turn your crok so it runs one side to the other harry see if it improves things before buying your acrylic looks better flow wise mate



I read the first part of that too quick   



Looking great Harry ! Starting to carpet really well


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## HarryRobinson (3 Sep 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (NEW Video pg11)*

Past week has seen some amazing growth, here goes.

The HC has grown in now and looks truly amazing

hc by Harry.R, on Flickr
The stauro has become to come back from the melt and is looking nice

stauro by Harry.R, on Flickr
The riccia is showing very good growth

riccia by Harry.R, on Flickr
My crypt keeps betting bigger and bigger, sending out new shoots every 2 days!

cryot by Harry.R, on Flickr
The erectus which looks healthy but is definitely taking its time to grow.

erectus by Harry.R, on Flickr
Finally the eleocharis sp mini, which is now sending out runners after fighting a little melt

eleocharis by Harry.R, on Flickr


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## HarryRobinson (3 Sep 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Grown in)*

Comparison photos

Jun26 2012

IMG_0242 by Harry.R, on Flickr
sept3 2012

sept3rd 2012 by Harry.R, on Flickr


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## Antipofish (3 Sep 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Grown in)*

Hi Harry, you must be chuffed, thats really good growth there.  Couldnt help noticing a little dirt on the crypt leaves. (Least it looked like it).  Little tip that Clive gave to me.  When you do your water changes, get in there and give the plants a good shake, even rub the leaves if they are looking a bit dirty.  They sometimes have a tendency to get a dirty type of algae on them.  All plants create a film around themselves and they need to have this disturbed so they can get rid of it.  Once I started doing this at water change time I found they looked even better.

Love the comparison shots.... This tank has come a long way


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## darren636 (4 Sep 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Grown in)*

i clean my plants now too. They can attract so much rubbish.


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## ghostsword (4 Sep 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Grown in)*

Great looking tank, really nice and clean aquascape.. I like it..


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## Gill (4 Sep 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Grown in)*

The Perspective on the scape is great, looks alot bigger than its actual size. 
With your Four Leaf Clover, have you found it has stopped sending out very tall stems. Mine has and is staying low to the substrate now. Although I am using a marginal pond variety.


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## HarryRobinson (4 Sep 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Grown in)*

yeah, it tends to just send out little stems around 2 inches, and the tall ones have just died off, possibly due to too much light


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## AshRolls (12 Sep 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Grown in)*

Hi Harry. I am especially interested in your DIY LED lamp setup. I am looking for where you purchased the wall double lamp fitting from as I can't find it online. You mention it costs £9.99 in another thread. If you still have that information and could pass it on I would appreciate it, thanks!


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## HarryRobinson (12 Sep 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Grown in)*

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-DUAL-GU10-L ... 721wt_1163

Cant find the one i got however i found this, for 15 quid you can get 3 of them in chrome, so you can keep one and sell the others


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## wazuck (12 Sep 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Grown in)*

It's worth looking around for the light fitting. I got a nice one for £5 on eBay. Just need to wire the plug in. Easy. The bulbs are the most expensive part.


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## wazuck (12 Sep 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Grown in)*

Make that £6.69 130557292009


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## AshRolls (13 Sep 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Grown in)*

Thanks for the feedback, I have ordered the lamp wazuck linked "Lloytron 2 50w GU10 Halogen Spot Light Fitting Mains" for future reference if anyone else searches this thread.


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## jamie_99 (13 Sep 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Grown in)*

Fantastic tank Harry 

Scape makes it appears much bigger than it really is, well done.


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## HarryRobinson (6 Oct 2012)

*Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson (Grown in)*

Ok lads so its been over a month since ive posted an update on here of this tank and i have to say im liking the look of it alot, there is still a little left growing to do with the erectus but its coming along nicely IMO  I haven't been posting for a while either because for some reason i wasn't allowed to login for over 2 weeks!

Throughout this month i have been fighting a battle with hair algae, i first saw it just after my last update and then it took off, i have been removing it as i see it and need some advice on how to get rid of it, guys?

As always here are the updated pictures and a comparison between a month ago and now 


in situ by Harry.R, on Flickr


left to right by Harry.R, on Flickr


right to left by Harry.R, on Flickr

FTS Today 06-10-12

FTS 06-10-12 by Harry.R, on Flickr
Compared to a month ago..

FTS aquatics live 2012 by Harry.R, on Flickr


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## Kristoph91 (6 Oct 2012)

Looking great mate !


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## Ben22 (6 Oct 2012)

Looks great. What's the plant center left?


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## Ady34 (6 Oct 2012)

Looks absolutely stunning Harry, bet your well pleased with how it's turned out.

All with the power of liquid carbon too, can you update me on the tank volume and your dosage of lc please.
Any livestock in there yet?
Cheerio
Ady


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## pariahrob (7 Oct 2012)

I've not stopped by for a while and I love the progress! It's coming along really well Harry.
I bet you're pleased?


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## HarryRobinson (16 Oct 2012)

KrisHumphreys1991 said:
			
		

> Looking great mate !


Thanks matey, yours is looking quite the part too 


			
				motionless said:
			
		

> Looks great. What's the plant center left?


Thanks, and it crytocoryne wendtii green 


			
				Ady34 said:
			
		

> Looks absolutely stunning Harry, bet your well pleased with how it's turned out.
> 
> All with the power of liquid carbon too, can you update me on the tank volume and your dosage of lc please.
> Any livestock in there yet?
> ...


Thanks alot Ady! Yeah im definitely pleased with it, not bad for a 16 year old  

The tank is 15l and i dose 1ml TPN+ and 2ml EC Daily.

No i Dont have any livestock as of yet but i cant wait to get some in!


			
				pariahrob said:
			
		

> I've not stopped by for a while and I love the progress! It's coming along really well Harry.
> I bet you're pleased?


Nice to hear from you again rob!   Thanks for the appreciation, and yes i'm very pleased with it however there is one problem with the tank, which i will explain here:

Okay so after removing the hair algae i had before, it has yet again returned, which is what i expected. I'm wanting to know if there any definite little tricks i can do to remove it, it hate the look of it! I wish i had an algae free scape such as the ones Mark produces! Here are some pictures of it:


PA165391 by Harry Robinson1, on Flickr


PA165392 by Harry Robinson1, on Flickr

Once again, Thanks for all of the comments, much appreciated.


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## Ian Holdich (16 Oct 2012)

have you got a clean up crew in there??


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## Iain Sutherland (16 Oct 2012)

hay harry, tank is looking very smart.  Any daylight on the tank?  Discovered last week that now the sun is lower in the sky it was hitting my nano and hear algae popped up, blocked the light hitting it and has faded away.


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## HarryRobinson (18 Oct 2012)

ianho said:
			
		

> have you got a clean up crew in there??



Nooo, that may be the problem!



			
				easerthegeezer said:
			
		

> hay harry, tank is looking very smart.  Any daylight on the tank?  Discovered last week that now the sun is lower in the sky it was hitting my nano and hear algae popped up, blocked the light hitting it and has faded away.



Thanks , and no my tank receives no daylight what so ever


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## ghostsword (18 Oct 2012)

That is an awesome scape dude.. 

Why not lower the lighting period and get some amanos in there?


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## HarryRobinson (18 Oct 2012)

ghostsword said:
			
		

> That is an awesome scape dude..
> 
> Why not lower the lighting period and get some amanos in there?



Thanks Ghost, much appreciated  And that sounds like a plan! Anywhere online i can get amanos cheap?


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## Mark Evans (18 Oct 2012)

Firstly, let me start by saying that this is an excellent scape.

I've gone through the whole journal, and it appears your not injecting CO2 right?....
You've done exceptionaly well in doing what you've done. 

The algae issues, IMO, stem from low co2 and too higher light intensity. 

Adding an algae crew would help for sure, but I can run a tank with no algae crew and not run into issues. So you need to get things correct without an algae crew. 

If you're not running co2, I'd maybe suggest putting the flow from left to right instead of back to front. The algae seem to be directly in the flow. On a high co2 setup this may not be an issue, but my belief is that a non co2 tank should have a slower form of water movement. My tanks don't over rely on flow these days and they're happier for it. 

Your on a fine line at the moment, but certainly, with what I can see, a line you'd do well stepping over....into co2 territory. 

very well done.


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## HarryRobinson (24 Oct 2012)

Mark Evans said:
			
		

> Firstly, let me start by saying that this is an excellent scape.
> 
> I've gone through the whole journal, and it appears your not injecting CO2 right?....
> You've done exceptionaly well in doing what you've done.
> ...




Thanks alot Mark! Amazing to hear that from a professional such as yourself 

Id rather not use a CO2 system in this tank as i Dont really have the funds however i get what you mean  Its amazing what easy carbo can do eh? i'll think about the flow suggestion, its just it very hard to position the pipes on this tank and almost impossible to place them so that the flow goes from right to left haha 

Here's an update for you guys!


FTS 24-10-12 by Harry.R, on Flickr
Cleaned up all the pieces of wood, added some stones at the back and some middle right, opinions?


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## Ady34 (24 Oct 2012)

I like the stones, makes it even more natural and the blend nicely with the sand colour.
Looks great Harry, it all works really well scape wise.
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## HarryRobinson (28 Dec 2012)

Ok guys so im back after a long break from the forum due to exam prep and the holidays. I hope you all had a great Christmas and I've got a little late Christmas present for you all which is updated photos of the tank! The tank has gone through many phases since the last update, major hair algae blooms, diatoms the lot but i have begun to get back into order and sort it out! I've also got a video of the tank for you all,which will give you a different perspective on how i have not only laid out the tank itself but also the plants surrounding etc to give a sort of zen feel to the scape haha  As always here are the pictures:


nature's river by Harry.R, on Flickr


nature's river by Harry.R, on Flickr

I miss the healthy crypt, i'll get that looking good as new ASAP!

nature's river by Harry.R, on Flickr


Nature's River | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Video link ^^

Looking forward to getting back into the forum topics, talk soon


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## anttthony (28 Dec 2012)

Looking good

ant


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## HarryRobinson (29 Dec 2012)

Cheers!


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## Ady34 (29 Dec 2012)

Lovely looking set up Harry, a nice corner to have in your room. I like the plants out off the aquarium too.


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## Antipofish (29 Dec 2012)

Good to see you back Harry   Tank still looks great.  And I STILL say it would look better with the smaller maui sand lol   But thats my preference as I think it would make the scale of things look better.


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## HarryRobinson (29 Dec 2012)

Ady34 said:


> Lovely looking set up Harry, a nice corner to have in your room. I like the plants out off the aquarium too.


 
Cheers Ady, Yeah i love having the whole setup in the corner. Very relaxing to watch the plants drift in the flow  I like them too, i've had the cactus since 2005, the bonsai i got a few days ago and i hope to train it around the tank 



Antipofish said:


> Good to see you back Harry  Tank still looks great. And I STILL say it would look better with the smaller maui sand lol  But thats my preference as I think it would make the scale of things look better.


 
Good to hear from you again! Cheers, and yeah i totally agree with you on the sand but im not going to put myself through the hassle of changing it  Thanks for the advice though!


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## Antipofish (29 Dec 2012)

Theres a simple way to do it, in case you would like to but are not sure how....

1) cut bits of plastic (chinese takeaway plastic trays/lids will do, or icecream containers.. though not haagen dazs or ben and jerrys lol)
2) insert plastic along the line of the white gravel and also some cross sections
3) suck out white gravel one section at a time replacing with finer grain (this should prevent the sides collapsing in)
4) Et Voila !

See ? Its not as hard as you may think.

Course if you still dont want to, I aint bovvered hehe   It still looks good anyway


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## Deano3 (29 Dec 2012)

wow looking great harry ,lovely little scape and looking very healthy

Dean


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## tim (30 Dec 2012)

It is looking good mate any livestock yet Harry ?


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## HarryRobinson (30 Dec 2012)

Antipofish said:


> Theres a simple way to do it, in case you would like to but are not sure how....
> 
> 1) cut bits of plastic (chinese takeaway plastic trays/lids will do, or icecream containers.. though not haagen dazs or ben and jerrys lol)
> 2) insert plastic along the line of the white gravel and also some cross sections
> ...


I'll keep that in mind! To be honest once i get a little job i might tear down this scape and go for something different 



Deano3 said:


> wow looking great harry ,lovely little scape and looking very healthy
> 
> Dean


Cheers Dean, its not as healthy as it was but im getting it back on track 



tim said:


> It is looking good mate any livestock yet Harry ?


 
Cheers Tim, No there still isn't any livestock, i'll have to have a nip around some lfs and grab some shrimp, possible some micro rasbora's etc


----------

