# dusting off the old Fluval Studio aquarium.....



## Ady34 (20 Sep 2015)

Hi,
bit of an absence but i have finally got sufficiently itchy to have a bash at a planted scape again 
Dusted off the old Fluval studio aquarium that i set my first aquascape 'Dragons crypt' up in.
The tank is basically a 90x45x45 (give or take) with 2x 39w t5 lighting unit. Its drilled base which can be capped, but for simplicity and budget I've decided to use the in tank fittings. Not conducive to clean, minimalist aquascaping, but utilising the equipment i have as all my glassware is on my plantless 120cm optiwhite. C02 injection method is still to be decided, however I'm considering using an aqua medic 1000 reactor for the first time, but may end up with inline...... Im using a Fluval G6 filter and may add a small circulation pump if i feel its necessary to improve circulation in specific areas.
Im not heating the tank, but am guessing it will be around 72 - 75 farenheit with room temperature so plenty warm enough for selected livestock.
Fertiliser will be Tropica premium and specialised.

I still have a few decisions to make on equipment and plants, but i wanted a rock scape. I had a Sanzon Iwagumi in mind, however the Seiryu rocks i had in stock didn't lend themselves well to 3 stone scaping, and so it evolved into something a little more full. Overall I'm quite happy with the balance of the layout and with some detailing foreground rocks it should work. Im thinking 3 plant species; Micranthemum monte carlo, eleocharis ecicularis/parvula and perhaps crypt balansae. This is not set in stone as i also like e. tennellus, and could go all grass throughout.

Heres where we stand after the majority of the hardscaping is complete. I have a unipac Maui sand foreground and only the rear will be planted. I was going to go all sand substrate but have decided it will be money well spent to invest in some more aquasoil for the planted section. I have some old soil and will add another bag or two. I will drain the tank and add this when it arrives, refill and run for a week before planting just to eradicate the worst of the ammonia leach from the soil, hopefully this will give me time to finalise the plant list 










Anyway, i hope everyone is well and ill look forward to picking your brains again.
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## Deano3 (20 Sep 2015)

Great rock scape and glad to see you back also ady nice to see some old faces 


Thanks Dean


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## tim (20 Sep 2015)

Superb hardscape ady, great to see you back on here mate.


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## Martin in Holland (20 Sep 2015)

Don't change the rock layout, it's perfect as it is.


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## Ady34 (20 Sep 2015)

Deano3 said:


> Great rock scape and glad to see you back also ady nice to see some old faces
> 
> 
> Thanks Dean


Thanks Dean, happy to see your still active too. It feels like I'm starting all over again, I'm sure there's many things I've forgotten but the ukaps is the best place to be reminded 



tim said:


> Superb hardscape ady, great to see you back on here mate.


Cheers Tim, can't see any links in your signature, are you running any tanks currently?



Martin in China said:


> Don't change the rock layout, it's perfect as it is.


Thanks, not perfect but I'm quite happy.....just need to be able to grow the plants now 

Cheerio,
Ady.


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## Lindy (20 Sep 2015)

Nice to see you back and with a great layout.  Scratching an itch can be very rewarding! Or leave you with a nasty rash.... 

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## Ady34 (21 Sep 2015)

ldcgroomer said:


> Nice to see you back and with a great layout.  Scratching an itch can be very rewarding! Or leave you with a nasty rash....
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk


 It could go either way, we shall see.....


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## parotet (21 Sep 2015)

Superb hardscape! Subscribed...

Jordi


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## Martin in Holland (21 Sep 2015)

How much space do you have left behind those rocks?...just wondering.


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## ian_m (21 Sep 2015)

Please making if extreme shrimpy like your Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank, which has to one of my favourite tanks here.

http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/aquanano40-crshrimp-tank-journal-closed.21455/


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## Ady34 (21 Sep 2015)

parotet said:


> Superb hardscape! Subscribed...
> 
> Jordi


Thanks 



ian_m said:


> Please making if extreme shrimpy like your Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank, which has to one of my favourite tanks here.
> 
> http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/aquanano40-crshrimp-tank-journal-closed.21455/


pleased you liked it, i loved that little tank too, but only Amano shrimp going in here to try and keep the algae at bay with a limited plant mass.....



Martin in China said:


> How much space do you have left behind those rocks?...just wondering.


Hi Martin, not a huge amount of space as the rocks are quite wide, however plenty for the planting i have in mind. It varies also, some points having more room than others. Ill take an image when my soil arrives to show the available planting space 

Thanks for the positive comments.
Ady


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## jakkals (21 Sep 2015)

That looks fantastic, love the hardscape! following this one!


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## alto (23 Sep 2015)

Fantastic komodo (rock) dragon!


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## Ady34 (24 Sep 2015)

Martin in China said:


> How much space do you have left behind those rocks?...just wondering.


as promised heres a few shots of the space available and Aquasoil area;



 



 

Adding Powersand special: 


 

Also added some more foreground detailing rocks: 


 

And the aqua soil amazonia:


 

Filled and plumbed, slightly unsure about the substrate line, but the plants will change it and its all part of the learning curve.....


 

Ill leave it a week to settle and leach most of the ammonia from the aquasoil before planting. Ill do a few water changes, if at least to allow me to drain the Aqua Medic c02 reactor again and add different media to help with gas dissolution. Currently I've tried the supplied media balls which are hard plastic and make a horrendous noise, and no media which allows bypass of some gas into the tank. Ill get some bath scrunchies and try them, being soft hopefully they will be quiet and effective.....

Cheerio,
Ady.


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## Martin in Holland (25 Sep 2015)

That's plenty to get a good bush of plants growing....


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## Lindy (25 Sep 2015)

Beautiful finishing touches. Looks so natural considering it is a pile of rock in an aquarium.  Well done.

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## Dantrasy (25 Sep 2015)

Great shapes!

Reminds of Serenity, the ship from Firefly


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## alto (25 Sep 2015)

Are those a few large rocks or is it rock art with silicon?
Fish will appreciate those rock caves


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## Ady34 (25 Sep 2015)

alto said:


> Are those a few large rocks or is it rock art with silicon?
> Fish will appreciate those rock caves


Hi, it is a few large rocks with some smaller ones added. There are 4 main rocks all placed directly on the aquarium base, smaller packing rocks to sure up the gaps, no silicon or glue just good old fashioned wall building 

Lindy, thanks, I do think the little rocks add to the look also in making it feel a little more natural.

Dantrasy, I see where you're coming from......Serenity would make a good scape name also 

Cheerio
Ady


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## Gary Nelson (26 Sep 2015)

Fantastic hard scape again mate, very nicely done indeed - looking forward to seeing this develop


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## Ady34 (27 Sep 2015)

Gary Nelson said:


> Fantastic hard scape again mate, very nicely done indeed - looking forward to seeing this develop


Thanks Gary, I'm looking forward to it developing too....fingers crossed it will as its the growing plants bit i have most trouble with 

C02 reactor working well and achieving a nice lime green dc currently 24/7 injection. Daily 70% water changes to remove ammonia spike from soil. Water is going milky over a 24hr period, likely due to it being an immature tank, im going to add activated carbon to the filter to help and once planted will transfer some bio media from one of my mature filters on the 120cm.

Plant list still not finalised.....

Cheerio,
Ady.


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## Ady34 (29 Sep 2015)

Plant list:
Cryptocoryne Balansae
Hemianthus callitrichoides
Echinodorus Tennellus
Lilaeopsis Mauritius
Lilaeopsis Nove-zelandiae
Eleocharis Acicularis
Eleocharis Parvula
Micranthemum Monte Carlo

Some similar looking plant species in here, but I'm interested to see their growth characteristics and perhaps they will add some slight textural and colour differences to enhance a natural feel in the grassy area. Some slightly different plant heights also to help layer the planting......plus a little bit of covering the bases in case some don't take 

Cheerio
Ady


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## alto (29 Sep 2015)

Sounds good but think you need to include this Eleocharis sp as well 

I picked up this plant recently & it's a gorgeous pink/red color (so far, at least)


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## jakkals (29 Sep 2015)

That is an awesome plant list...
It will compliment the hard scape beautifully!!!


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## Tim Harrison (29 Sep 2015)

Looks great...can't wait to see it planted.


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## Ady34 (30 Sep 2015)

alto said:


> Sounds good but think you need to include this Eleocharis sp as well
> 
> I picked up this plant recently & it's a gorgeous pink/red color (so far, at least)


Hi, E. Montevidensis was on the list initially, however removed it as the Elecharis ecicularis will be plenty tall enough on the raised substrate line, I don't want the hair grass to reach the water surface, I plan on trimming it about mid height, the balansae will be the only plant to reach the surface   Cool plant though.



Troi said:


> Looks great...can't wait to see it planted.


It's on the way, just waiting for some Monte Carlo from JohnC to finish it off 
Ordered the rest of my plants from Aquarium Gardens and the service has been great, plants arrived well packaged the next day in great condition so big thanks to them 

Cheerio
Ady


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## Ady34 (30 Sep 2015)

Heres a few shots of the planting process so far:

started with the Crypt balansae as it is to provide a focal point in the scape:





Added more eleocharis ecicularis, parvula, and Lilaeopsios species to the grassy mound:




and added the tennellus to the left of the main rock and HC at the very left and right foreground as its slightly smaller than the MC which will fill the two areas behind:




Filled back up again with an initial photoperiod of 5 hours in the first week. C02 still 24/7, 60-70% water changes daily for the first week also. 3 pumps of Tropica premium and specialised alternate days:




Hopefully the grassy area in the centre will form layers of texture and height to blend into the height of the balansae and out towards the edges of carpeting mc and hc...








and a view through the plantless fish tank:




Will update when planting of the monte Carlo is complete.
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## Ady34 (4 Oct 2015)

Planting complete thanks to a large portion of Monte Carlo from JohnC .
Ive added a circulation pump to improve distribution and hopefully now its just a case of waiting for it to grow into itself......



 

Cheerio,
Ady.


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## tim (4 Oct 2015)

Superb comeback Ady, will look superb in a month or two mate, good to see you back posting on here.


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## Deano3 (4 Oct 2015)

tim said:


> Superb comeback Ady, will look superb in a month or two mate, good to see you back posting on here.


Agreed 


Thanks Dean


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## Ady34 (4 Oct 2015)

Thanks chaps, fingers crossed for growth although I am seeing slight melt in the hc, I've added the circulation pump now though which has improved distribution to it. C02 on 24/7 and the dc towards yellow so hoping it was a distribution issue. The balansae tips began to melt also, however they have stopped thank goodness as I didn't want it to take months to adapt like the first time I had it......

Cheerio


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## GotCrabs (4 Oct 2015)

Looking good @Ady34, real good, nice growth!


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## GotCrabs (4 Oct 2015)

Do you have any future plans for this @Ady34? Plants? Shrimp? Fish? Looks awesome as is.


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## Ady34 (4 Oct 2015)

Hi GotCrabs,
yeah going to get some Amano shrimp hopefully in the next week or so once the plants have established roots to help keep things clean, then in a few weeks some fish. Im undecided really about fish but likely something very simple like zebra danios. Need something temperate and upper water level dwelling as I have no heater and it may cool down a bit over the winter and I need action towards the top of the tank for interest as it will be quite sparse up there  I also like the glowlight rasbora which may be less chaotic.
Cheerio
Ady


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## Ady34 (4 Oct 2015)

Actually Glowlight rasbora may be my favoured choice 
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/trigonopoma-pauciperforatum/


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## GotCrabs (4 Oct 2015)

Ady34 said:


> Actually Glowlight rasbora may be my favoured choice
> http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/trigonopoma-pauciperforatum/



Nice, a school would look great!

Don't think we have access to Amano Shrimp down here in Australia, shame, we have some great Natives though, North Australian Chameleon Shrimp are my face Shrimp, they change colour depending on mood, water parameters, foods, temps, great Shrimp! Also Darwin Algae Shrimp, Blackmore River Shrimp but Chameleons are my fave by far!


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## Nelson (4 Oct 2015)

If you haven't got a heater White Cloud Mountain Minnows might be good.


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## Alexander Belchenko (5 Oct 2015)

Great hardscape, looking forward for plants to grow.


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## Lindy (5 Oct 2015)

Looks amazing already! I have a shoal of mixed rasbora, maculatas and brigittae, and their tiny size gives great scale. It also means you can get a large shoal which gives them confidence. I have around 50 in my tank and they are not shy at all.


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## flygja (5 Oct 2015)

Great hardscape, great planting plan. I'm so sure about Crypt balansae though, they tend to get unruly and everywhere, which is the opposite of a simple iwagumi. Will be watching this one with interest.


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## Edvet (5 Oct 2015)

I have those pauciperforata, they are quiet skittish and jumpy in my small black water tank.


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## Ady34 (5 Oct 2015)

nelson said:


> If you haven't got a heater White Cloud Mountain Minnows might be good.



yeah white clouds are a consideration also although i think they tend not to school.


Alexander Belchenko said:


> Great hardscape, looking forward for plants to grow.


Me too.....


ldcgroomer said:


> Looks amazing already! I have a shoal of mixed rasbora, maculatas and brigittae, and their tiny size gives great scale. It also means you can get a large shoal which gives them confidence. I have around 50 in my tank and they are not shy at all.


Thanks Lindy , yeah dwarf rasboras would be cool although i think the maculatas and brigatte may be too small and the flow a bit much......i have a semi natural nano im considering the chilli rasboras for though  Slightly larger Eyespot rasboras would be nice in numbers, i just worry about the openess of the planting and security for the fish under the bright lights, itll need some consideration.


flygja said:


> Great hardscape, great planting plan. I'm so sure about Crypt balansae though, they tend to get unruly and everywhere, which is the opposite of a simple iwagumi. Will be watching this one with interest.


Yeah balansae can get a bit overbearing, my plan is to trim off longer leaves once they reach the surface to keep it in scale. Aquavas did a scape recently which inspired my plant scheme where they used balansae to this effect, any runners ill have to try and pull out :
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...d=0CB8QMygAMABqFQoTCPHRvrOFq8gCFQlXFAod11sFOw

Thanks for the feedback, always much appreciated.
Ady.


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## Ady34 (5 Oct 2015)

Edvet said:


> I have those pauciperforata, they are quiet skittish and jumpy in my small black water tank.


mmm, this tank may make them even more skittish, i do have glass covers fitted to this tank however so jumpers arnt such an issue but thanks for the heads up. How many do you have?
Cheers
Ady.


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## Edvet (5 Oct 2015)

I started with 6 in a 125 lit tank (50x50x50cm), one jumped the next day, one jumped after 2 weeks or so, one died/vanished, three remaining are in a smaller thick planted tank (50x30x30 cm) with some betta females (never maged to find a albimarginata man) and some Paro's females, never got a man for those either. It's a Nursery home for now


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## Ady34 (9 Oct 2015)

Hi.
The tank is starting to show signs of growing in although I've had to remove most of the HC due to melt and a grey webbing substance which seems to effect neighbouring plants which is disappointing given the extra flow and high c02 levels I'm running.....perhaps I needed more for the initial planting period, I never learn!!! 
Now the plants are showing signs of adjusting to underwater life with new shoots on the hair grass, tennellus and lileopsis I've started to increase the Photoperiod, initially to 6hrs which I will continue to increase over the coming week. Still doing 60-70% daily water changes, but this will reduce down to every other day this weekend. I've added carbon and purigen to the filter as I was still having issue with cloudy water which now seems to be subsiding. I've also set c02 to turn off overnight simply to conserve some gas. DC is lime green/yellow for lights on and throughout the photoperiod and will be adjusted accordingly for any livestock addition in the coming weeks. 3ml tropica specialised and premium alternate days.

Fingers crossed for things to keep growing. Here's a quick iPhone picture edited via Instagram effects slightly.....






Cheerio
Ady


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## Deano3 (9 Oct 2015)

Looking good ady just keep at it , large water changes must be hard work every night but nearly there now then only every other day  that's the thing I hate is water changes as take so much time but looking really good there looking forward to seeing it stocked


Thanks Dean


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## Ady34 (9 Oct 2015)

Hi Dean, I've actually not minded doing the water changes on this one tbh.
I have a large pond hose I use for syphoning which goes direct to the drain outside and takes less than 5 minutes to drain 70% of the water. I refill with a hosepipe straight from the outside tap and 3 x 10l buckets of hot water from the tap with seachem safe. Takes less than half an hour so not too bad 

In other news I had a nice little surprise in the other tank, baby bristlenoses....





Cheerio
Ady


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## Edvet (9 Oct 2015)

Flying fish?


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## zozo (9 Oct 2015)

Edvet said:


> Flying fish?


Thats their famous simultanious Free Willy manoeuvre..


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## alto (9 Oct 2015)

Sorry about the HC - maybe try again once you've shrimp in to clean up any melty bits as they happen
I really like the contrasts

I like your idea of the glowlight rasboras - try adding 15 -20 for less nervous behaviour


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## Ady34 (13 Oct 2015)

alto said:


> Sorry about the HC - maybe try again once you've shrimp in to clean up any melty bits as they happen
> I really like the contrasts
> 
> I like your idea of the glowlight rasboras - try adding 15 -20 for less nervous behaviour


thanks, unfortunately the hc is no more. I continue to struggle with c02 issues even in a tank without livestock  Shrimp are proving difficult to get hold of due to one thing and another, but should have 20 amanos and some horned nerite snails early next week  Hopefully i can strike a lighting c02 balance before then......


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## Ady34 (21 Oct 2015)

Hello,
thought id continue the journal with the bad and the ugly in hope of some more good in the near future ......

C02......im like a first timer with this every time, never use enough and always think I'm using plenty  I always try to use the minimum as I'm always thinking about the introduction of livestock in the future and try to balance things before they even arrive.....just pump it in and let the plants adapt and strengthen!!!
Well the tank has suffered, mc really struggling and breaking down, although the eleocharis and crypt have faired better. I finally listened to myself and upped the injection rate a few days ago and have seen some signs of improvement so fingers crossed. The flip side of increased injection rate is greater bypass through the c02 reactor. Im getting micro bubbles in the tank but hey ho, if its working i can put up with a bit of mist again.
I have also bought some new lights as even though light is light, the old bulbs are old enough for me to have forgotten how old they are, but lets just say ''Dragons Crypt', my first ever aquascape and journal on ukaps' old!
The combination of increased c02 and new lights has had a noticeable effect on things, pearling and seemingly new growth from the mc in a couple of days. I knew i had livestock arriving this week so didn't push the c02 too far, but was pleased to see the pearling which implies good 02 content in the water for them.

The shrimp and snails arrived today so after 4 hours of drip acclimatisation they are in and completely fine at peak c02, so i will look to increase injection rate gently over the next few days to an optimum level.
I needed the clean up crew to help deal with the diatoms I'm starting to suffer and tidy up the failing bits of plants. Its great to see livestock in the tank though, and the little workers are straight on the job 

Ive got a few photos to illustrate the story:

Monte Carlo beginning to suffer;




Light difference from old;




to new;




Balansae looking nice with a hint of pearling;




and finally, amano shrimp in and on the diatoms;








I think these 19 shrimp will do a great job and the 5 horned nerite snails will help too. I have scrubbed the rocks a couple of times with a toothbrush early in the set up, but have left them now for about a week and a half to see how effective the shrimp are at cleaning and ensure they had a good meal 
Ill need to trim the eleocharis acicularis soon to give it the desired shape at the rear and allow the lileopsis to fill in more in the mid ground. The crypt balansae is filling out and gaining height slowly and time will tell as to exactly how well it works.
Im now on a 6hr 15min photoperiod, 7ml day tropica specialised/premium and every 3rd day 60% water change. Im increasing the photoperiod by 15mins per day.



 


Cheerio,
Ady.


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## Deano3 (24 Oct 2015)

Huge difference the light made and coming along great keep updates coming 


Thanks Dean


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## Ady34 (15 Nov 2015)

Right, realised now why I knocked my tank numbers down to one! 
I've unfortunately let this slide a bit and have suffered various algae issues including bba and staghorn. To remedy the situation I'll do 2x weekly water changes for a couple of weeks, get a grip on c02 again and I've given it a huge trim removing most of the badly effected areas.
The balansae is realistically not a good choice for this scape currently but with more manicuring of the grassy areas surrounding it I'm hoping to create more of a natural blend up to it. If not I may have to swap it out for something smaller like blyxa or Vesuvius or remove completely.
Up to 8hrs photoperiod and 10ml tropica specialised/premium every other day. C02 back on 24/7 for continuity.





Cheerio
Ady


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## Tim Harrison (15 Nov 2015)

Looking great...I think you're right about the balansae, it's one of my favourite plants but I'd also be tempted to swap it out


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## LondonDragon (15 Nov 2015)

Ady34 said:


> The balansae is realistically not a good choice for this scape currently


Yeah that needs to go, looking good though


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