# A 90cm New Beginning



## Arana (27 May 2019)

So after a long break i have decide to make my come back with a band new 90cm scape, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to document the whole journey.

So today i spent a few fun hours with the guys at Aquarium Gardens, i have ordered an 
Evolution Aqua The Aquascaper 900 with a cabinet finished in Gloss Copper and left with all the necessary hardware to get the project started a Twinstar 900S for the lighting and an Oase Thermo 600 for the filtration.

I also spent some time playing with the hardscape and left with plenty of wood, rocks and substrate.














Also a big box of other goodies 





So now i have a week to play with the hardscape until the tank arrives and then the fun can begin


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## oscar (27 May 2019)

Hi Arana,
I have my own journal on this site “aquascaper 600” with the gloss copper cabinet...I also purchased most of my hardware from A/G.. Cabinet/ tank is very good spec for price.

Now the fun begins  enjoy.....

Oscar.


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## Arana (28 May 2019)

oscar said:


> I have my own journal on this site “aquascaper 600” with the gloss copper cabinet...I also purchased most of my hardware from A/G.. Cabinet/ tank is very good spec for price.



Thanks Oscar, off to read your journal now


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## Jayefc1 (28 May 2019)

The AG guys are amazingly helpful and its plain to see you have everything you need good luck can't wait to see this started will be watching 

Cheers 
Jay


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## Geoffrey Rea (28 May 2019)

Glad you got everything you needed, will be watching this one for sure


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## Siege (28 May 2019)

Looking forward to seeing it up and running.

Hope you found the pub ok.

Regards

Steven.


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## Arana (28 May 2019)

Siege said:


> Looking forward to seeing it up and running.
> 
> Hope you found the pub ok.
> 
> ...



Yes thanks Steven, a nice beer and a dam fine fish and chips for lunch went down a treat  

Thanks for the directions and all the help in the shop


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## Siege (28 May 2019)

No problem at all. It was a pleasure to meet you both. 

Pleased ‘The Three Jolly Butchers’ was good. We recommend it to anyone who asks. A nice welcoming village pub with decent food and not too expensive! (It’s our local as well!)

Dave will give you a call when your tank is in. I think the hardscape will look really good!

S.


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## Arana (28 May 2019)

So even though the tank is not here yet i figured i could still play some more with the hardscape


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## Jayefc1 (28 May 2019)

That looks good one lil tip make sure you can get your hand all the way around nothing worse than the one spot you can get to to do maintenance properly


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## Arana (28 May 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> That looks good one lil tip make sure you can get your hand all the way around nothing worse than the one spot you can get to to do maintenance properly



Yes i have made that mistake before 
the cardboard is cut to size of the tank so hopefully it will all fit, of course nothing will be finalised until the tank is in place, just trying out some ideas at this point.


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## Jayefc1 (28 May 2019)

Me too and it a pita Looks good though I do like the 2 island concaved look and there is plenty of room there


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## Arana (29 May 2019)

So the Lighting and CO2 schedule will look something like this, still getting my head around the LED controller, all comments welcome as i am sure it will need tweaking but hopefully a good starting point.


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## Jayefc1 (29 May 2019)

Looks good to me


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## Iain Sutherland (29 May 2019)

Looking good.
5 hours is a long time to have your gas on before lights. 2 normally does it and a ph test will confirm where you are.  It's also worth running the lights for1 or 2 hours after gas so the level drops.  Also nice to have the extra viewing time 
I would also only run the light for 6 hours during the first month or two, helps reduce the chance of algae while the tank matures.

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## Arana (29 May 2019)

Iain Sutherland said:


> Looking good.
> 5 hours is a long time to have your gas on before lights. 2 normally does it and a ph test will confirm where you are.  It's also worth running the lights for1 or 2 hours after gas so the level drops.  Also nice to have the extra viewing time
> I would also only run the light for 6 hours during the first month or two, helps reduce the chance of algae while the tank matures.



Thanks Lain, I will  complete a PH profile to fine tune the gas on and off schedule, previous tanks have all been 24 hour injection without any issues so this will be first for me.


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## Looneeyy (29 May 2019)

Nice little read, can’t wait to keep hearing about it! I’m putting a list together to one day drive down and grab it all‍♂️


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## alto (30 May 2019)

Nice kit 

Your “islands” look fairly symmetrical, maybe try less symmetry as well

Consider not just hands but also syphon/vacuum access - I tend to underestimate this and end up with areas of limited access 

CO2 period - observe tank for sunlight/ambient light as well as planned photoperiod 
In spring & summer one tank receives early morning sunlight, I try to have CO2 available 

There are different ways to “start” plants - I prefer brighter light and shorter photoperiod (most aquarium plants come from bright light nurseries) even during plant transition to submerse culture BUT I plant heavily and include fast growing stems and I often run CO2 24/7 (lower night rate but still ensuring there’s good CO2 levels when the early morning sun arrives)
Clithon snails usually go in at start, then shrimps for a month or so, then fish (though if I’m rescaping it often means fish go back in fairly early) 


As you’re going AG style, I suggest following their methodology


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## Arana (31 May 2019)

So i am still awaiting the tank and have been continually playing with hardscape on the living room floor. Also as  i am planning to add some frosting on the rear of the tank i purchased one of those RGB LED Remote controlled strips from Amazon to see if i could get some cool effects and create a bit of back light. So it arrived and i set it up behind the TV to test it, only to discover the remote seems to be on the same frequency as the the TV remote! every time someone changes the channel on the TV the light comes on!


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## Matt @ ScapeEasy (31 May 2019)

alto said:


> Your “islands” look fairly symmetrical, maybe try less symmetry as well



This is a fair point. It would be worth experimenting to see if you can have one island stretching one third of the tank and the other two thirds... golden ratio esque


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## Arana (31 May 2019)

Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> This is a fair point. It would be worth experimenting to see if you can have one island stretching one third of the tank and the other two thirds... golden ratio esque



I have tried many versions of the wood over the last few days, moved on to playing with the rocks now 
I will post some more photos soon


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## Arana (1 Jun 2019)

This was another wood layout i quite liked, ignore the rocks! quite like the idea of a pathway through the archway, but to be honest until i get it into the tank who knows how it will end up.


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## Matt @ ScapeEasy (1 Jun 2019)

This would make a great triangular composition!


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## Arana (1 Jun 2019)

Still Playing while watching Master Amano for inspiration


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## Matt @ ScapeEasy (1 Jun 2019)

Oooh I really like this.. reminds me of:


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## Arana (1 Jun 2019)

Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> Oooh I really like this.. reminds me of:
> 
> Thanks for sharing Matt, i enjoyed that and it gave me a few things to think about


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## Lauris (1 Jun 2019)

Looks good.


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## oscar (1 Jun 2019)

Arana said:


> Still Playing while watching Master Amano for inspiration


Hi Arana,
This looks like the way forward a strong hardscape using the full dimensions of tank, with perhaps a nice carpet. A graduation of smaller stones towards the front of aquascape would make it more natural..
Once that tank arrives 
I’m happy as Liverpool are wining


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## Arana (4 Jun 2019)

Yay! the Tank has arrived, thanks again to the guys from Aquarium Gardens for helping to get it loaded up, now the fun begins


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## Jayefc1 (4 Jun 2019)

Cant wait to see it up 

Jay


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## Arana (4 Jun 2019)

working on the frosting for the back


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## Arana (5 Jun 2019)

Tank and cabinet levelled in now, the rear and right hand side panel have been frosted and i have fitted the 900s and the LED back light.


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## Jayefc1 (5 Jun 2019)

Time to stop messing and start scapin

Looks good though where did you get the back light 

Jay


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## Arana (5 Jun 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Looks good though where did you get the back light
> 
> /QUOTE]
> 
> Purchased off Amazon Jay https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07QJBCFR7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## CooKieS (5 Jun 2019)

Very sleek setup!

I would love to order the same stand for my 60p but I bet they don't ship on France?


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## Arana (7 Jun 2019)

I have cut a sheet of 2mm acrylic sheet to fit the bottom of the tank, this will hopefully protect the glass while i move rocks around and allow me to glue stuff in place and still be able to lift out the whole hardscape if required.

So now begins a whole weekend of adding, moving, removing and agonising over rock placements... Happy days!


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## Arana (7 Jun 2019)

Ignore the rocks for the moment, i thought i would just share how the sunset effect looks when the Twinstar goes off


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## Jayefc1 (7 Jun 2019)

Yeah but it is the best part the frustration of rocks and wood Haha the little turn of a rock to change the whole way we look at it the way a branch is pointing it's just the best feeling when you sit down look over and smile at what you have achieved and feel happy till you notice a bit you wanna change 

Cheers 
Jay


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## alto (7 Jun 2019)

Gorgeous aquarium 

Which substrate are you using?


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## Arana (8 Jun 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Yeah but it is the best part the frustration of rocks and wood Haha the little turn of a rock to change the whole way we look at it the way a branch is pointing it's just the best feeling when you sit down look over and smile at what you have achieved and feel happy till you notice a bit you wanna change
> 
> Cheers
> Jay



Totally agree Jay, it is the fun part for me too. I think it is one of the few times in the aquascaping creative process that you can get instant gratification, everything else takes patience and time.


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## Arana (8 Jun 2019)

alto said:


> Gorgeous aquarium
> 
> Which substrate are you using?



Thank you Alto, the hardscape and substrate will be Seiryu Rock and Redmoor wood with ProdiBio Aquagroth Soil, topped off with ProdiBio AquaShrimp Powder in the back and ADA La Plata Sand in the front.


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## Arana (8 Jun 2019)

OK the first draft of the main hardscape seems to be turning into an island form with a central canyon\pathway through he middle, it is bound to change over the next couple of days but i thought i would share the starting point. All comments and suggestions welcome.


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## Matt @ ScapeEasy (8 Jun 2019)

Really like this!


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## Arana (8 Jun 2019)

Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> Really like this!



Thanks Matt, just been smashing up rocks into tiny pieces for added detail, i'd forgot how much fun that was


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## Arana (8 Jun 2019)

OK so i have just hit my first snag, as you may have seen if you have been following this journal i have applied a frosted film to the background and the right side pain, i have now realised that the rubber suction cups for the glassware which need to go on the right hand side will not vacuum themselves to the glass because of the textured film 
So if anyone has any suggestive how i can secure glassware without suckers i am all ears.


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## Harry H (8 Jun 2019)

You can buy acrylic lily pipe holders from the auction site. No need for the suckers then.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/143015267073


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## Arana (8 Jun 2019)

Harry H said:


> You can buy acrylic lily pipe holders from the auction site. No need for the suckers then.
> 
> https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/143015267073



Thank You Harry!


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## Jayefc1 (8 Jun 2019)

Personally I hate the plastic pipe holders and if they don't fit properly the seem to increase the chances of breaking the lily pips I'd rather just remove the frosting on the right hand side why do you need it


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## Arana (8 Jun 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Personally I hate the plastic pipe holders and if they don't fit properly the seem to increase the chances of breaking the lily pips I'd rather just remove the frosting on the right hand side why do you need it


Removing is an option Jay, I will give the pipe holders a go but if they look bulky or threaten to damage the glassware they will have to go, meanwhile i will keep thinking.

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## Arana (8 Jun 2019)

So after a few more tweaks this is where I finished today, I'm pretty happy with it and I am planning on adding some fine detail and the substrate tomorrow.





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## alto (8 Jun 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Personally I hate the plastic pipe holders and if they don't fit properly the seem to increase the chances of breaking the lily pips I'd rather just remove the frosting on the right hand side why do you need it


The gets my vote too


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## alto (8 Jun 2019)

Arana said:


> after a few more tweaks this is where I finished today, I'm pretty happy with it and I am planning on adding some fine detail and the substrate tomorrow.


I suggest forgoing Filipe Oliveira advice and add the sand AFTER planting - watch his Green Aqua workshop videos


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## Ady34 (8 Jun 2019)

Looks great, hardscape looks very well balanced.
I ordered some colour changing leds for backlighting the other day. Hope it has the same effect as yours although I think the frosting helps with this effect. Looking forward to more updates 
Cheerio
Ady.


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## Arana (9 Jun 2019)

Added the soil and sand, now working on some detail with crushed rock and Baikal, also have some small pieces of wood to add in around the rocks later. Of course when i added the soil it found every gap in the rock work, so plugged the holes with filter floss and small rocks, which seemed to do the trick nicely..


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## Arana (9 Jun 2019)

Been adding some wood details, nothing glued in yet as I'm not sure if i like it or not, welcome you thoughts...









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## CooKieS (9 Jun 2019)

Please post an full frontal shot to help, thanks


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## Arana (9 Jun 2019)

CooKieS said:


> Please post an full frontal shot to help, thanks


Here ya go...





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## CooKieS (9 Jun 2019)

Driftwood work looks nice to me.

Rockwork could easily be improved;

The front Line is too straight; you could create 'accident' by adding stones to break the Line and make it more natural.

The path is nice but I'm missing some small stones in the way.

Try to think; 'how would this path look in the nature?' Add different size of stones, branches and put them randomly for example.

Keep up, it's already looking nice


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## Arana (9 Jun 2019)

CooKieS said:


> Driftwood work looks nice to me.
> 
> Rockwork could easily be improved;
> 
> ...


Thanks, all good points, I was planning a few mossy rocks in the front to break up that straight line a bit. Will play around with the path and try to get some more detail and depth in there.

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## Arana (10 Jun 2019)

still adding rock detail and trying not to overdo it


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## CooKieS (10 Jun 2019)

Best part of this hobby to my eyes, keep up. 

Can't wait to play again in the sand when rescaping my 60p


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## obsessed (10 Jun 2019)

Looking good so far


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## Arana (10 Jun 2019)

CooKieS said:


> Best part of this hobby to my eyes, keep up.
> 
> Can't wait to play again in the sand when rescaping my 60p



Couldn't agree more Cookie 



obsessed said:


> Looking good so far



Thank You!


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## Arana (10 Jun 2019)

Time to stop for the night as the sun is setting 






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## Ady34 (11 Jun 2019)

Arana said:


> Been adding some wood details, nothing glued in yet as I'm not sure if i like it or not, welcome you thoughts...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I like them, they look really natural


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## Arana (11 Jun 2019)

Ady34 said:


> I like them, they look really natural


Thank You 

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## Arana (11 Jun 2019)

The wood is now glued in, so i will live it with until the weekend and if i can refrain from anymore tweaking i will get it filled and then put my plant order in with a view to planting it up the following week. Here is a short video of how it looks now.


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## Jayefc1 (11 Jun 2019)

Have you been through and plugged any little holes as the soil will quickly move through gaps once water is added

Cheers 
Jay


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## Arana (11 Jun 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Have you been through and plugged any little holes as the soil will quickly move through gaps once water is added
> 
> Cheers
> Jay


I have Jay but you can almost guarantee I have missed one somewhere! All the gaps I could see were plugged with filter floss and crushed rocks.

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## Jayefc1 (11 Jun 2019)

Hah don't you always mate it's easier said than done to plug all the small holes lol
It looks really good mate what plants you got in mind are you going back to AG for your plant 

Jay


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## Nobby Allen (12 Jun 2019)

Looking sweet. Can't wait for the updates. Wish i'd have found UKAPS before i started my tank. I'd have loved to do a journal & get help along the way.


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## Arana (12 Jun 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Hah don't you always mate it's easier said than done to plug all the small holes lol
> It looks really good mate what plants you got in mind are you going back to AG for your plant
> 
> Jay



Working on the plant order now, will be getting them from @Aquarium Gardens next week, cant wait!


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## Arana (12 Jun 2019)

Nobby Allen said:


> Looking sweet. Can't wait for the updates. Wish i'd have found UKAPS before i started my tank. I'd have loved to do a journal & get help along the way.



Thanks 

You could always get another tank


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## Nobby Allen (14 Jun 2019)

Arana said:


> Thanks
> 
> You could always get another tank


Bad influence look what I've just bought


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## Arana (14 Jun 2019)

Nobby Allen said:


> Bad influence look what I've just bought



And that's how the addiction starts


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## alto (14 Jun 2019)

I can’t tell of you’ve already done this from the photos, try to have sand (depth level) rising to the stones 

Of course your path is far better than any I’ve done 
I completely lack patience


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## Jayefc1 (14 Jun 2019)

Nobby Allen said:


> Bad influence look what I've just bought


Ohhh no he has MTS already that's not good at all 
Cheers 
Jay


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## Nobby Allen (15 Jun 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Ohhh no he has MTS already that's not good at all
> Cheers
> Jay


I have  Going to take my time with this until it's right.  Still can't decide on lighting. Would love a kessil a360 but i just can't bring myself to part with that much money


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## Arana (15 Jun 2019)

So my simple solution to the issue of the rubber suckers not sticking to the frosted film on the side of the tank was to use these self adhesive acrylic mirrored tiles fro Amazon.





As you can see being a mirrored finish means they are nice and smooth for the sucker to stick too, worked really well 





So it was time to fill the tank today, the plants have all been ordered from @Aquarium Gardens and i will be collecting them next Friday. Meanwhile i had some mosses and some Utricularia Graminifolia growing emersed under lights in the kitchen, so i thought i might as well get them attached to the wood.









Got the filter all set up, the only modification i made was to swap out the prefilter sponges for some 30ppi ones, i left one 30ppi sponge in the bottom tray, added Purigen to the top tray and everything in between was replaced with Neo Media Soft.
I then filled the tank slowly adding a dose of Seachem Prime and Stability.

This is where we are now, just need to fit the CO2 and get it planted next week. Meanwhile i will be doing daily water changes.





This is the plant list that i have ordered... So far! 

Bolbitis Difformis Linea In Vitro
Anubias mini mini
Bucephalandra Biblis
Vesicularia ferriei 'Weeping' 1-2 Grow
Christmas Moss Portion - Tropica
Bucephalandra Wavy Green
Bucephalandra Red
Bucephalandra Sintang
Bucephalandra sp. Lamandau Mini Red
Bucephalandra Theia
Microsorum pteropus Trident
Cryptocoryne albida Brown
Cryptocoryne Petchii
Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
Micranthemum Monte Carlo Tropica 1-2 Grow!
Hydrocotyle tripartita 'Japan' Tropica 1-2 Grow!
Hygrophila pinnatifida
Cryptocoryne Costata
Rotala wallichii Tropica 1-2 Grow!
Lagenandra meeboldii Red
ANUBIAS NANA BONSAI
Anubias Pangolino
Rotala Vietnam H'ra
Bolbitis heudelotii
Hygrophila pinnatifida Tropica 1-2 Grow!
Cryptocoryne Pygmaea Tissue Culture - Aqviannova
Plagiomnium cf. Affine (Pearl Moss) ECOSCAPE Tissue Culture
Riccardia chamedryfolia Pad (Coral Moss, Mini Pellia) - Tropica


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## alto (15 Jun 2019)

Great list of plants

But 

I’d add some fast growing stems to the mix, eg, Tropica Auxiliary plants
(in my soft water nothing grows faster than H zosterfolia, even from the 1-2-Grow cup  )

I recommend trimming the moss back to the wood - you can save all the trimmed bits and add elsewhere (if you want more moss on wood) as quickly shown in this GF video 
(Jurijs mit JS does a more in-depth moss vid for this technique ..... one of my favourite Green Aqua video moments is when FO tells B he needs to Trim That Moss )

Apologies for all the _Suggestions_


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## Arana (15 Jun 2019)

alto said:


> Great list of plants
> 
> But
> 
> ...


Thanks I will check that video out and give the moss a trim tomorrow when I do the water change tomorrow. 
I have got a couple of types of Rotala on the list for some fast growing stems but knowing me I am bound to leave the shop with more than I ordered next Friday 

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## Arana (17 Jun 2019)

Not much to report, been doing daily water changes and counting the days until i can go and collect the plants from @Aquarium Gardens on Friday.
The only issue i have is i am not convince the heater in the Biomaster Thermo 600 is working, it has been running for a few days set at 24, calibrated to +3 and so far it has not managed to heat the tank to more than 21. also the filter head seems really loud to me, only a hum but loader than anything else i have heard before. i will suffer it until i can stick my head in one of the cabinets at AG on Friday to see if theirs are running any quieter.


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## alto (17 Jun 2019)

If you purchased your Biomaster Thermo 600 from AG I’d take the heater along for them to test/replace ... even if you  purchased elsewhere I suspect they would be happy enough to test for you (humming is quick, heating efficiency is longer obviously)
At any rate if this is the only heater you have for the tank, I’d keep a replacement on hand (though perhaps you keep your home rather warmer )
Heater humming is a new one for me, I’ve yet to notice an audible hum from from my assortment of mostly Eheim/Jager heaters...


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## Arana (17 Jun 2019)

alto said:


> If you purchased your Biomaster Thermo 600 from AG I’d take the heater along for them to test/replace ... even if you  purchased elsewhere I suspect they would be happy enough to test for you (humming is quick, heating efficiency is longer obviously)
> At any rate if this is the only heater you have for the tank, I’d keep a replacement on hand (though perhaps you keep your home rather warmer )
> Heater humming is a new one for me, I’ve yet to notice an audible hum from from my assortment of mostly Eheim/Jager heaters...



Sorry, i didn't make that clear, the loud humming is from the filter head itself not the heater (have edited original post to make that clearer), loud enough to have to turn the TV up to drown it out!


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## Harry H (17 Jun 2019)

No that is too loud.


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## alto (17 Jun 2019)

I did wonder if it must be the filter 

Definitely bring it along for them to test - that’s crazy noise level 

(I’d’ve returned it after the first 24h ... in my experience filters go on as they begin - recalcitrant starters always turned out to be problematic filters (until I finally disowned them))


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## Siege (17 Jun 2019)

Hi,

Are you sure the flow is on ‘full’?

Tilt the filter to get out trapped air and make sure the filter is at its optimum flow. Turning it all off and opening the prefilter will also release any trapped air.

This will explain both issues!

Ps. Also check that your heater isn’t cracked/smashed. If it is take it with you to the shop.


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## Arana (17 Jun 2019)

Siege said:


> Hi,
> 
> Are you sure the flow is on ‘full’?
> 
> ...



Yes i have purged all the air and i have really good flow, also just noticed a lot of vibration on the out flow pipe, not sure if that is normal or not?


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## Jayefc1 (17 Jun 2019)

Tank looks really good mate and that is a plant list of all plant list some beautiful plants on it cant wait to see it planted 

Cheers 
Jay


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## Arana (17 Jun 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Tank looks really good mate and that is a plant list of all plant list some beautiful plants on it cant wait to see it planted
> 
> Cheers
> Jay


Thanks Jay 

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## Siege (17 Jun 2019)

Arana said:


> Yes i have purged all the air and i have really good flow, also just noticed a lot of vibration on the out flow pipe, not sure if that is normal or not?




Have a play with it this week. If you aren’t happy or unsure bring it with you when you come on Friday and we’ll set it up and see what’s going on!

S.

Ps. Check to see if there is any media stuck or if it’s the tubing vibrating on the cabinet (that would be odd to be that loud though!).


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## Arana (18 Jun 2019)

So more fun and games with the filter tonight, as advised while the filter was off during the water change i checked to see if i could see any broken glass or anything obviously wrong with the heater. Everything looked fine and its still not heating so i just think it's a faulty one.

Then...

I thought i would make the pipes  longer as they were quite tight with not a lot of room for manoeuvre on them and i have plenty spare, so i replaced them for slightly longer ones and when i powered the filter back up it definitely sounded quieter. I don't know if it was the pipes vibrating on the cabinet or something wasn't seated right and it was then fixed when i removed the head to check the heater but it was definitely quieter.

But Then...

As usual i gave the the filter a little shake to remove any trapped air and suddenly what looked like Purigen started pouring out of the lilly pipe and settling all over the tank! 






My first thought was the bag had split or it had come undone but when i removed it and checked it looked fine, but there must be a small hole in it somewhere as i have now removed it and replaced the space in the tray with some floss and all is fine again. I have been using Purigen for years and never had that happen before.

So tomorrow i will siphon as much of it back out as i can but there will be some mixed in with the sand, does anyone know if that will be safe to fish and shrimp should they ingest it or do i now need to rip out all the sand and replace it? Any advice appreciated.

Thanks for reading, i need a beer now


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## Jayefc1 (18 Jun 2019)

Oh the trials and tribulations of a aquascapers driving us to beer 
I dont know if it will harm the fish but its probs best to get it out as it will go dirty pretty fast so easier to do know before plants go in at the weekend (by weekend I mean Friday as soon as you get home from AG lol)
Cheers 
Jay


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## Arana (18 Jun 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Oh the trials and tribulations of a aquascapers driving us to beer
> I dont know if it will harm the fish but its probs best to get it out as it will go dirty pretty fast so easier to do know before plants go in at the weekend (by weekend I mean Friday as soon as you get home from AG lol)
> Cheers
> Jay



Yes, you are right jay, it wont take much to replace the sand while the tank is drained down for planting, better safe than sorry i guess.


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## Jayefc1 (18 Jun 2019)

Yeah mate and purigin get really.dirty in the filter so will collect the dirty in the tank and I'd be gutted for you if it makes a mess mate 

Cheers 
Jay


----------



## alto (18 Jun 2019)

The purigen itself is likely shrimp and fish safe
Shrimp may clean it, they won’t eat it
Fish may mouth it but again are unlikely to actually eat it

Obviously vacuum out as much as possible - it’s not highly rated as an aesthetic addition - but I’d not worry over the odd bit left behind  (I’d just stir in under  ... though if it’s going to keep surfacing in the sand I _might_ consider replacing the sand  )

Funnily enough I also gave a filter a shake last night & this flakey cr*p blasted out of the lily pipe and all over my very clean rescape


----------



## Siege (18 Jun 2019)

The purigen will look unsightly in the tank but completely shrimp etc safe.

You could argue that it’ll do a better job when in the the tank


----------



## Arana (19 Jun 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Yeah mate and purigin get really.dirty in the filter so will collect the dirty in the tank and I'd be gutted for you if it makes a mess mate
> 
> Cheers
> Jay





alto said:


> The purigen itself is likely shrimp and fish safe
> Shrimp may clean it, they won’t eat it
> Fish may mouth it but again are unlikely to actually eat it
> 
> ...





Siege said:


> The purigen will look unsightly in the tank but completely shrimp etc safe.
> 
> You could argue that it’ll do a better job when in the the tank




Thanks for the support guys, i have siphoned it out today and will replace the sand during planting at the weekend


----------



## Arana (21 Jun 2019)

The plants have landed thanks to @Aquarium Gardens as usual, the final revised and expanded list, ended up like this 

Planting and photos to commence tomorrow 



Bolbitis Difformis Linea 
Anubias mini mini
Bucephalandra Biblis
Vesicularia ferriei 
Christmas Moss 
Bucephalandra Wavy Green
Bucephalandra Red
Bucephalandra Sintang
Bucephalandra sp. Lamandau Mini Red
Bucephalandra Theia
Microsorum pteropus Trident
Rotala Green
Cryptocoryne Petchii
Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
Micranthemum Monte Carlo 
Hydrocotyle tripartita 'Japan' 
Cryptocoryne Costata
Rotala wallichii 
Lagenandra meeboldii Red
ANUBIAS NANA BONSAI
Anubias Pangolino
Rotala Vietnam H'ra
Bolbitis heudelotii
Hygrophila pinnatifida 
Cryptocoryne Pygmaea 
Plagiomnium cf. Affine (Pearl Moss) 
Javafern Windelov
Riccardia chamedryfolia Pad (Coral Moss, Mini Pellia)
ADA Crypt Pink Panther
ADA Crypt Wedtii M'Oya
ADA Hydrocotyle tripartita Mini 
Hygrophila Araguaia


----------



## Jayefc1 (21 Jun 2019)

Wow that is a awsome list mate hope you have nothing planned for a whole day or have you already started lol 

Cheers 
Jay


----------



## Arana (21 Jun 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Wow that is a awsome list mate hope you have nothing planned for a whole day or have you already started lol
> 
> Cheers
> Jay



As tempting as it was i think it is going to need a full day, so it will be an early start for me tomorrow


----------



## alto (21 Jun 2019)

You can easily do all the substrate plants one day, then mist and cover aquarium tightly with cling film

If you’ve planted with a completely dry soil rather than a damp soil, you should mist the soil thoroughly in addition to the plants, check an hour or so later that soil is still damp (sometimes the surface damp will leach downwards, leaving a completely dry upper soil again which is not really to small plant preference  )

Continue with the epiphytes the next day (or after a decent break) - Microsorum, Anubias, Buce, Swords can be sensitive to drying so I prefer to flood soon after adding these


----------



## Arana (22 Jun 2019)

Planting started at 8am and still going strong, i think i need some aquascaping minions


----------



## Jayefc1 (22 Jun 2019)

Haha stop post get cracking


----------



## Arana (22 Jun 2019)

OK the plants are in 
its obviously going to need a lot of growing in, will do a large water change tomorrow, trim the mosses some more and remove any debris as it still needs a bit of tidy up. Still having problems with the heater in the BioMaster Thermo it brings the temp up quickly to 21c but will not go any higher no matter what i set it to. also purchased a new PRO-SE Series Regulator from CO2 Art which is now running, i just need to find the sweet spot. Will get some better photos tomorrow but for now here is a few snaps on the phone of where we are now.


----------



## Siege (22 Jun 2019)

Hi mark.

Test the heater over the next week and make sure all air is out. If it carries on send over an email and we’ll look at replacing it. The replacement will slot straight in easy!

S.

Ps. The planting looks really good. Gonna be a stunning tank. Cracking job


----------



## Siege (22 Jun 2019)

Ps. How did you find the new tissue culture riccardia?


----------



## Arana (22 Jun 2019)

Siege said:


> Hi mark.
> 
> Test the heater over the next week and make sure all air is out. If it carries on send over an email and we’ll look at replacing it. The replacement will slot straight in easy!
> 
> ...


Thanks mate, definitely not an air issue as I have tested it over night just in the tank, pretty sure its the thermostat now.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk


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## Arana (22 Jun 2019)

Siege said:


> Ps. How did you find the new tissue culture riccardia?


Superb! I wish I had more, so easy to work with.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk


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## Siege (22 Jun 2019)

Cool. I thought it would be good for you when it came in. So much better than the mesh pads


----------



## Jayefc1 (22 Jun 2019)

Yeah agreed the riccardia is really nice to use and looks really nice the tank
 looks really good mate and that sweet spot in the co2 isn't an issue for a while till you get fish get it turned up nice and yellow drop checker for those plants to transition 
Cheers 
Jay


----------



## Arana (23 Jun 2019)

So i was my LFS today thinking about what to stock this with when i spotted the replacement heaters for my BioMaster Thermo 600, it's been bugging me so i thought i would get one to confirm once and for all if either...

1. The heater is faulty
2. I am doing something wrong
3. I am going mad

It was a very easy transplant and i am glad to say it started working straight away and the tank is now  up to temperature, i could hear the thermostat kicking in too which i never could on the original one. To be honest i am just glad it didn't turn out to be option 3, mainly because it proves the wife is wrong about me.


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## Siege (23 Jun 2019)

That’s good, send or drop the old heater back into AG and we can sort out a refund for it.

I wonder if the thermostat got burnt out with the lack of flow initially.


----------



## Arana (23 Jun 2019)

Siege said:


> That’s good, send or drop the old heater back into AG and we can sort out a refund for it.
> 
> I wonder if the thermostat got burnt out with the lack of flow initially.


Thanks mate, I am away next weekend so will be the weekend after, need a few things anyway and begin planning the next project 

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk


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## Jayefc1 (25 Jun 2019)

Hows the tank going mate 

Cheers 
Jay


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## Arana (25 Jun 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Hows the tank going mate
> 
> Cheers
> Jay


Going well Jay, already seeing some growth, a bit of crypt melt and a few diatoms on the Rock's but I was expecting that.

Thinking about some additional plants higher up on the wood to add height to the scape, maybe some more Bolbitis 

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk


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## Jayefc1 (25 Jun 2019)

I really like

Hygrophila pinnatifida
On branches such a nice texture and the under sides of the leaves bring a lil colour I know you already have it in there but I'm guessing its planted asicantsee it yet 

Cheers 
Jay


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## Arana (25 Jun 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> I really like
> 
> Hygrophila pinnatifida
> On branches such a nice texture and the under sides of the leaves bring a lil colour I know you already have it in there but I'm guessing its planted asicantsee it yet
> ...


Yes mate, it growing in at the back at the moment but the plan is to get it on the wood.

Really pleased with the effect I get from the cheap LED I mounted at the rear after lights out. This photo doesn't really do it justice.





Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk


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## Jayefc1 (25 Jun 2019)

I like it  mate I do love a back light after lights out gives that lil extra viewing time my 

Dont know if you can make out my Hygrophila pinnatifida on the 3 branches at the back I just keep nipping the crowns out to.make them grow bushy


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## Arana (26 Jun 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> I like it  mate I do love a back light after lights out gives that lil extra viewing time my
> 
> Dont know if you can make out my Hygrophila pinnatifida on the 3 branches at the back I just keep nipping the crowns out to.make them grow bushy View attachment 125448


Yes I can see it mate, looks stunning! How did you fix it to the wood?

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## Jayefc1 (26 Jun 2019)

Just a touch of gel super glue mate works a treat 
Cheers jay


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## Harry H (26 Jun 2019)

Looking great. Hygrophila pinnatifida envy! 

I could not grow that plant for the life of me, I have very hard water, no matter what I do, they get spotty and end up with no leaves...


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## Jayefc1 (26 Jun 2019)

My water is hard too harry ph 7.6 mate the thing is they like good flow and lots of co2 I think they wouldn't grow for me planted but on the wood they have taken off 
Cheers 
Jay


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## Arana (30 Jun 2019)

Not too much to report this week, just completed a large water change and trimmed some of the stems, also moved a couple of stems of Hygrophila Pinnatifida to the wood to see how it does. still getting a bit of Crypt melt as expected and a few diatoms but other than it's looking good so far. The Hydrocotyle tripartita Mini is doing well on the wood and growing fast. Next weekend i will be popping into @Aquarium Gardens for some more plants as i want to get some ferns higher up in the scape, i think it will add some much needed balance. I will also be adding the algae crew next weekend.


----------



## Arana (30 Jun 2019)

Why have i suddenly started getting the Photobucket logo appear on my photos?


----------



## Arana (1 Jul 2019)

That's better swapped photo hosting to Imgur, Photobucket can do one!


----------



## Jayefc1 (1 Jul 2019)

Lol pinnatifida looks good there mate give us a full tank shot please


----------



## Arana (2 Jul 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Lol pinnatifida looks good there mate give us a full tank shot please



Thanks Jay, i have dug out the good camera and plan to hopefully get some decent full tank shots at the weekend.


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## Siege (2 Jul 2019)

Looking really good!

Is that the ADA Mini Tripartita on the wood?


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## Arana (2 Jul 2019)

Siege said:


> Looking really good!
> 
> Is that the ADA Mini Tripartita on the wood?



Yes mate, it seems to like it there


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## Siege (2 Jul 2019)

Wow! 

That’s grown a lot from a couple of pots!


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## CooKieS (2 Jul 2019)

Arana said:


> Yes mate, it seems to like it there



That's an weed, unfortunately it gets very similar sized leaves than the normal tripartita, a little bit smaller but not that much


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## Siege (2 Jul 2019)

It’ll be interesting to see how it grows as you gradually turn the light up. I wonder if it’ll go gradually tighter.....?!


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## Arana (2 Jul 2019)

Siege said:


> It’ll be interesting to see how it grows as you gradually turn the light up. I wonder if it’ll go gradually tighter.....?!


Yes hopefully it will be more compact once the intensity goes up. 

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk


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## Chris Tinker (3 Jul 2019)

wow! fantastic colours. either amazing plants or camera


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## Arana (3 Jul 2019)

Chris Tinker said:


> wow! fantastic colours. either amazing plants or camera



Just taken on my Samsung phone, will try to get some more professional shots at the weekend after maintenance.


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## Arana (6 Jul 2019)

So after another visit to @Aquarium Gardens today i returned with some more plants and an army of shrimp, the plants were more of the same but i also added some Bucephalandra Caterina to the collection. So a big maintenance session followed with more plants and algae crew consisting of 30 - 40 shrimp, Amanos and Cherrys, 3 Ottos and 3 very small Siamensis added. This is where we are now...


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## alto (6 Jul 2019)

Looking grand!



Arana said:


> Siamensis


curious which species


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## alto (6 Jul 2019)

Trim the Moss 
Quick!!!


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## Arana (6 Jul 2019)

alto said:


> Looking grand!
> 
> 
> curious which species


Pretty sure they are Crossocheilus oblongus but they are only about 3cm at the moment so I could be wrong.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk


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## Arana (6 Jul 2019)

alto said:


> Trim the Moss
> Quick!!!


 received a large piece of Christmas Moss in with the shrimp which was added too but yes it does need a trim 

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk


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## Monkfish (7 Jul 2019)

Looks amazing. Made me want to change a couple of things about my tank, as I have quite similar branches in mine.


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## Arana (7 Jul 2019)

Monkfish said:


> Looks amazing



Thanks Monkfish


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## Monkfish (7 Jul 2019)

Arana said:


> Thanks Monkfish



Not sure how Buce works, but if you ever have some trimmings from it I’d be interested. Love the way it looks and want to get more for my rock work.


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## Bon MotMot (8 Jul 2019)

Fantastic tank! I really like the assorted epiphytes going up the vertical branch on the left.


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## Arana (8 Jul 2019)

Bon MotMot said:


> Fantastic tank! I really like the assorted epiphytes going up the vertical branch on the left.


Thank you! Not all epiphytes though there is also Hygrophila Pinnatifida and Hygrophila Araguaia too, for me the latter is doing the best 

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## Arana (8 Jul 2019)

Monkfish said:


> Not sure how Buce works, but if you ever have some trimmings from it I’d be interested. Love the way it looks and want to get more for my rock work.


Once the Buces are settled in and starting to spread you are welcome to some, although it can be slower than an Anubias on Valium 

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## Jayefc1 (8 Jul 2019)

Not sure how Buce works, but if you ever have some trimmings from it I’d be interested. Love the way it looks and want to get more for my rock work.


Could be waiting a long time they some times come up for sale here but not very often
Cheers
Jay


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## Monkfish (8 Jul 2019)

Yeah thought that would be the case. I bought some from here before, but regret not buying more when they were available haha


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## alto (8 Jul 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Not sure how Buce works, but if you ever have some trimmings


Did you see this FB post from Green Aqua

https://www.facebook.com/greenaqua/photos/a.219264178088878/2897606563587946/?type=3&theater


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## Arana (9 Jul 2019)

alto said:


> Did you see this FB post from Green Aqua
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/greenaqua/photos/a.219264178088878/2897606563587946/?type=3&theater


Wow! If mine do that then there will be enough Buce for everyone! 

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## Jayefc1 (9 Jul 2019)

The thing is it says a few months that could be anywhere from 6-18 lol


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## Arana (10 Jul 2019)

Finally got out the Cannon for a decent photo, here is a front shot i will get some more later.


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## Arana (11 Jul 2019)

The sand in the front never seems to look good for more than about 5 minutes, so i am considering doing away with it and making a slight tweak to take the foreground into a different direction


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## Jayefc1 (11 Jul 2019)

Mine was the same but as the plants grow in they seem to hold the soil in place better and the sand becomes easier to maintain so if you really like it give it a month or 2 then have a look also some smaller stones to make the transition better  but if your not that bothered change it I like but that's just me
Cheers jay


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## Arana (11 Jul 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Mine was the same but as the plants grow in they seem to hold the soil in place better and the sand becomes easier to maintain so if you really like it give it a month or 2 then have a look also some smaller stones to make the transition better  but if your not that bothered change it I like but that's just me
> Cheers jay



 Personally i am finding it a bit boring, the missus insisted after seeing the scapes in Aquarium Gardens but she is away for 2 weeks soon so i have a feeling it wont be there when she comes back


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## Jayefc1 (11 Jul 2019)

Lol while the cats away the mouse WILL play


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## Jayefc1 (11 Jul 2019)

I think a lot more smaller stones would break it up better to be honest mate


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## alto (12 Jul 2019)

You could always add nice gravel atop the sand

Lauris Escape

easy to go back to sand once the plants are grown in if you like


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## alto (12 Jul 2019)

An interesting scape adjustment by Filipe Oliveira


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## Arana (13 Jul 2019)

Added a nice shoal of 24 embers today, they seem to have settled straight in and are looking nice. I will try to get a video tomorrow


----------



## Jayefc1 (13 Jul 2019)

Got to love embers mate they make  the tank come to life with a flash of colour 
Cheers 
Jay


----------



## Jayefc1 (13 Jul 2019)

Just moved mine to my 60p they where always meant to be in there with the all green look they will pop you need to get the DENNERLE nano gran food for them.really makes the red come out of them


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## Arana (14 Jul 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Just moved mine to my 60p they where always meant to be in there with the all green look they will pop you need to get the DENNERLE nano gran food for them.really makes the red come out of them



Yes mate that is exactly what i have to feed them on and any that drops to the bottom is loved by the shrimp.


----------



## Jayefc1 (14 Jul 2019)

Haha Steve at AG sold me on it and it does work


----------



## Arana (14 Jul 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Haha Steve at AG sold me on it and it does work



They have only had a couple of feeds so can't comment on colour yet but they definitely love it and so do the shrimp.


----------



## Arana (14 Jul 2019)

Loving the Embers


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## Monkfish (14 Jul 2019)

They look great. Next on my list to get.


----------



## Arana (16 Jul 2019)

Monkfish said:


> They look great. Next on my list to get.



They have settled in really nicely and seem to love being in a High Tech tank.


----------



## Chris Tinker (16 Jul 2019)

you can tell which way the filter flows

woooooosh


----------



## CooKieS (16 Jul 2019)

I love the way they're schooling in Big tanks like yours ; they were Always Shy in my nano tanks.

Nice scape btw


----------



## Arana (16 Jul 2019)

CooKieS said:


> I love the way they're schooling in Big tanks like yours ; they were Always Shy in my nano tanks.
> 
> Nice scape btw



Thanks Cookie 
I would love to see about 100 of them in a really big tank, 10 foot plus  would look amazing!


----------



## CooKieS (16 Jul 2019)

Arana said:


> Thanks Cookie
> I would love to see about 100 of them in a really big tank, 10 foot plus  would look amazing!



You could easily add 25 more in your tank


----------



## Arana (19 Jul 2019)

Things have just been growing away this week and the stems have nearly hit the surface, so they will be getting a trim this week, still no sign of any issues and all the livestock have settled in well.










Actually not true! yesterday i had a nice stream stem of Hydrocotyle tripartita trailing over the rocks and today all the leaves have gone and i an just left with a stalk and a couple of big Amanos with a guilty look on there faces 





Going to put an order in soon with @Aquarium Gardens to acquire the bits i need to redo the foreground and get rid of that sand. Will post an update when i do.


----------



## alto (19 Jul 2019)

Those Crazy Amanos!


----------



## alto (19 Jul 2019)

CooKieS said:


> You could easily add 25 more in your tank


Agree
A shoal of 50-60 will be awesome in this tank 

Then for a second species choose something more subtle like these 

Hemigrammus rubrostriatus


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (19 Jul 2019)

@Alex Papp  You’ve started a trend matey 



alto said:


> Then for a second species choose something more subtle like these
> 
> Hemigrammus rubrostriatus


----------



## Arana (19 Jul 2019)

alto said:


> Agree
> A shoal of 50-60 will be awesome in this tank
> 
> Then for a second species choose something more subtle like these
> ...



 those are really nice  i may bolster the Ember numbers too and i have also got my eye on some Tangerine Tigers to up the shrimp numbers.


----------



## Arana (21 Jul 2019)

A good trim and a big water change today, unfortunately lost one of the embers who somehow managed to get himself wedged between two rocks 

Here is a couple of short videos shot on the phone post water change...


----------



## Jayefc1 (21 Jul 2019)

Looks very nice mate


----------



## Chris Tinker (21 Jul 2019)

how ling did it take to grow in?


----------



## Arana (21 Jul 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Looks very nice mate



Thanks Jay


----------



## Arana (21 Jul 2019)

Chris Tinker said:


> how ling did it take to grow in?



It is not quiet a month old, so a lot of growing in left to do


----------



## Alex Papp (22 Jul 2019)

@Geoffrey Rea @alto @Arana 
As some of you know, I have these fish. They are very nice, but, at least in London two water, as you can see in my photo on my thread their colours aren't as bright as on Glaser's website. However out of the toxic soup of water that id London they should be better. The males have coloured up a bit more and look very shiny green and red in sunlight now ) . If you want to buy some, come to the Aquatic Design Centre in Balham. There are probably 8-10 left. I may be wrong but I'd be surprised if you can find them anywhere else.


----------



## Arana (23 Jul 2019)

Alex Papp said:


> @Geoffrey Rea @alto @Arana
> As some of you know, I have these fish. They are very nice, but, at least in London two water, as you can see in my photo on my thread their colours aren't as bright as on Glaser's website. However out of the toxic soup of water that id London they should be better. The males have coloured up a bit more and look very shiny green and red in sunlight now ) . If you want to buy some, come to the Aquatic Design Centre in Balham. There are probably 8-10 left. I may be wrong but I'd be surprised if you can find them anywhere else.



Thanks Alex, i cannot decide on the additional species as there is so many i like


----------



## Alex Papp (23 Jul 2019)

I know the feeling. Just go to an aquatics centre and see what they have, because if you set your heart on something specific you probably won't get it:
Me with these https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/oryzias-celebensis/


----------



## Jayefc1 (23 Jul 2019)

Mate I got 12 gold ring danios the other day there amazing
Cheers
Jay


----------



## Jayefc1 (23 Jul 2019)

They have then at sweet Knowles aquatics Alex I saw them on Sunday mate they where also a lovely fish
Cheers
Jay


----------



## Arana (23 Jul 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Mate I got 12 gold ring danios the other day there amazing
> Cheers
> Jay



They look great too!


----------



## Jayefc1 (23 Jul 2019)

They would work really well with the emders the contrasting colours would look really nice 
Cheers 
Jay


----------



## Arana (3 Aug 2019)

A quick water change and a small trim today resulted in me managing to stab myself in the big toe with a pair of scissors! i have had a few cuts and scratches over the years aquascaping but never a pair of scissors stuck in my toe  who would believe it was such a dangerous hobby 

I have finally run out of my TMC Complete so switched to full EI using my own mix solution from today, lets see how that goes, i have also upped the light intensity from 55% to 60% but will stick to the 6 hour photo period for now.
Still no signs of algae, not even green spot on the glass 

Going to visit a couple of LFS this afternoon to see if they have any interesting livestock that takes my fancy.

Here is a couple of snaps on the phone taken during the water change.


----------



## Arana (3 Aug 2019)

Couldn't find anything to take my fancy at the LFS, i did see some lovely dwarf honey gouramis but wasn't sure how they would get on with the shrimp so gave it a miss. i have placed a couple of orders online for the bits i need to transform the sand foreground, so will post photos of that once it is underway.


----------



## CooKieS (3 Aug 2019)

Lovely mix and match of pinnitifida and mosses, gonna make the same on the emersed section of my New scape


----------



## Arana (8 Aug 2019)

The work will begin this weekend on rescaping the foreground and getting rid of that sand, hardscape this weekend and plants next weekend i hope. Meanwhile i have 20 tangerine tiger shrimp on the way but i am still stuck on what other fish to add (suggestions Welcome) the only thing i have seen in my LFS limited choice is Honey Gouramis and Pencil fish, not sure how either of those will fair in an opened top tank or how they will get on with the shrimp.


----------



## Monkfish (8 Aug 2019)

I’ve got some Sparkling Pearl Gourami and really like them. Stay small too so can get larger numbers.


----------



## Arana (10 Aug 2019)

The foreground rescape carnage has began


----------



## Arana (10 Aug 2019)

Ok that was a much bigger job than i anticipated! 

I have now replaced the sand with Plantahunter River Gravel, a mixture of small and large, also moved a couple of plants and propagated the Pinnatifida onto a few more branches, also trimmed the Hydrocotyle tripartita Mini on the wood as it was reaching for the sky.

The overall plan is too extend the Riccardia moss on the left to cover most of the left and right foreground, just leaving the central path as unplanted, but will need to do that next week when my order from AG gets here. At least the hard part is out of the way. I have finished off with 2 50% water changes but things still look a bit murky so will do another tomorrow if its not crystal by then.

here is a few phone photos of where it is right now, once it is clear i will try to get a decent full tank shot with the Cannon.


----------



## Jayefc1 (10 Aug 2019)

The Pinnatifida grows so well on the branches I've moved some to the 45p and spread it around the big tank to now 
The tank looks good mate 
Cheers 
Jay


----------



## Chris Tinker (10 Aug 2019)

looking great the plants are covering great


----------



## Arana (11 Aug 2019)

Just returned from the LFS with a male and 2 female Honey Gouramis and 6 Banded loaches (Micronemacheilus curciatus) Never kept those before so should be interesting.
_


_


----------



## Chris Tinker (11 Aug 2019)

Arana said:


> Just returned from the LFS with a male and 2 female Honey Gouramis and 6 Banded loaches (Micronemacheilus curciatus) Never kept those before so should be interesting.
> _
> 
> 
> ...



amazing photo


----------



## Arana (11 Aug 2019)

Chris Tinker said:


> amazing photo



It is Chris but i cannot take credit for it unfortunately, maybe one day my photography will be that good, i can only aspire to it.


----------



## Arana (13 Aug 2019)

Unfortunately i found one of the new Micronemacheilus curciatus on the floor this morning that had obviously jumped out over night, i wasn't aware they were jumpers so did not expect it ., then between there and the front door (15 feet away!) i found to large dead amanos, first time that has ever happened to me although i have heard about it happening many times. Not sure how they knew where the front door was but they definitely seem to be heading for it! Why they all chose last night to try and do a runner i don't know but i also had a very bad nights sleep.


----------



## Arana (17 Aug 2019)

Going to finish the revamp of the foreground today, managed to grab one of these to try (Below), have always struggled with it in the past so will be interesting to see how i get on with a 1-2 grow version. will need to trim the Bolbitis back as it is growing so fast. I will post some photos later.


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## CooKieS (17 Aug 2019)

Limited Edition ? Lovely plant btw, couldn't fit them in my 60p but would love to try, keep us updated thanks


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## Arana (18 Aug 2019)

OK this is where we are after rejigging the foreground, i think it adds greater depth overall but all comments gladly welcome.


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## Monkfish (18 Aug 2019)

What are the new foreground plants you’ve put in? I can’t read the label.


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## Arana (18 Aug 2019)

Monkfish said:


> What are the new foreground plants you’ve put in? I can’t read the label.



The Limited Edition was Blyxa but i have added Riccardia and Cryptocoryne parva to the foreground, the Blyxa is in over on one side to see how it settles in, i have always struggled with it in the past.


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## Chris Tinker (19 Aug 2019)

your tank is amazing, how did you get the moss to stick? did it grow across or did you place it all there?


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## Monkfish (19 Aug 2019)

Arana said:


> The Limited Edition was Blyxa but i have added Riccardia and Cryptocoryne parva to the foreground, the Blyxa is in over on one side to see how it settles in, i have always struggled with it in the past.



It all looks so good. I’ve got Blyxa Japonica (well has before my tank cracked, now it’s in a bucket trying to keep it alive) and it did really well. So many little runners. The Riccardia looks really nice too.


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## Arana (19 Aug 2019)

Chris Tinker said:


> your tank is amazing, how did you get the moss to stick? did it grow across or did you place it all there?



Thanks Chris, Just tied it on using this https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07HY6Y3JN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 it is a lot cheaper that the ADA Moss Cotton 




Monkfish said:


> It all looks so good. I’ve got Blyxa Japonica (well has before my tank cracked, now it’s in a bucket trying to keep it alive) and it did really well. So many little runners. The Riccardia looks really nice too.


Thanks mate, i am hoping i have better luck with this in-vitro version


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## Arana (24 Aug 2019)

Added 20 Tangerine Tigers this week but they seem to have gone into permanent hiding, full maintenance session today and added some Ludwigia Mini Super Red and another type of Anubias. everything is growing so fast and the Buces are starting to colour up nicely now.


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## Arana (24 Aug 2019)




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## CooKieS (25 Aug 2019)

Your gouramis might have good snack with the tangerine tigers...

Tank looks very nice, some sand mixed with the gravel would have look even more natural but all gravel is so much easier to take Care of!


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## Arana (25 Aug 2019)

CooKieS said:


> Your gouramis might have good snack with the tangerine tigers...
> 
> Tank looks very nice, some sand mixed with the gravel would have look even more natural but all gravel is so much easier to take Care of!



Luckily the Gouramis have stayed away from the shrimp, already had 2 batches of baby cherries and they have left them alone, currently planning a shrimp only tank so they can always go in there if the Gouramis develop a taste for them.


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## SDIESEL77 (27 Aug 2019)

Very nice tank! 
What light schedule is the Twinstar set on? What fert do you use?
thx


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## Arana (27 Aug 2019)

SDIESEL77 said:


> Very nice tank!
> What light schedule is the Twinstar set on? What fert do you use?
> thx



Thanks, The Twinstar 900S comes on at 3pm and ramps up from 0-60% for 1 hour then stays at 60% until 9pm then ramps down to 0% and finally off at 10pm, so 7 hours in total but only 5 hours at 60% (Hope that makes sense)
The first month the timings were the same but only went to 50% then increased 5% per week until we are where we are now. I think this moderate light, high Co2 and dosing full EI from day 1 is why i have had zero algae issues


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## SDIESEL77 (27 Aug 2019)

Thanks Mark! 
I also use the same light but at 100% 10h daily and I am starting to get little bit of Green Spot algae so I'll probably start reducing it to 70%.
Can you tell me more about what EI you use and what dosage? thx


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## Arana (27 Aug 2019)

SDIESEL77 said:


> Thanks Mark!
> I also use the same light but at 100% 10h daily and I am starting to get little bit of Green Spot algae so I'll probably start reducing it to 70%.
> Can you tell me more about what EI you use and what dosage? thx



I just use this recipe http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/EI.htm with a little added K2SO4 into the Macro mix.if i see any deficiencies i just add a bit extra


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## Arana (27 Aug 2019)

Oh i forgot to add that during the weekly water change i dump in a couple of teaspoons of Magnesium Sulphate too.


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## SDIESEL77 (28 Aug 2019)

Can you keep this solution prepared in containers for few weeks?

Do you think the 2 solutions (macro and micro) can he mixed in 1 container?


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## Chris Tinker (28 Aug 2019)

Arana said:


> I just use this recipe http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/EI.htm with a little added K2SO4 into the Macro mix.if i see any deficiencies i just add a bit extra



when you say deficiency what are you looking at?


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## Arana (28 Aug 2019)

SDIESEL77 said:


> Can you keep this solution prepared in containers for few weeks?
> 
> Do you think the 2 solutions (macro and micro) can he mixed in 1 container?



You will need to keep your Macros and Trace mixes in separate containers, i make 500ml at a time, at 20ml a dose, 3 times a week that's enough for just over 2 months, i have had no issues keeping it this long.


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## Arana (28 Aug 2019)

Chris Tinker said:


> when you say deficiency what are you looking at?



You will get to know your plants the longer you live with them and be able to spot anything lacking but as a guide this the type of things you need to keep an eye out for.

http://aquathusiast.com/nutrientdeficiency/

For me Phosphate and CO2 deficiencies are the most common, especially in areas of low flow so keeping an eye on circulation is a must.


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## Chris Tinker (28 Aug 2019)

Arana said:


> You will get to know your plants the longer you live with them and be able to spot anything lacking but as a guide this the type of things you need to keep an eye out for.
> 
> http://aquathusiast.com/nutrientdeficiency/
> 
> For me Phosphate and CO2 deficiencies are the most common, especially in areas of low flow so keeping an eye on circulation is a must.


thanks for this... i need magnesium...


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## Arana (8 Sep 2019)

Not many updates as things are continuing to grow in, it is a little bit overdue for a trim but i have added some Kyoto to grow emersed.


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## Arana (12 Sep 2019)

Yes i know it needs a massive trim but my excuse is that i am growing plant matter for the new scape


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## Arana (21 Sep 2019)

A big trim today before going to @Aquarium Gardens to collect the plants for Caridina Dreaming so i now have everything i ordered form there as well as a big bucket of cuttings for a panting session tomorrow.


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## Janci (14 Nov 2019)

Gorgeous, even in this wild state.


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## Arana (17 Nov 2019)

Janci said:


> Gorgeous, even in this wild state.



Thanks! Here is a couple of update shots.


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## Janci (17 Nov 2019)

Those ember tetras very much pop in this layout.
Very nice


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## SDIESEL77 (18 Nov 2019)

Arana said:


> Thanks, The Twinstar 900S comes on at 3pm and ramps up from 0-60% for 1 hour then stays at 60% until 9pm then ramps down to 0% and finally off at 10pm, so 7 hours in total but only 5 hours at 60% (Hope that makes sense)
> The first month the timings were the same but only went to 50% then increased 5% per week until we are where we are now. I think this moderate light, high Co2 and dosing full EI from day 1 is why i have had zero algae issues


Still stunning ! Did you keep the same light settings or did you increase it?
Do you still use the same fert? I ckecked theplantedtank.co.uk and it seems the website is down


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## Arana (18 Nov 2019)

SDIESEL77 said:


> Still stunning ! Did you keep the same light settings or did you increase it?
> Do you still use the same fert? I ckecked theplantedtank.co.uk and it seems the website is down



Yes the lighting and fert regime has remand the same


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## Tankless (22 Jan 2020)

Did you place the moss on the wool and then tie it around your rocks? In terms of maintenance, is this style of scape more difficult to maintain in the long run?


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## Arana (23 Jan 2020)

Tankless said:


> Did you place the moss on the wool and then tie it around your rocks? In terms of maintenance, is this style of scape more difficult to maintain in the long run?



The moss was tied directly to the wood, i did not use any wool. as for maintenance the plants get a trim every couple of weeks so not difficult or time consuming, in fact that is my favourite part


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## Tankless (4 Mar 2020)

Arana said:


> The moss was tied directly to the wood, i did not use any wool. as for maintenance the plants get a trim every couple of weeks so not difficult or time consuming, in fact that is my favourite part



How did you grow the Hydrocotyle on the branch? Did you glue it on and then leave it to grow?


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## alto (4 Mar 2020)

I’m sure it’s time for more photos


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## Arana (5 Mar 2020)

Tankless said:


> How did you grow the Hydrocotyle on the branch? Did you glue it on and then leave it to grow?



The Hydrocotyle was just tucked into cracks and splits on the wood.


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## Arana (5 Mar 2020)

alto said:


> I’m sure it’s time for more photos



yes definitely, i have been in Thailand for a couple of weeks so it is seriously in need of  a trim now, ! i will try to get some before and after shots at the weekend.


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## alto (5 Mar 2020)

Ah well .. Thailand now ...


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## Monkfish (5 Mar 2020)

Looking forward to seeing it. Would also be interested in any stem trimmings you might have haha


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## Arana (5 Mar 2020)

Monkfish said:


> Looking forward to seeing it. Would also be interested in any stem trimmings you might have haha



the Blyxa has grown like a weed and is taking over! need to thin that out drastically.


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## Monkfish (5 Mar 2020)

Had some of that before my old tank cracked. It all died off whilst waiting to set new one up.


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## Arana (8 Mar 2020)

OK apologies for the crap photos i only had my phone to hand 

As you can see it was all getting a bit overgrown and the emersed growth was choking itself out...










I have removed a lot of blyxa..





After a good trim i have replanted the Blyxa around the back added an extra rock to the left hand side and then covered with stones, i want to try and keep the left hand side more open and create more defined separate islands that grow together at the top. I t should settle in within a couple of weeks and new stones will hopefully colour up to match the existing.


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## Monkfish (8 Mar 2020)

That was a massive trim haha. Looks amazing as always. Don’t suppose the blyxa is spare now is it


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## Arana (8 Mar 2020)

Monkfish said:


> That was a massive trim haha. Looks amazing as always. Don’t suppose the blyxa is spare now is it



Sorry it all got replanted at the back as the original stems were looking a bit tatty and needed replacing

Today i will be tackling the Caridina no fert tank that is also looking like a jungle now...


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## Monkfish (8 Mar 2020)

No worries at all. I’ll keep an eye for some on the forum haha. 

Always get tank envy with your tanks!


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## Arana (8 Mar 2020)

Monkfish said:


> No worries at all. I’ll keep an eye for some on the forum haha.
> 
> Always get tank envy with your tanks!



The Blyxa grows like a weed for me so i am sure i will have some soon going spare


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## Arana (14 Mar 2020)

Loving the way the immersed growth is looking now especially the Rotala, on the right, which is growing horizontally through the Blyxa 





Following on from the big trim and adding gravel to the left hand side last week the makeover continues today and i am planning on removing all of the Ricardia from the front and redressing that with gravel to in order to define the two islands even more, will add photos tomorrow once it has settled down.


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## Arana (15 Mar 2020)

This is where we are now...


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## Arana (23 Jun 2020)

I think it's time for a re-scape on this


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## LondonDragon (23 Jun 2020)

Arana said:


> I think it's time for a re-scape on this


Looks great to me  got updated photos???


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## hypnogogia (23 Jun 2020)

@Arana what’s the dark green mass of plants on the right and side?


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## Arana (23 Jun 2020)

hypnogogia said:


> @Arana what’s the dark green mass of plants on the right and side?



If you mean attached to the wood then it is  Bolbitis heudelotii


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## Arana (23 Jun 2020)

LondonDragon said:


> Looks great to me  got updated photos???



Thanks Mate, it looks pretty much the same as above right now but i feel like a change, no rush though i will give it some thought first. It might just end up with a massive trim


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## hypnogogia (23 Jun 2020)

@Arana having just googled that, yes, that’s the one I mean.  Thanks


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## Vijay_06 (23 Jun 2020)

The scape looks great! I love the different colors and textures. Everything looks so chaotic but somehow come together nicely.

Are you using an inline CO2 diffuser/atomizer? Not sure if I can see one inside the tank.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Arana (24 Jun 2020)

Vijay_06 said:


> The scape looks great! I love the different colors and textures. Everything looks so chaotic but somehow come together nicely.
> 
> Are you using an inline CO2 diffuser/atomizer? Not sure if I can see one inside the tank.
> 
> ...



Thanks Vijay, Yes it is a C02 Art inline diffuser.


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