# Skellys 60P Build



## Sk3lly (9 Oct 2014)

Hello guys. Newcomer to the forum and im starting with a build thread 

ADA 60P
Eheim experience 150 filter
Bml xb 6300k lighting with solunar controller
Pressurised co2
ADA complete substrate system
Do!aqua Lilly pipes

Hardscape material undecided

Plant selection:
Utricularia Graminifolia
Pogostemon helferi (downoi)
Blyxa japonica
Hygrophila pinnatifida
Rotala bonsai
Pogostemon erectus
Rotala wallichii
Myriophyllum tuberculatum 
Fissedens moss

This build will be a slow work in progress as its a replacement for my existing tank. The logistics are a little tricky.

The tank is in my bedroom beside my bed and will be visible from two sides. Hoping to create a cliff side effect in the back left corner, with rockwork and substrate sloping to a flat carpet of UG. 

Hoping many of you guys will follow and offer advice. Ive only been in the hobby a year and could do with scaping pointers.

Thanks in advance


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## TallDragon (9 Oct 2014)

Welcome to the forum. Looking forward to reading about your tank, and seeing pictures document its development.


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## Dantrasy (10 Oct 2014)

Tanks viewable from before sides look cool with a tall long rock formation + perhaps one shorter smaller formation (both with a 'beach' surrounding them).  I've seen a few like this at a lfs and they can be quite striking. I'm not sure you'd need so many stems though (as per your list).


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## Sk3lly (4 Nov 2014)

Well it's been slow but I have an update 

Visiting TGM this Saturday to pick up my 60P, pick out a hard scape material and play around with scapes in store. Tank will hopefully be started next Tuesday


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## abrooks12376 (5 Nov 2014)

Wow,  sounds like you really know your stuff nice ram!!


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## The_Iceman (7 Nov 2014)

Where are the pics? 

GOGOGO


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## Sk3lly (7 Nov 2014)

The_Iceman said:


> Where are the pics?
> 
> GOGOGO


Haha i dont even own the tank yet!! Lol. Saturday is still a little while away yet. Got my existing tank to tear down yet also, and setup a temporary home for my fish while the build progresses 


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## Sk3lly (8 Nov 2014)

4 hours in TGM and 7 hours driving! Long day! 

Beautiful display tanks, great hard scape choices and amazing staff. James your a top bloke!

Changed my mind on scape ideas but here's the mock up I did in store















Hope you guys enjoy


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## The_Iceman (10 Nov 2014)

Looks promising.
What are you planing with the long part of the DW.
Will you cut it? Or will it be visible outside of the water?


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## Sk3lly (10 Nov 2014)

It will stay as is and come out and above water level. Fissedens moss on the long branches submerged and maybe terrestrial moss emersed at a later date. What do you think?


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## The_Iceman (10 Nov 2014)

Depends on how much of the DW will come out above the water Level.
But sounds good so far...


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## Sk3lly (10 Nov 2014)

I think it's like 7 or 8" but might be more. Can anubias barteri nana petite be grown emersed and have roots in the water?


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## dw1305 (11 Nov 2014)

Hi all, 





Sk3lly said:


> Can anubias barteri nana petite be grown emersed and have roots in the water?


It can, your best option would be to plant it just at/under the water line and it will then "climb out". This will take longer, but the leaves are less likely to burn. 

This is normal _Anubias barteri, it _started out just submerged. The burn marks on the middle leaf are from contact with the light fixture, before I changed the CFL lamps for LEDs.

_

 _

cheers Darrel


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## Sk3lly (11 Nov 2014)

Thanks a lot Darrel. I will try this once im at a stage to prepare my driftwood


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## Sk3lly (28 Nov 2014)

Right guys progress time and I have a meaningful update this time lol!

Hard scape and substrate, complete with power sand and additives, done and ready to flood





Planted with the plants I had in my holding tank. Another shipment to arrive Thursday. UG carpet, hygro polysperma rosanervig and anubias barteri nana to grow up the driftwood




Couple of completed shots. Still murky sorry









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## Sk3lly (1 Dec 2014)

Another angle...



Heater has already been moved

Im going to do an update photo each Friday so i can see how the plant growth goes. Would be nice to get some comments and feedback from experienced aquascapers seeing as this is my first real attempt. There doesn't seem to be much interest on this thread  


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## Dantrasy (1 Dec 2014)

You've done a great job. The dw is awesome focal point. Perhaps the front center rock could be moved towards back right (so the dw roots aren't obscured)


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## Sk3lly (1 Dec 2014)

Dantrasy said:


> You've done a great job. The dw is awesome focal point. Perhaps the front center rock could be moved towards back right (so the dw roots aren't obscured)


Thanks for the critique. Ive kept the open space ready for a carpet of UG. Not sure if the side view will look right if i moved the stone to this new position??


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## tim (2 Dec 2014)

Nice start, I think you'll lose the smaller rocks in the dense blyxa once it takes off so maybe move them over to the right foreground, also the big rock at the back of the driftwood looks slightly at odds with the rest of the scape, is it holding the wood in place or could you tweak its placement ? Looking forward to seeing how the ug does for you, following your progress with interest.


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## Sk3lly (2 Dec 2014)

tim said:


> Nice start, I think you'll lose the smaller rocks in the dense blyxa once it takes off so maybe move them over to the right foreground, also the big rock at the back of the driftwood looks slightly at odds with the rest of the scape, is it holding the wood in place or could you tweak its placement ? Looking forward to seeing how the ug does for you, following your progress with interest.


I may move some of that front blyxa and move my pogo helfuri into that corner. That is if it hasn't completely melted by then. It's the only plant affected by the move. As for the background rock, no it's not being used as a weight but it really doesn't fit too well any other way. I'm hoping the gap between it and the redmoor gets disguised by plant growth overtime


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## Sk3lly (5 Dec 2014)

One week update time. 

Some blyxa moved as advised.

Emersed growth is experimental, not sure if I can make it work

Hygro poly rosanervig needs time to colour

Pogo helfuri went in today as previous lot melted. It's in its emersed form so I hope it transitions well

Pictures...


















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## Lewisr (7 Dec 2014)

Looks quite dull in the foreground the wood must be blocking alot of light


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## The_Iceman (7 Dec 2014)

UG on a stick... I like it 

Looking good Sk3lly! Let it grow! 

Cheers,
Chris


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## Sk3lly (7 Dec 2014)

Lewisr said:


> Looks quite dull in the foreground the wood must be blocking alot of light


I'm only running my light at 60% currently as it's a new setup. Will up the light over time



The_Iceman said:


> UG on a stick... I like it
> 
> Looking good Sk3lly! Let it grow!
> 
> ...


Yea my filter was causing it to float up. Needs more time to stay down properly. Thanks though


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## Alexander Belchenko (7 Dec 2014)

Do you plan to put second light unit there? It seems you have one only for background part.


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## Sk3lly (7 Dec 2014)

Alexander Belchenko said:


> Do you plan to put second light unit there? It seems you have one only for background part.


No i will build a custom hanging rail kit to suspend it in the centre of the tank. This light is very bright just doesnt look it from the positioning. It kicks out 120PAR at 22inches i believe 


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## Sk3lly (17 Dec 2014)

Right an update....

UG melted. Replaced with dwarf hair grass.

My bolbitis emersed also failed so I collected a range of local mosses and plants to use on the exposed driftwood

Plants I scavenged...





Update photo 18 days in...








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## Ian Holdich (17 Dec 2014)

I really really like this, it's got loads of character. A very good plant mass, and once filled out it'll be a winner for me. Well done!


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## Sk3lly (17 Dec 2014)

Ian Holdich said:


> I really really like this, it's got loads of character. A very good plant mass, and once filled out it'll be a winner for me. Well done!


Thank you  needs a lot of work yet but it's still very early in its life


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## Sk3lly (11 Jan 2015)

Well some update photos. Ive hung a horticultural grow light over a section of the tank. More of an experiment really. Also using 'air' plants for my exposed redmoor.






Tank was setup 5th dec 2014

Would appreciate any comments. Thanks


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## Greenfinger2 (11 Jan 2015)

Hi SK3lly, 

Great plant growth   Nice Scape too


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## Sk3lly (11 Jan 2015)

Greenfinger2 said:


> Hi SK3lly,
> 
> Great plant growth   Nice Scape too


Thanks 


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## tim (11 Jan 2015)

Looking good sk3lly, like the air plants.


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## James D (12 Jan 2015)

Looks nice mate. What sort are the air plants and how do they like getting their feet wet?

Cheers


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## Alexander Belchenko (12 Jan 2015)

This pink light - is very special.


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## Sk3lly (12 Jan 2015)

Alexander Belchenko said:


> This pink light - is very special.


Thankyou. I got all the parts from work so it was free!! Im hoping it actually aids in plant growth and doesn't end up being just for aesthetics. My limnophila aromatica looks incredible under it



James D said:


> Looks nice mate. What sort are the air plants and how do they like getting their feet wet?
> 
> Cheers


Thanks james! Well they are bromeliad air plants. Not sure on individual plant names though sorry. No i dont think they like getting wet. The roots that they grow are for anchorage only. They survive off a light misting daily. This is much easier for me than providing the correct conditions for emersed aquatic plant growth.



tim said:


> Looking good sk3lly, like the air plants.


Thank you 


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## dw1305 (12 Jan 2015)

Hi all, 





Sk3lly said:


> Well they are bromeliad air plants. Not sure on individual plant names though


They all look like _Tillandsia_ spp (most garden ones are hybrids or cultivars).

cheers Darrel


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## Sk3lly (12 Jan 2015)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all, They all look like _Tillandsia_ spp (most garden ones are hybrids or cultivars).
> 
> cheers Darrel


Yes that name looks familiar! One looks like it has purple/green leaves. One is just green and another is much smaller and delicate. 
There is another but its supposed to be red


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## Sk3lly (12 Feb 2015)

Hello guys, 
A little picture update, its been a while. Things are moving along nicely and the tank is evolving






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## Greenfinger2 (13 Feb 2015)

Hi Sk3lly Looking good


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## Sk3lly (13 Feb 2015)

Greenfinger2 said:


> Hi Sk3lly Looking good


Thanks greenfinger.

Im working on the plant groupings still. Trying to achieve the bushy effect. I also left the powerhead and heater in for the photo like a div lol


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## Nick_V (14 Feb 2015)

nice!


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## Sk3lly (9 Mar 2015)

Picture update time...





Posted in response to being told i shouldn't buy plants and that plastic ones would be more suitable for me.....

Well yea ok, my tank is not perfect but its working for me


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## Sk3lly (7 Apr 2015)

Really been struggling to get a good balance between co2, lighting and good aeration at night since start up. Plant health has generally suffered. I feel im now on the right tracks. No visable new algae growth anywhere and plants starting to show signs of improved growth.
What do you guys think?






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## Sk3lly (5 Jun 2015)

Had a slight change of direction with this tank. Lowered the lighting and have switched out many fast growing stems for some slow growers. Tank is in a transition phase and im not happy to show any photos really.

I have been struggling with a little bit of what looks like staghorn algae on mainly my hygro pinatifida, but its also starting to show on a crypt wendtii and even a little on some ammania bonsai. Any tips and advice for eradicating?

Thanks


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## Greenfinger2 (5 Jun 2015)

Hi SK3lly, With the staghorn use easycarbo or excel apply a little with a syringe around the staghorn  After a few days of treating it will start to die back


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## Sk3lly (5 Jun 2015)

Greenfinger2 said:


> Hi SK3lly, With the staghorn use easycarbo or excel apply a little with a syringe around the staghorn  After a few days of treating it will start to die back


Thanks for the tip. I can easily start doing that. Ive been cutting out as much as i can also.

Any ideas as to what causes it? 


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## Alexander Belchenko (5 Jun 2015)

Is it possible you had dirt in water after you re-plant something? Maybe that dirt went to the filter? I'd also ensure there are no small particles in the water column and filter media is clean. Several water changes would help as well. IMO.


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## Greenfinger2 (5 Jun 2015)

Hi Some info

http://www.aquascapingworld.com/algaepedia/full_view_algae.php?item_id=80&algae=Compsopogon sp.


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## Sk3lly (5 Jun 2015)

Alexander Belchenko said:


> Is it possible you had dirt in water after you re-plant something? Maybe that dirt went to the filter? I'd also ensure there are no small particles in the water column and filter media is clean. Several water changes would help as well. IMO.


Yes lots of upheavals and mulm kicked up recently. I read that this may be the problem. I clean my filter weekly, quite possibly the cleanest filter you will see. I have started to hunt out the detritus much better during water changes now also. Im also going to start doing x2 50% water changes from next week, instead of one. 

I just wandered if this was down to co2 at all?


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## Alexander Belchenko (5 Jun 2015)

Sk3lly said:


> Lowered the lighting...



Sorry for my not perfect English. Do yo mean you have reduced light intensity? Or you hang your light unit closer to surface?


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## Sk3lly (5 Jun 2015)

Alexander Belchenko said:


> Sorry for my not perfect English. Do yo mean you have reduced light intensity? Or you hang your light unit closer to surface?


No problems at all. I have lowered the intensity and duration back to 5hours


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## Alexander Belchenko (5 Jun 2015)

Usually when I had too much light and too low CO2 my tank very fast get a lot of green algae, like Oedogonium. That's usually also due low level of macro nutrients. But staghorn is usually appear when I have some dirt in water column. I think it's quite easy algae, not such stubborn as BBA. Just regular water changes, clean filter - and situation eventually get better.
Don't think I imply you have dirty filter or you're bad at maintenance. I've just tried to explain my observations. Also, too little light is not good for plants as well in my observation.

In my high energy tank (pet shop tank) currently I have problems with BBA and green threads, but no other algaes. Have a lot of light but poor CO2 distribution, I guess.


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## Sk3lly (5 Jun 2015)

Alexander Belchenko said:


> Usually when I had too much light and too low CO2 my tank very fast get a lot of green algae, like Oedogonium. That's usually also due low level of macro nutrients. But staghorn is usually appear when I have some dirt in water column. I think it's quite easy algae, not such stubborn as BBA. Just regular water changes, clean filter - and situation eventually get better.
> Don't think I imply you have dirty filter or you're bad at maintenance. I've just tried to explain my observations. Also, too little light is not good for plants as well in my observation.
> 
> In my high energy tank (pet shop tank) currently I have problems with BBA and green threads, but no other algaes. Have a lot of light but poor CO2 distribution, I guess.


Yes i appreciate your help immensely. I wasnt being defensive of my filter maintenance. Just simply stating it so it can be eliminated as a cause of this staghorn. 

Hopefully the extra water changes and better in tank cleaning will do the job. I have also slightly upped the co2 too. I dont want to mess with the light also as i dont want to change too many things at once 


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## Alexander Belchenko (5 Jun 2015)

Sk3lly said:


> I dont want to mess with the light also as i dont want to change too many things at once



I totally agree.


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## amoran45 (7 Jun 2015)

Hi sk3lly....nice looking tank by the way! I too have a bml led.....Dutch MC with a solunar controller.....just curious how you set the controller.....I'm having trouble making a custom profile for the colour and intensity, and when I call they don't pick up, don't call back or went home early! 

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## banthaman.jm (7 Jun 2015)

Great looking tank, the plants are coming along nicely 
Jim


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## Sk3lly (12 Jul 2016)

Through many months of transition this tank has developed into a low tech tank. This is where we're currently at...






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## Alexander Belchenko (12 Jul 2016)

Looks very good. Plants look good and healthy enough for low tech.


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## Greenfinger2 (12 Jul 2016)

Hi SK3lly. Very nice  This just keeps getting better


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## Ryan Thang To (12 Jul 2016)

tank looing great

cheers
ryan


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## rebel (13 Jul 2016)

Wow inspirational low tech!


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## Joe Turner (13 Jul 2016)

You nailed it with the transition to low tech! Loved the previous scape, but this is even better in my opinion. Dense, grassy crypts look amazing grown in, and that anubias is super healthy! Any general tips on your transition period from high to low tech?

Cheers, keep it up


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## Sk3lly (13 Jul 2016)

Well ive kept co2 the same as before. Ive backed lighting intensity right down. Lights are suspended very high now. Ferts are EI standard mix but only 5ml macro and 5ml micro per week in a 60litre tank. One standard 50% water change every week. Another partial 30% water change midweek if trimming. Filter clean every few weeks to try limit organics building up as i find this seems to reduce brown algae tht is prevalent in low light setups. 

Really its all about putting the right group of plants together for the conditions you provide. Also this setup is not really low tech but low energy


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## Alexander Belchenko (13 Jul 2016)

I'd say you simply have low light setup, but still high energy due to CO2 injection and amount of maintenance. I guess you just find the right balance between amount of light and amount of CO2 + ferts. And that's great.


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## Sk3lly (18 Jul 2016)

Night time diy moon light


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## fishenthusiast (21 Jul 2016)

Sk3lly said:


> Through many months of transition this tank has developed into a low tech tank. This is where we're currently at...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Looks like you're all set. Just sit back, trim occasionally, and enjoy the tank. Inspirational work as always, Sk3lly! 


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