# Dave's Aquascape - Update & pics  24th June



## Dave Pierce (21 Feb 2013)

Hi, a few pictures of the progress on my 60L from Day 1 to day 45. I havn't thought of a name for it yet...I think I was meant to think of a name before setting it up! Any suggestions?

Tank information:

Tank: Clearseal 60L - length 60cm
Lighting: All Pond Solutions Tropical T5 24w Tank Lights x2 (one bulb currentley running)
Heater: 50w 25 Degrees Celsius
Filter: Fluval 205, Lily pipes (from eBay)
Co2: JBL 500g, tmc reg 1bps
Substrate: Eco-Complete, Sand
Plants: Rotala Rotundifolia, Hemianthus Callitrichoides cuba, Pogostemon Helferi, Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis
Fertz: APF liquid complete fertilizer 5ml Daily
Fish: Lemon Tetras, Amano Shrimp, Neon Tetras

Day 1 - plants from aqua essentials. At this point I was not using pressurized Co2. Just an aerosol co2 and easycarbo.




Day 22 - I added some stem plants in the corner around day 10 to help combat algae whilst it matures. Plants were growing well.





Day 45 - I started using pressurized co2 at around day 30 - such a difference in growth! It had a trim on day 40. I took out the stem plant in the right corner and replaced it with some Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis. Fish and shrimp were added on day 38. Amano shrimp sorted out ALL the algae problems.




Latest (around 3 months old):






I NEED a better camera...anyone got any suggestions for cameras on a budget? I am only using my iPad/phone for pictures so sorry about poor quality.

Anyone know how get rid of the reflection on the back of the tank!?


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## justin85 (21 Feb 2013)

Hi

Your tank is growing in nicely.

When taking photos of your tank, make sure all the lights are off in the room and take the photos at night (in my opinion this is the easiest way to remove the reflection) The only lights that should be on are the tank lights, No flash. I use a Nikon D40 for my photos, you can pick them up for about £150 off eBay, but I am no expert on cameras so I will leave that for someone else to recommend.

2 suggestion I would give is,
1: Remove the Thermometer you have in there and get something like this: gUSH Glass 'J' Thermometer
2: Replace the internal heater with a Hydor inline heater, you would have to replace all the hose as well for your fluval filter but would be worth it.


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## RynoParsons (21 Feb 2013)

nice little tank good growth


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## Dave Pierce (21 Feb 2013)

Hi Justin, Thanks for your suggestions. I am saving for a external heater and I believe you can get them for use with my tubing  I'm thinking aout buying this one http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/hydor-eth-external-heater-200w-16mm-p-5791.html.

Thanks for the link to the gush thermometer. I shall definitely buy one of these.

I will try taking some better pictures at night with the lights off. I will post my results!

Your tanks are very nice too by the way


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## Dave Pierce (23 Feb 2013)

Just had a go at sharpening my pictures with photoshop and took the picture with the room lights out. Still some reflection but looking better when I take the picture at night with room lights out.


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## nayr88 (24 Feb 2013)

Looking good mate. It's just screaming out for some height at the back corners. 

Onto a winner for sure thou. Just needs some more time to mature.


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## jack-rythm (24 Feb 2013)

Once those back stems start ferrying height you're onto a real winner. Nice one.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


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## Dave Pierce (24 Feb 2013)

thanks fellas. I know I realy want to add some height to the corners. Do you think its ok to uproot the plants in the corners and add some more ecocomplete to create some height back there? I have been thinking about doing this but not sure if it's safe to do. Anyone help or done this before?


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## jack-rythm (24 Feb 2013)

Dave Pierce said:


> thanks fellas. I know I realy want to add some height to the corners. Do you think its ok to uproot the plants in the corners and add some more ecocomplete to create some height back there? I have been thinking about doing this but not sure if it's safe to do. Anyone help or done this before?


I think the thought process is good Mate, by raising the back it well no doubt appear to be a deeper tank and would look much better overall. But I would do it at you're next water change, only this time take out 100 percent of the water keeping 50 percent in a bucket to fill it again. I wouldn't recommend adding any soil when there is water still in it. It well turn into a nightmare lol.

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## Dave Pierce (24 Feb 2013)

Thanks for the advise. I had an idea of getting a plastic funnel and funneling the eco complete into the corners. to minimise the mess. also eco complete does not leach any tannin or dirt. I want avoid taking the fisk out the tank. I might take out 40% of the water to aid the process. sound ok? going to be tricky either way I suppose!


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## wazuck (24 Feb 2013)

What's wrong with a 100% water change? All the good stuff is in the substrate and filter.


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## Dave Pierce (24 Feb 2013)

I wanted to avoid taking the fish out the tank.


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## jack-rythm (24 Feb 2013)

Dave Pierce said:


> I wanted to avoid taking the fish out the tank.


My thoughts too. Any soil u put in whilst the tank is full will cause complete chaos but if your not comfortable with just keeping your fish in a large bucket for 15 mins then I guess your left with no choice pal. Try and take out as much as u can would be my advice  

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## Dave Pierce (24 Feb 2013)

your probably right it will be better for the tank by taking the fish out and draining. Thanks  i just needed convincing lol. are shrimp hard to catch?


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## jack-rythm (24 Feb 2013)

Dave Pierce said:


> your probably right it will be better for the tank by taking the fish out and draining. Thanks  i just needed convincing lol. are shrimp hard to catch?


Never needed to catch any sorry! Try and let us know lol

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## Lloyd (24 Feb 2013)

Nice Dave..

some moss on the wood will look awesome!


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## Gill (24 Feb 2013)

Have to ask, where that lovely peice of wood in the far left os from. Looks very nice indeed.


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## Dave Pierce (24 Feb 2013)

I think it was from swallow aquatics. I got it a long time ago and just reused it. 

I might think about the moss Lloyd


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## Dave Pierce (27 Feb 2013)

Here with an update. Re scaped the tank and it's looking more how I wanted it to. By banking up the substrate in the back corners it has really helped with the layout and overall look.

I took the fish and shrimp out the tank (shrimp not that hard to catch if your quick fortunately!). Put them in a bucket for a hour with heater and air stone and they were fine. I emptied the tank of water and  uprooted all plants except 2/3 of the HC. Added more ec complete to the corners, replanted and refilled with 50% old water and 50% new. 

Time to pack in the Co2 and watch it grow.  Learning a lot and enjoying it


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## jack-rythm (28 Feb 2013)

Glad your enjoying it, it looks great. Did you separate the white sand path with the soil with anything? Like a plastic border between the two for instance? The back stems are already getting height!  

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## Dave Pierce (28 Feb 2013)

> Did you separate the white sand path with the soil with anything? Like a plastic border between the two for instance?


No I didn't which is a shame. Something I've learnt for next time though  The HC has taken hold on the black substrate now near the edges so it shouldn't mix up too much.


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## jack-rythm (28 Feb 2013)

Good stuff, I hope the two don't mix! 

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## Dave Pierce (28 Feb 2013)

Managed to pick up a bargain today. Got hold of a 2nd hand TMC regulator, solenoid and refillable canister for just £50 from my local LFS! they also do co2 refills. If anyone lives near Bury St Edmunds I'd recommend Home & Garden Aquatics for Co2 refills. Will dig out the CO2 refill thread and post details there.

Hooked it up this afternoon. It's going to be great not having to faff around with turning on and of the co2 in the mornings and at night. Not to mention the savings, as it costs more or less the same to refill the 500g canister as it does to buy an 88g disposable!

Picture as of this evening from another angle:


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## Dave Pierce (6 Mar 2013)

Thought I'd post an update. The picture was taken this evening.

I have decided against the black background. I'm going to buy a strip light at some point (maybe tomorrow if I have time) and put this behind the tank pointing against the wall to create a light background.

Everything's growing well, except the Rotala. Not sure why!?!? I imagine something to do with Co2 or nutrients? I probably need to up them but it's puzzling as everything else is growing OK. The lower stems on the rotala seem to be loosing some leaves but at the same time there's new shoots. As soon as the stem grows high enough the lower leaves fall off. Can anyone help with this?

Thanks for looking.


06-03-2013-(2) by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


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## Ady34 (7 Mar 2013)

Dave Pierce said:


> Thought I'd post an update. The picture was taken this evening.
> 
> I have decided against the black background. I'm going to buy a strip light at some point (maybe tomorrow if I have time) and put this behind the tank pointing against the wall to create a light background.
> 
> ...


Hi Dave, loosing leaves is most likely co2 related. Everything else may still be doing well as distribution to them is good. I can see that the rotala is behind a large piece of hardscape which may be effecting distribution to the lower portions of the plant and could explain the shedding.
Looking great by the way, hc is filling in nicely.
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## Dave Pierce (7 Mar 2013)

Hi Ady,

My co2 drop checker is a lime green colour so I'm assuming I'm pumping enough in there. However I think you might have hit jackpot with the circulation. Not sure how to solve this unless I buy a powerhead and point it towards the rotala? The other option could be to move the Co2 diffuser to a more central postion along the side of the tank, therefore it will be closer to rotala and more co2 will get behind the hardscape?

Thanks for your input Ady, I had never thought of circulation!


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## Dave Pierce (15 Mar 2013)

Took a few snaps this evening while me and the other half watch comic relief Tank is now a little over 2 months into it's life and things are starting to grow in quite well.

The only thing that's been suffering is the Rotala at the back, however since centralising the lily pipe last week to increase the water flow behind the larger piece of wood it has really made a difference and I can see new shoots and healthy leaves. Before this the outflow lily pipe was positioned towards the front glass panel, therefore the flow wasn't really pointing as the Rotala. Fingers crossed the growth continues. Once it reaches the surface I will prune a replant.

I also added some frosted plastic backing to soften the background (purchased from wilko!). I will be adding a light tube behind the tank to brighten up the background, when I get round to it.

Managed to find a balance on the Co2 front. 1BPS seems to be enough and I'm adding 5ml of APF Plant Nutrition Complete (macro and micro). I might increase this as the plant mass is increasing week by week. If anyone thinks this is a bad idea please let me know.

Still learning and enjoying the hobby very much! Thanks for looking.

Dave



Dave's 60L 2 Months On by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


View from the sofa. by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


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## KeyboardWarrior (17 Mar 2013)

Tank looks good dave I was thinking of getting a clear seal aquarium as I just want a glass box but not so keen on the prices of ADA have you looked into of its safe to remove the glass ledge? That's the only thing holding me back right now


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## Dave Pierce (17 Mar 2013)

Hi KeyboardWarrior. Thanks.

I do want to remove the glass ledge but haven't thought about how to do it yet. There must be something you can apply to the silicone that will help it come off....however not so sure how easy it would be to pull off with a full aquarium! For now I just fill it up to the ledge and it sort of blends in. It's a nice shelf to leave my pincers/tweezers on 

I must admit the price of ADA put me of a bit as well. This tank cost me about 10 times less than the ADA version. Obviously it will never look as good as the ADA, but for someone who can't afford to splash out £300 on ADA tank, it does me quite well  I think I paid £35 for it. When I have the money I will be purchasing ADA equipment...house deposit comes first unfortunately!


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## Ian Holdich (17 Mar 2013)

Hey dave, that's looking good! 

Have you thought about putting some more stems on the right, maybe some more rotala. This would give it some more hight. We are just discussing stems in George's journal, there's a pic in there of some rotala that would suit this scape.


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## KeyboardWarrior (17 Mar 2013)

You'd be able to do it with a Stanley knife really easily mate and then just scrape of the silicon with the blade but I didn't know If it was structurally important to the tank someone told me it was a brace to add strength buti don't see how it does anything. It's not an ADA tank but it still looks the part and the plants look really lush and health


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## Dave Pierce (17 Mar 2013)

Thanks Ian 

I have thought about it but I'm having trouble growing it at the moment. I've pointed the outflow lily pipe at the rotala which seems to have made a  big difference. I was going to let it grow to the surface and then trim and replant the stems to bulk it out in time.

There seems to be a transition stage with Rotala. When you buy it, it has round leaves. But once it started growing in my tank the leaves are now longer and skinny. I understand that this is because it is grown by the producer in an emersed state. By the looks of things my rotala has transformed into it's submerged form, so hopefully the growth will continue so I can get that height.

The discussion on stems in Georges journal is very interesting. Your right, getting the rotala grow forward, rolling over the driftwood would look amazing!


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## Dave Pierce (21 Mar 2013)

Day off work today...meaning time to work on my scape! 

I have been messing with various different background recently, but it was only recently that my other half mentioned that a sunset effect would suit the scape. So to create this I simply put a led lamp behind the tank pointing upwards, acting as the sun that's gone down. There's a frosted plastic sheet on the rear glass panel. This softens the light so there aren't any 'rays'. Quite pleased with the outcome, and as a result I have decided to name the scape "Sunset". 

I have also been dabbling with my filter and tubing today. I have shortened the filter tubing by over half which has increased the flow rate coming out the lily pipe. I am hoping the extra flow will help circulation and perk up the Rotala growth. The Rotala is actually swaying in the background slightly now which is more movement than before. Still contemplating getting a powerhead to increase circulation even more, but I will see what difference the improved flow rate has first.

Thanks for looking, comments and criticisms always welcome!


"Sunset" by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


"Sunset" - Another Angle by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


"Sunset" view from a distance by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


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## tim (21 Mar 2013)

Like the effect you've achieved with the back lighting dave looks really good, your path could do with a bit of a clean though mate


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## Dave Pierce (22 Mar 2013)

Thanks tim.

Yea I know I might give it a clean today  It's a begger because the shrimp move pieces of my eco complete onto the sand! Happens less now the HC has grow over, but still a chore! Selfish shrimp lol The HC has completely covered the eco complete in that area now so once I clean it, it shouldn;t happen again


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## fish fodder (22 Mar 2013)

Very nice.


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## Dave Pierce (8 Apr 2013)

Hi, took a couple of snaps this evening. The Rotala is still struggling but getting there. I think it's suffering because of the poor lower stem health. As you can see from the full tank shot I have added an ugly wavemaker. Its a nano wavemaker from all pond solutions that does 2000L per hour...however I think this is a little too much circulation for this size tank (60L) but there is no way of adjusting the power. So for now I have pointed it at the glass to take a bit of power out of the flow it creates. Hopefully the Rotala will benefit from the increased flow. I just hope it's not too much for the fish. Theres also a shot of the shrimp on the HC 


Full Tank Shot by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


Amano Shrimp by DavePierce2013, on Flickr

Thanks for looking


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## tim (9 Apr 2013)

Hey dave, nice to see the rotala bouncing back mate, you could have your powerhead on a timer so it's on for the co2/ lights period and off at lights out give the fish a bit of downtime.


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## DTL (9 Apr 2013)

Dave Pierce said:


> Hi KeyboardWarrior. Thanks.
> 
> I do want to remove the glass ledge but haven't thought about how to do it yet. There must be something you can apply to the silicone that will help it come off....however not so sure how easy it would be to pull off with a full aquarium! For now I just fill it up to the ledge and it sort of blends in. It's a nice shelf to leave my pincers/tweezers on
> !


 
I'd absolutely not remove the bracing strip. Imagine the difference in strength between a sheet of plywood with and without a length of timber attached along it's length - same thing with the glass.
Tank looks great BTW


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## Steve Smith (9 Apr 2013)

Probably not worth removing the strip to be honest.  It would probably be OK, but you will probably get a bit of a curve.  To remove, a scalpel or stanley knife is all you'd need.  I've done it on a slightly smaller clearseal tank with no ill effects, but why not use it as an excuse to save up for a nice optiwhite replacement?


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## sa80mark (9 Apr 2013)

Ive got clearseal 24x12x15 and removed the braces they do hold water but you do get a imo huge bow in the glass that worried me so I stopped using it. this might sound daft but once filled with water even 2 inch below the top of the tank you can feel just how fragile it is. I would 100% not risk it 
Mark


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## Steve Smith (9 Apr 2013)

Especially in an established setup.  If anything goes wrong it's more than just a tank to replace and water to clean up!


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## Dave Pierce (9 Apr 2013)

> Hey dave, nice to see the rotala bouncing back mate, you could have your powerhead on a timer so it's on for the co2/ lights period and off at lights out give the fish a bit of downtime.


 
Thanks I might do this just to give the fish a break! I don't suppose anyone knows a way of slowing down an all pond solutions powerhead!?


With Regards to all the posts of the bracing strip... I will definitely not be removing this. By the sounds of it, its a very important piece of glass!



> but why not use it as an excuse to save up for a nice optiwhite replacement?


 
I think that's a great idea! 


I'm tempted to replace the current rotala with some new rotala as the lower stems are really poor. There's loads of circulations down there now (hardly any before) but I'm not sure if they will recover.


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## Dave Pierce (19 Apr 2013)

Here with an update. Took a few more pictures this evening. I'm afraid to say I uprooted the old Rotala. The lower stems and roots were knackered due to the early stages of the aquascape and the poor circulation, as far as I can gather. The new wavemaker that's in there should sort things out.

I have purchased some Rotala in it's submersed state, therefore it will not need to go through the transition stage from emersed to submersed. The leaves are already thin and look very healthy. I've planted quite a thick bunch of it. Once it grows to the surface I will trim and replant if necessary. Anyone have any suggestions on how far I should trim on the first trimming session?

The rest of the tank is doing quite well. At the moment I am only dosing Profito (micro nutrients) as I want to keep the Nitrate down. I will be purchasing some phosphate soon I don't want to starve the plants from this. However I heard keeping nitrates on the low side helps the Rotala go red/pink. Co2 is still at 1bsp and the drop checker is a medium green. Tank lights are on for 7 Hours a day now. I came to the conclusion they need no more than this in this set-up.

Thanks for looking, and thanks for all your help so far.



Sunset 19th April 2013 by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


Sunset by Dave Pierce by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


Sunset by Dave Pierce by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


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## stu_ (19 Apr 2013)

Dave, that's looking cracking.Puts my Clearseal to shame.
_If _it were me, when the Rotala has grown in, i'd be tempted to cut back quite hard, the stems that are hidded by the wood to get that area bushy.
But leave the stems to the right of the wood, that are more visible, as single stems.Try and layer it, in a bottom right, flowing to top left direction, following the line of the wood.
Just a thought.


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## faizal (20 Apr 2013)

Hi Dave, the tank's looking very nice indeed. I like what you've done with the backlight. Looking forward to seeing this progress.


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## Dave Pierce (21 Apr 2013)

stu_ said:


> Dave, that's looking cracking.Puts my Clearseal to shame. If it were me, when the Rotala has grown in, i'd be tempted to cut back quite hard, the stems that are hidded by the wood to get that area bushy. But leave the stems to the right of the wood, that are more visible, as single stems.Try and layer it, in a bottom right, flowing to top left direction, following the line of the wood. Just a thought.


 
Hi stu, Thanks for the advise. I think I will try and get it as bushy as possible in the corner. That's if my rotala is successful this time. Hopefully lower nitrates and more circulations around the back of that wood should do the trick.




faizal said:


> Hi Dave, the tank's looking very nice indeed. I like what you've done with the backlight. Looking forward to seeing this progress.


 
Thanks very much Faizal, I'm happy with the back lighting too, it was kind of accidental and didn't plan it like that originally but I think it suits the scape quite well.


I will post some more pictures once the Rotala has reached the surface.


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## Dave Pierce (27 Apr 2013)

Hi, after some advise here as I'm still having algae problems on the glass. Mainly brown algae that comes back on the glass and on some leaves every week. It's not major but enough that it's bothering me. I am trying to find a reason behind this and the reasons I can think to blame it on are one or more of this:

1) To much light - I have 54Watts on for 7 hours a day. Could be too much? Although I didn't think 7 hours was very much. I know Roatala needs lots of light, the new stuff is doing really well by the way.
2) Not enough Co2 - I injecting 1.5bps and my drop checker is Lime green. So I would probably rule this out as being the reason for the algae.
3) Not enough nutrients. I dose strictly in the morning, 5ml of APF +. This is what's recommended on the bottle but is this enough? I give the tank a 1 day rest the day before my 50% water change. I personally think this could be the culprit but I'm scared of over dosing. 
4) Too much circulation. I have recently purchased a 2000LPh wavemaker. Tank size is 60L so combined with the filter the tank circulation is around 30x more then the tank size. Can't see why this would be a problem but would like to know your thoughts/experiences.

Heres a reminder/update on tank specs:

Tank: Clearseal 60L - length 60cm
Lighting: All Pond Solutions Tropical T5 24w Tank Lights x2. 7 hours per day
Heater: 50w 25 Degrees Celsius
Filter: Fluval 205, Lily pipes (from eBay), 2000LPH All Pond Solutions wavemaker
Co2: Injected Co2 1.5bps, drop checker lime green
Substrate: Eco-Complete
Plants: Rotala Rotundifolia, Hemianthus Callitrichoides cuba, Pogostemon Helferi, Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis
Fertz: APF liquid complete fertilizer 5ml Daily
Fish: Lemon Tetras x10, Amano Shrimp x4

Any help with this would be much appreciated as I have been trying to tackle this for the entire life of the aquarium.

Cheers

Dave

P.s. Will get some pics on here of the glass algae soon.


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## Dave Pierce (27 Apr 2013)

Here with some pics of the algae....

Algae, leaves and glass by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


Algae glass by DavePierce2013, on Flickr
Algae rear glass by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


Algae rear glass by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


Full Tank Shot Algae by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


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## tim (27 Apr 2013)

Hi dave, looks like diatoms to me, can be wiped of the glass rubbed of plant leaves etc follow with a water change IME probably too high intensity lighting for the tank t5s are surprisingly strong that close to the tank and will increase the need of the plants for co2/ nutrients you could up co2 a little as long as it won't affect your livestock and double the dose of your fertiliser may improve things.


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## Dave Pierce (27 Apr 2013)

Do you think discounting one of the tubes would help? One is white and one is light red colour.


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## tim (27 Apr 2013)

It may help mate, you may have to dial down your co2 a little then, the plants growth will slow down so less need for co2, suspending the light would be a better option if possible, you can then adjust the height of the light to give you plant growth rate your happy with algae free, diatoms do often occur in new setups and disappear as the tank matures.


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## Dave Pierce (27 Apr 2013)

Only reason I don't want to is because the plants in my tank are high light and with only one tube theoretically is not enough. Not sure how I would suspend the lighting? The all pond solutions has to legs which rest on the sides of the tank but cannot be raised. Any ideas?


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## tim (28 Apr 2013)

Hi dave, I think most people would consider the plants you have as high co2 demanding rather than high light in fact rotala will happily grow low tech so cutting out a bulb would just slow growth. As for suspending the light you can diy a frame use shelf brackets etc keep hassling the algae and changing water and it should go.


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## Dave Pierce (28 Apr 2013)

ok thanks tim. Anywhere i can get information on exacltly how to make a frame?

i have disconnected a bulb and see what difference that makes. Will reduce co3 down to 1bps.


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## tim (28 Apr 2013)

Hi mate, have a look through ady's journal he's using shelving brackets to raise his or this thread home made lighting stand's hints & tips | UK Aquatic Plant Society or email freshwater shrimp natural aquario produce a light stand which make work out cheaper.


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## Dave Pierce (28 Apr 2013)

Perfect I will have a read through. Thanks Tim for the information you've been very helpful!


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## Wallace (28 Apr 2013)

Hi Dave, I've got the same light unit as you and suffered the exact same problem as you are. Having both tubes on (48w) is too much light too close to the surface. The std brackets that come with the light don't allow for you to raise it up at all so I made my own DIY lighting rig. 

One clothes rail from B&Q @ £8.99, 2 x packs of garage door fixing kits @ £5.58 each and a about 10 mins of bodging and the result is one, albeit not very aestheticly pleasing light rig. End result is all 48w can be used and you can now adjust the height too. Mine is pictured at 20cm above the tank as I'm just experimenting at the mo and don't know how low I can go and still avoid algae issues.


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## Dave Pierce (28 Apr 2013)

Hi Wallace. Thank for chipping in this seems like a good option.
where did you get the garage door fixing kits from?


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## Wallace (28 Apr 2013)

Sorry Dave they were from B&Q aswell.


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## Dave Pierce (28 Apr 2013)

Cheers Wallace. I'm going to try out just one bulb and if this doesn't work out I will look into your method of raising the light with two tubes.


Thanks


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## Dave Pierce (3 May 2013)

After one week with only one bulb (rather than two) my brown algae issues have dramatically been reduced. Clear to say that my lighting was just a tad to much! (or that amount of light was to close to the waters surface). So now it's only running with 24 Watts which seems to been ample so far. Will keep it running like this from now on.

Had a trim of the rotala today. The stems had grown right to the surface and were popping out the water. So I trimmed them down about half way and replanted some stems on the other side of the tank. Will repeat this when the stems hit the surface again. Still dosing 5ml per week of TMC complete. Might up this to 7 ml next week as there's more plant mass.

Here's a pic from this afternoon:


Rotala trim and re-plant by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


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## Dave Pierce (4 May 2013)

After looking at Georges latest scape I decided to add some neons. I have been thinking about other fish to add for a while now. I felt the Lemon Tetras blended in too much and wanted something that stood out from everything else. Enter Neons. Simple & common but hard to beat with smaller aquariums. They also add a greater sense of scale due to there size. Overall pleased with the additions.

Just got to work on the rotala and get my dosing correct and I'm there.

One other thing I've also decided to do is let the HC cover the entire floor of the aquarium. Mainly because I've lost sight of the sand path and the black substrate started to mix. Lesson learned for next time.


Neons by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


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## Dave Pierce (20 May 2013)

Here with an update. Rotala finally sprouted new shoots and there firing out everywhere. HC has started growing better since the increased co2 at around 1.5bps. I also went back to using the Fluval diffuser, far better than the Chinese import I got!! The bubbles come out much finer so I assume this is aiding better diffusion and makes better use of the co2.


I have two filters running on this now. A Fluval 205 (450LPH) and an Eheim Classic (600LPH). So I'm achieving much more flow and distribution, as well as more biological filtration. This is good as my fish load is quite high (11 neons, 10 Lemon Tetra and 5 shrimp). I am also dosing a lot of fertz now, 15ml per day of APF Plant Food. However almost running out of this so I've ordered an EI dosing kit to get my dosing just how I want it. As I'm becoming more and more confident with co2, high light and nutrients I feel it's about time for EI dosing! Really I should have been dosing this from the start. 

Right, now for some pictures. They were taken this evening just before the lights went out.


Angle Shot May 2013 by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


Front Shot May 2013 by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


Upper View May 2013 by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


Shrimp Shot May 2013 by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


Angled View May 2013 by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


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## jimwalsh (21 May 2013)

looks great dave


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## Dave Pierce (5 Jun 2013)

Had a small rescape in the left side today. I've changed the main piece of wood to a piece of redmoor  as I want something more eye catching. I also think the old piece of wood was restricting circulation, as it was acting as a barrier to the left corner. It was a tricky job as I didn't want to disturb any of the flora already in the tank. I uprooted a few plants which I trimmed and replanted.

I have attached java fern & java moss to the wood which I am happy with the results. Also added some Hydrocotyle tripartita to the centre of the wood.

I'm dosing EI dry salts now. So easy and cheap, yet most effective way to provide nutrients!

Planning on making a DIY light stand so I can raise the light and have it adjustable. If anyone has had any experience in doing this then I would appreciate any advise you have 

This tank has changed so much, as I am learning as I go, next time I can put all that I have learn't into a new TMC opti-white signature. That I am currently saving up for!




Dave Pierce Aquascape by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


Dave Pierce Aquascape by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


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## Ady34 (5 Jun 2013)

Looking nice after the rescape and a pretty seamless addition of a different piece of wood 
Regards the lighting stand, have you read this?:
home made lighting stand's hints & tips | UK Aquatic Plant Society
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## Dave Pierce (5 Jun 2013)

Thanks Ady34, I chose the wood very carefully. Obviously size was important as it had to fit around other parts of the scape.

Thanks for the link I shall take a look


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## Dave Pierce (24 Jun 2013)

Took some more snaps tonight, and again more changes! 


I have added Staurogyne Repens to the right behind the HC, in front of the Rotala. Never grown this plant before so we'll see how it goes. I understand it's a fairly easy grower. I'm going to let in grow in for a week and then hack away at it and re-plant to bush it out.

I have also added a crypt amongst the wood, near the mini java fern.

Really enjoyed this tank every step of the way. It's been running for about 5 months now. I've changed a lot along the way. A massive learning curve 

Next time I do a scape it will be in a TMC signature tank, as soon as I have the money!

Now for some pics...


Front by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


Left Side by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


Right Side by DavePierce2013, on Flickr

Rotala almost at the surface at the surface...trim due soon.


Rotala by DavePierce2013, on Flickr

Close up of one of my Lemon Tetras...using my iPad camera!


Lemon Tetra by DavePierce2013, on Flickr

Cheers
Dave


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## Dave Pierce (24 Jul 2013)

Here with some pictures of how the tanks looking today. Plants now include: HC, Rotala, Java Fern Mini, Cryptocoryne, Staurogyne Repens, alternanthera reineckii mini and java moss.
Lights are 2x24W for 6 hours. Co2 injection at 2bps and EI dosing. Seems to be working well for me at the moment 


July 2013 by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


July 2013 by DavePierce2013, on Flickr


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