# Adam's 40cm Nano



## AdAndrews (20 Nov 2009)

I have re-scaped my 35litre arc tank, using the same equipment as i had previously, i got bored of the layout  anyhows...

Specs:
*Tank:*
35litre
40cmx28cmx32cm(high)

*Lighting:*
3 x 8w T5
6 hour photoperiod

*Filtration & circulation:*
Tetratec EX600 (600lph)
Eheim 1048 (600lph)
With glass lilys-cal aqua and cheapo ebay ones.

*Co2:*
600g pressurized system- run 24/7
drop checker kept at lime green.
Boyu Inline diffuser

*Heating:*
25C
Hydor ETH 200w in-line

*Fertilisation:*
JamesC's all in one solution 2ml Daily
AE Carbon 2ml Daily

*Maintenance:*
1 x 50% water change weekly 

*Hardscape:*
Seiyu Stone
Oliver Knott's Nature Soil(fine)
ADA Xingu Sand

*Plants:*
Mosses- Peacock, Fissidens and Spikey
E.tenellus
E.parvula
Rotala Rotundifolia
Rotala sp. Green
Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis
added: crypt wendtii green and mi oya

Pics to follow.
Thanks  
Adam.


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## Maurits (20 Nov 2009)

Sounds nice


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## AdAndrews (20 Nov 2009)

For the meanwhile I have bodged a spraybar to make an intake for the filter as my cal aqua glassware broke last weekend   I have some cheap lilies ordered, and will get another set in the future for the pump connections too.

I wanted to use mosses more than I have done in the past, plus thatâ€™s another excuse for getting some different types of shrimp, Iâ€™m thinking Crystal Blacks 8) to go with my cherries, wat d'ya reckon?

Hopefully when the plants have grown a little I will get a nice mature look, a mossy carpet, Lilaopsis and tenellus spiking up in various different places and a colourful background.





















I am saving up for some more livestock at the moment, I think Boraras brigittae will fit the bill nicely, 
Thanks for looking  
Adam.


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## Mark Evans (20 Nov 2009)

Thats ace mate.


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## AdAndrews (20 Nov 2009)

saintly said:
			
		

> Thats ace mate.



cheers Mark  still think my photography is letting it down though, soo much colour is being lost, maybe my folks will get me a bridge camera for christmas


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## Stu Worrall (20 Nov 2009)

wow! what a tank   That moss around the main stones looks way cool, like its been in place for months.  Crystal blacks wood look ace in there too

Gutted for you for the glassware  nothing worse than breaking quality glass


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## JamesM (20 Nov 2009)

Looking great, Adam


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## AdAndrews (20 Nov 2009)

stuworrall said:
			
		

> nothing worse than breaking quality glass



tell me about it  after i'd done it I thought nooo Â£20 down the pot  

so, how does this sound to you lot:
12 boraras brigittae
<6 Crystal Black Shrimp- anyone know a good supplier online?
maybe a group of 8 or so Pygmy Cories


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## Krishs Bettas (20 Nov 2009)

a good place to get Crystal black shrimp would be the shrimp king http://www.shrimpking.co.uk/buy.htm
He sell great shrimp!


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## Nick16 (21 Nov 2009)

im not to sure, but wont they cross breed with the cherries?


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## AdAndrews (21 Nov 2009)

Nick16 said:
			
		

> im not to sure, but wont they cross breed with the cherries?



nah, ive already checked mate, i dont think they do.. thanks guys.. and cheers for the link too


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## Superman (21 Nov 2009)

Looks great


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## AdAndrews (21 Nov 2009)

Superman said:
			
		

> Looks great




Thanks Clark, you've been a super help with the fish also


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## AdAndrews (22 Nov 2009)

The rotala rotundifolia growth has kicked in already, ive got a good 2cm growth in a day if not more off a few of the stems 8) so they are now out of the water, shall i trim?


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## AdAndrews (22 Nov 2009)

what shall i do? choppy choppy?


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## Mark Evans (22 Nov 2009)

how long has it been in there?


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## AdAndrews (22 Nov 2009)

saintly said:
			
		

> how long has it been in there?



erm, either thursday or friday night, cant remember, sorry, its not my fault    :silent:


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## Mark Evans (22 Nov 2009)

well technically, you can do it now. i mean, you can trim down before setting a tank up, and plant the tops and even the bottom parts. 

if you see new growth at the bottom nodes (or depending on the final line of crowns you want) you can trim.


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## AdAndrews (22 Nov 2009)

ok, thanks Mark.


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## jonesy (22 Nov 2009)

Looking good, but are them stem plants going to need alot of constant trimming to keep tidy ?


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## AdAndrews (23 Nov 2009)

jonesy said:
			
		

> Looking good, but are them stem plants going to need alot of constant trimming to keep tidy ?



they will grow wayyyyyyy too tall for the tank and they grow quick-both species of rotala that is.. so scissors at the ready so to speak, but im looking forward to it, never tried a stem in this type of set-up before, so will be able to "mould" it to how i want it.

thanks


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## Dan Crawford (23 Nov 2009)

I'm not sure how i missed this but that looks lovely Adam


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## AdAndrews (23 Nov 2009)

Dan Crawford said:
			
		

> I'm not sure how i missed this but that looks lovely Adam



 thanks Dan, ive just given all of my stems a good clipping, keeping them neat and tidy


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## John Starkey (23 Nov 2009)

Hi Adam,I'm trying to catch up on everything at the moment on the forum, I just saw this and I think you have done a grand job,with the stems in such a small tank trimming will keep you busy but at least you will learn loads,
regards john.


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## aaronnorth (23 Nov 2009)

very nice


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## chilled84 (23 Nov 2009)

Thia is loking real nice, Im likeing the stems too, and the layout, Are you keeping the space on the left open for some planting or open because you want it like  that?

Overall mate its Fab.


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## AdAndrews (23 Nov 2009)

chilled84 said:
			
		

> Thia is loking real nice, Im likeing the stems too, and the layout, Are you keeping the space on the left open for some planting or open because you want it like  that?
> 
> Overall mate its Fab.



i wanted to have a open sand/gravel type foreground as i havnt experimented with that before, if you mean behind that, that is planted.. with lilaopsis brasensis(cant spell) and e.tenellus both are cut short however so you may not see.


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## rawr (23 Nov 2009)

I've obvioulsy missed this too somehow, but it looks great! Nice one mate.


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## AdAndrews (23 Nov 2009)

thankyou everyone


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## Nick16 (23 Nov 2009)

it does look ace mate, im so jealous, at the moment i have a 30L arc tank, doing nothing, filled with water but bare bottomed and with plastic plants   

im glad we have got over our past differances


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## Maurits (23 Nov 2009)

Nick16 said:
			
		

> it does look ace mate, im so jealous, at the moment i have a 30L arc tank, doing nothing, filled with water but bare bottomed and with plastic plants
> 
> im glad we have got over our past differances



one benefit
 less maintanance


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## AdAndrews (24 Nov 2009)

Nick16 said:
			
		

> it does look ace mate, im so jealous, at the moment i have a 30L arc tank, doing nothing, filled with water but bare bottomed and with plastic plants
> 
> im glad we have got over our past differances



thanks Nick, all forgotten  I am never ever ever going to buy plastic plants, never have and never will *hopefully* now i have learnt pretty much the basics i cant see why they were invented :?


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## AdAndrews (24 Nov 2009)

I've got all these things ordered, so they are coming.. soon.............hopefully!

Sponge filter guard.
Lily pipe set.
luminaire.
regulator.
co2 bottles.

helps me keep note.


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## jonesy (25 Nov 2009)

did you buy your rotala sp green from the green machine adam, i am assuming it comes potted so whats the best way to plant it single stems or plant the whole plant ?

ordered mine today along with some Staurogyne sp and Pogostemon Helferi to get my tank started.


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## AdAndrews (25 Nov 2009)

jonesy said:
			
		

> did you buy your rotala sp green from the green machine adam, i am assuming it comes potted so whats the best way to plant it single stems or plant the whole plant ?
> 
> ordered mine today along with some Staurogyne sp and Pogostemon Helferi to get my tank started.




thats great news! take it out of the pot, seperate from rockwool and you can either plant each individual stem, or like i did, 3 stems at once.


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## jonesy (25 Nov 2009)

AdAndrews said:
			
		

> jonesy said:
> 
> 
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> ...



thanks adam ill take a look when they turn up


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## Wraithio (25 Nov 2009)

Second nice tank ive spotted by you today  

Jealous of your plants


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## AdAndrews (25 Nov 2009)

Wraithio said:
			
		

> Second nice tank ive spotted by you today
> 
> Jealous of your plants



very kind, thanks


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## AdAndrews (27 Nov 2009)

Woot, woot! Ive just orded 12 boraras brittagae from wholesale tropicals, they are coming on tuesday, i think im going to pass on the crystal black shrimp idea, and concentrate on cherries, which i will probably order some more of aswell

Adam.


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## AdAndrews (30 Nov 2009)

Just had an e-mail from wholesale tropicals, they say they have sold the rasbora over the weekend, so cant fulfill my order  bit of a joke seen as i placed it friday, anyways, im off to the fish shop tonight, to see what they have, might get a couple of sparkling gourami's, unsure yet.

Adam


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## jonesy (30 Nov 2009)

AdAndrews said:
			
		

> Just had an e-mail from wholesale tropicals, they say they have sold the rasbora over the weekend, so cant fulfill my order  bit of a joke seen as i placed it friday, anyways, im off to the fish shop tonight, to see what they have, might get a couple of sparkling gourami's, unsure yet.
> 
> Adam



didnt they say when they would be getting more in stock ?


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## AdAndrews (30 Nov 2009)

nah, just to check the stock on their site as they should be getting some in asap


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## jonesy (30 Nov 2009)

AdAndrews said:
			
		

> nah, just to check the stock on their site as they should be getting some in asap



might be worth waiting and see if they can throw in afew extra fish for messing you about


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## AdAndrews (30 Nov 2009)

Got some new fish!

12 boraras brittagae, although there was only 11 and 1 has already died
2 sparkling gourami's

cant take pictures at the moment as the tank is in darkness.


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## Nick16 (30 Nov 2009)

one has already died? why?


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## AdAndrews (30 Nov 2009)

Nick16 said:
			
		

> one has already died? why?



not sure, it may be due to high co2 levels, i had a little issue earlier(before i got new fish) when the shrimps and the otto where going crazy, drop checker was bright yellow and co2 was coming out really fast, its becuase im trying to find the correct level of co2, i guess this morning i must have turned it up instead of down


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## AdAndrews (30 Nov 2009)

make that 3-4 dead


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## Maurits (30 Nov 2009)

That's ships.

probably do a 25 % water change ?,


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## Superman (30 Nov 2009)

Sorry to hear about your losses, any got your co2 stable?


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## AdAndrews (1 Dec 2009)

im not sure whats going on, all i know is i have deaths  

tbh im glad i brought them from the lfs, because if they came fin the post, i'd think what the hell are these, they are much smaller than i imagine, if they all die out, i will probably just go with something like neons, as the scape isnt really one where im trying to make it look big

the co2 levels are unknown, i had been and have done water changes, about 10% every so often... although, i'd like to add, the shrimps, otto and gourami(new) all survived.


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## AdAndrews (1 Dec 2009)

another one bites the dust.


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## afroturf (1 Dec 2009)

Sorry to hear about the brigittae. I also had kept some a while back in a planted tank and also suffed quite a few losses from the original 10-12 after a month I only had around half. Think they are probably a fish better kept in a tank with conditions as close to the natural habitat as possible, ie. blackwater. 

On a possitive you've got another nice looking tank going, and maybe tetras might be a better bet. Possibly Green neons?


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## AdAndrews (1 Dec 2009)

afroturf said:
			
		

> Sorry to hear about the brigittae. I also had kept some a while back in a planted tank and also suffed quite a few losses from the original 10-12 after a month I only had around half. Think they are probably a fish better kept in a tank with conditions as close to the natural habitat as possible, ie. blackwater.
> 
> On a possitive you've got another nice looking tank going, and maybe tetras might be a better bet. Possibly Green neons?




green neons sound nice  thanks mate


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## AdAndrews (1 Dec 2009)

whats it when shrimps go up the glass and then hurtle down to the substrate, and then stay still? its a sign of something isnt it?


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## andyh (1 Dec 2009)

Hello

Sorry to hear about your losses, but your description of your shrimps combined with the loss of fish would suggest that you have a problem. My money would be on your CO2.

When you said earlier on your thread that you had a bright yellow drop checker, that aint good for livestock. I have a shoal of 20 plus brigittae in my Kitchen tank with no problems, my drop checker goes green (with slight yellow tinge) at the highest point. Any more and my shrimps and fish hit the surface and start gasping. The brigittae are very small and cant cope for as long as some of your larger fish.

I would complete at least a 50% water change straight away and get your CO2 right down and slowly increase it till you get your drop checker bright green.

I hope this helps


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## AdAndrews (1 Dec 2009)

that was yesteday, its green now, and on the lower side, i think ive got 6 boraras left, so 5 dead.


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## andyh (1 Dec 2009)

AdAndrews said:
			
		

> that was yesteday, its green now, and on the lower side, i think ive got 6 boraras left, so 5 dead.




Fingers crossed!  

they are wicked fish............when they aren't dying!


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## AdAndrews (1 Dec 2009)

im not sure, ive had a couple of thoughts now.. as i was doing alot of water changes yesterday(and using water out of the hot tap) im not sure if that had an affect, some people say, dont use water out of the hot tap, and seen as they are only little fish, that may be why, since their bodies wont be able to take as much. my other thought is, that the water was too cold that i was using for the water change, so that might have killed some, seen as i was pouring it right over where they were hiding in the stems.

filter is mature, so should be no problems with that.

ive just been watching them, they are actually really nice, shame they are Â£2.50 each though, seen as i have lost 5, so Â£12.50's worth  

the sparkling gourami's are very nice also, not too colourful, but have a nice blue eye, they are fairly shy, which sometimes can be anoying, but sometimes a nice thing

thanks for your help mate

Adam


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## AdAndrews (1 Dec 2009)

ANOTHER  atleast i know what it is though, they are getting sucked into the filter inlet. no point in doing anything now is there.


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## andyh (1 Dec 2009)

fit a net over it!

Fit a smaller strainer on your filter, eheim do one.

Put a sign for the fish saying beware of powerful suck!


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## AdAndrews (1 Dec 2009)

lol


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## AdAndrews (1 Dec 2009)

done that. 5 left


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## jonesy (1 Dec 2009)

AdAndrews said:
			
		

> ANOTHER  atleast i know what it is though, they are getting sucked into the filter inlet. no point in doing anything now is there.



you got any pics before they are all gone, they must be really small to be getting sucked into your filter


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## AdAndrews (1 Dec 2009)

it will be impossible to pic them mate, they move so fast.. they are 0.8cm or 8mm, not including tail.


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## jonesy (1 Dec 2009)

AdAndrews said:
			
		

> it will be impossible to pic them mate, they move so fast.. they are 0.8cm or 8mm, not including tail.



that is small, are they still babies or is that there adult size


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## AdAndrews (1 Dec 2009)

wouldnt have thought they are babies, just young fish, they are actually really nice, however, they dont shoal, they just huddle together, or one whirls round the tank.. lesson well learnt really.


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## jonesy (1 Dec 2009)

AdAndrews said:
			
		

> wouldnt have thought they are babies, just young fish, they are actually really nice, however, they dont shoal, they just huddle together, or one whirls round the tank.. lesson well learnt really.



do you think i should invest in something to cover my cal aqua nano inlet before i get mine or will the intake be small enough ?


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## Maurits (1 Dec 2009)

Hi Ad.

your inlet isn't the only reason, playing with the Co2 and your way of water changing is also not something I would advice to people. try to avoid big differences between tank water temperature and tap water temperature, 5 -10 degrees is fine, if it's more than this can be the start of problems

Honest I have these rasboras as well and you it's quit hard to kill them, I only loose them when they jump out.


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## Nick16 (1 Dec 2009)

get a piece of filter sponge and cut a hole in the middle and shove it over your pipe. or get an old pair of tights and attach it over until you find something more suitable.


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## andyh (1 Dec 2009)

jonesy said:
			
		

> AdAndrews said:
> 
> 
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On thing to be aware of with glassware is that the number and size of holes dicatates the power of the suction, i got a cheap ebay glass intake and it only had 5 v small slits. Once i connected this to my 750lph filter it had more sucking power than my dyson (other hoovers are available  ). 

When choosing glassware try to get one with slightly more or larger holes or it will literally suck up your fishes and that aint a nice way to go!!


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## jonesy (1 Dec 2009)

andyh said:
			
		

> jonesy said:
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mines got 10 slots, ill just keep an eye on the fish for the first few hours when i put them in.


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## AdAndrews (1 Dec 2009)

thanks guys, ive put some floss over it now and tied it.. its not glassware, its my makeshift inlet, ive got some glass pipes ordered though.
thanks


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## AdAndrews (2 Dec 2009)

ive got a little hair algae, after messing around with the co2 the other day, i have put the co2 to come on 3 hours before lights now, and have increased my flow.. the drop checker is lime green 

plus, ive ordered 20x MTS for the sand at the front, to give it a good turnin'


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## AdAndrews (2 Dec 2009)

Took a few pictures of the livestock, its very hard to get a decent pic of the boraras though..
http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.p ... 414_11_239
http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.p ... 414_11_239
http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.p ... 414_11_239

thanks


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## jonesy (2 Dec 2009)

AdAndrews said:
			
		

> Took a few pictures of the livestock, its very hard to get a decent pic of the boraras though..
> http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.p ... 414_11_239
> http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.p ... 414_11_239
> http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.p ... 414_11_239
> ...



some nice pics of the aqua essentials range there lol


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## AdAndrews (2 Dec 2009)

lol, how has that happened..   

thanks mate  
here:










DOH


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## jonesy (2 Dec 2009)

nice photo's, loving the shrimp


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## AdAndrews (4 Dec 2009)

Bad news for you.. yet again.. My solenoid valve broke and kept the co2 running all night long, as expected the smaller fish, boraras didnt make it, i only have 1 left now, i did have surface adgitation, and my drop checker is showing a lime green/borderline yellow.. what shall i do?


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## jonesy (4 Dec 2009)

AdAndrews said:
			
		

> Bad news for you.. yet again.. My solenoid valve broke and kept the co2 running all night long, as expected the smaller fish, boraras didnt make it, i only have 1 left now, i did have surface adgitation, and my drop checker is showing a lime green/borderline yellow.. what shall i do?



when that happen to me i removed the fish into a bucket of water and done a large water change on the tank to remove some of the co2 and put more oxygen back into the water then put the fish back in and left the co2 of until it had dropped back down again. Thats what worked for me. good luck


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## Mark Evans (4 Dec 2009)

a W/C will instantly lower co2.  get a new solenoid.


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## AdAndrews (4 Dec 2009)

ok.. any cheap one? is there any that are recommended?, what can i do in the meantime? increase surface agitation, or decrease co2 slightly(which i dont really want to do..


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## AdAndrews (4 Dec 2009)

some slightly good news  my new things have come, new luminaire, new lily pipes, and some MTS


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## AdAndrews (8 Dec 2009)

Just found this old picture out of a previous tank..



i think this is going to be my new fish choice, they colour up nicely in tropical temperatures, and are hardy as hell


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## Nick16 (8 Dec 2009)

i love them, people always shun away from them as they are simple boring fish, but i prefer them to things like neons. 
plus you can save some leaccy on the heating as well and keep them at about 22 degrees, rather than the usual 24-26 for most fish. lovely that!.


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## Maurits (8 Dec 2009)

Nick16 said:
			
		

> i love them, people always shun away from them as they are simple boring fish, but i prefer them to things like neons.
> plus you can save some leaccy on the heating as well and keep them at about 22 degrees, rather than the usual 24-26 for most fish. lovely that!.



I have 10 of these beautiful babies in my office tank, almost 3-4 cm now and you re right the fun you can get from them. ( I keep them at aprox 20 degrees.)


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## AdAndrews (8 Dec 2009)

awesome, how well are they shoaling in a smaller tank??
nick, cant save on leccy right now  got a pair of sparkling gouramis in the tank


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## AdAndrews (8 Dec 2009)

Yes. Ive made my decision and im gonna go with these, slowly build up the numbers, after the filter has settled after next wednesday when i have 20 new cherries coming!

Also, i was thinking about adding some crypt wendtii green, what do you guys think?

Adam.


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## Nick16 (8 Dec 2009)

Maurits said:
			
		

> Nick16 said:
> 
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what size is your tank? 

i always wanted to get some WCMM babies from someone to watch them grow. or try to breed them myself, it isnt hard, i just need a breeding tank as they normally eat the eggs.


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## AdAndrews (8 Dec 2009)

Nick16 said:
			
		

> i always wanted to get some WCMM babies from someone to watch them grow. or try to breed them myself, it isnt hard, i just need a breeding tank as they normally eat the eggs.



when i had them previously i had some babies    however this was only becuase, like you say, they eat them, and i had moved them into a different tank, so they must have been breeding pretty often and just been eating the eggs.


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## Nick16 (8 Dec 2009)

i always used to have preggers ones.   
the lfs tank has about 30-40 in and loads of them are preggs. 

i might have a go at doing that, but how do you tell males - females? is it colouration?


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## AdAndrews (8 Dec 2009)

Nick16 said:
			
		

> i always used to have preggers ones.
> the lfs tank has about 30-40 in and loads of them are preggs.
> 
> i might have a go at doing that, but how do you tell males - females? is it colouration?



males are slim, females are fat, also, ive found in the past that the males are more colourful.


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## AdAndrews (28 Dec 2009)

Im still fighting a loosing war with the BBA 

If its due to unstable co2, then shall i switch to liquid carbon and knock the whole pressurized thing on the head? My lights 3x8w are not particularly Overkill, so i think it would suit the switch, or will this just make it worse.


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## jonesy (29 Dec 2009)

AdAndrews said:
			
		

> Im still fighting a loosing war with the BBA
> 
> If its due to unstable co2, then shall i switch to liquid carbon and knock the whole pressurized thing on the head? My lights 3x8w are not particularly Overkill, so i think it would suit the switch, or will this just make it worse.



what plant is it growing on the most, i had one plant in my downstairs tank that was full of bba which seemed to be giving it to every other plant in the tank, from what i remember it was Alternanthera reineckii might be wrong but anyways removed that plant and and the other affected leaves from other near by plants then the bba stopped so im assuming that plant was adding to my problems as i couldnt meet its demands. The only things i can think off for bba have been covered like good flow, lime green co2 and good surfuce movement, other than that it im stumped.

did you get your wcmm in the end and how did they get on with your shrimp as i have just ordered 10 cherry shrimp and 13 bee shrimp from aqua essentials dont want them ending up as food for my wcmm as they arnt cheap lol


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## AdAndrews (29 Dec 2009)

Cheers dude, what i have is a little hair algae, and a little bba on the moss(only plant with it on) and then the rest on the hardscape...

I have recently brought the wcmm's, i have 4 atm, and i also brought 5 bee shrimp- similar to you  

the wcmm are not intrested in the shrimp, unlike my sparkiling gouami's, which are lapping up the young uns'

Adam.


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## jonesy (29 Dec 2009)

AdAndrews said:
			
		

> Cheers dude, what i have is a little hair algae, and a little bba on the moss(only plant with it on) and then the rest on the hardscape...
> 
> I have recently brought the wcmm's, i have 4 atm, and i also brought 5 bee shrimp- similar to you
> 
> ...



thats good on the wcmm front, they are lovely fish got 12 in my nano upstairs you have seen and they love it swimming inbetween the rocks and flairing the fins at each other its good to watch   

in my nano upstairs which as you no hasnt been setup long all the plants are doing good apart from the xmas moss i bought from ebay which has hair algae on it but that came with the hair algae free of charge and also 2 snails i found the next day, but like you maybe its just a bad bunch of moss you have causeing all the problems could be worth looking at.


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## AdAndrews (29 Dec 2009)

Shame about your xmas moss then, cheers


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## jonesy (15 Jan 2010)

any updates adam, you beat that algae yet


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## AdAndrews (15 Jan 2010)

yes and no  

I'll get a few pics for you guys, im keeping the algae definately in check, incredibly minimal ammounts can be seen, although, it is not iradicated..

give me a few mins.


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## AdAndrews (15 Jan 2010)

Here yee go:









as always im unimpressed with my camera, but as yet, i havnt got enough cash to buy a better one, all my money is going on a pufferfish tank   

comments and crittique welcome as always

Adam


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## Mark Evans (15 Jan 2010)

blimey! that's wonderful!


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## AdAndrews (15 Jan 2010)

saintly said:
			
		

> blimey! that's wonderful!


cheers buddy!


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## JamesM (15 Jan 2010)

Nice Ad


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## LondonDragon (15 Jan 2010)

Awesome tank  never been a fan of tanks with rounded corners but you did a great job of it, the rocks and plants look great  congrats


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## jonesy (15 Jan 2010)

saintly said:
			
		

> blimey! that's wonderful!



ditto looks great mate


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## a1Matt (15 Jan 2010)

AdAndrews said:
			
		

>



This is a lovely pic.  
I presume this is a 'Rasbora dorsiocellata' AKA Emerald Eye Rasbora.  Also, what size is it and is it fully grown? 
Do you have any of your brigitae left, and if so how do the two species get on together?

Sorry for all the questions, I have 40 Boraras Brigittae and I am tempted to get some of these Emeralds to offset them


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## AdAndrews (16 Jan 2010)

Thanks guys   

Matt- That is a sparkling gourami, that picture was not long after i'd got him home from the lfs, so he looked a bit skinny and pale there, i'll get some new pics of the fish/inverts tonight, as they seem to have coloured up nicely

I do not have any brittage left, i am going with wcmm's, but they are in a tank thats cycling atm, give it a week and i'll add 6 of them, and then maybe up the numbers over a few weeks.

sorry i dont know much about the emerald eye's


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## aaronnorth (16 Jan 2010)

Thats stunning, Adam  Well done


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## hydrophyte (16 Jan 2010)

Nice work. That is outstanding and so impressive that you put it together in such a small little tank.

The were some of those sparkling gouramis at the LFS--really cool little fish.


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## AdAndrews (16 Jan 2010)

Got some pics of the inhabitants, sadly not the bee shrimp, they were hiding  ive got about 3 of them...


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## jonesy (16 Jan 2010)

my bee shrimp where the same always hiding but seem to be getting braver by the day but the cherry shrimp where all out from day one, you got any signs of babies yet


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## AdAndrews (16 Jan 2010)

nah, not from the bee's  cherries as always are carrying loads, the only downside of the sparkling gourami's is that they will eat the little shrimp.


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## a1Matt (16 Jan 2010)

AdAndrews said:
			
		

> Thanks guys
> 
> Matt- That is a sparkling gourami, that picture was not long after i'd got him home from the lfs, so he looked a bit skinny and pale there, i'll get some new pics of the fish/inverts tonight, as they seem to have coloured up nicely
> 
> ...



Thanks for the ID Ad. I assumed they were the Emerald eyes because of the colour of their eyes   
I've had WCMM in the past they are lovely fish and I think they will look good in your nano


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## AdAndrews (11 Feb 2010)

Just arrived is my new solenoid  which, i spose my fish will be happy about.

its an aquaEl one, seems very nicely build, and working a treat, for around Â£25.00

im now putting it on from 10-10, so, its got a good 5 hours before lights to get everything stable in the tank.


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## AdAndrews (18 Feb 2010)

Ive swapped the moss carpet for some HC, which Nelson kindly donated-thanks Neil!

Im too embarresed to get a FTS atm, but, heres a couple of pics...













It shouldnt take the hc long to carpet, ive planted it fairly compact, and it was previously in a submerged set-up, which helps.

The sand front is not filled up yet, so, the "barrier" is being held up by some rocks, i didnt want to add the remainder of the sand as the plant substrate simply covers it, and during planting, thats a likely time when it will..

oh, and ive now got 10 wcmm, lovely things!


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## Nick16 (18 Feb 2010)

the long finned WCMM. they are still one of my favourite species of fish, very hardy, active and still very good looking fish. 

i love them, wish i had a good shoal. They breed which is nice too. so you can buy 10-20 and end up increasing the shoal slowly.


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## AdAndrews (18 Feb 2010)

Yea, i thought about them breeding as the lot i had before(year ago) bred, but, none of the fry survived after a month, i wondered if they layed eggs in this tank, would the shrimp eat them?


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## NeilW (18 Feb 2010)

I just spied your soil barrier which made me chuckle as I've been trying to tackle the same problem, I feel your pain   
I went mad and went for a half re-scape though but its good to see your persevering!


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## AdAndrews (19 Feb 2010)

NeilW said:
			
		

> I just spied your soil barrier which made me chuckle as I've been trying to tackle the same problem, I feel your pain
> I went mad and went for a half re-scape though but its good to see your persevering!



 I am going to fill the sand in soon, just didnt want to do it before planting the HC, as the Nature Soil is sooo light, 

thanks


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## Jase (19 Feb 2010)

AdAndrews said:
			
		

> the Nature Soil is sooo light



I feel your pain! As much as I like the stuff I think I'll try something different for my next scape.

Those WCMMs are the best I've ever seen   What's the story behind them?


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## AdAndrews (19 Feb 2010)

Jase said:
			
		

> AdAndrews said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I agree, it is good stuff, plants seem to thrive, but, maybe look at the alternative substrate from the guys at the planted box, theirs is cheaper too  

I keep my WCMM's at 24-25c this brings out their colours, when you see them in the lfs they are whitish looking, very plain and often not that active, keeping them at this temperature i have found brings out the silver and the red alot more, i also feed colour crisps  

They dont seem to mind this temperature, just have to be aclimatised suitably when transfering them to a tropical tank.

thanks!


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## Jase (19 Feb 2010)

Yep the stuff the Plantedbox lads are promoting does look like a good alternative.

Do WCMMs usually have fins that long or is it just that they are dislaying?


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## Nick16 (19 Feb 2010)

i believe ad has the long finned version. you can get both fairly easily in the uk. if you have nippy fish with them, the short finned ones are a good idea, but as ad doesnt, the lon fins suit the tank really well. 

one of the most under-rated fish in the hobby, most people just pass them by.


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## AdAndrews (19 Feb 2010)

Jase said:
			
		

> Yep the stuff the Plantedbox lads are promoting does look like a good alternative.
> 
> Do WCMMs usually have fins that long or is it just that they are dislaying?




nah, they are not even the long finned variety, i managed to catch one flaring at another, they are constantly doing it, chasing each other around all day, one of my females is so fat, i think she may be ready to drop her eggs, which would be nice.

Adam


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## Jase (19 Feb 2010)

After seeing your pics I'm tempted to go for some of these in my 123l, I've seen them for 45p each in one LFS


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## AdAndrews (19 Feb 2010)

Jase said:
			
		

> After seeing your pics I'm tempted to go for some of these in my 123l, I've seen them for 45p each in one LFS


yea, they shoal to some extent, but, not "neatly" Although, in a big tank im sure a group of 30 would look ace.


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