# ADA 60f rock layout



## oscarlloydjohn (20 Jan 2019)

For my birthday I was lucky enough to receive an ADA 60f and the kit to go along with it. I'll be putting a lot of my savings into this project too.

I've been waiting quite a while to set this up, but I had to get my trial exams out the way before I could get going.

I made a visit to Aquarium Gardens before christmas to pick out some hardscape, It was a really long train journey but definitely worth it. I ended up going with about 11kg of Frodo Stone. Many thanks to @Siege and Dave from @Aquarium Gardens for the great service.

Tank:
ADA 60f

Substrate:
ADA Aquasoil Powder Type (3L and 9L bag)
Lava Rock underneath

Lighting:
Twinstar 600e
Inline dimmer

Filtration:
Eheim ecco canister
Glass inflow and outflow

CO2:
Sodastream system
Aquario Neo Diffuser

Ferts (EI dosing):
DIY macros
Easy Life Profito micros

Planting (most likely):
HC cuba
Hydrocotyle Tripartita Japan
Rotala H'ra
Undecided moss (maybe Riccardia)

I will also be using remineralised RODI water, my tap water is so hard that I struggle with some species. I also don't want to have to deal with so much mineral deposit on the waterline, especially since this tank will evaporate fast.

I was very keen to have emersed hardscape with some emersed plant plant growth, possibly mosses growing out on top of the rocks.











This is my first journal and I can't wait


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## Onoma1 (20 Jan 2019)

Looking forward to reading your journal!


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## Andrew Butler (20 Jan 2019)

Good luck to you Oscar, well done for playing the patience game. 
I hope it all goes smoothly for you and I'm subscribed.
Maybe a thread for @HypeBuce to have a watch over. 

Andrew


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## alto (20 Jan 2019)

Excellent beginning 

Just mix some tap back into the RO for remineralizing - check your water report for a detailed analysis


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## HypeBuce (21 Jan 2019)

Sounds awfully similar to what im attempting to do! Except I'm saving up for a 60P. I too am 16 and into aquascaping. If you would like to see my tanks right now theyre over on my Instagram @HypeBuce. Can't wait to see how this all turns out for you !! May I ask what made you choose ADA substrate over Tropica? 


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## Jayefc1 (21 Jan 2019)

Some nice choices can't wait to see how you go good luck on your journey and keep the posts coming


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## Tim Harrison (21 Jan 2019)

You've got it all going on Oscar. Well done for making the trek to AG, it looks like it was worth it, you have some really nice kit and hardscape there, Looking forward to seeing where you go with this


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## oscarlloydjohn (21 Jan 2019)

HypeBuce said:


> Sounds awfully similar to what im attempting to do! Except I'm saving up for a 60P. I too am 16 and into aquascaping. If you would like to see my tanks right now theyre over on my Instagram @HypeBuce. Can't wait to see how this all turns out for you !! May I ask what made you choose ADA substrate over Tropica?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Thanks  I chose the ADA soil because from what I read, it is slightly better. Not too much of a price difference either.

Cheers


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## Harry H (21 Jan 2019)

Good luck Oscar, looking forward to following your journal.


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## Edvet (21 Jan 2019)

I hope everyone realises buying top shelf stuff doesn''t guarantee problem free tanks.
(because if it does i''ll be buying that new Titleist TS2 driver this week)


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## oscarlloydjohn (21 Jan 2019)

The first update!

I spent quite a while scaping the tank and here is the result so far:











I'm going for a continuous rock layout, so I wouldn't call it an Iwagumi. My main inspiration is The Green Machine's Continuity.

I'm quite pleased with it but I'm totally open to any suggestions. I have 3 stones left over but they are somewhat less similar in colour and texture to the ones in the tank.

I also made a quick timelapse video of the setup, hope you enjoy:



With regards to filtration, I have found a JBL CristalProfi Greenline e901 locally but potentially that will be way too much flow. Otherwise I have my Eheim Ecco Pro 130 but that is most likely not enough flow!

Cheers


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## Kalum (21 Jan 2019)

Looks great I love this size of tank and you've done well with it

Only thing I'd say is I'd drop the substrate level by the same amount from front to back, it's already a shallow tank and half of it is being taken up with substrate, leave yourself say 2cm at front and keep the same slope and you might end up with about 2/3 water and 1/3 substrate, more area for planting and fish/shrimp


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## Tim Harrison (21 Jan 2019)

Coming along nicely. Like Kalum mentions, You may have too much AS in there, I'd aim to keep the substrate a little shallower at the front, about 2-3cm is enough to plant in


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## oscarlloydjohn (22 Jan 2019)

Kalum said:


> Looks great I love this size of tank and you've done well with it
> 
> Only thing I'd say is I'd drop the substrate level by the same amount from front to back, it's already a shallow tank and half of it is being taken up with substrate, leave yourself say 2cm at front and keep the same slope and you might end up with about 2/3 water and 1/3 substrate, more area for planting and fish/shrimp





Tim Harrison said:


> Coming along nicely. Like Kalum mentions, You may have too much AS in there, I'd aim to keep the substrate a little shallower at the front, about 2-3cm is enough to plant in



Thanks for the feedback guys, I will probably lower the substrate in the front but I'd like to keep it high in the back so that the rocks will be partially out of the water. This way I can grow emersed mosses


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## alto (22 Jan 2019)

Looks grand 

But 

Soil and hardscape are utilizing more than half your tank volume, so consider which fish - if any - you’d like to keep
I suspect jumping will be more likely - happens more as soon as tank is filled to brim (especially with rimless tanks) and with more shallow water column


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## oscarlloydjohn (22 Jan 2019)

alto said:


> Looks grand
> 
> But
> 
> ...



Thanks 

I definitely need to make the right decision in terms of stocking. I was thinking possibly Chilli Rasbora, Kubotai Rasbora, Norman's Lampeye or Ember Tetra. Most of those are somewhat prone to jump especially the Chilli Rasboras. I'll probably have some CRS in there too.

Any suggestions?


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## alto (22 Jan 2019)

I’d be careful of keeping most of these species in a 60F even with much lower substrate (taller water column)

Embers would be my suggestion of those you mention

I’ve never had any of the named fish jump from my tanks are which 53cm tall, but there are numerous reports online for the kubotai (need more oxygen than most rasboras etc ... they’ll just gradually disappear from tank), lampeye and chillis

Embers are far braver than many of the “nano” fish


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## FishLifeLondon (23 Jan 2019)

Cool to see yet another 16 year old in the hobby.
I got lampeyes and sadly they jump a lot, so a lid is a must. I also think that Boraras would probably want a more sheltered aquascape. I think Kubotai would suit your aquascape and in particular if you decide to get an oversized filter. If you don't get an oversized filter I would choose Ember Tetras, but they may clash with Rotala H'ra.

Plant wise, I would skip the Hydrocotyle as it will grow like a weed and take away vast amounts of time when you should be revising for GCSEs lol! I think that H'ra might be a bit overpowering, but if you like the style of Crimson Sky James Findlay, then go for it. I personally would choose Hairgrass, or Pogostemon Erectus or Rotala Wallichii which might throw out flowers and look cool. Perhaps add some Bucephalandra species as well and begin the addiction.

Anyway, it's a brilliant aquascape, which I'm already envious of, but take an inch out of the soil so there's some room for stem plants. I would add that you should be very diligent with water changes as Amazonia leaches vast amounts of ammonia. It would also be advisable to add some mature media or even do a lightless and plantless cycle as Nigel has done to avoid major algae issues.


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## oscarlloydjohn (23 Jan 2019)

FishLifeLondon said:


> Cool to see yet another 16 year old in the hobby.
> I got lampeyes and sadly they jump a lot, so a lid is a must. I also think that Boraras would probably want a more sheltered aquascape. I think Kubotai would suit your aquascape and in particular if you decide to get an oversized filter. If you don't get an oversized filter I would choose Ember Tetras, but they may clash with Rotala H'ra.
> 
> Plant wise, I would skip the Hydrocotyle as it will grow like a weed and take away vast amounts of time when you should be revising for GCSEs lol! I think that H'ra might be a bit overpowering, but if you like the style of Crimson Sky James Findlay, then go for it. I personally would choose Hairgrass, or Pogostemon Erectus or Rotala Wallichii which might throw out flowers and look cool. Perhaps add some Bucephalandra species as well and begin the addiction.
> ...



I'll probably go down to my LFS this week to see what's on offer, maybe I'll find something else worth looking at  I saw some Glowlight Carplets down there the other week which looked quite interesting.

I'm not sure how much H'ra I will use but I was thinking about it maybe just being a red accent plant in a small patch rather than the whole background. It could also go in the back left corner and grow primarily emersed. Otherwise for the background I was thinking possibly Blyxa Japonica. I do like the look of the Pogostemon though

I'll definitely be cycling without plants or light, especially with so much soil in such a small volume.  Supposedly tissue culture HC is very sensitive to ammonia and will melt very easily. I've got some mature media that I can take from my other tank 

Cheers, Oscar


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## CooKieS (24 Jan 2019)

Hi there, nice layout and tank (missin' mine now, check my old journal).

As the others said, you'll need to remove at least half of the soil in order to add depth, height and sexy front look. 

Plant wise, H'ra would be ok, rotala walichii too, for an touch of green; hemianthus micranthemoides would fit perfectly (bushy and small, stays compact, ideal for this shallow tank).

Forget the P.Erectus and Blyxa; way too big for this tank.

Small carpeting plants like hc cuba, eleocharis mini (left and right corners), marsilea crenata or even elatine hydropier (slow grower) would fit nicely in the foreground.

Add details with small buces and anubia.

This shallow tank needs good water circulation and a lot of co2, be aware of that. (because of the ridiculous height and large water surface) Careful with light power too, a dimmer is a must.

As for the fishes; Ember tetra fit perfectly (had them in my 60F) as they never jump (when afraid they simulate death and don't jump, very funny to watch, clever fishes)

Good luck and enjoy


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## oscarlloydjohn (27 Jan 2019)

I've messed around with the scape and have lowered the substrate, I'll probably do some more this week. I'm still happy with how it looks although it is kind of symmetrical.





I also bought a JBL CristalProfi e901 which is overkill but I can reduce the flow  

New Cal Aqua inflows look great too, they are pricey but worth it since I don't have to use a huge lily pipe in there.








I should be flooding the tank next week but I have a small leak in the RO system which I need to fix. Will be cycling the tank before planting to avoid plant melt 

Oscar


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## Hendre (28 Jan 2019)

Wow! Looks good 
Wish I could get a system like that for my birthday haha, great to see another teen in the scaping scene! 

I'm looking foward to seeing how this grows, moss does very well emersed. I'd try a small anubias sp as well, depending on what's available.


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## oscarlloydjohn (1 Feb 2019)

I had a bit of a mess around on photoshop as a kind of planting plan, still unsure of what to use in the background though!

- Rotala H'ra (as an accent)
- Pogostemon Erectus
- Pogostemon Sellatus
- Hemianthus Micranthemoides
- Something else (any suggestions?)

I think I will likely use the H'ra in the back left or right corner, and it can grow primarily emersed as it is quite shallow there.

Not the best photoshop work but I think it gives some perspective


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## CooKieS (1 Feb 2019)

Nice photoshop!

For the background plants, if you want colors;

Rotala H'ra
Rotala wallichii

If you want only green;

Hemianthus micranthemoides
Gratiola viscidula

Cheers


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## Daveslaney (1 Feb 2019)

I think rotala H'ra and rotala green in mixed sections planted in the background trimmed to follow the contour of the rocks towards the middle pathway would look really nice.


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## Hendre (1 Feb 2019)

That moment when someones photoshopped tank looks better than yours 
I like the look!


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## oscarlloydjohn (4 Feb 2019)

Bump, any other suggestions for background planting anyone?


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## FJK_12 (4 Feb 2019)

That photoshop! I'd go Rotala H'ra w/ Rotala green, or Limnophila aromatica/hippuroides could be interesting.


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## Vijay_06 (5 Feb 2019)

My vote is for Rotala H’ra. I have not grown it, but have seen a few tanks where it had a nice pink/red color that will contrast well with the greens in your planned scape.


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## oscarlloydjohn (15 Feb 2019)

I flooded the tank last week, hopefully it should cycle quickly as I have added some mature media. I'll add some purigen once it has cycled


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## HypeBuce (15 Feb 2019)

oscarlloydjohn said:


> I flooded the tank last week


What's your water change maintenance routine for the next month? 




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## Siege (15 Feb 2019)

Aromatica will be far too big for the tank imo. It was for for my EA 600.

The 600 that George farmer did in December is looking brilliant at AG. Have a look at that. It’s ready for its first prune to get that angles pathway look. All the plants in there would look good in your tank as the theme is similar.

I’ll ask Dave to post a pic on Instagram and Facebook next week pre trim for you.

I’m looking forward to see how your scape progresses.

Ps. I’d still reduce the soil slightly at the front middle.......


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## oscarlloydjohn (15 Feb 2019)

HypeBuce said:


> What's your water change maintenance routine for the next month?



I'll be doing a 50% water change about every 3 or 4 days with half RO and half tap until it's cycled. This gives me GH 7 and KH 6, enough KH to keep the pH up a bit for the bacteria. Once it's cycled, I'll plant it and switch to using fully RO with Salty Shrimp GH+ as I won't need any more KH. This way I won't exhaust the substrate.

Oscar


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## soggybongo (15 Feb 2019)

lovely looking setup mate, I would have gone down the DSM route to give the carpet a help in hand. will be following this. 
Keep the updates coming.


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## soggybongo (15 Feb 2019)

[/QUOTE] I  also bought a JBL CristalProfi e901 which is overkill but I can reduce the flow
Oscar[/QUOTE]


don't think that filter is overkill at all mate , all filters are over specified as far as flow is concerned especially as it has to bounce of all them rocks and in between them. I would even put a skimmer in the back left corner to help flow and aid surface scum.


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## oscarlloydjohn (4 Mar 2019)

Quick update, tank is now fully cycled and planting will come soon


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## oscarlloydjohn (31 Mar 2019)

The tank was planted the other week, this shot was taken after a few days of it running. 

Final background plant I chose was Gratiola Viscidula, along with Rotala H'ra as an accent. Some of the HC melted unfortunately, one of the pots had gone bad. There looks to be a little bit of new growth from the melted parts though.

Oscar


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## obsessed (31 Mar 2019)

you have done really well mate
looking good


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## HypeBuce (31 Mar 2019)

I love how we planted at almost the same time. We can look and compare our scapes as they grow! 


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## oscarlloydjohn (31 Mar 2019)

HypeBuce said:


> I love how we planted at almost the same time. We can look and compare our scapes as they grow!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Are you gonna be doing a journal of your 60p?


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## HypeBuce (31 Mar 2019)

oscarlloydjohn said:


> Are you gonna be doing a journal of your 60p?



Well im making a video of everything. Not really sure what a journal entales so who knows 


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## oscarlloydjohn (26 Aug 2019)

Time for an update on this tank!

It's been a while, I made the mistake of planting the tank shortly before my GCSEs so I did let it slip a bit. 

I have been battling a small cyanobacteria issue but I think I have it under control. It seems to mostly cling to the Gratiola viscidula. I'm planning to swap the background to Rotala H'ra and then put some Gratiola in place of the current Rotala. This way there will be more of a competitive plant mass as the Gratiola is quite a slow grower.

The carpet is doing quite well, especially considering it's the first I've grown. There is one section that was unhealthy due to a bad tissue culture being planted there. I have cut that section out and replanted it with some trimmings.

Still not sure about stocking but I'm thinking Celestial Pearl Danios, Sundadanio axelrodi or Microdevario kubotai






Carpet pearling after a water change


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## oscarlloydjohn (9 Oct 2019)

Tank is looking quite good now, there is still a bit of cyanobacteria on the Gratiola however I've been treating it with hydrogen peroxide which has seemed to help.

Full FTS taken on the nice camera:





Still needs some fish though...


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## Jayefc1 (9 Oct 2019)

Looks amazing mate


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## CooKieS (9 Oct 2019)

Very cool 60F! Are you running the twinstar on full blast?


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## oscarlloydjohn (9 Oct 2019)

CooKieS said:


> Very cool 60F! Are you running the twinstar on full blast?



I'm only running it at around 60% (I think). 7 hours on the timer


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## Tim Harrison (9 Oct 2019)

Looking awesome


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## MJF90 (10 Oct 2019)

That looks amazing!


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## oscarlloydjohn (17 Nov 2019)

I have added some Microdevario Kubotai however I have had a couple of jumpers so I will likely rehome them. Any ideas for more suitable fish? The flow in the tank is quite high for CO2 distribution.


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## Andrew Butler (17 Nov 2019)

Might sound a silly suggestion to you and maybe ethics will be questioned but if you're happy to live with a mesh screen for a while the fish could learn there's nowhere to jump to then remove the mesh screen and they could be fine.


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## Hendre (18 Nov 2019)

Andrew Butler said:


> Might sound a silly suggestion to you and maybe ethics will be questioned but if you're happy to live with a mesh screen for a while the fish could learn there's nowhere to jump to then remove the mesh screen and they could be fine.


I wish. My polypterus escaped through a tiny gap despite living in the tank for two+ years. Was always there then POOF they're both gone. Fish will jump given the chance


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## HypeBuce (7 May 2020)

How this Scape going?


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## LondonDragon (18 Jun 2020)

oscarlloydjohn said:


> Tank is looking quite good now, there is still a bit of cyanobacteria on the Gratiola however I've been treating it with hydrogen peroxide which has seemed to help.
> 
> Full FTS taken on the nice camera:
> 
> ...


That looks stunning, we need more updates about this one! Featured on the UKAPS Facebook Page  👏


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## oscarlloydjohn (26 Jul 2020)

Hi everyone, it's been a while

It's a very nice surprise to see my scape featured on the UKAPS facebook, thank you @LondonDragon !

Unfortunately during lockdown I ended up shutting down the tank as it was becoming too much to deal with. A disappointing end but I would say that it was successful, I had it running for nearly a year and it was looking very nice for a good while.

I'm sure that I will set up the tank again in the future, for the moment it is just sitting empty on its stand. For anyone interested, I'm selling the rocks and some of the CO2 equipment as I'm not planning to reuse them in the next setup

Oscar


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## Tom Ryan (@aquascaperay) (5 Aug 2020)

Very nice scape!


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