# Colorado - 80x45x45 Optiwhite



## GreenNeedle (25 Nov 2013)

Long time since I've done a larger sized scape. In fact this Optiwhite has been waiting in my lounge since I bought it in April last year  I am getting ready to finally scape it though, probably early next year when I have finalised my planting decisions.

I have got my hardscape sort of decided though and had a play and come out with the setup below. It is all the same setup from 3 differing angles. Ignore the Lava rock. I used it just to 'emulate' the height I will have in the rear of the tank. This scape will be purely Manzanita with Greenery hiding most of it apart from the 'sticky out' bits.

You'll also have to ignore the cable ties. they'll only stay there until I drill and dowel the pieces together.


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## darren636 (25 Nov 2013)

You gotta love manzi , nice and twisty


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## MrAlmostWrong (26 Nov 2013)

Very nicely done combining the rock and wood. It seems I can do scapes with one or the other, but when I try to combine it becomes a mess. It is probably my lack of patience in trying different configurations.

Anyways can't wait to see this one take shape.


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## Alastair (26 Nov 2013)

That top view looks fantastic andy. What are your ideas for substrate plants etc


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## GreenNeedle (26 Nov 2013)

MrAlmostWrong said:


> Very nicely done combining the rock and wood. It seems I can do scapes with one or the other, but when I try to combine it becomes a mess. It is probably my lack of patience in trying different configurations.
> 
> Anyways can't wait to see this one take shape.


 
There won't be any rock in this scape  It's just there to imitate the higher substrate that will be at the back  If any rock is used it will only be to stop the wood from tilting towards the centre. like a pilon stuck to the underside but hidden within the substrate.



Alastair said:


> That top view looks fantastic andy. What are your ideas for substrate plants etc


 


Substrate will mainly be Akadama with the front 10cm all along being a light sand. Looks tidier at the front to me and provides a nicer contrast exposed slightly.

All the lower points will be Glosso which I will purposely let run slightly onto the sand at the front to cover up the substrate 'join'.

Other than that looking at loads of Anubias, Ferns, a couple of varieties of stems in the rear. Going to leave mosses out of this one. Then I may try a few new plants like Ammania Bonsai, HM etc along the transition. All Greens filling up loads of space with a few bits of bare wood poking through the growth. Taking some influence from Marcel Dykierek's 'Anyplace, anytime' as a sort of template without using as much height. That scape is linked below and I would say it is pretty much a tidier and better executed version of my style anyway so not pulling up any trees with this one. lol:

July 2010 Aquascape of the Month: "Anyplace... Anytime." | AquaScaping World Forum


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## GreenNeedle (26 Nov 2013)

Something like the mockup below.  The brown bits are a couple of pieces I have added in because the right hand side doesn't look right once all the plants have 'grown in'.  Will have to look in my box for a couple of other bits to attach.


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## Little-AL (26 Nov 2013)

Love the hardscape, wood is really nice! I'd be tempted to keep some of the rock in there with the substrate personally, perhaps fro ma bit of fiss or a nice moss over it and go lighter on the plants attached to the wood maybe?

Be nice to see it in a tank anyway!


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## GreenNeedle (28 Nov 2013)

Been working on a basic plan of which plants I want and where.  For Rhizome plants I've just marked where their rhizomes would be as if I put where their leaves will be you wouldn't see much of the rest of the plan   A couple of 'undecideds' yet but here is the provisional plan:


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## Alexander Belchenko (28 Nov 2013)

Why don't use didiplis at left back corner? Just an idea to add more variants to your undecided part


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## GreenNeedle (28 Nov 2013)

To be honest from it's leaf structure it would look very similar to the Rotundifolia in the other side.  I'll have a look around other scapes to see what it looks like in them but am thinking more of a different appearance in each corner without looking like one doesn't fit.


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## James O (28 Nov 2013)

Very new to this and really appreciate detailed journals like this with superb pictures from all angles.

Oh and btw......want


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## GreenNeedle (10 Dec 2013)

I've added a few bits of wood to the initial arrangement because once grown in it was going to look a bit empty (IMO) in some areas.  Might look a bit busy at the moment with no plants in.

I've also added in some substrate.  Not all of it because I've got to stick supports in before adding more as it will just slide down.  I haven't finished the light for this tank yet so just the brackets are on the tank.  The cabinet is finished though


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## Alastair (10 Dec 2013)

SuperColey1 said:


> I've added a few bits of wood to the initial arrangement because once grown in it was going to look a bit empty (IMO) in some areas.  Might look a bit busy at the moment with no plants in.
> 
> I've also added in some substrate.  Not all of it because I've got to stick supports in before adding more as it will just slide down.  I haven't finished the light for this tank yet so just the brackets are on the tank.  The cabinet is finished though



Beautiful layout Andy. I love the raised roots on the right that create an over hang onto the substrate leading to the centre  looking forward to this


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## darren636 (10 Dec 2013)

Looks like the beginnings of a Tim Burton movie- looks creepy


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## Daniel (10 Dec 2013)

darren636 said:


> Looks like the beginnings of a Tim Burton movie- looks creepy


 
You could turn this into a creepy ancient woodland type scape, would be awesome.


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## Alastair (24 Jun 2014)

Hi Andy 
How's this tank progressing did it get planted up etc?? 

Definitely due an update


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## GreenNeedle (14 Oct 2014)

No it didn't.............Until now so..................

After another 10 months of laziness this aquarium was left with just the substrate and hardscape until today, when I finally decided to force myself to get on with it. Motivation has been a huge problem for me over recent years due to many things as well as general finances being tight since the recession hit.

So I decided to flood the aquarium gradually a couple of weeks ago. This was so that the wood wouldn't float up. Then I left the aquarium full for a week to let the wood fully soak before draining it today right down to the foreground substrate level (and test for leaks.)

Initially I only have the 'monte carlo' and some Hydrocotyle Tripiarta to hand so I laid the monte carlo down and then planted some small groups of Tripiarta.
I am using the dry start method (DSM) for this aquascape so for the next 4 weeks it will be emersed growth.

I have the Staurogyne, Ammania and Ranunculus on order so as they arrive they will be planted and will get 3 weeks or so of the emersed period.
Once the 4 weeks are up I will attach the ferns and anubias before flooding the aquarium at which point I will plant the Rotala Rotundifolia and sp Green in the rear corners.
I have also ordered 2 pieces of 12mm thick clear acrylic to make a 'lid' for the tank. I love the open look on a tank but with a 3 year old in the house that is just too tempting for toys getting swimming lessons. The acrylic has to be thick because it does warp quite easily. The acrylic will be routed so that it rests securely on the rim of the aquarium.

The final item I need to get is a new Fire Extinguisher for CO2.

The last part of this update is that I am considering going shrimp only with this aquascape. I am thinking of letting Crystal Red Shrimp take the aquarium over which will also mean leaving the aquarium at ambient temperature. I might get some coldwater fish to go in with them but haven't decided on that yet.
I will post up an update after each plant arrives and is planted.



















I not only have to fight a lack of motivation to keep on top of this aquarium. I also have to fight my way past a 40kg greyhound!!! His name is Louis and doesn't like being disturbed from his all day sleep.


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## Bhu (14 Oct 2014)

ha ha that's one big dog! He'll be able to get a drink from your tank with those legs  I must say that your preparation and forethought in your project clearly shine through and it looks amazing already.
What carpet did you go with in the end? The LED you made looks really bright! Cant wait to see it finished it will be a master piece.


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## GreenNeedle (14 Oct 2014)

Bhu said:


> ha ha that's one big dog! He'll be able to get a drink from your tank with those legs


It will have a 'child toy stopper' on the top   Acrylic lid to be made.



> I must say that your preparation and forethought in your project clearly shine through and it looks amazing already.


I am a control freak, goes with the territory.



> What carpet did you go with in the end? The LED you made looks really bright! Cant wait to see it finished it will be a master piece.


Micranthemum 'monte carlo' is the carpet.  I got it from JohnC on here 

The light is not as bright as it looks in the dog pictures.  that is because the white balance is messed up when I try and take picture below the level of the light.  The ones of just the tank are pretty accurate in terms of what I see.


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## GreenNeedle (19 Oct 2014)

A quick update. The 'monte carlo' and Tripiarta has had 6 days of the DSM and now I have planted Staurogyne Repens, Ranunculous Inundata, Ammania Bonsoi and a couple of other plants I impulsivley added just to try which are Proserpinaca Plustria and Hemianthus Micranthemoides. Will update again after week 2. 

The dog thinks that its a sunbed.


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## Bhu (19 Oct 2014)

Fantastic! I'm loving this so much. Will you use any mosses in the branches? Can't wait to see this all grown in...


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## GreenNeedle (19 Oct 2014)

No plans to use any mosses or liverworts etc. in this one.  Tends to get everywhere.


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## Bhu (19 Oct 2014)

Yes mosses do need regular maintenance, but I think they look great kept cut back hard on wood


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## flygja (20 Oct 2014)

That's looking great. Would be nice and lush once grown in. Also your DIY LEDs just keep looking better and better.


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## GreenNeedle (3 Nov 2014)

The aquascape has now completed 3 weeks of the dry start method. All the plants that are actually planted in the substrate are in place now.

All that is left to do when the DSM stage finishes is to attach the ferns and anubias.

It will probably end up being a 5 or 6 week DSM because I haven't bought the CO2 yet and have yet to route the perspex lid which is vital to stop little children giving their toys the float test.

The dog is trying different positions all the time to block access.


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## Alastair (3 Nov 2014)

Looks brilliant Andy. Filled even better. I take my hat off to anyone who can stare at their tank empty for 5 to 6 weeks. Look forward to it


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## Bhu (3 Nov 2014)

how hard will it be for the plants when they go aqua? Looks great on the dry run...
I guess the main thing will be to get the co2 perfect for them.


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## GreenNeedle (3 Nov 2014)

It should be fine once the DSM is finished.  Some plants will have to adapt so I would thin there will be a fair few leaves needing to be removed.



Alastair said:


> I take my hat off to anyone who can stare at their tank empty for 5 to 6 weeks.


I don't stare at it.  The dog might think it is a challenge and savage me   I look out of the corner of my eye at it.


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## GreenNeedle (21 Dec 2014)

Well so much for the 4 or 5 week dry start plan. As usual my laziness and motivation played a factor here but about a week ago I finally decorated behind the aquarium which then left me free to get on with things.

So finally the DSM ends and the aquarium is flooded after 9 weeks and 2 days of emersed growth.I finally introduced water to the scape.

Many thanks to Mr Luke who gave me a 2kg CO2 cannister that he didn't need.  Very generous of him.

Just a couple of pictures to show here before I flooded. I will update with pictures post flooding later this week.


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## Alexander Belchenko (21 Dec 2014)

Nice. It seems like a finished scape without water. And I suspect it's much easier to maintain. But of course no livestock without water.


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## GreenNeedle (22 Dec 2014)

On the 19th I filled this tank. Before filling I glued some anubias and microsorum pteropus var narrow onto the branches. I am always extremely tight with ferns at the startup. The anubias came from my shrimp tanks and I bought the narrow fern from Aqua Essentials.

There is no need really to put loads in. I find it better to add it sparsely, which in turn lets everything else that will eventually have some shading, get enough light at the beginning. So in this setup there has been one single pot added. Over the next couple of months it will find it's way along the branches and thicken up into a nice bushy mass.

So 2 days after I took these pictures. There is purigen in the filter and the CO2 is only on 1bps or so but the DC is yellow through most of the photoperiod and the monte carlo pearls like champagne for most of it too.


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## Crossocheilus (22 Dec 2014)

Perfect. Thanks to the dry start it looks great from the very beginning. 1bps? What are you using to dissolve, must be pretty efficient (or very big bubbles). The colour rendition from the diy led is amazing, probably better than many shop bought. Last thing: the wood is lovely!


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## GreenNeedle (22 Dec 2014)

I am using an UP inline atomizer.  Was one of the original ones that has been in a box for a couple of years since being last used.  I soaked it in bleach for an hour last week followed by a couple of hours in heavy dechlor.  The bubbles like mist were noticeable on day 1 but now there are very few.  I assume they are dissolving much better.

The 1bps is through one of those glass bubble counters.  The DC is yellow most of the day and I am moving it around the tank to test things.  It is next to the intake at the moment because that tends to be the 'last' part of the flow journey.  It was opposite the Lily on the first day which of course means it would be blasted by bubbles directly which isn't ideal for testing.


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## GreenNeedle (23 Dec 2014)

After posting up earlier I checked my bubble rate out and I was wrong.  You will be surprised that it is in fact going at about 25 bubbles per minute so less than half a bps.  The DC is yellow all day though.  I will check the 4dKH tomorrow becuase that has been sat in the cabinet unused for about 3 years as well.  The monte carlo pearling is suggesting to me that CO2 is fine though.


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## GreenNeedle (23 Dec 2014)

Done some testing today   No....don't worry I've not gone over to the old school ways.

Tested the 4dKH solution that has been sat in the cabinet for a couple of years not being used and it reads.............4dKH.

Tested the tank water at the same time.  My tap after being left for 24 hours comes out normally @ 8.4Ph 19KH which is not ideal so I mix between 1/4 and 1/5th (not accurate) tap water and the rest rain water from the water butt.  My tank readings are 6.8ph and 2.5KH which is wicked 

So the DC is yellow on less than half a bubble per second and its not a false reading from using old 4dKH solution   Will have to dial it down a little bit before I get livestock in there now.


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## jack-rythm (1 Jan 2015)

Nice scape! 

May I ask what you used to support the soil levels? I see some strips of something? Also could you tell me a little about your light set up? Im currently looking into a 45x45x60 TMC tank and trying to find a smart light similar to yours!

Cheers!


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## pepedopolous (1 Jan 2015)

Looks great! Well worth the wait. I can't get over your bubble count. Each bubble must be massive!

P


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## Tim Harrison (1 Jan 2015)

looks awesome, hope it transitions well.


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## GreenNeedle (2 Jan 2015)

Troi said:


> looks awesome, hope it transitions well.


There are some areas that are browning I think mainly from adapting to the submersed conditions and maybe me being a little lazy in that I have forgotten dosing on a few days and took 10 days to do the first water change which was 40 litres so about 30%.

Dosing is a bit more important in my setups because I use 3 parts rain water to 1 part tap water and so I don't have as much free nutrient from tap water.



pepedopolous said:


> Looks great! Well worth the wait. I can't get over your bubble count. Each bubble must be massive!



No idea on how big the bubbles are but I have turned it down further.  Running at 12 bubbles per minute at the moment and the DC is still yellow.  The monte carlo is pearling already at 2 hours into the photoperiod and like lemonade at the 4 hour mark.

I am going to change the solution in the DC and use some ph reagent rather than the reagent that came with the DC because it will be hard to lower the CO2 further so I want to be sure that the DC is giving a correct reading.  I don't mind putting livestock in at a limeade colour but at yellow it would be a bit worrying.  It quite literally is a deep lemon yellow colour.



jack-rythm said:


> May I ask what you used to support the soil levels? I see some strips of something? Also could you tell me a little about your light set up? Im currently looking into a 45x45x60 TMC tank and trying to find a smart light similar to yours!



The levels are supported by lawn edging.  Comes in lengths like 5metres and I then cut it down.
The light is a DIY effort inspired by the Vitrea Bridge LED light.  There is a build journal here:
http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/supercoleys-diy-led-luminaire-mk-iii.34753/

Many thanks for the compliments   Will update this week.


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## GreenNeedle (4 Jan 2015)

Looks like my suspicion on the drop checker have been confirmed.  Using the Ph test instead of the reagent that came with the DC and the DC stayed deep blue all through yesterday.  I had pre-empted that conclusion and had increased the bubble rate back up to circa 1 bubble every 3 seconds.

Will increase to a bubble a second today and see how that goes.  Probably end up somewhere between 2 or 3 bubbles a second which was where I was expecting it should be at the beginning.


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## ADA (4 Jan 2015)

Wish I had the patience to plant hard scape sparsely, looking forward to this one.


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## Aronnie (20 Jan 2015)

I really like this tank, definitely worth the wait!

I hope you do not mind me asking but what filter are you using and how do you find the Lily pipe? The reason I ask is that I am awaiting arrival of new tank (90x50x45) and trying to figure the best solution for my external filters (one is rated 1000lph (Eheim 2217) and the other 700lph (JBL e701). I am tempted to extend both spray bars the full length of the tank and face foward from the back wall however I am just worried that it would not be worth doing with the 700lph because of the reduced spray.

Thanks

Aron


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## Greenfinger2 (21 Jan 2015)

Hi SuperColey, Looks fantastic


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## GreenNeedle (26 Jan 2015)

Aronnie said:


> I really like this tank, definitely worth the wait!
> 
> I hope you do not mind me asking but what filter are you using and how do you find the Lily pipe? The reason I ask is that I am awaiting arrival of new tank (90x50x45) and trying to figure the best solution for my external filters (one is rated 1000lph (Eheim 2217) and the other 700lph (JBL e701). I am tempted to extend both spray bars the full length of the tank and face foward from the back wall however I am just worried that it would not be worth doing with the 700lph because of the reduced spray.



I wouldn't use the same filtering as me.  I use an Eheim 2224 which is 700lph.  When this gets bushy I will probably add a 2215 I have which I have in a cupboard unused because once these plants are grown in and bushed up the circulation will get much worse.  Its one of the reasons I have sparsely added the ferns as they are much more rigid plants and while the rest of the tank gets going I can do without walls of ferns blocking the circulation.

So I would suggest if you are purchasing go for the 2217.  I only use Eheims.  Bad experiences with other filters and never a bad experience with Eheims.  I currently have a 2211, 2215, 2224 and a biopower 240 internal.  All faultless 

The Lily pipe is fine.  What do you mean how do I find it   It circulates well IMO and it looks very pretty.  I am very vain.



Greenfinger2 said:


> Hi SuperColey, Looks fantastic



Many thanks   appreciate the compliments.$


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## Aronnie (29 Jan 2015)

Thanks SuperColey! Can't wait to see more.


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## GreenNeedle (10 Mar 2015)

How time flies. It is nearly 3 months since this aquascape was flooded. Just a few cheeky pictures here. This is just after I have heavily pruned the Rotala sp Green and Hemmianthus Micranthemoides.

A few changes since the last update. The Proserpinaca Palustris was growing so slowly that I took it out and put it in another tank. I replaced it with some Rotala Rotundifolia which I had on hand.

It may mess up the look of the aquascape in the end because everything else in this aquascape is green whereas the Rotundifolia will give off a yellow to Peach to pink section to the rear right. It also has to resurrect itself from the brink too as it has spent the winter virtually continuously encased in ice in a bucket outside. When I brought it in from the cold in early February it was so weak it was falling to pieces in my hands but it is now starting to show some green shoots of recovery.

With the Greyhound moved out of the way while I worked on the aquascape my 3 year old daughter took the opportunity to get fingerprints all over the glass.

Livestock added so far are 20 Blue Jelly Shrimp and 6 normal Otocinclus. The Blue Jelly shrimp have already have fry and there are little darts flying around the tank. They aren't blue though. At this stage they are a translucent reddish hue.


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## BBogdan (11 Mar 2015)

This is such a good looking tank , congrats!
Are you gonna put more fish in there ? , what species you have in mind ?


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## GreenNeedle (11 Mar 2015)

It will have more fish in there.  Was originally thinking about Bororas Kubotai but with there being so much green then I think they might get a little lost.  I am a little hemmed in by having shrimp in there.  I might end up putting some Chilli Bororas Briggitae in there instead just to add some contrast to the green.


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## Alexander Belchenko (11 Mar 2015)

beautiful tank.


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## Christian Walker (11 Mar 2015)

Stunning.   I don't suppose you wanna share how you made those LEDs ? Have to be the best DIY job Ive ever seen !


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## The_Iceman (11 Mar 2015)

Amazing! I really like your tank! Healthy plants and the arrangement of the wood is superb!


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## flygja (12 Mar 2015)

That looks real good! Real envious of your thick HC carpet. Have you had to trim it at all since the DSM or flooding? The midground integration also looks ace, very natural looking.


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## GreenNeedle (12 Mar 2015)

Christian Walker said:


> Stunning.   I don't suppose you wanna share how you made those LEDs ? Have to be the best DIY job Ive ever seen !


already shared:
http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/supercoleys-diy-led-luminaire-mk-iii.34753/



The_Iceman said:


> Amazing! I really like your tank! Healthy plants and the arrangement of the wood is superb!



Many thanks.  A bit lucky with the wood really.  I just tied loads of pieces together and then moved them so they would all fit in without touching the glass, then fixed them like that. lol.



flygja said:


> That looks real good! Real envious of your thick HC carpet. Have you had to trim it at all since the DSM or flooding? The midground integration also looks ace, very natural looking.


It's not HC its Monte Carlo.  I have had to trim it 4 times when it gets to an inch thick.  I trim it right down to quarter of an inch.  Very fast growing.

The midground is pretty high maintenance which is a pin.  The Hydrocotyle is a weed and I have to keep pushing the higher growth back down and patting the rest to keep it low and also return stray growth to where is should be. It keeps smothering the Staurogyne.


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## GreenNeedle (25 May 2015)

All of the updates so far have been pictures taken after a pruning and I was asked to take some pictures before pruning showing the Rotala at the back. Not one for being bashful I took the pictures the very next day (10th April.) Not one for being very motivated it has taken me 6 weeks to publish them but here they are anyway.

You'll be glad to know that I will stop including the 'dog in picture' photos. Risking my own life I have been shifting him from his 23 hour a day slumber pad while working on the aquascape.

The aquascape is still in quite a young state here and not filled in as much as you will see in the next update. You can also see some symptoms of my laziness in terms of maintenance. I have left this scape sometimes for 3 or 4 weeks at a time without water changes. I have been lazy with the dosing too, sometimes not dosing at all for a week and the result has been some BBA directly opposite the filter outflow.

If you have sharp eyes you may also notice the middle row of the LEDs have been turned off. It was growing way too fast for me and that kind of growth is just a disaster waiting to happen when the aquascaper is as lazy as me. Those with sharp eyes may also notice that I have now routed an acrylic split lid.


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## GreenNeedle (25 May 2015)

And to bring us right up to date:

This aquascape is now starting to fill out really well. The Hydrocotyle is a pain to keep stuffing down as it really is a weed. The HM also grows really fast too.

The Narrow Fern is now starting to push on and has gone from being quite thin to getting bushy around where it had been attached and now is starting to creep further along the branches. It normally happens this way for me. I attach it thinly and it takes a while for it to attach itself properly and settle in before it then speeds away.

Hopefully it will get somewhere close to where I want it to be in the next month or 2 at which point I plan to turn the CO2 off (if it hasn't run out) and then leave it under 1 row of LEDs as a 'permanent' aquascape. I'm not one for ripping aquascapes down and moving on to the next one like many aquascapers. I tend to aim for something I want to keep for a decent length of time and only pull them down when they aren't reaching the vision I had or once I feel like a change.. 

There are a couple of pictures here of the Blue Jelly shrimp. These are of course the European version of blue jelly the Davidii / Heteropoda. I bought 20 initially and as you can see they have reproduced like mad. The annoying thing though is that you may notice the majority of offspring don't come out purely blue. They are still blue but with red patches of varying degrees.

Not sure if I got a bad line or if they normally don't breed true but it will mean I have to separate 'true blues' into a breeding tank if I want to sell them on.


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## tim (25 May 2015)

Lovely healthy looking scape Andy, the blue jellies look like they are reverting back to rillis, is that where the blue jelly shrimp originated from ?.


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## Tim Harrison (25 May 2015)

Looks good...I see the DIY LED luminaire is still going strong too.


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## GreenNeedle (25 May 2015)

I have no idea if they originally came from Rilis.  Annoying though.  Might seperate out the true blues and put them into one of my other tanks.

Yep the LEDs still working well


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## GreenNeedle (14 Jun 2015)

Just over 2 weeks since the last trim and look what we have to deal with again. These shots show before and during trimming shots of tank. The complete trim is a daytime shot I'm afraid.

It is now 8 months since the first plants went into this aquascape.

Things may go it bit off for the next week as my solenoid stopped working so I've disconnected the CO2 until a new one arrives.


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## Sarpijk (14 Jun 2015)

How do you cope with increased temperature (if any)?


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## Tim Harrison (14 Jun 2015)

Very very nice...hope you get the CO2 sorted ASAP.


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## Felix Wagner (14 Jun 2015)

Very nice 

Liebe Grüße Felix


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## GreenNeedle (14 Jun 2015)

The heater is set to 24C but 22-24C is normally the ambient temp of tanks in this room unless it gets hotter in the summer.  I guess the heater is hardly working at all.

I think the maximum temp I have seen in any of my tanks through a summer was about 31C but theres not much I can do really to cool it down.  The hottest tank temp I have seen in the room this tank is in which is a shady room apart from in the morning when the sun is on the window side is 28C.

We're quite lucky that this room stays quite cool even in the hottest weather.


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## GreenNeedle (18 Jun 2015)

The new solenoid along with a new NRV and a new super duper fine control needle valve came today.  Set it up inline as it was easier.

My CO2 is now regulator - broken solenoid - fully open needle valve - new solenoid - fully open needle valve that is on the new solenoid - fine control needle valve (being used as if it were the only needle valve) - new NRV - bubble counter - old NRV.

Reason for buying the new fine control needle valve is because the old one was hard to adjust.  half a mm turn would go from 1bps to 3bps.  Therefore rather than assume the one attached to the new solenoid would be better I thought I would assume it was the same.............It is better but still the fine adjuster one is really good.

Reason for buying the new NRV?  The old cheap one was letting a little bit of water through.  Was wondering why my bubble counter was filling up (one of those glass inline bubble counters.)  Because the old NRV wasn't doing what it should the water was coming down from the inline diffuser when CO2 was off, filling up the bubble counter and then was getting past the NRV.  Not huge amounts, less than droplets but there was moisture in the old needle valve and that is what probably made the old solenoid seize.

I had a few of those old NRVs so I put a different one above the bubble counter to hopefully stop anything coming down the line and the new steel one in between bubble counter and regulator setup.  Better safe than sorry.

And we have CO2 again.  Not sure for how long.  This is the same 2kg bottle I started the (flooded) scape with in December!!!  Bottle pressure is still above 50 though so not emptying yet.  Can't be too long till it does though.


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## GreenNeedle (22 Jan 2016)

Been really lazy and unmotivated again plus busy completing loads of other projects I had ignored so the here is an update which was originally September last year.  Will update again soon with current pictures.

28th September 2015
Not a huge amount has changed in the last 3 months. A lot of trimming, A lot of maintenance. One change is that I have given up on the Rotala. After the CO2 running out and me not replacing it straight away and then my clumsiness causing the light to have a few problems it wasn't growing in and bushing up so I replaced it both sides with Heteranthera Zosterifolia which is an absolute weed in my non CO2 tanks.
I am hoping that once it pokes its way past the masses of Narrow Fern it will fill out nicely.


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## LondonDragon (27 Jan 2016)

Featured on FB Gallery!


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## hrishi007 (28 Jun 2016)

Nice and healthy growth of plants..I can sit in front of such a tank whole day long


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## GreenNeedle (5 Aug 2016)

I shall update this journal (and others) in the next couple of weeks.  I'll see what backdated photos I have of its "progress" over the past 6 months.

Yes it is still running. lol.  Just over 19 months now since it was first flooded on 19th December 2014.

Just as a precursor before I sort photos out I got carried away restoring a vintage 70s turntable and solid state stereo receiver. lol.  Me and projects.  Been on a bit of a vinyl nostalgia trip.

Since the last update..........I got so annoyed with the Hydrocotyle that I ripped it all out.  It was infesting everywhere in the tank so I am working now with gaps in the transition from carpet to background.  Nothing grows underneath the ferns/Anubias and the Hydrocotyle was filling that view out.  So at the moment you can see through the front space of the wood to the plain Akadama.  I am still planning to enter this into competition next May if I can get it right.

Sooo... I will add Hydrocotyle back into these transition areas once the rest is right and let it grow a month at which point it should finally be ready for competition entry.  Then I'll decide what to do next with it 

The Heteranthera Zosterifloia still isn't giving me what I want in the back.  It doesn't provide a bushy enough appearance for me and going back through the photos and seeing how the Hemianthus Micranthemoides when it was getting tall I might just use this all the way along the back.  Have to make sure I don't run out of CO2 with this plant though or it just disintegrates.

I've also added in some Boraras Briggitae so I have a full school of fish in there at the moment with 5 Otos also busy and [insert guess to the nearest thousand] Blue Jelly shrimps.

I moved the tank and dog around so now the Tank is on the side wall and the Dog where the tank and cabinet were.  He gets less disturbed and I can get to the cabinet and tank whenever I want.

The light is still working although I have tinkered with the design of it.  I used some clear holders instead and instead of the acrylic holding the LED holders in position I widened the holes in the acrylic and the LED holders now just rest on the top instead.  Easier to clean the acrylic now.  Gets really dusty on the top there.


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## GreenNeedle (9 Aug 2016)

.........and on to my first of 2 backdated updates.  I will do an "up to date" update at some point this month but I haven't taken any photos yet.  Been heavily pruning and it looks a bit bare at the moment.

This update is from where I was at on 2nd April 2016:

I lost patience with the weed that is Hydrocotyle Tripartita. It is a rampant plant that just takes over all areas of the tank so..........I ripped it out.

So you can see quite a bare area in the transition between the foreground and the attached plants.

The Hemianthus micranthemoides had to come out as well because the Tripartita had strangled it.

At this point I am still thinking about what to do with this section of the scape but other than this everything is running along nicely.


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## GreenNeedle (9 Aug 2016)

And this update is 7th May 2016:

I still haven't decided what to do with the transition areas that are bare but I have now moved the whole tank and cabinet to the side of the room rather than in the alcove.

The dog is now in the alcove and has a little bit more of his own area now without me constantly invading it by moving his bed out.

These are the first pictures of the LED luminaire in it's slightly altered format.

The black lense holders are now gone and have been replaced with clear holder/lense all in ones. I have also routed the holes for the lense holders wider so that each lense pokes through the holes freely rather than the lense holders (friction) fixed in the holes.


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## Tim Harrison (9 Aug 2016)

New look to your luminaire is neater
Getting the transition planting right can be challenging. Do you have any plants in mind.


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## GreenNeedle (10 Aug 2016)

I'm still thinking that I might plant Tripartita back into those areas once the rest is looking good.  It spreads really quick and fills up space with a nice texture of all the round leaves at different angles so giving some darks and lights in there.

Will have to see what mood I am in once at that stage.

Just hacked down the anubias a lot as well to give more light to the carpet edges so that it can creep up the slopes a little.


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## alto (10 Aug 2016)

So pleased to see an update on your tanks 

now just need some dog updates


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