# Ada 60p, talawa land



## CooKieS (30 Oct 2018)

Hi,

Playing with talawa and seiryu stones at my LFS this afternoon...get me inspired for the 2019 version of my 60p...to be continued, soon!






Cheers


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## CooKieS (3 Nov 2018)

First shot in my new (without) sand box;


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## Tucker90 (3 Nov 2018)

Looks good bud! 

What’s the plans for plants?! 




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## CooKieS (5 Nov 2018)

Tucker90 said:


> Looks good bud!
> 
> What’s the plans for plants?!
> 
> ...



Thanks, not Totally planned yet but something easy and natural;

Ferns, mosses, hydrocotyle, maybe c.helferi in the background.

Thinking about using jbl haru for sticking the hardscape together on the plexiglass 

V2.0: still a lot to do but I have Time...





Cheers


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## CooKieS (7 Nov 2018)

Any opinions welcome!

Cheers


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## TBRO (8 Nov 2018)

Cyperus might be a bit tall, it can grow across the surface and block a fair bit of light. I had some in my current scape but removed for that reason. I like the wood 


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## CooKieS (8 Nov 2018)

Thanks! I was just thinking the same
About the c.helferi...here's new plant list:

Rotala green (back)
Rotala h´ra Vietnam (back)
Hemianthus micranthemoides (middle left and right)
Eleocharis sp mini (front right)
Microsorum trident (focal point)
Marsilea hirsuta (front right)
Hc cuba (not sure)
Hydrocotyle sp japan (middle left)
Riccardia (on stones)
Mini Xmas moss(on Wood)
Anubia petite(on wood)
Buce(on Wood)

Next step, adding Wood branches


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## CooKieS (14 Nov 2018)

Branches added


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## Jayefc1 (14 Nov 2018)

Looks good cookies can't wait for the new year lol


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## CooKieS (16 Nov 2018)

Same here...meanwhile I had fun sketching this on the iPad


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## Raquascape (17 Nov 2018)

CooKieS said:


> Same here...meanwhile I had fun sketching this on the iPad



I love this. I feel like one of the best parts of aquscaping is the planning process.

Strong hardscape can't wait for next year!


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## Shinobi (17 Nov 2018)

Looking good there.

Interesting to see how it turns out


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## CooKieS (18 Nov 2018)

Thanks guys, I'm scratching my head about plants list for now.

What do you think about adding moss on driftwood, yes or no?

Planning, adding fishes and final pic are my 3 favorites moments of this hobby


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## CooKieS (21 Nov 2018)

Hardcape is in the 60p, next step, adding sand and soil.

Cheers


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## alto (22 Nov 2018)

I’d skip the “fluffy” mosses, maybe some Riccardia chamedryfolia heavily trimmed 

(maybe use Jurijs mit JS method to paint a mix of soil and Riccardia here and there)


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## CooKieS (25 Nov 2018)

alto said:


> I’d skip the “fluffy” mosses, maybe some Riccardia chamedryfolia heavily trimmed
> 
> (maybe use Jurijs mit JS method to paint a mix of soil and Riccardia here and there)



Thanks alto, I'll stay with riccardia graeffei ans chamedryfolia!

Added ada la plata sand, aqua Gravel S and small pebbles...still need to arrange gravel.








Next step: soil! Can't choose beetween ada light, amazonia II and tropica?

Cheers


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## alto (25 Nov 2018)

Fantastic “beach”

Any of those 3 soils will deliver, though after adding Tropica Nutrition Capsules (Jurijs mit JS again ) I think I may be a convert ... I suspect that ADA light and Tropica are more forgiving should you miss water changes etc


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## CooKieS (26 Nov 2018)

Thanks alto! Better clearer pic:




Think I'll try tropica with added nutrition capsules as I will dose lean ferts on this one


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## alto (26 Nov 2018)

Can I have your tank?

And apartment!

please


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## Daveslaney (27 Nov 2018)

Really nice. Great attention to detail.
I have allways used tropica soil more to due to it being more readily available in my area to be honest, never had no problem with it.
Once the tank has water in I find the tropica tabs hard to push into the soil, the gel coating on the tabs sticks to the tweezers once wet and pulls them back out. though you should have no problem with this sprinkling dry into the soil.
I use ADA multi and iron bottom once the tank has water in.


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## tam (27 Nov 2018)

Like the graduated gravel, very natural looking! Sometimes moss hides the shapes of the wood too much imo, I like some but managed so it doesn't turn the wood into a green blob.


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## CooKieS (27 Nov 2018)

Alto: 

Tank: yes, no problem
House: no way 

Dave: 

Thanks for the advice.  I've tried both soil and I liked the fact that the tropica gives no algae at the beginning but It won't last as long as the ada for nutrient release, hence my question about tabs. 

Tam:

I Totally agree...that's why I'm thinking of using only small batch of riccardia glued on rocks and wood. This is by far the less invasive moss I know. (And one of the better looking)

Would love to find the R.graeffei instead of the chamedryfolia but it's rare, I'll have to wait for aquasabi to have it back in stock.

Finally, I'm waiting for an (hopefully) awesome hydor pro filter 350 to replace my old jbl e901 that was falling appart!

Cheers,
Thierry


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## alto (28 Nov 2018)

Completely unrelated but  ...


From Green Aqua FB


> Amazing hardscape idea in the sandbox of ADA Polska.


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## alto (28 Nov 2018)

I can’t imagine what plants though


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## CooKieS (28 Nov 2018)

Well,that's funny because I've just added some small asia Wood roots...

I think that is enough for Wood.





Btw lovely hard for ada polska but no plants would fill in there


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## alto (28 Nov 2018)

CooKieS said:


> Btw lovely hard for ada polska but no plants would fill in nthere



Textures and colours are amazing but suspect water effect would lessen the impact as most woods become more uniform & dark over several weeks ... it would be interesting to try short term as a hardscape only tank 

ADG Senske brothers do quite a few hardscape only tanks
I quite like the third in with electric blue rams but suspect it’s not easy to maintain an algae free balance


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## CooKieS (8 Dec 2018)

Hi guys, well, coulnd't wait any longer...this one is ready for planting!





Cheers


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## alto (9 Dec 2018)

I expect Sunday plants


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## CooKieS (9 Dec 2018)

alto said:


> I expect Sunday plants



Haha, exactly!

Done, day 1











Plants:

Rotala h´ra
Rotala rotundifolia
Hemianthus micranthemoides
Hc cuba
Crypto parva
Anubia pangolino
Bucephalandras
Hydrocotyle tripartita
Riccardia

Cheers!


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## TBRO (9 Dec 2018)

Looking good! Will be nice to see it grow in.

Consider adding a mesh or something to the Eheim skim or the “Pit of Death” as I’ve come to know it! To be fair if you rescue them in time shrimp usually survive. 

Do you rate the twinstar sterilizer things? Why do people put them sideways? 


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## Ady34 (9 Dec 2018)

Love the tank CooKieS, I’ve just used Talawa wood and seiryu myself and they work really well together. I like the detail and the small Asia wood roots add to it, it looks great planted up and I’ll look forward to seeing it develop


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## alto (10 Dec 2018)

Thanks for the eye candy 

Not sure about the mix of rotundifolia and H’ra but interested to see how they go

I like this planting better than original sketch with C helferi
- could maybe add some small amount E montevidensis later as it’s more delicate leaf

Excellent photos
I had to check back that tank was flooded


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## CooKieS (13 Dec 2018)

Thanks guys!



TBRO said:


> Do you rate the twinstar sterilizer things? Why do people put them sideways?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



As for the eheim skim, I don't keep shrimps in my tank so it should be ok, never had fishes trapped in it at the moment. Thanks for the tips

It's an chihiros doctor 4, I'm only using it to give O2 at night because I'm diffusing CO2 24/7...it's useless against algae in my tanks. I put it sideways to avoid any shadow zone under it and it seems to get cleaner longer this way.




Ady34 said:


> Love the tank CooKieS, I’ve just used Talawa wood and seiryu myself and they work really well together. I like the detail and the small Asia wood roots add to it, it looks great planted up and I’ll look forward to seeing it develop



First Time with talawa, awesome Wood to work with and as you said, matches well with seiryu, thanks!



alto said:


> Thanks for the eye candy
> 
> Not sure about the mix of rotundifolia and H’ra but interested to see how they go
> 
> ...



Not sure about plant selection too, we'll see how it goes. 

Day 5 update,first 30% WC, dosing brighty K neutral...otherwise nothing new, thanks to seachem purigen water is cristal clean even without soaking woods or sand! Plants are OK, rotalas are already growing...cheers!


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## Raquascape (13 Dec 2018)

Looks fantastic cookies, this is going to be mint once fully grown in! Definitely following this thread I'm sure I will learn lots 

Keep up the good work!


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## Ysiatis (14 Dec 2018)

Oh come on Santa Claus, steal this tank from Cook and drop it in my fireplace for Christmas, I promise ill take great care of it ! 
Can't wait to see it mature, gonna be great ! Wish you the best with it !


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## CooKieS (19 Dec 2018)

Day 10, first snails in. Plants are OK. Some gsa on buces but nothing serious.
Cheers


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## Possessed200 (19 Dec 2018)

Looks really nice, can't wait to see this mature.


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## Kalum (19 Dec 2018)

looks good mate should be great once grown in.

What level of lighting have you started at? lime green drop checker 24/7?


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## Tim Harrison (19 Dec 2018)

Looking great


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## CooKieS (19 Dec 2018)

Possessed200 said:


> Looks really nice, can't wait to see this mature.



Thanks, me too, lots of trimming planned on this one!



Kalum said:


> looks good mate should be great once grown in.
> 
> What level of lighting have you started at? lime green drop checker 24/7?



Thanks, light is 100%, it's the twinstar 600e so it's only medium power for this tank, 6hours per day

CO2 24/7, lime green 24/7.



Tim Harrison said:


> Looking great



Thanks Tim


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## alto (20 Dec 2018)

That soil to sand transition at the front came out really well!
- planned  or fortuitous  

Great photos as always


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## CooKieS (23 Dec 2018)

Thanks guys, And merry Xmas to All of you! 

2 weeks update:






I love that tropica soil, only 2 WC from the start and no algae. (Way better than the Ada that need daily WC...IMO)

Ammonia spike is gone so fish to come in soon. (Used cycled filter media)

Good general growth.

Cheers!


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## alto (23 Dec 2018)

Love the growth 

Tropica Soil is very forgiving


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## Marc Davis (23 Dec 2018)

This will look great when grown in.


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## Fred13 (23 Dec 2018)

Very nice work!
Yes its more forgiving than ada! Its better to use purigen and at least water changes day after day to be on the safe side with amazonia!

Again, very nice work!


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## CooKieS (25 Dec 2018)

alto said:


> Love the growth
> 
> Tropica Soil is very forgiving



Yeah sure, and I'm on the Lazy side so better for my usage...I used tropica nutrition capsules to avoid using ferts for the first 2-3 months.



Marc Davis said:


> This will look great when grown in.



Thanks Marc, I hope so!



Fred13 said:


> Very nice work!
> Yes its more forgiving than ada! Its better to use purigen and at least water changes day after day to be on the safe side with amazonia!
> 
> Again, very nice work!



Many thanks Fred, I love tropica soil, had used it before and always had great results. it does need to dose ferts sooner than the ada amazonia but no algae problem at the beginning.

In my last setup I've used ada amazonia only and i had a LOT of algae for the first 2 months (diatoms, bga, gda, filamentous etc...)...this was very annoying.

Cheers


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## CooKieS (28 Dec 2018)

Hi guys,

Just put in these jewels I found at my LFS, they're awesome, guess what species they are?

















Cheers,
Thierry


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## Ady34 (29 Dec 2018)

Don’t know what they are but great looking fish.


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## CooKieS (29 Dec 2018)

Ady34 said:


> Don’t know what they are but great looking fish.



Hemigrammus filamentosus aka phoenix tetra; here's the dominant male;





They're very active, constantly sparring and searching for food, they don't get bigger than 3-4cm. I plan to get 10 of them for my tank, more would be too much as they are very good swimmers.

Cheers!


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## CooKieS (1 Jan 2019)

Happy new year guys!

All the fishes are in, I transfered my ottos and my h.roseus from their quarantine tank, they seems very happy and goes well with the H.filamentosus.

Tank is stocked, plants are ok, still no algae, hope it stays that easy for 2019!

Cheers!


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## Ady34 (1 Jan 2019)

Happy New Year.
Tank looks great, I think currently it is hiding plenty going on behind the wood and when that grows it will be even better 
Looks spotless though and love the graded gravel detail.
Cheerio


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## CooKieS (3 Jan 2019)

Ady34 said:


> Happy New Year.
> Tank looks great, I think currently it is hiding plenty going on behind the wood and when that grows it will be even better
> Looks spotless though and love the graded gravel detail.
> Cheerio



Thanks Ady, and yes, something is hiding behind that Wood...evil rotala invasion! 





My scissors are ready 

And the fishes;





Cheers


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## Ady34 (3 Jan 2019)

Love these type of shots, shows just the plant mass that is ready to enhance the scape.


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## CooKieS (5 Jan 2019)

Have a nice weekend guys, panda is watching the growth:





Cheerio
Thierry


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## CooKieS (12 Jan 2019)

Have a nice weekend guys, some macro shots after WC;














Cheers


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## alto (13 Jan 2019)

CooKieS said:


> evil rotala invasion!


Exactly

I did a major trim(I thought) last week - R Vietnam H’ra has already put on up to 12cm new growth 

Tanks is looking grand


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## CooKieS (13 Jan 2019)

Slowly but steady, starting to like this tank;





How would you trim the rotala guys? I mean shape?
I was thinking about V shape but now I'm wondering if an domed shape would  suit better?
Thanks 
Cheers


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## Daveslaney (13 Jan 2019)

Personally I would go with a domed shape following the lines of the wood would look real nice.
Filling in really nice.


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## akwarium (13 Jan 2019)

+1 for domed shape.

beautiful tank, love the wood and good fish selection, they also ad to the tank in an esthetic way


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## alto (13 Jan 2019)

I really love the colours and textures in this tank 

Got a tank bench? 

Fortunately you can choose one trim shape and then easily change 
(I’ll admit I prefer angular lines over the dome shape)


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## Ady34 (13 Jan 2019)

Either will look great but the dome will work better with the equipment location. 
It’s great to see the stems and the colours and tbh the lines the plants are taking now look good.
Cheerio,


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## CooKieS (17 Jan 2019)

Thanks for the advice guys, much appreciated.

Quick iphone 5 pic, tank is doing fine, dosing liquid carbon and brighty K daily. About 30% WC per week and that's All.

Will soon start dosing some micros and P to help rotalas red coloration!

H.tripartita is growing crazy;





Cheers


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## Jayefc1 (17 Jan 2019)

Looks really nice mate very natural with the mix of hard scape and I agree domed would look great


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## Raquascape (17 Jan 2019)

Looks really good cookies. The plants are looking super healthy and plus those fish are a good addition to the scape! Keep it up!


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## CooKieS (21 Jan 2019)

Thanks guys, quick shot after WC.

Next week i'll start to dose macros special red (less no3) and some additionnal iron to stop GSA and get the rotalas red.

Cheers


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## Ady34 (21 Jan 2019)

Filling in really nicely, hydrocotle looks great between the wood and is a nice transition to the foreground planting mc/hc?
Cheerio,


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## CooKieS (21 Jan 2019)

Ady34 said:


> Filling in really nicely, hydrocotle looks great between the wood and is a nice transition to the foreground planting mc/hc?
> Cheerio,



That was my goal, making an hydrocotyle 'path' from front to back, the only complaint is that it need weekly trimming to avoid global invasion! 

Btw, foreground plant is HCC, slower growing than MC but smaller so better scale in this small tank.


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## CooKieS (31 Jan 2019)

Hi there,

Tank is 5 weeks now, and this is the third Time I trim the stems to get compact growth.

Everything is Ok, have changed my ferts from Ada to Vimi, let's see how it goes.

Still 6h30 of light per day. CO2 24/7 lime green.

Fishes are very active and seems happy too, I plan to add some filamentosus and otos to the schoal. Thinking about adding one zebra nerite snail to help cleaning gsa on glass and buces.

Tank has a new location on the living room as the light was an bit too much in the evening, now I've got to arrange this new corner with healthier indoor plants!



Cheers!


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## FishLifeLondon (31 Jan 2019)

I've heard that Horned Nerite Snails are less likely to lay eggs than Zebra Nerites. They are impressive algae consumers and you should get more than 1, maybe 3-5.


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## CooKieS (31 Jan 2019)

FishLifeLondon said:


> I've heard that Horned Nerite Snails are less likely to lay eggs than Zebra Nerites. They are impressive algae consumers and you should get more than 1, maybe 3-5.



Thanks but I already use these in the past (zebra and horned nerite, clithon corona sp too), they all layed eggs...

That's why I only want to try one at a time, if it doesn't lay eggs after several weeks, I'll add others....otherwise it will go to my spare tank.


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## CooKieS (4 Feb 2019)

Hi there,

Got myself 2 clithons snails and 6 cute corydoras hastarus to help me cleaning the sand part and the gsa, sorry for the bad pics;










Hc carpet seems to like the new ferts:


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## akwarium (4 Feb 2019)

nice little fish, somehow corydoras always remind me of piggies, somewhat ugly but cute.


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## Raquascape (4 Feb 2019)

Cories!! Ah gotta love them. Good choice.

That HC looks lush, keep up the good work!

Tank is looking well cookies. Fine job sir.

Cheers,
R


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## CooKieS (5 Feb 2019)

akwarium said:


> nice little fish, somehow corydoras always remind me of piggies, somewhat ugly but cute.



Well, All I can see now is small pigs swimming in my tank


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## CooKieS (5 Feb 2019)

Today was an sad sh***y day, just found 3 of my 6 young corys dead in the eheim skim. 

Solution (thanks raquascape):





I was stupid not doing this BEFoRE...


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## Ady34 (5 Feb 2019)

Ahh, sorry to hear that CooKieS


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## Raquascape (5 Feb 2019)

So sorry to hear that cookies  The skimmers are death traps!

Glad to see you using the mesh technique, I take no credit however, I first saw the technique used by George Farmer and Dave at Aquarium Gardens  

I don't know how you manage to keep the floating part afloat? Evertime I try what you have done the floating portion just sinks under water  

Don't let the loss get you down, we all learn from mistakes! 

Take it easy,
Ra


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## akwarium (5 Feb 2019)

Ah that is sad! hope the others are doing fine.


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## CooKieS (12 Feb 2019)

Hi there,

Small update;





The last 3 corys are OK since I modded the skimmer.

I added 2 clithons snails that are cleaning gsa like no others, awesome to see, hope they won't lay eggs everywhere.

I added some blue tigers shrimps with orange eyes too, unfortunately they go out only at night, they don't seem very confortable with All the fishes!

Tank needs an trim, maybe next week...

Cheers
Thierry


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## Raquascape (12 Feb 2019)

Looks really healthy matey, glad to hear the corys are okay! 

I'm eager to see these blue tigers...

Cheers!
R


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## Tim Harrison (12 Feb 2019)

Very nice, and some great plant growth


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## Daveslaney (14 Feb 2019)

Looking real nice.


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## PARAGUAY (14 Feb 2019)

Bit of catch up Cookie , its looking good


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## CooKieS (14 Feb 2019)

Raquascape said:


> Looks really healthy matey, glad to hear the corys are okay!
> 
> I'm eager to see these blue tigers...
> 
> ...



Thanks much appreciated !

Here's an quick shot, too dark too see the eyes 






Tim Harrison said:


> Very nice, and some great plant growth





Daveslaney said:


> Looking real nice.





PARAGUAY said:


> Bit of catch up Cookie , its looking good



Many thanks guys, always nice to hear that


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## DutchMuch (14 Feb 2019)

CooKieS said:


> Today was an sad sh***y day, just found 3 of my 6 young corys dead in the eheim skim.
> 
> Solution (thanks raquascape):
> 
> ...


i am sorry for your loss

i have the same product, the eheim skimmer, and i have never had this issue? I do have shrimp that go and end up in there, but i simply push them out whenever i decide to clean it and they are alive and well, etc.

I've got pygmy corys to but they never go near the eheim? that is strange for sure! i use my eheim to clean up thicker debris though and not just surface bacteria so thats the reason i dont put mesh inside mine or else i would.

again sorry for your loss that always sucks when something like that goes down 

but 1 month later it seems things are taking a turn for the best for you, so thats great! the tank looks very nice!


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## CooKieS (15 Feb 2019)

Hi,

You know corys were super excited to get in a new tank and as always when I put new fishes In, they love to explore every corner of the tank...

Before the lights where Off I've seen them going upside down the glass very quick to have fun and I even asked myself if they could get stuck in the skim by doing this because they are so small...and that's exactly what happened. 

Anyway, got a new mod to try next Time I buy some Potted plants;





Cheers and sorry for the same story happened to your ember tetras.


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## CooKieS (15 Feb 2019)

@Raquascape 

Some pics after trimming, shrimp was out


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## Ady34 (15 Feb 2019)

Those shrimp look incredible. Great photos.


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## Raquascape (15 Feb 2019)

Wow look at them!! 

I’d love a few of those beauties. 

As for the plant pot technique, I tried that the other day and my skimmer floating portion was sucked under the water  I’ve gone back to mesh.

Tank looks great as always!

Cheers,
R


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## CooKieS (22 Feb 2019)

Hi guys, 

Small update in photo, bba, oto couple and hydrocotyle invasion, cheers!


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## CooKieS (24 Feb 2019)

New plants; hydrocotyle tripartita mini from Ada...what an lovely cute little thing;


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## CooKieS (1 Mar 2019)

Dirty quick shot during WC 

Cheers!


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## CooKieS (3 Mar 2019)

Have a nice sunday guys, some livestock pics!


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## Ady34 (3 Mar 2019)

Very nice.


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## Kalum (3 Mar 2019)

Loving the variations of Hydrocotyle tripartita, what sort of height are they both at the minute?

Will be interesting to see if they have similar growth but just different leaf size or if the mini is a lot more compact in height as well


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## CooKieS (4 Mar 2019)

Kalum said:


> Loving the variations of Hydrocotyle tripartita, what sort of height are they both at the minute?
> 
> Will be interesting to see if they have similar growth but just different leaf size or if the mini is a lot more compact in height as well



Thanks, love them both too.

Actually the mini is half the size of the normal version, leaf size and size beetween them (normal=2cm between each leaf, mini = 1cm)

So the growth of the mini is more compact than the normal too.

Stay connected for updates as It's only since 1 week in my tank 

Cheers


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## CooKieS (7 Mar 2019)

Hi,got the new CO2 bazooka diffusor after seeing one in @Shinobi tank.

I'm amazed by it's efficiency AND silence, never had an diffusor that silent.

Spa for plants!

Pics:







Cheers


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## Shinobi (7 Mar 2019)

CooKieS said:


> Hi,got the new CO2 bazooka diffusor after seeing one in @Shinobi tank.
> 
> I'm amazed by it's efficiency AND silence, never had an diffusor that silent.
> 
> ...




Amazing pictures, I’m really happy with mine so far


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## CooKieS (12 Mar 2019)

Shinobi said:


> Amazing pictures, I’m really happy with mine so far



Thanks, happy with mine too, awesome efficiency and silence, most silent one I Ever had!

Small update, next step, cutting stems back and replant the tops.

Love the jungle look and the fishes too, they seems to hide and breed in the stems 





Cheers 
Thierry


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## Jayefc1 (12 Mar 2019)

Is that the flux from co2 art


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## CooKieS (13 Mar 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Is that the flux from co2 art



Exactly


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## Kezzab (13 Mar 2019)

Tank is looking great!


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## Ady34 (13 Mar 2019)

CooKieS said:


> Thanks, happy with mine too, awesome efficiency and silence, most silent one I Ever had!
> 
> Small update, next step, cutting stems back and replant the tops.
> 
> ...


Looks stunning, it has a really nice balance and  flow. I’m sure with trimming it will only get better in the coming weeks.
Cheerio,


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## CooKieS (17 Mar 2019)

Thanks guys!

Tank had an good trim today and I've replanted the tops of the rotala, have seen that technique on greenaqua youtube channel, let's see how it goes 





Cheers


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## Raquascape (17 Mar 2019)

This is looking fantastic!

+1 for tips from green aqua, they sure know what they're doing. 

Keep it up cookies  

R


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## DutchMuch (17 Mar 2019)

ugh, tank is looking stunning as usual. Good job keep up the good work!


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## oscar (19 Mar 2019)

CooKieS said:


> Thanks guys!
> 
> Tank had an good trim today and I've replanted the tops of the rotala, have seen that technique on greenaqua youtube channel, let's see how it goes
> 
> ...


Very natural looking, lovely aquascape


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## CooKieS (20 Mar 2019)

Thanks guys, much appreciated. 

I'm always trying to create something 'natural' looking when I setup an aquascape, so that is the best compliment to me.


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## CooKieS (28 Mar 2019)

Hi there,

I've recently boosted my ferts in order to get that rotala h'ra red but unfortunately the twinstar es600 isn't powerful enough to get that deep red tone.

Now I'm thinking of buying the S series or eventually the new Nuniq 60 led, what do you think?

Otherwise everything is Ok, still some chops of bba on the Wood but I'm getting rid of it easily with liquid carbon and a sringe when WC.

Love that CO2art diffuser, dropped my bps from 2 bps to 1 bps, Totally silent. Worth every penny!





Cheers


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## CooKieS (31 Mar 2019)

I just found a second Hand nuniq 60 led, will get it this week, can't wait to compare it with my twinstar es.

Some macros shots of this evening;























Cheers


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## PARAGUAY (1 Apr 2019)

Lovely Aquarium Cookie


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## SRP3006 (1 Apr 2019)

Stunning aquarium,  beautiful colours and very natural.


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## Hudson (1 Apr 2019)

Great looking tank, Loving the pearling macro shots


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## CooKieS (4 Apr 2019)

Many thanks guys!

Quick morning trim; problem is, the replanted tops are growing faster than the trimmed section, so next Time I will have to trim All of it.

It´s an great technique to make the rotala bushier but don't do this before taking final shot of your aquascape. Better trim All the tips at the same before final shot to avoid too much level differences.

I'm getting the nuniq led this week!



Cheers


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## CooKieS (11 Apr 2019)

Hi guys,

Finally got the nuniq led and I have to say that it looks too cold, greenish to me in comparaison to my twinstar ES;








Is it worth to Upgrade to the Twlnstar S series to get more reds?

Thanks


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## CooKieS (12 Apr 2019)

Trim that bush to make it even bushier! Again; hopefully last trimming before final pic for iaplc, cheers


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## PARAGUAY (13 Apr 2019)

CooKieS said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> Finally got the nuniq led and I have to say that it looks too cold, greenish to me in comparaison to my twinstar ES;
> 
> ...


      I dunno like that look of the lighting


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## Andrew T (13 Apr 2019)

Check out green aqua YouTube video on how to make your tank look better in 15 min or something like that.
They put a Twinstar 600S over those red plants and the difference is ridiculous.


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## CooKieS (14 Apr 2019)

Andrew T said:


> Check out green aqua YouTube video on how to make your tank look better in 15 min or something like that.
> They put a Twinstar 600S over those red plants and the difference is ridiculous.



I've already seen it, but that différence was because old led was an ada aquasky moon which is great for green colours.

Couldn't find any comparaison between the twinstar E and S?


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## CooKieS (15 Apr 2019)

Hi there,

Thanks to All for help, support and kindness, thanks to ukaps staff and thanks aquascaping.

I'm deleting my account because I'm gonna live disconnected from the internet for an very long period...selling my laptop, smartphone, tv...for the health of my mind.

Cheers! 
Thierry


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## Tim Harrison (15 Apr 2019)

It's been a pleasure Thierry, and I wish you all the best.
I'm sure we'll still be here if ever you decide to reconnected


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## Jayefc1 (15 Apr 2019)

Well I'd like to thank you for your beautiful scapes and the time and effort you have contribute to the hobby hope your not going to give up scaping mate


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## alto (16 Apr 2019)

Sorry to hear 

Will miss you 

Hope all is well ... soon at least


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## CooKieS (22 Apr 2019)

Deleting my account was an stupid idea! I've deleted All my social network account and that may be enough for now. 

I'm still here, thanks for you support guys.

Tank update;





Cheers


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## papa_c (22 Apr 2019)

CooKieS said:


> deleted All my social network account



Good to hear this.... I constantly search for the good in social networking but always see the negative impact on the mental health of young and old.


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## Tim Harrison (26 Apr 2019)

CooKieS said:


> I'm still here, thanks for you support guys.


That's great news, and your tank is looking great also


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## CooKieS (2 May 2019)

Getting ready for the final shot! 



Thanks guys.

Social network are sick and without any knowledge...useless.

Forums are awesome, always learning!

Cheers


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## alto (3 May 2019)

Stunning!

And you’ve mastered the Trimming of the Tripartita 

- it always convinces me to _just let it grow a little while longer  _


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## Tim Harrison (3 May 2019)

Looking very impressive. I love the H T Japan, it's great when you get it to do what you want, but take that shot quick before it runs rampant


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## PARAGUAY (3 May 2019)

Anyone seen the phone ad were a chap just wants to enjoy his rail journey and chat to fellow passengers but ends up in meltdown because everyone is on their mobiles! Well when our daughters visit thats it they come to visit but spend a lot of the time on social media ,the art of conversation blunted! I  cant complain too much as I am likely to be looking in on UKAPS


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## CooKieS (8 May 2019)

5 months today, I'm really enjoying this simple scape, fishes seems to like it too. 

As for the tripartita,  I trim the new shoots weekly to avoid total invasion ^^

Cheers


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## CooKieS (10 May 2019)

Final shot done! Sorry for the teaser...

Cheers


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## CooKieS (15 May 2019)

Into the wild;


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## Lauris (15 May 2019)

Love the density of plants. Thumbs up


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## Arana (18 May 2019)

Looking lush, great job!


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## CooKieS (19 May 2019)

Much appreciated guys, thanks 

Trimming Time!


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## CooKieS (31 May 2019)

Still running, HC needs a trim.

Rescape this summer! Cheers


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## CooKieS (6 Jun 2019)

Evening view. 

Trimming time next week!


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## CooKieS (18 Jun 2019)

Small update and working on next scape; getting insipired! 





Godzilla project;





Cheers


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## JEK (18 Jun 2019)

Nice hardscape!


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## Arana (18 Jun 2019)

Looking Good


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## alto (18 Jun 2019)

You found some of that fantastic (new?) wood - George Framer commented on it when he was doing a scape with someone (lots of place to stash moss and epiphytes  )

I noticed it in Sacha Hoyer’s new shop gallery - have you seen his recent algae videos?

Well done Talawa Land  
(of course!)


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## CooKieS (19 Jun 2019)

alto said:


> You found some of that fantastic (new?) wood - George Framer commented on it when he was doing a scape with someone (lots of place to stash moss and epiphytes  )
> 
> I noticed it in Sacha Hoyer’s new shop gallery - have you seen his recent algae videos?
> 
> ...



Yeah, finally found someone in France that sell top notch hardscape (kessai wood, jungle wood, asia+, tree roots, senganni ) and ancient stone too!

That wood is labelled as 'jungle wood', seems to match the colour and the texture of spider wood, I'll see if I can add details with some asia roots.

Seems to be a nice support for mosses, and stash épiphytes like you said. 

Would love to open an gallery like Sacha did, even with algae


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## CooKieS (22 Jun 2019)

Shrimpy saturday!












Cheers


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## alto (23 Jun 2019)

Stunning shrimp


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## CooKieS (13 Jul 2019)

Hi guys,

So I went to vacation for 2 weeks and when I was back the shrimp population had exploded and they seems to love to eat the Roots of my hc Cuba and my hemianthus micranthemoides...!

Anyway this scape has Come to an end, it will run with low maintenance till september and then rescape. As Always it was an pleasure to share this journal with you guys, thanks for the tips and support as Always!

Todays pic After maintenance, don't mind the hc missing on the right...


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## Ed Wiser (13 Jul 2019)

They had to eat something


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## CooKieS (17 Jul 2019)

Feeding Frenzy


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## CooKieS (30 Jul 2019)

I've started to.dismantle this tank...

Cheers


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## grathod (30 Jul 2019)

Wow, stunning journal mate, phoenix tetras are something else, I've seen a few at my LFS, but not enough to start a shoal... your shrimp are remarkable, where did you get them from? Were the phoenix tetras ok with the shrimp or did they hunt them? looking forward to your next one with interest


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## CooKieS (30 Jul 2019)

grathod said:


> Wow, stunning journal mate, phoenix tetras are something else, I've seen a few at my LFS, but not enough to start a shoal... your shrimp are remarkable, where did you get them from? Were the phoenix tetras ok with the shrimp or did they hunt them? looking forward to your next one with interest



Thanks! 

My shrimps came from a local breeder in France, he's got some stunning examples and for very cheap, I paid them less than 2€/shrimp… 

Unfortunately the phoenix tetras are amazing hunters, caught one eating one of my pinto red shrimp and since that I've start selling them. They seem to leave the tiger blue alone because they are darker and less easy to see...otherwise they are beautiful fishes but won't recommend them with colourful shrimps.


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## alto (31 Jul 2019)

CooKieS said:


> since that I've start selling them.


The tetras I hope 

Stunning shrimp!
(& photographic skills)


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## CooKieS (16 Aug 2019)

Of course Alto, thanks 

Very happy to announce this tank ranked #65 at iaplc 2019


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## Harry H (16 Aug 2019)

CooKieS said:


> Very happy to announce this tank ranked #65 at iaplc 2019



Fantastic result! Congratulations!


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## Shinobi (16 Aug 2019)

CooKieS said:


> Of course Alto, thanks
> 
> Very happy to announce this tank ranked #65 at iaplc 2019



Amazing! Congrats


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## Arana (16 Aug 2019)

Outstanding! Congratulations


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## alto (17 Aug 2019)

CooKieS said:


> this tank ranked #65 at iaplc 2019


Well deserved


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## CooKieS (17 Aug 2019)

Harry H said:


> Fantastic result! Congratulations!





Arana said:


> Outstanding! Congratulations





Shinobi said:


> Amazing! Congrats





alto said:


> Well deserved



Thanks guys, wasn't hoping that much for an 'Nature style' small 60p tank, but well, proves once again that diorama style isn't necessary to make good contest rank 

Also thanks for you support, Always an pleasure to write Journals on this forum, cheers!


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## Ed Wiser (17 Aug 2019)

That is great nice to see a tank that we know very well get into the rankings.


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## CooKieS (19 Aug 2019)

Yes Ed, at least everyone could know the story behind and the evolution of the tank.

Well, finally got my certificate, here's an good way to end this journal;


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## Kalum (19 Aug 2019)

amazing mate well done! some achievement getting well into the top 100


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## CooKieS (25 Oct 2019)

End pic of this journal, thanks!


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## Deano3 (25 Oct 2019)

Stunning and an amazing result well deserved.

Dean

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


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## Tankless (22 Jan 2020)

Hi, did you run 24/7 co2 for the duration of this scape? Any particular reason as to why you went with 24/7? Thank you.


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## CooKieS (22 Jan 2020)

Tankless said:


> Hi, did you run 24/7 co2 for the duration of this scape? Any particular reason as to why you went with 24/7? Thank you.



Hello,

Only for the first 3 months, I went then with 10h of CO2 daily and 7h30 lightning period.

Just make sure there is plenty of CO2 in your water column when lights go ON.


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