# MrStoffel's 60-P - Taken by storm



## MrStoffel (4 Nov 2019)

Hello everyone!

My name is Kristof and i'm an aquatic enthousiast from Antwerp, Belgium.
It has been almost three long years of not having an aquarium in the house.
Now i am ready to go at it again. I had planted tanks as a kid from the age of 6 to 15.
Then i made the switch to saltwater reef tanks until three years ago.
Some pics of my last tank can be seen here
I shut it down due to not being able to put in the time anymore after the birth of my 2nd daughter.
Now that she is older, i feel like i can start making time again. However, the startup cost of a reef tank is exponentially more costly than planted.
I also never attempted aquascaping when i was young, it just wasn't known back then. So this really seems like a nice new challenging aspect of the hobby to dive into.

This is what i have thus far:

Tank: ADA 60-P
Stand: DIY ADA syle cabinet
Light: Twinstar 600S
Filtration: Oase biomaster thermo 250 with seachem matrix, purigen, filter wool
CO2: JBL inline diffuser with sodastream cylinders and solenoid
Soil: ADA Amazonia
Ferts: Greenaqua Macro & Micro


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## JEK (4 Nov 2019)

Great pictures from you reef tank!
Some good equipment for your 60 P. Do you have any particular styles/hardscape/plants in mind?


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## Tim Harrison (4 Nov 2019)

Welcome


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## mort (4 Nov 2019)

Welcome. Beautiful reef tank. Looking forward to seeing what you can do with a planted tank.


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## MrStoffel (4 Nov 2019)

Thanks for the kind words.

What i would like to achieve is what most of you call a jungle style scape i believe.
As for the shape i really don't know. Although the triangular shape might suit the tank most, since it is only viewed from 2 sides.

This weekend i went out with my oldest daughter of 7 to source some hardscape materials.
When searching through all the boxes with stones and wood i started to realise this would become a lot harder than i had expected.
Eventually we ended up choosing 3 beautiful rocks and 2 pieces of wood.

At home i started scaping these together in a makeshift cardboard aquarium.
This is when i realised it would be good idea to make a journal here and gather some valuable feedback.
Here are some of my attempts, not really happy with any of them so far...
I might look for another piece of wood with smaller branches? (like spiderwood)


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## JEK (4 Nov 2019)

So my advice for hardscape is to first and foremost get a *lot *more of it. You simply don't have enough materials to create a high impact hardscape. And don't try to find the "perfect" piece of wood because that's really hard.  You can always saw pieces off and glue several pieces together to get the look you want. I find more branched wood like red moor and spiderwood in general are easier to work with compared to driftwood. The rocks you have are fine, but I would advice you to get some smaller pieces as well which will make it much easier to create a natural look.
If you want to create a triangular layout you might find some inspiration from my current setup https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/60-p-succession.57385/page-5


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## Deano3 (4 Nov 2019)

Firstly welcome to ukaps

Have to agree with jek i was going to say exactly the same thing defently need a lot more hardscape or will look very bare.

Keep us updated looking forward to seeing more.

Dean

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## MrStoffel (5 Nov 2019)

Thanks Johan & Dean,
I will go out after work today to see if i can pick up a big piece of spiderwood and some extra rocks.
When i feel confident i can make a better looking scape in the cardboard box, i will start scaping in the tank.
I'm not in a rush here.  (this is something i learned during my reefkeeping years)


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## Deano3 (5 Nov 2019)

Good stuff thats the best way just take your time and will be worth it. 

Defently a lot more rocks i would say to make bigger impact.

Dean

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## alto (5 Nov 2019)

You’ve enough hardscape already for some very nice 60P scapes 

When you add more hardscape, it significantly reduces water volume and can make “good flow” (throughout the aquarium) more of a challenge
If this tank is going to be more of a joint project with your daughter, I’d keep things a bit simpler so she can easily help with all aspects of the tank

Current trend is for loads of hardscape so thought I’d link this ADA flashback 

https://www.adana.co.jp/en/contents/process/index.html


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## Janci (6 Nov 2019)

hallo
Nice cabinet and materials to start with.
Did you make the cabinet yourself?
When hasrdscaping, keep in mind the golden ratio or rule of thirds. It helps to mark the areas on the carton box to assist where to put the rocks.
It helps to avoid to have the rocks on top of each other. Have in mind that height you can achieve by using cheaper rocks and soil.


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## JEK (6 Nov 2019)

alto said:


> You’ve enough hardscape already for some very nice 60P scapes
> 
> When you add more hardscape, it significantly reduces water volume and can make “good flow” (throughout the aquarium) more of a challenge
> If this tank is going to be more of a joint project with your daughter, I’d keep things a bit simpler so she can easily help with all aspects of the tank
> ...



I have to disagree with you there, I simply don't think anyone can make a "very nice" layout with only the materials we see in the pictures - unless it's Dutch style.  Sure you don't need huge ammounts like the trend is today, but those pieces of driftwood we see on the pictures are simply not large or interesting enough. 

I think whether hardscape obstructs flow is more about how it's placed and less about the ammount and dense plant growth can also obstruct flow a lot. Also I'd argue that when you're a beginner, it's easier to create a nice scape that's more hardscape dominant until you learn more about the growing patterns of different plants.


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## MrStoffel (6 Nov 2019)

Janci said:


> hallo
> Nice cabinet and materials to start with.
> Did you make the cabinet yourself?
> When hasrdscaping, keep in mind the golden ratio or rule of thirds. It helps to mark the areas on the carton box to assist where to put the rocks.
> It helps to avoid to have the rocks on top of each other. Have in mind that height you can achieve by using cheaper rocks and soil.



Yes, i built the stand myself from 18mm plywood panels. They were glued first, then screwed, sealed, sanded, and painted.
I chose this color, because the cabinet standing next to it has the same color of doors.
If anyone is interested, this pdf has all the panels needed to build this.


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## MrStoffel (6 Nov 2019)

Yesterday i picked up some small rocks to create detail and i purchased a great piece of driftwood.
I will start soaking it this evening to see if it leeches a lot of tannins.
It is also quite large, so depending on its buoyancy i might have to fixate it to a piece of eggcrate and place the rocks on top to keep it in place.

I understand where both opinions concerning the hardscape are coming from. 
I do see the big difference allready between the first pictures and now with the big piece, and i just threw it on top of the rocks quickly to take a picture.
If anyone has an example of aquascapes with similar big pieces of wood, feel free to share them, it would be much appreciated.


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## alto (6 Nov 2019)

JEK said:


> I have to disagree with you there, I simply don't think anyone can make a "very nice" layout with only the materials we see in the pictures - unless it's Dutch style.  Sure you don't need huge ammounts like the trend is today, but those pieces of driftwood we see on the pictures are simply not large or interesting enough.
> 
> I think whether hardscape obstructs flow is more about how it's placed and less about the ammount and dense plant growth can also obstruct flow a lot. Also I'd argue that when you're a beginner, it's easier to create a nice scape that's more hardscape dominant until you learn more about the growing patterns of different plants.



I guess Takash Amano’s Nature Aquarium volumes are full of “Dutch style” scapes then  

Unless the size of the three stones are deceptive in those photos, they appear sufficient for a decent Sanzon Iwagumi

As to beginners and elaborate hardscape, I guess I’ll bow to your extensive experience 
(I’ve only set up ~30 pre-scaped tanks for beginners sold through a local shop)


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## MrStoffel (6 Nov 2019)

alto said:


> I guess Takash Amano’s Nature Aquarium volumes are full of “Dutch style” scapes then
> 
> Unless the size of the three stones are deceptive in those photos, they appear sufficient for a decent Sanzon Iwagumi
> 
> ...



The size of the stones is quite clear from the pictures i think.
The box is 57cm long, where i have drawn a line in black marker is the width of the 60P tank.
I guess there's only one true way of finding out if i can create a nice hardscape now, and that will be to start scaping with the soil & materials i have in the tank. I have 9L of amazonia regular, 3L of amazonia powder and 2L of power sand S. Should i place the power sand in a bag?


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## JEK (6 Nov 2019)

@MrStoffel that new piece of driftwood looks great! If it floats a possible solution could also be to glue it to stone. As far as I know people usually just place powersand on the bottom with soil on top.

@alto I don't want to derail Mrstoffels thread with this discussion, but I think your condescending sarcasm (at least that's how I read it) is both distasteful and unnessecary. This is just about a difference in opinions after all.


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## DeepMetropolis (6 Nov 2019)

I would use all the stones that you have as far to the front as you can and plant heavy in the back. Just use substrate first to get a good slope and place the wood strategic cause compared to the stones its quite bulky. Just be creative and you can make something beautiful of it. 

Checks this journal, Tim uses a big piece of wood and it looked really good.
https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/naturescape-pearling.52807/page-3


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## CooKieS (7 Nov 2019)

As an beginner, the more hardscape You'll use, the more the 'mistakes' Can be hidden. 

Iwagumi style or less hardscape scapes are very hard to master.

Good Luck


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## MrStoffel (8 Nov 2019)

I’m still not thinking outside the box. 
But i came up with this today. The soil would be highest under the stones, sloping towards the left. This would make the angle of the wood a bit more dramatic. What do you guys think?






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## Jayefc1 (8 Nov 2019)

Hi MrStoffel i think you can make a very nice tank with what you have you dont need loads of hardscape if you can grow beautiful plants to fit around and get them to work with your wood and rocks the 60p is a perfect size just a quick pic of my 60p with just three rocks im not saying it will be a world beater but i enjoy sitting and watching it and if you ask me thats what counts 



Cheers
Jay


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## JEK (8 Nov 2019)

I think your newesr idea could look good! But I would probably place the rocks a bit flatter because you can raise the wood a lot just with sloping substrate.


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## Jayefc1 (8 Nov 2019)

If i was you id turn the wood and have it facing upwards with a kind of island with the rocks around the base the other 2 peices of wood coming from the opposite side 
Cheers
Jay


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## MrStoffel (9 Nov 2019)

You mean something like this? It does look interesting.






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## Jayefc1 (9 Nov 2019)

Yeah you csn use cigarette filters and super glue to glue the wood to the rock or oase pond foam to secure it just trying to give you ideas to work with mate 
Cheers
Jay


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## MrStoffel (11 Nov 2019)

Leak test looks good 
Almost ready to start up. Still looking for good quick couplings to put in the filter tubes. 13/16mm, does anyone have some recommendations? If they exist from 12 to 16mm that would be even better.


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## alto (12 Nov 2019)

JEK said:


> @alto I don't want to derail Mrstoffels thread with this discussion, but I think your condescending sarcasm (at least that's how I read it) is both distasteful and unnessecary. This is just about a difference in opinions after all.



I’m sorry you read it that way - while I’m guilty of gentle sarcasm at times, I certainly never intend the sort of reaction you seem to have found in my words

I thought we were just expressing differing opinions ... my mention of a number of tanks was just to give background - these were basically tanks that shop clients requested (I volunteer time and some plants and hardscape - especially when tanks are destined for schools) and I thought it interesting that most chose minimal hardscape

(Well I’m rereading this and not certain it’s still not open to interpretation as a nasty rejoinder  so further apologies )


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## alto (12 Nov 2019)

@MrStoffel 
my apologies for the disturbance 

My intent was really just to say that you could make up a lovely tank with the hardscape (& budget) you had at hand


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## Jayefc1 (12 Nov 2019)

I have to agree with @alto you can make a beautiful planted tank with minimal hardscape
Yes it may well be easier with more choice but we are not all that fortunate to have the resource to achive this 
Cheers
Jay


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## CooKieS (12 Nov 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> I have to agree with @alto you can make a beautiful planted tank with minimal hardscape
> Yes it may well be easier with more choice but we are not all that fortunate to have the resource to achive this
> Cheers
> Jay



Nature is full of free hardscape. 

Here is an good example from an iaplc winning scape with only hardscape from nature:





Cheers


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## Jayefc1 (12 Nov 2019)

CooKieS said:


> Nature is full of free hardscape.


It sure is but there are a lot of people that live in places where that too may not be accessible to them isnt this one of the reasons aquascaping is so popular in bigger asian citys where there isnt enough room to have a garden 
Cheers
Jay


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## MrStoffel (17 Nov 2019)

Today i decided to start scaping in the tank.
I quite like this layout. But still undecided about the smaller wood piece in the back. Does it look better with or without?








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## Ch.e.d.a. (17 Nov 2019)

U dont  have to use all the pieces, sometimes its better for scape to look plain than for it to look out of order, if u want to use them mby infront of the rocks laying on substrate


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## JEK (17 Nov 2019)

Looks like an old fallen tree - I like it. I think it could look great with some moss and ferns growing on the driftwood. Maybe you could place some of the other small pieces so they look like sidebranches from the main trunk? You could glue them on with superglue if needed. 

@alto No worries - I might have overreacted a bit. It's so easy to misunderstand tone over text.  I will also add that I agree that very simple hardscape can work extremely well, but only if the shape is right and the size of the hardscape is sufficiently big.


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## Jayefc1 (17 Nov 2019)

I like it too the smallers peice behind trydiffrent angels maybe angeled away from the larger peice to givea bit of a v shape with them being smaller might give depth too 
Cheers 
Jay


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## Janci (18 Nov 2019)

MrStoffel said:


> Today i decided to start scaping in the tank.
> I quite like this layout. But still undecided about the smaller wood piece in the back. Does it look better with or without?
> 
> 
> ...



I like the left scape, without the smaller branches.
If you like to use them, how would they do when placed below the bigger branch, like roots sticking out from the substrate?
Place bigger structures in front and smaller in the back to create depth (is what I learned so far... )


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## MrStoffel (18 Nov 2019)

Came home today and tried to figure out how to plant the scape. I had barely any space in the back behind the wood, so i would be limited to mosses, epiphytes and carpeting plants. For a first scape, i think its better to have some stem plants as well. Sooo... i started fresh... Less wood, stones to the front and place for stem plants in the back.







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## CooKieS (18 Nov 2019)

That is not as good as the previous one


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## CooKieS (18 Nov 2019)

Ch.e.d.a. said:


> U dont  have to use all the pieces, sometimes its better for scape to look plain than for it to look out of order, if u want to use them mby infront of the rocks laying on substrate
> View attachment 129088



Very good suggestion


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## Jayefc1 (18 Nov 2019)

I agree with @CooKieS the previous layouts looked cleaner if you want room.behind just move it around a little stems are very thin you will be able to plant and replant the tops that dont need to be in the soil till you get a good density of stems plants 
Cheers
Jay


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## Janci (19 Nov 2019)

I like this last scape.
It does not look as good as the previous one, but if planted well, it will look great.

Many great hard scapes are barely visible after a couple of months.


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## MrStoffel (19 Nov 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> I agree with @CooKieS the previous layouts looked cleaner if you want room.behind just move it around a little stems are very thin you will be able to plant and replant the tops that dont need to be in the soil till you get a good density of stems plants
> Cheers
> Jay



I think there was only 2-3cm between the wood and the back pane. It is an extremely big piece, the pictures don't really reflect its true size. 
But maybe if i take a hammer and chisel to it, i can chip off a part in the lower left corner to create some room for stems.


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## Jayefc1 (19 Nov 2019)

You could push the wood down into the soil so its a little more upright maybe so it just breaks the surface  and add more soil to the back to raise the height there for giving maybe a couple more cm to plant into 
Cheers
Jay


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## MrStoffel (20 Nov 2019)

I managed to take a part of the wood off. Its looking sleeker now and allows more room for planting. I also increased the angle a bit abd changed the placement of the rocks. I think this will be it. 









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## Jayefc1 (20 Nov 2019)

I would still make the soil deeper at the back give it a lot more height for the stems  
Level out the front and raise it front to back 
Also you will need more soil at the front left.corner at least 2cm deep 
Cheers
Jay


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## MrStoffel (21 Nov 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> I would still make the soil deeper at the back give it a lot more height for the stems
> Level out the front and raise it front to back
> Also you will need more soil at the front left.corner at least 2cm deep
> Cheers
> Jay


Good advice Jay. I removed some substrate in the back right, now leaving 5cm.
In the lower left i will put some powder amazonia for the carpeting plants.
These are some of the plants i'm considering:
*Anubias nana
*Microsorum trident
*Hygrophyla pinatifida
*Moss on the wood
*Rotala H'ra
*Bolbitis
*A nice crypt in the shaded area
*hydrocotyle tripartita

The carpeting plants are the ones i am most unsure about what to get.


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## JEK (21 Nov 2019)

Eleocharis 'mini' is a nice and easy carpeting plant. I think the scape would look great with glossostigma  but that one is a bit trickier to keep compact.


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## JEK (21 Nov 2019)

If you follow aquariumgardens in instagram they just posted a picture if a 60 P with a large piece of wood similar to yours. Maybe some inspiration for you


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## MrStoffel (22 Nov 2019)

JEK said:


> Eleocharis 'mini' is a nice and easy carpeting plant. I think the scape would look great with glossostigma  but that one is a bit trickier to keep compact.


How do you trim Eleocharis Mini? Since the leaves are so small, i imagine they float away very quickly and are hard to gather to take out of the tank?
The aquariumgardens tank looks cool! This is the style i had in mind for my tank.


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## Thumper (22 Nov 2019)

MrStoffel said:


> How do you trim Eleocharis Mini?


Just like cutting every other foreground plant. What you need to get them all is a really fine net or a skimmer. 
I also use a wet towel to remove the leftovers on the glass.


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## MrStoffel (22 Nov 2019)

I think i'm going to fill the tank this weekend with Remineralised RO water and some bacterial starter. Then black it out until i can't detect any ammonia/nitrites, drain it and start planting. 
This gives me a good 2 weeks to find and gather plants, hopefully have less algae issues and melt.


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## d2creative (22 Nov 2019)

I like it! Looks great.


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## MrStoffel (25 Nov 2019)

So this weekend i flooded the tank with RO water and added some minerals + bacteria.
I blacked it out, and will leave it like this for 1-2 weeks depending on water params.
So far i am really really pleased with the oase biomaster. It is dead silent, up to the point i had to put my ear against it to make sure it was still running. The skimmer pipe is also working tremendously good, not one floating particle remains 30mins after setting it. Really happy i went with this combo.


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## MrStoffel (17 Dec 2019)

Time to share some progress with you guys.
Tank was planted 10 days ago, using a mix of 1-2 grow cups and potted plants.
Species:
*Eleocharis Mini (in-vitro)
*Althernanthera Reineckii mini (in-vitro)
*Rotala indica (in-vitro)
*Rotala walichii (in-vitro)
*Hygrophila pinnatifida (in-vitro)
*Taiwan moss (tray)
*Microsorum pteropus "mini" (pot)
*Annubias nana (2 pots from 2 different sources, 5 plants total)

All in all the tank is progressing rather good, i think.
The bad:
I had 2 annubias glued on the wood, that melted completely within a few days. The other three are doing fine up until now. (they were not glued, i wonder if the glue was the cause?)
The rotala indica was also a trouble plant the first few days, 2/5 of all planted stems melted completely. They did have rather big root bundles when planted, maybe i should have removed them? (noob alert?)
The last problem area is the Eleocharis. Half of it is doing great and showing growth allready, the other half turned yellow and melted. For now i am leaving those yellow clumps in, hoping the roots are still fine and start producing new shoots.

The good news:
All other plants are thriving, and the tank looks better everyday. All equipment is working great as well.
Twinstar is at 55% intensity, lowered by 10% after losing anubias. Co2 is at 1-2 bubbles / second.
Currently dosing 3 squirts of Micro & Macro ferts from greenaqua / day in the morning.

Currents residents: 6 Fire red neocardina, 3 Otocinclus
Planning to add: Hydrocotyle tripartita & some 15 Rasbora Brigittae


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## MJQMJQ (17 Dec 2019)

MrStoffel said:


> Time to share some progress with you guys.
> Tank was planted 10 days ago, using a mix of 1-2 grow cups and potted plants.
> Species:
> *Eleocharis Mini (in-vitro)
> ...


Ammonia levels?Anubias shouldnt melt theyre one of the hardiest plants around.


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## MrStoffel (17 Dec 2019)

That was my first idea too, although my test kit (new jbl) comes up with 0,05 or unreadable. (yellow color)
Also, the Fire red shrimp are doing great, i'm sure they wouldn't if ammonia levels were too high?
The curious thing is, i am pretty sure the two that melted came from the same pot, the other three also came from one pot. (the leaves were slightly different shape, so maybe not the same sp.)
At first i was trying to only take the melted leaves away and leave the rhyzome, but weirdly enough it was completely mushy as well. 
Now i am left with an ugly white spot on the wood.


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## MrStoffel (29 Dec 2019)

Updated FTS, i quite like where its going.






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## MrStoffel (5 Jan 2020)

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## MrStoffel (9 Jan 2020)

Some strange things happening this week. 
I started seeing all kinds of algae types at once pop up, diatoms, green slime, green thread,...
Also a few leaves of the H. pinnatifida melted and the moss on the wood showed some browning.
Last week i changed only 30% of water instead of 50% for the first time. I had increased lighting intensity to 70% and duration from 6h to 7h a day.
Ferts were also increased as well as CO2. 

So in a panic i did a bigger 50% waterchange again, a few days prior than i had planned. I ripped out some of the moss that had browned. And siphoned away all dead plant matter. Cleaned the pre-filter, although it still looked rather fresh. 

Should I increase water change frequency and volume for the time being? Or do i risk doing too much and unbalancing the tank?


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## Deano3 (9 Jan 2020)

MrStoffel said:


> Some strange things happening this week.
> I started seeing all kinds of algae types at once pop up, diatoms, green slime, green thread,...
> Also a few leaves of the H. pinnatifida melted and the moss on the wood showed some browning.
> Last week i changed only 30% of water instead of 50% for the first time. I had increased lighting intensity to 70% and duration from 6h to 7h a day.
> ...


I think you done right thing, everyone always says do 1 thing at a time maybe drop lights back to 6 hours and do 50%water changes and hopefuly it will be fine.

Dean

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## MrStoffel (9 Feb 2020)

The plant are growing like mad! Pic taken 2 weeks ago:





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## MrStoffel (9 Feb 2020)

And this is today, urgently needs a trim!




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## MrStoffel (9 Feb 2020)

A lot of cuttings later, a fresh look!






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## MrStoffel (12 Feb 2020)

First emersed shoots from the hydrocotyle tripartita mini. 


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## MrStoffel (20 Feb 2020)

Tripartita taking over the complete tank! This plant is really too agressive. I can’t keep it under control! Allready thinking about a rescape... 










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## HamishT (20 Feb 2020)

Have to say as a newbie to the group, I am finding it fascinating (not to say quite terrifying) to see how well people put things together - it will be a while before I post ideas, but it has simply elevated the things I have to think about to a whole new level - the beauty of seeing "well carpeted" tanks was lost on me until the weekend when I joined the group.  Now that I see it, I wonder what the hell I have been doing for the last two years!


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## Jayefc1 (21 Feb 2020)

Wow it's a great looking scape when you think and read back how little you had to work with and the panic over the alge look how its turned out I wouldnt rescape just yet fine tune your trimming skills get the stems bushy if the Tripartita is aggressive be aggressive trimming it it's been ten weeks since you planted roughly.stick with it see what you can do you have great plant.growth all over now learn to tame it and be creative with you maintenance


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## MrStoffel (16 May 2020)

So i gave it another 2 months before i finally decided to rescape the tank. Here is a final picture before i pulled everything out.
I contribute most of the problems due to bad flow in the tank. (Staghorn algae, gha) The big piece of wood was too obstructive.




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## MrStoffel (16 May 2020)

For the rescape i just purchased some small spiderwood twigs, and re used left over hardscape materials from my initial shopping spree. I also wanted some negative space and got some colorado sand for that. Here’s how it looks now.(sorry about the reflections, i’ll quality pics soon once everythings established itself)













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## MrStoffel (30 Jun 2020)

Update:
The new tank was going well for the first few weeks, but started developing staghorn algae and GHA.
I've been fighting for a few weeks now, but i feel like i need to change something to the system because it is out of balance.
I'm doing 50% waterchanges weekly and removing as much as possible by hand. I trimmed the tank yesterday (there is good growth), and removed as much affected leaves as i could find.
I'm now thinking that maybe the size of my filter inflow is too small. (13mm skimmer type) The hose connection on the filter is 17mm.
Is it possible i am getting algae because of low flow and underperforming filter because my inlet is too small? 
Thanks for any help


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## MrStoffel (30 Jun 2020)

Some pictures, i really like the new scape.
Treating the tank with seachem excel seems to have a positive effect in certain areas. Others are still badly affected.










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## MrStoffel (9 Jul 2020)

I was thinking about my algae issue and thougt about how i handled things in my reef tank.
Algae meant either: bad flow, bad nutrient export or nutrient imbalance.
With a big oase filled with Matrix media i knew the export side was ok. Then i looked at nutrient imbalance. I was using the green aqua ferts, and they were almost empty, so i decided to switch to the ADA line. Last there was flow. I had a 13mm skimmer inlet and the 13mm outflow really didnt produce that much flow despite the filter capacity. So i decided to order a bigger inlet skimmer of 17mm. 
This made a huge difference. All these changes are truly helping to bring the tank to a new level! Algae is 90% gone. Shrimp are feasting on it now 










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## DannyH (9 Jul 2020)

Great stuff  looking forwards to seeing this one grown in.


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## steveno (10 Jul 2020)

Lovely scape mate, well done.

Is that Rotala rotundifolia you have in the background, how you managed to get to redden up so much? 

I've recent rescape my tank and have Rotala rotundifolia, would love it redden like yours, also battling some bba, hopefully I will be as successful as you have been with it.


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## MrStoffel (10 Jul 2020)

The plant in the back is Rotala H’ra.
It was never this red only the last week it has really started looking this good. Must be doing something right, haha 


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## Jayefc1 (10 Jul 2020)

Tank is looking really nice mate so glad you turned it around do you think one thing made a bigger difference or was it all the little changes that just balanced it out


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## MrStoffel (10 Jul 2020)

Although i can’t really tell for sure, i think low flow in the tank + through the filter were the big issues here. For color i do think the ada ferts made the difference.


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## steveno (10 Jul 2020)

MrStoffel said:


> The plant in the back is Rotala H’ra.
> It was never this red only the last week it has really started looking this good. Must be doing something right, haha
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



You certainly must be, better consider getting some ADA ferts then.


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## LondonDragon (10 Jul 2020)

MrStoffel said:


> For color i do think the ada ferts made the difference.


They are very lean and no nitrates


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## MrStoffel (10 Jul 2020)

I’m using the new line of ada, with the normal brighty K. 


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## MrStoffel (10 Jul 2020)

LondonDragon said:


> They are very lean and no nitrates



I have a lot of slow growing anubias, so i think i had excess nitrates before.


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## MrStoffel (16 Jul 2020)

Almost no algae left at this point! So happy with how the tank has improved this last weeks.
Carpet is due for a trim i think! 


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## MrStoffel (16 Jul 2020)

Another angle


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## Deano3 (16 Jul 2020)

Stunning setup plants look very healthy and good job on turning the algae issue around.

Dean

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## MrStoffel (17 Jul 2020)

Thanks! Some pics up close.










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## MrStoffel (19 Sep 2020)

Need to do some overdue trimming and cleaning tomorrow 


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## Janci (21 Sep 2020)

Looking great


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