# A forest unnamed - Fluval F35



## Curvball (22 Sep 2013)

Hi all,

Since getting my fingers green with the idea of planted aquariums I have now embarked on my 1st proper full blown aquascape project.

Tank: Fluval F35
Filter: Fluval 205
Heater: Fluval 50w
Lighting: Fluval nano led unit
CO2: to be determined 
Substrate: cat litter plus some pewter sand
Wood: Manzanite and locally collected driftwood
Rock: Locally collected blue granite
Plants: Anubias sp. some java fern, some Xmas moss otherwise largely undetermined but thinking some hair grass along with some form of taller stem types. Open to suggestions please.






















Any input/advice on the current layout is welcomed. At this point I'm happy but I think once I review it tomorrow I might think different.


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## nanocube (22 Sep 2013)

Very nice setup and good choice of plants.IMHO more mosses and riccardia chamedryfolia(mini pelia) are recommended.
Regards
Tom


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## Curvball (22 Sep 2013)

nanocube said:


> Very nice setup and good choice of plants.IMHO more mosses and riccardia chamedryfolia(mini pelia) are recommended.
> Regards
> Tom



Thanks Tom - your input is appreciated. Will look into ricca.


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## Curvball (22 Sep 2013)

Added a some gravel to break up the rock work.






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## Yo-han (22 Sep 2013)

Is the substrate inert? It looks almost like crushed coral...


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## George Farmer (22 Sep 2013)

Yo-han said:


> Is the substrate inert? It looks almost like crushed coral...


I think it's Unipac Maui Sand, which is quartz. Ady and Troi are currently using it too.

Scape looks promising. Not a big fan of such straight pieces of wood but with planting it won't be so prominent.

I like the idea of graded gravel. To improve it further you could use another gravel from Unipac that is basically a bigger version of Maui. I think it's called Nordic. Currently the yellow/brown contrast  a little unnaturally with the white/grey.

Looking forward to seeing it planted. Consider small textured plants to enhance sense of scale.


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## Yo-han (22 Sep 2013)

Totally agree with the suggestions George gave. But in the end, you can cover it all with plants and it is all nuanced a bit. Looking forward to see how it turns out!


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## Curvball (22 Sep 2013)

Thanks for your input George, I do agree with your comments on the gravel - the minute I added it I was kind of regretting my decision.

The straight pieces of wood was a decision made because of the nature of the in/out lets of the filtration system. Idea here is to get them all completely covered in moss and ferns. 

The main substrate is cat litter - and yes does look a lot like coral sand etc - but it's not wet yet 

Need to look at it again with fresh eyes tomorrow - it is far from ready for planting and flooding.


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## Curvball (22 Sep 2013)

Yo-han said:


> Totally agree with the suggestions George gave. But in the end, you can cover it all with plants and it is all nuanced a bit. Looking forward to see how it turns out!



Yeah me too  thanks for the feedback.


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## tim (22 Sep 2013)

Hi mate, like the tank have been looking at the fluval LEDs so will be interested in how they go for you. When you say cat litter substrate are you using the normal white one ? From experience this just absorbs moisture and turns to mushy mess thankfully I only had it in a nano then read the clay one was the one to use.


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## Curvball (22 Sep 2013)

tim said:


> Hi mate, like the tank have been looking at the fluval LEDs so will be interested in how they go for you. When you say cat litter substrate are you using the normal white one ? From experience this just absorbs moisture and turns to mushy mess thankfully I only had it in a nano then read the clay one was the one to use.



The cat litter is the clay one - non clumping kind too. Fingers crossed...

Will keep this journal updated on my experience with the led - but seems pretty standard so far compared to the various ones I've used for reef aquariums.


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## dw1305 (23 Sep 2013)

Hi all,


Curvball said:


> The cat litter is the clay one - non clumping kind too.


 I tried this, if it is the white sepiolite based one, it make a horrible mess. It may work as an alternative magnesium source (Mg4Si6O15(OH)2·6H2O). I think you will have to remove it.

cheers Darrel


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## Curvball (23 Sep 2013)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> I tried this, if it is the white sepiolite based one, it make a horrible mess. It may work as an alternative magnesium source (Mg4Si6O15(OH)2·6H2O). I think you will have to remove it.
> 
> cheers Darrel



Ah crap! Guess what I'm doing this evening... Hopefully I'll get the main substrate correct on the third try.


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## Tim Harrison (23 Sep 2013)

You've still made a sterling start...so keep at it, you'll get there


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## Curvball (23 Sep 2013)

Troi said:


> You've still made a sterling start...so keep at it, you'll get there



Thanks. 

Now I got an excuse to really look at the layout objectively and make it better.

At least the cats won't be complaining. Even at this rate, I've still not spent enough money to buy 9litres of ADA. 

Incidently I should have some ADA substrate by Wednesday, don't think it will be enough though. Will have to wait and see.


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## Curvball (24 Sep 2013)

Back to square one. 2 hours of cleaning to remove everything - just thankful it was never wet!





Off to track down some of those unipac sands...


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## Curvball (27 Sep 2013)

If you followed me on twitter you would have seen the live updates to my 'scape.

So for those who missed it, here goes...





























Will update the details later. 


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## soton_dave (28 Sep 2013)

love the wood,looks nice and moody,whats the plans for planting?

cheers dave


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## sdlra (28 Sep 2013)

looking forward to keeping my eyes on this one


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## Curvball (28 Sep 2013)

Was going to get some PAR readings from the Fluval LED unit but battery is dead. Maybe later.


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## Curvball (28 Sep 2013)

soton_dave said:


> love the wood,looks nice and moody,whats the plans for planting?
> 
> cheers dave




That's what I'm going for, dark, moody 

In terms of plants - really undecided but will feature lots of moss and ferns. Got some Anubias too that will be going in. 

Thinking some hair grass, some small leafed stem plants for the background, maybe with something red too? Open to suggestions really - my knowledge of plants is nil 


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## Curvball (28 Sep 2013)

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## Curvball (2 Oct 2013)

I flooded this tank on Sunday evening after picking up a few plants. Coming to grips with timers for the co2 and lighting. Have done a 50% water change everyday since Sunday.

Currently no livestock, looking to transfer fish and shrimp this weekend.

With it full of water I'm already reconsidering some of the layout and will tweak things over the next few weeks. Waiting some moss and other plants.

Here are some images.

















Any comments/suggestions/advice is welcome


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## Curvball (6 Oct 2013)

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## Curvball (6 Oct 2013)

Need to move the java ferns on... Any takers? 


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## Curvball (6 Oct 2013)

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## Curvball (10 Oct 2013)

Some snaps from earlier today.






















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## Curvball (13 Oct 2013)

Sunday evening snaps.














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## Curvball (18 Oct 2013)

Just ticking along nicely...






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## Curvball (18 Oct 2013)

And a few more. 












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## George Farmer (18 Oct 2013)

Coming along nicely.


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## Curvball (18 Oct 2013)

George Farmer said:


> Coming along nicely.



Thanks George - appreciate the comment.


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (19 Oct 2013)

Hey,

It's starting to take off, and it looks nice and healthy in there. Most of the hard scape looks fine, but the bunch of big wood/manzanita sticks on the left of the front shot look a bit busy. Would you consider taking one out? As I think it will transform the tank and open up the viewing angle a lot more.

Just a suggestion, I'm not an expert 

Interesting tank too, how do you find them? Pros/cons?

Cheers,
N


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## Curvball (19 Oct 2013)

Nathaniel Whiteside said:


> Hey,
> 
> It's starting to take off, and it looks nice and healthy in there. Most of the hard scape looks fine, but the bunch of big wood/manzanita sticks on the left of the front shot look a bit busy. Would you consider taking one out? As I think it will transform the tank and open up the viewing angle a lot more.
> 
> ...




Thanks for the input - to be honest - the aquascape aspect of this system is really secondary for me, right now I'm just getting to grips with growing the plants.

There are a hundred things I dislike about the current layout


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (19 Oct 2013)

Curvball said:


> Thanks for the input - to be honest - the aquascape aspect of this system is really secondary for me, right now I'm just getting to grips with growing the plants.
> 
> There are a hundred things I dislike about the current layout
> 
> ...




Definitely the best way to go about things, and your doing a great job by the looks. 
The overall look is pretty good, you should be pleased with how it's turned out


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## Curvball (20 Oct 2013)

SSS... Sunday Shrimp Snap... 






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## Samuran (22 Oct 2013)

Is that a male and a female betta splendens in there I spy?

Getting on ok with the shrimp? and each other?


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## Curvball (25 Oct 2013)

Quick pic from last night. Will get to answering questions and writing about the tank this weekend, hopefully.






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## Curvball (25 Oct 2013)

Samuran said:


> Is that a male and a female betta splendens in there I spy?
> 
> Getting on ok with the shrimp? and each other?



Yeah, male & female beta splendens. Here a quick snap of them 





They both give the guppy a tough time but in general everybody gets along. Shrimp population is down - think the female beta has been hunting them.


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## Curvball (26 Oct 2013)

Morning light.






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## Curvball (26 Oct 2013)

Just finished a bit of reshuffle with the wood in the tank and a did a nice trim.



















Will post new pics tomorrow once it has all settled down.


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## Curvball (26 Oct 2013)

Kind of happier with the scape now, but need the foreground plants to fill out more - feels too patchy at present. Thinking about moving the hair grass to one side in the front and go with HC on the other? Or should I go with the HC and then the hair grass to break up the lines leading into the rocks etc?


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## Curvball (27 Oct 2013)

Sunday snapshot.






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## Curvball (29 Oct 2013)

HC gold - thanks to Andy (big clown).






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## Curvball (29 Oct 2013)

So now that the HC arrived, I have finished planting. Ended up moving all the hair grass to form a border between the HC and the hard scape. Was surprised at the root structures that had already been produced by the hair grass - guess I must be doing something right...

Updated snap shot to follow tomorrow.


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## Curvball (30 Oct 2013)

The tank as of this evening. Input/thoughts are welcomed.


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## Andy Thurston (30 Oct 2013)

Looking good. I think you made the right choice with how you planted the hc and hg. It will look mint when the carpet fills in.


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## Curvball (30 Oct 2013)

Big clown said:


> Looking good. I think you made the right choice with how you planted the hc and hg. It will look mint when the carpet fills in.



Thanks for the feedback Andy  I'm looking forward to seeing it come together. Want to get a handle on this tank and then attempt a strict minimalist style tank in the do!aqua mini m I've got in the attic.


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## Curvball (2 Nov 2013)

Nothing like a nice quick 25% water change 

Hoping to add some Amanos today along with 2-3 more Otto's. Will look to grow the neon tetra shoal too, 2 just isn't good.


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## Deano3 (2 Nov 2013)

looks great mate really like the hard scape

Dean


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## Curvball (2 Nov 2013)

Deano3 said:


> looks great mate really like the hard scape
> 
> Dean



Thanks Dean, appreciate your comment. 


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## Curvball (2 Nov 2013)

My plan to grow the tetra population was been vetoed by the pair of Siamese fighters. 10 neon tetras decimated in roughly 30min. Them fighters are quite something. Oh well. 


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## tim (2 Nov 2013)

feisty buggers fighters mate, I kept one that took great pleasure in biting the heads of my shrimp and spitting them out as I looked in the tank, never again lol.


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## Curvball (2 Nov 2013)

tim said:


> feisty buggers fighters mate, I kept one that took great pleasure in biting the heads of my shrimp and spitting them out as I looked in the tank, never again lol.



I guess their aggression levels are much higher than we give them credit for. I can relate to the shrimp butchering - witnessed the betta pair methodically hunting all my shrimp too.

Time to get the other tank up so I can have some peace (shrimp) - my son is rather attached to his 'daddy & mommy fighting fish' ha ha.


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## tim (2 Nov 2013)

Could be aggression triggered by breeding behaviour, have you noticed a bubble nest being built ? I think I've read you need to remove the female once babies are around in case the male turns on her, no expert though hopefully someone with betta experience can chime in, scapes coming along a treat btw mixed hc/hug carpet will look the biz.


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## sa80mark (2 Nov 2013)

The problem with betta is you will pretty much always get differing opinions,  I kept and bred thousands of betta, male betta should always be kept alone, betta do not do well in pairs, groups etc the area where this differs is with females, females can be kept together but I always advise groups of 6+ as a minimum, even all females groups will show aggression to each other, one of the most understood thing about betta is that they are not like most fish each and every betta have there own personality some are extremely placid where others can act and only be described as evil, betta in community tanks are hit and miss ( same in shrimp tanks) some will terroris everything in the tank others will be tore to pieces,  most tetras and barbs etc will harass betta none stop normally resulting in disease and or death of the betta ( normally ) in short I guess what im saying betta should be kept alone and if tank mates are desired then things like corys, ottos etc are the only real options imo

Mark


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## Andy D (2 Nov 2013)

As Mark and others say, Male Bettas really should be kept on their own or with a select group on inhabitants and even then there is no guarantee the Betta will get along with them long term.

Some start out okay but tend to get more aggressive as they mature. I bought one recently and he immediately started going for the Ramshorns in the tank.


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## Curvball (3 Nov 2013)

Thanks for all the input guys, appreciate it. It just comes down to my inexperience with the freshwater side of this hobby. I think I might add a few of those cute looking Oscars.... Ha ha. 

Tim, no sign of any nest and I think as Mark and Andy say, this particular fish is just a beautiful red nightmare.


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## Curvball (16 Nov 2013)

After almost 12 days of no CO2, the tank is looking terrible despite min lighting. New CO2 cylinder was installed last night so things resume as normal today. Got to replant as so many plants just ended up floating. Is this normal?

Do I just go straight back to normal photo period now that co2 is back online? Do I super dose co2? Any advice/feedback is welcome.



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## darren636 (16 Nov 2013)

if at full co2 you will need full lighting , otherwise you may gas any inhabitants


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## Curvball (16 Nov 2013)

Thanks Darren, makes sense. 


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## Curvball (16 Nov 2013)

A large water change, some replanting and removal of brown leaves...  And this is the result...







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## darren636 (16 Nov 2013)

Not bad at all, pal.


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## Curvball (16 Nov 2013)

A few more snaps from earlier including what's inside the cabinet.














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## Curvball (18 Nov 2013)

Seriously considering a complete tear down and restart on this tank... Everything just isn't coming together as I envisaged.


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## darren636 (18 Nov 2013)

Tearing down such a small tank can be a good thing,  moving water around is a chore , but you get to rebuild and improve with a new scape. Even if you limit yourself to reusing existing materials - the end result is certain to be better than the previous.  You'll be happy with the new creation for a day or two....


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## Andy Thurston (18 Nov 2013)

Chuck a couple of amano's in now your co2 is back on they'll 
Clean it up in no time and you'll soon be back on track


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## Andy Thurston (18 Nov 2013)

Chuck a couple of amano's in now your co2 is back on they'll 
Clean it up in no time and you'll soon be back on track


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## Curvball (19 Nov 2013)

Have RO unit  so happy especially as it was a complete surprise from a good friend.

Who says Christmas doesn't come early...






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## Andy D (19 Nov 2013)

Looks like the same unit I have.

Probably one of the best purchases I have made.


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## Curvball (19 Nov 2013)

Andy D said:


> Looks like the same unit I have.
> 
> Probably one of the best purchases I have made.



Yip, RO unit is a must have for any aquarist IMO. My last system was a 8 stage monster I just slowly built up, wife wasn't so impressed when it took up its own cupboard in the kitchen 


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## Andy D (19 Nov 2013)

Curvball said:


> Yip, RO unit is a must have for any aquarist IMO. My last system was a 8 stage monster I just slowly built up, wife wasn't so impressed when it took up its own cupboard in the kitchen



I can imagine! 

Mine is tucked away in a cupboard in the conservatory so I get no grief from the wife. Well almost. The other night I forgot to turn it off and went to bed. Woke up in the morning to a very wet floor! D'oh!


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## Curvball (19 Nov 2013)

Ha ha, I can relate (as I'm sure everybody on here can) - I've flooded the kitchen a few times 

You can't call yourself an aquarist until you've flooded something - and a DSM setup doesn't count 


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## Curvball (29 Nov 2013)

Still haven't got the RO unit setup but opted to brighten up the tank and ditched the black background. 













And you will notice that I've pretty much lost all the HC, pretty sure the lack of CO2 was the cause. But I did see the guppys uprooting the HC and hair grass.


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## Curvball (1 Dec 2013)

Kind of like it from this angle... Otherwise it's pretty terrible, seriously considering a tear down and a rescape next weekend.






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## Curvball (27 Feb 2014)

Haven't updated this thread for awhile but here are some snapshots of the tank in its current form. Really just a mishmash of stuff now really. Running CO2 and ferts with weekly 50% water changes. Also been dosing liquid carbon which seems to have eradicated the BBA which appeared after I had CO2 issues. I also dropped the lighting by adding a sheet of frosted vinyl to the LED unit. Plants lower down might be suffering but overall everything appears balanced at this stage.


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## Curvball (27 Feb 2014)

Snapped a few more shots


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## Curvball (5 Mar 2014)

Meet the new residents, Mr & Mrs A. Macmasteri.


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## Curvball (5 Apr 2014)

Update snapshot time - and it got a trim earlier today. Still doing 50% water changes once a week. It's really just on auto pilot now.


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## Tim Harrison (5 Apr 2014)

Looking good...


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## aliclarke86 (9 Apr 2014)

Hey, looks great!! I thought you had packed it in for a bit! Glad to see your still running this one!!

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk


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## Curvball (18 Apr 2014)

aliclarke86 said:


> Hey, looks great!! I thought you had packed it in for a bit! Glad to see your still running this one!!
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk



Yeah, technically my sons tank


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## Curvball (18 Apr 2014)

Unexpected update. It appears that I have some A. macmasteri fry hanging out in the lower regions of the tank. Stoked!


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## Curvball (18 Apr 2014)

Excuse the crappy iPhone photos but these little suckers are tiny!









Think there about 6 of them.

Anything I should be doing to ensure they survive? Female is hovering and appears to be guarding them?


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## Edvet (18 Apr 2014)

Get some fry food or micro food. Perhaps someone has microworms in your neighboorhood. Cyclops could be just a bit to big yet.


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## Andy Thurston (18 Apr 2014)

happy days, baby fish, Well done!


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## Curvball (18 Apr 2014)

Edvet said:


> Get some fry food or micro food. Perhaps someone has microworms in your neighboorhood. Cyclops could be just a bit to big yet.




Thanks Ed - will do.


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## Curvball (18 Apr 2014)

Big clown said:


> happy days, baby fish, Well done!



Thanks - I love how things just happen when you leave a tank alone


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## Andy Thurston (18 Apr 2014)

Best way mate some fish don't like it when you always have your hands in their tank


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## Curvball (18 Apr 2014)

Big clown said:


> Best way mate some fish don't like it when you always have your hands in their tank



So true, so true.


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## superdon101 (11 Dec 2014)

Curvball, are you still around? Just about to start an F35 set up and wondered if you had any thoughts or tips on the tank?


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## Curvball (11 Dec 2014)

superdon101 said:


> Curvball, are you still around? Just about to start an F35 set up and wondered if you had any thoughts or tips on the tank?



Hi, not actively around the scene - but the tank is still going strong. Running complete low tech now with weekly 50% water changes.

Tank is really good straight out of the box to be honest. Really simple and straight forward.

The tank as it is right now (needs a water change...)


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## superdon101 (11 Dec 2014)

Looks great to me. I am really looking to setting ours up at Christmas. Seems like hardly anyone has these tanks, especially the F35. 

How much sand did you use for the substrate? I have ordered 2.5kg of tetraplant and a 12.5kg bad of unipac sand and plan to bank up towards the pipes like you have. I am hoping thats enough.

What fish stock do you have at the moment?

Oh and another question on filter pipes. Do you ever need to maintain the connection at the bottom of the tank at all? I mean do you have to make allowances in the scape to allow access to the base of those pipes? Hope that makes sense. 

Sorry for all the question! Like I say, these tanks seem pretty rare and I haven't spoken to anyone else that has one, so need to pick your brains.


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## Curvball (11 Dec 2014)

Your amount of substrate sounds pretty good and should work well - I have somewhat of a rock wall that separates the top level and the front areas of the tank, can remember exactly how much substrate I used but your figures sound right.

In terms of the pipes, I've never had to access them so far. The filter maintenance I straight forward due to the stop valves inside the cabinet. The grill on the inlet is removable so nice and easy to clean when doing water changes. 

Fish wise at the moment, just 7 sailfin mollies and one otto. 

I have the LED unit setup to its highest allowable position and only have a 6 hour photo period - I did run it longer and at it lowest height when I was injecting co2 but the current format with water changes is providing growth of the plants and no algae issues. Basically the tank is completely hands off 

All round it is a clean simple system that runs very quietly. 

Good luck with your tank!


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## superdon101 (11 Dec 2014)

That's great info. I am going to be planting with some easy maintenance plants, and wont be using co2. So you reckon the light fitted at its highest would be best then?

I also read a review that said the cable on the heater wasn't long enough - is that true?


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## drodgers (15 Dec 2014)

Lovely setup you have, and i enjoyed your progression from the start..


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## Curvball (21 Dec 2014)

superdon101 said:


> That's great info. I am going to be planting with some easy maintenance plants, and wont be using co2. So you reckon the light fitted at its highest would be best then?
> 
> I also read a review that said the cable on the heater wasn't long enough - is that true?



Yes, the little LED provides a good amount of light. You might want to experiment with the height to find a sweet spot for your tank. Another optio and something I did was to put frosted vinyl over the light to reduce the intensity - this worked well too.

No problems with cable lengths of the various bits of equipment - could they be longer, yes, but works just fine as they are now.


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## Curvball (21 Dec 2014)

drodgers said:


> Lovely setup you have, and i enjoyed your progression from the start..



Thank you.


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## Curvball (21 Dec 2014)

Just because...


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## superdon101 (23 Dec 2014)

Thanks curvball.

Just started building the tank and cabinet, sneakily as its an Xmas present. Fluval put a 206 filter with mine, rather than the 106 which I believe it should have?

There's a couple of parts I have no idea what they are for. Can you have a look and see if you know what they are?

This came in the box with the filter parts and pipework...



This came in the box with the cabinet. I am thinking its shelf clips for one of the larger fluval fresh models...



Any ideas would be appreciated.


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## superdon101 (23 Dec 2014)

I think the first pic is a tool for taking out the impeller.


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## Curvball (23 Dec 2014)

Mmmmmm, not really sure about the plastic clips - might be excess parts, don't recall them in my tank package. That little wire tool thing, think you might be right re: impeller tool.

The filter size sounds like a great Xmas bonus  I have the 106 on my tank. 206 is going to be great with all that extra flow  just be sure to position the outlets so that you are breaking the water surface and aimed at each corner - works for me.

Link me to your setup thread, will be great to see how your tank comes along.


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## superdon101 (23 Dec 2014)

I haven't started a thread yet, but I will do when I can get everything out on Xmas day and will give you a shout with a link. 

I have most things sorted and ready to go. I just need to decide on plants, which is stressing me out.


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## superdon101 (26 Dec 2014)

Curvball. Just started a thread about mine at...

http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/fluval-f35-its-for-my-wife-and-kids-honest.35548/

Go easy on me


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## superdon101 (7 Jan 2015)

Curvball. Do you have any problems with the heater getting up to a good temperature at all? I am doing a fishless cycle and trying to get the temp up to around 28, but it doesn't seem to want to rise above about 24/25. 

Spoke to fluval and they said that is to be expected!


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## alto (12 Jan 2015)

not Curvball, but if this is a 50 watt heater it's going to struggle to keep the tank at much more than a few degrees above room temp - good in a way as it's never going to boil your fish even if the heater gets stuck "on" ... not so good if you want higher temps for whatever reason, you might just pick up a 100 watt heater.

(note that at the time of kit purchase, some shops will "swap" out items for upgrades at small fees ... if you complain to your shop they might get the Fluval sales rep to sort you a 100 watt heater at cost rather than MSRP - though you may still find a sale heater at better bargain)

Curvball - nice work with this tank, it's always interesting to see how a tank evolves over time


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## superdon101 (13 Jan 2015)

alto said:


> not Curvball, but if this is a 50 watt heater it's going to struggle to keep the tank at much more than a few degrees above room temp - good in a way as it's never going to boil your fish even if the heater gets stuck "on" ... not so good if you want higher temps for whatever reason, you might just pick up a 100 watt heater.
> 
> (note that at the time of kit purchase, some shops will "swap" out items for upgrades at small fees ... if you complain to your shop they might get the Fluval sales rep to sort you a 100 watt heater at cost rather than MSRP - though you may still find a sale heater at better bargain)
> 
> Curvball - nice work with this tank, it's always interesting to see how a tank evolves over time



Thanks. I have already ordered a bigger heater. I will keep the 50w as a spare or sell it on.


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