# Japanese Bonsai Garden - Learning Curve



## Kalum (10 Jan 2018)

Even though my tank won’t be anywhere near the scaped level of most of you I thought it would be good to keep a timeline of mine anyway to show what I’m planning and what I learn along the way as i'm new to all this (hopefully get a few pointers and ideas from any of you as well, be as brutal as you want….)

Main idea for this tank is a Japanese Bonsai Garden as a small community tank that is based around a betta. I had initially planned to keep it minimalist but the more time I spend on this site the more I want to plant, plus it will be more interesting for the fish as well. So I’m at a point where I’m looking for ideas so any comments are welcome, my plant knowledge is pretty basic.

*Tank* = Superfish Home 60 (55cm x 32cm x 35cm)

*Lighting* = Built in 10w LED lighting (4 levels) with blue light night mode (2 levels)

*Filtration* = Internal Superfish Aqua Flow 200 <400 lph> (Charcoal and half of the standard sponge removed and replaced 125g of Seachem Matrix and 2 layers of Juwel Filter Floss)

*Heater* = 100w Juwel Aqua Heat

*Plants* = so far (pretty sparse as you can see but just picked up a few from my LFS to help cycle the tank till I decide exactly what I want) = Hygrofillia Salicfolia Narrow Leaf, Micranthemum Monte Carlo, Java Moss Bridge (temp), Marimo Moss Balls, Christmas Moss & Fissidens Fontanus

*Landscaping* = 4kg ‘Mini Landscaping Rock’, Superfish Bonsai Driftwood - Small

*Substrate *= Hugo Kamishi Natural Sand

*Ferts* = Flourish Excel (1ml daily), Flourish Comp (0.5ml daily) but this will be replaced with Aqua Scaper Complete once it arrives and will be dosing at 2.5ml daily and also using Dennerle Power Root Tabs (once every 3-4 months but will monitor)

*Photoperiod* = 6 hours (5pm – 11pm), not much direct sunlight at all

*Co2* = Liquid only as want to see how I get on and learn without gas first but I know I’ve been ambitious with the mosses for a newb so I’m open to adding if needed down the line.

*Dechlorinator* = Prime

*Temperature* = 25.5°C (78°F), currently at 27.5°C (81.5°F) to help the bacteria growth

*Fish* = None in this tank yet as still cycling, but planning on 1 x Betta (halfmoon), 6-8 x Espei Rasbora, 6 x Tertas (tbc), 2 x otocinclus catfish and possible a couple of shrimp if my betta allows it.

*Tank progress* = Currently in the middle of my fishless cycle where it is dealing with 4ppm ammonia in 24 hours (down to 0.25ppm) but still have high nitrites and nitrates, doing daily WC (30%, 50% and 70% over last 3 days) to try and keep the nitrites below 5ppm and after last nights WC it finally dropped to 2ppm so I brought ammonia back up to 2ppm.

*Current ideas* – Bonsai with Fissidens & Christmas Moss wall on the side of the filter housing. Considering making a spray bar mounted at the back to aid in circulation (need to see how the betta reacts with the flow and surface agitation and take into account)

Happy(ish) with the left side of the tank once the Bonsai is in and a few tweaks, but middle and right is very lacklustre right now and looks basic, was just planted quickly to cycle and I want to redo prior to introducing fish and plant a bit heavier, what plants i'm not sure yet....

Bonsai driftwood





Test of bonsai in tank




As it stands now


----------



## dw1305 (10 Jan 2018)

Hi all, 





Kalum said:


> *Tank progress* = Currently in the middle of my fishless cycle where it is dealing with 4ppm ammonia in 24 hours (down to 0.25ppm) but still have high nitrites and nitrates, doing daily WC (30%, 50% and 70% over last 3 days) to try and keep the nitrites below 5ppm and after last nights WC it finally dropped to 2ppm so I brought ammonia back up to 2ppm.


Hi Kalum, 
You can stop adding ammonia, it doesn't help in planted tanks, and may actually inhibit the growth of the microbial flora you want.

Have a look at <"Do I need to cycle..."> for some more detail.

If you want to keep a _Betta _I would definitely have floating plants, and a leafy plant that reaches the tanks surface. Have a look at <"Planted Betta tank....">. 

If you want some floaters etc. I always have plenty spare.  

cheers Darrel


----------



## Kalum (10 Jan 2018)

Hi Darrel, thanks for the comments. That's the first time i've ever heard that adding ammonia could actually be detrimental to the bacterial growth in the cycle. I have heard about people just setting up, running and leaving their tanks for 2 months to cycle itself but with the little planting i have i felt my tank needed that little extra push. I'm making sure i keep my levels within reason with regular WC's so they don't spike and stall the cycle. I always thought you needed to keep the bacteria fed so needed ammonia of some form for that?

I did buy a Red Lotus Tiger Lily but after finding out it's not the friendliest of plants and the root system is pretty aggressive i opted to take it back, thanks for the offer as well it's much appreciated i'll have a look into what floating plants there are and learn a bit more about them, leafy denser plants are exactly what i'm wanting for the middle/right side of the tank. Not wanting anything too big but enough so theres a few hiding places for the betta and other fish etc...scouring aquarium gardens website constantly trying to whittle it down but it's a minefield


----------



## dw1305 (10 Jan 2018)

Hi all, 





Kalum said:


> I have heard about people just setting up, running and leaving their tanks for 2 months to cycle itself


Yes, this is what we recommend and it really does work. 





Kalum said:


> I always thought you needed to keep the bacteria fed so needed ammonia of some form for that?


Cycling is a contentious subject, and most of what you read on forums (I know this is a forum) is incorrect.  

Ammonia levels are relevant, but the really important metric, in biological filtration is oxygen. This is why scientists talk about the bioload in terms of <"Biochemical Oxygen Demand"> (BOD). 

Ammonia levels have a major effect on dissolved oxygen levels, because when you have nitrification you convert NH3(NH4+) to NO2- to NO3-, so you've liberated three hydrogen ions ("protons") and you've taken three oxygen atoms from the water. Acids are defined as <"proton donors">, so you have also reduced the base status of the water. 

The traditional view of biological filtration is that:

Certain filter bacteria are all important in nitrification, and that the bacteria involved require a high pH and a large ammonia loading. 
Plants (and substrate) are looked at as relatively irrelevant. 
Cycling is basically a binary process where tanks are either non-cycled or cycled
None of this is really true, cycling is very much a "shades of grey" process. Where the traditional view starts to break down is that scientific research has shown that the extremely restricted  ammonia oxidising bacteria, that were originally isolated from sewage works, don't actually occur in aquarium filters. You can read Dr Tim Hovanec's more recent comments in <"Bacteria revealed">. Also we know that plants and substrate are of great importance in bio-filtration, have a look at Dr Stephan Tanner's <"aquarium biofiltration"> article for some details about substrates.

The major advance was when RNA analysis has shown that nitrification is carried out by a much wider range of organisms than was originally suspected, many of them belonging to the <"Archaea">. Research into <"phytoremediation of organic wastes">  and <"Constructed wetlands"> has shown that "plant/microbe" filtration is potentially an order of magnitude more efficient than "microbe only filtration". 





Kalum said:


> Not wanting anything too big but enough so theres a few hiding places for the betta and other fish etc...scouring aquarium gardens website constantly trying to whittle it down but it's a minefield


I like _Ceratopteris thalictroides_ (or <"_C. cornuta">). _If you have a Pets@Home near you you may be able to find some Tropica plants in the <"three for £11"> plant selection. A <"_Cryptocoryne_ sp."> like <"_C. beckettii">_ or <"_C. x willisii"> _may also be available (and recommended).

Another good one is <"_Ceratophyllum demersum">, _you may struggle to find any-one who sells it now, but I use it a lot. 

cheers Darrel


----------



## Kalum (10 Jan 2018)

Every days a school day Darrel, some interesting reading there and a totally differet take on things, while that would clearly be the best and most natural way I'm not sure I'm that patient tbh, hopefully the way I've chosen to do things works for me and is a good middle ground between totally natural method you explained above and a fish in cycle

I think I'll use aquarium gardens for most of my plants from now so I'll have a look on there, the crypts are a few I was looking at before and it was the Cryptocoryne Nevellii that caught my eye but looks very similar to the 2 above


----------



## dw1305 (10 Jan 2018)

Hi all, 





Kalum said:


> Cryptocoryne Nevellii


 It is probably <"_Cryptocoryne x willisii">. _You can only get a positive ID for most _Cryptocoryne_ plants when they flowers, which they only do when grown emersed.





Kalum said:


> and a totally differet take on things


That is the thing it isn't really, it is a pretty mainstream approach in some European countries (like Germany and the Netherlands). 

I'll be quite honest with you, I think there are certain parts of the Aquatics industry which has no interest in making the welfare of aquarium fish any better, and actively seeks to obscure and mislead aquarists, probably because there is no money to be made in telling people _plants and time_ will cycle a tank.  

When I started keeping fish there wasn't any internet and few books with any useful information. "Aged tank water" was meant to have all sorts of magic properties, and most people took great care to change as little water as possible, because of the dangers of fresh tap water.  I (and most other people) used to kill off their fish with alarming regularity. It was only later that I realised the "aged water" was a lot of the problem, not the solution.

The problem now is that all the answers are out there, but you have to sift the wheat from the chaff on the internet, and there is a lot of chaff. Have a look at <"PlanetCatfish: using deep gravel...">, it is quite a long thread but has a variety of opinions.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Kalum (10 Jan 2018)

Yeh I think that's exactly it, the internet is its own worst enemy at times because it's like Chinese whispers and if you repeat something enough it becomes 'true'

The main thing for me is i get the aquarium yo look the way I want and that I create a good home for the fish without harming them along way, I'm pushing things along with low/moderate ammonia dosing and although not as natural it should hopefully still get me the same end result in a reasonable time frame, I'm only on day 17 of having it set up so expecting it to be another few weeks of it sorting itself out and finding its feet

The links and explanations are much appreciated and I can see me placing an order for a few plants this weekend


----------



## Kalum (11 Jan 2018)

Sorting out my temp planting situation so did the quick sketch below to keep me right. Comments welcome.


 

1.      Bonsai Driftwood with Fissidens Fontanus
2.       Micranthemum Monte-Carlo
3.      Hygrofillia Salicfolia Narrow Leaf
4.      TBC (possibly Limnophila Sessiliflora)
5.      Hygrophila 'Siamensis 53B & Hygrofillia Salicfolia Narrow Leaf
6.       Alternanthera Reineckii Mini
7.       Staurogyne Repens

Still looking for a high surface type plant that’s not too big for my small tank (for either front left or right) and caught between a floater such as frogbit and a stem plant like Nymphoides Hydrophilla ‘Taiwan’. Don’t want it to obstruct the view in the tank but also don’t want it floating around everywhere

Not sure if Limnophila Sessiliflora (4) might be a bit much with everything else I’ve planned as well…


----------



## Kalum (13 Jan 2018)

Few things starting to turn up


----------



## Kalum (13 Jan 2018)

Wee delivery from Aquarium Gardens


----------



## Kalum (13 Jan 2018)

Prep


----------



## Kalum (13 Jan 2018)

Getting there, not happy with a few things but it's work in progress and I'm learning as I go I'm fairly happy for now


----------



## Kalum (13 Jan 2018)

Change in ferts from today, dosing 2.5ml of Evolution Aquascaper Complete and 1.5ml Excel daily


----------



## Kalum (14 Jan 2018)

Decided I'm going to get a Nymphoides Hydrophilia Taiwan ordered to sit in the back left corner behind the bonsai to provide a surface plant for the betta so sleep/hide, just need to make sure it doesn't shade the fissidens on the bonsai

On the look out for a very small and low piece of driftwood for front/middle which I'll grow some Christmas moss on, purely for the fish/shrimp rather the aesthetics


----------



## Smells Fishy (14 Jan 2018)

I love the concept you've made and how it's centered around the bonsai tree. I remember a few years ago P@H sold them along with these crazy levitating moss balls tied to string with a weight at the bottom. I've recently bought a double tail Betta also, he's being a bit of a challenge to feed, only eating frozen bloodworms with gusto. So I've bought some betta pellets, hopefully that should sort him out.


----------



## Kalum (14 Jan 2018)

Smells Fishy said:


> I love the concept you've made and how it's centered around the bonsai tree. I remember a few years ago P@H sold them along with these crazy levitating moss balls tied to string with a weight at the bottom. I've recently bought a double tail Betta also, he's being a bit of a challenge to feed, only eating frozen bloodworms with gusto. So I've bought some betta pellets, hopefully that should sort him out.



Thanks mate 

Ah nice how long have you had your betta for? I feed mine the Fish Science Betta Granuals and he can't get enough of them, going to get some blood worms a daphnia soon and feed them once a week


----------



## Smells Fishy (14 Jan 2018)

I've had him coming on a month now and over that time I've tried quite a few foods on him including frozen daphnia. It was my first time and only time using it so I don't know if its normal but when it was defrosted and i added some to the water it seemed all stuck together and didn't resemble daphnia at all, then in the current it broke up into hundreds of bits. It's probably going to stay in my freezer for years until I've got a tank with enough tiny fish that can eat it.

I didn't know Fish Science did a betta food, will probably try it out, where did you buy it?. I've got tetra betta food in the post, I think it's the cheapest you can get, also bought NT labs pro-f nano as a back up.


----------



## Kalum (14 Jan 2018)

I've only had mine for just over 2 weeks now, tried to feed him a pea on a couple of occasions (even soaked in garlic juice as they suppsedly love that even though it sounds rank). Think I'll try the live daphnia and bloodworms rather than frozen. All the frozen stuff just looks shockingly bad when defrosted like you say. 

Yeh its just new out and my local LFS Riverside Aquaria had it and recommended it and is what they feed their bettas.


----------



## Kalum (15 Jan 2018)

Got a Co2 kit arriving in a couple of days so i want to make sure i'm set up for getting it dialed and understand it all from the start.

Hardness - 2.67 dKH (tap water according to Scottish Water tests) - is my tank likely to vary much from this with what i have and is it worth getting a liquid test kit to use just at the start to set up my pH drop?
pH - tap water is 7.2 out the tap and also in my tank (constant no matter what time of day)
TDS - no idea

According to Tom Barr's table (using a pH of 7.2 and kH of 3) would mean i need to achieve a drop to 6.5 pH which will equate to 28.5ppm. Do I need more accurate measurements for kH or is this a good enough starter?

Are pH pens withing a reasonable price worth it or is the liquid tests adequate?
TDS meter/pen worth it to keep track of values since i'm introducing Co2 to try and get a balance?

Obviously all of these tests are just an indication and what is happening in the tank and how the plants and fish react is more important, i just want to make sure i give myself as much a chance of getting it right early on as possible rather than a hit and hope


----------



## Kalum (16 Jan 2018)

Co2 Art kit and 1.5kg Co2 cylinder from Scotech in Glasgow hopefully arriving today


----------



## Kalum (16 Jan 2018)

More goodies


----------



## Kalum (16 Jan 2018)

First test of hardness levels 

Tank
KH - 2
GH - 4

Tap water
KH - 2
GH - 3


----------



## Kalum (17 Jan 2018)

Co2 kit installed and up and running, got it set up on the opposite side to the filter to hopefully get the best circulation I can (directly opposite the outlet) with the drop checker next to the filter, currently set at 3bps (no fish) and 40psi

Will be aiming for a pH drop from 7.2 to 6.6 initially and trying to hit that for lights on

Co2 on at 3pm, lights on at 5pm
Co2 off at 9pm, lights off at 11pm


----------



## hotashes (17 Jan 2018)

Nice piece of kit, my name is Ash and I'm based in London uk.  Great looking tank set up.  Inspired by your bonsai.  Where will I get one of them ha ha?  I'm guessing you got the CO2 system at discount price following their recent deal at CO2 Art.  I'm awaiting my pro SE elite series to arrive...  Will be my first ever attempt at CO2.  Be good to learn some pointers here as well as good plants to get..  Yes I also use Aquarium gardens.


Aqua oak tanks 4'x2'x2' & 5'x2'x2' both freshwater set up on apex Neptune systems.  
Mortgage & Protection Adviser Full Time,
Peace


----------



## Kalum (18 Jan 2018)

Thanks for the comments Ash, you can get the bonsais online but Maidenhead Aquatics actually have them as well so you can see before you buy as they do vary a bit

Co2 off last night around 10pm with the drop checker lime green indicating around 30ppm, just checked this morning so 8+ hours later and it's still lime green and the pH is still sitting at 6.4 and hasn' r at all. My KH is 2 so I expected it to return to its usual 7.2 pretty quickly?

Filter is giving a slight surface ripple and tank has a glass top with 1cm gap all the way round, could the glass top be holding the gas in that much??


----------



## Kalum (18 Jan 2018)

Wasn't a fan of the big black filter housing so decided to make a DIY moss wall, 304 stainless steel and Christmas moss with suction cups


----------



## kadoxu (19 Jan 2018)

Kalum said:


> Wasn't a fan of the big black filter housing so decided to make a DIY moss wall, 304 stainless steel and Christmas moss with suction cups


Why not upgrade to a small canister/HOB filter?


----------



## Kalum (19 Jan 2018)

kadoxu said:


> Why not upgrade to a small canister/HOB filter?



It's a nice contained unit and as much as it's annoying that it takes up space inside it's a good happy medium for me starting out with the space i have. Was just trying to soften the look of it with the moss wall.

If i decide to get a bigger tank in the future then I would go down the canister route


----------



## MrB15hop (19 Jan 2018)

I took the box out of mine and just moved the filter to the back corner with the heater just in front of it. It hasn't created loads of room, But it does make the tank feel bigger...



 

I've been trying justify spending on a canister filter for it. Pretty sure I'm still not allowed though. Haha.

I am sort of wishing I'd thought of trying the moss wall before I pulled the tank apart now...


----------



## Kalum (19 Jan 2018)

MrB15hop said:


> I took the box out of mine and just moved the filter to the back corner with the heater just in front of it. It hasn't created loads of room, But it does make the tank feel bigger...
> 
> View attachment 112755
> 
> ...



That does make it look a lot bigger! The back corner behind the filter does bug me as it's hidden away and kind of wasted space but I'm justifying it telling myself it's a good hiding spot for some fish if they want it..... Lol

Looks good though and could easily hide the filter and heater a bit with a few strategically placed plants


----------



## MrB15hop (19 Jan 2018)

The last straw with mine was when my betta decided she was going to keep hiding in there. I thought she was stuck, but she was getting in by sliding over the top, and then just sitting there, mocking me.

I thought the same about the space behind it, but I figure I've gained useable space, and only sacrificed dead space. 
Like you say, plenty of plants can hide it, with the right light it can sort of blend away into the background....ish..


----------



## Kalum (19 Jan 2018)

Yeh I have thought about that as I fill right up to the top of the filter unit so was thinking about putting mesh or something round the top

I wouldn't be surprised if that was true about your betta! Surprised at how much of a personality they have


----------



## Kalum (20 Jan 2018)

One thing that's still puzzling me is that even 15 hours later after co2 has turned off my pH is still sitting very low and hasn't risen back up much at all

Start - 7.2
Co2 on - 6.4
15 hours later - 6.6

KH is a constant 2


----------



## MrB15hop (20 Jan 2018)

I'll be honest..my tank has been running for near enough a year now, and I haven't tested the water once...
I've just been learning, and using visual cues from inside the tank...

Yeah, the personality on betta' s makes them quite amusing. She's an oddball to say the least.


----------



## Patrick Crowley (21 Jan 2018)

Kalum said:


> One thing that's still puzzling me is that even 15 hours later after co2 has turned off my pH is still sitting very low and hasn't risen back up much at all
> 
> Start - 7.2
> Co2 on - 6.4
> ...



I’m also new to co2, I added it to two tanks at the beginning of the year.  Now I’m measuring co2 levels with a drop checker, rather than a pH pen, but I see a marked difference between my tanks.

The first has good flow and plenty of surface agitation - the drop checker is back to dark blue within a few hours.

The second, I have problems with flow and my lily pipe.  No surface agitated, as I cannot raise the outflow lily pipe (I’m looking to replace it).  This stays lime green for 3 days after turning off the co2!

So in my experience, flow and surface agitation have a huge effect on co2 degassing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Kalum (22 Jan 2018)

Patrick Crowley said:


> I’m also new to co2, I added it to two tanks at the beginning of the year.  Now I’m measuring co2 levels with a drop checker, rather than a pH pen, but I see a marked difference between my tanks.
> 
> The first has good flow and plenty of surface agitation - the drop checker is back to dark blue within a few hours.
> 
> ...



Good to hear you're seeing a noticeble difference, mine is still in its first week with co2 so still bedding in, few new plants as well and got a bit of melting (Monte Carlo and Siamensis 53b) so hopefully they'l settle after a couple of weeks.

My flow isn't bad, far from perfect but adequate. My surface agitation was minimal so I dropped the water level slightly and that does seem to be helping with gassing off outside of co2 hours so cheers mate

Got one of the cheap TDS and pH pens from a seller on here (ebay ones) so I can at least see what ballpark I'm in with TDS and was more just curious to see how good or bad it was with pH compared to my liquid API test

Tap water
TDS - 115
pH - 7.5 (API measures 7.2)

Tank (during co2) 
TDS - 98
pH - 6.6 (API measures 6.4)


----------



## Smells Fishy (23 Jan 2018)

What happened to this being a doubletail tank? I'm about wounded lol


----------



## Kalum (23 Jan 2018)

Smells Fishy said:


> What happened to this being a doubletail tank? I'm about wounded lol



It still is mate..... (terrible pic BTW but only one on my phone in the new tank)


----------



## Smells Fishy (23 Jan 2018)

He's not much of of poser lol. In both pics with the betta they look like different kinds, the first looks like a crowntail and the new one, it looks more a half moon rosetail. That's mental you've shot me through a bit, there's some crazy, spooky and trippy lighting going on here lol.


----------



## Kalum (23 Jan 2018)

Smells Fishy said:


> He's not much of of poser lol. In both pics with the betta they look like different kinds, the first looks like a crowntail and the new one, it looks more a half moon rosetail. That's mental you've shot me through a bit, there's some crazy, spooky and trippy lighting going on here lol.



Haha this is where the joys of the internet have failed me mate, been looking through trying to define what type of betta he is and multiple pics come up when searching double tail that fit the bill, but he definitely isn’t a double tail after looking into further and looks like you’ve hit the nail on the head with him being a halfmoon, not sure about the rosetail part


----------



## MrB15hop (26 Jan 2018)

Smells Fishy said:


> He's not much of of poser lol. In both pics with the betta they look like different kinds, the first looks like a crowntail and the new one, it looks more a half moon rosetail. That's mental you've shot me through a bit, there's some crazy, spooky and trippy lighting going on here lol.



The yellow and blue crowntail is mine...


----------



## Smells Fishy (26 Jan 2018)

MrB15hop said:


> The yellow and blue crowntail is mine...



Oppps missed some chat, I've caught up now tho.


----------



## MrB15hop (27 Jan 2018)

I "read by pictures" all the time... it's all good.


----------



## Kalum (28 Jan 2018)

In the last few days I've switched to EI dosing of so I can control and tailor my ferts to the tanks needs a bit better

All micro and macro mixes will be dosed 3 x a week at 10ml (diluted in 500ml), GH booster will be added once a week after 50% water change 

Macro: 30g potassium nitrate, 8.5g potassium phosphate
Micro: 5.4g APF chelated trace elements
GH Booster: 30g magnesium sulphate on its own at the minute, got calcium sulphate on the way so I can add if needed

Will keep an eye and see how the plants react and if its worth adding magnesium to the macro mix as well

Got a nice bit off manzanita wood delivered, cleaned up, soaked for a week, Christmas moss added and placed in the tank


----------



## Smells Fishy (28 Jan 2018)

The wood did the trick, I'm 100% sold on this being a nice looking tank now. The only thing for me that's a bit of a negative is the back of the tank doesn't seem as well lit. It's would be nicer for the tree to stand out more. It's going to look banging once the red plants have grown in. Do you plan on adding any more fish/plants to the tank or are settled as it is?


----------



## Kalum (28 Jan 2018)

Smells Fishy said:


> The wood did the trick, I'm 100% sold on this being a nice looking tank now. The only thing for me that's a bit of a negative is the back of the tank doesn't seem as well lit. It's would be nicer for the tree to stand out more. It's going to look banging once the red plants have grown in. Do you plan on adding any more fish/plants to the tank or are settled as it is?



Thanks mate,  the comments are much appreciated

The back is actually pretty well lit this pic was just taken with the lights turned down to the lowest setting as the photos end up pretty saturated with it up full, I really need to get a few better pics rather than a quick update as my terrible quick phone pics don't do it justice

I added 8 celestial pearl danios at the weekend, with their already being 8 espei rasboras and the betta, fish are split between all levels now so actually have more space than it sounds

Funny you mention about the reds, I'm thinking about ordering either Rotala Rotundifolia and Limnophila Hippuridoides, while I'm not expecting to get much reds at all from my low/moderate lighting it'll be a good test and learning curve, maybe an anubias nana on the wood as well then I'm done for now

The hygrophila salicifolia isn't really doing it for me in the back right corner


----------



## Smells Fishy (29 Jan 2018)

Kalum said:


> Thanks mate,  the comments are much appreciated
> 
> The back is actually pretty well lit this pic was just taken with the lights turned down to the lowest setting as the photos end up pretty saturated with it up full, I really need to get a few better pics rather than a quick update as my terrible quick phone pics don't do it justice
> 
> ...



You could try the spadeleaf plant *Gymnocoronis spilanthoide in the back right instead. It'll probs look a lot better and will give a more filled in look.*


----------



## DeiJas (29 Jan 2018)

Love Your moss wall


----------



## Kalum (30 Jan 2018)

Smells Fishy said:


> You could try the spadeleaf plant *Gymnocoronis spilanthoide in the back right instead. It'll probs look a lot better and will give a more filled in look.*


Already ordered a couple more plants so i'll see how i get on with them first but cheers i'll keep it in mind



DeiJas said:


> Love Your moss wall


Thanks mate


----------



## Kalum (30 Jan 2018)

Today's lesson - don't buy some 'Cuba' over paypal as they think it's a drug reference and suspend your account pending investigation...........


----------



## Edvet (30 Jan 2018)

Lol


----------



## Kalum (1 Feb 2018)

Quick update, it got its first trim and added Rotala Rotundifolia and Limnophila Hippuridoides (hidden behind the manzanita atm) as my new back ground plants in place of hygrophila salicifolia (some still behind the filter but most lives in my QT now). Also added Anubias nana mini to the front of the manzanita wood and normal Anubias nana towards the back.

Also moved my the monte Carlo to the QT and replaced with HC, not sure how well it'll do under the shade of the bonsai but we'll see I guess

Happier with my co2 being stable at 2bps after a bit of trial and error and settling into my first week of EI dosing. Plants seem to be responding well and roots have been growing like mad

Got a bit of brown algae on the rocks but no algae anywhere else for now thankfully 

Going to stop tinkering and let things settle in now as I've been changing things far too often


----------



## Kalum (3 Feb 2018)

So my no tinkering rule lasted 2 days...

Wanted something in the front left as it felt a bit bare so picked up some lilaeopsis novae-zelandiae this morning

Also took back 2 espei rasboras (still got 6) as they were much bigger than the rest and we'e c and nipping the others, they seem calmer and sticking together already, the 8 celestial pearl danios are doing great and not shy at all and the betta seems to get on with everyone as well, not a single flare or show of aggession in the weeks they've been together so far


----------



## Kalum (3 Feb 2018)

Doing a pH profile today and anything that goes into the tank always draws a crowd, nosey bunch


----------



## Smells Fishy (3 Feb 2018)

Since I've seen a better picture of your Betta now, it's definitely a rosetail.


----------



## Kalum (4 Feb 2018)

Smells Fishy said:


> Since I've seen a better picture of your Betta now, it's definitely a rosetail.



Yeh his caudal fin does overlap his dorsal at times but I was on the fence tbh

Got to love a betta


 

My nano tank has been cycling over the last 4-6 weeks and is finally good to go so setting it up as a shrimp breeding tank before moving the colony into the main tank once a bit more substatial

New arrivals (7 and a baby managed to hitchhike along). Acclimating over 3 hours adding 5-10ml of tank water every 5min


----------



## Smells Fishy (4 Feb 2018)

Your Betta has bloody big eyes lol.


----------



## Kalum (6 Feb 2018)

Not massively happy with my flow and i've got a couple of dead spots (front left and back right) so i've ordered some 16mm pipe to create a DIY spray bar

It came with a 170mm spray bar but it doesn't even cover half the tank and runs the length of the tank. As my filter is on the right, Co2 on the left i'm going to try mounting a spray bar running front to back (depth of the tank). Thinking is it'll pick up the co2 and hopefully create enough flow to get a gentle sway around the tank and also help my HC which is struggling at the minute

Filter outlet is 10mm ID, as i'm using 13mm ID pipe i'm expecting to lose some pressure, plus it will need to hit a T-piece connection and will again lose pressure/create back pressure, so will keep the spray bar holes small to start with and see how it gets on.

10mm outlet = 78mm2
10 x 2mm holes = 31.4mm2 (will start with this)
10 x 3mm holes = 70.7mm2


----------



## Kalum (8 Feb 2018)

the more i get into this and learn, the more i'm slowly thinking i should have spent a bit more in the first place on the tank and setup

light spread isn't great front/back/sides and just focused centrally (picked up earlier in the thread but i think i was a bit ignorant to it), think i'm going to be chasing trying to get a tank with zero dead spots without achieving it fully due to location on internal filter and housing

it's a great wee all in one tank for the money but i'm getting that itch..... (and not the bad kind)


----------



## MrB15hop (10 Feb 2018)

My flow definitely improved after I moved the filter backwards. Prior to that, I'd removed the spraybar, and pointed the outflow at the back wall, and as far left as I could turn it in the cut out. It gave me less deadspots, but it also caused a bit of a swirl in the centre. I put that down to the shape of my hardscape..

The way it is now, I've managed to keep the deadspot away from the planted area and it's working fine.

I agree about the light too. I disconnected the blue led's because (to me) they looked cack, and it annoyed me that they reset every time the timer turns off. I have added a secondary DIY light fitting that just sits on the glass, and it's helped my Monte Carlo no end...although, my co2 is off atm, so I've turned it off.

I think I'll continue with that, and make a filter upgrade the next priority. Then look at modding the case and fitting a new light...

I think the point of this ramble is...
Keep at it...you've got plenty of avenues to play with before you upgrade.. and it's looking pretty good already...


----------



## Kalum (11 Feb 2018)

Yeh I think having such a small outlet in the position it's in was always going to be an issue but good to know you're happy with yours after a bit of tinkering, 

Thing for me is I don't want it to become a bit of a frankenstein tank with everything modded to chase being happy with it, like yourself I've already looked into an additional light and if done well can look OK but then I also just think about putting the money I would spend in the into a new setup I don't need to mod...

I've got the pipe here to play about with a custom spray bar so that's my wee project for today to see if I can better the flow

Thanks for the comments mate and if I can mod it cheaply and tastefully I'll be sticking with it but keeping an eye out if someone sells up as well lol


----------



## Kalum (11 Feb 2018)

Couple of DIY spray bars made to play about with and hopefully help flow, not sure if the filter is strong enough to put out the pressure but will see


----------



## Kalum (11 Feb 2018)




----------



## Kalum (12 Feb 2018)

So......... 

I got a deal that I couldn't refuse


----------



## hotashes (12 Feb 2018)

Ashley..
Aqua oak tanks 4'x2'x2' & 5'x2'x2' both freshwater set up on apex Neptune systems.  
Mortgage & Protection Adviser Full Time, Peace ️


----------



## Den Milligan (2 Apr 2018)

I love your bonsai driftwood.... I'm.hoping to have a little bonsai in my tank....
Great thread.


----------



## Kalum (2 Apr 2018)

Den Milligan said:


> I love your bonsai driftwood.... I'm.hoping to have a little bonsai in my tank....
> Great thread.



Cheers, this tank was shut down yesterday and replaced

Bonsai lives on in this tank - Bonsai Mountain Scape


----------

