# About time 90x45x45 scape



## tim (19 Jul 2015)

Morning folks, journal of my new scape in my 180ltr, the journal title alludes to time, (read lack of it for the last year or so) but also as in length of time. I plan to run this scape for 12-18 months at least, before probably downsizing this tank for a 60cm.
The specs.
90x45x45 pure Aqua aquarium and cabinet
Tropica plant growth substrate capped with unipac Fiji gravel.
Cristalprofi 1500 filter gush Lilly pipes 
Co2 fe, jbl reg and solenoid, tropica 3in1 diffuser
Arcadia 4x39w luminare (using 2 tubes 40cm above the tank)
Planted last weekend,pic as off this morning




Plant list so far Monte Carlo, eleocharis parvula, ranunculus inundatus, weeping moss, bolbitus Heudelotii, limnophilia aromatica, helanthium telenum, cryptocoryne pigmea, microsorum Pteropus petite
Have to say a big thumbs up to aquarium gardens where most off the plants came from, super quality and service. Plants are settling in well so far bit of fungus on the wood being removed each waterchange, I have more wood to add and more moss to tie and will probably add and remove plants over the course of the scape.
That's all for now, cheers for looking.


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## Jose (19 Jul 2015)

Keep co2 high in the beginning. Drop checkers are not very useful.


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## tim (19 Jul 2015)

Jose said:


> Keep co2 high in the beginning. Drop checkers are not very useful.


Co2 is on 24/7 currently, dc is being used as a rough guide(as they should be) I plan to gradually use the solenoid to turn co2 off over night for respite for livestock when added, I will run co2 lower for longer this has helped keep algae at bay from ambient light in the past so hopefully will work well again, I also want to try and stick with just the filter for flow so doubt I would get enough around the tank over a shorter period, won't use an atomiser on this scape too much cleaning required with my hard water from past experience.


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## George Farmer (20 Jul 2015)

Lovely.


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## Dantrasy (20 Jul 2015)

the Fiji gavel is something different. looks nice, tranquil.


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## Alexander Belchenko (20 Jul 2015)

Very nice, and balanced.

It should be interesting to have a photo from the stairs


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## tim (21 Jul 2015)

George Farmer said:


> Lovely.


Thank you George 


Dantrasy said:


> the Fiji gavel is something different. looks nice, tranquil.


Thanks Dantrasy, I really like the unipac range of gravels and sands, Senegal being one of my favourites but it's a bit too fine for anything other than an unplanted foreground.


Alexander Belchenko said:


> Very nice, and balanced.
> 
> It should be interesting to have a photo from the stairs


Thanks Alexander, it'll look good from the stairs once the limnophilia has started to grow, may try and grab a pic at the weekend and do a from the stairs "from this to this" post


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## Andy D (21 Jul 2015)

tim said:


> Senegal being one of my favourites



I really like the Senegal sand but it seems to have been discontinued or at least no-one seems to have it any more?


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## tim (21 Jul 2015)

Andy D said:


> I really like the Senegal sand but it seems to have been discontinued or at least no-one seems to have it any more?


I noticed Aqua essentials weren't stocking it when I ordered the Fiji, I will be scouring my lfs's over the weekend, just in case it's been discontinued.


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## Andy D (21 Jul 2015)

I've not found it in any local to me. 

'Scape looks great by the way!


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## tim (25 Jul 2015)

Andy D said:


> I've not found it in any local to me.
> 
> 'Scape looks great by the way!


Managed to grab 2 small bags, according to my lfs manager unipac are discontinuing some of their less popular sands and gravels ?


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## tim (25 Jul 2015)

Alexander Belchenko said:


> Very nice, and balanced.
> 
> It should be interesting to have a photo from the stairs


Like this



Or behind bars


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## Andy D (25 Jul 2015)

tim said:


> Managed to grab 2 small bags, according to my lfs manager unipac are discontinuing some of their less popular sands and gravels ?



Glad you got some. 

Shame it will be going though.


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## tim (9 Aug 2015)

morning folks, quick update growth has been slow but I'm reluctant to increase light intensity just yet due to diatoms biting hard at the moment still carrying out water changes every other day to see it off, weeping moss seems to be the fastest grower at the moment 
I phone pic
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
Added in the surface skimmer as I had a lot of co2 buildup on the surface even though there was no noticeable film trapping it there, be a good few weeks before I add livestock,
Cheers for looking.


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## Iain Sutherland (9 Aug 2015)

Great to see the 90 back in use Tim, it has been too long since the last one that turned out so well.

This is a really nice layout, a little stark now but given time will fill in really well with the minimal hardscape still being visible.  Will be nice to see the aromatica fill in and add a nice texture contrast.

Is crying out for some crypts around the middle though   Got any fish plans?


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## tim (9 Aug 2015)

Iain Sutherland said:


> Great to see the 90 back in use Tim, it has been too long since the last one that turned out so well.
> 
> This is a really nice layout, a little stark now but given time will fill in really well with the minimal hardscape still being visible.  Will be nice to see the aromatica fill in and add a nice texture contrast.
> 
> Is crying out for some crypts around the middle though   Got any fish plans?


Thanks Iain, yes crypts, crying out for some, I've spent the whole weekend looking for an online supplier that has all the plants I want in one store(For less postage) I've ordered some hottonia Palustris and penthorum sedoides from freshwater shrimp, my lfs should get me some crypt legroi next week and that should do for now, fish wise I want to move my beckfordi pencils back in but I'm leaning towards some rosy loach and maybe something that'll cohabit nicely with them.


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## Iain Sutherland (9 Aug 2015)

Wanted to try rosy loaches for ages, such a pretty and active fish. They almost ended up in Asian Dreams.  Co habit well with gentle barbs, danios, raspora etc. 



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Greenfinger2 (14 Aug 2015)

Hi Tim, Wonderful Scape and planting


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## tim (15 Aug 2015)

Greenfinger2 said:


> Hi Tim, Wonderful Scape and planting


Thanks Roy


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## tim (3 Sep 2015)

Quick picture less update, just when you think you've learnt enough this wonderful hobby teaches you some more  I've been battling some really harsh diatoms in this setup around week 4, I'd put my faith in a good amount of carbon in the filter being enough with my regular maintenance to see it off, what I hadn't considered is this approach has worked well for me with a cycled filter and reused substrate, it hasn't worked well with a totally fresh setup, light is well and truly backed off for the time being and things seem to be bouncing back, apart from the limnophilia which could probably do with a bit more light, I've decided fish wise to add my pencil fish back in and I am going to try ottos, I've added in the six I had in my temporary tank and would like to push their numbers up to 20ish, they have always fascinated me and I've had this six for around 2 years now and would like to see how they go in bigger numbers, I'll also build up the school/shoal of beckfordi's, plants wise I've added crypt legroi, penthorium sedoides (new favourite plant) and a bucephlandra from aqua essentials which was a huge portion for the price and are all about to flower( maybe a defence mechanism from being submerged ) anyway that's about all for now pictures may follow over the weekend,
Cheers for looking.


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## tim (13 Sep 2015)

Evening folks, few update pics of the tank
Monte Carlo is bouncing back from a very harsh trim to remove diatoms
image by timyapp
Penthorium sedoides, love this plant not had much success with staurogyne over the years this seems to be a nice replacement 
image by timyapp
Tennelus also cut right back to substrate is doing ok now
image by timyapp
I'm not happy with the aromatica though stems could probably benefit from more light but that'll have to wait a while, tempted to trim back to substrate and see what happens now the tank issues seem to be slowing down
image by timyapp
And a wonky full tank shot to finish  excuse the ottos dinner on the front glass, 
image by timyapp
Cheers for looking.


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## Alexander Belchenko (13 Sep 2015)

Looking very nice!


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## banthaman.jm (14 Sep 2015)

Spot on Tim, coming along nicely 
Jim


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## Greenfinger2 (14 Sep 2015)

Looking cool


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## tim (15 Nov 2015)

Its been a while  Tanks had its ups and downs mostly co2 related (as always ) little algae here and there but very manageable, I will say though this has to be the slowest growing tank ive ever run including low techs of late  it takes the carpet around 6 weeks to grow back in, i've added hygrophillia polysperma behind the wood around 5 weeks ago and its only grown an inch  i keep leaning towards increasing light levels but then the algae is an issue so i keep working on co2 flow and distribution and i'll put up with the slow growth this side of the new year.
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
doesn't look much different to week 1 .
cheers for looking.


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## Greenfinger2 (15 Nov 2015)

Hi Tim, Maybe slow The plants are filling out nicely though


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## tim (13 Dec 2015)

little update for this one, got a little impatient with the slow growth so added in the other two 39w tubes for a 4 hour burst, since this, there has been more growth in 2 weeks than the previous 6 weeks, it has also highlighted for me i need to improve flow and distribution off the co2 as i have had a little algae creep onto some of the plants rather than just the hardscape, so still some improvements to make but i'm content with the growth rate,
 edited iphone pic,
image by timyapp, on Flickr
cheers for looking.


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## Greenfinger2 (13 Dec 2015)

Hi Tim, Looking Good  Carpet plant could do with a trim


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## Nelson (13 Dec 2015)

Very nice indeed .


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## tim (13 Dec 2015)

Greenfinger2 said:


> Hi Tim, Looking Good  Carpet plant could do with a trim


Thanks Roy, yes carpet has taken off over the last two weeks, have a day off in the week planing to cut it back then.


Nelson said:


> Very nice indeed .


thanks nelson


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## flygja (14 Dec 2015)

I like how the ferns and bolbitis are integrated on the wood. Looks very natural. That rock on the left doesn't float my boat though.


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## Stanislav (14 Dec 2015)

Very good looking tank !


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## faizal (14 Dec 2015)

Looking as lovely as all your other attempts Tim. The tank's quite deep isn't it? Could it be the reason behind your co2 issues then Tim? Are you still running the co2 for extended hours? If so,...how many bps please?


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## tim (16 Dec 2015)

Thanks guys  @ flyga agree on that rock mate, there's a few rocks I'm thinking of removing to make way for more plants after the holidays are over.
@ Faizal I think the co2 issues are down to distribution, a power head which isn't quite strong enough, I'm still running the co2 for an extended period at around 1 bubble a second, though I'm thinking of adding in another filter and trying a reactor in the new year so this may change. 
Thanks for the likes and comments guys


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## tim (3 Jan 2016)

morning folks, quick update on this scape, for the last couple of weeks i've been running the co2 through a powerhead with a spraybar attached, plants have responded well and the thread alage isn't growing as fast any more, i've also upped the co2 rate and cut some hours off the time, the happy point seems to be co2 on 3 hours before lights and off 2 hours before lights off. Now the holiday period is over, i will start treating the algae with liquid carbon and see if that will see it off for good.
image by timyapp, on Flickr
thanks for looking.


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## rebel (3 Jan 2016)

Love your scape and restraint with light levels. Great master class for newbies !!


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## Sacha (19 Jan 2016)

Lovely tank Tim, and a great read.


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## tim (31 Jan 2016)

rebel said:


> Love your scape and restraint with light levels. Great master class for newbies !!





Sacha said:


> Lovely tank Tim, and a great read.


Thanks guys, things are ticking along though i still have some nasty thread algae in the mc, moss has now been removed and the same algae that was growing on the wood has gone,
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
other than manual removal once a week i haven't done much about it tweaking flow and co2 seems to have slowed it's growth, i'm not keen on adding amano shrimp as the little buggers always seem to wander off 
anyway good trim of the carpet today and manual removal with a toothbrush, looks much better stems need a trim and it could probably do with an extra wc or two during the week but that's not happening at the moment due to work so i will live with a little for now 
after today's trim and wc
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
apologies for the iphone pics,
cheers for looking.


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## rebel (1 Feb 2016)

IF you don't have any shrimp in there you can use algaefix. It will get rid of that algae. Just need to do a waterchange after....


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## tim (1 Feb 2016)

rebel said:


> IF you don't have any shrimp in there you can use algaefix. It will get rid of that algae. Just need to do a waterchange after....


Thanks rebel, I have cherry shrimp in the tank but if I can catch the little buggers I may give that a go.


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## tim (21 Feb 2016)

Evening folks, quick update on this one still got the algae issue on this one but it has significantly slowed its growth, plants on the other hand seem to be rampant especially hydro japan, ranunculus and penthorum sedoides, day off tomorrow so will be getting scissor happy, quick i phone pic from the sofa,
90 overgrown mess by timyapp, on Flickr
cheers for looking


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## Nelson (21 Feb 2016)

Leave the scissors alone,looks brilliant .


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## tim (21 Feb 2016)

Nelson said:


> Leave the scissors alone,looks brilliant .


Thanks nelson, it has to be done mate the hydro is going nuts, growing up the glas on the back left  nothing to severe though I like the jungly look and so do the pencil fish.


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## Nelson (21 Feb 2016)

Just wrap it around the banisters .


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## Chris Jackson (27 Feb 2016)

Well that's a beauty! 

Love this hobby! It's even more rewarding now that the internet allows us to so readily share in the pleasure of each others works.


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## tim (28 Feb 2016)

Chris Jackson said:


> Well that's a beauty!
> 
> Love this hobby! It's even more rewarding now that the internet allows us to so readily share in the pleasure of each others works.


thanks chris, have to agree about the internet for sharing, also without the knowledge  ive gained from ukaps not even sure i'd still be in the hobby.


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## tim (28 Feb 2016)

Had a little trim and tidy up today and found this hiding in amongst the bolbitus
monster buce  cant have been getting much light for the last few months i had forgotten it was there 
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
i'm now finding the montecarlo lifts in a few places while i'm syphoning the carpet, reckon itll be time for a replant soon, not sure whether to replant the mc or mabe switch it out for tennelus, any opinions welcome, cheers for looking.


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## tim (13 Mar 2016)

Morning folks, quick i phone pic of this one 
[url=https://flic.kr/p/Fb1HqE]Taken with Cortex by timyapp, on Flickr[/URL]
bit of an overgrown mess again  monte carlo is lifting now when i syphon the carpet, everything needs thinning to allow some flow back through the plants, so i'll be giving the tank some heavy duty maintenance and replanting next weekend, thread algae has all but disappeared, i have a small patch of BGA on the front substrate line hopefully get that cleaned up next weekend, 
thanks for looking.


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## Nelson (13 Mar 2016)

Looks fantastic .


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## John S (13 Mar 2016)

Looks great Tim. Is it microsorum Pteropus petite that's high up on the branches?


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## tim (13 Mar 2016)

Nelson said:


> Looks fantastic .


Thank you Neil


John S said:


> Looks great Tim. Is it microsorum Pteropus petite that's high up on the branches?


Thanks John, yes it's the petite Java fern from aquarium gardens, I've slowly been separating plants to add to the wood as a replacement for the weeping moss.


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## John S (13 Mar 2016)

tim said:


> Thank you Neil
> 
> Thanks John, yes it's the petite Java fern from aquarium gardens, I've slowly been separating plants to add to the wood as a replacement for the weeping moss.[/QUOTEI was also looking to replace my moss with something and that looks just the job.


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## tim (13 Mar 2016)

When it arrives it's quite large John, but I found the new growth is much smaller just keep trimming the emerse growth off.


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## Berlioz (13 Mar 2016)

Awesome! You may say overgrown, but I love it. The ranunculus looks brilliant with the hydro.


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## tim (13 Mar 2016)

Berlioz said:


> Awesome! You may say overgrown, but I love it. The ranunculus looks brilliant with the hydro.


Thanks Berlioz, the ranunculus, hydro Japan and penthorium sedoides is a lovey mix that I'll be using in future scapes, hydro Japan needs some taming though it's made its way all around the tank even in amongst the stems at the back


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## Iain Sutherland (13 Mar 2016)

love it tim, very healthy looking fella.  Given up on the idea of a rescape then?


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## tim (13 Mar 2016)

Iain Sutherland said:


> love it tim, very healthy looking fella.  Given up on the idea of a rescape then?


Thanks Iain, will probably keep this running for a while now  seem to be learning more about gardening the longer it goes  good to have a chat last weekend mate.


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## LondonDragon (16 Mar 2016)

Featured on FB Gallery


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## Protopigeon (16 Mar 2016)

blummin' gorgeous!


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## Straight Shooter (17 Mar 2016)

How long does it take on average for Penthorium sedoides to double in mass?


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## tim (17 Mar 2016)

LondonDragon said:


> Featured on FB Gallery


Thank you !


Protopigeon said:


> blummin' gorgeous!


thanks very much.


Straight Shooter said:


> How long does it take on average for Penthorium sedoides to double in mass?


In this tank around 4-6 weeks


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## alto (17 Mar 2016)

any chance of some closeup's for the Penthorium sedoides?

I've liked this tank from the beginning & through all it's guises


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## tim (17 Mar 2016)

alto said:


> any chance of some closeup's for the Penthorium sedoides?
> 
> I've liked this tank from the beginning & through all it's guises


Thanks alto  a couple of pics before the weekend replanting and thinning
penthorium sedoides
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
monte carlo more a shag pile rug than carpet 
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
i'm liking the way the plants have mixed together, almost a shame to trim them 
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
and just to show it's not all about the plants 
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
i'll get some pics up after maintenance over the weekend, thanks for all the likes and comments so far


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## Alexander Belchenko (18 Mar 2016)

"shag pile rug" - LOL

Plants look very healthy! Nice tank. I'd be tempted to add some red in there, but that's me


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## tim (18 Mar 2016)

Alexander Belchenko said:


> "shag pile rug" - LOL
> 
> Plants look very healthy! Nice tank. I'd be tempted to add some red in there, but that's me


Thanks mate  I do have a few plants in there that can show reds, limnophilia, polysperma  rosanervig, ludwigia arcuata, I don't think the light intensity is strong enough to benefit red plants, if I have more time for the tank I may push the intensity and see about some reds.


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## Tim Harrison (18 Mar 2016)

Wow, that's lovely Tim...shame I didn't get to meet you the other weekend, definitely need name badges next time.


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## tim (18 Mar 2016)

Troi said:


> Wow, that's lovely Tim...shame I didn't get to meet you the other weekend, definitely need name badges next time.


Thanks Tim, it would've been great to have met and had a chat mate, roll on next year


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## tim (19 Mar 2016)

Hi folks, a few pics as i crack on with maintenance and plant thinning today, not really kept a scape longer term before so this is a first for me . In preparation i drained the main filter and have left it empty but sealed to keep the bacteria going rather than the filter getting clogged and full of mulm and plant bits etc, i'm running a spare filter with sponges and floss to catch most of the detritus,
carpet lifting

90 maintenance day by timyapp, on Flickr
lots of mulm and a little BGA under the carpet since i haven't been able to syphon it properly

90 maintenance day by timyapp, on Flickr
carpet removed


90 maintenance day by timyapp, on Flickr
tennelus mat


90 maintenance day by timyapp, on Flickr
water change


90 maintenance day by timyapp, on Flickr
now refilled and i'll let the temp filter collect as much detritus as possible while i start sorting plants for re planting


90 maintenance day by timyapp, on Flickr
more later thanks for looking


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## alto (19 Mar 2016)

Great project for an (un)lazy weekend


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## Wisey (19 Mar 2016)

I like that with the sand at the front, looks good


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## tim (19 Mar 2016)

Wisey said:


> I like that with the sand at the front, looks good


Mrs Tim said exactly the same, I'm considering it but I like a carpet


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## tim (20 Mar 2016)

Morning folks having slept on it, i think Mrs Tim and wisey may be right

Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
i'll be ordering some moss probably xmas moss to attach to some lava stones to help the sand to plants transition, but i think certainly from a maintenance point of view no carpet will be easier and cleaner looking, so that begs the question what to do with a bucket full of tennelus and monte carlo ?


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## stu_ (20 Mar 2016)

Looking good.Think I prefer this new look too.
I've got some Xmas moss sitting in a jar.Want some?
Does Tenellus count as 1 of your 5 a day?


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## Tim Harrison (20 Mar 2016)

tim said:


> Morning folks having slept on it, i think Mrs Tim and wisey may be right


It's just a different look - either is good


tim said:


> so that begs the question what to do with a bucket full of tennelus and monte carlo ?


Zen garden type Wabi-Kusa?


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## tim (20 Mar 2016)

Troi said:


> Zen garden type Wabi-Kusa?


that was a possibility  but i decided to add water 

Taken with Cortex by timyapp, on Flickr


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## Alexander Belchenko (21 Mar 2016)

It looks so easy, like you just put some stones, stick your leftovers, and pour in water. But in the same time - very nice and relaxing zen garden. Cool!
Nice to have an empty spare tank somewhere in the closet


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## alto (21 Mar 2016)

Thanks for the _P sedoides_ photos! (I'm motivated to pick up a pot next time they appear)

Really liking the new "zen garden flooded" 
- of course it now demands it's own journal (not so zen like after all )
Tank details (if you please)


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## tim (21 Mar 2016)

Alexander Belchenko said:


> It looks so easy, like you just put some stones, stick your leftovers, and pour in water. But in the same time - very nice and relaxing zen garden. Cool!
> Nice to have an empty spare tank somewhere in the closet


Thanks Alexander, nice to have ukaps members willing to sell me the spare tanks  and lucky to have a very understanding wife who allows me to set them up 


alto said:


> Thanks for the _P sedoides_ photos! (I'm motivated to pick up a pot next time they appear)
> 
> Really liking the new "zen garden flooded"
> - of course it now demands it's own journal (not so zen like after all )
> Tank details (if you please)


The sedoides is a lovely plant, it'll feature in the zen garden rescape along with ranunculus in a few months, I'll try and get a journal up for it over the weekend, though not much in the way of setup pics as it was a rather busy weekend


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## Greenfinger2 (21 Mar 2016)

Hi Tim, Simply Stunning


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## tim (21 Mar 2016)

Greenfinger2 said:


> Hi Tim, Simply Stunning


Thanks Roy.


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## tim (17 Apr 2016)

Hi folks, couple of algae niggles with this scape, BGA along the substrate line i just cant seem to shift, little staghorn on the ferns, other than that happily watching it turn into an overgrown monster every couple of weeks,
[url=https://flic.kr/p/Gf6myH]Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr[/URL]
cheers for looking


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## Tim Harrison (17 Apr 2016)

Looking great Tim...vibrant and healthy.


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## Nelson (17 Apr 2016)

I love this tank .


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## tim (17 Apr 2016)

Troi said:


> Looking great Tim...vibrant and healthy.





Nelson said:


> I love this tank .


Thanks both, slowly convincing myself I should just let this one evolve over a longer period of time, though I'm always desperate to rescape all my tanks


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## Greenfinger2 (18 Apr 2016)

Hi Tim, The only problem I can see is the tank is not sitting in my front room. Great work Tim love it mate


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## alto (20 Apr 2016)

tim said:


> BGA along the substrate line i just cant seem to shift


Blue Green? (I can never decide if I'm transposing these acronyms as intended  )

Messy approach - really stir this up to get the chunks out as much as possible AND while running a syphon in place to collect the grime (turn filters off at least), then perform a large water change: 80 - 90% if possible, though you might also do 2 x 50% at some hour interval - note this is equivalent to ~75% single water change.
Then tape off the substrate line to keep it dark for a week or two & see how it goes thereafter


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## tim (20 Apr 2016)

alto said:


> Blue Green? (I can never decide if I'm transposing these acronyms as intended  )
> 
> Messy approach - really stir this up to get the chunks out as much as possible AND while running a syphon in place to collect the grime (turn filters off at least), then perform a large water change: 80 - 90% if possible, though you might also do 2 x 50% at some hour interval - note this is equivalent to ~75% single water change.
> Then tape off the substrate line to keep it dark for a week or two & see how it goes thereafter


Yep blue green  may have found the issue by listening to Mrs Tim, apparently gets an hour or so of direct sunlight on the third of the tank that is worst, blinds fitted last weekend and I may try the tape to see it off, thanks alto.


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## tim (20 Jun 2016)

Hi folks, quick I phone pic of this one



As I've not had much time of late it generally has a weekly WC and is left to its own devices until a trim becomes a necessity, bit of algae hanging around mostly on the manzi which is becoming a little soft in places, ferns are pretty much overshadowing the stems at the back so the bottoms are suffering a little, on the whole I think a rescape would be easier than trying to tame the jungle, so until that happens I'll let it do its own thing, 
As always cheers for looking 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Ryan Thang To (21 Jun 2016)

hello tim
i just read over 5 pages of your journal. looking good as always. 

cheers
ryan


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## Tim Harrison (21 Jun 2016)

Looking as great as ever.


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## tim (14 Aug 2016)

Morning folks, been a while since an update , this tank had been running for over a year and as of late not had the attention it deserved, a few issues had crept in so I decided it was time for a deep clean over this weekend, removing the ferns showed up some bba and bga on the wood, so the deep clean turned into more of a rescape 



Tank drained I decided it was prudent to make the foreground just sand, after removing the mote Carlo carpet a few months ago, not being able to clean the sand at the front without disturbing the tropica substrate underneath, led to a little bba, sand and rocks for separation in, 



Wood was soaking in h202 outside in a bin, sorted through the plants, 
Have reused mostly slow growers, once the wood was cleaned up it went back in, replanted the background plants.
Buces, bolbitus, and ferns all attached to small lava rocks for easy removal and trimming.
End result,



I've tried to focus more on ease of maintenance this time round, 
So will continue this journal, as it's still About Time, 
Cheers for looking.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Daveslaney (14 Aug 2016)

Looks great.
Allways been a fan of carpets myself too.But i think the bare forground in this one gives it a nice clean look. It deffenatly works.Well done.


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## Nelson (14 Aug 2016)

Wow,that turned out to be an epic clean up .
Looks great already .


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## tim (14 Aug 2016)

Daveslaney said:


> Looks great.
> Allways been a fan of carpets myself too.But i think the bare forground in this one gives it a nice clean look. It deffenatly works.Well done.


Thanks Dave, I missed the carpet after I took it out but Mrs Tim prefers the sand and it should be easier to maintain and you know they say happy wife happy life 


Nelson said:


> Wow,that turned out to be an epic clean up .
> Looks great already .


Thanks Neil, I should have taken the time to sort the sand properly the first time the carpet came out, for once I'm fairly pleased with how the tanks turned out


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## Alexander Belchenko (14 Aug 2016)

Great makeover!


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## tim (14 Aug 2016)

Alexander Belchenko said:


> Great makeover!


Thanks Alexander.


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## CooKieS (14 Aug 2016)

Loving it, good Job!


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## BexHaystack (14 Aug 2016)

Looks great! What substrate are you using, just sand? And what is holding that slope up, just the rocks? Looks like it will be a dream to maintain 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk


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## tim (14 Aug 2016)

CooKieS said:


> Loving it, good Job!


Thanks cookie 


BexHaystack said:


> Looks great! What substrate are you using, just sand? And what is holding that slope up, just the rocks? Looks like it will be a dream to maintain
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk


Hi Bex, thanks for the kind comment, substrate behind the rocks is still the original tropica substrate capped with unipac Fiji gravel, I added a little more Fiji just to make sure the tropica substrate was covered, I've used unipac nyasa sand for the foreground, the slope is just held in place with the rock, focus with this rescape is definitely on ease of maintenance.


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## Chrispowell (14 Aug 2016)

Can't wait to watch this one grow in Tim, the old scape looked great to me but if it was starting to suffer due to time restraints then best to do what you have done 

Chris


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## tim (14 Aug 2016)

Chrispowell said:


> Can't wait to watch this one grow in Tim, the old scape looked great to me but if it was starting to suffer due to time restraints then best to do what you have done
> 
> Chris


Thanks Chris


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## AnhBui (15 Aug 2016)

tim said:


> Morning folks, been a while since an update , this tank had been running for over a year and as of late not had the attention it deserved, a few issues had crept in so I decided it was time for a deep clean over this weekend, removing the ferns showed up some bba and bga on the wood, so the deep clean turned into more of a rescape
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Change brings freshness. One point to think of is outlet arrangements. Right side flow should be in the front and left side flow should be in the back.

Current outlet setup makes background a bit messy and the whole scape just does not look right because wood and rock are set from left to right, meanwhile background plants are from right to left


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## alto (15 Aug 2016)

Did I miss what sort of stone these are? 

They look to have very nice shape, texture, color


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## Tim Harrison (15 Aug 2016)

Looking great tim
I think I may well be re-scaping along similar lines too, very soon...damn HC carpet is high maintenance
That Java fern you sent me will be right at home.


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## tim (15 Aug 2016)

AnhBui said:


> Change brings freshness. One point to think of is outlet arrangements. Right side flow should be in the front and left side flow should be in the back.
> 
> Current outlet setup makes background a bit messy and the whole scape just does not look right because wood and rock are set from left to right, meanwhile background plants are from right to left


I agree, unfortunately the outlet positions have to stay as they are due to only having cut the left side of the cabinet for filter pipes, also if the outlets were positioned the other way the Vallis at the right side would make its way to the front of the tank, so for now I will have to run with this setup.


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## tim (15 Aug 2016)

alto said:


> Did I miss what sort of stone these are?
> 
> They look to have very nice shape, texture, color


Hey alto, I don't think I mentioned the stones, it's mini landscape rock aka seiryu stone, I picked up lots at the ukaps aquascaping experience event, just hadn't got round to using them.


Tim Harrison said:


> Looking great tim
> I think I may well be re-scaping along similar lines too, very soon...damn HC carpet is high maintenance
> That Java fern you sent me will be right at home.


Thanks Tim, carpets do require a lot of maintenance, I'm sure I could find the time if I could limit myself to just one tank , don't see that happening any time soon though  glad the fern was suitable mate.


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## tim (20 Aug 2016)

Quick I phone pic a week after the rescape



Need to order a stumpy glass inlet to replace the black one, few water changes this week has kept it looking settled, little crypt melt, always happens when I move them,
Cheers for looking 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Tim Harrison (21 Aug 2016)

Still looking awesome Tim. Next inlet I get is going to have a surface skimmer on it.


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## tim (21 Aug 2016)

Tim Harrison said:


> Still looking awesome Tim. Next inlet I get is going to have a surface skimmer on it.


Thanks Tim, I'm looking at getting this one http://www.aquariumplantfood.co.uk/glassware/cascade-glass-nano-inlet-pipe-17mm.html, when it's back in stock.


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## Tim Harrison (21 Aug 2016)

Very nice glass...I like this style a lot. I was after the gUSH version but the outlet was out of stock and my OCD wouldn't allow me to mix brands so I went for Cal Aqua instead


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## KarthikC (21 Aug 2016)

Nice tank. I liked the original setup as well as the make over. It's nicely done and plant selection is very good too. 

Cheers, 

Karthik


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## tim (31 Aug 2016)

Waterchange and general trim of a few stems today, quick pic



Tanks settling well so far, ferns need a good trim back to remove some discoloured leaves,
Cheers for looking.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## KarthikC (31 Aug 2016)

Great looking tank, really. Specially love that bolbitis clump.  

Cheers, 

Karthik


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## tim (31 Aug 2016)

KarthikC said:


> Great looking tank, really. Specially love that bolbitis clump.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Karthik


Thanks karthikC, I really struggle with bolbitis, I think because I have hard water, I periodically I remove most of the leaves then it seems to look good for a month or two, after regrowth.


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## Alexander Belchenko (1 Sep 2016)

Great tank. It only gets better over time/


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## Greenfinger2 (17 Sep 2016)

Hi Tim The Scape is still looking wonderful lovely plant health too


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## tim (17 Sep 2016)

Alexander Belchenko said:


> Great tank. It only gets better over time/





Greenfinger2 said:


> Hi Tim The Scape is still looking wonderful lovely plant health too


Thanks very much guys


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## tim (19 Sep 2016)

Couple of plant pics









Bit of algae making a reappearance, brush algae and green spot, decreased photoperiod by an hour and will try and squeeze in some extra waterchanges, should see it off,
Cheers for looking.


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## Alexander Belchenko (19 Sep 2016)

What's the name of orange-leaves crypt on the last photo?


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## tim (19 Sep 2016)

I think it's just petchii Alexander, can't be 100% but I've had most of my crypts 4-5 years and just moved them from one tank to the next, it does seem orange, the leaves tend to turn darker brown with age.


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## Greenfinger2 (24 Sep 2016)

Hi Tim, Wow Superb plants and flowers  Great photos too


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## tim (2 Nov 2016)

Quick I phone pic 




Still lots to do/change, all the ferns have had a big trim to remove some staghorn, background planting needs some work and I'm considering adding some moss to the wood, 
Cheers for looking.


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## tim (2 Jan 2017)

Morning all, quick update after a post holidays water change, 



Tanks had a few issues lately leading to some bba on the hardscape,






I've put this down to not having a pre filter on the eheim pump I'm using for co2, I've added in a reactor full of sponge which catches the debris the pump was chopping up and spreading round the tank, so far seems to have slowed the growth, I just need to get round to algae removal now.
A few green neons have been added from my 40cm low tech which I had to take down.



Buces need thinning out again



FTS just refilled, have removed the echinodorus from the back of the tank and replanted the crypt balansae along the back, needs to grow back in, all in all it's getting there.



Cheers for looking 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Berlioz (2 Jan 2017)

Looks great, Tim. Reminds me of the jungles of south east Asia.


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## Chris Jackson (2 Jan 2017)

Like!


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## tim (2 Jan 2017)

Berlioz said:


> Looks great, Tim. Reminds me of the jungles of south east Asia.


Thanks Berlioz, unfortunately the fish choice of South American pencils and tetras don't quite match the scape, had the pencils for around 4 years though so couldn't bear to return them to the lfs or I would have stocked this tank with rosy loach and small barbs.


Chris Jackson said:


> Like!


Thanks Chris, background plant inspired by your lazy Asian biotope


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## Chrispowell (2 Jan 2017)

Really nice tank, could lose hours watching it!


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## tim (2 Jan 2017)

Chrispowell said:


> Really nice tank, could lose hours watching it!


Thanks Chris, I do regularly lose a few hours looking at the tank, much to Mrs tims annoyance


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## Greenfinger2 (3 Jan 2017)

Hi Tim, Looking great mate


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## tim (26 Feb 2017)

Jungly  BBA still hanging around on the rocks, will hopefully get round to removing them for a deep clean at some point. Time for a trim of the stems , they will probably benefit from a total uproot and replant in a month or two, bottoms are a bit straggly. Still enjoying this scape and feel it could run for a year or two more with regular cleaning trimming etc.


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## Ryan Thang To (26 Feb 2017)

I like it how it is. So natural looking. Such a smoothing layout to look at. Definitely yiu should keep it running. Longer scape look better to be honest

Good job tim

Cheers
Ryan


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## BexHaystack (26 Feb 2017)

It's dreamy 

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## Tim Harrison (26 Feb 2017)

Wow...beautifully vibrant scape.


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## Daveslaney (26 Feb 2017)

Looks fantastic.Nice one.
How do you find the glass surface skimmer works?


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## Nelson (26 Feb 2017)

Oh wow.Amazing Tim .


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## Tim Harrison (26 Feb 2017)

It's one of those scapes that reminds me of why I love this hobby so much


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## tim (27 Feb 2017)

Thanks for the great feed back guys and gals 


Daveslaney said:


> Looks fantastic.Nice one.
> How do you find the glass surface skimmer works?


I really like the skimmer, so far I've found it doesn't swallow livestock which for me puts it way ahead of others I've used.


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## Daveslaney (27 Feb 2017)

Thanks tim.
Looks alot better than the others too.


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## AnhBui (28 Feb 2017)

tim said:


> Thanks for the great feed back guys and gals
> 
> I really like the skimmer, so far I've found it doesn't swallow livestock which for me puts it way ahead of others I've used.



This is how I fix skimmer's fish/shrimp grinding


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## tim (9 Mar 2017)

Had a light trim, only takes a week or two and the stems are back at the top.


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## Doubu (11 Mar 2017)

Looks awesome! Love the bolbitis =)


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## John S (11 Mar 2017)

I was thinking of jacking all this in but this tank makes me want to have another bash - the wife will be delighted as she thought my tank was going
I've told her it's your fault Tim


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## tim (11 Mar 2017)

Doubu said:


> Looks awesome! Love the bolbitis =)


Thanks Doubu, bolbitus is a great plant, though I always seem to get bba on the leaves in hardwater.


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## tim (11 Mar 2017)

John S said:


> I was thinking of jacking all this in but this tank makes me want to have another bash - the wife will be delighted as she thought my tank was going
> I've told her it's your fault Tim


 thank you john, high praise indeed, sorry mrs s


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## PARAGUAY (11 Mar 2017)

Johns post reminded me I was looking at tank the other day ,overthinking it maybe too critical of my humble effort considering why trying to get to grips with one type of algae I noticed BBA on filter pipes and a detection of a kind of hair algae,thinking I might redo the tank ,then the missis walks up says "dont the fish look well" .Made me feel a little better at least they are not bothered and thriving


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## tim (11 Mar 2017)

PARAGUAY said:


> Johns post reminded me I was looking at tank the other day ,overthinking it maybe too critical of my humble effort considering why trying to get to grips with one type of algae I noticed BBA on filter pipes and a detection of a kind of hair algae,thinking I might redo the tank ,then the missis walks up says "dont the fish look well" .Made me feel a little better at least they are not bothered and thriving


Loads of bba in this tank mate, not noticeable from a distance so I just sit a bit further away


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## Doubu (11 Mar 2017)

My only experience with destroying BBA right now is to up dosing + CO2 as my light was already adequate (as per some discussions with a friend). It was the weirdest thing - I was sure it was going to cause more algae issues but when I upped both the algae literally started to die in front of my eyes (rocks were like half clean, so clean I could lick them, and half covered with algae). This really changed my perception of how and why algae grows - rather than looking at it through a nutrient imbalance, I see it now more like plant happiness. If the plants are happy and thriving, they really suppress algae growth.

Your light looks more than good enough - so my guess is that it's CO2. The tank is quite lush, so even if your dropchecker says green/yellow, that doesn't mean all your plants are getting the CO2 it needs. I have now stopped relying so much on the dropchecker, but more on the plant growth itself. Do you see pearling? If not, and your dropchecker is good - then CO2 dispersion is the next factor I would look at. You may want to consider adding a powerhead or some sort of skimmer that will push the water to the back and into the bolbitis so it can be more exposed to CO2 rich water.


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## tim (12 Mar 2017)

It was definitely co2, I had a cracked co2 diffuser (inline) go un noticed for a couple of weeks, bba covered the rocks and wood over this period, switched back to an in tank diffuser, stable co2 and the brush algae has stopped growing just need to get round to removal, I find most algae issues in high tech tanks are related to co2/ flow issues, the one thing I've noticed though over the years is bba doesn't die off in my tanks once it's there unless I treat with liquid carbon or manually remove it, as for the bolbitus the only time I've ever grown it bba free was in a soft water (RO) shrimp tank.


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## tim (25 Mar 2017)

Quick I phone pic before tomorrow's maintenance 



 
Should change the sand at the front and clean up the rocks in the next week or two, time permitting, 
Cheers for looking


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## Nelson (25 Mar 2017)

Jungle massive .


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## tim (17 May 2017)

Morning folks, before and after trimming 


 



 
Cheers for looking


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## tim (1 Jan 2018)

Well it's been a while  this is still running though not always smoothly, neglected at times other than the weekly water change, so algae issues here and there, iPhone pic


 
Stems have gone, wood has been changed from manzi to plain old bogwood as the manzanita was starting to soften and break. May get round to a complete rescape if life allows,
Cheers for looking


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## Tim Harrison (1 Jan 2018)

Looking great Tim. It's very lush, the sort of growth you can only get from a longterm scape. We don't necessarily see enough of these types of scape.


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