# My planted Juwel 400 project!



## Brian Murphy (21 Oct 2012)

I started this blog on 8th August ......

Ok folks, never done this before but it has always been my dream to create one of those Planted tanks you see all over the interweb, so I really wanted a bigger tank than the 3ft that I already had.  After months of searching for a 6ft x 2ft x 2ft and not getting one, I eventually re-thought the idea of having to buy a tank and buying this and that and building a stand etc so I went for a happy medium .... a Jewel Rio 400 with all included.  So last friday I eventually bought one  

I also wanted to do a blog of the project so no better place than here.  It is costing me a small fortune aswell so I really hope I fulfil my dream!

Here is a pic of my current 3ft tank that I have had since February, I done a fishless cycle for around 4 weeks WITH plants and then decided to add ammonia to speed up the cycle and near burnt all my plants .... you live and learn lol .... alot of them came back though and have done really well ..... I know I didn't plant them in the right places but I know now what I want to do.  I will be taking alot of cuttings from this tank as I can and some do need a trim!






In this tank I had -
1 Pleco
2 male & 3 female Swordtails
Pair Kribensis and 30 3 month old fry and 13 3 week old fry
4 zebra danios
4 Bala/silver sharks

Fluval U3 filter, 25w powerglo, root tabs, daily dose of easycarbs, weekly dose of API Leaf Zone, fed twice a day with flake plus every other day frozen live food (brine, bloodworm, daphnia) 

My new juwel 400 still has 4 marine T5's.  I have ordered 4 new T5's online so expecting anyday now.  Here are a few pics of the tank so far ....................

Trying out a few layouts




I got the bogwood on gumtree and the driftwood root from a beach on Lough Melvin, Co.Fermanagh, I had previously picked up some small pieces there for my 3ft


----------



## Brian Murphy (21 Oct 2012)

Wednesday 8th August  

........I had to do this on the cheap after forking out more than I thought I would have on the tank so I decided to go with the allponds 1400 uv. I have used Tetraplant complete substrate and black gravel. 









Alot of work rinsing 50kg of gravel lol but eventually I got it filled and last night and added some quick start this time to see how it goes .... today I even put in the first of a few cuttings from my 3ft.


----------



## Brian Murphy (21 Oct 2012)

Water is still a bit cloudy and the light colour not what I want but it is starting to take shape ...........









The first plants go in from my cuttings from my 3ft....


----------



## Brian Murphy (21 Oct 2012)

Tuesday 14th August

 ..... still waiting on my new flo. tubes, probably be another week so will have to make do with the marine high-lights.  Added some fish from my other tank, 4 bala sharks and my pleco and purchased 10 rasbora harlequins, they all look fab amongst the plants that I have in it so far.


----------



## mario (22 Oct 2012)

Hi Murf, nice big tank you have there! Just one thing if I may: I'm not an expert but I think four T5 produce quite large amount of light and you could run into trouble especially if you are going to use only Easycarbo like in your previous tank (which was lovely by the way).
Good luck, I will follow your progress,

Cheers,
Mario


----------



## Brian Murphy (22 Oct 2012)

Saturday 25th August 

.......Update on my tank is as follows ..... I have added 3 panda corydoras and moved a few plants over from my 3ft ..... tbh Im waiting on payday at the end of the month before I can do anything more dramatic regards the plants .... gonna make a visit, maybe next saturday to my local lfs to pick up more plants and some rock.  I also got my new tubes from iquatics ... 4 x 54w Tropicals ... pretty good value


----------



## Brian Murphy (22 Oct 2012)

Saturday 5th September 

.......So I took a wee trip up the road today and went to Maidenhead Aquatics in Belfast but I didn't really think much of the plants they had for sale .... some sort of gunk floating around the plants and some leaves brown.  Decided to move on and try Grosvenor Tropicals, Lisburn and they had much of what I needed and of course they stock Tropica plants so there was no real doubt as to what to go for.  I also picked up 4 shrimp, 6 Rumynose Tetras and 20 orange Tetras.  









The plants I picked up today were ....

Staurogyne Repens x 5
Bacopa Caroliniana
Hydrocotyle
Hemianthus x 2
... and a nice Anubia on bogwood


----------



## Brian Murphy (22 Oct 2012)

Shrimp




























The latest pics 20/9/12


----------



## Brian Murphy (22 Oct 2012)

Friday 21st September ..........

My latest update of the tank .... just started Co2 so it hasn't made any difference yet .... any growth is just what has occured over the time since my last pics   I've added the latest pic under the last pic to compare the difference


----------



## Brian Murphy (22 Oct 2012)

Wednesday 26th September ....

Co2 is now flowing everyday and is around 30ppm so looking good for optimal lucious plant growth 





Also planted some Eleocharis acicularis as my 3rd carpeting plant (doing this to see what comes up trumps and is easiest to maintain)









My Staurogyne repens are starting to sprout new shoots for the first time since planting, even seen a runner


----------



## Brian Murphy (22 Oct 2012)

Saturday 29th September .....

Added the first bit of fertiliser today ... about half the weekly recommended dose of API Leaf Zone .... ordered some Easylife Profito aswell


----------



## Brian Murphy (22 Oct 2012)

Friday 5th October ........

I have started using the Easylife Profito and no it wont harm the shrimp especially if you spread the weekly dose out into daily doses.  Having problems with Black Beard Algae at the moment in both my tanks .... Im hoping the Co2 and the ferts can sort it out but at the moment Im just trimming the worst affected leaves off.  Im also losing the bottom leaves of my Bacopa plant on the left  :td:  Heres the latest weekly pic of the tank ........


----------



## Brian Murphy (22 Oct 2012)

Friday 5th October ........

I have started using the Easylife Profito and no it wont harm the shrimp especially if you spread the weekly dose out into daily doses.  Having problems with Black Beard Algae at the moment in both my tanks .... Im hoping the Co2 and the ferts can sort it out but at the moment Im just trimming the worst affected leaves off.  Im also losing the bottom leaves of my Bacopa plant on the left     Heres the latest weekly pic of the tank ........


----------



## Brian Murphy (22 Oct 2012)

mario said:
			
		

> Hi Murf, nice big tank you have there! Just one thing if I may: I'm not an expert but I think four T5 produce quite large amount of light and you could run into trouble especially if you are going to use only Easycarbo like in your previous tank (which was lovely by the way).
> Good luck, I will follow your progress,
> 
> Cheers,
> Mario



Thanks Mario, I haven't had any problems regarding too much light so far.  I am dosing now with 8ml easycarbo and 6ml Profito daily.  Want to get a better understanding of EI dosing and maybe start that.  Had to stop my Co2 over a week ago and waiting for a new setup to arrive during the week.  My hairgrass isn't really growing at all .... a few strands have grown up but now runners as yet which is disappointing.


----------



## Brian Murphy (7 Nov 2012)

October 27th ....

Sorry for no update in a while. I had to send my Co2 system back because the adjustment knob for flow of Co2 was far to hard to adjust and set just right. I've taken skin off my finger trying to open it in the morning and it took near 10-15mins to get it set a 1 bubble per sec or whatever I wanted it at. Then when I left it for 10 mins it would either stop or start gushing out! Too unreliable and risky to use. Just got my money back and ordered a new sodastream version. Just arrived on thursday but still to install it as I havent had the time. Plan to do it on sunday. Will get pics up then


----------



## Brian Murphy (7 Nov 2012)

October 29th .....

Having nothing problem after problem with the Co2 system. My new one came with 15mm hose and had to try and get it attached to my filter which had 20mm hose attached, so that was a no go no matter how much I tried to make the hose malleable. Ive ordered some hose connectors so that should make it easier as long as it doesn't affect the flow rate. Going to order a 2nd filter for my tank (if anyone has one for sale?   ) aswell cause Im thinking I need one for water clarity and water movement. Got some new plants aswell so hope to get the Co2 going soon. The plants I got where Ludwigia Arcuata / Needle Leaf and Alternanthera Reineckii / Telanthera, Rosaefolia, really nice too


----------



## Brian Murphy (7 Nov 2012)

Tuesday 6th November ....

Finally got the Co2 going  :drinking:  .... what a melt that was.  Leaks everywhere but after lots of trials and errors I finally got it up and running without any leaks.  I have lost some plants due to melting because of the strong light and not enough nutrients and co2 injection.  I have the Co2 and lights on timer now and also EI dosing everyday and a rest day on saturday plus a water change day (sunday).  Thats what you call High tech lol .... now lets see the rewards (hopefully).  Here are the latest pics ......





Drop Checker 





The Sodastream Co2 system


----------



## Brian Murphy (7 Nov 2012)

My only concern at the minute is the flow rate and and the oxygen levels as the spray bar used to sit slightly out of the water but when the plants get going oxygen shouldn't be a worry. I've ordered a new allponds 2000L/H filter anyway so that should be up and running by the weekend so that will take care of oxygen (not too much as oxygen pushes Co2 out of the water) and mainly water flow around the tank and obviously help with biomass.  My drop checker has a green tinge now so happy with that as it indicates between 25-30ppm of Co2 which is ideal for lushious plant growth.





You can sort of see the Co2 mixed with the outflow from the spraybar


----------



## REDSTEVEO (7 Nov 2012)

Looking great mate, the Juwel RIO 400 in Black is a lovely looking tank. Do you mind if I ask how much you paid for it and where you got from? PM me if you don't want to tell everyone  

Cheers Steve


----------



## Brian Murphy (8 Nov 2012)

REDSTEVEO said:
			
		

> Looking great mate, the Juwel RIO 400 in Black is a lovely looking tank. Do you mind if I ask how much you paid for it and where you got from? PM me if you don't want to tell everyone
> 
> Cheers Steve



Thanks ..... yeah the black looks sooo much better than the beech finish imo .... I bought it through Gumtree 2nd hand for £550.  You could probably pick them up cheaper and when I was looking for one, I found great offers in England but was no good to me over here in N.Ireland


----------



## REDSTEVEO (8 Nov 2012)

WOW  £550.OO sounds like you got an absolute bargain mate and what a transformation on the planting.

Are the 4 x T5 Lights perfectly adequate for the size of the tank.

Great job!


----------



## Brian Murphy (8 Nov 2012)

REDSTEVEO said:
			
		

> WOW  £550.OO sounds like you got an absolute bargain mate and what a transformation on the planting.
> 
> Are the 4 x T5 Lights perfectly adequate for the size of the tank.
> 
> Great job!



The lights are bit on the strong side according to some when Co2 and nurients arn't being used regularly.  I had problems with my Co2 so was without it for weeks and some of the plants started melting so I'm down to 2 lights at a time now even though the Co2 and EI dosing is regular now.  Will probably keep with 2 lights for first 4 hours and overlap them for 2 hours with the other 2 and then keep them on and turn the first 2 off (all on timer)


----------



## REDSTEVEO (8 Nov 2012)

Well done mate, sounds like a sensible plan, I can see how getting flow with even CO2 distribution could be challenging in a tank of that dimension. Well worth the effort in trying to get it right though.

Have you thought about keeping Discus in this tank? They would shoal magnificently.

Steve


----------



## Brian Murphy (7 Jan 2013)

Just changed to using the UP Inline atomizer and what a difference it makes.  I've got far better flow with my allponds 1400l/h and the co2 is coming out more in a mist of finer bubbles ..... I also swapped the position of the spraybars so that my staurogynes will get a well need blast and also moved the powerhead over to add with distribution.


----------



## LondonDragon (7 Jan 2013)

Now we need some recent photos of the tank


----------



## Brian Murphy (7 Jan 2013)

LondonDragon said:


> Now we need some recent photos of the tank


 
Not much change tbh but I've around 200 new plants ordered and getting some rocks aswell so a bit of a rescape on the cards as soon as they arrive.  Mosty stem plants that should do well in my set-up ...... before and after pics later in the week .... watch this space


----------



## krazypara3165 (7 Jan 2013)

am i right in believing you have used a reducer on one of your filter outlet pipes? this may be why the flow is reduced. i have an aps 2000lph external and i have had to use a "y splitter" to put smaller hoses on so i can attach equipment without reducing flow...


----------



## Brian Murphy (7 Jan 2013)

krazypara3165 said:


> am i right in believing you have used a reducer on one of your filter outlet pipes? this may be why the flow is reduced. i have an aps 2000lph external and i have had to use a "y splitter" to put smaller hoses on so i can attach equipment without reducing flow...


 
Yeah thats the way I had it done .... but wasn't happy with the mixer/reactor anyway so happy now


----------



## AndrewH (8 Jan 2013)

Hey Murf, great tank mate.
Im down in Carrickfergus here and planning on doing something similar on my Juwel 180.

How have you found the Sodastream Co2. - how long does a bottle last you?
Im confused by the Sodastream website - it says a 60 LITRE (??!!) bottle is only £20 and then a tenner for refills?! Surely that can't be right - that's a 60kg bottle, isn't it?!


----------



## Brian Murphy (8 Jan 2013)

AndrewH said:


> Hey Murf, great tank mate.
> Im down in Carrickfergus here and planning on doing something similar on my Juwel 180.
> 
> How have you found the Sodastream Co2. - how long does a bottle last you?
> Im confused by the Sodastream website - it says a 60 LITRE (??!!) bottle is only £20 and then a tenner for refills?! Surely that can't be right - that's a 60kg bottle, isn't it?!


 
Hi Andrew, bout ye! My first sodastream bottle lasted me 13 days !! Im hoping that was due to loss because of initial setup problems.  I was using a mixer/reactor and I think I lost alot of co2 in that.  Today I fitted the UP inline atomizer and Im only having to set the flow to 1-2 bubbles per second compared to 8-9 to get the drop checker green.  The size of bubbles were not doing the plants any justice so hopefully that problem will be solved from now on.  I changed my bottle on christmas eve so will see if I get longer out of it this time and then hopefully longer again when I use a full bottle through the atomizer.  A 60 litre sodastream is nowhere near as big as say a 2kg Fire Extinguisher.  I am seriously considering going down this route but to date have not found anyone locally that can do refills, so atm £9.99 aint that bad.  Obviously with a smaller tank you wont go through as much.


----------



## AndrewH (8 Jan 2013)

Murf said:


> Hi Andrew, bout ye!


 lol, nice to "hear" a local accent hehe.

Ive worked out what the sodaStream website means when it says a 60L bottle - it MAKES up to 60L of their fizzy drink.
Absolutely no where (that I can find) on their site does it actually tell you how big the bottle is... but on another website I found some guys mentioning it was about 400g so as you say, much smaller than a fire extinguisher.

Think I will stick with the FE route for now.

As for filling - you can get them done at BOC gases (right beside Exotic Aquatics!) for £7.
Ned Thompson is the man is ask for on that one.
HTH.
Andrew.


----------



## Brian Murphy (8 Jan 2013)

AndrewH said:


> lol, nice to "hear" a local accent hehe.
> 
> Ive worked out what the sodaStream website means when it says a 60L bottle - it MAKES up to 60L of their fizzy drink.
> Absolutely no where (that I can find) on their site does it actually tell you how big the bottle is... but on another website I found some guys mentioning it was about 400g so as you say, much smaller than a fire extinguisher.
> ...


 
Yeah they are small.  That particular BOC depot would be no use to me, but I did message my local BOC depot and they said they couldnt do it.  Maybe I'll go down and see them instead.


----------



## WetElbow (8 Jan 2013)

Nice big tank.

From Omagh myself, now living in Belfast.  Anywhere that sells FE should refill them.  A google search revealed a place in campsie road that probably do it.  A & B fire equipment.


----------



## Brian Murphy (8 Jan 2013)

WetElbow said:


> Nice big tank.
> 
> From Omagh myself, now living in Belfast. Anywhere that sells FE should refill them. A google search revealed a place in campsie road that probably do it. A & B fire equipment.


 
A fellow Omy fishlover ..... I was chatting to one of them guys and they send all their FE's away to England to get refilled


----------



## WetElbow (9 Jan 2013)

At what cost?  it might be worth while having 2 FE.  While one is away getting filled you have the other.  

I have to say it's definitely more costly living in N.ireland getting things.

I have a 120 litre reef and 180 planted tank. Just started an iwagumi in the rio 180.  Early days but hopping the HC will form a nice carpet LOL.


----------



## Brian Murphy (9 Jan 2013)

Im hoping to open a shop within the next year .... as you say very few aquascaping shops around ..... aquaworld in dublin being the only dedicated one in the country.  Alot of sourcing being done at the minute


----------



## WetElbow (9 Jan 2013)

Murf said:


> Im hoping to open a shop within the next year .... as you say very few aquascaping shops around ..... aquaworld in dublin being the only dedicated one in the country. Alot of sourcing being done at the minute


 
Wow, thats interesting.

I didn't even know about aquaworld.  I'm going down to dublin in a few weeks.  I was going to pop into seahorse aquariums and I notice that shop is close.  Excellent.


----------



## Brian Murphy (9 Jan 2013)

WetElbow said:


> Wow, thats interesting.
> 
> I didn't even know about aquaworld. I'm going down to dublin in a few weeks. I was going to pop into seahorse aquariums and I notice that shop is close. Excellent.


 
Also try Emerald Aquatics, Eddie & Drew will look after you !


----------



## Brian Murphy (11 Jan 2013)

Finally after 6 hours of planting the tank is looking much better and more colourful.  I decided to go with a jungle/dutch look (or a mess if you like lol).  I didn't want to uproot everything that was already there so moved a few things around and removed the odd looking dolphin shaped bogwood.  I ripped up the carpet of dwarf sag and it was unbelievable the amount of runners it had, it came up in one piece more or less.  I replanted it as it had gone every direction and planted some Giant Vallis in the middle of it as I was trying to create different planting areas towards the front so as I can experiment on what grows well and what doesn't as I havent had much luck with carpets yet.  Hopefully the plants survive now as it will be interesting to see if they shoot up as I have visioned in my head.  I'm going to keep on top of it with pruning etc as I want them to grow into nice well cultivated bushes.  Its a dream at the minute as to how it will turn out, lets hope it does.  Its a very experimental tank just for my own interests, it will serve me well in the future when I do other Aquascapes. Any comments please feel free to say.

Just before planting ........






Some shots after the gruelling 6 hour plant off lol ........


----------



## AndrewH (11 Jan 2013)

Stunning mate, really really beautiful.
Love the spindly it of wood on right.


----------



## Brian Murphy (12 Jan 2013)

Anyone any ideas as to the best way to even the flow for my tank? Need some expert advice as to the best way. Heres my set up so far .....
5ft Juwel Rio 400
1 x Allponds 1400l/h +uv with UP inline atomizer
1 x All ponds 2000l/h
1 x Newwave 600-1600l/h powerhead






The drop checker is green but I know that flow isn't quite right as its difficult to work out how best to do it with minimal costs. In my own mind I think that I should invest in another UP inline atomizer and split the Co2 to both filters, the problem being the size of hosing on the 2000l/h is bigger than the 16/20mm atomizer. Maybe a longer spraybar across the full 5ft but then I don't think the allponds would be powerful enough on their own to work a spraybar that length plus I need the 2 filters for flow anyway. Maybe I should change to an fx5 with one spraybar? I dunno what would work best so if Clive or anyone could guide me here please!


----------



## ceg4048 (13 Jan 2013)

Why are the spraybars at different heights? Why is there a gap in the middle? Why is the Powerhead mounted on the right side wall?  What effect do you think the green arrow has on the blue arrows?

Cheers,


----------



## Brian Murphy (13 Jan 2013)

ceg4048 said:


> Why are the spraybars at different heights? Why is there a gap in the middle? Why is the Powerhead mounted on the right side wall? What effect do you think the green arrow has on the blue arrows?
> 
> Cheers,


 
The alps 2000 spraybar has a piece on it that brings it that far down into the tank otherwise the bend over the tank wouldn't be resting in the rim of the tank and sticking up not allowing me to close the hood flap, I might have to saw the piece down a bit maybe. There is a gap in the middle because thats the length of the spray bars.  The powerhead is on the right is helping to push Co2 over to the far side of the tank.  It's nowhere near perfect I know but unsure as to the best solution.  I could try this and that but if I can bypass my own errors in trying and get the best advice it would speed things up and cost me less in the long run.  What are your solutions Clive? Please help !


----------



## George Farmer (13 Jan 2013)

Hi Murf,

I like to keep it as simple as possible in my tanks with as little equipment as possible.  

I'd consider an FX5 with one long spraybar running the length of the tank, with a DIY CO2 reactor - check it out - Co2 reactor build for Fluval FX5 | UK Aquatic Plant Society

Cheers,
George


----------



## ceg4048 (14 Jan 2013)

Yep, exactly. Totally agree with George on this. More filter pump muscles and a more logical geometry of the bars is the most effective path.

Cheers,


----------



## Brian Murphy (14 Jan 2013)

I wish these things where more straight forward, filtration doesn't seem to be designed for planted tanks.  So it look like I'm gonna have to spend more money on a new fx5 filter and make a new spray bar for it.


----------



## LondonDragon (14 Jan 2013)

To save some cash for the time being since you have enough filtration you could just move the two spraybars to the middle of the tank and place a pump in each side for extra flow:





Should do the trick!


----------



## Brian Murphy (14 Jan 2013)

LondonDragon said:


> To save some cash for the time being since you have enough filtration you could just move the two spraybars to the middle of the tank and place a pump in each side for extra flow:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Thanks LD, It is an idea, however, I would need to cut into the rim of the juwel tank so as the pipework can hangover the tank. I wouldn't be able to close the flaps on the lid otherwise and if I cut the rim, it might detract from the price if selling it in the future at some point. I just done my weekly water change and for the 2nd week running my alps 2000 stopped working when the water level got down to a certain point. I thought it might be clogged so decided to give it a clean, but it still never came back on until I got the water level back over the spraybar and primed it again. Loads of gunk came through and I more or less decided then that they have to go! The power of the water coming through them anyway is pathetic and is no more than a trickle. Would an fx5 be ample on its own to run a 450l planted tank? If so I'm going to change to the fluval fx5 and I would really appreciate if someone could help me with a step by step guide on making a spray bar that would fit the length of the tank.


----------



## WetElbow (14 Jan 2013)

How about putting the 1400 with the co2 along the short axis of the tank to the right side. That means the spray bar is shortened and will increase the intensity of the flow.  Keep the 2000 as is and put the powerhead on the left side, low down and more parallel to the tank floor.

Just an idea until you think about an equipment upgrade.


----------



## Brian Murphy (14 Jan 2013)

WetElbow said:


> How about putting the 1400 with the co2 along the short axis of the tank to the right side. That means the spray bar is shortened and will increase the intensity of the flow. Keep the 2000 as is and put the powerhead on the left side, low down and more parallel to the tank floor.
> 
> Just an idea until you think about an equipment upgrade.


 
Wouldn't think there is enough wack from the 1400 tbh.  After about a foot or so it would fade out and not do very much.


----------



## LondonDragon (14 Jan 2013)

Murf said:


> Would an fx5 be ample on its own to run a 450l planted tank?


It will be a step in the right direction, if not enough then you can still increase flow with a power head.


----------



## Brian Murphy (15 Jan 2013)

Just found this interesting article on Aquaessentials and its by Mark Evans on his larger tank  Spray Bar | The Planted Aquarium Blog . I think I will try this and although I don't have a lily pipe, I will just take the 2000 spray bar off and allow the flow to run along the back of the tank towards the right hand side where the Co2 spray bar is and it should pick up the co2 and flow and create and circular flow (aided by powerhead) around the tank clock-wise. Agree?


----------



## Brian Murphy (15 Jan 2013)

WoW ! Thankyou article! The flow seems just ideal and dispersing the Co2 all over the tank with plants swaying in every part of the tank. Just have to wait and see if helps with the growth of the plants as I was getting some melt with certain plants.


----------

