# AL's 130ltr Jungle



## Little-AL (6 Jun 2012)

Hi Guys, I've been away from trops for a while whilst keeping a Marine setup - i've lost the love for marines somewhat and have been wanting something a little easier to maintain. I have been admiring some of the beautifully aquascaped tanks on the web and in mags like PFK and kept a longing for my last trop setup - it housed a stupid amount of Vallis, some Apisto's and a group of Koi Angels:


















So anyway... a long story short: I used to work for Maidenhead Aquatics and have always maintained a good relationship with the staff there. I managed to strike a deal with my old boss to credit me for my fish, coral and live rock from my marine setup and put that towards my new tank:









Having checked the dimensions with a tape measure, the capacity before dispersal will be around 130 litres. It has twin 28watt T5's and I have chosen to upgrade the filter to a 1000 l/ph model  
Have also ordered a JBL 602m CO2 kit, a JBL test kit and purchased a few other bits for the setup:





Will be collecting the tank & cab a week on Saturday. Unsure of when it will be filled, need to choose a plant supplier and make sure I arrange delivery to co-incide with a weekend that i'm not way for work! As the title suggests, i'm going for a jungle style - the hardscape will be a very simple few bits of wood then there will be LOTS of planting! Hoping to keep it fairly low maintenance but time will tell now that works out!


----------



## spyder (6 Jun 2012)

Sounds like you are about to have some fun!   

Some would say, save your money and cancel the order of the test kit if you can. Spend it on something more useful, like plants.   

Looking forward to see what you do with the tank. Do you have any thought's on livestock yet?


----------



## creg (6 Jun 2012)

you had some lovely trop fish, great pics


----------



## jbirley (6 Jun 2012)

I have to say i'm not quiet sure how suitable my protein products are for aquarium use 
all joking aside looks like a good start to me and you old tank housed some beautiful fish


----------



## Alastair (6 Jun 2012)

How on earth did you drive the car with all that in the way ha ha 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Little-AL (6 Jun 2012)

Thanks for the comments folks! Just need to empty the rest of the livestock from my Marine tank, remove the old cabinet then can get the new one in place!



			
				spyder said:
			
		

> Some would say, save your money and cancel the order of the test kit if you can. Spend it on something more useful, like plants.
> 
> Looking forward to see what you do with the tank. Do you have any thought's on livestock yet?



Test kit is coming at a much lower price than retail so it'll be worth having - don't worry theres plenty of funds for plants 
As for livestock... Definitely want Apisto's again! Was planning on another Double Red male with two females but am going to review the stock list of an importer (trade only) to see what is available when i'm ready! Probably ply it sife with a nice shoal of Cardinals too...



			
				jbirley said:
			
		

> I have to say i'm not quiet sure how suitable my protein products are for aquarium use



I want my fish to be muscley   



			
				Alastair said:
			
		

> How on earth did you drive the car with all that in the way ha ha



Ha I was waiting for that comment! I've chucked the stuff in to my storage shed... aka my broken Fiesta that gets pushed in and out of my garage when I need somewhere to put stuff


----------



## Little-AL (11 Jun 2012)

Got my tank today! Picked it up from Maidenhead Aquatics in Shirley this morning... Didn't realise the cabinet was quite so heavy! Had to unpack the pieces from the box so that I could move it all upstairs 
Was easy enough to put together - well constructed and ****** solid! 





Then I brought the tank up - again not particularly light! 12mm glass, decent bracing and very neat silicone. The trim is all aluminium too! Nice and bright with the T5's running...





Stuck my JBL surface skim in place to see how it looked... Not too fussed about posh glass lily pipes and 100% hidden equipment. I've always been a function over form sort of chap 





Hoping to get down to Sweet Knowle Aquatics to buy some wood tomorrow then can finalise the plants that I want!


----------



## JenCliBee (11 Jun 2012)

Nice looking tank mate, will watch with interest in the progress


----------



## 1stgolf (11 Jun 2012)

Lovely looking tank mate


----------



## Little-AL (12 Jun 2012)

Brought all my JBL substrate up from the garage last night...





T5's are pretty damn bright at night!





Went out to a local store today and picked up some nice bits of 'swamp root' (big thanks to JenCliBee on the UKAPS for the tip!) - stuck them in the tank to see how they would look...





Bit of a trim and a move around plus my JBL Aquabasis went in... Wanted to leave a small channel in the centre where I won't plant anything. All being well once the carpet has taken hold at the front and everything else has grown up it will stand out quite nicely!





Then the Manado went in. Its sloped up to the back corners, particularly on the right so will hopefully look great once it is filled out. 





Just need to finalise my plant list no! Hopefully place the order for those at the weekend


----------



## JenCliBee (12 Jun 2012)

Nice mate, glad you found some pieces you liked


----------



## Nathaniel Whiteside (14 Jun 2012)

I like your valis setup at the top with the angels, simple yet very attractive.

Good luck with the new setup, will be watching this.


----------



## Little-AL (14 Jun 2012)

Thanks  To be fair I had little knowledge of plants/maintenance back then! The tank was originally rammed full of rainbows etc... I removed them, replanted and stuck the Angels in (whilst I was working at MA) - there wasn't really a scape to speak of! Just a tonne of plants chucked in haha... Didn't look too bad though


----------



## Little-AL (16 Jun 2012)

Quick update... My JBL m602 CO2 kit and JBL Combi Test Kit arrived at MA Shirley so I collected them this morning...





CO2 Cylinder JUST fit in the cabinet with the filter...





Decided on the majority of my plants... Need to figure out something for the background. Was thinking a bit of vallis but very much open to suggestions!

Foreground: 
Eleocharis parvula
Pogostemon helferi

Midground:
Cryptocoryne wendtii brown
Cryptocoryne wendtii green
(lots of both)

Attatched to my Redmoor:
Anubias barteri (var nana)
Microsorium pteropus
Vesicularia dubyana
(and probably another type of moss)

Hopefully that little lot will give a nice mix of colours, shapes and textures once it starts growing out!


----------



## Alastair (16 Jun 2012)

all sounding great so far mate, nice choice with plants too


----------



## Little-AL (16 Jun 2012)

Alastair said:
			
		

> all sounding great so far mate, nice choice with plants too



Thanks Alastair! I was fortunate enough to have one of the Dutch suppliers (Aqua Fleur) catalogues in front of me when I was deciding what to have... Hopefully it will be a nice mix! 
Just cant decide on background plants! Had considered some Hygrophylia but concerned about light requirements as I want to run the lights for 5-6 hours max until later in the year when I am home more often. 
Hoping the Java Fern will fill out on the wood once it is attached and will create the effect i'm after!

On a side note, LOVE your tank!


----------



## Alastair (16 Jun 2012)

Little-AL said:
			
		

> Alastair said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The hygro will be fine just under 5-6 hours of light. Nearly all the hygrophilias are pretty easy to keep mate. I had a fair few different ones in my co2 tank and they were all fairly hardy. 
Ermmmm how did you get the aqua fleur catalogue??? From MA? 
And thanks mate. I'm liking the low maintenance approach with this new one 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Little-AL (16 Jun 2012)

Alastair said:
			
		

> The hygro will be fine just under 5-6 hours of light. Nearly all the hygrophilias are pretty easy to keep mate. I had a fair few different ones in my co2 tank and they were all fairly hardy.
> Ermmmm how did you get the aqua fleur catalogue??? From MA?
> And thanks mate. I'm liking the low maintenance approach with this new one
> 
> ...



Thats good to know.. Typical web info confusing matters   Probably going to continue with my current list then add further plants in the future. Just want to get the carpet/mid ground/wood attached plants in place before the big fill! 

And yes, the Aqua Fleur catalogue was borrowed from MA... Got all the books at my disposal


----------



## Little-AL (29 Jun 2012)

Not had any chance to mess with the tank... Work work work at present! Finally had a tidy up tonight and did a few small bits:
Fitted black background properly.
Sorted pipework for filter and changed to the supplied intake rather than the JBL Surfaceskim for now - need to mod the JBL to fit properly due to the rim on the tank! 
Put CO2 its in place!

Cupboards at present:





Tank:





Would like a nicer CO2 diffuser for in the tank - any body got any suggestions? 

Going to order plants this week with the view to filling next weekend!


----------



## Polyester (30 Jun 2012)

Have you thought about a external reaktor? 

I use http://www.us-aquaristikshop.com/co2-reaktoren/co2-reaktor-ar-us32-ohne-blasenzaehler.html

Very happy about it so far


----------



## Little-AL (1 Jul 2012)

It looks good, but a bit excessive for me to be honest... I would be happy with a more subtle internal diffuser!


----------



## danmullan (1 Jul 2012)

Take a look at some of the TMC aquagro bits, they do some really nice glass diffusers that work well. Aquaessentials also sell some nice ones here: http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/co2...7.html?zenid=ab8be97693af94f6501892d6dcd5b4af

Just make sure you place it in an area with good flow like under the filter return so the bubbles get blown around as much as possible.

Hope this helps.


----------



## Little-AL (2 Jul 2012)

That's great Dan, exactly what I had in my head but could t think what to look at... Ha. Will probably go TMC and get it in through my MA... 
I have dual outlets on my filter so will stick it underneath them and see how it goes!

Thanks for that link!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Little-AL (13 Jul 2012)

Well i've FINALLY had a bit of time off work (a whole afternoon  ) so i've been and purchased plants and filled the tank up! My original plan was to order the plants online but due to a recent spell of mental hours at work i've not been able to guarantee a day I would be free to install the plants... Luckily I work less than 10 minutes from Sweet Knowle Aquatics so I popped down there to check out their Tropica plant selection... A lot of the plants have been there for while and were great quality! I then carrie on to my usual Maidenhead Aquatics (Shirley) and piced up some additional Crypts that were exceptional value!  In the end, I purchased:

Microsorum pteropus 
Microsorum pteropus 'Windelev' 
Anubias barteri var. nana 
Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
Pogostemon helferi
Bolbitis heudelotii
Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Tropica'
Cryptocoryne wendtii Green
Cryptocoryne petchii
Cryptocoryne moehlmannii

Taxiphyllum sp. 'Spiky'
Vesicularia dubyana 'Christmas'

Picked up my RO from Maidenhead Aquatics:






Planted the tank out then started the big fill! Brace bars came in handy here...









Filled up with the lights on:





And as it stands an hour later:





Will be changing the CO2 diffuser in the tank and getting an inline heater very soon! CO2 currently set to 1bps - lighting starting at 4 hours per day with the CO2 on a timer to come on half hour before the lights...

Not massively pleased with the layout at this time - the open space in the centre is bugging me. I think ultimately I will get some more plants (Crypts...) to fill out the centre. Also considering a Vallis curtain at the rear... Will see how it goes!


----------



## Alastair (13 Jul 2012)

Looking good so far mate, I'm liking it. You could Seperate out the current crypts in the tank to give you more plantlets, I usually can get a good 5 plants or more from one pot. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Little-AL (13 Jul 2012)

Might have to consider that! Pretty much chucked everything in to see what I had... Daresay i'll end up messing with it tomorrow!
Thanks


----------



## Ady34 (13 Jul 2012)

Looks like a great start.
Dont be shy with the c02, especially with no fauna in there yet...the more the better for the plants. You can slowly reduce it down again for the introduction of fish/shrimp. 
Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Little-AL (13 Jul 2012)

What would you recommend Ady? 3-4 bps?


----------



## Alastair (13 Jul 2012)

If your only running the lights for 4 hours I'd say 3 bps 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Matt Warner (13 Jul 2012)

The tank is looking good, nice plants and colours. Is there any particular reason you're using RO water instead of tap water?


----------



## Little-AL (13 Jul 2012)

Matty1983 said:
			
		

> The tank is looking good, nice plants and colours. Is there any particular reason you're using RO water instead of tap water?



Yes, i've ran trop tanks with both tap and RO here before, kept losing fish and had major algae issues with tap water. No prob at all with RO! Not sure if there is an issue with local water supply...


----------



## Iain Sutherland (13 Jul 2012)

Little-AL said:
			
		

> Matty1983 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



thats strange, i doubt its the water mate but you can get a report from the water company.  I believe its quite important to remineralise RO water in planted tanks, personally i cut it with tap 60/40 but you can buy remineralisers.  RO is also very expensive when you are changing 50% a week, if you continue its worth looking at buying an RO unit.

You asked about difusers... have you consider an inline atomiser? keeps things nice and neat and work a treat   
Also might be worth having the co2 come on a bit earlier too, with 30 mins its unlikely you have 30ppm before the lights come on.  Mine comes on 3 hours before the lights to reach saturation before lights on which is crucial to encourage good plant growth and keep pesky algae at a minimum..

Looking good though, will be nice to watch it grow in.


----------



## Ady34 (14 Jul 2012)

Little-AL said:
			
		

> What would you recommend Ady? 3-4 bps?


Id say crank it up to maybe even more than that to get your dc to a lime green even yellow without fauna for lights on... it may be 3-4 bps but may take more, my tank used to take an uncountable number of bubbles so its definitely tank dependant and there are many variables not least of all the bubble counter itself.
I also second what Iain said about starting injection earlier, mine is on 3.5 hrs pre photoperiod to get a gradual build up that doesnt increase too much during the photoperiod. Its trial and error though and the most important element is lime green for lights on, after that you can dial up/down bubble rate or on/off times to suit your set up.
Cheerio,
Ady.


----------



## Little-AL (14 Jul 2012)

Thanks for your input guys! I should have pointed out that I use a TMC remineral powder with the RO! PH is quite high at around 7.5 so need to work on bringing that down...
Have upped the gas to around 3bps today, tank looks quite cloudy so far! Seem to be getting pretty good flow all around now as i've stuck my powerhead in - definitely better with increased flow!
Just need to adjust the timer for the CO2 then... Get it on a few hours earlier! 

Moved a couple of plants too, Adjusted the Pogo and the crypts a little to open up the centre - when it has grown in and been trimmed I hope to make it look more like a channel running from off centre to the rear corner on the left. A way to go for that yet though!


----------



## Little-AL (17 Jul 2012)

Not been happy with the position of the wood on the left hand side so decided to have a play tonight...
Took the wood out of the water - Have re-mounted the two ferns so that they are attached a bit more securely. I then spread the moss out over the other sections of wood and tied it carefully...





Then moved the Pogo and Crypts to accommodate the new wood position. Once the Pogo spreads out my aim is to trim it to create a curved path in to the open space. 





Moved the CO2 diffuser to the left side for now as well so the Powerhead helps to move the gas around the tank...
May have  play with the wood on the right later in the week - attach the moss properly and move the ferns a touch...

Next on the list:
Glass CO2 diffuser and Drop Checker from Tankscape
Hydor External Heater
Possibly some LED strips for a bit of moonlighting...
Change over to my JBL Surfaceskim outlet and a spraybar inlet.


----------



## Little-AL (17 Jul 2012)

Apologies for crap quality photos... All off my phone #facepalm


----------



## Little-AL (18 Jul 2012)

Re-did the right hand side tonight. Moved the wood around then re-did the planting... Fills out the right hand side much much more. My Anubia is now on show properly and the Moss is tied on properly...





Also moved the equipment again... Fitted my JBL Surfaceskim on the left rear and stuck the spray bar in to improve the flow.





Intending to add some Vallis at the rear right and in the centre space to add a bit of height and some different colours/shapes. I'm hoping that the right hand side is starting to look a bit more like a jungle style tank now with the random sizes and shapes!

One last thought...





Happy days


----------



## Nathaniel Whiteside (18 Jul 2012)

Hey AL,

Tank looks fantastic now mate, the change was for the better. Loving how you've given that side some weight.

Good luck with the  Grow in


----------



## Little-AL (19 Jul 2012)

Tank looks a lot clearer tonight! Settling down quite nicely now...

Left side:





Right side:





FTS:





Def gonna add some Vallis in the back right, maybe a little in the centre with a few stems.


----------



## Little-AL (21 Jul 2012)

Tank has gone super clear tonight! Really glad I swapped to a spray bar and fitted my Surfaceskim!


----------



## Little-AL (26 Jul 2012)

Update shot... Couple of new additions.  Water lovely and clear!


----------



## Nathaniel Whiteside (26 Jul 2012)

Looking very nice AL.
Do you plan on carpet in the centre or leaving it as open space?

Like the layout mate


----------



## Little-AL (26 Jul 2012)

Not sure yet! I want to fill out the two front corners - may keep it open for now!  Thanks


----------



## Ady34 (26 Jul 2012)

Very natural looking


----------



## Little-AL (30 Jul 2012)

Cycle is over!! Been quite a quick one - fishlessly cycled, tested last night and re-tested this morning. No Ammonia or Nitrite, Nitrates showing as 1ppm... Happy with that! All come down from the last week or two! 

So the inevitable... Fish time! Decided a while ago that I wanted some Otto's in there first of all to add a small amount of bio load and give a bit of interest in the tank 









So there are 4 Otto's, 5 Amano Shrimp and a couple of Assassin Snails as i've spotted a few pest snails knocking about! Also added a few bunches of Vallis to add some more height to the rear...


----------



## Little-AL (4 Aug 2012)

First water change today! Did 14-15 litres of the 110-120ish capacity (with displacement taken in to account...). Filters were minging! Changed the floss and recovered two Amano's from the filter... Bloody things!
Trimmed off a few leaves and cleaned the glass  Nitrite undetectable and Nitrate reduced from 1 to 0.5! Glad i'm running RO tbh...

Need to get another gas cylinder this week and start thinking about some decent ferts for long term use - any suggestions for the easiest/reasonably priced option?


----------



## Nathaniel Whiteside (4 Aug 2012)

Good to hear its going okay mate. I will be starting EI dosing when I use up my TPN+ & TPN.

Think I will go with TheNutrientCompany, as the tubs make it a difference to pouches. Unless APF do tubs.


----------



## Little-AL (4 Aug 2012)

Thanks for that suggestion bud... I do intend to have a fairly heavy fish load (decent shoal of Tetra and a pair of Rams plus maybe one small L number...) so the TNC Lite looks a good option for me! 
Plants Alive stock it too so can buy more Crypts at the same time!


----------



## Little-AL (5 Aug 2012)

Couple of quick pics from yesterday following the trim & W/C:









Seem to have an outbreak of small snails at present so hoping my Assassins get on with it now! In other news i've already emptied by original JBL gas cylinder... remembered I had this in the garage:





JBL valve fits perfectly, set to 1bps - running nicely!





Oh, may have purchased a shoal of something today...


----------



## Little-AL (5 Aug 2012)

Stuck to my original plan (back when I decided I wanted a planted tank...) to go with Cardinals as my shoal in this setup! I feel its hard to beat the impact of their colours against the greenery/dark background. Happily they are also cruising about through the plants and in the water column - look great!


----------



## Little-AL (5 Aug 2012)

Promise i'll get the Canon and my tripod out at some point to take some better pics!


----------



## Alastair (5 Aug 2012)

Looking lovely mate 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Little-AL (6 Aug 2012)

Thanks Alastair! Certainly starting to get there!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Little-AL (7 Aug 2012)

Glassware has arrived from Tankscape this morning! Ordered Sunday evening and arrived this morning... Really pleased with that! Never realised they were based about 10 minutes from me! 





CO2 diffuser and a drop checker 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## darren636 (7 Aug 2012)

maximuscle!


----------



## Little-AL (7 Aug 2012)

Haha good spot! Only the bottle thought... Products are sh*t 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Little-AL (7 Aug 2012)

Forgot to bring my new Glassware home from work so no playing about with that tonight 

Did manage to catch a cool pick of an Otto/Amano double team doing some cleaning though...


----------



## Little-AL (8 Aug 2012)

Another equipment mod tonight... Always wanted my spraybar aiming down the tank rather than across it but the supplied pieces were too long (with the fittings etc taken in to account):





So a quick trim (with an original item for comparison) and voila... Fits lovely!





Cardinals seem happier with the changed flow... Trying the tank with the powerhead off for a day or two to see how it affects conditions in general...





FTS with the spraybar on the right. May also spot the new glass drop checker in the back left and the glass diffuser on the right - chucking loads of micro bubbles around the tank now! Can see that the flow is loads better )





Now I really just need to leave it and let it grow in for a while!


----------



## Little-AL (8 Aug 2012)

Another equipment mod tonight... Always wanted my spraybar aiming down the tank rather than across it but the supplied pieces were too long (with the fittings etc taken in to account):





So a quick trim (with an original item for comparison) and voila... Fits lovely!





Cardinals seem happier with the changed flow... Trying the tank with the powerhead off for a day or two to see how it affects conditions in general...





FTS with the spraybar on the right. May also spot the new glass drop checker in the back left and the glass diffuser on the right - chucking loads of micro bubbles around the tank now! Can see that the flow is loads better )





Now I really just need to leave it and let it grow in for a while!


----------



## Little-AL (12 Aug 2012)

FINALLY got the Canon out to take some decent-ish pics...

Cardinals:





The Java Moss is really taking off now... Looks a lot cleaner since I changed the flow in the tank!





Close up of the centre/right hand side:





Newest addition(s)... Pair of Gold Rams! Not had Rams before but in love with them already - active and feeding from day one - very pleased!





Angled FTS:





Full frontal FTS:





Here I want to add a big thanks to Dave, Scott, Paul and Chris at Maidenhead Aquatics in Shirley - helpful guys and a great shop! Now for the tank to grow in


----------



## sarahtermite (13 Aug 2012)

Lovely looking moss - very healthy and clean!


----------



## Little-AL (17 Aug 2012)

Took a few pics on my phone tonight as the tank is looking pretty damn happy! Having a little bit of melt on my Pogo since the trim last week but also a lot of new growth so hoping it will thicken out! My Moss is also going mental... Growing loads and looking really really clean! Quite chuffed  Think the additional Amano's I got last week are helping...

Moss with one of my monster Amano's (came out of the sump in my local MH!)






Cardinals together!





Male Ram (had my first batch of eggs this week!)





FTS so I can keep track of growth 





Going to order some LED strips this week - some blues for a bit of moonlight and probably some whites to make it brighter at the front!


----------



## Little-AL (25 Aug 2012)

Bought more plants! 

Anubias barteri var.nana mounted on a new piece of wood at the rear with some Microsorum pteropus 'Narrow' - some more Lilaeopsis for the foreground, some Hygrophila at the back with the Vallis and some large Anubias barteri var barteri on the wood on the right hand side. 

Move a few crypts to fill the centre and make it look a bit more like a jungle!


----------



## Little-AL (27 Aug 2012)

So after the recent plant additions I wasn't happy with the closed up centre... Moved the Lilaeopsis to create more of a path leading to the rear and moved one of the Crypts over to open it up. The gap now leads through to show the detail of some of the wood and even better, the fish are swimming through the newly formed gap! 

New gap (yes, I know the Pogo needs some love!)





Cardinals:





Male Ram with some new additions; Rathbun's Bloodfin Tetra purchased from my local Maidenhead Aquatics (Shirley - based within Notcutts) - they caught my eye as they had a nice green tinge to their bodies in the shop - once added to my tank they coloured up almost instantly and are showing strong red colouration through their bellies and tails - really pleased with them!





Obligatory FTS:





Intend to give it a really good trim this week to give a little more shape in some areas!


----------



## Little-AL (29 Aug 2012)

Had a pruning session yesterday! May have gone a little mental but it really needed doing. Hoping the trim will promote fresh new growth throughout! 
Got my DSLR out to take some better quality pics again...

Rathbun's Bloodfin Tetra:









Moss:





Gold Rams:





FTS:





Also happy to report that despite a fairly heavy fish stock (well, overstocked realistically) my Nitrite is still 0 and my Nitrates are only reading 1 on the JBL kit! Says a lot for over filtering an aquarium really, very pleased!


----------



## Lindy (29 Aug 2012)

I prefer it with the clear path, makes it feel bigger. Looking really nice..


----------



## PPage666 (29 Aug 2012)

Where did you get your wood from? Maidenhead aquatics?


----------



## Little-AL (30 Aug 2012)

The wood was from Prestwood Pet Zone

There are many similar and nicer pieces in Sweet Knowle Aquatics also!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Little-AL (4 Oct 2012)

Been a while since i've updated! Have been working away in Kent for the last few weeks so the tank has had very little attention from me! A dose of ferts at the weekend, one small waterchange in the last month and a bit of food chucked in when somebody remembers   

For all of that though I have no algae issues, have lost not a single fish and I have had plenty of plant growth  The only really change I have made is the addition of a more powerful Koralia to boost flow a little - this has definitely helped CO2 distribution around the tank - my Pogo looks loads better! 





Next time I have a whole weekend at home I intend to do a big water change and a decent prune of the plants again - really need to thin that moss out!


----------



## Little-AL (4 Oct 2012)

Oh yeah... The Lilaeopsis went a while ago - was sending out shoots all over the place but turned yellow so it got moved on  I like it now the front is clearer anyway - tank looks cleaner!


----------



## Little-AL (18 Oct 2012)

Quite shot of my male Ram - growing a lot and showing great colours!





FTS from last weekend - little cloudy as it was feeding time!


----------



## Little-AL (27 Oct 2012)

New pics!

Bought a pair of Apistogramma - my favourite tropical fish!





FTS (excuse the food)


----------



## Little-AL (6 Nov 2012)

Few new pics...Corys:





Male Ram still nice and colourful and growing by the week,,





FTS following some changes - got rid of the Pogo as it just wouldn't grow. Was getting the odd offshoot but it as mainly just a collection area for detritus. Also moved my smaller piece of wood to the front (with Anubias and narrow Java Fern already attached) and shifted a couple of crypts.





Still need to go back over the whole tank and tidy up the odd leaf and loss strand of moss...
Only other plans currently are to get a bigger filter to try and get the tank a little cleaner/negate the requirement for the powerhead.


----------



## Matt Warner (6 Nov 2012)

Your tank is looking very good   . You should be pleased with it, the plants all look very healthy and your ram is looking very full of colour


----------



## Little-AL (11 Nov 2012)

So I popped in to my usual MH aquatics and had a chat with my old boss. Told him I was looking to upgrade my filter (despite the 1000U I was using being well over rated for my tank anyway) - struck a deal on an Aqua Manta EFX 1500 (1500l/ph, rated to 450 litres, holds around 20 litres of water itself!) - due to the gap between my bed and my cabinet being quite small I had to stick the filter in the other side. Slight size difference...!





Twice the size easily...! Transferred over my biological media and off she went  Has a brilliant self priming function so its genuinely effortless to operate. Barely fits in the cabinet and is a heavy old beast to move though!





Had to use the new fittings etc as the pipework is a lot bigger. All went together easily though and best of all: a full length spraybar! (my arm isn't as fat as it looks in that picture, honestly!)





And an FTS after it was installed. Quite a lot of sediment billowing around thanks to the extra flow. Tank looks a lot more open now as I have removed the powerhead and there is no longer a spraybar on the right hand side. 





Within an hour the tank looked visibly cleaner and nicer! This morning it was even better... Suspect the water is a lot clearer as there is a nice big bag of carbon in there now  Am back away for work all week so will be interested to see how it looks after a week!


----------



## Little-AL (15 Nov 2012)

Quick pic I took earlier with my S3... Pulled out the Hygrophilia and some moss earlier - still a bit of sediment flying around.





Intrigued to see how manky the floss is already - probably swap it out on Saturday  Will get the Canon out too and take some more proper pics!


----------



## Little-AL (17 Nov 2012)

Well as expected the floss and generally the entire filter was pretty manky! Well worth giving it a clean after this first week of it running. Found half a Cardinal in there too... Oops! 
Gave it all a good clean out and refreshed the floss - looks great again this evening 

To celebrate, decided to add to my fish stock! Picked up this lovely little 'Bulldog Plec' - nice greyish blue in colour with great markings. Quite small and has been very active this evening.





And an FTS as of this evening...


----------



## Iain Sutherland (18 Nov 2012)

its coming along Al, now you have a bigger filter you should see some inprovement the the amount of debris in the tank, judging by the crypts  you should really try and do some 90% waterchanges and really rough up all the plants to shake it all loose and vacuum the mosses well.  You will see a massive improvement in plant health in a short space of time if you do it 3 or 4 times a week.  Only concern would be the GBR as it may not appreciate large regular waterchanges....


----------



## Little-AL (22 Nov 2012)

Thanks Mister B - in the flesh it looked alright but on camera it looked ****. So I've changed it!

Powerglo front, Osram Cool Daylight rear:





Excuse the sediment


----------



## Little-AL (24 Nov 2012)

Extra pic from last night - added some more Vallis yesterday plus some additional female Apistogramma to keep my male happy


----------



## Little-AL (7 Dec 2012)

Update shot  Little cloudy as just shook some sediment off the moss - extra heater in there too as the tank is on an outside wall!






Getting loads of growth since moving to Tropica liquid ferts - my Crypts especially have responded really well! Loads more colour in them and seriously noticeable growth! Fish re also a lot happier since I turned the flow down a little 
Might even bother to do a water change tomorrow


----------



## Little-AL (14 Dec 2012)

Ended up back home this evening after expecting to be away until next week. Pretty pleased with the growth in less than a week!





Little bit of sediment on the moss and plenty of gas bubbles flying around!





Lost my female Ram again though  Think the male is a little too boisterous so may look at removing him tomorrow!


----------

