# George's Aquascaper 1200 Nature Aquarium



## George Farmer (20 Apr 2016)

SO excited about the aquascape for this bad boy...

Ideas welcome


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## tim (20 Apr 2016)

Lovely setup, ideas hmmmm send it to me  sure you'll do it justice George, maybe a journal on your favourite forum


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## George Farmer (20 Apr 2016)

That's the plan mate. I realise I've been neglecting my journals over the last couple of years, but it's something I'm hoping to change - spare time permitting. I honestly wish we had 36 hour days then I may be able to cope!


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## Tim Harrison (20 Apr 2016)

Wow...


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## Tim Harrison (20 Apr 2016)

...words failed me for a moment or two then...it's like an art instillation in itself. 
Looking forward to seeing what you're going to do with this.


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## Greenfinger2 (20 Apr 2016)

Hi George, Nice tank Looking forward to seeing the Scape and planting


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## Mot (21 Apr 2016)

Oh the possibilities.  Do you have layout materials stockpiled for it?


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## Stu Worrall (21 Apr 2016)

Thats a beast and knowing EA's tanks the silicon will be perfect


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## Ryan Thang To (23 Apr 2016)

looking good. be nice to see what you got plan. by the way what is the price for a ea120cm? and compare to ada 120p just under £500

cheers
ryan


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## George Farmer (27 Apr 2016)

Still thinking...




 

And a Facebook friend, Virgilio Rodrigues, kindly did this drawing for me...


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## George Farmer (27 Apr 2016)

As far as other kit goes - 

*Substrate* - JBL ProSoil Brown (almost black) over JBL Volcano Mineral (crushed lava rock) for building height.
*Filtration* - 2 x JBL 1501e 
*CO2 -* 2Kg FE with Green Leaf Aquarium high-end reg, inline diffuser on filter outlet
*Ferts *- Tropica Specialised daily (around 10-20ml per day depending on planting)

I have lots of hardscape ideas but will start playing properly once the substrate gets delivered. 

Quite fancy a Bucephalendra and hardscape dominated aquascape. Attractive and low-maintenance. 

I'm excited.


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## George Farmer (27 Apr 2016)

legytt said:


> looking good. be nice to see what you got plan. by the way what is the price for a ea120cm? and compare to ada 120p just under £500
> 
> cheers
> ryan


I think you can find prices for the standard version of the eaReef 1200s online. Not sure how it compares with ADA. This is a one-off build, but watch this space for future developments...


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## George Farmer (27 Apr 2016)

Mot said:


> Oh the possibilities.  Do you have layout materials stockpiled for it?


Oh yes, Jeff. 

I have a big container in the garden full of wood that's been on soak for 6 months. And around 200Kg of various rock - Seiryu and Ohko.


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## AnhBui (27 Apr 2016)

Is it worth as an inspiration?


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## jarcher1390 (27 Apr 2016)

Hey George

I cannot wait to see you set this up!!! Im still jealous you got them to make you a freshwater tank 

For my 2 cents it would be nice to see you step outside your comfort zone, break a few rules and try something different. NO pressure 

I don't know particularly what that would entail, but you've certainly got the tank real estate to let your imagination and technique go wild. 

Regards

Jonny


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## BigTom (27 Apr 2016)

Really nice dimensions on these. We've got the reef version running as a display in work. 

Sent from my HUAWEI GRA-L09 using Tapatalk


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## George Farmer (27 Apr 2016)

jarcher1390 said:


> Hey George
> 
> I cannot wait to see you set this up!!! Im still jealous you got them to make you a freshwater tank
> 
> ...


Thanks Jonny. Yes, this aquascape isn't commissioned so I'm not limited, except by imagination. 

Pressure is good. Keeps me on my toes..


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## rebel (27 Apr 2016)

George, Imagine you are the first person on Mars. The whole world is watching. How you going to inspire the generations to come........ What is your statement?


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## FIsh i (27 Apr 2016)

Hey George
Tank looks killer, can't wait to see what you come up with...
Just got to say for me a tank that clean and crisp I would have to re think the light suspension kit, something more minimal for the eye balls.
Justin


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## alto (27 Apr 2016)

FIsh i said:


> I would have to re think the light suspension kit,


unfortunately the cords still have to go somewhere ... & these have substantial cords


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## Mot (29 Apr 2016)

George Farmer said:


> Oh yes, Jeff.
> 
> I have a big container in the garden full of wood that's been on soak for 6 months. And around 200Kg of various rock - Seiryu and Ohko.



That is fantastic.  How about a photo or two of them?


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## George Farmer (29 Apr 2016)

Mot said:


> That is fantastic.  How about a photo or two of them?


Good idea. 

Just waiting for the soil and filters to be delivered then I'll do a big photo-heavy update


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## Andy D (29 Apr 2016)

George,

Did you still get the 120P? Is that being hidden away for IAPLC?

The EA looks a really nice bit of kit though. Nice dimensions.


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## George Farmer (29 Apr 2016)

Hi Andy

The ADA 120P is proud home to my discus. I'm careful about publishing too much because 1) Potential IAPLC and 2) PFK feature.  When I get time I'll post some close-ups from it. I'm really pleased with it - lovely set-up 

But the EA1200 is another level - and the 'scape will be too, hopefully


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## Andy D (29 Apr 2016)

George Farmer said:


> Hi Andy
> 
> The ADA 120P is proud home to my discus. I'm careful about publishing too much because 1) Potential IAPLC and 2) PFK feature.  When I get time I'll post some close-ups from it. I'm really pleased with it - lovely set-up
> 
> But the EA1200 is another level - and the 'scape will be too, hopefully



Ah yeah, I remember a mention about Discus now and I can understand the PFK feature. Will be good to see some shots.

Looking forward to the progression of this one.

(Real shame I missed you in Romsey too. Had to work the whole weekend!)


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## George Farmer (16 May 2016)

Hi guys,

I've finished the hardscape now. Here's a quick video on how I did it.



The lights are off most of the time. I still deciding on a planting plan. Hopefully a good mix of low-maintenance but high impact!

Cheers,
George


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## Greenfinger2 (16 May 2016)

Hi George, Love it  Looking forward to the planting.


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## Ludvig_swe (18 May 2016)

Very nice! Do you have any ideas in the plant/fauna department?


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## George Farmer (23 May 2016)

Hi guys,

Here's a shot right after planting. It's 3 days old now.

Mostly low maintenance plants - Trident fern, Bolibitis, small to medium crypts, Anubias petite. Then some fast growing weeds in the background - Ludwigia palustris and Rotala green. All plants from Tropica.

I recently added some mini pelia to the rocks (shout out to Dave from Aquarium Gardens) and will attached some weeping and xmas moss to bits of wood.

For fish I'm thinking Asian rummynose. Definitely an Asian species, and small shoalers that are ok in cooler water.

Lights (2x Kessil A360w) are on 50% for 7.5 hours. 

CO2 is inline on outlet at around 4 BPS. Filters are 2 x JBL e1501. No heater (house is fairly constant at 20-22C).

Dosing 20ml Tropica Specialised per day. Currently 75% water change every 2 days using hose and pump (no buckets!)

I'm really pleased with it and think it will be one of my best aquascapes yet. 

I'm a Nature Aquarium fan through and through and this aquascape reflects that I think. I do so many aquascapes on commission, even at home, it is refreshing to create something for me.

Anyway I hope you guys like it too.

Questions and comments very welcome. 

Cheers,
George


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## Joe Turner (23 May 2016)

Ahh George, this is going to look ace, I love it! The Ludwigia at the back will be amazing filled in, and there's nothing better than dense crypts. Can't wait! 

Cheers!


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## EdwinK (23 May 2016)

Love that hardscape work. I just would love to see some pebbles to help the transition between sand and stones. Also they would add some scale reference. Here is the example -


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## rebel (24 May 2016)

Very Amano like! Lovely stuff.


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## Greenfinger2 (24 May 2016)

Hi George, Superb planting It will look amazing when grown in


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## Richard H (24 May 2016)

Planting looks great and as someone mentioned the tank and Kessil LED lights are an art installation themselves. Looking forward to updates.


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## rebel (25 May 2016)

Looking at it again, I reckon it's like a 'linear' style (James Findley) but in a nature scape.


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## Tim Harrison (25 May 2016)

I like it a lot...good choice of plants - it'll fit in well with your busy life.


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## EdwinK (25 May 2016)

George, what kind of crypts are those in the front?


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## AndreiD (26 May 2016)

I think its Crypt parva


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## EdwinK (26 May 2016)

Too big to be parva


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## Luís Cardoso (26 May 2016)

Very good scape.


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## MrHidley (28 May 2016)

Great looking scape George! I'm interested in knowing what kind of PAR you're getting with the Kessils at 50%?


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## George Farmer (2 Jun 2016)

EdwinK said:


> George, what kind of crypts are those in the front?


It's parva.


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## George Farmer (2 Jun 2016)

MrHidley said:


> Great looking scape George! I'm interested in knowing what kind of PAR you're getting with the Kessils at 50%?


Around 40 at the substrate.


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## George Farmer (2 Jun 2016)

Day 21 from planting.

No livestock yet. Probably 100 Amano shrimp to start with, then some small cool temp (tank is unheated) small shoaling fish. Suggestions welcome!


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## Piete (2 Jun 2016)

Great looking aquarium, as for fishes maybe the Yaoshania pachychilus, a cool water panda loach from china and a shoal of Pseudomugil spec "Red Neon", not sure of the availabilty of those fish in the U.K


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## George Farmer (3 Jun 2016)

3 part video...

1 Kids
2 Time lapse maintenance 
3 After maintenance


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## AverageWhiteBloke (3 Jun 2016)

And they say never work with kids or animals  I think you pulled it off though mate although you did get busted by the algae police on a couple of occasions  Nice scape though and very nice set up. What was the red plant you mentioned again though that tolerates low light? watched a couple of times and couldn't get what you said. I'm looking for something red for a bit of contrast in a setup I'm about to embark on. Same as you have here I'm also going to run it slightly cooler than I normally would so I guess this plant would be ideal all round.

Great getting the kids involved as well  My daughter hasn't really been interested in my tanks over the years other than when some new fish get added but just lately with her being in secondary school it's amazing how many times when helping with her science homework that I can use my tank as an example of something she's learning at school. I think it's great how they can physically see stuff out of books in a living situation. I would say her teacher is sick of her homework coming back with references to my fish tank  Tonight's homework, give an example of a chemical reaction where the chemicals turn into gas and back to a solid "In my dads fish tank....."  As long as she understands that's the main thing.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (3 Jun 2016)

Ludwigia palustris got it now


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## Piete (3 Jun 2016)

With my choice of Pseudomugil spec "Red Neon", which is now called Pseudomugil luminatus i knew i was going in the right direction


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## Robert H. Tavera (4 Jun 2016)

My choise will be a rasbora mixture.. with diferent sizes, colors and body shape, but keeping a subdued look, like this mixture:
1. rasbora borapetensis
2. microdevario kubotai
3.sawbwa resplendens
4. rasbora kalochroma


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## Derek113 (4 Jun 2016)

This scape is fantastic, from the aquarium design, size and cabinet. I was surprised that the cabined doors are that big. Is there a lot of room inside the cabinet?

It has to be white cloud mountain minnows. They have amazing colour and the behaviour is fascinating.  
I have a shoal of 30 in my fluval roma 200.


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## Ryan Thang To (5 Jun 2016)

AnhBui said:


> Is it worth as an inspiration?


i see a monkey hahah


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## George Farmer (28 Jun 2016)

Big maintenance session! Get yourself a cuppa. It's 20 mins...


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## Robert H. Tavera (29 Jun 2016)

Good educational video George!! 

Did you replanted the trimmed tops? or you just let the stem plants become bushier by trimming?

I really like glowlight danios, but i´m not sure in an open top tank.... I´ve read they trend to jump out, like most danios do. Maybe they won´t because it´s a very large tank for them. If you put danios in there please let us know what you see.


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## George Farmer (29 Jun 2016)

Robert H. Tavera said:


> Good educational video George!!
> 
> Did you replanted the trimmed tops? or you just let the stem plants become bushier by trimming?
> 
> I really like glowlight danios, but i´m not sure in an open top tank.... I´ve read they trend to jump out, like most danios do. Maybe they won´t because it´s a very large tank for them. If you put danios in there please let us know what you see.


Thanks Robert. I've kept danios in open topped tank before with no issues. I think if they feel secure then all is fine


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## EdwinK (29 Jun 2016)

Nice video George,

Was this tank used before? Or a cheap silicone? The reason I ask is that silicone seals have lots of bubbles.


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## Per Rudi Danielsen (29 Jun 2016)

Hello George

Incredibly nice you've done it again. Your aquarium  can be compared to a small art works.
Having seen most of your video. Surely everyone a few times. Appreciated that you give so much of yourself.
Incredibly informative and helpfull

Would be nice if you could share a little bit about your own experience on these products. What would you choose for a 75x45x45 cm tank.

Light:
Kessil a360w

TMC grobeam 1500 tile.

Algae inhibitor:

Twinstar.

Maintenance:

Should I clean the pumps every  2  weeks.  Will then be 4 weeks on each pump. Can this also help against algae?

How often should I change the water. And how much.
Can I change the water to often. What is the danger of changing too much water and too often.

Seeing that you have only 20 to 22 degrees in the water. Does this help against algae? Will it give slower growing on plants? And give algae the upperhand.


I want to set up an ADA 75p tank.
And was hoping you could give some info and tips.

The tank will also get 2  pumps along with co2 set under pressure.
Best
Regards
Rudi


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## Tim Harrison (29 Jun 2016)

Hi George, great video. How do you make up the solution of citric acid to clean the Twinstar reactor; what ratios etc?


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## AverageWhiteBloke (29 Jun 2016)

How are you getting the fresh water back in George? You were saying it's dechlorinated tap water, just wondering if you're pumping it from a container after dechlorination or put the dechlo in the tank and going in straight from the tap?


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## nelly9 (29 Jun 2016)

AverageWhiteBloke said:


> How are you getting the fresh water back in George? You were saying it's dechlorinated tap water, just wondering if you're pumping it from a container after dechlorination or put the dechlo in the tank and going in straight from the tap?


This was going to be my ask as well


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## Mot (29 Jun 2016)

Fantastic George.  Always a pleasure to "see" you in these vids.  Tank is looking great.  Please keep sharing!


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## rebel (30 Jun 2016)

Great video! Nice to see what it really takes to maintain this.


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## George Farmer (30 Jun 2016)

Wow! Thanks for the feedback and questions. I'll try to answer you all as best I can... 



Robert H. Tavera said:


> Did you replanted the trimmed tops? or you just let the stem plants become bushier by trimming?


Just trimming. They're densely packed so not enough room to re-plant. 



EdwinK said:


> Was this tank used before? Or a cheap silicone? The reason I ask is that silicone seals have lots of bubbles.


Brand new tank but I believe there's a slight discrepancy in the cabinet build (my own fault) so there's some stress on the glass causing the micro bubbles. I've been assured it's safe. Most cabinets are pre-built but I did this myself, and I'm crap at DIY!! 



Per Rudi Danielsen said:


> What would you choose for a 75x45x45 cm tank.
> 
> Light:
> Kessil a360w
> ...


Lighting I'd go for 2 x Kessil 160 instead of one 360. Better spread.
Twinstar can help prevent algae in my experience (but I understand there's lots of debate - I'm just going on my own experience)
Clean filters as often as you can be bothered. Clean filters are good in a planted tank.
Water change depends on energy levels and biomass. 1x 50% per week is ok for most.
Lower temps tends to reduce risk of algae. Everything slows down with cooler temps.



Troi said:


> Hi George, great video. How do you make up the solution of citric acid to clean the Twinstar reactor; what ratios etc?


1x teaspoon of citric acid per 100ml water. 2 hours soaking. I just guessed. Works for me. 



AverageWhiteBloke said:


> How are you getting the fresh water back in George? You were saying it's dechlorinated tap water, just wondering if you're pumping it from a container after dechlorination or put the dechlo in the tank and going in straight from the tap?


I run my tap into a bucket. Then I have a pump in the bucket with the hose attached. I add the dechlorinator in several smdoses throughout the fill.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (30 Jun 2016)

George Farmer said:


> I run my tap into a bucket. Then I have a pump in the bucket with the hose attached. I add the dechlorinator in several smdoses throughout the fill.



Which pump are you using George? Looking for something myself that would lift water from a bucket on the ground to a height of about 1600mm for water changing.


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## Aeropars (30 Jun 2016)

So you're going to stick around 100 Amano shrimp in there? By my calculations of my local shop, that's £400 worth of shrimp!


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## George Farmer (1 Jul 2016)

AverageWhiteBloke said:


> Which pump are you using George? Looking for something myself that would lift water from a bucket on the ground to a height of about 1600mm for water changing.


I'm using a Sun Sun pump - 800lph. Hose is 15 metres but height difference is less than a metre.



Aeropars said:


> So you're going to stick around 100 Amano shrimp in there? By my calculations of my local shop, that's £400 worth of shrimp!


Indeed. I get trade price so not so bad.


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## Per Rudi Danielsen (2 Jul 2016)

Hi George

I have been in a dialog with NA makers http://naturalaquario.com. They seam to be back in buisness.
They can deliver 65 cm system. Lager system will come.

I have asked about there new light. 4x22 watt.

Light info.

LED lamps are 8000K

Power Factor　    >0.95　
color rendering index    >70 or >80　　
Beam Angle　    120°　　
Lumen  2500~2650LM
Power  22W

Could you recommend this lights from NA.

Also would 2 x a360w kessil be owerkill for a 75 cm tank?

Looking forward on the progess on your tank.

Will you post more from your other tanks


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## George Farmer (3 Jul 2016)

Per Rudi Danielsen said:


> Hi George
> 
> I have been in a dialog with NA makers http://naturalaquario.com. They seam to be back in buisness.
> They can deliver 65 cm system. Lager system will come.
> ...


The lights I had were great but I've no experience of their new models.

2 X 360 Kessil is overkill. 1 is plenty. Also consider 2x 160 models instead.

Thanks.


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## GHNelson (3 Jul 2016)

Awesome stuff George as always!
Fantastic shimmer from the Kessil's
Love it!


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## nicpapa (3 Jul 2016)

Nice scape. 
The rock its a litle flat, you have 60cm depth but with those big rocks tank look smaller. 
This tank its perfect for a dutch style.. 
Add neocaridinda shrimps, some otos or bnp and a large of small  school fish, i prefer the cardinals for the blue color.


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## Richard H (4 Jul 2016)

Great looking tank. Love the way it's growing in. Thanks for putting the work into the video, helps us newbies.


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## George Farmer (4 Jul 2016)

nicpapa said:


> Nice scape.
> The rock its a litle flat, you have 60cm depth but with those big rocks tank look smaller.
> This tank its perfect for a dutch style..
> Add neocaridinda shrimps, some otos or bnp and a large of small  school fish, i prefer the cardinals for the blue color.


Thanks, nicpapa.

I won't be adding the fish you suggest as I'm running it sub-tropical. Dutch is too much hard work and not my personal taste. 

Interesting observation on the rock work. Thank you for your input.


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## tim (5 Jul 2016)

Just catching up with your journal George, stunning scape, once grown in it'll be another nature aquarium master class, really enjoying the video side of your work lately, expresses the amount of effort and attention you put into your hobby, great guide for new and old scapers, top work mate.


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## nicpapa (5 Jul 2016)

George Farmer said:


> Thanks, nicpapa.
> 
> I won't be adding the fish you suggest as I'm running it sub-tropical. Dutch is too much hard work and not my personal taste.
> 
> Interesting observation on the rock work. Thank you for your input.



Ok when u say sub tropical what temp? 
For the rock work ,is just what i saw from the photo, maybe when u see in different angle is beter.


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## George Farmer (6 Jul 2016)

nicpapa said:


> Ok when u say sub tropical what temp?
> For the rock work ,is just what i saw from the photo, maybe when u see in different angle is beter.


There's no heater so it's dependent on my room temperature. Generally 18-21C this time of year.


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## George Farmer (6 Jul 2016)

Week 7. Stems recovering from their first trim last week.

30 WCMM in there but are lost!


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## Tim Harrison (6 Jul 2016)

Nice image...it gives a greater impression of the tanks depth front to back and how much scape there actually is in there


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## Greenfinger2 (6 Jul 2016)

Hi George, Stunning scape great videos too


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## Alexander Belchenko (6 Jul 2016)

George Farmer said:


> 30 WCMM in there but are lost!



For such a tank you probably need three times as more fish ))


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## Per Rudi Danielsen (6 Jul 2016)

Hi
In the beginning you do a lot of water changes.
And only remove chlorine from cranewater.
Use tropica fertilizer..
But o water testing?

To keep the tank looking so good and so little algae.
Is this because of so little live stock in the beginning.
High dosing of fert... And big water changes.

When plants have grown in and there are lots of healthy plants in the tank. Will the tank support more livestock with out getting algae outbreaks.

Yesterday i ordered my new tank. NA 65.
I will try and mix your NA tank and this tank layout.

In Norway there isnt meny stores that keep harddcape. So i might end up getting it from UK.

Any place you can recommend.

Ill be watching your progress.


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## Michal Pasternak (21 Jul 2016)

George,
how did you mount the Kessil arms to the side of the cabinet?
Did you drill all the way through the side of the cabinet and used bolts with some washers and nuts to secure it?
Or did you use screws?


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## rebel (21 Jul 2016)

When this grows in the back, the flow may be an issue in those areas. Any ideas on this George?


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## Jack Reilly (22 Jul 2016)

Stunning tank. I really want to buy a kessil, I think they're awesome. Did you attach the kessil arms to the cabinet rather than how they're usually attached (to the glass) for aesthetic reasons ?


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## nicpapa (23 Jul 2016)

Hi George... 
I go from dutch hight light to low tech tanks.. low maintenance in my 180lt tank. 
Before i used Ei , but i think its not necessary those big water changes. 
Can u expalain me your routines , i know that u have it for low tech tanks.. 
Ferts ppms and water change... 
Thanks...


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## Jazza_01 (26 Jul 2016)

Hi George

Could you please share how you are able achieve such great surface ripple using only lily pipes?

I'm using lily pipes too, and in the same configuration to your tank, but I am unable to achieve anyway near the surface ripple you do. The best I can really do is get a nice vortex - there isn't any surface ripple.

If it helps, I've used Cal Aqua Labs Efflux and VIV lily outflow pipes.

Thank you in advance.


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## George Farmer (27 Jul 2016)

Michal Pasternak said:


> George,
> how did you mount the Kessil arms to the side of the cabinet?
> Did you drill all the way through the side of the cabinet and used bolts with some washers and nuts to secure it?
> Or did you use screws?


Hi, I just used self-tapping screws to mount the Kessil arms.


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## George Farmer (27 Jul 2016)

rebel said:


> When this grows in the back, the flow may be an issue in those areas. Any ideas on this George?


It seems fine so far and the stems have grown to the surface a couple of times now. I can always just fiddle with the outlets to obtain different flow patterns if needed.


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## George Farmer (27 Jul 2016)

Jack Reilly said:


> Stunning tank. I really want to buy a kessil, I think they're awesome. Did you attach the kessil arms to the cabinet rather than how they're usually attached (to the glass) for aesthetic reasons ?


Hi - yes the Kessil arms are attached to the cabinet.


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## George Farmer (27 Jul 2016)

nicpapa said:


> Hi George...
> I go from dutch hight light to low tech tanks.. low maintenance in my 180lt tank.
> Before i used Ei , but i think its not necessary those big water changes.
> Can u expalain me your routines , i know that u have it for low tech tanks..
> ...


I'm doing a 50% water change every 10 days or so, sometime every 2 weeks. Depends how busy I am. 

I dose 25ml Tropica Specialised per day when I'm home. Sometimes it will go a few days without ferts with no apparent problem. 

I have never tested the water in any of my tanks for over 10 years so no idea on ppm values. CO2 is around 20ppm I guess. Light around 40umol PAR at the substrate.


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## George Farmer (27 Jul 2016)

Jazza_01 said:


> Hi George
> 
> Could you please share how you are able achieve such great surface ripple using only lily pipes?
> 
> ...


I think the design of the outlets promotes the surface movement and I have quite powerful filters (2x JBL 1501e).


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## George Farmer (27 Jul 2016)




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## Manisha (27 Jul 2016)

Think I have looked at this journal while still a ukaps 'lurker'  Really enjoyed having a proper watch and read through today - 'its like downloading the whole series of 24 and watching it at once' -you can't wait for the next installment!!! Very nice tank and cabinet, epic hardscape and obviously very talented aquascaping skills  I really like the pipework - it's interesting to see a no fuss method of getting good flow without the use of spraybars in a tank with a large volume and substantial hardscape.


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## Per Rudi Danielsen (28 Jul 2016)

Keep posting great photo's.


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## Jazza_01 (29 Jul 2016)

Thanks for your reply George - noted.

What lily pipes are you using? I'll give them a try.

I'm running 2 X Eheim 2217 so hopefully enough power flow wise.


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## George Farmer (23 Jan 2017)




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## MrHidley (23 Jan 2017)

Beautiful, a true nature aquarium.


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## tim (25 Jan 2017)

Superb George, from the scape to the setup, looking to upgrade my 90cm sometime this year, was dead set on the natural aquario setup but the aquascaper range is looking very tempting indeed.


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## George Farmer (31 Jan 2017)

Made a few minor changes. Loving this aquascape.


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## Tim Harrison (31 Jan 2017)

I can see why you're loving this aquascape
And the depth front to back is awesome


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## alex08 (3 Feb 2017)

Depth is crazy! Loving this scape even more!


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## Aqua360 (4 Feb 2017)

That looks awesome, possibly one of your best (imo) yet; the clarity is superb, either the kessils, camera, or both!


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## three-fingers (4 Feb 2017)

As others have said, the depth to this scape is awesome, the pic in post #91 is stunning. The ripple-effect on your walls from those Kessils must be amazing too.

Have always been impressed with your tanks, hope you keep on inspiring others!


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## Daveslaney (5 Feb 2017)

Fantastic tank and scape George. Can see why you love it.
Do you still use the twinstar?Or was it just for the start up period?


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## George Farmer (7 Feb 2017)

Thanks guys 



Daveslaney said:


> Fantastic tank and scape George. Can see why you love it.
> Do you still use the twinstar?Or was it just for the start up period?


Just start-up. Seems to work for me. No algae, anyway.


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## Gill (9 Feb 2017)

Simply Stunning, can't wait for mine (600) to arrive and get it set up.


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## MarkyP (10 Feb 2017)

water clarity  do you use purigen?


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## Konrad Michalski (11 Feb 2017)

Great journal, scape and plants condition. My only criticism is, this type of layout does not show full potential of such a nice tank. If I didn't know the size of the tank I would have thought it is no more than 40cm in depth as a whole layout is very flat  You need to use your 60cm more carefully and wisely George


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## George Farmer (13 Feb 2017)

MarkyP said:


> water clarity  do you use purigen?


No, just the supplied JBL media. 2x 1510e filters.


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## PARAGUAY (13 Feb 2017)

The lighting looks perfect clear and crisp effect


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## George Farmer (13 Feb 2017)

Konrad Michalski said:


> Great journal, scape and plants condition. My only criticism is, this type of layout does not show full potential of such a nice tank. If I didn't know the size of the tank I would have thought it is no more than 40cm in depth as a whole layout is very flat  You need to use your 60cm more carefully and wisely George


That's a really good point! I have a plan to make some changes that will show off the depth...


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## George Farmer (13 Feb 2017)

90 sec video of feeding the tank...


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## Konrad Michalski (13 Feb 2017)

George Farmer said:


> That's a really good point! I have a plan to make some changes that will show off the depth...


To be honest George I wouldn't make changes as it is lovely scape (unless shaping the plants). But when planning next one in the future it is definitely worth thinking about something extraordinary with great depth of field. Don't forget - you are most recognisable aquascaper in UK


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## George Farmer (13 Feb 2017)

Konrad Michalski said:


> To be honest George I wouldn't make changes as it is lovely scape (unless shaping the plants). But when planning next one in the future it is definitely worth thinking about something extraordinary with great depth of field. Don't forget - you are most recognisable aquascaper in UK


Ha! Thanks.


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## George Farmer (18 Feb 2017)

Some shrimp footage....


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## Aeropars (9 Mar 2017)

Hi @George Farmer ,

I'm interested in your use of the Tropica fertiliser. You mentioned at the start of the journal that you planned to use 10-20ml PER DAY however the Tropica website states that the dosage is 6ml per 50L of water PER WEEK.

I'm curious as to why you went for this amount of dose per day? I know you have good experience with Tropica products and I'm thinking of swapping from an EI based approach.


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## Zeus. (12 Mar 2017)

George - love the tank/thread/vids brilliant.

Re-twinstar 
You only use the twinstar for startup, but how long is that normally for you?

TIA

Zeus


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## xim (15 Mar 2017)

Aeropars said:


> Hi @George Farmer ,
> 
> I'm interested in your use of the Tropica fertiliser. You mentioned at the start of the journal that you planned to use 10-20ml PER DAY however the Tropica website states that the dosage is 6ml per 50L of water PER WEEK.
> 
> I'm curious as to why you went for this amount of dose per day? I know you have good experience with Tropica products and I'm thinking of swapping from an EI based approach.



While you're waiting for the answer, you can look at examples of how much the Tropica fertilisers are used here: https://ukaps.org/forum/threads/a-little-inspiration.29865/

Mick.Dk works at Tropipa. He has maintained many Tropica's tanks including the ones in the thread. The dosage is adjusted to plants' need (up to 200-300 ml. a week for the ~200 litres tank).

Some other tanks don't use as much, for example, the Layout 81 which is a 180 litres tank. It's 120 ml a week http://tropica.com/en/inspiration/layout/Layout81/5285

Most recommended dosage in the instructions of branded ferts are generally low. Because they don't know the plant mass and the frequency of water change, to play it safe I guess.


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## Gill (15 Mar 2017)

I myself am loving the Tropica ferts, never had plants grow they way they are with using the Specialist Ferts Bottle. 
I am dosing 10ish squirts every other day. And all the plants I have been unable to keep in the past are flourishing. And the colours on anything Red/Pink is soooo deep and luscious.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (15 Mar 2017)

George Farmer said:


> 90 sec video of feeding the tank...



Haha, 90 seconds of George gaping into his tank. That's the moment right there and the reason we all do this. The bit where you're transfixed, totally immersed in a beautiful creation that you created. 

And then there's days when you have algae


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## Martin in Holland (16 Mar 2017)

George Farmer said:


> *Filtration* - 2 x JBL 1501e
> *CO2 -* 2Kg FE with Green Leaf Aquarium high-end reg, inline diffuser on filter outlet



Do you have 2 inline diffusers (one on each outlet)?


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## Wacca (8 Apr 2017)

I


George Farmer said:


> Some shrimp footage....



I see in the video that you have a mix of shrimp in the tank. Are they all friendly together, I had ghost shrimp and tried to introduce Red cherries only for the ghost to kill them all. I love the tank and have really enjoyed seeing the progress. Thanks


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## Andrew Butler (10 Nov 2017)

George Farmer said:


> JBL Volcano Mineral (crushed lava rock) for building height


Watching the video you've basically built the whole scape in the volcano mineral then just topped it with soil or sand.
Are you concerned about it scratching the glass should you want to change things in the future, also what about the soil or sand mixing in with the mineral?
Do you just use things the once in general?


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## Costa (11 Nov 2017)

It's upsetting just how beautiful and balanced this aquascape is


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## CooKieS (13 Nov 2017)

xim said:


> While you're waiting for the answer, you can look at examples of how much the Tropica fertilisers are used here: https://ukaps.org/forum/threads/a-little-inspiration.29865/
> 
> Mick.Dk works at Tropipa. He has maintained many Tropica's tanks including the ones in the thread. The dosage is adjusted to plants' need (up to 200-300 ml. a week for the ~200 litres tank).
> 
> ...



Wow...expensive dosing routine!


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