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Quetzalcoatl`s DSM With HC - "Finally Flooded" - Progress

Quetzalcoatl

Member
Joined
12 Jul 2011
Messages
324
Location
South Cheshire
Hi Ukaps.

I`m back after a brief absence away but I am now eager to get stuck back in and share with you my trials and tribulations along the way with this new journal.

I am by no means a Pro, I wouldn`t even consider myself intermediate level yet. I still have much to learn but the knowledge and understanding I have gained over the last couple of years will hopefully go some way in making this scape a success?

I have always been drawn to the simplicity of an Iwagumi inspired layout. And after the constant battle of trimming and maintenance of my last "Dutch Style" scape something much more low maintenance was on the agenda.

I have decided to keep it traditional and use Seiryu stone for the hardscape. I have been playing around with layouts for a week or so but I am still undecided. I brought a huuuuge piece of stone from TGM way back at the end of last summer. It weighed around 13kg and at £6.50 per KG (you do the math) you can see why I wanted to use it!! I had brought it with the intention of using it my180ltr when I got around to rescaping but due to the current 60ltr tank I am now using I feel it is going to be too over powering even if I bury half under the substrate. You can see what I mean in the 2nd picture below.

Here is what I have come up with so far with number 3 being the current and preferred layout. I am sorry for the quality of pictures all I have at present is my iphone. Hopefully as things progress I shall call on friends who have the equipment to do it justice (If we get to that level :) )
I have used filters on some shots to try and reduce the ammount of reflection I was getting. Here goes.

(No 1)

D9C29CC2-B555-4D4E-86DF-7E85E183BF38-7535-00000704C612EEF6_zps4ac5d256.jpg


(No 2) The monster piece of Seriyu stone. 1/3 is buried. :wideyed:
796F9AEB-C3D8-4C84-BFF2-590BB5E4AD02-7535-00000704191A54B9_zps01ad3952.jpg


(No 3) Current.
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FLORA

Hemianthus callitrichoides
Eleocharis parvula

Now, I am taking a bit of a risk here as I have tried and failed on numerous occasions to grow a HC carpet! However, optimism and stubbornness have prevailed and due to starting a scratch with some decent aquasoil I thought I would give it another crack. I will, this time however, go down the DSM route, so please be prepared for a slow moving journal.

Now in regards to DSM I do have some questions?

Is it best to mist daily? How often? and is there any advantage adding ferts to the water I am misting with? I have a bit of TPN+ knocking about and plenty of dry salts to play with.

How long should the photoperiod be? Will the HC be at risk of drying out if exposed to prolonged
Periods of light?

I`ve read differing opinions on keeping the roots wet. Should the substrate remain wet or only the surface foliage?

Finally, how is the HC likely to react when the tank is flooded? Can I expect to see a lot of melt whilst the plant adapts to submerged conditions?

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated as I`m picking up my plant this weekend and getting busy.

SUBSTRATE
Colombo Florabase (Black)

HARDWARE
I have acquired quite a bit of stuff over the last couple of years. Some stuff I have sold on, some stuff I`ve used from the start, and other stuff I`ve not had the heart to throw away. I have compiled a itinerary of equipment that I will use for this scape.

Juwel Reckord 600 - 60ltr
Fluval G6
2x24watt Hagen GLO T5 Luminnaire
AM1000 Reactor
Hydor ETH300
22KG BOC CO2 cylinder with JBL Regulator
And half of the wife`s kitchen cupboard. :thumbup: (See below)

CA91AC2F-6AB7-4755-BC28-896054E281E4-12995-00000DF0E9D59F61_zps113b9e31.jpg



3CBF619D-07C7-46FE-B182-AB23F4CAD373-12995-00000DF0E67D6CCC_zps9744b31d.jpg


I am a bit concerned about flow using the G6 and AM1000. I did suffer a significant loss when using the two in conjunction on the last tank but with this tank being 1/3 of the size I`m hoping all will be ok. I do have a spare Eheim 2080 to fall back on but fear that would be overkill for this 60ltr.:lol:

Fauna
Still undecided on this yet. I would like a small shoal of Galaxy Rasboras but I have no experience of keeping these so any advice or pointers would be a bonus! I will definitely be keeping Japonica`s in there and a couple of Ottos.

So then that`s about it for now. I am really excited about getting going and I hope with the help of my Ukaps family I can finally win my battle with HC along the way. I am picking up 6 pots of the lovely stuff and 2 pots of Parvula tomorrow and shall update when the planting is complete. Until then all comments and critiques are welcome.

Cheers everyone. Speak soon.
 
Hiya matey, glad to see you finally getting the journal going. Will be watching this with interest.
I personally really like photo number two lol.

Good luck with this one mate im sure you'll have better luck with the hc this time

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk 2
 
Hi all.
Thanks for the input. :thumbup: I had a feeling this would happen. I was really pleased with the second layout too and I lived with it like that for around 1 week. I feared though that due to the size of the stone that flow could become a major issue as it`s proper massive. So I stripped it down and started again. Let`s see if we get any more input on layout and I could do a rescape at the final hour. :lol: That piece of stone cost me over £80 so would be a shame not to include it!!

Here is a picture I took whilst doing initial layouts so you get to see the scale of it. The tank is 600mm (60ltr)

5960CE0A-E36C-4501-9CB7-FE094CC76C11-7535-000007046AF468D3_zps90e0b417.jpg
 
After a massive let down from the LFS regarding my plant delivery today I decided to strip the hardscape down and go with my first instincts and try and recreate something that included the large piece of Seriyu. :thumbup:

This is what I have come up with and will be sticking with as I`ve had the substrate in and out more times than I can remember.

I`m thinking hairgrass back right and left, and Cuba everywhere else.
Sorry for the poor picture quality! Gutted that I don`t have access to any decent equipment.

null_zps572472b0.jpg


null_zps2f098379.jpg


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I do like that rock :) can I ask, why do you have frosted glass on the sides of the tank? I find it a bit claustrophobic.
 
Hi. I have used the frosted vinyl on the sides to hide the hideous decor in the house when I was taking the photos. Lol
We just moved in a few weeks ago and let's just say the decoration is a little dated.
 
Ahhh other peoples decorating is always fun ha. I have been looking at houses recently and sometimes looking past the decoration to see what it could be like is hard
 
Not posted for ages as there wasn`t really much to report but as I have know plucked up the courage to flood the tank I thought I`d share my progress. :thumbup:

The DSM went really well, and to be honest, I don`t know why I was so fearfull. I had read lots of mixed views on the best way to go prior to starting but I found that my liberal schedule worked just fine. I misted daily, sometimes every other day and kept the tank covered throughout. I used a weak mix of water and TPN+ at a ratio of about 10:1 but to be honest I couldn`t say whether this benefited the HC or not. Lights were on 12hrs a day and temp hovered around 28 Deg for this period.

Anyway here is the tank flooded and the progress of how it got there. Still on iPhone so forgive the picture quality.

IMG_1461_zpse6ca0a6e.jpg



27/05/2013
DSM-001_zps2d07e116.jpg



18/06/2013
DSM-02_zps28aa7021.jpg



09/07/2013
DSM-03_zpsefa45654.jpg



20/07/2013
DSM-04_zps45613940.jpg
 
Hi, looks really nice. Great bit of rock! I have this tank and I think its 54l not 60l.
 
Looks really nice dude, congrats! I've just started a journal for my Nano DSM, trying to grow some HC much like you are, hope it turns out this good!

Did you fill the tank with water just below the substrate or are you just relying on misting?
 
Quick update. Day 3 since flooding and I am experiencing some pretty severe BGA.
I made a bit of a schoolboy error with my inline heater and knocked the dial to max, as a consequence the tank was Running at around 40 deg for 24 hrs. I think this may be a contributing factor but who knows with a new set up!
The BGA has gathered on the slow growing hair grass at the back so a severe hack and syphon have been carried out. Hopefully I can get it under control?
I have started dosing salts, KNO3, and KH2PO4, 1/4 tsp every other day and 1/8 tsp trace on alternative days, I've cranked up the CO2 and am currently doing 80% daily water changes. Hopefully things will develop nicely? Will keep you posted!

Did you fill the tank with water just below the substrate or are you just relying on misting?

Hi mate, good luck with the DSM. Patience is the key. This was my first attempt and took just under 2 months. I misted daily, not heavy, just enough to keep the humidity level good. I read horror stories regarding mould when soaking the substrate so avoided this, plus the fact that I have a pretty steep slope!
 
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