• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Rio 180 first aquascape

Jink82

Member
Joined
5 Mar 2015
Messages
70
Hi everyone,

Here's my first aquascape (yesterday 14 march 2015). I think I am happy with the hardscape. But I got a little bit carried away in the shop with all the plants that i bought.

And now I understand after filling the tank why people would choose for a dry start : /.

Tank: Juwel Rio 180
Lighting: Standard Juwel tank High-Lite units
Filter: Standard Filter and for the time being also an Eheim 2076 pro 3. The 2076 is going to replace the internal filter.
Heater: Standard Internal heater (200 w? I think.)
Substrate: Aqua soil Amazonia and Colombo flora base pro
CO2: None yet... But I ordered one from Azaqua.nl
Plants: Too much
Stocking: Nothing yet.
Ferts: Macro and Micro Nutrient mix (http://www.ukaps.org/index.php?page=setting-up-a-higher-tech-planted-tank) and EasyCarbo.

16640383489_008fac2543_b.jpgFirst Aquascape by Jink82, on Flickr

Near future plans:

Install C02 asap.
Remove internal filter.
If the tank runs well without any problems. I'm gonna slowly cut down the forrest on the left.

Any comments, tips or criticism are welcome.
 
Thnx Greenfinger. I had some misfortune this morning. When I was trimming down the stem plants I accidentally hit the wood and it went loose... With the help of some rocks I managed to get it in (somewhat different) position again. But now I'm really unhappy about how things look. I'm thinking about starting all over again with a dry start. But what would you're advice be and is there a way to preserve the plants who can't handle the dry start?
 
I decided to give this scape another shot so I didn't have to start all over again. Yesterday I drained it all, secured the root with a rock and secured all the Microsorium Pteropus (Java Fern) and the Vesicularia Montagnei (christmas moss) better then before.

The Hemianthus Callitrichoides won't grow very well... But I'm hoping that they're adjusting to the aquatic environment.

The C02 is installed.

And now we wait.
 
Sorry to hear about the roaming wood, but I really like what you have so far. It's still got that just planted look but it looks like it's got a lot of potential. Planting densely can be good for a new tank and you'll be able to see what plants work well for you. I expect it will look a bit worse before it gets better where everything adjusts so sit back and give it some time before any drastic action :)
 
It's an awesome tank! there are lost of interesting textures & shades & it will be fun to watch.
(& I've hit wood many a time :oops: ) - that forest on the left is a great idea for new setups, besides it's fun to play with different plants.

You may want to separate some of the clumps of hair grass (if easy), also just stay on top of removing any brown strands as it settles & grows.
 
Hi Green, I'll try to share a new picture tonight. I'm happy how the left side is starting to grow the hairgrass and the stem's. The Hemianthus Callitrichoides is still not going as I would like although things are slightly improving. Also the Staurogyne Sp. lost a lot of leaves in the process but small ones are emerging :)

So I'm not happy how things look atm. But I think everything will be allright.

Also I'm growing some of Hemianthus Callitrichoides and the hair grass in jars with potting soil... They're doing really well.
 
Well as promised here's my 2nd picture:

16928318462_69c1ccba88_b.jpg

I think it's less gorgeous then after the initial setup. But I've been warned that things were about to get uglier before they got better. It's funny I just realized that by taking a picture it's easier for me to see what's wrong with the scape. I'm gonna fix that after I know for sure all my plants are doing well.

Initially the Hemianthus Callitrichoides was a real hassle... Getting loose every-time... And I was sure it was dying off but they are now definitely starting to get grip and to grow. The stemplants are growing really fast about 1 to 1,5 cm or 0.5 inch a day. Also the hairgrass is doing good.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/rvrYLG]16742166360_d6f7562847.jpg

There is brown algae on some plants. But I've been told that this is probarly only the first stage and it will disappear. Some parts of the moss on the wood are looking brown and not that fresh. But there are growing new green branches out of them so I hope it will be fine.

Anyway thanks everyone for showing interest. Untill the next update.[/url]
 
Well here my third update. I'm sorry for the lack of updates recently. You know work, kids, girlfriend, work, social life...

16905379029_0c55d247ae_b.jpg

Aquarium 09-05-2015

Lots of things happened. The root got loos again. But I managed to get it down again. I rearranged some plants in the meantime. I think I'm gonna move the Vallisneria spiralis to the right corner below the outflow of the internal filter.

Put black foil (is that the right english word?)... In the background. So that my pictures look more beautiful. Need to do it again some day because of the small space behind the aquarium I couldn't do it properly.

Bought some Hemigrammus bleheri and three Otocinclus affinis. I wanted the Rednoses for a long time I love how they almost always stay in formation. First I bought 6 and after 5 days I bought another 12. I tried to follow Greg's advise http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/help-fish-being-gassed.31654/#post-333978 when I introduced the fish to the tank. But the bag of the first 6 fish overturned (I think the flow was to heavy)... So they got introduced way to fast to too much CO2. I turned the CO2 off but some of them were already spinning. All seemed fine after half an hour or so but the next day I found out that 1 didn't survive. The next batch of 12 did go according to plan and I left them in the bag overnight. And now all seventeen are doing really great.

Now some problems I'm struggling with. The HC won't grow as much as I have hoped. Is this a CO2 distribution problem or is it just the plant nature of not growing fast? The HC that's already there looks fine.

The moss is not all covered in algae but it has got some brown algae. Should I adjust something? Lighting, CO2 or ferts?

Atm it's still 6 hours of light. 9ml macro (10 teaspoons of Potassium Nitrate 2 and a half teaspoons of Potassium Phosphate dissolved in 500ml water) 18 ml micro (3 teaspoons of Trace Element mix 5 teaspoons of Potassium Sulphate dissolved in 500ml water) and 7ml aqua carbo every day. And I do waterchanges twice a week 30 to 40%

Then I've got this magnetic valve http://tinyurl.com/q79vvmg. And it snaps really loud when it's going on (is this normal?). Already i've got three broken time switches. The first one I doubted the quality of it but It can't all be the bad quality of the time switches can it? Has someone encountered this problem? Maybe it's wise to make a thread for this.

Thanks
 
Last edited:
Excuse me for the lack of updates... I had a lot of trouble with this tank. It started this summer. While I was on holiday in France my (really friendly) neighbor who i've asked to do the daily dose kept the lights on for 24 hours a day. I don't know if anybody on this forum can imagine what will happen but I don't have to imagine that anymore. After filling three buckets of algae I saw that most of the plants were not doing well but were still rescuable. Despite all the setback I kept on doing my water changes, pruning, adding EI and adjusting the CO2. Still kept on having algae... I took the reflectors off... Didn't work... Put them back on... didn't work... Exchanged the lily pipe for a spraybar. Changed the light schedule to 4 hours didn't work... Kept on changing stuff but nothing seemed to really work.

I finally think that I've made things turn around and the thing that really helped me was reading a journal (I think it was "Tropical Bay"). I've always turned my co2 on 2 hours before the lights turn on and off 1 hour before the lights turn out with a lot of bubbles per second. So the fish were not doing well and the drop checker went yellow at the end of the day. But by reading some journals I realized that other people were adding a lot less CO2 then me but for a longer period of time. And I realized that that would make sense for my tank because during the day the tank is in a fairly bright room. Still got some algae but I think/ hoping that i've got it under control.

The HC really didn't work in this tank. So this week I've got rid of most of the HC and put Monte Carlo in. I'm hoping this will work and form a nice carpet on the right side of the tank. I also bought plant named Hygrophila Difformis I really love this plant.

23494912682_8fe8f60ffb_b.jpg

I'm hoping someone will learn from my mistakes. I also have some new ideas for my next scape but I really want this one to work before I move on otherwise I'll make the same mistakes again.
 
Hi Jink, I can imagine the Algae :arghh: :banghead:Trusting other people to look after your baby :nailbiting:

Fantastic job you have done:cool:In bringing the scape and planting back from the brink of total disaster:clap::clap:

Hygrophila Difformis, I love this plant too:rolleyes: Fab fast growing plant and can be used a a floating plant too. Ho and in Wabi-Kusa :D
 
Thanks for the update - like you I don't need to imagine that level of algae (no idea how long you were gone but I returned after an extended overseas trip to something that looked otherworldly :wideyed: - there were no plants remaining to rescue)

Well done on the reclamation efforts!
 
Time for an update... Finally it looks like the plants are more and more thriving (pearling and such:))and I seem to get more control over what I'm doing. Still i'm having some algae issues hopping from one to the other. But now that I seem to get more control over the aquarium environment I'm more and more experimenting with some plants and I like it a lot.

A couple of weeks after my last update I still wasn't happy with how things were developing in my tank so I changed a lot and a little bit to fast to learn anything from it. #stupid. I removed the canister filter, it was making noise and I thought maybe the flow wasn't right. Changed the EI dosing to the one that the seller is recommending instead of an formula I've found on this forum (tweaked it a little bit by now). And finally last christmas I gave myself a christmas bonus, a Daytime Ecco led unit (5400 lumen) and a Twinstar Nano. Ofcourse I couldn't wait and installed them at te same time. Now i'm regretting this because I don't know why things are working so much better than before.

This is it atm:

24545046165_742ce782dd_b.jpg
 
Back
Top