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I know I need a good deal more clean up crew in there as well. - More shrimp! If I increase the ferts, do I need to increase the lighting intensity to make best use of it?

So four weeks since the HC and Moss was planted, 3 since the Eleocharis Parvula went in. First gentle scrub of the rocks with a nylon brush, as they are beginning to green up. Thoughts, and some questions... I'm pleased with how things are growing, but the MC is definitely a little...

3 week update - 3 weeks since the HC and Christmas Moss was planted, 2 for the Eleocharis Parvula Amazed by the HC growth. Moss is beginning to grow in, but it is slow. Wondering how long before I give the HC a trim.

Water change the other night... resulted in some extreme pearling, even from the Eleocharis Parvula. Water column just saturated with tiny bubbles.

So we're 10 days in from planting the HC and Christmas Moss, and 4 days in from planting the Eleocharis Parvula. I know I could up the CO2 as the drop checker is still too dark green, but I've had to drop it back as the shrimp and a few of the fish were struggling. It may be a case of building...

Am I right in thinking that I have to be a little more careful with CO2 in my tank given I am using rainwater? Presumably the low hardness means that co2 stopping and starting can cause larger ph changes? And the low hardness in rainwater makes the ph swing for the ideal CO2 concentration larger?

The Eleocharis Parvula arrived yesterday, so planted up the left hand end of the tank today. Solid Parvula along the back and down from the left corner, but merges into the HC. The HC is growing well, but I do have a certain amount floating each morning, that isn't always replantable, so hope...

Cool thanks. I shall start in a while with 20 (+ the 5 Amano) and see what happens. I won't rush to add more.

It's had water in it for a month with just 5 cardinals and the 5 amano to help cycle. A proportion of the substrate (added 3 weeks ago) came from the old tank.

So the tank is: 80cm x 40cm x 45cm - about 144 litres volume (120 litres water allowing for substrate and hardscape) Planting is a carpet of Hemianthus Callitrichoides and Eleocharis Parvula (the EP to be added in the coming week) Currently has 5 Amano shrimp - several years old, left from my...

The pearling is lovely, but I'm not sure it's helping the HC to root!!

72 hours after planting - growth on the HC No growth on the Moss yet, but it's Christmas moss, so a slow grower - however it is beginning to green up from the shade it was after being glued to the bonsai - and it's producing a rain of bubbles, so I'm sure things will happen.

I can change the CO2 to come on earlier, so will just keep an eye on the livestock. Perhaps I've been harsh on the 1-2 grow pot - it wasn't bad by any means, just slightly less green than the normal pots. I've seen plenty of ropy looking pots in shops, and it wasn't that bad, but it clearly...

Thanks for the comments - very helpful Yes the lights are still at 60% so I think I'll leave them there for now, until I get the rest of the plants in and they start growing properly. I think I can already see signs of the HC (Cuba) growing, and it's only been in for 96 hours. I was buying...

While the auto water change does its thing, and there's almost no current in the tank, spotted this perfect column of bubbles coming off the HC.

The HC is pearling like mad, and the lights are only set at 60%... I guess that's a good start.

Plants have arrived - actually pleasantly surprised with the quality. Only found one pot of 1-2 Grow Hemianthus Callitrichoides and to be honest, I think the quality of the normal pots was better. Anyway, moss was cut up and stuck all over the bonsai, and the MC has been spread across most of...

One of the benefits of getting a 3 channel doser second hand is I can use one of the spare channels as evaporation top-up from the water change storage sump. So now the doser adds just over a litre a day overnight. I'll see what the water level does over several days - can always change the...

Thanks. I'm please with how all the woodwork and plumbing has come out. There's still a bit of fettling to do but it's all pretty much working as planned - Just took WAY longer to do then expected!!

Part 2!! I don’t know what lights etc you’re using, but I’d add CO2 (20-30ppm rather than 15-25ppm range)) The CO2 is all set up and ready to go via the in-line diffuser on the outflow from the filter. I do need to get a drop checker set up in the tank ready though before I put the CO2 into...

Hi Alto - Many thanks for the opening compliment I’m itching to level that substrate across the front: smooth out the bumps that is, the slope is fine though it seems very shallow at the left and will be a challenge to plant in, especially if planting with tank flooded (I’d move fish to a bin...

Well the plants are ordered... All via ebay, so can't predict the quality, but there is almost nothing in stock in the usual suppliers at the moment - and not sure that will change in a hurry - I don't want the hardscape sitting unplanted for ages. Eleocharis acicularis Hemianthus...

A better shot now the sediment has settled...

First attempt at putting the hardscaping in... Yes I know it's a 'diorama' style which is considered uncool, but... I want a really simple planting scheme I'd really like to get some good moss growing So a fairly basic mountain scape at the moment. Long term, I'd love to try something in...

That looks like an impressive way to build a tank - I could have done with one of those.

Just wondering what people use for cleaning the inside of their tanks? It's 10mm glass - so a little thick for magnet cleaners - and to be honest they always end up with grit trapped and the glass scratched. I'm guessing the safest option for avoiding scratches is a blade cleaner - just...

I went for the Osmo Polyx Oil in the end - 3 coats all over. Keeping a very close eye on the hood - no sign of any condensation at all so far, so the oil, combined with the twin layer construction (with hidden metal bars inside) should prevent any warping. The sump plumbing using a ‘T’...

Suffice to say that there are some projects you begin to wish you hadn't started. (or at least the wife certainly does!) It's taken way longer than I wanted and there is still quite a lot of fine tuning to do - but the tank is in place and full of water and the new filter and filling system is...

Wow.... that is some carpet - probably the densest I've seen in any journal photo so far - what plant is it?

I love the last photo, with the gladiatorial Ram prowling around his very own Collosseum.... 'Are you not entertained?' I hear him cry!

So nearly completed the woodwork this weekend. Routed the hinge for the hood and cut the holes in the base for the pipework to go down through and an access hole in the back to be able to undo the connectors to remove the glasswork. Will hopefully try some test pieces for the different finishes...

I now have a tin of the Osmo Polyx Oil, as well as Danish Oil, and I must admit, I am not sure which one I shall use. I am nearly finished the 'construction' phase of the woodwork, (everything takes longer than you think it will) and should be in a position to start applying the finish in a...

This looks like it may be by the same person...

I really like the look of this (except the 'trees' - which I don't think work) Does anyone know any more about this setup? - more pictures?

The hood is going to be a good 10cm+ above the water - I've had an open tank before, and haven't had a condensation problem before - it's a big difference from a closed hood.

The wood is not in contact with the water anywhere. If it was necessary to add another coat at any point, it’s done with a rag, and it’s easy to cover the open top of the tank in film.

My only question before ordering some of this stuff (it does look good) is if the wax stays on the surface, while the oil soaks in, then can you ever do an additional coat at a later time? The attraction of something like danish oil, is that you can just whack on another coat at any time in the...

That looks like good stuff, but crikey you pay through the nose for it in the States. It costs only just over half as much in the UK. Makes a change for something to be cheaper over here. It’s normally the other way round. Will seriously consider it. I’ve got to coat 3 boards about 75 x 50cm on...

Thanks for this. Was absolutely expecting to finish all the timber work in some way. Was thinking about several coats of danish oil or equivalent, but could also wax or varnish, I like the idea of oiling because I can add more coats as necessary. But maybe varnishing is better?

Spent the afternoon sanding the base and routing all the slots in the hood. Have managed to get all the slots for the metal bars into the hood before bonding the two boards together. The slots are sized so that the bars just drop in with no spare room at all. Hopefully this, combined with...

This afternoon, the big job I wasn't looking forward to - Cutting out the openings for the light units in the hood board. There's still quite a lot of fettling to do in order to get the openings looking really good and smooth, but I'm fairly pleased so far. Still got to route the slots for...

Have got the 2 base boards biscuit jointed together.

So an afternoon out in the workshop has resulted in a pile of boards ready to be bonded and assembled. Will take a little while to turn these into an assembled base, back and hood. I had built a couple of circular saw jigs to guarantee perfectly straight cuts across the boards - Glad I did -...

First practical job was to make a solid support for the centre of the sideboard - it's already bowed from the weight of the Fluval Edge that's been on there in the past, and that's less than a third the weight of what's about to go on there! When it first went underneath, the worktop...

Slow progress - Just don't have the time I would like to dedicate to getting this done quickly! Scale drawings to check dimensions of all the woodwork - Oak worktops are expensive, so it's about making every piece count. The 29mm board is left over from another project - This is combined with...

It’s pumped into a sump in the cabinet so it can come up to room temperature.

That is a good point. We can be as dry as the UK gets over here.... However - The water butt and outside tap are next to each other - so switching the feed hose (to the storage sump under the tank) over wouldn't be a huge issue on the occasions in summer it proved necessary. Want to get away...

It's not even discus. Just a high tech planted tank with Tetras of some sort. Its only 140-150 litres in total. I'm just putting lots of time and design into a piped / pumped setup, allowing semi automatic water changes, to keep maintenance time demands to a minimum.

Not from personal experience - never had a problem with my Discus tank, but then it wasn't heavily planted with lots of CO2 I may have remembered incorrectly, but I thought a lack of hardness meant low buffering capacity and risk of pH changes. I would prefer from a simplicity point of view...

I ran a Discus tank several years ago, and used only rain water very successfully. My return to aquascaping won't be discus, but an 80cm high tech planted tank. I will bring a water feed in from outside to a sump under the tank, so that water can come up to room temp before carrying out water...

As in the title. Just wondering if anyone has any experience of using them. Initial enquiries have been very positive, but just wondered if anyone has any first hand experience.

Curious - What is a 'Glute spray'? Tried Googling Glute / water mix, and all I get is a selection of swimming exercises for strengthening buttocks!!

Pipework: This is the planned arrangement. Note the planned taps and 'T' Junction to allow Lily Pipe to be used for water changes. The filter will actually be double tapped on both pipes so that it can be completely removed from the cabinet for easy servicing. Water feed will be rainwater...

Rear glass drilled for water level bulkhead feeding directly into drain. Sump water tank in cabinet pumping water into filter outlet (via tapped 'T' Junction) allowing semi-automatic water changes in conjunction with overflow bulkhead. (Will still do siphoning water changes to remove detritus...

Dimensions 80 x 45 x 45 rimless open topped tank in 8mm glass. (Approx 140 litres) Front and sides Optiwhite, rear and base conventional glass (to reduce cost) Filter: Eheim Professional 4 Thermofilter with 16mm Aquascaper glasswork Lighting: 2 x Aquaray Grobeam ND1500 tiles with Aquaray...

Well I'm returning to a new setup after several years away from planted tanks. I've already been skimming through the fora here picking up ideas and asking some questions. It will be a high tech tank that I'm building from scratch (including the tank itself) as, in typical fashion, I want...

Fair enough. Sounds like you have a pretty large tank! The biggest I've ever had was a 350l discus tank. I don't think the OP was talking about using the dosing pump just to top up from evaporation. We're taking about a multi litre water change being carried out at set points while the OP is...

Sounds promising Bob. Although you do use the phrase 'not going to shift huge volumes' which is precisely the point I'm querying. I'm not saying I'm doubtful - I'll be completely honest, I'm new to dosing pumps and have no idea of their longevity. But I'm guessing it might take a dosing pump...

Fair enough! I think it's an interesting idea - and I see what you mean about the proportion of new water (roughly) that's likely to go straight out - it's not much. I am installing a sump tank in the cabinet under my new tank, with a pump sitting in it that would connect to a 'T' junction to...

The only other thing I’d be curious about...? Is a dosing pump up to being used to pump multiple litres volume several times a week. That’s a lot more work for a dosing pump than it was intended for is it not? Intended for just a few cms cubed per day aren’t they??

Using a dosing pump to do water changes? - That's an interesting idea. Presumably the level is governed simply by an overflow? What percentage of your new water ends up going 'straight' out the overflow in a given 24 hour period I wonder. I am putting an overflow bulkhead in the back corner...

Mine is the old 8 channel controller as well.

I could use all 3 at a lower intensity. There won't be much wood left in the hood! It's being made from 2 layers of oak worktop bonded together - I'm already planning to rout slots for aluminium bars between the two layers before bonding to try and prevent any warping.

Ah ok that's useful to know. I'll see what they look like. Because I'm routing openings in the hood (solid oak worktop) I can't be changing my mind once I've done it!

I was going to use the 2 x ND tiles, and sell the colour one - As I think the 8 channel controller can only run 2 tiles anyway, and I'm certainly not in the market for another aquaray controller!

2 x 1500ND tiles and 1 x 1500Colour Plus tile, including all rails and suspension kits for £200 - result! :thumbup:

Thanks for the thoughts. They're going to drop into routed openings in a solid oak worktop lid that will be hinged at the back to simply lift out of the way of an open topped tank. Therefore the heat sinks will be completely open. So from a practical point of view between these or the...

So that's one vote for TMC Aquaray, and one vote for Twinstar... There is a saying in beekeeping: 'Ask 3 beekeepers a question and you will get 4 different answers...' I fear aquascaping is much the same! Anyone else with thoughts? I already have an aquaray controller (which are expensive)...

Trying to decide on lights for my new tank. 80 x 40 x 45 cm Will be going into a custom made oak hood, so no legs or hanging equipment required. Want something with plenty of capacity. Will use controller to fine tune levels. Want to grow a good carpet, so don’t want something that’s not...

Can someone solve my lily pipe conundrum!? I am building an 80 x 40cm base tank. Due to reasons I won’t bore people with, I have to have my glasswork going in from the back, not the ends. I can do either of the 2 options in my plan view illustration. I fear that neither options are ideal...

Can someone solve my lily pipe conundrum!? I am building an 80 x 40cm base tank. Due to reasons I won’t bore people with, I have to have my glasswork going in from the back, not the ends. I can do either of the 2 options in my plan view illustration. I fear that neither options are ideal...

I thought they were supposed to go next to each other, orientated in such a way as the flow pretty much had to make its way around the whole tank before going into the outflow? Have I misinterpreted things I've seen / read?

So on my new tank I will be using an in-line diffuser to remove one more item from the tank. I've read contradicting ideas of where to place this, some saying the outflow, into the filter, and others saying the inflow back to the tank. Obviously I want to ensure maximum co2 dissolving, so...

Unfortunately the tank is not wide enough to run the Grobeams parallel front to back.

Yes they are to scale. The long landscape rectangle is the outline of the tank (80 x 40cm) The 'extra' rectangle on the back (upper edge of the tank on the diagrams) is the back box that will contain all the pipework. The hood is hinged to this, so that it sits horizontal (of course) in use...

Cool, that's what I like to hear!! You do say twinstar though, so I'm guessing that when you say 60cm you actually mean a 60cm light. The Grobeams are labelled as 600, but I assume they mean ideal for a 600mm tank, as the units themselves are only 47cm long. But I'm looking at the light...

Advice sought on lighting layout. New 80 x 40 cm base tank. Aquaray 600 Grobeam Duo which I am happy provide enough light for the volume of the tank. However I am having a little dilemma regarding layout within the oak hood I am making. The Grobeams are a fair bit shorter than the length of...

Push fitting a hose into plastic elbow with no barb?! There's a shortcut to flooded living room at some point. It does surprise me that no company has thought about transparent fittings, but I guess by the time you get to fittings, the vast amount of pipework is inside a cabinet and it doesn't...

There is clearly a trend for clear glass and pipework at the moment - I will be using aquascaper lilypipes and clear pipe on my new setup. What I do notice is no-one has caught up on the fittings front. No-one makes clear elbows or junctions. Because of how I will have to arrange things, I...

Thanks for the info Marcel. The image you attach was the one I was using in my original post! ;)

The main knob allows me to set the pressure that the CO2 reaches the needle valve at.

So the CO2Art regulator that I was having trouble with yesterday turns out to be an older single stage regulator, not a dual one - fell foul of the old issue of sellers confusing dual gauge with dual stage. Never mind, these things happen. So looking at my original regulator that I bought...

It's on! It was partly me being stupid. The nut fitting on the back that actually attaches between the regulator and the extinguisher is not 'fixed' into the regulator and unscrews really easily, and at first I couldn't work out how to screw it onto the extinguisher without unscrewing it from...

Thanks for the reply. Not sure what that's telling me?! Lighting seems to be a confusing area! If the tank in post 7 used 1 light and achieved a reading of 35 at 40cm above the substrate, then with 2 I should get around 70 yes? This seems to tie in with the calculator above.

That'll teach me for feeling pleased with myself. Secured a CO2Art regulator from ebay. Dual stage, for much less than new price - felt good :) Arrived today, to find that it won't fit onto the extinguisher. On this regulator, the connecting shank /bolt screws directly into the BACK of the...

Trying to work out if I am purchasing enough light for my new 80 x 40 x 45 cm planted tank. Will be well planted and will want to get good carpeting on the bottom with CO2 injection via an inline diffuser. Am purchasing an Aquaray Grobeam 600 Duo (2 bars, 10 LED's) as I already have the...

Thanks for the replies! So a product such as TNC Complete can genuinely claim to be an 'All in One' solution. That's useful to know

Re-reading about EI after several years away from a serious planted tank. All the guides say about making a separate Macro and Micro solution because they react when mixed. If this is the case, how do products such as TNC Complete have 'ALL' the nutrients in them? I see the ADA products come...

Thanks for this. I was thinking the filter would be ok, with lily pipes to distribute the flow. It's well over 10x volume per hour! But I do wonder if the 16/22mm lily pipes will be simply too big and obvious in the 80 x 45 x 40cm tank, and whether using a reducer to 12/16mm would be better...

Am about to set up a new high tech planted tank, trying to re-use as much existing equip as I still have stored from a previous large (350litre) Discus tank I used to run. However, have some questions about whether some of this equipment will work, given the size of the new venture. Tank: 80 x...

Have been running a Fluval edge with an Aquaray 400 mini tile for some time now. I already have the older Aquaray 8 channel controller with dimming and storm function. Am about to build a new open planted tank with all the hardware hidden in Oak boarding and glass lilly pipes. I will build an...

Hi, Have been using Estimative Index, since November. This is currently working on a routine of 2 water changes of 20% a week. The formula for my dosing liquids are included below from my original posting back in Oct / Nov Using James' planted tank calculator, I carried out the following...

Yes, it would appear that Chloramine is used in Ipswich, so there goes the idea of using tap water to raise the gh and kh of my tank. So what options does that leave. I really need to raise gh AND kh a little and am I correct in thinking that gh booster only raises gh? Any suggestions?

Ok, but presumably in the sort of quantities of tap water I wil be adding (say 20% of my water change volume, if that) I shouldn't have to worry about it?

Thanks for the response. Yes that's waht I meant.. badly explained on my part. So how long does chloramine last before it comes out of solution?

Dealing with one question at a time: a) yes adding hot water would bring the temperature straight up, but my point is, if I add the water, including that from the tap, straight away, I've got to add de-chlorinating chemicals. Whereas my understanding is, if I add the tapwater to the rainwater...

Hi, I have used rainwater in my tank for over 3 years now, with almost no tap water ever going in. However, of course now the GH and KH are almost non-existent and I would like to raise it a little. This can easily be achieved with the local tapwater! As the rainwater is stored in 25l jerry...

I dont want to start 'feeding' the shrimp if I can help it as I want them eating as much algae as possible!

Yes I would indeed like to raise the water parameters slightly! That was why I asked what would be good to achieve it with as I guess the plants themselves would probably benefit from slightly higher gh and kh values. Gh booster will only raise gh so how would I up the kh value slightly?

I have had some amano shrimp in the tank for just over 2 weeks and they seem happy enough and appear to have evaded the discus long enough for me to consider trying to increase their number in the new year. My only concern is that, being a discus tank, I use rainwater, and as a result have a...