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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...

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...

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.

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...

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...

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...