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259L bookcase rebirth

Re: 259L bookcase tank - CO2 diffusion issues

mikeappleby said:
am going to go with the UP Atomiser into the AM1000 - hoping that will give total dissolving CO2 on a loop with an external pump (keeping the filter free from anything blocking flow) and not getting the atomiser / diffuser clogged. So frustrating.
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Seems this set up (eventually) worked a treat. The UP atomiser didn't have enough pressure to begin with: realised the bubble counter that screws straight into the regulator was leaking from the screw. Bit of vaseline in that sorted it. And now have very very fine mist (smaller than standard UP atomiser) and no noise in the AM1000. Sorted. :clap:
 
Re: 259L bookcase tank - new video

Nice video, camera notwithstanding :clap: . The busyness of the fish is a good counterpoint to the solidity of the hardscape, and the plants soften the transition between the two. I could watch for ages....
 
Re: 259L bookcase tank - new video

mikeappleby said:
Popped to the LFS today and came back with 24 Amano shrimp :crazy:, so think I now have about 34 in the tank... Taking a leaf out of Mark Evans' and Takashi Amano's books on that one.
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Have to say, this seems to have made a really noticeable difference. No new algae growing anywhere, and plants with a minor brown tinge have cleaned up a lot. Definitely looks healthier. Just need to scrub off the last remaining bits of BBA from the rocks and it will be Amano/Evans-esque.

Feels like am getting there with this tank. Only problem is I'm running out of things to tinker with :shifty:
 
Re: 259L bookcase tank - new video

Well you've done one in a wall and one in a bookcase. I think a coffee table or a bed next. Maybe a thin line tank that doubles as patio doors?

That would keep you tinkering!

On a more serious note; amanos are pretty handy at clean up. I've heard people say they don't do much but mine really seem to keep on top of things.
 
Moss?

Any ideas on what this is? Found it growing in a stream. Not sure if it's aquatic - though was underwater - as the stream might be swollen due to the recent rain.

Have planted some almost emersed.

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You've gotta love that Gourami... And some at the very bottom of the tank with a shrimp for scale.

2012-05-16%20at%2016-48-34.jpg

Is really rather lovely. Last time I tried this with something from a stream though it just died. But now I can actually grow plants a bit! Seems to be pearling away.
 
Re: 259L bookcase tank - new video

Good luck with that. How on earth did you see it in the first place ? I love that you would bring some home and try it in your tank, so I really hope it takes 🙂
 
Full tank shot

Here's the update. Have given up on the sand, just isn't going to work - but a lesson for next time when hardscaping: make the transition totally flat!

So have removed some of the 'banking' stones and letting the stauro flow a bit more naturally. Think will improve a lot. May get some HC for the central river bed to make this fill in quicker.

2012-05-16%20at%2021-17-25.jpg

Generally pretty pleased - getting there.
 
Re: 259L bookcase tank - new video

Bit bored with the growth rate.

So am taking the radical step of dramatic increase in CO2 injection rate - as think having more surface movement now allows this - (still on from 2 to 9.30pm) and upping the lighting to 4 * T5 from 2 * T5 tubes (still on from 4 to 11.30).

Fingers crossed!
 
Re: 259L bookcase tank - new video

What are you doing for ferts again ? I found that swapping from TPN+ to EI has had a visible impact in only 3 days.
 
CO2 and surface flow

EI dosing.

Interesting - now have a drop checker that's yellower than I've ever had it, and no gasping at all from the fish. Really think the Tom Barr technique of surface agitation plus high CO2 might have something potent to it!

plantbrain said:
Think about it like this, the O2 and current rise the CO2 ceiling much higher and improved fish health and cycling of all waste MUCH faster and better.

Say you can only add 30 ppm without gassing the fish.........with good filtration, current etc, you add 1-2ppm more O2 and(or 15-30% more) and you can double the CO2 to 60ppm without issues.

It's a large jump.

But it's not just 100% about adding more CO2.
That is the root issue for algae and other plant issues, but there is much more to it than merely turnign a knob for Co2. :idea:
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New camera

Have been away quite a bit recently, so tank has suffered - no water changes or dosing, and too much feeding from the person looking after our house. Algae making a bit of a resurgence.

But on the plus side, have a new camera :clap:. Makes a big difference - upgrade from a Rebel TX. Photos are much better. Here's a quick first attempt straight after a trim and water change tonight... Click on it for a bigger version.

2012-07-07%20at%2022-13-08.jpg

Canon EOS 600D, with Canon EF 50mm lens, f/3.5, 1/80, ISO 400, shot in RAW.

Very limited post-processing on this (mainly a tiny bit of sharpening). Any photo pointers greatly appreciated. Think I need the shutter a bit faster to get sharper danios... And could do all the usual hairdryer, etc, getting fish shoaling business at some point, but want the plants in a better state first.

Really looking forward to a video with this camera. Took some great ones on holiday - but not for posting here!
 
259L bookcase tank - new camera (600D)

Algae in retreat again (flourish excel, scrubbing, water changes, loads of shrimp).

Did a proper substrate clean with a gravel vac last week - have been doing once every month or so. Is amazing how much crud comes up. Need to do a bit more regularly but is v time consuming compared to my semi-automated water changes, and 'wafting' doesn't seem to work for me. Remember that in my little tank this is what got it finally going really healthily.

Am bored with slow growth in general so finally switched on the second set of T5s last week (and raised the lights by a couple of inches). Seems fine so will lower them by an inch every week now until I get a good balance.

Am slightly itching to do a big-ish rescape. The vertical small rocks are just BBA zones waiting to happen. Want much more mountainous substrate. I guess I keep on learning!
 
Re: 259L bookcase tank - new camera (600D)

Will you need to up the CO2 and ferts accordingly if you have doubled the lighting ?
 
259L bookcase tank - new camera (600D)

Ferts are ei, so fine. CO2 not sure am monitoring carefully.

Think that raising lights even a bit does seriously alter PAR as it drops off in a non linear way with distance, if that makes sense. So am probably a long way from doubling lighting.
 
Rescape thoughts

mikeappleby said:
Am slightly itching to do a big-ish rescape. The vertical small rocks are just BBA zones waiting to happen. Want much more mountainous substrate. I guess I keep on learning!
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Have done a bit of thinking about this. Here's what I started with in January:

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and here's the current layout...

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What I've realised:

1. The sand 'river' was just too much hassle for me, and was too straight for a tank this thin front to back. So am scrapping that and moving towards a more standard triangular shape, but using plant 'channel's that run more diagonally to give the illusion of depth.

2. The tank is quite narrow, and even with substrate supports, I got a lot of flattening quite quickly. But because it's narrow, it needs a lot of slope to get the illusion of depth. So am going to use hardscape more intelligently to 'shore up' the slopes, and go for much more radical banking of substrate than I did before. That means using bigger pieces of hardscape too, and not worrying so much about them standing out - they'll get swamped by plants anyway.

3. The major BBA problems have been on the vertical rocks. I suspect these also seriously hinder flow. So going for something simpler that feels more natural, and doesn't impede flows as much. The vertical rocks didn't give the illusion of perspective in the way I'd hoped. So going for more straightforward diagonals on hardscape too.

4. I started out with too many different types of plants. Am going to stick to what I have growing in the tank for now.

5. The frosted background looks better than I'd expected. Want more of a contrast between an open swimming area and a planted bit.

6. The stem plans near the tall rocks (or behind) never really got going. Suspect there's a flow issue, so will sort that out.

7. Think the height of the rocks (nearly to the top of the tank) made it look smaller than it is.

So here's a quick sketch of what I'm thinking.

sketch.png

And the slightly more professional version. Managed to find some purple schist stone pictures, and used the template from earlier in this journal - only took about 20 mins. File is 1.8mb if it's a bit slow to load - sorry!

Rescape%20plan%20June%202012.png

Will think about it for a while, maybe remove the BBA small rocks now, and wait for a couple more trims of stauro before I rescape. What do you think?
 
here it is

So here's the layout:

2012-07-21%20at%2021-20-35.jpg

And here's what I'm hoping it will turn into:

sketch.png

So lots of stems behind the big rock (currently growing some extra on the front right to speed things up), HC in the front right, stauro in layers forming a diagonal swoop.

Rockwork isn't quite right, and think the big rock is a bit too big, but have planted this one with a bit more vision of how plants will affect and change the scape than I've been able to do so far.

Comments? Have I gone mad?
 
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