60x20x20

[tim]

Daily water change this morning around 15 ltrs a day for the first two weeks
My trusty paintbrush for wood and rock cleaning and a few of my daughters make up pads for glass cleaning

Ug seems to be turning darker green

Only tried this plant once before in a non co2 tank and it stayed very pale so not sure if this is a good sign.
Tank refilled

Cheers for looking.

 

[James D]

Looking good Tim, I was wondering how your good flow will be in a long tank like that but then I realized it's only 60cm, it looks much bigger to me.

 

[Omegatron]

I tried UG 2 times now and both times it i couldnt get it to grow. I have been reading some comments that UG seems to do best in an establist tank. Im not sure it this is true.

 

[tim]

Looking good Tim, I was wondering how your good flow will be in a long tank like that but then I realized it's only 60cm, it looks much bigger to me.

Thanks james, speaking of flow the 700 didn't quite cut it on my last scape in this tank once plant mass increased but I have a 900 I can stick on if I have the same issues this time round.

I tried UG 2 times now and both times it i couldnt get it to grow. I have been reading some comments that UG seems to do best in an establist tank. Im not sure it this is true.

Hi mate, there's lots of suspicions it doesn't like nutrient high substrates etc etc I'm hoping used aquasoil shouldn't be too rich for it, I'm also hoping it's all bull and the plant just needs lots of co2 which I am providing this time round, fingers crossed

 

[tim]

Ug seems to be settling in nicely, amania bonsai is melting like a bugger though trimmed out the melt a couple of clumps are hanging in there, co2 is high yellow dc hour before lights on and a 1.4 ish ph drop from co2 on to lights on (liquid test don't have a ph pen) daily waterchanges will continue for a while yet.

 

[Andy Thurston]

1.4 drop in your hard water thats a lot of co2

 

[tim]

1.4 drop in your hard water thats a lot of co2

Hell of a lot, wanted the plants to get the best start possible, ph after waterchange this morning was 8 ph at co2 on was 7.5 ish will keep checking hourly until lights on at 6 and report back.

 

[Andy Thurston]

I want to try amania bonsai too but was put off by other peoples problems. I wonder if it prefers softer water because its supposed to be a medium difficulty plant. Perhaps someone else can shed some light on the subject. Perhaps I should just try it

 

[tim]

I want to try amania bonsai too but was put off by other peoples problems. I wonder if it prefers softer water because its supposed to be a medium difficulty plant. Perhaps someone else can shed some light on the subject. Perhaps I should just try it

Go for it Andy, I planted a few stems in my low tech and they're not melting, also have one clump tucked right behind the biggest rock in here which looks lovely Tbh I've only suffered plant melt using tissue culture plants, maybe they just have a harder time adjusting ??
Anyhow ph so far
3pm co2 on 7.6 ish
4pm 6.8 ish
5pm 6.4 ish
6 pm lights on 6 ish, I say ish due to using liquid test not a ph pen colours being what they are I'd say I have at least a 1 point drop by lights on with hard water 30x flow rule, and according to my favourite par chart low light, frustrating hobby sometimes will test ph hourly until lights off.

 

[Andy Thurston]

Funny you should say that tim, in the cube the only plants that melted were tissue cultured plants, monte carlo and alternanthera reineckii mini all the rest were fine

 

[tim]

I'm hoping the root structure may have enough left to eventually produce some new growth trimmed out melt and will keep co2 cranked high, lights low and water changes frequent on a better note the ug isn't melting or floating so fingers crossed.

 

[Tim Harrison]

Really looking good...nice and crisp...and the tank dimensions are extraordinary IMO, V difficult to create depth but you've somehow managed it.

 

[tim]

Really looking good...nice and crisp...and the tank dimensions are extraordinary IMO, V difficult to create depth but you've somehow managed it.

I thank you very much kind sir now if only the amania bonsai would realise THIS IS A difficult tank to work With I'd be really happy I'd say a 0.2 drop by lights out so my co2 is sh*t hot or could be tweaked some to be consistent through the photoperiod, liquid tests suck I must get me a ph pen.

 

[Tim Harrison]

By now you can call yourself an experienced aquascaper...use you're gut instinct...it's always best

 

[tim]

By now you can call yourself an experienced aquascaper...use you're gut instinct...it's always best

Gut instinct always says MORE co2

 

[tim]

Quick update, the co2 issues continued, so I figured I'd up the flow with a cristalprofi 900, primed the filter and an aquasoil dust storm ensued, plants uprooted, dust coating the plants, sand foreground it was everywhere, a week of large water changes and it wouldn't budge so I've stripped the tank down, cleaned everything, sand plants aquasoil hardscape the lot, not really willing to invest more energy or finances in this scape at the moment and needing more plant mass I've decided to replant the best bits of the plants and keep it emmersed for a month or two, when I should have more time to devote to making it work, I'll update at some point before reflooding.

 

[parotet]

Sorry to read this Tim... Your setup was very nice. I saw once, when was setting up a tank, how everything inside the tank ended as a muddy cloud. You just want to cry...

Jordi

 

[Iain Sutherland]

this was another lovely little scape tim, i have the same tank in my garden doing the wild thing. Shame it all went a little wrong would have been great to see it grown in, dust storm was also the start of my UG failure in the 60, just couldnt get it clean again and it faded away quite quickly (along with a real lack of WC's and care)
hey ho onwards and upwards fella, looking forward to seeing the next one.

 

[Tim Harrison]

What a nightmare...I empathize; I'm struggling with something similar myself...Hope you manage to get it back on track when you have more time.

 

[tim]

hey tim, is that manzanita from me?

Ben

Hey Ben it's a lovely branch I got sent in a couple of boxes I had from Tom Barr, so no mate it's not.

What a nightmare...I empathize; I'm struggling with something similar myself...Hope you manage to get it back on track when you have more time.

it was a bit of a bugger tbh troi, I considered refilling a couple of days ago to find my jbl reg has developed a massive leak from the pressure relief valve so it's still dry at the moment moss is thriving ug has dissolved away completely the rest of the plants are growing slowly, I will get round to reflooding this one hopefully but an impending move may delay this further, will update when it's flooded.