Did give up on the hydropiper in the end, was painfully slow. Gave up on the low tech as well, was painfully slow. Started on the easycarbo again and then ended up injecting. Also, inspired by a tank at ADC I decided to do a minor rescape. Deeply underrated is that Greg (more discounts please mate). This is how it looks at the mo:
19-8-12_1 by
hotweldfire, on Flickr
Bit of a mess around the tank. The worst aspect of which is this:
19-8-12_3 by
hotweldfire, on Flickr
I mean, really, what were TMC thinking about when they created this rail? Whilst the light unit itself is not classically beautiful or anything it isn't bad looking. The mount is disgusting. Why am I using it? Because the better half doesn't want screws jammed into her custom made book shelf above so I can mount it. Fair enough but it means, in addition the mount's ugliness, I'm stuck with its other stupid feature. The light is fixed on it and, on a 30cm cube, means it sits near the front of the tank. This means that all my stems at the back of the tank are growing almost horizontally. Sigh.
She is up for letting me punch a larger hole near the back of the shelf the tank sits on though which means I can move all the crap to the shelf below and hide it behind books. Including this:
19-8-12_8 by
hotweldfire, on Flickr
Eden 501. Great little filter. Actually bought it for my 12l office desk tank but was way overpowered. I have two criticisms: firstly, flow is not adjustable which is easily remedied by the two 9mm eheim taps you can see. Secondly the nature of the attachment and sucker which holds it in place means the outlet sits too deep in the water for my liking. I want it at the back left corner pumping diagonally across the tank but because it sits so low this will flatten my stems. Have got some 9mm lily pipes on the way from HK but I don't think I can angle them so the outlet piece will probably have to sit where the current outlet is which is a shame. Not a disaster. Only thing I'm worried about is if it doesn't have the power to pump up from the shelf below.
19-8-12_2 by
hotweldfire, on Flickr
At the back is myrophyllum, red and green, on the right is didiplis diandra. May need to replant the myrophyllum as the two types are mixed in a bit randomly at the moment. Grows like a nutter with co2.
Midground is some of the amano pearl grass (hemianthus sp??) that used to be at the back:
19-8-12_7 by
hotweldfire, on Flickr
and some one-to-grow Ammania bonsai which is a lovely little mini bacopa like plant:
19-8-12_6 by
hotweldfire, on Flickr
Piece of wood at the front has afro moss (courtesy of Living Waters, Croydon) growing on it as well as a few fissidens hitchhikers:
19-8-12_4 by
hotweldfire, on Flickr
Rest of the foreground is Lileaopsis mauritiana:
19-8-12_5 by
hotweldfire, on Flickr
Which I'm not that chuffed with. Very slow to fill out. May hack it back to the substrate a second time and see how it grows back. I might end up replacing with brasiliensis.
Fauna are currently a mixed batch (almost inevitably it seems) of Boraras brigittae and merah and 1 hisonotus (unknown sp). Shrimp are lots of sakura, that are getting moved to the main tank now it's been rescaped, and what's finally inspired a name for this tank. Caridina meridonalis, courtesy of Aquatic Design Centre, otherwise known as Larry shrimp:
19-8-12_9 by
hotweldfire, on Flickr
Beautiful shrimp. According to ADC and Ed/Radik of Freshwater Shrimp these are wild. If so then they have the best colouration of a wild shrimp I've ever seen. They've not bred for me in this tank yet. I had a berried female when I kept them in my office nano but the pair of sparkling gouramis I had did for her. Nothing since I moved them here but hopefully when I pull all the sakura out they'll start reproducing.
The tank has a long way to go yet but I'm fairly happy with the layout and plant selection. Might move the column of wood forward a bit to thicken the stems at the back but that's about it. Now just need to wait for everything to grow in. Really nice feeling knowing a tank is actually on its way to where you want it to be. No doubt there's a disaster round the corner
🙄
This stuff is incredible. Am now certain it is different from what other people have been sold in the past as Elatine hydropiper. Will start a separate thread on it. What's interesting is that I can't get it to grow emersed.
