John Starkey
Member
Re: lljdma06's New Nano Dutch! Initial Planting! Photo heavy!
Woop woop way to go ilj,love it so far,
regards john
Woop woop way to go ilj,love it so far,
regards john
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lljdma06's 8g nano 2009! Final tank shots
- Thread starter lljdma06
- Start date
Re: lljdma06's New Nano Dutch! Initial Planting! Photo heavy!
Just added the drop checker. I'll admit, it was a bit tricky getting the water into the ball, but I managed. I also made my own 4dkh. I cannot vouch for its incredible accuracy though. I did have to do some conversions. I'm not going to run around measuring 5000ml of water and measure 6 grams of Sodium bicarbonate. Too much to carry around and I actually did not have that much distilled water lying around (I only had a gallon), so I just used proportions so I could get away with a 40dkh that was about 1000ml. Much easier, IMO to work with. Then I just combined a set amount of that it until I had the appropriate ratio for a 4dkh solution. Told you I did well in chemistry. I'll still tweak with it though and get better equipment, as what I did was very ghetto. I only had a 500ml measurer, so I'll have to buy one for 50 and probably one for 100ml. I'm not going to buy the graduated cyllinders. That's a little much.
Coincidently, it's about 1/4 tsp of sodium bicarbonate for 1000ml of water. Again, don't know how accurate that is, I was just observing the number of level 1/8 tsp I needed to get 1.2grams according to the scale. It ended up being two, 1/8 tsp.
Now, I just have to wait for the color to change to green. Better to fiddle and play with this now, IMO, than to wait for the plants to arrive. I positioned the drop checker close to where I plan on planting the HC. Once I see a color change, I'll move it around the tank and get readings for about where I plan to plant the other plants. This is a little tank and I have two canisters right now. I might have to shut off the CO2 if I see it going to high, or use less, but it doesn't really matter as there are no fish. It would be nice to observe the different colors now, so I know them. There are also adjustments to be made once I get the full plant load. Right now, anubias and hydrocotyle have a monopoly on CO2 with only a 4 hour photo period. The CO2 levels are going to be higher now.
Perfect time to tweak things, I think.
llj
Just added the drop checker. I'll admit, it was a bit tricky getting the water into the ball, but I managed. I also made my own 4dkh. I cannot vouch for its incredible accuracy though. I did have to do some conversions. I'm not going to run around measuring 5000ml of water and measure 6 grams of Sodium bicarbonate. Too much to carry around and I actually did not have that much distilled water lying around (I only had a gallon), so I just used proportions so I could get away with a 40dkh that was about 1000ml. Much easier, IMO to work with. Then I just combined a set amount of that it until I had the appropriate ratio for a 4dkh solution. Told you I did well in chemistry. I'll still tweak with it though and get better equipment, as what I did was very ghetto. I only had a 500ml measurer, so I'll have to buy one for 50 and probably one for 100ml. I'm not going to buy the graduated cyllinders. That's a little much.
Coincidently, it's about 1/4 tsp of sodium bicarbonate for 1000ml of water. Again, don't know how accurate that is, I was just observing the number of level 1/8 tsp I needed to get 1.2grams according to the scale. It ended up being two, 1/8 tsp.
Now, I just have to wait for the color to change to green. Better to fiddle and play with this now, IMO, than to wait for the plants to arrive. I positioned the drop checker close to where I plan on planting the HC. Once I see a color change, I'll move it around the tank and get readings for about where I plan to plant the other plants. This is a little tank and I have two canisters right now. I might have to shut off the CO2 if I see it going to high, or use less, but it doesn't really matter as there are no fish. It would be nice to observe the different colors now, so I know them. There are also adjustments to be made once I get the full plant load. Right now, anubias and hydrocotyle have a monopoly on CO2 with only a 4 hour photo period. The CO2 levels are going to be higher now.
Perfect time to tweak things, I think.
llj
Re: lljdma06's New Nano Dutch! The moss came!
Before I begin, let me show a photo of the diffuser in action, though this photo was taken when the CO2 first entered, so there aren't as many bubbles. Now, I'm pretty impressed. There are tiny bubbles everywhere and they are moving in a sort of infinity sign-shaped current throughout the tank. I think I've got it in a very good location, and I don't want to move it.
The two canisters are now directly hooked onto the tank and the tubes are connected to the diffuser via a T-connector. The air was just moving too slow, when I tried to have long tubing and hide everything in a box. I'm thinking about replacing it with the manifold I have, as now I think the tubing is short enough to make this efficient. There is so much CO2, that I am considering conserving it by turning it off at night, but I'll see. We're still experimenting here, but the results so far, are very good.
It took about 2 hours for the drop checker to turn yellow near the place where I'll plant the HC. Too much maybe for now. It is now situated in the opposite end of the tank from the diffuser, right above the Hydrocotyle and is now a lime green. I think I need another drop of the reagent. I added three. One more might be best.
Planning is not the same as Execution... 🙂
Much to my surprise today after I installed the drop checker, I received a surprise from the post. My moss came! 😱
I'll let you know now, I had ordered the moss from Aquaticmagic. The reviews for them have been mixed with regard to live plants, but it seemed a good deal, so I would give it a try. My package went out Thursday, the 6th and only took 4 days. Not too bad. Needless to say, I had a ton of moss and still do. 21 portions of weeping moss, and 1 portion of Christmas that I bid on by mistake.
I was expecting the worst, but this was the quality of a typical bag of Weeping moss.
The Christmas moss was a little worse, but still very much alive and well.
I'll tell you, putting up the wall took the better part of the afternoon and the early evening.
It was tedious work, but I was quite pleased with how my idea turned out. It was difficult finding a needle with a small enough eye to pull line through the holes, yet with a large enough eye to actually fit the thread. I went through about 3 needles and just plain threading with my fingers before I finally found a needle that worked well. I fitted a ceramic mister with tank water and was spritzing the moss to keep it fresh as I went along. When I needed a break, I submerged the wall into the tank. Some progress shots.
The moss is dense and very vigorous looking. I didn't need very much to get good coverage, and you can see from above, that there are places where you can definitely see through the moss. The fishing line performed very well. I was pleased with the rinal result.
Before.
After.
Here's a photo of the wall from the back of the tank. You can see the gaps. I purposely made it a little thin, especially in the bottom.
I love this shot with the anubias, the wall already looks dense, and I didn't even use half the moss. That's insane. Very nice quality, I'm quite impressed with Aquaticmagic right now.
Finally, a shot of the Christmas moss. I had to put it somewhere, so I covered a little piece of wood with it. and put it with the Hydrocotyle. To me, personally, it looks like it's been grown emersed, so I imagine there will be a conversion time.
I have a breeder net full of weeping moss and a little christmas moss in my 20g. I don't know what to do with it right now. Because it is under light, I'm not too worried and can keep it safe while I finish planting the 8g. Saturday, I will see what tanks can use some moss. What I don't use, I'll trade out among friends.
Thanks for looking and bearing with me in this really long thread. These posts have been murder and I apologize. I'm really trying to be as succinct as possible and still explain things.
As always comments and suggestions are welcome.
llj
Before I begin, let me show a photo of the diffuser in action, though this photo was taken when the CO2 first entered, so there aren't as many bubbles. Now, I'm pretty impressed. There are tiny bubbles everywhere and they are moving in a sort of infinity sign-shaped current throughout the tank. I think I've got it in a very good location, and I don't want to move it.
The two canisters are now directly hooked onto the tank and the tubes are connected to the diffuser via a T-connector. The air was just moving too slow, when I tried to have long tubing and hide everything in a box. I'm thinking about replacing it with the manifold I have, as now I think the tubing is short enough to make this efficient. There is so much CO2, that I am considering conserving it by turning it off at night, but I'll see. We're still experimenting here, but the results so far, are very good.
It took about 2 hours for the drop checker to turn yellow near the place where I'll plant the HC. Too much maybe for now. It is now situated in the opposite end of the tank from the diffuser, right above the Hydrocotyle and is now a lime green. I think I need another drop of the reagent. I added three. One more might be best.
Planning is not the same as Execution... 🙂
Much to my surprise today after I installed the drop checker, I received a surprise from the post. My moss came! 😱
I'll let you know now, I had ordered the moss from Aquaticmagic. The reviews for them have been mixed with regard to live plants, but it seemed a good deal, so I would give it a try. My package went out Thursday, the 6th and only took 4 days. Not too bad. Needless to say, I had a ton of moss and still do. 21 portions of weeping moss, and 1 portion of Christmas that I bid on by mistake.
I was expecting the worst, but this was the quality of a typical bag of Weeping moss.
The Christmas moss was a little worse, but still very much alive and well.
I'll tell you, putting up the wall took the better part of the afternoon and the early evening.
It was tedious work, but I was quite pleased with how my idea turned out. It was difficult finding a needle with a small enough eye to pull line through the holes, yet with a large enough eye to actually fit the thread. I went through about 3 needles and just plain threading with my fingers before I finally found a needle that worked well. I fitted a ceramic mister with tank water and was spritzing the moss to keep it fresh as I went along. When I needed a break, I submerged the wall into the tank. Some progress shots.The moss is dense and very vigorous looking. I didn't need very much to get good coverage, and you can see from above, that there are places where you can definitely see through the moss. The fishing line performed very well. I was pleased with the rinal result.
Before.
After.
Here's a photo of the wall from the back of the tank. You can see the gaps. I purposely made it a little thin, especially in the bottom.
I love this shot with the anubias, the wall already looks dense, and I didn't even use half the moss. That's insane. Very nice quality, I'm quite impressed with Aquaticmagic right now.
Finally, a shot of the Christmas moss. I had to put it somewhere, so I covered a little piece of wood with it. and put it with the Hydrocotyle. To me, personally, it looks like it's been grown emersed, so I imagine there will be a conversion time.
I have a breeder net full of weeping moss and a little christmas moss in my 20g. I don't know what to do with it right now. Because it is under light, I'm not too worried and can keep it safe while I finish planting the 8g. Saturday, I will see what tanks can use some moss. What I don't use, I'll trade out among friends.
Thanks for looking and bearing with me in this really long thread. These posts have been murder and I apologize. I'm really trying to be as succinct as possible and still explain things.
As always comments and suggestions are welcome.
llj
George Farmer
Founder
- Joined
- 21 Jun 2007
- Messages
- 6,741
Re: lljdma06's New Nano Dutch! The moss came, made the wall 🙂
What a super journal!! Looks like it's going to be a brilliant layout. I'm not a fan of moss walls usually but think it will suit a Dutch 'scape.
I love the way you update the thread title regularly too.
The shot of the CO2 diffuser is excellent!
Keep up the good work, llj. 😀
What a super journal!! Looks like it's going to be a brilliant layout. I'm not a fan of moss walls usually but think it will suit a Dutch 'scape.
I love the way you update the thread title regularly too.
The shot of the CO2 diffuser is excellent!
Keep up the good work, llj. 😀
Tony Swinney
Member
Re: lljdma06's New Nano Dutch! The moss came, made the wall 🙂
Yep, this is a great read llj 😀
I think the moss wall is going to look terrific - well planned 😀
Tony
Yep, this is a great read llj 😀
I think the moss wall is going to look terrific - well planned 😀
Tony
Re: lljdma06's New Nano Dutch! The moss came, made the wall 🙂
Thanks George. That means a lot coming from you. It was either a moss wall or cork bark for a traditional Dutch scape. I think the moss was a smarter choice. It increases my plant mass and doesn't take up as much space as cork bark.
I've been recently working with a tripod.
I appreciate that, Tony. It was hard to visualize and I didn't know if it would work. I'm glad it is working for now. I really want some shrimps for this tank if I can.
I've got a small batch of Fissidens and marsilea minuta coming in the mail soon, but it looks like my Aquabotonic order won't come in until next week maybe, giving me more time to figure things out in this tank. I could get a suprise, though, it's happened before.
llj
George Farmer said:
Thanks George. That means a lot coming from you. It was either a moss wall or cork bark for a traditional Dutch scape. I think the moss was a smarter choice. It increases my plant mass and doesn't take up as much space as cork bark.
I've been recently working with a tripod.
Tonser said:
I appreciate that, Tony. It was hard to visualize and I didn't know if it would work. I'm glad it is working for now. I really want some shrimps for this tank if I can.
I've got a small batch of Fissidens and marsilea minuta coming in the mail soon, but it looks like my Aquabotonic order won't come in until next week maybe, giving me more time to figure things out in this tank. I could get a suprise, though, it's happened before.
llj
TDI-line
Member
Re: lljdma06's New Nano Dutch! The moss came, made the wall 🙂
Cracking journal Llj.
Cracking journal Llj.
Re: lljdma06's New Nano Dutch! The moss came, made the wall 🙂
Thanks! I just wanted to make sure I was thorough this time. Usually, I setup everything and then post pictures of the finished product and then I promptly forget what I had done. My low-light scapes tended to cater more to the fish species I've kept and/or am currently keeping and I kind of just let the plants do their own thing within certain rough boundaries. Short plant; front, tall plant; back, that sort of thing. Those tanks are also easier to maintain and I can satisfy my desire to keep multiple species of fish. This tank is more "serious" as I am actually following some set rules. I'd like to push the envelope for the Dutch style a bit. With proper plant selection, it needn't be a style limited to larger tanks. I can see myself still going even smaller down the road.
Let me qualify. As "serious" as I can get and still treat this as a hobby. I'm sorry, but the moment I'm not thoroughly enjoying what I do with these tanks, I'm done. Haven't reached that point yet, though I have had to down-size in the past. I think that positive attitude maybe speaks for my longevity. My job is quite stressful, this hobby is supposed to relax me.
TDI-line said:Cracking journal Llj.
Thanks! I just wanted to make sure I was thorough this time. Usually, I setup everything and then post pictures of the finished product and then I promptly forget what I had done.
My low-light scapes tended to cater more to the fish species I've kept and/or am currently keeping and I kind of just let the plants do their own thing within certain rough boundaries. Short plant; front, tall plant; back, that sort of thing. Those tanks are also easier to maintain and I can satisfy my desire to keep multiple species of fish. This tank is more "serious" as I am actually following some set rules. I'd like to push the envelope for the Dutch style a bit. With proper plant selection, it needn't be a style limited to larger tanks. I can see myself still going even smaller down the road. Let me qualify. As "serious" as I can get and still treat this as a hobby.
I'm sorry, but the moment I'm not thoroughly enjoying what I do with these tanks, I'm done. Haven't reached that point yet, though I have had to down-size in the past. I think that positive attitude maybe speaks for my longevity. My job is quite stressful, this hobby is supposed to relax me.Themuleous
Member
Re: lljdma06's New Nano Dutch! The moss came, made the wall 🙂
Like the photos 🙂 moss wall looks cool too 🙂
Sam
Like the photos 🙂 moss wall looks cool too 🙂
Sam
skinz180189
Member
Re: lljdma06's New Nano Dutch! The moss came, made the wall 🙂
Wow that moss wall looks great. Well done lij.
Wow that moss wall looks great. Well done lij.
Re: lljdma06's New Nano Dutch! August 16th, better photos
Hi,
To finish the layout, I ordered some plants and they were supposed to be shipped using next day supersaver air. The plants were shipped on the 11th, and were supposed to arrive no later than the evening of the 12th. They arrived the evening of the 13th. 😡
Needless to say, they suffered being in an UPS truck without airconditioning. I won't be using the vendor again and I'm very disappointed since it is the second major US plant vendor that I've had to stop using because they deal with UPS. I get far superior plants using USPS from fellow hobbiests and overseas, which is ironic, because they are in the post for longer. So for future planting needs, I'll be looking into swapping and fellow hobbiests. 🙂
With what I had, I did an initial planting. It isn't the final layout. I've got to get plants healed up first. The red plants are all in the wrong places, but I had to plant the Nesea where it would be close to the CO2 and far apart from the other plants so it would get ample light and good current circulation. I don't much like the leaf shape either, a bit too big for the nano, but I'm not sure it's because it was grown emersed or what. I'll play "wait and see". I'm going to further thin out the stems today, because I'm hooking up my 10g to have CO2 temporarily while I give the plants time to heal. It looks hysterical because it is super full of stems, extra HC, extra Marsilea. Even my 20g is in on the grow-out act, housing a breeder net with some extra fissidens and subwassertag. Once they grow and heal a bit, I'll replant using a final layout. Some of the ideas are there, though, especiall with regard to the foreground. I think I created some sense of depth, which is extremely hard in a tank this size.
One pot of hairgrass was complete mush, black roots and everything. The second pot had some living grass, so I was able to use it in the layout like I wanted.
I have to fix the HC layout and the marsilea, I want a clearer contrast between the two, and two streets are entirely possible. The HC looked great and it was pearling last night. I didn't plant individually, I don't need the low lawncover, rather a more rolling hill look. The hydrocotyle has adjusted very well to being submerged and is growing robustly.
Some picture, nothing special, the color wasn't great in my camera today. You can see the textures better live.
Good dropchecker color, I think.
I think I've found the right combination of CO2 diffusion and tank circulation with this tank. I was smart to use the Aquaclear 50 rather than a smaller grade filter. I had to remove a lot of stem bottoms, so some filling in needs to be done. I tweaked a little since these pictures and like the result better, so I'll take some photos and post them tomorrow or Monday.
Thanks for looking, and as always, comments and suggestions are welcome.
llj
llj🙂
Hi,
To finish the layout, I ordered some plants and they were supposed to be shipped using next day supersaver air. The plants were shipped on the 11th, and were supposed to arrive no later than the evening of the 12th. They arrived the evening of the 13th. 😡
Needless to say, they suffered being in an UPS truck without airconditioning. I won't be using the vendor again and I'm very disappointed since it is the second major US plant vendor that I've had to stop using because they deal with UPS. I get far superior plants using USPS from fellow hobbiests and overseas, which is ironic, because they are in the post for longer. So for future planting needs, I'll be looking into swapping and fellow hobbiests. 🙂
With what I had, I did an initial planting. It isn't the final layout. I've got to get plants healed up first. The red plants are all in the wrong places, but I had to plant the Nesea where it would be close to the CO2 and far apart from the other plants so it would get ample light and good current circulation. I don't much like the leaf shape either, a bit too big for the nano, but I'm not sure it's because it was grown emersed or what. I'll play "wait and see". I'm going to further thin out the stems today, because I'm hooking up my 10g to have CO2 temporarily while I give the plants time to heal. It looks hysterical because it is super full of stems, extra HC, extra Marsilea. Even my 20g is in on the grow-out act, housing a breeder net with some extra fissidens and subwassertag. Once they grow and heal a bit, I'll replant using a final layout. Some of the ideas are there, though, especiall with regard to the foreground. I think I created some sense of depth, which is extremely hard in a tank this size.
One pot of hairgrass was complete mush, black roots and everything. The second pot had some living grass, so I was able to use it in the layout like I wanted.
I have to fix the HC layout and the marsilea, I want a clearer contrast between the two, and two streets are entirely possible. The HC looked great and it was pearling last night. I didn't plant individually, I don't need the low lawncover, rather a more rolling hill look. The hydrocotyle has adjusted very well to being submerged and is growing robustly.
Some picture, nothing special, the color wasn't great in my camera today. You can see the textures better live.
Good dropchecker color, I think.
I think I've found the right combination of CO2 diffusion and tank circulation with this tank. I was smart to use the Aquaclear 50 rather than a smaller grade filter. I had to remove a lot of stem bottoms, so some filling in needs to be done. I tweaked a little since these pictures and like the result better, so I'll take some photos and post them tomorrow or Monday.
Thanks for looking, and as always, comments and suggestions are welcome.
llj
llj🙂
Re: lljdma06's New Nano Dutch! August 16th, better photos.
Thanks, Gill. I like these pictures better. The camera was working better, I think.
For me, what's so cool about the Dutch scape is that there are so many little details. Different photography angles really reveal different scenes within the tank. For some, it may seem like too much or too gaudy, but I enjoy the color play and the different leaf shapes. It is almost like a painting. The Dutch scapes are heavily textured and there is always something new that may catch your attention. Today, I was obssessed with how the grasses and the foreground "streets" played off each other. It was very cute to look at. Tomorrow, I might find myself looking at the anubias and the fissidens. It depends on the day. I'll tell you, I probably will not be bored with this little tank.
I see improvement in most of the plants. Amazing what a few nights of normal temperatures will do. One stem of the Nesea died, but I see new growth on the rest of the stems, which is very encouraging. The myrio is also doing well and the Rotala nanjenshan.
Thanks for looking.
llj 😀
Thanks, Gill. I like these pictures better. The camera was working better, I think.
For me, what's so cool about the Dutch scape is that there are so many little details. Different photography angles really reveal different scenes within the tank. For some, it may seem like too much or too gaudy, but I enjoy the color play and the different leaf shapes. It is almost like a painting. The Dutch scapes are heavily textured and there is always something new that may catch your attention. Today, I was obssessed with how the grasses and the foreground "streets" played off each other. It was very cute to look at. Tomorrow, I might find myself looking at the anubias and the fissidens. It depends on the day. I'll tell you, I probably will not be bored with this little tank.
I see improvement in most of the plants. Amazing what a few nights of normal temperatures will do. One stem of the Nesea died, but I see new growth on the rest of the stems, which is very encouraging. The myrio is also doing well and the Rotala nanjenshan.
Thanks for looking.
llj 😀
mattyc
Member
Re: lljdma06's New Nano Dutch! August 14th Planting, not final
This tank looks amazing i love the red plants cant wait to see it when it has grown in!!
good work 😀
Matt
This tank looks amazing i love the red plants cant wait to see it when it has grown in!!
good work 😀
Matt
Re: lljdma06's New Nano Dutch! Photo update, August 20th
Been a million years. SuperColey1 and I were talking and I thought I'd post the final scape pictures. I went on a trip to Italy in May (Studied voice) and actually had dismantled the tank in March.
Didn't exactly come out the way I expected... but I liked it. A fun little tank.
Full tank shot
Little anchor cats
The Mature Moss wall.
Been a million years. SuperColey1 and I were talking and I thought I'd post the final scape pictures. I went on a trip to Italy in May (Studied voice) and actually had dismantled the tank in March.
Didn't exactly come out the way I expected... but I liked it. A fun little tank.
Full tank shot
Little anchor cats
The Mature Moss wall.
LondonDragon
Member
Looks pretty good to me, the moss wall looks very healthy 🙂
GreenNeedle
Member
Aargh. I'm jealous of both you and london. Every time I try to do a moss wall it goes **** up and is a moss coping stones. lol (The bottom half disappears when the low level plants swarm it out.)
The light in this tank is pretty similar in apeearance to mine. Cris p and clean sort of thing. I like it. Suits the planting and the substrate.
I like the plants in the front right. A bit like differing height mushrooms 😉 Can you tell I have no idea when it comes to ID'ing stems 🙂 (Not a problem for one who doesn't use them. lol)
AC
The light in this tank is pretty similar in apeearance to mine. Cris p and clean sort of thing. I like it. Suits the planting and the substrate.
I like the plants in the front right. A bit like differing height mushrooms 😉 Can you tell I have no idea when it comes to ID'ing stems 🙂 (Not a problem for one who doesn't use them. lol)
AC
SuperColey1 said:
Hydrocotyle verticillata (I think). Grows in my back yard and can be adapted for aquatic use. It is a rhizome-type stemplant, kind of like marsilea in its growth habits.
The lighting is that crappy PC lighting you and I have discussed. It has a nice color temp, though, nice on the eyes. It worked for this setup, and I'm not upgrading it any time soon, though, some time down the road, I see myself going LED. I like the look of it.
Eh, the bottom half of the moss wall did not fare so well towards the end. Life got in the way and I couldn't prune the moss wall. Top half crowded out the bottom half. When I was pruning, though, that didn't happen. Nice method for moss wall construction, I will use it again, as it was very easy, and I could see moss from the get go. No waiting months for the moss to peak out of mesh.
llj
llj
