The Nymph's Spring (EA900)

[Maf 2500]

Just a note on the filter media. The round Eheim coco pops do not play nice with the Oase Biomaster baskets. By some weird coincidence the spacing of the holes in the base of the basket is such that one ball falls and wedges into each and every space in the grid and would seriously restrict the flow. I thought I had a pic but nothing on my phone; it has to be seen to be believed. Putting the media in net bags might help but not sure it would completely cure the problem. My solution is to cut the blue foam into 1cm slices and in each basket put 1cm of foam under 2-3cm of biological media.

My filter is still boxed up waiting for my new tank to be delivered but the current plan for the baskets is:
1. Default plastic media in bag. (Only 1 basket instead of 2 but media looks good for initial settlement and won't restrict flow hardly at all.)
2. Standard blue foam.
3-5. 1cm blue foam topped with biological media.
6. Standard orange foam.

I have also drilled the extra holes in the intake tube as shown in pondguru's vid.

Great thread btw, looking forward to seeing your setup.

 

[Wookii]

Just a note on the filter media. The round Eheim coco pops do not play nice with the Oase Biomaster baskets. By some weird coincidence the spacing of the holes in the base of the basket is such that one ball falls and wedges into each and every space in the grid and would seriously restrict the flow. I thought I had a pic but nothing on my phone; it has to be seen to be believed. Putting the media in net bags might help but not sure it would completely cure the problem. My solution is to cut the blue foam into 1cm slices and in each basket put 1cm of foam under 2-3cm of biological media.

My filter is still boxed up waiting for my new tank to be delivered but the current plan for the baskets is:
1. Default plastic media in bag. (Only 1 basket instead of 2 but media looks good for initial settlement and won't restrict flow hardly at all.)
2. Standard blue foam.
3-5. 1cm blue foam topped with biological media.
6. Standard orange foam.

I have also drilled the extra holes in the intake tube as shown in pondguru's vid.

Great thread btw, looking forward to seeing your setup.

Check out post #311:
Post in thread 'Oase BioMaster Thermo External Filter'
Oase BioMaster Thermo External Filter 😉

 

[Maf 2500]

Check out post #311:
Post in thread 'Oase BioMaster Thermo External Filter'
Oase BioMaster Thermo External Filter 😉

Good pic. When I tested it out dry I had even more holes blocked than in the image. Also, about 1% of the balls were small enough to fall all the way through.

 

[shangman]

Yup i clean the prefilter weekly, usually the day after a water change as this gives the prefilter a chance to suck up any detritus i didn't manage to suck up during the water change. Also gives it a chance to suck up any plant bits after a trim.

I clean the tubing and glassware every 3 weeks, just as it develops a slight brown film. I clean the filter and media itself every 4 weeks and make sure i clean and lubricate the seals too.

Cleaning it the day after is a pro tip, thank you! Makes total sense. How do you lubricate the seals, with vaseline?

I am indeed! 👀

That would be very kind! I could swap you for a tray of Eheim balls if you like, pre-seeded with bacteria!

Does bacteria last in the mail? 😂

I'm happy to give away I think, will check with the filter tomorrow. Do you prefer the plastic media? Just curious.

This is a picture of my latest monstera cutting that's currently sat in a bucket waiting for me to get on with the new build. Not as big as the last one yet but coming along, apart from a little tatty leaf edges. That's a 30cm ruler for scale and it's just beginning to get nice fenestrations. Sorry the pics are dark but it should serve as a warning for people who want to add emersed growth to their nanos 😳

Wow, what a beautiful plant, and already pretty monsterous. Really looking forward to seeing it with your tank soon, it's gonna be beautifully wild.

Just a note on the filter media. The round Eheim coco pops do not play nice with the Oase Biomaster baskets. By some weird coincidence the spacing of the holes in the base of the basket is such that one ball falls and wedges into each and every space in the grid and would seriously restrict the flow. I thought I had a pic but nothing on my phone; it has to be seen to be believed. Putting the media in net bags might help but not sure it would completely cure the problem. My solution is to cut the blue foam into 1cm slices and in each basket put 1cm of foam under 2-3cm of biological media.

My filter is still boxed up waiting for my new tank to be delivered but the current plan for the baskets is:
1. Default plastic media in bag. (Only 1 basket instead of 2 but media looks good for initial settlement and won't restrict flow hardly at all.)
2. Standard blue foam.
3-5. 1cm blue foam topped with biological media.
6. Standard orange foam.

I have also drilled the extra holes in the intake tube as shown in pondguru's vid.

Great thread btw, looking forward to seeing your setup.

Check out post #311:
Post in thread 'Oase BioMaster Thermo External Filter'
Oase BioMaster Thermo External Filter 😉

Aha thank you for this vv useful tip, I'll cut up one of the foam pads nice and thin to be the base for baskets. I think I will drill the holes too, that sounds like a good plant to get more flow and mroe even distribution of muck in the prefilter.

Yes it is a really nice thread, it's so good to get everyones feedback on all these things and chat about the different ingenius solutions that everyone has! I'm relatively new to aquaria, I know a few specific things quite well, but every new project throws up so many new questions. It makes it much more exciting and less anxiety-inducing that I have your backs and don't worry so much about things going wrong. 😍

 

[Wookii]

Does bacteria last in the mail? 😂

lol I'm pretty sure they'd still be crawling avidly after a couple of days in a bag - they'd probably increase actually given the additonal oxygen - @dw1305 will know, he loves bacteria! 😀

I'm happy to give away I think, will check with the filter tomorrow. Do you prefer the plastic media? Just curious.

I just want a bit more flow out of the filter, and I have come to think, in a planted tank, the plastic media is sufficient and easier to clean.

Aha thank you for this vv sueful tip, I'll cut up one of the foam pads nice and thin to be the base for baskets. I think I will drill the holes too, that sounds like a good plant to get more flow and mroe even distribution of muck in the prefilter.

Putting the additional holes in the prefilter tube do work well, but not in the way I expected. I didn't notice a significant increase in flow when the sponges are clean. It's when the sponges start to clog at the end of the week, the additional holes help maintain the flow, where it can start to drop off - particularly if you use the fine black sponges like I do on my low tech.

Also you don't get even use of the sponges by adding the extra holes, the water follows the path of least resistance, or probably more accurately is drawn through the prefilter sponges at the points of greatest pressure difference/suction - so you'll find that the sponge at the top of the prefilter is always the dirtiest, as the majority of the water is drawn through that when they are clean. As that clogs, more water is drawn through the next sponge down and so on.

 

[shangman]

lol I'm pretty sure they'd still be crawling avidly after a couple of days in a bag - they'd probably increase actually given the additonal oxygen - @dw1305 will know, he loves bacteria! 😀

I just want a bit more flow out of the filter, and I have come to think, in a planted tank, the plastic media is sufficient and easier to clean.

Putting the additional holes in the prefilter tube do work well, but not in the way I expected. I didn't notice a significant increase in flow when the sponges are clean. It's when the sponges start to clog at the end of the week, the additional holes help maintain the flow, where it can start to drop off - particularly if you use the fine black sponges like I do on my low tech.

Also you don't get even use of the sponges by adding the extra holes, the water follows the path of least resistance, or probably more accurately is drawn through the prefilter sponges at the points of greatest pressure difference/suction - so you'll find that the sponge at the top of the prefilter is always the dirtiest, as the majority of the water is drawn through that when they are clean. As that clogs, more water is drawn through the next sponge down and so on.

Aha, that's interesting about the holes - I'll def give it a go, we all like a bit of extra flow!

I'm thinking of keeping one bag of the plastic media to see how it is, but I'm happy to send you the second bag. PM me your address and I'll send it to you next week. DW about the media, I think will be ok!

_________

I'm bringing the tank in and positioning it tonight. Planning on changing the water on all 3 of my tanks and sucking up some mulm which I'll put in it the new tank. Also thinking of taking the wood (with all the plants it has on it) from my <Mossy Spider Nano Tank> and just placing it in the new one, I'm sure it has a lot of good ecosystem stuff on it that'll help the new tank, and I think the shrimps will be fine with a semi-Iguwami for a few weeks. Then will add filter media, half new tap + rainwater and a load of new floating plants, dead leaves and twigs, maybe some vallis. Will change a bit of the water daily. Probably will add the fish a day or two after setting up just in case, I think that catching them is gonna be a real pain!

Current question - I have a twinstar and a little timer/dimmer thing on it. I think from what I've read it's going to be extremely bright, what do you guys think the % brightness should be on a lowtech tank? Hopefully my floating plants will come to cover the surface quite quickly, I'll have a few plants under water to help with the health of the system so it can't be super dark.

 

[Samala]

I think that catching them is gonna be a real pain!

Try a fry trap. Your juveniles will be a terror to catch in the display with all the plants. Fry trap should work well since you have the littles trained on BBS. Just check it regularly so that there aren't too many in the trap at any one time. Works great on borellii fry though there are still a half-dozen juveniles in my main display that are too smart for the trap and too fast for me. 🙄

 

[Djoko Sauza]

My oase biomaster had quite a loud humming sound. Tried replacing the impeller, cleaning everything up, less media, more media, nothing worked.
Now it sits on top of a thick sturdy sponge and I can barely tell it is working.

So that might help if you think it's loud.

On a different topic, what style are you going for, more of a nature aquarium or diorama?

 

[shangman]

Try a fry trap. Your juveniles will be a terror to catch in the display with all the plants. Fry trap should work well since you have the littles trained on BBS. Just check it regularly so that there aren't too many in the trap at any one time. Works great on borellii fry though there are still a half-dozen juveniles in my main display that are too smart for the trap and too fast for me. 🙄

Aha! Perfect idea thank you, I'll make one of these for the special day. I fed them some BBS yesterday and they went mad for it so I think will be quite easy, and I got some blackworms a day ago for the new tank, they always get the fish interested. I suspect I'll be catching babies for a good week, I know there are about 30 in there but they're v good at hiding. When I'm not in front of the tank I can usually only see about 5 - it's only when I put my face in front and they think "Hooray, food!" that they all come out of hiding.

My oase biomaster had quite a loud humming sound. Tried replacing the impeller, cleaning everything up, less media, more media, nothing worked.
Now it sits on top of a thick sturdy sponge and I can barely tell it is working.

So that might help if you think it's loud.

On a different topic, what style are you going for, more of a nature aquarium or diorama?

Perfect, I have a nice bit of thick sturdy foam from a project, I think that should do a nice bit of work for me. I use something similar already under my current filter.

I had to look up the nature vs diorama, I think it will be the nature style. I'm personally not a big fan of the diorama style, I don't want it to look like a tiny person could take a stroll through the tank, or that the tank could contain a magical portal, and not really into paths. I'm hoping it will look like a really nice natural but special place for the fish that they clearly belong in. Although I have a plant list and inspiration, I don't really know what it'll look like yet! think once I get the wood, I can do some experiments with the hardscape and do some drawing over the photographs to get an idea of what it might look like.

While googling the nature aquarium style more last night I saved loads of pictures so here are some. I haven't found a tank that I think is perfect to replicate, but there are often sections or ideas I really like that I think I'll try...



With both the above pics I like the mix of the wood with moss above the pale sand. I would have some more pebbles, little plants and details in my sand, but I think the wood will climb into it too. I like that kind of mangrove vibe, I think the apistos would appreciate a few little caves like this.

Quite tempted by a bit of bolbitis in the tnak behind the wood, but I saw somewhere (I think a journal here) how absolutely massive it gets which worried me a bit.



Love this heavier planting on the wood, the mix of the moss and mini java fern + the grasses and stems is great.


^ this looks like a weird photoshop and if real must be a massive tank, but I love the mix of grasses with other plants dotted in, it has a beautiful meadow feel, which the lotus works great with. Reminds me a bit of one of @Ady34's tanks which I think is lovely. I'm planning on having a sandy bit + some darker plants around the wood.



The left side of this tank is perfect to me, exactly the sort of thing I want to try.


Are any fo these possible without CO2? Probably not, we'll see how it goes! 😂

 

[Conort2]

Are any fo these possible without CO2?

Some of them definitely will be. The second tank shown looks like it just has moss and anubias in it. Last one also looks like it has fairly easy plants in it too. However it’ll take quite a while to achieve dense growth without co2.

Cheers

 

[shangman]

Some of them definitely will be. The second tank shown looks like it just has moss and anubias in it. Last one also looks like it has fairly easy plants in it too. However it’ll take quite a while to achieve dense growth without co2.

Cheers

Yeah, my thought with the moss is with a dry start, I can get it to do really well in about 3 months, it's worked great in my nano tank. I'm planning all easy plants to achieve the lushness, and will mix together bought plants with plants I already have to get it as thick as possible from the beginning to encourage good growth. I'm hoping it'll look lush 6 months or so from flooding, with plenty of time for things to grow in, and for extra plants to be added in any bald spots. Not expecting any thick stem bushes, though might see if I can fake that a bit with stems in front of a lusher plant that creates the depth.

Current plant list:

Wood plants
Fissidens & mini Christmas moss - will also go on any rocks I add as well to soften them.
Mini java fern & java fern trident
A mix of buce for detail
Hygrophila Pinnatifida (not sure if will work, testing in my tanks atm)
Bolbitis (maybe)

Grasses & grass-like, from long to short, background to foreground
Crinum calamistratum
Vallis nana
Vallis spiralis (just a tiny bit) (does anyone know that red vallis? I've never seen it sold but it looks cool af)
Echinodorus tenellus (a good amount, love this for blending area together)
Eleocharis acicularis
Maybe another kind of mid-height grass with a slightly different colour/leaf shape to those here.
Maybe another background long-leaf, like an aponogeton

Big leaves
Nymphaea zenkeri
Maybe another nymphaea, which has a slightly different colour of leaves, there seems to be one I can't find the name for which is green and bright pink that looks really nice.
Echinodorus red diamond
Echinodorus hadi red pearl
Maybe some more echinodorus, I do like them. Maybe Ocelot or Aflame.

Stems
Ludwigia Sp. Mini Super Red
Ludwigia arcuata
Rotala H'ra
Heteranthera zosterifolia - grows well but gets tatty quite quickly, don't want too much.
Ludwigia glandulosa (might not work, will be a test)
The stems I'll buy some different varieties and see how they do. If I can get one stem that grows strongly then I can use that to grow individual stems around and it looks better.

Details:
Hydrocotyle verticillata
Hydrocotyle tripartita
Crypt albida brown
Buces

Emergent plants are tba, but will almost all be stem plants and maybe echinodorus coming out with moss I think.

 

[afroturf]

Really like your inspiration for the your planned tank, big fan of the original early nature aquarium style.

I'm no aquascaping expert and I know it is hard but I'd defiantly try a cut down on the proposed plant list. All the tanks you posted above are larger than a 900, and have significantly fewer plants than you list even the busy grassy tank with the lilies by Yusuke Homma only has 16 species in.

Less is more as they say 😉

 

[shangman]

Oh no, less is more certainly isn't the case here, MORE IS MORE in this house. So much so that I wrote my Master's dissertation on how and why Maximalism is brilliant. This journal shall contain no minimalism at all! 😀

Indeed, I put my tank in place this afternoon and thought to myself... It's absolutely massive, I can fit even more in than I thought!

 

[Courtneybst]

Oh no, less is more certainly isn't the case here, MORE IS MORE in this house. So much so that I wrote my Master's dissertation on how and why Maximalism is brilliant. This journal shall contain no minimalism at all! 😀

Indeed, I put my tank in place this afternoon and thought to myself... It's absolutely massive, I can fit even more in than I thought!

I can't wait for this haha. Go awf!

 

[shangman]

I got the tank in place yesterday, and today I cleaned a load of playsand and filled the tank with water (just tap). COR I tell you what, I definitely need a python my arms are bloody killing me. I really can't get over how massive it is, I have to get my arm fully in there to reach the bottom, will have to invest in some sleeveless tops. Quite pleased though while washing sand I found some old wood in the garden that'll add a bit of interest, it seems like 25 years ago my dad went on a bogwood search, and when he stopped keeping fish (the tank leaked so we got leopard geckos instead), he just chucked all sorts into the back garden, very useful. I'll post some photos tomorrow when the leaves sink and the filters in, it's a semi-blackwater kinda style cos I don't have many plants to spare.

Feeling a little daunted atm, though I felt that when I got my first one too so hopefully can get my head around it!

-------

Thinking about the maximalism thing and @afroturf 's planting suggestions I wanted to clarify cos I didn't mean it in a rude way, I know you are all so well meaning and lovely! When I said 'Nature Aquarium' vs Diorama style I now realise it makes people think of Amano, though when I think nature aquarium, I just think of the shared inspiration of nature. Really I'm doing a nature-garden aquarium (is that an official style? idk), something that mimics nature but not rigidly, that takes a few liberties to get a bold effect. I like plants and I want to grow a lot of them, but positioned in a naturalist way rather than a Dutch-style. We'll see what it looks like though, and of course I'm still pondering CO2 to make the dream tank. Currently thinking I will leave the dicrossus and other particularly sensitive fish for a while, they deserve a 100% rainwater lowtech, but I really want to try the lush fancy garden first. One day I'll own an actual house so I can pump rainwater directly and of out of the tanks and have the best of both worlds, keeping fish seems to be a great way to learn gardening, biology, chemistry, plumbing, electronics, love it.

 

[shangman]

I've just set up the filter, the Oase Biomaster Thermo 600. At the moment is it loud, and for the past 30 mins is still expelling air every 30 seconds or so, with a bigger amount every minute or two. I've been shaking it a bit to try to get all the air out but it does seem like a lot and no signs of stopping or getting quieter. It's in our bedroom so has to be not loud, I can insulate the cabinet but I don't think it's working properly yet. Any ideas what to do? Been doing some searching and not much has come up. I've done everything according by the booklet and Oase's YouTube video.

 

[Sammy I]

I've just set up the filter, the Oase Biomaster Thermo 600. At the moment is it loud, and for the past 30 mins is still expelling air every 30 seconds or so, with a bigger amount every minute or two. I've been shaking it a bit to try to get all the air out but it does seem like a lot and no signs of stopping or getting quieter. It's in our bedroom so has to be not loud, I can insulate the cabinet but I don't think it's working properly yet. Any ideas what to do? Been doing some searching and not much has come up. I've done everything according by the booklet and Oase's YouTube video.

I cleaned my impellor area on sunday and mine has become much louder. I guess it needs to build up some brown stuff so theres less friction, so should quieten down in a week or so. I wrapped some ptfe tape around the two red plugs on the impellor to give it a tighter fit which has helped slightly.

 

[shangman]

I cleaned my impellor area on sunday and mine has become much louder. I guess it needs to build up some brown stuff so theres less friction, so should quieten down in a week or so. I wrapped some ptfe tape around the two red plugs on the impellor to give it a tighter fit which has helped slightly.

A week! That's a long time with no sleep, it's really too loud right now 😭 going to take it apart and put it back together again, I think some air must be getting into it from a connection or something cos the air never seems to fully go. Odd, it's not leaking and the end of the pipes went on really far but idk what else it could be. I needed to take it apart to add established media tomorrow anyway! But this is annoying ffs, I wish filters just worked without the inevitable palava.

 

[shangman]

Unrelated but interesting (to me)... my 'main' tank has always been opposite my desk, so I face away from it and have to fully turn around to see it. I have a skylight above the desk, and usually when I look at the tank my face casts a shadow. My new tank is now in this position.

I never see my kuhli loaches in my 60L ever, maybe like once a week if I'm lucky in the early morning. This tank used to be in the main position, but is now to my right temporarily until the tank is all set up in like 2 months. Today I was glancing over and realised that there were 2 kuhlis sandsifting in the front together, with Motherfish not even bothering them. What the hell! In the middle of the day! They've must have been doing this the whole time and just immediately leaving whenever I appear. They do seem to like the grassy margins. I'm still not sure whether to keep them or not, when you see them they're so extremely cute and cool, but not ever seeing them is super annoying, I wonder whether getting like 10 more would sort that out, anyone with any experience of that? I just turned around now and saw another one in another area wiggling about, I guess they are not as unhappy as I thought!

It's really nice to be able to watch the fish when they don't realise I'm watching! I wonder what else I'll see...

 

[mort]

How many khulis do you currently have?
I like fish like this tbh as it's nice and exciting to see glimpses of them from time to time. They also seem to make me actually stop and look at every inch of the tank in the hopes of seeing them which makes me see things I'd normally miss.
My tank is right next to where I sit, so I can be quiet and still and things happen that you wouldn't see if you just pressed your face to the glass a few times a day. I really like poco pozo and bucket of mud, for Toms use of fish that cover a vast array of niches. I doubt khulis actually add much to the bioload of any tank, never mind a fully grown in planted tank, so I'd suggest you keep them for the fleeting glances you get but adding more will definitely help.