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A Fluval Flora Newbie

Cheers Spyder, I'll need all the help I can get :D

Did a little research last night on flora and have come up with a list, working through the layout from back to front based on my doodle above:

Background:
vallisneria americana or Vallisneria nana
limnophila sessiliflora
microsum pteropus
hygrophila difformis

Back/Midground:
heteranthora zosterifolia
ranonculus inunatus

Foreground:
bacopa australis
echinodorus tenellus

Moss for branches:
taxiphyllum barberi (vescularia)
 
Oooh oooh the postman has been :)

P1030759.jpg


13mm lily pipes, Co2 diffuser, drop checker, bubble counter and non return valve.

Also got my 12mm hose and filter media. Just the aquascaping stuff to get now, although it might be next weekend before i get that and the plants

Looks great I think

P1030760.jpg
 
Looking good. I love the glass equipment shame my wallet at the moment wont allow it :D

Look forward to further updates.

LP
 
Looks the part mate

Your approaching this tank very well, not rushing and Getting exactly what you want :) amount of times I've lost patience and settle for sub standard and ended up thinking wishbid started with that or not done this, all a learning curve though :)

One thing for sure !! please buy a spring washer that is designed for glassware :)
 
nayr88 said:
Looks the part mate

Your approaching this tank very well, not rushing and Getting exactly what you want :) amount of times I've lost patience and settle for sub standard and ended up thinking wishbid started with that or not done this, all a learning curve though :)

One thing for sure !! please buy a spring washer that is designed for glassware :)
Click to expand...

Seconded!

The slow plan is the best, couldn't stop myself rushing in either...

I would however lose the glass check valve - I had two of those and they just don't do the job, I upgraded to these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/280691413741

Definitely not as pretty, but they work and are as cheap as chips!

So out of interest where did you get your glass lily pipe business from and what sizes? Interested as I have a 20l Dennerle which is similar in size...
 
Thanks guys, the slow and steady is not really that intentional, I just cant make my mind up what to get or do lol

A spring washer is on the shopping list, as is the better check valve. I must admit the glass one seemed a little ropey. I can just imagine it clacking away too.

The glassware is from aquatic magic via their ebay store, pretty quick delivery and a good price, so no complaints so far.
I bout the 13mm set of lily pipes, I was a bit worried that they might be a touch too big but they look great now they're mounted.

I'm going to have a go aquascaping this weekend, starting with mixing up the fluval shrimp and fluval plant substrate. Fingers crossed it goes well
 
Ive heard these lillys are a little thinner than say Ada do!aqua ect but what unlike about these is the 2 suction cups, much better than the one on my cal aquas.

Cheers
 
Obviously you get what you pay for but they're not too bad really, the bubble counter and check valve do seem very thin, like test tubes, but the pipes I think are fairly good quality for what you pay. And as you say the twin suckers are a good idea and stops the hose from twisting them.

:)
 
Little update,

Today i've been having a go at aquascaping and I think I've got it somewhere close to the sketch I did. happy for now :)

Image12.jpg


P1030837.jpg


P1030834.jpg
 
Just got home from Wrexham and with some fantastic assistance by a chap at TGM I now have some plants. Time for some dinner before I get stuck in :D
 
Okay well the plants are in and will wait a day or two for the tank to settle before I take any photos.

Lets just say I have a whole new respect for the tanks on this forum. The aquascaping was much more difficult than I expected, pretty tough to get some of the plants to stay in the substrate.

Dishevelled is how I'd describe how it looks at the moment :D

Some of the plants in (That I can remember the names of) are:
Rotala
Ranunculus
Eleocharis
Hydrocotyle
 
Well here's a preview then.

I'm hoping the plants at the midground and back will sort themselves out as they grow.
The little ones at the front keep floating off, they're a right bugger to keep down.

P1030943.jpg

P1030942.jpg
 
righto, so the plants have been in for about 24 hours now, how regular do i need to do my water changes and what chemistry should I be testing for?
 
New pic

P1040058.jpg


Just finished my 2nd 50% water change, this time using dechlorinated tap water, beforehand I had just used plain old tap water.
Anyone know if I'm doing it right, should I be doing any tests?
 
Not dosing anything just yet, but my Co2 setup should be delivered any day now.

Whats fert should I be dosing and which would you recommend?

Lights come on at 11:00 and go off at 22:00, Co2 will run at the same time.

Cheers for the help bud, its a whole new world for me :D
 
Sooner the better with the Co2. Using both lights would be considered fairly high light which would up co2 demands. A shorter photoperiod is usually used at startup. Everything looks good right now though but high light + low co2 = problems sooner or later. Looking back at your pic your HC looks a little off colour. Liquid carbon could help until your gas is up and running.

I joined the EI brigade, simply for the savings. :thumbup:
 
Cheers Spyder,

On your recommendation I've orderd the El ferts a 4 pack of 250ml bottles of profito, fosfo, nitro and ferro.

Looks like my Co2 kit has been delayed by a day but should come either tomorrow or friday, so I'll turn off one of my lamps until then. Fingers crossed :)
 
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