• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Tom's Mini M

How are you diffusing CO2 into the water, with a ceramic diffuser? I guess you must of played around with the position of the diffuser. Maybe it's worth considering an up!aqua in-line or something like that?
 
Sorry if I missed it but what media are you using in your filter?

And also do you know what type of wood that is? It looks like the stuff you find in streams and if that is the case it will decompose rapidly try taking a long nail and seeing how firm it is in the middle.
 
SteveUK said:
Are they pearling, or is it CO2 bubbles building up on leaf surfaces?

You've got more stamina than I do Tom, I'd of given in by now!

I'm 90% sure it's pearling ;)

Yeah, I've thought about giving up several times! It's just I can't bear to chuck away all that ADA stuff, and I went all the way to TGM to get it! And it's the first scape in the Mini M. Next time I will go back to using Malaya. This is the second time I've used Amazonia and the second time I've buggered it up. I'm not blaming the soil, I know it works. I'm just wondering what difference it might make, if any when dosed with the Spezial N.

Johno2090 said:
Sorry if I missed it but what media are you using in your filter?

And also do you know what type of wood that is? It looks like the stuff you find in streams and if that is the case it will decompose rapidly try taking a long nail and seeing how firm it is in the middle.

I'm using the standard Eheim Bio Balls, Plastic and Ceramic rings, and course and fine foam in the pre-filter section of the Ecco Pro 300.

Wood is from the LFS. Pretty solid stuff, I don't think it's rotting. There is a little bit of bark round it, but it doesn't seem to have been affected at all.

Tom
 
Yeah I know the stuff your talking about now I used it in my last tank and it was great.

Maybe it's time to remove the livestock and nuke with excel to restart.

No idea why your problems are so compounded, nasty!
 
Quick shot from 3 minutes ago. Had a really good thorough clean out yesterday and removed all algae I had the patience for and gave it a 75% water change. I think I'm going to go back to changing water every other day, and full strength with the macros again. It seemed to accelerate after the blackout when I stopped all but ADA Brighty K and Step 1. One thing I have noticed about the algae though is that pre-blackout if I look at the pictures it looks more like "stronger" filamentous algae, but now is more like Rhizoclonium.

I still haven't replaced the small stones from the foreground either. Need to tidy that gravel!

IMG_1258.jpg
 
Re: Tom's Mini M - full shot 23/04

Looks great Tom, cool spray bar. How you finding it?
 
Re: Tom's Mini M - full shot 23/04

Great when the algae's not there :p It hasn't looked that clean for well over a month!!

How am I finding the spray bar? Much better, although I need to sort out those connectors and cups!! There's still a slightly slow patch back right, but it doesn't seem to be causing a problem. I just want to see what happens this week now I've changed the routine again and removed loads of crap. The HC needs a trim too, and the stems will in the next couple of days. Will nuke the BBA again on the next water change if I get the water level low enough.

I dipped the moss stones in an Excel solution too which I forgot about. Will have to see how it copes and if they clean up at all. The 3 new Amanos are still hard at work, and much more active than the old ones.

Question: I noticed on one of Filipe Oliviera's tanks with tenellus he seemed to trim it into shape like grass. I didn't think you could do that with Echinodorus'? My Eleocharis doesn't even seem to like that! Anyone have any input on that?

Tom
 
Re: Tom's Mini M - full shot 23/04

Hi Tom,just read all about your algae probs in this setup,i can,t think of anything to suggest apart from the extra water changes, do you use easy carbo ?

john.
 
Re: Tom's Mini M - full shot 23/04

I use the Aquaessentials version which was cheaper but the same dose as Easy Carbo (slightly stronger solution than Excel if I remember right) I'm back up to 2ml daily anyway, alongside nearly 2bps CO2. The AE carbon should be enough to run the tank on it's own, yet it still gets BBA. Will see if it continues or if that's enough to get rid of it. Hopefully it won't return once nuked.

Tom
 
Re: Tom's Mini M - full shot 23/04

New shot from just now. That's 4 days with no horiffic algae growth. Improvement so far. Not sure what I did though. Recently I've just cleaned all the algae I could find, and dosed from every bottle I've got, including Spezial N. Lets try and keep it up! Shrimp are doing well too. If it stays like this it might be time to actually try and make it look nice again!

IMG_1357.jpg
 
Re: Tom's Mini M - full shot 26/04

Thanks Chump, it's taking it's time getting there isn't it! Time to sort out the gravel soon I think, and put all the stones back in place.

You'll have to ask bigmatt about the spray bar, he made it for me! It looks like a thin rod of acrylic that's glued in the end of the acrylic spray bar itself. When I bodged the one before, I used the end of a suction cup glued into an actual spray bar. It worked, but wasn't pretty.
 
Re: Tom's Mini M - full shot 26/04

it's not glued, but you're pretty much right! The bar is very slightly bigger than the internal diameter of the tube. So i heat the tube, insert the bar and when it cools it's held in place without glue. In this way making spraybars is very much like making love to a beautiful woman ... :D
 
Re: Tom's Mini M - full shot 26/04

bigmatt said:
it's not glued, but you're pretty much right! The bar is very slightly bigger than the internal diameter of the tube. So i heat the tube, insert the bar and when it cools it's held in place without glue. In this way making spraybars is very much like making love to a beautiful woman ... :D


....except you don't wanna get stuck....
 
Re: Tom's Mini M - full shot 26/04

Bit of a trim today. Got rid of pretty much all the tenellus with Staghorn on, and took the stems lower at the same time. The tops have been replanted to hopefully get more of a shape when it all grows back in.

Looks quite good from a distance!!

IMG_1435.jpg
 
Re: Tom's Mini M - full shot 26/04

Looking good....Well done on the fight against the algae, it finally looks like you might be onto a winner! Good luck with it mate!
 
Back
Top