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120 x 55 x 55cm 'On the sea shore'

Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

i like the Echinodorus were it is, it adds a little bit more IMO. I'd leave it unless it gets to about 50cm's! lol
 
Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

ianho said:
i like the Echinodorus were it is, it adds a little bit more IMO. I'd leave it unless it gets to about 50cm's! lol

iT'S A LITTLE ONE...I THINK. :shifty: (caps)

Danny said:
do you mean it is run at room temp without any added heat?

Thats it mate. Room temp on all of my tanks.

Antipofish said:
OK so its purely protection against any bits of grit right

and slight distortion apparently. I'd only recommend it with a robust cabinet. In fact, it's at the owners own desecration. :geek:
 
Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

Mark, this tank is turning out very nicely, as ussual with you scapes and definetely I can recognise your style in it!
 
Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

Antoni said:
Mark, this tank is turning out very nicely, as ussual with you scapes and definetely I can recognise your style in it!

Thanks Antoni. Looking at it, there's a few things I'd like to change, and might even change those things. There's also a few ideas from this I'd like to take into another tank. I'm into the whole moss carpet thing.
 
Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

Aside from, well, jaw dropping layouts, they always seem so meticulously clean - do they just end up clean naturally or is there some uber-maintenance and cleaning going on that we don't see? I can't imagine removing the hardscape to clean it?
 
Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

Hi Mark... can I get a bit more advice off ya matey ? I just planted and filled my new tank (an open top braceless optiwhite) and the water level ISN'T ! (Level that is). Is it a case of draining as much as poss and just pushing/tilting the cabinet back to push some wedges under it ? Cheers.
 
Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

Antipofish said:
Hi Mark... can I get a bit more advice off ya matey ? I just planted and filled my new tank (an open top braceless optiwhite) and the water level ISN'T ! (Level that is). Is it a case of draining as much as poss and just pushing/tilting the cabinet back to push some wedges under it ? Cheers.

Basically yes,


Mark I am even more disgustingly jealous now I know this is a room temp tank lol
 
Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

Mark Evans said:
Danny said:
do you mean it is run at room temp without any added heat?

Thats it mate. Room temp on all of my tanks.
:

Seriously ? I thought from your earlier comment that you just meant you used external heaters. Whats the lowest the room gets to ?
 
Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

Thats a tricky one chris. I'd be vigulent with what ever method you decide to level up the tank.

Obviously dont choose things that would warp or break under pressure.

Antipofish said:
Seriously ? I thought from your earlier comment that you just meant you used external heaters. Whats the lowest the room gets to ?

In winter it gets no lower than 19 or 20c. In the summer it can be as high as 24c. Waterchanges are easy to. I put the hose pipe onto the hot tap then change the temp. reg so the water that comes out is mildly warm.

nry said:
do they just end up clean naturally or is there some uber-maintenance and cleaning going on that we don't see? I can't imagine removing the hardscape to clean it?

My days of rock scrubbing are over mate. Such a chew!!! lowered light levels and high co2 levels has given me much more flexibilty. In the early days, i'm not without the odd issue, but nothing like i used to suffer. As the tanks matures (from about 6 or 8 weeks) things get even easier.
 
Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

Hi Mark,
Loving this tank and it has offered me some inspiration :)
Also going to be using some of your lighting tips on my next scape as I'll be raising my light unit. I've always struggled on the edge of c02 and happy fish so to keep a balance of light, c02 and fish happiness I'm simply going to effectively lower the light intensity and ensure good c02, but not walking a thin line :thumbup:
Cheerio
Ady
 
Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

You're hitting bang on 0.3 watts per litre...with my T8's I get 0.46...

Beginning to wonder if the 2x24w luminaire I plan is way too much, over 0.85w/litre! It'll run a single tube though, which makes things more sensible if the light spread is good enough :)
 
Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

Ady34 said:
Loving this tank and it has offered me some inspiration
Also going to be using some of your lighting tips on my next scape as I'll be raising my light unit. I've always struggled on the edge of c02 and happy fish so to keep a balance of light, c02 and fish happiness I'm simply going to effectively lower the light intensity and ensure good c02, but not walking a thin line

Cheers Ady. Controlling lighting is the key.

nry said:
You're hitting bang on 0.3 watts per litre...with my T8's I get 0.46...

I'm probably getting less. My lights are real high above the tank, and taking into account that the tank is 55cm high, from substrate to light, there's a 90cm gap. I don't struggle growing anything.

Don't forget though, and I've said it a few times, the Giesemann unit is second to none in the reflector department (I've used a few units to compare) All of the light is distributed evenly.

In every corner there is quality light. Using 1 tube to match the equivalent output wouldn't work, as the spread would be poor.

I'd always go with t5 as it gives much more room and flexibility. Too much T5 light?...suspend it higher!

There will be occasions where you need more light. A stem heavy scape and I wouldn't think twice about banging the Halides on for 5 hours a day.
 
Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

I think we'd struggle with the lights too high up due to glare into the room, it would be right in our eye line on the sofa, time will tell :)
 
Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

nry said:
I think we'd struggle with the lights too high up due to glare into the room, it would be right in our eye line on the sofa, time will tell :)
I'm worried about this too, I think this is where the higher end units excel. There reflector systems direct light to where it's needed most and light spill is minimised.... we can but dream! Christmas isn't too far away mind :)
 
Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

Hi Mark,
I have read you say many times that lighting is the key and you seem to err towards lower lighting all the time. That seems contrary (although you have quite clearly shown that it is not) to common claims that lighting is the "accelerator pedal" of aquatic plants. I always understood "the more light the faster the growth: if there are insufficient CO2 or ferts with this faster growth then the plant suffers: therefore the more light the more CO2 and the more ferts you need".

But what you have clearly shown is that you do NOT need a lot of light to achieve fast plant growth.

SO...

How on earth do you do it ? What do you do different in the equation ? Do you have a lower light level but a LONGER photoperiod ? Whats the magic formula, lol ? And do you also believe that nutrient rich substrates play a keen role in the success of your scapes or have you had equally good success with inert subtrates ?

Cheers :thumbup:
 
Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

Antipofish said:
How on earth do you do it ? What do you do different in the equation ? Do you have a lower light level but a LONGER photoperiod ?

I'm not sure mate. I have lights on for 5 hours min. to 6 hours a day. Everything else i do is the same as everyone else...I think.

I've grown plants in just gravel before with no probs. It was a long time ago, but i did it.

I've preformed the first trim of the stems. They were over growing everything, limiting the light to everything else.

The rocks, that were going green last week, have cleaned up. I'm not sure if this is down to...

1. shrimp.
2. a river loach (this is what i think it is)
3. the filters starting to work (cycle)

7874117672_3f6a55029f_b.jpg
trim-1 by saintly's pics, on Flickr
 
Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

Pics of the river loach please :D
 
Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

the stems look great in the back as they are imo. Is that the HC on the right??
 
Re: 120 x 55 x 55cm planted... Home alone

Ady34 said:
Pics of the river loach please

I'll try and get one. :thumbup:

ianho said:
Is that the HC on the right??

Yep. The slowest growing stuff ever. It's now started to grow. I think low light has kept in a dormant state, and now it's realised that it best grow otherwise it'll die :lol: I've not put much in because of it's dominant nature when it starts growing properly. There's also marsilea in there too.

mikeappleby said:
If you've found a magic way to keep rocks looking fresh, please share!

Lowish light I think. I honestly don't know the answer 100% but something's working. Daily they become cleaner. Could be that little Hong Kong loach
 
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