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Larry's Glade

Re: Lo-Tech nano - Filter Impeller Massacre

Thanks John. Was about to give up on the hydropiper as getting quite a lot of melt. However, am now seeing new tiny leaves :thumbup: This stuff is incredible. Am now certain it is different from what other people have been sold in the past as Elatine hydropiper. Will start a separate thread on it. What's interesting is that I can't get it to grow emersed.
 
Did give up on the hydropiper in the end, was painfully slow. Gave up on the low tech as well, was painfully slow. Started on the easycarbo again and then ended up injecting. Also, inspired by a tank at ADC I decided to do a minor rescape. Deeply underrated is that Greg (more discounts please mate). This is how it looks at the mo:

7818350428_7edf8ba538.jpg
19-8-12_1 by hotweldfire, on Flickr

Bit of a mess around the tank. The worst aspect of which is this:

7818344946_10dfae0c1c.jpg
19-8-12_3 by hotweldfire, on Flickr

I mean, really, what were TMC thinking about when they created this rail? Whilst the light unit itself is not classically beautiful or anything it isn't bad looking. The mount is disgusting. Why am I using it? Because the better half doesn't want screws jammed into her custom made book shelf above so I can mount it. Fair enough but it means, in addition the mount's ugliness, I'm stuck with its other stupid feature. The light is fixed on it and, on a 30cm cube, means it sits near the front of the tank. This means that all my stems at the back of the tank are growing almost horizontally. Sigh.

She is up for letting me punch a larger hole near the back of the shelf the tank sits on though which means I can move all the crap to the shelf below and hide it behind books. Including this:

7818331068_7ffc03121c.jpg
19-8-12_8 by hotweldfire, on Flickr

Eden 501. Great little filter. Actually bought it for my 12l office desk tank but was way overpowered. I have two criticisms: firstly, flow is not adjustable which is easily remedied by the two 9mm eheim taps you can see. Secondly the nature of the attachment and sucker which holds it in place means the outlet sits too deep in the water for my liking. I want it at the back left corner pumping diagonally across the tank but because it sits so low this will flatten my stems. Have got some 9mm lily pipes on the way from HK but I don't think I can angle them so the outlet piece will probably have to sit where the current outlet is which is a shame. Not a disaster. Only thing I'm worried about is if it doesn't have the power to pump up from the shelf below.

7818347642_7df4fc94f8.jpg
19-8-12_2 by hotweldfire, on Flickr

At the back is myrophyllum, red and green, on the right is didiplis diandra. May need to replant the myrophyllum as the two types are mixed in a bit randomly at the moment. Grows like a nutter with co2.

Midground is some of the amano pearl grass (hemianthus sp??) that used to be at the back:

7818333906_5bde9a3ac6.jpg
19-8-12_7 by hotweldfire, on Flickr

and some one-to-grow Ammania bonsai which is a lovely little mini bacopa like plant:

7818336692_ae6f77683f.jpg
19-8-12_6 by hotweldfire, on Flickr

Piece of wood at the front has afro moss (courtesy of Living Waters, Croydon) growing on it as well as a few fissidens hitchhikers:

7818342224_48d4ae02f0.jpg
19-8-12_4 by hotweldfire, on Flickr

Rest of the foreground is Lileaopsis mauritiana:

7818339444_087ffed465.jpg
19-8-12_5 by hotweldfire, on Flickr

Which I'm not that chuffed with. Very slow to fill out. May hack it back to the substrate a second time and see how it grows back. I might end up replacing with brasiliensis.

Fauna are currently a mixed batch (almost inevitably it seems) of Boraras brigittae and merah and 1 hisonotus (unknown sp). Shrimp are lots of sakura, that are getting moved to the main tank now it's been rescaped, and what's finally inspired a name for this tank. Caridina meridonalis, courtesy of Aquatic Design Centre, otherwise known as Larry shrimp:

7818353120_15300c8b1a.jpg
19-8-12_9 by hotweldfire, on Flickr

Beautiful shrimp. According to ADC and Ed/Radik of Freshwater Shrimp these are wild. If so then they have the best colouration of a wild shrimp I've ever seen. They've not bred for me in this tank yet. I had a berried female when I kept them in my office nano but the pair of sparkling gouramis I had did for her. Nothing since I moved them here but hopefully when I pull all the sakura out they'll start reproducing.

The tank has a long way to go yet but I'm fairly happy with the layout and plant selection. Might move the column of wood forward a bit to thicken the stems at the back but that's about it. Now just need to wait for everything to grow in. Really nice feeling knowing a tank is actually on its way to where you want it to be. No doubt there's a disaster round the corner :rolleyes:
 
Thanks mate. Filter is actually an external canister and hopefully will be out of sight soon. Just waiting on the glassware from HK before moving it.

Yeah, a free standing light hanger would be sensible. Unfortunately my DIY skills are awful.
 
I'd also heard bad things about the Eden 501, i'll be interested to see how it fares being below the tank level.

Agree on the tile mount. Very ugly. I think i'd be tempted to mount it going sideways across the tank with the intake/outtake either side, then at least you wouldnt have to look at the back facing, although you still have the issue of it not being centre. :(

Plant wise - coming along nicely. Some plants i've not seen there that interest me like that afro moss.

Shrimp - BLOODY AMAZING wild shrimp. So pretty. More photos please.

Best Regards,
John
 
p.s Can you tell us all your current dosing regime?

Thanks,
John
 
sr20det said:
How is the Boyo filter? I like the spray bar idea but heard the flow can be weak? Amongst other things of leaks, etc. Tempted in one for my shrimp tank?

Filter on this tank is an Eden. I'm very happy with it so far but, as John says, the test will be moving it to the shelf below. Funnily enough I'm literally about to set up a boyu filter on my office 12l tank. Will try to post on that thread later today.

JohnC said:
Plant wise - coming along nicely. Some plants i've not seen there that interest me like that afro moss.

Shrimp - BLOODY AMAZING wild shrimp. So pretty. More photos please.

Thanks mate. Afro is only available from LW but some other members have it. Painfully slow grower though, probably the slowest moss I've ever had. Will do my best with the shrimp photos but photography not my strong point. Hope they survive this weather all right. I'm losing sakura in this tank to what I assume is a bacterial outbreak caused by the temperature. Hopefully that'll settle down when the weather cools. Dosing paraguard in the meantime to keep it under control.
 
hotweldfire said:
sr20det said:
How is the Boyo filter? I like the spray bar idea but heard the flow can be weak? Amongst other things of leaks, etc. Tempted in one for my shrimp tank?

Filter on this tank is an Eden. I'm very happy with it so far but, as John says, the test will be moving it to the shelf below. Funnily enough I'm literally about to set up a boyu filter on my office 12l tank. Will try to post on that thread later today.

.

I think they might be a same filter rebranded? Not sure might be different? I have seen them refeered to as Boyu, but APS do the same I think:

http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/aquar ... 0-l-h.html

That was te one I had planned to go for. Mainly due to price and spray bar option. And seeing it was a 14l. I have a 260l HOB and it doesnt seem like 260lph
 
think the eden has a higher flow rate just put the boyu one on my 12 ltr nano found the pipe work bit to stiff so swapped it for some jbl 9/12 pipe have orderd some acrylic to make inlet outlet flow was non existent with supplied spray bar and it leaks when i turn it off unless i pull the intake out for a second but for £20 its better than the hob i was using i wouldnt want to put it under the tank though i think if i had a power cut itd empty the tank sorry to spam your thread :?
 
No mate, not spam at all. I've left it running on my office tank and have been feeling anxious since I left the building. How does it leak when power's off? I didn't notice that.

It's definitely a different filter to the Eden. They look identical but I think the Boyu is basically a cheap copy of the Eden. Build quality on Eden much better and it has double the flow as Tim said. My Boyu has air trapped in it that I wasted two hours trying to get rid of. Not too impressed with it so far but you get what you pay for. Eden is more than double the price.

Sent from my GT-P7310 using Tapatalk 2
 
JohnC said:
p.s Can you tell us all your current dosing regime?

Thanks,
John

Sorry mate, missed that earlier. Up to recently I was doing 1ml of TPN and 1ml TPN+ 3 times a week (so total of 3ml of each). Since adding the much more powerful light and co2 I've cranked up to 2x5ml TPN+ and 1x5ml TPN a week.

Sent from my GT-P7310 using Tapatalk 2
 
No mate, not spam at all. I've left it running on my office tank and have been feeling anxious since I left the building. How does it leak when power's off? I didn't notice that.
soon as i unplugged it i assume it just started syphoning water at a higher pressure or something started leaking from the lid canister seal until i pulled up the outlet if i need to unplug it now i pull the intake out of the water for a second or so clear the intake pipe no leaks like you say you get what you pay for bit of tweaking and i think for me its better than a hob flow wise :thumbup:
 
Spent today routing out holes in shelves and reorganising kit so that everything is on the shelf below hidden behind books. Other half now so impressed with the way the tank looks and so unimpressed with the rail that I have a pass to screw it to the shelf above :thumbup:

Meanwhile I'm dead impressed with the eden 501. I now have it running on the shelf below too (which is not recommended apparently) and it's pumping fine and pretty strong. Took a while to vent all the air but to be fair it had a large amount of empty hose to fill up. Have now got it connected to lily pipes which look well nice.

Not so impressed with the Boyu. The two look identical but the boyu is a pretty poor imitation. Not leaked yet but after I set it up in the office it had trapped air rattling away in it that I couldn't shift. Eventually went by itself after a couple of days but then started buzzing on Friday. Wasn't because of vibration on the desk (although that could happen as it doesn't have rubber feet) because I lifted it and it still made the noise. Hoping I'm not going to come in tomorrow to a flooded office. Also the taps I installed on it were a waste of time as the flow doesn't necessitate their use.

Wish I'd gone for another Eden.
 
Quick update and apologies as ever for crap phone camera photos. Still need to tape up that power cable but looking a bit tidier in the alcove:

8041176336_8c2215700f.jpg
2012-8-30_23.30.58 by hotweldfire, on Flickr
8041058517_287ca99a45.jpg
2012-8-30_22.59.20 by hotweldfire, on Flickr

Myrophyllum is a well nutty plant. Especially in a co2 tank:
8041058757_3a2a17c8ed.jpg
2012-8-30_22.59.30 by hotweldfire, on Flickr

Only thing struggling is this ammania bonsai. I am wondering if it ain't getting eaten as nothing else is showing these sorts of co2 related deficiencies and there's minimal hair algae in the tank (but there are a few snails):
8041078166_ca0f41b852.jpg
2012-8-30_23.2.39 by hotweldfire, on Flickr
 
this looks really nice mate, really clean and fresh looking. you must be very pleased with it.
 
Just read this from start to finish. What a brilliant thread! I love how you have started something and then just changed it! Brilliant. The final outcome is looking great. I have the same tank, two of them. Did you know though pets at home did a recall on that light unit for a fire hazard? The tanks have now been discontinued altogether no idea why as the tanks themselves are great.

I have a few questions if you don't mind me asking. 1: from the experience of trying to set up a low tech tank, what plants would you recommend to others? 2: your current co2 kit what is it? And 3: where the previous problems related to the use of those rocks do you think?

Thanks and are be following all updated progress!
 
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