Thanks for the encouragement Dean. Yeah, I was never too fond of emergent growth but seeing examples such as Alastairs and Bigtoms journals kind of inspired me to have a little, especially once I saw the maidenhair fern, I liked that a lot and it is kind of fitting in this tank.still looking great ady sure you will resolve the issue , hopefully them few small changes will get everything in balance , love the Maidenhair fern I have wanted something that grows out the top of the tank for a while think it has a great effect and looks great
keep the updates coming let us know how you get along
Dean
Thanks Gary, yeah ill get there eventually, I seem to know what to do but not put it into practice, always something not quite right. When I received the bolbitis off johnc it was in tip top health....that's what I want back. Ive already adjusted the co2 slightly and have just today raised the light unit about another inch and a half so fingers crossed these have an impact.Yes I agree, it looks great.... your bound to get a few teething issues mate with the light, I am sure you will tailor it to what the tank needs and crack the magic amount. I have found that Bolbitis can sometimes grow a little that way anyway too - the immersed plants really look nice too
Hi Zanguli. All good and sound points and all things to consider. I tried various outlet positions and this is the best for the layout, some areas of really good distribution are not thriving so I'm a bit confused, however the glass apfuk spraybars (as seen in Georges Hillside journal) may be an option to try. I may hook up some cheap plastic ones first to see if it improves things before splashing out. The only thing that worries me about the spraybar method is a possible dead spot along the rear behind the prominent hardscape.
The co2 is administered via a boyu inline diffuser on the left hand side lily. This directs it into the front glass and downwards along the front, some of which is then sucked up into the other filter via the inlet on the right side and reintroduced along the back pane via the NA outlet....a nice circular pattern, although perhaps ideally more could reach the substrate which is where spraybars would be an improvement.
Luckily its not so bad as to turn to brown mush, but it could be better
Yeah the trim helped but it needs another really as its lost its shape and looks a bit fat around the middle. Looks more proportionate in real life funnily, but on images it looks shapeless.
Not sure about the riccia, it all looked the same when purchased but the second introduction which had been in the fridge for several weeks and was going slightly bad by the smell of it hasn't thrived. Needs replacing really but think ill just ditch it full stop.
Cheers Tim, hopefully ill nail it and it will continue that way
Thanks Jack. Yeah I definitely think its a light issue, although there are many members who can run successful tanks on high light, maybe its down to a balance with the chosen plants which in this case will be better with lower lighting intensity. I rather foolishly thought I could handle this one with all I've learned and lots of water changes....doh!
Hi Lindy, thanks for the tips
I have a 10mm acrylic sheet to use as a cover, but it may well look ugly. I'm also making (when i get round to it) a shade for the light to prevent glare, so maybe I could easily incorporate some diffusing material into that...ill have to look into some products as that would be simple and non invasive to the aesthetics have you used any you could recommend yourself?Don't think the cory behaviour is co2 related, that also meant lethargy and a loss of appetite in my experience. They were flighty in the shop too. They are getting 'slightly' better and are great to watch at feeding time as they go about their business. Because they are so intriguing you want to be able to interact with them I suppose, get them seeing you as a food supplier so they come to greet you with their cheeky little facesIt's looks good Ady even with teething problems. Might to worth putting the skimmer front left to try assist the circular flow??
It's frustrating when plants show low co2 but fauna are flighty and shy which has always been high co2 for me.
Wiggle jiggle.... Sweet spot
With regards the flow I think the biggest way it could be improved is greater distribution to the substrate.....although my plants do say different!
Really nice to hear that Dave, thanks
a very nice scape you have made too.Hope I can sort it, I want this to be the lush tank I imagined, like I say its not too far away from being a success which is why I'm reluctant to alter anything too drastically just incase it makes it worse! Ill hope the small adjustments have a big impact before exploring alternative distribution methods.
Thanks everyone for all the advice, confirms what I've been thinking.
Cheerio,
Ady.
) and a crossocheilus siamensis to complete the cuc. If the light arm was slightly higher i would raise the light unit further, but as im at the maximum height ill see how it goes, if it needs reducing further ill look at diffusing it somehow. I think that the bright white maui sand impacts overall intensity, reflecting light back into the tank, and is probably something i should have considered more on set up regards lighting strength.
