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Andys 45p Aquascape

r32syd

Member
Joined
23 Jul 2014
Messages
37
Hello guys just thought I would introduce myself. My name is andy and have been interested in aquatics and fish keeping from a young age, ever since I saw my grandads fish house as a child. So not new to fishkeeping but new to plant keeping I discovered this forum and set myself the task of producing a nice aquascape.

So far the equipment includes

ADA 45p (45x27x30)
TMC mini led 400 tile
ADA amazonia powder substrate
Dragon stone Hardscape
Still waiting for:
fluval g3 to arrive
I also have a small internal heater I will use and I will set up a FE to supply CO2.
I also plan to use glass lilly pipes eventually
Progress so far:
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Tank delivered and put in place

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Finally got around to sorting out the Hardscape etc.

I plan to plant with:
Eleocharis Parvula
Cryptocoryne Pygmaea
Hemianthus Callitrichoides

Any suggestions will be great on layout or any imput please dont hesitate
Thanks guys
Andy
 
Looks great. For a moment I thought you meant 45 pence! I think it's a good idea that you have the light opposite the high bank of substrate as this light is quite powerful.
 
Thanks :) 45 pence would be a challenge! Thats a good point. I did originally have it at the back as in the first picture but then I decided it would be best as you suggested on the left, but I still think I will need to add a dimmer.
 
Oh know!:( thats what I was going to get are they good?how do you find the light on a timer?
 
Looking good dude.

Just a tip that I've learnt recently, any scape where you have a hill like that, it will level out slightly once your filter is on. Depending how strong the flow is, it could level out more significantly.

I'm not sure what people use, but I've seen others that have what looks like little sheets of plastic that they insert into the substrate to stop it collapsing.

Can anyone elaborate on this?
 
Hello julian thanks for your advice I was thinking the same thing and have seen people use them and was thinking of added something similar in the form of cut up milk mottles :) thanks jamie that was my top priority! I strengthened the cabinet in several ways to make sure I.e some 2inch by 1 inch under the top section and various bracing to stop and movement. It took my weight of 9 stone and did not budge :)
 
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Hello guys just a small update. Filter finally arrived. Fluval g3 and so i finally got around to filling the tank. I had some 13mm eheim filter pipes so used these for better scale. will hopefully change to glass at a later date. As of yet i dont have a heater but was thinking of getting one of the external ones but dont have an experience of these.The room it is in as allways a good temp so not to worried. I have read that with amazonia ada soil it is best to run the tank for roughly 3 weeks to help the amonia spikes. I will do this and sew how it goes before planting.

Regards
Andrew
 

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Hello guys a quick update i have had everything running since the 18th but a keep getting a white slime/sludge appear specifically on the rubber suction cups and in the corners of the tank in the silicone and lots of surface scum that builds up over the week aswell. Never seen/had thid before any advice? Also how do you guys clean the glass and the silicone in the tight corners?
 
Also how do you guys clean the glass and the silicone in the tight corners?

A soft sponge and a Stanley blade on the glass, Stanley blade only to remove anything that the sponge didn't. Only really need the blade at substrate level to keep that clean, but you could also use an old bank / credit card. I use a toothbrush for the silicone.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for the tips wallace :) they are great ideas!:) there is something about silicone/plastic this strange slime loves it!:(
 
Just a quick update
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All equipment in, plants i,along with cherry shrimp :) struggling to fight off surface scum. and algae from the silicone. Im generally happy. Opinions from everyone good or bad will be great!:) thanks! :)
Andy
 
Thanks mate :) i need to do some better pics with the slr actually. The plants are growing super fast! And the tank seems to be growing/changing all the time!:)
 
Looking good. The hair grass will soon thicken up the carpet. Have you thought about some nice moss covered twigs in there?

If you're worried about the surface film, Eheim do a little surface skimmer. I have mine on a timer for a couple of minutes every three hours. Shrimps will always find themselves being sucked down and it gives them loads of time to escape. An old toothbrush is good for algae removal on the corner silicone.
 
Wow i could not have hoped from imput from anyone better. I have been admiring your tank for a long time and it is simply stunning! I did think about some twigs with moss on but I have never had much luck with moss it just tends to die off on me no matter what! I also lack a good eye for placement which is why i went for such a basic set up to start with hoping for the plants to do the talking once grown in.

The eheim surface skimmer sounds like an excellent option i will look into that as well as the tooth brush! Once again thanks for your much needed and allways welcome feedback!
Regards
Andy
 
Hi Andy, initial hardscape was very promising but as expected the hill collapsed a bit which is a pity. Perhaps bigger rocks would be better?
I guess you are running 2 filters just to make the transition from one to other, right? What truly dislike is that huge heater inside, there are some small heaters for nanos with 25 or 50 w with only 15 cms from aquatic nature ;) http://www.aquatic-nature.be/eng_easyheat.html
Concerning the aquatic plants i guess the big ones on the background are breaking the scale, perhaps you should get smaller ones like Ranunculus inundatus, Ammania sp. bonsai or similar in sizes and shapes would be better choice.
Do you feed your plants with liquid fertilizers?
Sorry for my lousy english, need more practice :sick:
 
Hello brancaman
Yes it is a shame that the hill had collapsed . I put some under gravel bracing in but perhaps without much experience i did not utilise them properly. Perhaps bigger rocks would be better but i am a bit reluctant to change at the moment due to the amount of work required in disturbing everything. I am only using the one filter in the tank may be the reflection makes it look like two?
Also i agree with the heater it is huge. But it was available as it was a spare i had laying around. I will look into getting one of the hydor ones that go on the filter inlet/outlets which should free up some space :) i will also look into glass fittings to help minimize the impact of the green pipes. I just need to find a uk supply of clear filter tube. That is also a great suggestion about the background plant. I must admit it was freely available from my other tank and primary used it to try and hide the heater. I guess I just tried to solve a problem with another problem! Thanks for your advice.
Kind regards
Andy
 
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