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Colorado - 80x45x45 Optiwhite
- Thread starter GreenNeedle
- Start date
GreenNeedle
Member
No plans to use any mosses or liverworts etc. in this one. Tends to get everywhere.
flygja
Member
That's looking great. Would be nice and lush once grown in. Also your DIY LEDs just keep looking better and better.
GreenNeedle
Member
The aquascape has now completed 3 weeks of the dry start method. All the plants that are actually planted in the substrate are in place now.
All that is left to do when the DSM stage finishes is to attach the ferns and anubias.
It will probably end up being a 5 or 6 week DSM because I haven't bought the CO2 yet and have yet to route the perspex lid which is vital to stop little children giving their toys the float test.
The dog is trying different positions all the time to block access.
All that is left to do when the DSM stage finishes is to attach the ferns and anubias.
It will probably end up being a 5 or 6 week DSM because I haven't bought the CO2 yet and have yet to route the perspex lid which is vital to stop little children giving their toys the float test.
The dog is trying different positions all the time to block access.
Alastair
Member
Looks brilliant Andy. Filled even better. I take my hat off to anyone who can stare at their tank empty for 5 to 6 weeks. Look forward to it
GreenNeedle
Member
It should be fine once the DSM is finished. Some plants will have to adapt so I would thin there will be a fair few leaves needing to be removed.
I look out of the corner of my eye at it.
I don't stare at it. The dog might think it is a challenge and savage me
I look out of the corner of my eye at it.
GreenNeedle
Member
Well so much for the 4 or 5 week dry start plan. As usual my laziness and motivation played a factor here but about a week ago I finally decorated behind the aquarium which then left me free to get on with things.
So finally the DSM ends and the aquarium is flooded after 9 weeks and 2 days of emersed growth.I finally introduced water to the scape.
Many thanks to Mr Luke who gave me a 2kg CO2 cannister that he didn't need. Very generous of him.
Just a couple of pictures to show here before I flooded. I will update with pictures post flooding later this week.
So finally the DSM ends and the aquarium is flooded after 9 weeks and 2 days of emersed growth.I finally introduced water to the scape.
Many thanks to Mr Luke who gave me a 2kg CO2 cannister that he didn't need. Very generous of him.
Just a couple of pictures to show here before I flooded. I will update with pictures post flooding later this week.
Alexander Belchenko
Member
Nice. It seems like a finished scape without water. And I suspect it's much easier to maintain. But of course no livestock without water.
GreenNeedle
Member
On the 19th I filled this tank. Before filling I glued some anubias and microsorum pteropus var narrow onto the branches. I am always extremely tight with ferns at the startup. The anubias came from my shrimp tanks and I bought the narrow fern from Aqua Essentials.
There is no need really to put loads in. I find it better to add it sparsely, which in turn lets everything else that will eventually have some shading, get enough light at the beginning. So in this setup there has been one single pot added. Over the next couple of months it will find it's way along the branches and thicken up into a nice bushy mass.
So 2 days after I took these pictures. There is purigen in the filter and the CO2 is only on 1bps or so but the DC is yellow through most of the photoperiod and the monte carlo pearls like champagne for most of it too.
There is no need really to put loads in. I find it better to add it sparsely, which in turn lets everything else that will eventually have some shading, get enough light at the beginning. So in this setup there has been one single pot added. Over the next couple of months it will find it's way along the branches and thicken up into a nice bushy mass.
So 2 days after I took these pictures. There is purigen in the filter and the CO2 is only on 1bps or so but the DC is yellow through most of the photoperiod and the monte carlo pearls like champagne for most of it too.
Crossocheilus
Member
Perfect. Thanks to the dry start it looks great from the very beginning. 1bps? What are you using to dissolve, must be pretty efficient (or very big bubbles). The colour rendition from the diy led is amazing, probably better than many shop bought. Last thing: the wood is lovely!
GreenNeedle
Member
I am using an UP inline atomizer. Was one of the original ones that has been in a box for a couple of years since being last used. I soaked it in bleach for an hour last week followed by a couple of hours in heavy dechlor. The bubbles like mist were noticeable on day 1 but now there are very few. I assume they are dissolving much better.
The 1bps is through one of those glass bubble counters. The DC is yellow most of the day and I am moving it around the tank to test things. It is next to the intake at the moment because that tends to be the 'last' part of the flow journey. It was opposite the Lily on the first day which of course means it would be blasted by bubbles directly which isn't ideal for testing.
The 1bps is through one of those glass bubble counters. The DC is yellow most of the day and I am moving it around the tank to test things. It is next to the intake at the moment because that tends to be the 'last' part of the flow journey. It was opposite the Lily on the first day which of course means it would be blasted by bubbles directly which isn't ideal for testing.
GreenNeedle
Member
After posting up earlier I checked my bubble rate out and I was wrong. You will be surprised that it is in fact going at about 25 bubbles per minute so less than half a bps. The DC is yellow all day though. I will check the 4dKH tomorrow becuase that has been sat in the cabinet unused for about 3 years as well. The monte carlo pearling is suggesting to me that CO2 is fine though.
GreenNeedle
Member
Done some testing today No....don't worry I've not gone over to the old school ways.
Tested the 4dKH solution that has been sat in the cabinet for a couple of years not being used and it reads.............4dKH.
Tested the tank water at the same time. My tap after being left for 24 hours comes out normally @ 8.4Ph 19KH which is not ideal so I mix between 1/4 and 1/5th (not accurate) tap water and the rest rain water from the water butt. My tank readings are 6.8ph and 2.5KH which is wicked
So the DC is yellow on less than half a bubble per second and its not a false reading from using old 4dKH solution Will have to dial it down a little bit before I get livestock in there now.
No....don't worry I've not gone over to the old school ways.Tested the 4dKH solution that has been sat in the cabinet for a couple of years not being used and it reads.............4dKH.
Tested the tank water at the same time. My tap after being left for 24 hours comes out normally @ 8.4Ph 19KH which is not ideal so I mix between 1/4 and 1/5th (not accurate) tap water and the rest rain water from the water butt. My tank readings are 6.8ph and 2.5KH which is wicked
So the DC is yellow on less than half a bubble per second and its not a false reading from using old 4dKH solution
Will have to dial it down a little bit before I get livestock in there now.
jack-rythm
Member
Nice scape!
May I ask what you used to support the soil levels? I see some strips of something? Also could you tell me a little about your light set up? Im currently looking into a 45x45x60 TMC tank and trying to find a smart light similar to yours!
Cheers!
May I ask what you used to support the soil levels? I see some strips of something? Also could you tell me a little about your light set up? Im currently looking into a 45x45x60 TMC tank and trying to find a smart light similar to yours!
Cheers!
pepedopolous
Member
Looks great! Well worth the wait. I can't get over your bubble count. Each bubble must be massive!
P
P
looks awesome, hope it transitions well.
GreenNeedle
Member
There are some areas that are browning I think mainly from adapting to the submersed conditions and maybe me being a little lazy in that I have forgotten dosing on a few days and took 10 days to do the first water change which was 40 litres so about 30%.
Dosing is a bit more important in my setups because I use 3 parts rain water to 1 part tap water and so I don't have as much free nutrient from tap water.
No idea on how big the bubbles are but I have turned it down further. Running at 12 bubbles per minute at the moment and the DC is still yellow. The monte carlo is pearling already at 2 hours into the photoperiod and like lemonade at the 4 hour mark.
I am going to change the solution in the DC and use some ph reagent rather than the reagent that came with the DC because it will be hard to lower the CO2 further so I want to be sure that the DC is giving a correct reading. I don't mind putting livestock in at a limeade colour but at yellow it would be a bit worrying. It quite literally is a deep lemon yellow colour.
The levels are supported by lawn edging. Comes in lengths like 5metres and I then cut it down.
The light is a DIY effort inspired by the Vitrea Bridge LED light. There is a build journal here:
http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/supercoleys-diy-led-luminaire-mk-iii.34753/
Many thanks for the compliments
Will update this week.
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GreenNeedle
Member
Looks like my suspicion on the drop checker have been confirmed. Using the Ph test instead of the reagent that came with the DC and the DC stayed deep blue all through yesterday. I had pre-empted that conclusion and had increased the bubble rate back up to circa 1 bubble every 3 seconds.
Will increase to a bubble a second today and see how that goes. Probably end up somewhere between 2 or 3 bubbles a second which was where I was expecting it should be at the beginning.
Will increase to a bubble a second today and see how that goes. Probably end up somewhere between 2 or 3 bubbles a second which was where I was expecting it should be at the beginning.
