• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

40 years and still going!

tmiravent said:
The air pump is not need in high tech (but you can use at night if you want).
Click to expand...
Hi Tmiravent.
I've read that it's good to have some sort of surface agitation after the co2 has shut off either by lifting Lillie Pipes (not an option in my case as I'm using a spray bar) or using an air pump and stone. That's the reason I bought the pump.
Chris.
 
Dantrasy said:
Very well planned and executed!

I run into the same issue re the height of the co2 cylinder. I decided to remove the cabinet floor on the left side so the cylinder sits on the ground (with a rubber mat underneath). All the electrics - plugs and power boards - are on the right side raised up on the cabinet floor.
Click to expand...

It's a shame that some of the cabinet makers don't take this into account as I'm sure there must be lots of people using FE's. Although my new tank/cabinet is around the same size as the one I built my cabinet was taller. Anyway problem solved with a jig saw.
 
A quick update on progress:
Following ian_m's suggestion regarding stands for my slate work to stop it sinking I set about making some. Originally I planned to use more of my slate tiles but rummaging around the garage I found an old sheet of Perspex. I've used this in my present tank for many years without any detrimental effects so I know it's safe to use. So with the aid of a few basic tools and a tube of aquarium safe silicon. The following pictures illustrate what I did.

A picture of one of the two stands I made.

Perspex Stand.JPG


The next 3 pictures show the slate resting on top of the stands.
Rock on Stand 1.JPG
Rock on Stand 4.JPG
Rock on Stand 2.JPG


I'm going to leave the stands to cure and then they will be put into the tank and the substrate built up level with the tops. The slate added and positioned in place with a final layer of substrate covering the base roofing slate and the first layer of natural slate.
More pictures to follow when this is done.
 
Chris Jackson said:
The Green Machine are the UK experts for all things ADA and have setup and run a great many tanks, far more than the average hobbyist on here, so you'd do well to follow their guidance to start with.
Click to expand...
Chris,
I e-mailed TGM and this is their reply:
The ammonia spike will last for about three weeks with a regular 80% water change
We start with ferts after about five weeks on half strength and get up to full strength after about nine weeks.

I don't really want to change my dosing pumps now that I've calibrated them, set up the dose rate
and monitored the output for the past two weeks. What I'll do is manually dose for the first nine weeks gradually increasing the dose until the nine week mark.
 
Decision time!

Ok, first of all I would like to thank everyone for their advice and suggestions so far. I'm certain your advice has saved me a lot of heartache.
The new supports are in the tank with the slate work on top and that substrate built up around them. I have added a couple of picture to show you the result.

Hardscape1.jpg


Hardscape3.jpg


Hardscape4.jpg


Now after spending several hours getting it how I want it I have a dilemma. I originally intended to cove the whole foreground with either Eleocharis Parvula or Acicularis "mini". Once it had established and grown my intention was to cut it short in a swath from the front forming a path towards the cave. Bearing in mind this is a narrow tank I hoped this would achieve a sense of depth. Ok the dilemma is this........should I form a path by replacing the dark ADA substrate and substituting it for a light or even white gravel? See the next picture for a very crude idea of what I'm trying to achieve: the gravel would be much lighter than is shown in the picture. Your comments on either cutting a grass path or using gravel for a path are very welcome. Then all I need to do, other than the foreground 'Hair Grass' is work out what plants I need to use...Oh no not more decisions.

Hardscape2.jpg
 
This looks so much better!
:D
(not sure I should say it quite so tactlessly :oops: )

Unless you like to chase/guide/capture straying bits of substrate at least daily (likely a losing battle with loaches, even cory's are extremely talented at substrate mixing ... amano shrimp can also do a fine job of redistribution), use texture & color of your planting to create the path rather than sand/gravel

Once your carpet is well established, it's also easier to cut out the Path & fill in with a different substrate

You might also just add some chipped rock to highlight the Path - just place this atop the ADA, eventually most carpet plantings will creep into the path & you can trim them to highlight the stone or allow it to become mostly obscured ...

Also use "street" like planting to draw the eye to create tank depth - rather than side to side grouping
this tank really is deep, but done Dutch Style so you can see the shape of the planting :)
 
Alto,
Many thanks for your reply and sound advice. Although I'm retired with time on my hands I don't fancy spending hours picking the 'stay bits of substrate' from the path. I like your idea of placing small pieces of slate to highlight a path and as you suggest letting the hair-grass develop through it. Once grown I can decide either to leave it or cut it so that the path shows through.
There is a guy in my local shop that is knowledgable regarding plants so I'll ask his advice on the plants that suit my idea the best. I think, until the tank is well established, I'll be happy with simple fast growing stem plants.
 
With nutrient rich substrates it's always a good idea to add in some "auxiliary" plants
- Tropica's Guide is well worth paging through, they cover all the basics & have some good photos for planting & trimming & types of plants

Tropica also has a number of "plant handling" videos - you should be able to see the various playlists here - that are fantastic :thumbup:

I'm sure lots of people here will be happy to offer ideas as well - helping plan someone else's new scape is almost as exciting as planning your own ;):D
 
Thanks Alto & Chris.

OK I've had my slate box out again and made a path up to the cave entrance. Looks a bit Hard (I guess that's why it's called Hardscaping) for now but, as suggested, I'll let the Hair Grass grow through the path and then make a decision as to cut it short to soften it or leave it 'wild'. Maybe if I use Eleocharis Parvula as the main foreground cover and then plant Eleocharis Acicularis 'Mini' amongst the path I won't need to cut the path back as much?

Any other, easy to start with, planting suggestions would be welcome.

Picture of the new path.
With Path1.jpg
 
Chrispy said:
Picture of the new path.
Click to expand...
well done :)
I'd play a bit with making the stone look more haphazard, try tilting so they're not all level but have been there for years, also consider breaking into smaller bits - easier to attach mosses (you can vary the moss types for color & texture) & you can shift them about later to slightly alter the look or path direction ...

Yes "mini" is better for the Path
I like a mixed "meadow" look so you might interplant
E parvula
E "mini"
then
Then try some others such as
M crenata (I'm really liking this one at the moment)
M 'Monte Carlo'
Gratiola viscidula - which is very interesting leaf shape once it gets going, it's really quite slow so far in my tank
(I'm just looking at Tropica website (as that's what available to me))

I had great luck getting some 1-2-Grow plants going, not "Dry Start" but just planted into Tropica substrate, then partly filled tank to maybe 10cm water column, no water changes or livestock ... plants filled in fantastic & no "melt" after I finished filling tank, adding filter & heater & shrimp etc
None of this was planned of course, just got busy after the initial planting & it was 3-4 weeks before I got back to the tank :oops: :D
 
Chris/Alto many thanks for your comments and suggestions.
I like the idea of Jarva Fern on the stones and will add it to my list of 'things to try'. However as this is my first attempt at a high tech tank I feel I need to learn to walk before I begin to run. To that end I intend to make my planting fairly simple using easy plants. As I learn I will experiment more and introduce different varieties of plant. One thing I know I want to do is soften my hardscape but keep it visible. I watched a TGM video recently where a tall tank was used and several very large rocks were hot glued together to form a very high feature. I thought it looked fantastic...even more so when plants were first added to it. I was really disappointed when the end result was shown weeks later. You couldn't see the hardscape at all and the tank looked like it had been planted with an array of very tall plants. What was the point of spending hours hardscaping when it couldn't be seen?

Alto thanks for the plant list; some I've selected and I'm sure in time I will try the others. My local shop has recently moved away from using Tropica and I think they are using plants from a company called Dennerle. I have a catalogue with all their plants in and it looks like they cover most of the Tropica species although I notice they do E Acicularis as opposed to E Parvula; the latter growing slightly shorter. I'm going to seek the advice from the 'plant man' in the shop but this is my short list.
Forground will be E Parvula/Acicularis with the EA "mini' grown in among the flat stones. As you've suggested I can always play with the stones and add the various moss types of different colour and texture.
At either end of the foreground and hopefully spreading up into the middle ground Staurogyne Repens. This is low and bushy which will be ideal for softening my walls at each end of the tank and as it grows up into the mid-ground give a feeling of depth to the tank.
Midground will be Ludwigia Repens 'Rubin'. I may mix this with Ludwigia Repens to give me a mixture of the same leaf type but in red and green.
The background will be the very common starter plant Ceratophylum Demersum (Hornwort) I know this is a very fast growing plant and will need constant trimming but it is an excellent plant for a new tank and is a known silver bullet against algae. Once the tank is established and in balance I will change this for something less vigourous.
I'm going to use Vesicularia Montagnei (Christmas Moss) on the roof of the cave. The branches overhang which I think will look good over the cave entrance. I will also try this in the crevasses of my slate work but if this does not work I will try Jarva Fern.

I'm off fishing tomorrow but I hope to have all my plants on order early next week.
 
Nothing wrong with Dennerle :)

Your plant list sounds good
BUT
I'd avoid using Java fern, it's very invasive & fast growing, bits that break off can quickly establish & you'll be forever hunting it down ... all mosses have this ability but some are much slower at establishing/assimilating the tank ;)

Ceratophylum Demersum can also break off easily but it's also easy to vacumm/syphon out any stray bits
I prefer to use Rotala or other options but that is just my personal "like" :p
 
:oops: just re-read & realized you said Java FERN - I was thinking MOSS :oops::oops::oops:
 
This folk uses the same material but he does set rock vertically. The result is outstanding and stunning

 
alto said:
Rotala rotundifolia (not sure link works)
Click to expand...
Hi Alto,
All of the links worked OK thank you.

Those plants look ideal for what I am aiming for but, as I've said, I'm going to start with just a few 'easy' plants. Once the tank is balanced and I feel comfortable with what I am doing I'll start to experiment with the hugh array of colours and shapes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top