Chris' 60p

[Saffa Chris]

Hi everyone,

After not having an aquarium for a couple of years since moving to the UK I have finally weakened and have splurged a bit on a ADA Cube Garden 60P. I have previously run a couple of marine tanks in South Africa but never a planted aquarium. Time to change this!

This will be a bit of a learning experience however hopefully with UKAPS help I can avoid making too many rookie mistakes!

Yesterday i setup the tank and ran empty for 24 hours to test all the equipment and get a feel for the CO2 system (having never used pressurised CO2 before).

Equipment List
Tank: ADA Cube Garden 60P (60 x 30 x 36cm)
Filter: JBL Cristalprofi e901
CO2: Aquarium Gardens CO2 Kit with Sodastream cylinder
Lighting: Chihiros Aquasky 601 LED
Heater: Hydor 200W Inline Heater
Lily pipes: 12/16mm Glass Lily Pipes from CO2 Supermarket
Substrate: ADA Power Sand Special S, ADA Amazonia
Hardscape: Redmoor wood, TGM Blue Stone, ADA Mekong Sand.
2 digital timers (1 for light and 1 for Co2)

Thinking on plants:
Foreground:
Eleocharis sp. 'Mini'
Ammania sp. 'Bonsai'
Hemianthus Callitrichoides 'Cuba'

Moss: Java Moss

Mid ground and Background
Cryptocoryne Wendi Brown
Cryptocoryne Wendi Green
Hygrophila 'Siamensis 53B'
Microsorum Narrow Leaf
Ludwigia Glandulosa
Myriophyllum mattogrossense

Dosing:
Tropica Specialised
Tropica Premium
Easycarbo
Tetra Aquasafe

I am thinking of going with a simple triangle layout. I am soaking my wood at the moment (not sure on views on boiling as well?). In the meantime today I had an initial fiddle with the stone. will post some pics in a minute.... be kind please

I will try and settle on a good layout this week.

 

[Saffa Chris]

First crack

 

[Saffa Chris]

 

[Saffa Chris]

Apologies for all the reflections!

 

[Saffa Chris]

 

[Saffa Chris]

Option 2. Think I do want to try and use the wood.

 

[Saffa Chris]

I have managed to get a bit more elevation in this version. Will add the wood in the centre just below the largest rock next weekend once my plants arrive. Am still getting used to the colour of the gravel, hope it doesn't clash with the blue tinge of the stone. I think it will look better once the wood and plants are in.

 

[Saffa Chris]

i would say move the wood a little more to the right and upwards to fit in with the golden ratio Great start matey nice setup

Thanks a lot. Have tried to add a bit more hight in the last version as well. Will move the wood further up the slope.

 

[Mannic05]

Like the layout of the stones, what kind of stones do you use.

 

[Saffa Chris]

Like the layout of the stones, what kind of stones do you use.

It's "blue stone" from the Green Machine. I think they source it locally in wales. Seemed not bad value for a nice stone.

 

[Saffa Chris]

 

[Saffa Chris]

Thought I would put up some pics just post planting. Water very cloudy but starting to clear now. Will do a big water change tomorrow morning. Big rock in the middle is keen my the wood from floating, apparently a week soaking wasn't quite enough! Quite happy with how it's looking. Planting was a real marathon this morning!

 

[Mannic05]

Yeah sometimes the planting process is easier sad than done. But i think its looksmvery good, are you using some kind of substrate supports, to keep the soil at that steep angle.

 

[Saffa Chris]

Yeah sometimes the planting process is easier sad than done. But i think its looksmvery good, are you using some kind of substrate supports, to keep the soil at that steep angle.

I am using some corrugated plastic cut into pieces and stuck vertically into the soil to try and hold back the mound of substrate. Seems pretty effective although during planting some has shifted a bit. Next weekend I will try and flatten out a bit but want to try and give the roots time time to take into the substrate before fiddling too much.

 

[Saffa Chris]

1 week in. Started dosing tropica specialised today. Starting off with two pumps per day. Will see how it goes. I have been doing daily 80% water changes with a 6 hour photo period.

 

[Saffa Chris]

 

[cookie.dou]

Curious to see this mature! I actually preferred the version where it was just stones - it felt like it had a better balance than as of the moment.

 

[Eduard18]

I think daily 80% WC it's a bit excessive as it's using a fertilizer after only one week , even if it's one without N and P
Have a look on the tropica website, they have a step by step guideline for the first 90 days of the tank; I've used it 3 times with great success

 

[Saffa Chris]

I think daily 80% WC it's a bit excessive as it's using a fertilizer after only one week , even if it's one without N and P
Have a look on the tropica website, they have a step by step guideline for the first 90 days of the tank; I've used it 3 times with great success

Thanks Eduard, Tropicas site is great. Looks like they also have an app which I will check out. I had heard mixed views on when to start ferts. Will leave another few weeks I think. I am going to slow down with the water changes from next week to every few days and do 30-50%. From the threads I have seen it seems that keeping these quite regular in the initial setup is not a bad thing. - Particularly with the substrate I am using.

 

[Saffa Chris]

Curious to see this mature! I actually preferred the version where it was just stones - it felt like it had a better balance than as of the moment.

Thanks mate, I am trying not to fiddle for a while and just let things develop.