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ADA 60F, Matura Trail

Really enjoying this - I love a bit of emersed growth mixed in with an aquascape. What happened to the air plants? I might have missed it, but it looked like they were happy, and then gone!
 
Thanks guys :).

The air plants unfortunately did not survive the winter. Had friends looking after the tank and various house plants while we were away but they watered the tillandsia too and it rotted very quickly.

I always thought they looked a bit too much like a pineapple in that spot, but it was a shame to lose them. May try some more in a different spot one day.

new ludwigia are looking good so far, will get some pics soon. Went for a 3 day black out to try kick the staghorn algae... all plants and critters survived but I can't see a huge difference with the algae really.
 
It has taken a while, but staghorn algae is finally dying off on its own. I have had to run my lights on quite a low setting, just 45%, and put up some cardboard barriers to stop the evening sunshine from hitting the tank.

Ludwigia really didn't agree with this lack of light and melted away again. But, seeing as this has become a lower light set up I opted to get a few interesting crypts in there. I have added Cryptocoryne legroi & Cryptocoryne walkeri, plus some Hygrophila corymbosa to compliment the 'compacta' variety I have.
after some re-shuffling, moss trimming and buried-rock removal, I have more room!
check out the progression since the massive moss blob earlier this year:
March / June / October

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Still growing away happily over here. Reduced fertz to twice a week as I was definitely over dosing for a bit, despite doing weekly water changes. This has really helped my fight against algae in the last month and somehow improved growth rates too.

I also got a macro lens and have been slowly learning how to use it...
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Still got a lot to figure out, and definitely need more light to be able to drop the ISO. This is a female I think.

These little rasboras are so hard to capture, but they are very curious so I will eventually get a proper shot of one of the males. They are incredibly red!
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managed to get some more light down to the marsilea, which has been struggling. Hope it picks back up, but at the moment the lilaeopsis is spreading quickly and I'm enjoying the mixed carpet.

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Sadly, Random Randal has died :(. He got bloat and despite doing everything suggested, including treatment, he did not make it. I think he got stressed during a water change when he got stuck in a corner of the tank for a second. They don't get fed often and I am always on top of my weekly water changes and filter cleaning. Oh well, he had a good run!

On the plus side, in his absence the red cherry shrimp population has exploded again and they are swimming around the tank happily, really fun to watch.
 
Can I ask how do you find the gro beam lights?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

They are great, if you have the control module. The long 'ramp' allows a nice gradual change in brightness. I have my lights at 45% intensity as I am not injecting CO2 and am still seeing good growth and colour.

There are a couple options for mounts with these dual beams and the tiles too, so all round, a good option!

Here is my Dad's tank with many Gro-Beams after a big trim and re-arranging:
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Thank you !

My brother has caught the green-thumb and took some cuttings from The Monster Tank for the pond. He added stones along the concrete sides to increase surface area and extend the shelf.

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I got a polariser filter for my lens which allowed me to capture some of his all-natural carpet growth:
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you can see the start of the shelf on the left here a bit. The carpet is a mix of pygmy chain sword Echinodorus tenellus, and it stays low on the shelf, but extends to a tall grass when planted in the depths of the pond. In between the chain sword, my favourite lilaeopsis brasiliensis has crept around the whole pond despite only one short cutting being used.
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Wow, stunning pond! Is this outside? How does it fare in UK climate?

Thanks Joe! That outdoor pond and the Monster Tank are actually at my parents place, in Trinidad. Very equatorial climate, so the plants are in their ideal setting!

here are some tropical shots from my last trip home over Easter:

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The nanoscape is with me in the UK though. Ironically, it is getting too much light! The Spring time sunsets are throwing more light on the tank than I want, so I have to cover it with cardboard in the evenings! I refuse to close the curtains of course
 
Had a very daunting task of moving house, and did not want to disassemble this tank. There is no way I would have got the shrimp out of there, so I knew I was going to have to get clever.

Decided to build a table and removable top thing that the tank could be secured to.
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With the whole set up being level with the tanks counter top we could just slide over once the water level was dropped.

Had to walk the tank down a flight of stairs and back up another set to get it into the car. A very slow drive later, and we were ready to get set up at the new home :)
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Haven't taken a proper picture of it yet, but this iphone one could be worse...
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No losses, the fish (Salt & Pepper Corys and chili rasbora) didn't seem panicked, didn't even lose colour or hide!

I took the time to cut away a circle at the back of the cabinet so the filter, air pump and all plugs could hide inside now.
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don't worry, I cleaned that top shelf too :facepalm:
 
I forgot to post on this tanks 2 year birthday!
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ADA60F 2 years in by 5EAN11, on Flickr


Everything is smooth sailing still. Bulking out the carpet with more Monte Carlo, and seen a reduction in algae thanks to more duckweed(less light) and better fertz schedule.

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Bucephalandra by 5EAN11, on Flickr
 
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