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Surprise, surprise, the same thing happened again. Mostly growing well until all of a sudden, almost complete die-off of the stems. I've tried experimenting with various different fertilisers etc., and so I'm wondering if it's the water supply. This week I found a site in the hills near here...

Thanks CooKieS. I was wondering the same, especially after the advice I was given the previous time around. I've just switched to a spray bar and added the little eheim pump again to try to rule out circulation issues before increasing the CO2. I'm still seeing no CO2 related algae, but who...

Here's another.

Have a look at this picture - the stems on the right are doing quite well, but the stems on the left are looking the same as before. Why would this be? Both seem to be getting adequate flow and CO2. New leaves on the left are small and twisted. The hairgrass is also not doing well. On the...

Thanks Doubu, that's a suggestion I hadn't thought of. I've started to see some diatoms appearing this week for the first time, and so I went to expand my cleanup crew. I already had 5 Amanos (Yamato numa ebi) but I picked up 3 more. Also went for 3 Otocinclus and 2 ishimakigai (snails - I'm...

Quick 10-day update then. Things are beginning to grow. I've also added the Amano Shrimp that I took out of the last layout. The Crypt at the back was added too, from the last layout. The rest of those old plants are sitting emersed in a Do!Aqua plant glass (cheaper than a supermarket glass...

Thanks. If wattage is anything to go on, my light is 1/4 of the strength of the 45cm ADA Aquasky Moon. Based on seeing both used on shop displays here side-by-side, my one is visibly dimmer. Tom

Yeah, the main rock is strong, but I like it. It's different. The left-hand side might benefit from several smaller stones, though. I might even play with moving the current smaller stone to the back to see how it looks.

Here's the new design. This time I'm using a heater, and have re-plumbed my CO2. I think I was losing quite a bit of gas from having loops of silicone tubing, but now I'm using minimal. The rest is ADA high-pressure tube. I used a whole canister of gas in a week, whereas before it lasted 6...

Current state. Locally collected rocks, ADA Aquasoil and ADA Colorado sand. Gonna give it one more go. EI, ADA CO2, ADA Aquasoil.

Still running, but still with the same problems. I can't shake the brownness in plants. CO2 consistent, EI dosing, regular maintenance. Considering having one last try with a new layout.

I've changed the micros twice now. I'm dosing EI with chelated trace, KNO3 and KPO4 powders from CO2 Supermarket. I'm in Japan and it is hard to find what I want here. Pretty much everyone here seems to use ADA, as have I in the past, with great results. With the exception of the ADA ferts I...

Yes, somewhere between 6.5-7. Tap is about 6.8.

Still persisting with this, and have now been dosing EI for just over a month. Some stems are growing marginally faster and the new growth does look a little better, but still becomes engulfed in brown rather quickly. The Glosso has also started to die off, after initially carpeting very quickly...

[more recent posts on previous page] Here's a quick video of the tank, showing the CO2 injection and overall poor plant health. Sorry it's not so clear. I'm seriously considering starting again with a new scape and EI from the beginning, to see what happens - but that does mean putting more...

I seem to now also be struggling with CO2-related algae after firstly I broke my diffuser, and then my CO2 bottle ran out. Then, the CO2 hose kept popping off the new diffuser for up to 3 days until I could change the hose over. The brownness is also continuing to get worse and I've lost most...

So I just visited a local shop and asked them to test my water. The pH was 6.8, and a little on the soft side - no extremes, but fairly soft. He said it was very much like the store water they use in their tanks, and shouldn't cause any issues. While the Rotala isn't looking as severe as it...

Hopefully these pictures show what's wrong. There has been an improvement in the Rotala since I upped the dose of everything - they are no longer going black - but there is still the issue of leaves going brown.

Brighty K (Potassium), Step 1 (Micros) and Brighty Special Lights (Macros). Yeah, when I trim, nothing at all happens for at least a week. Then when it does, it turns brown right under the newest leaves. It doesn't seem to be algae but more like leaf colouration, as it doesn't rub off. I...

Well I've been triple dosing ADA since my last post (about 2 weeks), nothing has changed. Plants are still browning off right under the newest leaves, and nothing looks healthy. Although the Glosso is growing nice and fast, the leaves are quickly browning off. The brown doesn't rub off. I had...

Thank you for your replies. Thank you - after a couple of weeks, there has been a fair amount of muck in the filter from plants that haven't been doing so well, and so I've been cleaning it quite regularly so as to avoid diatoms as far as possible. Hopefully when these issues get sorted, I'll...

I'd really appreciate some advice! :) A month ago I wrote to say that things were starting to melt, and yes I did lose maybe 90% of my plants. The problems are continuing, however, and I don't understand why. Growth is very slow. New growth is bright but it soon goes dark, brown and...

Well I can say that 90% of the plants I added have now melted away. Completely. Including MM, HC, various other stems etc. The Wabi Kusa just rotted from bottom up. What a waste of a lot of money. No idea why. Here continues my not being able to grow anything at all in any tank since 2008. Added...

Thanks for the inspiration photos :) I visited three aquatics shops today and got myself both rocks and plants. I don't think I'll have enough time tonight to really take my time and do things properly, so for now I've just had a play with some rocks. There are four main rocks (faux pas, yes...

Thanks for your comments. Alexander, you're right about the height. Before, my 'scapes have always been hardscape-heavy and with a sand foreground. With this one, I wanted to use plants more to create the shape. Hopefully, the wood will not be so prominent when it's all filled in, but I've just...

I think I've just found a layout I prefer - although I actually used it in a Mini M a few years ago. Maybe I'll get away with it if it's planted differently :P

I decided today to pour in the Aquasoil to see how it looks for depth. As I have it here, it's currently 3cm at the front and 8cm at the back. I'm tempted to brush the 'powder' to the front to increase the depth to 5cm, and then get some more 'regular' type (about £10 here) to top up the rear...

Yeah, well I suppose because of their weight they are a pain to ship over from Japan.

Some of my favorite fish, those. Considering something along those lines for my tank, too :) the HC is looking great!

As already said, hardscape looks awesome for a low tank like this :) good stuff!

Yesterday while at work I had a phone call from the aquarium shop - my 45P arrived :) So, I drove into the city after work to collect it. I also picked up 6 additional cylinders for the CO2 kit. I thought it was a pack of 3, but it turned out to be 6 for around £2 each :) Also, I appear to have...

My apartment is actually made of maybe 8" of solid concrete, which is much more 'permanent' than the majority around here. The standard new build has a concrete foundation, wooden frame, and pre-formed plastic-type wall panels (often moulded to look convincingly like bricks). Much easier to...

Hey Stu - I'm really not sure yet. I've let the thermometer sit just on the tank stand for a couple of days, and during the day my room seems to be averaging 28-34, depending on whether I'm using the air-con or not. Nighttime is probably around 26-28. Water temperature I assume would be a couple...

Here's a couple more, alto. If it were up to me I'd change the furniture, but it belongs to my employer who provides my accommodation - so it stays for now!

AndyMcD - It's a fascinating country and you really need to visit ;) As for the Japanese LFS, try to imagine the majority as being very cramped, messy, zero health and safety and with very little organisation as to what goes on what shelf...! The exception being this morning where I found one...

To give an answer in pounds is rather difficult given the current situation, but here's roughly what I paid for a few bits. This is all plus 8% sales tax, as they don't add it into the price until the end. ADA 45P ¥7500 Baby Eheim Classic with the full media set ¥8000 Amazonia normal ¥1500...

Hi Dean, I'm planning a relatively classic-style nature aquarium. Think Amano's original book series. As for native species, I honestly don't know yet what is local to here. I saw some Japanese Rice Fish on sale for about 40p each one of the local shops, and they are a definite possibility...

Hi everyone, I thought it was about time, having not had a tank running for over 5 years, that I started a new journal. I'm now starting to settle into my sleepy town in far southern (and ridiculously hot) Japan, and managed to source a few bits and pieces. I have an ADA 45P on order from a...

Thanks Luis :)

Quick update - not a great deal to report, it's a slow grower! Tom

Just took a couple pictures of the rock while cleaning the tank - the roots are starting to grow :) Tom

I didn't know either! Just did it! I've heard of people gluing moss to wood etc. but never tried it myself. Thought I'd give it a go and see how we get on. Thanks for the tip, I keep being told how amazing the food is! 44 days - not that I'm counting ;)

Thanks guys, Faizal - Yes it is :) There's Anubias nana, Staurogyne and an unknown Echinodorus in the middle. There's no Excel in this, just CO2. I don't know the injection rate as 1: I was too lazy to dig out the bubble counter, and 2: I tend to get caught up when technical details are...

Feeling a bit left out at uni having nothing alive in my room but me and bedbugs, so now I'm home for a couple of months I couldn't resist making something. Got a small bit of lava rock and a few plants from work, and came up with this. Glued all the plants on a couple of weeks ago and all is...

Re: ADA Mini M-ish Journal I've also got an Ecco 300 and love it :)

Here's what's left - Just some rock, moss and H. pinnatifida. Quite pleased with the rockwork though, so will keep it running for now and the moss will need taming. Will have to see about taking the Do!aqua cube to uni with me though if I go this year.

What did you change Mark? Atomizer and drop EI? Considering the ADA approach again, with lean substrate.

Thanks for your help, I am aware of where the diatoms came from - it's the previous problems I had trouble with. These turned out to be low CO2, despite me injecting what I thought should be plenty. Because I didn't have any CO2-related algae, I discounted that as a cause. Then, as the plants...

Here's the new inhabitant - a Black Ranchu that's been separated from the rest since he was mauled. Our 240l split and so they all had to go in a small tank for a few weeks. My suspicions are with a bigger Ryukin! Well the Ranchu has been healing very well indeed, and will now be living in the...

Yeah, the HC was growing. Everything else died and you couldn't see the tank for hairy diatoms. Despite loads of maintenance daily it was beyond repair. Rewind to 2007/8 please when things actually worked!

Re: Tom's 60P - HC recovering Goodbye consecutive £600+ planted tank number 4, hello Goldfish :)

Re: Tom's 60P - New tactics... HC is recovering now, and I'm trying to get as much of the old stuff out as possible. Diatoms have completely taken over but will keep going.

Re: Tom's 60P - 4th failure in a row now. It's one from AquaEssentials. I'll have a play with it tomorrow when it comes back on. I'll probably set it to 2bps for the time being, and see if there's any improvement. Gotta say, when using the full ADA system of lean ferts and Malaya soil, it...

Re: Tom's 60P - 4th failure in a row now. Thanks George, I'll drop the light 8" or so and see how we get on. Kill or cure though, that!! I've not seen any pearling at all from this tank yet. I'll keep up the EI now I've mixed it, which should be more than enough.

Re: Tom's 60P - 4th failure in a row now. New CO2 injection method in place. Powerhead -> Atomizer -> Spraybar The atomizer has reduced my bubble count to less than 1bps but the amount and size of the bubbles is amazing. I'll make sure to de-scale it weekly to keep it at it's best. Hopefully...

Re: Tom's 60P - 4th failure in a row now. I changed over to RO the day after the Shrimp had all gone (4th April). Would have sounded like a reasonable explanation otherwise, so thanks for the idea. I asked about this in a separate thread. Darrel seemed to think that it shouldn't be a problem...

Re: Tom's 60P - 4th failure in a row now. I don't know that the shrimp could have caused the plant deaths. They were doing a great job with the initial diatom bloom, and from then on on were constantly cleaning the substrate, looking nice and healthy. Then suddenly, all gone. The Otocinclus is...

Re: Tom's 60P - 4th failure in a row now. I have an UP atomizer, but it blocked last time after a month and I've not got it to work since. The tubes just popped off afterwards, and de-scaler/bleach didn't seem to clear it up. Ceramic diffusers shouldm't have any problem working in-tank, and...

Re: Tom's 60P - 4th failure in a row now. It's RO now. I was using tap, but I've been trying to eliminate the problem. Our normal tap water is softened and is no good for plants, but our outdoor tap is plain. The reason for RO was that every tank I've had success with has either been RO or...

Re: Tom's 60P - 4th failure in a row now. Really desparate for some help with this now, I'm going to have to replant the HC now. Just trimmed it down and everything underneath was dead.

Re: Tom's 60P - Clive? Here's a shot of the mess at the moment - the tank went through it's first diatom bloom as expected and returned to normal. This is the second bloom, presumably due to everything dying. There is a rated 1100 lph now, with the powerhead right under the lily. I have found...

Re: Tom's 60P - Changes Everything's still going yellow or brown :/ The HC looks awful. Now dosing EI macros and TPN trace CO2 at 3bps and seem to be blown around well enough. Lights are now 30" above the substrate which is probably the lowest light intensity I've ever used, even for low...

That's somewhere I would love to visit. Everything about Japan is just incredible!

Re: Tom's 60P - Changes Just added a 400lph powerhead along the back of the tank, so will see how that effects things. Not a pretty bit of kit though!

Good to see you back Steven, will be following this :) Those rocks have great texture. Tom

Re: Tom's 60P - Changes Thanks Mark, there are stems all down the back but I think they will look odd when grown in. I also wish there was a bit more height in the wood as it looks too low to me. I think my initial stem choice of Pogostomen was not a good one, so I might have to change it if...

Re: Tom's 60P - Changes I will probably cut it 90/10 ;)

Re: Tom's 60P - Changes I think it was Graeme Edwards that said he had better success using both alternately (sorry if it wasn't you!). I've not noticed anything either way yet. I haven't bought them anyway, I'm still using what I got as a prize for winning the PFK aquascaping competition in...

Re: Tom's 60P - Cherry Shrimp Changes as of today: R/O water only for water changes - since I started using tap water in 2008/9, I've not had any success with plants and it's been rather frustrating. Previously, rainwater was fantastic so I'm going to trial very soft water again to see if that...

Re: Tom's 60P - Cherry Shrimp No new plants that could have any pesticides on or anything, just some stems from Piece-of-Fish a few days ago (and it won't be those). No sprays or anything around the tank :/

Re: Tom's 60P - Cherry Shrimp Not a clue, I haven't changed any routines since the beginning :/

Re: Tom's 60P - Cherry Shrimp All 20 Cherries have died within the last 2 days :/

Re: Tom's 60P - Cherry Shrimp Quick angled shot. It doesn't seem to have any height once trimmed, so hopefully the stems will provide that once it's all grown in again. The wood is a bit lower than I might like, but can't be helped now! IMG_6050 by tommessenger:photo, on Flickr

Re: Tom's 60P - Cherry Shrimp All diatoms are now gone, partly thanks to the shrimp (incredibly efficient) and the lower lighting :) I've trimmed the Pogostemon this morning and the trimmings are available for donation. I've also included some Rotala and Ludwigia stems at the back which should...

Re: Tom's 60P - Cherry Shrimp Lights are now 14" above the tank while the diatoms clear, and I have added 20 Cherry Shrimp today. Swallows quoted the wrong price over the phone so got them for just over £1 each :D Also added one Oto from another tank, but will likely get 2 or 3 more when I'm...

Hi Jason, very smart setup that. One thought - when you come to planting your foreground, you might benefit from a tad more substrate down the front. It can be hard to keep plants rooted that shallow. Also, make sure you leave plenty of room around the back and side of that large rock for...

Re: Tom's 60P - Flooded Thanks :) Might start lowering the lights once the diatoms have come and gone (I've seen small patches on the rocks)

Re: Tom's 60P - Flooded Just the T5's, about 10/11" above the surface

Re: Tom's 60P - Flooded It's the Arcadia 2x24 unit with the hanging kit :)

Re: Tom's 60P - Flooded Ta :) Will be having a tidy up tomorrow of the old A. mad leaves and HC. Nice day off cleaning multiple tanks again!

Re: Tom's 60P - Flooded Don't know her then, sorry!! Quick shot this morning:

Re: Tom's 60P - Flooded Who is your wife?

Re: Tom's 60P - Flooded Not too bad - they're always better than the majority of P@H for plants. I just snapped up the H. pinnatifida and Pogostemon as soon as I saw them.

Re: Tom's 60P build - Dry Starting The tank is now flooded and planted. I picked up some more plants today in P@H Newmarket, but I still need to get some moss. There's some R. indica coming from Luis too. I want moss to merge the wood and rocks together at both ends, and some more around the...

Great stones you've used too, looking at your Flickr.

I think we need to see some more shots ;) Where are you from?

Re: Tom's 60P build - Dry Starting I had mine cut to size, but still had to rout the recess in the back to hold it square (you don't have to, but its neater). Then I also cut the holes in the back and sides for cables and pipes. Ideally you want to be gluing it rather than just screws. If you...

Re: Tom's 60P build - Dry Starting Thanks Clive - I had just flooded it for a couple of minutes to keep it wet, and siphoned out as much as I could. Some more water just seeped out from the substrate higher up. The excess got removed ;)

Re: Tom's 60P build - Dry Starting Hey Mike, Total cost if I hadn't had all the trouble with paint would have been around £50, not including tools/glue etc. I actually spent closer to £170 due to messing with paint, buying more wood for doors and braces etc. If you don't have any tools it...

Re: Tom's 60P build - Dry Starting Finished the cabinet today. Might re-coat the door though as it has a couple of small scuffs on the front already from being left out.

Re: Andyh's ADA 60P Cube Garden UPDATED 12-02-12 Very nice Andy :D

Re: Tom's 60P build - Ready to go Cheap! I don't know to be honest. I got it for Christmas 3 years ago but never used it.

Re: Tom's 60P build - Ready to go Thanks Stu :) I've just ordered some Plants through work (P@H, so Tropica), which should arrive for Weds. Will be dry-starting, but will only leave it long enough to get some roots down. Then I'll plant the rest and fill it.

Re: Tom's 60P build - Ready to go They are very nice quality tanks ;) Yeah it's not a cheap hobby, most of my bits and pieces have been built up over a few years.

Re: Tom's 60P build - Ready to go Nope.

Re: Tom's 60P build - Ready to go I don't mind the comments, no worries! You were probably right, hence I bought more wood. The new pieces have been sealed and had their first top-coat. Will rub them down tomorrow evening and get another coat on. I've got a vertical brace for the front as well...

Re: Tom's 60P build - Ready to go Frosted would look good, I did think about it. I'm also thinking about frosting the rear of the tank (just the film stuff), as I have a twin socket behind it :/ The FE is just an exchanged one from our local Flameskill guy in Hadleigh, but it it fairly shiny...

Re: Tom's 60P build - Ready to go As far as I can remember it was 12mm, same as this one. There was less bow on the Plywood though, and I'm now making a couple of braces for this MDF one.

Re: Tom's 60P build - Ready to go I prefer working with MDF as it doesn't chip, split and go rough at the edges. It's smoother to cut and rub down. Saying that, next time I'd probably try Ply again ;) I have just picked up another half sheet of MDF to make the door, and possibly a brace. As...

Re: Tom's 60P build - Ready to go Water in for a test run - see how the stand copes with 60KG :S