259L bookcase rebirth

[greenink]

Just got worried my Dwarf Gourami was about to die. Turns out he's just frisky.

What's wrong with this Gourami? | UK Aquatic Plant Society

 

[Nutty]

wow, just finished reading both your journals today i must say they are pretty awesome!

sitting looking at my comparatively looking tiny 40 ltr thinking how to convince my other half to let me get a bigger one!!!

is the rock in there at the moment still from your original 110 kg you picked up from the quarry?

 

[greenink]

Thanks!

Yes - though in retrospect think would have just got loads of mini landscape rock - the fine grained texture of this makes the tank look much bigger than it really is, whereas this slate doesn't do that troempe l'oeil thing.

 

[greenink]

One of these arrived today. Should make my tank maintenance even easier: will dose macros, micros and gluteraldehyde mix (DIY easycarbo) straight into the filter outlet hose...

Here's what the tank's looking like today.

 

[faizal]

Hi Mike. How did your experiment with the pinned down rotalas go? Did they manage to bush up nicely? The tank certainly looks like it's settling in nicely.

 

[greenink]

Hi Mike. How did your experiment with the pinned down rotalas go? Did they manage to bush up nicely? The tank certainly looks like it's settling in nicely.

Didn't really work... Which is a shame. Got a few sprouts but taken over by everything else. Might try again at some point.

 

[faizal]

It was an interesting experiment nevertheless.

 

[greenink]

Quick update shot with no tripod and filters still on. Have lowered lights and seen a massive increase in growth, albeit with algae starting on the rocks now. You can see the shimmer effect the LED lights give.

Seriously pondering whether to do IAPLC... Would be happy as long as I'm not actually last - and would give me a benchmark to improve on next year. Clearly, it's a long way from being as good as most of the other tanks on here, and would be a lot better with a lot more growing in, and some proper shaping trimming. But still a huge improvement on anything I've done before!

 

[Nutty]

its looking great dude! you should definitely enter IAPLC... just for some recognition for your hard work!

Although that is a very greeeeen lily pipe!

I like the filter on photo, makes the whole scene move, adds more naturalness!

 

[Ady34]

Looking good Mike.
I agree, enter, like you say gives a bench mark and nice to be part of something.....the more the merrier You will definitely not be last!
Cheerio,
Ady.

 

[greenink]

Here's a shot with hardware removed, and extra lighting. Was going for an IALPC style shoot but stupidly left it until too late in the photoperiod, with CO2 too high, and couldn't get the tetras to shoal properly... So unless I can be bothered to do it again, may enter a shot from this shoot. This isn't quite the one, but you get the general idea. Amano will be cross about the BBA and rotala bush not being trimmed nicely...

Have got a new lens arriving soon - the Canon EFS 15-85mm which should give me a chance to see what this looks like through a wider angle. (This is taken with a 50mm 1.4 lens, which is a great lens but doesn't give that flexibility). If it arrives in time and I can be bothered, might do another version. Taking the hardware out is a right faff though in the way this tank is set up, as it all goes behind...

 

[greenink]

Here's a shot with the new lens (just after water change, and with filters on, so poor quality). Interesting how different the tank looks through 15mm... Really shows I shouldn't have frosted the sides - as there's no reflection from these.

Have added another TMC 1500 today to get more even light (plants are responding much better when I lowered the two tiles again), attached to a multi-controller which VERY annoyingly emits a high pitch whine when you dim below 95% (SURELY they should have mentioned that on the box before I spent a shed load of cash), and also plumped in an auto-dosing pump doing 15ml of macro in the morning, 15ml of micro in the evening, and 15ml of my custom EasyCarbo triple strength just before lights on. Now all I have to do is remember to feed the fish!

 

[greenink]

Ten days later... adding that third light and the dosing pump has made a BIG difference to growth

IMG_2295 by mike@ukaps, on Flickr

Am also switching to Flickr for image hosting - a terabyte free!

 

[Joel S]

That's astounding! Especially the HM (if that's what it is) in the middle.

 

[Nutty]

that is just wow! are you sure that's only ten days? have you been using some magic dust in there too?

 

[greenink]

that is just wow! are you sure that's only ten days? have you been using some magic dust in there too?

I know! There's quite a bit of algae on the rocks, so the light is obviously too high, but am really surprised. Is more growth than in the past year put together... So satisfying to just see a tank of green when I come home.

Especially the HM (if that's what it is) in the middle.

Yes, it's HM. It's the hydrocotyle that has really gone for it though.

 

[Pinkmummy79]

Comes in a 'powder type' too so have got 30l of that and 60l of the standard. Want to see if the powder type works better with carpet plants. After all ADA seem to think its worth doing...

Hi Mike, did you use all 90 litres in the end? just wondering as my tank is similar size and was just going to order 60 l of the fine stuff but now unsure if this will be enough, depends on if I bank it high?
cheers

 

[greenink]

Nowhere near. Have about 3/4 bag of the bigger grained stuff left. But if nothing else, this journal is real proof you can definitely grow plants in it...

 

[oldbloke]

Beautiful.

 

[greenink]

Beautiful.

Thanks. Is getting a bit out of hand. Banshee on sky atlantic seems to have replaced pruning.