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Buce Drift - now 11 buce varieties strong

Kalum

Member
Joined
8 Jan 2018
Messages
1,090
Location
Scotland
So my learning curve continues a year in and i'm re-scaping my main tank. I'm starting to find out what i do and don't like and learned a lot about composition from my smaller 45P tank which i love and looking back at how this tank started out. Made a lot of mistakes along the way but it's all trial and error and looking forward to this one.

One of my main decisions is to go back low tech, after running my tank this way for the last 2 months i've noticed a difference for the better in the fish (CO2 was lime green with a 1 point drop so nothing excessive) and not a massive impact on growth with plants all still growing well

Plans for my re-scape next week are:

Tank - Aqua One Opti White 60 x 40 x 40
Lighting - Twinstar 600s with TC421 controller
Filter/heater - Eheim Pro 4+ 350t (2373)
Glasswear - 17mm Cal Aqua Labs influx x3 lily pipe & Chihiros Stainless 18mm outflow

Hardscape - Driftwood & Seiryu stone
Substrate - ADA La Plata sand
Ferts - UKAPF EI

Plant list -
Bucephalandra sp. Mini Needle Leaf
Bucephalandra sp. Braun-rot/Serimbu
Bucephalandra sp. Red
Cyperus Helferi
Hygrophila Pinnatifida
Blyxa Japonica
Cryptocoryne Beckettii
Fissidens Fontanus (phoenix moss)
Riccardia Chamedryfolia (mini pellia)

This will be home to 1 Espei Rasbora, 6 Celestial Pearl Danios, 8 Green Neon Tertas, 4 otos and an army of red cherries. Will be adding more neons and possibly some Bentosi/Ornate Tetras after the tank has settled in
 
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Initial hardscape layout
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Thinking about just leaving it with natural daylight only for a couple of days but still dosing ferts (EI) to help the in vitro plants transition and then slowly up the lighting over the coming weeks (still going to be low lighting, maybe only 30-40% on my twinstar 600s by the end since aiming for no co2)

Any opinions on this?
 
Looks good :)

though I’d switch out that odd stone at the left front

Next scape, I’d try the effect of bigger stones with that wood

Even with the controller, I’d add in some floating plants or fast growing stems while Buce’s etc establish
Filter already cycled? if not, I’d especially add some fast stems
It’s always easier to limit algae chances from the start than fight it once it’s visible
 
Thanks alto, I knew someone would pick out that stone on the front left and it wasn't there initially but I felt if was all too uniform around the base of the wood, there's moss between that and the stone to the left which makes it look a bit more detached so might remove and see if I have anything else I can place to the right of it, can never seem to get stone placement quite right but seem OK with the wood

I've got a full pot of frogbit to go in which will be transferred to another tank after this is settled in, and yes fully cycled filter which I've kept going
 
Bit messy but if you’re drain tank, it should be fairly easy to just place the offending stone as the lower stone rather than an upper stone

Obviously it can also just wait while you find a more suited stone

I’ve got one much the same in my new (impulsive re)scape - it’s holding wood stable and I’ll just put it on ignore until I sort out a better one (this one fits perfectly re size/shape just the color is very light grey in a sea of darker greys)
 
The offending stone is one full stone and it's not supporting anything so can be switched out in seconds.the colour is actually the same as the one to the left but this catches the light more as its out in the open, it doesn't look as bed in person and more the lighting of the photo, but the stone to the right is darker but that is supporting and fits perfect for the job, compromise
 
Scape looks minimalistic. Watch out for increasing kH from those stones given no aquasoil for buffering.

Aquaone is doing optiwhite tanks now?? Is it possible to show a closeup of the silicone work?
 
Yeh minimalist was the more what as I was after with this, although there is cyperus helferi and hygrophila pinnatifida (will be getting another pot) planted at the back and side but they are slow growers as well

There is Amazonia under the sand at the back where I've planted in the substrate but it's only maybe 1/4 of the footprint

I have VERY soft water so a slight increase might be a good thing for the shrimps

I've chucked in a pot of frogbit to help with the low plant mass and will keep lights off for 2-3 days then introduce lighting very slowly in the coming weeks, hopefully will give the plants a chance to get to grips given the low plant mass as stated and don't want an algae battle

It's an older aquaone range which they've sadly discontinued. It's good quality and silicon is minimal and tidy but it's not on par with the silicon work on my ADA 45p
 
I've chucked in a pot of frogbit to help with the low plant mass and will keep lights off for 2-3 days then introduce lighting very slowly in the coming weeks, hopefully will give the plants a chance to get to grips given the low plant mass as stated and don't want an algae battle
I can see low light doing just fine by various algae’s (ie most algaes are very good at managing active growth even under low light conditions) but most plants are not receptive to this ... at least it’s far from the preferred state
 
Nearly a week in and currently running lights at 10% with a 5 hour photoperiod with half hour ramp up/down either side. 50% Water change on Saturday and the ammonia leaching from the Amazonia is already being delt with by the mature filter so only a tiny trace is showing (good to know i didn't kill the bacteria while re-scaping). Plants seems to transitioning ok so far with no growth but no melt either (fingers crossed). No algae but early days, will post a warts and all either way.

Never had any lucky with Frogbit and this is no different. Dosing full EI so overkill but still seeing yellowing of leaves.

I've caved already and decided to rig CO2 back up to this so awaiting my bottle to be refilled and dosing excel in the mean time (past 2 days). Plan will still be to keep lighting as low as possible but with CO2 to give the C.helferi and Hygro Pinnatifida a chance

Planned lighting and CO2 will be....

09:00 - CO2 on
11:00 - Lighting ramp up over next hour
12:00 - Lighting at full (whatever % I end up on)
18:00 - Lighting ramp down over next hour and held at 5% for viewing
19:00 - CO2 off
21:00 - Lighting off

Had a slight rescape of the stones, will post a pic later and comments welcome
 
Exactly a week in and have moved and put a few new stones in the front, planted some Crypt. Beckettii from another tank on the left and moved the H. Pinnatifida from the left to join the rest at the back middle, also planted some behind the stones at the front under the wood but it's pretty shaded so not sure it'll take off but will see

The brown dying bit on one of the C. Helferi in the 2nd last pic was like that when planted, should really cut it off, no melt so far. CO2 (gas) will be in at the weekend

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Really like the scape! Floating plants are definitely a good idea as the Buce establishes.

I found Pinitifada to be very fussy but it does grow well attached to wood etc.

Did you consider using aqua soil behind the wood? Think the crypts would appreciate it.

T


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks TBRO

There is Amazonia capped with la plata all along the back for the C. Helferi and H. Pinnatifida but the crypts are just in sand up the side, they've been doing well in 2 of my non co2 tanks with just normal sand so hoping they will appreciate the added co2 in this and worst case I'll stick a root tab or 2 in

I've got a small bit of pinna attached in between the 2 bits of wood up top as well
 
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