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Fluval Studio 900...'Dragons Crypt' Journal finished.

Re: Fluval Studio 900.

Gary Nelson said:
This is looking really nice now the plants have filled out more - really well done :thumbup:
Thanks Gary,
yeah its definitely filling in, im noticing new growth every day. I think the difficulty will be in maintaining some degree of order. Ive heard balansae can take over a tank and the hygrophila pinnatifida is throwing out runners all over the place! Im gonna try pruning it quite low to thicken it up and keep it about mid height in the water column.
 
Re: Fluval Studio 900.

Ady34 said:
oct2010657.jpg

:lol: :lol: :lol: I have one of those nurofen syringes in the bathroom cabinet. Crucial parent kit.

That filter looks seriously slick BTW. Have not seen the G6 before.

Like the tank a lot. Will be watching with interest.
 
Re: Fluval Studio 900.

:lol: :lol: :lol: I have one of those nurofen syringes in the bathroom cabinet. Crucial parent kit.

That filter looks seriously slick BTW. Have not seen the G6 before.

Like the tank a lot. Will be watching with interest.[/quote]

Thanks,
Nurofen is a wonderful thing, and now its syringe has another very important role... i feel i have got excellent value for money... happy kids and a well fertilised aquarium, very relaxing!
yeah the filter looks the part and as far as maintenence goes its a doddle compared to faffing around with clips and seals and foams etc, makes cleaning it much less of a chore!
 
Re: Fluval Studio 900 trim and Q's.

Hi again,
good news... i have a berried bee shrimp! :D no photographic evidence as she's gone into hiding and has been occupying the most difficult to view places, but im quite chuffed. Hopefully the fish wont get the offspring before theyre big enough to fend for themselves!

Anyway, thought id update with a couple of shots of the first major trim, hairgrass was getting a little out of hand and hygrophila pinnatifida likewise. Im going to try to keep the pinnatifida more compact on the left side, and ive put a few cuttings on the right side which ill let grow to the surface, maybe temporarily until the balansae fills in, or maybe permanently if it looks ok.

before:

oct20101174.jpg


after:

oct20101179.jpg


oct20101183.jpg


and a couple of random shots. I know my photography holds a lot to be desired, but youll get the picture!!!! :lol:
fish:

oct20101171.jpg


snail on pinnitifida:

oct20101054.jpg


Ive also purchased another piece of vine wood which ill cut into 1 or 2 smaller pieces which will be added to the right side to give the hardscape more height. Ill attach some different moss to it, but depending on the look this may be all. Ill have to soak the wood for a few weeks yet to sink it and limit the fungus growth so itll be a while yet before the addition to the tank.

oct20101137.jpg


Also im experiencing a new algae which i cant identify. Im not concerned about the green algae, however the dark spots you can see on the dragon stone (and on the plants) i havnt seen before. Its not easy to remove with a toothbrush (impossible), its almost like staining. Any help with this would be much appreciated. Im currently doing 2x water changes per week, dosing 7ml tpn+ daily, 4ml flourish excel daily, running a 9 hr photoperiod and 9 hr co2 diffusion (2hrs pre and post lighting).

oct20101050.jpg


Cheerio for now.
 
Re: Fluval Studio 900.

That looks like black brush/beard algae (BBA) to me

Useful guide here

A lot of people have success spot dosing flourish excel when dealing with this. The BBA eventually turns pink and is then easier to remove, the clean up crew will munch on it to at this point I think. It might resurface though, although now you've given the tank a haircut, flow should be increased.

Hope that helps,
Joe

(tank looks great by the way! :D )
 
Re: Fluval Studio 900.

J Butler said:
That looks like black brush/beard algae (BBA) to me

Useful guide here

A lot of people have success spot dosing flourish excel when dealing with this. The BBA eventually turns pink and is then easier to remove, the clean up crew will munch on it to at this point I think. It might resurface though, although now you've given the tank a haircut, flow should be increased.

Hope that helps,
Joe

(tank looks great by the way! :D )

Thanks Joe,
oh i hope it isnt the start of bba, i used to have problems with that in my old tank. However it isnt raised, nor is it in 'tufts' like ive seen bba before. Unless its the formative stages i dont think thats what it is, it is like a stain on the surface and i tried scrubbing it off the top of my filter inlet pipe with a toothbrush last night and couldnt remove it.... its very stubborn!
Thanks for the reply and the link, ill keep an eye on it and see if it develops any further, fingers crossed it isnt bba though, its horrid stuff!
Ady.
 
Re: Fluval Studio 900.

I see what you mean Ady, I see black and BBA immediately springs to mind. Hopefully someone that has seen it before will be able to shed some light as i'm not sure what else it could be considering it's out in the open and presumably subject to good flow.
 
Re: Fluval Studio 900.

Hi

How are you finding the 'Fluval Studio 900' I have been thinking very seriously in getting one as the dimensions are the perfect size for our lounge, but cant seem to find any stores nearby that actually have one on display for me to inspect. I really like the black and silver look and the lighting. I was tempted to go for a rio 180 in white, but not that keen on the cabinet.
What do you think of the build quality, lighting and so on... any info would be great or any problems you may have found?
 
Re: Fluval Studio 900.

Gary Nelson said:
Hi

How are you finding the 'Fluval Studio 900' I have been thinking very seriously in getting one as the dimensions are the perfect size for our lounge, but cant seem to find any stores nearby that actually have one on display for me to inspect. I really like the black and silver look and the lighting. I was tempted to go for a rio 180 in white, but not that keen on the cabinet.
What do you think of the build quality, lighting and so on... any info would be great or any problems you may have found?

Hi Gary,
i have to say overall im very pleased with the studio tank and cabinet. My reason for choosing it was it fitted the style and colour combo (black gloss and brushed aluminium) of our front room perfectly, plus i thought it to be a much more modern take on aquarium styling compared with the juwel tanks. My old tank was a rio 180 on dark wood and it served me well, the new white gloss is nice but i feel they could have altered the stands to 'modernise' them and give some extra storeage space also.
Ive taken a few shots of the tank/stand in situ for you to have a look at. I know that its never the same as seeing one in the flesh, but it may help. :thumbup:

Full tank/stand showing gloss level of the stand (reflection of skirting).

oct20101544.jpg


The gloss level is really high and the finish excellent.
The stand itself is really solid, much better quality than some of the recent fluval stands! It, like the tank, is very weighty and instills confidence immediately and door adjusments are accurate so you can get perfect symmetry.

The under cabinet area is also large with two equally sized 'cupboards' big enough for any amount of clutter. With a 70cm height, co2 and filter equipment have little restriction.

oct20101532.jpg


The lighting is neat and includes an integrated reflector... which it needs, 2x 39w ho t5 tubes on 180l isnt high light, but also it has to penetrate the glass sliding covers and condensation as shown below! I personally like the glass covers as they prevent things being thrown in, evaporation and importantly fish jumping out! You can of course remove them. My only real issue with the lighting is when fixed on the sliders, there is no height adjustment so the lighting sits quite close to the water surface and with the shape of the lighting unit the light spread isnt wide so you tend to get 'dark spots' for about an inch water depth at the front and rear water surface. The lighting unit does incorporate two neat little hooks so you can suspend from the ceiling if you like which would eliminate this problem (....but then blind you when you sat down on your sofa!!!) Also you could purchase an additional lighting unit and run 2 on the top which again would eliminate this problem and give extra light depending upon requirements.

oct20101542.jpg


Below is an image of the tank in a dark room to show the light dissipation from the tank.... much different from a closed top tank.

oct20101518.jpg


I really like the tank and stand and they are both solid designs, the tank made from 10mm glass. The drilled base is already plumbed and simple to attach piping too. I wish the drilled base came with a sided option though as i would have preferred my pipes at right hand side! This may not be an issue for you. Obviously when you buy a tank design like this you cant add glassware so are stuck with the filter uplifts as they are (unless you capped the drilled base fixings and added seperate hoses etc)... but i presume like myself you like the simplicity of the internal plumbing which also makes filter priming easy due to gravity!!! There is no spray bar attachment available, and i think the piping is an unusual size so you might have to be a bit of an engineer to cobble something up if you wanted this option.
Like i said at the beginning of my journal, its not opti white nor ADA quality, but i love it.. its not die hard aquascaper material, but its a much more contemporary design than most all in ones out there and bridges the gap i feel.
Sorry for being a bit long winded, i hope theres something useful there for you and its always nice to get something new! :D
Cheerio for now.
Ady.
 
Re: Fluval Studio 900. Advice please.

While im posting already i thought id add a couple of shots and ask a bit of advice.
I managed to capture a shot of my berried shrimp:

oct20101401.jpg


And heres a nice one of my siamensis chilling out!

oct20101410.jpg


I tried a few backgrounds - black and blue..... any thoughts/opinions welcomed:

oct20101222.jpg


oct20101226.jpg


And finally it needed another trim and the foreground gravel claning up and gravel line algae cleaning!!!

before:

oct20101445.jpg


After:

oct20101482.jpg


This also shows the growth on the Hygrophila Pinnatifida at the left and right sides. The right hand side nearly reaching the surface now as planned.

Advice needed, slow/stunted growth issues:
The pogostemon halferi in the centre and the staurogyne repens on the left seem to be in a stalemate at the moment ... im not sure why theyre not thriving? any ideas?
Today i upped my co2 slightly to see if i could get a lime green DC sooner after lights on.... i did ( 2hrs as opposed to 4) but nearly gassed my fish, a harlequin began twitching and they all had v. rapid gill movements towards the end of the injection period! Turned it down again, i think it must have been optimal as it was.
Is it feasable to start c02 more than 2 hrs before lights on but at a lower rate to keep c02 levels optimal and stable during the photoperiod?
Ive also reduced my photoperiod from 9 hrs to 81/2 hrs and will prob go down to 8 as i noticed an increase in green spot algae.
Ferts have been upped to 7.5ml/day tpn+ and flourish excel stopped.... not sure if my ottos were suffering slightly from daily dosing excel... they just didnt seem themselves?
As i seem to have correct c02, and fert dosing is quite high (i think), im thinking it may be flow related so am considering additional flow by means of a koralia nano to see if this may help growth. I feel circulation is good and there is water movement all over the tank but as a novice i dont know how fast flow should be across plants to give correct access to c02 and ferts? Also could my lighting (less than 2wpg) account for the slow/stunted growth? Again any advice would be welcomed.
Cheers
Ady.
 
Re: Fluval Studio 900.

Hi Madlan,

madlan said:
Love the scape!

Did you know the directional nozzles pull off? I get a much better flow without them.

yeah i knew they were removeable, but never even considered trying it without them.... doh! Maybe with the bowl shape it will act like a lily pipe!? Ill give it a go, although i do like being able to point the flow where i want and slightly upwards to give a bit of surface movement. Ive bought a koralia nano ciculation pump now to get more even circulation, and ill be installing that on 'water change' night tomorrow!
Thanks for looking and taking the time to comment, any suggestions are always welcomed. :thumbup:
Cheerio
Ady.
 
Re: Fluval Studio 900.

I do exactly that - I have a koralia in the corner with the pipes which disturbs the surface, I get excellent flow through the whole tank without any jet streams - the nozzles almost half the flow turning it into a jet! (i've got an FX5 so it was like a washing machine...)

What I really want is an acrylic lilly pipe that replaces the extenion pipe - now that would look ace!
 
Re: Fluval Studio 900.

madlan said:
I do exactly that - I have a koralia in the corner with the pipes which disturbs the surface, I get excellent flow through the whole tank without any jet streams - the nozzles almost half the flow turning it into a jet! (i've got an FX5 so it was like a washing machine...)

What I really want is an acrylic lilly pipe that replaces the extenion pipe - now that would look ace!

Yeah i know what you mean. The lack of extra 'options' regarding the return pipe is a bit dissappointing, you would have thought you could have at least got a spray bar attachment. A lily pipe attachment would be even better!!!
I see you went for 10x turnover from the filter alone.... fx5, not surprised you have excellent circulation! :thumbup:

Is your tank planted?, im presuming it is being on ukaps and all, and if so do you have a journal? I dont think ive come across another studio tank on here, but it would be good to share your experiences... :idea: get a journal going!

Ive been altering a few things in my tank as i wasnt totally happy with the way things were going. Ill post some updates soon.

Cheerio
Ady.
 
Re: Fluval Studio 900.

madlan said:

Ah a profile tank, it looks great by the way... i had looked at getting one of these myself but im a bit too short to reach the bottom! :lol:
Any updates on how its progressing?
I love the fish choice too, they look great together. I love marbled hatchets and thought about getting a shoal myself.. you can tell ive been keeping fish tanks as opposed to planted tanks as i want to add every fish i like!!! Maybe if i rehome the harlequins.
Ady.
 
Re: Fluval Studio 900.

just a quick one to say how good this tank is looking...It all looks very healthy. Good shot of the shrimp as well.
 
Re: Fluval Studio 900.

ianho said:
just a quick one to say how good this tank is looking...It all looks very healthy. Good shot of the shrimp as well.

Thanks Ian, shrimp now eggless and no shrimplets. :thumbdown:
 
Re: Fluval Studio 900.... a few changes.

Well things have been going ok and theres been some slight changes in the tank.

Firstly i think my cryptocoryne balansae has finally found its feet and is showing some good leaf formation and colour. :thumbup:

oct20101858.jpg


Typically it was at this moment i decided to take some of the balansae and other crypts out of the right rear in favour of a couple of stem plants to try and speed along the filling in of the upper area. Hygrophila corymbosa siamensis and ludwigia arcuata.... hopefully theyll do the job and get some height in my 'triangle' configuration! :rolleyes:

oct20101799.jpg


Ive also replaced the pogostemon halferi in the centre with the cryptocoryne mia oya taken from the right rear, and added more cryptocoryne wendtti tropica and crypt becketti petchii. In fairness the halferi never really thrived, but additionally my rummy noses took a particular liking to it and nearly stripped it!!! The crypts will lend themselves more appropriately to my initial vision for the tank.

Water changes have been reduced to 1 per week again. I think its nice to see how people approach this, i tend to favour the 'syphon to the drain, refill with transfer pump' option.....buckets and water jugs used to be the bain of my life....

oct20101642.jpg


Also keeping things spick and span naturally are the algae crew, one of which i managed to get a fairly decent shot of considering my lack of photography skills!

oct20101610.jpg


Ive just added a koralia nano 900 lph circulation pump to give me 10x turnover and better overall circulation.
Photoperiod reduced to 8hrs, tpn+ 8ml/daily.

Well this is how it stands currently, hoping for the upper right to be filled with the stems soon, and the crypts in the centre to settle in. Ive also moved some staurogyne repens along the left foreground to try and draw the eye into the tank. The new wood is currently being stubborn and floating so not ready to try that yet.

Notice the colour difference of the newly added cryptocoryne wendtti tropica compared to the 'settled' identical species to the right.

oct20102024.jpg


oct20102030.jpg


Thanks for looking.
Cheerio for now. :wave:
 
Re: Fluval Studio 900.... oh no ive deleted all my photos.

OOPS....... ive deleted all my photos by removing them fromt my host site. Anyone know of a way to get them back or will i have to reload them all?
 
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