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"Novus Aevum" - 14ltr

baron von bubba said:
the tank looks bigger in the pics than it really is, it does look even better "in the flesh" tho!!
It'll look even better with a clean up! Thanks for the comments and it was great to meet another forum user.

Thanks for the link to the cleaning brushes, I've ordered one.
 
So time for a photo update I think.

Yesterday, I had my first tidy up since my holiday and I'm really pleased with the HC growth now I've trimmed it. It looks half like a carpet but it could do with filling in some areas.

Unfortunately, my hairgrass has suffered during my holiday break (as you can see) and has died off some. However, I've cut it back harshly to promote new growth.

I only had enough time to do the foreground, midground and right hand HM side. I'm leaving the left hand side to go a bit taller so that I can trim it back and replant nice and thickly. Which I've done on the right hand side for the first time properly, so that it should grow and fill in as I'd hoped.

You'll also see a few of my new fishes!!!! They are beauties! :thumbup:

Any comments, feedback and advice is welcomed.

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6169_136419077362_567487362_3325579_7810485_n.jpg


6169_136419062362_567487362_3325578_3279020_n.jpg
 
Re: "Novus Aevum" - 14ltr (Photo Update 10/08/09)

Superman said:
I did try and take the grass to the substrate level but my scissors are a bit small and find it hard to reach some places.

I'll take the HC down a bit more then, how far would you suggest?
As long as you leave some leaves and runners you'll be good. The grass really needs cutting back though as it'll probably use more energy recovering than it would growing, so get rid of all the bad growth and it will encourage new healthy growth. Cut this almost to substrate level. Plants love being pruned mate!
 
Re: "Novus Aevum" - 14ltr (Photo Update 10/08/09)

Thanks James, I managed to have time for another trim and took it to as low to the substrate as possible.
It's just made things look really nice and even and hopefully it'll fill in even more.

I plan to tidy up the left hand side HM tomorrow night.

I'm really considering the Do!Aqua Music Glass 10D CO2 Diffuser from TGM as a treat, although don't know if I should get the diffuser on it's own or the one with the full glass overhang thingy. I'll save up for the rest of the month, I think.
 
Re: "Novus Aevum" - 14ltr (Photo Update 10/08/09)

Thanks to James for suggesting chopping the HC right back, it seems to be filling in more than before.
I'll do that every few weeks.

I got another four cherry red shrimp yesterday and they've settled in well. There's a nice mix of males and females so hopefully they'll breed in time. I've never seen shrimp so red before, they've coloured up a treat and provide a nice contrast to the green in the tank.

The HM on the right hand side of the tank is growing again after the trim, I've been told the best thing to do is wait until it gets to surface level before trimming again. I'd love it to fill in lots and very compact growth.

Onwards and upwards.
 
Re: "Novus Aevum" - 14ltr (Photo Update 17/08/09)

If I may, your fish don't stand out against the clear background and gray rocks. I think a black background will bring them out nicely.
 
Re: "Novus Aevum" - 14ltr (Photo Update 17/08/09)

flygja said:
If I may, your fish don't stand out against the clear background and gray rocks. I think a black background will bring them out nicely.
Thanks, I'll experiment with coloured backgrounds once I'm happy the growth for photo shots.
I do prefer not having a background as it helps with the clean view of the tank.
The fish are more colourful now as they have the nice green tint once the lights have been on for a while.

I'm certainly impressed with the redness of the shrimp! :thumbup:
 
Re: "Novus Aevum" - 14ltr (Photo Update 17/08/09)

I guess its a photography aesthetic thing. I was perfectly fine with my tank's black background, until I started noticing that while the Hengeli rasboras came out nicely against it, the dark brown of my naked driftwood didnt, so I changed it to a white background. Now that I have moss and a white foreground sand, I'm thinking of black again :crazy:

In day-to-day maintenance and viewing, I guess it doesn't really matter. I've never seen those fish before by the way, bet they're really something!
 
Re: "Novus Aevum" - 14ltr (Photo Update 17/08/09)

Due to the recent post on nano drop checkers, I realised that I wasn't using mine!
So I've popped it back in yesterday and its green but not the light green I'm used to, so am slowly upping the injection rate to see how it goes. The co2 mist seems to be good, as I was worried that the bubbles would just go straight to the surface.

I got a nice portion of Weeping Moss today and that's been pushed into the cracks in the face of the right hand stone. Hopefully, it'll stay put and have the desired effect.

The HC is growing back again after a week, which I'm pleased with. The HM is about 1/4 up already too, so I'll do another trim next weekend.

I'm really trying to cultivate my own HM without having to pay for another pot, so I'll re-use the cuttings to really fill the right hand back corner. I'd love a really nice tight bush (ooh err mrs!) of HM like amano has in his books.

I love this tank, I'm ok at growing the plants now, it's learning how to trim them to the desired effect that I'm learning.

Onwards and upwards :thumbup:
 
Re: "Novus Aevum" - 14ltr (Photo Update 17/08/09)

Nice looking cherries Clarke,how many did you put in?

John
 
Re: "Novus Aevum" - 14ltr (Photo Update 17/08/09)

Clark, i'm not sure if it's just me but it looks like you still have the brown diatoms.it may be my monitor though.....

how many ottos do you have in there?

with HM, treat it like HC. point your diffuser at it and watch it multiply. in my tank, i have it in both sides. the side which gets blasted is nearly twice as dense.

if your trying to get a bush quicker, rather than plant it up right, plant 1 stem maybe 3 inches long horizontally making sure the rooted end is planted and a node or 2 the other end is secure. you'll get stems from each node growing upwards. in theory anyway. if you have the space it may just work ;)

you cant begin to imagine how adaptable stems are
 
Re: "Novus Aevum" - 14ltr (Photo Update 17/08/09)

Thanks for your comments Mark.

The brown muck that's along the substrate on the photos on the previous pages are from dead plant matter that I cleaned up. So the substrate is all clean now. I don't have any Ottos in here.

I do have the algae on the glass which is green rather than brown and need to clean that off every week - it's not too bad but it's there.

Thanks for the tip with HM, I do fine the side near the diffuser grows quicker for all plants - not a surprise really.

I'm going to save up for a inline diffuser or something similar to try and get more of an even distribution of co2 even though the mist goes all over the tank.
 
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