• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

- Redemption -

Andrew T

Member
Joined
9 Apr 2019
Messages
243
Location
Seattle, WA
11/29/2020
01D30617-1360-41DA-9C76-0D6778946831.jpeg

11/05/2020
3ADD9372-2189-48C2-9BC3-7D0D231E020C.jpeg

10/29/2020
8EB0D581-58E9-48A1-8F21-E2601F6AF85E.jpeg

Fall air and relentless rain has made me fall in love once again with the tank and everything related to it. My wife says I’m so predictable...
As for the name of this journal, this aquascape gave me a sense of somberness ; burnt trees , empty branches etc.
Transforming this into a bright, green place full of life will feel like redemption. :)

I took down my old 60p (old journal here: Edge of the Jungle).
Got a new 60p and inserted it into the wall where the old one was.

Light: Chihiros RGB Vivid 2
Filter: Eheim 2217
Glass: CalAquaLabs x1 and F1 inlet and outlet. They’re the smallest pipes I could find and I’m loving them.
Soil: ADA regular and powder type
Wood: Manzanita branches
Rock: Mexican pot rock
Co2: pressurized with Aquario Neo in tank diffuser

Plant list:
-Glosso
-MC
-Anubias
-Bolbitis
-Pinnatifida UK
-Hygro araguaia
-Weeping moss
-Ludwigia arcuata
-Rotala Wayanad

The plan was to keep the hardscape as simple as possible this time around and clean looking. Nothing like my old scape.
Then cram in there as many plants as possible.
So until my light gets here on Wednesday, I flooded the tank so I can get as much ammonia and tannins possible out through water changes...and boy is this manzanita leeching out tannins..
Anyway, here’s a pic of the scape with a weak bulb I had laying around.
Enjoy!
B78DF8B4-58E0-40FE-BC82-F01F9ADA6CAA.jpeg
 
Last edited:
OMG it looks like a fairytale. I reckon you should grow some MC in the foreground and HC in the background. Forget too many plants.

Or just pure UG.
 
OMG it looks like a fairytale. I reckon you should grow some MC in the foreground and HC in the background. Forget too many plants.

Or just pure UG.
You know...I was thinking something different such as UG would be pretty crazy looking...in a good way!
I’m debating if I should fill the branches with HC Cuba or not to make it look like a tree then have open grassland down below except upper corners where I’d like some stems.

Maybe I’ll go crazy and add the ADA lighted background. :woot:
 
A small nature aquarium store that I just stumbled upon in my town sells these Tucano tetras that I’ve never seen before. Fully mature they measure between 0.5” - 1” long but they’re 20$/each. Big ouch!!!...never seen a tetra go for this amount before.

So expensive yet so beautiful...the person running the shop tells me she’s feeding them freshly hatched brine shrimp every day.
Not sure if that automatically demands a higher asking price or what...

20 fish would set me back 400$ ; tank, lily pipes, hardscape and soil didn’t cost that much lol...they did school beautifully in her 180p though ...she probably had 100+ of them.
What do you guys think?
9E623452-C3EF-4022-8084-E5533E9F3980.jpeg
 
A small nature aquarium store that I just stumbled upon in my town sells these Tucano tetras that I’ve never seen before. Fully mature they measure between 0.5” - 1” long but they’re 20$/each. Big ouch!!!...never seen a tetra go for this amount before.

So expensive yet so beautiful...the person running the shop tells me she’s feeding them freshly hatched brine shrimp every day.
Not sure if that automatically demands a higher asking price or what...

20 fish would set me back 400$ ; tank, lily pipes, hardscape and soil didn’t cost that much lol...they did school beautifully in her 180p though ...she probably had 100+ of them.
What do you guys think?
View attachment 155414
Lovely fish however I’d say they probably need water with a low tds longer term as they’re a black water species. Not sure what the water is like where you’re from ? Do you know if it is soft? If so give them a go.

cheers

Conor
 
A small nature aquarium store that I just stumbled upon in my town sells these Tucano tetras that I’ve never seen before. Fully mature they measure between 0.5” - 1” long but they’re 20$/each. Big ouch!!!...never seen a tetra go for this amount before.

So expensive yet so beautiful...the person running the shop tells me she’s feeding them freshly hatched brine shrimp every day.
Not sure if that automatically demands a higher asking price or what...

20 fish would set me back 400$ ; tank, lily pipes, hardscape and soil didn’t cost that much lol...they did school beautifully in her 180p though ...she probably had 100+ of them.
What do you guys think?
View attachment 155414

They are pretty rare I think hence the price.
 
Lovely fish however I’d say they probably need water with a low tds longer term as they’re a black water species. Not sure what the water is like where you’re from ? Do you know if it is soft? If so give them a go.

cheers

Conor
Yes the water in Seattle is very soft. The only thing holding me back is the price...
I’ll think about it..
 
Ever had moments as a kid when you were so excited about something only to get really disappointed moments later? I guess we get that as adults too;
Amazon damaged the light fixture in transit. 😖
Only one vendor on Amazon sells this light so I have to order another one through them. Delivery date this coming Saturday.
First world problems...
 
Yes the water in Seattle is very soft. The only thing holding me back is the price...
I’ll think about it..
Got 10 of these tucano in my last scape, they’re fantastic, boldest and smallest tetra I’ve ever kept with fascinating behavior (male are sparring and can be territorial) and they’re always hungry (baby brine shrimp, frozen, pellets, flakes...they love everything).

got mine for 7€ Piece which isn’t cheap but usually they go up to 13-15€ each in France. 20$ is too much IMO
 
Well after multiple delays with the shipment the RGB Vivid 2 finally got here today and wow....it is better than my previous Twinstar 600S in every aspect.
The colors are unreal .
I’m planting the tank at the moment with some fine leaf stem plants I’ve never used before like Ludwigia arcuata and Rotala Wayanad in the background.
They should make the tank look a little deeper with the tiny leaf shape ; at least in theory.
The hardscape has changed quite a bit as well, incorporating some thicker manzy pieces up front. The twigs looked a little off all by themselves.
Either way, a FTS is coming tomorrow after the cloudiness from planting and changing filter media has settled.
I saw the ADA RGB today in person at my LFS and it’s amazing, however, the Chihiros RGB does all that for less than half and it’s controllable. Built quality is very good as well and something I honestly didn’t expect.
All in all a great investment.
 
I realized there’s maybe another benefit of the light screen beside the pretty look and helping with photography;

This picture was taken with the main lights off; only the light screen is on.
0BA55E87-27E0-47F3-802F-A2362CB65B97.jpeg

Given the tank is in a closet that is dark, there’s no ambient light so it’s solely lit by the light screen. When stems get real bushy and tall, the light from the top won’t get to the bottom and stems tend to look bad and leggy down there. Wouldnt this extra light down at the root of the stems help with the plants overall health?

Of course this is true only for the bush at the very back against the glass but maybe the most important?

I’m curious to see what you guys think...
 
6 ottos and 10 amanos have gone in tonight!
The bulk of the fish in about a week...still deciding which way to go. I was thinking embers but I still have a soft spot for green neons.
 
Back
Top