"Slow Roast" Rio 125

[MooseOnDaLoose]

The magic Multiple Tank fairy dropped off a Rio125 so I'm going to get my nano sorted then make a start on this, maybe low tech but haven't decided yet.

It may be a few months before I get this going but figured I'd start a Journal since some drunken clicking has made these bits turn up today:



Looking forward to spending some time finding the right positioning.

The plan is some bigger background, carpet mid and foreground with a nice moss growing on the redwood.

Going to get the Nano growing nicely first though before doing anything with this.

 

[greenmac75]

like your pieces,i'm in.

 

[Mannic05]

Great looking pieces of redmoor root.

Verstuurd vanaf mijn Moto G (4) met Tapatalk

 

[MooseOnDaLoose]

Cheap as chips as well. eBay turned up trumps. Let hope they sink after a good soak 😉

 

[SuperJam]

Following the journal with interest 🙂


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[gregl]

Looking good so far, moss on those pieces is an exciting prospect.

 

[MooseOnDaLoose]

The wood is busy soaking and surprisingly after a couple of changes of water isn't leaching too many tannins. Next up for the wood is some baby bottle sanitizer and it should be good.

Some more goodies turned up today:


All Pond Solutions EF2+ canister filter (It's a beast for 85 quid)
Dennerle crystal quartz
About 6 litres of Tropica Aquarium Soil (Bought way too much for the nano)
Drop Checker
Bubble Counter
Rhinox 2000
Some Purigen (I love this stuff)
Hydor inline heater (Went for a 300w as this room get cold in the winter, one radiator for a big l shaped room)
Some spare co2 tubing

Waiting for the Chihiros 601+ (wish I'd seen the one for sale on here before I ordered)
Solenoid

Then its time to start scaping, going to try the youghurt method with some moss and DSM to get it going.

Fun times!

 

[MooseOnDaLoose]

Wow the Chihiros turned up six days after ordering. Bonkers!

Blimey thats a powerful light. Getting close to getting started now. Waiting on a solenoid to turn up then we can start thinking about plants.

 

[Juraj C.]

Do you plan to use chihiros light under the cover from Juwel or will you remove the cover?

 

[MooseOnDaLoose]

The cover is going and I'm thinking of using a plastic top that will just act as a condensation collector when the lights are off. The rough plan is have that not completely cover the entire tank.

Do you have any views or advice on this?

 

[Juraj C.]

I just wanted to know how you plan to do it. I was recently thinking that chihiros light would be a good option for juwel tanks and now I see I'm not the only one🙂

 

[MooseOnDaLoose]

Ahh cool. I think I'm going to see if I can a condensation lid for it and see how that goes Juraj.

Finally found some milton and the red moor was looking like all the tannins were out of it so i drained it, added the milton tabs and refilled it. This is what I found this morning....


Guess it needs a few more rinses 😀

In other news everything is here apart from plants and a solenoid. Might buy the plants in a week or two. This is what I was thinking:


Dwarf hairgrass as a foreground carpet with some sag on the left and right.

Anubis at places on the wood, in the clump at the bottom was my thinking. Then crypts around those clumps growing backwards into the tank. Some of the wood with Java Ferns on them (still unsure about these cus they grow and grow and grow and grow and grow) hmm.

Java moss on the upward parts of the 'trunks' of the wood then weeping on the more horizontal parts so it weeps down.

Then the others as background fodder 😀

I'm trying high tech, CO2 into the inlet of the filter, tropica aquasoil then denerelle crystal quartz on top. TNC Complete for ferts (maybe switch to EI later)

Now taking away the fact that I am a world class algae farmer does anyone have any advice on the above? Should I add more, remove some etc? Will the dwarf hair grass work out here?

Thanks everyone

 

[MooseOnDaLoose]

So I have all the things to put this together apart from plants.

I'm off for a surgery and a week in hossy next week so this tank will probably be put together October time when Im fit and able to do the water changes.

On hold for now 🙂

 

[Juraj C.]

Get well soon.

 

[MooseOnDaLoose]

Now I'm back in the land of the living and can lift more than a kettle I've moved the tank to its final position and started putting the substrates in.

Tropica Plant substrate in the bottom capped with dennerelle crystal quartz.

The wood is now in its final position. I hope you all like how its organised. I tried about 30 different ways and finally settled on this. I think it's going to look great with a carpet of hair grass and different mosses on the wood.



Need to do some cleaning up, then get the plants and equipment in then flood it. Exciting

 

[Leesey]

Looks really good!

 

[MooseOnDaLoose]

so HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHA! I'm a noob and i screwed up!



Going well.



Yep looking good.



Oh darn it!

So next weekend will consist of stripping it, tying it to the crate in the bottom (Why i didnt do this I have no idea, must have slipped my mind) and fixing it all back together.

Should i just leave the lights off for a week or just let it run?

 

[MooseOnDaLoose]

Anyways ignoring todays cock up the plants are:

Eleocharis acicularis dwarf hair grass for the carpet.
Cryptocoryne beckettii as a specimen plant - Left wood grouping
Cryptocoryne wendtii as a specimen plant - Left wood grouping
Java fern on the wood on the left
Anubias barteri on the right piece of wood
Java moss on the wood

Simple but should look great once its all "sorted" and established. 🙂

 

[Cactusface]

Hi Moose,
I set up a Rio 125 early this year, but just a standard planted set up, but I'm just getting to try a bit of Aqauscaping, your wood looks good and has structure. You plants sound good. I have just discovered that all the rock I have in my tank is I think so called "Ocean rock" as it releases minerals and makes your water hard, No wonder I did no good with my Apistos. So once I get my crystal shrimps sorted, the Rio's in for a make over with perhaps active substrate, etc. Will keep an eye on your project.
Regads

Mel.

 

[MooseOnDaLoose]

Hey Mel!

Dang about the rocks. Best of luck if you do change it around.

Ended up having some time tonight to fix my cockup yesterday.

Can't say I'm in love with the new layout but it's not terrible so once everything has grown in I'm sure it'll look great. Moved crypts to the right of the tank and hoping the plants are going to be ok.

Day 1 Slow Roast