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"Spooky woodland" - oatfish's tank

Managed to get some work done on the tank this weekend, got this far!
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It's very cloudy as I have been kicking up dust planting, I also plan to cover all the rocks in Fissidens but I will have to wait for some more to grow before I can do that.
I have used most of it covering some rock at the back (rock that is more difficult to remove and cover as it is holding up the substrate) and the "connection" - a willow stick that I have fastened to connect the two pieces of wood and unite the scape a bit more!
I am aware it looks to "hardscape rich" but once the rocks are covered it should look a lot softer and greener than it does now!
I have glued some Narrow java fern to the wood and planted HM cuba in the subtrate around the wood (and a little bit of Pogo hel).
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Behind the wood I have planted Green rotala, a few stems of "normal" rotala and some H. lacustris. Hopefully I have planted enough to keep algae at bay initially, I'll work more on it over the week :D
 
Been working intermittently on this tank now, it’s been going well and I have some nice growth but I also put a Golden nugget plec in the tank (rehomed from a friend) BIG mistake! He had a lovely time digging everything up and had no appreciation for the pain of HC planting... He wasn;t a problem in the last tank I set up, but then I had no HC in it either. He has been moved to the cory tank to wreak havoc there instead whilst I try and get things back under control.
I have introduced some fish too (the filter media and internal filter came from a mature tank so minimal cycling required) and some CRS shrimp which I love. No algae issues as yet (fingers crossed) although I think I might have to change the CO2 diffusion set up and it is gurgling through the filter and coming out in large bubbles in the tank. I have a drop checker in the opposite corner to the outflow to check CO2 and it is green/light green and working fine but CO2 wastage seems to be high.

Would I be better to have two internal CO2 diffusers instead?

Some pics:
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otto.jpg

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I really like this plant - it's H. lacustris, it's tips are growing a deep red. It's relatively slow growth but the dark green of it's older leaves looks great. Hopefully it will fill out.
Cherryonlacustris.jpg


I was concerned about adding CRS to this tank what with it havin only been set up a short while, but they are doing great!
CRS.jpg


Some specs:
Lighting: 4 x 39W T5 on a 5 hours on, 4 hours break midday, 5 hours on (mainly so I can appreciate the tank when I am at home)
Substrate: A mix of Sand, small gravel (3-5mm) Ferplast substrate and ADA Malaya
Filter: Large internal (~1400lph) and internal (~800lph)
CO2: Pressurised disposable 600g bottles (only £9 from Machine Mart, one lasts about 2-3 months)
 
Thanks for the kind comments, I just point and shoot although I am getting more used to the manual settings, less black photos...!
The Otto was just in the right place at the right time :lol:

Still not sure whether to change my CO2 injection method though. At the moment I have an external CO2 reactor but it tends to fill about 1/4 with CO2 which then bubbles in big bubbles out through the filter outflow! I have it on the inflow pipe so it also rattles through the filter. I am considering changing it for 2 rhinox diffusers instead - what do you think? I am wondering if this would save CO2 too as I am pumping it in at a fair rate (too many bubbles per sec to count). No fish gassing though! I upped it slowly to make sure, but I think too much CO2 is exiting the tank for me to gas the fish anyway :rolleyes:
 
Excellent Steve, I'll check it out.
I am waiting for the Fissidens to grow out so I can cover all the rocks with it, it's actually growing very fast (faster than my peacock moss in the same tank) so hopefully won;t be too long, although of course I get mini landslides everytime I move a rock!
This is definately going to be a long term scape... :p
 
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