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Taking a sump. Back in five minutes...

on 1 WC per week now then can you stretch that with the RO

It’s not that bad actually @Jayefc1

150l WC on the 1200 and 50l WC on the 600 so 200 litres in total per week to change 50% on the tanks.

All the waste water from the RO process gets stored in barrels and used on the garden throughout the week so not wasting a drop of water either, at least during the growing season. Also keeping 250l of RO stored at any given time too so it’s not the rush job it was before.


Cheers @CooKieS getting there. Nothing pruned back in that photo as waiting it out to see what the adapted fertilisation regime and RO do in real terms. Will get the lines cleaner to make it a triangular composition. PS loving your scaping mate, absolutely superb creations.


why yoi changed to ro mate ?

Personally found it possible to run cleaner tanks with RO compared to our tap as able to reliably fertilise with intention. Not interested in solely health, more growth speed, form and colouration. If you can’t coax plants into being what you desire can you really claim to understand those particular species?

Basically @Deano3 I like to play is the answer.

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2 months and just had a big trim:

1596047329148.jpeg


Keep pinching Buce and moss from this tank so foreground is really bare 😂

On RO once again and rigged this tank up to the auto doser in the 1200 cabinet:

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Still unsure what to stock in this tank so keeping lots of open water available. Hoping for a species that will complement the Green Neons in the 1200 (although they always scarper off when you take a photo :rolleyes: ) :



White Cloud Mountain Minnows are a front runner, as they’re happy to be seen out and about.
 
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2 months and just had a big trim:

View attachment 152605

Keep pinching Buce and moss from this tank so foreground is really bare 😂

On RO once again and rigged this tank up to the auto doser in the 1200

Still unsure what to stock in this tank so keeping lots of open water available. Hoping for a species that will complement the Green Neons in the 1200 (although they always scarper off when you take a photo :rolleyes: ) :

View attachment 152607

White Cloud Mountain Minnows are a front runner, as they’re happy to be seen out and about.
Still unsure what to stock in this tank so keeping lots of open water available. Hoping for a species that will complement the Green Neons in the 1200 (although they always scarper off when you take a photo :rolleyes: ) :
i think black neons would look nice and compliment well. Or one of the newer tetras that are out now like hyphessobrycon amapaensis or hemigrammus rubriostratus. Similar enough to the neons in having that bright stripe but a completely different colour and hopefully abit bolder behaviour. green neons are known for being quite shy.

cheers

Conor
 
All great suggestions @Conort2

Black neons and Pygmy Corydoras would be cool and easily sourced. Would be a nice contrast to all the colour across the scape.

Hyphessobrycon amapaensis are superb looking fish, came across them on Aquarium Glaser when trying to ID that green mystery fish, but haven’t found anywhere stocking them so far.
 
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Hyphessobrycon amapaensis are superb looking fish, came across them on Aquarium Glaser when trying to ID that green mystery fish, but haven’t found anywhere stocking Hyphessobrycon amapaensis so far.
They shouldn’t be too hard to find, they’ve been available for a few years now and I believe are available tank bred now too. I recon Maidenhead aquatics should be able to get them in or they’ll definitely be available mail order through someone like pier aquatics.

cheers

Conor
 
Hoping for a species that will complement the Green Neons
Looking good. Unsure if it's been mentioned or considered but Ember Tetra are a good match in my opinion.

Unsure if I've missed it Geoff but how is the sump side of things going? What power have you got the pump on (assuming it's still the DCP-2500) how's the outlet for directing flow evenly and not blowing sand around etc?
 
I think hyphessobrycon elachys (reed tetra) might be a good choice. The more I read about them the more I want to keep them as they sound perfect, small, outgoing, hardy and peaceful. The big plus is if you go for the right pygmy cory they will all swim together like they do in nature which would add a different dimension to the tank and bring out the cories more.
 
Unsure if I've missed it Geoff but how is the sump side of things going? What power have you got the pump on (assuming it's still the DCP-2500) how's the outlet for directing flow evenly and not blowing sand around etc?

It works. Suppose the true test is would I do anything different again and the answer is no.

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Sump is currently overfilled to capacity and ATO is switched off as evaporation will be higher in this hot weather, hence the high water level so the tank can stay cooler.

The slow flow through the sump leaves all the gunk settled on the bottom left side on the base glass, so it can easily be siphoned out making maintenance simple. Can’t complain really.

The pump is running at minimum as it’s more than enough. Can turn it up to full blast without moving anything, the wide bore return is key to that. The energy efficiency at minimum is good on that pump too so lower running cost.

This my friend is the crux of the matter. Those who master the craft can coax the plants to do what they want.

This is forever the endeavour.


the cupboard is so tidy :)

Momentary cleanliness and order... will look like a war zone again soon enough 😂

I think hyphessobrycon elachys (reed tetra) might be a good choice. The more I read about them the more I want to keep them as they sound perfect, small, outgoing, hardy and peaceful. The big plus is if you go for the right pygmy cory they will all swim together like they do in nature which would add a different dimension to the tank and bring out the cories more.

This is a good shout. Been round the houses and the criteria in order of importance is this:

- They have to be able to deal with high light. This is a very intensely lit tank

- They have to be mid-water happy

- They have to be able to cope with traffic going by the tank

Only really considering Tetras and Cories.

Thank you for all the suggestions folks. Much appreciated 🙏🏽
 
Very tidy and plants looking super healthy and i hope to be able to coax plants into doing what i want and have the knowledge to do that one day , hopefully with more of you help i will one day.

Looking forward to seeing what you stock mate.

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk
 
It works. Suppose the true test is would I do anything different again and the answer is no.
Glad to hear it, definitely an interesting project filtration wise.
The pump is running at minimum as it’s more than enough. Can turn it up to full blast without moving anything, the wide bore return is key to that. The energy efficiency at minimum is good on that pump too so lower running cost.
So running something like 6x total volume turnover @ 750LPH still more than enough.
You find you get evenly distributed flow with the 90 alone too? - I can only guess the answer is yes!
 
Glad to hear it, definitely an interesting project filtration wise.

Works well and it’s a near silent wet/dry system. You have to open the cabinet door to hear anything.


You find you get evenly distributed flow with the 90 alone too? - I can only guess the answer is yes!

The single 90 has performed just fine and even with the pump set to minimum there’s still a very large amount of turnover. Not much benefit to be had from turning it up to be honest and would just stress the plants.

The wide bore return coupled with the draw from the weir means there’s water being pulled from everywhere, including through the stems. You can watch the flow through the stems at the back so distribution is good. Scape design is also a factor as it dictates how well push and pull will work together.
 
3 months:

1598115454710.jpeg


Been away for two weeks and glad to see the auto doser has been doing it’s job. Plants still need a trim but upon returning... other than needing a glass clean, water change and a switch out of sand, happy to see it survived a period away unscathed.

New fish ended up being White Cloud Mountain Minnows:

1598115879984.jpeg


1598115827149.jpeg


Not the exciting choice that was in mind. However, they’re utterly unbothered by anything the kids do which is a huge plus. Can’t be doing with any jumpers so happy days with MCMM’s.

Will get the scissors and pinsettes out later in the week.
 
Looks good mate defo needs a good sorting with the siccors though

Will get on it this week, half of the super red has already started growing emersed so any benefit in timing is already lost.

Garden got scorched in the hot weather so needs some TLC more immediately. On the plus side came back to 30kg+ of tomatoes, hot spell had its benefits.


I may grow up one day :)

I grew up once @Melll .... Worst two minutes of my life.
 
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