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  L# LITTLE_FISH 125G Log
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SubscribeLITTLE_FISH 125G Log
LITTLE_FISH
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Glad we have that discussion as it most certainly put some doubts on me having a Tek Light over the 40G

The double unit of 96W from Coralife may not work for me, except if I could hang that one as well (I am not sure if I would have to do some DIY contraption for that, yuk).

I will investigate, but feel free to advise.

On a side note, I skimmed through my log yesterday in search of a shot from my Macandra and noted that somewhere in the middle pages (between 50 and 70, I think) all my images are missing. Given that I embedded them in the posts and that they are hosted by FP I am not a happy camper.

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 28-Feb-2007 15:03Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
tetratech
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Frank,
Thanks for the info and link. That should be really helpful. It is a pain and your right about the the hanging issues. As far as the fish jumping out, you know us planted tank folk, we always put the plants ahead of the fish. I actually had tetras, cichlids and kuli loaches and shrimp in an open-top and never lost one to jumping in about a year, but certainly some fish will jump so you need to keep away from those.

Matty,
I'm definitely going for looks so as I said I think the Tek lights look good suspended vs the coralife's which as you pointed out can be suspended by simply cutting a hole in the top and using wire. I will never buy another Current USA product. I had one hood the ballast went just outside of a year and the company had really poor service. The 192watt reflector also had 4 plugs (2 for the bulbs and 2 for separate fans (that BTW were noisy from the getgo) If Teks are the BMWs and Coralifes are the Toyotas than Current USA are the Chevys (no offense Chevy owners)

LF,
Why wouldn't those lights (tek and coralife work for your 40g). Sorry must have missed something. I hope your pictures aren't lost.


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Post InfoPosted 28-Feb-2007 16:58Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
mattyboombatty
 
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EditedEdited by mattyboombatty
I'm pretty sure that coralife has a hanging kit. All their fixtures should attach to it.

About the pics...I'd post something up in the site feedback forum, Adam might be able to recover those. Bummer though. That's why I use photobucket AND backup everything on my hard drive, I now have like 3-4gigs of pictures. I think that happened to me on a site upgrade one time.


EDIT:didn't see your post tetratech, I think LF didn't want something a lot brighter, like the tek lights will be. I said I thought he'd be able to handle it though, he's got the equipment. I wish they made 3 bulb units, each independant, but that would require 3 ballasts and be extra pricey. Just having a three bulb fixture at all would be nice I think.



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Post InfoPosted 28-Feb-2007 17:01Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
tetratech
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I checked into the coralife hanging situation. They do sell a hanging kit, unforunately it only works with the pro and plus lights not the regular or deluxe ones.



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Post InfoPosted 28-Feb-2007 17:11Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
mattyboombatty
 
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Oh, I see how it is. *shakes fish at coralife* Well I guess that leaves my drill and wire method.



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Post InfoPosted 28-Feb-2007 17:18Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
tetratech
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Oh, I see how it is. *shakes fish at coralife* Well I guess that leaves my drill and wire method



As far as the Tek lights for LF, he could run 2 or 4 bulbs with the timers, so I think he'd be already if he wanted that look. He could always play around with the wattage.

Matty, do you know if you can stick a coralife fixture inside one of these or would you have to order the kit from AH supply. I'm thinking you could put the light in one of these and hang the canopy over the tank.

http://www.ahsupply.com/finished_enclosures.htm

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Post InfoPosted 28-Feb-2007 17:24Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
mattyboombatty
 
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Most likely the coralife unit won't fit under there. They do give the exact dimensions though, so you could measure. But I know usually the coralife unit slips over the edge of the aquarium to prevent it sliding off one way or the other. And I think those sit on the tank edge.

The ones that all glass sell are held up by little studs in the corner and have a small gap between the tank and the hood. The coralife units fit uner those pretty well. Although the back is open, so it wouldn't work for LF's two-view tank. Might work out for you though. They are pretty similarly priced I think.



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Post InfoPosted 28-Feb-2007 17:46Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Weekly Tank Update - Week 75

Not much has changed during the week with the tank, I am continuing the trimming process of the Wisteria and this week removed and replanted the section in front of the island.

Here is a shot of the tank in Week 60, 15 weeks ago, the first week with the Wisteria in place all around.

Attached Image:

Week 60



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Post InfoPosted 04-Mar-2007 13:53Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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And here is the tank now this weekend, 15 weeks later, after the trimming.

As you can see, the Barteri and the NL Java Fern have grown like mad. The Barteri in particular is reaching a point where I don't know how much longer I can maintain it as such. I may have to cut it up and replant only half of it.

Attached Image:

Now - Week 75



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Post InfoPosted 04-Mar-2007 13:56Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Otherwise, I have only one more picture to show. Around this time of the year there is a brief time period in the mornings when, given that the sun is shining, some light falls through the window (after bouncing off the neighbor's window) and into the tank. I think it looks pretty nice. It all lasts for maybe 10 min.

That's it,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Morning Mood



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Post InfoPosted 04-Mar-2007 13:59Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
TW
 
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You're right, that morning shoot is pretty cool looking.

Your layout is at one and the same time, both lush, healthy & full looking as well as making the tank look large and open. Your fish enjoy the best of both worlds - plants to swim around in as well as lots of open space for swimming around.

You have Lucky Fish, LF

Cheers
TW
Post InfoPosted 04-Mar-2007 14:35Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Thanks Robyn for the compliments

Yeah, overall no doubt on this being my best layout in this tank's history, and the most stable on top of it.

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 04-Mar-2007 15:09Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
mattyboombatty
 
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Interesting to note that those stems are headed straight for that beam of sunlight. I've been learning about the proteins that cause plants to grow towards the light. Pretty interesting stuff. However, with how short the phenomena is, I doubt that's the cause of the plants growing that direction.


It's great to have that problem with slow growers like barteri and j fern. I'd personally just hack out a few leaves on the barteri every week or two to maintain its size, as right now it's rather pleasing.



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Post InfoPosted 04-Mar-2007 16:52Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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I'd personally just hack out a few leaves on the barteri every week or two to maintain its size

Hm, I will have to think about this as an option. See, the mother plant has quite a few rhizomes growing all over the place, including one half way up in the water column. This means that leaves from that rhizome will always come up very high in the tank, not so pretty when the leaves from the lower rhizomes would be trimmed off.

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 04-Mar-2007 17:15Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
mattyboombatty
 
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Yeah, you may have to cut back adventurous rhizomes too then. But hopefully you won't have to rip the sucker out.



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Post InfoPosted 04-Mar-2007 17:21Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
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Just wanted to say the tank looks great, Ingo. I don't post comments in this area often as my knowledge is limited in the planted realm, but I pretty much read all of the posts when they are made.

Jim



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Post InfoPosted 05-Mar-2007 04:45Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Thanks Jim,

Feel free to post any comment you have, and don't be shy about it. If you have a question about the tank then feel free to state it as well. And who says that my knowledge is not limited?

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 05-Mar-2007 15:13Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Weekly Tank Update - Week 76

Well, doesn't look like I did a lot this weekend, but I did quite a bit.

During the week, half the Blyxa floated up. So I removed any Wisteria that used to be planted behind the Blyxa and stuffed all pieces of Blyxa in this extended area.

Overall, the tank is not doing too well. Neglect in ferting is probably the reason why the Star Grass is not growing that well, although it looks nice in the picture. And the Barteri is getting bigger and bigger, that cannot go well much longer. Let me tell you folks, if you have a barteri like this one you better have a 200G tank if you want to keep it for a few years

That's it,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Tank Today



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Post InfoPosted 12-Mar-2007 00:51Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Wingsdlc
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Let me tell you folks, if you have a barteri like this one you better have a 200G tank if you want to keep it for a few years
I think a lot of plants can get that way if you give them what they want and need!

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric
Post InfoPosted 12-Mar-2007 01:33Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Weekly Tank Update - Week 77

Not done anything to the tank during the week except for the 2 x dosing routine. I think the Star Grass does not like the reduction.

But I noticed yesterday that the tank looked a little more yellowish that I believe to remember how it looked in the past. This was during high-light time, so I thought that maybe the 5,000K bulbs are at the end of their usefulness. So, this morning I replaced them with 10,000K bulbs that I had since I set up the tank and never used.

What a difference in color of the tank. Soooooo much more blue compared to the green before.

Here it is at full light, with all the 6,700 and 10,000 turned on, compare it to the picture above from last week.

Attached Image:

Week 77



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Post InfoPosted 18-Mar-2007 21:35Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Here is the male Pearl during the water change, a phase in which I only have the midday lights on, meaning the 10,000K as of today:

Attached Image:

Pearl



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Post InfoPosted 18-Mar-2007 21:36Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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And here is a shot of the center of the tank, with the Apistos firting and the Espei looking on.

With regards to plants in the shot, the Star Grass is not doing to well, the Pennywort is doing too well, and the Barteri is still a giant,

Attached Image:

Tank Scene



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Post InfoPosted 18-Mar-2007 21:38Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Last shot for this series, the Pearls and some of the Rainbows during the water change.

I wonder what they are looking at, or what they are thinking (if anything) while looking at me with that camera, LOL.

That's it,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Rainbow Pearls



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Post InfoPosted 18-Mar-2007 21:40Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
mattyboombatty
 
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The color looks a lot more realistic IMO with that 10,000K on there. That's the mix I have on my tank, one 6700 and one 10000. I really like that combination, though I am used to the actinic/10000K that I use on the SW tank. That tank looks white to me, and the planted tank looks a little yellow, but I s'pose that's the way it's supposed to be, right?

Nice clear pics BTW. love the shot of the apistos and espei.



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Post InfoPosted 18-Mar-2007 21:45Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Actually,

Let me add this zoom of the female Pearl from the last shot, it is rare that I get them in such a nice angle. I think she is looking right at me

Ingo

Attached Image:

Female Pearl



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Post InfoPosted 18-Mar-2007 21:46Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Ah Matty,

Only now do I see your input, thank you very much. Yeah, I must have gotten lucky on these shots, or maybe the light made a difference as well. BTW, none of the shots were taken with the zoom lense.

Thanks,

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 18-Mar-2007 21:48Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
tetratech
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Looks good Ingo. Looking at the pic, how 'bout bringing the Blyxa more to the midground, breaking up the fern on the right and putting it where the Blyxa was. Add some wood into the giant Anubias area for constrast. It looks very good as is, just throwing some ideas out there from where I'm sitting. The pic of the tank scene is really nice.

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Post InfoPosted 19-Mar-2007 02:41Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
NowherMan6
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I wonder what they are looking at, or what they are thinking (if anything) while looking at me with that camera, LOL.



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Post InfoPosted 19-Mar-2007 16:00Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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I think she honestly likes me , it is not all about food

Tetratech - I think I have to part at least with some of the Barteri as it has reached its maximum size tolerable for this tank layout. I could certainly convert the tank in an Anubias only tank, but that is not my intention.

Once cut up I think I can see better what and how I can make the island more appealing.

Thanks,

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 19-Mar-2007 17:21Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Weekly Tank Update - Week 78

This weeks update is earlier than usual as I took yesterday off from work so I have enough time to work on the Barteri.

And so I did , for better or worse. I needed the wife to help me with getting the huge plant out, then I trimmed off all bad leaves and cut the sucker up into about 10 pieces.

Here is the tank last night:

Attached Image:

Tank After Trim



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Post InfoPosted 24-Mar-2007 13:21Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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I also trimmed the Star Grass and some of the Alternanthera. In addition, I added some small stems of Hygro back into the tank, they may or may not stay, I don't know yet.

Here is a look at the new Barteri group (as now they are more than one plant I assume it is a group):

Attached Image:

Barteri



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Post InfoPosted 24-Mar-2007 13:23Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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And - because I was done earlier than I expected I decided to stop by the LFS and see if they have something of interest.

This is what I found:

Attached Image:

Cories



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Post InfoPosted 24-Mar-2007 13:24Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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I don't know in which tank I will eventually place them, for now they are of course in the QT.

Maybe I keep them in there for a while (like a few months) or as long as I don't get any other fish for QT.

Attached Image:

Cory I



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Post InfoPosted 24-Mar-2007 13:25Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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These cories have been labeled Corydoras julii - does anyone believe they are of a different species? I know quite a few cories look rather similar, so speak up.

Attached Image:

Cory II



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Post InfoPosted 24-Mar-2007 13:28Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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I saw them in the LFS in a tank further up. Out of the 10 or so that were in there 3 were active and the rest was hanging out in a corner.

I think the sales lady and I managed to get the active ones, but because 3 is not enough I asked for one of the lazy bums as well.

Attached Image:

Cory III



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Post InfoPosted 24-Mar-2007 13:29Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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So - since adding them late yesterday afternoon I mostly see 3 of them perusing the tank, usually as a team (that's what I was going for). But the 4th one is mostly hanging out and only once joined in.

Attached Image:

Cory IV



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Post InfoPosted 24-Mar-2007 13:31Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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EditedEdited by LITTLE_FISH
For most fish I would take this as not so good of a sign, but I will give it a few days to see if he/she perks up.

BTW, I am not referring to any specific fish in any of these pictures, they all still look alike to me, with one exception as one of them has a slightly different dorsal fin marking (can be seen in the pic above where they are in the bag).

Attached Image:

Cory V



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Post InfoPosted 24-Mar-2007 13:33Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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Last but not least,

The only shot so far that I got with more than one of them in the pic and at least half way in focus

I guess the macro lens will not do it for such kind of shots.

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Cory VI



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Post InfoPosted 24-Mar-2007 13:36Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
FRANK
 
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Hi Ingo,
I think I'd be concerned about the "lazy bum" one. They
should be swimming, as a group, all over that new tank
investigating and looking for food. If the one is just
hanging out, I would suspect some illness.

Frank


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Post InfoPosted 24-Mar-2007 16:46Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
LITTLE_FISH
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I think you are right Frank, and I am concerned.

I will give him one more day to "catch up" with the other ones. This morning he is still not swimming, actually he is breathing harder than yesterday.

I am not into treatment, so I may have to take action sooner than I thought.

I should have listened to my instincts in only getting the swimmers, but then I was worried that the FPlers will jump down my throat because I was not getting enough of them.

Ingo


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I was worried that the FPlers will jump down my throat because I was not getting enough of them.


Instead it will be because apparently julii cories don't exist from what I've read, not in the states anyways. I THINK they(the cory people) always say that what you are buying is the trilineatus or something like that. I'm not much of a cory guy though. Do a search on julii cories in the bottom feeders forum and you'll see what I mean.

I like the hacked down version of the anubias barterii. Looks great with the wood poking through again.



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Post InfoPosted 24-Mar-2007 17:45Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
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Ah, here's a link for ya with a little back and forth on the subject. I'm not sure why it's necessary to argue the point. The two species are so nearly identical that dissection would probably be needed to tell two apart. Honestly, those that say they aren't can't be sure they aren't either. It's like a lot of the saltwater coral arguments.



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Post InfoPosted 24-Mar-2007 18:10Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
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They definately look more like C. Trilineatus to me. I have a group of five of them. I like them alot and they are freindly to my panda shoal. They are alot hardier than my pandas also. I think you will enjoy them.
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EditedEdited by LITTLE_FISH
Thanks Matty for the comments on the tank and the info on the Julii. Yeah, I don't care either what Cory mine are, as long as they look nice and don't cost me a fortune.

About 5 min ago I removed the lazy one, he didn't make it. He must have died within the last 2 hours or so as that was the last time I checked on them. He seemed to display some reddish streaks internally on the left side, mid-body, only.

So, down to 3 now, but they are party boys

Ingo

EDIT: Thanks PP as well, must have added your entry while I was typing


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Sorry about the loss, Ingo. I've come to trust my gut whenever selecting a fish for myself or a customer. My mind will notice something I can't point out about the behavior or look of a fish at the store and 9 times out of 10 I'll be pulling it out later in the day. Most of the customers I frequently wait on have come to trust my gut too .



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Thanks Matty,

Yeah - should have trusted my guts as well I guess. I am kind of glad that I trusted them (the guts) when I did NOT buy the male Cac Double Orange that they had in a tank as well. He was at least twice the size of mine (the addict, that is) and would have made an end to the bubble eater in no time.

So, back to the cories, now I am worried whenever I see one just sitting on the substrate as I assume he/she is the next to go. This happened last night, but after feeding I saw all 3 digging for food, good.

Ingo


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EditedEdited by tetratech
I know what you guys mean about the "gut" thing. After a while you just know. I've had mixed success with Corys even though some say they are the easiest to keep. For a while I couldn't keep any alive, but I blamed that on the corrupted eco with all of this word po4 levels. I'm sure for corys that was a nightmare. I did have one live at least 18 months, but even that's not that long. Interesting during the last water change I found 6 otos and 6 amanos. The otos have been in there a really long time.

Just goes to show you everyone's tanks are different for fish and plants.

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I actually was scared of getting Cories a while back as I heard that they should always be added to a settled tank (as they don't show signs of illness that quickly).

Well, this morning the three remaining ones are doing fine, at least that's what it looks like.

I will add a few entries to the 20G QT log with new pictures of the tank.

Ingo


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EditedEdited by TankWatcher
The tank looks good after the trim. Much nicer (not that it the "before" wasn't nice). You've good a good shape going there at the moment.

I like the corys. I have sterbais, but whatever yours are, they are much prettier.

I've had pretty good luck with my sterbais & I hope you do too. I have quite a bunch in mine, but despite what I was told, they don't all hang out together, even though they are all the same breed. They hang out in sub groups & sometimes singularly. As they all look alike, I can't tell if the sub group combination is a constant or if they chop & change.

Sorry for the loss of one poor guy

Cheers
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Thanks Robyn for the compliments on the tank and the fishies. I don't think that sterbais look worse than juliis (false ones, ), they have a very similar appearance.

Ingo


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Nice corys LF They'll be a good addition to your tank.

I've had similar experiences with seeing inactive fish in LFS tanks. But I do applaud you for trying to keep them in a big enough school. Keep an eye out for them whenever you go to the LFS, maybe you can eventually build the school up to 8-10 healthy individuals. Then they'd be in full frat house mode






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Thanks NowherMan6,

Yeah, if the 3 that I have pull through just fine then I may add a few more, time will tell.

Strange thing is, I checked the one of my catalogs (the Dr's) this weekend and saw this fish offered for $8. Given that my LFS (AF) is usually way overpriced, I have to consider that they sold me a "bad" batch, as they charged me only $5 a fish.

Ingo


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Strange thing is, I checked the one of my catalogs (the Dr's) this weekend and saw this fish offered for $8. Given that my LFS (AF) is usually way overpriced, I have to consider that they sold me a "bad" batch, as they charged me only $5 a fish.
Not always the case. Sometimes the deals get passed on. I know thats how its works with my store at times.

Very nice fish by the way. I used to keep corries but its beena while. I never had problems with them. Cute fish. I think I like Loaches better though.

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/sidn1.jpg

55G Planted tank thread
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[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric
Post InfoPosted 29-Mar-2007 18:10Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
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Nah Wings,

Nothing is cheap in that LFS without a reason, and passing on rebates is not a known entity there.

That loach in your link is nice, a Chain Loach? Do you have them (as I assume one would buy a school)?

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 29-Mar-2007 18:46Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Looks like a monkey loach to me. Small, active, and expensive loaches. And yes, I'd get at least a few of them.



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Post InfoPosted 29-Mar-2007 21:35Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
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I do not have them. We have them at my store but I can't really buy anything right now. I graduate in a month and may or may not be moving to who knows where. Someday I would like to have a nice group of them though.

The ones at the store are called Monkey botia's but I think they go by many different common names. Right now I think they are going for about 8 bucks.

Loaches do, do best in groups. Quite social creatures.



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Weekly Tank Update - Week 79

Not much to report about this tank, all thoughts are with the 20QT which seems to have caught an illness, 2 fish dead this week and 2 more suffering (see log).

About this tank here: I cleaned the 2028 filter this weekend, haven't done this in quite a while (at least 2 to 3 months ago was the last time).

Otherwise, I found the 5th Nana Petite (buried under some Pearl Grass) and put it in the 20QT (before I started to panik about the tank).

Here is the tank this weekend,

That's it,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 79



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Weekly Tank Update - Week 80

Just like in the log for the 40G, here is a quick summary of the tank development over time, in this case in 20 week intervals from the start.

Here is the tank after setup:

Attached Image:

Week 0



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20 weeks later, there was quite some growth, wood had been added, rocks had been moved, plants had been moved, algae had come and gone and come again, in short - one may call this the Dark Ages of this tank

Attached Image:

Week 20



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By week 40, the Dark Ages became very dark, the tank was in its least organized stage. Things were going ok, but nothing great was happening. I believe that at least 3 Ingo-Style makeovers had happend at that stage already.

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Week 40



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By week 60, the tank had reached its current layout, I can't believe it was that long ago that I had the last make-over. I would like you to look at the Narrow Leaf Java Fern and then compare it with the next shot after this one.

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Week 60



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Now here is a shot from this weekend, week 80.

As you can see, the few strands of Fern have turned into a solid bush, even after I trimmed quite a few pieces off to propagate in the 40 and 29 (and trade at the NJAGC).

The Barteri also had to be trimmed (last week) and cut into various pieces, only now do I notice that the group is actually wider than it was before. Also, I notice that the tall Alternanthera stems could use a trim.

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Tank Now



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Here are a few detail shots of the tank, not too many, I promise:

Beginning with the Blyxa - This plant is a blessing and a monster at the same time. It looks very nice as a group, if it stays down. My gravel substrate is not very good for holding the plants down, and every week I have to stick about 10 to 15 of them back into the ground. There is almost never a day when I don't have to do this.

Attached Image:

Blyxa



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Here is a look at the center of the center. The Star Grass is not doing too great, although this doesn't show itself too well in the pictures.

You may note the re-occurance of Hygro, I saved some from the 20G when I redid that tank and planted it back into this one (where it originally came from). I know I cannot really maintain this plant in here as it is too close in shape (and color) to the Fern.

Attached Image:

Center



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EditedEdited by LITTLE_FISH
The fern in itself has become the main hang-out place for the Espei, or the area around it to be more percise. At nighttime I see some Rainbows and a Pearl "sleeping" amongst the leaves, seems like the fish appreciate its protecive nature.

It is due for a trim though.

Attached Image:

Fern



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EditedEdited by LITTLE_FISH

PLEASE LOOK AT THE PREVIOUS PAGE FOR FULL TANK SHOTS OVER THE LAST 80 WEEKS AND MORE DETAIL SHOTS

Here is a look at my diffuser, based on a comment I made in tetratech's log. As I noted there, last week I gave it the first bleach bath in quite a few months. I haven't had the plate this shiny in a looooooong time.


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Diffuser



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The last shot for now shows you the most colorful of the fish in the tank, the male Apisto. He is swimming on the left side of the tank where I have the most intense bubble collection from the diffuser. All bubbles in this shot are CO2 as it has been taken before the water change and I only see O bubbles right after the water change (with the exception of the NL Fern that bubbles in the evening).

That's it for now,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Apisto in CO2



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The tank looks very good. Are you planning any changes soon?

Beginning with the Blyxa - This plant is a blessing and a monster at the same time. It looks very nice as a group, if it stays down


Very jealous of your Blyxa even if it does float up. This is one of those plants that simply doesn't grow in my tank. I think it actually looked better under my previous lighting system 2x96 instead of 4 x 65.

Stargrass - Didn't you say you were dosing less these days, I think that will show in stargrass very quickly.

Diffusor - I'm gonna start trying your excel idea I always forget at water change. Are you lighting the end of tubing to secure it to the diffusor? What's with the rubberband?

Is there any algae issues at all these days.



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I was going to ask about the algae too, but I assume we'd hear about it, so I would guess things are going well.

Nice little recap LF. It's always interesting to go back and look at how you got here. That fern definitely does need trimming. I guess I would say I liked the compactness more around week 60 than 80. This week just didn't look much like and island anymore. I dunno where you are going with it though.

I was looking back to the beginning of my 50G. Oh, you guys were so very against the fishless cycle, especially bensaf. It worked out really well IMO. I never saw any real amounts of algae.



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Didn't you say you were dosing less these days, I think that will show in stargrass very quickly

I have thought about that, as around the time when I reduced to two doses per week the decline started. But I think I can handle the tank without it, if need be.

Are you lighting the end of tubing to secure it to the diffusor? What's with the rubberband?

That is only to hold the hose in place, and the rubberband is to attach the not-so-well fitting Air Tube suction cup to the diffuser, it previously always fell off.

Is there any algae issues at all these days

None in particular, there is a little hair stuff on the wood and old anubias leaves, once in a while a little BBA (spot treatment once kills it right off), and some green spot on the glass.

It worked out really well IMO

- Good for you. Oh wait, is that the tank where loads of the fish died?

Ingo


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Yeah, loads of fish died...during a prolonged interval starting more than a month after I put them in the tank. I'd think they would have died sooner if they had a problem with the cycle.



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i know this is a thread for people unlike me but i have to say i wish my plant was as nice as all of yours! ive been having trouble starting with my plants any ways goood job with the aquarium!!!!!

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i know this is a thread for people unlike me



No platy boy, this is a thread for everybody. If you read through the massive amount of info in the last 130 pages you will see quite a few sections where this tank and its plants didn't do all that well (based on my impact, while learning).

Anyway - All,

Sorry for not posting in a while, I had replaced the viewing of my tanks with a more Amano like landscape as can be seen below. Tank updates will follow sometime later

Ingo

Attached Image:

Iwagumawuma



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Weekly Tank Update - Week 82

There was no update last weekend as I went on vacation (see above). Just like with the 40G, I did not do a water change this weekend either as I will do one later in the week to prepare for the next Club meeting at my place the coming Saturday.

Seems like all fish are well, but when I came home there were maybe 20 Blyxa stems floating around the tank. They sure stick lousy in gravel

Here is the tank this weekend (after putting all the Blyxa back in),

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 82



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I came home from work today ad half mine had come up. I dunno what's up with that. They just don't seem to root at all. Mine are turning a bit red, so they may be worth it in the end.

The tank is looking very healthy, very nice.



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i would just like to say your tank looks awesome and tommorrow on my day off im gonna have a look throughthe whole thread from start to finish to see how it all came about!
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fandan,

Thanks a lot, I appreciate it. I noticed that for whatever reason there seem to be some images missing around page 50 or so, but the text is all there (with some minor issues in the beginning as it was written in our old site and certain characters did not carry over into the new one).

Take you time with reading all of this, and enjoy the lighter notes of the Plant Crazies ().


Matty,

As I mentioned in the 40G log, the red also seem to mean less vertical growth. I am not so sure if I like it that much, it almost looks stunted

Ingo


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I have only had my blyxa for a couple of weeks now. I reallyl havenet had any floating issues.

Do you happen to have any close ups of how this spreads? Does it just get bushy?

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19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric
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Hope your holiday was fun

I've been lucky too, with non floating blyxa. LF, this tank doesn't have Eco Complete, does it? Do you have the same issue in 40G breeder, which I think does have the Eco?

Cheers
TW
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No Wings, I don't have a close-up right now. My Blyxa spreads by growing multiple stems (branches) on one base stem. These stems have no roots, of course, and when one of the bigger ones comes out then replanting it often means that the branch breaks off. So - on I go and replant the two sections seperately, which causes the float (mostly).

Robyn, to my regret, this tank has plain gravel (with Laterite in bottom part) and not EC. But that is more for looks than the Blyxa. It does not do too well in my 40G either anymore and I believe this started with my light changes there. Some is floating up while others don't grow as fast as they used to. What can I say, Blyxa does not seem to be my fortune, or I have to use the weights on each stem in the future (and I have about 20 to 30 stems in this tank).

Ingo


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Thanks for the blyxa info LF. Right after saying that I haven't had any float ups... I saw one in my tank this morning. It can stay there until I do my water change....

So far it hasn't been too bad for me. I got most of the blyxa with a good set of roots. It think that helps matters.

BTW!
I have new pictures!!!!

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Weekly Tank Update - Week 83

Not too much to report about this tank, the blyxa keeps on floating up and all attempts to settle it conclude in smaller and smaller stems.

I told the gang at yesterday's NJAGC meeting that I begin to be bored with the tank layout, I think nothing much has changed in about 6 months now, like 27 weeks straight with the same concept. Maybe it is time for a change soon.

Here is the tank,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 83



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EditedEdited by mattyboombatty
I told the gang at yesterday's NJAGC meeting that I begin to be bored with the tank layout, I think nothing much has changed in about 6 months now, like 27 weeks straight with the same concept. Maybe it is time for a change soon.



I was wondering when the next LF tank makeover challenge would take place. I really like the current layout, but as always, I can't wait for the new one!



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Post InfoPosted 30-Apr-2007 04:13Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
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Maybe it is time for a change soon.
How about adding some rock work and a different forground plant?

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How about adding some rock work and a different forground plant?


That would not be a makeover that is worthy the "Ingo-Style" classification

It will be a while until I have a solid vision on what to do, so far I only have a concept for maybe a 3rd of the tank.

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 30-Apr-2007 18:23Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Actually...
I vote for another tank, and leave these the way they are.


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Maybe something small...

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I told the gang at yesterday's NJAGC meeting that I begin to be bored with the tank layout, I think nothing much has changed in about 6 months now, like 27 weeks straight with the same concept. Maybe it is time for a change soon.


It's about time!

I think start out by removing the black background. That's very 1990's Amano, it's time to go 2000's Amano style


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Hi Ingo, I just recently picked up your thread and I thank that your tank looks GREAT! I like the idea of a change, but I like it just how it is. (But I'm not the one who has to look at it everyday )
As for me, I dream my tank up, put all the plants in there, and let it grow, grow, grow (at least I hope they do!)

Great job and keep up the GREAT work!


~Morgan~
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I think start out by removing the black background. That's very 1990's Amano, it's time to go 2000's Amano style
What is 2000 Amano? White?

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EditedEdited by LITTLE_FISH


Haha, I guess all I have to do is to threaten another Ingo-Style redo to get some entries and life back into this log.

NowherMan6 - yeah, what is 2000 Amano? White, no background, rimless, or what?

MoFish - Thanks for the input, I always appreciate comments from people as it shows me who is actually still looking at my tank logs (and who is new to them). I am basically doing the same then you do, think up my layout and the let it grow.

Wings and Frank - I don't think small changes will keep me occupied for long . I will perform some changes this weekend though, most certainly I will dump almost all of the Blyxa and add some of the Ferns from the 40G in that spot.

Actually, changing the background of the tank is easy enough, all I would need is some new cardboard in another color. Maybe I will do this some time soon as well.

Thanks to all so far,

Ingo

EDIT: Did you guys see that I added new entries to the 20 and 29 log last weekend? I guess the info there doesn't interest you at all


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most certainly I will dump almost all of the Blyxa
Want to mail me some???

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Wings,

Trust me, you would not be happy with the package. I pretty much lost any root system these plants ever had, the constant replanting caused serious damage to the stems. Over time, these plants have gotten smaller and smaller on me instead of growing. I believe that even the strongest and tallest of them right now are maybe half the size they were when I got them a few months back.

Packing this stuff and sending it to you would be a waste of my time and your money for shipping (I would not charge you for the plants anyway).

Ingo


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Ok. No problem. Thanks for being up front about it.

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I am so up front that I even tell you that I would not dare to swap these plants at our NJAGC meetings, that how sad they are

I say - Out in the garbage with them

Ingo


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Pretty sad I must say. I guess I will have to try and talk to my other guy.

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Weekly Tank Update - Week 84

This week saw a continuation of the Blyxa floating contest, I said enough alright!!!

So, this weekend, after a half-major redo of the 40G (report will follow in a few min), I took all Blyxa out and placed some narrow leaf Java Fern on a piece of wood and filled that space (btw, the fern on the right, it turns out, is not narrow leaf but needle leaf). On top of it, the redo of the 40G also allowed me to add some Anubias Nana in front of the fern and all the way to the right of the tank.

I am most astonished how little was needed to remove the entire Island Effect.

Here you go:

Attached Image:

Week 84



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Here is a closer look at the new Fern group. It did actually not take long until the Espei decided that this is an excellent spawning spot. But I think I have seen them eat the eggs.

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Fern



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And because all is so pretty, here is, for the maybe 20th time since introduced, the male Apisto viejita II, as colorful as usual, LOL.

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Apisto



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And - at least as often as I have shown you something like the viejita did I show you something like this, a flowering Nana.

But I found this one very nice, as the background is better than green or black.

That's it for this tank, now on to a smoke and then the 40G.

Oh, and look at the 20G log for new Cories in the QT, if you haven't done so already.

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Nana Flower



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I am most astonished how little was needed to remove the entire Island Effect.


I personally think it looks even better. My suggestion for what it's worth, add some large size rocks right in front of where the anubias meets the new fern group on the left and maybe one large rock somewhere on the right. This will break up all the green created by the wisteria carpet and add additional depth to the tank. Looks good!

My Scapes
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~I am with Tetra with the rocks idea. You seem to have a lot of green!

~I also like the looks of the tank now better than before.

~It would probably look a little better if you grouped your Reds a little tighter.

~How often are you getting Anubias flowers? My nana is starting to pump them out fairly often now. It is at its 3rd one in the past couple of months. Once they open up they really don't seem to last long in this tank. Maybe a couple of days at most then they close back up.



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The higher the tech the shorter the lifespan of an Anubias flower, at least in my experience. Makes sense anyway as all plants grow faster.

Yeah, I am not so certain that I understand the rock positions. Also, I don't think this is a long-term solution in the first place. I didn't even intend to "modify" the tank, all I wanted was to throw out the darn floating Blyxa and save some of the Fern

Ingo


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EditedEdited by MoFish
I like the change Ingo; it looks nice more "spread out". I am also with Tetratech with some rocks. Me personally, I like having big rocks that get bordered by some plants, but tetra's idea sounds better for your tank than mine, it seems too drastic. But then again, that's just up your alley, isn't it?
I am going to go out on a limb here, but I think you should keep the tank just how it is, it looks great...but from what I gather from the people here, it is going to change MUCH more than that!


~Morgan~
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Morgan,

I gather that you know about MTS, and redoing my tanks is fighting this habbit. I already have 4 tanks and under moderate conditions they occupy me more than I like. But once in a while I get the crazy idea to add another tank, but eventually I come to my senses (ok, so maybe I add some day a nano).

But when things go well, the maintenance and worries go down and then I get bored. The same is true for a setup where the final version has been reached and all that is left is trimming it back into shape each week. And all that while there are soooooo many nice setups that one can try.

As you can see, I am trying to convince myself that these redos are good , hope it works (so far it did),

Ingo


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EditedEdited by tetratech
Ingo,

I just got through looking at the sixth meeting of the NJAGC. Whoever put that little summary together on the website did a really nice job. Wonder if nowher was in attendance

I have to say the 40G was more impressive to me in those pics for some reason. I like the transition shot, but I think it's in reverse. The plants didn't grow since the last meeting, they got scalped.

Anyway good stuff!

My Scapes
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Thanks tetratech for the input,

Yeah - Joe is doing a great job on taking the pictures during the meetings and then throwing together a humorous little story about the event. And he makes the HTML tables too

I can't tell you if NowherMan6 was in attendance, he is always incognito,

The meetings are always a lot of fun and it for sure is worthwhile to join the club if you live in the area. Next meeting will be this Saturday (already) and I will trade in some of my Java Ferns (narrow and needle) that I had left over from the 40G trim (scalping, ).

Ingo


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I can't tell you if NowherMan6 was in attendance, he is always incognito
He must be the guy in the mask...

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Wow, it looks a lot different, even though not much has changed. I also like it this way. Very cool, have fun at the club meeting. I wish we had a good club 'round these parts.



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Yeah Matty,

I was actually shocked how different it looks now. I could not have imagined that the simple addition of the fern and a few Anubias will completely alter the appearance. It gives me new ideas on what I can do with the tank without having to go the Ingo-Style Redo route, although - the 2 year anniversary of the tank will be in September and what would be better than to start all over

Ingo


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I can't tell you if NowherMan6 was in attendance, he is always incognito,

The meetings are always a lot of fun and it for sure is worthwhile to join the club if you live in the area. Next meeting will be this Saturday (already) and I will trade in some of my Java Ferns (narrow and needle) that I had left over from the 40G trim


First of all, I put my picture up on the NJAGC site, now the whole world can see my ugly mug.

Second, if I knew you were giving away some of your NL ferns this weekend I wouldn't have booked this trip to Michigan!


Back in the saddle!
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now the whole world can see my ugly mug.



I don't think so, albeit I haven't tested it, I think you have to be a member to see the member listing (and the forums anyway, or not?)

Anyway, NowherMan6, what are you after, my narrow leaf (on left in this tank now) or my needle leaf (on the right)? The latter I can have you pick up during this coming week, the former may have to wait a little. If you could make certain that you will pick some up then I could withhold either or from the swap (or bring in less).

Ingo


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I wouldn't have booked this trip to Michigan!
Where at in MI? You are now on my grounds!!

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Weekly Tank Update - Week 85

Well, the tank is showing a few minor, and maybe one major change this weekend, maybe you can spot some of them in the full tank shot, otherwise I will make mention in the detail pictures:

Attached Image:

Full Tank - Week 85



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Here is a close look at the major change:

Besides the trimming of the Star Grass, and the replanting of some of the Alternanthera stems, I added about 12 stems of Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata 'Cuba' - formerly known as Ludwigia sp. 'Cuba'. The tops of most of the stems seem to have recently received not enough light, the leaves are to broad and short and green. I will see how the plant does in my tank.

To support the growth I added 3 plant sticks in the center area.

Attached Image:

New Center



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That last shot was taken pretty much as soon as planting was completed, btw - for a change this plant was not a trade but a purchase.

Here is a wider and better look at the main part of the tank, a day later.

Attached Image:

Center



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EditedEdited by LITTLE_FISH
Here is a look at the left side of the tank, the change there is that I added even more of the narrow leaf java fern to make the group deeper.

Also, on the way left in front of the diffuser is a crypt (only one leaf visible in the shot, sorry), don't remember its name, that I got two NJAGC meetings back and had hidden underneath the Anubias forest.

Attached Image:

Left Tank Part



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Here is a look at the right side of the tank, the main fish hangout area as you can see

Changes here include the stripping of the needle leaf java fern babies of the leaves, and the move of the Hygro out from the center all the way to the right.

Attached Image:

Right Tank Part



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Here are a few detail shots, first up is one of the Otos. If I am not mistaken the 6 survived the initiation about a year and a half ago and it seems like at least some of them are still around. Of course it is impossible to find all of them at once in this tank.

Attached Image:

Oto



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Here is a close-up of the new Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata 'Cuba'. This stem has maintained the leaf structure all the way to the top, but overall I think the plant will hopefully be a little more pinkish/reddish on top.

Attached Image:

Cuba



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Here is a lone Espei in front of the right group, I think it is a female. Just check her body color, it is of an orange with a yellow tint rather than a red tint that the males have.

Attached Image:

Espei



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Lastly, for now, here is a shot of the daytime hangout spot for quite a few of the Espei, in the leaves of the Needle Leaf Java Fern. The give a nice contrast to the green leaves.

That's it for now, I have to add hundreds (ok, maybe 20) pictures to the 40G now as something bad happened there during the week.

Also, check the 20G and 29G logs for updates,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Peek-A-Boo



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Post InfoPosted 14-May-2007 00:17Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
MoFish
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Nice work, I like it a lot - more spread out and a "lush" look to it. Initially the first thing I noticed is the redish/pinkish plants seemed closer together. Don't know if you changed this or not, but that's what I saw (it was probablly because I haven't checked the log in a while and I didn't remember the last layout.

I still am surprised, though, that you haven't done a major redo yet. I'll bet that the "regulars" are all on their toes waiting for the big change.


~Morgan~
Post InfoPosted 14-May-2007 00:25Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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I still am surprised, though, that you haven't done a major redo yet. I'll bet that the "regulars" are all on their toes waiting for the big change.


Morgan,

You sure seem to know me well by now

The red plants have been moved together, that is correct. They are Alternanthera reineckii, I have one in my 29G low tech as well as an experiment.

And about a redo "Ingo-Style" - I don't want to promise too much, but something may be coming up in a while, maybe not as major as a complete strip down. As you can see, I went out and actually bought a new plant species, something I haven't done in a while. That is a sign that I am "experimenting" and of things to come.

Thanks for the entry,

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 14-May-2007 00:47Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
mattyboombatty
 
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Cool pics LF, I'm interested in seeing how that ludwiggia does, and if the plant sticks help. I've thought about using some in the area I keep my red plants. I'm not real thrilled with how the eco complete supports the plant growth compared to flourite I've decided.



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Post InfoPosted 14-May-2007 03:50Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
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I'm not real thrilled with how the eco complete supports the plant growth compared to flourite I've decided.

You know, I never had Flourite, but I think I can say the same for Gravel with a layer of Laterite. I don't know why, my only current assumption is the high density of the substrate and the struggles for roots to push their way through them. Just thinking out loud,

Ingo


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I haven't ever tried Eco but I really do like my flourite. Other than the initial set up with it.... Rinse rinse rinse... rinse the flourite.... rinse the flourite....

Opps, didn't rinse it enough and I had chocolate milk for a week!

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Post InfoPosted 15-May-2007 13:58Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
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Yeah Wings, that and the color of Flourite are the reasons why I will not add it to my tanks. As a matter of fact, I am currently debating (with myself, that is) what substrate would be the best for the 125G if I wish to make it more "show" like.

Seems like there are only 3 options:

- Eco
- ADA Substrate
- Black small Gravel with Laterite

Ingo


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So you don't like the color of Flourite? I think it looks pretty nice. You really don't see it much once the tank is filled in anyways.

The bucket method of rinsing it is for the birds but you can put it in a fine mesh net and rinse it with ease with much better results.

Have you looking into this?
http://www.seachem.com/products/product_pages/Onyx%20Sand.html

You have a pretty low PH/KH right? This might help with that as it's full of calcium.

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[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric
Post InfoPosted 15-May-2007 17:07Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
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hmmm, seems like eco is falling out of favour with some of the planted gang now. Wish I hadn't rushed in & bought it already. Agree with LF about Flourite - both the need for rinsing and the colour. Many people like the colour, but I am stubborn for black and can't imagine another colour substrate creeping into any of my tanks.



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Weekly Tank Update - Week 86

Not much has happened with this tank either during the last week, except that I added a few plants in temporary positions. I will mention them a little later on.

To compare, here is a shot from last week again:

Attached Image:

7 Days Ago



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And here is the tank last night.

I wish to point your attention to the group of Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata 'Cuba' in the center of the tank that was planted a week ago. Do you notice the growth. I have to say that it surprised me quite a bit.

Attached Image:

Tank This Weekend



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Here is a closer look at the tank's center area showing you the Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata 'Cuba' stems. Notice that some of them did not grow by as much as others did. Also, there is some Star Grass between this group and the Alternanthera, but this one is not doing too well and quickly falling out of my favor.

Attached Image:

Center



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Here is a shot from the top of the tank looking down onto the Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata 'Cuba'. The tall stems all show signs of having been at least half way grown emersed, the leaf shape is oval and much greener. As such I conclude that this is the reason why they grow faster.

Attached Image:

Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata 'Cuba'



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Here is a shot of another addition to the tank, made on Wednesday, called Hydrocotyle verticillata , the pennywort that grows flat ().

I put it for the time being in small groups mostly on the left side of the tank, I will eventually - if it does well - place it as a midground highligh group somewhere.

Attached Image:

Hydrocotyle verticillata



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Here is another plant that I added, but sadly it was in an aweful state when I got it, Pogostemon stellatus'broad'. It pretty much lost all leaves in the transport, but I decided to plant the 5 stems anyway. It appears as if at least 3 of them may be able to recover.

In the background in this shot, barely visible, is another addition. This one seemed to have been grown all emersed and I don't know if it will transition ok, Lobelia cardinalis 'sm form'. We will see ...

Attached Image:

Additions



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Last but not least, a shot of 4 of my 5 Neon Dwarf Rainbows. These guys have been a stable entertainer in this tank for quite a while now, I am glad I got them.

That's it for now,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Rainbows



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Hi,
Beautiful tank...
Re, the discussion about Flourite. In reading the July
issue of Aquarium Fish International Magazine,
Seachem has an ad for Flourite and it now comes in black
dark red, the customary red, and black sand.
So, they have listened to their consumers.

Frank


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Post InfoPosted 21-May-2007 02:25Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Thanks Frank for the compliment on the tank and in particular also for the info on the Flourite. I will have to check that out!

And I see that my two year membership bar has appeared, excellent. Happy Anniversary to myself

Now I will soon have to extend my premie, right tetratech?

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 21-May-2007 02:54Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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LF, i find it interesting that to my eyes your tank seems to be coming full circle. It's become very reminiscent of the tank when first set-up and grown in. The current java fern group spreading left reminds me of the Apon group that used to be there.


Back in the saddle!
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EditedEdited by Dr. Bonke
The tank is looking very good Ingo, I think I like it better than the island you had for a long time. The hydrocotyle is a cute plant, I had it for a while when I first set up my tank, but in the light setting I had at the time it didn't do very well and got quickly covered in algae. I hope it'll work better in your hands.
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Thanks guys for the input

NowherMan6 - Yeah, seems like the tank has come full circle, at least from the distance. Upon close inspection, the plants are not the same (like the Apon that constantly shot out flower stems to the surface and eventually didn't grow any new underwater leaves) and in particular the algae is not the same, as in "I don't have a major problem right now."

But nevertheless, full circle it is, as such it will be time for a change soon

Dr. - Thanks for stopping in, doesn't happen too often that you place your comment in my log(s). How was your light when you had the hydrocotyle and it didn't do well? Too low, too high, or plain wrong?

And how is your tank coming along?

Thanks again,

Ingo


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Dr. Bonke
 
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Hey Ingo,

I haven't been posting much at all in the last few months, and with an upcoming month-long vacation I probably won't be posting much in the near future either. I don't have terribly much time these days for internet and reading these forums and a couple of other things is often just what I manage. As you guys are in general well on top of things with good and helpful replies, I generally have been nodding to myself and moved on to the next thread without taking time to write something if I didn't feel that I could add something more useful. Recently, I figured that this atitude may not be the best way to keep people here since the place will seem "empty" without many people posting, so I'm going to try and change that a little (with the exception of my one-month America tour next month ).

Anyway, back when I still had some hydrocotyle I had only 72 watts of light (with reflectors) over my 65g tank. So it was a fairly low light setup, I also didn't really fertilize and didn't have CO2. All in all quite different from the way you're running your tank, so I expect you'll have a better experience with it.

Currently my tank is going fairly steady, there haven't been many changes since I last wrote something in the log. Some of the fish are getting old and start to show it, like for example the rummynose tetras, which have been there for 2½ years now and slowly they are starting to die off. My plan is that after the summer vacation I will transfer all the fish to the smaller tank where I used to have the angels (I brought those to the LFS three weeks ago and gave that a thorough cleaning) and then empty the big tank for a remake, since it's really starting to show its age. My wife has become obsessed with Discus fish and I think I'll remake it in such a way that it'll have a good look for the big fish. Still many plants, but less like the Dutch way. I still have to think on it. I'll probably write down the progress once I get to that point.

Post InfoPosted 22-May-2007 15:49Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Hey Ingo,

I like your tank. I hope you don't mind, but there is no way I am reading over 300 pages! Hygrophila difformis as a foreground plant is something you don't see every day! Your Ludwigia cuba doesn't have any color to it. Its all green! I am suprised you are not going with HC as a foreground like so many other people now. If you ar a member of the New Jersey Plant club, I'm surprised you don't hang out at APC... or do you?

Nice job on the tank.

Best regards

Robert Hudson
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Thanks for the input guys

Dr. - I can't wait for the display of your new not-so-Dutch layout. I also will follow the Discuss development in your tank with great interest, not because I want to have some myself but because it will dramatically change your tank-involvement. I would assume that way more maintenance, aka water changes, will be required, plus all the feeding of goodies, like beef hearts and stuff.

Robert - Thank you so much for your compliments and input on the tank. Here are a few comments with regards to your statements:
- The Cuba is still new in the tank and has been grown at least partially emersed when I got it. It is starting by now to show some changes in leaf structure and color, I will try to post better pictures here once the change has become significant enough to notice in a photo. In the meantime, I am sure I will have to trim the group at least once, the fist stems are almost breaking the surface by now.
- I wish I could take credit for the Wisteria foreground idea, but it was tetratech (a member here and at APC, if I am not mistaken) who showed me the way. I more or less copied him with this approach.
- When I created the current design of the tank I needed fast growers to help me settle in asap. The wisteria foreground was introduced for that purpose. HC, albeit an awesome plant, would have taken way too long to fill that huge area, not to mention that I have my doubts it would have done well in my gravel substrate. Once I switch over to a finer substrate (maybe someday) I may give it a shot, although it is barely growing in my 40G high tech (another 300 page log, ).
- When you say New Jersey Plant Club, do you mean the NJAGC, the newer club founded in October last year by Jay L. and Mike F.? yes, I am a member of that one, actually I am a core member.
- I think I am a member of APC, and you are no stranger to me. I usually don't post there though, only rarely and not in a long time do I actively participate. I have a tight association of my progress in planted tanks with an awesome group of people on this site here (some of which are not on this often anymore ) so I did not see the need to involve even more people in telling me what I should do with my tank instead, . Actually, the main reason for a lack of participation at APC is time. As a member of the NJAGC (see link in my signature) and this site I spend more time than my family likes me to on this hobby.

Again, thank you so much for your input,

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 24-May-2007 14:41Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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EditedEdited by tetratech
Boy Ingo, you get Drs, Owners (Aquatic plant dealers) and Sith Lords to visit your log. How do you do it?

Well my log has no pics in it anymore

My Scapes
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EditedEdited by LITTLE_FISH
How do you do it?

I have no idea, maybe my humble way of communication () is the key.

Anyway, come on tetratech, shell out the twenty bucks and become a premium again, for the sake of all the Sith Lords that would like to see the pictures. In my opinion, your tank looks better than mine, and I think quite a few people share this opinion with me

Ingo


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In my opinion, your tank looks better than mine, and I think quite a few people share this opinion with me
In my opinion... I think both tanks are very nice in their own way. Tetra's is just more flashy.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric
Post InfoPosted 25-May-2007 14:38Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
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Anyway, come on tetratech, shell out the twenty bucks and become a premium again, for the sake of all the Sith Lords that would like to see the pictures


I'm not sure why they remove all your historic pics from your log when your premie runs out. Isn't that taking away from other members enjoyment and education. Unless can it be true, they really are sith lords

My Scapes
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hi ingo -

not logging on much at the mo, but yours is always the first thread i check! i just love this tank - the lush, verdant quality, the fish selecion, everything - i just hope you get the time every now and again to just sit down in front of it and enjoy it!! my tanks are all doing well, planning on a major redesign of the 6footer in a couple of weeks... if i can get round to it!!!

anyways, it's gorgeous. hats off to you.

justin
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Boy Ingo, you get Drs, Owners (Aquatic plant dealers) and Sith Lords to visit your log. How do you do it?


And the occassional itinerant Irishman

Being busy as a one legged man at a butt kicking contest.

Only get to write this cos I have a 5 hr layover in Dubai and they have wi-fi in the smoking lounge

Tank looks great. The bigger groups of a smaller amount of soecies works much better.


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Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.
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Well, this is the big praise page, Robert Hudson was here, Justin popped in, the regular gang says its nice, and even the Great Bensaf popps in from an airport and tells me it looks good!

Well, toooooooooo late!!!

It was time for a makeover, Ingo-Style. I guess I am not happy once all is done and a tank runs itself more or less. I need panick, messes, algae, all the good stuff

So - here is the tank yesterday in the morning (this is not a weekly update):

Attached Image:

In the morning



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Post InfoPosted 27-May-2007 14:09Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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All started with the preparation of buckets filled with tank water for the various sized plants, actually I eventually needed another one of these big round red ones.

Attached Image:

The Buckets



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Post InfoPosted 27-May-2007 14:11Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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The it was time to remove the plants and place them in the buckets, one for tall stems, one for the wisteria, one for the Anubias, one for the small plants like the crypts, pearl grass etc., and one for the ferns.

Here is the tank with only the ferns left:

Attached Image:

Almost empty



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Post InfoPosted 27-May-2007 14:12Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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The it was all empty, it is probably not too hard to identify all the gunk in the water.

BTW, I found 5 of the 6 Otos that I added almost 2 years ago, I don't know what happened to the 6th.

Attached Image:

Yuk



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Here is a shot after a 50% water change. It is getting quite a bit clearer in the tank, but still not as good as I would like it to be.

Attached Image:

After First Water Change



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Post InfoPosted 27-May-2007 14:15Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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So I removed even more water, I would guess overall about 70% had been removed by both changes together. Of course I vacuumed the gravel at both, quite some gunk in there.

Attached Image:

Getting ready to replant



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Next, the hardscape was put in place, including the big wood with plants attached to it. I think I will call the new layout "Down by the old tree"

Attached Image:

Hardscape



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Post InfoPosted 27-May-2007 14:19Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Then the tank was refilled and all middle and background plants were placed back into the tank. I was contemplating leaving it like that, but decided that I need some fast growers to stabilze.

Attached Image:

With mid and background plants



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Post InfoPosted 27-May-2007 14:21Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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And here is the full tank, sorry about the bad quality and about the bad color, only the 6,700 Ks were on at this time of the day and I was too tired to turn the other ones back on.

Overall, it all took 12 hours. Some tweaking will still be required, but that's what it's all about anyway

Ingo

Attached Image:

All Done



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LF,

Nice "Thing"!



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Post InfoPosted 27-May-2007 15:01Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
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Well, i like the new look - but I also like the old look too. You have too much energy for me LF. I long for a tank that I'm happy with and only have to "tweak" here & there with minor changes. I hope to reach that stage when I (finally) have the new tank up & running. But you were / are there already, with your beautiful tanks.

Still, all your changes make for an interesting log & a good read. Looking forward to seeing what your "tweaking" brings about - but it's very nice as it is.

Cheers
TW
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Nice "Thing"!



Revenge is sweet Wings, isn't it

But, as future pictures will show more clearly, this "Thing" has waaaaay more character.

Robyn, just wait until you are all done with one of your tanks, you will see/feel what I am talking about
I believe even tetratech is in sink with me here

Ingo


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Yeah, I see that's how it is for you & tetratech.

I think the new layout gives added length to the tank. I think your tank now looks longer than in some previous layouts.

Anyway, looking forward to seeing it growing in.

Cheers
TW
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Looks great LF . My only complaint is that all the other driftwood pieces are aimed straight at the front of the tank and parallel to each other. It doesn't look quite natural that way. This might be included in your plans for tweaking though.



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Post InfoPosted 28-May-2007 08:03Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
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Ingo , I'll give you this you have lots of courage as well as energy . Love the look especially the bare gravel in front of the driftwood , looks like a river with the rock border.Just in the process of setting up my 6fter and as always you give me inspiration .
Thanks
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EditedEdited by LITTLE_FISH
Thanks Robyn, Matty, and Garry

- I am with you Robyn, I also think the tank looks longer now. I attribute this to the smaller groups of plants, in particular the needle leaf fern and the Anubias group have been reduced and spread out some more. I am also looking forward to the growing in process.

- Matty, you are sooo right, the sticks are too straight and yes, I tried to tweak this a little, but so far not to my satisfaction.

- Garry, thanks for the input, always glad when my tank helps to inspire others with their tank, even if it would be only for identification on "what not to do" . You certainly identified the river theme very well, I may use a different substrate for that area once all has settled a little (sand comes to mind).

Weekly update will follow shortly,

Thanks again,

Ingo


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Weekly Tank Update - Week 87

Well, it has been well documented in the previous posts that this week was again another big week for the tank, a major Ingo-Style redo was performed. Nothing was wrong with the tank as it was before, I just thought about changing things around "a little"

To start off, here is a shot from yesterday in the morning, just after lights on:

Attached Image:

In the morning



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Well here's my 2.5 cents,

I think the main wood is too centered and it's hard to work the thinner longer pieces in to the setup. I like the plant groupings and it will look better once grown in. Sorry 'but there's no way that anubias works as a corner plant in your tank. Please move it or I'll have to photoshop it out and renew my membership to post the new pic.

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And here is a shot from around 8 PM the same day. For one thing, I have done some minor tweakings here and there, mostly by adding some accessory plants and by leaning the sticks a little to one or the other side.

What you may notice is the different color of the photo, somewhat more brown. This would be because of extreme tannins release into the water column. The wood had been soaked for two weeks, but I guess that was not long enough. I may throw in an extra water change or two per week in the beginning. The fish don't mind it though, the Espei are extra busy . I am more concerned about the lack of light penetration.

Attached Image:

At night



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I will ignore tetratech's input for the time being and get back to it once I am done with the update.

So - let's walk through the tank from left to right.

The left is still a little unorganized, but time (and more tweaking) will change that.

Attached Image:

Tank Left Side



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Here is the center. The spot where the Espei is in front of the black hole marks the true focal point of the tank, not the big chunk of wood. Once the wood is more planted one will notice the hole even more. I tried rather hard to get a good shot of that area, but the camera settings either make the hole black or all other areas really bright. I guess I should try the flash.

Attached Image:

Middle



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The right side of the tank is probably the currently most successful section of the tank, maybe because it hasn't changed all that much. I reduced the needle leaf java fern group by about half, it was really taking over there in the old layout.

Attached Image:

Right side



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Here is a closer look at the two main stem plant groups in that section, the Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata 'Cuba' and the Alternanthera Reineckii. Once the cuba has grown some more the stick will not be such a focal point anymore. We will see ...

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Stems



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When you look at that group from an angle (downwards) you can already imagine the lesser importance of the stick. The tops of the cuba grow by now much tighter nodes and I assume it is becoming a fully aquatic growth form now.

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Cuba on Angle



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Here is the Alternanthera at its best. Somehow, it turned out to be an almost Dutch Street arrangement. This plant was once a maybe 3 inches tall single stem that I got during a shippment by mistake, a long long time ago.

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Alternanthera



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I also added some of the Najas Indica to the way left and right of the tank, here is the small group on the right. I am not certain if it works, but I wouldn't find out without trying.

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Najas Indica



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On the left side of the tank, in front of the smaller Anubias and behind a piece of driftwood, I worked in a small Tiger Lotus. I will see how (and if) it grows and what it will do to that area.

Attached Image:

Tiger Lotus



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The "Thing", as Wings calls it, has quite a bit of character. For one thing, it is hollow and has openings in front and back for fish to swim through. For another thing, it has branches (I will try to get different angled shots later) on which I tied some Nana Petites, as can be seen here:

Attached Image:

Nana Petites



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Only two more shots, of some fishies. First up is an Oto. As I mentioned, I counted 5 Otos during the redo, which means one was MIA. I am sure the Otos will like all the new wood to eat off.

Attached Image:

Oto



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Lastly, my male Apisto viejita II, partially because I like him so much, partially to point out the color. As you may see, he looks more yellowish that in previous shots. No, he hasn't changed, but he is swimming now in English Breakfast Tea, or at least that is how I would describe the color of the water as of last night (haven't seen the tank today yet).

And that concludes the update, one more entry will follow in reference to tetratech's comment.

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Apisto viejita II in English Breakfast Tea



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Please move it or I'll have to photoshop it out and renew my membership to post the new pic.

If that's what it takes to get you to become a premium member again, I will leave it right there

I hear you tetratech, but I was trying to work it in somehow. This are 4 remaining parts of my huge Barteri group and I am not so sure if I like it at all in this tank. But, for the time being, that's where it will stay. This way, I have a few months to tweak and change and stuff before it gets boring again.

I think the main wood is too centered and it's hard to work the thinner longer pieces in to the setup.

Agreed, I am also not too happy with the thinner wood, but I also vote for "letting it settle" before deciding on its future position, angle, or presents.

I like the plant groupings and it will look better once grown in.

Thanks that you found at least one good thing about this setup, I will make sure to destroy that area as soon as possible,

Thanks for the input, keep it coming, and go get that premie-ship,

Ingo


Oh - quick question: Amano Shrimp and my Apisto Viejita - will that work?


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Post InfoPosted 28-May-2007 13:38Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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I think the shrimp would work out if they are purchased at a reasonable size. Say as large or larger than an adult cherry shrimp.

I think that if your focal point is going to be the black hole then you have the big DW in the right place. Otherwise it would look a little better more to the left.

Other than that I just think it needs to grow in a bit and be subject to further tweaking. It's always a little unfair to judge one of your tanks too much at the start.

Great shots BTW, nice and clear and well focused as always.

One last thing. A major dose of carbon in your filters will take care of the tannins. That may or may not be easier than repeat water changes.



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Post InfoPosted 28-May-2007 17:45Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
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The shrimp are about 1 inch to 1.5 inches long, so I guess you think it would work then Matty, right?

Hey, I thought I show you quickly these 3 shots. I just did a water change to the tank (easier than adding 500lbs of carbon to my 2028 and 2026, ) and found this sequence very interesting.

Check out the tank half way through the refill. As you can see, the water goes in on the right side. Do you see the difference in the water color, or at least the brightness of the light?

Attached Image:

Filling



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Post InfoPosted 28-May-2007 21:35Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Here it is even more obvious, with all the air bubbles reflecting the light and such. Looks almost as if it would be raining on the right side. I swear, the light is on on both sides of the tank.

Attached Image:

Raining



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Here is the tank after a few minutes and adding the macros, baking soda, and equlibrium with the filters turned on. As you can see, all is mixed up now and I have to say that I went from a tea where the bag was sunk in the cup for 5 minutes to one where it was in there for only 2 minutes. I guess I will do another one of these in two days.

Ingo

Attached Image:

All Mixed Up



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Post InfoPosted 28-May-2007 21:40Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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LF,

The Alternanthera and Najas shot are great. Everything looks healthy, very nice!

Getting back to your shrimp question, I think they would be O.K., unless the Cichlids get very hungry from not being feed for a while. The amanos do get quite big.

That's pretty cool with the water change pics how the camera pics up the lighter colored bubbles and makes the water look much brighter.



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Post InfoPosted 28-May-2007 21:58Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Thanks tetratech (or Jeff, but I guess only Bensaf gets the honor to have your name at the bottom of an entry ), I will try to add some shrimp sometime this week, or maybe next weekend (I have about 30 in my QT).

Thanks for the compliment on the plants and the photo of the rainfall on the right side of the tank, I am surprised how well the visual experience translated into the picture. Unlike the big hole in the tree, which in pictures seems to be just a black spot. I wish I could bring that chunk of wood across the way it looks when you are in front of the tank, maybe some angled shots will do.

Ingo


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Thanks tetratech (or Jeff, but I guess only Bensaf gets the honor to have your name at the bottom of an entry


Oh, stop I know I've signed "Jeff" in your log or in one of our logs as we conversed.

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So the hole is going to be the focus... I was going to say to have you place the Anubius on the DW in that place. I guess thats out for now or maybe the roots hanging over the hole would look like hippie beads.

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Ingo, that's Alternathera you have on the middle right of the tank, yes?

What kind of requirements does it have in particular? I've got it in my tank, and it hasn't grown at all while just about everything else has taken off. But it's still just a few inches tall and shows no sign of new growth. :/

Listen! Do you smell that?
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LOL Wings, yeah - no hippie beads for me for now.

lysaer - yes, the red one is Alternanthera. It took a long time in this tank for the plant to get going, in particular because I did not knew what it was and had it shaded for the first few months. But it didn't die either. As a matter of fact, I added one stem a few months back to the 29G low tech and it was stagnant for quite a while, but then it started growing there as well.

Ingo


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i like it heaps better than how you had it before, looks great. your apistos dorsal fin is massive!!!

my 55G is the best ive ever had it , but im gunna rip it apart so i can get a 200 but on the plus side im getting a 200G
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Thanks coop for stopping by and for the comments on the tank. It must be pretty exciting for you to set up a 200G tank, sounds awesome. Will it be planted? If so then you for sure have to show it off here


Question: who knows of a finer grained whitish (but not bright white) substrate, but not too fine (as in sand)? I am toying with the idea of placing it in the open space (aka the river).

Thoughts, input?

Ingo


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Question: who knows of a finer grained whitish (but not bright white) substrate, but not too fine (as in sand)? I am toying with the idea of placing it in the open space (aka the river).


Easy one, POOL FILTER SAND!

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I am with tetra on this one. I have it in a couple of my tanks.

50LB = $8 I think....



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As I have no pool, and as such no pool filter sand, what is the size difference between sand and the pool filter sand. Is it actually not sand at all but small gravel?

Ingo


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i have the same "river" thing down the middle of my tank. i use the pool filter sand. i was pretty bright white when i got it though. it isnt white any more coz of the tanins in my tank. any way you can pick it up a yor local pool suply shop or hardware shop. the grains are more like the size of coars rive sand, so i guess you would call it coarse sand or fine gravel.
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As I have no pool, and as such no pool filter sand, what is the size difference between sand and the pool filter sand. Is it actually not sand at all but small gravel?


I have a pool, but it doesn't have a sand filter it has a DE filter. My pool is cleaned with Diatoms

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Thanks for the sandy input

I looked around the web a little in search for what this pool sand is supposed to be and also found some Diatom stuff and some stuff with chemicals. I think I have to be careful picking the right one. I also saw mention of Silica "free" and such, I totally forgot for a moment that Sand = Silica = Diatoms.

In other news, I did another 50% water change last night to remove some tannins, seems to be much brighter in the tank than when I did the same thing two days earlier.

During that process, I found all 6 Otos, although I counted only 5 even with all hardscape and plants removed from the tank during the redo. I wonder where that one guy was hanging out during that process, as I inspected each and every plant/wood that was removed/added.

Also, when I did the redo I put the old wood in a sink and left it there. Last night I looked at it and saw mold all over the parts that had been covered with algae (hair) while the wood was submersed, yuk. I used an algae pad to scrape it off and gave all the pieces an Excel bath in which they still reside. Interestingly, after having had this wood in the tank for maybe a year (would have to go through the thread to find out exactly how long), one of the thinner branches was still floating. Talking about wood needing a long time to water log.

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 31-May-2007 13:29Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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I looked around the web a little in search for what this pool sand is supposed to be and also found some Diatom stuff and some stuff with chemicals. I think I have to be careful picking the right one. I also saw mention of Silica "free" and such, I totally forgot for a moment that Sand = Silica = Diatoms.


The bag of sand I have just says - 'filtration sand' on the front and on the back it says - Ricci Bros. Sand Company, Port Norris, NJ 08349 - Not for industrial use

In other news, I did another 50% water change last night to remove some tannins, seems to be much brighter in the tank than when I did the same thing two days earlier
.
You could also use Purgien I think, but water change will do the same thing.

During that process, I found all 6 Otos, although I counted only 5 even with all hardscape and plants removed from the tank during the redo. I wonder where that one guy was hanging out during that process, as I inspected each and every plant/wood that was removed/added.


That's funny because I was able to count 6 otos in my 72g the other day. I noticed they were all hanging together and I hadn't done a water change in a while. I believe they hang together during stressful situations and I thing it was high co2 levels. I noticed that the flow looked very strong coming off the diffusor.


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EditedEdited by LITTLE_FISH
Thanks tetratech for the info on the sand, I will check into that.

Also, it would cost me a fortune to fill my 2 filters with purigen, LOL. Honestly though, I am way too lazy to open up my filters and mess with the media, which would mean that I have to remove some of the existing media to place something else in, and that would mean cleaning, and what not.

Otos hanging out together seems to me to be part of their daily routine. We know that they are social animals and as such it doesn't surprise me that they have a meeting once in a while per day. Albeit you may be on to something with the CO2, it could also simply be that there is a certain pattern to their social habits, like "let's discuss the day after dinner" kind of thing.

Ingo


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Weekly Tank Update - Week 88

This week has seen two additional water changes, on Monday and on Wednesday. It wasn't so much about tannis from the new wood were bugging me, but I was a little concerned with enough light hitting the plants.

Here is the tank from a week ago, as a comparison:

Attached Image:

Last Week



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And here is the tank now this week.

You may notice the slightly brighter color of plants and water column, a result of less tannins.

I also dug out some of the substrate in the open "river" section. Growth overall is ok, but not really strong.

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Tank Last Night



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One of the plants that had really slowed down in the growth is the Cuba, but its new growth form is more submersed. Leaf node gaps are really small, the leaves are very narrow, all as it should be. But, compared to last weeks growth of quite a few inches, this week has seen maybe one inch.

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The Cubans



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EditedEdited by LITTLE_FISH
The last and next picture have been taken during the water change, btw.

I was wondering if this plant is a heavy root feeder and I remembered that I put some plant sticks in the gravel when I initially planted them. Now, having been relocated, they were no longer "over" these sticks, so I added two more yesterday.

Attached Image:



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The next two shots are some closer looks at tank areas from different angles. First is the look at the section in front of the wood and to the right of it.

Here you can see a sword (smaller sword type, forgot name) getting used to submersed growth, some pearl grass, and a bunch of crypts, namely wendtii and lucens (or lutea, always get them confused):

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Detail I



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Next is a look at the 3 sticks to the right, with plants in front and back and in between and on it, LOL. Also, some of the rocks that I added there are showing.

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Detail II



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Next up is a series of 3 shots trying to make the best of the tree trunk in a sense on showing you its details.

Here is a shot from the section above the big hole, with a branch coming off it on the left (with Nana Petites on it), some pennywort growing over it, and a hole just below the latter. Holes are everywhere on this wood, connecting front and back.

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Wood I



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Here is the best shot I got so far from the big hole/gap that I got so far, I guess I need a fancy flash to show it better.

Also, note yet another hole on the right.

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Wood II



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Last of the wood shots is higher up, with an Oto on some wood with ripples.

I hope it gives you an idea that this is not just a chunk of wood but some wood with character

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Wood III



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The last two shots are commited to the newest additions to the tank, 10 Amano shrimp. They have been in the QT (with about 20 others) for the last two weeks and were added to this tank last night.

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10 Amanos



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As they are rather juvenile shrimp of maybe 1 inch, I was a little concerned about them being eaten by the Apisto male in general.

After adding them I kept an eye open for him, but he seemed to be more focussed on chasing them away. The female Apisto, on the other hand, appeared more in the mood of stalking them. It seems like she would like to take a bite, we will see.

That is it for now,

Have fun,

Ingo

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2 Amanos



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What a surprise this morning,

After finding a dead shrimp in the 40G, I went to look if I can find any of the 10 in this tank. Well, I found overall 6, and that is pretty good, given the tank size and number of invisible spots in the tank.

But the good, I may say shocking, news are a branch that was left in the tank as it was overgrown with the needle fern on the right side of the tank. That branch was full of hair algae, about half an inch long threads were covering the entire lenght of about 5 to 6 inches. Well, this morning it was totally clean. I cannot show it in a picture as it is in the midst of the fern, so you have to take my word for it. These shrimp, by the time I checked 5 had moved on to the heater behind the wood, sure can eat their share of fluff, wow.

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Very nice shots of the tank, as usual, Ingo.

So, would you say the amanos are better at algae eating then the cherry reds?

Cheers
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So, would you say the amanos are better at algae eating then the cherry reds?

Oh, I could have told you that even without the feast that happpened last night. Both for sure are busy bees, but simply the size difference, an adult Amano is twice the size of a cherry shrimp, speaks for that.

Ingo


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I'd say both are miracle workers. Pound for pound I'd say they work the same. You can probably get amanos cheaper.....but then the cherries sure are prettier. I move the nana petite over to the 5.5 for a cleaning......spotless.



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And Cherries have an advantage --> they reproduce

On the other hand, they also fit easier in the mouth of a hungry Apisto

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Very nice shot of the tank. I think the colors and contrast are great.

Glad you discovered shrimpsters. They'll definitely help keeping the main wood especially clean. I actually need some more for my 72g I think I only have 7 or 8.

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Hey tetratech,

For some reason, most of the regulars are no longer frequenting my low tech tanks, as such I assume you haven't seen today's update there yet.

I think there is a threshold on how many shrimpsters a tank can handle before they start to munch on the plants. Two weeks of 30 juveniles in the 20G was enough to clean the entire tank and then some --> namely the eating of my Najas indica, nice thin juicy leaves .

I am not certain if I wish to have more than 10 in the 125G, given that the Otos would like to have something to eat as well.

Ingo


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I am not certain if I wish to have more than 10 in the 125G, given that the Otos would like to have something to eat as well.
I do not see a problem with my shrimp eating plants but I wonder if their population explosion has resulted in my missing Otos. I am 99% sure I am down to one from five. My shrimp on the other hand are doing great. I still have 4-5 Amanos and a ton of Cherries. My guess is that the shrimp ate the food and the Otos didn't have enough left. The solo Oto seems pretty happy though.

Life goes on. Now is not a good time to replace much of anything as the Wife and I are looking to move wherever I can find a teaching job.

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Wings,

Good point, I actually up to this weekend have never thought about shortage in food with regards to shrimp and Otos.

It sure makes sense that these two groups od species compete for similar foods, although there are for sure preferences that are not shared, I have never seen an Oto eat my hair algae and I have never seen a shrimp eat of the glass.

Ingo


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I have never seen a shrimp eat of the glass.
Mine will walk the glass and eat off of it at times. Lately they have been on the plants at the surface of the tank. I think they may like flakes I feed the fish...

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Mine will walk the glass and eat off of it at times. Lately they have been on the plants at the surface of the tank. I think they may like flakes I feed the fish...


You must have some really nasty, stringy algae on your glass. I could see those shrimp swinging like Tarzan from one algae string to the next.

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I've seen that as well, Wings.

I've never seen Amanos go after the long stringy stuff already there, they seem to eat it as it grows. So to me it means that the hair algae is just starting to form on the glass, which is kind of like a warning bell that something is off. They let you know that algae is forming where it shouldn't before you can even see it.


Back in the saddle!
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I still have 4-5 Amanos and a ton of Cherries. My guess is that the shrimp ate the food and the Otos didn't have enough left.
Hmm, just as I thought I will try to hunt for some of these shrimpsters, now I just don't know. I like my otos, very very much. They are the acrobats of the tank.

Also, would the shrimpster be quick enough & bold enough to eat guarded apisto eggs or fry?

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Robyn,

I think the balance that needs to be achieved would allow for sure for a handful of Otos and shrimp, in particular if the latter are Amanos as they will not reproduce for sure.

About eating Apisto fry: I can see that, depending on the specifics. Shrimp can be rather fast, using a burst to get out of harms way. if the mother/father are not tight guardsmen then some eggs can easily become shrimp food.

Ingo


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I agree with LF, that given the opportunity the Amanos or maybe even the Cherries would steal the eggs and have a nice brunch with them. If you ever drop an algae wafer into a tank with Amanos, it's hilarious as the Amano hold the wafer as the fish chase it around the tank.



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Funny that you mentioned the wafer. I used to feed the Cories in my 20G a sinking wafer that I broke into 4 pieces. Once I added the Amanos to the tank there was no chance for the Cories to grab a piece, the Amanos rushed to them before the Cories could even blink and dragged them off to safer grounds to chew away

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So I had a little time today and paid a visit to the pool shop. Yup, I found Pool Fiter Sand, but it is unacceptable. It pretty much is as fine as Play Sand, as such way too find in comparison with the tank's ordinary gravel that makes up the rest of the substrate. I know exactly what this would lead to, namely:

Me putting in the Pool Fiter Sand, then realizing that it is nice but somehow doesn't match the other gravel, and then replacing the other gravel as well.

No way in hell I am going to do this though (well, not within the next few months, there it would be time for a redo anyway )

So, the search for a light colored inert substrate of larger grain size is still on,

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So I had a little time today and paid a visit to the pool shop. Yup, I found Pool Fiter Sand, but it is unacceptable. It pretty much is as fine as Play Sand, as such way too find in comparison with the tank's ordinary gravel that makes up the rest of the substrate. I know exactly what this would lead to, namely:


I'm confused. Sand is going to be finer grain than the gravel. What't the problem?

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Tetratech,

The way I see it, the substrates would clash too much. The gravel with its size of maybe 1/2 inch would start to look like boulders next to the pool filter sand. I have no doubt that I would like the sand, but it most likely would mean that I have to replace the gravel to match the sand, avoiding such a clash. If I had the densest of all jungles then the gravel would not be visible anyway, but I think the current layout of the tank will always reveal some substrate.

Makes sense?

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Weekly Tank Update - Week 89

This week has seen no water changes during the week, although I was very tempted to have at least one, because of the tannis from the new wood. But by no means was it as bad as last week.

Here is the tank yesterday in the morning before the water change:

Attached Image:

Before Water Change



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And here is the tank right after the water change, before any goodies were added (equilibrium, baking soda, and ferts).

As you can see, the tank seems much whiter.

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After Water Change



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Growth in the tank was ok, some plants grew more than others.

For example, the Najas indica on the right grew very well and needed to be trimmes. Here is a close-up before trimming:

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Najas indica



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The Pennywort on the left grew very well too, also needed a trimming as the plant reached the surface and started to block the water lettuce from freely flowing across the surface.

Again, a shot from before the trimming:

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Pennywort



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The plant that did not grow too well was the 'Cuba'.

Here is a shot from above made during the water change. One can clearly see the different leaf shape between the tops (submersed form) and the lower parts (emersed form):

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Cuba I



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The difference becomes even more obvious when viewed from the side. One can see that the top 2 inches of most stems show how the plant is supposed to look like. But, these 2 inches is all I got so far, from a plant that is supposed to grow really fast (and it did in the first week after being added). I assume that the emersed parts of the stems have used up their stored energy.

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Cuba II



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Last shot for this round, another full tank shot taken last night, about 10 hours after the water change. The tank is getting more tannins already, albeit the comparison to the previous picture is not fair as only the 2 10,000Ks are on in this picture.

That's it for now,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Full Tank - Week 89



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I think the tank looks really good. The wood definitely adds dimension, focus, contrast and the overall tank is crisper. Again I don't think the Anubias is a good corner plant, but I think you know that.

The tops of your cuba, look like my L.Aromatica when it's not growing well.

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Ingo the tank looks sensational as always , the tannins from the wood are not all that noticable from the pics.

I'm reluctant to comment on the scape other than to say that I love the beach/ river theme ( I wonder why )

I think I agree with the idea of a lighter substrate in that area , maybe not sand just a finer pale gravel .

Anyway just my 2c for what its worth. Love this tank and the photos look great .
Garry
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Again I don't think the Anubias is a good corner plant, but I think you know that.

Well then tetratech, how about if I put it all the way to the right of the tank, between the glass and the fern? And at least for the time being keep the left side a little lower?

I'm reluctant to comment on the scape

Garry, don't be! Any input is welcome, I can handle it when people tell me that this or that is not what they really like. Hey, what is the worst? I can always ignore the judgment and pay a price for it later

Ingo


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EditedEdited by tetratech
Well then tetratech, how about if I put it all the way to the right of the tank, between the glass and the fern? And at least for the time being keep the left side a little lower?
Isn't that still a corner? You guys from Jersey

P.S. I drove to Plainsboro, NJ yesterday. Fun trip, especially with the increased traffic from the P.R. Day Parade.

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Isn't that still a corner? You guys from Jersey

See, that is why you have the tank of the month and not I

Somehow, I got hung up on the left corner, ignoring that you were speaking of corners in general.

I guess that means that you actually cannot see a place for the large barteri anywhere in the tank, right?

And yes, I stay away from the Metro Area whenever there is some kind of Parade

Ingo


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See, that is why you have the tank of the month
Your probably right.

I guess that means that you actually cannot see a place for the large barteri anywhere in the tank, right?
It's size is the problem, so I think the only solution would be to keep it as small as possible and put it somewhere off-center near big wood.

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It's size is the problem


Honestly, I was contemplating of not adding it back into the tank when I did the last redo for exactly that reason. But attachments to this plant, as it has grown so well for me, kept me from disposing of it in some form (either throw it out or give it to some NJAGC members as a trade in).

What already seems like a large plant is actually only 4 of the original 12 equal sized "clippings" that I created a while back when I had to cut up the one mother Barteri as it was getting way too large for the last layout.

Ingo


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Weekly Tank Update - Week 90

Well, this week had seen the death of one group of plants, the cubans. One could see it deteriorate by the day. Here is a shot from Friday showing part of the group. You can see that only the tops are in submersed growth form, and that little part is the result of three weeks:

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Cubans I



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A closer look reveals that some of the heads are actually dying off at the spot between old emersed and new submersed growth. Here is a look at one stem on Friday night starting to bend over:

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Cubans II



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And here is a look at the same stem from Saturday morning, all bent out of shape. By that time, 2 other stems had lost the tops completely, two more had brown tops, and a few others were still hanging in.

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Cubans III



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Having not changed ferts, even having Seachem fert sticks under the plants, having not changed the ligh duration, the culprit seems to be the light as it is reaching the plant. The pictue below shows what I mean. This water is taken from the middle of the water column, no gunk or such was added. The tannins, I assume from the large wood, make the tank tea colored and greatly reduce the light that reaches the plants. Cubans do need quite some light, I have seen shots of some that have come in the same delivery batch than mine under 6wpg in a 75G or so, and they are beautiful.

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Tea Anyone?



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And that was that for them in this tank, currently the few survivors part of a rescue mission in the 40G, updates there later.

Oh, at the same time when I took the shot of the bending head I also caught the Wisteria waking up, top still closed:

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Sleepy Wisteria



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So, to counteract the tannins, at least for a day or two, I performed 2 50% water changes, with about a 1 hour break between them to clean the 2028 filter. Here is the full tank after the second water change:

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Water Changes Done



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As you can see, the spot of the Cubans has been reclaimed by Narrow Leaf Java Fern. I had them in a bucket ever since the replant, replacing the water every week with "fresh" tank water. I am glad now that I didn't throw them out or gave them away.

Here is the fern:

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NLJF



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Another thing that the careful observer may have seen in the full tank shot is a change in how the "river" looks like. I received some plants during the week and basically parked them in the river. I kinda like it, so it will be parked for a little longer. This are 20 !!!! Nana Petites on 2 sticks.

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Nana Petites



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Here is another impressionist shot of the same area, as you may notice the male Apisto has been in both shots. The Apistos like that area as the female often slips into a personal gap in the big wood.

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Center of Attention



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Here is a closer look at the male, albeit not the best I ever took. I am glad that at least for one day I was able to view him without the tannins as they make him look rather pale and yellowish:

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Da Man



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The next two shot are typical (at least in my tank) courtship pictures. Male and female apisto take turns swimming in front of each other, or better said stand in front of each other. Then the one in front folds up the tail and slaps the other in the face with it

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Courtship I



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Here is the reverse with the female slapping the male. As you can see, she is really folding up that tail fin. I once have seen the male actually bite her in the fin during this courtship, and pulling her backwards, but no damage was done, no piece was missing.

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Courtship II



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Last but not least, the official tank shot for week 90, taken yesterday in the evening. I have to say that I value this shot very much, it has been a few weeks since the green in this tank appeared as lush as it did without the load of tannins.

I only hope that the tannis will wear down soon, I am not ready to counteract with Purigen yet as it would mean that I have to remove other media from the filer to make space for it.

Thanks for looking,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 90



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EditedEdited by tankwatcher
Hi Ingo

Hope the tannins settle down for you. Those 2 water changes must been a bit of an effort. the new nanas look good in the river area. I also really enjoyed the "tail slapping" antics of your apistos. Very cute. Mine have never done that.

Cheers
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also really enjoyed the "tail slapping" antics of your apistos


Thanks Robyn for the input and comments.

My Cacs in the 40G have shown a similar slapping thing as here, but by far less often and only half hearted. Well, we all know what kind of a looser the male in that tank is though

Ingo


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Hi L_F,
now I dare to give you a bit of input. First of all, great update as always!
I have to say that I do like the 'light breakfast tea color' of the tank but that is just me and I realize your concerns about diminished light penetrating and affecting light sensitive plants. Anyway, here it goes: IMHO one of the nicest plants in this tank is the Alternanthera and this group appears a bit diminished in the most recent pic. Overall, the addition of more Java fern to replace the ailing Cuban creates a bit of a 'curtain look'. A great addition is the group of nanas in the foreground as they create a focal point that is missing in this section 9the forefront of the tank) a bit. The wisteria is nice but it gives the appearance of a nicely trimmed English lawn (fish golf? ). I am thinking a minor interruption in form of another 'hole' or a smaller rock would be nice?

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now I dare to give you a bit of input.

How dare you criticize my tank!



Just kidding, of course,

Your input is much appreciated, here is the breakdown of your comments and my response:

- "great update as always!" - Thank you very much .
- "and I realize your concerns about diminished light ..." - Brown water is not my favorite, I like it clear better. I received quite some compliments during the last NJAGC meeting at my place when all members were astonished how clear my tanks are (were, in case of this tank, for the time being).
- "one of the nicest plants in this tank is the Alternanthera" - I couldn't agree more, and guess what --> growth of this plant stopped with tea water as well. Another reason why tea water is not so good.
- "creates a bit of a 'curtain look'." - I take it you mean that in a "not-so-good" way, and here I agree as well. My options were a) add the plants I have or b) leave a big open hole. Being a preacher of "stuff the tank" I would never leave a spot open that is not in the design as open. I have that fern on some wood and when it is time to fill the area with some other plant it will take about 5 seconds to remove the entire replacement group.
- "A great addition is the group of nanas ..." - Yeah, it is , and I actually had these planned for another tank that is undergoing its make-over in my head right now. I think I will remove them from this tank once I have made up my mind and find time for the makeover though. Just thinking of the market price for 20 Nana Petites and consider me buying a replacement to maintain these in this tank makes me shiver.
- "the appearance of a nicely trimmed English lawn" - what would be wrong with Hyde Park? Where would you suggest the hole?

Thanks so much for the input, much appreciated,

Ingo


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I was bored, so I manned the camera, attached the macro lens, and took a few shots. Nothing special came up though, with one exception being the last of these 3 shots that I am going to present.

Number one would be the No 1 in the tank, the Male Apisto:

Attached Image:

Male Apisto



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Next up would be:

Yes - I do have snails in the tank, but few and between. A sign of proper feeding, good plant health, and enough predators.

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A Snail



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Last but not least, when I was about to put the camera away, I saw this. An Amano on top of the glass below the light, roasted

He must have jumped out in the small open area in the back part of the top where the filter flows are entering the tank.

Who would have thought!

That's it,

Ingo

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Shrimp Cocktail



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Sorry for the shrimp and thanks for the education - I will disapprove of tea water in the future as well . It never entered my mind that this could be detrimental to the Alternanthera. What I meant with the lawn reference: the right side of the tank (foreground) appears very uniform with the Wisteria covering the gravel entirely. I was thinking that a small group of a different plant (nothing tall!) or a rock could create another focal point to disrupt this. Just a thought and there is nothing wrong with Hyde Park
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Guess I've been lucky I've never had that happen to any of my shrimp, although I guess they could have jumped out and fell behind the tank unknown to me.

Tank looks good as I said I like the big wood focus, but I think you could still build more midground around and make it more natural looking.

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Makes sense catdancer, I will think about what can be done.

tetratech - the midground is in the makings, it just has to grow . There are about 15 crypts on the right of the wood, in front of the area where the cubans were. And some other plants in smaller numbers as well. Maybe I will also use the pearl grass further back.

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Ingo , your Photographic skills never cease to amaze me.Wish I could get my macro lens to perform like that ?!

I showed your Pics of this tank to a few friends last night and they were blown away . It continues to look fantastic

However , a couple of points .
I actually think the removal of the cubans is a good thing. IMHO they looked out of place .

The Anubias in the river to me spoil the look of it and the black area behind and underneath the driftwood . I think that area creates focus and depth .
It certainly draws the eye into mysterious interior
and if I were you I'd be reluctant to clutter it up .

I'm sorry to hear about your Shrimp .

Keep up the great work , Well done again
Garry
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Hey LF. I gotta say I'm in the same opinion as you about tannins. I like a bright tank. It's a bit unnatural to have perfectly clear water in a planted setting I guess, but brown water just screams water change to me.

I like the look of this setup so far but I think there needs to be a bit more midground. I feel like there is a wall of stems and fern behind the carpet. Could just be the head on angle the picture was taken though. I know how hard it would be to get a decent angle shot of a 6 foot tank, and front on shots tend to be the most informative as well, so I'm not blaming you there.

I have to say the nana petites are a wee bit unnatural looking there, but still nice. I guess it won't matter either way since they will be moving. And I sure am jealous about 20 nana petites.



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Ingo,

This latest revision of the tank is looking very nice. As always I love watching this tank evolve from one layout to the next.

-Rick

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Thanks guys for the input, and constructive criticism ,

Yeah yeah, everybody want everything right away

Now that I have become a preacher of patience , I cannot go ahead and move things around constantly. Time, my children, time will change things .

Well, you get my point. I am with you on many things you have said, and that includes tetratech's Nana barteri comment, but I redid the tank and used what I had to set it up. A major advantage, IMHO btw, because none of the plants were stressed from shipping or different water conditions.

This is the great thing about such a redo. just like in the last one, you start of somewhat rugged, but over time you adjust little things here and there, and voila, the tank looks better and better. Once all is done, meaning you reached the limits of your talents for the current scape, you start all over again

I think the master would be very proud of me right now, but I have to assume that half of the readers here don't even know who I would be referring to

Thanks for the comments and suggestions, much much appreciated,

Ingo


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Yeah yeah, everybody want everything right away
Hasn't this tank been around like two years.

I think the master would be very proud of me right now, but I have to assume that half of the readers here don't even know who I would be referring
Oh stop, your making me blush

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Oh stop, your making me blush

-

Otherwise, I am speechless

Ingo


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Weekly Tank Update - Week 91

Not much happened during the week with this tank. The tannins are not as bad but still cause growth issues, the thread with which I strung some Anubias Nana Petites on the spread out branches came off and some floated about the tank.

I did a 75% water change (wanted to do 2 x 50%, but got caught up in the Bolbitis removal in the 40G).

That's it, gotta go,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 91



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Ingo , Tank looks fantastic as usual . I see the Anubias are still on the river . .

You are obviously busy , but thats the shortest update I've ever seen from you .

Hope everything is all right

Garry
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Thanks Garry, here is another short one

Weekly Tank Update - Week 92

Nothing special happened this week, just very busy at work and such. I think I see some visible growth for the first time since the makeover, the tannins are still there but maybe weaker.

Here is the tank before the water change:

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Before Water Change



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And here is the tank a few hours after the water change. It is quite a bit brighter I think. Pearl Grass and Alternanthera show the growth from a week ago, everything else is the same old,

K, I will follow the entries in all other logs, but I am short on my time and as such will not be able to contribute too much,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 92



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Looks good LF. Looks to me like your alternanthera grew the most .

Hope work calms down for ya



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Ingo , Looks like the tannins are abating , certainly looks a lot lighter in the photos .
Your right I don't think I've ever seen this tank with less growth .

Hope work lightens up for you .
Its very quiet around here without your fascinating posts to read

Garry
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Thanks guys for the input

Weekly Tank Update - Week 93

Not much happened during the week, tannis are still there and hinder the growth. I also think now that the removal of the gunk in the substrate may slow down new growth as I took away some plant food.

One of the Rainbows has an injured pectoral fin but seems otherwise fine. Nana petites are one after the other coming off the wood as the thread is disintegrating too early.

I ran out of CO2 within two weeks of hooking up a new 10lbs bottle and I think I cannot get a seal anymore. What do you guys do to keep a seal? Tetratech - do you have a perma seal?

Enough for now,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 93



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I use plumbers tape to help create a tight seal.

Nice shot with the espei .



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Yeah, I second that. Great shot with the espei in front the wood!

If you mean betwen the cylinder and the regular I use teflon tape. Haven't had any leak problems yet.

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Thanks guys for the Espei comments and the tips on the regulator.

The guys at the welding shop explicitly stated that no teflon tape should be used between the regulator and the cylinder as the brass part of the regulator will seal very tight. I think my problem is with the white plastic fitting on the foot of the regulator and that this part is no longer capable of a tight seal. I used to use a common gray washer between the white seal and the cylinder but I was informed that the doubling up of seals (white and gray) would for sure cause a leak (and so it did the last time around).

Ingo


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They just say that because they don't like to remove the tape when someone brings the cylinder back. I can't imagine it does any harm. I've had problems with the one at work with no teflon tape, but not at home. We use the same type of regulator and everything.

I also use just the one white washer that came with the regulator instead of doubling up. Hopefully the leak is at the threads, where you can do something about it and not at the seams of the other parts. Use a soapy water solution to find the leak next time. Bubbles!



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Post InfoPosted 09-Jul-2007 14:16Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
Countryfish
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Ingo , Great shot as always , how many Harleys do you have now BTW.
Another quick question if you don't mind .
What is the plant in the back left ?

Garry
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The only part that would really cause a leak is the white washer. Take a look at how it connects together.

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EditedEdited by LITTLE_FISH
Thanks guys again for the input on the leak, it seems like it holds the pressure this time so I am not going to touch it now (of course when I come home from work it will be empty now that I said that )

Garry - to your questions:

* how many Harleys do you have now
Actually, this are not Harleys, this are Espei, Trigonostigma espei. I currently have about 25 left, but you may know from this log that I once had about 100. About 60 had been traded off and about 15 died so far of probably old age. This fish is my specialty - go and check the August 2006 issue of TFH for details.

* What is the plant in the back left?
Hm, in the way left is a group of cut up Anubias barteri of which I had a huge plant in the left center of the tank in my last layout. Right next to it is some Pennywort climbing up and over.

Thanks,

Ingo



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sodaaddict84
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first off awesome tank. i drool with envy every time i see it. but one question, in the last pic posted i see plant mass at the top of the water. is this floating plants or just a reflection

*click *flash *click "whered he go???"
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sodaaddict84
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first off awesome tank. i drool with envy every time i see it. but one question, in the last pic posted i see plant mass at the top of the water. is this floating plants or just a reflection

*click *flash *click "whered he go???"
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sodaaddict84,

There is a plant type on the surface, it is commonly know as Water Lettuce, aka Pistia stratiotes I think. It is a really fast grower and needs to be thinned out weekly to avoid too much shading and it is a highly dangerous weed in nature (killing entire water ways). It is though an excellent nutrient sucker.

To move on:

Weekly Tank Update - Week 94

Not much happened during the week, so here is a full tank shot showing the few things that did happen during the weekly maintenance:

Attached Image:

Full Tank 7/14/2007



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LITTLE_FISH
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As tetratech will notice right away, the Barteri group on the left is gone, he wore me down

In its place I added a collection of Najas indica stems that I had grown in the 29G and in various spots of this tank. I also trimmed some of the pearl grass and spread that out into the left side as well.

Attached Image:

New Left Side



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Although the last shot was for the Najas, the Espei seemed to have found there a new hangout spot.

So here is a shot showing the Espei a little more in focus:

Attached Image:

Espei



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LITTLE_FISH
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The focus are of the tank, currently hosting the "Nana Petites on a Stick" is not so focussed anymore. The disintegrating string made quite a few of them come loose and I simply stuck them into the open substrate. That is where they will stay until I put them wherever they will end up for good.

Also, greetings from the Apistos:

Attached Image:

Focus Area



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The last picture for now shows the highly unorganized area to the right of the large driftwood, an area that I may "clean" a little during next weeks maintenance. For now it has to do.

And that is it for this week,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Unorganized Middle Section



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Oh my lord I haven't been here in AGES and your tank still looks amazing!

I want to come and live at your house Little Fish!

GFGxx

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GFG

Long time no see, glad you are still peaking in once in a while. Thanks for the compliments, the tank is just starting to settle after its latest LITTLE_FISH style redo and things are looking up by now (slowly).

Thanks again,

Ingo


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As tetratech will notice right away, the Barteri group on the left is gone, he wore me dow


No comparison, so much better and that Naja was a really nice choice for the left side. Great shot with the Espei swimming past.

I think you need to tighten up (bunchier and shorter) the red group and it will look more organized on the middle right.

My Scapes
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I think you need to tighten up (bunchier and shorter) the red group and it will look more organized on the middle right.

I am all the way with you on this one, tetratech

But given that the last redo was only like 4 or 5 weeks back I decided to take it slow and do one area per week max. So the red group section will be done maybe next weekend, if time permits. I am planning on moving (and of course trimming) the alternanthera to the right of the large driftwood, the spot currently occupied in the back by the narrow leaf fern. And that fern would move to the right of that alternanthera group, for the time being, until I feel comfortable to replace it with something else (was meant to be the cuba stems, darn).

Ingo


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Well that makes perfect sense, the slow redos, I couldn't agree more. Wow we are really agreeing on alot.

BTW - Spent the weekend in Albany at the Empire Cup where my son's soccer team beat some Jersey Elite Select Team.


Just thought I'd throw that in there!

My Scapes
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Ingo , as always your sense of whats right for your scape is spot on .
The Naja is a favorite of mine and it should look senastional when its fully grown .
I agree with Tetra on the comment about the red group , it would look fantastic if it stood out more .
Can't wait to see what you do there .

I see that the Nana's are still in the river
Still think it detracts from the effect .

Great shot of the Apisto's BTW .

The thought of you doing things slowly gives me faith that I also may be able to change in the future
As always a pleasure to read your logs .
Garry
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where my son's soccer team beat some Jersey Elite Select Team.





Yeah, I sometimes have the patience to wait with my changes.

Garry, the nanas will stay there until I have the time to redo the tank where they will eventually end up in, and that is going to be a while.
The Najas will soon start to be a problem as they grow so fast that they will be blown over by the small power head and the spray bar very soon. Frequent trimming will be a must.

Thanks for the positive comments,

Ingo


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Weekly Tank Update - Week 95

I don't have too much time, but I will try to catch up with all your threads maybe on Monday at work, so for now just a quick update on this tank:

Here is the tank before the water change:

Attached Image:

Before Water Change



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As you may see, the Najas on the left is truly a fast grower, I doub't that I will keep it all that long in the high tech tank, way too fast.

In this close-up you can also the the diffuser on the left. I tried to clean it during the water change and what can I say, it slipped out of my hands into the sink and crash - 1000 pieces . I am glad I had a replacement one handy, same kind.

Attached Image:

Najas indica



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Here is a shot showing the amount of Water Lettuce that I remove weekly, this is on the top of a 5G bucket lit. In comparison, these are 5" tweezers on the left:

Attached Image:

Weekly Water Lettuce Removal



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After the water change I added another 9 Amanos from the 20G QT, there are now around 4 left in that tank. I was worried about the Apistos in this tank with the Amanos, and albeit I never see all od the 8 or 10 that I added a few weeks ago I see at least a few of them.

Attached Image:

Another 9 Amanos



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Last but not least, a full tank shot after the water change. You may notice that I moved things around a little in the area to the right of the big wood, nothing special though and for sure not the final design (nothing is final anyway).

That's it for now,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Tank Today



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Beautiful as always, L_F,
but what is going on with A. reineckii? It is still a small group. Is it still affected by 'black water' as you suggested several weeks ago?
Post InfoPosted 23-Jul-2007 05:10Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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To me it looks wider, and not as tall. Must be doing some growing to get a trimming.

Looks great LF. I had similar problems with my water lettuce.



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Post InfoPosted 23-Jul-2007 05:21Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
Countryfish
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No design or scape is ever final with you Ingo . Or me either for that matter .
I like what you've down on the right , and I'm sure you will improve it further yet .
The Tank looks very good as always .

Garry
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Hey Ingo,

Yeah I know what you mean about the Najas, sounds like the stargrass that grows so fast it only fits in for about 15 minutes until you have to trim. One of those plants I guess you use in a photo op when the timing is right, but not practical to keep long-term.

Tank looks very good. Tough to see any small changes in a full-tank shot since it's a 5-foot tank.

My Scapes
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This is turning into my favourite all time look for this tank. Very nice LF

Cheers
TW
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Wow, that looks AMAZING!!

How much time do you spend on it every week, would you say? I'm guess it takes a bit of work...
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Haven't visited your thread in a while, ingo, but man, looking good .
Post InfoPosted 27-Jul-2007 14:47Profile AIM MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
Cup_of_Lifenoodles
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Not you. The tank.
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LOL,

Really funny Cup, glad you like the looks of my tank better than mine, haha. Thanks for the compliment.

I am a little in a rush, but here are a few answers to the previous posts:

- catdancer - Matty is right, the Alternanthera had been trimmed when I moved them.
- Matty - Thanks.
- tetratech - Thanks for the compliment on the tank. I can't believe though that you don't remember that this is a 6' tank and not 5', LOL.
- Robyn - thanks so much.
- fishnewbie - These days I spend about 5 min feeding and ferting per day, and between 2 to 4 hours of maintenance on one day of the weekend, usually Saturday, on the tank.

Next post is a quick weekly update,

Ingo


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Post InfoPosted 30-Jul-2007 00:00Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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Weekly Tank Update - Week 96

Not much going on, very good so as I don't have any time anyway.

Overall, the tannis are lessening, and plant growth is fine. I forgot to mention last week that I replace the two 6,700K PCs with new one, I somehow think the old ones were almost two years on the tank.

I did only minor trimming this weekend, one group of pearl grass and the Najas Indica.

That's it for now,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 96 - 7/29/2007



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Post InfoPosted 30-Jul-2007 00:03Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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If you get a chance next week while taking pics, I'd like to see some closer shots on the tank, like in thirds or something for more detail. It's a little hard to tell what's going on separate from the whole. In that aspect, however, it does look good.

Were the 2 year old bulbs the ones that run all day or only for a short burst?

My short burst bulb is probably 2ish years old now and I don't see too much problem with that. I'd want to replace the one that's on all day at a year.



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Post InfoPosted 30-Jul-2007 02:09Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
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Ingo , I agree with Matty .
I know you're busy but a few more detail shots would be great .

Garry
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Hi,
I have two CFs on my tank. One is on for 10hours/day and
the second for only 4 hrs/day. When I replace them, I
put the 4 hour light in the 10 hour socket, and the new
bulb in the 4 hour socket.

Frank

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Post InfoPosted 31-Jul-2007 02:31Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
fishmonster
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Love the tanks ingo, keep up the good work

Shane

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html
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Thanks guys for the input, detail shots have to wait until I have more time and until the last remains of the tannins are gone and growth is back to normal. Until then:

Weekly Tank Update - Week 97

All looks ok, nothing special going on in the tank. By now I have found 3 shrimp outside the tank, dead of course. Inside the tank I cannot find even one of the about 20 that I added overall. Probably went into the category "food".

That's it for now, will also post a shot of the 20 and 29,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 97



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no more updates?

Star of the stormy sea of my mortal life, may your light shine upon me so that I do not stray from the path that leads me to heaven.
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All looks ok, nothing special going on in the tank. By now I have found 3 shrimp outside the tank, dead of course. Inside the tank I cannot find even one of the about 20 that I added overall. Probably went into the category "food".


Amanos are pretty crazy shrimp. As you probably have noticed they can walk around on dry/slightly wet surfaces. Most other shrimp I have had to net don't do that. When I put all my cherries in the little tank along with my Amanos, the Amanos came up missing. One was found in the back of the filter but the rest where gone. I am guessing they tried to relocate. I never did find any bodies either...

BTW I am in NC now. The move was not fun. I will explain later if you want some of the details.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric
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no more updates?


Sure, more updates to come, but I have been in the home country for almost 2 weeks and just got back this weekend.

So quickly:

(Almost) Weekly Tank Update - Week 99

As mentioned, I have been away and the neighbor took care of feeding and fert adding. Went pretty well, the tank sure showed some growth. In particular the Najas indica was all over the tank as the strands got too long and floated around and got stuck in the other plants.

Here is today's shot, after the trimming, nothing special:

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 99



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fishmonster
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Ingo

I hope ya had a good time in the home country, we missed ya updates my friend. Tank is looking good. Glad nothing went wrong while you were gone.

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
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Ingo , welcome home . We certainly missed you around here . Hope you had a nice trip and glad to see everything went well with the Tank.
Garry
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