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Here is a close-up of the diffuser in action.

The spray bar is to the left of the picture, vertically. This way, the water rushed around the diffuser and carries its tiny bubbles away to the right and around the tank.

Because of this arrangement I have pretty much ZERO surface agitation. It is pretty hard to even see water move in the tank, if it wouldn't be for the bubbles and the waving leaves.

Attached Image:

Diffuser Bubbles

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

An established tank, that would look like this (currently last) picture, would be very pretty, IMHO. If it wouldn't be that the star grass would grow way too fast to hold steady.

That's it for now,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Left (or Right) Tank Half

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

OMGOSH, I skiped ahead to page like 91, I would be here for a week if I tried to read all 92 pages, your 125 is just AMAZING, I am trying (note I said TRYING) to make both my 10 and 29gall planted but... so far it is only so-so, LOL but I know it will NEVER look THAT good

blazeybird,

Actually, my tanks don't really look all that good, but I am flattered by your compliment. If you want to read a shorter log of mine, that is even related to one of your tanks, the check This 29G Log. That is my first tank and also my first planted tank. Somehow I never imagined a tank without plants.

Overall, a low tech and low to medium light tank is really not all that hard to maintain, as long as you do your homework first and you are willing to put time (and some spare cash) into the adventure. I would definately encourage you to try out a planted tank, for the benefit of your fishies and the viewing pleasure of all people in the house

Thanks again,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Here we go again

Looking real good so far.

Either the tank is a lot shorter then I expected or the wood is a bit bigger then I thought.

I don't think there is too much wood - a lot of it will disappear from view with plants. One minor thing I think the rocks are buried too deep. I liked it when they were taller. Don't forget having plants around and in front of them will shave off some of the height. I think the level they are at now they will disappear quickly.

The Stargrass looks real good in there. The hygro does too, but as I'm sure you are aware by now unfortunately that particular plant would be a lot of work in that size tank. Understand that it temporary and at least it gives you an idea of how that particular shape will work. Narrow leaf fern would be the ideal eventual replacement, same shape and coloring but a lot lot less work.

In the long term I'd also work on the height. Having tall plants across the width of the tank will make things look flat. The Stargrass and the Augustifolia are in almost perfect ratio to one another at the moment. You should aim to keep that shape.

Have you decided on a final plant and fish stocking yet ? If you are planning Otto's I'd put them in first - keep the new tank brown algae at bay.

Certainly the small grains of Eco and sand are a joy to work with. They are very easy to plant and at the same time while they keep the plants well anchored it's also very easy to remove plants, they slide out just as easy as they go in.

Bet you forgot to put a small layer of old tank gunk at the bottom ? Works wonders for really getting the bio colony going.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Little_fish, im not talking to YOU anymore......
your tanks are TO awsome.....
I would LOVE to put some $$ into it, but I dont get a nice big pay-check,...Im only 14 but allwell, I LOVe being young, and I do A LOT of resurch, so ONE DAY I whant to have a like 250gall with a school of discus, about 45 neon tetra, 45 harlaquin rasbora's, and about 7 Germen blue rams, and like zebra pleco, and/or like 15 panda cories all planted tank....ahhhhh thats my dream tank

blazeybird - Some simple plants for now should not cost you a fortune, and maybe you can get some clippings from some local folks in your area. And right you are, dreams are meant to be big

Bensaf,

Here we go again

What does that mean?

Well, let me try to break down your helpful entry and answer some of your question:

"tank is a lot shorter then I expected or the wood is a bit bigger" - Yeah, I guess the latter is more likely. I also think that I misinterpreted the size of the wood from the pictures.

"will disappear from view with plants" - I agree, I may go and try to rearrange some branches as time goes on, but before any fishies are added.

"I think the rocks are buried too deep" - Yeah, I can work on that. Lifting then up a tad should not be an issue. Given that all plants are temporary I don't mind changing things around a little.

"Narrow leaf fern would be the ideal eventual replacement" - As you may remember, I have some of that in my 125G, and I almost pulled it out this weekend to add it to this tank. But then I decided to wait until the tank is more settled.

"In the long term I'd also work on the height" - I will, but maybe not as expected. I actually envisioned only a small group at each wood base to be tall, the rest I intend to keep shorter. How I am going to do that has yet to be seen

"Have you decided on a final plant and fish stocking yet ?" - Nothing is decided. Plantwise, I will try to form a base of Anubias Nana on at least one of the wood groups. Some taller leafy plants at the other base (fern), loads of hairgrass or such for most of the ground, an occasional blyxa or crypt, and that should be it. Fishwise - for sure some Otos and maybe a school (espei come to mind, too many in the other tank) and a pair of cichlids, and some shrimpsters.

"Bet you forgot to put a small layer of old tank gunk at the bottom ?" - Not quite forgot about it, but gave it a thought and decided against it. 20QT is under ich treatment, 29G doesn't quite have enough to share, and the 125G is trying to get settled. I just didn't think I could afford removal from any of my tanks. Also, isn't Eco supposed to have life bacteria?

That's it for now, I have to get ready to go to work,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Very nice Ingo. Everything looks so good. I agree those rocks are very pretty. Not seen anything like it here.

Look forward to the tanks progress.

Cheers
TW

Look forward to the tanks progress

Me too, actually the next thing I would expect to see is that the milky water color begins to clear and also that some brown algae (diatoms) develops. I am not getting nervous about the cloudy water just yet, but the knowledge of past issues with Eco is sitting in the back of my head and I hope I will never have to bring it to the front.

Thanks Robyn,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Eco problems are a thing of the past. Unless you saw some milky white in the bag I wouldn't worry. The eco should help establish the bacteria although the gunk would have certainly helped. If you haven't done so swap out a try of biomedia from your 125 to the 40.

Also change your water, alot 2 or 3 times per week for the first month.

My Scapes

Thanks tetratech,

I remebered you saying that about the Eco, so that is why I am not too concerned that this may happen.

I am, on the other hand, worried about removing a media tray from the 125G. As you know, this tank is barely able to filter all the gunk out and removing almost half the settled media seems not like a good idea. Also, what good would it do if I don't have fish in this tank? Wouldn't the media die off eventually if I don't supplement ammonia?

I was planning on two 50% water changes per week for the first few weeks, thanks for the reminder.

I cannot believe though that you have not mentioned yet that I should have added carbon to the filter

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I am, on the other hand, worried about removing a media tray from the 125G. As you know, this tank is barely able to filter all the gunk out and removing almost half the settled media seems not like a good idea. Also, what good would it do if I don't have fish in this tank? Wouldn't the media die off eventually if I don't supplement ammonia?

If true, then that should be telling you something. You need another or bigger filter on the tank and/or less fish/less food. Is the tank getting better algae wise and BTW how are the Blyxa doing?


My Scapes

Little_fish thanks... I have a few plants and I like the setup, If I could get my dad to hook up the camera to the comp..... (we moved the comp so everything was disconected ect...) i will post pics, for right now I have
2 anuba (1 is clipings from the other)
java fern and most recently added moss
2 (not sure what the name I will have to look it up..) sword plant though
and more elodea than I can count... LOL

tetratech - thanks for the input. I know, I know, I already started cleaning the filter more often. But hey, didn't you see my light question in the big tank log? That may have something to do with the algae. The Blixa grows a little, and is now a very light green color. All original reddish brown leaves fell off. And it still tends to remove itself from the substrate. Maybe I should put it in this tank already.

blazeybird - yeah, show us a picture of your tank. From your plant selection it seems like you would have some nice options there.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

hrmm... I go on vacation for a long weekend and when I come back there is another Ingo-log to keep up with.

The tank looks very promising though , keep posting photos of the progress, I'll try keeping up with your threads

Well, that's how it happens Dr.
You blink and a new thread with 56 entries (so far) is born.

You better keep up with this thread, that's why you are getting paid the big bucks, being a Moderator and all.

Thanks Dr., I think it looks very nice myself and I hope it stays that way, but in any case I will keep you posted.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Well the plant choice sounds good, pretty much what I'd have in mind myself.

Well I mentioned I meant exactly as you planned, don't go too tall. One plant at surface height is enough. The rest should be at maximum the height the Stargrass is at now.

What I really meant was be careful that not all the plants are the same height - makes things look flat. One tallish plant would give a nice contrast. You can do this with fern too simply by placing a bit higher up the wood.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

LF,

You should read this thread:

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquascaping/27350-professional-aquascapers-and-algae-experiences.html?highlight=client

It has alot of impact from the other Jeff. It appears that Jeff and I think alike.

My Scapes

Bensaf - It is very comforting to read that we are at least theoretically on the same page, when did that ever happen before . Now, I only hope that the realization if that plant will work out as well as the thought process.

Tetratech - You Jeffs are on the same page, and you are not, or when did you switch over to lean ferts? Thank you very much, this for sure is a nice and informative thread to read and think about. Hey, he adds 12 Amano shrimp in a 20 at the get go - that means for my 40G I would need 24, at $5 a piece, totalling $120 in shrimp. I don't think I can do that, .

I am currently still limiting my light to 7 hours per day, but I am not dosing lean. I assume Jeff can do that because he has this ultra rich substrate (maybe we should warn our users that EI and ADA soil might not mix too well).

Overall, the tank seems to get a little clearer, I may take a picture tonight and compare it to one from Sunday, if I have the time.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Tetratech - You Jeffs are on the same page, and you are not, or when did you switch over to lean ferts?

Actually I always believed their was an acclimation period for plants before they really start to suck up ferts so more of the ferts would sit in the water column. That's why it's important to run carbon, limit waste, etc. until the plants and biofilter get established.

My Scapes

But wouldn't that be solved by the 2 to 3 water changes per week rather than by lean dosing?

And yeah, the carbon...
I really struggled this time on what to do with it. Use it or not? In the end, I determined that I would have to throw out some other media to make place for carbon and decided against it. Will it come back to haunt me? Maybe - time will tell.

Thanks tetratech,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

But wouldn't that be solved by the 2 to 3 water changes per week rather than by lean dosing?

Yes, but the tank needs all the help it could get to stay clean, especially with the plants acclimating and no biofilter. Don't you read your books, LF, That's how the master does it (and I don't mean the one ODing on Guiness during the World Cup)

No Carbon:

My Scapes

Yeah,

but the Master (not the one ODing on Guiness during the World Cup ) also has an ultra rich substrate, and tidy green (or whatever his ferts are called) I, II, and III .

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

OK,

I got some more pictures that I just took. Here is a closeup of a Wisteria, in case you floks have never seen this plant . I have to say that mine is at least as good looking than tetratech's , but I don't have a carpet of it:

Attached Image:

Wisteria

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Here is a close-up of some Star Grass. It pretty much still looks as good (if not better) then at the day when I added it. To me, this means that conditions in this tank are just as good

Attached Image:

Star Grass

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And here is a close-up of the Hygro touching the water surface. Although the tank has for sure sufficient circulation, there is close to zero surface agitation. All the bubbles you see here are CO2. I wonder if I will have to look into getting a surface skimmer for the stuff that may accumulate there.

Attached Image:

Hygro on Surface

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Now here is a close-up of one part of the driftwood. I just love all the character that every inch of Jeff's wood contains. Little ripples here and there, a big hole to swim though, just lovely.

Attached Image:

Wood

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Ok, now on to the full tank shots. I think the tank is definately clearing up, there is only some light white cloud left. Here is the tank from the back main view, you can see the light unit of the 125G in the background. Soon I will start on creating a hang-on background for this tank to create less distraction from the objects that are visible on the other side.

Attached Image:

Tank from Back Main

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And here is the main view shot. When compared to the last full shot it should be obvious that the cloudiness is going back. Good thing

Also, looking at the last one right now, I see that the Star Grass has been growing quite a bit (I think maybe 2 to 3 inches). At that pace I will have to trim on Saturday .

Ingo

Attached Image:

Front Main View

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

It looks amazing LF! What are your fish plans for the tank? (sorry if I missed it somewhere)

*Kristin*

I have to say that mine is at least as good looking than tetratech's

You knew this was coming. Your on your way Jersey Boy, but when you get your's dewy with pearls then give me a call.




Attached Image:


My Scapes

Kristin,

Thank you for the compliment. Help me by keeping your fingers crossed that it will stay that way (as in looking nice, but not the current plant layout). I am not sold on any specific fish for the tank yet. I think a school may look nice, for sure some Otos, maybe shrimp, and maybe a center fish, keyhole cichlids come to mind.

Tetratech,

I sure did see that coming . It is very interesting to me that I basically never see pearling. The big tank may have too many fish for it, this one probably has a light period that is currently too short for pearling (7h).

Isn't the structure of the Wisteria leaf dependent (besides other things) on light intensity? The finer the leaf the more light it gets? This would be a clear indicator then that my big tank, from which this clipping is, has quite more light than yours.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Stunning Ingo. I agree, seriously interesting wood.

Cheers
TW

Robyn,

Thanks for the compliment

It seems like the waiting to get the wood was certainly worthwhile. This are, in fact, not the best pieces one can get from ADG (and its originator ADA), but Jeff seriously ran out of stock and waiting for the next round of wood to come in didn't seem to be an option. Why? - because ADA seems to go on collection trips (to SA, btw) only once a year and Jeff told me that it may be 6 months until he gets the next load, as collection is done during the summer months (and SA has winter now).

What can I say, lucky me

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Isn't the structure of the Wisteria leaf dependent (besides other things) on light intensity? The finer the leaf the more light it gets? This would be a clear indicator then that my big tank, from which this clipping is, has quite more light than yours.

I'm sure light is one factor affecting the leaf look. Your leaves are looking good but I don't know if they have fully acclimated and absorbed all ferts to make them full and lush. The fact that my wisteria crawls without too much coaching is tellimg me that the light is more than sufficient.

BTW-The tank does look nice. Aren't you enjoying the growing plants in the dark "Dark Background,Dark Substrate, etc.)

My Scapes

Aren't you enjoying the growing plants in the dark "Dark Background,Dark Substrate, etc.

Yeah, I sure am. I am still amazed how nice the Eco looks like, to the point where I am worried that it will become ugly because of algae or what not. The dark background is actually not all that dark, the camera just captures it darker as it is focussed on the light in the tank. The one thing that I don't like about it is that the dark branches to the back (from whichever side you look at the tank) of the tank, behind the light center, seem almost invisible, in particular in pictures.

About the Wisteria: I am not bragging about this, but my wisteria is crawling in my big tank as well, when it is not planted in an area where the only light comes from above (crowded). I find that brader leaves are usually found towards to bottom of this plant and the close it gets to the light the narrower the structure becomes.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Yeah, I sure am. I am still amazed how nice the Eco looks like, to the point where I am worried that it will become ugly because of algae or what not. The dark background is actually not all that dark, the camera just captures it darker as it is focussed on the light in the tank. The one thing that I don't like about it is that the dark branches to the back (from whichever side you look at the tank) of the tank, behind the light center, seem almost invisible, in particular in pictures.

Well look at my pics, yes you are right the dark dw with a dark background is one drawback. You have to have some green behind the dw in the pics to really have it standout.

Overtime you might get some bba on pieces of eco, I do. I simply take them out during my regular maintenance. It's never been overwhelming.

Glad to hear your wisteria is crawling. It's the only way to go. I would say I have half a dozen different leaf shapes on my wistera from some that have no ridges to ones that look like yours. Maybe I'll post a series of pics about the different shapes of difformis. Now that's exciting isn't it.

My Scapes

Now that's exciting isn't it

As a matter of fact, it is to me. Such a series would allow comparison to the shapes that I have. If we do that then I believe it would be interesting to identify the estimated light intensity (like as in gets lots of light, slightly shaded, side of tank, and what not), even if it would be only to disproof the theory (that I have) about light and shape relationship.

Oh, btw, I ordered another 40lbs of Eco, and I still have about 30lbs of it left, so keep an eye open for the 29G overhaul log, coming soon to a forum near you

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Oh, btw, I ordered another 40lbs of Eco, and I still have about 30lbs of it left, so keep an eye open for the 29G overhaul log, coming soon to a forum near you

Glad you see the power of the darkside.

My Scapes

Glad you see the power of the darkside.

I sure do, as long as the dark side is still painted green and not actinic

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Update:

I did a 50% water change last night, although the water looked pretty clean to me. I decided on yesterday as it fell on a better day within the fertilizing routine. I finished two rounds of macros and micros by Tuesday so yesterday was a the start for the 3rd round, just like it would be on the weekly change. Friday, as usual, will be a fert rest day, and Saturday will see the next water change.

The plants are still growing strong, but I begin to see some white slime algae on the driftwood. I know that this is common and I am not too worried about it, and I remember Jeff telling me that it will either go away by itself within a few weeks or I could add shrimp or Otos and they would take care of it. But I assume at this point I should not add any animals and simply wait it out.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

but I begin to see some white slime algae

Well the good news is it's not algae. It's just some fungus from decomposing matter in the wood. Harmless. It may get quite fuzzy for a while then it will disappear.

Don't try to treat it, it will just return anyway. Just let it do it's thing and it will go away by itself in time.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Thanks Bensaf,

I actually knew that (believe it or not), but I am so used on reporting about all forms of algae that grow in my tank(s) that I just cannot seem to shake the habbit of calling everything that is not plant/fish/hardscape algae

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

LF,
Maybe you should go to AA (Algae Addicts). They might be able to help you there!

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Wings, I hope that this will not have to happen

Anyway, following my 125G tradition, here is the first:

Weekly Tank Update - Week 1

The first week seems to have gone rather well with this tank and I cannot see any signs of algae yet . Actually, the one I expected, brown slime aka diatoms, is not here yet. The tank has received a 50% water change on Wednesday and I will keep these in-between changes up for the next few weeks. Of course it also received its weekly water change yesterday.

How is it going with the tank. Well you be the judge . Here is the tank right after setup.

Attached Image:

After Setup

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Now this picture has been taken 3 days later and one can see that the white bacterial cloud is almost gone and that plant growth appears pretty strong.

Attached Image:

After 3 Days

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And this is the tank yesterday just before the water change. The Star Grass sure seems to be happy, even the Wisteria shows some measurable growth (plus a few additional stems from trimmings of the 125G). The tank is completely clear by now as well. The fungus on the wood is still there.

So, basically this means that the Star Grass has grown somewhere between 6 and 10 inches during one week. BTW, in the evening the plants had grown another 1" at least.

Attached Image:

After 7 Days, Yesterday

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Here is a shot from one corner of the tank.It for sure looks already pretty full in there and maybe I will have to perform a mid-week unscheduled trimming to avoid shading.

Attached Image:

Corner Shot

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And here is a shot from the other corner. You may see all the bubbles on the glass and plants, that is from the water change. But the star grass was actually bubbling like mad for the rest of the day as well.

Attached Image:

Other Corner Shot

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Here is a look at the tank from the main rear view. I notice that I will have to be carful not to neglect this side of the tank once I add the "real" plants to the tank. This side has a rather strong current generated by the spray bar, I will have to keep that in mind for the plants that will end up in the current.

Attached Image:

Main Back View

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

There is one thing here that concerns me a little, may it be for the lack of knowledge I have in this area. There seens to be a thin film of stuff on the surface of the tank, and because I pretty much have zero agitation it does not go away. I have heard of people using skimmers for their planted tanks, would that be the reason why? Who has some info on this?

Attached Image:

Stuff On Surface

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Oh, actually 3 of the more permanent residents of this tank have already moved in. No, not fish, but Blyxa . Two of them came lose in the big tank and the third one was beginning to be shaded by the Wisteria, so I decided to see how they would do in the new tank. This is why I got them in the first place. So far so good

Attached Image:

Blyxa

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And here is the last picture for now, showing my current solution for the "bad" glass top situation. You may remember me mentioning that the AGA top cannot be used as it has the dark hinge pretty much in the middle of the top and as such it would generate shade in the tank with the light over the hinge). I took one of the two glass plates off the top (wasn't all that easy to pull it out of the hinge) and use it now to cover the middle of the tank only. This way I hope there will not be too much condensation that would reach the light unit above the glass.

I have to say that I was a little worried about the heat, but after a few hours the glass was still cold (cool). Also, there is a possibility that the narrow resting part on each end of the glass, and the glass being 35" long, that it may collapse from its own weight. Time will tell. I still may opt for a more permanent solution with a custon glass top.

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Temp Glass Top

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Oh, and I almost forgot:

Last weeks light times were from noon to 7pm, means 7 hours only. I went ahead after this weekend and increased that duration to 7.5 hours and I plan on continuing this process weekly (increase by 0.5 hours) until I have reached 10 hours.

Sounds good?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

That is quite a lot of growth in a week. You must be doing everything right. I'll be interested to see the answers you get about skimmers. We've put one in hubby's marine tank, but as it's operated by an airstone, I assume that type wouldn't be possible. It creates a lot of surface agitation.

Cheers
TW

You must be doing everything right

I guess one week is not enough time for me to start to do something wrong yet

But don't worry, if the past is any indication then soon I will start to mess up things

Thanks Robyn,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

LF,

Very nice pictures as always. It seems as if things are growing quite well for you and I hope that it keeps that trend.

I am having some of the same film on the suface of my tank too. A skimmer would probaby help but I would worry about losing CO2 with the use of one and just having extra junk in the tank doesn't make me happy.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Instead of a skimmer, why don't you get one of those ADA lily pipes? You can position them so they swirl the water down eliminating surface film.

Give our ole buddy Jeff a call.



Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

A skimmer would be overkill.

Aim the spray bar at a slight upward angle, just enough to gently ripple the surface and that will keep it away.

A more low tech solution would be Mollies or Guppies

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.