# Planted Tanks > Aquascaping >  "Passionately Curious"

## jackychun

I really want to learn more about Aquascaping and would like to share my journey here. All starts from the scratches of a beginner. Hopefully the journey will be fruitful.  :Smile:  
I am now sharing the posts from my blog here according to the time chronicle order and really hope to learn more from AQ's masters here.  :Very Happy: 

*3 Feb 2016,*


I have done the research the last few weeks on various websites regarding "aqua-scaping". So far, I have found the several websites are very useful. 

http://www.aquaticquotient.com: Well known forum about aquatic matters in Singapore. From this website, I have linked up to many interesting blogs that share a lot of valuable experience of setting up an aquarium.http://www.urbanaquaria.com: Urban Aquaria is one of the best inspired blog that I have read through most of the posts and even comments in each post. I really like the way the blogger express his clear ideas and knowledge to readers. Thanks Urban Aquaria for sharing and inspires me to start my journey into aquascaping world.
There are several online shop for aquascaping materials that I found very convenient to purchase, even I have not really started purchasing it. Currently, I have been only creating a list of necessaries and purchase plan.  :Smile: 

http://www.eastoceansg.com: First online store that I explored because I was attracted by the package of whole fish tank, cabinet, canister fileter, CO2 system...etc. that they offer at SGD800. That is really tempted to click "Add to Cart" button. However, the more study, the more I would like to explore more on each items rather than one package, even though, it might be a cheaper option.http://www.fishybusiness.com.sg: Very good response from this shop. Email shortly received after some queries sent. I am planning to visit the shop in the coming time since everything looks so great from their facebook page.http://www.gcshop-sg.com: Seems like a good online store, I will plan to buy some from here since delivery will be free for purchase more than SGD150. For startup, I better save some money for the long run.  :Smile: http://freshnmarine.com.sg: Haven't really tried to explore yet since I have overloaded with other websites's information. But I have seen a good thing that delivery will be free for purchase of more than SGD120.  :Smile:  Will explore it in the next few days.http://mizuworld.com/: Haven't explored at all.https://sg.carousell.com/search/prod...uery=FISH+TANK: Really convenient to surf this site time to time on 2nd hand items. Frankly, my initial plan was just to purchase a second hand set for fun since my wife and my kid would like to have a fish tank. After reading and studying more from library as well as internet, I really want to try to explore this new hobby. Some of my friends have already "warned" me about the addiction it would bring. Nevertheless, I always like to try something I have never done before. And here come the plan for aquascaping.http://www.craquarium.com.sg: Customized fish tank and cabinet.http://aquafishtanks.com.sg: Customized fish tank and cabinet.

Last but not least, Youtube is surely a great reference resource for newbie learning. I have been lucky to have chance to watch The Green Machine's channel at very first search. I am really inspired by the way they demonstrate aquascaping technique. I have been watching those videos for the last few days and really can feel my hands becomes very "itchy". Below is the link to their channel on Youtube. 


https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreenMachineLtd

2016-01-23%u00252B18.17.22-1.jpg

I have borrowed some books from public library and I found "The Perfect Aquarium" by Jeremy Gay is very well written and useful for a beginner like me. 


Yes, those are for the first post. I will keep update the progress for myself reference on this blog regarding my new hobby - Aquascaping.

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## jackychun

*4 February 2016

*Customized Cabinet

Initially, I was thinking the fish tank can just be put on any kind of surface like table or side table. After some thoughts, I believe it would be better to take the "tank load" more seriously and I had a plan to just buy a rough iron rack to put the fish tank on. I had try to source for second hand rack on carousel website for that. However, it can be seen most of the 2nd hand rack are quite high, about more than 1m which I feel not really nice put it in the living room. Then I changed my mind to source for the cabinet instead. There are many options of fish tank cabinet on the market and the price is also quite attractive. However, the ready-made cabinets do not have the colour that match my woodwork furniture at home. So the only option is to order a custom-made cabinet.

I have been sourcing around the internet and once again really inspired by the way Urban Aquaria arranged his cabinet:

http://www.urbanaquaria.com/2014/09/...l#comment-form

From there, I know that some suppliers do custom make the cabinet specially for fish tank. One of them is CR Aquarium. I contacted them for quotation and the price given is very reasonable, however, with additional special customized laminate, the price is quite high. Then I have sourced for another supplier which is Aqua Fishtanks (http://aquafishtanks.com.sg). The supplier's sale person is very responsive to all queries that I have sent and it really make me feel comfortable to deal with them. I have decided just to order a cabinet from them since the custom-made fish tank is quite expensive compared with ready-made on the market. Price wise is quite reasonable and I also decide to self-collect the item to save some delivery cost.

Below is my sketch for the design and colour pattern to match the existing furniture. Due to factory closure during CNY, the cabinet only be expected to fabricate and deliver by the first or second week of March 2016. In the meantime, I will source for the other items and study more about aquascaping. For now, I really enjoy the process. 



Sketch of the cabinet








Simple design with colours matching my current furniture

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## jackychun

*16 Feb 2016,*

*Tools & Equipment Hunting Game*

Projection of budget has been much expanded from my initial plan. Hence, I decided to source for 2nd hand tools and equipment online. Pretty fun the hunting game, but also quite tired sometimes going here and there to collect the items. After purchasing some items, quite good amount of money has been saved. OK, few stuffs that I got last week.

I got an Ocean Free CO2 system from a member of AQ forum. The set looks pretty new as previous owner said he only used it for about a year. Well, it includes: Ocean Free CO2 cylinder (empty) + Solenoids Valve + Bubble Counter + CO2 atomizer (freebies).



Ocean Free CO2 system looks pretty new. 




Brand new CO2 atomizer diffusers as freebies  :Grin: 


I have not tried or tested it yet because the CO2 cylinder is currently empty. I might need to find a place to re-fill or exchange the cylinder. I checked with Nature Aquarium and found out that they do 1-on-1 exchange of CO2 cylinder regardless the system bought from them or not, as long as it is the same type of cylinder. Alternative is a place in Boon Keng called Bioplast that do the CO2 re-fill, too. Hope all will be working well after re-filled.  :Smile: 

Another important item I purchased last week via Carousell was UP-Aqua Pro Z Series LED Light Z-20 (60cm). The light is in good condition with all LED works and nice outlook. Can't wait to try it on the tank.


UP-Aqua Pro Z Series LED Light Z-20 (60cm)




Testing the light, all of LED works


Also, got some freebies from the lighting seller. I think it could be useful later, too.  :Smile: 


Small glass cup for plant with suctions. Might be nice to use later on.




Reference solution for CO2 checker is also the one I need


Last but not least was the Seachem Matrix Filter Media that purchase from Carousell as well. Quite a good deal for a brand new bottle.  :Smile: 



Seachem Matrix, bio-media filtration material



That was all for last week shopping. This week I plan for some more items to be in. I didn't know that process should be this interesting. The more I read and learn, the more excited I am.  :Smile:

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## jackychun

*18 February 2016,

Equipment Shopping Journey*

Finally, I have gathered almost all important things this week. 
Tank and canister filter were ordered from Green Chapter and it was delivered to doorstep. Eheim Ecco Pro 300 (2036) and GUSH Crystal Garden 60M were chosen. Hopefully, I got the good choice. 



Eheim Ecco Pro 300 and GUSH Crystal Garden 60M


I really enjoyed "un-boxed" the brand new Eheim canister filter. Since that should be the "lung" or "liver" of my future aquarium, it deserves to be brand new one, isn't it? Eheim Ecco Pro 300 package includes: Canister chamber, hose, inlet/outlet tube, suction cups, pre-filters (coarse blue foam, white fine foam and black charcoal foam), mechanical filter media (Eheim Mech Pro), bio filter media (2 packs: Eheim Substrat Pro and Eheim Bio Mech) and of course user manual. 



Eheim Ecco Pro 300 package




Great feeling of unboxing


I brought CO2 cylinder to Nature Aquarium today for 1-to-1 exchange. It is so convenient that way! Just one minute and you already have the new tank set to bring back home, so I guess no need to have another standby CO2 cylinder anymore. I also took the chance to buy many stuff today from Nature Aquarium since I found that the shop sells aquarium stuff at very reasonable price and definitely cheaper than online store that I have sourced so far. I will surely go back there for future equipment, tools or accessories. 


Accessories from Nature Aquarium



Some stuff were purchased from Nature Aquarium:-
- Amazonia Powder Soil (9L)
- Seachem Prime
- Seachem Excel
- ISTA Snail Remover
- Easy-Life AlgExit
- Water Test Kit: pH, Amonia, Nitrite and Nitrate
- Tank Background
- ANS CO2 tube

I also found that some other stuff could be way much cheaper by purchasing from eBay, especially some glass or acrylic accessories. I have ordered VIV inlet/outlet pipe, CO2 drop checker and also set of curved tweezers & scissors. The only matter is delivery time will take quite long from 2-3 weeks. That does not really matter now since I am still waiting for the cabinet to be made. The supplier has sent me the sketch design after long CNY bream. Furthermore, I have more time to study about aquascaping before really hands-on on that.  :Smile: 



Sketch of cabinet from supplier 


For now, time to study about the design of my future aquarium.

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## jackychun

*24 Feb 2016,*

*24-Hour Timer Plug*

I have recently received an order of the 24-hour electric timer plugs that will be used for CO2 and lighting system. Those plugs were ordered from Qoo10 with cheaper price compared with market price. 


Three timers were ordered


I test the automatic on/off function and it really works well. It is very easy to program and I can't wait to test it on my planted tank. Woo hoo! I am still studying about aquascaping design and also take some time choosing rock / driftwood for my future tank.  :Smile:

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## kakachi

Nice good reference info as I am also in the process of starting a small tank. Any chiller planned?

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## jackychun

I am not planning to use any chiller since my planted tank will not be tropical aquarium where most of plants and fishes will be OK with temperature range from 26-28 degrees C. Chiller I think might be needed for marine fish tank/reef tank where they need more chill down because of high light temperature. 


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## BFG

You have written down some very comprehensive detail of your experience, which would helped future beginner aquascaper. Thank you for sharing. Maybe I miss reading it but have you went down to the lfs you mentioned?

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## jackychun

> You have written down some very comprehensive detail of your experience, which would helped future beginner aquascaper. Thank you for sharing. Maybe I miss reading it but have you went down to the lfs you mentioned?


Hi BFG,

Thanks for your comment.  :Smile:  I hope that my posts from the angle of a beginner are some how useful for other beginners, too.  :Smile: 
So far I have only been to Nature Aquarium to change CO2 cylinder and buy some accessories. 
I also went to PetMart at Serangoon North Ave 2 for some "window shopping".  :Grin: 

Other LFS like Fishy Business / Green Chapter...etc. I have not been to yet. I plan to go there sourcing for 1-2 Tropica plants in later stage.

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## Urban Aquaria

Yeah, before starting on your setup, it'll be good to visit LFS like Green Chapter and Fishy Business to look at their fully aquascaped tanks. Spend some time looking at how they compose the layouts and enhance the scale perspectives (especially how they slope the substrate, alot of people tend to underestimate the amount of slope required). 

It'll help generate alot more ideas for how you want to aquascape your own tank.  :Very Happy:

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## jackychun

> Yeah, before starting on your setup, it'll be good to visit LFS like Green Chapter and Fishy Business to look at their fully aquascaped tanks. Spend some time looking at how they compose the layouts and enhance the scale perspectives (especially how they slope the substrate, alot of people tend to underestimate the amount of slope required). 
> 
> It'll help generate alot more ideas for how you want to aquascape your own tank.


Thanks Urban Aquaria for your advice. I have followed your blogs and gained so much valuable knowledge from there. Really appreciate your sharing.  :Smile:  
I will go there to take a tour and hopefully can get some interesting ideas aquascaping work.

Fortunately, thanks to Google Maps, the shop can be virtually visited from any PC, for example Green Chapter shop can be seen from here:  :Grin:  So before going there, I would know where they store what. :P

https://www.google.com.sg/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x31da1a891addc239:0x2a63fda8afeb1a88!2m5!2m2!1i80!2i80!3m1!2i100!3m1!7e1!4s//plus.google.com/photos/photo/116108351695837767347/6113352535211425666!5sgreen+chapter+-+Google+Search&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi6nZ_KqJzLAhVFt44KHal2BTQQoioIczAK

BTW, I bought 9L of Amazonia Soil (Powder Type) and hopefully that should be sufficient for 2ft tank.  :Smile:

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## bryan

Another place I like to get my aquarium supplies from is Nature Aquarium. They are opposite Thomson Medical Centre. 

Pity Colorful aquarium is not there anymore because it was as the name suggested.

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## jackychun

> Another place I like to get my aquarium supplies from is Nature Aquarium. They are opposite Thomson Medical Centre. 
> 
> Pity Colorful aquarium is not there anymore because it was as the name suggested.


Yes, Bryan. I have been to Nature Aquarium to exchange my CO2 cylinder and really impressive with their price. I definitely go there again to shop for stuff. 

And what a pity to hear about Pity Colorful Shop. I did not have chance to see them. 


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## jackychun

*Driftwood and Stones*

There comes the time for sourcing for driftwood and stones, the "spirit" of an aquarium and especially the planted aquarium. 
Personally, I don't really like the idea of the fake driftwood or artificial ornaments since it would not look natural. I like seeing the unique of each piece of driftwood and stone and imagine how Mother Nature created its texture and shape through out the years.  :Smile:  The next step was to source for the nice driftwood and stones. It can be seen driftwood and stone that are sold in the shop in Singapore Local Fish Shop (LFS) are quite expensive. For the good looking piece of driftwood would cost S$20-30 and every kilogram of stone would cost you about S$5. So the budget for those "aquarium spirit" would be quite high and I would have a big hole in a pocket after getting those. 

Recently, I had chance to travel to Johor Bahru (JB) where my friend lives. I asked him to bring me to some local fish shop in JB so that I can "see see look look" and who knows I can get some good piece of driftwood. He brought me to the LFS nearby his living place at Tun Aminah area. There are 2 shops next to each other at that location. The shops look not shiny bright like the shops in Singapore and do not have many high tech equipment but basically good enough for the fish supply. I was so happy seeing them selling also driftwood there. It took me at least half an hour just to choose some pieces that I really like. 


One of the piece that I really like since it has many void and hole for fishes/shrimps to play "hide and seek" 




Some caving ideas should be interesting here  :Smile: 


The shops at Tun Aminah do sell some pebbles but not big size stones. So, my friend brought me to a plant nursery nearby to choose some stones. The plant nursery does not have many choices of stones for me to choose. They only have some small stock at the corner of the yard, where I need to practice some physical work to find my favourite stones in size and colour. Finally, after another 20 mins, I could collect all the stones that I need. 



Chosen pieces of driftwood and stones after few hours shopping


I am now very satisfied with the shopping time in JB where driftwood and stones were purchased. Last but not least, the price was surprisingly much cheaper than Singapore's price. It is time to think about some aquascaping ideas with what I have on hand. Very excited now since it is very close to the day I can get my sleeves wet.  :Smile:

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## jackychun

*Background For Aquarium*

I have decided to have a background for my planted tank after some reluctance. On one hand, I would like to see the transparent beautiful tank. On the other hand, some reference book said it would be better to have a tank background so that the fish can feel secure. Furthermore, the background can cover those piping and wiring behind the tank and makes it look better. 

I chose simple black Oyama background to create good contrast for the plants and fishes later on. In order to have background properly pasted, I followed a guideline from a good Youtube video below to complete the background setup.

https://youtu.be/j9nWuvMadjA 

The good trick is to spray solution of water with 1 drop of dishwasher to the sticker so that it will not so sticky and easy to adjust while pasting. 



Tools are ready for background setup.




Using a card to squeeze the air trap out




Waiting for the background to be dried and settled first


I will leave the background to dried up and stick properly to the tank first before trimming the excessive part off. Trimming is easier than I though, just use very sharp penknife to slide the excessive protruded sticker along the tank side.



Slide the penknife against the edge of the tank to trim the excessive sticker off




Put the tank in this position with background on top will be easier to paste the background. 
However, need to check the air bubble inside carefully and use the card to squeeze the bubbles out.





Tada! Background installation done!


Overall, I am quite happy with the background installation. A pat on my shoulder for the work well done.  :Smile:   :Grin:

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## exo

book marked!
im a beginner myself.. great effort great info!

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## jackychun

> book marked!
> im a beginner myself.. great effort great info!


Thanks exo. Great to know that is useful for you.  :Smile: 

I have some questions would like to ask our "sifu" here for clarification:

1) Is this really necessary to use additives (e.g. PenacP, PenacW, ADA Clear Super, ADA Bacteria 100...etc.) during setup time? Or just ADA Amazonia soil is good enough? 
2) Are there any more affordable additives that can be replaced those high-end expensive ADA additives?
3) How to prevent substrate to be anaerobic in the future? In case the substrate becomes anaerobic what should we do?
4) What is the best hours to turn on the light and CO2 solenoids valve? Since I am only at home during evening time, so the time to enjoy the aquarium is night time, should I turn on the light during that time? And is that affect the tank routine? 
5) I will place the tank not at direct sunlight, however, the room is quite bright. So, do I need to cover the tank with kind of "blind curtain" during day time? So that they will only do the photosynthesis by lighting from my LED light. I am afraid the bright room during day time will increase the chance for algae to develop.

Really appreciate your answers. Thank you.  :Smile:

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## exo

Jacky, mind sharing the price of cabinet and items you got from NA through PM(i think my forum status prevents me from PMing).
Currently im still in the sourcing stage, unlike you.. i only settled on a used CO2 tank with solenoid. i think once i settled for my cabinet the rest of the items should fall in place seamlessly and rapidly.
btw I bet your spanking new eheim smells great out of the box..  :Laughing:

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## exo

u might want to consider getting a API master kit if you wanna know the parameters of your tank(ammonia, nitrate, nitrite) - this was advised to me by sifus here... its not a must, but good to have item

as advised by sifu DreamerX5521 and others its to know, if your tank has been fully cycled and ready for livestock addition and also useful if you wanna keep those beautiful shrimps in future.

For your ref: http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ted-intentions

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## Urban Aquaria

Some inputs...




> 1) Is this really necessary to use additives (e.g. PenacP, PenacW, ADA Clear Super, ADA Bacteria 100...etc.) during setup time? Or just ADA Amazonia soil is good enough?


Those additives are mostly optional items, while they do help improve the soil characteristics and overall tank condition, the question of how much improvement is probably open to debate. 

It all depends on your budget, if you have the funds to get them, then its good to follow the ADA additive layout recommendations. 

If not, its still okay, most planted tank keepers successfully use just ADA Amazonia aquasoil on its own too.





> 2) Are there any more affordable additives that can be replaced those high-end expensive ADA additives?


You could also look at base additives from other brands like Tropica, Dennerle, JBL etc. They can offer various benefits and enhancements to the aquasoil layer too.

Some people also use bacteria powder cultures like Mosura BT-9 as the base additive (its meant for shrimp tanks but can work for planted tanks too). I've even seen people DIY additives by mixing crushed lava rocks and their own mixture of powder fertilizers as the base layer. You'll have to read up on those methods to see if it suits your requirements.





> 3) How to prevent substrate to be anaerobic in the future? In case the substrate becomes anaerobic what should we do?


If you have a planted tank with rooted plants, the healthy plant root structures will usually help keep the soil well oxygenated.

But if you don't plan to have much rooted plants (or no rooted plants at all), then do consider just using a thin layer of soil. That will help to improve circulation in the soil and avoid anaerobic conditions.

If you need to have a thick layer of soil due to certain aquascaping layouts and anaerobic conditions do appear (ie. bottom layers in the substrate start to turn black and gas bubbles start to form), then just regularly poke and stir the substrate during tank maintenance to help loosen and aerate the soil.





> 4) What is the best hours to turn on the light and CO2 solenoids valve? Since I am only at home during evening time, so the time to enjoy the aquarium is night time, should I turn on the light during that time? And is that affect the tank routine?


Its usually better to follow daylight timings when scheduling your light photo-period (ie. morning to afternoon)... but if you want to view your tank through the evenings, its okay to schedule it to start later in the afternoon and end at night time instead.

For Co2 injection, most people will program their timers to run on a staggered schedule, for example to switch on 1 hour before lights on (to build up the Co2 levels beforehand) and then switch off 1 hour before lights off (so that all the remaining Co2 can be used up). The actual start and stop timing can be adjusted according to your requirements, it doesn't have to be 1 hour, can be shorter or longer amounts of time. You just have to monitor the Co2 drop checker and adjust the timings to see what schedule works best for your setup.





> 5) I will place the tank not at direct sunlight, however, the room is quite bright. So, do I need to cover the tank with kind of "blind curtain" during day time? So that they will only do the photosynthesis by lighting from my LED light. I am afraid the bright room during day time will increase the chance for algae to develop.


Depending on the amount of ambient light in your room, if you find that there is too much extra light exposure during daytime and algae seems to be developing more on one side of the tank (usually the side getting more light nearest to the window), then you could look into drawing the window curtains during daytime or place a partition to block the additional light.

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## qool

Congrats for setting up your new tank. Sorry for being a spoiltsport but need to share with you one concern on ecco pro filter. Be very careful with the handle when opening to do cleaning it breaks very easily after some period of usage. Personally I have broken 2, both handle broke off even with minimum force used. Seems the plastic handle connection become brittle after some usage. Maybe you have better luck but just wish to share this warning with you.

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## jackychun

Hi sifu UA,

Really appreciate your prompt response and clarification.  :Smile:  That really helps me a lot!  :Smile: 

Thanks to your post, I have read further about Mosura BT-9 and I will try to use it during cycling period. Hopefully it can speed up the cycling time. 
For the plants, I will find some rooted plants for the setup. _Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo' / Eleocharis acicularis 'Mini' / Japonica Blyxa_ are considered good rooted plant? Do you have any other recommendation on other rooted plants?

For the lighting, I will setup the time from afternoon to night time to suite my schedule. Hopefully, it will not affect the tank much. I would draw the curtain during day time to avoid bright ambient also. CO2 will be setup follow the tank accordingly. BTW, I read your post somewhere saying that at the beginning 6 hours of lighting is recommended? It can be lengthen in later stage?

Once again, thanks a lot for your advice!  :Grin:

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## jackychun

> Congrats for setting up your new tank. Sorry for being a spoiltsport but need to share with you one concern on ecco pro filter. Be very careful with the handle when opening to do cleaning it breaks very easily after some period of usage. Personally I have broken 2, both handle broke off even with minimum force used. Seems the plastic handle connection become brittle after some usage. Maybe you have better luck but just wish to share this warning with you.


Hi qool,

Thanks a lot for your warning. So sad hearing about your broken handles. 
I also feel the handle is quite fragile and need to be gentle with it while pulling / pushing. I will take note of your caution every time I use it.  :Opps:  
BTW, I have try to open and close by using force to pulling/pushing to the 2 sides of the handle instead of the top part, that is more firm I guess. :P

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## jackychun

> Jacky, mind sharing the price of cabinet and items you got from NA through PM(i think my forum status prevents me from PMing).
> Currently im still in the sourcing stage, unlike you.. i only settled on a used CO2 tank with solenoid. i think once i settled for my cabinet the rest of the items should fall in place seamlessly and rapidly.
> btw I bet your spanking new eheim smells great out of the box..


Hi exo,

I also cannot use PM function. It is no harm to share with you here, I guess.

The cabinet price is S$250 (self-collected), delivery cost will be additional S$30. It is more expensive because I choose 2 colours of laminate to match my existing cabinet at home. Normal laminate colour like grey / black / white would be cheaper and price will be around S$215+. It will take about 2-3 weeks to finish the order, so I think you better do it in the first place. In the meantime waiting for the cabinet, you can source for other things and also learn more about aquascaping. I really enjoy the process and the first lesson that I have learnt here is "*being patient*".  :Grin:  

For those in NA, which items you are interested to know the price? I bought quite a lots from there. :P

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## jackychun

> u might want to consider getting a API master kit if you wanna know the parameters of your tank(ammonia, nitrate, nitrite) - this was advised to me by sifus here... its not a must, but good to have item
> 
> as advised by sifu DreamerX5521 and others its to know, if your tank has been fully cycled and ready for livestock addition and also useful if you wanna keep those beautiful shrimps in future.
> 
> For your ref: http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ted-intentions


Hi exo,

I have purchase the API test kits which is for separate parameter NH4+,NO2--, NO3- and pH from NA since they do not have the master test kit.
And yes, I would like to have some shrimps in the tank later too.  :Smile:

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## BFG

> Fortunately, thanks to Google Maps, the shop can be virtually visited from any PC, for example Green Chapter shop can be seen from here.


You should head down to lfs such as Seaview, Clementi Florist at clementi blk 328 and GreenChapter. Your visit will enlightened your eyes.

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## jackychun

> You should head down to lfs such as Seaview, Clementi Florist at clementi blk 328 and GreenChapter. Your visit will enlightened your eyes.


Hi BFG,

Ya, I will definitely go to visit those places in the coming time!  Thanks for your advice. 


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## exo

yeah agree with BFG... C328 is really a place u need to visit if u have not... I dun think there is another place in SG tht has so many LFS in one place.. 
Nevermind abt the price I ask earlier... it should not differ much from a shop to shop. ive been going to there once every week jus to see see look look and buy if the price and equipment is right

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## jackychun

> yeah agree with BFG... C328 is really a place u need to visit if u have not... I dun think there is another place in SG tht has so many LFS in one place.. 
> Nevermind abt the price I ask earlier... it should not differ much from a shop to shop. ive been going to there once every week jus to see see look look and buy if the price and equipment is right
> 
> Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk


Yup, exo. C328 is quite a famous place. 


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## jackychun

I have a questions to ask our master here regarding rocks and driftwood disinfection:-

1. For driftwood, I soak it in the water right now so that the tannin can be leached out. After that, I plan to boil it before placing in the tank. Is that the correct procedure?
2. For rocks/stones: I need to test with vinegar first to see if the rocks suitable to use in planted tank. Before place in the tank, what is the method to disinfect the rocks/stones? I plan to pour boiling water on it and soak in that hot water for sometimes. May I know what is your experience for this stage?  :Very Happy: 

Thank you very much!  :Very Happy:

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## sfk7

Not a master but think i can help. 

1. Brush the driftwood to clean it. Boil. After that you can choose to soak it in a diluted bleach solution maybe about one part bleach to 20 parts water. Then use anti chlorine to soak it again

You are right with the stones. I would soak in the bleach solution after boiling though

Have you gone through Dennis' youtube videos? Very informative

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## Urban Aquaria

> For the plants, I will find some rooted plants for the setup. _Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo' / Eleocharis acicularis 'Mini' / Japonica Blyxa_ are considered good rooted plant? Do you have any other recommendation on other rooted plants?


Yeah, those 3 plants you mentioned are relatively easy plant to grow and maintain, especially in a high-tech tank setup. Monte carlo will grow in thicker layers over time so you may need to trim them periodically, same with blyxia japonica too.... sp 'Mini' stays short and the grass blades are vertical so they don't overshadow each other, hence much less requirement to trim them.

Other easy plants you could look at are glosso, HM, the various rotalas, maybe also cryptocorynes and even echinodorus too. Quite alot to choose from, can try and see.





> BTW, I read your post somewhere saying that at the beginning 6 hours of lighting is recommended? It can be lengthen in later stage?


6 hours of light photo-period is usually good at the start, if you find that the tank conditions are stable and plants are growing well and there are no significant algae issues, then gradually adjust the photo-period longer in stages.





> 1. For driftwood, I soak it in the water right now so that the tannin can be leached out. After that, I plan to boil it before placing in the tank. Is that the correct procedure?


It'll be better to just boil the wood for a few hours from the start, that will make it leach out alot of tannins in a short period of time. That eliminates the need for it to go through a lengthy soaking process. 

If the wood is full of tannins, the pot of boiling water will turn dark brown like tea color. Just empty the water out, refill and boil some more, until very little or no more tannins are released.

After that let the wood cool down and then it can be used in your tank right away.





> 2. For rocks/stones: I need to test with vinegar first to see if the rocks suitable to use in planted tank. Before place in the tank, what is the method to disinfect the rocks/stones? I plan to pour boiling water on it and soak in that hot water for sometimes. May I know what is your experience for this stage?


The vinegar test will usually only detect rocks which are very calcareous, those with obvious exposed mineral surfaces. In many cases, the vinegar will not fizz, but that doesn't mean the rocks are inert, they may still release minerals, just at a slower pace.

To find out if the rocks have any effects on your tank water, i found that the best method is to wash and scrub the rocks thoroughly to get rid off loose dirt and residue, then soak the rocks in a bucket of water for a week, measure TDS, pH, KH and GH readings before and after to see if there are any changes. If there are changes, change the water and soak some more and test further, usually the effects will decrease as the mineral release diminish over time.

As for disinfecting the rocks, you can soak them in bleach (then soak in dechlorinated water after that), or boil them too. Both methods can help. I usually do the boiling method, just for a short 10-15 minutes to kill any possible hitchhiking critters or pests.

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## jackychun

Hi UA,

Thanks a lot for your advice. I have boiled the wood few hours and now it looks like teh-O already.  I changed water one time and boiled it 2nd time and the tannin leeched out lesser than the first time. Now 3rd time boiling and I hope that would be minimal and ready to use after that. 




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## exo

im guessing your cabinet is here?

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## jackychun

> im guessing your cabinet is here?
> 
> Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk


Oh ya. I have collected my cabinet. So now everything is ready for hardscape setup. 


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## exo

nice cabinet... I jus places my deposit for cabinet yesterday so im waiting

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## tetrakid

> yeah agree with BFG... C328 is really a place u need to visit if u have not... I dun think there is another place in SG tht has so many LFS in one place.. 
> Nevermind abt the price I ask earlier... it should not differ much from a shop to shop. ive been going to there once 
> every week jus to see see look look and buy if the price and equipment is right
> 
> Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk


Along the same route to C328, you will also pass one in C325, which is new. That is also a nice one. Clementi is fast becoming like Petwalk at Serangoon North where there are a few lfs in one place. Those in this hobby are so lucky.  :Smile:

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## exo

yeah LFS @ C325... have been there a few times. friendly staff

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## aza

> Hi qool,
> 
> Thanks a lot for your warning. So sad hearing about your broken handles. 
> I also feel the handle is quite fragile and need to be gentle with it while pulling / pushing. I will take note of your caution every time I use it.  
> BTW, I have try to open and close by using force to pulling/pushing to the 2 sides of the handle instead of the top part, that is more firm I guess. :P


Alternatively, you can install a pre-filter to your ecco pro filter. That way you minimise the possibility of handle breakage as you only need to open and clean your prefilter during maintenance. This is what I have for my setup. Remember to get double taps too  :Smile:

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## jackychun

> Not a master but think i can help. 
> 
> 1. Brush the driftwood to clean it. Boil. After that you can choose to soak it in a diluted bleach solution maybe about one part bleach to 20 parts water. Then use anti chlorine to soak it again
> 
> You are right with the stones. I would soak in the bleach solution after boiling though
> 
> Have you gone through Dennis' youtube videos? Very informative


Thanks sfk7!  :Smile:  Very useful and informative video! 
I boiled my driftwood yesterday very long and had very good teh-O :P
For rocks, boiling water pouring in, it can keep the heat very well. Morning wake up, water still warm!  :Very Happy:

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## jackychun

> nice cabinet... I jus places my deposit for cabinet yesterday so im waiting
> 
> Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk


Great!  :Very Happy:  Now you can do shopping for all the other items!  :Very Happy:

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## jackychun

> Along the same route to C328, you will also pass one in C325, which is new. That is also a nice one. Clementi is fast becoming like Petwalk at Serangoon North where there are a few lfs in one place. Those in this hobby are so lucky.


Thanks tetrakid. Ya, that is so lucky to leave near by the series of LFS like Clementi or Serangoon. And I think our pocket is always having a big hole. Lol! 


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## jackychun

> Alternatively, you can install a pre-filter to your ecco pro filter. That way you minimise the possibility of handle breakage as you only need to open and clean your prefilter during maintenance. This is what I have for my setup. Remember to get double taps too


Hi aza,

It sounds good. Do you mind sharing a picture of your setup? Btw, as mentioned, I try to open the filter not by pulling directly from the top of the handle but from the sides. So the force will be closer to the hinges and that side parts are more firm compares to the flimsy top handle. 


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## aza

> Hi aza,
> 
> It sounds good. Do you mind sharing a picture of your setup? Btw, as mentioned, I try to open the filter not by pulling directly from the top of the handle but from the sides. So the force will be closer to the hinges and that side parts are more firm compares to the flimsy top handle. 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Sure. Super messy haha. I run two parallel filters; one 2217, the other Ecco pro 300.
The prefilter for Ecco pro 300 is on the left with double taps so I don't really need to clean the main filter.
image.jpg

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## jackychun

> Sure. Super messy haha. I run two parallel filters; one 2217, the other Ecco pro 300.
> The prefilter for Ecco pro 300 is on the left with double taps so I don't really need to clean the main filter.
> image.jpg


Thanks aza! Very creative! Thanks for the idea!


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## jackychun

I have worked out with the hardscape as per photos. Appreciate your comments on that so that I can improve it further before planting. Thank you. 

Honestly, it is very tough decision to make everytime put in, take out. Lol. But it is really fun and enjoyable process! 








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## tetrakid

> Thanks tetrakid. Ya, that is so lucky to leave near by the series of LFS like Clementi or Serangoon. And I think our pocket is always having a big hole. Lol! [emoji28


Ya, fish-keeping not only needs money but also a lot of our time. It 's not just a simple matter of feeding every day, but also a commitment to spend time in tank maintenance. It is really a full-time endeavour. There are many routine chores to be performed.

That is why many give up along the way and then always get back again after a few years of missing fish. Somehow people are interested in fish for life.

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## BFG

It might be a therapeutic thing to return to fish keeping after giving up earlier. However, mostly poor planning and anticipation is what drove hobbyist to give up in the first place. Not thinking ahead and ill prepared are usually the result when they arrived at a situation. Also, most folks have this idea that you only need a certain number of equipment to use for a certain sized tank but sometimes, extra equipment might just make things a bit easier for us in the long run. Having a mind that think out of the box helps too as you never know when a new tool or equipment that was created for something else can be used in the aquarium hobby. Sometimes, you need to bend the rules a bit to achieve your goal.

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## jackychun

*Treatment for Driftwood and Stones*

Treatment for driftwood and stones/rocks takes time. So it would be better to prepare it in advance. 

After getting the driftwood, the next day I soaked it in water so that tannin can be leeched out slowly. After 2 days, it can be seen tannin had been leeching out but not so much. So I decided to boil the driftwood so that the process of tannin leeching could be accelerated. Driftwood was boiled few hours and tannin was leeched out a lot as can be seen from the tea colour of the boiled water. It was boiled totally about 6-7 hours and after 3 times water change, water seemed much clearer and it might be ready for hard-scaping. Boiling driftwood also minimize or even eliminate the chance of unwanted snails or algae or any harmful parasites before arranging it in the aquarium. 



My kid's bathtub was being used for drifwood soaking purpose :P




Water was clear at first




And it become brownish after 2 days but not so much




Boiling driftwood in the biggest pot that I have to accelerate 
tannin leeching process and disinfect the woods. 




After one hour, can see tannin being leeching out.




After 3 hours, I have some tasty Teh-O colour :P




After 2nd water change, now I have green tea colour.  :Smile: 





And after all, leave it dry and cool off before using



For the stones or more correct are river pebbles, I soaked it in water for 2 days and before using I also pour the boiling water on it and soaked overnight in the pot. Interestingly, the pebbles absorb and keep the heat extremely well as the next day morning I took it out from the pot and still can feel water was very warm. No wonder in the old time, people use to heat the rock, wrap it in the blanket and use that to keep warm during winter time. With the same reason of boiling driftwood, with this disinfection method, I don't think any kind of harmful parasites could survive under 100 degree C hot water.




Stones were put in the pot and boiling water was poured in for disinfection.
It was left overnight there in the pot.




After disinfection, it was brought out to leave it dry and cool off. 
I also measure the weight of all rocks about 10kg in total.


After the treatment and disinfection, now the driftwood and stones are ready to use for hardscaping.

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## jackychun

I have a quick question: Should I use super glue to attach Riccia Fluitans to driftwood? Or need to tight with thread or net? I have this ISTA glue on hand and would love to try but not sure if it will be attach well. 


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## adidasvintage

My suggestion would be to tie it with fish lines. Reason 1) you will need quite a bit of glue to secure the riccia nicely. 2) with bigger amount of glue, you tend to see bigger patch of white stuff when it dries. 3) easily to reuse the wood with fish lines as you do not need to remove the harden glue in future. To me, glue is normally for very small patch or area.

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## jackychun

> My suggestion would be to tie it with fish lines. Reason 1) you will need quite a bit of glue to secure the riccia nicely. 2) with bigger amount of glue, you tend to see bigger patch of white stuff when it dries. 3) easily to reuse the wood with fish lines as you do not need to remove the harden glue in future. To me, glue is normally for very small patch or area.


Thanks for your advice.  :Smile:  

I am also thinking of using the net to cover it but it looks kind of ugly at first. 


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## jackychun

Finally, cabinet was ready to be collected. To save some bucks, I decided to do self-collect from the factory which is located at [email protected] Bukit. Reaching the factory, I realized that even the company that I ordered from was AquaFishtank (Deco O), the sub-contractor who did the cabinet was CR Aquarium. That made me feel peace in mind since CR Aquarium has been in this line for very long and quite well-known for making fish tank and cabinet. 



CR Aquarium Factory at [email protected] Bukit




Happy to see my cabinet had been done 
(right side, second row)


The Boss from CR Aquarium is a very nice gentlemen. He arranged the transport to deliver the cabinet (and also me) back home with free of charge. I really appreciated that gesture. It was not about the money, but about the kindness. 
The cabinet was brought back home just like that, safe and sound. Although the dark walnut colour is kind of lighter than my furniture's walnut colour but overall is fine. Great feeling to unwrap the new cabinet. Ya, I believe everybody would enjoy opening ceremony.  :Smile:  



Unwrapping in progress...


To make sure the cabinet is balance from side to side and from back to front, I needed to adjust a bit by using the self-adhesive foam pad attached to the cabinet feet. After that, a long spirit level was used to check whether cabinet is properly balance.



Self-adhesive pads were used.




It was properly attached to the cabinet's feet




Spirit level was used to check from back to font




And from side to side to make sure the cabinet is balance


It is very important to make sure that cabinet and fish tank is placed properly and leveled. It is extremely difficult to make any changes once the tank filled with water. Imbalance tank can cause crack or leakage in after tank being filled, that would be a nightmare! 



Spirit level was checked once the tank in place




Also remember to check the level at the side


Voilà! The tank is ready now on the cabinet. Some cleaning was done for the tank and cabinet before any hardscaping work start. I used glass cleaner solution to clean the outer tank and inner tank was cleaned by the damp cloth without any chemical. 


OK. It is ready for hardscape set up now.


This is the best location that I can get in the living room, although it is not so ideal since TVs and speakers are around. I hope the fishes would enjoy the music when they are here. :P

Some barang barang that I bought from NA and also from neighborhood shops for the later stage. 




Shopping frenzy


Next chapter, hard-scape setup!  :Smile:

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## jackychun

*Hard-scaping Setup*

Finally, I could hands-on the hardscaping setup after many days preparation. To create the backbones of the aquarium, I have read and reviewed through many layouts and resources. It is really convenient to do research nowadays with tremendous resources from internet. Also, thanks to AquaticQuotient forum, I got many helpful advice from the experienced hobbyists. It makes the learning process much shorten and enjoyable.

I decided to choose triangle style for my first planted tank since I was so impressed by the work on "Sticks & Stones" layout from James Findley. This layout got sorted out after many trial on the available driftwood and stones that I have on hand. Process of hard-scape setup was described on the photos sequence below:-



I use this drain board to cover the tank bottom to prevent 
direct contact of stones to glass surface, which may cause 
crack due to point load. With this board, force would be 
distributed more equally on the glass surface.




Two drain board were nicely fit my 2ft tank




After that, ADA Amazonia Aquasoil (Powder Type) was added with slope 
upward to the right back corner. I also use post-it notes and marker to 
draw the guiding lines which followed "rule of thirds" accordingly. The 
front part was marked with 2.5cm for minimum soil depth required, 
so that I would not keep it too thin.




Big piece of driftwood was put as the focal point of the aquarium. 
Counter part is a smaller piece on the other side. 
River pebbles were added that made me feel more balance.




From the top view, I tried to create more space for planting in later stage.




Plastic card case was used as substrate support in my layout. 




Small pieces of plastic were used to support the substrate base




Substrate support was pegged into aquasoil and covered
later by another thin layer later on to make it invisible.




Finally, the hardscape setup was done


I was quite happy with the final product and the process was really enjoyable. I also found out that sometimes the piece of driftwood or rocks that I like at the beginning might not be always suitable for my layout. So the more materials that you have, the better. More options, more choices. The next step is equipment setup.  :Smile:

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## jackychun

*Equipment Setup for Aquarium*

After hard-scaping work for aquarium done, next step was to install the equipment like CO2 supply system, canister filter and lighting for it. Since that was the first time I really hands-on this kind of "plumbing" work, it was quite nervous but also very excited process. I read the instruction manual carefully and also search "how-to" on youtube and internet to make sure the process were correctly followed.

CO2 system was kind of straightforward to install thanks to the useful video from EastOcean on youtube. The video really shows step-by-step of cranking up the CO2 system for a planted tank, it helped the newbie like me understood the process clearly. I, however did not use CO2 diffusers since I don't really like the "7-up" effects in the tank later. In order for CO2 to absorb more on the water, I used ISTA External CO2 Reactor instead. Furthermore, there would be no tiny bubbles flying around in the tank later on. 

For canister filter, EHEIM Ecco Pro 300 has existing filter media and I decided to useEHEIM bioMech and EHEIM SUBSTRATpro for the first 2 trays of the filter. The last tray was Seachem Matrix. The media was rinsed under tap water until the water clear and was placed in the filter accordingly. I noticed each tray can store up to about 0.7L-0.8L of media material. 



Media filter material was being cleaned up under tap water




EHEIM SUBSTRATpro




EHEIM bioMECH




Seachem Matrix




Since I did not use the filter right away, I just leave it outside until
canister needed to be used.


Lighting and CO2 also needed to be linked up with the electrical timer plugs accordingly.



Timer were ready!  :Smile: 


It took me quite long to finish the equipment setup work for this first time. Next time, it would be better since I have already known the process. End of the day, equipment is ready for the next step: planting!  :Smile: 



Equipment were ready to be utilized  :Grin:

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## Realcaster

Shopping frenzy


Next chapter, hard-scape setup!  :Smile: [/QUOTE]

May I know where did you buy the dispenser for the fertilizer. Thank you

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## jackychun

> May I know where did you buy the dispenser for the fertilizer. Thank you


Hi Realcaster,

Since my cabinet is quite small, I would transfer the fertilizer to the smaller bottle to save the space and convenient for frequent dosage.
Moreover, it is also faster for dosing later if you already know the amount of "one squeeze" from the dispenser (for mine, it is about 1.2mL for each squeeze).

So, everytime just bring it out and squeeze.  :Very Happy:

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## Realcaster

Yeah, that is a good ideal.

i was actually thinking of mixing my regular dosage of Fertilzer in the correct ratio and have them poured into a single bottle it would make dispensing a lot easier. I am just worried about chemical reaction between various fertilizer. if the concoction method works, my life would be a lot easier  :Razz: .

anyone try this before?

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## jackychun

> Yeah, that is a good ideal.
> 
> i was actually thinking of mixing my regular dosage of Fertilzer in the correct ratio and have them poured into a single bottle it would make dispensing a lot easier. I am just worried about chemical reaction between various fertilizer. if the concoction method works, my life would be a lot easier .
> 
> anyone try this before?


Then you can buy those fertilizer which has many components like Seachem Flourish. 


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## jackychun

*Planting in Progress*
The most important day finally came. Nerves of steel. No back down.  :Smile: 
I purchased some 1-2 Grow! Tropica plants from Green Chapter and spent whole night setting up the tank. It took about 5-6 hours to finish all of this work since that was my first time hands-on. Hopefully, next time, if any, it would be faster.  :Smile:  

The photos below describes my work process to set up the tank


5 pots of 1-2 Grow! was bought for this initial stage, including:
2 x _Eleocharis acicularis 'Mini'_ - Foreground
1 x _Rotala 'Bonsai'_ - Midground
1x _Heteranthera zosterifolia_ - Background
1 x _Riccia fluitans-_ Moss on Rock


Some of the plants were not in my initial planting scheme, however due to limited stock from GC, I chose alternate plants for replacement.


Tools and planting scheme were ready for the process




Riccia was attached to the rock at first by cotton thread. 
I did not have any fishing line available so this is the temporary method. 
I might need to tight it again if the cotton thread give way.




Water was spray on the surface of the soil gently so that the substrate 
would not mess up and floating once water filled in.




Soil surface was damp and firm after water spraying




And it is ready for water filling process




Plastic bag / some floating material was introduced to cover the soil 
and hardscape below. It would help to protect the hardscape/soil from 
sudden movement when water being introduced.




Traditional way to introduce water in to the tank  :Smile:  
Water was conditioned by Seachem Prime before being introduced to the tank.




Water was filling up slowly




And at this level, that was sufficient to start planting. 
It can be seen there was no mess up on the soil and hardscape at all.  :Smile: 





Plants was prepared ready for action





Pinsette made planting under water much easier




Planting is easier with shallow water fill in the tank.

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## jackychun

Planting done and water was filled up till the top using similar method mentioned above. 
Water volume at 2/3 of the tank was recorded so that I might calculate the actual 
volume of water in the tank after minus hardscape and substrate volume.
For my 2ft tank, actual water volume was 51 litters out of 64.8 total volume. 
It can be seen volume for hardscape and substrate took into account about more 
than 20% total volume of the tank. Recording the water volume will be 
useful in the future when dosing fertilizer and medical for fauna in later stage.




Crystal clear water after water fill up




Direct front view




A view from angle




After done, CO2 drop checker was installed. 
It was blue colour at first since no CO2 was introduced to the tank.




Filter inflow and outflow was set up. Still waiting for my inflow glass pipe 
to come and in the meantime, EHEIM inflow pipe took the job.  :Smile:  
Canister filter started working. Many tiny bubbles came out at this initial stage.




CO2 was activated and connected to the main system. 




After setting up, everything was working as planned.




Water quite clear at this point of time. 




Front view of the new setup




Angle view of the setup. Definitely need an inflow glass pipe to make it 
look nicer. :P



After done setup, I started dosing the first batch of fertilizer to the tank, followed instruction of the supplier accordingly. Dosing is as follow for the first day:-

Descriptions
Frequency
Dosage
Per 50L (ml)

Seachem Prime
Water Change
200L - 5ml
1.25

Seachem Excel
Daily
200L - 5ml
6.25

Seachem Potassium
2-3 times / week
125L - 5ml
2.00

Seachem Iron
When needed
200L - 5ml
1.25

Seachem Flourish
1-2 times / week
250L - 5ml
1.00

BacterLife
1 time / week
50L - 5ml
5.00



I dosed more Seachem Excel according to instruction given for initial tank setup. After that, I might follow 5ml per 200L water. 
There are still some background and mid-ground plant to be in place. So, wait for the stock to be available. Tank cycling started.  :Smile:

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## jackychun

Hi All,

I have tested the water at Day 1 and it has already show Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate as follow:

NH3/NH4+: 4ppm
NO2: 2ppm
NO3: 10ppm
pH: 6.4

Is that normal? And how frequent should I change the water at the beginning? Water looks a bit cloudy today, too. I guess bacteria in Waterlife BacterLife has some effects on the water quality. Anyone use the BacterLife before?




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## boonware

One-third of the aquarium water should be changed daily for the 1st week after that two to three days from the 2nd week onward. I'm using ada Amazonia too.

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## jackychun

Thanks boonware!  :Smile:  I changed the water yesterday. It looks better now. 


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## jackychun

Hi guys,

Just a quick question: Do you turn-off the filter during water change? 
Would the substrate be messed up with the outflow water from the filter if it is on?
Would the beneficial bacteria died off when the filter off?
And in case I off the filter during water change, how long is the allowable time in order to keep the bacteria stay alive?  :Very Happy:

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## Urban Aquaria

> Hi guys,
> 
> Just a quick question: Do you turn-off the filter during water change? 
> Would the substrate be messed up with the outflow water from the filter if it is on?
> Would the beneficial bacteria died off when the filter off?
> And in case I off the filter during water change, how long is the allowable time in order to keep the bacteria stay alive?


It'll be better to switch off the filter during water changes, especially if you are changing enough of it for the water level to dip below the lily pipe outlet. It'll tend to generate alot of splashing if the filter was still in operation.

Beneficial bacteria will still stay alive if the filter is switched off for a while. I usually switch off my filters for around 10-15 minutes during feedings (so that the pellet/live food don't get drawn into the filter) and also during water changes. No issues encountered so far.

I have also left the filter off for up to an hour while doing more extensive cleaning of the canister, hoses, pipes and tank too. No issues encountered with the cycle either.

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## jackychun

> It'll be better to switch off the filter during water changes, especially if you are changing enough of it for the water level to dip below the lily pipe outlet. It'll tend to generate alot of splashing if the filter was still in operation.
> 
> Beneficial bacteria will still stay alive if the filter is switched off for a while. I usually switch off my filters for around 10-15 minutes during feedings (so that the pellet/live food don't get drawn into the filter) and also during water changes. No issues encountered so far.
> 
> I have also left the filter off for up to an hour while doing more extensive cleaning of the canister, hoses, pipes and tank too. No issues encountered with the cycle either.


Thanks a lot, UA. You are always very helpful every time. I have just turned off the filter and doing water change about 25%. If it is not off, the outlet would flash water everywhere and may spoil the substrate below too. 

After 4 days of cloudy water, today the water suddenly looks much clearer when I back from work. However, I have spotted some algae (hair algae?) on the driftwood. Is that the sign of lack nutrient or CO2?



Currently, I have turn on CO2 2bps in 6hrs (7am-1pm) and lighting 6hrs (8am-2pm). Shall I increase the CO2 timing and lighting and also dose more fertilizer?

For now my dosing schedule is:

Seachem excel: daily 1ml
Seachem iron: 1.25ml/ every other day
Seachem potassium: 2pm/ every 2 days
Seachem flourish: 1ml/ once a week (so far I only dose once at the beginning)

I have tested the water today and the parameters are as below:

pH = 6.4
Ammonia = 4ppm+
Nitrite= 2ppm
Nitrate=5ppm (reduced) 

It seems like Ammonia is being increase whereas Nitrate is getting less. Shall I introduce more Seachem Flourish to increase N for the tank?

Up to today, it can be seen many new leaves are popping up. So I guess the plants have been developed well. Hope to have your advise on some matters above. 








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## Urban Aquaria

The whitish film on the wood is just common mold/fungus feeding off the organic surface of the wood... its a normal effect that appears on most new wood pieces when introduced into a tank. You can manually clean it off if you find it unsightly, though it will usually also eventually clear up on its own. When you introduce shrimps into the tank later, they will also help eat it too.

Although you don't have algae growing on the wood yet, just note that based on your scape layout with the main bare wood price being closest to the lights, algae will naturally grow on it eventually, so do expect to be regularly cleaning algae from that area. The other option is to just let algae coat the wood and embrace it as part of the natural aquascape.  :Smile: 

If you find that the plants are growing well with minimal algae issues, then by all means gradually increase the lights, Co2 and nutrient supply, then observe the effects. Its all a matter of trial and error... if too much light and you see algae growing quickly, then either reduce it, or inject more Co2 and add more nutrients. You can manage it either way.

The startup period is the best time to adjust and experiment with the parameters, can make mistakes and still recover from it easily. Once livestock are added, then it become trickier as they introduce extra variables to contend with.

If you find that nitrates are getting low, its okay to dose more of it... but do note that your tank is currently still cycling, so parameters are still unstable. Ammonia, nitrite and nitrates will spike up and down over the next few days and weeks as the various different bacteria colonies grow and develop, so what may seem low now might jump up higher the next day. So do track its progress further to determine if more of certain ferts really do need to be added at this stage.

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## jackychun

> The whitish film on the wood is just common mold/fungus feeding off the organic surface of the wood... its a normal effect that appears on most new wood pieces when introduced into a tank. You can manually clean it off if you find it unsightly, though it will usually also eventually clear up on its own. When you introduce shrimps into the tank later, they will also help eat it too.
> 
> Although you don't have algae growing on the wood yet, just note that based on your scape layout with the main bare wood price being closest to the lights, algae will naturally grow on it eventually, so do expect to be regularly cleaning algae from that area. The other option is to just let algae coat the wood and embrace it as part of the natural aquascape. 
> 
> If you find that the plants are growing well with minimal algae issues, then by all means gradually increase the lights, Co2 and nutrient supply, then observe the effects. Its all a matter of trial and error... if too much light and you see algae growing quickly, then either reduce it, or inject more Co2 and add more nutrients. You can manage it either way.
> 
> The startup period is the best time to adjust and experiment with the parameters, can make mistakes and still recover from it easily. Once livestock are added, then it become trickier as they introduce extra variables to contend with.
> 
> If you find that nitrates are getting low, its okay to dose more of it... but do note that your tank is currently still cycling, so parameters are still unstable. Ammonia, nitrite and nitrates will spike up and down over the next few days and weeks as the various different bacteria colonies grow and develop, so what may seem low now might jump up higher the next day. So do track its progress further to determine if more of certain ferts really do need to be added at this stage.


Hi UA,

Thanks for your prompt advice. I am much clearer now. I actually want to have the nature look of wood with algae on it. Lol. So I think just leave it that way then. 

For the first week, I will try to keep the lighting and CO2 at 6hrs and will try to increase to 7 hours on the 2nd week and 8hrs from the 3rd week onwards. CO2 for now with the rate 2bps is quite OK since I saw the drop checker always has green colour. I will keep it as the constant and tweak other parameter to see how it works. 

I am happy seeing the clear water now. 





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## exo

Morning Jacky, did u use seachem stability and bacterlife togather? if yes is there a reason for it? as I understand tht both are for cultivation of BBs right? how about seachem excel? u do have Co2 injected, so why additional seachem excel?

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## jackychun

> Morning Jacky, did u use seachem stability and bacterlife togather? if yes is there a reason for it? as I understand tht both are for cultivation of BBs right? how about seachem excel? u do have Co2 injected, so why additional seachem excel?
> 
> Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk


Hi exo,

I only use WaterLife BacterLife for BB cultivation and hopefully it would boost the numbers of BB in the filter at the beginning period. So far, I only dose once on the first day. I will add another dose of BacterLife every 7 days as per instruction. Hopefully, the 2nd dose onward would be more effective for the existing BB in the filter right now.

For Seachem Excel, I use it as a supplement source of Carbon for the plants rather than only use CO2. You can refer to the below link for details explanation. How is the shopping process so far on your side?  :Very Happy: 

http://www.seachem.com/Products/prod...rishExcel.html

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## jackychun

Just part of my journal on Day 2 (11 March 2016) that I would like to share:-

*Planting Complete*

I went to GC one more time to buy some new stock of Tropica 1-2 Grow! plants which would fill the blanks in the tank and complete my planting scheme. 

Mid-ground: _Staurogyne repens: mid-ground_
Background (left): _Echidonorus tenellus 'Green'_
Background (center): _Pogostemon erectus_



Ready for planting




Sketch of my planting scheme



This time the work was done very fast. In about half an hour, I was able to finish planting the new one to the tank. It looked more complete now with background and mid-ground plants. 



_Echidonorus tenellus 'Green'_ was planted at the top left corner. 
There was only few plants in the tub, so that looked so little there. 
_Pogostemon erectus_ was planted at the centre background.




_Staurogyne repens_ was planted at the right mid-ground and also 
some under the driftwood. Hopefully it would grow well under the 
shade since it is a hardy plants that can thrive under low light condition.




_Staurogyne repens_ under the shade.  :Smile: 



The tank's water was not clear and quite cloudy with whitish-gray hue colour from day 2. Hopefully, it would be clearer after the first week with few water changes. For now, planting stage has been completed. I had setup the schedule for lighting, CO2 and fertilizer dosing and will follow up according to the plan. Let's start the journey!  :Smile: 



Planting complete

----------


## jackychun

I have noticed the ISTA External CO2 Reactor does not really mix 100% CO2. Still has some tiny bubbles come out from the outflow pipe. Is there anything wrong with my set up or is it a norm? 






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## Realcaster

I have 2 of those running on 2 seperate tank and both have no bubble coming out. I suspect its due to the trap air at the top of the reactor, just tilt it upside down during operation to get rid of all the trap air  :Smile:

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## jackychun

> I have 2 of those running on 2 seperate tank and both have no bubble coming out. I suspect its due to the trap air at the top of the reactor, just tilt it upside down during operation to get rid of all the trap air


Oops. I really saw little air trap at the top of the reactor. But it is so hard to tilt it upside down now since all the hose are connected.  


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## Urban Aquaria

If you occassionally see one or two tiny bubbles exit out of the outflow pipe, its okay as it could be due to some excess bubbles managing to escape out.

I find that the propensity of that happening depends on the bps rate too, higher injection rates load more gas into the reactor chamber so the gas pocket being dissolved is larger, higher chance of occasional bubbles escaping out prematurely. 

Usually for reactor systems, you can run much lower bps (compared to normal diffusers) and still achieve optimal Co2 levels in the tank. Just slowly reduce it over time and observe that the drop checker can still maintain the green color. 

For reference, i can run my reactors at as low as 0.5 bps in established 2ft planted tanks and the drop checker is still green and the plants are still pearling.

Also make sure that both rotors in the reactor are spinning freely and at same fast speed, the dissolving action depend mostly on the speed of those spinning rotors. If you notice one rotor not spinning as fast as the other, open it up and see if there are any parts of the plastic rotor need trimming.

Positioning the reactor upright also helps with better dissolving action, so the rotors can mix the gas properly. If the reactor is sitting at an angle like in your photo, the rotors will be imbalanced and may not mix the gas as well.

If all those things are okay and you still see tiny bubbles exiting often, then it could be an air leak at one or more of the joints leading to the outflow, would be good to check. Tighten the seals and see if it helps.

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## Realcaster

Excellent observation UA  :Grin: . 

Do you know of any CO2 reactor that takes in 19mm hose?

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## jackychun

Thanks UA. 

I have checked the rotors and very sadly see the bottom rotor is not spinning. I didn't notice it until seeing your post.  Don't know if it has not been working since setup time. 

http://youtu.be/qCNlkCLEJJM

Will have some more work to do this weekend already.

Anyway, I think CO2 is still being injected in the tank so far since the drop checker shows green colour all the time and the plants still grows well. Touch wood. 

So what I need to do is trimming the wings of the rotor a bit so that it can spin freely right? I should have done it before the setup. Really a lesson learnt. 


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## Urban Aquaria

> Excellent observation UA . 
> 
> Do you know of any CO2 reactor that takes in 19mm hose?


So far i've not seen any off-the-shelf Co2 reactors which are designed specifically for 16/22 hoses... but the ISTA Mix Max L size model reactor is packaged with adaptors which allow it to be used with 16/22 hoses. This model also has a much longer reactor chamber which is designed to work better with higher flow rate filters (ie. 1,000-2,000 l/ph). You can usually find this reactor model at most popular LFS like C328 or Seaview.

Here is a reference photo from online:



Photo from Google Images.

Note that since this reactor model is still using 12/16 ports (with adapters to enable it to match 16/22 hoses), the overall filter flow rate will be reduced to a certain degree due to the narrower ports.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Thanks UA. 
> 
> I have checked the rotors and very sadly see the bottom rotor is not spinning. I didn't notice it until seeing your post.  Don't know if it has not been working since setup time. 
> 
> http://youtu.be/qCNlkCLEJJM
> 
> Will have some more work to do this weekend already.
> 
> Anyway, I think CO2 is still being injected in the tank so far since the drop checker shows green colour all the time and the plants still grows well. Touch wood. 
> ...


Based on your video, it looks like both rotors at the top of the reactor are spinning quite well... the bottom part in the reactor is actually not a moving rotor, its just a permanently fixed support to center the up-flow tube.

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## jackychun

> Based on your video, it looks like both rotors at the top of the reactor are spinning quite well... the bottom part in the reactor is actually not a moving rotor, its just a permanently fixed support to center the up-flow tube.


Oh man. I almost planning to trim it tonight. LOL.  Thanks for enlightening me, UA!

In that case, I will try to: 
- slower the CO2 bubbles release rate to see if the situation is better. 
- try to clear the air trap from the top of the reactor. 

Hopefully it can digest 100%. 

Here is the fine bubbles coming out from the out flow pipe. 

http://youtu.be/szINHfiEbRw


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## Urban Aquaria

When you started the filter and reactor after installing the hoses, did you tip the reactor into horizontal position so that most the initial excess trapped air was exhausted out from the chamber? If not, then it'll take quite a while for all that trapped air to clear out over time, including the air pockets from the filter too (shake the canister filter to get more of the trapped air bubbles out). Just have to wait until everything settles in.

Normally there will be a Co2 gas pocket accumulating at the top of the reactor chamber when the Co2 injection is on... that is normal. When the Co2 injection is off, the Co2 gas pocket will gradually dissolve away and eventually there will be no more of it. Just check it at night when the Co2 injection is off to see if there is still a gas pocket, there shouldn't be. If there is then its probably air coming from the filter or somewhere in the joints that is accumulating air in the reactor.

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## jackychun

> When you started the filter and reactor after installing the hoses, did you tip the reactor into horizontal position so that most the initial excess trapped air was exhausted out from the chamber? If not, then it'll take quite a while for all that trapped air to clear out over time, including the air pockets from the filter too. So just have to wait.
> 
> Normally there will be a Co2 gas pocket formed at the top of the reactor chamber when the Co2 injection is on... thats normal. When the Co2 injection is off, the Co2 gas pocket will gradually dissolve away and eventually there will be no more of it. Just check it at night when the Co2 injection is off to see if there is still a gas pocket, there shouldn't be. If there is then its probably air coming from the filter or somewhere in the joints that is accumulating air in the reactor.


Hi UA, 

I recall I did not tilt it horizontally during setup. There was lots of air inside the reactor during setup, but it was gone overnight and reactor run smoothly. I will check it tonight to see if the gas still there when CO2 is off. Hopefully there won't be. Thanks for your advice. 


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## jackychun

I have checked the Reactor when CO2 was off and there is no air trap in it. The water even raised up into CO2 tube. Everything seems smoothly run. So I adjusted the CO2 rate a bit to see how it goes. Hopefully no bubbles come out tomorrow. 

http://youtu.be/vdvUeAOlIBQ


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## Ivan Choo

Hi @jackychun, nice thread please keep it going.


Wanna share some info using the Ista Turbo CO2 reactor. I used this setup when I first got my CO2 system (after reading @UA's review). It worked very well, and the kinks and quirks are as per what @UA has mentioned, follow his advise and you're good.


However I have recently removed it, reasons being:



I upgraded my filter from Eheim 2213 (450l/hr) to Eheim 2071 (950l/hr). The increased flow rate causes undissolved bubbles to be pushed out as per what you're experiencing. So high flow rate AND/OR high bubble count will cause this. IMO, this is just a minor annoyance.Priming the canister with the inline reactor can be a chore. I would imagine this gets better with practise, and also when the system stabilises hence little need to touch the setup often. Again, slight annoyance.The reactor's hose size is 12/16mm, so I had to use a reducer to step down from 16/22mm when connecting to my canister filter. This is the real show-stopper for me, as I later realised how important good flow is to a planted tank.Sera has a 16/22mm reactor (actually Ista Turbo is a copy of that), but it's hard to come by in Singapore. Also, I'm sure it will still reduce flow rate regardless of hose size.


I'm currently using an inline diffuser, it's out of the tank, fits my 16/22mm hose, less bulky, easy to setup, and I still get good pearling. Bubble count hasn't increased much. I do get slight misty effect (it's not as bad as I would've imagined) which I don't mind, and I read it's actually good for the plants. 


The biggest upside is now I get really GOOD flow though out my tank, and I'm still waiting to see if it has a positive effect long term.


So, my advise is this: Don't get obsessed with 100% dissolve rate, it is useless unless you get the CO2 to all plants through good flow and distribution. Although your canister hose size doesn't need to be reduced, any inline equipment will impact flow rate. Observe and experiment, there's many ways to skin a cat. IMO, CO2 is cheap, don't go to it, let it come to you.


Good luck!

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## Realcaster

Are you referring to sera active reactor 1000? I couldt find it anywhere in the Internet about the hose size info, can you point me to it?

Btw which inline reactor are you using now?, Up Aqua, Ista or Intense ? I need to buy one soon for my new setup  :Smile:

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## Ivan Choo

I read from AQ that both Sera 500 & 1000 fits 16/22mm hose. Do a forum search. GC used to sell it but I think they stopped bringing in, you can try calling them. 

I'm using Intense inline atomizer. I've used Intense in-tank atomizers before and I like their build quality. It's about $10 more expensive than Up-Aqua. Also, the new Up version is designed with "replaceable" parts, but I don't see replacements parts for sale anywhere which kinda defeats the purpose. I read the new Up version is prone to leaks due to this "enhancement", and the build quality is not as good (breaks easily). Do a search in AQ for this. 

Hint: I bought my Intense from petmart, auntie there is a nice lady and like to make small talks. Warm up to her and she always give discounts haha. Seaview has Up diffusers at good price but always no stock.

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## Realcaster

I finall have confirmation that sera 1000 fit 16/22mm hose.
Attachment 52573
Buy, Rob or Steal, I am going to get this  :Grin: 

May I know here did you put your intense inline diffuser? After the chiller and straight into the tank or before the chiller? I am trying to "eliminate" any potential mist in the tank.

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## Ivan Choo

Okay here's the thing, what I'm doing may raise a few eyebrowns so take it with a pinch of salt. My current setup is as such:

Intake -> pre filter (mech/sponge/wool) -> inline diffuser -> Eheim 2071 (full biomedia) -> lily pipe

The pre filter cleans the water before it hits the diffuser and enters the filter. The filter has only biomedia so as to make up for the loss in flow rate incurred by the prefilter. CO2 has to flow thru the biomedia before it hits the tank, thus helping to dissolve much fine bubbles and reduce the mist effect. I can add a layer of wool in the canister to further reduce mist but I figure flow rate is more important. 

Essentially I'm using the canister filter as a CO2 reactor. It's not a common method here in sg, but I've read many people have been doing this for years in UK/US with good results and no ill effect on the canister filter or bio system. There are talks about how it will kill the bacteria and spoil the filter but not a single documented case so I don't really buy it. Oh well, I'm doing it and will see if it really works! Been running this setup for almost a month. Prior was running an atomizer under my intake in tank when using a classic 2015, same principle. 

Also, Eheim filters seems to work best for this. I've tried doing this with the classics and pro 3 series without any problems. No air traps, no burping, no fish death. Then again my bubble count is low (2.5bps). YMMV!

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## Ivan Choo

Btw you'll want to run the diffuser BEFORE the chiller. The idea is to let the fine bubbles travel thru as much hops and loops before it hits the tank. Fine bubbles from the atomizers are surprisingly easy to dissolve.

Ista reactors uses the rotating blades to chop the CO2 into fine bubbles, and swirl them in the chamber to dissolve them. Same principle, different technique.

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## Realcaster

Sorry Jacky for hijacking your thread  :Razz: 

oh well, let's continue  :Grin:  .... You manage to eliminate all mist I presume?

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## Ivan Choo

Sorry Jacky! Last comment on this I promise!

@realcaster mist is greatly reduced but not completely eliminated. I noticed the mist is not obvious if you don't use black background. My tank's background is using frosted translucent film, won't notice the mist unless I press my nose on the glass. PM me for more questions!

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## jackychun

Hi Realcaster and Ivan Choo, I am glad that you guys discussing here. All of the information is very useful and lots to learn from. 


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## exo

On the topic of external Co2 reactor i came across another from ista, which seems to be a better design but will cost abit more then the one uguys are using i think its close to $30 and im thinking of getting it
http://www.tzong-yang.com.tw/en/prod...hp?item_id=407
I was told the model is 540


I-540-1.jpg
I-540-3.jpg
Looking at the installtion diagram.. there shouldnt be any trap air. what you guys think?

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## Ivan Choo

@exo this works more like an inline diffuser than a reactor. Water passes straight thru it. The rotating blades don't really help much, I think it's more for asthetics. My bro in law uses this, he said the hose connection nut don't tighten well if your hose is soft (e.g. Grey hose, no Eheim green hose).

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## exo

Woah... thanks for the heads up... im gona use grey hose. Ill have to scrap this plan then.

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## Ivan Choo

@exo The Ista inline diffuser at $30 a pop, I'd rather pay a bit more for Intense. If I'm not wrong, Intense was one of the first in market to introduce CO2 atomizers with super fine bubbles. Look around in LFS with nice and well maintained aquascapes (e.g. FB, GC), you can easily spot the Intense atomizers in their tanks.


Funny thing is I hardly see LFS using CO2 reactors.


@jackychun, in-tank or inline diffusers/atomizers are other options you can explore if you're feeling adventurous.

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## jackychun

> Hi @jackychun, nice thread please keep it going.
> 
> 
> Wanna share some info using the Ista Turbo CO2 reactor. I used this setup when I first got my CO2 system (after reading @UA's review). It worked very well, and the kinks and quirks are as per what @UA has mentioned, follow his advise and you're good.
> 
> 
> However I have recently removed it, reasons being:
> 
> 
> ...


Hi Ivan,

Thanks for your advice. Ya, as long as the plants grow well, that is fine for me, too. 
Anyway, I have reduced the CO2 bubble rates and can see less bubbles coming out from the outflow. 

Agree with you that the first priming made me sweat because I didn't expected that would be quite difficult to suck the water down. However, after sometimes that was fine. And once the filter started working, everything is fine. 

Since Eheim Ecco Pro 300 works with 12/16mm hose, that is just nice to work with this ISTA CO2 Reactor, so I don't have any issue with the connection so far. Just plug, connect and play.  :Very Happy: 

Very interesting discussion about CO2!  :Grin:

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## Realcaster

I was doing some read up on Fluid Dynamics, apparently, smaller hose size does not affect the flow rate, however, it's the smaller hose size that causes higher frictions which actually slow down the flow. The lost in flow speed is due to frictional losses. For easier understanding, if you change to a 50mm diameter hose, the volume of water moved per hour remains the same, assuming there are no frictional lost.

To minimize frictional lose, any transition to smaller hose size should be as short as possible.

Now that is different from height of the pump outlet to the aquarium outlet, the higher is the tank outlet from the pump outlet, the slower will be the flow. It's just like a man need to carry a heavy load up the staircase, energy is loss. Any respectable pump maker will provide a graph on flowrate vs height, Eheim does.

Hope this info helps

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## jackychun

> @exo The Ista inline diffuser at $30 a pop, I'd rather pay a bit more for Intense. If I'm not wrong, Intense was one of the first in market to introduce CO2 atomizers with super fine bubbles. Look around in LFS with nice and well maintained aquascapes (e.g. FB, GC), you can easily spot the Intense atomizers in their tanks.
> 
> 
> Funny thing is I hardly see LFS using CO2 reactors.
> 
> 
> @jackychun, in-tank or inline diffusers/atomizers are other options you can explore if you're feeling adventurous.


Hi exo, Ivan Choo,

I actually intended to buy a inline diffusers at first since it is very compact in size and quite effective. 
I almost bought one ISTA External CO2 Ceramic Reactor (similar to an inline diffusers) from Nature Aquarium but they didn't have the size for 12/16mm hose but only 16/22mm. 
So, I decided to just buy ISTA External CO2 Reactor with the available size for 12/16mm hose. I was so lazy to do so many transition in hose size. :P

ISTA has good video showing how to connect the above mentioned inline diffusers here. If you use 16/22mm hose, that would be good to try!  :Very Happy: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXaPiorxgAo

Jacob Aquarium also has a good review about the similar inline diffusers product. Also, I notice that Jacob advice is not to connect the inline diffusers from the inlet.  :Grin:  Ivan, if your setup working fine, I think that might works too. For me, I play safe by just use it from the outlet.  :Very Happy: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShDqHj0KlWM

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## Realcaster

OMG!! Look what I found :Shocked: 

Attachment 52576

Probably the the last one in Singapore. :Grin:

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## Ivan Choo

@realcaster sorry to bust your bubble, but that is a media reactor, not CO2 reactor. It's lacking the rotating blades to chop the CO2 into fine bubbles. It may work though, do feedback! I'm interested to know.

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## Realcaster

> @realcaster sorry to bust your bubble, but that is a media reactor, not CO2 reactor. It's lacking the rotating blades to chop the CO2 into fine bubbles. It may work though, do feedback! I'm interested to know.


Yes, it's an media reactor so to speak, it is actually a newer version of the sera 1000 Co2 reactor that sera discontinued.

my plan would try it out first if the bubble is not fine enough, I will add in the smaller 1cm size bio ball. Which will very much similar to aqua medic co2 design.

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## Realcaster

Or maybe I should exchange it for aqua soil  :Grin:

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## jackychun

I have done a water test and it can be seen Ammonia level is still very high (4ppm) whereas, Nitrite and Nitrate has reduced a bit to 0.25ppm and 5ppm, respectively. 

pH is quite constant so far around 6.4. I don't know if this pH level is acceptable for fish later on and how to make it a bit higher around 7?



Water change is quite yellowish and I use it to water my plants outside. Hope the plants can get some nutrients from there. Hehe. 




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## Ivan Choo

Jacky the pH is fine since you're using aquasoil. It will rise slightly as the tank matures from my experience.

You may notice a pH drop by as much as 1 degree or more after injecting CO2. Unless pH is at the extreme ends, most fishes and plants will have no issues with the pH swing from CO2. Some snails may not like low pH but I won't worry about it.

Some people add stones that buffers the pH higher but I won't recommend it for now. Focus on good plant grow and all will fall into place.

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## Realcaster

> Yes, it's an media reactor so to speak, it is actually a newer version of the sera 1000 Co2 reactor that sera discontinued.
> 
> my plan would try it out first if the bubble is not fine enough, I will add in the smaller 1cm size bio ball. Which will very much similar to aqua medic co2 design.


ok guys, it works, I was pumping 1200L/hr with CO2 at 6bps per second, the spiraling vortex was huge and fast and at the end of the outlet going into the tank, there was no mist or bubble at all. No bio balls was added by the way.

http://youtu.be/oxinlo2vlLA

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## jackychun

> ok guys, it works, I was pumping 1200L/hr with CO2 at 6bps per second, the spiraling vortex was huge and fast and at the end of the outlet going into the tank, there was no mist or bubble at all. No bio balls was added by the way.
> 
> http://youtu.be/oxinlo2vlLA


Good experiment! 


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## jackychun

I have noticed a thin layer of oily film has been formed in my tank. Do you all have any method to clear it out? It looks very unsightly. 




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## Ivan Choo

You can get a surface skimmer. @UA did an excellent review:

http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ree-Surf-Clear

Personally I avoid putting equipments inside the tank to avoid clutter, especially so for smaller tanks. I'm using a lily pipe, coupled with good flow rate, the outflow creates very good surface agitation and breaks the surface film. Surface agitation is important for gas exchange too, increases the O2 level in the tank. You may lose some CO2 but it's easy to just inject more.

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## jackychun

> You can get a surface skimmer. @UA did an excellent review:
> 
> http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ree-Surf-Clear
> 
> Personally I avoid putting equipments inside the tank to avoid clutter, especially so for smaller tanks. I'm using a lily pipe, coupled with good flow rate, the outflow creates very good surface agitation and breaks the surface film. Surface agitation is important for gas exchange too, increases the O2 level in the tank. You may lose some CO2 but it's easy to just inject more.


Thanks Ivan. I have thought of using a skimmer, too. However, on the other hand, I would also try to minimize the equipment inside the tank. 

I will try to use agitation as you said to see if the oily film can be reduced. May be I will put the outflow pipe closer to the surface in the night time, when light is off. So that more oxygen can be provided to the tank during that time and oily film will be less. 


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## Realcaster

I have one skimmer use for 3 tank, usually I will just pop the skimmer in for 2 hours and remove it. For my 2 feet tank, 2 hrs per week is more than enough, you don't have to have it running 24/7. I bought 2 skimmer but end up using one  :Razz:

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## jackychun

After reading the OF Skimmer and see this video, I have decided to get one next week. 

http://youtu.be/Hy_yxrYR8Vw

Ya, Realcaster. I think I will be using it only when needed and will not put there 24/7. 


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## jackychun

Hi All,

I have tried agitation method this afternoon after CO2 and light were off. Interestingly, the oil film was clear after about an hour. So I do think it is really affective. I have recorded a video for reference. 

http://youtu.be/pMI6Ekg60lk

Cheers! 


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## exo

Is that gush Lily pipe? 

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## jackychun

> Is that gush Lily pipe? 
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Hi exo,

No, it is not. That is VIV outflow pipe. 


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## exo

Ah sweet wats the damage for that glass? From GC?

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## jackychun

> Ah sweet wats the damage for that glass? From GC?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


No bro. I ordered it from eBay with very reasonable price. You can follow this link to order both inflow and outflow pipes.  :Smile: 

https://www.ebay.com.sg/ulk/itm/221855860183 


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## exo

Oh nvm... Dun think I wanna order and wait.my cabinet should be ready in the coming week(also from CR). I've got almost everything ready minus a few bits like glass ware, lights and tank mat. I'll probably go with gush or doaqua for the outflow. Thinking of using a rigid transparent tube for the inflow

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## jackychun

> Oh nvm... Dun think I wanna order and wait.my cabinet should be ready in the coming week(also from CR). I've got almost everything ready minus a few bits like glass ware, lights and tank mat. I'll probably go with gush or doaqua for the outflow. Thinking of using a rigid transparent tube for the inflow
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Ya. That would be better and faster. Hehe. My inflow now is temporary and I am waiting for the glass inflow pipe to come, too. It would look nicer. 


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## exo

I bet it would. can't wait to get started myself. All I can do now is envy at your progress

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## jackychun

> I bet it would. can't wait to get started myself. All I can do now is envy at your progress
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


I can feel you bro. I was at that stage before. However, preparation is very important part and we would have more time for planning carefully. So, it is really worth waiting. Be patient. 


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## jackychun

I have noticed a layer of scum inside the CO2 drop checker. Will it affect the reading? 




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## Urban Aquaria

Looks like some mold or fungus growth there... just remove the drop checker and clean it, then install back in.

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## jackychun

> Looks like some mold or fungus growth there... just remove the drop checker and clean it, then install back in.


Thanks UA. I will do that. 


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## AQMS

Nicely done.. :Well done:  so when is the second tank going to get set up....??? :Evil:

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## jackychun

> Nicely done.. so when is the second tank going to get set up....???


Haha! How do you know that my hands already feel itchy?! 

BTW, just a few photos update on the progress at Day 13. 







Plants have been growing well so far. I have increased the CO2 bubble rate to 2bps since no fauna in the tank yet. 

Ammonia level is still quite high at 4ppm. Don't know when it is going to drop. 


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## Urban Aquaria

Nice job! Can see the plants really growing out and the carpet filling in fast.  :Well done:

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## Realcaster

Good job, the growth looks good

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## jackychun

Thanks UA and Realcaster! 

The fastest growing in the tank now is the background right Heteranthera zosterifolia. It receives good flow circulation and keep swinging all the time. May be that flows make it grow faster? I don't know when does it need to be trimmed? So that it can becomes more bushy. Do you have any idea?




Rotala 'bonsai' has been growing well, too. I really love the lush outlook of it and new leaves pop out everyday! 



Riccia fluitants has been adapted well and cover the rock almost fully. Hope that would be a good resting place for the shrimps in the future. 



Staurogyne repens has been steadily growing so far. It looks like tiny "bai cai" at that corner. 



Pogostemon 'erectus' is slowly catching up. I think it might takes sometimes since at that right corner, flow circulation is not that great. After the roots developed, hopefully it will grow faster. 

Eleocharis sp 'Mini' has been crawling slowly too. I can only see the changes when I look back at Day 1 photo. 



Overall, touchwood, there is no algae issue yet. Lighting and CO2 has been increased slowly to 7 hours a day and that is programmed until end of Week 3. After that will be 8 hours a day where plants well established. 

Thanks all of the masters here for guiding me at all times. Really appreciate that! 




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## Realcaster

I have not grown Heteranthera zosterifolia before, but assuming it is a stem plant, you can trim it leaving about 1 inch from the substrate leaving about 1 pair of leaves. Take the trimming plug away the leaves at the bottom of the triming, leaving about 1 inch of stems without leaves and replant them. :Smile:

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## jackychun

> I have not grown Heteranthera zosterifolia before, but assuming it is a stem plant, you can trim it leaving about 1 inch from the substrate leaving about 1 pair of leaves. Take the trimming plug away the leaves at the bottom of the triming, leaving about 1 inch of stems without leaves and replant them.


Thanks for the tip, Realcaster!  I will do that when the plants are more stable and strong. For now, I really enjoy seeing it grows.  Hope I can find some space for replanting the trimmed stems. Or another tank? 


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## Ivan Choo

Sharing some youtube videos about plant trimmings that were extremely helpful to me:




Tutorial starts at 2:30

Also, @XiaoZhuang has some excellent videos about trimming technique:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSngM7OVpPchttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6krMac942KU

Be sure to watch his other videos too. Wealth of knowledge!

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## Ingen

Don't trim too massively in one go, unless you ready to make adjustment to the fertilizers and such. I just did a massive trim and it upset the balance of my 1 year old tank and now hair algae growing everywhere...

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## jackychun

> Sharing some youtube videos about plant trimmings that were extremely helpful to me:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tutorial starts at 2:30
> 
> Also, @XiaoZhuang has some excellent videos about trimming technique:
> 
> ...


Thanks Ivan for introducing very informative videos. Great to watch!! 


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## jackychun

> Don't trim too massively in one go, unless you ready to make adjustment to the fertilizers and such. I just did a massive trim and it upset the balance of my 1 year old tank and now hair algae growing everywhere...


Thanks Ingen for your advice. I will be careful on that!  Hope your tank is OK now. 


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## jackychun

Just yesterday I was thinking I had never seen the "pearling" from my plants. Today go back from work I saw this. Don't know if those are "oxygen pearl" left on the leaves. 



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## exo

> Just yesterday I was thinking I had never seen the "pearling" from my plants. Today go back from work I saw this. Don't know if those are "oxygen pearl" left on the leaves. 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Sure does looks like O2 to me.

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## jackychun

Hi all, 

I have carried out water test today at Day 15. Results are:

pH: 6.0
Ammonia: 4ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 5ppm

It can be seen that Ammonia has no change while Nitrite has been eliminated. NO3 is still at the same concentration. 

I just wonder why Ammonia is not reduced at all since beginning until now. It is quite strange since NO2 has been reducing until even 0ppm today and Ammonia is still high. What could be the reason? Is AOB not established yet or slow growing whereas NOB has faster growth? 

I read somewhere that in lower pH condition (acidic), the test kit could not differentiate between Ammonia and Ammonium (which is less toxic)? So I don't know whether it is true. 

I have tested Ammonia in tap water and it shows 0.25ppm so I believe there is nothing wrong with the test kit indication. 



Appreciate if the masters can help to enlighten me on this matter. Thank you. 


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## Urban Aquaria

Nitrite showing zero levels during the cycling period is still okay, it just means that the bacteria that process nitrate are working fast enough to clear the workload quickly. The different bacteria strains grow and work at different speeds, especially during this cycling period when parameters are constantly fluctuating.

I've also notice quite often that if additional bottled bacteria products are dosed into a tank, this type of effect tends to have a higher chance of occurring due to introduced bacteria strains competing and changing how the cycling stages progress, compared to just letting naturally occurring bacteria strains establish on their own. 

Anyways, if you look at the ammonia > nitrite > nitrate process like a factory production line, in this case the bacteria working on the ammonia have way more workload than those working with the nitrite. Currently the bottleneck is at the ammonia department, until they start converting more nitrite to pass work down the line, the nitrite department only has very little work to do at the moment.

Ammonia from aquasoil is also not just a one-time release affair, as long as the soil still has nutrients content, it will keep steadily releasing ammonia into the tank, so you will still see it show up in the test measurements. Its only when the ammonia converting bacteria colonies start to grow large enough to process ammonia faster than its released, then you will see the ammonia levels gradually decrease as the cycle progresses. It just takes time.

If i remember correctly, the API Ammonia tests measures total ammonia, it doesn't differentiate between toxic ammonia or less toxic ammonium. Either way its still best to make sure that the cycle is strong enough to process all the total ammonia before introducing livestock (since any changes in pH can suddenly swing the ammonia between toxic and less toxic states, better not take the risk of having residual ammonia still lingering in the tank).

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## jackychun

Hi UA,

Thanks a lot for your prompt clarification. I am much clearer now. 

Yup, it might due to the WaterLife BacterLife provided to the tank that causes the above-mentioned process. I hope that "Ammonia Department" can be more productive to clear those ammonia off!  :Grin:  

Really can't wait to see the first fauna in the tank.  :Razz: 

For now, I will stay tuned, being patient to take care of the plants.  :Smile:

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## jackychun

Hi All! Just to share with you a short video of the progress from Day 1 to Day 7 on my tank. 

It is great seeing the plants grown up daily. Really enjoyable process. 

http://youtu.be/ePnFqndN9cE




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## fireblade

Hi jackychun,

I think your green ehiem pipe is connected wrongly.. the hose side (shorter) should be in the water and the water side (longer) should be outside and connect to the hose. with that your pipe can sit nicely on the tank.  :Smile:

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## jackychun

> Hi jackychun,
> 
> I think your green ehiem pipe is connected wrongly.. the hose side (shorter) should be in the water and the water side (longer) should be outside and connect to the hose. with that your pipe can sit nicely on the tank.


Hi fireblade,

You are very sharp. Haha! In fact I realized that after cranking up everything and lazy to change it. In the meantime waiting for the inflow lily pipe to come, I just leave it like that.  Now, this pipe looks very funny.

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## jackychun

Hi All,

Just have some update on the tank on Day 19. 

Heteranthera zosterifolia has grown so fast and it has reached the surface water. I think I need to do some trimming work soon. I tend to give the trimmed plants to my friend, shall I just keep it in the tub with a bit water submerged? How long can the trimmed parts last until being re-planted? 









And here is the video I took on the Day 17. 

http://youtu.be/vSZLJ2K6QQs

Thanks all for your support and advice at all time! 


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## Realcaster

Wow looking good, time to add some red plants  :Grin:

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## jackychun

> Wow looking good, time to add some red plants


Thanks Realcaster!

I think the tank is too green and would like to add some more colour but my wife likes this green. Haha! 

Anyway, I also see no more space to plant already. It is all full! Only if I grow some moss on the driftwood. Do you recommend any kind of moss that suitable?

----------


## Realcaster

What is your water temperature, ...... most moss can grow in 28-30C water, but to grow them nice and compact, you need below 26C water. 

Christmas moss is a common choice, my personal preference is weeping moss but they need to grow in lower temperature water.

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## Realcaster

> Thanks Realcaster!
> 
> I think the tank is too green and would like to add some more colour but my wife likes this green. Haha! 
> 
> Anyway, I also see no more space to plant already. It is all full! Only if I grow some moss on the driftwood. Do you recommend any kind of moss that suitable?


2ft tank filled up very fast, you could go for smaller plants so that your scape looks bigger.

Since your wife like the 2ft green, convince her a 4ft green is even nicer :Laughing:

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## exo

hey Jacky, wats the name of plant at 1:10?

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## jackychun

> hey Jacky, wats the name of plant at 1:10?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Hi exo,

That is Riccia Fluitans. I tied it to the rock.

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## exo

Oh needs to be tied.. From tropica?

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## jackychun

> What is your water temperature, ...... most moss can grow in 28-30C water, but to grow them nice and compact, you need below 26C water. 
> 
> Christmas moss is a common choice, my personal preference is weeping moss but they need to grow in lower temperature water.


Hi Realcaster,

My tank is always at around 28-30degC. 
For the greener 4ft tank, I think need to wait long long for the approval. Haha!

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## jackychun

> Oh needs to be tied.. From tropica?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Yup. You can search the name and how to tie on youtube. The other day I did not have fish line so I just used cotton thread. Don't know when it is going to give way. So far still good.

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## Realcaster

Wow Riccia will not clinge to wood or rocks, they are floating plants. One day when your cotton thread give way you are going to have fun picking them out from everywhere  :Grin:

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## jackychun

> Wow Riccia will not clinge to wood or rocks, they are floating plants. One day when your cotton thread give way you are going to have fun picking them out from everywhere


Yes, Realcaster. I can foreseen that.  I might harvest and sell some part when the cotton give way. Haha! For now, it is too nice to disturb so I just keep it that way.

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## jackychun

I have tested the water today and here are the results:

Ammonia: 2ppm (reduced)
Nitrate: 0ppm
Nitrate: 10ppm
pH: 6.0



I guess that is the good news since I guess Ammonia concentration has been reduced remarkably and convert to Nitrite. Whereas, all Nitrite is being converted to Nitrate totally. 

Hopefully, within the next few days, Ammonia can reach 0ppm and the tank can be fully cycled!  Yay!


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## jackychun

I have just done some first trimming for Heteranthera zosterifolia tonight since it grown fast and touched surface water. Just trim about half of it and will send the trimmed parts to my friends to try replanting in his tank. 

Before trimming:





After trimming:



Hope it will grow more bushy in the coming days. First time trimming plants in the planted tank. Now I know why our hobbyists here have regular back pain. Lol. Not an easy task. 

Result: one box of Heteranthera zosterifolia! 
I just use the tank water to keep the plants. Hope it can last till tomorrow for replanting.

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## jackychun

Day 24

Eleocharis sp 'Mini' has extended the roots everywhere now. It is a good sign of spreading of foreground carpet. Hope it can cover the whole empty area soon. 







Pogostemon erectus has got some new leaves recently and it looks potential to grow taller soon. 





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## jackychun

Finally change the inflow pipe to glass lily pipe. The tank looks better now. 


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## happydanio123

Hi there Jack! It seems your hardworking has come to a fruition!!!  :Very Happy: 

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## jackychun

> Hi there Jack! It seems your hardworking has come to a fruition!!! 
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk


Thanks Happydanio123.  I am "patiently" waiting for the water to be fully cycled now. In the meantime, my hands are very itchy and just wanna do another tank! Lol!

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## Ryan Peh

Your tank looks really good! The water is clear and the plants seems really healthy! Nice bro! Wish my plants grew like yours...

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## jackychun

> Your tank looks really good! The water is clear and the plants seems really healthy! Nice bro! Wish my plants grew like yours...


Thanks bro. I believe it is just the matter of time, your plants will be flourish!  For now just be patient and enjoy the day to day process. 

Your tank will be having more fun with fishes soon since it has been cycled. Mine still don't know when. Wait long long...

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## Ryan Peh

Yeah good thing for me is I get to go fish shopping HAHA but my plants not growing as lush as yours! 
I'm gonna start flooding my second tank soon too! Have you planned on what fauna you're adding already?

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## tetrakid

> Thanks Happydanio123.  I am "patiently" waiting for the water to be fully cycled now. In the meantime, my hands are very itchy and just wanna do another tank! Lol!


It's a good idea to start seasoning another tank concurrently rather than wait for one tank to be ready. Bacteria take time to established their full strength. But make sure the bacteria receive plenty of oxygen, otherwise their colony will not thrive well.

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## jackychun

> It's a good idea to start seasoning another tank concurrently rather than wait for one tank to be ready. Bacteria take time to established their full strength. But make sure the bacteria receive plenty of oxygen, otherwise their colony will not thrive well.


Hi tetrakid,

Thanks for your advice. I do lift the outflow pipe to agitate the water surface every night to clear the oily film and also create more oxygen for the plant when CO2 is not introduced to it. 
By doing so, I see the water surface very clear on the next day and hopefully, beneficial bacteria also can get benefit of rich oxygen during night time. 

For another tank, even though really love to have but for now my time is quite limited to take care of both. So I guess this time I will build up some experience first before handle more. :P

Cheers!  :Smile:

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## jackychun

> Yeah good thing for me is I get to go fish shopping HAHA but my plants not growing as lush as yours! 
> I'm gonna start flooding my second tank soon too! Have you planned on what fauna you're adding already?


I have been using Seachem fertilizer (Excel, Iron, Potassium and Flourish) with dosing follow the instruction since day 1. I guess it helps the plants strive better with adequate supplements.  :Smile: 
I am currently studying on the fauna to see which one would be suitable for my tank. I have read your topic and can learn lots from the discussion there.  :Very Happy: 

Some names I have in mind:
Algae Eater:
- Amano shrimps
- Red Cherry Shrimp / Crystal Red Shrimp
- SAE
- Some nerite snails
- Shoaling fishes: to be confirmed later. I am still considering which one to go for.
I also like guppy and their beautiful colour. So might be some.

Basically, I will just choose those community fish and easier to take care.  :Smile: 
Still have about 2 weeks to think about that.  :Very Happy:

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## Ryan Peh

> I have been using Seachem fertilizer (Excel, Iron, Potassium and Flourish) with dosing follow the instruction since day 1. I guess it helps the plants strive better with adequate supplements. 
> I am currently studying on the fauna to see which one would be suitable for my tank. I have read your topic and can learn lots from the discussion there. 
> 
> Some names I have in mind:
> Algae Eater:
> - Amano shrimps
> - Red Cherry Shrimp / Crystal Red Shrimp
> - SAE
> - Some nerite snails
> ...


I'm learning quite a bit from your thread too! I'm still considering if I should add iron even though I'm already adding the tropica premium fertiliser, which is supposed to contain everything except N and P. I'm also dosing Seachem Potassium, but my rotala rotundifolia are turning a little green tho... 
Btw the lady at East Ocean Aquatic told me that if you have cherry shrimps or any other dwarf shrimps, you shouldn't have SAE and Amano shrimps. Cuz they sort of bully the smaller shrimps.

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## jackychun

Thanks for your info Ryan. I might need more time to study further about the compatibility of those fauna that I like to keep. It would be the best if they can live in harmony with each other. I saw people keep Amano shrimps together with CRS before and didn't know that they would hit the smaller one. I will check about that, too. Thanks. 


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## jackychun

Just a small update on water quality, good news is Ammonia concentration has reduced to 1.0ppm today. One step closer till the cycle complete. 

I am now studying about how to choose fish for aquarium and I highly recommend another book from Jeremy Gay. The book is very informative and really useful for a newbie like me. You can borrow in any NLB in Singapore. Cheers! 




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## jackychun

Hi All,

I would like to ask some questions about Canister Filter Cleaning:-
- How long do we need to clean the filter?
- What is the sign of filter that need to be cleaned?
- Anything that I need to take note during filter cleaning?

Thank you very much.  :Smile:

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## Ryan Peh

> Hi All,
> 
> I would like to ask some questions about Canister Filter Cleaning:-
> - How long do we need to clean the filter?
> - What is the sign of filter that need to be cleaned?
> - Anything that I need to take note during filter cleaning?
> 
> Thank you very much.


From my own experience, once a month or two months would be good enough. One prominent sign would be flow rate of the filter! I'm not too sure about other signs, maybe wait for the other AQers to reply. 
We should all know that the filter needs to be cleaned using tank water to prevent the BB from dying. I only add dechlorinated water back into the canister after I cleaned the canister using tank water. 

Also, don't change too much of your tank water when you clean your canister! Maybe 10% is sufficient because the water in your canister would be poured away and that's sort of a water change too... Previously I changed 40% of my water and at the same time, cleaned my canister and poured the water away. So adding up maybe more than 50% of my water was changed... 2 shrimps died after that... But I added API Stress Zyme after that to help the remaining BB in case some BB from my filter media got washed away. 

That's just my own experience, maybe can wait for others to provide better answers to your questions!

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## fireblade

depends how big is your canister...
for me, I look at the flow rate, if it is too weak then I will wash, maybe wash every 6 months or longer.. :P I am a lazy to do the cleaning...

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## jackychun

> From my own experience, once a month or two months would be good enough. One prominent sign would be flow rate of the filter! I'm not too sure about other signs, maybe wait for the other AQers to reply. 
> We should all know that the filter needs to be cleaned using tank water to prevent the BB from dying. I only add dechlorinated water back into the canister after I cleaned the canister using tank water. 
> 
> Also, don't change too much of your tank water when you clean your canister! Maybe 10% is sufficient because the water in your canister would be poured away and that's sort of a water change too... Previously I changed 40% of my water and at the same time, cleaned my canister and poured the water away. So adding up maybe more than 50% of my water was changed... 2 shrimps died after that... But I added API Stress Zyme after that to help the remaining BB in case some BB from my filter media got washed away. 
> 
> That's just my own experience, maybe can wait for others to provide better answers to your questions!


Thanks for your sharing Ryan.  :Smile:  I will consider those factors.

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## jackychun

> depends how big is your canister...
> for me, I look at the flow rate, if it is too weak then I will wash, maybe wash every 6 months or longer.. :P I am a lazy to do the cleaning...


Thanks fireblade. I will look for the flow rate. Is this really obvious that flow will slow down a lot?

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## jackychun

Just some update on Day 27:

I have tried not to change the water for 6 days and water is still quite clear overall. However, I can observe some green algae on top of the driftwood as @Urban Aquaria foreseen previously. It makes the driftwood looks aging and I like it. Is that algae gonna spread out or we can control it only on the driftwood? 


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## Urban Aquaria

Over time the green algae will naturally cover more areas on the wood that are directly exposed to the light... fortunately the same algae will usually not spread to healthy plants if conditions are balanced and there is a combination of efficient algae eaters in the tank to keep it in check.

Healthy plants seem to be able to maintain some natural defence (ie. phytoncides?) against most common algae to a certain extent, it's usually when they are weak or melting then algae will start to take advantage and grow on them. 

So the key is to focus on constantly supply the plants all the resources they require to grow well, and regularly trimming and removing older/melting parts of the plants, then it will be much easier to keep algae under control.

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## fireblade

yes you can... initially the outflow like tap turn on fullest, when getting choked, it will be like half turn on. you have to remember how the flow is like initially...
another tell tale sign is when you off and on your filter after a while or when you shake/shift your filter a bit, you can see dirty things fly out from the outflow... that is also time for maintenance...  :Smile:

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## gimhchng

I have my drift wood fully cover with green algae before i introduce 5 yamato shrimp, in a 2ft. They are all gone in a week. If u want to maintain the aged look, probably reduce number of yamato or feed them more? Just my thought. 

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## jackychun

> Over time the green algae will naturally cover more areas on the wood that are directly exposed to the light... fortunately the same algae will usually not spread to healthy plants if conditions are balanced and there is a combination of efficient algae eaters in the tank to keep it in check.
> 
> Healthy plants seem to be able to maintain some natural defence (ie. phytoncides?) against most common algae to a certain extent, it's usually when they are weak or melting then algae will start to take advantage and grow on them. 
> 
> So the key is to focus on constantly supply the plants all the resources they require to grow well, and regularly trimming and removing older/melting parts of the plants, then it will be much easier to keep algae under control.


Thanks for your comments, UA. Really appreciate it. So far the algae only appear on the driftwood and not at all on the plants. Hope the balance can be kept even after fauna is introduced to the tank. 

This is the update as of today. I have change the water since Nitrate concentration is quite high after 7 days no water change. 



Ammonia: 0.5ppm (reduced)
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 40-80ppm (very high)
pH: 6.0

It can be interpreted that beneficial bacteria has been working well to transfer Ammonia to Nitrite and to Nitrate now. Hope the tank can be fully cycled soon. 

I have reduced the CO2 rate to about 1bps and will maintain at this level to see if plants are still growing well. It would be easier for fauna later on as well. 

This is the tank condition on Day 28:

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## jackychun

> yes you can... initially the outflow like tap turn on fullest, when getting choked, it will be like half turn on. you have to remember how the flow is like initially...
> another tell tale sign is when you off and on your filter after a while or when you shake/shift your filter a bit, you can see dirty things fly out from the outflow... that is also time for maintenance...


Thanks a lot for your tips. I will keep it in mind. I hope I can keep it as long as yours. Haha! Really lazy to clean it when everything is in place.

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## jackychun

> I have my drift wood fully cover with green algae before i introduce 5 yamato shrimp, in a 2ft. They are all gone in a week. If u want to maintain the aged look, probably reduce number of yamato or feed them more? Just my thought. 
> 
> Sent from my HM 1S using Tapatalk


Thanks gimhchng! On one hand, I'd like my tank algae free, on the other hand, I want to see the age look. Haha! Very contradicting! 

However, I will still try put in Yamato shrimps later and let the nature decide.

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## jackychun

Hi All,

I would like to check your opinions:
- if the fishes need to be quarantined before putting in the main tank? 
- any special treatment needed for them in the quarantine tank?
- how long is the quarantine period?
- if the LFS already quarantine them, do we need to do it again at home?
- are shrimps/snails also need to be quarantined?

Thank you very much. 


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## Ryan Peh

I don't actually quarantine my fishes... Never did. I always can't wait to add them into the tank HAHA. I usually just leave the bag over my water for 20-30mins then slowly pour tank water into the bag (every 15mins) then pouring away the water and doing it again. I do this like 2-3 times the volume of the original water then I add the fishes already! 
Haven't really had any casualties or what. As long as you pick the healthy fishes at a reliable LFS, the fishes would be fine!

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## fireblade

if your tank have no livestock, I don't see the real need to quarantine them unless u worry that any disease be spread in big tank and then need to treat whole tank.
if u are getting your fishes from different shops, then maybe want to observe ...
frankly speaking, I don't quarantine them.. and also when I bring fish/shrimps home, I'll just leave the bag in the same room for a while then scoop the fish/shrimps into my tank.. never use the drip method or scoop some water to mix them.. sometimes, I'll just keep the lfs water for a while, if the fish /shrimp doesn't look well , I'll scoop them back to the plastic bag.

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## jackychun

Hi Ryan and fireblade,

Thanks for your advice. May be I was just too careful. :P
Hope the fish can be doing well like you said.  :Smile:

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## Ryan Peh

I used to do the drip acclimation method, but I got too lazy and a friend once told me "How different can our water be?" 
Technically it can be rather different, but at most just 1-2ph right? If the temperature is same then it should be fine. 
Unless it's sensitive shrimps, those that need to watch out for TDS, then probably need to do the drip acclimation.

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## jackychun

> I used to do the drip acclimation method, but I got too lazy and a friend once told me "How different can our water be?" 
> Technically it can be rather different, but at most just 1-2ph right? If the temperature is same then it should be fine. 
> Unless it's sensitive shrimps, those that need to watch out for TDS, then probably need to do the drip acclimation.


Yup. I think it takes fish days to acclimate to the tank environment. I will just try to make sure temperature is OK and scoop them in. Hope they are all strong!

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## jackychun

It's Friday night and itchy hands wanna test the water again. Results are very convincing now. 

pH: 6
Ammonia: 0.25ppm (reduced)
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 40ppm (reduced after water change 2 days ago)

With Ammonia level much reduced, I think the day of tank fully cycled will not be so far. 

For now, really need to think through the fish list. Hehe. 

For the shoaling fishes, I might go for Harliquin Rasbora. I saw them in an LFS today and really like their schooling behavior and colour. 



For the bottom of the tank, I am very attracted by Corydoras. I don't know if they are suitable with planted tank? Are they shy fishes? How big they will be? Any sifu can give me an advice on this? 

Algae eaters would be: Amano shrimps, SAE and CRS/RCS and may be also Otocinclus. 

I also like one total black guy which is good community fish: Black Molly. Feng Shui books said should have a Total Black Fish in the tank. Hehe. 

Please give me your advice on your fish preferences. Thank you. 





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## exo

I didn't know pet lovers sold fish.. Lol..

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## jackychun

> I didn't know pet lovers sold fish.. Lol..
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Haha! Me too! I just realized they have those fishes. Thought they only have hamsters and rabbits. Lol! The fishes look very healthy there. A bit pricey I guess? But looks very potential and worth to consider.

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## exo

Yeah its expensive if you ask me.. Make a trip to c328 if you can. There is one LFS that is open 24hr there if that helps you with weekend insomnia..

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## exo

Not asking you to go to the 24hr lfs but jus saying you have more choices there if you r in the West. 

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## jackychun

Thanks exo. The place unfortunately quite far away from my home. I might try Petsmart at Serangoon North instead. 

And I will also arrange to go C328 soon to see by my own eyes! 


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## exo

Yeah or seaview would not be to far for u either.. 

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## jackychun

Yup. I wanna visit Seaview, too. Surprisingly, I have never been to those famous place that you have mentioned. 


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## Ryan Peh

> Thanks exo. The place unfortunately quite far away from my home. I might try Petsmart at Serangoon North instead. 
> 
> And I will also arrange to go C328 soon to see by my own eyes! 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I feel C328 is more of a place to get equipments and maybe driftwood.. Not much for their fishes.. Their fishes may be cheap but I've never had a good experience with their fishes before. Try those fish shops who actually take good care of their fishes. It might be a little more pricey but it's worth the investment!

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## Ivan Choo

I'd prefer espei rasboras, reason being they are more slender and smaller than the harlequins. This makes them more suitable for a 2ft tank. Besides, I prefer their coppery color. 

Pygmy corydoras is a common choice for their small size, but be warned they are very shy and tend to hide a lot. See this thread http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ape-Little-Red

You should try other dwarf corydoras like hastatus or hasbrosus.

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## jackychun

> I feel C328 is more of a place to get equipments and maybe driftwood.. Not much for their fishes.. Their fishes may be cheap but I've never had a good experience with their fishes before. Try those fish shops who actually take good care of their fishes. It might be a little more pricey but it's worth the investment!


I am very new to this hobby so I choose to play safe most of the time. In the end it is a long term investment.  I will take time to see see look look around the LFS next week.  Thanks Ryan.

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## jackychun

> I'd prefer espei rasboras, reason being they are more slender and smaller than the harlequins. This makes them more suitable for a 2ft tank. Besides, I prefer their coppery color. 
> 
> Pygmy corydoras is a common choice for their small size, but be warned they are very shy and tend to hide a lot. See this thread http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ape-Little-Red
> 
> You should try other dwarf corydoras like hastatus or hasbrosus.


Thanks for your advice, Ivan! I will study the Espei Rasbora and Corydoras that you mentioned. Where normally do you get the fishes?

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## jackychun

Some photos updated on Day 31. It has been a great time enjoying the planted tank. 









Eleocharis sp 'Mini' has covered almost all the ground and makes really nice grass carpet! Other plants have been growing well. 


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## aquaticlover

Nice set up jacky. May I know your current Nitrate level?

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## jackychun

> Nice set up jacky. May I know your current Nitrate level?


Thanks aquaticlover.  :Smile: 
I tested the water yesterday and Nitrate level is around 40ppm.

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## Ivan Choo

@jacky I bought my fishes from OTF and Fishy Business. You can try Green Chapter or AA, they have nice fishes too. Their fishes may be slightly more expensive but they take better care of fishes and have healthier stocks. Unless you're stocking a huge tank or getting exotic fishes, the price difference of small fish is quite negligible. Supporting them will encourage positive practise. Just my opinion.

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## happydanio123

Quite true. I have seen that the storekeepers of Green chapter keep the shop really beat and tidy. However I have yet to see other shops so I won't make any comparisons.

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## jackychun

Thanks Ivan and happydanio123 for your comments. I have visited Green Chapter to buy Tropica Plants and some other stuff and can see the shop is really organized. Surely will visit it again. Hope they also carry some fishes that I'd like to have. 


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## marle

very nice and pleasant looking tank!

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## jackychun

> very nice and pleasant looking tank!


Thank you marle!

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## jackychun

BIG DAY! Finally the tank has been fully cycled on Day 32! 

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 40ppm
pH: 6.4 (tested just before CO2 injection time)

I start hunting for fish from today onwards! Yay! 


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## aquaticlover

Jacky, Congratulation. Now you can start adding your dream fish  :Smile: 

I am keen to know your nitrate level after adding the life stocks. Your nitrate level is a kind of similar to mine. Refer to the following post:

http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...-80-ppm-Normal

The similarity between your tank and mine is that we are using the New Amazonia (green package). I used 4 packages for my 100cm tank. It is still too early to tell the new Amazonia soil causes such high nitrate level. Let's monitor it and see.

But you may take into consideration of this when you find your fish. Some delicate fish may not tolerate. So far, all my fishes are doing well even Otos still can survive.

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## aquaticlover

Sorry. I forgot to add the good news. You don't need to dose "N"  :Smile:

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## jackychun

> Jacky, Congratulation. Now you can start adding your dream fish 
> 
> I am keen to know your nitrate level after adding the life stocks. Your nitrate level is a kind of similar to mine. Refer to the following post:
> 
> http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...-80-ppm-Normal
> 
> The similarity between your tank and mine is that we are using the New Amazonia (green package). I used 4 packages for my 100cm tank. It is still too early to tell the new Amazonia soil causes such high nitrate level. Let's monitor it and see.
> 
> But you may take into consideration of this when you find your fish. Some delicate fish may not tolerate. So far, all my fishes are doing well even Otos still can survive.


Thanks aquaticlover for your info. I believe the Amazonia soil that we use has high Ammonia level. At initial stage my Nitrate level was quite low. Only when beneficial bacteria developed and it started to convert all Ammonia to Nitrite and Nitrite to Nitrate, then Nitrate level increases rapidly. 

So I think we just need to do water change more regularly to reduce the Nitrate level time to time. As long as it lower than 50ppm, I think that would be fine. 

And you are right, N level now is so high and good for the plants as well. May be we can try some float plants to absorb more N.

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## R99

Very beautiful scaping. The tank looks so 3D from the photo. Love how you did up the background.

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## jackychun

Thanks R99 for your compliment! 


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## jackychun

Anyone can help to ID this fish? 


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## Craycraylover

Orange Von Rio flame Tetra?

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## jackychun

> Orange Von Rio flame Tetra?
> 
> Sent from my SM-A800F using Tapatalk


Thanks Craycraylover!

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## jackychun

Hi guys! Do I need to do water change before introduce the fish in? I just done 2 days ago and Nitrate about 40ppm+. 


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## Urban Aquaria

It'll be good to do a large 50% water change to bring nitrates down to moderate 10-20ppm levels... that would create a more conducive tank environment for the introduction of new livestock.

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## jackychun

> It'll be good to do a large 50% water change to bring nitrates down to moderate 10-20ppm levels... that would create a more conducive tank environment for the introduction of new livestock.


Thanks a lot, UA. I will do water change tonight to welcome the fishes.  BTW, may I know how long can I keep them in the plastic bag until I introduce them to the new tank?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Thanks a lot, UA. I will do water change tonight to welcome the fishes.  BTW, may I know how long can I keep them in the plastic bag until I introduce them to the new tank?


As short a time as possible would be best... the less time the fishes stay in the bag, the less amount of waste and toxic levels building up in the bag water.

For me i usually visit the LFS to purchase fishes and shrimps when i'm on the way home, so that the livestock are only in the bag for at most an hour (or less) before being acclimated and transferred into a tank.

Whatever you do, remember not to leave them in a car parked under the hot sun, thats a quick way to end up with poached fishes and shrimps.  :Grin:

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## jackychun

I bought them during lunch time and now they are in my office. Hope they are not poached until I am home. 


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## Ryan Peh

> I bought them during lunch time and now they are in my office. Hope they are not poached until I am home. 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Can tell your level of excitement from the fact that you spent your lunch time to buy fishes HAHAHA

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## jackychun

> Can tell your level of excitement from the fact that you spent your lunch time to buy fishes HAHAHA


I tried to go home ASAP and just put them in the tank. No casualty yet but one fish look tired. Hope they will be OK. Next time I will try to get it during weekends. That would be faster to bring home.

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## Ryan Peh

Ever considered going after work instead? 
I always get mine after work after dinner then head home immediately.

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## jackychun

No choice bro. Need to fetch the kid after work. Then go back no energy to go out for hunting fish already.  


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## Ryan Peh

Ahh I see. Life of a family man. I'm still far from there . My girlfriend follows me to the LFS to get my fishes together after dinner haha

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## jackychun

> Ahh I see. Life of a family man. I'm still far from there . My girlfriend follows me to the LFS to get my fishes together after dinner haha


How I miss bachelor life! Lol! That is great you start early! Haha!

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## Ryan Peh

> How I miss bachelor life! Lol! That is great you start early! Haha!


It's not great at all... I'm using my hard earned money from my temporary job  when you're young, you're poor...

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## jackychun

That is even greater and you will have story to tell your kids later on, how Daddy start as a planted tank hobbyist!  More importantly, that is a great hobby!


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## Realcaster

Hey Jacky and Ryan, I am another one of those that buy fishes during lunch time :Smile: . Seaview have 2 tanks of pretty nice coloration XL Cardinal Tetra, I choice four of the reddest one already, still have plenty to choose. There are nice red red Chery Barbs too  :Razz: .

i am going down to GC in a while to pick up some wild Cardinal which I saw 2 days ago, after that I can compare between wild caught and bred Cardinal  :Smile:

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## jackychun

> Hey Jacky and Ryan, I am another one of those that buy fishes during lunch time. Seaview have 2 tanks of pretty nice coloration XL Cardinal Tetra, I choice four of the reddest one already, still have plenty to choose. There are nice red red Chery Barbs too .
> 
> i am going down to GC in a while to pick up some wild Cardinal which I saw 2 days ago, after that I can compare between wild caught and bred Cardinal


Sounds interesting!!! Really fun sourcing around the LFS. Haha!

I have bought 3 Otocinclus as my first fishes. Those fishes are quite sensitive as what I have known. But let see how it goes. 

After 50% water change, Nitrate Level decreased remarkably to 10-20ppm. 



I dip the plastic bag in the tank for a while and net out the fishes and released them to the tank. 



After an hour, otos started eating around already I guess. I can only see 2 of them. Don't know where is another guy.

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## jackychun

Oh. By the way, how do I know if my otos need to be fed? Or just leave them eating algae first?

I have bought the algae wafers in case they need some. 




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## Realcaster

> Hey Jacky and Ryan, I am another one of those that buy fishes during lunch time. Seaview have 2 tanks of pretty nice coloration XL Cardinal Tetra, I choice four of the reddest one already, still have plenty to choose. There are nice red red Chery Barbs too .
> 
> i am going down to GC in a while to pick up some wild Cardinal which I saw 2 days ago, after that I can compare between wild caught and bred Cardinal


ok confirm big difference between wild caught and farm bred. The wild caught is 3 times the price but coloration is also 3 times better  :Smile:

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## Realcaster

Sorry Jacky, hijack your thread again, I got several request to post a comparison. Tried my best to take the photo, but still turn out blurr. Maybe it's good enough for coloration comparison.

make a guess one of the Cardinal Tetra is the reddest I can find at Seaview. The other 2 have just being bought at GC.

Which is farm bred, which 2 is wild caught?  :Razz: 

image.jpg

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## Ryan Peh

> Sorry Jacky, hijack your thread again, I got several request to post a comparison. Tried my best to take the photo, but still turn out blurr. Maybe it's good enough for coloration comparison.
> 
> make a guess one of the Cardinal Tetra is the reddest I can find at Seaview. The other 2 have just being bought at GC.
> 
> Which is farm bred, which 2 is wild caught? 
> 
> image.jpg


If I'm not wrong... 1 is a neon tetra which is the one with lesser red (the one from seaview) and the other 2 are cardinal tetras with full red (from GC).

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## Realcaster

Hi Ryan, all 3 are Cardinal, Neon Tetra only have red from half body to the tail where Cardinal have red on the lower body from head to tail.

And yes, the paler Red is from Seaview. Seaview is using pink light which makes their Cadinal looks more red. My lights are all white plant lights, it really pales in comparison with the wild caught. I will try to groom it and let's see if the Seaview Cardinal can catch up in terms of color.

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## Ryan Peh

The one in the middle looks like a neon tetra to me haha. 
Anyway, how do you groom the cardinals to let them have a full solid red?

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## jackychun

You are welcome Realcaster!  Please spam more. It is great thing about this hobby is we can have this platform to share and exchange experience. 

And yes, all of them are Cardinal Tetra. Quite surprise they can be much different in colour like that. I am looking toward seeing the grooming tetras!  Please share with us your plan. Haha! 




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## jackychun

Hi All,

I would like to share a video taken on my three musketeers Otocinclus affinis (?). One has round belly, I think he is full. The other two is quite skinny but I saw them keep grazing around. 

http://youtu.be/nKIxJg_Jh9s

Just their second day in the tank. I hope they stay healthy and acclimate to the new home soon. 

I put the algae wafers in the tank but they seems do not know about it. I just leave it overnight to see how it goes. I think for now they can find enough food around the grass. 

I do not want to overstock the tank so just let three of them here first. The next batch may he some Amano shrimps since I just want to introduce the "janitor crew" to be in first.  

Please advise me if I need to take note anything on feeding my Otos. Thank you. 


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## Urban Aquaria

Usually otos don't need to be feed additional food in a densely planted tank, there should be plenty of algae and bio-film on all surfaces... but its okay to supplement their diet with algae wafers slices too. You can also try feeding slices of blanched cucumber or zucchini. 

I find that the larger surface areas of vegetable slices tend to be easier for new otos to find compared to algae wafers, and vegetables can usually be left in the tank for up to 48 hours before they rot, so the otos have time to graze, whereas uneaten algae wafers break apart and start rotting after 2-3 hours, so need to do more frequent clean ups.

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## Ryan Peh

> Usually otos don't need to be feed additional food in a densely planted tank, there should be plenty of algae and bio-film on all surfaces... but its okay to supplement their diet with algae wafers slices too. You can also try feeding slices of blanched cucumber or zucchini. 
> 
> I find that the larger surface areas of vegetable slices tend to be easier for new otos to find compared to algae wafers, and vegetables can usually be left in the tank for up to 48 hours before they rot, so the otos have time to graze, whereas uneaten algae wafers break apart and start rotting after 2-3 hours, so need to do more frequent clean ups.


To add on, although it may sound a little troublesome to cut up some Cucumber and blanch them then freeze the remaining, but really, would you rather see Otos eating algae wafer or grazing on a slice of fresh cucumber?

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## Realcaster

My OTO feed on wafer just like the one you bought  :Grin:

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## jackychun

> Usually otos don't need to be feed additional food in a densely planted tank, there should be plenty of algae and bio-film on all surfaces... but its okay to supplement their diet with algae wafers slices too. You can also try feeding slices of blanched cucumber or zucchini. 
> 
> I find that the larger surface areas of vegetable slices tend to be easier for new otos to find compared to algae wafers, and vegetables can usually be left in the tank for up to 48 hours before they rot, so the otos have time to graze, whereas uneaten algae wafers break apart and start rotting after 2-3 hours, so need to do more frequent clean ups.


Oh I see. Thanks UA. I put 2 wafers in the tank and they didn't eat it at all. When I tried to take out, it was to soft and messed all around so I can only managed to get few pieces out.  Hope it will not spoil the water. Next time I should put it in the disc or something, so easier to take out. 

I will try the cucumber next time since I also like to eat cucumber, so some slides for them and the rest is for me. Haha!

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## jackychun

> To add on, although it may sound a little troublesome to cut up some Cucumber and blanch them then freeze the remaining, but really, would you rather see Otos eating algae wafer or grazing on a slice of fresh cucumber?


Wafers are too small bro. May be we need to train them how to know this is the food first. Hehe.

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## jackychun

> My OTO feed on wafer just like the one you bought


Your Otos like it?  I saw the ingredients and feel it is better than my breakfast!

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## Realcaster

If you have 3 OTO, the potion should be around half the size of the wafer, break it into half.

I feed them on alternate days or some times once in 3 days. It's enough to keep them going, and they need to work on no food days  :Grin:

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## jackychun

> If you have 3 OTO, the potion should be around half the size of the wafer, break it into half.
> 
> I feed them on alternate days or some times once in 3 days. It's enough to keep them going, and they need to work on no food days


Thanks for your advice. I also would like to see them working on the algae around the tank and not lazy waiting for additional food. For now, I think they have plenty of food around the tank since they are the first citizen in it. They are very small and also very hardworking.

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## jackychun

Hi All, I would like to check if I still need to add on BacterLife when the tank already cycled? Or only need to add when I see ammonia or nitrite appear again? Thank you. 


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## jackychun

Hi All! 

I am very tempted to buy a bunch of school fish (i.e. Espei Rasbora). How many of them should I take at once? Is this 10 is too many for one time stock? Appreciate your advice. 


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## Urban Aquaria

In theory you should not need to add bacteria solutions once your tank has established a stable cycle... the natural beneficial bacteria colonies should be able to adjust and maintain their population based on the bio-load.

Though if you increase the bio-load by adding alot more livestock or add medications or do more extensive tank/filter cleaning, then it can be beneficial to dose some bacteria solutions help in maintaining the cycle.

As for your otos, they will eventually learn to eat algae wafers, some learn faster than others. Once they recognise the algae wafers as food (along with fish and shrimp food too), you will see the otos swarm to the wafers and pellets as soon as you drop them in.  :Very Happy:

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## Ivan Choo

@Jacky depending on your current bioload, whether you're currently lightly stocked and are not at risk of overloading. Another consideration is you want to trial a particular species, so adding a few to observe their behaviour and decide if you wish to add more. Sometimes you just want to shop around for the best specimen you can find, hence you progressively add them.

If non of the above is a concern to you, go ahead and add them. 10 is a good number to start for Espei IMO. I started with 17 for my 2 feet and find it too crowded, I've gave away some and kept 10 with the most coloration potential. Unfortunately 3 has jumped and I'm left with 7, and they remain very active schoolers.

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## jackychun

> In theory you should not need to add bacteria solutions once your tank has established a stable cycle... the natural beneficial bacteria colonies should be able to adjust and maintain their population based on the bio-load.
> 
> Though if you increase the bio-load by adding alot more livestock or add medications or do more extensive tank/filter cleaning, then it can be beneficial to dose some bacteria solutions help in maintaining the cycle.
> 
> As for your otos, they will eventually learn to eat algae wafers, some learn faster than others. Once they recognise the algae wafers as food (along with fish and shrimp food too), you will see the otos swarm to the wafers and pellets as soon as you drop them in.


Thanks UA for your advice. In that case I will consider to dose BacterLife after increasing livestock/cleaning filter than. 

For now, I can see the Otos are really naive, they happy grazing around the tank glass, driftwoods and and stones. They are really small and cute!!!  I don't know if algae wafers would spoil their habit of eating algae. Haha!

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## Realcaster

> @Jacky depending on your current bioload, whether you're currently lightly stocked and are not at risk of overloading. Another consideration is you want to trial a particular species, so adding a few to observe their behaviour and decide if you wish to add more. Sometimes you just want to shop around for the best specimen you can find, hence you progressively add them.
> 
> If non of the above is a concern to you, go ahead and add them. 10 is a good number to start for Espei IMO. I started with 17 for my 2 feet and find it too crowded, I've gave away some and kept 10 with the most coloration potential. Unfortunately 3 has jumped and I'm left with 7, and they remain very active schoolers.


I am the extreme guy again, my previous heavily planted 2ft tank have 35 Rummy nose, 5 OTO, 2 Zebra OTO, 2 SAE, 6 Cories, 5 Dwarf Cories, 50 Color Shrimps. Fishes are happy with no diease or death. It was only when i transfer them to my 4ft tank than I realised i have that many fishes. :Grin:

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## jackychun

> @Jacky depending on your current bioload, whether you're currently lightly stocked and are not at risk of overloading. Another consideration is you want to trial a particular species, so adding a few to observe their behaviour and decide if you wish to add more. Sometimes you just want to shop around for the best specimen you can find, hence you progressively add them.
> 
> If non of the above is a concern to you, go ahead and add them. 10 is a good number to start for Espei IMO. I started with 17 for my 2 feet and find it too crowded, I've gave away some and kept 10 with the most coloration potential. Unfortunately 3 has jumped and I'm left with 7, and they remain very active schoolers.


Hi Ivan,

Thanks for your advice. My stock is now quite light with only 3 small Otos. I will check the water quality tonight to see if it is fine to add more stock. Honestly, I am a bit lazy to shop around the LFS just to choose the best one. I feel the school fish always looks nice together.  So I might take all at one shop. 

Oh, about the fish jump, do I need to put tank cover on top? I normally change the water and top up to the top rim of the tank, hence no space to put the cover. So to put cover, I need to lower down the water level. I also don't wanna see the cover on top of the tank too. It looks a bit ugly in my opinion. 
The three Otos are now only exploring the tank bottom, I never see them go up to the top. So I don't need to worry about them.  

So now I don't know if I should buy the Amano shrimps first or Espei Rasbora.

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## jackychun

> I am the extreme guy again, my previous heavily planted 2ft tank have 35 Rummy nose, 5 OTO, 2 Zebra OTO, 2 SAE, 6 Cories, 5 Dwarf Cories, 50 Color Shrimps. Fishes are happy with no diease or death. It was only when i transfer them to my 4ft tank than I realised i have that many fishes.


Oh man. That sounds like 200% percents overloaded according to the guidelines. Haha! May be I am just worried too much. When I was a kid, I stock all my fishes in my home rain water tank, they lived happily. Haha. Now knowing a bit more, a bit more worries. 

BTW, I saw Aquatic Avenue selling Goldline Corydoras. It looks very cute!! Really want to have them too!

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## Ivan Choo

@Jacky, I don't like the idea of tank cover for reasons you've mentioned. Generally we get by without one, unless keeping fish that are prone to 'jumping'. Most fishes ain't. I figure mine jumped due to bad water parameters (stirring up dirt), species incompatibility (bullying) and initial shock (fish can't get used to environment, lights going off spooking the fish). I also attribute this to luck. I have most fish suicides when I went away for many days. Nowadays I hardly get jumpers. In the future if I were to stock new fish with jumping potential, I may use a temporary cover to prevent casualty until they feel more at home.

I think you have a lot of wiggle room, so go ahead and stock 'em. I will get the Amano first, as they are great cleaning crews.

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## Realcaster

haha jacky... i am using a 2217 filter, 5 litre of very good quality medias. The bio load is a balance between the bacteria colony size and feeding pattern. I am using a canister filter meant for 4ft tanks, technically speaking, the bioload it can handle should be similar to a 4ft tank. however due to the smaller tank volume, any spike in NH4 can be quick and fatal. So I am very careful and feed sparingly, 30% water change every week.

Now my Ehiem canister for 4 ft tank holds 11 litre of media, even more than Ehiem 2080 which holds 8 litre

My previous experience in keeping BIG fishes taught me there can never be too big a filter, as long as it can fit under your cabinet. :Laughing:

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## jackychun

> @Jacky, I don't like the idea of tank cover for reasons you've mentioned. Generally we get by without one, unless keeping fish that are prone to 'jumping'. Most fishes ain't. I figure mine jumped due to bad water parameters (stirring up dirt), species incompatibility (bullying) and initial shock (fish can't get used to environment, lights going off spooking the fish). I also attribute this to luck. I have most fish suicides when I went away for many days. Nowadays I hardly get jumpers. In the future if I were to stock new fish with jumping potential, I may use a temporary cover to prevent casualty until they feel more at home.
> 
> I think you have a lot of wiggle room, so go ahead and stock 'em. I will get the Amano first, as they are great cleaning crews.


Thanks Ivan. Good advice from experience!  And I will get Amano shrimps (x6) first as planned. Just so excited to stock more but need to hold my horses!

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## jackychun

> haha jacky... i am using a 2217 filter, 5 litre of very good quality medias. The bio load is a balance between the bacteria colony size and feeding pattern. I am using a canister filter meant for 4ft tanks, technically speaking, the bioload it can handle should be similar to a 4ft tank. however due to the smaller tank volume, any spike in NH4 can be quick and fatal. So I am very careful and feed sparingly, 30% water change every week.
> 
> Now my Ehiem canister for 4 ft tank holds 11 litre of media, even more than Ehiem 2080 which holds 8 litre
> 
> My previous experience in keeping BIG fishes taught me there can never be too big a filter, as long as it can fit under your cabinet.


No wonder it can bear your heavy livestock! I really admire your work on modify the filter and other equipment. That should be great experiments! Thumbs up!

----------


## fireblade

I bought 4 otos initially and later I only found 3 in the tank... initially I thought the missing one is dead in a corner and being eaten.
a few days later while doing some house cleaning, I shifted some of things on the floor and I found a dried oto... yes, they do jump out I think..

----------


## jackychun

> I bought 4 otos initially and later I only found 3 in the tank... initially I thought the missing one is dead in a corner and being eaten.
> a few days later while doing some house cleaning, I shifted some of things on the floor and I found a dried oto... yes, they do jump out I think..


Oh OK.  I need to be careful then. Thanks fireblade!

----------


## jackychun

I am very surprised by the productivity of the three Otos. They clean up the Stones until it is shiny bright!! Look at the photos before and after. Love them so much! 

Before:



After:




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## jackychun

Hi All,

I have done the test for water and here is the results:

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 40ppm
pH: 6.4

Can see Nitrate level increase to 40ppm is normal these days. Does it mean I need to change water more frequently at this period? Like 2 times a week until Nitrate level keep at lower level? Thanks for your advice. 


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## Urban Aquaria

40ppm is still okay in a planted tank, though if you feel safer to maintain it at 10-20ppm, then just adjust your water change volumes and frequency to maintain lower levels. 

As you add livestock and as the plant density grows out further, the nitrate production vs nitrate take-up rate will naturally keep changing too. So its just a matter of monitoring and adjusting accordingly.

----------


## jackychun

> 40ppm is still okay in a planted tank, though if you feel safer to maintain it at 10-20ppm, then just adjust your water change volumes and frequency to maintain lower levels. 
> 
> As you add livestock and as the plant density grows out further, the nitrate production vs nitrate take-up rate will naturally keep changing too. So its just a matter of monitoring and adjusting accordingly.


Thanks UA for your advice. I may need to do water change more frequently (every 2-3 days) and each time about 15% so that the fauna will not be shocked. 

BTW, I have bought 3 Amano Shrimps and 3 Fire Red Shrimps to add in the tank. They are so cute and helpful. Almost immediately after added in the tank, they started roaming around and grazing on the woods and rocks for food.

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## jackychun

Hi All,

I have put three Fire Red Shrimps in the tank but I can only see 2 of them. Don't know where is the other guy? It is too small and it can be hiding some where or may be RIP already? 

This morning I saw one of the Amano shrimps was very active running around the tank and even try to climb out of the tank while other fishes and shrimps were still fine. Don't know what's wrong with it.  

Shrimps hiding most of the time today in the cave and I see them rarely come out to play or eat outside. Hope they can get use to the new home soon.

Water test after add more fauna is still quite good

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 10-20ppm
pH: 6.4

I have not changed water for about 5 days and Nitrate now is at quite reasonable level. Hope that is the good sign. 


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## happydanio123

Hi there Jacky, 
It could be a sign of mating! When the Yamatos mate they get really hyped up and might seem to be trying to jump out of the aquarium. This is perfectly normal unless this persists for more than 2 weeks. You will see the Smaller Yamato (Male) try to piggyback the Bigger Yamato (Female) while chasing each other. So keep an eye on them but do not overreact for now.

Cheers!

Happydanio123

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## Urban Aquaria

Its normal to see shrimps sometimes hiding shortly after being introduced into a tank, usually its either they are preparing to molt (triggered by the change in environment) or have already molted, as they need abit of time to hide and wait for their new shells to harden before resuming activity.

----------


## jackychun

Thanks happydanio123 and UA for your advice! I feel much better now knowing that. So glad that everyday I learn new things from here. 

The shrimps after gone wild also don't know where already. Now I can only see 2 Amano shrimps and 2 Fire Red shrimps. Hope they are fine some where in the tank. 


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## jackychun

Good morning to All! 

I tried to put some frozen green peas (cover peeled off) to the tank last night. This morning I saw Amano shrimps and Fire Red shrimps were grazing on that. They eat quite fast and can see they really enjoy the treat. 

The Otos on the other hand still do not recognize the pea as food yet, they still eating on rocks, driftwood and glass only. Don't know I should be happy or worry for that, in case the tank has no more algae then they would be hungry. 

I still leave the pea for today day time to see how much the fauna can consume for a day. Normally how long can I keep live food in the tank? 24hrs? 






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## jackychun

Good day everyone!

I have spotted 3 Fire Red shrimps finally, so headcount is alright. 

The shrimps like green pea a lot. They finished almost all 2 peas in one day. I clear the left over end of the day. 



I visited GC recently and look for the schooling fishes. I saw Espei Rasbora there but their colour was really pale and they did not school very well. I don't know if they would stay in pack when they are more settle in the new tank. 

I was very impressed with Rummy Nose Tetra on the other hand. They really stay close to each other and school really well. I just wonder how big they can grow and if 2ft tank is too small for them. 

Appreciate your suggestion on the schooling fish that is suitable. Thank you. 


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## Ivan Choo

Rummy Nose will grow big, you may want to rethink them. If you still want to get them, do consider the Platinum Sp. They have a good shine on their body, and is more vibrant. The normal Rummy Nose looks quite dull, despite their excellent schooling behaviour.

See http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...mmy-Nose-Tetra

The key to getting Espei to school is flow, they are directional schoolers that loves good flow.

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## Urban Aquaria

Yeah, if you absolutely want fishes that confirm school in a tight group, then go for rummy nose tetras. 

I've kept various other schooling fishes and while they may school at the start or when startled, once they are comfortable in a tank they will eventually start to scatter and only shoal once in a while.

So far, rummy nose tetras are the only ones i've kept that continue schooling 80%-90% of the time, even when there is no one around they still school in tight formation.

For a 2ft tank, a group of 15-20 will be enough to create a nice school, pick the smaller sized ones so that they don't look too oversized at the beginning. It will take them some time to grow larger.

You can check out the size of rummy nose tetras in relation to my 2ft planted tank for reference (there are a mix of large and small tetras in the school): 

http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...589#post817589

As what ivan mentioned, go for the platinum variants for that extra sparkle.  :Well done:

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## Ryan Peh

I think the other one that schools super tightly is the Balloon Red Eye tetra. I used to have a 4ft tank and 100 of those tetras. And they really school very very tightly. They never separate from their school even after a few months.

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## Realcaster

UA, nice to hear your rummy nose still schooling. Mine have gotten complacent. They only school when the net is in the water.  :Grin:  :Grin: 

My Ember Tetra is still schooling tight in the other tank though. :Roll Eyes:

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## jackychun

Hi Ivan,

Thanks for your suggestion. Platinum Rummy Nose Tetra looks great with their schooling ability! I am really impressed and only consider the size of it now.  :Very Happy:  But after seeing it in UA's tank, I think I am more or less got my decision now. :P

----------


## jackychun

> Yeah, if you absolutely want fishes that confirm school in a tight group, then go for rummy nose tetras. 
> 
> I've kept various other schooling fishes and while they may school at the start or when startled, once they are comfortable in a tank they will eventually start to scatter and only shoal once in a while.
> 
> So far, rummy nose tetras are the only ones i've kept that continue schooling 80%-90% of the time, even when there is no one around they still school in tight formation.
> 
> For a 2ft tank, a group of 15-20 will be enough to create a nice school, pick the smaller sized ones so that they don't look too oversized at the beginning. It will take them some time to grow larger.
> 
> You can check out the size of rummy nose tetras in relation to my 2ft planted tank for reference (there are a mix of large and small tetras in the school): 
> ...


Hi UA,

Thanks for your suggestion. The platinum rummy nose tetras look amazing in your tank! 
I would like to ask if the video that you took was the time the rummy nose tetras were small size? How are they now in the big size? Will the tank looks very packed when they get bigger (max 5cm?)?  :Very Happy:

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## jackychun

> I think the other one that schools super tightly is the Balloon Red Eye tetra. I used to have a 4ft tank and 100 of those tetras. And they really school very very tightly. They never separate from their school even after a few months.


Thanks Ryan. May I know how big the Red Eye Tetra can grown to?  :Very Happy:  They look cute, too! ^^

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## Ryan Peh

> Thanks Ryan. May I know how big the Red Eye Tetra can grown to?  They look cute, too! ^^


From what I remember, it's probably 3cm long at max.. But I'm not very sure! Can do some research about them. They're very cheap at Seaview too. The only downside is that their colours are pretty dull...

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## jackychun

> From what I remember, it's probably 3cm long at max.. But I'm not very sure! Can do some research about them. They're very cheap at Seaview too. The only downside is that their colours are pretty dull...


Thanks Ryan. I will keep it as one of the options.

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## Realcaster

> Thanks Ryan. I will keep it as one of the options.


 The Rummy nose are 2~3 cm in lenght when I bought them, it have being 3+months since I have them and they are averaging 4~5 cm now. Not sure if they will grow bigger  :Roll Eyes:

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## jackychun

> The Rummy nose are 2~3 cm in lenght when I bought them, it have being 3+months since I have them and they are averaging 4~5 cm now. Not sure if they will grow bigger


That is fast growing fishes! Haha! Do you have a photo to share?

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## Realcaster

> That is fast growing fishes! Haha! Do you have a photo to share?


I do have a abstract from Wiki here:

"The *rummy-nose tetra* (_Hemigrammus rhodostomus_) is a species of tropical freshwater characin fish originating in South America, popular among fishkeepers as an aquarium fish. One of many small tetras belonging to the same genus, it is on average 5 cm (2 in) long when fully grown."

So I guess mine should still be growing  :Blah:

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## Urban Aquaria

> Hi UA,
> 
> Thanks for your suggestion. The platinum rummy nose tetras look amazing in your tank! 
> I would like to ask if the video that you took was the time the rummy nose tetras were small size? How are they now in the big size? Will the tank looks very packed when they get bigger (max 5cm?)?


The ones in my photos and video were around 3-4cm size at the time of posting... i shifted them to another tank after a year and now they are around 4-5cm, still okay size for 2ft tank but if you are trying to enhance the scale perspective in a nature-style aquascape, then such larger sized fishes may break the illusion.

At the larger sizes they do look and school better in larger tanks (ie 3ft tanks and above), so i guess that can be something you could factor in, like if you are planning to upgrade to a larger tank in the future.

----------


## jackychun

> I do have a abstract from Wiki here:
> 
> "The *rummy-nose tetra* (_Hemigrammus rhodostomus_) is a species of tropical freshwater characin fish originating in South America, popular among fishkeepers as an aquarium fish. One of many small tetras belonging to the same genus, it is on average 5 cm (2 in) long when fully grown."
> 
> So I guess mine should still be growing


Thanks Realcaster!

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## jackychun

> The ones in my photos and video were around 3-4cm size at the time of posting... i shifted them to another tank after a year and now they are around 4-5cm, still okay size for 2ft tank but if you are trying to enhance the scale perspective in a nature-style aquascape, then such larger sized fishes may break the illusion.
> 
> At the larger sizes they do look and school better in larger tanks (ie 3ft tanks and above), so i guess that can be something you could factor in, like if you are planning to upgrade to a larger tank in the future.


Thanks UA. Now I feel 2ft is already quite small. Haha!

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## jackychun

Hi All,

I have noticed the Eleocharis sp.'Mini' grass is kind of white shade recently. Is this lack of Iron sign? I have been dosing 1.25mL of Seachem Iron for every other day. Other plants seems flourish as normal, just only the foreground grass looks like that. 

Also, I have spotted some algae on driftwood that Otos and Amano shrimps ignore to eat. Is this Green Spot Algae sign? Thanks. 




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## Realcaster

Found a good guide online, you can try to refer to it.

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## jackychun

> Found a good guide online, you can try to refer to it.


Thanks Realcaster. Very good reference! I think this might due to the lack of CO2 since I reduced the rate to 1bps not long ago before introduce fauna in the tank. I might need to increase it a bit more than.

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## fireblade

Can try asian rummy nose. .. think smaller in size and i love their colours!

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## jackychun

> Can try asian rummy nose. .. think smaller in size and i love their colours!


Wow. First time I heard about it. Thank you. Just make a search:

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species...a-resplendens/

Where do you find this fish in Singapore?

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## Urban Aquaria

Sawbwa resplendens do pop up for sale occassionally at some LFS, though i would consider them rather uncommon. LFS that have recently stocked them before are places like Green Chapter and Aquatic Avenue, maybe you can check with them on when to expect the next shipment of these fishes.

I've kept them before and while their colors are nice once comfortable in a tank, its only the males that exhibit the signature bluish coloration, the females are more of a drab pale color, so if you want only nice color ones, have to specifically pick the male fishes. They are not really a schooling species though (if thats what you are looking for) and they tend to swim in short darty motions, but they do shoal in the same direction if startled. Most of the time i usually find them scattered individually around the tank.

Still nice fishes to keep in a community tank, especially if you like to stock a variety of different species.  :Well done:

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## jackychun

> Sawbwa resplendens do pop up for sale occassionally at some LFS, though i would consider them rather uncommon. LFS that have recently stocked them before are places like Green Chapter and Aquatic Avenue, maybe you can check with them on when to expect the next shipment of these fishes.
> 
> I've kept them before and while their colors are nice once comfortable in a tank, its only the males that exhibit the signature bluish coloration, the females are more of a drab pale color, so if you want only nice color ones, have to specifically pick the male fishes. They are not really a schooling species though (if thats what you are looking for) and they tend to swim in short darty motions, but they do shoal in the same direction if startled. Most of the time i usually find them scattered individually around the tank.
> 
> Still nice fishes to keep in a community tank, especially if you like to stock a variety of different species.


Thanks UA! 

I have searched some info on them and it is said the male Asian Rummy Nose like fighting with each other while female colour is not so nice as you said. So I guess I will still go for Platinum Rummy Nose Tetra. I check with Aquatic Avenue and Green Chapter they are both having it in stock. 
I checked the water quality yesterday and can see the water quality is still in good condition. So I can stock up the tank right? Can't wait!

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## fireblade

I got them from C328




> Wow. First time I heard about it. Thank you. Just make a search:
> 
> http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species...a-resplendens/
> 
> Where do you find this fish in Singapore?

----------


## Urban Aquaria

Yeah, if your tank has a stable cycle, then can add in the fishes. Just pick the healthiest ones and if possible, try to progressively add them in smaller batches over a period of time.

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## jackychun

> Yeah, if your tank has a stable cycle, then can add in the fishes. Just pick the healthiest ones and if possible, try to progressively add them in smaller batches over a period of time.


Thanks UA. I will try to stock up slowly.

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## jackychun

Done. I got 6 Platinum Rummy Nose during lunch time. Can't wait to go back home. Lol. 


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## exo

uploadfromtaptalk1461143346260.jpg
Hey Jacky in case you missed this product, the drip bucket will ease the process of drop acclamation process. Less then $8 for the small one. Got one myself last week. Beats running to the tank to drip now and then. .

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## jackychun

> Attachment 52883
> Hey Jacky in case you missed this product, the drip bucket will ease the process of drop acclamation process. Less then $8 for the small one. Got one myself last week. Beats running to the tank to drip now and then. .


Oh. Thanks bro! I didn't know about this product. How does it work?

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## jackychun

Platinum Rummy Nose Tetra have been introduced to their new home. They looked so pale and cannot see any rummy head. 



After an hour, it seems like they calm down and look much better. 



I wonder how to feed this fish? Can I just drop the food from above or need to put in the tray? It seems like they like the tank bottom level for now. May be they will get better after few days. 


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## scouserganisen

Looking great bro

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## jackychun

> Looking great bro


Thanks bro!

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## exo

> Oh. Thanks bro! I didn't know about this product. How does it work?


I'll take a pic for you in awhile. .

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## jackychun

Hi All,

I would need your advice on how to train the fishes to eat pellets. 

I bought a box of New Life Spectrum Thera A+ Small Fish Formula and tried to feed them today. 



I noticed the fishes tried to catch and ate on the sinking pellets but seems they were not get use to it and many pellets just dropped on the carpet grass. 

Can you please share your training tips? Some says just leave them starve and they will eventually eat. Is that true? 




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## Urban Aquaria

I feed my fishes with the same food too. The way i do it is i crush the pellets into even smaller bits beforehand (using a flat head pincette in a small measuring cap) until almost like powder, then i sprinkle the bits on the water surface. The smaller bits take a longer time to sink and are much easier to eat, so the fishes can grab most of them before they disappear into the plants. Just feed small amounts at a time to avoid too much food getting missed. 

After a while you'll know how much to feed and the fishes will learn the feeding routine, they will eagerly swarm to the food and gobble it quickly. If you see food getting missed, then feed less. Those fishes need very little food, your 120g can will probably still be 3/4 full at expiry.  :Grin:

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## jackychun

> I feed my fishes with the same food too. The way i do it is i crush the pellets to even smaller bits (using a flat head pincette in a small measuring cap) until almost like powder, then i sprinkle the bits on the water surface. The smaller bits take a longer time to sink and are easier to eat, so the fishes can grab most of them before they disappear into the plants. Just feed small amounts at a time to avoid too much food getting missed. 
> 
> After a while you'll know how much to feed and the fishes will learn the routine, they will eagerly swarm to the food quickly. If you see food getting missed, then feed less.


Sifu UA, I asked you the other day on the fish food that you use then follow accordingly.  I will try to grind it and sprinkle on water surface to see how the fish react. So far, they are quite stressed I guess, they look pale and just stay at one corner of the tank. Only if they see the sinking pellet then they come and take. The floating pellets they don't bother. I don't know if they will get to the surface and eat eventually. 

I bought a floating feeder as well, may I just put all the ground pellets there and wait if they recognize it?

By the way, with the carpet grass like this, should I be able to have Corydoras? I really love them! And they can consume the food that sunk on the bottom of the tank, too.

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## exo

> I'll take a pic for you in awhile. .
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk




The groove at the bottom will sit at the corner of your tank while dripping into your new bag of livestock which is also held in place at the same time. 

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## Urban Aquaria

> Sifu UA, I asked you the other day on the fish food that you use then follow accordingly.  I will try to grind it and sprinkle on water surface to see how the fish react. So far, they are quite stressed I guess, they look pale and just stay at one corner of the tank. Only if they see the sinking pellet then they come and take. The floating pellets they don't bother. I don't know if they will get to the surface and eat eventually. 
> 
> I bought a floating feeder as well, may I just put all the ground pellets there and wait if they recognize it?
> 
> By the way, with the carpet grass like this, should I be able to have Corydoras? I really love them! And they can consume the food that sunk on the bottom of the tank, too.


A floating feeder could help, its worth a try. Just switch off the filter for 1-2 minutes during feeding time so that the food particles don't scatter all over the tank.

You could also use a feeding tube and dish too, there are acrylic sets available usually sold for shrimp tanks. Those make feeding easier and helps keep all the food in one spot, at least until the fishes start to mess it up.  :Very Happy: 

As for corydoras, they wouldn't be able to sift around the substrate if its mostly covered in carpet plants, so they can't really help in cleaning up food under the carpet plants. In planted setups, usually its the small shrimps which do that job... and its mainly the shrimplets that are still small enough to crawl into the hairgrass and scavenge for food there (the adult shrimps are often too large to access in too). So if you want a substrate clean up crew, its better to have a colony of cherry shrimps that breed and produce shrimplets. The carpet will keep the shrimplets safe from the fishes, and in turn they will help you clean up excess food bits.

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## jackychun

> The groove at the bottom will sit at the corner of your tank while dripping into your new bag of livestock which is also held in place at the same time. 
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Thanks a lot bro! This bucket surely save the effort to do acclimation dripping when introduce new stock to the tank. May I know where did you buy it from?

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## jackychun

> A floating feeder could help, its worth a try. Just switch off the filter for 1-2 minutes during feeding time so that the food particles don't scatter all over the tank.
> 
> You could also use a feeding tube and dish too, there are acrylic sets available usually sold for shrimp tanks. Those make feeding easier and helps keep all the food in one spot, at least until the fishes start to mess it up. 
> 
> As for corydoras, they wouldn't be able to sift around the substrate if its mostly covered in carpet plants, so they can't really help in cleaning up food under the carpet plants. In planted setups, usually its the small shrimps which do that job... and its mainly the shrimplets that are still small enough to crawl into the hairgrass and scavenge for food there (the adult shrimps are often too large to access in too). So if you want a substrate clean up crew, its better to have a colony of cherry shrimps that breed and produce shrimplets. The carpet will keep the shrimplets safe from the fishes, and in turn they will help you clean up excess food bits.


Thanks UA!!! It works!!! 

This morning I have tried the feeding method that you mentioned and the Rummy Nose fishes really have a good meal. 

I turned off the filter, ground the pellets to very fine particles and put it inside the compound of float feeding tray. The particles slowly sunken down the tank and I needed to chase the fishes to the food area so that they would know where the food was. Once they saw it, they quickly come and happily eat it all. Really happy to see they chasing for food! 

Thanks for the tips once again UA! I have a feeding tube and disc too. I will try it later tonight.  For the disc how do you use that when feeding? Or just use the tube?

As for Corydoras, what a pity cannot have them. Is Fire Red Shrimps working the same as Cherry Shrimps? I will have more shrimps this weekend to strengthen the cleaning force! So much fun! Yay!

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## exo

> Thanks a lot bro! This bucket surely save the effort to do acclimation dripping when introduce new stock to the tank. May I know where did you buy it from?


C328 florist.. NA or Seaview should have it as well... Now that you have a pic... will be easier to ask if they have it

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## jackychun

> C328 florist.. NA or Seaview should have it as well... Now that you have a pic... will be easier to ask if they have it
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Yup. Thank you very much!

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## Urban Aquaria

> Thanks for the tips once again UA! I have a feeding tube and disc too. I will try it later tonight.  For the disc how do you use that when feeding? Or just use the tube?


The acrylic dish and tube should be used together, just drop the food into the tube and it will settle into the dish.

Btw, do check the acrylic feeding tube occasionally as otos and some curious fishes can sometimes swim into it and get trapped (they can't turn around to swim back out), so you will need help them get out of the tube.




> As for Corydoras, what a pity cannot have them. Is Fire Red Shrimps working the same as Cherry Shrimps? I will have more shrimps this weekend to strengthen the cleaning force! So much fun! Yay!


You can still keep corydoras fishes, just that in a planted tank filled with carpet plants you wouldn't be able to see them do their characteristic sifting through the sand behaviour.

Cherry shrimps is just a "catch all" name for neocaridina shrimps, of which fire reds are a higher grade red color variant. 

Usually cherry grade shrimps are much cheaper so people like to buy those in bulk as algae clean up crew, but they are mostly transparent or with very little color... you could also buy alot of fire red grade shrimps to do the same jobs too, it will just be alot more costly, but their colors are much nicer.  :Smile:

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## jackychun

Thanks for your advice, UA! I like the Fire Red colour and might get more for the cleaning crew. Is the Crystal Red Shrimps (the one have red and white colour) are also the same style? That one so cute too!

For the acrylic tube, I find the edge quite sharp as the cutting is quite rough. So I might not put in the tank all the time, but only feeding time. 

I will plan to get some Corydoras as well. Hope they will enjoy the plants as the sand.  


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## freezze

You can try my feeding method.. usually before i feed the fishes.. i will tap on the glass for a few time then feed them.. after repeating this method before feeding time. They seem to know that when i tap the glass equal food is serve. They will swarm to the surface to wait for any food that i drop in.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Is the Crystal Red Shrimps (the one have red and white colour) are also the same style? That one so cute too!


Well, crystal red shrimp (aka CRS, caridina species) are suitable for planted tanks too, though they do tend to be more sensitive to varying water parameters (compared to cherry shrimps), so you'll need to monitor your tank conditions more closely.

In addition, CRS generally fare much better in cooler water conditions (ie. 24-25°C), hence most CRS keepers use chillers to maintain the necessary lower water temperature. You can still keep them in normal room temperature tanks though, just that their lifespan may be shorter and their breeding and shrimplet survival rates tend to be alot lower too.

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## jackychun

> Well, crystal red shrimp (aka CRS, caridina species) are suitable for planted tanks too, though they do tend to be more sensitive to varying water parameters (compared to cherry shrimps), so you'll need to monitor your tank conditions more closely.
> 
> In addition, CRS generally fare much better in cooler water conditions (ie. 24-25°C), hence most CRS keepers use chillers to maintain the necessary lower water temperature. You can still keep them in normal room temperature tanks though, just that their lifespan may be shorter and their breeding and shrimplet survival rates tend to be alot lower too.


Thanks UA. That mean they are more sensitive then the Cherry Shrimps. I think I would stick to the Cherry Shrimps then.

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## jackychun

> You can try my feeding method.. usually before i feed the fishes.. i will tap on the glass for a few time then feed them.. after repeating this method before feeding time. They seem to know that when i tap the glass equal food is serve. They will swarm to the surface to wait for any food that i drop in.


That is a good tip, freezze. I will try to see how. But my rummy nose are very sensitive, i knock on the glass, they run for their lives already.

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## jackychun

Hi All, 

I have itchy hands and just bought 2 Panda Corydoras. I don't know if that would not be good for them since now one of the small Panda Corydoras hideout somewhere and one looks very lonely and cannot have food from the thick hairgrass. I don't know how to feed them properly since the Rummy Nose eat all the food before it drop to the ground now.  And even it drop on the grass, the poor cory also could not pick it. 

Anyone have any ideas on how to move on? If they are not happy, I would find a new home for them. 


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## Ryan Peh

Use the feeding dish!

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## dualie

> Hi All, 
> 
> I have itchy hands and just bought 2 Panda Corydoras. I don't know if that would not be good for them since now one of the small Panda Corydoras hideout somewhere ...
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Probably too little of them to feel comfortable in a new tank. 
I've just introduce 10 panda cories. 
All are actively swimming around, but schooling.

----------


## exo

Lure and feed the rummys on one side with floating feeds and drop sinking feeds on your dish on another side?

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## Urban Aquaria

Yeah, bottom dwelling corydoras can be tough to feed properly in a planted tank with full carpet coverage. Thats one of the reasons why they are not usually seen in such aquascape layouts. Most people will usually design their layouts to feature a sand bank or open space in the tank for these fishes (usually at the front). 

If you really want to cater to the corydoras fishes, you could consider removing some of the hairgrass at the front of the tank and convert it into an open space or sand bank.

Using a feeding dish can also help, but faster fishes like tetras will tend to snatch up most of the food too. Cories are much slower in grabbing food, so you'll have to find a workaround for that. An alternative is to feed the cories at night when the tetras are asleep, but that will require some extra effort and late night tiptoeing around.  :Grin: 

I guess if you find that the corydoras are not able to effectively compete for food, then you'll have to choose between which livestock to transfer out. Its all about compatibility and suitability in a community tank setup.

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## fireblade

for the panda cories, maybe you can try feeding carnivorous pellets or get sinking wafers just hrow 1 piece in and observe.
the cories should be able to eat that..

51cR2ARaFHL._AC_UL320_SR178,320_.jpg
042055219150-SinkingCarnivorePellets-2.png

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## jackychun

Thanks All for the advice and suggestions. I have decided to give away my Panda Corydoras to a LFS near my home where he can happier enjoy with his team. Feeling relief now, if I keep trying, might be worse for him. 

Lesson learnt: no impulse buying. 


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## jackychun

Hi All,

Just have some updates on Day 45 of "Passionately Curious" progress. 

The plants are well grown so far. Fauna have been introducing to the tank progressively. So far, my tank has:

3 x Otocinclus Catfishes
3 x Amano Shrimps
10x Fire Red Shrimps
10x Platinum Rummynose Tetras

That takes about 90% of the recommended quantity according to Aqadvisor website. I would keep it about that percentage I guess. And may be just one or two more favourite fishes in later stage. 

Here is the tank on Day 45:



Fire Red Shrimps were hunting for algae. I purposely left it for them to work on. They enjoyed it, too I guess. 



Otocinclus are so adorable. They are hardworking and so friendly. I really love them! 

 

Platinum Rummynose Tetras really makes the difference with their best schooling behavior. They are also very beautiful to watch! Here are some photos of them:











Thanks All for your continuous guidance and support! 


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## exo

> Hi All,
> 
> Just have some updates on Day 45 of "Passionately Curious" progress. 
> 
> The plants are well grown so far. Fauna have been introducing to the tank progressively. So far, my tank has:
> 
> 3 x Otocinclus Catfishes
> 3 x Amano Shrimps
> 10x Fire Red Shrimps
> ...


Why so conservative on the Yamatos? I have 11 of them cleaning my algae covered rocks.... they are hardier then I thought... and are really good cleaning crew.. u r lucky with your oto... the pair that I have doesn't seem to do much work... I had to get a pair of L183 to help out with the glass cleaning....nowadays the oto cleans the substrate instead...
Really like your rummys.... are they schooling tight as expected?

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## Realcaster

Hi Exo, where did you get the L183, I am also looking for it.

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## dualie

> Hi Exo, where did you get the L183, I am also looking for it.


There's some available at Y618. 
Left most tank behind the cashier.

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## jackychun

> Why so conservative on the Yamatos? I have 11 of them cleaning my algae covered rocks.... they are hardier then I thought... and are really good cleaning crew.. u r lucky with your oto... the pair that I have doesn't seem to do much work... I had to get a pair of L183 to help out with the glass cleaning....nowadays the oto cleans the substrate instead...
> Really like your rummys.... are they schooling tight as expected?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Hi bro,

My 3 otos are very hard working, they clean the glass, rocks and driftwood continuously. Plus 3 Amano shrimps and many Fire Red Shrimps, I don't see much algae issue for now. So I think that would be suffice for the cleaning crew right now. The Otos I bought at Petmart, Serangoon North. They were all quite small and not spoiled by other food yet, that's why they only focus for algae. I also introduced some green pea for them to let them get use to alternate food in case no more algae left, they would not be starving. 

Rummynose Tetras are really schooling very tightly. At first, 6 pcs always together but they were not so confident. Now I add in 4 more, they are very confident surfing around and even sometimes bully the Fire Red Shrimps.  They thought Fire Red was their foods. Now is OK, they live in peace.

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## jackychun

It might be the reason that my Amano shrimp gone wild few days ago. It jumped out the tank and I found it on the floor in the morning. Brought it back to the tank and today found this "jacket". Now it is hiding somewhere nobody knows.  He has molted. 


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## jackychun

Hi All,

Have you ever experienced Rummynose Tetras disappeared without any clue?

I could not find one Rummynose anywhere in the tank. The last two days, he lost in the bushes and I would be able to find him twice. Today, I could not find him any where. It is so strange. I tried to look into bushes but could not find too. May be it is too bushy to find. Any chance he got stuck and could not get out? 


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## Ryan Peh

> Hi All,
> 
> Have you ever experienced Rummynose Tetras disappeared without any clue?
> 
> I could not find one Rummynose anywhere in the tank. The last two days, he lost in the bushes and I would be able to find him twice. Today, I could not find him any where. It is so strange. I tried to look into bushes but could not find too. May be it is too bushy to find. Any chance he got stuck and could not get out? 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Fishes don't get stuck in plants haha. I have a missing harlequin Rasbora too. It probably jumped out and died or something. One day when you decide to decom, maybe you'll find it dead beneath rocks or wood. 

Btw, do you mind sharing your current ferts dosing regime?

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## Urban Aquaria

The tetras should be out and about with their group all the time, if you do headcount and discover missing rummy nose tetra... then its probably either dead and already eaten by the shrimps (look for telltale fish bones and bits of fins), or most likely it jumped out and probably dried up at the back of your tank cabinet. 

Just part and parcel of keeping fast swimming fishes in open topped tanks.  :Grin:

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## jackychun

I found around the tank and found nothing.  Hope he just hide somewhere only. 

For the fertilizer, I am using Seachem products with the regime as follow:

- Seachem Excel: 1.25ml - Daily. 
- Seachem Iron: 1.25ml- Every other day. 
- Seachem Potassium: 2.5ml- Every 2 days. 
- Seachem Flourish: 1.25ml- Every 7 days. 



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## Realcaster

Start dosing Phosphate Jacky  :Razz:

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## jackychun

> Start dosing Phosphate Jacky


That is already in Seachem Flourish I guess. I only dose it once a week. Is that enough or need to dose Phosphate separately? What will be the effect?

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## Zep

You probably need to dose phosphate separately. If you start to see some yellowing in your plants. 

I am having a similar 2 ft tank and have about the same dosing regime as what you have. 

For the first 2-3 months the plants were doing very well. After that I noticed some yellowing on some of my plants. My star grass was doing poorly with black lines and some even turned black and melted. 

After getting a phosphate test kit I found my phosphate level in the tank was at 0-0.25ppm. I just started to put in 2ml of seachem phosphorus daily and I saw a little bit of improvement. Been doing this for the past week. 

Just wanted to share my experience. 

I believe the experts here can give better views.

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## Realcaster

Currently my phosphate is at 3ppm and never drop below 1ppm. I am pretty sure your phosphate is at 0-0.25ppm. :Razz: 

i am not sure why flourish have P in it. It is way too little to be of any significant. I dose Flourish too, but it is more for Traces.

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## Zep

Just measured my phosphate and it's still at 0.25ppm or so even after about a week of daily 2ml seachem phosphorus dosing. 

I guess I have to increase my dosage. Although it seems to be already much more than what is recommended on the bottle.

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## Realcaster

Try to maintain P at a1-2ppm. It would be good to push to 3ppm if you have red plants and high lights

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## Zep

That's what I am aiming for. Probably have to dose a lot more than what the bottle states to reach that.

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## Realcaster

Yeah, if I dose to 3ppm for my 4ft , a seachem 500ml phosphorus would last me less than 2 weeks.... :Razz: 

time to use kH2PO4 dry fert. Way way cheaper and potent.  :Smile: 

Please note, if you are having high light and good Co2 injection, your N and K consumption will drop pretty fast too. Because now, the plant is absorbing more with all the crucial nutrient present. This is EI dosing  :Smile:

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## Zep

I am also monitoring my N. it's at about 10-20ppm with 1ml seachem nitrogen dosing twice a week. Guess it is still ok. Haven got a K test kit yet. Maybe will get one too. 

I have no experience with dry ferts. I can get them from most LFS? Guess I may have to change to save my wallet.

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## Realcaster

You can get from Singapore Hydroponics, just google the name. They sell KNO3, so just dose that and you get N and K

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## Zep

Great thanks. So for NPK I will need KNO3 and KH2PO4. Will probably get them after my seachem liquid ferts are all used up. 

Will read up more on how much to dose.

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## jackychun

Thanks guys. I will study Phosphate dosing for my tank. 

BTW, I have recorded Rummynose Tetras schooling in the tank. I believe this is the right decision to choose them in the tank! Please take a look at the video and see how they school together! Yay! 

http://youtu.be/H4c3M_KU36I


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## jackychun

I have tried to feed my Otos with blanched zucchini slide recently. Shrimps also like it and graze on. I need to check if they finish the slide after a day. 

Some photos during preparation:

Zucchini was cut and blanch in hot water:




It was not sunken, so I need to use this method: 


My Otos love it! Yay!


And the shrimps love it, too! 




So now my Otos have learnt how to eat other food rather than algae. May be just treat them once in a while so that they can still focus on algae control. 



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## Urban Aquaria

Another method you could use to keep the zuchinni slice submerged is to use a plastic balloon stick or a rigid air line stick (can get from most LFS), then spear it through a few slices and stick it into the substrate. 

Make like a sort of vegetable street snack on a stick.  :Very Happy:

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## jackychun

> Another method you could use to keep the zuchinni slice submerged is to use a plastic balloon stick or a rigid air line stick (can get from most LFS), then spear it through a few slices and stick it into the substrate. 
> 
> Make like a sort of vegetable street snack on a stick.


Thanks UA.  I may try that next time. BTW, I would like to ask if I need to boil the zucchini a bit longer so that it would be softer for the fishes and shrimps to eat?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Thanks UA.  I may try that next time. BTW, I would like to ask if I need to boil the zucchini a bit longer so that it would be softer for the fishes and shrimps to eat?


Well, you could boil the vegetable slices longer to soften them further, the shrimps and otos will be able to eat it quicker. Though that also means there may be abit more nutrient loss and the slices tend to breakdown into mush and bits faster too, so they may not last as long in a tank. 

Just experiment and see, it all depends on whether you prefer a shorter or longer grazing time for the algae eaters.

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## jackychun

> Well, you could boil the vegetable slices longer to soften them further, the shrimps and otos will be able to eat it quicker. Though that also means there may be abit more nutrient loss and the slices tend to breakdown into mush and bits faster too, so they may not last as long in a tank. 
> 
> Just experiment and see, it all depends on whether you prefer a shorter or longer grazing time for the algae eaters.


Thanks UA. I went home this evening and see one slide almost no more. The second slice still have about half. 





Normally, what is your feeding regime for the fauna? I feed the Rummynose once a day and will feed the other herbivores either green pea/algae wafer/zucchini every 2-3 days. Is that too much?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Normally, what is your feeding regime for the fauna? I feed the Rummynose once a day and will feed the other herbivores either green pea/algae wafer/zucchini every 2-3 days. Is that too much?


For my fishes, i usually feed them a small quantity of crushed NLS pellets once every 2 days (sometimes every 3 days if i'm busy, just giving them a slightly larger meal to compensate).

Zucchini slices will depend on the number of otos and the tank size (it mainly food meant for them, the shrimps just clear up the scraps). I keep zebra otos which are generally larger than normal otos, so they tend to require more supplementary food. In my 2ft tanks i usually keep 3-4 zebra otos and feed thick slices of zucchini every 2-3 days too. That keeps their tummies nice and round.

As long as you see the vegetable slices get eaten up within 48 hours, that means its a sufficient amount of supplement food for the otos and shrimps.

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## jackychun

Thank you, UA. I have checked the tank and they finished the 2 slices that I put last night (i.e.24hrs). That means I need to give a little bit more or thicker slices next time? 

For Rummynose Tetras, I will feed them a bit less then. They are always looking for food, anyway. Every time I put the pellets in, they eat like they been left starving for so long! 


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## jackychun

What a beautiful Saturday morning! Good day, everyone! 

I have put some Nerite Horned Snails in my tank to increase the cleaning force for the tank. So currently, the fauna stock in the tank is:

3x Amano Shrimp
10x Fire Red Shrimp
3x Otocinclus Catfish
12x Rummynose Tetra
5x Nerite Horned Snail

May I know if I need to feed anything to the Horned Snails or just let them handle the algae around the tank? And how to feed them if needed?

Some updates photos of the tank's citizen:

New citizens: Nerite Horned Snails







A Fire Red Shrimp:



Otocinclus Catfish. May I know which type of Oto is that? Is that Otocinclus affinis or other type?







An Amano Shrimp. Some LFS calls Yamato Shrimps makes a newbie like me confused at first. In fact, they are the same kind of shrimp. 



So far I can see the fauna live happily in the tank and very active. No fish or shrimp try to jump out of the tank. I guess my tank has plenty of bushes and caves that make them feel safe and can hide there anytime they feel threatened. Here is the tank 50 days after setting up:



I have recently trimmed the Rotala 'Bonsai' and the new branches pop up after just a week! 







May I know if it is really necessary to dose N and P in the near future? Can the plants just use N and P that generate from fauna's waste and food waste? Thanks all! 




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## exo

Jacky do update if the snails will climb above water lvl

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## jackychun

> Jacky do update if the snails will climb above water lvl
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Hi bro,

So far after one night, I observe they only climb around the tank. No snails climb up out of the tank. I guess they find much food to eat and enjoy it. Photos taken as of now.

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## Urban Aquaria

Horned nerite snails are mainly algae eaters, they don't go for commercial foods, at least not that i've noticed. 5 of them should have more than enough algae to eat in a 2ft planted tank (i usually keep around 10-12 in similar sized tanks).

The oto variant you have is otocinclus vestitus.

Just for reference, the other 2 common oto variants sold at most LFS are otocinclus vittatus (has additional white line above the black line) and otocinclus macrospilus (has large black blotch at the tail).

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## jackychun

> Horned nerite snails are mainly algae eaters, they don't go for commercial foods, at least not that i've noticed. 5 of them should have more than enough algae to eat in a 2ft planted tank (i usually keep around 10-12 in similar sized tanks).
> 
> The oto variant you have is otocinclus vestitus.
> 
> Just for reference, the other 2 common oto variants sold at most LFS are otocinclus vittatus (has additional white line above the black line) and otocinclus macrospilus (has large black blotch at the tail).


Thanks for enlightening me, UA! 

I would like to try keeping 5 of them first to see if they are OK with the soft water environment (pH about 6 to 6.4). Are you keeping them at the same environment too? If OK, then slowly I will increase the stock for more horned snails.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Thanks for enlightening me, UA! 
> 
> I would like to try keeping 5 of them first to see if they are OK with the soft water environment (pH about 6 to 6.4). Are you keeping them at the same environment too? If OK, then slowly I will increase the stock for more horned snails.


I keep them in soil based low pH tanks and also sand based higher pH tanks, they can easily adapt to both types of environments.

In higher pH environments, they grow well with strong shells and they can live for quite a long time. The oldest ones in my tanks have been around for close to 2 years.

On the other hand, in lower pH environments, their shells usually dissolve and erode over time due to the acidic conditions and they tend to have shorter lifespans. So you just have to replenish their numbers more frequently.

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## jackychun

> I keep them in soil based low pH tanks and also sand based higher pH tanks, they can easily adapt to both types of environments.
> 
> In higher pH environments, they grow well with strong shells and they can live for quite a long time. The oldest ones in my tanks have been around for close to 2 years.
> 
> On the other hand, in lower pH environments, their shells usually dissolve and erode over time due to the acidic conditions and they tend to have shorter lifespans. So you just have to replenish their numbers more frequently.


I see. Thanks UA!  Just one more question, do we need to direct the snails near to glass surface so that they can climb on there? I have noticed the one I placed near tank glass readily climbing around whereas those near the rock just stay still/moving slowly for almost a day.

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## Urban Aquaria

> I see. Thanks UA!  Just one more question, do we need to direct the snails near to glass surface so that they can climb on there? I have noticed the one I placed near tank glass readily climbing around whereas those near the rock just stay still/moving slowly for almost a day.


The snails will naturally travel around the tank as they search for algae, so eventually you will see them graze on the tank glass too. But if you find that certain parts of tank glass or plant leaves need extra algae cleaning, then just gently slide the horned nerite snails away from their perch (don't just pull them off as that can cause injury), and place them on or near the area to be cleaned. If they move away, then just repeat the placement and after a while they will do the job.

I do that all the time to direct them to spot clean specific areas of the tank... sort of like a cleaning supervisor.  :Grin:

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## Urban Aquaria

Btw, your horned nerite snails will occasionally climb to the top of the tank and out of the water, this doesn't necessarily mean water parameters are bad (they will do that even if water conditions are good), these nerite snails are tidal creatures and can crawl out of water to migrate around, so its their natural behaviour to explore out of water. Most of the time they will crawl back into the water. 

But once in a while you might find a particularly curious nerite snail continue crawling the wrong way and end up on the floor. If you see a nerite snail on the floor and its operculum is closed, just pick it up and drop it back into the aquarium. They can actually last almost a day closed up outside the tank, and then resume crawling about once returned back into water.

The next question most people will ask is... what if you accidentally step on a horned nerite snail that crawled out of a tank? Well, i encountered that before and its like stepping on a pin, not fun. Thats one of the reasons why i use a nail clipper to trim and round off all the spikes on my horned nerite snails. Safety first.  :Smile:

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## exo

Wow... need to manicure snails before.. noted 

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## jackychun

> Btw, your horned nerite snails will occasionally climb to the top of the tank and out of the water, this doesn't necessarily mean water parameters are bad (they will do that even if water conditions are good), these nerite snails are tidal creatures and can crawl out of water to migrate around, so its their natural behaviour to explore out of water. Most of the time they will crawl back into the water. 
> 
> But once in a while you might find a particularly curious nerite snail continue crawling the wrong way and end up on the floor. If you see a nerite snail on the floor and its operculum is closed, just pick it up and drop it back into the aquarium. They can actually last almost a day closed up outside the tank, and then resume crawling about once returned back into water.
> 
> The next question most people will ask is... what if you accidentally step on a horned nerite snail that crawled out of a tank? Well, i encountered that before and its like stepping on a pin, not fun. Thats one of the reasons why i use a nail clipper to trim and round off all the spikes on my horned nerite snails. Safety first.


Oh, I didn't know that the horned snails need to be manicured!  :Shocked:  I chose the one with good horns from the shop and thought that should be the healthy one.  :Grin:  Then your snails should be "botak" snails then. :P

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## Urban Aquaria

> Oh, I didn't know that the horned snails need to be manicured!  I chose the one with good horns from the shop and thought that should be the healthy one.  Then your snails should be "botak" snails then. :P


Well, its not necessary to trim the spikes, most people just leave them be. I just do it in case they get accidently stepped on again.  :Very Happy:

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## jackychun

> Well, its not necessary to trim the spikes, most people just leave them be. I just do it in case they get accidently stepped on again.


Haha! I see. I think they look cute with the spikes. So I just let them be.

BTW, have you encountered your Rummynose just gather at one corner of the tank? My Rummynose just gather at one corner and not really active swimming around unless eating time or people approach. I don't know if because the Rotala Bonsai block their way at the middle and makes them unsure about the other side of the tank.

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## Urban Aquaria

Looks like your rummynose tetras have learnt the best places to rest. Those fishes do take rest breaks periodically throughout the day, you probably spotted them during nap time.

The area under the lily pipe has lowest flow so its an ideal location, most of my fishes will rest at the calm corners too, between feedings and foraging activities. Its quite normal.

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## jackychun

> Looks like your rummynose tetras have learnt the best places to rest. Those fishes do take rest breaks periodically throughout the day, you probably spotted them during nap time.
> 
> The area under the lily pipe has lowest flow so its an ideal location, most of my fishes will rest at the calm corners too, between feedings and foraging activities. Its quite normal.


Thanks UA! That makes me feel relief. I thought that they were under stressed or something.
Do you always turn the outflow to the max for Eheim Ecco Pro 300? Or you adjust to less flowrate? Does the high flow affect the fish activities?

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## Urban Aquaria

For my setup with Ecco Pro 300 connected to inline Co2 reactor, the max flow was just right, i didn't need to reduce it further.

As long as the tank has some areas where the fishes can stay still and rest, it's okay for them.

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## jackychun

> For my setup with Ecco Pro 300 connected to inline Co2 reactor, the max flow was just right, i didn't need to reduce it further.
> 
> As long as the tank has some areas where the fishes can stay still and rest, it's okay for them.


Thanks UA. I follow the same set up as yours and turn flow to the max, too. Rummynose are quite active but mostly they stay at the bottom half of the tank. So the top half is quite empty. I am looking for some active fishes that make the top half more lively. Do you have any suggestions on that?

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## dualie

If you visit Sea View, you can see that one of the most active schooling fish are the Harlequin Rasbora. 
These fish do mainly swim in the upper region of a tank. 


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## jackychun

> If you visit Sea View, you can see that one of the most active schooling fish are the Harlequin Rasbora. 
> These fish do mainly swim in the upper region of a tank. 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Thanks dualie!  :Smile:  I will consider Harlequin Rasbora in the next visit to LFS.  :Smile:

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## lcdscreen

You can consider clown killies too! They may not be good schoolers (i don't think) but they mostly hang around the top of the tank.

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## jackychun

> You can consider clown killies too! They may not be good schoolers (i don't think) but they mostly hang around the top of the tank.


Thanks for your suggestion bro. I will look for it too!

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## jackychun

I am reading this in a newly borrowed book and just cannot hold laughing out loud. Don't know who already got all the 3 Syndrome. 


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## jackychun

I have noticed the Star Grass (Heteranthera zosterifolia) recently got a many scratched leaves. 
And I have found the naughty culprit. This is my Amano Shirmp who like to munch on the soft leaves.  :Opps: 
I recorded the video when he was munching the leaves.  :Smile: 

https://youtu.be/U5Y2VrI8CD0

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## jackychun

This small tub is so cool to contain fish food. So no need to open the big tub time to time which makes the food quality reduced. 


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## jackychun

Hi All,

I would like to check if pH 6.4 is OK to have guppies? Should I go for it? Their colour is so beautiful!!!


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## vannel

Guppy do better at 7-8 pH IIRC.. Many guppy breeders add sodium bicarbonate in their tanks to keep it there. So I reckon 6.4 isn't ideal.

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## jackychun

> Guppy do better at 7-8 pH IIRC.. Many guppy breeders add sodium bicarbonate in their tanks to keep it there. So I reckon 6.4 isn't ideal.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk


Thank you, vannel. Hmmm, in this case I would think about other option then.

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## vannel

Yup. Also, fancy guppies generally don't do well with flow. Selective breeding that led to their extensive finnage also means they are not able to swim well, even in moderate flow.

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## jackychun

> Yup. Also, fancy guppies generally don't do well with flow. Selective breeding that led to their extensive finnage also means they are not able to swim well, even in moderate flow.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk


I see. And yes, I try to find some active small fishes that like to play with flow and at the middle to top level dwelling. Do you have any idea? Zebra danio/leopard danio is OK?

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## Urban Aquaria

If you are keen on unique danios, can look at Danio tinwini (aka gold ring danios)... they are fast swimmers with brilliant golden patterns, stay small and school at the upper levels of the tank. Less common compared to the other danios but most LFS stock them occasionally. Can look out for those fishes.

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## jackychun

> If you are keen on unique danios, can look at Danio tinwini (aka gold ring danios)... they are fast swimmers with brilliant golden patterns, stay small and school at the upper levels of the tank. Less common compared to the other danios but most LFS stock them occasionally. Can look out for those fishes.


Awesome! Thanks UA! I will check with the LFSs to see if they have stock for this danio. They looks amazing and small too!

----------


## exo

On the subject of fish.. anyone seen blue cobalt goby in LFS before ?

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## exo

Double post

----------


## jackychun

> On the subject of fish.. anyone seen blue cobalt goby in LFS before ?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


I've never seen that fish before in any LFS.

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## jackychun

> If you are keen on unique danios, can look at Danio tinwini (aka gold ring danios)... they are fast swimmers with brilliant golden patterns, stay small and school at the upper levels of the tank. Less common compared to the other danios but most LFS stock them occasionally. Can look out for those fishes.


Hi UA,

Finally, I managed to get 9 Gold Ring Danio fish. They are really very rare! 

The golden colour of this fish is really beautiful! They are also small size, active, not shy and schooling very well. I notice they like to play with the outflow current sometimes. Thanks for your recommendation! 

Also, Rummynose seems like more active since I introduced Gold Ring Danio to the tank. They swim more to upper level of the tank together with the Danio. 

BTW, during feeding time, how can you make sure the small Danio can have food while Rummynose are so fast and grab the food really quick?

----------


## Urban Aquaria

For my community tanks with a mix of different fishes, i just use the usual "powderize food" method. As the fine food particles slowly drift down the water column, all the fishes will usually get a chance to grab some food. 

Newly added fishes sometimes need abit of time to learn how to grab the food. As they get hungry, they will naturally also seek out and catch the food too. In a densely planted tank, you usually don't need to worry too much about food for small fishes as they can usually also find small critters amongst the undergrowth and plants to snack on in-between feedings.

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## Ingen

> On the subject of fish.. anyone seen blue cobalt goby in LFS before ?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk





> Double post


I have seen them at GC, what you might want to look for is the neon blue goby, which has a nicer coloration. I used to keep them, until they took the leap of faith... Can't find neon blue anymore...

----------


## jackychun

> For my community tanks with a mix of different fishes, i just use the usual "powderize food" method. As the fine food particles slowly drift down the water column, all the fishes will usually get a chance to grab some food. 
> 
> Newly added fishes sometimes need abit of time to learn how to grab the food. As they get hungry, they will naturally also seek out and catch the food too. In a densely planted tank, you usually don't need to worry too much about food for small fishes as they can usually also find small critters amongst the undergrowth and plants to snack on in-between feedings.


Thanks for your advice, UA. I did not see my Gold Ring Danio were really crazy for food like what Rummynose normally do. Even though, they are still very active and moving all day, and even night time when I was peaking at the tank. Hope they can find their own way to food.

----------


## jackychun

I found one snail in my tank and not sure if that is the bad kind of snail. Any sifu can help to ID this snail? Is there any chance the baby horned nerite snails? 


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## exo

Your plants were all from tissue source right? So there shouldn't be any alien snails around. 
If so.. congrats.. u are a snail farmer now.. lol

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## jackychun

> Your plants were all from tissue source right? So there shouldn't be any alien snails around. 
> If so.. congrats.. u are a snail farmer now.. lol
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Ya bro. All plants were from Tropica 1-2 Grows and I believe should not be any snails on that. I also have not plants anything else rather than those plants in my tank. What I read from the internet it is not easy for nerite snails to breed successfully in this kind of soft water condition.

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## exo

Just to check what is your PH in the night/early morning before CO2 is injected?

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## jackychun

> Just to check what is your PH in the night/early morning before CO2 is injected?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


As what I have checked so far, pH is normally from 6 (during CO2 injection) to 6.4 (before CO2 injection). It is kind of soft water.

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## exo

Hmm.... OK. . I'm getting 6.5(co2) and 7.6 (no co2)

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## jackychun

> Hmm.... OK. . I'm getting 6.5(co2) and 7.6 (no co2)
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Wow. That is quite high for your tank. May be because of your rocks bro.

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## exo

Maybe.. anyway the residents are happy and healthy

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## jackychun

> Maybe.. anyway the residents are happy and healthy
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Yup. I think that range is perfectly fine for the fishes and shrimps that you have. We just see if they are happy, then it would be alright. 

My hands are itchy and I have just removed and rearranged some plants in the tank.  I also wanted to clean the filter and lily pipe but too lazy to remove the whole bunch out of place.

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## exo

I cleaned my filter 2 days back... it was very dirty(from fine soil particles and dead plant matter). The floss filter was completely spent, had to replace it. Also cleaned out my in/out flow pipes.. 

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## jackychun

> I cleaned my filter 2 days back... it was very dirty(from fine soil particles and dead plant matter). The floss filter was completely spent, had to replace it. Also cleaned out my in/out flow pipes.. 
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Sounds good! How did you manage to take the hose from lily pipe? I am afraid I will slip it from my butter fingers.

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## exo

Pry with fingernail all round under running water.idea is to let water seep in and create lubrication / lift

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## Urban Aquaria

> I found one snail in my tank and not sure if that is the bad kind of snail. Any sifu can help to ID this snail? Is there any chance the baby horned nerite snails?


Do you have a clearer close up photo of the snail for better ID?

From your current photo, it looks kinda like a common pond/bladder snail, usually those types of snails hitchhike in jelly egg clusters attached to plants... but since you used all Tropica 1-2-Grow tissue cultured plants, that would be not be the source.

Nerite snail larvae also can't develop in freshwater conditions either, so that eliminates that possibility too.

I guess the other source could be pond snail eggs that happened to be transfered in the net with LFS bag water or maybe somehow a cluster of eggs got in attached to the shells of the nerite snails.

Anyways, common pond snails are harmless, just that they tend to multiply quickly and can look abit unsightly in larger numbers.

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## jackychun

> Do you have a clearer close up photo of the snail for better ID?
> 
> From your current photo, it looks kinda like a common pond/bladder snail, usually those types of snails hitchhike in jelly egg clusters attached to plants... but since you used all Tropica 1-2-Grow tissue cultured plants, that would be not be the source.
> 
> Nerite snail larvae also can't develop in freshwater conditions either, so that eliminates that possibility too.
> 
> I guess the other source could be pond snail eggs that happened to be transfered in the net with LFS bag water or maybe somehow a cluster of eggs got in attached to the shells of the nerite snails.
> 
> Anyways, common pond snails are harmless, just that they tend to multiply quickly and can look abit unsightly in larger numbers.


Thanks UA! I think it would be exactly like you said!  I brought the fish from LFS and pour them to my net and bring the net to release the fish to my tank! You are like Sherlock Holmes! 

BTW, here is the close up photo of the snail. It is like green bean size only. Hope I only have one of the uninvited guest.

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## jackychun

> Pry with fingernail all round under running water.idea is to let water seep in and create lubrication / lift
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Oh. Good idea! So you remove the whole hoses + CO2 reactor + lily pipes and bring out to clean?

I don't know why but the Eheim plug seems so difficult to remove from the socket, I might try to pull it out but it like get stuck there. So I did not use my full force, afraid the whole things broken.

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## Urban Aquaria

> BTW, here is the close up photo of the snail. It is like green bean size only. Hope I only have one of the uninvited guest.


Yeah, thats a common bladder snail.

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## exo

I'm using double taps as advised by UA at the beginning. These taps are installed at halfway point of the flow. So I just have to shut the tap and pull them out.
Removing pipes from the reactor is pretty easy not much resistance
Jus have to remember to drain what ever water that is left in the flow pipes and reactor before moving on

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## Realcaster

My tank are now free of snails after I introduced YoYo loach  :Smile:  you can try that  :Smile:

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## jackychun

> I'm using double taps as advised by UA at the beginning. These taps are installed at halfway point of the flow. So I just have to shut the tap and pull them out.
> Removing pipes from the reactor is pretty easy not much resistance
> Jus have to remember to drain what ever water that is left in the flow pipes and reactor before moving on
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


I think my Eheim Ecco Pro 300 can just turn off the valve and remove out too. I will try to clean the filter next week. It looks to dirty those hose and pipe already. Feel like sore in the eyes!!!

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## jackychun

> My tank are now free of snails after I introduced YoYo loach  you can try that


I hope this is the only snail that I have, Realcaster.

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## jackychun

> Yeah, thats a common bladder snail.


Thanks UA. I'd better remove it out from the tank then. BTW, I think 4 out of 5 Horned Nerite Snails have died. They have not been moving around for the last few days. I took out and smell but it is not stink yet. How do we know that they really gone? I noticed today my shrimps did come and try to pull the snails out of the shell. Is this the sign that they have died?

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## Urban Aquaria

For nerite snails, usually the sign its dead is the operculum (aka trapdoor) is partially open and the snail's body doesn't respond to being touched... or its shut closed and staying in the same spot for many days, could be considered dead too.

A live healthy nerite snail would be actively grazing around, and securely attached to objects/surfaces even when at rest.

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## exo

Yeah that's the good thing at ecopro.. just be careful of your reactor.. don't break it like how realcaster and I did

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## jackychun

> For nerite snails, usually the sign its dead is the operculum (aka trapdoor) is partially open and the snail's body doesn't respond to being touched... or its shut closed and staying in the same spot for many days, could be considered dead too.
> 
> A live healthy nerite snail would be actively grazing around, and securely attached to objects/surfaces even when at rest.


OK. In this case I guess they are gone. No movement at all. The one that very active one, like you said, keep moving around and graze the glass continuously.  I will remove them to avoid water contamination then. Thanks UA.

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## jackychun

> Yeah that's the good thing at ecopro.. just be careful of your reactor.. don't break it like how realcaster and I did
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Noted, thanks bro. I think I just cut the CO2 hose and connect the check valve in like you did. So when I connect/disconnect, just do at the check valve only and will not touch the flimsy nozzle of the reactor. Is that what you do now?

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## exo

Actually after my last experience.. I found the disconnecting from the check valve is not as simple too because of the hose barb.. presently when I need to disconnect/move the reactor.. I disconnect the bubble counter instead.. this worked better for me.. I move the bubble counter and reactor as 1

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## exo

For cleaning of outflow lily pipe I did not have to move the reactor.. I only unscrew the hose connector for lily pipe on the reactor.. the hose comes off easily.. I'm using the Grey transparent hose which is softer then eheim hose..

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## jackychun

> Actually after my last experience.. I found the disconnecting from the check valve is not as simple too because of the hose barb.. presently when I need to disconnect/move the reactor.. I disconnect the bubble counter instead.. this worked better for me.. I move the bubble counter and reactor as 1
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Oh I see. Ya hor. That would be very useful option for me. Thanks bro. I am so itchy hands to clean that pipe and hoses already.

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## Urban Aquaria

Try to get and install a push-in connector along your Co2 hose line, it will make disconnecting it for maintenance much easier. Just push the blue ring collar to disconnect, and push in the tube to connect. Eliminates the chances of breaking the reactor's fragile Co2 input port. Can buy at pneumatic hardware shops and some LFS. 

The connector looks like this:



Photo from Google Images.

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## jackychun

> Try to get and install a push-in connector along your Co2 hose line, it will make disconnecting it for maintenance much easier. Just push the blue ring collar to disconnect, and push in the tube to connect. Eliminates the chances of breaking the reactor's fragile Co2 input port. Can buy at pneumatic hardware shops and some LFS. 
> 
> The connector looks like this:
> 
> 
> 
> Photo from Google Images.


Thanks UA. I will check with the LFS to see if they have it. May I know where did you get yours?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Thanks UA. I will check with the LFS to see if they have it. May I know where did you get yours?


I got mine from a company called Teck Siong Huat Hardware, here is their website: 

http://tecksionghuat.com/?wpcproduct...sh-in-fittings

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## jackychun

> I got mine from a company called Teck Siong Huat Hardware, here is their website: 
> 
> http://tecksionghuat.com/?wpcproduct...sh-in-fittings


Thanks a lot, UA! I will check it out!

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## jackychun

> I got mine from a company called Teck Siong Huat Hardware, here is their website: 
> 
> http://tecksionghuat.com/?wpcproduct...sh-in-fittings


Hi UA, what is the size that use for CO2 tubing? And also, can we use it for the filter hose with bigger size? That would be convenient to clean the lily pipe as well, I guess.

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## aquaticlover

> Try to get and install a push-in connector along your Co2 hose line, it will make disconnecting it for maintenance much easier. Just push the blue ring collar to disconnect, and push in the tube to connect. Eliminates the chances of breaking the reactor's fragile Co2 input port. Can buy at pneumatic hardware shops and some LFS. 
> 
> The connector looks like this:
> 
> 
> 
> Photo from Google Images.


Is this also a one way check valve?

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## fireblade

this is not a check valve .. it is only a quick release valve.
one thing to remind all is that the more gadgets you have, the more risk for a leak



> Is this also a one way check valve?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Hi UA, what is the size that use for CO2 tubing? And also, can we use it for the filter hose with bigger size? That would be convenient to clean the lily pipe as well, I guess.


The push-in connectors i use are M6 size, suitable for 6mm OD Co2 tubing. Make sure to install the connector before the check-valve, so that water does not touch the connector.

These connectors are designed to be used only for gas applications though, so can't be used with aquarium hoses which are filled with water. The water will corrode the connector parts. 

For aquarium hoses, you'll have to use other connectors designed for water applications, ie. barbed connectors, click connectors (similar to those gardening hose types) or double taps etc.





> Is this also a one way check valve?


Its only a connector, not check-valve.

But there is also another push-in version with one-way check-valve feature too (can see it in my posted link's parts list), though as mentioned earlier these connectors are meant to be used with gas only applications. If water gets into it, will damage the parts.

If you want to prevent aquarium water backflowing into a Co2 system (or air pump), then have to use aquarium spec check-valves.

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## jackychun

> The push-in connectors i use are M6 size, suitable for 6mm OD Co2 tubing. Make sure to install the connector before the check-valve, so that water does not touch the connector.
> 
> These connectors are designed to be used only for gas applications though, so can't be used with aquarium hoses which are filled with water. The water will corrode the connector parts. 
> 
> For aquarium hoses, you'll have to use other connectors designed for water applications, ie. barbed connectors, click connectors (similar to those gardening hose types) or double taps etc.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hi UA. Thanks for your guidance. I tried to look for the CO2 quick fitting connector at some LFS but they do not have it. Might need to check the hardware company that you refer to at Ubi then. 

BTW, I have found the Hose Mender can serve the as quick connector for the hose. I might try to use it near the lily pipes for quick disconnect for cleaning. Anyone has use it before?

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## exo

Jacky the hose mended might not be a good choice for service purpose. It has no tap to shut water flow from filter or siphon effect from tank. When u remove the hose it will get messy

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## exo

A simple single tap or ball valve joint would be a better choice. Personally I would chose a eheim single tap for this application since the double taps are a bit too chunky 

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## jackychun

I agreed with you bro exo. Thank you.  
It will be quite messy when doing disconnection work then. What I was thinking of the steps might be:
- Turn off the inlet valve from filter 
- Turn off the outlet valve from filter
- Disconnect the lily pipes and using the suction cups to keeps the other part stay straight. 
- Prepare a bucket with towel to clean the mess. Haha! 

That what I imagine to happen. Lol. Double tap still best. 

This single tap from Ista might work?






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## exo

If I were to install the taps for service purpose the steps I would take is:
1) shut down filter
2) shut all taps (or individual taps which hose is affected)
3) release hose or connector(for double taps)
4) remove hose from glassware
5) clean
6) assemble in opposite sequence
Yes the ista would work. But I'll go for eheim ones for a little more money for piece of mind.. like what fireblade warns and I agree.. more parts more chance of leaks

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## jackychun

> If I were to install the taps for service purpose the steps I would take is:
> 1) shut down filter
> 2) shut all taps (or individual taps which hose is affected)
> 3) release hose or connector(for double taps)
> 4) remove hose from glassware
> 5) clean
> 6) assemble in opposite sequence
> Yes the ista would work. But I'll go for eheim ones for a little more money for piece of mind.. like what fireblade warns and I agree.. more parts more chance of leaks
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


Yup. Thinks we can create some method statement for each procedure for reference. Haha! That is interesting! Thanks exo!

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## Urban Aquaria

Yeah, if you are already using canister filters with inbuilt taps (any of the pro series eheim models), then no need to install additional connectors and taps... just shut off the existing inbuilt taps and disconnect. Drain out the excess water from the hoses into a bucket. Take apart the pipe, hoses and taps and clean them with flexible pipe brush. Then reassemble and resume filter operation.

Btw, you can't really avoid not removing the lily pipes from the hose because no matter how well you clean it, if the hose is still attached, some of the mulm and dirt will still be trapped at the joined parts. Its always best to take apart everything to clean properly, then assemble them back again.

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## jackychun

> Yeah, if you are already using canister filters with inbuilt taps (any of the pro series eheim models), then no need to install additional connectors and taps... just shut off the existing inbuilt taps and disconnect. Drain out the excess water from the hoses into a bucket. Take apart the pipe, hoses and taps and clean them with flexible pipe brush. Then reassemble and resume filter operation.
> 
> Btw, you can't really avoid not removing the lily pipes from the hose because no matter how well you clean it, if the hose is still attached, some of the mulm and dirt will still be trapped at the joined parts. Its always best to take apart everything to clean properly, then assemble them back again.


Thanks UA.  I will do that with extra care.

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## jackychun

I managed to clean the pipe and the hoses yesterday, finally. :P Kind of sweating for the first time doing it. However, it was easier than I thought. 
Just step by step disconnected everything and cleaned one by one with the long twisting brush.

Since I have not got the push-on connector on CO2 tube yet, I just took apart the whole CO2 bubble counter (as per bro exo's advice) so that the whole thing can be go for cleaning.  :Very Happy: 

It took about 25 mins to clean and reinstate back the hoses and pipes. So I decided to clean the filter the other day. :P
Cleaning the filter should be easier and faster. Should check some video on Youtube on "how to" today.  :Very Happy:  I will put one bag of Seachem Purigen in this time.

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## exo

Seachem purigen.. exactly water I wanted too... but freaking ex I'm... so I decided to hold it off for awhile

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## jackychun

> Seachem purigen.. exactly water I wanted too... but freaking ex I'm... so I decided to hold it off for awhile
> 
> Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


I bought one small bottle I think about 250ml for 19+ bucks at NA. I think it is quite worthy since it can be reused.

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## fireblade

how did you bag them?

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## jackychun

> how did you bag them?


I have not put the Purigen in yet. I have a filter bag ready to put the media in. 100ml is enough?

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## jackychun

Hi All,

Just to update that the filter has been cleaned up for the first time today, after more than 70 days. And it is also easier than what I thought.  For Eheim Ecco Pro, it is very easy disassemble and reassemble the filter for cleaning. 

The white sponge filter is totally brownish and I just replace by a new one. 



The blue coarse filter is a bit dirty with leaves trapped there was rinsed by tap water. 



The rest of bio media filter was actually quite clean, so I just rinsed it with tank water. 



In addition, about 100ml of Seachem Purigen (half a bottle) was added on top of white sponge filter pad in order to trap the organic waste from the tank. 

The filter bag:


Purigen was put in the filter bag and rinsed before use:


Purigen media filter bag was put at the top layer, before water being transfer to the impeller outlet. 



It was quite tight to push the trays together with one bag of Purigen added in. But I finally managed to do it. Water after filter clean is quite of stronger now. 

From now on, I am more confident to do this job. He he. Thanks all for your support and advice. 


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## fireblade

any purigen leak out? the holes small enough?

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## jackychun

> any purigen leak out? the holes small enough?


The net is very fine, so no purigen leaked out. Today morning the tank water is super clear. 




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## jamesmj

By washing the medias will you affect/reduce the beneficial bacterias?

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## jackychun

> By washing the medias will you affect/reduce the beneficial bacterias?


I only cleaned the Blue Coarse Sponge by tap water since it acts as mechanical filter. The bio-media filter materials (i.e. Seachem Matrix, Eheim SubstratPro) were rinsed by the tank water itself. So the beneficial bacteria would not be affected much. 


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## Urban Aquaria

Just a quick tip to optimize the placement for Purigen, its best to create more space inside the filter to hold the Purigen pack (maybe remove some media to create the extra space).

This is so that the granules don't get compacted and squashed until the water flow ends up going around the pack, rather than through it. When the filter is stuffed too full and there is restricted flow, you'll sometimes see only the edges and parts of the pack turn brown, while other parts stay light beige, indicating uneven flow though and less absorption efficiency.

It works best when the granules can move around loosely so that water can flow though all of them, then it will achieve maximum efficiency and you will see the entire pack turn brown uniformly.

----------


## jackychun

> Just a quick tip to optimize the placement for Purigen, its best to create more space inside the filter to hold the Purigen pack (maybe remove some media to create the extra space).
> 
> This is so that the granules don't get compacted and squashed until the water flow ends up going around the pack, rather than through it. When the filter is stuffed too full and there is restricted flow, you'll sometimes see only the edges and parts of the pack turn brown, while other parts stay light beige, indicating uneven flow though and less absorption efficiency.
> 
> It works best when the granules can move around loosely so that water can flow though all of them, then it will achieve maximum efficiency and you will see the entire pack turn brown uniformly.


Thanks UA. Ya, I may need to remove some media to give purigen some space. Yesterday, I need to force the cover down to close it. May be it was too pack. 


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## Ivan Choo

Packing the canister filter too pack may affect flow which is counter productive for a planted tank. You can consider using less Purigen so there's wiggle room as per what @UA advise. Also, I find mech media quite redundant especially when planted tanks usually house smaller fish. I'd replace the mech noodles (if you're using them) with more bio media and aid flow.

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## jackychun

> Packing the canister filter too pack may affect flow which is counter productive for a planted tank. You can consider using less Purigen so there's wiggle room as per what @UA advise. Also, I find mech media quite redundant especially when planted tanks usually house smaller fish. I'd replace the mech noodles (if you're using them) with more bio media and aid flow.


Hi Ivan,

I replaced Eheim Mech Pro (black noodles  :Grin: ) with Seachem Matrix bio media. So currently, there are: Eheim BioMech, Eheim SubstratPro and Seachem Matrix in the 3 trays.  :Smile: 
I might adjust the filter quantity later to make it loser a bit for better flow. However, for now I still can see the flow is very strong after cleaning.  :Very Happy:

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## jackychun

Just have a test on the water quality after one of my oto died to see if any issue with that.  Luckily, all of the parameters seems OK. 

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: Also 0ppm
pH: 6.4

It can be seen Nitrogen now is depleted in my tank. Is this due to the effect of Purigen filter media? Although the plants are still growing well, I guess it is time to dose more N and P for the tank. 

BTW, I would like to check with you all on the experience of growing Otos. So far I only feed them zucchini and green pea and sometimes algae wafer. Is this lack of nutrients if only eat algae?


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## Zep

Hi jacky, I have 2 otos in my 2 ft. I don't specifically feed them anything at all and so far they look healthy and active. I have only put in cucumbers like 2 times over the past 4 months that I have them. 

I also don't have a lot of algae in my tank. The occasional GSA which gets cleaned up quite fast by the otos or nerite snails. 

I guess the otos survive by grazing on the biofilm on the plants and leaves. See them do that all the time.

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## Ryan Peh

> Hi jacky, I have 2 otos in my 2 ft. I don't specifically feed them anything at all and so far they look healthy and active. I have only put in cucumbers like 2 times over the past 4 months that I have them. 
> 
> I also don't have a lot of algae in my tank. The occasional GSA which gets cleaned up quite fast by the otos or nerite snails. 
> 
> I guess the otos survive by grazing on the biofilm on the plants and leaves. See them do that all the time.


Me too. I have 2 in my 2ft tank. I feed them sliced zucchini at the start when my tank had no algae. After that I had an algae bloom for a month or so, so I didn't feed them at all since their belly all looked fat and round. 
Then when my algae completely cleared up, I dumped one zucchini in the tank just in case they ran out of food but none of them bothered to eat the zucchini so I assume they are still plenty of food in the tank even without GSA.

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## Urban Aquaria

> It can be seen Nitrogen now is depleted in my tank. Is this due to the effect of Purigen filter media? Although the plants are still growing well, I guess it is time to dose more N and P for the tank.


Purigen will reduce the rate of nitrate and phosphate production generated from livestock as it adsorption excess organic compounds, so if the remaining nutrients are used up by the plants, then you will need to dose more N and P fertilizer to compensate. 

Do note that Purigen has limited capacity, so when it becomes full and stops adsorbing stuff, the nitrate and phosphate levels generated from livestock will rise again (which indicates its time to recharge the Purigen pack). Just have to keep an eye on this with regular monthly parameter tests.





> BTW, I would like to check with you all on the experience of growing Otos. So far I only feed them zucchini and green pea and sometimes algae wafer. Is this lack of nutrients if only eat algae?


Its okay for otos to just feed on natural algae in the tank, thats their main diet in the wild too. Supplementary feeding with vegetable slices and algae wafers is good if you find that there isn't much algae in the tank or if you notice the otos start to become skinny. As long as you see most of the otos have round tummies, it means they have enough to eat.

Sometimes otos will still die even with ample food and good tank conditions. It could be due to pre-existing illness or the delayed effects of stress from the LFS, so there wouldn't be much you can do in such cases.

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## chesterchuen

Had been reading this thread for the past few days and it's rich with information and techniques. Superb.  :Smile: 

Sorry to hijack a little, currently my tank setup is placed at the service balcony of my new BTO flat and unfortunately there is direct sunlight onto my tanks in the morning. So currently im in the midst of building another tank setup at my living hall that is away from direct sunlight throughout the day. I'm using Jacky's post as a guidance for this build. :P

Went down to GC today and learnt from Shop Master Ronnie that aquatic plants require a temperature of 24-26degree(C) to thrive. Currently my average tank temperature is 27.5 degrees even when it's night time, with fans blowing from the top. I'm not sure by shifting to the living hall, what the temperature fluctuation would be like. Let's say, the temperature remains at a high 28, what are the options do i have to bring the temperature down without the use of a chiller?

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## jackychun

Thanks All for the tips and advice. I really love the Otos since they are cute, hard working and very peaceful fish. The one just died was one of my very first fish, too. Hopefully no more goner. 

Hi UA. Thanks for your advice on Purigen and fertilizer. I will buy those N and P next week to dose for the tank. 



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## jackychun

> Had been reading this thread for the past few days and it's rich with information and techniques. Superb. 
> 
> Sorry to hijack a little, currently my tank setup is placed at the service balcony of my new BTO flat and unfortunately there is direct sunlight onto my tanks in the morning. So currently im in the midst of building another tank setup at my living hall that is away from direct sunlight throughout the day. I'm using Jacky's post as a guidance for this build. :P
> 
> Went down to GC today and learnt from Shop Master Ronnie that aquatic plants require a temperature of 24-26degree(C) to thrive. Currently my average tank temperature is 27.5 degrees even when it's night time, with fans blowing from the top. I'm not sure by shifting to the living hall, what the temperature fluctuation would be like. Let's say, the temperature remains at a high 28, what are the options do i have to bring the temperature down without the use of a chiller?


Hi chesterchuen,

Thanks for spending time reading on my thread. That would be quite long! 

The first thing to avoid is setting up the fish tank where direct sunlight is. It would have more chance for algae to grow and also tank temperature would be fluctuated which is not good for fauna and also flora. It is good decision that you choose to move it to the living hall. 

Don't worry much about the low temperature (i.e. 24-26 degrees C). That would be the ideal condition for plants, however plants can thrive in room temperature, too. My tank temperature is normally about 30+degC in the day and 29degC in the night time, which is quite warm. You can buy fan instead of chiller to cool down the tank. I don't use any chiller or fan for cooling down but so far, flora and fauna are still doing well though. 

Enjoy setting up the tank! 


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## Zep

Without a chiller the best bet will be fans. Although you have to deal with water evaporation and daily water top ups. Unless your tank is in an air conditioned room. 

My tank is usually at 27.5-28 deg with a fan blowing at the surface. Guess that is Singapore and nothing much we can do. The plants I have are still growing fine with adequate co2 and ferts. I believe most plants sold by our LFS should be alright in our indoor room temperature. 

Perhaps those shifus who have grown plants in both chiller and non-chiller tanks can give better input on plant growth in cooler tanks.

----------


## chesterchuen

> Without a chiller the best bet will be fans. Although you have to deal with water evaporation and daily water top ups. Unless your tank is in an air conditioned room. 
> 
> My tank is usually at 27.5-28 deg with a fan blowing at the surface. Guess that is Singapore and nothing much we can do. The plants I have are still growing fine with adequate co2 and ferts. I believe most plants sold by our LFS should be alright in our indoor room temperature. 
> 
> Perhaps those shifus who have grown plants in both chiller and non-chiller tanks can give better input on plant growth in cooler tanks.


Yeah been using fans to cool it down. The water evaporation rate is pretty staggering. I lost about 500ml - 750ml in 24hours. Can't on aircon 24hrs just for the tank also. Hahaha. Am glad to hear that there are people with success in temperatures im experiencing.




> Hi chesterchuen,
> 
> Thanks for spending time reading on my thread. That would be quite long! 
> 
> The first thing to avoid is setting up the fish tank where direct sunlight is. It would have more chance for algae to grow and also tank temperature would be fluctuated which is not good for fauna and also flora. It is good decision that you choose to move it to the living hall. 
> 
> Don't worry much about the low temperature (i.e. 24-26 degrees C). That would be the ideal condition for plants, however plants can thrive in room temperature, too. My tank temperature is normally about 30+degC in the day and 29degC in the night time, which is quite warm. You can buy fan instead of chiller to cool down the tank. I don't use any chiller or fan for cooling down but so far, flora and fauna are still doing well though. 
> 
> Enjoy setting up the tank! 
> ...


Very long! Took me about 3-4 days to read up and i haven't click on the links that was posted. Although had been reading up for awhile elsewhere. Haha. Yeah the temperature fluctuations and algae bloom is a serious problem. Hopefully the shift is a success. Ah i see, that puts me at ease. Previously before i purchase any fan, my 45L tank's temperature is hovering at 30 degrees. After placing the fan it dropped to 27-28. Right now temp is at 26.5. In the morning when the sun is strongest, it hovers at 28.5.

Thanks btw! It's really fun setting up an aquarium. My next challenge is setting up CO2 system, which i have no experience in. Currently my simple planted aquarium is depending on CO2 tablet which i'm not sure whether if it works although my plant is slowing growing instead of withering. Dosage is 1 tablet every 2 days since i dont have much plant as im experimenting with plants.

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## jackychun

> Yeah been using fans to cool it down. The water evaporation rate is pretty staggering. I lost about 500ml - 750ml in 24hours. Can't on aircon 24hrs just for the tank also. Hahaha. Am glad to hear that there are people with success in temperatures im experiencing.
> 
> 
> 
> Very long! Took me about 3-4 days to read up and i haven't click on the links that was posted. Although had been reading up for awhile elsewhere. Haha. Yeah the temperature fluctuations and algae bloom is a serious problem. Hopefully the shift is a success. Ah i see, that puts me at ease. Previously before i purchase any fan, my 45L tank's temperature is hovering at 30 degrees. After placing the fan it dropped to 27-28. Right now temp is at 26.5. In the morning when the sun is strongest, it hovers at 28.5.
> 
> Thanks btw! It's really fun setting up an aquarium. My next challenge is setting up CO2 system, which i have no experience in. Currently my simple planted aquarium is depending on CO2 tablet which i'm not sure whether if it works although my plant is slowing growing instead of withering. Dosage is 1 tablet every 2 days since i dont have much plant as im experimenting with plants.


I started this tank with CO2 and in my opinion, once all the system setup, operating it is quite simple. For lighting and CO2, we can just program the timer accordingly and make sure it works. Fertilizer I dose according to manufacturer recommendations. You can refer to my post on fishless cycling with ADA aquasoil here:

http://jackychun218.blogspot.sg/2016...ocess.html?m=1

Hope that would helps for the initial period. 


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## aquaticlover

> Yeah been using fans to cool it down. The water evaporation rate is pretty staggering. I lost about 500ml - 750ml in 24hours. Can't on aircon 24hrs just for the tank also. Hahaha. Am glad to hear that there are people with success in temperatures im experiencing.
> 
> 
> 
> Very long! Took me about 3-4 days to read up and i haven't click on the links that was posted. Although had been reading up for awhile elsewhere. Haha. Yeah the temperature fluctuations and algae bloom is a serious problem. Hopefully the shift is a success. Ah i see, that puts me at ease. Previously before i purchase any fan, my 45L tank's temperature is hovering at 30 degrees. After placing the fan it dropped to 27-28. Right now temp is at 26.5. In the morning when the sun is strongest, it hovers at 28.5.
> 
> Thanks btw! It's really fun setting up an aquarium. My next challenge is setting up CO2 system, which i have no experience in. Currently my simple planted aquarium is depending on CO2 tablet which i'm not sure whether if it works although my plant is slowing growing instead of withering. Dosage is 1 tablet every 2 days since i dont have much plant as im experimenting with plants.


I believe that temperature is the last parameter to be tuned. You will need to get it right(balance) on the Co2, light, fert and water flow. As for your info, my tank in my living room, the temperature can go up to 31-32C during light on. But I still can keep the hairgrass green and lush. So don't worry too much on the temperature, first. But I am not saying you can keep any type of plants with that high temperature  :Smile:

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## chesterchuen

> I believe that temperature is the last parameter to be tuned. You will need to get it right(balance) on the Co2, light, fert and water flow. As for your info, my tank in my living room, the temperature can go up to 31-32C during light on. But I still can keep the hairgrass green and lush. So don't worry too much on the temperature, first. But I am not saying you can keep any type of plants with that high temperature


Noted. Agree on that. Just like humans, cold or hot wont die unless at the extremes. But if not proper air, food and water, will die within days. Best way to keep track for me is to keep a small note pad at the tank area to indicate whether i've made my required dosage or have i overdone it.





> I started this tank with CO2 and in my opinion, once all the system setup, operating it is quite simple. For lighting and CO2, we can just program the timer accordingly and make sure it works. Fertilizer I dose according to manufacturer recommendations. You can refer to my post on fishless cycling with ADA aquasoil here:
> 
> http://jackychun218.blogspot.sg/2016...ocess.html?m=1
> 
> Hope that would helps for the initial period. 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Alright thanks! Im new to setting up Co2 and need to read up more on bubble counts etc. Photo period more or less i can understand. 

Btw i checked with GC Master Ronnie that Lava Rocks is best suitable when i dont want to affect my pH, GH and KH too much. I understand that to a certain degree rocks will affect those parameters due to presence of minerals. Instead of buying rocks only to find out during submerging that my water parameters has changed alot, is only Lava Rock my best bet? Jacky what rock you use ah? Looks pretty good 😁

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## fireblade

chesterchuen, depends on what you want to keep... some rocks might buffer your water to that of what you need for the fishes that you are keeping.
just like drift wood will also alter the water PH, but if you control it well, it won't cause any problem.

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## Urban Aquaria

For rocks, to find out if they affect your water conditions, its best to test the rocks in a container of water first. Measure the basic parameters like TDS, GH and pH of the water beforehand, let the rocks soak in the water for a week, then test the parameters again. See if there are any changes to those parameters. That will give you an idea of the type of effects the rocks will have in your tank. In that way you can gauge whether the changes are still okay for the livestock you plan to keep, or at least manageable with water changes done on a weekly basis.

Even for lava rocks, you can't assume they are inert as are there are different types and they may have been used in other applications (ie. ponds, filter media, landscaping substrate etc) whereby the rocks have adsorbed other chemicals and minerals in the process. So its still best to test them before usage.

That being said, you could also soak the rocks in a bucket of water and do 100% water change every few days, that can sometimes flush out enough minerals to render them less likely to affect your water parameters (i do that with all the rocks i get). I use a TDS meter to track the progress by testing it before every full water change, once the TDS reading doesn't change, then i know there is no more (or very little) stuff being leached out by the rocks.

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## chesterchuen

> For rocks, to find out if they affect your water conditions, its best to test the rocks in a container of water first. Measure the basic parameters like TDS, GH and pH of the water beforehand, let the rocks soak in the water for a week, then test the parameters again. See if there are any changes to those parameters. That will give you an idea of the type of effects the rocks will have in your tank. In that way you can gauge whether the changes are still okay for the livestock you plan to keep, or at least manageable with water changes done on a weekly basis.
> 
> Even for lava rocks, you can't assume they are inert as are there are different types and they may have been used in other applications (ie. ponds, filter media, landscaping substrate etc) whereby the rocks have adsorbed other chemicals and minerals in the process. So its still best to test them before usage.
> 
> That being said, you could also soak the rocks in a bucket of water and do 100% water change every few days, that can sometimes flush out enough minerals to render them less likely to affect your water parameters (i do that with all the rocks i get). I use a TDS meter to track the progress by testing it before every full water change, once the TDS reading doesn't change, then i know there is no more (or very little) stuff being leached out by the rocks.


Thanks for the input! Ok let's say the rocks i bought affects the parameters by quite a bit, i just do a 100% water change every few days till the reading change gets lesser and lesser?

I also boil my rocks to sterilize them. Will the hot water affect the parameter?

Sorry ah Jacky for asking in your tread, but thinking maybe more info can be shared and learnt 😅

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## jackychun

Haha! No worries. Please ask and share more. We are all learning from each other. 

I used kind of river stones for my fish tank. I tried to clean the stones thoroughly and boiled it to sterilize before use in the fish tank. 



Details of the treatment you can refer to my blog post here:

http://jackychun218.blogspot.sg/2016...nd-stones.html


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## jackychun

BTW, I did not have TDS meter to check that parameter. The other parameters like pH is not affected by this stones, I guess it is inert.  


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## chesterchuen

> Haha! No worries. Please ask and share more. We are all learning from each other. 
> 
> I used kind of river stones for my fish tank. I tried to clean the stones thoroughly and boiled it to sterilize before use in the fish tank. 
> 
> 
> 
> Details of the treatment you can refer to my blog post here:
> 
> http://jackychun218.blogspot.sg/2016...nd-stones.html
> ...


Yeap read it all liao hahaha. I brushed my rocks and boiled them previously but i didnt measure any of the parameters. Luckily now that i checked the parameters are fine and my Glowlight Tetras and Amano Shrimps are growing pretty well. 😁

The rocks appear to be river rocks, but smaller than yours. My new setup will involve bigger and different rocks so gotta measure them to be on the safe side

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## jackychun

> Yeap read it all liao hahaha. I brushed my rocks and boiled them previously but i didnt measure any of the parameters. Luckily now that i checked the parameters are fine and my Glowlight Tetras and Amano Shrimps are growing pretty well. 
> 
> The rocks appear to be river rocks, but smaller than yours. My new setup will involve bigger and different rocks so gotta measure them to be on the safe side


Yup. You can refer to Urban Aquaria post regarding this matter for better preparation on rocks. 


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## Urban Aquaria

> Thanks for the input! Ok let's say the rocks i bought affects the parameters by quite a bit, i just do a 100% water change every few days till the reading change gets lesser and lesser?
> 
> I also boil my rocks to sterilize them. Will the hot water affect the parameter?


Yeah, soaking the rocks and changing the water is basically just to flush out any residual minerals or chemicals it may contain and minimise the effects, rather than letting those unknown stuff release into the tank. The TDS meter helps to measure the rate of "stuff" is being released.

Not sure about hot water effects on rocks releasing stuff, but the sterilizing effect of boiling water does help to kill off hitchhiking pests.

The ratio of volume of rocks vs volume of water make a big difference. Even if the rocks release stuff, if only a small amount of those rocks are used in a large volume of water, the effects will be minimal too, so it'll be much less of a concern. On the otherhand, if using alot of rocks then have to be more careful.

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## chesterchuen

> Yeah, soaking the rocks and changing the water is basically just to flush out any residual minerals or chemicals it may contain and minimise the effects, rather than letting those unknown stuff release into the tank. The TDS meter helps to measure the rate of "stuff" is being released.
> 
> Not sure about hot water effects on rocks releasing stuff, but the sterilizing effect of boiling water does help to kill off hitchhiking pests.
> 
> The ratio of volume of rocks vs volume of water make a big difference. Even if the rocks release stuff, if only a small amount of those rocks are used in a large volume of water, the effects will be minimal too, so it'll be much less of a concern. On the otherhand, if using alot of rocks then have to be more careful.


 Ah i see. Thanks! Oh yes, must i dechlorinate the water, then boil the rocks? Or can i simply just use boiled tap water to soak the rocks?

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## jackychun

> Ah i see. Thanks! Oh yes, must i dechlorinate the water, then boil the rocks? Or can i simply just use boiled tap water to soak the rocks?


In my case, I boiled the tap water first then poured into the pot which already contain the rock, then boiled it slowly. The reason was that may take very long time for the water to be boiled if you put the cold water and rock to the pot and boil at the same time. Also, the boiled water that pour on the rock partially sterilize it. 


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## chesterchuen

> In my case, I boiled the tap water first then poured into the pot which already contain the rock, then boiled it slowly. The reason was that may take very long time for the water to be boiled if you put the cold water and rock to the pot and boil at the same time. Also, the boiled water that pour on the rock partially sterilize it. 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Ohh. What i did is simply boil a kettle of water, then pour into the pail of rocks and that's it. I didnt place the rocks on the stove and continue boiling it. Reason being i dont have a pot of that size. 😂 And soaking the rocks in hot boiling water for 10mins is more than enough time to kill off any harmful bacteria and pests. I ever poured boiling water onto 2 live baby rats as they were stucked on rat glue and couldnt be removed alive.  :Sad: 

Is it really a must to place the pot on the stove and continue boiling it? 😂

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## Zep

I did what you did. Pour boiling water on the rocks. Then left it there for 2-3days. Did the same thing again and left it soaking for another 2-3 days. After a week I used the rocks in the tank. So far so good. 

Used the same method for driftwood too. Although you may need to soak longer if the wood doesn't sink.

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## jackychun

Haha. I am very kiasu. I pour boiling water on that and also "cook" it for half and hour.  Just to make sure it is totally sterilized. 

This is my new batch of "stone soup". 




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## chesterchuen

> I did what you did. Pour boiling water on the rocks. Then left it there for 2-3days. Did the same thing again and left it soaking for another 2-3 days. After a week I used the rocks in the tank. So far so good. 
> 
> Used the same method for driftwood too. Although you may need to soak longer if the wood doesn't sink.



Yeah did the same for driftwood also. Boiling also hasten the tannin leaching process.




> Haha. I am very kiasu. I pour boiling water on that and also "cook" it for half and hour.  Just to make sure it is totally sterilized. 
> 
> This is my new batch of "stone soup". 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I wonder how the "soup" smells like as it boils over hahaha.

Anyway i've did a sample setup of my hardscape as shown below. The tank is an Ocean Free "Economy" AT201 60cm x 45cm x 45cm tank with 5mm thick resin glass. The boxes below the driftwood is used to simulate the sloping height of the substrate. It's only a rough estimate, not the final height. I planned the hardscape around the centre of the tank because the tank will be viewed at all 3 sides. What do you guys think?

IMG_4354.jpg

IMG_4355.jpg

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## chesterchuen

Btw shall create my own thread soon, if not too much hijacking of Jacky's thread haha. But thanks a many for the inputs from everyone!

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## Ryan Peh

> Btw shall create my own thread soon, if not too much hijacking of Jacky's thread haha. But thanks a many for the inputs from everyone!


Yes do create your own thread so we can all go spam on yours too 

Anyway word of advice, if you're gonna get carpeting plants, your tank height needs stronger lighting than normal 2ft tanks! Also, do consider increasing the height of the back of your tank more because of the height of your tank!

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## jackychun

> Yeah did the same for driftwood also. Boiling also hasten the tannin leaching process.
> 
> 
> 
> I wonder how the "soup" smells like as it boils over hahaha.
> 
> Anyway i've did a sample setup of my hardscape as shown below. The tank is an Ocean Free "Economy" AT201 60cm x 45cm x 45cm tank with 5mm thick resin glass. The boxes below the driftwood is used to simulate the sloping height of the substrate. It's only a rough estimate, not the final height. I planned the hardscape around the centre of the tank because the tank will be viewed at all 3 sides. What do you guys think?
> 
> Attachment 53257
> ...


Making an island is a good idea if the tank can be seen from 3 sides. You can search and read some of the golden ratio reference to have more idea. I found this article is very good one:

http://aquascapinglove.com/basics/ge...ed-aquascaping

And ya, you can create your own journal, too. We will follow on that to spam. Hehe. 


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## chesterchuen

Done liao.  :Very Happy:

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## jackychun

Plants have been growing very fast these days and I really feel itchy hand trimming it off. Just like home, fish tank also need to be maintained and clean up, so that owner can feel the comfort. 

Before:


And after:


Echinodorus tennelus 'green' tends to crawl every where and quite difficult to control. 


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## chesterchuen

Looks really good! But what is that white piece thingy, at the bottom right of tank in your bottom pic? The long grass can simply snip off just like that ah?

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## jackychun

> Looks really good! But what is that white piece thingy, at the bottom right of tank in your bottom pic? The long grass can simply snip off just like that ah?


Oh. That is the Four Leaf Clover plants that I have bought and it is still in the ceramic ring (white colour thing ). I am finding a place to plant it so just put it in the tank in the meantime. 


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## Urban Aquaria

Just a note, for Echinodorus tennelus its better to trim them at the base of the leaf blades (like with other echinodorus/sword plants), and then let new leaves grow out again. If cut in the middle the trimmed leaf will just stay that way with a short blunt edge, so it looks abit wierd.

If you prefer a tall grassy looking plant that doesn't shoot out runners across the substrate and tangle amongst other plants, consider replacing the Echinodorus tennelus with Blyxia Japonica, that plant stays in one spot (its actually a stem plant that looks like a grassy plant), trimming is simply cutting off side shoots, much easier to maintain and control in an aquascape.

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## jackychun

> Just a note, for Echinodorus tennelus its better to trim them at the base of the leaf blades (like with other echinodorus/sword plants), and then let new leaves grow out again. If cut in the middle the trimmed leaf will just stay that way with a short blunt edge, so it looks abit wierd.
> 
> If you prefer a tall grassy looking plant that doesn't shoot out runners across the substrate and tangle amongst other plants, consider replacing the Echinodorus tennelus with Blyxia Japonica, that plant stays in one spot (its actually a stem plant that looks like a grassy plant), trimming is simply cutting off side shoots, much easier to maintain and control in an aquascape.


Hi UA,

Thanks for your suggestion. You are right. Echinodorus tennelus keeps shooting the runner across the substrate and tangle among other plants. 
I will find Blyxia Japonica to replace it. Now I remember you have mentioned it in one of your post previously, that was one of the reason you replace this plant.  :Crying:  

Normally where do you get Blyxia Japonica? I don't know if place like Seaview has it or not. May be I can ask in the forum to see if any AQers have it.  :Smile:

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## Urban Aquaria

I actually got my Blyxia Japonica from Seaview.  :Very Happy: 

They are sold in tall packets filled with water (its a fully aquatic plant, no emersed form) and usually hung up on the plant retail racks. Just have to look for them.

Alternatively, many LFS also stock them in net pots submersed in plant retail tanks. Those are usually much easier to ID.

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## jackychun

> I actually got my Blyxia Japonica from Seaview. 
> 
> They are sold in tall packets filled with water (its a fully aquatic plant, no emersed form) and usually hung up on the plant retail racks. Just have to look for them.
> 
> Alternatively, many LFS also stock them in net pots submersed in plant retail tanks. Those are usually much easier to ID.


Ah, I see! I will look for it next time I visit Seaview. Too many of them at that session. Thanks UA! 


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## jackychun

I cannot believe in my eyes seeing this today: One of my Amano Shrimps tried to bully my Oto catfish! The Amano climbed on Oto's back and tried to grab/drag the Oto away! I straight away interfere quickly because the Oto looked panic and tried to escape from the grab. 

After that Oto looked stun and stay at one place with the fins down. 

I also noticed the Amano acting so strange these days as it went wild damaged lots of plants leaves. Are they hungry or something? Have you ever experienced that? 

My 2 otos died with some scratches on the bodies. So I am now in doubt if they got bullied from the Amano. So sad. 


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## chesterchuen

Wow that's odd. I have Amanos living with Tetras and i havent observe such rowdy behavior before. They do climb onto the back of my Apple Snails to feed off the algae on their shells though. But havent notice any rowdy behavior.

However i do note that when i drop crustacean food pellets they all change from calm feeding to feeding frenzy the moment they smell the pellets. Running and swimming all over the tank till they picked one up and munch on them.

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## Urban Aquaria

I have observed similar behaviour in yamato shrimps before too, they literally swim up and try to climb on the fishes. I notice that they are simply trying to forage for food and just checking the fishes, but due to the shrimp's larger size, it also ends up harassing and stressing small fishes.

Their larger size and appetite for algae also means they need more food to sustain themselves. If a tank is mostly clear of algae, they will turn to actively scavenging for food, which probably puts them in "harassment mode". 

If they are starting to disturb other livestock, i guess you could shift out some of the yamato shrimps to reduce the numbers or just feed them abit more. It should help to re-balance their requirements.

The other alternative is to just replace the yamato shrimps with smaller dwarf shrimps like cherry or malayan shrimps, those smaller shrimps don't bother fishes as much.

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## chesterchuen

Agreed with UA. I also noticed they have a big appetite for food, irregardless whether its algae or pellets. The more i feed them the more they poop. I even see them digging my substrate to scavenge for any scraps of algae. That said, my Tetras are a little hard for my Amanos to catch onto due to its speed, but my baby Apple Snails can become a target due to algae fragments on its shell. Luckily my snails aint too bothered by it's presence.

What i do to feed the Amanos, i slightly overfeed the Tetras but dont overdo it. Just a tiny amount of overfeeding. As my substrate is black silica sand, i can see the coloured food pellets. After 1hr they are gone, presumably consumed by the Amanos. The food i bought is fit for both Tetras and Shrimps, will show you next time.

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## jackychun

Thanks Chesterchuen and UA for your comments. And I think you are right, the Amano seems like very hungry since I have an army of horned nerite snails in the tank, clearing all the algae. They might starved for food and eat the soft leaves of star grass. And they also hunt for slow fauna like Oto or Snails. I see them checking on the snails everyday but since snails has their housing shell, they do not really bother, just go in and close the shell. I saw one time the Amano tried to pick the dead snail out of shell and bring the body to their cave, too. For those fast fishes like Tetras or Danio, they are fine. 

Nevertheless, I think that is the bright side of Amano that they will scavenge all the unwanted rotten things in the tank, too. That is good for the tank and environment. 

I fed a slice of blanched zucchini last night and they all come to graze on it whole night. They are calming down now and back to the cave when I look for them this morning. And as usual, my Oto seems like sleep on the zucchini slice. 

So I guess, the algae source in the tank is much less now and need to feed them additional food more frequent. The sign of starving is they start to damage the plants. Lesson learnt through the hard way. 

And ya, I might transfer the Amano to other tank soon, if I still see them naughty harass other fishes. 

Good day to all! 


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## jackychun

Hi All, 

I have a question on CRS breeding matter. I have put in my tank few batches of Cherry Shrimp but never seen any shrimplet.  And I can only see few shrimp appears time to time. I don't know if any matter that will affect shrimp to breed? Any experience to share? 


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## Urban Aquaria

Are you referring to CRS (crystal red shrimps, caridina species)? or RCS (red cherry shrimps, neocaridina species)?

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## jackychun

> Are you referring to CRS (crystal red shrimps, caridina species)? or RCS (red cherry shrimps, neocaridina species)?


Oh. Sorry about the term, UA. I am referring to Fire Red Shrimp (neocaridina species). 


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## DreamerX5521

From my very limited experience, my 1st batch 10 pcs of rcs are dying day by day after introduce them into my 1ft low tech tank. After 2 weeks, it left with 2-3 shrimp only. Then i top up another 20 shrimp and same thing happen. After another 2 weeks, the shrimp count is less than half. Before this, the tank was dosed with seachem excel for carbon supply for plant. Then i decided to stop dosing excel and shrimp count seems settle down. Few weeks later and one ocassion day, i saw one mosquito larva like creature in the same tank. At first i thought it was mosquito larva, then have a deep thought on why the fish dont eat them. Then on second look, found it was shrimplet. Till now, the tank has bred over 40 shrimps and number still growing. Luckily, i have quite a few fishes to control the population. Else the tank will be over production with shrimp.
So from my very limited experience, these could be the factor for breed rcs:
- cherry don't like excel (the label on the bottle also mention abt it)
- stable ph level (or rather water parameter), my tank is low tech tank so ph is not swing as high as high tech tank with co2 injection
- acclimation when introduce to new environment
- transition (subjective) to new environment
- predator in the same tank
Please take it as a grain of salt if does not apply to you. I'm still learning too. 😄

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## jackychun

> From my very limited experience, my 1st batch 10 pcs of rcs are dying day by day after introduce them into my 1ft low tech tank. After 2 weeks, it left with 2-3 shrimp only. Then i top up another 20 shrimp and same thing happen. After another 2 weeks, the shrimp count is less than half. Before this, the tank was dosed with seachem excel for carbon supply for plant. Then i decided to stop dosing excel and shrimp count seems settle down. Few weeks later and one ocassion day, i saw one mosquito larva like creature in the same tank. At first i thought it was mosquito larva, then have a deep thought on why the fish dont eat them. Then on second look, found it was shrimplet. Till now, the tank has bred over 40 shrimps and number still growing. Luckily, i have quite a few fishes to control the population. Else the tank will be over production with shrimp.
> So from my very limited experience, these could be the factor for breed rcs:
> - cherry don't like excel (the label on the bottle also mention abt it)
> - stable ph level (or rather water parameter), my tank is low tech tank so ph is not swing as high as high tech tank with co2 injection
> - acclimation when introduce to new environment
> - transition (subjective) to new environment
> - predator in the same tank
> Please take it as a grain of salt if does not apply to you. I'm still learning too.


Thanks for your advice, Dreamer! 

That is true that I dose Excel daily to my tank, too. I didn't know that would affect the shrimp breeding.  May be I should try to stop it for sometimes. 


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## jackychun

I have checked the Seachem Excel bottle and it is said "Excel is safe for invertebrates such as shrimp". 


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## jackychun

Hi All,

Please can you double confirm to ID this plant? Is that Japonica Blyxa? I tend to replace the Echinodorus tennelus 'Green' with this stem plant as Tennelus is running wild now! 






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## fireblade

yes... it is japonica ...

this is good for mid to back ground..
not suitable for foreground.

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## jackychun

> yes... it is japonica ...
> 
> this is good for mid to back ground..
> not suitable for foreground.


Thanks fireblade! I am will put it at the background of the tank. 


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## jackychun

I have decided to remove Echinodorus tennelus 'green' totally from my tank due to its invasive behaviour. That plant is surely good for bigger tank as it can crawl almost anywhere from this side to other side of the tank.  With reference from UA post last time, I tried to pull it out bit by bit to avoid a big mess of soil dust in the tank. So totally no mess after all. 



I replaced it with Blyxa Japonica and hope it will become more bushy at the corner soon. 





And today, guess what I see?! I saw shrimplets in my tank!!! At least 2 of them appeared!  I guess they stayed in the bushy Echinodorus tennelus corner to hide from the bigger hunters outside. They are not so small now when they are outside and fish also doesn't bother them. 





With this size, I think they was born quite sometime back. That is a good news! Yay! I hope to see more of them coming! 



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## jackychun

It has been Week 16 of "Passionately Curious" Tank. Here are some update photos: 










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## jamesmj

Nice. Very nice.

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## jackychun

> Nice. Very nice.


Thanks James. 

Just to share with you the photo of my Staurogyne repens. I really love the way they grow: steady and not invasive. It is really a good midground or foreground plant. 

So far I have never needed to trim it. It needs some good lighting though. Those plants I plant in the a bit more shady area grow slower and not as bushy as this part, but still looks good. 




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## chesterchuen

Wah Jacky, your Staurogyne is really nice. Love the colour and shape!

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## jackychun

> Wah Jacky, your Staurogyne is really nice. Love the colour and shape!


Thanks bro. 

BTW, I have cleaned the filter 2nd time today. And look what I found inside the filter:



Ya, that were baby shrimps!  I remember UA has mentioned in his post before about shrimplets living inside canister filter. Today I see by my own eyes and is amazed! 



I caught totally 7 baby shrimps by pouring the water in filter to the net and put them back in the tank! I guess they were sucked in the inlet when they were a tiny babies. 


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## jackychun

I have finally decided to get a cooling fan for my tank due to this very hot summer. Water tank was always 31degC+ and I can see algae on the glass increased more than normal. So even I got quite a numbers of cleaning crews like 3 amano shrimps, 2 otos, 7 horned nerite snails and 15+ fire red shrimps, I still need to scrap the grass every time doing water change. Furthermore, fishes seemed to be discomfort with the high temperature. 

So here it goes:

Top Aqua Cooling Fan: 









The fan is very compact and elegant in design. I fixed it to the side of the tank so that the wind can run through the long surface, follow the filter flow current. 



Temperature measure at the beginning, after water change was about 30degC:



After 3 hours, water temperature has been reduced to about 28.5degC:



I can really feel the cooling tank when touching on the glass.  Hope the fish and plants also "feel" better, too. 


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## jackychun

Hi All,

I need your advice on this. Today morning I saw a small hairline crack at the right bottom of the tank. No water leaking out or sign of leaking. It is just at the outer tank. However, I don't know if in time, the crack can be worse. 



Is there any way to prevent it to become worse or leaking/breaking? It is so upset to see this. Appreciate if you all can share some experience on this matter. 


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## Zep

Hi jacky, that seems more like a scratch then a crack.

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## Zep

Perhaps you can recall if you have accidentally scratched that area. If it's really a scratch there is no concern. Although it's good to monitor it and see if it starts to get deeper or longer.

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## jackychun

> Perhaps you can recall if you have accidentally scratched that area. If it's really a scratch there is no concern. Although it's good to monitor it and see if it starts to get deeper or longer.


Thanks bro Zep. I hope that is the scratch too and cannot recall what happen there. :P I will keep monitoring it to see any further deterioration. 
I don't think the warranty would cover this leakage due to tank cracking right?  :Wink:

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## Zep

I am not sure about the warranty. You can ask the shop you bought your tank from. If they agree to change it then it's a good excuse to start another scape 

I had leaks in my previous small 1 footer before. I just plugged it up with supposedly aquarium safe silicon. Did the job of preventing further leakage but it looks bad with all the patch up work.

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## jackychun

> I am not sure about the warranty. You can ask the shop you bought your tank from. If they agree to change it then it's a good excuse to start another scape 
> 
> I had leaks in my previous small 1 footer before. I just plugged it up with supposedly aquarium safe silicon. Did the job of preventing further leakage but it looks bad with all the patch up work.


All the way to this stage, I would never change my tank.  But another scape is a tempted one. Haha! 

I see, silicon might help on the leak, if any. And ya, the patching work might be unsightly.  


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## chesterchuen

Looks more like scratch to me. Glass do not crack just on the surface, they tend to crack straight through, and not in a straight line.

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## jackychun

> Looks more like scratch to me. Glass do not crack just on the surface, they tend to crack straight through, and not in a straight line.


I see. Hopefully everything will be alright. Cross my fingers. 


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## jamesmj

Yeah. It does look more like a scratch then cracks. Try to see internally if there's any cracks? if not i'm sure you are safe.

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## jackychun

> Yeah. It does look more like a scratch then cracks. Try to see internally if there's any cracks? if not i'm sure you are safe.


So far no deterioration yet. So I hope all is fine. Hope it will be safe and sound. Thanks man. 


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## jackychun

Make the water cooler doesn't mean your fish will be happier. 2 of my Rummynose decided to jump out from the tank 2 days in a row. So I turn off the cooling fan and seems like they are OK now. 

Lesson learnt: even the temperature towards the ideal, fish still can die if they already get use and adapt to the high temperature environment. 

I could have prevent this if I put the cover for the tank. 

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## jackychun

Hi All,

Recently I found some leaves on my Staurogyne repens got this issue. I don't know if it is lack of nutrient and what kind of nutrient shall I add to improve the situation? Appreciate your advice. Thank you. 


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## jackychun

I have trimmed off all of the Staurogyne repens which showed deficiency signs. New stems are now coming out and hopefully it would getting better. 

To enhance the nutrient supply for plants, I bought Ocean Free Absolute Root Monster and inserted it into substrate. Hope that would help the plants have sufficient nutrients in the long run. 





One good news recently is I see more berried shrimps. At least five of them in the tank. Hope I will get more baby shrimplets soon! Yay! 



I also removed Ricca fluitants out of the tank since its branches keep dropping and floating around the tank. It becomes very unsightly. At the background, some Syngonanthus sp. 'Belem' have been planted. 

So far the tank has been develop quite well. A lots to learn along the way and I really enjoy it. 



Have a great Sunday, guys! 


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## jackychun

I have done a water test yesterday after long time and was quite shocked about the nitrate level. It should be around 80ppm and above! Water is still very clear and fishes are OK. I don't know if it is due to removal of Seachem Purigen from the filter or filter really need a thorough clean. 



Today I do a quick ground vacuum and water change about 20%. Still nitrate level is quite hight about 40-80ppm. 



I will continue to do water change in the next few days with 10% - 15% daily to see if issue can be slowly settled. Will also feed my fishes sparingly from now. Since I'd like to feed the shrimp daily these days so that berried mummy can have better health condition, that might caused overfed issue. Thanks to AQ fellows for ID, I understand that some limpets and seed shrimps appear in the tank and might be due to overfed matter, too. 



Other than that problem, tank is still doing well. I have recently increased the lighting and CO2 time to 9hrs/day and staggering into 2 slots in a day. That really helps to minimize the algae growth in the tank. 









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## jackychun

After more than a week doing frequent water change and filter cleaning, nitrate level is now at about 40ppm. I see the fauna in the tank are doing fine, so guess they get use to the environment as well. 



I have attached a little weeping moss and Taiwan moss (?) on the driftwoods. Hope it can grow after sometimes. 



Shrimplets are growing up and more to be seen in the tank. I guess those shrimplets in the picture below is about 4-5weeks old. I found many of them in the filter during filter cleaning time and put them back in the tank.  :Grin:  They like the new mosses too! 



I am thinking of changing the Rotala Bonsai at front ground since it becomes quite bushy. Might change to some crawler plant and low grown to make the front part clearer. 

 


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## AQMS

Nice tank... :Well done:

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## jackychun

> Nice tank...


Thanks bro. 

Just some short update on this tank. 

I have put some cardinal tetras and 2 sterbai corydoras in the tank. They make the tank more lively since cardinal tetras has great shiny colour and Corydoras keep moving around the tank. 



The moss I put on driftwoods was flame moss. That has grown fairly fast since the last update. 



Blyxa Japonica had been growing very well and becoming bushy in no time. I needed to trim it off to keep a good shape. 



Only matter is the Eleocharis acicularis 'mini' is getting brownies at some part. I am not sure if I need to put more fertilizer tablets at the substrate to support it with more nutrient. Anyone has experience in keeping green and healthy grass? 



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## j.c.koh

Jacky, I didn't know this is your tank until now. 
No wonder your profile pic looked so familiar lol! 
I've been "stalking'' your tank for a while now, impressive tank bro!

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## jackychun

> Jacky, I didn't know this is your tank until now. 
> No wonder your profile pic looked so familiar lol! 
> I've been "stalking'' your tank for a while now, impressive tank bro!


Hi JC!

Thank you. Ya, I have this journal for sometimes since I first started this hobby at the beginning of this year. I can feel your excitement as I was there at that stage of preparing, studying and planning for the tank. Believe me, you can make a really good and successful first tank if planning carefully with good set of equipment! 

The masters in this forum are really helpful and knowledgeable. They will definitely support if you have any doubt or query. Enjoy your journey, bro! It is very addictive! Hahaha! 


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## j.c.koh

It's a good read, most questions I had in mind can be found here. And I really like the way you do things, planning carefully before every execution.

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## jackychun

> It's a good read, most questions I had in mind can be found here. And I really like the way you do things, planning carefully before every execution.


Thanks JC. 

Just another sharing and update on my tank on week 31. I went for a week holiday and that was the first time I leaf the tank that long unattended. Since nobody's home, I just needed to prepare everything carefully before leaving. 

- A week before the leaving date: I cleaned the filter to make sure that things would be cleaned during my absence. And also to observe if anything not right, so that I can rectify it quickly. I also monitored all lighting/CO2 timer/solenoids valve/ bubble counter were in order during that period and make sure it was not disturbed until I am back. 

I also check the water evaporation rate during the cooling fan on. Lots of water lost a day during this hot weather (about 3-4 litters/a day). That means the 2ft tank will be in trouble if cooling fan is on for 7 days without water topup. So I decided to turn off the cooling fan to during my holidays. Water temperatures is higher (30-31 degC) without cooling fan but that I guess that still OK for the fish. They have exposed to that before I got the fan.  

I was quite worried on the feeding matter during the holiday week. However, after reading some posts online, I think fish would be OK without food for a week or two. So I just wanna experience it, too. Anyway, also no choice lor. 

A day before leaving, I do tank cleaning and water change properly, feeding the fish 2 times that day by pellets and dried microworms until they were all full. 

The day itself, I feed the fish again with frozen bloodworms. That was heavy meal and a treat for them. For the herbivores, I put 2 slices of blanched zucchini for them to gaze on. That would be enough for few days and the omnivorous fish can enjoy it as well. And of course, top up water to the max as it can be. I delay the trimming of stem plants since I would like to keep the tank balance during my leave. I dosed all normal daily fertilizer that need to be done in that week in one shot, too. 

Very kiasu, I set up an IP camera on the tank as well, so that I can check if all is in order during my absence. Hehe. 

When I was back from the holidays, first thing is to go to the fish tank and check. Everything is totally fine, except one fish decided to jump out of tank and dried . One snail climbed out and dropped on the floor. it was still alive surprisingly when I put it back in water. I guess the snail can close the lid and live inside their shell for sometimes. Other than that, things in the tank looked really clean and plants grown so fast! Need a trim soon! Yay! 

Here is the tank after holidays:












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## Cardinal Tetra

Had a nice read and appreciated your detailed posts on your tank updates.
After reading your thread, my hands are very itchy now to start a planted tank again. Been almost 20 years since my last planted tank.

One tip you can try is to setup a bucket with drip system to compensate for the evaporation during your absence in the future.
Do continue with your tank updates!

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## jackychun

> Had a nice read and appreciated your detailed posts on your tank updates.
> After reading your thread, my hands are very itchy now to start a planted tank again. Been almost 20 years since my last planted tank.
> 
> One tip you can try is to setup a bucket with drip system to compensate for the evaporation during your absence in the future.
> Do continue with your tank updates!


Thanks a lot, Cardinal Tetra! I hope that my journal can inspires the "itchy hands" hobbyists as well as newbies like me last time. The more I am in this hobby, the more new things I have learnt everyday. 

I will study the dripping method that you have mentioned and try it next time. Thank you. 

Waiting for your new tank setup, too! Cheers! 


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## jackychun

Hello to All! 

I would like to update my "Passionately Curious" tank at Week 33. 

I have changed the light to Chihiros LED A Series 601 recently and can see the plants response to it very well. Pearling like crazy if I put the light intensity to the max. I need to reduce it to one step dimmer to prevent algae blooming. Haha!  The tank looks much better with stronger lighting in my view. ☘️

I have kept the fauna in the tank at stable quantity now and they seems very happy. So now, there are 10 Rummynose tetras, 4 Cardinals, 4 Otocinclus, 4 horned nerite snails and about 20-30 Fire Red Shrimps reside in the tank. 


Rummynose Tetra: mixed the normal type and platinum one. They are getting bigger now. 


Otocinclus keep patrolling around the size to gaze algae on glass, stones, woods and anywhere they can put their mouth on.  Very hardworking crew!



The moss that I put on top of driftwood has been spreading nicely and the shrimps like it a lot. They keep on munching there at all time. 



Plants have grown nicely, too. I need to trim Rotala Bonsai very regularly and keep them stay low. 



For Echinodorus tenelus 'green', it is difficult to control even I removed most of it last time. Small amount can go wild in the tank. Interestingly, I quite like the way they go wild now! It makes the tank have a very nature look. And I love the way the runner runs across the front of the tank at this time. It is totally not my intention but Nature takes the course. ☘️

Overall, I am quite happy with the tank at this moment. I put some slow grown plants in the tank recently like anubias 'nana', anubias nana petite, anubias 'golden leave', needle leaf java fern... with small quantity. Just to see how it grow in the high tech tank. 



Hope you all enjoy the journal! Cheers! 


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## jackychun

It has been long time since my last updates. In fact, some updates were gone after the forum was down for a period of time. And ya, the tank is still in operation and with lots to learn each day.  :Grin:  

It is currently at Week 45, Day 317! Ya, it is almost a year very soon! 

I have changes the background plants recently to Rotala Rotundifolia and some Ludwigia super read which I got from bro Branong here. Thanks bro, the plants have been growing very well in my tank. 

The Chihiros A601 has very strong light and caused me some minor algae trouble recently. I have tried several methods to control it like: reduce lighting period and intensity, changing water, clean filtration system, trimming affected parts... Things are quite in order now where roughly I can find the balance points between lighting, CO2, fert and water circulation. 

I bought a stand for Chihiros light too, that makes the coverage of light better to the tank and can see the Eleocharis sp mini grows very well under this light. Blyxa Japonica had grown like crazy and I needed to trim the whole bunch off recently as it reduced flow circulation in the tank. 

Moss on top of the driftwood has spread all over and looks very lush as well. 

Some photos update as below. I might take more nicer one next time ya!  Cheers guys!












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## Goalkeeper

Nice setup.....guess the plants and fauna are enjoying the heavenly ecosystem looking at their growth and shrimplets!! Congrats....out of curiously where do you buy your rotala bonsai from.....l've been searching for a while but not seen any!

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## jackychun

> Nice setup.....guess the plants and fauna are enjoying the heavenly ecosystem looking at their growth and shrimplets!! Congrats....out of curiously where do you buy your rotala bonsai from.....l've been searching for a while but not seen any!


Hi Goalkeeper, 

Thank you.  I got my Rotala bonsai from Tropica 1-2 Grow! tissue culture. You can call and check its availability at Green Chapter, Fishy Business or East Ocean. 


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## Goalkeeper

Thank you!

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## j.c.koh

Bro Jacky, 1 of my shrimp is pregnant and I'll like to get some information from you. :Opps: 

Is there anything important that I should know before and after the shrimplets pops out?

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## jackychun

> Bro Jacky, 1 of my shrimp is pregnant and I'll like to get some information from you.
> 
> Is there anything important that I should know before and after the shrimplets pops out?


Hi bro JC,

Congratulations!  

For the berried shrimps, I have seen them just done everything by their own, so just let it be. Just bear in mind to maintain the stable temperature (I think you got chiller so it should be alright) and if possible, you buy the filter fine mesh cover to cover the inlet pipe. So that the small shrimplets will not be sucked into the filter. Very soon after few weeks you can see small shrimps crawling around already if everything goes smoothly. 

Oh, you can feed the shrimps with shrimp food to increase the immunity and when molting but do not over feeding. 


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## j.c.koh

thanks bro  :Well done: , any shrimp food brand you would recommend?

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## jackychun

I am using Shirakura for my shrimps currently. 




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## j.c.koh

Thanks man, I'll get a pack before cny.  :Jump for joy:

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## jackychun

Managed to have a close up shot of a berried mummy Fire Red Shrimp. 




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## Ryan Peh

What you use to take photo! How you zoom until so near one 


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## jackychun

> What you use to take photo! How you zoom until so near one 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Hi Ryan, I used a macro lens to get this short. ✌️

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## jackychun

Who can see a Jungle man with Mohawk hairstyle over there?  :Grin:  




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## Zep

Hey jacky, your tank is still looking fantastic. Lush and clean.

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## fireblade

omg! I saw a man's face in there! nice one!

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## jackychun

> Hey jacky, your tank is still looking fantastic. Lush and clean.


Thanks Zep. I have itchy hands that want to start a new now! 


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## jackychun

> omg! I saw a man's face in there! nice one!


Thanks fireblade! Yes. That is the Jungle Man! 


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## j.c.koh

:Shocked:  mind blown

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## jackychun

> mind blown


I have given "the man" a hair cut. Now it is botak liao. Hahaha! 


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## jackychun

Pretty much changes on plants in the tank. I totally remove Rotala bonsai, Ludwigia sp.red and Pogostemon erectus out from the tank. The reason partially was the stems were not that healthy after much trimming and replanted. But the main reason was I would like to try other aquatic plants in the layout. 

So I have introduced in the tank some new species like Rotala Macrandra, Hydrocotyle Tripatita and Cryptocoryne Undulata. The tank has a new look with different shade of colour from orangish of Rotala Rotundifolia 'pink', light green of Hydrocotyle Tripatita, Blyxa Japonica, Eleocharis acicularis to darker green of Anubias, Moss an Cryptocoryne. It feels like more energetic and lively that way. 

Recently, some minor algae issue on the older and slow grown plants like Staurogyne repens and Anubias. I tried to increase the flow with a wave maker, water change and filter clean more often. Things getting better now but not totally get rid of it. I think it is part of the game for any hobbyists. So live with it, try to minimize it and enjoy the show. 

After more than a year, the scape definitely looks more mature now. And lots of lesson learnt from this scape. Instead of tearing it down to rescape, I will try to alter it bit by bit to experience more about aquatic plants and fauna habitat. 

Some photos taken last night for update.  
Have a great week ahead, everyone! 

Rotala Macrandra: recently planted. Not at the peak of red colour yet. I think lighting should be more intensive to get it. 





Platinum Rummynose Tetras have been doing well so far. They seems very hungry every time. 



Hydrocotyle Tripatita at the midground and background create some interesting colour shade...☘️





✌️


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## earthworm

Hi can I find out where did you buy the stand for the chihiros A series? Nice tank

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## jackychun

> Hi can I find out where did you buy the stand for the chihiros A series? Nice tank


I bought it from ebay, you can search for it: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chihiros-Aqu...3D162149845696

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## jackychun

"Passionately Curious" tank is still running and I still love to change the scape time to time with different plants in different locations. I really love taking care of this tank day by day. ❤️

Pearling Rotala Rotundifolia:


Over view of the tank at its 15 months 


Keep on scaping! 



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## earthworm

Very motivated to get something setup like this. Cheers

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## torque6

hi Jacky, went through your blog from last year till date, it was an interesting read. Congrats on having a sustainable tank. By the way, you mentioned earlier that your Ludwigia SP red's stems were not healthy after trimming and replanting, may I ask how that is so? This is because if you had removed the old rooted stems and planted the top section of the plants which you had trimmed off earlier, the stems will always be healthy.

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## jackychun

> Very motivated to get something setup like this. Cheers


Thanks earthworm. I am glad that you like it.  :Smile: 




> hi Jacky, went through your blog from last year till date, it was an interesting read. Congrats on having a sustainable tank. By the way, you mentioned earlier that your Ludwigia SP red's stems were not healthy after trimming and replanting, may I ask how that is so? This is because if you had removed the old rooted stems and planted the top section of the plants which you had trimmed off earlier, the stems will always be healthy.


Hi torque6, 

Thanks for your comment. The ludwigia sp.red stems was getting smaller/"skinnier" and smaller each time I trimmed last time. So it came up to the time that I saw it has stunned grown, so I decided to remove it from tank. It might due to the lighting and flow circulation at that corner I planted them was not at the best condition, too. 

Having said that, Ludwigia sp.red in my other tank has been growing very well and nicely after every trimming. So I guess the lighting/flow condition might be the factors of its stunned growth last time.  :Grin:

----------


## torque6

Don't think it's insufficient light as your Rotala Macrandra are doing well and that rotala needs high light and is a very demanding plant. It should be much harder to keep than Ludwigia SP red. By the way, Tropica has Ludwigia SP red mislabeled as Ludwigia Palustris. I just started having both of these plants in my tank.

----------


## jackychun

> Don't think it's insufficient light as your Rotala Macrandra are doing well and that rotala needs high light and is a very demanding plant. It should be much harder to keep than Ludwigia SP red. By the way, Tropica has Ludwigia SP red mislabeled as Ludwigia Palustris. I just started having both of these plants in my tank.


Oh. Very sharp eyes! 

Ludwigia sp.red was planted at the right rear corner last time and that corner was not receiving well lighting and water current. So I guess that was the issue. 

For now, due to high lighting requirement of Rotala Macrandra, it is located at the foreground where highest lighting can be received. However, I still cannot get its super red "true color" yet. Might need to increase the light intensity gradually to see if any improvements. 


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## jackychun

A year has gone since I have "Passionately Curious" tank. I have made a video to mark the event. This hobby is really great! It combines most of my favourite hobbies in one: gardening, fish keeping, aquadcaping, photography, videography and especially keep me closer to Mother Nature. 

Thanks Aquatic Quotient fellows for all of the supports during my journey. Hope you enjoy the video. Cheers! 

https://youtu.be/G07XRdfChRU


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## tarzanboy

Nice video especially the relaxing guitar music it make my day  :Smile:

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## earthworm

Which co2 regulator and solenoid are u using?

----------


## jackychun

> Nice video especially the relaxing guitar music it make my day


Thanks bro. Glad that you like it. 


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## jackychun

> Which co2 regulator and solenoid are u using?


I used Ocean Free solenoids at the beginning. Once the first CO2 bottle empty, I changed the whole set with JBJ solenoid valve. 


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## earthworm

Thanks. What's with Oceanfree solenoid? Is it reliable? How does it compare against JBJ? I am looking for a regulator solenoid set.

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## jackychun

> Thanks. What's with Oceanfree solenoid? Is it reliable? How does it compare against JBJ? I am looking for a regulator solenoid set.


My personal experience about Oceanfree Solenoid is not so good. My first one was OK. My 2nd and 3rd got some leakage at the pressure gauge and need to go Nature Aquarium to repair. After repair, it is good again. 

JBJ seems like more reliable to me, although I only have one for now. It is sturdy and tough. Work perfectly in my view. 

Of course, buying 2nd hand solenoid valve sometimes you need to inspect carefully before getting it or try to get personal warranty. 


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## jackychun

My "Passionately Curious" tank has been running for almost 1.5 years. Still evergreen and I have no reason to decom it. Love it! ✌️






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## TheAquarist

Envious of your set up!! Hows the current stock count? 


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## jackychun

> Envious of your set up!! Hows the current stock count? 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks a lot for your compliment! 

For now, I have about**:
- 9 Rummynose tetras
- 7 Cardinal tetras
- 4 Otocinclus affinis 
- 6 Amano shrimps
- 1 SAE
- 1 Black Lyretail Molly 
- 4-5 Horned nerite snails
- 2 guppies

Quite many of them but the tank is at matured state and I can see them all happily moving around. So, should be alright. 




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## torque6

You've changed the light stand from metal back to acrylic? Is that better? I thought the metal stand can adjust height for better coverage. 

I also see you have replenish your Otocinclus. They are quite hard to keep. The 3 Amano shrimps you had previously should be sufficient, you added 3 more...  :Opps: ?

You managed to transfer all your fire red shrimp to the 1FT, did it take long to catch all of them? You use trap is it?

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## jackychun

> You've changed the light stand from metal back to acrylic? Is that better? I thought the metal stand can adjust height for better coverage. 
> 
> I also see you have replenish your Otocinclus. They are quite hard to keep. The 3 Amano shrimps you had previously should be sufficient, you added 3 more... ?
> 
> You managed to transfer all your fire red shrimp to the 1FT, did it take long to catch all of them? You use trap is it?


Hi torque6,

Yes, I changed back to acrylic stands sometimes ago. The metal one was OK with better light coverage but it was quite flimsy. And somehow, I like the look of the tank with acrylic stand since it looks more chic and neat. 

Otocinclus is quite difficult to keep, yes. I need to replenish them time to time in this tank. The longest one can stay in the tank was around 7-8 months ago till now. I have been trying to keep other Otocinclus in other tanks recently to see if any difference. 

For Amano shrimps, they are quite hardworking on algae scraping and cleaning all other debris, so I just keep the good numbers of them there. 

Fire red shrimps were all moved to my 1ft tank. Whenever I saw them pop out somewhere, I would use net to scoop them out. So gradually, all of them are moved to the new home. And they really happy there in the 1ft tank since there is no predators there. They breed like rabbits now. 


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## Fujisasuke

Hi Jackychun

Very nice thread, you have just got me passionately curious again. Think i will restart a 2 feet setup again soon after reading your posts. Thanks!  :Grin:

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## jackychun

> Hi Jackychun
> 
> Very nice thread, you have just got me passionately curious again. Think i will restart a 2 feet setup again soon after reading your posts. Thanks!


Thanks a lot, Fukisasuke!  I am glad that my posts inspired you to creat a new tank again! 


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## jackychun

I have recorded a time lapse video of a weekly maintenance for "Passionately Curious" tank. 
You see, only less than a minute to clean and clear it, so need to ask wife for permission to do another tank!  :Grin: 

https://youtu.be/oaJxdCBWPQA

Cheers and hope you guys enjoy it!  :Grin:

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## fireblade

nice video... time to upgrade to a bigger tank!

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## jackychun

> nice video... time to upgrade to a bigger tank!


Thank you. Now still wait long long for the approval.  :Crying:

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## torque6

> I have recorded a time lapse video of a weekly maintenance for "Passionately Curious" tank. 
> You see, only less than a minute to clean and clear it, so need to ask wife for permission to do another tank! 
> 
> https://youtu.be/oaJxdCBWPQA
> 
> Cheers and hope you guys enjoy it!


Surely, it takes more than a minute to do maintenance  :Laughing: . Filling up a 20 Litre bucket and adding dechlorinater already takes 4-5 mins. After maintenance, also need to do dry floor and clean/dry the pails, dry scissors, tubings, etc.

Realistically, it takes me 2 hours to maintain my 185L tank. That includes all the above and cleaning the canister filters, bi-weekly. If need to clean canister tubings, lily pipes and intake will take even longer....

Large tank has the advantage of not needing to do water change every week if no algae, low fish/shrimp stock.

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## jackychun

> Surely, it takes more than a minute to do maintenance . Filling up a 20 Litre bucket and adding dechlorinater already takes 4-5 mins. After maintenance, also need to do dry floor and clean/dry the pails, dry scissors, tubings, etc.
> 
> Realistically, it takes me 2 hours to maintain my 185L tank. That includes all the above and cleaning the canister filters, bi-weekly. If need to clean canister tubings, lily pipes and intake will take even longer....
> 
> Large tank has the advantage of not needing to do water change every week if no algae, low fish/shrimp stock.


Haha. Yes, seems like we have lots of chores weekly/bi-weekly. :P Just kidding, I believe most of us enjoy the tank maintenance time right? At that time, just turn on some music, let yourself relax and better no nagging from wife, no disturbing from kids...etc. Heaven!  :Grin: 

Normally it takes me around 45mins to do simple weekly maintenance for 2ft tank. The other 2 small tank can take about 30mins. That is without cleaning filter, tubing and lily pipes. 

The rewards of weekly maintenance is you can really enjoy the crystal clear water tank for another week OR two.  :Grin:  That is the fun of our hobbyists, ya?  :Smile: 

Oh, BTW, just an small update from my tank, I have remove all "mohawk" hair from the "jungle man" in my tank. Now it is really botak liao!  :Flame:  :Opps:  The reason was the moss grew too fast and floated up, cover lots of lighting, and also the nest for all leftover food...etc. So, here you go! Shoosshh..! I recorded that historic moment here:

https://youtu.be/XwhDRcsUvSQ

Enjoy the week, guys!  :Grin:

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## jackychun

I have placed some Mini fissiden moss on the wood this time. Hopefully, this type will not go wild and hence, easier to maintain than last time. Now need to be patient to watch it grown. ✌️

Oh, some wipping moss is still kept at the tip of the driftwood, so that it can get a nice effect later on. 🤞




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## Goalkeeper

I like the new look better....shows the nice texture of the rock!

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## jackychun

> I like the new look better....shows the nice texture of the rock!


Thanks Goalkeeper.  Yes, I also like those texture. Let's see what will happen in the next few weeks with the new moss. 


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## jackychun

On a beautiful Sunday! 

Passionately Curious tank is now more than 1.5 years young. 




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## Fujisasuke

Nice bro! Is that a small cave on the left?

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## jackychun

> Nice bro! Is that a small cave on the left?


Thanks, bro Fujisasuke!  :Smile: 

You have sharp eyes, yes, that is a small cave on driftwoods. Originally, it looked like this.  :Grin:

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## kalkwasser

Nice, are the moss Willow?

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## jackychun

> Nice, are the moss Willow?


Hi kalkwasser, those are java moss, spiky moss and mini fissidens. 


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## jackychun

Just capture some photos of the Passionately Curious tank tonight. My peaceful inspiration everyday is here. 











Oh. Next to the main tank is my low-tech nano for betta: The Betta Realm. One day I might write up a small journal about this nano tank? 


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## jackychun

The tank is now 1 year 9 months old. Still in a good form and shape. 




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## fireblade

looking good!  :Well done:

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## NanoScaper

Nice lah, bro. So envy...

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## TTerry

Swee  :Well done:  Green and clean tank. How you maintain your lily inlet pipe man.... mine super dirty..... difficult to clean

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## jackychun

> looking good!


Thanks fireblade. 

@NanoScaper: bro. Your tank is so nice as well! I like the way you taking care of it! 


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## jackychun

> Swee  Green and clean tank. How you maintain your lily inlet pipe man.... mine super dirty..... difficult to clean


Thanks bro. 

The inlet lily pipe (and also outlet) cleaning:
- I soak them in the solutions of bleach and water (aga aga, not sure how is the exact propotion  depends how dirty is this. Very dirty need to put more bleach or extend the time of soaking.)
- Soaking for about 15-30mins. In the meantime, I normally clean the filter and media and hoses. 
- Clean with the twisted pipe cleaners. At this time, it is much easier for the dirt to be removed. 
- Clean thoroughly with tap water 
- Rinse thoroughly with Prime water (dechlorination process). 




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## TTerry

Ic. Ok thx

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## Ryan Peh

Hello jacky! Been a long time since I've read your thread! Can't believe it's been 1 year 9 months!! Your tank has became really very beautiful! You use CO2 right? 


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## jackychun

> Hello jacky! Been a long time since I've read your thread! Can't believe it's been 1 year 9 months!! Your tank has became really very beautiful! You use CO2 right? 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Hey Ryan! Such a long time ya? How have your tanks been doing? 

Thanks for your compliment! And yes, the tank is using CO2. 


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## Ryan Peh

I didn't even realise it's been so long since! 
But I've stopped planted tanks ever since I enlisted. But i got posted to HQ as an Intel Spec and am living the 8-5 life now . Not always 8-5 since I'm still needed for exercise and stuffs but I'm able to go home almost everyday! 

Since last Dec, I've gotten myself a 5ft tank and I'm now into predator fishes! 


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## mdm

> Just capture some photos of the “Passionately Curious” tank tonight. My peaceful inspiration everyday is here. 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh. Next to the main tank is my low-tech nano for betta: “The Betta Realm”. One day I might write up a small journal about this nano tank? 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



nice!

can imagine it as a nice relax corner after a hectic day of work

certainly very stress relieving just by looking at it

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## jackychun

Hi guys,

Time has passed by so fast. My Passionately Curious tank has been there for 2 years plus. I am still trying to maintain the scape to see if it can last long. 

Generally, the tank is still look good with weekly maintenance regime. The aquasoil is somehow less nutrients hence foreground plants do not develop as good as before. I have removed the foreground patch of plants recently, put it some root tabs and tried to plant in glosso. Hopefully it can make the foreground look better. 

On the other side, background plants like Rotala Macrandra green is very well growing together with Cryptocoryne wendtii green. The Cryptocoryne sends runner small baby plants everywhere! 

Some photos update of the tanks as below. I am thinking of setting up a new layout for this tank in the coming time. 











Hope you enjoy the update and keep on scaping! 





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## torque6

Thank you for the update. Tank is still going strong, though I don't see as much Cardinal Tetra/ Rummynose /shrimps compared to half a year ago.


Foreground plants are usually easy to grow but hard to maintain long term once the substrate loses it's nutrients. Root tabs do work in some instance, but not all the time. The acicularis mini started well in your tank, but subsequently, they will brown and thin out after a year into the setup. Quite sad to see the entire foreground die back slowly, and left 1 corner. But so far, the observation is the same for similar setup. Tanks I have seen with good foreground growth for > 1 year are all using chillers. Even my Eleocharis Parvula, marketed as easy by Tropica is slowly dying off after 1 year 4 months; even with root tabs + EI dosing. But there will be some exceptions.


Dennis in his recent 2hr Aquarist planted guide penned this comment "Deceptively simple, it takes skill to achieve the subtle balance.." for Iwagumi scapes, already showed how much respect he has for the scape's difficulty levels with regards to a scape with mainly foreground plants. Unfortunately, the rest of the users on Facebook disagree, recommending this type of scapes to numerous newbies ever so often.

Foreground plants are tough in my opinion. Unless you don't mind hitting the reset button every 1.5 years.

----------


## jackychun

> Thank you for the update. Tank is still going strong, though I don't see as much Cardinal Tetra/ Rummynose /shrimps compared to half a year ago.
> 
> 
> Foreground plants are usually easy to grow but hard to maintain long term once the substrate loses it's nutrients. Root tabs do work in some instance, but not all the time. The acicularis mini started well in your tank, but subsequently, they will brown and thin out after a year into the setup. Quite sad to see the entire foreground die back slowly, and left 1 corner. But so far, the observation is the same for similar setup. Tanks I have seen with good foreground growth for > 1 year are all using chillers. Even my Eleocharis Parvula, marketed as easy by Tropica is slowly dying off after 1 year 4 months; even with root tabs + EI dosing. But there will be some exceptions.
> 
> 
> Dennis in his recent 2hr Aquarist planted guide penned this comment "Deceptively simple, it takes skill to achieve the subtle balance.." for Iwagumi scapes, already showed how much respect he has for the scape's difficulty levels with regards to a scape with mainly foreground plants. Unfortunately, the rest of the users on Facebook disagree, recommending this type of scapes to numerous newbies ever so often.
> 
> Foreground plants are tough in my opinion. Unless you don't mind hitting the reset button every 1.5 years.


Thank you, torque6! 

Yes, I totally with you. I would like to try different method to keep the foreground plants but not really successfully done with deterioration of substrate. And root tabs seems not to be working well on foreground plants as you mentioned. I am trying to have Cryptocoryne parva for a small portion at foreground to see if it works. Hopefully with the strong roots and easy going behavior, it would thrive. 

My next option is to siphon out the old substrate and put in new one partially. See if it could work. 

And yes, the tetras also getting old and gone one by one. The survivors are a few of them. Since I am planning on the new scape, I just keep a low population of fish there and might got a new batch for the new tank. 

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## torque6

KopiC has updated his DHG tank last week, so at least his tank has finally taken off. Am waiting for sanjaypills55 now after he tore down his tank due to his "mini pelia" invasion. If he's is as good as KopiC, then I have a feeling it may be an issue with Tropica's Eleocharis species. My Tropica DHG don't look anything like those in KopiC or Sanjay previous tank, they grow low like your acicularis 'mini'.

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## globali

Very very nice.

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## jackychun

Hi All,

Thanks for your following on this long thread. The tank has some positive changes recently that I would like to share with you. 

As per my updates previously, I had added some root tabs to replenish the substrate nutrients. And it somehow works after few weeks! Foreground plants like Glosso, Echinodorus tenellus green and Staurogyne repens start spreading around nicely. And other plants also benefited from that, too. 

I also feel like the Chihiros A series might not be strong enough and change to Chihiros RGB. And I love this light! That really bring the colours of plants and fishes up vividly! Plants also grow better under this light as I can see less algae and more on plants flourishing. 

I shall make a video update on this soon. For now, some of photos taken by my phone on the new lighting. 







Stay tuned for the coming video! 




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## torque6

Chihiros RGB should have improved it's diffuser after getting feedback that they had warped due to overheat some years back. But do take note. The PAR value is also lower but provides much better spread and coloration than a single A series.

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## diazman

yo, mind if i ask how many liters of soil was used in this glorious project?

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## jackychun

> yo, mind if i ask how many liters of soil was used in this glorious project?


Thanks diazman!  :Grin:  I used one bag of 9L ADA Aquasoil Powder for this project. :-)

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## rogerlim

> Thanks diazman!  I used one bag of 9L ADA Aquasoil Powder for this project. :-)


Any plans to reuse the Ada powder soil for your next project? I see the pellets still holding up really well even though it has been 2 years old?

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## jackychun

> Any plans to reuse the Ada powder soil for your next project? I see the pellets still holding up really well even though it has been 2 years old?


Hi rogerlim,

Yes, I am happy to see that the pellets of ADA Aquasoils is still in good shapes over 2.5 years. Its definitely can be reuse for the next project, if any. For now I am still happy with it and wont decommission it anytime soon. It can be seen substrate can still be used over years with regular replenishment of fertilizer (root tabs). 

I am currently using this JBL roottabs time to time and found it is great!



I would take this chance to update the Passionately Curious scape as of now, it is still running at its prime, again. 



I recently added in a pair of Apistogramma Cacatouides. They are so interesting to watch! 









I hope you enjoy the updates and have a pleasant day ahead! 


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## toolkit

Hi, 

Just to confirm, you are not running chillers, right?

----------


## jackychun

> Hi, 
> 
> Just to confirm, you are not running chillers, right?


Hi toolkit,

There is no chiller. I am only using a cooling fan for the setup. 


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## toolkit

Hi jackychun,

It is amazing that you can maintained your beautiful tank with a cooling fan!

After reading torque6 and your comments, it clarified some mysteries
on growing plants without chiller and about aging soil.

I used to run a 2 feet tank without chiller or fan and face strange 
issues of not getting the foreground plants (mc) to root after
initial success. Another time, my alternanthera reineckii I remembered
was growing quite strongly, was quite proud of it, when it suddenly
start shedding its leaves.

Faced leaking issues, and decided to start over
again with a new tank, this time with a chiller.
If I have the time, will post a thread on it.

Thanks for all your posts!

----------


## jackychun

Thanks for your compliment, toolkit!  :Grin: 

IMO, tank temperature is only partially affect the plants grown. In Singapore, the tank temperature is quite stable and most of tropical plants and fish are OK with that. 
With cooling fan, the water is cooler about 2-3 deg, so the average temperature in tank with fan is varied from 27-29 degC. So far, with that temperature range, my tanks are totally fine. 

The other factors like lighting, CO2 and fertilizers regime are more important for plants to reach the best condition. 

Waiting to see your update on your new tank soon! Cheers!  :Grin:

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## ccw.first

Well done jackychun!

I was inspired by all the aquascapings gurus here and started my project 5 days ago. 

I have bought an used 2 tank, hang-on filter and invested in new CO2 system and lights. Bought a few plants including Lobelia Cardinalis, Staurogyne Repens, HM, Pogostemon Erectus etc. 

Since yesterday, day 4, I observed some of these plants leaves had been turning into brown. 



Whats the root cause and what should I do next?

Thanks in advance for the advices. 


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## Fujisasuke

*" Brown or Black Leaves: If the leaves of your liveplants start to turn brown or black and die it might be an indication of excess phosphate levels in the tank  an excess of nitrates may also cause this problem. "

*Since your tank is newly cycled, im guessing there is excess nitrates now in your tank. Just need more regular daily 20% water changes, should help improve the situation.

----------


## ccw.first

> *" Brown or Black Leaves: If the leaves of your liveplants start to turn brown or black and die it might be an indication of excess phosphate levels in the tank  an excess of nitrates may also cause this problem. "
> 
> *Since your tank is newly cycled, im guessing there is excess nitrates now in your tank. Just need more regular daily 20% water changes, should help improve the situation.


Appreciate so much for your advice, @Fujisasuke. Ill increase my frequency of water change to daily. 

Whats the likely cause of high phosphate level in a tank? 

I have replaced 90% of brown Lobelia C. with the new Lobelia last evening. I am still monitoring Pogostemon E. and HM which half of them are not looking good (brown). Shall I keep them for a while or time to replace?

Thanks. 


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## jackychun

> Appreciate so much for your advice, @Fujisasuke. Ill increase my frequency of water change to daily. 
> 
> Whats the likely cause of high phosphate level in a tank? 
> 
> I have replaced 90% of brown Lobelia C. with the new Lobelia last evening. I am still monitoring Pogostemon E. and HM which half of them are not looking good (brown). Shall I keep them for a while or time to replace?
> 
> Thanks. 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Hi bro,

Some plants will need to adapt to the new environment from emersed to submersed under water. During that period, the leaves might be melted. And as per bro Fujisasuke mentioned, the excessive of nutrients might affect the plants as well. Give them sufficient CO2 and lighting (about 6hrs per day for the initial stage to prevent algae), plants will thrive and develop better. Once the plants roots developed, I think your plants would be fine. 

For those with leaves damaged, if it is too bad, just remove the leave or plants out. It might affect the water quality. 

Cheers!


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## ccw.first

> Hi bro,
> 
> Some plants will need to adapt to the new environment from emersed to submersed under water. During that period, the leaves might be melted. And as per bro Fujisasuke mentioned, the excessive of nutrients might affect the plants as well. Give them sufficient CO2 and lighting (about 6hrs per day for the initial stage to prevent algae), plants will thrive and develop better. Once the plants roots developed, I think your plants would be fine. 
> 
> For those with leaves damaged, if it is too bad, just remove the leave or plants out. It might affect the water quality. 
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks jackychun for the response. 

2 days after replacing the Lobelia C., the new plant seems growing well. Although I have observed some signs of new leaves coming up from Pogostemon Erectus, but most of them are still in melting state. Worst is HM which is not having any sign of growing. 

With the above mentioned observation, I have some queries as below, 

1. Why my first pot of Lobelia C. unable to adapt to the new tank but my second pot (bought a few days later) does? Could it be due to the expiry of the first pot or kept too long by LFS? Is there any shelf life for these sealed pots?

2. If no new leave is being seen after 10th day, should I remove them all or shall I continue to monitor?

Thanks. 


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## jackychun

> Thanks jackychun for the response. 
> 
> 2 days after replacing the Lobelia C., the new plant seems growing well. Although I have observed some signs of new leaves coming up from Pogostemon Erectus, but most of them are still in “melting” state. Worst is HM which is not having any sign of growing. 
> 
> With the above mentioned observation, I have some queries as below, 
> 
> 1. Why my first pot of Lobelia C. unable to adapt to the new tank but my second pot (bought a few days later) does? Could it be due to the expiry of the first pot or kept too long by LFS? Is there any shelf life for these sealed pots?
> 
> 2. If no new leave is being seen after 10th day, should I remove them all or shall I continue to monitor?
> ...


Did you get the tissue cultured plants? Or it is the normal plant pots in LFS? I assumed the sealed pot related to the tissue cultured plants. 

Regarding your queries:
1. The tissue cultured plants is quite fragile since the stems are small and delicate. So planting technique is also part of the success for planted tank. If the stems got damage, the whole plants might not develop /spoiled. So far, when I buy the tissue cultured plants cup, just observed if all the plants there are healthy with green leaves and not having any signs of wilted or yellowish. 

2. If after 10th day, you still can see no sign of deterioration of leaves, means the roots underneath might still developing. Just monitor and see any new coming leaves. Some plants are slow grower. It needs sometimes to get use to the environment and catch up. 

BTW, the Pogostemon erectus is quite sensitive as per my experience, the stem is very soft and if not careful, we might damage it and it might melt. Just remove the melting part to prevent the melt spread to healthy part. Cut the tips which are still healthy and replant those stalks. It probably can save the plants.

Patience is the key.  :Grin:  Hope your plants doing well.  :Smile:

----------


## ccw.first

> Did you get the tissue cultured plants? Or it is the normal plant pots in LFS? I assumed the sealed pot related to the tissue cultured plants. 
> 
> Regarding your queries:
> 1. The tissue cultured plants is quite fragile since the stems are small and delicate. So planting technique is also part of the success for planted tank. If the stems got damage, the whole plants might not develop /spoiled. So far, when I buy the tissue cultured plants cup, just observed if all the plants there are healthy with green leaves and not having any signs of wilted or yellowish. 
> 
> 2. If after 10th day, you still can see no sign of deterioration of leaves, means the roots underneath might still developing. Just monitor and see any new coming leaves. Some plants are slow grower. It needs sometimes to get use to the environment and catch up. 
> 
> BTW, the Pogostemon erectus is quite sensitive as per my experience, the stem is very soft and if not careful, we might damage it and it might melt. Just remove the melting part to prevent the melt spread to healthy part. Cut the tips which are still healthy and replant those stalks. It probably can save the plants.
> 
> Patience is the key.  Hope your plants doing well.


Thanks jackychun. Yes, all the plants I have mentioned are tissue cultured plants from 1-2-grow. 

Sure, Ill handle them extra careful while inserting them into the soil from now onwards. Youre right that I still didnt get used to planting them with the newly bought tweezer. Hope will master it after several rounds of practice. 

I have replaced all HM with the new one last evening. I am still monitoring Pogostemon Erectus as noticed some new leaves are popping up. 

Thanks once more for your encouragement and definitely will share some photo here once my tank is established.


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## jackychun

> Thanks jackychun. Yes, all the plants I have mentioned are tissue cultured plants from 1-2-grow. 
> 
> Sure, I’ll handle them extra careful while inserting them into the soil from now onwards. You’re right that I still didn’t get used to planting them with the newly bought tweezer. Hope will master it after several rounds of practice. 
> 
> I have replaced all HM with the new one last evening. I am still monitoring Pogostemon Erectus as noticed some new leaves are popping up. 
> 
> Thanks once more for your encouragement and definitely will share some photo here once my tank is established.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


You are welcome, bro! And yes, I remember I was very nervous trimming and replanting, too. Cleaning filter and equipment also very tense! Haha! You will get use to it. Practice makes perfect. Definitely getting better over times. Can't wait to see your journal and sharing. Cheers!  :Grin:

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## Ryan Peh

Wow Jacky! Even though I no longer have planted tanks and am now keeping arowana and other bigger fishes, but I still remember when I first started my high tech tank, you started yours at the same time as me! Soon I had to give mine up and enlist into National Service, while you continued to maintain your scape. 2 years later, I finally ORD, your tank is still going strong! 
I'm really impressed that every once in awhile when i turn on this app I will still see your thread going strong at the top of the forum. I really admire your patience and dedication to your planted tanks! 
I'm glad to see that the root tabs were able to keep your tanks going! I'm sure many of us would be very saddened if you had to decommission this beautiful piece of a living art! 
I'll still keep my monster fishes for a couple more years until I get my own house, then I intend to go back to aquascaping (and when that time comes, I have soooo much to learn from you).
But until then, I wish you all the best in maintaining and keep running this dream tank!!

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## jackychun

Hi bro Ryan,

It is really touching reading your words of encouragement. That real make my day, bro! Yes, I still remember that our tanks started together and your tanks are the birthday present?  Yes, my tank is still running till this date. I update some photos here as the proof that Planted Tank actually can be maintained for such a long time. It is coming to 3 years soon. Time flies! 

And still, patience is the key. 

Come back to Planted Tank soon bro. I am more than happy to share what I know. Cheers! 

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## Ryan Peh

> Hi bro Ryan,
> 
> It is really touching reading your words of encouragement. That real make my day, bro! Yes, I still remember that our tanks started together and your tanks are the birthday present?  Yes, my tank is still running till this date. I update some photos here as the proof that Planted Tank actually can be maintained for such a long time. It is coming to 3 years soon. Time flies! 
> 
> And still, patience is the key. 
> 
> Come back to Planted Tank soon bro. I am more than happy to share what I know. Cheers! 
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


Your tank has really been an inspiration for many people, especially for me! 
I'm currently pretty busy in uni now so I don't want to make too much changes to my fish hobby! I'm satisfied with what I have (for now)  and would want to see my fishes grow to monstrous size. 
But that being said, I do also enjoy having a beautifully scaped tank in the house too... I guess the earliest for me to come back to planted tanks would be when I graduate from uni which is mid 2020. Maybe I'll get a 3-4ft planted tank, who knows! But until then, I'll be keeping track of your tank! Please keep us updated and update often! 

Also, just a quick question, does your other tanks run on co2 as well? If so, do you run them through the same co2 tank?

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## globali

B e a u t i f u l﻿

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## jackychun

> Your tank has really been an inspiration for many people, especially for me! 
> I'm currently pretty busy in uni now so I don't want to make too much changes to my fish hobby! I'm satisfied with what I have (for now)  and would want to see my fishes grow to monstrous size. 
> But that being said, I do also enjoy having a beautifully scaped tank in the house too... I guess the earliest for me to come back to planted tanks would be when I graduate from uni which is mid 2020. Maybe I'll get a 3-4ft planted tank, who knows! But until then, I'll be keeping track of your tank! Please keep us updated and update often! 
> 
> Also, just a quick question, does your other tanks run on co2 as well? If so, do you run them through the same co2 tank?
> 
> Sent from my ONEPLUS A6010 using Tapatalk


Hi bro,

You really have a plan clearly, don't you? Haha. 

I will try to update more often on this tank even though now my hands are very itchy to rescape it.

And yes, I have CO2 for my tanks and one cylinder for each tank. 

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## torque6

Wow, you are also in her defamatory thread. You supporting her?

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## jackychun

> Wow, you are also in her defamatory thread. You supporting her?


Is there anything wrong with that thread bro?  I guess that is a good gestures of giving away seeded bio media? That would make the process of tank cycling quicker. 

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## torque6

Nope that thread, turned defamatory. She insulted me. She can go and read on ASAP group. Even the moderators like Alan are not doing anything even though the group mentioned not defamatory threads. The problem is I don't even know who she is. Got a few private message from other veterans here. All asked me what happened, some ask me to forgot it, because ultimately this so call Josephine Wang is a no body.

Thanks Jacky for replying. I don't post much here and on facebook (more so on facebook) because I am running sponsorships to students to fish farms now.

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## jackychun

> Nope that thread, turned defamatory. She insulted me. She can go and read on ASAP group. Even the moderators like Alan are not doing anything even though the group mentioned not defamatory threads. The problem is I don't even know who she is. Got a few private message from other veterans here. All asked me what happened, some ask me to forgot it, because ultimately this so call Josephine Wang is a no body.
> 
> Thanks Jacky for replying. I don't post much here and on facebook (more so on facebook) because I am running sponsorships to students to fish farms now.


So sad to hear that. Hope everything is settled and is OK now. What you have been doing here is highly appreciated no matter what. Cheers! 

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## jackychun

After maintenance today. 

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## torque6

> After maintenance today. 
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


Good to see that the ADA powder soil is holding up real good.

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## jackychun

> Good to see that the ADA powder soil is holding up real good.


Surprisingly, the grain is still in shape after 3 years! However, I guess the nutrient is used up.

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## Ryan Peh

> Surprisingly, the grain is still in shape after 3 years! However, I guess the nutrient is used up.


Is it only the top layer? Or are the bottom grains still holding up too? And btw the huge background plant on the right is a fern? 

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## torque6

> Is it only the top layer? Or are the bottom grains still holding up too? And btw the huge background plant on the right is a fern? 
> 
> Sent from my ONEPLUS A6010 using Tapatalk


The background plant on the right should be Cryptocoryne Undulata, post #554, page 28 of this awesome thread.

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## jackychun

> Is it only the top layer? Or are the bottom grains still holding up too? And btw the huge background plant on the right is a fern? 
> 
> Sent from my ONEPLUS A6010 using Tapatalk


Hi Ryan, 

Sorry for the late reply. The whole grain top and bottom are basically still in a good shape. And yes, thanks torque6 for the reply, that is Cryptocoryne Undulata 'green'.  :Grin:

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## ccw.first

My tanks water has turned into milky. Is it due to the bacteria or something else? Please help. 


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## jackychun

Hi bro,

Sorry for the late reply. It looks like bacteria bloom to me. No worries, it will disappear after few days. Or some frequent water change will helps. Please remember to dechlorine the tap water as well. Cheers!  :Smile: 




> My tank’s water has turned into milky. Is it due to the bacteria or something else? Please help. 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## ccw.first

> Hi bro,
> 
> Sorry for the late reply. It looks like bacteria bloom to me. No worries, it will disappear after few days. Or some frequent water change will helps. Please remember to dechlorine the tap water as well. Cheers!


Thanks Shifu! ;-) My tank water is super clear now!! 


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## jackychun

> Thanks Shifu! ;-) My tank water is super clear now!! 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That's great to know bro!^_^ Cheers!  :Smile:

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## torque6

Oh, this tank is gone.....Funny-Sad-Baby-Face-Photo.jpg... I missed a good deal.

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