# Planted Tanks > Aquascaping >  64 Litre "Forest Edge" Tank!

## Urban Aquaria

This is my latest aquascape project that was started in August 2013, it was planned as a layout with twisty wood and rocks as hardscape, along with various plants to recreate a forest edge look.

I managed to document the process over time so that i could track the progress of this project. This is also an opportunity for me to share the trials and tribulations of developing the aquascape.

Here are the tank stats:

*Tank Size:* _60cm x 30cm x 36cm_ _(High Clarity / Low Iron Glass)_
*Substrate:* _ADA Aqua Soil New Amazonia (Powder Type)_

*Filter System:* _Eheim Ecco Pro 300 + 13mm gUSH glass intake / VIV glass lily pipe output
_*Filter Media:*_Seachem Matrix + Purigen_ 
*Temperature:* _29-30__°C (Day)_ _/ 27-28°C (Night)_

*Lighting:* _Up Aqua Z-Series Pro LED Z-20 (60cm)_
*Light Duration:* _8 hours (10am-6pm)_

*Pressurized Co2:* _ANS Co2 System + ISTA Inline Reactor / 1bps / 30ppm_
*Co2 Duration:* _8 hours (9am-5pm)_ 
*Carbon Supplement:* _Seachem Excel_
*Fertilizer:* _Tropica Plant Growth Premium Fertilizer / 1ml daily
_*Fan/Chiller:* _None_

*Water Change Regime:* _20% Weekly_

*Water Parameters (Cycled)**:*
_Tested using API Freshwater Master Test Kit_
_pH = 6.6_
_Ammonia = 0 ppm_
_Nitrite = 0 ppm_
_Nitrate = 5-10 ppm_

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## Urban Aquaria

Initial Setup

I decided on a sloped triangle layout with a path under the twisty wood, my plan was to use a variation of plants to create the path (rather than using sand), along with an assortment of grey colored rocks to provide some accents in the scape.





Once the hardscape was arranged, i proceeded to spray the soil substrate with water to make initial planting easier. I choose _Eleocharis sp. 'Mini'_ as the main carpet plant. _Echinodorus Tenellus_ and _Cryptocoryne Parva_ were used as the mid-ground transition plants.

After initial planting, i filled the tank slowly using a bucket of water propped up on a ladder, hooked up to an air line tubing with flow control valve. The water was slowly trickled into the tank to minimize disturbance of the ADA soil substrate.





As the tank was filling up, i planted _Rotala sp. 'Nanjenshan'_ and _Rotala sp. 'Wallichii'_ as the fast growing background plants for soaking up excess nutrients during the start up stage.

Halfway filling the tank, the twisty wood started to float up... even though i had actually used the same piece of wood submerged in other tanks before, i made the mistake of removing it to put in storage and i forgot that once dried, the wood needs to be pre-soaked again in order to sink!  :Opps: 

So i had to resort to the time honored method of keeping wood submerged... weigh it down with a big chunk of rock.



Note that the above photo was taken less than an hour after the tank was filled up... no clouding and no mess, a slow and steady filling of the tank can indeed achieve full water clarity from day one.  :Smile: 

I didn't tie any moss on the twisty wood as i wanted to preserve the original detail of the wood texture instead. I was also hoping that nice green fuzz algae will eventually grow on it (yes, i actually want that algae!) to help create a natural aged look on the wood.



I cranked up the Co2 injection higher to give the plants a boost (notice my drop checker showing a bright yellow color)... no fauna in the tank yet, so no problems with elevated Co2 levels.

In this setup, i only used one set of the Up Aqua Z-Series Pro LED lightset, even though it is just 20+ watts and works out to only around 1.2 watts per gallon (wpg), which many would consider as "low" lighting, this is actually more than sufficient for a tank during start up as the plant mass is still relatively low.

I have actually tried using 2 sets of these lights in other previous setups before but it eventually resulted in lots of unwanted algae growth... whereas when i switched to just using 1 set, the plants still grew well, but the algae receded and ceased to become an issue. So i've learnt my lesson and i'm now very careful to only use the appropriate amount of light to match the amount of plant growth and mass.

A portion of Seachem Matrix bio-media with established beneficial bacteria from my other existing cycled tanks was transferred to this tank's canister filter, so it helped to really speed up the cycling process. I left the tank to completely cycle over the next 2 weeks.

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## Urban Aquaria

Week 2

Tested the water conditions and it was fully cycled by the 2nd week, thanks to the earlier addition of "seasoned" bio-media.

A group of _Boraras Brigittae_, _Otocinclus Cocama_ and _Neocaridina Heteropoda_ were introduced as the resident tank fauna.

I also added some _Rotala sp. 'Rotundifolia'_ in the background to complement the current plants too.



All of the plants were growing and pearling with no algae issues... the rotala plants in the background grew very fast, so trimming them was a part of the regular weekly maintenance.

_Echinodorus Tenellus_ looked nice and grew fast too, but became rather invasive as it had a tendency to shoot long runners across the tank, which made controlling where they grow rather tricky. It ended up looking like a network of white lines crisscrossing the substrate, so i planned to remove them and replace with something else.

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## Urban Aquaria

Week 3

One day i was browsing online and chanced upon photos of aquascapes using just cryptocorynes, somehow i got inspired to change my aquascape mid-way into a "crypt tank", so i proceeded to pull out all the middle and background plants, and replaced them with various cryptocoryne plants (ie. c. _wendtii_, c. x _willisii_, _c. albida_ etc).



I figured with the slower growth characteristics of cryptocorynes plants, it could become a low maintenance tank that didn't require as much maintenance too.



Now just need to wait...

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## Urban Aquaria

Week 5

After 2 weeks of staring at cryptocorynes growing just a few leaves, it felt abit like watching paint dry... actually, paint dries faster than the growth of these plants!

I finally realized that i didn't have the actual patience to run a crypt tank (kudos to crypt tank owners for their incredible patience!), so i re-scaped it again and put back the fast growing plants.

This time around i changed the plant selection slightly and used _Micranthemum Micranthemoides,_ _Rotala sp. 'Rotundifolia'_ and _Rotala sp. 'Wallichii'_ as the background plants, and _Blyxa Japonica_ as the mid-ground transition plant.



I particularly like the fact that _Blyxa Japonica_ is actually a stem plant, so it is not as invasive and stays exactly where i plant it. It looks great and is much easier for aquascaping. 



Although the _Eleocharis sp. 'Mini'_ carpet has been growing steadily so far, it'll still need more time to carpet the foreground area.

The shaded "path" under the twisty wood was still empty, as i still have not yet figured out what plants could be used to fill that area.

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## Urban Aquaria

Week 8

Over the course of a few more weeks, the _Eleocharis sp. 'Mini'_ carpet started to spread much faster (most likely the roots have established properly and a critical mass of growth was reached), noticeably increasing its volume of new runners daily.



I felt that the _Rotala sp. 'Wallichii'_ looked abit out of place in the background and tends to be abit messy during trimming (due to the fine needle-like leaves scattering about everywhere when cut), so i replaced it with more top cuttings from the _Rotala sp. 'Rotundifolia'_. 

The shaded "path" is now carpeted with _Anubias sp. 'Petite'_ using my super glue + pebbles method. Although its a rather unusual plant choice to create a carpet, i've found that it suits the shaded nature of the area and allows me to easily arrange them to shape the path.



_Boraras Brigittae_ all active and colored up nicely, exhibiting a nice deep red sheen.



_Otocinclus Cocama_ and _Neocaridina Heteropoda_ busy grazing on the twisty wood covered with nice green fuzzy algae (which was purposely allowed to grow to add a naturally aged "look" to the wood).



And of course... every tank journal must have the obligatory "shrimplet spotted" photo too!  :Grin: 



Overall, i think this tank developed quite well over the span of 2 months. I'd consider the plants around 80% filled in at the moment, so its now a matter of maintaining healthy growth (and lots of trimming) to progress towards completing the aquascape.

Interestingly... i haven't experienced any significant algae issues so far yet (probably the balance between the lights, Co2, nutrients and plant requirements are currently just about right). I've not even had the need to clean the tank glass during all this time! 

Hopefully this aquascape can still be maintained in good condition (and relatively algae-free) for the rest of the year.  :Smile:

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## shyta

very nice journal bro, your super glued anubias really fits underneath the driftwood well haha. quite impressed with the depth penetration of your led set, so tempted to change my lightset now.... hahaha

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## benlee

Nice! How did you manage to 'encourage' algae growth on your driftwood?

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## mdm

beautiful and detailed work!

and i like the superglue + pebbles carpeting method... thanks for the tip!  :Well done:   :Wink:

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## sakuras

Another great tank. I really like your otocinclus cocama. Nice changed from the regular otto.

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## bennyc

Another of your quality work.  :Smile:

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## fireblade

nice tank there...
too bad the rocks are too small and will eventually be covered by the plants...

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## tarzanboy

Beautiful set up tank with detail explain I like it brother urban care to PM me where you bought your Boraras Brigittae and the lily pipe price thinking of getting them thank.

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## guppies_79

Its always 'poisonous'  :Wink:  to see your set up and postings. I especially like the detailed tank specifications and the write up. Very helpful for a newbie like me in planted.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Nice! How did you manage to 'encourage' algae growth on your driftwood?


I guess it helps that i actively hunt and remove all other nuisance algae, but leave the green fuzzy algae alone, so its allowed to grow and out-compete the other types of algae. I do notice that the green fuzzy algae tends to grow well under direct light and good nutrient/Co2 conditions, so it seems they thrive in areas where healthy plants flourish too.  :Smile: 





> nice tank there...
> too bad the rocks are too small and will eventually be covered by the plants...


Thanks! Yeah, i agree... the rocks are too small to be focal points and easily covered by most plants, so i just use them as support accents in the scape instead.





> Beautiful set up tank with detail explain I like it brother urban care to PM me where you bought your Boraras Brigittae and the lily pipe price thinking of getting them thank.


I got my _Boraras Brigittae_ from places like C328, Green Chapter, Quan Hu, Seaview etc. These fishes are quite commonly found at most of the popular LFS. Do note that they are usually mis-labelled or mixed in with _Boraras Merah_, which looks very similiar but may not develop as deep red in coloration as _Boraras Brigittae_.

The VIV and gUSH glass lily pipes average around S$50-$70 each (depending on size and design), you can check at East Ocean or Green Chapter to see their selections.

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## Aventador

> _Otocinclus Cocama_ and _Neocaridina Heteropoda_ busy grazing on the twisty wood covered with nice green fuzzy algae (which was purposely allowed to grow to add a naturally aged "look" to the wood).


Very nicely done up! Hi Urban, care to share where did you get the 
Otocinclus Cocama? Very good looking fish.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Very nicely done up! Hi Urban, care to share where did you get the 
> Otocinclus Cocama? Very good looking fish.


I got most of them from JZX aquarium.  :Smile:

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## sakuras

> I got most of them from JZX aquarium.


Ive seen an oto labelled 'giant oto' and not otocinclus cocama at JZX? Is the otocinclus cocama seasonal?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Ive seen an oto labelled 'giant oto' and not otocinclus cocama at JZX? Is the otocinclus cocama seasonal?


"Giant oto" might probably be _Hypoptoma Gulare_, similiar shape as normal otos but can grow up to 4"/10+cm in length. I saw one at a friend's 3ft tank a while back, looks nice with grey-silver scales.

_Otocinclus Cocama_ seem to be an uncommon import, i usually only see them popping up for sale every few months, and in very limited quantity too. I guess they could be wild caught and mostly seasonal.

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## Xanavi

How hardy is the cocama compared to the normal oto?

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## hiisoka

that's a real nice piece of driftwood you got there  :Smile: 
nice idea with the anubias too!  :Smile:

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## Urban Aquaria

> How hardy is the cocama compared to the normal oto?


From my experience, they are about as hardy as normal otos... the tricky period is during the first 1-2 weeks when introduced into a tank. If they are in healthy condition from the LFS (round belly, active and good color) and there is enough varied food sources (both natural algae and commercial foods) in the tank, once acclimatized they will thrive well.

The good thing about _Otocinclus Cocama_ is that they take to commercial food very readily, so if a tank is low on algae sources, their diet can be easily supplemented with algae or sinking wafers too.  :Smile:

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## benlee

> The good thing about _Otocinclus Cocama_ is that they take to commercial food very readily, so if a tank is low on algae sources, their diet can be easily supplemented with algae or sinking wafers too.


Sounds good. I've never seen any of my Otos consume any of the algae wafers that I've placed in the tank. I've had a hard time deciding when to introduce Otos to my tanks, too early and I worry they have no food.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Sounds good. I've never seen any of my Otos consume any of the algae wafers that I've placed in the tank. I've had a hard time deciding when to introduce Otos to my tanks, too early and I worry they have no food.


Once a planted tank is cycled, you can add otos in. Usually by then there should be enough accumulated bio-film and algae on the glass, plants and hardscape to feed them (even if you can't see it). 

Start with 1-2 otos first, then after a few weeks if you see their bellies are constantly round and full, then can more in stages according to plant mass and bio-load.

Generally, up to 5-6 otos can form a sustainable algae-eater group for a heavily planted 2ft tank.

For food supplementation, try sinking wafers... i've found that somehow all my otos go for it with alot more interest, probably because it has some protein content which otos seem to like occasionally as part of their diet.

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## Aventador

> From my experience, they are about as hardy as normal otos... the tricky period is during the first 1-2 weeks when introduced into a tank. If they are in healthy condition from the LFS (round belly, active and good color) and there is enough varied food sources (both natural algae and commercial foods) in the tank, once acclimatized they will thrive well.
> 
> The good thing about _Otocinclus Cocama_ is that they take to commercial food very readily, so if a tank is low on algae sources, their diet can be easily supplemented with algae or sinking wafers too.


I was shopping around for cocama and spoke to one LFS. According to him, Cocama need 24-25degree Celsius water to stay alive but bro Urban's tank did not hit that low.

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## Urban Aquaria

> I was shopping around for cocama and spoke to one LFS. According to him, Cocama need 24-25degree Celsius water to stay alive but bro Urban's tank did not hit that low.


So far i've had no issues with keeping them at our local temperatures without using a chiller... i guess once properly acclimated, they can thrive in a relatively wide range of temperatures.

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## Urban Aquaria

Just some update.

Its been 10 weeks since start up, and the tank glass and lily pipes are still relatively algae-free so far, seems like this setup is still maintaining a good balance in its parameters. 

Although there is no algae in the glass lily pipes, there is some algae forming in my filter hoses (finally have a reason to do some filter cleaning), but i noticed something interesting...



The input hose has noticeably more algae than the output hose.

Initially i thought that it could be due to Co2-rich water flowing out from the inline reactor suppressing the algae growth, but when i checked the output hose inside the tank cabinet, i could see that the section of hose connected before the Co2 reactor also has noticeably less algae too.



It seems that the water being drawn in through the input hose has excess nutrients to feed the algae, but after it is processed in the filter, the water coming out has less excess nutrients for algae, hence the distinct difference in algae growth between the 2 hoses. I've never seen this effect in my other tanks before.

The only thing that i could think of that might have caused this phenomenon is the placement of a small 100ml bag of Seachem Purigen in the canister filter (this is the first time i'm using this product)... so it could be a direct result of the Purigen absorbing excess organics from the tank water.

I guess this demonstrates how tank water can be effectively filtered to create a noticeable change in water conditions, just by observing the difference in algae build up between the input and output hoses.  :Smile:

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## benlee

Interesting.. But does mean it will inhibit plant growth? Since it removes the excess organics?

I have shoved some Purigen in my hofs before the 'waterfall'. Shall monitor if algae grows there since the 'waterfall' seems to be a magnet for growing algae.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Interesting.. But does mean it will inhibit plant growth? Since it removes the excess organics?
> 
> I have shoved some Purigen in my hofs before the 'waterfall'. Shall monitor if algae grows there since the 'waterfall' seems to be a magnet for growing algae.


From what i've read up on Purigen so far, it seems to be designed to only absorb and trap organic waste (mainly fish waste, rotting plant matter, decomposing food etc)... so it supposedly helps to absorb most of these things before they breakdown into excess nutrients. The more fishes and shrimps in a tank, the more they consume and the more waste they naturally produce, and that's usually where all the excess nutrients come from. 

As fertilizer are chemicals and not organics, Purigen doesn't absorb it, so the macro and micro nutrients from fertilizer dosing are still available to the plants. That probably explains why plants still grow well in high-tech planted tanks even when Purigen is used. 

In my view, its much easier to control fertilizer dosing compared to controlling organic waste from fauna, so i guess that's where Purigen comes in to help buffer against various organic sources which cause nutrient imbalance.

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## milk_vanilla

Purigen is my favorite supplement since past year, it's really polish the water per it claimed. But how effective it absorbs the organic waste or , it's another question  :Wink:

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## milk_vanilla

Intake contain pollutant and organic waste that are algae favorite meal, probably that the reason it's dirtier than output, whereby it's been broken by your beneficial bacteria in the canister tray to keep it minimum.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Intake contain pollutant and organic waste that are algae favorite meal, probably that the reason it's dirtier than output, whereby it's been broken by your beneficial bacteria in the canister tray to keep it minimum.


Yeah, that's what i think so too... but oddly my other canister filters never displayed this effect, both input and output hoses always showed equal amounts of algae build up.

Only this particular one displays the phenomenon, and the only difference is i put Purigen in this canister filter, so i figured that it could be the reason.  :Smile:

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## gid

very nice bro.

i like how u kept pulling out your plants and changing your mind, haha.

your blyxia japonica looks very green and compact. mine is always loose and dull...

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## Urban Aquaria

> very nice bro.
> 
> i like how u kept pulling out your plants and changing your mind, haha.
> 
> your blyxia japonica looks very green and compact. mine is always loose and dull...


Yeah, part of the fun of planted tanks is trying out different plants, seeing if they work for the layout and changing it up to keep things interesting... also gives the "itchy-fingers" aquarist something to do.  :Grin:

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## limz_777

dont think that is algae formed at your intake pipe

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## Urban Aquaria

> dont think that is algae formed at your intake pipe


Not sure what it really is either... but i always see it forming over a period time in the clear hoses on all my canister filters, when i clean it out with a flexible brush, they look like thin flakes of brownish seaweed, probably a mix of diatoms and brown algae.

I've once tried "harvesting" them during filter cleaning, then put in a feeding dish and observed otos and shrimps eating it, so i guess its part of their diet too.

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## darkhell

Sorry to hijack.. but any idea if i happen to let some purigen spill into the tank itself and they now lay ontop of the soil.. will fishy go eat them? Haha..

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## sfk7

Those are mulm imho rather than algae

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## Urban Aquaria

> Sorry to hijack.. but any idea if i happen to let some purigen spill into the tank itself and they now lay ontop of the soil.. will fishy go eat them? Haha..


I guess the chances of it being eaten by fishes is similiar to them eating sand or gravel granules anyways... at least Purigen granules are smooth, so easier to poop back out.  :Grin: 





> Those are mulm imho rather than algae


That's a good point... i checked online and found some others who also referred to the brown stuff as mulm too. If thats the case, then its organic material which houses lots of live beneficial bacteria, which is ideal for "seeding" new tanks to cycle them faster. The next time i start a new tank, i'll harvest and transfer over the brown flakes, see if it works.

This matches the phenomenon that i'm seeing, since Purigen actively absorbs organic waste, mulm material would also be reduced after the water is filtered though, hence naturally less mulm coating the output hose. Interesting!  :Smile:

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## BFG

If that is the case, you could use the output hose as an indicator for your purigen. Once the bio stuff starts appearing on the output hose inner wall, your purigen usage is approaching the end of its usefulness. Time to change to a new batch.

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## Urban Aquaria

> If that is the case, you could use the output hose as an indicator for your purigen. Once the bio stuff starts appearing on the output hose inner wall, your purigen usage is approaching the end of its usefulness. Time to change to a new batch.


Yeah, i agree... its a good indication that the Purigen is nearing full absorption capacity (or probably already full), so its time to remove and recharge it.  :Smile:

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## Ingen

Any updates? Planning to rescape my 2ft hahah, need some inspiration.

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## Urban Aquaria

Small update...

So far, i've been allowing a thin layer of green fuzzy algae to grow on parts of the twisty wood, but on closer observation, i've noticed that there are actually many other types of algae growing and competing with each other for space on the wood too. 

In one particular spot, the algae has a noticeably different growth (probably a different algae species), it is more filamentous and seems to be growing much larger and faster. I felt that it detracted from the overall look, so it was a good opportunity to document my method to remove it.

This algae was really tough to remove by hand and it was securely attached to the wood, and i can't remove the entire wood structure to scrub it off easily (i wasn't keen to kick up the substrate and create a huge mess)... so i decided to do a spot treatment on it using Seachem Excel.

I used a syringe with a long applicator needle and 2ml of Seachem Excel (non-diluted), switched off the canister filter, then injected the solution directly onto the bunch of algae. I let it settle into the algae for a few minutes, then switched the canister filter back on to resume flow in the tank.

Here are the results:



Very effective... after 24 hours, there was almost no more trace of the algae.  :Smile:

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## bennyc

Wow.. Always read about excel algae killing ability... Nice of you to document it with pictures. Do you have marimo in the tank... As the algae looks like cladophora algae.

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## darkhell

Interesting method to kill off algae.. maybe i shld squirt some on the glass surface to kill off some algea

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## Urban Aquaria

> Wow.. Always read about excel algae killing ability... Nice of you to document it with pictures. Do you have marimo in the tank... As the algae looks like cladophora algae.


Yeah, i think it resembles cladophora algae too, very similiar dense filamentous texture. No marimo ball in the tank though (none of the equipment, hardscape or plants have been in a tank with marimo ball either), so i guess its just one of the many algae that hitchhiked in on the plants.

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## bennyc

> Interesting method to kill off algae.. maybe i shld squirt some on the glass surface to kill off some algea


algae on glass is my most welcome algae. just use credit card or any plastic card scrap off will do. cheap and no scratches on glass

it is algae on plants that gives me headache.

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## bluebubbles

> Yeah, i think it resembles cladophora algae too, very similiar dense filamentous texture. No marimo ball in the tank though (none of the equipment, hardscape or plants have been in a tank with marimo ball either), so i guess its just one of the many algae that hitchhiked in on the plants.


I thought this fur looking algae looks quite pretty. I will wait and see how it turns out before killing it. :Razz:

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## Urban Aquaria

> I thought this fur looking algae looks quite pretty. I will wait and see how it turns out before killing it.


I was also tempted to leave it alone too, but it kinda stuck out like a sore thumb on the wood branch... maybe if i spot another one developing i'll also just let it grow out and see how dense it gets.  :Grin:

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## yangqian

Bro UA, does this method works on all algae? I see some filamentous brown algae on my bucephalandra ( I must have missed out some during preparation). I want to remove them entirely before it spreads to other plants.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Bro UA, does this method works on all algae? I see some filamentous brown algae on my bucephalandra ( I must have missed out some during preparation). I want to remove them entirely before it spreads to other plants.


So far i've used this method on various filamentous algae and Excel is effective in melting them... but if you dose undiluted Excel directly on algae that are attached to plant leaves, very likely the plant leaves will also tend to melt too.

You could try diluting the Excel solution, then do spot treatment on a small leaf first to see the effect. If the leaves can't be saved, i guess you'll just have to trim them off to prevent further algae growth.

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## yangqian

> So far i've used this method on various filamentous algae and Excel is effective in melting them... but if you dose undiluted Excel directly on algae that are attached to plant leaves, very likely the plant leaves will also tend to melt too.
> 
> You could try diluting the Excel solution, then do spot treatment on a small leaf first to see the effect. If the leaves can't be saved, i guess you'll just have to trim them off to prevent further algae growth.



Haha buceps do not have a lot of leaves on them already..... can't afford to trim. Hahahaha I shall try the diluted method. Thank you!

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## Urban Aquaria

> Haha buceps do not have a lot of leaves on them already..... can't afford to trim. Hahahaha I shall try the diluted method. Thank you!


Totally understandable... with their current high demand, bucephalandra leaves are almost worth their weight in gold, must preserve as much as possible.  :Smile:

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## Urban Aquaria

Some progress to share...

A combination of overseas travel, projects and work (along with lots of procrastination), meant that i didn't get around to do any tank maintenance for more than 2 weeks.  :Grin: 

As expected, the _Rotala sp. 'Rotundifolia'_ and _Micranthemum Micranthemoides_ quickly grew up to the top, then proceeded to keep growing across the water surface forming a dense canopy and started to overshadow the other plants.



Due to the lack of water changes, a noticeable layer of oily film built up on the water surface too, creating a "rainbow" effect on the surface reflection.

The whole tank started to look rather dim, though the fishes and shrimps seemed to like the shaded environment.  :Smile: 

Time for a proper trim... proceeded to chop off the overgrown tops.



I also noticed there was one bunch of _Blyxa Japonica_ in the front which grew so much that it was blocking the view... so i decided to just remove it.

Uprooting established plants like these will always tend to cause abit of a mess, so i used a pair of tweezers to just pull the base crown of the bunch a little, let the dust settle, then pull it out abit more each time. With abit of patience, i got it out neatly without clouding up the water.



To fill in the gap, i relocated a few _Anubias sp. 'Petite'_ and spread them out to cover that area.



Notice in the above photo, the _Anubias sp. 'Petite'_ have already grown roots which established in the soil substrate. When relocating them to another area, it'll be better to just snip off the longer roots to allow for easier placement and positioning. The roots will grow back out and establish again in time.

Here is the tank after some plant maintenance... and a much needed water change.





Now just waiting for the other plants to fill in.  :Smile:

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## mukyo

your post is always very educative boss...  :Smile: 
maybe can share your tools, something like your syringe i have no idea where to get those


-----------------------------------------
Visit and comment my L Tank and S Tank... <-- Click click !!
Thank you  :Smile:

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## Urban Aquaria

I bought the syringe and applicator needle from fellow forumer qngwn... i think you could also probably check at art/craft/hardware shops or maybe health/medical shops.

The alternative is to use a small pipette from hardware shops or Daiso, those can work too.  :Smile:

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## Ingen

Love how the Anubia are growing!

Drawing inspiration from your tank, I got some driftwood to change my iwagumi wannabe haha

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## Zeonic

I got the syringe from sim lim square, those shops use it to refill printer ink haha.

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## Urban Aquaria

> I got the syringe from sim lim square, those shops use it to refill printer ink haha.


Yeah, those can be used too... good idea!  :Smile:

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## mobile2007

Those larger guardian stores selling plastic syringe with sizes from 5ml to 20ml...

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## Urban Aquaria

Introduced a pair of _Crossocheilus Siamensis_ (aka Siamese Algae Eater / SAE) into the tank... i picked the smallest ones available at the shop, each only around 3cm in length.



Abit light in color at the moment as they are still juveniles. After exploring for a while, they started to settle down and nibble on some green fuzzy algae, so i guess that's a good sign.

Hopefully their smaller size would allow them more time to help out in algae maintenance... before they grow too large and lazy.  :Grin:

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## yangqian

I actually like those fuzzy green algae. Haha.

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## dwong

Gorgeous tank! I noticed that you're not using a mesh filter for your glass intake, wouldn't it suck in the shrimps too?

I'm also in the process of setting up a 2ft (my first, after 1yr+ with a 13l nano), just ordered a tank+ cabinet from CRAquarium. Thinking of going for the Eheim Ecco Pro too, do you find the 300 too strong for a 2ft? Saw the specs, it's for 160l-300l, at 750l/hr...

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## erwinx

I have Ecco Pro 300 and Classic 2213. Frankly, I would say just go for the Classic rather than spend $200+ local price for the Ecco Pro. I got my Classic 2213 for $98 at C328. The 2213 is quieter than my Ecco Pro which makes me wonder if my Ecco Pro is defective since the Ecco Pro is supposed to be a higher end product compared to the Classic.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Gorgeous tank! I noticed that you're not using a mesh filter for your glass intake, wouldn't it suck in the shrimps too?


Yeah, i used to install mesh guards on my glass intakes, but i didn't like the look of them (defeats the aesthetics of using glass lily pipes, end up covering it with something else), and i wasn't keen on seeing debris and leaves constantly accumulating on the mesh guards and having to clean it every day either (rather let the pre-filter sponge inside the canister filter do its original job instead, keep all the debris out of view and maintain a clean look in the tank).

Without mesh guards, i've actually found that only a minority of shrimplets get sucked into the intake, i've observed most of them jumping away when they get close to it and then somehow learn not to hang around that area until they grow larger. The slower (or blur) shrimplets who do get sucked into the intake just get transported into the base of the canister filter (there is a portion of empty swimming space there), then live and grow for a few months until i retrieve them during the next filter maintenance.

Its probably a blessing in disguise for those shrimplets as they would be the slow ones who'll probably get hunted down by the fishes in the tank anyways, so the canister filter is sort of like a refugium for them, no predators and all the yummy food bits and detritus gets accumulated into one place for them to scavenge and eat all day. I guess that's why the shrimps that i retrieve from the canister filter all look active and healthy with nice color.  :Grin: 





> I'm also in the process of setting up a 2ft (my first, after 1yr+ with a 13l nano), just ordered a tank+ cabinet from CRAquarium. Thinking of going for the Eheim Ecco Pro too, do you find the 300 too strong for a 2ft? Saw the specs, it's for 160l-300l, at 750l/hr...


I guess the listed filter recommendations are probably based on tanks with moderate to low plant mass and relatively conservative fauna stocking ratios... however, planted tank owners usually prefer to over-filtrate and have more flow to create as much circulation as possible so that nutrients and CO2 can reach all the plants efficiently.

So far, i've found the Ecco Pro 300 very ideal for planted 2ft tanks, especially so when the plant mass is planned to be dense and additional items like inline Co2 diffusers/reactors are used (which will tend to further reduce flow slightly). With the 750 l/ph flow rate and glass lily pipes to spread out the flow, i can see all the plants sway gently in the current, even the plants directly under the lily pipe outflow sway slightly in the return current too (which is usually one of the dead spots in a tank), so this ensures that the tank gets good circulation in all areas.

That being said, i am also currently using the Ecco Pro 130 (which is 500 l/ph) for my other 2ft tanks, but those are much less densely planted with a more open layout/no hardscape blockage and are used more as grow-out tanks for plants and shrimps, so in those type of setups a smaller filter with lower flow can work well too.

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## Urban Aquaria

> I have Ecco Pro 300 and Classic 2213. Frankly, I would say just go for the Classic rather than spend $200+ local price for the Ecco Pro. I got my Classic 2213 for $98 at C328. The 2213 is quieter than my Ecco Pro which makes me wonder if my Ecco Pro is defective since the Ecco Pro is supposed to be a higher end product compared to the Classic.


So far, my Ecco Pro 300 unit has been relatively silent during operation, i can't even hear it running unless i put my ear close to it.

If you are hearing a rattling sound then maybe check if the impeller needs to be re-positioned or fixed (if locally bought there should be warranty coverage by the distributor Qian Hu). 

If its a bubbling or trickling sound then its probably just some air trapped inside, so just shake it abit to release the bubbles... or try a technique that i found useful, switch it off, then pump the priming handle halfway back then forward, that will draw in some water, then force it back out, thereby purging any trapped bubbles (you'll see the inlet and outlet "burp" out the air and water), switch it back on and the sounds should be gone.

Hope that helps.  :Smile:

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## magpie

Hi UA, does your SAE eats those green fuzzy algae? How's the result?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Hi UA, does your SAE eats those green fuzzy algae? How's the result?


I've observed them picking and pulling on the green fuzzy algae, so they are eating it but seems they prefer the easily detached top portions of the algae, i can see patches being bitten off in random areas. The shortest layers seem to be left alone though so the wood still has a greenish layer, just noticeably less fuzzy. 

I did some reading up online and it seems this type of algae is commonly referred to as "Green Beard Algae".

There is probably more than enough of the beard algae for those 2 juvenile SAE to munch on, as i always see them swimming around with round bellies and i don't feed them any supplemental commercial food, so they are most likely getting filled up just by eating the algae.

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## bennyc

Hi Urban bro, SAE are fast swimmers and jumpers. I have them previously, always darting around, but the SAE "fly" out and died.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Hi Urban bro, SAE are fast swimmers and jumpers. I have them previously, always darting around, but the SAE "fly" out and died.


I agree, it was difficult even trying to net them out of the LFS tank, especially the larger sized ones... those can speed around like rockets!

Oddly, the small ones i got seem to have a more "relaxed" demeanor at the moment though, most of the time they just cruise around leisurely and pick at things. I guess once they grow larger and possibly get more territorial, they'll start to chase around and probably end up jumping out. 

In the future, i'll have to either move them to a larger tank, or separate them and only have maximum one SAE per tank.

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## dwong

> I guess that's why the shrimps that i retrieve from the canister filter all look active and healthy with nice color.


Haha, yeah, that's a good way of looking at it!  :Smile: 




> So far, i've found the Ecco Pro 300 very ideal for planted 2ft tanks, especially so when the plant mass is planned to be dense and additional items like inline Co2 diffusers/reactors are used (which will tend to further reduce flow slightly). With the 750 l/ph flow rate and glass lily pipes to spread out the flow, i can see all the plants sway gently in the current, even the plants directly under the lily pipe outflow sway slightly in the return current too (which is usually one of the dead spots in a tank), so this ensures that the tank gets good circulation in all areas.


Thanks for the tips! Yes, I'm also looking at using an inline reactor too. I think with the double taps provided by the Ecco series taken into consideration, the price difference between Classic and Ecco Pro feels a bit better. Do you open the taps all the way?

Sorry just another noob question, but do you replace all the provided Eheim media with Matrix, or only the bio media? Since the Ecco Pro 300 provides 3 trays with 3 different types of media.

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## Urban Aquaria

Yeah, the inbuilt double taps in Ecco Pro models makes the price difference much narrower when factoring in the need to separately buy additional double taps for equivalent Classic models. Both models have their pros and cons, so i guess it's ultimately up to which features the user is looking for.

For my setup with the inline Co2 reactor installed, i open up the outflow tap fully and the current is just right... without the inline reactor attached, the flow would be abit stronger so depending on different stages of the layout, might have to adjust the outflow tap to maybe 80-90% (if newly planted carpet plants start to get uprooted).

Although the eheim filter package comes with all the mechanical and bio-media included, i opted to use Seachem Matrix as bio-media in all 3 media baskets instead (there is a pre-filter ring, so that already acts as the mechanical filtration layer). I still use the white filter floss in the top most basket for final "polishing" of the water and on the very top just before the impeller i place a 100ml packet of Seachem Purigen to scavenge and absorb excess organics.

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## yangqian

How is your nana petite carpet coming along? Some of mine toppled sideways as the roots grow. The roots can't seem to penetrate the soil (ada amazonia powder) and the entire plant gets 'lifted'. Haha guess it is time to glue multiple pebbles together for additional anchorage.

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## erwinx

I think my Ecco Pro has a noisy motor. It is a humming sound similar to my Up-Aqua Canister filter, only a tiny bit louder which is not so good given that the Up-Aqua canister is a budget product. 

I took out the wiped the impeller, the humming noise is still there. I stuffed a piece of foam through/over the Ecco Pro handle/cover and this reduced the noise sufficiently to prevent it from being audible through the cabinet door. I think I can live with it rather than the hassle of going to Qian Hu and arguing that the sound is louder than normal - anyone have experience with Eheim warranty claims with Qian Hu? 


At the bottom of the Ecco Pro filter baskets, I put 1 more coarse sponge and 1 fine filter floss _before_ the bio-media because I want additional filtering to prevent the bio media being clogged. I can fit 1 litre of matrix into the Ecco Pro 300, which is the same amount I can fit in the 2213.

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## Urban Aquaria

> How is your nana petite carpet coming along? Some of mine toppled sideways as the roots grow. The roots can't seem to penetrate the soil (ada amazonia powder) and the entire plant gets 'lifted'. Haha guess it is time to glue multiple pebbles together for additional anchorage.


Mine are growing quite well, can see new leaves sprouting daily. Some of the bunches root deep into the soil until they become like rooted plants, need effort to pull out when re-arranging them, though i also noticed some of the smaller bunches are abit too light so the roots just grow above the soil and lift them up like tripods... i've even had bunches with roots all entangled amongst each other, so 3-4 bunches become like one integrated big bunch.  :Grin: 

I usually just cut away the roots as part of regular plant maintenance anyways, so its easier to re-position and arrange them separately.

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## Urban Aquaria

> I think my Ecco Pro has a noisy motor. It is a humming sound similar to my Up-Aqua Canister filter, only a tiny bit louder which is not so good given that the Up-Aqua canister is a budget product. 
> 
> I took out the wiped the impeller, the humming noise is still there. I stuffed a piece of foam through/over the Ecco Pro handle/cover and this reduced the noise sufficiently to prevent it from being audible through the cabinet door. I think I can live with it rather than the hassle of going to Qian Hu and arguing that the sound is louder than normal - anyone have experience with Eheim warranty claims with Qian Hu? 
> 
> 
> At the bottom of the Ecco Pro filter baskets, I put 1 more coarse sponge and 1 fine filter floss _before_ the bio-media because I want additional filtering to prevent the bio media being clogged. I can fit 1 litre of matrix into the Ecco Pro 300, which is the same amount I can fit in the 2213.


I guess the degree of humming noise from the motor probably depends on unit to unit... i can hear abit of humming when i put my ear close to my unit, but that's only in the middle of the night when the environment is very silent and i'm concentrating on isolating that particular noise. Maybe your hearing is also much sharper than mine too (i'm probably getting old).  :Grin:

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## Urban Aquaria

Some updates...

Week 14

_Rotala sp. 'Rotundifolia'_ and _Micranthemum Micranthemoides_ getting overgrown again!




Week 15

Decided to chop the background plants all the way down...



Tank looks much brighter now... hopefully this will give me another 2-3 weeks of rest from plant maintenance.  :Grin: 


Week 16

Background plants grew surprisingly fast, expected them to take a while to recover, but instead within just a week they grew back with a vengeance!





Looks abit messy and wild with the uneven growth of the background stem plants, need to trim some more to shape it.


Week 17

Did some additional fine trimming over the week, looks much better now.... keeps the tank looking brighter too.





All the plants are growing fast and very healthy... the _Blyxa Japonica_ is starting to grow very dense so i'll need to trim them soon too.

_Eleocharis sp. 'Mini'_ has now fully covered the front section of the tank and creating a nice carpet, very well behaved and grows to only 2-3cm height (haven't even needed to trim it so far).

Green fuzzy algae on the wood seems to be pretty much the same, it looks like the combination of _Neocaridina Heteropoda_ and _Crossocheilus Siamensis_ are helping to keep it in check.

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## AQMS

Nice carpeting of the Japan hairgrass, i like the natural look of the algea DW. :Well done:

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## Urban Aquaria

Managed to record a video of the plants pearling during the daily photoperiod:




Flow was switched off temporarily for the purpose of the video, easier to capture the pearling effect, or else the released oxygen bubbles will tend to be swirled about.

Pearling usually starts a few minutes after the lights are on, mostly from the background stem plants. _Blyxa Japonica_ also pearls but starts abit later. Even the _Eleocharis sp. 'Mini'_ and_ Anubias sp. 'Petite'_ also pearl too, but at a much lower rate, their bubbles tend to slowly accumulate until a larger size before releasing to the surface.

I've recently received a few queries about my setup, so here are some of my latest equipment settings for reference (some have been adjusted since i started the tank in my first post):

*Lighting:* _Up Aqua Z-Series Pro LED Z-20 (1 set / Old version / 180 x 0.06W LED)_
*Light Duration:* _8 hours (10am-6pm)_

*Pressurized Co2:* _ANS Co2 System + ISTA Inline Reactor / 1bps / ~30ppm_
*Co2 Duration:* _7 hours (9.30am-4.30pm)_ 
*Carbon Supplement:* _Seachem Excel / 2ml daily_
*Fertilizer:* _Tropica Plant Growth Premium Fertilizer / 1ml daily
_*Fan/Chiller:* _None_

*Temperature:* _29-30__°C (Day)_ _/ 27-28°C (Night)_

*Water Change Regime:* _20% Twice Weekly_

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## Ingen

Wow, very healthy tank! You just use Tropica Plant Growth Premium and nothing else, cause it states that Tropica Plant Grow does not contain N and P. Would there be insufficient P in the long run?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Wow, very healthy tank! You just use Tropica Plant Growth Premium and nothing else, cause it states that Tropica Plant Grow does not contain N and P. Would there be insufficient P in the long run?


Yes, for this tank i'm currently only using the Premium version... i have fishes in the tank and feed them a few times a week, along with an army of cherry shrimps and some algae eaters helping to clean up too, so there is enough N and P generated from the combination of food, fauna waste and aquasoil at the moment. Plants are growing fast and algae is very minimal so its working well.

From my observation, the nutrient take-up rate of the plants are dictated by the amount of light available, i only use 1 set of the Z-Series lights, which probably matches the current nutrient levels in the tank, so its kept in balance. If more lights were used, then more nutrients will need to be added to keep up with the plant growth, so have to adjust accordingly.

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## Ingen

Your fishes and shrimps should give only minimal waste right? Thinking of following your fertilizer cycle after I finish all my seachem range since its proven to work well. Do you think there will be a need to dose N & P eventually after sometime?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Your fishes and shrimps should give only minimal waste right? Thinking of following your fertilizer cycle after I finish all my seachem range since its proven to work well. Do you think there will be a need to dose N & P eventually after sometime?


Thats initially what i thought too, but even with minimal feeding the fishes and shrimps still seem to produce more than enough waste to generate sufficient N and P for the plants in this setup. The ADA aquasoil is still steadily releasing nutrients too, so it helps. I haven't seen any noticeable deficiencies in the plants so far.

I've experienced dosing Specialised in previous tanks with similar setups before and found it more tricky to keep in balance, so i gradually learnt from those experiences over time.

I guess if a tank has much less fauna in comparison to the tank size (or none at all, like those aquascaped tanks which focus on mainly growing plants only and later just add a school of fish temporarily to take photos, then remove them after that) or if the tank is those "high energy" types with alot of lights/Co2 and tuned for very fast plant growth, or perhaps when the ADA aquasoil has exhausted its stored nutrients, then it'll be required to start dosing N and P.

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## d0njuan

Wah looks like alot of effort.. But worth it!

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## dwong

Hi Urban noob question but how do you prime your filter with the ISTA reactor attached? I actually have that one too, when I attached it to my Ecco Pro 300 and used the priming handle, it could never create enough suction to properly prime the filter as when there is no reactor. Tried pulling down the handle fast, slow, a few times, but still no go. I've actually ended up keeping the reactor and going for a normal nano-diffuser in the meantime.

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## bennyc

You can try manually prime the canister first. By filling up the canister with tank water or decholrinated water first before starting the canister, is should help kick start and overcome the loss of vacuum/pressure.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Hi Urban noob question but how do you prime your filter with the ISTA reactor attached? I actually have that one too, when I attached it to my Ecco Pro 300 and used the priming handle, it could never create enough suction to properly prime the filter as when there is no reactor. Tried pulling down the handle fast, slow, a few times, but still no go. I've actually ended up keeping the reactor and going for a normal nano-diffuser in the meantime.


I prime mine using the priming handle, just one pull and it starts the siphon. Once it's fills up, i'll just switch on the filter to start the flow. Btw, there will usually be an initial pocket of air in the reactor, therefore i just angle the reactor unit slightly upside down (while the filter is running) so that the air pocket rises to the exit tube and clears through the outflow.

Maybe in your case your tank's water level is too low or the inflow pipe height too tall when priming it, so the priming action can't generate enough vacuum to draw the water past the bend at the top of the inflow pipe (which automatically starts the siphon and fills the canister filter)... perhaps try raising the water level closer to the top bend of the inflow pipe (my tank's water level is usually just 3-4cm below the pipe bend), that should enable very easy priming using the Ecco Pro's priming handle.

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## zhaoronglim

Hi urban aquaria, Nice scape! how many tanks do you have? You seems to have a lot haha! How did you manage the space?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Hi urban aquaria, Nice scape! how many tanks do you have? You seems to have a lot haha! How did you manage the space?


Thanks!

At the moment, i'm running 3 x 2ft tanks.... one 2ft tank is on a cabinet in a room (display tank), while the other 2 x 2ft tanks are currently stacked on a 2-tier rack in my store room (one for plant grow-out/experiment/quarantine and another for shrimp grow-out/breeding). 

2ft tanks still have a relatively compact footprint, can be easily shifted and fit in most places. I would prefer to keep 3ft or larger tanks though (just one 3ft tank already has more volume than all the 2ft tanks that i have combined), but oddly i can't fit those larger tanks into any places in my home as they'll end up blocking movement and access to areas.

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## gilch icariel

Very nice setup!

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## dwong

> I prime mine using the priming handle, just one pull and it starts the siphon. Once it's fills up, i'll just switch on the filter to start the flow. Btw, there will usually be an initial pocket of air in the reactor, therefore i just angle the reactor unit slightly upside down (while the filter is running) so that the air pocket rises to the exit tube and clears through the outflow.
> 
> Maybe in your case your tank's water level is too low or the inflow pipe height too tall when priming it, so the priming action can't generate enough vacuum to draw the water past the bend at the top of the inflow pipe (which automatically starts the siphon and fills the canister filter)... perhaps try raising the water level closer to the top bend of the inflow pipe (my tank's water level is usually just 3-4cm below the pipe bend), that should enable very easy priming using the Ecco Pro's priming handle.



Hmm, that's the thing, even with the pull, the siphon starts but it doesn't create enough suction to fill up the tank with the reactor attached. I do have my water level quite high too, usually about 2cm from the top. I think I'll try again the next time my diffuser starts going too green (which is about anytime now!) and hope it works better this time.

Could also be that at that time the canissiter was empty, I'll try to prime with it full. Thanks for the tips!

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## dwong

Just to update, it works! Used a high tank level of water with the reactor filled with as much water as possible. Primed, turned it on and it's working. Initially was a bit puzzled by the water trickling sound, then remembered someone on the forums said it was due to the air. Inverted it to let the air out and now it's silent except for a low rumble. I did notice a backflow of water along the co2 line when the co2 is off, seems to have stabilized but hope it doesn't continue rising through the night. Maybe I'll install another check valve just in case.

Thanks again to Urban and bennyc! =)

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## Nevada84

Its very interesting to view how you rescape your tank bit by bit. And to get that final result, I'm very satisfied to follow your posting. Yhank you for posting so much information in the thread

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## nicholasliao

Awesome work urban. Step by step guides definitely help in helping people set up one. For in line diffusers, what are the Costs associated to it?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Awesome work urban. Step by step guides definitely help in helping people set up one. For in line diffusers, what are the Costs associated to it?


The Up Aqua inline diffuser/atomizer i used previously cost around S$30+... the current ISTA inline "turbo" reactor i'm using cost just S$19+.  :Smile:

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## AQMS

> The Up Aqua inline diffuser/atomizer i used previously cost around S$30+... the current ISTA inline "turbo" reactor i'm using cost just S$19+.


Which is better? inline diffuzer or inline reactor?
Im using Aqua inline,thought of changing it,since you try both,i need your opinion which is better?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Which is better? inline diffuzer or inline reactor?
> Im using Aqua inline,thought of changing it,since you try both,i need your opinion which is better?


Well, for both types of inline systems the positive Co2 effect on plant growth seems to be the around same... at least that's what i've noticed in my tanks so far.

Maintenance-wise, inline diffusers/atomizers will need some additional cleaning done on the ceramic parts when it gets clogged over time. Inline reactors don't get clogged and are easier to clean, but you need to match the right sized reactor to the canister filter flow rate and Co2 bps rate for it to work optimally.

I guess the main difference during daily operation is with an inline diffuser/atomizer there is more of a misty look in the tank when its activated, whereas with an inline reactor the tank will look clear as the Co2 is fully dissolved into the water.

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## nicholasliao

How much does a whole co2 set roughly cost? I need one for an eheim 2213. Any recommendations?

I'm not sure how to set it up as well so I would need some expert advice.

I'm thinking of just growing mini fissidens, star mosses, glosso and hc that's it

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## tubularistical

> How much does a whole co2 set roughly cost? I need one for an eheim 2213. Any recommendations?
> 
> I'm not sure how to set it up as well so I would need some expert advice.
> 
> I'm thinking of just growing mini fissidens, star mosses, glosso and hc that's it
> 
> Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk


I got mine brand new, tank with solenoid for under $200 from Nanyang. Lots of people do sell theirs on the marketplace though. Just need to make sure there's not been any water damage to the solenoid and tank. Those plants you've chosen will definitely look better with CO2  :Smile:  For diffusion, there are several options ranging from the simple diffuser with the white ceramic disc to reactors with the floating plastic balls or in-line with canister (though I've heard this can damage the canister if done wrongly). From my own experience, I've found that having a drop checker is also really helpful for guiding the adjustment of your CO2 injection especially if the level of flora in your tank fluctuates (e.g. fast-growing plants which may get trimmed aggressively).

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## Urban Aquaria

For reference, here is an example of a complete packaged set from East Ocean (same set which i'm currently using): http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ystem-on-promo

If you are not sure how to set it up, just get a new complete package set from LFS and they will setup everything up for you, so all you need to do is bring the whole fixed-up set home and then just connect the hoses and diffuser and switch it on, then tune the bps rate to your requirements.

Buying 2nd hand sets can save a good amount of money, but you'll need to check that its working properly and get the seller to teach you how to use it.

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## nicholasliao

Thanks urban! Fantastic

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## cherabin

Hi UA. Can I kindly ask if you're still running only a single unit of Up Z series light for this tank?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Hi UA. Can I kindly ask if you're still running only a single unit of Up Z series light for this tank?


Yes, i'm still running only 1 set of the Up Aqua Z-Series LED lights in this tank from the start until now.  :Smile:

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## cherabin

Thank you  :Smile:  I will attempt the same illumination for one of my tank.

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## cherabin

One more question, is yours the newer model with higher wattage LEDs? Thank you  :Smile: 

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## Urban Aquaria

> One more question, is yours the newer model with higher wattage LEDs? Thank you


The set i'm using is the old model, was quite tempted to get the new model when it was released but since the tank is already running well... decided to just stick with my existing set to maintain the balance.  :Grin:

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## Urban Aquaria

Just a quick update, this tank has now been running for around 7+ months and the tank conditions are still stable, plants are growing well, the fishes and shrimps are healthy, algae is still minimal so its stayed relatively low maintenance so far.

Due to the dense growth of plants, i found it difficult to feed the fishes and shrimps without food quickly disappearing into the plant mass (especially when feeding algae wafers)... so i recently installed a feeding dish to help contain the food in one convenient spot.

I chose to use an acrylic dish with an attached feeding tube (those commonly used for shrimp tanks), but soon discovered that the curious _Otocinclus Cocama_ like to swim into the tube and get stuck in it, so i removed the tube and just used the dish on its own.

Otocinclus feeding time with a nice buffet spread of zucchini slice and wafer bits...



Alot less messy and makes it much easier to remove uneaten food... i should have installed this months ago!  :Grin:

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## nicholasliao

Im praying that your zebra otos gives birth so that I can have the babies  :Very Happy: 

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## Ingen

What are those green fuzzy thingy in the background?

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## Urban Aquaria

> What are those green fuzzy thingy in the background?


Carefully "manicured" green fuzzy algae carpet on wood.  :Laughing:

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## Ingen

> Carefully "manicured" green fuzzy algae carpet on wood.


Hahhah, good idea!

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## sateman

Wah bro..very nice zebra otto. Tempted to get a few. Same needs as normal otto? Any idea where can get reasonably priced ones?

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## nicholasliao

I've never seen a reasonably priced zebra oto. Their usually selling for ten bucks and above.  :Very Happy: 

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## Urban Aquaria

> Wah bro..very nice zebra otto. Tempted to get a few. Same needs as normal otto? Any idea where can get reasonably priced ones?


They have similar care requirements as normal otos, but due to their larger size, they usually need to be fed supplementary food daily, as most tanks usually wouldn't have enough algae to sustain them (they can consume alot of food, especially for a group). I've also noticed that zebra otos favor some protein in their diet and they readily go for sinking wafers and even carnivore pellets, so a wide variety of food offered helps to keep them in top condition.

I got my otos from JZX, their prices are quite reasonable.

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## sateman

Thanks bro. As usual UA very thorough in his explanation. Perhaps in the teaching profession? 😊

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## Urban Aquaria

> Thanks bro. As usual UA very thorough in his explanation. Perhaps in the teaching profession? 😊


Well, i do some proofreading of corporate reports... so maybe that helps.  :Grin:

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## DucklingOnQuack

Great tank and great fish!
Keep on keeping on with that proof reading!  :Cool:

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## Ingen

How much bigger are the zebra otts compared to the normal ones? My normal ottos died yesterday after I forgot to turn off the co2 after changing to a new timer...

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## Urban Aquaria

> How much bigger are the zebra otts compared to the normal ones? My normal ottos died yesterday after I forgot to turn off the co2 after changing to a new timer...


Normal otos from LFS are usually around 3-4cm, zebra otos are around 4-5cm.

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## Ingen

> Normal otos from LFS are usually around 3-4cm, zebra otos are around 4-5cm.


Thanks for the information, went and got two from c328.

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## sateman

And how much did you pay for it? If it's ok to list it here.

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## Mir

Excellent and I really like the Otto. Where did you buy the Cocama?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Excellent and I really like the Otto. Where did you buy the Cocama?


I got mine from JZX.  :Smile:

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## da_xiong

may I know where you bought that acrylic dish that have the suction cap? I too have the same problem of food sinking and disapearing into the carpet of plants... did you DIY yourself??

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## Urban Aquaria

> may I know where you bought that acrylic dish that have the suction cap? I too have the same problem of food sinking and disapearing into the carpet of plants... did you DIY yourself??


I ordered it from eBay, cost around SGD$10+ for a set (incl. postage) which includes the dish and feeding tube.

There are quite a good selection of various dimensions available, just search "acrylic shrimp feeding dish" on eBay and you should see all the listings, check through to find the good deals. There are also a few sellers who only sell the dish individually too (if you prefer that arrangement).

The only part that i DIY was using a suction cup to attach the dish on (instead of using the feeding tube, due to otocinclus getting trapped in it and unable to reverse out), what i did was just assemble the included acrylic nut and bolt in the dish, and then push the exposed part of the bolt into a suction cup with matching fit.  :Smile:

----------


## Urban Aquaria

Added a group of _Corbicula Fluminea_ (aka Golden Clam) to the tank...



I've actually been keeping them for the past few months in another sand-based tank, but its currently being rescaped, so i transferred them over to this tank.

I wasn't keen on letting them dig into the soil substrate in this tank and mess up the plants though, so i created a suspended "sand bed" for them to live in. Its basically made from an acrylic feeding dish filled with a layer of sand and attached to the glass wall.

The sand bed is positioned in the path of the filter flow, as these clams are micro filter feeders and do best with water constantly circulating around them.

Here is a close-up photo of the clams in their sand bed...



These clams are quite active creatures, they will move around the dish and dig into the sand using their "foot"... but they aren't able to climb over the edge of the dish (and disappear into the plants and soil below), so its much easier to keep and observe them this way.  :Grin:

----------


## nicholasliao

Nice. Might be willing to try this as well. I use to have a couple of them in my previous tanks but they all dug so deep into the substrate that they eventually died off one by one.

And when they eventually do it causes a huge ammonia spike which are detrimental to shrimps.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Nice. Might be willing to try this as well. I use to have a couple of them in my previous tanks but they all dug so deep into the substrate that they eventually died off one by one.
> 
> And when they eventually do it causes a huge ammonia spike which are detrimental to shrimps.


Yeah, clams dying while hidden inside the substrate is like an underground toxic dump, will leach out lots of ammonia as they decompose.

I figured that putting them on a thin substrate layer would be better, in their previous tank the sand layer was only 0.5cm thick too, so they could dig in abit to feel safe but i can still check on them easily at a glance.

When i first got them i also expected them to die off quickly, but after a few months i was surprised to find all of them still alive and active in the tank, even though i never specifically feed them anything. My only guess is it might be because the tank i put them in had already been running for more than 6+ months, so it probably built up enough floating micro algae and phytoplankton to sustain them for a while.

----------


## Astronaut

Which lighting are you using?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Which lighting are you using?


Just 1 x Up Aqua Z-Series Pro LED Z-20 lightset (older version).  :Smile:

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## anu182

Bro can get photo of the current tank state? Need inspiration ☺

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## cmwong

Thanks for the abundant information. Very nice.

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## Shadow

> Here is a close-up photo of the clams in their sand bed...
> 
> 
> 
> These clams are quite active creatures, they will move around the dish and dig into the sand using their "foot"... but they aren't able to climb over the edge of the dish (and disappear into the plants and soil below), so its much easier to keep and observe them this way.


This is interesting, what do you feed them with?

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## Urban Aquaria

> This is interesting, what do you feed them with?


To date i haven't specifically fed them with anything for the past few months... i guess they are just filtering and consuming all the free floating microscopic particles of food and algae that circulate around the tank. I just treat them like plants and make sure they get ample water circulation from the filter, that seems to work well so far.

I've read that some people culture green water solutions and then feed it directly to the clams using a pipette. It would be interesting if they were introduced into a tank with green water, see how effective they can be at filtering and consuming the algae (might be an alternative to UV sterilizer for green water conditions).  :Smile:

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## Low Tech Tan

Very beautiful tank! I love it! Double Thumbs up!

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## Urban Aquaria

> Bro can get photo of the current tank state? Need inspiration ☺


Still looks more or less the same... here is another photo i just took of it:



The only major change was i removed the _Anubias sp. 'Petite'_ carpet a few weeks back to aquascape another tank, which created a gap in the middle... so i harvested some bunches of_ Eleocharis sp. 'Mini'_ and re-planted them into the empty area to fill it in.

No change in lights, Co2 and ferts. The background plants are trimmed every 1-2 weeks to maintain their fresh growth (or when i'm less lazy). I recently did a big trim on the _Blyxa Japonica_ and removed alot of it, so it looks less crowded.

I frequently leave this tank unattended for days and it just runs on its own, so its been a relatively low maintenance system so far.  :Smile:

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## diazman

Woah, the tank is coming in nicely there  :Grin:  Any idea on where to get the clams? hehe

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## Urban Aquaria

> Woah, the tank is coming in nicely there  Any idea on where to get the clams? hehe


I got the clams from C328... if i remember correctly, they are usually hung in small packets amongst the bags of feeder fishes and snails.  :Smile:

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## anu182

Thanks for the update bro. Looks great!!

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## fireblade

really loves the Japonica!!...now waiting for mine to grow bushy....

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## Urban Aquaria

This tank has crossed its 1 year mark and still chugging along.

I got really lazy after the last tank update and started to neglect plant trimming, which resulted in the fast growing background stem plants constantly looking wild and unruly. It became a real chore to keep up with pruning and maintenance every week... so 2 months ago, i pulled out all the stem plants and replace them with a few bunches of _Cyperus Helferi_.



So far so good, this background plant's growth rate is slower and much easier to maintain. The original few bunches have since grown into a nice thicket of tall leaf blades that are starting to curve at the water surface... the tank has officially become a "grass" scape.  :Grin: 



Yeah, the whole tank looks very green now... luckily there is still a resident colony of cherry shrimps to help add a little bit of red accent to the tank.  :Very Happy:

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## AQMS

Nice,simple and clean look... :Well done:  :Well done:

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## Cmlee

What's the plant at the bottom of tank?

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## Urban Aquaria

> What's the plant at the bottom of tank?


The carpet plant on the substrate are _Eleocharis sp. 'Mini'_ from Tropica.

Here is are some info on them: http://tropica.com/en/plants/plantde...132BTC%29/4571

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## zhou yuande

Wow!!! Very nice green scape. Thanks for sharing UA. Do you need to clean the lily pipes frequently? How do you maintain the clean look on the pipes?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Wow!!! Very nice green scape. Thanks for sharing UA. Do you need to clean the lily pipes frequently? How do you maintain the clean look on the pipes?


I usually clean the glass lily pipes every 2 months during regular filter maintenance (sometimes procrastinate to 3 months if i'm busy... or lazy).  :Grin: 

Quite straightforward to clean them, i just use a flexible pipe brush and pull through the glass pipes a few times (doing the same with the hoses and double taps too), then flush away all the dislodged dirt and algae.

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## Cmlee

Can it grow without substrate?





> The carpet plant on the substrate are _Eleocharis sp. 'Mini'_ from Tropica.
> 
> Here is are some info on them: http://tropica.com/en/plants/plantde...132BTC%29/4571

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## zhou yuande

I see...thank you UA

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## Urban Aquaria

> Can it grow without substrate?


It might be possible, i've seen normal hairgrass grown just tied to lava rocks or mesh without substrate... though overall growth would be much better and faster when its planted and rooted into nutrient-rich substrates instead.

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## nicename

Nice!! love the _Cyperus Helferi replacement_  :Well done: .

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## JamesYim

Very nice, neat and well maintained!

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## downxxer

Check where u get the glass dish with a sucker?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Check where u get the glass dish with a sucker?


I ordered the acrylic feeding dish from eBay, just search for "acrylic shrimp feeding dish" on eBay and a whole bunch of sales listings will pop out.

Alternatively, you can also get them from LFS like East Ocean or Seaview (i spotted a few available at those places recently).

Note that the feeding dish isn't originally meant to be used with a suction cup, its actually meant to be attached to a vertical feeding tube... what i did was simply modify it by finding a suitable sized suction cup and attaching it to the acrylic feeding dish (the feeding dish comes with a set of acrylic nut and bolt which can serve as an attachment point).

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## Urban Aquaria

This will be the final update for the tank... its been 68 weeks since startup back in August 2013. I plan to re-scape it very soon.

I didn't have time to do any plant pruning or maintenance since the previous update (truthfully, i was just being lazy again), so the plants had absolute freedom to grow and take over the tank.

Here is its latest look...



_Cyperus Helferi_ grew crazy as expected, quickly covering the water surface and arching over to the other side of the tank... i measured the longest leaves and they were more than 110+ cm in length!

_Blyxa Japonica_ also went nuts and ballooned into huge bushes, the cluster on the right has grown tall enough to almost the reach the water surface by a few cm.

_Eleocharis sp. 'Mini'_ continued growing even more densely but still retained its compact and short growth height, interestingly even the areas under shade grew well too. I've still not had to trim it ever since tank startup (which was more than a year ago). Its indeed one of the lowest maintenance carpet plants i've ever kept so far.



It was enjoyable keeping and maintaining this tank for the past year... but i'm expecting less free time due to my increased workload in the near future, so the tank will be re-scaped to a much lower maintenance setup. It'll still be running the same equipment setup (ie. Co2 injection), but instead with slower growing plants and a simpler layout.  :Very Happy:

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## Ingen

Interesting to know Eleocharis sp 'Mini' is almost maintenance free. I wonder if they can grow in small sandy area with root tab inserted?

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## mUAr_cHEe



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## Urban Aquaria

> Interesting to know Eleocharis sp 'Mini' is almost maintenance free. I wonder if they can grow in small sandy area with root tab inserted?


Should be possible... i guess as long as the substrate has some nutrients or there are sufficient water column ferts dosed, they would be able to adapt and grow.

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## Gavan

> This will be the final update for the tank... it's
> 
> _Cyperus Helferi_ grew crazy as expected, quickly covering the water surface and arching over to the other side of the tank... i measured the longest leaves and they were more than 110+ cm in length!
> 
> _Blyxa Japonica_ also went nuts and ballooned into huge bushes, the cluster on the right has grown tall enough to almost the reach the water surface by a few cm.
> 
> _Eleocharis sp. 'Mini'_ continued growing even more densely but still retained its compact and short growth height, interestingly even the areas under shade grew well too. I've still not had to trim it ever since tank startup (which was more than a year ago). Its indeed one of the lowest maintenance carpet plants i've ever kept so far.


let me know if you're selling some of these bad boys soon! you know what I'm looking for  :Very Happy:

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## Greentank

I was checking your blog every now and then for your update, finally got to see the amazing outcome of your tank  :Well done: ..
Little disappointed to know that, you are re-scaping your wonderful tank....However we all know, it will be another good setup from you using lower growing plants and a simpler layout soon..  :Smile:

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## limyw

can I ask where can I find _Blyxa Japonica?_

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## Urban Aquaria

> can I ask where can I find _Blyxa Japonica?_


You can get them from popular LFS like C328 or Seaview... they are usually packed in those tube packets at the plant retail sections.

Most other LFS also stock them in pots and displayed at their plant retail tanks too. Its quite a common plant, just have to check around for their stock availability.

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## MCE

UA like yr beautiful setup.. In fact great to have that bushy view as it has plenty of hiding places..,,wonder if you have measured yr water pH and conductivity of this tank all these while? 
Can the Eleocharis sp mini survive in soft and acidic water pH 5-5.5 environment? Thank


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## MCE

*Thank You


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## Urban Aquaria

> UA like yr beautiful setup.. In fact great to have that bushy view as it has plenty of hiding places..,,wonder if you have measured yr water pH and conductivity of this tank all these while? 
> Can the Eleocharis sp mini survive in soft and acidic water pH 5-5.5 environment? Thank


Thanks! 

My tank's water pH averages around 6.5. During Co2 injection period it drops to around 5.5.

TDS usually hovers at around 140-180... depends on how "disciplined" i am at doing the weekly water changes.  :Grin: 

_Eleocharis sp. 'Mini'_ do grow well in low pH softwater conditions, as do most freshwater aquatic plants.

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## tureblue82

Hi UA, love the bushy blyxa...hope i can achieve the bushy look in my scape. :Grin: 

Do they grow so bushy with ferts and co2?

Are you dosing dry or liquid fert?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Hi UA, love the bushy blyxa...hope i can achieve the bushy look in my scape.
> 
> Do they grow so bushy with ferts and co2?
> 
> Are you dosing dry or liquid fert?


I've grown _Blyxa Japonica_ in low-tech non-Co2 injected tanks before and they still do grow bushy (eventually), but the growth rate is much slower, so have to wait alot longer for it to grow out.

For this tank, i used Tropica Premium fertilizer (contains no N or P, just K and trace/micros) for the first 6 months, as the ADA Amazonia aquasoil and livestock bio-load were able to generate sufficient nutrients... then as the tank matured and the aquasoil nutrients get depleted and the plant mass grew more dense, i switched over to Tropica Specialized fertilizer (contains all NPK and trace/micros) to support further plant growth.

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## tureblue82

tks for the reply.

i see you have written your tank as having 64L, so do you follow the recommended dosing amount or do you over dose?

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## Urban Aquaria

> tks for the reply.
> 
> i see you have written your tank as having 64L, so do you follow the recommended dosing amount or do you over dose?


Well, after factoring in soil substrate and hardscape volume (and the empty space at the top since the tank isn't filled to the brim), i worked out the actual water volume to be around 50+ liters, so at the start during the initial grow-out period, i just dosed based on that actual water volume (i do daily dosing regimen, rather than weekly).

As time went by, whenever i noticed plant leaves showing early signs of nutrient deficiency, i increase the dosages slightly... until at one point i was dosing more than double the recommended amount as the plant density became higher. It was just a matter of observing the plant growth and adjusting the dosages as and when required.

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## Gavan

UA, have you ever felt like you had to factor bioload into your dosing regiment? like after fauna added you feel like you get abit of excess nutrients inside.

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## Urban Aquaria

> UA, have you ever felt like you had to factor bioload into your dosing regiment? like after fauna added you feel like you get abit of excess nutrients inside.


If i'm only dosing K and trace/micro fertilizers, then i don't factor in the bio-load as those nutrients rarely cause issues even when overdosed.

On the otherhand, if i dose additional macro fertilizers like N and P, then i'll factor in the bio-load in order to avoid those particular nutrient levels building up in excess over time. 

I guess it also depends on how regularly you perform the necessary water changes to "reset" the nutrient levels... if you can stick to a strict large weekly water change regimen, then its fine to do regular higher dosing amounts from the start like in EI dosing. 

Personally, i tend to miss weekly water changes when i'm busy or overseas, and i use low-medium lighting for my tanks, so i try to keep my macro dosing abit more moderate.

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## Gavan

> If i'm only dosing K and trace/micro fertilizers, then i don't factor in the bio-load as those nutrients rarely cause issues even when overdosed.
> 
> On the otherhand, if i dose additional macro fertilizers like N and P, then i'll factor in the bio-load in order to avoid those particular nutrient levels building up in excess over time. 
> 
> I guess it also depends on how regularly you perform the necessary water changes to "reset" the nutrient levels... if you can stick to a strict large weekly water change regimen, then its fine to do regular higher dosing amounts from the start like in EI dosing. 
> 
> Personally, i tend to miss weekly water changes when i'm busy or overseas, and i use low-medium lighting for my tanks, so i try to keep my macro dosing abit more moderate.


I see I get it now. I do weekly changes (only because the water level drops too much each week anyway!) thanks for sharing! have begun dosing Seachem K. I know P is a causing agent for algae, and N is hardly an issue, so I won't be dosing those macros. 


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## stream

> So far, i've found the Ecco Pro 300 very ideal for planted 2ft tanks, especially so when the plant mass is planned to be dense and additional items like inline Co2 diffusers/reactors are used (which will tend to further reduce flow slightly). With the 750 l/ph flow rate and glass lily pipes to spread out the flow, i can see all the plants sway gently in the current, even the plants directly under the lily pipe outflow sway slightly in the return current too (which is usually one of the dead spots in a tank), so this ensures that the tank gets good circulation in all areas.


Hi UA
My old Eheim 2228 also has a 750l/hr filter circulation rate. Do you set the outflow level to "1" position(max) or do you tune it somewhere between "1" and "0"(shut off)? What about your inflow level to the canister? At "1" position(max) or do you tune it somewhere between "1" and "0"(shut off)? I'm just concerned that my Eheim might be too powerful for a 2 feet tank which I'm planning to purchase.

TIA.

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## stream

> The Up Aqua inline diffuser/atomizer i used previously cost around S$30+... the current ISTA inline "turbo" reactor i'm using cost just S$19+.


Do you think your ISTA inline "turbo" reactor works with DIY CO2 injection?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Hi UA
> My old Eheim 2228 also has a 750l/hr filter circulation rate. Do you set the outflow level to "1" position(max) or do you tune it somewhere between "1" and "0"(shut off)? What about your inflow level to the canister? At "1" position(max) or do you tune it somewhere between "1" and "0"(shut off)? I'm just concerned that my Eheim might be too powerful for a 2 feet tank which I'm planning to purchase.
> 
> TIA.


The actual overall "effective" flow rate depends on various factors, like the type and density of media in the canister, additional equipment installed inline, the type of outflow design and also the layout of the aquascape... the good thing with canister filters that have inbuilt adjustment taps is you can simply tune it to get the most optimal flow current for your particular setup. So its actually better to start with a higher flow rate, then can adjust lower if required.

If most of the debris and waste settle on the substrate rather than being circulated to the intake, then increase the flow... if the livestock and plants are being swirled around the tank like washing machine, then reduce the flow. Its all about fine-tuning the flow rate accordingly.  :Very Happy: 

In my case, with the inline Co2 reactor and glass lily pipe outflow, i run my canister filter at max flow rate (outflow tap fully open) and the current is just right for the tank, the plants sway slightly and the fishes can swim in all areas of the tank without fighting against too much current.




> Do you think your ISTA inline "turbo" reactor works with DIY CO2 injection?


Yes, the ISTA Co2 reactor design does not require high pressure to operate (the Co2 just needs to flow into the reactor chamber to be mixed, no need to push through dense ceramic tubes), so DIY Co2 systems can work with it.

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## ZIr

Great journal UA! I read that you used the Tropica 1-2-Grow Eleocharis sp. 'mini' for your carpet? I'm thinking of trying the same but am confused by some information elsewhere on the net that you need to cut the old leaves to induce shorter growth? Did you do so? I wish to have as low maintenance carpet as possible, hence would like to cut down on the trimming.

----------


## fookie

> Great journal UA! I read that you used the Tropica 1-2-Grow Eleocharis sp. 'mini' for your carpet? I'm thinking of trying the same but am confused by some information elsewhere on the net that you need to cut the old leaves to induce shorter growth? Did you do so? I wish to have as low maintenance carpet as possible, hence would like to cut down on the trimming.


Hi HBK16

Just to check. Is MC high maintenance or need constant trimming? Thank you

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## Urban Aquaria

> Great journal UA! I read that you used the Tropica 1-2-Grow Eleocharis sp. 'mini' for your carpet? I'm thinking of trying the same but am confused by some information elsewhere on the net that you need to cut the old leaves to induce shorter growth? Did you do so? I wish to have as low maintenance carpet as possible, hence would like to cut down on the trimming.


The info posted online on trimming and cutting hairgrass is mainly for species like _Eleocharis parvula_ (aka normal hairgrass), those types of hairgrass grow much taller so they need to be trimmed regularly to maintain a lower carpet. 

On the otherhand, _Eleocharis sp. 'mini'_ already has a naturally short growth characteristic, so its not necessary to trim it shorter (i never trimmed my carpet at all), hence much less maintenance required.  :Very Happy:

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## ZIr

Thanks for clarifying UA. May I know the maximum height that your _Eleocharis sp. 'mini'_ grows up to without trimming?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Thanks for clarifying UA. May I know the maximum height that your _Eleocharis sp. 'mini'_ grows up to without trimming?


The ones in my tank grew to an average height of around 3cm tall, they stayed around that height while growing more runners and offshoots which gradually formed a dense carpet.

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## Dscheng

> The ones in my tank grew to an average height of around 3cm tall, they stayed around that height while growing more runners and offshoots which gradually formed a dense carpet.


UA where u got this eleocharis SP.mini? Where got sell large range of plant?

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## Urban Aquaria

> UA where u got this eleocharis SP.mini? Where got sell large range of plant?


The ones i use are from Tropica 1-2-Grow cups, i got it directly from Fishy Business (they store the cups in a fridge so the plants are kept fresher). They stock the full range of Tropica plants.

Other LFS like C328 or Aquatic Avenue also stock the Tropica cups too, though you have have to check the condition of the plants beforehand just in case they have been sitting on the shelves for too long.

----------


## Dscheng

> The ones i use are from Tropica 1-2-Grow cups, i got it directly from Fishy Business (they store the cups in a fridge so the plants are kept fresher). They stock the full range of Tropica plants.
> 
> Other LFS like C328 or Aquatic Avenue also stock the Tropica cups too, though you have have to check the condition of the plants beforehand just in case they have been sitting on the shelves for too long.


 Ok. Seaview, i dont remember seeing this type of plant.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Ok. Seaview, i dont remember seeing this type of plant.


Yeah, Seaview doesn't stock the Tropica plants.

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## skytan

yah..Seaview and Y618 don't carry.
Learnt the hard way today.

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## Shadow

> _Eleocharis sp. 'mini'_ already has a naturally short growth characteristic, so its not necessary to trim it shorter (i never trimmed my carpet at all), hence much less maintenance required.


Nice, I will try E. mini next time. How many cm max can it grow? but the way it curl, its look like japanese hair grass.

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## Gavan

my mini hairgrass grows to about 1 inch, max 3-4cm, from roots to edge of leaf. depending on how deep their runners go, you could get some that only show 1cm of grass. I also hear that finer grain size helps in carpeting mini hairgrass eg ADA powder, sand gravel. not super sure if that's true though 


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## ZIr

Looks like my monte's going to be replaced with Eleocharis minis soon. Now waiting for Fishy Business to restock. Called them they said 'hopefully' end of next week will arrive.

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## skytan

> Looks like my monte's going to be replaced with Eleocharis minis soon. Now waiting for Fishy Business to restock. Called them they said 'hopefully' end of next week will arrive.


Sian. Thought can get my hands dirty this long weekend.
When did you call? Almost wanted to go down tomorrow to try my luck.

 :Sad:

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## Ingen

I saw some tropica at Aquatic Avenue, not sure if they have eleocharis

----------


## skytan

> I saw some tropica at Aquatic Avenue, not sure if they have eleocharis


Left these IIRC

Monte
UG
REineckii
Marseila

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## Urban Aquaria

> Nice, I will try E. mini next time. How many cm max can it grow? but the way it curl, its look like japanese hair grass.


They grew to around 3cm height on average in my tank setup... i guess the overall height may vary abit depending on tank conditions too.

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## Shadow

3cm is good enough, I can grow 10-12 cm with normal hairgrass  :Laughing:

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## Dscheng

Is the picture carpet plant is eleocharis?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Is the picture carpet plant is eleocharis?


Its probably japanese hairgrass, coated with lots of algae... that display tank at Seaview is full of dark fuzz algae clumps everywhere, quite interesting look.  :Grin:

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## Dscheng

> Its probably japanese hairgrass, coated with lots of algae... that display tank at Seaview is full of dark fuzz algae clumps everywhere, quite interesting look.


Damn pro sia u ! Once look know it is seaview display tank. Ya black algae is really eye sore.

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## Dscheng

UA, what is the diff between mini hair grass and eleocharis mini ? Can this type of hair grass grow without CO2? I just rescape my 1.5FT with full mini hair grass. Hopefully can carpet all.

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## Urban Aquaria

> UA, what is the diff between mini hair grass and eleocharis mini ? Can this type of hair grass grow without CO2? I just rescape my 1.5FT with full mini hair grass. Hopefully can carpet all.


I've no idea either... hairgrass from different sources could be different species that are closely related, the only way to know for sure is if they are bought from brands that culture and sell specific species of plants (ie. Tropica or Dennerle).

I guess if the plants you bought are those from local plant suppliers /LFS packed in cups or cartons, you'll just have to grow them out and see how well they fare in your tank.

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## Dscheng

> I've no idea either... hairgrass from different sources could be different species that are closely related, the only way to know for sure is if they are bought from brands that culture and sell specific species of plants (ie. Tropica or Dennerle).
> 
> I guess if the plants you bought are those from local plant suppliers /LFS packed in cups or cartons, you'll just have to grow them out and see how well they fare in your tank.


I brought the mini hair grass from Aquarium Iwarna, they pick the hair grass with a big pond. Really a lot of plant there, saw a lot of HC too. Ya really have to see how it grow.

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## cw1985

Screenshot_2015-06-15-15-14-15(1).jpg
I have few question. Is this dwarf hairgrass? Recently I got some from clementi 328. I Want the end result end up like:

Screenshot_2015-06-15-15-48-37(1).jpg

did I getting the correct plant? cos now i planting it in this way:

Screenshot_2015-06-15-16-00-53(1).jpgThank you.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Screenshot_2015-06-15-15-14-15(1).jpg
> I have few question. Is this dwarf hairgrass? Recently I got some from clementi 328. I Want the end result end up like:
> 
> Screenshot_2015-06-15-15-48-37(1).jpg
> 
> did I getting the correct plant? cos now i planting it in this way:
> 
> Screenshot_2015-06-15-16-00-53(1).jpgThank you.


Yeah, those are the normal hairgrass species, planting them in small bunches is correct... their "dwarf hairgrass" label tend to be abit confusing though because they will naturally grow straight and tall (can already see the potential growth height in the first photo), so you will need to constantly trim regularly to keep them neat and tidy.

If you prefer less maintenance work, maybe switch to japanese hairgrass or Eleocharis sp. mini, those naturally stay short so require much less trimming and maintenance.

----------


## cw1985

So are they dwarf hairgrass? Or just hair grass? the different between them is only plant height? Other than that they appearance any difference? Thanks for ur fast respond. I am considering whether worth to pluck out all the initial hg  :Crying:

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## Urban Aquaria

> So are they dwarf hairgrass? Or just hair grass? the different between them is only plant height? Other than that they appearance any difference? Thanks for ur fast respond. I am considering whether worth to pluck out all the initial hg


There are many different variants of hairgrass and they have different growth patterns (ie. straight or curved) and different growth height, so its just a matter of picking the right ones which fit your aquascape. 

If you want those for the background, then choose the taller growing ones... if you want those for foreground carpet, then better to choose the shorter growing ones (it will save alot of hassle during plant maintenance).

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## cw1985

IMG-20150617-WA0000.jpg
Are they hair grass? It seem so much diff.... lol....

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## cw1985

And May I know where u brought ur eleocharis sp mini? I went to quite few LFS but none have it.

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## Urban Aquaria

> IMG-20150617-WA0000.jpg
> Are they hair grass? It seem so much diff.... lol....


Yeah, yours is probably a different species of hairgrass... only way to know is to let it grow out and see.




> And May I know where u brought ur eleocharis sp mini? I went to quite few LFS but none have it.


I bought mine from Fishy Business, but you can also get them from other places like C328 or Aquatic Avenue.

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## Dscheng

Fishy business has no stock for eleocharis sp mini, if i am not wrong. But do call them before making a trip down.
UA, when you rescape your tank, do you use back the soil? I am wondering how long ADA soil can really last?

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## Urban Aquaria

> UA, when you rescape your tank, do you use back the soil? I am wondering how long ADA soil can really last?


Yes, i do recycle the ADA aquasoil whenever i decommission a tank. I basically transfer all the soil into a sieve basket with fine netting, rinse it for a while to wash away the dust/mud and dirt particles, then re-use the remaining soil in the new setup. Usually i can recycle around 80% of the original volume of soil (the rest would have broken down into mud or dust after being used for a while), so just need to top up abit of soil to compensate.

The old recycled soil will be relatively lower in nutrient content though, so additional fertilizers or root sticks/tabs would need to be added to rejuvenate it. So far the oldest batch of aquasoil i have still in use is around 5+ years old and it has been transferred across 3 tanks, so its definitely a re-usable substrate.

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## cw1985

Hi UA. Check with you wat type of fertiliser u dose to your planted tank? And how frequent and amount you dose? Do we really have to dose?

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## Dscheng

UA intro me tropica fert. Very good, my moss grew so fast. Daily 1ml. But higher price tag.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Hi UA. Check with you wat type of fertiliser u dose to your planted tank? And how frequent and amount you dose? Do we really have to dose?


For this tank setup, i use Tropica Premium fertilizer, at 1-2ml dosage everyday (amount depending on observed plant condition and density).

Its best to dose fertilizers regularly to supplement the plant nutrient requirements, especially if Co2 injection is being used (due to the faster growth rate in such environments), otherwise the plants will tend to exhibit nutrient deficiencies and become stunted.

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## cw1985

Wat about seachem product?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Wat about seachem product?


Can use the those fertilizers too. Seachem Flourish and Seachem Potassium (K) could be a suitable combo for K + micro/trace nutrients supply... if your tank has a moderate bio-load, the nitrogen (N) and phosphates (P) could be generated from fish food and waste. 

If your tank bio-load is low or the plant density is high, and you find that the plants need more of the other nutrients, then just add those accordingly.

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## cw1985

> Can use the those fertilizers too. Seachem Flourish and Seachem Potassium (K) could be a suitable combo for K + micro/trace nutrients supply... if your tank has a moderate bio-load, the nitrogen (N) and phosphates (P) could be generated from fish food and waste. 
> 
> If your tank bio-load is low or the plant density is high, and you find that the plants need more of the other nutrients, then just add those accordingly.


Thank you for your assistance. I will go get those fertilizers soon.

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## cw1985

UA, check with you. Does your sp mini hair grass grow vertical instead of spreading at the initial stage? mine is growing upward..... lol.... double the height compare to the initial stage I planted them. Was thinking should I trim them to near substrate surface as some mentioned it help for spreading....

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## Urban Aquaria

> UA, check with you. Does your sp mini hair grass grow vertical instead of spreading at the initial stage? mine is growing upward..... lol.... double the height compare to the initial stage I planted them. Was thinking should I trim them to near substrate surface as some mentioned it help for spreading....


I find that in areas which are under direct lighting, they will grow shorter and flatter... whereas in areas that are shaded (ie. under other taller plants), they grow more vertical and abit taller. 

It could be the sp. mini's response to lighting conditions, i guess their growth shape and height depends on the amount of light they get.

You can trim the taller ones, it'll help even out their growth height.

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## cw1985

UA, 2 question to ask u. Is there any diff by using a powerhead to pump out the CO2 compare to using a diffuser? I saw some ppl using a powerhead instead of a diffuser to diffuse the CO2 into tiny bubbles. They claimed that it is more efficient as the tiny bubbles can flow to the whole tank instead of just flowing upward when using the normal diffuser. 

I assume the result still the same since the amt of co2 in water injected into water depend on bps. Im I rite?

2nd qus:

My hair grass is not bubbling but they are growing taller although spreading is very slow. my co2 checker shown green color which mean sufficient CO2 in water. I using 2 T5 light. Do I have to achieve bubbling state or just continue my current set up? 

Thank you.

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## Urban Aquaria

> UA, 2 question to ask u. Is there any diff by using a powerhead to pump out the CO2 compare to using a diffuser? I saw some ppl using a powerhead instead of a diffuser to diffuse the CO2 into tiny bubbles. They claimed that it is more efficient as the tiny bubbles can flow to the whole tank instead of just flowing upward when using the normal diffuser. 
> 
> I assume the result still the same since the amt of co2 in water injected into water depend on bps. Im I rite?


Well, using a powerhead is basically a method to use the spinning impeller to chop up the Co2 into smaller bubbles and at the same time push the bubbles around the tank. You could also get the same effect by using an in-tank diffuser and simply directing the filter outflow towards the diffuser so that it pushes the generated Co2 bubbles downwards towards the plants. Both method can work well, just have to adjust the flow to achieve optimal circulation.

The only thing with a powerhead method is that you have an additional piece of electrical equipment in the tank, which is obtrusive and adds to the visual clutter, especially for planted aquascapes that are trying to achieve a clean minimalistic style (as little visible equipment in the tank as possible). Note that there are also inline diffusers which are installed outside the tank, those are connected along the outflow pipe of a canister filter, so it reduces the number os items inside the tank.

The actual deficiency of both methods would depend on the size of the Co2 bubbles generated and how well they are circulated (not just based on BPS injection rate), if the bubbles are few and large, they have less total surface area for diffusion into the water column and will tend to float up to the surface quickly and pop, which wastes the gas. If the bubbles are many and tiny, then they have more total surface area for diffusion into the water and don't float up so easily so they can remain suspended in the water column and get circulated around by the flow flow. 

What most people want is lots of tiny micro Co2 bubbles being produced, usually from an atomizer diffuser system (the bubbles produced are almost like mist), so that the micro bubbles can circulate down to the plants and linger around and under the leaves to provide pure Co2 directly to the plants.

Note that with these methods of diffusion, all those floating Co2 bubbles tends to create a soda/misty effect in the tank when the Co2 is in operation. Some people may not mind it, but some people also don't like it as it obscures the view of the plants and livestock.

Personally , i prefer less visible equipment in the tank and i like my tank water to be clear during the light photo-period, so i use an inline Co2 reactor system hidden in the tank cabinet instead. Inline Co2 reactors chop and mix the Co2 gas to achieve 100% diffusion rate inside the reactor system, so that only Co2 enriched water gets pushes out into the tank (no visible Co2 bubbles floating around). In this way the water is packed with Co2, yet the water remains clear. The only bubbles that appear in the tank are oxygen bubbles rising up from the plants in the form of "pearling". So that could be another alternative method you can look at.





> 2nd qus:
> 
> My hair grass is not bubbling but they are growing taller although spreading is very slow. my co2 checker shown green color which mean sufficient CO2 in water. I using 2 T5 light. Do I have to achieve bubbling state or just continue my current set up?


From my experience, even in the most optimal growth environments, hairgrass generally doesn't "pearl" as much as other leafy plants (especially when compared to faster growing stem plants)... i have dense carpets of hairgrass which don't pearl much, yet they are healthy and grow as fast as the other plants, so its not totally necessary to see them pearling like crazy to get them growing well.

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## Dscheng

My hair grass will only have pearling effect after I trim it.

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## Urban Aquaria

> My hair grass will only have pearling effect after I trim it.


Those are the trapped gases being released from cut plant tissue... its more like "air leaking".  :Grin:

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## Ryan Peh

Hello UA, I can't believe I only saw this entire post now... But better late than never HAHA. 
The tropica premium fertiliser that you used, where did you buy it from and how much did it cost you? 

Also, between monte carlos and eleocharis mini, which is the lower requirement carpet plant?

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## Urban Aquaria

> The tropica premium fertiliser that you used, where did you buy it from and how much did it cost you?


I bought mine from C328 for around $18+ for the 300ml bottle (if i remember correctly), not sure if they still sell it though... but you can also get it from LFS like Fishy Business too. 




> Also, between monte carlos and eleocharis mini, which is the lower requirement carpet plant?


Based on my experience, monte carlo has a faster growth rate but you have to trim it regularly to avoid the bottoms getting shaded and browning, which requires some extra work to maintain.... eleocharis sp. mini takes abit more time to grow out but i never needed to trim it, so less maintenance required.

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## Ryan Peh

I see, thank you very much! I'm looking to start an iwagumi using monte carlos and normal hair grass but maybe now I might consider monte Carlos and eleocharis mini instead!!

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## Ryan Peh

Hey UA, where can I find the eleocharis mini and how much does it cost? 
I haven't been seeing those plants anywhere recently!

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## Urban Aquaria

> Hey UA, where can I find the eleocharis mini and how much does it cost? I haven't been seeing those plants anywhere recently!


The Eleocharis sp. mini which i bought were the Tropica 1-2-Grow tissue-cultured version (costs around S$14 a cup), you can usually find it at LFS that stock Tropica products like C328... or just head to Fishy Business and get it as they are the distributors for those products. 

Recently there have been other brands of tissue-cultured plants like Hortilab which also offer Eleocharis sp. mini too, those you can get from Aquatic Avenue.

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## Ryan Peh

Ooooo $14 is pretty expensive. Btw would it be possible to grow it using just excel?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Ooooo $14 is pretty expensive. Btw would it be possible to grow it using just excel?


Yeah, the Tropica 1-2-Grow cup plants do cost more than normal LFS plants... but the advantage is that they are tissue-cultured, hence guaranteed algae-free and pest-free. The plants are also healthier and more densely packed into the cups so you'll actually get more new plant volume to start with.

Its also possible to get Eleocharis sp. mini from other hobbyists who are already growing them in their own tanks (a while back i sold a few batches of them when i de-commed the setup) and some LFS may also sell harvested ones too, those will be cheaper but not guaranteed algae-free and pest-free, so you'll have to do your own quarantine/treatments procedure before usage.

Like with most plants, Eleocharis sp. mini can be grown with just Excel dosing too, but it'll still not be as fast as with actual Co2 injection (though at least it'll be abit faster than without any carbon supplements). Its just a matter of waiting abit longer for it to grow out.

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## Ryan Peh

Hmmm alright! I'll try to look out for people who're selling them to see if I can get it cheaper! 
Thanks once again!  :Smile:  Looking forward to more of your setup journal entries!

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## Ryan Peh

Hey UA, another question! Do you use a co2 indicator for your tanks? 
If i dont want to use a co2 indicator, how do i know how much co2 i should be adding?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Hey UA, another question! Do you use a co2 indicator for your tanks?


Yes, i use drop checkers for all my tanks running Co2 injection... i use external hang-on drop checkers (they hook over the glass and sits outside of the tank), easier to view and will not get covered by algae.  :Very Happy: 

They look like this:



Photo from Google Images.





> If i dont want to use a co2 indicator, how do i know how much co2 i should be adding?


Well, the other alternative is to measure the KH and PH, then check the KH/PH relationship table, like in this example:



Table from Google Images.

But note that this is only applicable if your tank water is not buffered by any other things.... if you use active soil substrates like ADA Amazonia Aquasoil, it already buffers the pH and KH so the values on the table will not be viable anymore.

In addition, you have to keep testing the pH throughout the day to monitor the changes (which can be a hassle), or install a pH probe and meter in the tank to monitor it.

Drop checkers are still the easiest way to get a gauge on the Co2 levels (thats why most people use them), the indicator solution in the drop checker are based on known pH 7.0 and KH 4.0 values and its isolated away from the tank water, so it maintains a stable benchmark for generating reliable results.

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## Ryan Peh

That's troublesome... Alright then I'll just get a drop checker 
So you just ensure your checker constantly shows green is enough right?

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## Urban Aquaria

> So you just ensure your checker constantly shows green is enough right?


Yes, the objective is to tune your Co2 injection so that the drop checker shows a consistent lime green color during the active photo-period (when the lights are off its okay to be blue, since plants wouldn't be using Co2 at night anyways).

Do make sure to mix the Co2 indicator solution with 4dKH reference solution if required (do not use aquarium water), or just get pre-mixed Co2 indicator solution which can be used straight away without mixing.

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## Ryan Peh

Btw how often do you have to top up the solution into the checker?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Btw how often do you have to top up the solution into the checker?


Depends on how fast the indicator solution evaporates, just have to monitor and top up whenever necessary. So far, i've not needed to do any top ups for up to 6 months at a stretch.

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## jackychun

Hi UA, did you use any of the additive like ADA Penac P or Penac W... during the setup or only ADA Amazonia Powder Soil?


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## Urban Aquaria

> Hi UA, did you use any of the additive like ADA Penac P or Penac W... during the setup or only ADA Amazonia Powder Soil?


For this setup, i didn't use any other base additives, just ADA Amazonia powder soil on its own.

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## jackychun

Thanks for your prompt reply. I am now at planning stage and try to gather equipment and tools. Those additive is quite expensive.  :Very Happy:  I look at your wonderful tank and believe ADA soil should be good enough. 


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## jackychun

BTW, I would like to ask how many litters of Seachem Matrix that you use as filter media for your system?


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## emmanuelwoon

> For this tank setup, i use Tropica Premium fertilizer, at 1-2ml dosage everyday (amount depending on observed plant condition and density).
> 
> Its best to dose fertilizers regularly to supplement the plant nutrient requirements, especially if Co2 injection is being used (due to the faster growth rate in such environments), otherwise the plants will tend to exhibit nutrient deficiencies and become stunted.


Tropica premium fertilizer doesn't seems to indicate that it includes potassium. Do we have to supplement K to it ?


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## Urban Aquaria

> BTW, I would like to ask how many litters of Seachem Matrix that you use as filter media for your system?


If i remember correctly, i used around 3L of Seachem Matrix to fill my Eheim Ecco Pro 300 canister filter (i opted not to use any of the original eheim media that came with the package, only used the pre-filter sponge and fine white filter wool pad).

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## Urban Aquaria

> Tropica premium fertilizer doesn't seems to indicate that it includes potassium. Do we have to supplement K to it ?


The Tropica website doesn't indicate it, but the Tropica Premium fertilizer does contain a range of nutrients including Potassium (K) and trace/micro nutrients... just no Nitrogen (N) or Phosphorous (P).

So its not necessary to dose extra potassium when you use that fertilizer, unless you find that the plants need more of it for better growth.

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## jackychun

> If i remember correctly, i used around 3L of Seachem Matrix to fill my Eheim Ecco Pro 300 canister filter (i opted not to use any of the original eheim media that came with the package, only used the pre-filter sponge and fine white filter wool pad).


Thanks UA. In that case I assumed each tray can contains about 1L of filter media.  :Smile:  

Other than the Tropica Fertilizer that you mentioned, did you use any Iron fertilizer?


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## Urban Aquaria

> Thanks UA. In that case I assumed each tray can contains about 1L of filter media.


Well, i still had a handful of media leftover after i filled the trays, so its not all 3L used up. The leftovers i used to top up another filter.  :Very Happy: 

I'd estimate its probably around 800-900ml per tray... depends on how you pack it with media though. If you pack it very densely it could be possible to cram all the media in, but that will tend to affect the flow. Better to give abit more space allowance for the media to move around. The key is to assemble the trays and then shake it, you should still be able to hear the media shift around abit (not all stuck permanently on one position).




> Other than the Tropica Fertilizer that you mentioned, did you use any Iron fertilizer?


I only dosed the Tropica fertilizer... didn't dose any other ferts.

As the plants grew out, i did however gradually increase the dosages over time. Up to one point i was dosing 3x-4x the recommended dosage (due to the higher nutrient usage rate of increased plant density and mass). Consequently, when i trimmed the plants and harvested them out, i also reduced the fertilizer dosages accordingly to match the reduced plant density.

You'll just have to monitor the plant growth and condition to adjust the fertilizer dosing amounts.

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## jackychun

Thanks UA for your advice and appreciate your prompt response. Can't wait to start my first tank. 


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## Urban Aquaria

> Thanks UA for your advice and appreciate your prompt response. Can't wait to start my first tank.


Happy Aquascaping!  :Smile:

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## jackychun

Hi UA, I notice that you do not using background for your aquarium. I am thinking of the background matter now. People says fishes will feel safer with the dark background. Hope to have your advice. Thanks.  :Smile: 


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## Urban Aquaria

> Hi UA, I notice that you do not using background for your aquarium. I am thinking of the background matter now. People says fishes will feel safer with the dark background. Hope to have your advice. Thanks.


Well, sticking black coloured oyama paper on the back glass of the tank is usually more of an aesthetic choice... some people prefer to look at their fishes against a black background, others want to accentuate the color contrast of certain fishes, while there are also others (like me) who prefer to recreate a transparent "slice of nature" without an artificial background.

Personally i have not found much difference in the behaviour of the fishes that i've kept in tanks with or without a background, so i guess it's just up to your personal preference.

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## jackychun

Thanks for your reply, UA. 


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## Ryan Peh

Hi UA! Where can I buy the tropica premium fertiliser?

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## jackychun

I think you can buy it from Fishy Business and I also saw FreshNMarine, too. 


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## Ryan Peh

Hi UA, so I've recently bought the Tropica Premium Fertiliser. Looking at your thread, you mentioned that you increased your dosage after noticing certain nutrient deficiency signs on the leaves of the plants? Can you explain specifically what were you looking for and what were the early nutrient deficiency signs? That would be very helpful for someone that is just starting to understand the nutrient needs in plants! Thanks again UA!

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## Urban Aquaria

> Hi UA, so I've recently bought the Tropica Premium Fertiliser. Looking at your thread, you mentioned that you increased your dosage after noticing certain nutrient deficiency signs on the leaves of the plants? Can you explain specifically what were you looking for and what were the early nutrient deficiency signs? That would be very helpful for someone that is just starting to understand the nutrient needs in plants! Thanks again UA!


The usual signs are yellowing or melting leaves, leaves with holes or twisted growth, algae growing on leaves... basically anything that does not look like healthy fresh leaves like what you see in photos of the plants online. 

You can check out the various plant nutrient deficiency charts to detect the various signs, here is a link to a useful one: http://infographics.myaquacalc.com/?p=333

Many of those indicative signs are caused by overlapping nutrient deficiencies (not just isolated to only one specific nutrient deficiency). Quite often we see some aquarists only dose specific ferts to treat one deficiency at a time, then more and more deficiencies start to pop up due to the shifts in nutrient take-up rate and ratios... in such cases, it'll be better to simply increase dosages of all nutrients as a whole, so that it can cover all possible shortages.

Also do take note that Premium fertilizer does not contain nitrogen and phosphates, so if you find that that is depleted, you'll need to switch to the Specialized version, or dose those macro ferts separately as add-ons.

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## jackychun

Hi UA, 

May I ask if the fertilizer need to be added from day 1? 


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## Urban Aquaria

> Hi UA, 
> 
> May I ask if the fertilizer need to be added from day 1?


Yes, if your focus is on growing plants quickly, its recommended to dose from day 1 (especially in a high tech setup)... the potassium and micro/trace nutrients tend to get depleted quickly in most densely planted tanks, so having those nutrients available in the tank will help to avoid deficiencies appearing earlier.

Its usually better to maintain abit more nutrients in the water for the plants establish and to grow well, rather than only starting to dose fertilizers when they start to weaken and exhibit deficiencies, as it takes longer for new plants to recover from those situations.

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## jackychun

Thanks for your reply and advice. I will take note of that after planting done. 

One more thing about the algae matter, some people dose AlgExit from the start. Is this recommended?

And I saw a pad of carbon filter pad in the package of Eheim Ecco Pro 300: is this OK to use carbon filter at the beginning or only use it when tank has odor? 

Thank you.  :Smile: 


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## Urban Aquaria

> One more thing about the algae matter, some people dose AlgExit from the start. Is this recommended?


Well, unless you actually experience difficult algae issues in the tank, its best not to just dose it as a prophylactic practice, as its possible that some sensitive livestock may not do so well with prolonged exposure to it.

Its best to instead quarantine and treat all new plants bought from LFS and plant farms with those anti-algae chemicals (and anti-pest treatments) in a separate tank first, then make sure they are cleaned free of residual chemicals, before introducing them to your main tank. That will ensure that anything introduced into the tank is algae and pest free, and the chemicals don't get into and accumulate in the main tank.





> And I saw a pad of carbon filter pad in the package of Eheim Ecco Pro 300: is this OK to use carbon filter at the beginning or only use it when tank has odor?


You could use the carbon pad during tank start up, but its not really necessary. Do take not that it has a limited lifespan, usually around 2-3 weeks. After that it should be removed. 

Most planted tank keepers prefer not to use activated carbon as it also adsorbs a portion of fertilizers and nutrients which the plants need, so it can be rather counter-productive. Activated carbon is more commonly used only for specific purposes like removing tannins or chemicals after treatments.

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## jackychun

Thanks UA. I am clear now. Thank you very much! 


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## Ryan Peh

> Just a quick update, this tank has now been running for around 7+ months and the tank conditions are still stable, plants are growing well, the fishes and shrimps are healthy, algae is still minimal so its stayed relatively low maintenance so far.
> 
> Due to the dense growth of plants, i found it difficult to feed the fishes and shrimps without food quickly disappearing into the plant mass (especially when feeding algae wafers)... so i recently installed a feeding dish to help contain the food in one convenient spot.
> 
> I chose to use an acrylic dish with an attached feeding tube (those commonly used for shrimp tanks), but soon discovered that the curious _Otocinclus Cocama_ like to swim into the tube and get stuck in it, so i removed the tube and just used the dish on its own.
> 
> Otocinclus feeding time with a nice buffet spread of zucchini slice and wafer bits...
> 
> 
> ...


Hi UA, most of the feeding dishes that I found all doesn't come with the suction thingy. How did you get one with the suction cup?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Hi UA, most of the feeding dishes that I found all doesn't come with the suction thingy. How did you get one with the suction cup?


I just used a separate suction cup that was designed with a plug insert (it came from those pipe clip suction cups).

Alternatively you could also get any suction cup and DIY silicone them together.

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## Ryan Peh

Your acrylic dish had the hole to insert the plug for the suction cup? 
How did you join the dish to the suction cup?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Your acrylic dish had the hole to insert the plug for the suction cup? 
> How did you join the dish to the suction cup?


Yeah, the acrylic dish i got was the type that came with the feeding tube, so it has the hole and acrylic nut piece. I simply installed the nut, then slot it into the suction cup's plug insert.

Here is another feeding dish at a different viewing angle, you can see how the parts are fixed together:

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## Ryan Peh

Ooooooo where did you buy that! It looks pretty nice. I'm interested to get one myself!

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## Urban Aquaria

Just google "acrylic shrimp feeding tube" and you should find it... i ordered mine online from TaoBao, but seems some local LFS have started to stock them too. Just have to shop around to find it.

Here is what the acrylic feeding tube and dish set looks like:



Photo from Google Images.

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## Mab1510

How did you use the ariline tubing to put water into the tank? Used an airpump or? How long did it take roughly to fill up the tank?

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## torque6

> How did you use the ariline tubing to put water into the tank? Used an airpump or? How long did it take roughly to fill up the tank?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


Depends on the size of the tank, airline tubing with a pail of water elevated above aquarium/tank and let gravity do the work, or for larger tanks, water circulator or water pumps for larger tanks with pails of water, or if you are using water filters/ water purifiers setup then direct from tap.

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## Mab1510

I mean how did the water even enter the airline tubing?

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## jackychun

> I mean how did the water even enter the airline tubing?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


The simplest way is to siphon it by sucking water from the other end.

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## Mab1510

> The simplest way is to siphon it by sucking water from the other end.
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


How do you suck the water from the other end? Use your mouth to suck or? Haha

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## Ryan Peh

> How do you suck the water from the other end? Use your mouth to suck or? Haha
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


Yup use your mouth. But don't suck too hard until the water flow into your mouth.

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## torque6

> How do you suck the water from the other end? Use your mouth to suck or? Haha
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


I use this from guardian pharmacy.

31DQPG9YMTL.jpg

or you can buy this from any LFS. You can dis-connect the suction gravel and leave the tubes intact.

s-l640.jpg

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## Mab1510

Okay, thanks for the advice guys!

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## jackychun

Brilliant way to use syringe. Sometimes I was just too lazy to look for tool. Then mouth is the fastest way. LOL. :GRIN:




> I use this from guardian pharmacy.
> 
> 31DQPG9YMTL.jpg
> 
> or you can buy this from any LFS. You can dis-connect the suction gravel and leave the tubes intact.
> 
> s-l640.jpg

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