# 350L Plantado Vs Discos ' Aquajournal - Amazonic



## FAAO

Hi there,

I've some pictures to share with you :heh:
Last Friday I changed my old aquarium for something bigger! I know that it is more 10cm on each side but it gives me more 110lt.
So I decided to change a bit and make something different from my last layouts.

I hope that you enjoy it 

DIY Aquarium 130x50x60












































































































Setup the aquarium ' Step by step










































































Next day after setup:


4 days after, the first breeding!






And it's all! :mrgreen:

Take care,

Filipe Oliveira


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## orlando

Very nice. Makes me want to go and build my own take right now. Very well done. Fantastic!


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## Genin

that looks awesome and congrats on the breeding!


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## kakkoii

how did you build the tank? can you give us specs. on the tank?


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## dirrtybirdy

what the hell??? did i read parts of the tread wrong?? or did the discus started breeding 4 days after you put them in?!?! thats amazing!!!


makes me want to build my own tank =P


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## kakkoii

I thought it was amazing too! Awesome tank by the way!!!!:mrgreen::-D


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## Jdinh04

This is somewhat of a tank that I would love to do in the future. Great scape and usage of plants. The discus looks great too!


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## andrew__

great looking tank, and I love that last picture with the way the light plays off the fish/plants/eggs.


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## DonaldmBoyer

Felipe--You covered up all of that ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS DRIFTWOOD???  Those were awesome pieces of wood, man! I would do some trimming to show it off a bit!

Otherwise, it's brilliant, and I envy how you can make an Instant Amazonian Freshwater tank at will like that. It's sick!  Excellent work, excellent work! And an excellent journal as well! Thank you!


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## Jessie

*falls down*

Absolutely fantastic.

That's some amazing driftwood. Where did you get it?


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## Tex Gal

Incredible! You make it look so simple!!!


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## Volenti

Very nice, were they cable ties (zip ties) that you used to fasten the plants to the driftwood?


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## FAAO

Hi,

Thanks to all for the comments and compliments 



kakkoii said:


> how did you build the tank? can you give us specs. on the tank?


I'm not the right person to give you the measures and discounts in mm that you need to give for the silicon. I just helped a friend when he joined all the pieces... I can tell you that we used a compressor to spread the silicon on the glass (to be uniform) and after we joined the pieces; we need to remove the exceeded silicon and remove the adhesive ribbon. It's all...



dirrtybirdy said:


> what the hell??? did i read parts of the tread wrong?? or did the discus started breeding 4 days after you put them in?!?! thats amazing!!!
> makes me want to build my own tank =P


Yes... The Discus starts breeding 4 days after the setup. But don't forget, those discus belongs to my previous layout/aquarium. So, when I put them in this aquarium they already know the couples, they only need to choose their own space and territory. It's only a new space with different layout 



DonaldmBoyer said:


> Felipe--You covered up all of that ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS DRIFTWOOD???  Those were awesome pieces of wood, man! I would do some trimming to show it off a bit!
> Otherwise, it's brilliant, and I envy how you can make an Instant Amazonian Freshwater tank at will like that. It's sick!  Excellent work, excellent work! And an excellent journal as well! Thank you!


You need to wait a little more... I didn't cover the wood; the plants didn't grow enough to show them!!! The background plant "Echinodorus palaefolius var. latifolius" will have 70/80cm tall and will be out of water, so all the plants/leaves that cover now the wood they will disappear.



Jessie said:


> *falls down*
> Absolutely fantastic.
> That's some amazing driftwood. Where did you get it?


You can find it on some aquaristic online stores, the name is Red Moorwood.
Fortunately It appears sometimes were in Portugal in some local fishes stores.



Volenti said:


> Very nice, were they cable ties (zip ties) that you used to fasten the plants to the driftwood?


Yes they are!
This time I used some thin cable ties to reduce some time to fasten the plants on the wood.
It is so easy and fast, you'll reduce 80% of your time. You only need to be careful to not fasten so much to avoid the damage of rhizome.

Here it is the setup:

*Size:*130x50x60 
*Filter:* Rena XP2 + Fluval 305 
*Heater:* 2x Hagen 200w
*Temp:* 28º

*Substrate:*
ELOS Bottom mineral
ELOS Terra Zero
ELOS Terra Small

*CO2:* ELOS REA30 + 2bps

*Light:* ELOS Aquaplanet II - 4x39w T5 (2x6.500k + 2x10.000k) + 2x 70w HQI (10.000k)

*Fertelizers:* ELOS Fase1, Fase2, K40 e Extra1

*Plants: *
Anubias barteri ''coffeefolia''
Anubias barteri var. nana
Cryptocoryne beckettii 'petchii'
Cryptocoryne x willisii
Echinodorus palaefolius var. latifolius
Echinodorus 'Ozelot'
Echinodorus 'Rubin'
Echinodorus tenellus
Microsorum pteropus 'Narrow'

*Fish:*
Symphysodon aequifasciatus axelrodi
Pitbull Pleco (LDA25) - Parotocinclus Jumbo
Paracheirodon axelrodi
Hemigrammus rhodostomus
Mikrogeophagus ramirezi

*Decoration/Hardscape:* Schist rocks and Red moorwood

Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira


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## Barbapappa

Superb tank Filipe! I have a tank with the same dimentions I have yet to set-up and you gave me some awesome inspiration, thank you for posting!


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## ed seeley

Awesome and some lovely big Tropica swords there! Looks absolutely fantastic, well done.


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## redstrat

simply amazing once again!!


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## UG Dude!

Very nice setup... Discus look great, too...


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## Fabac

Amazing!


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## Chuppy

FANTASTIC!!!

That really is an awesome journal/set-up. 

I'm your biggest fan Filipe!! (so are the few hundreds of aquascapers here)

Drew


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## cleek

esta muito bonita , meu! eu sou do Porto!


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## FAAO

Hi,

Thanks to all for the kindly words 

Let bring this topic up to date. 
Please feel welcome to comment... don't be shy, specially for those that vote bad on the rating :mrgreen:









Take care,

Filipe Oliveira
Ps. Chuppy :thumbsup:


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## Leonard

Nice! 
But you don't have any midground and I would appriciate some steem plants in the background, eg. Eusteralis stellata, Ludwigia inclinata "Pantanal" or "Cuba". You'll for sure find some nice steem plant yourself 
About the midground I don't reallt know what to use. Maybe it's the best way as it already is....


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## FAAO

Hi Leonard,


Leonard said:


> Nice!
> But you don't have any midground and I would appriciate some steem plants in the background, eg. Eusteralis stellata, Ludwigia inclinata "Pantanal" or "Cuba".


I'll not intend to plant any steem plants here. Sorry but this layout is for Discus keeping and low maintenance.
Let it grow and then we discuss this again  You'll have a nice surprise...



Leonard said:


> About the midground I don't reallt know what to use. Maybe it's the best way as it already is....


For midground I have cryptocorynes, let them grow... If you look carefully for the bottom will see some cryptocorynes near of the rocks and the wood, it is a question of time!

Here it is an update of the tank: 3 weeks after setup



















Small video:






Regards,

Filipe Oliveira


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## ado0001

duude, its amazing how u start from zero!! i have my acuarium but u have a real one dude i like the way u build it! u rule!! i mean if u check out my post u will realize that i lost my disc fish on november, cause of the co2 problems, but ure doing real good!!

keep it on dude!!

ADO
ps
i would love to hear some advices from many people like u dude check our my evlutios tank its always good to have some advises from professionals too!!


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## duzzy

Hi there, 

that is truly spectacular, one of the nicest if not the nicest discus aquariums I have seen. My only negative is I couldn't read your blog lol does it come with an english switch?

Regards Darren


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## FAAO

duzzy said:


> Hi there,
> that is truly spectacular, one of the nicest if not the nicest discus aquariums I have seen. My only negative is I couldn't read your blog lol does it come with an english switch?
> Regards Darren


Hi Darren,
Thanks for your kindly words 
Regarding my blog, yes it has a switch or similar... You can use Altavista Bable Fish Translator (Portuguese to English)... I know that some words aren't translated, but I think that you'll understand the meaning 

Here it is an update of my tank with 26 days after setup.



Regards,

Filipe Oliveira


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## gibmaker

Beautifull tank, my hat is off to you. What is that weird looking glass thing on the right hand side of the tank? a co2 reactor?


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## FAAO

Hi,


gibmaker said:


> What is that weird looking glass thing on the right hand side of the tank? a co2 reactor?


Yes it is a CO2 Reactor, click on the following link of my blog ELOS REA50, there are some pictures of it.

Regards and thanks for the comment.

Filipe Oliveira


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## duzzy

Hi philipe, 

you have really put the work in tell me what do wild discus look like? as in colors i mean angels originally had stripes was just wondering what discus looked like

Regards Darren


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## FAAO

Hi Darren,

I think that following link will help you about natural caught discus:
Wild caught discus.

Regards,

Filipe Oliveira


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## duzzy

Thanks Filipe


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## shewey

Hi Felipe,

Awesome looking tank!! It suits the Discus perfectly. Have you ever had any luck with the eggs? Do they get to wriggler stage or do they become Discus food? 

Can I ask you about your fert dosing and water change schedule?

Great tank!
Cheers,
Mark


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## FAAO

*Update 2008.03.04*

Hi Mark,



shewey said:


> Have you ever had any luck with the eggs? Do they get to wriggler stage or do they become Discus food?


Not yet! I don't know if there are the Discus or the Paracheirodon axelrodi! Paracheirodon axelrodi becomes a predator when they get to wriggler stage. Some times the two females start a fight when one of her is spawning.
One day I need to separate one couple and put them on my 120L, perhaps if I keep them alone they breed without problems.



shewey said:


> Can I ask you about your fert dosing and water change schedule?


About water changes, usually I do 1 or 2 times a week 20-30% of the water.
I started the fertilization 2 weeks ago with 2-3ml of ELOS K40 (daily) + 2ml of ELOS Fase1 and 2ml of ELOS Fase2 daily (alternated, when I dose Fase1, I don't use Fase2...) Once a week, instead of Fase1 I use ELOS Extra1 (Extra Iron) always 2ml; for now! I need to be careful and study very well the plant's nutrition before increase the dose.

Here it is an update of aquarium. I hope that you enjoy it 



Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira


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## Jervis

Very impressive setup... the Discus look so happy in your tank... continue the great work!!!


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## FAAO

Hi Jervis,

Thanks for the comment 

Here it is two new pictures from another angle!





Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira


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## Genin

that's an amazing discus tank. i think it looks great.


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## kakkoii

It is beautiful!


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## bratyboy2

okay got in this thread late but what kind of discus are these i love them


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## jazzlvr123

i like the look of the 1st scape better however i think this one is more biotope specific which is very cool in its own right either way good job man!


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## FAAO

Hi there!
Thanks for the comments.

bratyboy2, those discus are Red Alenquer from Stendker. Take a look at following link : www.diskuszucht-stendker.de

jazzlvr123, when I made this layout, I didn't intend to recreate a natural biotipe but give to this aquarium a natural look as possible and low maintenance. I don't have time right now to take care of 3 aquariums, so I took the decision to transform 2 of them in low maintenance to give more attention to my 2 years old son 

Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira
Ps. I have also my 60L in development! Some landscape is coming!!! :heh:


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## It's Me

I am relatively new to Aquariums but I am hooked. My plan is to make a large community tank. After seeing your tank I have an interest in keeping Discus. Are they harder than other fish? I noticed you have Rams, Tetra's and others in there how do they do with the discus? I am just starting to learn about Discus. Thanks for your help.


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## duzzy

Hi Filipe, 

I keep coming back to this tank, what a beautiful piece of artwork/nature you have created, would love to get a tank that size and attempt discus oneday.

Regards Darren


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## slowhand35

Awesome tank and Congrats on the discus breeding.


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## fishlover

Awesome!
actually it inspired me to do an echinodorus-themed aquascape.


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## FAAO

Hi,



It's Me said:


> I am relatively new to Aquariums but I am hooked. My plan is to make a large community tank. After seeing your tank I have an interest in keeping Discus. Are they harder than other fish? I noticed you have Rams, Tetra's and others in there how do they do with the discus? I am just starting to learn about Discus. Thanks for your help.


If you are newbie on this hobby try to keep small cichlids like rams and apistos, and then you start a new journey! Keeping discus isn't difficult but you need to do some regular treatments to have healthy discus. 
About the relation between Discus and tetras, rams or small cichlids, they can live together without problems, but don't forget that discus they will grow and you need at least 40-50L for each.



duzzy said:


> Hi Filipe,
> I keep coming back to this tank, what a beautiful piece of artwork/nature you have created, would love to get a tank that size and attempt discus oneday.
> Regards Darren


It's better! Your actual tank doesn't have the right measures to keep them. Wait a little more and do something bigger, the fishes will appreciate it 



fishlover said:


> Awesome!
> actually it inspired me to do an echinodorus-themed aquascape.


What are you waiting? :mrgreen:

Here it is a new picture of the tank:









I hope you enjoy it!

Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira


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## aquanut

this is truly an amazing effort. a very happy home for some lucky discus indeed. i love how natural the scape feels, and it looks like its just gonna continue to improve as the growth continues. well planned, and beautifully executed.

wanna share some pics of that elos reactor?


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## FAAO

Hi Aquanut, thanks for your comment.



aquanut said:


> wanna share some pics of that elos reactor?


You can find some pictures of REA50 on my blog. Please click on the following link:
http://faao.blogspot.com/2008/01/reactor-de-co2-elos-rea50_29.html

Today, I took some minutes and shot some new pictures, I hope you enjoy it 





















Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira


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## kakkoii

WOW! it looks Great!


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## goalcreas

Superb, I love it, I will be watching eagerly for updates.


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## aquanut

thanks for the link Filipe. I saw the 3 photos of the reactor, any more in the future would be much appreciated.


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## duzzy

Hi Philipe, 

what are the plants attached to the wood?

Regards Darren


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## FAAO

Hi Darren,

I've three kind of plants on the wood. On the top Microsorum pteropus 'Narrow', on the bottom a mix of Anubias barteri ''coffeefolia'' and Anubias barteri var. nana.

Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira


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## FAAO

Hi folks,

Here it is a new picture of this aquarium.

I would like to know if this picture is over exposed of if it is right for you. I have some problems in calibrate my screen and some people told me that my previous pictures are a bit darker.


This is ok?

About the layout, in a few days I'll trim all Echinodorus palaefolius var. latifolius to force the grow of the Ozelot and Cryptocorynes. For now I only timmed tenellus to keep it small and to avoid waste of food by discos.

Let now your opinion about it!

Take care,

Filipe Oliveira


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## fishman9809

oh my god, thst is so incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want it!!!!! Beautiful discus!!!!


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## orlando

That is the nicest looking Discus and Ram I have ever seen. Are they wild caught?


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## FAAO

orlando said:


> That is the nicest looking Discus and Ram I have ever seen. Are they wild caught?


No they aren't, I imported through a local fish shop from here Diskuszucht Stendker GmbH & Co. KG a German breeder.

If you love my rams, I think that you will love this picture. Click on it to get an Hi Resolution picture. 


Take care,

Filipe Oliveira


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## fishman9809

oh my lord


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## kakkoii

Great pics!


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## goalcreas

Stunning tank.rayer:

Yes, I am no photo expert by any means, but I think the Full tank shot is a little bit overexposed, but it is good enough that we get to see just how amazing this tank is.


Great high res RAM shot:jaw:


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## T-Bone

High res ram shot? ....... you can almost see its cellular structure!! [smilie=l:

Awesome tank, its healthy, not too cluttered and it's arranged well. Allthough I agree with some of the others; the driftwood you have is very nice, show it off more.


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## djarmstrong

Great tank , love the fish in there too .

Only thing i don't like is the Ram but that is only beacuse i don't like them type of fish any way .


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## duzzy

Hi Filipe, 

as a photographer I am constantly battling this situation, the top of the tank is over exposed, the whites are blown out are you using a DSLR? if so I can post in my photo forum and ask what is the best way to avoid this situation but it will mean you emailing me a photo, pm me and I will send my email address to you

Regards Darren

P.S. its hard because if you meter the light at the top of the tank you wont see fish they will be under exposed, I will find out for you if you like.


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## zeneo

I'm no photo expert but it seems to me that without any extra lights, to reduce de over-exposure in the top, inevitably he will get the bottom darker and many more shadows. I don't think Filipe wants that.

Without some kind of professional projector it will be impossible, as it seems, there are no means of putting one flash box or something like that. 

Maybe when the intermediate plants like the Cryptocoryne x willissi grow a little more it will be easier to achieve. 

Great tank man


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## FAAO

Hi folks,

Here it is an update of my discus tank and my new apistogrammas!













Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira


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## kjaer

It looks fantastic. And nice apistos too!


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## FAAO

Hi,

I know that most of you don't appreciate this aquarium... so, for the few that want to know how it is right now; here it is some pictures :heh:





Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira


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## foofooree

what are you talking about? I love them.


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## orlando

I think it's wonderful. As always a true master piece


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## FAAO

Hi,

Probably you will be of the few that appreciate this aquarium! :mrgreen:
This aquarium was not made for scaping but for fish keeping, for this reason the most of the people don't like it! :heh: 
(17 votes; 3.47 of rating! On the beginning there were people that vote 1 and 2... so I think that only a few persons appreciate it! )

So, I did choose those fishes and now I need to keep them; nothing better then give them a lowtech aquarium and some shadows.

Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira


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## Afyounie

This is a beautiful tank. I love tanks that are so natural. Great job!


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## foofooree

FAAO said:


> Hi,
> 
> Probably you will be of the few that appreciate this aquarium! :mrgreen:
> This aquarium was not made for scaping but for fish keeping, for this reason the most of the people don't like it! :heh:
> (17 votes; 3.47 of rating! On the beginning there were people that vote 1 and 2... so I think that only a few persons appreciate it! )
> 
> So, I did choose those fishes and now I need to keep them; nothing better then give them a lowtech aquarium and some shadows.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Filipe Oliveira


how do you see how many vote you got?


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## FAAO

foofooree said:


> how do you see how many vote you got?


It is easy! You put the mouse pointer on the rating of the thread; and then it show you how many votes you have.

Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira


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## Tex Gal

I think this tank is excellent. I love how the plants are coming out of the water and the wood is revealed again! You are one amazing aquascaper!


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## didiplants

I think it absolutely breath taking.
You did a beautiful tank.


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## chester

At the beggining the tank didn't really coresponded my taste. But now, with time progress, I like it very much! Very natural and peaceful layout. 'Good' from me!


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## Phil Edwards

What a beautiful aquarium, and such gorgeous fish! Now you've got me thinking about keeping discus again... I really like how you've let the Echinodorus grow out of the water it adds a neat touch. The use of ferns on wood for the background was a good choice as well. I'm looking forward to seeing this as it matures even more.


Regards,
Phil


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## Joecoral

I love this tank, it has to be one of my favourites on here, the aquascaping and the discus both look fantastic
I've been planning a planted discus tank for a while now, and this is exactly how I want mine to look!
Keep up the good work
JC


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## gf225

Hey Filipe,

Your photo skills have improved... New camera? New Photoshop?

Nice 'scape too. 4 stars from me. 

Pity I missed you at Interzoo. I never realised how active you were with Tropica, Elos etc.


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## Leonard

I really like this aquarium, it's very beautiful


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## FAAO

Hi,
Thanks for the comments!:-D
I never imagined that you appreciated so much this aquarium. It isn't a real scaping and it is very different of what I usually do. At the beginning the comments and the ranking was so bad that I were thinking in not share pictures about it!



Phil Edwards said:


> What a beautiful aquarium, and such gorgeous fish! Now you've got me thinking about keeping discus again... I really like how you've let the Echinodorus grow out of the water it adds a neat touch. The use of ferns on wood for the background was a good choice as well. I'm looking forward to seeing this as it matures even more.
> Regards,
> Phil


Hi Phil, thanks for your comment! I think that you should return to those beautiful fishes:-D
I never forget you 3rd place on AGA 2003. For those that don't know Phil's aquarium, here it is: *Grove of the Patriarchs*



Joecoral said:


> I've been planning a planted discus tank for a while now, and this is exactly how I want mine to look!
> Keep up the good work
> JC


Did you keep discus already? 
Discus can let you near of an heart attack, panic and very stressed at the beginning... then and when they are accustomed to the owner... you will see what amazing fish they are!!!



gf225 said:


> Hey Filipe,
> 
> Your photo skills have improved... New camera? New Photoshop?
> 
> Nice 'scape too. 4 stars from me.
> 
> Pity I missed you at Interzoo. I never realised how active you were with Tropica, Elos etc.


Really? I'm having some problems in adapting to reflex camera! I was accustomed to compact digital and when start using reflex, it was painful... Avoid the reflex, get some static pictures&#8230; and Macro!? Oh God&#8230; 
Now I think that I have found the right camera settings and finally I'm taking better pictures than before.
In photoshop, I only change something on curves, brightness and contrast, levels, sharpening... I'm not a specialist!!! What you think about the colour and bright of the pictures? They are darker?
I changed my CRT for a LCD TFT and I never know if it is well calibrated 
Regarding Interzoo, I didn't go... I can't leave the country! My identification card is to been renewed.
About ELOS and Tropica,...; Why you said that? 
I'm just an ELOS addicted :mrgreen:

Here it is some pictures of my Discos:

The smaller! I baptized it of Miccoli (Fabrizio Miccoli)!
Can be smaller but it is an warrior! :heh: _"è un combattente coraggioso!!"_ :heh:









Dominant Red Alenquer (male)









And it is all! Once again thanks for your comments and compliments.

Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira


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## duzzy

I keep looking at this thread for updates, it is what my dream tank would look something like. Superbly planted and scaped and beautiful fish!

Regards Darren


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## Joecoral

_Did you keep discus already? 
Discus can let you near of an heart attack, panic and very stressed at the beginning... then and when they are accustomed to the owner... you will see what amazing fish they are!!!_

No, not yet, but I've been doing plenty of reading, learning from people with beautiful tanks such as yours. I wont be setting it up until after christmas anyway
JC


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## FAAO

Thanks to all for the comments! 

Here it is an update. The picture was taken yesterday.


Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira


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## kjaer

Amazing! I really get the feeling of a flooded amazonian rainforest when i look at it.


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## jackh

that looks so good


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## Tex Gal

I just love your tank. It's so unusual. You are in a class by yourself.


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## jmr201

FAAO said:


> Hi,
> 
> I know that most of you don't appreciate this aquarium... so, for the few that want to know how it is right now; here it is some pictures :heh:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Filipe Oliveira


Great scape. I have always wanted to do Discus but I have got to get in a permanent location first. I really get the feeling I'm in the water with them! Do you have a link to pictures of the small tank on the left?


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## ibanezgfx

absolutely beautiful!


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## FAAO

Thanks for the comments! 


jmr201 said:


> Great scape. I have always wanted to do Discus but I have got to get in a permanent location first. I really get the feeling I'm in the water with them! Do you have a link to pictures of the small tank on the left?


Yes, you can find it here: Pinheiro manso 60L

Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira


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## fishman9809

thats incredible how big those plants get to grow that long out of water!!!! wat plants is it?


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## FAAO

fishman9809 said:


> thats incredible how big those plants get to grow that long out of water!!!! wat plants is it?


Hi,

Those big swords are from Echinodorus palaefolius var. latifolius  I never thought that they did grow so much! 
The lighting fixture is at 45cm above the water. #-o and I hope that will not grow more... otherwise I need to up a little more the lighting system!!!

Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira


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## lonepeace

Amazing tank~~ Great work...... keep the update coming


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## duzzy

I also love the tank on the left, do you have close ups or a journal for that tank?


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## FAAO

Thanks for the comments! 


duzzy said:


> I also love the tank on the left, do you have close ups or a journal for that tank?


Hi Duzzy,
Once again , yes I've, you can find it here: Pinheiro manso 60L

Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira


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## jeffrey richard

I can't view the picture ... what is the link? May be blocked in my office ...


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## ghengis

FAAO said:


> DIY Aquarium 130x50x60


MAAO, loving your setup. I'm curious, what sort of adhesive did you use for such a large tank? I gather you used silicone, but this stuff looks black...what type is it?


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## fandango

One of the best tanks ever. Also the whole thread is amazing- showing all the steps of building, scaping, planting and the progress of it growing to be so absolutely stunning. 

Do not be upset about ratings- the people who've given you one or two stars (I can't believe it!) must be jealous of your success. That's the nature of our fellow species... 

Please do keep posting pictures, comments and answers to the questions. It IS appreciated by 99% of people here, I'm sure.


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## FAAO

ghengis said:


> MAAO, loving your setup. I'm curious, what sort of adhesive did you use for such a large tank? I gather you used silicone, but this stuff looks black...what type is it?


Hi,
This adhesive is only to define the silicon area, after the glasses are placed with silicon you will have exceeded silicon, you need to remove it with your hands and after that you remove the adhesive.



fandango said:


> One of the best tanks ever. Also the whole thread is amazing- showing all the steps of building, scaping, planting and the progress of it growing to be so absolutely stunning.


Thanks for your compliments :wink:



fandango said:


> Do not be upset about ratings- the people who've given you one or two stars (I can't believe it!) must be jealous of your success. That's the nature of our fellow species...


No problem at all!
I only wrote something about rating because I couldn't understand why someone is capable of vote or rate a tank with one week!!!! And I'm not talking only about this tank... It occurs the same with my newest layout on 60L! Anyone has the rights of vote and judges the aquariums but it is something strange... the comments of those persons never appears! Why don't justify their criteria and evaluation?! For this reason I'm against this tool!
Perhaps I should show only matured layouts :-# and use my blog to show the progress and all the steps!



fandango said:


> Please do keep posting pictures, comments and answers to the questions. It IS appreciated by 99% of people here, I'm sure.


I'll do it since I think that I'm welcome! 

So, here it is an update of this aquarium!



Yesterday I did a big... big trim! I felt the need to trim most of the plants on this aquarium to stop a plague of Hydra. I don't know the reason for it appearance but to control it I added some Trichopsis pumilus. Those fish are awesome to eat hydra but it spreads so fast and some times it will seams some filamentous algae. With this big trim I want to remove all the infected plants and leave the remaining for Trichopsis; also I think that I can promote the growing of some plants that never grow correctly because they were on the shadow and didn't receive light enough to grow.

Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira


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## fishman9809

INCREDIBLE, what happened to ur HUGE swords?


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## mabner

I loved the growth above the water. I had some plants growing above the water line, but I've never seen swords with overgrowth like that, it's really nice and does give the tank a very natural look. Did you remove them or have just done a 'hardcore' trim?
Your tanks are a definite inspiration to me, parabéns!


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## foofooree

FAAO said:


> Yesterday I did a big... big trim! I felt the need to trim most of the plants on this aquarium to stop a plague of Hydra.


I havent seen hydra, until recently. They have been popping up in peoples tanks everywhere. And you are very far away from any of them  I even had a couple of them appear in one of my tanks, but they dissappeared for some reason  Tank looks great BTW


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## fandango

Your tank and fish look fantastic once again! Hope you don’t mind answering a few questions:

Did you use normal glass for your tank and how thick was it?

Did you use special aquarium silicone or a normal everyday builder’s one?

Did the tall Echinodorus palaefolius var. latifolius outgrow the tank after all or you just decided to have a new look? 

What is your discus normal diet and feeding schedule and does it affect the amount and type of fertilizers you use/don't use in this set-up?

I like the new look as much as the old one. What an inspiration!


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## JACK SOBRAL

Boas Felipe

Faz um tempo que a gente não se fala, ficaste de vir ao Brasil e nada até agora heimmm...
O aquário está porreiro, muito natural... Lembro que no início você falou que seria mais uma montagem em que o povo poderia torcer o nariz, porém não é o que parece, para um aquário de baixa manutenção. Tenho problemas constantes com Ludwigias que não param de crescer!!!
Meus parabéns!!!
Esse site mostra somente variedades selvagens dos acarás Discus? http://www.amazon-exotic-import.de/Gallerie/Diskuswildf%e4nge/INDEX.htm

Faoo beautiful aquarium, will compete in the AGA and ADA that year with him?

Hug

JACK


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## FAAO

fishman9809 said:


> INCREDIBLE, what happened to ur HUGE swords?


I just trimmed! I didn't remove it. 



mabner said:


> Did you remove them or have just done a 'hardcore' trim?


No, I just trimmed it to get more light on the bottom and to promote the growing of some plants; and reduce the propagation of hydra.



foofooree said:


> I havent seen hydra, until recently. They have been popping up in peoples tanks everywhere. And you are very far away from any of them  I even had a couple of them appear in one of my tanks, but they dissappeared for some reason  Tank looks great BTW


I discussed this subject with a friend and he told me that had some hydra and disappears from one day to another&#8230; In my tank it was spreading so quickly and I felt the need of trim most of plants to reduce it.



fandango said:


> Your tank and fish look fantastic once again! Hope you don't mind answering a few questions:
> Did you use normal glass for your tank and how thick was it?


I used 12mm normal glass and 1mm of silicone into the junctions.


fandango said:


> Did you use special aquarium silicone or a normal everyday builder's one?


Yes, normal silicone with fast dry.



fandango said:


> Did the tall Echinodorus palaefolius var. latifolius outgrow the tank after all or you just decided to have a new look?


I just answered before _"No, I just trimmed it to get more light on the bottom and to promote the growing of some plants; and reduce the propagation of hydra."_



fandango said:


> What is your discus normal diet and feeding schedule and does it affect the amount and type of fertilizers you use/don't use in this set-up?


On the setup, I used a 7lt of ELOS bottom Mineral (is like ADA powersand), 1 bag of ELOS Terra Zero (recommended use for 100lt of water) composed by bio activators and micro & macro elements; with this rich soil you will reduce the liquid fertilization.
Also, I learned with previous setup (240L) that you need to control the amount of food that you give to discus. I only feed them 1 or 2 times a day with controlled doses and with the quantity that I know that it be eaten very fast by them. I feed them with granulate (SVD from ELOS) or frozen homemade food (made by me), they will not be independent of one kind of food and if some day I need more time to do the frozen food, I can feed them only with granulate.



JACK SOBRAL said:


> Boas Felipe
> Faz um tempo que a gente não se fala, ficaste de vir ao Brasil e nada até agora heimmm...
> O aquário está porreiro, muito natural... Lembro que no início você falou que seria mais uma montagem em que o povo poderia torcer o nariz, porém não é o que parece, para um aquário de baixa manutenção. Tenho problemas constantes com Ludwigias que não param de crescer!!!
> Meus parabéns!!!
> Esse site mostra somente variedades selvagens dos acarás Discus? http://www.amazon-exotic-import.de/Gallerie/Diskuswildf%e4nge/INDEX.htm JACK


Oi Jack,
Ainda não fui ao Brasil mas acho que está para breve&#8230; 
Quanto ao link, acho que você encontra aí de tudo um pouco, acho que são todas as espécies que são importadas da América do Sul, basta cortar no link e voltar á galeria para ver tudo que eles importam.



JACK SOBRAL said:


> Faoo beautiful aquarium, will compete in the AGA and ADA that year with him?


ADA doesn't value this kind of aquarium / layout, perhaps next year if this aquarium will be as I intend, I will send it. For AGA&#8230; how knows!

Thanks to all for the comments and compliments!

Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira


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## ghengis

FAAO said:


> Hi,
> This adhesive is only to define the silicon area, after the glasses are placed with silicon you will have exceeded silicon, you need to remove it with your hands and after that you remove the adhesive.


FAAO, cheers for the reply. What I meant with the question was which type of Silicone did you use? Here in Australia, we have a black silicone, like the one you used, but it is not suitable for aquariums, so I am wondering which brand you used? Cheers


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## JACK SOBRAL

> ADA doesn't value this kind of aquarium / layout, perhaps next year if this aquarium will be as I intend, I will send it. For AGA&#8230; how knows!


guess!

Aquariums of the ADA are very beautiful, but the prizes are always among them!

Hug

JACK


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## memnoch1970

very cool


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## FAAO

Hi there,

Here it is some new and fresh pictures of this aquarium.

Since I trimmed all the big swords of echinodorus, the plants have more light and with a good fertilization and CO2, tenellus gained some red coloration.


Close-up picture of one leaf of tenellus.


Another close-up, this time to a Red Alenquer Discus... or part of it! 


_Apistogramma trifasciata_, this fish is amazing and very peaceful to keep with discus!




Right side of the aquarium where it is placed the ELOS REA50 co2 Reactor. Very beautiful! I think that someone asked sometime ago for some pictures... 


Take a look at the small particles of CO2 that comes from the reactor. Since I changed the circulation pump to an Eheim compact 1002 (1000lth) the Co2 is now more dissolved in the water.


Another one!


Finally, a panoramic picture of this tank! I hope that you enjoy it 


Cheers,

Filipe Oliveira


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## shewey

Beautiful photos as always!!

Mark.


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## vitaroy

What a wonderful fish tank....i am drooling now...Thanks for those nice pics.


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## DBL TAP

You just can't help but stare at the pictures. I know it sounds redundant, but really good job.


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## fandango

Thanks for posting more pictures. Your tank, plants and fish are stunning!


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## FAAO

Here it is one video of my both aquariums. I hope that you like it!





To see it in better resolution please go to youtube webpage clicking on the video and chose "watch in high quality".


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## 954baby

Where can your CO2 reactor be purchased at?


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## dirrtybirdy

Very nice video.


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## FAAO

954baby said:


> Where can your CO2 reactor be purchased at?


Please contact [email protected] for further information 

This weekend I made a new video where you can see the interactivity of the Discus and how I feed them 






Any doubt... just ask!


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## MonteNo1

Hello, I have recently discovered your discus tank and must say it is the most beautiful discus tank i have ever seen. I have even set your picture as the wallpaper on my computer! I am just beginning to get into discus and planting. I was wondering what type of tenellus is on the floor of your tank. From your pictures it looks like it stays very short and does not get too thick. I was hoping you would be able to tell me if it is naturally like that, or if you have to trim it to keep it thin and short. Also I was wondering what fish I could add to combat the growth of algae on the leaves of my amazon swords. Thank you for your time. -Matt


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## FAAO

Hi Matt,

The foreground plant is Echinodorus tenellus and you need to trim it frequently to keep it down, otherwise will grow too much. To avoid some algae problems and clean the exceed food that you will give to discus, use Crossocheilus siamensis, Pitbull Pleco (LDA25) and Otocinclus affinis.

Here it is some new pictures of my tank (9 months old)


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## thief

Wow FAAO,

The videos are awesome by the way. I am curious though how long did it take for you to train the discus to allow petting them? I think that is so cool how your fish trust the master's hands!

Another cool effect I like in the video is how when the discus face you a certain way they disappear into the black background. 

Great job!


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## dirrtybirdy

jesus christ your tank is awesome


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## ChrisGray

thats amazing the tank looks great and the fish look even better


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## MonteNo1

FAAO said:


> Hi Matt,
> 
> The foreground plant is Echinodorus tenellus and you need to trim it frequently to keep it down, otherwise will grow too much. To avoid some algae problems and clean the exceed food that you will give to discus, use Crossocheilus siamensis, Pitbull Pleco (LDA25) and Otocinclus affinis.


After about 4 weeks of having 2.6 WPG on my newly planted 55 gallon discus tank, my algae was out of control! I had a think carpet of brown algae on every leaf of my various sword plants as well as every other plant in the tank. I took your advice and got some pitbull pleco's. I bought six of them, and they were only 1/2 inch each. After only 5 days, half my algae is gone! The leaves that the pleco's have been working on are 100% clean of all algae. I can't believe that they are so small and eat so much algae, all without damaging the plants. If anyone has an algae problem, get some of these guys! Thank you for the great advice!


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## bienlim

very lovely tank, just wondering what are your water parameters ph,gh,kh and do u turn of your co2 at night or its on 24/7. thank u


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## Tex Gal

You do such a wonderful job. I love your tanks!


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## xtremefour

Very beautiful tanks. You are truly an artist..

Matt


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## glibby

Beautiful, shows me how little I know. One Question. Before you applied the silicon you applied an adhesive ribbon all around. Why? I thought you could just scrape off any excess with a razor blade.


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## DelawareJim

Filipe;

What an awesome tank!

I love the series of pics when you had the Echinodorus growing out of the water.

I just discovered your journal while searching Echinodorus palaefolius. I just received a small plant from a local public garden where the mother plants were over a metre tall.

How big did they eventually get for you?

Any new pictures?

Cheers.
Jim


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## p-daddy

Awesome DIY work


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## fishaquatics

What type of camra do you use to take such great pictures? Amazing aquarium!!!!!


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## vanscheck

super cool driftwood...love the discus, a fish im scared to buy due to its care taking level, im just a begginer and the tank...im planning to build my own DIY aquarium...anybody know of a good glass co2 diffuser..i have DIY 2 litre co2 and i want a diffuser, something mid range


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## ricoishere

This is a great tank. How is it doing now?


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## FAAO

Sorry guys for answer so late! This layout was rescaped and no longer exists.
Since I will rescape it again in a few days, I will start a new Thread with the step by step.
Thanks to all for the comments and compliments


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