# ADA-120P New Layout



## nicewicz (May 16, 2010)

Spring has arrived and it is time to begin thinking about a new layout. With this opportunity to rescape, I want to learn several new aquascaping layout techniques. I will attempt my first U-shaped layout with two large driftwood pieces that I acquired from manzanita.com:










This layout will consist mainly of ferns (narrow leaf java fern, trident java fern, bolbitis heudelotii), midground grass-like plants (Blyxa japonica, pogostemon helferi) and foreground of Hemianthus callitrichoides.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

nice stumps... now you gotta show some of thoes super awsome plants you got from me. 

looks interesting


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## nicewicz (May 16, 2010)

Thanks. Don't worry, those blyxa will be essential to this layout. They've been developing some fresh new shoots in a holding tank. Going to be working on my rock/grass layout techniques. Will post more pics later today as I start to scape.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

this is going to be ...... AWSOME!!!


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## nicewicz (May 16, 2010)

Hardscape before planting:

Front view:










Rear view:


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## shauliko (May 1, 2011)

looking good...


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## nicewicz (May 16, 2010)

Initial Planting:

Front:










Back:










Blyxa Japonica (thanks doubleott) and HC:










Hygrophila pinnatifida and Ludwigia arcuata:










More details on plant list and materials soon...


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

looking good


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## Sketch (Jan 18, 2011)

this is cool. looking forward to the updates. =)


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## f1ea (Jul 7, 2009)

Very nice. What fish are you planning??

I really like the "back" on the last set of pics!! So perhaps, its time to move the dinning table and couch into the kitchen hehe


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## nicewicz (May 16, 2010)

Thanks guys. I'm trying to create a dried riverbed deep in the forest. Once the HC fills in, the carpet effect will be reminiscent of a mossy river bank.
I agree with you f1ea, the "back" of the tank is my favorite side as well. I don't think my g/f would like me rearranging the house though! Any suggestions on fish? Haven't given it much thought yet. Perhaps some black phantom tetra?

Thus far, the species of plants I have in the tank are:

-Microsorum pteropus (needle leaf)
-Microsorum pteropus 'Trident' 
-Bolbitis heudelotii
-Ludwigia arcuata
-Ludwigia inclinata
-Cryptocornye wendtii 'green'
-Cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae
-Cryptocoryne walkeri
-Crinum calamistratum
-Hygrophila pinnatifida
-Blyxa japonica
-Pogostemon helferi
-Staurogyne sp. 'tropica'
-Hemianthus callitrichoides
-Xmas moss


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## nicewicz (May 16, 2010)

It's been a while and there's new growth to report (and this unfortunately includes a little brown hair algae).


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## nicewicz (May 16, 2010)

I've completely failed at introducing shrimp to this tank. Tried adding amano shrimp and cherries on three separate occasions. Same result all three times: dead shrimp within a day or two. All dead. I've tested for copper and there's not a trace (at least that I can tell by my test kit). The only other factor that I can think of is high levels of CO2. Else, it could be that my CO2 is turned up to inject too fast (I have a pH controller and solenoid valve with needle control). Anyone else with CO2 injection note issues with fast shrimp mortality?


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## Pink_Lotus (Jun 11, 2011)

nice aquarium...love it! i can't comment much about your death of shrimp coz i don't have any...


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Can't wait to see the changes as this tank matures. I like the foregrounds of both sides a lot.


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## nicewicz (May 16, 2010)

Thanks for the compliments. I am really enjoying this one slowly mature. It is always exciting to come home every night and inspect for new buds! I think the foreground needs one more grassy plant. Perhaps a few clumps of eleocharis 'belem'? Any other suggestions?

I think I might have solved my shrimp issue (knock on wood). I just might have had my CO2 too high. I backed off and so far the one cherry I bought is doing fine. CO2 tables can be a bit misleading; lesson learned the hard way.


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## nicewicz (May 16, 2010)

It's been a very long time and I have been swamped. Luckily not too swamped to maintain the aquascape. I apologize for the pic quality in advance. Long-overdue pics:



















Sawbwa Resplendens:


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## petsmartpro (Jul 17, 2006)

wow..... just wow, i didnt invision it turning out that good, so mad props, its filled out great, hopefully it continues to do so, how did you get such good growth?? mainly the co2 output?? and how is your shrimp doing? was it the co2?


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

amazing growth, it filled out really well... did you keep on trimming the hc? seems like their growth is impartial to the rest of the tank.


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## nicewicz (May 16, 2010)

Thanks for the compliments. The pictures don't really do it justice as the greens are quite vivid. I need to get a better camera. The growth is spectacular due to the high CO2 and careful observation on fertilization (5 mL of Excel Fluorish and Iron every day, 1/8 teaspoon of KNO3 and 1/32 teaspoon of KH2PO4 every other day, 50% water change weekly). I've been judging my CO2 dosage by dKH and pH (from a pH probe). Then I decided to purchase a drop checker...and boy did I have very little CO2. I cranked it up and now the growth has taken off and most of the nagging algae problems are gone. Interestingly, based on the CO2 tables, at the pH and dKH that I'm at now suggests that I have 180 ppm of CO2! My fish would all be dead. Clearly this is not an accurate way to measure dissolved CO2 as there must be additional acids in the water column that are lowering the pH. 

I've tried many many times to introduce shrimp (amano, cherry, and ghost); all to no avail. I'm convinced that there's something either in my tapwater that I use or the stones that are in the scape (which I collected). I'm really at a loss for what it is. It's not the CO2, (I know this because of the drop checker), it's not copper (not even a trace of it) and I carefully acclimate the shrimp over the course of 1 hour, so I don't think it's that either. If I introduce 10 amanos, 2-3 will be dead by the next morning. The rest will slowly die, one by one, over the course of 1-2 weeks. When I introduce them to the tank, a few swim laps around the tank; those are usually the first to go. They also swim laps when I do water changes. Once we're in the house that we plan to build, I'm going to put in an RO/DI system and start from scratch. Any ideas as to what is causing my shrimp problems would be most appreciated.

nap 83: The HC kind of died back a bit or was doing very poorly for about 2 months. I had to take a lot of it out and start over. In the end, it was the lack of CO2 that really hurt it. Now that CO2 levels are good, it is spreading like wildfire. I just trimmed it for the first time yesterday and so it is doing great.

The other thing that I'm struggling with right now is cyanobacteria. My nitrates are always much higher than phosphates, I have fairly good flow, but the main problem is detritus buildup. That is where I was hoping the shrimp would help out, but that is not possible now. I simply try to remove it every day manually, then during the water changes, siphon up as much detritus as possible. I also spot treat with small amounts of H2O2. If anyone has got any more advice, I'm all ears.


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## simwiz (Apr 1, 2010)

10 points!!! Congrats!!!!


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## lanceduffy (Jul 15, 2010)

I struggled with cyanobacteria in a layout. I tried a lot of different methods to keep it under control and it seemed no matter what I did, I would find a little patch here and there. Finally in my search for a cure, I learned about treating it with erythromycin. You might want to read up on it, but if my memory serves me, I think I just used it per package instructions. I kept that layout for over a year after the treatment and never saw cyano again. Good luck.


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## nanoreef16g (Jan 26, 2006)

That looks great.


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

Great tank! Got me thinking about how my 125 looks


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