# ADG75galOpenTop set-up April10,2005



## jsenske (Mar 15, 2004)

This is the tank we set up while Oliver Knott was here in April. I put it in the substrate forum and not aquascaping because compositionally it is not there yet. In fact, I have not done much trimming at all to this tank and don't want to show it from so much an "aquascaping" standpoint. The Rotala green has never been completely trimmed- only stray stems here and there. In the past to get that lush growth took a round or two of trimming- but this tank has just busted-out from the get-go. I know the Pogostemon on the right is too tall- again, it is not where I want it yet- I have just been letting things grow- though it has been trimmed once to remove the "original" tops. 
Mostly I wanted to show another tank that for me is way out ahead for the length of time it has been up. I attribute it to the ADA substrate system. 
Dosing has not been anything special- ADA STEP ONE and Greg Watson macro mix. I had some color loss on a few of the Rotala stems that I quickly remedied with ECA. 

Perhaps this post should actually be in the Aquarium Design Group forum. Moderators please feel free to move if deemed necessary. I'd start over and do it myself but it seems the site is moving REALLY slow right now. It's taking forever for pages to display- but only here- I am not having the problem on other websites so I don't think it's my computer/browser. ??


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

wow amazing growth in such a short time.


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## gnatster (Mar 6, 2004)

Jeff, do you have pictures of it when setup. A timeline would be nice, something where we can see the results firsthand.


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## jsenske (Mar 15, 2004)

Yes I do - I forgot about those pics. Let me track them down and I'll post tonight. Thanks for reminding me. 

Is the site moving really slow for anyone else? Pages are taking a really long time to display- much slower than normal- and it's only a problem on this site- other sites seem fine between pages. Any clue?


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## gnatster (Mar 6, 2004)

Speed issues are being worked on.


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## dmartin72 (Oct 9, 2004)

Wow...another beauty!

I'm glad you said something about the speed, or lack thereof, of the website. I was beginning to think it was me.


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## aquaessentials (Dec 15, 2004)

Terrific work again Jeff - it seems that your wonderful creations never end...


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Looks pretty darn good to me, Jeff.  Out of curiousity, approximately how many stems of Rotala do you think you have in there?


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## david lim (Mar 30, 2004)

lookin good jeff. I was wondering what would happen with the R. 'green' but it seems you have real good control over it. I can't see real well but did y'all remove the monoselenium?

David


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## jsenske (Mar 15, 2004)

Thanks! I have a vision for the layout that should be much improved from this quick pic- I do appreciate that folks like it as is, though- thank you. 

There's about 12-18 bunches of Rotala I would guess- it was from 3 different tanks so it was a lot of scattered cuttings so I am not exactly sure. I was pretty spare in the beginning, but when that plant takes off. one stem can yield 10 more easily. I have just never has it so lush and big before in such short time. HQIs factor in the equation too, I'm sure. 

Yes, I removed the monoselenium. I was seeing a real nuisance in the making + it's a little dark for where this particular layout seemed heading. 

Here's the tank about 1 hour old.


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## chiahead (Dec 18, 2004)

Jeff, really awesome tank. Awesome growth, healthy tank. The growth from start to one month later is unbelievable. I cant wait for my ADA to come in. Just curious where you got those rocks from. I want some.


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

I'd be interested in knowing the methodology here re cycling. That one hour old tank looks nothing like what I usually throw into a newly setup tank: lots and lots of plants, with lots of fast growers.

That tank is nothing like that. So did it go through a normal cycle? 

Maybe it doesn't matter as I don't see any fish in there! ;-) 

Amazing growth in such a short time! and a very nice layout.


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## jsenske (Mar 15, 2004)

I use BIO-SPIRA to cycle new tanks. 

Most of the stems are small in the set-up photo are small and concealed behind the rocks, though it was not what I would call "heavily" planted. 

I also do lots of small water changes early on and I don't usually add fish until after 1 month and that is based in the ADA approach.


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## Plattykins (Apr 3, 2005)

Hi Jeff. I especially like the rock arrangement as it is shown in the early version of the tank. In fact, I think that version could actually stand on it's own. :biggrin: I agree, that is incredible growth for one month! What is the lighting setup?


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## jsenske (Mar 15, 2004)

Lighting is a 48" Coralife fixture with 2- 150watt ADA 8,000K HQI and 2- 96 watt Coralife 6700K PCs. Total photoperiod is 10 hours with HQIs on for 5 hours. 

I wish I could get more of those rocks but like all good hardscape materials seem to be, they are very hard to come by and EXPENSIVE when you do. That rock ran us about $3.00/lb!


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## dmartin72 (Oct 9, 2004)

Jeff,

Do you use the normal or the green HQI? Also, are you aerating the tank at night?


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## e.lark (May 5, 2005)

I to think the early setup could stand on its own with the groundcover filled in. The rock work is just amazing and $3 a lb is well worth it. Such beautiful stone, black with the lines running through it. What's it called?


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## jsenske (Mar 15, 2004)

I use the normal ADA HQI- not the green. I want to try the green, though. 

I plan to keep the hardscape on this tank and redo with only one groundcover- maybe Hemianthus, since I have not had an opportunity to try that plant yet. 
If you receive The Aquatic Gardener, this newest issue has a great Amano article about how he does this. It's really informative and shows one way to keep a good hardscape going with new looks for a long time. Some ADA tanks are on their 3rd layout withou having moved a single stone. I want to try it. 

I must confess I had help from Ghanzafar Ghori with the placement. He advised on some key stones. It was kind of cool- he'd give some objective input while I manipulated the individual rocks. 

I am not sure what the rock is called. It comes from China and you see it in a lot of Amano layouts.


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## mlfishman (Apr 4, 2005)

*background*

Jeff, I Really like that aquascape. All the tanks you setup up are well done, but a few I dont neccesarily care for the style. That one I Would love to have in my living room. What are you using for a background?? Also, I am setting up a 38 gallon show tank in my living room. I want to use the ADA substrate System. I am on a budget but, I am going to spend the coin to get the substrate correct. What do I need and how much of it? I am assuming I need the AQuasoil and powersand, and that tourmaline stuff ( I dont want any of that other hocus pokus stuff, the penac and stuff). How much of each do you think i need??


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## gnatster (Mar 6, 2004)

> I want to use the ADA substrate System. I am on a budget but, I am going to spend the coin to get the substrate correct. What do I need and how much of it? I am assuming I need the AQuasoil and powersand, and that tourmaline stuff ( I dont want any of that other hocus pokus stuff, the penac and stuff). How much of each do you think i need??


Please ask these things in the vendors forum.


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## TWood (Dec 9, 2004)

jsenske said:


> Mostly I wanted to show another tank that for me is way out ahead for the length of time it has been up. I attribute it to the ADA substrate system. Dosing has not been anything special- ADA STEP ONE and Greg Watson macro mix.





jsenske said:


> Lighting is a 48" Coralife fixture with 2- 150watt ADA 8,000K HQI and 2- 96 watt Coralife 6700K PCs. Total photoperiod is 10 hours with HQIs on for 5 hours.


LOL, you don't think the lighting has a lot to do with it?

That's about 6.5 WPG at full blast, and with macros dosed to the water column, I doubt the substrate has much relative influence. You could use glass marbles as the substrate and get about the same reaction from the plants when using that much light.

IMO

TW


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

TWood,

What Jeff is saying here:


jsenske said:


> ...tank that for me is way out ahead for the length of time it has been up.


means that he, with his extensive experience using rich substrates, sees better results with the products he is using now.

--Nikolay


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## jsenske (Mar 15, 2004)

Twood- You make a point, but remember the fixture is suspended 14in. above the tank- an open-top- and there's a fair amount of scatter. That's not 6wpg sitting right on top of the aquarium itself. Algae would surely be a problem in that scenario- and there is 0 algae in this tank. It does not appear excessively bright either- so I know there's no where near 6+wpg effective on the layout. High light- yes. But I have worked with this level of lighting many times and not yielded the same results ay this phase of the layout. 

For what it's worth.


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