# 80cm - Work in Progress



## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

I've been covering this aquascape's progress from scratch, week-by-week, on the PFK blogs.

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/bloglist.php




























*Tank *- Juwel Rio 125 with hood and brace removed (80 x 35 x 45cm) 
*Filter* - TetraTec EX 1200, ADA Clear Hose, Aquatic Magic lily pipes, Hydor inline heater
*Light *- Arcadia overtank luminaire (4 x 24w T5), 2 x Arcadia Plant Pro, 2 x JBL 9000K, 9 hours
*CO2* - JBL pressurized system, 1BPS through Rhinox 2000, 4dKH drop checker
*Substrate* - JBL Proflora 200 and silica sand
*Ferts* - Tropica AquaCare Plant Nutrition+ 5ml per day

Stems still have some way to go. There's some Ludwigia arcuata lurking in there ready&#8230;

I'm enjoying watching this develop through my new toy, a Canon EOS 10D.

Happy Christmas and New Year!


----------



## MARIMOBALL (Jun 20, 2007)

Looks very nice will you be adding more wood to the tank? I think it needs a bit more.. Do you see any signs of stress on the tank, from removing the brace?


----------



## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

Thanks.

No more wood. Once the stems etc. fill in, that will provide the interest.

The tank bows slightly. The manufacturer claims it is safe with no brace, although they don't actively encourage removal. It has been removed at my own risk.


----------



## the_anti_honda (Aug 19, 2004)

I like the look of this tank very much. Only improvement that I see needed would be to level the substrate more evenly across the front of the aquarium.

Other then that every thing looks happy, healthy and in place, I see it as balanced.


----------



## Leonard (Mar 4, 2007)

That's a nice scape! 

You could remove or do "something" with the plants (H. micranthemiodes or D. diandra ?) in the background in the corners. They don'y match the rest, but I can't really say what it is...
Maybe add more stone?


----------



## Nevermore (Mar 26, 2007)

I think it's very elegant. I like it a lot!


----------



## Supercoley1 (May 28, 2007)

I shouldn't worry about the glass bowing too much George.

My Fluval Duo Deep 800 (same size as yours) had no brace or plastic keeping the top rim in shape. Just the plastic rim around the bottom and then the simple plastic hood that loosly fitted on the top.

When I built my own wooden hood I noticed that in the centre front and back it touches the glass whereas at the corners there is 5mm clearance. I naturally assumed the wood had warped but when checking this it was perfectly straight, so it must be the glass.

This hood has been on for 3 months now and no problems (apart from being hard to remove. lol)

Love the scape and greens and the light balance looks great. Very clear to see and good to see you posing in front of the tank.lol

Just out of interest, how far from the rear glass is the Lily pipe positioned?

Andy


----------



## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

Thanks all.

Leonard - the plant is Rotala sp. 'Green'. It is coming along nicely and will form the entire background once allowed to mature and pruned appropriately.

Andy - the lily pipe is 10cm from the rear corner. The inlet is 10cm from the front. The circulation pattern is ideal to pick up the CO2 mist this way.


----------



## Jason Baliban (Feb 21, 2005)

Hey George,

This one is very peaceful. I feel like my eye is drawn to the blyxa that starts the left "island." I might consider removing this one....letting the foreground meander back behind.

I also see you are using the Tropica AquaCare Plant Nutrition+? Is this your first tank using it? What do you think of it? I thought i read from Barr that you were a big EI guy? Or am i thinking of the wrong person? If so, why arent you going EI anymore? How are the Tropica AquaCare Plant Nutrition+ working out? Are you seeing any problems?

Thanks George 

jB


----------



## kenneth_kpe (Oct 1, 2005)

hi george, old time poster from fishforums here, I see that you have come a long way from the tanks you posted in the planted tank section there before !! I wish I could have improved in terms of aquascaping as much as you did lolz


----------



## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

Jason Baliban said:


> Hey George,
> 
> This one is very peaceful. I feel like my eye is drawn to the blyxa that starts the left "island." I might consider removing this one....letting the foreground meander back behind.


Hi Jason

Thanks for the 'scape critique.



> I also see you are using the Tropica AquaCare Plant Nutrition+?


Yep.



> Is this your first tank using it?


No.

My two AGA 2007 entries used it exclusively (2.5 gal. and 33 gal. low light).

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2007.cgi?&op=showcase&category=0&vol=0&id=22
http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2007.cgi?&op=showcase&category=0&vol=1&id=95

I am also using it my current 120cm (high light), that is far superior to this 'scape, but I can't make it public yet, as there are Tropica plants in there that aren't in production yet... So watch this space!



> What do you think of it?


Great.



> I thought i read from Barr that you were a big EI guy? Or am i thinking of the wrong person?


I used to use full EI with success (no algae, great plant growth).

As a writer for PFK, I made the readers aware of EI and its potential benefits. I still like the principles behind it, and use them with my current dosing regime i.e. dosing more than required and changing plenty of water.

However, I understand EI isn't everyone's cup of tea, and respect that also.



> If so, why arent you going EI anymore?


I like the simplicity of daily dosing from an all-in-one, off-the-shelf bottle. But as I say, what I am dosing is EI, in essence.

It is worth noting that my tap water is also loaded with NO3, PO4, Mg and Ca. Don't ask how much though. I haven't touched a kit in 3 years.



> How are the Tropica AquaCare Plant Nutrition+ working out? Are you seeing any problems?


Very well. You can see the results.

For me it really is an all-in-one dosing solution. I just need to adjust dosing to suit lighting, plants etc. for each set up.



> Thanks George


You're welcome, Jason.


----------



## Jason Baliban (Feb 21, 2005)

Thanks for the great explanation

After looking at what i wrote, i meant the right island. Here is the one i mean.... sorry i didnt explain myself better.

Hope this is helpful to you.

jB


----------



## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

Thanks, Jason.

I think I'll leave the Bylxa, for now at least.

I am thinking of adding some more smaller rocks to add a transition from the glosso to the Blyxa.

Another thought is losing the glosso and having plain sand with more rocks still.

For your interest, here is the hardscape before planting.



Your thoughts most welcome, of course.


----------



## hedson_25 (Sep 20, 2005)

the driftwood could have been diferent...nice tough...original i would say.


----------



## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

New pics.


----------



## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

Very pretty and well-maintained, George! It's obvious that you take your time with trimming, etc.

How do you like those Gold tetras? Mine are pretty mysterious and every so often, one will kick the can for seemingly no reason.


----------



## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

Thanks, Jessie.

It's not too much maintenance. A couple of hours per week max. I do like a 'clean' tank though.

The tetras are _Hyphessobrycon metae_, known as Rio Meta tetra over here. So far no deaths, but they've only been in there for 4 weeks.


----------



## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

Very nice George. Definitely clean and crisp. When you started the layout did you always intend on having only the left vertical pieces of the wood showing (that is one piece?). Also did the the java fern grow out from young leaves or did you start the scape with mature ones. Thanks.


----------



## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

houseofcards said:


> Very nice George. Definitely clean and crisp. When you started the layout did you always intend on having only the left vertical pieces of the wood showing (that is one piece?). Also did the the java fern grow out from young leaves or did you start the scape with mature ones. Thanks.


Thanks.

To be honest I wasn't sure exactly how the hardscape/planting was going to pan out. I knew that most would be hidden by plants, but I like a framework to build around. I think when the 'scape is 'finished', hardly any hardscape will be visible. I like the three verticle pieces. They're not 0.618 etc. but I'm a crazy rule breaker!!  

The fern was already mature. The tank has only been planted for eight weeks.


----------

