# Aqua Diary - 65L



## FazTeAoMar (Jan 2, 2005)

Hello.

With the summer vacations, I got some extra time to setup my new tank and to come here ( college is taking all my free time). Here goes the pics, hope you like it:

The tank - custom made; Day 30-07-2005









The substract ( by order of placement) - Akadama; peat; NPK 17-6-12 ( potash could be higher but, if necessary, I´ll dose it in liquid; Akadama









Planting - Pogostemon helferi in front of the driftwood; Microsorum pteropus " Narrow leaf" in the driftwood; Eleocharis acicularis behind the driftwood; Day 04-08-2005;









Pogostemon helferi;























Java fern and Eleocharis also planted/placed - Lets fill it!









When the water cleared, it looked like this - Day 06-08-2005;


















Because of the water parameters in wich the plants were before ( water was hard and pH was alkaline), their acclimatization was a bit rough ( Pogostemon lost some leafs), but now plants are booming new growth nicely and I noticed some improvements in this new growth with the actual water parameters ( water is soft and pH is acid); I introduced Hemianthus callitrichoides " Cuba" to cover the open spaces in the foreground ) - Day 14-08-2005


















SETUP:

Dimensions: 60*36*30 ( long*wide*tall) cm
Volume: 65L ; 17G
Lighting: 3 X 18W T8 ( 6500K; 5500K; 4200K) 
Filter: Eheim Liberty 150
CO2: DIY
Plants: Hemianthus callitrichoides " Cuba"; Pogostemon helferi; Microsorum pteropus " Narrow leaf"; Eleocharis acicularis
Fish: soon a couple of Microgeophagus ramirezi
pH: 6
gH: 5
kH: 2
Temperature: 25ºC

That´s all for now. Let me know what you think.

Regards,
André


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## chinaboy1021 (Aug 2, 2005)

love it.


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Very nice! You may need some stems in the back left once things grow in, but other than that it looks good. Did the person who made your tank say it would hold up without the corners being supported? Most other tanks I've seen have to have their corners supported or they'll break.

Regards,
Phil


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## FazTeAoMar (Jan 2, 2005)

Thanks for the reply.

Phil, indeed the tank is not being supported, but only in the first photo. That was the day I recieved it. Before i begun to setup the tank, I placed a wooden plank with tank dimensions, as you can see on a closer look in the rest of the photos. Regarding to stem plants, they were never in my plans. The reason is because I want a low maintenance and with stems,we all know that wouldn´t be possible. 

Regards,
André


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## aquaessentials (Dec 15, 2004)

Any further developments on this tank?

Any more pictures?


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## FazTeAoMar (Jan 2, 2005)

Hi.

yes there is. I slightly changed the driftwood positioning. I changed the lighting also from 3 X 18W T8 to 2 X 36W PC.

Plants are: Glossostigma elatinoides, Blyxa japonica, Pogostemon helferi, Microsorum pteropus " narrow leaf", Rotala sp. " green", Rotala wallichii.

Day 16-09-2005 ( driftwood reposition)










Day 18-09-2005 ( before changing the lighting)










Day 29-09-2005 ( already with the new lights)





































Tomorrow I will update with a front shot.

Regards,
André


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

What kind of light system is the new one?


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## trckrunrmike (Jan 31, 2005)

whoamg. Nice tank. How much was the substrate?


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Looking nice Andre (sorry, I don't know how to make the little ` over the e)

Your second layout is much better than the first. I like the valley leading to the back and I am glad to see that you made it go back diagonally rather than straight back. This creates more depth visually. I think the layout is very good as it is although if you could, I would raise the middle branch a little to create a more triangular flow. Also, anothe thing I would improve if possible is to bring the hardscape foreward a couple inches to give you more space in the back. This would also make the foreground a little smaller and make it more balanced to the rest of the scape.


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## fishfry (Apr 15, 2004)

Do you have any problems with the susbtrate crumbling? I have seen akadama before, and the stuff I saw was very powdery and fell apart in my fingers.


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## FazTeAoMar (Jan 2, 2005)

Hi.



Laith said:


> What kind of light system is the new one?


It is a Jebo Lifetech fixture, made in alloy, with 2 X 36W of power compact, one with 10000K and the other with 6500K.



trckrunrmike said:


> whoamg. Nice tank. How much was the substrate?


The substracte is Bonsai substracte. 15L cost me 25€. 



dennis said:


> Looking nice Andre (sorry, I don't know how to make the little ` over the e)
> 
> Your second layout is much better than the first. I like the valley leading to the back and I am glad to see that you made it go back diagonally rather than straight back. This creates more depth visually. I think the layout is very good as it is although if you could, I would raise the middle branch a little to create a more triangular flow. Also, anothe thing I would improve if possible is to bring the hardscape foreward a couple inches to give you more space in the back. This would also make the foreground a little smaller and make it more balanced to the rest of the scape.


Hi Dennis. No harm done, Andre is fine.  As for the branches, I made the middle one more short so I could give more notion of depth, comparing with the focal point of the left tall branch. I can´t move them either because plants have already occupied most of the spaces. If I would dare to move the hardscape, the whole thing could collapse.  Thanks for your suggestions.



fishfry said:


> Do you have any problems with the susbtrate crumbling? I have seen akadama before, and the stuff I saw was very powdery and fell apart in my fingers.


If you squeeze akadama, it will crumble. When planting, it doesn´t but with time, it will. For now, it gives good porosity for bacteria and plant roots.

I didn´t took pictures today as promissed because I introduced the new fauna of this tank, a pair of Microgeophagus ramirezi and turned off the lights. Tomorrow will definetly be time for a photo session.

Regards,
André


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## JaySilverman (Jun 19, 2005)

I like original layout better. your wood is amazing.


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## Morbida (Aug 15, 2005)

Dude! I love the pic of the snail!


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## FazTeAoMar (Jan 2, 2005)

Hi.

Thanks for the replys. The snail is a Planorbis sp. and it was caught by some CO2 bubbles.  Here are some pics of the new residents. They are already well acclimated and I hope that soon they gave me the joy of breeding, though I still have to work on my gH values. Later on, with more time, I´ll take some panoramic pictures of the tank. I hope you like it.




























Regards,
André


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## RuiEstrelinha (Feb 23, 2004)

Lindos rams tambem quero uns desses!!!! 

Abraço,


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## FazTeAoMar (Jan 2, 2005)

eheheh nao te despaches não.  O meus já acharam um spot e já o começaram a limpar.

Here´s an update as promissed. Sorry for the over exposured photo. It was taken a little bit in a rush. Rotala sp. becomes very compact in the areas where the light is brighter, before growing upwards. In those shaded areas, she grows up, as you can see in the right side, comparing it with the left side. Anyway, there´s no hurry. I intend to keep this tank for a very long time.

Day 11-10-2005









( Picture edited)

Regards,
André


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## DEVA (Nov 29, 2004)

Tu tás lá 

por isso é que não te tenho visto nos tugas 

força fazteaomar


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## FazTeAoMar (Jan 2, 2005)

Thx Deva. Tenho andado por lá, andas distraído.

Another update.

Day 19th October 2005










Best regards,
André


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## FAAO (Jun 1, 2005)

Hi,

Damn man... you didn't show me this foto before... you missed...[-( 
I'll talk with you later! 


Regards,

Filipe Oliveira


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## fish7days (Jul 30, 2005)

Dennis,

The little é is made by holding down the alt key and typing 130 then let go of the alt key :yawinkle: 

Another André


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## wannabescaper (Oct 14, 2005)

AMAZING tank and fish. Those rams are SOOOO colorful, they look like they are pumped full of neon! 

Out of curiosity, how many tanks have you set up before? You seem VERY adept at having a vision and then executing, very impressive. I like the 2nd layout better fwiw.


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## Kamla (Oct 14, 2005)

FazTeAoMar - very nice tank...
love th ewood and placement..
did you build the tank or some company built it for you...


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## Raul-7 (Feb 4, 2004)

wannabescaper said:


> AMAZING tank and fish. Those rams are SOOOO colorful, they look like they are pumped full of neon!


They're selectively bred Rams, produced in S East Asian fish farms to make more "desirable". Not as nice as the real strain, IMO. Here's an example of a perfect strain of Rams that Tom on PT has: http://www.rosehawke.com/photos/rams.jpg


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## FazTeAoMar (Jan 2, 2005)

Hello.

Ernie you are new here ( according to your register date) but you already captured my ideas. Indeed, I first imagine the composition, with as much detail as possible, and then I try to apply it, " playing" a while with the hardscape elements. The result is this. All my other layouts were based in this technique. 

Kamla thanks. I setup my own tanks so, yes, it was I that " built it". 

Regards,
André


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## FazTeAoMar (Jan 2, 2005)

Hi.

Some singular photos taken yesterday. Plants are doing well. Low fertilization is added daily, with some drops of Fe, micronutrients and K. Blyxas area expanding, as Pogostemon helferi.

pH = 5.5
kH = 4
gH = 9
NO3 = 20 ppm










Regards,
andré


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Looking very nice!

Is your pH really 5.5? How are you getting it so low, surely not with CO2 alone as everything would be dead?


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## FazTeAoMar (Jan 2, 2005)

Yes Dennis, it really is 5.5

I have some peat under the akadama. That is why the the values are so low. I could have gH lower than that but, with micro fertilization, it stays that way. I must tell you that plants are doing great with such pH and hardness. Rotala wallichii ( ate least I think it is wallichii), wich I never could keep it, almost certain because of water slightly acid and hard, is thrieving like never before and it needs some regular prunning. CO2 is also pressurized so I think it helps too.

As for the Rotala wallichii?!?, here´s a picture of it and I would appreciate if anyone could give some feeedback if it is indeed Rotala wallichii.










Regards,
André


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## cgcaver (Jul 10, 2005)

2 questions 

1) Where did you get those Rams?! They are incredible! By far, the best looking I've ever seen. Is there _ANY_ way I could order them online???

2) What plant is this in your tank? I like the look for a "backgrounder"









Again, awesome tank - Thx!!


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## aquasox (Sep 11, 2005)

It's not my tank, but it looks like rotala sp. "green" to me


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## cgcaver (Jul 10, 2005)

hmmm the foliage looks more dense (and larger leaves too) than most rotala Ive ever seen up close... guess it could be tho


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## FazTeAoMar (Jan 2, 2005)

Hi.

Gabe C. those rams I bought them in my LFS. They really are very beautiful. They don´t do online orders.

As for the background plant, it is indeed Rotala sp. "green". 

Regards,
André


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## FazTeAoMar (Jan 2, 2005)

Hi.

Another update, just after returning home from a 4 day absence.

Day 1st November 2005 before trimming and after trimming.

Regards,
André


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## dmartin72 (Oct 9, 2004)

Wow that thing filled in nicely!


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## John P. (Nov 24, 2004)

Nice & lush! Good going!


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## FazTeAoMar (Jan 2, 2005)

Hi guys. Thanks for the comments. Here´s the last pics of this month, or even of this year, for this tank. Not that i´m going to dismantle it. I´m just going to let the layout mature a bit more.



















Regards,
André


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## John P. (Nov 24, 2004)

Makes me almost want to go back to glosso ... almost!


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## MiamiAG (Jan 13, 2004)

Excellent! You've done a tremendous job.


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