# "Happy return" a 20L



## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

Hello everyone. I've had this tank up and running for almost a month now so I thought I would put up a little journal for it. First off, I'll just give the tank specs along with it's Flora. Fauna is added later.

SPECS:
Marineland C-160 canister filter
Pressurized Co2 w/solenoid (approximately 1 bps)
4x20w spiral compacts mounted in a MIRO reflector
8 hour photoperiod
Azoo titanium submersible heater
EI dosing

FLORA:
Rotala indica, Alternanthera reinicki, Subwassertang, Fissidens fontanus, Flame moss, nana 'petite', Ludwigia palustris, needle-leaf Java fern, tall hairgrass.

I set up the tank, 









and planted January 18.









The next day I set up the lights and Co2. The solenoid turns off Co2 the same time as the lights.

















The day after that (the 20th) I started dosing Flourish Excel. On the 23rd the photoperiod was changed to 10 hours. Water temp 78F, ph 6.8, KH 4, GH 8, Co2 +/- 21 mg/l.

First week of growth:

























The first day after the first macro dose (the 28th) some hair looking brown algae popped up.
















I guess it's just from the extra macros, and that it's a newer tank. No big deal-just an algae cycle. I also added 7 Otocinclus, and 11 Boraras maculatas.

Otocinclus are probably some of the best fish in the world to keep driftwood clean. Note the difference!









February 1st: Another water change day! The moss, Subwassertang and fissidens all have a good amount of clado growing in them. I normally dose 10 ml of Excel after a water change. What I do is target those areas directly with the Flourish. Another minor problem is Cyanobacteria. I can see tiny areas of it, but nothing noticeable unless looking for it. It should go away completely I hope. I also planted HC today. I'll give a shout-out to House of Cards for these. Man, they look perfect! Thanks again HouseofCards!
















February 5th: I added 15 cherry red shrimp for extra clean up help. GET TO WORK!

Februaury 8th: Water change day.









February 11th: All plants are filling in nicely. Fissidens, moss and Subwassertang are finally starting to grow. The Excel is working because the clado in them is really starting to diminish. That floaty, green strand type algae that was present is now starting to go awway too. The tank is starting to mature. I also replace the Alternanthera with Rotala wallichi.

Today Febraury 15th: I was going to clean my filter once monthly, and today was the day. It was filthy! I gues I should do it every other water change. The excess bioload can cause more BGA, and I don't want that. If the BGA persists maybe I should lower the photoperiod to 9 hours. What do you guys think? I also added my two male Dario Darios. I forgot to mention that all the plants on the right side were removed. I really didn't like the way they were growing in. Plus they weren't really smallish plants which I'm trying to go with here. I plan ot let the HC fill in the foreground, and hopefully the hairgrass will fill in the middle a little.


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

WOW!!! very impressive, I really like the wood you have choosen for this tank 

I really like the hairgrass background as long as its kept short enough that it doesn't make a green cloud over the center of the tank.


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## orlando (Feb 14, 2007)

Looks like things are working very well for you. Very nice .


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## helgymatt (Sep 12, 2007)

Looks great! What size is this tank? I like your DIY light set-up. How do you think that is working out?


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

This tank almost has a brackish mangrove feel to it with the light sand and bleachy-looking branches. It's really pretty and will grow into quite a sparkler, I'm sure!


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Redstrat: I agree 100% with the hairgrass thing. The current tends to "push" it into the driftwood. It really wanted it to grow upright. I was considering some rockwork in the right side of the tank to split the current away from the lower half of the hairgrass, but it's just an idea for now.

Helgymatt: The lights are fine. I have all four wired together so that's like having one 80w bulb plugged in. If you look at the picture the bulbs are situated closer to one side, and that side is over the wood.

Jessie: I never thought of it as a Mangrove look, but yes it does a little.


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## mrbman7 (Apr 16, 2007)

I really like the scape and the DIY lights. I would suggest a hood because that MIRO reflector is ugly


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

mrbman7: agreed. I don't really like the way it looks, but it's functional. Right now I'm more concerned with the inside of the tank

I took some more shots today...This is quite an explosion of Rotala.










,and the HC. I love watching this fill in. Apparently the shrimp do too. They love to hang out in it.










Finally, how it looks post-trim.










I have a few stems of Rotala wallichi close to the wood in there, but they're not real impressive yet. The indica was hogging light so maybe the wallichi can fill out a bit now. This hairgrass thing is killing me. It grows five or six inches then a new blade starts, and it sends out new roots. I doesn't look good at all. Has anybody experienced this before? What about a shorter hairgrass? Could it be from the current pushing it over?


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

I havn't updated the growth in this tank in a while so here it is,










I've been having problems with the needle valve. When the solenoid turns on in the morning the Co2 doesn't even bubble through. I have to open it up and turn it back to get a decent bubble rate. Does anybody know what this could be?

Also, I'm looking for reddish stem plant to go in front of the Rotala, and I'm looking for suggestions. The Rotala wallichi is just not growing well for whatever reason.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

It's looking good and your HC has really filled in a lot. Do you still have the hairgrass? I can't tell from the angle of the pic. 

Would Ludwigia arcuata work for the look your after? I find it quite easy to grow and it's not hard to get it to color up.


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## tfmcder (Feb 22, 2006)

deepdiver said:


> This hairgrass thing is killing me. It grows five or six inches then a new blade starts, and it sends out new roots. I doesn't look good at all. Has anybody experienced this before? What about a shorter hairgrass? Could it be from the current pushing it over?


I know this is an older comment, but for what it is worth...I had the same problem with my giant hairgrass. I tried changing the photo period, light temp, dosing schedule/amount, GH, PH, water temp. Nothing helped! I finally pulled the plug on that idea. Did you get it to work? I can't tell if any is still in there either. As cs_gardener says, the angle isn't nice to see the back.

Oh, and the tank looks great! I really like the DIY light! Your HC looks very happy.

How do you like the newish marineland canister filters?


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## playaslk (Jul 4, 2006)

nice tank, let me know if you are going to trim it


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

the tank sure has changed alot over the time. but i like the look


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## tetrasforest (Jan 31, 2008)

Really nice driftwood. What kind is it and wear did you find it?


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## oregon aqua (Jan 30, 2008)

> I've been having problems with the needle valve. When the solenoid turns on in the morning the Co2 doesn't even bubble through. I have to open it up and turn it back to get a decent bubble rate. Does anybody know what this could be?


i had that problem with me needle valve. i bumped my regulator pressure up a little to 22psi and it was better.

great tank!!!


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## Turtl3boy21 (Apr 9, 2008)

wow, nice tank.

Where did you get that piece of wood? I really like how it has small branches.

That piece would work so well for my future river themed tank xD


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

Thanks for the comments everyone. I've been busy lately with a new job and all. It's interesting to hear that others have had the same problems with the longer hairgrass. It's too bad because it's a really nice looking plant. As far as the reddish plants, maybe I will try the arcuata. If anyone is interested in the wood, it's Manzanita. You can get a great deal through a member in here >>>>"FishandTurtleJunkie".


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

I forgot to mention that I pulled out all the hairgrass.


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## chadly (Dec 19, 2005)

that's a cool tank! looks like something you'd see at the dunes.


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## rountreesj (Aug 14, 2007)

Very nice...me like!


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## jasonc (May 2, 2008)

Mine to share some of your tank spec. & dosage, because within 2 months the HC multiply to so so so many.........


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

The specs are the same as the on the first post here. EI dosing.


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## jasonc (May 2, 2008)

deepdiver said:


> The specs are the same as the on the first post here. EI dosing.


Sorry, forgot that u did post at the 1st page......


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

any new pics? i love this tank!


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

Jasonc: Maybe this will give you a better idea of what the dosing is like...I made a batch of Nitrate, Phosphate and Trace. I got some 20 oz. Dasani bottles, and filled them with distilled water and the dry ferts. I measured it out so one capful equals 1 dose.

Nitrate 9.875 Tsp and fill to original waterline = 79 doses

Phosphate 9.875 Tsp and fill to original waterline = 79 doses

Trace (I used Seachem Flourish) 2.469 Tsp and fill to original waterline


*Don't use the Dasani water because it contains sodium*


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

Ok I have some new pics...this first one is my Quakers in front of the tank. They like watching the fishes I guess.










Full tank shot:










A close up. This is really cool spot where the fissidens, subwassertang, fern and flame moss are all competing for light. The rasbora decided he wanted in the picture










A side shot. This is what you see when you walk in the front door.


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## patrick76 (May 21, 2007)

Looking good what the bush like stuff at the base of everything?


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

The bushy stuff is subwassertang-it's a monoselenium plant I think.


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## SKSuser (Mar 20, 2006)

Hey. How hot does the hood arrangement get? I was thinking of modifying an existing plastic hood to accept the same type and amount of bulbs. Would that number of bulbs create enough heat to damage the plastic?


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Wow, this is really looking good. What a great sight to greet you as you walk in the front door.

Hmmm, I never realized subwassertang looked so interesting. Is it hard to grow?


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

sksuser: The lights get pretty hot. I think you would need at least a 1/2" gap between the bulb and plastic.

csgardener: Thanks, the subwassertang is fairly adaptable. It seems a lot like mosses that way. It's a lot like "pelia", and I had a hard time growing pelia only in low light.


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

I finally acheived the look I was going for with this tank. It's been about 8 months of grow out tinkering with different plants and different ideas. These pictures are a little dark, but that's what I had to do to eliminate color wash-out.



















Here's a shot from the left side of the tank:









I really love watching the process of growth. The way some plants outgrow and out-compete others is fascinating. In this picture you can see how the Subwassertang bushed out around the fissedens. On the mid-left midground you can see how the Anubius nana-petite grows slowly under the shade of a mass of Java fern. On the right some Flame moss that was planted at the base is growing toward the light.....









Well, now that I've reached a sort of endpoint I'm not sure what to do next. The lazy guy in me wants to leave the tank as it is, but the creative guy wants to try a different design. And so continues the plight of an aquarist


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Absolutely lovely!!


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

One more shot.......










This is a little brighter, and shows the foreground better


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## Jeff.:P:. (Nov 20, 2007)

Excellent tank, love the colors and textures. And followed the Golden rule to the "T". I love moss's and liverworts. Congrats.


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## Jeff.:P:. (Nov 20, 2007)

Are you still dosing Excel? I tried dosing it in my Moss Pharm tank, and it bleached couple moss's, and killing a good portion of fissedens, and mini-pellia. Luckily I had surplus of everything in other tanks. I'm using pressurized C02, I really don't need to use excel, but it would be great if some algae popped up.


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

Yeah, I still spot treat with excel once a week. I get some clado growth in my fissidens that's in brighter light. The stuff that's lower or shaded is very clean though. Spot treating with excel will actually whiten and kill the clado without adversely affecting the fissidens.


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## cpark188 (Jul 25, 2008)

Very impressive tank and can tell that lots of effort has put in. Since day 1 of your scaping and compare to the present picture, so lushing growth of all the plants especially the HC spread evenly. Nice job and keep up your work. Cheers.


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## jciotti (Aug 14, 2007)

Watching this tank over time has been fun. 

When do you start your next?


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

haha-yeah, that's what I'm wondering

I really want to do a paludarium........time to do some research


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## jciotti (Aug 14, 2007)

I would give an email over to Mike Senske at Aquarium Design Group and see if he can point you in the right direction. After all the guy originated the concept. 

I think whatever you decide to do with your next scape you will do well.

Best of luck and looking forward to it.


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## Yeaulman (Jun 23, 2005)

And that tank is only 20L? wow


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