# Luke's ADA 60P Tank Journal



## Storms (Sep 12, 2011)

I started a tank journal over at The Planted Tank for this one, in case anyone wants to check it out:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/t...151209-storms-ada-60p-ohko-layout-custom.html

I'm still trying to figure out Iwagumi. My Iwagumi is going to be more like "Iwagumi with trees."


----------



## Riverboa (Jun 26, 2007)

Good start. I wish they have given you a larger main stone, the one you have has good shape/character but in my opinion undersized for your tank in an iwagumi set up. 

Can't wait to see the tree. 

-T


----------



## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

Yeah, they gave you a tough group to work with...

Trees are awesome.


----------



## Gardenho (Dec 7, 2009)

I came across this in my travels... Very unique setup! Perhaps there is something you can take from the process?
http://www.aquaticplantenthusiasts....full-set-up-led-light-planted-aquarium-3.html


----------



## Gardenho (Dec 7, 2009)

Just to show that anything is possible, with some ingenuity


----------



## Storms (Sep 12, 2011)

When I say "Iwagumi with trees," I just mean Iwagumi with lots of stem plants in the background (rotalas, etc). I would like to try a bonsai tree sometime; it would be very cool.

Julie, that guy is like a mad scientist with his aquascaping! Very original and creative.


----------



## Storms (Sep 12, 2011)

Update 10/21/2011:

Good growth so far - just added an Oto and a red ramshorn snail:










This particular stem of colorata is growing really nicely and the bottom of the stem (behind the rock; not shown here) is getting a nice red coloring:


----------



## Riverboa (Jun 26, 2007)

this is going to be nice


----------



## Gardenho (Dec 7, 2009)

Some red in the leaves... It looks nice!


----------



## Storms (Sep 12, 2011)

Thanks! The tank is coming along nicely. I trimmed all old growth on the bella hairgrass and am getting some nice curly new growth in the foreground. The colorata has reached all the way to the surface of the water now. Unfortunately I couldn't take a picture this week because there was a fire in the apartment above me and water flooded our living room. Right now there are plastic tarps covering the front of the tank while they rebuild the living room... Picture updates soon next week hopefully!


----------



## Storms (Sep 12, 2011)

Update 11/4/2011 - Last week I trimmed the hairgrass using Amano's method - mow all old growth down and keep only the new growth. The rotalas have filled in amazingly well and I'm going to do my first trimming tomorrow.


----------



## khanzer22 (Nov 30, 2009)

Very nice and healthy growth of plants... Keep up the good work!


- Message posted using Tapatalk app via iPad -


----------



## Storms (Sep 12, 2011)

Update 11/17/2011 - Added Lily Pipes and 5 veil tail cherry barbs.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/user/StormAquascapes

This is what the Lily Pipes box looked like when it arrived - I was pretty worried that I would have a box full of glass, but luckily they were intact.










Sorry I don't have a full tank shot; it is very difficult to get one right now because the house being under construction right in front of the tank means I can't get a good perspective.

Left side:








Left side from another angle:








Right side:


----------



## Storms (Sep 12, 2011)

Time for an update! There is not much to report except that I've done my second large trimming, but I think I didn't trim quite enough. It's grown back very fast, but I should have trimmed lower. It's too bad I didn't read Frank's great ADA/ADG thread until after the trim. Plants have been having great growth, and I've trimmed the grass at least 3 times now (this is less than a week of growth).

I really wanted to thank Frank for the great journal thread because I've already seen a difference in water clarity just from raising my lily pipe to aerate the water the last 2 nights.

FTS:









Side shot (hello, Oto!):









Right side:









Right side:









Left side:


----------



## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

Awesome! Looks like the carpet is filling in nicely 

Might want to up the iron levels a bit to get better coloration in the Limno aromatica. It's looking a bit pale...


----------



## khanzer22 (Nov 30, 2009)

Looking good! 


- Message posted using Tapatalk app via iPad -


----------



## Storms (Sep 12, 2011)

asukawashere said:


> Awesome! Looks like the carpet is filling in nicely
> 
> Might want to up the iron levels a bit to get better coloration in the Limno aromatica. It's looking a bit pale...


Thanks. Yeah, the aromatica is pale, and the r. colorata is not growing new growth with red stems, so I've started to dose traces (Seachem Flourish - I need to finish this bottle first but I also have a bag of Plantex CSM+B), as well as dosing 3 times weekly phosphate 0.33ppm and K 3.33 ppm.

The carpet is nice, but frustrating - I've mowed it 3 times already. It was sold to me as e. Belem, but it's obviously just regular e. acicularis based on the height. I'm going to have to continue to mow it for the life of the tank... /sigh


----------



## Storms (Sep 12, 2011)

khanzer22 said:


> Looking good!


Thanks! And, you were right - I didn't trim the rotalas low enough. I just learned the ADA way of trimming... Trim almost to the bottom, then trim 3 more times higher up each time (usually the stem splits into 2). After the 4th trim, on the 5th trim replant the tops to get rid of the mushy lower leaves.

You guys probably already know this, but it was a learning experience for me... lol


----------



## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

Flourish trace is good stuff. It also has a couple obscure minerals that you won't get in CSM+B - i.e. Vanadium and Rubidium. Mind you, I have no idea what a plant actually uses either of those for (Rubidium allegedly supplements potassium... Vanadium just sounds cool IMO), but they're in there. 

If the CSM doesn't improve the coloration in your red plants, you may want to add a bit of iron chelate as well.


----------



## khanzer22 (Nov 30, 2009)

After looking at your thick dhg lawn the other day, I decided to mow my belem hairgrass in my 57gal late at night (just finished an hour ago)... Now comes the fun part, waiting for the new growths pop-out and spread out!


- Message posted using Tapatalk app via iPad -


----------



## Storms (Sep 12, 2011)

I'm still angry at the guy that sold me the DHG and said it was e. belem... but at the cost of mowing it weekly, I suppose it does make a nice carpet so I should just be happy.


----------



## khanzer22 (Nov 30, 2009)

Maybe if you trim them very aggressively, they'll be trained to grow lower in time... Or, just trim them regularly 


- Message posted using Tapatalk app via iPad -


----------



## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

I think it's a bit like mowing a real lawn.... the more often you give it a haircut, the better it looks. On the other hand, you can't outsource the aquarium mowing to the neighbor's kid for $10...


----------



## khanzer22 (Nov 30, 2009)

I wonder if an aquatic mini mower was already conceptualize, that would be cool and useful for us! Lol


- Message posted using Tapatalk app via iPad -


----------



## Storms (Sep 12, 2011)

A bit of an update - I'm battling some cottony algae that is forming in the hairgrass and on the moss. Other than that, the tank is doing well with great growth.

Right now I'm just dosing P, K, and traces 3 times a week, and doing twice weekly water changes. The plants are really healthy but the cotton candy-like algae is starting to take over:










It's also forming on Fissidens moss I have attached to Ohko stones:










Any tips?


----------



## Storms (Sep 12, 2011)

Other than the algae that is forming, the rest of the tank looks good:


----------



## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

Gah, I hate that stuff! It shows up in my shrimp tanks and is a total PITA to pull out. I can't think of anything that'll eat it offhand, either... at least not anything small enough to fit in your tank.

However, I'd definitely cut back on the phosphate dosing, it should lower the rate of algae proliferation. Spontaneous algae blooms are often linked to excess phosphates...


----------



## Storms (Sep 12, 2011)

It definitely could be the P... I just started dosing P because the GDA I was getting before is caused by a P/N imbalance (too much N and not enough P)... I'm going to cut back and just dose the traces for a little while. It's tough to find the balance but I will get it somehow...


----------



## khanzer22 (Nov 30, 2009)

Have you tried spot dosing it with excel/glut? Just trim off the infected area (time to mow the grass again ) and just keep with the WC... I'd cut back with the trace as well, how much do you dose?


- Message posted using Tapatalk app via iPad -


----------



## Storms (Sep 12, 2011)

I haven't tried spot dosing - I'm going to try sucking it out during a water change and trim the grass. The cottony stuff is down at the substrate level so it might be hard to get out during a simple trim, but a trim and a light vacuum during a water change will hopefully suck it out.


----------



## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

IME all vacuuming will do with that type of algae is smush it down closer to the substrate, or clog your siphon. You'd have better luck going in with a stick and spinning it like cotton candy into a ball you can yank out.


----------



## Storms (Sep 12, 2011)

I think I got most of it out with my normal siphon - I rubber band a fish net over the tube so that it doesn't suck up the Aquasoil. Luckily it wasn't too entrenched in the hairgrass. I'll post pics in a bit.

I was running 2x T5HO for 8 hours, I think it's too much light and the combination of light + ferts caused the bloom. I disconnected one of the bulbs and I'm going to try 1x T5HO for 10 hours instead... The bulbs are about 16" from the substrate, and I believe each bulb is producing about 38 PAR, although it's hard to tell without my own PAR meter - I'm basing this from Hoppy's data which he collected from someone with the same fixture as me.

I've heard I should be shooting for between 30 and 60 PAR at the substrate. 2 Bulbs would have put me around 76 PAR which is a little high. 38 PAR might be a little low, but it might also be nice not to have to trim every week... lol


----------

