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Saturday, October 6, 2012

Dwarf Hairgrass (Eleocharis Parvula) Window Box

This is the HG in the window seal..
the first pic is day 1 and the second pic is day 4

Day 1



Day 4.
Im noticing roots and more blades already!!


14 Days into Dry Start with Fissiden Fontanus Moss

This is the 3rd Saturday, the 14 day and start of the 3rd week of the DSM with Fissidens Fontanus attached to driftwood, I employed 4 methods of attachment in the various pieces of driftwood.

#1 Glued the Fissidens directly to the wood with tiny drops of superglue gel
#2 Tied the Fissidens to some pieces with sewing thread
#3 Simply laid some fronds onto some pieces of wood
#4 I used the blended up fissidens and rubs it onto other pieces of wood

So far all methods appear to be doing pretty well, Today i can actually see small growth in spots with bright tips. The blended pieces seem to stick very well when allowed to dry slightly. No doubt that i could have flooded the tank in 7 days without floating pieces.

Tied down
 Glued and Blended
 Laid down

Friday, September 28, 2012

Shrimp and plants arrived fro AzAquatics

OK today i got the order placed with Az aquatics

The list was
10 Olive Nerite snails
10 Black Forest Shrimp
7 Hydroctolyle Tripartita (the small version)
1 Pennywort Hydroctyle Verticillata

PROBLEM!! they only sent 7 shrimp and 3 were DOA!!
Thee was NO Hyrocotyle Tripartita!!
Instead they sent 8 1 Pennywort Hydroctyle Verticillata!!
So i Acclimated the few shrimp that survived and called them asap

Peter at Az was cool but at first he tried to explain away the pennywort issue as if they were the same plant, but he finally caved and agreed to sent me the true Dwarf Hyrocotyle Tripartita, and replace the 10 shrimp lost.

I will add that those shipping days were HOT 100 degress and all ice packs were warm on arrival.
Until Next Week when the new order arrives.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Emmersed Setup

Ok another side project to keep some plants that i may or may not use during initial 60P setup. I am also working on a Nano tank that may be up in a few weeks so i needed somewhere to put the plant orders that have arrived other than my holding tank. Basically a spare parts setup to propagate plants.

So this is my Build
Tube = $11.00 Walmart
Shoe boxes = $.99 Walmart
60w Cabinate Flourescent (Using 15watts) = $8.00 Walmart
Peat = Free from extra garden supplies

Total Cost $20.00



Plants so far
Fissidens Fontanus Fissidens fontanus









X mas Moss Vesicularia dubyana 'Christmas'
Vesicularia dubyana 'Christmas' moss image

Dwarf Micro Sword Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
Image of Lilaeopsis brasiliensis - buy Nature Aquarium Plants online

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Going Dry Start with Fissidens

The Fissidens seemed to do ok during the heat wave being placed at the very bottom.

Anyway with the time on my hands i decided to start the DSM method to get the Fissidens to attach to the driftwood.

Soo here we go, cant see the Fissidens on this pic due to moister

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Otto Cats with Acclimator Box

Ok, I got side tracked after going on vacation and finally completing my layout. I wanted to wait until this HEAT WAVE cooled off before adding any livestock to my Holding Tank.

Today I picked up some Ottos for .75cent each from PetSmart.. A steal of a deal!!
Oh i also got a cool acclimation / breeder for $14.00.. I always wanted something like this, its perfect and works very well.





Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Fissidens On Deck

Today I got the Fissidens 3 pak and All looks great, Minimal Color loss, Great texture and healthy looking. I dropped them in the holding tank at the bottom under some shade to keep them cool.
Will also run fans while im on vacation.

Care instructions referred to me is as follows:

Temp: 25C
1 second for 1 bubble
Lights 5-7 hours per day
No Ferts
Local Nutrients from fish poop etc.

Arrived in Good Condition!!
 Day 1 one from Mail

Friday, July 20, 2012

Final Hardscape Complete

After some tinkering and sleeping on it for 2 days I think I'm finally DONE!! Hardscape looks satisfying to my artist self.. so here we go!!!
Final Front View with extra pebbles
Added more height to the back on this pick
 All looks good BUT i think more height in the back would give more depth

Next is planting.....

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Hardscape test with Stones

Ok I got all the remaining items today so I began with hardscaping ideas and this is where im going. Got some unlikley shape stones that seems to fit.. coming together nicely..




Monday, July 16, 2012

Harsdcape testing with Manzanita

Testing the Manzinita Stump and connected branches, had to use a Stainless Steel Screw to hold the main pieces together. Took some work to do but here is the results





Friday, July 13, 2012

Light Wired and Connected.. Clean & Seemless

Finally got around to connecting the lights... I used wire covers to eliminate the ugly LED wires that are often seen dropping along the back of the aquarium..  Looks very clean!!




Monday, July 9, 2012

Whats Left for Dry Goods?

Remaining Items Needed Before Setup
  1. Flat plug style extension / power cord (Home Depot)
  2. Drill Bit (Home Depot) - Filter Box hole
  3. Wire cover (Home Depot) - for light / controller wires
  4. Super Glue Gel Gorilla (Home Depot) - for Driftwood
  5. Atomic Inline C02 Diffusser
  6. Chemi Pure (Sand Bar) 2x 11.75oz - For Filter top
  7. API Bio Chem Zorb (AZ Aquatics/Amazon)
  8. Bacter 100 (ADA) - went with ADA becuase i get 100 grams as opposed to 20 from AZ
  9. Power Sand (ADA)
  10. Privacy Film - Frost? 
  11. Brillianize Glass & Acrylic Cleaner ( Marine Depot) 

Friday, July 6, 2012

Stand & Light FINALY Up!!!

Today the Acrylic stand finally made it here... so I went ahead and mounted the Lights and stand... LOOKS GREAT!  Now its time for Hardscaping!!   <*)))))>{






Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Another Algae Eater Casualty

Found the missing AE Today, I suspected that it was on the way out as it did not eat and remained skinny the whole time. I dont attribute the death to params because the other AE is fat, very active and pooping up the whole tank!!

This is actually a good thing as i didn't want too many AE's because i want Ottos instead. So 1 AE and 3 Ottos should be good enough for suckers types.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Added 3 Ghosty Shrimp and 3 Amano Shrimps <*))))>{

This week I added 3 Ghost shrimp and 3 Amano shrimp, shrimps carry a small bioload and help with detritus, algae and debris. The algae eaters are doing very well but are leaving mounds of poop behind, I think they are eating the fungus off the manzanita? or brown algae that may not be visible to the eye.
Any way i hope the shrimps can help with cleaning cycle.. I'll be adding more in the future

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Stand & Filter Box Update...

Today John sent the pix for the filter Box and stand, after making some measurement corrections I think we are all done.

 Side Angle
 Front to Back Frost box
Inside view from top
Top Off


Saturday, June 16, 2012

JBJ Style Bubble Counter from Tongs

Ok I picked up the jbj style bubble counter from Tongs(its actually Mr Aqua), it cost more than I wanted to pay $26 after taxes but I figured get it now because many of the online stores have discontinued the JBJ. Besides, after shipping i'd be looking at about $20. So what is $6.00 for instant gratification. The cost of the toll road!!!

I Added silcone grease to the gaskets and teflon to the brass plastic connection so all should seal tight.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Pulled down the Co2 System

Today I picked up the Aquaticlife Co2 Regulator and adapter from marine depot, look nice in person although I had to pick thru multiple units that looked damaged and worn!!!

Makes me wonder about quality control, Ill be checking on the warranty info and customer service asap!!


1 Algae eater casualty

Yep today I found 1 AE dead.. He was fresh but o wont speculate too much on causes, However I added Peat moss and it locked the PH down from 9.5 ish to 7.3 ish in a matter of hours and the other AE's seem to be doing well. The colour is there and im seeing a bit of interactive behavior.. They seem to hang around each other.. so far so good we will see in the next few days..

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Random Purchase <*(((((((>< 3 Chinese Algae Eaters

Yup I did it , F^%&* around and picked up some fish from walmart!! came in there looking for  privacy film and came out with 3 Algae Eaters!! Only @ $2.24 each... I had to do it..
I figured if i was going to get any fish it would be bottom dwellers that were reliable and cheap and that  I would want to keep for the long haul.. So here we go.
Oh i did a 50% water chang with DI water so hope my params arent too extreme...

Monday, June 11, 2012

Frosted Filter & Heater Box is Moving Along

Today John Buit the frosted filtration box that will fit neatly inside the stand. The Pix below have the box facing the wrong way so there will be a bit more room side to side from the front view. The top is very clean i cant even tell where it starts...

 All is left is to place a small plug hole on the correct side of the box and im all good. The plan is to hide the filter heater and inline Co2 Diffuser in the box with a little foam for noise control. I May frost the back with frost paper which may add a nice blend.


Co2 Cylinder picked Up

Today i also grabbed the Co2 Cylinder from a local paintball shop. The cost was $24.99 and I went with the 20oz with $4.00 fill so my total cost was 31.69. Just seemed to be the best route for me as I pass the shop a few time per week and one 20oz should last a minimum of 3-4 months, so that's only $12.00 per year. The 5lb was $55-$70 so it will be a few years before the saving differential would actually catch my initial savings.

Next stop is the Regulator, adapter and inline diffuser.......<*(((((((><

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Test Confirmed Completed Cycle !!

Ok since declaring that the filter is cycled I tested the Ammonia and Nitrate level maybe for the last time prior to fully setting up.

The Ammonia test looked Great @ 0ppm


The Nitrates Looked great with readings between 5.0 - 20+ Depending on how you view it. I remember some test kits say look thru the top of the tube but this API says look thru the side, but who knows how to read this thing correctly?? I just know the nitrates are rising confirming that the cycle is complete!!!
Top Down 
 Side View