You might need another 2 rock of smaller size than the bigger rock to look more nicer.. example like big medium small.. those smaller rocks are too similar in size which makes the tank look too organise.. as for the lilly pipe you have the water will be pushing downwards.. i have that before and change it away as it does does reali spread the flow across the tank. By the way try to slope higher at both back corner to achieve a more 3d looks.
Good fish ain't cheap... Cheap fish ain't gd...
Breeding Apisto inca and Apisto guttata...
I felt the soil wasn't thick enough so I opened another packet of 9L ADA Amazonia and poured a little more inside.
The soil seems much fuller now compared to just now!
Then I went on to the next tank and completed the scape with whatever soil I have left! I really like the way the bogwood sticks out from the corner. I'm intending to have a thick bush of rotala at the right corner where the bushes extends out of. Then probably tie moss around the long branch that's sticking out. Any comments?
Do a proper plant quarantine before planting them. Read this Plant Quarantine by UA before planting.
I felt the soil wasn't thick enough so I opened another packet of 9L ADA Amazonia and poured a little more inside.
The soil seems much fuller now compared to just now!
Then I went on to the next tank and completed the scape with whatever soil I have left! I really like the way the bogwood sticks out from the corner. I'm intending to have a thick bush of rotala at the right corner where the bushes extends out of. Then probably tie moss around the long branch that's sticking out. Any comments?
Hmm I decided to change the scape for the iwagumi again so I can put more soil in the 2nd tank and also because I felt there wasn't enough height in the iwagumi layout!
This looks soooooooooooo much nicer compared to the first 2 tries!
I like the iwagumi, just rocks and carpet grass
Another fast way to not quarantine your plants. I am hundred percent sure its squeaky clean. 7 parts water to 3 parts hydrogen peroxide which you can get H2O2 from guardian. Remove all the rock wool of your plants then clean them thoroughly with tap water. Dip it in for a good 5 to 10 mins then rinse 2 to 3 times again before using. And for your rocks... if you love iwagumi, try to get dragon rocks. I saw some pretty nice big ones in Aquatic Ave. Worth the money and worth the time and trouble to get them. No iwagumi beats having dragon rocks in them.
Cheers
Learning new things everyday !!!
Hi guys, so I just finished planting and after lots of struggle with the Eheim 2026, co2 reactor and things like that, I've finally managed to get everything up and running!! It was insanely tiring and cuz of the Eheim my living room was flooded...
However, I have a really really huge issue now regarding my filter... The filter is leaking quite badly but when I turn it off, it stops leaking. Anyone know how to help with this issue??? I'm really disappointed at how things ended tonight...
Well... your not the first to have issues with 2026. Why not you bring it back to where you bought it from. There are some vids on youtube teaching you how to troubleshoot. If all else fails.... return it and change it for a classic. It is still one of the best in the market. Cheers
Learning new things everyday !!!
Heeding the advice from my friend to go with DSM for my carpet plants, I drained all the water out and now my canister is running by a pail of water but I can't get any ammonia solution to feed the beneficial bacteria.
Hopefully it'll grow faster and root better with the DSM.
Side note: I broke my inflow lily pipe in the process of draining the water and transferring the pipes... Accidentally dropped it and there goes $17...
You could put some aquasoil into the bucket to generate the ammonia too. Anyways, beneficial bacteria will also be growing inside the soil substrate during the DSM period, so when you flood it later, the overall cycle would tend to complete faster too.
As for your DSM setup, from the photo it looks like the front and right side of your tank is currently submerged in water, it will be best to drain out more of the water to avoid algae and mold growing in those areas. The substrate should only be evenly moist but not constantly waterlogged.
Btw, the lily pipe outlet you were using is a non-standard design, it points at a downwards angle which results in water just being directed down, rather than across the water surface. You should get a lily pipe outlet which is shaped and angled correctly, so that it works more efficiently and creates an optimal flow pattern around the tank (do a google search on the ADA lily pipe design to see the correct angle and shape).
On a side note, its highly likely you'll be breaking more glass lily pipes along the way (i also had my fair share of breaking many glass pipes too)... maybe you can consider switching to acrylic lily pipes and then you will never need to worry about handling them delicately or encountering potential breakages anymore.
Last edited by Urban Aquaria; 25th Feb 2016 at 21:54.
Always helpful UA, thanks for the tip!! I can't seem to drain those water without sucking up the soil as well... Any idea how?
Do they sell acrylic lily pipes in Singapore?
You can just use a length of flexible silicone air line tubing to slowly siphon out the water.Originally Posted by Ryan Peh
Another alternative is to use a pipette to drain out the water, i use the $2 ones from Daiso and they work well.
So far i have not seen them available at any LFS locally, you'll have to order them from online.
Check out my review thread on them which includes an eBay search link: http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...-Lily-Pipe-Set
Ohh I saw that thread before! Damn was hoping it could be bought in Singapore..
I used the air line tube but the soil keep getting trapped inside so I tried scooping out the water using a cup and i managed to get some of it out! Left a tiny little puddle... Is that okay? I do have a small syringe to slowly drain it out but that's probably gonna take awhile...
Oh ya, for DSM right, do I have to leave a small gap between the cling wrap for gas exchange or should I just keep it completely sealed and only open it once a day or so when I'm spraying water inside?
If possible it would be best to use a syringe to draw out the remaining puddle of water... or you can open the cling wrap and just let the water evaporate on its own over the next day or two.
Whether to keep the cling wrap sealed or partially open (or even not using any cover wrap at all) depends on your room environment and care routine.
If its an air-con environment or low humidity area, then cover the tank securely to keep it humid and the soil moist. Open the cling wrap daily for a few minutes to allow some air exchange and help reduce stagnant conditions. You can also leave a small gap open too, just experiment and see which method works better.
The other method (which i use) is to not use any cover at all, just leave the top open to allow maximum air exchange. This helps to greatly reduce the chances of mold developing, but depending on the room conditons, you may need to mist the plants and soil 2-3 times a day to keep everything hydrated. Its basically like keeping a mini indoor garden and requiring abit more time to maintain.
I just googled your HC DSM right before you replied! Saw that you had earthworms growing in there haha I'd be really grossed out if mine had earthworms...
I'm only worried that the plants will dry up cuz I'm always not home in the afternoon. I also have eleocharis mini in there and in wondering if they do well with DSM?
I put them in the living room so it's not air conditioned but i don't know how you just humidity, thus I think I'll just leave it half sealed?
Hi Ryan,
Happy 21st Birthday to you!!
Hope I am not too late to comment on your tanks placement...
I find that the placement of your tank will give you problem during maintainese, some places will be hard to plant especially when the 2 tank meet.
are you going to put anything in between the rear of the 2 tanks? If you are, I will advice you not to because assessing them will be difficult.
If possible and space allowed, put them side by side facing 1 direction, in this way you can admire the 2 tanks at one go and you can also build a continuous scape across 2 tanks. if not possible, then no choice.
Actually for a 2 feet tank, you will need about 1.5 packet to 2 packets of ADA soil. To have the slope and luxury for foreground planting. think you have already found this out.From the picture, I think it is still not high enough at the back. I will advice you to get more soil then to regret after you have filled up and planted both tank. to gauge how much soil to use for the back, it should be half to 3/4 the height of your main rock... BTW, your small rocks are too small, maybe can try to lift them up or have bigger pieces of rocks.
As for MC, I will advice no need to DSM ... they will turn a bit brown initially, but when they are stable enough, they spring back to life quite fast... their demand is lower then HC.
your MC is planted in too big clumps.. spilt them once more will be better..
You can see how my MC looks like initially and how they spring back to life and almost filling up the front of my tank now...
I can even float my MC in betta containers with minimum light and they are still growing..
Have you thought of getting the plant seeds to your tank? in less than a week, the tank is fully covered and carpeted but not sure how long it will last though as it is still a new product.
If you are getting the plant seeds, I will advice you that after you sprinkle the seeds, add a layer of soil on top for more firm growth of the new plant.
If you have the budget, why don't you switch to stainless steel piping instead of lily pipes? I find that lily pipes will attract more attention when they are dirty and must clean till 100% clean.. and best of all no need to worry broken..
Wow... I have so much to type today... think it is because tday is Friday! TGIF! Happy planting and scaping!!
I agreed that MC is less demanding, do not really need DSM, but with DSM, their roots will go deeper into substrate and will spread evenly across instead of growing on top of each other while submerged.
BTW I noticed that the output of the stainless steel pipes do not have the lily bulb mouth, how efficient is the water circulation?
Thanks fireblade for all the tips given!
I kind of agree that the placement of the tank may not be the best but since I don't really have space to put them side by side, I'll probably just stick to this!
As for the height of the soil, I'm thinking that if after DSM and the tank looks empty, I'll consider planting rotala sp green at the back so that it won't look so empty. But I'll like to see how it'll look like being all spacious.
My friend mentioned that DSM for MC will help them root better and creep along the substrate better since there's no water causing them to float upwards when they're growing. I've used the carpet plant seeds for my Betta tank and I have to say I'm not a fan of it as it doesn't turn out very nice. Because it doesn't creep, there'll always be bald spots here and there after awhile.
To save some cost on the expensive ADA soil, maybe can put lava rocks at the bottom to get the height you want? Not sure if others do like this...
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