new project :)

**p.albert** · 14th Jun 2011, 17:15

just started this tank yesterday noon.
still cycling it. probably fully populate it after 2 months..
start off with 2 or 3 ottos and maybe another 2 or 3 feeder shrimps.
gonna add 2 padi padi, couple of shrimps. 2 blue spotted plecos.wanna keep the stocking low.

filter's by UP Aqua, some kinda canister/hang on hybrid. added sponge at the inlet.
Fluval chi tank. didnt add the decor. just wanted a tall tank with minimal base area.
random table lamp thats kinda too strong haha
weeping moss, gonna add some short plants to the ground too.
ADA soil. CO2 system ( currently spamming at 4 to 5 bubbles per second, for accelerated growth)

please give advises, comments and constructive critisims thanks!
i must add that this 50 bucks filter is pretty good, and that the
fluval tank's quality is quite poor for 190 bucks.

anyway, what i had in mind, was those kinda mountains u see from a distance.
those china china kungfu movie kind.
where from a distance, you can see a few dense patches of trees
growing here and there on the mountain.
and maybe i'll let certain parts of the soil be blanket-ed by riccia or hc.
maybe US fissiden. havent thought of how to confine them to those spots though.
any ideas? was thinking of using charcoal slaps, insert them into the soil to "border" off the roots from spreading.
IMG_0837.jpg
IMG_0830.jpg

**hellomyfriend** · 14th Jun 2011, 17:50

very nice setup. please update with more pictures.

**Shadow** · 14th Jun 2011, 17:55

how big is the tank and how much light yo put in?

What plant are you using? photo too small, can't see clearly

**p.albert** · 14th Jun 2011, 18:41

hellomyfriend - thanks! will be taking more pics pretty soon

shadow - its a 41cm by 25cm by 25cm. using weeping moss. gonna update the pics soon.

**felix_fx2** · 14th Jun 2011, 19:14

Hi can have canister shot too?
Fissiden can limit by the mesh , plus they grow slower.
Maybe just the picture, to me like the rock on right just resting on the substrate.

**ranmasatome** · 14th Jun 2011, 20:20

Rocks meh? i thought this was wood...

**felix_fx2** · 14th Jun 2011, 21:36

Ranma san. Really I can't tell from mobile browsing. Looks like those sho or shou rocks from the phone's perspective.

**p.albert** · 15th Jun 2011, 02:51

IMG_0847.jpg
front view, newly added plants
IMG_0862.jpg
side view of the loose wood. notice the "crevices"
those i think are gonna be cool for the shrimps.
IMG_0859.JPG
back yard with a few remaining fore groud plants. charcoal tube from a friend.

yes its wood. the bottom of that piece of wood, is actually in the soil.
imagine fingers pointing downwards poking into the soil.
creating a mini cave with 2 or 3 entrances. cant get a pic of that though.

alright just added a type of low growing plant for a try out.
very bad at planting so pls give guardiance hahah.
i just reaised that the plants are pretty badly attached here and there.
the varying heights that the moss are at, makes lighting a challange too.

link for the filter
http://up-aqua.com/00-dm-page/00dm_ex-filter-big.jpg

**Fishy Business** · 15th Jun 2011, 10:01

It have been awhile since i saw a tall but small tank. any fan or chiller?

**p.albert** · 15th Jun 2011, 14:18

no fan or chiller as its being kept in a cool corner of the living room. little sun light.
its kinda hard finding such tanks for the better brands right?

**felix_fx2** · 15th Jun 2011, 16:47

Albert, understand what you mean.
Thanks for the link to the filter.

**p.albert** · 16th Jun 2011, 02:47

just an update, gotta shift my tank due to feng shui.
cant go against my grandma so.... its new location's about 2 m from the window.
how well do fans work?

**jeffteo** · 16th Jun 2011, 14:33

The shape of the tank, the clarity of the glass and layout the wood with the bright light. Your set up reminds of those glass enclosures where collectibles are displayed in. A very unique showcase. NICE!

**p.albert** · 16th Jun 2011, 18:10

thanks Jeffteo haha

hopefully the constant sunlight would aid the growth of algae.
the wood would look good with algae here and there.
introduced 3 ottos into the tank yesterday.

thinking of introducing HC. any opinions?
should i even carpet the ground?

**jeffteo** · 16th Jun 2011, 22:53

With the Oto I don't think you going to achieve much with the growth of algae on the wood unless it is hair algae or BBA. Don't think you want these 2 type of algae.

**p.albert** · 17th Jun 2011, 00:28

hmmm icic, whats BBA?
what do u reccommend? i am planning to add another 2 ottos, really love the blue spotted plecos, so 2 of them.
then leave the setup alone for like 1 month to 3 months. then introduce the shrimps.

**jeffteo** · 17th Jun 2011, 00:39

BBA = Black brush algae. If you really want the algae on the wood, no Oto, Nerite snail, Yamato shrimp, RCS and some other algae eating shrimps(almost all).
Check out the link on FW algae in my signature for more info on the different types of algae and the treatment for it.

Not so familiar with Plecos but won't they grow too big for the tank eventually?

**Emokidz** · 17th Jun 2011, 03:03

Hmmm.. How many WPG is your lightset? 4 to 5 BPS for CO2 is quite a lot and should be done under high light and regular fert dosing. Otherwise, light would become a limiting factor and the excess CO2 would go to waste.

**p.albert** · 17th Jun 2011, 16:56

jeffteo - not for all plecos. some remain tiny. and also, i realised size of the tank plays a big role. they sort of grow up to fit the tank, and slow down.
i bought 2 ordinary cheap plecos before. both same size and at the same time. threw one into my 2 ft tank, and one into my 3mx4mx4m pond.
result after 4months was at least a 15cm to 20cm difference in length. of cause there was a lot of algae in the koi pond.

emokidz - the WPG, not sure as its an old table lamp. cant find its indications already. its pretty bright though.
as bright as my 2ft tank's T5. its a double tubed white light table lamp.
currently using seachem's flourish potassium, any reccomendations?
also i shifted the table lamp to light up the tank's bottom, from the side of the tank.
as the moss at the top of the wood were starting to brown, while those at the bottom remained dark green.
experimenting first.
BPS is now 3 at most. lowered it after i introduced the ottos. dont want to risk suffocating them haha.

to all -- i realised that the plants at the bottom have these little dots between some of their leaves.
a quick count revealed 11 dots in total. they are this big . in size.
and are light greenish or whitish.
they are held in something like cotton wool, thats pretty transparent. like 95% see through.
that "cotton wool" holds the dots betweenthe two leaves, pretty well.
any idea what are those?