mahko's Ohko Stone Journal

[mahko]

I've found a youtube video comparing the Hagen Glo lights and the 2x6700k (Life-Glo) was the one I liked best. I might have adjusted the last picture in Lightroom a bit, but only to show it as close to in-person as possible.

It seems that I have staghorn algae growing on the rocks and HC. Checking the guides, looks like I have low Co2 and/or inadequate flow. I upped my Co2 and later found a few jumpers on the ground. Dialed that back down and performed a large trim to clear up the staghorn on the HC.

I haven't cleaned the filter in a few weeks and filled a bucket with tank water and rinsed the bio media. HUGE difference in flow now. Going to monitor closely for the next few days. Also spot treated with Excell on the rocks. We'll see in a few days.

[Mr. Fish]

This tank came out really sweet!

I'm actually getting ready to do the exact same method, then after it fills in i'll probably throw in some DHG in the back and add a few red plants to make the green stand out more.

But I must say, either you're great @ Photo-shoping colors or your HC lawn is marvelously green

[vraev]

This is definitely among the best tanks ever IMO. I love the clean look. So awsome. How did u manage that....no green algae...no green water... awesome! I am having so much problems with green water atm.

[globali]

Grate work.

Grate visuals.

Grate documentation.

[styxx]

mahko - You've done a wonderful job. The dilemma that I found with HC is that once its growth reaches the point where you are now, it quickly begins to grow very thick and horizontal trimming will only exacerbate this problem. I strongly suggest that you now start "thinning" it by cutting many small "holes" in the carpet to permit horizontal growth to spread otherwise it will grow vertical and get increasingly thicker where eventually it will simply float up off of the substrate. It's nice to have in the beginning but its a PITA after a few months. FYI.

[gkatz007]

Originally Posted by mahko

I managed to get a trim done while performing a water change. Things look a little more proper and neat.



Here's a shot of the clippings. I feel like I'm throwing money away when tossing these. Anyone keep theirs and propagate it elsewhere?

man u have inspired me to do a tank similar to this but on a smaller scale. im in china rn on vacation but japan is the next stop so im going to aqua forest an aquarium shop in tokyo so im hoping to find real nice rocks i can aquascape with!

[mahko]

Originally Posted by styxx

mahko - You've done a wonderful job. The dilemma that I found with HC is that once its growth reaches the point where you are now, it quickly begins to grow very thick and horizontal trimming will only exacerbate this problem. I strongly suggest that you now start "thinning" it by cutting many small "holes" in the carpet to permit horizontal growth to spread otherwise it will grow vertical and get increasingly thicker where eventually it will simply float up off of the substrate. It's nice to have in the beginning but its a PITA after a few months. FYI.

I'm starting to experience that now. I just did a large trim and the growth underneath was definitely dying. Thanks for the tip


Staghorn is still present. Looks like it's growing in the HC again and back on the rocks. Manual removal is fine for a few days/1 week, then it returns. Flow is quite good and I really don't want to add a powerhead for circulation. I think keeping the CO2 diffuser clean is going to be my next focus. I usually swap it out with a clean one when covered in algae. That might be what's causing the inconsistent CO2= staghorn. Probably not the correct solution, but I need to narrow this down.

[mahko]

Originally Posted by vraev

This is definitely among the best tanks ever IMO. I love the clean look. So awsome. How did u manage that....no green algae...no green water... awesome! I am having so much problems with green water atm.

Oh there is algae... I clean the tank glass every week and the glassware/tubing as well. When the rocks get quite green, I'll bring the toothbrush in during a water change. I'm starting to notice how having a clean filter affects performance, so I plan to rinse the bio-media monthly or when I notice flow issues. I also like the make sure the tank is clean before photos.

[green_valley]

I love it ....I love it....I love it......Nice scape. Great growth.

Questions for you when you were doing Dry start method. What was the average Humidity and Temperature?

Thanks

[mahko]

Temps around 75-78F and humidity above 90%.

[green_valley]

Originally Posted by mahko

Temps around 75-78F and humidity above 90%.

thank you. Did you get any mold or fungus at all? or those spider web looking things?......

Thanks

[mahko]

Yes I had white webbing in the bottom corners. Almost like a white fuzz. I filled the tank a day or 2 after that and it disappeared.

[trenton]

Subscribed! Are you still at 3 to 4 bubbles per second? You used 2 pots of HC at the start of you tank right? I wanna do a wet start so I am thinking I will do three pots. How is cutting the "holes" in the HC carpet? How do you do this?

Seeing your tank makes me want mine planted!

[green_valley]

i am sooo jelous with your HC ......man oh man....

[mahko]

Originally Posted by trenton

Subscribed! Are you still at 3 to 4 bubbles per second? You used 2 pots of HC at the start of you tank right? I wanna do a wet start so I am thinking I will do three pots. How is cutting the "holes" in the HC carpet? How do you do this?

Seeing your tank makes me want mine planted!

3-4 bps still. I've been swapping out my CO2 diffuser every 7-10 days to avoid algae build up.

I used 2 pots of Aquaflora HC. Those are about the size of 3-5 normal pots.

I took the image from bcaquaria.com as I don't have one myself.

I haven't cut any holes, and I don't think I will. I performed a HUGE trim a few days ago (to the substrate) and I'll see if that helps the lower leaves/stems regain some life.