Sumer's Super Tree Root Scaped 60-P (Pic HEAVY)- Updated #May 4; Pg-3

[sumer]

Hello friends,

It's been a long time (around 2 years) that I haven't made any planted tank. Was busy with life and bettas Now when my life seems quite stable, touchwood, I'm looking forward to start a new project. I've been reading a lot on various forums. And so, I've made an outline of the project. Your comments, critiques are most welcome. Here it is-

1. The actual idea behind this tank is to make a colorful, very colorful underwater garden. something like Tom Barr has recently made. A mix of light green, dark green, yellowish green, red, orange, maroon, brown. I think these colors cover it all. LOL. Some plants I'm definitely gonna use are- UG, P. Helferi, Crypt Nurii, and Cuba.

Online vendors have awesome packing skills. See the packing material that clogged my room-



2. Tank - Volume constraint is 20G. Earlier I was thinking of getting a Mini-M, but then I got my eyes on 60-P. It's 18 G in capacity and the size is 24x12x14 (LBH). So the tank is an ADA 60-P. with a mat beneath.
ADA 60-P arrived. A whole tree was used to pack it and send it to me ops:





3. Substrate would be power sand and new Amazonia with pferts root tabs. Working on a DIY substrate heater heater nowadays, let's see how it comes out.

4. Filter- I'll be using a 60-P tank which would be around 18 gallons.
Eheim 2215 (165 GPH) would be a smart choice then.


5. Lighting- The shimmering effect of LED lighting is something I can die for. I’m so in love with them. Here's what I've made- An Idiot's Guide to Make LED Light Unit

6. CO2-
And then the beast came. Thanks to Bettatail-


Packing was amazing-


Victor HPT 500 dual stage regulator with Parker Hanfinn H2A Needle Valve, Burkert 2822 Stainless steel solenoid and JBJ bubble counter-






side view-







I seriously cant get enough of this lovely piece of metal-




on 5 lb aluminium tank-


Burkert 2822 close up-






Wrench

This was my regulator. I really find it very hard to stop admiring it.

7. Glassware- This tank is not just to fulfill my hobbyist's instincts,but also to add esthetic values. So the investment would be good. And you know, how much we hobbyists enjoy shopping glassware

Drop Checker- I'm a fan of Cal Aqua Labs. And this DC was something to invest in. No need to keep checking the chart.


Pipes- Inlet outlets-


outlet Violet Glass VP-1 13D-




Inlet Violet Glass VP-1 13D-


Thanks to Tara for this-


But for inlet, I also have another option-

Dont know what to use. Power heads are not readily available in LFS here. Maybe I can use both. Will order a small powerhead for this.

8. Tools- I already have a 14" straight and one 12" curved scissor from ebiken.
EBiken curved spring scissors-




Here's something I got from ebay-
The leather cover gives it an elegant look-


A pint to compare the size-


9. Hardscape- No stones. I want to use only woods. Tom helped me in this.



10. Livestock- The most exciting part of the whole project
I really want to keep Kryptopterus bicirrhis (or minor, whatever I can get), and some whiptail catfish and some bristlenose catfish(not the albino ones), and some amano shrimps. Lets see if I can find them. Their availability is still an issue.

11. Fertilizers-
pfertz fertz-


I'm not sure of using macro solution from pferts. So got CSM+B and chelated iron-


here's what gonna diffuse the CO2 in the tank. An Inline CO2 atomiser-



Got an awesome deal at a website and instead of an inline TDS meter, I got this TDS+Temperature meter-


Test Kits-


Here are the additives-


I really like this J shaped thermometer-


Got Power sand special- S, Amazonia new- Normal and Amazonia new- Powder to make the top layer-


ohh and thats me btw-



Here's some assorted stuff. Starting from left top - Clear CO2 tubing and washers (these are better than permaseals), Siphon gravel cleaner, cheap Walmart paint brush for scaping, glass cleaner, ADA Bio Rio, Pfertz root capsules (P. Helferii loves to munch on these. Feed for heavy root feeders like Crypt Nurii), fish net, 16/12 mm clear pipe for eheim 2215, a wrench for the Reg.



Here's a potential "tree" wood. I have this since a long time. The seller said its coffee wood. It took almost an year to take all the tannins out of this wood. Now it doesn't make the water brown and sinks readily. will use it in a nano project-



And here's the light hanging bracket. Initially I was worried that the weight of the lighting unit + this bracket might be risky for 60-P. But then I found a person on another forum using this same bracket with no problem. (Photo is from the where I bought this. Yet to photograph this unit as it arrived today )-


Looks like an ideal inventory. What say





Almost everything is ready to be used.
Stay tuned for more updates. Internet here is 'super sonic'. So the updates would be frequent now.

And the scape is about to complete. Just your comments, critiques are needed.

Here's the tank with the Lights on. And this is my light at 0 Volts-




And yeah, my water parameters came out to be-
KH- 3dKH
GH- 4dKH
TDS- 62 ppm

So if by looking at the scape, any plants come to your mind that will look good in the scape, please mention them.

Video-
Youtube link is- HERE on Youtube

And the photobucket video is embedded here. Click on it and it'll open in a new tab-


The photos are-

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.



I hope you enjoyed reading the first post as much as I enjoyed writing it. Being a hobbyist you all can understand the level of excitement I'm in right now. Adrenaline levels are quite high. Would keep you all posted about every step.
I'm gonna edit this post everytime whenever I add something major. I think the new readers find it easier this way.

Update Jan- 26- 2013

Hi Folks,
With the commencement of the Spring session and first few assignments plus submissions I was very busy to do any updates :geek: . Although, I did start planting a little earlier than this, but it has only been one week since I put in the last plant into the tank. The levels of ammonia are are still high, I have added 3 shots of BioDigest because I found Tateurndina Ocellicauda/Peacock Gudgeon Gobi and I couldn't resist myself from buying some of those. Currently adding Seachem Stability. Water is pretty good here, still, just to be on the safe side, I am also adding Seachem Prime. Doing tests regularly, 50% water changes every other day. Adding P, K, micros, ADA ECA, ADA Green Gain. I also noticed some algae spots today on the front glass.
Enough said, time for photos



Power...


She likes helping around :love:


Now here's a twist. I wont post the final hardscape and FTS for a while. Just waiting for the plants to fill in and once the tank is good enough to show you all, I'll post a FTS. So here are the bits n' pieces of my tank-

Rotala Macandra "Japan Red" seems to love the light and hence showing the best of "Japan Red"


Microenthemum Umbrosum showing dense growth unlike when it arrived-


Fissidense Fontanus flirting with light and chuckling out a lot of O2-


Rotala Sunset is growing happy haphazard-


Polygonum kawagoeanum oozing out oxygen like there's no tomorrow-




just another perspective of the above photo-


Frenzy over Manzy-


An interesting image which was not intended but happened. It's a snail gliding on water surface. Those colors are actually reflections of LEDs-


And here's a plant closest to my heart. It's my favorite plant even when I didnt have it. When I see it pearling, I feel it's not actually pearling but communicating with me saying- "I love being here. Thank you ". It's really overwhelming to see such a sight.


And here's something that came with the manzanita. It survived all the hot water baths that I gave to all the woods. And now it's flourishing in the tank. It looks like a small coral. It's very soft when touched. And it swings with the water currents.



And finally here are the inhabitants- Tateurndina Ocellicauda/Peacock Gudgeon. They generally swim near the bottom of the tank. And they love going in and out of the Helferi's leaf loops. And they love eating Mysis shrimps and Mosquito Larvae. I've watched them closely enough in the last week to be able to write an essay on them :yes:











And here are all the ladies gathered up for a lil chit chat :winkiss:


But then someone told me that what does people normally like to see in the updates.. FTS
so, Now because he said so, here are the photos




Violet-


An iphone pic-


Lobelia Cardinalis


Thanks for watching. Stay tuned for more from Superman. LOL


Update Feb 17th- '13

Just a small update about some shrimps and Eriocaulons. The Erios I got a month back have started flowering. Where one side it adds to the success of my tank but on the other side, it also is a potential harm to my Erios. If flowers wont be plucked, Erio may die. still talking to hobbyists about when to pluck the flowers. Will definitely update you all on this.
The interesting part is- Once the flower is plucked, Erios will start to divide in 2 Erios. This is how they reproduce/ grow or whatever :P
Here are the pics-
The Bud


Every plant has 2 flowers


The Clan -


Guess the plant-


And here are some "Blueberry Shrimps". Haha.. their name sounds fun. A friend had them. So traded them for some plants and moss. They look cool though-






Gangnam Style :P




This one is the darkest of them. Close to black-


See the brown/maroon on them-


And this one is lightest of them-


And these unclaimed eggs.. Dont know who abandoned them. Currently there are only 3 fishes are their. L183, L184 and Peacock gudgeons. L series are so small to do this. This must be Peacock's.. -





Updates March 10 '13

Lot of things happened after the last update.
My peacock gudgeons started breeding. So moved them to other tank. Then got some Pseudomugil signifer and they started jumping.dont know why...
Then finally got panda loaches and they are doing good in my tank.
Here are some photos -
Got this as Rotala sunset but people told me that it's Rotala colorata. Don't know what is this. Comments are welcome-


Dreaming Rotala


Tonina are flourishing I'm happy


Never mind the algae though-


Ludwigia tornado. Such a wonderful plant-


And then I got a vintage vernier handle on eBay. The paper says its been made in 1983. It was in its original packing. New... Unused...


My regulator looks cool now


Erio Cinereum is a new addition to my erio list.


Crypt Nurii doing great too


Signifer rainbows are so cool-






And here are panda loach-




The reason why they are called Panda-


Trimmings are getting done frequently now-


And my camera has a new place to be every time


Feels so good when I enter my apartment




And here's my Viva la Vivaria


Enjoying moss like a boss


Dendrobates Auratus "Nicaraguan green and black"


That's all for today. Will try to keep this thread updated.



Update April 20

P Signifer were chasing my otos and were bullying my shrimps. So decided to switch them with another wonderful specie from Borneo.
Guess..
You're right. Boraras brigittae.
I swear i never thought they would be this small. I mean even smaller than galaxy rasbora ??
But they are awesome. wow.. magnificent creature.
Here are the photos.. enjoy..




Some of them look skinny right now but dont worry, they are enjoying mosquito larvae and BBS.-


And here's my "Panda Face"


Now lets talk plants. Scroll up and read the first (1.) point that I wrote. My tank is exactly like I wanted it to be. Full of colors. Every possible shade of green, with some pink, red, orange, brown.


Plants are doing great. The battle with spirogyra was a long one but I won it.
Here's Ammania sp bonsai -


Polygonum kawagoeanum -


"Excessive Pearling Disorder "-




And this is my favorite shot of this photoshoot. Magic of prime. Should I call it "The Pearl Bokeh" !!


A long exposure one-


And here's my small 60-P filled with colors It makes me happy. I enjoy it more than anything. What else can one ask for from a tank !!


Updates May 4th

Nothing much to update except some pictures. Tank is going good. Added some more plants.
Here are the photos-

Boraras brigittae-












And here's a photo showing how much weight they have put on since they came to me-


Two females "fishing" about their men


Pseudomugil signifer male-


Pinnatifida showing the happiness-


After a very brutal and life threatening trim, Rotala sp mini butterfly is showing some new good growth-


A new addition to the tank- Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata 'Pantanal' (formerly Ludwigia sp. 'Pantanal')


Polygonum kawagoeanum


Erio parkeri are doing great with me. Initially I got 5 of them and now i have maybe around 40+


See how one plant becomes 4-


I had to take them out of my tank and have planted them in a salad box. They are doing great there too.


Almost daily I pluck 3-4 flowers


After parkeri and cinereum, I recently got blood vomit and sieboldianum
from Chris (catfishbi). Thank you so much Chris.
The packing was amazing.


Erio sp sieboldianum-


Erio sp blood (vomit)


Whenever I put my hand in the tank, within a minute they come to greet


here's a small wabi kusa I did some time back


And it feels so great to see this photo-


And here are my D auratus.
Those sexy thighs




That was all for today. Thanks for looking

[sumer]

A small trailer of what's coming next in a week or so-

Youtube link

[sumer]

##**##

[BruceF]

Wow lots of stuff. Looking foward to seeing it planted.

[sumer]

Thank you

[ChadRamsey]

Impressive!!!

how about a full tank front shot?

[golfer_d]

Wow nice setup.

That couldn't have been cheap!

[sumer]

Originally Posted by ChadRamsey

Impressive!!!

how about a full tank front shot?

Like I said above, I'll post the FTS once the plants fill in and tank is presentable. A few weeks more.

Originally Posted by golfer_d

Wow nice setup.

That couldn't have been cheap!

Thanks. Yeah, that wasn't cheap. And now my wallet is light that I can't even feel it

[kwheeler91]

Most of the fun for the viewers is to follow the progress of the tank, opposed to simply viewing the end product. Its hard to comment on the bits and pieces that have been posted since you cant see the whole picture of whats going on. Most of us who have been planting it up for a few years can visualize what the tank will look like when filled in, so have no worries about photos of freshly planted tanks and let the fts roll. Just something to keep in mind.

[GMYukonon24s]

Beautiful shots! I love the PGs!

[keithy]

wow sumer, you're very well equipped and nice work btw. The fish looks lovely.

[sumer]

Originally Posted by kwheeler91

Most of the fun for the viewers is to follow the progress of the tank, opposed to simply viewing the end product. Its hard to comment on the bits and pieces that have been posted since you cant see the whole picture of whats going on. Most of us who have been planting it up for a few years can visualize what the tank will look like when filled in, so have no worries about photos of freshly planted tanks and let the fts roll. Just something to keep in mind.

Before I read your comment I hadn't thought about this. Thanks for making me realize what people expect to see in the updates.

[Sajacobs]

Wow...very sweet set up. I enjoyed seeing all the bits and pieces. It's great to see everything that goes into a tank set up. Keep us posted.

[Green_Flash]

wow this looks fantastic, all your planning really paid off!

I like your hard scape, great arrangement.

[sumer]

Originally Posted by Sajacobs

Wow...very sweet set up. I enjoyed seeing all the bits and pieces. It's great to see everything that goes into a tank set up. Keep us posted.

Thanks for liking it. Will keep you all posted

Originally Posted by Green_Flash

wow this looks fantastic, all your planning really paid off!

I like your hard scape, great arrangement.

The hardscape was finalized by my girlfriend