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Finnex 4 Gallon

98K views 388 replies 124 participants last post by  Outlawboss 
#1 · (Edited)
**Current Picture as of 1/18/11***



Well, thanks to everyone for the initial comments on my setup. I've ordered just about everything I will need for this fun little project, and I started thinking aquascape today so I thought I'd share.

The first pic is what was available to start with. Just rocks from around the mountains where my parents live, a Manzanita burl, some petrified wood and a chunk of obsidian.


Here's a layout I'm thinking. The rock behind the taller piece of petrified wood is only there to hold it up.


Since I only have 13 watts over this I am thinking low/med light to start with. Chain Swords, Anubis Nana (petite), Taiwan Moss. Not sure what else, some ground cover would be nice. Maybe Dwarf Hair Grass?
 
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#97 ·
Thanks Speedie and UG! I never thought I'd get a nice carpet on my first attempt at HC. Well, actually second...but first attempt in this tank.

Also, thanks Mott for finding that journal by Tom Barr. I ended up reading just about the entire thing. Now I have new dreams to aim for heh.

Anyway, one more baby pic. I came into work this morning to find that they're still kickin'. Not sure how many, but I have seen two so I assume there's more than that. Out of curiosity, does anyone have a good feeling for how many babies a CRS tends to have in one batch?

 
#98 ·
I haven't been able to spot a baby shrimp in the last 2 days. I guess that doesn't mean they're necessarily gone, but it would be a bummer.

On a completely separate inspirational note, I was walking in the front door yesterday and something hit me. I looked down and realized just how much the baby tears along my walkway look like the scapes I see around here. How could I have missed that? Walking past every day and not realizing how maybe there's a subliminal reason for why I'm so fascinated by HC as a carpet plant. Anyway, I snapped a couple pictures. Probably could have spent some more time moving leaves out of the way but you get the idea.





I've been imagining a new scape lately too. I saw some pictures of some rock retaining walls in Ireland and it made me wonder if I could find a type of rock that could create a miniaturized version. Rolling hills into the forest kind of look.
 
#100 ·
Thanks vtkid :thumbsup:

Update time. Going through some sort of algae infestation. I think it's staghorn, but what do you guys think? Staghorn?



Got some MP (thanks Craigthor!) that I'm going to try and get growing in here. I'm thinking of ways to alter this scape to make more room. The moss is cool but it might have to go. It takes up so much real estate in there that I feel could be put to better use. anyway...FTS!

You can totally see where I trimmed (aka butchered) the HC. It should come back though. I was trying different methods...but my only choices seemed to be messy, or crazy messy.
 
#102 ·
Thanks hyphination. Funny you should mention the moss because that is exactly the thing I kept staring at this week.

I love moss. I love the effect it can give a scape. In fact, I love moss so much that I'm almost afraid to do a scape without it. I realized that this week, so I decided to face my fears and try removing it in favor of a different hardscape. I've enjoyed the petrified wood look, but I always find that I'm left wanting when looking in the tank. I can't put my finger on a reason though. Not enough plants? Weird scape? This was a learning tank, after all, so maybe I'm being hard on myself. I just feel....I dunno...incomplete. This is especially true with the staghorn algae staring back at me saying, "dude you're missing something."

So here's some pics of what I ended up with. What do you guys think?

Here's the old rock that the taiwan moss was resting in. Cool little alcove, but just didn't seem to work right in this scape. I felt like it was taking too much space without offering enough impact in exchange.



Something is apparently deficient. See how the leaves on my R. Colorata look kind of weak? The same thing with my R. sp 'mini.' I thought maybe nitrates, but they are testing at around 10. I guess that's still a tad low of a reading for just before a WC.



I have bunches of these lava rocks at home. I took a page from Ugly Genius' book and considered the idea of one rock that had broken into two and how that would look after some time during which plants had the opportunity to grow from the cracks.


Stepping back, I like this scape about a million times more now. Actually, to clarify, I like the LEFT side of the tank a million times more. The right side is next. The scale of those lava rocks is so awesome. If I was a shrimp, I'd want to be climbing up that cliff.
 
#103 ·
Got a shiny new 10k Archaea 27 watt light off the S&S. I like it way better because the cord can go down the back instead of the side. Plus, the spectrum of light this one puts out is just more pleasing to the eye for some reason. Maybe it's the 10k, but I like it a lot. The HC continues to fill in despite my ongoing staghorn algae battle.

This week, I started an EI dosing schedule and I'm hoping that will help take care of the algae. I know the CO2 levels are good, so it has to be related to some sort of deficiency. This is also evidenced by the leaves on my R. Colorata leaves becoming weak looking and growing in kind of deformed. I can't put my finger on what it is, but hopefully the EI dosing will level things out within a few weeks. Now that I've made the change the hard part is going to be keeping up with it. It feels counterintuitive to feed more ferts into a tank with algae, but I have faith it will work, so it must, right? Right?

New light!



Just put some new R. Colorata stems in there from my 30 gallon. Can you believe I got them looking so nice and pink with only 1.7 wpg? I didn't think that was possible! Hopefully I can keep them that way.



I just thought this picture looked cool. Like the scale of the rocks.



Staghorn in the weeds...awesome (insert sarcasm here). It seems like every time I trim it down, the algae grabs hold right where the cut tips are. I am guessing that it's because at that point they are the weakest part of the plant. Suggestions welcomed with this nasty stuff!
 
#104 ·
Slow and steady, the rescape is continuing. I've now completely removed all of the petrified wood in favor of the volcanic rock, which I am totally loving right now. I also seem to be getting the upper hand on the algae...but I better not speak too soon. It's been pretty tough to get knocked down.

Unfortunately in my EI dosing pleasure I accidentally lost my CRS. After some further reading it looks like Nitrate was the culprit. They're very sensitive to it and upon testing it was on the high side. So, smaller doses. I guess it's part of the learning process, but still sad to come in one morning and see 2 little guys just laying there. :icon_neut

But, seeing the MP I got from Craigthor grow so well is encouraging...so I am doing something semi-right.

Anyway, more pictures of the evolving scape.




 
#105 ·
Weekly update. New scape has settled in nicely. I like this way better and I think I'll keep it for awhile. Plants still showing some sort of deficiency. Leaves get all transparent and weak looking. Sort of like when you squash a flower petal between your fingers and it gets that...squashed by fingers look? I can't think of a better way to describe it. Anyway...updated FTS shot.

HC has finished filling in. Just did a trim on it this past Friday. I like it.

 
#108 ·
Wow, beautiful! How did I miss this thread? That HC looks incredible contrasting against the dark lava rocks.

What kind of Anubias is that in the front left? Is it variegated, or do the pics just make it look like that?
 
#109 ·
Wow nice tank. I love the Lava rocks. Very nice detail to them!!!

Also the plants look very very healthy and I love the vibrant green that is shoned off of it! As for the stems I remember reading somewhere that it is cuase by a lack of nutrients. I am not sure which Fertilizer you can be lacking in though but I do think it can be that!
 
#110 ·
Thanks for the compliments legomaniac89! The anubis up front is just your standard run of the mill petite 'nana.' I feel silly asking, but I'm not sure what variegated means. If you are referring to the veins being yellow vs the rest of the leaves, I believe it's due to the deficiency I'm trying to track down.

Thanks thief. I've been trying to track down the source of the deficiency. I know I've got plenty of Nitrate and Phosphate, and in the correct proportions. However I can't test for potassium. I'm adding micros and iron as well, so the only other thing I can think of is that the potassium is getting used up faster than other stuff and leaving the plants deficient in that regard.
 
#114 ·
Time for a quick update. I was able to track down my nutrient deficiency I think. As it turns out the KN03 I was dosing was probably not supplying enough Potassium. I started supplementing with K and things started improving. Plants are growing a little better, though not perfect. It's only been a week or two so I'm being patient and waiting to see what it looks like a month after the change. My Anubis is struggling a little. Leaves come in all new looking, then the veins turn yellow and over time the leaf follows suit...still working on that one. Also noticing some BBA showing up around some parts of the tank. I hope that a consistent fert schedule will take care of this on it's own now that I've finally nailed down a good dosing regime (finally!).

Full tank shot. Loving the way the HC has filled in.


Hey Craigthor, check it out, the MP you gave me is finally exploding. The snails like it too.


Bonus shot from my 30g. It's a shrimp migration. Watch out little otto, they're gonna getcha.
 
#115 ·
Been awhile since the last update. Time for some new pics. Not a whole lot new going on. Lost one of my endlers, but that just means I got to go shopping for new ones. :icon_lol:

Fighting a little BBA, but other than that things seem pretty stable. I just hate when I see it growing on my Anubis 'petite' since it means that leaf will have to go. The poor nana petite still looks kind of sickly. I'm not sure why. My rotala also seems to enjoy growing sideways. Any direction but up. What's that all about...

Anyway, picture time.



 
#120 ·
Thanks for the big compliments rrrrramos, Speedie408 and hyphination. :)

Craigthor You were right aboout the MP. It took about 3-5 weeks before it really took off, but now it's become bushy enough that I can cut some off every week. I've started several new MP rocks and I hope to get a little MP colony going. Heck, maybe I'll be able to put some of my own on the S&S soon. Big thanks for helping me get started with that stuff. Your explanations were right on.
 
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