The Planted Tank Forum banner

Frank's Planted Tank How-To Mini Novel - The Mini S Returns! New Layout

385K views 1K replies 153 participants last post by  skarpy 
#1 · (Edited)
This Journal is dedicated to Khoa Pham. The first person I ever taught Nature Aquarium to - and the first real customer I ever had. May the teachings in this Journal bring the same joy to others as it did to him.

Cryptkeeper54 converted the first half of the thread into an eBook available for download here, the eBook contains the final photo of the Mini M layout which the first half of the thread covers - which has not yet been published anywhere else, so be sure to check out he gorgeous HD photograph!

Follow Me On:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/iaquascape
Facebook: http://facebook.com/fwazeter
Tumblr: http://wazeter.tumblr.com

Instagram: @fwazeter

Communicating with me outside Social Platforms:

Email: fxiv@me.com
TEL: 832-459-5172

Table of Contents:

Opening ACT 1 - New Layout Mayhem!

1. Introduction - Page 1

2. Getting Started - Step 1 - Page 2, Post 19

3. Setting the Substrate - Step 2 - Page 2, Post 25

4. Penac Pearling - Page 5, Post 64

5. Laying out a hardscape - Stone Arrangement: Step 3 - Page 5, Post 73

6. Basic Maintenance - Page 5, Post 74

7. Philosophy - Enjoying the Process - Page 6, Post 83

8. Planting and Planning for a Mixed Carpet: Step 4 - Page 7, Post 91

9. First Month Filter Setup & Day 5 maintenance: Step 5 - Page 8, Post 111

10. Aquarium Data - Equipment Used - Page 10, Post 143

11. How Co2 is distributed by water with a diffuser - Page 11, Post 160

12. Trimming Carpet Plants - Page 13, Post 191

13. End of Week 1 - Page 13, Post 195

14. Modifying the Layout - Removing an unnecessary element - Page 16, Post 231

15. Trimming Riccia - Page 18, Post 269

16. Size: Large vs. Small Aquaria, thoughts - Page 19, Post 280

17. A word on the International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest - Page 19, Post 284

18. End of Week 2 - Page 20, Post 286

19. Introduction to A New Way of Thinking: Why what you may have learned could be wrong - Page 21, Post 312

20. A New Way of Thinking: There is No Such Thing as Multiple Methods - Page 22, Post 325

21. A New Way of Thinking: Invalidating the Theory of "High Tech" - Page 22, Post 328

22. The NO B.S. Introduction to "The Method" - Page 23, Post 334

23. NO B.S. Method - The Most Important Post I've Ever Written - Page 23, Post 345

24. Removing Diatom Algae and Week 3 Tank Update - Page 24, Post 359

25. End of Week 3 - Week 1, 2, 3 Comparison Overview - Page 25, Post 371

26. The Method - Principle One: Malthusian Organisms - Page 25, Post 374

27. THE CHALLENGE! - Page 26, Post 382

28. ADA's 20th Anniversary (Takashi Amano Story) & Making a Small Layout Adjustment - Page 29, Post 431

29. The Method - Principle Two: The Law of Minimums - Page 31, Post 456

30. The Method - Principle Three: The Cyclical Nature of the Aquarium - Page 32, Post 471

31. Week 4/5 Celebration Video Coverage! The Beauty of Riccia Fluitans! - Page 33, Post 486

32. The final published shot of the aquarium before contest entry - Page 35, Post 514

BEGIN INTERMISSION! Fun Stuff in Between Works!

33. Trimming Riccia Video - Page 36, Post 538

34. Removing BBA manually - Page 39, Post 571

35. Aquatic Poetry?! And 720p video of the Layout - Page 39, Post 579

36. Frank Wazeter on Blog Talk Radio! Aquascaping Discussion. - Page 40, Post 588

ACT TWO: Enter LED Lighting Technology and a brand new layout!

37. The Arrival of Nature Aquarium's First Ever LED light: AQUASKY!Page 45, Post 664

38. AQUASKY's Premiere - Solar Mini M retired, AQUASKY on a fresh canvas - Page 45, Post 670

39. The Tear Down of "San Marcos River Summer," and the Creation of the New Layout - Page 46, Post 683

40. Maintenance Regime on the Mini M! - Page 47, Post 692

41. Grow out of the Mini M - Days 1-7 Comparisons between Old and New - Page 47, Post 704

42. The 60-P Developing with it's semi-permanent Cameo Appearance! - Page 47, Post 705

43. What has beautiful inlay designs and optimal functionality? ADA Anniversary Premium Goods! - Page 48, Post 712

44. Getting rid of that bothersome algae on the glass - the easy way. - Page 48, Post 715

45. Pencilfish Hunting in Riccia & the 60-P props back up again! - Page 49, Post 726

46. Autumnal Hues with the Beautiful Rotala Colorata - Page 49, Post 733

47. Sad News - The passing of my first student. Rest in Peace my friend. - Page 50, Post 736

48. When stem plants become brilliant and add dynamism to the layout -60-P - Page 50, Post 746

49. Time Elapse and Algae Killing in three days in the 60-P - Page 51, Post 751

50. Taking down Khoa Pham's aquarium & Mini M update - Page 51, Post 753

51. It's all in the Details - adjustments on the Mini M with Unzan Stone - Page 52, Post 767

52. Coming up next - the beautiful Microrasbora Kubotai! - Page 52, Post 776

53. Microrasbora Kubotai, subtle coloration adds an incredible dynamic to the layout. - Page 53, Post 782

54. Nano Fish Acclimation Guide! How to get 100% survival rates with ease! - Page 53, Post 789

55. Bringing the Layout to life with Fish - going from "cool" to "lost in the aquarium." - Page 54, Post 797

56. Mystic Photograph of the Kubotai + eBook Remastering of Act 1 - Page 55, Post 819

57. Ranking #127 in the IAPLC (international aquatic plant layout contest) and personal critique by Mr. Amano - an epic end to a great layout. - Page 58, Post 865


ACT I Finale Shot - #127 IAPLC 2012


ACT II Finale



"How do I create a beautiful mixed carpet in my planted tank?"

If you've ever wondered how to create a mixed carpet for your planted aquarium or amazed at how Amano does it, through the course of this thread you will learn how to grow just that.

Sometimes, the task can seem impossible or overwhelming. So before I really begin to share these secrets, allow me to bring you along my history and development with planted tanks. You will see how you can create a fantastic layout, even if you are starting from humble origins.

Sit back, relax and read every word carefully, because it all starts with a vision:

My Background History:

At this point, I've thoroughly mastered growing single carpets as can be illustrated here:




Of course, this would also include your foreground and background stuff (for example, HC and hair grass), as you can see a relatively old example here:



That one kind of brings me back. Dollface might hate that photograph.

An older (yet more recent example) of an aquarium I never quite did take a finished photograph of:



That one taught me quite a few lessons about riccia: you see those bald stones? that was from a few pieces of riccia that were "spoiled" when they arrived, Lesson: always use the greenest and freshest riccia!

Something Important to Know: I will always recommend that you master growing one species of plant at a time, for example: an iwagumi that's all hair grass or hc, or microsword etc.

Why? because this will give you the greatest skill in manipulating, shaping the plants growth, while knowing at what speed it grows and what it's nutrient requirements are. Think of it like breaking down a math problem into easy, simple to digest and understand components in order to solve a very complex problem (in this case, the mixed carpet).

Along the way there have also been some mishaps and failures:

How about this blast from the past (2008? 2009? I think):



This was my first ever attempt at a mixed carpet. It went surprisingly well, but I never did try to that extent again. See a close up from Glosso and HC growing together:



Oh, and of course, there was the first iwagumi:



I didn't even remember that somehow I had managed to get Riccia to intertwine with HC in that layout (e.g. it was a Random A$$ Accident) :



Oh boy! Look at that algae! Honestly I think that accidental mixing has been my best attempt yet...3-4 years ago...

And finally, there was my very, very first planted tank:



Man, how embarrassing is that?

There have been some other successes and failures over the course, but honestly? The failures teach you the most. The successes just give you some extra confidence.

Which brings me to some other examples:



I probably should have spent some time polishing that one up a bit. Now that I look back on it, the sparser growth actually creates a nice effect for what I was trying to achieve.



This was the very first layout I had worked on at Aquarium Design Group: and also the first time I had done -anything- with driftwood. I wish I had taken a full shot of this tank then.



With that said, what's the next objective? Mastering the Mixed Carpet.

Before I delve more into How-To and the fun of keeping the journal going, let me preface:

There will be mistakes. There will be frustration. And my intent is to teach you how to master these principles so that you can learn quicker than me. This is why I've had a lot of fun going over some of my past layouts, success, failures, embarrassments and all.

So, without further ado, here is the newest layout I've set up at home:





I promise not to bore you with equipment details: I'll only share them when necessary and when it's valuable and worth your time to know.

Before we go on further, I have a homework assignment for you:

Important Exercise:Visualize your ultimate layout you want for your aquarium. Now, picture yourself successfully planting each individual plant, and then watch the plants grow. Imagine problems coming up and solving the problem. Watch as the aquascape evolves from freshly planted to completed, and imagine how you feel when you've accomplished the task.

Now sit back, subscribe and continue to watch for updates to take the next step, and the next exercise. Make sure you catch me on my next major update where I'll teach you the fundamentals behind setting the substrate, and if you're lucky, the arrangement of the stones!

P.S. if you've found these techniques valuable, help share the information with new comers by linking back here in your own journals when you use my techniques!

Member Highlights! Check out these people and their awesome work:

Here are some of my students who are also members of TPT (message me if you aren't listed and should be, or if you are listed and feel you shouldn't or don't want to be!) :

These people all share a passion for planted aquariums and have had great success moving forward! Cheer them on as they work their way towards being masters of the planted tank universe.

Khoa N. Pham -



http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=122232

fplata -






http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=181063



freph -





http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=181281

mluk27 -





http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=174106&highlight=mluk27

Dave Allen -



http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=184547

Dollface -





http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=170180

pejerrey -





http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=169143

ozydego -





http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=181009

dantra - http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=161640

frrok -



http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=160093

flyinghellfish -



http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/member.php?u=49336

orchidman -



http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=188790

Brian MC - http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/member.php?u=51675

2wheelsx2 -



http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/member.php?u=6864

Jeff5614 -





http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=107781

Lludu - http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/member.php?u=52328

Zeldar -



http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=186330
 
See less See more
35
#1,043 ·
Nice purchase, but based on the photo it looks like there was hand movement in the Rebel shot and not in the 7D shot. Unless the 7D allows you higher ISO in lower light. Are they shot with the same lens? The light gathering capability of the lens makes a big difference too.
 
#1,044 ·
Shot with the same lens, yes! While I did manage to learn a lot of new tricks from all the photographers at the IAPLC meeting / Urabandai tour, I make no claims as to being able to hold my hands completely steady for a shot yet! Getting better though!

The fuzziness I attribute to a little hand movement. The thing I noticed more was fish & plant detail and color (primarily fish here).
 
#1,050 ·
Keep in touch, as there's a bigger update coming later today with a step-by-step.

Having rekindled my original love and gone back to the Mini S, there was just too much inspiration to not do a driftwood layout focusing on epiphytic plants and stems. Having developed an obsession for driftwood-centric styles, my gut feeling is that this particular layout is a notch above the one I'm currently working on in the 60-P.

Well, before I tell you too much about it, just check out the below image:


Mini S v1 nano aquascape stage one by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

For step one, the hardscape is in place. In this case, I am doing things a little backwards and will add soil and sand after the initial placement of hardscape, due to my plans and the relative small size of the Mini S. I'd advise only taking this route once you have good experience and know how.

Come back by the afternoon time and there should be another update, going step-by-step.

-Frank

P.S. If you haven't subscribed yet, you should seriously consider doing so (in the top right hand corner of the top of the thread content, click on "thread tools," and then click "subscribe to this thread").
 
#1,052 ·
Finely just finished reading the whole thread. I wanted to sincerely thank you for putting this thread together and keeping it updated. Out o all my years reading on forums I don't think I have ever learned so much off of of one thread. You have taught me many lessons that are no doubt going to help me prevent many major disasters from ever occurring. For that I thank you. Keep up the great work.

P.S I really like the new mini s layout. I have always liked scapes that use wood. I am also a epiphyte freak so I can't wait to see it all finished.


Regards, Patrick
 
#1,054 · (Edited)
As always, the first step in a successful planted aquarium is the strength of the soil system behind it. As such, the first step here is to add additives and power sand:


Mini S Driftwood Layout - Step 2, Power Sand & additives by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

Because I will have the most root-heavy plants in the back, I've focused on putting the power sand there, as opposed to the front, which will have a more minimal amount of substrate.


Mini S Driftwood Layout - Amazonia Aqua Soil by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

I've kept the Amazonia soil mostly confined to the back and almost allll the way up to the front panel - normally you want to use a divider of some kind to make for ease of separation between sand and soil, but in this case, I will add sand by hand - very slowly.


Completed Substrate System by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

With sand in place, the soil system is complete - and you can see what I mean by a very minimal amount of soil in the front. This will make planting a challenge, but will ultimately reap long term rewards in scale of the layout. I wouldn't recommend trying this at home until you've gotten a lot of planting experience (or patience) under your belt.

Annnd, the first plant to go in:


Tissue Culture Cryptocoryne Parva Wazeter by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

Cryptocoryne Parva - sealed in a nice tissue culture vessel and with plenty in the canister, only one will suffice.

For now, that's all folks - keep a look out for the next update that delves into planting and what not, it might be easier for you to subscribe to the thread to get a notification of updates, if you haven't already.

Best,

-Frank

Feedback!



Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad that this thread (maybe it needs to be renamed to "The Book" at this point) is making an impact in your scaping and planting care! Glad to have another reader for the next layout, it's going to be an epic package in a small scale!
 
#1,059 ·
this is looking really nice frank. im gonna be paying close attention to this layout in particular. i was planning on doing a similar thing (slow growing plants, wood, sand foreground) in the cube i just got from you. hoping to get some ideas or inspiration from you. :)

question on the tissue culture plants: how long can the plant last in culture? i assume there is a food-source in there, i know thats one of the big hits of in vitro plant growth is that you can give them glucose to get some pretty intense growth. how long can they last in there like that sealed up on just the food and nutrients in the culture?
 
#1,060 ·
I'm not so sure on opening them and adding glucose, unless you have a sterile environment - and even then difficult since infection is the number one cause of plant death in these vials. Normally, they will last about 2-4 weeks if kept in cooler conditions. However what we are finding is they do not handle shipping well cause of the nature of shipping - what I mean is any agar based ones will get all tumbled and the plant is healthy but it gets all jumbly. Ones with liquid based agars and not gels, ship much better in terms of aesthetics.

On he inspiration front - thank you, and I mean it. Being told your layout is a base of inspiration for another to do their own interpretation, I consider the highest compliment.

As far this tank - I feel as if it may be my best work to date, or it will when it grows, so I'm excited (and will have to think of a way to trump it on the next layout!).
 
#1,061 ·
With mosses, bucephelandra, anubias and bolbitus tied to the driftwood, and the driftwood soundly in place, the first plant to go in the substrate is crypt. parva


Tissue Culture Cryptocoryne Parva Wazeter by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

The placement of this plant was elected to go first, as it will be an accent plant that determines how the rest of the carpet will be placed.


Mini S planted tank - driftwood layout Wazeter v1 by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

Cryptocoryne Parva is planted in such a way as to break up the lines of the aquascape, while providing a transition from foreground to background. By planting in a pattern of 3's (left, off center and right) the foreground areas become defined and the overall feel becomes more 'natural,' in the aesthetic sense of being pleasing to the eye - as if it belongs there.

This is an important first step in the determination of the flow of the layout.

-Frank Wazeter

P.S. You should keep up and subscribe to this thread in order to not miss the next crucial phases!

P.P.S. Remember to keep the layout moist by spraying water with a spray bottle set on 'mist,' this prevents the plants from drying out!
 
#1,063 ·
I have the driftwood pre soaked to sink, and opted to not use stones aesthetically. This requires a delicate hand in such a small tank, however, to prevent shifting of the arrangement or not knocking over since there are no stones to support it.
 
#1,064 ·

Elatine Hydropiper by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

The primary carpet plant will be Elatine Hydropiper. Using fine tipped pincettes to grip the base of this tiny plant, it becomes easier to form a full carpet in the substrate.


Wazeter Mini S Driftwood Layout v1 by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

Together, E. hydropiper and C. parva create a dynamic melding of texture via having similar leaf shape, the two pair together well, as does glosso and C. parva, to create a sense of both contrast and similarity that takes the attention off of the carpet and onto the greater scene.

-Frank Wazeter

P.S. For those of you who tumblr, you can find me here, and you can also get updates fed directly through twitter.
 
#1,067 ·
Yesterday, we left off here in the Mini S:


Wazeter Mini S Driftwood Layout v1 by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

Elatine hydropiper in the layout - accompanied by Crypt parva.

But today, I'm going to diverge over to the 60-P and the happenings over there

It has been about 40-45 days since the initial setup of the 60-P, and after last night's trimming session, the tank looks like this:


60P Driftwood Layout after Trimming by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

For stems, the first trimming is the most important, as it will determine at what stem length the stems will branch, so for the first time, you will want to trim low, behind a "trimming line."

As this layout developed, Rotala wallichi was actually the first stem to breach the water's surface, ahead of both Ludwigia sp. "atlantis" and Rotala rotundifolia "green." So in this case, I put up with a few days of Rotala wallichi looking goofy compared to the rest of the layout, in order to time the trimming of all the plants together at the same time.

You can see the results, and the stem density, more clearly here:


View of trimmed stems by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

A note on Hottonia palustris - did you notice the plant that's off to the right back corner and is creeping to the left? That one right next to Rotala rotundifolia? That's Hottonia. So far, this plant has formed an excellent texture for that "foresty" feel - and I like it. While initially a little brown, with extra nutrition it has stayed fairly healthy. This plant wasn't trimmed yet, as it has displayed a tendency so far to spread horizontally first, rather than vertically, which, fortunately for the way I placed it, works out just fine.

Managing the mixed carpet -


carpet close up 60P by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

There are a lot of carpet plants and plants used as a carpet hanging out in this layout.

There is:

Riccia fluitans
Hemianthus callicthroides
Glossostigma elatinoides
Fissidens fontanus
Echinodorus tennellus
Eleocharis parvula

...and some stems of Rotala rotundifolia that really want to pretend to act like a carpet plant.

Really, when I evaluate this carpet, it is a much more complicated carpet layout than my last iwagumi here:


Top angle shot of San Marcos River Summer, Francis Wazeter by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

The reason is, in the Mini M, the only plants that needed controlling was Riccia (a straight trim), Tennellus (cutting runners) and Hair grass (cutting runners / pulling up runners to keep it contained), which didn't take much time.

However, this layout has all those elements - plus glossostigma, which has a tendency to race to cover ground as quickly as possible, and a mix of the glosso and HC just isn't the aesthetic I want across the front, it appears messy.

So, about 30 minutes during this session was spent cutting glosso runners and slowly using pincettes to uproot glosso from the HC areas and making sure the rest of the plants were in line. One of these days, I will make a video that shows this technique of removing a rooted plant without disturbing the substrate.

One more note - I'm very pleased with the Riccia in this layout, finally, after searching for a long time, I found the super-tiny Riccia fluitans sp / mutation that stays small and very fine leaved, versus getting broader leaves over time.

Question and Answer!



Great plan! I would, definitely though, recommend sticking to a single carpet of E. hydropiper and C. parva, unless you're already familiar with how E. hydropiper grows - since mixed carpets are tricky, due to reasons mentioned above, and I encourage you to try!

Hello driftwood inspiration. Oh 30cm cube, you will be so much fun to setup....

How did you attach the anubias and buces? I see plenty of cotton thread on the moss but I couldn't distinguish any for the buces and anubias except for the brown bit of wood tight on the bolbitis(?) on the branch.
I attached both the anubias and buce's with wood tight. Moss cotton was only used for mosses - I was able to conceal much of the wood tight by using a minimal amount and bunching together the anubias and buce's around the wood tight, while covering up other areas of the wood tight aesthetically with moss.

Final notes!

I have a lot of Rotala rotundifolia, Rotala wallichi, some Ludwigia sp. atlantis and a golfball of peacock moss and a golfball of the super tiny riccia. Send me a PM if you'd like any of it while it's fresh.

All the best,

-Frank
 
#1,068 ·
Frank - Since you are growing glossostigma in the 60p, let me ask:

How would you deal with glosso growing vertically? Also, if the glosso is already growing vertically, how would you let run horizontally? Is it more light? Or trimming techniques? I am currently having problems with this and I want some advice.

Other than that, it is a great tank! The scape makes the tank look a lot bigger than it really is; am I right in saying that it is partly because of the empty space on the right?
 
#1,069 ·
Good question!

Glosso carpeting, does require good lighting and co2 - but also, good trimming technique. When it starts to pop up, trim it down, and when you plant, plant it deeply so it has to "pop up" into the substrate layer.

As for the scale - it is two things, the empty space, as well as the scaling of the plants, relative to the size of the driftwood - that's a pretty big piece for the size of the tank.
 
#1,070 ·
Hi Frank!

Very nice setup!!! LOVE IT, I have a question regarding the DHG. How you pull out the runner? Doesn't it disturb the substrate and pull out other plants too?

I am having so much trouble with BBA/BGA, and I try to increase the CO2 and lower the light on time but doesn't seems like helping. Does changing the water once every other day help?

Thanks for your help!

Also, where did you get your Cryptocoryne Parva, and do you have any experience planting UG?
 
#1,072 ·
Returning to the Mini S setup,


Mini S planting progression foreground complete by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

The planting of the foregound being complete, this angle top-view shot shows the detail of placement between Elatine hydropiper and Cryptocoryne parva.

Next up, we'll move on to the midground, behind Cryptocoryne parva:


Tissue Culture Littorella Uniflora Wazeter by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

...With Littorella uniflora. For this segment, I wanted something a little more sparse to help create the transition behind crypt. parva to the background, and the thinner nature, yet similar appearance to crypt parva, makes this plant suitable for the job, here, you can witness the slow transition of leaf type and shape to the background, which aids in a feeling of depth.


Mini S with Littorella uniflora added to the midground by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

Littorella uniflora completed in the layout

Until next time, enjoy the eye candy!

Some Q's, some A's and feedback!



Easier to reference this question with the picture from yesterday:


carpet close up 60P by Francis Wazeter, on Flickr

When pulling out DHG runners (or glosso runners, or tennellus runners, etc etc), use straight scissors to cut the runner roots itself. Meaning the little white shoots the plants send out to form new plants.

Once this has been cut, take a pair of fine tipped pincettes and grab the base of the plant. Making a gentle swirling motion (by rotating your hand clockwise or counter-clockwise) while slowly pulling upwards, you will dislodge the roots from the soil substrate, without pulling up soil or other plants (though in the case where a plant is entrenched with other plants, you will get some pull out of the other plant).

As for BBA - the best way to remove is manual removal with filter off, scraping it off of every surface it's on, either with a tool, like a pro picker or your fingernail. When it's growing on leaves, cut the leaves. Remove all the BBA with an airline tubing used as a siphon hose. Place any glassware with BBA on it in a clean bottle with superge or bleach to remove the bba and kill it there.

Supplement the tank with Phyton Git, and it will help supress the BBA.

It's a long and arduous process with BBA, and it will never fully go away once the tank is infected, but you can control the amount present so that it's just a tuft or two every now and again that you remove with a water change. Doing water changes daily or every other day for a little while helps with overall algae issues, yes.

For planting UG, plant it like you would HC or glosso - it's a really finnacky plant and has the highest chances of dying when initially planted.

Great work Frank, the 60P looks beautiful.
Thanks! It's finally starting to take good shape!
 
#1,073 ·
hey frank, id like to hear your take on an issue im having with my tank. recently growth has slowed almost to a standstill. the hair algae i almost got rid of is getting worse. and now many plants are showing signs of Ca deficiency (pale and twisted new growth). however, my gh is 8. it used to be 4, and i think my taps gh went up (its at 6). i can only assume the Ca deficiency is induced by a Mg overdose, and that most of that gh is Mg. im bringing a Mg and Ca test kit my dad uses for his reef to check, and getting some CaSO4 from a friend. however, i dont want to have a gh this high. its slaughtering my poor erios. and adding more Ca to combat the deficiency will raise my gh higher. what would you do in this situation?
 
#1,082 ·
Hey Frank, I've been reading your ebook religiously and I finally caved and bought the whole ADA get up. I myself have the mini m and I'm doing a drystart w/ HC for my iwagumi setup...

While on my "drystart quest" - I've started to load up on ADA equipment :D

However, I have some questions regarding ADA equipment: the CO2 Speed regulator. Your ADG store carries the CO2 Speed Regulator along with a special N. American co2 adapter (http://www.adgshop.com/CO2_Speed_Regulator_p/101-303.htm)

I currently live in Canada (and we use CGA 320 standard CO2 tanks) - is this CO2 adapter compatible? And how much does ADG sell it as standalone??

Thanks
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top