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Cyanider's 12G Long!

7K views 33 replies 11 participants last post by  Cyanider 
#1 · (Edited)
Current FTS
It took forever, but it's finally filled!


Equipment hooked up, almost ready to go!


Re-starting my dry start. Initial batch of HC died, so hopefully I do it right this time! I think I'm on the right track, because the S. Repens on the right is still alive and throwing out new leaves.


Went out and bought some HC to dry start. Planted them and covered the tank with saran wrap with an opening in the back. Probably going to add a little more slope tonight..


Added some sand and hardscape. DSM Plants next!


Better photo to come... for now, here's the empty tank!


Finally, after months of drooling over everyone else's 12G long's, I finally got one of my own :)

I'm still trying to decide between an Iwagumi scape, a Dutch scape, and a 'stream bed' scape. Definitely going to dry start if I go the Iwagumi route.

Here is my proposed setup:

Specs
- 12 Gallon Long Mr. Aqua Rimless Tank
- Substrate: Black Diamond Blasting Sand
- Lighting: Catalina 1x39W T5HO
- Filtration: Fluval 205 w/ DIY acrylic lily pipes
- CO2: 2.5lb co2 tank, Victor DS reg, Aquamedic solenoid, Swagelok needle valve, eBay diffuser
- Fertilizers: Root tabs and EI Light

Flora
- Hemianthus Callitrichoides (HC)
- Alternanthera Reineckii 'mini'
- DHG belem
- Blyxa Japonica
- More to come...

Fauna
- Celestial Pearl Danio*
- CBS, CRS, or a species of blue shrimp*

*Still trying to decide on this...
 
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#12 ·
Rebooted the dry start. That initial batch died off after a week. I think it was a combination of too much water and too little humidity.

This time I've got a hygrometer reading 90-99% humidity, and I didn't add any water to the substrate, but rather am just misting daily. To keep humidity up, I put in a little mason jar of water.

As far as the hardscape goes, I'm thinking of adding a little bit more sand to the right side to give it some slope. Currently, everything is between 1-2" deep, so I think it would be okay to raise the right side a little bit, giving it maybe 3" of substrate (offset by the seiryu stones taking up some space).

Any tips on my scape? Expect the middle and left sides to be a lawn of HC, with the single stone as an outlier. The right side will start with a mix of HC and S. Repens, and eventually gain a few smaller stems if I decide it needs them.

 
#13 ·
It looks like some of your HC could be better planted, get the roots under the soil better. Plus you want it humid, but not too wet. My first few ruined experiences with HC were moldy and unsuccessful, make sure it's getting plenty of fresh air too. Lots of spraying is good, but the air must circulate too.

Once the HC catches, it might take a solid 6-18 weeks to fill in, so be patient. Good luck!
 
#14 ·
I just pushed the roots further in. Hopefully that helps! I was following the suggestion of sprinkling it on, but I guess that's more for unrooted HC.

I usually spray it twice a day, should I drop it down to once? And what do you recommend for air circulation? Just leaving the top open for a few minutes or something?

I just hope this batch roots and takes off! I'm tired of it melting haha.
 
#15 ·
Yup, keep the top off for air circulation (for a few minutes every day/other day). Again, after successfully growing HC emersed, I was surprised how "little" water it took compared to what I was previously doing. Wet is good, but keep the water level right AT/Below the substrate level. It will keep it from developing molds and algae, and should help it grow faster too.
Good luck! Melting HC is no fun...
 
#17 ·
Been neglecting updating this tank journal - watching plants grow is a slow process! Anyway, I purchased a Satellite Planted LED+ for this tank.. this thing is awesome! I love all of the different modes and lighting adjustments, and it fits this tank perfectly. It's slim profile unlike the Finnex LEDs, and is very unobtrusive. As far as I can tell, it provides an adequate amount of light (will probably change once I flood).

The HC has grown a nice, thick carpet... so thick that I had to trim it to keep the lower portions from dying. Did that about a month or so ago, and I let it go for a little longer so the lower portions could get healthy and green again since they were yellowed.

Just drilled the stand to get the filter and pipes ready. I plan on flooding this month, so exciting!

Next steps (more as a note to self):

- Get paintball CO2 tank filled, and regulator provisioned
- Calculate fert measurements
- Get filter hooked up and ready
- Clean glass - it's filthy!

Photo post coming soon...
 
#18 · (Edited)
Months later... I finally have the lush carpet of HC I've been desiring! Also popped a piece of melting Tonina Fluviatilis 'lotus blossom' since it wasn't surviving in my other tank. That thing took off! Went from a 1/2" melting stem to half a dozen stems with lots of side shoots! I added two stems to my other tank and they're actually growing in there, I guess they were just weak stems from the start and couldn't adapt? Idk, but I'm happy it's growing, it's one of my favorite plants :)

Here's the latest tank shot:



And a shot of my filter/co2 setup. I need to find something to cover this stuff up with because they're to tall for the cube shelves on my cheapo stand. Maybe just put a bushy plant in front of them? Idk.

 
#20 ·
I love the growth sequence! :) That HC has really filled in nicely for you.

One thing though,.. On your fluval, do you have one hose pushed inside another to change size? If you do that I recommend something plastic inside the smaller hose, and a pipe clamp around the whole thing to help avoid leaks. Without it they may pop apart during cleaning one day and make a huge mess.

Great looking tank!
Whiskey
 
#21 ·
Thanks for the compliments!

And yeah, I stepped down the hose size.. I planned on putting hose clamps on, as I have on my other tanks. What do you mean by putting something inside? Like a piece of acrylic hose or something to keep the negative pressure for the clamp? These hoses fit together very tightly, and I slid them in pretty far, but I'll look into doing that. Thanks!
 
#25 ·
It's a bit of half-dead riccia. I took it out of another tank cause it was annoying, but didn't want to get rid of all of it. I also put some water in the jar to keep the humidity in the tank up.

Yeah! Someone else who has a top end regulator on a paintball tank.. I'm not the only silly enthusiast :)
Haha, gotta make sure the tank doesn't dump! :tongue: I plan on getting a 5lb tank eventually and use the PB tank for a smaller aquarium.

Yeah, that's exactly what I mean. It may be overkill, but without having something hard for the clamp to press against sometimes the inside hose can wrinkle and cause a leak, or the clamp can loosen up over time as the rubber squishes.

Whiskey
Makes perfect sense. Now to find something cheap that fits to put inside the hose... don't want to spend too much money buying a length of pipe to put in. Any ideas?
 
#30 ·
Per Whiskey's advice, I redid the tubing and added a piece of old filter pipe to support the tube reductions. Also took the inline CO2 diffuser off - it took too high of pressure to diffuse, and the bubble counter I have won't hold the air hose properly so it pops off. Switched to a regular old diffuser.

Onto the big news... I finally filled the tank!


Gonna let it run for a few weeks until preparing to get fish. Let's hope my carpet doesn't die!
 
#33 ·
Gave the HC a trim tonight, and pulled a few spots where it was sort of melting. What a pain in the ass! That is seriously the messiest plant I've ever had. It's up there with riccia and duckweed in terms of messiness when it floats.

Also, during the dry start, the HC had a few stems that grew kinda weird. They never really developed properly and look very thin and scraggly. Almost like a piece of moss. Now they're all dark green/brown and look awful. They're also a pain to remove since they're sort of mixed in with the HC.
 
#34 ·
Just one final update - this tank came down with a terrible case of BGA and I could never figure out what was causing it. But the carpet ended up melting. I didn't have time to keep up with this tank and get it going again, so I disassembled it and sold it to a nearby member on here. He's already got the tank set up and it's housing his Scarlet Badis.

Anyway, it's unfortunate that it didn't work out for me, but I wish him and his Scarlets the best of luck!
 
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