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------Fat Guy's Nature Aquarium with Black Spiderwood ——-

46K views 223 replies 43 participants last post by  Fat Guy 
#1 · (Edited)
May 2022

Property Plant community Plant Botany Leaf



November 2021

Plant Rectangle Wood Line Grass


October 2021

Wood Branch Plant Twig Trunk




August 7, 2021

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May 16th, 2021
Plant Natural landscape Water Wood Body of water


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NEW!! Fat Guy is back!l 20g UNS 60P

Last seen here when I was living in NYC five years ago. Reestablished in LA now. Different water out here that's for sure. Introducing my children to planted aquariums. I picked up a UNS 60p 20g from Bob’s Tropical fish in East LA. Amazing store. This is an amazing size Aquarium. It's 2 inches deeper than the ADA 60p which that store carries as well. And the glass (to me) is just as clear. I also stumbled upon some great stones on my travels around LA and started arranging an Iwagumi scape.



The main rock is huge and works well in this aquarium because of its depth.




Just the beginning here. It's simple and the goal is low tech. Starting off with some Staurgoyne Repens and some Java Fern that I had from an old Fulval Edge. Two Amano shrimp, a nerite snail and one cpd from an old tank. Gonna stock it in a week. Any suggestions? I like Harlequin Rasboras but they seem like they may get a little big and throw off the scale of the rocks. Maybe 10-15 emerald eye tetras??




I’m essentially using all of my old stuff from my Mini M and Edge Tank. Hence all the filters I have running. Using the established bacteria colonies to bypass cycling of the tank and some of the old water from the cycled tanks.



10% Water Changes every day for now.

Here are the stats:

Tank: 20g UNS 60p
Filter: Random- Eheim 2211, Aquaclear 20 HOB, Sponge Filter
CO2: 10lbs Pressurized
Substrate: Aquasoil
Flora: Staurgoyne Repens and Java Fern
Fauna: 1 CPD; 2 Amanos; 1 Nerite Snail
Lighting:
24” Beam Works LED w/dimmer (cheap yet amazing) for $38.

Will start dosing once the s. repens starts to establish itself.

Thanks for looking. Hello again to those who remember me on here and hello to those who have stumbled across this thread.

Catfish added outside of tank.



August 7, 2021
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Picked up a dimmer from Beamworks today that is compatible with my light. It works great for the price. I can control the intensity of both the white and blue LEDS and it also works as a timer.



I've got the setup down to:

12p-6p co2
1p-7p lighting 100% 6500K 10% blue
8p-12a blue moonlight



I don't mind the sponge filter in the corner for now. I'm just trying to get as much bacterial filtration going before I add either Harlequin Rasboras or Emerald Eye Tetras or Rummy Nose Tetras...not sure yet. Anybody out there have experience with these in their 20g planted setup?



Recently purchased dome Blyxa Japonica, bacopa colorata and aromatica mini from Maryland Guppy here on this forum.

Looking forward to adding on to the scape. The S. Repens is doing great.

Thanks for looking.

-el gordo
 
#3 ·
Pride Rock with Vids!!

Update for this week. I should probably just start my own blog, but I've been using Planted Tank to document my progress in the hobby and to share it with others.



Added 17 Cardinal Tetras and moved the CPD to my friend's tank. These fish are so beautiful together.

I purchased plants from a member on this forum and when they arrived they were in terrible shape. They were slimy and translucent.I floated them in my tank hoping that they would rebound and in one day I had green spot algae and hair algae on the plants that were sent.The old me would have hoped for the best and waited to see if they rebounded.But after many years in the hobby I knew these plants were melting and creating world of problems so I took them out and threw them away.It'll probably be the last time I buy plants on this forum.I'm sure that when they were clipped they were in good condition, but they were shipped in a box with no insulation and I think that's what caused them to go into shock.They were shipped cross country to the Southwest here and probably sat on a hot truck in transit for too long.[censored] So I pretty much paid for an algae bloom. Live and learn.

On the positive side I did have a chance to visit my favorite LFS here in LA and picked up some healthier plants.
Added:Bacopa Colorata; Cryptocoryne Crispatula; Cryptocoryne wendtii Kompakt; Brazillian Pennywort.

My Java Fern and S. Repens are doing great!
Also went to Home Depot and got some 1/2" tubing for my lily pipes so I could get the Eheim 2211 to sit on the floor. The tubing works great and fitted it on my CalAqua Lily Pipes from six yeas ago.
One of the best investments for this tank has been the dimmer from Beamworks. I'm running these LEDs at half the intensity and have the blue lights come on at night at 1/10th the intensity. It's nice to have control over the light intensity as the plants in this tank are very low maintenance.Want to get them growing slow and steady.The light is like a gas pedal, so I'm laying off of it to keep things in balance.



For anybody who is interested in this journal here are some vids.I pushed the rock on the left down a bit further into the substrate to balance out the layout more effectively.I can watch these fish for hours.



nighttime cardinal tetras!!

 
#127 ·
Pride Rock with Vids!!

Update for this week. I should probably just start my own blog, but I've been using Planted Tank to document my progress in the hobby and to share it with others.



Added 17 Cardinal Tetras and moved the CPD to my friend's tank. These fish are so beautiful together.

I purchased plants from a member on this forum and when they arrived they were in terrible shape. They were slimy and translucent.I floated them in my tank hoping that they would rebound and in one day I had green spot algae and hair algae on the plants that were sent.The old me would have hoped for the best and waited to see if they rebounded.But after many years in the hobby I knew these plants were melting and creating world of problems so I took them out and threw them away.It'll probably be the last time I buy plants on this forum.I'm sure that when they were clipped they were in good condition, but they were shipped in a box with no insulation and I think that's what caused them to go into shock.They were shipped cross country to the Southwest here and probably sat on a hot truck in transit for too long.[censored] So I pretty much paid for an algae bloom. Live and learn.

On the positive side I did have a chance to visit my favorite LFS here in LA and picked up some healthier plants.
Added:Bacopa Colorata; Cryptocoryne Crispatula; Cryptocoryne wendtii Kompakt; Brazillian Pennywort.

My Java Fern and S. Repens are doing great!
Also went to Home Depot and got some 1/2" tubing for my lily pipes so I could get the Eheim 2211 to sit on the floor. The tubing works great and fitted it on my CalAqua Lily Pipes from six yeas ago.
One of the best investments for this tank has been the dimmer from Beamworks. I'm running these LEDs at half the intensity and have the blue lights come on at night at 1/10th the intensity. It's nice to have control over the light intensity as the plants in this tank are very low maintenance.Want to get them growing slow and steady.The light is like a gas pedal, so I'm laying off of it to keep things in balance.



For anybody who is interested in this journal here are some vids.I pushed the rock on the left down a bit further into the substrate to balance out the layout more effectively.I can watch these fish for hours.



nighttime cardinal tetras!!

Wow! Beautiful tank! Well done!
 
#4 · (Edited)
Fat Guy's Pride Rock Cardinal Paradise

Guess this journal is exclusive to me. Dear me, I’m in the process of dialing in my CO2. Have a skimmer on the way. Now that the cardinals have acclimated I’ve removed the sponge filter. Having a small hair algae issue that occurred when I put melting plants in my tank. Removed them after a day but they wreaked havoc on my water. Adjusting the CO2 and have been increasing gaseous exchange. KH 4.1 pH 7.8 out of tap. ph 6.8 after CO2. Dosing Thrive twice a week. LED light is at 6/10 the power. Plants pearling like mad. All the crypts are pearling too. Going to Airgas tomorrow to swap a new CO2 tank. I’ve had my 5lbs CO2 tanks since 2010. It’s been a while. Yikes! Also switched all my tubing to CO2 tubing. Installed a bubble counter and 2 check valves just to be safe. Running the atomizer in line on the Eheim outflow. The fluval 30 HOB with the extra media and sponges crammed in along with my Eheim canister filter are packing a mean punch for filtration. Looking forward to the skimmer tomorrow for optimum gaseous exchange. I love this tank’s’ dimensions. These cardinal tetras are insane. Dear me, welcome back to the hobby. A lot has changed and evolved for the good since 2003. Mas later. -el g
 

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#5 · (Edited)
Dear Me,

Everything is going great. The only issue has been a slow battle with hair algae that appeared from my own negligence and stupidity. I've been dosing Thrive and spot treating the hair algae with hydrogen peroxide daily after a water change. Added another Amano Shrimp as well. Pushed up the CO2 and added a surface skimmer to the HOB Filter and it works great. Have great gaseous exchange happening in the water. Trimmed off some old leaves of the s. repens that had too much hair algae and removed a couple java ferns. Traded those ferns in at Total Fish & Pets in Alhambra for the Amano Shrimp. Awesome awesome local store near me. Raised the light an inch off the glass. Going to a plastic supply store in Burbank today to put together my own DIY of an acrylic bracket to raise the light another couple of inches from the surface. The Beamworks light is great but these lights sit too close to the surface and the spread of light is too intense on the rock in my tank. Just lifting it a few inches off of the surface has already made a world of difference. Tank is doing great though. Dear me, I'll post a pic of the lighting mod once I finish it. Very happy with the progress so far. Mas Later, el g.



tetras feeding to music

 
#8 ·
Hey Thanks!! I love how the stone and the scape work together. Feel like I'm getting a hold of the algae. Haven't noticed any new hair algae as of now. Been spot treating and upping the co2 and it seems to be working. (knock on wood). Thanks again! :grin2:

Bump:
Fat Guy did you contact the member that sold you the plants ? Seems everyone on here is honest in their dealings , at least give them a chance to make it right .
I sure did. In the end after a couple back and forths with the seller, I accepted the loss and moved on with no resolution. I just threw the plants away and ate the $25. I've been on this forum for a long long while. These things happen. My new LFS here sells the same plants for half the price. Lesson learned.
 
#9 ·
New Acrylic DIY LED Brackets

Dear Me,

I went to Plastic Depot in Burbank yesterday and had some acrylic rectangles cut at 3/8". I then glued them together and made custom risers for my BeamWorks LED light to raise the light higher from the water's surface. I feel like these LEDs are great and even though I have a dimmer for the light I still find it to be too intense and not evenly distributed. So I raised it about 5" total off of the water which opens the tank up more and disperses the light better. Super happy with the outcome. It's not the sleekest DIY however, it wasn't that expensive to modify considering how cheap this light was. I spent about $30 on materials (almost the price of the light to do this) but am satisfied with the outcome.

The cut materials:



Lining them up, gluing them and setting them. Acrylic glue is no joke.



Installed on the tank:





If I could do the DIY again it would be to practice getting the air bubbles out of the acrylic pieces when they are sandwiched together. I was short on time but the pieces all trued up and support the light extremely well. I thought about putting shelving brackets in first and then having the light rest over the tank. But I think the outcome of this looks cleaner and I didn't have to put any holes in the wall.



Thanks for looking.

Mas Later, -el g
 
#10 ·
Hey Fat Guy! Just stumbled upon this thread..love your tank/scape! I'm very intrigued by your DIY light brackets, too. I have tons of acrylic sheet lying around, and the acrylic cement, too, and have always wanted to make my own light risers. I haven't had a chance to figure out just how to custom make them for my lights and tanks...all of my tanks have the plastic rims at the top, which always complicates fitting anything to them! Any tips on making custom risers? Anyway, just wanted to tell you that your scape is really eye-catching!
 
#11 ·
Hey Thanks!!

As for the brackets I spent a lot of time staring at the tank and trying different scenarios with wood before I settled on the design I came up with. Not sure about what to do with the plastic rim. You could do something similar maybe with 3/4" acrylic rods. I thought about using rods but settled on this design. There is a little space between the glass and riser on the inside of the aquarium. If they were too flush with the side, water would leak over the top and onto the floor, traveling up the riser. So whatever you decide on building make sure there is enough of a gap between the riser and the glass on the inside of the aquarium to prevent this from happening. Thanks again!! -Fat Guy

Bump:

Bump: Dear Me,

I've been missing my Amano Shrimp for the past two days. I cleaned out the hang on back filter today and when I pulled the media out guess what I found? The shrimp. They had climbed over the skimmer that I added and then went down the pipe and into the filter. Kind of amazed how they made it through. Have no clue really how they survived. I was thinking that my water params were messed up when they went missing. It was serendipitous that I found them today. I cut out a small foam circle and it now sits in the intake of the skimmer preventing any future shrimp exploration.

Took a vid of the side of the tank. This tank is 14" deep and 14" high so there is a lot of room to play with and for the fish to swim. The side view is just as interesting to me as the front view. Things are pearling like mad.

Mas Later, el g.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Hey Thanks!! I'm really liking this layout as well. It's a 20g tank that has equal depth and height so has a bigger footprint than the ada 60p. I think that really helps when arranging the rock and the plants and makes the setup feel bigger all together.

Subscribed to this thread :)

I have to say that rock as the center piece is beautiful, do you know what kind and where did you buy it from? This'll be my inspiration for my next tank
Hey thanks so much. I'm not sure what rock this is exactly. Looks a lot like ryuoh stone. I purchased it from a local nursery here in SoCal. The nursery has a special section where they sell super high end bonsai trees. I saw some of these rocks laying around and got really excited about adding them to my tank. There were some even bigger pieces that I debated about purchasing but went with this arraignment. There are actually little caves and tunnels in the main rock that the fish can swim through. It's also resting on its own so I didn't have to prop it up on any other pieces to create any extreme angles. Makes cleaning the rock a whole lot easier and if I bump it with my hand when I clean the glass it doesn't budge.

Thanks again!

Dear Me,

I'm contemplating adding an acrylic top to the tank. I have a feline friend that likes to jump up and drink from the tank at night. There have been three cardinals that have been spooked by the cat and went airborne.

Mas Later,

El G.
 
#15 ·
Dear Me,

Here's a quick snap of one of the cardinals. I've had a few jumpers in the beginning after my cat wanted to get a closer look but that has subsided. I've added a piece of foam to the intake of the skimmer to keep the shrimp from getting sucked in.

I've had some curled leaf growth from my bacopa. Extremely hard water out here where I live. Lots of calcium but little magnesium. So I added magnesium sulphate (about 3/4 tsp) to the tank and will see if that has any effect. I've noticed some darker veining on the s. repens and some lighter color between the veins. Tested the nitrates with the basic API kit. Have over 20ppm (or whatever shade of red that it is). At first I thought maybe a nutrient deficiency. I think in the beginning that my plants had a nutrient deficiency before ferts when it was just water changes. I think what I am looking at with the curved leaves is from that but am not sure. The Bacopa is shooting out other branches nicely now. Trying to dial in a good balance between the light, co2 and ferts. I'll test the nitrate count again tonight to see if there was a change. So far so good. running the light at a little more than half the intensity and the plants are pearling. Things are looking better. The aqua clear 20 on the back is a nice combo with the eheim classic. It does a nice job moving the water and allowing gaseous exchange.

Thanks for looking.

Mas Later,

Fat Guy

 
#19 · (Edited)
Dear Me,

Things are going well. Almost all of the hair algae has disappeared. Only noticing a little algae on the bottom front right glass. It's similar to the brown algae that coats the inside of your filter or lily pipes. Comes off no problem. The modification I made to the skimmer has so far successfully kept the shrimp out of the filter. The pygmy corys are awesome and a really cool addition to the tank. The Cardinals are doing great as well and there has not been any jumpers of late. They are more accustomed to my presence now and do not scatter when I or my cat or children approach. Cleaned my impeller for my aquaclear/fluval20 HOB and was getting a lot of filter noise. Added a little petroleum jelly to the impeller and it has turned the noise into a light murmur. Wanted to upgrade the HOB but the next step up take up to much space on the side and will force the light to move more towards the front of the tank. I am not fond of that look. The more central the light the better. But having the HOB and the Eheim 2211 running together gives a nice 1-2 punch for filtration and gaseous exchange.



Raising it up has been a real blessing in disguise. I don't have to move it to work in the tank and the algae on the rock has been reduced to only two green spots. Raising it up has done wonders. I'm very close to being dialed in with the water.

Right now I'm doing:

Day 1:
50% water change, and 4ml of Thrive, 3/4tsp of Magnesium Sulphate.

Day 2,3,4 topoff

Day 5:
2ml Thrive

Day 7:
50% Water change and repeat.

This has seemed to work well fertilizer regime seems to be working well.



I still have a little curling of the bacopa leaves at the top of the tank. But they are now growing out of the tank. I'm going to let the bacopa over grow this week and maybe next and then do a trim. I want it to establish a strong root system before I trim.

Happy with how things are going. Getting closer to the equilibrium horizon. :)


Thanks for those who are following this thread or who have stumbled upon it.

Mas Later,

El Gordo

ps added an old ACURA 50W heater that I have had in storage since 2005. It's keeping the tank at 76 degrees and working flawlessly. Surprised by the quality of the heater.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Dear Me,

Tank is roughly a month old and I seem to have a good co2, fert and lighting balance.

Did a 50% WC today and added 9ml of Thrive and 3/4 tsp of magnesium sulphate. After checking my nitrates throughout last week I added roughly 5 pumps total of Thrive to maintain a good balance of ferts. I decided today to just do one EI dose for the entire week before the 50% water change.

Things are looking good. Had to do a major trim of the bacopa. And then replanted some stems back into the substrate about 2" in height. I hope this will give me some more time between trims and will help the tank fill in the way I want it to.



The crypts are doing great as well. I did lose one cory (I think) possibly from not being patient enough when adding them to the tank. But I can't find him so maybe he hiding out somewhere. The cardinals are insane feeders and super active. I have the temp around 74-75 degrees which seems to be a nice medium for the fish. I turn the heater off the night before I do a water change so that the tap water and tank water are close to being the same temp on the day of the change.



Amanos hanging out on the rock.



Hair algae is virtually non-existent. I am also not having any problems with the bacopa leaves curling like before. Maybe the magnesium addition had a positive effect. I did notice a little green dust algae on the glass but I think that is because the tank is too close to the window. The window never gets full sun, but nonetheless I think that is why I am seeing it.

Gave the bacopa to my neighbor down the road.



Thanks to those who are following this thread.

Mas Later,

Fat Guy
 
#21 ·
Dear Me,

Removed some of the longer crypts in the back and replaced with C. Wendtii. Also raised the slope in the back. Experienced a slight ammonia spike when I disturbed the substrate and lost one cory, but all is back to normal. Grabbed Karen Randall's book Sunken Gardens for fun. Really enjoyed reading it. I met Karen 16 years ago in Boston at the New England Aquarium Society. I purchased some of her Pearl Weed at the plant auction after meeting her. Cool to see that she has a book out.

Really like the way the tank is starting to look. Only running the light at 50% intensity and everything is gravy for far. Added some mermaid weed and another plant after pulling the bacopa colorata. The plant threw off the scale to much for my liking and grew like a weed.

Thanks for looking.

Mas Later,

El G



 
#24 ·
Dear Me!

Forgot to mention that the two plants that I added were myriophyllum tuberculatum (aka red water milfoil) and the other stem plant is either totals indica 'bonsai' or bacopa Caroliniana...I'm leaning towards the latter. Bob's Tropical Fish had it planted but unlabeled and they weren't sure which one it was. I liked the way it grew next to the milfoil so I picked it up. A real pain to plant as one the slightest disturbance with the tweezers sends two or three stems floating up. Anyway. Liking how it is looking now, especially with the slope in the corner. Excited to see how the new crypts fill in. The cardinals are awesome to watch in this setup. Also it's too bad about the pygmy cory deaths. Totally my fault from causing an small ammonia spike when I added some oliver knott soil over the UNS soil and kicked up a cloud of debris. I vacuumed it up as quickly as possible but I think it really did a number on the corys. The cardinals and shrimp have shown zero signs of stress however. It's just a bummer and I probably won't keep these little fish again. I also noticed what appeared to be some diatoms after the soil addition. I think that is attributed to the ammonia spike. It's a real balancing act. Enjoying the process thus far that's for sure. Thanks for looking! El G.
 
#26 ·
Everything has really started to take off. I've changed up some things. Made an addition with a DIY foggy white background. Added two otocinclus and lowered the light intensity to 50% on the LED. The crypts and s. repens are thriving. The stems in the background are filling in nicely. I was told from the LFS that it was mermaid weed (the stem near the middle) but it's actually rotala walachi. Pic below. When I get a chance I'm gonna snap a better looking image. The pic doesn't do it justice at all.

Thanks for looking. Mas Later.

El G

 
#27 ·
Increased light intensity back to 90% as I was reading some interesting stuff about the Beamworks Light PAR etc. Plants are bubbling like crazy. Gonna get a phosphate test kit mañana to test levels. I think with the bioload I've got the Nitrates covered, but may be running low on phosphates throughout the week as I'm getting a nice dusting of green dust algae on the glass every third day after the water change. We shall see.

Thanks for looking.

Mas Later,

-El G.
 
#30 ·
New Video 2020!! Fluval 3.0 or Chihiros RGB???

Built a DIY stand out of an old dresser. When I get a chance I'll post some pics on how I did it. Below is a vid of the tank. I've got some brown algae/diatoms from adding substrate a little while back. I don't mind it so much. It does mess with some of the rotala's beauty, but the fish and shrimp love it.

Going to upgrade the light.

Any thoughts on the Fluval 3.0 or the Chihiros RGB for this? Anybody want to chime in?

I like the 3.0 controls and think it will add some nice customizable color to the tank but wonder if having it at the surface will be too close. I do have the acrylic risers I made that I can always put it on. The RGB from Chihiros looks cool too. I just don't know about the longevity of that light.

Any thoughts????

Here's the vid:



Bump:

Bump:

Bump: aer
 
#33 ·
Debating now whether I should get the Fluval 3.0 for $127 or the Twinstar 600ea with dinner for $179. As mentioned before I could put the fluval on the risers but I think the twin star wins the beauty countest. Is it really work $50 more without an app?

Here’s the tank on my diy stand.
 

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#34 · (Edited)
If any of you have been following my journal, you know that I have been debating about an upgrade from my current beamworks 6500k light. That light has done a nice job helping me get back into the hobby. However I really wanted to find a light with a nice color spectrum that was programmable as well. I have been debating between the twinstar e vs the chihiros RGB vs the Fluval 3.0.

My main concern with the fluval was that it did not have any risers and was supposed to only sit on top of the tank. I am not a huge fan of this setup also and would expect to get a lot of water splashes from the carbon dioxide and oxygen bubbles degassing from the surface onto the light casing. But I bit the bullet and went for a DIY upgrade and built my ow acrylic risers. I also got a good price on the light from Ken’s fish online and bought the light for $127.



I received the light today and boy oh boy is it really awesome. And it looks amazing in my opinion on top of the acrylic risers that I built. The controllable color spectrum and intensity for the LEDs on this with the app is really special. You kind of expect the rest of the LED market to go in this direction. The light is super responsive with the app. I only had one issue with it and that was when I tried to update the app and I lost Internet My connection and the light turned off and I couldn’t get it to turn back on. However after a couple Google searches did I realize that you can upgrade the firmware on the light by erasing it and reinstalling it by swiping left on the light icon in the app without waiting for the light to respond. And it worked immediately.



To be honest I really can’t get over the difference that’s this light makes on my 60 uns. It puts a big smile on my face and I don’t feel like I broke the bank at all. Maybe Fluval will take a note and farther down the line will offer acrylic risers for their lights instead of only offering a hanging mount system. But raising this light above the water line has made all the difference and I have zero dark spots on my tank and an even distribution of light. Anybody on the fence I say go for it. The three-year warranty makes me smile. I’m also finally seeing my fish and plants in a whole new light (pun intended).

-Fat Guy

Loving the ramp up and ramp down feature.

 
#35 ·
Did a major trim. Battling late in tank diatoms that showed up after I added additional substrate (and didnt rinse it even though the bag said it wasn’t necessary. Lesson learned. Plus it would be good for these established plants to grow in thicker now.

Thanks for looking!

Mas later,

El g.
 

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