[pewpewkittah]

Tank shot as of 2/26

I've wanted to upgrade my 5.6g iwagumi tank, so I got a 12g long since they seem to be very popular. I have to say, as soon as I saw this tank... I fell in love, the dimension are amazing. I can see why so many people have this tank!

Anyway, I want to keep this high-tech because I don't want to deal with the fluctuating PH that comes with dosing Excel. I think that's what was causing unexplained deaths in my previous shrimp tank.

Planning on getting the parts this week to put together a stand that will double up as a headboard with shelves and cubbies to hold the equipment.

Specs:
Mr. Aqua 12g Long Aquarium
DIY Stand
AT-200 Canister Filter
5lb tank with Aquatek Regulator
Seriyu stone
Black Diamond blasting sand

Flora:
DHG 'belem'
Blxya japonica
Alternanthera reineckii 'mini'
Rotala magenta
Rotala mini 'butterfly'
Rotala sp. 'butterfly'
Rotala sp. 'green'
Ludwigia senegalensis
Tonina 'Lotus blossom'
Tonina fluviatilis
Hydrocotyle japan

Fauna:
80+ assorted grades of cherries, but mostly PFR

 

[pewpewkittah]

Hardscape is set and I am starting a DSM with the HC from my old tank.

I know I should be misting 2-3 times a day, to keep the plants moist. I also have the top covered and left an inch open on one side to have some air circulation. Before planting I misted the soil heavily to make sure it was a little wet. But, after I am done planting, should I add enough water to ALMOST reach the lowest part of the soil? I just don't want the plants drying out!

Thanks

 

[ChemGuyEthan]

Hardscape is set and I am starting a DSM with the HC from my old tank.

I know I should be misting 2-3 times a day, to keep the plants moist. I also have the top covered and left an inch open on one side to have some air circulation. Before planting I misted the soil heavily to make sure it was a little wet. But, after I am done planting, should I add enough water to ALMOST reach the lowest part of the soil? I just don't want the plants drying out!

Thanks

I like the scape!

If you haven't already, I hope you are going to break up that clump of HC...like you did with the other stuff. I assume this is just a midway picture, but I had to ask, haha.

And yes, fill the water to just below the surface, maybe a centimeter or so. Misting 3 times a day is a little overkill unless you live in a really dry climate, especially if it's covered with cling wrap. I misted my HC morning and night for about a week or so, then cut it back to once a day unless I noticed significant drying. Since the blasting sand is inert, I may suggest that you spray with some sort of diluted fertilizer. I used tank water from one of my other EI dosed tanks. This should help the plants transition from submersed to emmersed. Keep an eye out for spider-web looking things on the HC, if you see some, spray with diluted Excel and dry the substrate out a little bit. This is a mold/fungus that kills plants extremely quickly.

Keep up the good work!

 

[pewpewkittah]

I like the scape!

If you haven't already, I hope you are going to break up that clump of HC...like you did with the other stuff. I assume this is just a midway picture, but I had to ask, haha.

And yes, fill the water to just below the surface, maybe a centimeter or so. Misting 3 times a day is a little overkill unless you live in a really dry climate, especially if it's covered with cling wrap. I misted my HC morning and night for about a week or so, then cut it back to once a day unless I noticed significant drying. Since the blasting sand is inert, I may suggest that you spray with some sort of diluted fertilizer. I used tank water from one of my other EI dosed tanks. This should help the plants transition from submersed to emmersed. Keep an eye out for spider-web looking things on the HC, if you see some, spray with diluted Excel and dry the substrate out a little bit. This is a mold/fungus that kills plants extremely quickly.

Keep up the good work!

Thank you!!

Yeah, I was in the process of breaking that beast down and planting.. Took me about 3 hours.

I added some osmocote root tabs before planting, would that help at all with the fertilization? Or should I further supplement by adding a small amount of Flourish Comp and Excel to the bottle, to combat mold and boost growth.

I really appreciate the info!! This is my first DSM and I don't want to kill off all this HC...

Bump: All finished planting!!

 

[PhilipS]

I know I should be misting 2-3 times a day, to keep the plants moist.

Mini ultra sonic fogger in a 2" deep container on top of a rock will do that for you. They actually make a plastic/foam floater for it.

Set a timer for 15 on 15 off.

Tank is looking good.

 

[pewpewkittah]

Mini ultra sonic fogger in a 2" deep container on top of a rock will do that for you. They actually make a plastic/foam floater for it.

Set a timer for 15 on 15 off.

Tank is looking good.

I can't believe I didn't think of that!! I have one of those sitting in a box from when I had poisonous dart frogs. Thank you!!

 

[PhilipS]

Sweet!

These little buggers like to warm the water so it's best to keep it in its own container for your application. The diaphragms are universal see amazon.

If the submersed plants aren't liking the emersed situation just fill to an inch above them. Then they will encourage more roots. Every tank is different.

 

[tropicalmackdaddy]

does the blasting sand have any nutrient value in it? also, that is not much depth for a plant like hc.
I like the scape!

 

[pewpewkittah]

Sweet!

These little buggers like to warm the water so it's best to keep it in its own container for your application. The diaphragms are universal see amazon.

If the submersed plants aren't liking the emersed situation just fill to an inch above them. Then they will encourage more roots. Every tank is different.

Good to know. I am seeing some browning with the HC, but also new growth. So, I think that is a good sign? I heard the browning is normal.

does the blasting sand have any nutrient value in it? also, that is not much depth for a plant like hc.
I like the scape!

Blasting sand is inert. I added fert tabs for when I flood, till then I have been misting with water from my EI dosed tank.

I agree with you, I actually added more sand a few days ago!

 

[pewpewkittah]

One week update!

I am going to add blyxa to the corners behind the larger rocks and some AR "mini" in between the two rocks on the left side as a focal point. I'll be doing this after I flood the tank. Building the stand this week!

Added some s. repens to transition from HC to blyxa.

There is some browning and a little green growth.. Hopefully I start seeing more green within the next week.

 

[pewpewkittah]

Welp, I failed at the DSM with the HC. I think I was over watering, because I developed the white web fungus that took out nearly my entire carpet of HC I grew for months.... Figures!

Anyway, after that disaster I wasn't really satisfied with the hard scape.. It lacked a focal point. So I took out my box of rocks and threw something together. I might remove the rock on the far left, we'll see though.

For the flora, I wanted to do something a little different from the traditional HC, so I ordered a crap ton of DHG 'belem' for the carpet and planted it last week, growing like crazy already! I planted the AR 'mini' tonight. I'll be adding blyxa behind some of the rocks once it grows out in my 60P.

For the fauna, I currently have about 10 snails in there. They seem to be happy and the tank appears to be cycled. I used Tetra Safe Start, along with seeding some media from my established tank. But I am still paranoid about adding my PFR, I don't want to lose any... My tank parameters are reading; 0 ammonia, nitrites 0 and about 10 nirates.

What do you guys think, add shrimp or no? I have about 50~

 

[Xiaozhuang]

The dimensions of the 12g long are really nice for this style of scape~

The grey rocks/seiryu is a type of limestone that can raise KH quite a bit. With strong CO2, some tanks hit 10+ dKH within a week. Most plants still do fine, but shrimps that are more sensitive might not like it. Common cherries should be okay but "higher grade" shrimps can be sensitive. Perhaps test the KH and TDS ?

 

[pewpewkittah]

The dimensions of the 12g long are really nice for this style of scape~

The grey rocks/seiryu is a type of limestone that can raise KH quite a bit. With strong CO2, some tanks hit 10+ dKH within a week. Most plants still do fine, but shrimps that are more sensitive might not like it. Common cherries should be okay but "higher grade" shrimps can be sensitive. Perhaps test the KH and TDS ?

Thanks for the input. I added my cherries about a week and a half ago and they seem to be doing great! I have over 5 berried females and little babies too . I tested my KH and TDS at the beginning of the week (following a water change) and at the end of the week (before water change). I do about a 30% water change weekly. I got the following results...

After water change;
150 TDS
4-5 KH

Before water change;
220 TDS
8-9 KH

I am not too worried about the TDS, but the KH seems high to me.. Any other shrimp enthusiasts care to provide some insight?

 

[Raith]

Wait, are you not using CO2?

 

[pewpewkittah]

Wait, are you not using CO2?

Yes I am actually.

 

[Raith]

Ah okay. Thanks.

 

[pewpewkittah]

Quick update with picture

Shrimp are breeding like crazy, I think I have well over 100 now!! Carpet is almost filled out too. I am really happy with how this tank has come together and I have little to no maintenance.

Comments and critiques are appreciated :3.

 

[pewpewkittah]

Took some nice pictures today!

 

[tylergvolk]

She's a beaut!

 

[pewpewkittah]

She's a beaut!

I appreciate the kind words! I miss watching the development of your 12 long, its a shame you had to break it down... It was pretty unique.