[styxx]

Well I have decided to take the plunge. I have begun yet another tank and this time it's to be a ADA 90P. I wish that I had the $ for the 120, but for now a 90P will have to suffice. Please note, I have switched to an Iwugami style as of 7/27/2012! So here are the specs and photos to follow:

Flora
Anubias Barteri Nana Planted
Microsorum pteropus Needle Leaf Planted
Lilaeopsis mauritiana Planted

Fauna
Cardinia Japonica Arrived
Otocinclus Affinis Arrived
Harlequin Rasboras Arrived
Assassin Snails Arrived

Equipment
Fluval G6
Hydor 300W Heater
5Lb. CO2 w/Milwaukee Regulator, Solenoid & Bubble counter
GLA Atomic+ CO2 Diffuser - with Check Valve - 75mm
GLA (Cal Aqua Labs) Glass Lily In/Outflow Pipes
2 x 30W Growbeam 1000ND, 6500K LED Tile
EchoTech Vortech MP10
ADA: Iron Long Bottom, Multi-Bottom Long, Tourmaline BC, ECA, Phyton-Git, Brighty-K, Brighty Lights, Step 1-2-3,
45Lbs. Seriyu Stone (not cheap )
60Lbs. Seachem Fluorite Black

And without further delay:

 

[frrok]

wow awesome! sub'ed....but wheres the tank!?? lol

 

[styxx]

wow awesome! sub'ed....but wheres the tank!?? lol

Ugh. On order with Aqua Forest Aquarium; I'm in waiting mode, but I'm supposed to receive my 45Lbs. of Seriyu stone by Monday at the latest. Oh and I can't wait because that @&#^ cost me an arm and a leg (let's not even talk about the tank), lol.

 

[2in10]

Nice looking supplies and wood

 

[mcqueenesq]

This is going to be good. That is an awesome piece of driftwood, and I can't wait to see what your 45lbs of Seriyu stone is going to look like in there.

 

[styxx]

This is going to be good. That is an awesome piece of driftwood, and I can't wait to see what your 45lbs of Seriyu stone is going to look like in there.

Well you won't have to wait for long, because it's supposed to be delivered today! :icon_mrgr

 

[Jeffww]

Why flourite? I don't use those hard subs in my ada tank because they tend to scratch...

 

[styxx]

Why flourite? I don't use those hard subs in my ada tank because they tend to scratch...

I decided against ADA Amazon soil because in my experience, it tends to turn to mush in the bottom layer over time. And since this tank will be around for at least the next year (or more) I wanted something that will hold its shape. Fluorite does that and doesn't suffer from compaction like ADA soil. Moreover with amendments like Multi-bottom and Iron Bottom its high CEC capacity increases its utility (apart from the Fe and other minerals that it already possesses). As for scratching, I haven't had any problems, but then again, I don't do a lot of fiddling and moving around things once I plant the tank. Other than trimming I usually leave things be for months at a time. The only occasion that I've ever been concerned with scratches is when moving large rocks in the substrate but even then the friction can be minimized. And of course, one could always use Fluorite Sand as an alternative if one were concerned about scratches. But I'm not too concerned.

 

[ChadRamsey]

this is going to be nice. Lets see the rocks...

 

[styxx]

this is going to be nice. Lets see the rocks...

On the way right now! :flick: And without any further ado, here they are:



I'm not sure what is up with this photo below, but it's supposed to be vertical, yet every time I post it, the photo is turned sideways....







Same thing happens here for some strange reason...

 

[mcqueenesq]

You definitely have a lot to work with there. Any one of those could be the focus stone in a smaller tank.

 

[styxx]

You definitely have a lot to work with there. Any one of those could be the focus stone in a smaller tank.

I know but I'm concerned about height. I need sufficient height in the rock in order to offset the potential foreground that I want to use. I may have to resort to glosso because it seems that since my tank is only 18" high and the rocks aren't nearly that tall, therefore I might have to use glosso because it grows much closer to the substrate, whereas Lilaeopsis tends to grow 2-3 inches high (which would obscure the rock). Any thoughts?

 

[mcqueenesq]

This site says Lilaeopsis mauritiana growth will be lower and more dense with more light. You've definitely got a strong enough light. It would be great if you could achieve this.

 

[styxx]

This site says Lilaeopsis mauritiana growth will be lower and more dense with more light. You've definitely got a strong enough light. It would be great if you could achieve this.

Yes, I'm still tossing the idea around in my head. I really need to see how I can get the rock layout first in order to arrive at a decision on the foreground. In the past I grew the lilaeopsis brasil but if memory serves me correctly, it took like 6 months for it to really take off and then after that it was a breeze, but it was a PITA to really get going. I finally gave up and then two months later I woke up to see it covering every square inch of the substrate (and that was with high light, CO2, etc.) So I hope that the mauritiana is much easier to get going and won't take as long to cover the substrate (should I go with it as I originally intended). At the moment, I'm waiting on the tank, but my ADA glass lily pipes should be here on Wed! More photos to come...

Oh and BTW mcqueensesq, I went to LSU/UNO for my undergraduate degree! I miss uptown and the Quarter so much! Many of my friends still live there, but left for Grad school after Katrina. Hope things are going well down there these days...

 

[frrok]

I'm growing mauritiana emersed right now and I got to say I like it better than regular Lilaeopsis

 

[FlyingGiraffes]

You could try a layer of crushed lava rock with AS over it. I was worried about compacting also.

Like the rocks, but I think you can get nicer wood.

Looking forward to see your scape.

 

[mcqueenesq]

Oh and BTW mcqueensesq, I went to LSU/UNO for my undergraduate degree! I miss uptown and the Quarter so much! Many of my friends still live there, but left for Grad school after Katrina. Hope things are going well down there these days...

Better than ever. It's truly a renaissance. If this doesn't get your juices flowing, then you've really been gone too long.

 

[styxx]

Glass Lily Pipes Arrive!!

Why hellooo there Mr. FedEx package, what is that you have in there for me today? AHA! What do we have here?!?



Note how narrow the outlet is - I wonder if this is to increase the turbulence of the flow?



This intake is really gorgeous in real life and the quality is quite evident. Both of them appear to be very fragile, but they're quite sturdy and composed of thick glass.



I love how the workmanship is reflected in the precision of the cuts; no jagged edges here! :wink:

 

[frrok]

Just curious what Pai Mei thinks of this project. hehe

 

[styxx]

Just curious what Pai Mei thinks of this project. hehe

He thinks that this is devilish, useless, white man's work and he should take over and discipline the inept young student from wasting his precious time. LOL:icon_mrgr