FresH2O's 20g planted rescape

[Delapool]

Good idea - I must check them out.

 

[Fresh2o]

Wow, that is a stunnng work of art right there! Beautiful.

Thank you!

That AR "mini" is super red! When I had some, I could only get it to be a burnt orange/light red. How much PAR do you think you have at its peak? If I can grow DHG in low light, I'm sure you'll have success with it when, or if, the time comes. I say keep it how it is for now. It looks nice!

The morning and evening spectrum of the 24/7 mode emphasizes the reds and blues. So during those times they look redder than usual.

Looking good! I'm having some serious tank envy..

Has been a work in progress since 2012/2013.

Sounds great - I must look these up. One day the bulb cost on the quad T5HO here will get too much...

As bert mentioned, MakeMyLEDs is something worth looking into. The US counterpart (BML) got out of the hobbyists market a few years back.
I still encounter purists that think it's blasphemy that deviate from T-5s.

 

[Bert2oo1]

I would have to agree that t5's are a great light tho. They actually give the plants some really nice colour. I think that's why Dutch aquascapers tend to stick to the t5's or maybe they just like the old school methods.

I couldn't handle to hassle of changing globes. I love the beauty of set and forget with LED's [emoji106]

 

[Delapool]

I like the t5's - I think I get better options to mix bulb types and lower cost to buy. The bulb cost per year kills me though. Not sure if light spread is better or not for plants.

But also like the dimmable feature on LEDs. The 'moderate' price LEDs are ok - always annoys me that I turn off the blue channel straight away.

 

[Fresh2o]

If you are looking for a sleek, compact chassis, the LEDs all the way. T-5s are much smaller than their predecessors though.
Back in the early 90s I built a canopy for a 55g that housed 4 T-12 bulbs. Thankfully I put the two brick sized ballasts in the cabinet. The lights were mounted on a 3/8" plywood top. The combined weight of the top + endcaps + bulbs required careful opening and lowering of the lid. And it generated quite a bit of heat for standard output and not VO or VHO. The back of the cabinet was left open for ventilation. It was a nice setup. I ended selling the tank, custom canopy + lights, and cabinet for $50 (made someone very happy).
The LEDs I am currently using have worked out for me; higher initial cost but zero moving forward. Spread that out over X years and the cost is rather nominal. The dimming and custom settings are a perk as well.

 

[Fresh2o]

Just got back from a little time away. Fish might have been fed in my absence (10 days). No ferts and CO2 ran out. There is a layer of algae on the front pane. Duckweed on the surface and plants need trimming. Otherwise, okay. No fish deaths from what I can see:

Here is a sunset pic from the Outer Banks. Enjoy.

 

[TMaier]

Awesome pics. Thanks.

 

[fishenthusiast]

Just got back from a little time away. Fish might have been fed in my absence (10 days). No ferts and CO2 ran out. There is a layer of algae on the front pane. Duckweed on the surface and plants need trimming. Otherwise, okay. No fish deaths from what I can see:

Here is a sunset pic from the Outer Banks. Enjoy.

Welcome to the jungle! The tank is looking excellent despite being away for 10 days. When I was running high light, mine always looked bad afterwards.

Did you stay on the soundside this year? I've always liked the sound better than having a beach house near the ocean. Better views, as displayed in your pic, on the sound!

 

[Fresh2o]

Did not get a chance to get the CO2 tank filled today. Going to unplug the Planted+ until it gets filled. Drop checker is sapphire blue. Oh, and do a well deserved water change.
Stayed on the ocean side. Humidity and temps were low, water was insanely clear.
Kayaked on the sound side and saw crabs and skates. A sizable Grass shrimp jumped into the kayak! Visited Jockeys Ridge state park...gorgeous. Waded out 100' water was 12" deep and fish (pompano?) were nipping at my toes. Good trip.

 

[DaleV87]

Your tanks are always spot on!

 

[Autumnsky]

Love the pic and nice result for being gone all that time! Post the Sunset pic on the Off Topic - watering hole (200 posts or more members - sorry newbies!)
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...s-or-sea-landscapes-358989-2.html#post3450683

 

[Fresh2o]

Had the CO2 tank refilled. Running at ~2 bps. Scraped the front pane and trimmed the plants. It was late obviously from the Edward ScissorHands look. It will grow back.
Yielded a mess of staur repens, Ammania bonsai, and at least 20+ of Pogostemon erectus.
Still need to work on the shrimp tanks (over grown with guppy grass)

 

[Bert2oo1]

Looking good fresh [emoji108] you'll have a tank full of repens soon haha [emoji23] the spread is amazing

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Had the CO2 tank refilled. Running at ~2 bps. Scraped the front pane and trimmed the plants. It was late obviously from the Edward ScissorHands look. It will grow back.
Yielded a mess of staur repens, Ammania bonsai, and at least 20+ of Pogostemon erectus.
Still need to work on the shrimp tanks (over grown with guppy grass)

Hey FresH... man, your tank is looking great as ever! Finnex still going strong, so it appears. Good chatting with you today, BTW. Looks like I'll be re-entering the hobby soon with my 60p tank. Felt good to blow the dust off my dry fert bottles, refill the co2 tanks, and begin the DSM in my hardscape a few weeks back. Looking at tanks like this one is motivational.. can't wait to flood and get started

 

[Autumnsky]

Hey FresH... man, your tank is looking great as ever! Finnex still going strong, so it appears. Good chatting with you today, BTW. Looks like I'll be re-entering the hobby soon with my 60p tank. Felt good to blow the dust off my dry fert bottles, refill the co2 tanks, and begin the DSM in my hardscape a few weeks back. Looking at tanks like this one is motivational.. can't wait to flood and get started

That is a beauty of a tank.

Nice to see you Brian!!!

 

[Fresh2o]

Brian in the house!
Wow, it's been years. Glad to see you are giving new life to the 60p. Your tanks were always impressive (as well as the photography and videos). Following your builds and advice forced me to step up my game as I strived to keep up. Welcome back!

 

[fishenthusiast]

Brian in the house!
Wow, it's been years. Glad to see you are giving new life to the 60p. Your tanks were always impressive (as well as the photography and videos). Following your builds and advice forced me to step up my game as I strived to keep up. Welcome back!

I remember seeing your tank years ago and I thought the same thing that you were thinking about Brian's tanks. This was when my tank was an Amazon Sword city haha. Your tank is still looking great. Can't beat that AR "mini"!

Hey FresH... man, your tank is looking great as ever! Finnex still going strong, so it appears. Good chatting with you today, BTW. Looks like I'll be re-entering the hobby soon with my 60p tank. Felt good to blow the dust off my dry fert bottles, refill the co2 tanks, and begin the DSM in my hardscape a few weeks back. Looking at tanks like this one is motivational.. can't wait to flood and get started

Nice to have you back, Brian! I remember your tanks as being very inspirational when I was in the early stages of planted tank keeping.

 

[ScapeYoda]

Looking good Fresh, bow's to tbe Staur King!

 

[ScapeYoda]

Looking good Fresh, bow's to the Staur King!

I may need to hit you up when you've excess[emoji106]

 

[Fresh2o]

I may need to hit you up when you've excess[emoji106]

I always have excess. Needs to be thinned out anyhow. Hit me up.