Caliban's 46G Dirted Bowfront Evolved

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I use the fluval volcanic soil with a cap of Eco complete. Works great and only clouds when u pull up big rooted plants. Even then it clears up overnight! +1 for Eco!


30g planted, 90g Oscar tank
 
Thanks. Using a substrate calculator it came to 4 bags = £100 or $129.

Seems a bit steep.


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An online place here was 22.06, and a different one 26.52 per bag. I found mine on sale for around 17. per bag (free shipping was the best part of the deal, lol) a few years back though. Unless the shipping part makes it worth while to get the extra bag, I would try 3 to start.

How many inches deep are you thinking?
 
Can't wait to see pictures! that would've been some job :eek:

70 gallon elephant nose tank.
30 gallon boraras , red longfin bristlenose, bamboo shrimp, crs,rcs and different snails.
7 gallon halfmoon betta and red ramshorn.
 
shellyx said:
Can't wait to see pictures! that would've been some job :eek:

70 gallon elephant nose tank.
30 gallon boraras , red longfin bristlenose, bamboo shrimp, crs,rcs and different snails.
7 gallon halfmoon betta and red ramshorn.
Click to expand...


It was. Had to think quick!! I hope my fish and shrimp will be ok after the dust settles ?


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You'll be surprised how tough some shrimp can be. Had my Amanos for 5 yrs and they've gone through all sorts lol. ?

70 gallon elephant nose tank.
30 gallon boraras , red longfin bristlenose, bamboo shrimp, crs,rcs and different snails.
7 gallon halfmoon betta and red ramshorn.
 
I hope you are right. They were quite happy before my deforestation.


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Fingers crossed!

70 gallon elephant nose tank.
30 gallon boraras , red longfin bristlenose, bamboo shrimp, crs,rcs and different snails.
7 gallon halfmoon betta and red ramshorn.
 
That's Eco complete stuff certainly isn't cheap! Here in Tasmania I paid $50 for a bag and $22 per 2kg bag of fluval substrate! Only one shop down here that stocked it!


30g planted, 90g Oscar tank
 
Yikes! on that very high price!

Glad to hear you are going to get that tank reset soon.

Are you sucking up and removing any of the muck left in it now, or have you taken everything out and put it back from a clean start. I recommend the latter.

It really is surprising how much muck accumulates. I only do super vac'ing about 2x per year on my 72G because it is hard to reach and the roots of the growing plants. And I am always amazed by what comes out of there. Even with a monster filter Fluval FX-5.

You can do a super size fast food cup at a time through a net to make sure you get all the living critters and leave any part you are unsure of in a plastic tote to observe anything which could possibly have been missed.

When I total cleaned out my 46G bowfront it had only been up 6 months and I was shocked by what a mess it was. But I tend to over feed too.

Also can't wait to see what you create. No pressure man! hahahaha.
 
Autumnsky said:
Yikes! on that very high price!

Glad to hear you are going to get that tank reset soon.

Are you sucking up and removing any of the muck left in it now, or have you taken everything out and put it back from a clean start. I recommend the latter.

It really is surprising how much muck accumulates. I only do super vac'ing about 2x per year on my 72G because it is hard to reach and the roots of the growing plants. And I am always amazed by what comes out of there. Even with a monster filter Fluval FX-5.

You can do a super size fast food cup at a time through a net to make sure you get all the living critters and leave any part you are unsure of in a plastic tote to observe anything which could possibly have been missed.

When I total cleaned out my 46G bowfront it had only been up 6 months and I was shocked by what a mess it was. But I tend to over feed too.

Also can't wait to see what you create. No pressure man! hahahaha.
Click to expand...


Oh geez no pressure! Haha. Funnily enough I just finished sucking up some more gunk. There's hardly anything left. Just the sandy silt left and a completely bare tank. I threw everything away. My gf was home during the day and I asked her if she could chuck the box of soil/gravel away that I dropped in the garden yesterday. There was a net and a proper siphon in it and she has chucked everything so I was using some fluval tubing and the suck method.

The Eco complete arrives tomorrow. Before I put that in I still have to scrub the tank walks etc because of a little GSA and splashes over the side have dried and look messy. Then I'll go shopping for a nice piece of wood.

So far I can only see 2 of my 5 ottos. And I lost two cardinals. Worst fish keeper ever @ caliban07. I was blind shovelling the substrate out because I couldn't see ?


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Caliban07 said:
Excellent. Eco it is. Anyone estimate how much I need for a 180 litre/46US gallon bow?

@Fresh20 I'm a bit confused. Thought you was using Eco complete and I'm your tank can cloud no? What sub are you using?


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Click to expand...


Ecocomplete is inert and "clean". What you are seeing in my tank is years of buildup from poop, plant material/roots, substrate pellets. Mostly poop.
Oddly, I never saw the clarifying agent in any of the bags I've purchased. Yes, it was a bit cloudy for a day or so. I purchased them from a local PetCo for $9 per bag. I recall asking what was wrong with them (because of the low price). They said nothing; just a close out price. I snatched up 4 bags.


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You will enjoy the results, can't wait to see. Least the worst is over. The smell of cleaning out dirt was awful lol.


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Fresh2o said:
Ecocomplete is inert and "clean". What you are seeing in my tank is years of buildup from poop, plant material/roots, substrate pellets. Mostly poop.
Oddly, I never saw the clarifying agent in any of the bags I've purchased. Yes, it was a bit cloudy for a day or so. I purchased them from a local PetCo for $9 per bag. I recall asking what was wrong with them (because of the low price). They said nothing; just a close out price. I snatched up 4 bags.


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Click to expand...


Thanks. Well it should arrived today. I have a tiny bit of silt left. Was going to get it all last light but I picked up my internal filter I had left in stupidly last night and as I lifted it black cloud of doom. My fish hate me.

$9 dollars a bag haha.

Yes I want Eco for its CEC then I will just column dose. The substrate should pull the nutrients in and the plants can use whatever they need.


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gemach7 said:
You will enjoy the results, can't wait to see. Least the worst is over. The smell of cleaning out dirt was awful lol.


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Click to expand...


Thanks. Yes definitely the worst is over. I had some nice plants but they just ended up that many different buckets I just rage threw them all. So definitely starting from scratch.


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Substrate is in. Still deliberating whether or not I need another bag. I have some black gravel I could use to fill out the shallower areas so I think I'll do that.

I bought some plants. Most of which I haven't had before and I've gone for some stems.

Pogostemon erectus
Alternanthera reineckii pink
Narrow Leaf Java fern
More s. Repens
echinodorus bleheri

I'll also be adding

Blyxa japonica
Limnophila aromatica
Ludwigia repens (possibility)
C.wendtii
C.bekettii 'petchii'
And more.

And a carpet (open to suggestions)

Found some driftwood in the loft which I have tired the narrow Leaf Java fern to. The wood is floating and the plants are still in the pots.

Another two ottos turned up so up to 4 from 2 but down 1 from 5 in total.

Lost 2 cardinals and 1 Amano shrimp.

May need to add more cardinals now.




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