Caliban's AquaOpti 85L

[Bert2oo1]

Cheers bud. You could always throw a layer down?

Yea well I was actually considering it to be honest. I've decided I am going to go Dutch over the next few weeks. If picked out a heap of stems I like and think will go nicely together and I've drawn up a Lay out. I'm sick of having little plant mass. I'm just going big straight off. 12+ stems of each plant.

 

[Caliban07]

Yea well I was actually considering it to be honest. I've decided I am going to go Dutch over the next few weeks. If picked out a heap of stems I like and think will go nicely together and I've drawn up a Lay out. I'm sick of having little plant mass. I'm just going big straight off. 12+ stems of each plant.

Yeah guess you'll need it in a 60 gallon. Soil will also be a cheaper alternative to other commercial base layers or complete substrate. You can just chuck the eco complete over the top.

I liked Dennis Wong's video on the 'dirt' substrate.

 

[Bert2oo1]

Yeah guess you'll need it in a 60 gallon. Soil will also be a cheaper alternative to other commercial base layers or complete substrate. You can just chuck the eco complete over the top.

I liked Dennis Wong's video on the 'dirt' substrate.

Can u message me that link to the thread where you posted about soil etc? I deleted it by accident lol if I did go dirt I'd have to find a home for my fishes for a few days (maybe a divider in the gold fish tank)

I'm just abit unhappy with the tank at the moment. The lay out isn't going to look how I wanted it to and it just looks messy in pictures

 

[Caliban07]

Can u message me that link to the thread where you posted about soil etc? I deleted it by accident lol if I did go dirt I'd have to find a home for my fishes for a few days (maybe a divider in the gold fish tank)

I'm just abit unhappy with the tank at the moment. The lay out isn't going to look how I wanted it to and it just looks messy in pictures

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/the-soil-substrate-explained-343789.html

This is more of the why's.

For the how's Troys thread over on UKAPS is probably the best.

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/the-soil-substrate-or-dirted-planted-tank-a-how-to-guide.18943/

 

[Bert2oo1]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/the-soil-substrate-explained-343789.html

This is more of the why's.

For the how's Troys thread over on UKAPS is probably the best.

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/the-soil-substrate-or-dirted-planted-tank-a-how-to-guide.18943/

Cheers bud I'll have a read!

 

[Caliban07]

I just can't believe how much better things are now. Some snaps.

Ninja warrior



Happy shrimp



The stunted S.repens

 

[Bert2oo1]

I just can't believe how much better things are now. Some snaps.

Ninja warrior

View attachment 295492

Happy shrimp

View attachment 295493

The stunted S.repens

View attachment 295494

Look at that pearl [emoji108]

 

[Caliban07]

Been busy today but not strenuous. Water change will be tomorrow.

I played around with the spraybar. I reduced the length to one bar and mounted it lengthways but the flow was too strong and it was pushing the stems over.

I also reduced the light allowing co2 levels to climb. Noticed a touch of brown on the Monte stems so I also got rid of all the salvinia Natans. Awesome floating but I think it was hogging.

Things perked up visually just in the few hours I'd made these changes. You know that feeling you get where you can just tell.

I removed the s repens and the Blyxa too. Really gutted about the Blyxa Japonica but it just wouldn't grow. It was damaged somehow. You'd think it would recover just like you'd think the s.repens would recover but it didn't.

I purchased some hygrophila pinnatifida too and this little beauty



I think it's a myriophyllum and the green is unbelievable.

Also purchased 3 horned nerites (I think that's what they are)



And just some general pictures





Surface scum has almost completely vanished.

It's been a good day.

 

[Autumnsky]

Looks nice. Horned Nerites are right at the top of the list of awesomeness.

 

[flchamp89]

Looks good Cal

 

[Bert2oo1]

Looking good mate [emoji106] that's milfoil for sure. Nice looking plant

 

[Caliban07]

Cheers all. So that's what milfoil is lol.

 

[flchamp89]

I always ment to ask I figured it would be hard to get in the UK. I guess not.

 

[Delapool]

Looks nice. Horned Nerites are right at the top of the list of awesomeness.

Those do look great - I like the colours.

 

[Bert2oo1]

Cheers all. So that's what milfoil is lol.

Haha yea apparently you can get like 100 different species and they invade river systems all around the world. Very hardy plant, can grow under ice etc. however they require higher light than most stems. "Milfoil" is the fish shop name for it. I can't remember the scientific name haha

 

[Caliban07]

I always ment to ask I figured it would be hard to get in the UK. I guess not.

The shop I have found is the only one around that stocks the 'rarer' plants. I spoke with a Polish gentleman yesterday who certainly knows his stuff. We had a good chat and exchanged tank photos etc. Thanks to him I can now get rare tropica tissue cultures, bucephalandras and Blyxa Japonica. It's a miracle.

 

[Caliban07]

Haha yea apparently you can get like 100 different species and they invade river systems all around the world. Very hardy plant, can grow under ice etc. however they require higher light than most stems. "Milfoil" is the fish shop name for it. I can't remember the scientific name haha

I was going to get another type Myriophyllum matogrossense but he shown me this one but I have forgotten the scientific name. It's a pretty weed for sure.

 

[Bert2oo1]

I was going to get another type Myriophyllum matogrossense but he shown me this one but I have forgotten the scientific name. It's a pretty weed for sure.

Yea I love the leaf shapes etc. a great addition of you as me. Even with mine dying a slow painful death it still grows an inch or 2 a week lol it's a fighter!

 

[aseradyn]

I learn so much from reading your tank threads. Thank you all for having these conversations in public so I can eavesdrop!

 

[Caliban07]

Everything is growing well. These lights are powerful. I had to reduce the light a bit and the surface ripple and knock the co2 up a smidge.

Due for my first trim this weekend. I need to get rid of the older growth and replant to new. Should look better after that. The milfoil is already at the surface if not for the spray bar tilting it over. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet lol. Grows a bit too fast.

I don't have any algae. Not even on the glass. Not new algae anyway. Gonna get some more snails and shrimp. I saw the crystal black that got put in there when I bought the red cherries. I had forgotten all about it to be honest but he looks healthy.

I'm reducing my water changes to 25% but I'll do them more regular. I don't feel larger ones are required as I'm not really column dosing anymore and I want the nutrients to enter the soil so I don't mind letting the nitrate and phosphate build up in a more organic way. The soil does contain a small amount of added Fertiliser too but it hasn't caused any problems.

Fish and shrimp and snails are loving it.