GLA 6g Rimless 36-L - My First Iwagumi Inspired Scape Journal

[Brian_Nano12g]

It's too bad I can't contribute here. I know absolutely nothing about dry ferts

^ So did I. This is totally a new learning experience for me. I just figured that dry ferts will save me money in the long run. That's why I'm trying to post everything I can as I go along and "learn" so that others who wish to learn or just come along for the ride can do so on this thread. It's all about trial and error (hopefully w/ no error of course). There's a lot of knowledge on this forum being exchanged and some pretty good external sources out there....

This is a nice little summary to dry ferts and some links:
Understanding Aquarium Fertilizer & Planted Tank Fertilization Methods and Calculators | Planted Aquarium Blog – Green Leaf Aquariums

This has been a good resource for me as well:
Fertilizer - APE - Aquatic Plant Enthusiasts | A Planted Aquarium Community

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

So I ended up using a pre-filter sponge that was being sold for an AC 20 as a filter guard to prevent my future shrimp from getting sucked up. I had to cut out some foam in the middle to make it fit on the 106. Now I'm shrimp / shrimplet ready!

Going to get shrimp next week

Pre-Filter Sponge: Amazon.com: Pre-Filter Sponge 3 Pack for Fluval Edge Aquarium: Pet Supplies

 

[maxwellag]

So I ended up using a pre-filter sponge that was being sold for an AC 20 as a filter guard to prevent my future shrimp from getting sucked up. I had to cut out some foam in the middle to make it fit on the 106. Now I'm shrimp / shrimplet ready!

Going to get shrimp next week

Pre-Filter Sponge: Amazon.com: Pre-Filter Sponge 3 Pack for Fluval Edge Aquarium: Pet Supplies

Looking good. Are you planning on getting lily pipes any time soon?

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Not until next year sometime when funds are a little better. They'll be the icing on the cake when this tank is maxed out.

 

[Bettafanatic]

What are lily pipes?

Oh, and you probably know this, but remember to clean out that sponge over the filter pipe every once in a while because it'll get pretty dirty.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

The lily pipes are canister filter glassware that makes rimless aquariums look more attractive because they are less distracting to the eyes..

http://greenleafaquariums.com/inflow-outflow-pipes.html

Oh and thanks for the advice on the pre-filter sponge on the intake.

I'll be getting my shrimp this Friday so I'm excited

 

[aqua_chem]

Are the stems of your pogostemon red?

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Good eye Aqua! I haven't really noticed that until you mentioned it.. The same Pogostemon in my 12g with PC lighting has very green stems, while in this 6g there's a hint of red.. What do you suppose is the differentiating factor? The lights perhaps? I dose the same ferts in both..

Pic from the 6g:



Pic from the 12g:

 

[Bettafanatic]

The lily pipes are canister filter glassware that makes rimless aquariums look more attractive because they are less distracting to the eyes..

http://greenleafaquariums.com/inflow-outflow-pipes.html

THose would definitely make the tank look a lot nicer! But dang, they're expensive O_O

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Yeah that's why they'd be the last thing i do to upgrade the tank. The lily pipes cost more than the tank! LOL

But they do look nice i must say.. Check out RamenLover's (on TPT) GLA 6g like mine BUT with the pipes i want! They will be mine! Haha

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=195437

 

[aqua_chem]

It's actually very peculiar. I haven't seen that appearance in P. erectus before. What it DOES look like is Rotala vietnam.

 

[Billbug68]

eBay lily pipes are like 30 bucks. Not sure if you HAVE to have the name brand, but just thought I'd drop the idea, they still look pretty nice.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

@Aqua_Chem - Wow it does look like R. Vietnam. I do recall seeing some flora at the LFS I bought the P. Erectus from, labeled as R. Vietnam. There's quite a resemblance in the two species aside from the red stem. But the P. Erectus that's in my 6g are from clippings from the mother plant in my 12g (with green stem). Bizarre!

@Billbug - Yeah I really considered the ebay ones. But I think I'd rather spend extra if they're made with thicker glass and a little more durable as I have seen reports of the ebay ones breaking way to easy when people clean them. I've also considered hitting up one of those guys on TPT that make acrylic lily pipes. However, they do look slightly DIY as in sloppy. I wish a company would see the market for these lily pipes and make some precision quality ones out of acrylic and sell them on the cheap! Now that would be something I would go for. Cheap but very durable crystal clear acrylic lily pipes!

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Oh BTW... I'm starting to get some hair algae again. It's also developing in the HC. Do you know if I can spot treat the hair algae with hydrogen peroxide that I can't manually remove? Or should I just spot treat with Excel?

 

[aqua_chem]

It could be a light thing.

Also, there are two commonly confused species: rotala vietnam and rotala thailand. In all honesty, thailand is probably a more colorful type of vietnam, but keep than in mind when you're comparing what you see when your google r. vietnam.

 

[aqua_chem]

I would use peroxide while you still dont have shrimp.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Update: 11/17/12 - The Red Rili Shrimp have arrived!

Well I went away for a few days and when I arrived home with a bag of 10 juvie Red Rili Shrimp (Neocaridina heteropoda var. Rili) my tank was out of whack again! Hair algae had grown super long, my HC had some hair algae, GSA on the glass here and there, and some of my Staurogyne Repens looked to be melting .... So as I was slowly acclimating my shrimp in a bowl, I went to work on my tank. I manually removed all the algae I could and spot treated with H2O2 what little was left. I then did a 50% PWC with RO water and dosed my ferts accordingly.

Here's my little work area and the shrimp acclimating... I feel like some sort of an aquatic surgeon with all my tools ...LOL

Some close-ups of the shrimp after introducing them to the tank:

I also ordered an el cheapo Glass Drop Checker from ebay for $10 shipped. I was worried it was going to look super cheap with thin glass... but to my surprise, it's pretty nice considering the price.

And my normal compliment of pics of my tank in its current state from various angles (sorry I'm a very visual person... so my posts and threads are usually picture heavy)... Couple of notes: My HC looks to be bouncing back now that I've implemented the PPS-Pro dosing method. It still has some spots that were damaged from prior. But hopefully if all goes well, my HC will fill in those areas with new growth. Lastly, I'm pretty happy with how my Pogostemon Erectus grew in the right. They're pretty tall now and provide some concealment with the equipment in the back.

I need to trim the Ludwigia sp. Red. I "might" be getting a new 36g bow front tank so I'm letting some stems grow long so that I can use them in the new setup.

Thanks for reading

 

[Bettafanatic]

Yaaay! Finally, shrimp in the shrimp tank. Those shrimp are really pretty, and I think the tank and the drop checker look great.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Thank you Betta! Now i can't wait till these little guys grow up and start getting busy like rabbits.. When the colony gets to a decent size i want to get some Galaxy Rasboras.. it never ends! Haha

 

[Billbug68]

I've got the same drop checker. I think mine was even cheaper though... Like 5 bucks free shipping from china. Shipping took about a month... Haha. I ordered a cheap glass bubble counter and nano diffuser as well. Lets see how that stuff works out... Still waiting for it to come in the mail... :/