# NEW Planted Eheim Aquastyle 4 Gallon



## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Hello fellow aquarist.

After some prodding from some friends and family (Maureen, Frank, Lisa, Ming, Pat, Eliza, and my son Dakota), I finally have gotten my feet wet again. Thanks to Ming (jobber) who brought me a BNIB Eheim Aquastyle 4. It didn't take me long to start obsessing about a scape and 3 days later, I have a fully planted nano tank (thanks to Bien and April).

It has been hardscaped with Dragon stone and ADA Amazonia. I was thinking of adding a small tree (but was unable to find a 'tree' small enough). So far the plant list includes:

Blyxa japonica
Staurogyne repens
Staurogyne stolinifera or 'Porto Velho' (not 100% sure of the ID)
Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo'
Micranthemum umbrosum (turns out it's Hemianthus micranthemoides)
Anubias nana 'petite'
Hygrophila 'Araguaia'
Proserpinaca palustris 'Cuba'
Needle Leaf Java Fern

I added pressurized CO2 and a 10W heater today and hope to see some new growth soon. I'm not going to dose the tank with nutrients but I am buffering the water to offset the acidification of the water column by the Amazonia and CO2.

Other than that, it it a stock tank, light, and filter combo. This is the first time I have run such a system out of the box. I will have to wait for the tank to cycle before I add livestock. Without further adieu, here is a sneak peak.......









































































I hope that 'my friends' enjoy my previous passion of aquascaping.

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankless in Vancouver


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

It looks terrible Stuart. You should shut this eye sore down and bring it over to my house. :bigsmile:


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

SeaHorse_Fanatic said:


> It looks terrible Stuart. You should shut this eye sore down and bring it over to my house. :bigsmile:


I can't tear it down yet, it hasn't even cycled! Sheesh....

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## April (Apr 21, 2010)

Looking good! Glad your back to normality! 


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

Welcome back! Looking great

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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

April said:


> Looking good! Glad your back to normality!


Normal = Addicted to Pressurized CO2? Hmmmmm....



rwong2k10 said:


> Welcome back! Looking great!


I'll take that as compliment.... Master Ray!

Best regards,

Stuart


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

CRS Fan said:


> Normal = Addicted to Pressurized CO2? Hmmmmm....
> 
> I'll take that as compliment.... Master Ray!
> 
> ...


Heh, not a master, just having fun! I've been off the forums for a little bit, not too sure why you shut down your tanks? because of your young child I'm guessing? Although I've only been over a few times, i really enjoyed looking at your planted aquariums. They were always well laid out and well kept!


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Nice to see you back in the game. Amazing you planted the first seeds in the tank within such a quick turnaround time. The passion is back. Plant, dose, snip, clip, wc, replant, dose, clean some algae, feed fish, snip clip, wc,...


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

oh where did you find the dragonstone locally?

I saw a bunch while i was in toronto last year and next time I'm there I was thinking of bringing some back =p


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## Bien Lim (Apr 21, 2010)

Welcome back buddy


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

jobber said:


> Nice to see you back in the game. Amazing you planted the first seeds in the tank within such a quick turnaround time. The passion is back. Plant, dose, snip, clip, wc, replant, dose, clean some algae, feed fish, snip clip, wc,...


No dosing with the Amazonia for a long time. I'm slightly obsessive with it at the moment trying to dial in the CO2



rwong2k10 said:


> oh where did you find the dragonstone locally?
> 
> I saw a bunch while i was in Toronto last year and next time I'm there I was thinking of bringing some back =p


I got the Dragon stone from a defunct Bonsai store many years ago



Bien Lim said:


> Welcome back buddy


It's good to be back!

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Quick update on the tank. Just did a water test for Ammonia and nitrite, ammonia is at 8 and nitrite is still undetectable. The Micranthemum umbrosum (turns out it's Hemianthus micranthemoides) seems to be growing now and the Staurogyne stolinifera/Porto Velho seems to have a bit of growth as well. I'm on day 3 with Seachem stability as well.

Best regards,

Stuart


Tankful in Vancouver!


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

Oh man I was looking for some Umbro sum for the longest time

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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

rwong2k10 said:


> Oh man I was looking for some Umbro sum for the longest time.


Bien has lots most of the time......

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

Thanks let me bug him later

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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Your tank is gorgeous, Stuart! And, how could it be otherwise? You are creating a whole world in that lovely little tank. Your stones set off the plants perfectly. What does Dakota think of it? Did he help put in some plants? Are you teaching him how to measure ammonia? Is he watching the plants grow? Time for some bedtime books featuring fish!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Morainy said:


> Your tank is gorgeous, Stuart! And, how could it be otherwise? You are creating a whole world in that lovely little tank. Your stones set off the plants perfectly. What does Dakota think of it? Did he help put in some plants? Are you teaching him how to measure ammonia? Is he watching the plants grow? Time for some bedtime books featuring fish!


Thank you for your kind words. Dakota is enjoying it and at times getting his fingers wet. No test kits for him though, I'm afraid he might dump the reagents in the tank. He enjoys watching the tank even without fish.

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Another quick update. Was cleaning the glass last night with a razor, nicked the suction cup on the diffuser, and the diffuser slid out of the tank. It then hit the wall and broke so I'm on the hunt for another micro diffuser (sorry Bien).

Best regards,

Stuart


Tankful in Vancouver!


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## Jousters (Jan 16, 2014)

j and L aquatics have some small nano diffusers.They are plastic and work just as good as the glass ones.I think it was around $10 but I don't remember.Check out their website.Happy planting


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

Oh I have 3 that are brand new that I don't use if you're interested. Was going to post it ff later on but didn't have a chance yet. They're glass boyu ones

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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

If they are the mini ones, I would be interested Ray. Feel free to PM me!

Best regards,

Stuart


Tankful in Vancouver!


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I have a mini one also Stuart, if you need one. Just sitting around collecting dust. I have 2 others that I use and this is a spare from when I had several small tanks running CO2.


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

I need something very small. Something like this is preferred.

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> I have a mini one also Stuart, if you need one. Just sitting around collecting dust. I have 2 others that I use and this is a spare from when I had several small tanks running CO2.


Gary, I'll take it! Sent you a PM.

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Thank you for the diffuser, Gary. I hope I don't break this one too.

Best regards,

Stuart


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

No problem Stuart. I'm struggling through CO2 problems of my own. Looks like my solenoid has failed and doesn't close properly anymore when it's hot. Time for a new one.


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Today I did a large water change, pruned a bit of the Blyxa, removed 1 stem of Mermaid Weed (it melted), trimmed the pearl weed, and cleaned the glass. Ammonia is down to about 1, with no Nitrite visible yet. I am still dosing Stabilty. Will trim some Staurogyne tomorrow and take a few more pics as well.

Have a great night!

Stuart


Tankful in Vancouver!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

I took a day off sick today, so I trimmed my Staurogyne repens. Here are a few pics of the current progress on the tank.














































Thanks for looking!

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

I've been running into a few challenges over the last couple of days. Some hair algae has been growing on the older Staurogyne leaves, the Micranthemun 'Monte Carlo', and some Blyxa in the back. So.... I did a massive water change, removed all leaves with visible hair algae, and started dosing 1ml of Metricide 14 daily to stave off and further growth of algae.

I also was able to get my hands on a couple plantlets of Taiwan Fern which I nestled into a cranny in the largest piece of Dragon Stone. I also picked up a tiny piece of background to cover the back glass.

All I can say is I'm happy to be back in the game.

Here are a few more pics of the tank.

Top left rear:









Front left Staurogyne:









Top left Staurogyne:









Side right Pearlweed ( did 3 trims already):


















Top view of Pearlweed:









Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo':









Taiwan Fern view and Hygrophila 'Araguaia':









Thanks for looking!

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Good Afternoon all.

It's been a week since my last update and it appears that the tank is settling down finally. I'm still doing 90% water changes every 2-3 days, depending on how quickly the biofilm takes to form a slick on the water surface. I believe this is mostly due to using the Amazonia and having the ammonia leach from it. I seem to have a Physa snail explosion at the moment, but they seem to be keeping any algae at bay.

The tank is still growing in with the largest gains being seen in the Staurogyne repens and stolinifera, the Micranthemum micranthemoides, and the Hygrophila 'aruguaia'. The Anubias petite is also adding several leaves a week. I only have 1 remaining stem of Proserpinaca palustris which seems to have taken well and is growing well. The only plants that seem to be lagging are the Blyxa japonica and the Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo' (although they are rooting well).

My ammonia is finally zero and my nitrite has never budged from 0 (but I think this is a result of consistently dosing Stabilty). I think the tank is test subject worthy, but I'm still a bit leary as the tank has only been set-up for 3 weeks.

With that being said..... I'll move on with the pictures !

Front of tank:









Shot of Anubias:









Staurogyne stolinifera:









Hygrophila 'araguaia' and S. repens:









Top down view of Staurogynes:









Top down view of Crepidomanes auriculatum (Taiwan Fern):









Thanks for looking!

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I've never had that Hygrophila 'araguaia' before. Very nice plant. When you get it going I would like to buy some from you. And thanks again for the solenoid. Tank is now once again running CO2. I confirmed that the regulator was not leaking so it was the solenoid.

Does Blyxa always melt when transfered? Seems every time I get some it melts in the beginning too. Tank is looking good Stuart. I would risk a few suicide fish....


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> I've never had that Hygrophila 'araguaia' before. Very nice plant. When you get it going I would like to buy some from you. And thanks again for the solenoid. Tank is now once again running CO2. I confirmed that the regulator was not leaking so it was the solenoid.
> 
> Does Blyxa always melt when transfered? Seems every time I get some it melts in the beginning too. Tank is looking good Stuart. I would risk a few suicide fish....


Hello Gary.

You are very welcome on the solenoid. I am glad I could help.

I got 1 stem of 'Araguaia' from Bien. I now have 3 okay stems. It is a slow grower considering other Hygrophila species.

The Blyxa's colour is more red than green (at least the new growth is). It almost looks deficient, but I know that that is impossible with new Amazonia as a substrate.

I may have to pay April a visit for some test subjects.

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## Dou (Dec 4, 2015)

Great looking s.repens! Interested to know if they start melting and dying off or not - have not had success with s. repens in my non CO2-tanks and after I transferred a couple to my CO2 tank they seem to be rebounding quite well. Also the pearlweed looks awesome too =)!

//Edit - Nvm you do have CO2 haha.. Guess I answered my own question


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Hello Dou.

You can grow Staurogyne repens without CO2. Look at my old thread here (http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/tank...rmed-new-pics-june-18-2011-a-8729/index3.html). I used Metricide 14 as a liquid CO2 supplementation method.

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Finally....... I have great news! I got my nano fish today from April. I got the following fauna.

6 - Celestichthys margaritatus (Galaxy Rasbora/CPD)
8 - Microdevario kubotai (Green Neon Microrasbora)
2 - Poecilia wingei (Endlers)
1 - Boraras sp. (unidentifiable so far)
3 - Corydoras pygmaeus (Pygmy Corydoras)

And now for a couple photos.... The fish are still skittish and my photography equipment and skills are lacking.
































































Thanks for looking!

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Great collection of fauna and photography skills. Always love those galaxy rasboras.


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

jobber said:


> Great collection of fauna and photography skills. Always love those galaxy rasboras.


Hello Ming.

I'm not too sure about my photography skills and my equipment (my IPhone). It's a heck of a lot easier then take picture, sign in, upload to photobucket, copy URL from photobucket, write post and upload picture to BCA.

I'm really liking the Kubotai Microrasboras. Their colour is exceptional but cannot be caught by my camera. I'm still waiting for the galaxies to colour up.

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

Great update and excellent photos!!

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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

rwong2k10 said:


> Great update and excellent photos!!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk


I guess in the planted tank scene, every aquascaper prefers other aquacsaper's tanks more. Thanks for the compliment, Ray.

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

The unidentifiable Rasbora is a Boraras urophthalmoides (Exclamation Point Rasbora). It is more colourful than other photos/fish I've seen in the past.

Best regards,

Stuart


Tankful in Vancouver!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Another update.... It looks like my nano tank is not Endler friendly. My Endlers have both jumped out (I believe as a result of lower than ideal temperatures and Low PH).

All my other fish seem happy and healthy.

Best regards,

Stuart


Tankful in Vancouver!


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I have found Endlers to be good jumpers. The odd one used to jump out of my lidded 20 when it was planted ages ago.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Hey my stiphodon goby jumped out today and those things can barely swim! Lucky my wife was home and decided to rescue him. 

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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> I have found Endlers to be good jumpers. The odd one used to jump out of my lidded 20 when it was planted ages ago.


I never really had challenges with my guppies jumping in the past, but I guess Endlers are more nervous fish. It's not really an option to cover the tank, with the heater and CO2 line being add ons. I guess I'll just forgo using Endlers in the future.....



tony1928 said:


> Hey my stiphodon goby jumped out today and those things can barely swim! Lucky my wife was home and decided to rescue him.
> Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk


I didn't have the luxury of reviving my fish. I just noticed they were missing. So far, I only located 1 dried up body.

Respectfully,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Here are a few pics of my new 'Super Blue' Neocaridina (thanks to April) and a bonus 'Super Tiger'.

'Super Blue' Neocaridina:














































And a pic of the 'Super Tiger':










Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Love the shrimp Stuart. You'really making me sad I don'the have a tank for them.


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Love the shrimp Stuart. You'really making me sad I don'the have a tank for them.


They are very pretty. Shrimping has come a long way since I had my Blue Pearls back in the day.

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## April (Apr 21, 2010)

Great pics! Looks like the shrimp like picking at the filter! 
Yes I can't believe how much shrimp have evolved in the last while! 


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Darn nice looking tank. And those BLUE shrimp from Aprils. Wow!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

April said:


> Great pics! Looks like the shrimp like picking at the filter!
> Yes I can't believe how much shrimp have evolved in the last while!
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


These blues, I suspect, are Blue Velvet (at least from the pics on the Internet). Other than a minor glitch, I think these guys will make an excellent addition to the tank !

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

jobber said:


> Darn nice looking tank. And those BLUE shrimp from Aprils. Wow!
> 
> View attachment 119122
> 
> ...


Thank you for taking these much better quality pics and the video, Ming. As always, it was nice to see you again.

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Stuart! Fabulous! Are those green ember tetras from April? How big are they, compared to a chili rasbora? There is so much movement in that tank and as always, the plants are lovely.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Oh, great pics. I'm reading your thread in reverse order, so I just posted underneath your video to ask if those green fish were green ember tetras. But, looking at your list here, I think they are most likely green microrasboras. Lovely. I have never seen green fish, that I can recall.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Looks like you solved your problem with hair algae, judging from your later photos and video. Can you put metricide in a tank that has fish in it? (I am not sure what metricide is)

I ran into an ongoing problem with hair algae with my nano ADA tank. It had a lovely (to look at) LED light, that I pretty much adored. But, no matter how much I adjusted the hours of lighting, I couldn't get the plants to grow; algae grew instead. I'd never run into that problem before. The light was made specifically for that tank, too, but perhaps it was intended for someone who wanted to use CO2. I didn't want to do that for such a tiny tank, although I tried ferts. So, I switched the expensive and lovely LED light out for an inexpensive 9 watt Tom Perch Light fluorescent, that had somehow escaped my great tank clear-out a few years back. Then, with no further work, the algae disappeared and the plants began to grow. It seems that I am not an LED person.



CRS Fan said:


> I've been running into a few challenges over the last couple of days. Some hair algae has been growing on the older Staurogyne leaves, the Micranthemun 'Monte Carlo', and some Blyxa in the back. So.... I did a massive water change, removed all leaves with visible hair algae, and started dosing 1ml of Metricide 14 daily to stave off and further growth of algae.
> 
> I also was able to get my hands on a couple plantlets of Taiwan Fern which I nestled into a cranny in the largest piece of Dragon Stone. I also picked up a tiny piece of background to cover the back glass.
> 
> ...


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Morainy said:


> Stuart! Fabulous! Are those green ember tetras from April? How big are they, compared to a chili rasbora? There is so much movement in that tank and as always, the plants are lovely.


They are Kubotai Rasboras and they stay small and are flashy little guys. They are similar in size to Galaxy Rasboras and would be safe with Chili Rasboras. The plants seem to be struggling at the moment...



Morainy said:


> Oh, great pics. I'm reading your thread in reverse order, so I just posted underneath your video to ask if those green fish were green ember tetras. But, looking at your list here, I think they are most likely green microrasboras. Lovely. I have never seen green fish, that I can recall.


In some tanks the can also look yellow....



Morainy said:


> Looks like you solved your problem with hair algae, judging from your later photos and video. Can you put metricide in a tank that has fish in it? (I am not sure what metricide is)
> 
> I ran into an ongoing problem with hair algae with my nano ADA tank. It had a lovely (to look at) LED light, that I pretty much adored. But, no matter how much I adjusted the hours of lighting, I couldn't get the plants to grow; algae grew instead. I'd never run into that problem before. The light was made specifically for that tank, too, but perhaps it was intended for someone who wanted to use CO2. I didn't want to do that for such a tiny tank, although I tried ferts. So, I switched the expensive and lovely LED light out for an inexpensive 9 watt Tom Perch Light fluorescent, that had somehow escaped my great tank clear-out a few years back. Then, with no further work, the algae disappeared and the plants began to grow. It seems that I am not an LED person.


Let me know if you want to get rid of your LED. I may be interested. Algae is a fickle beast. Right now I am having challenges with my Staurogynes getting brittle and holey leaves. I started dosing Flourish Comprehensive but now see diatoms showing up.

Metricide 14 is a poor man's version of Flourish Excel (it is an additional carbon source and algaecide). It is shrimp and fish safe.

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

I'm sorry you lost your endlers, Tankful. Male endlers are much faster than male guppies, probably because the don't have those big tails. They are hard to keep in short tanks because they run straight at the glass, then up, then out. They need wide tanks or good lids.


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

It's been a number of weeks since my last entry. Some things have changed plant wise and critter wise.

Most of the Taiwan Fern was decimated by BBA. I also had to cut out some BBA from the Anubias and Narrow Leaf Java Fern. The Staurogynes have been melting and I pulled the Pearl Weed as it was looking lanky as a result of aggressive trimming (I believe the Metricide was causing the melting). The 'Monte Carlo' has been slowly growing in. I also added Micranthemum umbrosum for plants.

I also added 10 Blue Wizard Neocaridina that I picked up at the auction.

Equipment wise, I've added an Eheim Mini Up filter for added circulation and better CO2 diffusion. I'm still doing a 75% water change every 5-6 days. I stopped dosing any ferts in hopes the plants have sufficient nutrients from the ADA Amazonia.

With that being said, I will move onto some pictures... Enjoy!
































































Thanks for looking!

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Good to see you back at it Stuart!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Well its been a while since my last update. I lost a few fish (jumpers) and got a few more shrimp. I'm down to 4 Galaxy Rasboras, 3 Kubotai Rasboras, 2 Pygmy Cories, and 24 plus Dark Blue Neocaridina, genus of shrimp which includes Cherry Shrimp (mostly Blue Wizards).

I've been also slowly fighting the BBA by spot dosing Metricide, meticulous filter maintenance, and 75% water changes every 5 days. I seem to be winning the battle.

With that being said, I'll move on to some pictures as of tonight....









































































And a video:





Thanks for looking,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

Hey Stuart that looks great, I must admit I am enjoying my planted tank so far, first fish are going to be 5 Sterbia's from April this Friday. Love those bottom fish.


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## mysticalnet (Apr 22, 2010)

Fluorish excel and metricide are they exact same thing if you look at the msds. The only difference is excel is 1.3% glutaraldehyde while metricide is 2.6% glutaraldehyde. So when you use metricide you either dose half the dosage or you dilute 2x. 

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## mysticalnet (Apr 22, 2010)

CRS Fan said:


> These blues, I suspect, are Blue Velvet (at least from the pics on the Internet). Other than a minor glitch, I think these guys will make an excellent addition to the tank !
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> ...


Agreed, I think they're blue velvets too.

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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

mysticalnet said:


> Fluorish excel and metricide are they exact same thing if you look at the msds. The only difference is excel is 1.3% glutaraldehyde while metricide is 2.6% glutaraldehyde. So when you use metricide you either dose half the dosage or you dilute 2x.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk


The MSDS for Metricide 14 is readily available, but the complaint in the past is that Seachem doesn't provide the component of Excel. Based on this: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/iu6wapsz...6Pu0ja/Flourish Excel SDS 20160107 1.pdf?dl=0

It tell you only that it has water. Here is what it has for composition:

ComponentsCAS #EC #Wt %Water7732-18-5231-791-2****** Proprietary aqueous solution of salts. The identity and weight of proprietary, non-hazardous, main ingredients are withheld as a trade secret. Other ingredients are present in amounts less than 1% and are non-hazardous.

If you have an actual ingredient list I would love to see it.


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## mysticalnet (Apr 22, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> The MSDS for Metricide 14 is readily available, but the complaint in the past is that Seachem doesn't provide the component of Excel. Based on this: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/iu6wapsz...6Pu0ja/Flourish Excel SDS 20160107 1.pdf?dl=0
> 
> It tell you only that it has water. Here is what it has for composition:
> 
> ...


It doesn't really matter if it is metricide 14 or 28 as long as you don't put in the activator. Of course you won't be able to find the component of seachem excel online, it's a trade secret....

I work in a lab, and many many moons ago when I was still running instruments, I read that people thought that excel = diluted metricide = dilute glutaraldehyde. I searched high and low and I couldn't really find what excel really composed of and I didn't have pressurized CO2 back then and used excel daily. So I asked my colleague that ran the HPLC to run both metricide and excel. The chromatographs match very very closely, while the % composition in excel was approximately 50% of that of metricide.

It smells the same, does the same thing, it might not be exactly glutaraldehyde but a isomer of it or a different configuration, but it is close enough
Therefore for me it is safe to assume that seachem excel is 2x diluted metricide or aka 1.3% glutaraldehyde.

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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Good Evening friends.

Well it's been quite a while since my last update. I've made a few changes since my last update. I was able to source some Bucephalandra from a friend (thanks Lawson) and have planted them in the foreground. My Moss tree has started to grow in nicely and my Micranthemum umbrosum has filled nicely on the right side. I've stopped using the Eheim Mini Up filter and am still fighting a battle with BBA. I've been spot dosing Metricide and dosing Metricide daily with no flora/fauna casualties.

Here are a few pics of the tank as of tonight.























































Thanks for looking!

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Good Afternoon fellow aquarists.

My tank is still a work in progress. I've decided that the Staurogynes do not like this tank, so all the 'Porto Velho' has been pulled and the repens is mostly pulled.

I've added a few new plants thanks to Drew and Matt. I planted Sagitarria subulata in the left foreground and placed some Fissidens fontanus adjacent to the heater.

Here are a few pics as of yesterday.









































































Thanks for looking!

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Not much has changed in the tank. The dwarf sag is rooting well. I'm still aggressively dosing Metricide to combat the BBA. I've also included a couple of close-ups of some of my Blue Wizard shrimp. Not many shrimplets are making it past my fat and happy CPD's.

Here are a few pics as of tonight!

Shrimp Close-ups






















































And a Few Tank Shots




























Thanks for looking.

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

I just realized it has been about a month since my last update.

The tank is settling in nicely. I have lost 1 more CPD to jumping (have only 2 left). My shrimp seem to be hanging in and I'll be moving them over to my Fluval Flora soon.

I'm still waiting for my replacement LED from Eheim and using 1 mini LED and my 13W Flora light in lieu of the Eheim warranty replacement.

Here are some pics as of last night.

Left side with Sagittaria subulata growing in: 









Right side showing Monte Carlo growing in well and Needle Leaf:









Close-up of a shrimp:









Left side showing some Ludwigia and Anubias 'petite' in the background:









Close-up of Micranthemum umbrosum:









Top down view of the creeping Bucephalandra:









Top down view of other Buce species:









Top down of Ludwigia 'red' and repens, and Fissidens/weeping Moss:









Thanks for looking!

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## Dou (Dec 4, 2015)

The Sagittaria subulata look great (noted this down to use for the future...) and everything looks so clean/healthy! Do you actually have any algae in there?!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Dou said:


> The Sagittaria subulata look great (noted this down to use for the future...) and everything looks so clean/healthy! Do you actually have any algae in there?!


I'm still battling BBA in spots. It likes to grow on the bigger piece of Dragon Stone, the Buces, parts of the manzanita branch, and on the Anubias. I know it's not noticeable in the pics, but it's very stubborn and will not die out altogether. It's like playing Whack-a-Mole with algae.....

Best regards,

Stuart

Tankful in Vancouver!


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

The tank was dismantled last night. It is squeaky clean and back in the box. If anyone is interested in buying this kit, please PM me (http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/freshwater-equipment-classifieds-27/fs-4-gallon-eheim-aquastyle-kit-mint-condition-100-a-212377/).

Best regards,

Stuart


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