# My 90G Planted Obsession



## crimper

After 3 years of hibernation from this wonderful hobby, I decided to resurrect my defunct 90G tank. This time, I decided to give the plant some juice (CO2) :lol:

Here's the specs:

Tank: 90G Hagen Tank (48" x18"x24")
Lighting: TEK Sunlight Elite 4 x 54W T5HO
Heater: Hydor Inline
Filter: Eheim 2217, Rena XP2
Substrate: Aquasoil New Amazonia
CO2: 10lb Tank with reactor (don't know the controller specs, it's a loaner from my friend pieces71 till i got mine) :lol:
Dosing: EI (Dry Ferts), Sechem Equilibrium every water change)
Water Change: 50% every week 
Ph: 5.8

Plants: 
Foreground: Hemianthus Cuba, Eleocharis parvula (removed)
Mid: Blyxa Japonica, Staurogyne repens (removed), Alternanthera reineckii 
Background: Limnopila Aromatica, Tonina SP. Belem (removed), Didiplis Diandra (removed)

Inhabitants:

Stendker Flachen X Snake Skin and Blue Diamond Discus pair
Red Cherry Shrimps
Cardinal Tetras

Most Recent Pic










Best Tank Pic










Day 1
Pat (MyKiss) advised me to do an immersed approach to start. First, I was hesitant as I haven't tried it before. I was surprised how easy it is as you don't need to deal with floating plants especially the tiny carpet plants.


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## covertune

Oh that's gonna look incredible all grown in!


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## pieces71

was there yesterday before visiting Mello's discus,nicely done..but wait are they old pictures?,yesterday what I saw was all covered with HC...that will be a nice green lawn next to your front lawn...


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## crimper

Pre those pictures are day 1 pictures, I'll post the current pictures tomorrow, been busy doing some renos at home. There has been significant growth after a week especially the HCs. The melted Blyxa's came to life after adding some water. I think they don't like immersed.

Covertune, please wish me luck. I hope everything goes well.


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## crimper

A week after... The Blyxa Japonica was melting, so I decided to add water this time. Shhh. I got bored (excuses... excuses) :lol:










I have added a few stem plants also, L. Aromatica, Tonina SP. Belem and Didiplis Diandra.


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## Nicklfire

Wow nicely done cant wait to see it grown in

- shawn


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## trout

Blyxa can't be grown emmersed, only submerged.

Great layout and planting! It will look awesome, that HC is spreading nicely.


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## macframalama

i wish i wasnt a plant executioner nice job


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## crimper

Nicklfire said:


> Wow nicely done cant wait to see it grown in
> 
> - shawn


Thanks Shawn, can't wait too... my patience is being tested now :lol:


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## crimper

trout said:


> Blyxa can't be grown emmersed, only submerged.
> 
> Great layout and planting! It will look awesome, that HC is spreading nicely.


Thanks trout. Got some growth on the HC now. I'll post some pics later.

Thanks macframalama.


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## crimper

Week 2, time for some updates










HC is starting to spread


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## crimper

Side view...










Blyxa is starting to take off.


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## crimper

I'm getting a little impatient with the growth of HCs, I ditch the airstone (improvised diffuser) that I used and got a CO2 reactor from Pat. I noticed a big difference today.


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## crimper

Here's the difference..


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## trout

That's what your lookin for! It really is spreading nicely....hope you got a good pair of scissors and a good back....Soon time to give it a mow

Going to be great to see fill in. Looks like the blyxa is responding well to the flood.


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## crimper

trout said:


> That's what your lookin for! It really is spreading nicely....hope you got a good pair of scissors and a good back....Soon time to give it a mow
> 
> Going to be great to see fill in. Looks like the blyxa is responding well to the flood.


Thanks trout, you are right, I think i need to invest on a good pair of scissors and a regular visit to my chiropractor


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## crimper

Week 4... havent update this for almost 2 weeks. I have added some Cardinals on week 3.










HCs are taking over

















Blyxas are growing fast

















Diandras and Tonina Belems are taking off









However Stourogen Repens and L. Aromatica are not doing well.


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## crimper

Some of my stem plants and the hair grass are not doing well, i think its due to the low ph level as I'm getting a reading of 6.

I have added some aragonite to boost my GH and buffer my ph. I think I need to re-plant the L. Aromaticas.


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## crimper

Pulled the trigger yesterday to rescue my ailing stem plants, got the Sun System TEK Elite (4x54W). Wow it was bright... really bright. This turned my tank into a giant Pop bottle, it was fizzing with oxygen bubbles. The HCs & blyxas were pearling like crazy.

And guess what? When I came home a while ago, I saw spots of brown algae forming on the rocks. I immediately scrape them and did my weekly water change. I guess 4 bulbs is too much for now, I have also crank the CO2 up a notch and reduce my photo period. Let see what will happens.


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## crimper

It's been a while since i last updated this journal... BBA gone out of control, i had to tear it down and re-start. Oh well, I learned something I guess... Be patient... Don't Rush.

Did a little bit of re-escape. So here it is now:


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## crimper

A closer shot:


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## crimper

Reineckii(s) are doing good...


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## crimper

The cleaning crews are working hard:


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## bonsai dave

Awesome pictures. The tank is looking great . Good Job.


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## ctclee

Awesome pictures !!! those are some great lookin plants


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## crimper

Thanks Dave and ctclee.


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## covertune

That's a beautiful tank!


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## 2wheelsx2

Very nice. I'm surprised the HC has not all filled in for you yet. The rest of the plants look great. Is the L. aromatica in the back (green)? I always had trouble getting mine to colour up too, but at the end decided that it might have been too low a GH. Are you boosting GH?


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## pieces71

finally you flood it pre...very nice..last time I saw that was last week of October and all the plants took off nicely,thinking of going back to planted tank


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## jobber

Very nice pictures. I love seeing plants pearling. Hope you can keep us all upto date with the plant growth.


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## crimper

covertune said:


> That's a beautiful tank!


Thanks covertune.



2wheelsx2 said:


> Very nice. I'm surprised the HC has not all filled in for you yet. The rest of the plants look great. Is the L. aromatica in the back (green)? I always had trouble getting mine to colour up too, but at the end decided that it might have been too low a GH. Are you boosting GH?


Thanks 2wheelsx2. About the HCs, I have re-planted them as BBAs became out of wack on my first attempt. It is spreading nicely again, I think it is better this time as i have grown them immersed for almost 2 months. About the L. Aromatica, I have successfully grown them with nice pinkish color on my low tech tank. What I noticed is that when they are rooted well and reach more than half of my tank (i guess when they are closer to the lights), they start to show their pinkish color. I'm dosing Sechem Equilibrium after my weekly water change to raise my GH.



pieces71 said:


> finally you flood it pre...very nice..last time I saw that was last week of October and all the plants took off nicely,thinking of going back to planted tank


Thanks pre. I noticed the the HCs are not getting any better so I decided to flood it. Setup your tank after got my own CO2 setup :lol:



jobber said:


> Very nice pictures. I love seeing plants pearling. Hope you can keep us all upto date with the plant growth.


Thanks jobber. I noticed that too much pearling for HCs is not ideal, as when the bubbles got stuck on their tiny leaves, it uproots them and causes the HCs to float. The photo period and the CO2 level is the key, I need to find the sweet spot between those variables.

I'll try to keep posting updates. Cheers!


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## crimper

Put some test fish today... Cardinal Tetras here we go!


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## crimper

Another shot:


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## crimper

Schooling


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## jobber

Beautiful new additions to the tank. Adds a lot of colour.


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## Bien Lim

Very nice tank and very clean!! Photography is awesome as well. 
Those sunset hygro must be a pain to maintain?


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## Reckon

Big fan of your use of L. Aromatica


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## 2wheelsx2

crimper said:


> Thanks 2wheelsx2. About the HCs, I have re-planted them as BBAs became out of wack on my first attempt. It is spreading nicely again, I think it is better this time as i have grown them immersed for almost 2 months. About the L. Aromatica, I have successfully grown them with nice pinkish color on my low tech tank. What I noticed is that when they are rooted well and reach more than half of my tank (i guess when they are closer to the lights), they start to show their pinkish color. I'm dosing Sechem Equilibrium after my weekly water change to raise my GH.
> 
> Thanks jobber. I noticed that too much pearling for HCs is not ideal, as when the bubbles got stuck on their tiny leaves, it uproots them and causes the HCs to float. The photo period and the CO2 level is the key, I need to find the sweet spot between those variables.


I never had problems getting the tips pink in CO2 injected or Excel dosed tanks, but could never get them coloured up like I see some people have on The Barr Report. I see examples where 3/4 of the plant is violet/red. Anyway, yours sure look healthy.

With regard to the HC, I have the same problem, but no with the pearling, just the plant mass. When I'm lazy with the trimming, the mat gets too thick and it floats up. The solution I use is to trim aggressively and push it back in deep into the substrate. Right now, I have a patch that is almost 3 inches thick because I've been away for work.


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## Reckon

I'm pretty sure the pink/purple L. Aromatica is either from 1) growing them SUPER fast so Chlorophyll has yet to set in; or b) with limiting NO3, a fine line to walk. I've seen some samples from members in Vancouver that have a lot of color, they use a bit more PO4, so I suspect modifying the ratio of macros might make a difference. Mine has yet to go completely pink/purple as well and CO2 is pretty high so perhaps CO2 does not affect coloring.


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## JohnnyAppleSnail

Great Job! wonderful layout and great choice of Fish!


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## 2wheelsx2

Reckon said:


> I'm pretty sure the pink/purple L. Aromatica is either from 1) growing them SUPER fast so Chlorophyll has yet to set in; or b) with limiting NO3, a fine line to walk. I've seen some samples from members in Vancouver that have a lot of color, they use a bit more PO4, so I suspect modifying the ratio of macros might make a difference. Mine has yet to go completely pink/purple as well and CO2 is pretty high so perhaps CO2 does not affect coloring.


It might be the ratio, but I dose EI with plenty of P (dry ferts), and I tried limiting nitrates, upping and lower CO2 and different substrates - Florabase and Eco-complete and never really got the plants the colour I liked. But with Ammania gracilis, Ludwigia repens, and Alternathera reineckii I had no problems at all. Plus I didn't really like the smell it gave off (it's used as a garnish for food in some countries) so I just gave it up. I read on some forums that there are some varieties that are greener than others and I haven't tested that theory, but currently I am only doing a nano so have no space to give it another try as I can only do smaller plants. The biggest plant I have in my ADA tank is an Erios.


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## crimper

Bien Lim said:


> Very nice tank and very clean!! Photography is awesome as well.
> Those sunset hygro must be a pain to maintain?


Thanks Kabayan for the compliments. How's your baby by the way?

Yes those sunsets grow like crazy, needs trimming all the time , I actually put them in there just make the plants more dense while growing those HCs.

Can i solicit some advice from you? I'm planning to replace those sunsets, any suggestion? I'm planning to add more redish plants, any recommendations? Can you also comment on the plant arrangements and layout? Any suggestions.

Thanks uli.


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## crimper

2wheelsx2 said:


> I never had problems getting the tips pink in CO2 injected or Excel dosed tanks, but could never get them coloured up like I see some people have on The Barr Report. I see examples where 3/4 of the plant is violet/red. Anyway, yours sure look healthy.
> 
> With regard to the HC, I have the same problem, but no with the pearling, just the plant mass. When I'm lazy with the trimming, the mat gets too thick and it floats up. The solution I use is to trim aggressively and push it back in deep into the substrate. Right now, I have a patch that is almost 3 inches thick because I've been away for work.


I would love to find out what's their secret on how to turn those pinkish/greenish Aromaticas to a lush and purplish/redish. I have read several threads about this and there are several contradicting information out there. Some said you need more iron supplement, some said dose more CO2 and light intensity, some said more limit Nitrate and add more Phosphate will increase red coloration.

What i have learned in this hobby is get those info out there and try it yourself... "What works for others doesnt mean will work for Me." If what i tried fails, I do it all over again and do the necessary adjustments.

Please let me know what you have found out.

Cheers!


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## crimper

Reckon said:


> I'm pretty sure the pink/purple L. Aromatica is either from 1) growing them SUPER fast so Chlorophyll has yet to set in; or b) with limiting NO3, a fine line to walk. I've seen some samples from members in Vancouver that have a lot of color, they use a bit more PO4, so I suspect modifying the ratio of macros might make a difference. Mine has yet to go completely pink/purple as well and CO2 is pretty high so perhaps CO2 does not affect coloring.


Hi Reckon,

Thanks for your kind comments. I have came across on those threads that suggest the above mentioned claims, i would love to find it out if that's the case. I will run those test on my grow out tank.

Cheers!


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## Reckon

Looks like you know Bien, he's one of the fellas I've seen grow bright purple Aromaticas. You should ask him 
I tried limiting NO3 but did it too fast and ended up with horrible stunting and melting in my high tech tank so make sure to try doing it a little at a time.


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## crimper

Reckon said:


> Looks like you know Bien, he's one of the fellas I've seen grow bright purple Aromaticas. You should ask him
> I tried limiting NO3 but did it too fast and ended up with horrible stunting and melting in my high tech tank so make sure to try doing it a little at a time.


Hi Reckon,

Yes i know Bien, he is also from the Philippines like me. Actually i got those Aromaticas from him. I will pay him a visit one of these days.


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## 2wheelsx2

crimper said:


> I would love to find out what's their secret on how to turn those pinkish/greenish Aromaticas to a lush and purplish/redish. I have read several threads about this and there are several contradicting information out there. Some said you need more iron supplement, some said dose more CO2 and light intensity, some said more limit Nitrate and add more Phosphate will increase red coloration.
> 
> What i have learned in this hobby is get those info out there and try it yourself... "What works for others doesnt mean will work for Me." If what i tried fails, I do it all over again and do the necessary adjustments.
> 
> Please let me know what you have found out.
> 
> Cheers!


I have essentially read those same threads as you, probably on plantedtank.net and barrreport.com. One of the claims is that there are pinker varieties and if you start with those then you get pinker plants, but I found it not to be true because when I got mine they were half pink and they eventually went to green with only pink at the top. That was in Florabase. I never did get CO2 into the one with EcoComplete, which would have had a higher GH so that's the reason I think GH may have something to do with it.


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## Reckon

Mine's only got the pink tips so far. I'm hammering the CO2 and I've got GH 4. Somewhat early with the softer water though so maybe in a month I'll see differently. Before it was at GH 7 and the plant was mainly green.


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## crimper

2wheelsx2 said:


> I have essentially read those same threads as you, probably on plantedtank.net and barrreport.com. One of the claims is that there are pinker varieties and if you start with those then you get pinker plants, but I found it not to be true because when I got mine they were half pink and they eventually went to green with only pink at the top. That was in Florabase. I never did get CO2 into the one with EcoComplete, which would have had a higher GH so that's the reason I think GH may have something to do with it.


I agree, GH would have a vital role, or it could be higher light intensity which means more CO2 and NPK. :lol:

Bien, can we solicit your observation on this having grown those lush purple/red Aromaticas


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## crimper

I used to have a 90G Low Tech tank journey here however the old BCA forum website crashed, all i have are some pictures that reminds of my old tank.

I have kept this tank without any issues for 3 years until I got busy with work. The weekly water changes became 'Monthly', then became every other month... The rest is history :lol:










The Aromaticas are doing well. This is about the 2nd year that I have kept the tank.



















A closer look on the Aromaticas and Diandras:


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## Bien Lim

In my case I find plant like aromatica or brevipes or any plant that can have richer color is due to how fast I grow them. For example, with the water parameters that I have now and the lighting duration and intensity and etc...we can go on on this ! If I turn my co2 higher to get faster growt I find the plant that was growing red all of a sudden have a growt of greener leaves. I guess the key is to have the right balance of co2 enought to make all plant happy in the tank but not to the point that you're pruning every week. Im sure other member will chime in on how they make theirs redder but this method is the one that works for me. Pls. Let me know if you more question


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## crimper

Thanks for your input Bien. I'll swing by again in your place if it's ok with you.


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## Bien Lim

No worries..let me now when


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## crimper

took some pics today:

The Aromaticas started to show its colors...


















The Reineckiis are growing well..


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## 2wheelsx2

The A. reineckii is a super nice red plant that I just love. Unfortunately it's too big for my ADA cube and it's too delicious (for plecos) in my other CO2 injected tank. The L. aromatica is looking good too.


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## Sidius

Very impressive.. Your plants look really healthy


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## TheBigCheese

Very healthy looking plants indeed! Well done.


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## Smallermouse

Impressive work! I love the redness.


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## Bien Lim

very nice growth, the leaves are very close to each other making nice and compact ..great job


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## currietom

Very nice tank! Very motivating to get my tank going.


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## crimper

Thanks for all your compliments. 

I'm seeing some patches of GDAs in front and back of my tank. I think its due to an ammonia spike. I need to jack up my dosing regimen to a full dose now. I'm currently dosing only half of the EI prescribed dose.


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## 2wheelsx2

Green dust algae (GDA) is fairly common, as well as the brown algae, in the early stages of a CO2 injected tank. There are many theories as to why it is like that and what to do. Some say wipe if off quickly, others say to do nothing and it'll go away on its own. One thing that everyone seems to do is up the water changes a bit, ie, 2x a week instead of once, etc.


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## Scherb

wow very nice planted tank.


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## crimper

Thanks Scherb.

Tested my tank for amonia before I did my weekly WC today, I'm getting 0.6 ppm. Aquasoil, here we ho again.


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## crimper

Took some pics today after WC... water is still a little bit cloudy due to the Seachem Equilibrium.



























HCs Battling some BBA


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## crimper

This is what happened after a week of no trimmings.. got busy from work.










GDA is gone after some adjustments on my dosing regimen.


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## AdobeOtoCat

Great tank. Can you perhaps post the dimensions of the tank? I cant seem to see that this is a 90 gal. Maybe im too used to seeing long tanks not tall and deep ones. Thanks 

Sent from my SGH-I727R using Tapatalk 2


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## crimper

Hi AdobeOtoCat,

Thanks for the compliment.

I have updated my first post and indicated the dimension of the tank, 48"x18"24 (LxWxH).

If I could bring back the hands of time I would choose the 75G which have the same Length and Width as my intention before is to have a discus community tank not a planted tank.


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## crimper

Side view of the tank.


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## Reckon

What did you do to get rid of GDA? Up NO3?


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## Foxtail

The growth in less than a month is pretty amazing.

Sent via the Shining.


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## AdobeOtoCat

crimper said:


> Hi AdobeOtoCat,
> 
> Thanks for the compliment.
> 
> I have updated my first post and indicated the dimension of the tank, 48"x18"24 (LxWxH).
> 
> If I could bring back the hands of time I would choose the 75G which have the same Length and Width as my intention before is to have a discus community tank not a planted tank.


It looks amazing still. I'm sure with the plants grown in it will look fantastic. Your water quality is top notch, nicely done.


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## crimper

Talking about discus... I could be charged of cruelty to Discus for this...










My Blues addiction...


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## crimper

I got addicted, I can't help it...

Tank Side View


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## crimper

One more shot...


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## TheBigCheese

beautiful!


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## MELLO

I like your setup pre! Nice and clean... Just leave the pair in there. I think it won't look as nice if you take them out


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## MELLO

crimper said:


> Talking about discus... I could be charged of cruelty to Discus for this...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My Blues addiction...


I don't think you can be charge for giving them a nice home  
Advantage of getting large discus... You don't need to work as hard!


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## 2wheelsx2

Your L. aromatica needs a trim.  Beautiful pair of discus in a very nice setting. Are they are proven pair?


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## crimper

MELLO said:


> I like your setup pre! Nice and clean... Just leave the pair in there. I think it won't look as nice if you take them out


Thanks for the compliments Pre. I'm scared, i think its too much to risk those lovely fish, my tank is not that stable yet. I just thought they need a change of environment to trigger spawning. I have put them back on their 20G home


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## crimper

2wheelsx2 said:


> Your L. aromatica needs a trim.  Beautiful pair of discus in a very nice setting. Are they are proven pair?


Yup I already trimmed them, got busy at work... that's almost 2 weeks without trimming :lol:

Yes they are proven, I got it from Mello a few moons ago. They were well taken cared off.


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## crimper

Reckon said:


> What did you do to get rid of GDA? Up NO3?


I scrape them daily, reduce the lighting to 6 hrs... did the full EI dose and pump up KNO3 to one notch making it 4:1 ratio over KH2PO4. I guess that works for my tank. :bigsmile:


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## crimper

Got some alternanthera reineckii lilacina and rotala macandra today, just wondering where should i place them.


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## crimper

Took some pic of the plants today.... (pics are too green, dont have time to adjust the right White Balance... sorry I don't edit/photoshop my photos  don't have time for that)

BBA is gone... HCs are healthy as ever and taking overall the vacant space.










The Aromatica after the trim... I want them to be bushy.


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## crimper

One of the RCS posing with the Blyxas



















Blyxas are Algae Free


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## Reckon

Is that a trim the bottom and replant the top?


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## crimper

Hi Reckon,

I don't know if I understood your question... I'm no expert on plants so this is what I did... Yes I trim the top, (its the 1st trim ever), re-planted the top in front and on the sides.... hoping that the bottom stems will have new shoots and becomes bushy. :lol:


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## crimper

I just noticed that one of the RCS spawned... got some RCS frys all over the tank... i hope the big fishes wont chomp them :bigsmile:


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## 2wheelsx2

crimper said:


> Hi Reckon,
> 
> I don't know if I understood your question... I'm no expert on plants so this is what I did... Yes I trim the top, (its the 1st trim ever), re-planed the top in front and on the sides.... hoping that the bottom stems will have new shoots and becomes bushy. :lol:


Top pruning stem plants encourages branching at the nodes and will get most stem plants to grow out bushier. Bottom trimmed gets rid of the water column roots and preserves the nicest, freshest growth (particularly important when one is growth red plants). I will typically top prune to propagate new plants and when I have it the way I want, I will bottom prune to keep it that way and also to keep the stems at their nicest.


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## crimper

Thanks for the tips 2wheelsx2. Quite happy with the trim, I got new shoots coming a week after the trim.


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## Bien Lim

I have been meaning to ask you or tell you that the plant you think is aromatica might be stelleta. I could be wrong but the leaves are just too fine from the pictures to be aromatica. Either way you're doing a great job, that plant looks great.


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## 2wheelsx2

All the plants look great. Great colour, no algae and the arrangement is pleasing. The Blyxa is happy, which means the CO2 is good.


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## crimper

Bien Lim said:


> I have been meaning to ask you or tell you that the plant you think is aromatica might be stelleta. I could be wrong but the leaves are just too fine from the pictures to be aromatica. Either way you're doing a great job, that plant looks great.


Hi Bien,

I added some stems before I thought they were the same as I got from you, then it must be stellata. Thanks for the compliments, I really learned lots of things in this journey and thanks for all the tips.


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## crimper

2wheelsx2 said:


> All the plants look great. Great colour, no algae and the arrangement is pleasing. The Blyxa is happy, which means the CO2 is good.


Hi 2wheelx2,

Thanks again for the compliments. I'm pleased with the outcome, it was indeed a lot of work and tweaking and an up and down saga for four months before I found the sweet spot and have all the plants going.

Right now that tank is very stable and algae free.


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## crimper

Took some shots today, I'm pleased with the Aromaticas/Stellatas growth... they are starting to turn redish/pinkish.


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## crimper

The Cubas growth are tremendous and algae free...


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## crimper

Reineckiis are doing great too!


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## crimper

My Blues Obsessions are doing Ok, not spawning still :lol:


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## crimper

Full tank shot tonight...


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## crimper

One more...


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## crimper

Flachen is posing...


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## Bien Lim

Very nice tank and pictures..it is stelleta for sure..


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## 2wheelsx2

Latest pics look great. What bulbs are you running in that tank? Looks very red. I'd like to try one in my 100 gallon square tank.


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## crimper

Bien Lim said:


> Very nice tank and pictures..it is stelleta for sure..


Thanks again Bien, any tips on the stellata?



2wheelsx2 said:


> Latest pics look great. What bulbs are you running in that tank? Looks very red. I'd like to try one in my 100 gallon square tank.


2wheelx2, i'm using Coralife Colormax.


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## 2wheelsx2

crimper said:


> 2wheelx2, i'm using Coralife Colormax.


Ah, you're running all Colormax? I had them for a while and liked them but now have Giesemann Aquaflora which are a lot brighter and seem to last almost 2x as long. I always mix them with daylight bulbs, but maybe I should try a bank of 2 Aquaflora since I have 4. Thanks.


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## crimper

2wheelsx2 said:


> Ah, you're running all Colormax? I had them for a while and liked them but now have Giesemann Aquaflora which are a lot brighter and seem to last almost 2x as long. I always mix them with daylight bulbs, but maybe I should try a bank of 2 Aquaflora since I have 4. Thanks.


2 colormax and 2 Giesman Mid Day. I adjusted the the white balance settings on my camera that's why it looks redish. That's the closest exposure that I could get on how it looks in the actual tank.


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## crimper

a short video clip taken from my iPhone


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## crimper

Trimmed the stellatas the other day, cleaned one of my filters as it is becoming clogged, suddenly my water turned cloudy. Im getting ammonia spikes again... ADA here we go again, this tank is already running for 4 months now


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## zhasan

Beautiful looking tank! Your tank makes me want to get going with another Discus tank... Planted this time!


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## crimper

zhasan said:


> Beautiful looking tank! Your tank makes me want to get going with another Discus tank... Planted this time!


Thanks zhasan. To me discus looks best in a planted tank, go for it!


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## crimper

After my water turned cloudy after the last week WC, did an ammonia test and got 0.6 reading. Darn Aquasoil is still leaking ammonia, this tank is already 5 months.

Pulled my discus pair and house them back to their 20G Breeding tank.

I closely Monitored my water for a week and went back stable again today. Water cleared today as if nothing happened I lost some of my shrimps though


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## crimper

The Blyxas needs some trim... My HC carpet are spreading nicely... wanna play golf?


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## MELLO

It looks empty without the pair  j/k looking good pre!


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## crimper

Thanks Mel, I agree, the tank looks better with those Stendkers... they will be back there as soon as the tank is stable. :lol:


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## crimper

Gave my plants a trim today. Here are some pics taken after the sun set/WC today. Does the sun really shows up in Vancouver during Winter?:lol:


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## crimper

Mylon [pronounced as _My-Lawn_] is spreading nicely... ready for the Birdie shot! :lol:









sharp scissors needed soon :lol:


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## 118869

very nice tank.


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## 2wheelsx2

That's a very nice even HC lawn.


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## crimper

Thanks for the compliment 118869



2wheelsx2 said:


> That's a very nice even HC lawn.


Thanks 2wheelsx2.


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## Bien Lim

stunning tank man...

here is your plant name
Pogostemon stellatus/Eusteralis (Pogostemon stellatus)


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## crimper

Bien Lim said:


> stunning tank man...
> 
> here is your plant name
> Pogostemon stellatus/Eusteralis (Pogostemon stellatus)


Thanks for the compliments my dear Maestro, and thanks for your help and guidance. Your tanks are my inspiration.

Do you still have L. Aromatica? I need to try the aromaticas again and compared the difference.

On the plant profile they say it is classified as Hard and required high lighting. In my holding tank that's not the case, it's a non CO2 tank and have about 1.5 WPG lights. The stellatas are doing fine in there contrary to what they say on the plant profile. Any comment on this will be highly appreciated.


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## phyeung

Wow. I like the "lawn" spreading around and they are still growing. I tried it last March when i bought it from King Ed. At that time it was 12.99. But they were not spreading around after a month and were died out. Too bad. I wish to have like yours. Good jobs.


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## crimper

phyeung said:


> Wow. I like the "lawn" spreading around and they are still growing. I tried it last March when i bought it from King Ed. At that time it was 12.99. But they were not spreading around after a month and were died out. Too bad. I wish to have like yours. Good jobs.


Thanks Peter. With HC you need patience to grow them. I got bored on my 1st try and rushed it... and you know what happened, hcs wont attached to the substrate and got tall patches here and there... i tore my aquarium down and start over.


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## rickwaines

georgous build. lovely intersection of plant and Discus.


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## crimper

Thanks rickwaines for the kind words.


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## crimper

My plants grew like weeds. The HCs continuously spreading nicely and needs trimming now. The Stellatas and Blyxas needs re-planting as they are getting ugly now.


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## crazy72

This tank is amazing. Sooooo beautiful. Fantastic job.


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## crimper

Thanks crazy72


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## crimper

Got a nice pair of scissors from Pat (MyKiss), HCs needs trimming now after 6 months. Here's a short video taken tonight.


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## Bien Lim

Very healthy growth..good job


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## crimper

Bien Lim said:


> Very healthy growth..good job


Thank you Maestro. Now my back hurts :bigsmile: Clean up after the HC trim is a PITA :lol:


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## phyeung

crimper said:


> Got a nice pair of scissors from Pat (MyKiss), HCs needs trimming now after 6 months. Here's a short video taken tonight.


Oh I love this HCs. I did not know that HCs have to be trimmed with scissors. It is first time I see this video. Thank for sharing. Love it. Wish I have these, so I can have fun to do trimming. Then we can play mini golf in there.


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## crimper

phyeung said:


> Oh I love this HCs. I did not know that HCs have to be trimmed with scissors. It is first time I see this video. Thank for sharing. Love it. Wish I have these, so I can have fun to do trimming. Then we can play mini golf in there.


My pleasure Peter.

I was tempted to drive down at the Home Depot to get a mini Lawn Mower though :lol:


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## Mykiss

Nice. I'm glad you like the scissors. They make the job easier than the straight ones. Keep up the good work.


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## 2wheelsx2

They do. I love mine. But they don't work as well in a 12x12 ADA tank.


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## crimper

Mykiss said:


> Nice. I'm glad you like the scissors. They make the job easier than the straight ones. Keep up the good work.


Thanks Pat, it's really a lot easier. I can imagine myself cutting with the straight scissors. It would be a nightmare.


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## crimper

6 Months work Disaster


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## AdobeOtoCat

oh no!!! is it cause the carpet was too thick!!! D:
Sent from my SGH-I727R using Tapatalk 2


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## pieces71

I did not think that bad when you told me that last night,I thought just several areas or patches.. well you have now HC for sale..good thing it long week end ...time to put out you long planting twezeer


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## crimper

AdobeOtoCat said:


> oh no!!! is it cause the carpet was too thick!!! D:
> Sent from my SGH-I727R using Tapatalk 2


Yes I was so busy this fast couple weeks and did not trimmed the carpet. AdobeOtoCat... love your nick by the way.



pieces71 said:


> I did think that bad when you told me that last night,I thought just several areas or patches.. well you have now HC for sale..good thing it long week end ...time to put out you long planting twezeer


Pareng Ben,

When I left is just a bump like a hill in Teletubbies lol When I came home after the party, that's how it is in the picture. You're right, time to put these carpet for sale. Or maybe call Coit to have it shampooed and vacuumed.


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## 2wheelsx2

That's the problem with HC and high light. A little neglect and the lower portions rot and the whole thing floats up. No big deal though now that you've got lots. Just pull up the floating stuff and replant clumps and you'll have a full carpet soon enough since you have so much. A lot of work to do the replanting though...I did that with my ADA cube, but can't imagine doing that in a bigger tank. Now I trim my HC every 2 weeks until there is < 1 cm thickness.


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## crimper

2wheelsx2 said:


> That's the problem with HC and high light. A little neglect and the lower portions rot and the whole thing floats up. No big deal though now that you've got lots. Just pull up the floating stuff and replant clumps and you'll have a full carpet soon enough since you have so much. A lot of work to do the replanting though...I did that with my ADA cube, but can't imagine doing that in a bigger tank. Now I trim my HC every 2 weeks until there is < 1 cm thickness.


Thanks for the advice 2wheelsx2.

I checked the bottom parts are perfectly fine, no rot at all. The reason why it floats is I turned on all the lights (half of it is manual override) and forgot to put it back in timer. Too much pearling that were trapped on those tiny little leaves made it float.

With my current setup and plant growth, a weekly trim is necessary. Or I might need to ease up a bit on lights and dosing regimen.

Oh well, a painful lesson that I learned.


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## crimper

Wow I just finished re-planting my HCs... submerged. Trying to get the same result as the 2 months immersed method. 

Pics will be to follow, so tired. Gotta sleep now.


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## crimper

1 Week after that disaster...










I'm not sure if I could grow those HCs the same as the emmersed approach... let's wait and see


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## crimper

The Stellatas are coming back too.









I'm becoming a fan of the Macandras...


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## Jondis21

Wow!!! Look really nice bro!


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## 2wheelsx2

Wow, I can feel my back hurting just looking at those neat rows...just like rice paddies in Asia.


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## Reckon

WOW, on the plus side the Alternanthera reineckii 'rosaefolia' looks amazing!!


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## Bien Lim

love the growth man.. some branches would add more drama in this tank..


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## crimper

Jondis21 said:


> Wow!!! Look really nice bro!


Thanks Jon. Let's set up a Beer and Fish talk one of these days with brother MELLO. 



2wheelsx2 said:


> Wow, I can feel my back hurting just looking at those neat rows...just like rice paddies in Asia.


It's an asian thingie 2wheelsx2 :lol: I still remember those days way back home, my grand father use to take me to his rice fields, I'm just following his footsteps :bigsmile:



Reckon said:


> WOW, on the plus side the Alternanthera reineckii 'rosaefolia' looks amazing!!


Thanks Reckon. I'm also surprised with the Reinickiis as they are growing well on my tank. I don't dose iron now as my RCS died, I suspect it is due to the iron dosing.



Bien Lim said:


> love the growth man.. some branches would add more drama in this tank..


Maestro, help me put some drama in my tank sil vous plait... I'm a gardener not an artist like you. :bigsmile: your input will be highly appreciated.


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## 2wheelsx2

crimper said:


> It's an asian thingie 2wheelsx2 :lol: I still remember those days way back home, my grand father use to take me to his rice fields, I'm just following his footsteps :bigsmile:


I know. I saw them first hand when I went to my mother's village in China and saw my uncles plowing with an ox.


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## crimper

a couple of things happened this week.. first I ran out of CO2 Monday morning, what made it worst is I was so busy with work and wont be able to go and get a refill till Thursday. So my tank was without CO2 for 4 days and it did some damage on some of my plants. Some of my Blyxas started melting, HCs started to grow taller instead of attaching to the substrate.... arrrrrrrrrrgh! 

Ok fine, sorted things after the refill, I have 8 rainbows sitting on my quarantine tank so I said Ok, I want those Cardinal Tetras to have company so I put all the 8 new tenants in there. When I woke up this morning, most of my HCs are floating, those bad guys dug up my substrate and chomp on some of the HCs.... waaaaaaaaaaaaah! 

Noob mistake! (will post some pics later)


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## Reckon

Doh! PM me next time, I was in Burnaby and I have a back up 5lb co2 tank.

So the rainbows tore up the HC? What rainbows are they? My dwarf ones don't bother HC.


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## effox

Ahhh! That's crappy dude. I'm sure all will be fine in a few weeks though, your tank looked great.


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## crimper

Reckon said:


> Doh! PM me next time, I was in Burnaby and I have a back up 5lb co2 tank.
> 
> So the rainbows tore up the HC? What rainbows are they? My dwarf ones don't bother HC.


Thanks Reckon, I know better next time 

They are Bosemani.


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## crimper

effox said:


> Ahhh! That's crappy dude. I'm sure all will be fine in a few weeks though, your tank looked great.


Thanks effox, not to concerned. They don't look bad as it sounds like.


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## crimper

Here's some shots today.

Full Tank shot.









The Reds recovered right away.









Macandras:


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## crimper

Blyxa's started melting, I pulled out some melted one already


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## crimper

Bosemani dug up some of my HCs  some brown algae are already forming on the HCs after 4 days without CO2....


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## Tommy72a

Those rainbows!!! You better place them in HC protective relocation program! Aka, my tank. By the way, when do you split your japonicas? Almost all of the batch I got from you are starting to shoot out sideways with new roots coming out, mid way up the plant (sorry I don't know the proper term, sister plant?).


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## Bien Lim

awesome growth!!!!


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## Reckon

Sure there's a little melt but the tank is looking even better than when you posted the picture before. Reineckii is quite the star of your tank. I thought it was hard to apply it to a scape but I'm definately appreciating it now. Rotalas look great as well too, convincing me that they prefer lower no3 and higher po4. Or at least they prefer higher po4.


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## crimper

Tommy72a said:


> Those rainbows!!! You better place them in HC protective relocation program! Aka, my tank. By the way, when do you split your japonicas? Almost all of the batch I got from you are starting to shoot out sideways with new roots coming out, mid way up the plant (sorry I don't know the proper term, sister plant?).


Sorry Tommy, I got several vacant 20G tanks. Don't worry if I need to send them for adoption I know who to call. :bigsmile: I booted them out and relocated them on my 57G Low Tech until I'm able to grow back the HCs.

About the Blyxas, I usually trim/split/cut them every week when they spread like crazy. If they have grown a little bit tall to my liking, I usually do a bottom trim and re-plant them. I just trim/shape them to my liking.



Bien Lim said:


> awesome growth!!!!


Thanks Bien, I need to trim them aggressively especially the Blyxas.



Reckon said:


> Sure there's a little melt but the tank is looking even better than when you posted the picture before. Reineckii is quite the star of your tank. I thought it was hard to apply it to a scape but I'm definately appreciating it now. Rotalas look great as well too, convincing me that they prefer lower no3 and higher po4. Or at least they prefer higher po4.


Thanks for the compliments bro. I have the same dilemma before with regards to Reineckiis, it's hard to find them a spot in my tank. But came across with Tom Barr's recommendation to put them on the side as it makes your tank dark. But I really love red plants, so I said "the heck with it, I will find a place for them in my tank." :bigsmile:


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## crimper

Its been a while... i thought I need to put an update.

I pulled out the Bosemani Rainbows that I have added about a week ago, I noticed that the ph is too low for them as they are gasping for air most of the time. I tried to reduce the CO2 level however the red plants looks unhappy.

Here's the shot before the trim.










The HCs are slowly spreading all over the place, Im not thrilled with their progress. Their roots wont attached to the substrate as deep as before (grown immersed).


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## crimper

The Macandras seems to look happy again after the increase in CO2.










The Reinickiis are coming back happy.


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## Bien Lim

Very nice growt man!!


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## crimper

Bien Lim said:


> Very nice growt man!!


master, i already cut down my CO2, reduce lighting but these plants keep on growing like crazy. :bigsmile:


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## crimper

My wife is bugging me to put back my Blues Addiction in, but Im worried about the Low PH/high CO2 level on this tank. Im surprised the 28 cardinals tetras seems to endure it.

Here are My Stendker Giants on their 20G Breeding tank.


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## Reckon

crimper said:


> master, i already cut down my CO2, reduce lighting but these plants keep on growing like crazy. :bigsmile:


They must have some very well established roots  I'm very envious of how nice your macrandras look.

I notice that fish in my high tech plants seem a bit more frail than those in low tech. I guess that's why planted tank guys tend to spend the money on plants and then use less expensive fish to stock them. I love both apistos and red plants though but don't have room for more tanks 

Anyone have suggestions on the types of fish to put in high tech planted tanks?
Cardinals seem to be a good choice. I use Pseudomugil Gertrudaes and they seem not to mind with the low pH and high CO2.

I've got a Gourami in my 30 gal high tech tank, due to her labyrinth organ she's alright with high CO2 planted tanks. She's a bit of a bully though.


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## crimper

Actually i was googling around on "nice colorful" fish that can withstand a beating on the hi tech setup, most of the info i gathered is pointing into tetras. I was looking at the gouramis too before i pulled the trigger on the rainbows, yes they are bullies.

The only thing i dont like with cardinals is that they always hide underneath the stem plants


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## Reckon

crimper said:


> The only thing i dont like with cardinals is that they always hide underneath the stem plants


That's funny, that's what I look for in fish, ones that interact with their surroundings. If they hide in the plants and then come out for food I'm thrilled. Hence, why I like Apistos - they like the nooks and crannies and come out when curious. Or Pseudomugil Gertrudaes - they always poke their faces into moss and plants looking for whatever, food I guess.

Cardinals are nice and bright, they won't disappear into the foliage.

My dwarf rainbows have always been good to my plants. But I guess they don't get very big. Bigger than cardinals though.


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## crimper

lol Reckon, we're on the opposite sides. The reason being is, my tank is the first thing you would see when you enter my door, and most of my friends that come over always ask me "Where's the fish?" :bigsmile:

Most of the time I tell them, "thats not an aquarium, that's my garden." Then i will take them to the other tank, here are the fishes. :lol:


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## Swope2bc

Well i've come to the end! Great tank, I love the flow of it. I'll be watching it grow.


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## crimper

Thanks for looking. Feel free to ask if you got some questions Swope2bc.


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## Swope2bc

crimper said:


> Thanks for looking. Feel free to ask if you got some questions Swope2bc.


Thanks Crimper, I will! Glad to be a part of the community.. If there are other engrosing reads that you've followed let me know


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## crimper

I have torn down my 57G Low Tech tank and got no place to put the Rainbows... I put them back to this tank... guess what they love it here now... surprisingly they dont nip the HCs 

Here's the Pic taken last night.










A closer shot:


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## crimper

With the Cardinals...


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## Swope2bc

Looking pretty sweet!!! How about those discus back in there? ;-)


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## crimper

Thanks Bien, crazy growth again after almost 2 weeks without a trim 



Swope2bc said:


> Looking pretty sweet!!! How about those discus back in there? ;-)


Thanks Swope2bc. I really want to put em back there... One of these days when I got bored of breeding. :bigsmile:


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## crimper

Time for an update...

The HCs are back! Trimming time... I will be more agressive on trimming them this time.



The Stellatas are back too!


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## crimper

The Rainbows are lovin it!





and the Cardinals too!


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## Diztrbd1

Discus would be awesome in there. Absolutely gorgeous tank! Job well done! Interested to know something though..... why no wood of any kind? Or is it hidden by the beautiful plants lol Was just wondering....I think the right piece of wood, would put this tank over the top. Even w/o any wood, still very beautiful!


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## crimper

Thanks Diztrbd1. Im not a big fan of driftwood, ive tried it before but strugled as brown/hair algae loves to attached themselves on those woods. Having said that, it became a challenge for me lately and decided to try them again and incorporate them on my other tank build (57G low maintenance CO2 injected tank)  please check my other tank journal.

You are not the first one to ask me to put back my discus pair on this tank :bigsmile: even my wife is bugging me to put them back in there. Im having ph issues on this tank as the ph drops so much and it is too risky for my Stendker pair. Instead, I have designed my 57G to be able to house my discus instead. No red plants on this tank this time.


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## Canadian_Aqua_Farm

Your plants are looking fantastic!


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## crimper

Canadian_Aqua_Farm said:


> Your plants are looking fantastic!


Thanks for the kind words Rick. I'm building another one to house my contest discus. I'm one of those hardnose planted discus tank fanatic. :bigsmile:

Cheers!


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## crimper

It's been a while since I updated this thread... been busy with lots of things.

first: I removed those Bosemani Rainbows as they keep on chomping the Stellatas.

2nd: I have tweak my lighting, CO2 and dosing regiment a little bit as I'm getting tired of trimming esp the HCs as I'm too busy with lots of things right now. It is now set to have growth and be able to trim only every other week. I noticed it didn't affect much my plants however the Reinickii's we're that happy, their leaves turned a little bit pale.

And by the way I have re-homed my Stendker Discus pair. Here's the pics taken last night.


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## Goldfish

that looks amazing! how old are those discus?


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## crimper

Goldfish said:


> that looks amazing! how old are those discus?


Thanks Goldfish. I'm not sure about their age, they were already adults when I got them about a year ago.


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## crimper

I have decided to tear down my 57G planted tank and convert it to a Reef Tank. Yes, I have sold my tank(s) to the devil. But I'm keeping this one. I might sold my Stendker to a responsible discus keeper as I need more funds for my new reef project. 

Having said that, I will be moving the manzanita wood and other stuffs in this tank and re-scape this tank.


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## crimper

I've been ill for quite sometime, this tank crashed due to neglect... Fortunately I was able to find a new home for all the inhabitants including my Stendkers (my Blues Addiction discus). I hate to let them go but they need somebody to take care of them.

After I felt better, I started of contemplating on what to do with this tank. I even thought of converting this to a Saltwater FOWLR tank but decided not to. Yes..., I still want my underwater garden in our living room and will stay there till I'm able to take care of it.

Here it is after 6 weeks after reset.... and yes... I threw some wood in there as per Bien's suggestion. I'm still thinking what fish to put in this tank.


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## bonsai dave

Tank is looking great like always. I can get over how beautiful Stendker discus are to bad you don't see to many around...


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## April

Beautiful. Hope your feeling better.


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## Kimrocks

Indeed hope you are feeling better ! Exquisite tank as always.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Fish rookie

Tank looking really awesome, hope you feel better soon.


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## crimper

bonsai dave said:


> Tank is looking great like always. I can get over how beautiful Stendker discus are to bad you don't see to many around...


Thanks Dave, good to see you at BCA again. Yes those Stendkers are lovely, maybe when I fully recovered I will be able to keep discus again.



April said:


> Beautiful. Hope your feeling better.


Thanks April.



Kimrocks said:


> Indeed hope you are feeling better ! Exquisite tank as always.


Pareng Kim, thanks for the well wishes. This is already my second life and never thought I would be able to go back to this wonderful hobby.



Fish rookie said:


> Tank looking really awesome, hope you feel better soon.


Thanks Fish rookie.


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## crimper

Another angle...


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## rwong2k10

very nice aquascaping crimper

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2


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## crimper

rwong2k10 said:


> very nice aquascaping crimper
> 
> Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2


Thanks rwong2k10.


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## crimper

Just an update...

Added new tenants, Harlequin Rasboras and Fire Gourami...


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## crimper

another angle...


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## Reckon

Looks great! Is that UG in the far right corner?


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## crimper

Thanks Recon.

Yup it's UG. I'm doing some experiments on it and see how it goes.


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## crimper

On the side showing the UGs and the HC carpets...


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## Bien Lim

always nice to see this tank!!


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## crimper

Thanks Bien, you can drop by one of these days. We could trade some goodies


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## crimper

Wow it’s been 4 years since I shut this tank down, it’s been a roller coaster ride for me. I really miss this tank and of course my Blues Addiction (Stendker Discus).


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## Reckon

Welcome back! Just your reef tank running now?


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## crimper

Thanks Reckon. Yes I”m only running my Nano reef now, its a lot easier no more hauling of buckets and easier on my back, no more weekly trimming. But hey, I miss those things. Once you have it on your system it’s there forever.


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