# 1 Year in my 29 planted.....||2012-02-08 updated.



## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

this is my first post here... it is my first planted tank...and happy birthday to my tank......(they grow up so fast...)

day one. 2009-06-13 








(dont know the HG have to cut for the first time.)

1st month. 2009-07-24








(green water....under 11 hours lighting...did one trim. HG looks better.)

2nd month. 2009-08-03








(green water gone...9 hours lighting, turn off one blub. did '0' WC. and put 2 died guppies to speed up the bio-cycle)

3rd month. 2009-09-02








(all planted is doing fine under DIY CO2)

4th month. 2009-10-07








(photo taken by iphone. ...added an eheim 2217.)

7th month. 2010-01-01








(new year! bought some new plants from King ED, re-planted the HG. added a 5lb CO2 tank and a inline diffuser, replaced a 2X24w T5HO with the 2X18w T5.
red plants will grow better under higher light. freaking red, but then, the windelov leaves will grow smaller.)

9th month. 2010-03-04








(changed some plants. got them from my friends's tank. added 2 more timmers to control the lighting and the CO2. found out the windelov is doing better in low temperature. turn off the heater. the temperature in between (21-24).)

11th month. 2010-05-17








(chaned some plants. love the water fern...very beautiful..)

1 years old. 2010-06-19








(how is it....)

Up to today. the tank is running under:
Fluval 305 + Eheim 2217
18W T5 X2(colormax + 6700k) on 12:00-13:30, 20:00-21:15 (back light)
18W T5 X2(6700K+6700K) on 13:30-20:00
24W T5HOX2 (6700k+6700k) on 14:00-18:00
CO2 @ 2 bubbles/second with inline diffuser connected to the outpipe of the 305
doning 1 WC 1 month or even no WC. just tap it off.
doing some KH2PO4, KNO3, K2SO4 compand, amazon iron. etc.. once a week.


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## vcat (Apr 24, 2010)

nice pictures of your tank. it looks great!


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## DR1V3N (Apr 22, 2010)

HBD tank... lol 

Your tank looks solid. Nice to see the evolution from day 1.

How did you suspend your lighting like that? Can kind of see your contraption in the last pic.


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## jamez&becca (Apr 22, 2010)

Wow! That's gorgeous! I also have a 29g planted, but it's very low tech... only 1 coralife light and no co2 (the one in my display pic)... I hope to have a set up like yours one day!


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## alym (Apr 21, 2010)

Absolutely LOVE your tank and how it has evolved over the year. Thank you very much for posting!


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## eternity302 (Apr 22, 2010)

Very impressive!!


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## lotus (Apr 22, 2010)

Its very lush and green...very nice!


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## Elmo (Apr 21, 2010)

WOW, that is awesome

can I ask what you used for your DIY co2 recipe?


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

Elmo said:


> WOW, that is awesome
> 
> can I ask what you used for your DIY co2 recipe?


for me.
1. find two "hot sauce bottle"--the one they use in some chinese restaurant (like this:http://www.catering-suppliers.com/product_pictures/1149588747.jpg)
(better than the cola bottle)
2. buy two check value. use one for each bottle....
3.sugar+yeast (sugar needs boil)
4. small diffuser..
5. make sure no leakage ( most important...)

for diy co2.. do not use too much of light...or too long...
and turn on the air pump at night.... my suggestion....

hope it can help you...


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

vcat said:


> nice pictures of your tank. it looks great!





martialid10t said:


> HBD tank... lol
> 
> Your tank looks solid. Nice to see the evolution from day 1.
> 
> How did you suspend your lighting like that? Can kind of see your contraption in the last pic.





alym said:


> Absolutely LOVE your tank and how it has evolved over the year. Thank you very much for posting!





eternity302 said:


> Very impressive!!





lotus said:


> Its very lush and green...very nice!


Thanks for you reply...


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## Kenta (Apr 28, 2010)

Nice tank! Looks great, whats the plant emersing out of the tank? I think I have the same plant but its not coming above the water


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

Kenta said:


> Nice tank! Looks great, whats the plant emersing out of the tank? I think I have the same plant but its not coming above the water


do you mean this one...i dont know the name...but it the same one in the King Ed Display tank...


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## Kenta (Apr 28, 2010)

Yeah that one, I have the same plant but its not emerging out of the water


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## DR1V3N (Apr 22, 2010)

Kenta said:


> Yeah that one, I have the same plant but its not emerging out of the water


I think it has something to do with his suspended lighting.

Plants naturally compete for lighting. IMO if they aren't emerging it's because they're more than satisfied with lighting conditions.


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## Elmo (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanx
more food for thought for me to digest as i've been trying to adjust / tweak my recipe...

but why boil the sugar solution? bugs or something?
cheers



gouedi said:


> 3.sugar+yeast (sugar needs boil)
> 4. small diffuser..
> 5. make sure no leakage ( most important...)
> 
> hope it can help you...


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

martialid10t said:


> I think it has something to do with his suspended lighting.
> 
> Plants naturally compete for lighting. IMO if they aren't emerging it's because they're more than satisfied with lighting conditions.


thats right...but you can cut all the leaves below the water,and only left the new one...then it will forced to grow up.


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

Elmo said:


> Thanx
> more food for thought for me to digest as i've been trying to adjust / tweak my recipe...
> 
> but why boil the sugar solution? bugs or something?
> cheers


make higher concentration...it lasts longer...
if you have a small tank...why not using metricide instead...


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Can you clarify the lighting a bit? So you have 3 fixtures on there? And the one suspended is a Hagen Glo? Very nicely done example of a DIY CO2 tank.


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## tang daddy (Apr 21, 2010)

looks good, great Job!


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## skabooya (Jun 15, 2010)

the plant is a Hygro species. Probably giant hygro. I had some once upon a time ago that grew out of the water all the time... but it never flowered.


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Can you clarify the lighting a bit? So you have 3 fixtures on there? And the one suspended is a Hagen Glo? Very nicely done example of a DIY CO2 tank.


1 coralife 30 incn 18w (colormax + 6700) -----back of the tank. turn on 12:00-13:30, 20:00-21:15.(there are a lot of advantages of using the back light.if you can read chinese. read this article http://www.cau-aqua.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=53&Itemid=39.....)

2.coralife 30 inch 18W T5 X2(6700K+6700K) on 13:30-20:00
3.glo 24inch 24W T5HOX2 (6700k+6700k) on 14:00-18:00
(hanging from the ceiling. using the something like this http://www.fxhangingsystems.com.au/images/loc_ceiling_hl.jpg... i am living in the basement,and that position is luckily very low....)
(these two are the major light.. enough of the medium low lighting plants..)

sorry for my bad english...


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Interesting. I don't read Chinese very well (just speak it), but I'll have a look at that site. I also run multiple sets of lights for coverage in my 125, as stated previously, but didn't think to mix NO and HO lights like that. Thanks for the link and clarifying.


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

skabooya said:


> the plant is a Hygro species. Probably giant hygro. I had some once upon a time ago that grew out of the water all the time... but it never flowered.


have to wait the plant grows into somehow large size. then stop dosing fertilizers...then it will have flowers.....(my grandpa told me that when i was a kid...he is a farmer...)


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## nonsans (Apr 22, 2010)

wow impressive!


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## DR1V3N (Apr 22, 2010)

The King Ed's show tank near the entrance uses the same principle I believe.

Can someone translate at least the gist of the article to explain why a back light is so beneficial?





gouedi said:


> 1 coralife 30 incn 18w (colormax + 6700) -----back of the tank. turn on 12:00-13:30, 20:00-21:15.(there are a lot of advantages of using the back light.if you can read chinese. read this article http://www.cau-aqua.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=53&Itemid=39.....)
> 
> 2.coralife 30 inch 18W T5 X2(6700K+6700K) on 13:30-20:00
> 3.glo 24inch 24W T5HOX2 (6700k+6700k) on 14:00-18:00
> ...


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

got a new co2 reactor form taiwan. JALECO JAQNO CO2 Mixer Diffuser 
and the connection is eheim 2217 => fluval 305 => 9W UV lamp => Up co2atomizer => jaleco co2 reactor.
it works pretty well, can olny see a few bubbles ( 100% diffusion is not really good for plants.)
here is the pic.


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## tang daddy (Apr 21, 2010)

nice co2 atomizer how big is it and how much do these run?


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

tang daddy said:


> nice co2 atomizer how big is it and how much do these run?


it can hold 1500cc water..and the hosing is 12/16mm, with built-in check-val,
can connect a glass diffuser inside the reactor.


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

i had that two from king ed  H. corymbosa i believe it is


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

31th july update..


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## eternity302 (Apr 22, 2010)

THat is NICE!!!!! =) GORGEOUS!
*CLAP CLAP CLAP*


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

monthly update


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

----
keep taking a pic every month...record it..


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

trimed....the red plants and some bolbotis(cut all leaves,)...








a few plants for free. 
if you are new, and looking some plants to try...
if you are chinese...
can pickup this saturday...
pm me if interested...


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## Bien Lim (Apr 21, 2010)

nice set up u got there, and very healthy


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## Fishkeeper (Apr 21, 2010)

Very nice tank....beautiful...love the way you have it all set up....


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Great looking setup , very lush and green! Question for you though , how do you manage to keep the growth coming out top from not melting or drying up on you ? Ive had plants grow outta water , but slowly fade away to nothing after a few days.Thanks for sharing.


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

did a major rescaping today..
same plants. same woods. same fishes..








need advice to improve it..thanks


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## alym (Apr 21, 2010)

I would add a carpet plant, and maybe tie some moss on the lateral pieces of wood, over time, when they fill in, it would look amazing. The crypts at the back will start to spread a lot too, so be a bit careful with those as they could easily creep into other parts of your scape. The aromatica at the back looks stunning, but the bottoms will melt due to lack of light, plus when you trim, it'll get thick and compete against the rotala macranda at the back left -- that plant I find VERY sensitive to light so it starts to melt quite fast. Other than that, it looks stunning. 

If my tank looked half as good, I'd be twice as happy as I am now.


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## ngo911 (May 19, 2010)

What did you use as a background to get that effect?


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## DR1V3N (Apr 22, 2010)

You sir, have a very keen eye for arrangement. X2 on trying the carpeting flora. Although this has a very nice appeal right now as all attention is drawn to your focal point as it looks like you intended.

Maybe even try replacing the bordering flora base with a brighter substrate like white sand to help reflect light into those nooks and crannies.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I actually like the clear, no carpeting plant look. The two things that seem to come up in planted scapes (just saw the top planted tanks scapes in this month's TFH magazine) seem to be visible equipment and corner seams. I'd try to plant or use wood in the corners to hide the seam and the equipment which ruins the illusion of depth.


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## Bien Lim (Apr 21, 2010)

Love the way it is right now, wont change a thing if it was my tank. but for other people viewing purposes 2wheelsx2 is right the equipment will get in the way on others people imagination. having said that I wont bother, its too much work..great looking tank, it just need to mature then it would look even better


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

thans for the reply...i will take 2wheelsx2' and bien lim's advises.. keep the no carpeting look...but will change ada forest sand if i can find out where to buy it.. right now need to do is wait....
here is a shot of today.


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

after a one month trip...i got a pinky rear plants....lucky...









and my little baiyun...have them from the first day have this tank.


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## JohnnyAppleSnail (May 30, 2010)

Very Beautiful! Congrats on a job wonderfully done.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Tank looks fantastic and the white clouds look great. Always loved those guys.


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## Momobobo (Sep 28, 2010)

Gorgeous Tank! Gorgeous fish =0! They look very nice!


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## mysticalnet (Apr 22, 2010)

nice tank!


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

Very nice looking set up. I can only dream my tank will look like that one day


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

nice planted tank and great 'scape. always love the baiyunshan yu


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

thanks everyone's support..


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## Petah (Dec 19, 2010)

What's that plant you have growing out of your tank (left side)?


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

made a water change yesterday. replaced some active carbon.. and took some pictures of my fish...nothing special...
















seems no one is interested in my Gourami....i will keep them...


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

in the past few weeks. i collected some mountain rock when i doing morning exercises. 








and got some woods from April, rescaped last weekend. but the wood still keep floating up. 
will adjust it in this weekend. any suggestions?


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## Bien Lim (Apr 21, 2010)

looking great already...cant wait


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Those viewed volcanic rocks (I think) look great. Why don't use stainless steel screws and screw some of the wood together and into some slate to keep them down?


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## cdsgo1974 (Sep 25, 2011)

very talented


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

Wow this looks spectacular. Great job.


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

thanks for all the words. for all the pm about the place to get the rock.
please google this 49.292105,-122.987899
i walked there this afternoon... not much left. if interested. please hurry.


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

tying the moss inside the tank is quiet difficult....
so try super glue... not bad. very quick... after the glue dry.. looks like bird shits on wood....:big smile:


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

algae problem come back after the SAE gone...


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

took some short movie by cellphone since april 24, 11 weeks old.

April:





-----
i can only add 1 movie for each message???


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

May:


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

June:


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

2012-09-12


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

Beautiful tank. I could stare at it for hours. What types of fish do you have in it?


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I love your scape. Thanks for sharing. Really enjoy watching your videos and looking at the pictures.
May I ask what are your setting when taking those beautiful pictures?


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

jbyoung00008 said:


> Beautiful tank. I could stare at it for hours. What types of fish do you have in it?





Fish rookie said:


> I love your scape. Thanks for sharing. Really enjoy watching your videos and looking at the pictures.
> May I ask what are your setting when taking those beautiful pictures?


thanks for the watching.. right now only have 5 neon rainbows and 2 neon tetras. and 2 SAE and 10+baby white clouds. 50+ shrimps

the movies were taken by iPhone and edited with iMovie. for pictures. i use canon 450d, with 28mm lens or 50mm lens. use m mode at F5.6 to F11 and iso4oo, time are different between 1/30 to 1/125, depend on the lights.. 
i dont have a flashlight, if you have on, you can make a lightbox and put it on top of the tank. it will be lot more helpful..


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## Bien Lim (Apr 21, 2010)

nice tank and very nice picture quality..thanks for sharing


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## er201 (Apr 21, 2010)

wow very nice tank


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

As always, another stunning scape. I envy your 'mad skillz'.

Best regards,

Stuart


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

gouedi said:


> thanks for the watching.. right now only have 5 neon rainbows and 2 neon tetras. and 2 SAE and 10+baby white clouds. 50+ shrimps
> 
> the movies were taken by iPhone and edited with iMovie. for pictures. i use canon 450d, with 28mm lens or 50mm lens. use m mode at F5.6 to F11 and iso4oo, time are different between 1/30 to 1/125, depend on the lights..
> i dont have a flashlight, if you have on, you can make a lightbox and put it on top of the tank. it will be lot more helpful..


Thank you so much. I always find that the black background of my tank does not look black in the pictures I take, and the green is all wrong, think it is the reflection or something like that..
I will try to make a light box. So, I should remove the light fixture and put a light box on top?


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

took a short video of the tank. 234 days after planting.

having a snail problem now. add 2 Assassin Snails, last weekend. hope they can control the snail population.


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## Momobobo (Sep 28, 2010)

Very very beautiful tank. Would give Mr.Amano a run for his money  My only personal preference complain is there not enough living critters adding movement  Oh and the video was awesome! Very relaxing, i wish it was longer :bigsmile:


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

a quick rescape in the newyear holiday. this time i will try turn some bolbotis emersed....<really busy that no time to trim the background plants.>


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## Bien Lim (Apr 21, 2010)

Very nice scape. .love the sand


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## crimper (Oct 20, 2010)

nicely done!


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## dabandit1 (Dec 6, 2010)

Simply beautiful!!! great eye


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## trout (Mar 21, 2012)

stunning scape! nicely done!


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## aquariussun (Jan 21, 2013)

where does everyone get those long branched roots? Your tank is awesome!


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Nice choice of fish! Love seeing this tank evolve. Gets better every time.


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

actually my tank is suffering the BBA issue, nearly all my shrimps died, i doubt my neon rainbow fish have eaten them....or jumped out of tank.


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