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DSM: Mr Aqua 12G (3ft Bookshelf)


AwwYea

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Love the dimension of the tank...Looks like a panoramic photo shot...Well done...Will be interested to see how things progress for you...

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Deans right! Awwyea says it all! Love it mate.

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I have to agree with everyone, AwwYea is definitely what comes to mind seeing this tank, well done dude! :victorious: You definitely won't need to replace that bottle for a long time, I used one that size years ago & I had it running for over twelve months & didn't even use half of it :congratulatory:

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Thanks again for the kind words everyone!

Awwyea! your username says what i think when i see this tank :) very nice mate. how long before you start to fill it?
T-Minus Negative 2 hours :D AWW YEAAAA!!!
Thanks for the update. I had the 2.6kg on my 26 lt, and didnt think it was too big!
My wife freaked out when she saw me bring it home. She's very afraid of it and is uncomfortable having it in the house. I had to do a lot of explanation of how it's not as dangerous as it looks haha!
You definitely won't need to replace that bottle for a long time, I used one that size years ago & I had it running for over twelve months & didn't even use half of it :congratulatory:
I hope so too! Not too sure how much gas is left in the bottle (as it's second hand) but worst case scenario I'll need to refill once :cool-new:
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My wife and I decided to finally flood the tank tonight.

We covered half the tank in newspaper and proceeded to fill it with a slow flowing air-tube.

FntZgD9.jpg

You can see how well this works and it took roughly 20 mins to fill the whole tank.

AS21ILt.jpg

Aqua-soil is so dirty! Surface scum...

lKoDR72.jpg

With the tank filled. We spent the next hour trying to prime the filter and get the water flowing through the pipes.

There was so much air trapped in the hoses and I'm assuming the Reactor and Heater as well!

I kept switching the filter off because I didn't want to run it dry but my wife just told me to leave it on as she furiously shook the hoses.

Surprise surprise... it eventually worked and the air cleared. Listen to your wife, she's always right. Hah! ;)

Here's how the tank sits now! There's still a bit of air trickling around in the reactor which I'll try to clear tomorrow.

8xDg6wy.jpg

FTS:

Thanks to everyone who's been following along on this journey of mine.

Will have more updates soon :)

5lXCmsj.jpg

Advice needed:

Plans for the next 2 weeks will be the run the CO2 on high and reduce the lighting period to 7-8~ hours.

No ferts and no fauna will be introduced during this time.

Is there anything else I should be doing and expecting?

I'm anticipating that there will definitely be a cycle of diatoms.

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Definitely have to cycle the filter, looks amazing dude, this is where the hard yards start, very well done! :victorious:

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Definitely have to cycle the filter.

Thanks Squiggle! We are quite happy with how it turned out.

Forgot to mention that the filter had been running on another tank for the past 2-3 weeks alongside an already cycled filter :)

The water in this tank has all been taken directly from that tank too.

So hopefully we don't have to go through another cycle? Not that it matters anyway haha! It will be a good month before we introduce fauna I think :D

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Good thinking dude, the next two weeks are going to be exciting just waiting :victorious:

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How did i miss these updates? The rock scape look AMAZING! :encouragement: cant wait to see how the tank progresses!

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Thanks for the kind words and suggestions guys.

Week 12 Update:

The HC has transitioned quite nicely.

It does appear to be pearling at the end of the 2 hour mark but only in the front of the tank and not in the rear. So far I haven't noticed any melting at all *crosses fingers*

95% of the original UG however melted away in the first day. I have since replaced it today with a fresh pot and hopefully it will take off.

I have both CO2 checkers on opposite ends of the tank and they drop to a light lime green colour. Increasing the BPS from 2 - 4 doesn't drop it any further.

I'm using the Cal Aqua Lab Indicator Solution... does anyone know if this is even able to reach yellow?

The only algae I have noticed at the moment is GDA on the far left rock. No algae anywhere else at all yet.

I haven't done any major water changes yet as I'm assuming the plants will be fine with all the excess nutrients being leeched out of the soil.

I have been skimming surface scum daily though and replenishing with about 4l of tap water in the process (about 10% of approx total water volume).

I had shut down my other tank and had noticed that there were 2 RCS hiding out in the driftwood.

Not being in the best shape I threw them into this tank and surprisingly they have bounced back (one of them has even moulted earlier today).

gii1x7D.jpgINPZGqf.jpg

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Wow dude, this tank is coming along very well, great work! Thanks for sharing :victorious:

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Looks simply awesome!

Loving that BRIGHT RCS in the bottom picture, it really stand out :)

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Week 13 Update:

HC has filled in even more and is spreading horizontally whilst also growing vertically in some patches.

This week I've also noticed an incredible amount of pearling compared to last week.

CO2 checkers are now both also indicating a very light green/yellow.

Lighting has been extended by an hour to a total of 8 now.

Tank is officially now cycled!

Ammonia/Nitrites: 0

Nitrates: 5.0 ppm

7oOdZUp.jpgFdgItNW.jpg

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Starting to get some really nice colour in there dude & it growing nicely, well done :victorious:

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Such an inspirational thread....thanks for the continued detail updates... Tank and scape is looking absolutely awesome ! :encouragement:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for the continuous encouragement guys!

WxvY9pi.jpg

Week 14 Update:

Plants

HC is continuing to spread well. We have been trimming the longer stems and hoping to give it a full mow next weekend to encourage it grow back denser.

UG looks absolutely disgusting. Almost yellowing and no noticeable new growth at all. Hopefully it's just in the rooting process but time will tell.

We've been thinking about what background plant to use and haven't quite decided yet.

Hairgrass seems to be the usual suspect and Blyxa can look lush and natural (but can be quite overpowering).

We'll play around a little as we are hoping to create something a little different.

We added some Lilaeopsis behind the rocks just to see how it looks and I think it will work quite well when kept low and used as an accent.

CO2 has been reduced to 1bps with the drop checker reporting 30ppm after the end of the lighting period.

Algae and SCUM

Had some hair algae make an appearance on the glass earlier this week. Took a toothbrush to it and it hasn't dared to return.

Typical cycle of diatoms which is difficult to manage when we're using tap water for top ups (having an open top and all :cry: )

Surface scum has been so frustrating and we just can't get it under control. Because the lily-pipe directs the flow of water downwards; surface agitation is virtually non-existant.

I'll siphon the oily surface out every night and sure enough it'll make a return the next night.

It's unsightly to see CO2 and Oxygen bubbles trapped beneath it!

Fish, Glorious fish!

We have introduced the following to our tank:

  • 5 Darwin Algae Shrimps





    • 12 Chili Rasbora (Boraras Brigittae)
      Juveniles but they do have a little colour on them. We lost one last night because it decided the grass was greener (and much drier) on the other side.
      Will possibly add another 11 to the current group at a later stage.





      • 4 Clown Killifish (Aplocheilus Annulatus)
        Beautiful looking specimens. There deep blue eyes are just stunning. Can't wait to see them mature further and see the tails in the male colour up more





    • 3 Pygmy Cory (Corydoras Pygmaeus)
      Terribly cute. My personal favourite so far! They are so playful, school tightly and leave my plants well alone. Thinking to add another 2-4 at a later stage

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Just a mid-week update.

I haven't topped off the tank for a few days now to encourage the Diatoms to disappear.

Tonight the water level was looking quite low after I siphoned out the surface scum.

After a quick trip to Coles and 4L of Pureau Water later the tank is replenished!

Neat little discovery tonight!

The position of your lighting can change the impact of your scape.

5JnV3A0.jpg

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