the-obstacle

Well, I've got a big green tank at the moment and I'm hoping to prove that by adding ferts instead of hoping for the best green algae is a thing of the past. It's definitely NOT low maintenance though...

Thanks, I hope so. re: spray bars - I've got 2 DIY overflows ready to go in the gaps on the back wall so I'll have 2 outputs from those at high water level to the sump and the cannister outputs are in the lower corners. I can't figure out how to fit the overflows in otherwise. There's one hell of a whirlpool effect going on on both sides at the moment but interestingly the plants are moving in a more natural 'breeze' motion. I did fear dead spots but I can't actually find any. I'll have another look tomorrow though.

Yeah, I'm hoping the ferts do the job. If it doesn't sort itself out in a week or so after the ferts I'll start dropping the photo period but I'm not keen to do that just yet.

did a google. found this as one of the first links http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/216453-juwel-background/

African tanks tend to just have rocks and an air stone or 3 and maybe a little gravel. I can't think of anything more basic than that. With an fx5 you won't have underfiltration issues so a weekly water change should sort out any other issues that come up. Africans are definitely colourful but not necessarily for everyone - I'm more of a south american man but I may be swayed one day. Otherwise a planted tank planted with stem plants only in shallow gravel/sand should suffice for low maintenance. You might have to attack the plants once a month or 2 with a chain saw/hedge trimmer but other than that weekly water changes would be all that's required. Then you could have anything that doesn't destroy plants.

empty tank, dry it out, spray paint the back? It'll look funny with the shadows that'll throw from it's shape but otherwise it may be easier than removing the background. I'd try to get it out first though.

Thanks. On closer inspection it seems it may be algae that's pearling? There is definite pearling under the leaves of most plants but the stuff you can see in the photo is on top of the leaves and that's just weird. In the evenings it appears the leaves that are showing this top pearling are getting a bit dark on the tips/edges. Oh well, I ordered my dry ferts today so should be dosing by the weekend and we'll see what happens to the algae and the plant mass after that. edit: not bba, just dark green.

Fully lit shot showing plenty of pearling too. Glad I changed the co2 mix yesterday - it was getting a bit lackluster.

Feel free to send some my way (I'll pay of course) if you get the urge. Oh, um, nice goldfish :dunno: (keeping it on topic)

This is definitely my cup of tea. I love the different sea weeds. It looks more like what we see out snorkelling and diving in the gulf which is what I'm used to. I'd love a marine tank setup with different sea weeds, a crayfish and a couple of blue cod or schnapper or something else equally replicating the north island waters. (yes I know, we have local corals etc. but I don't pay enough attention to them when I'm diving.)

The trick is to find out if it's quarried sand or beach sand. Quarried sand is just rock that's been crushed small enough to be considered sand but it still feels like sand sized broken rocks ie. sharp. Beach sand has had hundreds of years of erosion to smooth it out making it round edged and not at all sharp. River sand is a hard one to call because often it comes from quarries which are digging up old river beds and thus claiming it's river sand but it's still sharp rock. At the same time sand can be collected from rivers which is actually smooth but it's usually found near the mouth of the river where it enters the sea / lake as it starts it's journey from the top of the river (or wherever it entered) as a little rock.

It's not adhesive - it's just standard blue/black background sheet. you add the adhesive by adding the canola oil.

I've found the finish with a roller and enamel is much better than spray paint. I've only done a small tank with both but the roller looks best. wish i'd known before i tried using acrylic paint on the big tank.

silica sand? use water based enamel and a fine foam roller for painting the tank. you'll need about 500ml max.

Jodpers

They come in 20KG bags. I need another full bag.

30mm+ river stones from Sophia who got them from... Central Landscapes and Garden Supplies on Swanson Rd.

p44 will step in here I'm sure but I've heard him say they're 18000K (practically blue/white light) with red and a bit of green added?

Cories in particular have a habit of cutting their barbels up on sharp gravel/sand.

brighter I'll get some pics tomorrow and update then.

here's a shot of the tank in it's current unfinished form. All the plants are growing nicely but I feel I now need to concentrate on the NPK and co2 balance. I added some excel to the mix 2 days ago and the ambulia grew 10cm in one day so I'm assuming I need more co2. Time for that drop checker. Anyway - enjoy! The only light is my 3' powerglo that I have on an hour before and an hour after the halides. It seems I've got the photoperiod right as the ambulia is just closing as the halides go out. You can see the pearling on the leaves of the micro sword (right name? something subulata or something?) on the right.

Awesome! Cory eggs are exciting eh? Well done on sealing the room too.

you can get some of them here. that's all I'll admit to. actually, the c. wendtii is the only one I recognise without looking up common names but that'd just start a whole new thread...

It appears to absorb and chrystalise once it's reached it max. Doesn't leech at all apparently. Interesting stuff really... I'm keen to give it a go. Probably no good for planted tanks though.

Any reason why? I assume the iron in the sand Henward is talking about would somehow leach into the water collumn which would be good for amazon swords but maybe bad for fish, although I'm not sure of that.